asianews: 10/02/09

Map Ta Phut Ruling Hits SET: PTT May Look to Develop in Cambodia

(Source: Bangkok Post)

By Nareerat Wiriyapong, Bangkok Post, Thailand

Oct. 1--Share prices of companies in the networks of PTT Plc and Siam Cement Group fell in a range of 1 percent to 7 percent during trading yesterday as the country's leading industrial conglomerates faced a new blow over unsettled pollution problems at Map Ta Phut.

Among the 76 projects worth 400 billion baht ordered to halt construction by the Administrative Court on Tuesday, 25 are being developed by subsidiaries and affiliates of PTT, said PTT chief financial officer Tevin Vongvanich.

These ongoing projects include a sixth gas separation plant, due to be operational by the end of this year, petrochemical plants, and an upgraded refinery to meet Euro 4 emission standards.

The court ordered the suspension of operating permits for new investments in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong, following an outcry from environmental activists and residents who claim the permits violated Section 67 of the 2007 Constitution.

"The (temporary) suspension of these projects will affect our trading and contract partners, financial institutions, and related industries across the supply chain. Moreover, it will put at risk over 100,000 jobs, including hiring in [Map Ta Phut]," Mr Tevin said.

"We are planning to hold talks with concerned government agencies to seek ways to soften the impact from the court's ruling, or we may lodge an appeal."

Siam Cement said the court order would force its wholly owned subsidiary, SCG Chemicals, to halt nearly completed construction of its upstream naphtha cracker, as well as projects of its downstream subsidiaries and joint-venture units, expected to be completed between late 2009 to mid-2011.

"In this regard, SCC will be working closely with all relevant government authorities to jointly conclude a solution for all concerned parties, while minimising any effect on SCG Chemicals' investment projects," president and chief executive Kan Trakulhoon said in a statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday.

Also affected is SET-listed Glow Energy, whose 660-megawatt power plant is likely to be postponed.

Kim Eng Securities said the court was expected to review the case immediately when an appeal is lodged.

"This issue cannot drag on for long because it will affect the sentiment of the stock market in general," said a Kim Eng spokesman.

However, Bualuang Securities said the court ruling was unlikely to push the overall index down even though it caused a sudden shock.

"This news represents a negative surprise and is certainly a near-term headwind against the stock of any company with facilities in or near Map Ta Phut," Bualuang said.

Surong Bualakula, senior executive vice-president for the international business unit of PTT, said Thailand's competitiveness had been crimped by the Map Ta Phut case.

The development could prompt PTT to look at neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, which has larger natural gas and oil reserves, as well as a pipeline network. The Cambodian government is considering a plan to build an energy complex in Sihanoukville, he said.

"Map Ta Phut is the centre of Thailand's industrial development region with a competitive advantage in the gas-based petrochemical industry," Mr Surong said. "What downstream manufacturers or automakers will invest in Thailand now because they cannot be sure if they will have enough raw materials in the future?"

Shares of Siam Cement (SCC) closed yesterday at 222 baht, down 5 baht, in trade worth 1.11 billion. PTT shares rose 3 baht, but PTTAR fell 1.10 baht to 24.40 in trade worth 1.7 billion while PTTCH fell 4 baht to 73.25 in trade worth 844 million. GLOW fell 1.75 baht to 32.75 in trade worth 135 million.

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To see more of the Bangkok Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangkokpost.com.

Floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ketsana in Siem Reap and Kampong Thom

Children ride in a kayak through floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ketsana in Siem Reap, 320 km (199 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, October 1, 2009. Cambodia is continuing to battle rising floodwaters from the typhoon that has cut a destructive path through South East Asia and killed about 300 people. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

Floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ketsana cover the front of the Allson Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, 320 km (199 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, October 1, 2009. Cambodia is continuing to battle rising floodwaters from the typhoon that has cut a destructive path through South East Asia and killed about 300 people. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

A villager walks past houses damaged by Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province 168km (104 miles) north of the capital, Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said . REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

A villager looks at the bodies of people killed by Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province 168km (104 miles) north of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

People cross through waters on a street flooded by Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province 168km (104 miles) north of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

People look from a house hit by floodwaters from Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province, 168km (104 miles) north of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

People carry a motorbike over waters on a street flooded by Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province 168km (104 miles) north of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

People work to retrieve a motorbike buried under a house hit by floodwaters from Typhoon Ketsana at Sandane district in Kampong Thom province 168km (104 miles) north of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh September 30, 2009. At least nine people were killed and 13 injured as Typhoon Ketsana struck central Cambodia, Chun Chorn, governor of Kampong Thom said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (Post by CAAI News Media)

Post by CAAI News Media http://khmernz.blogspot.com/

Disaster in the Pacific: typhoon, earthquakes, tsunami devastate area

fal2grace

Rachel Maddow shares video and onsite reports covering this week's earthquakes, tsunami and typhoon--all in the Pacific area and Southeast Asia. Hundreds of people are dead. Rescue efforts are underway. And another quake hit Indonesia even after this report.

Post by CAAI News Media http://www.khmernz.blogspot.com/

Typhoon Ketsana Kills 11 in Cambodia

Post by CAAI News Media http://www.khmernz.blogspot.com/

NTDTV

Eleven people in central Cambodia are dead after Typhoon Ketsana struck Kompong Thom Province on Wednesday the 30th.

Dozens of houses have been destroyed by the storm leaving victims struggling to recover their belongings.

