tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42878305260870872872024-03-14T02:48:53.539-07:00Hot News Around the world, Khmer Hot News, Last News, Politic, Economic, Healthy,sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-48745282888979654392009-08-21T23:24:00.000-07:002009-08-21T23:25:04.648-07:00Chea Mony maintains his accusation against the government21 August 2009<br />Everyday.com.kh<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br />In spite of the lawsuit threat leveled by government official against Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), for his comment accusing the government of involvement in the 2004 murder of Chea Vichea, Chea Mony’s older brother, Chea Mony still maintains his stance. Speaking to The Phnom Penh Post on Thursday, Chea Mony said that what he raised was not exaggeration, it was the truth. He said: “The Cambodian government has the duty to find the killers. If the government does not look for the killers, it means that the government is truly behind this murder.” Chea Mony repeated that he does not fear the lawsuit threat against him. He said that he is already prepared to accept the responsibility and he is willing to face jail over the presumption on the murder of his brother, i.e. that the government was behind Chea Vichea’s murder.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-67553048928273786492009-08-21T23:23:00.002-07:002009-08-21T23:24:31.752-07:00Maritime border: Thailand’s major naval exercise that include an aircraft carrier seen as a show of force to Cambodia21 August 2009<br />Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br />The Thai Royal Navy conducted a major naval exercise which included an aircraft carrier and several battleships near Koh Kut Island. The naval exercise was conducted as a show of force to Cambodia after the Cambodian government authorized the Total oil company to explore for oil in the nearby waters.<br /><br />Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Cambodian ministry of Defense, told Rasmei Kampuchea over the phone in the afternoon of 20 August that Thailand conducted its naval exercise in the Koh Kut region for more than one week already, starting from Sunday 09 August to 17 August. The exercise included 10 ships: standard ships, an aircraft carrier and several battleships.<br /><br />Chhum Socheat indicated that, following the naval exercise, Thailand left behind 3 ships in the region. Thailand undertook the exercise after it protested Cambodia’s agreement to allow to the French Total company to explore for oil.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-48419241994082816152009-08-21T23:23:00.001-07:002009-08-21T23:23:56.806-07:00They couldn’t find a single killer of opposition activists, but they will surely find the distributors of leaflets scorning Hun Xen19 August 2009<br />By Sok Serey<br />Radio Free Asia<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br />Click here to read the article in Khmer<br /><br />Phnom Penh city police is conducting an urgent investigation on Wednesday 19 August, to search for the suspects involved in the distribution of leaflets scorning Hun Xen and his government, and they also accused 07 January as the date of Vietnamese aggression into Cambodia.<br /><br />Touch Naroth, Phnom Penh police commissioner, told RFA on Wednesday 19 August that his force is currently conducting its search, but the identity of the suspects is still unknown. He added: “I am conducting the search, if I can find them, I will send them to the court for prosecution. The population can see with their own eyes, they will not believe in a group of biased people who falsify the truth in this manner.”<br /><br />Touch Naroth indicated that there were several bundles of leaflets that people have found and turned them over to the police. These leaflets were discovered at 4AM in Daun Penh district. Touch Naroth also indicated that these leaflets bear a picture of Hun Xen and they labeled him as a dictatorial leader of Cambodia, as well as a bought out puppet of Vietnam.<br /><br />Among the many writings in the leaflets, the following claim was also included: “I am proud to be born as a Khmer child, i.e. the descendant of the builders of Angkor. I remember Cambodia’s glorious past when she was known all over the world, but now, she has been dissolved because of the current dictatorial government. Corruption and Hanoi’s aggression on 07 January 1979 was claimed by Vietnam that it came to liberate Cambodian children and liberate the Cambodian people.”sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-59092361349924750852009-08-21T23:22:00.001-07:002009-08-21T23:23:04.149-07:00They killed his older brother ... now they plan to sue him for speaking out the truth?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/So-OvLEU3pI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/YVREUw9zNPc/s1600-h/chea+mony+speaking.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/So-OvLEU3pI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/YVREUw9zNPc/s320/chea+mony+speaking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372669821552221842" /></a><br />The Ministry of Interior plans to sue Chea Mony for providing false testimony to the court<br /><br />21 August 2009<br />Kampuchea Thmei newspaper<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br />The ministry of Interior (MoI) plans to sue Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), for providing false testimony to the court.<br /><br />Khieu Sopheak, MoI spokesman, told Kampuchea Thmei over the phone in the afternoon of 20 August 2009 that the MoI reserves the right to sue Chea Mony because he provided false testimony and he used the court hearing as a platform to spread disinformation. The event took place during Chea Mony’s presence at the court hearing held on 17 August 2009, and [his statements] could lead to confusion.<br /><br />Khieu Sopheak said that: “(1) We consider that he truly provided false testimony to the court, (2) he used the court hearing platform to spread disinformation to all those present in the hearing, including national and international reporters. Therefore the MoI reserves the right to sue him in court for his action.”<br /><br />Regarding this lawsuit against Chea Mony, Khieu Sopheak did not yet confirm its exact timing.<br /><br />Chea Mony is the president of the FTUWKC and the younger brother of Chea Vichea who was murdered in 2004. Kampuchea Thmei could not yet reach him over the phone in the afternoon of 20 August to obtain his comment.<br /><br />On 17 August 2009, the Appeal court held a hearing on the murder case of Chea Vichea, the former FTUWKC president who was murdered near Wat Langka Pagoda in 2004. During the hearing, Chea Mony publicly declared to the court, as the suing party, that the government was behind the murder of his brother.