ASEAN NEWS

PM sees http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrevival in investment in Q2 Stimulus spending set to prime private sector

2009-11-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

‘‘Government spending on its own is not sufficient for sustainable growth. The private sector is also needed,’’ Mr Abhisit told business leaders at a conference yesterday. NATTHITI AMPRIWAN

Private investment should start to rebound in the second quarter next year thanks to government stimulus programmes and the recovering global economy, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.

He said the Thai Khem Kaeng infrastructure programme would help lay the foundation for a return to sustainable growth and create up to 1.5 million jobs over the next three years.

The 1.45-trillion-baht programme will finance tens of thousands of projects nationwide, ranging from large mass-transit projects in Bangkok to small microprojects aimed at improving rural irrigation systems, health and education facilities.

Mr Abhisit said the private sector has already shown strong signs of recovery from the global crisis, at least as seen through tax revenues.

Economic growth in 2010 is projected to reach 3% to 3.5%, compared with a contraction of about 3% this year.

Mr Abhisit called on private businesses to co-operate with the government in supporting medium-term, sustainable growth.

"Government spending on its own is not sufficient for sustainable growth. The private sector is also needed to help support long-term growth," he told business leaders at a conference yesterday.

A panel of leading businessmen agreed that economic indicators point to a continued rebound through 2010.

Santi Vilassakdanont, the chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said private investment should turn positive in 2010 as a number of industrial sectors are already close to full capacity.

On average, industrial capacity utilisation is running at about 65%, with sectors such as electronics, construction materials, autos, textiles and jewellery showing clear improvement from earlier this year.

"Once capacity utilisation rates reach 70%, expected to occur in the first or second quarter of 2010, manufacturers will have to start investing again to expand," Mr Santi said.

He said the October industrial confidence index is expected to exceed the 100 point level for the first time in four years, as orders have risen sharply with the global rebound.

Mr Santi acknowledged that key risks such as oil prices and domestic politics could undermine the recovery, as well as uncertainties about the global economy itself.

"We want to see politics stable. This will at least help minimise the negative impact on the economy if the global economy does not recover as we hope," he said.

The Thai Khem Kaeng programme is coming at an opportune moment, Mr Santi added, as Thailand needs to strengthen its competitiveness as the Asean region moves closer to an integrated single market over the next several years.

Thai companies need to prepare for 2015, when investment is scheduled to be liberalised within the region and some companies may look to relocate production to neighbouring countries to take advantage of lower labour and operating costs.

But the government must ensure infrastructure funds, estimated to total as much as 1.06 trillion baht for 2010 alone, are spent with the greatest efficiency and transparency, Mr Santi said.

Dusit Nontanakorn, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the planned investments in logistics, renewable energy and water resources should help raise the country's competitiveness.

But political stability remains critical, he said.

"The political conflicts need to end. And the infrastructure investments need good execution and implementation to help the country prepare for liberalisation within Asean over the next five years. We need to be positioned to benefit from economic integration," Mr Dusit said.

The Chamber of Commerce is studying the current competitiveness of seven key sectors, including food and agriculture, health care, logistics and tourism, and would soon present the government with its recommendations, Mr Dusit said.

Cambodia allows diplomats to visit alleged spy

2009-11-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Thai diplomats were allowed access to accused spy Siwarak Chutiphong (right) in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison on Tuesday morning and he was allowed a phone call to his mother (left) - a move welcomed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who said the government now hopes for his early return home.

The Thai charge d'affaires in Phnom Penh and other embassy officials were allowed to visit Thai engineer Siwarak Chutiphong at Prey Sar prison this morning, the foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut confirmed on Tuesday.

It was the first time consular access had been allowed since Mr Siwarak was arrested on Thursday for supplying details of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule to the Thai embassy.

On Monday, Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong claimed a Thai embassy official was allowed to visit Mr Siwarak in Prey Sar prison where he was temporarily detained. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said this was not correct and that Phnom Penh had declined to allow a visit.

Mr Chavanond said charge d'affaires Chalotorn Phaovibul reported that Mr Siwarak was receiving proper treatment at the prison.

Mr Chalotorn was talking to Cambodian officials, trying to obtain details of the charges against Mr Siwarak so that defence lawyers could prepare a case.

He said Mr Siwarak was also allowed a five minute phone conversation with his mother Seemarak na Nakhon Phanom in Nakhon Ratchasima. He told her he was being well treated by Cambodian authorities and was in good health.

Mr Chavanond said he saw this as a good sign that could lead to talks to normalise relations between the two countries.

Mr Chalatorn, as charge d'affaires, is temporarily in charge of the Thai diplomatic mission in the absence of the ambassador, who was recalled two weeks ago.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva welcomed the Cambodian government's response, and said that the government has hopes that Mr Siwarak would be soon released.

"There is hope [for his release], but we have to first follow legal procedures. The precise charges against him are not yet known. I think this should be clear by tomorrow," he said. "This will allow us to follow legal procedure and assign a lawyer to help him."

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga had ordered two high-level ministry officials to travel to Cambodia to visit Mr Siwarak, Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit said.

Deputy justice permanent secretary Pol Col Tawee Sodsong and Suwana Suwannajutha, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, had been instructed to visit him as soon as possible to make sure he is accorded his rights.

The Rights and Liberties Protection Department had also been insructed to liaise with Mr Siwarak's family and the Foreign Ministry to arrange legal assistance.

Thai officials would not attempt to interfere in Cambodia's investigation process, Mr Tharit said.

Mrs Suwana said she would first visit Mr Siwarak's mother Seemarak in Nakhon Ratchasima to find out if she needs any help.

Thai police arrest 2 Thai traffickers of African ivory

2009-11-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

Police have arrested two Thais for trafficking in African ivory, a crime that carries a maximum fouryear jail sentence, police said Tuesday.

Samat Chokechoima and Kanok Wongsarot were arrested on Monday in a sting operation in which Thai police posed as buyers of carved African ivory items, said Pol LtColonel Thanayos Gengkasrikit, spokesman of the Natural Resource and Environmental Crime Division.

The suspects face a maximum of four years in prison and fines of up to Bt40,000 under Thailand's Wild Animal Preservation and Protection Act and another fine up to Bt100,000 under the Customs Act for the import and export of illegal goods.

Described as "middlelevel operators", the arrest of Samat and Kanok was the result of a yearlong investigation involving Thai and US officials, along with the Freeland Foundation and the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network (AseanWEN).

We are Family

2009-11-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hun Sen and Thaksin Shinawatra

2009-11-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

Maj Gen Khattiya Sawatdiphol admits Monday he had sneaked into Cambodia to meet ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodian PM Hun Sen last week. Some criticised his
presence with Thaksin as he is still serving in the military.

Revenue collections exceed target

2009-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

Business » Economics

The government generated higher-than-expected revenue in October, Fiscal Police Office (FPO) director-general Sathit Limpongpan said on Wednesday.

Mr Sathit said the government's revenue collection in the first month of fiscal 2010 amounted to 111.052 billion baht, higher than target by more than 15 billion baht or 16.2 per cent.

The global economic recovery had bolstered imports and consumption in the country, while the oil excise tax hike since May had significantly increased collections of the Revenue, Customs and Excise Departments.

Increasing imports caused the value-added tax collection to exceed the initial projection by 23.2 per cent and the import duty by 21.1 per cent. Domestic consumption also improved, resulting in the car excise tax collection being higher than target by 58.2 per cent and the consumption-based VAT collection by 7.2 per cent.

However, state enterprises' total revenue collection was down to 1.456 billion baht, or 9.5 per cent lower than expected, because of the government's measures to reduce people's spending.

The FPO chief expressed confidence that the government's revenue collection for fiscal 2010 would be higher than projected.

The Public Debt Management Office reported the government’s outstanding public debt as of the end of September, 2009 stood at 4.001 trillion baht or 45.55 per cent of the gross domestic product.

Chakkrit Parapuntakul, deputy director at the office, said of the total, 2.586 trillion baht were the loans directly acquired by the government, 1.109 trillion baht were debts owed by the non-financial institutional state enterprises.

Another 208.7 billion baht were loans sought by the state enterprises which are financial institutions and guaranteed by the government, and the remaining 98.15 billion baht were loans acquired by the state-owned Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF).

The outstanding public debt dropped 16.24 billion baht from August as a result from a 22.85 billion baht decline in the government’s directly acquired loans and the 2.65, 2.84 and 1.13 billion baht increase in loans of the non-financial and financial institutional state enterprises and the FIDF respectively, Mr Chakkrit said.

The Office of Industrial Economics said this year's GDP would likely show a contraction of 3.5 per cent for this year.

Director-general Sutthinee Pupaka said the industrial sector was expected to shrink 5.9 per cent this year.

The recovering global economy and the government's economic stimulus measures had enabled the manufacturing production index (MPI) and the production rate to increase continuously, Mrs Suthinee said.

The MPI turned positive for the first time in 11 months after it rose one per cent in September.

She said there were also positive signals from the textile, automotive electronics industries, she said.

The risk factors were the consistency of global economic recovery, rising fuel prices and domestic political stability, she said.

Cooperation with Cambodia 'under review'

2009-11-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

All cooperation with Cambodia is being revised following Phnom Penh's official refusal of request to extradite former premier Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry had been instructed to begin the rview.

We was sorry Cambodia had decided not abide by international agreements and law, but Thailand would still not use force against its neighbour.

The border would not be closed, but the government would adopt tougher measures to discourage Thais crossing the border to gamble in Cambodian casinos.

Mr Abhisit spoke shortly after receiving Cambodia's official refusal of Thailand's request to extradite Thaksin. The decision has inflamed tensions over Phnom Penh's appointment of the fugitive former Thai premier as an economic adviser.

Thai diplomats gave extradition papers to officials at Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry early Wednesday but were then handed a note from Phnom Penh denying their request.

"Our diplomatic note answering them is nothing beyond rejecting the extradition request," Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said shortly before the exchange of letters.

Cambodia had repeatedly vowed to refuse any request from its larger neighbour for the extradition of Thaksin, saying that the charges levelled against him in Thailand were politically motivated
"Thaksin's conviction is caused by the coup in September 2006, when he was the prime minister of Thailand whom Thai people voted in with an overwhelming majority in accordance with democracy,'' Hor Namhong said.

Pinich Wikitset, assistant to the foreign minister, confirmed that the Foreign Ministry had received a letter from Cambodia refusing extradition.

Mr Panich said the letter stressed that Cambodia cannot send Thaksin to Thailand because the former Thai prime minister was a political, not criminal, convict.

The government would hold a meeting to assess the development. At this stage, the Foreign Ministry would send a reply to Cambodia reaffirming that the court case in which Thaksin was sentenced to two years in jail was criminal, not political.

The verdict against Thaksin issued by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions clearly states that Thaksin committed a criminal offence while holding the office of prime minister of Thailand, Mr Panich said.

Mr Panich said Thailand had not yet considered closing the border with Cambodia or taking other measures to pressure Cambodia.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reaffirmed on Wednesday Thailand will not resort to closing its border with Cambodia.

He declined to comment on the Cambodian refusal, saying he would rather wait to see the official reply letter than engaging in a verbal spat through the media.

There were international diplomatic channels that could be followed in this matter, Mr Suthep said.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, said the Thai government would not resort "special" measures, such as sending forces into Cambodia to bring Thaksin back to Thailand, because each country has its own sovereignty to protect.

What Thailand could do now was to send an official letter explaining to Cambodia that Thaksin is a convicted criminal, not a political refugee, and that the two countries have an extradition treaty and should comply with it, he said.

Asked about Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's challenging Thailand to close the border, Mr Suthep said a politician's expression of emotion could not be taken seriously.

He said Mr Abhisit's policy is for security agencies to protect Thai sovereignty and make sure that the people along the border can lead happy, normal lives.

Tensions were already running high between the two countries following a series of clashes over a temple on their border and the row threatens to mar a weekend summit of Southeast Asian leaders with US President Barack Obama.

Thailand and Cambodia each recalled their ambassadors last week after Thaksin's appointment, and this week the Thai cabinet agreed to cancel a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on disputed maritime boundaries, covering oil and gas exploration, signed by the Thaksin government in 2001.

Thaksin is due to give a speech to about 300 Cambodian economics experts on Thursday. Cambodian officials have said he will stay in the country for two or three days but is not intending to live there.

Cambodian state television late Tuesday showed Thaksin and Hun Sen embracing, reporting that the Cambodian leader pronounced him an "eternal friend".

King Father wants PM to look into VN border

2009-11-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

KING Father Norodom Sihanouk has written letters urging Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials to examine opposition party allegations that Vietnamese authorities are encroaching on Cambodian soil.

The letters follow Cambodian and Vietnamese officials’ criticism of opposition leader Sam Rainsy for uprooting six markers along the countries’ loosely defined border in October.

Sihanouk’s letters urged officials to “consider” Sam Rainsy’s allegations. On Saturday, the opposition leader wrote a letter to the King Father, saying that villagers along the border in Svay Rieng province’s Chantrea district were losing valuable farmland to Vietnam.

Var Kimhong, the government’s senior minister in charge of border affairs, declined comment, noting only that Sam Rainsy’s letter mentions that villagers uprooted border posts – omitting his own involvement.

Thaksin touches down in Cambodia

2009-11-11T05:43:00.000-08:00

Fugitive political figure’s presence is likely to further harm relations with Thailand, analysts say.

THAILAND’s deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Phnom Penh Tuesday at the invitation of Cambodia’s government in a move that is likely to escalate a diplomatic row that has already seen the two countries recall their ambassadors and plunged relations to their lowest point in six years.

Thaksin, who last week was appointed economic adviser to the government and personal adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen – further inflaming Thai anger – is expected to deliver a lecture to Cambodian economics experts on Thursday.

The ex-premier, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, arrived at the military air base adjacent to Phnom Penh International Airport in a small, chartered jet, and was briefly greeted by several Cambodian officials on the tarmac before being whisked away in a motorcade under the protection of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.

Thaksin “stepped safely onto Cambodian soil. It was an honour for the people and the country of Cambodia”, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said.

Thaksin and Hun Sen shared a welcome dinner on Tuesday evening, Phay Siphan added. This followed a meeting between the two, shown in part on local news reports, that was also attended by Thaksin’s brother-in-law and fellow ex-prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat.

Phay Siphan was unsure of the duration of Thaksin’s stay, but said he would be here “at least” until Thursday.

Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia is the closest he has come to his country since going into a self-imposed exile to avoid imprisonment for a corruption conviction in absentia in 2008.

The Thai foreign ministry said that it was sending an extradition request for Thaksin to its embassy in Phnom Penh late Tuesday and expected to hand the documents to Cambodian officials today.

“Cambodia must realise that they have triggered a conflict of interest and criticised the Thai judicial system,” Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said.

Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong, however, confirmed Tuesday that the government will “absolutely not” extradite the man Hun Sen has called an “eternal friend”.

In an internet posting late Monday, Thaksin said his trip to Cambodia was not an act of provocation.

“As I travel to Cambodia to discuss poverty and the world economic situation, I will try to preserve Thai interests with our friends in Phnom Penh, despite the Thai government still hounding me wherever I go,” he wrote. “I will not go to Cambodia to help Cambodia fight with Thailand.”

Earlier this year, deadly skirmishes broke out on the two nations’ disputed border, and Thais have expressed anger about the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a Cambodian World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, said Sunday that if Thaksin travelled to Cambodia, Abhisit “will be forced to step up the escalation spiral”.

He added, however, that both sides must own up to their responsibility for the breakdown in relations.

“Hun Sen has overstepped the line here – diplomatically, legally, politically,” he said.

“At the same time, the Abhisit government has to own up to its past deeds. Appointing [Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya] has been a liability, and now you can see the consequences.… Allowing the right-wing radical groups from the [People’s Alliance for Democracy] to protest at the [Preah Vihear temple] site… has added fuel to the fire.”

Andrew Walker, a Southeast Asia expert at the Australian National University, said Hun Sen and the Cambodian government mean to deliver a “poke in the eye” to Abhisit, adding: “It’s hard not to interpret their actions with Thaksin as something of retaliation over the temple issue.”

Michael Montesano, a fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said Abhisit’s response to Thaksin’s arrival will determine the tenor of future bilateral relations.

“How bad it gets depends entirely on whether Abhisit can keep his cool and resist pressure from those who are intent on escalation of this conflict,” Montesano said.

“But if he keeps making announcements of the kind he has made in the past few days, then things could get much, much worse.”

Cambodian officials at the Thai border said Tuesday that the situation was quiet, and that border crossings were proceeding as usual.

Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) and former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, pose together at a house prepared for Thaksin in Phnom Penh. THAKSIN FACES LESE MAJESTE COMPLAINT OVER INTERVIEW

FOUR Thai government officials lodged a complaint against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday, accusing him of lese majeste in connection with an interview he gave in The Times, a British newspaper. Thaksin said in a statement that the article had misrepresented his words and had a misleading headline. The ex-premier has instructed his attorney, Noppadon Pattama, to investigate legal action against The Times, said Suchart Lainamngern, deputy spokesman of the Thaksin-associated Puea Thai party. In the interview, Thaksin was quoted as calling for the reform of institutions around Thailand’s revered monarchy, headed by 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej. “Thailand needs to have a monarchy, but it should not be abused or played by the palace circles,” Thaksin reportedly said. “I can assure you His Majesty is above [politics], but those in the circle have a network.” Insulting or defaming the royal family is punishable by up to 15 years in jail in Thailand. Members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy said they would stage a mass anti-Thaksin protest in Bangkok on Sunday.

BANGKOK POST AND AFP

Cambodia's Garment Workers Hit by Recession

2009-11-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Cambodia is a country where not having a job can mean not eating, or perhaps just having one meal a day. (10 November 2009)

Over the last decade economic growth has helped lift Cambodia out of its poverty. The signs were everywhere; bustling construction sites around Phnom Penh ; young workers filing into factories, filling orders for eager clients abroad
More than 400,000 jobs in the textile industry fuelled the hopes of many young women whose earnings in the city helped support their extended families in the countryside.

Ny Sopheak: "I worked in the packing section of a textile factory. I earned sometimes $60 a month from the factory work and I sent $10 a month to my father."

But that factory, like dozens of others, has now closed. The global recession scared investors and shut down factories.

Twenty-three-year-old Ny Sopheak, like 50,000 other Cambodians, recently lost her job in the garment industry.

This in a country where not having a job can mean not eating, or perhaps just having one meal a day.

Ny Sopheak: "Since I don't have enough food I feel so weak and I often get sick."

Today Ny is sharing one egg and some rice with her roommate, Horn Devy who also lost her factory job. That's one egg between two people. Horn feels she can't go on much longer.

Horn Devy: "It's very difficult. It's a hard life, living in a small room like this."

Horn is only 15 years old. She was sent to work to help out her family, small time farmers and basket weavers who can't make ends meet.

Horn's mother says she worries about her, so young, and away from the family. Even so, she wanted Horn to earn money, so that her brothers can finish school.

But having lost her job, Horn has gone from providing for her family to becoming an extra burden. Asked how she feels about this, she says,

Horn Devy: "It's hard to say. I am starving. When you have no food it's very difficult to feel anything."

Her story is unusual because of her young age, but all over Cambodia's capital there are women who are falling into abject poverty as they lose their jobs in the textile factories.

Meanwhile, thousands of factory workers have turned to the streets to pressure the government to guarantee their jobs, their incomes, and their access to food.

And while Cambodia has been hard-hit, other countries are worried too. Guaranteeing the availability of food for everyone is now an urgent issue for governments across Asia-Pacific.

Many governments are now looking at how to invest in agriculture, to stem tide of migration towards the cities, and to help make food more affordable.

But textile factories too, are needed. If they keep closing, experts worry that much of the progress achieved in places like Cambodia, in education, in economic development, and in human rights, could be at risk; and with it the future of the entire generation.

Cambodia refuses Bangkok's request to extradite Thaksin

2009-11-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

Cambodian officials have formally refused to extradite fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra (pictured) to Thailand. Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as economic adviser to the government has stoked tension between the two countries

Cambodian officials handed over a formal letter to Thai diplomats Wednesday refusing to extradite fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, an AFP reporter saw.

Three Thai diplomats gave extradition papers to officials at Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry early Wednesday but were then handed back a note from Phnom Penh denying their request.

"Our diplomatic note answering them is nothing beyond rejecting the extradition request," Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told AFP shortly before officials from the two countries exchanged the formal letters.

Thaksin, who was toppled three years ago in a coup and is living abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption, arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday to take up his new job as economic advisor to the government and was welcomed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cambodia had vowed to refuse any request from its larger neighbour for the extradition of the billionaire tycoon, saying that the charges levelled against Thaksin in Thailand were politically motivated.

"Thaksin's conviction is caused by the coup in September 2006, when he was the prime minister of Thailand whom Thai people voted in with an overwhelming majority in accordance with democracy," Hor Namhong said.

Tensions are already running high between the two countries following a series of clashes over a temple on their border and the row threatens to mar a weekend summit of Southeast Asian leaders with US President Barack Obama.

The two countries withdrew their respective ambassadors last week.

In Bangkok, Thailand's foreign ministry said it was waiting for official confirmation from the embassy in Phnom Penh that Cambodia had denied its request.

"If it is true, we will consider the next measures to take," the ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi told AFP.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said the country may terminate its extradition treaty with Cambodia if Phnom Penh refuses to send Thaksin home to face justice.

Hun Sen in Tokyo To Discuss Mekong Development

2009-11-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Hun Sen left for Tokyo on Thursday, for discussions with one of the nation’s top donors about development within the region.

Japan is hosting a two-day summit between Mekong countries, starting Friday, to discuss development of infrastructure, human resources and others, officials said.

Sri Thamrong, an adviser to Hun Sen, said the summit will also focus on “natural disasters, disaster management, climate change, environmental protection and the prevention of infectious diseases, “as well as development and stability in the region.”

The Japan-Mekong Region Partnership Program seek to expand Japan’s assistance to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as the region overall, over the next three years, totaling $40 million.

Mekong countries include Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Before departing, Hun Sen told a group of editors from Japan’s Kyodo news service that Tokyo had played a key role in peace development in Cambodia and economic development in the region.

Overall, Japan has contributed more than $1.7 billion in aid to Cambodia.

Army keeps military attache in Phnom Penh

2009-11-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Relations with Cambodia have sunk to new lows but Thailand is keeping its military attache in Phnom Penh.

The army hopes the military attache will be a key channel for dealing with Cambodia and helping take care of Thais living or visiting there.

"The military attache will be ordered to return home only when ties are in crisis," an army source said yesterday.

Although diplomatic relations between the two countries are strained and there is a continuing border dispute, ties between the two armies remain close.

But the Supreme Command has dusted off the Pochentong plan in case the situation worsens.

The emergency plan was implemented in 2003 when the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was torched. Three C-130 aircraft were deployed to evacuate Thais from the Cambodian capital.

Cambodian soldiers are presently engaged in a military exercise about 10km from the Preah Vihear temple.

A Thai army source estimated 2,000 troops were taking part in war games simulating a border conflict.

The terrain where the military exercise is being held was similar to the area around the 11th century temple, the source said.

Cambodia has 3,000 soldiers at the temple and in the nearby disputed area.

The war games started mid-last month and would end on Nov 15, the source said.

Meanwhile, at Rong Kluea market near Ban Khlong Luk border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district, Cambodian traders closed their stores early yesterday after reports Thailand had recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh.

Thai gamblers visiting casinos in Poi Pet also rushed back to Thai soil for fear of anti-Thai riots like those that erupted in 2003.

Sa Kaeo governor Sanit Naksuksri ordered the chiefs of all border districts to monitor the situation.

Col Wasu Chiamsuk of the Burapha task force told all border rangers in Sa Kaeo to be on standby.

In Chanthaburi province, there were rumours a border checkpoint might be closed, prompting Thai and Cambodian traders along the border to delay their transactions.

Isiwut Tangkiat, chairman of the Association of Chanthaburi's Thai-Cambodian Trade and Tourism, said Cambodian business operators had delayed and cancelled product orders.

The value of products that could not be delivered to customers in Cambodia yesterday amounted to about 100 million baht, Mr Isiwut said.

In Trat's Khlong Yai district, Thais and Cambodians visiting the Ban Had Lek border market continued with their normal routines as neither side had ordered the closure of Ban Had Lek border checkpoint.

Thailand recalls ambassador to protest Cambodia

2009-11-05T02:16:00.000-08:00

Thailand on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh in protest at Cambodia's appointment of convicted ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government.The Thai government will demand reviews of bilateral agreements and commitments signed between Thailand and Cambodia by both present and past governments, according to the statement issued on Thursday.

Thai Ambassador to Phnom Penh Prasas Prasavinitchai is scheduled to arrive in Bangkok at 3pm.

The Cambodian government appointed fugitive Thaksin as economic adviser to Hun Sen and the Cambodian government in an order signed by Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday.

Hun Sen announced upon his arrival in Thailand in October to attend the Asean Summit that he had offered Thaksin, who he regards as a friend, a residence and a job as his economic adviser.

The Thai Foreign Ministry's decision to recall the ambassador is the strongest protest made in years.

The statement also mentioned that the ongoing cooperation between the two countries would be put on hold for the time being.

Foreign Minister's secretary Chavanont Intarakomalsut said the appointment of Thaksin as Hun Sen's adviser was considered as intervening in the Thai justice system.

"The appointment of Thaksin as the adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is regarded as an intervention in Thailand's internal affairs and an insult to the Thai justice system," he said in a press conference.

The appointment clearly showed that the Khmer premier failed to distinguish between his personal interests and the mutual interests of the two countries, he said.

Thailand needs to make diplomatic retaliation against Cambodia: Abhisit

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thursday that Thailand needed to make diplomatic retaliation against Cambodia's interference of Thailand's internal affairs.

"The Foreign Ministry has to take action so that Cambodia will learn about the feelings of Thai people," Abhisit said.

"Since Cambodia mentioned our internal affairs, we had to retaliate in line with the diplomatic protocol."

He was speaking to reporters after the Foreign Ministry announce the recalling of its ambassador to Phnom Penh after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic advisor.

The Nation

National Budget Risks High Deficits: World Bank

2009-11-05T01:58:00.000-08:00

Cambodia’s recently drafted 2010 budget could put pressure on the economy by running high deficits that exceed external financing, the World Bank said Wednesday.

The Council of Ministers this week green-lighted a $2 billion budget for next year, increasing money allotted for health services and decreasing that for security, in an overall increase of more than $100 million.

The government “is facing difficult choices in drafting the 2010 budget,” the World Bank said in a regional update. “Sustaining high deficits that exceed available external financing would put pressure on macroeconomic stability.”

“The government is trying to bring the fiscal deficit to a level that supports growth—which remains below potential—without compromising macroeconomic stability,” the World Bank said.

Cheam Yeap, a ruling party lawmaker and head of the National Assembly’s finance committee, said the budget suffered from the world economic crisis.

Next year’s budget “cannot avoid difficulty,” he said. “However, the government is prepared to strengthen its macroeconomics with clarity, fairness and goodness.”

Kem Sokha, president of the opposition Human Rights Party, said the government should avoid high deficits, which would require loans from foreign countries and increased taxes.

“The government can increase its expenditure,” he said. “But the government must prevent corruption and collect taxes to avoid the loss of income.”

In the proposed 2010 budget, which must be approved by the National Assembly, expenditure decreased in the ministries of Defense, Education and Interior, but slightly increased for the Ministry of Health.

Cambodia wants to see an annual economic growth rate of 7 percent, while reducing poverty by 1 percent, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said.

The economy fell from a nearly 7 percent growth rate in 2008 to a 2 percent contraction so far in 2009, but the Bank said signs of recovery could see a 4 percent growth next year.

Thaksin Shinawatra appointed economics adviser to Cambodia

Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has thanked Cambodia for appointing him as an economics adviser, even though the move is likely to further damage relations between to the two countries.

The decision by the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to appoint Mr Thaksin — still a deeply divisive figure in Thailand — follows a border dispute that has led to small but deadly military skirmishes over the past 18 months.

Responding to a congratulatory message from a supporter posted on his Twitter page, Mr Thaksin thanked Mr Hun Sen for the appointment.

“I thank Mr Hun Sen for giving me such an honour,” Mr Thaksin tweeted in Thai from Dubai, where he has spent much of his time since being ousted in a 2006 coup. “But I would have more enjoyment if I could work to eradicate Thai people's poverty.”

In Thailand, Suthep Thaugsuban, the Deputy Prime Minister, played down the move and said it would not affect bilateral relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

“It's a domestic affair for Cambodia to appoint anyone. We cannot interfere,” Mr Suthep said. “If we like or dislike the person they appoint, we can't bluster about it.”

Mr Thaksin has been living mostly in self-imposed exile since he was overthrown after six years as prime minister. He was accused of corruption and abuse of power and insulting the country's constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Mr Thaksin was convicted in absentia last year of violating a conflict of interest law and sentenced to two years in prison. Thai officials claim he is trying to undermine the Government to regain power.

Mr Hun Sen called a stir at a meeting of Asian leaders in Thailand last month by declaring that Mr Thaksin was welcome to take refuge in Cambodia. He said that Mr Thaksin was a friend and had been prosecuted unfairly for political reasons.

Thailand responded by saying it would seek to extradite Mr Thaksin if he went to Cambodia. Cambodia in turn said it would reject any such request.

Mr Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, had substantial business interests in Cambodia and was accused of pursuing special deals there for his family-controlled conglomerate while prime minister.

He has travelled since the coup to Dubai, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Liberia and Montenegro in pursuit of investment opportunities.

Mr Thaksin remains widely popular among Thailand's rural people and the urban poor, who benefited from his social welfare policies. He is still highly influential, rallying protesters in telephoned speeches from aboard.

Thaksin Appointed ‘Adviser’ to Hun Sen

2009-11-05T01:44:00.000-08:00

Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as an economic adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, a move that is likely to rankle Bangkok, officials said Wednesday. (04 November 2009)

Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as an economic adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, a move that is likely to rankle Bangkok, officials said Wednesday.

Thaksin lives in exile and faces a two-year jail term for corruption if he returns to Thailand, but Hun Sen has said he would welcome him in Cambodia despite an extradition treaty with Bangkok.

King Norodom Sihamoni had approved Thaksin as an “adviser” to Hun Sen, said Phay Siphan a spokesman for the Council of Ministers.

As a developing country, Cambodia needs knowledgeable advisers, and Thaksin knows many overseas investors, which could help, Phay Siphan said.

Thai officials have said they will begin an extradition process if Thaksin is found in Cambodia, and Thaksin himself has declined Hun Sen’s overtures that he stay in the country.

Still, the question of Thaksin’s legitimacy as a leader has riled Thai politics for more than three years and led to the unseating of several administrations, including his own; he was pushed out of power in a bloodless coup in 2006.

Rice prices unlikely to return to record next year, Wailes says

2009-11-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

Rice prices are unlikely to return to records next year as supplies from Thailand and Vietnam, the world’s biggest exporters, may be enough to cover Indian and Philippine shortfalls, an agricultural professor said.

“Globally, the market fundamentals are still relatively sound,” said Eric Wailes, a agricultural economics professor at the University of Arkansas. “I would be surprised if we hit the kind of prices that we had in the spring of 2008,” he said.

Rice stockpiles in Thailand were forecast by the US Department of Agriculture in October at 3.5 million metric tons for the 2009-2010 marketing year, up from 2.5 million tons in 2006-2007, before prices surged. Inventory in Vietnam will be 1.7 million tons, from 1.4 million tons in 2007, the USDA said.

“That didn’t exist going into the spring of 2008” when prices reached a record, said Wailes, who co-wrote a 1998 study that predicted global rice demand would exceed production in 2009-2010, which the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the USDA forecast this year.

Food price protests swept the globe last year after fears of shortages prompted producers including India to cut rice exports and importers increased purchases. Futures traded in Chicago surged to a record $25.08 per 100 pounds in April 2008.

Vietnam aims to sell $1 bln bond by early 2010: source

2009-11-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

Vietnam hopes to raise $1 billion by early next year in its long-awaited second international bond issue that will cap the coupon at 7 percent, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The ministry wanted to sell 10-year dollar bonds before the end of the year but there might not be enough time to do so.

"Most of the money, about $700 million, would supplement the government's budget and the rest would be loaned to state-owned companies," said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to talk on the record to the media.

The government had already approved the bond sale and has chosen Barclays Capital, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank to advise on the issue.

Vietnam's only foray into the international capital market was in 2005 when it sold $750 million worth of sovereign bonds maturing in 2016.

Those bonds were trading with yields of 6.3-6.4 percent, compared with the original coupon of 6.75 percent, a bond trader said.

Two years ago the government approved another issue worth $1 billion but the sale has been delayed several times.

