Wednesday, January 26, 2011
[Thai] Military flexes its muscle [-Thailand is at stage 2 before using force against Cambodia]

Thousands of People’s Alliance for Democracy supporters join the movement’s protest near Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue. The yellow shirts gathered yesterday for the first day of what is expected to be a protracted rally. APICHIT JINAKUL
Abhisit approves army exercise near temple

26/01/2011
By Wassana Nanuam and Anucha Charoenpo
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has given the army the green light to conduct a military exercise near Preah Vihear temple to display its strength as Cambodia continues to lay claim to the disputed area.

The provocative move came after Thailand demanded Cambodia remove a stone tablet carrying a message in Khmer that accused Thai troops of invading Cambodia territory from that spot.

A senior army source who asked not to be named said yesterday the military exercise near the border was proposed by the army.

Thai gamblers would also be blocked from visiting Cambodian casinos close to Thai territory if Phnom Penh refused demands to remove the tablet.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand would follow proper procedures in handling border disputes with Cambodia.

''There are three steps to solving border issues. They include negotiations, intensified measures and the use of force. We will not move directly from Step 1 to Step 3,'' Gen Prayuth said.


The tablet was installed in front of Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple, about 300 metres from the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

''We must show our strength,'' the source quoted the prime minister as saying in his recent meeting with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Gen Prayuth.

The source said Gen Prayuth planned to deploy infantrymen close to Preah Vihear in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province.

The deployment will reinforce paramilitary rangers who are guarding a disputed area with no back-up.

''The army plans to conduct a drill that includes artillery fire close to the border,'' the source said.

The source revealed the military exercise was aimed at sending a message to Cambodia that Thailand is not only unhappy with the placement of the stone tablet in the disputed area but also Cambodia's continuing construction of a road to Preah Vihear.

The 3.6-kilometre road is being built on the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area next to Preah Vihear.

Cambodia has ignored Thailand's re peated protests against the roadworks. The source said Cambodia and China were accelerating the work on the road with the aim to facilitate visits to the Preah Vihear temple from the Cambodian side.

The source said Mr Abhisit also gave the nod to the army to prevent Thai gamblers from crossing the border to visit Cambodian casinos in Poi Pet, opposite Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province.

The source said the prime minister did not mention the possibility of border closure which would seriously affect local people.

as well as two Thai people: Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon who were prosecuted allegedly for trespassing and espionage on Cambodian soil. Mr Veera is still detained and verdicts on their cases are expected on Feb 1.

Mr Abhisit was also said to have agreed to allow the army to buy weapons it needed to handle the border situation.

The nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday urged the government to use the country's stronger military capacity to gain leverage over the Cambodian government in its negotiations with Phnom Penh on disputed border areas.

Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a core PAD leader, said the Thai military did not have to wage a war with Cambodia to regain Thai sovereignty over disputed areas along the border.

But it could use the country's military might to gain a stronger bargaining position.

The government has not tried to gain such leverage through the demonstration of Thailand's military capacity, Maj Gen Chamlong said.

''Consequently, it has allowed the Cambodian government to have the upper hand,'' he said.

''Our fighter jets can reach Cambodian skies in five minutes.''

Asked if such a demonstration of Thailand's military might would hurt the country's bilateral relationship with its neighbour, Maj Gen Chamlong replied: ''What are you afraid of more? Hurting the ties or losing territory?''

PAD spokesman Panthep Phongphuaphan said Thailand's military capacity was certainly higher than that of Cambodia.

The government should use this advantage in its effort to protect the country's sovereignty and pressure the Cambodian government to move Cambodian communities out of the disputed areas along the border.

More importantly, Thailand should revoke the 2000 memorandum of understanding with Cambodia as the agreement gave Phnom Penh greater negotiating powers and enabled Cambodians to continue living on Thai soil, Mr Panthep said.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The puny and bad KI-Media bullies the strong, huge and voiceless Royal Government of Cambodia (sic! really!)






























Anonymous comments read on KI-Media regarding Anonimity

Comment No. 1:

that makes sense, anonymous bloggers such as here on ki seems to verbally attack cambodia and gov't to dicredit and hurt without thinking twice what is appropriate, what is civilized and so forth. they almost became uninformed, uneducated when they used emotion and anger instead of objective and pragmatic, etc... i agree here.

Typical picture of forced evictions used by KI-Media
in an uninformed and uneducated way to attack Cambodia
and gov't to discredit and hurt without thinking twice
what is appropriate?