<br /><br />His declaration was met by a strong reaction from the judge and the prosecutor, and Chea Mony’s words were recorded in the court proceedings.<br /><br />Following the murder of Chea Vichea, two men were arrested and accused of involvement in the murder. However, recently, the Supreme court decided to released the alleged killers on bail because of insufficient evidence. On 17 August, the two accused men were granted full freedom and the Appeal court also ordered a new investigation into this murder case.<br /><br />After the Appeal court’s order to re-investigate the case, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) in Cambodia and ILO issued a joint statement welcoming the re-investigation order for the murder.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-30940077026327636472009-08-21T23:20:00.000-07:002009-08-21T23:21:43.573-07:00Thai military leaders to address border dispute?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/So-ObHk6RQI/AAAAAAAAAaI/xXcfKm2q2-E/s1600-h/Songkitti+Jaggabatara+(TNA).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/So-ObHk6RQI/AAAAAAAAAaI/xXcfKm2q2-E/s320/Songkitti+Jaggabatara+(TNA).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372669477017765122" /></a><br />By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer<br />Original report from Phnom Penh<br />21 August 2009<br /><br />High-ranking Thai military commanders are slated to meet their Cambodian counterparts later this month, in an effort to address the longstanding border dispute near Preah Vihear temple and an emerging maritime dispute, officials said Friday.<br /><br />Already high military tensions escalated this week, when Thailand protested Cambodia’s push for further oil exploration in the Gulf of Thailand, especially near Kuth island. Thailand said this was an encroachment of its maritime borders, a claim Cambodia denies. Both sides have had soldiers entrenched near the Preah Vihear border for more than a year.<br /><br />Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatra, supreme commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, and his deputies, Adm. Apichart Pengsritong and Air Chief Marshal Bureerat Ratanavanich, will be accompanied by some 87 Thai military officials to visit Cambodia Aug. 24.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-59279880205001940682009-08-13T19:10:00.000-07:002009-08-13T19:11:31.332-07:00MP files complaint over pardon petition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTHzZu4PaI/AAAAAAAAAaA/na12CeCBMNs/s1600-h/30109784-01_thumb1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 146px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTHzZu4PaI/AAAAAAAAAaA/na12CeCBMNs/s320/30109784-01_thumb1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369636341627239842" /></a><br />By The Nation<br />Published on August 14, 2009<br /><br /><br />A Democrat MP filed a complaint with police yesterday accusing three leading red shirts of contempt of court over their campaign to seek a royal pardon for fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.<br />Watchara Phetthong named Veera Musigapong, Jatuporn Prompan and Natthawut Saikua in his complaint lodged at Dusit police station.<br /><br />He cited Articles 189 and 198 of the Criminal Code as the basis to launch a police investigation.<br /><br />By organising the signature campaign to seek a royal pardon, the three suspects acted in contempt of the judicial conviction of Thaksin, he said.<br /><br />The three claimed to have gathered signatures from five million people in support of a royal pardon regardless of the offence it may cause to the monarchy and that it violated procedures for pardons, the MP said.<br /><br />"If Thaksin sees himself as a truly innocent man, then why did he flee the courts?" he asked.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Pheu Thai MP Pracha Prasopdee claimed that Thaksin would come back after political upheaval within three months.<br /><br />"Today his [Thaksin's] shoes and clothes are already packed and his return may be facilitated by a pardon or an amnesty; the slate must be wiped clean, just you watch the next three months," he said.<br /><br />Pracha speculated that there would either be riots involving the "grassroots" or a coup.<br /><br />Riots were expected around November and would force the government to dissolve the House and organise an election in December, he said. Thaksin was expected to return after a snap poll regardless of its outcome.<br /><br />Chief coalition whip Chinnaworn Boonyakiart reminded the government to take pre-emptive measures for a political storm that may erupt on Monday.<br /><br />"The government should remain vigilant because the red shirts will submit the pardon petition on the same day as the judicial verdict on the rubber sapling case," he said.<br /><br />Chinnaworn said the red shirts may want to stir up an opposition mob by timing their rally to coincide with the verdict.<br /><br />Supporters of Newin Chidchob are expected to turn out in force to give him moral support during the verdict session at the Supreme Court opposite Sanam Luang, where the red-shirt rally is due to take place.<br /><br />Red-shirt leader Veera Musigapong said organisers of the signature campaign would submit the petition to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary on Monday.<br /><br />"The appointment has been made and there will be no changes," he said.<br /><br />Veera said the red shirts would set up a stage at Sanam Luang to explain about their petition for an amnesty for Thaksin. About 2,000 red shirts would gather outside the Grand Palace and their eight leaders would lodge the petition with the Office, which is located inside the compound.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-45934238933810761952009-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:002009-08-13T19:09:23.282-07:00Petition countdown begins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTHR5opuzI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/IUL-AUCqPpQ/s1600-h/30109787-01_thumb1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 127px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTHR5opuzI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/IUL-AUCqPpQ/s320/30109787-01_thumb1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369635766075505458" /></a><br /> By Tulsathit Taptim<br />The Nation<br />Published on August 14, 2009<br /><br /><br />The red shirts plan to submit their "pardon Thaksin Shinawatra" petition to royal authorities on Monday, but the hot potato will first plop down at the Justice Ministry.<br />After all, who wants to verify 5 million signatures? What mechanism does it have to accomplish that job in a short period of time?