[Meng Sun, Home Owner]: "I was sleeping in my bed there and at around 4:30, I moved to cook in my kitchen then the typhoon hit my house."

Local officials are on the scene attempting to help victims return to normal.

[Chhun Choan, Governor, Kompong Thom]: "I ordered my armed forces, and police to help people as best as they can to bring them to normal life."

Ketsana began its path of destruction in the Philippines earlier this week killing nearly 250 people there.

On Tuesday, the storm moved through Vietnam where officials have reported 40 deaths.
A new storm system is brewing over the Pacific Ocean and forecasters expect it to make landfall on the northern Philippine island of Luzon by Thursday, October 1st.

First Person: Tsunami Survivor Stories

Indonesia quake: Rescue effort continues as death toll rises

Rescuers continue looking for survivors of the two earthquakes to hit the island of Sumatra in Indonesia as the death toll climbs. Follow us on twitter at

HOT NEWS : Second Quake Hits Indonesia

Sumatra Island was stuck by a second earthquake in two days, Kelly Cobiella reports. The search for Tsunami victims continues in the Samoan Island after a Tsunami struck the area, Michael Moore reports.

The Secretary of State for Civil Aviation Announced that Bangkok Airways Flights Will End – Thursday, 1.10.2009

“The secretary of state of the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation [Mr. Mao Havannal] made an announcement that previous information about the suspension of flights of Bangkok Airways for the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap and Siem Reap-Phnom Penh sectors was not based on a clear source. Mr. Mao Havannal said that the information led to confusion. Therefore, the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation makes an announcement to clarify.

“The announcement reads:

1- “The Royal Government of Cambodia allowed Bangkok Airways to operate domestic flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh temporarily, based on Notification 1447, dated 20 November 2008 from the Council of Ministers. The suspension [of domestic flights] is not related to to general relations between the Royal Government and Bangkok Airways.

2- “Permission for domestic flights for Bangkok Airways was provided to ensure the sustainability of tourism, as tourists who are visiting the Kingdom of Cambodia, as well as national and international tourists, could board Phnom Penh-Siem Reap and Siem Reap-Phnom Penh flights, while Siem Reap Airways had been suspended temporarily due to air safety problems [of Siem Reap Airways].

3- “Temporarily permitted flights of Bangkok Airways on the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap and Siem Reap-Phnom Penh sectors will be terminated automatically on 25 October 2009 after this permission will expire. But this suspension of flights does not happen because of the creation of a new company [Cambodia Angkor Air], since all local companies have anyway the right to fly in the country.

“Even though the permission for domestic flights by Bangkok Airways expires, this company still has the right to fly on international routes to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The secretary of state of the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation added that Bangkok Airways had been allowed to fly on the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap and Siem Reap-Phnom Penh sectors before the creation of Cambodia Angkor Air. That is why the expiration of the permission is not related to the creation of the new company.

4- “Flights of Bangkok Airways will be replaced by flights of Siem Reap Airways. Thus, Siem Reap Airways can receive all flight sectors from Bangkok Airways, while it is submitting the necessary documents to respond to the legal standards of the Cambodian State Secretariat for Civil Aviation.”

Opposition Amendments to Penal Law Denied

The National Assembly voted against amendments to a new penal code that opposition proponents said would increase freedom of expression and improve justice and democracy.

Eighty-three of 101 lawmakers present voted against the amendments, to 43 of 672 different articles, in an Assembly heavily dominated by the Cambodian People’s Party.

The penal code, drafted with the help of the French government, seeks to update a combination of 1995 laws, tradition, the constitution and principles of international law.

Yim Sovann, a Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker who supported the changes, told the Assembly session: “The amendments aim to open the possibility of pulling some articles that affect the rights and freedoms of expression for people, and to provide a clear definition of each offense, because we worry there are some negative points in the draft of the penal code.”

He later said he regretted the amendments were not approved, but he hoped the president of the Assembly, Heng Samrin, would allow a full-session debate.

Sam Rainsy Party officials said certain articles in the draft law tighten the freedom of expression and public assembly, while allowing for complaints of defamation and insult that are open for abuse.

Cheam Yiep, head of the Assembly’s finance commission, told the session the amendment requests were “illegal.”

“The amendment requests contradict the internal rules of the National Assembly,” he said.

Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vatana told the session the penal code was written “to serve human rights.”

“Nothing we did is to pressure or close human rights,” he said.

Some human rights organizations have said the penal code’s negative points can be corrected during Assembly debate.

Another "Daily" Viet delegation visit to Cambodia

Comrade Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa standing next to Comrade Xamdec Heng Xamrin and Comrade Men Xam An (Photo: Khmer Sthabna)

Vietnamese, Cambodian women unions boost cooperation

The Vietnamese Women’s Union (VWU) and the Cambodian Women’s Association for Peace and Development (CWAPD) have signed a cooperation agreement for the 2009-2012 period.

The deal was reached during the VWU delegation’s visit to Cambodia on September 30, led by Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa.

As part of the agreement, both sides will step up the exchange of information on their activities to advance women in society and gender equality issues.

They will also work together to organize conferences and exchange delegations to increase mutual understanding.

During talks between Chairwoman Hoa and CWAPD’s Chairwoman Men Sam An, who is also Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister, the two organizations discussed how to raise women’s awareness of the need to prevent domestic violence and woman and child trafficking.

