Global Voices » Chhunny Chhean

Cambodia: End of first Khmer Rouge Tribunal deemed a relative success

Chhunny Chhean — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:58:46 +0000

Many in the international community are calling the first Khmer Rouge Tribunal trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, a relative success as the trial closed. The Open Society Justice Initiative recently issued a report that the trial “generally satisfied international standards of fairness and due process.” However, according to the report, there have been indications that Cambodian government officials may not participate in future cases, making it difficult to conduct a fair trial for the four Khmer Rouge members awaiting trial: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.

One marker of success is found in the fact that Cambodians finally had a forum through which they could share their stories. The Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) collected survivors' testimonies in cities across the United States for use in the Khmer Rouge trials. Below is a video of ASRIC at work:

The Tribunal also increased worldwide awareness of the Khmer Rouge, including this article, which profiles several Cambodians. One of those profiled is Bou Meng, a survivor of the S-21 prison Duch headed, who sought closure in the trial:

For [Meng], having a former S-21 staffer tell him where his wife was killed and buried would also bring a good deal of closure. He cannot perform a traditional Cambodian cremation because it would be too difficult to identify her bones. But, Bou Meng told Duch at the tribunal, if he could find out where she spent her final moments, he would ‘go to that location to get the soil from there to pray for her soul.’

However, neither the staffer nor Duch could remember where Meng's wife spent her last moments.

Another survivor is Dr. Sophal Ear, who fled the Khmer Rouge as a child and is now a professor and TED fellow. Dr. Ear shares his reaction to Duch's trial with a memory of his mother:

I never entirely understood the saying ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.' With my mom's passing at age 73, before she ever saw a single defendant serve a prison sentence, I now understand.

Duch, who had offered his apology during the trial, has now asked for the charges against him to be dropped.

Cambodia: Award honors sex slavery survivor

Chhunny Chhean — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:30:49 +0000

Sina Vann was 13 when she came to Cambodia from Vietnam on what was supposed to be a vacation. Instead, she was sold as a sex slave and spent the next two years in a brothel. She was freed when Somaly Mam, an anti-slavery activist and the face of the Somaly Mam Foundation, organized a raid on Vann's brothel. Today, Vann is an activist with the Somaly Mam Foundation, helping fellow survivors of slavery as well as those still working in brothels.

For Vann's work, she was honored with the Frederick Douglass Award. The Frederick Douglass Award “honors the tremendous resilience of the human spirit and emphasizes that many of the survivors of modern-day slavery go on to help others to freedom.”

More of Vann's story is revealed in this video:

2009 Frederick Douglass Award Winner - Sina Vann from Free the Slaves on Vimeo.

Recently, the United Nations granted a one-year extension on its mandate addressing the humans rights situation in Cambodia. According to The Mirror, the U.N. Special Rapporteur, reporting to the Human Rights Council:

expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Cambodia. According to his report, the rule of law in Cambodia is weak…Also, he mentioned the case of a Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian – from the biggest opposition party in Cambodia – Ms. Mu Sochua, who had been sentenced by a court, controlled by the government of the Cambodian People’s Party, to lose her case unjustly, because she had dared to protest against the powerful in Cambodia.

Others urged the Special Rapporteur not to forget about the women and children who remain victims of sexual slavery in Cambodia, noting that it must remain a human rights priority even as other human rights violations, such as freedom of expression, surface.

Cambodia: Miss Landmine Pageant Raises Questions

Chhunny Chhean — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:20:36 +0000

“Everybody has the right to be beautiful!” so starts the manifesto of the Miss Landmine pageant, started by Morten Traavik of Norway. According to the pageant site, the competition is intended to empower landmine victims and challenge traditional notions of beauty. The winner receives a high-tech prosthetic limb. Traavik has already organized a Miss Landmine pageant in Angola and was in the process of launching the event in Cambodia this month when the Cambodian government pulled its support and canceled the pageant.

The Mirror reports that other organizations, including the Cambodian Disabled People's Organization, declined to support the pageant after the Ministry of Social Affairs Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation expressed its displeasure with the pageant, citing the event could lead to misunderstandings about disabled people.

Not surprisingly, there have been varied reactions to the landmine pageant.

