20 Sept 2010 By Im Navin Radio France Internationale Translated from Khmer by Soy Everyday, hundreds of tourists and merchants cross the Bavet-Moc Bai international border gate. Local Cambodians living in that area do not pay much attention to benefit from trade due to this development. To the contrary, it is the Viet people who come and collect money by the shovel full in Cambodia through all kinds of trades that they conduct inside Cambodian territories. More Detail
“I am a puppet with no right to decide”: Hun Xen confessing the truth for once
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) Hun Xen: “Can’t ask the foreigners to put pressure on Cambodia in opposition leader’s case” 20 Sept 2010 By Ly Hov Cambodia Express News Translated from Khmer by Soy Click here to read the article in Khmer Phnom Penh – Hun Xen considered the request made by the opposition party to Chea Xim to intervene in the case of the lawsuit brought up against Sam Rainsy as a test on the ruling CPP leaders. Furthermore, Hun Xen insisted that foreign countries cannot apply pressure on Cambodia. During the inauguration of the Prek Phnov bridge across the Tonle Sap River on 20 September 2010, Hun Xen declared that, during the past few days, they (the opposition party) conducted two tests (on the CPP). The first test consisted of the request made to Chea Xim to intervene for the opposition party. Hun Xen claimed that this is an opposition trick to dump the ball on Chea Xim’s lap, thinking that Chea Xim will throw it to Hun Xen to hold. However, Chea Xim replied that this case (Sam Rainsy’s case) is in the hand of the court. The second test consisted of using the international community, including US President Barak Obama, to apply pressure on the Cambodian government. Hun Xen issued his advance warning, saying that if in the future, the opposition party will send such request to him, he wants to let them know in advance that he will simply scribble back: “I am a puppet with no right to decide. There not much to talk about, everyday, they curse me as being a puppet.” Hun Xen made this declaration to underscore the fact that the date for his trip to ASEAN-US summit meeting in the US (24 September 2010) is approaching fast. Hun Xen will depart from Cambodia on 22 September and will return back on 26 September 2010. Kong Korm, SRP standing-party president, indicated that after the powerless Chea Xim was unable to intervene in the lawsuits brought up against Sam Rainsy, the opposition will seek intervention in Sam Rainsy’s case from the International community and from US President Barak Obama in order for Sam Rainsy to return back home, following the latter’s uprooting of border stakes which he claimed that they led to the loss of Cambodian territories. On this point, Hun Xen reacted violently by saying: “There’s only four days left (until 24 September) before I will meet to dine and confer with US Presdient Barak Obama at the ASEAN-US leaders meeting, what will he tell me? It’s not possible for your party chief to uproot the border post and then asks the foreigners to apply pressure (on the government). He (Sam Rainsy) said that he represented the people. Sorry, to be the representative of the people, you must receive the majority vote. You are not the representative of the people nor representative of the nation. I accept a number of your opinions, but you cannot do anything beyond that.” In regards to his meeting with Obama during the ASEAN-US meeting, Hun Xen said that he will ask the US to cancel the debt ($300 million) owed by Cambodia dating from the Lon Nol regime era, he said that it was a “dirty” debt that must be canceled. However, this morning, Hun Xen did not raise the issue of the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand even though he plans to meet with Abhisit Vejaajiva at the end of the ASEAN-US meeting in the US.
