tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60687959924258125962024-03-05T10:56:08.968-08:00Mount Dong RaekPhratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-80612820846878484472011-02-09T03:09:00.000-08:002011-02-09T03:10:39.393-08:00Cambodian PM Calls Border Clashes "Real War"<p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday that the recent clashes with Thailand in the disputed border areas were "a real war".</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"This is the real war, not the military clash," he said while closing the annual conference of the <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="ministry" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Denglish.cri.cn" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Denglish.cri.cn" leohighlights_underline="true">Ministry</leo_highlight> of Commerce. "Thailand created this war. (Thai Prime Minister) Abhisit must be responsible for the war." </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Hun Sen accused Thai troops of firing cluster bomb at Cambodian troops. "Our war with Thailand will be taking long time," he said. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Hun Sen also called for international mediation in bilateral negotiations. "There will be no more bilateral talks, and all negotiations will be participated by the third party," he said, adding that "now bilateral mechanism is worthless, so it need international mechanism." </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"Thai government should not be afraid of international mechanism," the premier said. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict just a week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was awarded World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The conflict is due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in casualties of troops on both sides.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The latest four-day clashes on Feb. 4-7 have already left both sides' soldiers dead or wounded, at the same time, tens of thousands of the two countries' villagers nearby the disputed areas fled to safe shelters.</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-2954424168905831532011-02-09T03:07:00.001-08:002011-02-09T03:08:38.401-08:00Avian Flu Results in the Death of a Five Year Old Cambodian Girl<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://topnews.net.nz/images/Avian-Flu.jpg" alt="Avian Flu Results in the Death of a Five Year Old Cambodian Girl" align="left" height="155" width="155" />An announcement made by the World Health Organization on Wednesday has informed that the dreaded bird flu has resulted in the death of a girl. The deceased has been identified as a five-year old girl from the African country of Cambodia. The death is the first fatality caused by the virus, since the last fatality, which was reported in the beginning of 2010.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The girl had fallen ill on the 30th of January in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The girl was hospitalized immediately and was taken to a hospital with coughing and shortness of breath. Following the suffering, she breathed her last on the 4th of January.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">A joint statement released by the Cambodian Government and the WHO has stated that the girl was receiving treatment in an ICU, but, died 12-hours after she was admitted because of complications that arose because of the illness. The girl has been identified as the 9th fatality caused by the virus since 2003 and is also the 11th Cambodian to be inflicted with the virus.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Cambodian authorities have already started to look out for people, who might have been exposed to the virus and has started to take preventive measures among those identified.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, the Cambodian Health Minister, Mam Bun Heng, has requested people with underlying ailments to seek medical help, if they have come in contact with a dead or sick poultry bird.</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-39012933913502902022011-02-09T02:58:00.000-08:002011-02-09T03:06:44.535-08:00UNESCO to assess damage to Hindu temple in Cambodia<div style="text-align: justify;"> <script type="text/javascript"> var addthis_pub = "thehindu"; </script> <span class="author"></span><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/200/addthis_widget.js"></script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="art-horizantal-colored"><div id="hcenter"> <img src="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00384/CAMBODIA_THAILAND_384427f.jpg" class="main-image" alt="A weapon is placed on the stone at the entrance of Cambodia's famed Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia." title="A weapon is placed on the stone at the entrance of Cambodia's famed Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia." /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="photo-caption"> <span class="photo-source">AP</span>A weapon is placed on the stone at the entrance of Cambodia's famed Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="articleLead"> <p>UNESCO plans plans to send a mission to assess the damage caused to the 11th century Shiva temple, a World Heritage site, by the recent armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body"> The United Nations cultural agency plans to send a mission to assess the damage caused to the Preah Vihear Temple, a World Heritage site, by the recent armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">Tensions first escalated between the South-East Asian neighbours in July 2008 following the build-up of military forces near the temple, which dates back to the 11th century and is located on the Cambodian side of the border.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">The temple, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) earlier that year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">The temple is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">The site is exceptional for the quality of its carved stone ornamentation and its architecture, adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple, according to UNESCO.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">There have been renewed armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in recent days, prompting calls for restraint by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova on Tuesday reiterated her call for calm and restraint around the temple.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">“World Heritage sites are the heritage of all humanity and the international community has a special responsibility to safeguard them. This requires a collective effort that must be undertaken in a spirit of consultation and dialogue,” she stated in a news release.</p><p style="text-align: justify;" class="body">“Heritage should unite people and serve as an instrument of dialogue and mutual understanding and not of conflict.”</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-62548704173047799562011-02-09T02:55:00.000-08:002011-02-09T02:58:24.855-08:00Border clashes calm between Thailand and Cambodia<div style="text-align: justify;"><!--endclickprintinclude--> <!--startclickprintexclude--> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="cnn_stryathrtmp"><div class="cnnByline">By <b>the CNN Wire Staff</b><script type="text/javascript">cnnAuthor = "By the CNN Wire Staff";</script></div><div class="cnn_strytmstmp"><script type="text/javascript">if(location.hostname.indexOf( 'edition.' ) > -1) {document.write('February 9, 2011 -- Updated 1041 GMT (1841 HKT)');} else {document.write('February 9, 2011 5:41 a.m. EST');}</script>February 9, 2011 -- Updated 1041 GMT (1841 HKT)</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_start --><!-- CONTENT --><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">var clickExpire = "-1";</script> <!-- REAP --><!--startclickprintexclude--> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="cnn_stryimg640captioned"><!--===========IMAGE============--><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/09/cambodia.thailand.violence/t1larg.cambodia.troops.gi.jpg" alt="Cambodian soldiers deployed at a military base near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple close to the Thai border." border="0" height="360" width="640" /><!--===========/IMAGE===========--></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><!--===========CAPTION==========--></div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="cnn_stryimg640caption"><div class="cnn_strycaptiontxt">Cambodian soldiers deployed at a military base near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple close to the Thai border.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><!--===========/CAPTION=========--> <!--endclickprintexclude--><!-- /REAP --></div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="cnn_strylftcntnt"><div class="cnn_strylctcntr"><b>STORY HIGHLIGHTS</b><ul class="cnn_bulletbin cnnStryHghLght"><!-- google_ad_section_start --><li>ASEAN official believes there is overwhelming commitment for a peaceful resolution</li><li>Cambodia handed over a captured Thai soldier on Tuesday</li><li>ASEAN says 5 people have been killed in the clashes</li><li>There have long been sporadic clashes over the Preah Vihear temple</li><!-- google_ad_section_end --></ul></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><!--endclickprintexclude--> <!--startclickprintinclude--> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Bangkok (CNN)</b> -- Border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia over a temple have grown quiet, a Thai military official said Wednesday.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"There has been no gun firing for two days now, the last firing was on Monday," said Col. Shingark Rattanakitti. "The situation in general here is calm, but we are all on high alert." </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The development came as the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pushed for talks between the two nations to end the deadly clashes.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The issue "can only be addressed bilaterally," Marty M. Natalegawa, who is also the Indonesian foreign minister, said Tuesday. He added that he has the impression, after visiting Phnom Penh and Bangkok, that there is an overwhelming commitment on both sides to "address their issues through peaceful means, through dialogues and negotiations."</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The border skirmishes, which started Friday, have killed five people, including members of the military and civilians, a statement from ASEAN said, adding that each nation accuses the other of firing first.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <!--startclickprintexclude--> <script type="text/javascript"> var currExpandable = "expand15"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap === 'object') { CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable); } var currExpandableHeight = 360; </script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="expand15" class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx"> <div style="display: none;" class="cnn_strylceclbtn"><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/mosaic/bttn_close.gif" alt="" border="0" height="23" width="58" /></div> <div style="display: none;" id="videoContainerexpand15" class="parentMediaContainer"><div id="videoContainerexpand15Media" class="mediaContainer"><img src="http://edition.cnn.com/video/world/2011/02/08/temple.cnn.640x360.jpg" alt="" height="360" width="640" /></div></div><img style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" class="box-image" src="http://edition.cnn.com/video/world/2011/02/08/temple.cnn.640x360.jpg" border="0" height="120" width="214" /><cite class="expCaption"><span><br />Thailand, Cambodia clash over temple</span></cite><script type="text/javascript"> var mediaObj = new Object(); mediaObj.type = 'video'; mediaObj.contentId = ''; mediaObj.source = '/video/world/2011/02/08/vassileva.thai.cambodia.temple.cnn'; mediaObj.source = mediaObj.source.replace('/video/',''); </script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <script type="text/javascript"> mediaObj.lgImage = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('src'); mediaObj.lgImageX = 640; mediaObj.lgImageY = currExpandableHeight; mediaObj.origImageX = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('width'); mediaObj.origImageY = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('height'); mediaObj.contentType = 'Video'; CNN.expElements.expand15Store = mediaObj; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var currExpandable = "expand25"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap === 'object') { CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable); } var currExpandableHeight = 436; </script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="expand25" class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx"> <div style="display: none;" class="cnn_strylceclbtn"><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/mosaic/bttn_close.gif" alt="" border="0" height="23" width="58" /></div> <div class="cnnStoryElementBox"><div style="display: none;" id="videoContainerexpand25" class="parentMediaContainer"><div id="videoContainerexpand25Media" class="mediaContainer"><img src="http://i.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/2011/02/travel/gallery.Preah.Vihear.temple/images/hrzgal.monks.afp.gi.jpg" alt="" height="436" width="640" /></div></div><img style="cursor: pointer;" alt="" class="box-image" src="http://i.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/2011/02/travel/gallery.Preah.Vihear.temple/images/hrzgal.monks.afp.gi.jpg" border="0" height="146" width="214" /><cite class="expCaption"><span><br />Gallery: Preah Vihear temple</span></cite><script type="text/javascript"> var cnnGalleryConfig = (location.hostname.indexOf('edition.') > -1) ? 