July 30, 2004 - Malaysia helps Cambodia improve rail system

Kuala Lumpur, July 30 (VNA) - Malaysia pledged on Thursday to help Cambodia fill missing links in a major Asian rail project that is expected to stretch from Singapore to southern China.  Officials from Malaysia's Transport Ministry will enlist local contractors and private firms to provide Cambodia with materials worth about 13 million USD to build its part of a proposed 5,382-kilometer rail line, according to Bernama News Agency."We've agreed to give them the railway tracks in order to enable some of the missing link in Cambodia to be connected,'' Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying after a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong. The regional initiative, which was first proposed by Malaysia in 1995, calls for a route from Singapore to Kunming, the capital of China's southernmost province Yunnan. The project, spearheaded by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is expected to better bind the economies of the region and provide southern China with easier access to ASEAN markets.-Enditem

July 30, 2004 - Rights Groups Raise Alarm Over Cambodia

July 29, 2004 - Ban Placed on Cambodia Casino Building Material

July 28, 2004 - Release of journalist in Cambodia welcomed

The International Federation of Journalists welcomed today the release of an Irish man detained for two days in a remote jungle.  Kevin Doyle, editor of English-language newspaper The Cambodia Daily, was arrested in the eastern province of Ratanakiri for alleged human trafficking while covering a story about Vietnamese refugees.  He was detained along with an interpreter, an aid worker from local human rights organisation Adhoc and a journalist from Radio Free Asia on Sunday while trying to track down a Christian hill tribe fleeing Vietnam for Cambodia.  The IFJ issued a statement welcoming the decision by the Cambodian authorities to release the men.  General secretary Aidan White said: “We welcome the release of our colleagues but we remain astonished as to why they were detained in the first place.  “We can only assume that they are the victims of censorship and intolerance on the part of the authorities.”  The group was released yesterday following 48 hours of “secrecy and deception” by the Cambodian authorities.  At a press conference on Monday, Long Visalo, State Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed “the two journalists had performed illegal tasks beyond the capacity of the profession”.  Mr White said such attempts to harass and intimate journalists were a “gross misunderstanding” of the nature of the job.  Radio Free Asia said it believed the arrests were intended to frighten Vietnamese asylum seekers away from Cambodia and prevent the media from reporting on the plight of the Vietnamese hill tribe, who were United States allies in the Vietnam War.  Mr Doyle, 36, spoke to relatives and colleagues on his release yesterday and confirmed he was well. He said the experience would not deter him from covering the story, which he has been working on for the last two months.  He is originally from Lucan, Co Dublin, but has been working in Cambodia since 1998 and lives with his wife in the capital Phnom Penh.

July 28, 2004 - Cambodia's king fears political storm clouds gathering

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk has warned of a worsening political crisis in the kingdom despite the formation of government earlier this month after a year-long deadlock. King Sihanouk says Cambodia's constitution and democracy have been "disfigured" by a law the national assembly passed to ensure Prime Minister Hun Sen retains the top spot.   He says claims by Hun Sen that the opposition Sam Rainsy Party is attempting to assemble rebels to topple the new government, represents a serious national divide and a political crisis.   Sam Rainsy has vowed to rally international support against the new coalition government.

July 27, 2004 - Cambodia Releases Journalists, Human Rights Worker

Police in Cambodia have released two journalists and a human rights worker arrested Sunday while investigating the plight of ethnic Montagnards in the country.   A Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman says the three were released Tuesday without charge. He did not elaborate, but their employers said the three were originally charged with human trafficking.  Among these arrested were a Cambodian reporter for U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia, as well as the Irish-born editor of the Cambodian Daily newspaper. Their employers say the three were in northeastern Cambodia covering the Montagnards, who fled Vietnam's Central Highlands to escape alleged political and religious repression.  Vietnam denies the charges, and has accused the U.N. refugee agency of trying to lure the Montagnards out of the country.

