Samuel Seehawer got a hero's welcome from firefighters at his neighbourhood fire hall. 
Sam had a police escort while he rode through his neighbourhood with his mother running alongside. 
People held up signs of encouragement. A little boy has a big goal: to help children just like him. Samuel Seehawer has no hands and only one leg. "I decided to help those people in need," said Samuel Seehawer. On Saturday, many in his neighbourhood came out to watch him pedal his bicycle alongside a police escort. He's riding to raise hope and money for kids just like him. "I feel totally blessed with all these people here to support Samuel," said his mother, Charlotte Seehawer. His mom says Samuel's life didn't begin with such fanfare, in fact just the opposite. She met him when he was two-months-old at a Cambodian orphanage. He was born with congenital amputations and was abandoned. "It was six years today that I first met Samuel at the government orphanage and had they told me that this was going to be happening today, my little boy with no hands and one leg, I'm amazed," added Charlotte Seehawer. Now his mom has to run to keep up with him as Sam rode two full kilometres along with his special escort. He's raising money for The Place of Rescue orphanage in Cambodia and one of its newest residents, a baby girl named Sarah. She too was abandoned, and also has congenital amputations, just like him. "She had some physical challenges just like he does, he says she's just like me and I want to do something to help her," commented Blaine Sylvester with the Place of Rescue. Along the way, Samuel was treated like a hero at his neighbourhood fire station, and people held up signs of encouragement along the way. "I was pleased, excited, and a little bit surprised that a six-year-old boy would be so perceptive and willing to do this," added Sylvester. "I'm delighted and I'm very, very proud," said Charlotte Seehawer. So far, Samuel has raised more than $3,000 for The Place of Rescue which will help Sarah and 350 other Cambodian orphans.
More Detail Housing rights violations pose challenge for ASEAN human rights body
Forced eviction in Cambodia (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) COHRE said that in Cambodia, land and housing rights violations have become one of the most prevalent forms of human rights violation following the destruction of the country’s land and property records in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge rule. Tens of thousands have been dispossessed of their lands, dwellings and properties by powerful economic and political forces identified with the country’s elite and their allies in big business. For example, more than 3,000 families living around Boeung Kak Lake in Phnom Penh have suffered or are currently threatened with forced eviction in the context of a land development project that involves filling the lake.The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), an international human rights organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday called on the newly-established ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) to seriously address housing rights violations in the region. The call came as the AICHR meets in Kuala Lumpur in its second-ever meeting, after being established by ASEAN in October 2009. Since its establishment, the Commission has been dogged by criticism that it is “toothless”, as it does not have the power to investigate cases of human rights violations in the region. “Tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia today endure various levels of housing rights violations and insecurity of tenure. Most of them are poor and the vulnerable,” said Sammy Gamboa, COHRE’s Asia Programme Officer, speaking from the site of the meeting in Kuala Lumpur. According to COHRE, housing rights violations – including forced evictions – continue to be one of the most intractable human rights issues in the region, and a major human rights challenge for the Commission in the region. “It will be interesting to see how the AICHR – ostensibly set up to apply, promote and protect human rights in Southeast Asia – will handle the housing rights crisis in the region, which is mainly a result of a regional governments’ economic and development policies, widespread poverty, and marginalization and exclusion of the majority of Southeast Asia’s poor,” said Sammy Gamboa. COHRE warned the AICHR that the construction of mega-projects and resource-extraction activities dispossess vulnerable people of their homes and land, and push them away from sources of subsistence. The organization said that violations of the right to adequate housing are compounded by the prevailing climate of impunity in the region, along with widespread corruption in many ASEAN countries. COHRE said that in Cambodia, land and housing rights violations have become one of the most prevalent forms of human rights violation following the destruction of the country’s land and property records in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge rule. Tens of thousands have been dispossessed of their lands, dwellings and properties by powerful economic and political forces identified with the country’s elite and their allies in big business. For example, more than 3,000 families living around Boeung Kak Lake in Phnom Penh have suffered or are currently threatened with forced eviction in the context of a land development project that involves filling the lake. In the Philippines, COHRE welcomed the commitment of the new Philippine government to respect the rights of the urban poor to adequate housing, according to a pledge made by newly-installed President Benigno Aquino Jr. during the May election campaign. However, COHRE remains concerned that demolitions and forced evictions continue to take place in Manila and Quezon City, and around 400,000 families in Metro Manila are threatened with forced eviction. This includes 60,000 families in the Manggahan Floodway, targeted for displacement, and in the Pasig River area, where the homes of 40,000 families are set to be demolished. In Myanmar, hundreds of thousands have suffered various levels of housing and other human rights violations. Mega-projects reportedly being funded by foreign investment (gas pipelines, mega-dams and large-scale mining) often lead to large-scale displacement and widespread destruction of homes, properties and livelihoods. For example, a proposed five-dam cascade on the Salween River directly threatens the livelihoods of over 70,000 people. Mounting incidents of military abuses, forced relocation, forced labour and land confiscation at the dam sites are being reported. “The establishment of the AICHR last year raised hopes and guarded optimism for human rights in Southeast Asia, and we welcome the AICHR’s engagement with human rights movements in the region,” said Sammy Gamboa. “However, almost a year has now passed, and efforts to make the AICHR effective and truly work for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region still have a long way to go.” COHRE called on the AICHR to effectively address the region-wide problem of housing rights violations, including forced evictions, that continue to be one of the intractable human rights issues in the region It also urged ASEAN member-states to ratify the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), including its Optional Protocol. COHRE reminded ASEAN governments in the Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia that they must comply with their treaty obligations under the ICESCR , including the implementation of recommendations and concluding observations, particularly on the right to adequate housing and against forced evictions. It furtherd said that the AICHR needed to establish a protection mandate and subsequent mechanism for the effective redress of human rights violations, including violations of housing and other human rights. The AICHR must develop and elaborate additional protocols related to the right to adequate housing, in keeping with existing international human rights standards, COHRE said Last, it called on the AICHR to particularly address the rights and needs of women, children and migrant workers in the region, who are often disproportionately impacted by housing rights violations, including forced evictions.
