Saturday, 13 March 2010

Share "I Don't Want to Be Famous. I Want Our People to Get Enough Rice": The Messenger Band Interview

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Friday 12 March 2010
by: Anne Elizabeth Moore, t r u t h o u t

"My name is Saem, and the name of my group is the Messenger Band," the singer more formally known as Vun Em explains. We are in Phnom Penh's Meta-House, where four members of the six-member Messenger Band are about to give a quick a cappella concert to the reporters ex-pats, and tourists gathered.

The Messenger Band, made up of former garment workers, gives concerts that highlight the difficulties of factory work and other women's issues in Cambodia. (Photo: Moritz Ege)

It's not their usual venue. The Messenger Band was formed by the Cambodian NGO Women's Agenda for Change in 2005 to bring the concerns of the young women who move to the city to earn money for their families back to the provinces. They write songs in the traditional folk style, and choreograph moves to accompany their laments, and villagers are often riveted: the subjects of these songs are their daughters, their nieces, their friends.

The subjects of the songs are members of the Messenger Band. All former or current garment factory workers themselves, the varying group of women that perform as the band are well versed in the issues that affect women in Cambodia. "We are tired but we say nothing," one song goes. "We are hard working and much of this money I earn is dollars to help my mother."

But the message of the band is clear: "The voice of garment workers must be used to shout to tell all Cambodian women that to be a servant is very difficult," they sing in tones unheard in American pop tunes, and all the more affective because of it. "We have no freedom and no rights."

Vun Em, the 25-year-old front person for the band - at least for the night - took a few moments before their late January concert to answer a few questions.

How long have you been doing the band?
Vun Em: I work in the band for five years, start from 2005.

And you used to work in the garment factory?
Vun Em: Yes, I worked in the factory from - I started in 2000, until 2005. And from 2005 until now, I work with the band.

You are with the band full time?
Vun Em: Yes.

How do you make a living working full time with a political band in Cambodia?
Vun Em: I have some support from the donors. Women's Agenda For Change, they created this big group and they provide some support to Messenger Band. Not much, just small.
Enough?
Vun Em: Yeah.

Why do you think it's important for garment factory workers to start a band?
Vun Em: I think it's really important because I can really speak out about the situation when I was working in the factory. I saw a lot of problems with the workers in the factory. I think that it's good if we write a song that educates the people. And also do advocacy through song.

What did you see in the factories that you think needs to be changed?
Vun Em: Oh, that's a good question. First, I want to see change, like see the garment worker respected by the law and supported by the government and the investors. It's important for investors: they have to follow the law in Cambodia and they have to respect worker's rights.

How is the law not being followed in Cambodia?
Vun Em: A lot of [ways], like the forced overtime and the low wage. They have to ask permission for when they have to take leave or when they get sick. It's really difficult to take leave. And sometimes, they are dismissed by the company because they cannot go to work, like when they get sick, they have to go to the hospital. But the factory owners, they don't allow them to go. Some factories, when the workers fall unconscious in the factory, when they awake from unconsciousness, they tell the worker that, "you have to promise that you will not [lose consciousness] again, otherwise, you lose the job."

So, if people faint, they have to promise that they won't faint again?
Vun Em: Yes, they have to promise. They cannot unconscious again. Otherwise you will lose the job. And the workers are so scared, they just promise the leaders.

Are you nervous being an activist in Cambodia?
Vun Em: Hmmm, a little bit. But if we don't stand up, no one hear the story. And that's why we have to stand up and share some information about the poor people in Cambodia. We have to stand up and speak out, otherwise we die.

Yes, the workers, they welcome us and they tell us, Oh I have heard your song, through the radio and sometimes through the TV - but not often on the TV.

Do you want to become a famous pop star?
Vun Em: A lot of people ask me, why don't you go to the TV and sing the song and become a famous star? I don't want to become a famous star. I don't want to be a famous person, but I want my song, I want my information to become recognized by the big people, and be respected. And provide the rights to those people. For me, I don't want to be famous, but I want our people here to get enough rice, enough food to eat, and they have the right to demand their rights.

As garment factories close, more and more women enter the sex industry by working at the karaoke bars. You have a song about this.

Vun Em: When the factories close down, some girls will go to become entertainment workers, and HIV will spread out around. But why don't [the NGOs] care about their living life? Why they don't care about their family? Why they don't care about the security of those people? Why they care only about HIV? [She starts to cry.] I don't know, I don't understand.

We also care about HIV, but you have to think about the lives of the people, not only HIV. If the people don't have enough food to eat, if they don't have enough education, if they don't have good health, how can they prevent themselves from the HIV? They don't have time to think about HIV, they only have time to think, I need food, I need food. All the time.
What can people in the United States do to support the factory workers?
Vun Em: I want them to support health care to garment workers, and the poor people in Cambodia. Because health care and food is really, really needed.

One more thing: I want to let those people in the United States be aware that the worker situation in Cambodia - it's really bad. And I want the investors ... to respond to the workers, and our laws in Cambodia. Not only put pressure to our government, put pressure to our people here. You have to respect our law and our people. And also you can support our country and our government and our people, not only judge. You have to learn, you have to understand what is the real situation in Cambodia.

---------------
"A Karaoke Girl's Life" (song written by the Messenger Band):
I have had bad fate in my life since I was born; my life has been different from others. Always facing unhappiness, I bear the family's burden; I bear the shame and sell my voice.

I became a karaoke girl I sing in the karaoke bar I don't want to be here but I am poor. Please don't blame me for being bad I have tried to live in this darkness.

