"Thoeu To'al Oss Srok" a Poem in Khmer by Hin Sithan

Slocum survives star-studded challenge to win Barclays

Heath Slocum drained a 21-foot par putt on the final hole to claim a one-shot win at The Barclays, the first of the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff series

Heath Slocum hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during round two of The Barclays on August 28, 2009 at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey. Slocum drained a 21-foot par putt on the final hole Sunday to claim a one-shot win at The Barclays, the first of the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff series.

Slocum's effort denied a possible playoff that would have included world number one Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker - who is second on the FedEx Cup points list - as well as three-time major champions Ernie Els of South Africa and Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

Slocum shot a four-under 67 Sunday for a nine-under total of 275.

Woods and Harrington also carded 67s, while Els posted a five-under 66 and Stricker shot 69. Those four shared second on eight-under 276.

With the win, Slocum leapt from 124th on the FedEx Cup points list to third behind Woods and Stricker.

"That's what is unbelievable about this system," said Slocum, who earned 1.35 million dollars for his third US PGA Tour win.

"I was sweating it out last week not knowing if I'd even be here. I found out late Sunday and I came in with the attitude that I've got nothing to lose and I'll let it hang out and play the best I can."

Overnight co-leaders Paul Goydos and Steve Marino both struggled in the final round at Liberty National.

Goydos carded a 75 for a share of ninth place on 279, while Marino faltered with a 77 to finished tied for 15th.

Slocum birdied the second, then holed out for eagle on the fifth to seize a share of the lead. He got up and down for birdie on the par-five sixth, but gave a shot back to fall back into a tie for the lead with Marino with a bogey at seven.

Marino faded on the back nine, as Slocum parred five straight from the eighth - retaining a share of the lead all the while.

Meanwhile Els and Stricker joined the lead. Els's bogey-free round included a birdie on the third and two posted a bogey-free round that included a birdie on the third and two braces of back-to-back birdies - at seven and eight and 13 and 14.

After Els, Harrington was next in on eight-under. He birdied three in a row from the 12th to reach seven-under, the sank a 13-footer at 18.

Slocum got to nine-under with a four-footer at 13. Stricker was nine-under after a five-footer for birdie at 13, but bogeyed 15.

Stricker regained a share of the lead with a birdie at 16.

At 18, both Slocum and Stricker were in bunkers off the tee. Both got out onto the fairway, and Stricker put his next shot within 10 feet as Slocum put his 21 feet away.

Slocum made his putt to put the pressure on Stricker, who missed on the left edge.

"Obviously, when I hit the drive I was a little concerned," Slocum said. "I putted beautifully all week so if I just gave myself a chance, I felt like I can make one.

"It was beautiful," he said.

After a bogey at the fourth, Woods made his move with three birdies in four holes from the fifth.

At 14 he sank an 11-foot birdie attempt an 11-foot birdie attempt, then got within one of the lead with a three-footer at 16.

At 17, Woods saw a 20-foot birdie attempt slide right, and his seven-footer at the last missed left.

"I just misread that one," said Woods of his putt at 18. "That's the way it goes. I hit the ball well all week and to putt as poorly as I did all week and still have a chance on the last hole, says something about my ball-striking. Unfortunately I didn't make enough putts on these greens all week."

The top 100 on the points list move on now to the second playoff event, next week's Deutsche Bank Championship. Those knocked out this week included South Korea's K.J. Choi and former British Open champion Ben Curtis.

Dazzling Diego downs rusty Roma

Juventus Brazilian midfielder Diego (R) celebrates with his teammates after scoring against AS Roma forward during their Italian Serie A football match at Rome's Olympic stadium. Juve won 3-1.

Brazilian magician Diego teased and toyed with AS Roma as he inspired Juventus to a crucial 3-1 victory over their Serie A rivals in the Italian capital on Sunday.

The Turin giants went top of the table after the former Werder Bremen star's brace at the Stadio Olimpico secured a second consecutive win and condemned Roma to a second defeat in two games.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara paid tribute to his star player.

"He already showed last week the quality he has. Technically he is very good but he's also very useful in the defensive phase," said Ferrara.

"Of course we had some difficulties during the game but overall we played as we should and deserved to win.

"This win gives us confidence and confirms that we have great players here but I'm not reading anything into the six points at this time, even if we are doing well."

After a quiet opening the game quickly became a personal battle between the central figures on each side: Juve's attacking midfielder Diego and midfielder enforcer Daniele De Rossi of Roma.

And Roma coach Luciano Spalletti admitted not all his players have the same will to win as De Rossi.

"It's also my fault if the rest of the team does not have the same desire to fight," said Spalletti.

"De Rossi did but (Jeremy) Menez and (Francesco) Totti have different abilities. They lack a bit of fighting spirit."

Diego was at the centre of everything the visitors created and it was from his free-kick delivery that former Chelsea man Tiago forced the first save of the match from Julio Sergio on 23 minutes.

Moments later Diego scored a brilliant solo goal after Marco Cassetti inexplicably dithered on the halfway line, being robbed by the Brazilian playmaker who then held off John Arne Riise's desperate challenge before flicking the ball beyond Sergio with the outside of his right boot.

It was a deserved lead as Juve were the only side that looked capable of scoring but De Rossi changed all that in an opportunist moment on 35 minutes.

David Pizarro played a quick free-kick sideways and from 35 yards De Rossi smashed a shot into the top corner, taking Gianluigi Buffon and Juventus completely by surprise.

Sergio tipped another header from Tiago over the bar before Diego teed up countryman Amauri to bend a shot around the Roma goalkeeper only to see it cannon back off the post.

In first half stoppage time Roma should have gone in front as Menez benefitted from a lucky break in midfield to play Totti in one-on-one with Buffon.

Roma's talisman would have been expected to gobble up the opportunity a few years ago but he is a shadow of his former self and Buffon charged out to block his attempted chip.

Ten minutes into the second period Amauri had another great chance but Sergio stuck out a foot to deflect his close range shot over the bar.

Moments later Vincenzo Iaquinta beat a rash lunge from De Rossi and scampered away towards goal but Nicolas Burdisso chased back and did just enough to deflect the Juve striker's shot off target.

It was one-way traffic and moments after Sergio had beaten out an Amauri header, Diego latched onto a Iaquinta flick before teasing Philippe Mexes and shooting low and hard past the forlorn goalkeeper on 68 minutes.

Totti hammered a shot onto the post 11 minutes from time, but it was too little too late for sorry Roma and Felipe Melo sealed the win in stoppage time after bursting forward unopposed from 40 yards out until he shot home from just outside the area.

Elsewhere, Sampdoria went top of the table with a 3-1 home win over Udinese while Lazio and Genoa also maintained 100 percent records with respectively a 2-1 win at Chievo and a 1-0 succes at Atalanta.

Champions Inter Milan thrashed 10-man AC Milan 4-0 at the San Siro on Saturday.

Japan's Long-Ruling Party Suffers Crushing Defeat in Elections

Aug. 30: Yukio Hatoyama, who leads Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, smiles inside the party's election center in Tokyo.

Sunday, August 30, 2009
AP

TOKYO — Japan's ruling party conceded a crushing defeat Sunday after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule as voters were poised to hand the opposition a landslide victory in nationwide elections, driven by economic anxiety and a powerful desire for change.

