It would be hard to invent a news story that tied together more strategic and political issues than the Obama administration's decision to change its stance on the deployment of a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe.
It touches on Washington's assessment of Iran's military capabilities.
There is an underlying assumption that Tehran's capacity for mounting warheads on long-range missiles does not pose an immediate strategic headache.
It also sends a signal to the peoples of Central Europe about how President Barack Obama proposes to manage the post Cold-War order in their neck of the woods in the next few years.
And it raises questions about the administration's much talked-about desire to "hit the re-set" button on its relationship with Russia.
Russian flexibility
American plans to put missiles in Poland and woo new allies from Estonia to Georgia and Ukraine left the Russians feeling humiliated, encircled - and angry.
Might the re-timetabling of that perceived threat make the Russians a little more flexible on possible UN sanctions aimed at Iranian nuclear ambitions down the road?
Will there be some sort of back-door deal [with Russia] on a tougher approach to Iran's nuclear ambitions at the UN?
Or does it risk creating the impression among American voters that Mr Obama finds it difficult to stand up to Russian bluster.
When then-President Bush proposed to base advanced radar systems in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland, the move proclaimed that countries which had until recently been occupied satellites of the Soviet Union were being taken lock, stock and barrel into the Western camp.
That promise was extended not just to the old satellite states like Poland but to the Baltic Republics, which had been part of the Soviet Union itself.
However the Obama administration works to portray its new strategic thinking in the coming months, there will be a feeling in parts of Eastern Europe that his government is going to strike a different balance between the need to embrace all those new allies and the need to avoid alienating Russia.
The way the announcement of the shift in emphasis on the future of American missile defence was handled was a skilful muddying of the waters.
Gates on missile shield overhaul
Statements came first from the president himself and then from his Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, within a few moments of each other. The tone of both was simple.
This was not about leaving new allies in the lurch, or about kow-towing to the Russians, or even about rowing back from the concept of developing the capability of protecting America and its allies by shooting down enemy missiles.
This was about improvements in sensor and missile technology rendering obsolete the old plans to place fixed position radar in the Czech Republic and fixed batteries of missiles in Poland.
The new capabilities, we were assured, would be more flexible and more technologically advanced.
'Misinterpreting reality'
There was even a whiff of idealism in there - the hope that Russia might one day be persuaded into co-operating on creating some kind of defence.
And there was a reminder that America was continuing to talk to its allies about their readiness to host new-generation interceptors in the future.
Mr Gates, of course, is a useful ally for President Obama at these sticky moments.
He is a holdover from the Bush administration and, as such, once presided over the now-abandoned Czech/Polish plan himself.
Who better to deploy to make the case that this change of plan is based strictly on military and scientific considerations rather than diplomatic expedience?
As the Defence Secretary put it: "Those who say we are scrapping the Missile Defence Shield are either misinformed or are misinterpreting reality."
Mr Gates even said that talks were under way that might eventually result in Poland and the Czech Republic hosting new generation missiles - conveniently, though, that would be much further down the road, perhaps somewhere around 2015.
The first signs that not everyone was convinced by the administration's presentational skills were not long in coming.
Republican Senator John McCain called the decision "seriously misguided" and said that that it had "the potential to undermine perceived American leadership in Eastern Europe".
It will be some time before it is possible to work out precisely how to evaluate Washington's new posture on missile defence.
Judgement will be based in part on the detail of any new plans that are published.
Where and when will better sensors and interceptor batteries be deployed and what exactly will their capabilities be? Will they indeed really end up in Eastern Europe ?
How will Russia respond to America's announcement? Moscow has already said it sees no need to make concessions, but will there be some sort of back-door deal on a tougher approach to Iran's nuclear ambitions at the UN?
There are plenty of threads brought together in this American announcement. Unpicking them will take time.
It touches on Washington's assessment of Iran's military capabilities.
There is an underlying assumption that Tehran's capacity for mounting warheads on long-range missiles does not pose an immediate strategic headache.
