asianews: 10/21/09

UN urges 'credible' new Asian human rights body

Om Yentieng: The face of human rights in Cambodia ... according to the CPP

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) will be the first regional human rights body in Asia-Pacific and will be launched as leaders meet Friday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin for their annual summit.

The AICHR "will have to work hard to establish itself as a credible regional mechanism and help close the gap between human rights rhetoric and the reality on the ground," said Homayoun Alizadeh, the regional representative for the UN's human rights commission.

"There is much hope and expectation surrounding this occasion, as it represents an important commitment by states in the region to move beyond mere words," he said in a statement.

ASEAN's reputation has suffered over repeated alleged human rights abuses by member states, particularly military-ruled Myanmar.

Earlier this year Thailand also came under the spotlight for reported mistreatment by the armed forces of ethnic Rohingya immigrants who washed up on its shores after escaping Myanmar.

Activists are pushing ASEAN to take a stronger stance on alleged human rights abuses in Myanmar, and will be holding an ASEAN Peoples' Forum to coincide with the weekend summit.

But on Tuesday a diplomatic source said that Myanmar had scuttled a plan by fellow ASEAN members to issue a public appeal seeking amnesty for detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during the summit.

The 64-year-old Suu Kyi has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in detention and was sentenced to an extra 18 months' house arrest in August over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside home uninvited.

Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in elections in 1990, but the junta has refused to recognise the result.

Myanmar's military rulers are planning elections next year as part of promised democratic reforms, but critics have demanded that Suu Kyi and her party should be allowed to participate.

As well as Myanmar, ASEAN also groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Oxfam:15,000 Cambodian Households Need Food Assistance

The hunger period has been prolonged, and people in flood affected communities cannot wait any longer, international aid agency Oxfam warned Tuesday.

Food assistance is not delivered quickly enough to the affected communities, and thousands of families who are in need of urgent food assistance are still marooned in floodwaters, it said.

Oxfam estimates that 15,000 households are waiting for immediate food assistance, and the number is increasing rapidly as floodwaters continue to recede slowly and many more families have used up their food stocks. Some households who received food assistance earlier were also running out of food for weeks.

"People in the flood affected regions needed food a month ago, and they are still waiting for food," said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia. "Food insecurity is getting worse in the affected communities. Government bodies and international aid agencies concerned with the current situation must start delivering food assistance now."

About 100,000 people are affected by typhoon Ketsana which coincided with annual floods in late September and early October.

The storm affected both farmers who own farmlands and those who sell their labour to work on those farms, thus depriving both groups of their livelihoods. Normally people facing disruptions in their livelihoods in the provinces would have family members migrate to Phnom Penh and other provinces to look for work.

But the cities are already flooded with unemployed workers due to the global financial storm that has ravaged the country's economy. So, that kind of strategy to stave off hunger may no longer be available as an option to those displaced by the floods.

S. Korean president heads to Cambodia for summit

HANOI, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak headed to Cambodia on Thursday, where he will hold summit talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen during his two-day trip.

Lee is on a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia that started with a stop in Vietnam and will end in Thailand, where he will attend a regional forum hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The South Korean president was set to pay a visit to Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni shortly after his arrival in Phnom Penh, according to Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

Lee and the Cambodian prime minister will discuss ways to deepen cooperation between their countries, especially in the agricultural sector and in the development of Cambodia's natural minerals, Cheong Wa Dae said earlier.

"President Lee and Prime Minister Hun Sen are expected to specifically discuss Cambodia's national development plan to find areas of cooperation," Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters.

The countries will sign an extradition treaty on the sidelines of the summit, and a revision to a basic agreement on the provision of Seoul's Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

Lee will depart Cambodia on Friday for Thailand's royal beach resort of Hua Hin, where he will attend the ASEAN Plus Three summit that also involves the leaders of Japan and China.

Hun Sen to Thaksin : Run to Me

If Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's decision to virtually lead the Pheu Thai Party is something of a political rebirth, he has hit the ground running.

One day in Phnom Penh and a bombshell was dropped on the already sour relationship between Thailand and Cambodia.

