Vietnam, Cambodia plan new air routes

Vietnam and Cambodia are planning to open two routes linking the coastal city of Sihanoukville in Cambodia with Phu Quoc Island and Can Tho city in the south of Vietnam.

Experts said that the new air routes will help create an attractive tourism triangle, facilitating the promising service sector of the two countries.

According to Undersecretary of the State at the Secretariat of Civil Aviation of Cambodia (SSCA), Soy Sokhan, SSCA and Vietnam Airlines are conducting a feasibility study for the two new routes.

Chairman of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents Ho Vandy said both Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province and Can Tho city are attractive tourism centres in Vietnam.

Once launched, the weekly flights will help transport a large number of foreign tourists to Cambodia, he added.

Vietnam condemns acts hindering border demarcation with Cambodia

The Vietnamese Government strongly condemned acts and statements made by Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) of Cambodia, who recently uprooted land markers on the Vietnam-Cambodia border, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on October 30.

Sam Rainsy on October 25 visited the border demarcation area between Vietnam’s southern province of Long An and Svay Rieng province of Cambodia and uprooted six temporary poles that mark the position of Marker 185 and then brought them to Phnom Penh. Sam Rainsy also made statements slandering Vietnam as encroaching on the land of Cambodia through the border demarcation and marker planting.

In response to questions from the media about Vietnam’s reaction to Sam Rainsy’s acts and statements, spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga said that “ Vietnam and Cambodia are promptly conducting borderline demarcation and planting border markers. Protection of land markers and poles is the shared obligation of the two countries’ governments and people, in accordance with bilateral agreements and international law.”
What Sam Rainsy did was a perverse action, damaging common property, violating both countries’ laws, and bilateral treaties and agreements, hindering the borderline demarcating and marker planting process, she emphasised.

Sam Rainsy’s speeches slandering Vietnam were ill-informed, irresponsible and designed to incite a feud, undermining the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia, she added.

The Vietnamese government urged the Cambodian government to take due measures to deal with sabotage acts, ensuring favourable conditions for conducting borderline demarcation and marker planting between Vietnam and Cambodia, and for the common benefit of both peoples, Nga concluded. (VNA)

Typhoon Mirinae likely to worsen Cambodia's flood problems: Oxfam

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- International aid agency Oxfam has cautioned that a new wave of rain from Typhoon Mirinae is expected to reach Cambodia on Nov. 2.

In a statement received Saturday, Oxfam said situations in communities already affected by Typhoon Ketsana and prolonged annual floods in central and northern Cambodia are likely to worsen with the effects of the new typhoon, putting already affected people further at risk.

"Typhoon Mirinae is currently on track to hit the northern Philippines island of Luzon . Although Cambodia may not be hit with the full strength of the typhoon, the country remains vulnerable due to its limited resources for preparation and response, and while the country is just beginning to recover from recent flooding," the statement said.

"Typhoon Mirinae could set back on-going emergency work and planned recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Cambodia ," said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam in Cambodia .

"The effects of the new typhoon could increase hazards in still flooded areas and cause further damage to crops and livelihoods. It may also displace communities or prolong the return of those already displaced by Typhoon Ketsana," he added.

Fearing a new threat of another typhoon, Oxfam is alerting humanitarian agencies and government authorities to help communities living in areas susceptible to flooding to be prepared by stocking on clean water and food and securing important documents.

The damage from Typhoon Ketsana runs to around 40 million U.S. dollars in Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The storm, which killed at least 30 people, affected about 6,000 families and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields, and local infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, schools and houses.

Construction of Cambodian bourse to begin in Dec

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Cambodia expects to begin construction in December on its first stock exchange, a government official said, giving momentum to a long-delayed joint venture with South Korean investors.

'We expect to have the ground-breaking ceremony in December,' Mey Vann, director of the financial industry department at Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance, told Reuters.

The idea of a Cambodian stockmarket has been floated since the 1990s but has struggled for traction in a country known for chronic poverty and a history of upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge 'Killing Fields'.

Cambodian authorities have partnered with private South Korean developer World City Co Ltd to build a $6 million, four-storey stock exchange on the waterfront of a new financial district, Cambodian and World City officials have said.

The area where the stock exchange will be built is flooded swampland on the edge of Boeung Kak Lake in the heart of the Phnom Penh. The end of the rainy season this month will clear the way for workers to begin building the exchange on the corner of what developers are calling Phnom Penh Boulevard.

Cambodia gives big boost to military budget

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, plans to boost defense and security spending by 23 percent next year, its budget showed on Saturday, raising the prospect of a clash with the IMF.

Cambodia plans to spend $274 million on defense and security next year, up from $223 million this year, the budget showed. The total budget for calendar 2010 was $1.97 billion, which meant the military was allocated about 14 percent of total spending.

That compares with 1.7 percent spent on agriculture, the backbone of Cambodia's economy, and 0.7 percent on water resources. About 1.7 percent was set aside for rural development.

Military spending is a sensitive topic in Cambodia because of the millions of dollars of donor money flowing into the country, largely to social programmes.

"This big budget for defense is meant for preventative measures in response to international conflicts," said government spokesman Phay Siphan.

Siphan said the spending was unrelated to tensions with neighbouring Thailand over land surrounding a 900-year-old, cliff-top Hindu temple known as Preah Vihear. Skirmishes in the border area have killed seven troops in the past year.

Thailand is challenging a U.N. decision to make the temple a world heritage site under Cambodian jurisdiction. Cambodia was awarded the temple in a 1962 international court ruling that did not determine who owns 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) next to it.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised Cambodia last year for its military spending, leading the Cambodian government to cut back its defense budget during a debate in parliament after questioning by the IMF.

"Donors will not be happy," Ou Vireak, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said of the latest military budget.

He said Prime Minister Hun Sen was likely trying to whip up nationalist support by projecting an image of a strong military at a time of heightened tension with Thailand.

"By doing so, he is turning the country effectively into a military state," he said.

Doc: Cambodia's 'jungle woman' sick, mentally ill

(AP) – 1 day ago

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A woman dubbed the "jungle woman" after emerging naked and unable to speak from the wilds of northeastern Cambodia two years ago is sick and apparently suffering from mental illness, a doctor said Friday.

Hing Phan Sokhunthea, chief of Rattanakiri province hospital, said the woman, believed to be 28-year-old Rochom P'ngieng, was taken home Friday after four days in a hospital even though she remained weak and the cause of her nervous distress remained unclear.

She was brought from the jungle in early 2007 after being caught trying to steal food from a villager. Her case attracted international attention after a local family claimed she was their daughter, who was 8 years old when she disappeared in 1988 while herding buffalo in a remote area.

However, the relationship was never proven, and it was never established how she could have survived in the wild for 19 years. Some villagers suspected she was not Rochom P'ngieng, but someone else suffering from mental problems who had been lost in the jungle for a much briefer time.

The man who claims to be her father, Sal Lou, said Friday by telephone that the woman still does not speak any intelligible language.

He said his daughter was hospitalized Monday after she refused to eat any rice for almost a month.

"She was very sick and her condition looks worse than when she was first found," he said. "She is very skinny now."

He said he decided to take her back home after her condition didn't improve and she kept trying to run away.

The Rattanakiri doctor said a preliminary diagnosis found she suffered from a nervous condition.

"We wanted her to stay longer in the hospital, so that we could learn more about her mental state, but her father took her back home without letting us know," said Hing Phan Sokunthea.