The left-of-center Democratic Party of Japan was set to win 300 or more of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament, ousting the Liberal Democrats, who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955, according to exit polls by all major Japanese TV networks.

"These results are very severe," Prime Minister Taro Aso said in a news conference at party headquarters, conceding his party was headed for a big loss. "There has been a deep dissatisfaction with our party."

Aso said he would have to accept responsibility for the results, suggesting that he would resign as party president. Other LDP leaders also said they would step down, though official results were not to be released until early Monday morning.

The loss by the Liberal Democrats — traditionally a pro-business, conservative party — would open the way for the Democratic Party, headed by Yukio Hatoyama, to replace Aso and establish a new Cabinet, possibly within the next few weeks.

The vote was seen as a barometer of frustrations over Japan's worst economic slump since World War II and a loss of confidence in the ruling Liberal Democrats' ability to tackle tough problems such as the rising national debt and rapidly aging population.

The Democrats have embraced a more populist platform, promising handouts for families with children and farmers, a higher minimum wage, and to rebuild the economy.

"The nation is very angry with the ruling party, and we are grateful for their deep support," Hatoyama said after the polls closed. "We will not be arrogant and we will listen to the people."

The Democrats have also said they will seek a more independent relationship with Washington, while forging closer ties with Japan's Asian neighbors, including China. But Hatoyama, who holds a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University, insists he will not seek dramatic change in Japan's foreign policy, saying the U.S.-Japan alliance would "continue to be the cornerstone of Japanese diplomatic policy."

National broadcaster NHK, using projections based on exit polls of roughly 400,000 voters, said the Democratic Party was set to win 300 seats and the Liberal Democrats only about 100 — a third of its strength before the vote.

TV Asahi, another major network, said the Democratic Party would win 315 seats, up from the 112 seats it held before parliament was dissolved in July.

As voting closed Sunday night, officials said turnout was high, despite an approaching typhoon, indicating the intense level of public interest in the hotly contested campaigns.

Even before the vote was over, the Democrats pounded the ruling party for driving the country into a ditch.

Japan's unemployment has spiked to record 5.7 percent while deflation has intensified and families have cut spending because they are insecure about the future.

Making the situation more dire is Japan's aging demographic — which means more people are on pensions and there is a shrinking pool of taxpayers to support them and other government programs.

Many voters said that although the Democrats are largely untested in power and doubts remain about whether they will be able to deliver on their promises, the country needs a change.

"We don't know if the Democrats can really make a difference, but we want to give them a chance," Junko Shinoda, 59, a government employee, said after voting at a crowded polling center in downtown Tokyo.

The Democratic Party would only need to win a simple majority of 241 seats in the lower house to assure that it can name the next prime minister. The 300-plus level would allow it and its two smaller allies the two-thirds majority they need in the lower house to pass bills.

Having the Democrats in power would smooth policy debates in parliament, which has been deadlocked since the Democrats and their allies took over the less powerful upper house in 2007.

To ease parenting costs and encourage more women to have babies, the Democrats propose giving families 26,000 yen ($275) a month per child through junior high. Japan's population of 127.6 millionpeaked in 2006, and is expected to decline to 115 million in 2030 and fall below 100 million by the middle of the century.

The party is also proposing toll-free highways, free high schools, income support for farmers, monthly allowances for job seekers in training, a higher minimum wage and tax cuts. The estimated bill comes to 16.8 trillion yen ($179 billion) if fully implemented starting in fiscal year 2013 — and critics say the plans would further bloat Japan's massive public debt.

The Democrats will likely face resistance from Japan's powerful bureaucrats, who favor the status quo and hold a great deal of influence in shaping policy.

Aso — whose own support ratings have sagged to a dismal 20 percent — repeatedly stressed his party led Japan's rise from the ashes of World War II into one of the world's biggest economic powers and are best equipped to get it out of its current morass.

In the end, voter worries about the economy and disenchantment with the LDP's long grip on power proved too much to overcome.

"It's revolutionary," said Tomoaki Iwai, a political science professor at Tokyo's Nihon University. "It's the first real change of government" Japan has had in six decades.

Can we stop using the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-chhaing” (the fighting party)?

By Heng Thal Savuth
Khmer Sthabna news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

[KI-Media note: In Khmer, the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-chhaing” – which literally translates to the “fighting party” – is used to designate the “opposition party”.]

Since 1979, following the demise of the cruel and inhumane Democratic Kampuchea regime of Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Kaing Keg Iev, etc… our small and pitiful Cambodia should have found peace, but quite to the contrary, we only met a meaningless war between Khmer people: one side accused the other side of being the puppet of the Yuon Hanoi regime, while the other side accused the other of being the gang of the Pol Pot genocidal group.

The intense war between Khmer people continued on for another decade, and it finally ended with the help of the International community, in particular, that of the UN under the aegis of the [1991] Paris Peace Agreements. Following this event, constitutional monarchy was formed in Cambodia following its prior topping by the Lon Nol regime on 18 March 1970. After 1993, Khmer people from all political tendencies agreed with each other to rebuild the country under the aegis of the king and they were all determined to steer Cambodia towards a plural democracy.

Since then, several Cambodian political parties were formed, but, nevertheless, at the end, political bumps also started and they continued on until the present. In truth, since 1993 and until now, Cambodia never became a democracy, i.e. our country is inching toward democracy, but whether this process is long or short, reachable or unreachable, depends entirely on whether Khmer people from all political tendencies clearly understand the meaning of the word “democracy” and their willingness to unite and understand each other to achieve this common goal.

As a Cambodian, even though I live overseas for more than 20 years, I still think about the destiny of my birthplace, in particular, I was interested in the word “Pro-chhaing” which has an opposite meaning to its English counterpart, known as “opposition party.”

After 1979, all Khmer citizens faced many problems, both physically and mentally, due to the cruel Pol Pot regime, and Khmer people from all political tendencies fought (“Pro-chhaing”) each other for decades to see who won or lost. Therefore the word “Pro-chhaing” carries a bad connotation for those Khmer people who are holding onto power, they consider the “opposition party” (“Pak pro-chhaing”) as their personal enemies.

While Cambodia is inching toward true democracy, the use of the word “Ka-nak-pak pro-chhaing” (the fighting party) or simply “pro-chhaing” is considered as the tip of a sharp weapon or a sharp spear used to pound and break through the ruling party instead.

Therefore, at a tA
Therefore, at a time when Cambodia is moving along the democratic path, “nationalist” Cambodian parties should not use the word “pro-chhaing” at all, we can use this word only when our country reaches full democracy, such as the USA.

The use of the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-cheng” (rival party) and “Ka-nak-pak Chum-toas” (opposition party) carries a better connotation than the word “pro-chhaing.”

Those who consider themselves as wonderful “democrats” just because they live overseas, and they look down, undervalue other parties, are not true democrats because they have extremely wrong and bad views in a circumstance when our country needs to unite together to build the country.

The official use of the words “Ka-nak-pak Pro-cheng” or “Ka-nak-pak Chum-toas” on radio, TV and newspapers is a good gesture and it is tantamount to a magical pill that can cure the illnesses of all Cambodian politicians, and this will lead them to unite, to truthfully love each other to build our small and pitiful Cambodia, and bring her to prosperity and turning her into a true democracy, just like any other country in Southeast Asia. This will also pull Cambodia out of the influence and the unwholesome greed of all our neighboring countries that plan to swallow our Cambodia.