<br /><br />One thing is certain: there will be no millions of phone calls by the government asking people if they did sign the petition or visits by state officials to the households said to have supported a royal pardon for Thaksin.<br /><br />The Justice Ministry will have two choices: declare the petition good for royal submission or kill it right there.<br /><br />To declare the petition null and void is technically easy. Thaksin Shinawatra has never served a day of his sentence (although the petition alludes to "dictatorial" ways of convicting him), and this can always be used to reject the petition. Moreover, if no close relatives of Thaksin have signed it, the petition could also become invalid.<br /><br />Politically, throwing away a petition endorsed by millions, no matter how many questionable signatures there are, is extremely provocative. And the best way to deal politically with the petition would be to let it pass the scrutinising process.<br /><br />The red-shirt movement has fervently declared it will absolutely respect His Majesty the King's judgement, so letting the petition pass would in fact put pressure on the Thaksin supporters to own up to that promise.<br /><br />There will be a big gathering on Monday. The government's accusations that some signatures were not genuine or given with consent have played into the hands of those who don't want the petition submission to be a solemn and low-key event.<br /><br />Now, a perfect excuse for as many signatories as possible to show up has been found.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the anti-petition movement has cited several reasons why the red-shirt campaign should be rejected. However, apart from saying the petition would inflame national divisions and put the His Majesty under pressure, the movement seems to be arguing against a pardon rather than the red shirts' right to submit a petition.<br /><br />Saying Thaksin has shown no remorse and hurt his own country is one thing; telling millions they have no right to seek his pardon is another.<br /><br />In the end, it's the sincerity of the red shirts that should determine the petition's fate. There will be two contrasting highlights on the big day: they will end by singing the royal anthem; but during the day, they will parade 75 big national flags to symbolise the year when absolute monarchy turned into constitutional monarchy (BE 2475).sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-82624918262525476272009-08-13T19:05:00.002-07:002009-08-13T19:07:53.131-07:00New chief picked next week : PM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTG791AUPI/AAAAAAAAAZw/LG1w4vD9c7A/s1600-h/30109782-01_thumb1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 107px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTG791AUPI/AAAAAAAAAZw/LG1w4vD9c7A/s320/30109782-01_thumb1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369635389243937010" /></a><br /> By Piyanart Srivalo<br />Khwanhathai Malakarn<br />The Nation<br />Published on August 14, 2009<br /><br /><br />Structural revamp postponed; Patcharawat off to Europe shortly<br />chief was likely to be appointed at the National Police Policy Commission meeting next week, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.<br /><br />As ex-officio chairman of the commission, the PM will chair the meeting, and selection of a new police chief was likely to be on the agenda. The date of the meeting is not known yet.<br /><br />Current police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan is due to retire at the end of next month, when he turns 60. A caretaker commander was appointed when he was on leave in China recently, and the caretaker re-appointed after Patcharawat returned early to reclaim his seat.<br /><br />Patcharawat has now been assigned to the deep South and was expected to take further leave - a trip to Europe - until the end of August, a source said.<br /><br />While he is away, caretaker police chief General Vichien Potphosri is expected to oversee preparations for the transfer of senior police under the rank of general, the source added.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Police Commission convened yesterday and resolved to postpone the introduction of a new police structure from August 16 till September 7, spokesman General Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakit said.<br /><br />The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, lasted for more than an hour.<br /><br />Vichien told the meeting more time was needed to fully examine the qualifications of many senior police from across the country whose names were put up for transfers as part of structural changes to the force, the spokesman said.<br /><br />Careful examination of the transfer lists was needed to ensure transparency, especially due to allegations of bribes being paid for certain positions, Watcharaphol said.<br /><br />Patcharawat flew to the far South yesterday to follow up on the progress of inquiries into cases linked to the insurgency.<br /><br />Before leaving Bangkok, he said he was given the task of speeding up the inquiry into a massacre at a mosque in Narathiwat in June. He would also assess security for the Asean meeting in Phuket next month.<br /><br />Patcharawat is believed to have been sent to the South to leave others free to look into the bid to kill media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the anti-Thaksin yellow-shirt movement.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-30558910984474898182009-08-13T19:05:00.001-07:002009-08-13T19:05:55.306-07:00Dead' baby sparks legal row<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTGeEjnNHI/AAAAAAAAAZo/WKtJx8_6wNA/s1600-h/090813_03b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 237px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTGeEjnNHI/AAAAAAAAAZo/WKtJx8_6wNA/s320/090813_03b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369634875653960818" /></a><br />A CLINIC has been accused of attempted infanticide after medical staff mistakenly declared - on two separate occasions - that a premature baby had died.<br /><br />The error was discovered by the newborn's father and grandmother, who went to check on the "body" only to discover, each time, that the child was still breathing.<br /><br />Speaking to the Post on Wednesday, the boy's father said he took his wife, who was six months pregnant, to Soriya Clinic in Phnom Penh's Phsar Thmei 1 commune on Monday when she complained of abdominal pains.<br /><br />Im Vannarith, from Mitthapheap commune in Prampi Makara district, said his wife - whose name he did not want to give - gave birth to a son about two hours after arriving at the clinic. "About 30 minutes later, the owner of the clinic, Dr Hy Soryaphea, told my mother that my baby was dead," he said. "We were devastated."