Some Workers Continue Strike Over Fired Unionists
An estimated 30,000 workers went on strike last week, demanding more negotiations over salaries they say are too high for the increased cost of living. (Photo: Heng Reaksmey VOA, Khmer) “I'm striking for 19 labor representatives whom the owner did not allow back to work.”Workers from at least three factories continued to demonstrate on Monday, demanding that union representatives be allowed back to work following last week's general strike. The workers demonstrated against an order from Kandal provincial court that barred 54 representatives from returning to work at the River Rich, Goldfame Enterprise and Winner garment factories, following a general strike last week that ended Thursday. The labor leaders are barred from working while the court considers a suit against them by the three factories claiming last week's strikes were illegal. “I'm striking for 19 labor representatives whom the owner did not allow back to work,” said Uch Sam Ath, a demonstrator, in front of his Goldfame factory in Sa'an district. He estimated some 5,000 of 8,000 workers were on strike, but that number was impossible to verify Monday. An estimated 30,000 workers went on strike last week, demanding more negotiations over salaries they say are too high for the increased cost of living. The strike cost factories millions of dollars in revenues and led to lawsuits filed alleging the strikes were illegal. The strikes ended after a brokered agreement for more negotiations later this month. “We want our labor representatives to return to work, because they are good representatives in defending our labor rights,” said striking worker Sok Rath, outside the Winner factory. “We're not going to work, because we haven't seen our labor representatives at work,” said Phan Sopha, at River Rich Textile. Court officials said the leaders were barred from work under court procedures. Chea Chi Chay, administrative chief for Winner, said the company wanted the representatives to have their day in court, but was requesting “others to go to work as normal and not affect the interests of the workers and the company.” Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, said the court was increasing pressure and threats ahead of the upcoming talks. “The court order seems to have stirred up more disputes again,” he said.
With Penal Code Coming, Concern From Lawyers
Ministry of (in)Justice. (Original Photo by: By Taing Sarada) “When the law is unclear, it can't be enforced, then it makes people into victims.”Cambodia is ready to put into effect a new penal code that replaces laws from the Untac era, but lawyers warn that some 300 newly illegal acts could catch people unawares. The new law, passed last year, will be made effective throughout the country on Nov. 12. Among other infractions, the new code includes laws against recording phone conversations without permission from the second party, against death threats, public drunkenness, and sexual solicitation via hand waves. It also makes illegal failure to intervene in a suicide in progress; refusal to testify before authorities; and the torture of animals. “The penal code comprises a total 672 articles, and among some of those articles, we need to take precautions,” said Run Saray, executive director for Legal Aid of Cambodia. “Just a moment ago,” he said, referring to his interview, “there was the issue of recording a voice, which requires permission.” If the penal code goes ahead as it stands, it will have ignored concerns from civil society over restrictions on the freedoms of expression and assembly. That includes defamation criminality that could prevent people from speaking out, Run Saray said. The penal code also remains unclear in certain areas that could provide loopholes for corruption, he said. It also contains “technical words” that could make it difficult to understand by the country's attorneys. However, he said the new code is good in that it gives more leeway to judges to address cases individually, especially in the abuse of women and children. Kao Supha, a Cambodian lawyer, said the new code may be difficult for lawyers and judges alike to understand. However, he said it did provide more legal strictures for judges and police. Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said a code that is difficult to understand will be difficult to follow. “When the law is unclear, it can't be enforced,” he said. If the law is not properly enforced, “then it makes people into victims,” he said. It also remains unclear which laws will be stricken from the books and which will remain when the penal code comes into effect, but Kem Sophorn, a judge at the Ministry of Justice, said an implementation law that will be passed soon will clear that up. Meanwhile, he said, judges, police, prosecutors and clerks have been receiving training on the new penal code. The code clearly defines newly illegal acts, including provisions for corruption among civil servants, tax evasion, and others, including the torture of animals, he said. For example, he said, a chicken improperly tied to a motorbike, whose head rubs against the ground, could be grounds for animal torture charges More Detail
Subedi “does not fully understand” the rights situation in Cambodia: Rights violators claim
U.N. special rapporteur Surya Subedi at the U.N. headquarter in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) “His fate may be the same as Yash Ghai's.”A new report from the UN's top envoy on human rights that is critical of the country's judiciary could have a harmful impact on his relationship with the government, rights workers said Monday. Prasad Subedi, the UN special rapporteur for human rights, is scheduled to present a report this month to the UN Human Rights Council sharply critical of the courts and calling for wide changes in the judicial system. In his report, Subedi urged more tolerance of criticism by public figures and cautioned against using the courts to silence dissent. He also urged members of the Supreme Council of Magistracy to step down from their positions within the ruling Cambodian People's Party and called for more resources to be put into the court system. Subedi replaced Yash Ghai as the envoy to Cambodia after Ghai's relationship with the government broke down in the wakes of similarly critical reports, which warned of political instability in the wake of human rights abuses. “His fate may be the same as Yash Ghai's,” said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, echoing concerns of other groups. However, government spokesman Phay Siphan said it was too soon to say whether the report would cause a similar rift. He said, however, that Subedi “does not fully understand” the rights situation in Cambodia.
