India's biggest annual technology festival launched in Mumbai

MUMBAI, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Techfest 2009, the biggest annual international science and technology festival of India was launched Saturday in Mumbai.

The Techfest 2009, with over 45,000 university students and 1,500 corporate executives from all over India and abroad being part of it, is organized by India Institute of Technology Mumbai(IIT-B),which is located in Powai, suburb of Mumbai.

During the three-day event, a wide range of events including robot competitions, workshops, lectures and exhibitions will be held in the campus of IIT B.

Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Saturday showcased some of its achievements, including newly designed submachine gun, unmanned vechil, carbon steel platform and tank carrier.

Robot competition catches most eyes, with 42 teams from all over India to compete in seven categories of Awards.

A competition for legged robots for the first time named the "arthrobot" is being introduced by the organizers. The participants are expected to build a legged robot which can pass through a designated path in the least possible time.

"The concept of legged robots at institute competition level is alien. This year, we are expecting a great response from the foreign participants," said Sushil Shintre, an organizer of Techfest.

Apart from the competitions, Techfest 2009 also offered a platform for innovative ideas. "Prayaas", one of their competitions, allowed participants to present their ideas on how to use renewable sources of energy.

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Malaysia alert on U.S. peanut butter

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has been alert on all peanut butter products from the United States, putting them on stringent testing, local media reported on Saturday.

The measure called Level Five alert was placed by the Malaysian government after several salmonella-linked deaths found in the United States, local newspaper The Star said on its website.

Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that some particular batches of contaminated products had been withdrawn from the shelves.

The Malaysian Health Ministry said possibly contaminated dough, which uses peanut butter and peanut paste, has entered Malaysia from Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

The company has recalled the dough from three sales outlets here and at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the ministry said.

Liow said that the Malaysian government had raised the alert to Level Five just to ensure that the incoming batches are free of salmonella contamination.

The United States Friday said seven people had died from a nationwide outbreak of salmonella associated with tainted peanut butter and paste sourced to the PCA plant in Blakely, Georgia.

The bacterial strain as Salmonella Typhimurium was found in them, the report said.

Another 10 U.S. firms Friday reportedly also recalled products which use PCA peanut butter or paste, ranging from snack bars to crackers and pre-packaged meals and even pet food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it has no evidence to suggest the contamination originated with any other major manufacturing facility other than the PCA plant, the newspaper said.

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Earthquake hits Timor region

HONG KONG, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale occurred in Timor region at 9:52 Saturday (0152 GMT Saturday), according to a bulletin released by the Hong Kong Observatory.

The epicenter was initially determined to be 8.4 degrees south latitude and 125.1 degrees east longitude, about 620 kilometers south-southwest of Ambon, Indonesia.

There were no reports of casualties or damage so far.

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Cambodian slum dwellers [in Dey Krahorm] evicted

Police have been overseeing

The land on which Dey Krahorm stood was bought by a property developer
Housing rights workers said the eviction was unnecessarily violent

Saturday, 24 January 2009
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.

'Excessive force'

Housing rights workers criticised the way the eviction was carried out, saying it was unnecessarily violent.

"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.

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Phnom Penh street scene: Shoe-shine boys playing soccer on the street

Cambodian shoe-shine boys play soccer on the street for betting during their break in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Jan. 23, 2009. Most of Cambodian shoe-shine children in Phnom Penh are spent their day-long working at restaurants without attending schools. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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Workers at the L.A. Garment factory block road to demand for their backpay salaries

Workers of garment factory L.A Garment block a road as they demand for their salaries, in Phnom Penh January 24, 2009. The company, which has stopped production, owes workers two months of salary, according to the protesters. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Workers of garment factory L.A Garment block a road as they demand for their salaries, in Phnom Penh January 24, 2009. The company, which has stopped production, owes workers two months of salary, according to the protesters. Placard (C) reads " Government please help us, owner did not pay us, only Prime Minister Hun Sen can help us. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Workers of garment factory L.A Garment block a road as they demand for their salaries, in Phnom Penh January 24, 2009. The company, which has stopped production, owes workers two months of salary, according to the protesters. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