M.D.G.’s for Beginners ... and Finishers
We wish the Prime Minister well as he attends this Summit in New York; may he be inspired to implement this obvious ROAD MAP toward reducing poverty in Cambodia. May he also use this occasion to raise the Preah Vihear issue with more than just Abhisit but with other ASEAN and Paris Peace Agreement signatories. A great article by the amazing singer-humanitarian BONO. - Theary Seng, Phnom Penh, 19 Sept. 2010.
Theary Seng and Singer Bono at P8, Germany, 2007 UN tribunal indicts 4 Khmer Rouge
Sun Sep 19, 2010 Press TV
The surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been indicted for the deaths of nearly 2 million Cambodians, after thirty-one years of impunity. On Thursday, judges at the UN-backed tribunal specially convened to investigate and try the crimes of the Democratic Kampuchea government, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, signed an order to put four aging suspects on trial for what the court deemed was "an attack on the entire population of Cambodia." The indictments include charges of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, torture, and religious persecution. Judge Marcel Lemonde of France, who also announced his resignation after a tumultuous four years, told reporters gathered at the UN-backed tribunal on Thursday, "Some commentators have said, and I believe they were correct, that this matter is the most complex since the Nuremberg tribunal." The four accused are former revolutionaries who seized power in 1975 at the end of a civil war with a U.S. client regime. They are Nuon Chea, 84, known as Brother No. 2, the Communist Party's deputy secretary, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, 84, and his wife Ieng Thirith, 78, a former minister of social action, and finally Khieu Samphan, 79, who chaired the party's central committee as it planned the deadliest of its purges of government officials. In addressing the media, Judge Lemonde and his Cambodian counterpart, Judge Yu Bunleng, congratulated each other for what they considered personal and professional triumphs. The court's two co-investigating judges dropped the charges against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, for lack of new evidence. Duch was sentenced in July to 35 years in prison for the murders of an estimated 14,000 people in his role as commander of the Khmer Rouge secret police. Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a local organization that supplied much of the court's documentary record, said this case is the most important case the court will ever conduct, regardless of what becomes of any additional cases opened by UN prosecutors. "The question is, why did Cambodians kill Cambodians? That is the most important question that has been put forward, and only case 002 can do that," Youk stated, using the case number for Thursday's indictment. It "would lead us to what is next," he added. "It will trickle down how far you can go More Detail
Cambodia garment workers protest low pay
Encouraged by labor agitation in the region, tens of thousands of workers stage a walkout. It nets only a government proposal to discuss benefits in the future, but organizers call the strike a success. September 19, 2010 By Brendan Brady Special to the Los Angeles Times Reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia — Tens of thousands of garment workers staged a walkout in the Cambodian capital in recent days, encouraged by agitation across the region for improved pay and benefits in the low-paying apparel industry. In Bangladesh, an 80% increase in the monthly minimum wage to $43, still the lowest in the region, didn't stop riots last month by workers who said the raise was not enough. Cambodia's work stoppage was relatively peaceful, with participants from the industry's overwhelmingly female workforce chanting slogans and occasionally pumping their fists. Work stoppages ended in the middle of last week with a government proposal to discuss workers' benefits at a later date. Still, protest organizers called the strike a success and framed it as part of a broader movement that included protests aimed at foreign-owned factories in China's coastal provinces and Vietnam. "Those protests [in other countries] encouraged us," said Ath Thun, who spearheaded the strike and is president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union."Garment workers in those countries received more wages when they protested, so we thought we should too, since our wages are also unacceptably low." Chan Bopha said she didn't need outside inspiration to realize that her earnings were lean. The 26-year-old protested outside the Chung Fai Knitwear factory in Phnom Penh, where she had worked for nearly a decade. With overtime, she earned around $80 a month. All the money goes to pay for rent, utilities, food, her children's education and to support her mother. "And then, there's nothing left for anything," she said. Another worker, 22-year-old Soung Lin, said, "I was striking because I want to send more money home to my parents and brothers. I want my brothers to study to find a good job. I don't want them to become a garment worker like me." Cambodia averted strikes in July by increasing the monthly minimum wage in the industry by $5 to $61, far less than the $93 that some unions had demanded. Lingering dissatisfaction spurred last week's walkout. Union leaders said more than 200,000 workers took part, but the number appeared to be more in line with the manufacturers' estimate of 30,000. The garment sector has been the main engine of Cambodia's economic growth since the late 1990s, when the country stabilized politically after years of revolution and civil strife. Garments accounted for 70% of Cambodia's exports in the first half of 2010, according to the government. Gap and Nike are among the major brands that have suppliers in Cambodia. The garment and footwear industry employs about 350,000 people and supports an additional 1.6 million Cambodians through remittances sent home by workers, according to the United Nations. An estimated 60,000 textile jobs were lost during the global economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. Garment workers' wage dissatisfaction stems in part from job losses during the economic crisis, said Tuomo Poutiainen, the International Labor Organization's chief technical advisor for its Better Factories Cambodia program. Their hardship was worsened by inflation, especially in food prices. What's overlooked, says Ken Loo, the secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Assn. of Cambodia, is that factories are feeling the same squeeze. "Our costs have also risen because of inflation, but because of the bad economy, [retailers'] buying prices have gone down." The Cambodian garment industry has become more vulnerable to competition. It benefited in recent years from U.S. trade preferences predicated on assurances by the International Labor Organization of proper working conditions and from U.S. and European tariffs on garments from China and Vietnam. Those tariffs have been lifted. Wage disputes in the region raise the risk of obscuring the fundamental driver of garment incomes, productivity, says Tep Mona, director of a nonprofit vocational training group, the Garment Industry Productivity Center, in Phnom Penh. She said that at most of the 70 factories where her group has conducted training in Cambodia, workers' monthly salaries have risen above $110 because of performance bonuses. Many factories have limited interest in paying for worker training, however, and uneducated workers intimidated by change also resist, she said. Brady is a special correspondent.