CPP revision 2: A work in progress
Hun Manet talks to children (All Photos: Kampuchea Thmei) 
Hun Manet (2nd from right) sitting next to his brother-in-law Dy Vichea, Hok Lundy's son 
The Hun clan distributing the fruit of their corruption This latest publicity show is another example of the Hun Clan trying to polish its public image due to Prime Minister's iron fist rule, but importantly due to the misdeeds of his many relatives in the past that have drawn Mr. Hun Sen to warn of a revenge attack when he is no longer in powerPrime Minister Hun Sen seems to be positioning for a political succession in recent years when his children, especially his oldest son Hun Manet, were seen coming out in drove to carry out humanitarian works in less fortunate areas, particularly in rural Cambodia. The latest publicity stunt happened on Saturday 18th September in Phnom Penh's Russey Keo district when Hun Manet, Hun Many and his wife, Dy Vichea, Hun Sen's son-in-law and son of the late Police Commissioner Hok Lundy, brought abundance of gifts to the 133 orphaned children living in an orphanage in the area. They donated 5o bikes, 2 tons of rice, 50 kilograms of smoked fish, 100 kilograms of dried and pickled white carrot, 10 boxes of canned fish, 50 boxes of instant noodle, 100 kilograms of salt, 80 kilograms of MSG powder, 200 kilograms of white sugar, 20 containers of fish sauce and 20 containers of liquid bean seasoning sauce. On top of this, they donated 10 foot balls, 10 volley balls, 10 shuttle cocks etc. They also donated 660 notebooks, 160 T-shirts, pens, pencils, clothes and other things to the 133 children of the orphanage. They donated 6 pairs of clothes, 6 kramas (thin towel), 6 sarongs and 6 pairs of thongs to older disabled people in the area. On top of this, each of 11 staff of the orphanage gets 200,000 riels ($50) each, each of the 133 orphan gets 20,000 riels ($5), each of the 6 disabled people gets $100,000 ($25) and the orphanage gets an 8 ($2,000) million riels donation from the Hun Sen family. On top of this, the orphanage gets 3 computers, one photocopier and one printer. Prime Minister Hun Sen has been seen trying to groom his oldest son, Hun Manet who graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy in the U.S, holds a Masters Degree from Georgetown University in the U.S and holds a Ph.D from Britain's Bristol University, for the last 3 years or so by attempting to find him a parliamentary seat within the ruling Cambodian People's Party, but was opposed by the party's old guards. He later was appointed a brigadier general in the Cambodian Military. This latest publicity show is another example of the Hun Clan trying to polish its public image due to Prime Minister's iron fist rule, but importantly due to the misdeeds of his many relatives in the past that have drawn Mr. Hun Sen to warn of a revenge attack when he is no longer in power More Detail
Here come our ruski tanks and APCs to counter those dirty, rotten, East European tanks ordered by the Thais!
KI-Media Note: There must be a lot of East European arm dealers out there who are laughing all their way to the bank!
Russian-made BTR-60 armoured personnel carriers (APC) are unloaded from a ship at Preah Sihanouk port, about 230 km (142.9 miles) west of Phnom Penh September 20, 2010. Cambodia has bought 44 APCs and 50 new T55 tanks as part of the country's effort to "strengthen sovereignty" followingForeign auditors not allowed to sign financial statements from 2014 in Cambodia
September 20, 2010 Xinhua
Foreign accountants and auditors will be no longer allowed to certify financial statements from 2014, said a senior finance official on Monday. "Even if the mutual agreement between Cambodia and other countries has not been implemented, the foreign professional accountants and auditors are welcomed and allowed to freely practicing their profession in Cambodia," Ngy Tayi, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Chairman of the National Accounting Council, said on Monday at the National Conference on Accounting "Accountants for Business: Changing Roles for Accountants" in Phnom Penh. Today, there are 31 accounting and auditing firms operating and practicing their service in Cambodia, however, "from 2014, only Cambodian accountants and auditors will be allowed to certify on company's financial statements", he said. "This is our challenges, especially, when securities and exchange markets are placed into operations in mid 2011," he said. He said that accountant is an important element of economic activities for both companies and regulators, however, Cambodia is far short of these human resources. "Until today, we have about 46 Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) students and 76 Certified Accountants Technician (CAT) students graduated," he said. "We expect that another about 100 candidates will be graduated by the end of this year." He said that Cambodia also has huge university graduates but their quality is limited.
