Cambodian slum dwellers evicted

By Guy De Launey BBC News, Phnom Penh

Police have been overseeing the eviction of hundreds of people from a slum community in the centre of the in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

Residents of Dey Krahorm, who have been fighting eviction for the best part of three years, say they have a legal right to the land.

But the local authorities signed it over to a property developer.
It is the latest in a series of evictions, which have accompanied a dramatic increase in land values.

Dawn operation As the bulldozers moved into Dey Krahorm at dawn on Saturday, residents had little chance of resisting.

Hundreds of military and civilian police accompanied workers from the property developer which bought the land from the city.

At first, they would not allow journalists or human rights workers to observe the eviction, and forcibly removed those who had made it through the barricades.

Dey Krahorm had been the heart of Cambodia's artistic community. Traditional musicians and dancers held classes there in an effort to pass on their skills to the younger generation.

Their instruments could be seen among the rubble, along with the other belongings of the former residents.

"They cannot stand again because of the excessive use of force, of tear gas. A few of my colleagues got hurt more than me," said Yeng Virak of the Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC).

The evicted residents will be taken to land on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The local authorities and the developers say they will find better living conditions there, with running water, electricity, health centres and schools.

Phnom Penh's deputy governor, Mann Chhoeun, insists the city has been generous to the people of Dey Krahorm.

But the residents say the negotiations had not finished and that they have not received fair compensation for their land.

They add that moving outside the city centre will stop them from earning a living.

The demise of Dey Krahorm will also cause concern among several other communities threatened with eviction.

Cambodian police use teargas to evict slum dwellers

PHNOM PENH, Jan 24 (Reuters) -

Cambodian police fired teargas and eight people were injured on Saturday during the forced eviction of 80 families from a Phnom Penh slum, rights activists and police said. At least two of the eight slum dwellers were seriously hurt in clashes with clean-up crews hired to tear down the dwellings on government land recently sold to a private company. Police cordoned off roads around the area near the Russian embassy, as the 300 workers backed by bulldozers and cranes cleared away the decade-old community.

Rights activist Am Sam Ath and witnesses said eight people were injured during the forced eviction, including two seriously hurt and sent to hospital.Witnesses said an old woman and a boy were hit by a bulldozer, while others were hurt in clashes with the workers armed with clubs and stones. Police denied using excessive force to evict the group, who had waged a 3-year battle against their eviction."We did not use violence against them, but tear gas to disperse the people who resisted," Phnom Penh police chief G. Touch Naruth told Reuters.The eviction came after the squatters rejected the company's offer of $20,000 per family in compensation for the prime 2-hectare (4.9 acres) plot of land facing the Mekong River.

Land disputes are a hot issue in Cambodia, where garment factories and hotels have sprung up to expand the major textile and tourist industries. Last week, police opened fire on farmers protesting against a land grab south of Phnom Penh, wounding two of them, rights activists said.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Alex Richardson)

Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia can’t bring Justice for Victims

By: SOURN SEREY RATHA

The mixed National-International Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) issued a statement on August 8, 2008 that its investigating judges issued an indictment upon ending their investigation of Kaing Guek Eav — also known as Duch — who was the overseer of the Phnom Penh prison used as a torture center. Khmer rouge victims welcomes the indictment of Kaing Guek Eav.

However, the ECCC have to broaden and deepen its investigations and prosecutions to include those high ranking officials who commanded the Santibal (Security forces) during the Khmer Rouge regime and ordered and executed those orders that resulted in the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of Cambodians.

Without doubt, the ECCC investigations and verdicts must be based on evidence that is beyond reasonable doubt.

What evidence can the ECCC use on to make its decision about its investigations and verdicts?
According to HUN SEN government, it could be in the form of: Quote

· Documents;
· Physical evidence, such as mass graves and former prisons;
· Statements and testimony by victims, witnesses and defendants.

Thousands of documents have been collected and hundreds of mass graves, prisons and memorials have been mapped by the Research Committee of the Salvation Front (Renakse), the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) and the Cambodian Genocide Program. These will be made available to the court. Unquote

At the Nuremberg Court that was created immediately after the victory of the Allied Forces, the evidence could be reasonably established because the majority was recent, less than four years old, and memories were still fresh; however, the evidence that the ECCC must use for its investigations and verdicts is at least 29 years old and live witnesses may not participate fully and freely – begging the question, “Who would protect the witnesses once the ECCC has finished its job?”