With the economy under pressure from the global slump, and the government extending parts of an economic stimulus package, many economists forecast the fiscal budget deficit will expand to 10 percent of GDP or larger, more than double last year's.

Questions have persisted for months about how the government would fund the deficit. Domestic dong-denominated government bond auctions have struggled this year, with the finance ministry's yield ceiling too low for the market.

Vietnam is also trying hard to boost its foreign exchange reserves and said last month it would borrow $1 billion from the World Bank this year and next, and also $1 billion annually from Japan from 2010 to 2012.

PTTEP: Oil rig fire now out

2009-11-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

The fire at a leaking PTTEP oil rig in the sea off north Australia is finally extinguished on Tuesday, and now the clean up begins

The fire that destroyed a leaking oil drilling platform that has been spewing crude oil into the Timor Sea, north of Australia, for months has finally been extinguished, PTTEP chief executive officer Anon Sirisaengtaksin said on Tuesday.

He said the blaze at the Montara well started on Nov 1.

"We finally managed to extinguish it about about 1pm Bangkok time. We are keeping everything under watch to make sure it is 100 per cent under control," Mr Anon said.

PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP) will next week send staff to examine the extent of the damage to the West Atlas platform.

He said the company will review the oil production plan at the Montara well after experts finish with their damage assessment.

Mr Anon said PTTEP has an insurance policy to cover damage of up to about US$270 million.

Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul said the damage to the oil rig was initially estimated at two billion baht.

The incident would not affect deliveries of fuel and natural gas to Thailand, he said.

The minister said the fire was caused by a technical problem, which had now been solved.

PTTEP had evacuated all staff from the rig and would take steps to get rid of the oil slick under standards fixed by the Australian government, Mr Wannarat said.

The leaking rig has been spewing up to 400 barrels of crude oil into the pristine Timor Sea each day since Aug 21, sparking an environmental uproar in Australia.

No staff had worked on the West Atlas since it began leaking

Chavalit causes a stir

2009-11-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

Peua Thai's Gen Chavalit is in the far South to promote his proposal for some form of autonomy for a 'Pattani City' - sparking instant political controversy, harsh accusations and denials.

Puea Thai Party chairman and former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Tuesday travelled to the deep South on Tuesday, saying he would attempt to restore peace in the violence-plagued region - a visit that sparked immediate controversy.

Gen Chavalit said he would meet community leaders in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala and four districts in Songkhla province where martial law is enforced.

He planned to discuss how best to end the southern insurgency with representatives of civil society groups.

He said he would explain his proposal for an autonomous Pattani City, and ask for their input.

Gen Chavalit denied his proposal for a form of autonomy for the lower South was ''traitorous'', as Democrat Party spokesman Thepthai Senpong claimed.

"I understand Mr Thepthai's concern but I would like to assure him that my intentions in addressing southern issues are good," he said. "The government is not on the right track at the moment."

He said the Pattani City proposal was only an idea and he would listen to the people's views on it.

Gen Chavalit earlier invited 2006 coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, former Pattani senator Den Tomeena, Matubhumi Party MP Areepen Udonsin, Puea Pandin Party MP for Narathiwat province Jeaming Tohtayong and Democrat MP for Narathiwat Waemahadee Waedaoh to join him on his southern trip.

Gen Sonthi, a former national army chief, and Mr Areepen both declined the invitation.

Gen Sonthi said later that he had made prior commitments.

He did not agree with giving the lowewr South a form of self-rule. That was not what people in the far South wanted, he said.

"At least 90 per cent of the local leaders, along with the provincial governors and district chiefs, are Muslims, and the current type of administration is already ideal for the region," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Thailand is a single state and therefore cannot be divided.

Gen Chavalit was simply taking the political offensive by promoting the idea, he said, and called on the former prime minister to refrain from causing public confusion or otherwise damaging the country.

Yala Mayor Pongsak Yingchoncharoen also opposed the idea, saying that it was unlikely to end the continuing violence in the region.

The decentralisation of power by the government was already greater than in many other countries in Asia, Mr Pongsak said, adding that each area in the country already has its own self-governing administration.

"The important issue, rather than setting up Pattani City, is to encourage the public to have more say in selecting good leaders to govern their areas," Mr Pongsak said. "Establishing Pattani City would not guarantee that the southern violence would end since the insurgents have not said they will stop creating unrest once they have an autonomous region."

Democrat MP for Narathiwat Jeh-arming Tohtayong said Gen Chavalit's proposal would lead to further social division in the lower South.

“The establishment of Pattani City would be the starting point for a big mistake. The problem of southern unrest stems from injustices inflicted when Gen Chavalit was the prime minister [in 1997],” Mr Jeh-arming said.

Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam said the idea was just a political ploy to get Gen Chavalit's name in the news.

“It is not possible and it would not lead to an end of the violence in the three southernmost provinces as claimed,” Mr Thaworn said. He called Gen Chavalit’s highly touted trip to the far South "a show, a desperate bid to grab media attention by an old man who had failed in politics."

However, former Pattani senator Den Tohmeena supported the idea said it could bring a real change to Pattani.

"This would show local people that there is a sincere desire to give them a bigger role in running their own affairs,” Mr Den said.

If the proposal was implemented and proved a success then it could be expanded to Yala and Narathiwat provinces, he said.

An adviser to the Young Muslim Association of Thailand, Abdullorsish Tadein, supported the idea of a semi-autonomous zone in the lower South, as it is in line with demands of local organisations and civil sector groups.

“It could be called a special administrative zone because calling it Pattani City could meet strong opposition,” Mr Abdullorsish said, adding that the governor of the zone should also be elected, as in Bangkok and Pattaya.

He said unrest resurfaced in the far South in 2004 and the situation had not improved in the five years since so the government must show the courage needed to change the situation.

Gen Chavalit's idea was just to decentralize state power to local communities in deep South, as the people there had never had real governing authority, he said.

Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Noppariot complained that the government was twisting and misrepresenting the proposal for a self-governing Pattani City.

Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth did not propose the southernmost border provinces to be made an independent or autonomous state called Pattani City, as claimed by people in the government.

The Puea Thai chairman meant only the setting up of a special administrative area, similar to Pattaya City, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Chiang Mai City.

As a former senior military officer and former prime minister, it was unthinkable that Gen Chavalit would support an idea that would divide the country, he said.

In the morning, a paramilitary ranger with a special unit providing security for teachers was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in Pattani, police said.

The bomb was wrapped in a Thai national flag and placed on the side of a village road in tambon Sai Thong of Pattani’s Mai Kaen district and exploded when Corp Prakasit Napongthong stopped to examine the package. He was rushed to a local hospital.

Cambodia Mulls Resource Transparency Initiative

2009-11-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

VOA Khmer recently spoke with specialists in the field of natural resource management in developing countries and learned that Cambodia is not alone in struggling to use natural resources to benefit its citizens. The resource curse, where natural riches fail to help the poor, is a worldwide scourge, the global experts told VOA Khmer in numerous interviews. Below is Part Nine of the original VOA Khmer weekly series, airing Sundays in Cambodia.

Cambodia is considering application to the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, despite heavy criticism of its handling of natural resources so far, an official says.

Cambodian People’s Party Lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the initiative could help provide expertise in the field, “with adequate experiences in managing oil and gas.”

The Oslo-based Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative is a non-profit organization that helps country’s manage their natural resources.. In 2002, Britain’s then-premier Tony Blair announced the concept of the initiative at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The initiative focuses on transparency and accountability in managing oil and gas and requires companies to publish payments to host governments. So far, 30 countries, including five in Asia, have implemented the program.

“If the government officials and parliamentarians are interested in applying for EITI, we welcome that,” Sam Bartlett, Asia director for the group, told VOA Khmer. “We are ready to support those stakeholders in any way so that they can adapt the EITI to the challenges in Cambodia.”

Bartlett noted, however, that Global Witness, which has issued two reports critical of the government that are banned in the country, is a member of the transparency initiative’s board.

Cheam Yeap said, were Cambodia to decide on the initiative, it were defer decisions to the board.

“If Global Witness is still angry, or wants revenge on the Cambodian government, or Cambodia, it’s not a surprise, because we’ve had some sorts of conflict in the past,” he said. “If Global Witness is on the board and is still angry with Cambodia, let the EITI board of directors decide.”

Global Witness has been campaigning against illegal logging in Cambodia since 1995. Over the last three years, Global Witness has issued two reports, “Cambodia’s Family Trees” and “Country for Sale,” severely criticizing the government for mismanaging natural resources, claiming Cambodia’s elites are able to diversify their commercial interests to reap all forms of the country’s assets. (The government denies these reports.)

Eleanor Nichol, a Global Witness campaigner, told VOA Khmer in an interview in Washington that the group’s goal was not to publish anti-government material, but the truth inevitably affected a few officials.

“It’s not anti-government information,” Nichol said. “But what happens is, actually, that it tends to point back to members of the Cambodian government, because they tend to be using their positions of power to exploit their country’s natural resources. So, inevitably over the period of time, it has brought us into a conflictual relationship with the Cambodian government.”

Cambodia needs to consider not only EITI, but also overall governance of natural resources, she said.

“They also need to look at the way in which concessions have been allocated and who the concessions have been allocated to in order to ensure that the best deal has been obtained for Cambodia and its citizens,” she said.

Mam Sambath, chairman of the newly established Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency, supported transparency attempts, saying the initiative would provide information to the public, informing the decision-making process.

The transparency initiative also comes with financial support to build government and civic capacity, perform outreach work to companies, and coordinate work through different organizations and agencies, Bartlett said.

Both Indonesia and East Timor have committed to the initiative, while the Philippines and Vietnam are both considering how it could fit into their regulations.

Thais Protest Over Soldiers on Border

2009-11-03T04:38:00.000-08:00

VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
02 November 2009

Nearly 500 Thai protesters gathered in front of the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok Monday to protest the presence of Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear temple. Soldiers from both countries have been entrenched along the border since July 2008.

The protest follows remarks from ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra that he would not accept exile status from Cambodia. Prime Minister Hun Sen angered Bangkok last week by announcing he would welcome Thaksin in Cambodia without abiding by an extradition treaty.

The protesters demanded that Cambodian troops leave the area around Preah Vihear temple, which they claim belongs to Thailand.

Koy Kong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the demand “illegal.”

“Cambodia cannot accept the demand by Thai protestors,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials said Monday that Thaksin’s statements were likely to cool the ongoing war of words between leaders of the two countries.

“Thaksin showed his support for the Bangkok government,” by declining Hun Sen’s exile invitation, said Kem Sokha, head of the opposition Human Rights Party.

“If Thaksin makes asylum in Cambodia, it degrades the Thai government,” he said. “So, Thaksin does not want to degrade the Bangkok government in the name of the nation. Thaksin thinks of the national interest more than his personal interest.”

Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party, said Thakisn’s declining to come to Cambodia would “avoid an uncomfortable feeling between the ruling parties of Cambodia and Thailand.”

However, Ny Chakrya, chief investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said Thaksin may also want to keep his political options open. Were he to seek political asylum in Cambodia, he would not be allowed to participate in politics in Thailand. “So he decided not to go to Cambodia.”

Thaksin lives in exile and faces a two-year jail term on charges of corruption if he returns to Thailand.

Court allows police to detain Rakesh Saxena 12 days as requested

2009-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

BANGKOK, Oct 31 (TNA) -- The court Saturday allowed Thailand’s police to further detain fugitive Indian-born ex-financier Rakesh Saxena for 12 days for further questioning regarding his alleged embezzlement which led to the closure of Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC) in 1995, two years before the Asian financial crisis hit Thailand and spread to many other countries in the world.

Guarded under heavy security by more than 30 police commandos, Mr Saxena was escorted from the Crime Suppression Division where he was detained since arriving in Bangkok late Friday following his extradition from Canada, to the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court as police sought court approval for his first remand.

The Court later remanded him in custody for 12 days while bail was rejected as there are more than 10 pending cases against him.

Mr Saxena was allowed to be sent for treatment at the jail hospital as requested by his lawyer.

Spokesman Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen told journalists that police would question seven witnesses who had travelled to Canada and brought Mr Saxena to Thailand and said that he believed police could conclude their charges and forward them to the prosecutor on Monday.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday that legal action would be taken against politicians allegedly implicated in the embezzlement case.

In 1995, Mr Saxena, then treasury adviser of the BBC, allegedly colluded with Krirkkiat Jalichandra, then bank president, and was involved in setting up dummy loans and fabricating accounts to siphon millions from the bank, causing its collapse under US$3 billion in debts, along with nearly 60 financial institutions, leading directly to the 1997 financial crisis.

Mr Krirkkiat was arrested, tried and sentenced to 30 years in prison plus a fine of Bt330 million. (TNA)

PM vows to speed up development projects in deep south

2009-10-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

SONGKHLA, Oct 31 (TNA) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told the private sector in Thailand’s five southernmost provinces that the government will speed up various projects to develop the southern region.

Mr Abhist met business community representatives in the five southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, Satun and Yala at a hotel in Hat Yai, Songkhla for first hand information from the private sector.

The business representatives called on the government to extend the terms of soft loans to help manufacturers affected by the violence in the south and the global financial crisis.

They also asked government to support development of logistics, the land-bridge linking between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, dual railway track development and the further development of the region’s tourism industry.

He promised to forward the 16 points proposal raised by the private sector in the southern provinces to the agencies concerned and the cabinet to speed up implementation.

Mr Abhisit also said that the government is improving operations of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) and seeking more business community members.

Thailand and Malaysia are cooperating on a plan to jointly develop adjacent areas in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia, he said.

As for installing more CCTV for security, a project which has been delayed, the premier said the government is pressing to finish it soon.

The prime minister is trying to assure the business community in the south that the government had a development plan for the southern provinces and will speed up the projects to benefit the people in the region.

The emergency decree imposed in the four districts of Songkhla will be relaxed to improve the business atmosphere, a policy that will gradually extend to the three southernmost provinces, he said. (TNA)

Final Death Toll of Ketsana Raised to 35

2009-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Cambodian officials now estimate that Typhoon Ketsana claimed 35 lives and cost the country $41 million, leaving thousands of people homeless.

Hardest hit was Kampong Thom province, but 11 provinces in all suffered from the storm, which raged across the east and north of the country on Sept. 28.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed, and many people are now facing food shortages, the National Committee for Disaster Management said Friday.

The agency “will submit a compiled report of damage to the government to request assistance from the international community,” Nhem Vanda, first deputy president of the disaster committee, said.

The World Bank and the Japanese government have signaled a willingness to provide aid for victims of the storm, but they need a clear damage report from the government to proceed.

In Kampong Thom, the storm destroyed nearly 20,000 hectares of rice crop, as well as infrastructure, for a total of $17 million in damages, according to a preliminary estimate.

“I have worries for the destruction and damage of more infrastructure,” Som Sophath, deputy governor of the province, said. There, the storm killed 20 people, injured 14, and destroyed 109 houses, he said.

The German government will provide $280,000 in emergency assistance, Josef Fullen Bach, a government representative for Southeast Asian policy, told Finance Minister Keat Chhon on Friday.

The aid agency Oxfam last week estimated 20,000 people were in need of immediate emergency assistance.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam On, in a weekly government meeting Friday, encouraged government officials to travel to affected areas and help victims.

‘Peace’ a Legacy of Sihanouk: Officia

2009-10-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

VOA Khmer

As prince, head of state and king, Norodom Sihanouk accomplished many things, but as the former monarch prepares for his 87^th birthday, he should be remembered as bringing peace to Cambodia, a former director of the Royal Cabinet said Thursday.

Sihanouk, who abdicated the throne in 2004 and has been struggling against cancer, was born Oct. 31, 1922, oversaw independence in 1953, was exiled by a US-backed coup in 1970, held under house arrest by the Khmer Rouge, and finally returned as king.

His main legacy was peace, said Truong Mealy, the former cabinet head, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

“With such peace, we can now talk,” he said.

Sihanouk is also remembered for his efforts to bring Preah Vihear temple under Cambodian control, through legal pursuits at the International Court in 1962, one caller to the show recalled.

Opposition Lawmaker To Return from US

2009-10-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Mr. HO Vann

Opposition lawmaker Ho Vann, who was recently cleared in a defamation case in Cambodia, prepared to return to Phnom Penh Thursday after spending four months meeting supporters and officials in the US.

Ho Vann had faced a lawsuit by 22 military officials when he questioned certificates awarded by a Vietnamese military academy. He was stripped of his parliamentary immunity by the National Assembly, where he represents the Sam Rainsy Party, in April.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court dropped the charges against him in September, in a surprise decision, while it upheld disinformation charges against the editor of the English-language Cambodia Daily for reporting the allegedly defaming comments.

