Hundreds of Cambodian police deployed against robbery in Phnom Penh

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian police authorities has deployed hundreds of police troops to seek the robbers and prevent any cases of robberies, DAP News reported on its website Thursday.
The action was taken after several cases of jewelry and property robberies occurred in past few weeks in Phnom Penh and which have caused some concern among the public, it said.
"We has been deploying our police troops to prevent any cases of robbery and provided safety for people especially jewelry sellers in the city after robbery cases occurred in the past two weeks," Khmer language DAP News quoted Touch Naroth, Phnom Penh police commander, as saying.
"We are also seeking to arrest the robbers and suspected people," he added.
It added that in the past two weeks, there were six cases of gold and other jewelry robberies in the city, and two gold sellers were shot to death. Meanwhile, the robberies caused thousands of U.S. dollars losses for the sellers.
"Our authority have to provide security for people, especially during the Khmer traditional Pchum Ben festival "ancestor guardian spirit ceremony" which will last from Sept. 5 to 19," Phnom Penh governor Ke Chuptema said.
"We have sent our spies and plain clothes police to seek robbers for punishment by law and take actions against it quickly," said Ya Kim Ie, Phnom Penh military chief.

Vietnam Trade Fair opens in Cambodia

The Vietnam Trade Fair 2009 “Friendship, Cooperation and Development”, the second of its kind, opened at the Mondial National Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh on September 2.Attending the opening ceremony, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Cham Prasit described the event as a great effort on the part of the Vietnamese Government to boost trade ties between the two countries toward the goal of raising two-way trade to US$2 billion in 2010, as set by Prime Ministers Nguyen Tan Dung and Hun Sen.Deputy PM Cham Prasit said that through trade fairs, trade turnover between the two countries has consistently increased in recent years from US$935 million in 2006 to almost US$1.7 billion in 2008 and is expected to be higher this year.He took this occasion to call on businesses from both countries to accelerate trade and investment for the benefit of the two peoples and nations.As many as 125 Vietnamese businesses are displaying their wares, including industrial products, commodities, foodstuff, cosmetics and garments.During fair, seminars on business and investment opportunities between enterprises of the two countries will also be held.
The fair will run through September 6. (VNA)

The Cars Thieves Love Most

Just because your Honda is a clunker doesn't mean it's safe to leave it unlocked while you make a coffee run.
Approximately 1 million vehicles are stolen nationwide every year, but the 1994 Honda Accord is the most stolen car, according to an Aug. 24 report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Last year, more than 55,000 Accords were stolen in the U.S. Needless to say, the thieves aren't after style, just substance.
Older vehicles like the 15-year-old Accord are pinched so often because their lack of theft-deterrent technology makes them easy to access and their parts--headlights, tires, catalytic converters and anything containing copper--are valuable on the black market. It also comes down to pure numbers, says Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau: "Hondas and Toyotas, they sell millions of these things, so there are more targets, obviously."
Most neighborhood hooligans wouldn't know how to steal a Lamborghini, but when it comes to more mundane rides they are equal-opportunity snatchers, Scafidi says. The vehicles most likely to get nabbed range from the tiny Honda Civic, ranked second on our list, to the fifth-ranked Dodge Ram pickup. Even minivans aren't immune--the 2000 Dodge Caravan is a hot target as well.
Behind the Numbers
To find out which cars are the most likely to be stolen, we consulted data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit group in Des Plaines, Ill., devoted to preventing insurance fraud and vehicle theft. Its Hot Wheels 2009 study determined the vehicle make, model and year for every car reported stolen to the National Crime Information Center, a division of the FBI.
The results are a preliminary quantity--the NCIC will release the final crime report later this month--but 2008 is on track to become the fifth consecutive year of declining auto thefts in the U.S. If the figures hold, total thefts will be less than 1 million vehicles--the lowest annual total in at least 20 years.
That's good news in a tough economy, because crime is expensive. According to FBI data, between $7 billion and $8 billion is lost every year due to auto theft. In 2007, the most recent year with complete data, authorities recovered only 58% of stolen vehicles. Read more.................

