A Change of Guard

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Friday 29 February 2008

Thaksin homecoming: Spoiling for a fight

Thaksin returns from exile.


Thitinan Pongsudhirak writes that the time couldn't be better for the triumphant return of Thaksin Shinawatra. But Mr Thaksin will be unable to stop himself from trying to take control - and that sets up a replay of the dramatic 2001 confrontation of Thaksin versus the judicial system.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak is director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.



He was down but never out. After nearly 18 months in self-imposed exile after the coup in September 2006, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made a triumphant return.
That Mr Thaksin chose yesterday for his homecoming is unsurprising. It is peak time for him, his supporters and allies. The People Power Party won the election resoundingly two months ago, and has successfully formed a coalition government, which has just completed its policy announcement in parliament. At the same time, the PPP’s post-election credibility and legitimacy have eroded quickly.
The rambunctious official prime minister, Mr Samak Sundaravej, is entangled in a public furore involving his denial of the gruesome violence on 6 October 1976 in which scores of student activists were killed and maimed.
Mr Samak has suggested that Mr Thaksin’s return and the amnesty on the banned 111 PPP-associated politicians who operated under Thai Rak Thai party could wait until the latter months of the government’s term. This is unlikely to be the bidding Mr Samak was supposed to do for Mr Thaksin. Mr Samak, in short, has become more of a liability than an asset. The PPP is also beset with rifts and tensions from within. No one can call the shots and settle intra-PPP differences as effectively as Mr Thaksin.
In addition, the Samak cabinet has included a number of unsavoury figures that are unappealing to the general public. The longer Mr Thaksin waits to return, the more politically problematic the Samak government will be. What Mr Thaksin cannot afford is another Bangkok-based anti-government protest movement in Bangkok. Returning at this time maximises Mr Thaksin’s post-election political gains.
Moreover, his opponents have been severely wounded and weakened. The military junta that ousted him is in disgrace. Gen Sonthi Boonyaratklin and Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr, Mr Thaksin’s erstwhile arch-nemeses are in retreat to a point that they have reneged on their previously tough words and posture. They have suddenly sounded more conciliatory and forthcoming in betrayal of their coup rationales and objectives. Gen Anupong Paochina, has concurrently taken a soft line towards Mr Thaksin’s return.
Overall, the military as an institution is in quiet disgrace – without a violent suppression of pro-democracy forces this time as opposed to May 1992. The generals ousted Mr Thaksin’s government, took power, and derailed democratic rule only to botch the interim period in which the caretaker government of Gen Surayud Chulanont put forth murky policy directions with controversial results in some areas and none in others. The far-reaching ramification of the military’s retreat is that their direct role in the political arena is now marginalised and hemmed in.
On the other hand, the Bangkok-driven anti-Thaksin columns under the People Alliance for Democracy are in disarray, discredited and defanged by the inept post-coup period and by the recent election results that overwhelmingly favoured Mr Thaksin’s proxy PPP.
A number of PAD leaders are seen as having benefitted from the coup by self-aggrandisement and by contesting for power in the polls in opposition of PPP. The PAD’s fundamental mistake is that it never made a genuine effort over the past two years to reach out to the rural grassroots who formed the unflinching basis of Mr Thaksin’s power and resilient popularity. Instead, the PAD chose to remain a limited Bangkok-based and middle class-oriented anti-Thaksin movement with little broad appeal. The noises that it is now making are unlikely to reverberate as far and wide as were seen and heard two years ago.
Indeed, Mr Thaksin’s homecoming represents his vindication and triumph and the manifest failure of his opponents to put him away. At issue now is what he will do next.
Despite Mr Thaksin’s words of resignation and his stated intention of staying away from politics, he is likely to be the PPP-led government’s de facto chief executive.
Mr Thaksin’s impulses are to be the first mover, the agenda setter who dictates terms and shapes outcomes. Initially, he will try to stay on the sidelines, but as all eyes are increasingly fixated on his preferences and as PPP politicians and cabinet members of all stripes flock to him, Mr Thaksin will not be able to help himself in taking charge from behind the scenes. He also needs to take control to ensure that the in-fighting within the PPP and within the coalition government is contained.
Already, Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee wants to appoint Mr Thaksin as an economic advisor. This sort of proposal would allow the former leader to be on the sidelines but yet still inside Thai politics.
Above all, Mr Thaksin is back to exert clout and bring pressure to bear on the judicial decisions that are pending. The upcoming legal cases from corruption and abuses of power to poll fraud will determine Mr Thaksin’s political and financial fortunes and the PPP’s survival in view of House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat’s "red card" by the Election Commission as well as Thailand’s entire political future.
Mr Thaksin is an unrivalled master at manoeuvrings. He proved it before in 2001 when he was narrowly acquitted in his assets-concealment trial soon after his Thai Rak Thai party secured a firm democratic mandate at the polls. A replay of Mr Thaksin and his allies versus the judicial system appears in the offing.