It also sends a signal to the peoples of Central Europe about how President Barack Obama proposes to manage the post Cold-War order in their neck of the woods in the next few years.
And it raises questions about the administration's much talked-about desire to "hit the re-set" button on its relationship with Russia.
Russian flexibility
American plans to put missiles in Poland and woo new allies from Estonia to Georgia and Ukraine left the Russians feeling humiliated, encircled - and angry.
Might the re-timetabling of that perceived threat make the Russians a little more flexible on possible UN sanctions aimed at Iranian nuclear ambitions down the road?
Will there be some sort of back-door deal [with Russia] on a tougher approach to Iran's nuclear ambitions at the UN?
Or does it risk creating the impression among American voters that Mr Obama finds it difficult to stand up to Russian bluster.
When then-President Bush proposed to base advanced radar systems in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland, the move proclaimed that countries which had until recently been occupied satellites of the Soviet Union were being taken lock, stock and barrel into the Western camp.
That promise was extended not just to the old satellite states like Poland but to the Baltic Republics, which had been part of the Soviet Union itself.
However the Obama administration works to portray its new strategic thinking in the coming months, there will be a feeling in parts of Eastern Europe that his government is going to strike a different balance between the need to embrace all those new allies and the need to avoid alienating Russia.
The way the announcement of the shift in emphasis on the future of American missile defence was handled was a skilful muddying of the waters.
Gates on missile shield overhaul
Statements came first from the president himself and then from his Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, within a few moments of each other. The tone of both was simple.
This was not about leaving new allies in the lurch, or about kow-towing to the Russians, or even about rowing back from the concept of developing the capability of protecting America and its allies by shooting down enemy missiles.
This was about improvements in sensor and missile technology rendering obsolete the old plans to place fixed position radar in the Czech Republic and fixed batteries of missiles in Poland.
The new capabilities, we were assured, would be more flexible and more technologically advanced.
'Misinterpreting reality'
There was even a whiff of idealism in there - the hope that Russia might one day be persuaded into co-operating on creating some kind of defence.
And there was a reminder that America was continuing to talk to its allies about their readiness to host new-generation interceptors in the future.
Mr Gates, of course, is a useful ally for President Obama at these sticky moments.
He is a holdover from the Bush administration and, as such, once presided over the now-abandoned Czech/Polish plan himself.
Who better to deploy to make the case that this change of plan is based strictly on military and scientific considerations rather than diplomatic expedience?
As the Defence Secretary put it: "Those who say we are scrapping the Missile Defence Shield are either misinformed or are misinterpreting reality."
Mr Gates even said that talks were under way that might eventually result in Poland and the Czech Republic hosting new generation missiles - conveniently, though, that would be much further down the road, perhaps somewhere around 2015.
The first signs that not everyone was convinced by the administration's presentational skills were not long in coming.
Republican Senator John McCain called the decision "seriously misguided" and said that that it had "the potential to undermine perceived American leadership in Eastern Europe".
It will be some time before it is possible to work out precisely how to evaluate Washington's new posture on missile defence.
Judgement will be based in part on the detail of any new plans that are published.
Where and when will better sensors and interceptor batteries be deployed and what exactly will their capabilities be? Will they indeed really end up in Eastern Europe ?
How will Russia respond to America's announcement? Moscow has already said it sees no need to make concessions, but will there be some sort of back-door deal on a tougher approach to Iran's nuclear ambitions at the UN?
There are plenty of threads brought together in this American announcement. Unpicking them will take time.
The North has said it was enriching both uranium and plutonium
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has met the visiting envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, official media from the two countries have reported.
China has been pressing North Korea to return to international talks aimed at the nuclear disarmament of the North.
It pulled out of multilateral talks after international condemnation of a long-range missile launch in April.
The US has said it is prepared to talk directly with North Korea in order to resume the stalled negotiations.
The Chinese envoy, Dai Bingguo, delivered a letter to Mr Kim from Hu Jintao, North Korean state radio said.
China's Premier Wen Jiabao is expected to visit North Korea in October, in what would be the highest-level visit to the North since it held its second nuclear test in May.
