VJ Ano appeared on local TV to clear the rumours

VJ Ano pictured on 10th November, 2008.

VJ Ano has appeared for the first time on a local TV on Wednesday at 6pm local time to show her face to the public and she denied the rumours that she was attacked by razor blades as reported by local media. VJ Ano’s face, as seen through her appearance on TV3, has not shown any wounds. At the same time, VJ Ano has appealed to the police to investige and punish those who spread the rumours that she was involved in a triangle love affair and that she was attacked with 80 razor blade cuts to her body and face.//

Night of music at Wat Botum to shake crowd

French band CQMD will wake the neighbours at Wat Botum this Friday.

Wednesday, 19 November 2008 Performance by the French brass band funksters CQMD and Phnom Penh's Mekong Pirates set to bring blend of musical styles to Wat Botum this Friday CQMD French band CQMD will wake the neighbours at Wat Botum this Friday. EVERY music fan in Phnom Penh should mark their calendar for Friday at 6pm, when the French Cultural Centre will shake up the crowds at Wat Botum with a concert by the celebrated French band CQMD, or Ceux qui marchent debout, which translates roughly as "Those who walk standing up".The brass band, which sings in English, has for more than a decade played venues throughout Europe and will be introducing their seventh album, titled Check that Funk, during Friday's concert.Funk and soul music aficionados will recognise the influences of James Brown, George Clinton, Maceo Parker and Prince on many of CQMD's tracks, while others are more reminiscent of the earlier swing era. But this pioneering band also brings its own funk sensibilities to the mix, with a blend of styles and instrumentation that is guaranteed to set toes tapping and bodies in motion.Brass band revival There are no leaders in this six-member group, just talented players who have almost single-handedly revived the brass band style in France, which thrives on collaboration. "THE MEKONG PIRATES refuse to be pigeonholed, incorporating everything from funk and zouk to SKA. They write together, sing together and groove together, and their close musical kinship and cooperation shows through in every performance."

Phnom Penh based band the Mekong Pirates will open the event.

The band's unique instrumentation includes a trumpet, soubassophone, banjo, snare and bass drum, and trombone ... not to mention loads of inspiration.On their Cambodian debut, CQMD will be joined by local band the Mekong Pirates, who will kick off Friday night's concert. Formed last April, the Pirates feature 10 musicians firmly rooted in the classic rock tradition but tempered by many other styles and influences. The band refuses to be pigeon-holed, however, and thinks of themselves as something of a fusion band, incorporating everything from funk and zouk to ska.CollaborationThe Mekong Pirates are driven by a similar need for collaboration. Their identity as a band is reflected in their inspirations and approach to new material. When a bandmate brings in a new melody or lyric, the group first agrees communally on the spirit, or "colour", of the song. Next comes the process of experimentation, as the band members try different approaches to the song until they all feel good about the direction that the particular piece is taking.The energy generated by these two bands will appeal to all music lovers, so be prepared to dance the night away and wake the neighbours at beautiful and historic Wat Botum.

The Thai asked the Cambodian authority to evict the Cambodian people from the Preah Vihear areas

In mid June, 2008 a group of Thai nationalists staged a protest in front of the Preah Vihear temple asking the Thai army to evict the Cambodians from their village near the Preah Vihear temple. On the 15th of July, 2008, three Thai protesters jumped fence into Cambodian territories and were arrested by the Khmer border guards which culminated into the Thai invasion of the Preah Vihear areas where Thailand maintained their troops until today.

The Social and Economic Advisory Council of Thailand has appealed to the Thai government to take firm actions against Cambodia which this council accused of allowing its citizens to live on Thai territories.Mr.Suwanchai Saengsuk-iam, secretary of the Preah Vihear Task Force of the above council, has told a Thai newspaper that the Thai government must pressure the Cambodian government to evict the Cambodian people from the Thai territories immediately and unconditionally.The evictions are aimed at those Cambodian citizens who set up stalls and shops along the road leading to the Preah Vihear temple and those Cambodians who live in the areas surrounding the Preah Vihear temple. This council has asked the Thai government to put further pressures on Cambodia to evict those Cambodian people who live in the areas they considered as “disputed”. This council wants Thailand to maintain troops in the Preah Vihear areas and it asked Thailand not to reduce the numbers of troops in the areas.Please not that, the area where the Cambodian people set up stalls and shops to sell souvenirs near the staircase of the Preah Vihear temple is a Cambodian territory, so the above council’s ignorant claims and its request for Cambodia to evict Cambodians from the Khmer territory is shameless.

Hor Namhong’s law suit against Sam Rainsy in a Cambodian court has been temporarily shelved awaiting the verdict of the French court

Mr. Hor Namhong (L) and Mr. Sam Rainsy (R).

The seven month-old defamation and disinformation law suit, derived from an article published by the opposition newspaper the Khmer Conscience and which was lodged by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong against Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy, has been temporarily shelved by a prosecutor attached to the court, awaiting for the verdict of the French court first which will be decided on the 9th of December, 2008.Please note that on the 22nd of April, 2008, Mr. Ka Savuth, lawyer representing Mr. Hor Namhong, lodged a defamation and disinformation law suit with the prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Magistrate Court due attached with the article published in the Khmer Conscience on 18th of April, 2008.Mr. Ek Chheng Huort, deputy prosecutor attached to the court, has followed the judicial procedures regarding the case. But Mr. Sam Rainsy has always asked for a delay whenever the court summons him to appear. So, due to Mr. Sam Rainsy has parliamentary immunity, the court cannot proceed with this case.In the meantime, the court has separated the suit against editor of the Khmer Conscience newspaper, Mr. Dam Sith (from Mr. Sam Rainsy‘s case), and Mr. Dam Sith’s case was sent to the investigating judge to proceed with the court case.In June, 2008, Mr. Dam Sith was ordered by the court to be detained in Preysor Prison, awaiting for the results of the investigations. Shortly after, the court has decided to set Mr. Dam Sith free.Afterward, the court, through the Ministry of Justice, has written a letter to President of the National Assembly requesting the suspension of Mr. Sam Rainsy’s parliamentary immunity in order to make ways for the court to proceed with the suit. But up until now, even after the third parliamentary term has ended, there is no sign of the National Assembly debating this (the suspension of Sam Rainsy’s parliamentary immunity) issue.Afterward, in order to provide full justice to Mr. Sam Rainsy, Mr. Hor Namhong has decided to lodge another law suit in the French court because Mr. Sam Rainsy is a French citizen.According to a reliable source, this new suit will be heard in the French court on the 9th of December, 2008. So, Mr. Hor Namhong’s suit in the Cambodia court has to be temporarily shelved, awaiting for the verdict of the French court first before it can proceed.

Russey Keo floods halt lake reclamation

Teacher Chea Meng, 47, checks his fishing nets in the flooded courtyard of Russey Keo district's Chea Sim Chamreoun Rath High School.