July 25, 2004 - Mendel creates Cambodia relief - Helping Cambodian Firefighters

July 25, 2004 - Cambodian PM flexes muscle over mystery anti-government rebels

In an apparent bid to rattle the opposition, Cambodia's Prime Minister has given unnamed rebels 15 days to turn themselves in without penalty. Last week Hun Sen alleged hundreds of opposition-linked people were mustering troops in a bid to unseat him.  His allegations are being seen as a move to dampen vocal criticism from the Sam Rainsy party which is again sitting in opposition.  While Hun Sen claims he's not targetting any particular political party, the Sam Rainsy Party has written to King Norodom Sihanouk seeking his intervention over the accusations.  Sam Rainsy had labelled the manoevrings to secure the coalition pact, which allowed for the formation of the new government, as illegal and has vowed to rally international support against the new government.   Hun Sen has warned foreign embassies not to harbour any of the alleged rebels.  ABC Asia Pacifc TV / Radio Australia
 

Another Story: Claims the opposition in Cambodia is under pressure from PM

A senior US senator says Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has stepped up threats against the democratic opposition, one of whose leaders he said fears returning home from the United States.   Senator John McCain claimed that 20 of Cambodia's Sam Rainsy Party members were in hiding, fearful of Hun Sen's threats.  He says the opposition leader Sam Rainsy who is visiting the United States, has solid reason to fear for his safety upon his return to Cambodia.  Senator McCain says he is deeply concerned by reports that Prime Minister Hun Sen has stepped up threats against Cambodia's democratic opposition.

July 25, 2004 - Thai PM warns migrant workers must register or be deported

BANGKOK: All illegal migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos will be deported from Thailand if they do not register with authorities this month, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned.  Thailand has set a deadline of July 31 for more than 1.2 million illegal workers from the three nations to register with the labour ministry as a way to help resolve a longstanding concern in the region.  "After July 31, illegal workers will be arrested and deported to their countries in any circumstances," Thaksin was quoted as saying by the Nation newspaper.  More than 766,000 have already registered, including 550,000 Myanmar nationals, 115,000 from Laos and 97,000 Cambodians, the daily cited Thaksin as saying.
The process costs a reported 3,800 baht (93 dollars) each and includes a medical check-up, medical insurance and a work permit.  Non-governmental organizations and Thailand's human rights commission have highlighted deteriorating conditions for the kingdom's 1.2 million to two million migrant workers, most of them women, who often toil and live in squalor in dozens of factories along the Myanmar border.  The groups have argued for years for improved working conditions for the migrants, the vast majority of whom are from Myanmar, particularly as their lack of legal status exposes them to exploitation and sexual abuse.  The Nation cited senior officials as saying traffickers of migrant workers will face prison terms of up to 10 years, and that beginning August 1 the premier had agreed to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest of traffickers and illegal workers.- AFP

July 24, 2004 - EU pledges funds to boost human rights in Cambodia

The European Union says it will hand out grants worth a total of 600-thousand US dollars to projects aimed at improving human rights in Cambodia. The money would fund activities focusing on human rights education and training, improved access to the legal system and conflict prevention and resolution, a delegation of the European Commission said in a statement. Aid-dependent Cambodia is struggling to emerge from decades of war that only ended in 1998. AFP newsagency says its judiciary is weak and corrupt and arbitrary arrests persist among an array of other major human rights problems.

July 24, 2004 - PM meets Cambodian leader, discusses region

 HA NOI — Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Laos should further promote socio-economic co-operation in the interest of their citizens in far-flung border areas, said Cambodia’s acting head of State, Samdech Norodom Ranariddh.  Ranariddh told Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on Wednesday that his Viet Nam visits were positive and expressed his wish to return to witness the country’s development. Khai praised the agreement reached between the Cambodian People’s Party and the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Co-operative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC). Khai told Ranariddh that it was an important event in bringing stability and further development to Cambodia.  Khai congratulated Ranariddh on being elected speaker of parliament and believed that in this new position, Ranariddh would further contribute to the development of Cambodia as well as the friendship between the two countries.  Earlier, Khai also met with acting speaker of parliament Samdech Heng Somrin. — VNS

July 24, 2004 - Nigerian-born brothers nabbed over ecstasy stash in Cambodia

Cambodian police have arrested two Nigerian-born brothers, one of them a British citizen, accused of trafficking thousands of ecstasy tablets into the kingdom. Peter Brown, and his British brother Joseph Sundeffu Brown were arrested on Tuesday when police raided their rented house in the capital, PHNOM PENH. Interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak told AFP the arrest was made following cooperation with international law enforcement agencies.
He said the men would be formally charged shortly.  Drug trafficking in Cambodia carries a sentence of between 10 years and life imprisonment.

