Lina Kmeng Langong Facebook Account Died Broadcast on Facebook Page

Lina Kmeng Langong Facebook Account Died

More news from Facebook

Read More

Cambodia's Former King Norodom Sihanouk Dies in Beijing

BEIJING: Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk, whose life mirrored the turbulent history of his nation where he remained a revered figure, died in Beijing on Monday at the age of 89. Sihanouk, who had been a frequent visitor to China where he received most of his medical treatment, died of a heart attack, according to his longtime personal assistant Prince Sisowath Thomico. "He was brought to hospital and died shortly after," he told AFP of the former monarch who abruptly quit the throne in October 2004 in favour of his son, citing old age and health problems. "It's painful. I am full of sorrow," Prince Thomico said. "King Sihanouk did not belong to his family, he belonged to Cambodia and to history." The former king had been staying at his Beijing residence since January. He would have been 90 on October 31. "The royal government of Cambodia will bring his body from the People's Republic of China to Phnom Penh to hold a funeral at the Royal Palace according to our traditions," said a government announcement read out on Cambodian television. Sihanouk had fought a long battle with health problems that dogged his final years, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart problems. Despite abdicating in favour of his son Sihamoni, the ex-monarch remained hugely popular in his country. His portrait still adorns public buildings and many Cambodian homes, and he used his website to communicate with the outside world. In a message in January, he said he wanted to be cremated upon his death and have his ashes kept in an urn inside the Royal Palace, reversing an earlier wish to be buried. Cambodians woke to the news of their former monarch's demise on the final day of the annual festival for the dead, known as Pchum Ben, when most people leave the capital Phnom Penh to spend time with their families in the countryside. Dead ancestors are believed to emerge to walk the earth during this time, and they are honoured with prayers and food offerings at Buddhist pagodas. Prince Thomico said he believed Cambodians would find it "significant" that Sihanouk had died at the conclusion of the 15-day festival. In eastern Kampong Cham province, local people expressed their sorrow over the former monarch's death. "He was a good king and watched over the country and the Cambodian people. I liked him very much," said 94-year-old Ching Sivheang. Sihanouk was placed on the throne in 1941 at the age of 18 by French colonial authorities. Twelve years later he gained Cambodia's independence and shortly after quit the throne for the first time in favour of his father Prince Norodom Suramarit to pursue a career in politics. Sihanouk served as premier half a dozen times, repeatedly leaving the post with a characteristic flash of angry theatre over perceived slights, until finally becoming "head of state" following the death of his father in 1960. He was toppled in a US-backed coup by one of his own generals, Lon Nol, in 1970. Sihanouk then aligned himself with communist guerrillas Khmer Rouge. The hardline communist movement used him as a figurehead as they seized power before putting him under house arrest in the royal palace with his family during their 1975-79 reign of terror. Sihanouk later condemned the Khmer Rouge, whose bloody rule left up to two million people dead. He regained the throne in 1993, having helped push for peace.

soucre:channelnewsasia.com

Read More

Questions mount over sand at lake

Sand being carted in by the truckload and the presence of other heavy machinery at Boeung Tumpun lake this week has raised questions about how much development is set to take place at the site. Houses close to the lake have sand piling up metres from their doors and part of the lake appears to be in the process of being filled in. The Boeung Tumpun area, in Meanchey district, borders Boeung Choueng Ek lake and covers about 2,600 hectares of land. More than 700 families are believed to live at the site. The area has been earmarked for development, but Phnom Penh Municipal Authority is believed to still own the lake itself. Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema said in July last year that the government had similar plans for Boeung Tumpun as it had for Boeung Kak lake. “In Phnom Penh, there are a number of lakes, particularly the giant lake, Boeung Tumpun. We will have to develop Boeung Tumpun,” Chuktema said at the time. District governor Kouch Chamroeun said yesterday that sand was being dumped only on private land at Boeung Tumpun. “This particular land belongs to a private owner who began to fill it up with sand,” he said. “I do not know what the owner plans to do on the land.” Long Dimanche, a spokesman for Phnom Penh City Hall, said he was not in a position to comment.