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Saturday, September 18, 2010
Chea Xim cannot help Sam Rainsy return home
Chea Xim (L) with Hun Xen (R) (Photo: Reuters) Chea Xim, Senate president and CPP party president, declined to intervene with the government to drop its lawsuit against opposition leader Sam Rainsy and return his parliamentary immunity, as requested by Kong Korm, the SRP party deputy-president. On Saturday 18 September, Yim Sovann, spokesman for the SRP, told RFA that the SRP will continue to seek international intervention so that opposition leader Sam Rainsy can return back to Cambodia to continue his political career after Chea Xim rejected his intervention in this case. On 17 September, Chea Xim sent a letter to Kong Korm, indicating that the Senate cannot intervene in Sam Rainsy’s case because this case is in the hand of the court. Chea Xim claimed that the judicial branch is an independent branch that is set apart from the legislative branch. Chea Xim’s rejection came after Kong Korm asked him to intervene in Sam Rainsy’s case in a letter dated 10 September 2010. The request was made after the Svay Rieng provincial court sentenced Sam Rainsy in absentia on 27 January 2010 to 2-year of jail time after charging him with destruction of public properties and incitation to racial discrimination due to his involvement in the uprooting of stakes set for border post 185 located along the Khmer-Viet border. Yim Sovann added that Sam Rainsy’s case is a political case, therefore, it requires a political solution between the government and the opposition party. Kul Panha, the executive director of Comfrel, said on 18 September that Sam Rainsy’s case is a political case that requires a political solution. He said that Sam Rainsy’s uprooting of the border stakes is merely an expression of his opinion, and the government should not sue Sam Rainsy in this case. Kul Panha added that if Sam Rainsy could not join the 2012 and 2013 election, then democracy in Cambodia will come under criticisms. On 08 September, the Phnom Penh municipal court held a hearing to sentence Sam Rainsy in absentia after he was accused of disinformation and falsification of public document in a map he published which claimed that the planting of the border stakes between Cambodia and Vietnam in Svay Rieng province led to the loss of between 200 to 500 meters of Cambodian territories in that area. The outcome of the hearing will be announced on 23 September.
Case 002
Saturday, September 18, 2010 By Kimberly Curtis Foreign Policy Blogs Network
In an effort to prove that justice has no time limit, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) indicted four former officials of the Khmer Rouge regime on Thursday for a host of crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under international law and murder, torture, and religious persecution under the Cambodian penal code. The indictment, which is the second to be handed down by the ECCC, comes nearly 32 years after the Khmer Rouge lost power to a Vietnamese intervention in early 1979. The history of the ECCC has been fraught with charges of inefficiency, political interference, and the inevitable question of whether seeking justice for events that happened so long ago is worthwhile. Many of the highest ranking officials of the Khmer Rouge, who oversaw the deaths of an estimated two million people in their four year reign, died before the court was ever created. Those that remain are elderly and near the end of their lives. In a country still trying to figure out how to deal with the social, political, and historical legacy of tragedies past, the tribunal can at times seem to be an unwelcomed reminder of the worst chapter of Cambodian history. While some victims and their children have embraced the court, the ECCC still holds a peculiar spot amongst international and hybrid tribunals for the ambivalent position that the receiving country holds towards it and its fundamental mission to bring to justice those that caused such devastation. Yet, these issues did not stop hundreds of victims of the Khmer Rouge from coming to Phnom Penh to witness the tribunal’s first trial of Kaing Guek Eav. Also known as “Comrade Duch”, he served as the Director of S-21, the school turned notorious detention and torture facility in central Phnom Pehn where possibly as many as 30,000 people were interrogated, tortured and killed under the regime. For a time it appeared that only Duch would be tried by the ECCC, so the trial garnered significant media coverage. As a recent Christian convert, Duch initially admitted his crimes and merely requested a lenient sentence, thereby providing the chance for possible catharsis for victims without the drawn out saga of a typical trial. But even this proved to be wishful thinking, as Duch requested on the last day of testimony that he be acquitted of all charges and his defense attorney charged that the ECCC did not have the authority to try him. Ultimately, the tribunal convicted and sentenced him to 35 years - 19 years with time served and other factors - a sentence that Duch is currently appealing to the consternation of Cambodia’s victims. With this drama still unfolding in the background, the tribunal’s indictment of four more Khmer Rouge officials officially opens Case 002 for the ECCC. The new case places many of the regime’s remaining command structure on trial. The indicted include Nuon Chea, former Deputy Secretary of the Khmer Rouge, along with former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith who served as the former Minister of Social Action. Last of the four indicted is the regime’s former Head of State and Chairman of the party’s Central Committee, Khieu Samphan; all are believed to have been intimately involved in the purges that devastated the Cambodian population under the Khmer Rouge. Thus while there is little question that the acts of these defendants is deserving of a trial, most of the media coverage so far has focused on the addition of an unexpected charge to the indictment: the charge of genocide. The applicability of the crime of genocide to the Khmer Rouge has been debated among scholars and human rights practitioners for several years. While certain ethnic groups like Cham Muslims were clearly targeted for their faith, numerous other groups also suffered from the regime’s purges as the result of not fitting into the group’s vision of revolution, including members of the Khmer Rouge. It is for this