Joint communique on VN-Cambodia border provinces’ development

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and Cambodia agreed to continue strengthening cooperation to facilitate economic and trade activities at their border areas, targeting bilateral trade turnover of 2 billion USD by the year 2010.
The agreement was confirmed at the joint communiqué issued by their Forth Meeting on Cooperation and Development among Border Provinces held in Preah Sihanouk Ville on Feb. 28.
The full text of the communique runs as follow:
1- Implementing the Joint Communique of the Third Meeting on Cooperation and Development among Border Provinces of Cambodia and Vietnam held in Long Xuyen, southern An Giang Province of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on December 25, 2006, the Fourth Meeting on Cooperation and Development among Border Provinces of Cambodia and Vietnam was organized in Preah Sihanouk Ville, Kingdom of Cambodia on February 28, 2008, Co-chaired by Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Nguyen Sinh Hung, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Attended the Meeting include the leaders of Cambodia-Vietnam provinces and representatives of ministries and institutions of both countries.
2- The Meeting was conducted in an atmosphere of friendship, solidarity, and mutual understanding. Both sides reiterated the necessity and importance of the Meeting on Cooperation and Development among Border Provinces of Cambodia and Vietnam and considered it as a key mechanism of the cooperation which has progressed from day to day to maintain security and socio-economic development at the border areas of both countries contributing to strengthening and deepening the relations of friendship and multi-sided cooperation of common interest for both countries.
3- Both sides warmly welcomed and highly valued the state visit of Nguyen Minh Triet, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Kingdom of Cambodia in February 2007 and other official visits carried out by leaders of both countries.
4- Both sides expressed satisfaction and highly valued the outcomes of the 9th Meeting of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, held on August 21, 2007 in Phnom Penh, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and considered that the results of this Meeting have contributed to strengthening friendship and cooperative efforts in all areas of common interest including the relations between border provinces of both countries.
5- Both sides welcomed the outcomes of the 2nd Ministerial Meeting on promoting trade and investment at the Cambodia-Lao-Vietnam Development Triangle held on February 16-17, 2008 and the results of the Ministerial Committee of Commerce Meeting on February 18-19, 2008 in Preah Sihanouk Ville, the Kingdom of Cambodia and the First Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Mekong-Japan held in Tokyo, Japan from January 16-17, 2008.
6- Both sides reviewed the implementation of the agreed points discussed in the 3rd Meeting on Cooperation and Development between the provinces along the border of Cambodia and Vietnam and expressed satisfaction and highly valued the outcomes of excellent cooperation between border provinces of both countries and considered this fruitful cooperation as important contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation in all fields of the two countries.
7- In the fields of economy and trade, both sides highly valued annual growth of trades between the two countries and agreed to continue strengthening cooperation to facilitate economic and trade activities at border areas of both countries in order to contribute to the efforts made by the governments of both countries to promote bilateral trade turnover to 2 billion USD by the year 2010. In this sense, both sides agreed to continue implementing and monitoring all Agreements, Agreed Minutes, and MoUs signed by two countries in the framework of existing mechanism in order to facilitate trade and investment along the borders of both countries including exchange of goods and services, establishment of markets and economic zones along the borders, organization of trade exhibitions and products advertisement...etc.
Both sides also agreed to continue strengthening measures of prevention, and suppression of contrabands and fake goods crossing borders of both countries.
8- In the field of transport, both sides agreed to promote further cooperation to develop transportation infrastructure connecting border areas of both countries, encouraging local authorities at border areas of the two countries to use their respective resources for mutual cooperation. In the case of needs for resources from both governments, local authorities should report to their respective governments for consideration. Also, both sides have agreed to promote implementing cross border transportation services at certain key international checkpoints stated in the Protocol to implementation to the Agreement on Road Transportation to which both governments have agreed.
Both sides agreed to speed up the construction of Road No.78 from Ban Lung to O Yadav, Rattanakiri Province, Cambodia and the feasibility study to build Chrey Thom bridge, Kandal Province, connecting to Khanh Binh, An Giang Province, Vietnam for respective governments’ consideration.
9- In the field of industry, mine, and energy, both sides agreed to promote the construction of the 229KV transmission line from the border to Phnom Penh. Both sides welcomed the connection of transmission line to transfer energy 110kv between Kampong Cham province and Vietnam which will be implemented in the near future. Both sides also agreed to encourage Vietnamese companies to invest in electricity plants in Cambodia. In this connection, Cambodian side will facilitate Vietnamese companies to build 02 hydro-electricity plants at Sesan river, known as lower Sesan 1 /Sesan 5 and lower Sesan 2 in Cambodia once the Vietnamese Electricity companies complete the feasibility studies in June 2009 and agreed by Cambodian side.
Both sides agreed to facilitate Vietnamese companies to undertake feasibility studies and explore oil and mines in Cambodia. The Vietnamese side agreed to conduct short training course on oil exploration for Cambodia.
Regarding the industry field, both sides agreed to continue promoting investment, construction of plants and enterprises at border areas of both countries.
10- In the field of agriculture, forestry, and fishery, both sides agreed to continue mutual support in developing agriculture, exchange of experiences on farming, husbandry, and promoting investment in the field of industry to use agricultural products produced at border areas of both countries.
Both sides agreed to promote cultivation of rubber plantation in provinces along Cambodian border and Cambodian authorities agreed to facilitate companies of the two countries to work in partnership to secure appropriate concession land for rubber plantation in accordance with Cambodian law.
Both sides will together continue to protect and take measure against the widespread of insects which destroy rice plant and other crops and jointly maintain good environment, natural resources, ecosystem and wildlife to ensure environmental stability at border areas of both countries.
Both sides agreed to facilitate farmers of both countries to use water from rivers and canals along the borders of both countries for the purposes of living and agriculture cultivation.
11- In the field of health, both sides agreed to continue to cooperate in medical services at border areas in order to care for the well-being of the people who reside along the borders of both countries and to further promote close participation among relevant local authorities to prevent infectious and pandemic diseases along the border and their wide spreading across borders.
The Vietnamese side agreed to help Cambodian provinces with medical check up and treatment of eyes disease for Cambodian people residing at border areas by permitting them to enter Vietnam and seek medical treatment at Vietnamese provincial hospitals for the same fees applied to Vietnamese residents.
12- In the field of education, culture and social affairs, both sides agreed to continue mutual support in capacity building of human resource for the border provinces of the two countries; promoting exchange of study visit and information, organizing workshop and vocational training, providing mutual assistance of material, equipment, education infrastructure, and vocational training at border areas of both countries.
In the field of culture and social affairs, both sides will further promote cultural exchange, sports, and encourage youths and the people residing at border areas of both countries to jointly organize these events in order to strengthening friendship and solidarity between the peoples residing at borders areas of both countries. Also, both sides will continue mutual support in accordance with their respective ability, resources, equipment, and food when dealing with natural disaster or other incidents at border areas of the two countries.
13- In the field of tourism, both sides agreed together promote tourism of border provinces of both countries in order to respond to tourism needs at border areas and to attract tourists from the two countries as well as from third countries.
14- Both sides welcomed the implementation of border demarcation between the two countries based on Supplementary Treaty on Border Demarcation. Both sides agreed to give high priority to border demarcation and speed up the border demarcation with views to complete the tasks as planned by both countries. Also, border province authorities shall prevent any activities affecting the environment at border areas.
15- Both sides evaluated the cooperation and expressed satisfaction for effective measures to maintain public order at border areas of both countries. Both sides agreed to further strengthen security and public order at border areas to ensure peace, friendship, cooperation, and sustainable development. Both sides will continue to heighten control on illegal migration, illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, particularly women and children, and crimes crossing the borders of both countries. Both sides agreed to promote information exchange, facilitation and cooperation to exchange experiences and training to build capacity of their respective authorities at border areas in order to maintain public order along the borders of both countries. Also, both sides reiterated their respective country’s policy to prevent any hostile forces to use their territory against security of both countries. Both sides also agreed promote cooperation to resolve any differences occur at border areas of both countries in friendship, peace, and mutual understanding. In this spirit, both sides continue to cooperate in educating residents at border areas to enhance their understanding and participation in implementing Treaty, Agreements, and other rules and regulations on border control and border crossing of both countries.
16- Both sides agreed to request their respective governments, ministries, and institutions for continued supports to local authorities of border provinces of both countries in order to promote effective cooperation between border provinces of both countries.
17- Both sides agreed to establish new border checkpoints, change of names of certain border checkpoints, and consider upgrading checkpoints along the borders of both countries in order to facilitate border crossing movement of the residents at border areas and the peoples of both countries and encourage the exchange of goods and services at border areas.
18- Both sides supported the approval in principle of both governments on visa exemption for the peoples of both countries who hold ordinary passports. Based on this principle, both sides will encourage technical teams of both countries to begin their negotiation on this matter as early as possible leading to the signing of Visa Exemption Agreement.
19- Both sides expressed great satisfaction of the events organized at border areas of both countries to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Vietnam (June 26, 1967- June 26, 2007).
20- Both sides agreed to continue regular meetings between provinces, districts and communes as well as other authorities along the borders of both countries to further promote implementation of the agreed points and draft new cooperation plans for their respective governments’ consideration.
21- Both sides agreed to organize the 5th Meeting on Cooperation and Development of Cambodia-Vietnam Border Provinces in 2009 in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Date and venue of the Meeting will be communicated through diplomatic channel.
22- On behalf of Vietnamese delegates, Nguyen Sinh Hung, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam highly valued Cambodia for successfully organizing the Meeting and expressed sincere thanks to the Cambodian side for the warm welcome and excellent reception accorded to Excellency and his delegates during the Meeting.
(Source: VNA)

Cambodia: Cambodia Deports Former US Marine For Allegedly Making Threat To US Embassy Security

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: Cambodia has deported a former U.S. Marine for allegedly making threats against the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, a senior police official said Friday (29 Feb).
Gerald Forbes, 63, from Hawaii, was deported Thursday (28 Feb) night and banned from re-entering Cambodia, said Lt. Gen. Sok Phal, a deputy chief of the national police.
Police arrested Forbes on 19 Feb after he allegedly threatened the U.S. Embassy as he was venting his anger about what he says is insufficient support he has received from the U.S. government.
Cambodia had placed additional police around the embassy the night before Forbes' arrest.
Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle could not be reached for comment Friday. (AP)

Party hearty with Dengue Fever

Miss Chhom Nimol, far right, lead singer of Dengue Fever posed with bandmates.


