Welcome to the century of the Hun dynasty's rule

Hun Mana, shown in a file photo, has just been made assistant to the PM. (Photo: HENG CHIVOAN)

PM appoints own daughter to assist him in new govt
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Written by Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

Hun Mana, the director general of Bayon Television and Radio, will help her father to make 'proper reports'
PRIME Minister Hun Sen has appointed his daughter, Hun Mana, as an assistant to his office in the new government, one of her colleagues at Bayon TV said Tuesday.
Rith Chetra, deputy director general at Bayon TV who was also appointed an assistant to the prime minister, said that during the fourth mandate of the government, Hun Sen "will have a lot to do and needs more assistants".
"I don't know what kind of job I will help him with until the new government is formed," he added.
The new government is expected to be formed on September 24.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that the appointment of Hun Mana was based on her position at Bayon and that she would help the prime minister in writing "proper reports".
"The public dare not comment to government officials, so they use radio and TV [to] bring their issues to the prime minister," Khieu Kanharith said.
Cambodian People's Party ministers have in the past appointed their relatives as assistants. Both Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong and Social Affairs Minister Ith Samheng sent their sons to work at the Ministry Cabinet offices.
Hun Sen has previously come under fire for appointing multiple advisers and assistants - the distinction between titles pertains to whether the appointee helps with idea generation or workflow.
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Son Chhay said that the ruling party wastes a lot of state budget on advisers and assistants, adding that Hun Sen has roughly 1,000 people helping in those positions.
He claimed that most of them do little for their official capacities.
Ho Sothy, Hun Sen's Cabinet chief, declined to comment.

The opposition is wondering whether it will join the NA swearing-in session [-Contradiction among HRP leaders]

(Photo: Pring Samrang, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

11 Sept 2008
By Leang Delux and Alain Ney
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

During their visit to Paris in a tour to alert the International opinion about the numerous “rigging” they have observed during the latest general election, the presidents of the SRP and HRP gave an interview to our colleagues at RFI Khmer-language service.
Maybe it is a distance issue, but a divergence seems to appear among the HRP leaders. In Phnom Penh, on 09 September, while the king just issued the official invitations for the 24 September National Assembly swearing-in ceremony, Yem Ponhearith, HRP secretary-general, declared to Cambodge Soir Hebdo: “We will follow the king’s (invitation).”
On Wednesday 10 September, on the RFI broadcast, Kem Sokha, HRP President, gave a different opinion on this issue. Kem Sokha said that the HRP will not swear in at the same time as the CPP MPs. “The three HRP elected MPs will not go the National Assembly on 24 September,” Kem Sokha stressed.
Sam Rainsy, his new road companion, maintains his position: “We do not recognize the election results, we will not participate in this first session,” Sam Rainsy assured.
When both were asked that this boycott may be construed as a lack of respect for the king, Sam Rainsy skillfully dodged the issue: “No, it’s not that, the king has no power. What the CPP decides, the king is conforming to that. If the CPP does not allow something to the king, the latter would not dare bypass it. Like the case of Ranariddh’s pardon, the green light must be given by the CPP leaders first. This is not an issue of respect or not, but that of our conscience, and our conscience does not allow us to go to this Assembly of (vote) thieves, of ghost and Yuon voters (representatives).”
The two opposition leaders said that they are still waiting for a reply from the king to their request in which they indicated to him their “wish to swear separately from the CPP”. Leaving some doubt behind, Kem Sokha said: “Without a reply from the king, we have not yet decided whether to participate in the first session.”

Daily newspaper for 10 September 2008

Year 2, No. 240,
10 September 2008

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Samak could be voted back to office today

 

The Prime Minister had broken a conflict-of-interest law by accepting payment for hosting Tasting And Complaining and All Set At 6am. -- PHOTO: IMPORTFOOD.COM

Samak found guilty
Sep 10, 2008
By Nirmal Ghosh, Thailand Correspondent
The Straits Times (Singapore)

