China Dominates ASEAN Talks, Links to Singapore With High-Speed Rail

In China's ever-growing regional and global dominance, the country has announced that construction will begin this year on a portion of the much anticipated high-speed rail line reaching all the way to Singapore, by way of Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos. The move will bolster trade between the superpower and Asia's smaller players, as well as fortify the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region--of which Nanning is the capital--as China's main center of Asian trade. And the main center of trade in all of Asia, for that matter.

"The construction of the railway between Nanning and Pingxiang, a city near China's border with Vietnam, will start in the second half of this year," reports China Daily. The cost will be about $3 billion.

The Nanning-Singapore Economic Corridor will link Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Hanoi in Vietnam, Bangkok in Thailand, Vientiane in Laos, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore--cities that will thus become trading centers for the region and will most likely see additional economic development boosts due to the rail link. It's easy to imagine local enterprises popping up to cater to travelers and tradesmen.

Portions of the corridor are already in place in one form or another--in some cases highways are complete and in others domestic rail lines have been linked between countries. But this week's announcement that construction will begin on one of the final links--Nanning to Pingxiang--signifies the importance China places on making Nanning its Southeast Asian trading hub.

The timing of the announcement comes at a time when China and Japan are in increasing competition over dominance in the region, particularly over Vietnam. And as the Chinese city of Pingxiang is just at the border, one has to wonder why the sudden focus on that portion of what will be one of the largest inter-country high-speed rail links in Asia.

That said, the ASEAN Summit just wrapped on Monday and it was clear that China intends to maintain its dominance in the region--even though it's not officially part of ASEAN, a 10-member group of only Southeast Asian countries.

Whether the corridor is meant for trade or easy access to neighboring countries for other purposes, the rail link is set to alter the region significantly, giving rise to targeted innovations and enterprises throughout Southeast Asia.

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Three arrested after Cambodia acid attack: police

Three people have been arrested for an attack in which two women were splashed with acid, in the country's first such incident of the year, police said Wednesday.

One of the victims, a 27-year-old garment worker, remains in hospital with serious burns to her face, eyes and body, said Kong Sam Orn, a deputy police chief of Phnom Penh's Meanchey district.

The other woman, the driver of the motorcycle on which the two were riding at the time of the attack, suffered leg and arm injuries.

Police said Tuesday's attack was carried out by two brothers and came just one day after the older sibling's wife had a work-related argument with the 27-year-old victim.

"The attack stemmed from the dispute," Kong Sam Orn said, adding that police believed the wife, who was also arrested, had masterminded the crime.

Acid attacks are a common form of revenge in Cambodia where corrosive liquid is easily and cheaply available and attackers are rarely brought to justice.

In an effort to curb the violence, the Cambodian government has drafted legislation that would regulate sales of acid and impose harsher sentences on perpetrators.

Under the new law, expected to be approved later this year, attackers could face 20 years to life in prison.

While there are no official statistics, the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC) recorded 19 attacks in 2010, which injured more than 30 people.

"Just a handful of those cases resulted in arrests," said CASC programme manager Chhun Sophea.

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Thai FM thanks Cambodia for releasing six Thais on bail: Cambodian FM

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said Wednesday that his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya expressed thanks to Cambodia for releasing some of the seven detained Thais on bail.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Indonesia ended on Tuesday, "Mr. Kasit thanked Cambodia for releasing some of them on bail in recent days, " Hor Namhong told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, we also pledged to maintain currently good relations between the two countries, not allow the case of the seven Thais to affect the improving relations," he said.

"I told him that for the case of the seven Thais, Cambodia follows the legal procedures of the court based on Cambodia's immigration law, without any animosity towards the Thai people," said Namhong. "He also agreed with me."

The seven arrested Thais include a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Wikitsate and Veera Somkwamkid, Thailand Patriot Network core member.

They were arrested on Dec. 29, last year by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province.

So far, six of them have been released on bail by Cambodian court, except Veera Somkwamkid remains in custody awaiting trial as he was applied an additional charge by Cambodian court for attempt in "collecting information which might damage to Cambodia' s national security". The charge faces up to ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

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Cambodia denies action to block critical web blog

The Cambodian government has denied that action was taken against critical web blog that runs from overseas.

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and the government's spokesman said Wednesday that no action was taken against KI-Media, a web blog which is critical to the government.

