PM vows to step down if he loses in 2013 election

Thursday, 21 January 2010 15:03 Meas Sokchea

Photo by: Khem Sovannara

Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks at the Sixth Asia Economic Forum in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

PRIME Minister Hun Sen said in a speech on Wednesday that he would step down peacefully if he were to lose the 2013 election, conceding that he cannot rule the country forever.
During remarks delivered to delegates of the Sixth Asia Economic Forum in Phnom Penh, the premier also said he would refrain from causing disturbances for any potential new leader.
“In the year 2013, if people do not vote for [me], I only have one choice: I must step down,” he said.
“And at that time, the winner will not have to worry about me going to the Council of Ministers. I will sign over everything to a new leader.”
Hun Sen went on to address criticisms from opposition politicians that his government has at times appeared to be more totalitarian than democratic, emphasising that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party had been democratically elected.
His remarks drew a mixed response from opposition lawmakers.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said Hun Sen’s pledge to step aside in the event of an electoral defeat was insignificant because he had no choice in the matter.
Hun Sen “does not need to call on the Council of Ministers, because when a new prime minister steps into power. They arrange their Council of Ministers, and if anyone refuses to step down, they are breaking the law,” he said.
In the other opposition camp, Human Rights Party spokesman Yem Ponharith said he welcomed Hun Sen’s comments and expressed confidence that they were sincere.
“I am not fearful [of Hun Sen]. It is normal for leaders in democratic countries to change. I do not believe that there will be a problem when the head of the government steps down from office,” he said.
Ou Virak, the executive director of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said Hun Sen likely made the comments because he thinks he will win the next election anyway and wanted to quash criticisms.
“Firstly, he still thinks that he will remain in power and win the 2013 election, and secondly, he is responding to his critics,” he said.
Hun Sen, who is 58, also remarked at one point during his hourlong speech that he could potentially stay in power until he turned 80.

More RCAF soldiers to leave for Africa: PM

Thursday, 21 January 2010 15:01 Sam Rith

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

A Royal Cambodian Armed Forces soldier returns from a mission to Sudan last year.

PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday announced that Cambodia would send a deployment of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces engineers to Chad and the Central African Republic to supplement a contingent of peacekeepers who departed for the two countries in November.
The announcement came during the premier’s remarks at the opening of the sixth Asia-Economic Forum in the capital.
Sem Sovanny, the director general of the government’s Institute for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines and ERW (explosive remnants of war) Clearance, told the Post on Wednesday that Cambodia is planning to send more than 100 soldiers on the mission, including 10 deminers. Both groups would participate in the construction of roads and bridges, he said.
“We still need to negotiate the memorandum of understanding with the United Nations,” he said, adding that officials from the institute will travel to Africa next week on a scouting mission.
The UN is scheduled to observe the Cambodian forces in March.
Last November, 42 Cambodian peacekeeping soldiers travelled to Chad and the Central African Republic to assist in the relocation of UN personnel and logistics assets, among other projects.

Rights watchdog visits today

Monday, 18 January 2010 15:03 Vong Sokheng and Irwin Loy

Photo by: Photo Supplied

Surya Subedi, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia.