THE filling in of Boeung Kak lake has been suspended until flooding in the capital's Russey Keo district is under control, putting a temporary halt to one of Phnom Penh's biggest development projects, city officials said Tuesday."We have stopped [pumping sand into the lake] for a while, and when the flooding in Russey Keo has gone down, we will have a discussion with the company about pumping or not pumping," said Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Pa Socheatvong.He added, however, that a "technical problem" had also halted the pumping, which he did not believe was directly responsible for the flooding that has left large swaths of Russey Keo under water for weeks."Heavy rain is the main source" of the flooding, he told the Post.Boeung Kak residents have been engaged in a drawn-out fight with City Hall over compensation since a private company began reclaiming the lake in August, protesting several times for fair-market value for the homes they are losing.Some 4,000 families will eventually be affected by the project.An official with HSC, the company behind the pumping, said it had only stopped operations for last week's Water Festival but declined to comment further.Several residents in the lake's Village 22 said that since the pumping stopped earlier this month, the water levels in their flooded homes have gone down significantly. "Before, when they were pumping, the water was almost one metre deep in my house, but now it is gone," one villager told the Post.Officials at the Boeung Kak Development Committee's offices said Tuesday that they did not want to comment on the situation.The 133-hectare Boeung Kak development will feature residential and commercial facilities.But it has come under fire for its impact on the surrounding area, from expected flooding to the mass evictions.City Hall has long maintained the land surrounding the lake - parts of which were a former Sihanouk-era park - is state land and could not be claimed by squatters under the Land Law.

Motorbike sales nosedive as local economy slumps

Motorbike shops along Sihanouk Boulevard near Olympic Stadium. Dealers report slower sales compared to last year

Local motorbike dealers report slower sales as the falling property market and declines in foreign investment hit consumer spending at home THE global economic crisis and a weakening property market have hit local motorbike sales, with dealers reporting drops of as much as 70 percent this year. "Last year I did not have enough motorcycles to meet demand, and a lot of customers booked their vehicles in advance. But this year I have a lot of remaining bikes in my shop," said Chhay Ly, owner of Chhay Ly Honda Motorcycle Shop on Kampuchea Krom Boulevard. He said his profits have nearly evaporated and he now sells only four or five bikes per month, at US$980 to $2,300 each, down from about 12 last year. "The drops are caused by the slow economy," he added. Motorbike sales soared last year and in the first half of 2008 as Cambodians cashed in on the strong property market and record foreign direct investment. But with the economic crisis spreading to local markets and property values in freefall, motorbike dealers are feeling the pain of consumer belt-tightening. Principal form of transport Motorcycles are the Kingdom's most common form of transport, and the government says that 800,000 bikes are registered in the country. "This year has been very quiet. Last year, a lot of people bought bikes at my shops." "This year has been very quiet. Last year, a lot of people bought bikes at my shops - most were people who made money from selling their land outside of Phnom Penh," said Chhim Neang, owner of Chhim Neang Selling Motorcycle Shop. She reported a 40 percent sales drop, which she blamed mainly on the property market. Keo Rottana, director of MCT Motorcycle Manufacturing (Cambodia) Co Ltd, which is a wholesaler of electric bikes, all-terrain vehicles and small electric cars from China, said his sales have dropped significantly, even after he cut prices from $600 to $550 each. "We have seen a lot less buy orders from the provinces." He said last year his company sold about 2,000 units, but this year sales dropped about 30 percent. Another wholesaler, Pok Phalra, director of JM Japan Motorcycles Shop, said he has sold virtually no second-hand motorcycles imported from Japan. "This year, sometimes I sell one bike and sometimes none," he said. "Last year I could sell up to eight bikes per day." Cheng Song Heap, owner of Cheng Song Heap Motor Shop, a major motorcycle retailer in Phnom Penh, also said he has been affected by a drop-off in business. "People are now depending on their salaries. They are not seeing large profits from land sales like last year." According to a local property expert, the real estate market may not recover any time soon. "It takes about one to two years before land prices will return to normal," said Sung Bonna, director of Bonna Reality. Finance Minister Keat Chhon confirmed early this month that Cambodia's economic growth would slow to 6.5 percent next year.

Three Hospitalized in Kampot Crackdown

A young woman and her child standing next to the leftover of her home which was burnt down by the Kampot province authority on 17 November 2005

Security forces, including police and military, continued forced evictions in Kampot province for a second day Tuesday, following the injuries of at least three villagers Monday.The authorities destroyed an estimated 230 small homes in Ta Ken commune, Chhouk district, in two days of operations to oust residents from a national park, officials said.Soldiers and police on Monday beat seven people, striking them with rifle butts and sending three to the Kampong Speu provincial hospital, villagers said.Touch Sambath, a doctor at the hospital, confirmed the arrival of three patients Monday night, one of them seriously hurt with strikes to his eyebrow and head. All three patients remained in the hospital Tuesday, he said.

Hun Sen warns Sam Rainsy lawmakers their seats at risk PRIME Minister Hun Sen has threatened to expel Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers from the National Assembly if they continue accusing him of backing out of an agreement to formally recognise the role of the political opposition.Hun Sen had earlier said parliamentary rules would be modified to accommodate the Sam Rainsy Party, in exchange for their last-minute promise to attend the swearing-in of the new National Assembly.The opposition was threatening to boycott the ceremony - a move that could have delayed the formation of the new government following July's general elections - over alleged vote irregularities."Hun Sen did not cheat you to come to the [inauguration]. Whether you want to come or not is your right," he said during the opening of a Korean ethanol factory in Kandal province Monday, warning the SRP lawmakers that they "do not yet have parliamentary immunity" and could lose their seats.Hun Sen also blasted the opposition over its request to share power in the National Assembly and its nine special commissions."Do not expect to get seats as deputy president or chairman on the commissions," Hun Sen said."The more you act rude, the less chance [positions] will be offered."CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the Assembly's commissions had already been determined."It is too late now for the SRP," he told the Post Monday. "We have invited them to join us, but they refused."SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann said he was not surprised about the prime minister's warning. "I think that the threat against opposition representatives indicates that the ruling CPP is moving backward towards dictatorship," Yim Sovann said."It is the responsibility of the CPP to improve good governance."The CPP overwhelmingly won the July vote.

Police say no investigation into DJ Ano 'disappearance'

DJ Ano poses for the camera in a photograph timestamped on November 10.

Local magazine claims the popular TV presenter returned to Cambodia last week unharmed despite reported razor attackPOLICE have no plans to investigate the alleged attack on popular television presenter DJ Ano and her subsequent disappearance from public view since no complaint has been filed in the case, senior police officials told the Post."How can we investigate it?" said Interior Ministry Penal Police Chief Mok Chito, adding that neither Ano, whose real name is Suon Pheakdei, nor her family have lodged a formal complaint.Rumours have been swirling that Ano was attacked with razor blades by the wife of a high-ranking official and that, fearing for her life and in desperate need of medical treatment, she fled to Vietnam.But the Khmer-language newspaper Rasmey Kampuchea reported Monday that the starlet has denied ever being attacked and would file a lawsuit against anyone claiming that she was the victim of an assault.Seng Sitheang, the publisher of Angkor Thom magazine, said that his colleague met with Ano last week and that he took 85 photos of her that showed no evidence of an attack.Him Vichet, a reporter at Angkor Thom magazine, said Ano returned to Cambodia on November 9 without any visible injuries and that he interviewed her the following day."I looked at her, and her face and body are still the same. There were no scars on her. Her face is still nice," Him Vichet said.Ano told Him Vichet that she did not go to Vietnam, but instead went on a three-country tour, he said.Ano's employer, TV3 Director General Kham Poun Keomony, called her case "her own personal story" and did not know details of her disappearance.He said, however, that he had heard that Ano was healthy."I do not know her whereabouts, but I have heard that she is well. If she is well, we will welcome her back at TV3," Kham Poun Keomony said.

