Jun 3, 2012
Obama Ordered Devastating Cyberattacks Against Iran [War]
Obama Ordered Devastating Cyberattacks Against Iran [War]:
In June of 2010, a security firm in Belarus called VirusBlokAda reported the first known citing of what we know now as Stuxnet. It was, simply put, the most advanced malware of all time. Its target? Iran. Its origin? Unknown. Until now. More »
News Analysis: Weak Hiring May Force the Fed to Act Again — News Analysis
News Analysis: Weak Hiring May Force the Fed to Act Again — News Analysis: Federal Reserve officials are reluctant to provide further stimulus, but the slowing rate of job creation suggests they have not done enough.
Christian Leaders Are Powerhouses on Twitter
Christian Leaders Are Powerhouses on Twitter: Twitter is courting Christian evangelical leaders, who have found the network to be surprisingly effective for building influence and spreading inspiration far and wide.
Aid Workers in Afghanistan Are Rescued From Remote Cave
Aid Workers in Afghanistan Are Rescued From Remote Cave: Four aid workers, who were abducted May 22, were freed early Saturday in a NATO rescue operation in northern Afghanistan.
Obama’s Hands Tied on Weak Economy
Obama’s Hands Tied on Weak Economy: President Obama’s proposed remedies only underscore how much he is at the mercy of actors in Europe, China and Congress whose political interests often conflict with his own.
In Timbuktu, Mali Rebels and Islamists Impose Harsh Rule
In Timbuktu, Mali Rebels and Islamists Impose Harsh Rule: Rebels who captured what had been a tolerant and easygoing city in northern Mali have imposed hard-edged Islamic rule, prompting many residents to flee.
Plane Crashes in Nigeria's Lagos With 147 on Board
Plane Crashes in Nigeria's Lagos With 147 on Board: A passenger plane crashed into a densely populated part of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, on Sunday, and finding survivors appeared unlikely.
Presidential hopeful and former PM attacks Brotherhood’s candidate
Presidential hopeful and former PM attacks Brotherhood’s candidate:
CAIRO -- Presidential hopeful and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq went on the offensive on Sunday, after a verdict in the trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak set off anger across the country and appeared to rally revolutionary groups behind his competitor from the once-repressed Muslim Brotherhood.
Read full article >>
CAIRO -- Presidential hopeful and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq went on the offensive on Sunday, after a verdict in the trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak set off anger across the country and appeared to rally revolutionary groups behind his competitor from the once-repressed Muslim Brotherhood.
Read full article >>
Jobs numbers remind Obama that he must do more than just attack
Jobs numbers remind Obama that he must do more than just attack:
Friday’s dismal jobs report and some unexpected words from Bill Clinton delivered a bracing reminder to President Obama and his advisers that the election remains primarily a referendum on his record and that their path to victory may lie less in trying to discredit Republican Mitt Romney and more in winning a battle of ideas with their Republican rival.
Read full article >>
Friday’s dismal jobs report and some unexpected words from Bill Clinton delivered a bracing reminder to President Obama and his advisers that the election remains primarily a referendum on his record and that their path to victory may lie less in trying to discredit Republican Mitt Romney and more in winning a battle of ideas with their Republican rival.
Read full article >>
Facebook stock performance, IPO said to be under investigation by SEC
Facebook stock performance, IPO said to be under investigation by SEC:
Two weeks after Facebook’s initial public offering, the hand-wringing over its dismal stock performance hasn’t died down— and neither have the questions over how the IPO was carried out. Federal regulators are reviewing the offering, but some Democrats in Congress say their concerns about the IPO go well beyond the question of whether any laws were violated.
Read full article >>
Two weeks after Facebook’s initial public offering, the hand-wringing over its dismal stock performance hasn’t died down— and neither have the questions over how the IPO was carried out. Federal regulators are reviewing the offering, but some Democrats in Congress say their concerns about the IPO go well beyond the question of whether any laws were violated.
Read full article >>
Hosni Mubarak sentenced to life for complicity in killing of protesters
Hosni Mubarak sentenced to life for complicity in killing of protesters:
CAIRO — Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister were sentenced to life in prison Saturday after being convicted of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolt that turned once-untouchable despots into defendants.
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CAIRO — Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister were sentenced to life in prison Saturday after being convicted of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolt that turned once-untouchable despots into defendants.
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What if America had a queen?
What if America had a queen?:
BUCKLEBURY, England
What if, instead of debating whether partisans will put the country’s interests ahead of their own or find reasons to move beyond the gridlock in which they have mired Congress, Washington surmounted the political system and put someone above it? Someone who, like a living Statue of Liberty, symbolizes the nation and represents not one ideology but the American people.
Read full article >>
BUCKLEBURY, England
What if, instead of debating whether partisans will put the country’s interests ahead of their own or find reasons to move beyond the gridlock in which they have mired Congress, Washington surmounted the political system and put someone above it? Someone who, like a living Statue of Liberty, symbolizes the nation and represents not one ideology but the American people.
Read full article >>
On foreign policy, Obama focuses on economic issues, not on Syrian turmoil
On foreign policy, Obama focuses on economic issues, not on Syrian turmoil:
One foreign policy crisis this week brought action from President Obama, another only silence.
As Europe’s economy teetered, Obama held a video-conference call with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy and dispatched his top Treasury official to the continent in the hopes of averting a collapse that could carry the American economy down with it. The poor monthly jobs report released Friday underscored the political stakes for Obama in preventing a European collapse, which would drive down demand for U.S. exports.
Read full article >>
One foreign policy crisis this week brought action from President Obama, another only silence.
As Europe’s economy teetered, Obama held a video-conference call with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy and dispatched his top Treasury official to the continent in the hopes of averting a collapse that could carry the American economy down with it. The poor monthly jobs report released Friday underscored the political stakes for Obama in preventing a European collapse, which would drive down demand for U.S. exports.
Read full article >>
Public universities pushing ‘super-seniors’ to the graduation stage
Public universities pushing ‘super-seniors’ to the graduation stage:
MADISON, Wis. — Some of the nation’s top public universities are prodding dallying students toward the graduation stage, trying to change a campus culture that assumes four-year completion is the exception rather than the rule.
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MADISON, Wis. — Some of the nation’s top public universities are prodding dallying students toward the graduation stage, trying to change a campus culture that assumes four-year completion is the exception rather than the rule.
Read full article >>
Mass. Democrats endorse Warren, shutting out primary opponent
Mass. Democrats endorse Warren, shutting out primary opponent:
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren won her party’s overwhelming endorsement Saturday, shutting out a potential primary election opponent and becoming the presumptive nominee to face Republican Sen. Scott Brown in what is expected to be one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched Senate races.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren won her party’s overwhelming endorsement Saturday, shutting out a potential primary election opponent and becoming the presumptive nominee to face Republican Sen. Scott Brown in what is expected to be one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched Senate races.