Cambodia: World AIDS Day HIV Campaign, 'Testing Millions,' to Again Launch During Cambodia's National Water Festival

During Last Year's 'One Million Tests' World AIDS Day 2008 Campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES and Cambodian Partners Surpassed Country's 30,000 Testing Goal by Testing 35,034

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar. The Water Festival commences Sunday, November 1st. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest AIDS group in the US which currently provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe, is spearheading the worldwide initiative to test millions. Last year, AHF led the successful 'One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008' campaign during which AHF/Cambodia CARES and its Cambodian partners surpassed their country goal of performing 30,000 tests by testing 35,034 individuals, identifying 1,112 HIV positive individuals in the process. The 2008 campaign far exceeded its goal of performing one million tests by testing 1,603,272 people and identifying 61,399 HIV positive people.

AHF/Cambodia CARES, which partners with NCHADS in operating 12 free AIDS treatment clinics throughout the country, has also taken a leadership role to coordinate and partner with other stakeholders to reach as many people as possible for the HIV testing and the Love Condom campaign. As its part of the in-country component of the global testing campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES has committed to testing 12,000 people for HIV throughout the month of November in Cambodia, one of the countries in the Asia Pacific region that has been hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"With the beginning of the Water Festival, AHF/Cambodia CARES will get an early start and launch our country's participation in the 'Testing Millions' World AIDS Day 2009 campaign. We will be testing in Phnom Penh and other provinces and link those found to be positive to a clinic for follow up care and access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as well as the positive prevention to stop the spreading of the virus, and those who found as negative will learn about HIV prevention to keep them stay negative" said Chhim Sarath, M.D., AHF Country Director for Cambodia.

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Asia and also has one of the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the region. The HIV epidemic has spread beyond high-risk groups such as sex workers, male police officers, factory workers, mobile populations, injection drug users and men who have sex with men, to the general population.

The number of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers in Cambodia has increased dramatically over the last 5 years (only 12 sites in 2000 to 216 sites by the end of first quarter 2009). Of the current 216 VCT centers, 194 are supported directly by the government, while 22 are supported by non-governmental organizations.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org

SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Khmer Intelligence News - 29 October 2009

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS

Government reduces soldiers and policemen’ bonuses (1)

Because of a fall in state revenue due to the economic recession the government is reducing bonuses usually paid to some 200,000 soldiers and policemen. The government normally pays the armed forces “basic salaries” and “bonuses for function fulfillment” on a monthly basis. Bonuses, which had been markedly increased in 2008, can be much higher than salaries. They are now being reduced by 30 percent to 50 percent.

Government withholds councilors’ salaries (1)

Over 3,000 district, provincial and municipal councilors elected last May have yet to receive their salaries. The government has been withholding their salaries for five months allegedly because of “administrative problems” and “budget constraints”. But in fact, the government also wants to slow down the decentralization process whereby the ruling CPP would have to share some power at the local level with the opposition SRP which controls approximately 20 percent of the commune, district, provincial and municipal councilors.

Canadia Bank now controlled by Hun Sen’s family (2)

Partly as a result of bad loans linked to the collapsing property sector, Canadia Bank, Cambodia’s largest commercial bank, has recently come under the control of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family (wife and children). The information is not made public because of concerns about corruption probe and Canadia Bank is involved in several cases of land grabbing.

The Hun Sen family has also taken control of several large development projects abandoned by South Korean firms, such as the 42-storey Gold Tower.

Hun Sen’s brother Hun Neng to be appointed Phnom Penh governor (2)

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s elder brother Hun Neng, currently Kampong Cham province governor, will soon be appointed Phnom Penh governor, replacing Mr. Kep Chuptema.

Foreclosures expected by the end of the year (2)

The government finds it more and more difficult to prevent several nearly bankrupt commercial banks ridden with property-linked bad loans (Canadia Bank, Foreign Trade Bank) from conducting foreclosures. A large number of properties will be seized by the end of the year from the banks’ defaulting clients and sold at auction. Observers expect a further drop in property prices in the next few months.

Sam Rainsy in Cairo (1)

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is currently in Cairo to attend the 56th Congress of Liberal International (LI). The SRP is a member of the center-oriented LI, the world’s third largest international political grouping behind those formed by the Conservative and the Socialist. Sam Rainsy who had received the prestigious LI Freedom Award in 2006 in Marrakech (Morocco), will be the main speaker in a ceremony to present a book covering 25 consecutive LI Prizes for Freedom whose recipients included Corazon Aquino (Philippines, 1987), Vaclav Havel (Czekoslovakia, 1990), Mary Robinson (Ireland, 1993), Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma, 1995) and Martin Lee (Hong Kong, 1996).

CPP rejected by Socialist International (2)

The CPP candidacy to be a member of Socialist International (SI) has been continuously rejected in spite of Mr. Hun Sen’s repeated demand to join the powerful left-wing international political grouping. The reason for the rejection is related to the CPP’s poor human rights records including the Cambodian government’s repressive policy against trade unions. Both the CPP and its partner Funcinpec are currently members of the right-wing Christian/Centrist Democrat International (CDI).

King informed about seriousness and complexity of land issues (1)

Since his accession to the throne in 2004, King Norodom Sihamoni has been officially informed about the country’s situation only by Prime Minister Hun Sen. For the first time, a group of opposition National Assembly members on October 27 shared with the Monarch the people’s concerns as perceived at the grassroots level. The most serious concerns are related to land issues with citizens increasingly and unfairly losing their lands all over the country because of rampant corruption undermining the whole government including the judicial system. The King was also informed about Cambodian farmers continuously losing their rice fields along the border with Vietnam. In a recent past, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk had expressed very strong reservations about the way the Hun Sen government “works” on border delineation with neighboring countries.

[End]

Thai-Cambodian Tension Tests Claims of Regional Peace

A demonstrator holds a banner with pictures of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a rally outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok on October 27. (Photo: Reuters)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
IPS WRITER

BANGKOK — The relationship between Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Cambodia enters another uneasy stretch following a round of verbal salvoes fired before and during a just concluded regional summit, where much is made of strides in achieving unity.

The Thai media had also stepped into the fray to take on the comments made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that appeared to get under the skin of the Thai government, host of the 15th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which ran from Oct. 23-25.

On Tuesday, one Thai commentator described Hun Sen as a "big bully" for the remarks he made just before flying into Cha-am, the resort town south of Bangkok where the Asean summit was held, and soon after he landed.

"Hun Sen Shows Lack of Class and Tact," declared the headline of an editorial in a Sunday newspaper. It seethed with anger about the Cambodian leader's "provocative remarks."

Hun Sen, the region's longest-serving premier, upset the Thais by publicly throwing his weight behind Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai premier who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and now living in exile to avoid arrest after being found guilty of violating conflict of interest laws.

Cambodia will offer Thaksin a home, Hun Sen said, before arriving in Cha-am, and then added that Phnom Penh would not extradite the fugitive ex-Thai leader if Bangkok made a request. The increasingly authoritarian Cambodian leader also revealed a role he had for the like-minded Thaksin in the future Cambodia—as an economic advisor.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shot back. "Don't allow anybody to use you as a pawn," he said at a press conference toward the end of the summit, where the outcome of the 10-member regional bloc was to have been the focus.

"If former prime minister Thaksin moves to Cambodia, it will have an effect on our relationship," said Kasit Piromya, Thai foreign minister, in another press conference.

Both Abhisit and Kasit belong to a coalition government that was formed last year with the backing of Thailand's powerful military. It followed a controversial court verdict that resulted in the collapse of a coalition government of Thaksin's allies, who were elected at a December 2007 poll, the first since the 2006 putsch.