(souce:www.phnompenhpost.com)

Read More

Sonando ‘evidence’ from web

Nine witnesses including two defendants who had previously cut immunity deals with the government — took the stand yesterday to testify against Mam Sonando, the jailed Beehive Radio director and president of the rights-education group Association of Democrats. Speaking at the hearing, Lou Rabo, a deputy at the Internal Security Department of the Ministry of Interior, said investigations into Sonando’s activities outside Cambodia had revealed meetings in the US and Thailand with America-based dissenter Sourn Serey Ratha, whose Khmer People Power Movement recently filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing the Cambodian government of crimes against humanity. “I got all the documents on Sourn Serey Ratha through the internet,” Rabo said. “Mam Sonando got the order from Soun Serey Ratha to establish a secessionist area and topple the government.” Rabo cited a five-point statement from Serey Ratha, also found online, calling on Cambodians not to respect the legitimacy of the current government. “These five points can say that they plan to topple the government,” he said. Speaking with a smile on his face, Sonando said he had met with Serey Ratha in his capacity as a journalist because he had wanted to know more about the policies of the Khmer People Power Movement, in particular whether or not it endorsed violence. “If Sourn Serey Ratha’s association is going against the government, why doesn’t the Cambodian government write a letter to the US to close his association?” Sonando asked, maintaining that his relationship with Serey Ratha was purely journalistic. “I went to meet with Sourn Serey Ratha, but we have different ideas.” The independent radio director and three others faces a handful of charges stemming from his alleged masterminding of a so-called “secessionist plot” in Kratie province’s Pro Ma village, which in May was the site of the fatal eviction of hundreds of families involved in a long-running land dispute with the agro-business company Casotim. The government called the villagers’ eviction an “anti-secessionist” raid. Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the rights group Licadho who observed the proceedings, emphasised the fact that the police’s investigation of Sonando’s time abroad was simply information garnered from the internet, adding: “If they wanted to know what Mam Sonando said with Sourn Serey Ratha, they should just listen, because he broadcast it publicly.” Cambodian Centre for Human Rights president Ou Virak, who has attended the entire trial, said in a statement that “Not a shred of evidence has been heard that in any way connects Mam Sonando to this alleged secession att-empt in Kratie in May.” The court proceedings will continue tomorrow.

(souce:www.phnompenhpost.com)