Jinja says:

I have mixed feelings about the cattle call of beauty pageants, but do agree with the general idea behind this one: that the participants have a right to feel proud about themselves and their appearance, regardless of circumstance. Without condoning [the pageant], I think the cancellation shows how Khmer society is often leaning towards modern and foreign concepts, only to snap back to what [it] feels [is] more traditional and ’safe’.

CAAI News Media posts a reader's reaction, originally printed in a letter to the Phnom Penh Post editor. The reader questions whether or not the beauty pageant format is empowering:

As for beauty, whose concept of beauty is being promoted? I visited the Web site and found the women from different villages in halter tops and short dresses, which may or may not be the clothing that they would usually wear, but it seemed out of place. Are the organisers, while completely well-meaning, pushing a Western interpretation of “empowerment” where beauty and liberation is equated with being sexy and showing skin? I would have rather liked to see the women wearing something they chose, Western or traditional Khmer, modern or conservative, which made them feel their most beautiful.

At Details are Sketchy, there is news that Traavik has left Cambodia, but that he plans on moving forward with the pageant, via an online vote. Below is a photo of pageant contestant Miss Siem Reap from the pageant website.

Cambodia, Thailand: ilovethailand website sparks controversy

Chhunny Chhean — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:20:22 +0000

The recently launched website ilovethailand.org is causing a stir online. Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that the website is intended to restore the country's image and unify the nation in light of recent unrest. The controversy stems from the website's claims about Thailand's “lost territory” — territory that is present day Cambodia.

KI Media reports:

The major English daily Phnom Penh Post reported that Cambodian officials are scurrying to investigate the claims. It quoted Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, as saying that “they (the Thai) are twisting the facts of history. It is completely exaggerated.”

According to Phnom Penh Post, in 1794, Thailand - then known as Siam - annexed Siem Reap and Battambang provinces from the declining Khmer kingdom, but the territories were returned following a March 1907 treaty between Thailand and France.

Khmerization, posting at KI Media, informs us that ilovethailand.org has resulted in

the birth of ilovekhmer.org, a Khmer website created with the sole intention of countering the “provably false accusations” made by the Thai PM's website, ilovethailand.org. The site proved an instant popularity with internet users, with its site metre hotly counting the numbers of visitors.

Thailand's “lost territory” is illustrated in a video on the website. The Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok has requested the video's removal from the website. Details are Sketchy, with comments from ThaRum, reports that ilovethailand.org is blocked in Cambodia, but it is unclear which side is censoring the site.

At Thai Intelligent News Weblog, there is news that the “site was also reported to have been hacked and down around the globe at many countries-as angry pro-democracy internet savvy Thais attacked the site.”

Thai Intelligent News Weblog goes on and balances nationalism against other concerns, stating:

For many reasons, Thailand has a very bad global image problem. The [Abhisit] solution is the global “I Love Thailand” Campaign. Thailand has gotten itself into trouble with neighbors before over this type of cultural and historical Nationalism-like with Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Nationalism is good, as a way to build love and unity for the country, but when it means conflict with neighbors-that is taking Nationalism too far.

Another Thai blogger, Thai 101, points out that ilovethailand.org's terms and conditions require self-censorship:

Looks like this site is a national “stimulus” program of a non-economic variety. A government-sponsored website on which only those who admit that they love the country more than their own lives are allowed to come and express nothing but adulation and praise for the country. I'm sure this will do wonders for encouraging open and thoughtful dialogue. Especially that veiled threat at the end. Just lovely.

The video is shown here and on Bangkok Crimes, which notes that the “fourteenth slice of lost territory is Preah Vihear.”

Cambodia, Thailand: Preah Vihear dispute continues

Chhunny Chhean — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:48:06 +0000

The ancient Temple of Preah Vihear, which, according to UNESCO, dates back to the eleventh century and is dedicated to Shiva, rests on the Cambodian and Thai borders. Exactly which country can claim Preah Vihear has been a source of contention between the neighboring countries. In 1962, the International Court of Justice, acting on an application by the Cambodian government, ruled that the Temple is within Cambodian territory. In July 2008, UNESCO listed the Temple as a World Heritage Site, citing its “unique architectural complex.”

Photo below by paniek at Flickr.

Two boys sit in the Temple. Photo by paniek at Flickr.