On the occasion, Chairwoman Nguyen presented 30 computers and US$10,000 to help the CWAPD in its efforts to reduce poverty.

Rescue Workers Search for Survivors from Asian Disasters, Death Toll Likely to Rise

Indonesian youth clean up rubbles in their home destroyed by earthquake in Pariaman, coastal town about 40 miles northwest of Padang, West Sumatra

Authorities say the death toll from an earthquake in Indonesia is likely to pass 1,000 as underequipped rescue workers dig through rubble for survivors. And the Philippines is on alert as a new typhoon heads toward the islands days after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people there and in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Indonesian rescue workers are digging by hand Friday, trying to find survivors among the hundreds of people believed trapped under piles of concrete.

Wednesday's earthquake struck off the coast of western Sumatra, with most of the damage in the city of Padang.

VOA's Jakarta correspondent, Brian Padden, has just arrived in Padang. He says the streets are busy with people and aid workers are pouring into the city.

"Just from the airport itself, it's like every third or fourth building we passed, there's serious damage, many have collapsed completely," he said. "Electricity is out everywhere. … There are long lines at gas stations, people are lined up with containers waiting to get the limited supply of gasoline that's here in the area."

Padden says the damage from Wednesday's quake is much worse than that from an earthquake in early September.

"In the last earthquake that hit Java, damage there was scattered, there'd be little pinpoints of damage. Here it seems everywhere, it's everywhere you look," he said.

Indonesia has asked for foreign aid to help with rescue efforts and support those affected by the 7.6 magnitude quake.

Numerous countries have offered assistance, including the United States, which pledged $3 million to help the quake victims.

Washington has also pledged aid for victims of a tropical storm that struck the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos this week. The storm killed more than 400 people in the region.

Typhoon Ketsana made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday, flooding parts of the capital, Manila and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

The Philippines is warning people to leave low-lying areas as another powerful typhoon nears.

In other natural disasters, the death toll from tsunami waves that hit the pacific islands of Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga is nearing 200.

Typhoon Ketsana: Cambodia

2 October 2009

Typhoon Ketsana hit Cambodia on 29 September, causing widespread damage.

The situation

At least 15 people have been reported dead and about 10,000 families are in need of urgent humanitarian aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana.

More than 30,000 hectares of rice crops are flooded and over 2,000 homes destroyed. Thousands of families are displaced and their livelihoods are badly affected.
The flood waters also took away many cattle, destroyed roads and other social infrastructure. The situation could be worse if other provinces are affected and humanitarian assistance is not delivered on time.
Donate now to the emergency response

Oxfam is there

We have sent in our relief teams to the four hard-hit areas: Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Stueng Treng and Kratie. Working closely with the government and other relief agencies, we have carried out an initial assessment of needs and have started distributing supplies.

Our planned £96,933 aid package is helping support families worst affected with basic essentials such as shelter, water, hygiene kits and mosquito nets.

Oxfam is also making additional purchases and coordinating to mobilise resources from other humanitarian agencies to help reach as many victims, and as quickly, as possible.

Flood levels continue to rise and more families are displaced. All humanitarian agencies should coordinate and act now to deliver food, clean water, sanitation and shelter to flood victims.

Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia

Tribunal Urges Victims to File Proper Complaints

The head of the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s Victims Unit said Friday victims who wished to file complaints for the upcoming case against four jailed leaders of the regime should take care to file properly, to ensure speedy processing.

Some filings have included different names and dates of birth, which have delayed the process, chief of the unit Helen Jarvis said. Sometimes survivors changed their names and dates, and “this is something we have to take into account,” she said.

Hong Kimsuon, a lawyer for civil parties, said the names were indeed different for many people from one regime to the next.

The UN-backed tribunal is preparing for the case against four leaders: chief ideologue Nuon Chea, former head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith.

The Victims Unit has asked that complaints by civil parties be filed by mid-November, as the first tribunal trial, for prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, draws to a close.

“Over recent months, the Victims Unit has played a greater role in assessing completeness and internal consistency of applications made, in order to reduce delays associated with such deficiencies at later stages of the process,” Jarvis said.

cambodia To Seek US Debt Forgiveness

Cambodia will ask the US to cancel hundreds of million dollar war-era debt the country owes, Cambodia’s foreign minister said Sunday, a day before meeting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Hor Namhong, in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, told VOA Khmer in an interview that it was fair if the debt was cancelled.

"I will ask [Clinton] to ask the US government to relieve Cambodia's debt, because it was from the Lon Nol regime,” Hor Namhong said at a hotel near UN headquarters.

"The loan was for buying war weaponry to fight in Cambodia. I will tell her that Cambodia has never demanded reparations for the [US] bombing during the Vietnam War, which killed many Cambodians and caused damages...Therefore, the US should understand the debt Cambodia owes,” he added.

Hor Namhong, Cambodia’s longtime foreign minister, is scheduled to meet Clinton Monday in New York, Cambodian officials said. They are expected to discuss an array of issues.

Cambodian officials have said Cambodia owes more than $300 million to the US dating back to the 1970s.

This is the first time that Cambodia will discuss the matter with US senior officials after several public requests and discussions by Cambodia's top leader, legislative body and international organizations with some US officials.

"First, we will ask the US to totally cancel the debt, but if this is not possible, we will then ask to turn the majority of it into development assistance, and Cambodia will pay a certain small portion of it," said Hor Namhong.