Read More

Ieng Thirith to be released

Trial Chamber judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal have ordered the unconditional release from detention of former regime “first lady” Ieng Thirith due to her “likely irreversible” dementia. The crimes against humanity and genocide suspect has had the proceedings in Case 002 against her stayed indefinitely and judges have imposed no judicial conditions on her release, public affairs officer Yuko Maeda told the Post yesterday. “She will have to abide by rule 35 [no interference in the administration of justice] and the judges will continue to undertake enquiry into any medical developments that may help her conditions,” Maeda said. A panel of court-appointed experts two weeks ago found 80-year-old Ieng Thirith suffered from moderate to severe dementia and was unfit to stand trial. Despite contradictory medical findings from the former Minister for Social Action’s Cambodian treating doctor, judges yesterday said in their decision that “there is no prospect that the Accused can be tried in the foreseeable future”. The prosecution had requested six conditions to Ieng Thirith’s release, including that she make herself available for weekly safety checks. However, the judges declined to impose any conditions on the release. “Coercive conditions would in any case be difficult to enforce, given the Accused’s mental capacity,” judges said. Deputy international co-prosecutor William Smith said the prosecution, which has 24 hours to appeal the decision, was reviewing its position. “The Co-Prosecutors are reviewing the decision to determine what, if any, further legal steps need to be taken,” Smith said. The prosecution had agreed that Ieng Thirith was unfit to stand trial and not argued against her release. If no appeal is lodged, Pol Pot’s sister-in-law will be released at 10:30am today. After Trial Chamber judges found Ieng Thirith unfit to stand trial in November last year, prosecutors appealed the decision to the Supreme Court Chamber, which overturned the order and ultimately called for continued medical treatment to improve her condition. Phat Pouv Seang, defence lawyer for Ieng Thirith, called the decision “good news”. “Further steps after she leaves the ECCC is her family’s decision. I think it is still quite confidential whether she will go to stay in Phnom Penh or Pailin,” he said. Civil party lead co-lawyer Elisabeth Simonneau Fort said it was not a desired outcome, but it was a legally right decision. “I think that she is clearly unfit, and the only possibility was to release. “Even if it is difficult for the victims, I think we want to respect international conduct. It’s the right decision,” Simonneau Fort said, adding that it was of paramount importance civil parties clearly understood the reason for the decision. The tribunal should be using their outreach program to explain the decisions to civil parties and the public at large, tribunal monitor Clair Duffy of the Open Society Justice Initiative said. “That is the most important thing. Many people in Cambodia and around the world in the diaspora will want to know why this has happened and that is a very legitimate reaction,” Duffy said. The decision is a positive model of international standards for Cambodian courts, Duffy said. While no security conditions were ordered, Duffy said she had heard no evidene to indicate Ieng Thirith’s safety would be in danger upon her release. Defence lawyers for other Case 002 co-accused similarly applauded the merit of the decision. Brother No. 2 Nuon Chea’s defence lawyer Andrew Ianuzzi called the ruling the “best decision to come out of the court”. Michael Karnavas, lawyer for Ieng Thirith’s husband, Ieng Sary, similarly welcomed the decision. “I think the court got it right,” he said. Former Khmer Rouge Minister for Foreign Affairs Ieng Sary himself has been plagued with ill health, and was admitted to hospital again last week, causing hearings in the landmark Case 002 to be postponed. Both Nuon Chea and Ieng Sary have previously sought rulings on their fitness to stand trial. Rights groups welcomed the decision as a positive example, but noted that problems of fitness would continue to plague the tribunal. “Of course we understand that it will be difficult for victims, but we welcome it from a human rights perspective and the message it is sending the Cambodian courts,” Amnesty International researcher Rupert Abbott said. “It is possible the trial will not be completed because of the fitness issues, but from our perspective, it is better for a trial to be not completed and fair trial rights respected than the other way round.”

(souce:www.phnompenhpost.com)

Read More

Witness testimonies conflict at Mam Sonando trial

Testimony continued in the case of jailed Beehive Radio director Mam Sonando and his alleged accomplices yesterday at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, with 12 witnesses alternately accusing and absolving the Association of Democrats president and his co-defendants. About 200 protestors camped outside the court again yesterday, however, despite an omniscient police force, the atmosphere was calmer with protestors singing and chanting peacefully throughout the day. Unlike the first day of trial, media were allowed inside the court room to observe the proceedings. Several of the prosecution’s witnesses said that their testimony was based entirely on hearsay, and none had any evidence to offer about the men actually on trial, focusing instead on alleged co-conspirator Bun Ratha, whose whereabouts have been unknown since the fatal May eviction in Kratie province’s Pro Ma village that spurred the charges of “secessionism” in the first place. The prosecution’s witnesses’ testimony painted a picture of Ratha as the village’s unofficial dictator. Chea Mom accused him of having set up barriers blocking the road into and out of the village, and having said that he would force travellers to thumbprint a document before passing in order to keep out undesirables. Mom, however, allowed that she hadn’t actually seen either of those things, saying: “I know from people who told me, but I did not see it by my own eyes.” In May, Pro Ma was the site of the forced eviction of hundreds of families involved in a long-running land dispute with agro-business company Casotim, during which a 14-year-old girl was shot dead by government forces. The government called the eviction an “anti-secessionist raid”, despite repeated denials from villagers – including one-time Association of Democrats volunteer Bun Ratha. Kong Vannak, another prosecution witness who lives in Pro Ma village, said that he moved to Pro Ma just four days before the forced eviction in hopes of getting enough farmland to support his family. But in order to be allotted land, Ratha had made him man the roadblocks for a day. “I have no will to against the authorities or the government,” said Vannak, denying his own involvement in the so-called secessionist plot. “The reason I went to live there was that I just wanted to get the land to support my 11 sons and daughters.” Song Soun, one of the few witnesses to be summonsed that supported the defendants, said that the tools brought by the prosecution as evidence that Pro Ma was planning an armed rebellion were simply tools that villagers had used for hunting wildlife for years. For his part, Suon also added that he “never saw Mr Mam Sonando go to Kratie; he was not involved with the plan to establish a secessionist area.” Witness Hun Sophal, a Kratie member of Sonando’s Association of Democrats, pointed out that Sonando was abroad when the alleged secession took place, prompting prosecutor Meas Chan Piseth to explain that, as ringleader, Sonando didn’t need to show his face to incite rebellion.
(souce:www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012091358691/National-news/witness-testimonies-conflict-at-mam-sonando-trial.html)