Thai soldier killed while stepping on a landmine near Preah Vihear temple

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Thai soldier patrolling near Preah Vihear temple stepped on a landmine and was killed in the afternoon of 16 November. This death increases the number of Thai aggression soldier casualties to about 20. According to a report published by a Thai newspaper on 17 November, the landmine explosion that took the life of a Thai soldier took place in the afternoon of 16 November, near the Daun Av pass, located about 3 km from the Preah Vihear temple. General Kanuk Netrakakvesa, commander of the Thai Surani army unit, indicated that the 22-year-old Thai soldier who was killed was attached to Army Unit No. 2 from Ubon Ratchani province. This soldier stepped on the landmine and was killed on the spot. Thai army officials indicated that this Thai soldier was talking to his relatives on his cellphone during his patrol when he stepped on the landmine that killed him. This incident caused a lot of emotion among his relatives.

Cambodia's Khmer Rouge executioner

In early 1999, in a village in northwest Cambodia, an elderly man introduced himself to a journalist.He was Hong Pen, he said, a former teacher from the capital, Phnom Penh. He spoke good English and was wearing the T-shirt of an American aid organisation.But the journalist recognised his face - it matched a photograph he had carried with him for several months.The picture was of Comrade Duch, the former head of Tuol Sleng prison.There, during the four years of Khmer Rouge rule, 17,000 men, women and children were interrogated and tortured. Then they were killed, their bodies tossed into mass graves.The chance meeting with the journalist led to Duch's detention.Tomorrow he becomes the first of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders to go on trial at Cambodia's UN-backed genocide court. He has argued that he was obeying orders from above and that he would have been killed if he had defied his superiors.But that is unlikely to earn him forgiveness in a country where what happened at Tuol Sleng has become the most powerful and prominent symbol of the atrocities that took place under the Khmer Rouge regime.School teacher Duch was born Kaing Guek Eav in the central province of Kampong Thom in the early 1940s.He excelled at mathematics and so won places at top schools.After graduation he studied for his teaching certificate in Phnom Penh. It was there that he met students from China and became drawn to communist ideology.Later he became a high school teacher, earning a reputation as a tough and exacting instructor. But his leftist activism had attracted the attention of the police and in the late 1960s he was detained for several months.By then conflict was spreading through the country. US and South Vietnamese forces had invaded Cambodia in search of communists from north Vietnam. They bombed swathes of eastern Cambodia, driving villagers into the arms of leftist rebels fighting the unpopular US-backed government.Duch joined the rebels, who were calling themselves the Khmer Rouge. He served as a sector security chief and, in 1971, spent three months interrogating captured French anthropologist Francois Bizot.Mr Bizot described him as a "truth seeker", someone "looking for the absolutes in life". He later learned that his release came about because Duch was convinced of his innocence and had appealed on his behalf.It was a rare act of mercy from Duch, who was soon to be promoted.Killing fields On 17 April 1975, after years of fighting, Khmer Rouge guerrillas took Phnom Penh. It was the start of nearly four years of horror for Cambodia.Currency was abolished and city dwellers sent to work in the fields, where hundreds of thousands starved to death. Enemies of the regime - a designation that was interpreted broadly - were eliminated with chilling efficiency. Tuol Sleng, of which Duch became the director, was a key part of that killing machine. The regime's most prominent jail, also known as S21, was housed in a former high school in the centre of the city.Thousands of people - officials from the old government, those accused of being middle class and latterly Khmer Rouge officials suspected of disloyalty - were brought to the prison.Their presence in Tuol Sleng meant that they had already been condemned. Once inside, they were weighed and photographed. Then the questioning began.Prisoners were told to write detailed confessions setting out their disloyalty. They were told to admit they were spies and implicate friends and family. Refusing to confess was not an option, and those that tried were brutally tortured. Many were tortured anyway.Top-ranking prisoners were kept alive for months to ensure that their confessions - often methodically checked and annotated by Duch - were complete. Less important inmates were processed in a shorter time. Either way, the final journey was the same.Prisoners were taken to the "killing fields" at Choeung Ek, a few kilometres outside Phnom Penh. There they were killed, sometimes after digging their own graves.Children of the condemned were not spared. Today a sign stands next to a tree at Choeung Ek. It reads: "Killing tree against which executioners beat children".Less than a dozen prisoners are known to have survived incarceration at Tuol Sleng. When a Vietnamese invasion forced the Khmer Rouge from power in January 1979, a photographer found inmates' corpses rotting in the otherwise deserted building.'Couldn't help' The Khmer Rouge retreated to strongholds in the northwest, and Duch went with them.He spent years living on the border with Thailand. He learned to speak English and at several points worked for aid organisations. He also returned to teaching and, in the mid-1990s, converted to Christianity.When photojournalist Nic Dunlop identified him in April 1999, he had settled with his children near Battambang.In a subsequent interview with Mr Dunlop and another journalist, Nate Thayer, he talked of his role at Tuol Sleng. He had done very bad things, he said, but the orders came from the Khmer Rouge's central committee."Whoever was arrested must die. It was the rule of our party," he said. "S21 had no right to arrest anybody. We had the responsibility to interrogate and give the confession to the central committee of the party."Almost eight years later, in an interview with The Independent, he said he could not have changed anything."If I had tried to flee, they were holding my family hostage, and my family would have suffered the same fate as the other prisoners in Tuol Sleng. If I had fled or rebelled it would not have helped anyone," he said.Duch has spent much of the last decade in detention. In July last year he was charged with crimes against humanity by the genocide tribunal.In the coming months, the court will decide whether a man who presided over an estimated 17,000 executions can really claim to have been powerless.

Thailand protested against the raising of Unesco flags at Preah Vihear temple

(L-R): Unesco flag, World Heritage flag and a Cambodian flag which were raised on 7th of November in the Preah Vihear complex.

The raising of the Unesco flags and the Khmer Kathen ceremony at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak have enraged Thailand which led it to lodge a strong protest.Radio Free Asia’s reporter based in Thailand reported that Thailand has protested in a statement issued on Friday, 14th of November, 2008.The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested against a number of activities performed by Khmer authority in the Preah Vihear areas where one activity took place on the 7th of November and the other took place on the 12th of November. Thailand accused that these sorts of activities have violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity.On the 7th of November, Khmer and Unesco officials have raised Unesco flags in the Preah Vihear complex and on the 12th of November, the Khmer authority has held a Kathen ceremony inside the Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda.In a statement issued on Friday the 14th of November, the Thai Foreign Ministry has said that it had sent a protest letter to Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs because the Cambodian authority did not inform the Thai side about its activities in the areas and accused Cambodia of violating Thailand’s territory around the Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda.The Thai Foreign Ministry has accused Cambodia of violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity because Cambodia’s activity on the 7th of November include the raising of three flags on the towers of the Preah Vihear temple and the construction of two large signposts on the staircase of the temple. Thailand has accused the Cambodian officials who went to raise the flags by crossing through its territory without prior permission from the Thai authority.There is no news regarding the Cambodian reactions to the protest of the Thai Foreign Ministry.However, Cambodian border activists based in Europe has reacted to the Thai protest.Mr. Kiri Setha, a Khmer from The Netherlands, said: “The raising of the Unesco flags, flags representing the International Court of Justice and Cambodian flags is the sovereignty of Cambodia in order to confirm the ownership of its heritage. And the holding of a Kathen ceremony at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak is purely a Cambodian matter, it’s the right of Cambodia.”Mr. Kiri Setha said that, because of the outrage against Thai invasion of the Cambodian territories that caused about 270 Khmer people from around the world to stage a demonstration in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands, on the 1st of November.Those 270 protesters include Khmer people from Cambodia, France, The Netherlands, Norway, America, Canada as well as from Germany.

