Second Opposition Lawmaker Called to Court
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 June 2009
An opposition parliamentarian has been summoned to Phnom Penh Municipal Court, following a suit filed by a group of senior military leaders.
Sam Rainsy Party member Ho Vann told local media in April that certificates awarded to 22 senior military officials by the Vietnamese Infantry Institute were “worthless.”
Ho Vann told reporters after his questioning he had not incited or defamed, and denied calling the certificates worthless. He said he had made numerous attempts to correct both the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post for corrections.
Pol Saroeun and his deputy, Lt. Gen. Kun Kim, received doctorates in military science from the Vietnamese Infantry Institute in 2007, while 20 other senior military officials earned the master’s degrees.
Pol Saroeun declined to comment on the case. Tann Mengsroy, lawyer for the plaintiffs, also declined comment.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Critic of Temple Lighting Writes Hun Sen
Critic of Temple Lighting Writes Hun Sen
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Cambodia
05 June 2009
Moeung Sonn, who is facing a criminal suit for criticizing the agency in charge of the Angkor Wat temples, has written to prime minister to explain.
The Apsara Authority has issued a complaint for incitement and defamation against Moeung Sonn, president of the Khmer Civilization Foundation, for publicly criticizing a decision to shine lights on the Angkor Wat temples at night.
“The lighting could damage the temples when there is rain,” Meoung Sonn wrote to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Some of the lights are old and could electrocute tourists, he wrote.
Moeung Sonn told VOA Khmer Friday he hoped the prime minister would consider his letter, and think about the lighting at the famed temples.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Cambodia
05 June 2009
Moeung Sonn, who is facing a criminal suit for criticizing the agency in charge of the Angkor Wat temples, has written to prime minister to explain.
The Apsara Authority has issued a complaint for incitement and defamation against Moeung Sonn, president of the Khmer Civilization Foundation, for publicly criticizing a decision to shine lights on the Angkor Wat temples at night.
“The lighting could damage the temples when there is rain,” Meoung Sonn wrote to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Some of the lights are old and could electrocute tourists, he wrote.
Moeung Sonn told VOA Khmer Friday he hoped the prime minister would consider his letter, and think about the lighting at the famed temples.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Amnesty International Report 2009 - Cambodia
Head of state: King Norodom Sihamoni
Head of government: Hun Sen
Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes
Population: 14.7 million
Life expectancy: 58 years
Under-5 mortality (m/f): 92/84 per 1,000
Adult literacy: 73.6 per cent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Impunity, inadequate rule of law and serious shortcomings in the court system continued to cause a systemic lack of protection for human rights. Forced evictions, carried out with the direct involvement or complicity of government authorities, further impoverished thousands of marginalized Cambodians. Human rights defenders and community activists defending land and natural resources were imprisoned on baseless charges. Freedom of expression and assembly were restricted.
Background
In October, the Asian Development Bank warned that 2 million Cambodians may have slipped below the poverty line as the cost of food, fuel and other commodities rose amid the global financial crisis. This was in addition to the 4.5 million, around a third of the population, already living in poverty.
In July, the ruling Cambodian People's Party won National Assembly elections. The opposition had been weakened by internal and external political strife, and intimidation of voters, journalists and activists.
In September, the UN Human Rights Council replaced the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Human Rights in Cambodia with a Special Rapporteur of the Council for one year, retaining the mandate's functions. The mandate holder, Professor Yash Ghai, resigned deploring the government's refusal to co-operate with him.
In July, UNESCO listed the Preah Vihear Temple near the Thai border as a World Heritage Site. A territorial dispute with Thailand followed over ownership of land adjacent to the temple. Tension was periodically high as thousands of troops from both sides mobilized in the area. In October, two Cambodian soldiers were shot dead.
Forced evictions
Forced evictions continued in the wake of land disputes, land grabs, and agro-industrial and urban redevelopment projects. Thousands of forcibly evicted people did not receive an effective remedy, including restitution of housing, land or property. During the year, at least 27 forced evictions affected some 23,000 people. The government denied that forced evictions had taken place. The criminal justice system was increasingly used by the rich and powerful to silence those protecting their right to adequate housing and Indigenous Peoples protecting their land rights and way of life. Around 150 land activists and affected people were arrested during the year, many of them facing prosecution on spurious criminal charges.
Over 4,000 Phnom Penh families living around Boeung Kak Lake faced displacement as the lake was turned into a landfill site. Many of those affected lived in poverty in basic housing. Residents were given no notice before the landfill began on 26 August. Threats from local authorities and company workers against protesters were widespread.
Freedom of expression
Journalist Khim Sambor and his son were killed on 11 July during the election campaign. The killings followed an article by Khim Sambor in the opposition affiliated newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) alleging serious illegal actions by an unnamed senior government official. The killing spread fear among journalists. Nine journalists have been killed since 1994 – to date no-one has been brought to justice.
In the pre-election period, authorities closed down an independent radio station for allowing airtime to opposition parties, and the editor of Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) was briefly detained for reporting on a speech by the main opposition leader Sam Rainsy.
Impunity
The Supreme Court heard the appeal of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun on 31 December and decided to send the case back to the Appeal Court for reinvestigation and to release the two men on bail. They had been convicted of the 2004 killing of union leader Chea Vichea. Both had alibis for the time of the killing.
In September, a Phnom Penh Court judge confirmed that the investigation into the 2007 killing of union leader Hy Vuthy had been closed due to lack of evidence.
In April, an International Labour Organization factfinding mission to assess the progress of an investigation by authorities into the killing of three trade unionists concluded that the lack of an independent judiciary was a key factor behind the government's failure to stem violence and attacks against union members.
Breaking a cycle of impunity, five former Khmer Rouge soldiers were tried for their role in the 1996 abduction and killing of a British de-miner and his interpreter. Four of them were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.
Detention without trial
Police in Phnom Penh increased night-time raids, arbitrarily arresting sex workers, homeless people and beggars. According to victims and witnesses, sex workers were routinely rounded up and forced – often with violence or threats – into trucks. Many arrests violated Cambodia's Criminal Procedure Code and international law. Some detainees were transferred to "education" or "rehabilitation" centres run by the municipal Social Affairs Department, where at least three detainees had been beaten to death, and women had been gang-raped by guards. The two centres remained operational at the end of the year, but the government issued assurances that those staying there did so voluntarily.
International justice
Several pre-trial hearings were held at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC, the Khmer Rouge tribunal). However the first trial to take place, that of Kaing Guek Eav (also known as Duch), was postponed till 2009 following a decision by co-prosecutors to seek a broader indictment.
Amid continued corruption allegations both the UN and Cambodian sides of the Court agreed to establish an anti-corruption programme. This led a number of Cambodian staff to report they had to pay kickbacks to secure their jobs.
In September, a transgender woman submitted the first complaint to the ECCC about gender-related abuse under the Khmer Rouge, including sexual violence in the form of gang rape in detention, and forced marriage.
By year's end, the ECCC's Victims Unit had received over 1,100 civil party applications, 34 of which had been accepted, and about 1,700 complaints from victims.
Legal, constitutional or institutional developments
The new criminal code, which took 14 years to draft, was not passed; at the end of the year it was being reviewed by the Council of Ministers.
The anti-corruption law was not passed despite being a high priority for Cambodia's international donors. In May, a coalition of over 40 NGOs presented a petition signed and thumb-printed by over a million Cambodians calling on the National Assembly to adopt the law and take other steps to curb corruption.
In September, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated his intention to ensure a law on associations was passed, partly in order to increase control over NGO funding and objectives. NGOs countrywide expressed serious concern that the law would place further restrictions on their activities.
A new anti-trafficking law, adopted in March 2008, was criticized for focusing on the arrest and detention of sex workers instead of traffickers.
Amnesty International visits
Amnesty International visited Cambodia in February/March and October.
Amnesty International reports
Cambodia: Release Scapegoats for Labor Leader's Murder (22 January 2008)
Cambodia: Rights Razed: Forced evictions in Cambodia (11 February 2008)
Cambodia: Ignoring the rights of Indigenous Peoples (1 June 2008)
Cambodia: A risky business – defending the right to housing (26 September 2008)
Topics: Forced marriage, Pre-trial detention, International tribunals, Impunity, Freedom of expression, Forced eviction,
Republished by CI,June5,2009.Cambodia.
Head of government: Hun Sen
Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes
Population: 14.7 million
Life expectancy: 58 years
Under-5 mortality (m/f): 92/84 per 1,000
Adult literacy: 73.6 per cent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Impunity, inadequate rule of law and serious shortcomings in the court system continued to cause a systemic lack of protection for human rights. Forced evictions, carried out with the direct involvement or complicity of government authorities, further impoverished thousands of marginalized Cambodians. Human rights defenders and community activists defending land and natural resources were imprisoned on baseless charges. Freedom of expression and assembly were restricted.
Background
In October, the Asian Development Bank warned that 2 million Cambodians may have slipped below the poverty line as the cost of food, fuel and other commodities rose amid the global financial crisis. This was in addition to the 4.5 million, around a third of the population, already living in poverty.
In July, the ruling Cambodian People's Party won National Assembly elections. The opposition had been weakened by internal and external political strife, and intimidation of voters, journalists and activists.
In September, the UN Human Rights Council replaced the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Human Rights in Cambodia with a Special Rapporteur of the Council for one year, retaining the mandate's functions. The mandate holder, Professor Yash Ghai, resigned deploring the government's refusal to co-operate with him.
In July, UNESCO listed the Preah Vihear Temple near the Thai border as a World Heritage Site. A territorial dispute with Thailand followed over ownership of land adjacent to the temple. Tension was periodically high as thousands of troops from both sides mobilized in the area. In October, two Cambodian soldiers were shot dead.
Forced evictions
Forced evictions continued in the wake of land disputes, land grabs, and agro-industrial and urban redevelopment projects. Thousands of forcibly evicted people did not receive an effective remedy, including restitution of housing, land or property. During the year, at least 27 forced evictions affected some 23,000 people. The government denied that forced evictions had taken place. The criminal justice system was increasingly used by the rich and powerful to silence those protecting their right to adequate housing and Indigenous Peoples protecting their land rights and way of life. Around 150 land activists and affected people were arrested during the year, many of them facing prosecution on spurious criminal charges.
Over 4,000 Phnom Penh families living around Boeung Kak Lake faced displacement as the lake was turned into a landfill site. Many of those affected lived in poverty in basic housing. Residents were given no notice before the landfill began on 26 August. Threats from local authorities and company workers against protesters were widespread.
Freedom of expression
Journalist Khim Sambor and his son were killed on 11 July during the election campaign. The killings followed an article by Khim Sambor in the opposition affiliated newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) alleging serious illegal actions by an unnamed senior government official. The killing spread fear among journalists. Nine journalists have been killed since 1994 – to date no-one has been brought to justice.
In the pre-election period, authorities closed down an independent radio station for allowing airtime to opposition parties, and the editor of Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) was briefly detained for reporting on a speech by the main opposition leader Sam Rainsy.
Impunity
The Supreme Court heard the appeal of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun on 31 December and decided to send the case back to the Appeal Court for reinvestigation and to release the two men on bail. They had been convicted of the 2004 killing of union leader Chea Vichea. Both had alibis for the time of the killing.
In September, a Phnom Penh Court judge confirmed that the investigation into the 2007 killing of union leader Hy Vuthy had been closed due to lack of evidence.
In April, an International Labour Organization factfinding mission to assess the progress of an investigation by authorities into the killing of three trade unionists concluded that the lack of an independent judiciary was a key factor behind the government's failure to stem violence and attacks against union members.
Breaking a cycle of impunity, five former Khmer Rouge soldiers were tried for their role in the 1996 abduction and killing of a British de-miner and his interpreter. Four of them were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.
Detention without trial
Police in Phnom Penh increased night-time raids, arbitrarily arresting sex workers, homeless people and beggars. According to victims and witnesses, sex workers were routinely rounded up and forced – often with violence or threats – into trucks. Many arrests violated Cambodia's Criminal Procedure Code and international law. Some detainees were transferred to "education" or "rehabilitation" centres run by the municipal Social Affairs Department, where at least three detainees had been beaten to death, and women had been gang-raped by guards. The two centres remained operational at the end of the year, but the government issued assurances that those staying there did so voluntarily.
International justice
Several pre-trial hearings were held at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC, the Khmer Rouge tribunal). However the first trial to take place, that of Kaing Guek Eav (also known as Duch), was postponed till 2009 following a decision by co-prosecutors to seek a broader indictment.
Amid continued corruption allegations both the UN and Cambodian sides of the Court agreed to establish an anti-corruption programme. This led a number of Cambodian staff to report they had to pay kickbacks to secure their jobs.
In September, a transgender woman submitted the first complaint to the ECCC about gender-related abuse under the Khmer Rouge, including sexual violence in the form of gang rape in detention, and forced marriage.
By year's end, the ECCC's Victims Unit had received over 1,100 civil party applications, 34 of which had been accepted, and about 1,700 complaints from victims.
Legal, constitutional or institutional developments
The new criminal code, which took 14 years to draft, was not passed; at the end of the year it was being reviewed by the Council of Ministers.
The anti-corruption law was not passed despite being a high priority for Cambodia's international donors. In May, a coalition of over 40 NGOs presented a petition signed and thumb-printed by over a million Cambodians calling on the National Assembly to adopt the law and take other steps to curb corruption.
In September, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated his intention to ensure a law on associations was passed, partly in order to increase control over NGO funding and objectives. NGOs countrywide expressed serious concern that the law would place further restrictions on their activities.
A new anti-trafficking law, adopted in March 2008, was criticized for focusing on the arrest and detention of sex workers instead of traffickers.
Amnesty International visits
Amnesty International visited Cambodia in February/March and October.
Amnesty International reports
Cambodia: Release Scapegoats for Labor Leader's Murder (22 January 2008)
Cambodia: Rights Razed: Forced evictions in Cambodia (11 February 2008)
Cambodia: Ignoring the rights of Indigenous Peoples (1 June 2008)
Cambodia: A risky business – defending the right to housing (26 September 2008)
Topics: Forced marriage, Pre-trial detention, International tribunals, Impunity, Freedom of expression, Forced eviction,
Republished by CI,June5,2009.Cambodia.
Global Witness Slams Donor Complacency Over Cambodian Corruption
Embargoed: 5 May 2009
Global Witness slams donor complacency over Cambodian corruption
Aid donors to Cambodia, including the EU, US, Japan, China, and the World Bank are failing to act in the face of overwhelming evidence of government corruption and state looting, said international campaign group, Global Witness today.
