News Khmer

Kuala Lumpur-based lender becomes 28th commercial bank to launch in the Kingdom with official opening of new branch in Phnom Penh

THE nation's 28th commercial bank - Malaysia's HwangDBS - launched in Phnom Penh on Thursday. Chea Chanto, the governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, told attendees at the opening ceremony the new entrant reflected increasing confidence by Malaysian and Singaporean investors in the banking system.

"HwangDBS Commercial bank is the fourth Malaysian bank to have invested in Cambodia so far, and its equity is 100-percent held by Hwang-
DBS Berhad, composed of Malaysian and Singaporean shareholders," said Chea Chanto.

The NBC is Cambodia's central bank and also acts as the banking regulator.

"The central bank continues to support a culture of free and fair competition to ensure reasonable interest-rate levels on loans for both borrowers and lenders," he said.

Alex Hwang, the CEO of HwangDBS Investment Bank, told a press briefing after the launch that the bank would target loans to individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. The bank has US$20 million of initial capital.

Other bankers said the increasing number of foreign banks was bringing tough competition, as they typically have access to large amounts of capital.

Pung Kheav Se, president of Canadia Bank, told the Post on Thursday he does not expect the influx of foreign banks will affect local banks to a great extent, but agreed loan rates would be dragged lower.

"Most importantly, [foreign banks] bring in fixed capital, and Cambodia lacks capital for economic development. Cambodia's economy is still emerging," he said. "[Foreign banks] don't expect to earn money at the present time - they are just building up their positions and envisaging future potential."

Chhay Soeun, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of ACLEDA Bank, said foreign banks see the Kingdom as a good opportunity.

"Economically speaking, interest rates are low in their own countries with few opportunities to invest. But in Cambodia, an emerging market, businesses and investors need capital to expand, and interest rates here are high compared to developed countries, so they can make more profit," he said. "Also, they see political stability, and that boosts the confidence of foreign investors."

Chhay Soeun said ACLEDA raised its annual fixed-deposit rate to 7 percent from 6.5 percent last year, while cutting loan rates by 2 percent to between 10 and 14 percent for large and medium-sized loans.

"Competition means we need to lower our loan rates," he said.

Hectic schedule of weddings, funerals is taxing Cambodia's achar.
PRIME Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that the Ministry of Cults and Religions and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts should cooperate to address the shortage of Buddhist laymen by improving training and recruiting practices, particularly given the abundance of weddings and other ceremonies that take place throughout the Kingdom each year.

"Nowadays, the shortage of laymen [in Cambodia] is a serious crisis," Hun Sen said during his closing remarks at a workshop on Cambodian culture Wednesday.
Buddhist laymen, known in Khmer as achar, are responsible for presiding over and administering blessings at traditional ceremonies, including weddings and funerals.

In his speech, Hun Sen estimated that there are at least 5,000 wedding celebrations around the country each year.

Minister of Cults and Religions Min Khin said Thursday that the ministry conducted meetings with monks and layman committees to research the problem after Hun Sen first mentioned the layman shortage in May.

He said a workshop on the issue was scheduled for August.

To solve the problem, Min Khin said officials needed to establish national standards for the training of laymen and to distribute educational materials throughout the country.

Also Wednesday, Hun Sen criticised the practice of cake-cutting at wedding celebrations, a practice he said was more appropriate for foreigners than for Cambodians.

Regional rail plans
In the same address, Hun Sen called on ASEAN member states to contribute financial support to the Cambodian stretches of the projected ASEAN railway project.

"Other countries say it is an ASEAN railway ... why should it be only Cambodia who pays for it?" he asked.

"It is true the railway will be built on Khmer territory, but it will benefit all ASEAN nations, so they should pay to help build it," he said.

Much of Cambodia's rail system is in disrepair, so renovations could prove expensive.

Hun Sen said he would need to consider the costs of any proposed railway project before approving it, adding that it should be profitable in the long term.

A group of white-shouldered ibis fly over a river in this photo provided by Birdlife International in Indochina, which reported this week that the largest number of of white-shouldered ibis ever counted had been recorded in Stung Treng's Siem Pang district, making western Siem Pang the "single most important site for the species". At least 161 birds were counted.

Money for the call-in programme could run out within six months, hosts say.
FOR more than two years, the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation (TPO) and the Women's Media Centre of Cambodia (WMC) have broadcast a call-in radio programme aimed at helping survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime deal with mental health issues. Questions about funding, however, may spell the programme's demise by the end of this year, its co-hosts said in recent interviews.

The programme, titled Past in Present, airs on the Radio WMC, 102 FM, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 3pm to 4pm. It is hosted by Muny Sothara, a psychiatrist at Preah Kossamak Hospital and technical consultant for TPO, and co-host Khuon Kovisokha, a radio producer and presenter for the WMC.

"We are broadcasting this programme at the same time as the Khmer Rouge trials because we expect that the trials have reawakened painful memories for many people in Cambodia," Muny Sothara said. "This programme is meant to help them cope with their pain on their own, without medication if possible."

Many people with painful memories of the Pol Pot regime have few forums in which to discuss them, which causes them to hide or try to forget their pasts, he said. The goal of "Past in Present" has been to give those people an opportunity to discuss those memories openly and to receive advice on how to cope with them.

