Let's deal with this calmly

The last time Thai and Cambodian forces fought their worst sporadic battle over the disputed area surrounding the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is called in Thailand, was in October 2008. Several clashes were reported and both sides suffered death and injury among their men. Although further skirmishes occurred in the years following, they were deemed minor and insignificant. From bangkok post

The hostilities are believed to stem from Cambodia's unilateral effort to have the ancient temple registered as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, which it succeeded in doing, and also from the Cambodian government's appointment of Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its special economic adviser. Only after Thaksin's resignation from the post last August did relations between the two countries gradually take a turn for the better.

Prime Minister Hun Sen told Cambodian and foreign press on Dec 6 that relations between Thailand and Cambodia had returned to normal. This was further reinforced by a visit to Phnom Penh on Dec 20-21 by Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. On the occasion of that visit, Hun Sen handed over to Gen Prayuth and the Thai ambassador to Phnom Penh, Prasas Prasasvinitchai, three Thais who had been granted a royal pardon after they were sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for illegal entry.

The rapprochement appeared to go smoothly until shortly before the year ended, when seven Thais, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and Veera Somkwamkid, a leading member of the Thai Patriots Network, a splinter faction of the People's Alliance for Democracy, were arrested in Cambodia on charges of illegal entry and trespass in a military zone, while on an inspection trip to investigate alleged border encroachment by Cambodian civilians. Though the Thai government tried to play down the event, the Cambodian government seemed to blow it out of proportion by charging Mr Veera and his secretary with spying.

The release and return home last week of Mr Panich and his four colleagues was a welcome move from Cambodia and a hopeful sign that ties would improve. But they did not. Thai media revealed that a small stone tablet had been put up by Cambodians at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple which is located in the disputed area. The tablet, inscribed in the Khmer language, proclaimed ownership of the disputed land and denounced Thais as "invaders".

The message was definitely provocative and unfriendly and the Cambodian government should have known better. If Cambodia values good neighbourly relations with Thailand, this is no way to show it.

Also, the massing of troops for "routine drilling" by both sides as a show of force only serves to intensify the conflict unnecessarily. This is a time for cool heads to prevail, not a flexing of muscles. And both sides know that the right channel to resolve their border dispute is through the Joint Boundary Commission.

Any decent Cambodian and Thai will know that, by geography and destiny, we are neighbours and must live side by side together. Wouldn't it be much better if we lived in peace and harmony as friends, leaving behind our bitter history?

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Thai Nationalists Begin Bangkok Protest Over Cambodia Dispute

VOA News

Photo: Reuters

A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gestures during a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok, 25 Jan 2011

Thai nationalists have begun what they call an indefinite protest in Bangkok to urge the government to take a tougher line in its border dispute with Cambodia.

At least 2,000 supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy, also known as Yellow Shirts, gathered Tuesday on a major Bangkok street near Government House and set up an encampment with a stage, tents and other facilities.

A Yellow Shirt leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said PAD members and their allies will remain at the site until Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva meets their demands. Thai authorities deployed almost 4,000 security personnel to the protest zone to maintain order.

The PAD accuses Mr. Abhisit of not responding strongly enough to Cambodia's arrest of seven Thai nationalists in a contested border region last month. The Yellow Shirts previously were supportive of the government, which is backed by the military and the monarchy.

The nationalists want the Thai prime minister to revoke an agreement with Cambodia on settling border disputes, pressure Cambodians to move out of disputed border areas, and withdraw Thailand from the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO. Mr. Abhisit has rejected those demands as impractical.

UNESCO angered Thai nationalists in 2008 by approving Cambodia's request to grant World Heritage Status to the Cambodian-controlled Preah Vihear temple in a border area claimed by Thailand.

Thai police arrested five men Monday night on suspicion of plotting to bomb Tuesday's Yellow Shirt rally. Authorities say the suspects were in possession of weapons and explosives. The identities of the men were not revealed.

Bangkok has seen a series of prolonged and sometimes violent street protests in recent years by the Yellow Shirts and their arch-rivals, the Red Shirts. The Red Shirt movement is composed of mostly of rural and working class supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted by the military in 2006 for alleged corruption.

Red Shirt activists staged a major anti-government rally in Bangkok Sunday, drawing almost 30,000 people.

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Military muscle forces Cambodia's hand

It was essentially an exercise in "sabre-rattling", but the military's show of strength near the Cambodian border in Si Sa Ket province this week involved a complex set of military and political manoeuvring.

Abhisit: Supported show of strength

The intriguing part of this mission was to make Cambodia remove a stone tablet declaring ownership of the disputed border area around Preah Vihear temple.

