The United States and Cambodia: Bilateral Relations and Bilateral Debt

Scot Marciel,Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Tesimony Before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, DCFebruary 14, 2008 Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Manzullo, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me here today to testify about the growing U.S.- Cambodia bilateral relationship

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Next Stop for Big Oil: Cambodia?

As Chevron and partner Mitsui Oil explore offshore, skeptics worry that Cambodia will fall prey to the "oil curse"by Susan PostlewaitePicture: A Cambodian smuggler (L) rides his motorbike in Kandal province loaded with gasoline he got from neighbouring Vietnam, some 40 kms south of Phnom Penh. TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty ImagesView Slide ShowIn the world of $90-a-barrel oil, oil companies have

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Barack Obama, John McCain sweep Potomac primaries

Hillary Clinton (top) and Barack Obama (below) seemed to be happy with their primary results.By staff writers and wiresFebruary 13, 2008Barack Obama wins Virginia, Washington DC, MarylandJohn McCain scrapes home in Republican contestsBARACK Obama has decisively won three more Democratic nominating contests, extending his winning streak over rival Hillary Clinton and building momentum in a

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Valentine's Day in Cambodia

A vendor prepares roses for sale on Valentine's Day in Phnom Penh on February 14, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

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Valentine's Day in Phnom Penh

A couple on motorcycle buy roses from a vendor on Valentine's Day in Phnom Penh February 14, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

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Cambodia a promising market for LPI Capital

Tee Choon Yeow, Director of CampuBank: "Cambodia was a very promising market for CampuBank."Thursday February 14, 2008KUALA LUMPUR: LPI Capital Bhd is upbeat on its prospects in Cambodia, where it set up CampuBank Lonpac Insurance Plc last August with Public Bank Bhd.Executive director Tee Choon Yeow said Cambodia was a “very promising” market for the group.“Cambodia is a completely new market

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17th century Japanese village uncovered in Cambodia

Sugiyam: "Japanese people came to Cambodia aboard ships between 1601 and 1635."Thursday, February 14, 2008PHNOM PENH — A site of a Japanese village dating back to the 17th century has been found in the outskirts of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, a Japanese archaeologist said Wednesday. Hiroshi Sugiyama, chief research fellow at Japan's National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, said

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Cambodia says it is terror free

Hun Sen: "If Cambodia is a target of the terrorist attack.....prosperity and development that we have achieved would be destroyed."Phnom Penh, Feb 14 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the country is free of terrorism and must stay this way if the tourism industry is to continue growing, the Cambodian Daily reported Thursday.Hun Sen made these remarks at the opening of the four-day

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Cambodian Tribunal To Triple Funds - Danish Official Concerned

By Line Lagoni LeonhardOfficial from the Danish representation in Phnom Penh, Tom Barthel Hansen, expresses concern regarding Cambodian genocide tribunal’s wish to triple it’s budget to 170 million dollars from the original 56,3 million dollars. - The tribunal will have to explain clearly what kind of reforms they are undertaking with regards to administration and why they have chosen a budget

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AIDS Healthcare Foundation and NCHADS Partnership Adds 8th Cambodian AIDS Treatment Center in Kirivong

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, February 14 /PRNewswire/ --AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, is honored to announce the partnership between the Cambodian Government and AHF and the start of its collaborative AIDS treatment center in Cambodia. The facility, AHF's eighth in the country, was dedicated Monday,

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Ending U.N mandate imperils human rights

By Dr. LAO MONG HAYColumn: Rule by FearPublished: February 14, 2008HONG KONG, China, The Cambodian government is bound by the Paris Peace Agreements that were concluded in 1991 to end a protracted war in the country. Under these agreements, a field office of the U.N. high commissioner for human rights was established in Cambodia, and the U.N. secretary-general appointed a special representative,

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Cambodia Calls for Regime Change at Global Witness

Picture: Hor Nambora, son of Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Ambassador to London.Cambodian Hammer fails to crack nut - Cambodian Embassy in London calls for regime change at Global Witness Following Global Witness’ recommendation that new World Bank President Robert Zoellick take advantage of his recent trip to Cambodia by calling for a credible investigation into evidence of an illegal

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Son Chhay 'Versus' Sok An: The Battle of the Two Political Heavyweights: Chhay Forced by Apsara Authority to Sell His Land

Sok An (top) and Son Chhay (below).Editorial by Khmerization:-The forcing of MP Son Chhay to sell his land by the Apsara Authority is another example of land grabbing and it shows that land disputes and land corruption had reached the top of the Cambodian leadership. If an MP can be forced to sell his land at peanut price, what else do the poor and the powerless had to defend themselves against

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Defections Don't Hurt Popularity, SRP Says

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, leader of the Sam Rainsy Party talks to reporters.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA KhmerPhnom Penh13 February 2008Heng Reaksmey reports in Khmer (974 KB) - Download (MP3) Heng Reaksmey reports in Khmer (974 KB) - Listen (MP3) Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Wednesday the ongoing defections from his party to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party are unlikely to hurt his

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President Kuroda to sign 71 million US dollars grant for Cambodia next week -ADB

Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, president of the Asian Development Bank.MUMBAI (Thomson Financial) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said president Haruhiko Kuroda will visit Cambodia and Vietnam next week to discuss ADB's assistance programs and future areas of cooperation and sign a 71 mln usd grant and loan package for Cambodia.Kuroda will visit Cambodia on Feb 17-19, meet senior government officials

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Development pressures threaten Angkor Wat ruins

With up to 1.5 million visitors a year Angkor Wat is facing problems.The Associated PressSIEM REAP, Cambodia -- By destroying vast tracts of forest to enlarge their farm land, inhabitants of the wondrous city of Angkor lit the fuse to an ecological time bomb that spelled doom for what was once the world's largest urban area.So believe archeologists engaged in groundbreaking research into the

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Letters: Khmer Rouge Killers

Never forget the crimes of the Khmer Rouge killersThe IndependentWednesday, 13 February 2008Sir: Thank you for the front-page coverage (11 February) you gave to the interview by Valerio Pellizari of Kang Khek Ieu one of Pol Pot's henchmen. It is vital, "lest we forget", that we should be reminded of what happened in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.As the Americans pulled out after the disastrous

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Media Watchdog Concerned About Cambodia

Minister of Information Khieu Khanharith: "I defend the rights to a free press as long as you don't criticise my prime minister and my government."Phnom Penh (dpa) - Paris-based journalism watchdog Reporters Without Borders expressed concern about Cambodian press independence in the lead-up to national elections in July in its annual report released Tuesday.The group also said it was concerned

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Love is never saying sorry...so there

By Danny KatzFebruary 14, 2008Love is not always a splendid thing but certainly a mood to be endured.YOU younger readers probably won't know what I'm talking about here — anybody who wasn't around in the 1970s and '80s, that golden era of wonder and joy, when computers were only used for playing Frogger, peanuts hadn't started killing children yet, and circumcised doodles were the cutting-edge of

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Cambodia Tribunal: Up to 8 Defendants

The Tribunal judges during the recent trial of some the ex-Khmer Rouge leaders.By KER MUNTHIT –PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's genocide tribunal expects to try up to eight suspects over the Khmer Rouge's brutal rule, while seeking to nearly double its staffing levels to 530, according to a tribunal planning document.The cap on the number of prosecutions was noted in a document that

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Southeast Asian Music Fits Southwest American Band

Vocalist Chhom Nimol poses with bandmates (from left) Ethan Holzman, Zac Holzman, Senon Williams, David Ralicke and Paul Smith (top). And Chhom Nimol performing at one of the band's many concerts.By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez Los Angeles13 February 2008Guzman-Lopez report - Download (MP3) Guzman-Lopez report - Listen (MP3) Los Angeles is home to immigrants from around the world, who've brought with

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Son Chhay Forced by Apsara Authority to Sell His Land

Son Chhay (top) Versus Sok An (below).The Battle of the Two Political Heavyweights. Who will win?By Pov Ponlok, Radio Free AsiaTranslated by Khmerization.The Sam Rainsy Party Member of Parliament, Mr. Son Chhay, has alleged that he was forced to sell his 3-hectare land in Siem Reap.The office of MP Son Chhay alleged that the Apsara Authority, which is under the control of Deputy Prime Minister

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FACTBOX-The world's dwindling stock of tigers

Source: ReutersFeb 13 (Reuters) - The number of tigers in India has plummeted to around 1,411, nearly half the previous estimate, according to a government survey.Here are some key facts about the tiger:- The largest of all cats, the tiger is one of the most fearsome predators in the world. It can weigh up to 450 kg (1,000 lb) and measure around 10 feet (three metres) from nose to the tip of the

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Libet Johnson's orphan fight continues

Dr. Lionel Bissoon (top), who also want custody of the Cambodian boy he jointly adopted with Band-Aid heiress, Lebit Johnson.Wednesday, February 13th 2008,Surrogate Court Judge Kristen Booth GlenBand-Aid heiress Libet Johnson and ex-boyfriend Dr. Lionel Bissoon are due back in court to continue their bitter battle over the 5-year-old orphan they brought here from Cambodia in 2003.The socialite

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Temple area 'should be jointly managed'

Preah Vihear Temple and its beautiful surrounding areas. These beautiful surrounding areas would be up for grab by Thailand if Cambodia agrees to a joint management of the temple with Thailand.PREAH VIHEAR / THAI-CAMBODIAN DISPUTEPIYAPORN WONGRUANGThe area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, which has been proposed as a World Heritage site, should be managed

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Lee's inauguration to draw 180 foreign dignitaries

South Korean president-elect, Lee Myung-bak, celebrating his election victory.Date: February 13, 2008Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and about 180 other foreign dignitaries are to attend President-elect Lee Myung-bak’s inaugural ceremony on Feb. 25, officials at Lee’s transition team said Wednesday (Feb. 13).Lee’s inaugural ceremony is to take place in front of the National Assembly in

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Please stop offending Hun Sen by calling him "blind"..because he's only half-blind

A Cartoon by http://sacrava.blogspot.com Hun Sen: stop calling me "ah kvak", you stupid.“..he (Hun Sen) was and still is the worst offender when it comes to using offensive language to describe his critics and political opponents.”Khmerization's Editorial:-I felt sorry for Mr. Hun Sen when I read the article below. And I welcome his comments wholeheartedly when he said that: “We must value

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Acts of Kindness

February 12, 2008Giving free eye care to dozens of patients who badly needed it was only part of what made Pamela Schultz's one-week trip to Cambodia in December an unforgettable experience.The more rewarding part, Schultz says, was teaching medical professionals in Cambodia the techniques she uses as an ophthalmic surgical nurse at Rush University Medical Center.Schultz was with an international

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Experts: Defections Could Mean 'Weaker' Democracy

Sam Rainsy (L) and Hun Sen (R) meeting facing to face.By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh12 February 2008Mean Veasna reports in Khmer (2.40 MB) - Download (MP3) Mean Veasna reports in Khmer (2.40 MB) - Listen (MP3) Sam Rainsy and Hun Sen (file photo)Recent defections from the Sam Rainsy Party and others to the ruling party could hurt the opposition in upcoming elections, observers say, and that

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Two More Opposition Lawmakers Defect

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh12 February 2008Chiep Mony reports in Khmer (1.20 MB) - Download (MP3) Chiep Mony reports in Khmer (1.20 MB) - Listen (MP3) Two more senior opposition officials have moved to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, officials said Tuesday.The party shift from Lon Phon and Yin Socheat comes following remarks by Prime Minister Hun Sen Monday welcoming opposition

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Exiled Prince Seeks Entry, Pardon

Hun Sen (R) and Ranariddh (L) when they were both on good term in the coalition government.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh12 February 2008Heng Reaksmey reports in Khmer (885 KB) - Download (MP3) Heng Reaksmey reports in Khmer (885 KB) - Listen (MP3) Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who is running his own political party from exile in Malaysia, is trying to find a way back to Cambodia.Prince