"The callers who talk about their problems are not only helping themselves, but also others, especially those listeners who are afraid to share their own stories," he added.

Khuon Kovisokha said the number of listeners had increased since the show began broadcasting in early 2007, though she could not provide statistics.

Prak Siphann Narath, 51, said his call to Past in Present had enabled him to speak at length about memories of the regime for the first time.

"Whenever I tried to talk about what happened to my family under the Khmer Rouge, I would always start crying, and I couldn't speak," said the survivor, who lost his parents and all 10 of his siblings to the Khmer Rouge. "After I listened to this radio programme, I dared to speak because the psychiatrist encouraged me."

Past in Present was supported initially by a handful of groups, including AusAID, the aid arm of the Australian government. AusAID funding expired last year, which both Khuon Kovisokha and Muny Sothara said could prevent the programme from operating after the end of 2009.

Belinda Mericourt, senior programme manager at Aus-AID, said funding for Past in Present had come from Aus-AID's short-term small grants fund, and that it expired last year at the end of the original contract. She said TPO and the WMC didn't apply for an extension of the grant, but instead submitted a different proposal, which was rejected.

The hosts said they were unsure whether other organisations would provide funding for future programming, though they said they were hoping they could keep Past in Present on the air.

(From left) Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, Brunei Foreign Minister Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Cambodia Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan reach for one another's hands during a group photo at the start of the 42nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Plus Three (China, Japan and South Korea) ministerial meeting at the resort island of Phuket. Hor Namhong and other ministers were to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday.

À la lecture de la presse anglophone de Bangkok, on est fréquemment surpris d’un manque patent de neutralité quant à l’affaire du temple de Préah Vihear.

Le parti de la Thaïlande y est pris sans nuance et l’on va jusqu’à affirmer que les Cambodgiens seraient les véritables fauteurs de troubles, tout comme les premiers à tirer…
Le souci de vérité tout comme l’amitié que j’ai pour le Cambodge me forcent ici à tenter de clarifier quelques points d’histoire concernant les rapports entre les deux pays.

Provenant de Chine méridionale, c’est vers la fin du IXe siècle que ceux qui allaient devenir les Siamois, puis les Thais, commencent à s’établir sur les marches septentrionales de l’empire khmer, au nord de la chaîne des Dangreks.Ils se renforcent progressivement jusqu’à devenir le Royaume Thaï d’Ayuthaya qui saccagera Angkor à deux reprises en 1351 et 1431, déportant chaque fois une grande partie de la population khmère et imposant sa suzeraineté sur le Cambodge, dont il annexera au fil du temps des provinces entières.


« Atlantide en sursis », avalé au Nord Ouest par le Siam et à l’Est par le Vietnam, le Cambodge allait tout bonnement disparaître. Conscient de cela, le roi Ang Duong sollicita en 1853 l'intervention de la France de Napoléon III. Mis au courant, les Siamois firent échouer ce traité d'alliance et c’est le fils d’Ang Duong, le Roi Norodom, qui signera finalement en 1863 ce traité de Protectorat avec la France.
L’influence des Anglais était forte sur le Siam, mais l’accord franco-britannique du 14 juillet 1884, avait reconnu comme « zone française » le bassin du Mékong, ce qui n’empêcha pas les Siamois de couper ledit bassin et de s’avancer à travers le Laos. Ces empiètements répétés conduisirent, en juillet 1893, une flottille française à remonter le Ménam jusqu’à Bangkok. La France fit alors le blocus des côtes, ce qui obligea la cour du Siam à renoncer à toute revendication sur la rive gauche du Mékong tandis que nous gardions en otage les provinces de Chantaboun et de Paknam. Des troupes de la marine occupèrent ces régions jusqu’à la Convention de 1904 qui rendait au Cambodge la province côtière de Koh Kong ainsi que celle de Steung Treng, assorties des régions de Melou Preï et Tonle Repou, territoires cédés par le Siam au Laos et réintégrés au Cambodge par la France.

Cette Convention de 1904 conduisit au Traité de 1907, où, contre retour au Siam des provinces de Trat, Chantaboun et du territoire de Dan Sai dans l’actuelle province de Loei, le Roi Chulalongkorn (Rama V) abandonnait à la France, qui les rétrocédait au Cambodge, les provinces de Battambang, de Sisophon et de Siem Reap.
Lorsque le Roi Sisowath pu finalement se rendre à Angkor reprendre possession de ces terres indubitablement khmères il déclara que c’était là « la plus grande gloire de son règne ».

Mais les Siamois ne renoncèrent jamais, profitant de la défaite française face à l’Allemagne lors de la seconde guerre mondiale, ils violent immédiatement le pacte de non-agression signé avec la France le 12 juin 1940.

Le Premier ministre thaïlandais Phibun organise alors une série de manifestations nationalistes et anti-françaises à Bangkok, puis des escarmouches frontalières se succèdent le long du Mékong. L’aviation thaïlandaise, supérieure en nombre, bombarde de jour Vientiane, Sisophon, et Battambang en toute impunité. Les forces aériennes françaises tentent des raids en représailles, mais les dégâts causés sont bien moindres. En décembre 1940, la Thaïlande occupe Pak-Lay et le Bassac.

