Group 78 evicted

"They came and evicted us today without violence, because they already threatened us with their words," resident Hem Many, 29, said. "It shows that this country does not respect law; they respect the power."

AT dawn on Friday, police in riot gear, military officers and truckloads of demolition workers entered Group 78, an inner-city Phnom Penh community that once held more than 80 families. Despite eviction threats, four families remained in their homes, hoping for better a deal.

Upon entering the community, the scores of red-shirted workers started tearing down the community's homes, and by midday the community had been razed, marking the end of the inner-city community that residents say is over 25 years old.

"They came and evicted us today without violence, because they already threatened us with their words," resident Hem Many, 29, said. "It shows that this country does not respect law; they respect the power."

Though there was no physical violence during the eviction, residents say the government's previous verbal threats combined with Friday's show of armed force intimidated the residents into leaving their homes and prevented fair, last-minute negotiations from taking place.

Resident Suong Sarin said that no one in the community wanted to accept any of the government compensation packages, but that people felt they had no choice.

"Nobody here volunteered to get compensation, but we had to agree with the government. Accepting the government money is better than if they demolish our houses and we have empty hands," he said.

In the morning, the six families who had previously refused to accept government compensation met with Mann Chhoeun, the Phnom Penh deputy governor, and discussed compensation packages. While their community was being dismantled, the families agreed to accept government money, though one family told the Post the government tricked them into leaving their home.

Three families, according to Group 78 representative Kheng Soroth, will receive US$20,000, while two families agreed to accept $9,000.

Photo by: Christopher Shay

A woman piles up the wooden planks that used to make up her house in Group 78, a community in central Phnom Penh that was forcibly evicted on Friday morning.

But Kheng Soroth said he will refuse the $8,000 being offered to him, because Mann Chhoeun reneged on his agreement. Kheng Soroth said the Deputy Governor promised his family $20,000, but after their homes were demolished, he was told he would get only $8,000.

Mann Chhoeun, however, claimed all Group 78 residents had agreed to let the government tear their houses down.

"Today, we evicted people without violence, because all the residents agree to have their houses torn down," he said, adding that City Hall will give families clothes, books and food as gifts.

But Mann Chhoeun's promises of presents did not placate all Group 78 residents.

Hem Many said that if she could, she would get back at Municipal officials responsible for the destruction of her home.

"In the future, if I become rich or a high-ranking officer, I will demolish the former high-ranking officers' houses so they will know how it feels when they meet that situation."

During Friday's eviction, six embassies and five international organisations including the United Nations and the World Bank released a joint statement calling for a moratorium on land evictions until a better mechanism for resolving land dispute is put in place.

The statement does not mention Group 78 specifically nor does it call any of Phnom Penh's previous the land evictions illegal, but it says Cambodia's policies and practices "do not make effective use of the procedures and institutions allowed for in Cambodian law."

The group's choice to release the statement right as the community's houses were being knocked down and its refusal to condemn the Cambodian government in harsher terms came under criticism from civil society groups.

Dan Nicholson, a coordinator at Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), said that the statement was "completely irrelevant" for Group 78, and David Pred, the director of Bridges Across Borders, said that though it is significant that major donors "have publicly acknowledged that the current systems of dispute resolution ... are not fair and transparent ... their words will ring hollow ... unless they are backed up by real consequences."

A coordinator for the Community Legal Education Centre, Man Vuthy, said that the evictions were clearly in violation of Cambodian law.

Many of the families should have received land titles since they have been living on the land for five years prior to the 2001 Land Law, and that they should receive "fair and just compensation in advance" if the government can prove their evictions are for the public interest.

"The government should pay before they smash their houses," he said as the Group78 homes were being demolished around him.

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Oun Sos, 60, gathers all her belonging in Phnom Penh’s Group 78 community on Friday. In the early morning, armed security forces and demolition teams evicted the families that had chosen to remain despite eviction threats.

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Tourists to Siem Reap down 0.6pc in first half

SIEM Reap's tourism department said the overall number of tourists visiting the province dropped slightly in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year.

The department said the number of local tourists rose 11 percent to 692,000, which almost offset the 13-percent decline in foreign visitors.

Than Chhayvanna, deputy administrator of the provincial tourism department, told the Post that total numbers dipped 0.6 percent to 1.195 million. Around 503,000 were foreign tourists, down from 578,000.

She blamed the decline in part on the global economic crisis.

