Monday, 2 November 2009

Cambodia tribunal to expand reach




Monday, November 02, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Cambodia's United Nations-backed tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders is set to announce it will bring prosecutions against five more suspects from the former regime.

But the plans are causing a deep divide among Cambodians and calling into question whether the tribunal can objectively prosecute these cases.

Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports from Kampong Cham, Cambodia.

AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival

http://www.news-medical.net/

2. November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

During Last Year's 'One Million Tests' World AIDS Day 2008 Campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES and Cambodian Partners Surpassed Country's 30,000 Testing Goal by Testing 35,034

As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar. The Water Festival commences Sunday, November 1st. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest AIDS group in the US which currently provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe, is spearheading the worldwide initiative to test millions. Last year, AHF led the successful 'One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008' campaign during which AHF/Cambodia CARES and its Cambodian partners surpassed their country goal of performing 30,000 tests by testing 35,034 individuals, identifying 1,112 HIV positive individuals in the process. The 2008 campaign far exceeded its goal of performing one million tests by testing 1,603,272 people and identifying 61,399 HIV positive people.

AHF/Cambodia CARES, which partners with NCHADS in operating 12 free AIDS treatment clinics throughout the country, has also taken a leadership role to coordinate and partner with other stakeholders to reach as many people as possible for the HIV testing and the Love Condom campaign. As its part of the in-country component of the global testing campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES has committed to testing 12,000 people for HIV throughout the month of November in Cambodia, one of the countries in the Asia Pacific region that has been hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"With the beginning of the Water Festival, AHF/Cambodia CARES will get an early start and launch our country's participation in the 'Testing Millions' World AIDS Day 2009 campaign. We will be testing in Phnom Penh and other provinces and link those found to be positive to a clinic for follow up care and access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as well as the positive prevention to stop the spreading of the virus, and those who found as negative will learn about HIV prevention to keep them stay negative" said Chhim Sarath, M.D., AHF Country Director for Cambodia.

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Asia and also has one of the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the region. The HIV epidemic has spread beyond high-risk groups such as sex workers, male police officers, factory workers, mobile populations, injection drug users and men who have sex with men, to the general population.

The number of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers in Cambodia has increased dramatically over the last 5 years (only 12 sites in 2000 to 216 sites by the end of first quarter 2009). Of the current 216 VCT centers, 194 are supported directly by the government, while 22 are supported by non-governmental organizations.

SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Danish man charged with child sex abuse in Cambodia

http://www.asiaone.com/

Mon, Nov 02, 2009
AFP

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov 2, 2009 (AFP) - A Cambodian court has charged a Danish man with sexually abusing three underage girls in a northwestern border town, officials said Monday.

Banteay Meanchey provincial court on Sunday charged Kenneth Hansen-Jorgen, 61, with sexual abuse of children and he faces at least 10 years in jail if convicted, prosecutor So Vath told AFP.

The mother of one of the children was also charged with prostituting her daughter to the suspect, the prosecutor said.


Hansen-Jorgen allegedly crossed from Thailand into Cambodia and took the girls, all aged under 15, to a guesthouse in the border town of Poipet, said provincial police chief Hun Hean.

"He has confessed to us through translation that he has had sex with the girls, and the victims have also told us about him," the police chief added.

Dozens of foreigners have been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries since Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia push in 2003 to try to shake off its reputation as a haven for sex predators.

Taiwan smuggler gets 37 years


Nov 2, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH - A CAMBODIAN court has sentenced a Taiwanese man to 37 years in jail for drug smuggling and possession of illegal weapons, a judge said on Monday.

Judge Chhay Kong of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said he sentenced 21-year-old Hsiao Kuo-leang on Friday after finding him guilty of trying to smuggle a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin and possession of two handguns.

Hsiao, who was arrested in late 2008 when authorities found the drugs in his car, was also ordered to pay a fine of US$25,000 (S$35,000), the judge said.

The judge added that Hsiao also testified that he was hired by another Taiwanese man to set up a laboratory in order to produce drugs to smuggle out of Cambodia.

In recent years a number of Taiwanese nationals, including a 90-year-old man, have been jailed for attempting to smuggle narcotics out of the Cambodian capital.

