In Chicago, US-Cambodians Seek Political Voice

A group of Cambodians met in Chicago over the weekend to discuss ways their community might receive more attention.

Although they face a raft of problems from health to education, US-Cambodians say they remain underrepresented by policy makers. A group of Cambodians met in Chicago over the weekend to discuss ways their community might receive more attention.Participants told VOA Khmer they want better representation, but that requires a stronger, more unified voice within their communities.
“There are two reasons why Cambodian community don't get much support and understanding,” said Van Sar, an organizer of the Chicago forum. “This is because, first, we don't have representatives within the US leadership. Secondly, we don't have a strong, joint voice from our civil society organizations to influence US policy.”The forum, the first of its kind, was organized by the Cambodian Association in Illinois and the Khmer Alliance Foundation, in conjunction with the National Cambodian American Health Initiative.A low percentage of Cambodians take advantage of opportunities in the US. Just more than 10 percent of Cambodian high schoolers graduate, according to statistics at the forum.
“Those who know the real need of our children's education are we the parents,” said Boeuy Te, a member of the National Education Association.Of the Cambodians who do graduate with advanced degrees, he said, few work in government institutions where they might push to improve the lives of fellow Cambodians.Low political participation in general was also discussed at the forum.“Essentially, Cambodians should register to vote and go vote, all the time, from local to presidential elections,” Siv Sichan, a former US ambassador to the UN, said. “Here if we want our voice heard, we have to be active. And if we just stay home, our voice won't be heard.”There are approximately 270,000 Cambodians living in the US. Only 60,000 have become full US citizens. That means a wide majority do not have the right to vote, an important part of gaining political attention.That said, the Chicago forum did draw Mike Quigley, a Democrat for Illinois in the US House of Representatives.
“It's not one act,” he told VOA Khmer. “I think it's a relationship that builds from here. We've been in DC for a year now. We've learned a little bit about how to get things done. So I think working with my district office here and in Washington, DC, we'll sit down as often as we need to to work out individual cases and broader issues. It's not one thing; it's a series of things.”

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Dance Troupe Prepares for Smithsonian Perfomance

A US-Cambodian dance troupe under a renowned director is set to perform in Washington. The Dance Troupe of Cambodian American Heritage will perform classic stories of Hinduism and Buddhism Aug. 7 as part of the ongoing “Gods of Angkor” bronze exhibit at the Smithsonian's Free and Sackler galleries.

The dance troupe will be guided by its director, Tes Sam Oeun, a National Endowment for the Arts heritage fellow.

“Under her direction, the dance troupe has performed in numerous venues, including events of the Smithsonian Institution, the White House, the Kennedy Center, the World Monument Fund, and numerous folk festivals,” Tes Saroeum, president of the Cambodian American Heritage, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.

Tes Saroeum, who is also Tes Sam Oeun's husband, said the troupe will perform scenes from the mythical Vessantara Jataka, a Buddhist story.

“This story is very popular in Cambodia,” he said.

The story depicts the travails of a prince, Vessantara, who gives away his possessions and even his family in service to charity.

The troupe will also perform scenes from the Ramayana, Tes Saroeum said. All the performances will match the dual influences of both Buddhism and Hinduism in the “Gods of Angkor” exhibition.

Khmer classical dancing can be called Apsara dancing, he said, reflecting a belief that the style stems from the dance practiced in the courts of Angkorian kings.

“So when the Smithsonian asked us to perform something related to the ‘Gods of Angkor’...we decided to perform the story of Prince Vessantara, which is close to the exhibit’s crowned Buddha, and the story of Ramayana, which is related to the Hindu bronze sculptures.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDHqBOQBbdk


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White House: Leaked Documents Real, Pose Potential Threat; No New Broad Revelations

