U.N. special rapporteur to make second visit to Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A special rapporteur of the United Nations is planned to make his second visit to Cambodia next week, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Saturday.

In a statement released on Saturday, the OHCHR said Surya Prasad Subedi, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, will visit Cambodia on Jan. 18-30.

This is his second mission to Cambodia. "He intends to use the visit to examine the functioning of the National Assembly and judiciary, including the Supreme Council of Magistracy and the Constitutional Council," the statement said.

His objective is to conduct an analysis of how these institutions work, and the extent to which they provide citizens recourse and remedy for breaches of their rights.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to follow and report on the human rights situation in Cambodia.

His task is to assess the human rights situation, report publicly about it, and work with the Government, civil society and others to foster international cooperation in this field.

Smuggling spikes at Cambodian border in Tet lead-up

A transporter carries smuggled goods in a boat along Vinh Te canal in Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province. Smuggling activities along the Cambodian border have skyrocketed ahead of Tet this year. (Photo: SGGP)

Saturday, Jan 16,2010
Saigon Giai Phong (Viet Communist Party)

Demand for many essential goods is soaring ahead of this year’s Tet (lunar New Year), which has led to an increase in smuggling across the Cambodian border.

A group of SGGP reporters posing as traders recently accompanied Tho, a smuggled goods broker, on a trip to An Giang Province’s Vinh Nguon town. The community is considered a gateway for illegal products imported from Cambodia to be transported to Chau Doc town.

Along a 2km road next to the Hau River, the reporters saw dozens of parking lots for cars and motorbikes with license plates from Can Tho, Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Smuggled goods were transported relentlessly on the roads, smothering the area in dust and exhaust from vehicles.

Tho led the reporters past the Cambodian border-guard into Ta Mau market, about 100m away, without being asked to show any papers. Here, a “center” displayed numerous smuggled goods for sale.

The reporters observed products for sale including wine, beer, electronics, bicycles, and mobile phones from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan to name a few.

Buyers simply select the goods they want, pay a deposit, and return to Vietnam to await their deliveries. Full payment is made only when the buyer receives all the goods they ordered.

After smuggled goods are transported to Vinh Nguon town, some are delivered to traders there, while the remainder is loaded onto buses or motorbikes for delivery to other localities.

On National Highway 91, which runs through An Giang Province, local residents and travelers often complain of being terror-stricken by the many speeding motorbikes carrying contraband goods. The vehicles travel extremely fast to evade authorities.

Commodities like tobacco, hard liquor, beer, and sugar are smuggled into Vietnam in large quantities, said Nh., a Can Tho province-based trader of illegal Cambodian goods.

Varieties of brandy like Remy Martin, V.S.O.P., and Remy X.O. Martin are among the items smuggled most from Cambodia since traders can earn high profits reselling them, Nh. said.

A bottle of Chivas 12, for instance, could be purchased for VND300,000 in Cambodia and sold for VND530,000 in Can Tho. A bottle of Red Label whiskey, meanwhile, can be purchased for VND170,000 and sold for VND250,000, he said.

Smuggling activities along the Cambodian border have become increasingly complicated with traders using sophisticated tactics to evade authorities, according to anti-smuggling forces in An Giang Province.

Last year, authorities uncovered 135 cases of smuggling totaling more than VND3.2 billion (US$184,000).

The provincial Customs House also found 131 cases related to illegal imports and exports worth over VND3.4 billion.

However, the actual volume of goods smuggled across Vietnam’s southeast border with Cambodia is likely much higher, said representatives of provincial agencies.

Smugglers even set up stores to sell contraband near border areas, some local goods transporters said, adding that they operate under the knowledge of a powerful, high-ranking individual.

Asked about the issue, Colonel Huynh Van Tien, Commander of the An Giang Province Border Guard, said: “The smuggling situation here may be well-known by the agencies concerned; however, many times we have planned to crack down on smugglers but failed, since smugglers knew our plans in advance"

By Dinh Tuyen – Translated by Truc Thinh

Cambodia donates $50,000 for quake-stricken Haiti

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government announced on Saturday that it has decided to contribute 50,000 U.S. dollars for the relief efforts to the people of Haiti.

Along with a message of condolence of Prime Minister Hun Sen, "the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to contribute 50,000 U.S. dollars for the relief to the people of Haiti who are facing great suffering from this colossal natural disaster," the release of the Ministry of Foreing Affairs said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday sent a message of condolence to his Haiti counterpart, expressing the mourning of the Royal Government of Cambodia and its people for the death of Haiti people in the strong earthquake.