HIV/AIDS positive at the new house after their family was evicted from the city to Toul Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009

Chan Toma (R), a 40-year-old HIV positive man, is treated by a doctor at his new house after his family was evicted from the city to Toul Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009. A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem. Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chan Toma, a 40-year-old HIV positive man, is treated by a doctor at his new house after his family was evicted from the city to Toul Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009. A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem. Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chan Toma, a 40-year-old HIV positive man, takes a break from setting up his new house after his family was evicted from the city to Toul Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009. A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem. Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chan Toma, a 40-year-old HIV positive man, works on his new house after his family was evicted from the city to Toul Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009. A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem. Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia : 'Killing Fields' Trial

The Murderer against humanity Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, the former Khmer Rouge prison chief of the notorious S-21 torture centre during his trial in Phnom Penh

Chum Manh, 78, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture centre, sits in his former cell during a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as he boycotts the Khmer Rouge trial of Duch, the chief of the S-21. A group of 28 civil parties, many of them relatives of prisoners who died after harsh interrogations at S-21, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chum Manh (R), 78, and Bou Meng, 68, both survivors of the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture centre, lead a group of civil parties on a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as they boycott the Khmer Rouge trial of Duch, the chief of the S-21. The group of 28 civil parties, many of them relatives of prisoners who died after harsh interrogations at S-21, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Sek O, 42, cries as she prays at her father's portrait during a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as she boycott the Khmer Rouge trial of Duch, chief of the S-21 torture centre. A group of 28 civil parties, many of them relatives of the prisoners who died after harsh interrogations at the S-21, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chum Manh, 78, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture centre, poses in his former cell during a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as he boycotts the Khmer Rouge trial of Duch, the chief of the S-21. A group of 28 civil parties, many of them who survived the S-21 where more than 14,000 prisoners died after harsh interrogations, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chum Manh (L), 78, and Bou Meng (C), 68, both survivors of the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture centre, point at pictures of victims during a visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phneng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as they boycott the trial of Duch, chief of the S-21. A group of 28 civil parties, many of them who survived the S-21 where more than 14,000 prisoners died after harsh interrogations, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea


Chum Manh (R), 78, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture centre, wipes away tears while people pray at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, August 31, 2009, as they boycott the Khmer Rouge trial of Duch, the chief of the S-21. A group of 28 civil parties, many of them who survived the S-21 where more than 14,000 prisoners died after harsh interrogations, boycotted the trial as they are disappointed with the court order not to question the personal character of Duch. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Reviews and Revisions – Some Almost too Late – Sunday, 30.8.2009

Posted on 31 August 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 627
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

Whenever there are large scale development actions planned, there are almost always also some people affected negatively, everywhere in the world.

The following report about how a Ratanakiri deputy governor publicly speaks of the need to carefully weigh positive goals and unavoidable negative results, is an example that is worth of being taken care of widely in the country: “Development cannot avoid certain impacts that we try to steer clear of.” – “First we need to assess the impacts on the society, the economy, and the environment, especially to organize plans with the participations from all relevant institutions and from the communities, before any projects are finally decided.”

It d.”

It is to be seen how this basic attitude will be applied in dealing with the may open questions which have been raised in relation to the Sesan Krom II Hydro-Electric Dam. As we also mirrored during the week, the Sesan V Hydro-Electric Development Project has already been canceled. The reasons are not completely clear in detail – it is reported that the plan was given up “as it would not provide economic benefits.” Economic benefits for whom? For the regional society? For the economy of the whole country? Or for the economy of the implementing company? And what about the overall economic results for the affected communities?

Surely it is extremely difficult to present an overall financial evaluation for the economic results of such plans, when the situation of the local people, and of the macro-economic benefits for the whole country are at stake.

This may lead to overly simple decisions, using the data which can more easily be estimated and calculated: the cost of the construction, and the estimated income from the sale of the electricity. The price of giving up the living environments of villagers, and the monetary value of loosing their ancestral sites is different. It cannot be calculated.

Was a similarly careful consideration made before starting to destroy the Boeng Kak lake by filling most of it up with sand from the Mekong river-bed, and displacing thousands of inhabitants? Was the plan for destroying the lake made, as the Ratanakiri deputy governor suggests, “with the participation from all relevant institutions and from the communities, before any projects were finally decided?” It seems that things went quite differently in Phnom Penh, before a company got the contract without public bidding, without a broad consultation among the wider Phnom Penh population affected – not only the families who used to live around the lake are affected – and without public evaluation of the price paid by a private company for a lot of public property.

Now flooding starts again in parts of Phnom Penh. Many months ago, it had been reported that the city started to build – with public funds – extensions for the management of excess water which cannot find temporary storage in the lake, as it was usual formerly, before the Boeng Kak lake was filled in.

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When families were made to move to make room for big constructions plans, it was always claimed that the relocation sites offered, had all the basic necessary amenities. That was also the case when the remaining people from the Dey Krahom region were forced out on behalf of the 7NG company. – Now we had the following headline: “The Shukaku Company Donates US$10,000 through the 7NG Company to Create a Clean Water System for 185 relocated families in Damnak Trayueng village, Chaom Chau commune, Dangkao district, Phnom Penh.” Now, the Shukaku company – involved in filling up the Boeng Kak lake, donated a clean water system – which was obviously still missing – through the 7NG company, and last week the Phnom Penh municipality negotiated on behalf of the Shukaku company with the last remaining families to leave the Villages 2 and 4 at the lake. How are the interests of these three entities, private and public, related to each other?

On Thursday, The Cambodia Daily had a detailed report about the situation in Damnak Trayueng, where also 335 families relocated who had been “renters” at Dey Krahom and therefore did not get compensation offered. The report describes rampant sicknesses among children and adult in the partly flooded area, where children can no longer go to school since relocation, and the adults find it difficult, 15 km away from town, to find jobs.

A revision of this situation is not yet in sight.

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Should the following cases me mirrored as “revisions” of past decisions? This is not really appropriate, because the relevant institutions and persons in the bureaucratic administration of the court and prison system failed to take the necessary decisions. Quite simply: the case files of arrested suspects were not only misplaced – nobody seemed to care that the papers were misplaced and two people were kept in jail against the law:

- “A Man Had Been Detained for Four Years without Being Presented to a Judge, because His Case File Had Been Lost [he was arrested for stealing a mobile phone worth US$15 in 2005 – Kandal]”

- “A Woman Had Been Temporarily Detained for Around Three Years without Any Hearing Yet, and It Is Suspected that Her Case File Had Been Lost”

We have not found any reports – neither that the persons who were held illegally, will get a monetary compensation for the injustice suffered, nor that the culprits in the bureaucracy will be punished. But this scandal is at least receiving attention higher up: “The Minister of Justice, Mr. Ang VongVathana, Reminded Judges and Prosecutors Not to Lose Case Files Again.”

