Saturday, November 19, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
School infrastructure issues on kids’ minds
Students at Dong Plet Primary School in Preah Vihear province. Hong Menea
Nearly 90 percent of Cambodian children interviewed in a new global survey said they would first renovate school facilities and create quality learning environments if they were given the reins of the education budget, a sharp contrast with the 56 percent of children in other developing countries who shared the same top priority.
Conducted by international aid group ChildFund Alliance, the Small Voices, Big Dreams study released yesterday surveyed more than 6,000 children aged between 10 and 12 in 41 countries – including 152 in Cambodia – on their views on education and safety in school.
The study found that 88 percent of Cambodian children would put improving school infrastructure at the top of their agenda if they were the country’s leader, almost twice the global percentage.
“[If I were the leader of Cambodia], I will fill school area with more soil to avoid flood,” said 10-year-old Sina, a survey respondent.
Cambodia in brief: November 17, 2016
‘The trash just floats away’
Along a riverbank in the capital yesterday, garbage was strewn in a thick carpet 12 metres across and 10 metres long, spilling down from the embankment’s crest and directly into the water below.
Is Trump eyeing PM critic for State?
US lawmaker Dana Rohrabacher, who once said “Hun Sen is a corrupt, vicious human being” and described the premier as one of the “leaders of the Cambodian genocide”, is being considered for the role of US secretary of state by president-elect Donald Trump, a report said yesterday.
Files allege corporate misdeeds
California federal court documents – obtained by the Post yesterday – detail serious allegations against one of America’s top-three seafood importers in the orchestration of and complicity in human trafficking, as well as human and labour rights violations perpetrated against Cambodian citizens.
Bleak prospects for cassava
Amid reports that Vietnam’s early harvest of cassava is facing downward price pressure, Cambodian farmers could be in for a rough season as local prices are largely dependent on those of the Kingdom’s more developed neighbour, a ministry official said yesterday.
Charges in celeb assault case
A relative of a wealthy timber tycoon has been charged with intentional acts of violence and placed in pre-trial detention for allegedly beating his former girlfriend, actress Pich Aviza, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court spokesperson Huot Vichet said yesterday.
Experts question praise of China’s ‘drought relief’
The Mekong River Commission, in a missive posted on their website on Monday, credited China’s “emergency water release” from its Mekong dams with successfully helping to alleviate the drought in the Mekong River Basin earlier this year, a claim disputed by experts.
With expansion, Pizza Co seeks bigger slice of market
The Pizza Company will launch another three stores by the end of this year, with a fourth slated for early 2017, as the Thai pizza restaurant chain looks to expand its presence in the provinces, a company executive said yesterday.
Rainsy’s symbolic offer
Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy on Tuesday announced that he would provide money for migrant workers in Thailand to return home to register to vote, though later qualified the “symbolic gesture” would be for 12 people.
Unofficial crossings at Thai border reopened
Cambodian and Thai authorities have agreed to reopen several unofficial border crossings in Banteay Meanchey province, two weeks after announcing they would close the checkpoints to stop smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration.
School infrastructure issues on kids’ minds
Nearly 90 percent of Cambodian children interviewed in a new global survey said they would first renovate school facilities and create quality learning environments if they were given the reins of the education budget, a sharp contrast with the 56 percent of children in other developing countries who shared the same top priority.
Land titles earn prison for tycoon
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced local tycoon Sieng Chan Heng to one year in prison for swindling Chinese investors in a land deal in Kampong Chhnang province.
Cruiseco still mulling compensation figure
The families of two men who drowned after a cruise ship collided with their Water Festival racing boat during practice earlier this week have yet to receive word on whether Australian operator Cruiseco will accept their demand of $35,000 dollars in compensation, Prek Thmei commune chief Ly Vantheng said yesterday.
Almost 3 tonnes of illegal wood seized
Military police and Forestry Administration officials have arrested a man alleged to have been transporting almost 3 tonnes of endangered rosewood in Pursat province, according to provincial prosecutor Long Cheap.
CNRP leader diversifies social media playbook
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has waded into the Twittersphere, using his first tweet to congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump on his victory, and later calling on the few Cambodians who use the site to register to vote in next year’s commune elections.
Teen found strangled to death in trash heap
A garbage collector uncovered a gruesome scene yesterday when he found the body of a strangled woman in a trash pile in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district.
Teacher accused of rape of student, 12
A Kampong Thom high-school teacher was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly raping his 12-year-old student four times last week, with the case now at the provincial court.
