Cambodia Confirms Location for Multilateral Peacekeeping Exercises

2009-04-08
Xinhua

Kompong Speu province will be the main location for Cambodia to host multilateral peacekeeping exercises in March 2010, national media said on Wednesday.

"The three weeks of exercises will see 2,000 troops from 13 countries participate," Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News quoted Prak Sokhon, secretary of state for the Council Ministers, as telling a press conference at the Institute for Peacekeeping Forces, Mine and ERW (Explosive Remnant of War) Clearance in the province.
Meanwhile, the paper quoted the secretary of state as saying that the event will be conducted in the framework of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI).

GPOI once held such exercises in Bangladesh in 2008, Mongolia in 2007 and Indonesia in 2009, he added.

In early March, Pol Saroeurn, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), told reporters that Cambodia will host a large-scale ASEAN-U.S. military exercise in 2010.

The event will provide training such as "field tactical and command post operations," but the formal planning and preparation for the exercise will not begin until late this year, he added.

According to official files, 40 Cambodian soldiers participated in a three-week multi-national peace-keeping exercise in Bangladesh in April 2008.

In July 2007, 43 Cambodian soldiers took part in a military exercise for UN peacekeeping mission in Mongolia.

Read more!

Cambodia Confirms Location for Multilateral Peacekeeping Exercises

2009-04-08
Xinhua

Kompong Speu province will be the main location for Cambodia to host multilateral peacekeeping exercises in March 2010, national media said on Wednesday.

"The three weeks of exercises will see 2,000 troops from 13 countries participate," Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News quoted Prak Sokhon, secretary of state for the Council Ministers, as telling a press conference at the Institute for Peacekeeping Forces, Mine and ERW (Explosive Remnant of War) Clearance in the province.
Meanwhile, the paper quoted the secretary of state as saying that the event will be conducted in the framework of the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI).

GPOI once held such exercises in Bangladesh in 2008, Mongolia in 2007 and Indonesia in 2009, he added.

In early March, Pol Saroeurn, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), told reporters that Cambodia will host a large-scale ASEAN-U.S. military exercise in 2010.

The event will provide training such as "field tactical and command post operations," but the formal planning and preparation for the exercise will not begin until late this year, he added.

According to official files, 40 Cambodian soldiers participated in a three-week multi-national peace-keeping exercise in Bangladesh in April 2008.

In July 2007, 43 Cambodian soldiers took part in a military exercise for UN peacekeeping mission in Mongolia.

Read more!

Thai, Cambodian leaders to meet after new battles

April 8, 2009
ABC Radio Australia

Cambodian and Thai negotiators have wrapped up two days of talks aimed at resolving a border dispute which last week flared into deadly gunbattles. They say they have made progress but there appears to be little substantive agreement between the two sides.

Three Thai troops were killed following clashes on Friday over disputed land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple - the deadliest fighting for six months. The World Court gave ownership of the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but tensions flared last July when it was awarded UN World Heritage status.

The latest skirmish comes just days before the countries' leaders meet face to face at the ASEAN summit in Thailand.

Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speaker: Professor David Chandler, research fellow in Cambodian history, Monash Asia Institute

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

McCARTHY: Professor Chandler, is it any surprise to you that this dispute has flared into violence once again?

CHANDLER: Oh not really, because there are a lot of trigger happy soldiers on both sides who feel that they are protecting their national heritage. The Thais feel this temple really belongs to them and the Cambodians think the temple belongs to them and they are not being restrained by their governments to any great extent, I don't think. And also as Ms Percy was saying earlier, that Thailand is a period of considerable instability at the moment. That means that probably people are not paying as much attention to this as they should at the central level.

McCARTHY: Well, these latest talks of course are part of the process that was started after last October's clashes, to try and demarcate the border once and for all, but is there the political will on both sides to resolve this issue?

CHANDLER: It doesn't seem like it, I mean it seems to me if you have political will on both sides, you could resolve it quite quickly. It's not that crucial an issue. But of course matters of national pride are very hard to pin, to keep under control, and this is a matter of national pride on both sides.

McCARTHY: There are key issues that remain unresolved here. Even the official spelling of the temple's name is in dispute. In your view, what are the major obstacles to an agreement?

CHANDLER: Well, I think the major obstacles are the fact that the Thais really don't accept the 1962 ruling that put the temple in Cambodian hands and if the temple is in Cambodian hands, then this World Heritage site thing is another sort of slap in the face for the Thais, who feel that this temple and this whole area belongs to them and would be a prosperous tourist site. I have visited the temple myself, it is very beautiful and there is a tension there between the two countries. I don't see that this is really very soluble, frankly.

McCARTHY: Well, this latest skirmish comes just days before the countries' two leaders are due to meet face-to-face at the ASEAN summit in Thailand. In the longer term, what's it going to mean for the relationship between the two countries?