A 7-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, causing thousands of deaths and injuries and extensive destruction, while many people are left without shelters and are in need of food and medicines.

Vietnam, Cambodia vow to build peaceful border

Vietnam will join efforts with Cambodia to build the common borderline into one of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and development.

The Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement while receiving the Cambodian Senior Minister Var Kim Hong, who is Chairman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Border Commission, in Hanoi on January 14.

PM Dung stressed that the demarcation and planting of border markers on the common borderline should be conducted in line with the principle of equity and rationality, for mutual benefit. He urged the two sides to early finalise on spot demarcation work with a view to promoting cooperation between the two countries.

He also welcomed and highly valued the results of the recent joint border commission meeting at which the two sides agreed to plant a number of markers this year and discussed measures to settle several difficulties.

Minister Var Kim Hong pledged that Cambodia will closely work with Vietnam in demarcating the borderline and planting border markers in line with the spirit of cooperation and friendship, listen to each other’s views and jointly solve any emerging in due time issues.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Minister Var Kim Hong expressed their belief that land demarcation between Vietnam and Cambodia will be completed by 2012 as agreed by leaders of the two countries.

VOVNews/VNA

Hun Xen’s cops hunting Khmer Krom monks accused of distributing leaflets opposing 07 January

A cop kicking Khmer Krom monk

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

Five Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks are currently in hiding for their safety protection against the hunting by cops from the Ministry of Interior (MoI). The MoI accused these monks of distributing leaflets opposing the celebration of the 07 January considered as a victory day for the ruling CPP party.

On Thursday 14 December, Venerable Liv Phally, one of the 5 monks who are currently in hiding for their safety protection against the police arrest, told RFA over the phone from his hideout: “I went into hiding since 07 January. The reason I am in hiding is due to the accusation made by the MoI and the government, charging me of distributing leaflets.”

Sok Serey: Did you distribute them or not?

Ven. Liv Phally: I did not distribute them. I did not even know what these leaflets say.”

Ven. Thach Nhanh, another Khmer Krom monk who is currently in hiding also, said that he is currently living in fear.

Ven. Thach Nhanh said: “I have no shelter. I went to stay at Wat Saravoan Pagoda, they chased me out. I went to the Samaky Pagoda, they chased me out also. I am very scared about what the Cambodian government is doing to us.”

Sok Serey: They accused you of distributing leaflets to oppose 07 January, is that true?

Ven. Thach Nhanh: This is not true.

RFA contacted Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner, to ask him about the police plan regarding this case, but he replied that he was busy.

General Khieu Sopheak, the MoI spokesman, said that he is not aware of this case.

Thach Setha, the President of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community in Cambodia who is knowledgeable in this affair, said that the accusations against the monks are very serious charge.

Thach Setha said: “I am asking for the government to conduct a thorough investigation, it should not get mixed up and it should not punish the innocent people like this. It instills fear among the monks, especially Khmer Krom [monks]. Therefore, we are asking that such incident does not take place.”

The ruling CPP party, which controls power for the past 30 years, recently celebrated the 31st anniversary of the 07 January victory over the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Several thousand people celebrated the event.

The monks who are currently in hiding indicated that cops from the MoI had photos of 4 Khmer Krom monks, as well as that of another monk whose name is unknown, and these cops are hunting these monks since 07 January 2010. The monks are accused of spreading leaflets opposing the CPP’s 07 January celebration.

No pagoda in Phnom Penh dare accept to provide shelter to these 5 fleeing monks.

A man of dwindling means

http://news.asiaone.com/
The Nation/Asia News Network

One source even speculated that his net worth could already have turned negative if his Bt76 billion now being frozen in Thailand is not taken into account.

In a recent interview with Times Online, Thaksin said he still had US$100 million (Bt3.3 billion) as his total net worth, trying to create an impression that he does not have any financial problems.

But sources say Thaksin is now having a difficult time servicing his debt owed to Gazprombank, a subsidiary of Gazprom of Russia. The Russian state owns more than 50 per cent in Gazprom, the energy firm that has branched out to become a global conglomerate.

Thaksin would like to rely on his connection with Gazprom to launch his investment in the energy sector in other countries, where he hopes to improve his political conditions. His interest in the oil and gas business in Cambodia is already widely known.

The exact amount of the loan he took from Gazprombank is not known, but it could be in the region of $1.5 billion, the sources believe.