<br /><br />While his wife was in recovery in a separate room at the clinic, Im Vannarith went to see his son, Im Samnang, and was shocked to see that the child's chest was still moving. "I saw my baby was still breathing, so I asked the doctor to send him to hospital," he said.<br /><br />The boy was then placed in a car along with his father, grandmother and a nurse, who had been instructed by the doctor to take the child to Kantha Bopha Hospital, Im Vannarith said. Halfway to the hospital, however, the nurse instructed the car to turn around and return to the clinic, insisting the boy was dead.<br /><br />"Back at the clinic, they put a terrycloth towel around my son and laid him out on a table in the operating room," Im Vannarith told the Post. "There was a black plastic bag right next to him, and I was afraid that was what they were going to put his body in." Shortly afterwards, the child's grandmother went to check on the body of her grandson - and found the boy was breathing again.<br /><br />"I demanded again that he be taken to hospital," Im Vannarith said, "but the doctor told me again that my baby was dying and would be dead any minute. I was furious that she showed so little respect for his life." The doctor then agreed to send Im Samnang to the hospital, where the delay in admitting him had aggravated his condition, staff said.<br /><br />Dr Beat Richner, director of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, where Im Samnang is still in intensive care, told the Post that the infant remains in a critical condition. "He only weighs 0.9 kilograms," he said. "It is possible to save a baby this small, but those first few hours were crucial. The child arrived at our hospital very late." Although Im Samnang is now receiving all treatment possible, he said, all they can do is hope.<br /><br />Im Vannarith, who hasn't told his wife about the incident for fear of jeopardising her recovery, is now threatening legal action against the clinic. "I have taken my wife out of the clinic because I have lost all confidence in it," he said.<br /><br />His lawyer, Kav Soupha, confirmed to the Post on Wednesday that he is preparing a case.<br /><br />The clinic has denied any wrongdoing. Dr Hy Soryaphea was unavailable for comment, but Hy Nary, one of her assistants, confirmed that Im Samnang was born at the clinic. "We saw him stop breathing after he was born," she told the Post. "We tried to help him."sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-5143343058909375062009-08-13T19:02:00.000-07:002009-08-13T19:03:25.394-07:00New tribunal 'counsellor' to field corruption complaints<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTF5vlvixI/AAAAAAAAAZg/6C0eAG21QIQ/s1600-h/090813_02.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTF5vlvixI/AAAAAAAAAZg/6C0eAG21QIQ/s320/090813_02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369634251550460690" /></a><br />THE government and the UN announced on Wednesday an agreement to appoint an independent official to field corruption complaints at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, although a government spokesman said he could not provide details on how the so-called "independent counsellor" might go about resolving them.<br /><br />A joint statement dated Tuesday said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and Peter Taksoe-Jensen, the UN's assistant secretary general for legal affairs, reached the agreement after "detailed consultations" with donors.<br /><br />The role of independent counsellor will be filled by Uth Chhorn, the current chairman of the National Audit Authority. Uth Chhorn declined to comment Wednesday evening, saying he would be in Thailand until early next week.<br /><br />According to the joint statement, the agreement "represents a further step to help strengthen the human resources management in the entire [tribunal] administration, including anti-corruption measures, to ensure the requirements of due process of law".<br /><br />The agreement comes more than two years after allegations first surfaced that court staffers had to kick back a percentage of their salaries to top tribunal officials. A fresh round of allegations in July prompted the UN to launch a graft review, the results of which have not been released.<br /><br />Talks in April between UN and government officials failed to resolve the issue in part because the UN wanted Cambodian staffers to be able to approach international ethics monitors to report corruption complaints.<br /><br />Donors have frozen funding to the Cambodian side of the court in response to the allegations, pushing it to near bankruptcy. A UN Development Programme spokesman said there had been no decision to unfreeze funds as of Wednesday.<br /><br />The establishment of an independent counsellor was designed to ensure "full protection of staff on both sides of the [tribunal] against any possible retaliation for good-faith reporting of wrongdoing", according to the joint statement.<br /><br />"In this context, the Independent Counsellor will be available to all staff to bring forward any concerns confidentially, and will be empowered to address such concerns," the statement reads.<br /><br />At a press conference on Wednesday, however, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said he could not comment on how Uth Chhorn would be "empowered" to resolve any complaints.<br /><br />He told the Post Wednesday evening that he did not know whether Uth Chhorn would be able to deal with past complaints, or whether his mandate would only cover complaints going forward.<br /><br />Phay Siphan also said he did not know when Uth Chhorn would begin work in his new role.<br /><br />Court spokesperson Reach Sambath said Wednesday that tribunal officials would be "ready to welcome the independent counsellor at any time", adding that they believe the position will provide an effective mechanism for resolving corruption allegations.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-2509759786756922212009-08-13T19:01:00.001-07:002009-08-13T19:01:59.126-07:00PM warns opponents away from lawsuits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTFjThyWsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/8A5O33K6U88/s1600-h/090813_02b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTFjThyWsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/8A5O33K6U88/s320/090813_02b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369633866060552898" /></a><br />Hun Sen says verdict against Mu Sochua a lesson to critics.<br /><br />PRIME Minister Hun Sen has spoken out for the first time about his recent legal victory over opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua, which he said should serve as a warning to anyone else who might consider suing him.