M. Preuk : Below is an alarming article published by RFA indicating that people living in the Phum Daung village near the Vietnamese border, have been ordered not to talk about border problems they are currently facing due to Vietnamese encroachments. People of Phum Daung have been constantly harassed by Vietnamese troops and these incursions were recently acknowledged by the Phnom Penh regime as well. Now, in order to fulfill their subservience to Vietnam, the Phnom Penh regime under the leadership of the Vietnamese lackey Hun Sen and which is sold out to Hanoi, is ordering silence from the part of the victimized Khmer population. This is a shameful and disgusting act from these lackeys of the foreigners!

Photo by Sok Serey

         (UNOFFICIAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION) - While the National Assembly will meet soon to discuss and [eventually] ratify the border treaty with Vietnam, a report from Romeas Hek district [next to the Vietnamese border], Svay Rieng province indicated that a group of local authorities had ordered the local population not to talk on border problems with Vietnam.
         Sok Serey is reporting: Representatives of the Khmer population in Phum Daung village, Daung commune, Romeas Hek district, Svay Rieng province, next to the Vietnamese border had protested and accused the local authorities for ordering the local population not to talk about border problems with Vietnam ; should they continue talking about it, their personal safety will be threatened. According to the population living in Phum Daung village, Daung commune, in which their families have been victimized by this threat, Radio Free Asia (RFA) was informed that the threat has been issued last week to 10 villages, including Phum Daung.
         Mr Prak Chan, the police chief of the province of Svay Rieng said that he did not know about this issue. As for Mr Var Kim Hong, the President of the [government] legal and technical team for the border affairs said, in reaction to the above accusation, that “the government has no plan to do that. They [the local population] should not tell the news media those political matters." An opposition MP who asked to remain anonymous, said that “it is true that there were threat and order issued to the population of Phum Daung village not to talk on anything that involve border problem between Cambodia and Vietnam in that region.”
         The accusation of the silence order on border problem came at the same time as the National Assembly is about to discuss and ratify [eventually] the supplemental treaty regarding the border delimitation between Cambodia and Vietnam on Friday, November 11. This treaty is creating a lot of upheaval recently.

Supplemental Border Treaty Goes to the National Assembly (2005-Oct-21) Sakada Chun - Phnom Penh, Cambodia : The Cambodian government on border affairs' high ranking officials said that the Cabinet's Permanent Committee has sent the Supplemental Border Treaty to the 1985 Border Treaty to the National Assembly so that it can be included in the agenda for the Assembly floor debate. It got to the Assembly Friday morning.

         Mr. Var Kim Hong, Committee for Border Issues Resolution's director, told reporters at the Cabinet headquarter after its weekly meeting that the Permanent Committee has passed it unanimously and sent it to the National Assembly. Mr. Chan Ven, the National Assembly Office's deputy director, said that he has proceeded according to the law and Mr. Heng Samrin, acting National Assembly leader, will convene the Permanent Committee for an immediate meeting. He said that he has not read the treaty yet.
         Mr. Keo Remy, Sam Rainsy Party member of parliament said that the Committee should invite the government representatives to clarify about the treaty to all members of parliament once or twice before sending it to the National Assembly's Expert Committee for ratification. He said that such treaty is very important since it is related to Cambodia's territory and results in the arrests and the charges on dissent. Mr. Moanh Sophan, Funcinpec party legislator said that he cannot make any comment now since he has not seen the treaty.
         Ms. Chea Vannath, director of the Organization for Social Development said that the government and the three parties should understand the treaty and should insure the national unity before proceeding according to the law. Mr. Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman and Minister of Information said that the government cannot discuss about the treaty's good or bad points since it is still negotiating with Vietnam.
           VOA News

Cham poet awarded 2005 Southeast Asian Writers' Prize (2005-Oct-17)
         Ha Noi (VNA) - Inrasara-Phu Tram, a Cham ethnic poet of Viet Nam nationality, is among the nine Southeast Asian writers who were presented with the 2005 Southeast Asian Writers' Prize award in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 12. Thai Princess Bajraktiyabha presented the prize to Tran for his poem and epic, titled "Le Tay Tran Thang Tu". Tram is the first Vietnamese ethnic minority to receive the prestigious prize since 1996. The prize is aimed at honouring regional writers who have contributed to the development of literature and art in their respective countries and promoting mutual understanding among regional cultures.

