asianews: 10/08/09

Draft Penal Code Risks Freedoms: Group

A coalition of 30 civic organizations warned on Thursday that National Assembly debate over a new penal code appeared to erode civil liberties while skimming over clarity on criminality.

The National Assembly has approved more than 400 of 672 articles in the new law, as more debate remains ahead.

Groups have warned the draft law is damaging to freedoms of expression and assembly, at a time when the executive branch of government has been slammed for its own attacks on dissent, with opposition parliamentarians and journalists shouldering punitive lawsuits from senior government officials.

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.

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee said it was concerned that public officials “will be able to use some articles in the penal code to shut the rights and freedoms of demonstration and assembly.”

The group has sent recommendations to the National Assembly voicing these and other concerns.

Yim Sovann, a lawmaker for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, called the recommendations “very positive.”

“The penal code has some good points, but some points are obstacles to rights and freedoms of expression,” he said.

Under the draft law, he said, “if someone makes an improper expression, someone will be guilty of defamation, insult, incitement, or falsifying information.”

“More seriously, if someone dares to make a lawsuit against any corrupt man, and if that man cannot find evidence, and the court understands that the complaint is not true, that man will face punishment,” he said.

However, Cheam Yiep, a lawmaker for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said the draft code “respects the rights and freedom of expression and the principles of UN fundamental human rights.”

Last week, the National Assembly voted against amendments to the new code that opposition proponents said would increase freedom of expression and improve justice and democracy.

Calling senior leaders of the ruling party to court could weaken social safety and political stability: Tith Sothea from the PQRU

Tribunal Summons Six Government Officials

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday questioned the tribunal summonses for six government officials as witnesses, claiming they should instead be treated as plaintiffs.

“Why do they call the plaintiffs to be witnesses?” Hun Sen said at a ceremony in Phnom Penh celebrating the 30th anniversary of the National Bank. “Because those people are known to have toppled Pol Pot, and they are also the ones who approved the laws to try the Khmer Rouge.”

The court’s French investigating judge, Marcel Lemonde, sent summonses to Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Finance Minister Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun.

They are being asked to testify in the upcoming case against four jailed leaders of the regime, the second trial of the UN-backed court.

Both investigating judges declined further comment Thursday.

Government adviser Tit Sothea called the summonses “wrong,” saying to call senior leaders of the ruling party to court could weaken social safety and political stability.

“This summon is against people’s will, because we don’t want to do that,” he said.

Long Panhavuth, project officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative, which monitors the tribunal, said Lemonde’s summonses were a positive step for the court.

“This is a good means, by which [Lemonde] informed the public about who knows about the Khmer Rouge,” he said. In his role as investigating judge, “he should summon all people who know about the killing fields of Democratic Kampuchea.”

Kingdom denies laying mines

Photo by: Tracey Shelton.

Cambodian soldiers keep a watchful eye on the border at Preah Vihear in July.

Cambodian ambassador, military commanders dismiss allegations from Thais who have accused RCAF troops of deploying new land mines near Preah Vihear.

CAMBODIA’S ambassador to Thailand and an RCAF commander have both rejected media reports and claims by Thai soldiers that Cambodian soldiers have been laying more land mines in the disputed border area around the Preah Vihear temple.

Yim Phim, commander of Brigade 8, which is stationed at the Preah Vihear temple, said Wednesday that there was no reason to lay new land mines in the area. “I reject the Thai military’s accusation,” he said. “Cambodian soldiers are not laying land mines along the border. All the mines on the border were put there in the ’80s and ’90s. [The Thais] have always made accusations against the Cambodian military and have tried to provoke problems with Cambodia in different ways.”

You Ay, the Cambodian ambassador in Bangkok, wrote a letter to Thai newspaper The Nation in response to an article published on September 30 that also alleged that Cambodian troops were laying mines at the border.

In the letter, which ran on October 6, You Ay wrote that decades of war had left Cambodia contaminated with millions of land mines, particularly along the border areas. Though they are decreasing, You Ay wrote, mine explosions in these areas still claim the lives of Cambodians and still pose a grave threat to the people who farm those areas for a living.

“It is extremely provocative and belligerent to allege that Cambodian troops have laid new land mines,” she said in the letter. “This rabble-rousing insinuation to which the Thai media always resorts will only cause greater tension between Cambodia and Thailand.”

Cambodia and Thailand have never fully demarcated their 805-kilometre border. Tensions flared when Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple, situated surrounded by territory claimed by both nations, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2008. Since then, troops from both sides have exchanged gunfire, killing at least seven soldiers.

Heng Ratana, director general of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), said that since 2003 his organisation had cleared roughly 130,000 land mines – and Halo Trust about 3,000 land mines – from around the temple. “The landmines we cleared were old, but still in good condition. They could still pose a danger to humans,” Heng Ratana said. CMAC is clearing other sites requested by the Preah Vihear Authority.

Khmer Preservation Group Praised in US

Hem Heng, Cambodia ambassador to US

Friends of Khmer Culture, Inc., is, according to its motto, “dedicated to supporting the artistic and cultural heritage of Cambodia.” And judging by a recent fundraiser of the US-based preservation group, in the state of Maryland, it’s a motto with a lot of support.

The group “was founded to address these areas that have been neglected by the major donors,” Franklin Huffman, well-known author of “Modern Spoken Cambodian”and an English-Khmer dictionary, told VOA Khmer at the fundraising gathering. The group was established in 2000 by people concerned about the survival of Cambodia’s artistic and cultural heritage.

The group supports training programs for the restoration of the temples of Banteay Chhmar, in Banteay Meanchey province, and of young Cambodian students for conservation work.