Thaksin has been making desperate bids to return to Thailand or to live in a country closer to home than in the Middle East, where he often resides. But he has made little headway with the members of the 42-year-old Asean due to the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of a member country that binds this 10-member bloc.

Asean, which has just become a new rules-based unified entity, includes Brunei, Burma (or Myanmar), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, in addition to Thailand and Cambodia.

The war of words that overshadowed the Asean summit added a new twist to an already testy relationship between the two countries that share an 800-kilometre border, much of it being disputed and not clearly marked because Thais and Cambodia use different maps.

The most visible symbol of the underlying tension between the two Southeast Asian kingdoms is a 10th century Hindu temple, Preah Vihear, that sits atop a steep cliff on the Thai-Cambodian border.

The temple was claimed by the French colonists who ruled Cambodia using a disputed 1907 map. After the French left, the Thai troops took over the temple but handed it back to Phnom Penh following a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. Since then troops from both countries have faced each other along the heavily mined border.

Since July last year, Preah Vihear has become a flashpoint, stoked by deep-seated nationalism on both sides. It followed a ruling by the World Heritage Committee that month that recognized the temple as a world heritage site and concurred with the ICJ's ruling that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

Thai nationalists were enraged, prompting both Cambodian and Thailand to reinforce their military strength in the still contested land—some 4.6 square kilometers—surrounding the temple.

In April, the soldiers from both countries exchanged gunfire, leaving three people dead.

Over a month before the recent summit, Hun Sen had ordered Cambodian troops to fire if any Thais crossed the border illegally. Around the same time, in September, members of a right-wing conservative Thai political movement marched to the disputed site to flex their patriotic stripes.

Thailand was put on notice by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong that Phnom Penh wanted the border dispute placed on the agenda of the 15th Asean summit. But Bangkok rejected the call, insisting that the dispute be addressed through bilateral negotiations than have this issue "internationalized or raised within the Asean framework."

This verbal tit-for-tat even drew Cambodia's envoy in Thailand to comment in the Bangkok Post newspaper on the eve of the summit. "No peace-loving nation on earth like Cambodia wants to make political gains by provoking armed conflict with its neighbors," wrote ambassador You Ay. "The recent tension between the two countries began with the yellow-shirt protesters from Thailand who wanted to enter our Preah Vihear temple."

The simmering tensions between the two Southeastern nations has not gone down well with the rest of Asean, given the bloc's habit of saying it does not need a regional dispute-settling mechanism because the region's leaders are committed to regional peace through local solutions.

Cambodia broke with this tradition last year when the Preah Vihear issue flared up. It reported the dispute to the United Nations Security Council without getting a nod from its Asean allies, prompting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to warn of the regional bloc's credibility being at stake.

Thai officials are hoping that a quieter approach will help calm tensions between the two countries. "We want people along the border to live peacefully," said Kasit, the Thai foreign minister. "There is a need for civility to forge a relationship and build a relationship as much as possible."

Hun Xen's heaven is Thai hell?

Sunday , October 25 , 2009
Thai Talk - Analysis and comments on political and current affairs
The Nation

Thaksin and Suu Kyi: How can you compare hell with heaven?

By Yoon , Reader : 1637 , 20:26:57

Cambodian PM Hun Sen says Thaksin Shinawatr should get the kind of world attention that Aung San Suu Kyi gets.

That statement has inevitably become immediately controversial, for obvious reasons and the "uncomparable comparison" has drawn reactions from various quarters.

The most striking perhaps has come from former diplomat Surapong Jayanam who was once Thai ambassador to Burma.

Surapong usually doesn't pull punches when it comes to making his political statements.

So, when Hun Sen said he considered Thaksin as respectable as Suu Kyi, Surapong retorted:

"The difference between the two is like heaven and hell."

Do I have to ask who's heaven and who's hell?

Cambodia, UN mark 64th anniversary of UN Day

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government and the United Nations country team on Tuesday jointly marked the 64th anniversary of UN Day, focusing on reviewing common priorities, said a press released from UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia on Wednesday.

The discussion with Prime Minister Hun Sen and 11 UN Representatives focused on the excellent working relationship between Cambodia and the UN.

"The United Nations brings around 100 million U.S. dollars of development assistance to Cambodia each year but our support stretches beyond the dollar value of this contribution. We have a long-standing history of promoting peace and human development in Cambodia and we are extremely proud to serve the Cambodian people" expressed UN Resident Coordinator to Cambodia, Douglas Broderick.

Topics raised during the meeting included climate change, the global economic crisis, drug awareness, disaster management and Cambodia's support to international peacekeeping.

Among the highest priorities for the UN Country Team is helping Cambodia to achieve its Millennium Development Goals including improving maternal health, the goal currently requiring the most attention.

"The United Nations believes that no Cambodian woman should die giving life. We are committed to assisting the government to scale-up the quantity and quality of midwives and to improve access to emergency obstetrics care and reproductive health services as part of our joint effort to advance maternal health" Broderick assured the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister shared UN concern that the Millennium Development Goals could be endangered by the combined impacts of the global economic crisis and climate change but was grateful to the UN system for its assistance in helping compile information on the goals' progress at sub-national level.

Regarding the global economic crisis and its impact on the local economy, both sides recognized the importance of coordinating closely to maintain focus on the most vulnerable groups.

"We have been pleased by Cambodia's active response to the global economic crisis especially the attention given to social protection and the progress made towards an integrated Social Safety Net strategy. The UN will work with the government to maintain efforts in this area of social protection to ensure that as the world moves out of this crisis, the poorest people are protected from current and future economic shocks"

In closing the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated the UN on its 64th anniversary and vowed to continue the UN Day meeting tradition.

United Nations Day (October 24) marks the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945. Cambodia joined the United Nations on 14 December 1955.

The United Nations Country Team in Cambodia consists of 23 agencies, fund and programmes operating in the country.

Viet Tien opens first outlet in Cambodia

Mr. Nguyen Duc Giang, general director of Vietnam Garment and Textile Group and chairman of Viet Tien Company, said that the firm has chosen Caja Top Ltd. Company to be the sole distributor of Viet Tien products in Cambodia.

Various products of Viet Tien, from shirts to European-style trousers, shorts, and coats, will be sold in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

Viet Tien and Caja Top also plan to expand sales of Viet Tien products in Cambodia.

Phan Van Kiet, Viet Tien deputy general director said that the company is preparing to open other outlets in Laos in November before moving into Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in future.

Stocks slide as new home sales fall

NEW YORK — Signs of a weaker housing market gave stock investors another reason to be cautious.

Stocks fell Wednesday after the Commerce Department said new home sales dropped for the first time in five months. Sales slid 3.6 percent in September to 402,000 from 417,000 in August, well below the 440,000 analysts had forecast.

Investors also pulled back after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its expectation for the nation's economic output for the July-September period. Goldman Sachs expects third-quarter gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 2.7 percent, weaker than its earlier forecast of 3 percent.

The government's report on third-quarter GDP is due Thursday morning.

Analysts said the market's slide in the past week isn't surprising given the size of the advance in the past eight months and only mixed economic readings.

"I'm not panicked at the moment," said Manny Weintraub, president of Integre Advisors in New York. "I don't think anyone expected a super robust recovery."

In midafternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 67.34, or 0.7 percent, to 9,814.83.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell for the fourth straight day, sliding 13.88, or 1.3 percent, to 1,049.53. The Nasdaq composite index fell 40.40, or 1.9 percent, to 2,075.69.