Thaksin has used this loan to invest in Dubai in order to establish his status there as an honorary political refugee. Following the meltdown of Dubai, however, Thaksin has suffered heavy losses from his Dubai investment.

He also lost a huge amount of money from his portfolio investment in the aftermath of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

Dubai World, a state-owned corporation, is seeking a delay of repayment of its debt amounting to $59 billion.

The sources say Thaksin's debt owed to Gazprombank is already overdue.

Thaksin needs big money to finance his lavish lifestyle and security protection.

One government source said Thaksin is on an aircraft three days a week, constantly changing his location to ensure personal safety.

The ex-premier has faced another big financial blow. The UK authorities have recently seized some $4 billion believed to belong to Thaksin under nominees' names, the sources said.

This amount was frozen in 2008, pending the beneficial owner(s) coming forward to declare ownership. But since nobody had come forward, the UK authorities quietly seized the amount for the state coffers.

If Thaksin were to lose Bt76 billion in his Thai assets-seizure case, his net worth could turn negative.

On February 26, the Supreme Court will rule whether he is guilty of corruption. If the court were to find him guilty, it would order the seizure of the entire Bt76 billion.

Thaksin is now fighting back fiercely. He will try to lobby the Supreme Court, bring down the Abhisit Vejjajiva government and ignite the red-shirt rallies in order to instigate a military intervention.

The Nation/Asia News Network

Noppadon: Thaksin won't visit P.Penh

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has dropped his plan to visit Cambodia, Noppadon Pattama, a legal adviser to the Shinawatra family, said on Friday.

“Previously, Thaksin had planned to visit Cambodia from Jan 15 to 17, but he has scrapped the plan. He will visit another country in Asia instead," Mr Noppadon said.

Asked about Cambodian foreign minister's statement that Thaksin would visit Phnom Penh this month, Mr Noppadon said he had no idea.

“It is not necessary for Thaksin to stay near Thailand. The world now has no frontiers and the former prime minister can push his political cause from anywhere, if he wants to,” he said.

Thaksin did not want to incite violence and was just fighting for justice and democracy, he added.

“Thaksin has not threatened the bureaucrats. He just wants to make it known that without democracy and justice there will be no peace in the country,” Mr Noppadon said.

Thai gov't to help man sentenced to jail in Cambodia: Senior official

BANGKOK, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Thai government will attempt to help the Thai engineer, who was found guilty of spying and sentenced to seven years in jail in Cambodia, Chavanon Intharakomalsut, the secretary to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Tuesday.

Chavanon's statement was made after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court ruled against Thai engineer Siwarak Chutipong, Thai News Agency reported.

The next step in bid to help Siwarak will depend on a decision to be made by Siwarak's mother, Mrs. Simarak Na Nakhon Phanom, Chavanon said.

His mother can either make an appeal or seek a royal pardon for Siwarak, while the Thai government will be willing to help, Chavanon said.

Siwarak, who worked as the engineer at Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd, has been arrested in Cambodia from Nov. 11, according to an arrest warrant of prosecutor of Phnom Penh Municipality Court.

Cambodia had charged Siwarak of having had confidential information affecting Cambodia's national security.

Cambodian court convicts Thai man of spying in Thaksin case

Dec 8, 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - A Thai national was convicted of espionage by a Cambodian court Tuesday and sentenced to seven years in jail in a case linked to the controversial November visit to Cambodia by Thailand's former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, was arrested in mid-November after the authorities accused him of passing on Thaksin's flight details to a diplomat at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. At the time Siwarak was employed by the company that handles Cambodia's air traffic, Cambodian Air Traffic Services (CATS).

Municipal court prosecutor Sok Roeun told the German Press Agency dpa that Siwarak was also fined 10 million riel (2,500 dollars) in addition to his jail term.

A spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the sentencing was a matter for the court.

'And right now we have not had any news from Thailand [about the ruling],' said spokesman Koy Kuong.

Siwarak's arrest came during the surprise visit to Cambodia by Thaksin, who was appointed as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government and a personal adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The news of those appointments riled Bangkok, and relations between the two nations plunged to their lowest point in years.

Thaksin has an outstanding jail term against him in Thailand, but Cambodia rejected an extradition request filed by Bangkok during his visit.

In the diplomatic row surrounding the former Thai premier's visit, both nations recalled their ambassadors and expelled senior embassy staff. Neither ambassador has yet returned to their post.