                                       White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 26 Jul 2010


The White House says tens of thousands of documents from the war in Afghanistan, released by the WikiLeaks website and published in major newspapers, could place U.S. and coalition forces and others in greater danger. The subject dominated Monday's White House news briefing.The documents, secret field reports covering the period from 2004 to 2009, which were published by major newspapers in the United States, Britain and Germany, paint a sometimes grim picture of the challenges facing U.S. and NATO forces.
Major revelations include the use of heat-seeking missiles by Taliban forces, problems with U.S.-operated unmanned aerial drones, indications of ongoing high-level Pakistani cooperation with the Taliban and unreported incidents of Afghan civilian killings.President Barack Obama's chief spokesman Robert Gibbs declined to describe Mr. Obama's reaction when he learned of the disclosure. He said the disclosure could be potentially harmful and that an investigation is underway."Whenever you have the potential for names and for operations and for programs to be out there in the public domain besides being against the law has the potential to be very harmful to those that are in our military, those that are cooperating with our military and those that are working to keep us safe," said Robert Gibbs.In an initial reaction on Sunday, President Obama's National Security Adviser, retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Jones said disclosure of the documents could put the lives of Americans and allied partners in Afghanistan at risk, and threaten U.S. national security. Gibbs said the White House was aware of the coming disclosure last week and notified relevant congressional committees. But he downplayed suggestions that the White House set out to contain any resulting "political damage." Gibbs said officials passed a message through writers at The New York Times newspaper to the head of WikiLeaks, asking that information that could harm personnel or threaten operations or security be redacted. At a separate event later focusing on a legislative issue, President Obama declined to respond to questions shouted by reporters about the Afghanistan documents.The White House and State Department took similar approaches in responding to questions about the significance of the leaked materials.State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley had this response to reporters asking about the picture the documents paint of Pakistan's commitment to the war on extremism."Pakistan has taken significant steps," said P.J. Crowley. "The offensives in [the] Swat [Valley] and South Waziristan are strong indicators that Pakistan has come to recognize that insurgent groups that are, in fact, within the borders of Pakistan pose a threat not just to Afghanistan, the U.S., but [also] fundamentally to Pakistan itself. So we do believe that Pakistan has undertaken a fundamental strategic shift."Pressed about his description that the leaked documents contain no revelations, Gibbs said this when asked by a reporter whether they suggest that the war in Afghanistan is "too far gone" to be corrected by changes in strategy under President Obama.
"Nobody is here to declare mission accomplished," he said. "You have not heard that phrase uttered or emitted by us as a way of saying that everything is going well. Understand this, that we got involved in this region of the world after September 11 [, 2001]. And then for years and years and years and years, this area was neglected. It was under-resourced; it was under-funded. That is what led the president to say that what we needed to do is to focus on what was going on in Afghanistan. That is why we are here."The chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton, said that while troubling, the leaked reports pre-date President Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan. They should not be used, Skelton says, as a measure of success or a determining factor in the U.S. mission there.On the implication that elements in Pakistan continue to aid the Taliban and fuel the Afghan insurgency, Skelton said it is critical not to use outdated reports to paint a picture of Pakistani cooperation. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry noted the illegal nature of the documents' disclosure, but he added that "they raise serious questions about the reality of America's policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Describing President Obama's policy in the region as being at a critical stage, Kerry said the documents might make it more urgent to make changes to get the policy right.

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EU Gives Two Million Euros to Khmer Rouge Tribunal

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JULY 26, 2010-The European Union and the Royal Government of Cambodia on Monday have agreed a contribution worth 2 million euros (US$ 2.6 million) in support of the Cambodian side of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The funding will go to pay the salaries of the Cambodian judges, prosecutors and legal support staff serving at the Trial and Appeals Chambers for the next year. It will be managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on behalf of the EU.

The two million euros is part of a 7.7-million-euro package supporting legal reform and governance in Cambodia and comes on top of one million euros donated by the EU to the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (ECCC) in 2007."The first sentencing of the Tribunal is a historical occurrence and a unique opportunity to help to bring to closure a dark chapter of the Cambodian modern history. I hope that it will also be a start for the introduction of international law in Cambodia. The EU is the main supporter of the Cambodian side of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. We believe that this process is important to increase the standards and perceptions of justice in Cambodia. Failure to resolve governance issues is a major obstacle to poverty reduction, growth and effectiveness of aid and these issues must be addressed." said HE David Lipman, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Cambodia.HE Tony Kranh, Acting Director of Administration expresses his “deepest gratitude” to the EU which, as the ECCC’s substantial donor, plays an essential role in the peace-building process and socio-economic development of Cambodia.
“EU’s contribution participates directly in bringing justice and strengthening national judicial reform in Cambodia,” HE Kranh said.“The successful completion of the trial phase in Case 001 was widely welcomed both nationally and internationally. Investigations in Case 002 concluded in January, and we are expecting the Closing Order by September.I hope that EU will continue its engagement with the ECCC in the future so that the Court is able to complete its mandate in line with the indicative timelines while respecting the due process.” Tony added.