Though I work day and night and never resting, I am still poor I was in debt to the owner. If I take rest, they reduce my money.

The tears of a karaoke girl I am living as a slave, without freedom. I was mistreated by the owner and forced to serve clients.

"Voice of Garment Workers" (song written by the Messenger Band):
The voice of garment workers must be used to shout to tell all Cambodian women that to be a servant is very difficult. They curse, they blame us and say we are bad girls, but we have no freedom and no rights.

We are all garment workers, we live in bad conditions, we struggle with difficulty, we are tired but we say nothing, we are hard working and much of this money I earn is dollars to help my mother.

The song that we sing is about the real life of garment workers, please pity us and consider the life of garment workers. How we are suffering? We are faced with suffering and problems because the factory owners exploit us.

When the workers are in trouble, who can help to solve the problems? Where is justice? When I need you, why do you ignore me?

Khmer Rouge Historical Sites To Become Tourist Attraction


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By LARRY HABEGGER
Special to The Courant

March 14, 2010

WORLD TRAVEL WATCH is a weekly report designed to help you make informed judgments about travel. Because conditions can change overnight, always make your own inquiries before you leave home. In the United States, contact the State Department via phone (888-407-4747; 317-472-2328; 202-647-5225), fax (202-647-3000), or website (http://travel.state.gov); abroad, check in with the nearest American embassy or consulate.

Cambodia: The final stronghold of the Khmer Rouge will become a tourist site now that the government has approved developing Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia. The tourism ministry has picked out some three dozen sites in the isolated region, including the fenced-off area where Pol Pot was kept under house arrest during his final months and the spot where he was unceremoniously cremated beneath a junk pile. Prime Minister Hun Sen also asked officials to produce a guidebook to the region that explains his policy to defeat the Khmer Rouge. No date has yet been set for completion of the site, which is now visited by roughly 500 foreign tourists a month.

Fiji: An outbreak of typhoid fever is occurring throughout the islands, and Fiji's health ministry advised visitors to villages and settlements to be especially careful with local water supplies, preferably bringing their own water unless they can be sure the local water has been boiled. At least 113 cases have been diagnosed, with the severity of the disease dependent on how long the patient goes without treatment. Typhoid vaccinations are not 100 percent effective, and the best prevention is to be careful with personal hygiene and food safety. The health ministry has even advised tourists not to take part in traditional kava drinking ceremonies unless the tour operator can be certain that the ministry's health guidelines are being followed.

Finland and Sweden: About 50 vessels were trapped by ice in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden March 4, including passenger ferries carrying more than 1,000 people. All vessels were rescued by ice breakers, but maritime authorities advised shipping companies to avoid the icy patches north of the Stockholm Archipelago. Freezing winds blew ice caps near the coastline, impeding the ferry passage and creating the worst ice cover since 1996. These conditions could continue to disrupt travel in the region.

Tanzania: After three months without electrical power, the archipelago of Zanzibar finally got its supply restored so hotels, restaurants, factories and other businesses are able to operate again without running generators. The lights went off Dec. 10, when the undersea cable that brings power from the mainland failed. Local authorities are hoping that this repair will last because such power failures have happened before, including a four-week blackout in 2008.

Thailand: Facing new demonstrations over long-simmering political tensions, Thailand continues to offer tourists free insurance coverage up to $10,000 for anyone harmed in protests or delayed because of political unrest. Compensation for delays is $100 a day and for injuries, $1,000 a day of hospitalization and free medical care. The insurance coverage will remain in place until the end of the year, and all visa fees have been waived until March 2011. These measures were enacted in late 2008 after protesters seized Bangkok's two airports and hobbled Thailand's tourism industry.

>> Larry Habegger is executive editor of the award-winning Travelers' Tales book series ( www.travelerstales.com) and editor in chief of Triporati.com. He is based in San Francisco.

Roads to protect Cambodia's Angkor from fires


Roads to be built to provide quick access to protect Cambodia's Angkor temples from fire

In this photo taken May 30, 2009, people visit Bayon front gate at Cambodia's Angkor complex of Siem Reap province, about 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Seventeen new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said Friday, March 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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On Friday March 12, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Seventeen new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said Friday shortly before a blaze started nearby.

The roads will alleviate fears of damage to the country's greatest artistic treasure, especially during the dry season when blazes often break out, said Tan Sambu, an official of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

On Friday, a fire about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Angkor Wat, the most famous of the temples, destroyed several hectares (acres) of forest and at least two village houses, said police Maj. Pheung Chandarith.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, and Pheung said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the ninth and 14th centuries.

Earlier this month, South Korea provided $9.2 million to build a new road that will circle the temple complex and reduce traffic in the area.

Human Rights Situation Still Poor: US

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By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia remains a country with a poor human rights record and endemic corruption, whose citizens can face extrajudicial killings or abuse in detention, the US State Department said in a report released Friday.

Land disputes, forced evictions and a lack of democratic freedoms remained problems, according to the 2009 Human Rights Report.

“Although civilian authorities nominally controlled the security forces, in many cases security forces acted under directives of the [Cambodian People’s Party] leadership,” the rights report says. “Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and acted with impunity. Detainees were abused, often to extract confessions, and prison conditions were harsh.”

Cambodia’s judiciary remains weak, with human rights workers reporting “arbitrary arrest and prolonged pretrial detention,” according to the report. “Land disputes and forced evictions were a problem. The government restricted freedom of speech and the press through defamation and disinformation lawsuits and at times interfered with freedom of assembly.”