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PM Rules Out Coalition Alternatives

Hun Sen (L) and Sam Rainsy (R) are gesturing with the victory signs as both hope to win more parliamentary seats to form a government.By Win Thida, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh12 February 2008The ruling Cambodian People’s Party will not seek coalition partners other than Funcinpec—if it needs any at all—after national polls in July, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday.“If the CPP has enough strength to

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Barack Obama favourite to sweet 'Potomac primaries'

Barack Obama meeting supporters in Baltimore.By Stephen CollinsonFebruary 12, 2008 04:42pmObama swept last four, favoured in next threeClinton focusing on bigger prizes later on DEMOCRAT Barack Obama is on track to continue his hot streak of primary and caucus wins into the next round of presidential contests, but rival Hillary Clinton has come out swinging in a bid to rob him of

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Muslims Outline Political Needs

By Kong Soth, VOA KhmerKampong Cham11 February 2008Cambodian Muslims waiting to enter the court rooms at Nuon Chea's trial.Hundreds of Cambodian Muslims faced three parliamentarians Saturday, calling on them to fix problems within their communities, including schools, health care and farmland.The Chams, who participated in a public forum put on by the National Democratic Institute Saturday, told

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Group: Alcoholism Leads to Social Ills

The ban of alcohol like this can help reduce the violence and illnesses in Cambodia.By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Washington11 February 2008Alcoholism among Cambodians contributes to violence, poor health, traffic accidents and illnesses, a health worker said Monday.The People’s Center for Development and Peace is committed to helping people who suffer from alcoholism and other problems affecting

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Scientists, police lift lid on fake malarial drugs

Police raided a factory that produced the fake malarial drugs.By Ben Hirschler Mon Feb 11,LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists and police have exposed a major Asian trade in life-threatening fake malaria drugs, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of thousands of tablets and the arrest of a dealer in southern China.Details of the unique collaboration, made public on Tuesday, highlight the growing

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Counterfeit drugs: Scientists call on Asia to cooperate more

Fake artesunate, the drug that treats the malarial virus, presumably produced in China.PARIS (AFP) - Scientists lifting the veil on a sting operation that netted drugs counterfeiters in China said on Tuesday it was vital for Asia's police and pharmaceutical watchdogs to work more closely in tackling these dangerous cheats.In a paper published in the US online journal the Public Library of Science

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Visitors to Cambodia reach 2 million

Angkor Wat which attracted the most foreign tourists to Cambodia.Tuesday, February 12, 2008 PHNOM PENH — About 2 million overseas tourists visited Cambodia in 2007, an increase of 18.53% from the previous year, the government said Tuesday. South Koreans topped the list at 329,909, followed by Japanese at 161,973, Americans at 137,539 and Vietnamese at 125,442, according to government

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Cambodia's trade with Vietnam growing steadily

Radio AustraliaThe Cambodian government says cross-border trade with Vietnam has risen steadily, and is expected to grow throughout 2008.The ministry of trade says Vietnam's investment in Cambodia increased to $US115 million in 2007. Vietnam's investment includes the construction of hydropower plants and mining and telecommunications. The Cambodian ministry says cross-border trade with Vietnam is

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Charles Bakst on the laying off of the Southeast Asian interpreters

Charles Bakst: The columnist says the governor and Mrs. Carcieri must meet with the Asian teens outraged by the governor’s layoff of three interpreters and humiliated by the first lady’s comments about the situation.Tuesday, February 12, 2008How long will it take Governor Carcieri and his wife, Suzanne, to find the decency to meet with Southeast Asian teens outraged by his layoff of three

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Cambodia: Rights razed: Forced evictions in Cambodia

Houses burnt, owners got beaten and arrested during the evictions.Homes set ablaze during forced eviction at Mittapheap 4 village, Cambodia, 20 April 2007 (Photo: Licadho).11 February 2008 Amnesty International"Before, we did some farming… I was able to feed my seven children. Now there is nothing.""Vireak" and his seven children became homeless on 20 April 2007. That day, most of the village of

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Sen. Clinton leads with party insiders, Obama racks up primary, caucus delegates

Barack Obama (top) and Hillary Clinton are happy with their results so far, with both of them thanking their supporters at one of their victory speech to their supporters.By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and JIM KUHNHENN,Associated Press WritersWASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton retains her lead among suddenly critical Democratic Party insiders even as Barack Obama builds up his delegate margin with

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Can Emerging Market Growth Continue to Reshape the Global Economy?

A lady seeling Khmer silk and fabrics up in downtown Phnom Penh.‘We've only begun to see the impact they will have in the financial markets’By Jeffrey D. Voudrie, CFPFeb. 11, 2008 - We've all heard about the amazing growth taking place in developing countries and how the global economy will never be the same again. But countries like China, India and Vietnam seem so far away. It can be hard to

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Cambodia urged to stop evictions

Brittis Edman of Amnesty International came to talk to the evictees on the 11 Feb. 2008.By Guy De LauneyBBC News, Phnom PenhResidents are being moved to new sites a long way from the centreHuman rights organisation Amnesty International has called for an end to forced evictions in Cambodia.Thousands of families have already been moved from their homes in the centre of the capital Phnom Penh, and

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Love and "love packages" for Cambodian villagers

Ten medical students from the National University of Singapore and 46 parishioners from Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace shelved their usual year-end holiday plans and, instead, went to a village 30 minutes from Phnom Penh called Phum Chreh, where they spent seven days in mid-Dcember. Leonard Koh was one of the enthusiastic missioners. This is his report on his experience. THE GROUP CONSISTED of

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CPP to continue coalition gov't with Funcinpec if wins election

Hun Sen flanked by Nhiek Bunchhay (r) who is a Secretary-General of the Funcinpec Party.PHNOM PENH, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) will again establish coalition government with the co-ruling Funcinpec Party if it wins the general election in July and Funcinpec has some seats in the National Assembly, said Prime Minister Hun Sen Monday."If CPP wins the majority of votes

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Political Prostitutes: From championing for the victims' cause to serving the oppressors, the defectors claim that their former parties are no good

"The hypocrisy and the behaviour of such people are no different from the prostitutes- in fact they are political prostitutes......Political prostitution is the cheapest profession that should be avoided."Khmerization's Editorial:-The three defectors, Ahmed Yahya, Sok Pheng and Ngor Sovann, reported in the article below have shamed themselves and their families. While purporting to enter politics

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Cambodia to host part of ASEAN Football Confederation Cup Tournament

Cambodia will host part of the ASEAN Football Federation Cup Tournament in October for Laos, Brunei, The Philippines, East Timor, and Cambodia, said a sports official here on Sunday. Three winners out of the five countries will then go to Thailand or Indonesia to vie with Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar, said Keo Sarin, deputy secretary general of the Football

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Cambodia to hold Premier League Football Tournament in May

Cambodia will hold its Premier League (CPL) Football Tournament from May to September, said a sports official here on Sunday. "This year we have 10 footballs clubs to play for CPL and they are the strong clubs of the country," said Keo Sarin, deputy secretary general of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC). The strong clubs can always attract more spectators and sponsors, he said. CPL is the

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Forced Evictions Affecting Mainly Vulnerable Civilians in Cambodia, Charges Amnesty International in New Report

Scenes of past evictions (Nov. 2007). The evictions were carried out in the most inhuman ways imaginable. The evictees were beaten and gagged, their houses were burnt and bulldozed."I lost my house, rice and belongings like clothes and utensils. Allhouses were burned down and destroyed by the excavator and the bulldozer.They kept (the) good-condition corrugated steel and planks of wood

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Amnesty International slams Cambodian government for forced evictions of poor people

Brittis Edman of Amnesty International posed with the evictees in Phnom Penh on 11 Feb. 2008.The Associated PressPublished: February 11, 2008PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The Cambodian government is actively involved in the unlawful and forcible evictions of thousands of poor people whose land is taken for commercial development, Amnesty International alleged Monday.Instead of protecting the victims, "

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The Killing Fields Confession: 'They all had to be eliminated'

Kaing Kek Ieu or Duch as a chief torturer in the 1970s (top) and Duch as he appeared in court now (bottom).Kang Khek Ieu was known as 'Cambodia's Himmler', a torturer who oversaw the deaths of 17,000 people. As he prepares to go on trial, he gives a chilling insight into the Khmer Rouge – the most detailed account yet from a top henchman.Exclusive by Valerio Pellizzari, Phnom PenhMonday, 11

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Vietnam-Cambodia Investment and trade set to rise

Border trades like this one between Cambodia and Vietnam are on the increase annually.VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s investment in Cambodia has steadily increased to 115 million USD in 2007 and more investment from the country is expected in 2008, said a recent report from the Cambodian Ministry of Trade.According to the ministry, the main areas for Vietnamese investment include construction of

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Chinese premier visits former Cambodian king

Former Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk had a residence in Beijing and had long history of excellent relationship with the Chinese leadership, dating back to Mao Tse-tung and Premier Zhou En-lai.BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk on Sunday, during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.Wen extended the new year greetings to Sihanouk,

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Obama sweeps three states

Barack Obama making a speech.Barack Obama has won three more states in the battle for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, BBC online reported.The Illinois senator won by wide margins in the states of Washington, Louisiana and Nebraska. Obama is neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton in the nationwide battle to be the party's nominee.For the Republicans, Mike Huckabee has won the Kansas

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Cambodian boy has warm affection for cold-blooded python pal

Uorn Sambath has built a deep bond of affection with his 16-foot python, which weighs more than 220 pounds, for seven years. AP Photo.By KER MUNTHITAssociated Press writerFebruary 10, 2008 SETBO VILLAGE, Cambodia — Being responsible parents, rice farmer Khuorn Sam Ol and his wife might not be expected to be keen on having their child play with a 16-foot-long, 220-pound snake.Yet they are

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Cambodian takes spotlight Asia comes to Tacoma

PHOTOS BY PETER HALEY/THE NEWS TRIBUNEDenise Yin peeks through the curtain as Daravy Oum, Melinda Oum and Amie Yin, from left, wait for their troupe, Cambodian Classical and Folk Dance of Tacoma, to be called to the stage Saturday at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s annual New Year Celebration at the Tacoma Dome.STEVE MAYNARD; steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com Pat Walton enjoyed a plate of

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Khmer Rouge leader fit to face Cambodia's genocide tribunal

A picture of Ieng Sary before his arrest and detention.Detained Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary, one of five top cadres facing Cambodia's genocide tribunal, has returned to custody after being hospitalised for about a week.The 82-year-old former Khmer Rouge foreign minister was sent to hospital on Monday after he began urinating blood, but was back in custody on Saturday. said .Reach Sambath,

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Ex-Khmer Rouge minister out of hospital

Ieng Sary, the former Khmer Rouge foreign minister is in detention awaiting trial for his role in the Khmer Rouge crimes.PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A former Khmer Rouge foreign minister returned to detention under Cambodia's U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal after spending nearly a week hospitalized for a urinary tract problem, officials said Sunday.Ieng Sary was discharged from the hospital Saturday

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Pol Pot's Former Dinner Guest Admits to Lapse in Judgment

The Cambodia Daily , Story of the Month, November, 2007 By Erika Kinetz The Cambodia Daily In 1979, Gunnar Bergstrom changed his mind. Mere months before, the drug counselor from the hard, dark north of Sweden had eaten oysters with Pol Pot and Ieng Sary at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. This, depending on one's perspective, makes Bergstrom something of a moral prodigy. "In Sweden,

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Martin Luther King, Jr. slain civil rights leader remembered: Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King, Jr. campaigning for black civil rights in the 1960s.Phnom Penh Post, Issue 17 / 02, January 24 - February 7, 200816 April 1963My dear fellow clergymen, while confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas... But since I feel that you

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (6)

Cambodian-American Vaddey Ratner, from Minnesota, poses as she casts her ballot for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (5)

Americans cast their ballots for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (4)

Americans cast their ballots for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (3)

Mark Turgesen (R), from Washington, poses as he casts his ballot for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (2)

Blake Ratner, regional director of Greater Mekong, from Minnesota, poses as he casts his ballot for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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American Democracy at Work in Cambodia (1)

Cambodian-American Vaddey Ratner (R) and her husband Blake Ratner (2nd R), regional director of Greater Mekong, from Minnesota, cast their ballots for the Democratic presidential primary abroad at a supermarket in Phnom Penh February 9, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

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Church Raising Self-Reliance in Cambodia

February 8, 2008 — News from the ChurchPartnering with the Center for Study and Development of Cambodian Agriculture (CEDAC), a local nongovernmental agency (NGO) in Cambodia, the Church is working to improve the lives of 7,000 families and help them rise out of poverty.Small farmers are learning a new method of cultivating rice—the system of rice intensification (SRI) that increases production

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What Motivate Me to Continue this Blog?