'intl' : 'www'; if(typeof currExpandable != "string") { currExpandable = ''; } var mediaObj = new Object(); mediaObj.type = 'gallery'; mediaObj.contentId = ''; mediaObj.source = 'http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/swf/3.0/story/imagegallery.swf'; mediaObj.galleryUrl = '/interactive/2011/02/travel/gallery.Preah.Vihear.temple/flashxml/index.xml&configUrl=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/ssi/www/misc/3.0/omni/config.xml&emailHandler=onEmailClicked&pageType=Story&pageURL='+window.location.pathname+'§ion='; </script> </div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <script type="text/javascript"> mediaObj.lgImage = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('src'); mediaObj.lgImageX = 640; mediaObj.lgImageY = currExpandableHeight; mediaObj.origImageX = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('width'); mediaObj.origImageY = $(currExpandable).select('img.box-image')[0].readAttribute('height'); mediaObj.contentType = 'Photo gallery'; CNN.expElements.expand25Store = mediaObj; </script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="cnn_strylftcntnt"><div class="cnn_strylctcntr cnn_strylctcqrelt"> <script type="text/javascript"> var cnnRelatedTopicKeys = []; </script> <b>RELATED TOPICS</b> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Thailand's official news agency, MCOT, reported Tuesday, "Since the fighting erupted Friday, one Thai soldier was killed, 25 were wounded and one civilian died in the clashes." </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The report added that Cambodia on Tuesday "handed over a Thai soldier captured during the cross border clash." </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia's official news agency, AKP, reported Tuesday that "Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has sought the United Nations' intervention in arranging a buffer zone" at the border area and wants to make sure the fighting does not expand to other parts of the border.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The U.N. Security Council on Monday expressed "grave concern at aggravation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand" and said it was willing to hold an emergency meeting requested by Cambodia, but first wanted to wait for regional mediation efforts by the Indonesian foreign minister.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">An official Thai report said the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, but skirmishes continued after.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The clashes stem from a longstanding conflict related to the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple. The building sits on a cliff in Cambodian territory, but the most accessible entrance to the site is on the Thai side.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In a letter to the United Nations over the weekend, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that in addition to the human toll the fighting was taking, the temple had suffered damage.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Conflict over the Preah Vihear site has taken place periodically for years. In 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="netherlands" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dnetherlands%26domain%3Dedition.cnn.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dnetherlands%26domain%3Dedition.cnn.com" leohighlights_underline="true">Netherlands</leo_highlight>, ruled that the site was in Cambodia, adding that the structure was "an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture."</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">But Thailand says the 1.8-square mile (4.7-square kilometer) area around Preah Vihear was never fully demarcated, and blames a map drawn at the beginning of the 20th century during the French occupation of Cambodia.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="cnnInline">In July 2008, the United Nations approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site, meaning the U.N. believes the place has outstanding universal value.</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-41426695976953214382011-02-05T18:26:00.000-08:002011-02-05T18:28:07.764-08:00Panich admits bad planning led to detention in Cambodia<div id="heading-panel"> <div id="headergroup"> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; ">From <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/220076/panich-admits-bad-planning-led-to-detention-in-cambodia">Bangkokpost.com</a></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; ">Poor preparation is partly to blame for the arrest of seven Thais, including himself, in Cambodia in late December, admits Bangkok MP Panich Vikitsreth.</span></h2></div></div> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich and six other Thais were detained at Cambodia's Prey Sar prison for nearly a month.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Five of the seven, including Mr Panich, have been freed, after a Cambodian court suspended their jail terms for trespass.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The other two _ Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkhwamkid and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon _ were given six and eight years, respectively, in jail for espionage, an outcome Mr Panich suggests could have been avoided if he had taken more care.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">After being freed, Mr Panich, a Democrat MP, visited the Thais whose concerns about border incursions by Cambodian trips prompted his trip in the first place.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">At the time of his visit to the border area in Sa Kaeo, Mr Panich said he honestly believed that he was on Thai soil and he was unaware that Thai and Cambodian soldiers assume a line to divide their areas of operations there.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich went there after receiving a complaint from Bay Pulsuk, a resident of tambon Khok Sung of Ta Phraya district, Sa Kaeo, that he could not enter his own 23-rai property because it was occupied by Cambodian soldiers.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said he contacted Samdin Lertbutr, a member of the Santi Asoke Buddhism sect, and asked him to take him to the area.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich represents the constituency that includes Bung Kum district, where Santi Asoke's headquarters stands.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Samdin asked Mr Panich to pick him and Tainae Mungmajon up at the Santi Asoke base.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Samdin said he would first take Mr Panich to Prachin Buri.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich reported his planned trip to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Abhisit agreed with the trip and said Mr Panich should be there because it was an MP's duty and Mr Panich was also a member of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">When Mr Panich met Mr Samdin and Mr Tainae, Mr Samdin asked him to pick up the other Thais _ Mr Veera, Ms Ratree and Narumol Chitwaratana.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said he had not previously known the three and he picked them up at the Rong Klua market in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Samdin wanted Mr Veera to join the trip as he is knew the area. The two women were Mr Veera's aides.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">When Cambodian soldiers arrested his delegation, including Kojpollathorn Chusanasevi, Mr Panich's aide, they took the Thais to a pond near their camp.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodian soldiers confiscated their cameras and phones and had them wait there for hours, said Mr Panich.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ms Ratree pulled out a small camera which had not been confiscated by the authorities and took pictures.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Ms Ratree used this camera as the Cambodian soldiers had taken their other belongings, and Thai authorities summoned there to help them were about to take the delegation back.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich held another phone, which had also been overlooked by the Cambodians, which he used to take a picture of Mr Samdin.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said Ms Ratree had just happened to snap a photo at an inappropriate time, but that she only intended to do so to have a souvenir.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The delegation was taken by vehicle to Phnom Penh, a seven-hour trip.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">They reached the Cambodian capital at 11pm on Dec 29, when Cambodian authorities took all their remaining belongings, including the camera in Ms Ratree's bag.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The following morning, they were taken to the Phnom Penh municipal court.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Veera told the court that the small camera belonged to him but Ms Ratree told the court on a separate occasion that the camera belonged to her, as she apparently was seeking to protect Mr Veera.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The seven Thais each faced two charges of illegal immigration and illegal entry into a military compound.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">By the following day, the Thais were told to put on prisoners' outfits, and Mr Veera and Ms Ratree each faced an additional charge of espionage.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said Cambodian authorities based the third charge against Mr Veera and Miss Ratree on the presence of the camera and the disparity in accounts about who owned it.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said Mr Veera had previously told him that the camera did not work.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">That was why Mr Veera shouted to reporters that he had been unfairly charged, because he said he had no intention of spying.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"If Mr Veera [and Miss Ratree] had [only] faced the same charges as me, they would now be free," said Mr Panich.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"They would have been sentenced to nine months in jail, suspended.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"I sympathise with Miss Ratree. She was about to be freed along with the other five of us, but she has faith in Mr Veera and did not want to leave him," Panich said. "We signed a petition for our cases to be finalised as soon as possible but Mr Veera and Miss Ratree signed statements saying they would defend themselves on Feb 1."</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The Democrat MP said that while he had told the prime minister about his trip on the day of their arrest, he had neglected to tell Thai security authorities.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Veera had incorrectly assumed that Mr Panich had informed security authorities.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Panich said the jail terms imposed on Mr Veera and Miss Ratree were too harsh.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"I intended to find out why a villager could not enter his own land," he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"I thought that if we met Cambodian soldiers at the site, we would still be able to return," Mr Panich said. "I did not expect it would turn out this way.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"Mr Veera understood that I had already spoken to authorities about the trip, clearing it advance.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"Actually I had not. I just wanted to see the villager's land," Mr Panich said.</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-36941917445938348482011-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:002011-02-05T18:26:19.712-08:00ASEAN chairman to visit Cambodia soon: government<table border="0" style="text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;"><br /> <span id="ctl00_cph1_Article1_FormView1_LabelChannelPublishDateTime" style="color: Gray; font-weight: normal;"> (philstar.com)</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <!-- start of photo and caption--> <!-- start of photo and caption--> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <!-- end of photo and caption--> <!-- end of photo and caption--> <div class="KonaBody"> <p style="text-align: justify;">PHNOM PENH (<strong>Xinhua</strong>) - Indonesian Foreign Minister R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, who is also the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will pay a one-day official visit to Cambodia soon, according to a press release from the Cambodian <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_2" leohighlights_keywords="ministry" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.philstar.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.philstar.com" leohighlights_underline="true">Ministry</leo_highlight> of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Saturday afternoon.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">It said that during his stay in Phnom Penh, he will hold a bilateral talks with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The statement did not disclose if his visit to Cambodia will discuss about the military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand at the border area near Preah Vihear temple, in his status as the chairman of the ASEAN.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The twice skirmishes on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning between the two neighbors left dozens of troops and locals of the two countries killed and injured.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Koy Kuong, the spokesman for the Cambodian <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_3" leohighlights_keywords="ministry" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.philstar.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.philstar.com" leohighlights_underline="true">Ministry</leo_highlight> of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, could not be reached for comments on Saturday.