The latest military situation in Preah Vihear: The Thai side reinforces troops and they began digging new trenches

Picture of Thai troops digging new trenches in the frontline.

Despite calm along the disputed borders at Preah Vihear, the Thai side is still reinforcing the troops and their troops began digging new trenches. According to sources from the Khmer troops in the frontline, on the 12th of November, about 50-60 Thai troops have been seen sent to the area that was agreed to keep only 60 troops from each side. Those Thai troops were seen digging new trenches and cutting big trees to use as covers of their trenches.The Khmer troops said that the new Thai trenches were bigger and stronger than the previous ones. They said that they’ve seen about 10 trenches and many more were hidden inside the jungle.A Khmer commander of the Intervention Force of Division 12 has told Radio Free Asia by telephone that at 5am on the morning of the 8th November, the 10 Thai troops which were based at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak had begun to withdraw and by 6:30am on that morning all the troops have left the temple. But later they had returned.The numbers of Khmer-Thai frontline troops had been cut down to 60 troops on each side between the 6th-8th of November. And at the same time, all the trenches are required to be filled up.The troop re-deployments were agreed in a meeting between Khmer and Thai commanders held at the Red House in Thai territory opposite the Preah Vihear temple on the 6th of November.Please note that the reinforcements and the trench-diggings by the Thai side happened at the same time as the Khmer-Thai ministerial meeting in Siem Reap which only achieved temporary agreements that need to be ratified by the Thai parliament before they can be signed.Observers of the many Khmer-Thai meeting said that, whenever there is a meeting the Thai side always caused trouble because Thailand has no good intention to push for a fruitful result, especially during the meeting they have never respected the agreement, such as the reinforcements and the diggings of the trenches at the same time as the negotiations.Gen. Srey Doek, commander of the Intervention Force of division 12, said that the Thai side did not dig any trenches, they just built a few camping shelters. He said that the Cambodian side has done the same. Gen. Srey Doek said that, those camping shelters were covered with sacks of sands and that those reinforced Thai soldiers just came only to build those camps.Gen. Srey Doek said that the 10 Thai soldiers based at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda have not been withdrawn yet, they just change into civilian clothes. They are not forbidden from wearing military uniforms but they are forbidden from carrying weapons.Please note that during a meeting of the two foreign ministers in Siem Reap on the 12th of November, 2008, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong proposed for the withdrawal of the Thai troops from Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda and from the areas surrounding Preah Vihear temple, but Thai foreign minister, Mr. Sompong Amornvivat, replied that the troop withdrawals have to be approved by the Thai parliament.

2008 vehicle stickers: Purchase date cutoff set to 25 November

Mob Sarin, the Phnom Penh vice-governor, reminded motorists about the legal date cutoff for the purchase of 2008 vehicle stickers. The 2008 stickers were put to sale until November 15. However, because of numerous holidays during this period (Independence Day, Water Festival), the cutoff date for the purchase was delayed to 25 November. According to an announce issued by Keat Chhon, the minister of Economy and Finance, those who buy the stickers after 26 November will have to pay a fine amounting to the double of the sticker cost. Vehicle stickers cost 5,000 riels ($1.25) for motorcycles, and 80,000 riels ($20) for cars. The price increases according to the number of car motor cyclinders.The stickers, put on sale since 15 August, were bought by about 80% of the motorists, Mob Sarin indicated.

Rumours of the sacking Governor Kep Chutema and replacing him with Mr. Pa Socheatvong has caused a stir

Kampuchea Thmey Newspaper 15th November, 2008 News of the sacking of Governor Kep Chutema (pictured) on the morning of 12th November, and that he was replaced by Deputy Governor Pa Socheatvong, has caused a stir. The source of the rumours has said that they hear this story from one of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s confidants.Whether this information is credible or not, the government spokesman has denied that it is untrue.Mr. Khieu Kanharith, spokesman for the government, told Kampuchea Thmey newspaper that Governor Kep Chutema has not been sacked and that he is still the governor of Phnom Penh City. Mr. Kanharith considers these information as baseless rumours concocted by someone who want to exploit them for their own gains.Mr. Kep Chutema has told Kampuchea Thmey newspaper that he did not know anything about this because he is busy supervising the rubbish collections from all city parks to make the city clean after the Water Festival.Mr. Kep Chutema said: “The reshuffle of the officials’ positions is the job of the government. I don’t know anything about it. But in my capacity as the governor of the city, I have the duties to organise a rubbish collection to make the city beautiful. I can’t leave the rubbish to litter the city for too long after the Water Festival had ended.”Mr. Pa Socheatvong has denied to Kampuchea Thmey newspaper that he know nothing about this information and that he did not know where these rumours came from.Mr. Pa Socheatvong said: “I am surprised about these rumours too. Why these sorts of information have been concocted without any basis. Now I am in the middle of the funeral of Gen. Hok Lundy in Svay Rieng. So I truly don’t know all of these rumours.”Prime Minister Hun Sen used to warn anyone who spread rumours about the sacking and the appointment of government officials. He warned that these sorts of information are created with the intention to cause turmoil.Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that these sorts of information will cause the affected officials to lose confidence in the performances of their institutional duties

Life under the prosperous Hun Sen regime as recounted by a pro-Hun Sen newspaper

Grandma Long Hang begging for help

Nearby villagers came to tell the hardship story and the lady's loneliness.

Blind lonely old lady

Friday, November 14, 2008

Kampot – A blind old grandmother lives alone in a miserable-looking hut built next to the side of the road, this is the lonely life of this woman in this desolated home. This is life’s fate for this lonely lady who has nothing left but wait for the day she will die. The old woman survives by begging so she can get some money to buy rice and continue her livelihood. Nevertheless, her total blindness and her loneliness create even more hardship for her.The 70-year-old woman by the name Long Hang lives in Kan Trung village, Tany commune, Angkor Chey district, Kampot province. She became completely blind about three years ago.While she still had her eyesight, she used to live with her nephew-in-law, but when she lost her sight, this nephew kicked her out of his house and she became very desperate. Nearby villagers then decided to build her a small hut covered with plastic tarp and coconut leaves, as well as a few wooden planks along the side of the road. They also left a small water jar for her use. It is very pitiful to see her living in such dire situation, can you imagine your own mother living under such hardship condition? Currently, she survives by sitting on the street side walk begging people for money along National Road 31, near Kan Trung village, about 80-meter from the Tany commune office. Some of the travelers who saw her hardship would stop by and give her some alms, while others would just ignore her completely. Currently, she is attacked by bouts of diarrhea because she does not have enough to eat, and she is now very ill, miserably lying on the wooden floor of her hut from morning till night.Grandma Long Hang seems genuinely happy when she met the Koh Santepheap reporter. She hopes that the newspaper would publish her story and that generous people would provide her with some help. She is begging all Samaritans to please have mercy on her and provide her with some help.

Cambodian, Thai FMs to meet today over border

A Cambodian soldier walks near Preah Vihear temple

12 November 2008

FOREIGN Minister Hor Namhong is expected to meet today with his Thai counterpart, Sompong Amornvivat, at the culmination of three days of talks over disputed territory on the border between Cambodia and Thailand.The negotiations follow what officials have called "big steps" made towards resolving a standoff on the border that pitted troops from the two countries against each other in a deadly shootout last month.However, Var Kimhong, head of Cambodia's border committee, said Tuesday's meeting struggled to find points of agreement because participants did not have the authority to make policy decisions."We need more time and high-level decisions," he said.But Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told the Post Tuesday that officials over the past two days have prepared the way for the two foreign ministers to meet.Tuesday's talks focused on demarcating the border around Preah Vihear temple, the 11th-century World Heritage site that was the flashpoint for the most recent border crisis, which erupted in July when Thai troops took up positions inside Cambodia near the temple."The agenda was to address border demarcation at Preah Vihear and also the withdrawal of troops from the area," Phay Siphan said. Koy Kuong, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the foreign ministers' meeting today would build on the progress made since the start of the week between Cambodian and Thai border committees.Military sources say troops from both sides have drawn back from the front lines, but remain skeptical that this round of negotiations will result in any significant results.