"The other factor was political unrest in Thailand, but the key issue now is swine flu," Than Chhayvanna said. "However ... local tourists increased a lot, which means that the tourism industry in my province is still good."

Kong Sophearak, director of the Ministry of Tourism's statistics department, said the key to boosting tourism revenue is to emulate China and focus more on domestic tourism.

He said foreign tourists spent US$1.6 billion in 2008, which equates to $118 per foreign tourist per day. The ministry does not calculate revenue from local tourists, he said, but it is certainly substantially lower.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the tourism working group, a government-private sector initiative, said the difference in revenue between the two categories explains why boosting local tourist numbers will not solve the problem entirely. But he said the government is trying hard to make Cambodia the most attractive destination in Asia.

"We have a variety of tourism destinations to entice tourists - such as the white sand beaches on the coast, eco-tourism, and soon a new amusement park [on Bokor mountain]," he said.

Minister of Tourism Thong Khon told the Post on Thursday that the government is working to improve services and said one focus is to open new border crossings.

"We are trying to make things more convenient ... which is a key issue," he said. "Also we are looking to get rid of other unnecessary barriers and introduce visa exemptions."

Thong Khon said safety and cutting prices for tourism products remain ongoing priorities.

Statistics from the ministry show that 2.85 million Cambodians travelled as tourists inside the Kingdom in the first five months of this year, up 5.3 percent on the same period in 2008. The total number of Cambodian tourists was 6.7 million for 2008.

About 2.12 million foreign nationals visited the Kingdom last year, with the number of foreign visitors down 2.2 percent in the first five months to 946,000.

Tourists gather at one of the temples outside of Siem Reap. BLOOMBERG

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Preah Vihear: the history of a denial or a denegation of the history

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DESCRIPTION HERE

The end of the history announced by Fukuyama continues endlessly, and the shock of the civilizations of Huntington, is nothing else than the shock of the interests and the weapons, in defiance of any notion of civilization, but thus, the shock, only, prevails there. We are here to the antipodes of the ethics of the responsibility, the moral value of which is not determined by the intentions but by the sociopolitical consequences and the ethics of pure conviction in which the abstract notions of very moral or of duty have a precedence absolved on the possibility of realizing an action or its long-dated results. Indomitable and generous, an immoral rewriting of the history is always possible by the Pharisees, sophists and the casuists in the same mould, through their insidious prism, and the canons of a deleterious archaism, which lean on the denial of existence and on the aporie. Indeed, beyond a historic and political analysis in situ, of the present Thai government, acting more as a synarchy or camarilla to resume a Gaullien vocabulary, than rulers elected democratically do this analysis in an anthropological and civilizational perspective.

Applied to the case of Preah Vihear, this denial of existence or this denegation of the history, by these scholastics, open a spectrum of understanding and explanation which would deserve that we linger there. The Thai ethnocentrism, this avatar of past, but nevertheless recurring and resilient of the humanity, condemns any symbol expressing the past greatness of our late Khmer empire. It crystallizes not above all, greed, jealousies, fears and scorn, but, at first and above all, a denial of existence or nonexistence as parent of the Thai culture, or more exactly Siamese. The vain palinodes, the uttered slanders, the invasions, the deportations, the plunders, the crimes, the confiscation of our knowledge, through a re-appropriation of our culture, the lethal jealousies, the violations of our sovereignty for many centuries, until today even, establish at once, a reject and an attraction, the fear of seeing reappearing the Khmer genius, and probably the mark of a true but unconfessed admiration.

The Khmer intellectual empyrée, in its apogee, ruled over during centuries and influenced many parts of the country, including until the Siamese royal court of former days. This annoying reality, especially in this 21st century, does not stop stressing the contempt of our Thai neighbors, towards their former powerful neighbor, that is, towards themselves especially, very incapable point to understand, but to accept that the genius of people confronts, in what this genius allowed to carry out for the humanity and, that once finished, to restore it to the humanity for the future generations. For that purpose, the Khmer civilization and Khmer genius, throughout its long history, brought to the humanity its most beautiful brilliant works, to humanize the humanity by its understanding of the universe and the harmony, which surrounds it there. The grateful humanity, has declared that this monument called Preah Vihear, dedicated to kings, to princes, to goddesses and to universe, is well and truly the work of the Khmer genius. This legacy is a fact, an indivisible reality of the Khmer genius. That this legacy, is still subject to debate nowadays, is a degradation in the gratitude of a been in love humanity, a peace and a justice, an insult, to the abyssales pain of people tortured by the war and genocide always traumatizing. This insult, demonstrates well the unreliability of an oligarchy denigrator in power.