Court Landbasted For Droping Acid Attack Case

The victim of a 2008 acid attack victim jointed local human rights groups on Wednesday in decrying a court decision to drop charges against a former military police woman and her subordinates.Ya Soknim, 39, told reporters at Licadho’s office Wednesday she suffered for injustice, and worried for her safety and revenge after they were freed from charges.“For people without money, it is not necessary to complain,” she said. The court “sees the poor and vulnerable people and lets them live in misfortune.”Ya Soknim was assaulted in May 2008, after her niece, In Soklyda, a former beauty queen, had an allegedly forced love affair with Chea Ratha, a former military police deputy chief of staff.Chea Ratha was not available for comment.In Soklyda told reporters Wednesday she would have “remorse my whole life,” seeing the scars of her aunt’s acid attack. She claims Chea Ratha “told me she loved me and forced me to live with her for more than two years…after I refused to love her.”“When I open my eyes, I see my aunt’s scar from the acid attack,” she said.“How can I live, if the court has no trial, dropped the charge and there’s no justice because of no evidence?” she said. “In fact we have evidence. My family cannot live in this country if the offenders go free.”Naly Pilorge, director of the rights group Licadho, called the court’s decision “yet another blatant display of Cambodia’s rampant impunity and culture of brutal violence.”“What is so shocking in the case is the judges’ apparent total disregard of the evidence against Chea Ratha and her alleged accomplices,” she said. “Court rulings like this only ensure that acid attacks will continue, because the perpetrators are not brought to justice.”Ou Virak, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the court had shown a lack of independence in prosecuting high-ranking officials.“As long as the courts operate at the direction of the Cambodian government, rule of law will remain an empty slogan at donor conferences,” he said.

Source: VOA

Politics, confusion stall temple solution

The dispute with Cambodia over Preah Vihear Temple will not end easily since political forces in Thailand are keen only on presenting more problems, rather than pushing for a constructive solution.

The unnecessary conflict with Cambodia broke out more than 13 months ago when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the Democrat Party, then in opposition, forced the Thai government to object to Cambodia's proposal to list the 11th century Khmer sanctuary as a world heritage site.
Since the Thai attempt to block the World Heritage Committee's decision to grant the status failed, the fight should now be over. Two border skirmishes in October last year and April this year, which claimed seven soldiers on both sides and injured many others, should have been a high enough price for Thai jealousy.
People in the border province of Si Sa Ket were supposed to have resumed their businesses, earning income from the attractive world heritage listed site. Closure of the tourism site for more than a year is not good for anybody.
Thousands of troops from both sides, deployed to the disputed area adjacent to the Hindu temple more than a year ago, should have a chance to relax and rejoin their families. There's no point in having troops confront each other, since the two countries have no real intention of waging a war.
Thai and Cambodian commanders have no desire for conflict. They have talked several times and agreed again and again to solve the problem peacefully.
In the latest development, the Cambodian army has cut 50 per cent of its troops at the disputed area and withdrawn to their barracks in the southwest Kampot province - the outcome of a meeting last week between Thai Supreme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabatra and his Cambodian counterpart, General Pol Saroeun. Nevertheless, a significant number of troops remain and the Preah Vihear stays closed.
Foreign ministries from the two countries have made it clear they should sit together for talks and end the conflict diplomatically. They began their work late last year when the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) met in November in Siem Reap, the first ever after the Preah Vihear new riff. The JBC met twice this year in February and April to lay out plans for boundary demarcation and provisional arrangements.
However, further discussion could not be pursued since the Thai Constitution's article 190 requires the Foreign Ministry to bring minutes of the three meetings back for Parliament's consideration.
It is widely misunderstood among some academics and senators that the JBC has set the provisional arrangements, causing a loss of Thai sovereignty over the disputed area of 4.6 square kilometres. Some senators threatened to reject the committee reports during a session on Wednesday, blocking further talk of the JBC.
In fact, what the JBC has done regarding the provisional arrangement for the disputed area has been to reach an agreement to name security units there as 'temporary military monitoring'. The real arrangement has yet to be done.
The provisional arrangement is needed for both sides to jointly run the disputed area as long as the demarcation remains unfinished. It includes a plan for troop redeployment in the disputed area.
It remained unclear whether it is purely the PAD-backed senators' misunderstanding or political motivation driving their objection to the JBC report.
The opposition Pheu Thai Party, supposedly experts on the matter since their experience in government last year, managed to delay the Parliament session on Monday, cornering Defence Minister Pravit Wongsuwan over Cambodia's road construction in the disputed area.
They know very well that the road problem can be solved only through the JBC, but intend to delay JBC talks by derailing the Parliament session to discredit and gain revenge on the Democrat-led government.
As Parliament has opened a session for Preah Vihear debate again today, all politicians should not delay it again but encourage the JBC to work to bring peace into the border area.

