Sale of Pol Pot belongings attracts 'ghost' money bid

PHNOM PENH , May 21 KYODO

Belongings of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot that are up for sale have attracted a single bid of $790,000 in fake money, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

According to the report in the English-language Phnom Penh Post, Pok Leak Reasey offered to buy the pair of shoes and two cameras with $790,000 in ghost money used in funeral rites in many parts of Asia . ''The reason why I've offered the money in ghost notes is because I want to say that all material remaining from the regime is worth nothing,'' Pok Leak Reasey was quoted as saying by the paper.

Pok Leak Reasey lost eight members of his family during the regime, including his father, grandparents and siblings.

The seller of the belongings, a former photographer at Tuol Sleng prison, Nhem En, said he was not angry with the offer, but is still offering the belongings with a starting price of $1 million, according to the report. As many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured at Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh before being executed.

The prison's chief, Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, is currently on trial at a U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal, while four other senior former Khmer Rouge leaders will be tried sometime next year.

Pol Pot died in 1998.

KyodoMay 21, 2009

N. Korea defiant despite pressure from U.S., Japan over nuclear issue

N. Korea defiant despite pressure from U.S., Japan over nuclear issue
(EDS: UPDATING WITH CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT)
By Miya Tanaka and Puy Kea
PHUKET, Thailand, July 23 Kyodo

North Korea blamed Washington for the current standoff over its nuclear program during an annual regional security dialogue on Thursday, defying calls from the United States, Japan and other countries for it to return to the stalled six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing Pyongyang, officials who attended the gathering said.

North Korea explained its position at an international gathering attended by officials from all six countries involved in the nuclear talks for the first time since its second nuclear test in May.

In apparent protest at international pressure over its recent nuclear test and missile launches, North Korea did not send its foreign minister, Pak Ui Chun, and instead sent an ambassador-level official.

Adding further pressure, the chair's statement issued on the ASEAN Regional Forum said the ministers of several countries ''condemned the recent nuclear test and missile launches'' by North Korea and ''strongly urged'' all U.N. members to ''commit themselves to fully implement'' a new U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution adopted in response to the nuclear test.

But North Korea ''totally rejected'' the resolution and told the meeting that ''the ongoing aggravated situation on the Korean Peninsula is the product of the hostile policy of the United States'' against the country and ''stated that the six-party talks have already come to an end,'' the statement said.

The six-party talks involve North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone told reporters later that North Korea's remarks ''were far apart from the awareness of the international society.'' ''The atmosphere of the venue indicated that North Korea cannot win support from other countries with this kind (of position),'' he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a separate news conference criticized such arguments by North Korea and said that the country has ''no friends left'' to protect it from moves toward its denuclearization.

As for incentives for North Korea to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, Clinton said at the forum that the United States will promise a peace treaty, the restoration of good relations at the six-party talks and the development of peace on the peninsula, according to senior sources who attended the gathering.

The 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum wrapped up a series of meetings involving the 10-member ASEAN and its dialogue partners, as well as other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The ARF is the only regional security dialogue forum usually attended by North Korea's foreign minister, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. It was established in 1994 to promote dialogue and cooperation on regional security issues and North Korea became a member in 2000.

Participants in the gathering also discussed the issue of Myanmar, where pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained, and many expressed hope over progress on democratization, according to Japanese Foreign Ministry official.

While encouraging the military government for free and fair elections in 2010, the foreign ministers called on the government to ''release all those in detention,'' including Suu Kyi with a view to enabling them to participate in the elections, the chairman's statement said. Meanwhile, the ARF adopted a statement outlining the forum's vision through 2020, the Japanese official said.

Under the ''Vision Statement,'' the forum, in order to achieve its goal of enhancing the regional security environment, reaffirmed its three-step evolutionary approach -- starting with the promotion of confidence building and moving toward preventive diplomacy before eventually developing conflict-resolution mechanisms.

How to cooperate in dealing with large-scale disasters was also an important issue that was discussed in the forum, given the cyclone devastation in Myanmar and the deadly earthquake in China's Sichuan province, both of which occurred last year.