Court orders him to quit as PM for violating conflict-of-interest law
BANGKOK: A court yesterday ordered Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to step down for whipping up recipes on his TV cooking shows.
But his supporters vowed to put him back in office through a vote in Parliament in a move that could deepen Thailand's political crisis.
The judgment, broadcast live on television and radio, was greeted with wild cheers from Mr Samak's opponents who have occupied his office compound since Aug 26 to demand his resignation. Some protesters wept.
In a ruling that had been expected, the Constitutional Court returned a unanimous 9-0 verdict that the Prime Minister had broken a conflict-of-interest law by accepting payment for hosting Tasting And Complaining and All Set At 6am.
The case had been brought against him by a group of senators and Election Commission members.
Mr Samak, a self-proclaimed foodie, was the star of Tasting And Complaining for seven years before becoming prime minister earlier this year.
Evidence showed that he continued to host the two shows after he assumed office in February and had received allowances such as petrol expenses which could be construed as income, the judges said.
The Thai Constitution prohibits private employment while in office.
Judge Chat Chonlaworn, the head of the nine-judge panel, told the court: 'His employment at the company can be considered an employment.'
He said that Mr Samak gave 'conflicting testimony' and that there was an attempt to fabricate evidence 'to hide his actions'.
Mr Samak will resign but his name will be proposed again when Parliament convenes to elect another premier, possibly as early as today - and he will be voted back into the job. All day yesterday, political parties were in intense discussions over post-judgment strategy.
But this will likely further inflame his critics, led by the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
One option is that another man will be proposed as prime minister. Former premier and Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa, and deputy prime ministers Somchai Wongsawat and Surapong Suebwonglee are three possibilities.
But Mr Banharn yesterday seemed to rule himself out, saying he would not like to be prime minister in such a politically charged atmosphere.
Another option is to dissolve the House and call a fresh election. This would have the effect of outflanking the PAD, which continues to occupy Government House in Bangkok, demanding that Mr Samak resign.
Mr Kuthep Saikrajang, spokesman for Mr Samak's People Power Party (PPP), said its MPs were in favour of re-nominating Mr Samak for the premiership in Parliament.
But he added that the final decision would depend on Mr Samak as well as other parties in the ruling coalition.
The main opposition Democrat Party's spokesman Ongard Klampaiboon said: 'We are waiting to see what the PPP and the coalition parties do. But if Mr Samak comes back as prime minister it will make things worse. People will be more angry.'
Mr Samak has been facing strident and persistent calls to resign from the royalist, right-wing PAD. It accuses his government of corruption, acting as a proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and harbouring politicians and advisers who as former communists are against the monarchy.
Mr Samak and his government deny the charges.
While PAD supporters camped at Government House applauded the court's verdict, they showed no sign that they would end their protests.
'Samak was ousted by the court, but there is no guarantee he will not return in the next few days,' PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told journalists.
'So our protest will continue for the time being.'

Daily newspaper for 07-09 September 2008

Year 2, No. 239,
07-09 September 2008

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Heat rising as Thailand's PM hangs on

A court is to decide whether Samak Sundaravej violated the constitution by hosting a TV cookery show (REUTERS)

Monday, 8 September 2008
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
The Independent (UK)

Thailand's prime minister - a skilled and celebrated chef with a taste for spicy food - has vowed not to resign ahead of court ruling that could raise the temperature in his political kitchen and force him from power.
A special court in Bangkok is tomorrow due to rule on whether Samak Sundaravej breached the country's constitution by hosting a television cooking show several months after he was sworn in as premier. If it does, it is likely that Mr Samat will have to stand down, plunging Thailand into yet more political uncertainty.
Mr Samak clearly sees nothing wrong with mixing food with politics. He told the court that he had not acted unconstitutionally and used his weekly address to the nation to insist that he was not leaving office. "I will remain as prime minister," he said.
Having survived street demonstrations, a hostile media and disgruntled senior military officers, it would be ironic if the prime minister was forced from office over his cooking show, Tasting, Grumbling, which featured Mr Samak preparing his favourite recipes and ranting on his chosen bugbear topics.
First aired in 2000, his show became a staple for Thai viewers with an interest in food who tuned in to see the prime minister with an apron wrapped around his broad stomach creating dishes such as Thai curry, soups and salads. The show also followed him on shopping trips to Bangkok's famous markets for fresh ingredients.
The show stopped broadcasting in April this year, two months after Mr Samak became prime minister, but his association with cooking continued. As premier he took his love of food on the road and served special chicken to Thai soldiers involved in a border dispute with Cambodia and cooked a traditional dish of stewed chicken and rice to Thai athletes waiting to participate in the Beijing Olympics.
But while Mr Samak's recipes have been applauded, the premier may not be to everyone's taste. Seen as an ally of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Samak's government has in recent weeks been rocked by demonstrations by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a business-led group whose actions effectively forced Mr Thaksin from office two years ago.
Last week, confronted by thousands of demonstrators protesting outside various government buildings and by street battles between pro and anti-government crowds in which one person was killed, Mr Samak declared a state of emergency.
Experts believe a ruling against Mr Samak will not end Thailand's turmoil, even in the very short term. The 73-year-old could return as prime minister as long his six party coalition holds together and continues to choose him as its leader. One of the coalition ministers, Chaiya Sasomsap, recently survived such as removal from office - standing down as health minister after a court disqualified him on account of his wife's share portfolio and then returning just weeks later as minister for commerce.