reason that the seemingly contradictory term ‘auto-genocide’ if frequently attached to the situation in Cambodia. But the concept of auto-genocide faces many legal hurdles and is generally not recognized in international criminal law. With the inclusion of the count on the indictment, the ECCC may be attempting to change that although it remains unclear if such a change is welcomed. This and the other issues highlighted here demonstrate the difficult task that still awaits the ECCC and the Cambodian people as they try to move on from the past. As international criminal law becomes more prominent in international relations, it is important to note that the experience of Cambodia and the ECCC offers many lessons for post-conflict situations to come. In the end it may not be the actual trial of these defendants or their sentences that matter, but the last-ditch effort by the international community to find justice for victims in some form and the inherent problems that have come with waiting for so long.
More Detail Cambodian garment workers injured in police clash: unions
Sunday, September 19, 2010 AFP
PHNOM PENH — Five Cambodian garment workers were injured in a clash with police on Saturday, unions said, as tension between staff and bosses continued despite the end of mass strikes. Violence erupted when police tried to break up a rally of about 3,000 factory employees who had gathered to protest a ban on 26 activists from returning to work after last week's huge stoppage, Ath Thun told AFP. "The military police sent to crack down on the strike injured five strikers and the clash lasted for half an hour," the president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation said. The incident in Kandal province, south of Phnom Penh, follows a decision to call off a large-scale strike across the country's key garment industry after the government stepped in and arranged talks with manufacturers. Unions said the four-day stoppage that ended Thursday attracted up to 210,000 people demanding better pay, although the Garment Manufacturers' Association in Cambodia (GMAC) had a more modest estimate of 30,000. Ath Thun accused some factories of refusing to let certain staff return to work because of their involvement in organising strike action. Kong Athit, vice-president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Unions, said that the Kandal factory was acting against the government's intervention. "What the factory does is wrong because the Minister of Social Affairs has called for a discussion soon and we all should go back to work normally and wait for the meeting," he added. Cambodia's garment industry -- which produces items for renowned brands including Gap, Benetton, Adidas and Puma -- is a key source of foreign income for the country and employs about 345,000 workers. The mass strike from Monday to Thursday followed a deal between the government and industry that set the minimum wage for garment and footwear staff at 61 dollars a month. Unions say the salary is not enough to cover food, housing and travel expenses, and want a base salary of 93 dollars.
More Detail A Technology Boom in Cambodia?
Internet access in Cambodia ... albeit Chinese 
Fixing CRT TV sets 
Yahoo-Cambodia billboard 
Fake iPhone I had the opportunity to visit several cities within Cambodia last week. Being a network engineer and interested in technology advancements in emerging countries, I decided to spend some time investigating the current economic and technological environment. I came away fairly optimistic that Cambodia might be the next Asian country to experience a technology boom. As far as current technology in Cambodia, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The country as whole is still very poor compared to many other SE Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. In fact, the only other country that has a lower per capita GDP is Myanmar (Burma). In one market, I saw a shop that was gutting and repairing 10 year old tube televisions. This is a trade that I have not seen for at least 15 years. Also, there seem to be frequent power outages throughout the region. The outages did not last long but could prove to be disruptive for prospective businesses looking to invest in the area. That being said, when I further explored Phnom Penh, the capitol city of Cambodia, I was surprised with the amount of signage that promoted Internet technologies. It would seem that in the capitol and other large cities that I visited, high-speed Internet was readily available at many hotels, coffee shops and even gas stations. In addition, the cellular network within Cambodia is well developed, at least in the locations I visited. A company called Cellcard has built-out a 3G network in Cambodia's "key cities". When outside these cities, 2G Edge service blankets the country in most cases. In this regard, Cambodia is ahead of providing 3G services compared to neighboring Thailand who have been stuck in a political battle for years regarding the licensing of 3G frequencies. Economically, while the vast majority of Cambodians are very poor, there has been recent investments from neighboring countries including China to develop factories for the manufacturing of electronics. I saw this first hand when looking at a iPhone 4G look-alike for sale at one of the local markets. The phone's manual was written in Cambodian as opposed to Chinese or Laos. This typically means that the device was designed and made in Cambodia. It was a fairly sophisticated piece of technology so expect to see more and more electronics stamped with "Made in Cambodia" in the coming years. Another key economic factor that may be in Cambodia's favor is the fact they they rely heavily on the US dollar. While the country has their own currency, the Riel, it very much is tied to the dollar and is actually the preferred currency all over the country. Because the dollar is weak compared to other Asian currencies, investments in Cambodia are becoming highly attractive. Cambodia still has a long way to go to become a technological powerhouse. The good news is that they have many things going for them both technologically and economically. But don't just take my word for it. Cisco Systems also sees Cambodia as a growth market for technology. Just last month Cisco announced that they will be starting the Cisco Network Academy Program at a Technical University. Clearly, Cisco sees the future need for highly skilled network engineers in the very near future.