He said he still can access to the web as of Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, local media Cambodian Express News reported a few users of EZECOM internet service provider, one of the country's internet services are complaining they are not able to access to the website, quoting a source as saying all websites with BlogSpot which includes KI-Media are blocked by the Interior Ministry.

But, spokesman of Interior Ministry could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

KI-Media which runs from overseas is considered by some readers as a critical blog against the Cambodian government which often carries articles touching on corruption, poverty among others.

No one could confirm whereabouts KI-Media is exactly operated, except saying it is run from overseas.

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Thai FM thanks Cambodia for releasing six Thais on bail: Cambodian FM

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said Wednesday that his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya expressed thanks to Cambodia for releasing some of the seven detained Thais on bail.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Indonesia ended on Tuesday, "Mr. Kasit thanked Cambodia for releasing some of them on bail in recent days, " Hor Namhong told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, we also pledged to maintain currently good relations between the two countries, not allow the case of the seven Thais to affect the improving relations," he said.

"I told him that for the case of the seven Thais, Cambodia follows the legal procedures of the court based on Cambodia's immigration law, without any animosity towards the Thai people," said Namhong. "He also agreed with me."

The seven arrested Thais include a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Wikitsate and Veera Somkwamkid, Thailand Patriot Network core member.

They were arrested on Dec. 29, last year by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province.

So far, six of them have been released on bail by Cambodian court, except Veera Somkwamkid remains in custody awaiting trial as he was applied an additional charge by Cambodian court for attempt in "collecting information which might damage to Cambodia' s national security". The charge faces up to ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

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Cambodia denies action to block critical web blog

The Cambodian government has denied that action was taken against critical web blog that runs from overseas.

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and the government's spokesman said Wednesday that no action was taken against KI-Media, a web blog which is critical to the government.

He said he still can access to the web as of Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, local media Cambodian Express News reported a few users of EZECOM internet service provider, one of the country's internet services are complaining they are not able to access to the website, quoting a source as saying all websites with BlogSpot which includes KI-Media are blocked by the Interior Ministry.

But, spokesman of Interior Ministry could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

KI-Media which runs from overseas is considered by some readers as a critical blog against the Cambodian government which often carries articles touching on corruption, poverty among others.

No one could confirm whereabouts KI-Media is exactly operated, except saying it is run from overseas.

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Filipino tourists told: Fly now to India, visa later

Filipinos who plan their trips on short notice can start flying to India without the hassles of processing a visa in the Philippines.

The Indian government has announced that tourists from the Philippines, as well as from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, may choose to process their Indian visas even after they have landed. Since the start of the year, India has implemented its visa-on-arrival scheme to attract more Southeast Asian tourists.

To complement this move, Philippine Airlines has announced it has begun to fly six times weekly from Manila to New Delhi and back. Their operations include three nonstop flights between the two capitals and three flights routed via Bangkok.

In a statement, the Indian Embassy in Manila explained that visas-on-arrival will be valid for a maximum of 30 days. The embassy added that a tourist can avail of a visa-on-arrival twice a year at the most, with each visit spaced by at least two months.

The visa, which will be processed at a fee of $60, is non-extendable and non-convertible.

To get the visa, Filipino tourists must carry passports valid for six months at least, or re-entry permits. They must also present a proof of availability of funds to spend in India, and a confirmed ticket guaranteeing they will leave the country within 30 days.

Ineligible are Filipinos who reside or work in India, who hold diplomatic or official passports, or who have been declared persona non grata or blacklisted by the government of India.

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Seoul enlists foreign envoys to improve international marriages

South Korea announced Wednesday that it would consult with ambassadors from seven Asian nations to help improve the quality of international marriages, local media said, following reports of foreign wives suffering abuse.

   Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it would work with envoys from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, China,

Mongolia and Uzbekistan to find ways to promote positive international marriages and assist multicultural families.

   Brokering international matches has become big business in South Korea as a growing number of the country's men living in rural areas seek foreign wives, because of a shortage of South Korean women willing to live in such regions.

   Three-quarters of the some 33,000 international marriages in South Korea in 2009 involved South Korean men and foreign women, mostly from South-East Asian nations, according to Yonhap News Agency.

   South Koreans seeking to marry a foreign national from one of the seven nations must also take a class on the culture and customs of their future spouse's country, the Ministry of Justice said earlier this week.