The bulk of evidence that the ECCC used to decide on its investigation and issue its verdict came from the documents of Tuol Sleng Prison, S-21 which were deposed at Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-CAM) and constitutes almost the whole of its archives.

So, the question is:

Can the documents of Tuol Sleng Prison, S-21 be trusted?

Can DC-CAM’s documents be trusted?

Some witnesses who are still living state that when S-21 was liberated in January 1979, S-21 was empty. There was nothing inside. No bones, no archives, nothing. All the bones and skulls which are now displayed at S-21 were transported by trucks from the village of Laang Sala, [Phnom Sam Pov] Battambang province. Those bones and skulls are not those belonging to people who were tortured and executed at S-21.

S-21 was close to Beung Trabek Prison. Beung Trabek Prison was under the watch of Comrade Hong [aka Hor Nam Hong]. More than one hundred thousand people were tortured and slaughtered at Beung Trabek Prison. Compared to Beung Trabek Prison, S-21 is nothing. It was a political decision by the Hanoi inspired regime of Hun Sen in order to make S-21 look more important than Beung Trabek Prison and to cover up the crimes committed there.

The bulk of documents, physical evidence -- such as mass graves and former prisons, and statements and testimony by victims, witnesses and defendants have been fabricated and doctored by Hanoi government officials in collaboration with the Hun Sen regime.

For example, Ta KEU (aka Nhim Sophal), Ta KAO (aka Ros Ngim/Moul Sambath) and Ta PET (in charge of security forces) were respectively the number one, the number two and the number three of the Northwest region (Phumpheak Peay Yorp). Almost one million people died or were slaughtered in that region during the Khmer Rouge regime under their watch 1975-1977.

June 1977, Ta KEU and Ta KAO fled with their 38 headquarter staff officers to Thailand. They escaped by cars and abandoned their cars at Bovel district city, Battambang Province, then, walked toward Thailand. The distance to Thailand border was only a one day walk. They lost their way and fell in Khmer Rouge border guard’s ambush in Anlong Thngan village. The fugitives were all killed. But according to Toul Sleng, S-21/DC-CAM files Ta KEU and Ta KAO were tortured and confessed and recorded a long report and were then killed in Toul Sleng Prison, S-21.

April 21, 1975, Venerable Buddhist monk Chief PON SAMPHEACH, Col. Leng Raoul and others 19 Army officers surrendered to Khmer Rouge Army. KEO (Khmer Rouge Army Division commander), Saravuth (Khmer Rouge Army Brigade commander), Khleng (Khmer Rouge Army Brigade commander) backed up by 40 soldiers accepted their surrender. Then, they transported those people by cars to Veal Bekchan Battambang airport. Not far from the airport, the Khmer Rouge soldiers bound them and killed them all, one by one, and buried their corpses under a tall tree. But according to DC-CAM files, Venerable PON SAMPHEACH was tortured with confession and died at Toul Sleng Prison, S-21.

In order to render justice to family members of these victims, the ECCC broaden and deepen its investigations and prosecutions to include those high ranking officials who commanded the Santibal (Security forces) during the Khmer Rouge regime and ordered and executed those orders that resulted in the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of Cambodians.

Today when US funded 1,8 Million Dollar to ECCC for UN side, at least five thousand people who committed these crimes against humanity live freely in Cambodia.

Does ECCC that expended over cost of almost to hundred millions can bring justice for Khmer rouge victims?

CAMBODIA IS THE PLACE OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND LAND BGRABBING

By: SOURN SEREY RATHA

No body will not be interested when they having to listens the public declaration of Hun Sen who claims that the price of one hectare (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) of land in Phnom Penh is now as high as ten million US dollars. For this reason, during these two last years, some Cambodian people living abroad and inside Cambodia were attracted to land speculation in buying cheap and hoping selling later with a high price.

It is because of this reason that’s why the rich and the power’s family whose close relationship to Hun Sen’s family grabbed land from the poor. All most in provinces of Cambodia land grabbing had been increased and poor people were violated by police and military of Hun Sen. Actually, they can’t believe Hun Sen’s management and his leadership because beside to order military force to shoot people and to make people live insecurity; he can’t bring this country to be a development country such in the world.

Cambodia recorded by the international community as a poorest country, corruption country, violence country, country of immunity culture, free drug trafficking, human trafficking, and family of her leader is very popular as a Family’s Tree [GW report].

