'Mission accomplished' for Ek Chamroeun at 2009 Open

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Men’s singles tennis players take the podium after Sunday’s finals. Vietnamese player Traing Ngoc Tri won the final, beating Cambodia’s Ek Chamroeun, while last year’s champion Sok Sambath took third. TFC president Chan Prasidh (second left) presided over the event, organised by the federation, including General Secretary Tep Rithivit (right).

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Dan Riley

Ek Chamroeun, just 14, becomes the pride of the Cambodian Tennis Federation after making the men's singles finals, only losing to a Vietnamese 25-year-old.

THE 2009 Cambodian Open Tennis Tournament concluded Sunday in the glorious sunshine at Phnom Penh's Cambodian Country Club (CCC), with top Vietnamese players taking the spoils over their Cambodian counterparts. More than 150 avid spectators, dignitaries and journalists surrounded the main court to watch the men's finals play out in the morning before being entertained by Apsara dancers and viewing a prize-giving ceremony presided over by Tennis Federation of Cambodia (TFC) President Chan Prasidh.

In Sunday morning's final, 14-year-old Cambodian tennis sensation Ek Chamroeun finally succumbed to nerves as he was comprehensively beaten 6-0, 6-2 by Vietnamese semiprofessional Traing Ngoc Tri. The star youngster seemed to crumble under pressure, with the nation's media, including many local TV companies, with the 25-year-old Vietnamese talent storming to victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

"I was rather nervous at first to play in front of such a big crowd," said Chamroeun after the game.

"I was also nervous to play the No 5 Vietnamese player, who is 11 years older than me."

The teenage talent who won the U18 tournament with consummate ease earlier in the week, noted that he thought he had played well, despite the nerves, but respected that his opponent also played well.

"I am not disappointed with the result because I have beaten all the top Cambodian players [during the tournament]," he asserted. "I want to be the Cambodian champion for as long as possible. When people speak about the No 1 Cambodian, I want them to use my name."

Chamroeun stated that Sunday's defeat was a good lesson for him to train harder, and gave him confidence for the future. "I think when I meet him [Traing Ngoc Tri] again, I will beat him," he declared.

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Cambodian star youngster Ek Chamroeun hits a return during the men's singles final Sunday at the CCC.

Though unsure where his trainer would be sending him next, the 14-year-old expressed his desire to do well in the forthcoming Tep Khunnah Memorial Cup in November and the SEA Games in Laos in December. For his successes in the Cambodian Open, Chamroeun collected US$300 to go with his first-and second-place trophies from the U18 and men's categories.

"What a story!" expressed a breathless TFC General Secretary Tep Rithivit after Sunday's events. "[Chamroeun] behaved himself so well throughout the whole week. He freaked out a little bit in the final, but said to him "Mission Accomplished" for winning the semifinals [Saturday]."

The TFC executive also revealed the extent of problems caused by the weather during the nine-day competition. "We had to battle with thunderstorms ripping through our covers, forcing us to work through the night to have the courts ready for the next day," he said.

Ek Chamroeun had booked his place in the final by means of a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sok Sambath Saturday, whereas opponent Traing had made his way past Chhit Davin Thursday in a 6-1, 7-5 match.

Saturday evening saw the finals of the men's doubles play out, with Vietnamese pair Huyin JP and Traing Ngoc Tri smashing Cambodian duo Chhit Davin and Thun Tola 6-0, 6-1.

In the women's event, 24-year-old Vietnamese No 2 Noelle Hyunh Mai Hyunh made quick work of her competitors, and went on to breeze through Thursday's final against Cambodian Chheng Srey Pich. Sixteen-year-old Chheng Srey Pich had beaten Cambodian No 1 and younger sister Chheng Chorney, 15, to make the final, but the star Vietnamese player proved simply too much, winning 6-0, 6-0.

To round the day off, TFC President Chan Prasidh announced that plans for construction of three tennis courts on land granted to the federation by the CCC was in motion, with the hope of completion in time for the Tep Khunnah Cup.

Documenting the forest in addition to the trees

Photo by: Photo Supplied
Logging on: Vandy Rattana hones his focus.

WHERE?
"WALKING THROUGH"
an exhibition of photography by Vandy Rattana can be seen through September at Baitong Cafe and SaSa Gallery, 7 St 360
(between Street 51 and Norodom Boulevard)
http://www.baitongcambodia.org/

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Lim Seng Haeng

Local fine-arts photographer Vandy Rattana hopes to harness a collective of local Khmer artists who are willing to work toward international standards.

VANDY Rattana, 29, is a successful photographer and one of the six founders of Stev Selapak, a Cambodian photographers' group created in early 2008. The group aims to promote world-class Cambodian photographers to an international audience.

(Disclosure: Vandy Rattana is a former Post staff photographer.)
Vandy Rattana has already represented Cambodian artists overseas, joining a contemporary art collective in Beijing called "The Long March", which recently invited contributors from each country on the historical Ho Chi Minh Trail for a collaborative creativity session.

Vandy Rattana says his love of photography could well be genetic because his father dedicated his whole life to art. Vandy Rattana realised his love for art at the age of six and has also been able to draw very well since childhood.

During this time, he also developed an appreciation for film, absorbing movies from Russia, Vietnam, India, China, America and Japan - but he preferred India's because of the artful compositions and framing. Indian movies also often portrayed pertinent family and social issues.

Since early 2005, Vandy Rattana has devoted his life and career to photography. His first photo exhibition, a treatise on interior spaces for a local art collective called Visual Arts Open (VAO), was titled "Looking In", which made him well-known locally.

At the end of the year, he will leave Cambodia to advance his studies in France. But before he leaves he will present his latest exhibition, "Walking Through", documenting the rubber plantations of Kompong Cham province in 2008 and 2009.

What inspired you to create this group?
I have seen that, in France or other Western countries, they create diverse groups or unions. And they really work well, so I think this group will contribute a lot to Cambodian photography.

If we have a group, our voices will be heard more widely, and we will have solidarity. We can help each other by giving advice or innovative ideas.
Logically, we can share knowledge among each other. We will screen our photos locally and, one day, when we are stronger, we can compete internationally. Khmers can be the best if they are willing.

What are the criteria to become a member?
Now we have six founding members - though more people will join soon.
We don't require much for membership, although you should be under 35 years of age, have a strong commitment and be ready to learn. You will not earn any money, but you will learn a lot about photography.

Do photographers need a lot of knowledge?
A good photographer needs to have a great deal of understanding, which requires a lot of reading and listening. Anyone can be my teacher; I listen to everyone, so I can learn from them.