Spy cases raises tension between Cambodia, Thailand

Tuesday Dec. 8, 2009
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Thai man was ordered to serve seven years in prison for spying on Thailand's former prime minister while he was in Cambodia as a guest of the government, a case that threatens to worsen a diplomatic feud between the two neighbours.

The trial in the capital of Phnom Penh follows Cambodia's decision last month to name former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra its special economic adviser. The appointment and Thaksin's subsequent visit to Cambodia angered the government in Bangkok and resulted in a recall of ambassadors from both sides.

Thai national Siwarak Chothipong, an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, which manages flights in the country, was accused of stealing Thaksin's flight schedule before his Nov. 10 arrival and sending it to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. Thaksin stayed five days, getting red-carpet treatment as he talked to Cambodian economists.

Siwarak, 31, was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with stealing information that could impact national security.

Municipal Court Judge Ke Sakhan ruled that Thaksin's flight information was confidential and sharing it was a breach of security protocol for dignitaries.

"Thaksin is an adviser to Cambodia's government and Cambodia has the obligation to provide him security," the judge said. He ordered Siwarak to pay a 10 million riel (US$2,500) fine and serve seven years in prison, the lowest possible for the spying charge, which carries a penalty of seven to 15 years behind bars.

Siwarak acknowledged earlier in court that he saw the flight schedule and passed the details on to Thai embassy First Secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai who was later expelled from the country. But he denied stealing the document.

"I took a look at the flight schedule and made a phone call to Kamrob about the flight schedule," Siwarak told the court. "But I didn't get a copy of the flight schedule and hand it over to anyone."

Two other employees from the Cambodia Air Traffic Service testified that Siwarak asked them about the flight schedule.

Thaksin went into self-imposed exile last year before a Thai court found him guilty of violating a conflict of interest law and sentenced him to two years in prison. He had served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was ousted in a military coup after being accused of corruption and showing disrespect to the monarchy.

Thaksin's supporters and opponents have repeatedly taken to the streets since then to spar over who has the right to rule the country, sometimes sparking violence.

Thaksin's visit to Cambodia led to allegations he was trying to ignite a new political crisis from across the border.

Critics, including Thailand's government, have portrayed Thaksin as a traitor for accepting the Cambodian appointment and have lambasted Cambodia for hosting him while he is a fugitive. Relations have already been roiled by several deadly skirmishes over the past year and a half over land surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

China says investigating Uighur asylum case

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was investigating an apparent asylum request lodged with the the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees by a group of Uighurs in Cambodia.

Two of the 22 Uighurs who sought asylum through the UNHCR offices in Phnom Penh say they witnessed security forces killing and beating Uighur demonstrators in the far western Chinese city of Urumqi on July 5, the Uighur American Association said.

On that day, demonstrations in Urumqi by Uighurs protesting against fatal attacks on Uighur workers in South China turned into a violent rampage in which 197 people died, mostly Han Chinese. Han Chinese crowds launched revenge attacks against Uighur neighbourhoods two days later.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said officials were investigating reports of the asylum claims.

"Related departments are at present looking into the situation," she told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

"We have a good cooperative relationship with Cambodia on every level," Jiang added. "We hope the international community can enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism."

China often accuses militants of formenting ethnic unrest in Xinjiang, though Beijing has provided no evidence so far that the 22 Uighurs in Cambodia are connected with such groups.

The UNHCR in Phnom Penh declined comment.

But a foreign human rights activist, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the group would submit asylum applications to both the Cambodian government and the UNHCR.

Uighurs are a Muslim, Turkic speaking ethnic group native to Xinjiang, many of whom chafe under Chinese rule.
Refugees who flee China face a dangerous crossing over the often mountainous and bleak border, and risk repatriation while still in neighbouring countries.

In October, an ethnic Mongolian school principal, Batzangaa, was abruptly brought back to China by Chinese police while he and his family were appealing the UNHCR's initial rejection of their refugee application in Ulan Bator. He is still in detention.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Ek Madra in Phnom Penh; Editing by Ron Popeski)

CAMBODIA: Pepper Farmers Get Ready for their Champagne Moment

A woman dries Kampot peppercorns in the sun near Kampong Trach town, Kampot province, southern Cambodia. (Credit:Robert Carmichael/IPS)

By Robert Carmichael

PHNOM PENH, Dec 8 (IPS) - Under a shady trellis of rice sacks in the province of Kampot in southern Cambodia, 42-year-old Nuon Yan tends his crop of pepper vines.

