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Because courts deal with real cases every day, this Constitutional orchestra would probably find its frequent conductor in judges.

The award judged applicants based on the quality of the programs they provide, such as student exchanges, leadership experiences and other acknowledgements and awards received in the past year.

A view of a Caltex gas station in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post
Officials yesterday confirmed that the Cambodian government will receive a majority of the revenue share from Chevron’s offshore Block A oil permit area near Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand. The government expects to issue the American oil giant a production permit licence by the end of this year.

Ek ThA, A spokesman from the Office of the Council of Ministers said the Cambodian government and Chevron were presently working on the deal, which had not yet been concluded.

“We will take between 70 and 80 per cent of the total revenue,” Ek Tha said.

“Now, both parties are in the negotiations, and we are on the brink of a production permit. We are working for the interest of the Cambodian people and the nation as a whole.

“At the same time, we also understand about investment operations in Cambodia. Both Cambodia and Chevron are working for mutual benefit,” he said.

Sok Khavan, acting director-general of the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA), declined to comment yesterday.

He told Dow Jones Newswires on Wednesday, however, that the government would likely receive the majority of revenue from the project, depending on factors such as the price of oil, and production and development costs.

“From our analysis, the government’s share should not go much below 70 per cent, and will be close to 80 per cent in cases of high oil prices,” he was quoted as saying.

“At the moment we are

trying not to bite off more than we can chew,” he said.

Steve Glick, president of Chevron’s Cambodia operations declined to comment.

However, earlier in July Glick said Chevron completed three environmental impact assessments (EIAs), including exploration reports.

“We’ve been in Cambodia for 10 years, and Chevron has put forth two other EIAs during that time,” he said. Glick said Chevron had also completed two environment management programs concerning its operation.

Mam Sambath, director of an NGO called Development Partnership in Action (DPA), which focuses on oil and gas transparency, said that revenue sharing was still the big question facing Cambodian civil society.

“I cannot say whether it is appropriate or not unless both sides release the information to the public.”

In early July, Chevron officials said oil production in Cambodia would not begin until 2016, or at least three years after the originally appointed date of 12/12/12.

Mam Sambath said the delay would give the government a chance to set up some rules and regulations as well as training their officers to become qualified in the extractive industry.

Spokesman Ek Tha said according to Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, the first drop of oil will appear in the next one or two years.

The Block A oil field is located 157 kilometres off Cambodia’s coast. Chevron drilled 18 exploratory wells before announcing a commercial discovery in 2010. It will build as many as 10 platforms in the 4,709-square-kilometre field over a period of nine years.

Though she started and finished her testimony in one session, witness Noem Sem covered a vast store of topics that shifted from the personal realm of her forced marriage, to the politicised arena of controversial witnesses.

It was a long day for Sem, 59, a rice farmer from Banteay Meanchey province who joined the revolution in 1968, after the authorities intercepted a letter from her brother about the movement that became the Khmer Rouge.

She followed him into the jungle and emerged a few years later as a singer and performer in a Communist Party of Kampuchea arts group based in Kampong Thom, where she said co-accused Nuon Chea presented political lectures.

“We had to sing the songs to educate people on the revolutionary course,” she said.

As part of the arts group, she travelled to Europe with co-accused Ieng Sary, who would become the minister of Foreign Affairs, entertaining groups with her singing voice.

Returning in 1975, she was forced, as were many women under the regime, to marry another cadre. The wedding was far from celebratory.

“During the time we got married, we wore the typical black clothes and there were only a few attendants,” she said.

She had a daughter with her new husband. Cadres ordered her back to the rice fields one week after giving birth.

She worked in the Ministry of Information and Propaganda, and only escaped purges with the direct intervention of Pol Pot, for whom her husband had worked as a bodyguard.

Near the end of her testimony, Nuon Chea’s defence probed into Sem’s relationship with previous witness Ton Rochoem, alias Phy Phuon, who she said she met in 2005.

An official in Malai district, where Sem resides, Phuon has been a source of contention since he said Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong was in charge of a work camp during the Khmer Rouge regime.

Namhong refuted the statement in the press the next day. Phuon, denying any political pressure, then recanted his remarks in the local media.

“If I told you that this individual gave testimony before this chamber, then publicly renounced that testimony, would you have any idea why someone in your district would [do] such a thing?” asked defence counsel Andrew Ianuzzi, who was stopped after the prosecution’s sustained objection.

Court is adjourned until Monday.

Regional women’s rights groups called on Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to press for substantive changes to a highly criticised draft of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

Namhong is scheduled to meet his ASEAN counterparts in New York this morning to review the draft declaration.

Chief among the changes suggested by the Southeast Asia Women’s Caucus on ASEAN is that a controversial public-morality clause be struck.

“Its application has been based on the dominant patriarchal and religious hierarchies, and has been targeting the rights of women and girls,” the letter reads.

The group also asked that the draft be presented for public consideration. While a copy was leaked last month, officials haven’t publicly released it.

“It is said that in this meeting, they will decide on the fate of the AHRD,” said Nina Somera, of the Women’s Caucus Secretariat, adding that groups were pushing for a delay.

“We are really hoping that the foreign ministers will extend the timetable for the drafting of the AHRD. There is no need to rush, otherwise it will only result [in] a document that may lack a sense of currency and boldness in confronting and addressing the reality of human rights issues.”

In an open letter sent to ASEAN foreign ministers yesterday, more than 50 regional rights groups called on the officials to address “serious flaws” in the draft in today’s meeting.

Despite the ongoing controversy, foreign ministry officials have said they expect the declaration to be adopted during November’s ASEAN summit.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment.

Official reports of Bo Xilai’s long-time corruption come as Beijing is preparing to select the group of leaders that will rule the country in the coming ten years. Among the most likely candidates for powerful seats in the politburo, many are princelings, descendants of elderly party leaders still celebrated in China for their past contribution to the country’s political system.

 September 30, 2012
 The commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, General John Allen, center, meets with the Governor of Logar Province, Allhaj Mohammad Tahir Sabari, left, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, June 8, 2012.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says he is "mad as hell" about attacks on Western troops by Afghan soldiers and police, known as "insider attacks."

General John Allen said in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, scheduled to air late Sunday, "we are willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we are not willing to be murdered for it."

Allen said that just as homemade bombs had become the signature weapon of the Iraq war, he believed that in Afghanistan, "the signature attack that we are beginning to see is going to be the insider attack."

A Taliban leader told CBS the insider attacks are part of the militant group's new military strategy.  He said the Taliban has its people planted in the Afghan police and the army.

More than 50 international troops have been killed this year in a series of insider attacks.  A similar number of Afghan security force members have been killed in such attacks.