Recently I got an email from a fellow blogger, Klaus Engelhardt, who presumably is a visitor to my site, who had a rather legitimate complaint about this blog, and felt that this blog is just repeating news from another blog. While not contented with the contents of the news in this blog, he had also lauded this blog. And that is what matters. This is what he had said in his email to me:"Hi

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Unsolved, But Not Forgotten - The Mystery Behind 1997 Grenade Attack Continues to Inspire Flurries of Controversy

The Cambodia Daily , Monday, May 3-4, 2004By Luke ReynoldsThe Cambodia Daily Meters from where shrapnel ripped through a crowd of protesters and sowed fear into Cambodia’s budding democracy movement seven years ago, Jackson Cox stepped to a microphone Tuesday in front of the survivors of the March 30, 1997 grenade attack.The seventh-anniversary commemoration ceremony was marked by subdued

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Nuon Chea Makes Final Bid for Bail

Nuon Chea listened the judges on the first day of his bail hearing. By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh08 February 2008Jailed Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea made his final plea to a pre-trial panel of judges Friday, wrapping up a second day of bail hearings.Nuon Chea and his defense sought to counter prosecution arguments that he would flee the country, destroy evidence or

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More Defections Plague Opposition

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington08 February 2008A long-time opposition parliamentarian quit his party Friday, adding to the pre-election woes of an opposition that has seen a number of defections in recent weeks.Ngor Sovann, who represented the Sam Rainsy Party in the National Assembly for 11 years, said he left due to internal conflicts in the party and petitioned to

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Activist: Disunity Could Doom Small Parties

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh08 February 2008Small parties allied against the ruling Cambodian People’s Party will be beaten in July’s election if they don’t stand together, a leading rights activist said Friday.Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said that divided parties will divide the votes, helping the CPP win parliamentary seats.“If other non-CPP

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NEC: Most Election Funds Pledged

By Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Washington08 February 2008Cambodia is about $1 million shy in election funds, following pledges from donors and the government in recent weeks that have nearly filled the coffers, election officials said Thursday.The July elections will cost around $17 million, and most of that has been filled, said Tep Nitha, secretary-general of the National

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Cambodia: Tribunal Handles 500+ Victims Complaints

Hundreds of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime are queuing to attend the bail hearing of Nuon Chea on the 4th Feb. 2008.Saturday, 9 February 2008, Press Release: United NationsUN-backed tribunal processing over 500 Khmer Rouge victims' complaints7 February 2008 - The United Nations-backed tribunal trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes is currently processing and

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Far-flung investments get their place in the sun

The Nairobi stock exchange on the frenetic first day of an initial public offering, an event in which some locals sold cows to buy shares. (Radu Sigheti/Reuters) TOKYO: Bernard Moody, investment director at Progressive Asset Management, probably logs more time on the road than most fund managers. From his base in London, he travels frequently to Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Kenya and other far-flung

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Nuon Chea blames foreigners for the genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime

Nuon Chea at his bail hearing on 8th Feb. 2008. Some victims had called for his execution.Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea has appealed against his detention by Cambodia's genocide tribunal, with his lawyers arguing that his arrest had been "an illegal act." Survivors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge publicly confronted Nuon Chea at a UN-backed genocide tribunal, marking the first time victims have faced a

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Khmer Rouge victim confronts regime leader in court

Miss Seng Theary (left) with Mia Farrow (right)during a peace rally in Phnom Penh on the 20th Jan. 2008 to draw attention to the suffering of the victims of the Darfur conflict.PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Survivors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge publicly confronted the regime's "Brother Number Two" at a UN-backed genocide tribunal Friday, marking the first time victims have faced a senior cadre in court.Theary

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Pol Pot number two blames outsiders for ills

Nuon Chea appeared at his bail hearing on the 7th Feb. 2008.Easy said than done. When it comes to reponsibility it is easy to blame outsiders. Blame-shifting is the norm for the Khmer Rouge.PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Khmer Rouge "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea blamed foreigners on Friday for Cambodia's current ills, thereby refusing to acknowledge the legacy of Pol Pot's murderous regime at the U.N.

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Students Work to Build School in Cambodia

Milton School's Team Cambodia are actively working to raise enough fund to build a school in Cambodia.By Norm JonesSome students in Northumberland County are on a mission to build a brand new school all the way across the globe. The Milton High School students are asking for your help for Team Cambodia.They are a group of motivated students trying to make a difference for underprivileged children

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EU delegation doubts land concession policy of Cambodia

Land concession is a front for land grabbing by the rich and the powerful and, often, the poor and the powerless are the real victims. PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A European Union (EU) delegation here on Friday expressed doubt about the land concession policy of the Cambodian government and also provided ways to address its negative effect. Some companies with land concessions from the

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Cambodian Khmer Rouge Genocide Court Sifts Evidence

Robert Petit (top) and the Khmer Rouge Court in session.By Ed JohnsonFeb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- A United Nations-backed genocide court in Cambodia said officials are sifting through evidence from more than 500 victims of the Khmer Rouge about crimes committed by the regime in the 1970s.The statements may help judges try five former Khmer Rouge officials who are already in custody, or result in new

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Waiting for Vietnamese enterprises to seek business opportunities

Investments from any country, including Vietnam, must be welcomed if such investments bring real benefits to Cambodia and the poor people of Cambodia.VietNamNet Bridge - In 2007, Vietnam’s investment in Cambodia reached 115 million USD and more investment into the country from Vietnam is expected to increase. Notably, some big Vietnamese businesses have paid attention to the Cambodian market such

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U.S telecommunications firm to expand into Cambodia

The investments from this American firm is highly sought. Honest and real investors like this firm will bring real benefits to Cambodia and the Khmer people.PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. telecoms firm 3P Networks has negotiated with the Cambodian government to buy up the rights to frequencies, enabling it to offer cutting-edge multimedia services for the country, said a press release

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Before Muay Thai, there was Muay Khmer (Labokator)

The cover pictures of the upcoming Labokator movie which has been made into DVD.Before Muay Thai, There was Muay Khmer(Bokator)Courtesy of http://www.satreykhmer.com/“Resurrecting Bokator Khmer, The Nearly Lost Martial Art of Cambodia." A new DVD introduces the world to the pride of Cambodian martial arts, the Bokator, while preserving a piece of history, which was almost lost. The Bokator, the

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The Case for More Arrests of the Khmer Rouge Leaders

Thioun Prasith (black photo) and Sam Bith (below).Khmerization’s Editorial"people like Hun Sen, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Hor Namhong and Keat Chhon are also potential candidates for summons by the Tribunal".The recent announcement by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal for more arrests of the Khmer Rouge leaders is a sign that the Tribunal has realised that justice cannot be achieved if only a bunch of those

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Garment Workers Worry Over US Economy

Garment workers like these will lose their jobs if the US economy continues to slowdown, resulting in the fall of garment exports from Cambodia to the US.By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Washington07 February 2008Exports of Cambodia’s chief commodity, garments, could fall sharply in 2008, leading to widespread concern among workers, a labor leader said Thursday.Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade

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Workers accuse Boss of Vihecular Assault

Striking textile workers at one of the factories in Phnom Penh.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh07 February 2008Ten workers were injured when a factory owner’s car slammed into a group of protestors at the order of a local commune chief, labor representatives said Thursday.The workers of King Land factory in Phnom Penh have called on the government to intervene in the

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Residents in land dispute take on courts

Past land disputes and evictions were always ended up in violence, often at the hands of the authorities. And some evictions resulting in the burning of the houses of the residents.By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh07 February 2008Villagers in a remote northwestern province are taking their concerns over an alleged land theft to the highest justice offices in Cambodia.The

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Judges hearing Nuon Chea's appeal case

Judges and court officers with the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal attend a hearing Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia's U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal is seeking to triple its budget to US$170 million (euro116 million) in order to keep operating through March 2011, a tribunal spokesman said Thursday.(AP Photo/Heng Sinithl)

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Nuon Chea on trial

Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's right hand man from the Khmer Rouge, sits in the dock during his second public appearance at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh February 7, 2008. Nuon Chea appeared before Cambodia's "Killing Fields" tribunal to request bail, arguing he was not a flight risk and would not try to influence potential witnesses.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (

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Nuon Chea's Bail Hearing

Noun Chea, center, a former Khmer Rouge leader and right hand man to Pol Pot, looks on during a hearing Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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Nuon Chea Appealed His Detention

Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea (C) appealed Thursday against his detention by Cambodia's genocide tribunal, arguing in his first public court appearance that he should be freed as he awaits trial(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

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Police on guard at Nuon Chea's trial

Cambodian police officers watch a line of people as they wait outside the court room during a hearing Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, at the U.N.-back genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A former Khmer Rouge leader detained by Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal Thursday pressed for an appeal for his release on bail, this time with the help of a foreign lawyer who was earlier barred from

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Cambodian people wait to attend Nuon Chea's trial

Cambodians wait outside the court during a hearing Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A former Khmer Rouge leader detained by Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal Thursday pressed for an appeal for his release on bail, this time with the help of a foreign lawyer who was earlier barred from representing him.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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Cambodian people attend Nuon Chea's trial

Cambodian people wait outside the court room during a hearing Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, at the U.N.-back genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A former Khmer Rouge leader detained by Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal Thursday pressed for an appeal for his release on bail, this time with the help of a foreign lawyer who was earlier barred from representing him.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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Cambodian Muslims attend Nuon Chea's Trial

Cambodian Muslims wait to attend the UN-backed genocide tribunal of Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's right hand man from the Khmer Rouge, during his second public appearance at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh February 7, 2008. Nuon Chea appeared before Cambodia's "Killing Fields" tribunal on Thursday to request bail, arguing he was not a flight risk and would not try

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Book collection benefits Vineyard School in Cambodia

Vineyard School in Siem Reap, Cambodia, built with funds raised by Mr. Todd Alexander.By Janet Hefler -February 7, 2008When Oak Bluffs harbormaster Todd Alexander visits the Vineyard School in Cambodia at the end of February, he is hoping to bring a little bit of the Island with him, in the form of books and monetary donations from the community.About 600 students attend the Vineyard School in a

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Cambodian dance speaks volumes about survival

Susan Walker DANCE WRITERGiven that artists and intellectuals are the first to go whenever despots take over a nation, how does a culture survive after the massacre of its people?This question must have been on Peter Chin's mind when he began the research in Cambodia that fed the creation of his moving and thought-provoking work, Transmission of the Invisible.A most mature and fully integrated

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Film addresses Cambodian genocide

