The National Election Committee said Thursday it was extending by three days voter registration in 316 communes hit hard by recent flooding.

The extension was made at the request of local election officials, political parties and election monitors, pushing the date from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18. The areas include 71 communes in Kampong Thom province; 51 in Kampong Cham; 37 in Prey Veng; 33 in Kampong Chhnang; 31 in Preah Vihear; 20 in Kandal; 15 in Kratie; 13 in Pursat; and 10 in Takeo.

Meanwhile, the election observer Nicfec and the National Democratic Institute said in a report they had found evidence in some communes of people being registered without documentation and that not all registration sites were open as late as they should be.

In 40 percent of 299 observed communes, people were allowed to register without coming in person, a violation of the law. The groups also said they found evidence that a new NEC regulation that should have allowed the use of expired national ID cards was not followed.

Kuoy Bunroeun, a lawmaker for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said the findings of irregularities were supported by the party’s own observations.

However, NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said dimissed the findings, saying it did not have similar reports from commune clerks, council members or political parties.

About 660,000 people have been registered so far, he said, far exceeding the estimated 470,000 who were expected.

Link:
NEC Extends Registration in Flood-Hit Areas

Disaster officials said Wednesday they expected an ease in flooding in 14 provinces, but they expected the death toll to rise.

At least 61 people have died in the floods, which began in August and have continued to swell rivers and inundate homes along the Mekong River and in other areas.

Flooding has also hit the north and northwest, including the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Preah Vihear and Siem Reap.

“In general, the water will continue to decrease tomorrow and thereafter,” said Mao Hak, director of hydrology for the Ministry of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Nhim Vanda, head of the National Committee of Disaster Management, said the death toll was likely to rise.

More than 90,000 families have been affected, with more than 13,000 evicted. Officials are still gauging the damage to infrastructure and rice fields, in the worst flooding since 2000.

Men Neary Sopheak, director-general of the Cambodian Red Cross, said the organization is expecting more damage and was preparing to distribute emergency kits of mosquito nets, noodles, rice and tents to Prey Veng province, following a similar distribution in Kampong Thom province.

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Officials Anticipate Slight Lowering of Flood Waters

The dual visits this week of Thailand’s new prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her brother, Thaksin, who was ousted from that position in 2006, could create an amicable environment for talks on a range of issues, analysts said Tuesday.

Yingluck, who was elected in July, is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, with Thaksin preparing for a weeklong trip starting Friday.

Between the two, talks over an ongoing military border stand-off, on maritime petroleum resources and on the release of two jailed Thai activists could all take place, analysts said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday he would not be holding political talks with Thaksin, a politically divisive figure who remains in exile from Thailand to avoid corruption charges there. However, his coming signals improved engagement with the new Thai government, which is led by his sister and former supporters.

Official talks are scheduled between Hun Sen and Yingluck only.

“First, I think talks will focus on reconciliation,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a policy and strategy analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Such talks would likely focus on reconciliation of the border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, which flared in July 2008 and has cost a number of lives on both sides in skirmishes over the years.

“Second, the two sides could talk about shared development in the disputed maritime territories,” he said. “However, Yingluck will have to make sure that this process is transparent and will not be for the benefit of anyone in particular.”

“Third, it could mean the release of two Thais jailed last year in Cambodia,” he said, referring to the cases of Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, activists of the Thailand Patriot Network, who were allegedly caught on the Cambodian side of the border and charged with spying.

“I think this is a positive visit, and I believe that a positive outcome will come from these trips,” he said. “I think this is a new beginning of Thailand and Cambodia’s relationship.”

As for Thaksin’s visit, he said, “We will never know what kind of discussions there may be.” But he said Thaksin is fond of Cambodia, as it is close to his home, and that he may want to prove himself a “legitimate” leader for the Thais.

“I think Thaksin chose the same week as his sister’s visit to put himself in the limelight once again,” he said. “On the positive side, it seems that bilateral ties between the two countries are on the mend.”

Chheang Vannarith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said the two visits will create a “multiplying effect.”

He too said top agenda items will be the border, maritime boundaries and the two jailed activists.

A more peaceful border will mean the return of “trade, tourism and investment,” he said. “This is a new page in Cambodian and Thai history.”

However, he warned caution in talks over oil in gas. “For Cambodia, we want an agreement, particularly in maritime issues, so that we can extract oil resources at the end of next year,” he said.

Originally posted here:
Analysts See New Page in Upcoming Thai Visits

Activists working to protect the massive Prey Lang forest in northeastern Cambodia have delivered a petition to embassies, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on Friday, urging the international community to help them.

Villagers living near the forest say their livelihoods there are being threatened by continuous government concessions to private rubber and other companies.

The petition follows a demonstration in Phnom Penh on Thursday, in which 100 villager were swept up by police for handing out fliers in public, in what authorities said was a threat to public security.

“I want the donors to help intervene,” Phok Hong, a representative from Preah Vihear province said Friday. “Prey Lang is lost a little bit every day….We all depend on Prey Lang. If we have no Prey Lang, we would rather die than live.”