Coalition officials originally had reported an insider attack late Saturday was responsible for the death of a U.S. soldier,  foreign contractor, and three Afghan soldiers.   But NATO has issued a statement saying  the incident possibly involved insurgent fire and coalition and Afghan officials are still investigating.

Ricci Shryock

September 30, 2012
With Kenya’s national elections scheduled to take place March 4th, U.S. officials are working with local governments to ensure a peaceful vote.  Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Rick Barton, said Washington hopes to avoid the violence that plagued the late 2007 elections.  Barton warned Kenya has only a short time to implement broad reforms put in place with the 2011 constitution.

“I think the broader US interest here is to obviously make sure that these are free, fair and peaceful elections,” he said. “The 2007-2008 elections had a shocking amount of violence and displaced people, and so there’s always been some concern that there is not a recurrence of that experience.”

As many as 1500 people were killed and more than 600,000 displaced following those elections, in which the opposition accused the winning party of electoral manipulation.
Much of that violence was attributed to ethnic tensions, but Barton said, in the forthcoming ballot, the biggest threat to destabilization might lie in the vast reforms that are to be implemented, due to a new constitution. Those reforms are seeking to decentralize the role of government and create more local posts.

“They’re running these elections at a time when they’re trying to develop this new system, which is going to take a highly centralized government and devolve many of the authorities to the local level.  They’ll be electing for the first time governors and there’s an expectation that these people will have quite a bit of authority, including real budget authority,” said Barton.

He added that some of the newly formed county assembly seats have also been set aside for women, though some Kenyans he spoke with said they feared this was “being used to keep them from running for more for the significant offices, such as governor.”

Overall, Barton said, the electorate seemed excited about the changes that would occur at the local level during the March 2013 elections. “What’s exciting about it is, with the Kenyans that we’re running into, [they] are extremely engaged and very eager for this change,” he said.

Michael Bowman

September 30, 2012
The U.S. presidential race has had an all-consuming focus on the economy, at least until now. While economic matters continue to dominate, international affairs have forced their way into the nation’s political discourse less than six weeks before the election.

The campaigns of President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, are exchanging sharp words on recent events in Libya and other foreign policy challenges, as the candidates themselves prepare for their first debate later this week.

Sunday, former Governor Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick, Congressman Paul Ryan, slammed the Obama administration’s handling of a deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

“Their response was slow.  It was confused, it was inconsistent. They first said it was a YouTube video [that sparked the violence] and a spontaneous mob [that attacked the consulate]. We now know that it was a planned terrorist attack.”

Ryan spoke on the U.S. television program Fox News Sunday. He said the Benghazi attack is symptomatic of a failed American foreign policy under President Obama.

“We are seeing the ugly fruits of the Obama foreign policy unravel around the world on our television screens. In Syria, 20,000 dead people. Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon.  The Middle East peace process is in shambles, and we have our flags being burned all around the world. This is a weak foreign policy with terrible results, which makes us less safe.”

Pushing back against such criticism, White House senior adviser David Plouffe says there is no mystery to the administration’s changing descriptions of the Libya attack.

“There has been an ongoing investigation. And this is an event of great interest to the news media and the public, understandably. So there has been information provided real-time [moment-by-moment]. Obviously, you are going to know more about an event a week after it happens.”

Appearing on ABC’s This Week program, Plouffe defended President Obama’s handling of world affairs.

“This president promised a few things in 2008.  He would end the Iraq war, he did.  He would take the fight to al-Qaida and degrade them, he has. He would focus on [Osama] bin Laden and bring him to justice, we did. Governor Romney called ending the Iraq war tragic. And he said famously in 2008 [that] he would not have gone into Pakistan to get bin Laden."

Public-opinion polls show American voters overwhelmingly concerned with economic matters, but generally giving higher marks to President Obama on foreign policy questions than Governor Romney. The first presidential debate Wednesday will focus on the economy, with a later debate dedicated to foreign affairs.

VOA News

September 28, 2012
The expulsion of former political heavyweight Bo Xilai from China's communist party in combination with a slew of criminal accusations, including graft and having improper relations with a series of women, appears to show how threatened party leaders felt by Bo's alleged misdeeds.

The announcement, reported Friday by the state-run Xinhua news agency, was far more than many expected, said Kerry Brown, the Director of China Studies at the University of Sydney in Australia. In an interview with VOA's Sarah Williams, Brown said "They've really gone for the jugular."

Brown: "I thought they were going to take a more legalistic route and go for corruption [charges].  But this is a real, full-scale character defamation. Obviously they feel emboldened to just throw everything they've got at the guy... this is been a profound crisis, probably a more profound crisis than we were aware of as it was happening and there is sort of a profound feeling within the party that Bo had threatened them."

VOA: This seems quite unusual that they would make such claims about a Chinese politician – his personal life. That's fairly unusual, isn't?

Brown: "Yeah... this is something that I thought wouldn't happen this time because I assumed they were going to pursue a very legal route and just do it that way. I guess we underestimate just how profound the traction of a figure like Bo was in the party and the kind of threat that he posed. He's obviously gone up the noses of some very, very powerful people and they're willing to take the kind of risk of this incredible attack against someone to just to totally destroy any kind of influence they have. This is quite a strike, you know.... I suppose this shows you, we also, in following this process, are really not that aware of the dynamics within China at the moment. It's quite worrying."

VOA: In addition, Xinhua also reported that China's 18th party Congress, which is been long anticipated, apparently will begin the process of transferring power to a new generation of leaders on November 8, a bit later than originally thought.

Brown: "Yeah....traditionally it's been held in October, but there's no ironclad rule for that being the case. So I suppose we can say negotiations over the leadership positions have been more prolonged than people thought. But now I think the party basically needs to calm everyone down. I mean it’s very frenetic and everyone is
getting kind of wound up. They just need to make it clear that all things are under control and this leadership succession will be able to happen without a political
bloodbath."

VOA: This Bo development is happening at such an inopportune time, isn't it?

Brown: "There never would have been a good time. The drama around Bo Xilai is something that had to be managed when it happened. So far there has been unity. Always unexpected things can happen. So I suppose when we sit back and look at this, we really have to say'"well every step of the way it's been slightly unexpected'... we didn't – certain experts on this issue inside and outside China – never really called this one right from the word go. So I think we have to have some sort of modesty about saying what's going to happen, because anything really could."

VOA News

September 28, 2012
Authorities in Nepal say a plane crashed shortly after taking off Friday from the capital Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board.

An airport official said the pilot notified air traffic controllers the small, twin-propeller plane had hit a large bird moments before it went down.

Aviation authorities say the Sita Air flight crashed on the banks of the Manohara river, where it burst into flames.

Police officials say seven British, five Chinese and four Nepalese passengers were among the dead.  The plane's three Nepalese crew members were also killed in the crash.