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the report, which runs 29 pages, was “not fully complete.”

Cambodiawas still dealing with vestiges of its civil wars and as a result lacks some human rights protections, he said Friday.

LEAD: Thaksin supporters all over Thailand head for rally in Bangkok+

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NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand, March 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from all over Thailand were heading to Bangkok on Friday to take part in a mass protest against the government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The rally by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is going ahead despite the planned imposition by the government of the Internal Security Act in Bangkok and other surrounding provinces from Thursday to March 23.

The UDD in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima kicked off the protest with a religious ceremony in the city before gathering at a meeting point at the highway leading to Bangkok. One of the UDD's local leaders, Parada Shing-in, 60, said the protesters wanted the government to step down and return democracy to the people.

"We want democracy back, but I cannot deny that our democracy is related to Thaksin because he is our hero of democracy...we believe we will complete our operation in three days," she said.

Nakhon Ratchasima Province is regarded as the gateway to the northern part of Thailand, the stronghold of Thaksin supporters. UDD protesters from 19 provinces of the Northeast will gather at Pak-Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima and will leave to join protesters from other provinces in Bangkok on Saturday early morning.

Suporn Atthawong, one of the core UDD leaders, vowed to take a strong response if the government launched crackdown against the protesters.

He said the only choice for the UDD is House dissolution.

"We promise to protest peacefully in order to topple the illegitimate government. If they use forces to crack down on us like last April, we will fight back", he said.

Suporn said he and his supporters could mobilize around 400,000 people from the northeast, enough to put pressure on the Abhisit government with what he called "people's power."

Local police expect tens of thousands of protesters from the Northeast.

In Bangkok, antigovernment protests were held in five different locations from noon and lasted for several hours with hundreds of participants at each location.

They conducted similar activities starting with worshipping ceremonies to pray for a victory in coming days.

The rallies in Bangkok were so far peaceful although traffic in some areas was affected and some drivers in downtown Bangkok reacted against the rally by honking at the street march.

Still, traffic flow in downtown Bangkok was better than many Fridays because some businesses near the demonstration sites decided to close to avoid trouble.

Some privately run buses also suspended services.

At a rally in front of Lumpini Park in central Bangkok, a retired school teacher in her mid-50s said she joined the rally on Friday to call for democracy.

"Thaksin is part of our democracy. He is a good leader and very intelligent. He knows how to help Thai people...he knows how to develop this country."

"Thaksin has never been corrupt, but this government is corrupt a lot. I came here today because I don't like unfairness and a double standard in this country," she said.

Rally leaders later adjourned the Friday activities and called for another gathering Saturday in central Bangkok ahead of the Sunday mass showdown that is expect to draw hundreds of thousands of protesters.

Natthawut Saikua, another UDD core leader, said the Sunday protest will be prolonged until Abhisit dissolves the lower house.

The government, meanwhile, began deploying security forces around Bangkok and surrounding suburbs on Thursday. The UDD red-shirted demonstrators in the capital started gathering several weeks ago.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said the red shirts could stage a protest freely, but vowed to take legal action if the protesters break the law.

The ISA empowers the Internal Security Operations Command led by the prime minister to take charge of security in areas where the law is imposed. It may also be used to give the military a role in supporting police to control unruly crowds.

So far 50,000 unarmed police and soldiers have been deployed in the areas where the ISA is imposed, especially at key places such as Government House, the Parliament and Siriraj hospital where King Bhumibol Adulyadej is staying.

The government also set up more than 200 checkpoints and closed some main roads in Bangkok.

Thaksin who is in Dubai called on his supporters via the Internet and phone-in to join the Sunday mass rally, saying the red-shirted people could help by bringing back democracy to the country.

Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in September 2006 while he was out of the country.

Cambodia slams UN mission for meddling

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March 12, 2010

Cambodia on Friday warned the UN mission not to act out of its mandate and interfere in the internal affairs of a UN member state.

The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was a response to the statement of the UN country team on Wednesday saying the adoption of Cambodia's anticorruption law should "undergo a transparent and participatory consultation process."

Moreover, the UN country team in its statement also "encourages the National Assembly to allow sufficient time for Parliamentarians, civil society, donors and the UN to study the law so that if and where deemed necessary, amendments may be proposed for consideration."

The foreign ministry's statement said that the UN country team commented on the adoption process of the Cambodian Anti-Corruption Law "as though it was lecturing the Royal Government of Cambodia on what to do about this law."

"This so-called UN Country Team should not act out of its mandate, in flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of a UN member state," the statement said.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodia Passes First Law to Combat Graft

Photo: VOA - R. Carmichael
Son Chhay, a legislator with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party

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Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia's parliament has passed the country's first law to combat corruption, but critics say it is flawed, and could entrench rather than end corruption.

After 15 years of trying, Cambodia now has a law against corruption, which is a scourge in this impoverished nation.

Parliament passed the legislation on Thursday. Among other things, it imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years on officials convicted of taking bribes. It also requires politicians, military personnel, police officers, judges, and civil servants to disclose their wealth to a new anti-corruption body. Leaders of civic action groups also must report their wealth.

The government calls the new law an important tool in fighting corruption.

But many opposition politicians and civic activists are critical.

Yong Kim Eng is from the Coalition for Integrity and Social Accountability, a collection of organizations fighting graft.

He says that since those serving on the anti-corruption body will be appointed by the ruling party and will report to the prime minister, there is the risk of political interference.