CHANDLER: I have a feeling the two leaders might be able to iron something out, because they don't want to have this thing go on forever, either of them. Both of them are quite sensible in many ways on issues like this. So it is not in their interest for this thing to drag on, but again I am not sure whose going to have to blink first, if you like. I don't think they are going to go to the meeting blaming each other, but let's just see what happens.

Read more!

Thai, Cambodian leaders to meet after new battles

April 8, 2009
ABC Radio Australia

Cambodian and Thai negotiators have wrapped up two days of talks aimed at resolving a border dispute which last week flared into deadly gunbattles. They say they have made progress but there appears to be little substantive agreement between the two sides.

Three Thai troops were killed following clashes on Friday over disputed land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple - the deadliest fighting for six months. The World Court gave ownership of the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but tensions flared last July when it was awarded UN World Heritage status.

The latest skirmish comes just days before the countries' leaders meet face to face at the ASEAN summit in Thailand.

Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speaker: Professor David Chandler, research fellow in Cambodian history, Monash Asia Institute

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

McCARTHY: Professor Chandler, is it any surprise to you that this dispute has flared into violence once again?

CHANDLER: Oh not really, because there are a lot of trigger happy soldiers on both sides who feel that they are protecting their national heritage. The Thais feel this temple really belongs to them and the Cambodians think the temple belongs to them and they are not being restrained by their governments to any great extent, I don't think. And also as Ms Percy was saying earlier, that Thailand is a period of considerable instability at the moment. That means that probably people are not paying as much attention to this as they should at the central level.

McCARTHY: Well, these latest talks of course are part of the process that was started after last October's clashes, to try and demarcate the border once and for all, but is there the political will on both sides to resolve this issue?

CHANDLER: It doesn't seem like it, I mean it seems to me if you have political will on both sides, you could resolve it quite quickly. It's not that crucial an issue. But of course matters of national pride are very hard to pin, to keep under control, and this is a matter of national pride on both sides.

McCARTHY: There are key issues that remain unresolved here. Even the official spelling of the temple's name is in dispute. In your view, what are the major obstacles to an agreement?

CHANDLER: Well, I think the major obstacles are the fact that the Thais really don't accept the 1962 ruling that put the temple in Cambodian hands and if the temple is in Cambodian hands, then this World Heritage site thing is another sort of slap in the face for the Thais, who feel that this temple and this whole area belongs to them and would be a prosperous tourist site. I have visited the temple myself, it is very beautiful and there is a tension there between the two countries. I don't see that this is really very soluble, frankly.

McCARTHY: Well, this latest skirmish comes just days before the countries' two leaders are due to meet face-to-face at the ASEAN summit in Thailand. In the longer term, what's it going to mean for the relationship between the two countries?

CHANDLER: I have a feeling the two leaders might be able to iron something out, because they don't want to have this thing go on forever, either of them. Both of them are quite sensible in many ways on issues like this. So it is not in their interest for this thing to drag on, but again I am not sure whose going to have to blink first, if you like. I don't think they are going to go to the meeting blaming each other, but let's just see what happens.

Read more!

Fire destroy 5 garment factory buildings in Phnom Penh

(Photo: Deum Ampil news)

PHNOM PENH, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A fire here Tuesday night destroyed at least half of one of the largest garment factories in Cambodia, national media on Wednesday quoted fire department and factory officials as saying.
By 08:30 pm (GMT 1330) on Tuesday, the fire had demolished five of nine buildings at the Suntex factory complex, said Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.

"We used all the fire trucks in Phnom Penh," Sok Vannara, first deputy fire chief of the municipal fire brigade, was quoted as saying.

The fire began in a product warehouse at the complex sometime after 05:00 pm and soon spread to the factory itself, he added.

The reason of the fire and the amount of loss were unclear yet.

Ocean Sky, a Singaporean firm, owns Suntex and the nearby Bright Sky factory. The two factories respectively have 5,000 and 4,000 workers.

Read more!

Fire destroy 5 garment factory buildings in Phnom Penh

(Photo: Deum Ampil news)

PHNOM PENH, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A fire here Tuesday night destroyed at least half of one of the largest garment factories in Cambodia, national media on Wednesday quoted fire department and factory officials as saying.
By 08:30 pm (GMT 1330) on Tuesday, the fire had demolished five of nine buildings at the Suntex factory complex, said Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.

"We used all the fire trucks in Phnom Penh," Sok Vannara, first deputy fire chief of the municipal fire brigade, was quoted as saying.

The fire began in a product warehouse at the complex sometime after 05:00 pm and soon spread to the factory itself, he added.

The reason of the fire and the amount of loss were unclear yet.