Friday, February 29, 2008
BY PETER GENOVESE,


Star-Ledger Staff
WORLD



"Lost in Laos," the opening track on Dengue Fever's self-titled first album, sets the tone for what lies ahead: a moody, mysterious, driven blend of alt-rock, Cambodian pop and party music that sounds like a soundtrack to a Phnom Penh-based spy thriller, or an Asian spaghetti western.
Even the members of Dengue Fever -- five guys from L.A. and a female lead singer from Cambodia -- are not quite sure what to call their brand of music.
"Crazy psychedelic dance party rock'n' roll," offers Senon Gaius Williams, bass player for Dengue Fever.
It's as good a term as any to describe Dengue Fever, which grew out of a 1997 trip to Cambodia by keyboard player Ethan Holtzman. Holtzman fell in love with Sin Sisamouth, Ros Serey Sothea and other 1960s Cambodian pop singers, returning home with an armload of cassettes and forming a band with his guitar-playing brother, Zac; horn player David Ralicke, drummer Paul Dreux Smith, and Williams.
Their plan was to hire Cambodian singers as backups, but once they heard Chhom Nimol, a noted singer in her native Cambodia then playing in clubs in Long Beach, Calif., they decided to move her front and center.
"We told the other singers (who auditioned) that Nimol would come," Williams recalled. "They said, no way would she show up for these American dudes. When she did show up, all the singers were like, 'I'm late for something,' or 'I feel sick.'
"As soon as she started singing," Williams added, "the ceiling opened up and an angel dropped in."
Chhom, who sang in Khmer on the band's first album and switches comfortably from her native language to English on the band's third album, "Venus on Earth," was at first wary of the band. She found Zac Holtzman's "big beard" intimidating -- "like some crazy white guy," she recalled, laughing. At the band's first show, at the L.A. club Spaceland, she admitted to being "nervous."
Now Chhom appears on stage in shiny, glittering silk garments, and seems supremely sure of herself -- and of the considerable spell she may cast on the males in her audience.


Dengue Fever's big break came in 2005, when they were invited to perform at music festivals in Russia and Portugal. A promoter who saw the band perform at South by Southwest in Austin was surprised to find Holtzman and his buddies, well, alive.
"He thought we were a band from the '60s and that we were dead. When he discovered we weren't, he invited us to Moscow," Williams said.
The band's trip to Cambodia in November 2005 is the subject of a documentary, "Sleepwalking through the Mekong," which will screen at UnionDocs in Brooklyn on Monday.
"The 10 days we spent in Cambodia were pretty intense," said "Sleepwalking" director John Pirozzi, speaking by phone from Rome. "They had one show set up, and that fell through. But the band has this Southern California mentality; they go with the flow."
The band's second album, "Escape from Dragon House," is a near-flawless record, filled with catchy melodies, hard-charging guitars, soaring horns and Chhom's sinuous, sensuous voice.
"How can I be such a fool/to be in love with you?" she sings at one point, her voice charged with heartbreak and longing.
The album's title is a reference to the 22 days Chhom spent in jail in California in 2002; she was stopped at a routine customs/immigration check outside San Diego and found with an expired green card.
"It was very scary," Chhom recalled. "I think I'm going (to be sent) back to my country."
All legal and other troubles behind them, the members of Dengue Fever are now celebrating their latest album and new-found critical acclaim.
"2008 is going to be all touring," Williams said. "We may do some recordings, some live stuff. It'll keep us busy the rest of the year."
The band's lead singer, meanwhile, sounds like she has found the right band and stage for her rich voice and magnetic presence. And she doesn't mind Zac Holtzman's "big beard" any more. The two, in fact, appear on the cover of "Venus on Earth," Chhom perched demurely on the back of a Holtzman-piloted motorbike.
"Do you know 'I'm Sixteen'?" Chhom said of a fast, furious tune on the band's first album. "We want to sing rock'n' roll like that."

Preah Vihear to top the agenda of Samak's visit to Cambodia

Preah Vihear seen from the gate of the second gopura.


WASSANA NANUAM
Preah Vihear will top the agenda of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's official visit to Cambodia, starting Monday. A military source said the prime minister would talk to his Cambodian counterpart about jointly proposing the Preah Vihear Khmer temple ruins, called Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, as a World Heritage site since the two countries have yet to settle the border demarcation in that area which is located in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket.
Moreover, the Thai side believes the area that covers about 7.2 sq km should not be included in the area to be designated a World Heritage site.
Last year, Cambodia tried to register the site with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) alone. But the UN agency delayed its decision, urging the two countries to resolve the issue together.
''Due to the unsettled border, Cambodia cannot register the ruins alone. If Cambodia wants to apply for World Heritage status, the proposal should be jointly submitted with Thailand because the area is supervised by two countries.
''If Cambodia pushes on with its idea, it should not include the 7.2 sq km disputed area because it means Thailand might lose its sovereignty over the area in question,'' the source said.
Mr Samak's trip will follow a two-day official visit to Laos which begins today.
A meeting of the World Heritage committee will be convened from July 4 to 12 in Canada.

Vietnam, Cambodia meet for border provinces’ cooperation

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung (left) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng (right).
VietNamNet Bridge – The Fourth Meeting on Cooperation and Development among Border Provinces of Vietnam and Cambodia wrapped up in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 28.
The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Vietnamese Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, drew representatives from ministries, institutions and border provincial authorities of the two countries. In an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, the two sides emphasised the significance and necessity to enhance the mechanism of the meeting on cooperation and development among the countries’ border provinces. Both sides said they were determined to maintain and increase the efficiency of this cooperation mechanism to build the border area into a region of peace and prosperity, contributing to enhancing and expanding the “good neighbourliness, friendship, cooperation and long-term stability between Vietnam and Cambodia. At the meeting, the two sides reviewed the implementation of agreements reached at the previous third meeting held in Long Xuyen town of An Giang Province, Vietnam, in December 2006. The sides spoke of their satisfaction in the outcomes of comprehensive cooperation between ministries, institutions and provinces of the two countries, emphasising that the results have made important contributions to changing the face of the countries’ border localities in socio-economics and consolidating security, stability and order along the common border line. The two sides discussed measures to continue promoting cooperation in 2008 and agreed to focus on a number of key areas including upgrading infrastructural facilities, particularly traffic infrastructure as it is a key to promote socio-economic development and trade. The two countries also agreed to promote cooperation in trade, investment, service and tourism in the borders of the two countries, build border economic regions and border markets as well as enhance cooperation in agro-forestry and fisheries, education and training, healthcare and personnel development for the two countries’ border localities. The two sides will together enhance cultural, artistic and public exchange among border provinces, actively fulfill border demarcation and plantation as scheduled and boost cooperation and collaboration in defending security, stability and order along the common borderline. The two sides agreed to provide preferential treatment in investment, trade and services carried out in border areas.The Cambodian side then welcomed Vietnamese companies to invest in power plant construction and infrastructure development in Cambodia. The two sides also pledged to beef up construction of Road 78 in Cambodia that links Oyadao with Ban Lung in Rattanakiri Province and said they would speed up a feasibility study on building the Khanh Binh bridge to connect Mekong Delta’s An Giang Province with Chrey Thom in Cambodia’s Kandal Province.The Cambodian side said it would create conditions for Vietnamese companies to cooperate in the exploration and exploitation of Cambodian oil, gas and minerals as well as in joint projects on growing industrial crops so ensure they can be carried out as soon as possible.The two sides also decided to continue cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, education, culture, social affairs and tourism. The Vietnamese side pledged to continue working with and aiding Cambodia in preventing and fighting plant and animal epidemics and in human resource training in Cambodian border localities.Meeting participants applauded the fruitful and effective cooperation in maintaining security and stability in border areas shared by the two countries, in land and on sea. They noted the need to maintain and maximise communication channels, share information and experience, and train personnel from administration, security and defence agencies in border provinces.They two sides agreed to collaborate on joint patrols, reinforce inspections to prevent illegal immigration, and cooperate in countering trans-border crimes and terrorist activities in their common border areas.They reiterated the need to continue the policy of not permitting outside forces to use one’s territory as a base to conduct operations against the other.The two sides also reached an agreement to raise awareness and understanding among people, officials and soldiers from border areas about the countries’ laws, border-related regulations and signed agreements.They decided to continue prioritising the demarcation and planting of landmarks on the shared border and strive to complete the task as previously agreed.The countries also agreed to accelerate the opening of new border gates and upgrade existing border gates to facilitate cross-border travel and transportation as well as deploy negotiations and sign a visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders.During the meeting, the two Deputy PMs signed a security cooperation plan for 2008 between the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security and the Cambodia Ministry of Home Affairs.In addition, leaders of border provinces and representatives of ministries and sectors of the two countries held separate working sessions and meetings to discuss their cooperative programmes. At the end of the meeting, the two sides issued a joint communique and agreed to hold the fifth meeting in Vietnam in 2009.
(Source: VNA)