Source: The Nation

Japan dolls debut in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH (Kyodo) Japanese dolls were introduced for the first time to Cambodia on Tuesday as part of activities to mark Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009.

At the launch of the Japanese Dolls Exhibition in Phnom Penh, Kazuo Chujo, a councilor at the Japanese Embassy, said he hopes many Cambodians view the traditional, beautiful Japanese dolls that will be exhibited until Sept. 21.

"Traditional appreciation for dolls has resulted in a belief that dolls are not only children's toys but also works of art to be displayed and admired," he said.

He said Japan enjoys a rich culture of dolls, each with its own distinct meaning and purpose deeply connected to daily life.

According to Chujo, Japanese dolls are characterized by serene and delicate facial expressions and beautiful colors that show the richness of ancient costumes and pageantry.

The exhibition features about 70 dolls depicting Japanese traditions such as the Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) and noh and kabuki dramas.

Yan Ny, director of Santhormuk Primary School, one of the largest schools in Phnom Penh, said at the exhibition he was impressed by the Japanese dolls as they are completely different from Cambodian ones in terms of character and style.

For Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009, various cultural events, including academic forums and youth programs, are being held in Japan and Mekong-region countries Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.

Source: The Japan Times

KRouge's prison head has no mental problems, say experts

PHNOM PENH: Mental health experts told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court on Monday that the Khmer Rouge's main prison chief has no mental disorders despite having overseen the killing of thousands of people.

French psychologist Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud and Cambodian psychiatrist Kar Sunbaunat were testifying at the trial of Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of some 15,000 people at Tuol Sleng prison.

"Is Duch suffering from a mental disorder? No, we have detected no mental disorder in the accused," Sironi-Guilbaud told the tribunal.

The expert went on to say that Duch, who worked as a maths teacher before the late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, lived with disappointment but lacked sympathy for others.

"Duch (was) a man with one single idea, with one single thought at that time," she said.

Kar Sunbaunat added that the assessment, which stretched back to Duch's childhood and family life, revealed no signs that Duch had suffered from psychological problems.

Monday's hearing was boycotted by 28 of the 93 civil parties in the case, who are angry with judges after a ruling last week banning them from questioning Duch about his personality.

Chum Mey, 79, a survivor of Tuol Sleng prison, said the group would no longer attend the trial unless they were granted the right to ask the defendant questions.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, has repeatedly accepted responsibility for his role governing the jail under the regime and begged for forgiveness from the families of the victims.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.


Source: AFP

PHNOM PENH: Mental health experts told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court on Monday that the Khmer Rouge's main prison chief has no mental disorders despite having overseen the killing of thousands of people.

French psychologist Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud and Cambodian psychiatrist Kar Sunbaunat were testifying at the trial of Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of some 15,000 people at Tuol Sleng prison.

"Is Duch suffering from a mental disorder? No, we have detected no mental disorder in the accused," Sironi-Guilbaud told the tribunal.

The expert went on to say that Duch, who worked as a maths teacher before the late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, lived with disappointment but lacked sympathy for others.

"Duch (was) a man with one single idea, with one single thought at that time," she said.

Kar Sunbaunat added that the assessment, which stretched back to Duch's childhood and family life, revealed no signs that Duch had suffered from psychological problems.

Monday's hearing was boycotted by 28 of the 93 civil parties in the case, who are angry with judges after a ruling last week banning them from questioning Duch about his personality.

Chum Mey, 79, a survivor of Tuol Sleng prison, said the group would no longer attend the trial unless they were granted the right to ask the defendant questions.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, has repeatedly accepted responsibility for his role governing the jail under the regime and begged for forgiveness from the families of the victims.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.