Socheata Poeuv, who directed the award-winning film: "New Year Baby".Thursday, February 7, 2008Provided/Halsey InstituteOn Friday The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston will present Cambodian-American filmmaker Socheata Poeuv as part of the Southern Arts Federation's Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.Born in a Thai refugee camp but raised in Dallas,

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No. 2 to Pol Pot appears at hearing in Cambodia

A picture of Nuon Chea (top) and Ieng Sary (bottom).Nuon Chea accused of aiding genocide during Khmer Rouge's ruleCorinne Purtill, Chronicle Foreign ServiceThursday, February 7, 2008Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- The top surviving Khmer Rouge leader appeared this week for the first time at the U.N.-backed tribunal probing the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people during the Maoist government's

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Cambodia's UN-assisted genocide tribunal seeking to triple budget

Khmer Rouge Tribunal's judges and staff in session.PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal is seeking to triple its budget to US$170 million (euro116 million) in order to keep operating through March 2011, a tribunal spokesman said Thursday.News of the request was announced as one of five former high-ranking Khmer Rouge being held for trial was arguing before

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A Biography of Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor- part four (final part)

The Repercussions from the Yukanthor AffairsThe Yukanthor affair originated from the forced convention of 1884. King Norodom was probably the instigator of Yukanthor’s actions in order to regain some of his powers taken away in the 1884 convention. And the French authorities in Cambodia had accused the king of complexities in the Yukanthor affairs. Klobukowski, Thomson’s chef du cabinet, in a

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Clinton, Obama Deadlocked

Barack Obama (top), Hillary Clinton (middle) and John McCain (bottom)are happy with the primary results.Geoff Elliott,Chicago February 07, 2008 HILLARY Clinton and Barack Obama split the spoils on Super Tuesday in the Democratic Party race for the US presidential nomination, but John McCain emerged as the clear Republican frontrunner.In the tightest race for power within the Democratic Party in

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Tribunal Money Management Unsettled

Khmer Rouge court judges in session.By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington06 February 2008UNDP officials said Wednesday they have not yet received a request to manage the next influx of tribunal money.“No one has contacted UNDP for helping, whether to control money if there is additional funds,” said UNDP spokesman Kim Sen. “But if a government or donor contacts UNDP to help

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Far From Home, a Cambodian on Ice

Michael Chau and Tracy Tanovich skating in a competition.By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer Originalreport from Washington06 February 2008Audio in Khmer - Download (MP3) Audio in Khmer - Listen (MP3) For Michael Chau, last month’s figure skating medal was nothing new, but it was was something special.17-year-old skater won a silver medal with his partner, Tracy Tanovich, 11, in the Pairs Juniors

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Government Assails Globall Witness 'Plot"

By Brian Calvert, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Washington06 February 2008The Cambodian government accused resources monitor Global Witness of plotting to discredit the government Monday, following reports the US is considering a ban on corrupt officials.In a release issued Monday, the Cambodian Embassy in London said the UK-based organization deliberately sought “to discredit and plot against

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Super Tuesday: State by State Results

State-by-state breakdownDemocrats:Hillary Clinton - 8:Arkansas (35 delegates)Massachusetts (93 delegates)New Jersey (107 delegates)New York (232 delegates)Oklahoma (38 delegates)Tennessee (68 delegates)Arizona (56 delegates)California (370 delegates)Barack Obama - 13:Alabama (52 delegates)Colorado (55 delegates)Connecticut (48 delegates)Delaware (15 delegates)Georgia (87 delegates)Illinois (153

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Super Tuesday: Clinton, McCain win key states, but races goes on

Barack thanks supporters (bottom) while Hillary is celebrating her victory.By Lincoln ArcherFebruary 06, 2008Long story short: Clinton and Obama neck-and-neck, John McCain on topAnd at day's end, still no clear winner HILLARY Clinton and John McCain have taken huge steps towards becoming their party's White House candidates on the biggest day of the US presidential election campaign so far.While

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3P Networks update on Cambodia Telecom frequency negotiations

Wednesday February 63P Networks Inc. (OTCBB:TPNW) ("the Company") is currently in the final stage of negotiations with the Royal Cambodian Government to acquire significant frequency spectrum in order to implement unique cost effective telecommunication solutions in Cambodia and in neighboring countries.As disclosed in a news release dated December 10, 2007, the Cambodia transaction qualifies as

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Cambodia: Official: Cambodia garment Industry Faces Tough Time As U.S Economy Slows Down

Cham Prasidh and his wife.PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: Cambodia's garment industry expects to see a decline of orders from American retailers amid fear of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday (5 Feb), as he warned the country's top export sector by value faces tough times."I am concerned that our garment sector would face some problems," Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said. "

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Cambodian police attempt to stop journalists from photographing dispute over land

6 February 2008Source: Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Two journalists who were reporting a land dispute in a village were harassed by police for taking pictures of the incident, according to the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), a SEAPA partner based in the capital Phnom Penh.On 30 January 2008, journalists Chum Sophal and Kong Sopheak, from the local

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Inspired by a culture's tragic past

PAULA CITRONFrom Wednesday's Globe and MailFebruary 6, 2008 Pol Pot's murderous Khmer Rouge regime may have lasted just four years, but an estimated two million Cambodians perished from 1975 to 1979. The victims included 90 per cent of the country's artists, who died either by execution or through starvation or forced labour. The point of departure for Toronto choreographer Peter Chin's new work

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Chinese company to construct hydro-electric station in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three BOT (build, operate and transfer) agreements were signed here on Wednesday for a Chinese company to build and develop the Kirirom III Hydro-electric Station in Kaoh Kong to meet the power demand from Kaoh Kong, Kampong Speu and Phnom Penh. Zhao Shouhe, president of the China State Grid Xin Yuan International Investment Co. LTD., and vice president Wang

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DENGUE FEVER "Venus On Earth"

The music band, Dengue Fever, and Miss Chhom Nimol on the far right.Dengue Fever is a flulike, mosquito-borne disease common in Southeast Asia and other tropical climates. It's also a Los Angeles band that, while similarly exotic, is far less harmful to the health. The quintet consists of five Angelenos, spearheaded by brothers Zac and Ethan Holtzman and Cambodian-born singer Chhom Nimol. They

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CAPJ presents 2007 free expression report to information minister, journalists

6 February 2008Source: Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) On 30 January 2008, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ) held a meeting with Information Minister Khieu Kanharith and journalists to present its report on the state of press freedom in the country in 2007.While welcoming the government's decision to decriminalise defamation on 13 August 2007, CAPJ noted a

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Scarlett Johansson sings for Obama

Scarlett Johansson throws her support behind Barack Obama by agreeing to appear in Obama's promotional video.February 06, 2008 07:49amScarlett Johansson sings in a new music video supporting US presidential candidate Barack Obama.The Lost in Translation actress joined her fellow stars, including Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Wyclef Jean in lending her voice to promotional video

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Surging Obama leaves California race on knife-edge

picture: Barack Obama in his campaign mode, carrying baby of his supporters.Surging support for Barack Obama has left California’s Super Tuesday Democratic primary on a knife-edge, with one-time runaway leader Hillary Clinton now nervously looking over her shoulder.Less than a week ago, Clinton had opened up a 17-point lead over Illinois senator Obama in Los Angeles Times/CNN opinion polls

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A Biography of Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor- part three

The Yukanthor AffairsKing Ang Duong, Prince Yukanthor’s grandfather, paved the way for France to establish its protectorate over Cambodia in order to save it from being swallowed up by its two powerful neighbours, Vietnam and Thailand. And King Norodom, Prince Yukanthor’s father, had facilitated the establishment of the French protectorate for the same reasons. Many Khmer leaders of the time

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Sam Rainsy supporting striking textile workers who demand better pay and working conditions

January 28, 2008: SRP Parliamentarians Sam Rainsy, Ho Vann and Nou Sovath showed their support to factory workers on strikeat Phnom Penh Garment City Limited in Phnom Penh

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11 Summoned to Court Over Mining Row

people from one of the tribal groups affected by such developments as mining and logging.By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh05 February 2008Preah Vihear provincial court authorities have summoned eight hill tribe representatives and three police officials to explain how a local mining operation was robbed during a demonstration last month.The mineral company has sued local

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Ieng Sary Hospitalised

Ieng Sary was rushed to hospital on Monday after urinating blood. His application for bail was rejected by the tribunal.By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh05 February 2008Jailed Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary was hospitalized Monday for treatment of a urinary tract problem, officials said Tuesday.The former foreign minister of the regime was rushed to the hospital after

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Cambodian garment sector under threat

Garment workers work in one of the many textile factories in Cambodia.PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's garment industry expects to see a decline of orders from American retailers amid fear of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday, as he warned the country's top export sector by value faces tough times."I am concerned that our garment sector would face some problems,"

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Cambodia achieves over $2 billion of investment in 2007

Construction sites like this one are a constant sight in Phnom Penh these days.PHNOM PENH, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia scored 2.808 billion U.S. dollars of investment in 2007, Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said here on Tuesday."The number of investment projects in 2007 was more than that in 2006, but the investment volume went lower," he said on the sideline of the United Nations

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Obama, Romney lead in California poll

Barack is enjoying his lead in California. And Hillary Clinton is once again moved into tears (top).5th February 2008,Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has surged to a big lead over Hillary Clinton in California hours before Super Tuesday voting began in 24 states, according to a poll.In the Republican race, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney held a seven-point advantage on

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Should the US directly fund the Khmer Rouge Tribunal?

Chhang YoukSource : Rasmei Kampuchea By : Youk Chhang “US Ambassador Mussomeli and his staff are of the view that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is now on the right track and that the US should now seriously consider direct support. I believe direct US support of the tribunal is appropriate, but only if the ECCC agrees to some key reforms to keep the trials on

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US Group: Tribunal Needs Adviser

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington04 February 2008A US-based monitor said Saturday donors need to pressure the Khmer Rouge tribunal to select an independent adviser to ensure the trials of former regime leaders meet international standards.The Open Society Justice Initiative, which has rankled officials in the past with accusations of corruption within the courts, made its

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Banker: Trust in finance growing

ACLEDA staff at work. By Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerWashington04 February 2008Many Cambodians still misunderstand the benefits of banking and finance, preferring the dollar to the riel and avoiding savings accounts to their detriment, a bank official said Monday.Channy Ung, director of Acleda Bank, the third largest in bank in Cambodia, said that putting just a little money in the country’s banks

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Trafficking Task Forces Debated

By Pich Samnang, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh04 February 2008While trafficking in persons, especially women and children, remains a big challenge facing Cambodia today, authorities and other agencies are debating whether the addition of a new task force to combat the crime is working.The National Task Force was created last year, together with a senior task force led by the Ministry

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AROUND JAPAN/ KONOSU, Saitama Prefecture: Painting a picture of hope in Cambodia

On the streets of Phnom Penh and in rural villages of Cambodia, children are expressing themselves through painting thanks to a Japanese artist on a mission.Their paintings and drawings have, in turn, been helping to make their lives a little better and brighter.Tateshi Kajiyama, 56, is an artist based here who specializes in water colors. In Cambodia, he is known simply as "ta ku rouk," which

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Queenco Leisure buys land in Cambodia for 10 million US dollars to build beach resort

================================================================================One of the many beautiful beaches in Sihanoukville.LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Queenco Leisure International Ltd said it has purchased 9 hectares of land in Sihanouk Ville, a coastal area in the south-west of Cambodia, for 10 mln usd, which it plans to develop as a destination beachfront resort and casino, including

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Leading Golf Tour Operator, Golfasian, Announces New Thailand, Vietnam, & Cambodian Golf Lifestyle Experience Tours

Tourists will experience one of the golf tours like this one.Golfasian, one of Asia's leading golf travel operators, announced two new luxury Golf Lifestyle Experience™ tours. The "Thailand Golf Expedition" is a 14 day itinerary combining the seven best Thailand championship golf courses in four destinations (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, River Kwai, and Hua Hin) with adventure activities such as

