China thanks Cambodia for expulsions

Monday, December 21, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -(AP)— Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping thanked Cambodia for deporting 20 Muslim asylum-seekers while handing the country $1.2 billion in aid, the government spokesman said.

No talks with Thaksin till he serves jail : PM

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday laughed off fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's conditions for talks with the government, saying the former leader had to serve his jail term first before any negotiations.


Thaksin earlier demanded the government reinstate the constitution of 1997, dissolve the House of Representatives and call a new general election. When asked to comment on the conditions, the prime minister responded: "Why? He [Thaksin] should first take legal responsibility before there are any talks."

The closing scene of Cambodia’s political circus against Thailand

            
 


LEFT: Takki disembarking from his big private jet at Pochentong International Airport in Phnom Penh on Dec. 11   RIGHT: Mr. Sivarak while being brought to court in Phnom Penh
Objective of the comedy: To show the world that Abhisit government has been insincere with Cambodia and carrying unfriendly acts against Cambodia in every way possible and that Takki is important to Cambodian economic development plan worthy of being appointed as Cambodian government’s adviser and Cambodian PM’s personal adviser.
Original plot: Eavesdropping and telephone tapping on the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh to pick whatever conversation that could be built as a case to accuse Thailand in anything possible and expand the case to full extent with an intention to cause damages to PM Abhisit’s reputation as a clean prime minister of Thailand with behind the scene supportin role by PT party.

World Bank criticises land project

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Photo by: Heng Chivoan
A resident of Boeung Kak lake’s Village 24 hangs washing from her window Sunday. Amid World Bank concerns over the lack of land titling in Cambodia, Village 24 is set to be the next eviction site around the lake.
THE World Bank has expressed further concerns about the efficacy of a donor-funded land-administration project run jointly with the government, with a decision pending on whether to launch a formal investigation into the programme.

The World Bank’s Washington-based inspection panel on Wednesday issued its response to a September investigation request from villagers of the Boeung Kak lakeside community with the support of local housing-rights advocates.

In the request, villagers say the World Bank did not adequately supervise the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), a US$38.4 million effort begun in 2002 to disseminate land titles and create an “efficient and transparent land administration system” for the Kingdom.

Cambodian-Thai conflict 'stems from political personality clash'


Pad Supa, a leading businessman and senator in Koh Kong, has a close connection with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. In an excerpt from an interview with Jakkrit Waewkraihong in Trat, Mr Pad aired his views on development in the Cambodian province and the thorny issues that have marred relations between Cambodia and Thailand.
Pad Supa: Abhisit Vejjajiva and Hun Sen ‘don’t understand each other’
- What are the government's development plans for Koh Kong, especially its attempt to make the province a special economic area?
The government has laid out broad ideas, from improving all necessary utilities to facilitating business growth. The province is ideal for development because it borders Thailand and is also close to the sea.
- Would high property prices in Koh Kong or any state rules hinder investment?

China, Cambodia agree to deepen cooperation

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China will make joint efforts with Cambodia to achieve a win-win cooperation, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Monday.
    "Furthering relations with Cambodia has long been China's consistent policy," Xi told Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during talks.

China will make joint efforts with Cambodia to achieve a win-win cooperation, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Monday.
Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) review the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Dec. 21, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
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    Hailing the traditional friendship fostered by the leaders of the old generation of the two countries, Xi said China and Cambodia have maintained political trust and fruitful cooperation and support each other in international and regional affairs.
    He called China-Cambodia relations "a good example of sincere cooperation between countries with different social systems."

China will make joint efforts with Cambodia to achieve a win-win cooperation, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Monday.
Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R2) and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L2) hold talks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Dec. 21, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
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    Xi put forward a four-point proposal to cement relations with Cambodia, including keeping high-level contacts, strengthening exchanges on country governance, deepening economic and trade cooperation and promoting coordination in international and regional affairs.
    Xi said the free trade zone between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would be completed in 2010, and China and Cambodia should take the chance to push for stable and balanced growth in their bilateral trade.
    Hun Sen said he was happy to meet with Chinese leaders for the first time in the new government building, which was constructed with China's assistance and has served as an embodiment of the friendliness between the two countries.