While everyone has heard of Angkor Wat, Huffman said, Cambodia has hundreds of other temples and archeological sites across the country.

Hem Heng, Cambodian ambassador to the US, who attended the fundraising ceremony, said he was please to see Cambodians and the US get together to help Cambodia’s temples, which were damaged by the war.

“This is a pleasant opportunity for me to participate in this important fundraising, to help conserve and restore our Khmer temples,” Hem Heng said. “This organization not only helps restore and conserve temples, but also trains people, which is a good gesture.”

Narin Seng Jameson, a member of the group’s advisory council and organizer of the gathering, told VOA Khmer she was happy to see so many supporters. The money from fundraising will support the publication of Khmer arts and culture.

“This proves that we Khmer love our culture and our country very much,” she said.

Friends of Khmer Culture works with Cambodian institutions to support “all forms of Khmer cultural expression and work with Cambodian and international scholars, artists, and institutions to preserve past achievements and encourage new vitality in art, literature, scholarship, and the performing arts.”

The hope, the group says, is to “rebuild civil society and enhance awareness and appreciation of Khmer culture both within and beyond Cambodia.”

Tribunal Summons Six Government Officials

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday questioned the tribunal summonses for six government officials as witnesses, claiming they should instead be treated as plaintiffs.

“Why do they call the plaintiffs to be witnesses?” Hun Sen said at a ceremony in Phnom Penh celebrating the 30th anniversary of the National Bank. “Because those people are known to have toppled Pol Pot, and they are also the ones who approved the laws to try the Khmer Rouge.”

The court’s French investigating judge, Marcel Lemonde, sent summonses to Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Finance Minister Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun.

They are being asked to testify in the upcoming case against four jailed leaders of the regime, the second trial of the UN-backed court.

Both investigating judges declined further comment Thursday.

Government adviser Tit Sothea called the summonses “wrong,” saying to call senior leaders of the ruling party to court could weaken social safety and political stability.

“This summon is against people’s will, because we don’t want to do that,” he said.

Long Panhavuth, project officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative, which monitors the tribunal, said Lemonde’s summonses were a positive step for the court.

“This is a good means, by which [Lemonde] informed the public about who knows about the Khmer Rouge,” he said. In his role as investigating judge, “he should summon all people who know about the killing fields of Democratic Kampuchea.

Cambodia's reserves top $2.5 bln: PM

Cambodia's reserves top $2.5 bln: PM

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - – Cambodia's foreign currency reserves have topped the 2.5 billion dollar mark despite forecasts that the country's economy will contract this year, the premier said Thursday.

Hun Sen revealed in a speech that the country has increased its international reserves by 21.48 percent since the end of last year, when they stood at just over two billion US dollars.

"Despite receiving the impact of the global economic and financial crisis, we can ensure international reserves will continue increasing remarkably," he said.

"As of the end of August 2009, calculated international reserves had reached 2,522 million US dollars," he added, in the speech marking 30 years since Cambodia rebuilt its national bank that was destroyed under the Khmer Rouge.

After several years of double-digit growth fuelled mainly by tourism and garment exports, Cambodia was buffeted by 2008's global economic downturn.

Last month the International Monetary Fund predicted Cambodia's economy will contract 2.75 percent this year amid the slowdown, but praised the national bank for its supervision of commercial banks hit by non-performing loans.

Cambodia remains a largely cash-only economy and a high degree of mistrust keeps many people hoarding their money at home, but Hun Sen said that confidence was growing and more people were using banks.

Nearly one third of Cambodia's 14 million people survive on only 50 US cents a day or less.

Community awaits results of toxicity test after Kandal spill

Photo by: Heng Chivoan.

Fishermen from Kandal province haul dozens of dead fish out of a river following a chemical spill at the MH Bio-Fuel factory in August.

Thursday, 08 October 2009 15:04 Khouth Sophakchakrya

The government has yet to release the results of toxicity tests conducted in the area of a chemical spill in Kandal province that killed thousands of fish in late August.

The MH Bio-Energy Group, which was responsible for the spill, has offered affected villagers compensation, however, giving a total of US$700,000 to 53 fishing families in the villages of Doung and Krous.

“The people are very happy to have received the compensation from the factory, and they hope that they will reopen their fisheries soon,” Seng Thim, director of Bassac fisheries, said Wednesday.

Local fishermen, however, said the company’s compensation was not enough to assuage their concerns about the spill.

Meas Saron, 41, a fisherman in Doung village who received $700 in compensation, said that he was grateful for the money but anxious to get the government test results.

“We are still concerned about the water and its effects on health because authorities warned us not to use the river until test results are released.

At this point, we have yet to see these results,” he said.

Sixty-five year old Lam Yiang Try, who lost more than 500 kilograms of fish in the spill, said that he wants to use the compensation money to buy and raise new fish but is awaiting the test results first before he does so.

“For now, we are afraid of reopening our commercial fish farms,” he said.

Chao Bun Thong, chief of Duong village, said that after the spill, authorities from the Fisheries Administration said the water contained high levels of ammonia and other chemicals that are dangerous to human health.

“We are concerned as to when the water will become normal again and no longer be a threat to our health,” he said.

Lonh Hell, director of the Department of Pollution Control at the Ministry of Environment, declined to comment on the test results Wednesday. “If you want to interview me or view the laboratory results, please write an official letter to my senior minister first,” he said.

MPs pass juvenile abuse statutes

Photo by: Sebastian Strangio

A young girl squats at Stung Meanchey dump earlier this year. The portion of the penal code approved Wednesday establishes punishments for child abuse.