   'We've selected these seven countries first, because of the demand for Korean citizenship from foreign spouses from them, and the high divorce rate from their Korean partners,' a Justice Ministry official told the Korea Times newspaper earlier this week.

   The mandatory culture classes, which seek to improve South Koreans' understanding of their spouse's background, are expected to go into effect by the end of this month or in early February.

   Domestic violence has emerged as an issue in some international matches, highlighted by an incident last July in which a newlywed mentally ill South Korean man stabbed his Vietnamese wife to death.

   Concerns over possible human trafficking to create such matches also prompted Cambodia to impose a one-month ban in 2010 on marriages between South Korean nationals and Cambodians.

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Constructive Cambodian: Photojournalist being apprehended

Phnom Penh has its rich history, during which it has seen drastic shifts in its reputation. In the 1920s, Cambodia’s capital city was also known as the Pearl of Asia.
There aren’t many people referring to it that way any more. City residents see that this decade’s privatizations and urban development is coming and nobody can stop it. All they hope for change is that Phnom Penh will be a more charming city, matching its neighbouring cities like Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, if not Manila and Kuala Lumpur. They’re hopeful that along with this dramatic development comes prosperity and peace.
Last week, when a Phnom Penh Post photojournalist had his two digital cameras confiscated by security guards when he was covering a clash with Boeung Kak residents, who were protesting, Cambodian journalists couldn’t help but be alarmed.
As a professional photographer, Sovan Philong was treated like a criminal and ordered to delete photographs from his digital cameras.
Like any other journalist, Sovan Philong’s role is to document lives of many, who have been affected by the city growth, and would otherwise be silent. Those photographs he took during the riot will become an invaluable draft of history, forever on record to show how this city has changed during this century.
But this case is an aberration in some ways. Private firms, still scared of journalists, could learn something from the government ministries general behaviour towards the press. They know they must communicate with the public in some way, and therefor select a spokesperson who carefully shares information regarding the activities of their ministry.
This mechanism of opening lines of communication with the public without allowing free access has been instrumental in building Cambodia’s unique brand of democracy. This clash with a photojournalist is not typical of their careful stance when exposed to public scrutiny.
Perhaps more importantly, this events reminds us all that the government and other power brokers may be talking, but there are things they don’t want mentioned. It is people like Sovan Philong, who was doing his job of documenting the history of Cambodia, who might eventually create a city that is once again called a pearl.

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World Health Organization Targets Drug-Resistant Malaria

A global plan to fight drug-resistant malaria was launched Wednesday by the World Health Organization.

It said failure to combat the spread of resistance to artemisinin—a key component of new malaria drugs—would be “catastrophic,” Agence France-Presse reported.

Drug-resistant malaria has appeared in areas on the Cambodia-Thailand border and may have spread to other areas in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. More than $175 million will be required for research and to contain resistance is these regions, the WHO said.

It also called for increased surveillance of drug resistant malaria, noting that in 2010 only 31 of 75 countries routinely conducted tests on the effectiveness of malaria drugs, AFP reported.

“The emergence of artemisinin resistance has been a wake-up call. It gives us another compelling reason to step up existing control measures with the greatest sense of urgency,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.

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Court to rule on Thai bail appeal

The Appeal Court will tomorrow rule on whether to grant bail to five Thai nationals charged with entering Cambodia illegally last month, Judge Choun Sunleng said today.

“All parties will be present at the court for a hearing tomorrow,” said Choun Sunleng, who is in charge of the case.

“The decision will be made after the hearing.”

Pich Vicheka, the group’s Cambodian defence lawyer, confirmed that the five defendants will appear at the court as scheduled.

He said the bail request was submitted to the Appeal Court on Friday after Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected the initial request.

Seven Thai nationals, including a ruling Democrat Party MP, Panich Vikitsreth, and Veera Somkwamkid, a former leader of the “Yellow Shirts” People’s Alliance for Democracy, were arrested on December 29 near the border encampment in Banteay Meanchey’s O’Chrou district, across the border from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.

The group claimed to be “investigating” the two countries’ contentious border demarcation process.

All seven were charged with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a restricted military base, charges that carry combined maximum sentences of 18 months in prison.

Veera and his secretary Ratree Taiputana Taiboon were later slapped with an additional charge of collecting information that might damage the national defence, which carries up to 10 years jail.