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Donors welcome verdict for Duch

Ambassadors from France and Japan, The Co-Chairs of the Friends of the Court on Monday make this statement on behalf of the donors to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) with welcoming the verdict ruled by the court. The donors welcome the completion of the trial in the Trial Chamber for case 001, Monday 26th of July, against Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, former director of the detention center S21 in Phnom Penh for crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, homicide and torture, the statement from co-chairs signed by the French and Japanese ambassadors.“The donors recognize the commitment of the national and international judges as well as all those working for the ECCC and their independent and comprehensive work, in order to uphold high standards of law and due process, it added, noting more than 30 years after the atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime, this judgment gives hope that the ECCC will ultimately fulfill its promise as a vehicle for justice and national reconciliation for all Cambodians.The donors reaffirm their confidence in and support for the ECCC in delivering justice to the Cambodian people and in helping Cambodia strengthen further its efforts for the rule of law, the statement said.

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Khmer Rouge Prison Chief Sentenced to 19 Years

Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch

A U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Cambodia has found a former Khmer Rouge leader guilty of numerous crimes against humanity, and ordered him to spend 19 years in prison.

Emotions were high in the war crimes court as the guilty verdict against Kang Guek Eav, also known as Duch, was announced for his part in running Pol Pot's feared secret police in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.The verdict was met with a great sense of relief in the public gallery. Victims of the Khmer Rouge wept openly and hugged each other. Across the country millions watched and listened as the decision was broadcast live by local television and radio networks.The U.N.-backed court found the former commandant of the S21 extermination camp guilty of torture, murder and crimes against humanity, which were committed more than three decades ago. Prosecutors had sought a jail term of 40 years. But the court handed down a sentence of 35 years and then reduced it to 19, considering mitigating circumstances, such as an expression of remorse, cooperation with the court and time served.
Youk Chhang is director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which has spent more than 10 years gathering evidence against surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Despite the sentencing, he says the verdict will play an enormous part in helping Cambodians to reconcile their tragic past.
"I think it's important not only for Cambodia in general but also for the globe to understand that it's never too late to seek justice. And on the other side it's important for us to look into ways in which the genocide can be and should be prevented," he said.The Khmer Rouge were ousted by invading Vietnamese troops in early 1979, but conflict continued for another two decades. It was then that Cambodia asked the United Nations to help broker an international tribunal to focus on the atrocities allegedly carried out by Pol Pot and his collaborators.Duch is the first of five senior Khmer Rouge leaders to stand trial for his part in the genocide committed in the 1970s. More than 1.7 million people - a quarter of Cambodia's population - died by starvation, disease, torture and execution.
Youk Chhang says the evidence against Duch's should prove effective in prosecuting the other four senior Khmer Rouge leaders who are expected to appear before the court later this year or in early 2011.

People watch the court proceedings in the sentencing session of former Khmer Rouge cadre Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of Phnom Penh July 26, 2010. The U.N.-backed tribunal sentenced Duch to 35 years in prison on Monday in its first verdict three decades after the Maoist "Killing Fields" revolution tore Cambodia apart. Duch was found guilty of murder and torture, and crimes against humanity for running Tuol Sleng prison, a converted school that symbolised the horrors of the ultra-communist regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in 1975-79. REUTERS




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About 100 Cambodian garment workers rallied to demand salary increase

About 100 Cambodian garment workers on Sunday gathered to conduct a forum for demanding salary increase in front of the national assembly after security police gives a signal.
The forum has been changed from public garden in front of Botum Vatey pagoda as schedule near royal palace to the front of the national assembly.

This morning the workers met accidents with local police authorities after the police confiscated the microphone from workers groups but later it has a compromise. The police gave back the loudspeaker to workers group to express their feeling and impression about the salary increase recently which made by the ministry of labor and factory associations.

Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naroth said yesterday that their gathering did not have permission from the city hall. So we need to deploy security forces to prevent security and safety for order in Phnom Penh. Ath Thon, head of Cambodian labor federation said that his group plans to meet about 10,000 workers in rally from different places in country.

“The salary increase today is not suitable for food inflation and could not support their living condition, a worker said, adding that please increase our salary more than this. Recently their basic salary for a garment worker rose to 61 US dollar per month. The salary increase could not be more than this if not so; the investors will leave Cambodia to other where else which provided high benefits for them than here.