Début janvier 1941, Bangkok lance une offensive sur le Laos et le Cambodge. La résistance franco-indochinoise est en place, mais la plupart des unités sont surpassées par les forces thaïlandaises, mieux équipées (20 chars côté français, 134 côté siamois). Les Thaïlandais occupent rapidement le Laos, alors qu’au Cambodge la résistance française est meilleure.

Le 16 janvier, la France lance une large contre-offensive menée par le 5e REI (Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie) sur les villages de Yang Dang Khum et de Phum Préav, où se déroulent les plus féroces combats de la guerre. La contre-attaque est bloquée et s’achève par une retraite, mais les Thaïlandais ne peuvent poursuivre les forces françaises, leurs blindés ayant été cloués au sol par les canons anti-char français (qui, faute de moyens adéquats, avaient été tractés sur place par des bœufs). Alors que la situation à terre est critique pour la France, l’amiral Decoux donne le feu vert pour exécuter une opération contre la marine thaïlandaise. L'ordre est donné aux navires de guerre disponibles d’attaquer dans le golfe de Thaïlande. Au matin du 17 janvier 1941, le « groupe occasionnel » attaque les navires thaïlandais à Koh Chang. Bien que la flotte ennemie la surclasse largement en nombre, l'opération de la marine française, s'achève par une victoire complète. À l'issue du combat, une bonne partie de la flotte de guerre thaïlandaise est détruite. Mais, le 24 janvier, la bataille aérienne finale a lieu lorsque l’aéroport de Siem Reap est atteint par un raid des bombardiers thaïlandais.
Le Japon intervient rapidement dans le conflit au profit des Thaïs, impose un armistice, puis un traité de paix, le 9 mai, par lequel la France abandonne les provinces cambodgiennes de Battambang et Siem Reap, ainsi que les provinces laotiennes de Champassak et Sayaburi, soit un territoire de plus de 50 000 km2 habité par 420 000 personnes.

Les territoires annexés au Cambodge ne seront restitués par la Thaïlande, sous pression internationale (traité de Washington), qu'en novembre 1947.

Mais dès 1953, alors que le Cambodge accède à peine à l’indépendance, des troupes thaïes investissent Préah Vihear, en chassent les fonctionnaires khmers et hissent leur drapeau national. Neuf ans plus tard, en 1962, l’habileté consommée du prince Sihanouk permit d’obtenir une décision internationale de justice et les Thaïs durent faire marche arrière, mais le répit allait être de courte durée, la guerre arrivait et Préah Vihear y serait engouffré.

Passons sur les occupations successives du site par les armées en conflit, la reddition des dernières troupes de Lon Nol aux Khmers rouges en mai 1975, le pire moment de son histoire fut un effroyable holocauste orchestré il y a trente ans par l’arm
thaïlandaise elle-même !

Le temple est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO

Le temple est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO
Peu après la défaite des Khmers rouges en 1979, la Thaïlande fut submergée de réfugiés cambodgiens et pour démontrer au monde qu’elle ne pouvait seule sans argent gérer ce phénomène, elle planifia une atroce mise en scène. Au matin du vendredi 8 juin 1979, 110 bus se rangèrent devant le camp de Nong Chan qui abritait des dizaines de milliers de réfugiés cambodgiens. On leur déclara qu’ils allaient être transférés dans un camp plus à même de les recevoir et tous ces survivants du génocide Khmer rouge furent renvoyés en enfer…

Fort éloigné de Nong Chan, le site de Préah Vihear avait été choisi à dessein, on se vengeait de la perte du temple en 1962. Une falaise abrupte couverte de jungle, des mines par milliers, l’issue ne faisait pas de doute…

Comprenant ce qui allait se passer, les malheureux réfugiés durent être sortis des bus sous la menace des armes. Des scènes horribles eurent lieu : arrivés de nuit, bus après bus, les Cambodgiens furent poussés comme du bétail entre deux rangées de militaires sur un étroit chemin, non sans avoir été dépouillé de tout l’argent qu’ils possédaient. Les militaires maniaient leurs armes comme des bâtons et tiraient sur ceux qui refusaient de descendre le chemin. Terrorisés à l’idée de sauter sur les mines innombrables (posées par les Khmers rouges quatre ans auparavant), les réfugiés tentaient par tous les moyens de rester sur le chemin, mais plus haut, on poussait sans cesse de nouveaux malheureux et les gens étaient finalement forcés de marcher dans le champ de mines. Il fallut trois jours aux survivants pour traverser cette étendue de mort, de soif et de faim au milieu des cadavres en putréfaction et des blessés se tordant de douleur. On estime à quarante-cinq mille le nombre de Cambodgiens ainsi expulsés. Pendant plusieurs jours, ils furent convoyés en enfer par une noria de bus, mais il est impossible d’estimer le nombre des victimes, les Khmers rouges n’ont pas tenu de registre…

On ignore trop cette affreuse page d’histoire pour ne retenir que cette « Amazing Thailand » des brochures touristiques. Les torts des Thaïs à l’encontre des Khmers doivent être rappelés, non pour dresser à nouveau les peuples les uns contre les autres, mais pour que justice soit enfin rendue.

Les Cambodgiens n’agressent personne, ils sont trop conscients du déséquilibre des forces en présence, il n’y a de leur part que du courage et de la détermination à défendre leur pays, mais la Thaïlande a trop de problèmes intérieurs pour ne pas tenter d’exploiter le mythe de l’Union Sacrée contre la barbarie du voisin, les morts du passé n’y changeront rien.