Four drown as Kampot tour boat sinks
Four people on board an overloaded tour boat in Kampot province died when the craft sank after running into a submerged sandbar on Monday, local authorities said.
UNICEF to fund local tech startup
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that it will sink funds into a Cambodia-based tech startup as part of an initiative that uses venture capital to develop open-source technology solutions that improve connectivity, real-time data collection, identity technology and learning.
Central bank to hold second LPCO auction
The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) announced yesterday that its second Liquidity-Providing Collateralised Operation (LPCO) will be held on November 22, with 40 billion riel ($9.89 million) to be made available to Cambodian financial institutions in need of liquidity.
Entrepreneurship to be taught in the classroom
Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron has unveiled a plan to add coursework on entrepreneurship to the school and university curricula starting in the next academic year, state news agency AKP said yesterday.
Cambodia signs MoU with China for tourism
Chinese and Cambodian officials have signed a memorandum of understanding to increase exchanges of investment and training for tourism, the Ministry of Tourism said in a press release yesterday.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Four drown as Kampot tour boat sinks
Authorities search a river for survivors after a boat accident in Kampot yesterday. Photo supplied
Four people on board an overloaded tour boat in Kampot province died when the craft sank after running into a submerged sandbar on Monday, local authorities said.
According to Kampong Bay commune police chief Lim Sambo, three women and one boy – identified as 47-year-old Chin Ny, her 9-year-old son Sang Sokheng and 72-year-old mother Khan Yiv, as well as 62-year-old Sok Sokhom – were found dead after the boat, returning from watching fireflies, sank, presumably after hitting the riverbed.
“The boat might have collided with the sand,” Sambo speculated. “It carried too many people. After [the collision], the boat started to sink little by little.”
According to Kampot provincial police chief Mao Chan Makthurith, the tour boat – designed to carry a maximum load of 50 to 60 passengers – carried 70 to 80 local tourists that day.
Twenty-four-year-old Yuos Chandarid, a relative of three of the deceased, said his father-in-law, a survivor of the accident, said there had been inadequate life vests on board.
“My father-in-law told me that he heard a bang sound, and water started entering the boat. People were running and fighting for life vests,” he said. “He looked for his wife and son but could not find them . . . he found his mother-in-law and dragged her to the lifeboat, but it was too late.”
“This is a huge loss for my family because we lost three family members. We want a proper explanation on what caused the accident,” he added.
According to Makthurith, while the driver of the boat had fled, the vessel’s owner had been arrested.
“We are very upset about the incident and the driver must face the law. We already know his identity,” he said, adding that all tourist boats will be temporarily suspended pending a provincial meeting.
Wed, 16 November 2016
Book Review – The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: Assessing their Contribution to International Criminal Law
Book Review
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: Assessing their Contribution to International Criminal Law, Simon M. Meisenberg and Ignaz Stegmiller (Eds.), T.M.C. Asser Press, 2016.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is a court that was established in 2006 within the existing court structure of the Kingdom of Cambodia to bring to trial senior leaders of Democratic Kampuchea (DK) and those who were most responsible for the crimes and serious violations of Cambodian penal law and international humanitarian law, custom, and the international conventions recognized by Cambodia, committed from 17 April 1975 to 6 January 1979.1The ECCC was established by an agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the United Nations (UN) on 6 June 2003 (UN-RGC Agreement),2 after protracted negotiations that lasted several years.
For those who may not be acquainted with what is going on at the ECCC, a few words about its proceedings and achievements to date.
How to be a “Successful” Blogger
Got a blog? Thinking of starting one? Join the club, who doesn’t.
These days it’s actually rare to meet someone who doesn’t either have a blog or plans of starting one. Whether it’s a photofeed, a vlog, a portfolio of writing, some kind of coaching, documentation of travel, or just an active social media page, everyone and their mother (literally) seems to be a blogger.
Cambodia in brief: Nov 16, 2016
Video shows workers sweeping Water Festival trash directly into Tonle Sap
Amid public criticism of fast-accumulating litter during the Water Festival, a video circulated on social media yesterday took the outcry to a new pitch, showing exactly how some cleaning crews were dealing with the problem – by sweeping the trash directly into the Tonle Sap river.
One year later, Rainsy's ‘escape’ remains divisive
A year ago today, opposition leader Sam Rainsy turned his back on a promise to return to Cambodia and face down a two-year prison sentence for defamation revealed while he was abroad.
Opposition registration drive blocked by police in Banteay Meanchey
Provincial authorities in Banteay Meanchey yesterday maintained they were right to block opposition members in Mongkol Borei district from staging events to encourage voters to register, calling the plans “anarchic” and unapproved.