Source - AFP

Khmer Rouge victims boycott tribunal in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Lawyers representing victims of Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime boycotted a tribunal trying its leaders after being barred Monday from questioning a defendant about his personality and state of mind.
The move by the victims' attorneys — who were granted courtroom rights similar to those held by the defense and prosecution — came after judges overseeing the U.N.-assisted tribunal said they could not question former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav about his character.
Kaing Guek Eav — better known as Duch — headed the Khmer Rouge's notorious S-21 prison, where up to 16,000 people were tortured and later taken away to be killed. Duch is charged with crimes against humanity and other offenses.
The tribunal is seeking justice for the estimated 1.7 million people who died in Cambodia from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition as a result of the communist regime's radical policies while in power from 1975-79.
In court Monday, French psychologist Francoise Sironi-Guilbaud testified that Duch was not suffering any mental problems.
Victims' lawyers were later barred from questioning Duch about his mental health. It was unclear why the judges made the decision.
Chhum Mey, one of a handful of survivors of S-21 prison, said he was disappointed with the ban.
"As long as the tribunal is not allowing me or my lawyer to have the right to ask Duch about his personality and character, I will not attend the court," the 79-year-old told reporters, crying as he spoke. "Can we get full justice from this court?"
The tribunal is the first of its kind to integrate victims into legal proceedings. While introducing a human element, the inclusion of the "civil parties" has also complicated and slowed the trial.
Duch (pronounced DOIK), 66, is the first of five senior Khmer Rouge figures to face trial, and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. Duch faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Cambodia has no death penalty.
Also Monday, Australian William Smith was appointed acting international co-prosecutor of the tribunal. His appointment was an interim measure pending a decision on a permanent replacement for international prosecutor Robert Petit, whose resignation takes effect Tuesday. Smith had been a deputy co-prosecutor.
Petit announced his resignation in June, citing family reasons.

Source: AP

Khmer Rouge victims boycott tribunal in Cambodia

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 -- Three Americans accused of traveling to Cambodia to have sex with children are expected to be charged in federal court here, officials said Monday, marking the first prosecutions under a new international initiative intended to combat child-sex tourism.
The initiative, Operation Twisted Traveler, targets Americans who exploit children for sex in Cambodia, which experts describe as a top destination for child predators. U.S. and Cambodian authorities, as well as nongovernmental organizations, were involved in the effort.
"This level of cooperation is unprecedented," said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which coordinated the initiative with the Justice Department.
Before arriving in Los Angeles on Monday, the suspects -- Ronald Boyajian, 49, Erik Peeters, 41, and Jack Sporich, 75 -- were arrested by Cambodian authorities on charges related to child sexual exploitation. They are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court Tuesday afternoon.
The three men are current or former California residents, and all are registered sex offenders, authorities said. An attorney for Boyajian did not respond to a call to comment. The other two men do not yet have attorneys.
Child-sex tourism -- whereby minors are sold for sex through brothels or solicited off the street -- has long been part of the landscape in Cambodia. Like most countries where the crime occurs, such as Thailand and Mexico, Cambodia is a poor nation, with a $600 annual per capita income, according to the World Bank. In desperation to pay for food or health care, some families sell their children to foreign pedophiles or sex houses.
It is difficult to know how pervasive child-sex tourism is in Cambodia, or in any other country, because of the illicit nature of the crime. Undercover investigators, working with human rights activists, continue to find many brothel owners and traffickers selling minors for sex in Cambodia.
There are increasing reports of men traveling there to have sex with underage girls for as much as $4,000, according to the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report of 2009. The report designated the Southeast Asian country as among those that should receive special scrutiny because it has not made enough progress in eliminating the problem.
Cambodia has made some efforts. Over the past year, after enacting laws with anti-trafficking provisions, the government convicted a dozen offenders and prosecuted nearly 70. U.S. legislation, including the PROTECT Act of 2003, has also targeted trafficking. The legislation bolstered federal laws targeting predatory crimes against children outside the United States by expanding the range of crimes and increasing penalties.
Officials say Twisted Traveler, launched in October, will help enforce existing laws. Under the initiative, the FBI and ICE trained the Cambodian National Police and local police in Phnom Penh, the nation's capital.
"Some part of what we're trying to do here is change attitudes and change acceptance of child-sex tourism as something that's always been around or can't be changed," Carol A. Rodley, the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, said in a telephone interview. "And I think that's very much true of the Cambodian police -- that their attitudes about the issue have changed in part because of the collaboration."
Authorities in both countries relied on information provided by Action Pour Les Enfants, a nonprofit group, and the International Justice Mission, a human rights agency. Their involvement, Rodley said, marked a breakthrough for Cambodia, which historically has had an uneasy relationship with such organizations because of their criticism of the government.
In a statement announcing the latest allegations, officials said Boyajian, of Menlo Park, Calif., is accused of having sex with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl. Peeters, of Norwalk, Calif., is accused of engaging in sexual activity with at least three underage Cambodian boys, paying them $5 to $10. Sporich, of Sedona, Ariz., is accused of sexually abusing at least one Cambodian boy, and of driving through city streets on his motorbike, dropping money as a way to attract children.
If convicted, the men face sentences of up to 30 years for each victim.
Officials said they hope the arrests will deter would-be sex tourists. Over the past six years, ICE has arrested more than 70 suspects nationwide on charges of child-sex tourism.
"The appeal of a place like this is that it's very far away, and pedophiles feel like they can come here and be anonymous and be outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement," Rodley said. "I hope the message that it sends is one of deterrence."