Cette tragédie est malheureusement loin d’un heureux dénouement, les Américains détestent trop Hun Sen pour raisonner leurs partenaires thaïs, et quant aux Français, il est peu probable qu’ils enverront une fois de plus des canonnières devant Bangkok…

HNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk has been successfully treated for a third bout of cancer, according to a handwritten royal letter posted on his website.

The 86-year-old, who left for Beijing in July last year to receive medical treatment for other illnesses, thanked his "most eminent" and "devoted" Chinese doctors who have been treating him there.

"Indeed, the terrific result of their (incomparable) care is here: my third cancer (B-cell lymphoma) has completely disappeared," Sihanouk said in the letter dated Monday.


The former monarch announced the discovery of the new cancer in late December.

Sihanouk was first diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a cancer affecting blood cells crucial to the immune system, in 1993. The cancer began in his prostate and recurred in 2005 in his stomach.

Sihanouk has suffered from a number of other ailments including diabetes and hypertension.

One of Asia's longest-serving monarchs, Sihanouk abruptly quit the throne in October 2004 in favor of his elder son, Norodom Sihamoni, citing old age and health problems.

Despite abdicating, Sihanouk remains a prominent figure in Cambodia and often uses messages on his website to comment on matters of state.

The Second Army Region commander Lt-General Wiboonsak Neeparn Sunday instructed troops stationing at area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear to get ready for an possible attack as Phnom Penh disappointed with the Thai government's objection to the temple's world heritage inscription.

The army commander General Anupong Paochinda phoned to check the situation with concern but insisted Thai troops not to open fire first, he said.

"But if the opponent open fire, we have to exercise our selfdefense right and retaliate," Wiboonsak told reporters.



The Nation

However the situation on the ground is normal as both Thai and Cambodia troops are in their respective position, he said.

BANGKOK, June 23 (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is sending his right-hand man to Cambodia in a bid to calm rising tensions over an ancient temple claimed by both countries on their disputed border.

The Saturday visit by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Taugsuban will follow Thailand's latest challenge of a U.N. decision to make the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple a world heritage site under the sole jurisdiction of Cambodia.

"I will explain to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that we have problems with UNESCO, not with Cambodia," Suthep told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the U.N. culture body.


Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the Hindu temple perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the Southeast Asian neighbours and could one day be a lucrative tourist site.

"From my personal acquaintance with him, Hun Sen does not want Cambodia and Thailand to have trouble with each other," Suthep said.

Nationalist passions were aroused in both countries last year when the temple, and questions over its ownership, were dragged into domestic politics.

There have been several border skirmishes in recent months.

In the most recent flare-up in April, two Thai soldiers died in an exchange of rocket and rifle fire with Cambodian troops.

Thailand's latest questioning of the temple's status has angered Phnom Penh, and both sides have sent more troops to the disputed area around Preah Vihear.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters at the weekend that his country was ready to fend off any attacks from Thailand "either militarily, diplomatically or through legal action at the international court".

The sabre-rattling comes ahead of this week's UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville, Spain, at which both Cambodia and Thailand have representatives.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Abhisit blamed the border tensions on UNESCO for "trying to register and manage the area when the process of demarcation hasn't been completed".

"Since they have been active in this, we have casualties, we have tensions, and tourists can't go there any more. That defeats the whole purpose of World Heritage, restoring the heritage for local people, for tourists," Abhisit said.

The Thai leader said he and Hun Sen agreed at their meeting this month to resolve the temple row without violence and not let it stand in the way of cooperation on other issues.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Both sides have talked about developing the site as a tourist destination. It stands some 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army. (Additional reporting by Ek Madra in Phnom Penh; Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Jerry Norton)

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 June 2009


The National Assembly voted to suspend the parliamentary immunity of two opposition lawmakers Monday, as journalists and diplomats were barred from the session.

The two Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers, Mu Sochua and Ho Vann, are each facing lawsuits from figures in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, which has a vast majority of National Assembly seats.

Mu Sochua is being sued by Prime Minister Hun Sen for defamation, and Ho Vann faces a similar charge from a block of 22 military officers, following public criticism of certificates they were awarded by the Vietnamese government.

Mu Sochua’s original lawsuit against Hun Sen, for allegedly degrading remarks made during the 2008 election campaign, has been dropped by the court.


Democracy advocates have said the cases represent political intimidation and an erosion on the freedom of expression.

Lawmakers from two opposition parties gathered after Monday’s session wearing masks to protest the immunity pull.

All 90 of the CPP lawmakers were present for the closed-door session Monday.

“The National Assembly is thinking of the [CPP],” Mu Sochua told reporters after the decision Monday. “The National Assembly is not an National Assembly belonging to the nation.”

She called the decision a “very serious” blow to Cambodian democracy. “The suspension of parliamentary immunity has no justice.”

Ho Vann called the decision “not fair or proper, because I corrected what I said.”

Am Sam Ath, chief of the investigation unit for the rights group Licadho, called the decision improper, as both cases were minor, while Rong Chhun, head of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Assocition, called on all 26 opposition lawmakers to resign from the National Assembly over the matter.

“The parliamentarians cannot defend themselves,” he said. “So the people will face a violation of their rights and freedoms, because the parliament represents the people, to protect the people, and now, parliamentary immunity is not guaranteed. This is a serious point.”