The union leaders have accused each other of betraying their colleague to sign on the agreement with factory owners to accept basic salary on 61 US dollars per month. It should be higher than this. Unhappy worker groups meet in rally to demand the amendment of agreement. The legal tools will be effective on October this year to 2014 for reviewing again.

Garment product is a very competitive in term of gaining global market. Cambodia, China, Bangladesh and Vietnam are big exporters to foreign markets. Cambodia’s textile product largely exported to the US and EU with amount of 2 million US dollar per year. It provided job chance about 300,000 workers which mostly are women from rural areas.

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Expert Predicts Warmer Future US-Cambodia Ties

King Sihamoni of Cambodia diplomatic papers from newly appointed US Ambassador Carol Rodley, 2009.



With 60 years of diplomatic relations behind them, Cambodia and the US are likely to experience stronger ties, as they move toward more economic engagement, a lecturer told students and others on Thursday.

Speaking at a symposium organized by the US Embassy, Chheang Vannarith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said US-Cambodian issues were likely to shift away from ideology and politics and more toward economics.

“I hope for the next 60 years, it is more on an economic-oriented approach and economic interdependency,” he said.

Chheang Vannarith was among a number of experts, historians and former diplomats who discussed the ongoing relationship between the two countries, one that has not always been smooth. The US only recently restarted direct aid to Cambodia, following a withdrawal after the 1997 coup.

The new relationship will be characterized by “people to people” and “business to business” relationships, as more US investors look to Cambodia, he said.

He also added that China's relationship with Cambodia was not likely to hurt the US here, as as interdependent relationship between the two giants was ongoing.

Chheang Vannarith spoke to an audience that included many students, whose views on his talk varied.

Ly Sreyrath, a 24-year-old student of international studies at the Royal Phnom Penh University, said the next 60 years were bound to be better, especially with the increasing economic relationship between the two.

However, Ngol Kean, 23, and also a student of international studies at the university, said he was “worried” about the relationship.

“The economic and military influences of China have been expanding in the last century,” he said. “The US seems to think that Cambodia has more political interest [for it] than economic.”

“The major US companies will not have a presence in direct investment in Cambodia,” he said.


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Japanese Textile Artist Drawn to Silk Mystery

Louise Allison Cort, a ceramic curator at the Freer and Sackler galleries, is seen admiring these beautiful silk.

While the Freer and Sackler galleries showcase rare Khmer bronzes in an ongoing exhibition, traditional Khmer silks are also on display.

The silks are a bit of a mystery, at least to Kikuo Morimoto, the founder of the Institute for Khmer Traditional Textiles, who was invited by the Smithsonian to explain Khmer silk dyeing and weaving.

Morimoto brought with him examples of hand-woven textiles that include an important twill pattern, called “hol.”

“I am interested in the mysterious story of yellow raw silk of Cambodia as material relating to Cambodian textiles,” he said, in addition to finding the source of the unique weaving technique.

An artist from Kyoto, Japan, Morimoto said he started his project to restore silkworm cultivation in Cambodian villages and to preserve a culture of weaving that is similar to that in Japan. He especially worked with weavers in Takeo province.

“I met an old woman, she is still keeping the old-day [hol],” he said. “This is the same in Japan also.”

He moved his institute to Siem Reap in 2000, after establishing it in Phnom Penh in 1996, and he hopes to find a way to teach the old methods to younger generations. He now has five hectares of land north of the temples of Angkor, a region that was the heart of the Khmer empire from the 9th to 14th centuries.

His work earned him a Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2004 and an audience with King Norodom Sihamoni in 2007. The king praised the institute for providing employment opportunities to impoverished Cambodian women and maintaining the old tradition.

Louise Allison Cort, a ceramic curator at the Freer and Sackler galleries, said she admired Morimoto for working to preserve the environment as well as the methods.

“When I wear this piece, I know that it was made completely by hand,” she said. “Somebody grew the mulberry trees to raise the silkworm; someone sponged the silk from the silk cocoons; someone used the natural dye to make the colors; someone weaved on the loom; and all of these people enjoyed their work and felt that it contributed to the whole finished result. And when I wear this I feel like I am participating in that project as well.”

The products of the silk weavers' labours are already being sold at a shop above the Siem Reap workshops. They are also available at the Freer and Arthur galleries withing the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.


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Prison Deaths Across Cambodia Increasing: Rights Group

Adhoc estimates the total number of prisoners in Cambodia at nearly 14,000, an increase of about 400 since last year.


The number of people dying in Cambodia's prisons are increasing, according to a leading human rights group. Adhoc investigators say at least 26 prisoners have died across the country in the first six months of the year.