Celeb’s beating sparks outrage
An outraged public yesterday called for the brother-in-law of timber tycoon Try Pheap to be prosecuted after damning pictures of his former girlfriend, actress Pich Aviza, went viral.
Four drown as Kampot tour boat sinks
Four people on board an overloaded tour boat in Kampot province died when the craft sank after running into a submerged sandbar on Monday, local authorities said.
Body of man struck by train found in Kampot
A 38-year-old man was killed yesterday in Kampot province’s Banteay Meas district after being hit by a train, according to a district police official.
Attwood moves past Heineken hangover
Sales of Thai and American-owned beer brands have helped distributor Attwood Import-Export Group deepen its penetration of Cambodia’s premium beer market and offset the loss of its Heineken distribution rights, the company’s chief executive said yesterday.
HIV rates among MSM stubbornly high: study
The HIV infection rate among the men who have sex with men (MSM) population has increased over the past six years, according to a new study, which estimates Cambodia’s total MSM population is 50 percent higher than previous counts.
Detentions dent Cambodia's internet freedom score
Freedom for Cambodia’s internet users has declined for the second year in a row, due largely to “a dramatic increase in detentions for online activity”, according to a report released on Monday.
Man ‘kills wife over chicken’ in Preah Sihanouk
A 54-year-old man was arrested in Preah Sihanouk province on Monday over allegations from his children that he killed his wife following a disagreement about slaughtering a chicken.
Monk voting stymied: orgs
Multiple election watchdog organisations including Comfrel and Nicfec yesterday expressed concern that government officials are limiting monks’ ability to vote in upcoming commune elections, despite a 2015 pledge from the National Election Committee to facilitate the process.
For Cambodian youths, TV still king: new study
Bucking the widespread perception that the youth of today only have eyes for Facebook, a new study has found that TV is still king for adolescent Cambodians.
Observer sceptical of road accident figures
The Interior Ministry’s Department of Traffic and Public Order has publicised a drastic drop in the number of road accidents and fatalities compared to last year’s Water Festival holiday period, a figure that drew scepticism from road safety experts.
Senator’s zoo relocates to Phnom Penh
The move of ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat’s “Safari World” from Koh Kong province to Phnom Penh is almost complete, the powerful politician and businessman said yesterday.
Police take slingshots to protect ‘social stability’
An elderly man was briefly arrested and detained on Monday for selling slingshots during the Water Festival celebration in the capital, an act police termed a threat to “social stability”.
CPP sees parallels with protests in America
If Prime Minister Hun Sen was not already adequately pleased with Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last week, officials from his party have this week found one more reason for him to grin: the post-election protests in America.
KPP boss seeks public debates for political leaders
Encouraged by a recent exchange with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son on Facebook, the leader of the fringe Khmer Power Party yesterday suggested Cambodia’s political leaders should stage public debates.
Travel goods makers to scout market
Representatives of 14 Chinese travel goods manufacturers will fly to Cambodia next week for a five-day scouting mission to test the Kingdom’s potential for investment, building off of the success of a roadshow in Hong Kong last month to promote the country’s new preferential trade access to the US market, industry insiders said yesterday.
SVI to lay groundwork on electronics plant
A Cambodian subsidiary of Thai electronics manufacturing services company SVI Plc has received approval from local authorities to commence construction of a factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh that will manufacture electronics equipment for export to the US and Europe, a company representative said yesterday.
Realty agency to list on Cambodian Securities Exchange
Real estate firm Century 21 Mekong, one of nearly 20 independent real estate offices operating as part of the Century 21 franchise in Cambodia, plans to float shares on the stock market to raise funds for expansion, a company executive said yesterday.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Using art to confront Khmer Rouge trauma
An all-male dance troupe perform a traditional Khmer dance at a performance theatre earlier this year. Nobuyuki Arai
In a lecture organised by the Sleuk Rith Institute yesterday, cultural anthropologist Toni Shapiro-Phim sought to offer a corrective to misconceptions about Western influence on Cambodians’ approach to art and their reactions to the trauma of the Khmer Rouge regime.
“I want to correct the misrepresentation that claims it was outsiders who first got Cambodians to talk about the Khmer Rouge,” said Shapiro-Phim, who spoke about performing arts following the fall of the regime.
Shapiro-Phim, whose work focuses on dance, recalled meeting with other academics in 1998 who told her “Cambodians don’t talk about the trauma of the Khmer Rouge years”.
But Shapiro-Phim and her Khmer sister-in-law, choreographer Sophiline Cheam-Shapiro, both claimed Cambodians were creating art that confronted those experiences immediately following the fall of the regime.