<br /><br />"If you want to play legal games, I will also play legal games," he said during a graduation ceremony at the Royal University of Law and Economics on Wednesday.<br /><br />"If you play political games, I will also play political games. And if you play military games, I will also play military games."<br /><br />Hun Sen said he would be able to silence all opposition voices "in only two hours" if he decided to use force rather than file complaints in court.<br /><br />"You wouldn't be able to run," he said. "All of you would be arrested."<br /><br />On August 4, Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Mu Sochua guilty of defamation and ordered her to pay 8.5 million riels (US$2,028) in fines and 8 million riels ($1,909) in compensation to the prime minister.<br /><br />The case stemmed from a speech Hun Sen gave on April 4 in Kampot province. Mu Sochua, a Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian, said the premier made derogatory references to her in the speech and filed defamation charges against him.<br /><br />Her case was thrown out, but Hun Sen's countersuit was allowed to proceed, resulting in last week's verdict.<br /><br />The prime minister's legal attack - along with other defamation suits launched against the government's critics - drew sharp criticism from a number of groups, including the European Union, which said they represented a weakening of democracy in Cambodia.<br /><br />"External groups, please listen closely," Hun Sen said during Wednesday's address.<br /><br />"If you do not sue me, then I will not file a countersuit."<br /><br />Hun Sen went on to criticise civil society groups as "servants" and "spokespeople" for opposition political parties.<br /><br />Commenting on the current Cambodian People's Party majority in the National Assembly, which was further cemented during last year's elections, Hun Sen said he could continue serving as prime minister even if the CPP lost 10 seats in both the 2012 and 2017 elections. "So, all of you opposition groups, check your age," he said.<br /><br />"However long you can live, I can accompany you to the end."<br /><br />Strong reaction<br />Hun Sen's comments drew criticism from both opposition politicians and civil society actors. SRP lawmaker and spokesman Yim Sovann said it was inappropriate for the premier to talk about using the military against the opposition.<br /><br />"If he wants to use the armed forces to fight a broader enemy, that is fine, but to fight opposition parties is not right," he said.<br /><br />Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha said there were many issues - including poverty, land disputes and corruption - that could potentially bring down the CPP so long as elections were free and fair.<br /><br />"Whether the CPP wins or loses depends on the election system," he said.<br /><br />Yeng Virak, executive director of the Community Legal Education Centre, said Hun Sen's comments about civil society groups misrepresented their work in Cambodia.<br /><br />"We have worked with everyone," he said. "We have worked with the ruling party more than the opposition party."sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-2979860738815444412009-08-13T18:58:00.000-07:002009-08-13T19:00:03.571-07:00ANNE MUGISHA: Horror in the Room of Faces<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTFGvdURqI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/HrmGF7H6-no/s1600-h/anne+mugisha.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 180px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTFGvdURqI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/HrmGF7H6-no/s320/anne+mugisha.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369633375341790882" /></a><br /> I asked [our guide] if she had forgiven these brutal animals who had done this, and she said: "What can we do? Some of them are still living and working in this government, what can we do? Only the government knows." ... The people who were responsible for these atrocities are not only living among the people, but some are also highly placed members of the current Cambodian government.<br /><br />Wednesday, 12 August 2009<br />Written by Anne Mugisha<br />Columnists<br />The Observer (Uganda)<br /><br />Our next stop in the tour of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia took us to a room filled with photographs of the victims who were tortured and killed there.<br /><br />The Khmer Rouge executed their brutality with clinical detachment and professionalism that still sends a chill down the spines of visitors here. What happened here was methodical extermination of anyone considered a threat to the regime.<br /><br />The systematic documentation of their deeds speaks of the complete belief in the legitimacy of their orders to capture, torture and kill.<br /><br />The prisoners in S21 had a special chair made for them where they sat to pose for their final photograph. In a perfectly silent room I stared at the mug-shots of the victims.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-207271159859148072009-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:002009-08-13T18:58:51.988-07:00Shame on you ASEAN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTE1Hu_DLI/AAAAAAAAAZI/3LRuqnCWawg/s1600-h/Than+Shwe+-+Aung+San+Suu+Kyi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTE1Hu_DLI/AAAAAAAAAZI/3LRuqnCWawg/s320/Than+Shwe+-+Aung+San+Suu+Kyi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369633072620702898" /></a><br />Thu, 08/13/2009<br />The Jakarta Post<br />Opinion<br /><br />World leaders and human rights groups could only spew condemnation and anger in the direction of the chief of Myanmar’s junta, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, for his continuous, merciless and brutal treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi, the county’s incarcerated democracy leader.<br /><br />Than Shwe’s latest act of injustice came Tuesday, when he extended the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s house arrest by 18 months for allowing an uninvited American to stay in her home for two nights in May. One Myanmarese general rendered the rest of the world’s will irrelevant for no good reason.<br /><br />Than Shwe and his cadres fully know that no one will ever be able to punish them, not even the world’s most powerful man, US President Barack Obama, because the leaders of the other nine members of ASEAN – Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – are staunch opponents of any efforts to punish Myanmar’s heartless rulers.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-16221192621798684182009-08-13T18:56:00.000-07:002009-08-13T18:57:49.577-07:00Vietnam truly helped liberate Cambodia: Hun Xen, a Vietnamese lackey and a master spinner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTElRDvz7I/AAAAAAAAAZA/nTyMmShag7g/s1600-h/Hun+Sen+embracing+Nguyen+Tan+Dung+(daylife.com).