Indonesia expressed its willingness to host an ARF disaster exercise and Japan offered to cooperate on co-hosting the event, the official said. The first such Voluntary Demonstration of Response was held in the Philippines in May during which more than 500 personnel participated.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They form the ARF together with Australia, Canada, China, Japan, India, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, the United States, the European Union and others.

Kyodo

U.S. consolidates ties with Lower Mekong countries

By Puy Kea PHUKET, Thailand, July 23 Kyodo -

The United States and the four Lower Mekong nations of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam consolidated relations Thursday through the holding of their first-ever ministerial meeting.

At the five-nation talks, held on the sidelines of ASEAN-organized meetings on the Thai resort island of Phuket, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of the four Southeast Asian countries reached agreements on U.S. assistance and cooperation in the areas of environment, health and education.

A joint statement said participants discussed such issues as fighting infectious disease, expanding the use of technology for education and development, and tackling climate change, for which the new administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has asked the U.S. Congress for a seven-fold increase in funding for Southeast Asia. Clinton underlined the importance of the Lower Mekong region to the United States and stressed the U.S. commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia as a whole.

Also, the participants reached an agreement between the Mekong River Commission and the Mississippi River Commission to pursue a ''sister river'' partnership to share expertise. In recent years, the Lower Mekong countries have voiced concerns over the building of hydropower upstream in China, but sources said that issue was not discussed in the inaugural ministerial meeting.

The meeting took place a day after Clinton declared that ''the U.S. is back in Southeast Asia,'' suggesting the region had been neglected by the previous administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush. She said she and Obama believe that ''this region is vital to global progress, peace and prosperity'' and vowed the United States will ''fully engage with our ASEAN partners on the wide range of challenges confronting us: from regional and global security to the economic crisis to human rights and climate change.''

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ASEAN diplomats said that both Laos and Cambodia had wanted Upper Mekong countries China and Myanmar, regarded by Washington as a pariah state, included in Thursday's ministerial meeting, but they finally agreed with having only Lower Mekong countries involved.

Some observers suggested the United States was hoping to bolster its influence in the Lower Mekong subregion by excluding China, which is already a major player there.

Kyodo

Amnesty says ASEAN's consensus principle may undermine rights body

By Puy Kea

PHUKET, Thailand, July 21 KYODO

Amnesty International said Tuesday the ''consensus'' principle adopted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations may paralyze or weaken the 10-member organization's human rights body, due to be launched later this year.

According to Amnesty, the body's newly adopted terms of reference, which allow for decisions by consensus only, would mean each ASEAN member could reject any criticism of its own human rights record by veto.

This ''could lead either to paralysis or to the adoption of weak positions based on the lowest common denominator,'' the London-based group said in a statement. It suggested that the ASEAN human rights body be empowered to investigate human rights abuses and receive complaints of abuses, saying, ''Without such powers the body will not be able to address serious human rights situations in the region, for example in Myanmar.''

The statement was released one day after ASEAN's foreign ministers decided by consensus to set up an intergovernmental commission on human rights later this year to promote and protect human rights in a region that includes military-ruled Myanmar .

Amnesty said its other key concerns include the body's lack of a clear protection mandate, lack of binding requirements for independence and expertise of its members, and an emphasis on ''regional particularities'' and ''noninterference'' in internal affairs, which it said could undermine respect for universal human rights standards.

ASEAN was urged to ensure a transparent mechanism to select independent expert members to the human rights body with representatives from civil society.

On Sunday, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who is the current ASEAN chair, said that after a review period of five years from the time the human rights body comes into operation, its terms of reference will be amended to strengthen its mandate and function on the promotion and protection of the human rights.

ASEAN groups Brunei , Cambodia , Laos , Indonesia , Malaysia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam .

Kyodo

Hun Sen says 29 rockets exploded near his residence

PHNOM PENH , June 30 KYODO

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that 29 rockets exploded near his residence Sunday night in an accident that he blamed on human error. The premier said he was playing chess at home when the explosions started at 7:30 p.m. and his bodyguards advised him to move to a safer place within the compound of his residence, located south of Phnom Penh .