DJ Ano is the fifth attack victim of a love triangle jealousy

Actress DJ Ano (pictured) is the fifth victim of a jealousy attack because of a love triangle with the husband of a powerful lady.Actress Suon Pheakdei or DJ Ano was reportedly named as missing in the past few days by a human right organisation Adhoc after razor blade attacks on her a few days earlier.Mr. Chan Saveth, investigator for Adhoc, said that DJ Ano resides at two addresses in Phnom Penh but, after the attack, all members of her family had fled the addresses due fears for their safety.He blamed the authority for whitewashing these kinds of crimes which led to continuous attacks that killed many people. He said: “We knew that she had disappeared for more than three weeks and these sorts of crimes cannot be allowed to go unpunished. The police must investigate this case thoroughly because it is a criminal case. If the police refuse to investigate, it will have an impact on the implementation of our laws.”

Media sources and internet bloggers, since Monday, have written that 27 year-old Suon Pheakdei or DJ Ano, a presenter of TV3, has been attacked with 83 razor blade cuts to her body. The same sources said that DJ Ano was seen bundled into a car by 4 bodyguards of a powerful woman at Chamkar Morn district because the lady accused DJ Ano of having an affair with her husband.Despite this report, the chief of Chamkar Morn police, Inspector Ouch Sokhon, denied that his police knew anything about this kidnap.Officials from TV3 station and many actors and actresses are now afraid to make any comments. Up until now, news about miss Ano’s case is still not very clear.Touch Naroth, Commissioner of Phnom Penh Police, said that he will launch an unofficial investigation into the disappearance of Miss DJ Ano after the rumours circulating that Miss DJ Ano died from the razor blade wounds. He promised to arrest the culprits if the story is true.Mr. Touch Naroth said: “It is not that we didn’t do anything or we ignore the case. We want to see our society become a clean society, free of crimes. We had tried our best, but crimes are committed in every societies, so we will try to investigate. We never ignore any cases but we need all the evidences before we can investigate because in this case we don’t have any complaints, we don’t have any evidences, we don’t have a crime scene. So we will launch an unofficial investigation first to see where it will lead us to because we also heard about all these rumours too.”Mr. Ieng Sithuol, President of Cambodian Artists Association, said that he heard about the attacks on Miss Ano and he heard about the rumours that she had died after she was sent to be treated overseas.Mr. Ieng Sithuol said: “I regret the irresponsible actions of some individuals. The use of violence on each other, especially on artists, for me, I don’t support it. We appeal to the government to find justice for all artists, in all the cases.”Sources from human right groups said that Miss DJ Ano is the fifth person attacked in a love triangle, after actress Pisith Pilika was shot dead, singer Touch Sunnich was shot and maimed, actress Tat Marina was laced with acid and singer Pov Panhapich was shot last year which mad her a disabled person until today.President of the Centre for Women in Crisis, Miss Vadhi Say, said that often many cases of attacks on women in a love triangle with powerful government officials have never been solved. She said that, the men who are involved in a love triangle can be considered as co-conspirators of the crimes as well.She appeals for the perpetrators to face the laws, otherwise the crimes of these sorts will continue to be perpetrated. She said: “First, laws must be applied. The women who committed these crimes must be punished by the laws. Second, the authority must take actions so that these sorts of crimes can be stopped. If not, these sorts of crimes will continue. Their husbands are the ones who are adulterous but they go around killing other people. It doesn’t matter how many women they have killed, if their husbands are adulterous they will still be adulterous. They have to take some actions to resolved their family problems or they can discuss the matter with their own husbands. Why do they have to do like that? Sometimes, our family problems we must try to solve them. If our husbands are like that, who cannot be satisfied with one partners, why do we have to put up with them? This is called domestic violence and if we stay, it is like we are torturing ourselves.”Up until now, no perpetrators of these sorts of crimes have been apprehended and punished. Commissioner of Phnom Penh Police claimed that the police have not found the perpetrators yet and that the investigations are still continuing.//

‘Same Positions’ at Temple Following Talks [-The useless talk?]

Soldiers had not moved from their positions near Preah Vihear temple Friday, two days after tentative agreements by Thai and Cambodian officials to withdraw troops from a disputed pagoda on the border.Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his counterpart, Sompong Amornvivat agreed in Siem Reap Wednesdday to withdraw soldiers from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and from positions surrounding it.However, Maj. Gen. Srey Doeuk, commander of Intervention Division 12, based in Preah Vihear, said that following the meetings in Siem Reap, Thai soldiers remain in and around the pagoda."It seems like the Thai forces have kept the same positions before and after the meeting," he said

Thailand's deposed PM Thaksin divorces wife: spokesman

A doormat depicting former Thai premier

Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman in Bangkok

Saturday, November 15, 2008

BANGKOK (AFP) — Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife of 32 years have divorced, his spokesman said Saturday.Thai newspapers reported that the divorce was finalised at the Thai consulate in Hong Kong on Friday, but Thaksin's spokesman Phongthep Thepkanjana said he could not confirm details."I have had it confirmed by a credible person in his team that Thaksin and Pojaman have divorced. But I have no details," Phongthep told AFP.There was no immediate comment from the Thai consulate.Thaksin, 59, and Pojaman, 51, have been living in exile to avoid jail sentences in their homeland and last week had their British visas cancelled.Thaksin was toppled in a military coup in 2006.A source close to Thaksin's family in Thailand confirmed the report but said that it would be a "divorce on paper" for practical or economic reasons."Thaksin and his wife remain very close and they are even closer since their problems began in Thailand," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Bondasa Hor 3 - "The 3H curse": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Click on the poem in Khmer to zoom in

Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Thailand still dreaming: It claims that Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak is inside Thailand, why is there no Thai monks there?

Khmer Monks inside Khmer pagoda Wat Keo Sekha Kiri

Svarak which is located inside Cambodia territory

Thailand protests Cambodia over religious ceremony at disputed temple

BANGKOK, Nov 15 (TNA) - Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a protest against Cambodian authorities who performed a religious ceremony at a temple located in Thai territory.In an Aide-Memoire dated November 13, the Thai government protested Cambodia’s Kathin ceremony which was held at Keo Sikha Kiri Savara pagoda on November 12.Thai officials in the border province of Si Saket reported seeing around 500 Cambodian people at the temple.

"Such action was considered a blatant and willful violation of Thailand’s sovereignty as the crowd had entered Thai soil without permission from the Thai government," said the aide-memoire.The statement also mentioned Thailand still maintained its standpoint in working constructively and closely with Cambodia within the existing framework of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary or JBC to resolve their border conflict in a peaceful manner.