Heat rising as Thailand's PM hangs on

A court is to decide whether Samak Sundaravej violated the constitution by hosting a TV cookery show (REUTERS)

Monday, 8 September 2008
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
The Independent (UK)

Thailand's prime minister - a skilled and celebrated chef with a taste for spicy food - has vowed not to resign ahead of court ruling that could raise the temperature in his political kitchen and force him from power.
A special court in Bangkok is tomorrow due to rule on whether Samak Sundaravej breached the country's constitution by hosting a television cooking show several months after he was sworn in as premier. If it does, it is likely that Mr Samat will have to stand down, plunging Thailand into yet more political uncertainty.
Mr Samak clearly sees nothing wrong with mixing food with politics. He told the court that he had not acted unconstitutionally and used his weekly address to the nation to insist that he was not leaving office. "I will remain as prime minister," he said.
Having survived street demonstrations, a hostile media and disgruntled senior military officers, it would be ironic if the prime minister was forced from office over his cooking show, Tasting, Grumbling, which featured Mr Samak preparing his favourite recipes and ranting on his chosen bugbear topics.
First aired in 2000, his show became a staple for Thai viewers with an interest in food who tuned in to see the prime minister with an apron wrapped around his broad stomach creating dishes such as Thai curry, soups and salads. The show also followed him on shopping trips to Bangkok's famous markets for fresh ingredients.
The show stopped broadcasting in April this year, two months after Mr Samak became prime minister, but his association with cooking continued. As premier he took his love of food on the road and served special chicken to Thai soldiers involved in a border dispute with Cambodia and cooked a traditional dish of stewed chicken and rice to Thai athletes waiting to participate in the Beijing Olympics.
But while Mr Samak's recipes have been applauded, the premier may not be to everyone's taste. Seen as an ally of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Samak's government has in recent weeks been rocked by demonstrations by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a business-led group whose actions effectively forced Mr Thaksin from office two years ago.
Last week, confronted by thousands of demonstrators protesting outside various government buildings and by street battles between pro and anti-government crowds in which one person was killed, Mr Samak declared a state of emergency.
Experts believe a ruling against Mr Samak will not end Thailand's turmoil, even in the very short term. The 73-year-old could return as prime minister as long his six party coalition holds together and continues to choose him as its leader. One of the coalition ministers, Chaiya Sasomsap, recently survived such as removal from office - standing down as health minister after a court disqualified him on account of his wife's share portfolio and then returning just weeks later as minister for commerce.

Prince: Cambodian royalists to create new party if neglected

Prince: Cambodian royalists to create new party if neglected

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prince Sisowath Thomico said that he would create a new royalist party if the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) tries to stifle royalist voices in the next government, national media reported Tuesday.
"I will try to find a means to make the voices of the royalists be heard. If there is only through the establishment of a political party, I will form a political party," Prince Thomico was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.
Prince Thomico said he would wait until the new government forms to see whether royalists are given responsibilities.
He added that this new party would be different from his short-lived Sangkum Jatiniyum Front (SJF) Party because they would have enough time to work before the next election.
The SJF folded following the 2007 commune election, and the prince's allegiance bounced between Funcinpec and the Norodom Ranariddh Party for a few months before he returned to work at the royal palace, the newspaper said.