Read More

Bra factory strikers look to ministry for support

A police officer tells workers from the Top Form garment factory to back away from the road during a protest in Phnom Penh yesterday. Photograph: Phnom Penh Post
About 300 workers entered their sixth day of strikes yesterday at a bra factory in the capital, which manufactures lingerie supplied to Victoria’s Secret and Valentino, but their hopes of a quick resolution were dashed when a Ministry of Social Affairs official admitted he was clueless as to the taxation issue they were striking over. Kae Soksitthiny, the ministry adviser tasked with bringing the strike to a peaceful end through mediation between management and workers, said the strikers claimed their employer was withholding up to $9 per month “tax” from their wages, which are $61 per month before bonuses and overtime. Soksitthiny, however, said he could not resolve the issue because did not know whether the alleged actions of the company were legal or not. “We just received such information for the first time and are unaware under what circumstances a workers’ salary can be taxed by the employer. Therefore, only the Arbitration Council can provide a ruling on this,” he said. Chhum Sokhum, 32, one of the workers’ representatives, said the factory was not only cutting as much as $9 from their monthly wage, it was also deducting an additional 200 riel (US$0.05) each time they worked overtime. “Our base salary is around $60,” she said. “In order to lift it to more than $100 per month, the [workers] have to work overtime every day. We just can’t afford to have money taken out like this,” she said. Workers were also demanding the company improve other working conditions. The strikers, who had gathered at a petrol station near the factory in Russey Keo district, were blocked by police as they marched along National Road 5 towards Phnom Penh City Hall and the residence of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Factory bosses invited five workers’ representatives to negotiate with them, but the workers refused and went home.
(Source:PhnomPenhPost)

Read More

Cambodian authorities to deport Pirate Bay co-founder

Gottfrid Svartholm Warg (L) and Peter Sundin from Pirate Bay in Stockholm, on February 15, 2009, give their views on the eve of their trial. Cambodian authorities have agreed to deport Warg from the country today. Photograph: AFP Photo/Scanpix Sweden/Fredrik Persson

Cambodian authorities have agreed to deport Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg from the country in the immediate future, the deputy police commissioner confirmed today. General Sok Phal said he met with Swedish authorities this morning and, due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the two kingdoms, Sweden requested the deportation of Svartholm Warg. “We will use the Immigration Law against him to deport him out of our country and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng will sign on the deportation request letter from the police commissioner soon,” Phal told the Post. “We will have to just deport him, wherever he goes, we don’t know, but he has to be out of Cambodia,” Phal added. Svartholm Warg was arrested last Thursday by Cambodian authorities last Thursday at the behest of Sweden, which has an international arrest warrant out for its citizen, and is currently being detained at the Ministry of Interior’s immigration department. Svartholm Warg was convicted in 2009 of illegal filesharing through his bittorrent website.
(Source:PhnomPenhPost)

Read More

Khmer Girl: Workers waiting for a bargain

Angkor Beer promoters strike last year in Phnom Penh.