Some countries which the US relieves debt through the form of development assistance use the money for investing in education - an example some international organizations have suggested for Cambodia.

Cambodia's biggest opposition party also agrees with the government.

"We support the government in asking some countries to cancel debts that Cambodia owes from the past, but from today onward all foreign loan should be done with care,” said Yim Sovann, member of parliament and spokesperson for the Sam Rainsy Party. “It should be used effectively not extravagantly and get lost due to corruption."

One third of Cambodia external debts are from Russia and the US.

Cambodian communities facing forced eviction launch Inspection Panel complaint against World Bank

Phnom Penh residents facing the largest forced displacement of Cambodians since the Khmer Rouge era have filed a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel stating that they have suffered serious harm from a Bank-funded land-titling project.

for immediate release

October 1, 2009

Phnom Penh, Residents facing the largest forced displacement of Cambodians since the Khmer Rouge era have filed a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel stating that they have suffered serious harm from a Bank-funded land-titling project. The complaint, submitted by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and registered on 24 September, alleges that the Bank breached its operational policies by failing to adequately supervise the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), which has denied urban poor and other vulnerable households protection against widespread tenure insecurity and increasing forced evictions in Cambodia.

A major report about the Bank-financed project, “Untitled: Tenure Insecurity and Inequality in the Cambodian Land Sector,” was also released this week by three international human rights organizations, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) and Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia (BABSEA).

“The principal finding of the report is that, despite a seven-year, multi-million dollar effort to reform the land sector, Cambodia’s land administration institutions have failed to improve tenure security for vulnerable groups, who are routinely and arbitrarily denied access to land titling and dispute resolution mechanisms,” stated Salih Booker, Executive Director of COHRE.

Despite having legitimate rights to the land under Cambodia’s Land Law, thousands of families residing around Phnom Penh’s Boeung Kak lake were denied titles when the area was adjudicated by LMAP in January 2007, the same month that a well-connected developer acquired a legally dubious 99-year lease over the area. Residents have since been subjected to intimidation and pressure to leave their homes by the developer and local officials. So far, an estimated 900 families have been evicted from their land to make way for the development, with more than 3000 families due to face the same fate.

The NGO report states that “[t]he fact that these households do not have title is often used against them as a justification for eviction, despite the fact that many have well documented rights under the law.” “Meanwhile,” the report continues, “the wealthy and well-connected have little difficulty in acquiring land title in high value areas in which poor communities reside due to their connections or their ability to pay the high ‘unofficial fees’.”

Both the complaint and the report cite numerous flaws of LMAP, including a failure to issue titles to vulnerable households in accordance with legal procedures, ineffective and corrupt dispute resolution mechanisms, and a failure to conduct essential public awareness campaigns and legal aid programs.

The report identifies the absence of transparent State land management as a key failure of LMAP, which has contributed to the problem of tenure insecurity throughout the country. It states that the lack of transparency and an unimplemented or inadequate legal framework has led to the loss of public spaces in both urban and rural settings, as well as the large-scale depletion of the country’s natural resources, especially forests.

“The mismanagement of State land has negatively impacted the poorest Cambodians most,” said BABSEA Director David Pred. “Rural and indigenous communities have been deprived of the land on which their lives depend in order to make way for Economic Land Concessions, and poor urban households have been denied the opportunity to secure their land tenure despite their legal entitlements, when they are wrongly labelled as squatters on State land.”

Boeung Kak residents who filed the complaint against the World Bank have requested to remain anonymous, citing concerns for their safety amidst increasing intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and political dissidents in Cambodia.

The Cambodian government abruptly ended its agreement on the project with the World Bank last month after a disagreement about the applicability of World Bank social safeguards in cases like Boeung Kak. Despite the government’s termination of the agreement, human rights groups have demanded that the Cambodian government continue to be held accountable for its contractual obligations to adhere to the project’s policy on involuntary resettlement.

“In light of the serious problems with the design and implementation of LMAP, it is incumbent upon the World Bank to conduct a thorough investigation of this project and its overall assistance strategy in Cambodia,” said Pred. “After seven years of wholly inadequate supervision of LMAP, the Bank has a responsibility to investigate and remedy the harms that have been caused to the Cambodian families who have been unfairly denied recognition of their land rights.”

“The World Bank should reconsider its approach to land titling programmes that it promotes worldwide, especially in countries without strong rule of law and the political will to protect people’s rights against powerful interests,” Booker added. “Through the Inspection Panel’s investigation, the World Bank can and should learn important lessons from LMAP.”

Critical Humanitarian Operations Underway In Asia-Pacific

An Indonesian woman dries her mattresses outside her home damaged by an earthquake in Pariaman, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 02 Oct 2009

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is mounting a huge humanitarian relief operation to help victims of six natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific area. The agency says hundreds of local Red Cross volunteers provided immediate life-saving services in the disaster zones.

The Asia-Pacific Region has been pummeled by six simultaneous disasters in a short space of time. The Philippines was struck by a devastating typhoon on September 26 and a second tropical storm is looming. Samoa and Tonga and American Samoa were hit by a tsunami on September 30.

And, on the same day, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of West Sumatra in Indonesia. Shortly after, a second earthquake struck the same region.

Alistair Henley is the International Red Cross Federation's Director in the Asia Pacific. In a telephone briefing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he says in the last few years, there has been a great increase in the intensity of certain types of disasters and unpredictability of disasters in the region.