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.</p></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-77055922253920689702011-02-05T18:24:00.001-08:002011-02-05T18:24:48.915-08:00Thailand, Cambodia Reach Ceasefire Agreement After Cross Border Firing<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><br /></h2> <!-- Removed the byline section from editorials & rewards articles --> <p class="byline" style="text-align: justify;"> Ron Corben</p> <div class="photo480px"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://media.voanews.com/images/480*329/REU_Cambodia_Soldiers_Preah_Vihear_Temple_05Feb2011_480.jpg" alt="Cambodian soldiers sit at Preah Vihear temple after a brief clash with Thai troops, February 05, 2011" title="Cambodian soldiers sit at Preah Vihear temple after a brief clash with Thai troops, February 05, 2011" border="0" height="329" width="480" /></div> <h6 class="credit" style="text-align: justify;"> Photo: Reuters </h6> <p class="caption" style="text-align: justify;">Cambodian soldiers sit at Preah Vihear temple after a brief clash with Thai troops, February 05, 2011</p></div><div class="boxout article"> <h4 class="sectionHeader" style="text-align: justify;">Related Articles</h4> <div class="listBox"> <ul> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Thailand-Cambodia-Clash-at-Border-115266974.html">Thailand, Cambodia Border Fighting Breaks Out Amid Tensions</a></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Domestic-Politics-Drive-Thai-Cambodia-Border-Dispute-115027849.html">Domestic Politics Drive Thai-Cambodia Border Dispute</a></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Thousands-to-Rally-in-Bangkok-Over-Cambodian-Border-Dispute-114537409.html">Thai Nationalists Begin Bangkok Protest Over Cambodia Dispute</a></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Detained-Thais-Face-Spy-Charges-in-Cambodian-Court-113349684.html">Detained Thais Face Spy Charges in Cambodian Court</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <!--endclickprintexclude--> <p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire Saturday after renewed fighting in a disputed border region killed at least one soldier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A tentative ceasefire appeared to be holding late Saturday after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged artillery fire along their shared border.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Military officials from the two countries blamed each other for the outbreak of hostilities, the first in the region resulting in fatalities in a year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn says the military has specific rules of engagement that were also communicated to Cambodia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We have instructed the military to respond only when attacked to specific military targets only, and the Prime Minister asked the officers in the <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" leohighlights_keywords="ministry" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.voanews.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.voanews.com" leohighlights_underline="true">Ministry</leo_highlight> of Foreign Affairs to communicate this intention clearly to Cambodia,” Panitan said. “The Prime Minister also hopes that we can continue to work with Cambodia in achieving a peaceful solution. Only we regret that we have casualties on both sides."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fighting broke out late Friday near the 900 year old Preah Vihear temple in a disputed area near the Thai-Cambodia border. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The fighting is the latest flare-up between the neighboring nations over the disputed land and control of the ancient Hindu temple. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both Cambodia and Thailand have laid claim to the temple. A 1962 World Court ruling awarded it to Cambodia, which also successfully had the temple declared a World Heritage site in 2008. But the exact border near the temple has never been settled, leading to periodic skirmishes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tensions have risen in recent days because of demonstrations by influential Thai nationalist groups demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to take a tougher stance in the border dispute.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Political observers say the clashes mark a setback in steps to promote a wider political security and community grouping within the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Both Thailand and Cambodia are ASEAN members.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan expressed deep concern over the conflict, calling for and end to the violence and a return to negotiations. Surin said both sides appeared open to some form of mediation by ASEAN.</div><p></p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-38856972323695621872011-02-05T18:18:00.000-08:002011-02-05T18:23:36.991-08:00Shaky truce after fresh fighting<div id="heading-panel"> <div id="headergroup"> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; ">THAI SOLDIER KILLED, GOVT THREATENS UNESCO REPRISAL, CAMBODIA GOES TO UN</span></h2></div><!-- end main-sns --> </div><!-- end heading-panel --> <p class="preParagraph" style="text-align: justify;">Thailand is cranking up pressure on Cambodia over the disputed Preah Vihear temple, even as a shaky ceasefire holds after the worst border fighting in two years claimed at least five lives.</p> <div class="articlePhotoCenter"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20110206/231321.jpg" alt="" border="1" hspace="3" vspace="3" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From<a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/220071/shaky-truce-after-fresh-fighting"> Bangkokpost.com</a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">SOLDIER FALLS: The flag-draped body of Sgt Wutcharin Chartkhamdee, who was killed in the border clashes, arrives at Wat Siriwarawat in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district.</p> </div> <p style="text-align: justify;">The government reached a ceasefire with Cambodia yesterday after a resumption of border clashes in the morning killed one Thai soldier, taking the Thai toll to two.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia has said two of its soldiers and one civilian were killed when fighting broke out on Friday, while Thailand said a villager on its side of the border also died.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The resumption of fighting has sent thousands of people living near the border fleeing for safety, and villagers on both sides have been evacuated.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">As Cambodia yesterday released four Thai rangers seized when the clashes broke out on Friday, reports emerged that the Preah Vihear temple may have been damaged.</p> <div class="articlePhotoLeft"><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20110206/231322.jpg" alt="" border="1" hspace="3" vspace="3" /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">SCHOOL CLOSED: The roof of a school in Si Sa Ket damaged by shells allegedly fired by Cambodian troops.</p> </div> <p style="text-align: justify;">Television footage showed smoke plumes rising near the temple, which according to Cambodia suffered "serious" damage in the fighting.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Both sides are now taking their case to international tribunals, which could further ratchet up tension along the border.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the government would seek the suspension of Preah Vihear temple's listing as a Unesco World Heritage site following the flare-up.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The government would also submit a letter to the United Nations Security Council "clarifying" the border clashes.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"I'm asking Thais to support the armed forces in protecting the country's sovereignty," he said, adding that the army would never invade its neighbour.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In Bangkok, a few thousand supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy gathered near Government House calling on the government to resign for its handling of the Cambodia issue.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Abhisit said the clashes show the border issue is sensitive and any move which could exacerbate tensions should be avoided.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Unesco's World Heritage Committee is scheduled to consider the temple's world heritage listing plan, and a development plan for the surrounding area, at a June meeting in Bahrain.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister conveyed his condolences to the families of <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" leohighlights_keywords="the%20clash" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_underline="true">the clash</leo_highlight> victims and said Thai soldiers were simply defending the country's sovereignty after Cambodian troops opened fire on a Thai military base in the Phu Ma Khua area of Si Sa Ket on Friday.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The renewed gunfire yesterday morning killed one soldier and wounded four others. An exchange of heavy artillery shelling on Friday afternoon left one Thai villager dead and scores of troops injured.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Thai soldiers said the morning clash took place near Huay Ta Maria village when Cambodian forces advanced towards <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_1" leohighlights_keywords="the%20village" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520village%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520village%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_underline="true">the village</leo_highlight> and opened fire.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Thai troops retaliated and fighting broke out at two nearby locations of Ban Don-aow pass and a former border patrol base near Pha Mor E-dang.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the renewed fighting killed Sgt Wutcharin Chartkhamdee and left four other soldiers injured.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"We held onto our positions. When Cambodian troops advanced to occupy them, fighting was inevitable," he said.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Second Army commander Lt Thawatchai Samutsakhon led a delegation to meet Cambodia's Military Region 4 commander Lt Gen Chea Mon.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Following the three-hour talks, both sides agreed to stop firing, not to increase their forces in the disputed area, and improve coordination between unit commanders.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya briefed foreign diplomats from 16 countries, after his <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_2" leohighlights_keywords="ministry" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dministry%26domain%3Dwww.bangkokpost.com" leohighlights_underline="true">ministry</leo_highlight> on Friday said Cambodian troops opened fire from the Preah Vihear temple area at the Thai military, and Phum Saron village.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has written to the United Nations to draw its attention to the "explosive situation at the border".</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">In a letter to UN Security Council president Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, he said Cambodian troops had no option but to retaliate in response to "flagrant aggression" by Thai troops.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Col Sansern yesterday admitted the army had reinforced troops and artillery at the border.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, Unesco director-general Irina Bokova expressed her deep concern at the sudden escalation of border tensions.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">She called upon both sides to exercise restraint for the sake of the temple and to talk at the highest levels to defuse the tension.</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-88724655643409605242011-02-04T16:58:00.000-08:002011-02-04T16:59:31.866-08:00Thai, Cambodian troops in deadly clash near temple<div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule" modulename="Related Topics" moduleid="13483815"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="columnRight"><div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2"> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><script type="text/javascript"> if(typeof Reuters.info.skipSlideshow == 'undefined'&& document.getElementById("displayFrame")) {Reuters.utils.addLoadEvent(function() { Reuters.utils.loadScript('sJSON','/assets/multimediaJSON?articleId=UKTRE7131K220110204&setImage=300&view=100&startNumber=1') });}</script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="relatedPhoto landscape" id="articleImage"> <img src="http://uk.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110204&t=2&i=327771230&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2011-02-04T161004Z_01_BTRE71318WU00_RTROPTP_0_THAILAND" alt="A house burns in a Thai village near a 11th-century Preah Vihear temple at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, February 4, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer" border="0" /> <div style="display: none;" class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent"> <div class="rolloverBg"> <div class="captionText"> <p>A house burns in a Thai village near a 11th-century Preah Vihear temple at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, February 4, 2011. </p> <p class="credit">Credit: Reuters/Stringer</p> </div> </div> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="relatedInlineVideo"><script language="javascript" src="http://uk.reuters.com/resources_v2/js/widget-videoexpansion.js"> </script> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="articleText"> <span id="midArticle_start"></span> <div id="articleInfo"> <p class="byline">By Ambika Ahuja</p> <p> <span class="location">BANGKOK</span> <span class="timestamp"></span> </p> </div> <span id="midArticle_0"></span><span class="focusParagraph"><p><span class="articleLocation">BANGKOK</span> (Reuters) - Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire in a two-hour border clash on Friday that killed two Cambodian soldiers and a Thai villager, the latest in an ancient feud over land surrounding a 900-year-old Hindu temple.