Another Story: Nigerian-born brothers charged over trafficking ecstasy into Cambodia
 

PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian court has formally charged two Nigerian-born brothers, one of them a British citizen, with trafficking thousands of ecstasy tablets into the kingdom.  Peter Brown, 45, and his 51-year-old British brother Joseph Sundeffu Brown were arrested Tuesday when police raided their rented house in the capital and found 3,165 ecstasy pills, allegedly smuggled in from Belgium.  They were tracked down after police nabbed Cambodian Kim Sovann, 46, who was arrested on the same day in possession of 1,000 ecstasy pills and is alleged to have been working with them.  According to their charge warrant signed by Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor Khut Sopheang, Peter Brown was charged with drug trafficking while Sundeffu Brown and Kim Sovann were charged with being accomplices.  Ecstasy has a street value of 10 to 15 dollars in Phnom Penh, where consumption of the party drug is relatively low but rising among the capital's young middle class.  Meanwhile, five Cambodians in northeastern Kampong Cham province were Saturday charged with trafficking methamphetamines, which the UN warned last month is soaring in popularity in the kingdom.  "The five were arrested Friday in possession of along with 27,200 methamphetamine pills and have been charged by the provincial court today," police chief Kang Sakhon told AFP.  Drug trafficking carries a penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment.  Cambodia is growing in importance as a trans-shipment point for Southeast Asia's drugs production, including heroin from the notorious Golden Triangle.

- AFP
 

July 23, 2004 - Sihanouk slams bloated government

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk made a short but sharp criticism yesterday of the kingdom's bloated new government, formed last week after a year-long impasse.   The number of top posts in the new administration led by Prime Minister Hun Sen has jumped from around 200 to 334, while Cabinet slots have more than doubled to 186. In a message posted on his website, the king - who is in self-imposed exile in North Korea - noted that Cambodia is about one-third the size of France and is home to less than a quarter of the former colonial power's population. He then writes: 'Government: France, 2004, 44 members. Cambodia, 20 July, 2004, 334 members. Any comment from me would be superfluous.' Analysts have charged that the slew of positions created to keep members of both Mr Hun Sen's party and his coalition partner Funcinpec happy will result in an oversized political elite that the country can ill-afford. -- AFP

July 23, 2004 - VN, Laos and Cambodia mull economic triangle

SEAM REAP, Cambodia — Leaders of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia began talks on Wednesday focused on efforts to accelerate economic development in the three Mekong-region countries.  Meeting in Seam Reap, Cambodia, for their third round of talks, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his Lao and Cambodian counterparts, Bounnhang Vorachith and Hun Sen, reviewed a programme to create a development triangle encompassing the three nations.  They discussed measures to speed up the programme and agreed to focus on developing a transport network, electricity, trade, tourism, human resource training and health care.  Besides approving certain proposals mooted at a meeting of high-ranking officials in Seam Reap earlier this week, the leaders called for working out a master plan for socio-economic development in seven contiguous provinces in the three countries.  The plan would be submitted to them for approval at the ASEAN 10 Summit in the Lao capital, Vientiane, in November.  The leaders agreed it was critical to intensify co-operation in the Mekong sub-region to ensure the three countries benefited and their environment and resources safeguarded.  They also exchanged views on co-operation for fighting international crimes and terrorism.

Co-operation envisaged

The plan to form a development triangle comprising the three neighbours was initiated by the prime ministers at their first meeting in Laos five years ago.  It was fleshed out at the second meeting in 2002 with focus on the seven provinces, Ratanakiri and Strung Treng in Cambodia, Attopeu and Sekong in Laos, and Kon Tum, Dac Lac and Gia Lai in Viet Nam.  All these provinces were socio-economically backward and shared similarities in terrain, land and climate, and had the potential to develop agriculture, forestry, farm processing, light industries, tourism and trade.  While the programme has so far concentrated on these provinces, it is proposed to be expanded to cover the whole of Viet Nam’s Central Highlands, north-eastern Cambodia and southern Laos, thereby serving the three countries’ border security needs.  One of its priorities is establishing a transport network linking the triangle with the three capitals and Viet Nam’s sea ports.  The countries have also agreed to build a power transmission network and develop a small-scale hydro-electric model by 2010 to supply power to the Lao and Cambodian provinces from Viet Nam.  Many measures have been devised to accelerate trade in the triangle – like setting up border economic and trade areas, simplifying customs procedures and offering incentives to investors.  The three have agreed upon a joint tourism campaign with the slogan "Three countries – one destination" and are building common tourist routes by linking world heritage sites recognised by UNESCO in each country.