Three months on from the launch of a hard-hitting report detailing corruption and nepotism in the nascent extractives industry in Cambodia, Global Witness said that none of the major donors to Cambodia had indicated more than rhetorical willingness to address the issue. “We approached all the major international donors to present the findings of our report, Country for Sale. Some refused to meet with us, others said they shared our concerns, but none made concrete promises to act,” said
Eleanor Nichol, campaigner at Global Witness. “There is now a large body of evidence which shows that corruption undermines efforts to promote development - and our recent report shows that corruption in Cambodia is rife. Donors must do more to use their influence to help improve governance.” Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and receives significant international aid.
Last year donors pledged nearly $1bn – the equivalent of more than half the national budget. But Global Witness has revealed how government officials at the highest level are allocating the rights to natural resources to themselves and their cronies, with little or no benefit to the majority of the population. In 2006 and 2007 millions of dollars were paid by extractive companies for the right to explore and exploit oil, gas and mineral reserves, yet Global Witness’s investigations suggest the money may be missing from the national accounts. “Managed well, the profits of extractive industries could help lift people out of poverty, but decades of illegal or unsustainable exploitation of natural resources in Cambodia has deprived citizens of their rightful benefits,” said Nichol. “Aid is vital and can make a vast difference to poor people’s lives - but in Cambodia, international donors are using taxpayers’ money to plug a hole made by corrupt politicians. With the country on the brink of yet another exploitation bonanza, turning a blind eye must no longer be an option.”
The scale of donor complacency and refusal to engage with the issues raised in Country for Sale is best demonstrated by donors that declined to meet with Global Witness. These included France, China and Japan. Others who did agree meet were unhelpful and in some cases obstructive. Even donors who engaged did not
agree to push for reforms. “Some donors are reluctant to demand conditionality, which is understandable, given widespread criticism of inappropriate and damaging loan conditions in the past. However, there is a difference between imposing a set
of inflexible rules that are not in a country’s interest, and demanding a basic level of transparency and accountability which would help to prevent corruption,” said Nichol. Global Witness is calling for a stop to allocation of concessions until the basic regulatory frameworks are in place and a review of existing concessions to ensure that the companies are fit for purpose.
Global Witness wants donors to:
• Recognise that there is a direct link between governance and development outcomes, and use aid as
leverage to improve governance;
• Take immediate steps to integrate and coordinate the donor aid agenda with the urgent need to reform and
strengthen the governance of Cambodia’s emerging extractive sectors;
• Ensure that anti-corruption efforts are integrated within the core activities of all petroleum and mineral
related aid programmes to Cambodia
• Support Cambodian civil society in its efforts to increase transparency and accountability in the
management of Cambodia’s public assets
For more information contact Amy Barry on +44 7980 664 397, +44 207 5616358. www.globalwitness.org.
Eleanor Nichol is available for interviews and briefings on +44 7872 600870
Cambodia’s donors are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, the United Nations, the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank Group
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Global Witness slams donor complacency over Cambodian corruption
Aid donors to Cambodia, including the EU, US, Japan, China, and the World Bank are failing to act in the face of overwhelming evidence of government corruption and state looting, said international campaign group, Global Witness today.
Three months on from the launch of a hard-hitting report detailing corruption and nepotism in the nascent extractives industry in Cambodia, Global Witness said that none of the major donors to Cambodia had indicated more than rhetorical willingness to address the issue. “We approached all the major international donors to present the findings of our report, Country for Sale. Some refused to meet with us, others said they shared our concerns, but none made concrete promises to act,” said
Eleanor Nichol, campaigner at Global Witness. “There is now a large body of evidence which shows that corruption undermines efforts to promote development - and our recent report shows that corruption in Cambodia is rife. Donors must do more to use their influence to help improve governance.” Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and receives significant international aid.
Last year donors pledged nearly $1bn – the equivalent of more than half the national budget. But Global Witness has revealed how government officials at the highest level are allocating the rights to natural resources to themselves and their cronies, with little or no benefit to the majority of the population. In 2006 and 2007 millions of dollars were paid by extractive companies for the right to explore and exploit oil, gas and mineral reserves, yet Global Witness’s investigations suggest the money may be missing from the national accounts. “Managed well, the profits of extractive industries could help lift people out of poverty, but decades of illegal or unsustainable exploitation of natural resources in Cambodia has deprived citizens of their rightful benefits,” said Nichol. “Aid is vital and can make a vast difference to poor people’s lives - but in Cambodia, international donors are using taxpayers’ money to plug a hole made by corrupt politicians. With the country on the brink of yet another exploitation bonanza, turning a blind eye must no longer be an option.”
The scale of donor complacency and refusal to engage with the issues raised in Country for Sale is best demonstrated by donors that declined to meet with Global Witness. These included France, China and Japan. Others who did agree meet were unhelpful and in some cases obstructive. Even donors who engaged did not
agree to push for reforms. “Some donors are reluctant to demand conditionality, which is understandable, given widespread criticism of inappropriate and damaging loan conditions in the past. However, there is a difference between imposing a set
of inflexible rules that are not in a country’s interest, and demanding a basic level of transparency and accountability which would help to prevent corruption,” said Nichol. Global Witness is calling for a stop to allocation of concessions until the basic regulatory frameworks are in place and a review of existing concessions to ensure that the companies are fit for purpose.
Global Witness wants donors to:
• Recognise that there is a direct link between governance and development outcomes, and use aid as
leverage to improve governance;
• Take immediate steps to integrate and coordinate the donor aid agenda with the urgent need to reform and
strengthen the governance of Cambodia’s emerging extractive sectors;
• Ensure that anti-corruption efforts are integrated within the core activities of all petroleum and mineral
related aid programmes to Cambodia
• Support Cambodian civil society in its efforts to increase transparency and accountability in the
management of Cambodia’s public assets
For more information contact Amy Barry on +44 7980 664 397, +44 207 5616358. www.globalwitness.org.
Eleanor Nichol is available for interviews and briefings on +44 7872 600870
Cambodia’s donors are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, the United Nations, the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank Group
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Traffic Deaths, Accidents Reported Down for Feb '09
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 58-On Friday, June 5, 2009.
The number of traffic casualties in February--the most recent month for which data are available--dropped 10 percent around the country compared to the same period last year, while traffic accidents declined by 23 percent, according to a monthly report released by the Cambodian Road Traffic Accident and Victim Information System. Sem Panhavuth, manager for RTAVIS, attributed the drop to Chinese New Year," he said, explaining that last year the holiday was in February. Mr Panhavuth added that there is evidence in the new report that the number of motorbike drivers wearing helmets in the capital also decreased in February. He said 303 motorbike drivers injured or killed in accidents in January were wearing helmets while only 182 were wearing helmets in February. During the first week of January when the law was first implemented, around 80 percent of motorcycle drivers in Phnom Penh wore helmets, Mr Panhavuth said, citing a study by Handicap International. However, he added, that figure has dropped to around 56 percent according to the study.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
The number of traffic casualties in February--the most recent month for which data are available--dropped 10 percent around the country compared to the same period last year, while traffic accidents declined by 23 percent, according to a monthly report released by the Cambodian Road Traffic Accident and Victim Information System. Sem Panhavuth, manager for RTAVIS, attributed the drop to Chinese New Year," he said, explaining that last year the holiday was in February. Mr Panhavuth added that there is evidence in the new report that the number of motorbike drivers wearing helmets in the capital also decreased in February. He said 303 motorbike drivers injured or killed in accidents in January were wearing helmets while only 182 were wearing helmets in February. During the first week of January when the law was first implemented, around 80 percent of motorcycle drivers in Phnom Penh wore helmets, Mr Panhavuth said, citing a study by Handicap International. However, he added, that figure has dropped to around 56 percent according to the study.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Funcinpec Party Refreshes Its Relations With China
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 58-On Friday, June 5, 2009.
Funcinpec Second Deputy President Prince Sisowath Sirirath on Wednesday said his party has refreshed its long-standing relations with the ruling Communist Party of China, following a recent Beijing visit by Funcinpec President Keo Puth Rasmey. Prince Sirirath said the two parties "understand each other" and that the royalist Funcinpec has supported the Chinese ruling party since the 1980s. "We have supported the one-China policy for a long time now, since Funcinpec was ruled by the King Father," he said, referring to retired King Norodom Sihanouk. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that China is "ready for further exchanges with Cambodia's Funcinpec Party based on the principles of being independent and equal, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs." "Party-to-party exchanges are an important channel to enhance our comprehensive and cooperative partnership," Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping told Mr Puth Rasmey, according Xinhua. As recently as December, The CPP and China made a similar, bilateral pledge to strengthen ties, according to the news agency.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Funcinpec Second Deputy President Prince Sisowath Sirirath on Wednesday said his party has refreshed its long-standing relations with the ruling Communist Party of China, following a recent Beijing visit by Funcinpec President Keo Puth Rasmey. Prince Sirirath said the two parties "understand each other" and that the royalist Funcinpec has supported the Chinese ruling party since the 1980s. "We have supported the one-China policy for a long time now, since Funcinpec was ruled by the King Father," he said, referring to retired King Norodom Sihanouk. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that China is "ready for further exchanges with Cambodia's Funcinpec Party based on the principles of being independent and equal, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs." "Party-to-party exchanges are an important channel to enhance our comprehensive and cooperative partnership," Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping told Mr Puth Rasmey, according Xinhua. As recently as December, The CPP and China made a similar, bilateral pledge to strengthen ties, according to the news agency.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Business Briefing: Fishing Payload Up as Season Draws to a Close
According The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 58-On Friday, June 5, 2009.
The Cambodian fishing season officially ended Monday, renewing a seasonal ban on all fishing activities until September in order to help replenish fish stocks, Fisheries Administration Director-General Nao Thuok said this week. "The number of fish caught in the first five months of 2009 increased by 10 percent compared to the same period in 2008," said Mr Thuok, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture was working very hard to crack down on illegal fishing methods, including the use of electricity. Mr Thuok said that a total of 391,000 tons of fish were caught between January and May, 10 percent of which was exported to Thailand and Vietnam. Although the government is trying to help maintain stocks through the implementation of a four-month fishing ban, Mr Thuok said there was currently no quota system stipulating how many fish can be caught during the season. His administration is collaborating with the Mekong Fishing Committee to compile more data on fish stocks inside Cambodia's rivers, he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
The Cambodian fishing season officially ended Monday, renewing a seasonal ban on all fishing activities until September in order to help replenish fish stocks, Fisheries Administration Director-General Nao Thuok said this week. "The number of fish caught in the first five months of 2009 increased by 10 percent compared to the same period in 2008," said Mr Thuok, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture was working very hard to crack down on illegal fishing methods, including the use of electricity. Mr Thuok said that a total of 391,000 tons of fish were caught between January and May, 10 percent of which was exported to Thailand and Vietnam. Although the government is trying to help maintain stocks through the implementation of a four-month fishing ban, Mr Thuok said there was currently no quota system stipulating how many fish can be caught during the season. His administration is collaborating with the Mekong Fishing Committee to compile more data on fish stocks inside Cambodia's rivers, he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
KHMER KROM
The Khmer Krom (Khmer: , Vietnamese: Khơ Me Crộm) - Khmer people living in the Delta and the Lower Mekong area. Mostly regarded as the indigenous ethnic Khmer minority living in southern Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known as Khơ-me Crộm or Khơ-me dưới, which literally means “Khmer from below” (“below” referring to the lower areas of the Mekong Delta).
Origins
The Khmer Krom are ethnic Khmer who inhabited that area long before the arrival of the Vietnamese. According to Vietnamese government figures (1999 census), there are 1,055,174 Khmer Krom in Vietnam.
History
Flag of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)
Beginning in the early 17th century, colonization of the area by Vietnamese settlers gradually isolated the Khmer of the Mekong Delta from their brethren in Cambodia proper and resulted in their becoming a minority in the delta.
Prey Nokor was the most important commercial seaport to the Khmers. The city’s name was changed by Vietnam to Sài Gòn and then Hồ Chí Minh City. The loss of the city prevented the Cambodians access to the South China Sea. Subsequently, the Khmers' access to the sea was now limited to the Gulf of Thailand. It began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II of Cambodia (1618-1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trịnh-Nguyễn War in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyen Huu Canh, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyen rulers of Huế to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. Since 1698, the area has been firmly under Vietnamese administration. The Vietnamese became the majority population in most places.
When independence was granted to French Indochina in 1954, the Mekong Delta was included in the state of South Vietnam, despite protests from Cambodia. In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge regime attacked Vietnam in an attempt to reconquer those areas of the delta still predominantly inhabited by Khmer Krom people, but this military adventure was a total disaster and precipitated the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese army and subsequent downfall of the Khmer Rouge, with Vietnam occupying Cambodia.
Son Ngoc Thanh, the nationalist Cambodian, was a Khmer krom, born in Trà Vinh, Vietnam. Cambodia got independence in Geneva, 1954, through the Vietnamese struggle in the First Indochina War. In 1757, the Vietnamese colonized the provinces of Psar Dèk (renamed Sa Đéc in Vietnamese) and Moat Chrouk (vietnamized to Châu Đốc).
Human Rights
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2007). Khmer Krom boatMany independent NGOs report the human rights of the Khmer Krom are still being violated by the Vietnamese government. Khmer Krom are reportedly forced to adopt Vietnamese family names and speak the Vietnamese language. {2} The education of the Khmer Krom is neglected and they face many hardships in everyday life, such as difficult access to Vietnamese health services (recent epidemics of blindness affecting children have been reported in the predominantly Khmer Krom areas of the Mekong delta[citation needed]), difficulty in practicing their religion (Khmer Krom are Theravada Buddhists, like Cambodian and Thai people, but unlike Vietnamese who are mostly Mahayana Buddhists or few Roman Catholics), difficulty in finding jobs outside of the fields, and societal racism. The Khmer Krom are among the poorest segments of the population in southern Vietnam.
Unlike other minority people groups of Vietnam, the Khmer Krom are largely unknown in the Western world, despite efforts by associations of exiled Khmer Krom such as the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation to publicize their issues with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation. No Western government has raised the matter of the Khmer Krom’s human rights with the Vietnamese government.
The Khmer Krom culture could become better known through its tourist sites in the Mekong Delta. Khmer Buddhist temples located in places such as Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang are now very popular as tourist destinations.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Origins
The Khmer Krom are ethnic Khmer who inhabited that area long before the arrival of the Vietnamese. According to Vietnamese government figures (1999 census), there are 1,055,174 Khmer Krom in Vietnam.
History
Flag of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF)
Beginning in the early 17th century, colonization of the area by Vietnamese settlers gradually isolated the Khmer of the Mekong Delta from their brethren in Cambodia proper and resulted in their becoming a minority in the delta.
Prey Nokor was the most important commercial seaport to the Khmers. The city’s name was changed by Vietnam to Sài Gòn and then Hồ Chí Minh City. The loss of the city prevented the Cambodians access to the South China Sea. Subsequently, the Khmers' access to the sea was now limited to the Gulf of Thailand. It began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II of Cambodia (1618-1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trịnh-Nguyễn War in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyen Huu Canh, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyen rulers of Huế to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. Since 1698, the area has been firmly under Vietnamese administration. The Vietnamese became the majority population in most places.