Strange immature Thailand, the tamed smile of which has an equal whom its turpitude, its duplicity, its certainties obsessed in front of the history and its insensitivity in front of the human tragedy, far, of this plastic smile conveyed by the media of the world. These Pharisees do not deny not any contradiction, they carry them even, while easing it, under a friendliness of surface that a fury almost manslaughter animates, which weighs its weight of ambiguity and is reflected a dangerous and inexorable evolution. These vehemence and hoarded hypocrisies, this paralogisme and this blindness in front of the turned out history, for many centuries and which re-appear sporadically, express more than ever, this overcompensation of their culture, arisen from ours. Indeed, of this précellence of the inconceivable Khmer culture towards today, it is advisable to add, the refusal persisted in understanding the understandable and in accepting the acceptable.

The inanity of this double refusal engenders a paroxystic frustration, a hyperbolism in acts, among which the present events, at once pathetic and even comic, which are daily delivered to us, would not miss to make smile, if there had been no loss of life, and a conflict to become there. The Thai textbooks of history, indicates, in which point the forgery of the history towards their Khmer neighbors turns out to be truncated. In addition, it is very there where is situated the focal. The indoctrination of the whole generations of Thai, concerns the denial, on the spoliation of the knowledges and an apocryphal Khmer history in the name of a certain idea of their nationalism. Nonetheless, the greatness of a nation does not confront in its GDP, its megalopolises, its éxogèneité… only, but also and especially in the way this country reconciles with humility, its past and its present, and consents, that no cause, it was, wholesome for one, does not rest on the denial of others. To cross of this vicious circle in a virtuous circle, no man would satisfy of a sum of shams, an aggregate of good will, either still, the fact of the prince, but an authentic willingness based on human complicity, the intellectual righteousness and the moral integrity.

Reconcile the irreconcilable and to make likely the improbable, so that the likely becomes true, which is our mission before the coming challenges, which the stakes are incommensurably different. Plentiful, honest people, which populate this beautiful and proud country, which the taste of the difference, the sense of the equity, the feeling of the respect, more than the hostility, constitute the base of the contemporary homo-oeconomicus. Listen to their voice too.

By Khaou Vireth Vathdey

Normalien.

Fonder of éponyme cabinet
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Preah Vihear : l’histoire d’un déni ou la dénégation de l’histoire.




La fin de l’histoire annoncée par Fukuyama continue à n’en plus finir, et le choc des civilisations de Huntington, n’est rien d’autre que le choc des intérêts et des armes, au mépris de toute notion même de civilisation, mais donc, le choc, seul, y prévaut. Nous voilà aux antipodes de l'éthique de la responsabilité, dont la valeur morale n'est pas déterminée par les intentions mais par les conséquences sociopolitiques et l'éthique de pure conviction dans laquelle les notions abstraites de bien moral ou de devoir ont une préséance absolue sur la possibilité de réaliser une action ou ses résultats à longue échéance. Indomptable et généreuse, l’histoire, de par sa réécriture immorale toujours possible, par les pharisiens, les sophistes et casuistes de tout acabit, à travers leur prisme insidieux, et les canons d’un archaïsme délétère, s’appuie sur le déni d’existence de l’autre, sur une béante aporie. Bien au-delà d’une analyse historico-politique in situ du présent gouvernement thaï, actant plus comme une synarchie ou camarilla pour reprendre un vocabulaire Gaullien, que gouvernants élus démocratiquement, plaçons cette analyse dans une perspective anthropologique et civilisationnelle.


Appliqué au cas de Preah Vihear, ce déni d’existence ou cette dénégation de l’histoire, par ces scolastiques, ouvre un spectre de compréhension et d’explication qui mériterait que l’on s’y attarde. L’ethnocentrisme thaïlandais, cet avatar du passé, mais néanmoins récurrent et résilient de l’humanité, condamne tout symbole exprimant la grandeur passée de notre feu empire Khmer. Il cristallise non pas avant tout, convoitises, jalousies, craintes et mépris, mais, d’abord et avant tout, un déni d’existence ou de non-existence en tant que parent de la culture thaïe, ou plus exactement siamoise. Les vaines palinodies, les infamies proférées, les invasions, les déportations, les pillages, les crimes, les confiscations de notre savoir, à travers une réappropriation de notre culture, les jalousies létales, les violations répétées de notre souveraineté, depuis bien des siècles, jusqu’à aujourd’hui encore, constituent à la fois, ce me semble, un rejet et une attraction, la crainte de voir resurgir le génie khmer, et probablement la marque d’une admiration éprouvée, mais inavouée.