"These typhoons, remember, are a normal regular event from the Pacific going through into the East China Sea," said Alistair Henley. "But, the ferocity, I think now that we are seeing and particularly the Ketsana that struck the Philippines was very, very extreme indeed. So, yes, there is definitely the effects of climate change. There is no doubt about that now. "

Henley says quick action by local Red Cross Volunteers has saved hundreds of lives. The United Nations says there are over one-thousand people confirmed dead from the 7.9 magnitude earthquake alone. But, it is believed many more people than that have lost their lives. Rescue efforts are drawing to a close and aid agencies believe the death toll will rise as bodies buried in the rubble are uncovered.

Indonesian youth clean up rubbles in their home destroyed by earthquake in Pariaman, coastal town about 40 miles northwest of Padang, West Sumatra

Heavy rains and landslides have triggered displacement of thousands of people throughout the region. The United Nations and international agencies are rushing in shelter material, food, water, medicine and other needed relief items.

Red Cross Operations coordinator for Indonesia, Christine South, says an aerial assessment team confirms that the coastal city of Padang in West Sumatra is among the hardest hit areas. But, she says the situation in the rural areas is even worse.

"There was talk of complete devastation of some villages, 100 percent devastation, 50 percent in others," said Christine South. "Obviously huge damage to infrastructure cut off by landslides. So, I think we are seeing images from Padang. But, we must not forget surrounding villages are seriously, seriously damaged and the impact of this disaster is likely to increase in the coming days."

South says the earthquake has traumatized many people. She says people are sleeping outdoors in fear of aftershocks. While life saving needs of water, food, shelter and so on are important, she says it also is very important to provide people with the psycho-social counseling they need to help them deal with the disaster.

Tens of thousands in Philippines flee new typhoon

A woman cries beside the coffin of her son who died during the flooding Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 in suburban Quezon City north of Manila. Casualties to the flooding brought by tropical storm Ketsana continue to rise with reported missing as people starts for rebuild their lives after burying their dead relatives. (AP Photo/Pat Roque)

Workers carry the coffin of a flood victim into a hearse during their funeral Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Phillippines. Casualties to the flooding brought by tropical storm Ketsana continue to rise with reported missing as people starts for rebuild their lives after burying their dead relatives. (AP Photo/Pat Roque)

By ROHAN SULLIVAN (AP)

(Post by CAAI News Media)

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos braced Friday to be whipped by powerful winds and pelted with rain from a second typhoon in eight days, fleeing by the tens of thousands from low-lying areas and suspending cleanup operations in the flooded capital.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a nationwide "state of calamity" and ordered mass evacuations of six provinces in the path of Typhoon Parma, which was expected to hit the main island of Luzon midafternoon Saturday.

Parma threatened to expand more than a week of destruction in the Asia-Pacific region that has claimed more than 1,500 lives so far: an earthquake Wednesday in Indonesia; a tsunami Tuesday in the Samoan islands; and Typhoon Ketsana across Southeast Asia.

Cedric Daep, a top disaster official in the Philippines' Albay province, said officials there had evacuated almost 50,000 people to shelters on higher ground.

Police and the military were helping people to leave flood- or landslide-prone areas across the north and east, where heavy rain fell on Friday.

"Our objective is zero casualties," Daep told The Associated Press.

Parts of the capital, Manila, were still awash from the worst floods in 40 years caused by Ketsana on Sept. 26. Almost 300 people were killed and more than 2 million had swamped homes.

In Quezon City, where muddy brown water was still chest-deep, residents turned from cleaning up after Ketsana to trying to secure their belongings from the risk of more flooding.

"We do not know what to do or where we can go," said resident Bebang De Los Santos. "We don't have a way out and this is the only place that is safe, but we don't have any shelter."

In Albay, laundry worker Mely Malate fled with her husband and six children to an evacuation center, spurred by memories of a storm three years ago.

"During the last typhoon, we were trapped inside the house by the flood waters and we had to climb to the roof," she said. "We are scared whenever there is a storm. When we left this morning, the river was already higher than normal."

Arroyo's "state of calamity" declaration of frees up government funds to respond to emergencies.

Parma was forecast to cross the coast of the main island of Luzon north of Manila, packing sustained winds of up to 120 mph (195 kph), gusting up to 140 mph (230 kph). If the sustained winds reach 133 mph (215 kph) Parma will get the official designation "super-typhoon," the government's weather bureau said.

It was expected to continue east into the South China Sea by Sunday, though it's direction from there was uncertain. As many as 20 major storms buffet the region each year.

In southern Taiwan, the county where about 700 died when Typhoon Morakot hit in August plans to evacuate several villages prone to flooding and mudslides if a warning for Parma is issued, said county chief Yang Chiu-hsing.

Earlier this week, the storm that flooded the Philippines, Ketsana, then hit Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos; 293 died in the Philippines, 99 in Vietnam, 14 in Cambodia and 16 in Laos.

Lake Laguna on the edge of the capital rose by more than 3.3 feet (one meter) as Ketsana passed and was in danger of spilling over into districts near Manila housing some 100,000 people, said Ed Manda, general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority.

At a briefing Friday evening, weather bureau administrator Frisco Nilo said a high-pressure system near Hong Kong had caused Parma to slow slightly and might cause it to change direction, though it was still likely to hit the main northern Philippine island of Luzon.