Thursday, 08 October 2009 15:04 Vong Sokheng

PARLIAMENTARIANS voted unanimously Wednesday to approve articles of the Kingdom’s draft Penal Code that would criminalise negligence and abuse of children, breaking from several days of heated partisan debate over other aspects of the proposed legislation.

Articles 337 and 338 in Chapter 5 of the new code state that parents or guardians who damage the health of their children aged under 15 years could face prison sentences of two to five years and fines of 4 million to 10 million riels (US$958 to $2,395).

In more serious cases, when juveniles die of starvation or other causes, prison sentences may stretch to 15 years.

Hy Sophea, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice who addressed the National Assembly on the Penal Code on behalf of the government, explained that the penalty for death due to starvation will only apply in the case of parents who have the ability to provide for their children but do not.

“If a person is simply too poor to provide for their children, that is not a violation of the law,” he said.

Cheam Yeap, a lawmaker from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said that an important aspect of implementing the new Penal Code will be educating Cambodian citizens about the new provisions relating to child abuse and other offenses.

“Cambodia is still a developing country, but raising awareness about the criminal code needs to be a high priority for government institutions, parliamentarians and civil-society groups,” he said.

Mu Sochua, a lawmaker from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said that she supported the articles passed Wednesday because they will bolster the rights of vulnerable children, though she added that dire levels of poverty remain a threat to child welfare in Cambodia.

“We are happy to pass a law that pressures parents to take responsibility for their children, but children in Cambodia still face many other problems,” she said.

“Many are victims of child labour, trafficking, exploitation and poverty, and we estimate that 50 percent of juveniles quit school before they reach grade nine.”

Samleang Seila, the executive director of Action Pour Les Enfants, a child-rights group, said that he had not yet seen the newly passed articles, but he said that he worried about the lack of protections for civil-society groups who work on behalf of abused children.

“So far, there has not been any law that has authorised shelters and legal guardians to represent children,” he said, noting that shelters currently have no power to keep abused children when families ask for their return.

Thun Saray, president of the local rights group Adhoc, was more optimistic about the newly approved articles, though he emphasised the need for local authorities to follow through on the law’s provisions.

“I think it’s a good idea to imprison people who abuse young children, but we remain concerned about the ability of law enforcement to enforce these provisions,” he said.

Criticism over black make-up act

The host apologised to Harry Connick Jr live on air

A comedy act involving five men in afro wigs and black make-up on their faces during an Australian variety show has been criticised by Harry Connick Jr.

The US singer and actor, who was serving as a judge on Wednesday's Hey Hey It's Saturday, scored the act based on the Jackson Five a zero.

"If I knew that was going to be part of the show I definitely wouldn't have done it," he said.

Host Daryl Somers apologised to Connick Jr at the end of the live show.

"I know that to your countrymen, that's an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologise to you," Somers said.

Multicultural backgrounds

Dr Anand Deva, the frontman of the Jackson Jive act, which also included a man with white make-up on his face playing Michael Jackson, said they had not meant to cause offence.

We've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart

Harry Connick Jr

Speaking to Australian radio 3AW, he said: "Clearly, all of us want to apologise. I mean we have offended some people no doubt, particularly Harry Connick Jr."

He revealed that he is Indian and several of the other members of the group have multicultural backgrounds.

"It certainly was not meant to be racist in any way at all," Dr Deva said.

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

Speaking on the show, Connick Jr said: "I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart."

Hey Hey originally ran for 27 years, starting in 1971, and the Jackson Jive group first appeared on the show 20 years ago.

They were invited back to reprise their roles during the second of two reunion shows for the once-popular programme.

Typhoon lashes Japan on landfall

Strong winds ripped the roofs off houses and knocked over trucks

A typhoon has struck Japan, killing two people and leaving a trail of damage across the centre of the country.

More than 40 people were injured as Typhoon Melor landed south-west of Tokyo on the main island of Honshu.

Strong winds and heavy rains flooded roads, uprooted trees and tore roofs from houses. Many flights and train services were cancelled.

The typhoon weakened and moved into the Pacific, leaving blue skies over Tokyo, the BBC correspondent there says.

Commuters stranded

The typhoon made landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu shortly before dawn in Aichi prefecture, to the south-west of Tokyo.

It moved across densely populated central Japan, with winds gusting up to 198km/h (123 mph).

Driving rain flooded roads while the strong winds ripped the roofs off houses and knocked over trucks on the highways.

Commuters in dark rain, downtown Tokyo, 8 Oct 09

In pictures: Typhoon hits Japan

A 69-year-old man was killed in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, by a large branch that was ripped from a tree by the strong winds.

In Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan a newspaper deliveryman died when his motorcycle hit a fallen tree.

Dozens more people were injured, many by wind-blown debris or broken glass.

More than 300 flights were cancelled because of the storm, as were bullet train services.

In Tokyo overland train lines were temporarily suspended, stranding commuters in the busy morning rush hour.

A number of factories halted production in central Japan but managers said they would make up the lost output later.

Tens of thousands of households were without electricity in western Mie and central Gifu prefectures, while a blackout also hit 3,500 households in Tokyo and in neighbouring Kanagawa, power companies said.

Typhoon season

Despite Japan's extensive defences against floods and landslides, including storm surge barriers in coastal areas, western Japan was battered in October 2004 by Typhoon Tokage, which killed 95 people.

In August this year, Typhoon Etau brought flash floods and landslides that killed at least 25 people in Japan, even though it avoided a direct hit.