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Sun Sokun Mealea turning 180-degree case: Another NRP member bites the CPP dust

Sokun Mealea greeting Ranariddh at the NRP formation

One of the NRP member nominated to a government position

23 Jan 2009
By Ky Soklim
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Sokun Mealea, the NRP deputy secretary-general, was nominated as a member of the economic, social and cultural council, attached to the Council of ministers.
The nomination to a government position seems quite surprising in view Sokun Mealea’s past political engagement. Currently a member of the NRP, she is joining this new structure – the economic, social and cultural council of the Council of ministers – which was put into place on 23 January to replace the economic, social and cultural council observation committee. While still a student, she was known as being an anti-Vietnamese student member who was opposed to the CPP. However, with the current nomination, she is now close to the ruling party. Sokun Mealea earned a degree in French foreign language, Law from the Royal Administration School.

Reached over the phone, she announced that “she will start her new job next week. I joined the government because I wish to serve the country by bringing in my knowledge. I am still a NRP member. It is not an opposition party, but I keep my distance to criticize the government, in a constructive manner. In this party, we criticize to help the government moves in the right direction.”

Norodom Ranariddh left his NRP president position to Chhim Seak Leng to serve as the supreme advisor to the king. With Sokun Mealea, another important NRP party member abandons all her opposition to the CPP ruling party.

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Cambodian Women Suffer More Violence

A brutal assault on two Cambodian women highlights what the government says is an escalating pattern of violence against women.

AFP Photo

Cambodian girls smile in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Aug. 14, 2007.

PHNOM PENH—A Khmer-American man has confessed to pouring gasoline on his fiancée and her sister and burning them at their home in Cambodia’s northwestern Battambang province, authorities here say, amid what the government describes as a worsening pattern of violence against women.
Tan Nilong, 56, who lives in Auckland, California, admitted in Battambang Court on Nov. 25 that he attempted to burn 21-year-old Yan Kimhean to death because she had broken off their engagement.

Tan Sophal, chief of provincial military police, said that the evidence found at Yan’s home in the Baek Chan village of Prek Preah Sdach commune was consistent with the admission.

“This is a case of jealousy…evidence left at the scene of the crime consists of a bag, a slightly-burnt [five liter] jerry can, and a small knife,” Tan said.

The victim’s family has filed a complaint demanding U.S.$250,000 in compensation and medical treatment for both of the young women injured in the attack.

Khmer officials said the U.S. Embassy had agreed that Tan should be tried under Cambodian law because he hadn’t yet completed the U.S. naturalization process.

‘I saw the face clearly’

Tan Nilong was engaged to Yan Kimhean on June 29 but Yan broke off the engagement in November, saying she no longer trusted her fiancé, relatives said.

The victims’ mother, Pin Sarath, said in an interview that her two daughters, Yan Kimhean and Yan Chanrith, 14, were washing dishes behind their home on the evening of Nov. 22 when Tan Nilong attacked them.

“They [the daughters] asked for the engagement [with Yan Kimhean] to be ended. He said all right and then he drove a motorcycle away,” Pin said. “No one expected he would do such a thing. My daughters were washing the dishes at the back of the house. He poured gasoline on them and burnt them.”

Yan Chanrith, whose arms and legs were burned in the incident, said she had no doubt that it was Tan who had attacked them.

“I was washing the dishes with my older sister when Ta [Grandfather] Long [Tan Nilong] walked toward us and started to douse us with gasoline. I stood up and saw his face clearly—it was that Long who poured the gasoline and burnt us,” she said.

The victims were sent to Visal Sokh Hospital in Battambang and on the morning of Nov. 23 were transferred to Phnom Penh for further medical treatment. Yan Kimhean suffered serious burns over most of her body.