Although drug arrests have increased, Cambodia is becoming an increasingly popular trafficking point for methamphetamines and heroin, particularly since neighbouring Thailand toughened its stance on illegal drugs. -- AFP

Myanmar launches series of cultural activities to mark Japan-Mekong exchange


http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-11-02

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

YANGON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has been launching a series of cultural exchange activities since early this year to mark the Japan-Mekong exchange year to showcase the cooperation and friendship between Japan and Myanmar and such activities continued up to the end of the year.

Myanmar is a member of the six-country Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)-Economic Cooperation. The others sharing the Mekong River are China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The GMS has designated the year 2009-2010 as GMS tourism year as part of its economic cooperation in the subregion.

In February this year, a Japan-Mekong exchange year was launched in Myanmar's former capital of Yangon and the event was marked with joint performance by Japanese and Myanmar artists.

As part of the Japan-Mekong exchange year program, a Japanese film festival was held in Yangon in early January this year. Four Japanese films, namely "Nabbie's Love", "Water Boys", "Linda Linda Linda" and "Ping Pong Bath Station" were introduced in the festival.

The Japanese film festival continued in Myanmar's second largest city of Mandalay in February.

Besides, an annual Japanese Literature translation contest at three levels took place in Yangon and Mandalay in the same month.

Under the program, another music concert involving Myanmar and Japanese artists was also launched in Yangon in March by the Myanmar Gitamate Music Band which was invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the Japan-Mekong exchange year program in the Japanese capital of Tokyo in January.

In June, Myanmar professional photographers were invited to take part in a Mekong photo contest, aimed at exploring the beauty and culture of the GMS.

Sponsored by the Mekong Tourism Coordination Office (MTCO), the contest, which was the first of its kind under the title of "Explore Mekong", was also aimed at boosting the region's tourism sector and enhancing the world's impression over the cultural heritage of the GMS member countries.

More programs, which followed in the next half of this year, included Karatedo contest, piano and flute concert, Ekabana flower decoration show, Japanese fashion show, Japanese song singing contest, Judo contest and film festivals.

As a special program, Myanmar non-professional directors have been invited to take part in a Mekong three-minute short film contest.

It was prescribed that directors under 25 years old from the six Mekong member countries of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are invited.

The 20 winners' video feature films, designated to be shot by home video cameras, will be shown as part of the program of the Children Day Festival in Kagoshima, Japan scheduled for Dec. 5 this year.

Moreover, a Japanese language proficiency test for Myanmar citizens will also take place on Dec. 6 to boost language communication between peoples of Myanmar and Japan.

Sponsored by the Japanese Embassy and the Myanmar Association of Japan Alumni (MAJA), the 11th Japanese language proficiency test covers four levels.

In previous cultural exchange programs between Myanmar and Japan, Japanese film shows were held annually in Yangon and Mandalay in the past few years, introducing Japanese movies to Myanmar audiences which featured comedy, cartoon, romance, samurai and detective.

The two countries also launched joint shooting of movie with the movie, "Thway" (blood), representing significantly as a joint production.

The film, which marked a symbol of Japan-Myanmar friendship and contributes to the promotion of the two countries' friendly relations, was created by Japanese producer and director Koji Chino and was based on a famous Myanmar novel of the same title written by Journal Gyaw Ma Ma Lay.

The movie involved both Myanmar and Japanese actors and actresses.

Meanwhile, in June this year, Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae visited Myanmar as part of its efforts to boost exchange between Japan and Mekong countries.

The soon visit to Japan by Myanmar Prime Minister General TheinSein and his attendance at the first Mekong-Japan Summit to be held in Tokyo is believed to promote the regional exchange to a new height.

Editor: Anne Tang

CAAI News Media: News in Pictures


A Cambodian woman cries holding the body of her fiance at a pagoda in Phnom Penh on October 30, 2009. A Cambodian father and his four sons died in a chain of electrocution on October 30, when the front door to the family's corrugated-metal house cut into a power line, police said. AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY (Photo credit should read TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)



A female relative of a Cambodian family who died in a chain of electrocution, cries at a pagoda in Phnom Penh on October 30, 2009. A Cambodian father and his four sons died in a chain of electrocution on October 30, when the front door to the family's corrugated-metal house cut into a power line, police said. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY (Photo credit should read TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)



A fisherman casts his net on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


This photo taken on October 29, 2009 shows Cambodia's "jungle woman" Rochom P'ngieng (C) sitting with help from her parents at a hospital in Ratanak Kiri province, some 610 kilometers northeast of Phnom Penh. Cambodia's "jungle woman", whose story in 2007 gripped the country after she apparently spent 18 years living in a forest, was hospitalised after refusing food, her father and a doctor said on October 30. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)