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Understanding cyberspace is key to defending against digital attacks
Understanding cyberspace is key to defending against digital attacks:
Charlie Miller prepared his cyberattack in a bedroom office at his Midwestern suburban home.
Brilliant and boyish-looking, Miller has a PhD in math from the University of Notre Dame and spent five years at the National Security Agency, where he secretly hacked into foreign computer systems for the U.S. government. Now, he was turning his attention to the Apple iPhone.
Read full article >>
Charlie Miller prepared his cyberattack in a bedroom office at his Midwestern suburban home.
Brilliant and boyish-looking, Miller has a PhD in math from the University of Notre Dame and spent five years at the National Security Agency, where he secretly hacked into foreign computer systems for the U.S. government. Now, he was turning his attention to the Apple iPhone.
Read full article >>
Houla massacre evokes memories of Srebrenica
Houla massacre evokes memories of Srebrenica:
SREBRENICA, BOSNIA — When Emir Suljagic saw the television footage last week of grieving families and burned-out houses in the Syrian town of Houla, he felt a sickening sense of deja vu.
“It’s bizarre how ‘never again’ has come to mean ‘again and again,’ ” said the Srebrenica survivor, 37, who blames the United States and other Western governments for failing to take timely action to prevent Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. “It’s obvious that we live in a world where Srebrenicas are still possible. What’s happening in Syria today is almost identical to what happened in Bosnia two decades ago.”
Read full article >>
SREBRENICA, BOSNIA — When Emir Suljagic saw the television footage last week of grieving families and burned-out houses in the Syrian town of Houla, he felt a sickening sense of deja vu.
“It’s bizarre how ‘never again’ has come to mean ‘again and again,’ ” said the Srebrenica survivor, 37, who blames the United States and other Western governments for failing to take timely action to prevent Europe’s worst massacre since World War II. “It’s obvious that we live in a world where Srebrenicas are still possible. What’s happening in Syria today is almost identical to what happened in Bosnia two decades ago.”
Read full article >>
U.S. drone targets in Yemen raise questions
U.S. drone targets in Yemen raise questions:
There is little doubt among U.S. intelligence officials that Kaid and Nabil al-Dhahab — brothers who reportedly survived a U.S. airstrike in Yemen on Memorial Day — are associated with the al-Qaeda insurgency in that country. Less clear is the extent to which they are plotting against the United States.
Read full article >>
There is little doubt among U.S. intelligence officials that Kaid and Nabil al-Dhahab — brothers who reportedly survived a U.S. airstrike in Yemen on Memorial Day — are associated with the al-Qaeda insurgency in that country. Less clear is the extent to which they are plotting against the United States.
Read full article >>
Former Beijing mayor changes long-standing account of Tiananmen crackdown
Former Beijing mayor changes long-standing account of Tiananmen crackdown:
Shortly after Chinese troops stormed into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, the then mayor of Beijing gave a lengthy report that, for 23 years, has formed the bedrock of the Communist Party’s justification for the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters. Describing street demonstrations by millions of people in Beijing and other Chinese cities as a Western-backed conspiracy orchestrated by a “tiny handful of people,“ Chen Xitong’s report hailed the crackdown as “correct” and unavoidable.
Read full article >>
Shortly after Chinese troops stormed into Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, the then mayor of Beijing gave a lengthy report that, for 23 years, has formed the bedrock of the Communist Party’s justification for the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters. Describing street demonstrations by millions of people in Beijing and other Chinese cities as a Western-backed conspiracy orchestrated by a “tiny handful of people,“ Chen Xitong’s report hailed the crackdown as “correct” and unavoidable.
Read full article >>
A double-edged sword - Inside Indonesia - a quarterly magazine on Indonesia and its people, culture, politics, economy and environment »In Garut, Islamic symbols are used by people facing corruption charges and by those who want to see them convicted Luky Djani Campaign poster for local Garut elections in 2009 Luky Djani In earl
Jun 2, 2012
Google Launches Anti-Censorship Tool
Google Launches Anti-Censorship Tool:
Google has launched a new feature for its Chinese language site which informs mainland users when they enter search keywords that are likely to be blocked by censors and recommends using alternative terms, following a government crackdown on information about a major political scandal.
The move was announced Thursday on a blog post by senior Google vice president Alan Eustace as a site improvement, but did not address Beijing’s use of censorship to police the Internet in China.
Google left China in 2010 after a showdown with the government over Internet controls and currently redirects Chinese language users from the mainland to a search site run from its Hong Kong-based servers.
But Eustace said that mainland users accessing the Hong Kong site were experiencing connection breaks when they searched for certain terms.
“Over the past couple years, we’ve had a lot of feedback that Google Search from mainland China can be inconsistent and unreliable,” Eustace wrote in the blog entry.
“It depends on the search query and browser, but users are regularly getting error messages like ‘This webpage is not available’ or ‘The connection was reset.’ And when that happens, people typically cannot use Google again for a minute or more.”
Google said the problem also extends to users accessing the site via web browsers on their mobile phones, including devices operating on the company’s Android operating system.
He said that Google had examined its own systems and found no problems, but “noticed that these interruptions are closely correlated with searches for a particular subset of queries.”
“So starting today we’ll notify users in mainland China when they enter a keyword that may cause connection issues. By prompting people to revise their queries, we hope to reduce these disruptions and improve our user experience from mainland China,” Eustace wrote.
Users who wish to continue with their original search keywords may do so.
‘Sensitive’ terms
Eustace said the company had reviewed the 350,000 most popular search queries in China in an effort to find "disruptive queries."
Google listed the Chinese character “jiang,” which means river, as an example of a term that would likely lead to a broken connection, but neglected to mention that it is also the surname of former president Jiang Zemin, which could be the reason for blocked results.
A notification that pops up when entering such a character during a search query recommends that the user removes the offending term.
But the character “jiang” and others like it are used in many different words, including the names of places and businesses, and users who remove the term from their search will be unable to access related sites.
For users who do not want to remove the offending search term, Google suggested a workaround in which one can search using the “pinyin,” or Romanized version, of a Chinese word. It said writing in pinyin would not cause a user’s connection to break and would produce normal search results.
Web controls
Chinese web administrators do not publish a list of banned keywords, and such searches generally lead to generic error messages. Authorities are likely to be unhappy about Google pointing out the sensitive terms.
And while Google shut down the majority of its mainland operations in 2010, it does maintain a network of advertising sales offices in China, which could be targeted if Beijing decides to punish the company.
In the first quarter of 2012, Google held just over 16 percent of the search market in China—second behind domestic brand Baidu Inc. with a more than 78 percent share.
The company is pushing its Android mobile phone operating system to Chinese manufacturers and purchased a wireless device maker last month in a deal that Beijing approved on condition that the platform remains available to Chinese companies and others at no cost for five years.