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTElRDvz7I/AAAAAAAAAZA/nTyMmShag7g/s320/Hun+Sen+embracing+Nguyen+Tan+Dung+(daylife.com).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369632800245796786" /></a><br />13 August 2009<br />Everyday.com.kh<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br />Noting the heroism of the Viet troops in 1979 that came to Cambodia to help liberate the Cambodian people from the genocidal Pol Pot regime, Hun Xen declared on Wednesday that Vietnam truly helped Cambodia, and the presence of Vietnam is not a new story. Hun Xen made this declaration during the distribution of diplomas to law students, he said that the presence of the Viet troops in 1979 was to save people’s lives, then the Viets returned back home and the proof to that is that Cambodian land still remains Cambodian. Hun Xen added that Vietnam’s entry into Cambodia is nothing new because during 1970-75, both the North and the South Vietnamese entered into Cambodia: the Thieu-Ky group and the US entered Cambodia, as well as the Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops also entered Cambodia, and he said that all this was because the US started the coup d’état in Cambodia. Regarding 07 January 1979, a date that some Cambodian politicians consider as the date of the Vietnamese aggression into Cambodia, Hun Xen said: “Some oppose 07 January, but let me ask them, if there were no 07 January, would there be today? We must tell the truth, you have to swear to your death, or to have lightning strike you. There’s no need to keep the Pol Pot regime for 30 years, we leave them another 2 years and all the Cambodian people would have died, if not from the killings, it would be from hunger. However, some are ungrateful and they say the 07 January was the day of Vietnamese aggression, but if we tell the truth, if Vietnam did not help Cambodia, who would?”<br />------------<br />KI-Media note: It took the international community’s effort more than one decade-long to dislodge the occupying Vietnamese out of Cambodia. Even with their declared departure, the Vietnamese left behind a large contingent of troops disguised as civilians in Cambodia.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-79240214886501094122009-08-13T18:55:00.000-07:002009-08-13T18:56:45.683-07:00Poignant testimony of a S-24 survivor: Duch says ready to face justice of people<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTEVq9afdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/-OaZrLsJREI/s1600-h/Attendant+at+Duch+trial+(John+Vink).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTEVq9afdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/-OaZrLsJREI/s320/Attendant+at+Duch+trial+(John+Vink).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369632532320648658" /></a><br />13-08-2009<br />By Stéphanie Gée<br />Ka-set<br /><br />Mrs Bou Thoeun, a survivor of Prey Sar (S-24), took the stand on Wednesday August 11th to recount the hell she went through and offered a rare moment of intense emotion. She threw her indelible wounds, probably suppressed until then, at the tribunal, reminding each and everyone why it was created and placing the victims back at the heart of Duch’s trial. The accused was not impervious to these outbursts of suffering and anger, and declared he was ready to offer himself to his compatriots’ wrath and accept the punishment they would like to impose on him.<br /><br />Anlong Korn, a component of Prey Sar<br /><br />“I suffered a lot because I was beaten. Because I did not manage to do what I was asked to do, I was mistreated. I was between life and death. Only I survived. My daughters and other relatives are dead and I found myself alone after the end of the Khmer Rouge regime.” From the start of her testimony, Mrs Bou Thoeun, who belonged to the “new people,” the “April 17th,” soberly summarised her personal tragedy. Shortly after her husband, carrier at the Ministry of Energy, “disappeared” in 1977, she was sent to Anlong Korn, South from Prey Sar, “in some kind of transit for prisoners before they were divided between different sites.” One month before, she had given birth to a fourth child. The accused later explained that Anlong Korn “was an important office, that is where Huy was stationed, the director of Prey Sar, which included this village.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-57159249088950490352009-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:002009-08-13T18:55:39.122-07:00Khmer Rouge chief ready for justice over John Dewhirst murder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTEEhHHB5I/AAAAAAAAAYw/Lh5gJRN7Png/s1600-h/john+dewhirst+S-21+victim.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTEEhHHB5I/AAAAAAAAAYw/Lh5gJRN7Png/s320/john+dewhirst+S-21+victim.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369632237619185554" /></a><br />Aug 13 2009<br />By Michael Wood<br />The Journal (UK)<br /><br />THE man being tried for the murder of a North East teacher in Cambodia yesterday asked to be given "the harshest punishment".<br /><br />The chief of the Khmer Rouge’s main torture centre, is being tried by a UN-backed tribunal on genocide charges.<br /><br />Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, has already confessed to murdering John Dewhirst (pictured) in 1978 while the Newcastle teacher was backpacking.<br /><br />Mr Dewhirst, 26, was captured, tortured and killed at the now infamous prison Tuol Sleng, known as S21. He was the only Briton among 17,000 people to die at the jail.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-41927749058103510242009-08-13T18:53:00.000-07:002009-08-13T18:54:21.553-07:00Hun Xen Chides Mu Sochua’s Appeal Decision<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTDxR8M6KI/AAAAAAAAAYo/TZc3d-cjog0/s1600-h/Mu%2BSochua%2Bv%2BHun%2BSen%2B2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoTDxR8M6KI/AAAAAAAAAYo/TZc3d-cjog0/s320/Mu%2BSochua%2Bv%2BHun%2BSen%2B2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369631907129387170" /></a><br />By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer<br />Original report from Phnom Penh<br />13 August 2009<br /><br />Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday appeared to mock opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua, saying she made a mistake by suing him and forcing him to defend himself in a suit of his own.<br /><br />Mu Sochua was fined for defamation earlier this month after she brought a suit against the premier for allegedly sexist remarks in a speech in April. Mu Sochua has vowed to appeal the decision.