The domestic flight was headed to Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.  Thousands of foreigners head to the Himalayan yearly for trekking trips.

Autumn is the peak season for climbing in Nepal, which has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains.

Friday's crash was the sixth fatal air accident in Nepal in the last two years and raised fresh questions about aviation safety in the country.

The plane went down just days after an avalanche killed at least eight foreigners on a Himalayan peak Sunday.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

VOA News

September 28, 2012
Burmese President Thein Sein has offered rare praise for the country's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, marking an apparent step forward in her complicated relationship with the former military general.

Speaking at the Asia Society in New York, Thein Sein acknowledged that the democracy leader, who spent years detained under Burma's former military rulers, had played a crucial role in the country's reform process.

"She has been working with us in undertaking several reforms. She has been a good colleague. And I am sure she will try to do what she can in order to make the reform process complete. And I believe she will continue to work with us to accomplish all the things that we need to achieve in the country," said Thein Sein.

Burma's President Thein Sein addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012.
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Burma's President Thein Sein addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012.
???Speaking earlier at the United Nations General Assembly, the president congratulated the 1991 Nobel laureate on the honors she has received "in recognition for her efforts for democracy."

It was the first time that Aung San Suu Kyi has been praised by the reformist president, who served as a former general in the military that imposed a harsh authoritarian rule over Burma for five decades.

Burma analyst Suzanne DiMaggio, who moderated the discussion with Thein Sein, told VOA it was a landmark moment for the two rival leaders, who have sometimes disagreed on how to proceed with reforms. But she says they now seems to be be finding common ground.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Aung San Suu Kyi at the White House in Washington, September 19, 2012.
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U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Aung San Suu Kyi at the White House in Washington, September 19, 2012.
????"When we hosted Aung San Suu Kyi last week in Washington, she had a very conciliatory tone toward the president and made it clear that they both are working toward the same goal," said DiMaggio. "And he responded in kind. I think it's clear that their relationship is involving and improving and I think they recognize that their country needs both of them in order to achieve the many things that they need to do."

Aung San Suu Kyi is currently on a high-profile, multi-week tour of the United States, a trip that some fear could overshadow President Thein Sein's visit to the United Nations.

Path to democracy?

Since taking power last year, Thein Sein's government has begun releasing political prisoners, relaxing censorship and opening dialogue with the democratic opposition and armed ethnic minority groups. But some of his military colleagues have been hesitant to change.

On Thursday, Thein Sein insisted his country is on a path to democracy. But he said there are conditions that need to be met in order to solidify the reforms already made.

"First, there has to be stability and rule of law in the country. We'll have to lay down a good foundation for the economy," he said. "If we manage to do that, we will be able to establish a stable political system, a stable democracy, and I don't think there will be any reversal in the political transition."

Towards a common goal

But DiMaggio said the most important development this week is that both President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi appear to now have, to a large extent, the same goals for Burma.

"There may be some differences on how to get there and what priorities should be," she said. "But nonetheless, I think they're really in sync with each other on how to move forward and what needs to be done. So in that sense, it gives me a great deal of optimism, because if the two of them have a common agenda, it really is encouraging that a lot can be accomplished."

And many observers agree that there is still much that needs to be accomplished in Burma, including the formation of a independent judiciary and amending a constitution that effectively guarantees military control.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.+

VOA News

September 29, 2012
Somlia’s militant group al-Shabab says it has withdrawn from its last stronghold in the country.

The group said Saturday it has abandoned the Somali port city of Kismayo, a day after Kenyan forces attacked the port city in an operation designed to drive out the militant group. Al-Shabab vowed to strike back.

The Kenyan military said Friday's attack involved land, sea and air forces and was done in coordination with African Union and Somali government troops.

VOA's Somali Service reported Friday Kenyan and Somali government troops controlled some northern neighborhoods of Kismayo, but that most of the town, including the airport, was still in al-Shabab hands. Two witnesses said the militants mounted machine guns on the town's tallest buildings.

Al-Shabab, which is allied with al-Qaida, has used Kismayo's seaport to raise money through taxes, as well as to import weapons.

Kenyan forces entered Somalia last year after a series of cross-border kidnappings that Kenya blamed on the militant group.

Pro-Somali government forces have been moving toward Kismayo for more than a month. Kenyan warplanes and warships attacked Kismayo earlier this week ahead of the attempt to push the militants out.

The U.N. refugee agency reported Friday that about 12,000 people left Kismayo in the past month, in some cases to avoid forced recruitment by al-Shabab.

The militant group is seeking to overthrow Somalia's government and impose a hardline form of Islamic law in the country.  The group once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, but has lost most of its territory over the past 18 months to pro-government forces.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

VOA News

September 29, 2012
U.S. President Barack Obama has called out the Congress, especially Republicans, for not acting on proposals aimed at saving homeowners thousands of dollars.

During Saturday’s weekly address, Obama said Congress has delayed taking action on a plan he sent them in February that he says would save homeowners $3,000 a year by refinancing their mortgages at a lower interest rate.

President Obama says the housing market is “healing” from the housing crisis of 2007 and 2008, and he is encouraging citizens to contact their representatives and urge them to take action when they return from their break in November.

Watch President Obama's weekly address:



In the Republican address, congressional candidate Vernon Parker of Arizona pushed repealing Obama’s health care law and touted his party’s plan for creating jobs.

Parker also advocated reforming the tax code, saying the Obama administration’s economic policies have made it difficult for small businesses to add new jobs.

President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney face off Wednesday in the first of three debates ahead of elections on November 6

ភ្នំពេញ៖ ហេង ដាលីស ជាតារាចម្រៀង ដែលទស្សនិកជនធ្លាប់ស្គាល់ និងល្បីឈ្មោះជាច្រើន ឆ្នាំមកហើយនោះ ត្រូវបានសមត្ថកិច្ច នៃកងរាជអាវុធហត្ថ លើផ្ទៃប្រទេស ធ្វើការឃាត់ខ្លួនកាលពីរាត្រីថ្ងៃទី១៩ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ រួមជាមួយនឹងឈ្មោះ ចាន់ ស្រីណុច ហៅមុំ ជាម្ចាស់ហាងកែសម្ផស្សមីកាសា ដែលជាហាងកែសម្ផស្ស មួយ ប្រមូលផ្តុំដោយតារាល្បី តែងតែចូលចិត្តផាត់មុខ ធ្វើសក់នៅទីនោះ មុននឹងទៅចូលរួមក្នុងកម្មវិធីផ្សេងៗ។