Associated Press writers Teresa Cerejano and Oliver Teves in Manila, Annie Huang in Taipei, Taiwan, Minh Van Tran in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok contributed to this repor

Somaly's Sisters: How One Woman's Vision, Translated into Holistic Partnership, is Saving the World's Girls

Friday, October 2, 2009

By: Jordan Walker

At last count, a minimum 1.8 million children are enslaved in the global sex trade, which actively operates in nearly every country in the world. At last estimate, as many as 200,000 children risk entering into sex trafficking in the United States alone (The Polaris Project).

The centuries-old phenomenon of human trafficking is far from extinct, yet an innovative new partnership among The Body Shop, ECPAT International (End Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), and The Somaly Mam Foundation seeks to change that.

Each of the three organizations brings a unique set of resources and perspectives to this campaign, entitled “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People.” Specifically, The Body Shop envisioned a holistic partnership in which ECPAT and The Somaly Mam Foundation could provide their expertise (in advocacy and rescue/rehabilitation, respectively) around the issue and The Body Shop could leverage its reach to communicate the issue and activate the public worldwide.

The Body Shop boasts a rich history dedicated to its campaigns and values, and the company’s leadership of this campaign truly reaffirms its corporate identity. When Dame Anita Roddick created The Body Shop in 1976, she expected that social change would be firmly engrained in all aspects of the company, from research and development to the commitments of suppliers and manufacturers, to the future development of a community trade program and targeted campaigns. In reflecting on Roddick’s legacy, Shelley Simmons, The Body Shop Director of Values, describes the late founder as “a social activist first and foremost and an entrepreneur secondly.” As such, the company’s adoption of the child sex trafficking issue is in tribute to Roddick’s heartfelt passion around the cause.

The Body Shop views its staff as changemakers in the charge to raise awareness of the issue, and in turn employees have risen to the challenge. The company designed a training curriculum at the launch of the campaign to educate staff around the issue, helping them gauge the interest and comfort level of consumers who express an interest in the cause. Furthermore, employees were provided an educational video featuring Somaly Mam and ECPAT USA, as well as invited to attend a rally in New York City where experts in the issue raised a call to action.

ECPAT is a global network that unites 81 organizations serving to eliminate child trafficking, prostitution, and pornography through advocacy and reform efforts. Since its establishment in 1990 as a three-year campaign focused on Asia, ECPAT has established a presence in 75 countries, representing all regions worldwide. The primary focus of the organization is to provide tools and best practices to uphold the Stockholm Agenda for Action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), which was adopted by 122 countries in 1996.

And then there’s Somaly Mam. Named one of the World’s Most Influential People in Time Magazine’s 2009 issue, Mam is as humble as she is fearless. Somaly Mam sat down to speak with onPhilanthropy while promoting her partnership with The Body Shop and ECPAT and celebrating her foundation’s second annual A Night of Hopes and Dreams benefit in New York City.

By now many are familiar with Mam’s story: she was sold into sex slavery in Cambodia at a young age by a man posing as her grandfather, and she experienced unspeakable abuse and hardship at the hands of her various captors. But speak she does: since escaping from bondage, Mam went on to found an NGO called AFESIP (Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire) and the Somaly Mam Foundation and has become a tireless advocate for young women who suffer her same plight throughout Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Somaly Mam has changed the lives of the more than 6,000 young women she has freed and nurtured back to health. Indeed, the adoration was undeniable in the faces of the young women Mam referred to as daughters, who clustered around her to catch every word of our conversation.

By partnering in a three-year campaign that provides both short-term relief and long-term solutions to the child sex trafficking issue, these three organizations form a natural synthesis. With funding support at this time, the campaign can ensure the rescue and rehabilitation of children who are most immediately threatened by the human sex trafficking industry. Reports commissioned by the campaign will lay the groundwork for future advocacy efforts, which can in turn influence legislation in countries where laws are ineffective or non-existent. Building off these achievements, the campaign hopes that it can drive toward systemic change, eradicating these conditions altogether and ensuring protection for children worldwide.

With such influential parties uniting to tackle the issue of childhood sex trafficking, it’s no wonder this campaign, just launched in August 2009, is already making waves. Just last week The Body Shop International CEO Sophie Gasperment joined a working session at the Clinton Global Initiative entitled "Leadership Solutions to End Human Trafficking and Forced Labor,” where she presented a “Progress Card System” that values government steps in addressing child sex trafficking. Not only will this innovative system establish benchmarks and quantify progress toward reform, but it also elicits a candid discussion about the ways in which the issue is manifest around the world.

So, how can you get involved in this campaign and make a difference in the lives of countless young people in your own country and around the world?

Learn about the problem.

Most people don’t recognize the gravity of sex trafficking in every country around the world. Educate yourself on the issue, and it will become impossible to ignore. Visit the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign website, where you can view current facts and figures about the issue. In addition, Somaly Mam’s memoir, The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine, paints a candid and chilling picture of the reality that so many children suffer.

Spread the word.

Once you’re inspired by the work of the campaign, share your enthusiasm with others! One of the most difficult barriers facing this issue is that so few people realize the truth of what is taking place. Visit the ECPAT website for some ideas about how to share the reality of child sex trafficking. A little awareness can go a long way.

Purchase products.