“I hope that after receiving the verdict I can return to Cambodia safely, and I also appeal to [National Asssembly President] Heng Samrin to give me back the immunity,” Ho Vann told VOA Khmer on his way to the airport in Massachusetts.

Cheam Yiep, a Cambodian People’s Party National Assembly member, said he had not seen a proposal from the Ministry of Justice regarding Ho Vann, but added the courts were going through the process to restore his immunity

Thais To Explain Thaksin Charges to Hun Sen

2009-10-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Thaksin Shinawatra more...

VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh
29 October 2009

The Thai government said this week it will send an official document to Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. (29 October 2009)

The Thai government said this week it will send an official document to Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, following a war of words between Phnom Penh and Bangkok over Cambodia’s right to refuse extradition.

Thaksin, who lives in exile, but not in Cambodia, faces a prison term on corruption charges if he returns to Thailand.

Hun Sen angered the current Thai government earlier this month by hosting a Thaksin supporter of the opposition party, then declaring Thaksin welcome in Cambodia, despite an extradition treaty with Thailand.

Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Tuesday it will outline the facts of Thaksin’s case for Hun Sen, who it said may have obtained incorrect information.

“We will receive the documents relating to Thaksin to read if the Bangkok government sends the documents to us,” government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said. “It is no problem. We will have our legal experts examine the documents.”

Thaksin was ousted from power in a bloodless coup in 2006, but he still enjoys wide support among Thais, and Hun Sen has called Thaksin a political victim and thereby outside extradition requirements.

Koy Kong, a spokesman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry had not yet received documentation from Bangkok, but relations otherwise continued as normal.

Thaksin is Cambodia-bound

2009-10-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

As protesters gathered at the Cambodian embassy on Tuesday, the fugitive ex-premier said he wants to pay respects to Cambodian Premier Hun Sen for offering to lay out the welcome mat for him.

Ex-PM wants to thank Hun Sen for job offer

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra insists he will go to Cambodia to thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for laying out the welcome mat for him.

Thaksin said he would fly to Cambodia soon to thank Hun Sen, a party source said.

Thaksin said he and Hun Sen had been friends for a long time.

Thaksin also thanked Puea Thai's new chairman, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, for "doing the right thing".

He denied having any businesses in Cambodia, saying he had sold them all before entering politics, the source said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday claimed he had cleared up Hun Sen's misunderstanding of Thaksin's situation.

Mr Suthep, who is in charge of national security, said he told Hun Sen Thaksin had not been bullied. He had broken the law and the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions had jailed him for two years after a proper judicial hearing.

He explained Thaksin was not living in exile because of the 2006 coup.

Mr Suthep said Thaksin was fielding members of the political party he controls in elections and they had won. But two party prime ministers had to step down because they had violated the law.

"It's too late to say he has been unfairly treated. If he accepted the constitution and had not fielded candidates in the general election, it would be another story," Mr Suthep said.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen understands this point well."

The Cambodian prime minister was told that if he allowed Thaksin to live in exile in Cambodia, Thailand would use international law to seek his extradition.

"I said it was fine because the law will not be interpreted by me and Mr Hun Sen alone. There is an extradition process, and the court might be the one ruling on the extradition," he said.

The Cambodian premier said on his arrival at the Asean summit in Thailand last weekend that his government would allow Thaksin to take refuge in Cambodia and work as his economic adviser. Cambodia would not extradite him if asked by Thailand as Thaksin had been unfairly treated, he said.

The Foreign Ministry is preparing to issue a statement explaining the facts relating to Thaksin's status in response to the remarks by Hun Sen. The statement will be sent to the Cambodian government as the ministry believed the remark was a result of misinformation, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Army chief Anupong Paojinda yesterday insisted Hun Sen's stance on Thaksin had no effect on the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border.

CAMBODIA AND THAILAND

2009-10-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hun Sen promises not to heighten border tension: Suthep

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday that he had held a talk with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen over sour relations of the two countries caused by Hun Sen's support for fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra.Suthep said he explained to Hun Sen that Thaksin had not been politically persecuted but he had breached the laws.Suthep said if Thaksin takes a refuge in Cambodia, the Thai government will seek his extradition in line with the legal channel and it will be up to the Cambodian court whether to approve the extradition request.He said the disputes of the two countries should be solved peacefully and the two countries should stop exchanging verbal attacks.Suthep also quoted Hun Sen as promising that the Cambodian prime minister would be careful not to cause border tension.

Thai PM rebukes Hun Sen

2009-10-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Thailand rebuked neighbouring Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday for his offer to let fugitive former Thai prime Thaksin Shinawatra stay 'anytime.

THAILAND rebuked neighbouring Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday for his offer to let fugitive former Thai prime Thaksin Shinawatra stay 'anytime.'
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, in charge of national security, told reporters that Mr Hun Sen should not be meddling in Thailand's affairs after he reportedly said that Thaksin had not received justice at home.
'We have an extradition treaty with Cambodia, so if Thaksin goes there we will officially notify the Cambodian government and seek his extradition,' said Mr Suthep. 'This is Thailand's own internal affair and we can solve this issue by ourselves. No foreigner can solve an internal matter. Thai people can think for themselves.'
Cambodia's state-run TVK said Wednesday that Hun Sen made the invitation during a private meeting Wednesday with Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, a key member of Thailand's main opposition party Puea Thai.
Thaksin, on his online Twitter feed, thanked Hun Sen for his controversial invitation but stopped short of accepting it. 'I thank Prime Minister Hun Sen for telling the public that I am still his friend and that he would welcome me at any time and arrange a house for me in Phnom Penh,' Thaksin wrote.

Camb.embassy braces for protest

Security in front of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok was tightened on Tuesday after members of the People's Assembly of Thailand led by Chaiwat Sinsuwong announced they would protest there against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's offer of a home for fugitive politician Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia.
A company of police were deployed to guard around the embassy and metal barriers placed around the entrance.
Mr Chaiwat said in a radio interview in the morning that he would led a demonstration in front of the embassy and read a statement condemning Mr Hun Sen and Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who met him in Phnom Penh last week.
"The People's Assembly of Thailand condemn the Cambodian prime minister for taking the opportunity during the Asean Summit to tell reporters that Cambodia would not hand over Thaksin if Thailand sought his extradition," he said. "This is an insult to Thailand, the Thai government and the Thai people, and it destroys good relations between the two countries."
He also demanded Mr Hun Sen to apologise to Thailand.
Mr Chaiwat stressed that the protesters would not attempt to surround the embassy.

The upside-down world of Hun Sen and Thaksin

2009-10-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

The upside-down world of Hun Sen and Thaksin

The Thai government prepared to fend off a "red shirt" army at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, mounting security measures designed to prevent a repetition of the embarrassing scenes that disrupted a similar Asean meeting in Pattaya.
This time, the red shirts behaved well, unlike Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, who called the fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra his "eternal friend" and compared him to Burma's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander known for his provocative remarks, said: "Many people talk about Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, why not talk about Thaksin? That cannot be referred to as interfering."
Was Hun Sen joking? Not really. The ill-considered remark from the head of the Cambodian government illustrated the quality of leadership we have in Asean.
Hun Sen's remark was not only an insult to Th ailand but also to Burma. The Cambodian prime minister should be made fully aware that Thaksin and Mrs Suu Kyi have nothing at all in common. There are thousands of reasons for ruling out any comparison. But let's look at just a few.
Mrs Suu Kyi is dedicated to the struggle for democracy and freedom in Burma. It won't matter whether Mrs Suu Kyi becomes leader of Burma or not - today she is a symbol of change in Burma and remains a beacon of hope in spite of the attempts to belittle her by a repressive regime that has locked her up in her own home for years.
Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006. He skipped bail after an indictment on corruption charges and has since been living at various locations, including Nicaragua, Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates.
During his time at the head of the Thai government, the press in Thailand was muzzled and he launched a "war on drugs", which killed more than 2,000 people who, if they had been legally dealt with and convicted, would have served prison terms.
Thaksin claimed that he and his government knew the situation in Burma very well because the two countries are immediate neighbours. Here are some facts.
Thaksin was a known friend of Burma's military regime. His government courted the junta by offering loans, improving border trade and sending numerous delegations to Rangoon.
During the Asean summit in Bali, Indonesia, in 2004, Thaksin surprised many of the delegates by giving Burma his unconditional support and praising then prime minister and feared spy chief Gen Khin Nyunt's "sincerity". Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo later told journalists that Thaksin defended Burma throughout the entire summit.
While other governments in the region - and worldwide - were voicing increasing criticism of the junta and championing speedy democratic change in Burma, Thaksin was seen to be defending the generals, investing in the country and promising piecemeal progress.
Thailand was then Burma's third most important investment partner, exporting goods worth around US$1.26 billion (43 billion baht) annually.
Thaksin also had his own business interests in Burma. In 2003, Shin Corp, the telecoms company owned until recently by Thaksin's family, signed a deal with Bagan Cybertech, the internet service provider run by Ye Naing Win, son of disgraced prime minister Gen Khin Nyunt.
In 2004, Thaksin visited the ancient former Burmese capital Pagan to sell his Economic Cooperation Strategy, and promised Burma aid and support worth $45 million.
He also set his sights on what he called the "excellent prospects" of Burma's tourism industry, proposing the construction of a ski resort in Burma's northern Kachin State and the development of the unspoilt beaches of Arakan State.
The "Bangkok Process", hosted by Thaksin's government to advance democracy in Burma, fizzled out when Burmese representatives failed to turn up for a planned second session - a clear demonstration that even the Burmese generals didn't count on him.
Back home, Thaksin's administration cracked down on Burmese seeking economic and political refuge in Thailand, raising concerns about a conflict of interest and doubts about Bangkok's ability to act as an honest broker in Burma's political standoff.
Sadly, Thaksin's government, by its attitude towards Burmese migrants and refugees living in Thailand, played the nationalism card in order to boost the prime minister's popularity.
In early 2004, UN human rights envoy Hina Jilani visited Thailand and said: "Many of the Burmese human rights defenders feel very insecure with regard to their freedom of movement inside Thailand." Not surprisingly, Ms Jilani received a cool reception in Bangkok.
Just before the 2006 coup, Thaksin stayed in his heavily-guarded home for a day because of a bomb threat, likening the experience to Mrs Suu Kyi's enforced house detention.
He said he sympathised with Mrs Suu Kyi. What, for not being able to go shopping for a day?
So, once and for all, let's make it clear to Hun Sen that Thaksin is no Suu Kyi.
Mrs Suu Kyi may have her shortcomings, but she has sacrificed much in her fight for democratic change in Burma. Her sacrifices include separation from her family and her enforced absence from the funeral of her beloved husband Michael Aris, who died of cancer in 1999 in London.
The fiasco caused by Hun Sen's remarks at the Asean summit should have been an embarrassment to the Burmese delegation and Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, who told his Japanese counterpart that the military regime would consider relaxing Mrs Suu Kyi's house arrest terms, if she "maintains a good attitude".
Thein Sein's cynicism matches that of his boss, junta leader Snr Gen Than Shwe, who said in a letter published after Mrs Suu Kyi's farcical trial in August that if she behaved "well" at her Inya Lake home under the restrictions imposed on her, she would be granted amnesty before her suspended sentence expired.
Astonishingly, Singapore's foreign ministry reacted positively to Than Shwe's gesture, saying that while it was disappointed at the guilty verdict it was nonetheless "happy that the Myanmar government has exercised its sovereign prerogative to grant amnesty by halving her [Mrs Suu Kyi's] sentence and that she will be placed under house arrest rather than imprisoned".
The world must be upside down, if not flat.
What does Than Shwe mean, for instance, by requiring Mrs Suu Kyi to behave well under house arrest? Did Mrs Suu Kyi mismanage the economy and lead the resource-rich country into poverty?
Did Mrs Suu Kyi order the troops to kill Buddhist monks and activists on the streets or throw them into prison? Did Mrs Suu Kyi order soldiers to kill or rape ethnic minorities?
At least, Hun Sen and Thein Sein can be credited with livening up the Asean summit, even though the grouping has no shortage of clowns.

THAILAND AND CAMBODIA 27 10 2009

2009-10-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Senators call for protest over Hun Sen's remarks

"What Hun Sen said was out of line with diplomatic protocol which should be answered with a formal protest instead of a verbal spat," Senator Kamnoon Sithisaman said.Kamnoon also urged a delay in the parliamentary debate on three documents related to Cambodian-Thai border issues and effectively put on hold any negotiations on the 4.6-square kilometre disputed area surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple.He went on to demand that the government protest to the United Nations and Unesco for listing the temple as a World Heritage Site.Senator Anothai Rithipanyawong said Thais angered by the temple controversy will rally on November 2 at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.The number of people attending the upcoming rally is expected to swell due to the adverse sentiment following Hun Sen's remarks, he said.He added that the government must demonstrate to the people about its steadfastness in dealing with such remarks.Senator Paiboon Nititawan warned that anti-Cambodian sentiment in the Northeast would rise if Thaksin sought and received permission to live in exile in Cambodia."Time will come to revisit historical lessons about the battles between Thailand and Cambodia," he said.Paiboon said the government should act decisively to uphold national integrity instead of allowing bilateral economic interests to cloud its judgement.Senator Sumol Sutawiriya said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should not tolerate Hun Sen's snub. Thais want Cambodians to know that we will not allow them to trample on our national pride, she added.In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said he had had a two-hour talk with Hun Sen after the dinner for Asean leaders on Saturday.Suthep said he explained the full situation regarding Thaksin and the collapse of the two governments under Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat.He said he also told Hun Sen about the parliamentary means by which the Abhisit government came to power."Following my explanation, Hun Sen promised not to make any more comments on the matter," he said.Suthep said he urged the Cambodian prime minister to set aside personal feelings in order to advance bilateral ties.

Cambodian PM 'was misinformed'

The Foreign Ministry will send Cambodian Premier Hun Sen a note detailing former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's political status here to defuse tensions generated by Hun Sen's comments last week.

"I understand that Prime Minister Hun Sen made such remarks because he was misinformed about Thaksin and the whole situation in Thailand, so we have to give him the facts," Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said yesterday.Hun Sen said upon his arrival at the Asean Summit that he would offer Thaksin refuge in Cambodia and appoint him as an adviser. He said Thaksin was a victim of political changes in the wake of the 2006 coup."We will tell him what happened in Thailand over the past three years and that his many trials have nothing to do with the coup," Kasit said.The letter would not be an argument or condemnation of Hun Sen but just a plain description of Thaksin, the political situation and Thailand's justice system, he said.Many criminal cases arose before the coup and asset concealment actually took place only within Thaksin's family, he said. Hun Sen's invitation to Thaksin threw more fuel on the fire after the two countries have faced off over the controversial Preah Vihear Temple for over a year.The government had Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban explain the matter to Hun Sen during his two-night stay in Thailand. The foreign ministry would make the clarification and send it through diplomatic channels to him again within a week to make sure he gets the right picture, Kasit said.While declining to interpret Hun Sen's move, Kasit said his government would simply regard the incident as the Cambodian premier, who is an old friend of Thaksin, just getting the wrong idea.Kasit rejected a demand by a group of senators to retaliate against Hun Sen since the two governments have promised to jointly develop their countries and not to bring up internal politics. "We don't allow a minor thing to jeopardise the entire relationship," he said.

Anupong says Thai-Cambodian local military officials still have good ties

Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Anupong Paochinda said the Thai and Cambodian military officials in charge of the areas near the disputed border still have good relations.He said the military of the two countries would not use force to settle the dispute despite of exchange of verbal attacks between the two governments.He said the border disputes would be settled through bilateral mechanisms of the two countries."I hereby affirm that there will be no war and we will not use force to settle the disputes," Anupong said.

Chavalit draws govt ire. PM slams Puea Thai chairman's 'tactics'

2009-10-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has sparked a furious backlash from the government by insisting he will embark on trips to Burma and Malaysia in the wake of his remarks about ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra being welcome "any time" in Cambodia.