Bolstering programme

To strengthen the programme, the prime ministers decided to dovetail it with their national plans and with bilateral and multilateral programmes in the Greater Mekong sub-region and ASEAN.  They called for international financial assistance for implementing it.  With Laos preparing to host the ASEAN summit-10 and a summit meeting of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam next November, the leaders pledged their strong support for the effort.  Agreeing a further consolidation of their traditional friendship and solidarity was an important factor in ensuring each country’s stability and development, the three prime ministers to convene their fourth meeting in Laos in 2005. — VNS

July 22, 2004 - Life after Pol Pot is prosperous in Cambodia

July 22, 2004 - Mekong delta fruits well known abroad

Tien Giang  (VNA) - Mekong delta Tien Giang province's fruits such as sweet mango, pomelo, star apple and blue dragon are sold in large quantities in China, the Republic of Korea, the US and Cambodia.  The province now has 54,000 ha of orchards, yielding over 500,000 tonnes of fruits each year, most of which are exported.   

July 22, 2004 - Cambodia's acting head of state slips back home

Cambodia's acting head of state Chea Sim is back home just a week after police escorted him out of the kingdom.  Chea Sim, who leads a rival faction in Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party, was whisked to Thailand, ostensibly for medical treatment, after he refused to sign a controversial bill aimed at clearing the way for a government to be formed, a year after elections.  The ruling Cambodian People's Party continues to strongly deny any rift . 
Cabinet director Chea Sorn says a national announcement would be made soon to reassure the people that all's well.  The new administration is expected to soon pass crucial legislation that has been blocked since inconclusive elections held in July 2003.

July 22, 2004 - Tripartite meeting charts development course for  the triangle

July 22, 2004 - Coroner queries overdose verdict on death of Diana's wayward stepbrother

London - The death of Princess Diana's step-brother, whose body was found in April in his flat in Cambodia, remains a mystery, a British inquest concluded on Wednesday.It could not be determined whether 49-year-old Adam Shand Kydd died from an overdose of tranquilisers found near his body, through heart disease or another cause, the hearing in London was told.Shand Kydd, a witty and popular socialite whose life drifted somewhat after his writing career failed to take off, was found naked on a bed in a small apartment in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.Packets of the tranquiliser Valium with 94 pills missing were found in the apartment, as well as a drug to prevent panic attacks and a generic version of the impotency drug Viagra, Westminster Coroner's court heard.Two days before his death, Shand Kydd was seen acting strangely, throwing his clothes around the room and slapping his head several times.
Coroner Paul Knapman recorded an open verdict, saying that an initial Cambodian police investigation which concluded Shand Kydd died from a sleeping pill overdose "leaves something to be desired". Shand Kydd was one of three children born to businessman Peter Shand Kydd from his first marriage, which ended in divorce after he met and fell in love with Diana's mother.  Diana was herself the product of the marriage of Frances Roche - later Frances Shand Kydd - to the Eighth Earl Spencer, which ended in divorce in 1968.  Earl Spencer was granted custody of Diana and her siblings, and she was not brought up with the Shand Kydd children. - Sapa-AFP

July 22, 2004 - Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian PMs discuss triangle development
 

July 20, 2004 - Downer pushes for Khmer Rouge tribunal

Australia has urged Cambodia to create a Khmer Rouge tribunal now that a new government has been formed after a year of negotiations.The Federal Government has urged quick action on other key legislation held up for the last 12 months, such as Cambodia's accession to the World Trade Organisation and reform of the legal system.Foreign Minister Alexander Downer made the call in a statement welcoming the formation of a new Cambodian Government last week, following the national elections in July last year.He says Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised legislation to establish a Khmer Rouge tribunal as a top priority for the new government.Mr Downer says Australia has promised $3 million over three years to help the tribunal.He says Australia will cooperate strongly with Cambodia on transnational crime issues such as the trafficking of women and children, people smuggling and counter-terrorism.Mr Downer says Australia will work to strengthen the rule of law in Cambodia.

July 19, 2004 - Prime Minister to leave for Cambodia
Ha Noi, July 19 (VNA)-Prime Minister Phan Van Khai will leave Ha Noi for Cambodia on Tuesday for the 3rd conference of the Prime Ministers of Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos.  PM Khai will attend the conference, scheduled for July 20 and 21 in Siem Reap province, at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.  He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, Cabinet Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Doan Manh Giao, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Duy Hung.  Vice Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong, Vice Minister of National Defence Phan Trung Kien, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Dinh Khien, Vice Minister of Trade Do Nhu Dinh, Vice Minister of Transport and Communication Ngo Thinh Duc and Prime Minister's Assistant Nguyen Duc Hoa will join the delegation.-Enditem

July 19, 2004 - China's Dams Threaten Mekong, Conservationists Say

July 19, 2004 - Cambodians wary that new government
could be unwieldy and corrupt