Since the July 2008 inscription by UNESCO, there has been violence in the region between Cambodian and Thai soldiers. However, as The Mirror reports, various Cambodian government officials have denied that the UNESCO listing is the reason behind the violence. Thailand has urged that UNESCO re-list the Temple so that it would be jointly managed by Thailand and Cambodia. The Mirror notes:

Based on the relevant UNESCO documents, and referenced here point by point, we bring additional information related to the procedures of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the listing of the Sacred Site of the Temple of Preah Vihear, which led to military confrontations, the loss of human life on both sides, and a sharp decline of tourism – all this has been reflected in different degrees in the Mirror during the last year.

Unfortunately, and to our surprise – in spite of the wide emotional concerns related to the Preah Vihear listing – the press in Cambodia has not reported much about the delicate and detailed legal and contractual arguments at the basis of the listing as a World Heritage Site, and the future obligations entered into by the Cambodian government.

But if the Cambodian press is failing to report on the implications of the listing, the Cambodian government is very much aware of the UNESCO designation. The Cambodian government recently recognized the one-year anniversary of UNESCO's listing with singing, dancing and speeches. Photos of the event are available on Monkgol's blog and at Khmerization.

Video of the festivities is available as well.

TVK Khmer News- 7 July 2009-2 Preah Vihear (UNESCO)
Uploaded by KampongSpeu.

The animosity between the two countries has manifested online as well, as Kounila Keo points out in her post entitled “I Love Khmer vs. I Love Thailand” about competing websites ilovethailand.org
and ilovekhmer.org.

Details are Sketchy, with comments from ThaRum, reports that the ilovethailand.org site is blocked in Cambodia, but it is unclear which side is censoring the site.

As hostilities continue, Sopheap Chak charges the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (”ASEAN”) for not fulfilling its duty to “promote regional peace and stability.” In an editorial published in UPI Asia, Chak writes that ASEAN's passivity in the Preah Vihear matter is unacceptable. Chak writes that “[i]t seems that ASEAN is simply irrelevant when it comes to member states’ security…[and that continued lack of action will mean] ASEAN cannot continue to be considered a crucial regional body.”

Cambodia: Report outlines Khmer Rouge Tribunal's latest troubles

Chhunny Chhean — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:41:42 +0000

A report by the Open Society Justice Initiative details the latest issues to plague the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The report, released in late May 2009, states the Tribunal's legitimacy is threatened by charges of corruption and political interference. The report states:

The government of Cambodia and the United Nations have failed as yet to agree on a credible process for addressing complaints of corruption. This leaves staff who may be victims of corrupt practices bereft of a viable remedy or complaint mechanism that they can pursue without fear of putting their jobs or safety at risk.

In addition to discussing the charges of corruption and political interference, the report provides an update of events at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia. The full text of the report is available here.

But the Tribunal could also fail on a technicality. KI Media posted a story from VOA Khmer revealing that the jailed senior leaders may be released from detention before their trials start because the Tribunal has proceeded at such a slow pace.

Four of the senior-most leaders of the failed regime—Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith—have reached the midway points of their provisional detentions, and yet none has seen trial. Some observers worry about a release of those four in early 2010, but others argue that authorities will have to find ways to keep them detained.

The corruption charges were discussed in a prior GV post. The Cambodian government has denied interfering with the Tribunal, including preventing judges of the court from interviewing witnesses who are current government employees.

Tribunal support sticker

Photo by Arwens Abendstern on Flickr and licensed through Creative Commons.

Cambodia: Activist Parliamentarian May Drop Lawsuit Against Prime Minister

Chhunny Chhean — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:08:51 +0000

Mu Sochua is an internationally recognized activist and Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) member of the Cambodian National Assembly. She recently filed a lawsuit against the country's prime minister, Hun Sen, for defamatory comments he made in April 2009. Subsequently, Hun Sen filed a countersuit against Mu Sochua, also for defamation.

KI Media posted an article from the Phnom Penh Post detailing Hun Sen's countersuit:

[G]overnment lawyer Ky Tech, representing Hun Sen, filed a countersuit. Ky Tech claims he might seek as much as 10 million riels (US$2,427) in damages from Mu Sochua and other, unspecified involved persons for the defamation of his client in the press conference last Thursday.

In contrast, Mu Sochua seeks 500 riels in her lawsuit.

Cambodian Bright Future posted a letter in which Mu Sochua writes:

Within days my parliamentary immunity will be lifted so the court can “investigate” my case. This is normal procedure for politicians from the opposition party or human rights activists or the poor who cannot bribe court officials. I will be detained in the notorious prison of “Prey Sar” for as long as the courts wish to take…Is the world still watching in silence while Cambodia is now ruled by one man?