China will make joint efforts with Cambodia to achieve a win-win cooperation, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Monday.
Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L, front) shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (R2) during a signing ceremony of the two country's mutually-beneficial cooperation documents in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Dec. 21, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
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    He spoke highly of China's development and its contribution to neighboring countries' progress and expressed gratitude for China's long-term support for Cambodia's development.
    Hun Sen said Cambodia would strengthen cooperation with China in the political, trade, cultural, tourism and security fields and pledged the country's adherence to the one-China policy.
    After their talks, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony for a deal on China's preferential loan to Cambodia.
    Xi also presented a wreath to the independence monument in Phnom Penh on Monday.


Editor: Mu Xuequan

Deported Uighurs told UN of fears of China return

BEIJING —By TINI TRAN (AP) –Ethnic Uighur asylum-seekers forcibly repatriated over the weekend had warned the U.N. refugee agency they feared long jail terms or even the death penalty if they were sent back to China, according to statements seen Monday by The Associated Press.

China boosts Cambodia aid after Uighurs deported

PHNOM PENH —By Suy Se (AFP) –  China signed pacts worth one billion dollars in aid to Cambodia Monday and thanked Phnom Penh for its controversial decision to deport a group of Uighurs seeking refuge back to Chinese soil.

Sam Rainsy Summoned by Svay Rieng Court



18 December 2009

Svay Rieng provincial court has issued a summons to opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is facing charges for allegedly leading a group of villagers to pull up demarcation posts near the Vietnam border in October.
Sam Rainsy has been asked to appear on Dec. 28, according to a summons issued Wednesday and obtained by VOA Khmer.

Cambodia, Viet Nam agree to boost friendship

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh visits Sihanoukville international seaport in Cambodia. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Xuan Tuan
PHNOM PENH — Viet Nam and Cambodia agreed to intensify their traditional multi-faceted co-operation in a joint statement issued on Saturday, wrapping up Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh’s official visit to Cambodia.
The bases of the bilateral ties were outlined in the 1999 and 2005 high-level joint statements between the two countries.
They included respect of the other’s independence and sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of each country, no use of force nor threat of the use of force, the banning of national territories being used by a third party to engage in attacks on the other, co-operation on an equal basis and for mutual benefit, use of peaceful negotiations to solve bilateral

Vietnam to increase investment in Cambodia


Vietnamese products sell well at trade fairs in Phnom Penh

A conference to promote Vietnam’s investment in Cambodia will be held in Hanoi on December 26, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) announced in Hanoi on December 21.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen will co-chair the conference, said MPI Deputy Minister Do Huy Dong.

At the event, Cambodian officials will introduce their royal government’s foreign investment attraction strategy and incentives to foreign investors, including those fromVietnam.

The business communities of the two countries will share experiences and work out measures to promote cooperation in investment.

Vietnam has invested in 63 projects in Cambodia, with a total registered capitalization of more than US$900 million. In 2009 alone, Vietnamese businesses poured over US$400 million into Cambodia.

Vietnamese-invested projects have proved efficient in Cambodia, mostly in forestry, agriculture, mining, telecommunications, banking and insurance industries.
Currently, Vietnamese businesses are working on big mining projects in Cambodia.

Thaksin to put on his website FM's classified letter

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra twittered on Monday, saying he would upload the Foreign Ministry's classified letter to his website for the public to read Tuesday.

"I will upload it to the website so people can read to the content and know that there really are power maniacs,'' he said.

Thaksin was referring to a FM's letter to the premier concerning how the government should handle Thaksin.

Pheu Thai Party party list MP Jatuporn Prompan had claimed that the letter suggested that Thaksin should be assassinated.

Abhisit government denied the claim.

The government also rejected Jatuporn's claims that the report mentioned about  declaring war on Cambodia and there had been interference in the justice system by a person with political clout outside the government.

Killing fields trial has little meaning today


By ZOE DANIEL
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
November 25, 2009

The wizened Comrade Duch (pictured) has become the face of the Khmer Rouge trials. Known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the clunky, UN-backed tribunal will wind up its first case this week with final arguments against Duch, otherwise known as Kaing Guek Eav. To a degree, Duch, 66, is the fall guy for the KhmerRouge regime that's been held responsible for the deaths of about 2 million Cambodians in the late 1970s.

He was the head of the so-called death camp — s21, a former high school that became a prison where more than 14,000 people were held, tortured and

exterminated for being enemies of the communist regime.