Indocan Resources Applies for Cambodia Exploration Rights (2005-Oct-12)
         PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, -- Indocan Resources Inc (OTC: IDCN) today announces that the first two of four applications to the Cambodian Government were filed today for the exploration rights of coastal areas and offshore areas of the country. Cambodia has long been known to have huge potential offshore oil and  gas reserves worth as much as 500 million dollars a year, but a lack of infrastructure combined with disputes over ownership with neighboring Thailand have hindered progress. Surveys suggest that the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) have high hydrocarbon potential with estimates of 11 trillion cubic feet of  natural gas. If successfully extracted, then the country could receive up to $1 billion per annum in revenue from its fifty percent stake.
         Equally contentious, though for completely different reasons, are Cambodia's onshore basins. In the late 1990's the Japanese National Oil Corporation (JNOC) conducted $20 million dollars' worth of aeromagnetic and gravity surveys over the Tonle Sap (South East Asia's greatest lake) and Mekong Delta basins. The survey area covered 54,000 sq km and identified two deep sedimentary features in the Tonle Sap basin and a third in the Mekong basin. Indocan Resources president, Jeffrey Bruhjell said that "In January 2005, ChevronTexaco announced that its affiliate has discovered oil in four exploration wells in offshore Cambodia Block A. The 6,278 square kilometer block, encompassing the Khmer Basin with water depths averaging 240 feet, was awarded to Chevron Overseas Petroleum (Cambodia) Ltd. (COPCL), and its partners in March 2002. COPCL has a 55 percent interest in the block and is the operator. Oil pay zone logged in the wells ranges from 41 feet to 139 feet. Analysis of samples indicates the oil is 44 degree API crude." More information is available at www.indocan.com.

A mysterious parliamentary committee (2005-Oct-08)
         Samngatki : Xinhua News and several Asian newspapers reported that: “The Premier [Hun Sen] said Cambodia's Council of Ministers and a Parliamentary Committee have approved the proposal [to sign an additional border treaty with Vietnam].” It is worth noting that Cambodian public opinion is kept in the dark on this important national issue. The mysterious parliamentary committee which reportedly approved the proposal in secret is undoubtedly violating the Constitution.

Police block two border protest groups (2005-Sep-30)          K.I./ Voanews.com : Following the City Hall refusal to allow their demand for peaceful demonstration on border issues, five members of the Students’ Movement for Democracy were “invited” by force to the Tuol Kork police station. The five students were arrested when they walked out of their office. Witnesses said police officers seized all the signs and banners from the protesters and used force to break up the protest.          Also, more than 100 police officers blocked the office of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Coordination Committee and prevented committee members from entering. The committee is planning a peaceful march to protest the arrival of Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam’s first deputy PM, who is expected to meet Hun Sen to discuss border issues. When asked about the government only allowing protests against opposition leader Sam Rainsy, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said the protests do not involve marches. He also added that “the government is never biased.” (Source: Cambodia Daily). Cambodian civil societies and the opposition party calls the additional agreement illegal and have urged the government to stop recognizing the 1985 border treaty with Vietnam.

Police threw protest organizers onto the truck (from left to right : Sar Longdeth, Ear Channa, Sorn Dara, Ken Sar) (Photo: Chun Sakada)

         Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to visit Vietnam in October and to sign an additional agreement to the 1985 Cambodia-Vietnam border treaty. The Cambodian government has said it will sign the agreement as planned.