New report

Tan Nilong’s confession came as the Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs issued a new report Wednesday that says abuse against women and girls is escalating in Cambodia.

The Cambodian Gender Assessment Survey 2008 reported that nearly one-quarter of all females in Cambodia have suffered domestic violence, with young girls increasingly a target of sexual assault.

Increasing use of drugs and alcohol by men has increased attacks, including gang rape, against female Cambodians, the report said, calling on law enforcement agencies to redouble their efforts to combat them.

Still, Minister of Women's Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi cited some progress in combating violence against women.

The government “has taken significant steps to reduce violence against women,” she said in a statement, alluding to laws against domestic abuse and official benchmarks on violence and human trafficking.

The government released its report on the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Rape is a criminal offense and punishable by a prison sentence of between five and 10 years, according to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) law.

The nonprofit group ADHOC [the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association] said that between January and October it received 1,017 complaints regarding violence against women and children.

These included 584 concerning domestic violence, 368 concerning rape, and 65 complaints related to human trafficking.

Lim Mony, head of the ADHOC working group, said that according to the reports and complaints she has received, violence against women in Cambodia is on the rise.

“We find the major problems to include a lack of proper law enforcement, a lack of awareness [of the laws] by the Khmer people, and poverty conditions,” Lim Mony said.

Chhay Kimsor, of the Gender and Development for Cambodia project, said his group this week launched a campaign through Dec. 10 targeting four provinces—Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, Kompong Chhnang, and Prey Veng.

“We’ll have roundtable discussions on TV, radio talk shows, public meetings, and marches to distribute ribbons, leaflets, stickers, posters, and banners,” he said.

Original reporting by Sophal Mony, Ma Yarith, Um Sarin, and Keo Nimol for RFA’s Khmer service. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Written for the Web in English by Joshua Lipes. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.

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Indonesia to send another group of doctors to Gaza

JAKARTA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will send another team of doctors to help the victims of Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Jarkareta Post reported Saturday.

The aids were under the coordination of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), MER-C spokesperson Hendry Hidayatullah was quoted as saying.

"The first team entered Gaza on Jan. 17. They are now working at the Al-Shifa Hospital there. The second team will depart for Cairo on Saturday and head directly to our base at the al-Arish Hospital in the Sinai," he said.

Hendry said the team would consist of one surgeon, one internist and one neurologist.

"If the conditions in Gaza are safe, we will help rehabilitate the medical facilities damaged by Israel's military aggression with funds collected from the Indonesian people," he said.

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NATO friendly fire kills 2 civilians, wounds 4 more in S Afghanistan

KABUL, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians have been unintentionally killed with four more wounded by friendly fire of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in southern Afghan province of Helmand, said ISAF statements received here on Saturday.

A local man, who was suspected laying IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) near an ISAF base in Gereshk district, was killed by ISAF forces on Thursday, the statement said.

It added that an ISAF soldier killed the victim after he ignored two warning shot and kept digging.

"ISAF broadcasts frequent public service announcements and undertakes advertising campaigns to inform the local population of the need to follow the directions given by ISAF personnel. This is for their safety as well as for the safety of ISAF's soldiers," it added.

In another incident in Sagin district, "a local man was unintentionally killed and four others injured in an incident on Wednesday when ISAF forces came under attack from enemy fire and were forced to act in self defense," said the statement.

It noted that "at the time of the incident, ISAF forces were conducting an intelligence-led operation in the Sangin area to locate and make safe enemy facilities where significant numbers of weapons, ammunition and IED-making equipment were discovered."

However, the statement added "ISAF sincerely regrets any injuries caused to civilians. ISAF soldiers are trained to take appropriate steps to minimize civilian casualties, whilst at the same time taking action to protect themselves when threatened."

Conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have left more than 5,000 people dead with over 2,000 civilians and 294 foreign troops in the past 2008, despite some 70,000-strong international troops stationed in militancy-plagued Afghanistan.

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