THE UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia is scheduled to begin his second official mission to the Kingdom today – a visit that marks a pivotal period in the rights watchdog’s relationship with government officials, observers say.
The visit of Surya Subedi is expected to last for nearly two weeks. Whereas his first mission last June was billed as a fact-finding trip intended to re-establish “conditions for a fruitful dialogue with the government on human rights issues”, this second visit will see the special rapporteur examining key state institutions that lead straight to the top of political power in Cambodia.
Subedi “intends to use the visit to examine the functioning of the National Assembly and judiciary, including the Supreme Council of Magistracy and the Constitutional Council”, according to a press statement released by the UN on Friday.
“His objective is to conduct an analysis of how these institutions work and the extent to which they provide citizens recourse and remedy for breaches of their rights.”
One rights advocate called Subedi’s planned visit “crucial” because he is expected to address the issue of judicial independence.
“These are some of the most important institutions in Cambodia,” said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights.
“Independence of the court has always been a core issue in Cambodia. Until now, unfortunately, it remains a problem area.”
The courts are currently under the direction of the Ministry of Justice, meaning that judicial officials are overseen by government officials, Ou Virak said. “Putting the court under the executive body is not going to help the court achieve independence,” he said.
Other rights advocates said they hoped Subedi would use his visit to hold authorities to account after a year in which critics slammed continued evictions of the poor and a spate of defamation suits against opposition lawmakers.
“We have not seen any progress on human rights in the last year,” said Sok Sam Oeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project.
“It’s important for Subedi to push the government to strengthen the judicial system.”
Retreading old ground
Subedi’s visit won’t be the first time a UN watchdog has tried to tackle the issue of judicial independence. His predecessor, Kenyan lawyer Yash Ghai, raised questions over a series of judicial appointments in August 2007.
“Recent judicial appointments appear not to have been made in accordance with the constitution, casting doubt on whether the constitutionally guaranteed principle of judicial independence is being fully respected in Cambodia,” read a 2007 statement released on behalf of Ghai, then the special representative of the secretary general for human rights in Cambodia.
Ghai faced public attacks from Cambodian officials for his blunt critiques.
By the time he quit in anger in September 2008, government officials had become outspoken critics of the rights watchdog, and Prime Minister Hun Sen was refusing to meet with him.
During his visit last June, Subedi seemed intent on mending bridges with government officials who had been at the heart of the tense back-and-forth with Ghai.
At the time, Subedi described his first visit as “constructive and cordial”, and Cambodian officials struck an optimistic tone.
Already, however, some cracks in the relationship have appeared.
In October, a lawmaker with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party reacted sternly after Subedi reported to the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Cambodia suffered from a weak rule of law, and that the judiciary was “not as independent as it should be”.
“Based on my observations, Mr Subedi is not different from Yash Ghai,” senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap told the Post at the time.
Reached for comment Sunday, Cheam Yeap accused Subedi of listening only to the government’s critics.
“He listened to one-sided information from civil society groups and opposition parties,” said Cheam Yeap.
“We acknowledged that there are loopholes in some small areas of the government’s enforcement of human rights, but we have been … trying to improve.”
Cheam Yeap said he hoped for “fair” treatment this time around.
“I think that [Subedi] should come and collect a fair report,” he said. “He should not listen to just the one side from NGOs and opposition parties.”
Subedi, who has already met twice with Hun Sen, including once during a July visit from the prime minister during a trip to the United Kingdom, is scheduled to meet with him again during this visit, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed Sunday.
This second official mission, then, could be important in setting the tone for his future dealings with the government, Ou Virak said.
“I think he’s walking a very fine line. We don’t know how the government is going to receive him this time,” Ou Virak said.
Subedi, he said, will have to decide how he wants the relationship to proceed.
“Does he build up his credit with the government and then use it in the future to have some impact? It’s one thing to walk a fine line and still have a good relationship. It’s another thing to use your power” as a UN-appointed rights watchdog, Ou Virak said.

Convicted US paedophile faces new child sex charges

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 15:02 Chrann Chamroeun

Photo by: Pha Lina

American Michael James Dodd leaves Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a hearing on Monday. Dodd, who was convicted in a separate case in August, told the court he was not guilty of purchasing child sex.

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court on Monday heard the case of a convicted American paedophile facing a second round of charges of purchasing underage sex, this time based on a complaint from a 12-year-old Cambodian girl.

Michael James Dodd, 60, was arrested last August in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district and charged with purchasing child sex in two separate cases, one involving a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl and the other a 12-year-old Cambodian girl. He was convicted later that month under Article 34 of the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. The court sentenced him to 10 years in prison and ordered him to pay 20 million riels (US$4,824) in compensation.

Judge Chhay Kong said Monday that a verdict in the case of the Cambodian girl is expected January 28.

Reporters were barred from attending Monday’s hearing. “We decided to hold a closed-door hearing due to the fact that the girl is 12 years old,” Chhay Kong said.