Cambodians are not really socialised, and if they so socialise, they usually just meet to drink together. I mean socialising in terms of meeting someone to whom you can talk, share and learn from. You can learn from scholars - even celebrities, common folk or dumb people. Knowledge is borderless. You know this; others know that - so you have to keep learning, creating and sharpening your knowledge every day.

Recently I've started to love Japanese movies because they require a lot of critical thinking, and the endings are often unexpected. They work your brain better than simple, easily predictable movies.

So what are the main problems currently facing Cambodian photographers?
Cambodian photographers' lack of assignments - and they are not willing to work independently on their own. Some have worked for media agencies, and they can survive, for sure, but they do not gravitate towards creative work.

To be a photographer in Cambodia you have to be self-inspired and self-motivated or you will get lost because Cambodian people do not really welcome innovative ideas.

People call us crazy because we create new phenomena, regardless of whether it is art. So being a photographer is not really a ... nice profession. You need to try it first to be able to capture great things in life.

How can we improve?
We need more high-quality photography. There are still insufficient documentary photos showing the changes in our society and the culture.

Like I have done for each of my exhibitions, I need to spend a lot more time doing research and thinking topics though.

Recently, I have just photographed rubber trees, which could be my last exhibition in Cambodia. I spent an entire month observing and photographing the rubber trees in many places in Kampong Cham Province.

I slept with the local community in the rubber plantation and faced many obstacles just to get good and meaningful photographs.

You need to make an effort and to be positive about what you are doing.

Approved investment figures from S'pore, Europe multiply

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Pedestrians walk past a Singapore Banking Corp branch Sunday in Phnom Penh.

Singapore builds Asian business empire

NEXT time you stay in a luxury resort, buy a loaf of bread or open a bank account in Asia, check the company's country of origin. Chances are you are dealing with a brand based in Singapore. With the global economy apparently on the mend, Singapore Inc is all set to reap the benefits of stepped-up spending by Asia's middle and upper classes. Singapore Airlines has long been an iconic brand, but newer names like resort and spa operator Banyan Tree have established themselves as top-tier players in the region. "If you don't globalise ... you eventually stagnate," the firm's founder and Executive Chairman Ho Kwon Ping said at a recent news conference. Other Singaporean companies are enjoying similar success throughout the region. OSIM, a maker of electronic massage chairs and other lifestyle products, such as air purifiers, has over 1,100 outlets spread across 28 countries and concentrated mainly in the region. Budget carrier Tiger Airways is also becoming a mainstay in the travel industry, having established a wide network across the Asia-Pacific region with flights to 19 destinations from Singapore. It is not to be mistaken for Singapore's Tiger Beer, now one of the most popular beverages in Southeast Asia. AFP

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Chun Sophal

Investment by city-state increases more than 300 percent up to end of July as traditional investors China and South Korea drastically reduce capital inflow.

DESPITE an 82 percent decrease in approved investments in the first seven months of this year, as reported by the Post last week, investments by fellow ASEAN member Singapore have risen more than three-fold to US$176.37 million, according to a recently released breakdown of the figures by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).

In terms of Cambodian investment, Singapore has now closed the gap with Thailand, the largest ASEAN investor in the Kingdom. Neighbouring Thailand invested $178 million in the first seven months - more than Singapore by less than $2 million - having registered approved investments that totalled $15.33 million more than the city-state over the same period last year.

In the third week of this month, 21 companies from Singapore met with Cambodian officials in Phnom Penh to seek out investment opportunities.

"I believe that investment in Cambodia will enjoy better development in the future because now many investors are eyeing investment opportunities in the Kingdom," Yun Heng, deputy director of the Evaluation and Incentive Department of the Cambodia Investment Board, said Sunday.

The Singaporean companies were mainly planning to target tourism and agriculture, he added.

Lawrence Leow, deputy honourary secretary of the Singapore Business federation and chairman and CEO of Crescendas Group, told the Post during a visit to Cambodia on August 20 that his company would invest between $20 million to $30 million in the tourism sector.

Also this month, Singapore's HLH Agriculture Cambodia Ltd announced that it had invested $15 million to grow red corn in the Kingdom.

According to CDC data, agriculture and tourism remained the most promising sectors for outside investment.

Overall, ASEAN raised its investment into Cambodia from $139.61 million in the first seven months of 2008 to $471.23 million for this year up to the end of July.

Europe also dramatically increased its investment in the Kingdom, up from just $15.6 million in the first seven months of 2008 to $292.95 million during the same period this year. Having represented just 0.19 percent of Cambodia's total investment last year up to the end of July, in 2009, Europe accounted for 19.95 percent of total investment in the Kingdom up to the end of last month.

France increased its investment in Cambodia from just $6.24 million for the whole of last year to $49.68 million in the first seven months of 2009.

"I believe that investment in Cambodia will enjoy better development in the future," said Yun Heng, referring specifically to ASEAN and European investors, notably Singapore and France.

He added that European investors had been especially interested in the tourism sector.

However, the figures showed that Cambodia's traditional investors had largely walked away following the onset of the global economic crisis.

China, which made up nearly half of all investment in Cambodia in the first seven months of last year, decreased investment a staggering 93.34 percent from $3.89 billion to $258.98 million.

Similarly, South Korean investment in Cambodia fell over the same period 91.11 percent from $1.23 billion to $109.25 million.

Philippine female legislators denounce Hun Sen over slur

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Mu Sochua speaks to the press after being found guilty of defamation earlier this month.

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WE DENOUNCE THESE TACTICS OF INTIMIDATION, PERSECUTION AND REPRESSION....
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The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Meas Sokchea

Group calls the premier's defamation suit against Mu Sochua an act of chauvinism designed to stifle freedom of expression.

A women's party in the Philippines has joined the international call for the Cambodian government to halt its campaign of intimidation against opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua, accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen of sexism.

Mu Sochua, an SRP parliamentarian, was convicted on August 4 of defaming Hun Sen and ordered to pay 8.5 million riels (US$2,028) in fines and 8 million riels ($1,909) in compensation. The charges stemmed from an April speech by Hun Sen in which he referred to an unnamed woman as a "cheung klang". The term means "strong legs" and is considered derogatory when used to describe women.

The speech prompted Mu Sochua to file a defamation suit, but Hun Sen denied that he had been referring to her and countersued her for defamation, pointing to an April 23 press conference in which she made her suit public. Mu Sochua's case was thrown out, whereas the premier was allowed to proceed with his.