The rocket blasts panicked many villagers living nearby and made many wonder what was actually happening there. Hundreds of police blockaded the surrounding area, restricting the flow of traffic. Hun Sen said the blasts happened after one of his military men used a cigarette lighter to get a better look at spilled gasoline from a truck loaded with rocket launchers and ammunition that was bound for a border area disputed with Thailand .

Two military personnel were injured by the blasts, he said. Also Tuesday, Hun Sen said that during talks last week at his residence with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, he insisted Thai troops withdraw from the disputed area and warned that Thai military aircraft overflying Cambodian territory might be targeted by ground-to-air missiles.

KyodoJune 30, 2009

Khmer Rouge prisoner survived by painting Pol Pot portraits

By Puy Kea
PHNOM PENH, July 1 KYODO

A survivor of a Khmer Rouge torture center in Phnom Penh in the late 1970s testified Wednesday that he survived only by painting portraits of then Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. Bou Meng, 68, the third victim to testify in the U.N.-backed trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders, said that shortly after his arrest and incarceration at the S-21 torture center in 1977, he offered his painting skills to the center's chief Kaing Guek Ieu, better known as Duch, in exchange for his survival.

Duch, who is now on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, told him he would be killed and used as fertilizer if he failed to paint a good enough portrait of Pol Pot from a small photo presented to him. ''My life is saved until today because of my paintings of Pol Pot portraits,'' he told the presiding judge when asked how he was able to escape the fate of most of those who were incarcerated at the center.

Vann Nath, 63, another victim told the court Monday that he also survived by painting. On Tuesday, Chum Mey, 76, said he was spared because of his usefulness as a mechanic. Bou Meng said he painted four Pol Pot portraits as well as those of a number of other foreign leaders including China 's Mao Zedong. He said Duch also ordered him to paint a caricature of the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh.

Bou Meng was arrested along with his wife, who subsequently disappeared and is believed to have been killed. He asked Duch to help him find out where she might be buried so that he could collect some soil from that site to use in praying for the repose of her soul in the Buddhist way.

In response, Duch referred the question to one of his former subordinates who will appear in the court at a later date, saying that person directly handled the movement of prisoners from place to place. Duch wept as he spoke about Bou Meng's wife. Like the other two victims who have already testified in the court, Bou Meng said he was shackled and tortured. He said interrogators accused him of being a CIA or KGB spy.

''I felt such pain at the time and I have had many scars on my back and shoulders as of now,'' he said.

In his concluding statement at the court, Bou Meng said he wants justice rendered to him and all other Khmer Rouge victims.

Duch is the first of five Khmer Rouge leaders to be tried at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He has admitted that he was responsible for the deaths of at least 12,380 prisoners while S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng, was under his command. The Khmer Rouge are blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians in the late 1970s.

Kyodo July 01, 2009

Khmer Rouge survivor recounts 'inhuman act' under the regime

By Puy Kea
PHNOM PENH , June 29 KYODO

One of more than a dozen Khmer Rouge survivors of a torture center in Phnom Penh recounted Monday that at the prison where he was incarcerated were ''inhuman'' and the food given him was less than that for the animals. ''The conditions were so inhumane and the food was so little.

I even had thought of eating human flesh,'' said Vann Nath, one of 14 Khmer Rouge survivors believed to have escaped from S-21 torture center. ''Even with animals, they would give enough food to eat,'' he said, adding he was given only three spoons of porridge ''and the spoon was as small as coffee spoon.'' Vann Nath, 63, is the first Khmer Rouge survivor to testify at a U.N. backed court where the former chief of S-21 prison Kaing Guek Ieu, known as Duch, is on trial for crimes against humanity.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia plans to call at least nine witnesses and victims who survived S-21 during the course of Duch's trial, which is expected to end by the end of this year. Duch is one of the five Khmer Rouge leaders to be tried at the ECCC for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Vann Nath said he spent a year in the prison, first as a prisoner and later was a painter during which time he said he saw some of the torture committed by the security guards under Duch's command. Duch, 66, has admitted his role and responsibility for the deaths of at least 12,380 prisoners and has several times apologized to the public for his cruelty.

He has added, however, he did everything on orders of his superiors. The Khmer Rouge are blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians in late 1970s.