In interviews after the hearing, however, lawyers for the victim said the court had yet to confirm the victim’s age, a factor that will weigh significantly on the sentence handed down in the case of a guilty verdict.

One of the victim’s lawyers, Peng Maneth, provided by the child protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants, said judges were relying on a police document stating that the victim is 12, but that other documents indicate she is older.

“Our organisation has found her age to be over 15 years old, as she was born in 1992, according to birth and family documents certified by local authorities,” Peng Maneth said. If the court determines that the victim was older than 15 at the time of the crime, he said, Dodd “will be convicted and sentenced from two to five years in prison if found guilty”.

The victim’s other lawyer, Nuon Phanith, also from APLE, said Dodd claimed he had been friends with the girl but was not guilty of the charges facing him.

The victim, Nuon Phanith said, told the court that Dodd had abused her on two separate occasions at a guesthouse in Daun Penh and a third time at his rented house in Boeung Keng Kang I commune, adding that he had paid her on each occasion.

Dodd’s lawyer, Meng Sotheary, said after the hearing that his client was innocent.

RCAF OK’d to demine locally

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 15:03 Sam Rith and Jacob Gold

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

RCAF de-miners return from participating in a clearance mission in Sudan last year.

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I would imagine that RCAF would give greater support to government priorities.

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A PLATOON of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces mine-clearance specialists has for the first time received accreditation from the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) to clear mines within Cambodia, RCAF and CMAA officials confirmed on Monday – a move that could bolster a national clearance effort that the government has said is in danger of falling short of its goals.

The company to which the platoon belongs, Demining Company 315, has already completed demining operations as part of a UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

But it had not been formally accredited for domestic humanitarian clearance prior to a CMAA-led review, which was completed in December.

Leng Sochea, permanent deputy secretary general at the CMAA, confirmed on Monday that his organisation had certified the 24 soldiers of the company’s Third Platoon on December 29 of last year.

“From now on, this RCAF platoon has the right to participate in bids for demining projects in Cambodia,” he said.

The troops attributed the speed with which their CMAA certification came through – their review began just at the end of August 2009 – to their level of international training.

“Even though we have our licences from the UN, we also want to be recognised locally,” said Company 315 commanding officer Mey Sophea.

Parties to the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty in November formally approved Cambodia’s request to push back the deadline for clearing all antipersonnel mines by 10 years, though the government’s formal extension request asserted that “current productivity levels will not be sufficient” to meet the revised goal.

“However, with a 38 percent increase of financial resources made available to the sector and a greater involvement of RCAF in addressing the
remaining challenge, productivity rates can be increased,” the request asserted, “which may make completion of clearance of all known minefields within the extension period possible.”

Prum Sophakmonkol, an adviser to the CMAA and director of its regulation department, said Monday that the platoon was seeking funding for demining projects and had no projects planned in the immediate future.

Jamie Franklin, the country programme director for the Mine Action Group, one of three organisations that was already accredited for humanitarian clearance, said he welcomed the contributions the RCAF team could bring to the national clearance effort.

He noted, though, that an RCAF-led clearance operation would be more likely to take its cues from the government.

“I would imagine that RCAF would give greater support to government priorities,” Franklin said.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in Cambodia, but not enough capacity.… The fact that this RCAF unit has been accredited by CMAA means they are clearing at international standards, and that can only be a good thing.”

He added that the heavy participation of militaries in clearance efforts was common in other mine-ridden countries, and that they had been able to accomplish a great deal.

Other responses to the accreditation news were similarly hopeful.

“It is a sign of great progress that Cambodian troops are employing their expertise both here and abroad to help make this a world free from the threat of land mines and explosive remnants of war,” UN Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick said in a statement. “These indiscriminate weapons that have continued to kill and maim long after hostilities ceased seriously hinder Cambodia’s development. RCAF’s humanitarian demining accreditation is more evidence that the Royal Government is committed to working on this problem until it is solved.”

A Cambodian delegation attending the November summit said clearance efforts for the next 10 years will cost approximately US$330 million.