Real-estate market is going down since after 2008 election but casino and black money that laundered by the high ranking official of government is still working. The central bank of Cambodia has no rights to release cost of rate of international currency but the private money exchange named Ly Hour is playing role and managed this market. It is because of the owner od Ly Hour has relationship close to Hun Sen’s wife and help a lot to laundering black money for mafias whose work for Hun Sen.

In the same time that Cambodian people live under standard of living, their income is less then $1.00 a day but those high ranking officers, general, and family get involve with Hun Sen’s administration are living in very higher standard than other country officers in the region and prosperous countries.

According to the official survey of December 31, 2007, the rate of people living under the poverty line is 45%, the annual central government budget revenues were just $915.5 million while the annual government expenditures were $1.101 billion, and the Trade: Exports were $4.1 billion while the Trade: Imports were $5.3 b billion.

All the above prove that Cambodia budget was in deficit. It implies that Cambodia integrally depends on foreign aids and foreign loans. Cambodian foreign loans raise to $3.98 billion now.

The government claims that foreign investment plays a key role in Cambodian economic development. Hun Sen is bragging that he attracts more and more foreign investment which is translated by the increase of land price in Phnom Penh to $10 million per hectare even more to $5,000 per square meter in certain Phnom Penh corners. At these prices, Phnom Penh land will cost more than the one in New York or Tokyo.

In spite of repeated bragging of Cambodian government concerning foreign investment from China or Korea and other countries, where is the truth? The reality is: Cambodia has no modern industries but only garments, shoes, cigarettes, natural rubber etc which employ 350,000 workers, and which, in majority, is in the last sequence of production for example labeling the products as if the products were entirely made in Cambodia.

Cambodian government was unable to ameliorate the work conditions of the workers, and repeated disputes on the working and heath conditions of workers were never ever solved. Chea Vichea, the Union leader, was assassinated in the certain public knowledge. The real assassins were never arrested, and the justice never rendered.

With such injustice, with such kangaroo court and with such insecurity, who dare to invest in Cambodia? Nobody would dare to invest in Cambodia in such condition.

To explain how he attracts so much foreign investment Hun Sen advances the argument of the high price of real estate and the rapid real estate development, hotels and resorts and residential estate.

But hidden behind the real estate development, as the Mafia had done in Sicily, it was the black market money laundering which helped the corrupted government, the Mafiosi and terrorists to launder their moneys.

The following activities might help to enlighten this Cambodian money laundering affairs:

The Casinos sprang up like mushroom all along Cambodian borders and Central Phnom Penh.

The casinos served as center of money laundering for corrupted officials, drug dealers, extortionists and arms dealers. They served also as money laundering markets for the speculators of real estate under the economic banner of foreign investment of Hun Sen government.

Since after first election 1993, Mr. Theng Bun Ma, President of Thai Bun Rong Group and Mr. Mong Rithy, President of Mong Rithy Group; whom close friend of Hun Sen, were getting involved in drug dealers.

In 20003, AL-QUEDA members were arrested in Cambodia.

In 2004, Indonesia accuses Cambodia as a place where the arms were funneling to the Indonesian rebels.

In 2007, Thailand suspects that Thai Muslim terrorists have received arms from Cambodia.

Long Chhin Investment, in area of Kap Srauv Dam was dissolved by the government only after the firm had finished its money laundering.

For now, Cambodia is might be a safety’s place that high leader of AL-QUEDA hidden.

Then rumors stated that Cambodian corrupted officials stopped to deposit their moneys in foreign banks in neighboring countries. From there, they started to set up a money laundering center inside Cambodia. They attract all dirty money, corrupted money, extortion money, drug money, arm dealers money, and terrorist moneys. The Cambodian money laundering was intended to pick in crescendo around the beginning of electoral campaign 2008 end up toward the end of 2008.

The Cambodian Central Bank had an extreme low deposit of about $410 million while the corrupted money of Cambodian officials, drug money, arms dealer money, and extortion money were about $20 billion.

Presently, there are 29 casinos had been registering but not include an illegal casinos that defended by high ranking officers. Casinos was in charge for money transfer about one million per day, and this not including the money from the daily selling drug by the generals.

Beside land grabbing that grabbed people’s land Cambodia is also the world black market and money laundering center that international community has not yet paid attention because no body can ensure that Hun Sen’s administration does not have any relationship with AL-QUEDA members since his government has more and build strong relation with Muslim countries.

Cambodian casinos out of luck as revenues take a hit

Written by Kay Kimsong
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Local casino operators report fewer gamblers on both the Thai and Vietnamese borders, with across-the-board cost cuts planned for this year.