L’empyrée intellectuel khmer, à son apogée, régenta indéniablement, pendant des siècles et influença bien des contrées, y compris jusqu’à la cour royale siamoise d’antan. Cette fâcheuse réalité, surtout en ce 21ème siècle, ne cesse d’accentuer le mépris de nos voisins thaïs, à l’égard de leur ancien puissant voisin, c'est-à-dire, à l’égard d’eux-mêmes surtout, bien incapables non point de comprendre, mais d’accepter que le génie d’un peuple se mesure, à ce que ce génie a permis d’accomplir pour l’humanité et, qu’une fois achevé, de le restituer à l’humanité pour les générations futures. A cet effet, le génie et la civilisation khmers, tout au long de son histoire, apportèrent à l’humanité ses plus belles œuvres, pour humaniser l’humanité par sa compréhension de l’univers et de l’harmonie qui l’y entoure. L’humanité reconnaissante, a déclaré que ce monument dénommé Preah Vihear, dédié aux rois, aux princes, aux déesses et à l’univers, est bel et bien l’œuvre du génie khmer. Ce legs est un fait, une réalité insécable de ce génie. Que ce legs, soit encore sujet à polémique de nos jours, est un avilissement à la gratitude d’une humanité éprise, de paix et de justice, une injure, presqu’une insulte aux afflictions abyssales d’un peuple martyrisé par la guerre et d’un génocide toujours traumatisant. Cet affront, démontre bien, nul n’en doute, la perfidie d’une oligarchie contemptrice au pouvoir.


Étrange immature Thaïlande, dont le sourire apprivoisé n’a d’égal que ses turpitudes, sa duplicité, ses certitudes obnubilées face à l’histoire et son insensibilité face à la tragédie humaine, bien loin, de ce sourire plastique véhiculé par les médias du monde. Ces pharisiens, ne nient aucunement les contradictions, ils les portent même, tout en l’atténuant, sous une aménité de surface qu’anime une fureur presque homicide, qui pèse son poids d’ambiguïté et reflète une évolution dangereuse et inexorable. Ces véhémences et hypocrisies thésaurisées, ce paralogisme et cette cécité face à l’histoire avérée, depuis bien des siècles et qui ressurgissent sporadiquement, expriment plus que jamais, cette surcompensation de leur culture, née de la nôtre. En effet, de cette précellence de la culture khmère inconcevable au regard d’aujourd’hui, il convient d’ajouter, le refus obstiné de comprendre le compréhensible et d’accepter l’acceptable.


L’inanité de ce double refus engendre une frustration paroxystique, un hyperbolisme dans les actes, dont les évènements actuels, à la fois pitoyables et piteux, voire burlesques, qui nous sont livrés quotidiennement, ne manqueraient pas de faire sourire, s’il n’y avait eu morts d’hommes, et un conflit en devenir. Le parcours des manuels d’histoire thaïs, indique, à quel point la falsification de l’histoire à l’égard de leurs voisins khmers s’avère être tronqué. Et, c’est bien là où se situe le focal. L’endoctrinement des générations entières de Thaïlandais, porte sur le déni, les contrevérités, sur la spoliation des savoirs et une histoire apocryphe de leur voisin, au nom d’une certaine idée du nationalisme. Cependant, la grandeur d’une nation ne se mesure point seulement à son PIB, ses mégalopoles, son éxogèneité…mais aussi et surtout à la manière dont ce pays concilie et accepte avec humilité, son passé et son présent, et consent, qu’aucune cause, fut-elle, salutaire pour soi, ne se repose sur le déni d’autrui. Pour passer de ce cercle vicieux à un cercle vertueux, nul ne saurait contenter, d’une somme de faux-semblants, d’un agrégat de bon vouloir, ou bien encore, le fait du prince, mais bien d’une authentique bonne volonté établie sur l’humaine connivence, la probité intellectuelle et l’intégrité morale.