Revise China pact: Indonesia to ASEAN

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The China Post (Taiwan)

JAKARTA -- Indonesia notified its partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it wants the group's free trade agreement with China to be revised, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said.
In a letter to the ASEAN secretariat, the Indonesian government sought to “renegotiate” some parts of the accord, which took effect at the start of the year, Pangestu said. “We have also held some informal communication to get a win-win solution,” she told reporters in Jakarta, without saying when the letter was sent.
China's agreement with the 10 members of ASEAN scrapped tariffs on about 90 percent of goods, and duties must be cut to no more than 50 percent on “highly sensitive” items by 2015. Opposition has been loudest in Indonesia, where industries including textiles, food and electronics said they will suffer from the inflow of cheaper Chinese goods. Indonesia is ASEAN's largest country by geography, population and size of the economy.
China's trade with ASEAN has jumped six fold since 2000 to US$193 billion last year. China's share of Southeast Asia's total commerce has increased to 11.3 percent from 4 percent in that time, whereas the U.S. portion fell to 10.6 percent from 15 percent, ASEAN statistics show.
Indonesian Industry Minister Mohamad Hidayat said Jan. 15 there were 228 items that the government wants to delay from including in the free-trade accord, including steel and textile products. Negotiations within ASEAN might start this month and Indonesia was ready to open previously protected items as a concession, Hidayat said without elaborating.
ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Formed in 1967, its members have a combined gross domestic product of more than US$1.1 trillion and a population of about 570 million people.
Revise China pact: Indonesia to ASEAN
JAKARTA -- Indonesia notified its partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it wants the group's free trade agreement with China to be revised, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said.
In a letter to the ASEAN secretariat, the Indonesian government sought to “renegotiate” some parts of the accord, which took effect at the start of the year, Pangestu said. “We have also held some informal communication to get a win-win solution,” she told reporters in Jakarta, without saying when the letter was sent.
China's agreement with the 10 members of ASEAN scrapped tariffs on about 90 percent of goods, and duties must be cut to no more than 50 percent on “highly sensitive” items by 2015. Opposition has been loudest in Indonesia, where industries including textiles, food and electronics said they will suffer from the inflow of cheaper Chinese goods. Indonesia is ASEAN's largest country by geography, population and size of the economy.
China's trade with ASEAN has jumped six fold since 2000 to US$193 billion last year. China's share of Southeast Asia's total commerce has increased to 11.3 percent from 4 percent in that time, whereas the U.S. portion fell to 10.6 percent from 15 percent, ASEAN statistics show.
Indonesian Industry Minister Mohamad Hidayat said Jan. 15 there were 228 items that the government wants to delay from including in the free-trade accord, including steel and textile products. Negotiations within ASEAN might start this month and Indonesia was ready to open previously protected items as a concession, Hidayat said without elaborating.
ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Formed in 1967, its members have a combined gross domestic product of more than US$1.1 trillion and a population of about 570 million people.

WHAT DO YOU THING???

ស្រវឹង​ជោកជាំ​ទៅ​កោសខ្យល់ បាន​នាង​ធ្វើ​សរសៃ​ស្រួលខ្លួន ចាប់​នាង​រំលោភ​សេពសន្ថវៈ

(សា​រ៉ា)

ថ្ងៃ ច័ន្ទ ទី ២៨ ខែ ធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ ២០០៩

(​រូបថតជោគជ័យ​)

បុរសរូប​នេះជាប់ចោទកោសខ្យល់រំលោភត្រូវ​ឃាត់ខ្លួន

ជន ​ម្នាក់​ត្រូវ​សមត្ថ កិច្ច​នគរបាល​ប៉ុ​សិ៍្ដ​ទួល​ទំពូង​ទី​២ សហការ​ជា មួយ​នគរបាល​ព្រហ្មទណ្ឌ​ខណ្ឌចំការមន​ធ្វើការ ឃាត់ខ្លួន​កាលពី​យប់​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​២៥ ធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ​២០០៩ នៅ​ចំណុច​ផ្ទះ​លេខ​១៥៩ ផ្លូវ​លេខ​២៧១ ភូមិ ៤ សង្កាត់​ទួល​ទំពូង​ទី​២ ខណ្ឌចំការមន ដោយ យោង​តាម​ពាក្យបណ្ដឹង​របស់​នារី​ប្រកប​មុខ របរ​កោស​ជប់​ម្នាក់​ប្ដឹង​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ថា បាន​ធ្វើ សកម្មភាព​ចាប់​រូប​នាង​រំលោភ​សេពសន្ថវៈ ក្នុង​បន្ទប់​ផ្ទះ​ជាន់​ទី​២ ។