Daily newspaper for 06 September 2008

Year 2, No. 238,
06 September 2008

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13.4 million Cambodians, and me and me and me…

The preliminary numbers concerning the census reveal that the population has grown with 2.5 million people in one decade.

 

On the 3rd of March at midnight, Cambodia officially was a country with a population of 13.4 million people. On Thursday 4 September, the Minister of Planning, Chhay Than, unveiled the preliminary census results, started last March, of which the final balance will be known in several months. The balance between men and women is at the advantage of the ladies. There are approximately 6.9 million Cambodian women and 6.5 million Cambodian men in the country. The growth rate of the population was 1.54% during the last decade. During the same period, the average number of members per household has decreased. Each household has in average 4.7 family members, compared to 5.7, ten years ago.
These numbers indicate that the country becomes more urbanised. 19.4% of the population lives now in the cities, while only 17.6% did so in 1998. The census reveals that the population density is only 74 people per square metre. As a comparison, Vietnam has 254 inhabitants per square metre and the Philippines, number one in the region concerning this situation, 288 people.
Kampong Cham province is the most populated province of the Kingdom, before the one of Phnom Penh and Kandal respectively.
Cambodians represent 2.3% of the population in South-East Asia, as it was in 1998 already.
The last census dating back to 1998 revealed that Cambodia had a population of 11,426,223 people, of which 5.9 million women. An expert predicted that this amount would double within 20 years. Halfway, it seems that we’re far from reaching this number. In 1962, Cambodia had 5.7 million people.

Saroj Chavanaviraj will hold negotiations with Cambodia regarding Preah Vihear

On Saturday 6 September, the new Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Ambassador in Paris, was appointed as the successor of Tej Bunnag. He has the reputation of being an expert concerning the Cambodian issues and the Asean policy.

 

Caption: A Thai soldier at Preah Vihear. ©P.S.

On Saturday 6 September, the Prime Minister of Thailand has recommended the nomination of Saroj Chavanaviraj to the King, as Chief of Thai Diplomacy, after the surprise resignation on Wednesday 3 September of his brief predecessor, Tej Bunnag, while the country is facing an important political crisis.
Saroj Chavanaviraj, 66 years old diplomat, had already been offered this position twice before: after the election of Samak Sundaravej, then after the resignation of Noppadon Pattama with the Cambodian political crisis around Preah Vihear looming on the background.
The diplomat, retired since 2002, had declined the offer, refusing to get involved in the Thai political affairs, states the “Bangkok Post” in its Saturday edition.
Born on the 11th of May 1942, the new Chief of Thai Diplomacy is graduated in Political Science at the Los Angeles University of the United States.
Saroj Chavanaviraj is known to be an expert on Cambodian politics. In 1992, then Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he represented Thailand during the negotiations preceding the organisation of the 1993 elections in Cambodia.
The diplomat also represented Bangkok in Paris between 2000 and 2002. Because of its role in the layout of the border between Cambodia and Thailand in 1907, France has been requested to play the role of mediator in the coming months regarding the dispute between both countries around the temple of Preah Vihear. Saroj Chavanaviraj was also the Thai representative for Asean in 1988. Bangkok, assuming the rotating presidency of the Association of the South-East Asian Nations, has to host the Summit of Ten and has to ratify the Asean charter in the near future.

Photo of Barack Obama supporter in Cambodia

A supporter of US Democratic Party hopeful Barack Obama wears a hat fixed with US flags in a big piece of cheese in front of the Japanese bridge during a campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Daily newspaper for 05 September 2008

Year 2, No. 237,
05 September 2008

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Ranariddh willing to sell his soul (and NA seats) to the devil just for another taste of good life in Phnom Penh: Royal political prostitution?

Ranariddh Party Continues Push for Pardon
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
04 September 2008

The Norodom Ranariddh Party is pushing Prime Minister Hun Sen to pardon its exiled leader, offering to bring its two National Assembly seats in line with the ruling party in exchange, officials said Thursday.
The Norodom Ranariddh Party won two seats in the election, and if it sides with the opposition, it will create a block of 31 National Assembly votes capable of drafting motions critical of the government.