The verdict, which Mu Sochua described as a "political game" that has cast Cambodia's judicial system "into darkness", met with widespread international condemnation.

Last week, the Gabriela Women's Party (GWP), which describes itself as the only all-female party in the Philippine House of Representatives, accused the prime minister of being a chauvinist.

"We strongly protest the discriminatory slur of the statements of the prime minister as anti-women and chauvinist," the statement reads. "Likewise, we deplore the alleged acts of repression as forms of attacks against the right to free expression, democracy and equality."

"We denounce these tactics of intimidation, persecution and repression, using the legal system against the administration's critics and members of the opposition party. We urge the Cambodian government to respect the rights of MP Mu Sochua as a woman leader and parliamentarian who is working for democracy, equality and justice."

The government was dismissive of the criticisms on Sunday. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan accused the party of knowing nothing about Cambodian politics.

"They have no right to make statements such as this because they don't know the facts of the situation in Cambodia," he said.

"A party in the Philippines probably knows the least about Mu Sochua's case."

A hearing on the dismissal of Mu Sochua's lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen was postponed earlier this month because of her absence from court.

The lawmaker was summoned to appear in court on August 17 by Prosecutor General Ouk Savuth after she contested a Municipal Court decision in July rejecting her lawsuit against Hun Sen.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said she requested the hearing be delayed because she was due to visit the United States for medical treatment.

The parliamentarian, who represents Kampot province, is scheduled to return from the US on September 20.

Troops exit temple complex

Photo by: Tracey Shelton
Soldiers walk down the mountain near Preah Vihear temple last month. One brigade left the area this week following Hun Sen’s promise to reduce troop numbers around the disputed temple.

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Thet Sambath

Cambodia's Defence Ministry says government has halved deployed troops at Preah Vihear but warns that forces remain prepared for any future hostilities.

Troops stationed at the Preah Vihear temple complex near the Thai border completed their redeployment over the weekend, a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander told the Post on Sunday.

Srey Doek, commander of RCAF Division 3, said Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday met soldiers from Brigade 11 during their redeployment to their base in Kampot province.

"[Hun Sen] welcomed them as they travelled near Siem Reap and offered them each 50,000 riels [US$12], and the prime minister's wife offered them gifts of fruit," Srey Doek said.

Srey Doek said the money and fruit were given to nearly 1,000 RCAF soldiers as expressions of gratitude for their service at the front line, adding that troops from other brigades from Siem Reap as well as members of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard who were also redeployed over the weekend did not meet the prime minister.

Meanwhile, an official at the Defence Ministry said Sunday that forces at the border have now been halved.

"We have pulled out 50 percent of the troops from Preah Vihear temple," said ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat.

"This shows that the situation at the border is really getting better, and that both countries have a mutual understanding of peace," he added.

Hun Sen declared last week that the 13-month standoff with Thailand over the disputed Preah Vihear temple complex, which claimed more than seven lives and left hundreds homeless, had effectively ended following a bilateral withdrawal of troops announced during a meeting on August 24 between the head of RCAF, General Pol Saroeun, and his Thai counterpart, General Songkitti Jaggabatra of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

Troops still on guard
Despite a thaw in relations, Cambodian military officials last week were quick to point out that troops would still be necessary to guard the integrity of the border and the sovereignty of the nation.

Defence Minister Tea Banh said some troops would remain at the border.

"We do not need too many soldiers there now. We are currently adjusting the numbers to achieve the right balance for the situation," Tea Banh said last week.

Chea Dara, RCAF deputy commander in chief, echoed this sentiment Sunday, saying the border's security remained a vital concern and downplaying the impact of the withdrawal on Cambodia's ability to secure its border with Thailand.

"It is not a problem for our soldiers to defend the nation, even as their numbers have been reduced by the withdrawal," he said Sunday. "We have kept enough of our troops in place."

He said if Thailand "shows a softer manner" Cambodia could cut troop numbers further. "However, if anything happened, our troop mobility would be very swift."

Thailand in June reignited the row over the temple when it asked World Heritage body UNESCO to reconsider its decision to formally list the temple in Cambodia.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear temple for decades.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

Situation grim at Tuol Sambo

Photo by: Rick Valenzuela
HIV patient Touch Sokhak, 45, speaks to reporters about the inadequate facilities of his families home at the Tuol Sambo relocation site on Friday.

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These families [at tuol sambo] are in dire need of basic assistance.
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The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Chhay Channyda and Robbie Corey-Boulet

THE lack of food at a controversial resettlement site that is home to more than 60 HIV-positive individuals is "potentially life-threatening", a new report has warned.

The joint field report from four HIV/AIDS NGOs was released Friday, the same day that the heads of the National Aids Authority (NAA) and UNAIDS Cambodia visited Dangkor district's Tuol Sambo village for the first time.

City Hall forcibly relocated 20 HIV-affected families to Tuol Sambo following their June eviction from the Borei Keila community in central Phnom Penh. About 20 more Borei Keila families were sent there in July.

Residents at Tuol Sambo have complained that their 3.5-metre-by-4.5-metre green metal sheds - which are smaller than those required for emergency refugee camps - become oppressively hot during the day. On Friday, a broken water pump had rendered a local well unusable, meaning that residents looking for drinking water needed to buy water jugs at 1,200 riels (US$0.29) each.

The lack of resources described in the joint field report was borne out by interviews. Touch Sokhak, 45, who is HIV-positive, said his family did not have enough food or drinking water, adding that the heat made it difficult to store his medicine.

"We face a lot of difficulties living here, but the main problem is that it is too hot," he said. "It makes my health get worse because I do not sleep enough."

Tak Dina, 30, described the discrimination she faced at the site, another concern raised in the report.

The former restaurant worker said her efforts to sell cold drinks in the village had been unsuccessful because no one would buy from her.

"Here we cannot sell," she said. "If I sell drinks, no one will come to buy because they are disgusted with HIV-positive people. Other villagers have an easy time recognising us because we are different from them, and because we live in these green houses."

Jason Barber, a monitoring consultant for the rights group Licadho, said conditions at the site had become "grimmer and grimmer" in recent weeks.

"I think the people are expecting to see some results from this visit, and I think they will judge the government and UN agencies on their actions rather than their words here," Barber said. "It's one thing to express concern. It's another thing to meaningfully provide some assistance."

Coordinating aid
Residents and NGO workers described a diffuse humanitarian assistance effort.