CPP parliamentarian Cheam Yiep said Monday the decision had been made “following the procedures and the law.”

“We must respect the law,” he said.

Journalists, diplomats and other observers were barred from Monday’s meeting.

“We’re surprised and disappointed about this,” Elizabeth Haven, deputy chief mission for the British Embassy told reporters in front of the National Assembly. “We do not understand why access has been denied. We normally monitor the National Assembly.”

“Usually, this should be a public session,” said German Ambassador Frank Mann, adding that he too was disappointed.

Mu Sochua reiterated Monday claims that she would not flee the country and would struggle by legal means against Hun Sen’s lawsuit. She did say, however, that she is to travel for business purposes to the United States and would be back in early July.

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – A Khmer Rouge prison chief has told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes trial that he was "shocked" when confronted with his bloody past and has prayed annually for forgiveness.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, is on trial for overseeing the torture and extermination of 15,000 people who passed through the hardline communist movement's notorious Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21.

"When I arrived at S-21, I was shocked for the numerous things that happened there. I saw the victims or the survivors -- three of them -- who stood before me. What happened in the past came back into my mind," Duch said.

The 66-year-old was describing his visit with court investigators last year to the former prison, which now serves as a genocide museum, so that he could re-enact his crimes.


Duch's defence team proceeded to show a short video of the visit, in which he attempts to speak but begins to sob uncontrollably, removes his glasses and is comforted by his lawyer.

"I made a speech for the souls of those who died. This is something that I can never forget, the trip to Choeung Ek (the so-called killing field where prisoners were killed) and S-21 in Phnom Penh," Duch said.

He told the court he became consumed with sorrow after fleeing the prison in the face of Vietnam's 1979 invasion of Cambodia, and began to make an annual prayer offering.

"First I asked forgiveness to my parents, then I asked forgiveness from all my teachers, then I asked forgiveness to the victims of all the crimes," Duch said.

He then asked judges for permission to make a statement to the daughter of one of Tuol Sleng's victims who was sitting in court.

However trial chamber president Nil Nonn denied the request, telling him he would only be allowed to use testimony to speak to victims near the end of proceedings.

Earlier in the day, Duch told the court he was twice incriminated in written confessions by prisoners interrogated at his jail, and both times he left the text for his superiors to see in trust that his loyalty would save him.

"I did not make any changes to it because if I did, people would notice that I deleted my name because I did not want to be implicated," Duch said.

Swiss lawyer Alain Werner asked Duch how he then avoided being interrogated and executed, which was standard practice for those named in confessions during the 1975-1979 regime.

"Why did nothing happen to you even though you were implicated twice in confessions? Was it because you were protected by your superiors... who admired your zeal?" Werner said.

Duch answered that the confessions, by a purged superior and a former teacher, were not particularly strong, but added: "The fact is I survived because I insisted I was loyal to (Khmer Rouge leaders)."

As his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity began in March, the former maths teacher begged forgiveness from the victims of the movement and accepted responsibility for his role at Tuol Sleng.

But Duch has consistently rejected claims by prosecutors that he had a central role in the Khmer Rouge's iron-fisted rule. He maintains he tortured only two people himself and never personally executed anyone.

The court does not have the authority to impose the death penalty, but Duch faces a life sentence for war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and premeditated murder.

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, and many believe the tribunal is the last chance to find justice for victims of the communist regime, which killed up to two million people.

However the troubled tribunal also faces accusations of interference by the Cambodian government and claims that local staff were forced to pay kickbacks for their jobs.

Un extrait de la reconstitution qui a eu lieu à S-21 a été diffusé à la demande de la défense. Dans cet extrait inédit de trois minutes, Duch confronté à son passé n’a pu réprimer ses larmes.
Dans cette vidéo diffusée mardi 23 juin devant la cour des CETC, l’accusé apparaît accompagné par son avocat Francois Roux ainsi que par des membres de l’unité des victimes.



Cette reconstitution effectuée à la demande des juges d’instruction a été réalisée en février 2008 et filmée comme un élément à porter au dossier d’instruction.
De retour à Tuol Sleng près de trente ans après l’avoir fui, Duch est ainsi confronté à son passé, face à trois rescapés du centre de sécurité.

En présentant cet extrait, sans doute la défense a-t-elle voulu adoucir l’image que présente l’accusé depuis le début du procès : à savoir un homme froid, en permanence maître de lui. Dans la reconstitution, Duch présente un aspect beaucoup plus humain, ému aux larmes et demandant pardon.

La diffusion de cet extrait vidéo par la défense intervient dans le cadre du sujet abordé depuis six jours, à savoir le rôle de l’accusé dans le fonctionnement interne de S-21.

Changement de programme pour les audiences qui se poursuivent cet après- midi à huis clos, suite à la demande de Francoix Roux qui doit quitter le pays ce soir pour raisons familiales. Le sujet abordé lors de cette réunion de mise en état, initialement prévu le jeudi 25 juin, concerne la limitation du nombre de témoins appelés à la barre de façon à réduire la durée globale de « l’affaire numéro un ».

Thailand is appealing to the United Nations cultural organisation to find a solution to its bitter row with Cambodia over an 11th Century temple complex.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has announced his country's heritage committee will ask the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to reconsider a decision giving control of the temple and its surroundings to Cambodia.