Réconcilier l’inconciliable et rendre probable l’improbable, pour que le vraisemblable devienne vrai, telle est notre mission, avant que d’autres défis ne surviennent, et dont les enjeux sont bien autres. Abondants, les gens honnêtes, qui peuplent ce beau et fier pays, dont le goût du discernement, le sens du juste, le sentiment du respect, plus que de l’inimitié, constituent le soubassement de l’homo œconomicus contemporain. Écoutons aussi leur voix.

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UN criticizes Cambodia over land eviction

Phnom Penh - The UN on Friday joined a chorus of international criticism aimed at the Cambodian government's handling of a land dispute that led to a community of more than 70 families surrendering its property to developers on Thursday and Friday.

A statement by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed 'regret' over the eviction of the riverside community, known as Group 78, saying the residents 'had to leave their settlement before their claims to land ownership had been adequately determined by the relevant judicial and administrative mechanisms.'

'This eviction sends the signal to communities with similar claims that, no matter what their rights are under the law, development interests trump due process and land rights,' it said. 'The relocation was not voluntary, as families left under duress and were presented with no other option but to accept inadequate compensation.'

Witnesses said more than 60 police officers dressed in riot gear entered the settlement at dawn Friday to remove a handful of families who had refused government compensation offers of 8,000 US dollars for their homes.

The families reportedly left their homes peacefully after accepting a new compensation offer.

Workers from the Phnom Penh Municipal Authority began dismantling houses in the settlement Thursday after a first round of families accepted the offer.

City authorities say the eviction is part of a 'beautification' project in the area, which is located near the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and is regarded as some of the most valuable land in the capital.

The Group 78 settlement will likely be cleared to build a road leading to a new bridge, city officials say.

Kan Sophal, who lived in the collection of wooden and corrugated-iron shacks for 10 years, said he did not know where his family of five would relocate.

'We accept the offer and we are leaving,' he said as workers hacked into walls of his home. 'But there was no offer of land with the compensation, so we do not know where we will go.'

Mann Chhoeun, Phnom Penh's deputy governor, said workers had been instructed to keep building materials and structures intact so the families could reconstruct them on new plots of land.

'This process has been done in a respectful and humanitarian way,' he said.

The World Bank, the European Union, and a range of international embassies in the capital on Thursday evening issued a joint statement on the eviction, which called on the government to 'stop forced evictions from disputed areas in Phnom Penh and elsewhere in the country.'

'This has become a major problem in Phnom Penh and other fast-growing cities in Cambodia - creating uncertainty for, and putting at risk the livelihoods of, thousands of poor people living in disputed urban areas,' the statement said.

Amnesty International condemned the eviction, saying the families had 'no choice but to accept inadequate compensation rather than have their homes demolished.'

'The Municipality of Phnom Penh made no attempts to properly consult with the affected community or explore any feasible alternative to eviction,' said Brittis Edman, an Amnesty representative in Cambodia. 'This makes a mockery of the government's obligations to protect the right to housing.'



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How To Treat Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis and post-nasal drip can be treated, but patients should know the best way to do it, a doctor said Thursday.

Antihistamines are used to treat both conditions, but picking the right one is important, said Taing Tek Hong, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

Sedating antihistamines, such as Benadryl and Clemastine, can work, he said. But these should be avoided in patients who need to drive or use dangerous equipment. Alternatives include non-sedating medicines like Zyrtec or Claritin. Most of these are found over the counter.

Decongestant sprays quickly reduce swelling of nasal tissues by shrinking the blood vessels, the doctor said. They improve breathing and drainage over the short term. The most common decongestant is Sudafed, an oral decongestant that temporarily reduce swelling of sinus and nasal tissues.

Montelukast, or Singulair, can be used by patients who do not wish to use nasal sprays or who have co-existing asthma, Taing Tek Hong said.

Nasonex is the only prescription nasal spray clinically proven to help prevent most seasonal nasal allergy symptoms in adults and children, he said.

It helps treat nasal allergy symptoms caused by dust mites, pet dander and tree and grass pollen.

Other treatments include immunotherapy, such as a weekly injection of a solution containing allergens that increases gradually, reducing the sensitivity to the allergen.

Surgery can help in complicated conditions, such as chronic sinusitis, severe septal deviation causing an obstruction, nasal polyps or other anatomical abnormalities, Taing Tek Hong said.

