Govt to again invoke security act

Writer: Bangkok Post.com
Published: 31/08/2009 at 05:13 PM

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the Internal Security Act will be invoked again for the red-shirts' planned rally on Saturday.

Mr Suthep was speaking after a meeting with the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) to discuss whether to lift the Internal Security Act imposed in Dusit district.

The meeting proposed that the cabinet be ready to quickly meet again to consider the re-imposition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) if intelligence units report the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) intended to stir up further unrest, he said.

The cabinet would be fully briefed on the feelings of the Isoc meeting onTuesday, Mr Suthep said.

The deputy prime minister said intelligence agencies believe the red-shirts will continue to rally and apply pressure on the government to dissolve the House and call a general election.

The declaration of the ISA in Dusit district would end on Tuesday, as earlier announced, he said. Security forces would also withdraw from the Government House area.

UDD leaders earlier announced the postponement of Sunday's protest rally until this Saturday, Sept 5, but said on Monday they would further postpone the demonstration until Sept 12 if the government again uses the Internal Security Act.

The government decided not to lift the ISA in Dusit district over the weekend even though the anti-government group postponed its protest.

"The rally could be rescheduled to Sept 12 if the Internal Security Act is still in force this weekend," opposition Puea Thai party-list MP and UDD core member Jatuporn Prompan said.

The demonstration might even be postponed to Sept 19, which was the third anniversary of the coup that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, he said.

"The red-shirts will gather peacefully and the gathering will last for a single day. The group is ready to change its tactics to fight against a government that uses all types of authority," Mr Jatuporn said.

Democrat party spokesman Thepthai Senpong believed the UDD put off its planned protest on Sunday because the leaders realised that few people were supporting them, especially in Bangkok.

The UDD might organise gatherings in key areas of different regions to lower the costs, Mr Thepthai said.

"The government has no intention of trying to create a situation or of getting a third party to instigate unrest, as the Puea Thai Party claimed," he said. Read more!

Can we stop using the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-chhaing” (the fighting party)?

31 August 2009
By Heng Thal Savuth
Khmer Sthabna news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

[KI-Media note: In Khmer, the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-chhaing” – which literally translates to the “fighting party” – is used to designate the “opposition party”.]

Since 1979, following the demise of the cruel and inhumane Democratic Kampuchea regime of Pol Pot, Ieng Sary, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Kaing Keg Iev, etc… our small and pitiful Cambodia should have found peace, but quite to the contrary, we only met a meaningless war between Khmer people: one side accused the other side of being the puppet of the Yuon Hanoi regime, while the other side accused the other of being the gang of the Pol Pot genocidal group.

The intense war between Khmer people continued on for another decade, and it finally ended with the help of the International community, in particular, that of the UN under the aegis of the [1991] Paris Peace Agreements. Following this event, constitutional monarchy was formed in Cambodia following its prior topping by the Lon Nol regime on 18 March 1970. After 1993, Khmer people from all political tendencies agreed with each other to rebuild the country under the aegis of the king and they were all determined to steer Cambodia towards a plural democracy.

Since then, several Cambodian political parties were formed, but, nevertheless, at the end, political bumps also started and they continued on until the present. In truth, since 1993 and until now, Cambodia never became a democracy, i.e. our country is inching toward democracy, but whether this process is long or short, reachable or unreachable, depends entirely on whether Khmer people from all political tendencies clearly understand the meaning of the word “democracy” and their willingness to unite and understand each other to achieve this common goal.

As a Cambodian, even though I live overseas for more than 20 years, I still think about the destiny of my birthplace, in particular, I was interested in the word “Pro-chhaing” which has an opposite meaning to its English counterpart, known as “opposition party.”

After 1979, all Khmer citizens faced many problems, both physically and mentally, due to the cruel Pol Pot regime, and Khmer people from all political tendencies fought (“Pro-chhaing”) each other for decades to see who won or lost. Therefore the word “Pro-chhaing” carries a bad connotation for those Khmer people who are holding onto power, they consider the “opposition party” (“Pak pro-chhaing”) as their personal enemies.

While Cambodia is inching toward true democracy, the use of the word “Ka-nak-pak pro-chhaing” (the fighting party) or simply “pro-chhaing” is considered as the tip of a sharp weapon or a sharp spear used to pound and break through the ruling party instead.