Cambodia tightens economic links with China

PHNOM PENH
Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:08am EST
China's Vice President Xi Jinping toasts with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) after signing an agreement on cooperation at council of minister in Phnom Penh December 21, 2009. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia signed 14 deals worth an estimated $850 million with China on Monday, two days after defying international pressure by deporting 20 ethnic Chinese asylum-seekers, underlining growing trade and diplomatic links.

Tribunal charges Khmer Rouge "First Lady" with genocide

PHNOM PENH
Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:15am EST
Ieng Thirith, former minister of social affairs of the communist Khmer Rouge regime, sits in the dock at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in the outskirts of Phnom Penh May 21, 2008. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A U.N.-backed Cambodian war crimes court on Monday charged a fourth top Khmer Rouge cadre with genocide, broadening the scope of a long-awaited trial of the ultra-communist "Killing Fields" regime's top ranks.

Party chief wraps up Cambodia visit

VNA 19/12/2009 - Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh wrapped up his official friendly visit to Cambodia on Dec. 19.

Before leaving the neighbouring country, the party chief met with the staff of the Vietnamese Consulate General and representatives of the overseas Vietnamese community in Preah Sihanouk province.

Lawyers reach out to those in need

By Michael Rappaport
Toronto
December 25 2009 issue
At the annual office Christmas party at Bennett Gastle P.C. in Toronto on Dec. 3, 2007, the lawyers and staff signed a statement of principles that would give rise to the law firm’s commitment to the Cambodian Law Students Project.
Charles Gastle, an international trade lawyer and name partner at the firm and adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, was struck by the poverty he witnessed while advising the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce on competition and intellectual property laws and lecturing on law at the Royal University for Law and Economics (RULE) in the capital city Phnom Penh, three years ago.

Vath Chamroeun pleased with Cambodia's improvement at SEA Games

By Ung Chamrouen

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Photo by: Nick Sells (www.nicksellsphotography.com)
Cambodian SEA Games delegation chef de mission Vath Chamroeun.
VIENTIANE – Vath Chamroeun, chef de mission for the Cambodian SEA Games delegation, shares his thoughts on last week’s tournament in Laos.

How do you evaluate the organisation of host nation Laos in their first SEA Games?
First of all congratulations to Laos, who did very well after preparing their infrastructure in just three or four years with support from other countries. I think that it was a great success for the Laotian government. Now they have good human resources and sports facilities. Laos arranged their of communications and technology well.

How were conditions for the Cambodian athletes?
It was first time that the athletes live with each other in the same place [at the SEA Games village]. The training camps were not so far from their accommodation, and divided neatly into categories. The Cambodian athletes also adapted well to weather.

Are you satisfied with the results?
Why not? It was suprising that we could get 40 medals [in total] from the tournament. It shows that sport has developed in Cambodia. This is because of the good cooperation between all relevant sectors. I’m so happy.

CAMBODIA: Media Still Struggling to Break Gender Barriers

By Lynette Lee Corporal

PHNOM PENH, Dec 21 (IPS) - Cambodia's media organisations are a 'battleground' for old ways and new approaches when it comes to gender.

While more media entities are recognising the role women play in and outside newsrooms, prevailing mindsets and traditions, as well as the lack of training and experience tend to slow down progress in gender sensitivity and equality.

Thai note said to hint at attack on Cambodia

THAILAND has developed a contingency plan for military action against Cambodia should the dispute between the two countries over fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s appointment as an adviser to Cambodia’s government escalate further, a parliamentarian from the Thai opposition alleged on Friday.

Does the US know who it's dealing with in Cambodia?

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is rushed from the scene moments after a grenade attack on a political rally outside the parliament in Phnom Penh, March 30, 1997. Sixteen people were killed and more than 100 were injured in the explosions. (Reuters)

By Douglas Gillison — Special to GlobalPost

Published: December 20, 2009 08:26 ET

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The local police not only failed to cooperate but actively tried to sabotage the FBI's investigation of Cambodia's worst peacetime atrocity.

Key evidence was doctored. Highly placed witnesses stormed out of interviews. Mischievous leaks to the media intensified threats to the FBI agents' safety. And according to the lead FBI investigator, who is now retired, Cambodian and US officials warned him that he was marked for assassination.

 
 
 
 
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