Following a meeting with Chavalit, Cambodian Premier Hun Sen told reporters how his wife cried at the mention of Thaksin Shinawatra's fate and how a plan to give Thaksin a home "that deserves his honour" was discussed.

"We have been great friends since Thaksin was businessman and the relationship has remained the same since he entered politics," Hun Sen said.

"Though I'm not Thai, I'm hurt by what has happened to him. My wife even cried on knowing about it and has an idea to build a home for Thaksin to come and stay honourably."

It was the closest thing to saying Cambodia would be willing to give Thaksin a political exile, an issue which will present both countries with an awkward situation, in addition to the Phra Vihear conflict, going into the Asean summit.

Chavalit, on his return to Thailand from the one-day visit to Cambodia, confirmed what Hun Sen said. And true to his characteristics, he created more speculation by suggesting he was ready to meet Thaksin's arch-rival Sondhi Limthongkul.

Sondhi's People's Alliance for Demcoracy reacted guardedly to that, saying that no matter what Chavalit had in mind, the PAD's fundamental stand remains unchanged _ Thaksin has to serve his jail term first, and the rest can be discussed later.

There have been whispers, though, that Chavalit had met another PAD key man, Chamlong Srimuang, before deciding to seek a "summit" with Sondhi. A Chavalit-Sondhi meeting, PAD insiders believe, is "possible". They said things could become clearer after key PAD members meet this coming Tuesday.

On Hun Sen and Thaksin, Chavalit said the latter would be given a house in case he wanted to have a long stay in Cambodia.

Chavalit met Hun Sen during his one-day visit to Phnom Penh yesterday as a representative of Thaksin-backed Peu Thai Party.

As a long time friend, Prime Minister Hun Sen paid a lot of attention to fate of Thaksin, Chavait said.

Hun Sen has known Thaksin for long time since the latter was a normal businessman who invested in Cambodia.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family are neither Thai nor relative of Thaksin but feel sympathy to him and want to declare that they are friend forever," Chavalit said.

"They have prepared a beautiful house for Thaksin and give him an honor as a friend," he said.

Asked if the Thai government was concerned over his visit to Phnom Penh, Chavalit said no government official called him to express such concern since he just went there to visit his friends and did not represent the government.

However Chavalit also discussed border conflict at the area near Preah Vihear temple with Hun Sen and praised Cambodia's stance to solve the problem with peaceful way.

The border conflict could be solved via bilateral mechanism of joint boundary commission, he said.

"We don't expect the issue could be solved within a few days, it could be 20 years but we should handle it with understanding and friendship," he said.

On the sea boundary, Chavalit said Cambodia has not yet granted concession to exploit oil and gas in the sea overlapping area to any foreign companies but is waiting for the Thai government to negotiate on the issue.

News in Pictures

Tourists pass by portraits of South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak (L), Cambodia's King Sihamoni (C) and First Lady of South Korea Kim Yoon-ok on a Phnom Penh street October 21, 2009. Lee is scheduled to pay an official visit to Cambodia. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodian school children head home after school through the flooded village of Russey Keo, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Flooding caused by Typhoon Ketsana, which struck the area several weeks ago, prevented almost a thousand Cambodian schools from opening at the start of the academic year, keeping tens of thousands of students home, an Education Ministry official reported. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian and foreigner climate change activists stand surrounding Cambodia's biggest clock in the heart of the capital of Phnom Penh on October 21, 2009 as part of the Tck-Tck-Tck global campaign against climate change. The activists are calling for climate action. Cambodia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts due to its low capacity and limited resources to address climate change. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on October 19, urged the world's rich countries to take more responsibility for climate change, saying the poor suffer for their carbon emissions "sin." AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY (Photo credit should read TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images)

News in Pictures

UN urges 'credible' new Asian human rights body

Om Yentieng: The face of human rights in Cambodia ... according to the CPP

BANGKOK — The United Nations urged Asian nations to make their new regional human rights body "credible" Thursday, as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) prepared for its official launch.