SEX IN DEPTH: Cell swingers in Cambodia

By William Sparrow
BANGKOK - Considering the glacial pace of legal wrangling, domestic indifference and rampant allegations of corruption and mismanagement, some might say it's about time some sex came up at the Khmer Rouge tribunal now under way in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The ultra-Maoist group's former supremo and "Brother No 1", Pol Pot, died in 1998 in a hidden jungle redoubt along the Thai border. His infamous military doyen Ta Mok, dubbed "The Butcher" by the Western press, passed away suspiciously in a Phnom Penh military hospital in 2006. With the most atrocious and eye-catching suspects out of the picture, and the rest of the leadership clique enjoying decades of leisure and, in one case, even a royal pardon, the United Nations-sponsored tribunal has been a stop-start, anticlimactic affair of official rhetoric and obtuse legalese. For journalists embedded in the turgid trial process it's been a long, boring slog. And so it was on February 25 that local media reported former Khmer Rouge "Brother No 3" 82-year-old Ieng Sary's request that the court grant conjugal visits with his wife - and fellow court detainee - Khieu Thirith. In the history of international justice dating back to the Nuremberg Trials of the late 1940s, this must surely be the only time two suspects both charged with atrocity crimes and in custody have asked for a little tete-a-tete together. Remember, too, the elderly couples' autumn incarceration, and any potential jail-cell rendezvous, are all courtesy of the UN, the taxpayers of its contributing member states, and the millions of Cambodians victimized by the murderous regime. In explanation for the plaintive plea, The Cambodia Daily, a Phnom Penh-based media NGO, reported Ieng Sary's lawyer Ang Udom as saying the octogenarian "misses his wife". "He wants to see her, she wants to see him ... why does the tribunal prevent them from seeing each other?" the paper quoted Ang Udom as saying. To add irony to insult, Sary and Thirith, who was the Khmer Rouge's social affairs minister, both worked setting policy for the Khmer Rouge, a significant plank of which was to dismantle the traditional family structure. Husbands, wives and children were separated into separate gender-based work collectives. Marriages were routinely forced on individuals simply for reproduction to support a productive workforce. Kalyanee Mam wrote in The Endurance of the Cambodian Family Under the Khmer Rouge Regime: An Oral History that "Marriages were usually forced upon individuals for reproductive purposes only, since most couples who were married were soon after separated from each other and rarely met afterwards. After reproduction was achieved, it was not important for couples to remain together, since their time and energy were required on the work field." Almost 30 years have passed since the end of the Khmer Rouge's horrific rule from 1975-1979 during which as many one in five Cambodians were killed. Many more were tortured or died of disease or starvation in the forced labor camps of agriculture collectives in which the entire population was enslaved. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, established by a 2001 law and convened in 2006, was initially scheduled to last three years and cost $56.3 million, with the UN providing $43 million and Cambodia's government $13.3 million. But money problems have plagued the court, and Agence France Presse reported recently that the court was seeking another $114 million from international donors to keep it running until 2011. The majority of Cambodians live on less than $1 per day. Former foreign minister Ieng Sary, and former social affairs minister Thirith, 75, are in custody alongside Khieu Samphan, 76, the former head of state, "Brother No 2" Nuon Chea and Duch, the warden of the notorious torture center known as S-21, or Tuol Sleng. They are being held separately in eight privately housed single-room cells in a detention facility on the same property as the courtroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. They all deny charges of war crimes or crimes against humanity. Sary is suspected of undertaking and facilitating murders as well as planning and coordinating Khmer Rouge policies of forcible transfer, forced labor and illegal killings. Thirith was allegedly one of the planners who directed the widespread purges and the killings of members within the Ministry of Social Affairs. Both have claimed they are innocent. The mere thought of a request for conjugal visits between Sary and Thirith is a shocking insult to Cambodians. However, in another universe it might be touching. The couple met during their university days in Phnom Penh where they surely double-dated with fellow classmates Pol Pot and his future wife Khieu Ponnary, Thirith's sister. They were married in the summer of 1951 in Paris, where Sary had a flat in the Latin Quarter and a coterie of radical student friends, many of whom were ex-patriot Cambodian communists. According to historian Ben Kiernan, Thirith was a "Shakespeare studies major". Sary rose to power alongside his chum Pol Pot and was ultimately deputy prime minister of Democratic Kampuchea, as the Khmer Rouge named the country. After their 1979 ouster, and a Hanoi-backed tribunal of that year which sentenced Sary to death in absentia, the Khmer Rouge fought a guerrilla war against the government into the 1990s. Sary became the first senior Khmer Rouge leader to defect to the government in 1996. At the behest of Prime Minister Hun Sen, King Norodom Sihanouk issued a royal pardon to Sary later that year and granted him semi-autonomous status in the gem and timber rich municipality of Pailin, where his son is now governor. Sary and Thirith have lived in an opulent Phnom Penh villa for many years. Sary's amnesty was a stumbling block in the lengthy negotiations between the Cambodian government and the UN and served to stall its progress. Even with recent progress, decades of delays have created apathy among the Cambodian populace. As Khmer Rouge survivor and famous painter Vann Nath told an Asia Times Online staffer in November 2007, "It has taken too long for the trial. It has dragged on for years and now as the delays of the trial keep going there will be more ways to defend the suspects - and more delays." Nath, who was one of only a handful of survivors of S-21, points out that the leaders in custody certainly have better living conditions than those who suffered at their hands. "They're secure, they have mattresses, any food they want, special doctors," he said. "They have better luck than most Cambodians." If Sary's luck continues he might just get his conjugal visits. But he's has been hospitalized three times with heart problems since his arrest in December 2007, and it's doubtful the tender reunion of these two war crimes suspects would be exceedingly risque (although Americans may remember the Sienfeld episode in which character George Costanza reckoned conjugal visits to be the best sex possible). Or, perhaps, the scales of justice are tipping in mysterious ways. As far-fetched a scenario as it may be, should Sary go out with a bang in some Khmer Rouge tribunal jail cell it would certainly spark interest in what has been an otherwise impotent process.

Rising demand for Cambodian maids

Left: Koun Vannak: Had a good employer during her three years in Malaysia and has come back to earn more money.
Bottom: Hands-on: Maids learning how to tend to senior citizens at Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd’s training centre in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.

By YIP YOKE TENG
THERE is a rise in the demand for maids from countries other than Indonesia, like from Cambodia.
Philimore Sdn Bhd managing director Y.S. Liew said the employment of Cambodian maids had increased over the past two years.

He said he anticipated a further increase in the near future.
“Cambodian maids were not that in demand at first due to the language barrier. Now, we fly in more than 200 Cambodian maids a month,” he said.
According to Liew, of about 300,000 maids here, Indonesians make up 90% while Cambodians and Filipinos number 8% and 2% respectively.

Caring for the young: The Cambodian maids learning to take care of babies.“Cambodian maids are getting popular as employers like their attitude.''

Low: Also supplies Cambodian maids.“They are also eager to learn and are self disciplined. Many employers prefer them even though communication is rather difficult. In fact, the language barrier is an advantage as others cannot influence them easily.
“The salary scale is almost the same - RM550 for Indonesians and RM590 for Cambodian maids,” he added.
An employer from Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Ng Shih Shing, said the Cambodian maid he had employed in 2006 had become part of the family.
“She speaks very little English but learns very fast. She even follows us to church,” he said.
“I had three Indonesian maids who gave me various problems and the fourth one ran away a day after she arrived. When I reported it to the police, they said there was an average of eight cases a day,” he added.
His maid, Rose, 21, from Siem Reap, had worked in Malaysia for three years before taking up the second contract.
“It's all right working here. I last took home RM13,000 and gave it to my family. I want to earn more to buy a house,” she said.