ការឃាត់ខ្លួនតារាចម្រៀង ហេង ដាលីស និងម្ចាស់ហាងកែសម្ផស្ស មីកាសាដ៏ល្បី និងគួរឲ្យភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល ត្រូវបាន គេសង្ស័យថា មានជាប់ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងការជួញដូរផ្លូវភេទ ពោលអាចនិយាយបានថា ជាម៉ែយ៉ែមនាំស្រីក្មេងៗ ទៅ ឲ្យបុរសៗសម្បូរទ្រព្យ ដើម្បីបានកុំមីស្យុង ឬជាអ្នកដឹកញីបន្ស៊ីឈ្មោល នាំតារាក្មេងៗទៅឲ្យតាៗ ដែលបច្ចុប្បន្នមាន តារាមួយចំនួន កំពុងតែប្រឈមមុខ និងរងគ្រោះដោយសារ តែពួកម៉ែយ៉ែមទាក់ទងនេះឯង ។

តារាចម្រៀងហេង ដាលីស បានបាត់មុខពីឆាកសិល្បៈ អស់រយៈពេលជាច្រើនឆ្នាំ មកហើយដែល មហាជនស្ទើ តែ ភ្លេចឈ្មោះនាង ហើយក៏មិនបានទទួលដំណឹងឲ្យច្បាស់លាស់ថា ហេង ដាលីស ប្រកបមុខរបរអ្វី ឬមាន ជំនួញ ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនក្រៅពីសិល្បៈនោះទេ។

ប៉ុន្តែភាពភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលនៅពេលសមត្ថកិច្ចធ្វើការឃាត់ខ្លួនតារាចម្រៀងហេង ដាលីស អាយុ២៣ឆ្នាំ នឹងម្ចាស់ហាង កែសម្ផស្សមីកាសា ធ្វើឲ្យមហាជនមានការសង្ស័យថា ហេង ដាលីស នាងអាចជាអ្នកដឹកស៊ីបន្ស៊ីឈ្មោល (ម៉ែយ៉ែម) លួចលាក់ ដើម្បីដឹកនាំនារីក្មេងៗ ឲ្យទៅបុរសអ្នកមាន ដែលភាសាសាមញ្ញស្រួល ស្តាប់គេតែង និយាយថា ហៅទៅញ៉ាំបាយជាមួយតា។

ដោយឡែកប្រភពក្រៅផ្លូវការមួយបានបង្ហើបឲ្យដឹងថា ការបង្ហាញខ្លួនរបស់ ហេង ដាលីស ជាមួយនឹងក្មេង ស្រីពីរទៅបីនាក់ទៀត កាលពីយប់ថ្ងៃទី១៩ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ ២០១២ គឺនាងក៏មានបំណង ចង់ទៅញ៉ាំបាយ ជាមួយបុរសៗ សម្បូរទ្រព្យនោះដែរ តាមរយៈការណែនាំរបស់ម្ចាស់ហាងមីកាសា គឺអ្នកស្រីចាន់ ស្រីណុច ហៅមុំ ដោយនាងក៏ជាអ្នកត្រូវបានគេចរចាតម្លៃផងដែរ។

ប្រភពព័ត៌មាន បានខ្សឹបខ្សៀវប្រាប់ថា មានតារាៗមួយចំនួនដែលបានទៅធ្វើសក់ផាត់មុខ នៅហាង មីកាសា តែងតែត្រូវបាន ម្ចាស់ហាងរូបនេះបញ្ចុះបញ្ចូល ដើម្បីនាំទៅឲ្យបុរសៗមានទ្រព្យ ហើយប្រសិនបើ ស្រីក្មេងនោះ មិន ទាន់មានឈ្មោះបោះសំឡេង ត្រូវម្ចាស់ហាងឲ្យនៅហាត់រៀន ជំនាញ កែសម្ផស្សក្នុងហាងនេះសិន។

លើសពីនេះប្រភពខាងលើបានបង្ហើបឲ្យដឹងទៀតថា នៅពេលមានតាៗ ឬបុរសអ្នកមានទាក់ទង មកម្ចាស់ហាង ដែលគេធ្លាប់ដឹងរួចស្រេច ពេលត្រូវរូវគ្នាគឺបុរសទាំងនោះ តែងយកនារីក្មេង ទៅដេកនៅក្រៅប្រទេស មានដូច ជា ថៃ សាំងហ្គាពួរ ហុងកុង ឬប្រទេសផ្សេងៗជាច្រើនទៀតតាមការពេញចិត្ត ហើយតម្លៃខ្លួន ត្រូវបានគេដឹងថា មានចំនួនចាប់ពី៣០០ដុល្លារឡើងទៅ។

ដោយឡែកករណីកម្លាំង កងរាជអាវុធហត្ថចុះឃាត់ខ្លួន ម្ចាស់ហាង មីកាសា ដែលមានអសយដ្ឋាន នៅខាងកើតផ្សារចាស់ប្រហែល៣០ម៉ែត្រ ដោយឃាត់ខ្លួនទាំងតារាចម្រៀង ហេង ដាលីស និងក្មេងស្រីម្នាក់ ទៀត ផងនោះ ត្រូវបានប្រភពក្រៅផ្លូវការបង្ហើបប្រាប់ថា អ្នកទាំងនោះកំពុងតែចរចាតម្លៃគ្នា តាមទូរស័ព្ទ ខណៈដែលបុរស៣នាក់កំពុងតែអង្គុយរងចាំ នៅភោជនីយដ្ឋាន ស៊ីធីខេត ហើយពេលត្រូវរ៉ូវគ្នា ពួកគេនឹងចូលទៅក្នុងសណ្ឋាគារ ។

កន្លងមកមានការលេចឮព័ត៌មានថា តារាស្រីជាច្រើនដួង ទាំងអ្នកល្បីឈ្មោះ និងមិនល្បីឈ្មោះ ត្រូវបានគេកត់ឈ្មោះដាក់នៅក្នុងបញ្ជីមួយ ដោយមានទាំងរូបថត និងតម្លៃរួចជាស្រេច ដែលគេហៅជាភាសាសាមញ្ញថា "ម៉ឺនុយ" ដើម្បីពេលណាតាៗ ឬបុរសណាត្រូវការ គេនឹងយកបញ្ជី និងរូបថតនោះទៅឲ្យមើល ហើយបើត្រូវចិត្ត គេនឹងទាក់ទងគ្នា និងអាចនិយាយបានថា យកទៅដើរ លេងនៅក្រៅប្រទេស ព្រោះក្នុងសង្គមសិល្បៈតែងលេចធ្លាយរឿងរ៉ាវបែបនេះជារឿយៗ។