More Detail Judge summons Sam Rainsy to clarify in the accusation on Hor 5 Hong being a KR leader
Click on the summons to zoom in 
20 Sept 2010 Ly Hov Cambodia Express News Translated from Khmer by Soy Phnom Penh – It is an old case, however the judge recently brought up this case in order to conduct an investigation on the lawsuit against opposition leader Sam Rainsy who is accused of defamation and disinformation. The lawsuit was brought up by Hor Namhong whom Sam Rainsy claimed he was a former KR leader. The summons dated 09 September 2010 and signed by judge Duch Kim Sorn from the Phnom Penh municipal court ordered Sam Rainsy to show up to court on 28 September at 2:30PM to provide clarification in this case. The judge stipulated that if Sam Rainsy does not show as summoned, then the judge will issue an arrest warrant against him. During the anniversary commemorating the KR victims at the Choeung Ek Memorial on 17 April 2008, Sam Rainsy accused [Hor Namhong] the minister of Foreign Affairs of being the former Boeng Trabek jail chief under the KR regime. Boeng Trabek was a KR detention center. Sam Rainsy also claimed that Hor Namhong was involved in the killing of intellectuals and royal family members. Immediately after this declaration, Hor Namhong initiated two lawsuits against Sam Rainsy: one in Phnom Penh and the other in Paris. The French appeal court decided to let Hor Namhong win in this case [and Sam Rainsy must pay him 1 euro in compensation]. Sam Rainsy is currently living in exile in France after he was charged with uprooting border stakes in Svay Rieng on 25 October 2009. He was sentenced in absentia to two years of jail time in this case. The 60-year-old opposition leader is also facing between 5 to 18 years of jail time after he was accused of falsifying maps to explain that the border stakes in Svay Rieng led to the loss of Cambodian territories. Sam Rainsy is also still embroiled in another lawsuit brought up by Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, because Sam Rainsy claimed that Kep Chuktema was behind the buying out of SRP commune councilors during the election for city and district councilors in 2009. However, this case is still dormant
Cambodia awarded MDG prize for AIDS response excellence
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has been presented with a Millennium Development Goals Award for its national leadership, commitment and progress towards achievement of Goal 6 - Combating HIV, malaria and other diseases, a press release from UN Office in Cambodia said on Monday. Cambodia has been honored within the 'Government' category of the annual Awards initiative, presented at a high-profile event in New York City, the United States, it said. Cambodia is recognized for efforts on HIV that have contributed to a decline in HIV prevalence from an estimated 2 percent (among adults aged 15-49) in 1998 to a projected 0.7 percent in 2010. Cambodia has also achieved the universal access target for treatment, with over 90 percent of adults and children in need receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), due to the expansion of the Continuum of Care program established in 2003. Survival of PLHIV on ART after 12 months is estimated to be 87.4 percent in total (86.7 percent of adults and 93.9 percent of children). "The Royal Government of Cambodia's response to HIV and AIDS has successfully scaled up HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV in Cambodia and generated benefits at the individual, community and health center level due to a high level of collaboration among all stakeholders, including UN agencies, civil society and development partners," said Teng Kunthy, Secretary General of the Cambodia National AIDS Authority. Selecting Cambodia for the Award, the MDG Awards Committee was particularly impressed with the Government's successful scale-up of programs grounded in strong national leadership on HIV/AIDS, the solid National Strategic Plan (NSP) and collaborative partnerships, adhering closely to the 'Three Ones' principles one national coordinating body, one national multi-sectoral strategic plan, one single monitoring and evaluation system, the release said. Innovative prevention programming in Cambodia over the last 10 years has included the introduction of the 100 percent Condom Use Policy which showed successes in preventing new infections. Progress has also led to impacts on the other health-related MDGs of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Successful scale-up of HIV services has contributed to a nearly 50 percent decrease in HIV prevalence among pregnant women at antenatal clinics, and in 2009 more than 32 percent of HIV- infected pregnant women received treatment to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, an increase from 11.2 percent in 2007. The nomination of Cambodia for the MDG Award was a joint initiative by the UN system in Cambodia. "We congratulate Cambodia on receiving the MDG Award. This experience shows if all the ingredients for success are in place that Millennium Development Goals are achievable strong leadership and commitment from the highest level, a sound policy framework backed up by the adequate level of resources and implementation capacity, and coordination and collaboration among all partners," said Douglas Broderick, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia. "The lessons learned here can be applied to accelerating the progress of those Goals still facing challenges, to ensure their achievement by 2015," he added. However, "HIV is still a very real challenge in this country, and stigma and discrimination remain high, which creates a barrier to accessing services for prevention, care, support and treatment, " said Douglas Broderick