Informal workers, a class that includes beer promoters, tuk tuk drivers and farmers, are among those who stand to benefit most from the upcoming trade-union law, observers say – and workers say it can’t come soon enough. Dave Welsh, country director of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, said the law’s latest draft allowed the associations many of these informal workers are already in to be pushed to their “full logical conclusion”: a working union. This would enable workers to collectively bargain with their employers or the equivalent parties, which could include the government or local authorities, Welsh said. “Whoever was deemed to be the employer would be under a legal obligation to sit down and bargain with them on issues they want to,” he said. The latest draft – the fifth since the government announced plans to introduce the law more than a year ago – was sent to the Council of Ministers last November for approval, but not even the government seems to know when it will be enacted. Instances of informal workers organising themselves to protect their rights are increasing. Examples in the past year have included tuk tuk drivers protesting against rising fuel prices and a strike by Angkor Beer promoters last year that won them overtime pay from Cambrew. The ability to form unions would ensure any international company with owner-ship stakes in Cambodia would be held accountable, turning what was a “PR issue” for companies like Carlsberg, which owns half of Cambrew, into a “legal issue”, Welsh said. Cambodian Food and Serivce Workers' Federation president Sar Mora, whose association represented the striking Angkor Beer promoters, said the law would be a welcome step in formalising the rights of workers in the food and beverage industry. Often, there was a “lack of implementation” of decisions handed down by the Arbitration Council, Sar Mora said, alleging that Cambrew continued to discriminate against the former strikers by assigning them to unpopular restaurants where they would earn less commission. “[Food and beverages] is a very new sector in Cambodia, and many workers are not aware of their rights,” he said. This had led to poor working conditions, low salaries, long hours and no days off. The ability to unionise would empower poor workers who felt they had “no money, no power” and feared confronting their employers, Sar Mora said. “[Rights] will be based on negotiations, with both parties honest with each other.” Hong Sann, a tuk tuk driver in Phnom Penh and a member of the Independent Democracy of Economic Association, said drivers were often unaware of their rights and, as a result, were vulnerable to the police’s fining practices. “The traffic police and local authorities always fine us when we stop on the riverside road near the Royal Palace,” he said, adding that the fines ranged from US$5 to US$10. The police also extorted bribes of US$2 to allow tuk tuks to carry advertisements, Hong Sann said. Advertisers paid drivers US$5 a month. Not everyone, however, is convinced the law in its latest form is adequate. IDEA president Von Pao raised concern that the law would let employers and government officials interfere with workers’ organisations. If the government did not comply with national and international labour laws, itwas unlikely it would listen to workers even with the trade-union law, Von Pao said. “For example, we demanded the government reduce the price of petrol to equal that of neighbouring countries like Thailand and Vietnam, but until now we have not gotten a resolution,” he said.
(Source:PhnomPenhPost)