"Also we have questioned a lot about that as well - about independence, about what it will be accountable for. We want to have enough independence that this body can take action, can reduce the corruption in Cambodia," he said.

Son Chhay, a legislator with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, fears the law will be misused.

"Because the prime minister and the deputy minister of the Council of Ministers will have full control over who can be prosecuted. The target will be the opposition and civil society, or the group of businesses who are not willing to support the government, who are critical of the government. So they will be able to find something there to prosecute them," he said.

Critics complain the government ignored requests for the public to have a say in drafting the new law. Son Chhay says that among the changes the ruling party refused to consider was making financial disclosures public.

A government spokesman responded to the criticism by saying that the opposition will have the opportunity to propose amendments in the future, as with any law.

Corruption is a serious problem here. Last year, the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia said that $500 million is lost to graft each year, a comment that angered Phnom Penh. And the international anti-corruption group Transparency International ranks Cambodia as one of the world's most corrupt countries.

On Friday the U.S. Embassy welcomed the passage of the law and expressed hope that rules to implement it will "clarify and enhance" its aim of combating corruption in accordance with international standards.

A Sharp Increase In Foreign Corn Supplies Projected This Month


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03/12/2010

Global corn supplies forecast for 2009/10 are increased 6.4 million tons this month to 950.1 million. Production and trade revisions for 2008/09 boost 2009/10 world beginning stocks 0.5 million tons to 146.4 million. World corn production forecast for 2009/10 is increased 5.9 million tons to a record 803.7 million, exceeding 800 million for the first time, despite a small decline in the U.S. crop.

Global coarse grain production is up less than the increase in corn because of a 1.2-million-ton reduction in barley production and small declines for mixed grain and rye in the EU. Still, world coarse grain production in 2009/10 is now projected to exceed 1.1 billion tons and nearly match the 2008/09 record.

Growing conditions for corn across the Southern Hemisphere have been generally very favorable, with Argentina and South Africa both receiving above-normal precipitation and mostly moderate temperatures during crucial reproductive growth stages. The above-normal rain in Argentina is not surprising because the ongoing El Nino condition in the Pacific is associated with heavy rain in Argentina’s main corn region. However, El Nino is also associated with drought in the Maiz Triangle of South Africa, yet actual temperatures and precipitation have been exceptionally favorable.

Argentina’s corn production is forecast up 3.8 million tons this month to 21.0 million. With the good rains, late planting was more extensive than expected, boosting area harvested 0.35 million hectares to 2.5 million. Harvesting has just begun, and crop conditions are generally reported to be good to excellent. Current conditions support the projected record 8.4 tons per hectare average yield. The areas that have received excessive rains are well enough drained to limit damage. Favorable conditions have also led to a larger-than-expected area planted to sorghum, boosting production prospects 0.5 million tons to 3.8 million. However, for barley, heavy rains late in the growing season and during harvest reduced yields and damaged quality, cutting production 0.4 million tons to 1.2 million. Additionally, a reassessment of corn supply and use for 2008/09 in Argentina, as the local marketing year draws to a close, reveals that corn production must have been significantly larger than previously estimated despite the severe drought. Corn area for 2008/09 is increased 10 percent this month, increasing estimated production 2.4 million tons to 15.0 million.

South Africa had very favorable temperatures and precipitation during January and February 2010, supporting 2009/10 corn crop prospects. However, continued rains are needed during March to support grain fill. South Africa reported revised area, up 5 percent, as seedings exceeded earlier expectations. Moreover, current conditions support above-trend yields, and production is projected up 2.0 million tons this month to 13.5 million tons. This is the largest corn production since the 1980/81 record when area was more than a third larger.

Corn production for 2009/10 was increased 0.3 million tons this month for both Moldova and Cambodia, based on larger reported area. Iran’s corn production is projected up 0.2 million tons due to increased area, while both area and yield combined to boost corn production in the Philippines by a similar amount. Increased yields led to small increases in corn production for Croatia and Saudi Arabia. There are decreases in projected corn production this month due to reduced area for India, down 0.5 million tons, and for Chile, down fractionally. China’s barley production is revised down 0.6 million tons to 2.5 million based on a report from the U.S. Embassy. Mexico’s barley production is cut 0.3 million tons to 0.5 million as dryness cut harvested area and yields.

As more complete information and data about 2008/09 production, trade, and use becomes available, ending stocks are revised, changing supplies for 2009/10. This month there are numerous changes to 2009/10 corn beginning stocks, mostly caused by 2008/09 trade revisions. The largest change is for South Africa, up 0.5 million tons as reduced 2008/09 exports boost stocks. Argentina’s corn stocks are up 0.4 million tons due to increased 2008/09 production, and India’s corn stocks are boosted 0.2 million tons due to lower estimated food use in 2008/09. There are smaller increases in 2009/10 corn beginning stocks this month for the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Philippines, Moldova, Egypt, Yemen, Georgia, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Revised old-crop production for Iran and increased 2008/09 exports in Paraguay trimmed corn stocks 0.3 million tons each. There are smaller reductions in corn stocks this month for Chile, Syria, Malaysia, Guatemala, Taiwan, and Honduras.

UN Rapped for ‘Interfering’ on Graft Law

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By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia accused the UN’s country team of “flagrantly” interfering in its internal affairs Friday, after the team issued a rebuke of the rapid debate this week of a graft law.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country team appeared to be “lecturing” the government on the law, passed by the National Assembly on Thursday with little public or parliamentary debate.