Svay Phoeun, another petitioner, said major development loans from foreign aid and international banks were potentially driving some of the destruction of the forest.

Villagers delivered their petition, with around 300 signatures, to the embassies of Australia, China, Germany, the US, and the UK, as well as offices of the UN, the World Bank and the ADB.

Representatives for the US and ADB both confirmed receipt of the petition and said officials are now reviewing them.

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Prey Lang Activists Petition Internationals for Help

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday insisted on three-party talks with Thailand and Indonesia in an effort to implement an international court ruling to resolve the border dispute near Preah Vihear temple.

The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of a demilitarized zone and an observer mission earlier this week.

Hun Sen told reporters Friday that Cambodia “demands the start of tripartite negotiation with working group of the three parties…to speed up the implementation process of the decision of the International Court of Justice.”

However, analysts have said that the court lacks enforcement measures for its decisions, meaning the protracted military standoff on the border is likely to continue for now.

Hun Sen said Friday that three-way negotiations could begin “at any time, at any place, and at any level.” That includes the General Border Committee of Thailand Cambodia, he said. “Cambodia would like to host a meeting to discuss efforts toward the implementation of the ICJ decision.”

Cambodia has sent a draft agreement to Thailand, Indonesia, the court and the UN Security Council, in an effort to define a demilitarized zone around the temple, he said.

The seven-point plan includes reporting progress to the court, plans for Indonesian observers, demarcation of a demilitarized zone, and a plan for the withdrawal of Thai and Cambodian military forces from the zone.

“We will start to withdraw the troops at the same hour, at the same time, and the Indonesian observer team can see all troops of both sides withdraw,” Hun Sen said.

The Bangkok Post reported Friday that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wants Cambodia to withdraw its forces ahead of the arrival of an observer mission. Thailand is meanwhile keeping its own forces in the disputed area pending further negotiations, the Post reported.

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Hun Sen Pushes for Three-Party Border Talks

Cambodia on Wednesday urged Indonesia to send monitors to the border near Preah Vihear temple to enforce a demilitarized zone ordered by the UN’s highest court this week.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who returned from The Hague on Wednesday, told reporters he was requesting Indonesia to send observers “immediately.”

The International Court of Justice ordered Thai and Cambodian troops to leave a contentious border area on Monday, while also paving the way for an observer mission and creating a “provisional demilitarized zone.”

Neither side has withdrawn troops from the border, the site of deadly, sporadic fighting since 2008.

Hor Namhong said Cambodia is prepared to withdraw its forces from the zone once observers arrive, adding that the court decision is “not conditional.”

“If Thailand does not implement the decision of the International Court of Justice, we have other measures,” he said without elaborating. “The court has measures and the United Nations Security Council has measures.”

The Jakarta Post quoted Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, of Indonesia, saying Asean is “being called upon” to move the court order forward. “Asean will need the cooperation of both parties,” he said, but it would take time for them to interpret the ruling and comply with it.

However, Thailand is in the midst of a political shift, following elections earlier this month, and the Bangkok Post reported its outgoing prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying the court mandate will be handled by the incoming government.

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Cambodia Seeking Immediate Border Observers

Cambodia on Wednesday urged Indonesia to send monitors to the border near Preah Vihear temple to enforce a demilitarized zone ordered by the UN’s highest court this week.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who returned from The Hague on Wednesday, told reporters he was requesting Indonesia to send observers “immediately.”

The International Court of Justice ordered Thai and Cambodian troops to leave a contentious border area on Monday, while also paving the way for an observer mission and creating a “provisional demilitarized zone.”

Neither side has withdrawn troops from the border, the site of deadly, sporadic fighting since 2008.

Hor Namhong said Cambodia is prepared to withdraw its forces from the zone once observers arrive, adding that the court decision is “not conditional.”

“If Thailand does not implement the decision of the International Court of Justice, we have other measures,” he said without elaborating. “The court has measures and the United Nations Security Council has measures.”

The Jakarta Post quoted Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, of Indonesia, saying Asean is “being called upon” to move the court order forward. “Asean will need the cooperation of both parties,” he said, but it would take time for them to interpret the ruling and comply with it.

However, Thailand is in the midst of a political shift, following elections earlier this month, and the Bangkok Post reported its outgoing prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying the court mandate will be handled by the incoming government.

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Cambodia Seeking Immediate Border Observers

Cambodian officials say they are prepared to comply with an international court order to demilitarize an area surrounding Preah Vihear temple, but not until third-party monitors arrive.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday ordered troops from both sides to clear a provisional demilitarized zone around the temple, which has been at the heart of a deadly military standoff since July 2008. It also ordered that both sides allow observers to have access to that zone. Indonesia, as head of Asean, has offered to provide observers.

The court decision was in response to a Cambodian request for the court to clarify a decision it made in 1962 over not only the temple, which it awarded to Cambodia, but surrounding lands that both sides still lay claim to.

Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, told VOA Khmer on Tuesday Cambodia was willing to withdraw from the area but would implement the court order “step by step.”