China has the world’s largest population of Internet users at 513 million as of last December, but often blocks content it deems politically sensitive.
The most recent example of an Internet crackdown follows significant online traffic related to a political crisis sparked by the ouster of former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai.
The secrecy surrounding Bo's scandal has set China's Internet alight with political rumors, which the authorities have moved swiftly to quell through controls on the country's wildly popular Twitter-like services, known as "weibo."
Bo’s name is currently a blocked term, as are Chongqing and even the Yangtze River.
Reported by Joshua Lipes.
Google has launched a new feature for its Chinese language site which informs mainland users when they enter search keywords that are likely to be blocked by censors and recommends using alternative terms, following a government crackdown on information about a major political scandal.
The move was announced Thursday on a blog post by senior Google vice president Alan Eustace as a site improvement, but did not address Beijing’s use of censorship to police the Internet in China.
Google left China in 2010 after a showdown with the government over Internet controls and currently redirects Chinese language users from the mainland to a search site run from its Hong Kong-based servers.
But Eustace said that mainland users accessing the Hong Kong site were experiencing connection breaks when they searched for certain terms.
“Over the past couple years, we’ve had a lot of feedback that Google Search from mainland China can be inconsistent and unreliable,” Eustace wrote in the blog entry.
“It depends on the search query and browser, but users are regularly getting error messages like ‘This webpage is not available’ or ‘The connection was reset.’ And when that happens, people typically cannot use Google again for a minute or more.”
Google said the problem also extends to users accessing the site via web browsers on their mobile phones, including devices operating on the company’s Android operating system.
He said that Google had examined its own systems and found no problems, but “noticed that these interruptions are closely correlated with searches for a particular subset of queries.”
“So starting today we’ll notify users in mainland China when they enter a keyword that may cause connection issues. By prompting people to revise their queries, we hope to reduce these disruptions and improve our user experience from mainland China,” Eustace wrote.
Users who wish to continue with their original search keywords may do so.
‘Sensitive’ terms
Eustace said the company had reviewed the 350,000 most popular search queries in China in an effort to find "disruptive queries."
Google listed the Chinese character “jiang,” which means river, as an example of a term that would likely lead to a broken connection, but neglected to mention that it is also the surname of former president Jiang Zemin, which could be the reason for blocked results.
A notification that pops up when entering such a character during a search query recommends that the user removes the offending term.
But the character “jiang” and others like it are used in many different words, including the names of places and businesses, and users who remove the term from their search will be unable to access related sites.
For users who do not want to remove the offending search term, Google suggested a workaround in which one can search using the “pinyin,” or Romanized version, of a Chinese word. It said writing in pinyin would not cause a user’s connection to break and would produce normal search results.
Web controls
Chinese web administrators do not publish a list of banned keywords, and such searches generally lead to generic error messages. Authorities are likely to be unhappy about Google pointing out the sensitive terms.
And while Google shut down the majority of its mainland operations in 2010, it does maintain a network of advertising sales offices in China, which could be targeted if Beijing decides to punish the company.
In the first quarter of 2012, Google held just over 16 percent of the search market in China—second behind domestic brand Baidu Inc. with a more than 78 percent share.
The company is pushing its Android mobile phone operating system to Chinese manufacturers and purchased a wireless device maker last month in a deal that Beijing approved on condition that the platform remains available to Chinese companies and others at no cost for five years.
China has the world’s largest population of Internet users at 513 million as of last December, but often blocks content it deems politically sensitive.
The most recent example of an Internet crackdown follows significant online traffic related to a political crisis sparked by the ouster of former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai.
The secrecy surrounding Bo's scandal has set China's Internet alight with political rumors, which the authorities have moved swiftly to quell through controls on the country's wildly popular Twitter-like services, known as "weibo."
Bo’s name is currently a blocked term, as are Chongqing and even the Yangtze River.
Reported by Joshua Lipes.
Commune Polls Marred by Irregularities
Commune Polls Marred by Irregularities:
Cambodia’s weekend commune vote, expected to be dominated by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party, has been marred by campaign irregularities despite a general improvement in election conditions from past years, a monitoring organization said Friday.
The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel) said in a new report that three political parties’ activists were killed during campaigns in the run-up to Sunday’s vote, the country’s third-ever commune-level elections.
The group could not conclude whether the killings of the activists from three opposition parties—the Sam Rainsy Party, the Human Rights Party, and the Norodom Ranariddh Party—were politically motivated, but said the incidents were likely related to the election because they happened during the campaign period.
Comfrel found at least 100 cases of irregularities during the election campaign, including intimidation, vote-buying, and the destruction of parties’ leaflets and logos.
“On the negative side, we have seen that the [ruling] Cambodian People’s Party has used state resources and civil servants to conduct their campaign, and that state control and private media are biased toward the ruling party,” said Comfrel Board of Directors member Thun Saray, who is also the president of the rights watchdog ADHOC.
He added that most cases of political campaign disturbances were committed by members of the ruling party and the victims were mostly activists of Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party, the two largest opposition parties.
However, political violence has declined in the election compared to the previous commune-level election in 2007, Comfrel’s report said.
Saray said election conditions in Cambodia are improving, but still flawed.
“This year political parties members are more mature, they didn’t make insults or provocations that led to chaos, and this is a positive side of the campaign,” Thun Saray said.
Earlier in May, Comfrel had also said at least 1.5 million Cambodians will lose their right to vote in the elections due to irregularities in voters’ registration lists.
National Election Committee Deputy Secretary General Tep Nytha rejected the Comfrel report, saying the election campaign went smoothly, with only a few minor incidents of violence or disagreements reported.
“This election campaign is better than the previous election in 2007,” Tep Nytha said.
Cambodia’s first commune-level elections in 2002 were marred by at least two killings that rights groups said were politically motivated.
Ten parties
Following a 15-day campaign period regulated by the National Election Committee, the 10 political parties registered to compete in the country’s wrapped up their campaigns on Friday.
Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, deputy chairman of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) in the capital, said his party had seen strong support.
“During the election campaign for the past 15 days, we have received overwhelming support from people in the city,” he said.
“The city residents understand that the CPP is the party that does the work, even if we don’t advertise about this work.”
He added that opposition parties only criticized the government but those parties don’t contribute to the country’s development.
Opposition
Human Rights Party Spokesman Yem Panharith said that his party’s active campaigning had won them more supporters than before.
“All our political messages, campaign trial activities, meeting constituencies at the grassroots making the voters to understand the truth and now they even more support us,” he said.
Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay said that this year he found people were less afraid to support parties other than the ruling party.
“In general … they are not afraid of joining the party’s campaign, unlike in the previous election,” he said. “But I am afraid of fraud in the election results.”
Phnom Penh Police chief Touch Naruth said even though complaints had been made to the national election body about campaign irregularities, his officers provided good security for all political parties in the city.