The government “cannot accept lessons given by a few individuals comprising this Team,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The UN team “should not act out of its mandate, in flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of a UN member State,” the ministry said. “Furthermore, it should refrain from acting as if it were the spokesperson of the opposition parties.”

UN representatives were not immediately available for comment Friday.

The Anticorruption Law took only two days to debate and pass, without any significant changes from the original draft of the Council of Ministers, which took more than a decade to create.

Civic groups and both opposition parties quickly decried the law, saying it had not created a sufficiently independent anti-corruption body and was unlikely to curb the practice.

A statement from the UN country team on Wednesday expressed “concern” that the law was passed within days of being announced to the public. The team encouraged delay on debate of the law, to allow public consideration.

The Embassy of Japan on Friday called the law “a step forward for good governance,” but declined to comment further because it had not obtained a copy of the draft until March 9.

John Johnson, a spokesman for the US Embassy, said, “We trust that the implementing regulations will clarify and enhance the law’s aim to detect and punish corruption according to international standards.”

The US estimates that Cambodia loses $500 million a year to graft.

“We are very disappointed and very sorry that we had no ability to push the National Assembly to change its decision,” the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a consortium of more than 20 agencies, said Friday. “We are very worried for some negative articles in the law.”

US Lists Cambodia as Potential Money Launderer

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By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia has become a major country of concern for money laundering, an annual US report says.

The country’s porous borders, weak laws, limited capacity of justice officials and the National Bank and widespread corruption all put Cambodia at risk, according the US State Department, which recently published its 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

Cambodia joins 60 other major money laundering countries, including Burma, Singapore and Thailand.

“The report is the compilation of the embassy and our outreach with both the Cambodian government and local NGOs that work with that sector, and also with researchers of the State Department in Washington, DC,” said John Johnson, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.

“So the ability to follow the money is critical to successful disruption and dismantling of financial networks that support international illicit activity, including terrorism, organized crime, weapons of mass destruction proliferation, and narcotics and human trafficking,” he added.

A major money-laundering country is one whose financial institutions engage in transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from serious crimes, the report says.

In Cambodia, the major sources of money laundering include drug trafficking, human trafficking and corruption, the report says. The country also has an active black market, where smuggling circumvents official duties and tax obligations, including with fuel, alcohol and cigarettes.

“Such proceeds are rarely transferred through the banking system or other financial institutions,” the report says. “Instead they are readily channeled into land, housing, luxury goods or other forms of property.”

Phan Ho, secretary general of government’sindependentfinancial intelligence unit, acknowledged cases of money laundering, but he said most of the money came from outside the country.

“First, we have laws and directives that allow financial institutions to report to us the suspected cases of money laundering, and we have a supervision system,” he said. “So money laundering mostly comes from outside. The money laundering in our country derived from criminal acts is very small.”

Phan Ho said his unit inspected eight commercial banks in 2009 and found they had strong monitoring systems to effectively help fight money laundering.

Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the US report had “no evidence.”

“We want to know the names of people who launder the money,” he said. “If the report provides us with both information and evidence, we will be able to cope with it. The report only aims to destroy Cambodia’s reputation.”

Cambodia passed laws and directives to counter money laundering and cut off finances for potential terrorists in 2007. The regulations require financial institutions to report transactions more than 40,000 riel, about $10,000.

In 2009, the government’s financial intelligence unit was tipped off to 64 suspicious transactions, according to the US report. However, cash reporting has been inconsistent due to a lack of unified reporting mechanisms.

In Channy, CEO of Acleda Bank, said he believed money laundering was not transferred through the banking system, which has good monitoring.

Under Cambodian law, financial institutions can be fined and its leaders jailed for failing to report suspicious transactions, but the US report says the anti-laundering law needs improved.

“The government should issue additional decrees necessary to fully implement the law and should develop the capability of its law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate financial crimes,” the report says. “ Cambodia should take specific steps to combat corruption.”

Phan Ho said the fight against money laundering is a new for Cambodia, and the government wants to do it effectively.

Over the past several years, the US Treasury Department has conducted financial investigation training courses for Cambodian police, judges, prosecutors, counter terrorism and banking officials.

Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank continues to provide technical assistance for Cambodia to issue a number of regulations to combat the crime.

A Peacekeeping Success, With Caveats

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By Soeung Sophat, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
12 March 2010

In recent years Cambodia has sent peacekeepers to three African countries. It is poised to host a major multi-national peacekeeping exercise later this year. And although Cambodia has not yet achieved all its goals, the author of a new book on peacekeeping says Cambodia’s experience was a success.

Mats Berdal is a professor of war studies at King’s College in London and the author of a new book about peace-building.

He warns that peacekeeping goals can often be over-ambitious. But he said in the case of Cambodia, peacekeepers brought many benefits that should not be overlooked.

“Cambodia perhaps doesn’t meet the standards of a mature liberal democracy, but it’s a very different place from what it used to be. It has a flourishing civil society, it has a free press, it has had elections.”

Berdal acknowledged that he had not been to Cambodia, but he noted that the country could have benefited from more follow-ups on issues like human rights following the UN withdrawal.

“The Untac mission was designed to transform, or help transform, the political, institutional, and social fabric of society in order to overcome deep-seated internal animosities,” he said.

But while the $1.6-billion mission helped restore fundamental peace in Cambodia, it did not stamp out rights violations and left an internal power struggle well after the UN had left.

In a recent discussion of his 2009 book, “Building Peace After War,” at a think-tank in Washington, Berdal noted recently that peacekeeping can be difficult anywhere, because it is so broadly defined.