Comment No. 2:

a lot of time they inflamed the gov't in cambodia. not fair to gov't there as they have no voice here. i hope the world don't be prejudice against cambodia from reading this blog too much. people are just being people here without and control at all here, really!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011
MP Panich defies advice to stay away

26/01/2011
Manop Thip-Osod
Bangkok Post

Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth has defied a request to stay away from parliament by taking his seat to vote on amendments to the constitution.

House speaker Chai Chidchob asked Mr Panich yesterday to take a leave of absence to prevent possible legislative problems over his status as an MP, which remains unclear after his conviction last week by a Cambodian court.

Mr Chai met with parliamentarians to discuss Mr Panich's status before the joint meeting of the houses began debating the amendments. He then told the Democrat MP he wanted him to absent himself from the session.

Mr Panich and four other Thais were given nine-month suspended jail sentences last Thursday by a Phnom Penh court for illegal entry into Cambodia.


The MP yesterday stood firm on his right to attend the joint meeting. He insisted he was still a member of the lower house and so was entitled to cast his vote.

The Democrat MP voted in support of the charter amendments.

The Election Commission has decided to set up a subcommittee to investigate Mr Panich's conviction and recommend whether he should lose his seat.

Commissioner Prapan Naigowit said the EC received a report yesterday from the Foreign Affairs Ministry concerning the court verdict against Mr Panich.

The law bars those convicted of a crime from sitting in the lower house. The subcommittee must decide if a conviction in a foreign court would disqualify Mr Panich of his MP status.

The EC will forward its decision to the house speaker. If it finds Mr Panich should be stripped of his seat, the speaker would forward the matter to the Constitution Court for a final ruling.

Section 106 (5) of the constitution states that an MP will lose their seat if sentenced to jail, regardless of whether the sentence is suspended, except where the offence is considered unintentional.

Mt Pritchard's Nola awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia [-Congratulations and Thank you, Nola!]











































Nola May Randall-Mohk, (correct), of Mt Pritchard, has been awarded the OAM, for her services to the Cambodian and Khmer communities. With Nola, are her two Grandchildren, Pik Meas, 14, and on right is Sotheary Thach, 8.
26 Jan 11
By Lauren McMah
FairfieldAdvance (Australia)

IT’S not the kind of work you get into for the praise.

But after over 25 years of assisting multicultural and refugee communities, Mt Pritchard’s Nola Randall-Mohk has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.

“I’m pretty excited,” Ms Randall-Mohk said.

“I don’t even know who nominated me. It’s a relief to know someone noticed that the system works.”

Inspired by the plight of refugees from Cambodia’s Pol Pot regime, Ms Randall-Mohk has given particular assistance to Khmer communities, and has been public officer and director of human resources for the Cambodian-Australian Welfare Council of NSW since 2000.

She said she was saddened by many people’s attitudes towards her Cambodian students during her time as a TAFE teacher in the 1980s.


“I was appalled at the racism I saw at the time,” Ms Randall-Mohk said.

“I do believe in a multicultural Australia and in equal chances and I believe a lot of people weren’t getting that. I wanted to right those wrongs, you could say.”

Since then, Ms Randall-Mohk has had roles with a range of organisations including the Khmer Community of NSW, the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women and the Australian Cambodian Association.

Currently the outreach co-ordinator at Liverpool TAFE, Ms Randall-Mohk admits to working seven-day weeks but recently found time for her yearly pilgrimage to Cambodia.

“I was pretty astounded by how things have changed. There’s a lot of development but also a lot of poverty,” she said.

“You set out to help people but you learn a lot from them. I’ve become more flexible by learning new ways of doing things. It’s made my life interesting.”

Cambodia dismisses Human Rights Watch criticisms as 'lie' [-Tith Sothea should pull his head out from his boss' derriere sometime]




























Tith Sothea in rare instance when his head is not buried in his boss' derriere (Photo: DAP)
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 25 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Cambodian government on Tuesday dismissed as a "lie" a report by a U.S.-based human rights advocacy group that accused it of stepping up its repression of freedoms of expression, assembly and association last year.

Tith Sothea, spokesman of the Office of the Council of Ministers, slammed the accusations made in Human Rights Watch's annual report, calling it "inaccurate and a lie" and rejecting it as devoid of value.

He said the report ignored the Cambodian government's commitment to implement and strengthen the country's rule of law.

Human Rights Watch's report said the government in 2010 used the judiciary, new laws, and threats of arrest or legal action to restrict free speech, jail government critics, disperse workers and farmers peacefully protesting and silence opposition party members.