More Detail Khmer Rouge Committee impeachment subsequent to 31 years
Sat, 09/18/2010 FrenchTribune.com
The accusation articulated by the Co-Investigation judges of the Khmer Rouge Committee next to the previous Khmer Rouge leaders sways in 31 years subsequent to the drop of the regimen, and 12 years later than its military and political arrangement were at last take apart. The indictment pronounced by the Co-Investigation judges of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal adjacent to previous Khmer Rouge leader of state Khieu Samphan, Social Action minister Ieng Thirith, Foreign Minister leng Sary, and Nuon Chea who is the brother No. 2 in the Khmer Rouge hierarchy arrives 31 years after the plummet of the regimen, and 12 years following its military and political arrangement were lastly dismantled. Kaing Guek Eav, a.k.a. Duch, the disreputable leader of the S-21 prison was attempted and found guilty independently by the Tribunal on 26 July 2010. Their offenses comprises of execution, murder, extradition (of Vietnamese people), enslavement, imprisonment, torment and harassment on political, racial and religious justification, rape, and other merciless acts. As per the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, amid 1.7 and 2.2 million people lost their lives under the Khmer Rouge regime, and approximately 800,000 of these were brutal deaths More Detail
Petition to Ban Ki-Moon to review the Application of the 1993 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia
Click on the appeal letter in Khmer to zoom in 
Click on the signature to zoom in for printing More Detail Patil back from Laos, Cambodia aimed to boost Look East Policy
Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi
On Board Special Aircraft, Sep 18 (PTI) President Pratibha Patil today completed her two-nation state visit to Laos and Cambodia in a bid to deepen economic and cultural ties with the two key ASEAN countries as part of an effort to boost India''s Look East Policy. During the President''s successful ten-day visit, lines of credit were extended to Laos and Cambodia and important business pacts inked. Talking to reporters on board the special aircraft, Patil underlined that the visit aimed at reinforcing the deep historical and cultural ties along with efforts to build a dynamic economic and developmental relationship with the two nations. "My visit to these countries was undertaken to reinforce the deep historical and cultural ties which India has with these countries dating back to more than 2000 years, and to build a dynamic economic and developmental partnership on these foundations," she said. During her visit to Laos, which began on September 9, India extended a line of credit worth USD 72.55 million to finance two power projects in the country. A Cultural Exchange Agreement for the years 2011-13 was also signed between the two nations. Patil said Laos underlined its deep appreciation for India''s continued assistance and support for its developmental efforts through loans and assistance in the field of human resource development, hydropower and irrigation schemes in particular. "I was informed that the National Assembly of Laos has already approved the India-ASEAN Agreement on Trade in Goods and only some administrative formalities remain prior to its notification," she said. Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, has also indicated that it looked forward to investments from the Indian private sector. The Aditya Birla Group and Kirloskar already have a big presence in Laos while the Tata group is exploring possibilities of investment in the mining sector. A 45-member business delegation, comprising of members of CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM, travelled with the President, and signed MoU with the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Laos. Patil and President Choummaly Sayasone also participated in a virtual inauguration of the 115 KV Paksong-Jiangxi-Bangyo transmission line project in Champasak province of Laos, where the government of India has provided a line of credit for USD 18 million. The Indian President and her husband Devisingh Shekhawat were accorded a warm welcome at Phnom Penh when they arrived on September 13 in Cambodia for the second leg of the 10-day tour More Detail
Ties with Laos, Cambodia will expand: President
PTI President Pratibha Patil greets Cambodian officers at Phnom Pehn on Saturday before leaving for India. Photo: PTI/Aman Sharma President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said that the engagement between India, Camodia and Laos is set to substantially expand, and will be taken forward bilaterally and through the platform of ASEAN. Ms. Patil was speaking on her return to India after a 10-day visit to both countries, on which she was accompanied by a 45-member business delegation with representatives from the CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI. In addition to agreements in the economic sphere, the highlights of the President's visit to these countries were her stops at famous historical sites. She spent two days each at Luang Prabang in the Laos PDR and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, both sites where the Indian imprint is evident in history, art and architecture, and in the Angkor Park region, in the heritage conservation efforts that India has made. In Laos, a Cultural Exchange Agreement for 2011-13 was signed during Ms. Patil's visit, as also an agreement for a new Government of India credit line of $72.55 million to finance two power projects. The National Assembly of Laos has already approved the India-ASEAN Agreement on Trade in Goods. In Cambodia, the President signed two agreements, the first between the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and the National Audit Authority of Cambodia, and the second for a $15-million credit line between EXIM Bank and the Cambodian government for Phase II of the Stung Tassal Water Development Project. Ms. Patil met the staff and students of the Cambodia India Friendship School and announced a financial grant of $246,000 to upgrade it. King Norodom Sihamoni accepted the President's invitation to visit India. Cambodia is currently the country coordinator for India on ASEAN and will hold the ASEAN chair in 2012, when India will host the Commemorative India-ASEAN summit in Delhi. Ms. Patil was accompanied by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Kantilal Bhuria, and Members of Parliament Mohan Singh, Peethambara Kurup, and Andanrao Adsul.