That number is an increase of 18 above the same period in 2009. The figures are according to a study conducted by Adhoc, which in part looked at prison documents.

The provincial prison in Kampong Cham accounted for the most deaths, which recorded at least six in the month of July, Adhoc reported.

According to a Kampong Cham prison report obtained by VOA Khmer, the prisoners died of Hepatitis B, hypertension and stroke, among other ailments. But Adhoc says the deaths can be blamed on overcrowding in cells.

“I do not believe prisoners died from disease,” Chan Soveth, an investigator for the group, said.

In Kampong Cham prison, up to 23 prisoners are kept in one room, creating conditions so crowded they are forced to sleep on their sides instead of their backs, he said.

Seak Leng Seap, deputy director of Kampong Cham prison, called the report untrue, but he declined to comment further. Officials at the Ministry of Interior's prison department could not be reached for comment.

Adhoc estimates the total number of prisoners in Cambodia at nearly 14,000, an increase of about 400 since last year.


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Peeping-Tom Pagoda Reopens After Scandal

A pagoda that was at the center of a peeping-tom scandal has reopened in Phnom Penh, but it has seen few worshippers.

Sras Chak pagoda, where a monk allegedly convinced women they could be blessed by showering there and then secretly videotaped them, will now have to work to recover its reputation.

The video images have spread throughout Cambodia, passed phone to phone via Bluetooth technology or USB drives, despite a national call from the government to cease their disbursement.

Now defrocked, Net Khai has been charged with shooting video of more than 100 women since 2008. He is also charged with distributing pornography, a crime under the anti-trafficking law. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

The former head of the pagoda, Meas Kong, stepped down as a result of the scandal. The new chief monk, Chhoeng Bunchhea, told VOA Khmer he was preparing internal regulations and rules of Buddhism to restore the reputation of the pagoda.

“Monks are not allowed to bless in hidden rooms,” he said. “We allow the monks to bless people in public spaces.”

He appealed to Cambodians to stop the spread of the footage and destroy copies as an act of good merit.

“All of Cambodian Buddhists should bury what happened at Sras Chak pagoda, and they need to think about Buddhism,” he said.

The pagoda, which is home to 55 monks and 108 students, is now quieter than before and still controlled by investigating police.

The pagoda had previously seen up to 30 or 40 visitors per day, but now very few visit, according to a layman at the pagoda who asked not to be named. The shower room where victims were videotaped has now been destroyed, he said.

“I didn't think Net Khai could commit this video shooting, because he was a gentle man and talked little with ordinary people,” said a monk living near the suspect's quarters.

Chea Vannath, the former head of the Center for Social Development, said the scandal will hurt the reputation of monks as well as the victims.

Police are now investigating whether more suspects were involved in the video shooting.

A Cambodian Woman Died, Other Five Injured Seriously From lighting Strike in Cambodia

CAMBODIA, BATTAM BONG, JULY 22, 2010-A woman died and other five people seriously injured from the lighting strike during heavy rain in O’pong Mon village, Takream commune, Banon district of Battambang province, western part of Cambodia, a police officer said on Thursday.

The lighting strike hit the tree where the victims were sheltering during the rain and it occurred about 3PM on Wednesday. A woman names Yoeun Yon, 40, died of lighting strike immediately at the scene and other five injured seriously,” But Sambo, police chief of Banon district said by phone.

Sambo continued that five injured people lost conscience at that time and they were taken to hospital and now they recovered. Last year, about 140 people were killed by lightning in Cambodia. The Cambodian authorities have always appealed repeatedly to local people about the danger of lighting strike after it showed cruelly. The authorities tell people to avoid holding iron, talking on phone and sheltering under the rain.

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Japan gives fund to clean mines and UXOs in Cambodia

Under the framework of the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO's Projects, the Government of Japan provides US$928,217 to Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS) on Tuesday to clean mines in Cambodia, the statement from Japanese embassy said.

it continued that the Grant Contract was signed today at the Embassy of Japan between Mr. KAWAMURA Hiroshi, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Japan in the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Mr. EIKI Watanabe, Resident Representative of JMAS to implement projects including.