There are currently at least 11 NGOs providing various forms of assistance, from food to medical treatment to education, said Oum Vicheth, a home-care officer at the Centre of Hope, which has operated a weekly mobile clinic at the site.

Photo by: Sovan Philong
A man sleeps as his son plays within their home at the Tuol Sambo relocation site on Friday.

UNAIDS Country Director Tony Lisle said Sunday that the purpose of the visit was "to get an immediate overview of the current situation in respect of the community's needs", adding that he would meet this week with stakeholders and the NAA to discuss ways "to better coordinate the response".

While Lisle said the aid effort had been "reasonably well-coordinated" and that NGOs had been "exceptionally flexible", he noted that there was room for improvement.

"I think, again, we need to emphasise national leadership," Lisle said. "The NAA will lead on coordination."

NAA Secretary-General Teng Kunthy said Friday that his organisation had devised a plan to improve conditions at the site, though the specific efforts he mentioned hinged on NGOs.

"We have acknowledged that the shelters are hot and narrow, but Caritas will help improve their living," he said, referring to the Catholic charity Caritas Cambodia.

He also said Caritas would construct a pipe system that would bring water to the individual dwellings. Kim Rattana, executive director of Caritas, said the pipe system would be completed in mid-September.

Both Lisle and Christophe Peschoux, the Cambodia representative of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern that NGOs were being forced to pick up the pieces of a poorly executed eviction, arguing that the municipality had not taken steps to properly set up the site before moving families there. City Hall could not be reached for comment over the weekend.

Peschoux said he believed NGOs risked inadvertently condoning future evictions by providing humanitarian assistance, though he said they did not have the luxury of retreating "behind nice principles" and refusing to help the evictees.

"In this case, humanitarian agencies are facing a dilemma," he said. "We are opposed to forced evictions by principle because they are inhumane and increase poverty and social distress.... At the same time, the eviction has taken place and these families are in dire need of basic assistance."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O'TOOLE

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TUOL SAMBO Timeline

JUNE 18, 2009 The government begins evicting residents of Borei Keila, with 20 HIV-affected families being moved from their homes in front of the new Ministry of Tourism building to Tuol Sambo.

JULY 23, 2009 Another 20 families from Borei Keila are relocated by the government to Tuol Sambo as residents complain that the relocation site lacks adequate housing and services.

JULY 27, 2009 More than 100 international HIV/AIDS and social justice organisations call on the government to "urgently address dangerous conditions in a de facto AIDS colony".

AUGUST 28, 2009 The heads of UNAIDS and the National AIDS Authority visit the Tuol Sambo relocation site to assess conditions and make recommendations for better coordination of services to residents.

World Bank in talks with Cambodia over evictions

Monday, August 31, 2009

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem.

Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.

The World Bank joined with other aid donors in July to ask the government to halt forced evictions and the problem was raised again by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams, during a visit last week.

"A major focus of the visit was Cambodia's urban land sector and the increasing numbers of disputes and evictions of poor people in urban settlements," the bank said in a statement.

"The discussions on land reform were constructive and it was agreed to continue these discussions over the coming week to agree next steps," it said.

The bank has provided funding of $24.3 million for a land management and administration project from 2002 to 2009, and an estimated 1.1 million land titles were issued, said Bou Saroeun, a spokesman for the World Bank in Phnom Penh.

Other donors such as Germany, Finland and Canada have together provided more than $14 million to support the land title project, Saroeun added.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Sand exports surge on Cambodia ban

Workers remove sand from the Mekong River. The surge in dredging in the Mekong Delta has caused landslides along the rivers and altered river flows. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngo Lich

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
31-08-2009

HCM CITY — Export of sand mined from rivers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta to Singapore has reached unprecedented levels in recent months, causing landslides along the rivers and altering their flows.

In the first half it almost topped 7 million tonnes against 1.1 million tonnes in the whole of last year, according to an official from the local Department of Customs, who estimated the figure to cross 10 million tonnes this year.

The sharp increase was caused by a ban on sand export imposed by the Cambodian Government three months ago to ensure domestic supply and protect the environment.

Nguyen The Hung of the Can Tho Sand Exploitation Enterprise said the price of sand, which used to be VND15,000 to VND17,000 per cubic metre before the Cambodian ban, had gone up to VND40,000 now.

With high profits involved, authorities are finding it difficult to curb sand mining in the Tien and Hau Rivers, which has reached alarming levels.

Vu Duc Hung, a waterway police official in Can Tho, said the Hau had been overwhelmed by barges.

With sand around the rivers taken away, landslides have become a serious threat. Some of the smaller rivers also face the threat of having their flows altered.

Nguyen Minh Thong, deputy head of the Can Tho Department of Customs, said the Government’s Instruction No 29 issued last October temporarily curbed the sand export.

But contracts signed before November 30, 2008, continue to be implemented.

The instruction does not have a deadline for completing the contracts, he said, besides which many exporters illicitly change the dates on their contracts.

Thong called on the Government to regulate the sand exploitation and trading.

Nguyen Thanh Son, vice chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee, agreed with him, saying there was a need to review the sand trade since it damages the environment. — VNS

CAMBODIAN WORKER BRUTALLY MUIRDERED ON PATTAYA CONSTRUCTION SITE

http://www.pattayadailynews.com

Pattaya, August 31 [PDN]:On the evening of 30th August 2009 a Cambodian carpenter working on a Pattaya village project was murdered by his friends because he refused to get more drinks for them.

At 11:00 pm Police Lieutenant Colonel Winai Hohrien of the Banglamung police was informed that a Cambodia worker, identified as Mr. Tid, had been killed at the Chokchai Garden Home 2 village in Soi Kao Noi, Moo. 10, Nongprue Banglamung. A police team led by Police Colonel Somneuk Junkate together with a rescue team and doctors from Banglamung hospital rushed to the scene.

At the construction site police found the body of Mr. Tid, aged around 30, lying in a 2 metre deep garbage pit. He was wearing red shirts and blue shorts and his head had been smashed by a hard item. His neck was broken and his body was covered in wounds. He had been dead for about an hour.

Witnesses told police the victim had been drinking with two friends in his room. They heard Mr. Tid being told to go and get some more whisky, but he refused and they started arguing. The two friends then attacked him with a hammer and a rock. The two suspects then carried the dead body and threw it into the garbage pit before making their escape. In a search of the room next door police found a bloodstained rock and hammer.

The police will be contacting the Thai construction foreman and search for the heartless murderers.