The government, which insists Gen Chavalit discredited the Thai administration by his visit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, has made it clear the opposition party politician should not meddle in diplomatic affairs.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday asked Gen Chavalit to put the national interest before personal benefits ahead of his plans to visit other countries.
The government had no authority to block his travel plans but it would not succumb to pressure from other countries as a result of his visits, the prime minister said. Gen Chavalit will visit the lower South on Nov 3 followed by unscheduled trips to Malaysia and Burma, his close aide, Lt Gen Piratch Swamiwas, said yesterday.Gen Chavalit's first foreign trip after assuming the chairmanship of the opposition party was to Cambodia last Wednesday. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told him he welcomed Thaksin to Cambodia.
Hun Sen also said on Friday after coming to Thailand for the Asean summit that the Cambodian government would not hand over Thaksin if Thailand sought his extradition.
Mr Abhisit responded by asking Hun Sen to decide between personal relations and bilateral benefits with Thailand.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban met Hun Sen on Saturday to discuss issues involving Thaksin.
Hun Sen promised to stop saying anything that might damage Thailand, Mr Suthep told reporters yesterday in Cha-am district in Phetchaburi.
Mr Kasit also sent a stronger message to Gen Chavalit in his bid to have the Puea Thai chairman reconsider his diplomatic strategy.
"You should ask Gen Chavalit whether his visits to neighbouring countries will benefit Thailand," the foreign minister told reporters. "He should ask himself about what he is doing. Is it serving somebody?"
After the talks on Saturday between Mr Suthep and the Cambodian leader, the Foreign Ministry will submit evidence to Phnom Penh regarding the legal action taken against Thaksin.
It would be "factual" regarding the legal process the government was taking on the ousted prime minister, the foreign minister said.
Mr Kasit said he hoped that after the formal explanation, there would be no conflict between the two countries over Thaksin.
Lt Gen Piratch shrugged off the government's criticism and insisted Gen Chavalit had no plan to scrap his visits to Burma and Malaysia.
"He will meet leaders and will criticise no one," the aide said. "What Gen Chavalit is doing is not for anybody in particular. He used to give suggestions to the government but the government never listened to him."
Gen Chavalit said last week he would use his personal connections with leaders of neighbouring countries to clear their misunderstandings about Thailand.
He claimed the foreign policy under the Democrat-led government had caused strains.
The Cambodian prime minister's remark favouring Thaksin continued to upset a group of 40 senators who urged the government take a tougher diplomatic line on Cambodia.

business news in Cambodia

2009-10-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Govt agrees energy deal with KNOC of South Korea

THE Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA) entered into an agreement Friday with the Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC) on future cooperation in exploration of oil and gas in the Kingdom.The memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation, which was signed during the visit of a South Korean delegation led by President Lee Myung-bak, will see both sides share geological data, human resources training and experience in the sector, said Council of Ministers chief Sok An.The deal also allows the state-run South Korean energy body to conduct oil and gas feasibility studies in the Kingdom’s offshore areas, a deal that would give “hope for the future in the search for … resources”, said KNOC Director Young Won-kang.The CNPA’s Deputy Director Ho Vichet said after the signing ceremony that the two-year agreement would entail data-collection followed by analysis before targeting specific areas. He added that capital allocation would be determined by both sides at a later date.The agreement is only preliminary, which means that the exact location and blocks to be explored have yet to be determined, he said.A 25,000-square-kilometre contested area with Thailand is thought to include the only two areas that the government has still not doled out – Area III, which is the subject of a delayed agreement with France’s Total, and Area IV, which has been the subject of recent bids by Chevron and Mitsui of Japan, according to reports.

Branching out

Employees of ACLEDA Bank watch a ceremony Friday to mark the launch of the bank’s newest branch, a new head office for Kampong Thom province in Kampong Thom town on National Highway 6. ACLEDA has now opened eight offices in the province, which at the end of September was hit by Typhoon Ketsana. Managers of the bank said the natural disaster had not affected the opening of the branch

Siem Reap Air tries to calm fears over jobs

2009-10-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Baggage handlers unload bags from a Bangkok Airways flight at Siem Reap International Airport.

With the end of domestic flights by parent firm Bangkok Air, some flight attendants are reportedly looking for employment

SIEM Reap Airways moved to allay employment fears among Cambodian cabin crew working for its parent company Bangkok Airways as the Thai airline operated its last flights on domestic routes Saturday.In a letter to staff obtained by the Post, Siem Reap Airways General Manager Terry Alton said the employment of all staff, including captains, first officers and cabin crew, would “continue as it has since last November”, referring to the month the airline ceased commercial operations after being blacklisted by the European Commission. Neither Siem Reap Airways nor Bangkok Airways runs domestic flights in Cambodia since the latter’s licence expired without renewal at the weekend.In the letter to staff, Alton said he had heard reports that “indicate captains, first officers and cabin crew will be suspended from duty as from 25 October 2009. "I would like to make it absolutely clear that this is not correct,” he wrote, adding that the airline is close to resuming full operations. Alton said in an interview that he planned to discuss the matter with staff in person Tuesday after sending the letter Friday.Bangkok Airways Deputy Manager of International Media Relations Ekkaphon Nanta O’Sot said Friday that the employment of cabin staff was a matter for Siem Reap Airways, as they were employed only on domestic routes, but confirmed that pilots were employed by Bangkok Airways and would continue to be scheduled on international flights.A Bangkok Airways pilot, who previously flew for Siem Reap Airways but is now an employee of the Thai airline, said he had no concerns over his future employment. “I have no problems because Bangkok Airways still has international flights,” said the pilot, who asked not to be identified. “The government has only closed domestic flights.”However, the pilot said he was paid on the number of landings he made and was worried that he would be scheduled on fewer flights with the end of Siem Reap-Phnom Penh route. He added that concerns were rising among cabin staff.One flight attendant said she had already had an interview for a job with the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA). The attendant, who asked to remain anonymous, said co-workers had also applied to CAA due to mounting fears over their jobs.Bangkok Airways took over the routes from Siem Reap Airways last November, using cabin crew on loan from the grounded airline. Staff continued to be employed by the domestic subsidiary, which is currently in negotiations with aircraft owners to lease a plane for registration in Cambodia. It has been cleared by the government for takeoff as soon as it registers a plane locally.Bangkok Airways flew its last domestic routes between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh on Saturday after the government said last month it would not renew the permit as the part government-owned carrier CAA was operating. CAA is a joint venture between the Cambodian government and Vietnam Airlines, which owns 49 percent. It emerged this month that the airline has not yet been registered in Cambodia and is flying under a Vietnam Airlines air operator certificate as it completes local registration processes.

Disaster authority revises toll from Ketsana, warns of food shortages

2009-10-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

DISASTER officials revised their estimates of the damage caused by Typhoon Ketsana upwards on Sunday, declaring that more than 66,000 families forced from their homes by floodwaters are facing imminent food shortages.At least 43 people died and 67 were seriously injured during the killer typhoon and its ensuing floods, National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) spokesman Keo Vy said. Kampong Thom province, which bore the brunt of the storm, suffered the heaviest casualties, with 20 deaths. Siem Reap province recorded eight fatalities, four died in Preah Sihanouk; Kampong Cham, Kampot and Ratanakkiri reported three deaths each. Two died in Kampong Chhnang.Uy Sam Ath, director of disaster management at the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC), said that so far, his organisation has provided emergency food and non-food relief to 44,885 families, spending nearly $53 million on food aid alone – dwarfing the NCDM’s running Ketsana damage estimate of $44 million. “This food is enough to live on for the time being, but we cannot sustain this relief for much longer,” he said. “I really regret what happened in our country. So much was destroyed in such a short time.”Canals inundated with runoff from Ketsana have compounded the misery of hundreds of families in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district, who have been displaced by floods that have been blamed on the filling-in of Boeung Kak lake. Ly Rosyami, Russey Keo district deputy governor, said Sunday that the flooding has affected 2,409 families in Russey Keo district so far.“We’ve surveyed the number of families affected by floods in four of Russey Keo’s communes and found that out of these, 262 families had to leave their homes and rent accommodation elsewhere,” she said. Data from other communes have yet to be collated because flooding has rendered them inaccessible. Keath Chantha, 43, a widow and mother of five, fled her home a month ago and is still waiting for the water to recede. “Hundreds of poor families are still living in their flooded homes, some of them lacking food, but none of the authorities are providing food for them,” she said.Kep Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh, vowed to improve infrastructure in the district. “Next year, we will build a dam station in Russey Keo district to protect the area from flooding,” he said.

Thaksin a central figure at 15th ASEAN summit

2009-10-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hun Sen arrives at Phnom Penh International Airport after attending the 15th ASEAN summit in southern Thailand.

Hun Sen’s overtures to Thai ex-PM stoke rhetorical flames, but Hor Namhong emphasises progress on regional economic ties, meeting with US president.

RIME Minister Hun Sen, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and the rest of the Cambodian delegation returned Sunday from the 15th ASEAN summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, a meeting at which leaders faced distraction by Hun Sen’s controversial invitation to Thai ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.Speaking to reporters after his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, Hor Namhong said that ASEAN leaders had focused on bolstering economic ties both within the bloc and with global allies.“There will be a meeting between leaders of ASEAN and US President Barack Obama on November 15 in Singapore,” Hor Namhong said, adding that regular meetings between the US and ASEAN would occur in the future.China, meanwhile, promised to increase its loans to ASEAN nations to US$6.5 billion, while Japan “will look for investment in developing members of ASEAN including Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar,” Hor Namhong said.Away from the meeting rooms in Hua Hin, though, Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva engaged in a war of words stemming from Hun Sen’s invitation for the exiled Thaksin, on the run from Thailand following his ouster in a 2006 coup and conviction on corruption charges, to come to Cambodia and serve as his economic adviser. “Millions of Thai people, the Red Shirts, support Thaksin. Why as a friend can’t I support Thaksin?” Hun Sen said in Hua Hin, adding: “Many people talk about Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, why not talk about Thaksin? That cannot be referred to as interfering.”Abhisit rebuked his guest, telling reporters there was no comparison with the Myanmar opposition leader. “I don’t know how many people share [Hun Sen’s] view that Thaksin is like Aung San Suu Kyi. I doubt there are many, for fairly obvious reasons,” Abhisit said.Thailand deployed thousands of security forces in and around Cha-Am over the weekend in order to avoid repeats of disruptions at previous summits. Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper reported Sunday, however, that members of the anti-Thaksin People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) plan to protest next month outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. Hor Namhong said that despite recent differences, the Cambodian government had “received assurances from Thai authorities that they will protect our embassy.”

THAILAND TODAY

2009-10-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

A group of Muslim women pray for those killed following the protest by Muslim people at the Tak Bai police station five years ago. Muslim youths held a ceremony at the Thai Cultural Centre to remember the incident.

Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan gives a speech on "Asean Economic Community : A New Landscape in 2015" organised by Asean Business Forum at Plaza Atthenee Hotel on Monday.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva delivers a speech on "Asean : What the future holds" organised by Asean Business Forum at Plaza Atthenee Hotel on Monday.

University students from deep south provinces pray to mark the fifth anniversary of Tak Bai massacre and sixth anniversary of the southern violence.

PM: Start preparing now for the AEC

2009-10-26T04:19:00.000-07:00

Both the public and private sectors must begin preparing for the transformation of Southeast Asia into a single economic entity to be known as the Asean Economic Community (AEC), Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday.

Asean member countries plan to launch the AEC to enable the free flow of goods in 2015."All sides need to understand the AEC's agreements and restrictions.

''In most cases, people will say they have little time to adjust when they are enforced," Mr Abhisit said.The government would have to work more closely with the public and private sectors so they would understand the various terms and conditions."I am particularly concerned about some trade and investment agreements relating to the agricultural sector, but I have assigned appropriate agencies to look into the restrictions being placed on us. "Some countries have problems similar to Thailand, while others have tax or work permission problems. There will be negotiations and ways to compensate for the restrictions," he said.Some laws could be applied to protect people affected by the establishment of the AEC.He said Asean member states were determined not to let their internal political problems hold back the regional economy"It's normal for neighbouring countries to have some problems between them.
''There were disagreements at times during the 15th Asean Summit last weekend, but no leaders were hesitant about expanding cooperation," Mr Abhisit said.

Asian nations jostle for power in EU-style bloc

2009-10-26T04:04:00.000-07:00

Asia's moves toward an EU-style community covering half the world's population have sparked a backroom power play led by the United States, China and Japan, diplomats and analysts said Monday.

Leaders at a summit of 16 nations meeting in Thailand at the weekend heard the prime ministers of Australia and Japan set out competing visions for a regional bloc that would boost Asia's global clout.
But beneath the talk of unity and the "Asian Century" lie intense diplomatic manoeuvrings, with countries desperate to avoid being marginalised in a new regional framework that could still be years off.
"The waters may be calm on the surface, but the undercurrent is sometimes turbulent," a veteran Southeast Asian diplomat told AFP after the summit in the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin.

A central question is the role that the United States and China would play in any future grouping.
"Some countries want the United States to be part of a future regional framework as a counterbalance to China's influence," the diplomat said, asking not to be named.
Japanese premier Yukio Hatoyama, who pushed his plan at the summit for an East Asian community that could "lead the world", would not be drawn on the extent of proposed US involvement despite Tokyo's close ties to Washington.
But Australian leader Kevin Rudd's vision for an Asia-Pacific Community by 2020 explicitly includes Washington.
"Whether we like it or not, I think we could not avoid a US role because the US is a big country which has powers both in economic and security matters," said Chaiwat Khamchoo, an analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
"Some countries in the region are suspicious of each other so they want the US to play a role."
After the distractions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has only recently re-engaged with the region, particularly in Southeast Asia where Washington's hard line on military-ruled Burma kept it at a distance.
With Japan kept busy by its economic woes, China has boosted its influence across the region in recent years, signing a free trade agreement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
India has tried to play catch-up, belatedly signing its own trade pact with the bloc.
Russia has meanwhile applied to join the East Asia Summit, this weekend's meeting which groups Asean with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
But next month US President Barack Obama will hold the first ever summit with Asean leaders, as well as attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Singapore.
Earlier this year US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the "US is back in Southeast Asia".
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in an interview with the Bangkok Post published Monday that any future Asia-wide community "must engage" with the United States.
"We should see to what extent we can integrate them (the United States) into the East Asian Community," he said.
And while the big players jockey for position, Asean itself is trying to stay in the driving seat of any new grouping.
This is based on the fact that it already hosts the main annual meetings with the region's major powers, especially the East Asia Summit.
But Asian leaders did appear to agree at this weekend's summit that they need some new framework to hold together their diverse and sometimes fractious region.
A closer community would help Asia capitalise on its relatively quick recovery from the global economic crisis and to cut its dependence on the West to drive growth, they said.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in his closing remarks to the summit on Sunday that the "old growth model" in which Asia relies on consumption in the West "will no longer serve us as we move into the future."

Hun Sen's words linger

2009-10-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

The problem caused by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's comments was not serious enough for Thailand to sever ties with Phnom Penh and will not have any adverse effects on the 15th Asean Summit, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday.
After arriving at Hua Hin Airport to attend the15th Asean Summit on Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters that he would welcome fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia, would deny extradition and would appoint him as his economic adviser. Asked whether Thailand would seek Thaksin's extradition, Mr Abhisit said it was still uncertain whether the fugitive former prime minister would really be staying in Cambodia.
He earlier asked Phnom Penh to reconsider.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya's secretary, Chawanon Intharakomansut, said the Foreign Ministry had not asked the government to consider downgrading diplomatic ties with Cambodia in response to Mr Hun Sen's statements.
"We'll observe Cambodia's reaction now that Prime Minister Abhisit has called on the Cambodian premier to reconsider this issue carefully and focus on bilateral ties and benefits to both countries instead of one person's personal interests."The Thai government would look for new ways to bring Thaksin back to Thailand if the Cambodian government refuses to extradite him," he said.Three senators on MOnday called for Prime Minister Abhisit to issue a formal response to the Cambodian leader‘s “unethical” action in using the regional summit to show his personal support for Thaksin.Senators Paiboon Nititawan, Khamnoon Sithisamarn and Sumon Sutaviriya said at a press conference that the prime minister's verbal responses were not enough. He should also issue a formal statement on the Cambodian prime minister's unethical use of the international forum in Hua Hin.Mr Khamnoon said Mr Abhisit's statement should adhere to diplomatic principles but at the same time clearly show Thailand's standpoint regarding Thaksin.He urged the government to announce an indefinite delay of parliament's consideration of three memoranda of understanding on Thai-Cambodian border talks over the 4.6-square-kilometre area in dispute around the Preah Vihear temple, as required by Article 190 of the constitution, to show its dissatisfaction with the Cambodian leader.Mr Khamnoon said most people were very unhappy with the Cambodian premier’s announced stance, which had sowed the seeds of conflict between the Thai and Cambodian people.Therefore, the prime minister should counter Mr Hun Sen's action with a formal statement..Mr Paiboon called on the government to adopt a tough policy with Cambodia and give more importance to national integrity and existence than to trivial economic interests.Burmese people in Thailand were very displeased that Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen likened his friend Thaksin with the plight of their arrested democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, by saying they were both victims of political persecution.His comment caused a group of Burmese politicians, students and villagers to gather near the Burmese border in Tak's Mae Sot district on Monday morning. "Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 years, is an unconditional fighter for democracy, has never thought of fleeing the country and is not fighting for her personal interests. She cannot be compared with Thaksin," a Burmese student said.