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) will be the first regional human rights body in Asia-Pacific and will be launched as leaders meet Friday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin for their annual summit.

The AICHR "will have to work hard to establish itself as a credible regional mechanism and help close the gap between human rights rhetoric and the reality on the ground," said Homayoun Alizadeh, the regional representative for the UN's human rights commission.

"There is much hope and expectation surrounding this occasion, as it represents an important commitment by states in the region to move beyond mere words," he said in a statement.

ASEAN's reputation has suffered over repeated alleged human rights abuses by member states, particularly military-ruled Myanmar.

Earlier this year Thailand also came under the spotlight for reported mistreatment by the armed forces of ethnic Rohingya immigrants who washed up on its shores after escaping Myanmar.

Activists are pushing ASEAN to take a stronger stance on alleged human rights abuses in Myanmar, and will be holding an ASEAN Peoples' Forum to coincide with the weekend summit.

But on Tuesday a diplomatic source said that Myanmar had scuttled a plan by fellow ASEAN members to issue a public appeal seeking amnesty for detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during the summit.

The 64-year-old Suu Kyi has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in detention and was sentenced to an extra 18 months' house arrest in August over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside home uninvited.

Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in elections in 1990, but the junta has refused to recognise the result.

Myanmar's military rulers are planning elections next year as part of promised democratic reforms, but critics have demanded that Suu Kyi and her party should be allowed to participate.

As well as Myanmar, ASEAN also groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Gen Chavalit visits Cambodia

Chavalit Yongchaiyuth

Former prime minister and a key member of the main opposition Puea Thai Party Chavalit Yongchaiyuth on Wednesday morning left for Phanom Penh to meet Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.

“Mr Hun Sen is my old friend and I am visiting him on his invitation”, Gen Chavalit said before leaving for the neighboring country.

The ex-premier said he would not raise the issue of the disputed area near the Preah Vihear ancient temple for discussion during his today’s visit.

“But if Mr Hun Sen wants to discuss it, I am ready for talks to help the government settle the dispute”, Gen Chavalit said.

He noted that the problem between Thailand and Cambodia could be stemmed from a small misunderstanding and the dispute would not lead to a change in ties between the two countries.

Regarding the incident that several generals of the armed forces who were classmates at the pre-cadet’s class 10 of deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had recently joined Puea Thai Party, Gen Chavalit said many more senior persons who had worked for the country but were not well-known would join the opposition camp as they wanted to help the kingdom.

He denied he joined the Puea Thai Party because he wants to become a prime minister. He just wants to perform duty as a good member of the political party.

Demonstration law debate continues at Nat’l Assembly

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

Workers protest in front of Tack Fat garment factory on Saturday.

PARLIAMENTARIANS continued debate on Tuesday over the government’s proposed law to regulate public demonstrations, with the National Assembly passing chapters three and four of the six-chapter law.

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party declined to contest chapter four of the law, which relates to crimes committed during the course of demonstrations, though SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said that his party would not support any of the other five chapters.

The SRP registered particular concern during debate on Tuesday over the demonstration law’s stipulation that protesters must wait for approval from the Ministry of Interior before holding a public gathering.

Nuth Sa An, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior who served as the government representative to defend the draft law, rejected these criticisms, however, saying that government officials needed to hold talks with demonstration leaders before allowing their protests to go ahead.

“We cannot allow people to inform the government and then immediately go and demonstrate,” Nuth Sa An said. “If any problems occur at the demonstration, who is responsible for this? It is the government.”

SRP President Sam Rainsy urged the government to consider broader reforms to reduce the number of demonstrations that take place in Cambodia, rather than simply seeking to restrict the demonstrations themselves.

Noting the many demonstrations that have taken place in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Takhmao residence, Sam Rainsy said that if he were premier, he would be embarrassed by this frequent occurrence.

“If I were prime minister, I would not feel proud of people coming to me like this. What does it mean? It means that our officials are inactive, that all government institutions below the prime minister are inaccessible,” he said.

Lawmakers have now passed 27 of the 30 total articles in the Law on Nonviolent Demonstrations, with the final three articles expected to be passed tomorrow.