<br /><br />“You were doing press conferences and filed a complaint against me, but now I’ve won the case in the municipal court,” Hun Sen said at a graduation speech in Phnom Penh, in apparent reference to Mu Sochua, who is the Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker for Kampot province.<br /><br />“[They] said I sued a woman. Why can’t I?” Hun Sen said. “Can’t women make mistakes? [She] said she represents women; this type of woman can’t represent women; don’t make yourself so strong.”sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-88006917285014237592009-08-12T23:27:00.000-07:002009-08-12T23:28:04.280-07:00Intermediate Khmer Language Course Coming to UCLA This FallIntermediate Khmer and Advanced Filipino Language Courses Coming to UCLA This Fall<br />The Southeast Asian language courses will be teleconferenced to UCLA from U.C. Berkeley as part of a foreign language initiative and distance-learning partnership.<br /><br />8/12/2009<br />By Seth Villanueva for the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies<br />UCLA International Institute (Los Angeles, California, USA)<br /><br />SEEKING TO expand UCLA’s diverse language offerings as well as enable current language learners to progress in their proficiency, the Centers for Southeast Asian Studies at UC Berkeley and UCLA have arranged for two Southeast Asian languages, Khmer and Filipino, to be studied at the intermediate and advanced levels, respectively, via simultaneous teleconferencing technology. Both classes will begin on Thursday, September 24, and will run from M-Th at 3-4 pm for Filipino and 4-5:30 pm for Khmer. They will meet on a compressed schedule only when both UCLA and UCB are in session.<br /><br />Both languages will be taught live at UC Berkeley and teleconferenced to UCLA, thus making new material available. Khmer (the language of Cambodia) has never been taught before at UCLA, and Advanced Filipino, while taught in the past, is not otherwise available as a regular course in 2009-10. This is not the first time that SEA language courses have been successfully teleconferenced between UC campuses. Introductory Filipino language courses have previously been teleconferenced very successfully from UCLA to UC Irvine. In 2009-10, several other languages are also included in the Distance Learning program including several African, Slavic, and Scandinavian languages.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-78422351702578861202009-08-12T23:26:00.001-07:002009-08-12T23:26:43.320-07:00Rural poor petition Cambodian authorities over land grabAugust 13, 2009<br />ABC Radio Australia<br /><br />A group of 300 Cambodian people affected by land grabs and evictions - and representing thousands more - gathered in Phnom Penh yesterday to tell the government of their concerns, and to call with a single voice on the government and donor nations to act to protect their land.<br /><br />Presenter: Robert Carmichael in Phnom Penh<br />Speaker: Leng Simy, villager; Loun Sovath, monk; Soal Nak, Jarai villager<br /><br />Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)<br /><br />CARMICHAEL: It's hard being heard in Cambodia, particularly if - like 80 percent of Cambodians - you live in the countryside. It's harder still if you want to speak out against rich or powerful people trying to take your land. That's not something the government encourages, and the courts are seldom much help. That leaves few options. But this week in Phnom Penh a group of 300 Cambodians from 19 of the Kingdom's 24 provinces and municipalities joined up to petition the government, the prime minister, parliament and the national land dispute authority, to help them keep their land.<br /><br />This is an agricultural society, and for rural Cambodians land is life. Organisers of the petitioning event say the amount of land under dispute for the 15,000 people they represent totals more than 700,000 hectares. It is commonly acknowledged by rights organisations that rising landlessness could prove the country's biggest challenge. In recent years Cambodia experienced a boom in land prices, and a similar rise in evictions, land grabs, and the granting of huge concessions to often-shadowy companies. That result works against the stated desire of government and donor nations to reduce poverty.<br /><br />The government, ever wary of dissent, seems to have been taken off-guard by the petitioners. Authorities are trying to find out if civil society organisations were behind the collaborative effort. Whether or not there was help from civil society is beside the point. The voiceless rural people whose land is being taken from them - often with official collusion - got the chance to be heard. People from across the Kingdom stood up and told the media and each other of their experiences and fears.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-27270433948529183882009-08-12T23:24:00.000-07:002009-08-12T23:25:32.849-07:00In historic first, US senator to meet Myanmar leader<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOx0D1fK8I/AAAAAAAAAYg/_D-Dt_7-hcU/s1600-h/Burmese+protesters+(AFP).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOx0D1fK8I/AAAAAAAAAYg/_D-Dt_7-hcU/s320/Burmese+protesters+(AFP).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369330688696724418" /></a><br />Thursday, August 13, 2009<br />AFP<br /><br />BANGKOK — Democratic Senator Jim Webb is due to meet Myanmar supremo Than Shwe later this week in the first-ever encounter between a senior US official and the junta strongman, Webb's office said Thursday.<br /><br />The visit by Webb, who is close to US President Barack Obama, comes after the Than Shwe regime was assailed by international outrage for extending democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest for another 18 months.<br /><br />"Later this week, US Senator Jim Webb is scheduled to meet with leaders at the highest levels of the national government in Burma (Myanmar), including Senior General Than Shwe," a statement from Webb's office said.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-52019452659358339302009-08-12T23:23:00.001-07:002009-08-12T23:24:23.566-07:00Rong Chhun: Hun Xen should resign if he’s afraid of criticisms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOxiQZfcGI/AAAAAAAAAYY/WiJUrrFh_IQ/s1600-h/Rong+Chhun+(PPP).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOxiQZfcGI/AAAAAAAAAYY/WiJUrrFh_IQ/s320/Rong+Chhun+(PPP).