Cross border trade shows VN demand for high quality rice

Motor-tricycles loaded with large bags of Cambodian

and Thai rice park near Xuan To bridge

15/11/2008 VietNamNet Bridge - Long lines of motor-tricycles loaded with large bags of rice are parked near the Xuan To Bridge in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang that lies on the border with Cambodia. These tricycles have transported rice from Cambodia into Vietnam and are waiting for traders to collect it.On the Vinh Te canal, ships loaded with rice from Cambodia are berthed close together. At least five large purchase points have recently been set up near the canal to purchase rice from Cambodian traders for supplying local markets.Each point has its own team of stevedores. Po Tha, a Cambodian stevedore, says, “Our team consists of 30 members. We carry over 300 tons of rice from storehouses to ships every day.”“It’s estimated that 1,500 tons of rice are transported to An Giang Province from Cambodia through Tinh Bien border gate daily,” says Giang Lam, deputy director of the Tinh Bien Border Customs. “Most of them are Khaodak Mali, a long- grain rice variety from Thailand and a small- grain rice variety from Cambodia. Both are good varieties of rice whose flavor, aroma and softness suit the taste of the local people.”In fact, traders from provinces throughout the Mekong Delta, southern granary of Vietnam, flock to the purchase points to buy rice. Khaodak Mali is sold at VND5.300 a kilo and the Cambodian small-grain rice at VND 5,000 per kilo. After they are unhusked, the rice will be distributed through wholesale channels to retailers in the provinces of Tien Giang, Long An, Dong Thanh, and Can Tho; and in HCM City.Tran Thanh Hao, a rice retailer in Tinh Bien, says farmers in the Mekong Delta grow high- yielding rice like IR50401 and 3217 to supply the local market, but now more and more Vietnamese consumers buy Thai and Cambodian rice because of both their taste and prices.In fact, Tinh Bien is not the only border gate through which a large volume of Thailand and Cambodian rice are transported to Vietnam everyday. Thousands of tons are finding their way into Vietnamese markets through other Southwestern border gates including Khanh Binh and Vinh Xuong in An Giang Province, Thuong Phuoc in Dong Thap Province and Ha Tien in Kien Giang Province.The imports from Thailand and Cambodia prove there is a large demand in the local market for high quality, tasty rice.However, the nation’s famed rice granary, Mekong Delta, grows high quality rice for export and high-yielding rice for the local market, while consumers are demanding rice of better quality.If the national agricultural sector can not supply rice of the quality desired by consumers, they will have little choice but to seek other sources in other countries. Consumers can not be forced to eat rice of lower quality all the time, market observers say.Huynh The Nang, deputy chairman of the An Giang Province People’s Committee, says that agricultural production in the Mekong delta so far has only paid attention to growing high-grade rice for export, and that it is time for the provincial authorities shifted their attention to local demand.He added that relevant authorities in the agricultural and trading sectors should reconsider the structure of export and local markets for rice and work together to prepare a proper plan to boost production in the coming winter-spring crop to serve both markets.

Kathen Ceremonies Held in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak or Wat Prasat Preah Vihear Pagoda raised $180,000

The top picture: Gen. Hing Bunheang made donations

to the monks and bottom picture: the monks receiving

donations of consumption goods

14th November, 2008

Preah Vihear: In the morning of the 12th of November, two Kathen ceremonies were organised by Samdech Hun Sen and Lady Bun Rany Hun Sen in associations with some government institutions as well as authorities of Preah Vihear province and Siem Reap province to take the donations to Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak or Wat Prasat Preah Vihear pagoda.The Kathen ceremonies brought donations for four pagodas, including Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak or Wat Prasat Preah Vihear pagoda, Wat Kiri Seima pagoda called Wat Phum Muoy, Wat Tejak Raingsey called Wat Phum Svay Chrum and Wat Sra-Em Ratanram called Wat Phum Sra-Em pagoda. These four pagodas are located in Kantuot commune, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province.The money raised during the Kathen ceremonies on that day amounted to 720 million riels ($US180,000) plus some consumption goods. The money raised and the consumption goods donated will be given to the four pagodas named above, ie. Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak will receive 300 million riels ($US75,000), Wat Kiri Seima will receive 100 million riels ($US25,000), Wat Tejak Raingsey will receive 100 million riels ($US25,000) and Wat Sra-Em Ratanaram will receive 100 million riels ($US25,000). Other than the four temples, 100 million riels ($US25,000) of the Kathen money have been donated to the soldiers stationed at the Preah Vihear frontlines, 20 million riels ($US5,000) was given to the organising committee of the Kathen at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak and as well as donations to the 80 Buddhist monks residing at the temple where each monk receives 200,000 riels ($US50). The money donated to the 80 Buddhist monks are money donated by private donors, not the money taken out from the Kathen.

Neth Savoeun: It doesn’t matter if he is a nephew-in-law of the prime minister, what matters is he is simply…. the best

14th November, 2008 Lt-Gen. Neth Savoeun (pictured), Deputy Police Commissioner, has been appointed Police Commissioner in a decree signed by King Sihamoni to replace Gen. Hok Lundy, who was killed in a helicopter crash (on the 9th of November). The news of his appointment thrilled many police officers, despite there are concerns from civil societies of the independence of the police force.Gen. Mok Chito, Chief of the Directorate of Penal Police of the Ministry of Interior, said that the appointment of Gen. Neth Savoeun as the National Police Commissioner is simply the best because Gen. Neth Savoeun have been a police officer for a long time and he knew the police force very well. He cares about the welfare of his police officers and he has helped to modernise the police force. And so, all the police officers are happy to see him appointed as Police Commissioner.Gen. Mok Chito said that Gen. Neth Savoeun have been a police officer since 1979 when he was appointed as the director of the office of penal police of Phnom Penh City. Other than supports from police officers, the appointment of Gen. Neth Savoeun has received supports from many public servants as well.One public servant, who wish to remain anonymous, said that Gen. Neth Savoeun’s new position is not his first position. Before this, he was already a Deputy Commissioner of the National Police. What the public has never heard about Gen. Neth Savoeun was that he never had any scandals nor has he done anything wrong against the people in his capacity as a police officer. This public servant added that he hopes Gen. Neth Savoeun will continue to lead the police force toward a better force that can provide security and safety for the people.Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, president of the human right organisation Licadho, said that she wish to see the Police Force and Military Police Force perform their duties independent from political interferences. Mrs. Pung Chiv Kek said that, it doesn’t matter whether Gen. Neth Savoeun is the nephew-in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen, what is important is for him to respect human rights, find justice for the people, make Cambodia a law-abiding and a democratic society. If all of these can be achieved, it will lead to more foreign investments which will make the country more prosperous.However, Mrs Pung Chiv Kek said that, to avoid criticism, the person appointed to the position of the National Police Commissioner should be a neutral person. She added that the best person for the job is a person who is not related to the prime minister of the country and not affiliated with any political parties.Mrs. Pung Chiv Kek added that she wish to see the standard of the police force improved so that the force is fully competent to perform its own duties independently in order to avoid criticism of corruption that plagued the current police force.Gen. Neth Savoeun was married to Mrs. Hun Kimleng, who is the daughter of Governor Hun Neng and a niece of Prime Minister Hun Sen, in 1990 when he was Commissioner of Phnom Penh Police. Gen. Neth Savoeun has three daughters. He rose through the ranks of police force until he reached his current top job. He has been a director of the office of penal police of Phnom Penh City, a deputy commissioner and commissioner of Phnom Penh Police, director of penal police and head of economic police of Ministry of Interior, re-appointed a Commissioner of Phnom Penh Police before becoming chief of Central Directorate of Justice Police in 2000. Gen. Neth Savoeun was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of National Police in charge of Justice Affairs until 2008.