Another powerful storm, Ketsana, has caused devastation across South East Asia, killing hundreds of people, mostly in the Philippines and Vietnam.

In Taiwan more than 600 people died after Typhoon Morakot struck in August.

US blamed as Bangkok talks failure looms

Activists, negotiators slam attempt to change Kyoto Protocol content

The Bangkok Climate-Change talks were headed for failure as poor nations and activists slammed what they said was the unexpected US "attempt to kill the Kyoto Protocol's content".

"If this trend continues today, we are likely to get nothing substantial from the Bangkok climate negotiations," said a reliable source.

The stance of the United States and other developed countries at the talks was the most widely discussed topic among negotiators attending the ongoing two-week meeting, which will end today.

A source said the US and developed countries have been trying to push a new proposal, which would enable them to no longer shoulder the burden of reducing greenhouse gas emissions which effecting the economic growth.

They had asked delegates attending the meeting to change the text under the Kyoto Protocol from equity to equality in sharing responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

They proposed their ideas during meetings of the ad hoc working group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention.

"We were worried that this would lead us to disaster. They are trying to suggest a new draft for negotiations instead of using the existing draft under the Kyoto Protocol," a source said. "It was like trying to bring the table down."

Kingkorn Narindhornkul, the coordinator of the Thai Working Group for Climate Justice, said the US is the real bad guy who was trying to kill the world's attempt to resolve the global-warming issue.

Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of Jubilee South - Asia Pacific, called on Americans to pressure the US government to change its approach towards the negotiations on climate change.

On the same day, negotiators from developing countries, including the Group of 77 and China, proposed the creation of a financial agency under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to manage funds for adaptation and mitigation from the adverse effects of global warming.

Their proposal was opposed by developed countries, who said there was no need to set up a new financial institute as such an agency exists under international organisations such World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

"The new financial institute under the structure of UNFCCC would help us to secure funding management for adaptation and mitigation for developing countries," South Centre's executive director, Martin Khor, said yesterday at a press conference.

The financial support mainly would come from governments, and carbon-credit trading as the complementary fund.

However, the carbon credit should not be the main mechanism to lead the direction of the source of funding under the UNFCCC's financial institution for adaptation and mitigation.

A group of developing countries is also asking developed countries to exempt clean technology from intellectual property rights so that developing countries could use such technology to cope with the adverse effects of climate change.

But developed countries said intellectual property rights are the source and inspiration for creating new clean technology.

Khor said many parties are talking about holding a special convention, which would drag the United States to join the rest of the world's attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This special convention will not require the US to come up with the precise reduction rate but it would ask the US to issue a strong commitment to reduce emissions.

At least the US should have a number for emission reduction to compare its attempt with those of other developed countries. Meanwhile, China and India unconditionally agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

UNFCCC executive director Yvo de Boer told a press conference that developing countries are dissatisfied with the financial architecture that the meetings have in place at this moment.

Academic warns of 'bloodbath'

A respected academic warned yesterday that a chronic social division could eventually lead to a clash and bloodbath if no attempts were made to avert it.

Nidhi Eoseewong, a professor in history, said that the problem has become "deep-rooted" after 20 years of social division, not just the three past years as had been believed.

He said the problem of unbalanced society began since the time of King Rama V more than a century ago. The on-going social division does not involve only the elite, the middle class and the grassroots, as in the past, but also a large portion of the lowest group that has become a lower middle class both in the rural and urban areas.

"This group of people want more participation in public policy-making. In the future, these people will demand not only political equality but also other things, which will cause further stress in society. And I am not sure if the middle class will be able to accept it," Nidhi said.

Some observers say Thai society has become severely divided over the past three years following the 2006 military coup that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra.

Nidhi was speaking during an academic meeting entitled "A Balanced Path for the Thai Economy, Politics and Society", at the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University.

He said that a "terrifying spectre" would be unnecessary and unreasonable bloodshed. "Are we going to prevent that from happening? Thai people will kill each other unreasonably. What to be done now is to reduce factors that can lead to bloodbath in the short and long terms," Nidhi said.

In the short term, he suggested a stronger system of political scrutiny to give the people more power to scrutinise politicians, in addition to allowing more freedom of expression. He expressed opposition against issuing a law to regulate public gatherings.

In the long term, he said a genuine rule of law and a welfare state should be established to provide security for the lower middle-class people.

Another panel speaker Vishanu Kruea-ngam, who is formerly secretary-general to the Cabinet, said that Thai society should adopt His Majesty the King's philosophy of sufficiency economy to maintain social equilibrium.

"There should be no extremes, no surplus and no shortage. The philosophy must be adopted in a reasonable way," he said.

Pisit Lee-ahtham, formerly a deputy finance minister, told yesterday's Sasin meeting that the government should spend more money on social projects in order to build up security for people in the middle and lower tiers of society.t

Obama to make Asian debut tour next month

US President Barack Obama will make his debut Asian tour next month, visiting Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea for a flurry of talks on pressing economic issues, trade and global security.

US President Barack Obama (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (L) are pictured in September 2009. Obama will make his debut Asian tour next month, visiting Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea between November 12 and 19, the White House.

The trip will mark Obama's most testing foray yet into the vital US relationship with top Asian powers, and see him push for backing on key foreign policy priorities including the nuclear showdowns with North Korea and Iran.

But it will not include a visit to Indonesia, where he spent four childhood years, a period he has often referenced fondly in speeches and in his outreach to the Muslim world.

Obama will leave behind a packed and sometimes troubled domestic agenda when he leaves Washington on November 11 and remains in the region for eight days.