And there are more cases – about which the Mirror had reported in the past – where court decisions are called up for reconsideration, without going into Appeals Court procedures:

- “The King Asks the Minister of Justice to Check the Decision of the Municipal Court on Mr. Hang Chakra” [the editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok, who was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison for defamation and disinformation against government officials]

- “The Dispute about the Renakse Hotel in front the Royal Palace Reached the King” [after there had been a request for his intervention, but the King referred this case to Prime Minister Hun Sen to make a decision]

And finally, there is the case of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, jailed for the murder of the labor leader Chea Vichea in January 2004. The Court of Appeals confirmed their sentences of 20 years in prisonment in 2007. In December 2008, the Supreme Court released them on bail, In August 2009, the Court of Appeal ordered a review of the case against Born Samnang and Sok Sam Ouen, and bail for them was extended.

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At the time of this writing, the exit poll reports from the elections in Japan are coming in. On Saturday, we had mirrored voices from Cambodia, considering: “Will Cambodian-Japanese Ties Change if Japan Has a New Prime Minister?” The Japanese voters cast their votes, first of all, for internal concerns, responding to the intentions of the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan to fundamentally review and revise the 50 years of government by the Liberal Democratic Party, which until now held 303 of the 480 seats in the outgoing parliament, while the Democratic Party of Japan had only 112. Now the Japanese media estimate that, based on exit poll analysis, the situation will be reversed: the Democratic Party of Japan will probably get 300 or more seats. And that will mean a reorientation from a policy of supporting the bigger corporations to a focus on consumers and workers, strengthening the public welfare system, and reforming the power structure of the bureaucracy.

Whether this will lead also to a revision of the Cambodia related policy of Japan or not, as discussed on Saturday, only the future will show. But it is sure that Cambodian politics will carefully observe why such a fundamental change in the public opinion happened in Japan. The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party said, in his own words, that the election brought a “revolution,” as the people were “fed up” with the governing party.

Hun Sen orders a stop to the plan to sue Chea Mony: Hun Xen’s rule-by-order

Chea Mony (L) at the Appeal court on 17 August 2009 (Photo: Khmer Sthabna)

30 August 2009
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

A high-ranking government official indicated on 29 August that Hun Xen issued an order to all government officials and government lawyers to end all plans to sue Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), for defamation. Chea Mony exploded in anger [in court] and accused the government of planning the murder of Chea Vichea, Chea Mony’s older brother, on 22 January 2004.

In a short interview over the phone with Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, on Saturday 29 August, the latter indicated that, on Friday, Hun Xen issued an order to stop all government officials and government lawyers from suing Chea Mony.

Khieu Kanharith said that the reason for Hun Xen’s order was because he believed that Chea Mony’s accusation was an outburst of grief and anger for the loss of his cherished brother. The main order from Hun Xen is not to sue, but to find the true killers in this assassination.

General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said that the MoI will follow Hun Xen’s directive in this case.

Chea Mony welcomes this new and he reacted by saying: “As to what Samdach [Hun Xen] indicated about the order to all government officials to cancel all lawsuits against me, and his request to find the killers of Chea Vichea, I, all the workers and my family are very happy because we want justice. Therefore, I always welcome it. In general, I am very hurt by the murder of Chea Vichea [which took place] 6 years ago.”

Chea Mony had a strong verbal outburst during the hearing of the Appeal court on 17 August, and he accused the Cambodian government of planning the murder of Chea Vichea, his older brother. He also indicated that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun [the two accused artificial killers of Chea Vichea] are not the real killers.

Following this outburst, the MoI and the government revealed that they plan to sue Chea Mony for defamation and disinformation, and for using the Appeal court platform for propaganda and incitation.

Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were sentence to 20 years of jail each in August 2005 by the Phnom Penh municipal court, they were accused of shooting and killing Chea Vichea, the former FTUWKC President, on 22 January 2004.

On 17 August 2009, the Appeal court ordered the maintenance of the bail release for Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, and it also ordered additional investigations into Chea Vichea’s murder.

Khmer are not allowed to learn their culture, language and customs in Vietnam ... but under Hun Xen, Viet pupils can attend Viet schools in Phnom Penh

A new primary school for overseas Vietnamese children officially opened in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh on August 30 to mark the 64th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) and the August Revolution.

The Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien school, a three-storey building with more than 10 classrooms, is located on an area of 1,200 sq. m in Mienchay district, Phnom Penh. The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee and several overseas Vietnamese benefactors will financed the school construction.

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Ngo Anh Dung praised the efforts that the Vietnamese community in the country has made in the recent past.

The school will provide training to over 400 pupils in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Fatherland Front Committees of Ho Chi Minh city and neighbouring provinces of Long An, Dong Nai and An Giang together with many sponsors, Vietnamese and foreign alike, donated millions of VND and presented 1,000 sets of textbooks, 4,000 notebooks, computers and music teaching instrument to the new school.

Khmer are not allowed to learn their culture, language and customs in Vietnam ... but under Hun Xen, Viet pupils can attend Viet schools in Phnom Penh

A new primary school for overseas Vietnamese children officially opened in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh on August 30 to mark the 64th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) and the August Revolution.

The Khmer-Vietnam Tan Tien school, a three-storey building with more than 10 classrooms, is located on an area of 1,200 sq. m in Mienchay district, Phnom Penh. The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee and several overseas Vietnamese benefactors will financed the school construction.

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Ngo Anh Dung praised the efforts that the Vietnamese community in the country has made in the recent past.

The school will provide training to over 400 pupils in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the Fatherland Front Committees of Ho Chi Minh city and neighbouring provinces of Long An, Dong Nai and An Giang together with many sponsors, Vietnamese and foreign alike, donated millions of VND and presented 1,000 sets of textbooks, 4,000 notebooks, computers and music teaching instrument to the new school.

"... this troop withdrawal will not lead Thailand to respect our territorial integrity": SRP MP Son Chhay

SRP MP Son Chhay

Withdrawal of Cambodian troops facing Thailand

30 August 2009
By Mom Sophon
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Son Chhay indicated that the resolution of the border dispute with Thailand cannot be done through armed forces or bilateral negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand. A successful resolution requires the participation of the International community, including ASEAN countries. Cambodia must push the signatory countries of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia to guarantee that Thailand does not violate Cambodia’s territorial integrity.

In the afternoon of 29 August, the spokesman of the Cambodian ministry of Defense indicated that the withdrawal of troops from the border region where the confrontation of Cambodian and Thai troops is taking place, is done according to a plan set on 30 August.

Chhum Socheat, spokesman of the ministry of Defense, indicated that 50% of troops, heavy artillery and tanks were pulled out according the set strategy, and the number of troop withdrawn amounts to 3 divisions: the Preah Vihear province division, the Kampong Thom province division and army Brigade No. 11, etc…

Chhum Socheat indicated: “In some locations, we should pull out, at some others, we shouldn’t pull out, we base [the pullout] on the actual number of troops. This does not mean that 50% of the frontline troops were pulled out… it means that, out of the total number [of troops being pulled out], some regions that we consider as vital, we preserve the troops there, at other regions where we are not doing anything, we are pulling them back out. This means that we pull the troops out according to our military strategy, we are not pulling them out unilaterally. The majority of our troops have their bases prepared already along necessary locations, they can return back there on time.”

Troops withdrawal took place after Hun Xen said that Thai troops pulled out the border region near Preah Vihear temple and the situation will no longer be explosive anymore.

John Johnston, spokesman for the US embassy in Cambodia, indicated that troops pullout is a good sign for peaceful negotiations between the two countries, and this could lead to a peaceful resolution.

Regarding this troop withdrawal, SRP MP Son Chhay said that this pullout does not equate to a border resolution with Thailand at all.