Sihanoukville
Southwest of Phnom Penh, opposition party representatives have expressed concern about the heavy military presence near polling stations in the province of Sihanoukville, where election officials said they plan to deploy between three and four armed officers to provide security at polling stations.
Sihanoukville provincial election committee director Hout Phon said it is important to have armed forces near the polling stations to provide security.
However, the Sam Rainsy Party’s provincial director Ly Dy said armed officers would intimidate the voters, noting that in the previous election armed forces entered the polling stations with weapons.
“People are so afraid. Some of them took gifts from the ruling party, even though they don’t want to vote for the CPP, and when there are armed forces present, they might change their mind,” he said.
The Human Rights Party’s provincial director Ouk Suy said there is no need to have between three and four armed forces personnel at the polling stations.
“The armed forces presence will affect the voters they are afraid to vote for change,” he said.
The National Election Committee has issued an order to the armed forces across the country to adhere to their code of conducts and avoid intimidating the voters.
Armed forces are not allowed to publicly show excessive weapons and they may not bring weapons with them into the polling booths or ballot-counting stations.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Cambodia’s weekend commune vote, expected to be dominated by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party, has been marred by campaign irregularities despite a general improvement in election conditions from past years, a monitoring organization said Friday.
The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel) said in a new report that three political parties’ activists were killed during campaigns in the run-up to Sunday’s vote, the country’s third-ever commune-level elections.
The group could not conclude whether the killings of the activists from three opposition parties—the Sam Rainsy Party, the Human Rights Party, and the Norodom Ranariddh Party—were politically motivated, but said the incidents were likely related to the election because they happened during the campaign period.
Comfrel found at least 100 cases of irregularities during the election campaign, including intimidation, vote-buying, and the destruction of parties’ leaflets and logos.
“On the negative side, we have seen that the [ruling] Cambodian People’s Party has used state resources and civil servants to conduct their campaign, and that state control and private media are biased toward the ruling party,” said Comfrel Board of Directors member Thun Saray, who is also the president of the rights watchdog ADHOC.
He added that most cases of political campaign disturbances were committed by members of the ruling party and the victims were mostly activists of Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party, the two largest opposition parties.
However, political violence has declined in the election compared to the previous commune-level election in 2007, Comfrel’s report said.
Saray said election conditions in Cambodia are improving, but still flawed.
“This year political parties members are more mature, they didn’t make insults or provocations that led to chaos, and this is a positive side of the campaign,” Thun Saray said.
Earlier in May, Comfrel had also said at least 1.5 million Cambodians will lose their right to vote in the elections due to irregularities in voters’ registration lists.
National Election Committee Deputy Secretary General Tep Nytha rejected the Comfrel report, saying the election campaign went smoothly, with only a few minor incidents of violence or disagreements reported.
“This election campaign is better than the previous election in 2007,” Tep Nytha said.
Cambodia’s first commune-level elections in 2002 were marred by at least two killings that rights groups said were politically motivated.
Ten parties
Following a 15-day campaign period regulated by the National Election Committee, the 10 political parties registered to compete in the country’s wrapped up their campaigns on Friday.
Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, deputy chairman of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) in the capital, said his party had seen strong support.
“During the election campaign for the past 15 days, we have received overwhelming support from people in the city,” he said.
“The city residents understand that the CPP is the party that does the work, even if we don’t advertise about this work.”
He added that opposition parties only criticized the government but those parties don’t contribute to the country’s development.
Opposition
Human Rights Party Spokesman Yem Panharith said that his party’s active campaigning had won them more supporters than before.
“All our political messages, campaign trial activities, meeting constituencies at the grassroots making the voters to understand the truth and now they even more support us,” he said.
Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay said that this year he found people were less afraid to support parties other than the ruling party.
“In general … they are not afraid of joining the party’s campaign, unlike in the previous election,” he said. “But I am afraid of fraud in the election results.”
Phnom Penh Police chief Touch Naruth said even though complaints had been made to the national election body about campaign irregularities, his officers provided good security for all political parties in the city.
Sihanoukville
Southwest of Phnom Penh, opposition party representatives have expressed concern about the heavy military presence near polling stations in the province of Sihanoukville, where election officials said they plan to deploy between three and four armed officers to provide security at polling stations.
Sihanoukville provincial election committee director Hout Phon said it is important to have armed forces near the polling stations to provide security.
However, the Sam Rainsy Party’s provincial director Ly Dy said armed officers would intimidate the voters, noting that in the previous election armed forces entered the polling stations with weapons.
“People are so afraid. Some of them took gifts from the ruling party, even though they don’t want to vote for the CPP, and when there are armed forces present, they might change their mind,” he said.
The Human Rights Party’s provincial director Ouk Suy said there is no need to have between three and four armed forces personnel at the polling stations.
“The armed forces presence will affect the voters they are afraid to vote for change,” he said.
The National Election Committee has issued an order to the armed forces across the country to adhere to their code of conducts and avoid intimidating the voters.
Armed forces are not allowed to publicly show excessive weapons and they may not bring weapons with them into the polling booths or ballot-counting stations.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Massive Security Buildup in Lhasa
Massive Security Buildup in Lhasa:
More than 3,000 security personnel have been deployed to bolster security in Lhasa following the first Tibetan self-immolation protest in the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to an official document obtained by RFA.
One protester who survived the burning last Sunday has been identified as a former monk, but details on his condition were not made available after he was bundled into a security vehicle and taken away from the protest site in front of the famous Jokhang Temple in central Lhasa, sources said.
According to the official document dated May 29, the security forces deployed in the capital to “carry out investigations in sensitive areas” include “large contingents of armed police, soldiers, and special forces.”
“They have stopped all vehicles and pedestrians in Lhasa city, thoroughly searching inside the vehicles and checking identity papers,” said the Chinese-language report, the first official account of the magnitude of the security buildup in Lhasa, which had already seen heightened security since anti-government riots rocked the capital four years ago.
“In the last 24 hours alone, 11,731 vehicles and 28,046 individuals have been searched,” it said.
Among those, it said, 157 Tibetans from the Tibetan-populated Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan “were closely questioned, and 35 who were found without proper permits were sent back to their native places.”
In addition, 13 monks and nuns were also repatriated to the Chinese provinces, the report said.
Earlier accounts this week said hundreds of Tibetans have been detained since the May 27 self-immolation amid additional controls imposed on the Internet and telephone lines.
“Controls on Tibetans’ mobile phones and other electronic devices in Ngaba have been increased, and it is now hard for them to communicate not only with the outside but even with [Sichuan’s provincial capital] Chengdu and neighboring areas of China,” Kanyag Tsering , a Tibetan monk living in India, said, citing sources in the region.
Protester identified as former monk
Meanwhile, the young Tibetan man who survived the self-immolation was identified as a former monk from the restive Kirti monastery in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture in Sichuan.