"The president... will be traveling to Asia next month to strengthen our cooperation with this vital part of the world on a range of issues of mutual interest," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Obama will touch down first in Japan, then attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) summit in Singapore.

He will hold what the White House billed as the first formal talks between a US leader and all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) leaders -- which could include a rare encounter with Burma's military rulers.

The president will then visit Beijing and Shanghai and make a last stop in South Korea.

Obama has made strenuous personal efforts to set a new US direction towards Europe, the Middle East and Latin America and is yet to devote similar time to Asia.

But his emerging regional policy is rich in diplomatic engagement and is aimed at containing the North Korean nuclear threat, improving ties with China and maintaining warm US relations with allies South Korea and Japan.

Obama has also decided to reverse US policy and engage Burma, following the failure of previous policies which included both sanctions and incentives for the military-ruled country to embrace democracy.

The White House said Obama's Tokyo visit between November 12 and 13 will include his second round of talks with new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama after the two men met at the United Nations last month.

He will then be in Singapore between November 13 to 15 for APEC and Asean talks and one-on-one talks with regional leaders.

Washington sees Asean as a possible counterweight to rising Chinese power throughout Southeast Asia, and in July signed a friendship pact with the group amid claims the previous Bush administration had neglected it.

Obama's visit to China between November 15 and 18 will include his first visits as president to Beijing and the booming metropolis of Shanghai and a third set of talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Washington has warmly praised China for its cooperation in efforts to tighten sanctions against North Korea following the Stalinist state's nuclear test in May.

But Beijing has yet to fall fully into line with a US drive to frame a crippling range of sanctions against Iran, should it refuse demands from a group of key powers, including China, to end its nuclear program.

Obama was also accused of rebuffing the Dalai Lama during his current US visit to avoid antagonizing Beijing. The White House denied the charge and said the president would meet Tibet's exiled spiritual leader later in the year.

Gibbs said Obama's talks in China would focus on regional and global issues, including security, nonproliferation, energy and climate change.

The president will wrap up his visit to Asia in Seoul, South Korea, between November 18 and 19 when North Korea's nuclear challenge and the US nuclear alliance will dominate talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

While in South Korea, Obama will also meet service members from the US garrison monitoring the uneasy Cold War truce with Stalinist North Korea.

There had been expectations Obama would travel this year to Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood after his divorced late mother married an Indonesian.

Gibbs said that Obama met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh last month, and the two leaders agreed that it made most sense for the visit to take place next year.

"They agreed on the importance of having a visit that would showcase the importance of a growing US-Indonesian bilateral relations," Gibbs said.

Cambodia PM questions Khmer Rouge court summonses

Cambodia's premier on Thursday questioned why a UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court had summoned six top government and legislative officials as witnesses, describing the move as "strange".

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen greets government officials at Chatomok conference hall in Phnom Penh. Cambodia's premier on Thursday questioned why a UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court had summoned six top government and legislative officials as witnesses, describing the move as "strange".

In a move opposed by Cambodia's administration, French investigating judge Marcel Lemonde has called the officials to testify in the court's second case against Khmer Rouge leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he found it "strange" that the six had been asked to testify as witnesses, as he considered them plaintiffs due to their roles in bringing the late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to justice.

"Why do they call the plaintiffs to be witnesses? Because those people are known to have toppled (Khmer Rouge leader) Pol Pot and they are also the ones who approved the laws to try the Khmer Rouge," Hun Sen said.

He made the comments in a speech marking 30 years since the national bank was rebuilt after the Khmer Rouge.

The process has been hit by allegations that Hun Sen's administration has attempted to interfere in the tribunal to protect former regime members who are now in government.

Senate president Chea Sim, national assembly president Heng Samrin, foreign minister Hor Namhong, finance minister Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun were called last month to testify, the court revealed Wednesday.

The tribunal's second case is expected to try detained former Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith.

As the court has sought to investigate other suspects, Hun Sen has made fiery speeches warning further prosecutions could plunge Cambodia back into civil war. Such suggestions have been denied by critics.

Final arguments in the court's first trial of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known by the alias Duch, are scheduled for late next month.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia between 1975-79, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.

Puea Thai does a 360 on charter change

In another flip-flop, the opposition Puea Thai Party on Thursday said it still supported constitutional amendment, but wanted a public referendum to also include a comparison between the 1997 and 2007 constitutions.

The main opposition party made its latest about-turn at today's meeting of government, opposition and senate whips on the charter amendments and public referendum proposals.

"The party is still firm in getting the charter amended on six points as recommended by the parliament committee on reconciliation,'' said opposition chief whip Witthaya Buranasiri.

"But, since a referendum would cost as much as two billion baht, we do not think it should cover only amendments to the six points. We think it should also include a comparison between the 1997 and 2007 charters."

On Wednesday, Chalerm Yubamrung, chairman of Puea Thai MPs, said the party had changed its mind and would not join the coalition parties and the Senate in supporting the proposed six amendments.

Mr Chalerm, who recently publicly allied himself with the red-shirt movement, also said the party disagreed with any plan for a public referendum on the charter changes. Puea Thai would insist in having the 1997 constitution reinstated, he added.

Mr Witthaya said he believed Mr Chalerm made his remarks out of his concern that the government would not expedite the amendment process. After a conversation with Mr Chalerm on the telephone, he understood the party still adhered to its previous resolution to join the amendment process.

Chief government whip Shinaworn Boonyakiat said the meeting resolved to send a letter to Parliament President Chai Chidchob and ask him to order the law offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate to form a committee to draft the charter amendments in two forms - one bill covering all six changes, and six bills each covering one of the six points.