A caller from Kampong Cham province asked how a food allergy might be treated.

While many people assume they have an allergy after they experience a reaction to food, the doctor said, such allergies are rare. However, food intolerance can affect nearly everyone at some time, he said.


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Cambodian security forces forcibly evict 60 low-income families

Sixty low-income families in central Phnom Penh, Cambodia were forcibly evicted from their homes by security forces on Thursday and Friday.

The families dismantled their homes after three years of government harassment and intimidation, with no choice but to accept inadequate compensation rather than have their homes demolished.

"Amnesty International strongly condemns this forced eviction and the deeply flawed process that led to it," said Brittis Edman, Amnesty International's Cambodia researcher.

Before dawn on Friday, at least 70 security forces, some armed with guns and electronic batons, moved in and blocked off the area known as Group 78 where four remaining families were holding out. Human rights workers and journalists were monitoring the situation. Dozens of hired workers demolished what was left of the dismantled houses. Within hours, the resisting families had agreed to leave.

The families in Group 78 had been living under the threat of forced evictions for three years, with the Cambodian authorities following none of the safeguards required under international law.

"Group 78 was clearly cut off from due process and denied justice. The Municipality of Phnom Penh made no attempts to properly consult with the affected community or explore any feasible alternative to eviction," said Brittis Edman. "This makes a mockery of the government's obligations to protect the right to housing."

The Municipality issued a final eviction notice to Group 78 in April 2009 and, in a series of subsequent meetings, officials, including Phnom Penh's deputy governor, warned the community that the police and military police would demolish their homes if they did not accept the compensation on offer. The community had also received information that up to 700 security forces had been mobilized for the eviction.

Group 78 residents started moving into the area on the riverfront in 1983 and have applied for formal land titles several times since 2006, but the authorities have ignored their applications in spite of official documentation proving strong ownership claims.

The final eviction order was issued by the Municipality, which has no mandate under national law to issue such a document, and without the judicial overview required under the 2001 Land Law. It was issued despite the fact that a local Commission has yet to determine who owns the disputed land. The options for alternative accommodation and compensation offered by the Municipality were inadequate.

Under international law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights (ICESCR), Cambodia is prohibited from carrying out forced evictions, and must protect people from forced evictions.

The Cambodian Government has consistently failed to guarantee the right to adequate housing and protect its population against forced evictions. In 2008 alone, Amnesty International received reports about 27 forced evictions, affecting an estimated 23,000 people. Amnesty International is repeating its calls on the government to end forced evictions and introduce a moratorium on all mass evictions until the legal framework protects human rights.

As part of its Demand Dignity campaign, launched in May 2009, Amnesty International has called on the Cambodian Government to end forced evictions and introduce a moratorium on all mass evictions until the legal framework protects human rights.

The organization also called on governments globally to take all necessary measures, including the adoption of laws and policies that comply with international human rights law, to prohibit and prevent forced evictions.

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US Aid ‘Fits’ Cambodian Needs: Officials

With questions arising over the focus of US developmental assistance, officials and analysts say US involvement in Cambodia can help the country stay on a democratic path and respect human rights.

Oxfam America issued a report in June saying US assistance in Cambodia needed clarity of purpose and guarantees it was reaching those it was meant to help.

The report comes amid improving bilateral relations between the two, with the US lifting of a ban on direct aid in 2007 and the recent removal of Cambodia from a US list of Marxist-Leninist countries.

Cambodia says the aid has come with clear objectives that match the government’s development priorities, especially in the social sector.

“US aid has so far fit with what Cambodia wants,” Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said by phone last week. “For example, assistance in the health sector that the US focuses on is in infectious diseases, maternal health, and, recently, the flu.”

Oxfam acknowledged a positive impact from US aid in protecting citizens’ rights through legal advocacy, improving income and active participation in community work. But the report also highlighted doubts over a policy shift, with civil society concerned that democracy and human rights were no longer a US priority.

“Cambodia still has problems related to the respect for human rights and democracy,” Yeng Virak, executive director of Community Legal Education Centre, told VOA Khmer in a phone interview. “We think it is still a priority…and we need support from America.”

US assistance to Cambodia averaged $41.55 million between 2002 and 2007, with its focus mainly on health, especially in HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention. Some of the money went to strengthening the rule of law, human rights, good governance and civil society.