For reasons that might have more substance than has been revealed, the Cambodians quickly acquiesced and smashed the tablet that had been erected on the orders of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

A high-level source said the show of force to pressure Cambodia to remove the tablet, erected in front of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple, received the green light from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Cambodia built the temple in 1999 in the disputed area and ignored protests to dismantle it. Monks, who included ordained soldiers, stayed at the temple to reinforce Cambodia's claim to the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.

But after the stone tablet was erected declaring "Here! is Cambodia", Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, the commander of the 2nd Army, met Cambodian senior military officers at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara and asked them in no uncertain terms to remove it.

But while talks were going on, the military was devising a more ambitious and proactive plan to persuade the Cambodians.

First, a company of soldiers was moved to the border to conduct an exercise with heavy weaponry. This put them in a position to confront Cambodian soldiers who were being deployed in greater numbers across the border.

The second step was to mobilise four companies of soldiers who would take action if Cambodia refused to remove the tablet.

Then, army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered the relocation of three new multiple rocket launchers to the border area in Si Sa Ket as part of the military exercise. They would be used to fire warning shots if necessary.

"The plan was to aim the weapons at a local mountain if Cambodia did not remove the tablet," the source said.

As Cambodia became more aware of Thailand's plans, it kept civilians at military bases to act as a human shield, according to the source.

The fourth step was for the air force to send fighter jets to the area and create sonic booms close to the border.

But there was no need to go to the third step as Cambodia decided to demolish the tablet.

"It is believed [Cambodian authorities] may be upset and frustrated and will find ways to avenge this," the source said.

"They may complain and accuse Thailand of treating them badly. But the show of force was to show ownership of the land and protect the dignity and reputation of our soldiers who have been blamed for being weak or too lenient towards Cambodia.

"I admire Prime Minister Abhisit for giving the military the freedom to devise the show of force."

He said a fifth step to ban Thais from crossing to gamble at 10 Cambodian casinos in Poipet was a part of the plan. From Bangkok post

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Restrictions lifted on man convicted of sex crimes abroad

Orville Mader, convicted of sex crimes against young boys in Asia, tries to block photographers from taking his picture after making an appearance in provincial court in Abbortsford, B.C. Monday, December 3, 2007. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jonathan Hayward)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Desperately seeking a sense of balance

Neth Pheaktra: Has ‘‘never exaggerated the news’’

18/01/2011
Bangkok Post

The media has been a factor in Thai-Cambodian relations since they became strained in 2008 whenthe dispute over the Preah Vihear temple resurfaced. The coverage in Thailand and Cambodia of sensitive incidents, including the recent arrest of seven Thais oncharges of trespassing on Cambodianterritory, could improve or damage relations between the neighbouring countries. ANUCHA CHAROENPO spoke to Neth Pheaktra, managing editor of the Khmer-language edition of the Phnom Penh Post newspaper, on its reporting policy.

What's your newspaper's policy on reporting the arrest of the seven Thais and other issues that could affect Thai-Cambodian relations?

This is a crucial story for us because the Cambodian people are watching developments closely.

We have run a lot of the stories relating to border disputes between the two countries since the [Preah Vihear] conflict flared up in 2008. The matter has also been reported by other local newspapers.

Do you agree with critics saying the press is partly to blame for the escalation of Thai-Cambodian tensions?

The stories that we publish are based on facts and are well-balanced. We have never exaggerated the news. Cambodian people pay a lot of attention to the Thai-Cambodian relations issue because we are neighbours.

Nationalist sentiment always runs high when it comes to Thai-Cambodian relations. How do you view this trend?

Both Thai and Cambodian people feel the same way - they love their country. Whenever our country has problems, the people will unite to protect our beloved nation.

Neither the Cambodian people nor the government want to lose a square inch of our land, but we don't want even a square inch of Thai soil.

The best way to improve relations between our two nations is to respect one another.

There is an argument that the seven Thais were arrested on Thai soil.

According to a video clip posted on YouTube, this group of people said themselves they were in Cambodia. They walked 500 to 600 metres into Cambodia. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been quoted as saying the seven Thais entered Cambodia by accident.

However, the detainees' lawyers have the right to produce evidence and fight for them in court, which, I think, will complete the hearing by the end of this month. Once the Phnom Penh Municipal Court hands down its verdict, the seven Thais can appeal to a higher court if they disagree [with the verdict].

If the defendants have any evidence to back their claims that the area where they were arrested is in Thailand, they can submit it to the court. We should let the law take its course.

Are there any political motivations surrounding this case?

This case is related to politics. So, both governments need to hold urgent talks to solve the problem. Coordination is needed at all levels to reduce tensions between the two countries. The seven Thais should confess to the court [that they entered Cambodia illegally] and prove that they had no intention of trespassing.