Son Chhay said: “We want to know: this pullout was due to what? Reports indicated that only our side is pulling out, but Thailand still maintains the same position. For this border problem with Thailand, we don’t understand which strategy led the government to make this decision, could it be that Thailand promised not to conduct further aggression or anything else? Nevertheless, I say that this troop withdrawal will not lead Thailand to respect our territorial integrity.”

Son Chhay indicated that the resolution of the border dispute with Thailand cannot be done through armed forces or bilateral negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand. A successful resolution requires the participation of the International community, including ASEAN countries. Cambodia must push the signatory countries of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia to guarantee that Thailand does not violate Cambodia’s territorial integrity.

World Bank in talks with Cambodia over evictions

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem.

Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.

The World Bank joined with other aid donors in July to ask the government to halt forced evictions and the problem was raised again by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams, during a visit last week.

"A major focus of the visit was Cambodia's urban land sector and the increasing numbers of disputes and evictions of poor people in urban settlements," the bank said in a statement.

"The discussions on land reform were constructive and it was agreed to continue these discussions over the coming week to agree next steps," it said.

The bank has provided funding of $24.3 million for a land management and administration project from 2002 to 2009, and an estimated 1.1 million land titles were issued, said Bou Saroeun, a spokesman for the World Bank in Phnom Penh.

Other donors such as Germany, Finland and Canada have together provided more than $14 million to support the land title project, Saroeun added.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Over 60 Khmer Krom families prevent the Viet authority from digging a canal across their rice fields

By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

On 30 August 2009, over 60 Khmer Krom families living in Ang commune, Krobao district (renamed Tinh Bien by colonial Vietnam), Motr Chrouk province (renamed An Giang by the Hanoi regime), the former territory of Cambodia that is currently occupied by the Vietnamese authority, have gathered in their rice fields to defend their lands and to prevent the Viet authority from digging a canal through their rice fields as this action will lead to a loss of their farm lands without any compensation provided by Vietnam.

One Khmer Krom woman among the 60 families of protesters and peaceful demonstrators told RFA over the phone from the spot of the demonstration: “I came to protest the land for the canal… The [Vietnamese] state wants to take over this mount. Now, our people came over to prevent them from taking our lands, they cannot come and take our lands … It is difficult because they take our property and they wouldn’t provide any resolution for us, they just take them over!”

Another Khmer Krom woman declared that 2-hectare of her rice field was lost because of this canal digging plan. She demands for a compensation for this loss: “I have an important problem: rice field land … They showed up there, when they saw our group came out, they left.”

A source indicated that no violence took place during this protest, but the protesters promised that they will continue to protest to ask for compensations, and to prevent any canal digging that leads to the destruction of their rice fields. The demonstrators packed and brought food with them to sleep on the rice fields in order to prevent losses. They said that these rice fields belong to three or four generations of their ancestors.

On Sunday 30 August, officials from the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh could not be reached to provide clarifications about the protest above.

Venerable Thach Vimean, spokesman of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) in Cambodia, issued this appeal: “Currently, [Khmer Krom people] are living in extreme poverty. They lack food, education, i.e. Vietnam does not pay attention to them yet. Therefore, we ask the UN, as well as the KKF executive leadership in the US and other organizations, such as the US State Department, to get involved in this issue in order to push the Vietnamese government to pay attention to the plight of the indigenous [Khmer Krom] people who are the owners of the land, and who are living in extreme poverty and who are in dire need.”

Khmer Krom families who stood up in this protest, indicated that Vietnamese authority in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province, is currently putting in application a plan to dig a 10-km-long by 50-m-wide canal across several hundreds of hectares of their rice fields. More than 400 Khmer Krom families are affected by this plan to build this irrigation canal.

Krovanh (Cardamom in Khmer) storms Tokyo

Tropical Storm Brings Heavy Rain, High Winds to Tokyo

By Aaron Sheldrick

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Krovanh increased in strength as it approached Japan, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Tokyo, forcing flight cancellations and halting shipments from oil refineries.

The center of Krovanh, the 12th storm of the western Pacific cyclone season, was 224 kilometers (139 miles) south of Tokyo at 8 a.m. local time today, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 111 kilometers per hour from 102 kph earlier today and Krovanh was moving north at 15 kph, the agency said. On that trajectory, Krovanh’s eye will cross the coast south of Tokyo after 3 p.m.

The weather agency issued warnings for heavy rain, high waves and stormy weather for Tokyo, neighboring Chiba prefecture, the location of Japan’s biggest international airport near Narita, and surrounding areas. Krovanh is expected to bring as much as 5 centimeters (2 inches) of rain per hour as it approaches Tokyo and Chiba.

All Nippon Airways Co., Japan’s largest domestic airline, canceled 14 flights to and from Tokyo and between islands to the south of the capital, affecting 1,100 people, it said in a faxed statement. Some train services were delayed in Tokyo and neighboring areas.

Nippon Oil Corp., the nation’s largest oil refiner, stopped shipments from its Negishi refinery in Yokohama south of Tokyo and Cosmo Oil Co. halted those from its refinery in Chiba.

Japan is regularly buffeted by typhoons and tropical storms during the western Pacific cyclone season.

Twenty-three people died earlier this month in flooding and storms attributed to Tropical Storm Etau, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Krovanh is the name of a tree in Cambodia, according to the Web site of the Hong Kong Observatory, which names the storms.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo at asheldrick@bloomberg.net.

T.O.O.B. omni-directional digital dome screen

energy pic hot free popular 2008 venture claim community software green web future news yahoo products advances tech gadget technology game nanotechnology home wireless energy

The T.O.O.B. omni-directional digital dome screen will definitely revise how entertainment is played out, as it helps bring the big screen 3D experience right into the middle of your living room thanks to animator and inventor Alexander Marten McDonnell. that home dome screen will target cinephiles, gamers and technology enthusiasts who want to indulge themselves with a small luxury in an immersive environment without having to dip fingers into their kids’ college funds. The home screen measures 3′ x 6′ x 3′ and can be customized to fit into any room, retailing for $1,440 a pop although there is an option to rent these as well.

Reports: Gillispie arrested for DUI

Former Kentucky men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie was arrested early Thursday morning on a DUI charge, multiple media outlets in Kentucky are reporting.

Gillispie, who was driving a 2009 white Mercedes, was pulled over around 2:45 a.m. ET in Kentucky. He refused to take a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test, WLEX-TV in Lexington is reporting.

Gillispie, 50, reportedly told police that he and his passenger, Brian O'Connor, were returning from a golfing trip. O'Conner, 42, was reportedly charged with public intoxication.

It is the third time that Gillispie has been arrested on alcohol-related driving charges. However, in one case the charge was dismissed and in the other he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, reckless driving.

Gillispie sued the University of Kentucky Athletics Association in federal court in Dallas on May 27, claiming fraud and breach of contract. Gillispie claims the school never intended to sign him to a long-term deal. The school has denied the allegations. He is seeking at least $6 million -- about $1.5 million per year for four of the five years he says were left on his agreement.

The University of Kentucky countersued Gillispie, claiming it doesn't owe him pay because he never signed a contract.

UK's lawyers are asking the court to rule that the two-page memorandum of understanding Gillispie signed after his hiring in 2007 was not the equivalent of a full contract.