On Thursday, Panich and another member of the group, Naruemol Chitwaratana, were granted bail on health grounds, while the five others remain in custody.

The Nation reported today that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had voiced optimism that the case involving the seven, which has stoked tensions between the two neighbours, could be settled this week.

“Look at Cambodia’s recent statement. I’m confident that the case will be solved soon in the courtroom,” Abhisit told reporters, referring to a statement from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry that claimed the case would be tried in light of the “current good relations between Cambodia and Thailand”.

Abhisit said he knew of no complications within the Cambodian judicial system or political factors that might upset the outcome.

He said the government would try its best to get the five Thais still detained in Prey Sar prison freed on bail.

On Saturday, Thailand repatriated nearly 200 illegal migrant workers to Cambodia through the Poipet border crossing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

He said, however, that the return of the workers was unrelated to the case of the seven Thais facing charges in Cambodia.

Tens of thousands of illegal migrant workers are repatriated back to Cambodia every year by Thai authorities.

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Langkawi To Carry Out Promotion In Cambodia, Finland, Singapore

The Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) will carry out three simultaneous tourism promotions to Cambodia, Finland and Singapore this week, its tourism manager Megat Shaharul Azman Abas said.
The events will take place at the Asean Tourism Forum in Cambodia on Jan 19-23, Matka Finland on Jan 21-23 and Singapore on Jan 21-23.
"Lada hopes that the promotions would further increase tourist arrivals to the island," he told Bernama.
The promotions would be carried out in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia and participated by hotels as well as tour and travel operators, he said.
On the promotion in Finland, he said there had been an increase in the number of tourists from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries due to the availability of charter flights.
He said that Finnish airlines mounted 14 flights a week from last month to March from Helsinki, carrying over 200 passengers each from Finland as well as from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Estonia and Latvia.
Lada targets 2.5 million tourist arrivals this year.

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Development of tourism means growing apart

THE stated aim of the ASEAN Tourism Forum held this week in Phnom Penh may be to promote the bloc as a “multi-faceted single destination”, but in reality Southeast Asia’s national tourism industries are in direct competition.
Long-term tourism industry growth in Cambodia will not be determined by the level of cooperation the country generates with its neighbours. By contrast, significant progress depends on the extent to which the industry can keep tourists in the country and away from other ASEAN destinations, while also luring nationals living elsewhere in the bloc away from their home countries.
Although joining forces on marketing and package tours offers money-making opportunities for the ASEAN tourism sector this is where cooperation ends. Ask any domestic tour operator what Cambodian tourism needs to do to develop and the answer is almost always to diversify the number of attractions here to prevent travellers and their dollars escaping to other destinations in the region.
Although official data shows Cambodia has in recent years managed to hold onto tourists a little longer – the average stay was just 5.2 days in 1998 compared to 6.45 days in 2010 – still foreign visitors here rarely venture outside of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
Much of the current dissatisfaction within the industry at the lack of flights to Sihanoukville’s newly renovated airport is based on data that shows visitors to Angkor Wat are also usually looking to hit the beach – currently most head to Phuket, Pattaya or Ko Samui. Sihanoukville remains off flight schedules and therefore mostly off the radar for many foreign tourists meaning Cambodia is effectively hemorrhaging tourism dollars to Thailand.
And because Cambodia still has limited international flight connections and no intercontinental flights to key markets in Europe and North America, tourists are given every reason to combine trips to Cambodia with Thailand and Vietnam.
When the Kingdom was considered a fringe destination in the past, it was useful to piggy-back on the tourism success of the likes of Thailand. But to develop into a major destination in its own right Cambodia needs to establish itself apart from the rest of the region. That means developing infrastructure to offer greater choice and ease of travel within the country to keep travellers here.
Industry cooperation at this week’s ATF will help generate new itineraries, opportunities and business for Cambodia’s travel industry. But as Thailand will testify, you don’t become a major worldwide tourism destination by focusing on collaboration.
The key is giving every segment of the market from young families to the elderly – whether budget or luxury travellers – every excuse not to go anywhere else, and ideally reason to come again next year. This remains Cambodia’s main tourism goal.

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Electronics giant Panasonic launches Cambodian office

Japanese electronic giant Panasonic launched its first representative office in Cambodia on Saturday, identifying it as a market with “high potential”.