Shapiro-Phim said during the continued fighting in the 1980s, Cambodians often sent one child to be a soldier while another would go to the front lines as a dancer. During that time she also said there was a “thriving play scene”.
Shapiro-Phim told the Post she first became interested in Cambodian dance while working at an Indonesian refugee camp in 1989 where she witnessed 300 Cambodian refugees “teaching their kids to dance in horrific, inhumane circumstances”.
From there, she went to a Cambodian refugee camp on the Thai border. “When artillery shells would stop, they would return to finish the show,” she said.
Cheam-Shapiro also said it was “not true that Cambodians don’t want to talk about Khmer Rouge experiences”.
A recorded clip from Cheam-Shapiro’s piece, Life of Giants, was shown. The piece depicts a giant who is relentlessly beaten by gods, until he prays to a different god for magic powers allowing him to cripple his tormenters. In this story, Khmer Rouge survivor Cheam-Shapiro says she sees the same “cycle of abuse” she witnessed during the regime. “I saw that we all lost,” she said.
Another choreographer present, Chumvan Sodhachivy – better known as “Belle” – recalled a presentation of a dance she worked on called Hope of Tomorrow in 2009. Belle said that the foreign audience members assumed the show had been put together by French choreographers because it was sponsored by the French Cultural Centre.
Shapiro-Phim and Cheam-Shapiro both called for open exchange with outside influences – with some caveats. “Exchange of knowledge and experience . . . must be based on respect and care,” Cheam-Shapiro said.
“All I want to say is that . . . I think their work would be better if they acknowledged the 20 to 30 years of art that was here before them,” Shapiro-Phim said.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Angkor a no-fly zone
Angkor Wat is officially off-limits for drone enthusiasts.
The Apsara Authority, which manages the temple complex, announced the ban on the remote-controlled aircraft in a post on its website on Monday. The decision comes more than a year and a half after Phnom Penh authorities initiated a similar ban in the capital.
“To ensure the safety of local and foreign tourists, to prevent any harm to our temple, and to maintain public order, the Apsara Authority prohibits the use of any type of drone to photograph the temple,” reads the announcement.
According to Apsara Authority spokesman Chau Sun Kerya, drones had been used to photograph unsightly areas of the ancient temple, portraying the country’s prime attraction in a bad light. “We are [also] afraid of it falling on visitors’ heads,” she added.
The move was welcomed by Pok Samnang, operation manager of the Cambodia Tourist Guide Association.
“We mostly don’t see any tourists using drones. Those who do use them are archeologists,” he said. “This is an extraordinary, old temple, so people should never use modern technology in this ancient site.”
Cambodia in brief: November 9, 2016 -- Independent Day
Judge rejects Rainsy’s claim that Hun Sen bought Facebook 'likes'
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday found Cambodian National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy guilty of defamation for claiming Prime Minister Hun Sen and his social media team artificially bolstered the premier’s “likes” on Facebook.
From government lips to Fresh News’s readers
It's hard to avoid Fresh News these days. From last year’s major breaking news about the arrest warrant for opposition leader Sam Rainsy to its daily exclusives on new government orders, the site has for all intents and purposes evolved into the state’s unofficial news agency over the past two years.
Six decades later, RCAF playing a familiar tune
Marking the 63rd anniversary of Cambodia’s armed forces, Defence Minister Tea Banh yesterday called on troops to protect the country from “colour revolutions” and “social turmoil”, a by-now familiar refrain that may say as much about Cambodia’s military history as its political present.
Sliding scale to soften tax blow
The government is planning a series of tax reforms, including the first-ever progressive tax, which aims at reducing the burden and increasing the compliance of small- and medium-sized enterprises that recently entered the real tax regime, according to an unpublished draft obtained by the Post.
Minister makes his case to White Building residents
Land Management Minister Chea Sophara extended an seemingly generous offer to residents of the White Building yesterday, though residents remained wary of a proposal to develop the dilapidated architectural icon.
Unions, advocates call for Union Law revisions
Trade unions and rights groups yesterday called on the government to amend or clarify sections of the recently passed Union Law, citing increasing bureaucratic hurdles to register new factory-level affiliates.
Samsung’s local recall reaches endgame
Samsung's local authorised distributor is pushing through with a full recall of Galaxy Note 7 phones in Cambodia following continued reports of exploding batteries in the devices, including some replaced during the company’s first global recall.