In another sign of lingering troubles in the financial industry, GMAC Financial Services is in talks with the Treasury Department for a third bailout. The auto and mortgage lender has been among the hardest hit financial firms by rising loan defaults and troubled credit markets. The government already holds a 35 percent stake in GMAC after giving it $12.5 billion in bailout money.

Stocks struggled Tuesday after a disappointing report on consumer confidence stirred worries about the strength of the coming holiday shopping period. Corporate profits have been improving but investors are still waiting for a rebound in sales.

Stocks have been falling most days since hitting their highest levels in a year at the start of last week. A strengthening dollar and falling commodities prices have at times weighed on stocks.

The dollar rose against most other major currencies, while gold prices fell.

Bond prices rose as investors sought safety from a falling stock market. That sent yields lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.41 percent from 3.45 percent late Tuesday.

Crude oil fell $2.08 to $77.47 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The drop in oil weighed on shares of energy companies.

Oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd. fell $2.05, or 3.2 percent, to $62.88.

Home builders fell after the report on new home sales. Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. slid 37 cents, or 8.6 percent, to $3.93. Toll Brothers Inc. fell 66 cents, or 3.7 percent, to $17.28.

The drop in new home sales follows a report from the National Association of Realtors last week that sales of existing home sales posted the biggest increase in 26 years in September as investors tried to get ahead of an expiring tax credit for first-time buyers. New home sales make up a smaller part of overall sales than sales of existing homes.

Earnings reports also touched off some worries. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s profit more than doubled in the third quarter as it cut costs and added products, but the company also said it expects operating income will fall in North America in the fourth quarter. The stock fell $3.41, or 20.4 percent, to $13.33.

Drug distributor McKesson Corp. fell $1.57, or 2.6 percent, to $58.05 after the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings fell short of analysts' expectations.

Apollo Group Inc., parent of the University of Phoenix, fell after the for-profit higher education company said the Securities and Exchange Commission had launched an informal inquiry into how it accounts for revenue. The stock fell $12.93, or 17.7 percent, to $60.04.

Five stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 975.7 million shares compared with 814.4 million shares traded at the same point Tuesday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 13.28, or 2.3 percent, to 573.71.

Overseas, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 2.3 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 2.5 percent, and France's CAC-40 slid 2.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1.4 percent.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

movies article gallery * Why Charleston could land assembly of the 787 * India smashes 354-7 in 2nd ODI vs. Australia *

A Cambodian court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a prominent opposition lawmaker for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen in a case that critics charged was part of a pattern of intimidation against his opponents. Judge Seng Sivutha of the Appeals Court let stand the ruling of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court against Mu Sochua, a member of parliament from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. He said her action had "incited to other Cambodian women to dislike" Hun Sen. The original case against her was one of several recent legal actions taken by Hun Sen's government against its critics in the opposition and the press. "The Court's decision confirms that there is no rule of law in Cambodia when a person dares to challenge the government," her party said in a statement. When the case against her moved ahead in June, the New York-based group Human Rights Watch said Hun Sen had "a long history of trying to muzzle Cambodia's political opposition and undermine the independence of the legal profession." The case against Mu Sochua was filed after she attempted to sue the prime minister for remarks he made about her, and he then countersued. In August, she was found guilty and ordered to pay a 8.5 million riel ($2,000) fine to the state and 8 million riel ($1,882) in compensation to Hun Sen. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected her lawsuit in June, saying it was groundless, but moved ahead with the prime minister's countersuit. Cambodia's Parliament, dominated by Hun Sen's ruling coalition, then stripped the immunity from prosecution of Mu Sochua and another opposition legislator who was being sued for defamation by Hun Sen and senior military officers, allowing the case to go ahead. In June, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia criticized the lawsuits against the lawmakers, saying they undermine the constitutional freedom of opinion and expression. On Wednesday, Mu Sochua said that the legal proceedings were totally influenced by political manipulation, and that she would appeal to the Supreme Court. "My trial is a political prosecution, not a real trial," she said.

UPDATE: US Airways to Cut 1,000 Jobs, Focus On Hub Cities

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) will trim 1,000 jobs, or about 3.1% of its total work force and cut flights, focusing on hub cities where it stands to make a profit.

The company said Wednesday it would concentrate on four hubs - Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix and the District of Columbia, as well as its hourly shuttle service between New York's LaGuardia Airport, Boston and Washington's Ronald Reagan airport.

"By focusing on our strengths and eliminating unprofitable flying we will increase the likelihood of returning US Airways to long-term profitability," Chairman and Chief Executive Doug Parker said in a statement.

The move comes after AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines said in September that it would change its route network to focus on four key hubs - Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago, Miami and New York - while trimming routes to smaller cities. Overall, the airline plans to increase seat capacity by just 1% in 2010.

US Airways, the result of a 2005 merger of American West Airlines and the former US Airways, said it would reduce the number of flights to Las Vegas to 36 from 64 daily departures as a result of increasing fuel prices and weak demand. It also said it would end flights at Colorado Springs, Colo., and Wichita, Kan.

Other changes announced Wednesday include the suspension of five European routes: to London Gatwick; Birmingham, England; Milan, Italy; Shannon, Ireland; and Stockholm, Sweden, from US Airways' international gateway in Philadelphia. It will also give up its right to fly between Philadelphia and Beijing.

As a result of these changes, US airways will initiate systemwide job cuts during the first half of 2010. The reductions include about 600 airport passenger and ramp service jobs and about 200 pilots and about 150 flight attendants, with the shut-down of crew bases in Las Vegas and LaGuarida.

Airlines around the world have suffered from weak passenger demand, especially for business travel, and on international routes. But the declines appear to be stabilizing at many carriers, and last week, US Airways reported that its third-quarter loss narrowed. One bright spot for U.S. Airways and other carriers has been their ability to add new revenue from such things as checked bags and onboard meals, even though fare prices remain low.

Airlines have also been raising cash in recent months to bolster their balance sheets.

-By John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2480; john.kell@dowjones.com

Ann Keeton contributed to this article

Cambodian temple puzzle nearly complete

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — On a muggy afternoon in Cambodia's ancient Angkor complex, workers in hardhats hunch over the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle, painstakingly assembling sandstone blocks.

Walled-off from camera-toting tourists, they are finally close to completing an astonishing reconstruction of the fabled 11th century Baphuon Temple.

"This is not easy to plan like a construction project is," says architect Pascal Royere from the French School of Asian Studies, who is leading the rebuilding team.

Restorers dismantled Baphuon in the 1960s when it was falling apart, laying some 300,000 of its stone blocks in the grass and jungle around the site.

But before the French-led team of archaeologists could reassemble the 34-metre (112-foot) tall temple, the hardline communist Khmer Rouge swept to power in 1975.

Up to two million people died from overwork, starvation and torture as the regime tried to re-set Cambodia to "Year Zero" by eliminating reminders of its past -- including the records to put Baphuon back together.

"The archive of the numbering system (for scattered stones) was stolen and destroyed by the Khmer Rouge," Royere says.

"We had to face a kind of jigsaw puzzle without the picture how to rebuild it."

Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan, who visited the Khmer kingdom in 1226, described Baphuon as a "an exquisite site" with a bronze tower.

Baphuon was the largest monument in the Khmer empire when it was built under King Udayadityavarman II as a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Shiva.

In the kingdom which at one time spanned parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia, Baphuon's size was only eclipsed by the famed Angkor Wat temple.