A Cambodian fisherman throws a fishing net at a floating village of A-Reyksat, along Mekong river in Kandal province, northeast of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)



This photo taken on October 29, 2009 shows Cambodia's "jungle woman" Rochom P'ngieng (C) sitting with help from her parents at a hospital in Ratanak Kiri province, some 610 kilometers northeast of Phnom Penh. Cambodia's "jungle woman", whose story in 2007 gripped the country after she apparently spent 18 years living in a forest, was hospitalised after refusing food, her father and a doctor said on October 30. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)

Boat racing as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,


Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, claps for cheering boat competitors rowing their boats past Royal Palace during a boat racing as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of an annual water festival. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


Cambodia's King Sihamoni claps as the participants in traditional dragon boats row during the first day of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, from left, Prime Minister Hun Sen and wife of the prime minister, Bunrany, watch boat racing as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of an annual water festival. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


 Cambodia's King Sihamoni (R) greets Prime Minister Hun Sen (2nd L) as President of Senate Chea Sim (2nd R) looks on while they attend the first day of the annual Water Festival boat infront of the palace in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, greets wellwishers as Prince Sisowath Chivan Monirak, also the vice-president of the Cambodian senate, looks on upon a boat racing as part of a water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of the annual water festival. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni (R) greets Prime Minister Hun Sen (2nd L) as president of the National Assembly Heng Samrin (C) smiles during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh on November 1, 2009. The Water Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated by Cambodian people from November 1 to 3 and attracts thousands of people from the country side to the Cambodian capital. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)



Rowers head to the start line before a boat race as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of an annual water festival. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


Rowers head to the start line before a boat race as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of an annual water festival. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


Participants in traditional dragon boats celebrate victory during the first day of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


Participants in traditional dragon boats row during the first day of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea  (CAAI News Media)


Cambodian participants power their dragon boat on the Tonle Sap river during the first day of the Water Festival in Phnom Penh on November 1, 2009. The Water Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated by Cambodian people from November 1 to 3 and attracts thousands of people from the country side to the Cambodian capital. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)



Cambodian participants power their dragon boats along the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh on October 31, 2009. The Water Festival is one of the main festivals Cambodians celebrate from November 1-3, attracting hundreds of thousands from other provinces of the country. AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY (Photo credit should read TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)



Cambodian participants power their dragon boat on the Tonle Sap river during the first day of the Water Festival in Phnom Penh on November 1, 2009. The Water Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated by Cambodian people from November 1 to 3 and attracts thousands of people from the country side to the Cambodian capital. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (CAAI News Media)

Chavalit's trip to KL won't cause issues


Published: 1/11/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Sept 2006 coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratkalin believed opposition Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyuth's visit to Malaysia will not produce the same consequences like his visit to Cambodia last month.

Former prime minister Chavalit was widely criticised and accused of worsening the political situation and Thai-Cambodian relations following his one-day visit to Phnom Penh to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whom he regarded as an old friend.

Gen Sonthi said on Sunday he had not yet received an invitation letter to visit Malaysia with Gen Chavalit.

"I'll see if I'll travel to Malaysia as I don't know the purpose of Gen Chavalit's visit yet.

"But I believe the outcome of this visit would be different from his trip to Cambodia because Malaysia is unbiased and knows the situation in Thailand well," Gen Sonthi said.

On his decision to be the Matubhumi Party leader, the ex-chief of the now defunct Council for National Security said the party executives will decide on this.

Matubhumi core member Areepen Udonsin said Gen Chavalit's trip to Kuala Lumpur would not help improve the violence-plagued southern border provinces.

He believed Gen Chavalit may aim at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

Mr Areepen said Gen Chavalit made a good decision by joining the Puea Thai Party since he had the experience and could calm down impetuous party members.

United Kingdom-Yorkshire pigs arrive in Cambodia.


11/01/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PIGS MIGHT FLY, indeed they did from Yorkshire last week.

The Yorkshire company ACMC Ltd, who specialize in breeding genetically advanced pigs, flew the first consignment of pigs to Cambodia last week, as the first shipment in a multi million pound deal.

There was a Royal reception for the pigs at Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia, complete with garlands of flowers and dignitaries from the highest level of government.