“According to the UN, peacekeeping covers everything from integrated and coordinated actions aimed at addressing the root causes of violence where the political, legal, institutional, military, humanitarian, human rights related, environmental, economic, social, cultural and demographic,” he said.

He said the problem is that such comprehensive term lacks “any sense of priorities. Nor does it seek “to differentiate in the strategic sense between these objectives.”

Peace operations have traditionally been ambitious in their mandates and numbers. Professor Berdal said their number exploded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US, and at present stands at 61 missions with 170,000 troops deployed worldwide.

Ambassador Wegger Strommen of Norway, who was a participant in the book discussion, called peace-building a tedious process with multiple phases that requires sustained commitment.

“You need to take a look at institution-building as well and we try to do that,” he said. “Take Haiti for instance. What we’re trying to do in Haiti is to help out a little bit. We’re trying to build up certain institutions. No matter what Haiti is going to look like in the future, they really need to get some of these institutions up and working.”

Berdal says this governance structure is crucial to the legitimacy of intervening outsiders, but that traditionally there has been an overemphasis on a Western approach of social “re-engineering,” ignoring local dynamics of conflict.

He cited Iraq as an example. A 20-year record suggests that “stability cannot really be imposed on war-torn societies from the outside” and has to be elicited, he said.

“The relative success of a peace-building intervention depends not only on the conduct and actions of the outsider, but also on the degree to which governance structures are put in place and promoted and that it command legitimacy in the eyes of local parties, neighboring states, and the wider international community,” he said.

However, Berdal said believes that given the seemingly “operational overstretch” of peace missions at a time of global economic crisis, we should be more “humble” and realistic about goal-setting in peace-building.

Tribunal Expected To Probe Further Suspects

via CAAI News Media

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
12 March 2010

Judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal are prepared to begin investigating additional suspects beyond those already in custody, an official for the UN-backed court said, but it remains unclear whether any more leaders of the regime will ever be brought to trial.

The question of further indictments beyond five suspects already in detention has put tribunal judges at odds in the past and led to warnings by Prime Minister Hun Sen on national instability.

While the tribunal has been mainly focused on the trial of those five leaders, “investigators have started studying the case files for Case 003 and Case 004,” said Lars Olsen, a spokesman for the tribunal. “Concrete investigative steps are expected to start in some weeks’ time.”

Case No. 002, which is not expected to go to trial until 2011, involves jailed leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Kaing Kek Iev. Cases beyond that involve suspects that have not been detained.

The names of the suspects in the third and fourth cases have not been publicly announced, and it remains to be seen how far any investigation will go in the face of opposition from Hun Sen and some Cambodian judges.

Court observers say more arrests won’t happen if the decision is split between Cambodian and UN judges, thanks to rules of the court requiring majority decisions. And critics continue to doubt the court’s ability to operate without government interference.

“If the international community does not have influence over the government in ceasing them from interference in Khmer Rouge court procedures, the government benefits,” said Seng Theary, co-director of the Center for Justice and Reconciliation. “And if the international community pulls away, we also think the government benefits. But ultimately, who loses? We as the Khmer people, we as victims, who lost parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, the entire nation.”

The international community must not abandon the court or let it fall to “political games,” which can make the people tire of the proceedings and lose confidence in the court and each other, she said.

“I am so fearful that it could happen if the international community walks away [and] if the government continues to interfere in [court] procedures, which they are not supposed to do,” she said.

Cambodia learns lessons of its bloody history


via CAAI News Media

Aubrey Belford
Kampong Trach, Cambodia
From: The Australian
March 13, 2010

SCHOOLTEACHER Bin Cheat has already had his lesson on the Khmer Rouge.

As a six-year-old, he saw Pol Pot's army roll into his village in Cambodia's scrappy southern countryside. Fascinated by the rare sight of a car, he trundled up to a tyre as the men stood distracted, unscrewed the cap and let out a hiss of air. Moments later he was dragged and bound, set, like many others, for death by bludgeoning.

"They tied my arms behind my back and stuffed me in a sack. I'm lucky that one of the neighbourhood women begged with them for so long that they let me go," Bin Cheat says with a laugh.

Many older Cambodians remember the brutality of the Khmer Rouge. Up to two million people were killed through executions, starvation and forced labour as the ultra-communist regime attempted to create an agrarian utopia, while erasing the history and memory of a people.

For younger generations of children, that forgetting has continued, with the four years of the Khmer Rouge regime left off the school curriculum.

Only now, after years of debate, are teachers like Bin Cheat tentatively beginning to explain Cambodia's full history. The process is delicate and painful, as former Khmer Rouge are spread throughout society, from Prime Minister Hun Sen downwards.

Key to that process is a new textbook for high school students, A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), produced by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-CAM), a non-profit organisation given the task of recording the history of the genocide.

Other books teach the history up until the Khmer Rouge's rise in 1975 and then fall silent, only to pick up the thread long after the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in a Vietnamese invasion, explains DC-CAM director Youk Chhang. The one concession granted over the years was a single photo of a seated Pol Pot, accompanied by a brief description of his regime and its genocide.

"I believe in prosecution to reach full forgiveness. But at the same time, for the future, to move beyond the Khmer Rouge, one way to prevent (such things from recurring) is to teach the children," Youk Chhang says.

Conceived in 1996, the idea for the book received only limited in-principle support from the government in 2004 and began being taught in a small number of schools at the end of last year. The plan is to have a million Khmer-language editions of the books in schools by the end of the year, being taught by 3200 teachers.