Dargye, 25, apparently survived his burns after Chinese security forces extinguished the flames of the two self-immolators and took him to hospital, sources said.
The other protester, identified as Dorje Tseten, died at the scene, state media reported.
Dargye came from Soruma village in the Choejema township of Ngaba prefecture’s Ngaba county, Kanyag Tsering said.
Dargye’s father’s name is Lodey and his mother’s name is Shekyi, Tsering said.
“He was the youngest of six children. He joined Kirti monastery at a young age, and a few years ago he disrobed and took a job as a cashier at a restaurant in Lhasa owned by the Chukel family, a trading family from Ngaba.”
Following Dargye’s self-immolation, Chinese authorities detained the restaurant owner, together with his wife and family and six members of a Lhasa-area Ngaba community association, Tsering said.
Five of those detained were identified as Nyurgyog, Khambey, Tamdrin Kyab, Sangdrak, and the group’s chairman, Drolma Kyab. The identity of the sixth group member is still unknown.
Separately, another former monk from Ngaba, Khedrub Dramnak, was also detained, Kanyag Tsering said.
Dargye’s and Dorje Tseten’s self-immolations were the first reported in the Tibetan capital amid a wave of other burning protests, now totaling 38, by Tibetans challenging China’s rule in historically Tibetan areas and calling for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Most of the previous protests have taken place in Sichuan province’s Ngaba and Kardze prefectures and in two other Tibetan-populated provinces in western China, Qinghai and Gansu.
On Wednesday, in the latest self-immolation, a Tibetan mother of three set herself ablaze in Ngaba prefecture’s Dzamthang county.
Reported by Tseten Namgyal, Rigdhen Dolma, and Dorjee Tso for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translations by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney.
More than 3,000 security personnel have been deployed to bolster security in Lhasa following the first Tibetan self-immolation protest in the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to an official document obtained by RFA.
One protester who survived the burning last Sunday has been identified as a former monk, but details on his condition were not made available after he was bundled into a security vehicle and taken away from the protest site in front of the famous Jokhang Temple in central Lhasa, sources said.
According to the official document dated May 29, the security forces deployed in the capital to “carry out investigations in sensitive areas” include “large contingents of armed police, soldiers, and special forces.”
“They have stopped all vehicles and pedestrians in Lhasa city, thoroughly searching inside the vehicles and checking identity papers,” said the Chinese-language report, the first official account of the magnitude of the security buildup in Lhasa, which had already seen heightened security since anti-government riots rocked the capital four years ago.
“In the last 24 hours alone, 11,731 vehicles and 28,046 individuals have been searched,” it said.
Among those, it said, 157 Tibetans from the Tibetan-populated Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan “were closely questioned, and 35 who were found without proper permits were sent back to their native places.”
In addition, 13 monks and nuns were also repatriated to the Chinese provinces, the report said.
Earlier accounts this week said hundreds of Tibetans have been detained since the May 27 self-immolation amid additional controls imposed on the Internet and telephone lines.
“Controls on Tibetans’ mobile phones and other electronic devices in Ngaba have been increased, and it is now hard for them to communicate not only with the outside but even with [Sichuan’s provincial capital] Chengdu and neighboring areas of China,” Kanyag Tsering , a Tibetan monk living in India, said, citing sources in the region.
Protester identified as former monk
Meanwhile, the young Tibetan man who survived the self-immolation was identified as a former monk from the restive Kirti monastery in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture in Sichuan.
Dargye, 25, apparently survived his burns after Chinese security forces extinguished the flames of the two self-immolators and took him to hospital, sources said.
The other protester, identified as Dorje Tseten, died at the scene, state media reported.
Dargye came from Soruma village in the Choejema township of Ngaba prefecture’s Ngaba county, Kanyag Tsering said.
Dargye’s father’s name is Lodey and his mother’s name is Shekyi, Tsering said.
“He was the youngest of six children. He joined Kirti monastery at a young age, and a few years ago he disrobed and took a job as a cashier at a restaurant in Lhasa owned by the Chukel family, a trading family from Ngaba.”
Following Dargye’s self-immolation, Chinese authorities detained the restaurant owner, together with his wife and family and six members of a Lhasa-area Ngaba community association, Tsering said.
Five of those detained were identified as Nyurgyog, Khambey, Tamdrin Kyab, Sangdrak, and the group’s chairman, Drolma Kyab. The identity of the sixth group member is still unknown.
Separately, another former monk from Ngaba, Khedrub Dramnak, was also detained, Kanyag Tsering said.
Dargye’s and Dorje Tseten’s self-immolations were the first reported in the Tibetan capital amid a wave of other burning protests, now totaling 38, by Tibetans challenging China’s rule in historically Tibetan areas and calling for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Most of the previous protests have taken place in Sichuan province’s Ngaba and Kardze prefectures and in two other Tibetan-populated provinces in western China, Qinghai and Gansu.
On Wednesday, in the latest self-immolation, a Tibetan mother of three set herself ablaze in Ngaba prefecture’s Dzamthang county.
Reported by Tseten Namgyal, Rigdhen Dolma, and Dorjee Tso for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translations by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney.
Freedom of Speech Roundup
Freedom of Speech Roundup:
In the Weekly Freedom of Speech Roundup Sampsonia Way presents some of the week’s top news on freedom of expression, journalists in danger, artists in exile, and banned literature.
Three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were denied appeal this month. They will be detained until trial for charges of “hooliganism” on June 24. Photo: Игорь Мухин
Lawyer and columnist Glenn Greenwald speaks about why defending WikiLeaks is “so crucial.”
In the Weekly Freedom of Speech Roundup Sampsonia Way presents some of the week’s top news on freedom of expression, journalists in danger, artists in exile, and banned literature.
Three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were denied appeal this month. They will be detained until trial for charges of “hooliganism” on June 24. Photo: Игорь Мухин
Russian Punk Collective Pussy Riot Speaks Exclusively to Index on Censorship
Index on Censorship. Russian feminist punk collective plans to continue protest performances despite scrutiny and arrests. Read here.Alleged Tibetan Immolation Photos Show Man Ablaze
Miami Herald. A Tibetan writer tweeted photos of men self-immolating in Lhasa in protest of Chinese restrictions and the Dalai Lama’s continued exile. Read here.Copies of Anti-Censorship Software Used in Iran and Syria contain Keylogger
Computer World. A version of Green Simurgh, an Internet proxy application often used to bypass censors, has begun to circulate with malware that transmits the user’s every action. Read here.Sina ‘information credit score’ Restricts Weibo Users
CPJ. Already heavily-censored, users of the Chinese microblogging site will now be given a score that will drop if the user is deemed to be “spreading rumors, impugning China, or calling for protests.” Read here.Julian Assange and America’s Vendetta Against WikiLeaks
The Guardian. Columnist Amy Goodman argues that Assange’s extradition case for sexual assault is largely political. Read here.Lawyer and columnist Glenn Greenwald speaks about why defending WikiLeaks is “so crucial.”