ជន​ដែល​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ឃាត់ខ្លួន​នេះ ឈ្មោះ សាំង សុខុម អាយុ​២៧​ឆ្នាំ ជា​កម្មករ​សំណង់ ស្នាក់​នៅ​បណ្ដោះអាសន្ន​ក្នុង​ការដ្ឋាន​សំណង់ ក្បែរ​កន្លែង​កើតហេតុ​នោះ ។ដោយឡែក នារី​ម៉ាស្សា​កោស​ជប់​ដែល​ប្ដឹង​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ឱ្យ ចាប់ខ្លួន​ឈ្មោះ​សាំង សុខុម នោះ ឈ្មោះ​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត អាយុ​១៩​ឆ្នាំ​។តាម​ប្រភព​ព័ត៌មាន​ពី​សមត្ថកិច្ច​មូលដ្ឋាន បានឱ្យ​ដឹង​ថា មុន​ពេល​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ធ្វើការ​ឃាត់ ខ្លួន ឈ្មោះ​សាំង សុខុម បាន​ផឹកស្រា​ស្រវឹង យ៉ាង​ខ្លាំង ហើយ​ពេល​ត្រឡប់​មក​ពី​ផឹកស៊ី​វិញ សាំង សុខុម បាន​ដើរទៅ​រក​នាង​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត ឱ្យ​កោស​ជប់​ធ្វើ​សរសៃ ដើម្បី​បំបាត់​ការ ស្រវឹង ។

ប៉ុន្ដែ​ពេល​ដែល​នារី​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត ដើរ ចូល​ក្នុង​បន្ទប់​កោស​ជប់ ស្រាប់តែ​ឈ្មោះ​សាំង សុខុម ដាក់​គន្លឹះទ្វារ ហើយ​ធ្វើ​សកម្មភាព​ចាប់ សំរាត​ខោអាវ​នាង​ធ្វើការ​រំលោភ​សេពសន្ថវៈ​យ៉ាង​កំរោល ប៉ុន្ដែ​គេ​មិន​ទាន់​អស់ចិត្ដ​ដោយ សារ​តែ​មិន​ទាន់​ដល់​គោលដៅ ជា​ហេតុ​ធ្វើ​ឱ្យ នាង​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត ស៊ូទ្រាំ​មិន​បាន ក៏​ស្រែកហៅ គេឯង​ដែល​នៅ​ទីនោះ​ឱ្យ​ជួយ ។ ភ្លាម​ៗ​នោះ ម្ចាស់ផ្ទះ​កោស​ជប់​រួម​ជាមួយ​នារី​កោស​ជប់ ២​នាក់​ផ្សេង​ទៀត បាន​ស្ទុះ​ទៅ​ជួយ​រំដោះ នាង​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត ហើយ​ធ្វើការ​ឃាត់ខ្លួន​ឈ្មោះ សាំង សុខុម ប្រគល់​ឱ្យ​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ចាត់ការ តាម​ផ្លូវច្បាប់ ។