Details are Sketchy echoes Mu Sochua's thoughts:

Considering that Prime Minister Hun Sen owns the courts, [a defamation suit] seems unlikely. But good luck. It would make for an interesting two seconds — about how long the court is likely to take before it throws the case out.

Mu Sochua was recently a guest on VOA Khmer, where she announced that she would consider dropping her lawsuit.

“To protect the country, if both sides agree to withdraw the complaints, I agree,” Mu Sochua said.

Human Rights Watch supports Mu Sochua and is calling for more support worldwide.

Mu Sochua was recently interviewed by Equitycam.tv on the status of women in politics in Cambodia. Her interview is second, following an interview with fellow female lawmaker Men Sam On.

Cambodia: Doubts over the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Chhunny Chhean — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:59:26 +0000

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal is now weeks into its first trial with the prosecution of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, for crimes against humanity and war crimes. But as the trial continues, many wonder how effective the Tribunal will be in achieving national reconciliation, one of the goals of the project. Two major problems are allegations of corruption related to Tribunal funds and the limited number of indictments.

The corruption charges against the Cambodian government concern misuse of Tribunal funds, which were mostly donated by other countries. News reports are available here and here as well as an interview with the lawyer defending Nuon Chea, one of the defendants awaiting trial, posted at CAAI News Media.

Another issue for the Tribunal is that so few of the Khmer Rouge members will be put on trial. The scope of indictments is limited to the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge.

KI Media posted a piece by retired professor A. Gaffar Peang-Meth from the University of Guam, in which he writes:

The trouble is, the trial of a mere five Khmer Rouge leaders for the death of about two million people in 1975-1979 is far from adequate to bring justice and national reconciliation to Cambodians, to begin healing and promote peacebuilding in the country.

Sopheap Chak does not believe the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will bring justice, in part, because:

The foreign countries that supported the Khmer Rouge, or acted as the main catalyst for the emergence of this cruel regime, will not be brought to court. The tribunal’s regulations indicate clearly that only individuals who committed crimes will be tried.

Chak also does not believe the Tribunal will be able to reconcile the country:

For Cambodian society, real reconciliation will be found only when trust returns between individuals; when they can smile at and trust each other again. Thus, a national dialogue or truth commission should be set up so that people, especially the victims, can fully participate to address their suffering and their needs.

Cambodia: Evidence at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Chhunny Chhean — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:06:45 +0000

VOA Khmer interviewed former Khmer Rouge rebels who doubt there will be sufficient evidence to convict the five leaders waiting to stand trial at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Sok Pheap, a general in the army who had defected from the Khmer Rouge in 1996, challenges,

I didn’t know [who the killers were]; I was the soldier in the forest, and when I came back home also my relatives had gone missing, killed, and most of villagers had died.

Another former Khmer Rouge member, Meas Mouth, states that:

For instance, the skull bones that have been displayed: the court must know which skull belonged to a person killed by the Vietnamese, which belonged to a person killed by B-52 bombers, or any of the Khmers who did not die by the Khmer Rouge.

A lawyer from the Cambodian Defenders Project agreed that because the events occurred 30 years ago, evidence and witnesses could be hard to come by.

However, Youk Chhang of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, stated there are hundreds of thousands of documents to link the accused to the war crimes.

In addition to documentary evidence, testimonies of survivors are being gathered, including in Long Beach, California, where many Cambodians resettled after the genocide.

Victims and their relatives have the right to file complaints through the Victims Unit of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Instructions on how to file a complaint are found here.

Photo capturing faces of the Tuol Sleng prison by Yarra64 and licensed through Creative Commons.

Cambodia: Trial begins for Khmer Rouge leader

Chhunny Chhean — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:27:37 +0000

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea or The ECCC began the first public hearing on March 30 of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch. During the Khmer Rouge regime, Duch headed the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh where thousands died.

The proceedings' webcasts are available through the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor; the first segment is below:

Pineapple asks questions about how S-21, the Tuol Sleng prison of which Duch was in charge, fits into the larger meaning of the trial:

S-21 as the distillation of what was at the core of the Khmer Rouge regime rather than a tourist concern? A costly exercise in being seen to be doing something about the 1975-79 period? Rather than the 1970-79 or 1979-93 years. I would guess that an examination of the past could become a little tricky if the dates are changed.