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Khmer Rouge defendant taken to hospital

Nuon Chea appeared in his first court hearing on 4th Beb. 2008.By KER MUNTHIT, Associated Press WriterMon Feb 4, 2008.PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - One of the five former Khmer Rouge leaders being held for trial by Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal was rushed to a hospital Monday, just hours after one of his co-defendants made his first courtroom appearance.Ieng Sary, the former Khmer Rouge

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French quarter hosts a property boom

February 05, 2008Cambodian French quarter hosts property investment opportunity -- Cambodia is a rising Asian tiger likely to see massive growth in 2008. Tourism is expanding rapidly and going up market, and the low prices of property make it a popular destination for investors on a limited budget looking to make a quick profit.UNITED KINGDOM - February 05, 2008 - Whether you're looking for a

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A Biography of Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor- part two

Continued from part one.....The Events Leading to the Yukanthor AffairsThe treaty signed between King Norodom and the French officials to establish the protectorate in 1863 accorded the Cambodian monarch greater say and control over the affairs of the kingdom. But by 1884, lacking the financial resources in which to continue their effective colonisation of Cambodia, the French began to demand a

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Chinese state coucilor visits former Cambodian king

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk on Monday, before the upcoming Chinese lunar new year.(Xinhua Photo)Photo Gallery>>>BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk on Monday, before the upcoming Chinese lunar new year.Tang conveyed the new year greetings from Chinese President Hu

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Florida doctors donate treatment for 12-year-old Cambodian girl diagnosed with rare brain tumour

The Associated PressPublished: February 1, 2008JACKSONVILLE, Fla.: Surgeons removed a rare brain tumor from a 12-year-old Cambodian girl who was being cared for by a Christian school for the disadvantaged in Phnom Penh.Buntheep Chun began experiencing vision problems in October while staying at the Cambodian Christian Arts Ministry. A local optometrist diagnosed her with lazy eye and gave her

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Baker recounts awe-inspiring visit to Cambodia's Angkor Wat

Article online since February 4th 2008,Picture: World traveler Stanley Baker's talk on Angkor Wat attracted a full house last Wednesday. Photo: Martin C. By Martin C. BarryStanley Baker has visited some of the most famous spots in the world, including Stonehenge in England, the Pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Tikal in Guatemala.However, none proved more inspiring than the

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Tribunal: More former Khmer Rouge rebels on docket

Mr. Robert Petit, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal's judge.By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington01 February 2008Khmer Rouge tribunal prosecutors said Friday they hope to arrest more leaders of the regime, but experts say the next round of arrests has been hampered because former leaders hold government positions.Two separate sources told VOA Khmer the next arrests could include

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Nuon Chea in Court

Cambodian police and soldiers look on outside during a hearing at the U.N.-back genocide tribunal Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea.(AP Photo/David Longstreath)

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Nuon Chea in Court 4th Feb 2008

A vehicle transports former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea to a hearing Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, at the U.N.-back genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was the first time since being arrested on charges of crimes against humanity that Nuon Chea has faced the tribunal.(AP Photo/David Longstreath)

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Court for Nuon Chea

Noun Chea, a former Khmer Rouge leader and right hand man to Pol Pot, waits during a hearing Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, at the U.N.-back genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A Cambodian court adjourned a hearing Monday over former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea's appeal against his detention by Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal tasked with seeking justice in the communist movement's

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Nuon Chea appeared in court

Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's right hand man of the Khmer Rouge regime, sits in a dock during his first public appearance at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in the outskirts of Phnom Penh February 4, 2008. Cambodia's U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal adjourned a bail hearing on Monday for "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea after his Dutch defense lawyer failed to show up. An

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Court hears Nuon Chea's case

Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's right hand man of the Khmer Rouge regime, stands in the dock during his first public appearance at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh February 4, 2008. Nuon Chea stood before the U.N.-backed "Killing Fields" tribunal on Monday in the second public appearance by a senior Pol Pot cadre.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

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Nuon Chea appeals to stay outside detention

Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea (C) sought Monday to delay his first public hearing before Cambodia's genocide tribunal, saying that he needed his foreign lawyer to appeal his detention by the court(AFP/Pool/Tang Chhin Sothy)

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"Killing Fields" court adjourns bail hearing

Nuon Chea appeared in court for the first hearing on Monday, 3rd Feb. 2008.PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal adjourned a bail hearing on Monday for "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea after his Dutch lawyer failed to show up.Making his first court appearance since being charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, the white-haired and toothless 82-year-old

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Cambodian PM to join swearing-in ceremony of elected South Korean president

Lee Myung Bak celebrating his election victory on election day.PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that he will lead a senior delegation to join the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected South Korean President Lee Myung Bak."I will lead a senior Cambodian delegation to join the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected South Korean president on February

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Cambodian government postpones meeting for officials to celebrate Spring Festival

Chinese population are preparing for the New Year Celebration.Government meeting scheduled during the Chinese Spring Festival is postponed to spare time for some officials to join the season celebration, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday."The secretariat of our government has to inform the officials about the postponement, because some of them are relatives of Cambodian-Chinese families and

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Victims seeker answers

Nuon Chea, in 2003, looks out his Pailin home as trial nears for Khmer Rouge leaders, 30 years after reign of terror that still haunts CambodiaBy Annie Linskey Sun reporterFebruary 4, 2008PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - The fears and profound losses still grip Chum Mei even now, three decades after the brutal Khmer Rouge regime terrorized him and millions of other Cambodians.One of only 10 people known

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Freedom of Speech improved in Cambodia, report

A Cambodian local Human Rights organisation says that the freedom of speech and expressions in the Cambodian media environment was improved in 2007 compared to the previous years.In its 2007 annual human rights report released last week, Adhoc says the media freedom situations in Cambodia has been improved and Cambodia now ranks 85 as compared to 108 in the previous years.Raksmey Kampuchea

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If you are into Sylvester Stallone

If You’re Into: The “Rambo” EditionBy Susannah Jones Try “Cliffhanger”, which he stars in and co-wrote with Michael France. Also featuring John Lithgow, Caroline Goodall, and Janine Turner, “Cliffhanger” is as suspenseful as its title suggests with as much action as “Rambo” and (a little) more substance. Stallone plays Gabe Walker, mountain climber extraordinaire who has taken a break from

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A Biography of Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor- part one

Prince Norodom Arun Yukanthor (1860-1934)Prince Yukanthor was an heir presumptive to the Cambodian throne and an outspoken critic against the French colonial rule in Cambodia. He was a prominent member of the Khmer royal family who was actively involved in the affairs of the kingdom. Deeply concerned about the French repression throughout the country and powerless to do anything inside the

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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen meets with Jiang Jiechi

On February 1, 2008, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Phnom Penh. Both sides hoped to take the 50th anniversary of the China-Cambodia diplomatic relations and "China-Cambodia Year of Friendship" as an opportunity to push bilateral all-round friendly cooperative relations to a higher level.Hun Sen said that under the careful cultivation of

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New citizen treasures voting rights

By Russell ContrerasGlobe Staff Before the war, before the murders and the mass exodus, Eath Sao remembers, there were elections in Cambodia.The process seemed no different from what goes on in Lowell, she said. People lined up, went to booths, and cast votes for candidates - similar, with one exception: Corrupt candidates tried to buy votes from residents."Voting is so different here," said Sao

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Python and 7-year-old Cambodian boy have become best friends

7-year-old Uorn Sambath sleep with his python friend, Chamroeun. Bond between 7-year-old boy, Sambath, and massive python,Chamroeun, draws attention .The Associated PressSETBO VILLAGE, Cambodia – The little boy regularly sleeps in the massive coil of a 16-foot-long, 220-pound python. He rides it. He kisses it. He even pats it down with baby powder."There is a special bond between them,"

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Delay sought for KRouge leader's first public court hearing

Cambodian and international judges at the meeting.PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Attorneys for Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea said Saturday that they want to delay his first public appearance before the genocide tribunal because of a dispute over a foreign lawyer on his team.The conflict arose after Cambodia's Bar Association last week refused to admit a member of Nuon Chea's defense team, Dutch attorney

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A Biography of Prince Norodom yukanthor

A detailed biography of Prince Norodom yukanthor will be posted soon. This biography will be a very detailed one and covers wide-ranging events surrounding his political life, his resistance to the French colonisation of Cambodia. The biography will include his family lineage, the Yukantor Affairs which led to his banishment from Cambodia, the events leading up to the Yukanthor Affairs and the

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Souvenir of memory past

Prince Norodom Ranariddh (second from right) poses in front of the camera for his 65 birthday part. On his right, his girlfriend Ouk Phalla and on his left Thou Son, former Mondolkiri governor, some of the numerous guests who flew from Cambodia. (Photo published by The Phnom Penh Post)

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Officials from two parties are defecting

Saturday, February 02, 2008Everyday.com.khTranslated from Khmer by KI-Media2 officials from the Funcinpec party and one from the SRP defected their parties to join Hun Sen’s CPP. The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that Sin Pin Sen and So Victor, both high-ranking Funcinpec officials, have decided to leave their party to join the CPP. Ahmed Yahya, SRP MP, also defected from the SRP to join the

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Cambodia enjoying real estate boom

Friday, February 1,PHNOM PENH — After decades of war and upheaval, Cambodia is experiencing a real estate boom fueled by South Korean investment. Sung Bonna, president of Bonna Realty Group, the country's leading real estate agency, said land prices in the capital Phnom Penh rose 50 percent to 80 percent in 2007.Residential land prices in Phnom Penh rose about $700 to $1,600 per square meter in

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American fBI chief says Cambodia's fast-growing economy makes it important in anti-terror fight

AP - Friday, February 1PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's recent fast-paced economic boom makes it crucial to cooperate with the country in fighting terrorism and global crime, the chief of the U.S. FBI said Thursday."It's an important country to us because of the potential for persons transiting Cambodia or utilizing Cambodia as a spot for terrorism," Robert Mueller said at a news conference in

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From Tinseltown to Cambodia

Scott Neeson with some of his orphaned children.February 03, 2008 12:00amIN 1993, Australian movie executive Scott Neeson was mixing with international celebrities, launching films such as Titanic and attending the Academy Awards.But in story is worthy of a Hollywood film, he gave it all up to move to Cambodia and help orphaned children."I was driven by the extent of the poverty here," he said.Mr

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Deborra-lee Furness' adoption success

Zhen Liu and her adoptive grandmother youhua Li. With signing of the new convention in The Haque Cambodia will open a new wave of adoption by foreign childless couples.By Ellen ConnollyFebruary 03, 2008 12:00amAT night, in the confines of her small room in China, orphan Zhen Liu frets for her adoptive mother, who is thousands of kilometres away."She said to me on the phone yesterday: `Mamma,

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International recession, labour unrest in RMg sector: does Bangladesh face export downturn like Cambodia?

Staff ReporterDoes Bangladesh face downturn in garment exports like Cambodia due to economic recession in the United States and continuing labour disputes at home?This question has become relevant as Cambodian readymade garment exports plummeted by 46 per cent during the last quarter of 2007 due to these two factors, chairman of the Cambodian Garment Manufacturers Association Van Sou Ieng was

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Readers Information

dear readers,due to a faulty telephone line Khmerization will not be able to post news regularly in the next few days. Khmerization apologises for not being up-to-date. When the phone line is fixed all the news will be posted regularly as normal. Thanks for your support.Khmerization

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fbi chief lauds Cambodia for its role in 'war on terror'

Photo- Robert Mueller, head of fbi.PHNOM PENH (AFP) - The head of the FBI on Thursday hailed Cambodia's role in the US "war on terror", as the agency opened its first office in Phnom Penh amid rising concern over regional extremism.Robert Mueller said the relationship between the countries in addressing the threat from extremists was "exemplary".As he came to the end of a two-day visit, during

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Cambodian leaders meet with Chinese Foreign Minister

Chinese foreigh minister, yang Jiechi, bid farewell to Cambodia's King Sihamoni in Phnom Penh on 1st of eb, 2008 (top).PHNOM PENH, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong here on Friday separately met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on bilateral ties and cooperation.Photo:

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former Cambodian king donates to China for snow disasters relief

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk on Thursday donated 50,000 U.S. dollars to China for disasters relief in snow stricken areas, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry here Friday. Sihanouk expressed his condolence for Chinese people in a letter to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, and made the donation to China's humanitarian institution under his name.