នៅ​ចំពោះ​មុខ​សមត្ថកិច្ច ឈ្មោះ​សាំង សុខុម បាន​សារភាព​ថា ខ្លួន​ពិត ជា​បាន​ធ្វើ​សកម្មភាព​ចាប់​នាង​ញឹក រ៉ា​នី​ត រំលោភ​សេពសន្ថវៈ​ប្រាកដ​មែន ។  បច្ចុប្បន្ន សមត្ថកិច្ច​បាន​កសាង​សំណុំរឿង​បញ្ជូន​ខ្លួន ឈ្មោះ​សាំង សុខុម ទៅ​តុលាការ ដើម្បី​ធ្វើការ ផ្ដន្ទាទោស​តាម​ច្បាប់ ។សូម​រំលឹក​ថា បន្ទាប់​ពី​អាជ្ញាធរ​បាន​លុប បំបាត់​កន្លែង​ប្រកប​របរ​ជួញដូរ​ផ្លូវភេទ និង បំបាត់​ទីតាំង​បំរើសេវា​កម្ម​ផ្លូវភេទ​គ្រប់​ទី កន្លែង​ទូ​ទាំង​ប្រទេស​មក ឥឡូវនេះ គេ​បាន សង្កេត​ឃើញ​អ្នក​ធ្លាប់​រកស៊ី​បំរើសេវា​កម្ម​ផ្លូវ ភេទ​បាន​ផ្លាស់​ប្ដូរ​ពី​ទីកន្លែង​បំរើសេវា​រួម​សិច ត្រង់​ៗ

ទៅ​ជ្រក​ក្រោម​ស្លា​កកោស​ជប់​ម៉ាស្សា ប៉ុន្ដែ​ការ​ពិត​ទីតាំង​នោះ គឺ​សុទ្ធ​សឹង​ជា​កន្លែង រួម​សិច​ដូច​ទីតាំង​រួម​ភេទ​ពី​មុន​ៗ​មក​ដែរ​។ បញ្ហា​នេះ សមត្ថកិច្ច​មូលដ្ឋាន ក៏​ដូច​ជា​កា​រិ​យា ល័យ​ជំនាញ​ត្រូវ​តែ​គិតគូរ​ឡើង​វិញ ដើម្បី​កុំ ឱ្យ​មាន​ពាក្យ​ចោទប្រកាន់​ថា អ្នក​រកស៊ី​មុខ របរ​ខាងលើ​នេះ និង​សមត្ថកិច្ច​មានការ​ត្រូវ រ៉ូ​វ​គ្នា​តាម​រយៈ​ការ​បង់ប្រាក់​ប្រចាំខែ ។

World Bank criticises land project

Monday, 21 December 2009 15:03 James O'Toole and May Titthara

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

A resident of Boeung Kak lake’s Village 24 hangs washing from her window Sunday. Amid World Bank concerns over the lack of land titling in Cambodia, Village 24 is set to be the next eviction site around the lake.

THE World Bank has expressed further concerns about the efficacy of a donor-funded land-administration project run jointly with the government, with a decision pending on whether to launch a formal investigation into the programme.

The World Bank’s Washington-based inspection panel on Wednesday issued its response to a September investigation request from villagers of the Boeung Kak lakeside community with the support of local housing-rights advocates.

In the request, villagers say the World Bank did not adequately supervise the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), a US$38.4 million effort begun in 2002 to disseminate land titles and create an “efficient and transparent land administration system” for the Kingdom.

In fact, villagers said, the programme was ineffective in the face of a marked increase of forced evictions and failed to grant tenure rights to vulnerable residents. More than 4,000 families are facing eviction from the lake to make way for a 133-hectare development project.

The government terminated its partnership with the World Bank land-titling project in September. Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the time that the organisation demanded “too many conditions”.

While the inspection panel defended elements of the project’s legacy, noting that it had issued more than 1.1 million land titles in the past seven years, it acknowledged significant problems in LMAP’s overall approach.

“The unavoidable complexity of the project and the backdrop of political and administrative inefficiency (ranging from a lack of competence through to corruption) necessarily meant that the project was a risky undertaking,” the panel said.

Among the problems in LMAP’s implementation, the panel said, was an undue focus on the “incremental titling process” that failed to develop a larger vision for land management and engage with the government on the issue of forced evictions. Local concerns, it added, were often neglected.

“Residents were not adequately involved in the titling process, and they did not have access to a fair and independent dispute resolution mechanism regarding their claims,” it said.