Alexandria, VA-based News Outlet Loosens Shackles of Censorship for Ethiopians
Alexandria Times. Exiled Ethiopian journalists at Ethiopian Satellite Television seek to objectively cover the situation in their country from across the Atlantic Ocean. Read here.Free Expression in Americas Goes Beyond Left or Right
CPJ. Journalism expert Frank Smyth details the current battle within the Organization of American States over measures that would curtail freedom of expression and the press in the Americas. Read here.Melissa Chan: Journalist Can’t Explain Expulsion from China
LA Times. A correspondent for Al Jazeera English believes her press credentials may’ve been provoked for reporting about “black jails” and Tweeting about her interaction with Chinese authorities. Read here.Author Mohammed Hanif on Secrets and Lies in Pakistan
NPR. Pakistani journalist and novelist speaks about his work and the interpretation of fiction as fact: “I used to find it a bit scary at the beginning that, my God, these people are running my country and they actually believe all the lies that I’ve written.” Read here.Exiled Cubans Living in Spain Feel Abandoned as Benefits Dry Up
The New York Times. An international solidarity effort that seemed at first to have been a “diplomatic masterstroke” is accused of receiving inadequate planning and follow-up. Read here.Jun 1, 2012
Obama and the generals
Obama and the generals: Long-held mistrust between the United States' military and Democrat administrations has deepened following President Barack Obama's defiant decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. As US military culture increasingly aligns with political conservatism, Obama is starting to view costly ventures such as the failed Afghan counter-insurgency program as evidence of his generals' folly. - Brian M Downing (Jun 1, '12)
Iraqis' Views of Their Health Worst in MENA
Iraqis' Views of Their Health Worst in MENA: Iraqis' views of their health are the worst in the Middle East and North Africa. The country's score on Gallup's Physical Wellbeing Index is nearly half those of the UAE and Kuwait, two of the region's wealthier, more stable nations.
Snapshot: NATO Intervention in Libya Unpopular in Arab World
Snapshot: NATO Intervention in Libya Unpopular in Arab World: As NATO countries mull over intervention in Syria, Gallup data show pluralities in the Arab world opposed the organization's previous actions in Libya.
Has Facebook dropped support for Chrome?
Has Facebook dropped support for Chrome?:
Chrome users are tweeting up a storm, linking a page that seems to indicate Facebook is no longer supporting Google’s browser.
In a page that some users say they getting on on Facebook’s Web site, the social network lists only three supported browsers: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox and Opera. I had no problems using Facebook on Chrome, but users are reporting that they are being directed to the page listing the three other browsers first before they are allowed to browse the site as they usually do.
Read full article >>
Chrome users are tweeting up a storm, linking a page that seems to indicate Facebook is no longer supporting Google’s browser.
In a page that some users say they getting on on Facebook’s Web site, the social network lists only three supported browsers: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox and Opera. I had no problems using Facebook on Chrome, but users are reporting that they are being directed to the page listing the three other browsers first before they are allowed to browse the site as they usually do.
Read full article >>
Egypt's infamous emergency law expires
Egypt's infamous emergency law expires:
CAIRO — Egypt’s infamous emergency law, which had given President Hosni Mubarak and his police forces vast authority to crack down on dissent, expired Thursday, and officials said they were disinclined to extend it.
Read full article >>
CAIRO — Egypt’s infamous emergency law, which had given President Hosni Mubarak and his police forces vast authority to crack down on dissent, expired Thursday, and officials said they were disinclined to extend it.
Read full article >>
Mexican youth protest in streets against corporate media and PRI candidate
Mexican youth protest in streets against corporate media and PRI candidate:
Compared with historic, brutal, high-stakes presidential elections here in the past, this has been an important but blah campaign season in Mexico. But recent protests by college students and other young people have added a spark.
Read full article >>
Compared with historic, brutal, high-stakes presidential elections here in the past, this has been an important but blah campaign season in Mexico. But recent protests by college students and other young people have added a spark.
Read full article >>
Mitt Romney mobilizes a diverse cast of surrogates to carry GOP message
Mitt Romney mobilizes a diverse cast of surrogates to carry GOP message:
Mitt Romney is mobilizing a fast-growing network of surrogates to help make his case with voters as his campaign begins to exert greater control over the GOP messaging operation.
Romney is relying on a diverse cast of politicians, business leaders, athletes and celebrities to court key groups of voters, including social conservatives, Hispanics and suburban women.
Read full article >>
Mitt Romney is mobilizing a fast-growing network of surrogates to help make his case with voters as his campaign begins to exert greater control over the GOP messaging operation.
Romney is relying on a diverse cast of politicians, business leaders, athletes and celebrities to court key groups of voters, including social conservatives, Hispanics and suburban women.
Read full article >>
Obama Ordered Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran
Obama Ordered Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran: Even after the Stuxnet computer worm became public, President Obama accelerated cyberattacks against Iran that had begun in the Bush administration, temporarily disabling 1,000 centrifuges.
Worst U.S. Job Data in a Year Signals Stalling Recovery
Worst U.S. Job Data in a Year Signals Stalling Recovery: Payroll growth that came in at less than half of what analysts had expected confirmed fears that the United States’s recovery has markedly slowed, adding to a global economic pall.
Nuns Speak About Vatican Criticism
Nuns Speak About Vatican Criticism: After being condemned as failing to uphold Catholic doctrine, the sisters are sending representatives to Rome to speak with Vatican officials.
Cambodia to Ask Met to Return 10th-Century Statues
Cambodia to Ask Met to Return 10th-Century Statues: The Cambodian government will ask the Metropolitan Museum of Art to return twin sandstone figures that were allegedly looted from a jungle temple.
Google Alerts Users to China's Web Blocks
Google Alerts Users to China's Web Blocks: Google has begun notifying users in China when they use search terms that can trigger China's Internet blocks, in its boldest challenge in two years to Beijing's efforts to restrict online content.
Indonesia's Bakries Seek Time to Handle Debts
Indonesia's Bakries Seek Time to Handle Debts: Indonesia's billionaire Bakrie family has asked for more time to decide what to do about its $440 million loan from a group of international lenders.
Marina Bay, Singapore’s Swanky Bayfront
Marina Bay, Singapore’s Swanky Bayfront:
By: Cher Tan
The name “Marina Bay” may be an anomaly of sorts – while it technically describes the body of water around the mouth of the Singapore River and blocked off from the sea by the Marina Barrage, it also encompasses the surrounding “Marina” areas, spanning bits of City Hall and the east of Shenton Way. Being Singapore’s newest district, Marina Bay is built on reclaimed land with the intention to combine business and pleasure, with swanky bayfront residences dotting the vicinity.