“We’ve had a long history of working on specific areas with the government and civil society, and in general we try to seek a coordinated approach,” US Embassy spokesman John Johnson told VOA Khmer recently. “And so on all the issues that come up, whether human rights or rule of law, we work in cooperation with the Royal Government of Cambodia and with our partners in civil society and the NGO community.”

Hang Chhuon Naron, secretary-general of the Ministry of Finance, said most US development is executed by civil society.

“There is still confusion, that once the US improves its relations with Cambodia, it will stay away from civil society,” he said. “This is impossible.”

Development needs remain: post-war Cambodia is plagued by corruption, repressed freedoms, impunity and exploitation.

The country must improve if its leaders expect outside support to continue, said Sam Rainsy, the head of the opposition, whose officials often point out to donors where their money is being spent.

“US policy is very broad,” Sam Rainsy said. “It has helped civil society, and now it has extended its assistance to strengthen better management of our country.”

“If we don’t improve, [the US] won’t help,” he said. On the other hand, “unless it provides assistance, it won’t have access to improving what it deems bad activities within the government.”


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Film Commission to Aid Ailing Industry

The Cambodian Film Commission officially launched Thursday in what local and international filmmakers say could help save the country’s flagging film industry.

Staffed by experienced local and foreign filmmakers, the CFC will train Cambodian professionals in film production and seek to attract more foreign companies to shoot movies in the country.

“The goal is to attract more productions in Cambodia and to be the gate for foreigners,” CFC Executive Director Cedric Eloy said.

Many filmmakers in America, Australia and Europe were previously reluctant to shoot in Cambodia because the country did not make it easy for them to do so, Elroy said. Foreign filmmakers have to go through several ministries and authorities before they are granted shooting permits, he said.

Cambodia’s film industry reached its peak during the 1960s under the leadership of former king Norodom Sihanouk, who directed and starred in myriad films. Although film productions re-emerged a decade ago, the industry has seen a sharp decline for the past few years.

Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Him Chem said at the inauguration Thursday Cambodia welcomed foreign filmmakers.

“Cambodia is a destination for foreign film productions,” he said, adding that the presence of more professional cameras capturing Cambodia could mean the salvation of dying Cambodian films.

Rithy Panh, an internationally recognized filmmaker and director of the Bophana Audiovisual Center, a partner of the CFC, said Thursday that Cambodian film would not die out.

“The CFC will be a training group to make Cambodian films stronger,” he said.


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READ MORE - Film Commission to Aid Ailing Industry

Cambodia Readies for Disability Law

King Norodom Sihamoni recently approved a historic law for the disabled, which seeks to improve their lives and promote their rights.

The 60-article law, signed July 3, aims to provide annual financial support for people with serious disabilities, including the elderly, while providing training for people who wish to seek jobs.

In Phnom Penh, the law went into effect Friday, while in all other provinces and municipalities it goes into effect July 22.

The law calls for jail sentences up to five years and fines up to 10 million riel, or $2,500, for those who intentionally abandon the disabled or exploit them.

“This is the first disability law to be implemented in Cambodia’s history,” Sem Sokha, secretary of state at the Ministry of Social Affairs, told VOA Khmer. “I believe it is a very important law for promoting the lives of disabled people and protecting them.”

Three decades of war have given Cambodia more than half a million people with disabilities, creating a large disadvantaged group that faces discrimination in employment, health and education.

This year’s law is the result of heavy lobbying by non-governmental groups since 1996.

“It’s great to have the law signed,” said 45-year-old Yous Pisey, who lost both legs to a landmine 21 years ago and had lived in a Phnom Penh pagoda and sewn scarves until the global financial crisis put her out of work.

“I hope that from now on the government will take a good care of us and search for people with disabilities, like me, to promote our livings by providing an actual career,” she said in a recent interview.

Not everyone is optimistic.

“I don’t think a law can help all people with disabilities,” said one woman who was nine months pregnant with one disabled leg. “I don’t believe this is so.”

Whether or not it helps everyone, the law will help promote the lives of some through education, training and job centers, said Lash Urike, coordinator for Handicap International France.

Ngin Saorath, executive director of Cambodia’s Organization, said his group plans to monitor the implementation of the law closely to ensure people with disabilities benefit from it.