David Pred, director of the group Bridges Across Borders, said at the time of the complaint’s filing that a World Bank investigation could have ramifications beyond the realm of land rights. “If the government is unwilling to live up to its end of the bargain, then there needs to be a serious reassessment of the way donors engage in Cambodia,” he said.

Be Pharom, a Boeung Kak lake resident representative, said that though residents had made overtures to the World Bank about earning titles through the LMAP project, the government had stepped in to stop them.

“The World Bank told us that when they asked the government to register us through the LMAP project, the government told them not to interfere in Cambodian politics,” she said, adding: “Everything was stuck when the government stopped working with the World Bank on this project.”

The inspection panel will decide whether or not to recommend a further investigation of the project by March 31 next year, but despite its criticisms of the government, the panel emphasised the importance of engaging with local officials.

“The actions that would have the greatest impact for the communities … require a committed engagement from the government,” it said.
Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun could not be reached for comment.

China pats Hun Sen's head for being its good henchman?

China praises Cambodia as Uighurs deported
Sun Dec 20, 2009

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will deal with 20 ethnic Uighurs who were deported from Cambodia over the weekend as illegal immigrants, praising relations with the Southeast Asian country as a model of good cooperation.
The comments came as a top Chinese official began a visit to Phnom Penh to boost commercial ties.
The Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim minority involved in rioting in western China that killed nearly 200 people in July, were smuggled into Cambodia in recent weeks and applied for asylum at the United Nations refugee agency office in Phnom Penh.
They were deported for breaking immigration laws, the Cambodia government said.
"Recently, Cambodia deported 20 Chinese citizens in accordance with immigration laws for illegal entry into Cambodia. China received these people in accordance with usual practices," China's Foreign Ministry said in a brief faxed statement.
"China is resolutely opposed to and will crack down hard on people smuggling, and believes the international community should step up cooperation to combat these crimes together," it added.
Human rights groups have said they feared for the lives of the Uighurs if they were deported to China. The U.N. refugee agency also condemned the deportations.
The case coincides with a visit to Cambodia by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, seen as frontrunner to succeed President Hu Jintao. Xi is expected to sign 14 pacts related to infrastructure construction, grants and loans.
On Sunday evening, Xi praised ties with Cambodia.
"It can be said that Sino-Cambodia relations are a model of friendly cooperation," the Foreign Ministry paraphrased Xi as saying, in a statement on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
China is Cambodia's biggest investor, having poured more than $4 billion in foreign direct investment into the country.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

After taking a bullet in the helmet, he shot his enemy and disrupted Taliban ambush