</p> </span><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The fatalities were the first in the militarised border area since a Thai soldier was shot dead a year ago and could rekindle diplomatic tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbours over the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Cambodia would file a complaint with the U.N. Security Council, accusing Thailand of invading Cambodian territory.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Both sides accused each other of firing first in the 4.6-sq-km (two-sq-mile) disputed area around Preah Vihear, a jungle-clad escarpment claimed by both countries and scene of deadly, sporadic clashes in recent years.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Several Thai soldiers were also wounded and four Thai villages were evacuated, Thai media reported. Five Thai soldiers were captured, said army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"It seems to have been a result of a misunderstanding," Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters. "There is no point in fighting because it could escalate and damage relations... We don't want that."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>The Cambodian government accused the Thai army of targeting Cambodian villagers and said the fighting erupted when Thai soldiers illegally entered Cambodia territory.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>"We said to them 'don't come in the area' and they still came. We fired into the air and they began to shoot at us," said Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>CLASH MAY SPUR THAI NATIONALIST PROTEST</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p><leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="the%20clash" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Duk.reuters.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Duk.reuters.com" leohighlights_underline="true">The clash</leo_highlight> comes three days after a Cambodian court handed down jail terms of six and eight years to two Thai nationalists found guilty of trespassing and spying in the border region, a verdict that has angered some in Thailand.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Shelling began at about 3 p.m. (8:00 a.m. British time) and continued into early evening. Artillery shells landed at several villages on the Thai side, setting at least four houses on fire, witnesses said.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>A Thai police colonel, Chatchawan Kaewchandee, said at least one villager was killed during the shelling. "We found one body of a male villager and there might be more," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>The fighting could give a boost to a small but prolonged protest by Thailand's "yellow shirt" activists demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva take a tougher line against Cambodia.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>Chamlong Srimuang, a yellow shirt leader, said his group would step up pressure on the government, saying the fighting showed that Abhisit was weak in handling border tensions.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>"We have warned about this sort of thing for a long time. We didn't call for a clash just for the government to show our military strength precisely to prevent any clash from taking place," he told reporters.</p></span></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-9821824271063881172011-02-04T16:55:00.000-08:002011-02-04T16:58:27.530-08:002 die as Thai, Cambodian troops battle at border<table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><span class="block-spacer2"></span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><span class="block-spacer2"></span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><span class="block-spacer2"></span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><span class="block-spacer2"></span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><span class="block-spacer2"></span> </td> </tr> </tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="width: 120px; text-align: justify;"> <table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="background-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); 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}catch(ex){} } function closeTbForm() { try{ document.getElementById('jp-talkback-newtalkback').style.display = 'none'; }catch(ex){} } </script><script type="text/javascript"> function SetLargeText() { try { document.getElementById('teaser_val').style.fontSize = '18px'; document.getElementById('body_val').style.fontSize = '18px'; return false; } catch(ex){} } function SetSmallText() { try { document.getElementById('teaser_val').style.fontSize = '15px'; document.getElementById('body_val').style.fontSize = '12px'; return false; } catch(ex){} </script><span class="jp-writer"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblAuthor">By <a href="mailto:jpostcolumns@gmail.com"><u>ASSOCIATED PRESS</u></a> </span> </span> <span class="jp-date"></span><br /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="jp-mainarticle"><div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_art_header"><h2 id="teaser_val"> <span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleTeaser"></span> </h2> <span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArtHeader"></span> </div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <!--[ Block Spacer Start ]--><span class="block-spacer"></span><!--[ Block Spacer End ]--><!--[ Left Content Start ]--> <span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody"><span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2">PHNOM PENH</span>, Cambodia — Cambodian and Thai troops battled for two hours Friday along a disputed stretch of their shared border, trading artillery fire that killed at least two people near an 11th century temple that is a UN World Heritage Site.</span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody"></span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody">The fighting was some of the fiercest in years between the two southeast Asian countries. Tensions between the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">neighbors</span> have been exacerbated in recent days by pressure from powerful Thai nationalist groups, which have been staging protests in Bangkok urging the government to reclaim the land.</span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody"></span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody">While a cease-fire was quickly reached and full-blown war unlikely, the territorial dispute remains volatile, with nationalist passions inflamed on both sides — and no clear way to settle it.</span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody"></span><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_article_control_lblArticleBody">One Thai villager was killed and four Thai troops were slightly <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">injured</span>, Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said. In Cambodia, privately owned Bayon TV reported that one Cambodian soldier was killed and five were wounded.</span></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-36342191307323084272011-02-04T04:23:00.000-08:002011-02-04T04:24:04.336-08:00Fighting breaks out between Thai and Cambodian troops (1st Lead)<h3 class="post-title"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Feb 4, 2011</span><br /></h3> <p> <i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">DPA</span></b></i><br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangkok/Phnom Penh - The Thai military said Friday that Cambodian forces had fired artillery rounds into Thailand near Preah Vihear temple on the joint border, while the Cambodian side blamed Thai troops. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thai radio reports said an estimated 20 shells landed on Thailand's side of the border in Kantalarak district in Si Sa Ket province, 350 kilometres east of Bangkok. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'We can confirm that there has been a clash, but we are still checking the details,' said army spokesman Colonel Sansern Keowkhamnerd. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Thai army was reportedly bulldozing a road in the border area, which has been the subject of numerous spats over the past two and a half years. </div><a name="more"></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A spokesman for the Cambodian government blamed fighting on Thai troops. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Phay Siphan claimed Thai soldiers had crossed 500 metres into Cambodian territory and opened fire despite the efforts of Cambodian troops to avoid violence. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said fighting had begun at 3 pm (0800 GMT) and was ongoing more than an hour later. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Phay Siphan said fighting was underway near Keo Sikha Kirisvara temple, which Thailand claims stands on disputed territory. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was no word on casualties. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangkok recently insisted that Cambodia remove a flag flying over the temple, a demand that Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong rejected earlier on Friday after a meeting with his Thai counterpart. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The clashes come hours after Hor Namhong and Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya wrapped up a meeting stating that a recent build-up of troops would not lead to violence. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thai and Cambodian forces have faced off along the mountain range around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple since July 2008, when UNESCO declared the edifice a World Heritage Site despite Thai objections. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia, Thailand claims a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjacent to the temple, and has blocked Cambodian's efforts to turn the site into a tourism attraction until the border dispute is settled.</div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-1762413878125686252011-02-04T04:02:00.000-08:002011-02-04T04:03:19.776-08:00Troops exchange fire on Thai-Cambodia border<span class="byline"> <span class="byline-name">By Guy De Launey</span> <span class="byline-title">BBC News, Phnom Penh</span> </span> <div class="caption body-narrow-width"> <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51099000/jpg/_51099398_005773184-1.jpg" alt="A Cambodian flag flutters at the Preah Vihear temple" height="171" width="304" /> <span style="width: 304px;"><br />Cambodia secured the World Heritage listing of the ancient Preah Vihear temple in 2008</span> </div> <div class="story-feature related narrow"> <a class="hidden" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12363768#story_continues_1"><br /></a> <h2>Related Stories</h2> <ul class="related-links-list"><li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12338147">Thais guilty of Cambodia spying</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11059580">Thailand to resume Cambodia ties</a></li><li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8354489.stm">Thailand-Cambodia dispute: Key points</a></li></ul> </div> <p class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">Thai and Cambodian soldiers have exchanged fire on a disputed stretch of their border near an ancient Hindu temple, claimed by both countries. </p> <p>A Thai military spokesman confirmed that "sporadic shelling" had taken place in the disputed zone. </p> <p>Tension has been rising in the region in recent days - with both sides moving in more troops. </p> <p>It is the latest in a series of shooting incidents in the Preah Vihear region over the past three years. </p> <p>A Cambodian government spokesman told the BBC that the shooting started at about 1500 local time (0800 GMT). </p> <p>He blamed the encroachment of Thai soldiers on Cambodian territory for the fighting - and said a similar incident had only narrowly been avoided on Thursday. </p> <p>Witnesses in the area said that Thai troops had attacked a Cambodian Buddhist pagoda in a border area claimed by both sides. </p> <p>There has been tension in the region ever since Cambodia secured the World Heritage listing of the ancient Preah Vihear temple in 2008. </p> <p>This caused joy in Cambodia, and anguish in Thailand - which once claimed the temple. </p> <p>This week there has been a build-up of troops and armoured vehicles along the border, as both sides have accused one another of encroachment. </p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-62646688418166182742011-02-04T04:00:00.000-08:002011-02-04T04:01:00.185-08:00Cambodian, Thai troops exchange gunfire at border area<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Clash between Cambodian and Thai troops near the 11th century temple was still on at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and the Cambodian troops have arrested 5-6 Thai troops, said military sources.<div style="text-align: justify;" id="Content" class="artTxt"><span id="Zoom"> <p>"Now, we have arrested 5-6 Thai troops and some raised hands to defect," said a soldier standby at the area of Preah Vihear temple. "Thai side has asked us to do negotiation."</p> <p>Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh told Xinhua through phone on Friday that "We have warned them not to enter our territory, but they still violated and entered, so we opened fire to defend our territory."</p> <p>He added that heavy weapons including rockets, machine guns, mortars and artillery have been used in the exchange of fire.