Attendees watch Panasonic televisions during the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month

Ikuo Miyamoto, managing executive officer of Panasonic Corporation, highlighted the Kingdom’s “young and dynamic” workforce and praised the government’s encouragement of foreign investment during a meeting at Phnom Penh’s Intercontinental Hotel.

Attendees watch Panasonic televisions during the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month

“I strongly feel the great potential of significant growth that Cambodia will perform in the near future,” he said, according to a transcript of the speech.

“The Cambodian market has high potential. It is located in a very important geographical location between Thailand and Vietnam ... That is why Panasonic has decided to open a representative office here ahead of its competitors,” he said.

“Today is the new first step for Panasonic in Cambodia. We will strive to maximize our efforts to carry out locally-oriented management, ” he added.

The company claims to have garnered a 68-percent market share of air conditioner unit sales in the Kingdom last year.

Panasonic also aims to introduce new products and provide an “after care servcies” for its Cambodian customers in the near future.

Keo San, director of San International Co Ltd, which has imported and distributed Panasonic air conditioning units since the early 1990s said that sales had grown since its launch.

“At the beginning, sometimes we could not sell even one a month, but now, our sales are better,” he said, refusing the give specific or assumed figures because of competition concerns.

Hidehiko Kondo, who is a representative from Panasonic’s new Cambodia office, emphasised to The Post the company’s position for growth.

He said that even though there had been some success in selling to Cambodia, the market was still small due to limited numbers of households with access to electricity.

Panasonic aims to mainly target customers in Phnom Penh, he said.

The new office is located on Street 120, in Daun Penh district, Phnom Penh.

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Restrictions lifted on man convicted of sex crimes abroad

A man convicted in absentia of sex crimes against children in Cambodia has been allowed unrestricted freedom in Canada, even though the Crown expressed concerns when he was arrested that he was a danger to children.

While a judge granted a restraining order against Orville Mader meant to protect children back in 2007, that order has been allowed to lapse.

Now, it's unclear whether the man who has not been charged with offences is Canada will be free to travel to other countries.

Mader faces a 15-year jail term in Cambodia for sex crimes against children and was accused of sex crimes against a 13-year-old boy in Thailand, but travelled back to Canada shortly after the charges were laid.

When he arrived in Vancouver in late 2007 carrying nothing but his laptop computer, he was arrested and held.

At the time, the Crown said investigators were working on sex-tourism charges against Mader. In the meantime a judge granted an order under Section 810.1 of the Criminal Code when prosecutor Wendy van Tongeren Harvey said there were concerns he was a danger to children.

"He's attracted to not only boys, but young boys. We're seeking conditions where children are safe," she told the provincial court judge in 2007.

Details of the court proceedings that day were protected by a publication ban that has now expired.

Among his many restrictions, Mader was ordered to stay away from children and anywhere they might congregate, to stay off the Internet, to give up his passport and to report on a regular basis to the authorities near where he was staying in Surrey, B.C.

While the order was renewed against him annually in 2008 and 2009, it wasn't renewed in November 2010.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Ed Boettcher said police did a lot of work on the Mader file both in Canada and internationally.

"There came a time in 2009 where investigators met with Crown and said this is what we've compiled, Crown looked at it and said it doesn't meet the standards of Canadian evidence."

He said satisfying the evidence threshold would have taken a massive effort.

Neil MacKenzie, spokesman with the B.C. Crown prosecutors office, said his office wasn't involved in the decision not to reapply for the 810 restrictions for Mader.

He said Mader fully complied and co-operated with Corrections B.C. while under the peace bond restrictions.

"In view of the circumstances of his time under supervision, Corrections did not believe there was an adequate basis to seek renewal of the peace bond. That would have been a decision made by Corrections."

Van Tongeren Harvey told the judge during the November 2007 hearing that Mader detailed his tastes for young boys during email conversations found on his computer.

"He described boys coming into his room, his sexual preferences," she told the court. "He had eight boys over 11 days ... including one tiny 11-year-old boy he called a 'sweetie pie."'

No pictures were found but van Tongeren Harvey said several emails found in Mader's computer from a hotmail account detail his sexual encounters with boys in Asia.

None of the allegations have been proven in a Canadian court.

Van Tongeren Harvey told the court Mader escaped to Vietnam the day after the accusation in Thailand was made.

Mader's lawyer at the time, Brian Coleman, said his client denies the allegations involving the boy and that he fled from Thailand.