Another Cambodian maid, Koun Vannak, 25, said she had a good employer during her three years in Malaysia and had come back to earn more money.
Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd is another agency supplying Vietnamese maids and its general manager Fiona Low said employers opted for Vietnamese maids as this was “something new”.

Prime Minister Hun Sen Reacted to the Accusations About Land Sales to Foreigners

Hun Sen: Accusations about land sales to foreigners are "stupid lies".


28th Feb. 2008
By San Sovit
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization



In relations to the loss of Cambodia’s lands there were accusations which were levelled against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen of selling lands to foreigners or to foreign companies under the guise of land concessions for economic developments and for investments in the developments of rubber and teak plantations.
The Prime minister dismissed those accusations as “stupid lies”.
But leader of the opposition party has said in the past that many foreigners have taken up Khmer citizenship and therefore they can still buy lands in Cambodia.
In relation to the sale of lands to foreigners, Prime Minister Hun Sen has said on Wednesday, in a ceremony to inaugurate the foundation of a Buddhist temple at Wat Tuol Preah Reachea, Po Ban Sub-District, Koh Thom District, Kandal Province, that the accusations is a sad saga.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “I think that the topic of land sales to foreigners is a sad topic and it is a topic which is insulting to our own race. What can we do because our ancestors have only left that much lands to us? What we need to protect is what was inscribed in the constitution. That is enough! Some people want to reclaim Kampuchea Krom. Please go! At one occasion I have told them that: if you want to take back Kampuchea Krom, you can go. I don’t have the capacity to take it back but I will provide the coffins for your burial.” //END//

Prime Minister (Hun Sen) Rejected Criticisms on Borders




Son Chhay (far left), Kem Sokha (letf) and PM Hun Sen (bottom).


27th Feb. 2007
By Keo Nimol
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization

Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected criticisms that during his rule Cambodia’s neighbours had encroached on Cambodian borders everyday.
Speaking during a religious ceremony in Koh Thom district in Kandal Province on 27th February the Prime Minister said: “They said that each day Vietnam has encroached one metre, ten metres or one hundred metres and Thailand had encroached one metre, ten metres or one hundred metres. I think that according to what they have claimed, to this present day, Cambodia would have lost all our lands. I think that these sorts of propaganda, sometimes were made with the intention of insulting our own race. I think that the accusations about land sale to foreigners is a sad topic and is a topic which is insulting to our own race.”
Kem Sokha, the President of the Human Right Party, who has recently criticised about the drafting of an amendment to the laws which will allow foreigners to own properties and lands, said in reference to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s remarks that: “According to the people, there were border movements. These claims didn’t come from one person only. There were many places of border encroachments. For example, in Takeo, many villagers told me that there were encroachments. In Kampong Cham they said the same. And in Rattanakiri I have received the same information from the people there.”
Son Chhay, a member of the Parliamentary Permanent Committee and a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, said in reference to the border issues that: “If we talk about border encroachments, in some areas there were encroachments of 5 kilometres, 10 kilometres, 8 kilometres. According to border experts they have pointed to the maps that have been kept at the United Nations which shown that in 1994 we have declared “white areas” (overlapping areas) along the borders with our neighbours. And the declaration of such “white areas” has made Cambodia lost some parts of our lands along the borders. There must be an investigation using technical methodology so that our people will be satisfied.”
In the past a border committer known as Cambodian Borders Committee, based in France and led by Mr. Sean Pengse, has often reported about border encroachments by Cambodia’s neighbours. The Committee had also appealed to the government to annul all border agreements with our neighbours signed between 1980 to 1993. //END//

Kayla Paton wins Cambodian trip

A picture of Kayla Paton.

Regular readers of the Yass Trib may remember Kayla Paton as an outstanding hospitality trainee working at “Schonegg” in Murrumbateman, Australia.
She’s in the news again as one of the winners of a trip to Cambodia, where she will both teach and learn elements of cooking.
Kayla was a member of a team of CIT students who competed in the Australia wide “Tasting Australia” Competition held in Adelaide last year. The students had to cook a three course meal for four people and select the wines to accompany the meal. Kayla's team, ACT Northern Districts, won the Gold Medal for Best Region as well as the Gold Medal for Best Desert. The exciting prize was a 12 day visit to Cambodia, where they will be teaching and learning cooking.
(Journey to Cambodia)
As part of their prize the winning team will head to Cambodia on a culinary and cultural tour staying at Raffles Le Royal Hotel in Phnom Penh, with visits to Angkor Wat, spice and food markets, a hospitality school and Khmer cooking class. Kayla is looking forward to her trip to Cambodia, which will probably take place mid-2008. She hasn’t been outside Australia before, so she’s not sure what to expect. However, she hopes to learn more about the country and how the Cambodians prepare and present meals.
The team consisted of: Stuart Walsh, Dean of City Faculty and Tourism and Hotel Management; Fional Mitchell, CIT's head of department; Dammika Hatharasinghe, a pastry teacher at CIT and apprentice Kayla Paton.
(Recipe for a winning meal)
Entree: Sticky braised duck and truffled foie gras pie which was served with Lark Hill's 2003 Exaltation Pinot Noir
Main: Goldenholm biodynamic beef with sweet potato gnocchi and a jus made from Clonakill Shiraz Viognier which as also served with the meal.
Dessert: Study of Apple with Rhubarb and Raspberry served with Lark Hill's 2006 Auslese Riesling
(Making a chef)
Kayla, a former Yass High School student, completed her Certificate 1 in Hospitality there in 2004. She is now in her final year as Apprentice Chef at the CIT, working in the industry at Government House.
She did Hospitality as part of her HSC (Higher School Certifcate) at YHS, completing Certificate 1 and part of Certificate 2 there. After leaving school she was employed at Schnoegg as a trainee and undertook the balance of Certificate 2. When she finished Certificate 2 she then started her apprenticeship as a chef.

Cambodian phenom pens, sings songs with U.S. rock band

Dengue Fever's leader singer, Miss Chhom Nimol, flanked by bandmates.


Thursday, February 28, 2008
By Aaron Beck
The Columbus Dispatch

To find his musical roots, Ethan Holtzman of Dengue Fever had to visit Southeast Asia.
Holtzman, 36, plays the Farfisa organ for the band he co-founded -- which blends early American and British rock with psychedelia and surf music.
Easy reference points include Os Mutantes, the Ventures and every funk-rock group after Parliament-Funkadelic.
On the latest Dengue Fever album, Venus on Earth, the Farfisa organ -- an instrument popular in the 1960s that gives songs a retro vibe -- anchors the music, with the voice of Chhom Nimol delivering the messages.
The band will make its Columbus debut Friday in Skully's Music-Diner.
A short history of Dengue Fever, starting with Holtzman:
During the late 1990s, he quit a day job in Los Angeles and swapped his car for a backpack and a plane ticket to Southeast Asia.
His itinerary included Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
"Cambodia," he said, "really felt like a lawless society."
Prime Minister Pol Pot, by then the retired leader of the communist Khmer Rouge regime, still held influence.
"It really felt like anything could happen," Holtzman said. "It felt like the kind of place you didn't want to be during an election."
Holtzman -- an accordion player and, since childhood, a guitarist -- sought refuge in the underground nightclubs and was instantly drawn to the cooing voices of the female pop singers.
He didn't understand a word, and he didn't need to.
"The emotion was so strong," he said. "The vocals had this snakiness: The falsettos would crack and then drop to a lower note. It sounded really cool. When you do that (style of singing), it's called 'ghost voice.' "
Back home, Holtzman and brother Zac, with drummer Paul Dreux Smith, set about re-creating the sound -- with Holtzman swapping his guitar for a seat behind a Farfisa organ.
They bode their time as they wrote songs, humming the melodies as they sought the missing link: a Cambodian singer.
Despite the significant Cambodian population in every major city on the West Coast, the search for someone willing to join a rock band posed a challenge.
"We were playing pool in a bar called the Short Stop," Holtzman said. "There was this Cambodian guy who was there all the time, and we were like 'Do you know this (Cambodian pop) music?' He didn't speak much English. He just kept saying: 'La Lune! La Lune! Da girls!' 'La Lune! Long Beach!' "
Holtzman started building the band in the La Lune nightclub, about 20 miles south in Long Beach, Calif.
Through the stranger and his La Lune connections, the musicians met many singers and began to audition them.
When the band, which includes saxophonist David Ralicke and bass player Senon Gaius Williams, met Chhom Nimol at a place called the Dragon House, it had its singer -- if she could be persuaded.
"She was already established as a famous singer among the Cambodians," Holtzman said. "But she showed up one night to practice, and all of the other (auditioning) singers left. They were blown away that she was there. They were like 'Oh, I can't sing,' holding their throats. 'Oh, my voice.' "
On the third full-length Dengue Fever album since 2003, Nimol sings lyrics written in English with Zac Holtzman.
Sometimes she translates into a Cambodian tongue; sometimes she plows ahead in English.
The concerts, packed with upbeat tunes from the record, turn into "parties," Ethan Holtzman said.
"It doesn't matter to us what language she sings them in," he said. "The emotion is always there."
abeck@dispatch.com