Read More

Active:Cambodian man clears land mines he set decades ago

Maneuvering slowly through grassy Cambodian terrain, a caravan of 20 men and women is on a search-and-rescue mission. Dressed in military fatigues, they are guided by a fearless leader who calculates every step and ensures the safest path for his comrades. It takes just minutes for the unit to confront the first of many hidden targets: a muddied 20-year-old land mine buried a few inches beneath the ground. "This is an active land mine made from Russia. [If] we step on [it] ... it explodes and cuts the leg off," says Aki Ra, leader of the Cambodian Self Help Demining team. He and his group are working to make their country safer by clearing land mines -- many of which Aki Ra planted himself years ago. Aki Ra, a Cambodian native who does not recall his birth year, was a child soldier during the communist Khmer Rouge regime, a genocidal crusade responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Cambodians during the 1970s. He was raised by the army after being separated from his family during the internal conflict. Around age 10, Aki Ra estimates, he was given a rifle that measured his own height. Soon after, he was taught to lay land mines. For three years, Aki Ra worked as a mine layer for the Khmer Rouge. He then did the same job for the Vietnamese army that overthrew his village."I maybe planted 4,000 to 5,000 land mines in a [single] month," said Aki Ra, who says he's about 40 years old now. "We planted them all over the place."According to the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, an estimated 4 million to 6 million land mines were laid in Cambodia during three decades of conflict. The mines were planted to defend strategic military locations, target warring opponents and deny the use of roads. "I had [bad] feelings, because sometimes we were fighting against our friends and relatives," Aki Ra said. "I felt sad when I saw a lot of people were killed. A lot of people were suffering from land mines. [But] I did not know what to do, [because] we were under orders." Approximately 63,000 civilians and soldiers have been in accidents involving land mines and other explosive weapons, according to the Cambodian Mine Victim Information System. Nearly 19,000 of them were killed. Today, Cambodia reportedly has one amputee for every 290 people, one of the highest ratios in the world. When the United Nations came in the early 1990s to help restore peace to Cambodia, Aki Ra saw an opportunity to begin undoing the damage he and others had done. He started training with the U.N. and helping them clear mines. It was around this time he got the name he goes by today. He was born Eoun Yeak, but he was so skilled at clearing mines that his supervisors began comparing him to AKIRA, a heavy-duty appliance company in Japan. One reportedly commented, "He works just like an AKIRA." The name stuck. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes In 1993, one year after working with the U.N., Aki Ra decided to begin clearing mines alone. "Some of the areas I was clearing were places where I used to plant mines before," he said. "I didn't have any equipment. ... I clear by knife, by stick."For Aki Ra, this bare-hands technique "wasn't dangerous. It was easy." But easy didn't mean legal. The method was not in accordance with international standards, which requires protective gear and other professional equipment. So in 2005, he went to the United Kingdom to receive formal training and accreditation.In 2008, Aki Ra formed his nonprofit demining organization. Comprised of native Cambodians, it includes former soldiers and war crime victims. One of the workers is an amputee who lost a leg to a land mine. "[Our] goal is to clear land mines in rural villages for the people who need the land for building houses or farming or building schools," Aki Ra said.Aki Ra and his organization devote all of their donated funds to clearing Cambodia's rural "low-priority" villages. These villages, populated primarily by poor farmers, do not always receive first dibs for minefield clearance projects because of their remoteness and limited traffic. At times, they're completely overlooked. "Villagers report land mines every day, and they ask us to destroy [them]," Aki Ra said. "The people are afraid of mines. Whether there are a lot of land mines or only a few, [we] still have to clear the area so that the people in the village can be safe."Kuot Visoth, chief of Prey Thom village, was relieved when the team arrived in early July to clear his village. "I know the area around the school has a lot of land mines, and I am afraid that when the children come to school and play, they will step on them, or the villagers' buffaloes grazing in the area would be killed," Visoth said. Aki Ra estimates that he and his group have cleared more than 50,000 land mines and unexploded war weapons such as bombs and grenades. The Cambodian government says there are 3 million to 5 million mines still undiscovered. Many of Aki Ra's recovered land mines and unexploded weapons are on display at a museum in Siem Reap. For $2, visitors can touch defused mines and bombs as well as AK-47 rifles and war uniforms. "I had an idea to open a land mine museum to teach people to understand about war, land mines," he said. "Even though the war [is] finished, [these explosives] still kill people, and the land cannot be used." Also at the museum is an orphanage that Aki Ra and his wife, Hourt, opened about a decade ago. Roughly 100 children, some injured by land mines, have been cared for over the years. The orphanage provides food and shelter for the children and sends them to public school."I brought them to the museum because I could provide them with [a] better situation," Aki Ra said. "If I didn't help them, they would have a very difficult life." The orphanage's first resident, Sot "Tol" Visay, lost a leg to a mine. He was living on the street when Aki Ra was demining in his province. Aki Ra offered Visay a home, and Visay has spent the past seven years living there. "This place has been very good to me," said Visay, now 21. "Mr. Aki Ra does not want anything from me. Instead, he encourages all people here to study, to gain knowledge." Hourt died last year from a stroke, leaving Aki Ra to care for his three biological children and 27 orphans ages 10 to 20. Aki Ra is thankful to have caretakers, teachers, a chef and a driver who help look after the children during his demining missions, which can last up to 25 consecutive days every month. "All the children living in my center I consider as my own children. They call me father," said Aki Ra, whose efforts in Cambodia will be highlighted in an upcoming documentary, "A Perfect Soldier." "I have told them about my personal life. They understand all about my history. I tell the children that they should study hard, do good acts and love each other."

Read More