Dentist groups urge government to rescind new directive
Leaders of dental organisations in Cambodia this week made a plea for the Ministry of Health to reconsider a controversial decision to allow dental nurses to open their own oral health clinics. But officials were tight-lipped as to whether the ministry will rethink the recently established prakas yesterday.
Government needs $620M to cope with climate: org
Cambodian ministries are currently facing a $620 million funding shortfall if they are to implement their climate change adaption action plans by 2018, according to figures announced by NGO Forum at a press conference yesterday.
Imprisoned lawmaker casts vote for Clinton
Opposition official and dual US-Cambodian citizen Meach Sovannara has cast his vote for Hillary Clinton in the US election from his Prey Sar prison cell, according to posts on Sovannara’s Facebook page and multiple sources close to the matter.
Only one of expected three refugees arrives
Only one of an expected three refugees based on Australia’s offshore detention centre on the island of Nauru arrived in Cambodia on Sunday, officials confirmed yesterday in the wake of conflicting reports.
Convicted rapist still walking free: family
A preah Sihanouk police official who was convicted of having intercourse with a minor in 2010 has yet to be arrested despite the five-year sentence being upheld by the Supreme Court in late October.
‘Study sessions’ recalled
Taking the stand at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday, civil party Sar Sarin gave an inside look at the regime’s infamous “study sessions”, where cadres learned the regime’s ideology.
Miniseries to examine forced marriage, Khmer Rouge tribunal
A new miniseries on the subject of forced marriage at the Khmer Rouge tribunal is set to air in December, with the producer hoping the show will help increase general awareness of the proceedings at the court.
Signs of stress Woman says CPP signage blocks home
A woman in Svay Rieng province says she has had little luck getting local authorities to move a CPP billboard, installed by a local party member, from the entrance of her home.
Ammonia leak causes faintings
At least seven people – three bystanders and four firemen – fainted on Monday due to an ammonia leak in an ice factory in Meanchey district, leading authorities to arrest the factory owner and evacuate workers, law enforcement said.
Third bank appointed to collect tax payments
Vatanac Bank has become the third financial institution authorised to facilitate payments owed to the General Department of Taxation (GDT) and General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) after it signed a memorandum of understanding with Ministry of Economy and Finance, state-owned AKP reported yesterday.
A tighter race to deliver money
When Srey Ka enlisted as a Wing agent in 2013, business was brisk, with several hundred customers visiting her small stall near Kabko Market each day to transfer money to their relatives in the provinces. Back then, Wing was the only game in town. But in the last two years, at least five rival agent-based money transfer networks have entered the arena, some offering lower fees than Wing, and all competing for the same customers.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Devolution reforms struggle to bridge ethnic divides in highlands
090506_05.jpg
Indigenous minority representatives say they have seen little benefit from administrative reforms.
Photo by: CHRISTOPHER SHAY
An ethnic Phnong boy in Mondulkiri province's Sen Monorom district.
R'KIRI VILLAGERS FLEE TO JUNGLE, FEARING LAND ARRESTS
Rights workers have expressed concerns over the living conditions of about 100 ethnic Tumpuon in Ratanakkiri province's Lumphat district, who have fled their villages in fear of arrest in connection with a local land dispute. Pen Bonna, provincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, said the provincial court issued an arrest warrant in April for eight villagers accused of "grabbing" rubber plantation land belonging to the local DM Group. The villagers had planted crops on land allegedly belonging to the company. "About 100 men in the village have fled their families to hide in the jungle out of fear, and the women are living in the village alone without working," he said. "It is a serious abuse of their rights, and we are investigating the issue in order to find which men fled their homes." Pen Bonna said the dispute - over 200 hectares of community forests and 100 hectares of farmland - dated from 2005, when local authorities tried to convince people in Tatang and Oul villages to sell their land for a rubber plantation. Villagers, however, claim they never approved the sale. Provincial police Chief Rir Ray declined comment on the issue Tuesday, saying he was in hospital.
VONG SOKHENG
VONG SOKHENG
WITH Cambodia's 11,353 commune councillors set to elect a new series of sub-national councils, local communities may soon get a greater say over local development and the direction of government resources.
Ministers review ethnic minority land rights, development
In a plenary meeting, the Council of Ministers also pushes for use of the term 'indigenous minority' rather than 'ethnic minority'
MINORITY POLICIES
Policies designed to promote ethnic minority development were first put in place by the Ministry of Rural Development and the United Nations Development Program in 1994, but these did not address issues such as land rights.
TWO policies designed to improve the plight of the Kingdom's ethnic minorities were discussed Thursday at a plenary meeting of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Rural Development Chea Sophara told the Post Thursday.