Without the Norodom Ranariddh Party, the opposition Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties can only muster 29 votes, one vote short under the constitution of drafting critical legislation or forwarding motions to call government officials to answer policy questions before the Assembly.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh faces an 18-month prison sentence and a fine of $150,000 if he returns to Cambodia, on breach of trust charges stemming from the sale of Funcinpec party headquarters in 2006, when he was president of the party.
The Norodom Ranariddh Party has requested a pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni, but royal officials say the king has sought agreement for a pardon from Hun Sen.
NRP spokesman Suth Dina said Thursday the party's two seats have political value for the ruling Cambodian People's Party to help it avoid problems from the opposition.
"If Prince Ranariddh joins in the opposition alliance, it will make trouble for the CPP, because we have more than 30 elements to criticize the government," he said. "We believe that the CPP, especially Prime Minister Hun Sen, will not let the prince stay with the opposition and will pardon the prince, for returning home."
Suth Dina did not say Thursday whether the Norodom Ranariddh Party was ready to join the opposition coalition. The party broke with the opposition by accepting the legitimacy of the election shortly after the polls.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thursday the prince cannot be pardoned.
"The court sentenced him already," he said. "But the king and the prime minister can ask the court to suspend the prince's guilty sentence, and then the prince can go back home."

Daily newspaper for 04 September 2008Daily newspaper for 04 September 2008

Year 2, No. 236,
04 September 2008

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Daily newspaper for 03 September 2008

Year 2, No. 235,
03 September 2008

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State of emergency declared in Bangkok

Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej spoke during a news conference at the Supreme Command Headquarters in Bangkok on Sept. 2. (Reuters)

As the confrontation between the government and opposition escalates, the ruling party is slapped with charges of electoral fraud.
September 02, 2008
By Huma Yusuf
The Christian Science Monitor
On Tuesday, Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency in Bangkok after clashes between government supporters and opposition party members left one person dead in the worst violence seen in the city in 16 years. The violence flared as Mr. Samak's ruling People Power Party (PPP) faced charges of electoral fraud in the courts and escalating pressure from the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has been occupying the prime minister's office for the past week.
According to the BBC, fighting started early Tuesday.

• The street clashes began shortly after midnight, when a screaming crowd of government supporters – armed with sticks and slingshots – ploughed into a group from the PAD, who have been occupying the prime minister's office.
• Amid the ensuing fighting, some gunshots were fired – both sides are now reported to possess some firearms.
• One person died, and TV pictures showed some of the 43 people injured lying bleeding on the ground.

Mr. Samak has stated that the state of emergency is expected to remain in effect for a brief period. Curfew has not been enforced, but the emergency prevents gatherings of more than five people and puts limitations on media coverage that may "undermine public security."
The street clashes are an escalation of an ongoing confrontation between the government and PAD protesters. Fighting is expected to intensify on Wednesday, the International Herald Tribune reports.

• The street fighting escalated a confrontation between the government and protesters who had occupied the grounds of the prime minister's office for a week. It was the first serious violence in what had become a stubborn class struggle between the Thai middle class and a beleaguered government backed by a business and financial elite acting in the name of Thailand's poor. The protest broadened Monday when labor unions representing 200,000 workers at 43 state enterprises said they would cut off water, electricity, and telephone service to government offices beginning Wednesday.

According to The New York Times, the PAD is demonstrating against Samak and his government for being proxies for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

• Mr. Samak's critics call him a proxy for Mr. Thaksin and his party, the People Power Party, is widely considered to be a reincarnation of Mr. Thaksin's former party....
• Mr. Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon, was ousted in a coup in September 2006 while in New York and spent more than a year in self-exile. He returned early this year once a friendly government was in place and appeared ready to contest a growing list of cases against him for corruption and abuse of power.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that "Thailand's shaky democracy and the future role of elites aligned with the monarchy and the military" are at stake in this confrontation between the government and PAD supporters.

• Among these royalist opponents of Samak, there is anger at the return to power of old political faces. They accuse Samak of corruption at the behest of Thaksin, his political patron, and of surrendering territory to Cambodia in a border temple dispute. Some call for an overhaul of a political system that gives too much weight to the poor, Thaksin's loyal constituency.
• Leaders of the PAD are hostile to Western-style democracy, arguing that it has failed to produce suitable leaders and instead encouraged vote-buying and corruption. In its place, they propose a partially elected legislature and a backstop role for the military to keep politicians in line.