Sri Lankan journalist given 20 years in prison

Sri Lankan prison guards escort ethnic Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam out of the High Court premises in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. The court Monday sentenced Tissainayagam to 20 years in prison under the island's harsh anti-terrorism law for publishing articles critical of the government's war on the Tamil Tiger rebels.(AP Photo)

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI, Associated Press Writer

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan reporter singled out by President Barack Obama as an example of persecuted journalists around the globe was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison on charges of violating the country's harsh anti-terror law.

J.S. Tissainayagam's articles in the now-defunct Northeastern Monthly magazine in 2006 and 2007 criticized the conduct of the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels and accused authorities of withholding food and other essential items from Tamil-majority areas as a tool of war.

Tissainayagam's conviction, 17 months after the ethnic Tamil reporter was arrested, was the first time a journalist was found guilty of violating the country's Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Rights groups have accused the government of waging a broad crackdown on media freedom that has continued since it routed the rebels and ended the nation's quarter-century civil war in May.

Tissainayagam, who has been labeled a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was arrested in March 2008 and indicted five months later under the anti-terror law.

During his World Press Freedom Day address in May, Obama highlighted Tissainayagam's case as an example of journalists being jailed or harassed for doing their jobs.

On Monday, High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundara said Tissainayagam's articles violated the law because they were aimed at creating communal disharmony. She also found him guilty of raising money for a publication whose articles violated the anti-terror law and sentenced him to 20 years.

"The constitution guarantees media freedom, but no one has a right to deliberately publish false reports that would lead to communal violence," prosecutor Sudarshana de Silva said in his court filing.

Defense lawyer Anil Silva said Tissainayagam had always fought for human rights.

"He was never a racist and he at no time tried to arouse hatred," he said in his defense filing. "Now he has been punished for what he wrote as a journalist. This will be a lesson to other journalists too."

Silva said his client would appeal.

"There is no press freedom in this country today, even after the war is over," said Sirithunga Jayasuriya, a local media rights activist. Tissainayagam's conviction would set a bad precedent for media across the country, he said.

International media rights groups say the government has used emergency laws to silence public criticism of its conduct and has failed to investigate violent attacks — and killings — of journalists.

The government has denied the allegations.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 11 Sri Lankan reporters were forced to flee the country in the past year, and Amnesty International said at least 14 Sri Lankan journalists and media workers had been killed since the beginning of 2006.

In June, the government said it would re-establish a powerful press council with the authority to jail journalists it finds guilty of defamation or inaccurate reporting.

Dalai Lama prays, encourages democracy in Taiwan

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center left, prays for victims and survivors of Typhoon Morakot, at the destroyed village of Shiao Lin, in southern Taiwan, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama blesses survivors of Shiao Lin, the village hardest-hit by massive mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot early this month, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

By PETER ENAV, Associated Press

SHIAO LIN, Taiwan – The Dalai Lama said Taiwan should have "very close and unique links" with China but also enjoy democracy, as he arrived at a devastated village Monday to pray for victims of Taiwan's worst storm in 50 years.

Beijing has voiced its opposition to the Dalai Lama's visit, saying it could have a negative effect on relations between the mainland and Taiwan, which Beijing wants back after the two split six decades ago.

The Tibetan spiritual leader insisted his visit was a humanitarian one and that he had no political agenda, but in his remarks to reporters he encouraged Taiwan to preserve its democracy.

Kneeling on the ground above what was once the farming village of Shiao Lin, the Tibetan spiritual leader offered his prayers for the estimated 500 villagers who died in mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot in early August. The village is now an empty stretch of mud and scattered boulders.

Overall, some 670 were killed in the storm, and the Dalai Lama plans to lead a mass prayer ritual for them.

At Shiao Lin, he put his palms together in prayer while a monk next to him recited a Buddhist sutra. He then embraced two weeping relatives of Shiao Lin victims, holding their heads as he knelt on the ground and prayed.

Some 50 former Shiao Lin residents had returned to welcome him, many wearing T-shirts with pictures of the village before the deadly mudslides.

"We welcome him and we're very happy that he's here," said Liu Ming-chuan, 44.

The Dalai Lama also made brief remarks about the tragedy and about the invitation for his visit. He has said he had a moral responsibility to visit the victims.

He said he was not disappointed by President Ma Ying-jeou's refusal to meet him. "This is a humanitarian visit," he told reporters. "On my side, there is no political agenda."

"In any case, Taiwan should have very close and unique links with mainland China, but at the same time Taiwan also should enjoy democracy and prosperity," he added.

Communist Party-ruled China has long vilified the Dalai Lama for what it claims as his attempt to fight for independence of Tibet, which has been under communist rule for decades.

But instead of criticizing Ma for his visit, the spokesman for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office blasted Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party for its "ulterior motives to instigate the Dalai Lama, who has long been engaged in separatist activities, to visit Taiwan."

Taiwan's opposition had invited the Dalai Lama to comfort the typhoon victims.

The invitation came as Taiwan and China have dramatically improved their relations after decades of enmity. Ma has made closer business ties and cultural exchanges a signature issue of his 15-month-old administration.

Beijing has said it "resolutely opposes" the Taiwan visit, and a Chinese official for Taiwan affairs on Sunday night warned the visit "is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan."

A Taiwanese official said 70 Chinese athletes have decided not to attend Saturday's opening ceremony of the international Deaf Olympics in Taipei, but would still take part in the games. Emile Sheng, an executive of the games' organizing committee, declined to comment on media reports that the group was boycotting because of the Dalai Lama's visit.

Not all in Taiwan have welcomed the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Earlier Monday, some 20 demonstrators confronted him outside his hotel, saying the visit was short of bringing real disaster relief to Taiwan.

"I love it," the Dalai Lama told reporters in response. "It's an indication of freedom of expression. It's wonderful."

Award-Winning Documentary "To Touch the Soul" Screening at Southern Winds Film Festival

http://www.pr.com

"To Touch the Soul" makes its Oklahoma debut at the Southern Winds Film Festival in Shawnee, Okla.

Shawnee, OK, August 28, 2009 --(PR.com)-- “To Touch the Soul,” a 70-minute, award-winning documentary about the experiences of artist educator and social activist, Carlos Silveira, and his California State University, Long Beach students who traveled to Cambodia to create art projects with impoverished children impacted by HIV/AIDS, will screen during the Southern Winds Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2 p.m., at the Kilpatrick Building, 10 East Main, Shawnee, Okla.

Directed by Ryan Goble, with cinematography by Erin Henning and narration by Cassandra Hepburn, the film captures the emotional context as Carlos and the students bond with the children and discover the true meaning of kindness, selflessness and courage.