NUCLEAR CRISIS
Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test
Feb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid
June 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor
June 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets
Oct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism
Dec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aid
Jan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"
April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite
25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test
N Korea's uranium admission
Q&A: North Korea nuclear test
That test provoked a new round of sanctions against North Korea.
On Wednesday, Mr Dai met North Korea's lead man on nuclear negotiations, Kang Sok-ju, accompanied by Beijing's chief envoy to the six-party talks that also include South Korea, Japan and Russia.
The US said last week that it was prepared to hold direct talks with North Korea to persuade it to return to the stalled six-party talks.
No date for such talks has been announced.
The US has previously said it would not tolerate a nuclear North Korea.
In September 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid in a deal decided between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US, beginning the six-party process.
But since then, the talks have stalled over the failure of Pyongyang to verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear plant.
In May this year, the North said it had staged a second "successful" underground nuclear test, saying it was more powerful than a test carried out in October 2006.
The North says that it remains under military threat from its historic rival, South Korea, and South Korea's allies, primarily the US.
North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least six nuclear bombs. Earlier in September, the North said it had entered the final phase of uranium enrichment, which would give it a second way to make a nuclear bomb.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has met the visiting envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, official media from the two countries have reported.
China has been pressing North Korea to return to international talks aimed at the nuclear disarmament of the North.
It pulled out of multilateral talks after international condemnation of a long-range missile launch in April.
The US has said it is prepared to talk directly with North Korea in order to resume the stalled negotiations.
The Chinese envoy, Dai Bingguo, delivered a letter to Mr Kim from Hu Jintao, North Korean state radio said.
China's Premier Wen Jiabao is expected to visit North Korea in October, in what would be the highest-level visit to the North since it held its second nuclear test in May.
NUCLEAR CRISIS
Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test
Feb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid
June 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor
June 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets
Oct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism
Dec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aid
Jan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"
April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite
25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test
N Korea's uranium admission
Q&A: North Korea nuclear test
That test provoked a new round of sanctions against North Korea.
On Wednesday, Mr Dai met North Korea's lead man on nuclear negotiations, Kang Sok-ju, accompanied by Beijing's chief envoy to the six-party talks that also include South Korea, Japan and Russia.
The US said last week that it was prepared to hold direct talks with North Korea to persuade it to return to the stalled six-party talks.
No date for such talks has been announced.
The US has previously said it would not tolerate a nuclear North Korea.
In September 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid in a deal decided between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US, beginning the six-party process.
But since then, the talks have stalled over the failure of Pyongyang to verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear plant.
In May this year, the North said it had staged a second "successful" underground nuclear test, saying it was more powerful than a test carried out in October 2006.
The North says that it remains under military threat from its historic rival, South Korea, and South Korea's allies, primarily the US.
North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least six nuclear bombs. Earlier in September, the North said it had entered the final phase of uranium enrichment, which would give it a second way to make a nuclear bomb.
Ms Suu Kyi's conviction drew widespread international condemnation
A Burmese court will give its verdict on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her extended house arrest next month, her lawyers said.
Government and defence lawyers made their final arguments in a Rangoon hearing that was closed to Ms Suu Kyi.
She was found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest after a US intruder stayed at her home.
Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months' house arrest, which will keep her out of elections next year.
She has already spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.
Prisoner amnesty
Her appeal hearing came a day after Burma's military rulers announced they would grant amnesty to more than 7,000 prisoners.
They were expected to be released on Friday to mark the 21st anniversary of the seizure of power by the military junta.
Twenty political prisoners are reported to be among those to be released, including two prominent members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and two journalists jailed for their reporting of Cyclone Nargis last year.
Human Rights Watch has reported that the number of political prisoners in Burma has doubled in two years, to 2,200.
Burma has been ruled by its military since 1962. The NLD won elections in 1990 but the military never allowed it to take power.
Meanwhile, there have been at least seven explosions in the northern part of Burma's main city, Rangoon.