Ocean Sky, a Singaporean firm, owns Suntex and the nearby Bright Sky factory. The two factories respectively have 5,000 and 4,000 workers.

Read more!

Phsar Krom market to be rebuilt … only because it is an order from Hun Sen

257 Cambodian homes and market stalls were burnt down to the ground from indiscriminate Thai rocket shelling (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A report indicates that Prime minister Hun Sen has ordered the reconstruction of the market stalls located near the staircase leading to Preah Vihear temple that were destroyed by fire during the 03 April clash between Cambodian and Siam soldiers. According toTuesday’s edition of The Cambodia Daily, Suos Yara, the under-secretary of state of the Council of Ministers, led a government delegation to visit the stalls and the villagers’ homes that were burnt down, and also to evaluate the damage resulting from the fight. Suos Yara said: “The order from Samdach prime minister Hun Sen is that it is necessary that this market be rebuilt.” He added: “Samdach’s goal is that, between the heritage and life, he would choose life before the heritage. Therefore, protecting the interest of the people is a sure necessity.”

Hang Soth, the secretary of the Preah Vihear National Authority, indicated that the fire destroyed about 257 stalls in the market. The market was developed at the foothill of Preah Vihear temple during the past 10 years. Preab Tan, the Preah Vihear provincial governor, said that the new market will be rebuilt with wood, and the stalls will be styled according to traditional Cambodian architecture with tile roof. Keo Neang, one of the market stall owners whose stall was destroyed by fire, said that she now has some hope left after hearing this announcement.

Read more!

Phsar Krom market to be rebuilt … only because it is an order from Hun Sen

257 Cambodian homes and market stalls were burnt down to the ground from indiscriminate Thai rocket shelling (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A report indicates that Prime minister Hun Sen has ordered the reconstruction of the market stalls located near the staircase leading to Preah Vihear temple that were destroyed by fire during the 03 April clash between Cambodian and Siam soldiers. According toTuesday’s edition of The Cambodia Daily, Suos Yara, the under-secretary of state of the Council of Ministers, led a government delegation to visit the stalls and the villagers’ homes that were burnt down, and also to evaluate the damage resulting from the fight. Suos Yara said: “The order from Samdach prime minister Hun Sen is that it is necessary that this market be rebuilt.” He added: “Samdach’s goal is that, between the heritage and life, he would choose life before the heritage. Therefore, protecting the interest of the people is a sure necessity.”

Hang Soth, the secretary of the Preah Vihear National Authority, indicated that the fire destroyed about 257 stalls in the market. The market was developed at the foothill of Preah Vihear temple during the past 10 years. Preab Tan, the Preah Vihear provincial governor, said that the new market will be rebuilt with wood, and the stalls will be styled according to traditional Cambodian architecture with tile roof. Keo Neang, one of the market stall owners whose stall was destroyed by fire, said that she now has some hope left after hearing this announcement.

Read more!

For a more attractive city: No more clotheslines

Street scene in Phnom Penh (Photo: Alain Ney, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

07 April 2009
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, launched an appeal to residents of the capital to not disfigure the sidewalks and building façades by drying clothes and other clotheslines. Legal measures will be taken later.
In a communiqué addressed to the public on Monday 06 April, Kep Chuktema explained that hanging clothes to dry along sidewalks and house balconies must end. City residents living along major streets are mainly targeted by this communiqué.

According to Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh is a political, economic, touristic and diplomatic center. The city received various awards, such as the one given out by London to city leaders, by Melbourne for the environmental policy, and the city also received the honor to participate in an expo in China titled: “Phnom Penh, a comfortable city in Cambodia.”

According to Kep chuktema, “the Phnom Penh municipality will take legal measures against residents who do not obey this order.”

However, this habit is well ingrained among numerous residents. The lack of education, as well as the poverty suffered by numerous families, will probably hamper this desire to embellish the city.

Read more!

For a more attractive city: No more clotheslines

Street scene in Phnom Penh (Photo: Alain Ney, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

07 April 2009
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, launched an appeal to residents of the capital to not disfigure the sidewalks and building façades by drying clothes and other clotheslines. Legal measures will be taken later.
In a communiqué addressed to the public on Monday 06 April, Kep Chuktema explained that hanging clothes to dry along sidewalks and house balconies must end. City residents living along major streets are mainly targeted by this communiqué.

According to Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh is a political, economic, touristic and diplomatic center. The city received various awards, such as the one given out by London to city leaders, by Melbourne for the environmental policy, and the city also received the honor to participate in an expo in China titled: “Phnom Penh, a comfortable city in Cambodia.”

According to Kep chuktema, “the Phnom Penh municipality will take legal measures against residents who do not obey this order.”

However, this habit is well ingrained among numerous residents. The lack of education, as well as the poverty suffered by numerous families, will probably hamper this desire to embellish the city.

Read more!