“My team and I are thrilled that the Southern Winds Film Festival is giving us this opportunity to share our story with the film festival audience and the surrounding community,” said Teresa Hagen, producer and owner of Cut Loose Productions, located in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. “I truly believe that Dr. Silveira’s and his students’ work with Cambodian youth who are either infected with HIV/AIDS or have become orphans due to their parents dying from the disease (a population expected to grow to 108,700 over the next five years) captures the spirit of the growing worldwide movement to find common ground, renew mutual compassion and engage in social activism.”

“I focused on capturing both the beauty that surrounds Cambodia and the tragedy that hides within,” commented Goble, who is making his feature film directorial debut. “Our goal was to make the viewer feel like they were in Phnom Penh working with these kids. We chose to use the point of view of the Cal State Long Beach students because they had no idea what to expect when they arrived. They were naïve. That’s easy to relate to because the majority of the viewers have probably never worked with Cambodian children infected with H.I.V.”

Featuring original music composed by Martin Herman, “To Touch the Soul,” has so far won eight awards, including Best Documentary honors from the San Joaquin Film Festival in Stockton, Calif., and the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival in Des Moines, Iowa; and honorable mentions at the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) International and Byron Bay (Australia) Film Festivals. The documentary has also won a prestigious Best of Show Award as well as an Honorable Mention (motivational/inspirational category) from the Accolade Competition, which recognizes film, television and video professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change.

For information on purchasing tickets for the screening, visit http://southernwinds.bside.com/2009/. Contact Teresa Hagen at 310-346-3650 or via e-mail at scifigal@cox.net; or visit www.totouchthesoul.com to learn more about “To Touch the Soul.”

Khmer Rouge trial enthrals Cambodian public http://www.humanrights-geneva.info

29 August 09 - The ongoing Khmer Rouge tribunal here of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, has heard some highly charged testimony in recent weeks, as civil parties have told the court of how the murders of their loved ones ruined their lives.

Robert Carmichael/IPS - On Aug. 17 it was the turn of French national Martine Lefeuvre, who was married to Cambodian diplomat Ouk Keth, to testify.

At the invitation of the Khmer Rouge government, Ouk Keth returned to Phnom Penh in 1977 to help rebuild the nation, but was immediately arrested, tortured for six months and then killed at the infamous Tuol Sleng, otherwise known as S-21, prison that Duch (pronounced Doik) ran.

Duch is the first senior Khmer Rouge cadre to be tried in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or the Khmer Rouge tribunal, which is backed by the United Nations (UN). He faces a life sentence on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as homicide and torture.

Her husband’s fate unknown to her, Lefeuvre told the court how she searched for several years for news of her missing husband. In 1980 a family friend in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border told her he had seen Ouk Keth’s name on a list of people murdered at S-21, a former high school that the Khmer Rouge converted into a prison in 1975. Ouk Keth was one of more than 15,000 thought to have been tortured and executed in the Tuol Sleng (which means ‘Hill of the Poisonous Tree’) facility under Duch’s command.

Lefeuvre returned to France and her two young children.

"I had to tell my children that they must grow up without their daddy," she said breaking down. "My son, who was seven, and my daughter, who was four and a half, asked me every day: ‘Have you seen Daddy? Will we see Daddy again?’ I had to tell them, no, they will never see their daddy again."

Much of the testimony from the tribunal is harrowing, and the experiences of many Cambodians explain why many do not talk about what happened under the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled the country between 1975 and 1979. Around two million people are thought to have died under one of the most brutal regimes in recent history.

But telling Cambodians about those terrible years is a key part of the remit of the joint U.N.-Cambodian tribunal, said Reach Sambath, the head of the tribunal’s public affairs office.

That is a challenge here, where around 85 percent of people live in rural areas, and illiteracy is widespread.

For that reason, the court endorses a number of methods of informing the public, Reach Sambath said. One method that his office runs, for example, is to bus in people from across the country to watch proceedings in the 500- seat auditorium. By mid-August more than 17,000 Cambodians from across the country had attended the trial, he said.

The public affairs office, which operates with limited resources, also produces material that is distributed online and by hand at the court itself. But measured in sheer numbers, the most successful way of letting Cambodians know about the proceedings and workings of the tribunal is through the use of television and radio.

The tribunal’s daily proceedings are broadcast live on national television every day. But many people do not have the time to spend four days a week following events, which is where a surprisingly successful television show has come in.

The weekly half-hour TV show, which is mainly funded by the British Embassy, is entirely independent of the tribunal’s public affairs office. It is broadcast by national broadcaster Cambodia Television Network in its prime lunchtime slot on Mondays and repeated the following day.

The show’s producer, Matthew Robinson of independent production company Khmer Mekong Films, said between two and three million people watch it each week – a sizeable proportion of the South-east Asian country’s 15 million population.

The format is straightforward enough. Robinson, an experienced British producer and director who lives in Phnom Penh, says that two presenters and a guest examine the events of the previous week.

Co-presenter Neth Pheaktra said the purpose of the show is to provide a concise summary of Duch’s trial, which began on February 17.

"During the 24 minutes of the programme we have the summary, the diary of the Duch trial, and the key points that the witness, the defendant and the judges reveal in the court," Neth Pheaktra said.

According to Robinson a key challenge when devising the format was to create a show that was relatively simple to make but that would appeal to the target audience of mainly rural and often poorly educated Cambodians.

"Then (we mould) them all together in a fairly fast-moving way in language that our audience could understand and be interested in," he explained, "so that over a short period, you have seen the most important things in the proceedings that week."

Ung Chan Sophea, the other presenter, said the show’s writers ensure that the scripted wording is as simple as possible, even when trying to convey the complicated legal jargon that characterises legal proceedings.

That is something the live feed, understandably, cannot do.

At a small coffee shop in Phnom Penh, Mao Sophea said he loves the analysis the show provides of the week’s proceedings.

"For me this is a good show, and the presenters are excellent too," he said. "But to tell you the truth, I haven’t heard too many people talking about it – most of the people I know prefer to watch the all-day broadcasts."

And not everyone is a convert. Lah Yum, seated at another table, hardly watches it "because I am normally asleep during lunchtime when this show is broadcast."

But some of Lah Yum’s friends do watch it, and as the trial of Duch heads towards its conclusion, they are interested in more than just the proceedings. They want to see what the process and the verdict will mean to those who lost loved ones under the Khmer Rouge regime:

"What they are waiting to see is how the trial will manage to deliver justice for the families of the victims," he said.