More Detail
More Detail
[Israel's] Queenco signs Cambodian hotel casino deal
Yigal Zilkha's Queenco will own 70% of the joint venture, which will be based at the Holiday Palace Hotel in Sihanoukville in Cambodia. 20 September 10 Globes' correspondent (Israel) Queenco Leisure International Ltd., today signed an agreement with Paradise Investment of Cambodia to operate a hotel, casino and other tourist facilities in the country at the Holiday Palace Hotel in Sihanoukville in Cambodia. Queenco will own 70% of the joint venture and Paradise Investment 30%. The agreement is for a 25 year lease of the hotel with an option for a further 25 years. Queenco will pay $30,000 rent per month in quarterly installments. After the announcement of the signing of the agreement Queenco chairman Yigal Zilkha said, "In recent years we have identified the potential of South East Asia and are working to expand the company's activities in the region. Growth in gaming activities in South East Asia in general and in Cambodia in particular is rapid and the business potential is far from being realized." Queenco has hotel and casino activities in Greece, Serbia and Romania. The company's share price is unchanged on the London Stock Exchange today at ₤3.39. The share price of parent company Queenco fell 0.98% on the TASE in early afternoon trading to NIS 3.95.
More Detail Reforms key for labour relations
Monday, 20 September 2010 James O'Toole The Phnom Penh Post
THOUSANDS of garment workers are to return to work after a coordinated strike to protest the industry’s newly established minimum wage was called off in its fourth day last week. Investors are breathing easier with the work stoppage at an end, but tension in the industry remains. On Saturday, unionists said police in Phnom Penh and Kandal province broke up demonstrations against the suspension of two dozen union members, injuring 12; the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, meanwhile, says it is pursuing lawsuits against union leaders in relation to the strike. Organisers said that the work stoppage encompassed more than 200,000 of the sector’s 345,000 workers, though observers said the actual figure was likely closer to GMAC’s estimate of 30,000. In any case, as the sector moves on from the conflict, industry analysts say improvements in Cambodia’s labour-relations framework are needed to minimise disruptions on a similar scale in the future. “The problem with Cambodia is, it’s great to see the activism and dynamism that occurred this week, but it’s in far too many cases the only action at people’s disposal,” said David Welsh, country director for the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity. With 237 unions operating last year in the garment sector alone, collective bargaining is a major challenge. Among the perhaps 340 factories in the garment and footwear industry, only “around 10” comprehensive collective bargaining agreements are in place, according to John Ritchotte, a labour-administration specialist at the International Labour Organisation. Ritchotte said in an email that Cambodia was “unique” regionally in “allowing unions a relatively high degree of freedom to organise in the garment sector”. Though the presence of unions is not necessarily linked to the frequency of strikes, Ritchotte said, the fractured nature of the Cambodian labour movement presents challenges in negotiations. An April study by the ILO found that roughly 42 percent of garment workers belonged to unions, with in some cases as many as seven unions operating in the same factory. Managers reported difficulty in accommodating the differing demands of competing unions, and said that they would often “reject all union demands, in order to be viewed as treating unions equally”. Last week’s strike was organised primarily by the Cambodian Labour Confederation and the National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia; other prominent labour groups, however, such as the Free Trade Union and the Cambodian Union Federation, opposed the work stoppage. “GMAC is always happy and willing to negotiate with the unions representing the workers, but we need to know who to negotiate with,” GMAC secretary general Ken Loo said. Many labour leaders have shown little confidence in such negotiations, instead reflexively relying on strikes in the event of a dispute. The Kingdom’s 1997 Labour Law requires that strikes be declared seven working days in