"I believe that when the restoration of the temple is done, a lot of visitors will climb to see it," says Soeung Kong, deputy director general of the Apsara Authority, which oversees Cambodia's ancient temples.

"It is high, so they can have nice views of surrounding temples."

After the 1991 peace agreement to end Cambodia's civil war, French architect Jacques Dumarcay, who was in charge of Baphuon's restoration from 1964 to 1970, rushed back to the site and appointed Royere to do his old job.

Despite invaluable input from Dumarcay and others who worked on Baphuon in the 60s and 70s, reconstruction required measuring and weighing each block, as well as numerous drawings to figure out how each part fits.

When Royere began work on the project in 1993, grass and jungle had grown over most of Baphuon's blocks. He spent much of 1994 trying to figure out how to approach the complicated job.

"Each block has its own place. It can't be replaced by another one because there's no mortar between them and you will not find two blocks that have the same volume and the same dimensions."

It was first estimated Baphuon would be rebuilt by 2003 or 2004. Now Royere says it will take until the end of next year, but adds the hardest task -- stabilizing Baphuon so it doesn't collapse -- is now complete.

Recent work has focused on a 22-metre (72 foot) high pile of rubble which collapsed in 1971, covering a quarter of the monument.

"It was a kind of landslide mixed with blocks. In 2008 we started to dismantle it, taking care of each block and building a concrete retaining wall," Royere says.

"When you take one brick, you have to take care another doesn't collapse. It took double the time we thought."

Last year Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni presided over a ceremony marking the restoration of a 70-metre (230-foot) long reclining Buddha statue along one of Baphuon's walls.

Now, Royere says, his project is entering its final stage, matching parts of intricate ornamentation altered in the 16th century when stones were shifted from the top of Baphuon to build the reclining Buddha.

"Now it's the most interesting," Royere says. "We have now the picture because we worked for a long time."

Madoff Trustee Advances $534 Million to Customers (Update3)

By Erik Larson

Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The liquidator for Bernard Madoff’s firm approved initial repayments of $534.2 million to 1,558 victims who invested directly with the con man’s firm. Another 1,303 victims had their claims denied.

The payments are advances on the group’s allowed claims of $4.43 billion, trustee Irving Picard said today in a conference call. Verified losses from the fraud now exceed $21 billion, he said.

“We have made significant headway in recent months in processing customer claims in challenging circumstances,” said Picard, hired by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. to wind down Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. “We are handling these claims as expeditiously as possible.”

About 16,000 have been filed since Madoff’s Dec. 11 arrest for running a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, Picard said. The sum includes more than 11,000 indirect claims from investors whose money went to Madoff through third-party entities, such as hedge funds.

Picard’s team has recovered about $1.4 billion in assets to repay victims, and filed so-called clawback lawsuits seeking the return of about $15 billion in fake profit from Madoff’s biggest investors and beneficiaries. More suits will be filed, he said. Victims with allowed claims will receive a share of the money Picard recovers.

$21.2 Billion Loss

Picard’s method for calculating claims, using cash deposits minus withdrawals, triggered objections in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Many victims want years’ worth of fake profit included in their claims. A judge will decide if his methodology is correct at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 2.

Madoff’s fraud resulted in an actual loss of $21.2 billion for 2,335 accounts, Picard said. The previous number of about $13 billion came from records in the criminal case in June and applied to fewer accounts, he said. The figure could rise as more data is uncovered.

Over the life of Madoff’s New York-based company, there were about 8,000 accounts, of which about 4,900 were active when the fraud collapsed, Picard said. More than 2,500 customers took more money than they deposited and may be sued, he said.

Review Accounts

“Over the next six to nine months, we’re going to be taking a very close look at those accounts on an individual basis,” Picard said. “We’re not going to be suing people who don’t have money.”

Picard’s team had reviewed claims as far back as 1983, and plans to review accounts from the 1970s by analyzing Madoff records on microfilm and microfiche, he said.

Madoff, 71, pleaded guilty to the fraud and is serving a 150-year sentence.

The bankruptcy case is already bigger than all 321 SIPC liquidations performed since 1970, when Congress passed the law that creating the entity, SIPC President Stephen Harbeck said. SIPC is funded by the brokerage industry.

The case is Securities Investor Protection Corp. v. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, 08-01789, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

IPU Resolution regarding Mrs. Mu Sochua's case

INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

CHEMIN DU POMMIER 5
1218 LE GRAND-SACONNEX / GENEVA (SWITZERLAND)
TELEPHONE + 41 22 - 919 41 50 - FAX + 41 22 - 919 41 60 - E-MAIL postbox@mail.ipu.org

CASE No. CMBD/47 - MU SOCHUA - CAMBODIA

Resolution adopted by consensus by the IPU Governing Council at its 185th session*
(Geneva, 21 October 2009)

The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Having before it the case of Mu Sochua, a member of the National Assembly of Cambodia, which has been the subject of a study and report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians following the Procedure for the treatment by the Inter-Parliamentary Union of communications concerning violations of the human rights of members of parliament,

Taking note of the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, which contains a detailed outline of the case (CL/185/11(b)-R.1),

Noting that during the 121st Assembly the Committee met with the Cambodian delegation; taking into account the letter from the President of the National Assembly dated 4 September 2009,

Considering the following information on file:

- At a news conference held on 23 April 2009, Ms. Mu Sochua, a member of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and former Minister for Women’s Affairs, announced that she would be bringing a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen. This decision followed a public speech made by the Prime Minister on 4 April 2009 in Kampot province, which is Ms. Sochua’s constituency, in which he attacked the opposition and an unnamed woman member of parliament, who could only have been her. He reportedly used disparaging language, qualifying her inter alia as a women gangster or prostitute who had rushed to hug a man and unbuttoned her shirt to attract his attention. This reportedly refers to an incident that occurred during the July 2008 election campaign in Kampot province where she took a picture of a car with the licence plate of the army being used by the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) during the campaign, which was illegal. The army officer who was driving the car assaulted her and twisted her arm in an attempt to grab her camera. During the attack, her shirt became unbuttoned;

- The day after Ms. Sochua announced that she would be bringing a lawsuit, a senior adviser to the Prime Minister told the press that he would in turn sue her and that all Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) National Assembly members would support the lifting of her parliamentary immunity. Five days later, the Prime Minister reportedly confirmed that he was suing “a lady”, whom he described as “stupid”;

- Ms. Sochua’s lawsuit and the Prime Minister’s suit against her and her lawyer were filed in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 27 April 2009. In a speech he made on 29 April, Prime Minister Hun Sen called on the parliament to lift Ms. Sochua’s immunity and, alluding to his party’s majority, reportedly said that it would be “as easy as ABC”. Prime Minister Hun Sen’s lawyer, Ky Tech, a former president of the Cambodian Bar Association (CBA), also filed a complaint with the Bar Association against Ms. Sochua’s lawyer, Kong Sam Onn, accusing him of violating the attorneys’ code of ethics in this case. The CBA’s special team assigned to investigate his case has accused Kong Sam Onn of violating the CBA’s internal rules, which carries a penalty of disbarment for two years;

- On 10 June 2009, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected Ms. Sochua’s lawsuit for lack of evidence, but accepted the Prime Minister’s case against her. She and her lawyer were summoned and appeared for questioning by the deputy prosecutor on 3 June 2009;