Cambodia Can Earn Millions of Dollars from the Carbon Market – Friday, 28.8.2009

Posted on 29 August 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 627
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“With the remaining forest cover in the country and with activities to conserve the environment, Cambodia is thought to be able to earn millions of dollars by selling carbon credits in the volunteer carbon market if Cambodia has experts.

“In Cambodia so far, there are not many people who know how to earn money to be used for development and humanity activities legally from the volunteer carbon market by selling carbon credits, while at present Cambodia is a country that has already ratified the Tokyo environment protocol, and it is considered to be a country that has potential.

“The volunteer carbon market is a free trade market, created after many countries had signed and ratified the Tokyo protocol. It is a market formed by between volunteer buyers, mostly big companies in industrialized countries that emit much carbon dioxide, and sellers, mostly organizations or communities in developing countries that are active to conserve the forest and to prevent the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At the volunteer carbon market, both sides can settle their accounts through carbon credits, corresponding to the quantity of carbon dioxide that is reduced to be emitted into the atmosphere by any activities with this effect. For example, using a stove consuming firewood can release 1.5 kg carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but a community had came up with a creative idea to create a new type of stove which can work as well as the previous one, but emits only 1 kg carbon dioxide. Thus, the remaining 0.5 kg of carbon dioxide is the carbon credit that can be kept to exchange for money.

“In the world nowadays, a tonne of carbon dioxide can be exchanged for up to Euro 30 (roughly US$ 42.80).

“The head of the Climate Change and Renewable Energy Unit GERES Cambodia, Mr. Minh Le Quan, said recently that by now, there have been about tree projects only in Cambodia that receive credits from the volunteer carbon market, and one of them is the project of GERES Cambodia. He does not know how much dollars those projects can make by exchanging carbon credits, but he just said that in general, it is kept confidential, because in the volunteer carbon market, there are also competitions like in other commercial markets. He merely said that Cambodia is a potential country.

“He added, ‘The settling of carbon credit accounts is like food buying, where sellers have to compete with each other. It is a trading market, and the prices depend on quality and negotiations.’

“According to Mr. Le Quan’s estimation, so far, prices in the settling of accounts of carbon credits per tonne of carbon dioxide that Cambodia receives are from US$4.- to Euro 20 [approx. US$28.50], and most of the clients of Cambodia are from Europe and Australia. Also, there is a small number of clients in the country. The reason that Cambodia cannot receive high prices like other countries is that Cambodia has not had much of its own ability developed to reach the volunteer carbon market; Cambodia sells its carbon credits through brokers.

“Mr. Le Quan went to on say, ‘I do not know about other projects, but a project of GERES Cambodia could help, from 2003 to 2007, to reduce 314,854 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and it could help about 1.2 million citizens.’

“At present, the volunteer carbon market is operating in some countries such as Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, and the USA. According to an estimation of the World Bank in 2007, the whole quantity of carbon dioxide worldwide is worth as much as US$64 billion, while only 123 million tonnes of carbon dioxide could be sold in 2008, earning just US$705 million.

“Besides the three projects mentioned above by Mr. Le Quan, another project is being prepared by the Forestry administration and PACT Cambodia.

“The deputy head of the Forestry Community Department of the Forestry Administration, Mr. Long Ratanakomar, said via telephone last week, ‘Cooperating with PACT Cambodia and with nine forest protection communities in Oddar Meanchey, we had reached an agreement with a company based in the United States to conserve a forest region of about 60,000 hectares; it is an effort to prevent the emission of carbon dioxide, about 8.5 million tonnes within 30 years.’

“However, Mr. Ratanakomar does not yet know how much the agreement will cost, saying that it needs further clarifications and interpreted legal procedures.

“Regarding the trading of carbon credits in the volunteer carbon market, Mr. Le Quan said that it is not easy, and not each individual can engage in activities to protect the environment, and then ask to exchange carbon credits. Money from carbon credits cannot be transferred into the pockets of an individuals. All money will be kept collective to be used continually for training, for the construction of infrastructure and of schools, and for the creation of jobs.

“He stated, ‘A person can join to protect the environment by, for example, not using vehicles, but they cannot exchange those activities for cash. The exchange for cash needs to be negotiated and to go through many complex legal procedures.’

“Thus far, the projects that have been receiving credits from the carbon credit trading in the volunteer carbon market are a project to create a type of special stove by GERES Cambodia [see embedded Video after the headlines - there may be some seconds time delay], a project of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), and another project of the national-level bio-energy program of Cambodia. It is expected that in the near future, forest communities in Oddar Meanchey will receive one more project.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4984, 28.8.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 28 August 2009

For love of tomatoes: Couple has cultivated a bountiful life

Saran Gnoato, originally from Cambodia, grows tomatoes in her garden at home on Netop Drive in South Providence. The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

http://www.projo.com

Saturday, August 29, 2009
By Mark Reynolds
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — Saran Gnoato and her husband are an unlikely couple who came to Rhode Island from opposite sides of the world, overcoming war and cultural barriers to discover a mutual affection for a ripe, juicy, homegrown tomato.

The tomatoes they grow in the backyard of their Elmwood home from imported seeds have resisted the blight that has affected many tomato crops this summer. And they are big. Some weigh in at 2½ pounds.

The success the couple have had growing the fruit may have something to do with the place tomatoes have had in their lives.

Gnoato says that tomatoes make her happy, and she realizes now that what her mother and her grandmother told her when she was a little girl was quite true. They told her that a homegrown garden would help her “eat good and look good and see the flowers,” she says. She could do it herself and never need to worry about anything, they told her.

“It’s true,” she says. “I have a happy life. You can see. My husband comes home from work. We have a beautiful house and a great yard where everyone wants to be. You can see.”

Her adoring neighbors, quite aware of the tomato-growing talents next door, visit often. Gnoato, 53, sends them home each summer with their hands full. Sometimes she even pushes her produce on strangers who pass by her Netop Drive home.

Gnoato’s family never bought vegetables from the market when she was growing up in western Cambodia in the ’60s.

Each morning when she headed off to school, she saw her mother and grandmother tending tomatoes and cucumbers and rosemary in the garden.

The tomatoes were her favorite. She relished the flavor and texture of the fruit’s skin.

This bucolic farming life came to a violent end in 1975 when the brutal regime of Pol Pot came to power. She was 19 years old when the Khmer Rouge took control of her neighborhood.

One of her older brothers, an army captain, was slain.