A Burmese official said there was minor damage but no casualties.
Information coming out of Burma is tightly controlled by the military government and there has been no indication of who may have been behind the blasts.
A Burmese court will give its verdict on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her extended house arrest next month, her lawyers said.
Government and defence lawyers made their final arguments in a Rangoon hearing that was closed to Ms Suu Kyi.
She was found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest after a US intruder stayed at her home.
Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months' house arrest, which will keep her out of elections next year.
She has already spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.
Prisoner amnesty
Her appeal hearing came a day after Burma's military rulers announced they would grant amnesty to more than 7,000 prisoners.
They were expected to be released on Friday to mark the 21st anniversary of the seizure of power by the military junta.
Twenty political prisoners are reported to be among those to be released, including two prominent members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and two journalists jailed for their reporting of Cyclone Nargis last year.
Human Rights Watch has reported that the number of political prisoners in Burma has doubled in two years, to 2,200.
Burma has been ruled by its military since 1962. The NLD won elections in 1990 but the military never allowed it to take power.
Meanwhile, there have been at least seven explosions in the northern part of Burma's main city, Rangoon.
A Burmese official said there was minor damage but no casualties.
Information coming out of Burma is tightly controlled by the military government and there has been no indication of who may have been behind the blasts.
POLICE have declared a monthlong crackdown on vehicles violating traffic laws a complete success.On August 1, authorities across the Kingdom stepped up efforts to clamp down on illegal vehicles by confiscating cars and motorcycles that failed to comply with traffic laws. Previously, the owners of such vehicles faced nothing more than a fine.This week, the confiscation campaign drew to a close and police returned to the original fining scheme.Him Yan, deputy director of the Department of Public Order of the National Police Station, said: “We notice that our [confiscation] campaign has been very successful because nearly 90 percent of the population now understand and abide by the traffic laws. So we think it is time we started fining [again].”“For motorbikes, we fine 3,000 riels [$0.72] for not having a helmet; 4,000 riels for not having side mirrors and 5,000 riels for overloading. For autos, we fine 5,000 riels for not wearing seatbelts,” he said. He added that a fine would double if it was not paid within 30 days; triple if not paid within 60 days; and if it remained unpaid after 90 days, the offender would be sent to court. For motorcycle traffic violations alone, police collect 3 million riels in fines per day, he said.
Photo by: Sovan PhilongA woman offers food to monks at Wat Lanka as part of the traditional 15-day festival of Pchum Ben.IT’S 4am – in the middle of a dream. Clanging, calling, clanging and calling: “Come and eat!”Cambodia’s most famous king, Jayavarman VII, started the holiday of Pchum Ben in commemoration of the warriors who died during the great boat battles with the Cham in Siem Reap. Centuries later, it has shifted to a remembrance of family ancestors. And just like those long-lost warriors, they need some nourishment.The food, of course, will have to be to Khmer tastes. My friend Chab Kunn says even ghosts would wrinkle their noses at foreign foods, and god forbid you try to give them junk food. It’s only the good old family recipes that will satisfy.Only a few traditional dishes are offered up to ancestors during Pchum Ben. Chop chai soup, made with pork, vegetables and pork skin, is one of the essential dishes. I asked Chab Kunn what kind of vegetables and he said: “All kinds. Whatever they grow in their province.” It reminds me of the old family recipes cooked up at Christmas by my family in the States. “There are different styles, but they are all Cambodian,” he says. Pork with fried noodles is the other main fixture on the festive menu. Other dishes include chicken or fish fried with ginger, and roast chicken. “If people have a house, they have chickens,” he says.