Re-engaging with the issue is proving a challenge. Of the country's 14 million people, only five million were alive during Khmer Rouge rule. The government of Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge cadre who defected to Vietnam and rose to the country's leadership after the regime's 1979 fall, has been at best a reluctant participant in efforts to bring former regime leaders to justice. "The Khmer Rouge aren't just in the government, trust me. They are in the opposition, the NGOs, the private sector, everywhere," he says.

"In the classroom I can assure you that at least 30 per cent are the children of former Khmer Rouge, another 70 per cent are the children of the victims.

"Among these 3000 teachers I can assure you almost 25 to 30 per cent are former Khmer Rouge themselves.

"This is a broken society, it is a fragile society, so I think you have to live for the future, commit for the future, teach for the future."

At Bin Cheat's school in Kampong Trach near the southern border with Vietnam, amid a landscape of red earth and lonely palm trees and sheer hills, the Khmer Rouge's shadow stretches longer than in most places.

Throughout the 1990s, Khmer Rouge rebels fighting the government in Phnom Penh lingered in the nearby hills, periodically sweeping down to abduct officials, including local teachers, and holding them for ransoms of rice, food and fuel. Those who were not ransomed were killed.

The students here respond blankly to questions of this recent history.

Ny Pagnavuth, 17, says he heard stories of the Khmer Rouge when he was growing up, including vague tales of an uncle and aunt killed. But he knew little of how the Khmer Rouge came to power or why they did what they did, and was shocked to hear the broader story in class.

"I was surprised and I felt it was strange. Why did the regime empty out Phnom Penh? Cities are where industry and the economy grows," he says.

Thaksin expelled by UAE?


via CAAI News Media

Published: 12/03/2010
Online news: Breakingnews

The Foreign Ministry is checking a report that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been expelled by the United Arab Emirates and is heading for Siem Reap, Cambodia, according to Chavanont Intarakomalsut.

Mr Chavanont is secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, said on Friday the ministry is seeking confirmation.

Panich Wikitseth, assistant to the foreign minister, said only that the UAD had promised not to allow Thaksin to use Dubai as his base for political activities against Thailand.

The report was quickly denied by Thaksin's close aide Noppadon Pattama.

Mr Noppadon said the report was not true. Thaksin was still in Dubai and had no plan travel to Cambodia during this time, he said.

He said Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, Thaksin's ex-wife, was now in Hong Kong, not in Dubai as reported, and that his two daughters, Pinthongta and Praethongtan, were in Germany.

Mr Noppadon said Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's younger sister, had also travelled abroad, but did not mention the country.

Thaksin arrives in Cambodia : Thai FM

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
via CAAI News media

By The Nation

Fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra left Dubai and arrived in Cambodia on Friday as red shirts started gathering to join the mass rallies on Sunday.

PM's secretary Chavanon Indharakomansut said Thaksin travelled to Siem Reap province of Cambodia by his private jet.

Thai foreign ministry has already contacted its embassy in Phnom Penh to monitor Thaksin's activities in Cambodia, Chavanont said.

Thaksin has been appointed as an economic adviser to Cambodia's PM Hun Sen and the Khmer government. The appointment has led to protests by the Thai government.

Roads to be built to provide quick access to protect Cambodia's Angkor temples from fire

In this photo taken, May 30, 2009, tourists ride on elephants at Bayon front gate of Cambodia's Angkor complex in Siem Reap province, about 230 kilometers north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Seventeen new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said Friday, March 12, 2010. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Heng Sinith)

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Seventeen new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said Friday shortly before a blaze started nearby.

The roads will alleviate fears of damage to the country's greatest artistic treasure, especially during the dry season when blazes often break out, said Tan Sambu, an official of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

On Friday, a fire about 2 kilometres from Angkor Wat, the most famous of the temples, destroyed several acres of forest and at least two village houses, said police Maj. Pheung Chandarith.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, and Pheung said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the ninth and 14th centuries.

Earlier this month, South Korea provided $9.2 million to build a new road that will circle the temple complex and reduce traffic in the area.

Cambodian govt accuses UN of 'flagrant interference'

A draft anti-corruption law was passed by 82 Cambodian lawmakers, mostly from PM Hun Sen's (pictured) ruling Cambodian People's Party. Ranked one of the most corrupt countries in the world, Cambodia passed the law in parliament on Thursday, more than 15 years after legislation to tackle graft was first proposed, but only days after the draft was shared publicly.

via CAAI News Media

12 March 2010

AFP - Cambodia on Friday accused the United Nations of "flagrantly interfering" in its affairs after local agencies expressed concern over a controversial anti-corruption law approved this week.

Ranked one of the most corrupt countries in the world, Cambodia passed the law in parliament on Thursday, more than 15 years after legislation to tackle graft was first proposed, but only days after the draft was shared publicly.

Opposition and rights groups said the draft was flawed and asked for more debate, and a statement this week from the UN country team in Cambodia encouraged enough time to ensure "a transparent and participatory" process.

"This so-called 'UN Country Team' should not act out of its mandate, in flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of a UN member state," said a statement by Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry.

"Furthermore, it should refrain from acting as if it were the spokesperson of the opposition parties," it added.

All lawmakers from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party walked out of parliament in protest just hours before the draft law was passed by 82 lawmakers, mostly from Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party.

A national anti-corruption council and an anti-corruption unit will be created to oversee investigations, but critics said it was unlikely either body would be effective because both would be controlled by the ruling party.