Marina Bay Singapore, By: Daran Kandasamy
Transportation to Marina Bay remains a little disjointed. The northern half is best accessed via the new Circle Line MRT where one can choose to alight at the Esplanade, Promenade, or Bayfront stations. The Marina Bay station on the North-South Line is not particularly convenient just yet as it is still pending development, but the Downtown Line is scheduled to open its Marina Bay stations in 2013.
The glitter & gold at Marina Bay Sands, By: Jiahui Huang
Singapore Flyer: Singapore’s newest tourist landmark, this 150-meter-tall observation wheel modelled on the London Eye is no less than the world’s tallest. One rotation takes about 30 minutes, and for an extra $22 you can sip on a cocktail while admiring the views, but expect to share your capsule with as many as 28 people unless you cough up a cool $1,000 for a private ride. 30 Raffles Ave, operates daily, 8.30AM-10.30PM, $29.50/$20.65 adult/child.
Singapore Flyer, By: Marina
ArtScience Museum: Part of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, it mainly hosts travelling international exhibitions – past exhibitions include Dali and Van Gogh. It is also the world’s first ArtScience museum and the largest private museum in Singapore. 10 Bayfront Ave, 10am-10pm daily, $30/$27/$17 adult/senior citizen/child.
Gluttons Bay: Run by famous foodies Makansutra, this outdoor eatery puts together 12 of Singapore’s most famous hawkers. Breezy location by the river, great views of the city and pretty good grub make this a winner. The food here is a tourist-friendly reproduction of some of Singapore’s best, though one can usually find better (and usually cheaper) versions in the heartlands. Perfect for if one is in the city late and peckish. Esplanade Mall #01-15, 6PM-3AM daily.
Gluttons Bay, By: Steve Brocklebank
By: Cher Tan
The name “Marina Bay” may be an anomaly of sorts – while it technically describes the body of water around the mouth of the Singapore River and blocked off from the sea by the Marina Barrage, it also encompasses the surrounding “Marina” areas, spanning bits of City Hall and the east of Shenton Way. Being Singapore’s newest district, Marina Bay is built on reclaimed land with the intention to combine business and pleasure, with swanky bayfront residences dotting the vicinity.
Marina Bay Singapore, By: Daran Kandasamy
Marina Bay: How to Get There
Transportation to Marina Bay remains a little disjointed. The northern half is best accessed via the new Circle Line MRT where one can choose to alight at the Esplanade, Promenade, or Bayfront stations. The Marina Bay station on the North-South Line is not particularly convenient just yet as it is still pending development, but the Downtown Line is scheduled to open its Marina Bay stations in 2013.Marina Bay Highlights off & on the Beaten Path:
Marina Bay Sands: One of the two integrated resorts to open in Singapore since the beginning of the decade, it is billed as the world’s most expensive standalone casino property. Boasting a 2,561-room hotel, a 1,300,000ft² convention-exhibition centre, the 800,000ft² mall, a museum, two large theatres, seven “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink, and the world’s largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines, it is also topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform. Visitors can enter for free, but locals and residents have to pay $100 to get in. These statistics not enough to convince? See it for yourself. 10 Bayfront Ave, open daily, 24 hours.
The glitter & gold at Marina Bay Sands, By: Jiahui Huang
Singapore Flyer: Singapore’s newest tourist landmark, this 150-meter-tall observation wheel modelled on the London Eye is no less than the world’s tallest. One rotation takes about 30 minutes, and for an extra $22 you can sip on a cocktail while admiring the views, but expect to share your capsule with as many as 28 people unless you cough up a cool $1,000 for a private ride. 30 Raffles Ave, operates daily, 8.30AM-10.30PM, $29.50/$20.65 adult/child.
Singapore Flyer, By: Marina
ArtScience Museum: Part of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, it mainly hosts travelling international exhibitions – past exhibitions include Dali and Van Gogh. It is also the world’s first ArtScience museum and the largest private museum in Singapore. 10 Bayfront Ave, 10am-10pm daily, $30/$27/$17 adult/senior citizen/child.
Gluttons Bay: Run by famous foodies Makansutra, this outdoor eatery puts together 12 of Singapore’s most famous hawkers. Breezy location by the river, great views of the city and pretty good grub make this a winner. The food here is a tourist-friendly reproduction of some of Singapore’s best, though one can usually find better (and usually cheaper) versions in the heartlands. Perfect for if one is in the city late and peckish. Esplanade Mall #01-15, 6PM-3AM daily.
Gluttons Bay, By: Steve Brocklebank
Thai 'yellow shirts' halt parliament debate
Thai 'yellow shirts' halt parliament debate: Protesters in Bangkok rally against proposed reconciliation bill that could see return of ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
HEALTH: Fighting non-communicable diseases
HEALTH: Fighting non-communicable diseases:
 | BANGKOK, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - The World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), aims to reduce preventable deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers, by 25 percent by 2025. |
AID POLICY: Making Muslim aid more effective
AID POLICY: Making Muslim aid more effective:
 | DUBAI, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - Between the foreign aid of oil-rich Gulf States and the billions of dollars spent by Muslims in “mandatory” alms and charity every year, the Muslim world is by all accounts a huge reservoir of potential in the world of aid funding. |
Analysis: A faith-based aid revolution in the Muslim world?
Analysis: A faith-based aid revolution in the Muslim world?:
 | DUBAI, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - Every year, somewhere between US$200 billion and $1 trillion are spent in “mandatory” alms and voluntary charity across the Muslim world, Islamic financial analysts estimate. |
CrisisWatch N° 106
CrisisWatch N° 106: Violence continued in Syria, with fears of sectarian conflict growing after 108 were killed in Houla during heavy regime shelling. Residents claimed that scores of women and children were massacred by pro-regime Alawite militiamen from nearby villages. A series of deadly bombings, blamed by the Assad regime on al-Qaeda, also rocked the country, including Damascus. UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Anan warned that Syria is at “tipping point”.
Call to Revamp Judiciary
Call to Revamp Judiciary:
A prominent opposition lawmaker in Cambodia has written to the Cambodian Supreme Court, accusing it of being a “tool” of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s political party and seeking new legislation to streamline legal procedures in the country.
In a copy of a letter obtained by RFA and addressed to Supreme Court President Dith Monty, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay requested that the nation’s highest legal institution draft a law to ensure that judicial officials be provided with an environment in which they can “work more effectively.”
“A [new] law on the status of judges and prosecutors will allow them to work in a more professional manner,” Son Chhay wrote.
“Without this law and a [new] law [streamlining] court procedures, we can’t accept court verdicts,” the letter said.
Son Chhay went on to call the court “a political tool for the ruling party,” the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), rendering it incapable of true judicial independence.
The opposition lawmaker also accused Dith Monty of ruling with a bias towards the CPP because he is a senior CPP official.
According to a document posted on the CPP’s website, Dith Monty is a member of the party’s permanent committee, while Supreme Court Deputy President Khim Ponn is a CCP central committee member.