“The Project for Supporting Mine Clearance in Battambang Province in Cambodia (US$928,217)” is to operate three de-mining teams in Kamrieng District and to deploy a de-mining machinery in Ratanak Mondul District, Battambang Province which is one of the most heavily mine affected provinces in Cambodia with the largest number of casualties,” it added.

it said that in Kamrieng District, villagers will participate in the community-based de-mining activity with the technical support from JMAS advisors and supervision by the staff from Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). The de-mining machinery will be used for de-mining in the contaminated areas of Ratanak Mondul District.

“ It is estimated that the project will benefit about 20,000 villagers by alleviating the threat of mines in the areas and leading to community development once mines are cleared,” the statement from embassy said. it noted The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO's Projects started in Cambodia in 2002 to support activities by Japanese NGOs to help Cambodia's reconstruction and development efforts at the grassroots level.

Since 2002, the Government of Japan has provided over US$12.3 million for 54 projects by the Japanese NGOs, mainly in the field of primary education, health, and explosive ordnance disposal. The project by JMAS is the first one funded by this grant scheme in Japanese fiscal year 2010 (April 2010 - March 2011).

Mines and UXOs in Cambodia, last year, killed and injured 256 people. Heng Ratana, general director of Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) said that the fund is useful to contribute to cleaning mine and help local people for community development from clearance.

CPP Holds Its 35th General Assembly

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JULY 21, 2010-Cambodia´s ruling party, Cambodian People´s Party (CPP), on Tuesday celebrate a two-day meeting from July 21-22 at its head quarter in Phnom Penh.
CPP President Chea​ Sim, also Senate President, Cambodian PM Hun Sen and its senior members of the party attend the meeting.

The agendas of the meeting are scheduled to discuss its party policy and Cambodia´s world heritage list Preah Vihear which is being invaded by Thai Government since July 15, 2008.

Cambodia, US Marks 60th Diplomatic Relation

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JULY 21, 2010-Cambodia and the United State of America on Tuesday held its 60th anniversary of diplomatic relation in Phnom Penh to expand and strengthen its bilateral relation and cooperation.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, also Minister of Cabinet of Ministers attended with US Ambassador Carol​ A. Rodly and former US Ambassadors to Cambodia, Kent Wiedemann, Charl​Ray and Joseph A. Mussomeli.

The ceremonies are designed to highlight the shared history between the United States and Cambodia and the many ways in which the two countries are working together

Cambodia never Worried about Thailand’s Opposition on Development Plan of Preah Vihear Temple

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JULY 22, 2010-Cambodia has never worried about Thailand’s opposition on preservation and development plan of Khmer Preah Vihear temple during the 34th meeting of the world heritage committee in Brazil on July 25 -3 August, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Thailand will send two ministers from environment and culture respectively to complain with the committee about Cambodia’s plan on development and preservation of the temple.

“We have never worried about Thailand’s opposition on the plan,” deputy prime minister and minister of council of ministers Dr. Sok An told reporters at the Phnom Penh International airport before departure to Brazil.

He continued that Thailand has always opposed us since we listed Preah Vihear temple as world heritage site in 2008.

“We have never had 4.6 square kilometer disputed areas near Preah Vihear temple of Cambodia with Thailand. Thailand has used the own map which was unilaterally drawn secretly to take Cambodian soil. That land is belonging Cambodia,” he stressed this morning in 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Cambodia Successfully Achieves Multi-National Military Exercise of Command Post

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JULY 23, 2010-Cambodia on Friday successfully achieved the multi -national military exercise of command post from July 12-23, with support from the United States.

We have successfully achieved the exercise with concerts and objectives of command post exercise training as scheduled and this one of the great achievements of the GPOI-10 training exercise –Angkor sentinel 2010,”said Nhem Sowath, chief of political relation of defense ministry said

He added the members of participated countries and forces have changed a little bit compared to the organized plan which included sixteen countries, five observing countries and two international organizations due to the two countries were sent. However, the number of participated military increased from 137 to 167 since the number of observers has been increased and some of them became as official participants.

He highlighted that the exercise learned from the international laws, and shared experience, and disarmament, demobilization and affected and vulnerable populations and other roles of peacekeeping experience lecturing.

We do not forget the great contribute from our partners and the USPACOM and teachincal equipments, materials, fiancé, human resources and provided professional and skillful experiences for making this event happened.

US side admired the effort for Cambodia that organized this event. You will have responsibility when you meet the situation from exercise.
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Cambodia Successfully Achieves Multi-Nations Military Exercise of Command Post

Phnom Penh Cambodia

Cambodia Successfully Achieves Multi-Nations Military Exercise of Command Post

Phnom Penh Cambodai