Small-scale farming is a tough occupation, with prices and weather unpredictable and the cost of inputs high. But Nuon Yan knows a good idea when he sees one. When he heard about an opportunity to double the money he was making from black pepper, he jumped at it.

That opportunity is to register the prized variety of pepper that he and neighbouring farmers grow – known as Kampot Pepper – for Geographical Indicator, or GI, status. Kampot pepper is highly regarded by some chefs in Europe and the United States as one of the world’s finest pepper varieties.

If the term GI sounds unfamiliar, the concept itself is much better understood, says Jean-Marie Brun, an advisor at GRET, a French non- governmental organisation involved in getting Kampot pepper its GI status.

The most famous GI product is champagne. In fact, says Brun, GI is what makes champagne champagne rather than sparkling wine. Unless bubbly is grown in a specific part of France to specific rules and meets a certain quality standard, it may not be marketed as champagne.

That, in a nutshell, is GI, and it will work exactly the same way with Kampot pepper. The added advantage is that Nuon Yan and the 130 other members of the newly formed Kampot Pepper Producers’ Association (KPPA) – most of whom are also farmers – decide on the rules and the quality standard.

Brun says any grower who meets the requirements can join the association, and once GI is registered it is protected under World Trade Organisation rules.

"The right to use the name Kampot pepper once it is registered belongs to anybody that complies with a certain number of requirements," says Brun. "The stakeholders decide on the delimitation of the area, how it should be produced and the quality criteria."

Brun explains that farmers like Nuon Yan, who currently earns 2.50 U.S. dollars per kilo for his crop, will likely double their income when GI status is confirmed.

Complying with GI does bring added costs, but Brun says these typically equate to five percent of the extra income. In the case of Kampot pepper, and because it is early days for the KPPA, the costs of compliance are higher than that – currently around 10 percent – but they will decline as more members join.

Farmers like Nuon Yan benefit as a direct result of providing a product that consumers can buy safe in the knowledge that it has attained a certain quality standard and is what it claims to be. But that assurance is worth nothing unless someone ensures the members abide by their own standards.

That policing role is performed by the KPPA itself and an independent auditor. The KPPA is based in a small room in a shady grove five kilometres outside the provincial town of Kampong Trach in Kampot province. KPPA deputy head, En Trou, explains that growers have had a tough time in the past.

"Because they were not able to market Kampot pepper and didn’t have much money, the farmers faced many problems trying to earn enough to support their families," he says. "We also found that other growers were using the name Kampot pepper on their products."

But the advent of GI status, which will be confirmed in a matter of weeks, should start to resolve that. En Trou is confident that the future will be brighter for the association’s members, who currently harvest 14 tons of pepper annually.

"I am hopeful that in another five years we will have increased the number of producers to 150, and be selling between 20 and 30 tons a year," he says.

The man in charge on the government side is Var Roth San, who heads the intellectual property department at the Ministry of Commerce. Among the powers wielded by his department is the power to revoke the GI registration for Kampot pepper should the independent auditor find the KPPA is shirking its role to maintain standards.

"The association must form control within themselves to keep the quality good," he points out. "Therefore the price of GI products increases. If [there is] no control within themselves or by an international organisation, who will believe [that their product is high quality]?"

Var Roth San says getting GI status for Kampot pepper links directly with the strategy of government and donors to reduce widespread rural poverty. Around 80 percent of the country’s people live in rural areas, and more than half the eight million-strong labour force is involved in agriculture, so boosting rural livelihoods is critical for Cambodia.

"We want to create jobs, and we want our poor to get more money from their work in the rural area," he says. "GI law is one thing that will help the poor in the rural areas."

Although GI for Kampot pepper will benefit at most a couple of hundred farmers, the government plans to roll out the initiative for other products too, including palm sugar from Kampong Speu province and honey from the northeastern province of Ratanakkiri. But Kampot pepper will be the first.

Back on his one-fifth hectare pepper plot in Kampot province, Nuon Yan explains that his rice crop has to date generated more income than the pepper he harvests from his 300 pepper vines. Last year he made around 400 U.S dollars from selling 150 kilograms of pepper.

But he is clearly banking on Kampot pepper’s potential.

"If I can sell my pepper for a higher price, then it is possible that one day I could earn more from pepper than from rice," he says.

Nuon Yan has an eye on that future possibility. He will deposit some of the extra money he will earn in the bank and put the rest towards buying more pepper vines. He and the other members of the association are banking that Kampot pepper’s GI status will result in a more secure future for them and their families.