The committee would also be asked to make a report comparing the 1997 charter to the 2007 constitution.

The amendment drafting committee is to finish its work and send it to the joint parliamentary whip by Oct 22, Mr Shinaworn said.

Mr Shinaworn said the whips agreed that each party should take into consideration the Council of State's recommendation there should be a public referendum before the amendment bills are presented to the parliament.

Opinions of all parties would be put up for discussion at the meeting of the whips on Oct 22. The whips would meet again on Nov 5 to again go through an agreement expected to be reached at the previous meeting, Mr Shinaworn said.

The government chief whip expected the whole process would take 30 days.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reaffirmed the government will move ahead with the proposed constitutional amendments, even in the face of strong opposition from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

“The charter changes will be in line with the six points recommended by the special committee for reconciliation and constitutional amendment, and the people will be encouraged to take part in the process,” Mr Suthep said.

He insisted the government has a real intention to amend the charter, without collusion with any particular people, and will not allow anybody to cause unrest in the country.

Meanwhile, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) announced plans for a protest on Oct 11, the date the 1997 constitution was first promulgated, to show their opposition to the retaining and amending the 2007 constitution.

UDD supporters believe the 1997 charter was the best yet and want it brought back. It was abolished after the 2006 military coup.

The red-shirts will gather at the Democracy Monument from 4pm until midnight on Sunday and call for the reinstatement of the 1997 constitution, and in opposition to the plan to retain and amend the 2007 constitution, UDD leader Nattawut Saikua said.

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would make a phone-in address to protesters around 8.30pm, he said.

The theme of the protest would be "Get Abhisit out, bring back 1997 charter", he said.

The UDD leader said the red-shirts opposed the charter rewrite because it was not aimed at resolving the hardships of the people. The proposed public referendum on the changes was also just a pretext to prolong the government’s stay in office.

Mr Natthawut said UDD will on Sunday also launch a signatures collection campaign to seek the impeachment of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on the grounds his government has no legitimacy.

Melting Arctic poses new challenges, naval powers say

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead

CORRECTION-US-DEFENSE-NAVY

A map of the Arctic showing the shrinking of the summer sea ice since 1979

NEWPORT, Rhode Island — International piracy and the challenges of new Arctic Ocean corridors opening up as a result of global warming topped the agenda Wednesday at a gathering of world maritime powers.

"The menaces from climate change cause growing concern," warned Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "There is a global security implication of the climate change."

"The North West passage will be open most part of the year, the new generation of naval students will live in a different world," he said.

A total of 101 countries are attending the 19th International Seapower Symposium, a three-day meeting occurring every two years, which aims to increase trust and confidence among naval leaders from around the world.

"At a time of great challenge, our task is to see how our mutual efforts can safeguard peace and security in the 21st century," US Navy Commander Admiral Gary Roughead said in his opening remarks.

Mabus agreed, adding: "Our navies increasingly think in terms of joint operations, and meet their counterparts in South America, Europe or Africa to combat the world maritime challenges."

He cited piracy as just one example, as well as joint drug-trafficking operations and medical missions.

The conference, which had its start in 1969 during the Cold War, is being held at the Naval War College a school of higher learning for naval officers based in this seaport town.

Mabus also praised an increasing spirit of maritime cooperation that led even countries that have been combatants in the recent past -- like Russia and Georgia -- to attend the international summit.

In a video message to the gathering, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also stressed the importance of international cooperation in confronting current maritime challenges and in forging greater maritime security, declaring that "no one nation has the capacity to meet these challenges alone."

Roughead said cross-border cooperation was more in evidence in the international fight against piracy -- particularly off the coast of Somalia, which over the past few years has become a hotbed of international hijacking and high sea robbery.

"In the Gulf of Aden, 20 nations are participating -- not only the navies but the aircrafts, and the prosecutors," he said.

He was speaking as the French military said Somali pirates had attempted to storm the French navy's 18,000 tons flagship in the Indian Ocean after mistaking it for a cargo vessel.

The crew of La Somme, a 160-meter (525-foot) command vessel and fuel tanker, easily saw off the brazen night-time assault by lightly armed fighters on two lightweight skiffs and captured five pirates, a spokesman said.

Other issues highlighted at the gathering included the fight against international arms smuggling and the global effort to protect fisheries.

Mabus also praised international efforts "to locate and destroy illegal narcotics in South America and Europe" as well as efforts in many southeast Asian countries to fight natural disasters.

China and Libya which were both invited to attend the conference had declined to come, while Roughead confirmed that Iran had not been asked to participate.

But Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Maldives and Guyana were all taking part for the first time.

Climate change has jumped to the top of this year's agenda now that global warming has opened up to exploration water channels that had been frozen solid.

The conference takes place as Russia prepare to open up waters north of Siberia for exploration with major oil companies.

Weather scientists have predicted the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in the summer as early as 2015 providing new access to wealth of as yet untapped natural resources and coveted marine shipping routes through the Arctic.

HIV/AIDS Programs Changing Male Behavior in Cambodia

Outreach workers provide HIV/AIDS education to men in an entertainment establishment in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia—The crowded, raucous beer gardens of Phnom Penh don’t always make the best classrooms, admits Ky Sok Ly. A university student by day, Ky transforms into a roving teacher by night to educate groups of men about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to get their attention when they’ve been drinking,” Ky said. “But most men are eager to hear our message so they can protect themselves from disease.”

Ky, 21, is one of 48 outreach specialists in Cambodia working in entertainment establishments. Operating in pairs, the specialists engage men in five-minute discussions about HIV/AIDS and sexual health.