Contest: Win a Cambodian Jingle Bell Anklet from Baby Emi Jewelry!

A baby wearing a Cambodian Jingle Bell Anklets which can give the parents a sense of safety and security.


By Danielle,


CBB Publisher



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Enter to win one of five Cambodian Jingle Bells Anklets from Baby Emi Jewelry (a $40 value). Email the following info to celebritybabyblogATgmail.com.
Your full name, mailing address, and email address.
Visit babyemijewelry.com and tell us what the deadline for Mother's Day gifts is.
Tell us about the child who will receive the anklet and why they should win it.
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The contest closes February 29 at 7 am EST. (For terms & conditions, click here.)

Tribunal Opens Special, Limited Audit

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 February 2008

Sok Khemara reports in Khmer (1.36 MB) - Download (MP3)
Sok Khemara reports in Khmer (1.36 MB) - Listen (MP3)

The Khmer Rouge tribunal will allow an audit for human resources and administration, officials said Wednesday, but the scope is not likely to look into allegations of kickbacks and misspending.
A private consulting company is undertaking the audit, but a tribunal spokesman and a spokesman for the UNDP declined to comment on specifics Wednesday.
The tribunal has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, and a UNDP audit last year found concerning hiring practices.
The recent audit comes as foreign donors like the US consider direct funding for the tribunal, which says it needs about $114 million to finish its work.

US to Send Off Remains of Missing Serviceman


By Heng Reaksmey, VOA
Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
28 February 2008

The US will hold a ceremony Saturday to fly out the remains of an American serviceman missing in action since the Vietnam War and recently recovered, an embassy official said Thursday.
A US team found the remains during searches in Ratanakkiri province and Koh Tang, a US embassy statement said.
They will be flown to Hawaii and analyzed, the statement said.
"At this point, the search teams believe the remains are associated with one US serviceman," US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle said.
About 55 Americans remain unrecovered, he said, but Cambodian cooperation had allowed for the repatriation of the remains of 29 Americans.

3 Sentenced in K'pong Chhnang Land Dispute

Brutal as they are, past evictions have seen houses torched, owners beaten and arrested.



By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer


Original report from Phnom Penh


28 February 2008



Kampong Chhnang provincial court ordered two people to eight months in prison Thursday, and a third in absentia, finding they had ignored a court order to stay off a tract of private land.
The courts sentenced the two, one man, Sar Song, and one woman, Oun Thum, despite the protests of about 150 people outside the court, who demanded their release.
A third man, Yuos To, was sentenced to eight months in absentia.
The sentences stemmed from a lawsuit by a private company that claimed the three refused to stop living on company land.
Protestors told VOA Khmer by phone Thursday they believed the courts and local officials had been paid off by the local company, known by its initials, KDC, to push them off their land.
Srei Aun, daughter of Oun Thum, called the courts "unjust."
"People who have made no mistake are sentenced to jail, and people who have made mistakes are not punished," she said.
She accused Commune Chief Dy Doeurn of colluding with KDC to oust people from the land.
Dy Doeurn said Thursday he had no relationship with the company. KDC could not be reached for comment.
Sao Pheareak, a rights investigator for Licadho, who monitored the hearing and protest this morning, said the court's decision was unfair.
"As I see it, the company never owned that land," he said.
Provincial Judge Veng Huk dismissed accusations of injustice, telling VOA Khmer by phone Thursday he had made his decision based on the law.
"We already examined the case and saw that those three people grabbed the land of the others, who paid for the official letter of property ownership," he said.
The protestors fired stones from slingshots at military police, injuring one officer, Veng Huk added.
The protestors represented about 108 families who lost their land in a dispute with KDC that has lasted since 2006 and where both sides have accused the other of land theft.

Canada Announces Election Funding


By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 February 2008
The Canadian government pledged $1 million Wednesday to help fund the upcoming national elections.
The money came at the request of the government for donor support of the elections, slated for July 2008.
The money would be channeled through the UNDP and go directly to the National Election Committee, according to a Canadian Embassy statement.

Thursday 28 February 2008

Duch Shows Judges His Old Prison





















Duch's first court appearance in Dec. 2007.
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh


In the second day of tribunal "re-enactments," jailed Khmer Rouge cadre Duch on Wednesday toured the infamous prison he once supervised under the regime.
Neighbors stood in silence as a convoy, sirens wailing, carried Duch from his tribunal detention cell to the prison, where as many as 16,000 Cambodians were tortured at the center and later executed.
Many of the dead were buried at the Choeung Ek "killing fields," which Duch and tribunal officials visited Tuesday.
Officials said the tours, called "re-enactments," are part of the standard proceedings at the tribunal, where Duch has been charged with crimes against humanity for his role as chief of the prison.
Tight security prevented media coverage near the prison, in the center of Phnom Penh, as tribunal judges questioned Duch and witnesses at the now-popular tourist site.
"This onsite investigation allowed us to clarify the facts in order to describe the location better," tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said at the end of a full day. "The accused and witnesses, they moved with judges to different places in this compound, around the site, and each of them gave an explanation to what happened here 30 years ago."
Bun Thoeun, a 70-year-old with a house near Tuol Sleng, said he appreciated the efforts of the tribunal, especially in bringing Duch to the prison.
"But my suffering with Duch is still the same as before," he said. "Since Duch left Tuol Sleng in 1979, he has never returned to see his crime."

Cambodia expects 2008 growth of 7.3 percent - PM

Prime Minister Hun Sen speaking during an inaugurating ceremony of the new railway line in Poipet early this month.


PHNOM PENH, Feb 28 - Cambodia's economy is expected to expand by 7.3 percent this year, a slower rate than in 2007 due to the pressure of high world oil prices, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday.
However, a blossoming private sector, overseas aid, sustained foreign investment and continued political stability should ensure healthy growth in the key garment, tourism, construction and agriculture sectors, he said.
"Cambodia needs to sustain this growth to catch up with and keep pace with neighbouring countries," Hun Sen said at a economic conference for international investors.
Cambodia's economy struggled during the 1990s to shake off the legacy of decades of civil war and upheaval, including the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields".
However, it has taken off in the last few years, and expanded at an estimated 9.6 percent last year, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Its gross domestic product is $8.4 billion, giving a per- capita annual income of more than $500.
The garment sector, valued at $3.8 billion last year, represents the lion's share of exports, a government report showed.
The Southeast Asian nation also received 1.7 million tourists last year and expects a 25 percent increase in 2008.
The report said reserves had increased by $600 million last year to $1.7 billion, but said the country ran a trade deficit of $1.5 billion, mainly due to the increase in value of petroleum imports.