Huge scope for increasing India-Cambodia trade: [Indian] President
September 18th 2010 By Vikas Mohapatra India Company News
Indian SMEs can now look forward to greater business opportunities in Cambodia with President Pratibha Devisingh Patil paving the way for cooperation with the latter country to boost economic ties. Speaking at the India-Cambodia Meeting in Phnom Penh recently, the President said that there is huge scope for increasing bilateral trade and investments between the two countries and called for business units in both countries to cash in on the lucrative trade environment. Significantly, the event, which was attended by Indian industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), sought to explore business potential in the two countries. Two-way trade between India and Cambodia stands approximately at around US$50 million. Incidentally, one of India’s major exports to Cambodia comes from the pharma sector which has significant SME population. In the wake of the recent development, Indian pharma-based SMEs can seek to invest in Cambodia further. Incidentally, the President identified agriculture and IT/ITeS as sectors that small businesses in both countries can look to explore to enhance bilateral cooperation. The fact that the President has also urged for more initiatives to increase the bilateral trade basket should encourage Indian SMEs from other sectors to scout for business investment in Cambodia.
More Detail Oil, gas, mineral, exploration potential with Cambodia huge: Patil
2010-09-18 By Praful Kumar Singh ANI
President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday that Cambodia views oil and natural gas, mineral extraction, agriculture and tourism as areas for bilateral cooperation with India in future. Speaking to reporters on board Air India One, President Patil said: "In Cambodia, I held talks with King Norodam Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly. The Cambodian leaders warmly recalled India's invaluable support for Cambodia during its most difficult times. They appreciated our developmental assistance and discussed new areas of cooperation." Patil said that the Prime Minister Hun Sen mentioned oil and gas, mineral extraction, agriculture and tourism as future areas for bilateral cooperation. "I invited His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni to visit India, which he accepted. The dates will be worked out through diplomatic channels." She also informed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation between our Comptroller and Auditor General and the National Audit Authority of Cambodia was signed. A 15 million dollars Credit Line Agreement between EXIM Bank and the Cambodian Government was signed for Phase II of the Stung Tassal Water Development Project. "I announced a financial grant of 246,000 dollars for upgradation of the Cambodia-India Friendship School. I attended the India- Cambodia Business meeting in Phnom Penh. I also performed the ground breaking and foundation stone laying ceremony of the Asian Traditional Textiles Museum being set up under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Programme, " Patil said. She said on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Cambodia has played a vital role as the host and ASEAN Chair in 2002 for the first ASEAN-India Summit. "Cambodia is currently the Coordinator for India-ASEAN interaction and will again hold the ASEAN Chair in 2012 when we will host the Commemorative India-ASEAN summit in India," Patil stated. "The grandeur and scale of the historical monuments I had visited," Patil said, "has been particularly impressive in both Siem Reap and Luang Prabang. In my meetings with the governors of these provinces, they both mentioned the old links with India. Our shared cultural heritage is very much in evidence in the architecture, the language, the religion, the art and culture and the social customs of our countries." She added that the Baci ceremony in Laos in which threads are tied, is very reminiscent of our Raksha Bandhan festival. "We are proud of India's contribution to the restoration works in Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm in Cambodia and Wat Phu in Laos," Patil said. The President was accompanied by Kantilal Bhuria Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and by Members of Parliament Mohan Singh, N. Peethambara Kurup and Anandrao Adsul. "They actively participated in the various events during the visit. They, like me, were deeply impressed with the commonality of culture and the ancient linkages with Laos and Cambodia, and the commitment of the leaders of the two countries to forge stronger bonds of friendship with India. I believe that greater economic engagement and people-to-people contacts, particularly among the youth and students will be the catalysts for this," said Patil. A business delegation comprising representatives from Indian companies and the three major business associations-CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM, also accompanied President Patil during her tour. Patil told reporters that: "As we look at our objective of greater economic engagement with these countries, it will be our companies and business organizations who will explore possibilities, and increase trade and investment levels." Patil said that she was touched by the exceptional affection and personal warmth extended to her in both Laos and Cambodia from the leadership and the people. "I am convinced that my visit to Laos and Cambodia has served to reinforce our traditional ties and will also help us to forge new links for the future," Patil stated. resident Patil visited Laos and Cambodia at the invitation of President Choummaly Sayasone of Laos and Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia. Her visit to these countries was undertaken to reinforce the deep historical and cultural ties which India has with these countries dating back to more than 2000 years, and to build a dynamic economic and developmental partnership on these foundations. The last visit of an Indian President to Laos and Cambodia was that of first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in March, 1959 More Detail
Secret training video for Thai security force: How to recognize the MIB "Men In Black"
In case the Thai security force does not know what the MIB look like, here is a secret training video for them: More Detail
Cambodia rejects Thai information on plan by Cambodian "MIB (Man In Black)" of Viet origin to assassinate Thai PM