For example, a team might approach a group of men and show them photos of five women. The team would ask the men which women look infected with HIV and which do not, in order to prompt a discussion about the dangers of assessing a person’s HIV status based on appearance.

Launched in June 2008 by USAID and funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the program has already reached 161,000 men. It is one of a series of USAID programs that target male clients of sex workers in an attempt to correct what has been an unbalanced focus on women to promote condom use and other behaviors to prevent the spread of HIV.

Over the last 10 years, Cambodia has been a rare success story in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. By promoting condom use in brothels, the country cut its HIV prevalence rate in half from 2 percent in 1998 to less than 1 percent in 2006. The prevalence rate among sex workers fell by 66 percent in that same period.

USAID has been the largest HIV donor in Cambodia since 1994.

However, in recent years men have increasingly sought sexual partners in karaoke bars and other entertainment venues, where they perceive the women to be less risky than in brothels. A recent police crackdown on brothels has accelerated this shift. In entertainment venues, it is common for male patrons to meet “sweethearts,” or semi-regular mistresses with whom they exchange money and gifts for sex.

USAID data show that while condom use is high among brothel-based sex workers, it is considerably lower among other entertainment workers. According to many entertainment workers, a major barrier to condom use is the attitudes of their male sexual partners.

A reality television show called “You’re the Man,” which challenges male norms and promotes male responsibility, started up in July. M.Style, a health campaign launched in late 2008, uses social clubs and internet chat rooms to encourage men who have sex with men to protect themselves from disease.

Ky is pleased to be part of these efforts to reach high-risk men. “I’m learning skills that will help me later in life. Most important, I’m helping Cambodia develop by keeping my people healthy,” she said. ★

Cambodian hoop dreams

1.90-metre Cambodian national basketball team player Phal Sophors (centre, orange shirt) has relocated to Phnom Penh from his home province of Prey Veng to play as a professional basketball player.

Thursday, 08 October 2009 15:00 Colin Meyn

With a fresh input of funds and resources, Cambodia’s national basketball team still search for international competitions to see how they stand in the region

For the first time in years, the Cambodian Basketball Federation (CBF) is making a concerted push for the men’s national basketball team to be competitive. Now they just need to find a competition to play in.

In the past year, the federation has scoured Cambodia for young talent and funded a recruiting trip across the world to the US. However, with the cancellation of the basketball tournament in December’s SEA Games in Laos, future international matches have yet to be arranged.

When Laos was named the host nation for the 2009 SEA Games last year, organisers quickly noted the lack of gymnasiums capable of hosting an international basketball tournament. Participating countries, along with sponsor country China, were unable to find a way to make the tournament happen.

“At our second council meeting, we decided that we couldn’t have basketball. We don’t have the facilities,” said Somphou Phongsa, the head of the administration and service committee for the SEA Games in Laos.

Austin Koledoye, head coach of the Cambodian national team for over two years, expressed his frustration over the situation. “We don’t have the money to travel to other countries, and we don’t really have the facilities to host the wealthier countries,” he said. “What are we supposed to do?”

In December 2008, Mak Chanphirun, captain of the 1998 Sisowath High School basketball squad and a current staff member at the National Assembly, was named the new secretary general of the CBF. Since then, the funding and resources that Koledoye has been longing for in his last four years as coach are finally beginning to emerge.

In February, the government paid for Koledoye’s trip to the US, where he met with a dozen Cambodian-Americans, some playing at Division II universities. “I was looking for players with height,” he stated. “We needed an enforcer, someone to go against teams like the Philippines.”

National basketball coach Austin Koledoye is looking for international competitions.

But all the coach found were guards, three of which tentatively agreed to make the monthlong excursion to Southeast Asia in order to train for and participate in the December SEA Games on the government’s tab.

Scouting homegrown talent

The CBA also searched for young talent at home, and found a 17-year-old wide-shouldered Khmer teenager from Prey Veng named Phal Sophors, who moved to Phnom Penh to train in May.

It wasn’t his basketball skills that drew the attention of Mak Chanphirun and Koledoye, who spotted him playing at the annual National High School Basketball tournament in Battambang. It was his 1.9-metre stature.

“He could hardly dribble on the first day, but he’s getting a lot better. Playing basketball is the only thing he is here for,” said Koledoye.

A year ago, Phal Sophors was living with his parents and eight siblings, spending his days studying and working in his family’s rice fields. “I played basketball at school and with my friends, but not every day,” he admitted. Now, only two years after first picking up a basketball, he is living in Cambodia’s most populous city, sleeping in a small room in Olympic Stadium and practising for three hours a day with the country’s best ballers.

Cambodia hosts int'l meeting on global economic crisis

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia hosts a three-day meeting on Thursday in Cambodia's northern province of Siem Reap, focusing on global economic crisis.

A statement released by Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) said the annual forum's theme for this year is "Overcoming the Global Financial and Economic Crisis: The Rule of Law as the Key to Economic Freedom," which is devoted to the topic of dealing with the global economic crisis.

"We need to understand them to see which reforms are needed. Wealso need to guard against those who use the crisis as a pretext for furthering their own illiberal agendas," the statement said.

"We will try to explore how to bridge the gap between people's clamor for action and protection against the effects of the crisis can be reconciled to sober economic analysis. Otherwise we risk wasting huge amounts of resources for little effect, resources that will go to the politically powerful rather than the poor and needy," it added.

The conference is a platform for the exchange of useful information, practical techniques and networking tailored to the needs of think tanks, industry, academics and policymakers.