Japan backs East Asian role for USABHISIT'' HATOYAMA HOLD TALKS"

2009-10-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

CHA-AM : Japan yesterday backed a US role for the East Asian Community, telling Southeast Asian leaders Tokyo's alliance with Washington was at the heart of its diplomacy.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said in talks with Asean leaders there should be some US involvement in the bloc, according to Kazuo Kodama, the spokesman for the Japanese delegation.
It was unclear how a US role would work. But the comment may help allay concern in some countries that such a body would ultimately fail by shutting out the world's biggest economy.
"It is too premature to discuss the membership of this long-term envisioned community," the spokesman said.
In an interview with the Bangkok Post prior to his departure for the summit, Mr Hatoyama said the US-Japan alliance was the fundamental cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy.
The message was repeated in yesterday's meeting with Southeast Asian leaders.
The Japanese premier suggested that the proposed co-operation should include areas such as trade, investment finance, education, the environment, disaster management and maritime affairs.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today will push another idea for a new, separate forum of Asia-Pacific nations to respond to regional crises. His idea also includes the United States.
Washington has stepped up Asian diplomacy under President Barack Obama's administration and fears missing out on such groupings, especially as Japan considers redefining its US security alliance and Beijing expands its diplomatic and trade presence.
Exactly how Washington would participate is as yet uncertain.
Asked if Washington would be a member of the community, a Japanese government official said: "It remains unclear. We have to see how multilateral meetings will turn out today." The proposal wasn't elaborated upon, according to Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu. "How the US participates - because the US is one of our dialogue partners - we need to think through," said Ms Pangestu.
Japan used the 15th Asean summit to seek support on the East Asia Community and to promoted its readiness to enhance cooperation with Asean countries, especially those in the Mekong sub-region. Mr Hatoyama will host a meeting with leaders from the Mekong countries including Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in Japan between Nov 6 and 7 as he wanted to have a close discussion on the development of the sub-region, the spokesman said.
Mr Hatoyama held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for the first time on the sidelines of the summit.
The two leaders agreed that Japan and Thailand's economic partnership agreement was still an important tool in helping promote economic growth between the two countries.
Japan pledged to provide financial assistance to small and medium business corporations of Thailand.

Sustainability is the watchword in biofuels

2009-10-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

For better or worse Thailand, like many other countries around the world, is committed to the promotion of biofuels to relieve the country's dependence on imported fossil fuels. Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul has reaffirmed the present government's commitment to the 15-year development plan for renewable and alternative fuels which was finalised last year.

He said the goal at the end of the 15-year period is for biofuels to replace 460 billion baht in crude oil imports.
Part of the plan is to promote a greater demand for biofuels through subsidies, offering tax incentives to motorists and even attempts to implement regulations requiring the use of biofuel mixtures.
The government's strategy to make biofuels more available and appealing is unwavering, despite the numerous reports of negative and ecologically counter-productive effects of using agricultural products to produce biofuels.
Biofuels are being blamed for everything from higher food prices to hastening the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Paiboon Ponsuwanna, chairman of the food industry club of the Federation of Thai Industries, pointed out that many in the food industry are concerned about the possibility of competition in the future between land for growing energy crops and for food.
As biofuels look to be a permanent fixture in Thailand's energy picture, and as more agricultural land is devoted to growing crops for conversion to ethanol, it would be well to take a look at the situation in Brazil, the acknowledged pioneer in the use of biofuels.
In Brazil, by law, all gasoline contains a minimum of 25% alcohol, yet ethanol actually accounts for close to 50% of all vehicle fuel.
Brazilian biorefineries which use sugar cane are able to supply all of the domestic needs with a lot to spare for the export market.
In response to widespread criticism of its biofuels industry, the Brazilian government has prohibited new sugar cane fields in the Amazon region, as well as in a huge wetland area known as the Pantanal.
The government is confident it can meet rising demands without expanding into ecologically sensitive areas, by using degraded agricultural land which is now not in use.
Similarly, in trying to meet the rising demand for biofuels, the Thai government must also strictly enforce existing laws which prohibit encroachment into healthy forests and wetlands.
Another practice the Brazilian government is trying to put an end to is the burning of cane fields to get rid of the leaves, common in Thailand as well as in Brazil. It is estimated that this produces nearly 4,500 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide per hectare.
Not only that, it robs the soil of organic materials for fertilisers.
A major innovation being tried in Brazil which should be incorporated into Thailand's bioenergy production scheme is the rotation of fast-growing food crops, like certain varieties of soybean and peanuts, with the sugar cane (in Thailand cane molasses) used to produce ethanol. This involves direct planting, in which fields are not tilled and the organic waste is allowed to remain as fertiliser.
In some cases food crops are planted alongside the cane and grown concurrently. Through these sorts of practices it is hoped the production of biofuels can be made to be truly ecologically sustainable.
Perhaps the most important steps toward that goal are being taken at experimental operations in which cellulosic material _ the leaves, stems, husks and other non-food portions of plants _ are broken down into their component sugars and then fermented to make ethanol. Proponents believe the process can be made commercially viable and that cars could be running cleanly on a limitless supply of agricultural waste.
Clearly this won't become a reality overnight, and few people believe that even conventional biofuel production can fully substitute for Thailand's oil imports. Nevertheless it is important that the preparations being made to turn the country into a large-scale producer of biofuels take sustainability into consideration at every step of the way.

Walkout, absences mar Asean summit opening

2009-10-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, fifth from left, link hands with ASEAN leaders during group shot before the ASEAN-Japan meeting at the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, in Cha-am of Hua Hin district, south of Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. From left to right, Laos Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar's Thein Sein, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong, Hatoyama, Thailand's Abhisit Vejjajiva, Vietnam's Nguyen Tan Dung, Malaysia's Najib Razak, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Hun Sen, and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan. (AP Photo/Sukree Sukplang, Pool

CHA-AM, THAILAND, Philippines — Southeast Asian nations inaugurated a sharply criticized human rights commission Friday as tropical storms, domestic politics and VIP visits caused nearly half their leaders to miss the opening of their annual summit.
Representatives of civil society groups immediately blasted the commission and walked out of a meeting to protest being cold-shouldered by five governments, including the Philippines.
The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) began inauspiciously when half the bloc’s 10 leaders failed to show up at the opening of the three-day conference.
The summit will also discuss how best to achieve economic integration by 2015.
The leaders of the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei did not arrive in time for the opening of the meeting.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was running late due to Typhoon “Ramil” (internationally called “Lupit”), the third storm in a month due to hit the Philippines, her spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is hosting a visit by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Indonesia is swearing in a new government and Malaysia’s government was presenting its budget to Parliament.
Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah didn’t show up amid reports that he was not feeling well.
A first in 42-year history
One of the first orders of business was the inauguration of the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights which critics say will do little to deter human rights violators, like member Burma (Myanmar), because it imposes no punishments and focuses on promotion rather than protection of human rights.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called the move “a significant milestone in the evolution of Asean.” It is the first human rights watchdog in the bloc’s 42-year history.
“The issue of human rights is not about condemnation but about awareness,” he said.
A shadow was immediately cast over the body when five Asean governments rejected members of civil society groups they had been scheduled to meet Friday, said Debbie Stothard of The Asean People’s Forum, an umbrella group of nongovernment organizations.
The governments of the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Singapore would not take part in what was to have been an Asean-Civil Society dialogue if the five activists from their countries were present, Stothard said.
Big shame
Instead, some of those countries flew in substitutes from so-called civil society organizations with Burma including a former senior police official, Stothard said.
When the meeting took place without the original civil society representatives, those from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia walked out in protest.
“It is a big shame to our dreams for genuine democracy in the region. It’s like all of the human rights of the people in this region have been violated,” said Sister Crescenia L. Lucero, a Roman Catholic nun who was to have represented the Philippines at the dialogue.
“It does not bode well for the human rights commission. Asean has lost credibility,” Stothard said.
Work in progress
Asean officials respond that the commission is a work in progress and can be strengthened in the future.
They say that agreement on human rights standards is difficult within a grouping that includes two communist states, two kingdoms, a sultanate and military-ruled Burma.
Members of Asean have escalated their criticism of Burma. But the summit will again likely avoid confrontations and maintain that the group’s approach to engaging Burma works better than the West’s sanctions and threats.
The summit will also sign a declaration on climate change and discuss food security, bio-energy, disaster management and how trade barriers can be brought down to bring about a European Union-style grouping within the next six years.
The bloc will also meet with leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Massive security
Thailand has deployed more than 36,000 military and police both in Bangkok and to guard the summit at the beach resort of Cha-am, 200 kilometers south of the capital.
“Security forces have also set up emergency escape routes by land, air and sea,” Panitan said. “We don’t expect it to be necessary but we want to be ready and to assure leaders that they will be able to meet without distraction.”
The government is still smarting from the storming of the East Asian Summit in April in Pattaya, where protesters charged through thin police ranks and forced the evacuation of several leaders by helicopter and boat.
Security forces have also been empowered to impose curfews and restrict freedom of movement around Cha-am and Bangkok.

Legarda appeal
In Manila, Sen. Loren Legarda has urged Ms Arroyo to seek the deferment of the implementation of the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga), saying it will wipe out all trade barriers for traded goods—including agricultural produce—in Asean states starting January 2010.
Legarda, chair of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said that Trade Secretary Peter Favila earlier signed the Atiga “without the knowledge of the Senate and media.”

With the Philippine rural folk reeling from the effects of back-to-back storms, Legarda asked whether it was for the government to allow imported agricultural goods such as rice and corn to enter the country zero-tariff and devastate millions of rural families. Reports from AP, AFP and Michael Lim Ubac in Manila

Maoists getting arms from B'desh, Myanmar: Chidambaram

2009-10-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

Chidambaram said the government is practical enough to understand that the Naxals will not lay down arms.
Maoists are acquiring weapons through Bangladesh, Myanmar and possibly Nepal, according to Home Minister P Chidambaram, who nonetheless has expressed government's willingness for a dialogue with them provide they abjure violence.
Naxalism remains the biggest internal security threat to India, he said and hit out at intellectuals who still try to "romanticise" the naxalites.
In a wide-ranging interview on Saturday, Chidambaram said the government is practical enough to understand that the Naxals will not lay down arms.
He said the West Bengal government has "learnt a lesson very late" after the Lalgarh operation but he would not comment much on the West Bengal government's decision to secure the release of an abducted police official by not opposing the bail application of about 20 pro-Maoist trials.
"In terms of the threat to security from Indian sources or internal sources, Naxalism remains the biggest threat. There is, of course, the other threat which is cross border terrorism but that is emanating from across the border," he said.

Vietnam’s inflation quickens for second month on food

2009-10-25T02:55:00.000-07:00

Vendors sit behind their vegetable stalls at a Hanoi market
Vietnamese inflation accelerated for a second month, driven by higher food prices amid faster economic expansion.

Prices climbed 2.99 percent in October from a year earlier after gaining 2.42 percent in September, the General Statistics Office said in Hanoi Friday. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.37 percent in October from September. Vietnamese inflation reached a year-on-year rate of 28.3 percent in August 2008, the highest since at least 1992.
“The favorable base effect from last year is now fading away,” said Tai Hui, the Singapore-based head of Southeast Asian economic research at Standard Chartered Plc, who expects inflation to reach between 5.5 and 6 percent by year-end. “The month-on-month figure is actually quite encouraging, though. For Vietnam, 0.4 percent month-on-month is a low figure.”
Inflation has quickened from a seven-year low of 1.97 percent in August, stoked by loan growth that looks set to exceed 30 percent, a government target that had already been revised up from 25 percent. The Vietnamese economy is forecast to expand 6.5 percent in 2010, up from an estimated 5.2 percent this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the National Assembly this week.
“Rising inflation is one potential stumbling block for the economy,” Vinacapital Investment Management Ltd. said last week. “Several multilateral institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, have expressed caution over rising inflation risks.”
Government focus
Inflation may be gaining steam in part because of what Vinacapital described last month as a greater government focus on maintaining growth than on containing price gains.
Vietnam’s government believes “all efforts” should be made to ease the country’s economic slowdown, including the promotion of exports and the stimulation of investment through “expanded fiscal and flexible monetary policies,” central bank Governor Nguyen Van Giau said this month. The government is also committed to “actively preventing the recurrence of inflation,” Giau said.
The International Monetary Fund said this month that a greater focus on inflation in Vietnam is appropriate, citing indications of strength in the economy.
“Moderate price pressures continue to build,” said Paul Gruenwald, the Singapore-based chief Asia economist for Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.
Inflation triggers
Overall food prices rose 2.54 percent in October from a year earlier, up from a 1.79 percent gain in the previous month. On a monthly basis, food prices increased 0.32 percent in October from September.
Inflation is being triggered by “international food and energy commodity prices,” Robert Prior-Wandesforde, a senior economist at HSBC Holdings Plc in Singapore, wrote in a note this month that predicted Vietnam will have to raise interest rates by the most in Asia next year. “Food and energy together account for more than half of the country’s headline CPI basket.”
Vietnamese rice prices have advanced about 8 percent since last month, the U.S. Agriculture Department said last week.
“The increase is a largely a result of anticipation of a large sale to the Philippines later this year and recent government price stabilization purchases,” the department said.
Prices in the category including transportation fell 4.56 percent in October from a year earlier, compared with a 6.18 percent decline in September. On a monthly basis, prices in the category climbed 0.77 percent.
“Inflation may potentially go back to a higher level, fueled by credit growth and by the recovery of import prices as the global economy recovers,” Indochina Capital Vietnam Holdings Ltd. said this month.

Lawmakers want lower budget deficit target next year

2009-10-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese legislators said the 2010 budget deficit should be kept at 6 percent of gross domestic product instead of 6.5 percent as projected by the government.

House members discuss budget deficit at a session in Hanoi Friday

Vietnamese legislators said the 2010 budget deficit should be kept at 6 percent of gross domestic product instead of 6.5 percent as projected by the government.
Fiscal policies need to be tightened, Ho Chi Minh City representative Tran Du Lich said on Friday at a meeting of the National Assembly, the country’s highest lawmaking body.
If public capital spending was not monitored closely, there would be a high risk of inflation, he said.
Many lawmakers said it was necessary to tackle the growing deficit, which the National Assembly Finance and Budget Committee has forecast to stand at 6.9 percent of GDP this year, up from 4.1 percent in 2008. They wanted the government to cut the deficit to 6 percent next year.
But Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh said the government was aiming to keep the budget deficit at 6.5 percent of GDP in 2010 because revenue sources were not expected to grow next year.
Many tariff lines would be cut next year, reducing government revenue by around VND3 trillion, Ninh said.
As a result, if the budget deficit next year had to be cut to 6 percent, the government would need to ask localities to contribute more, or investment, social welfare and salaries would need to be reduced, he said.
“The important thing is government debt is still in the safe zone,” Ninh said, noting that many other countries also have budget deficits as they want to spend money for economic development.
Vietnam’s government debt is forecast to stand at 40 percent of its gross domestic product this year, up from 36.5 percent in 2007, the National Assembly Finance and Budget Committee said earlier this month. The debt may continue to surge to 44 percent of GDP next year.
However, Lich said Vietnam’s authorities were not excellent forecasters, implying that government revenue sources may not fall next year as expected by the government.
The government set the 2009 budget deficit target at 7 percent of GDP after there were forecasts that government revenue would fall by as much as VND60 trillion this year, Lich said.
But revenue has been on the rise so far this year, he said, asking why the full-year budget deficit was still expected to reach only 6.9 percent of GDP despite sharp revenue hikes.
Lich said although the government had not successfully raised funds through bond sales but “there was still enough money for investment.”
“So why did the government have to hold bond auctions in the first place?” he asked.
Vietnam’s government reportedly aimed to raise up to US$1 billion from bond issuances on the domestic market in 2009, Standard & Poor’s said in a report last month. “However, the weak demand for its offerings in late August suggests that this target is unlikely to be met. The low interest rate that the government was willing to pay did little to attract investor interest.”
Standard & Poor’s forecast government budget deficit to rise to 6.7 percent of GDP this year. “This reflects both an expectation of weaker economic performance in the year as well as countercyclical measures the government is undertaking,” said the US-based provider of independent investment research.
The forecast compares with an estimate of 10.3 percent of GDP by the Asian Development Bank last month.
Vietnam’s GDP growth this year is projected to hit a decade-low of 5.2 percent, in line with a target of around 5 percent set by legislators, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on Tuesday.