The decision has led to clashes between Thai and Cambodian border guards, with seven soldiers killed in the past year.

Thailand will ask a world heritage meeting in Spain this week for the grounds of the Preah Vihear temple to be placed under joint Thai-Cambodian maintenance.


Part of its argument is that most visitors approach the temple complex from the Thai side.

Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn, senior adviser to the Thai Prime Minister's office, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that Thailand is not blaming Cambodia.

"Most countries, Thailand in particular, are not blaming anything on Cambodia," he said.

"We are just concerned about the role of UNESCO."

Dr Wattanayagorn says UNESCO needs to take responsibility and try to solve the problem.

"The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia was quite normal and stable until UNESCO allowed registration of the temple area - not (the) temple but temple area - to be done unilaterally," he said.

"It is the responsibility, we believe, that UNESCO should attempt to look into this issue closely and help try to solve the problem and try to come up with remedies."

Dr Wattanayagorn said that in areas "that are not clear, in areas that are overlapping ... UNESCO usually recommends the two countries or parties involved to jointly manage or register the areas.".

"We're simply reiterating UNESCO'S rules".

He said Thailand's position still was that the issue is unclear.

"But, of course, the International Court of Justice many decades ago issued a statement and verdict giving Cambodia the right over the temple, but not the temple area," he said.

"So we, as part of the world community, will recognise that verdict".

Cambodia has issued a statement rebuking Thailand for raising the controversial land claim again.

Tags: government-and-politics, world-politics, cambodia, thailand

he case against Ms Mu Sochua (left) came after her attempt to sue the prime minister for what she says were defamatory remarks made about her during two speeches. --PHOTO: AFP
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S Parliament stripped immunity on Monday from two opposition legislators who face defamation lawsuits by the prime minister and senior military officers. The two accused Parliament of serving the prime minister's interests as colleagues staged a walkout.


The National Assembly stripped immunity from prosecution from Ms Mu Sochua and Mr Ho Vann, both from the Sam Rainsy Party, pending a court investigation of the defamation lawsuits.

Ms Mu Sochua told reporters the immunity was lifted to serve the political interests of Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling party, which dominates Cambodia's political scene. Immunity protects lawmakers from both criminal charges and civil suits.

All 26 members of the legislators' party walked out of the lower house of Parliament after the vote, wearing masks to express that their rights of free speech had been blocked.

The case against Ms Mu Sochua came after her attempt to sue the prime minister for what she says were defamatory remarks made about her during two speeches.

In early April, Mr Hun Sen referred to an unnamed lawmaker as a 'strong leg,' a term seen by some in Cambodia as particularly offensive to women. Ms Mu Sochua has said the speech clearly referred to her. She also denounced his remarks in another speech.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected her lawsuit earlier this month, saying it was groundless, but it moved ahead with the prime minister's countersuit.

Close military allies of Mr Hun Sen filed a lawsuit against Mr Ho Vann after a local newspaper quoted him as allegedly saying in April that 22 senior military officers had received meaningless awards from Vietnam.

Last week, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia and New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the lawsuits against the lawmakers.

'The lawsuits undermine the constitutional freedom of opinion and expression,' the UN said in statement.

Human Rights Watch said Mr Hun Sen had 'a long history of trying to muzzle Cambodia's political opposition and undermine the independence of the legal profession.' -- AP


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PHNOM PENH - PROSECUTORS at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court argued on Monday that the Khmer Rouge prison chief has given inconsistent accounts of his seniority in the late 1970s regime.


Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his nom de guerre Duch, is on trial for overseeing the torture and extermination of 15,000 people who passed through the hardline communist movement's notorious Tuol Sleng prison.

The former jail chief has claimed numerous times that he worked under fear for his life, but prosecutor William Smith pointed to an April testimony in which Duch said he only became afraid after a superior was arrested in 1978.

'I put it to you that you were not scared (before) because you were one of the most highly connected (Central Party) members,' Smith said.

Duch, however, maintained he would have been 'beheaded' if he had not followed orders from superiors.

'We were a tool of the party.... It was the central committee that imposed the terror and if we failed to follow their orders we would be executed,' Duch said.

Earlier in his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, Duch begged forgiveness from the victims of the hardline communist movement after accepting responsibility for his role in leading the jail.

But he has consistently denied prosecutors' claims that he played a central role in the Khmer Rouge's iron-fisted rule and maintains he tortured only two people himself and never personally executed anyone.

The court does not have the authority to impose the death penalty, but the former maths teacher faces a life sentence for war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and premeditated murder.

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, and many believe the tribunal is the last chance to find justice for victims of the 1975 to 1979 communist regime, which killed up to two million people. -- AFP

With all upstream countries – China, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia planning major dams on the Mekong River, Vietnam faces imminent threats to its ecology, food security and livelihoods of its people, an expert has warned.
Just Laos, Thailand and Cambodia are planning eleven big hydropower dams on mainstream Mekong River, which will limit the deposit of silt, acidify agricultural land, and decimate upstream fish stocks, affecting hundreds of thousands of fishermen and their households, said Ngo Xuan Quang of the Vietnam’s Institute of Tropical Biology.