Sarun Sar
U.S. Army / Silver Star

By Kevin Maurer
AmericanValor.net

He is no stranger to war.
Sarun Sar’s first combat experience came in his native Cambodia, where he fought with anti-Vietnamese guerrillas. But when the Vietnamese invaded, his family was split up. His father died in prison, his brother was executed for smuggling weapons for anti-government guerrillas and his mother and two other brothers died from starvation.
Sar ended up on the western side of the country, where he was wounded several times and eventually sent to a refugee camp in Thailand.
There, he met up with his older sister and eventually moved to the United States. Sar gained his citizenship while in the Army and has deployed all over the world with Special Forces to places such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa, Colombia and Afghanistan.
In the latter country, he would distinguish himself again.
On March 5, 2005, Sar could see the Taliban fighters running from the village as his Black Hawk helicopter touched down.
“Follow me,” Sar screamed to his 7th Special Forces Group teammates before jumping to the ground, hoping to cut the enemy off.
He could hear radio reports about the team’s other helicopter taking fire as he rushed up the snowy mountain in Paktika province along the Pakistan border. He saw several Taliban running toward some woods. Another ran into a house.
Sar reached the house, throwing himself against a wall near the door and waiting for the rest of his team.
But “I didn’t feel anyone tap me on the shoulder,” said Sar, who was the Special Forces team sergeant, the most senior enlisted soldier.
Looking back down the hill, he saw that his teammates were pinned down by enemy fire. It was just Sar and a medic trapped at the house, far from their unit.
The squat house was made of thick mud and rock with a small door cut out. As Sar peeked inside, thick smoke hung inside the room. He barreled through the small, low opening, gun at the ready, and was halfway in when the flashlight on his M-4 rifle illuminated the face of a Taliban fighter.
The enemy’s muzzle flash lit up the darkness — three times.
Two shots missed. But the third hit the edge of Sar’s Kevlar helmet at his forehead, the force throwing him back out the door.
“I will never forget that little flash I saw,” Sar said. “He was waiting. It felt like I was hit in the head with a hammer.”
Dazed, he rolled back outside and started screaming, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” to the medic. The medic searched for a wound, but the bullet hadn’t penetrated Sar’s helmet. Sar pulled a flash-bang stun grenade and threw it into the room before he re-entered the house and killed the Taliban fighter.
His charge up the mountain had disrupted the Taliban ambush and prevented his team from getting bogged down.
Maj. John Litchfield, the Special Forces team leader at the time, said Sar’s actions also inspired the team to push up the hill.
“The rest of the team was under fire and pretty well pinned down,” Litchfield said. “Human nature takes over, and you start clawing for a piece of ground. Sar did the opposite of that. We certainly wouldn’t have achieved the goal in the same manner, and some of us could have been severely wounded.”
Soon afterward, the Special Forces team cleared the other huts in the village and rounded up a huge cache of eemy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, bomb-making materials and explosives. Sar and another soldier were the only wounded Americans.
Looking back to the time on that mountain in 2005, Sar said he wouldn’t change what he did:
“That is how we do things. I would still go in the house. Next time, the whole team would follow behind me.”

Thailand will not normalize ties with Cambodia for now

December 18, 2009
The Nation

Relations with Cambodia would not be improved in the short period as Thailand was not ready to change its conditions to normalise bilateral ties, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said Thursday.
"If the conditions are not changed, we would be as we are for a period of time," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi struck in face at rally

Rome, Italy (CNN) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will stay in a hospital for observation overnight after being hit in the face at a campaign rally in Milan, a spokesman said Sunday.

Milan police were questioning a man with a history of mental illness in connection with the attack, which left the 73-year-old Berlusconi bleeding profusely from his left upper lip and cheek. The premier underwent a CAT scan at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital, and his personal physician, Alberto Sangrillon, recommended more tests be done, Berlusconi spokesman Paolo Buonaiuti told CNN.

The conservative media-mogul-turned-politician has been dogged by allegations of corruption and is in the middle of a messy divorce from his second wife. He was in Milan, his hometown and political base, to stump for a local political ally.

Milan police said Berlusconi's attacker hit him with a small, metal souvenir replica of the Doumo di Milano, the city's central cathedral, but it was not immediately clear whether the man swung at the prime minister with the object in his hand or threw it at him.

Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that Berlusconi continued to shake hands with supporters for "a couple of minutes" after being hit.

"He remained calm and leaned out the window as he was being driven to the hospital and waved to the crowd," La Russa said.

Buonaiuti said there was "a lot of confusion" surrounding the assault, but he put some of the blame on Berlusconi's critics.

"What I can tell you is that there has been such a buildup of hatred toward the premier, and this is not good," Buonaiuti said. "This campaign of hatred has been building quite rapidly recently, and I am not surprised that what happened tonight took place."

But Milan police said the man being questioned in connection with the assault was a "mentally unstable" man in his early 40s who had been undergoing psychological treatment for some time. The man, identified as Massimo Tartaglia, is the only person arrested and is believed to have acted alone, they said.

The three-term prime minister faces trial on tax fraud charges after Italy's top court struck down an immunity law that shielded him from prosecution. He denies the charges, calling them politically motivated.

And his private life has been in the spotlight since his wife of 19 years, Veronica Lario, filed for divorce in May. The divorce followed allegations that an Italian businessman hired escorts for the premier and that he had attended the birthday party for an 18-year-old girl, with whom he has denied having an inappropriate relationship.

Berlusconi remains popular among the Italian public, however, with his approval ratings remaining well over 50 percent. He won a third term in 2008, and his conservative coalition has control of both the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.