An opinion piece in the Bangkok Post, an English-language Thai daily, states that Samak's power has been waning in the face of PAD protests.

• Mr Samak declared his government could only be toppled in Parliament, not on the streets. His voice has absolutely no impact on the movements to topple his government. On the other hand, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has taken to the streets since May, has been stronger than ever.
• What happened this week indicates that Mr Samak is no longer fit to run the country because he could not maintain order....
• What did Mr Samak do to deserve all this? The simple answer is that it has nothing to do with his policy. His sin is that he and his party had made it clear they are the heirs of Thaksin Shinawatra. Their determination to amend the constitution and pass an amnesty law does not help either. When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, something's gotta give.

The Guardian reports that in a fresh blow to the government, Samak's party was accused of electoral fraud on Tuesday. A five-member panel of the Election Commission recommended that the Supreme Court disband the PPP over claims of vote-buying in last December's general election. Although the recommendation will not lead to immediate action against the party – it must first be considered by the public prosecutor's office, a process that might take months – it further undermines Samak's credibility. If the prosecutor submits the case to the courts and the ruling is upheld, Samak and other party leaders would be banned from politics for five years.
The Bangkok Post also reports that Thai and foreign business leaders are concerned that the state of emergency will lead to widespread economic losses as investor confidence is shaken.

Daily newspaper for 31-02 August-September 2008

Year 2, No. 234,
31-02 August-September 2008

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Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha continue to defy the CPP

Sam Rainsy during the election campaign (Photo: Pring Samrang, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

30 August 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

The new Parliament session looks like it will be shaken. On Tuesday 02 September, the opposition leader announced that he and his troops will go to take their oath in front of the king on 25 September, and not a day earlier as the CPP will. The HRP will follow suits with the SRP.
In Sam Rainsy’s mind, this initiative aims at demonstrating that the upcoming National Assembly was not elected on democratic basis. The SRP and the HRP still contest the results of the 27 July ballot, even though their complaints were successively rejected by the National Election Committee (NEC) and the Constitutional Council.
The Parliament procedure requires that at least 120 of the 123 MPs to meet on 24 September at the National Assembly, before taking their oath in front of the king. SRP and HRP MPs will not participate in the event at the National Assembly on that day. However, Sam Rainsy warned: “We are not giving up our seats. But, we do not want to sit next to MPs who stole our seats.” The 26 elected SRP MPs, and the 3 elected HRP MPs want to take oath directly in front of the king on 25 September, at the same time the CPP and the Funcinpec – and most likely the NRP also – will vote for the forming of the new government.

Daily newspaper for 30 August 2008

Year 2, No. 233,
30 August 2008

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Woman Crushed Under Fallen Container

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 September 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

One woman was killed and her son was seriously injured in Phnom Penh Monday morning when a garment factory shipping container fell off its truck into traffic, police said.
Mao Sunly, 50, a nurse from Stung Treng district, Kampon Cham province, was crushed when the container fell off the truck on a muddy section of road in a garment factory area of Phnom Penh's Russei Keo district, police said.
Mao Sunly's 25-year-old son, Sam Phalla sustained injuries to his waist and hips and was trapped beneath the container for 20 minutes before he was taken by ambulance to Calmette Hospital.
Sam Phalla was conscious and in stable condition late Monday, police said.
The driver fled the scene and is being sought by police, said Preap Kha, Tuol Sangke commune police chief.
Police are also investigating the source company of the container, he said.
"When I ran from my home, I saw that the body of the victim was under the container, and I felt shocked," said Pha Sarouen, 61, who runs a small business near the scene of the accident.
The container was "carelessly" secured, he said, adding that the accident had not cost too many lives because it had occurred when many garment workers were off the road.