Speaking to Thanh Nien at the launching ceremony of the “Save the Mekong” campaign in Bangkok on Thursday, Quang said even if no dam was planned on the Vietnam stretch of the Mekong River, the country would be very vulnerable to the impacts of upstream dams.

In Vietnam, the Mekong is known as the Cuu Long River as it flows through the southwestern region and joins the sea.

When the river waters are blocked upstream, sea water will further encroach the Mekong Delta, and exacerbate problems caused by rising sea levels because of climate change.

The dams will retain the silt, leaving areas deprived of the river’s flow susceptible to land erosion and landslides, he added.

The Mekong River flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia before ending its journey in Vietnam.

River cry

On Thursday, the Save the Mekong coalition had handed over a petition to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to express concern regarding plans to build eleven hydropower dams on the Mekong River’s lower mainstream.

The coalition is a network of non-government organizations, community groups, academics, journalists, artists, fishers, farmers and ordinary people from within the Mekong countries and internationally.

Of the 11 dams planned by the three lower mainstream countries, seven are in Laos, two in Cambodia, and two on the Thai-Lao border.

Building dams on the river’s mainstream will block major fish migrations that accounts for up to 70 percent of the nation’s commercial catch, the petition said.

They will also disrupt the vitally important river, placing at risk the livelihoods of millions of people who depend upon it for their food security and incomes, it added.

The Mekong River is host to the world’s largest inland fisheries. The commercial fish catch is currently worth US$3 billion annually, the petition pointed out.

Not only are these fisheries an important source of income for local fishers, which include many of the region’s poorest people, but they are also vital in ensuring regional food security. Between half and four-fifths of the animal protein consumed by the 60 million people in the lower Mekong basin come from the river’s fisheries, it said.

The undammed Mekong River has an extraordinary aquatic biodiversity, second only to the Amazon. Building mainstream dams would push the endangered species such as the Irrawaddy Dolphin, the Mekong Giant Catfish, and countless other migratory fish species to the brink of extinction, international experts have said, adding losing this ecological wealth would be a tragedy of global proportions.

The petition, which collects public signatures at http://tinyurl.com/Save-the-Mekong, also said China’s dam construction on the Upper Mekong mainstream (Lancang) has already caused serious environmental problems in downstream Myanmar, northern Thailand, and northern Laos.

Declining fish stocks and unpredictable water levels have made life more difficult for downstream communities, pointing toward the damage that mainstream dams will inflict, it added.

The Save the Mekong coalition thus urges the Mekong governments to keep the Mekong flowing freely to save this critical source of food, income and life for present and future generations. It appeals to people from all walks of life around the world to join the effort to save the river.

This petition has thus far been signed by 16,380 people from within the Mekong Region and around the world.

Since March, Save the Mekong has been collecting signed postcards from people in the Mekong countries and around the world, urging the region’s political leaders to keep the Mekong flowing freely as a precious source of food, income and life for present and future generations.

Source: TN, Agencies

he Second Army Region commander Lt-General Wiboonsak Neeparn Sunday instructed troops stationing at area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear to get ready for an possible attack as Phnom Penh disappointed with the Thai government's objection to the temple's world heritage inscription.


The army commander General Anupong Paochinda phoned to check the situation with concern but insisted Thai troops not to open fire first, he said.

"But if the opponent open fire, we have to exercise our selfdefense right and retaliate," Wiboonsak told reporters.

The Nation

However the situation on the ground is normal as both Thai and Cambodia troops are in their respective position, he said.

Top Thai leaders are using the words to threaten Cambodia and UNESCO over listing Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple as World Heritage Site, a senior Cambodian official said on Saturday.

Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation told reporters at a press conference at the ministry that Thai prime minister, deputy prime minister and foreign minister are using words of lack of thoughts on the matter of the belongs of Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple and sending a threaten message to UNESCO before the meeting of World Heritage Committee to be held in Spain on June 23.


UNESCO agreed to register Perah Vihear temple as World Heritage Site of Cambodia in July 7, 2008. But since then from July 15, troops from both Cambodian and Thailand have confronted at the border near Preah Vihear temple.

Hor added that Thai leaders wanted to review about registering Preah Vihear temple (of Cambodia) with the Committee of World Heritage of UNESCO and also wanted to register jointly for Preah Vihear temple. "Preah Vihear temple and land surrounding areas belongs to Cambodia not Thailand according to the verdict of World Court's rule in 1962," Hor stressed.

"It is big mistake and serious one that were created by Thai leaders," he said, adding that they have spoken without thoughts.

"If they want to have armed conflicts for third time, we welcome," he said, adding "today we have known that Thai command for second region put their troops on alert, our troops also is ready for fighting, but so far the situation there is calm."

Moreover, Hor Namhong said "the border tension was caused by Thai side. We (Cambodia) want to resolve the border issue peacefully and friendly. But our effort made no result."

"Military tension has not occurred yet today, but tomorrow I do not know," Hor said, adding that Preah Vihear temple already registered as cultural and humanitarian matters for all people.

"We are ready to deal border issue with Thailand by using peaceful resolution, international law, military, or diplomatic ways," he noted.

According to Thai newspaper The Bangkok Post on Wednesday, that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit would request that UNESCO's World Heritage Committee review last year's decision to register Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site when the body convenes its annual meeting later this month in Spain. He would also request that the temple be registered jointly as a World Heritage Site by Thailand and Cambodia.