When independence was granted to French Indochina in 1954, the Mekong Delta was included in the state of South Vietnam, despite protests from Cambodia. In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge regime attacked Vietnam in an attempt to reconquer those areas of the delta still predominantly inhabited by Khmer Krom people, but this military adventure was a total disaster and precipitated the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese army and subsequent downfall of the Khmer Rouge, with Vietnam occupying Cambodia.
Son Ngoc Thanh, the nationalist Cambodian, was a Khmer krom, born in Trà Vinh, Vietnam. Cambodia got independence in Geneva, 1954, through the Vietnamese struggle in the First Indochina War. In 1757, the Vietnamese colonized the provinces of Psar Dèk (renamed Sa Đéc in Vietnamese) and Moat Chrouk (vietnamized to Châu Đốc).
Human Rights
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2007). Khmer Krom boatMany independent NGOs report the human rights of the Khmer Krom are still being violated by the Vietnamese government. Khmer Krom are reportedly forced to adopt Vietnamese family names and speak the Vietnamese language. {2} The education of the Khmer Krom is neglected and they face many hardships in everyday life, such as difficult access to Vietnamese health services (recent epidemics of blindness affecting children have been reported in the predominantly Khmer Krom areas of the Mekong delta[citation needed]), difficulty in practicing their religion (Khmer Krom are Theravada Buddhists, like Cambodian and Thai people, but unlike Vietnamese who are mostly Mahayana Buddhists or few Roman Catholics), difficulty in finding jobs outside of the fields, and societal racism. The Khmer Krom are among the poorest segments of the population in southern Vietnam.
Unlike other minority people groups of Vietnam, the Khmer Krom are largely unknown in the Western world, despite efforts by associations of exiled Khmer Krom such as the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation to publicize their issues with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation. No Western government has raised the matter of the Khmer Krom’s human rights with the Vietnamese government.
The Khmer Krom culture could become better known through its tourist sites in the Mekong Delta. Khmer Buddhist temples located in places such as Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang are now very popular as tourist destinations.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Cochinchina = Indochina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1948. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region has been called Gia Định (1779-1832), Nam Kỳ (1834-1945), Nam Bộ (1945-48), Nam phần (1948-56), Nam Việt (1956-75), and currently Miền Nam. (Nam Bộ is still in unofficial use.) In French, it was called la colonie de Cochinchine..
In the 17th century, Vietnam was divided between the Trịnh Lords to the north and the Nguyễn Lords to the south. The northern section was called Tonkin by Europeans, and the southern part called Cochinchina by most Europeans and Quinam by the Dutch.
During the French colonial period, the label moved further south, and came to refer to the southernmost part of Vietnam, controlled by Cambodia in prior centuries, and lying to its southeast. Its capital was at Saigon. The two other parts of Vietnam at the time were known as Annam and Tonkin.
The name "Cochin" derives from the Malay Kuchi which referred to all of Vietnam. This term was in turn derived from the Chinese jiao zhi, pronounced giao chỉ in Vietnam. "Cochinchina" derives from the need or desire to distinguish this Cochi/Kochi/Kuchi from the city (and princely state) of Kochi in India.[1]
Pre-colonial history
The conquest of the south of present-day Vietnam was a long process of territorial acquisition by the Vietnamese. It is called Nam Tien by Vietnamese historians. Vietnam (then known as Đại Việt) nearly doubled its territory in 1470 under the great king Lê Thánh Tông, at the expense of the Champa. The next two hundred years was a time of territorial consolidation and civil war with only gradual expansion south.
Cochinchina was the southern third of VietnamAs a result of a civil war that started in 1520, the Emperor of China sent a commission to study the political status of Annam in 1536. As a consequence of the delivered report, he declared war against the Mạc Dynasty. The nominal ruler of the Mạc died at the very time that the Chinese armies passed the frontiers of the kingdom in 1537, and his father, Mạc Đăng Dung (the real power in any case), hurried to submit to the Imperial will, and declared himself to be a vassal of China. The Chinese declared that both the Lê Dynasty and the Mạc had a right to part of the lands and so they recognized the Lê rule in the southern part of Vietnam while at the same time recognizing the Mạc rule in the northern part, which was called Tunquin (i.e. Tonkin). This was to be a feudatory state of China under the government of the Mạc.
However, this arrangement did not last long. In 1592, Trịnh Tùng, leading the Royal (Trịnh) army, conquered nearly all of the Mạc territory and moved the Lê kings back to the original capital of Hanoi. The Mạc only held on to a tiny part of north Vietnam until 1667, when Trịnh Tạc conquered the last Mạc lands.
In 1623, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên, the lord of the (then) southern provinces of Vietnam, established a trading community at Saigon with the consent of the king of Cambodia. Over the next 50 years, Vietnamese control slowly expanded in this area but only gradually as the Nguyễn were fighting a protracted civil war with the Trịnh Lords in the north.
With the end of the war with the Trịnh, the Nguyễn were able to devote more effort (and military force) to conquest of the south. First, the remaining Champa territories were taken; next, the areas around the Mekong river were placed under Vietnamese control.
At least three wars were fought between the Nguyễn Lords and the Cambodian kings in the period 1715 to 1770 with the Vietnamese gaining more territory with each war. The wars all involved the much more powerful Siamese kings who fought on behalf of their vassals, the Cambodians.
In the late 1700s, Vietnam was briefly unified under the Tây Sơn. These were three brothers, former peasants, who succeeded in conquering first the lands of the Nguyễn and then the lands of the Trịnh. But final unification came under Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, a remarkably tenacious member of the Nguyễn noble family who fought for 25 years against the Tây Sơn and ultimately conquered the entire country in 1802. He ruled all of Vietnam under the name Gia Long.
Map of "Annam" drafted by Alexandre de Rhodes (1651) showing "Cocincina" (left) and "Tvnkin" (right).Gia Long and his successors (see the Nguyễn Dynasty for details) conquered more lands from Cambodia and even annexed Phnom Penh and surrounding territory. However, the Vietnamese were forced to relinquish these conquests in the latter part of the 1800s.
Colonial Cochinchina (1864-1949)
For a series of complex reasons, the French government of Napoleon III, with the help of Spanish troops arriving from the Philippines (which was a Spanish colony at the time), decided to take over the southern part of Vietnam. In September 1858, France occupied Đà Nẵng (Tourane). On 18 February 1859, they conquered Saigon and three southern Vietnamese provinces: Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Dinh Tuong; on 13 April 1862, the Vietnamese government was forced to cede those territories to France.
In 1867, the provinces of Châu Đốc, Ha Tien and Vĩnh Long were added to French controlled territory. In 1864 all the French territories in southern Vietnam were declared to be the new French colony of Cochinchina, which would be governed by Admiral Jules Marie Dupré from 1868-1874.
In 1887, it became part of the Union of French Indochina. Fifty-one Vietnamese rebels were executed following the 1916 Cochinchina uprising. In 1933, the Spratly Islands were annexed to French Cochinchina. In July 1941, Japanese troops were based in French Cochinchina (a de facto occupation). After the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, Cochinchina was returned to French rule.
1886 map of colonial CochinchinaThe "Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina" (République Autonome de Cochinchine), a French puppet state, was proclaimed June 1, 1946 to frustrate the Vietminh's desire to rule all of Vietnam. War between France and the Vietminh followed (1946-54). Cochinchina was renamed the "Republic of South Vietnam" in 1947, the "Provisional Central Government of Vietnam" in 1948, and the "State of Vietnam," with former emperor Bảo Đại as head of state, in 1949. The Bảo Đại government received international diplomatic recognition in 1950. France and the Vietminh concluded the Geneva Accords in 1954. As a result of this agreement, the southern half of the French protectorate of Annam was merged with the State of Vietnam, with the resulting state commonly referred to as South Vietnam. Meanwhile, northern Annam and the protectorate of Tonkin were awarded to the Vietminh. This area was afterwards known as North Vietnam.
1558-1976 summary
The Nguyễn Lords ruled the southern provinces of Vietnam from the city of Huế (in what was later called Annam by the French, though Annam historically refers to the northern part of modern Vietnam). The Tây Sơn also ruled the south but not from Saigon, instead they ruled from Đà Nẵng. Nguyễn Phúc Ánh ruled the united country of Vietnam from his ancestors’ capital of Huế. Cochinchina was never a single united administrative unit until the French seized it in the 1850s. Cochinchina was occupied by Japan during World War II (1941-45), but was restored to France afterwards. In 1955, after the French-Indochina War, Cochinchina was merged with southern Annam to form the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
Republished by CI from Google, Cambodia.
In the 17th century, Vietnam was divided between the Trịnh Lords to the north and the Nguyễn Lords to the south. The northern section was called Tonkin by Europeans, and the southern part called Cochinchina by most Europeans and Quinam by the Dutch.
During the French colonial period, the label moved further south, and came to refer to the southernmost part of Vietnam, controlled by Cambodia in prior centuries, and lying to its southeast. Its capital was at Saigon. The two other parts of Vietnam at the time were known as Annam and Tonkin.
The name "Cochin" derives from the Malay Kuchi which referred to all of Vietnam. This term was in turn derived from the Chinese jiao zhi, pronounced giao chỉ in Vietnam. "Cochinchina" derives from the need or desire to distinguish this Cochi/Kochi/Kuchi from the city (and princely state) of Kochi in India.[1]
Pre-colonial history
The conquest of the south of present-day Vietnam was a long process of territorial acquisition by the Vietnamese. It is called Nam Tien by Vietnamese historians. Vietnam (then known as Đại Việt) nearly doubled its territory in 1470 under the great king Lê Thánh Tông, at the expense of the Champa. The next two hundred years was a time of territorial consolidation and civil war with only gradual expansion south.
Cochinchina was the southern third of VietnamAs a result of a civil war that started in 1520, the Emperor of China sent a commission to study the political status of Annam in 1536. As a consequence of the delivered report, he declared war against the Mạc Dynasty. The nominal ruler of the Mạc died at the very time that the Chinese armies passed the frontiers of the kingdom in 1537, and his father, Mạc Đăng Dung (the real power in any case), hurried to submit to the Imperial will, and declared himself to be a vassal of China. The Chinese declared that both the Lê Dynasty and the Mạc had a right to part of the lands and so they recognized the Lê rule in the southern part of Vietnam while at the same time recognizing the Mạc rule in the northern part, which was called Tunquin (i.e. Tonkin). This was to be a feudatory state of China under the government of the Mạc.
However, this arrangement did not last long. In 1592, Trịnh Tùng, leading the Royal (Trịnh) army, conquered nearly all of the Mạc territory and moved the Lê kings back to the original capital of Hanoi. The Mạc only held on to a tiny part of north Vietnam until 1667, when Trịnh Tạc conquered the last Mạc lands.
In 1623, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên, the lord of the (then) southern provinces of Vietnam, established a trading community at Saigon with the consent of the king of Cambodia. Over the next 50 years, Vietnamese control slowly expanded in this area but only gradually as the Nguyễn were fighting a protracted civil war with the Trịnh Lords in the north.
With the end of the war with the Trịnh, the Nguyễn were able to devote more effort (and military force) to conquest of the south. First, the remaining Champa territories were taken; next, the areas around the Mekong river were placed under Vietnamese control.
At least three wars were fought between the Nguyễn Lords and the Cambodian kings in the period 1715 to 1770 with the Vietnamese gaining more territory with each war. The wars all involved the much more powerful Siamese kings who fought on behalf of their vassals, the Cambodians.
In the late 1700s, Vietnam was briefly unified under the Tây Sơn. These were three brothers, former peasants, who succeeded in conquering first the lands of the Nguyễn and then the lands of the Trịnh. But final unification came under Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, a remarkably tenacious member of the Nguyễn noble family who fought for 25 years against the Tây Sơn and ultimately conquered the entire country in 1802. He ruled all of Vietnam under the name Gia Long.
Map of "Annam" drafted by Alexandre de Rhodes (1651) showing "Cocincina" (left) and "Tvnkin" (right).Gia Long and his successors (see the Nguyễn Dynasty for details) conquered more lands from Cambodia and even annexed Phnom Penh and surrounding territory. However, the Vietnamese were forced to relinquish these conquests in the latter part of the 1800s.
Colonial Cochinchina (1864-1949)
For a series of complex reasons, the French government of Napoleon III, with the help of Spanish troops arriving from the Philippines (which was a Spanish colony at the time), decided to take over the southern part of Vietnam. In September 1858, France occupied Đà Nẵng (Tourane). On 18 February 1859, they conquered Saigon and three southern Vietnamese provinces: Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Dinh Tuong; on 13 April 1862, the Vietnamese government was forced to cede those territories to France.
In 1867, the provinces of Châu Đốc, Ha Tien and Vĩnh Long were added to French controlled territory. In 1864 all the French territories in southern Vietnam were declared to be the new French colony of Cochinchina, which would be governed by Admiral Jules Marie Dupré from 1868-1874.
In 1887, it became part of the Union of French Indochina. Fifty-one Vietnamese rebels were executed following the 1916 Cochinchina uprising. In 1933, the Spratly Islands were annexed to French Cochinchina. In July 1941, Japanese troops were based in French Cochinchina (a de facto occupation). After the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, Cochinchina was returned to French rule.
1886 map of colonial CochinchinaThe "Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina" (République Autonome de Cochinchine), a French puppet state, was proclaimed June 1, 1946 to frustrate the Vietminh's desire to rule all of Vietnam. War between France and the Vietminh followed (1946-54). Cochinchina was renamed the "Republic of South Vietnam" in 1947, the "Provisional Central Government of Vietnam" in 1948, and the "State of Vietnam," with former emperor Bảo Đại as head of state, in 1949. The Bảo Đại government received international diplomatic recognition in 1950. France and the Vietminh concluded the Geneva Accords in 1954. As a result of this agreement, the southern half of the French protectorate of Annam was merged with the State of Vietnam, with the resulting state commonly referred to as South Vietnam. Meanwhile, northern Annam and the protectorate of Tonkin were awarded to the Vietminh. This area was afterwards known as North Vietnam.
1558-1976 summary
The Nguyễn Lords ruled the southern provinces of Vietnam from the city of Huế (in what was later called Annam by the French, though Annam historically refers to the northern part of modern Vietnam). The Tây Sơn also ruled the south but not from Saigon, instead they ruled from Đà Nẵng. Nguyễn Phúc Ánh ruled the united country of Vietnam from his ancestors’ capital of Huế. Cochinchina was never a single united administrative unit until the French seized it in the 1850s. Cochinchina was occupied by Japan during World War II (1941-45), but was restored to France afterwards. In 1955, after the French-Indochina War, Cochinchina was merged with southern Annam to form the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).
Republished by CI from Google, Cambodia.