Club of MIB (Men In Black)? A high-ranking Cambodian official categorically denied information published by a group of Thai officials indicating that there are men in black trained in Cambodia to create turmoil in Bangkok. This alleged group of men is composed of Cambodians fighters of Vietnamese origin who are classified as “Dac Cong” or the group of cross border suicide attackers from Cambodia traveling to Bangkok to attempt to assassinate Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai PM. On 17 September 2010, Tith Sothea, a government advisor and mouthpiece of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU) of the Council of Ministers, considered this news as baseless fabrication which Thai officials use in an attempt to link unrest in Thailand to Cambodia. Tith Sothea added that there is no reason for Cambodia to provide training ground to oppose other countries and Cambodia does not hide any force inside its territories with the aim of conducting assassination attempt on the Thai PM as claimed by this group of Thai officials. Furthermore, due to this baseless accusation leveled by the Thai officials, Cambodia must demand that the Thai government brings out an urgent correction to this issue because it could affect the planned meeting between the PMs from the two countries during the US-ASEAN meeting which will be held on 24 September 2010 in the US. Nevertheless, Tith Sothea pointed out that Cambodia never authorized any foreign military presence on its territories, nor does it allow any Cambodian military bases overseas with the exception of peacekeeping missions requested by the UN. However, Cambodia still reserves the right to accept military aid and training in order to protect its territorial integrity. Tith Sothea’s reaction came immediately Panitan Wattanayagorn, the deputy secretary of the Thai PM cabinet, said on Thursday that there is a group of men reportedly living in a building near Abhisit Vejjajiva’s house and who are being closely watched by the Thai police. At the same time, Suthep Thaugsuban, the Thai deputy-PM, also said that these men could be linked to the “men in black” behind the April 10 clashes in Bangkok. Click here to read The Nation’s report on this issue of “Men In Black”
More Detail [Thai] Security tightened over rumours of assassination plots [on Abishit by assasins trained in Cambodia]
September 17, 2010 The Nation A group of men, reportedly living in a condominium near the prime minister's home, are being watched closely, deputy secretarygeneral to the PM Panitan Wattanayagorn said yesterday. Meanwhile, Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban, suggested that these men might be linked to the "men in black" behind the April 10 clashes. Police are also keeping a close eye on a weapons expert from Cambodia, who might instigate violence during the redshirt rally on Sunday. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Santhan Chayanont had previously claimed that a group of "men in black", trained for combat in Cambodia, were staking out Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's residence from a condominium nearby. This has prompted the beefing up of security for the PM as well as 50 VIPs, as police monitor people coming in and out of highrises, he said. While telling the public not to panic, Panitan said yesterday that the police had been watching the PM's house for a few months now and noticed dubious men taking turns entering a condominium nearby. However, the police have not taken any action because the men had not done anything wrong so far. Also, they have not checked the condominium because it is private property, he said. Admitting that reports claim this group was comprised of "experts" reportedly preparing for something, he said whether or not they are successful would depend wholly on security measures taken. However, he wouldn't say if there were any plans to relocate Abhisit. Meanwhile, Abhisit said yesterday that he was being careful but added he was not that worried about being "watched" by the so-called "men in black". He said such reports came up occasionally, but the police provided him with good security. In related news, Suthep told the press yesterday that Bangkok police was ready for the red shirt rally from Friday to Sunday, adding protesters were not allowed to block roads or use amplifiers. Asked whether VIPs, including Abhisit and Suthep himself, should be moving to safe houses amid rumours of assassination plans, the deputy PM said there was no need. As for the "men in black", he said, they first emerged on the night of April 10 and became known as an armed group that killed the general public and officials. He said that though the media called this group that allegedly carried out terrorist attacks and plotted assassinations the "men in black", nobody knew what colour they were wearing this time. He added that following claims of there being plots to assassinate the PM, he had told security officials to check the neighbourhood for spots where the attacks might be launched. However, he said the officials must have moved so loudly that the suspects have already fled. Meanwhile, former deputy permanent secretary for Defence, Admiral Bannawit Kengrien said he too had heard about the so-called assassination plot and that a large number of Cambodian warriors of Vietnamese descent, who had undergone military training and were great snipers, had been brought in to do the job. He said this was in line with news about the chaos that is expected to bubble up by the end of this month. However, Bannawit said he didn't think this rumour had anything to do with the socalled "men in black" renting a condominium near Abhisit's home because these imported warriors keep moving around to avoid detection. "Although I often criticise this government, I must warn the premier about the reports of an assassination plot against him. If he were harmed, the country's image would be ruined," he said. Bannawit also said he did not know if former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was linked to this plot and that it was the government's job to investigate. Meanwhile, emergency police chief Pol Maj General Thanapol Sonthes said reports about "men in black" plotting the assassination of VIPs had been filed since April, when the red shirts were rallying at the Rajprasong intersection. He added that all VIPs, especially the premier, were being provided with maximum security. He said a "trainer" from Cambodia was keeping a low profile in Thailand but the police knew his name and whereabouts, and were keeping an eye on him. A team of 450 police officers had been given the job of guarding the upcoming rally, and initial investigation has not revealed any signs of the protest being prolonged or becoming violent, Metropolitan Police Area 5 chief Pol MajGeneral Anuchai Lekbumrung said. Meanwhile, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration deputy governor Theerachon Manomaipibul yesterday presided over the launch of the "citizens' watch for danger" campaign, which runs until Monday. The campaign urges Bangkok residents to keep an eye out for signs of crime, terrorism and other disasters, and is handing out handbooks at Pathum Wan intersection as well as at Siam and National Stadium Skytrain stations. Theerachon said city officials were also working with police to guard 40 key locations, especially VIP residences as well as subway and Skytrain stations. Corrections Department chief Chatchai Suthiklom said yesterday that he had notified the directors of some 100 prisons nationwide to be on alert because from 10am today, the red shirts were going to lay roses in front of prisons holding their comrades. "Though we believe that there will be no violence, we have to be prepared," he said. Currently, 252 redshirt protesters are being detained in 17 prisons across the country, Chatchai said