The Khmer Rouge corralled the family into a work camp, where she had to make do without fresh vegetables. The Khmer would dilute two or three cans of soup in a massive bowl of water to serve a large group of people. Death was everywhere, she recalls.

“They wanted to kill us,” she says.

An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died of starvation, disease, torture and overwork in the camps during Pol Pot’s four-year reign, which focused on creating a peasant society — the communist ideal in the view of the Khmer Rouge.

Visions of a happier, more-nourished existence crept into Gnoato’s mind whenever the work at the camp ceased and she had a chance to sit down, often on a hillside. In those moments, she told herself she didn’t need to be rich if she ever made it to a free country. No. She only needed good food.

Tomatoes.

She escaped with her parents and three siblings in the fall of 1979. They hiked into southern Thailand, where they were held in an internment camp near the Cambodian border.

A year later, the young woman arrived in Rhode Island. She was hired at Scuccato Corp., an East Providence jewelry manufacturer.

Despite her malformed fingers, a birth defect, she became an expert jewelry solderer, controlling a needle-like tool with a 3,000-degree flame. She churned out bracelets, necklaces and other pieces of jewelry.

Her future husband, Daniel Gnoato, a toolmaker, arrived from Italy on a Wednesday in 1984 and met her that Saturday at a wedding reception. He, too, loved tomatoes. But the subject didn’t come up early on.

In general, they didn’t say much to each other because he didn’t speak English and she didn’t speak Italian. His sister didn’t like the idea of him dating a Cambodian, and her mother slapped her for going out on dates with someone she hadn’t married.

She says she worried for some time that marriage would require the sort of submissiveness that husbands frequently demand from wives in Cambodian culture.

The couple didn’t discover their mutual tomato love until about five years after they had met. By then, they were married and living on Netop Drive.

They planted their first crop on a St. Patrick’s Day.

He tilled an area in the yard and fertilized it with manure, moss and lime; she planted the seeds and watered religiously, often early in the morning.

But the tomatoes from that garden just weren’t up to snuff.

“They weren’t meaty enough,” says Daniel Gnoato, a 58-year-old machinist at Electric Boat in Quonset.

So about eight years ago, during a summer visit to see his family in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, they picked up some high-grade European seed. They planted the seeds the following March and harvested the new crop that summer.

The neighbors have been awestruck ever since

Troops Begin Partial Border Withdrawal

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 August 2009

Cambodian soldiers and armored personnel carriers began a step-by-step withdrawal from border positions near Preah Vihear temple on Wednesday, as part of a drawdown deal with Thailand.

The partial withdrawal follows an announcement by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday and a meeting between top military commanders on Monday.

Lt. Gen. Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, told VOA Khmer “a number of soldiers” had withdrawn from the front line near Preah Vihear temple, which has been at the center of a military standoff since July 2008.

At least seven soldiers from both sides have been killed in skirmishes following the build-up, which began after Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage Site, prompting protests in Thailand and Thai occupation of land claimed by both sides near the temple.

“We began to pull our soldiers back to their previous bases, following the order of Prime Minister Hun Sen,” Chea Dara said.

The withdrawal included soldiers from Intervention Brigade 11, soldiers from Siem Reap and Kampong Thom provinces and Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, he said.

The withdrawal was to reduce tensions from the standoff, said Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

“It is a sign of stability in the border area,” he said. “It demonstrates a better situation and cooperation between the soldiers of the two countries along the border.

Failure to agree on Suu Kyi will haunt, undermine Asean

http://www.nationmultimedia.com

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on August 27, 2009

A move to seek a pardon from Burma's military junta for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has gone nowhere after senior Asean officials failed to get a consensus for the plan at a meeting in Jakarta last week.

Most international media misinterpreted a statement by Indonesia's spokesman on the outcome of the meeting last Friday. They headlined their reports that "Asean officials agreed on a joint appeal for Suu Kyi's release".

A court in Burma sentenced the opposition leader to a further 18 months under house arrest for breaching conditions of her detention after an American, John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake to her house in May. The American was deported last week but Suu Kyi looks set to serve her term. An appeal against the decision has not been considered yet.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya proposed that Asean ask junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe, to grant Suu Kyi a pardon.

Senior officials at Asean, including Burma's representative, debated the Thai proposal last Thursday and Friday to find a common stance for the group to appeal for her release.

But they could not agree on a common stance because representatives from Laos and Vietnam opposed the plan and insisted the Burmese court ruling was a domestic affair in which other members of the group should not intervene.

Senior officials from other member states failed to convince Laos and Vietnam to change their minds. They created a way to save face for all by recommending respective officials relay the Thai proposal to their governments.

At the end of the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah merely said: "Officials agreed that a joint appeal is a good idea and they recommended that foreign ministers take follow-up action".

Such a statement cannot be interpreted as an agreement. It is normal at Asean to refer decisions to higher levels when officials at lower levels fail to find common ground on some issues. This is the Asean way of "agreeing to disagree".

In fact foreign ministers of all states, including Burma's Nyan Win, had already been informed about the proposal. They don't need their senior officials to recommend anything. Prior to the senior official meeting in Jakarta, Foreign Minister Kasit contacted many of his counterparts including Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia to discuss the idea.

Newer members of Asean - Cambodia, Burma, Laos and Vietnam - usually take the same stance and chose to adhere to the Asean taboo of non-interference in fellow states' domestic affairs. Lobbying them to change their stance on this can be very difficult.

As of Tuesday, Laos and Vietnam maintained their stance that they did not want to interfere in Burma's domestic affairs, while Cambodia was moderate about the matter but preferred to take the same position, according to an Asean official.

Asean foreign ministers are not due to meet until they gather in New York late next month for the United Nations General Assembly. That means the proposal to seek a pardon for Suu Kyi is unlikely to be considered before then.

Foreign Minister Kasit seemed to have no idea how to turn his plan into reality. He told reporters on Monday the pardon was no longer an issue. He said he had conveyed Asean's views on political developments in Burma several times and hoped the junta leaders would understand the situation.

If Asean gives up, Suu Kyi's predicament could become a mounting issue for the group at international forums. From now on, Asean will have to bear the brunt of Burma's problems at all forums around the globe, including the UN next month and a summit with partners from Asia and the Pacific in Thailand in October. If the situation in Burma is raised in meetings, it could overshadow other initiatives and cooperation.

Asean needs to make more effort to engage and frequently communicate with the junta to explain that the country has a chance to avoid international isolation by simply being more accommodating to its domestic opposition.

Burma is not only a problem for Asean but a challenge for the group to overcome. If the regional body