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Cambodian judges snub dutch lawyer

Khmer Rouge Tribunal's logo.Phnom Penh - Cambodian judges at the Cambodia Tribunal are refusing to take the oath of a Dutch lawyer who is defending the Khmer Rouge's former second-in-command, Nuon Chea. Their refusal comes after the lawyer, Victor Koppe, challenged the position of one of the Cambodian judges earlier this week.Mr Koppe argues that the judge in question is not impartial because he

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Vietnamese gamble on Cambodian town. Border town casinos show gap between Vietnam's rich and poor since economic reforms

Makoto Ota Yomiuri Shimbun CorrespondentThe crowds of Vietnamese trying their luck at the casinos that have sprung up in the southeastern border town of Bavet are a tangible example of the widening social divisions in their home country.While some of the people crossing the border for the casinos in Cambodia (gambling is illegal in Vietnam) are betting millions of dollars, others stay there for

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Fourth quarter Cambodian garment exports plummet 46 percent official

garment workers in one of the many garment factories in Phnom Penh.PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian garment exports plummeted 46 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, capping off a dismal year in one of the impoverished country's key sectors, industry officials say, warning of future factory closures and job cuts.An economic downturn in the United States, which buys 70 percent of all Cambodian

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World revs up for Lunar New Year

From lion dances to parades to markets, communities far and wide are celebrating the Lunar New YearBy Andy Goldberg, Bronwyn Sloan, Fiona Smith, Dewi KurniawatiDPA, CORK, IRELAND, JAKARTA, INDONESIA, LOS ANGELES, PHNOM PENH,Around the world, communities are celebrating Lunar New Year, which begins on Feb. 7 and ends Feb. 10. Here, a look at what's going on in places as diverse as Ireland,

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Cambodian fever

dengue fever- Chhom Nimol in the phone booth-A Los Angeles band will blend foreign flair with psychedelic rock to electrify audiences tonight at the echoplex.Whitney BurkeMedia Credit: Photo courtesy of Kevin EstradaExotic Los Angeles-based Cambodian rock band Dengue Fever performs a special set and screens its documentary tonight at the echoplex at its album release party.The concept of a

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Cambodian dams threatens protected forest

did the dams builder did environmental study before they build the dams?Jan. 29, 2008 -- Cambodia's two largest dam projects threaten to flood huge swathes of protected forests, a conservation group has said, urging reform in the country's burgeoning hydropower sector.International Rivers Network, in a report released late Monday, said that the Kamchay and Stung Atay dams, which seek to provide

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Cambodian salt fills Vietnamese market while local producers struggle

A salt purchase takes place in the southern province of Bac Lieu. Viet Nam still imports salt for industrial production from neighbouring countries, despite producing 1.2 million tonnes of unprocessed salt per year. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Su AN GIANG — A shortage of salt on the local market has resulted in a large volume of salt being imported into the country from Cambodia, experts say.In the

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Bringing Commerce to Cambodia

Picture: kith Meng on the front of Forbes magazine. Is he a Bill Gates of Cambodia? By Ron GluckmanPublished at this blog courtesy of Ron Gluckman at www.gluckman.comBrash, ambitious, some say ruthless, Kith Meng is building an empire in the newest tiger economy.A towel around his neck, the slight Cambodian in a sweaty Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ) sports shirt shouts instructions into a

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Revisiting colonial family history. How Japanese occupation changed everything for the Le Rumeur family

The Cambodia Daily , Saturday, March 3, 2007By Michelle VachonThe Cambodia DailyThe Le Rumeur family in front of Angkor Wat . Photo courtesy of the Le Rumeur family Guy Le Rumeur's photos of Cambodia in the 1940s speak of a French family's peaceful life in the country-relaxing on the beach in Kep, touring Angkor on an elephant and staying in traditional stilt houses in the countryside.But one of

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Lawmakers consider letting foreigners buy real estate

By Cat BartonPhnom Penh Post, issue 17.Phnom Penh- Foreign investors may not need to wait for the stock market in 2009 if they want a piece of Cambodia's economy.The government is on the verge of changing the property ownership laws so that foreigners will be able to buy real estate in the country and own it outright.Although current law prohibits foreigners from actually holding title to land

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Hello, Thaksin, This is Sonthi

The Thaksin-backed PM, Samak Sundaravej, flanked by his wife and daughter, talked to the media after his appointment as PM was enorsed by the king.(BangkokPost.com)The coup-maker said this morning he called the man he overthrew. "I've spoken with Mr Thaksin on the phone, as a brother," Gen Sonthi told reporters. "There are no political conditions, nor any hidden benefits."Deputy Prime Minister

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Democracy Narrowed in 2007, Group Says

Kem Sokha, Leader of Human Right Party.By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh30 January 2008The government has tightened its control over civil society in the past year, while the number of rights abuses has remained high, a group said Wednesday.The freedom to organize and demonstrate has diminished, as has the right to life and security, the well-respected group, Adhoc, said

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Association Notes 17 Threats on Media

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and government spokesman.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh30 January 2008The Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists said Wednesday the national media environment was mostly positive, but it noted 17 separate instances where journalists were threatened in 2007.Cambodian journalists have faced threats from the

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Civil parties to confront 'Brother No. 2'

Nuon Chea escorted to court by police.Civil Parties to Confront ‘Brother No. 2’By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington30 January 2008When jailed Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea attends a pre-trial hearing next week, he will be confronted not only by judges but also representatives of civil cases against him, in what officials say is new precedent in war crimes tribunals.The

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Lowell Housing Authority official's career path followed Cambodia horrors

By Dennis Shaughnessey,dshaughnessey@lowellsun.comLOWELL -- Tha Chhan's life journey has taken him from the Killing Fields of Cambodia to the executive offices of the Lowell Housing Authority.Chhan, 45, was recently promoted to division director of Leased Housing Programs at the LHA. As a young boy, he witnessed first-hand the atrocities and horrors that took place in his homeland. He lost family

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FBI chief visits Vietnam: US embassy

Photo: A cyclist cycling pass US embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.HANOI (AFP) - United States FBI chief Robert Mueller met top Vietnamese police officials Wednesday, a day before he opens an office for the agency in Phnom Penh that will cover Cambodia and Vietnam, the US embassy said.Meeting senior Vietnamese Public Security Ministry officials on a tour that also took in China, the Federal Bureau of

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Court Rejects Buddhists' Temple

By LYNNE TUOHY The Hartford CourantThe state Supreme Court Wednesday unanimously rejected the legal arguments and efforts by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut to build a temple on 10 acres they own in Newtown.The case pitted the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission and neighbors of the site on Boggs Hill Road against the Buddhist society, which claimed the denial of a permit for

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A renaissance in Cambodia creates a real estate scramble

Building sites like these ones are sprung up throughout Phnom Penh.PHNOM PENH: After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "killing fields," Cambodia is enjoying an unprecedented boom, its economy expanding at around 10 percent annually for the last five years.But the breakneck growth, fueled mainly by garment manufacturing, tourism and real estate development, is turning its

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Three Thai firms to invest in Cambodia power plant

Reuters - Thursday, January 31 BANGKOK, Jan 30 - Three leading Thai companies said on Wednesday they were studying plans to build a 3,660-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Cambodia to supply electricity to Thailand.Top builder Italian-Thai Development PCL , Electricity Generating and Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding gave no indication of how much the plant would cost.But they said in a

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Cambodian judge accused of bias will stay for Khmer Rouge hearing

Nuon Chea (left) and Ney Thol (right).Phnom Penh - A motion seeking the dismissal of a Cambodian judge by a former Khmer Rouge leader's defense team was rejected, a court spokesman said Wednesday. Media spokesman for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Reach Sambath, said the court had dismissed a protest against former Military Court chief Ney Thol by the defense team of

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More than 150 Cambodian turtles rescued from becoming dinner

Phnom Penh - Scores of Cambodian turtles described as "endangered" have been rescued from the near-certain fate of a dinner plate and released back into the wild, local media reported Wednesday. The English-language Cambodia Daily reported 169 turtles in the central province of Pursat, 200 kilometres north-west of the capital, were released into the Tonle Sap lake after being confiscated from

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Cambodian conservation work - not just a man's world

A woman working for the Srepok project is teaching rangers and policemen on how to read a map (right).© WWF-Cambodia SWAP Team Training on how to use a geographic positioning system (left).© WWF-Cambodia Keo SopheakBy Porny YouWomen are working as hard and sweating as much as the men in WWF conservation programs in remote areas of Kampuchea.In WWF-Cambodia’s Srepok Wilderness Area Project (SWAP),

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Travel Blog: Cambodia - country of children

Wednesday, 30 Jan 2008 10:17Choeung Ek memorial stupa Anna Kainberger is taking a year-out from her career to travel in south-east Asia, Australasia and the South Pacific, along with Hawaii and the USA. This month she will be reporting from Laos and Cambodia. Here is her eighth blog entry: I crossed the boarder from Laos into Cambodia at Strung Treng, where it was a simple matter of filling out a

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Nuon Chea calls for judge's removal

Judge Ney Thol who incurred the ire of Nuon Chea.By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington29 January 2008The lawyer of jailed Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea has called for the removal from the proceedings of judge Ney Thol, who is also the chief of Cambodia’s military courts.Lawyer Victor Koppe confirmed Tuesday he had filed a motion to disqualify Ney Thol, but Koppe declined to

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Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hails Cambodia-China Relations

Hor Namhong, Cambodia's minister of foreign affairs.PHNOM PENH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia-China relations have been increasingly strengthened and promoted both in scope and depth, bringing greater benefit to both peoples, said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong in a recent written interview with Xinhua.During the past

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Boom time in construction industry

A fisherman throws his fishing net at the sun set in Kandal provincem Cambodia, November 18, 2007. After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge 'Killing Fields', Cambodia is enjoying an unprecedented boom, its economy expanding at around 10 percent annually for the last five years. But the breakneck growth, fuelled mainly by garment manufacturing, tourism and real estate

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FBI director to hold talks in Cambodia: US embassy

Robert Mueller, head of FBI, seen here in 2007, will hold talks with Cambodian anti-terrorism officials in Phnom Penh.PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Robert Mueller, head of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, will visit Cambodia this week to meet top officials, the US embassy said Tuesday, amid increasing concerns over regional terrorism.Mueller, who is on a three-nation Asian tour, will arrive in

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Source: International terrorists financing rebel groups

WASSANA NANUAM MUHAMMAD AYUB PATHAN Narathiwat _ Southern insurgent networks probably receive funding from and share their ideology with international terrorist groups, a security source said yesterday.The source said proof of the links lies in the militants' systemised management of their organisations and the pattern of violent attacks perpetrated by well-trained assailants.The rebels also

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Library unpacks a treasure: 1,105 Khmer-language books

Expected to be ready for check-out in April, acquisitions double Mark Twain collection.By Paul Eakins, Staff writerSusan Taylor, a librarian at Mark Twain Library in Long Beach, views a photocopy of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, translated into Khmer, at the library Monday during the unpacking of 1,105 books she and employee Lyda Thanh purchased on a trip to Cambodia. LONG BEACH - A