During a meeting presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, the council reviewed draft policies addressing development in areas heavily populated by ethnic minorities as well as land registration and land use rights for ethnic minorities, Chea Sophara said.
Land-titling process ‘urgent’, Oxfam says
Accelerating the mapping and titling of rural farmland should be an “urgent” priority of the government and civil society, particularly when it comes to protecting indigenous peoples’ and women’s rights, Oxfam representatives said yesterday.
The remarks followed the release of an EU-funded survey of rural communities’ perceptions of their land rights carried out by the Royal University of Phnom Penh in collaboration with five local NGOs in Kampong Thom, Kratie, Preah Vihear and Stung Treng provinces.
Chris Eijkemans, Oxfam country director, said there was an urgent need for government and civil society to provide support to rural farming communities.
“I was shocked to see … that, in fact, 60 per cent [of project interviewees] feared losing control of their natural resources,” he said.
“It’s very urgent that we start to do something about it.”
RUPP’s Dr Neth Baromey, who led the study, said the need was especially great for indigenous minorities and women.
Indigenous groups urge action on land
Members of the Bunong indigenous people gather in an area sacred to their community in Mondulkiri province on Saturday as part of the UN’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Hannah Reyes/RUOM
Ethnic communities called on the government to make good on outstanding promises to protect community forests on Saturday, during celebrations for International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Cambodia has 24 ethnic minority groups that comprise an estimated 1.4 per cent of the population, according to NGO Forum, which helps protect indigenous land rights.
Indigenous communities are not mentioned in the constitution and were not acknowledged by any legislation until the 2001 Land Law granted them the right to establish communal land tenure.
Crowds gathered in Kratie, Mondulkiri, Koh Kong and Preah Vihear on Saturday decried the government’s slow progress; so far, only eight communal land titles have been allotted to indigenous groups.
Meanwhile, as of last year, economic land concessions covered over 2.2 million hectares – almost 65 per cent of Cambodia’s arable land, according to Licadho.
Titles closer, but ‘land damage done’
Ethnic Jarai villagers post a sign in front of the community's new office in Korng Yu village, Pate commune, in Ratanakkiri province's O'Yadav district yesterday. Photo Supplied
Three ethnic Jarai minority communities passed a crucial hurdle on the way to obtaining communal land titles in government-sanctioned ceremonies this week. But a human-rights activist tempered the celebration, saying mass deforestation in the province had already stripped most of the land the villagers are claiming.
Chhay Thy, co-ordinator for the human-rights group Adhoc, applauded the Ministry of Interior for recognising the O’Yadav district communities as legal entities, the second of three application steps on the road to communal land titles.
But after attending a ceremony yesterday in Korng Yu village, he said 70 per cent of the forests in the province had disappeared since 1979.
“Only 30 per cent remain, because the minority people have sold the lands to rich people; some lands have been grabbed illegally, and others have been dominated by the land concessions,” he said.
“When they are listed with a community forest, there will be no forest to list.”
Am Veasna, a political affairs officer who represented the Ministry of Interior at the ceremony, declined to comment.
Chheng Vantheoun, chief project co-ordinator of the Indigenous Community Support Organisation, said the listing helped maintain the culture and tradition of minority groups.
Korng Yu villagers face another obstacle in the form of a long-standing land dispute with Finance Minister Keat Chhon’s sister, Keat Kolney.
The Jarai community filed a complaint to the provincial court in 2007 over an alleged grab of 400 hectares of their land. The case could complicate their quest for a communal land title.
Moeun Tola, head of the Community Legal Education Centre’s labour program, said yesterday villagers had been waiting for court action.
“The defendant has power, so no one dares to take legal action. But when the minority group gets title over the disputed land, of course it can help them.”
Pov Den, a participant in yesterday’s ceremony, said he hoped titling would come soon, “because our community has less than 50 hectares of forest. Before, we had more than 100 hectares.”
Fri, 22 March 2013
State grants three groups ethnic status
Government officials have identified 21 communities of indigenous peoples from two provinces in Cambodia as ethnic minority groups, with a further 10 communities awaiting similar approval.
Seng Narong, a consultant at the Department of Ethnic Minority Development at the Ministry of Rural Development, said yesterday during the sixth National Forum on Indigenous Participation in Development that the 21 groups in Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces were approved as ethnic minorities.
The recognition of their ethnic minority status makes them eligible for officials to register their communal lands and preserve their cultures.
“It means we recognise them as Kreung, Tumpuon and Jarai ethnic minority groups,” he said, and added that the government had been working on the three communal land registrations since 2009 and that a further 10 communities would be recognised by the end of the year.