Since 1998, it has become the Economic Freedom Network Asia conference's custom to utilize various forms of comprehensive and interactive programs.

In addition to keynote presentations and panel discussions, this year's conference will employ the Open Space Technology (OST). OST is a facilitation method which allows participants to identify specific issues, self-select into discussion groups and work on issues with individuals of similar interests.

Keynote speakers include Keat Chhon, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Professor Lawrence H. White from George Mason University.

The conference is sponsored and supported by Economic Freedom Network Asia and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty and in collaboration with the Cambodia Institute of Development Study and the Citizen Action Net for Social Development.

Cambodia tourism starts its slow recovery

Cambodia tourism has been confronted with the economic crisis to the slump of a dramatic decline from Northeast Asia, especially Japan and South Korea. Political skirmish with Thailand also contributed to a sharp drop from neighboring tourists.

After six years of uninterrupted growth –and mostly in double-digit figures-, Cambodia tourism has seen a decline in total arrivals for the first half of 2009. Albeit modest at -1.1 percent, it sent a worrying signal as tourism is one of the biggest revenues earning for the government and a major source of employment with over 300,000 Khmers working in the hotel and tourism business.

According to a survey, South Korean travelers, among Cambodia’s top incoming markets, drop by a third during the first semester 2009. Markets such as Australia, China, Thailand or Japan declined also in double-digit numbers. Growth was however recorded in Vietnam –now Cambodia’s largest incoming market-, France, the UK and the USA.

The city of Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat fabled temples are located, has been more affected by the drop. According to data from the airports authority, the number of passengers at Siem Reap declined from January to May by 25.5 percent, from 778,000 to 580,000.

During the same period, Phnom Penh saw passengers’ traffic declining by a more modest 12.9 percent from 767,000 to 667,000 passengers. Numbers have since substantially improved at Phnom Penh International Airport. Passengers’ traffic was only down by 10.2 percent at the end of August.

The disaffection for Angkor Wat is also reflected into the revenues from Apsara Authorities, which manages the temples. For the first half of the year, revenues from ticket sales were down by almost 20 percent. It would be the second consecutive year of decline for the authority as revenues from ticket sales already dropped from US$ 32 to 30 million between 2007 and 2008. Bun Narith, director general of the Apsara Authority, blamed the economic crisis, political uncertainties in neighboring Thailand and bad weather for the overall drop.

Meanwhile, tourism in Cambodia seems to have reached the bottom line. In July, the kingdom recorded an increase of 10 percent in total arrivals. Numerous price reductions and discounts in hotels and tourist attractions, the opening of new border crossings, more flights to Cambodia thanks to the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) should contribute to put back tourism on the right track. The government has already promised to start again a TV campaign on channels in China, Japan and Korea and predict that tourism will grow again from September. With a bit of luck, it could even erase completely its decline and show a modest growth in total arrivals by year-end.

Amex agent helps Cambodia flood relief

A travel consultant on sabbatical in Cambodia has been helping with relief efforts after typhoon Ketsana flooded nearby villages.

John Palfrey worked with owners of a luxury hotel, the Sojourn (pictured), to distribute food to hundreds of families on the outskirts of Siem Reap, close to the temples of Angkor.

The hotel already had a close relationship with the village, Treak, because it organised trips for guests to see how families lived in traditional Cambodian homes, giving 50% of the tours’ proceeds to the villagers.

Palfrey, who is working at an orphanage on sabbatical from his job as a travel consultant at American Express in London, said the hotel and its sister property acted as distribution centres for relief after the flood.

He joined staff from the hotel to help divide food into family supply bags and distribute clothes and blankets.

“The floods have left the community under a couple of feet of water – survivable due to the construction of most Cambodian homes,” he said.

“But the food supply has been wiped out and those without employment now have nothing.”

Palfrey said the relief effort was an extension of the commitment Sojourn’s owners were already showing the local community.

“It’s an example of a travel company becoming part of the community it works in. This is tourism really making a difference.”

Typhoon Ketsana left a trail of destruction across south-east Asia last week, causing the most damage in the Philippines before hitting Vietnam and Cambodia.

'I want to die soon'

King Sihanouk went on to thank compatriots who have wished that he lives to be over 100 years old, but asked them to refrain from wishing him a long life. -- PHOTO: AFP

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S elderly former king Norodom Sihanouk said he has lived too long and wishes to die as soon as possible, according to a personal handwritten note on his website on Thursday.

In a royal message, King Sihanouk said his father, King Suramarit, died at the age of 64, and his great-grandfather, King Sisowath, died at the age of 83.

'But for me, who sincerely wants to die as near in the future as possible, I have lived too long,' wrote the former king, who will turn 87 at the end of this month.

The ex-monarch, who has been in Beijing since last month for routine medical treatment, went on to say in his message, dated October 2, that the 'lengthy longevity bears on me like an unbearable weight'.

King Sihanouk went on to thank compatriots who have wished that he lives to be over 100 years old, but asked them to refrain from wishing him a long life. 'What I want is to die as soon as possible, without having to infringe on the teachings of the (esteemed) Buddha who forbade suicide,' he wrote.

King Sihanouk has suffered from a number of ailments, including cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Despite abdicating, King Sihanouk remains a prominent figure in Cambodia and often uses messages on his website to comment on matters of state -- AFP

asianews

Calling senior leaders of the ruling party to court could weaken social safety and political stability: Tith Sothea from the PQRU

Activists, negotiators slam attempt to change Kyoto Protocol content

A respected academic warned yesterday that a chronic social division could eventually lead to a clash and bloodbath if no attempts were made to avert it.

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