Therefore, at a time when Cambodia is moving along the democratic path, “nationalist” Cambodian parties should not use the word “pro-chhaing” at all, we can use this word only when our country reaches full democracy, such as the USA.

The use of the word “Ka-nak-pak Pro-cheng” (rival party) and “Ka-nak-pak Chum-toas” (opposition party) carries a better connotation than the word “pro-chhaing.”

Those who consider themselves as wonderful “democrats” just because they live overseas, and they look down, undervalue other parties, are not true democrats because they have extremely wrong and bad views in a circumstance when our country needs to unite together to build the country.

The official use of the words “Ka-nak-pak Pro-cheng” or “Ka-nak-pak Chum-toas” on radio, TV and newspapers is a good gesture and it is tantamount to a magical pill that can cure the illnesses of all Cambodian politicians, and this will lead them to unite, to truthfully love each other to build our small and pitiful Cambodia, and bring her to prosperity and turning her into a true democracy, just like any other country in Southeast Asia. This will also pull Cambodia out of the influence and the unwholesome greed of all our neighboring countries that plan to swallow our Cambodia.

Read more!

World Bank in talks with Cambodia over evictions

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem.

Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.

The World Bank joined with other aid donors in July to ask the government to halt forced evictions and the problem was raised again by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams, during a visit last week.

"A major focus of the visit was Cambodia's urban land sector and the increasing numbers of disputes and evictions of poor people in urban settlements," the bank said in a statement.

"The discussions on land reform were constructive and it was agreed to continue these discussions over the coming week to agree next steps," it said.

The bank has provided funding of $24.3 million for a land management and administration project from 2002 to 2009, and an estimated 1.1 million land titles were issued, said Bou Saroeun, a spokesman for the World Bank in Phnom Penh.

Other donors such as Germany, Finland and Canada have together provided more than $14 million to support the land title project, Saroeun added.

Read more!

"... this troop withdrawal will not lead Thailand to respect our territorial integrity": SRP MP Son Chhay

Son Chhay indicated that the resolution of the border dispute with Thailand cannot be done through armed forces or bilateral negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand. A successful resolution requires the participation of the International community, including ASEAN countries. Cambodia must push the signatory countries of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia to guarantee that Thailand does not violate Cambodia’s territorial integrity.

In the afternoon of 29 August, the spokesman of the Cambodian ministry of Defense indicated that the withdrawal of troops from the border region where the confrontation of Cambodian and Thai troops is taking place, is done according to a plan set on 30 August.

Chhum Socheat, spokesman of the ministry of Defense, indicated that 50% of troops, heavy artillery and tanks were pulled out according the set strategy, and the number of troop withdrawn amounts to 3 divisions: the Preah Vihear province division, the Kampong Thom province division and army Brigade No. 11, etc…

Chhum Socheat indicated: “In some locations, we should pull out, at some others, we shouldn’t pull out, we base [the pullout] on the actual number of troops. This does not mean that 50% of the frontline troops were pulled out… it means that, out of the total number [of troops being pulled out], some regions that we consider as vital, we preserve the troops there, at other regions where we are not doing anything, we are pulling them back out. This means that we pull the troops out according to our military strategy, we are not pulling them out unilaterally. The majority of our troops have their bases prepared already along necessary locations, they can return back there on time.”

Troops withdrawal took place after Hun Xen said that Thai troops pulled out the border region near Preah Vihear temple and the situation will no longer be explosive anymore.

John Johnston, spokesman for the US embassy in Cambodia, indicated that troops pullout is a good sign for peaceful negotiations between the two countries, and this could lead to a peaceful resolution.

Regarding this troop withdrawal, SRP MP Son Chhay said that this pullout does not equate to a border resolution with Thailand at all.

Son Chhay said: “We want to know: this pullout was due to what? Reports indicated that only our side is pulling out, but Thailand still maintains the same position. For this border problem with Thailand, we don’t understand which strategy led the government to make this decision, could it be that Thailand promised not to conduct further aggression or anything else? Nevertheless, I say that this troop withdrawal will not lead Thailand to respect our territorial integrity.”

Son Chhay indicated that the resolution of the border dispute with Thailand cannot be done through armed forces or bilateral negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand. A successful resolution requires the participation of the International community, including ASEAN countries. Cambodia must push the signatory countries of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia to guarantee that Thailand does not violate Cambodia’s territorial integrity. Read more!