Coleman also noted that Mader was originally acquitted in Cambodia of the debauchery charge and had stayed to face the accusation, but a second trial resulted in a conviction even though Mader wasn't there to defend himself.

He said there was no justice involved in the debauchery conviction.

"Cambodia, the last time I checked, isn't known as a bastion of democracy."

Brian McConaghy, of the Cambodian aide organization Ratanak International, was disappointed to hear Mader wouldn't be charged, saying it simply shores up Canada's reputation on the issue.

"I think (Canada) is perceived as being fairly weak on this," said McConaghy, who spent decades with the RCMP before founding Ratanak.

"Canadian police do not have the resources, these are international files that by definition are expensive and they're complex."

McConaghy agreed Cambodia's justice system is corrupt, but said that usually falls in the offender's favour if they can purchase their way out of a police investigation or charges.

Boettcher said officers have watched Mader in B.C.'s Lower Mainland while he was under restrictions.

"There had been checks done. There was no indication of non-compliance."

Boettcher said Mader last checked in with officials in Surrey as required at the end of his term in late 2010, but he's not sure if Mader still lives in the area.

He couldn't say if Mader's passport was returned and an official with Passport Canada could not give any information in connection to Mader because of privacy concerns.

Under its regulations, Passport Canada is allowed to revoke travel documents if the person has been charged with an indictable offence in Canada or a similar offence abroad.

Mader is presumed innocent because no charges will be laid here in Canada, and McConaghy said there would be no reason his passport wouldn't be returned.

"Which I believe is in error ...," he said.

Canada's sex-tourism law was enacted in 1997, but has been rarely used since then and has just a few convictions to its credit.

Mader was arrested not long after a world-wide manhunt was launched for Christopher Neil, a former resident of Maple Ridge, B.C.

Neil was picked up in Thailand on charges of sexually assaulting children and posting the acts on the Internet while disguising his face with a digital swirl.

Neil pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy and a Thai court sentenced him to three years and three months in prison.

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PM hopes 5 Thais detained in Cambodia will get bail this week

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has voiced optimism that the case involving seven Thais arrested late last month for illegal entry into Cambodia could be settled this week.

The PM said he knew of no complications within the Khmer judicial system or political factors that may upset the outcome.

He said the government would try its best to get the five Thais still detained in Prey Sar prison freed on bail.

"Look at Cambodia's recent statement. I'm confident that the case will be solved soon in the courtroom," Abhisit told reporters.

The Cambodian foreign ministry said last week that "the Cambodian court is proceeding with this case in accordance with Cambodia's immigration law, taking into consideration the current good relations between Cambodia and Thailand, without any animosity toward the Thai people.

"The court is still considering the case of five other Thai culprits," it said.

The statement was issued after the court rejected bail requests for five detainees on Friday. The court earlier granted bail to Panich Vikitsreth, an MP with the ruling Democrat Party, and activist Narumol Chitwaratana on health grounds.

Abhisit said a lawyer would submit an appeal today for a court decision on the five remaining detainees. Legally speaking, the appeal could drag out the case since the court is likely to take more time to reconsider the bail request.

Furthermore, two of five remaining detainees - yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid and his aide Ratree Pipatanapaiboon - have been charged with espionage, a tough blow, which could see them jailed for up to 10 years. They were accused of collecting information that could harm Cambodian security.

Unlike Panich, who told the court that he crossed the border by accident, Veera and other activists from the Thai Patriots Network did not accept they crossed into territory that was under Cambodian sovereignty. They insist that the area they inspected on the day they were arrested belongs to Thailand. Veera did not even accept the interpreter arranged by the court for his testimony last week.

Veera is familiar with the issue as he was held briefly by Cambodian local authorities after entering the same disputed area near Sa Kaew province's Ban Nong Chan in August last year.

He and his group claim the area belongs to Thailand but has been occupied by a Cambodian community for more than 30 years. He wants the Thai government to use force to kick these people off the disputed land.

A Thai government source said the case of Veera and other "patriots" was really complex because they knew exactly what they were doing and wanted to challenge Cambodian authority.

"It seemed he knew where to go (across the border) and had realised the consequence of this from the beginning," the source said.

Indeed, information from Thai authorities helped Cambodia to "pin" Veera and his group down. Thai officials insist that they walked 55 metres into territory under Cambodian sovereignty. So, the Cambodian court is unlikely to let them walk free easily.