Tangled up in blue

Sweat shop in Asia.
Veronica Horwell
Published 28 February 2008

Fugitive Denim: a Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global TradeRachel Louise Snyder W W Norton, 329pp, £15.99

The pants of Rachel Louise Snyder's subtitle are indigo-blue denim jeans, and the idea is to follow production from the Azerbaijani cotton farm to the Manhattan concept design store. That makes her book sound like a documentary of a process and far more linear than it really is, as none of the trash-laden Azerbaijani fibre ends up in the organic, socially responsible hundred-quid-plus Edun jeans on sale in NYC. Nor are Edun's fabrics designed in the research department of the Legler company in northern Italy where Snyder also hung out; nor are they bandsaw-cut and production-line-sewn in the factories of Cambodia and south China, where she did her detailed needle fieldwork.
So what we've got here, with the pants legging it between them, is scenes on location in the fibre, textile and fashion worlds. Chiefly character scenes, as Snyder is a fine reporter who, uncommonly, does her best listening when her interviewees go off-topic and talk about anything but the product. (She gives great asides.) There is the underemployed Azeri cotton tester, qualified through family tradition and an award from the Gdynia Cotton Association to determine the indifferent grades of local staple for which there is unlikely to be an international demand at any price. There are the Cambodian factory hands, not sweatshop victims despite their grim living conditions, often the sole support for parents and siblings. Their precarious income depends on politically motivated trade agreements besides fickle western demand.
Don't presume those further up the supply chain are any more secure: a technician in Italy, daughter of a man who worked in the Legler company for 40 years, and married to a senior employee there, loses her job while Snyder watches, as the firm leaches manufacturing. Even the dwellers in Edun, the pain-in-the-bootylicious-bum company that wants to make not very many pairs of expensive jeans, are aware that, with permanent investment in the firm's worldwide growers and machinists, it may easily go bust. And Edun's scenes, like the others, were recorded circa 2005-2006, long before the retail curtailment that now lies ahead of us all.
Snyder is always aware of deadlines for quota negotiations and tariff repeals, but she doesn't anywhere envisage a looming financial downturn, a change of climate in all senses, doesn't consider that the zip-lockers of Phnom Penh have depended not on the steady business of necessity, but on the extreme excesses of the past decade. Much of the cotton picked, spun, woven and seamed across these chapters must have ended up as landfill in the west within a couple of years of being plucked from the stalk.
She has a brilliant brief chapter on Verité (a US charity that audits overseas factories contracted to famous brands) teaching comity - deportment, etiquette, how not to chew gum while ballroom dancing - to Shenzen production hands; but there is never a mention of the financial basis for the denim churn; China has in effect loaned the US the credit to pay for the purchase of zillions of pairs of pants, and much else besides, from its own unspent monies. Maybe Snyder cannot project a changed future when the twill won't circulate because her grasp of the past is shaky: anyone who can come up, in a one-par history of indigo, with the sentence "The Brits freaked out enemy armies by painting their bodies blue four hundred or so years ago" has her griefs with ethnic identity, dates and shade differences between indigo and woad (if indeed Julius Caesar meant woad when he described Pictish/Celtic tattoos: their blue ink was likely iron- or copper-based). Her stuff on the ascendancy of the fibre is flimsy, and she repeats old Hollywood-hippie tropes about why jeans became the nether-half garment of the late 20th century.
Never mind. No one else could have written anything like her fresh report on an arbitration council hearing a dispute between Khmer union leaders and Chinese management - they didn't speak the same language, and, moreover, misheard each other's decibellage; or her melancholy synopsis of the Cambodian minister of commerce and garment manufacturers' association heads expending $350,000 in Washington to lobby for five minutes' attention from President Bush, which they didn't get, in the hope of a trade act that would ensure a decade of duty-free status and secure Phnom Penh pay packets for a few more days. It all matters. Swathes of the British empire were acquired in pursuit of yardages of handworked cotton, and much of the rest of it chasing after markets in which to sell tonnages of mechanically spewed cotton. Reading Snyder, I can see the American empire will also have its expansion and fall charted in cotton.

Cambodia bans songs deemed to incite marital infidelity

Phnom Penh - The titles of the three songs banned from public broadcast for inciting infidelity say it all, according to Cambodian government and cultural officials, local media reported Thursday. The offending songs, If I Can't Be First Can I Be Second?, Love Another's Husband and May I Have a Piece of Your Heart Too? have been banished from the nation's thousands of karaoke restaurants, Khmer-language Koh Santepheap reported.
"We are searching for other songs which affect people's honour, especially that of women," the paper quoted Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema as saying.
The three songs are all written to be sung by women, but pop music analysts said Thursday they are relatively obscure tunes.
The ban is a further step by the government to crack down on unfaithfulness and "uphold cultural values."
Cambodia passed a controversial monogamy law in September 2006 which would see adulterers punished by up to 250 dollars in fines and a year in jail, though only one case has so far gone to court.
Although an outwardly conservative culture, the practice of keeping second wives, or mistresses, remains common, and many karaoke girls seek out "sweethearts" to supplement their earnings.
"People can still play the songs in private - this is only a public ban," one official said on condition of anonymity. "I don't think music has much to do with it, but it's an official request."

Cambodian leader slams UN for giving asylum to refugees without consulting government

Mr. Hun Sen and wife, Bun Rany.
The Associated Press
Published: February 28, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's prime minister slammed the U.N.'s refugee agency Thursday for using Cambodian territory to grant political asylum to foreign refugees without first consulting his government.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the Cambodian office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has granted asylum to refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.
"What right does it (UNHCR) have to use Cambodian territory to provide foreign nationals with political asylum without seeking permission from the Cambodian authorities," Hun Sen said in a speech at a development conference.
He did not say how many refugees were in Cambodia or how long they had been there. He said he ordered the foreign affairs and interior ministries to look into the issue with the UNHCR.
Toshi Kawauchi, a UNHCR protection officer, declined to comment on the issue, saying in an e-mail his office is "not in a position to discuss the numbers and other details of the refugees."
The relationship between Cambodia and the U.N. agency has been rocky in recent years, especially over the issue of refugees fleeing neighboring Vietnam.
Thousands of Vietnamese hill tribe people known as Montagnards have fled to Cambodia since 2001, when Vietnam's communist government cracked down on protests against land confiscation and restrictions on religious freedom. Many have been resettled in the United States, and a small number have voluntarily returned to Vietnam.

Cambodian court delays verdict in diplomat case

ABC Radio Australia
The Cambodian Supreme Court in Phnom Penh has delayed a verdict in the case of three men charged with attempting to murder western diplomats.Haji Chiming Abdulazi and Muhammady Alaludim Mading, from Thailand, and Cambodian Sman Esma El have already been sentenced to life by the Municipal Court and the Appeals Court. The men appealed to the Supreme Court, which has decided to withhold its verdict until March 13.The men were charged with planning to murder diplomats through suicide bombings and explosions against western embassies in Phnom Penh.The US, British and Canadian embassies were among those targeted.The court heard the men had links with the regional terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah.The group's leader, Hambali, was arrested by the Thai authorities in February 2004, after reportedly staying in Cambodia for six months.

Rainsy, Ranariddh, Kem Sokha: Unite or Not to Unite, That Is Just the Question

"The Beehive Radio had conducted their survey and the results are surprisingly resounding: 99.5% of voters are for an alliance and unity among the three parties........If these three parties go to the poll with three parties’ names on the ballot paper separately, they have no chance of defeating the CPP and Mr. Hun Sen at all. Zilch."