Photo by: Sovan PhilongLeft: Nom ahnsahm. Right: Mi sour.The women prepare the dishes, and they are stacked in a bunto – the cylindrical lunch box – and brought to the pagoda to be offered up to the monks.Some people start cooking and sending in food to the pagoda 15 days before the day of Pchum Ben. However, most will prepare two or three days beforehand. The mass of food can’t all be eaten by the monks, so it is also a time for giving. Monks will arrange for food to be sent to troops who can’t get back to their home provinces, and the poor will go to the pagodas to ask for food from the monks. With people returning to their home province for this holiday, food is being cooked up for their families as well. This is a special time for city folk to eat the clean country food not found in the cities.Kunn tells me: “The strong chickens in the countryside are much tastier. They haven’t been pumped up with water like city chickens. And the fish are better, too. They grow up in the rice fields only in the rainy season and have only clean food to eat.”Then there are the cakes. There are traditionally four kinds of cakes made for Pchum Ben, but two are most prominent. In keeping with the Hindu and Buddhist faiths, a holiday for the dead should have some symbols of renewal present. The nom ahnsahm is a linga-shaped cake made with a layer of sticky rice laid in a banana leaf with spread of bean and pork lard. Traditionally, the leaf is wrapped into a roll and the phallic cake tied with the fibre of the banana tree “trunk” and steamed in a large pan.Nom gkohm starts with a rice flour dough placed into a banana leaf in an oval shape. It is filled with sesame seeds, red bean paste, palm sugar, peanut and coconut, and also steamed in a large pan and resembles a yoni when finished.The other two cakes, are nom jaik, which is a banana wrapped in sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled, and nom tmei, which is the same as nom gkohm but without the red bean paste. These two linga and yoni cakes are not as prevalent.The cakes will be made up ahead of time and hung on the wall. They are usually eaten for breakfast after being grilled for a few minutes.But why was I woken at 4am? Bai ben, the rice offering where people throw rice around the pagoda to start things off.A time to reconnect, a time for renewal – a time to eat.
Photo by: Sovan PhilongLeft: Nom ahnsahm. Right: Mi sour.The women prepare the dishes, and they are stacked in a bunto – the cylindrical lunch box – and brought to the pagoda to be offered up to the monks.Some people start cooking and sending in food to the pagoda 15 days before the day of Pchum Ben. However, most will prepare two or three days beforehand. The mass of food can’t all be eaten by the monks, so it is also a time for giving. Monks will arrange for food to be sent to troops who can’t get back to their home provinces, and the poor will go to the pagodas to ask for food from the monks. With people returning to their home province for this holiday, food is being cooked up for their families as well. This is a special time for city folk to eat the clean country food not found in the cities.Kunn tells me: “The strong chickens in the countryside are much tastier. They haven’t been pumped up with water like city chickens. And the fish are better, too. They grow up in the rice fields only in the rainy season and have only clean food to eat.”Then there are the cakes. There are traditionally four kinds of cakes made for Pchum Ben, but two are most prominent. In keeping with the Hindu and Buddhist faiths, a holiday for the dead should have some symbols of renewal present. The nom ahnsahm is a linga-shaped cake made with a layer of sticky rice laid in a banana leaf with spread of bean and pork lard. Traditionally, the leaf is wrapped into a roll and the phallic cake tied with the fibre of the banana tree “trunk” and steamed in a large pan.Nom gkohm starts with a rice flour dough placed into a banana leaf in an oval shape. It is filled with sesame seeds, red bean paste, palm sugar, peanut and coconut, and also steamed in a large pan and resembles a yoni when finished.The other two cakes, are nom jaik, which is a banana wrapped in sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled, and nom tmei, which is the same as nom gkohm but without the red bean paste. These two linga and yoni cakes are not as prevalent.The cakes will be made up ahead of time and hung on the wall. They are usually eaten for breakfast after being grilled for a few minutes.But why was I woken at 4am? Bai ben, the rice offering where people throw rice around the pagoda to start things off.A time to reconnect, a time for renewal – a time to eat.