Source: The Washinton Post

Cambodia halves border troops

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA has halved the number of troops around an ancient border temple that has been the scene of bloody clashes with Thailand, the defence ministry said on Sunday.
There have been several skirmishes between the two countries on the disputed frontier around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia since the ruins were granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.
'We have pulled out 50 per cent of the troops from Preah Vihear temple,' said Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence.
'This shows that the situation at the border is really getting better, and that both countries have a mutual understanding of peace,' he added.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said Thailand had just 30 soldiers on the border, meaning that Cambodia could stand some troops down and send them back to their provincial bases.
'We still have enough troops remaining to protect our territory,' said General Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
He said if Thailand 'shows a softer manner' they could cut the numbers further. 'However, if anything happened, our troop mobility would be very swift,' he told AFP.
Thailand in June reignited the row over the temple when it asked world heritage body UNESCO to reconsider its decision to formally list the temple in Cambodia.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around the Preah Vihear temple for decades. Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance to the ancient Khmer temple with its crumbling stone staircases and elegant carvings is in northeastern Thailand.
The last gunbattle in the temple area in April left three people dead while clashes there in 2008 killed another four people. The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. -- AFP

PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE -Cambodia cuts troops at temple

Fifty per cent of soldiers withdrawn from controversial temple

Cambodia has cut back its military presence at Preah Vihear Temple - a trigger point in the past year - while Thailand's Parliament is expected to allow the two countries to move ahead with boundary demarcation in the overlapping area.
"We have pulled out 50 per cent of the troops from Preah Vihear Temple," Chhum Socheat, spokesman for Cambodia's National Defence Ministry, said yesterday.
"This shows that the situation at the border is really getting better, and that both countries have a mutual understanding of peace," he said.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the controversial Hindu temple since last year when Thailand opposed Phnom Penh's move to inscribe the Khmer sanctuary on Unesco's list of world heritage sites.
After the UN World Heritage Committee granted the coveted status in July 2008, both countries boosted their military forces in the area, with clashes following twice in October and April, leaving seven soldiers of both sides dead.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said Thailand had just 30 soldiers stationed on the border, meaning Cambodia could stand some troops down and send them back to their provincial bases.
"We still have enough troops remaining to protect our territory," said General Chea Dara, deputy commander of Cambodia's armed forces.
If Thailand "shows a softer manner" they could cut the numbers further. "However, if anything happened, our troop mobility would be very swift," he said.
The Thai government in June re-ignited the row over the temple when it asked Unesco to reconsider its decision to list the temple located in Cambodia.
However, Unesco did not take the Thai request into consideration. The foreign ministries of the two neighbours maintained peaceful means to resolve the dispute through the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC).
The JBC met last November, February and April to set a framework on boundary demarcation and provisional arrangements for the disputed area near Preah Vihear.
The results of the three meetings need approval from Parliament so further discussions on the details can be held.
Parliament is set to meet today to consider the minutes submitted by the Foreign Ministry, after the motion was postponed from last week since the Lower House was busy with the marathon debate on the budget bill.
Some senators, however, said they would reject the JBC minutes and demanded the government take a tough position to evict a Cambodian community from the contested area that they considered was under Thai sovereignty.