advance, and that parties to the dispute submit to mediation offered in the interim by the Ministry of Labour or the Arbitration Council. According to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations, however, all 163 of the strikes recorded in the garment industry in 2008 and 2009 flouted this legislation. Last week’s strike was announced just three working days in advance, the CLC said. Employers bear a share of the blame for industrial unrest as well, as they have “tended not to respect” decisions from the Arbitration Council, said Tuomo Poutiainen, chief technical adviser for the ILO’s Better Factories Cambodia programme. Parties that come before the council have the option of choosing non-binding arbitration, which they had done in 90 percent of cases as of last year, according to the World Bank. One means of addressing these issues may come with the impending passage of the Trade Union Law, which represents a significant expansion of the legal framework surrounding the labour movement. The draft Trade Union Law provides for the designation of a “most representative” union or coalition of unions in a given factory or enterprise with the exclusive right to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. Regulations for unions with Most Representative Status were first spelled out in a 2001 prakas and updated in 2008; the expanded procedures for MRS certification and collective bargaining included in the draft law are intended to boost the use of these practices. The law also proposes the transfer of labour-related cases to a Labour Court that has yet to be established. Ritchotte said there was a “general consensus” among government officials, employers and unions on the efficacy of MRS unions – specifically, unions that can claim 51 percent of workers in a given establishment as members. “If the MRS union and the employer reach an agreement that includes a ‘no strike’ clause for the duration of the contract, in exchange for binding arbitration at the Arbitration Council, this can make a major contribution to building a culture of good industrial relations in Cambodia,” Ritchotte said. Welsh noted the “risk” that independent unions could be muscled out of MRS status by those with more powerful backing, but said that as long as the collective bargaining process is monitored and transparent, its prospects are good in the Cambodian garment industry. “There’s real hope for a win-win situation in the sense that you’re dealing with 400 factories in a relatively homogenous industry,” Welsh said. “It’s really realistic in ways that in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, it’s much more arduous and much tougher to obtain.”
More Detail $US14 million lost from strikes
Garment workers rally together during a work stoppage at the Grantex factory last week. (Photo by: Uy Nousereimony) GARMENT worker strikes cost the industry US$14 million last week due to production halts and shipment delays, but lasting damage may have been done to the sector’s reputation, according to the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia. Losses resulted from the suspension of production, discounts granted to buyers due to delays, expedited shipments by air, as well as damage by strikers, Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) secretary general Ken Loo said yesterday. Estimating the industry lost $14 million during the strike, he said it had also sent the wrong messages to potential investors and buyers. “There are future consequences from the strike – it may spoil the reputation of garment manufacturing in Cambodia and buyers may stop orders,” he warned. Employees from an estimated 30 factories walked off the job from Monday to Thursday in an effort to boost the minimum wage up to $93 a month, according to Ken Loo. At least 10 factories have filed lawsuits against the striking union to ask for compensation for damages, as well as court recommendations for the workers return to work, and to suspend several of the strike masterminds, he said. Strike leader Ath Thun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, said he had heard about the lawsuits launched by factories, but had not received official court notices. “Our strike was in compliance with Cambodian law,” he said. “We informed relevant authorities more than two months before the strike – we did nothing wrong. It was the union’s right to strike as negotiation tool, he said. “It wasn’t a demonstration or a riot – there were no burning factories – so it has not violated the law so factories should not sue us for compensation.” While he acknowledged factories had lost business, he noted workers also lost out because they were not paid while they were on strike. Tuomo Poutiainen, program manager at the International Labour Organisation’s Better Factory-Cambodia, said business had suffered during the strike, but added he could not comment on the damage estimate. “It’s only GMAC that could estimate the economic losses,” he said yesterday. He added strikes do happen occasionally and he saw nothing extraordinary or abnormal about last week’s protests.