BANGKOK, Sept 17 (TNA) - A senior Thai Army officer denied a report in a Cambodian newspaper that Thai soldiers shot a Cambodian teenager and burned him alive, saying that the military units along the Thai-Cambodian border denied that such an incident happened.Lt-Gen Wiboonsak Neephan, commander of the Second Army Region responsible for security affairs along the northeastern border told Thai News Agency that he had inquired every units along Thai-Cambodian border and the officials confirmed that nothing similar to the news report ever occurred and that he did not know why there was such a report in the media.He affirmed that Thai soldiers would not do such a barbaric act as reported in the Cambodian newspaper and stated he thought that the information could be incorrect.Gen Wiboonsak affirmed that the Thai-Cambodian Border Peacekeeping Committee is working closely to avoid border disputes and to offer certainty that actions are within the legal framework and agreements.He added that Thailand and Cambodia had agreement to solve border disputes and the incident should not have happened.The English-language Phnom Penh Post on Monday quoted Thon Nol, governor of Samrong district in Oddar Meanchey province as saying that a Cambodian teenager named Yon Rith, 16, was arrested and burned alive after Thai armed forces accused him of illegally felling trees.Another teenager from the same village in Kon Kreal commune, 18-year-old Mao Kleung, was also shot and seriously wounded, he said, but villagers managed to carry him to Cambodian territory, and he is now in an Oddar Meanchey hospital.Meanwhile, foreign media quoted Cambodian Deputy Foreign Minister Ouch Borith as saying that he had seen evidence proving the incident took place and urged Thailand to investigate what he said was a "brutal and inhumane" act.Mr Borith said he had seen photographs of the charred body of a boy. He did not provide any evidence Thai soldiers were responsible.As for the planned rally of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) near the Preah Vihear temple, Gen Wiboonsak said the contested area was dangerous zone and had few accommodations to facilitate the demonstrators.The PAD “Yellow Shirts” plan to rally at the border province of Si Sa Ket on Saturday to protest against the Cambodian government, urging the Cambodians to withdraw their military and civilians from occupying the 4.6 square kilometre contested zone surrounding the 11th-century temple.He said the Thai military had provided an area for the protesters to gather and urged the people who joined the rally to demonstrate under the legal framework and to bear in mind safety concerns.Gen Wiboonsak said he believed the public know about the Thai-Cambodian border disputes and it would depend on cooperation from the public to ease the problems. He added that the public should realise (the importance) oft bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia and admitted that the protest may cause difficulty for the border talks.Meanwhile, a reporter in Si Sa Ket reported that police had set up barricades at Phoomsarol temple in Kantharalak district to block the road to Khao Phra Wihan National Park to inspect vehicles and people who pass the entrance to the park.The reporter said paramilitary rangers and military personnel from the Suranaree Task Force had also set up barricades with barbed-wire and other obstacles at the Forest Fire Control Unit Office about100 metres from the national park checkpoint and did not allow anyone to enter the park, including media.Khao Phra Viharn National Park is the Thai gateway to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple.Twenty PAD members reportedly occupied the border cooperation office near the park checkpoint and security personnel detained them at the office.In related developments, French news agency Agence France Presse quoted the Cambodian Defence Ministry as saying that Cambodia deployed riot police Thursday at an ancient temple on the disputed border with Thailand where Thai protesters are due to hold a protest at the weekend.Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat was quoted saying that 50 police with dogs, batons, and tear gas were deployed at Preah Vihear temple in case the Thai protesters illegally crossed the border to cause problems.
Click to Read More...
Click to Read More...
Mu Sochua (L) shaking hand with Hillary Clinton (R).