Meanwhile, KI Media posted a story from the Phnom Penh Post revealing Duch may soon confess at the trial.

Details are Sketchy has compiled mainstream media coverage of the trial here.

The ECCC's invitation to the public sessions is available here. Duch's trial continues on March 31, 2009.

Cambodia: Rice politics

Chhunny Chhean — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:43:30 +0000

Rice is more than a staple of the Cambodian diet. It also implicates land rights, trade and international relations.

A post on The Mirror reveals the frustration of Cambodians, including Cheam Yeap, a Cambodian People's Party official, over land leases to neighboring Vietnam. From the Mirror, citing Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #40, 18.3.2009:

Thousands of hectares of citizen’s land lying along the Yuon [Vietnamese] border of An Giang Province, bordering Svay Rieng and Prey Veng, are being leased to Yuon companies by Khmer authorities along the Yuon border to grow agro-industry crops. The Phnom Penh Post published an article on 26 February 2009, quoting the Svay Rieng governor, Mr. Cheang Am, that 10,000 hectares of land in Svay Rieng are prepared to be leased to Yuon companies along the border and also, the Prey Veng governor, Mr. Ung Samy, told the Phnom Penh Post that he will discuss with Yuon officials in Yuon [Vietnam] about the leasing of rice fields along the border to Yuon companies to come to do rice cultivation in Khmer territory.

Yeap is concerned the leases will evolve into ownership changes, resulting in a reduction of Cambodian territory. Others, like Prum Soanara, an engineer, thinks the land is best utilized if given to the country's own citizens to cultivate rice.

KI Media highlights the problem of illegally imported rice with an article from the Nation:

The Thai Rice Exporters' Association and the Board of Trade of Thailand (BoT) will soon propose that the Commerce Ministry set up a Public Warehouse Organisation as an “import agency” to oversee rice imports once the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) eliminates all import tariffs.

The agency would institute measures to protect Thai farmers, such as requiring imported rice only be used for raw purposes in manufacturing. However, exporters are worried such protections encourage those seeking to manipulate the system, thereby increasing the amount of illegally traded rice, including rice grown in Cambodia.

In addition to its practical roles, rice is symbolic of Cambodian culture, as this video shows. This piece from Khmer Civilization involves images of rice from farm to market:

The thumbnail image used is from the Flickr page of Nohch

Cambodia: Foreign aid continues during economic crisis

Chhunny Chhean — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:41:17 +0000

Reports of foreign aid to Cambodia continue despite the global economic crisis. CAAI News Media shares news that the United States will give Cambodia $21 million USD over four years in a program to alleviate poverty in rural parts of the country.

According to a story posted by Cambodian News, the U.S. provided a total of $5.6 million USD in aid in 2008.

On the issue of foreign aid, Socheata Vong posts an interview from the Phnom Penh Post with political commentator Lao Mong Hay where he says,

“…[F]oreign aid basically serves foreign policy. Look at the American government. So long as recipient countries pursue policies in conformity with American foreign policy, they will give aid.

Mr. Semoun and Hort Sroeu post about South Korean investment into Cambodia. Sroeu's blog states:

In 2007, Cambodia became the 6th biggest host of South Korean investment after China, the U.S., China’s Hong Kong region, Vietnam and Malaysia, [South Korean ambassador to Cambodia Shin Hyun-suk] said…Initially, South Korean investment was concentrated on the garment manufacturing sector, he said, adding that banking, agro-industry, manufacturing, real estate development and IT sectors are the dominating fields of South Korean investment in Cambodia now.

However, the country must deal with projected decreases in garment exports and tourism. As Khmer Young reports,

Cambodia's economy [is predicted] to shrink 0.5 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday. That is a big turnaround from the 4.8 percent growth the IMF had forecast in November.

The International Monetary Fund statement is available here.

Cambodian Public Opinion Survey

Chhunny Chhean — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:47:31 +0000

A survey of Cambodian public opinion was conducted by the International Republican Institute from October-November 2008. The survey involved face-to-face interviews carried out by the Center for Advanced Studies in Phnom Penh with a sample size of 2,000 Cambodians. Respondents affiliated with certain institutions, such as media outlets or government agencies, were disqualified from the survey.