This was the start of a 20 year franchise agreement, and is the first time Cambodia have imported such a large number of breeding pigs into the country.

The pigs including ACMC’s specially created Meidan breed, plus Volante and Vantage sows and boars, which will form the nucleus of a herd in a new 5 hectare pig unit that plans to fatten over 20,000 pigs per week.

The CEO of the MRT Group, Stephen Curtis said, " This is a massive boost for the company and the British pig industry, which has come out of 10 very bad years".

The company is currently exporting pigs to Thailand, China, the Philippines and Cambodia.

Fixing Ears in Cambodia


(Posted by CAAI News Media)

During my recent travels in SE Asia, I was fortunate to spend an evening with Director Glyn Vaughan of All Ears Cambodia in Phnom Penh. What an amazing place and individual - both left a lasting impact on me and I continue to dwell over the experience.

Cambodia is an extremely poor country still recovering from years of war and strife from the Khmer Rouge regime. It does not allocate any government resources to its disabled people. As a result, thousands of hearing impaired children and adults are left without the education, hearing aids, or services they need to thrive and many end up destitute and/or reliant their entire lives on family for support.

An All Ears marketing piece indicates that "an estimated 2 million Cambodians suffer from disabling deafness...and over half of these cases could have been prevented." In fact, chronic ear infections are so common that, in many villages, it is considered normal. And, of the ones in need of hearing aids, less than 1% have them.

Dr. Vaughan, a British audiologist, has made it his life's mission to reverse some of these trends. He left his UK practice to move to Phomh Penh in 2003 to establish and run All Ears Cambodia full-time. He is the only degreed audiologist in the entire country, and his clinic is the only one of its kind in Cambodia. He self-trained two women and an assistant on the practice of audiology and now the four of them work relentlessly to provide support treatment, hearing aids, and rehabilitation to those in need in Phnom Penh and in many rural villages stretching across four provinces. The clinic also partners with 30 other NGOs that work with AIDS and landmine victims (hearing loss is a common side effect of AIDS). The organization supports the sole government audiology clinic at the state hospital through contributons of personel and through traning programs. They do a lot of education and awareness around hearing loss - how to protect your ears, what to do when you have an ear infection (don't pour kerosene in your ear, for starters…). Glyn and his team also wrote the country's first audiology manual in the Khmer language. The amount of work and the tremendous impact that this small group of committed people is making is incredible to comprehend.

Dr. Vaughan's passion is inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him share his experiences. If you are looking for a worthy cause to support, this would be a great one. For more information, please visit; http://www.allearscambodia.org/


KATHINA at wat Odom Samakum Khmer New Zealand (CAAI's Temple)













Photo by Huy KHY


The CAAI would like to thanks to all Cambodian people in Auckland New Zealand for the Kathina. The money will be put into the new project to build the Vihara. CAAI also would like to thanks to Huy KHY for the wonderful pictures.

1st day of the Annual Water Festival


Rowers head the to the start line before a boat race as part of water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of annual water festival which started Sunday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)


Participants in traditional dragon boats stand by during the first day of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI Newsw Media)


A boat captain prays before the start of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


Participants in traditional dragon boats row during the first day of the annual Water Festival boat race on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh November 1, 2009. The three-day race will be held from November 1-3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAAI News Media)


Rowers wait at the start line before their competition as part of of water festival celebration in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Hundreds of wooden boats gathered for three days of annual water festival which started Sunday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (CAAI News Media)

Cambodia celebrates Water Festival


http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-11-01

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday started the celebrations of the annual Water Festival, the biggest festival in the capital city, in front of the Royal Palace here, which regularly draws over 1 million people from all over the country.

King Norodom Sihamoni, accompanied by the government leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and members of the foreign diplomatic corps, watched the boat racing on the first day of the festival celebrations which will last through Tuesday.

Nearly 400 boats with more than 25,000 boat racers are ready to take part in the annual water festival. Last year, 424 boats with 26,000 boat racers came from various parts of the country participated.

Cambodia's boat races or water festival is a three-day event crediting Cambodia's strong armed forces in defeating enemies by using boats.

Every year, millions of Cambodians are coming from across the country and are flocking to Phnom Penh to view and enjoy the boat races. Besides the boat racing, the three-day celebrations include firework, moon prayers and illuminated boats with ministry and royal emblems.

The 1,700-meter race is held on the Mekong River in the capital in front of the Royal Palace.

Editor: Deng Shasha