The report also said the government violated Cambodia's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention by deporting to China some 20 Uighur asylum seekers at risk of torture and mistreatment there, which happened on the eve of a visit by senior Chinese officials that finalized a massive aid package to Cambodia.

It said journalists who criticize the government face biased legal action, imprisonment, and violence, while politically motivated court cases continue to target opposition members.


Pending legislation on nongovernmental organizations and trade unions is expected to further tighten restrictions on freedom of association, it said, noting that a new law already allows local officials to ban protests deemed threats to "security, safety, and public order."

The report said years of international donor funding for judicial reform in Cambodia have had little effect, and it noted that a report submitted in September by the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia strongly criticized the lack of judicial independence.

Japan, Cambodia's largest donor, "maintained its practice of not publicly confronting the government about its rights violations," while China, another major investor and donor, "continued to increase aid to Cambodia with no conditions made to improve human rights," Human Rights Watch said.

The rights group faulted the United States for continuing to aid and train Cambodia's armed forces, including units with records of serious rights violations

But according to U.S. Embassy spokesman Mark Wenig, "Every individual who is trained is thoroughly vetted both in Phnom Penh and Washington in accordance with U.S. law and Department regulations."

"The U.S. government provides training to Cambodian security forces to advance our goals of creating a more professional force and to advance U.S. objectives in areas such as counterterrorism and peacekeeping operations," he said.

The rights group also took Washington to task for U.S.-funded regional peacekeeping exercises last July, which it said took place on land transferred from a military unit involved in illegal land seizures.

Such illegal land seizures and forced evictions continue to escalate, it said, with thousands of families newly affected last year and dozens of people imprisoned or awaiting trial for protesting forced evictions and land grabbing.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Cambodia: Chokehold on Basic Freedoms Tightens


































Forced evictions continue to escalate in Cambodia. The forced eviction of more than 300 villagers in Chuk district, Kampot in 2008, was carried out by a mixed group of about 100 Brigade 31 soldiers, forestry and environment officers, police, and military police. Most were armed with handguns or AK-47s. (© 2008 Licadho)
UN, Donors Should Forcefully Challenge Increased Restrictions on Rights

January 24, 2011
Source: Human Rights Watch

"The Cambodian government has used bluster and intimidation to push the UN and donors into silence about abuses. The international community needs to advocate more forcefully for the human rights of the Cambodian people." - Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

(New York) - The Cambodian government tightened restrictions on fundamental freedoms in 2010, making it increasingly difficult and risky for human rights defenders, land rights activists, and trade unionists to operate, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2011.

The 649-page report, Human Rights Watch's 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. During 2010, Human Rights Watch said, the Cambodian government increasingly ignored or dismissed human rights concerns of United Nations agencies and international donors that have made significant contributions to the country's budget for years. Instead, Prime Minister Hun Sen rebuked UN officials, threatening to expel the UN resident coordinator and the UN human rights office director in Phnom Penh.

"The Cambodian government has used bluster and intimidation to push the UN and donors into silence about abuses," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The international community needs to advocate more forcefully for the human rights of the Cambodian people."


The year started with the forced return of 20 ethnic Uighur asylum seekers to China, where they were at risk of torture. This flagrant violation of Cambodia's obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention was made over strenuous protests by key donors and UN agencies. In March, Hun Sen threatened to expel Cambodia's UN resident coordinator for calling for greater transparency in passage of an anti-corruption law. In October in a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Hun Sen demanded the closure of the UN human rights office in Phnom Penh unless the UN dismissed its country representative, whom the government accused without evidence of supporting the opposition.

A new penal code contains draconian and vaguely defined provisions that permit criminal prosecution for peaceful expression. Shortly after the law went into effect in December, a World Food Program staff member was sentenced to prison on politically motivated incitement charges. Laws being drafted to regulate nongovernmental organizations and trade unions are expected to restrict their ability to exist, operate, and organize activities, in violation of the rights to freedom of association and assembly. Even without these restrictive laws, authorities regularly use force to disperse peaceful protests.

"The Cambodian government is using laws to restrict political space for activists who peacefully speak out against government misconduct and corruption," Robertson said. "The government should recognize its obligations to protect peaceful political speech, and not persecute those who exercise that right."

The repressive laws are implemented by a wholly pliant judiciary controlled by the government, which made no efforts during 2010 to improve judicial independence. Instead, the government used the courts to bring politically motivated prosecutions against opposition party members. In January, the opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison in a closed trial on charges of racial incitement and destroying border demarcation posts. In September, he was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison on trumped-up charges of "disinformation" and falsifying maps.