Off to the races in Siem Reap

Tens of thousands turned out to watch the gripping first day's heats in this year's Water Festival boat races along the crowded banks of the Siem Reap River

A team of dragon boat racers paddle their heavily

loaded vessel toward the finish line during a race on the

Siem Reap River Tuesday.

SIEM REAP: THE Water Festival's annual boat race in Siem Reap started dramatically Tuesday afternoon when two boats sank. Normally, this could have disqualified them, but Deputy Governor Chan Sophan told the Post the boats were permitted back into the race Wednesday.The banks of the Siem Reap river were lined with almost 30,000 people at the beginning of the race on Tuesday.Vendors selling sugar cane, fried goodies and balloons mingled among the well-behaved crowd, and at night children squealed with delight as fireworks lit up the sky, with the river transformed into a nighttime wonderland of beautiful lights.After three days of racing, this year's winners will be chosen from the 28 all-male boats and six boats with female crews.Choung Ratana, general secretary of City Hall, said the winners for both the male and female divisions will receive four million riels (US$1,000), second-place winners will receive two million riels and third-place winners will receive one million riels.Also, because the same boat won both divisions last year and the year before, a special trophy will be awarded if that boat notches up a hat trick and comes first again this year.Ouk Sareth, head of the race's technical committee, said boat teams of 22 individuals row 500 metres down river. The teams are divided into four groups, which compete tournament- style until a winner is selected. Addy Otto, a Dutch tourist, said hype about the race had been building for days. "We don't know who's racing against whom, but we like the hustling around," said Otto. "It's very exciting." Ben Gyllan, a tourist from New Caledonia, likened the race to those he had seen in French Polynesia, with the teams' colours creating a brilliant spectacle.

One death, three sinkings this year

Only one rower, from Pursat, drowned in this year's Water Festival, organisers said, following a disastrous 2007 that saw five Singaporean racers die after their boat capsized, as well as the death of one Cambodian. But three, boats did sink, said Bou Chomsarey, an undersecretary of state with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Last year's tragedy kept foreign boats out of this week's races, he added. "We didn't have any foreign boats join this year because we didn't invite them," he said.

Siem Reap Scene...

Children's hospital gets $5,000 donation

Kampuchea House (Australia) Inc, the governing body of Siem Reap's Kampuchea House orphanage, has approved a donation of US$5,000 to the Angkor Hospital for Children.The cheque will be officially handed to the hospital on Boxing Day, December 26, with the money coming from funds raised during the 2008 Big Cambodian Bike Ride.Kampuchea House CEO Les Stott, together with Tom Wilkins, a grade 11 student at Wesley College in Melbourne, Australia, set off on September 22 to cycle for five days on a 657km odyssey from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham, up to Kratie, and then on to Stung Treng.The charity ride, publicised in Australia, raised just over A$30,000, although the final amount has taken a bit of a battering due to the Aussie dollar plunge.Les Stott, who has just returned from Vietnam, said he couldn't have hoped for a better result."I'm ecstatic about the amount that was raised. I never imagined we'd get that much," he said."I'm also very pleased that we can give a cheque to the hospital because part of our philosophy is to be more than just an orphanage and to be directly involved in the Siem Reap community."Stott said he also makes the NGO's tuk-tuk and car available in town for community emergencies such as trips to hospital, which has recently paid off."We had an emergency with a three-day-old boy who couldn't breathe properly. We got him and his mum to hospital in time, simply because we had the transport on hand."

Gay-friendly resort to open next month

The Golden Banana gay-friendly accommodation empire just keeps growing: hot on the heels of the Golden Banana B & B and the Golden Banana Boutique Hotel comes the Golden Banana Resort. The 16-room resort next to the hotel, under construction for the last eight months, is scheduled to open at the end of December. The opening itself promises to be an eyebrow-raiser: the celebration will include a prayer ceremony by local monks and a drag show.Dirk De Graaff, general manager of both the hotel and the resort, hopes this year's opening will be as festive as that held two years ago for the opening of the boutique hotel. "We ended up with 60 people in the pool, including locals, neighbours and old ladies. It was great fun," he said.De Graaff says the new accommodation house should be able to be revenue-accretive in Siem Reap's crowded hotel industry because of its niche marketing point-of-difference, which emphasises a smaller and cosier feel. "Westerners especially like the atmosphere here a lot. We've always been fully booked, so we've added another hotel. My guests don't want to stay in big places. On holiday, they want to see some of the culture, and staying in a big place leaves some feeling alienated from the local culture." The Golden Banana Resort, which has already begun placing guests in 10 of its 16 rooms, takes a sleeker, more modern and luxurious approach than the boutique hotel, which is decorated with Khmer silks and old wooden beds. As a quirky touch, each resort room has an outdoor bath and shower. "People like to bathe outdoors," said De Graaff, "so I hope they'll enjoy this." The resort will also have its own pool, separate from the pool used by the boutique hotel and bed and breakfast.

NGOs give hospital $50,000 in titanium

A donation to Siem Reap Hospital of titanium pins, plates, screws and tools to repair broken bones has proved a boon for locals. Sim Chreng, 42, a farmer's wife from O'Ang Rai village, Tropang Tov commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, is certainly appreciative.She was travelling to Siem Reap with her husband and daughter to get tuberculosis medicine for her child when she was involved in a motorbike traffic accident.Her husband and daughter received minor injuries, but Sim Chreng's leg was badly broken. Luckily, she was brought to Siem Reap Hospital, where urgent medical assistance and titanium pins gave her full use of her leg again.Dr Doung Rada, 51, a surgeon in the hospital's emergency ward, conducted the operation and supervised follow-up treatment. He said that, with the donated titanium pins and plates, the hospital was able to treat up to 15 accident victims a month, some of whom may have had to undergo amputations if the material were not available. The titanium donation, valued at about US$50,000, was organised by Food and Agriculture Organisation Siem Reap team leader David Thompson, whose daughter Christine back in Scotland rounded up redundant titanium material and organised for it to be donated via the National Health Service in Edinburgh.The donation is officially part of contributions by the Fisheries Administration, FAO, Asian Development Bank and the Tonle Sap Environmental Management Project.

Actors named for angkor theatrical

Actress Sin Sakada and actor Tep Rindaro

Tith Thavrith, the director of the "Legend of Angkor Wat" spectacular to be held in Siem Reap December 5 to January 31, has named the lead actors for the show. Tith Thavrith, who is also the general manager of Bayon TV, said Tep Rindaro will be the lead actor and Sin Sakada will perform as the principal apsara. She is currently a professor at the faculty of art and culture at the Royal University of Culture and Fine Arts. On special occassions, she performs for royals and dignitaries visiting Cambodia.Tep Rindaro will play the part of Henri Mouhot, the 19th century French explorer credited with "discovering" Angkor Wat. Tep Rindaro has been in the movie industry for more than 20 years and became well known for his role in the 1989 movie Art Kam Bang Kech Sanya (Secret of Agreement). His current movie is Pka Ma Orm, broadcast on Bayon TV. This year's show will also have an additional scene in which actors and actresses will be more interactive with the audience.

Saltus set to play Cambodian open

Bryan Saltus, last year's winner of the inaugural Cambodian Open golf tournament, has confirmed to Scene that he will compete in the event again this December."I am 100 percent going to play Cambodia this year," he said in an email this week.He also confirmed that he will hold a clinic for junior golfers in Cambodia with the help of major sponsors Callaway and GEL Golf. "The sponsors haven't told me when it will be held yet, but I will know that soon," he said.The tournament will be held at Sofitel Hotel's Phokeethra Country Club golf course from December 8 to 14.Meanwhile, Siem Reap's other golfing green, the Angkor Golf Resort, is now stocking a new range of golf accessories and apparel for the winter season, with a new Tiger Woods collection arriving in 2009.Footjoy's new Sciflex glove line is now available, as are Pro Dry Superlite golf shirts from Footjoy bearing the resort's logo.