The Body Shop developed the Soft Hands, Kind Heart Hand Cream to connect consumers to the campaign and benefit its nonprofit partners. This product represents the powerful role our hands can play, with an ability to stop wrongdoing or help out those in need. The cream is a universal product that in turn reinforces the symbolism of the strength and humanity of our hands. Consumers can purchase the cream online or in The Body Shop stores, and 100% of profits benefit ECPAT. The purchase of a Bag for Life will benefit The Somaly Mam Foundation.

Give of yourself.

Bill Livermore, Executive Director of The Somaly Mam Foundation, expressed that people give most when they can use their “passion and compassion to help.” He went on to explain that while of course fundraising is indispensible to the success of any nonprofit organization, people can effect greater change through giving of themselves, whether it be the gift of professional skills or personal talents. Somaly Mam expressed a “dream…to give young women hope so they can become children again,” and dreams can be realized in a variety of forms. Visit The Somaly Mam Foundation website for ideas.

Gain in building approvals belies enduring downturn

Construction labourers continue work Tuesday on a new conference hall being built on Phnom Penh's Koh Pich. Although construction project approvals climbed 7 percent up to the end of August this year, the IMF and construction materials producers say the slump continues.

Friday, 02 October 2009 15:01 Soeun Say and Nathan Green

Despite a small rise in construction approvals during the first eight months of this year, analysts say the sector is still suffering from the economic crisis.

A7 percent gain in construction approvals over the first eight months of the year suggests a recovery may be imminent in the property sector, but other data showed the construction industry is still feeling the impact of the economic downturn.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction this week, 1,499 construction projects worth a combined US$1.61 billion got the green light from government officials through to the end of August 2009, up from 1,396 projects worth $1.51 billion in the same period last year. The number included 357 projects worth $470 million approved in July and August.

“This is a good sign that our construction sector is still growing, despite the global economic crisis,” said Lao Tip Seiha, director of the ministry’s Construction Department.

However, the ministry did not track how much money had actually been invested in the sector, nor which of the approved projects had started construction, Lao Tip Seiha said.

According to May estimates by the United Nations Development Programme, more than 30 percent of construction projects “may have been placed on hold” this year due to the global downturn.

In a briefing on the state of the economy last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also said the construction sector had seen a contraction this year amid the economic downturn.

“New project approvals are down sharply, and if you look closely at the import data, the import of construction materials has also been contracting since late last year,” David Cowen, deputy division chief in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department Bank, said last Wednesday. “Bank lending to the property sector is also down.”

IMF Resident Representative John Nelmes said the decline in project approvals referred to foreign investment approvals, which are traditionally seen as a proxy for construction sector activity in the absence of reliable industry or government data. The IMF predicted that foreign direct investment inflows would fall to $490 million this year from $815 million in 2008, largely as result of reduced spending in major construction projects.

“Unfortunately, there are no monthly data on actual construction sector activity, so one has to supplement the approvals data with other indicators, such as imports of construction materials, which are down about 35 percent year-on-year so far this year,” Nelmes said. “Steel imports are about 25 percent lower.”

A downturn in sales has also been reported by brick makers. Sun Rises Brick Factory Executive Director Lay Seng Hoeun said the construction sector was sourcing between 70 and 80 percent fewer bricks from his factory this year compared to the height of the building boom in early 2008.

He said he had dropped production from 170,000 bricks a month, all of which were sold, to around 160,000 every two months. Stocks were piling up despite the lower production levels, he said.

Prices slide with demand

Prices had also dropped from between $600 and $700 for 10,000 bricks to around $200 this year, he added.

He said other nearby factories in Kandal province’s Mouk Kampoul district were facing a similar problem.

Ministry figures show 2,156 development projects worth $3.191 billion were approved over the full year 2008, down 0.64 percent on 2007, when 1,942 projects worth $3.211 billion were approved. Ministry approval is required only for projects over a certain value, with the bulk approved at municipality or provincial level.

According to the UNDP, construction projects increased in value from a total of $500 million in 2003 to more than $3.2 billion in 2007. The average project cost over the same time period increased from $157,000 to $1.65 million as developers began building high-rise apartments and office buildings.

Minister asks Clinton to cancel Lon Nol debt

Photo by: Sovan Philong.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong addresses reporters at Phnom Penh International airport on Wednesday evening after returning from an official visit to the US.

(Post by CAAI News media0

Friday, 02 October 2009 15:02 Cheang Sokha and James O’toole

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong said that in a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week, he called on Washington to forgive more than US$300 million in Cambodian debt.

Having just returned from his trip to the US, where he addressed the UN General Assembly on Saturday and met with Clinton in New York City on Monday, Hor Namhong told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport that the US should shift its approach to the Kingdom’s outstanding loans.

“I told [Clinton] that the debt came from Lon Nol, when he staged his coup in 1970 and brought war from Vietnam to Cambodia,” Hor Namhong said. “The US should, therefore, consider cancelling the debt or reinvesting it to support Cambodia’s economic development.”

US embassy spokesman John Johnson said that in addition to the debt issue, Clinton and Hor Namhong covered the Khmer Rouge tribunal and US engagement with Myanmar.

The two also discussed democracy and human rights, Johnson said, with their meeting coming on the heels of Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua’s meeting with Clinton on September 11.

“[Clinton] raised this issue after she met with the opposition lawmaker and NGO workers recently,” Hor Namhong said, adding: “I reassured her that Cambodia has thousands of NGOs, more than almost any other country in the world.”

Officials say trafficking has dropped

Govt and rights groups await data to confirm suspicions.