THE global economic crisis has hit Cambodia's gaming industry, with casinos on the Vietnamese and Thai borders announcing hefty cost cuts.The local downturn comes amidst a global gambling slowdown affecting casinos worldwide - Macau's gaming industry posted a US$300 million drop in revenues in the last three months of 2008, while US gambling hotspot Nevada reported a 65 percent plunge in takings last year. Cambodia is particularly susceptible: With about 30 casinos, it has more gambling venues than any country in Southeast Asia. Traffic at the Thai border is down sharply with casinos taking a triple hit from the global economic crisis, recent border tensions and a falling Thai baht.At the Kings Crown Casino and Hotel - with locations in Cambodia on both the Thai and Vietnamese borders - the number of visitors has dropped sharply, leading to losses of $620,000 in the last quarter of 2008, the company said.

The company says it is cutting the work week for its more than 2,000 employees, a move designed to trim costs, said Cambodian Peoples' Party Senator and casino owner Phu Kok An. He told the Post that his company was negotiating with employees to reduce their working month from 30 to 15 days. "We are not laying off workers but they will get 15 days' salary. If your salary is $200 per month, you will get $100."The company currently spends $300,000 a month on salaries, he added. The casino has outlets in Poipet on the Thai border and Chrey Thom district, Kandal province, close to Vietnam. "We are not earning enough income to spend on staffing, water and electricity. When people earn less money, they gamble less," Phu Kok An said.He said that the number of gamblers fell sharply but that the business would remain open.
we are not earning enough income to spend on staffing, water and electricity.

"We earned some profit in early 2008 but made losses over three months [in September, November and December 2008], we employ a lot of workers - we are overstaffed - and we're overspending," he said. But Vann Sitha, vice president of New World Casino-Hotel in Bavet on the Vietnam border, said his company does not plan to lay off any of its 700 employees or reduce working hours. Although some staff had resigned, it would continue to recruit, he added."Our casino management has never laid off staff, but some like to move from job to job seeking a better salary offer," he said, adding his business had been less affected by recent events given its location on the Vietnamese border as opposed to the troubled Thai side.

Phat Bun Hour, assistant to Koh Kong Casino owner Ly Yong Phat, also a CPP Senator, declined to comment.Chea Peng Chheang, secretary of state at the Ministry of Finance, is calculating the casino industry's total revenue for 2008, which he said will be completed this week. Revenues are expected to be lower than the $10 million generated in 2007.

Thailand-Cambodia Border Crisis

Kashmir Watch, Jan 19

By Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Important briefs: In 1962, International court awards temple to Cambodia or Kampuchea, but surrounding land remains undesignated; 1970s-1990s: Khmer Rouge guerrillas occupy site; 2001-2002: Thai troops block access over water row; July 2008: Unesco lists temple as a World Heritage Site; July 2008: Thai FM quits after court rules he violated constitution for backing Cambodia's Unesco bid; July 2008: Both sides move troops to temple area; August 2008: Troops withdrawn after high-level talks; October 2008: Fighting erupts around temple area).

Even as the domestic crisis is still looming large in Thailand, there have been some rays of light over resolving the border crisis with its neighbor Cambodia. Thailand and Cambodia have at long last agreed to resolve a border dispute peacefully "for the sake of their neighborliness. More than 1,000 troops have been engaged in a stand-off at the ancient site last year for over month. Tensions have recently been rekindled, and last week erupted into open combat. Three Cambodian and one Thai soldier died in exchanges of fire. Several Cambodian soldiers have been killed recently in an exchange of gunfire with Thai troops along a disputed section of their border. The clash, near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, has prompted Thailand to urge its nationals to leave Cambodia. Tension has been high since July, when hundreds of soldiers on both sides faced off metres apart. Both sides have said they want to find a peaceful solution and will hold talks to discuss the conflict. Accordingly, only a small contingent from each side would remain at Preah Vihear temple.

Senior military officials on both sides echoed the pledge to reduce tensions as they met in Siem Reap in northern Cambodia last year. Both are sides are "committed to exercising their utmost restraint to avoid confrontation or armed clashes", said Cambodian regional army commander Maj Gen Chea Mon. The two sides had agreed to joint border patrols to defuse tensions, but, it appears, these have not materialized. Mutual suspicions are harming the efforts to find any credible solution.