Takeo's 'masters' of the Tonle Sap

The Kirivong Sok Senchey vies for an 11th-straight win

A vendor sells snacks along the Phnom Penh riverfront

Wednesday as thousands flocked to watch dragon

boats race on the second day of the Water Festival

Boat number 356, the Kirivong Sok Senchey from Takeo province, has routed all comers in a decadelong win streak that marks it as the crew to beat during this year's Bon Om Tuk boat races.Some 434 crews from across Cambodia have converged on Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river to contest this year's Water Festival races, vying for cash prizes and, more importantly, bragging rights for themselves and their province. The Kirivong crew have trained hard all morning. Their bodies are sweat-soaked and sore, but their attitude is predictably confident, even cocky."Nobody wants to compete with our boat," said Oum Chhun Streng, manager of the Kirivong crew. The only boat that dares [compete with us] ... is supported by prime minister hun sen, so of course they feel strong. "The only boat that dares is the Preah Phearon Sen Techeas, and that boat is supported by Prime Minister Hun Sen, so of course they feel strong."The Kirivong was built in the forest-rich Preah Vihear province, as Takeo lacks the necessary timber. It took one month to build and cost US$7,000.To the uninitiated, the Kirivong resembles just about every other boat on the water, but for the men who have powered it to victory over a ten-year stretch.It runs 33.8 metres in length and holds a crew of 75 able-bodied Takeo rowers, who can propel it some 1,700 metres in four minutes. Manager Oum Chhun Streng calls it "the fastest boat on the river".And despite his light mockery of Hun Sen's crew, Oum Chhun Streng and his crew also owe a debt to friends in high places. The Kirivong bears part of the name of Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who has also donated 120 kilograms of beef to feed the crew through the three days of racing.The crew trained twice a day for two weeks in the lead-up to this year's race, and while in the capital they will sleep on the boat - a small price to pay for a chance to compete.Crewman Soy Pormen, 42, said rowing comes as easy to him as breathing."Rowing is not difficult for me because I have done it for so many years. I get 3,000 riels (US$0.75) per day for coming to row here," he said."I must come to race in Phnom Penh because it is an old tradition that happens only once a year," he said.It is tradition, in the end, that drives the Kirivong crew, as much as the glory of winning."It is very important for us to follow our old traditions," he said.Officials estimate that as many as four million visitors will swell the streets and riverbanks of Phnom Penh during this year's celebrations.But winning has become a tradition in itself for the Kirivong, and a strong source of pride that Soy Pormen hopes to reaffirm this year for the city's potentially millions of spectators."The Water Festival is a great chance for people to come together from all around Cambodia. We must try very hard to keep our No 1 place in the festival. It is a source of great pride for our province," he said.

One death, three sinkings this year

Only one rower, from Pursat, drowned in this year's Water Festival, organisers said, following a disastrous 2007 that saw five Singaporean racers die after their boat capsized, as well as the death of one Cambodian. But three, boats did sink, said Bou Chomsarey, an undersecretary of state with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Last year's tragedy kept foreign boats out of this week's races, he added. "We didn't have any foreign boats join this year because we didn't invite them," he said.

PPenh closes another festival

Some revellers say better public order made for a more memorable celebration, but a major upset at the boat races has wrecked the year for one rowing crew

A young boy sits on the Phnom Penh riverbank

Wednesday night, watching a Water Festival fireworks

display on the second night of celebrations.

THE last dragon boats had crossed the finish line and the blare of the race announcer's voice over the speaker system had disappeared under the din of a city partying out the final few hours of this year's Water Festival.As the last concussion of the final burst of fireworks faded, Knol Samkol had only one complaint."I thought everything was great, but they only shot off fireworks for a few minutes," she said, standing amid the throng of party goers, talking loudly over the discord of wailing sirens and competing variety shows being played from multiple stages around the riverfront."Last year they launched fireworks for about an hour," the 27-year-old, who had traveled to Phnom Penh from Prey Veng province, added.Other visitors from the countryside commented on the more orderly nature of this year's festival, saying city officials had done a good job of curbing the chaos that often overtook previous celebrations, when millions of people descended on the city and partied unfettered for three days. Better than before"I come to join this ceremony every year, but I think this year I was happier than others because everything was so well organised, even the public parks," said Battambang native Ros Veasna, referring to the open spaces that had before become impromptu tent villages for crowds of rural folk with nowhere to stay."There is a difference between this year and before." I HAD HOPED WE WOULD KEEP OUR NUMBER ONE PLACE BUT WE LOST. City officials before the festival sought to "beautify" the city's riverside neighbourhoods in anticipation of the coming crowds. But their sometimes heavy-handed approach earned them criticism from rights groups, which said homeless people and other undesirables were simply being detained, out of sight.For Knol Samkol, city officials simply did not offer enough distractions beyond the obvious boats races and kerb-side shopping."The government should try to develop more for people to do during the Water Festival," she said.Major upsetThis year saw a major upset among the dragon boat heavies, with a 10-year winning streak by the Kirivong Sok Senchey being broken in the championship race."We never dared to think we would win against that boat, but after we beat 84 others, we took the No 1 prize," said Ly Phal, a 33-year-old rower on the Preah Tineang Chang Han Hoy Sen Chestda, which took first place this year."I can bring honour back to my province and we will try to keep our No 1 place in the coming years," said the Kandal province native. The Kirivong's manager, Oum Chhun Streng, was dumbstruck. "I never thought my boat would get second place because we are faster," he said."I had hoped we would keep our No 1 place, but we lost, and I really don't know why," he added. "Maybe we have some mistakes with our technique."

Hok Lundy's "secret" mission to Svay Rieng: To relax himself away from the crowd?

Hok Lundy complained that he was not happy during the Independence Day celebration

In the morning of 09 November, Hok Lundy was among the VIPs who were present at the commemoration of the 55th National Independence at the Monument of Independence. He was all smile when King Sihamoni went to shake hands with government leaders who were lining up for the occasion. A high-ranking government official said that after the lighting of the victory candle at the Monument of Independence, Hok Lundy went on to watch the parade in front of the Royal Palace as well. The same official indicated that at the end of the parade, Hok Lundy complained that he was not too happy in his mind on that day, he wanted to go relax somewhere far from the crowd. Next, Hok Lundy said that in the evening of 09 November, he will travel to his villa in Bavet to relax himself up. After Hok Lundy’s accident took place, the official above then remembered what Hok Lundy told him before he died.

'Progress' in Thailand-Cambodia row

Tensions near the ancient Preah Vihear temple

had threatened to escalate into all-out war [Reuters]

Foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia say they have made progress in resolving a festering border dispute, and have agreed on steps to begin demarcating disputed territory that sparked a deadly military clash last month.Following talks in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, the two sides said they had also tentatively agreed to redeploy their troops and clear land mines in the area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple."We have made a big practical step forward," Hor Namhong, Cambodia's foreign minister, said at a press conference after the meeting.

Day 1 of Bon Om Touk (Boat Race Festival)

Boat rowers practise for the annual Water Festival

boat race on the Mekong river in Phnom Penh

November 10, 2008. About 29,000 oarsmen

in more than 420 boats will compete in the three-day race from November 11 to 13.