The credibility of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal was undermined by political interference from the highest levels of government. While meeting with Secretary-General Ban in October, Hun Sen stated that the court would prosecute only the four Khmer Rouge leaders in custody, even though the tribunal's international co-prosecutor had submitted the names of six additional suspects for indictment in 2009.

"The UN and donors need to be much more vigilant and vocal in challenging political interference with the Khmer Rouge Tribunal so that it can do its work independently and impartially," Robertson said.

Illegal land confiscation and forced evictions escalated during 2010, putting the livelihood of millions of urban and rural poor at risk. Land rights activists faced violence and arrest, with more than 60 people jailed or awaiting trial for protesting forced evictions and land grabbing.

Throughout the year the government arbitrarily detained sex workers, people who use drugs, homeless people, and the mentally ill in government-run Social Affairs Centers or drug detention centers, where they are subject to beatings and other serious abuses. More than 2,000 people have been arbitrarily detained in 11 government-run drug detention centers. Although they are mandated to treat and "rehabilitate" drug users, the centers subject detainees to violence, forced labor, and military-style drills. Many detainees are children or people with mental illnesses.

Women and girls involved in sex work, including transgender women, face beatings, rape, sexual harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrest, and detention by police, government-hired security guards and Social Affairs Center employees. Homeless people, beggars, the mentally ill, and other indigent people gathered in police sweeps are also detained and mistreated in these centers.

"Cambodia's donors need to wake up and recognize that the human rights situation in Cambodia is rapidly deteriorating," Robertson said. "They should demand that the government abide by its human rights obligations, and they should be front-line defenders of civil society against government intimidation."

New rocket battalion planned [by Thai army - Is it in response to Cambodia?]

Cambodia tested its BM-21 missile launchers in March 2010 (Photo: AFP)
25/01/2011
Bangkok Post




















The army has plans for a new battalion to be equipped with multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRLs), attached to the existing Lop Buri-based Artillery Division, an army source said.

Under the plan, a large number of MBRLs will be bought from the Defence Technology Institute (DTI), an organisation under the Defence Ministry.

DTI, in collaboration with the army of China, has produced a prototype DTI-1 MBRL, using technology transferred from China.

On Monday, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha visited the Artillery Division in Lop Buri where they took receipt of the first of the MBRLs developed by DTI.

MBRL systems are in wide use with the Cambodian military, which has large numbers of them.


The source said the plan ned new battalion has the support of the prime minister, who sees it as a way of boosting the army's capability.

At the hand-over ceremony, Gen Prayuth said it has been the army's wish since 1988 to have a rocket company. At present, the defence minister has approved in principle the development of MBRLs and the newly developed weapon has been tested.

Lt-Gen Thitinan Tunyasiri, the DTI director, said the MBRL prototype is very important as its technology can be use to develop a guided missile system to respond to demands from various army units.

In the near future, the DTI will proceed with other projects to build unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), signal jammers, combat auxiliary systems, and amphibious assault vehicles (AAV), to reduce reliance on imports from abroad, he said.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Poll finds border a key issue [-Now you know why Hun Xen does not want anybody to talk about Viet encroachments]



Monday, 24 January 2011
Mary Kozlovski
The Phnom Penh Post


Thirty-six percent of Cambodians feel that border demarcation is the most important issue impacting Cambodia, according to a nationwide poll conducted by the International Republican Institute last year.


President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Ou Virak, said that the government has learned it can benefit politically from border issues.


“In the past, the government has never mentioned border issues,” he said.


“After 2008, border issues have become a major issue with Thailand because of the Preah Vihear conflict.


“Even before 2008, a lot of border issues were raised by the opposition [Sam Rainsy] Party”.


IRI country director John Willis said that border demarcation polled highly as an issue in previous IRI surveys.




A 2008 IRI survey showed that, when asked about the three most important issues impacting on the country, the percentage of Cambodians who cited border issues and demarcation jumped from 5 percent to 59 percent between August 2007 and November 2008.


Ou Virak, however, said that while people care about border demarcation, they were unlikely to change their vote because of border issues. “It would be interesting to see whether the same people would be likely to vote because of that issue,” he said.


“My bet is no. The majority will vote on economic issues and things that affect them more directly like healthcare and employment”.


Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that he had not read the IRI poll, but that border demarcation is an important issue for Cambodians.


“We have a number of intrusions by the Thai people, so people pay attention,” he said.