Cambodian-Americans ordeal from Gustav hurricane

Hurricane Gustav prompts Louisiana couple to take flight -- again
Shrimpers Neang Pum and Sobong In fled Cambodia and survived Hurricane Katrina. Now they're forced to leave the boat they call home, with little gas and no place to go.
September 2, 2008
By Erika Hayasaki
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
JENNINGS, LA. -- They left the shrimp boat in which they work and live on the Louisiana shore, driving north at noon, daring the hurricane in their red Ford Expedition.
They were running on a tank of gas, and there were no stations open for miles.
Neang Pum, 66, and her boyfriend, Sobong In, 69, came to the United States as Cambodian refugees more than two decades ago. On Monday, they fled Hurricane Gustav -- which sent palm fronds flying, trees toppling and waves of water across the highway before them.
Pum and In had moved into a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer after Hurricane Katrina three years ago, but the government recently took that home away. So the couple were living in the shrimp boat in Empire, La.
Pum said they hadn't had enough money to evacuate ahead of Gustav, so they decided to ride it out. But as the hurricane crashed along the coast Monday, rocking their boat with terrifying power, the couple decided to head to Lafayette, La., 200 miles away, where they had a friend with food and water to share.
"The hurricane was getting angry," Pum said. "My friend said, 'You must go; you will die.' "
The couple loaded the SUV with a pink flowered pillow, a striped burgundy blanket, a carton of ramen noodles, $40 in cash and their black-and- orange dog, Lucky Boy.
But by 4 p.m., the winds and rain on Interstate 10 had become so severe that they pulled up across the street from the Jennings Travel Center -- home to a casino, restaurant and truckers rest stop -- and hoped police would stop to help them.
Their gas was running dangerously low.
At the travel center, which was boarded up with strips of plywood, its gas pumps wrapped in plastic tarps, a man and woman with guns waved people away. Selina Landry, 43, a security guard in a Tinkerbell T-shirt with a pistol under her arm, had been charged with keeping looters away from the store. She brought her 20-year-old son, his wife and their 6-month-old daughter along. They had spent the night in the warehouse-shaped building, along with three other security guards and their families.
As rain swirled and wind whipped outside the building, children slept on black sofas and watched "Hannah Montana" while the adults monitored weather reports.
Walking toward the sandbags that lined the front of the store -- near the zebra-print purses, popcorn balls, straw cowboy hats and bottles of hot sauce -- Landry said: "We're not scared one bit; we're cautious."
The guards and their families planned to hide in a cooler if the storm got worse, she added. "We're respectful of the storm."
Across the street, Pum and In could not find anyone to help them.
The couple were at least an hour from Lafayette -- where one person has been reported killed by a falling tree -- and the winds were pushing 80 mph. Through the foggy windows of their SUV, Pum and In watched the covering on a four-story yellow building flap in the wind.
"Maybe I should stay here and wait until it opens for gas," said In, looking at the shuttered station across the street as fierce gusts rocked the Expedition from side to side. He braced the steering wheel with his tanned, weathered hands, with dirt underneath his fingernails from shrimping.
"No," Pum told him. "It's not open today."
Barefoot and wearing a green jade bracelet, Pum looked away, shaking her head. Lucky Boy jumped into the back seat, whimpering near an American flag, a cooler and a beach towel.
"I don't have gasoline," she said, "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared."
After an hour, with the wind still screaming, the couple decided to keep driving.

Protest threatened over lake

A Boeung Kak resident dismantles his house Thursday as the water level on the lake started to rise. (Photo: NICOLAS AXLEROD)

DISGRUNTLED Boeung Kak residents will march on City Hall next week to demand that the municipality halt a reclamation project that is driving them from their homes, one resident said Thursday as others began tearing down their homes and leaving the future construction site.
A developer on Tuesday began pumping sand and water into the lake, which will be filled in over the next year to make way for a 133-hectare residential and commercial complex.
Thousands of families will be affected by the development, which has been condemned as illegal by rights groups.
Noun Thol, who faces eviction, was collecting thumbprints from other affected residents and by Thursday afternoon had 40 other families on his petition.
"We are planning to take this case to court. We will also march from Boeung Kak to City Hall demanding that the government halt the pumping of sand into the lake. If we don't get a solution, we will seek help from Prime Minister Hun Sen," Noun Thoul said, explaining that he thought that more people would join his effort as anger over the development rose.
"The residents must demand compensation," Noun Thol said, adding that the water levels have risen since the pumping began as tonnes of sand settle onto the lake bottom.
Am Sam Ath, monitoring supervisor for Licadho, said that he has not heard of any Boeung Kak families being compensated for their lost homes. "Compensation should have been made before filling in of the lake began," he said. "The pumping of sand is an act of intimidation to get the residents to leave Boeung Kak while they have not yet agreed to the nature and amount of compensation."
But Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said that many lake residents have already received compensation. "Municipal officials today are giving Boeung Kak residents houses and cash," he said.
He declined comment on how many residents had received compensation but said around 500 families have agreed to "deal" with the municipality.