ការបែកធ្លាយនូវករណីកម្លាំងកងរាជអាវុធហត្ថចុះក្របួចបានម្ចាស់ហាង មីកាសា កាលពីយប់ថ្ងៃទី១៩ ខែកញ្ញានេះ គឺប្រហែលជាមានតារាមួយចំនួន គេបានទម្លាក់ចោលនូវការធ្វើខ្លួនបែបនេះ ដោយហេតុថា គេមានអ្នកស្រឡាញ់ពេញចិត្ត និងធានាចិញ្ចឹមឲ្យរស់ស្រួល ហើយការទាក់ទងនោះ ប៉ះចំតារាដែលគេមិនធ្វើបែបនេះ ទើបបណ្តាលឲ្យបែករឿង រហូតឈានដល់ការឃាត់ខ្លួននេះឯង។

ទាក់ទងនឹង ការឃាត់ខ្លួនធ្វើឲ្យមានមន្ទិលសង្ស័យនេះ មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលព័ត៌មានដើមអម្ពិល មិនអាចធ្វើការទំនាក់ ទំនងសុំការបំភ្លឺពីតារាចម្រៀង ហេង ដាលីស បានទេ ព្រោះលេខទូរស័ព្ទដែលនាងធ្លាប់ប្រើត្រូវបានប្តូរ  ហើយ មន្រ្តីអាវុធហត្ថលើផ្ទៃប្រទេស ក៍មិនបានបញ្ជាក់អះអាងផ្លូវការថា កញ្ញា ហេង ដាលីស ឃាត់ខ្លួនជាមួយគ្នានេះដែររឺយ៉ាងណានោះទេ៕

សម្តេចតេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន រិះគន់ ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគ​ ព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ សង្គមមួយចំនួន នៅកម្ពុជា
Friday, 21 September 2012 15:04 ដោយៈដើមអម្ពិល
ភ្នំពេញ៖ ប្រមុខរាជរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា បានធ្វើការរិះគន់ដល់ ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ សង្គម មួយចំនួន ដោយសម្តេចហៅថា “ល្ងង់ទូ” ដែលបានធ្វើការវិភាគថា ការអញ្ជើញចុះចែក ប័ណ្ណ កម្មសិទ្ធិ ដីធ្លីនៅ ក្នុងខេត្តក្រចេះដំបូងគេនេះ គឺដើម្បីប៉ះប៉ូវដល់អារម្មណ៍ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ដែល ធ្លាប់ មានបញ្ហាដីធ្លីក្តៅ នាពេលកន្លងមក។

សម្តេច តេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីនៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា បានថ្លែងក្នុងឱកាស ដែលសម្តេច បានអញ្ជើញជាអធិបតីភាព ផ្តល់ប័ណ្ណកម្មសិទ្ធិដីធ្លីដោយផ្ទាល់ដៃ និងជាលើក ដំបូងជូនដល់ប្រជាពលជា ច្រើនគ្រួសារនៅ ក្នុងឃុំស្រែចា និងឃុំ២ធ្នូ ស្រុកស្នួល ខេត្តក្រចេះ នៅថ្ងៃទី២១ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ថា ក្រុមអ្នក វិភាគទាំងអស់នេះ ជាពួកល្ងង់ទូ ដែលមិនចេះ ខ្មាស់គេ ក្នុងនាមជាខ្មែរដូចគ្នា ពិតជាខ្មាស់គេខ្លាំងណាស់ ក្នុងនាមជាខ្មែរ។
សម្តេចបានបញ្ជាក់ថា “មូលហេតុដែល សម្តេចចុះមកស្រុកស្នួលមុនគេ ដោយសារតែតំបន់នេះ បានវាស់វែងដីធ្លី ជូនប្រជាពលរដ្ឋរួចរាល់មុនគេ”។
សម្តេចតេជោ ក៏បានលើកឡើងពីចំណុចពិសេសរបស់ ប័ណ្ណកម្មសិទ្ធិចំនួន ៣គឺ ទី១. ប័ណ្ណកម្មសិទ្ធិនេះ មិនអាចលួចថតចម្លង (Copy) បានទេ វានឹងលោតពាក្យ Copy នៅលើប័ណ្ណដែលលួចថតចម្លងនោះ ទី២. ប្រសិនបើយកទឹកកកដាក់ពីលើ ដែលមានសីតុណ្ហភាព ក្រោម ១៧ អង្សាសេ នឹងមើលឃើញរូបព្រះរាជសង្ហា នៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា ទី៣. បើយកពិលបញ្ចាំងពីលើ ឬយកដាក់ក្រោមពន្លឺថ្ងៃ នឹងមើលឃើញរូបប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត។
សម្តេចក៏បានថ្លែងសុំទោស ដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនៅតាមបណ្តាឃុំដទៃទៀត ដែលមិនបានចុះទៅចែកដោយផ្ទាល់ ព្រោះតែមានភាពចាំបាច់ ទើបចែកជូនប្រជាពលរដ្ឋតែ ៥៦០គ្រួសារ នៅក្នុងឃុំ២ធ្នូ និងឃុំស្រែចា៕

Chan Sreynuch, the owner of Mikasa Coiffure and Beauty, a well-known salon in the capital, spent last night at national military police headquarters, accused of moonlighting as a high-end madam.
Her arrest yesterday followed a month-long military police stake-out.

Friday, 21 September 2012
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
The Phnom Penh Post

Sreynuch, 38, known affectionately as Mom, was arrested in the Sre Leap Hotel, in Daun Penh district, around 6:30pm, on suspicion of human trafficking, according to the national military police spokesman Kheng Tito.

“Chan Sreynuch is an active leader of human trafficking in Cambodia,” Tito said.

According to him, Sreynuch would lead young women — often aspiring singers and students — to her salon, then connect them with wealthy businessmen.

Three of her manicured and coiffed callgirls were also detained at the hotel, along with her bodyguard, Kong Chandoung, who was later released.

Sreynuch, who is yet to be charged, was being held at the national military police headquarters following questioning at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Tito said.


The other women were sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Hall’s rehabilitation centre for “re-education”.

Sea Sambath, deputy commander of the national military police, said his forces had followed and observed Sreynuch’s activities for a month.

“According to our military police’s investigation, Chan Sreynuch was a human trafficker and also a broker who [solicited] singers or other girls who were her customers,” Sambath said.

“They would come to have their make-up done at the Mikasa shop before having sex with people in hotels or guesthouses in Cambodia,” he said.

Sreynuch, her defence lawyer, and the court could not be reached for comments.

Kae Shibata 20, left, and Yutaro Noji, 21, show off Apple's iPhone 5 after they bought at a store in Tokyo Friday morning, Sept. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

HONG KONG (AP) — In a now familiar global ritual, Apple fans jammed shops from Sydney to Tokyo to pick up the tech juggernaut's latest iPhone.

Eager buyers formed long lines Friday at Apple Inc. stores in Australia and Japan to be the first to get their hands on the latest version of the smartphone. In Hong Kong and Singapore, buyers had to sign up online for the chance to pick up the device at a prearranged time. The first customers in Hong Kong were greeted by staff cheering, clapping, chanting "iPhone 5! iPhone 5!" and high-fiving them as they were escorted one-by-one through the front door.