Young Cambodians salute golden era of 1960s filmmaking

Left to Right: Somvan Sodany, Vichara Dany and Kong Sam Oeun

Dy Saveth and Chea Yuthorn

Phnom Penh - At 26, Davy Chou is too young to have first-hand experience of the golden age of Cambodian filmmaking, which flourished in the 1960s and early '70s. But the curator of a nine-day event celebrating this neglected part of Cambodia's cultural history has a powerful personal link: his grandfather who disappeared in Cambodia in 1969 was one of the leading film producers of the time.

The '60s saw the start of a 15-year period when the local industry generated hundreds of films. Then tragedy intruded in the form of the Khmer Rouge, and Cambodia's film industry was destroyed in 1975.

"It's a very unique and very sad story," Davy Chou said of the period being marked in the exhibition, Golden Reawakening - '60s Cambodian Film Festival and Exhibition, which began in Phnom Penh Saturday and runs through October 25.

The festival, the first of its kind in the country, is screening 11 films from the period and also exhibiting film posters, photographs and biographies of the leading stars of the day at the Chinese House, a restored colonial building near Phnom Penh's port.

Former king Norodom Sihanouk was a prolific filmmaker and has provided one of his works. Davy Chou said that for most of the 1950s, Norodom Sihanouk was the sole filmmaker in Cambodia, but that changed around 1960.

"Then suddenly during 15 years, there was a boom in the film industry, and they produced - and it's difficult to say an exact number and I think that we will never know - at least 350 films, maybe more than 400 films," he said.

"Today, because of the Khmer Rouge regime, we can find 33 films, so it's less than 10 per cent," he said.

The destruction wrought by the Khmer Rouge still hangs over most aspects of Cambodia. The ultra-Maoist regime's efforts to destroy the country's rich cultural heritage make its baleful influence hard to escape at the festival.

Photographs portray a young, vibrant filmmaking scene with confident actors and actresses in '60s garb globetrotting to Singapore and France, but almost none of the stars from that time are alive. Davy Chou said most died during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge era, when up to 2 million people, or up to 30 per cent of the population, are thought to have died from execution, starvation and overwork.

"If we count the top 10, we can just find two actresses today," he said, mentioning Dy Saveth, who continues to act, and Virak Dara, who lives in France.

He said other stars such as Kong Sam Oeun, Vichara Dany, Chea Yuthorn and Som Van Sok Dany died under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Dy Saveth was the doyenne of Cambodian actresses in the 1960s. The star of more than 100 films, she was a guest of honour on the exhibition's opening night. As the monsoon rain lashed down outside, she told the German Press Agency.

Former Thai PM Chavalit visits Cambodia, meeting PM Hun Sen

BANGKOK, Oct 21 (TNA) – Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, leader-in-waiting of Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party, is visiting Phnom Penh at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Speaking before leaving for neighbouring Cambodia, Gen. Chavalit said it was a trip to visit an old friend.

The Thai-Cambodian dispute over the area around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple may be discussed if the Cambodian prime minister raised the issue as a friend talk, said Gen. Chavalit.

"Cambodia’s relations with Thailand have not changed much but both sides understand some issues in different ways. That’s not a problem," he said. "Relations will improve."

Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over the surroundings of Preah Vihear boiled over into violence last year when the temple was granted World Heritage status by the United Nations Educational Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Meanwhile, Gen Chavalit and about 50 former classmates of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra from Class 10 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School applied to become members of the opposition Puea Thai party on Tuesday. All had retired from the military.

More retired officials from other classes will later join the Puea Thai party, the one-time Army commander said.

"Everyone wants to spend the rest of their lives to work for the nation without any demand for political position. I clearly said to the Puea Thai (leaders) and members that I want to be neither a prime minister nor have a seat in the cabinet. I’m content to work for the most benefit of the country," Gen. Chavalit said.

"The current conflicts indicate the political alertness of the public," he said. "Compromise and goodwill advice will be very useful to the country. It’s a transition period," Gen. Chavalit said.

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