CWS: 'Clean Water Scarce in Rural Cambodia'
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Water as human right hasn’t reached rural Cambodia, CWS tells Geneva consultation GENEVA, Switzerland –Sept. 17, 2010 -- Cambodia has made strides over the past two decades in providing clean water and sanitation to its urban areas. But those gains have yet to reach the majority of rural Cambodians, according to Cambodian humanitarian agency water program specialist Mao Sophal. Sophal, senior staff member for Church World Service Cambodia, spoke on the issue of affordability of clean water and sanitation for Cambodia’s poorest, during a consultation earlier this week in Geneva between international civil society representatives and Catarina de Albuquerque, United Nations independent expert on issues of access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right. Sophal and Agneta Dau Valler, Country Representative for CWS Vietnam and Cambodia, attended the consultation after last week’s World Water Week summit in Sweden, where this year’s Stockholm Industry Water Award was given to the Phnom Penh Water Supply authority for its achievement in providing water to nearly 90% of the city’s population. “We applaud Cambodia’s advances in making clean water accessible to so many more people in Phnom Penh,” said Dau Valler. “However, the situation is still completely different in the countryside.” In rural Cambodia -- where 80 percent of the country’s population resides -- UNICEF estimates that only 16 percent of people have access to adequate sanitation and 65 percent to safe water. The overall lack of clean water and sanitation is costing Cambodia around half a billion dollars every year in poor health and loss of tourism. But for clean water and sanitation to become a reality for all in Cambodia and the rest of the world’s poorest countries, water and sanitation infrastructure and management also have to be accessible and affordable to all, says CWS’s Sophal. “There also has to be equal focus on civil society’s advocacy at government and world body levels and cooperative engagement with local and regional authorities,” she said. Sophal was one of 19 civil society panelists from developing countries and from the U.S. selected from some 50 applicants to present at the Geneva consultation, based on their responses to de Albuquerque’s questionnaire on good practices in water, sanitation and human rights programs. In her presentation, Sophal said that CWS has focused its sustainable development work in rural Cambodia in great part to align with the country’s stated rural water and sanitation strategy—that, by 2025, every person in rural communities will have “sustained access to safe water supply and sanitation services” and will be living in “a hygienic environment.” Specifically, CWS aims to help the “poorest of the poor” in rural Cambodia. To realize that goal, CWS had to develop a valid, consistent and inclusive method of “ranking wealth” among residents, so communities can identify who will receive clean water and sanitation facilities and training in the villages CWS serves in Svay Rieng, Kompong Thom and remote Preah Vihear Provinces. Mao said the agency’s team follows the humanitarian “do no harm” approach, with a participatory appraisal process in each village that engages district and provincial authorities, village chiefs, commune development leaders and water user groups to establish their own criteria to identify residents as “poorest of the poor,” “poor” or “better-off poor.” In one village, “better-off poor” families may be identified as having a wooden house with a zinc roof, a certain number of draft and livestock animals, a small amount of land, agricultural income sources, and just enough food to make it through the year, and “poorest of the poor” families as having no draft or livestock animals beyond a few poultry, no land, no income source beyond their own labor, living in a tiny cabin, and insufficient food seven to ten months of the year. Families selected for assistance receive priority facilities such as upgraded wells, latrines, or bio-sand water filters for safe drinking water. To promote ownership, CWS said the Cambodian beneficiaries contribute labor and resources as possible and appropriate to their situations. The program also provides water and sanitation resources for health centers, commune offices and primary schools. Sophal said the CWS approach requires a lot of NGO staff time and energy, but the benefits have been significant. Communities served now experience less water-borne disease, rarely have diarrhea, and households, schools and community centers have improved sanitation and hygiene. With community guidance, households are assisted in growing and maintaining productive home gardens for better food supply and income-generation. She said the process promotes the human right to water and sanitation among community members and authorities, promotes community solidarity, accountability and honesty, and empowers women in decision-making. On July 28, the UN General Assembly approved an historic non-binding resolution recognizing "the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right.” On Monday, de Albuquerque told the Geneva civil society gathering that her mandate from the UN is to clarify the content of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation and to make recommendations that could help reach Millennium Development Goals, particularly the goal relating to safe water and sanitation. The UN water expert has held related consultations with governments, private sector leaders and other stakeholders. Worldwide, an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water, more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation, and some 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year from water- and sanitation-related diseases More Detail
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