- On 22 June 2009, the National Assembly lifted Ms. Sochua’s immunity, after which, on 26 June, Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged her with defamation; the procedure for lifting her immunity was reportedly unlawful for the following reasons: (a) emergency rules were applied to prevent the public, the diplomatic corps, civil society and the media from attending the session; the sound system allowing television coverage was disconnected so that the session was not broadcast as usual; (b) the Speaker did not allow time for her to defend herself although she had asked to speak; the Speaker put the matter to the vote without a debate; (c) heavily-armed military police were seen outside the parliament building threatening the public with batons; however, according to the parliamentary authorities, the relevant rules of the National Assembly were fully respected and normal procedure was followed;

- In an article published on 18 June 2009 in the Phnom Penh Post, Prime Minister Hun Sen was quoted as saying that if Ms. Sochua’s immunity was lifted, that might well signal the end of her political career. “Lifting immunity is easy. Restoring it in some cases is not so easy. So Ms. Sochua will not be a parliamentarian forever; her party must replace her with a new person”, he was quoted as saying; according to the Cambodian delegation, parliamentary immunity is not automatically restored, but needs to be restored following the same procedure as that in use for the lifting of parliamentary immunity;

- The case was heard on 24 July 2009 before Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Ms. Sochua had no legal assistance as her lawyer had apologized to the Prime Minister and declined to present her defence. On 4 August 2009, the court delivered its verdict, finding Ms. Sochua guilty under Article 63 of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC law) Criminal Provisions of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen on the grounds of (i) holding a press conference to announce that she would file a defamation lawsuit against the Prime Minister, (ii) informing international organizations such as IPU of the matter, (iii) affirming that the Prime Minister’s words against her “affected all Khmer women and women all over the world”, which showed that she had acted in bad faith with the intention of defaming the Prime Minister worldwide and besmirching his reputation and dignity. The Court sentenced her to payment of 8.5 million riel as a fine and 8 million riel in compensation; as to her lawyer Kong Sam Onn, the judge stated that the Prime Minister had withdrawn the complaint and that the charges against him had been dropped; Ms. Sochua has filed an appeal, which is due for hearing on 28 October. Ms. Sochua has not found a lawyer prepared to defend her,

Considering that the Committee sent an observer to the court hearing in the person of attorney at law Franklin Drilon, former member and President of the Senate of the Philippines; he observed inter alia that Ms. Sochua’s right to confront the witnesses against her had not been respected as the entire hearing was based on evidence from the prosecution only and that she was thus denied basic due process that must be accorded to an accused in a fair trial; moreover, the threat of disbarment of her lawyer, which forced him to withdraw from the case, violated her right to counsel of her choice and that, on the whole, the evidence presented was grossly inadequate to convict Mu Sochua and did not meet the universally accepted standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt; noting that the parliamentary authorities have rejected his conclusions stating that the evidence presented during the trial was not challenged and that Mu Sochua did not present any witnesses, that the Court respected its duty to find out the truth, that the alleged threat of the disbarment of her lawyer was not related to his being selected as counsel by Mu Sochua but to his violation of the Code of Ethics and that he apologized for those violations and that his withdrawal cannot be considered a denial of Mu Sochua’s right to counsel of her choice and that, generally, the court respected due process,

Bearing in mind that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia issued a statement on 5 August 2009 in response to the guilty verdict in Mu Sochua’s case, in which it emphasized the need to uphold the constitutional right to freedom of expression in Cambodia and pointed out that under international law, freedom of expression is to be restricted only in exceptional cases, where clearly necessary and proportionate to the value that the restriction seeks to protect, and appealed to the Cambodian judiciary to take full account of constitutional and international standards when considering defamation cases; the Office also recalled that in July 2007 the Constitutional Court had directed all Cambodian courts to take into account international human rights standards, as contained in the treaties to which Cambodia was a party when considering such cases,

1. Thanks the Cambodian delegation and the President of the National Assembly for the cooperation extended to the Committee and for the documents provided;

2. Expresses deep concern at the sentencing of Mu Sochua for defamation on account of statements she made which clearly fall within the limits of her freedom of expression since she merely sought to defend her own reputation; is appalled and finds intolerable that a letter she sent to the Inter-Parliamentary Union was used as an argument in court to show her alleged intention to defame the Prime Minister; firmly states that parliamentarians are entitled to call upon the IPU and to seek its assistance, just as they are entitled to seek the assistance of any international organization; would have hoped that, as a member of the IPU, the National Assembly of Cambodia would defend this right to the best of its ability;

3. Endorses the conclusions of the Committee’s trial observer as it cannot share the arguments put forward by the authorities to prove the fairness of the trial, and notes the following in particular: the judge, who is bound to seek the truth, has to examine arguments not only in favour of the prosecution but also in favour of defendants, whether or not defendants present such evidence, which the judge did not do in this case; Ms. Sochua did not enjoy her right to legal counsel of her choice whatever may have been the reasons for Mr. Kong Sam Onn’s withdrawal from her case; considers in this respect that it is difficult to accept the argument of the authorities that no link exists between the risk of his being disbarred from the Bar Association and his having taken on Mu Sochua’s defence;

4. Expresses furthermore deep concern at the lifting of Ms. Mu Sochua’s parliamentary immunity on grounds that appear to be mere retaliation for her having dared to bring a lawsuit against the Prime Minister;

5. Is therefore all the more alarmed at the manner in which immunity was lifted, although the procedure may have formally been in keeping with rules; stresses that with no serious examination of or debate on whether or not it is appropriate to lift immunity, parliamentary immunity fails to fulfil its purpose;

6. Notes in this respect with deep concern the Prime Minister’s statements expressing a certainty that the Assembly would lift her immunity, and even threatening her with definitive expulsion from parliament; considers that such statements of the Head of Government may harm the independence and sovereignty of parliament;

7. Firmly recalls that parliamentary immunity is designed to protect parliamentarians from possibly unfounded proceedings, thus safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of parliament as an institution; and that it must therefore be lifted in strict compliance with the law and in particular with due respect for the right of the parliamentarians concerned to defend themselves; urges the Cambodian parliament to amend its rules in such a way as to ensure that a thorough and transparent examination, involving both majority and opposition parliamentarians, of requests for the lifting of immunity are carried out and that parliamentarians concerned are given the opportunity to defend themselves;

8. Observes with deep concern that the decisions such as those in question may have a dampening effect on the ability of members of parliament and, even more so, of citizens to criticize the conduct of government officials and hence may detract from democratic debate;

9. Earnestly hopes that, in conformity with the directive issued by the Cambodian Constitutional Court, the Appeal Court will decide upon Mu Sochua’s case in accordance with the international human rights obligations which Cambodia is bound to respect and hence will ensure respect for the most core of democratic values, freedom of expression; requests the Secretary General to examine the possibility of sending an observer to the appeal court hearing;

10. Requests the Secretary General to forward this resolution to the parliamentary authorities, to Ms. Sochua and to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia;

11. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 122nd IPU Assembly (March-April 2010).

* The delegation of Cambodia expressed its reservation regarding the resolution.

Thai Deputy PM clarifies Thaksin's case to Cambodia's Hun Sen

BANGKOK, Oct 27 (TNA) - Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Tuesday that he had clearly explained the correct information regarding the case of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a September 2006 coup, to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Mr Suthep said he had met and discussed the matter with Mr Hun Sen, as assigned by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the Cambodian premier now has a better understanding about Mr Thaksin’s case.

Ousted in a bloodless coup three years ago, Mr Thaksin was sentenced to a two-year prison term for abusing his power when he was prime minister to help his ex-wife purchase prime land in Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road. He now lives mainly in the United Arab Emirates. His Thai passport was cancelled but he obtained passports given by some foreign countries.