“They want to protect their homeland. And the media reports on it a lot.”


Representatives from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party could not be reached for comment.


The IRI poll, which attempts to gauge Cambodian public opinion, surveyed 2,000 Cambodians from across the country over July and August last year.


According to the poll, 76 percent of people believe the country is heading in the right direction – down from 79 percent in 2009 and a peak of 82 percent in 2008 – with a majority citing an increase in roads, schools and health clinics.


The poll also showed that 23 percent of people believe the country is moving in the wrong direction, with a majority citing corruption.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Eviction anniversary brings tears [-Tunisia in the making?]


Srey Sothea, chairman of the evil 7NG company, received decorations from Hun Xen


Srey Chanthou (L), 7NG managing director, holding hands with Hing Bun Hean, Hun Xen's bodyguard unit's commander






Monday, 24 January 2011
Kim Yuthana and Rebecca Puddy
The Phnom Penh Post


Around 200 former residents of the city’s Dey Krahorm community gathered at the site today to mark the two year anniversary of their violent eviction from their homes.


Framed by fragrant incense smoke, monks prayed and despondent villagers cried as they remembered the destruction of their homes on January 24, 2009.


On that day, dozens of families were forced from the site by police and construction workers employed by local firm 7NG.


Many of the residents were taken to the Damnak Trayeung relocation site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, with little access economic opportunity and few basic services.




David Pred, executive director of Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, said some villagers who possessed titles for land at Dey Krahorm were allocated new land.


While the village initially had poor services, basic infrastructure is being extended to the area.


But he said those residents who did not receive land at Damnak Trayeung had “languished” under tarpaulin shelters until they were shifted to a rice paddy at Tang Khiev village in Kandal province’s Ponhea Leu district.


“It’s a humanitarian disaster out there,” Pred said.


“There was never any plan to deal with people who didn’t have land allocated.”


He added: “Ninety-five percent of the population in Tang Khiev don’t have enough food to eat; they can’t make a living; they have health issues; and there is no running water or sanitation.”


Pred said of the 335 families who initially moved to Tang Khiev, only 75 remain, as people had to leave to find work.


Stickers distributed tpday at the site depicted the harrowing scenes of January 24, 2009: women and children crying, police wielding batons and shields, and houses catching fire as they were bulldozed.


Chan Vicheat, a former Dey Krahorm villager, said the residents could not forget the eviction while they continued to live in substandard conditions with limited electricity, no clean water and little security.


“They live like animals,” Chan Vicheat said.


Sia Phearum, director of the Housing Rights Task Force, said the anniversary of the eviction was an important reminder of the loss of the community’s rights.


“The residents who were evicted now live far away,” he said.


“They lost every right, such as their right to life and right to education, because the stability of their lives changes one day to another.”


7NG managing director Srey Chanthou could not be reached today.


Chheang Bauna, the firm’s general manager, declined to comment.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
SRP To Rotate Parliamentarians Mid-Term
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 24 January 2011


"The rotation agreement would need to be honored, to avoid internal party conflict in the upcoming 2013 parliamentary election."
The Sam Rainsy Party is preparing for a repositioning of National Assembly seats for its lawmakers, halfway through the election cycle.


The opposition party’s vice president, Kong Korm, is returning from a two-day party meeting that ended in Manila Sunday, where exiled party president, Sam Rainsy, issued instructions for the rotation, officials said Monday.


The party holds 26 legislative seats in the National Assembly, and party officials say the replacement of party members to different seats will strengthen the party’s chances in upcoming elections.


The rotation is in response to a reminder from eight steering committee members reminding the president of the rotation.




Kong Korm, who is the acting party president while the president remains abroad, “will directly meet with you all to confirm and explain the decision of the party,” Sam Rainsy wrote.


Noun Vuthy, a member of the steering committee, confirmed the decision, which will be implemented in March.


The rotation of all 26 seats is determined by the amount of money candidates paid during the election campaign in 2008. The first five candidates for each province paid $24,000 in campaign funding, while the next four each paid $22,000.


The rotation will switch out the top-tier candidates for the second-tier candidates.


Am Sam Ath, head of investigation for the rights group Licadho, said the rotation would change up party experience and policy. The rotation agreement would need to be honored, he said, to avoid internal party conflict in the upcoming 2013 parliamentary election.


But the rotation could also cause problems in parliamentary coherency, he said.


Meanwhile, the party will have to prepare for 2012 commune council elections, as Sam Rainsy remains in exile to avoid criminal charges he has decried as politically motivated.