More Detail Cambodia promises more electricity by 2013 [-Another empty promise from Hun Xen?]
Monday, 20 Sep 2010 AP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's prime minister said Monday that nearly all of the impoverished country's 14 million people will have access to electricity by 2013. By 2009, only about 25 percent of the population had regular access to electricity, and prices remain among the highest in the world. "After 2013, the supply of electricity might not be enough for all people, but almost all will have access to electricity," Prime Minister Hun Sen said while inaugurating a bridge on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh. He did not say what percentage of Cambodians would have access to electricity by 2013 nor elaborate on how he would achieve the goal. The Southeast Asian nation's power plants use mostly fossil fuels, and the country also buys electricity from neighboring Vietnam and Thailand. Hun Sen praised Chinese companies and Cambodian tycoons, saying they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into coal power plants and hydroelectric dams. The government has identified 21 potential hydroelectric dam sites across the country. In a 2008 report, the U.S.-based International Rivers Network said "poorly conceived hydropower development could irreparably damage" Cambodia's environment and also extract a social cost.
More Detail Cambodia buys nearly 100 tanks, military trucks from Eastern Europe
september 20, 2010 Xinhua
Cambodia has bought nearly 100 tanks, armored personnel vehicles and other military trucks from Eastern Europe, military and port officials said Monday. The officials said nearly 100 tanks, armored personnel vehicles, and military trucks were shipped off Sihanoukville Sea Port on Monday and will later be taken to Phnom Penh. Chhum Socheat, a spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense confirmed the arrivals of the military trucks, but refused to give exact number and other details. However, he said, they were bought from Eastern Europe. The Sihanoukville Sea Port officials said they saw around 50 tanks, and 40 armored personnel vehicles and a few other military trucks. They said those military equipment were shipped on a large vessel of about 120 meters long and 17 meters wide. Sihanoukville Sea Port is located in Sihanoukville Province, a coastal area and is about 230 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh. Last week, Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also confirmed Cambodia is to receive a shipment of 50 tanks and 44 armored personnel carriers from an Eastern European country, but decline to give the details, just saying that the vehicles were to be "used for national defense."
More Detail Cambodian PM to urge Obama to cancel "dirty" debt
Mon Sep 20, 2010
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday he would appeal to U.S. President Barack Obama to cancel a "dirty debt" of more than $300 million he said helped fuel civil conflict three decades ago. Hun Sen, who will meet Obama in New York Wednesday, rejected a U.S. plan to reschedule payments of an estimated $317 million, a debt he said was incurred by a government that came to power in a 1970 coup backed by Washington. "The debt Cambodia owes the United States from 1970 to 1975 is judged as dirty debt, so please cancel it," Hun Sen said during the opening of a new bridge in Kandal province. "How can we pay back this dirty debt? Even banks would cancel this," he added. U.S. agricultural development loans were given to the government of Lon Nol after it came to power in the 1970 putsch. Cambodia and several U.S. congressmen have argued the money was spent on arms, which were ultimately used on its own people. Lon Nol was toppled in 1975 by the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime, under which an estimated 1.7 million people died in less than four years, plunging Cambodia into decades of poverty and political instability. Cambodia has asked the United States to convert the debt into aid, pointing to a 2000 debt-swap arrangement between the United States and Vietnam for educational development. But the United States maintains Cambodia has sufficient funds to repay the loan. Analysts, however, believe Washington's refusal to make any concessions is more to do with geopolitics, stemming from Cambodia's close political and economic ties with China, its biggest source of aid and investment. In 2002, China canceled Cambodia's debts from the 1970s and in April it signed investment deals with its closest Southeast Asian ally worth an estimated $850 million. That deal was agreed during a visit to Phnom Penh by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping. Days ahead of his arrival, Cambodia deported a group of asylum-seeking Uighur Muslims back to China, despite U.S. concern they would be persecuted upon their return. Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people native to China's far western Xinjiang region where many residents chafe under rule from Beijing and restrictions on their language, culture and religion. The United States responded by halting shipments of about 200 of its surplus army trucks and trailers to Cambodia and has since suspended military aid. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Writing by Martin Petty)
More Detail 