Abhisit wants Veera and his colleagues released as soon as possible in order to relieve political pressure on the government. The Thai Patriots Network has been protesting outside Government House since the group was arrested and its leaders have threatened to stage a major rally later this month. Political pressure from the group has limited Abhisit's bargaining power in dealing with Cambodia.

On the other hand, Phnom Penh knew very well it held significant cards in its hand. The longer it holds them, the more bargaining power it has. Hun Sen won't play a card until he can achieve his goal - to settle the bigger dispute over the Preah Vihear temple. Abhisit's government still opposes Cambodia's management plan for World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear. The government has invited Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to visit Bangkok to discuss the matter but he has yet to respond.

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S Iswaran to attend ASEAN tourism meet in Phnom Penh

The Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Education, S Iswaran will be in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday for the 14th ASEAN Tourism Ministers' Meeting.
Held annually, the meeting will review ASEAN's progress in regional tourism co-operation.
During this round, the ASEAN tourism ministers will finalise the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015, which will chart the sector's direction for the next five years.
Mr Iswaran will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Singapore Tourism Board.

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Phuket yellow shirts in wild show of patriotism over Cambodia

About 30 local yellow-shirt activists yesterday put on a show in the center of Phuket Town mocking the Thai government’s handling of the recent arrest and trial of seven Thais by the Cambodian authorities.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members also denounced Cambodian premier Hun Sen, claiming the Thais were arrested on land that belongs to Thailand.
The performance took place at Surin “Clocktower” Circle from 4pm and attracted interest from many passers-by who pulled over to see what was going on.
Led by Phuket PAD leaders Aparat Chartchutikumjorn and Krit Thepbamrung, the group started their activities with a satirical play.
The first part of the performance showed Thai Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan giving away Thai land to Hun Sen.
The group then performed a ceremony cursing the Cambodian PM for alleged crimes against Thai people and the country.
The bizarre ritual involved writing Hun Sen’s name on a chicken egg and throwing it into a paper box. The group stamped their feet, shouting, “Hun Sen must go to hell! Thailand must win!”
The group also distributed leaflets claiming Thailand was about to lose territory to Cambodia. They read a statement criticizing Hun Sen’s behavior and the Thai government’s handling of the issue.
The statement said that PAD members had been following the situation closely since the group’s arrest on December 29.
The statement claimed that Cambodian soldiers had arrested the Thais on Thai territory, in violation of treaties between the two countries.
It said the Cambodian authorities had violated the group’s human rights and that the Cambodian court process was not being carried out according to international standards.
It accused the Cambodians of breaking international law, violating Thai sovereignty and showing heavy contempt for Thai nationhood.
The statement also attacked the Thai government, singling out Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Defense Minister Gen Prawit for criticism.
It also said government officials in charge of the border issue had been neglectful and weak in their diplomatic dealings with the Cambodian side.
Thailand should be using its power to pressure the Cambodians into releasing the seven. In both its handling of the arrests and the border issue in general, the government had played second-best to Cambodia, it said.
The statement called for the government to change its position and help the group return to Thailand safely. It also called on the government to take the border issue seriously in order to “defend the Kingdom’s honor”.

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Myanmar, Cambodia to boost cooperation in tourism

Myanmar and Cambodia have agreed to boost cooperation in tourism industry and planned direct flight between the two countries, the official daily New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday.

The discussions were made between a Cambodiam delegation, headed by Secretary of the Office of the Council of Ministers Takreth Samrach and their Myanmar counterparts, headed by Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism U Aye Myint Kyu and Deputy Minister of Transport U Nyan Tun Aung.

The report did not disclose further details of the outcome of the discussions.

Myanmar and Cambodia have planned to launch direct flight between Siem Reap and two Myanmar ancient cities - Bagan and Mandalay.

The plan of introducing Siem Reap-Bagan-Mandalay air route was prompted by the 4th Ayeyawady Chaophraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit and 5th CLMV Summit in November last year, which was aimed at developing tourism industry in the subregion.

Prime ministers of Myanmar and Cambodia U Thein Sein and Hun Sen last met in Phnom Penh in the month expressing wishes to initiate direct flight between the two countries to boost cooperation in tourism.