Cambodia History Scholar Denies Importance of June 4, 1949
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 58-On Friday, June 5, 2009.
For an estimated 1 million Khmer Krom living in Cambodia, Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the moment when their homeland in the Mekong Delta disappeared from the map at the stroke of a pen. It was on June 4, 1949, that the French parliament transferred the territory of Cochinchina, which they had ruled as part of French Indochina, to Vietnamese administration.
Known as Kampuchea Krom, or lower Cambodia, to Khmers, the loss of the territory to Vietnam is still a highly emotive issue for many, but there is much debate as to the significance of June 4, 1949 as the date the territory was lost. "Today is a very important day for Cambodia's territory... We have to join together. My father, Samdech Son Sann, usually said that if Khmer break with Khmer they will die. But when Khmer combines with Khmer they will win," Constitutional Council member Son Soubert said Thursday at a Phnom Penh ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversity.
The annual remembrance service in Phnom Penh's Wat Botum park brought together more than 2,000 people, including a majority of Khmer Krom monks, as well as association, parliamentarians and ordinary citizens, who still long for their native soil and hope to see it retured one day. "This is the day the French gave away our land," said 27-year-old Buddhist monk Pich Siha. "We want to get that land its independence."
However, others challenge that version of history, saying that land was lost to Cambodia hundrends of years before June 4, 1949. Henri Locard, an associate lecturer of history at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and a respected scholar on Cambodia, said that Cambodians living in the region were far outnumbered by Vietnamese settlers at the time of the French transfer in 1949. According to a 1902 French census of Cochinchina, there were more than 2.6 million Vietnamese and 224,000 Khmers in the territory.
The area was undrained marshlands dotted with small fishing villages that was still unexploited by its inhabitants and slowly came under the auspices of Vietnamese settlers, he said. "It is completely untrue," Mr Locard said Thursday concerning the blame laid on France for the loss of the territory. "I just think the fourth of June, 1949, is not a date of any importance for Cambodia," he said.
Mr Soubert, who comes from an old Kampuchea Krom family, denied Mr Locard's readings of history. He said Cambodia has always laid claim to the region and that the French gave the land away for political reasons--to curry favor from the Vietnamese. "The interpretation of these historical facts by Mr Henri Locard is rather biased and groundless," Mr Soubert wrote in a letter Wednesday.
Expressing his respect for Mr Soubert and his desire not to enter into a debate on the issue, Mr Locard said discussion about present-day Cambodia would better serve the country. Cambodia "should not worry about the past but rather concern itself with the person," he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
For an estimated 1 million Khmer Krom living in Cambodia, Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the moment when their homeland in the Mekong Delta disappeared from the map at the stroke of a pen. It was on June 4, 1949, that the French parliament transferred the territory of Cochinchina, which they had ruled as part of French Indochina, to Vietnamese administration.
Known as Kampuchea Krom, or lower Cambodia, to Khmers, the loss of the territory to Vietnam is still a highly emotive issue for many, but there is much debate as to the significance of June 4, 1949 as the date the territory was lost. "Today is a very important day for Cambodia's territory... We have to join together. My father, Samdech Son Sann, usually said that if Khmer break with Khmer they will die. But when Khmer combines with Khmer they will win," Constitutional Council member Son Soubert said Thursday at a Phnom Penh ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversity.
The annual remembrance service in Phnom Penh's Wat Botum park brought together more than 2,000 people, including a majority of Khmer Krom monks, as well as association, parliamentarians and ordinary citizens, who still long for their native soil and hope to see it retured one day. "This is the day the French gave away our land," said 27-year-old Buddhist monk Pich Siha. "We want to get that land its independence."
However, others challenge that version of history, saying that land was lost to Cambodia hundrends of years before June 4, 1949. Henri Locard, an associate lecturer of history at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and a respected scholar on Cambodia, said that Cambodians living in the region were far outnumbered by Vietnamese settlers at the time of the French transfer in 1949. According to a 1902 French census of Cochinchina, there were more than 2.6 million Vietnamese and 224,000 Khmers in the territory.
The area was undrained marshlands dotted with small fishing villages that was still unexploited by its inhabitants and slowly came under the auspices of Vietnamese settlers, he said. "It is completely untrue," Mr Locard said Thursday concerning the blame laid on France for the loss of the territory. "I just think the fourth of June, 1949, is not a date of any importance for Cambodia," he said.
Mr Soubert, who comes from an old Kampuchea Krom family, denied Mr Locard's readings of history. He said Cambodia has always laid claim to the region and that the French gave the land away for political reasons--to curry favor from the Vietnamese. "The interpretation of these historical facts by Mr Henri Locard is rather biased and groundless," Mr Soubert wrote in a letter Wednesday.
Expressing his respect for Mr Soubert and his desire not to enter into a debate on the issue, Mr Locard said discussion about present-day Cambodia would better serve the country. Cambodia "should not worry about the past but rather concern itself with the person," he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
12 and a half rules to be a good journalist
12. DO WHAT YOU LOVE: Be passionate about what you choose to do. Remember: If there’s no love in the kitchen, there is no taste on the table. Never reject the impulses of your youth. Be responsible for your life, don’t blame others for what you become or don’t become.
11. WAKE UP ANGRY, AMBITIOUS: Get the fire in your belly to do something, set things right. Respond to injustice, inhumanity, corruption. Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable. Don’t think it is somebody else’s job. Be the change you want to see.
10. DON’T BE THE LOYAL MEMBER OF ANY PARTY, GROUP, CLUB, NGO: Credibility is everything. Retain your independence, be skeptical not cynical. Don’t mortgage your integrity. It’s like virginity—once you lose it, you have lost it forever.
9. BE CATHOLIC OF WRITERS AND WRITING: Read newspapers, magazines, books across the board. Admire writers/writing irrespective of ideology. In the age of the internet, you have no excuses for your ignorance.
8. FIND YOURSELF A ROLE-MODEL/MENTOR: Have a hero or heroine who has been there, done that. Keep in touch with people who will help you achieve your aims. Meet at least one new person every day.
7. BE A THRIVER, NOT A SURVIVOR: Don’t coast along, don’t be afraid to try out something new. Aim high, dream, have an ambition, set yourself a goal. Take a risk, think big, think differently, don’t be predictable.
6. NEVER WORK WITH SUCCESS/ REWARD IN MIND: Work for fun and the satisfaction, the rewards will come on their own. Don’t fall for cheap praise and don’t be stalled by even cheaper criticism.
5. WRITE, DRAW, SHOOT, CREATE EVERY DAY: Eventually your habits become you. Practics makes you perfect. Develop the three Ds—discipline, dedication, determination—and reward and recognition will naturally follow.
4. KEEP LEARNING EVERY DAY: You cannot learn eerything in the classroom or the newsroom. It’s a constantly changing business, keep learning. Again, in the age of the internet, you have no excuse not to do so.
3. FEAR NOBODY, QUESTION EVERYTHING: You are in the business to get the answers. Don’t be in awe of big names, power, reputations, status. This business is all about meeting total strangers and asking them questions you wouldn’t ask your parents.
2. NEVER BE EMBARRASSED TO ASK STUPID QUESTIONS: There are no stupid questions, only dumb answers. Talk less, listen more. Be humble of your ignorance.
1. CHASE YOUR DREAM: Stop living for others, avoid temptation, life is not all about money. Let your reputation never be under question. It’s true—it’s possible to earn decently and live honourably as a journalist.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
11. WAKE UP ANGRY, AMBITIOUS: Get the fire in your belly to do something, set things right. Respond to injustice, inhumanity, corruption. Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable. Don’t think it is somebody else’s job. Be the change you want to see.
10. DON’T BE THE LOYAL MEMBER OF ANY PARTY, GROUP, CLUB, NGO: Credibility is everything. Retain your independence, be skeptical not cynical. Don’t mortgage your integrity. It’s like virginity—once you lose it, you have lost it forever.
9. BE CATHOLIC OF WRITERS AND WRITING: Read newspapers, magazines, books across the board. Admire writers/writing irrespective of ideology. In the age of the internet, you have no excuses for your ignorance.
8. FIND YOURSELF A ROLE-MODEL/MENTOR: Have a hero or heroine who has been there, done that. Keep in touch with people who will help you achieve your aims. Meet at least one new person every day.
7. BE A THRIVER, NOT A SURVIVOR: Don’t coast along, don’t be afraid to try out something new. Aim high, dream, have an ambition, set yourself a goal. Take a risk, think big, think differently, don’t be predictable.
6. NEVER WORK WITH SUCCESS/ REWARD IN MIND: Work for fun and the satisfaction, the rewards will come on their own. Don’t fall for cheap praise and don’t be stalled by even cheaper criticism.
5. WRITE, DRAW, SHOOT, CREATE EVERY DAY: Eventually your habits become you. Practics makes you perfect. Develop the three Ds—discipline, dedication, determination—and reward and recognition will naturally follow.
4. KEEP LEARNING EVERY DAY: You cannot learn eerything in the classroom or the newsroom. It’s a constantly changing business, keep learning. Again, in the age of the internet, you have no excuse not to do so.
3. FEAR NOBODY, QUESTION EVERYTHING: You are in the business to get the answers. Don’t be in awe of big names, power, reputations, status. This business is all about meeting total strangers and asking them questions you wouldn’t ask your parents.
2. NEVER BE EMBARRASSED TO ASK STUPID QUESTIONS: There are no stupid questions, only dumb answers. Talk less, listen more. Be humble of your ignorance.
1. CHASE YOUR DREAM: Stop living for others, avoid temptation, life is not all about money. Let your reputation never be under question. It’s true—it’s possible to earn decently and live honourably as a journalist.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Cambodia Has Among Highest Levels of Graft
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 57-On Thursday, June 4, 2009.
Almost half of Cambodian families have paid bribes in the last year, as did a whopping three quarters of those who dealth with the country's judicial system, according to an international corruption survey released Tuesday. Forty-seven percent of Cambodians surveyed in Transparency International's 2009 corruption barometer said that someone in their household paid some form of bribe in the last year. Only Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon had higher rates of reported graft.
The prevalence of petty bribery in low-income countries like Cambodia is "compounding the already difficult situation of low-income households, as jobs and income dwindle in the release accompanying the Transparency International survey said. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with 1,019 Cambodians in December. The TI report did not specify the amount of money involved in the bribes. Across the Asia-Pacific region, a mere 10 percent of people reported paying bribes in the last year. Only Indonesia came close to Cambodia, with 29 percent reporting that a household member has paid a bribe.
When asked to identify the most corrupt sector in the country, 62 percent of Cambodians interviewed by Transparency pointed to the judiciary, and 74 percent of people who had dealt with the judicial system said that a member of their family had paid bribes. In second place in the corruption perception stakes, 23 percent of those interviewed said public officials and civil servants, followed by political parties, business and parliament, which all scored in the single digits.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan did not dispute the country's high prevalence of bribery when contacted by telephone Wednesday. "No one understands exactly what's going on with that one," he said, but stressed that "the government pays much attention about reform." He said that the government's draft law on anticorruption, which has been promised since the 1990s, and the establishment of an anticorruption unit, are proof that the government is working to crack down on graft by public officials.
Mr Siphan acknowledged that some members of the Cambodian judicial system take bribes, but added, "All the lawyers and all the judges are not corrupt. We have still a majority that are not corrupt." He stressed that Cambodia is not the only country dealing with corruption within the judiciary. "This is not a perfect world... This corruption is epidemic in the world. We cannot run away from it." An assistant for Justic Minister Ang Vong Vathana referred questions to Phov Samphy, director-general for the ministry's department of research and judicial development Mr Samphy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Despite the high rate of reported bribery in the country, 67 percent of Cambodians interviewed by Transparency said they believe the current government has been effective in combating corruption. In contrast, only 2 percent of US residents reported paying bribes in 2008, but 73 percent felt their government was ineffective against corruption.
Mr Siphan said he was pleased with Cambodians' perception of the government's anticorruption efforts. "That is a message that shows the government's support for fighting corruption," he said. The results of the Transparency survey were meant to be announced at a press conference today, organized by the NGO Pact Cambodia, but in an e-mail Wednesday, the organization announced until further notice." Pact Cambodia Country Director Paul Mason said by telephone Wednesday that he would not comment on the reason for the postponement, or whether it was influenced by the government's strong response to a recent speech by US Ambassador Carol Rodley regarding corruption.
On Saturday, Om Yentieng, head of the government's anticorruption unit, held a press conference Tuesday calling for the ambassador to retract her statement. The Councilof Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both sent out terse statement rejecting Ms Rodley's comment. US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said Wednesday that he had no comment about the US embassy's response. Mr Yentieng could not be reached for comment on the Transparency report Wednesday.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Almost half of Cambodian families have paid bribes in the last year, as did a whopping three quarters of those who dealth with the country's judicial system, according to an international corruption survey released Tuesday. Forty-seven percent of Cambodians surveyed in Transparency International's 2009 corruption barometer said that someone in their household paid some form of bribe in the last year. Only Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon had higher rates of reported graft.
The prevalence of petty bribery in low-income countries like Cambodia is "compounding the already difficult situation of low-income households, as jobs and income dwindle in the release accompanying the Transparency International survey said. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with 1,019 Cambodians in December. The TI report did not specify the amount of money involved in the bribes. Across the Asia-Pacific region, a mere 10 percent of people reported paying bribes in the last year. Only Indonesia came close to Cambodia, with 29 percent reporting that a household member has paid a bribe.
When asked to identify the most corrupt sector in the country, 62 percent of Cambodians interviewed by Transparency pointed to the judiciary, and 74 percent of people who had dealt with the judicial system said that a member of their family had paid bribes. In second place in the corruption perception stakes, 23 percent of those interviewed said public officials and civil servants, followed by political parties, business and parliament, which all scored in the single digits.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan did not dispute the country's high prevalence of bribery when contacted by telephone Wednesday. "No one understands exactly what's going on with that one," he said, but stressed that "the government pays much attention about reform." He said that the government's draft law on anticorruption, which has been promised since the 1990s, and the establishment of an anticorruption unit, are proof that the government is working to crack down on graft by public officials.
Mr Siphan acknowledged that some members of the Cambodian judicial system take bribes, but added, "All the lawyers and all the judges are not corrupt. We have still a majority that are not corrupt." He stressed that Cambodia is not the only country dealing with corruption within the judiciary. "This is not a perfect world... This corruption is epidemic in the world. We cannot run away from it." An assistant for Justic Minister Ang Vong Vathana referred questions to Phov Samphy, director-general for the ministry's department of research and judicial development Mr Samphy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Despite the high rate of reported bribery in the country, 67 percent of Cambodians interviewed by Transparency said they believe the current government has been effective in combating corruption. In contrast, only 2 percent of US residents reported paying bribes in 2008, but 73 percent felt their government was ineffective against corruption.