KyodoJune 29, 2009

Cambodia rejects U.S. ambassador's statement on corruption

By Puy Kea
PHNOM PENH , June 2 KYODO

The Cambodian government took issue Tuesday with corruption charges made by U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Carol A. Rodley over the weekend, saying the accusation defames and discredits Cambodia .

The accusation, which Rodley made in a speech at the Clean Hands Concert in Phnom Penh , does ''not reflect the reality and may cause misunderstandings among the national and international circles,'' the Council of Ministers said in a statement. Rodley, speaking at the concert on Saturday, said corruption costs Cambodia up to $500 million per year in terms of forgone state revenues that could otherwise be spent on education and healthcare, jobs for Cambodian youth and other public services.

The amount ''is equivalent to the cost of constructing 20,000 six-room school buildings or the ability to pay every civil servant in Cambodia an additional $260 per month,'' she said. Rodley said corruption has ramifications across society. ''Countries that govern justly and democratically and are actively combating corruption will feel fewer effects of the global recession and will recover and return to prosperity more quickly,'' she said.

The Cambodian government argues it has taken measures to combat corruption through reforms in administrative affairs, public finances, legal and judicial matters and the management of natural resources.

Rodley said every year 250,000 young Cambodians enter the workforce but cannot find employment, and the deepening global economic recession is another burden hitting Cambodia as foreign investment shrinks and exports decline.

Rodley urged the Cambodian government to deliver on its promise to enact the anticorruption law.

The draft of the long-awaited anticorruption law is being revised by the Office of the Council of Ministers and it will not be enacted unless the penal code is first adopted, for which no date has yet been set.

More than 1 million Cambodians have demonstrated their support for passage of the anticorruption law through the Million Signature Campaign.

KyodoJune 02, 2009

ASEAN, EU foreign ministers to condemn N. Korean nuclear test

By Puy Kea

PHNOM PENH, May 28 Kyodo

oreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union who are in Phnom Penh for a two-day meeting will send a strong message Thursday condemning North Korea for its recent underground nuclear test and missiles launch, an ASEAN diplomat said.

The diplomat quoted a draft co-chairmen's statement to be released late Thursday as saying, ''Bearing in mind the need to maintain peace and stability in the region and the international nonproliferation regime, the ministers condemned the recent underground nuclear test and missiles launches undertaken by ( North Korea ).'' It claims Pyongyang 's moves ''constitute clear and continued violations'' of the six-party agreement and the relevant resolutions and decisions by the U.N. Security Council. ''Ministers strongly urged the DPRK to comply fully with the UNSC resolutions and decisions and refrain from further actions which could exacerbate the situation.'' DPRK is the acronym for North Korea 's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea .

The condemnation of North Korea by ASEAN and the European Union comes amid mass condemnations from around the globe, including by the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Japan and South Korea who are now considering financial sanctions in a resolution they are working out in response to North Korea 's second nuclear test.

Cambodia is co-chair with the Czech Republic , as the current EU president, of the 17th ASEAN-Europe Ministerial Meeting, a forum for direct dialogue among the 10 ASEAN members and the 27 countries in the European Union. The two-day gathering began Wednesday to focus on the global economic crisis, political security, climate change, food and energy security, terrorism and transnational crimes.

In opening remarks, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said, ''In my view, there is no doubt that the convening of this ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting is very much timely and highly relevant when our two regions, let alone the world at large, are confronted by numerous global challenges, in particular the current international economic and financial crisis.'' The foreign ministers also are touching on Myanmar .

''In the light of the concern about the recent developments relating to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the ministers exchanged views on the issue. In this regard, the ministers called for the early release of those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political parties,'' the diplomat cited the draft statement as saying. The ministers also took note of the briefing by Myanmar on the recent internal developments and Myanmar 's emphasis on noninterference in its internal affairs, he added.

In a 14-minute presentation, Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Myint rejected the meeting's criticism. ''The legal accusations against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and (the American) Mr. John William Yettaw are internal legal issues and are not political and human rights issues, so we don't accept the pressure and interference from abroad. I expect the 'excellencies' from abroad, especially the EU, to get more understanding about Myanmar ,'' he said.

Kyodo