</p> <p>"It's too early to report about the deaths and wounds in <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="the%20clash" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dnews.xinhuanet.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dnews.xinhuanet.com" leohighlights_underline="true">the clash</leo_highlight>," said Tea Banh.</p> <p><leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_1" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_1')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_1')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_1')" leohighlights_keywords="the%20clash" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dnews.xinhuanet.com" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dthe%2520clash%26domain%3Dnews.xinhuanet.com" leohighlights_underline="true">The clash</leo_highlight> started at 3:15 p.m. on Friday afternoon as Thai bulldozers tried to clear the way at the border and enter Cambodia territory and Cambodian troops prevented them from moving into Cambodia at Beehive area in front of Preah Vihear temple, but they did not listen to, "so military clash happened to protect our territory," said the soldier.</p> <p>The incident was the latest in a long-festering dispute over the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple.</p> <p>The incident coincided with the visit of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya in Cambodia to attend the 7th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation.</p> <p>The re-tension between Cambodia and Thailand over the border happened on Jan. 27 after Thailand asked Cambodia to remove a national flag over Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svarak pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, claiming that the pagoda is on the disputed area, but the Cambodian side rejected it.</p> <p>Cambodia has the Preah Vihear temple enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had border conflict over the Thai claim of ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.</p></span></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-79221722873081483692011-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:36:27.844-08:00Historic retreat and rise of the Red Army<div style="text-align: justify;"><img style="width: 225px; height: 260px;" alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Mao_Zedong_portrait.jpg/225px-Mao_Zedong_portrait.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Mao_Zedong_portrait.jpg/225px-Mao_Zedong_portrait.jpg" /><img style="width: 350px; height: 262px;" alt="http://top-10-list.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Mao-Zedong.jpg" src="http://top-10-list.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Mao-Zedong.jpg" /><br />More than 75 years ago, Mao Zedong led nearly 90,000 soldiers in China’s central Red Army on a grueling trek that has been mythologized as the Long March. For Mao, the journey began in 1934 as the ruling Nationalists and the underdog Communists waged a bitter fight for control of China. The Communists were fleeing from the larger and better-armed Nationalist force. History books say only one out of every five people who started out on the Long March was left at the end, but their survival, against all odds, has become one of the founding legends of Chinese Communism. Officially, the Long March covered 10,000 kilometers. The Red Army soldiers trekked on foot, over difficult routes and circuitous trails. They were often forced to retrace their steps many times, as in the famous four crossings of the Chishui River.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="dijitTitlePaneTitle dijitOpen "> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />My VOA colleague Nan Zhang and I went along the path of the Long March. We tried to follow the original route as closely as we could, but to save time, we traveled along roads and new highways. In the end, we covered about 7,500 kilometers in three weeks.<br /><br />The Long March was the focus of the trip, but since the route passed through some of China's poorest and most remote countryside, we also wanted to see how the country’s 800 million peasants cope in the 21st century. We talked to witnesses along the way who saw the Red Army pass through their towns 75 years ago. We found one Long March survivor whose legs were injured in the fighting. We talked to peasants who were stricken by a severe drought this year in the southwestern province of Guizhou. Everywhere we went, peasants told us their lives are better than their parents’ lives were, but they also were eager to discuss their concerns about corruption and growing social inequality. We talked to ethnic Tibetans, who would like to see their religious leader, the Dalai Lama, return from exile in India. We met children who demonstrated their martial arts skills and recited poetry written by the closest figure officially atheistic China has to a god, former leader Mao Zedong.<br /><br />We traveled on some horrible roads. One day the car suffered three flat tires in the middle of nowhere. We also drove on some freshly paved roads and saw grand highways and road tunnels under construction. By the end of 2008, China had more than 60,000 kilometers of highway, second only to the United States, with ambitious plans to add even more in the next decade. China is a country on the move, and as more roads are built through remote rural areas, social changes will accelerate.<br /><br />- Stephanie Ho<br /></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-21658107624646947262011-01-25T07:31:00.001-08:002011-01-25T07:31:27.732-08:00Hundreds Rally in Bangkok Over Cambodian Border Dispute<div class="photo480px"> <img src="http://media.voanews.com/images/480*320/reuters_thailand_protests_25jan11_480.jpg" alt="A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011" title="A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011" border="0" width="480" height="320" /> <h6 class="credit"> Photo: Reuters </h6> <p class="caption">A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011</p> </div> Hundreds of Thai nationalists staged a rally in Bangkok Tuesday to demand the government take a stronger line in its border dispute with Cambodia.<br /><br />About 2,000 to 3,000 members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, also known as the Yellow Shirts, took to the streets under the watchful eyes of nearly 4,000 security forces to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva revoke an agreement on the handling of border issues with Cambodia. The protesters' ranks included two smaller nationalist groups.<br /><br />Five men in possession of unauthorized firearms and explosives were arrested the night before the rally. <br /><br />The PAD has been generally supportive of Mr. Abhisit's government, which is backed by the military and the monarchy. But they feel it responded too weakly to the arrest by Cambodian forces of seven Thai nationals in a contested border area last month. <br /><br />Five of the seven were given suspended jail sentences and have returned to Thailand. But an organizer from the nationalist Thai Patriots Network and his secretary remain in Cambodia facing espionage charges. <br /><br />PAD leaders want the prime minister to renounce a 2000 memorandum of understanding on the handling of border disputes with Cambodia, withdraw from the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO and pressure Cambodian nationals to move out of disputed border areas. UNESCO lies at the heart of a separate border dispute over land near the Preah Vihear temple, which has been declared a world heritage site.<br /><br />PAD has pledged to continue protests indefinitely, but Mr. Abhisit has already rejected their demands as impractical.<br /><br />The Yellow Shirts occupied Government House for three months in 2008, departing only when Mr. Abhisit's predecessor was ousted by a court ruling. <br /><br />PAD is rivaled by the so-called "Red Shirts" who are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, overthrown in 2006 in a bloodless coup. As many as 27,000 to 30,000 Red Shirts held a rally of their own on SundayPhratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-58534680790017950262011-01-25T07:28:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:29:22.633-08:00Southeast Asia facing new 'health crisis'<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="article-images-afp-set"> <div class="article-image-afp-image"> <a class="lightbox-processed" href="http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_wire_image_lightbox/images/afp/photo_1295947036995-1-0.jpg?1295969304" rel="lightbox[][A Philippine boy is innoculated against measles vaccine in a slum area in Manila. Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change, medical papers published Tuesday said.]"><img src="http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_wire_image/images/afp/photo_1295947036995-1-0.jpg" alt="A Philippine boy is innoculated against measles vaccine in a slum area in Manila. Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change, medical papers published Tuesday said." title="A Philippine boy is innoculated against measles vaccine in a slum area in Manila. Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change, medical papers published Tuesday said." width="245" height="200" /></a> <div class="article-main-image-afp-description"> A Philippine boy is innoculated against measles vaccine in a slum area in Manila. Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change, medical papers published Tuesday said. </div> </div> <div class="article-image-afp-image"> <a class="lightbox-processed" href="http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_wire_image_lightbox/images/afp/photo_1295947204993-1-0.jpg?1295969304" rel="lightbox[][People cover their mouths to try and prevent breathing in toxic fumes in a busy Hong Kong shopping district. Controlling diseases is difficult given the variety of economies and health systems across many Asian nations.]"><img src="http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_wire_image/images/afp/photo_1295947204993-1-0.jpg" alt="People cover their mouths to try and prevent breathing in toxic fumes in a busy Hong Kong shopping district. Controlling diseases is difficult given the variety of economies and health systems across many Asian nations." title="People cover their mouths to try and prevent breathing in toxic fumes in a busy Hong Kong shopping district. Controlling diseases is difficult given the variety of economies and health systems across many Asian nations." width="245" height="178" /></a> <div class="article-main-image-afp-description"> People cover their mouths to try and prevent breathing in toxic fumes in a busy Hong Kong shopping district. Controlling diseases is difficult given the variety of economies and health systems across many Asian nations. </div> </div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>AFP - </b>Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change, medical papers published Tuesday said.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"A health crisis is transpiring right before our eyes," warned a paper in the series, published by The Lancet journal, which said chronic diseases such as cancer now account for 60 percent of deaths in the region.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">It was also dubbed a "hotspot" for emerging and difficult-to-control infectious diseases, with outbreaks in avian flu fuelling fears about the possibility of new pandemics spreading from Southeast Asia.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"The pace of demographic change in the region is one of the fastest worldwide, whether it is due to population ageing, fertility decline, or rural to urban migration," said the papers.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"As elsewhere, the disease burden continues to shift from infectious to chronic diseases, yet increased urban population density has created concerns about emerging infectious diseases."</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The reports also point to Southeast Asia being one of the world's most disaster-prone regions, with the environment responsible for up to a quarter of all deaths in an area regularly hit by monsoons and typhoons.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Weather phenomena such as El Nino also "intensify the annual variation of the hot and wet climate, leading to droughts, floods and the occurrence of infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera," said one of the papers.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"Climate change could exacerbate the spread of emerging infectious diseases in the region, especially vector-borne diseases linked to rises in temperature and rainfall," such as dengue, it added.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Deforestation and other human encroachment on wildlife habitats were said to heighten the potential for germs to cross species barriers, as they increase interactions between wildlife, humans and livestock.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Controlling these diseases is difficult given the variety of economies and health systems across the nations analysed: Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">City state Singapore, for example, has a gross domestic product per head of $37,500, while in largely rural Laos the equivalent figure is $890.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Political tensions within and between countries "have the potential to further hinder control" of emerging infections, said the papers, which called for improved surveillance of these health threats across the region.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">They also called for urgent action to tackle Southeast Asia's "epidemic of non-communicable disease", including heart disease, stemming from environmental factors promoting tobacco use, unhealthy diet and inadequate physical activity.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">"Unless nations recognise the problem and take appropriate action, premature death and disability will continue, hindering development where development is needed most."