Mr Siphan said he was pleased with Cambodians' perception of the government's anticorruption efforts. "That is a message that shows the government's support for fighting corruption," he said. The results of the Transparency survey were meant to be announced at a press conference today, organized by the NGO Pact Cambodia, but in an e-mail Wednesday, the organization announced until further notice." Pact Cambodia Country Director Paul Mason said by telephone Wednesday that he would not comment on the reason for the postponement, or whether it was influenced by the government's strong response to a recent speech by US Ambassador Carol Rodley regarding corruption.
On Saturday, Om Yentieng, head of the government's anticorruption unit, held a press conference Tuesday calling for the ambassador to retract her statement. The Councilof Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both sent out terse statement rejecting Ms Rodley's comment. US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said Wednesday that he had no comment about the US embassy's response. Mr Yentieng could not be reached for comment on the Transparency report Wednesday.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
INTERNATIONAL: China's Leaders and Protest Movement in 1989
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 57-On Thursday, June 4, 2009.
China's 1989 pro-democracy movement split the Communist Party leadership and triggered a power struggle that ended in a bloody crackdown on student protesters in the pre-dawn hours of June 4 that year. Following are brief profiles of government leaders and key members of the protest movement at the time:
DENG XIAOPING, then the power behind the throne in China, sent in tanks and troops to crush the student-led demonstrations for democracy centered on Beijin's Tiananmen Square. He died on Feb 19, 1997, aged 92, after reviving the economy with a dramatic tour of the south in 1992.
ZHAO ZIYANG was toppled as China's Communist Party chief after challenging Deng's decision to crush the protests. Zhao died in Beijing in 2005, after 15 years under house arrest. His secret memoirs were published last month.
JIANG ZEMIN rose from Communist Party boss of Shanghai, where he ended parallel protests without bloodshed, to oust Zhao as national Party chief in 1989. Jiang held on to power for 13 years before retiring in 2002.
LI PENG is known as the "Butcher of Beijing" for declaring martial law on national television days before the crackdown. Reviled by many, Li remained premier until 1998. Writing in retirement, Li has reportedly sought to clear his name, but the Party has banned publication of his memoirs.
HU JINTAO, now China's top leader, was Party secretary in Tibet in 1989. He declared martial law in Lhasa in March 1989, following clashes between Tibetan protestors and police.
WEN JIABAO, Zhao's chief of staff, accompanied him to Tiananmen Square when Zhao tearfully appealed to students to leave. Zhao was ousted, but Wen became premier in 2003.
BAO TONG, Zhao's top aide, was the most senior official jailed for sympathizing with the protestors. Still under constant police surveillance, he is now a critic of China's human rights record and the slow pace of political reform.
WANG DAN, then a 20-year-old Peking University history major, was a high-profile student leader. Jailed twice, he was released into exile in 1998. Wang is now a guest researcher at Oxford University and chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association. He has not been allowed back to China.
CHAI LING, then a 23-year-old psychology student, urged student to stay in Tiananmen Square rather than accept a negotiated withdrawal in May 1989. She escaped China after 10 months in hiding, graduated from Harvard Business School and is now chief operating officer of Jenzabar, a Boston-based firm that develope Internet portals for universities.
WU'ER KAIXI, then a 21-year-old Uighur, was a hunger striker who rebuked then-premier Li Peng on national television. He fled to France and then studied at Harvard University, but came under attack for his extravagant lifestyle in exile. He now works at an investment firm in Taiwan, and China rejected his request to return to visit his aging parents.
FANG LIZHI, a professor of astrophysics, inspired Chinese intellectuals in the mid-1980s by declaring science should not be determined by Marxist theory. He sought and was granted political asylum in the US and is now a physics professor at the University of Arizona.
LIU XIAOBO, a literary critic, led hunger strikes on Tiananmen Square and was subsesquently jailed. He was the most prominent of the signatories of "Charter 08," a manifesto calling for more rights, freedom of speech and muti-party elections. He was detained before its December release and is held in an undisclosed location near Beijing.
HAN DONGFANG, the a 27-year-old railway worker, helped set up the Beijing Autonomous Workers' Federation, the first independent trade union in communist-ruled China, during the 1989 protests. Imprisoned and exiled, Han is now in Hong Kong where he runs China Labour Bulletin, a non-governmental organization that seeks to defend the rights of Chinese workers.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
China's 1989 pro-democracy movement split the Communist Party leadership and triggered a power struggle that ended in a bloody crackdown on student protesters in the pre-dawn hours of June 4 that year. Following are brief profiles of government leaders and key members of the protest movement at the time:
DENG XIAOPING, then the power behind the throne in China, sent in tanks and troops to crush the student-led demonstrations for democracy centered on Beijin's Tiananmen Square. He died on Feb 19, 1997, aged 92, after reviving the economy with a dramatic tour of the south in 1992.
ZHAO ZIYANG was toppled as China's Communist Party chief after challenging Deng's decision to crush the protests. Zhao died in Beijing in 2005, after 15 years under house arrest. His secret memoirs were published last month.
JIANG ZEMIN rose from Communist Party boss of Shanghai, where he ended parallel protests without bloodshed, to oust Zhao as national Party chief in 1989. Jiang held on to power for 13 years before retiring in 2002.
LI PENG is known as the "Butcher of Beijing" for declaring martial law on national television days before the crackdown. Reviled by many, Li remained premier until 1998. Writing in retirement, Li has reportedly sought to clear his name, but the Party has banned publication of his memoirs.
HU JINTAO, now China's top leader, was Party secretary in Tibet in 1989. He declared martial law in Lhasa in March 1989, following clashes between Tibetan protestors and police.
WEN JIABAO, Zhao's chief of staff, accompanied him to Tiananmen Square when Zhao tearfully appealed to students to leave. Zhao was ousted, but Wen became premier in 2003.
BAO TONG, Zhao's top aide, was the most senior official jailed for sympathizing with the protestors. Still under constant police surveillance, he is now a critic of China's human rights record and the slow pace of political reform.
WANG DAN, then a 20-year-old Peking University history major, was a high-profile student leader. Jailed twice, he was released into exile in 1998. Wang is now a guest researcher at Oxford University and chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association. He has not been allowed back to China.
CHAI LING, then a 23-year-old psychology student, urged student to stay in Tiananmen Square rather than accept a negotiated withdrawal in May 1989. She escaped China after 10 months in hiding, graduated from Harvard Business School and is now chief operating officer of Jenzabar, a Boston-based firm that develope Internet portals for universities.
WU'ER KAIXI, then a 21-year-old Uighur, was a hunger striker who rebuked then-premier Li Peng on national television. He fled to France and then studied at Harvard University, but came under attack for his extravagant lifestyle in exile. He now works at an investment firm in Taiwan, and China rejected his request to return to visit his aging parents.
FANG LIZHI, a professor of astrophysics, inspired Chinese intellectuals in the mid-1980s by declaring science should not be determined by Marxist theory. He sought and was granted political asylum in the US and is now a physics professor at the University of Arizona.
LIU XIAOBO, a literary critic, led hunger strikes on Tiananmen Square and was subsesquently jailed. He was the most prominent of the signatories of "Charter 08," a manifesto calling for more rights, freedom of speech and muti-party elections. He was detained before its December release and is held in an undisclosed location near Beijing.
HAN DONGFANG, the a 27-year-old railway worker, helped set up the Beijing Autonomous Workers' Federation, the first independent trade union in communist-ruled China, during the 1989 protests. Imprisoned and exiled, Han is now in Hong Kong where he runs China Labour Bulletin, a non-governmental organization that seeks to defend the rights of Chinese workers.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Doctors Declare Retired King's Body Weight 'Perfect'
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 57-On Thursday, June 4, 2009.
Retired King Norodom Sihanouk on Wednesday said he had lost one centimeter in height in the past four decades but has now attained the perfect body weight. The retired King announced in December that he had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma for the third time in 15 years. "In 'height,' I measure at the present moment 1 meter 61. It is my advanced age (87 years) that causes me to lose one centimeter," he wrote in an undated message entitled "The Problem of the Weight of my Body" and posted to this website on Wednesday. "Considering at once my age, my cancer, the dietetic rules for my health, my eminent [People's Republic] of China Doctors ask me not to attain, as a bodyweight, 70 kilograms. [...] N Sihanouk being ill with a third cancer (B-cell lymphoma), my most esteemed [Chinese] Doctors inform me that my 'current' weight of 68 kg is 'perfect' (it does not go so far as 'to graze' the 70 kgs and it is far from dropping to 65 kg).
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Retired King Norodom Sihanouk on Wednesday said he had lost one centimeter in height in the past four decades but has now attained the perfect body weight. The retired King announced in December that he had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma for the third time in 15 years. "In 'height,' I measure at the present moment 1 meter 61. It is my advanced age (87 years) that causes me to lose one centimeter," he wrote in an undated message entitled "The Problem of the Weight of my Body" and posted to this website on Wednesday. "Considering at once my age, my cancer, the dietetic rules for my health, my eminent [People's Republic] of China Doctors ask me not to attain, as a bodyweight, 70 kilograms. [...] N Sihanouk being ill with a third cancer (B-cell lymphoma), my most esteemed [Chinese] Doctors inform me that my 'current' weight of 68 kg is 'perfect' (it does not go so far as 'to graze' the 70 kgs and it is far from dropping to 65 kg).
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Business: Garment Industry Continues To Shed Jobs
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 56-On Wednesday 3, 2009.
Over 40,000 garment workers have lost their jobs, and 58 factories have been closed in the garment sector since last August, Chhoun Momthol, president of the Cambodian Union Federation said Tuesday. Referring to figures published in a report released last week by the CUF, Mr Momthol said that 41,117 garment workers had lost their jobs in the past 9 months. The report also declared that an additional 25,403 workers within the sector have been suspended from their posts until the industry makes a recovery.
"The garment sector is still in a bad way. Just last week we saw another factory shut down with a loss of over 1,000 jobs," said Mr Momthol, whose CUF claims 78,000 members. The number stated in the CUF report are slightly more modest compared to the 51,000 job that the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia recently announced had been lost in the sector between September 2008 and March 2009.
Additionally, GMAC chairman Van Sou Ieng last week announced that between 20,000 to 40,000 more workers had either completely lost their jobs or had been suspended in the past 10 weeks. The CUF factories have closed since August and 33 more have suspended their activities. The UN Development Program, however, said last week that 70 factories have been shut down over the same time period.
Mr Momthol added that since the report had come out a number of factories had been closed down adding more jobs to the total list of casualties declared within the report. "The figures were complied by the union leaders and only represent an approximate picture of the CUF report. "Things are changing so quickly." Roger Tan, secretary -general at GMAC, said that in any report on the numbers of job losses there could be a margin of error of between 10 to 30 percent due to the rapid turnover within the sector's work force.
Despite the dark clouds gathering over Cambodia's textile industry, Mr Momthol said he expected orders from the US and Europe to make a comeback in either July or Agust of this year. Mr Tan also said the garment industry will start to see some modest gains in the coming months. "However it will not be that fantastic," he said. "Because buyers have also have to close stores, sales will back but with less growth." Unlike the days of double-digit growth back in early 2008, Mr Tan said, a 5 percent rebound is likely for the remainder of 2009.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Over 40,000 garment workers have lost their jobs, and 58 factories have been closed in the garment sector since last August, Chhoun Momthol, president of the Cambodian Union Federation said Tuesday. Referring to figures published in a report released last week by the CUF, Mr Momthol said that 41,117 garment workers had lost their jobs in the past 9 months. The report also declared that an additional 25,403 workers within the sector have been suspended from their posts until the industry makes a recovery.
"The garment sector is still in a bad way. Just last week we saw another factory shut down with a loss of over 1,000 jobs," said Mr Momthol, whose CUF claims 78,000 members. The number stated in the CUF report are slightly more modest compared to the 51,000 job that the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia recently announced had been lost in the sector between September 2008 and March 2009.
Additionally, GMAC chairman Van Sou Ieng last week announced that between 20,000 to 40,000 more workers had either completely lost their jobs or had been suspended in the past 10 weeks. The CUF factories have closed since August and 33 more have suspended their activities. The UN Development Program, however, said last week that 70 factories have been shut down over the same time period.
Mr Momthol added that since the report had come out a number of factories had been closed down adding more jobs to the total list of casualties declared within the report. "The figures were complied by the union leaders and only represent an approximate picture of the CUF report. "Things are changing so quickly." Roger Tan, secretary -general at GMAC, said that in any report on the numbers of job losses there could be a margin of error of between 10 to 30 percent due to the rapid turnover within the sector's work force.
Despite the dark clouds gathering over Cambodia's textile industry, Mr Momthol said he expected orders from the US and Europe to make a comeback in either July or Agust of this year. Mr Tan also said the garment industry will start to see some modest gains in the coming months. "However it will not be that fantastic," he said. "Because buyers have also have to close stores, sales will back but with less growth." Unlike the days of double-digit growth back in early 2008, Mr Tan said, a 5 percent rebound is likely for the remainder of 2009.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Landmine, UXO Casualties Decline 30% in April
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 55-On Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
Reported casualties from landmines and UXO, or an unexploded ordnance, dropped about 30 percent to 17 in April from 24 the same month last year, according to a monthly report from the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System, which is supported by the Cambodian Red Cross. Casualties have followed a pattern of overall decline in recent years. Yearly casualty totals dropped from 450 in 2006, to 352 in 2007, to 269 in 2008, although so far this year the total is close to last year's, with 117 casualties for the first four months of this year compared to 113 last year. Officials have attributed the overall decline to demining and safety education efforts. Casualties are concentrated in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, along the northwest border with Thailand. Mine or UXO accidents cause death in only 17 percent of incidents, while amputation follows in 21 percent of cases, and injury results in the other cases, according to an analysis of data from 2008 through April of this year.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Reported casualties from landmines and UXO, or an unexploded ordnance, dropped about 30 percent to 17 in April from 24 the same month last year, according to a monthly report from the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System, which is supported by the Cambodian Red Cross. Casualties have followed a pattern of overall decline in recent years. Yearly casualty totals dropped from 450 in 2006, to 352 in 2007, to 269 in 2008, although so far this year the total is close to last year's, with 117 casualties for the first four months of this year compared to 113 last year. Officials have attributed the overall decline to demining and safety education efforts. Casualties are concentrated in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, along the northwest border with Thailand. Mine or UXO accidents cause death in only 17 percent of incidents, while amputation follows in 21 percent of cases, and injury results in the other cases, according to an analysis of data from 2008 through April of this year.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Bar Association Delays Questioning of Mu Sochua's Lawyer
According to The Cambodian Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 55-On Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
The Cambodian Bar Association on Monday again delayed a disciplinary board's questioning of Kong Sam Onn, the attorney of SRP lawyer pointed out that one of the five people chosen to investigate him worked for the man who had accused him of unethical conduct. Mr Sam Onn is representing Ms Sochua in her defamation suit filed last month against Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The inspectors were set to question Mr Sam Onn on May 25, but that hearing was delayed after two inspectors failed to show up. On Monday, a second attempt was made to question Mr Sam Onn, but it was again delayed after the lawyer complained that one of the inspectors, Hem Voun, works at Mr Ky Tech's Cambodia Law Firm.