Thai minister downplays rift with Cambodia

2009-10-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday downplayed tension between Cambodia and Thailand, saying discussions with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Asean Summit had been 'civil' and 'we will not allow any incident to be a hindrance to the overall relationship'.

Just hours earlier, the right-wing People's Alliance for Democracy said Hun Sen was not welcome in Thailand and demanded that Cambodian troops be withdrawn from a disputed area at the Preah Vihear temple on the border between the two countries.

Briefing reporters on the day's proceedings at the summit, Kasit said Cambodia and Thailand continue to have 'dialogue and cooperation'.

He said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Cambodian Premier had pledged earlier this year that no incident would be allowed to damage the relationship. On Friday, Abhisit had rebuked Hun Sen for insisting that ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra was welcome in Cambodia.

Hun Sen had also said he would make Thaksin his economic adviser, and compared the fugitive billionaire to Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi - a parallel that visibly irked Abhisit.

Thaksin, who became prime minister in 2001, was removed in a military coup in September 2006, and was accused of corruption, cronyism and disrespect for Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He has fled overseas to dodge a jail sentence.

Meanwhile, in another bilateral meeting on the summit sidelines, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed to 'gradually narrow differences on border issues between the two countries', China's Xinhua news agency reported. Mr Singh said 'neither side should let our differences act as impediment to the growth of functional cooperation between the two countries', according to a statement on the website of India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Thaksin tells PM to observe good etiquette

2009-10-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday warned Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to observe good etiquette as the host and have consideration for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In his Twitter, Thaksin criticised Abhisit for taking Hun Sen to task after the Cambodian Prime Minister came out in his defence. Thaksin said Abhisit should not keep a personal grudge and have bilateral relations in mind.

"As chairman of Asean, he should have etiquette. The PM should be focused and not see Hun Sen's face as my face," Thaksin said.
Hun Sen last week expressed his support for Thaksin saying the exPM did not receive justice politically. Also, when he arrived for the Asean Summit on Friday, the Cambodian Prime Minister said he would appoint Thaksin his economic adviser.

Thai news today

2009-10-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Leaders of Asean plus China, South Kore and Japan join hands at their summit in Hua Hin/Cha-am districts on Saturday.//Thawechai Jaowattana

Red shirts gather at their headquarter in Imperial Dept's Lardprao branch to listen to their leaders in a seminar, "Censure Debate outside the Parliament."on Saturday.//Supakrit Khumkun

People's network threaten action against Cambodia

2009-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Some 30 people led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) made a brief protest at Puk Tien beach in ChaAm district, some 10km away from the Asean meeting venue in response to the harsh remarks by Hun Sen regarding fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the disputed area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear for a long time but the issue heated up a year ago when it was listed as a World Heritage Site.
The issue of Thaksin added fuel to the conflict when Hun Sen said he would make the fugitive expremier his economic adviser and would not extradite him to Thailand. Such remarks have heightened tensions with the Thai government which is seeking to apprehend Thaksin, who has been sentenced to two years' prison sentence in a corruption case.
The protesters handed over their letter of demands to the Foreign Ministry's DirectorGeneral of Asean Affairs Vitavas Srivihok demanding the troop withdrawal and removal of the Cambodian comฌmunity from the area within a week.
They condemned Hun Sen's recent remarks and wanted the Cambodian premier to leave Thailand immediately as he was not attending the Asean Summit in a spirit of goodwill.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said his government had allowed the protesters to exercise their freedom of expression in accordance with democratic principles. The government would take their demands into consideration and would convey them to the neighฌbouring country if necessary, he said.
The Thai government would not allow one incident to jeopฌardise relations between the two countries, which have a lot of areas of mutual interest, he said. Kasit said the government would deal with Hun Sen in a cool manฌner.
"We have been together with Samdech Hun Sen the whole day in the [Asean] meeting. I think he did participate in every sesฌsion [of the Asean meeting] in a very constructive manner," Kasit said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen even supported Thailand's intention to be a temporary unit of surฌveillance of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), Kasit said.
Regarding the Thaksin issue, Kasit maintained his hope that Hun Sen would be able to disฌtinguish personal affairs from the mutual interests of the two countries.
"I don't know whether Prime Minister Hun Sen has invited Thaksin to visit Cambodia after he has served his jail term in Thailand or not," he said.
If Thaksin were to be in Cambodia before serving his sentence, the government would seek his extradition in accorฌdance with the bilateral treaty, Kasit said.

Secretary-1 enjoys performance of contestants in dancing contest

2009-10-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

NAY PYI TAW, 23 Oct-Patron of the Organizing the 17th Myanmar Traditional Cultural Performing Arts Competitions Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo this morning enjoyed the performance of the contestants in the dancing contest at the convocation hall of the University of Veterinary Science in Nay Pyi Taw Yezin.
On arrival at the convocation hall, the Secretary-1 was welcomed by Leading Committee for Organizing the competitions Commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command Maj-Gen Wai Lwin, Minister for Transport Maj-Gen Thein Swe, Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Brig-Gen Maung Maung Thein, Deputy Minister for Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs Col Tin Ngwe, Deputy Minister for Health Dr Mya Oo, Deputy Minister for Education Brig-Gen Aung Myo Min, the director-general of the State Peace and Development Council Office and departmental heads, the secretary of the work committee and members.
The Secretary-1 watched the participation of contestants in the basic education level (aged 5-10) boys' dancing contest.

NA deputies discuss second stimulus

2009-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

HA NOI — The economic stimulus package, restructure and a report on the socio-economic situation were at the top of the National Assembly’s meeting agenda yesterday.
Deputy Le Quoc Dung said the country faced difficulties caused by the economic recession but the Government had made great efforts to help it overcome and maintain its growth rate.
He praised the Government’s efforts to prevent bankruptcies and keep stability at a time when firms in other countries were going to the wall.
Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, from HCM City, said that while the growth rate was on target it would have been higher if the country had exploited its resources better.
"We just spend money to buy growth; we need administrative procedure reform," he said.
Most deputies agreed the economic stimulus package should be stopped by the end of the year, despite its positive effects. Only 20 per cent of companies had received the 4 per cent interest rate subsidy.
Such a move would help reduce waste in the State budget and remove distortions from the monetary market.
It was recommended, however, that the Government continue to support developing agricultural infrastructure, rural and urban areas and purchasing equipment and machinery.
"In general, the first stimulus demand package has had practical effects," Hoa said, "but it is necessary to analyse and assess more thoroughly the efficiency of the package by balancing the amount of money spent against the economic growth achieved.
"We still need a stimulus package, not to encourage demand but to boost economic restructuring, and the new package must be long-term – 5-7 years – and concentrated."
He suggested the Government work out criteria for enterprises investing in specific sectors and which had effects on the economic restructuring, to be stimulated.
Deputy Dinh Xuan Thao from Kien Giang Province and Nguyen Ba Thuyen from Lam Dong Province agreed that agricultural processing was still weak and mainly unprocessed food was being exported.
"If we could process, then the profits would be larger and farmers would benefit more," they said.
Therefore, it was critical to have a drastic change in management and orientation to restructure the economy, they said.
Ha Noi’s deputy Nguyen Thi Hoa said attention should be paid to agricultural quality management.
Deputies also raised concerns that it was the first time Viet Nam had a deficit in import-export payment balance, which had led to a shortage of foreign exchange.
Budget overspending was increasing, which would cause inflation if it continued, they said.

State picks up tab for absconded bosses

2009-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

HCM City authorities are seeking solutions to help employees at nine foreign-invested and local enterprises whose bosses have fled without paying the former’s salaries and other dues.
The Labour Union Federation in District 8 has revealed that some 500 workers of the 100 per cent Taiwanese-invested garment firm Duc Quan Ltd. have authorised it to file a lawsuit against the company management for not paying their salaries and fleeing the country.
The chief accountant of the company, Nguyen Thi Oanh, said the general director, Lin Shih Ming, fled the country, leaving unpaid VND1.8 billion in workers’ salaries, VND1.8 billion in social insurance and VND500 million in rent.
Employees of at least five other foreign-invested enterprises in HCM City are facing a similar situation this year, including Vina Haeng Woon Industries in District 8, Quang Sung Vina in Go Vap District and Sin B in District 12.
Deputy chairman of the Federation of the Labour Union in HCM City, Truong Danh Lam, said the code did not include any provision to deal with this issue, offering a loophole for such "hit and run" actions.
City authorities have said they have taken measures to prevent the situation from spreading and to protect local employees from being cheated.
After the boss of the Korean-invested garment firm Sin B fled earlier this year, city authorities asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to co-operate with the Consulate General of Republic of Korea in HCM City to make him fulfill the financial obligations to the employees. The Immigration Department was told not to let him leave Viet Nam until the disputes are settled.
But efforts to contact the director of Duc Quan Enterprise have been in vain.
According to a decision signed by Prime Minsiter Nguyen Tan Dung recently, in instances where the company bosses have absconded, the State budget will pay the employees’ dues and the funds retrieved from the sale of the companies’ assets.
However, the properties left behind by fleeing bosses are usually of little value, meaning tax payers have to foot the bill.
Advocate Trinh Thanh Van said city authorities should keep a closer watch over a company when there were signs of trouble to pre-empt the management from cheating their workers.
Strong FDI flow for Dong Nai
Authorities in southern Dong Nai Province are happy that the FDI (foreign direct investment) inflow into the southern province in the first nine months exceeded the target set for the year, the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon (Saigon Economic Times) reports.
According to the Dong Nai Department of Planning and Investment, as of October 15, the province had attracted FDI worth US$2.76 billion, well above the $2 billion target set for 2009. The capital inflow was for 26 new FDI projects and 33 operational ones.
The province is now expected to attract a total FDI of $3 billion for the whole year.
"This is a good sign for Dong Nai’s investment environment," said Bo Ngoc Thu, director of the department. "The figures say it all," she added.
Thu said Dong Nai had continued to mobilise significant FDI at a time foreign investors had scaling down operations due to the global economic and financial crisis.
She said this year FDI flows had been channeled into sectors encouraged by the provincial authorities such as banking, tourism, education, health, electronics and real estate rather than the labour-intensive sectors like textiles and garments and footwear manufacturing.
Thu said they had sought FDI for hi-tech industries and environmentally-friendly projects.
The province has 980 FDI projects operational at present with a total registered capital of more than $15.5 billion.
HCM City seeks fee solutions
The municipal administration agreed last week that homeowners will be allowed to pay land use taxes prevalent at the time of purchase instead of the time of registration for the ownership of the apartment. The decision sought to resolve recent disputes over high land-use taxes levied on home buyers in the Phu My Hung Urban Area.
Hundreds of residents living in Phu My Hung came to the developer’s office to protest after they’d been asked to pay land use taxes that were several times higher than the rates at the time they bought their apartment. The fees amounted to a significant proportion of the cost of the property in several cases.
The buyers argued that they were being penalised for the developer’s long delay in granting land use and property titles.
As a foreign-invested company, Phu My Hung is only allowed to lease land for a limited term. So when a property is sold, authorities will have to redeem the leased land and hand it over to the homeowner, on payment of a land-use fee.
The problem is that the fee is constantly increasing, and has doubled to tens of millions of dong per square metre this year over last year.
According to the corporation, 10,000 apartments in the urban areas have been sold, but only half of the homeowners have paid land-use fees, and the tax department is urging the remaining 5,000 homebuyers to pay up before they can get ownership titles.
But the administration’s solution has not been accepted by managers of Phu My Hung Corp.
Bui Thanh Son, deputy general director of Phu My Hung Corp., said last Tuesday that the fast-increasing fees have caused difficulties to both buyers and the developer.
He said the solution only benefits a group of homebuyers who signed contracts to buy apartments in the urban town several years ago.
The disputes over who will pay for land-use fees did not arise before 2004, when the land use fees were low and reasonable, he noted. At current land prices, many customers who buy apartments this year will have to pay large additional sums to get their titles.
Son asked the city authorities for a long-lasting solution, saying the corporation’s business would encounter big difficulties. This could even make it impossible for them to sell their products if the land-use fees were too high.
"The problem is that the land price is steadily increasing every year, going beyond the homebuyer’s capacity," said Son.
He added before the disputes arose, the corporation had sent a petition to the HCM City government and relevant organisations asking for a stable policy in land-use fees applied to homebuyers in the city.
In the petition, the deputy general director of Phu My Hung Corp., Nguyen Hoang Dung, said the price for land along Bui Bang Doan Street had doubled to VND12.1 million per sq. m this year from last year’s VND6.4 million per sq.m.
Differences in land prices were very uneven. Dung said that the Van Phat Hung Project, which is separated from Phu My Hung by a 20-metre bridge, enjoys a land price of VND3.7 million per sq.m., compared with VND9.9 million per sq.m. in Phu My Hung.
He said it was unreasonable for Phu My Hung residents to pay increasing land-use fees based on infrastructure development, since the infrastructure was developed by the corporation itself, and not funded by the State.
If the new fees were enforced, Dung said residents in the new urban area would have had to pay land-use fees twice, once when the developer leased the land, and once when the properties are handed over to the buyers.

Estrada’s solution to Mindanao war off-key

2009-10-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

THE BRAGGART in the ex-convict and ousted President Joseph Estrada boasted of eradicating the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and communist insurgency in a manner the Armed Forces of the Philippines routed the Moro secessionist forces in Camp Abubakar during his presidency. In short, through an all-out war.

Estrada might have won that pocket war, but whether he won the hearts of millions of Filipino Muslims is not clear to him. Which is not a surprise given his myopic appreciation of the struggles of the Bangsamoro people. If at all he achieved something in the devastation of Camp Abubakar, it was to further heat up the climate of insurgency which we now have to bear. If Estrada had his way, it’s not farfetched that he would resort to genocide to quell the problem of rebellion. Peace talks are not part of his options in dealing with the conflict in Mindanao. His solution is simplistic and he takes pride in it as if it were the panacea for Mindanao’s problems; he even bought spreads of advertising space in the major national dailies to bare that it was to be the centerpiece of his governance if by the grace of the d---l he wins the presidency.

The truce forged by the Ramos administration with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) may have some loopholes, but it contained the bloody rebellion and allowed the rehabilitation of war-ravaged communities of Christians, lumads and Muslims. Foreign aid added to scarce government resources and opened windows of opportunities for small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs among the MNLF combatants and their families.

We are pointing out the insanity of Estrada’s plot and the gains of a peace pact to underscore the supremacy of peace over war in our search and endeavor to forge a lasting peace accord with the MILF. We believe winning a war by armed confrontation is transitory. The MILF and the government have spent time and deliberated on many contentious issues. Both have seen which of the issues are untenable and which are doable. So many lives have been lost and so many opportunities have been wasted. Thousands of families have been displaced, unable to resume normal activities.

MILF Chair Al Hadj Murad Ibrahim says he now wants to end the cycle of violence before it affects the younger generation of Muslims. The same can be said of the next generation of lumads and Christians. Murad has assured the world community that they are not building their military strength now, because they have come to realize and believe that the problem cannot be solved by military means but—“it will always boil down to peaceful solutions.”

The MILF has likewise agreed to widen the role of America in hammering out a peace deal that will bring a stable and lasting peace in Mindanao. We have to do this quick before Estrada makes a comeback by a diabolic quirk of political lunacy.

Peace with MILF seen as doomed

2009-10-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

A PEACE advocate yesterday said a political settlement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is no longer possible because of the ruling of the Supreme Court on the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.

Dr. Abdulhusin Kashim of the Institute for the Study of Peace in Islam said the SC decision last week which declared the agreement unconstitutional has set a precedent.

"There can be no more political settlement because every time the executive negotiates, a citizen can bombard it, because of the precedent established by the ruling of the Supreme Court," he said.

"And because there can be no more political settlement in the South, where can we see peace in the South? It’s no longer in the parties to the conflict but among us people who live in the society," he said.

Kashim spoke at the forum "In search for peace in Mindanao" sponsored by The Peacemakers’ Circle of which he is a board trustee.

The agreement was supposed to be signed early August but the Supreme Court, acting on petitions questioning the constitutionality of the MOA, issued a temporary restraining order.