Ancient dispute

The demarcation of land around Preah Vihear temple on the countries' border has never been clearly settled. Disputes between the two countries date back centuries when the Thai and Khmer monarchs fought each other for territory and power. The stand-off between the two countries centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries. The temple is only accessible from Thailand and the area around it is heavily mined - a legacy of Cambodia's long war against the Khmer Rouge guerrillas. The decision by Unesco in June to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site reignited lingering nationalist tensions over unresolved border disputes between the two countries.

The Preah Vihear temple has been the subject of often rancorous debate within Cambodia and Thailand and between the two nations since the very late 19th century. The temple was built during the 9th and 10th centuries by the Khmer Empire. As the empire reached its zenith and began a slow decline, the Ayutthaya Kingdom began its climb to the modern-day state of Thailand.

The recent 2008 Cambodian-Thai stand-off between Cambodia and Thailand began in June 2008 as the latest round of a century-long dispute involving the area surrouding the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple, located between the Kantharalak district (amphoe) in the Sisaket province of Northeastern Thailand and the Choam Khsant district in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia. Thailand claims that demarcation has not yet been completed for the external parts of the area judged by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962. The dispute has now extended westwards to the Ta Moan Thom complex between the Thai Surin province and the Cambodian Oddar Meancheay province. Furthermore, historians and scholars are expecting that this stand-off will be extended further to the west to the 11th-century Sdok Kok Thom Temple, currently located in the boundary of the Aranyaprathet district in the Sa Kaeo province of eastern Thailand.

The decision by the UN in June2008 to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site reignited lingering tensions. An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims. In 2003, the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was torched by rioters angry over the alleged comments of a Thai actress who said that the Angkor Wat temple complex should be returned to Thailand.

Thailand and Cambodia both still claim they own the area around the temple, which recently became a Unesco World Heritage site. Officials from both countries have claimed the other side fired first. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the fighting was "small scale" and that he was committed to reaching a settlement over the issue with Cambodia, which he described as "a good neighbor". After fighting broke out, Thailand alerted air force jets and readied transport planes to evacuate Thai nationals from Cambodia.

There have routine fights on the borders over the disputed site. The military stand-off began in July when Cambodian troops detained three Thai protesters who had entered the site illegally. More than 1,000 soldiers from both countries moved into the area, digging trenches into the rough terrain around the temple. As the result of the recurring tensions, both keep enhancing the military budget at the cost of common men.

In August, military personnel agreed to withdraw most of the troops from the area but in early October, Cambodia claimed that Thai troops had returned. While Cambodia asked the Thai authorities to with forces form Cambodia, Thailand had denied that its troops ever entered Cambodian territory. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to turn the area into a "death zone" if the Thai troops did not withdraw. Such kinds of standoffs have been regular. The two countries have held several rounds of talks but have so far failed to reach a settlement.

Bilateral talks on the issue were held on 24 October 2008 on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe summit (Asem) in Beijing. Foreign ministers from the two countries spoke to reporters after the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Somchai Wongsawat, held talks earlier.. Active diplomacy has taken precedence over the usual angry rhetoric. "We are not just neighbors, we are very good friends indeed," Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat said. Hun Sen said the incident that already happened is not the kind that both countries want. It happened instantly. That was uncontrollable at the time." Sompong added that the two sides had been advised to avoid confrontation. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said: "What happened between us we have to solve peacefully, amicably, for the sake of our neighborliness."

Post Script: Forward Move

At long last Cambodia and Thailand have reached a deal to withdraw most of their troops from territory both claim at a hill-top temple, following an agreement reached at a meeting of military officers from the two countries on 14 October. The decision to resolve a border dispute Thai-Cambodia dispute peacefully remains a major break though but the implementation of the decision with follow-up actions is yet to begin quite earnestly.

Both Thailand and Cambodia are part of Asean and the member states, with a view to encouraging multi-trade mechanisms in the region, are also trying to help resolve the crisis. As the biggest Asean member country, Indonesia sees a role to help resolve conflict. AFP reported that Thailand and Cambodia on Thursday agreed to joint patrols of disputed border areas after deadly clashes, but made little progress toward resolving their long-standing territorial spat.
Both countries, however, feel that there could be no quick resolution to the problem. It seems Thailand's domestic political situation could prove a distraction - and Cambodia indicated it was not expecting a swift resolution. Since the issue stirs intense nationalist passions on both sides, and an army recruitment drive in border areas has been over-subscribed, the issue calls for more strenuous efforts for reliable resolution.



The author is Delhi based Research Scholar in International Studies and can be reached at abdulruff_jnu@yahoo.com