But more than 100 representatives from indigenous groups across 15 provinces gathered outside the forum to express their concerns that their rights have been violated by economic land concessions awarded by the government to local businessmen.
Fri, 26 November 2010
Mondulkiri indigenous rally blocked
Indigenous villagers celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples yesterday morning in Mondulkiri’s Pech Chreada district before authorities stopped the event. Photo supplied
Hundreds of indigenous peoples in Mondulkiri are planning to lodge a complaint with the National Assembly and relevant ministries to demand the ouster of the provincial governor after authorities yesterday pre-emptively shut down celebrations in honour of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Around 700 members of the Phnong ethnic group in Pou Chrei commune’s Puo Tang village, in Mondulkiri’s Pech Chreada district, slaughtered chickens, pigs and a buffalo in a ritual yesterday.
But when community members had attempted to set up a venue for celebrations on Saturday, police officers and military personnel stepped in, saying that they did not have permission to carry out their planned activities.
“The Pou Chrei police chief followed the provincial governor’s order, which didn’t allow us to set up the camp,” said community representative Kreung Tola.
Minorities to consult NGO after petition bid failed to reach PM
REPRESENTATIVES of indigenous groups in Ratanakkiri province who fear they could lose their land to private concessions are set to meet with a land rights NGO today to devise ways to draw attention to their plight, after the provincial governor allegedly failed to act on his promise to deliver a petition from the groups to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The representatives, who are from the Tampuon, Kreung and Jarai ethnic minority communities, said their concerns had been exacerbated by a three-day trade fair held earlier this month in the province, which led them to arrange the meeting with the Indigenous Communities Support Organisation.
Kham Phor Savat, a representative of Kalai village in Ou Chum district, said the representatives had not received any feedback from provincial governor Pav Hamphan as to why he failed to deliver the petition to the premier during his visit last week.
The petition requested that the government facilitate local land titling, intervene in ongoing land disputes and set out requirements for full consultation with affected communities before land and mining concessions are granted.
“If we cannot receive any solutions from the province, we will take this petition to Phnom Penh to have it printed by media companies and civil societies so that our concerns can be heard,” Kham Phor Savat said.
He said that his own community had already been affected by the clearing of 20,000 hectares of forest by a Vietnamese company, which he said had planted acacia and rubber trees on the land.
“This affected land that 190 families in our community use for slash-and-burn agriculture,” he said.
Too many petitions
Ratanakkiri provincial governor Pav Hamphan said he had received a range of petitions from various groups in recent weeks and had not had enough time to act on all of them.
Ratanakkiri provincial governor Pav Hamphan said he had received a range of petitions from various groups in recent weeks and had not had enough time to act on all of them.
“I have not decided yet whether I will forward all these petitions to the prime minister’s Cabinet or just send a brief report there,” he said.
Thu, 25 March 2010
Teams challenge each other’s key documents at KRT
The Witness 2-TCW-1065 testifies before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia earlier this month during Case 002/02. ECCC
Parties at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday sparred over documentary evidence regarding Democratic Kampuchea’s conflict with Vietnam, with both sides attempting to contextualise or discredit documents presented by the opposition.
The defence teams have long argued that a legitimate Vietnamese threat to Cambodia’s autonomy precipitated the conflict with Vietnam as well as internal targeting of suspected Vietnamese agents. The prosecution, meanwhile, has sought to present evidence that paints Cambodia as the instigator of the conflict.
Ethnic minority representatives call for Mondulkiri official’s ouster
Village representatives gather outside the Mondulkiri Provincial Hall yesterday after submitting a petition to authorities. Photo supplied
Thirty-five ethnic minority representatives yesterday delivered a petition bearing 555 thumbprints to the Mondulkiri provincial governor, asking him to replace the director of the rural development department because he wasn’t serving the best interests of ethnic minorities.
Kreng Tola, 26, said the 35 representatives included people from several minority groups – such as the Krol and the Phnong, to which he belongs – and had submitted the petition because they are not “happy” with department head Yorn Sarom.
Tola said ethnic minorities had organised celebrations for World Indigenous Peoples’ Day six years running, and each time Sarom had allegedly tried to restrict their activities. For the most recent celebration, on August 9, they weren’t allowed to march on the streets or host a photo exhibition, but were only allowed to pray.
He added that Sarom had also threatened to file a complaint against them. “This year, he threatened to sue the representatives who were organising the event,” he said.
Sarom denied the allegations yesterday and said he had only encouraged organisers to have one provincial event as opposed to having several separate ones.