Editorial by Khmerization:- The question of an opposition alliance has been raised so very often that it is too important for all interested parties to ignore. The reality of the matter is that all of them, in particular, the Sam Rainsy Party, have only one goal: that is to defeat the CPP and Mr. Hun Sen in the upcoming election. If one assumes that this is their real aim, then one has to assume that an alliance of some sort between the three, before the election, is a must. And the voters have said resoundingly so.
The Beehive Radio had conducted their survey and the results are surprisingly resounding: 99.5% of voters are for an alliance and unity among the three parties (read the article below). My own survey posted in this blog (http://Khmerization.blogspot.com) for the last few months had received less encouraging results: only 51% are for an alliance. But one must bear in mind that what is important is the verdict of the voters- and this I mean the results of the Beehive Radio survey. Those respondents are the voters in the upcoming 2008 election who can decide to bring victory or defeat for the opposition.
The case for an alliance is simple: the opposition goes to the election in one voice and one vote. By going to the poll separately these so-called democratic parties will split the opposition votes and will surely give the CPP a solid edge in which to easily steal the election victory.
Mr. Sam rainsy’s resistance and reluctance to form an alliance with Prince Ranariddh is understandable. He had been betrayed, not once, but three times by Prince Ranariddh in the past. The other reason seemed to be that the Sam Rainsy Party had increased popular votes from one election to another. With past electoral successes like that, the Sam Rainsy Party seemed to think that it can defeat the CPP alone and think that to join the other parties would be like sharing half of their cake (election victory) with those parties.
From an observer’s perspective, the case against an alliance is zilch. After all, the opposition’s aim is to achieve the election victory over the CPP and Mr. Hun Sen. They must settle their differences once and for all. Kem Sokha must drop his conditions and his insistence that all parties drop the party president’s name from the party’s name. Sam Rainsy must agree to sit down and work out the solution to form an alliance. If he still resist an opportunity he will be the one who will be the big loser- losing a chance to defeat the CPP and the prime ministership for himself.
From an outsider’s point of view, all the three parties must stash out their selfish political interests just for the sake of their common interests and that of the people‘s and the nation‘s.
The formula of the alliance, just for the sake of defeating the CPP and Mr. Hun Sen, should be like this: All should go the poll under the banner of the Sam Rainsy Party, as there is not enough time to use a different party name to go to the election. It takes time to make the new party’s name known to the voters. Mr. Sam Rainsy should be the PM candidate, Prince Ranariddh should be the Senate president and Kem Sokha should be the candidate for the president of the National Assembly. All the MP candidates and the positions in the new government should be allocated as follow: Sam Rainsy Party 50% and the Norodom Ranariddh Party and the Human Right Party should receive 25% each. This proportion is representative of their electoral success, if each party is to go to the poll individually. By going to the poll in one party’s name , they will maximise the electoral victory as they don’t split the opposition votes.
Let’s hope that an alliance of some sort can be worked out before the election. If these three parties go to the poll with three parties’ names on the ballot paper separately, they have no chance of defeating the CPP and Mr. Hun Sen at all. Zilch. //END//

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Sam Rainsy: Ranariddh too unstable to unite with
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who just returned from Australia on 26 February, showed a lack of interest in the call issued by Prince Ranariddh who agreed to an election to choose the president of a newly formed party, should Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha agree to unite with him. Sam Rainsy said that Prince Ranariddh’s standing is unstable and this caused difficulties in uniting with him.Sam Rainsy said the SRP permanent committee is currently holding a meeting to reflect on this proposal. “We are collecting information and all the proposals to reflect upon,” Sam Rainsy said. Nevertheless, Sam Rainsy added that the SRP does not pay too much attention to this issue, and the proposal made by the prince is nothing new.While the prince agreed to hold an election to choose the president for the would-be-formed party, should there be a union between the royalists and the democrats, Sam Rainsy is puzzled as to how this election would be held. He asked: “How do we organize it? What will be the rule?” He also said that he does not understand it very well yet.Along with the lack of interest in uniting with the prince, Sam Rainsy believed in the solid strength of his party, he said: “We believe in our own strength. Prince Ranariddh has an unstable standing and we are having difficulties uniting with.” Even though Sam Rainsy showed his faith in the solid strength of the opposition party, the recent defection of high-ranking party officials has caused some concerns in the SRP.However, Sam Rainsy said that he has a good grasp of the party grass root levels which do not pay attention to this issue. He added that the party grass root levels want the party leaders to have a strong standing. The party followers will not vote for any particular individual, but will vote only for the party as a whole.Sam Rainsy is not the only one uninterested in the prince proposal, Kem Sokha, HRP president, also is not paying attention to the request to form a union made by the prince. He even declined to participate in the forum organized by Mam Sonando on 25 February, to survey the intentions of the three parties (SRP, NRP, HRP) to unite with each other.Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights organization, pointed out the importance of the union which will provide a stronger voice for the opposition. She said that, it is normal that discordance will lead to weakness. However, she cannot predict whether these three parties can unite with each others or not. However, she noted that among these three parties, only the NRP participated in the forum organized by Mam Sonando’s Beehive radio station to discuss about the union, and to answer questions asked by the public.Mam Sonando, Beehive radio station director, who came up with the forum idea, said that he cannot predict whether the 3 parties can unite with each other or not. He is only doing what the public want to see. He said: “For Cambodian politicians, you cannot predict about them. Only when they are about to die that they look for a monk (for a last rite). It’s only when their bodies can no longer accept intravenous injection that they remember the Dharma.”
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To unite, or not to unite: that is the question
Beehive opinion poll: Majority wants to see a union of opposition parties
Monday, February 18, 2008Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A one-month opinion poll conducted by the Beehive radio station indicated that the majority of the population supports the unification among the SRP, the NRP, and the HRP. Mam Sonando, Beehive director, told the Samner Thmey newspaper that his one-month opinion poll ended on Sunday. The poll results indicated that he received 4,400 letters from listeners, and the majority of them support the unification of the SRP, the NRP, and the HRP. Mam Sonando indicated that only 22 letters did not support such union. He added that if the three political parties respect the people’s opinion, they should think about this issue. However, the unification or not depends solely on the will and the strategy adopted by each party, and the opinion poll is an initiative privately conducted by Beehive radio station only. The NRP supports this result also, but the HRP does not support this result, saying that in this opinion poll was conducted mainly among those who support Mam Sonando to start with, the SRP indicated that the unification is already taking place at the grass root levels and it is calling on minor political parties to join the SRP.

Final Voter List at 8.12 Million, NEC Says


By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 February 2008

The voter registration list for July's national elections has been finalized, with more than 8 million people expected to vote and hundreds of thousands of names dropped or added, officials said Wednesday.
About 587,000 names were cleaned from the registration lists in all 24 municipalities and provinces, and around 911,000 names were added, NEC President Im Suosdey said Wednesday.
"So the voter list for the next election 2008 is now up to 8.12 million," he said, adding that voters will be able to cast ballots at 15,254 stations nationwide.
The NEC made its final decision Tuesday and would move forward with the list, officials said at a press conference.
Opposition lawmaker Kuoy Bunroeun said during the press conference there was still a worry that legitimate voters have been cleaned from the NEC list.
"They will lose their right to vote and chose their representative," he said.
Im Suosdey said the NEC cleared even less names than have been estimated as "ghost names."
Muth Chantha, spokesman for the Norodom Ranariddh Party, expressed concern that ballots would be positioned in homes of villagers, leading to a loss of privacy, but NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said the boxes were to be set up this election in schools and pagodas.
Comfrel legal officer Kaing Sovanren recommended the NEC facilitate observers and take into consideration the neutrality of government officials, as well as considering complaints and the transmission of election information.
Im Suosdey said schedules were now being established for the recruitment of an election officer that would help concerned voters find their names on the registration list.
The period for political party registration will be from April 28 through May 12, he said.
The NEC is now looking for more than $6 million to help fund the election, which will cost an estimated $17 million.
The Cambodian government is paying at least $10 million.
Voter turnout for last year's commune elections was only about 70 percent of 7.9 million registered voters, and election monitors and other officials hope the national elections will see a better turnout--closer to the 89 percent who cast ballots in 2002.