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Building Industry Booms

Men work at a construction site in Phnom Penh January 27, 2008. After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields", Cambodia is enjoying an unprecedented boom, its economy expanding at around 10 percent annually for the last five years. Picture taken January 27, 2008.To match feature CAMBODIA-PROPERTY/ REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

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Construction boom in Phnom Penh

Commuters travel past an under-construction building in Phnom Penh January 27, 2008. After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields", Cambodia is enjoying an unprecedented boom, its economy expanding at around 10 percent annually for the last five years. Picture taken January 27, 2008.To match feature CAMBODIA-PROPERTY/ REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

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Boom time hits Cambodia, but not all are smiling

Construction sites like this one is a constant sight in Phnom Penh these days.By Ed Cropley PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields," Cambodia is enjoying an unprecedented boom, its economy expanding at around 10 percent annually for the last five years.But the breakneck growth, fuelled mainly by garment manufacturing, tourism and real

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Chinese dams threaten Cambodian eco-systems: Group- AFP

It was reported that two Cambodian largest dams like this one are flooding the eco-systems.PHNOM PENH (AFP)--Cambodia's two largest dam projects threaten to flood huge swathes of protected forests, a conservation group has said, urging reform in the country's burgeoning hydropower sector.International Rivers Network, in a report released late Monday, said that the Kamchay and Stung Atay dams,

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Cambodian PM urged to attend parliament

Son Chhay (left) and Hun Sen with wife, Bun Rany, in the background.Cambodia, Phnom Penh -A parliamentary committee in Cambodia has requested the prime minister, Hun Sen, attend parliament to answer questions directly.Mr Son Chhay, an opposition MP who also the chairs the 5th Committee of the parliament, has submitted the written request to the prime minister.The letter calls for answers on

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Judges meet to iron out tribunal rules

Meeting of the staff at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.By Mean Veasna, VOAKhmer Original report from Phnom Penh28 January 2008Khmer Rouge tribunal judges said Monday they were preparing for upcoming trials, seeking ways to improve on internal rules governing the operation of the courts.“Our court is getting close to the trial stage. Therefore this plenary session has a clear and urgent agenda, such as

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10-Year-Old Folk Singer Bridges Cultures

Bosba Panh performing at Chaktomuk Hall on 21st Dec. 2007.By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington28 January 2008Bosba Panh, whose repertoire includes Bob Dylan as well as traditional Khmer music, recently packed a concert hall in Phnom Penh. Chaktomuk Hall’s capacity is 570 seats, but Bosba Panh brought in 700 people.Her music is increasingly gaining attention, as she strums a

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Opera Singer Nurtures Cambodian Voice

Sethisak Khuon, in one of his performances (Photo: http://ki-media.blogspot.com ).By Nuch Sarita, VOA KhmerWashington28 January 2008In a land covered with karaoke clubs, with singers in every home and videos on every television, Cambodia’s only traditionally trained opera singer stands singularly apart.Trained in Moscow, Italy and Berkeley, Khuon Sethisak, has been back in Cambodia since 2001

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Cambodian photos shed light on poverty

By Jenica Stimpson- 28 Jan 2008This photo, part of an exhibit by Trevor Wright, shows a young child chewing on a stalk of sugar cane. Wright's photo exhibit "Life at the Cambodian Garbage Dump," is located on the 4th floor of the HFAC.Trevor Wright, a BYU student and media arts major, served his mission in Cambodia and was intrigued with its people. He decided to go back last summer with the

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Phnom Penh Riots Five Years Later: Khmer Studies Becoming More Popular

Logo of Dhonburi Rajabhat University in Bangkok.Relations improve in wake of anti-Thai riotsTHANIDA TANSUBHAPOL The riots in Phnom Penh five years ago that resulted in the Thai embassy being burned and rocked Thai business confidence in the country has not deterred Thai people from learning the Khmer language. Since the anti-Thai protests on Jan 29, 2003, Dhonburi Rajabhat University, which

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Ensuring history's right on both sides is key to better ties

THANIDA TANSUBHAPOLOne of the keys to closer ties between Thailand and Cambodia lies with the Thai-Cambodian Association that was set up a year after the 2003 riots.And for the association, a way to prevent violence recurring is to create a proper understanding of Thai-Cambodian history. Trying to correct history textbooks is a good way to start.But five years on, there hasn't been much progress

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Cambodia plans to buy more electricity from Vietnam

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that his country was planning to purchase more electricity from Vietnam to meet its ever rising demand. "I requested the Vietnamese side to supply Cambodia with more electricity," he told a school opening ceremony in Svay Rieng province neighboring Vietnam. The proposal was made during his visit with

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Hun Sen to UN: Spend Rights Money Elsewhere

Hun Sen (right) Versus Yash Ghai (left), the Battle of Human Rights in Cambodia.By Chun Sakada, VOAKhmer Original report from Phnom Penh28 January 2008Prime Minister Hun Sen continued a public campaign against the UN’s human rights office Monday, saying the international body should stop spending money in Cambodia.“The UN should take all this budget to victims in areas such as Kenya, Sudan,

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Cambodia's biggest hydropower dams serious threats to people

The Nation-The construction of Cambodia's first and second biggest hydropower dams pose serious threats to eco-systems and the livelihood of thousands people in southwest of the country, an environmental conservationist report said Monday.Under an aid package of $600 million(Bt18.6 billion) from China, Cambodia is constructing the Kamchay Dam with an installed capacity of 180 Megawatts (MW) the

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TM plans to invest in Cambodia, eyes other assets too

By ELAINE ANGSINGAPORE: Telekom Malaysia arm, TM International, is eyeing mobile assets in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, and will invest US$100mil in Cambodia in the next two years to build its networks, the unit's chief said on Saturday. Chief executive Yusof Annuar Yaacob also expected TM International's revenues to grow up to 20% in the next three years. “We're investing about US$100mil in

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Thai Government quick to withdraw allegation

Preah Vihear temple, entrance from the 2nd gopura (top) and the beautiful scenery of the surrounding areas(below).Defence spokesman's claim that Cambodia marked boundary unilaterally deniedJanuary 26, 2008The Nation (Thailand)"if [Cambodia and Thailand] failed to settle boundary disputes, Unesco might reject the listing proposal [for Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site]" - Adul Vichianchareon,

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KRouge Tribunal Rejects Hearing Delays for Nuon Chea

Nuon Chea being escorted by Cambodian police from a helicopter to go to court.PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal will hear an appeal against regime leader Nuon Chea's detention on February 4, officials said Monday, rejecting efforts to delay the court's second public hearing.Legal maneouvering by Nuon Chea's defence lawyers had threatened to delay the proceedings, court officials

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Cambodian cargo ship missing

Monday, 28 January 2008A SEARCH is underway in the East China sea for the 1982-built, Cambodian-flag general cargo ship Captain Uskov which has disappeared on voyage between Nakhodka and Hong Kong with 17 crew on board and a cargo of steel coils.Last contact with the ship was a radio message on 20 January since when there has been no further sign of the ship.The Captain Uskov is owned by a St

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Suharto's Atrocities

Members of the Youth Wing of the Indonesian Communist Party (Pemuda Rakjat) are guarded by soldiers as they are taken by open truck to prison in Jakarta, in this Oct. 30, 1965, file photo. Historians estimate that between 300,000 and 800,000 Indonesians were killed in Gen. Suharto's bloody rise to power from 1965 to 1968, the worst mass slaughter in Southeast Asia's modern history after the Khmer

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Top Cambodian foreign minister pays tribute to Suharto

Foreign minister Hor Namhong.Phnom Penh - Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong made an official visit to the Indonesian embassy in the capital Monday to lay a wreath and sign a condolence book in honour of former Indonesian president Suharto. Hor Namhong did not speak to reporters but spent several minutes with Indonesian embassy staff. The elderly Cambodian statesman appeared visibly

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After four years the Cambodian judiciary still denies justice to Chea Viceah, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun

Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for Chea Vichea's murder.Offerings made in honor of Chea Vichea memory on the fourth anniversary of his assassinationToday, the 28th of January, 2008, marks the fourth year of imprisonment of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for the murder of Chea Vichea, President of the Free Trade

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RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Land Grabbing- A Serious Concern

Ros Sovann, the man who beats the parliamentarian because he resented the fact that his land was confiscated by people in high positions like this parliamentarian.By Marwaan Macan-MarkarBANGKOK, Jan 28 (IPS) - At the beginning of January, Ros Sovann was just another private security guard one sees standing outside fancy restaurants and the homes of the rich in Phnom Penh. By month end, the

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A Helping Hand

Boys at Knar School eat lunch of noodles. Most of Ponheary Ly's clients are American tourists who support Cambodian schools with their donations.Newlyweds lend a hand in Cambodia's struggle against the ravages of war and poverty.By Chris GrayInquirer Staff WriterSIEM REAP, Cambodia - Let's be honest: It was the specter of tigers, temples, and tom yam soup that led my husband and me to honeymoon

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If you tire, press on; touring temple brings understanding

Angkor Thom temple is located the well-known Angkor Wat temple. It is as impressive as Angkor Wat.SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Frequent travelers call it "temple fatigue," the wave of exhaustion that sets in when you've seen one (or five) ruins too many.It comes with the territory here. Not only is Siem Reap home to Angkor Wat, one of the world's largest religious monuments; the area also houses more

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Peronal Journey: A tourist, and a native, and comfortable

Writer Somanette Seang at Angkor Wat. She left Cambodia when she was 7 years old. Her return to visit Cambodia is a life experience.By Somanette SeangFor The InquirerIt had been more than 26 years since I was in Cambodia. I survived the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s and, at age 7, emigrated to the United States with my mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin.Until last summer, I never felt

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Haverford teenager is volunteer teacher

Croom Beatty is teaching English to Cambodian students in one of his volunteering assignments to Cambodia.Lyle Beatty worried about many things when her 16-year-old son, Croom, went to Cambodia to teach English in 2006.She didn't think about cobras.Sure enough, her son came close to one while touring a temple in the countryside near Siem Reap.Snake scares aside, Croom Beatty - now 17 and a

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Cambodia warns UN to change rights policy

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour.By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh25 January 2008Top officials Friday warned the UN Human Rights Commission’s Cambodia office to be more cooperative with the ruling government, following several visits of a UN envoy highly critical of the government’s rights commitment.“We have had a Memorandum of Understanding with this

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Thai MPs rush to meet Thaksin in Hong Kong

Samak Sundaravej, leader of People Power Party talked to the media in Bangkok about the possibility of forming a government.Ex-PM Thaksin said to be key to forming government.Flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong have been particularly loaded with Thai politicians lately. They have also been flying to the same destination, a hotel where ousted prime minister Thakin Shinawatra _ the man believed

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Thai coup leader Sonthi: I'm coming home

Thaksin Sinawatra held a press conference in Hong Kong on 25 Jan. 2008 about his possible return to Thailand.(BangkokPost.com)Former coup chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin insisted on Saturday he will not seek political asylum in a foreign country to seek shelter from the pro-Thaksin Shinawatra People Power party (PPP).Gen Sonthi, Deputy Prime Minister in the lame-duck government, is to return to

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Barack Obama Wins South Carolina

Barack Obama addressing supporters after winning South Carolina with wife, Michelle, by his side.By DAVID ESPO and CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press WritersCOLUMBIA, S.C. - Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic

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Ex-Indonesian dictator Suharto dies

By ZAKKI HAKIM, Associated Press Writer JAKARTA, Indonesia - Former dictator Suharto, an army general who crushed Indonesia's communist movement and pushed aside the country's founding father to usher in 32 years of tough rule that saw up to a million political opponents killed, died Sunday. He was 86."He has died," Dr. Christian Johannes, a member of his medical team, told The Associated Press,