The athletics association has asked a federal judge in Texas either to dismiss Gillispie's lawsuit over his firing or to move the case to Kentucky. In a motion filed in federal court, the association's attorneys say the school has minimum contact with the state of Texas, giving the court there no jurisdiction to hear Gillispie's claims.

The association's attorneys also claim the University of Kentucky, not the athletics association, hired Gillispie and paid him.

Gillispie went 40-27 in two seasons with the Wildcats, including a 22-14 mark last season that tied for the second-most losses in the program's 106-year history. A stumble down the stretch left the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

UPDATE 3-Bank of China sees loan rate slowing in H2

* Q2 net profit 22.55 bln yuan, beating forecasts

* Interest margin narrows to 2.04 pct from 2.72 pct yr ago

* Bank upbeat on China's economy

(Adds comments from media briefing)

By Michael Wei and Clare Jim

BEIJING/HONG KONG, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Bank of China (3988.HK), the country's biggest foreign-exchange lender, expects to scale back lending in the coming months as Beijing moves to stem a break-neck increase in liquidity fuelled by a massive economic stimulus programme.

Bank of China (601988.SS) President Li Lihui said the pace of lending was likely to be slowed in the second half of the year "by a relatively big amount," after a surge in loans helped second-quarter earnings beat analysts' forecasts.

He added demand for credit was likely to be lower in the second half, and that his bank's loan growth for all of 2009 was expected to beat the industry average.

Li's comments came as further evidence that lending growth could slow sharply after hitting a record 7.4 trillion yuan ($1.08 trillion) in the first half, potentially adding to worries about the strength of China's economic recovery.

A likely end to an unprecedented lending surge that sustained the world's third-largest economy in the first half of the year may slow income growth at banks but will also reduce the level of bad-loan accumulation.

RAISING CAPITAL

Li said that his bank was also studying plans to raise capital, including potentially issuing subordinated bonds.

"We will study all options in the plan in a balanced way to decide the fund-raising channel which will be in the best interest of the Bank of China," Li said.

Despite the cautious note on loans, Bank of China on Thursday sounded an upbeat note on prospects for China's economy through to the end of the year.

"As China's economy is currently experiencing a critical period of stabilisation and recovery. The government will continue with its macroeconomic policies of maintaining a proactive fiscal and moderately relaxed monetary policy with a view to building up the economic base for further recovery," it said in a statement. Continued...

Decline in air traffic slowed in July: IATA But ticket prices continue to drop on aggressive promotions

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The decline in global airline traffic slowed in July, but ticket prices showed no improvement despite capacity cuts, leading a global industry body to caution that the recovery will be both "slow and volatile."

Scheduled passenger traffic fell 2.9% in July from a year earlier, the International Air Transport Association said Thursday. It was an improvement over the 7.2% drop recorded in June and the 6.8% decline seen over the first seven months of the year.

Fares, however, continued to fall, despite airlines having greatly reduced capacity in the past few months in an effort to protect their load factors and profitability.

"Demand may look better, but the bottom line has not improved. We have seen little change to the unprecedented fall in yields and revenues," IATA Chief Executive Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

He cautioned that the months ahead were uncertain, in particular the price of oil, which has been creeping back up along with the first signs of a global economic recovery.

Bisignani, who said the industry remains "in intensive care," still expects any recovery to be "both slow and volatile".

The comments may dampen the optimism of investors recently cheered by statements from British Airways /quotes/comstock/23s!a:bay (UK:BAY 188.40, -3.30, -1.72%) and Air France-KLM /quotes/comstock/23r!paf (FR:AF 10.85, -0.01, -0.05%) two of Europe's largest airline, suggesting demand had recovered a bit over the summer.

Looking at individual regions, July traffic fell roughly 3% in both North America and Western Europe, but IATA warned the improvement was more the result of "deep discounting" than stronger incomes or greater economic confidence.

In the Asia Pacific region passenger traffic dropped 7.6% in July, which was still a notable improvement from the 14.5% collapse witnessed in June. The recovery was helped by the return of economic growth to a larger extent than anywhere else in the world.

In Latin America traffic fell 3.5%. The Middle East remained the only region to show growth with a 13.2% increase.

The global freight market, meanwhile, fell 11.3% in July, an improvement from the 16.5% drop in June. All regions showed an improvement except Africa, as companies started replenishing their inventories.

"Once inventories are at desired levels in relation to sales, improvements in demand will level off until business and consumer confidence returns," Bisignani warned.

Aude Lagorce is a senior correspondent for MarketWatch in London.

August tied for deadliest month in Afghanistan

KABUL — A U.S. service member died Thursday in a militant attack involving a roadside bomb and gunfire, a death that pushed August into a tie with July as the deadliest months of the eight-year war.

The death brings to 44 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month. But with four days left in the month, August could set a new record.

More than 60,000 U.S. troops are now in the country — a record number — to combat rising insurgent violence. The number of roadside bombs deployed by militants across the country has skyrocketed, and U.S. forces have moved into new and deadlier areas of the country this summer, in part to help secure the country's Aug. 20 presidential election.

Violence is on the rise in Afghanistan even as it falls in Iraq, where nearly twice as many U.S. troops are still based. Five U.S. troops have died in Iraq this month, three fewer than in July.

A statement from the NATO-led force in Kabul said the U.S. service member died in southern Afghanistan when the troop's patrol responded to the bombing and gunfire attack. No other details were released. Thousands of new American troops are operating for the first time in Helmand and Kandahar, two of the country's most dangerous provinces, in part to secure the country's Aug. 20 presidential vote.

Afghan election officials have released two batches of vote tallies that show President Hamid Karzai with 44.8 percent of the vote and top challenger Abdullah Abdullah with 35.1 percent, based on returns from 17 percent of polling stations. The next partial results are expected Saturday.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Afghan forces battled Taliban militants at a medical center in eastern Afghanistan after a Taliban commander sought treatment there, and a U.S. helicopter gunship fired on the clinic after militants put up resistance.

Reports of the militant death toll from Wednesday's firefight varied widely. The spokesman of the governor of Paktika province said 12 militants died, while police said two were killed. The U.S. military did not report any deaths. It wasn't clear why the tolls differed.

The fighting began after a wounded Taliban commander sought treatment at a clinic in the Sar Hawza district of Paktika. Afghan forces went to the center and got in a firefight with militants. U.S. forces later provided backup.

Hamidullah Zhwak, the governor's spokesman, said the Taliban commander was wounded Aug. 20, election day. Militants brought him and three other wounded Taliban to the clinic at noon Wednesday. Afghan forces were tipped off to their presence and soon arrived at the scene, he said.

Insurgent snipers fired from a tower near the clinic, and troops called in an airstrike from U.S. forces, Zhwak said. Fighting between some 20 militants and Afghan and U.S. forces lasted about five hours, and 12 Taliban were killed in the clash, he said.

"After ensuring the clinic was cleared of civilians, an AH-64 Apache helicopter fired rounds at the building ending the direct threat and injuring the targeted insurgent in the building," a U.S. military statement said.

A U.S. military spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, said the clinic's doctor gave U.S. troops permission to fire on the clinic. After the battle, Afghan and U.S. forces met with villagers and discussed rebuilding the clinic, a U.S. summary of the meeting said.

Villagers expressed "disgust" that militants used the medical center to fire from and that they understood that the action by Afghan and coalition forces was necessary, the summary said.