Embattled Thai leader faces stepped-up pressure

Monday, September 1, 2008
The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand: Protesters demanding Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's resignation vowed Monday to target the government's water supply and cause more disruption to travelers to force him from office after an emergency parliamentary debate failed to resolve Thailand's political crisis.
Samak canceled an official three-day trip to Japan starting Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said, as thousands of protesters remained camped out at the grounds of his official compound for a sixth day. They have refused to budge until Samak steps down - an outcome he has repeatedly ruled out.
Samak called a special joint session of Parliament that lasted 11 hours and ended early Monday without a solution.
"We are very disappointed that Parliament's special session ended with nothing new," said Somsak Kosaisuk, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is organizing the protests. "We have no choice now but to put more pressure on the government."
Allies of the anti-government protesters from labor unions at utility companies have threatened to switch off water and electricity to certain state offices and were meeting Monday to plot their strategy.
"The tap water at the national police headquarters and at provincial administration offices will be cut off starting Monday," said Somchai Srinewest, head of the union at Thailand's Waterworks Authority, ahead of the meeting.
Hundreds of employees from the State Railways of Thailand continued a strike that halted service Monday on 93 train lines, cutting off most long-distance service between Bangkok and the far-northern and southern parts of the country, said spokesman Phairath Rojjaroenngam. More than half of the 76 cargo trains scheduled Monday were also not running.
There was no schedule for restoring service, which has been disrupted since the strike started Friday.
Embarrassed by the strike and their inability to control it, the rail authority's seven-member board of directors resigned Monday saying they saw no other way to take responsibility for the difficulties the strike has caused to the public, the spokesman said.
Protest organizers accuse Samak's government of corruption and being a proxy for ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a 2006 bloodless military coup sparked by the alliance's protests. Thaksin recently fled to Britain to escape corruption charges.
The People's Alliance for Democracy and their sympathizers - monarchists, the military and the urban elite - complain that Western-style democracy with one-man, one-vote gives too much weight to Thailand's rural majority, who protesters say are susceptible to vote buying that breeds corruption. Protesters also dislike the rural majority's staunch support of Thaksin and his allies.
The protest leaders want a roll back of Thailand's democratic gains in the post-1973 dictatorship era to make Parliament a body in which most lawmakers are appointed and only 30 percent elected.
Samak defended himself in Parliament, saying he was rightfully elected prime minister and criticized protesters for wanting to destroy democracy.
"I am sure that I love this country as much as anybody," he said late Sunday in Parliament. "But I love democracy much more, more than anyone who told me to resign."
Samak reiterated his refusal to bow to protesters' demands. "I will not resign or dissolve Parliament. I will not be defeated by those protesters," he said.
His comments came in response to calls from the opposition leader to dissolve Parliament and hold new elections.
"Dissolving Parliament is a way for the government to show responsibility. If you don't want to take the responsibility on your own (by resigning), take all of Parliament members with you (by dissolving it)," said Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party.
Shortly after the debate ended early Monday, a small explosion occurred at a police booth near Samak's official compound, known as Government House, which has been taken over by protesters. The blast damaged windows, but caused no injuries. No one claimed responsibility.
Police insisted they are committed to keeping the peace, despite criticism that they have failed to keep order as protesters overran the seat of government, turning its manicured grounds into a muddy campsite with tents, portable toilets and piles of garbage.
"Police are prepared to handle the situation," said police General Jongrak Jutanond, who was named Bangkok's new police chief Monday after his predecessor was sidelined for reasons not made public. "We have enough reinforcements to prevent violence and to disperse protesters. Police will not harm the protesters."
Airports at two of Thailand's popular beach destinations - Phuket and Krabi - were shut for two days by protesters and reopened Sunday. Protesters have vowed to target airports again if Samak imposes a state of emergency.