Mr Suthep said he told the Cambodian premier that it was too late for Mr Thaksin to complain that he has been treated unfairly as the coup was over long before he and his supporters accepted the post-coup Constitution and fielded candidates to run in the (2007) general election which led to the pro-Thaksin party's victory, but then two prime ministers were forced to leave office after being found guilty of violating the constitution.

"Mr Hun Sen understands what I said," said Mr Suthep “However I didn't mention the extradition and his home offer to Mr Thaksin, I went there only to give him better and correct understanding on the situation in Thailand."

The deputy premier said he had told the Cambodian leader that the Thai people want to live in peace with their neighbours, respecting the sovereignty of each other and not meddling in its neighbour's internal affairs and solve any dispute through peaceful means.

Mr Hun Sen also pledged that the recent verbal spat would not lead to border tension or military skirmishes, according to the Thai deputy prime minister.

Meanwhile, the People's Assembly of Thailand led by political activists Chaiwat Sinsuwong and retired Admiral Bannawit Kengrian gathered in front of the Cambodian Embassy to Thailand in Bangkok, reading a statement condemning what they branded as "improper behaviour" of both the Cambodian leader and ex-Thai premier Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, which they accused them of damaging relationships between the two neighbouring countries.

At the same time, a group of protesters who called themselves Dhammayatra submitted an open letter accusing the Cambodian prime minister of distorting the facts regarding the dispute focusing on the overlapping area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Security has been tightened at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.

The Cambodian premier said again on his arrival at the ASEAN summit in the Thai resort towns of Cha-am and Hua Hin over the weekend that his government would allow Mr Thaksin, now in self-imposed exile, to take refuge in Cambodia and work as the his economic advisor and that Cambodia would not extradite him as asked by Thailand.

Mr Hun Sen's remark came as former Thai prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, chairman of the opposition Puea Thai Party, visited Phnom Penh unofficially last week.

Thailand said it would seek Mr Thaksin’s extradition if it is known that he is staying in the neighbouring country

Appeals Court to Hear Mu Sochua's case

Phnom Penh , October 26, 2009
Source: SRP

Appeals Court to Hear Mu Sochua's case

Members of Parliament of the Sam Rainsy and Human Rights Parties will join MP Mu Sochua at the Appeals Court , where she will seek justice to overturn the guilty verdict handed to her on Ausgust 4, 2009 by Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

The public is informed and invited to witness the proceedings of the appeals court on

• Wednesday 28 October, 2009
• Time : 8 am
• Location : Appeals Court (in compounds of the Ministry of Justice)

For more information please call: 012 831 040

SRP Cabine

Cambodians get tips to stay green

Cambodia's tourism minister Dr Thong Khon travelled to Noosa last Thursday to learn about how the Noosa Biosphere Reserve is managed.

Dr Khon was joined by a delegation from Cambodia's tourism department, with the focus of their visit sustainable tourism.

Cambodia has several biospheres of its own and Ben McMullen, project manager for environmental initiatives for the Sunshine Coast council, said the exchange of ideas was central to the visit.

“In the last decade tourism in Cambodia has taken off and what we want to help the tourism department do is learn how to keep profits local,” Mr McMullen said.

“We also want to help the tourism ministry develop sustainable tourism that is mindful of the environment and of preserving the country's biosphere reserves.”

Dr Khon said he had travelled to Australia several times, but had never been to Noosa.

He was overwhelmed by the region's natural beauty.

“Tourism is Cambodia's major industry and represents 10% of the country's gross domestic product,” Dr Khon said.

“Because every year tourism keeps increasing, we need help to manage the industry correctly, so we are very grateful to come to Australia for assistance and education.”

Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries working with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on local community efforts and sound science.

“As places which seek to reconcile economic development, social development and environmental protection, through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test and demonstrate approaches to sustainable development at a regional scale.”

The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is the only biosphere reserve in Queensland, and one of over 500 which have been established worldwide across 95 countries.

Cambodia's killing fields 30 years on: 'They will kill our parents tonight... we must escape'

Orphaned Cambodian children in refugee camp in 1979
Young Somaly Lun
Somaly as she is today
With her daughters (All pics: Harry Page, Getty)

27/10/2009
By Ros Wynne-Jones
Mirror.co.uk

It is 30 years since John Pilger revealed the existence of the Cambodian Killing Fields in the Daily Mirror. For Somaly Lun, the anniversary is bittersweet.

Today, customers at the Oxfordshire supermarket checkout where she works have no idea of her extraordinary story.

How she escaped US B-52 bombers as a child, a Khmer Rouge concentration camp as a teenager, and Vietnamese soldiers as a young woman. How she lost her father and six brothers to the Khmer Rouge.

Somaly owes her life in the UK to Oxfam's Marcus Thompson, then a young humanitarian worker who had become friends with Somaly and her husband Borithy.

"England gave me the first safe place I had ever lived," Somaly says.

By the time she was 10, her home town of Kratie was under attack, even though Cambodia was neutral. Kratie was close to the border with Vietnam which was at war with the States, and US President Richard Nixon ordered 100,000 tonnes of secret bombings.

"The B-52s came every day," Somaly recalls. "Every day, shooting and bombing and running." One day a man grabbed her as an F-11 US fighter jet swept low and held her in front of him as a shield. "The plane was so low I could almost see the pilot's face," she says. It permanently damaged her hearing.

Somaly's family fled to Phnom Penh, but by 1975 it had fallen to Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. Backed by the US against the Vietnamese communists, the Khmer Rouge were determined to return Cambodia to Year Zero, to a time before industrialisation.

"My father, a doctor, was in the middle of an operation the day the Khmer Rouge came," Somaly says. "He said, 'What about the patient?' They pointed a gun at him and asked, 'Do you want to die?'"

Somaly's family were herded out at gunpoint with two million other people. The family was taken to Pursat, a concentration camp in the remote countryside. Then the Khmer Rouge came for Somaly's father.

"They said, 'We know you are a doctor'." The first time, they wanted him to treat one of the leaders. But the second time, "they took him away and he never came back". Somaly was forced to spend 20 hours a day as a slave doing hard labour in the rice fields despite starvation, exhaustion and malaria.

Her older brother was caught saving his food rations for her. "They made him confess he was a US spy," she says. "They kept beating him until he died. Then my younger brother was taken. They put him in a prison with other children, and burned it to the ground. The screams have haunted me ever since.

"One day, they came and took 2,000 people. One of the girls came back like a zombie with blood all over her. She said, 'They killed everyone'." Then, one day a pal whispered: "They are killing our parents and we have to escape now, tonight." Somaly says: "After dark we went to where people were gathered with three big boats."

The Khmer Rouge chased them along the river, firing at the boats. She says: "We hid in the mangrove and caught fish and ate it raw as we didn't dare to make a fire. We drank muddy water. We all became sick - just skin and bones."

Everyone on Somaly's boat was drifting in and out of consciousness. "But somehow it arrived by itself at Kampong Chhnang, where the Khmer Rouge was driven out," she says. "They gave us food, water, shelter."

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New escapees from Pursat told Somaly that thousands had been taken to a cliff and forced off at gunpoint. Yet, somehow her mother, sister and brother had escaped. "The day I saw them again was the happiest day of my life," Somaly says.

When they returned to Phnom Penh in 1979 they found a ghost city occupied by the Vietnamese liberators.

Somaly took a job at the hotel Samaki - now Le Royale - as a receptionist, where she met Borithy, who was working for the Cambodian foreign office as a translator.