Socheata Vong posted key data from the survey:

Is the Country Moving in the Right/Wrong Direction?
* 82% of Cambodians see their country as moving in the right direction, mainly because of the infrastructure they see being built, including roads, schools, health clinics, pagodas etc.
* 17% see the country as moving in the wrong direction, citing the corruption, price of goods, and poverty as the greatest hindrance to their country’s future.

What three issues or concerns do you feel most impact Cambodia as a country?
* 59% of Cambodians said border issues and demarcation as the most concern followed by the prices of goods. (Compared to August 2007 poll, only 5% concerned about border issue – mainly Vietnamese border).

Which one of these has the stronger influence in your daily life?
* Village chief (41%), Prime Minister (28%), Commune Council (14%), National Assembly (5%)

CAAI News Media featured the Phnom Penh Post's coverage of the survey, which highlights the role of village chiefs.

[The survey] found that 85 percent of respondents wanted to elect their own village chief rather than having one imposed by the government. And the survey showed why that was an important consideration: Two-fifths of respondents said the village chief was the most influential person in their lives.

From the same Phnom Penh Post article, Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said

many village chiefs across the country exerted a strong influence at the local level. [Virak's concern] was that this influence could endanger freedom of expression. “I think that even though Cambodia is seen to be moving in the right direction, that doesn't mean that the government is doing well in all areas,” he said. “The influence of village chiefs means they can play a role as either a protector of human rights or an abuser of them.”

Cambodia: Pushing for a more organic future

Chhunny Chhean — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:47:10 +0000

Bloggers at CAAI News Media and Khmer Stars feature a Phnom Penh Post article on the slow food movement that ran on February 10, 2009. The article discusses Slow Food's philosophy of creating food in a good, clean and fair manner and how that philosophy is applied in Cambodia. The article interviews a restaurant owner in Phnom Penh who explains the country's relatively clean soil:

“They found that the land in Cambodia hasn't been exposed to chemicals or pesticides, mainly due to 30 years of war,” he said. “And really, the quality of the produce in Cambodia is just exquisite - much higher than in the rest of the region.”

Yet, as Vuthasurf shares in this February 17, 2009 Phnom Penh Post article:

Food vendors often use chemicals including pesticides and hydrochloric acid either to preserve food or to make it more visually appealing to customers, said Chhouv Kong Phally, director of the Health Promotion Program at the Ministry of Health.

In November 2008, Vuthasurf had extolled Cambodian fruits over those of its neighbors.

At the present, most of fresh fruits imported from neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand are the kind of fruits getting used pesticides and chemical fertilizers in order to make them fresh which harm the human being’s health…I always heard Cambodians saying that the Cambodia fruits such as durian, guava, rambutan, mango, and jujube and so on are tastier than fruits from neighboring countries.

Organizations such as the Cambodian Center for Study and Development of Agriculture (CEDAC) supports farmers who cultivate organic crops.

Photos by Narith5 at Flickr and licensed through Creative Commons.

Cambodia: Reactions as Duch opens Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Chhunny Chhean — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:26:16 +0000

Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, stands trial today at the UN-supported Khmer Rouge Genocide Tribunal in Phnom Penh for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Duch headed the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh, where over 12,000 people died, according to the Guardian.

KI-Media leads with a story from the BBC, focusing on Duch's biography.

Duch was born Kaing Guek Eav in the central province of Kampong Thom in the early 1940s.
He excelled at mathematics and so won places at top schools. After graduation he studied for his teaching certificate in Phnom Penh. It was there that he met students from China and became drawn to communist ideology. Later he became a high school teacher, earning a reputation as a tough and exacting instructor.

CAAI News Media posts an article that places the number of dead from Tuol Sleng at 16,000.

Duch headed the S-21 detention and torture centre in Phnom Penh, where more than 16,000 so-called enemies of the regime were tortured and then led to their executions. Only a handful survived.

The BBC gathered reactions from Cambodians, including a statement from Sothea Thai, a 30-year-old web editor in Cambodia's capital. Thai expressed a desire for answers:

Frankly, my family did not lose anyone during that regime. So maybe my feeling is different from people who lost their loved ones. But what is most important to me is a clear explanation of the history of that time.

Kounila Keo struggles to reconcile the murders with her country's history.

I am really asking myself if I myself can forgive such a person who has killed so many people without blinks. I've thought about this because as a Cambodian, I was too overwhelmed to believe this surreal past of my country— that not many countries in this world experience. Once great, once bleak, once rise, once fall.