"The local villagers thanked the Afghanistan National Security Forces for ensuring all civilians were out of harms way before they were forced to use Coalition helicopters to engage the enemy," the summary said.

Seven insurgents — including the wounded commander — had been detained, the U.S. statement said.

Gen. Dawlat Khan, the provincial police chief, said two militants died in the encounter.

The Taliban have gained control of large segments of Afghanistan's south and east over the past few years, prompting the U.S. to send an additional 21,000 troops to the country this year.

The latest clash comes as the war-torn country awaits results from last week's election. The lengthy vote count, coupled with ongoing accusations of fraud, threatens to undermine hopes that Afghans can put together a united front against the insurgency.

Tropical Storm Strengthens, May Brush Long Island, New England

By Alex Morales

Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Danny strengthened and may brush Long Island and New England as a hurricane on a path for landfall in Canada at the weekend.

Danny’s maximum sustained winds intensified to 60 miles (95 kilometers) per hour from 50 mph late yesterday, the National Hurricane Center said on its Web site at about 4:45 a.m. Miami time. The system was 370 miles east-northeast of the Bahamian capital, Nassau, and heading northwest at 10 mph.

“Slow strengthening is forecast during the next couple of Days,” the center said. “Interests from the Carolinas northward to New England should monitor the progress of Danny.”

The center’s five-day forecast shows Danny strengthening on a northward track that may see the storm pass near the Carolinas late tomorrow and New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Aug. 29, before hitting Canada in the area of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick late that day or early on Aug. 30.

Danny, the fourth named storm of the June 1 to Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season, is forecast to become a hurricane, with winds of at least 74 mph, late tomorrow or early Aug. 28.

The eye of the storm, which the hurricane center yesterday described as “disorganized,” formed again today “a little farther to the north,” the forecaster said. The latest position east of the Bahamas is also about 575 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph extend up to 205 miles from the eye, and Danny is forecast to turn toward the north and accelerate tomorrow.

Danny would be the second cyclone to hit Canada this season, after Hurricane Bill on Aug. 23 and 24 brushed past Nova Scotia before hitting Newfoundland.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net.

Cambodian banking sector could be affected by the worldwide financial crisis

Tal Nai Im (C), director general of the National Bank of Cambodia (Photo: Sovannara, RFI)

August 26, 2009
By Ly Meng Huor
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Mrs. Tal Nai Im, director general of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), expressed worries that, if the world financial crisis persists, its secondary effect will have a negative impact on the Cambodian bank sector. During the recent period of financial crisis, Cambodian banks were not directly affected.

Impact of the worldwide financial crisis on the banking sector in Cambodia and future prediction were two topics of discussion raised by Mrs. Tal Nai Im, NBC director general, during a roundtable discussion organized by the Club of Cambodian Journalists. Tal Nai Im indicated that the secondary effect of the financial crisis could have a negative impact on the banking sector in Cambodia because of the increasing amount of stagnant loans, i.e. bank loan borrowers during the financial crisis period do not have the ability to pay back their loans to the bank because of the stagnation of their businesses, and the loans borrowed to build houses or buy lands could not be returned to the banks either. Tal Nai Im added that the stagnant loan funds increased from 3.7% in December 2008 to 5.2% in May 2009.

Currently, Cambodia has 35 banks and 45 financial institutions that are under the supervision and review of the NBC. There are currently 820,284 bank loan borrowers, i.e. 6% of the 14 million population of Cambodia. The amount of bank deposits is $2.9 billion, and the amount of loans is $2.4 billion.

At the explosion of the financial crisis at the end of 2008, Cambodian banks were not seriously affected. However, Tal Nai Im indicated that the worldwide financial crisis caused a drop in garment export, tourism, construction, as well a drop in real estate prices in Cambodia.

Dams menace Mekong River life

Cambodian locals rely on the Mekong River to survive. Picture: GLENN DANIELS

http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au

27 Aug 09
by Helen Jacobs

PLANS to build a series of dams on the largest river in South-East Asia are threatening to destroy the livelihoods of millions of people in Cambodia and surrounding nations.

The Mekong River flows through the developing country, providing much of the food and nutritional needs of a population estimated at more than 14 million.

Most live a traditional lifestyle, relying on the river to grow their rice crops, and taking fish from the river - one of the world’s largest inland fisheries - for food.

But if plans by the Cambodian, Thai and Laotian governments to dam the river go ahead, these rural communities could find it difficult to survive.

Footscray resident and Leader photographer Glenn Daniels recently made a journey up the Mekong with international aid organisations Oxfam and Manna Gum as part of a campaign to save the river for the millions of people who rely on it.

“The aim of our journey was to document the livelihoods of people who live on the islands along the Mekong and how they’ll be affected if a dam is built,” Mr Daniels said.

Through his skills with a camera, Mr Daniels is hoping to alert Australians to the plight of these people.

His photos will be shown next year in Melbourne.

It was a highly unjust situation that the people found themselves in, Mr Daniels said.

“The first notification that these people had of the dam proposal was some Chinese officials surveying the land,” he said.

“There have been no talks of compensation ... for the relocation of families.”

Spending time with the villagers, sharing meals with them, observing their daily work patterns and watching children play gave Mr Daniels some insight into a lifestyle far removed from suburban life in Melbourne’s West.

“Most of the people we saw or interviewed technically live on less than $1 a day,” Mr Daniels said.

“In monetary terms they are extremely poor, but they grow their own rice, raise pigs, and they work together, along with taking all the fish that they need from the Mekong, and the family buffalo is like their bank account.

“The value of all that is far more than $1 a day.

“If they are forced to move they most likely won’t be able to farm the land any more. They will have to move to the cities, where, if they’re very lucky, they might earn more than $1 a day, but their expenses will also greatly increase so they would probably find it much harder to survive.”

Mr Daniels learnt a lot about a rich and diverse culture from “friendly and gentle people”, along with seeing the impact organisations such as Oxfam have had, including establishing schools, providing clean water and immunisations for animals.

“If these dams go ahead, they will make all the work that Oxfam has put in for these people a waste of time, it will threaten the diversity and health of one of the planet’s most important river systems, and most importantly it will destroy the lifestyles of millions of people,” Mr Daniels said.

Taiwan's government approves visit by Dalai Lama

FILE-In this file photo taken on April 7, 2001, The Dalai Lama smiles during a press conference before he leaving Taiwan, in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou risked angering China with his surprise announcement Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, that he has agreed to let the Dalai Lama visit the island to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon.(AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

By ANNIE HUANG, Associated Press Writer

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan's president risked angering China with his surprise announcement Thursday that he has agreed to let the Dalai Lama visit the island to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon.

President Ma Ying-jeou's move was unexpected because he has made a priority of seeking better relations with China, and just last December nixed plans for a visit by the Buddhist spiritual leader in what was deemed a move to placate Beijing.

But his government has come under fire over its slow response to Typhoon Morakot, which claimed 670 lives when it hit Aug. 8-9, and opposition politicians in the storm zone pointedly invited the Tibetan spiritual leader to the island to console survivors.

The invitation put Ma into a bind — either risk angering China, or give further ammunition to the opposition, which accuses him of hewing Beijing's line. On Thursday, Ma gave his answer while visiting a school in Nantou County that was destroyed in mudslides triggered by the storm.