</p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-36662730863022519142011-01-25T07:13:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:14:37.931-08:00Volunteer teaching in Cambodia<div style="text-align: justify;" class="blogHeader"> <div style="width: 460px;"><img src="http://www.tntmagazine.com/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/TNT+TODAY+BLOG.1430/cambodia_2D00_school.jpg" alt="Volunteer in Cambodia." style="width: 460px; border-width: 0px;" /></div> <div class="blogDetails"> <div class="blogpostDetails singlePost floatLeft p10 grayed"> <div class="blogAvatarWrapper"> <img src="http://www.tntmagazine.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.Avatars/00.00.02.55.32/avatar.jpg" alt="" style="border-width: 0px; max-height: 30px; max-width: 30px;" /> </div> <div class="floatLeft blogDetailsText"> Posted by <a href="http://www.tntmagazine.com/members/TNT-Today/default.aspx">TNT Today</a><br /></div> <div class="floatRight"> <div class="smallBookmarks"> <div class="bookmark"> <a style="text-decoration: none;" name="fb_share" type="box_count" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tntmagazine.com%2Ftnt-today%2Farchive%2F2011%2F01%2F24%2Fvolunteer-teaching-in-cambodia.aspx&t=Volunteer%20teaching%20in%20Cambodia%20-%20TNT%20Magazine&src=sp"><span class="fb_share_size_Small fb_share_count_wrapper"><span></span><span class="fb_share_count_nub_top fb_share_no_count"></span><span class="fb_share_count fb_share_no_count fb_share_count_top"><span class="fb_share_count_inner"></span></span></span></a></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Working as a volunteer teaching English to a group of Cambodian kids must be easy, right? TNT's Carol Driver discovered the reality...</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">There are 40 beaming faces staring up at me waiting for my next move. Their eyes sparkle and they giggle as I jump up and down on the spot in front of them, attempting to sing “with a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there” from Old MacDonald’s Farm.<br /><br />I know I look ridiculous, but I’m far from caring. It’s 2pm in Cambodia and it’s a searing 40C. We are crammed into a tiny, non-air-conditioned make-shift classroom in Phnom Penh.<br /><br />I’m trying desperately to keep their attention as they want to go and play.<br /><br />Thankfully it works. By the time I add a pig, cat, cow, horse and dog to the story, they’ve got the right idea and start chanting the animal noises.<br /><br />I manage to make it to the end of the lesson – sweat running down my back. </p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.tntmagazine.com/travel/destinations/asia/cambodia/default.aspx">Destination guide - Cambodia</a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m in the country’s capital city for three weeks as part of a volunteer project, helping the charity Riverkids, which offers children at risk of being trafficked or sold into prostitution, a free education.<br /><br />On my first day, I’m taken to the slums where many of the kids live. The scenes are heartbreaking. The tiny, wooden shacks balance around mud paths. There are dirty, naked toddlers wandering aimlessly. We see some women working, cooking meals, while most of the men are lying down, watching TV on dated, black-and-white screens. Many of them have drink and drug problems.<br /><br />The children look helpless. It’s easy to see how celebrities such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie think they’re helping communities by adopting children. But it’s charities such as Riverkids that are really stopping the cycle of poverty.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="Volunteer as an English teacher in Cambodia" src="http://www.tntmagazine.com/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/TNT+TODAY+BLOG.1430/cambodia_2D00_child.jpg" width="450" height="338" /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I’m staying at a guesthouse with around 15 other volunteers who are all placed at various locations across the city.<br /><br />My project is a 25-minute hair-raising tuk-tuk ride away, weaving in and out of the chaotic traffic on lawless roads. In the classroom, volunteers prepare their own lessons. It’s an early start<br />– my day kicks off at 7.30am with a group of nine to 15-year-olds.<br /><br />As I walk into the classroom, the students stand and chant “Good morning teacher” in Khmer and then English, as they clasp their hands together in the traditional respectful greeting.<br /><br />After English is computer studies – but, as Riverkids doesn’t have the resources to buy an electricity generator, and there’s a power cut every day, the lessons are always cut short.<br /><br />With no electricity, there are also no fans, and the intense heat makes it increasingly difficult to concentrate.<br /><br />During breaks, the children rush out into the dirt-floor playground, without a care in the world, and engage in boisterous games or sing and dance.<br /><br />They chase each other, pulling one another to the floor. There are scrapes and hits as well as bruises and cuts as they get into the spirit of the game – but not once do any of them cry.<br /><br />Commercially, Cambodia is growing as a traveller destination. However, due to political instability which ended only recently, it’s far behind neighbouring Thailand in terms of popularity. But tourists can help in terms of bringing money to the country.<br /><br />In Phnom Penh, Friends and The Lazy Gecko cafe are two restaurants serving great local food which also help support charities. And there are great bars and restaurants around the Riverside and Lakeside areas.<br /><br />To really immerse yourself in the country’s culture, you have to understand its turbulent past.<br /><br />The only way to see firsthand the devastation the Cambodian people have endured is by visiting the haunting Tuol Sleng Museum and Killing Fields.<br /><br />The museum is a former school used by ex-dictator Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime as a security prison where from 1975 to 1979, between one and two million people were held, starved and tortured, and then sent to their deaths in the Killing Fields.<br /><br />The photos of the prisoners on the walls make for grim viewing and drives home just how recent the country’s turmoil was. For less emotive sightseeing, visit Wat Phnom temple or the National Museum, home to a fine collection of Khmer art.<br /><br />Back at Riverkids for my afternoon class, I raid the charity’s limited storeroom for supplies for my last lesson.<br /><br />It’s art and singing with children as young as three – some of whom speak no English, so communicating with them is difficult.<br /><br />The classroom is a 15-minute walk and, although it’s a struggle carrying bags filled with paper and paints, it’s a great way to meet the locals, who are friendly – greeting me with curious smiles and acknowledgements of “hello teacher”.<br /><br />Despite the fun element attached to these classes, I find them the most stressful lessons. Controlling 40 demanding children who are armed with paint, water and fingers – and who don’t understand English – isn’t easy.<br /><br />I spend the next hour running around, clearing up spilt water, helping children who have difficulty drawing. At the end of the lesson, the children playfully smear colours down each other’s faces and in one another’s hair.<br /><br />I shrug my shoulders and laugh as the kids line up at the small sink to wash their hands and faces.<br /><br />Exhausted, I make the journey to meet with the other volunteers, who are also tired and stressed, and we talk about how difficult our days were and what went wrong during our lessons.<br /><br />As I pull a text book from my bag, a note slips out. “I love you teacher from Srey Mai,” it reads, and it puts a smile on my face.<br /><br />It’s then I realise why “voluntourism” is growing so much in popularity – more of us now want to do something useful during our holidays, to immerse ourselves in a culture and country rather than just the hotel swimming pool.<br /><br />While it’s ultimately the students who I want to benefit from my time in Cambodia, I can’t help think that it’s the children – with their robust attitudes and camaraderie despite their deprived pasts and uncertain futures – who have taught me the greater lesson. And that’s what makes it so rewarding.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>WHEN TO GO:</b> Dry season runs from November to April.<br /><b>GETTING THERE:</b> Qantas (with partner Jetstar Asia) offers flights from London to Phom Penh via Singapore. Fares start from £862 (including taxes) for travel April 8 – June 15. See <a target="_blank" href="http://www.qantas.com.au/">qantas.com.au</a>.<br /><b>GETTING AROUND:</b> On the back of a motorbike, or there are tuk-tuks as well as taxis. Make sure you barter though.<br /><b>VISAS:</b> Required but available on arrival.<br /><b>CURRENCY:</b> Riel, although Cambodians prefer American dollars. 1 GBP = 1.6 USD = 6 RL<br /><b>LANGUAGE:</b> Khmer.<br /><b>GOING OUT:</b> A beer costs $2.<br /><b>ACCOMMODATION: </b>Shared accommodation is included in the i-to-i Meaninful Travel’s Teaching English in Cambodia course, which runs from four to six weeks, priced from £860.<br /><b>GET MORE INFO:</b> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.i-to-i.com/">i-to-i.com</a></p><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; border: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />read more: <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153);" href="http://www.tntmagazine.com/tnt-today/archive/2011/01/24/volunteer-teaching-in-cambodia.aspx#ixzz1C3niiytA">http://www.tntmagazine.com/tnt-today/archive/2011/01/24/volunteer-teaching-in-cambodia.aspx#ixzz1C3niiytA</a><br /></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-3378437227616311602011-01-25T07:11:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:13:03.260-08:00Hun Sen spooks critics<div style="text-align: justify;" class="article-tools clearfix"><div class="article-meta"> <span class="createdate"> </span><span class="createby">Cheang Sokha </span></div><div class="buttonheading"> <span><br /></span><span> </span></div></div><div class="mosimage" style="float: right; width: 350px; text-align: justify;"><img style="float: left;" alt="hunsen_chivoan2" src="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/images/stories/news/national/2011/110124/hunsen_chivoan2.jpg" width="350" height="235" /><br /><div class="mosimage_caption" style="width: 350px;"><b> Photo by: Heng Chivoan </b><br /> Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurates the US$43.5 million Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge in Kandal province during a ceremony yesterday.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday criticised his political opponents for not acknowledging the government’s accomplishments in improving the country’s infrastructure, warning them that ungrateful critics could be hit by a so-called “guardian spirit”.<br /><br />Speaking at the inauguration of the Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge in Kandal province, the premier said that certain people have not recognised the government’s achievements in building roads and bridges, even though they have benefited from the projects.<br /><br />“You are also walking on the streets, so be careful: The guardian spirit will hit you, the guardian spirit’s [magic] is strong now,” Hun Sen said. <br /><br />Hun Sen added that newly constructed bridges and roads were not intended only for the use of the supporters of the Cambodian People’s Party.<br /><br />“It is quite difficult to blow a flute to the cow; they cannot listen,” he said of his critics, pointing to the country’s progress since the downfall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.<br /><br />“Compare things with 1979, what we had at that time and what we have at this time.”<br /><br />Speaking at the inauguration of the bridge, Pan Guangxue, China’s ambassador to Cambodia, said the US$43.5<br />million Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge, was the third Chinese-funded bridge to open in Cambodia, after the Cambodia-China Sekong Friendship Bridge in Stung Treng province and Cambodian-China Prek Kdam Bridge, also in Kandal.<br /><br />Phnom Penh and Beijing have inked agreements to build two more bridges, the Cambodia-China Chroy Changvar Bridge in Phnom Penh and another project in Takhmao.<br /><br />Hun Sen said several other highway projects have also been signed or are under negotiation, and that China has already funded the construction of more than 1,500 kilometres of roads in Cambodia.<br /><br />Opposition Sam Rainsy Party officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.<br /><br />Last month, during Hun Sen’s five-day visit to China, he and Chinese leaders signed 12 project agreements related to infrastructure and agriculture projects.<br /><br />In November, during the visit of China’s top legislator Wu Bangguo, Beijing and Phnom Penh signed an additional 16 economic agreements, with China pledging to provide $1.6 billion by 2015 for infrastructure projects.