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369330382831317090" /></a><br />13 August 2009<br />Everyday.com.kh<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br /> "If you act as a pig, you shouldn't be scared of hot water" - Khmer saying<br /><br />On Wednesday, Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA), called on Hun Xen, the government leader, to resign because the latter is afraid of criticisms. Rong Chhun indicated that, as a public figure, Hun Xen must accept constructive criticisms from the public. Rong Chhun told a pro-SRP newspaper that: “As a public official or a member of the government, one must accept criticisms from civil society, unions and the people, as well as from local and international reporters. And one must be open-minded, if one is afraid of criticisms from civil society, from newspapers, from international opinion, one should resign, one should resign from being a public figure because for a country that is firmly democratic, public figures must accept criticisms from civil society, from the population as well as from the national and international opinion. One should not crack down on freedom rights and on the freedom to participate in the national edification.”sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-25017856836380295792009-08-12T23:22:00.001-07:002009-08-12T23:23:01.214-07:00What the hell was the US coming to Cambodia for in the 70s: Hun Xen lashing out at the US<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOxOT1U6MI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/Ga0IFehhPAA/s1600-h/Hun+Sen+barking+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 199px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoOxOT1U6MI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/Ga0IFehhPAA/s320/Hun+Sen+barking+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369330040155990210" /></a><br />13 August 2009<br />Everyday.com.kh<br />Translated from Khmer by Socheata<br /><br />During a political speech, Hun Xen virulently attacked the past US government. Hun Xen even went on to ask: What the hell was the US coming to Cambodia for in the 70s? Hun Xen said that the US did come to die and Cambodia couldn’t even find all the remains of the US soldiers yet so far. Hun Sen also criticized the US foreign policy, saying that the US only thinks about its own interest only. In a speech given during the distribution of diplomas to law students on Wednesday, Hun Sen reminisced about the past US policy, saying: “The US only helped those who are useless, the US helped Lon Nol in Phnom Penh, and the latter was useless… Let me say the truth, those who were helped by the US, they do not live long, and there are many governments that were helped by the US, but they do not last. One should know that, at the end, the US only thinks about the US interest, and it does not care about the interest of its lackeys.” Hun Xen said that: “A number of Cambodian politicians are leaning toward the US, and for these politicians, for whatever reason, they always talk about the US, but they should not forget that the US only waits to be with you.”sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-66778445858113064602009-08-12T18:00:00.000-07:002009-08-12T18:01:29.159-07:00Cambodia: Miss Landmine Pageant Raises Questions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoNl4nuJgQI/AAAAAAAAAYI/LVlfvZ5q43I/s1600-h/miss+landmine+siem+reap+contestant.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoNl4nuJgQI/AAAAAAAAAYI/LVlfvZ5q43I/s320/miss+landmine+siem+reap+contestant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369247204165386498" /></a><br />Wednesday, August 12th, 2009<br />By Chhunny Chhean<br />Global Voices Online<br /><br />“Everybody has the right to be beautiful!” so starts the manifesto of the Miss Landmine pageant, started by Morten Traavik of Norway. According to the pageant site, the competition is intended to empower landmine victims and challenge traditional notions of beauty. The winner receives a high-tech prosthetic limb. Traavik has already organized a Miss Landmine pageant in Angola and was in the process of launching the event in Cambodia this month when the Cambodian government pulled its support and canceled the pageant.<br /><br />The Mirror reports that other organizations, including the Cambodian Disabled People's Organization, declined to support the pageant after the Ministry of Social Affairs Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation expressed its displeasure with the pageant, citing the event could lead to misunderstandings about disabled people.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, there have been varied reactions to the landmine pageant.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-81236361909750205372009-08-12T17:59:00.002-07:002009-08-12T18:00:31.273-07:00Cambodian Sentence Upheld<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoNlqH_72LI/AAAAAAAAAYA/amOIziwoG1I/s1600-h/hang+chakra+%40+appeal+hearing+on+11+Aug+2009+(Sok+Serey,+RFA).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 196px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KBV1mHNrNH8/SoNlqH_72LI/AAAAAAAAAYA/amOIziwoG1I/s320/hang+chakra+%40+appeal+hearing+on+11+Aug+2009+(Sok+Serey,+RFA).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369246955131885746" /></a><br />2009-08-12<br />Radio Free Asia<br /><br />Rights groups condemn an appeals court ruling against a newspaper editor who reported alleged corruption.<br /><br />PHNOM PENH—A Cambodian appeals court has upheld the prison sentence of a newspaper editor and publisher jailed for "disinformation" after he ran articles alleging high-level government corruption, and his lawyer is vowing to appeal to the Supreme Court.<br /><br />Hang Chakra, former editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok, was sentenced to a year in jail on June 26 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and was fined 9 million riel (about U.S. $2,250).<br /><br />He has been held in a cell with 50 other men at Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison since his conviction. On Aug. 11, a three-judge appellate panel upheld the sentence.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4287830526087087287.post-30256556076799201022009-08-12T17:59:00.001-07:002009-08-12T17:59:41.116-07:00Killing fields' tribunal to be monitoredPHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The United Nations and Cambodia said Wednesday they will create an anti-corruption watchdog to oversee the so-called "killing fields" genocide tribunal.<br /><br />The Cambodian tribunal, called the Extraordinary Chambers, was set up in 2003 to try senior leaders and others allegedly most responsible for serious violations of Cambodian and international law committed during Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979.<br /><br />Designating an independent counselor "represents a further step to help strengthen the human resources management in the entire (tribunal) administration, including anti-corruption measures," said a joint statement issued in Phnom Penh by U.N Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Peter Taksoe-Jensen and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.sotheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11992548731697791255noreply@blogger.com0