Soldiers from both countries continue to patrol the border

THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva refused to back down yesterday after reopening a debate over an ancient temple on the disputed border with Cambodia which has provoked bloody clashes.

Bangkok this week asked world heritage body Unesco to reconsider its decision to formally list the 11th century Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia, as ownership of land surrounding the ruins is still in dispute.


Cambodia on Saturday rebuked Thailand for raising the matter, saying that its soldiers would defend their land again if necessary following outbreaks of violence in the past year which have left seven dead.

But Abhisit who made a one-day visit to Cambodia last week in an attempt to push forward border talks said the Unesco move itself was to blame for the tensions.

"We are concerned that the moves by Unesco may speed up conflicts, tensions or a border clash," the Oxford-educated Abhisit said on his weekend television programme.

He said Thai deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban would soon travel to Cambodia to explain Thailand's position, but said that Bangkok still believed all border issues should be solved by peaceful measures.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around the Preah Vihear temple for decades, but tensions spilled over into violence last July when the temple was granted UN World Heritage status.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance to the ancient Khmer temple with its crumbling stone staircases and elegant carvings is in northeastern Thailand.

Soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand continue to patrol the area, with the last gunbattle in the temple area in April leaving three people dead.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in Phnom Penh on Saturday that his country "welcomes Thailand militarily, diplomatically, internationally or through peaceful negotiations".

"(But) it (border fighting) has happened twice... (so) if they want to send their troops to Cambodia a third time, we will welcome them too," he said.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Abhisit will make a one-day official visit to Singapore today, he said on his weekly radio address yesterday.

The visit will centre on improving economic cooperation and strengthening ties in the aftermath of the global economic slump that saw the economies of both countries contract.

Abhisit said he hoped to increase joint investment between the countries. He will meet with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President SR Nathan and return to Bangkok tonight.

Agencies

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No longer on a U.S. blacklist, Cambodia could see bilateral trade ties expand.
PHNOM PENH—U.S. President Barack Obama's move to clear the way for the U.S. Export-Import Bank to help finance U.S. exports to Cambodia marks a small but significant step in improving relations, analysts say.

Obama this month issued two memoranda determining that Cambodia and Laos were no longer Marxist-Leninist countries, based on their market-opening moves.


That will allow U.S. firms to seek financing through the U.S. Export-Import bank, which provides working capital guarantees, export credit insurance, and loan guarantees.
Murray Hiebert, senior director for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce East Asia department, called the move "a great opportunity to explore new options for expanding trade and investment between our two countries."

"Cambodia has been in all kinds of discussions with the U.S. government in the last year or two on expanding trade and economic cooperation…Cambodians have been very anxious to look for ways to broaden their economic relationships with the U.S.," Hiebert said.

'First step'

An Ex-Im Bank spokesman called the move "a first step" in financing to foreign buyers of U.S. goods and services in Cambodia.

"Now begins a process of updating the required studies that the U.S. government uses to determine the programs for which buyers in those two countries could be eligible to use, the products they could have access to, and the rates that would be used to determine the costs of that financing,” spokesman Phil Cogan said.

Ex-Im Bank is bound by U.S. government rules and minimum costs established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), of which the U.S. is a member, he said.

The OECD bars exporting countries from undercutting each other based on the fees they charge for their financing and forces exporters to compete based on the quality of their products.

"Someone in Phnom Penh or in Laos who wants to start buying U.S. goods and they don’t have access to reasonable financing, or any financing, to buy from the U.S. will...be able to use their local bank, or bank in the U.S., to help them finance what they buy, with the Ex-Im Bank either providing the guarantee of that loan or providing a direct loan," Cogan said.

"The action the president took enables us to begin the process of opening up for business, but it’s going to be a period of months before we’ll actually be able to start accepting applications," he said.

Boosting relations

In the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, officials welcomed the move.

"The door has already been unlocked and it just needs to be opened. We welcome the removal [of Cambodia from the blacklist] because it will facilitate small investors to come to Cambodia," Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

Cheam Yeab, chairman of the National Assembly finance, banking, and audit committee, called it "a gift to Cambodia and the Cambodian people to open their trade and agro-industrial markets to the U.S."

"In addition, more U.S. investments in other fields will come, besides Chevron which has exploited oil along the Khmer coast," Cheam Yeab said.

Son Chhay, an opposition member of parliament, said it would boost political and economic motivation but added that Cambodia "should have been removed long ago" from the trade blacklist.

Chan Sophal, president of the Cambodian Economic Association, hoped for increased U.S. investment in Cambodia.

"The blacklist did not bring Cambodia obstacles to [all trade]—a number of countries and investors still came for business in Cambodia—but you could say some investors from America have waited. We hope this good news will help them decide to…come directly to Cambodia for investments," Chan Sophal said.

Small markets

Cambodia and Laos, with a combined population of more than 20 million, are small markets for the United States.

Last year, the United States exported just U.S. $154 million worth of goods to Cambodia and just U.S. $18 million to Laos.

U.S. imports of mostly clothing and other textiles from Cambodia totaled more than U.S. $2.4 billion last year. The United States bought U.S. $42 million worth of goods from Laos in 2008.

Original reporting by Ath Bonny for RFA’s Khmer service. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Translated by Uon Chhin. Written for the Web in English by Joshua Lipes. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.