“When there is a presence of Indonesian observers to monitor a permanent ceasefire in the provisional demilitarized zone, we must withdraw from the border area,” he said.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who chaired a national security council meeting Tuesday, was quoted saying he has assigned officials to map out talks with Cambodia to implement the international court order.

He said he believe a General Border Committee between the two sides was the best channel for implementing the order, the daily Nation reported. The court order had no bearing on border demarcation, he said, according to the Nation.

Chhum Socheath said Cambodia is not opposed to talks with Thailand, under the framework of Asean.

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Cambodia Awaiting Monitors for Border Withdrawal

Cambodia’s woodlands are seeing continued deforestation, despite a plan by the government to curb illegal logging, environmental groups say.

Authorities say they have a plan to protect the forest, but non-governmental groups say the problem persists, including through an increase in land concessions, and massive illegal logging by the military.

Cambodia has an official strategy to protect the forests over the next 18 years, including land management practices and tighter governmental controls over still exiting forests. Experts say as little as 30 percent of the country’s forest cover remains, while logging continues to be a problem.

George Boden, a deforestation expert for Global Witness, which was ejected from Cambodia in 2005 after detailed reporting on corruption and illegal logging, said the practice has continued.

Officials close to Prime Minister Hun Sen have sold off forests for their own benefit in an ongoing practice, he said. Global Witness reported in 2007 that a kleptocratic elite continued to earn riches by selling off forestland.

However, Than Sarath, a management official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said the government has six programs to protect the forests. Part of that includes putting money that forests earn back into their own protection, he said. There are also plans to sell carbon credits, he said.

However, villagers remain unconvinced.

Svay Poun, 50, a villager in Preah Vihear province’s Roveng district, said he was dubious of government efforts, following a series of concessions in Prey Lang forest, a vast stretch of woodlands that spans four provinces in east and north of the country.

Villagers there say their livelihoods have been threatened by rubber plantation concessions to companies that have not followed regulations to protect the forest.

“A plantation is not the same as a forest,” said villager Chun Yin, who lives in Kampong Thom province. “As we see it, when will the trees grow again? It doesn’t have animals, fruit or vegetables, or growth from the old generations.”

Demand for Cambodia’s high-quality timber comes from China and Vietnam, according to environmental experts.

Chut Vuthy, president of the Natural Resource Conservation Group, said timber must either be transported by road, or shipped. That means it has to cross checkpoints.

For Vietnam, the Doung checkpoint in Kampong Cham province sees up to 12 trucks a day cross with illegal timber, he said, while ships to China leave from ports in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provinces. The Cardamom Mountains remain a main source of such timber, experts said, especially in Pursat province.

Than Sarath said legal logging revenue was part of the national budget, but he declined to confirm the amount.

Along the Thai border, meanwhile, illegal logging has increased since tensions escalated between Thailand and Cambodia over Preah Vihear temple in 2008, villagers say.

A former truck driver, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he drove trucks for top military officials in the province, as well as members of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit.

Valuable timber is cut from the forest and stored at military headquarters in the province, he said. No one is allowed to enter the compound because of national security, he said.

Every month, he said, military officers issue orders to lower ranking soldiers to cut trees in the jungle.

“After they cut the trees, they transport them to the military headquarters, about 20 kilometers from Preah Vihear,” he said. From there they are shipped to Kampong Cham and Vietnam, he said.

A villager in Preah Vihear province, who asked not to be named, said the practice continues. He counts four or five trucks a night. Trucks go up carrying soldiers and come down carrying timber covered up with tarpaulin, he said.

“The relevant authorities are afraid to stop those trucks, because they fear losing their positions,” he said.

Chut Vuthy said five to six major smuggling operations are still underway in the country.

“We have all kinds of laws to protect natural resources, but from day to day, the forest is still decreasing,” he said.

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Despite Some Efforts, Forests Continue To Dwindle

The Foreign Ministry on Monday issued congratulations to Pheu Thai party of Thailand, after it won an overwhelming victory in elections Sunday.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong welcomed the party and its leader, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup.

Yingluck is likely to be named the country’s next prime minister.

“We hope that a new government formed by the Pheu Thai party will solve the border dispute with Cambodia more positively and more peacefully than the previous democratic government did,” he said. “What we want is a peaceful border dispute resolution.”

However, Son Chhay, a lawmaker for the Cambodian opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said the new Thai government would find it difficult to resolve the border dispute without international help.

The dispute, over a contested patch of land near Preah Vihear temple, has created a military standoff leading to a number of deadly skirmishes since 2008. Last month, Thailand withdrew from Unesco’s World Heritage convention over a Cambodian proposal to manage the 11^th-Century temple.

“We believe the border dispute will have its tension reduced” by the election, Son Chhay said. “But the solution will require the participation of the international community.”

In a separate statement, the Sam Rainsy Party welcomed the results of Sunday’s election, calling it a good example of fair elections for Cambodia.

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Cambodia Welcomes Newly Elected Thai Government