Attorney Puth Theavy, who is one of the five bar-assigned inspectors, confirmed that the questioning session has been delayed until Mr Songhak deals with the apparent conflict of interest. "We dicided to delay the questioning because Mr Sam Onn has objected to Hem Voun," Mr Theavy said. Mr Voun said Monday evening that he doesn't intend to step down from the inspection panel unless told to do so by the bar's president.
Mr Songhak declined to comment on the conflict of interest when reached by telephone.
Breif & Republished by CI, Cambodia.
The Cambodian Bar Association on Monday again delayed a disciplinary board's questioning of Kong Sam Onn, the attorney of SRP lawyer pointed out that one of the five people chosen to investigate him worked for the man who had accused him of unethical conduct. Mr Sam Onn is representing Ms Sochua in her defamation suit filed last month against Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The inspectors were set to question Mr Sam Onn on May 25, but that hearing was delayed after two inspectors failed to show up. On Monday, a second attempt was made to question Mr Sam Onn, but it was again delayed after the lawyer complained that one of the inspectors, Hem Voun, works at Mr Ky Tech's Cambodia Law Firm.
Attorney Puth Theavy, who is one of the five bar-assigned inspectors, confirmed that the questioning session has been delayed until Mr Songhak deals with the apparent conflict of interest. "We dicided to delay the questioning because Mr Sam Onn has objected to Hem Voun," Mr Theavy said. Mr Voun said Monday evening that he doesn't intend to step down from the inspection panel unless told to do so by the bar's president.
Mr Songhak declined to comment on the conflict of interest when reached by telephone.
Breif & Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Monday, June 1, 2009
National Briefs: Seven Suspects in a String of Robberies in Custody
The Cambodia Daily Newspaper on Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
Police in Phnom Penh on Sunday arrested seven men and confiscated five AK-47s that were allegedly used in a series of armed robberies across four provinces, Meanchey District Governor Kuch Chamroeun said. Police are still looking for additional suspects in the robberies, which investigators says spread over Svay Rieng, Prey Veng, Kandal and Takeo provinces, Mr Chamroeun said. Police arrested three men in Meanchey district, two in Tuol Kok district and two in Dangkao district, he said. Police also discovered that the alleged thieves kept a large cache of arms and ammunition hidden on the outskirts of the capital in Dangkao district's Prey Sar commune. "This is the first case where we cracked down on the big nest [of suspects] in Meanchey district, thanks to the cooperation of the good people in the district who reported information about the suspects," Mr Chamroeun said. The seven men are being held at his district's police headquaters for questioning, he added.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Police in Phnom Penh on Sunday arrested seven men and confiscated five AK-47s that were allegedly used in a series of armed robberies across four provinces, Meanchey District Governor Kuch Chamroeun said. Police are still looking for additional suspects in the robberies, which investigators says spread over Svay Rieng, Prey Veng, Kandal and Takeo provinces, Mr Chamroeun said. Police arrested three men in Meanchey district, two in Tuol Kok district and two in Dangkao district, he said. Police also discovered that the alleged thieves kept a large cache of arms and ammunition hidden on the outskirts of the capital in Dangkao district's Prey Sar commune. "This is the first case where we cracked down on the big nest [of suspects] in Meanchey district, thanks to the cooperation of the good people in the district who reported information about the suspects," Mr Chamroeun said. The seven men are being held at his district's police headquaters for questioning, he added.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Corruption Costing Up to $500 Million a Year, Official Says
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 55: On Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
Corruption costs Cambodia as much as $500 million each year in lost revenue, US Ambassador Carol Rodley said during a speech at an anti-corruption concert on Saturday at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium.
In her speech, the ambassador pushed for the Cambodian government to pass long-delayed anti-corruption legislation, which first reached the National Assembly in 1994. She said that such a law could only help the country survive the global economic crisis. "Countries that govern justly and democratically and are actively conbating corruption will feel fewer effects of the global recession and will recover and return to prosperity more quicky," Ms Rodley said, according to a transcript of the speech obtained Monday.
"I urge the Cambodian government to deliver on its promise to enact the anti-corruption law," she continued. The ambassador compared the money lost from government coffers to cash that could have been spent on public services. "Five hundred million is equivalent to the cost of constructing 20,000 six-room school buildings or the ability to pay every civil servant in Cambodian an additional $260 per month," she said.
Although Ms Rodley did not give a source for the $500 million figure, she said that information was derived from "verious studies". Embassy spokesman John Johnson said by e-mail Monday that the US Embassy had no further comment about the speech. However, he confirmed that the $500 million figure was derived from a 2004 study prepared by the US Agency for International Development. That study attributed an estimated loss of between $300 million and $500 million from the public purse to information obtained from unnamed informants.
Saturday's "clean hand" concert, which featured music, comedy and a fashion show, was organized by the NGO Pact Cambodia. Don Bowser, chief of staff for Pact's Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption for Equity project, said Monday that "we don't have any hardcore scientific data" on public losses from corruption. He added that Pact would soon be conducting a study in which members of focus groups would be asked how much they normally pay in bribes, to whom and how often.
He added that the government is obligated to pass anti-corruption legislation as soon as possible. "They've committed many, many times that they would pass this legislation," Mr Bowser said. "We're pushing for it, but there haven't been any hopeful signs." Earlier this month, CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap defended the delay of the anti-graft law as necessary because of concerns brought up by NGOs and international organizations. "It has been pushed back and forth," he said.
The lawmaker added that people would find loopholes in any anti-corruption legislation by simply dividing up assets among their children. At the time, Som Kimsour, Minister of National Assembly-Senate Relation and Inspections, said that the long-awaited law had been drafted, but was awaiting passage of a new penal code before it could be completed.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan declined to comment on either law's progress Monday, and refered questions to Om Yentieng, president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee. Mr Yentieng could not be reached for comment Monday.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Corruption costs Cambodia as much as $500 million each year in lost revenue, US Ambassador Carol Rodley said during a speech at an anti-corruption concert on Saturday at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium.
In her speech, the ambassador pushed for the Cambodian government to pass long-delayed anti-corruption legislation, which first reached the National Assembly in 1994. She said that such a law could only help the country survive the global economic crisis. "Countries that govern justly and democratically and are actively conbating corruption will feel fewer effects of the global recession and will recover and return to prosperity more quicky," Ms Rodley said, according to a transcript of the speech obtained Monday.
"I urge the Cambodian government to deliver on its promise to enact the anti-corruption law," she continued. The ambassador compared the money lost from government coffers to cash that could have been spent on public services. "Five hundred million is equivalent to the cost of constructing 20,000 six-room school buildings or the ability to pay every civil servant in Cambodian an additional $260 per month," she said.
Although Ms Rodley did not give a source for the $500 million figure, she said that information was derived from "verious studies". Embassy spokesman John Johnson said by e-mail Monday that the US Embassy had no further comment about the speech. However, he confirmed that the $500 million figure was derived from a 2004 study prepared by the US Agency for International Development. That study attributed an estimated loss of between $300 million and $500 million from the public purse to information obtained from unnamed informants.
Saturday's "clean hand" concert, which featured music, comedy and a fashion show, was organized by the NGO Pact Cambodia. Don Bowser, chief of staff for Pact's Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption for Equity project, said Monday that "we don't have any hardcore scientific data" on public losses from corruption. He added that Pact would soon be conducting a study in which members of focus groups would be asked how much they normally pay in bribes, to whom and how often.
He added that the government is obligated to pass anti-corruption legislation as soon as possible. "They've committed many, many times that they would pass this legislation," Mr Bowser said. "We're pushing for it, but there haven't been any hopeful signs." Earlier this month, CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap defended the delay of the anti-graft law as necessary because of concerns brought up by NGOs and international organizations. "It has been pushed back and forth," he said.
The lawmaker added that people would find loopholes in any anti-corruption legislation by simply dividing up assets among their children. At the time, Som Kimsour, Minister of National Assembly-Senate Relation and Inspections, said that the long-awaited law had been drafted, but was awaiting passage of a new penal code before it could be completed.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan declined to comment on either law's progress Monday, and refered questions to Om Yentieng, president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee. Mr Yentieng could not be reached for comment Monday.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Briefing: New Municipal Council Sworn In Over Weekend
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 54, On Monday June 01, 2009.
Members of the newly established Phnom Penh municipal council were sworn in Saturday by Interior Minister Sar Kheng, the council's president said Sunday. Map Sarin, deputy governor of the capital and president of the first-ever council, said the 21-member body was selected after the May 17 municipal, district and provincial elections, which were dominated by the CPP. For the Phnom Penh municipal council, the ruling party holds two-thirds of the seats while the SRP counts the rest. Councilors will serve five-year terms and meet at least 12 times a year. Mr Sarin said the councilors' task would be dealing with legislative and executive functions though he did not elaborate further. Many have questioned the worth of the councils, anying their roles are ill-defined and powers too restricted. "As I said again and again, the election was not free and fair," said SRP spokesman Yim Sovann.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Members of the newly established Phnom Penh municipal council were sworn in Saturday by Interior Minister Sar Kheng, the council's president said Sunday. Map Sarin, deputy governor of the capital and president of the first-ever council, said the 21-member body was selected after the May 17 municipal, district and provincial elections, which were dominated by the CPP. For the Phnom Penh municipal council, the ruling party holds two-thirds of the seats while the SRP counts the rest. Councilors will serve five-year terms and meet at least 12 times a year. Mr Sarin said the councilors' task would be dealing with legislative and executive functions though he did not elaborate further. Many have questioned the worth of the councils, anying their roles are ill-defined and powers too restricted. "As I said again and again, the election was not free and fair," said SRP spokesman Yim Sovann.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Hungary Agrees To Forgive Half of Cambodia's Debt
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 54, On Monday June 01, 2009.
Cambodia and Hungary have signed an agreement to forgive half of Cambodia's outstanding debt to the Eastern European state and to use the remaining half to fund the expansion of an orphanage in Kandal province, Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last week. Under the agreement, Cambodia will pay back half of the debt of $433,000, which stems from the communist era of 1979 to 1990, and Hungary will use that money to support an orphanage that it helped build in the 1980s, the ministry announced on its website. Hungarian representative Laszlo Varkonyi and Cambodian Finance Ministry Secretary of State Ouk Rabun and Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Sun Saphoeun signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 17th Asean-EU ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh last week. In early March, a visiting Hungarian delegation said that after the debt issue was resolved, Hungary would provide more than $50 million in soft loans to Cambodia to help develop areas such as agriculture, irrigation and fisheries.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Cambodia and Hungary have signed an agreement to forgive half of Cambodia's outstanding debt to the Eastern European state and to use the remaining half to fund the expansion of an orphanage in Kandal province, Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last week. Under the agreement, Cambodia will pay back half of the debt of $433,000, which stems from the communist era of 1979 to 1990, and Hungary will use that money to support an orphanage that it helped build in the 1980s, the ministry announced on its website. Hungarian representative Laszlo Varkonyi and Cambodian Finance Ministry Secretary of State Ouk Rabun and Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Sun Saphoeun signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 17th Asean-EU ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh last week. In early March, a visiting Hungarian delegation said that after the debt issue was resolved, Hungary would provide more than $50 million in soft loans to Cambodia to help develop areas such as agriculture, irrigation and fisheries.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
National Briefs: Border Checkpoint Gets Upgrade To Facilitate Trade
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 54 on Monday June 01, 2009.
An upgraded border checkpoint and 13 new border markers were inaugurated along the Cambodia-Vietnamese border in Kampot province Friday, Province Governor Khoy Khun Hour said Sunday. The governor said facilities at the border crossing in Kompong Trach district's Prek Kroes commune had been improved in order to facilitate trade at the crossing, which consists mainly of agricultural goods. The upgraded Ton Hon checkpoint--one of five border crossing between Kampot province and Vietnam--would "be very beneficial for Cambodia to facilitate tourists, goods and people seeking medical treatment in Vietnam," Mr Khun Hour said. He added that between 200,000 and 300,000 tons of paddy rice passes through the checkpoint each week during the rice-harvesting season, which lasts from December to April. Mr Khun Hour added that in the near future, 11 more border markers would be placed on the border between his province and Kieng Giang province in Vietnam.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
An upgraded border checkpoint and 13 new border markers were inaugurated along the Cambodia-Vietnamese border in Kampot province Friday, Province Governor Khoy Khun Hour said Sunday. The governor said facilities at the border crossing in Kompong Trach district's Prek Kroes commune had been improved in order to facilitate trade at the crossing, which consists mainly of agricultural goods. The upgraded Ton Hon checkpoint--one of five border crossing between Kampot province and Vietnam--would "be very beneficial for Cambodia to facilitate tourists, goods and people seeking medical treatment in Vietnam," Mr Khun Hour said. He added that between 200,000 and 300,000 tons of paddy rice passes through the checkpoint each week during the rice-harvesting season, which lasts from December to April. Mr Khun Hour added that in the near future, 11 more border markers would be placed on the border between his province and Kieng Giang province in Vietnam.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Council of Ministers Approves $2.8-Billion Spending Plan
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 54 on Monday June 01, 2009.
Council of Ministers on Friday approved a three-year plan to spend $2.8 billion on public infrastructure projects from 2010 through 2012. According to a Friday statement from the council, the Ministry of Planning anticipates that $2.8 million will be required for 536 projects across the country. The new three year plan is part of the broader national development planning strategy 2006 to 2010, which was approved by the National Assembly in May 2006.
According to the statement, 233 of the proposed 536 projects are already under way, and 303 of the infrastructure projects are considered to be priority developments. Minister of Planning Chhay Than said that the planned budget expenditures are aimed at generally improve Cambodia's infrastructure, with a focus on irrigation systems to boost agricultural production.
The list of planned projects also includes the construction of major roadways, hospitals and schools, Mr Than said by telephone. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that $2.8 billion only represents an expenditure forecast and the actual amount spent over the next three years may change. He added that, as of now, all of the projects will be paid for by the government and there are no donor pledges regarding the projects at present.
The minister of planning, however, said that budgetary constraints make it unlikely that the government can foot the entire bill for the projects, and therefore the state will need to seek partners in the private sector to bring the plans to fruition. "As I have told the cabinet, since we don't have enough money, then we need participation from the private sector," Mr Than said.
The entire state budget approved for 2009 totals approximately $1.9 billion, meaning that each year the proposed infrastructure projects would consume the equivalent of about half of the current national budget. SRP lawmaker and party spokesman Yim Sovann welcomed the budget proposal, which he deemed as necessary for development, but expressed concerns over corruption. "All projects must have a bidding process. So far there are projects that didn't have bidding process," Mr Sovann said. "The government must use the budget to be effective."