Luxurious villas suburb to be developed by Hun Sen’s friend, Sok Kong (2005-Sep-28)          Khmerintelligence.org : Following Hun Sen’s request to build a private Olympic Stadium in Boeung Chhouk, Sok Kong, the tycoon-close friend-financier of Hun Sen, owner of prominent conglomerate Sokimex, declared his intention of turning the area into a new suburb of Phnom Penh filled with luxurious villas. He also claimed that he had acquired 240 hectares of lands starting from 1992. An area of 200 hectares will be dedicated to the housing development in which Sokimex is willing to invest US$ 100 million.

Impact of AIDS on Cambodian children (2005-Sep-28)
         K.I. : The Heatlh Ministry reported that in 2003, over 6,000 Cambodian children are infected by AIDS. UNICEF and UNAID reported in 2003 that 77,000 Cambodian children became orphans after loosing both parents from AIDS. Most of the orphaned children are stigmatized by society, most of them are addicted to drugs and live on the street. Those losing their parents to AIDS usually also lost their parents’ property and had to abandon school due to extreme poverty. (http://www. cambodiacic.org/ articledetail.asp? req_id=9501& loc_id=def_02)

"On a sacrifié deux pauvres pour créer un riche" (2005-sep-24)
         Cambodge Soir - Le directeur de l'Institut économique du Cambodge (IEC) Sok Hach a présenté jeudi devant la Chambre de commerce franco-cambodgienne les conclusions de deux rapports à paraître prochainement sur la situation économique du Cambodge. Reconnaissant que la croisance était forte (une tendance de 6-7% jusqu'à cette année), l'inflation apparemment faible et que la situation budgétaire était équilibrée, "en tout cas tant que l'aide internationale arrive", Sok Hach a immédiatement tenu à tempérer l'optimisme des autorités en notant que malgré ces chiffres, la pauvreté continuait d'augmenter de façon alarmante.
         "Certains secteurs récoltent les fruits de la croissance, mais les paysans, rien. C'est terrible! Le revenu des 20% les plus aisés de la population a doublé ces dernières années, alors que celui des 80% restant n'a pas bougé. En réalité, on peut même dire que le niveau de vie baisse au Cambodge. Il y a certes une petite partie de la population qui décroche de la pauvreté, mais l'extrême pauvreté, elle, augmente. On peut estimer à 10 à 20% le nombre de gens qui s'appauvrissent. Sur le paysage social entre 1997 et 2004, on a sacrifié deux pauvres pour créer un riche".

Analysant les chiffres de l'inflation, Sok Hach a souligné la menace que fait peser le problème de la distribution des terres sur la croissance des prochaines années. "On évalue l'inflation à 5%, mais elle tourne en réalité autour de 10% car les produits alimentaires et énergétiques connaissent une inflation à deux chiffres.

Pourquoi cette inflation alors que le Cambodge est un pays agricole? Si le prix du bœuf augmente, c'est parce qu'il y a de moins en moins de terres disponibles pour l'élevage. C'est d'autant plus regrettable qu'on a coutume de considérer l'élevage comme une nouvelle source possible de croissance", a-t-il argumenté.
         L'économiste a ensuite analysé l'importance de la confection dans la croissance du pays. Jusqu'au 1er janvier 2005, date de la fin de quota, le textile contribuait, selon lui, pour 3 à 4 points à la croissance du PIB, soit près de la moitié. Et alors que tout le monde misait sur une croissance nulle ou négative de l'industrie textile à partir de 2005, les six premiers mois de l'année auraient connu une croissance de près de 10% par rapport à l'année dernière. Sok Hach prévoit donc une croissance globale du PIB de 5% juqu'en 2008, année de la fin de la clause de sauvegarde, mais précise qu'elle ne suffira peut-être pas pour que le royaume reste compétitif face à son principal concurrent, la côte est chinoise, "qui connaît des taux de croissance de 15 à 20%".
         Soren Seelow  [Source : Cambodge Soir]

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