Since 2007, Myanmar and Cambodia have been working in collaboration for realization of direct air link and visa exemption, aiming to promote tourism industry between the two countries.

The work plan includes diverting more tourists from Cambodia's Siem Reap to Myanmar's Bagan, both of which are tourist destinations of the two countries, as Siem Reap has developed a tourism market enough for such diversion.

About 500,000 world tourists visited Siem Reap annually from where more than 100,000 could be induced to Bagan, tourism officials said.

Myanmar and Cambodia signed three agreements in October 1996 on tourism cooperation, air services and establishment of sister cities between Bagan (Myanmar) and Siem Reap (Cambodia).

Myanmar signed bilateral air transport accord with Cambodia in 1995 among others with Laos and Vietnam.

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New efforts to tackle Cambodia's rising road death toll (Feature)

A decade ago the main roads linking Cambodia's towns and cities were in such poor condition that four-wheel drive vehicles were lucky to average 30 kilometres an hour.

Today, thanks to reconstruction efforts, they can zip along four times as fast, narrowly missing pedestrians, ox-carts, cyclists and an array of others sharing the predominantly single-lane highways.

Better roads and low driving standards - there are just 51 registered driving instructors in the country - have had a predictable consequence: The number of road deaths has nearly doubled in five years to at least 1,649 last year, police say.

The final toll for 2010 will likely top 1,700 although that won't be clear until hospital figures are cross-checked against police data in the coming months.

But what is certain is that Cambodia has the worst road fatality rate of any nation among the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations bloc.

So says Preap Chanvibol, head of the government's land transportation department and a member of the National Road Safety Committee.

Cambodia's road fatality rate is around 12 per 10,000 vehicles, more than three times Malaysia's figure, for example.

The number of new vehicles taking to the roads has also soared as incomes have risen. In 2009, around 308,000 new vehicles were registered. In 2004 the number was just 38,000.

Preap Chanvibol says most new vehicles are motorbikes. They and much-improved roads make head injuries, speeding and drunk driving the three leading causes of road deaths.

Those facts have governed Phnom Penh's approach to tackling the problem: A 10-year action plan, which awaits the prime minister's signature, to try and curb the rapid rise in accidents.

'We have focused on the speed limit, drink driving, and helmet-wearing,' he says.

But other factors are also at work. For a start, although enforcement of traffic laws has improved in the past two years, it remains mixed.

Another problem is that the newly-refurbished national roads carry all manner of traffic, from pedestrians, bicycles and plodding ox carts, to trucks, buses, minibus taxis and cars - all travelling at different speeds.

Hospitals are still poor, which lowers the chance of surviving a crash.

That explains why the number of road deaths is unlikely to drop in the next decade. The aim of the proposed 10-year plan is simply to slow the rise.

Sann Socheata is the road safety project manager for Handicap International Belgium, a non-governmental organization that focuses on disability-related issues.

She says the government took a key step two years ago when it brought in a law requiring motorbike riders - but not their passengers - to wear crash helmets.

Prior to that, fewer than one in five drivers wore a crash helmet. Now more than four-fifths do, and in the main centres such as the capital Phnom Penh the traffic police fine those that fail to obey the law - during the day at least.

But since traffic police head home at sundown, the number of helmet-wearing citizens plummets after dark.

Despite that, says Sann Socheata, the law has shown its worth: The proportion of fatalities from head injuries has dropped from 86 per cent of road deaths to 76 per cent.

'Of course it's not really a big drop because (for) motorbike passengers it's not compulsory to wear a helmet yet,' she says. 'The helmet-wearing rate among passengers is still very, very low - it's just around 10 per cent.'

Sann Socheata says the data underscores the need to extend the law to cover motorbike passengers as well, something the government has said it will do.

New drink-driving checkpoints in Phnom Penh and two other parts of the country should also help to slow the rise.

Another change is that traffic police will soon start working nights, and fines for transgressors will probably rise. The police, who are poorly paid, keep a percentage of any fines they levy, which provides an incentive to enforcing the laws.

Despite these improvements, campaigners expect the country's road death toll will keep rising as the roads get quicker and more crowded.

Sann Socheata says statistical modelling indicates that if the government's 10-year plan succeeds, around 2,240 people will die on the roads by 2020. But should nothing be done, hundreds more will die each year.

Cambodia's roads will likely get more dangerous for some years yet before its drive for safer roads succeeds.

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