THOUGH it remains a significant issue, human trafficking in Cambodia has decreased in 2009, officials from the Ministry of Interior and local rights groups said Thursday.

Chiv Phally, deputy director of the department of anti-human trafficking and minority protection at the Ministry of Interior, said that women and children in Cambodia are safer now than in past years thanks to increased law enforcement and successful prosecutions of human-trafficking offenders. The ministry official was speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh to kick off a government campaign publicising rights protections for victims of child trafficking.

Though he did not provide any official statistics to support his claim about the trafficking decline, Chiv Phally vowed continued vigilance on the part of anti-trafficking authorities to secure further decreases. In addition to his praise for law enforcement, he also attributed the trafficking decline to community awareness programmes organised by the government that have informed the Kingdom’s residents about how best to protect themselves from predatory criminals.

Samleang Seila, country director for the child rights group Action Pour Les Enfants, said that his organisation and most others working on the issue have acknowledged the trafficking drop.

“If we look at the number of arrests and the number of complaints made to the courts, we see a reduction in human trafficking,” he said, citing “law enforcement effectiveness and the increasing understanding and commitment of the government” as the main reason for this reduction.

Lim Tith, the national project coordinator for the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) agreed that trafficking in Cambodia has likely declined, but cautioned that the news is not all good.

“Internally, it has probably decreased, but externally, it has stayed the same or even increased,” he said, differentiating between trafficking within Cambodia and the trafficking of Cambodians to other countries.

Most Cambodians victimised by international traffickers end up in Thailand or Malaysia, he said, as the demand for cheap labour has been exacerbated by the global financial crisis.

UNIAP plans to release a comprehensive study of human trafficking in Cambodia near the end of this year, which Lim Tith said he hopes will substantiate the limited information currently available on trafficking trends.

“Definitely before the end of this year, we’ll have this data, and then we’ll know,” he said.

Thousands displaced by flooding

Photo by: Heng Chivoan and AFP

Buddhist monks survey the damage in Kampong Thom province (left), while a group of women wade unperturbed through the floodwaters.

(Post by CAAI News Media)

THE Cambodian death toll from Typhoon Ketsana climbed to 14 on Thursday, as an unprecedented clean-up operation was launched in the wake of the most ferocious storm to lash the Kingdom in living memory.

In a central Cambodian village where nine people were killed, authorities moved fallen trees from roads while victims sifted through the remains of their muddy, smashed wooden houses and gathered what was left of their possessions.

“Everything of mine, including rice, is destroyed. We are staying under a tent, filled with fear,” said weeping villager Ket Suon, 43, who fled his home with his family as it was crushed by the storm Tuesday evening.

As of last night, the National Committee for Disaster Management confirmed 14 deaths across the Kingdom. In addition to the nine who died in Kampong Thom when their houses collapsed on Tuesday night, three deaths were confirmed in Siem Reap province, where the river burst its banks and caused widespread flooding. Two more deaths were confirmed in northeastern Ratanakkiri province from flash floods.

The toll is expected to rise, with scattered reports of fatalities still emerging from remote rural areas. Sorn Thoeun, disaster reduction coordinator at World Vision, said two people also died in Mondulkiri province, although the province’s deputy governor, Yim Lux, said that they were only “missing”.

Relief efforts were under way Thursday, with local authorities and Red Cross officials working to help those who lost their homes or were forced to flee because of flooding.

“When you’ve got hundreds or thousands of hectares of rice fields affected by floods, that could affect food security in the coming months,” said Sharon Wilkinson, Cambodia director for CARE International.

The number of people displaced by the storm’s destructive force is expected to reach into the tens of thousands nationwide, but officials were at a loss Thursday as to what the final tally might be. “We do not know how many families are affected in the country,” said Uy Sam Ath, director of disaster management for the Cambodian Red Cross.

Typhoon Ketsana killed at least 383 people across Southeast Asia before it was downgraded to a tropical storm on Wednesday. The international community has since mobilised, pledging millions of dollars of aid for the battered region. On Wednesday, the European Commission promised €2 million (US$2.9 million) for relief efforts in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Ly Thuch, deputy chief of the National Committee for Disaster Management, insisted Cambodia’s government had humanitarian efforts “under control” as it coordinated aid to affected areas with local and international agencies.

In Kampong Thom’s Teak Mileang village, however, locals were left picking up the pieces. Phan Sokheun, 52, was struggling to make sense of the carnage. “I never thought my village could be destroyed like this,” she said. “My house was demolished by the storm, but it is raining heavily, so my family will get sick soon because we cannot bear the cold conditions. I don’t know how I can.”

Kong Many, 47, said he feared supplies would soon run out. “We have food provided by the Cambodian Red Cross, but it cannot support us for much longer,” he said. “Then how will we find food?”

Governor Chhun Chhorn said 200 police officers had been mobilised to help the homeless, but more help was needed in the province, which felt the full force of the typhoon when it reached Cambodia.

World Vision spokesman Haidy Ear-Dupuy warned it could be weeks before people in some of the worst-hit areas of Kampong Thom can return home.

Although most of the storm’s strength has been expended, the Mekong River is expected to reach dangerous levels within three days. “We are alerting people in the provinces around the Mekong of severe incidents,” said Mao Hak, director of hydrology and river works at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology. Water levels in Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham provinces remain dangerously close to alert levels, he said.

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