</div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-32934285069006891802011-01-25T06:59:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:11:55.614-08:00Analysis: Succession in focus but Cambodia strongman staying put<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule"> </span> <span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule"> </span> <span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule"> </span> <span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule"> </span> <span id="trackingEnabledModule" name="trackingEnabledModule"> <div class="columnRight"><div id="relatedInteractive" class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2"> </div></div></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="columnRight"><div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2"> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="relatedPhoto landscape" id="articleImage"> <img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20110124&t=2&i=315301974&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2011-01-24T042332Z_01_BTRE70N0C7B00_RTROPTP_0_ASIA-SUMMIT" alt="Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to the media as he arrives for the ASEAN - China summit, happening on the sides of the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi October 29, 2010. The 17th ASEAN summit runs from October 28 to 30. REUTERS/Kham" border="0" /> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent"> <div class="rolloverBg"> <div class="captionText"> <p>Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to the media as he arrives for the ASEAN - China summit, happening on the sides of the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi October 29, 2010. The 17th ASEAN summit runs from October 28 to 30. </p> <p class="credit">Credit: Reuters/Kham</p> </div> </div> </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span id="articleText"> <span id="midArticle_start"></span> <div id="articleInfo"> <p class="byline">By Prak Chan Thul</p> <p> <span class="location">PHNOM PENH</span> | <span class="timestamp">Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:23pm EST</span> </p> </div> <span id="midArticle_0"></span><span class="focusParagraph"><p><span class="articleLocation">PHNOM PENH</span> (Reuters) - When a young soldier was made a two-star general and infantry commander this month at the age of only 33, some in Cambodia saw a political dynasty taking shape.</p> </span><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The rapid rise of Major-General Hun Manet has drawn attention to a topic rarely discussed in Cambodia: who will succeed his father, long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Comparisons have been made between the rise of Hun Manet and that of Kim Jong-un, the son of ailing <a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/north-korea" title="Full coverage of North Korea">North Korea</a>n leader Kim Jong-il, promoted from obscurity in September to be a general and politburo member in what was seen as the unveiling of a successor.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>But analysts say the prospect of Hun Sen stepping aside is inconceivable right now and it's too soon to make that link. Rather they see Hun Manet's promotion as a sign of both the deep-rooted nepotism in Cambodia and the unrelenting efforts of Hun Sen to consolidate power for many years to come.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"I'd say Hun Sen's plan is to hold on in office for as long as he can and give his son a chance to amass as much power in the military as possible," said Tony Kevin, an Australian academic and former ambassador to Cambodia in the 1990s.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"He's pushing 60, and for a leader in Asia, that's pretty young, really. With his son as a senior military general, he has an insurance policy and it's understandable he'd want that. But if this is part of a dynastic plan -- it's too soon to tell now."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Some political analysts in Cambodia believe Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge guerrilla, is privately concerned that a challenge to his 26-year rule could one day emerge, not from his political opponents but from within his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) or among a powerful and growing crop of local tycoons.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>FIRM HAND</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>Hun Sen's firm hand and pro-business policies are credited with attracting foreign investment that has put Cambodia on a steady course of growth and stability after decades of brutal civil war turned the former French colony into a failed state.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>His successful blend of populism, nationalism and cronyism has earned him the overwhelming support of the electorate and kept business elites onside, but analysts say any shift in that dynamic could one day lead to his undoing.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Enter Hun Manet, the eldest and most privileged of Hun Sen's six children, whose promotion to a plum military post now makes a coup d'etat against his father seem far less likely.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>Hun Manet has kept a low profile since graduating from West Point military academy in the United States and then getting an economics doctorate from Britain's Bristol University -- a far cry from his father's rudimentary education at a rural monastery.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>Hun Sen has defended his son's promotion as in accordance with the rules. "He has been military age for 16 years already," he said. "The military is obliged to promote in accordance with its internal framework."</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>But many in Cambodia think Hun Manet is being groomed to one day take over the reins of power.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>"There's an old saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," said Son Soubert, a prominent political commentator and adviser to Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni.</p></span></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-17427922731838158162011-01-17T17:20:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:25:29.801-08:00Restrictions lifted on man convicted of sex crimes abroad<div style="text-align: justify;" class="topPhoto"> <img style="opacity: 0.99;" name="SLIDESIMG" src="http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20110116/600_cp_orville_mader_110116.jpg?2" class="slideImage" alt="Orville Mader, convicted of sex crimes against young boys in Asia, tries to block photographers from taking his picture after making an appearance in provincial court in Abbortsford, B.C. Monday, December 3, 2007. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jonathan Hayward)" border="0" /> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="SLIDESTEXT"><p>Orville Mader, convicted of sex crimes against young boys in Asia, tries to block photographers from taking his picture after making an appearance in provincial court in Abbortsford, B.C. Monday, December 3, 2007. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jonathan Hayward)</p><p>VANCOUVER<!-- /dateline --> — A man convicted in absentia of sex crimes against children in Cambodia has been allowed unrestricted freedom in Canada, even though the Crown expressed concerns when he was arrested that he was a danger to children. </p><p>While a judge granted a restraining order against Orville Mader meant to protect children back in 2007, that order has been allowed to lapse. </p> <p>Now, it's unclear whether the man who has not been charged with offences is Canada will be free to travel to other countries. </p> <p>Mader faces a 15-year jail term in Cambodia for sex crimes against children and was accused of sex crimes against a 13-year-old boy in Thailand, but travelled back to Canada shortly after the charges were laid. </p> <p>When he arrived in Vancouver in late 2007 carrying nothing but his laptop computer, he was arrested and held. </p> <p>At the time, the Crown said investigators were working on sex-tourism charges against Mader. In the meantime a judge granted an order under Section 810.1 of the Criminal Code when prosecutor Wendy van Tongeren Harvey said there were concerns he was a danger to children. </p> <p>"He's attracted to not only boys, but young boys. We're seeking conditions where children are safe," she told the provincial court judge in 2007. </p> <p>Details of the court proceedings that day were protected by a publication ban that has now expired. </p> <p>Among his many restrictions, Mader was ordered to stay away from children and anywhere they might congregate, to stay off the Internet, to give up his passport and to report on a regular basis to the authorities near where he was staying in Surrey, B.C. </p> <p>While the order was renewed against him annually in 2008 and 2009, it wasn't renewed in November 2010. </p> <p>RCMP Staff Sgt. Ed Boettcher said police did a lot of work on the Mader file both in Canada and internationally. </p> <p>"There came a time in 2009 where investigators met with Crown and said this is what we've compiled, Crown looked at it and said it doesn't meet the standards of Canadian evidence." </p> <p>He said satisfying the evidence threshold would have taken a massive effort. </p> <p>Neil MacKenzie, spokesman with the B.C. Crown prosecutors office, said his office wasn't involved in the decision not to reapply for the 810 restrictions for Mader. </p> <p>He said Mader fully complied and co-operated with Corrections B.C. while under the peace bond restrictions. </p> <p>"In view of the circumstances of his time under supervision, Corrections did not believe there was an adequate basis to seek renewal of the peace bond. That would have been a decision made by Corrections." </p> <p>Van Tongeren Harvey told the judge during the November 2007 hearing that Mader detailed his tastes for young boys during email conversations found on his computer. </p> <p>"He described boys coming into his room, his sexual preferences," she told the court. "He had eight boys over 11 days ... including one tiny 11-year-old boy he called a 'sweetie pie."' </p> <p>No pictures were found but van Tongeren Harvey said several emails found in Mader's computer from a hotmail account detail his sexual encounters with boys in Asia. </p> <p>None of the allegations have been proven in a Canadian court. </p> <p>Van Tongeren Harvey told the court Mader escaped to Vietnam the day after the accusation in Thailand was made. </p> <p>Mader's lawyer at the time, Brian Coleman, said his client denies the allegations involving the boy and that he fled from Thailand. </p> <p>Coleman also noted that Mader was originally acquitted in Cambodia of the debauchery charge and had stayed to face the accusation, but a second trial resulted in a conviction even though Mader wasn't there to defend himself. </p> <p>He said there was no justice involved in the debauchery conviction. </p> <p>"Cambodia, the last time I checked, isn't known as a bastion of democracy." </p> <p>Brian McConaghy, of the Cambodian aide organization Ratanak International, was disappointed to hear Mader wouldn't be charged, saying it simply shores up Canada's reputation on the issue. </p> <p>"I think (Canada) is perceived as being fairly weak on this," said McConaghy, who spent decades with the RCMP before founding Ratanak. </p> <p>"Canadian police do not have the resources, these are international files that by definition are expensive and they're complex." </p> <p>McConaghy agreed Cambodia's justice system is corrupt, but said that usually falls in the offender's favour if they can purchase their way out of a police investigation or charges. </p> <p>Boettcher said officers have watched Mader in B.C.'s Lower Mainland while he was under restrictions. </p> <p>"There had been checks done. There was no indication of non-compliance." </p> <p>Boettcher said Mader last checked in with officials in Surrey as required at the end of his term in late 2010, but he's not sure if Mader still lives in the area. </p> <p>He couldn't say if Mader's passport was returned and an official with Passport Canada could not give any information in connection to Mader because of privacy concerns. </p> <p>Under its regulations, Passport Canada is allowed to revoke travel documents if the person has been charged with an indictable offence in Canada or a similar offence abroad. </p> <p>Mader is presumed innocent because no charges will be laid here in Canada, and McConaghy said there would be no reason his passport wouldn't be returned. </p> <p>"Which I believe is in error ...," he said. </p> <p>Canada's sex-tourism law was enacted in 1997, but has been rarely used since then and has just a few convictions to its credit. </p> <p>Mader was arrested not long after a world-wide manhunt was launched for Christopher Neil, a former resident of Maple Ridge, B.C. </p> <p>Neil was picked up in Thailand on charges of sexually assaulting children and posting the acts on the Internet while disguising his face with a digital swirl. </p> <p>Neil pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy and a Thai court sentenced him to three years and three months in prison.</p> <!-- googleoff: index --> </div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-46724404966924626752011-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:19:00.085-08:00Convicted Man Walks Free<span class="newsTitle">Convicted Man Walks Free</span> <span class="newsTeaser">Police in Canada won't lay charges against man convicted in Cambodia.</span> <span class="newsDate">Story by: Doug Collins</span> <br /><span class="newsText"><p align="justify"> A man convicted in absentia for sex crimes against children in Cambodia has now been allowed unrestricted freedom in Canada after the R-C-M-P declined to lay charges.<br /> Orville Mader had faced three years of restrictions that kept him off the Internet and away from children in Canada, and Crown counsel says he fully complied with those conditions.<br /> The R-C-M-P's decision not to lay charges means no longer faces those restrictions, as police and prosecutors allowed his peace bond to lapse late last year.<br /> Mader got on a plane in Vancouver from Asia in 2007, shortly after he was charged in Thailand for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.</p></span>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-80540416503457531062011-01-17T17:14:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:15:04.150-08:00Cambodia anti-drug chief faces corruption charge<p style="text-align: justify;" id="fw">The head of Cambodia's anti-drug trafficking agency has been charged with drug-related corruption.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The chief of the anti-corruption unit said Monday that police Lt. Gen. Moek Dara, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, has been formally charged in Banteay Meanchey provincial court.