The smartphone is also being launched in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France and Germany. It will go on sale in 22 more countries a week later. The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, has a taller screen, faster processor, updated software and can work on faster "fourth generation" mobile networks.


Order numbers indicate the iPhone 5 has overcome initial lukewarm reviews. Apple received 2 million orders in the first 24 hours of announcing its release date, more than twice the number for the iPhone 4S in the same period when that phone launched a year ago.

In a sign of the intense demand, police in Osaka, Japan, were investigating the theft of nearly 200 iPhones 5s, including 116 from one shop alone, Kyodo News reported.

Analysts have estimated Apple will ship as many as 10 million of the new iPhones by the end of September.

Some Australian fans went to extremes to be among the first by arriving at Apple's flagship store in downtown Sydney on Tuesday — three days ahead of the release.

Todd Foot, 24, nabbed the coveted first spot and spent about 18 hours a day in a folding chair and catching a few hours' sleep each night in a tent on the sidewalk.

Foot's dedication was largely a marketing stunt, however. He writes product reviews for a technology website that will give away the phone after Foot reviews it.

"I just want to get the phone so I can feel it, compare it and put it on our website," he said while slumped in his chair.

In Singapore, which doesn't have an Apple store, Liu Ting Ting waited 12 hours to be the first of 10,000 people in the Southeast Asian city-state granted the opportunity to buy one at a Singapore Telecommunications launch-day event.

"I have this I-need-to-be-first mentality because this is the first time I'm buying an iPhone," said Liu, who is dumping her Blackberry because she believes the iPhone 5's photo and video capabilities will help with her journalism studies.

"If I wasn't the first, I would have gone home," she said.

Not everyone lining up outside Hong Kong's Apple store was an enthusiast. University student Kevin Wong, waiting to buy a black 16 gigabyte model for 5,588 Hong Kong dollars ($720), said he was getting one "for the cash." He planned to immediately resell it to one of the numerous grey market retailers catering to visiting mainland Chinese buyers. China is one of Apple's fastest growing markets but a release date for the iPhone 5 there has not yet been set.

Mainland Chinese, who like to shop in Hong Kong because there's no sales tax and because of the strength of the yuan, will probably buy it from the resellers "at a higher price — a way higher price," said Wong, who hoped to make a profit of HK$1,000 ($129).

Tokyo's glitzy downtown Ginza district not only had a long line in front of the Apple store, but another across the main intersection at Softbank, the first carrier in Japan to offer iPhones.

Hidetoshi Nakamura, a 25-year-old auto engineer, said he's an Apple fan because it's an innovator.

"I love Apple," he said, standing near the end of a two-block-long line, reading a book and listening to music on his iPod.

"It's only the iPhone for me."
__
Kristen Gelineau in Sydney, Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo and Faris Mokhtar in Singapore contributed to this report.

Sharon Behn

September 21, 2012
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's government summoned a U.S. diplomat Friday, as violent demonstrations sparked by an anti-Islamic film privately produced in the United States erupted across the country. At least 13 people have been killed in the protests.

Despite calls from government and religious leaders for peaceful protests, angry demonstrators hurled rocks at riot police, pushed against metal containers blocking the roads and pulled back razor wires set up to curtail their movement. Police responded with tear gas and gunfire.

Outrage at the film in many cases turned into anger at America, which many here see as supporting the Internet video, even though the U.S. government has repeatedly stated it had nothing to do with the film. Two banks and a cinema were torched and dozens injured in the protests.
​WHAT'S BEHIND THE PROTESTS?

​​​

    Photo Gallery
    Map: Protest Hot Spots
    Timeline: When It All Began


Opinion & Analysis

    Different Voices on Protests
    Video Isn't Sole Cause of Protests
    US Muslim Cleric On Whether Islam Endorses Violence
    Meet Man Behind Film Fueling Anti-US Violence
    Significance of Anti-Muslim Movie Exaggerated
    Are Hate and Violence Islamic Values?

​​
In the eastern city of Lahore, thousands denounced those behind the film as blasphemers, waving posters calling for their death. Some held up copies of the Quran, as others waved sticks, swords and flags and posters saying: "America destroyed world peace" and "Kill the blasphemers, cut their throats, spill their blood."

Qari Yaqoob Sheikh, one of the leaders of the Islamist Jamaat-ut-Dawa organization marching in Lahore, called on U.S. President Barack Obama to arrest those behind the production.

He says: "This is an insult, and we condemn the movie, and the American government should arrest and hang Sam Bacile and all the actors in the movie, or our protests will continue."

Some protestors hanged and burned effigies of Bacile, the supposed producer of the film, beating the fire with sticks.

Retired wing commander Zulfiqar Baig, wearing a yellow T-shirt with the words "murder" and "pigs" written on it, said he was not against any country, but stood against anyone who defamed Islam.

"They have to be murdered," said Baig.

In the capital Islamabad, police fought back thousands of protestors trying to force their way into the capital and the diplomatic enclave that houses different embassies, including the U.S. mission to Pakistan.

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Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says it summoned U.S. envoy Richard Hoagland to register a strong protest against the video. Hoagland said the American government condemned the video, which he described as a "deeply insensitive."

But the U.S. government's distancing itself from the amateur production that mocks the Prophet Muhammad is not likely to appease the people of Pakistan, who feel the movie is just the latest in a series of incidents seen as offensive to Islam.

Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the movie was an example of hate speech. He called upon the international community to put an end to material deemed offensive to Islam.

"We are demanding that the United Nations and other international organizations seek a law that bans such hate speech aimed at fomenting hatred and sowing the seeds of discord through such falsehoods, which is a grave violation of all basic norms of humanity," said Ashraf.

But some of the protestors also expressed their anger at their own government, calling for Pakistan President Asif ali Zardari to step down, and calling him a dog, an insult in Muslim culture.

 Member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile Thubten Wangchen, left, together with another protestor hold the Tibetan flag during the 'Flame of Truth' rally, near the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, September 20, 2012.

VOA News

September 21, 2012
A top human rights group is urging the international community to form a contact group on Tibet in order to push the Chinese government to improve what it says is the "worsening human rights situation" there.

In a statement Friday, Human Rights Watch calls on world governments who are concerned about Tibet to discuss the formation of such a group on the sidelines of next week's United Nations General Assembly.

The New York-based organization says a contact group could pressure China to consider resuming "meaningful negotiations with Tibetan representatives." It also says such an initiative could demonstrate "heightened international concern" about Tibet.

About 50 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009, mostly in protest against what they see as Chinese repression of their religion and culture - a charge Beijing denies. At least seven of the self-immolations occurred last month.