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Prince Ranariddh visited a sick Suharto

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh waves to journalists after arriving at the Pertamina hospital to visit Indonesia's former president Suharto in Jakarta January 25, 2008. Suharto has been in hospital for three weeks for suffered multiple organ failure.REUTERS/Crack Palinggi (INDONESIA)

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Prince Ranaridhh visited Suharto

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh speaks to journalists after his visit to former Indonesian president Suharto at the Pertamina hospital in Jakarta January 25, 2008. Suharto has been in hospital for three weeks after suffering multiple organ failure.REUTERS/Crack Palinggi (INDONESIA)

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Sok An visited Suharto shortly before he died

Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An speaks to journalists after visiting Indonesia's former president Suharto at Pertamina hospital in Jakarta January 26, 2008. Suharto has been in the hospital since suffering from multiple organ failure on January 4.REUTERS/Crack Palinggi (INDONESIA)

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Sok An visited Suharto in hospital

Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An speaks to journalists after visiting Indonesia's former president Suharto at Pertamina hospital in Jakarta January 26, 2008. Suharto has been in the hospital since suffering from multiple organ failure on January 4.REUTERS/Crack Palinggi (INDONESIA)

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Thai comments over temple 'stupid', FM says

By Mean Veasna, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh25 January 2008Foreign Minister Hor Namhong (pictured) condemned as “stupid” comments made by a Thai official Friday over a disputed border temple in the north.Preah Vihear temple, known to the Thais as Khao Phra Viharn, has become controversial in the unmarked border area, claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia.Thai Defense Ministry

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Cambodian study hints at subclinical H5N1 cases

Jan 25, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – A recent study in Cambodia suggests that some human cases of infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus escape detection because symptoms are mild or absent, according to a report from an international avian flu conference this week in Bangkok.The meeting drew about 500 experts from 40 countries to discuss research and ideas on a wide range of topics. Some other

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Thailand downplays row over Preah Vihear

Entrance to Gopura III of Preah Vihear temple.WASSANA NANUAM & THANIDA TANSUBHAPOLIn a bid to downplay conflicts surrounding the Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said Thailand had decided not to protest against Cam-bodia's unilateral move to have the ancient temple ruins listed as a World Heritage site.The minister said it was a misunderstanding

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Military bungles over Preah Vihear

EDITORIALDiplomacy and ancient cultural sites are not the business of the Army; the southern insurgency is .The military's strong but belated reaction to Cambodia's nomination of the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as a United Nations World Heritage site raised eyebrows in Bangkok as well as in Phnom Penh. It may be true that the Cambodian authorities last year unilaterally proposed to get the

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Thailand's Bullying Over Preah Vihear Must Be Stopped

Preah Vihear temple (top) and its beautiful surrounding areas (below).Khmerization’s EditorialWe have seen yet again Thailand is trying to muscle its way into achieving the upper hand in the issue of Preah Vihea temple. The using of the Thai army to warn Cambodia of the issue of the disputed areas around Preah Vihear temple is a bullying designed to intimidate Cambodia. Thailand’s stand over and

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Cambodia Inks Stock Market Deal for 2009

With the opening of the stock market expected in 2009 markets like this could benefit.By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh24 January 2008The government signed a stock market contract with Korea Exchange Monday, paving the way for an exchange starting mid- or late 2009, officials said this week.Korea Exchange is the fourth largest stock market in Asia.The government plans to

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Dengue Fever, the Band, Burns Bright

The picture of Chhom Nimol on the cover of her album 'Venus on Earth'.By Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer Washington24 January 2008With a third album out and many of the songs sung in English, the band Dengue Fever is gaining critical and commercial momentum.Dengue Fever features Cambodian Chhom Nimol on vocals and recalls the psychodelic rock of Cambodia’s ‘60s.In “Venus on Earth,” their newest album,

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Angkor Wat sandals prompt jibes

The sandals which bear the image of Angor Wat were allegedly produced in Vietnam.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh24 January 2008The emergence in Vietnam of commercial footwear with the picture of Ankor Wat on the padding has sparked a round of political finger-pointing between provincial authorities and the opposition party.The sandals, which have an outline of Angkor

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Chinese Foreign Minister to visit Cambodia, Brunei, Australia

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will pay official visits to Cambodia, Brunei and Australia from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced on Friday. Yang was invited by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Nam Hong, Brunei's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mohamed Bolkiah and Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith,

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Beijing Olympic: Cambodia sent 3 times more officials than athletes

By Ek MadraPHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia will send almost three times more officials than athletes to this year's Olympics -- including the families of the country's sports chiefs.The impoverished nation, which has never won an Olympic medal, will send 11 officials to Beijing to accompany just four athletes, Cambodia's Olympic committee chief said on Friday."We will have a team of two athletes

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Cambodia: Tire busts on Thai Airways Jet carrying Cambodian lawmakers

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: A rear tire on a Thai Airways jet exploded as the plane, which was carrying the head of Cambodia's parliament and 30 lawmakers, landed at the capital's airport Friday (25 Jan), airport officials said.None of the 147 passengers or 13 crew members were hurt, said Khek Norinda, spokesman of the company that manages the airport.The tire burst after the Airbus A-300 touched down

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Prince Ranaridhh visits Suharto at hospital

Cambodia's Prince Norodom Ranariddh, right, talks to journalists at Pertamina hospital, where former Indonesian dictator Suharto is recovering, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. Doctors treating Suharto said Friday he could be released from intensive care within a couple days after breathing on his own and beating back a blood infection.(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim )

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Cambodian history writ large at Angkor Wat

An aerial view of Angkor Wat.SIEM REAP, Cambodia -- This country's most famous temple may be 900 years old, but the message it sets out to convey is timeless: Angkor Wat is all about glory. The temple is one of hundreds built by kings of the Khmer Empire to commemorate themselves and their empire, as well as to worship their gods. But Angkor Wat stands out from the rest -- in artistry, in scale

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Cambodian court declares former Khmer Rouge lear statement stands

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal Friday announced it would not annul statements made by the man alleged to have been "Brother Number 2" of the Khmer Rouge movement, Nuon Chea (pictured), made without a lawyer present because they were consensual. The joint UN-Cambodian court set up to try former Khmer Rouge leaders said the man accused of being Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's right hand

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Cambodian fishermen hooking the big ones- on drugs

Phnom Penh - Cambodian fishermen were using bait laced with "an addictive substance" to turn the one that got away into the one that came back for another fix, local media reported Friday. Fishermen in north-western Banteay Meanchey province on the Thai border, around 450 kilometres from the capital, were luring their prey with fermented fish paste laced with drugs, but their more ethical

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Thai plane's tyre burst in Cambodia: official

A rear tyre burst on a Thai Airways plane as it came in to land in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh today, aviation officials said.Khek Norinda, communications and marketing manager for Cambodia Airport Services Management, said there were no injuries from the mishap.He said the Airbus, carrying 160 passengers and crew from Bangkok, had just landed at 9:30am (local time) when the tyre burst."It's

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Man gets one and a half years for 3 slayings

Savoeun Keo, mother of victim Sophea Sun, crying outside the court after the verdict.Dimitri Sidorchuk, second from left, walks to the courtroom Thursday with his attorney Peter Friedman, left, at the King County Courthouse in Seattle.Plea deal comes after 2 trials and 2 hung juries in Skyway shootingsBy CLAUDIA ROWEA man who once faced more than eight decades in prison for shooting three people

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A Biography of Prince Si Votha (1841-1891)

Prince Ang Duong Si Votha (1841-1891)Prince Si Votha was once a royal contender to the Cambodian throne. Depending on whom we talk to, he can be described as a usurper, a nationalist, an independence fighter or simply a collaborator of the foreigners. He had spent most of his entire life fighting his half brother, King Norodom, for the throne. Some people were of the view that Si Votha’s

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Cambodia gets first skyscraper

The official launch of the skyscraper in Phnom Penh.Officials linked the building to Cambodia's economic successCambodian officials have attended the official sales launch of the first-ever skyscraper in the capital, Phnom Penh.The twin towers are to be 42 storeys high - almost three times higher than the current tallest building.It is the first of three skyscrapers planned in the capital, where

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Your scene: A sign of devotion in Cambodia

Passersby pray to a monk in the street of Phnom Penh.From The Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2008Beto De Luna of Glendale was sitting at a restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, one morning in September when he "saw this monk walk up, and [two people] started praying to him. To me, it was a National Geographic moment" that captured the culture of the Southeast Asian nation. The two-week vacation

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Thai army warns dispute over Preah Vihear could have repercussions

Preah Vihear temple from the front.By WASSANA NANUAMThe Defence Ministry is concerned about Cambodia's tough stance on seeking World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear, the ancient Khmer ruins on the Thai-Cambodian border. Defence Ministry spokesman Pichasanu Putchakarn said Cambodia has ignored the government's suggestion the two countries jointly propose the historical site for Unesco listing.If

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Relations sour over Preah Vihear claim

U.S embassy officials, including Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli (white shirt), visited Preah Vihear temple right after the July 2007's UN World Heritage Conference in Auckland, NZ, refused to list the temple after objection from Thailand.Relations with Cambodia have soured after the Defence Ministry alleged yesterday Phnom Penh had "made up" history to claim the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear

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Fleeing the Khmer Rouge, ages of violence

By Robert Lowell Reporter, American JournalBUXTON (Jan 24, 2008): Navan Leng came from Cambodia to the United States in 1991 seeking freedom and an escape from the violence and repression that had plagued his native country in recent decades.Advertisement [0]“The night I escaped there was a big battle,” said Leng, who lives in Westbrook with his wife, Chantha Doeur, and four children.Leng is

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Asia: Cambodia prodding N.Korea on abduction

BY KAZUTO TSUKAMOTO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Cambodia has been working behind the scenes to encourage North Korea to resolve the thorny abduction issue with Japan.Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, 72 (pictured), disclosed this fact during an interview with The Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo on Jan. 16.Hor Namhong, who is also Cambodia's deputy prime minister, was in Tokyo for the first Japan-Mekong Foreign

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Cambodia seeks halt to sale of sandals bearing image of Angkor Wat

The Angkor Wat-bearing sandals allegedly produced in Vietnam which caused controversy in Cambodia. Last time is was the phone card, this time it is the sandals. What's next?PHNOM PENH — Cambodia is seeking to bring a halt to the sale in Vietnam of offensive sandals depicting the famed Angkor Wat temple, the country's national symbol, the government's top spokesman said Wednesday.Information

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Cambodia threaten to close UN representative office

Khieu Kanharith talks to the media.PHNOM PENH, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- The Cambodian government on Wednesday stated that it will shut down the United Nations representative office in the country if the office's head, Pe Suv, doesn't change his ways of working, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported Thursday.Earlier, the government's spokesman, Khieu Kanharith, who is also Information Minister, said that

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US could ban 'Kleptocrats' from entry

By Brian Calvert, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Washington23 January 2008Top Cambodian officials implicated in illegal logging could face a ban from US entry, according to a new US law.Under a recently inacted 2008 spending law, the State Department must compile a list of foreign government officials and their immediate family members suspected of involvement in corruption in natural resources

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voter information cards spark row

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer Originalreport from Washington23 January 2008A decision by the National Election Committee to distribute information cards to voters met with resistance from opposition parties and rights groups who said Wednesday the committee will likely only distribute information to ruling party supporters.The National Election Committee has been criticized for supporting the Prime

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CPP village chief blocks forum, party claims

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington23 January 2008A ruling party village chief moved to block a scheduled political meeting by the Human Rights Party last week, officials said Wednesday.The Human Rights Party was meeting to rally political support in Chhouk district, Kampot province, ahead of national elections in July.Local authorities moved to block party officials from

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