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The charges Sunday came about a week after Moek Dara was first detained. On Friday, the Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief and his deputy were charged by the same court with corruption. Both were arrested on suspicion of taking bribes to release drug trafficking suspects.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Under Cambodia's anti-corruption law, passed last year, any official found guilty of taking bribes faces up to 15 years in prison. From <a href="http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1488504&lang=eng_news&cate_img=1037.jpg&cate_rss=General">Taiwannews.com</a><br /></p>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-1230979618850403832011-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:14:12.049-08:00Cambodian inmate deported<div style="text-align: justify;"><!-- end heading-panel --> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="preParagraph">A Cambodian inmate has been returned to his homeland under a prisoner transfer agreement between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The prisoner, whose name and offences were withheld, had been serving a four-year sentence at Bang Khwang Central Prison. The inmate was the first Cambodian prisoner transferred from Thailand under the 2009 agreement.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The prisoner transfer was witnessed yesterday by Cambodian ambassador You Aye and Thai senior foreign ministry officials.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdee said the transfer had nothing to do with simmering tensions which resurfaced following the arrest of seven Thais on charges of illegal entry to Cambodian territory on Dec 29.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Thani said the process had been "worked on for some time".Cambodia transferred three Thai Muslim prisoners last September to Thailand.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The three had been jailed in Cambodia since 2003 for terrorism offences.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Three other Cambodian prisoners presently serving terms in Thailand would be sent home, Mr Thani said. From <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/216886/cambodian-inmate-deported">bangkok post.com</a><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <!-- survey --><!-- <div class="survey" style="background: rgb(232,240,249); border: 1px solid rgb(173,197,211); padding: 10px; overflow: hidden; clear: both;"> <p style="margin-bottom: 0;"><strong style="color: rgb(33,60,112); font-size: 14px; ">Give us your ideas!</strong></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0; width: 530px;">What do you want to see at the website? We need your input! We appreciate your suggestions.</p> <p style="background: rgb(244,245,247); border: 1px solid rgb(202,212,231); float: right; margin: -20px 0 0; padding: 0 5px;"><a href="http://surveytool.3s.se/ST_survey.php?me_ri=&cid=10a79e1ab55a9fce0d160a9353b00021:16327" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; ">Take survey</a></p> </div> --> <!-- end survey --> </div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-13361141947627950262011-01-17T17:10:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:11:42.654-08:00Tensions between North, South Korea play out in Cambodian restaurant wars<div id="storyheader"><div class="clear"> </div><div class="clear"> </div><div class="byline"> <span class="name">By Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver </span><span class="timestamp"></span> <span id="lblComment" class="comments"></span> </div></div><script type="text/javascript"> showTab("text/html"); </script><div class="clear"> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> function resizeImage() { var imgBox = document.getElementById('imageBox'); var photo = document.getElementById('storyphoto'); if (imgBox != null && photo != null) { if(photo.width >= 460) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize460'; } else { if(photo.width >= 300) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize310'; } else { imgBox.className = 'imageboxpadding'; } imgBox.style.width = photo.width + 'px'; } } } function getStoryFontSize() { var storyfontsize = getCookie('storyfontsize'); var storyfontimage = getCookie('storyfontimage'); // use cookied value, if present if (storyfontsize != null) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); if (storyfontimage != null) { setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); } } else // default it to para14 if no cookie { setClass('story_content','para14'); setClass('fontsizecontainer','size02'); } } function setStoryFontSize(storyfontsize,storyfontimage) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); setCookie('storyfontsize', storyfontsize, '365', '/', '', ''); setCookie('storyfontimage', storyfontimage, '365', '/', '', ''); } function setCookie( name, value, expires, path, domain, secure ) { // set time var today = new Date(); today.setTime( today.getTime() ); if ( expires ) { expires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; //days } var expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) ); document.cookie = name + "=" + escape( value ) + ( ( expires ) ? ";expires=" + expires_date.toGMTString() : "" ) + ( ( path ) ? ";path=" + path : "" ) + ( ( domain ) ? ";domain=" + domain : "" ) + ( ( secure ) ? ";secure" : "" ); } function getCookie( check_name ) { // split this cookie up into name/value pairs var a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' ); var a_temp_cookie = ''; var cookie_name = ''; var cookie_value = ''; var b_cookie_found = false; // set boolean t/f default f for ( i = 0; i < name="value" a_temp_cookie =" a_all_cookies[i].split(" cookie_name =" a_temp_cookie[0].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g," cookie_name ="="" b_cookie_found =" true;" no =" sign,"> 1 ) { cookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '') ); } // note that in cases where cookie is initialized but no value, null is returned return cookie_value; break; } a_temp_cookie = null; cookie_name = ''; } if ( !b_cookie_found ) { return null; } } </script> <div class="imagesize460" id="imageBox"><div class="wrapper_0_10_0_0"><div class="storyimage" id=""><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="tabClick(' - Photos Tab',false,'storypage','story_photo_content',true,true);"><img id="storyphoto" class="thumbnail" onload="resizeImage();" src="http://www.vancouversun.com/life/4032501.bin" alt="Dec. 28: South Korean protesters burn a placard showing the defaced portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his youngest son and successor-in-waiting Kim Jong-un (R) during an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul on December 28, 2010." title="Dec. 28: South Korean protesters burn a placard showing the defaced portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his youngest son and successor-in-waiting Kim Jong-un (R) during an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul on December 28, 2010." border="0" /></a></div><div class="clear"> </div><div class="imagetext"><h1 style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" id="photocaption"><span style="font-size:100%;">Dec. 28: South Korean protesters burn a placard showing the defaced portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his youngest son and successor-in-waiting Kim Jong-un (R) during an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul on December 28, 2010.</span></h1><h2 id="photocredit"><b>Photograph by: </b>JUNG YEON-JE, AFP/Getty Images</h2></div></div></div><div id="page1"><p>Here's advice for anyone hankering for Korean food in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh or the tourist mecca of Siem Reap. Sit close to the door and with your back to the wall. </p><p>Cambodia has several Korean restaurants, most operated by South Koreans. But in Siem Reap there are two operated by North Korea and there's another in Phnom Penh. </p><p>Trouble started when South Korean restaurateurs condemned last year's attacks by the North on one of the South's warships and on its Yeonpyeong Island. </p><p>In retaliation, South Korean restaurant owners report their premises have been attacked by people "who appeared to be North Korean agents." </p><p>Seoul's embassy in Phnom Penh has recommended to South Korean tourist agencies that they avoid the North's eateries.</p><div class="copyright"><br /></div></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6068795992425812596.post-25140612680500786222011-01-17T17:06:00.000-08:002011-01-17T17:10:23.986-08:00Court hears bail bid today<div style="text-align: justify;" id="heading-panel"> <div id="headergroup"> <h3>Veera and his secretary 'unlikely to be released' </h3> </div><!-- end headergroup --> <!-- end main-sns --> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><!-- end heading-panel --> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="preParagraph">PHNOM PENH : Cambodia's Appeal Court is expected to decide today whether to grant bail to five Thais being held in Prey Sar prison on trespassing charges.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" class="articlePhotoCenter"><img src="http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20110118/224707.jpg" alt="" border="1" hspace="3" vspace="3" /> <p>Road block: Members of the Thai Patriots Network and Santi Asoke sect block Phitsanulok Road beside Government House to build makeshift shelters for a prolonged rally. The group says it will petition His Majesty the King to oust the Democrat-led government for failing to obtain the release of seven Thai detainees in Cambodia. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The five are scheduled to arrive at the court at 7am and are expected to be taken to a chamber to await the court decision on their bail request, said Pon Savath, the chief clerk of the court.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Pon said the media would be allowed in the courtroom but would be barred from taking photographs.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Three judges have been appointed to consider the bail request and they are expected to arrive at their decision within two to three hours.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The submission to the Appeal Court follows a ruling by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday against granting bail to the five Thais.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Pon said the five could apply to the Supreme Court if the Appeal Court today upheld the lower court's decision.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The five Thai nationals still in detention are Veera Somkhwamkid, a coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, a splinter group of the yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy; Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, Mr Veera's secretary; Samdin Lertbutr and Tainae Mungmajon, members of the Santi Asoke cult; and Kitchaponthorn Chusanasevi, an aide to Democrat MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The five are among seven Thai nationals held by Cambodian authorities after they allegedly crossed the border into Cambodia on Dec29 last year.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia has accused the seven, who include Mr Panich and his secretary Narumol Chitvarattana, of trespassing on its territory and illegally entering a military area in Banteay Meanchey opposite Thailand's Sa Kaeo province.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Phnom Penh Municipal Court decided on Thursday to grant bail to Mr Panich and Ms Narumol for health reasons. The two have been given shelter at the Thai ambassador's residence inside the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The seven could face up to 18 months in jail if they are found guilty of the charges.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Veera and Ms Ratree have also been charged with espionage and could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Diplomatic sources close to the case in Phnom Penh said it was possible that three of the five Thais still in detention could be released on bail this week.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Veera and Ms Ratree are likely to be kept in prison because they have entered Cambodia illegally several times and are facing more serious charges, the sources said.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Cambodian authorities want assurances from Mr Veera that he would not again become involved in provocative behaviour.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The sources quoted Cambodian officials as saying Mr Veera had submitted written assurances in the past when he had been arrested saying he would not stray again into Cambodian territory.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The sources said it was up to the Cambodian court whether those granted bail would be allowed to leave the country and return to Thailand.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Pon said: "In my opinion, this is not a big case. It is a common case. Every suspect, regardless of their nationality, has the right to seek bail if they are arrested in Cambodia."</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">He said the two Cambodian lawyers representing the Thais were simply following the law in seeking bail for their clients.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">If the five were released on bail, they would have to put up money as surety. They would not be allowed to leave Cambodia until the Phnom Penh Municipal Court decided whether to convict them.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Mr Pon said Cambodian law required that the trial of the seven Thais must be completed within six months.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ros Aun, one of the lawyers representing the Thais, went to the Appeal Court yesterday to follow up the request for bail.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> Mr Ros said he was still unsure whether the court would grant the bail request.<br />From <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/216875/court-hears-bail-bid-today">Bangkok post.com</a><br /></div>Phratalkalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15921479322579257932noreply@blogger.com0