Human Rights Watch says that Beijing has responded to the growing number of self-immolations and protests with sweeping arrests and detentions. China has also strengthened the blackout on information coming from Tibetan areas.

China, which has the world's second largest economy, has put diplomatic pressure on international governments that publicly condemn its policies in Tibet. The country also discourages international forums from addressing the issue, saying it is an internal dispute regarding its own sovereignty.

But Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch says "concerned governments should set aside their fears of irking Beijing and press China to respect Tibetans' basic rights."

Margaret Besheer

September 21, 2012
UNITED NATIONS — Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged cooperation among leaders in her country to work for its good. Speaking briefly during a visit to the United Nations Friday, she said the time has come for the Burmese people to take responsibility for democratizing their own country.

Aung San Suu Kyi is making her first visit to the United States in decades, just days ahead of a visit by her president, Thein Sein, who will be making his international debut at the U.N. General Assembly’s annual debate on Thursday morning.

Asked if she worried about stealing his spotlight, she said she did not think people should think about it in terms of personalities.

“I think we should think about it as a common goal," she said. "If we all want to achieve genuine democracy for Burma, we have to learn to work together and not think about our impact as personalities, either in our country or in the world at large.”


The pro-democracy activist, who spent years under house arrest during military rule, said she welcomed the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Burma.

“It is time now that the Burmese people took responsibility for their democratization of the country," said the opposition leader. "I am very, very appreciative of what the U.S. Congress has done for many years to support our movement, but now we have to try to work on our own, of course, with the continuing support and help of friends.”

Aung San Suu Kyi met Friday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said she has become a “global symbol of human rights."

“We have great expectations and hope that she will lead this path of reconciliation and greater participatory democracy and development of her country, together with President Thein Sein of Myanmar,” he said.

Afterwards, the democracy icon met with U.N. staff from Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. Staffer Hnin Yu said Aung San Suu Kyi urged the diaspora to be involved in Burma’s transition.
​​
“She said wherever you are, in a way, you can help out. You don’t have to be there to help out, everybody can be involved,” said Hnin Yu.

Friday night Aung San Suu Kyi was to pick up yet another award, this time from the Atlantic Council, where she will be one of their Global Citizens of the Year. On Wednesday, she received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, right, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during their meeting in China on Sept. 2. (Associated Press)

September 6, 2012
By Patrick Barta
The Wall Street Journal

China has done a lot to support Cambodia over the years with millions of dollars in aid, loans and investment. But after reports this week that China has pledged another $500 million in soft loans and grants—and publicly thanked Cambodia for its support in Southeast Asia—Cambodian officials want to be sure no one suspects the little country is falling too much under China’s sway.

Cheam Yeap, chairman of the Commission on Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit at the Cambodian National Assembly, said China’s loans have nothing to do with Cambodia’s recent support for China in disputes involving the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by China and several Southeast Asian states. That backing includes a now-famous episode in July when members of the Association of Southeast Asian nations failed to reach a consensus on how to resolve conflicts in the sea at their latest summit in Phnom Penh, failing even to issue their customary joint communiqué at the end.

Representatives from the Philippines and other nations blamed Cambodia for resisting any agreement that would embarrass China, which has long indicated its desire to negotiate settlements in the South China Sea on a bilateral basis, away from multilateral forums.

The latest loans are just “encouragement from China’s premier Wen Jiabao” Mr. Cheam Yeap said, adding that China doesn’t ask for anything in return. Rather, China just “sees that Cambodia is in need for [money] to develop the country,” he said. “This is not the first time that China has provided concessional loans to Cambodia.”


The loans are mainly for infrastructure, agriculture, irrigation, flood control, and human resource development, he said.

Mr. Cheam Yeap also said that reports Cambodia tried to torpedo an agreement at the July summit were unfair. “It is not like the accusation from other Asean members and the U.S. about the blockage of a joint communiqué,” he said. Cambodia was “trying” to support a statement, he said, but it wasn’t possible to agree on one.

According to Reuters, the latest Chinese loans included four agreements for unspecified projects worth about $420 million, as well as three additional loan deals worth more than $80 million that are expected to be signed this year. It cited a Cambodian secretary of state for finance speaking at a recent briefing.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported earlier in the week that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao thanked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in a weekend meeting for Cambodia’s “important role in maintaining the overall situation of friendly relations between China and the Asean.” It went on to say that “China will closely coordinate with Cambodia, and support the country to make the upcoming series of meetings for East Asian leaders a success,” an apparent reference to the next Asean summit in November at which South China Sea disputes are also expected to figure prominently.

In the past, Mr. Hun Sen has applauded Chinese leaders for extending aid without the usual restrictions that come with development money from Western nations. Foreign donors have repeatedly pressed Cambodian officials over the years to reduce corruption and increase transparency in public affairs, at times suggesting future aid could be contingent on further progress in those and other areas. They have also publicly criticized Cambodian leaders for failing to act on recommendations from Western non-governmental organizations aimed at boosting health, education and other development standards.

“China talks less but does a lot,” Mr. Hun Sen said during a speech several years ago, soon after China had pledged an earlier $600 million in aid. Mr. Hun Sen has also referred to China in the past as Cambodia’s “most trustworthy friend.”

Tim Sakmony speaks to reporters outside Phnom Penh Municipal Court. She was later sent to Prey Sar prison. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 06 September 2012
Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post

A 65-year-old woman who has spent months sleeping under a staircase at Borei Keila yesterday became the second land-rights activist sent to Prey Sar prison in little more than 24 hours.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigating judge Ly Leabmeng questioned villager representative Tim Sakmony for almost five hours before charging her with incitement and ordering her to be locked in pre-trial detention, her defence team said.

“This court doesn’t offer any justice for the poor,” fellow Borei Keila resident Ath Samnang, one of about 100 supporters outside the court, said as she watched her friend being driven off in the direction of Prey Sar.


The jailing of Sakmony, who was summonsed last week after an incitement complaint by Suy Sophan, the owner of Borei Keila developer Phan Imex, came one day after Boeung Kak village representative Yorm Bopha was detained and jailed on charges of intentional violence.

Bopha, 29, and her husband, Lous Sakhorn, 56, were arrested by 10 plain-clothed police officers and shoved into an unmarked car on Tuesday while going to check their names on a voting register, a witness said.

Sakhorn and Bopha, a well-known activist, were both charged with intentional violence, it emerged yesterday, but only Sakhorn was released, while Bopha, a mother of one, was sent to Prey Sar to serve pre-trial detention.

Residents of both communities say the charges against their respective representatives are ambiguous and the court has failed to explain exactly what the women are supposed to have done wrong.

Boeung Kak and Borei Keila have become high-profile battlegrounds for housing and land rights in the face of large-scale developments.