"The Dalai Lama could come to Taiwan to help rest the souls of the dead and also pray for the well-being of the survivors," he said.

There was no immediate comment from either China's Taiwan Affairs Office or Foreign Ministry.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in the Chinese region of Tibet, and opposes visits to foreign countries that raise his profile. Allowing him to visit Taiwan could undermine the rapidly improving relations between Beijing and Taipei, longtime rivals which are developing close business ties after decades of enmity.

China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, though they split amid civil war in 1949.

On Wednesday, leaders of seven municipalities hit by Morakot issued a joint statement inviting the Dalai Lama to visit storm victims from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. The invitation from the leaders — all from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party — came as Ma faced criticism that he botched the government's response to the island's deadliest storm in 50 years.

The Dalai Lama — who has made three visits to the island over the past 12 years — has accepted the invitation "in principle," his spokesman Tenzin Takhla said Wednesday from Dharmsala, India, home to the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Since becoming president 15 months ago, Ma has reversed many of his predecessor's anti-China policies, tightening economic links across the 100-mile (160-kilometer) -wide Taiwan Strait and even speaking of a peace treaty with Beijing.

Presidential spokesman Wang Yu-chi said the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit would be strictly religious, with no political overtones.

"We welcome the Dalai Lama to come to Taiwan to take part in mass prayers," Wang told reporters. He said the visit was approved "for humanitarian and religious considerations ... and we believe it will not harm cross-Strait relations."

Wang declined to say if Ma would meet the Dalai Lama during his stay in Taiwan.

Ma's policy of seeking better relations with China contrasts sharply with the opposition DPP's strong support for formal independence for the island of 23 million people.

That stance infuriates Beijing, which has repeatedly warned that any move to make the Taiwan-China split permanent would lead to war.

Taiwan and Tibet share similar histories. Both are territories that Beijing believes should be under its rule. Despite a failed 1959 uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile, China controls Tibet and has refused the Tibetan religious leader's request for greater autonomy.

Review: Sleepwalking Through the Mekong - all weekend long at the Red Vic!

http://www.examiner.com

August 26

Sleepwalking Through the Mekong chronicles the journey of the band Dengue Fever as they travel through Cambodia playing their version of Cambodian rock tunes from the 60s and 70s. The viewer is treated to snippets of Cambodian culture, fun interactions between the band members, and panoramic views of the countryside.

As the film unfolds, it becomes clear that Sleepwalking Through the Mekong is more than a documentary about rock band Dengue Fever - it is a poignant celebration of Cambodian music and culture. The joy of the music created in Cambodia in the 60s and 70s is interwoven with the tragedy that cut it short - the Khmer Rouge. The film captures not only Dengue Fever's live shows in bars, schools, and festivals, but also people's reaction to hearing this music again. One interviewee who lived through the Khmer Rouge goes so far as to say it is good to hear old songs being played because it has a healing effect.

Other moments in the film show the depth of the damage done by the Khmer Rouge. In one scene it is explained that most masters of different Cambodian arts and musical instruments were killed, meaning that Cambodia could lose most of its culture very soon.

Mixed in throughout Sleepwalking Through the Mekong are anecdotes and interviews with the band members that show the depth of this group's passion for the music they play. One of the most touching elements of the film is the way in which two vastly different cultures (Cambodian and American) are able to find common ground through the music of Dengue Fever.

This is not a film you want to miss out on - you can find a screening near you by going to the website for the film - ".Sleepwalking Through the Mekong.""

Or, if you're here in San Francisco you can see them all week long at the Red Vic:

Red Vic Movie House - Screenings of Sleepwalking Through the Mekong
August 30, 2:00, 4:00, 7:15, 9:15
August 29, 2:00, 4:00, 7:15, 9:15
August 28, 7:15, 9:15
August 27, 7:15, 9:15
1727 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 668-3994

New bird count finds more rare ibises in Cambodia

Thursday, August 27
AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – A new bird census has found that Cambodia is home to more endangered white-shouldered ibises than had been thought were in existence worldwide, three conservation organizations said Wednesday.

A joint statement from BirdLife International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature said 310 of the wading birds were found in the country's north and northeast during research carried out in July.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, had estimated this year that from 50 to 249 mature white-shouldered ibises were in existence worldwide, making the species critically endangered.

Hugh Wright, a PhD student at Britain's University of East Anglia who has been leading the research for 18 months, said there was a good chance that the actual population exceeded 310.

"Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the population has increased or is recovering, instead we are just starting to make more effort to count them and searching in more places," he said.

The statement did not mention any plans to expand their research.

The birds, considered endangered by the World Conservation Union, have a dark plumage with a pale blue collar and an off-white patch on the forewings, according to the Web site of the IUCN. They are found mainly in Cambodia although they were once common in other Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia, it said.

The statement said that it was not yet clear why the bird's numbers have been in decline in the last few decades, "although hunting and habitat destruction are likely to have played a part." It said they will conduct a new count in Cambodia in September.


From : ki-media.blogspot.com

King Sihamoni asks for a reconsideration of Hang Chakra’s case

Hang Chakra brought to the Appeal Court on 11 August 2009 (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)

26 August 2009
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

For the very first time, King Norodom Sihamoni intervened by asking Ang Vong Vattana, the minister of Justice, to reconsider the case of Hang Chakra, the editor-in-chief of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper who is currently jailed at Prey Sar prison.

A copy of the king’s letters obtained by RFA on Wednesday 26 August indicated: “I received a letter dated 24 August 2009 from the director of the Cambodian Center for the Publication of Independent Information, the vice-president of the Information Forum and Academy, the president of the Neutral and Democratic Journalist Association, the president of the Association of Democratic Cambodian Journalist, the president of the Cambodian Journalist Watchdog and the president of the Association of Cambodian Journalist for Freedom who asked for my intervention to the Supreme Council of Magistracy to resolve this issue in accordance with the law regarding the legality of the of the decision handed down to Mr. Hang Chakra, the editor-in-chief of the Khmer Machas Srok newspaper, by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.” The king’s letter added: “I am sending the letter above for your excellency to review.”

Ang Vong Vattana could not be reached on Wednesday 26 October to obtain clarifications on the king’s request, however, his aid replied that he does not know whether the king’s letter is in the hand of the minister yet or not: “So, I don’t know yet whether this letter arrived at the ministry yet or not.”

The king’s intervention letter came after 7 representatives of journalist associations and organizations sent him a joint letter on 24 August, asking for his intervention.

Chuong Chou-ngy, Hang Chakra’s defense lawyer, said that he is glad to see the king’s consideration for his client. “This is an indication that the king pays attention on social justice and it also provides justice for my client,” Chuong Chou-ngy added.

55-year-old Hang Chakra, aka Chey Uddom, was sentenced by the Phnom Penh municipal court on 26 June to 12-month of jail and he was ordered to pay 9 million riels ($2,250) in fine for defamation and disinformation published in this newspaper. The article claimed that Hun Xen broke up the bad and corrupt officials around Sok An, the article was titled: “Several pro-Sok An officials face dismissal.”

On 11 August, the Appeal Court stayed on the decision handed by the Phnom Penh municipal court, and it ordered that Hang Chakra be kept in jail.

Local and International human rights organizations called the jailing of this journalist an act of intimidation or a threat to those who criticize the Cambodian government.