The government later dropped the MOA and announced a shift in policy in dealing with rebel armed groups, with the focus now on consultations and dialogues with stakeholders instead of the previous peace negotiations.

Hashim said people can build the "golden bridge" through the concept of authentic dialogues that President Arroyo has announced.

Kashim expressed disgust over what happened to the MOA.

"What did we do to the MOA-AD despite the fact that it was a product of moral imagination that would have probably given us the first step towards peace? We bombarded it," he said.

The petitioners in the Supreme Court were areas opposing their inclusion in the coverage of a Muslim homeland that the MOA proposed to create. Among others, the petitioners said they were not consulted about their proposed inclusion in the Bangsamoro homeland which will they said would be governed practically by the MILF through the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Kashim said several possibilities could have likely led to the opposition to the MOA. One of them, he said, was that the people are not ready for it.

Kashim said it was also possible that vested interests that control Mindanao wanted the agreement shot down because they want to "perpetuate themselves." He did not give names.

He said a third factor is that hostility between the Christians and the Muslims has yet to be removed. He said people fear that the Muslims are being given their own territory and their own territorial force.

Kashim also pointed to "politics" as among reasons for the fate of the MOA. He said with the 2010 elections nearing, "politicians who have presidential ambitions were riding on the issue."

The Philippine National Red Cross said the government should continue helping the people affected by the hostilities in Mindanao even if the global financial crisis eventually affects the country.

Last Wednesday, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Bekele Geleta expressed concern that the global crisis might affect donors.

Corazon Alma de Leon, PNRC secretary general, said the government should spearhead aid and rehabilitation efforts, with non-government organizations playing only a supportive role.

"We are not asking for any international assistance in this… we (Philippines) want to be on our own here," she said at the sidelines of the International Human Law meet hosted by the PNRC.

The PNRC said some 500,000 residents have been displaced since August when rogue MILF commanders launched attacks in civilian communities in parts of Central Mindanao.

Their time to shine

2009-10-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines — The recent release of the new “Fame” movie has focused the spotlight, not just on its new stars, but also on the original film’s headliners.

The lead players of the original 1980 production were Irene Cara, Debbie Allen, Laura Dean and Barry Miller, among others. Cara benefited from her exposure in the film, winning the Academy Award for Best Origina song lfor the film’s theme, “Fame.” “Out Here On My Own” was also nominated.

Struggling performers

The movie also won an Oscar for Best Original Score. Other nominations garnered by the production were for Original Screenplay (Christopher Gore), Direction (Alan Parker) and Music (Michael Gore). Golden Globe nominations were for Cara as Best Actress and for Origina music. —Not bad for “just” a teen film about struggling young performers.

Again to its credit, the 1980 movie spawned a TV series, a spin-off series, and a stage musical that has played on London’s West End since 1995. The original film has also been reissued on DVD.

Coming from such an acclaimed psychic place, the 2009 movie fields a similarly promising young cast, the most experienced of whom is Naturi Naughton, who we previously saw essaying the feisty role of Lil Kim in the controversial film, “Notorious.”

In “Fame,” Naturi comes up with a completely different characterization, so we know that she’s versatile. More to the point, she sings some of the most attention-calling production numbers in the 2009 production, so her future as a musical theater and recording artist appears to be secure.

Credits

Naughton’s other performing credits include the role of Little Ivy in “Hairspray” and a solo debut album and a UK Top 40 hit, the theme song of “Fame.” Clearly, she’s poised to do as well as Irene Cara—or better.

Another new “Fame” standout is the young and lovely Kay Panabaker, who plays the lead role of Jenny Garrison, a drama and vocals student at the New York High School for the Performing Arts. Like Naughton, Kay has had years of show biz experience, having acted on TV shows like “ER,” “Summerland,” “7th Heaven” and “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.”

In the movies, she costarred with Emma Roberts and Amy Bruckner in “Nancy Drew,” for which they were nominated for Best Young Ensemble Performance in the Young Artist Awards. She was also nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series for “Summerland” and for her guest performance on “ER.”

Glowing notices

In 2007, the Dixie Film Festival gave Kay its award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for her performance in the feature film, “Moondance Alexander.” With all of these glowing notices so early in her career, Kay is clearly positioned to be one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood, due to her unique combination of beauty and talent.

Other stars of the 2009 “Fame” movie who’ve garnered exceptionally encouraging notices are Asher Book and Collins Pienne.

Truth is stranger than fiction in latest Damon-Soderbergh collaboration

2009-10-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines — The bizarre tale of Mark Whitacre, a top-tier executive at a Fortune 100 company who becomes a whistleblower for the FBI, is proof positive of the aphorism that the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Whitacre (Matt Damon), the protagonist of Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, “The Informant!,” is a fascinating character who’s very hard to figure out, even after the end of an almost two-hour-long movie about him.

Whistleblower

The highest-ranking executive to have ever turned whistleblower in American history, Whitacre exposed the price-fixing conspiracy that his company, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), was involved in. It’s the 1990s, and ADM, an agribusiness conglomerate, is colluding with several food companies to fix the price of lysine in the world market. They manage to double it and make a lot of money in the process—that is, until Whitacre starts talking to the Feds.

If you think “The Informant!” is like “The Insider,” think again. While the story might be similar to Michael Mann’s 1999 Russell Crowe-starrer, which was about another whistleblower, you can tell how different they are by noting that the title of the former has an exclamation point. That punctuation mark, not to mention the wacky ’70s-style music and the retro font used in the title credits, should tell you that Soderbergh, along with Damon, plans to take you on a spin—and what a loopy ride it turns out to be!

The film is probably the zaniest cinematic depiction you’ll ever see about corporate fraud and the pudgy men in suits who perpetrate it. It’s a serious matter and the production never loses sight of that fact, but it also takes time to relish the absurdity of it all.

The script, written by Scott Z. Burns and based on the book, “The Informant: A True Story” by Kurt Eichenwald, gives us a peek into the life of an immensely inscrutable individual. If you want to know why Whitacre did what he did, you’re not really going to find out completely, but you’ll have a lot of fun trying, anyway.

Matt Damon, who puts on 30 pounds, thick glasses, a toupee and a moustache, is at his most earnest. He will draw you in, make you believe in him and play you like a fish on a line.

Cheery countenance

The actor delivers a deceptively straight performance—his Mark Whitacre looks like any rising executive in America, with his thickening waist, house in the suburbs and cheery countenance—but, don’t be deceived. As the movie progresses, you’ll see what lies beneath the surface.

In fact, you’ll get a taste of it right from the start, since the script requires him to deliver voice-overs throughout the movie. Frequently hilarious and almost always disconnected from what’s going on in the real world, these monologues clue you in on how differently Whitacre functions and add to the film’s overall sense of things not being completely right

Korea offers Cambodia more development aid

2009-10-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, chats with President Lee Myung-bak, center, through a translator
during a tour of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, 143 miles northwest of Phnom Penh,

SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Korea will provide a further $9.25 million to Cambodia in new development assistance in 2010 and 2011 to fund a road construction project in Siem Reap, best known for its proximity to Angkor Wat, according to the Blue House.

Korea gave $5.9 million between 2005 and 2009 to build the road in an effort to help conserve the cultural heritage site.

The Korea Ring Road will help disperse traffic in the area, contributing to protecting the 800-year-old temples, the Blue House said in a press release.

Following a visit to Angkor Wat to discuss the road project and cultural preservation, Lee departed for Hua Hin, Thailand, yesterday to attend a series of regional summits.

Today and tomorrow, Lee will attend the Korea-Asean summit and the Asean Plus Three summit where leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, China and Japan will join him.

In the regional summits, Lee will seek the participating leaders’ support to resolve North Korea’s nuclear crisis, the Blue House said. Measures to fight climate change and promote green growth will also be addressed.

After the Asean Plus Three summit, the leaders are expected to adopt a statement on food security and bio energy development cooperation.

Tomorrow, the South Korean president will also attend the annual East Asia summit, in which the leaders of the Asean Plus Three and India, Australia and New Zealand will sit down to discuss regional and global issues.

According to the Blue House, the Lee administration will concentrate its efforts on cementing trust between Korea and Asean.

During a cabinet workshop last Sunday, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said Korea will use the Group of 20 summit that it will host in November next year as an opportunity to promote Lee’s New Asia Initiative, the Blue House has said.

Lee announced a new diplomatic initiative to engage Asia-Pacific nations in March, marking a shift in focus for Seoul’s foreign policy, from the four global powers to relations with its regional neighbors.

Lee said Seoul’s foreign policy concentration on Washington, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow last year was successful and that the time had come to reach out to countries in the region.

Under his “New Asia Initiative,” Lee’s goal is to speak for Asian nations in the international community. According to the Blue House, Korea seeks to cooperate with Asia-Pacific neighbors while playing a leading role in resolving transnational tasks such as the financial crisis and climate change. Seoul will focus on diplomacy to encourage free trade and investment within the region.

According to the Blue House, Lee’s initiative gained momentum over the past seven months after he attended the Asean Plus Three summit in Thailand in April, visited Central Asia in May and hosted the Korea-Asean special summit in June.

For stronger ties with Asean, Lee has also promised to increase the Korea-Asean cooperative fund from the annual $3 million to $5 million after 2010.

Korea’s official development assistance toward Asean nations will be increased from $155 million of last year to $395 million by 2015.

“The New Asia Initiative is also in line with President Lee’s national vision of a greater, global Korea,” Lee Dong-kwan, Lee’s senior secretary for public affairs, has said.

“The president has an idea of highlighting Asia’s role and capability in the new international order to be formed in the post-global financial crisis era. And the New Asia Initiative is the product of President Lee’s vision.”

The Asean summits in Thailand later this week and the APEC summit in Singapore next month will be used as key opportunities to promote Lee’s vision, the Blue House said.

Family killed in bomb accident

2009-10-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

PHNOM PENH - A CAMBODIAN man accidentally killed himself, his pregnant wife and young daughter as he attempted to remove explosives from a bomb he had scavenged for metal, police said on Saturday.

They said that Mr Leng Hatha's 39-year-old wife, who was six months pregnant, and his five-year-old daughter were killed in the blast at their home in southern Kampot province on Thursday evening. Mr Leng Hatha died the next day from his injuries in hospital.

'It happened because the husband was trying to pound the bombshell to take out the explosives,' deputy provincial police chief In Chiva told AFP.

He said the man earned money from selling metal from unexploded bombs and more than one hundred bombs remained inside his house.

'He had a device to find mines and bombshells, so he could find many,' Mr In Chiva said, adding that Mr Leng Hatha had previously been jailed for the activity.

Cambodia, one of the world's most heavily mined countries, is littered with unexploded ordnance from nearly three decades of civil war and the secret US bombing of Cambodia in the Vietnam War. But many people in the impoverished kingdom continue to risk their lives by searching for the metal scraps to sell.

Thaksin Most Welcome: Government Official

2009-10-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

Were ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to come to Cambodia, the country would not extradite him, a government statement said Friday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said earlier this week he would welcome the former premier to Cambodia, which prompted a rebuke from Bangkok.

“Cambodia will not extradite in following of any eventual request by Thai government, in case the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra decides to stay in Cambodia,” according to a government statement.

Thaksin, who was ousted in 2006 by a military coup, lives in exile in Dubai. He faces a two-year jail term for corruption in Thailand.

The extradition treaty between Cambodia and Thailand allows either party to deny extradition in cases of “political offenses,” among others, the Cambodian statement said.

“The Cambodian government has the right to interpret these two points [on whether] the case of Thaksin Shinawatra is a political case or not,” it said.

Hun Sen told reporters Wednesday after a meeting with Thaksin supporter Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party, Thaksin was “a political victim.”

“I respect and like him more now than when he was a prime minister,” Hun Sen said. “I have prepared a house where Thaksin can stay at any time.”

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva responded, saying if Thaksin entered Cambodia, “the extradition process will begin.”

“If Cambodia failed to comply with the treaty on the extradition, that would be another story,” he said.

The Cambodian statement said Hun Sen’s invitation was one of long friendship and should not be interpreted as “interference of Thailand’s internal affairs.”

Hun Sen left Friday for Hua Hin, Thailand, where Asean leaders are holding a summit. He is expected to hold talks with Abhisit there.

Youths in Cambodia face job crisis: UN

2009-10-24T03:16:00.000-07:00

YOUNG Cambodians face increasingly daunting prospects for entering the Kingdom’s labour market, the UN said in a report released today.
The report, titled “Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia”, was prepared to coincide with Saturday’s UN Day and is being launched at a ceremony this morning at the National Institute of Education. UN resident coordinator Douglas Broderick said that though the report also contains sections on health, education, rights and vulnerability, many of its most urgent recommendations focus on the issue of youth employment.

“This is the biggest issue affecting young people,” he said. “Cambodia has a young and vibrant workforce, but they lack the skills and training to achieve their full potential.”

People ages 10 to 24 currently comprise 34.7 percent of the Cambodian population – more than 300,000 leave school and look for work each year, and youth participation in the labour force is among the highest in the region, according to the report. However, recent economic growth has largely depended on a few key sectors: garments, construction and tourism, and these sectors are ill-equipped to further absorb large numbers of workers.

John McGeoghan, project manager at the Phnom Penh office of the International Organisation for Migration, said that Cambodia must account for the potential social dislocation that occurs when young people migrate from rural to urban areas in search of employment.

“What we are concerned about, perhaps in terms of trafficking, is that there are significant numbers of young people who don’t have a social network,” he said.

The UN analysis also noted this trend, though it emphasised the importance of expanding Cambodia’s labour capabilities in the agricultural sector, as the earning potential for youths entering the labour force is significantly lower in rural areas than it is in Phnom Penh.

Officials from the Ministry of Labour could not be reached for comment Thursday. In August, however, Ministry of Labour Director General Heng Sour told the Post that the government is currently sponsoring a job training programme supporting 40,000 people, 30,000 of whom are studying agricultural vocations.

“We are observing whether the economic crisis will continue and whether this training will be enough,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Economy and Finance will consider whether or not to renew this programme at the end of the year.

These sorts of initiatives, Broderick said, are crucial for the Kingdom to meet the challenge or a burgeoning working-age population.

“Establishing programmes and opportunities for young people to develop work-related skills, such as more school-based vocational training, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and opportunities in civil service ... is essential,” he said.

Japan to host summit with five Mekong countries next month

2009-10-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

Japan would hold the first summit with five countries in the Mekong region next month to build up connectivity in the basin, Japanese government spokesman Kazuo Kodama said Saturday.

Leaders from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam would meet with Japan in Tokyo from November 6 to 7 to discuss development schemes in the Mekong basin.

Japan engaged with the Mekong countries under framework of Asean-Japan to help bridging development gap between new member of the group Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam with original members.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama invited his counterparts when they met Saturday during the Asean summit in Cha Am/Hua Hin.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who met in a bilateral talk with Hatoyama said he was looking forward to the meeting in Tokyo.

Yellow shirts to protest at Cambodian Embassy next month

2009-10-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

Protesters led by People's Alliance for Democracy on Saturday threatened to protest and surround the Cambodian Embassy next month unless Cambodia withdrew its troops from area adjacent to Preah Vihear Temple.

The threat was made when they organised a brief protest at Puk Tien Beach in Cha-Am district Saturday, demanding the withdrawal of troops from the area immediately.

"We will protest at the Cambodian Embassy next month. Unless its government withdrew troops from the disputed area, we will surround the embassy."

Some 30 people gathered at the beach, about ten kilometers from meeting venue of Asean Summit, also in responding to harsh remarks by Cambodia that it would not extradite former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said upon arrival in Hua Hin to attend the summit on Friday that he would make Thaksin his economic adviser.

The statement fuels tension in the relation with the Thai government which wanted Thaksin to returnn to Thailand to serve jail term on abuse of power and corruption charges.

The protesters held banners, reading that Hun Sen was not welcomed by Thai people.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at the loggerhead over the disputed area near the Hindu temple for long time but the issue was heated a year ago as it was listed as a world heritage site.

PAD protests Cambodia at the Asean summit

2009-10-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

Thai protester led by People's Alliance for Democracy made a brief protest at Puk Tien Beach in Cha-Am district Saturday, demanding Cambodia to withdraw troops from disputed area adjacent to Preah Vihear temple.

Some 30 people gathered at the beach, about ten kilometers from meeting venue of Asean Summit, in responding to harsh remark by Cambodia that it would not extradite former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at the loggerhead over the disputed area near the Hindu temple for long time but the issue was heated a year ago as it was listed as a world heritage site.

The issue of Thaksin emerged into the conflict as Hun Sen said on Friday he would make him as his economic advisor.