Public figures face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of accepting bribes, according to the draft law.

The law will take effect after receiving approval from Cambodia's Senate and promulgation from King Norodom Sihamoni, which are both considered formalities.

Cambodia was ranked 158 out of 180 countries on anti-graft organisation Transparency International's most recent corruption perception index.

It was also ranked the second most corrupt Southeast Asian nation after Indonesia in an annual poll by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Last year, a US diplomat said that graft costs Cambodia up to 500 million dollars every year, an allegation the government rejected as "unsubstantiated."

Roads to protect Cambodia's Angkor from fires

via CAAI News Media

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Seventeen new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said Friday shortly before a blaze started nearby.

The roads will alleviate fears of damage to the country's greatest artistic treasure, especially during the dry season when blazes often break out, said Tan Sambu, an official of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

On Friday, a fire about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Angkor Wat, the most famous of the temples, destroyed several hectares (acres) of forest and at least two village houses, said police Maj. Pheung Chandarith.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, and Pheung said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the ninth and 14th centuries.

Earlier this month, South Korea provided $9.2 million to build a new road that will circle the temple complex and reduce traffic in the area.

Fashion show for Cambodia


 http://www.wcax.com/

via CAAI News Media

Charlotte, Vermont - March 11, 2010

In the basement of his house in Charlotte 18-year-old James Neiley works a bit frantically to finish the top half of a dress before his model arrives for a fitting. It is just two days before his first ever runway show.

"I've gone between like really excited, really inspired, to like really upset, angry, nervous," says James.

James' passion for fashion started a few years ago when he would draw figures. Then he started picking out outfits for his friends to wear.

"I don't know, I love the movement in fashion and then I started reading Vogue and I decided I wanted to create my own sort of, my own looks," he explains.

His fashion show this weekend includes about a dozen looks that he pieced together from thrift stores and his friends' closets. It also has three looks that he designed and created, with a bit of help from his friend Marie.

"I call it my fall preview collection because there's only three," says James.

In addition to being a venue for James to show off his styling and designing skills the runway show is also fundraiser. The goal is to raise $2,000 for a local group that sends money to Cambodian villages in need.

"I think it's important to recognize places that are in need and have been in need for a long time," James says of his efforts.

James has enlisted his friends and classmates as models and they too are excited to be a part of what could be the start of a promising fashion career.

"I think it's great and James has such a vision and he's making it happen," says friend and model Lauren Shapiro, as James fits her with the top he was working to finish.

James will graduate from Champlain Valley Union High School in the summer then head to college just outside of New York City where he will seek inspiration to launch his own line, become a fashion writer, or maybe a stylist to the stars.

Fashion Show

Saturday, March 13

7:30 p.m.

CVU High School

Help fund a library in Cambodia

HELP REACH TARGET: Tom Westley and Charissa Harris will be on hand tomorrow to talk about their time in Cambodia. Photo by Leah O'Brien

http://bowral.yourguide.com.au/

via CAAI News Media

12 Mar, 2010

HELP fund the building of a school library in Cambodia by buying a raffle ticket from Bowral High School students in Corbett Plaza tomorrow, Saturday, March 13.

The Peak Sneng School caters for around 600 primary pupils during the day and then adults in the afternoon.

Every two years teachers and students from Bowral High have been travelling to Cambodia and Vietnam.

They have formed a bond with the school and the people of Peak Sneng village and have tried to help out where they could.

To date this is the largest fundraising that they have undertaken with the primary school.

Bowral High School librarian Bede Kervin said they had committed themselves to help fund the building of a library."They don't have a place where they could just sit and read," he said.

"At the moment their teaching is on a blackboard and there is only one book with the teacher.

"This way there would be more resources for them."

The library would cost around $US5000.

So far around $600 had been raised from a barbecue.

Visit the students and teachers tomorrow in the plaza, where they will be selling raffle tickets and taking donations.

Fish to dry, but how did they die?

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Math Maryan, 17, dries fish that perished in a mass kill in Kandal province this week. Fisheries officials have launched an investigation after 54 tonnes of farmed fish were found dead roughly a kilometre from a bio-ethanol factory that was temporarily shut down last year over environmental concerns.

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 12 March 2010 15:06 Khuon Leakhana and Thet Sambath

FISHERIES officials have launched an investigation after 54 tonnes of farmed fish were found dead this week in Kandal province, roughly a kilometre away from a bio-ethanol factory temporarily shut down last year over environmental concerns.

Manh Pov, deputy chief of the Chaktomuk Inspectorate of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Administration, said the dead fish were found in a section of the Tonle Sap river in Ponhea Leu district Wednesday.

“We are investigating the source of the poisoning and trying to find what is responsible,” Manh Pov said.

Some villagers said they were told by authorities that “climate change” is responsible for the fish kill – an assertion Manh Pov said he never made.

“They [officials] told me they can’t help us because it is a natural disaster and they can’t compensate us,” said villager Taing Rin.

Moth Pov, a villager from Doung village in Prek Phnov commune, said she suspected a chemical spill may be to blame.

“I understand when fish die naturally and when they die because of chemicals,” said Moth Pov, who said she lost 7 tonnes of fish.

Last August, authorities temporarily shut down a bio-ethanol plant owned by MH Bio-Energy Group when villagers said that toxic waste from the factory killed roughly 60 tonnes of fish in the same area.

Company representatives acknowledged a broken water-treatment system resulted in a spill, but denied that it was responsible for the fish deaths.

A company official declined to comment on the recent deaths when contacted Thursday.