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Council of Ministers on Friday approved a three-year plan to spend $2.8 billion on public infrastructure projects from 2010 through 2012. According to a Friday statement from the council, the Ministry of Planning anticipates that $2.8 million will be required for 536 projects across the country. The new three year plan is part of the broader national development planning strategy 2006 to 2010, which was approved by the National Assembly in May 2006.
According to the statement, 233 of the proposed 536 projects are already under way, and 303 of the infrastructure projects are considered to be priority developments. Minister of Planning Chhay Than said that the planned budget expenditures are aimed at generally improve Cambodia's infrastructure, with a focus on irrigation systems to boost agricultural production.
The list of planned projects also includes the construction of major roadways, hospitals and schools, Mr Than said by telephone. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that $2.8 billion only represents an expenditure forecast and the actual amount spent over the next three years may change. He added that, as of now, all of the projects will be paid for by the government and there are no donor pledges regarding the projects at present.
The minister of planning, however, said that budgetary constraints make it unlikely that the government can foot the entire bill for the projects, and therefore the state will need to seek partners in the private sector to bring the plans to fruition. "As I have told the cabinet, since we don't have enough money, then we need participation from the private sector," Mr Than said.
The entire state budget approved for 2009 totals approximately $1.9 billion, meaning that each year the proposed infrastructure projects would consume the equivalent of about half of the current national budget. SRP lawmaker and party spokesman Yim Sovann welcomed the budget proposal, which he deemed as necessary for development, but expressed concerns over corruption. "All projects must have a bidding process. So far there are projects that didn't have bidding process," Mr Sovann said. "The government must use the budget to be effective."
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Japan Agency To Design 3rd Bridge Across Mekong
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 54 on Mondy June 01, 2009.
The government on Friday signed an agreement to have the Japan International Cooperaton Agency design a new bridge that would cross the Mekong River between Prey Veng and Kandal provinces, officials said Sunday. Construction could begin early next year, said Suon Rachana, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
The bridge would only be the third in Cambodia to cross the Mekong River, after the completion of a bridge within Kandal province's Khsach Kandal district, which is split by the waterway, according to Touch Chankosal, secretary of state for the Public Works Ministry. The only existing bridge spanning the river is the Kizuna Bridge in Kompong Cham province.
The proposed bridge will be along National Road 1 and would link Kandal province's Loeuk Dek district to Peamro district's Neak Loeung commune in Prey Veng province, said Mr Chankosal. The area is currently home to one of the country's busiest ferry crossings, which shuttles traffic moving between Phnom Penh and Vietnam on National Road 1.
The bridge itself would be 2,200 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, but would require some 2,800 meters of road to be built, he said, adding that the figures are from a JICA feasibility study begun three years ago. At its apex, the bridge would rise 37.5 meters above the river. "The bridge will be the longest and highest bridge in Cambodia," Mr Chankosal said. The cost of construction is uncertain, but a previous estimate put the price tag at about $70 million, he said.
"We will know details after Japanese technicians finish the study in November," Mr Chankosal said. At that point, the Japanese governement will be approached for money, said Mr Rachana. The memorandum of understanding signed Friday is for JICA--the aid arm of the Japanese government--to study the social and economic benefits of the proposed bridge, and to make a design, he added. "There should be another detailed study before putting the project out to bid in Tokyo," Mr Rachana explained.
The bridge will be about 1 km north of the existing Neak Loeung ferry crossing, he added. Seng Chhuon, director of the Neak Loeung ferry, said he welcomed the new bridge: "we are not concerned with losing jobs," he said, adding that the ferry is state-owned. "We just want to see development for our country...We will move to another area that needs a ferry after the bridge is built". He said more than 10,000 people use the ferry service every day, which operates three boats and has 140 employees. "If the new bridge is built, it will be much more convenient for the surrounding residents to travel back and forth, and we won't have any traffic jams," he said, noting that during the last Khmer New Year, traffic was backed up 3 km at the crossing.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
The government on Friday signed an agreement to have the Japan International Cooperaton Agency design a new bridge that would cross the Mekong River between Prey Veng and Kandal provinces, officials said Sunday. Construction could begin early next year, said Suon Rachana, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
The bridge would only be the third in Cambodia to cross the Mekong River, after the completion of a bridge within Kandal province's Khsach Kandal district, which is split by the waterway, according to Touch Chankosal, secretary of state for the Public Works Ministry. The only existing bridge spanning the river is the Kizuna Bridge in Kompong Cham province.
The proposed bridge will be along National Road 1 and would link Kandal province's Loeuk Dek district to Peamro district's Neak Loeung commune in Prey Veng province, said Mr Chankosal. The area is currently home to one of the country's busiest ferry crossings, which shuttles traffic moving between Phnom Penh and Vietnam on National Road 1.
The bridge itself would be 2,200 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, but would require some 2,800 meters of road to be built, he said, adding that the figures are from a JICA feasibility study begun three years ago. At its apex, the bridge would rise 37.5 meters above the river. "The bridge will be the longest and highest bridge in Cambodia," Mr Chankosal said. The cost of construction is uncertain, but a previous estimate put the price tag at about $70 million, he said.
"We will know details after Japanese technicians finish the study in November," Mr Chankosal said. At that point, the Japanese governement will be approached for money, said Mr Rachana. The memorandum of understanding signed Friday is for JICA--the aid arm of the Japanese government--to study the social and economic benefits of the proposed bridge, and to make a design, he added. "There should be another detailed study before putting the project out to bid in Tokyo," Mr Rachana explained.
The bridge will be about 1 km north of the existing Neak Loeung ferry crossing, he added. Seng Chhuon, director of the Neak Loeung ferry, said he welcomed the new bridge: "we are not concerned with losing jobs," he said, adding that the ferry is state-owned. "We just want to see development for our country...We will move to another area that needs a ferry after the bridge is built". He said more than 10,000 people use the ferry service every day, which operates three boats and has 140 employees. "If the new bridge is built, it will be much more convenient for the surrounding residents to travel back and forth, and we won't have any traffic jams," he said, noting that during the last Khmer New Year, traffic was backed up 3 km at the crossing.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Court To Question Mu Sochua on Wednesday.
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has summoned SRP law-maker Mu Sochua and her lawyer Kong Sam Onn to be questioned at the court on Wednesday concerning the defamation case brought against them by Prime Minister Hun Sen, officials said.
Ms Sochua said Sunday that she has received a summons to appear before the court on Wednesday morning to be questioned by Deputy Prosecutor Sok Roeun.
"I will go to the court. I don't know that prosecutor's questions yet. I didn't defame him [the prime minister]; I repeated what he said about me," she said.
Ms Sochua has her own case with the court accusing Mr Hun Sen of defaming her in an April speech.
The prime minister's suit against Ms Sochua and Mr Sam Onn came in response to the lawsuit filed by the opposition lawmaker. Mr Sam Onn also said he would go with his client to the court. He added, however, that he was unsure whether the deputy prosecutor had summoned him in his capacity as Ms Sochua's attorney or as a defendant in the prime minister's lawsuit.
Mr Roeun confirmed he has summoned Ms Sochua and Mr Sam Onn but declined to elaborate. Mr Sam Onn has also been invited to be questioned today by inspectors from Cambodian Bar Association. The CBA initiated an investigation of the attorney after the prime minister's lawyer complained to the bar, accusing Mr Sam Onn of unethical conduct.
Mr Sam Onn was supposed to be questioned by the panel of five inspectors last week, but that meeting was canceled after two inspectors failed to show up. On Sunday, Mr Sam Onn said he would not submit himself to questioning because the CBA inspectors were given until May 25 to investigate and that deadline has passed. "I won't go if they don't renew the inspectors' mandate," he said. CBA President Chiv Songhak confirmed that the inspectors had asked to meet with Mr Sam Onn today.
"The mission hasn't been completed yet; we will renew the inspectors's mandate," he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Ms Sochua said Sunday that she has received a summons to appear before the court on Wednesday morning to be questioned by Deputy Prosecutor Sok Roeun.
"I will go to the court. I don't know that prosecutor's questions yet. I didn't defame him [the prime minister]; I repeated what he said about me," she said.
Ms Sochua has her own case with the court accusing Mr Hun Sen of defaming her in an April speech.
The prime minister's suit against Ms Sochua and Mr Sam Onn came in response to the lawsuit filed by the opposition lawmaker. Mr Sam Onn also said he would go with his client to the court. He added, however, that he was unsure whether the deputy prosecutor had summoned him in his capacity as Ms Sochua's attorney or as a defendant in the prime minister's lawsuit.
Mr Roeun confirmed he has summoned Ms Sochua and Mr Sam Onn but declined to elaborate. Mr Sam Onn has also been invited to be questioned today by inspectors from Cambodian Bar Association. The CBA initiated an investigation of the attorney after the prime minister's lawyer complained to the bar, accusing Mr Sam Onn of unethical conduct.
Mr Sam Onn was supposed to be questioned by the panel of five inspectors last week, but that meeting was canceled after two inspectors failed to show up. On Sunday, Mr Sam Onn said he would not submit himself to questioning because the CBA inspectors were given until May 25 to investigate and that deadline has passed. "I won't go if they don't renew the inspectors' mandate," he said. CBA President Chiv Songhak confirmed that the inspectors had asked to meet with Mr Sam Onn today.
"The mission hasn't been completed yet; we will renew the inspectors's mandate," he said.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Friday, May 29, 2009
HOW TO BE A GOOD LEADER by eHOW
1-Remember: leadership skills and techniques can be learned. You don't have to be a natural leader. Very few people are.
2- Know your team. At some point, every day, walk around the office and say "Hi" to everyone who works for you. If you're not in the office that day, call and see how people are.
3- Meet your team. Regularly - daily, weekly or monthly, depending on your place and type of work - have meetings of all the members of the team. Keep these meetings short, focused and action-orientated.
4- Train your team. Every team member should have at least two days training a year. Newer and more senior colleagues should have more. If they don't ask to go on training sessions, suggest some suitable courses.
5- Grow your team. Through varied experience and regular training, you should be developing each team member to be more and more confident and more skilled.
6- Set objectives for each team member. As far as possible, these objective such be SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed.
7- Review the performance of each team member. At least once a year - at least quarterly for the first year of a new team member - have a review session where you assess performance, give feed-back and agree future objectives and training.
8- Inspire your team. Consider making available a motivational quote or story every week or month.
9-Socialise with your team. Have lunch or an after-work drink with them, especially when a staff member has a birthday or there's another reason to celebrate.
10-Thank constantly. The words "Thank you" take seconds to say, but mean so much.
11-Praise constantly. The words "Well done" take seconds to say, but will be long remembered and appreciated.
12-Communicate constantly. Don't assume that people know what you're doing, still less what you are planning or thinking. Tell them, using all the communication tools to hand: team briefings, electronic newsletters, organisational newspapers.
13-Eliminate. Too often we do things because they've always been done. Life changes. Consider whether you could stop doing certain things altogether.
14-Delegate. You don't have to do everything. Develop your team members by training them to do more and trusting them to take over some of the things you've been doing.
15-Empower. A really effective leader sets clear objectives for his team members, but leaves detailed implementation of these objectives to the discretion and judgement of individual members of the team. As Second World War U.S. General George S. Patton put it: "Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results”.
16-Facilitate. A confident leader does not try to micro-manage his team, but makes it clear that, if team members need advice or assistance, he is always there to facilitate and support.
17-Be on time. Always start meetings on time and finish them on time. Natural breaks keep people fresh. Short meetings concentrate the mind.
18-Be seen. Don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk. So visit each unit or department for which you are responsible on a regular basis. Don't do this unannounced - you are not out to undermine other leaders or catch out staff. So arrange with the unit leader or departmental head when you'll visit and ask him or her to walk round with you.
19-Make time. Managers are often very busy and this can deter people from approaching you, so make time for people and be approachable. People will appreciate you taking five minutes out of your busy schedule, especially if you act on/listen to what they say.
20-Really listen. Many of us - especially those who think they are important - don't really listen, but instead think about what they're going to say next. Give the person speaking to you your full attention and really take on board what they are saying.
21-Accept honest criticism. Criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger - but it's a powerful tool of learning. Above all, assess criticism on merit, without regard to its originator.
22-Think strategically. The doers cut a path through the jungle; the managers are behind them sharpening the machetes; the leaders find time to think, climb the nearest tree, and shout "Wrong jungle!" Find time to climb the trees.
23-Have a mentor or buddy, someone doing similar work in the same or a similar organisation with whom you can regularly and frankly discuss your progress and your problems as a leader.
24-Have a role model, someone who can inspire you to be a truly great leader. If you can't find one, study Jed Bartlet as the American President in any episode of the television series "The West Wing".
25-Constantly revisit and review these tips. In his seminal work, "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey puts it this way: "Sharpen the saw".
26-Plan your succession. You won't be there forever and you may not be in control of the timing and circumstances of your departure. So start now to mentor and train at least one colleague who could take over from you.
ROGER DARLINGTON
Last modified on 7 August 2006
2- Know your team. At some point, every day, walk around the office and say "Hi" to everyone who works for you. If you're not in the office that day, call and see how people are.
3- Meet your team. Regularly - daily, weekly or monthly, depending on your place and type of work - have meetings of all the members of the team. Keep these meetings short, focused and action-orientated.
4- Train your team. Every team member should have at least two days training a year. Newer and more senior colleagues should have more. If they don't ask to go on training sessions, suggest some suitable courses.
5- Grow your team. Through varied experience and regular training, you should be developing each team member to be more and more confident and more skilled.
6- Set objectives for each team member. As far as possible, these objective such be SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed.
7- Review the performance of each team member. At least once a year - at least quarterly for the first year of a new team member - have a review session where you assess performance, give feed-back and agree future objectives and training.
8- Inspire your team. Consider making available a motivational quote or story every week or month.
9-Socialise with your team. Have lunch or an after-work drink with them, especially when a staff member has a birthday or there's another reason to celebrate.
10-Thank constantly. The words "Thank you" take seconds to say, but mean so much.
11-Praise constantly. The words "Well done" take seconds to say, but will be long remembered and appreciated.
12-Communicate constantly. Don't assume that people know what you're doing, still less what you are planning or thinking. Tell them, using all the communication tools to hand: team briefings, electronic newsletters, organisational newspapers.
13-Eliminate. Too often we do things because they've always been done. Life changes. Consider whether you could stop doing certain things altogether.
14-Delegate. You don't have to do everything. Develop your team members by training them to do more and trusting them to take over some of the things you've been doing.
15-Empower. A really effective leader sets clear objectives for his team members, but leaves detailed implementation of these objectives to the discretion and judgement of individual members of the team. As Second World War U.S. General George S. Patton put it: "Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results”.