“I have not banned anything, but we just want them to celebrate as a province,” he said.
Provincial Governor Svay Samoeun said he hadn’t received the petition. “I will look at the issues,” he said. “But we cannot just remove [someone] as they wish. We need to look at the reasons behind.”
Tue, 8 November 2016
Cambodia in brief: November 8, 2016
Senator
Sok Hour given seven years for forgery and incitement
After a detention and trial period of 450 days, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for displaying a “fake” border treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam on Facebook.
After a detention and trial period of 450 days, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for displaying a “fake” border treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam on Facebook.
Voter registration drive falls behind schedule
Voter registration has fallen far behind schedule over the past two weeks, with enrolment dropping to just 30,000 a day from a target of 100,000, according to official figures, leaving more than 2 million Cambodians at risk of not registering to vote in time.
Praise of Donald Trump not an endorsement, says PM
In a clarification unlikely to affect today’s United States presidential election, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday said his recent praise for Republican candidate Donald Trump was not an endorsement.
A tighter race to deliver money
When Srey Ka enlisted as a Wing agent in 2013, business was brisk, with several hundred customers visiting her small stall near Kabko Market each day to transfer money to their relatives in the provinces. Back then, Wing was the only game in town. But in the last two years, at least five rival agent-based money transfer networks have entered the arena, some offering lower fees than Wing, and all competing for the same customers.
UN backs local OHCHR office in dispute
The United Nations is standing behind Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country representative Wan-Hea Lee after a letter signed by Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon accused her of failing to respect Cambodia’s sovereignty.
Questions raised over Apsara Authority's decision to fell tree
A 100-year-old rosewood tree felled by the Apsara Authority after it was found partially cut was impounded by the Forestry Administration in Siem Reap on Sunday, with a forestry official and an activist questioning the necessity of the move.
Industrial park aims for SME segment
WorldBridge International Group will sink $25 million into developing an industrial park for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kandal province after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts on Friday, the company’s chairman said yesterday.
Elderly man charged for alleged child sex crimes
The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court yesterday charged a 72-year-old man for allegedly sexually abusing two girls, aged 9 and 11, in Poipet town, and offering them money for sex.
Ethnic minority representatives call for Mondulkiri official’s ouster
Thirty-five ethnic minority representatives yesterday delivered a petition bearing 555 thumbprints to the Mondulkiri provincial governor, asking him to replace the director of the rural development department because he wasn’t serving the best interests of ethnic minorities.
Funding a priority at COP22 climate conference
A Cambodian delegation arrived in Morocco yesterday for the start of the COP22 international climate change conference armed with reasons why the country should receive international funding to fight global warming.
Garment workers urged to boost sector’s productivity
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday urged garment workers to improve their productivity in order to prevent factories from closing shop and moving to such countries as Laos, Bangladesh and Myanmar, all of which have lower minimum wages.
Disabled call for city bus accessibility
Participants at a discussion on people with disabilities’ access to infrastructure and transportation yesterday called for accessibility measures to be put into place for the capital’s public bus system.
Teams challenge each other’s key documents at KRT
Parties at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday sparred over documentary evidence regarding Democratic Kampuchea’s conflict with Vietnam, with both sides attempting to contextualise or discredit documents presented by the opposition.
Drone sent up in search for suspects in capital killing
Police yesterday deployed a camera-equipped drone to inspect a forest where two suspected thieves fled after allegedly killing a military police officer in Por Sen Chey district on Sunday, but were unable to find the suspects.
Timber transporter killed in accident
A 37-year-old timber smuggler died early on Sunday in Mondulkiri province’s Keo Seima district after an accident caused the contraband wood he was hauling home on his motorbike to crush his neck.
Cleaver-wielding monk defrocked, imprisoned
An 18-year-old novice monk was yesterday charged with intentional violence and sent to Kampong Thom Provincial Prison after attacking a fellow novice with a cleaver on Sunday.
New JICA-funded traffic lights going up around city
Phnom Penh’s traffic lights will by mid-2017 no longer feature the presently ubiquitous countdown timer, with the replacement of the city’s 69 fixed signals with 100 new models controlled by officials in a central command centre now underway, an official said yesterday.
High schools to develop ASEAN tourism skills
The ministries of tourism and education have agreed to set up a joint committee to work on the development of materials for vocational training of “ASEAN Tourism Professionals” to be integrated into the high-school curriculum, a government official said yesterday.
Local MFI relaunched after South Korean buyout
Cambodia's booming microfinance sector continues to attract international investors, with a South Korean financial institution the latest to buy out one of the Kingdom’s myriad microlenders.
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