She also met Marcus Thompson, a 34-year-old British aid worker sent by Oxfam to set up a humanitarian programme. "We became friends," he remembers. "We were all stuck together at the hotel."

But Cambodia was still dangerous - and Borithy was warned to leave Phnom Penh. "He said he was in love with me and refused to leave without me," Somaly says.

On March 16, 1980, the couple married in secret inside a destroyed pagoda. The next day, they escaped. Passing through fields of landmines, they made it through Vietnamese, then Khmer Rouge territory and even past the Thai border guards to Khao I Dang, a squalid refugee camp on the border. Somaly wrote to her family and to Marcus to tell them they were alive.

"I needed to go to those camps as part of my work," Marcus says. Somaly says she will never forget seeing Marcus walking through the camp. "I cried out 'Marcus!' and just hung on to his neck," she says.

Marcus was shocked by their plight. "They couldn't go back to Cambodia," he says. "The Thais wouldn't accept them. We had to do something."

Back in England, Marcus and his Oxfam colleagues went through official channels to ask whether Britain would accept the family as refugees.

"We had no expectation anything would happen," Marcus says. "But then we got a letter saying 'Yes'."

Somaly, 22 and pregnant, arrived in the UK on May 12, 1981, with Borithy, Somaly's mother Moeun, brother Rithy and sister Virak - and settled close to Marcus and his family in Witney, Oxfordshire.

"People at the Oxfam offices donated all kinds of furniture, saucepans, an old TV, carpets," Somaly remembers.

Today, the couple's daughters are success stories in their own right. The youngest, 23-year-old Bophanie, is a teacher in Brighton, while her sister, Mary Thida Lun, 27, is Assistant Private Secretary to the Minister of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas.

At 64, Marcus still works as an adviser to Oxfam, and the charity remains working in Cambodia, still tackling the legacy of the dark days of the Khmer Rouge and facing new challenges from climate change, typhoons and flooding.

Today, 30 years on, when she goes to and from work at the local supermarket, living her British life, Somaly sometimes remembers the words her father said to her before they took him away.

"He said, 'You are going to survive. You are going to go places'." She shakes her head slowly. "I think that was what gave me the strength to survive.

PAD protest in front of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok

A demonstrator holds a banner with pictures of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a rally outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Hun Sen about Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Policemen stand guard outside the Cambodian Embassy during a demonstration in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen about exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Policemen stand guard outside the Cambodian Embassy during a demonstration in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen about exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Thai police officers stand guards as the security is tightened outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 for ongoing rallies by Thai protestors. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Thai activists wave Thai flags and chant slogans during a rally against the act of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen toward Thailand outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Thai activists set fire a protest placard that represents the treaty between Siam (old name of Thailand) and France during a rally against the act of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen toward Thailand outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

Ball in Cambodia's court: Abhisit

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday that the "ball was in Cambodia's court", suggesting that it was up to Prime Minister Hun Sen to strengthen or weaken the bilateral ties between the two countries following verbal spat between the leaders over the weekend.

Speaking to Nation Multimedia Group's editor-in-chief, Suthichai Yoon, on World Pulse television programme to be air nationwide on Tuesday evening, Abhisit said there would be no diplomatic protest or recalling of Thai ambassadors following a statement from Hun Sen that he would welcomed his old friend Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia.

Baby Peddlers Busted

Two people were arrested in separate incidents for attempting to sell their babies in Cambodia.

A Vietnamese woman was trying to sell her baby in the market. When the police arrested her, she said she was only trying to sell the baby to get revenge on her husband, who beat her. The police released her and advised her to go to an NGO for help.

In an unrelated case, a 20-year-old man was arrested for trying to sell his 11-month-old baby for $600 to a 52-year-old woman. He claimed he was selling his baby because he didn´t have any money to care for the baby and because his wife left him.

Portland genocide survivor retells story in new book

As conveyed in his recent book, “Golden Leaf: a Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor”, Kilong Ung was a “golden leaf” propelled by the wind that blew him from one terrifying part of the world to the next. Through adverse weather, turmoil and calamity, he was subjected to a barrage of horrors. While two million other leaves disintegrated along the way, Ung persevered against all odds, rose above the devastation, and landed safely here in Oregon. His legacy is the tree that took root and the many branches he has utilized to reach out to others who have experienced a similar plight.

For more than 30 years, Kilong Ung, currently a Portland software engineer, struggled with nightmares, insomnia, paranoia and haunting memories of nearly starving to death in a slave labor camp where his parents and other family members perished before his very eyes.

Ung was living in the city of Battambang in Northwest Cambodia with his parents and seven sisters in 1975 when the brutal Khmer Rouge regime took control of the country. During its four years in power, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, attempted to completely recreate Cambodian society by systematically imprisoning, torturing, starving and executing nearly two million people, primarily those considered urban and intellectual.

Wweek.com recounts how the Khmer Rouge invaded Ung’s town and forced his family into slave labor camps where they worked 13 hours a day. Daily rations were two small bowls of rice porridge, plus whatever wildlife they could catch on their own. Although his mother grew weak, she refused to eat the rats he caught.

“To some people, they would rather die than go that route. My mother was one of those,” Ung told wweek.com. “Eating rats—if you get to that point, you’re pretty much dead anyway. You’re no longer human.”

In addition to losing his mother and father, Ung lost his youngest sister and seven other relatives to exhaustion, starvation, and disease. Other Cambodians were subject to torture and execution across the country’s infamous “killing fields”.

The Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, and Ung fled to Thailand with his older sister and her boyfriend, according to wweek.com. The three came to America as refugees and eventually settled in Portland. Ung graduated from Cleveland High School and Reed College, where he earned a math degree.

Ung went on to graduate school and several well-paid jobs in the corporate world. Along the way, he married his high school sweetheart, Lisa, and together they had two children. But the nightmares continued, despite his successes.

Ung hoped to find a way to share his experiences with his two children, as well as honoring the survivors and non-survivors of the atrocities. He decided to write a book to achieve both objectives. This summer, he self-published his memoir and is hoping his book will help to heal the wounds that continue to plague his homeland.

The book depicts the cruel, agonizing and ravenous life inside a labor camp from a survivor’s perspective. He describes burying his grandmother, his frantic attempt to catch and eat a rat and his degrading arrest for stealing a coconut, among other painful and horrific experiences.

“On the one hand, I wanted to free myself from this memory. On the other hand, I was afraid to lose that memory,” Ung told wweek.com. “Anything I put down in the book, I am clear from it now…. and my nightmares are better.”

According to The Oregonian, Ung hopes his memoir will “leverage the past” and help his native country. He plans to use some of the proceeds from the sale of the book to build a school in Cambodia, which he plans to name “Golden Leaf.”

Ung also hopes to encourage others in the Cambodian community through his leadership and involvement as a language teacher, youth mentor and past president of the Cambodian American Community of Oregon (CACO), which provides support for members of the Cambodian community. His aspires to serve as a bridge between the Cambodian and American communities and hopes his successes will inspire and motivate others.

Mardine Mao, current president of the CACO, told The Oregonian that what sets Ung apart from fellow survivors is his ability to transform pain and suffering into something positive. “His work is a great example that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It provides an inspiration to those of us that may want to share similar stories,”

“I’ve lost so much,” Ung told The Oregonian, “and if I do nothing with the past, all that has happened would have happened for nothing. A book becomes evidence. It becomes a legacy, a document.”

Ung is a living testament to the power of faith and forgiveness—that through these virtues one can rise above life’s seemingly insurmountable challenges and not only survive, but thrive.