Source: Radio Free AsiaReported in English by KhmerizationSpokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) said the National Assembly denouncing Mrs. Mu Sochua's testimony at Tom Lantos Commission on human right conditions in Cambodia is an attempt to whitewash its bad act.After Mrs. Mu Sochua's testimony on 10th September, Cambodian parliamentary Commission of Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Commission of Human Rights jointly issued a statement condemning Mrs. Mu Sochua. "(We) denounce Mrs. Mu Sochua's action for the testimony with the aim to confuse national and international public opinions", the statement said.Mr. Yim Sovan, SRP spokesman, said human right violations in Cambodia is not a secret thing. "The constitution states that there is a national congess, now we can hold this national congress to raise all these issues to see whether there any human right abuses or not? If the victims answered that there are human right abuses, the government should accept the truth and change its policies so that there won't be any more injustices in the Cambodian society like what we have seen", he said.On 10th September, opposition MP Mu Sochua, human right activist Pung Chiv Kek and labour campaigner Moeun Tola have testified at the U.S Congression's Tom Lantos Human Right Commission regarding human right conditions in Cambodia.Mrs. Mu Sochua sued Prime Minister Hun Sen for defamation and in turn was counter-sued by the Prime Minister. She has been ordered to pay pay 16 million riels ($8,5000 to Prime Minister Hun Sen after she lost a defamation court case which observers said was an unjust decision.Mr. Cheam Yeap, MP from the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said Mrs. Mu Sochua's case been proceeded through legal channels. "She had raised the issues of democracy being going backward. Secondly, she said the same thing about human right situations in Cambodia. And thirdly, she testified about the lifting of her parliamentary immunity. In fact, what we have done was all in accordance with the laws", he said.Mrs. Mu Sochua had met U.S Secretary of State Mrs Hillary Clinton after the testimony and said that Mrs. Clinton has promised to send a high powered delegation to Cambodia in the view of investigating human right conditions in the country to tie them to American aid.
Read more.............!
Source: Radio Free AsiaReported in English by KhmerizationSpokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) said the National Assembly denouncing Mrs. Mu Sochua's testimony at Tom Lantos Commission on human right conditions in Cambodia is an attempt to whitewash its bad act.After Mrs. Mu Sochua's testimony on 10th September, Cambodian parliamentary Commission of Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Commission of Human Rights jointly issued a statement condemning Mrs. Mu Sochua. "(We) denounce Mrs. Mu Sochua's action for the testimony with the aim to confuse national and international public opinions", the statement said.Mr. Yim Sovan, SRP spokesman, said human right violations in Cambodia is not a secret thing. "The constitution states that there is a national congess, now we can hold this national congress to raise all these issues to see whether there any human right abuses or not? If the victims answered that there are human right abuses, the government should accept the truth and change its policies so that there won't be any more injustices in the Cambodian society like what we have seen", he said.On 10th September, opposition MP Mu Sochua, human right activist Pung Chiv Kek and labour campaigner Moeun Tola have testified at the U.S Congression's Tom Lantos Human Right Commission regarding human right conditions in Cambodia.Mrs. Mu Sochua sued Prime Minister Hun Sen for defamation and in turn was counter-sued by the Prime Minister. She has been ordered to pay pay 16 million riels ($8,5000 to Prime Minister Hun Sen after she lost a defamation court case which observers said was an unjust decision.Mr. Cheam Yeap, MP from the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said Mrs. Mu Sochua's case been proceeded through legal channels. "She had raised the issues of democracy being going backward. Secondly, she said the same thing about human right situations in Cambodia. And thirdly, she testified about the lifting of her parliamentary immunity. In fact, what we have done was all in accordance with the laws", he said.Mrs. Mu Sochua had met U.S Secretary of State Mrs Hillary Clinton after the testimony and said that Mrs. Clinton has promised to send a high powered delegation to Cambodia in the view of investigating human right conditions in the country to tie them to American aid.
Read more.............!
Sept 18 (TNA) - Si Sa Ket residents gathered at the base of the stone staircase to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple to voice their disapproval of Saturday's planned protest of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) there.Over a thousand villagers from Kantharalak district gathered at Phum Saron temple Friday to oppose the PAD plan to rally at the disputed temple.Local residents said if any violence occurs, it will have social and economic impacts in the area. They said they want the border dispute to be resolved through diplomatic channels.Thai soldiers posted to the temple vicinity set up barbed wire to block the entrance and block access to Preah Vihear. The PAD plan to converge at Khao Phra Viharn National Park on Saturday, demanding Cambodian troops and villagers to move out from the disputed border area.The PAD ‘Yellow Shirts’ group who opposed ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra staged protests last year that led to a nine-day blockade of Bangkok's airports. The siege left more than 300,000 visitors stranded.
Click to Read More...
Click to Read More...