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Suu Tov KhmerKrom (mysong myvoice)

Friday, August 14

Police show of strength for Monday's petition rally

Red shirt supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra rally at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on July 31, 2009. (AFP Photo)

Police will be out in strength on Monday when the red-shirts gather at Sanam Luang and then submit their request for a royal pardon for Thaksin Shinawatra, and academics show their opposition to the petition.
Writer: Bangkok Post.com
Published: 14/08/2009 at 03:53 PM

Twenty-seven companies of police will be on duty to maintain law and order on Monday when the red-shirts of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship submit their petition to His Majesty the King seeking a pardon for fugitive politician Thaksin Shinawatra.

Pol Gen Wichien Pojphosri, the acting police chief, said 10 companies comprising 1,500 police will be deployed at Sanam Luang and the other 17 companies will be on standby, starting at 6pm on Sunday.

Arrangements will be made for representatives of the UDD to enter the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary through Wiset Chaisri gate. The red-shirts will be allowed to gather only at the Sanam Luang ground.

Pol Maj-Gen Wichai Sangprapai, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 1, will be in charge of the security operation.

Two companies of police will be deployed at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, which is due to give its verdict in the rubber saplings corruption case in which former Thaksin deputy agriculture minister Newin Chidchob, the de facto leader of the government coalition Bhumjaithai Party, is a defendant.

Five other companies will be stationed along one side of Sanam Luang, opposite the court, to prevent any possible clash between rival groups of demonstrators.

Pol Gen Wichien said he will seek cooperation from the Interior Ministry, Internal Security Operations Command, and provincial police in all regions to discourage people from travellng to Bangkok to join the gathering.

However, those who want to attend will not be blocked from doing so.

He did not expect the rally would be prolonged.

Meanwhile, an academic from Chulalongkorn University has sent a list of 5,000 names of lecturers, students and other people opposed to the petition for a royal pardon for Thakskin to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Assistant Professor Dr Tul Sitthisomwong of the faculty of medicine presented the list to deputy government spokesman Wachara Kannikar.

The list was accompanied by an open letter demanding that Thaksin tell his supporters to abandon their plan to present the petition because it was not a lawful procedure.

Thaksin, as a convicted felon, must petition His Majesty the King himself, the letter said.

''To love Thaksin is not wrong'', the letter said, ''but to use that popularity in breaking the rule of law and regulations must not be done.''

Mr Tul called on the government and related agencies to inform the red-shirt people they had no legal right to lodge the petition on Thaksin's behalf.

Proceeding with the action could also cause a lot of dissatisfaction among the five million people who had signed their names in opposition to the petition.

He asked the media to help persuade people not to join the red-shirt gathering on Monday, because it was an attempt to manipulate the masses to pressure the royal institution.

House Speaker Chai Chidchob said he would not seek a royal pardon for his son Newin if he is found guilty in the 1.44 billion baht rubber saplings case.

The Supreme Court will rule on the corruption case involving Mr Newin and 43 others over the Agriculture Ministry's purchase of 90 million rubber saplings between 2004 and 2006.

Mr Newin was deputy agriculture minister in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration at the time.

Mr Chai said whoever has done anything wrong must face the consequences.

Asked about the red-shirts' petition rally on Monday, Mr Chai said it was of no concern to him.

He believed that after the petition was submitted the red-shirt group would lay the matter to rest.

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Cambodian monks save remote forests, tree by tree



August 13, 2009
WorldFocus.org

In Cambodia, there is an unusual effort underway by Buddhist monks to replant forests devastated by war and clearing by loggers.

This is important to them for both religious and environmental reasons. The monks, like others, believe that trees may help counter the effects of climate change.

Worldfocus partner IRIN travels to the remote forests of Cambodia.
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Cambodian HIV Villages Draws Controversy

2009-8-13
New Tang Dynasty Television


25 kilometers outside of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, lies a village built by the government for HIV-infected patients and their families.

Come to be known as the "AIDS colony", in the past two months the government has relocated 47 families to live in its metal and wooden sheds.

With inadequate sanitation and no running water, the area is not a health sanctuary for HIV-infected patients, who require personal attention and care.

The government maintains it is taking care of patients by building new homes and offering healthcare and ownership rights previously unavailable.

But HIV-infected people living in the village say they have not received any official recognition of ownership rights nor government compensation for their old homes.

40-year-old HIV patient Chheang Toma says even with free medical treatment, he has no real means of earning a living in the colony.

[Chheang Toma, HIV Patient]:
"I feel sluggish in my arms and on my legs everyday and I cannot walk well. I will hang on, until the day I need to go to sleep in the hospital. I wanted to go now, but I have no money to spend for food, although they give treatment free of charge."

With little prospect of work in the area due to the distance from the city, people say they must survive largely on donations from the government and NGOs.

[Suon Davy, HIV Patient]:
"I face great difficulty for my family day to day, because we live far away from the hospital, far from any job opportunities and it is very hot here."

Local human rights activist Dr. Kek Galabru says the government actions are discriminatory while the conditions could pose health risks to already vulnerable patients.

[Dr. Kek Galabru, President, Lacadho NGO]:
"It's regretful that city hall sent 40 families to Tuol Sambo village. This is a discriminatory act because by putting them together like this, everyone will know this is an AIDS community."

The "AIDS colony" is one of a number of forced evictions in Cambodia, where the government has faced escalating criticism about its mandatory relocations.

Many HIV-infected people living in Tuol Sambo previously resided in squatter areas in the Borei Keila area of the capital, forced out as the government took over the land to build high-rise buildings.

Last month, the World Bank urged Cambodia to halt the forced evictions from disputed land, saying it threatened the livelihoods of thousands of urban dwellers.
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