Sakhorn said he and Bopha had recently intervened when villagers were beating up a thief at Boeung Kak, but had not committed any act of violence.

“Because my wife is an activist who regularly demands that the authorities demarcate land, I believe they may have used this incident to accuse her,” he said. “Both of us have been charged with intentional violence – but why did the judge detain my wife and release me?”

Rights groups and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party yesterday condemned the jailing of the two women, describing it as another crackdown on dissent.

“Each time someone from Borei Keila or Boeung Kak is arrested now, we have to treat it as suspicious,” Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said. “The court certainly lost some credibility with the arrest of the 13 Boeung Kak women.”

The rash sentencing of those women – after a three-hour trial without a lawyer on May 24 – drew international headlines and the attention of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who urged Cambodia to release them.

The women’s two-and-a-half-year jail terms for their involvement in a land protest was reduced and they were freed on June 27, but this week’s arrests showed the government was still using the courts to silence opposition, SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua said.

“It is not going to be just these two – I heard they are targeting more people,” she said, adding Bopha had effectively been kidnapped rather than arrested. “The government is totally going down the wrong track and the consequences will be detrimental to the image of Cambodia.”

Am Sam Ath, technical adviser for rights-group Licadho, said Sakmony’s arrest was an example of Phan Imex trying to silence the villagers.

“I think the company is using the court system to [stop protests],” he said.

Sakmony was among a group of more than 20 women and children detained during a land protest in the capital on January 11 and sent to Prey Speu social affairs centre.

The women and children were held for a week without charge before climbing the walls, in the presence of Sochua, and fleeing in tuk-tuks.

Sakmony was one of the many Borei Keila villagers evicted from their homes on January 3 when a demolition team led by Phan Imex and backed by municipal police destroyed remaining houses at the site.

Many, including Sakmony, have since spent their nights sleeping under stairs close to a rubbish dump, where UN Special Rapporteur Surya Subedi visited in May.

Court officials, government spokesmen and Sophan could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Yorm Bopha (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)
Tim Sakmony (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)
Protesters from both neighborhoods gathered in front of the Phnom Penh court on Wednesday to demand the release of the three.

06 September 2012
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer

PHNOM PENH - Phnom Penh Municipal Court is holding two more land protesters, following the detention of one woman on Tuesday.

The two activists, from the Borei Keila neighborhood, were detained after they appeared for questioning at the court Wednesday.

Am Sam Ath, lead investigator for the rights group Licadho, said the courts detained Tim Sak Mony, an activist from the neighborhood, and Top Kim Hong, the former village chief of Borei Keila.

Tim Sak Mony is being held for allegedly inciting violence during a protest, and Top Kim Hong is being held on charges related to corruption.

Am Sam Ath said the arrests appeared to be “unfair” and aimed at reducing protests against the development company, Phanimex.


Ousted residents of Borei Keila say Phanimex failed to provide enough housing for the number of people displaced by their project, a charge the company denies.

The detentions follow the Tuesday arrest of Yorm Bopha, a housing activist for the residents of the Boeung Kak development, which has pushed thousands of families from their homes since 2008.

Protesters from both neighborhoods gathered in front of the Phnom Penh court on Wednesday to demand the release of the three.

Among them was Lours Sakorn, the husband of Yorm Bopha, who was briefly detained along with her on Tuesday but was later released. He said his wife had committed no intentional violence.

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Government of Cambodia and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday signed an agreement on safeguarding of the Angkor Wat Temple, one of the World Heritage sites.

The deal was inked between Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, and Anne Lemaistre, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia.

The two-year phase II project will be focused on the restoration of an extension span of the moat embankment at the Angkor Wat Temple, said Rome University's Professor Valter Maria Santoro, head of the Italian technical mission for stone consolidation in the temple.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Sok An said that the second phase project will cost 250,000 U.S. dollars including 200,000 U.S. dollars granted by Italian government and 50,000 U.S. dollars by Cambodian government.


He said that Italian government, through UNESCO, has involved in helping safeguard the Angkor Wat Temple since 1994.

"The continuous support signifies a further cooperation among Cambodia, UNESCO and Italy," he said.

Sok An said currently, Cambodia has been collaborating with 14 countries and 28 international teams in implementing over 60 different projects to preserve, safeguard and develop the temple.

Anne Lemaistre said, "UNESCO is proud to help Cambodia in the preservation and conservation of the World Heritage site of Angkor. "

Angkor archeological park was inscribed in the World Heritage list on Dec. 14, 1992.

It is the country's largest cultural tourism destination; it is located in Siem Reap province, some 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

The site had attracted 1.06 million foreign tourists in the first six months of this year, up 35 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Tourism Ministry.

Cambodia – Court summons issued to trade union leader and human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun

Photo: The Phnom Penh Post

5 September 2012

Source: CCHR

Cambodia – Court summons issued to trade union leader and human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun

On 29 August 2012, human rights defender Mr Rong Chhun received a summons to appear at Kandal Provincial Court on 11 September for questioning in relation to criminal allegations made against him. Rong Chhun is President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions and a prominent labour rights advocate.

The summons issued to Rong Chhun relates to a complaint made by Mr Jack Liu, Director-General of Tai Yang Enterprises, alleging that the trade union leader incited Tai Yang Enterprises employees to protest illegally and also accusing him of defamation. It is reported that Mr Wu Ming Huor, a factory manager for Tai Yang Enterprises, also accused the human rights defender of destroying the company's business, claiming that several large international customers have drastically reduced their orders as a result of a strike at Tai Yang Enterprises factories.

The complaint against Rong Chhun relates to protests against the reported refusal of Tai Yang Enterprises to pay bonuses provided for under national labour law. These protests began on 25 June and over 3,000 workers have taken part in a number of peaceful demonstrations. It is believed that the allegation of defamation against Rong Chhun may be related to comments he made about the changing of the name of the company. During the protests he reportedly said that Tai Yang Enterprises had changed its name in order to avoid paying seniority bonuses to staff and taxes to the state.

Authorities attempted to arrest Rong Chhun on several occasions during the protests. However, the striking workers surrounded him on each occasion in order to peacefully prevent his arrest.

Front Line Defenders believes that the summons received by Rong Chhun is directly related to his peaceful and legitimate activities in the defence of human rights, particularly his attempts to improve working conditions in Cambodia, and is concerned that this may be an illegitimate attempt to intimidate the trade union leader and Tai Yang Enterprises employees into desisting from any further protest actions.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Cambodia to:

Immediately cease the judicial harassment of human rights defender Rong Chhun, as Front Line Defenders believes that it is solely motivated by his human rights work, namely the leadership that he gives to workers demanding the realisation of their labour rights;

Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Cambodia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.