16-Facilitate. A confident leader does not try to micro-manage his team, but makes it clear that, if team members need advice or assistance, he is always there to facilitate and support.
17-Be on time. Always start meetings on time and finish them on time. Natural breaks keep people fresh. Short meetings concentrate the mind.
18-Be seen. Don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk. So visit each unit or department for which you are responsible on a regular basis. Don't do this unannounced - you are not out to undermine other leaders or catch out staff. So arrange with the unit leader or departmental head when you'll visit and ask him or her to walk round with you.
19-Make time. Managers are often very busy and this can deter people from approaching you, so make time for people and be approachable. People will appreciate you taking five minutes out of your busy schedule, especially if you act on/listen to what they say.
20-Really listen. Many of us - especially those who think they are important - don't really listen, but instead think about what they're going to say next. Give the person speaking to you your full attention and really take on board what they are saying.
21-Accept honest criticism. Criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger - but it's a powerful tool of learning. Above all, assess criticism on merit, without regard to its originator.
22-Think strategically. The doers cut a path through the jungle; the managers are behind them sharpening the machetes; the leaders find time to think, climb the nearest tree, and shout "Wrong jungle!" Find time to climb the trees.
23-Have a mentor or buddy, someone doing similar work in the same or a similar organisation with whom you can regularly and frankly discuss your progress and your problems as a leader.
24-Have a role model, someone who can inspire you to be a truly great leader. If you can't find one, study Jed Bartlet as the American President in any episode of the television series "The West Wing".
25-Constantly revisit and review these tips. In his seminal work, "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey puts it this way: "Sharpen the saw".
26-Plan your succession. You won't be there forever and you may not be in control of the timing and circumstances of your departure. So start now to mentor and train at least one colleague who could take over from you.
ROGER DARLINGTON
Last modified on 7 August 2006
How to Write A Letter To A Politician by eHOW
Good politicians look to the public and listen to what they say. Writing a letter to a politician about a subject you are strong on can make a big difference. Most politicians do take time out of their schedule to read letters that have been sent to them. Learn how to write a letter to a politician that will get noticed.
Instructions
1. Step 1
Write your letter to the politician on a clean crisp piece of paper. It is best that the letter be typed, but hand written letters that are legible are great to. If your hand writing is hard to read it is best to have someone recopy you letter for you that has better hand writing or to type it out.
2. Step 2
Get to the point of your letter in the very beginning of your letter. Avoid writing words just to make the letter appear longer.
3. Step 3
Make no threats or accusations in your letter, be friendly and state your reasons behind your position on the topic you are concerned about. For example do not just write that you are concerned about a certain bill passing, tell them why. No name calling, no matter what be professional.
4. Step 4
Be sure to include in your letter who you represent. Are you a student, a mom, a business owner, or are you speaking for a group of people.
5. Step 5
Always be formal in your letter. Always address the politicians correctly. Usually their title goes before their first and last name. Unless you wish to keep you name announces, make sure you contact information on the letter it self.
Instructions
1. Step 1
Write your letter to the politician on a clean crisp piece of paper. It is best that the letter be typed, but hand written letters that are legible are great to. If your hand writing is hard to read it is best to have someone recopy you letter for you that has better hand writing or to type it out.
2. Step 2
Get to the point of your letter in the very beginning of your letter. Avoid writing words just to make the letter appear longer.
3. Step 3
Make no threats or accusations in your letter, be friendly and state your reasons behind your position on the topic you are concerned about. For example do not just write that you are concerned about a certain bill passing, tell them why. No name calling, no matter what be professional.
4. Step 4
Be sure to include in your letter who you represent. Are you a student, a mom, a business owner, or are you speaking for a group of people.
5. Step 5
Always be formal in your letter. Always address the politicians correctly. Usually their title goes before their first and last name. Unless you wish to keep you name announces, make sure you contact information on the letter it self.
How to Lobby Politicians by eHOW
One of the most endearing qualities of democracy is the ability to consult your politicians. In theory, those politicians are supposed to listen. Nowadays, this is called lobbying. There are people who professionally talk to politicians to give them a certain opinion. Fortunately, everyday citizens like you can also lobby your politician.
Instructions
1. Step 1
Write a letter to your politician outlining your ideas, comments or demands for change. A politician's contact information should be available online and should be quite easy to locate. Politicians are often too busy to take phone calls, so this is the best way to contact them.
2. Step 2
Send an email to the politician. Just like writing letters, email is also a great way to contact your politician and tell them about your concerns. Regularly, politicians will have staff members who wade through the massive amounts of emails in order to bring important ones to the attention of the politician.
3. Step 3
Set up a meeting and visit the politician's office. If your concern is serious enough to warrant a few minutes of the politician's time, you may be granted an appointment. Phone the office, and ask who sets up the politician's schedule. A fair warning: The higher up the political ladder they are, the harder they will be to contact. For example, you'll have an easier time meeting with a state senator than the governor.
4. Step 4
Bring up your concerns to assistants and members of the politician's staff. These people have a direct line to the politician and if they agree with your concerns about your topic's importance, they can relay your message to the politician.
5. Step 5
Attend events where the politician will be. Ribbon cuttings, charity balls and parties are all popular places for politicians to make an appearance, and often you can sneak in a quick word with these officials.
Instructions
1. Step 1
Write a letter to your politician outlining your ideas, comments or demands for change. A politician's contact information should be available online and should be quite easy to locate. Politicians are often too busy to take phone calls, so this is the best way to contact them.
2. Step 2
Send an email to the politician. Just like writing letters, email is also a great way to contact your politician and tell them about your concerns. Regularly, politicians will have staff members who wade through the massive amounts of emails in order to bring important ones to the attention of the politician.
3. Step 3
Set up a meeting and visit the politician's office. If your concern is serious enough to warrant a few minutes of the politician's time, you may be granted an appointment. Phone the office, and ask who sets up the politician's schedule. A fair warning: The higher up the political ladder they are, the harder they will be to contact. For example, you'll have an easier time meeting with a state senator than the governor.
4. Step 4
Bring up your concerns to assistants and members of the politician's staff. These people have a direct line to the politician and if they agree with your concerns about your topic's importance, they can relay your message to the politician.
5. Step 5
Attend events where the politician will be. Ribbon cuttings, charity balls and parties are all popular places for politicians to make an appearance, and often you can sneak in a quick word with these officials.
How to Make Politicians Listen by eHOW
The older you get, the more you realize what an important role politics plays in your life, and the more involved you become. The only way to ensure that politicians listen to their constituents is to become politically active and inform the masses.
Things You'll Need:
· Government-issued photo ID
1. Step 1
Register to Vote. The first step in making sure your voice is heard is by registering to vote. You can register to vote online, by mail or at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. Check voter eligibility requirements for your state.
2. Step 2
Vote. Politicians have no reason to listen if you don't help them get elected. On Election Day, find your nearest polling place and cast your vote to make politicians listen to what you have to say.
3. Step 3
Volunteer to help others make politicians listen to them. You can volunteer your time by helping others register to vote, help a campaign, or volunteer for a specific cause. Volunteering your time to help others make politicians listen is like a back up plan to make them listen.
4. Step 4
Contact your legislators. Whether it's a petition, email or handwritten letter, voicing your concerns to your local legislators is an effective way to make politicians listen to their constituents.
5. Step 5
Protest laws, issues or events that you care about. Although not as effective as voting, protesting is a very public way to make politicians listen to what you have to say. In addition, it's your right to assemble.
6. Step 6
Teach younger kids, and high school students about the political process. Making them understand and care now will ensure that they care and participate later in life.
Things You'll Need:
· Government-issued photo ID
1. Step 1
Register to Vote. The first step in making sure your voice is heard is by registering to vote. You can register to vote online, by mail or at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. Check voter eligibility requirements for your state.
2. Step 2
Vote. Politicians have no reason to listen if you don't help them get elected. On Election Day, find your nearest polling place and cast your vote to make politicians listen to what you have to say.
3. Step 3
Volunteer to help others make politicians listen to them. You can volunteer your time by helping others register to vote, help a campaign, or volunteer for a specific cause. Volunteering your time to help others make politicians listen is like a back up plan to make them listen.
4. Step 4
Contact your legislators. Whether it's a petition, email or handwritten letter, voicing your concerns to your local legislators is an effective way to make politicians listen to their constituents.
5. Step 5
Protest laws, issues or events that you care about. Although not as effective as voting, protesting is a very public way to make politicians listen to what you have to say. In addition, it's your right to assemble.
6. Step 6
Teach younger kids, and high school students about the political process. Making them understand and care now will ensure that they care and participate later in life.
How to Become a Good Politician by eHOW
They say politics is a dirty game. I think it is a good game played by dirty people. The nature of politics scares honest people away but there are ways to become a good politician.
1. Step 1
CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENTSome politicians are only seen by voters when an election is near. A good politician would spend time in his constituency to understand what is really going on. He meets with individuals and groups to find out ways that his county or state can be made better.
2. Step 2
AVOID BAD COMPANYAll corrupt politicians were corrupted by someone else. Corruption and conviction don't mix. You do not have to acquiesce to the bribes and kickbacks of lobbyists and contractors. You came to politics to work for your constituents, not to work against them.
3. Step 3
DETERMINE TO LEAVE A LEGACYA scholarship fund. A university. An industrial area. A set of social reforms. These are various things you can leave behind as a politician. Make it a mandatory goal of your career to leave your constituency better than what it is now.
4. Step 4
UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVERSome politicians are known for empty promises. This image is true worldwide. The best politicians work more than they speak. Develop your constituency the best way you can.
5. Step 5
LET YOUR CONSTITUENTS KNOW WHAT YOU DOVoters have no idea about what their politicians do. Make it a point to have a website or a newsletter that tells your constituents what you have done since you took office. Keeping short accounts with the electorate helps you to win in the elections. This assists you to clear any erroneous information about you.
6. Step 6
YOU ARE AT THE BECK AND CALL OF THE PEOPLE, NOT THE PARTYYour primary allegiance is to the voter. You have to be prepared to break with party tradition if what is being considered is unfavorable to your constituents. Have principles and stick to them.
7. Step 7
DETERMINE TO BE DIFFERENTYour popularity gives you the unique opportunity to bring people together. Use politics to unite, not to divide. Be a politician who puts his principles first over his pockets.
8. Step 8
CHANGE THINGS, DON'T LET THINGS CHANGE YOUYou have to take initiatives on things that are wrong. Stop or change them. If you don't, they will come back to haunt you. Be a part of the movement to change anything wrong with politics.
1. Step 1
CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENTSome politicians are only seen by voters when an election is near. A good politician would spend time in his constituency to understand what is really going on. He meets with individuals and groups to find out ways that his county or state can be made better.
2. Step 2
AVOID BAD COMPANYAll corrupt politicians were corrupted by someone else. Corruption and conviction don't mix. You do not have to acquiesce to the bribes and kickbacks of lobbyists and contractors. You came to politics to work for your constituents, not to work against them.
3. Step 3
DETERMINE TO LEAVE A LEGACYA scholarship fund. A university. An industrial area. A set of social reforms. These are various things you can leave behind as a politician. Make it a mandatory goal of your career to leave your constituency better than what it is now.
4. Step 4
UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVERSome politicians are known for empty promises. This image is true worldwide. The best politicians work more than they speak. Develop your constituency the best way you can.
5. Step 5
LET YOUR CONSTITUENTS KNOW WHAT YOU DOVoters have no idea about what their politicians do. Make it a point to have a website or a newsletter that tells your constituents what you have done since you took office. Keeping short accounts with the electorate helps you to win in the elections. This assists you to clear any erroneous information about you.
6. Step 6
YOU ARE AT THE BECK AND CALL OF THE PEOPLE, NOT THE PARTYYour primary allegiance is to the voter. You have to be prepared to break with party tradition if what is being considered is unfavorable to your constituents. Have principles and stick to them.
7. Step 7
DETERMINE TO BE DIFFERENTYour popularity gives you the unique opportunity to bring people together. Use politics to unite, not to divide. Be a politician who puts his principles first over his pockets.
8. Step 8
CHANGE THINGS, DON'T LET THINGS CHANGE YOUYou have to take initiatives on things that are wrong. Stop or change them. If you don't, they will come back to haunt you. Be a part of the movement to change anything wrong with politics.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
How To Be Good Politician.
Vicki Bourne
Former SenatorAustralian Parliament
Former SenatorAustralian Parliament
1. Be humble
-There is no positional power.
-Be aware of how little power you have individually.
-Power is only a product of collective action.
2. Be nice to others
-Keep people on side — you might need their support later.
3. Think strategically
-Where is the power?
-How can I get others to agree?
-Who will back me?
-Create a situation where everyone gains something.
4. Specialise
-Pick a topic that interests you and research it thoroughly.
-Become one of the experts in the Parliament on your topic.
-Eventually, others will seek your point of view, publicly and privately, and this will give you considerable standing and influence.
5. Have clear, achievable goals
-Know what you want to achieve from the time you are elected.
-Do not try to change the world.
-Pick objectives that are measurable (this is good for your own morale).
6. Understand the issues
-Research. If you are discussing any issue – local to international – make sure you have all the most up-to-date information.
7. Listen to others
-Do not think you understand it all. Others’ experience will probably be different to yours, and they may help you re-think your view. Anyway, in a democracy their view also counts.
8. Learn how to say “no” kindly and with respect Sometimes this is not easy!
-Be aware of how little power you have individually.
-Power is only a product of collective action.
2. Be nice to others
-Keep people on side — you might need their support later.
3. Think strategically
-Where is the power?
-How can I get others to agree?
-Who will back me?
-Create a situation where everyone gains something.
4. Specialise
-Pick a topic that interests you and research it thoroughly.
-Become one of the experts in the Parliament on your topic.
-Eventually, others will seek your point of view, publicly and privately, and this will give you considerable standing and influence.
5. Have clear, achievable goals
-Know what you want to achieve from the time you are elected.
-Do not try to change the world.
-Pick objectives that are measurable (this is good for your own morale).
6. Understand the issues
-Research. If you are discussing any issue – local to international – make sure you have all the most up-to-date information.
7. Listen to others
-Do not think you understand it all. Others’ experience will probably be different to yours, and they may help you re-think your view. Anyway, in a democracy their view also counts.
8. Learn how to say “no” kindly and with respect Sometimes this is not easy!
But you might need that person’s support later so avoid offending.
9. Understand your Institution
9. Understand your Institution
-The more you understand the rules of procedure and the traditions of the parliament,
the more you will be able to use these to achieve your goals.
10. Earn respect
-Show you respect the views and experience of others.
-Demonstrate that you can be trusted.
-Learn to recognise corrupt behaviour.
10. Earn respect
-Show you respect the views and experience of others.
-Demonstrate that you can be trusted.
-Learn to recognise corrupt behaviour.
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