From: http://www.voanews.com/khmer

READ MORE - Cambodia Readies for Disability Law

Slow start likely for infant bourse

What is Tong Yang Securities?
Tong Yang Securities is one of the leading investment banks (IBs) in South Korea. It has the largest branch network across the country and the largest retail market share in terms of cash management accounts. We have an outstanding specialty in bond markets; we have been the number one primary dealer in Treasury bonds and also took the first place in the corporate bond market in the first quarter of this year. We have maintained our strong position in almost every IB business, including IPOs.

What preparations are you making ahead of the launch of the Cambodian stock market?
We are carefully assessing the potential of the Cambodia market and setting up an IB practice here. We already have three years' experience in Cambodia and believe we are well ahead of others in preparation for the Cambodia stock exchange.

What exhange-related businessed will you conduct?
We will be an investment bank and financial services company, providing the entire range of services to companies who want to go public on the stock exchange. We will also offer other financial services, such as corporate finance, stock market-related financing services and brokerage services.

How do you rate the exchange's prospects?
It is a little too early and difficult to forecast the future of the new Cambodia Stock Exchange (CSX). However, when we look at neighbouring countries like Vietnam and China, we can somewhat imagine the future of CSX 5 or 10 years down the road. The Vietnamese market was established in 2000, almost 10 years ago, and it started with only two listed companies. Now, almost 400 companies are being traded. And 20 years ago, the Chinese market was opened with only 14 listed companies; now more than 1,000 companies are being traded. By simply comparing these countries with Cambodia in terms of the size of the economies and history of stock markets, we can expect the CSX to have around 40 to 50 companies on the board after 10 years, even though we may only start with a couple of companies.

What must local companies do if they hope to list?
There are several concerns that local companies have when it comes to going public on the stock exchange because for too many years most local companies have operated in a traditional local business environment. [This is characterised by] family businesses, a local standard of accounting, and informal management skills or strategies. There are many issues we should address, but some companies - though not every company - have already met the requirements to go public. But many still need to upgrade their management standards.

The government says it plans to launch the exchange by year end. Do you think any companies will be ready to list then?
I am not in the best position to answer that question, though it will be a little more realistic to say that we still need at least three more months after the complete system is in place. In other words, even if some companies have completed internal IPO preparations and are ready to apply for a listing, those companies still need to go through application, registration and approval processes, and that will take a couple more months. So let's wait until we see the entire system is ready.

Are you currently preparing any companies for an IPO?
We are helping several companies in their preparations for going public, both state-owned enterprises and private companies. We are at the stage of signing contracts with some of them, but this is confidential.

What fees do you charge?
It varies. Each company has different issues to be dealt with, and the size of the IPO is another variable when it comes to the fee, but it is normally between 3 percent and 5 percent of the capital increase resulting from the IPO. For example, if one company successfully sells its shares and increases its capital by $100 million, we charge between 3 and 5 percent of that.

What obstacles are in the way of the stock market?
It is not so much obstacles but challenges that need to be addressed. Information and education continue to be provided to the public. Training programmes need to continue until we have sufficient well-trained human resources in place. A legal framework and accounting standards are still needed. I understand the Cambodian government is working very hard to address these issues, but the private sector also needs to participate and cooperate with the government on this national project.

Finance Minister Keat Chhon has raised concerns that many local companies have no intention of joining the stock market because they are worried that it will make it impossible for them to avoid paying taxes. Do you share his concerns?
I understand what his concerns are about. It is true in part that there are still many local companies that are reluctant to become public companies. I guess it is mainly because they have for too long been settled in the traditional family business environment. However, I believe many intelligent entrepreneurs will soon understand when it is right time for them to change and adapt to the new environment.

Most companies in Cambodia, and even state-owned companies, have never released their financial statements publicly. Do you think they will change their habits if they go public?
The listed companies will be required to release all information that concerns their public shareholders. This is the most important responsibility of public companies towards their public shareowners. And local companies will realise that transparency will eventually take them to a global standard where they can survive and prosper in this tough, competitive world.

Some experts have said that Cambodia does not have the required number of qualified people to establish the securities market by year's end, and that South Korean leaders and experts will be required. What is your view?
I believe that no country has ever had enough resources and experience when they started their stock markets. What we are talking about is the beginning of a long-term national project. We are talking about giving birth to a baby, not a mature adult of a stock exchange. We may only start with a couple of companies on the board at the beginning stage, and then we need to continue to develop the project by providing good education, protection and nutrition etc. But I have no doubt that Cambodia should have a stock exchange now.

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READ MORE - Slow start likely for infant bourse