How can Thai-Cambodian relations return to normal?

We have bilateral mechanisms. [Cambodian] Prime Minister Hun Sen and Mr Abhisit have emphasised that when problems emerge between the two countries, the two sides will hold talks. Negotiations, not military action, will help solve the problems.The two countries should also press ahead with collaboration to solve the border demarcation disputes.

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Boeung Kak Lake outrage!

A Cambodian woman holds her baby during a protest near the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh January 17, 2011. About 60 residents of Boeung Kak Lake appealed to the Chinese embassy for help in getting fair compensation from a Chinese firm involved in a real estate development at the lake. The protesters were representatives of at least 2,000 remaining families, who are facing eviction from the lake, a local rights group said. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

Cambodian women react during a protest near the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh January 17, 2011. About 60 residents of Boeung Kak Lake appealed to the Chinese embassy for help in getting fair compensation from a Chinese firm involved in a real estate development at the lake. The protesters were representatives of at least 2,000 remaining families, who are facing eviction from the lake, a local rights group said. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

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Obama readies new focus on education

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is putting education overhaul at the forefront of his agenda as he prepares for his State of the Union address and adjusts to the new reality of a divided government. But trouble signs are already emerging.

Despite a bipartisan consensus in favor of more flexibility for students and teachers, political pressures from the coming 2012 presidential campaign and disputes over timing, money and scope loom over a debate affecting millions — the overdue renewal of the nation's governing education law, known as No Child Left Behind.

For all the talk in Washington that education might offer the best chance for the White House to work with Republicans, any consensus could swiftly evaporate in the capital's pitiless political crosscurrents, leaving the debate for another day, perhaps even another presidency.

American parents, teachers and students would be left laboring under a burdensome set of testing guidelines and other rules that many agree are pushing standards lower instead of bringing them up. And frightening statistics would continue to pile up about how American students are being outpaced by their foreign counterparts in key areas like math and science.

It's that specter that Obama and members of his administration intend to use to try to marshal public support and spur balky lawmakers and quarreling interest groups into action against long odds.

"No one I'm talking to is defending the status quo," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview. "Everyone I talk to really shares my sense of urgency that we have to do better for our children. We're fighting for our country here."

Duncan said Obama's commitment to education reform will be reflected in his State of the Union address on Jan. 25. Obama has already spoken of the dangers to the U.S. economy and future competitiveness from lagging student test scores, and lawmakers and advocates will be watching closely to see whether he keeps the issue in the spotlight in the months ahead. They say aggressive advocacy from the president is key.

"I don't think there's any substitute but for him to be out front," said Rep. George Miller of California, top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Some in the GOP, wary of another giant bill like health care, would prefer a series of small measures to the sweeping rewrite of No Child Left Behind favored by the administration. Democrats and many outside advocates say Congress must enact any major education overhaul this year, before the 2012 campaign swings into gear. But some Republicans say getting it right is more important than getting it fast, and they refuse to spend any new money to do it.

"There's room to make cuts, and I think pretty substantial cuts, that would enable us to use some of those savings on things we think work," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California conservative who's the new chairman of an Education and Workforce subcommittee. "I like the piecemeal approach. ... If you do it in bite-size pieces, you can tell what needs to be tweaked as you go."

No Child Left Behind would not have passed without President George W. Bush's strong advocacy in the first year of his administration. In the years since, many Democrats and Republicans have concluded that the law failed to meet its overall objectives of raising student achievement, instead resulting in an over-reliance on test results and arbitrary measurements that don't help students learn. Yet no major rewrite of the law has happened since.

The Obama administration produced a framework for a new law last year that would soften many of No Child Left Behind's onerous testing requirements, put a new focus on teacher performance and the lowest-performing schools, and replace unwieldy proficiency requirements with loftier goals of boosting college graduation rates.

The document generated predictable controversy, but Duncan has worked painstakingly with lawmakers of both parties over the past two years to lay the groundwork for a reform bill. Republican and Democratic leaders of the education committees in the House and Senate say they want to move forward. "Everyone agrees this law needs reform," said Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline, R-Minn.

Obama focused on health care at the start of his administration, when Democrats controlled Congress. Now, after the November elections, Republicans control the House and are more powerful in the Senate and have the political capital to burn. It's not clear they'll be spending it on improving education, even if their committee leaders support it.

The "Pledge to America" the House GOP unveiled before taking power in the November elections never mentions the education. Brendan Buck, a spokesman for new House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said that Boehner's focus is on "addressing the top priorities of the American people — creating jobs and cutting spending.

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