“It’s hopeless when villagers have a case against CPP officials because some of the court officials are inevitably CPP members,” Son Chhat wrote.
“Can people involved in these cases honestly trust the court?” he asked.
Son Chhay said that he plans to raise his concerns with King Norodom Sihamoni and the Supreme Council of the Magistracy—the national body that regulates the Cambodia’s judiciary—for assistance in reforming the legal system.
Supreme Court officials have not yet responded to Son Chhay’s request.
Faulty system
Son Chhay’s letter came a week after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced 13 villagers from the city’s Boeung Kak Lake district to between one year and two and a half years in prison for “illegally encroaching on private property” after participating in a protest over a long-running forced eviction case.
The lawmaker said the case of the 13 women was improperly investigated and that the defendants had been refused the right to attorneys during their trial.
The letter also follows the Wednesday release of Leang Sokchouen, a former Takeo province staff member of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), from Kandal provincial prison after serving a two-year prison sentence for allegedly distributing anti-government leaflets.
After his arrest in May 2010, Sokchouen was originally convicted on charges of disinformation following a trial rights groups said had numerous procedural flaws.
In July 2011, an appeals court in Phnom Penh upheld Sokchouen’s two-year sentence while switching the charges against him from disinformation to incitement, without explanation.
The new charges, which rights groups say he did not have an opportunity to refute, were under a provision of a new criminal code that did not exist at the time of the offense.
Sokchouen had continued his appeal, and at a hearing on May 25, just five days before his scheduled release, Cambodia’s Supreme Court upheld the July 2011 verdict, in a move LICADHO called the “final rubber stamp on the outrageously flawed process.”
Law professor Sok Touch told RFA Thursday that Cambodia’s courts “cannot deliver justice” without true independence from the government.
“According to our constitution the court is independent, but when court officials are affiliated with a political party they cannot maintain their independence,” he said.
“If the judicial system fails to provide justice, the villagers won’t trust the courts. This will lead them to take other measures, such as setting roadblocks and other means of protest, or simply cause them to turn to prayer in an attempt to resolve their problems.”
In its 2011 Global Competitiveness Index, the World Economic Forum ranked Cambodia 96th out of 142 countries in terms of judicial independence, which measures the perceived extent in which the judiciary of a country is independent from influences of members of government, citizens, or firms.
The country received a score of 3.1 on a scale where 1 is considered “heavily influenced” and 7 is seen as “entirely independent.”
Reported by Den Ayuthya and Samean Yun for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A prominent opposition lawmaker in Cambodia has written to the Cambodian Supreme Court, accusing it of being a “tool” of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s political party and seeking new legislation to streamline legal procedures in the country.
In a copy of a letter obtained by RFA and addressed to Supreme Court President Dith Monty, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay requested that the nation’s highest legal institution draft a law to ensure that judicial officials be provided with an environment in which they can “work more effectively.”
“A [new] law on the status of judges and prosecutors will allow them to work in a more professional manner,” Son Chhay wrote.
“Without this law and a [new] law [streamlining] court procedures, we can’t accept court verdicts,” the letter said.
Son Chhay went on to call the court “a political tool for the ruling party,” the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), rendering it incapable of true judicial independence.
The opposition lawmaker also accused Dith Monty of ruling with a bias towards the CPP because he is a senior CPP official.
According to a document posted on the CPP’s website, Dith Monty is a member of the party’s permanent committee, while Supreme Court Deputy President Khim Ponn is a CCP central committee member.
“It’s hopeless when villagers have a case against CPP officials because some of the court officials are inevitably CPP members,” Son Chhat wrote.
“Can people involved in these cases honestly trust the court?” he asked.
Son Chhay said that he plans to raise his concerns with King Norodom Sihamoni and the Supreme Council of the Magistracy—the national body that regulates the Cambodia’s judiciary—for assistance in reforming the legal system.
Supreme Court officials have not yet responded to Son Chhay’s request.
Faulty system
Son Chhay’s letter came a week after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced 13 villagers from the city’s Boeung Kak Lake district to between one year and two and a half years in prison for “illegally encroaching on private property” after participating in a protest over a long-running forced eviction case.
The lawmaker said the case of the 13 women was improperly investigated and that the defendants had been refused the right to attorneys during their trial.
The letter also follows the Wednesday release of Leang Sokchouen, a former Takeo province staff member of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), from Kandal provincial prison after serving a two-year prison sentence for allegedly distributing anti-government leaflets.
After his arrest in May 2010, Sokchouen was originally convicted on charges of disinformation following a trial rights groups said had numerous procedural flaws.
In July 2011, an appeals court in Phnom Penh upheld Sokchouen’s two-year sentence while switching the charges against him from disinformation to incitement, without explanation.
The new charges, which rights groups say he did not have an opportunity to refute, were under a provision of a new criminal code that did not exist at the time of the offense.
Sokchouen had continued his appeal, and at a hearing on May 25, just five days before his scheduled release, Cambodia’s Supreme Court upheld the July 2011 verdict, in a move LICADHO called the “final rubber stamp on the outrageously flawed process.”
Law professor Sok Touch told RFA Thursday that Cambodia’s courts “cannot deliver justice” without true independence from the government.
“According to our constitution the court is independent, but when court officials are affiliated with a political party they cannot maintain their independence,” he said.
“If the judicial system fails to provide justice, the villagers won’t trust the courts. This will lead them to take other measures, such as setting roadblocks and other means of protest, or simply cause them to turn to prayer in an attempt to resolve their problems.”
In its 2011 Global Competitiveness Index, the World Economic Forum ranked Cambodia 96th out of 142 countries in terms of judicial independence, which measures the perceived extent in which the judiciary of a country is independent from influences of members of government, citizens, or firms.
The country received a score of 3.1 on a scale where 1 is considered “heavily influenced” and 7 is seen as “entirely independent.”
Reported by Den Ayuthya and Samean Yun for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Freeze in Urban Land Concessions
Freeze in Urban Land Concessions:
Laos has suspended land concessions in tourism-driven Xiangkhoang province's towns even though nearly all the land in them has already been taken up for development, as the country rapidly exploits natural resources through foreign investments, officials said.
The province, home of the famous Plain of Jars archeological site, has over the past three years given many land concessions to foreign investors for carrying out development projects.
In the province’s urban areas, there is little land that has not been granted away, an official said.
“There is no more land in the towns, no more land for concessions. There’s nothing left,” a provincial official told RFA Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Xiangkhoang is mostly a rural province, with a population of about 37,000 in its biggest city, the tourism hub of Phonsavan, but under Laos’s land classification system, towns in the province count as urban land.
The official said that the Lao government has ordered concessions suspended in Xiangkhoang’s towns but that there is still plenty of land available in rural areas.
Laos, one of the least developed Southeast Asian states, has become the subject of massive foreign investment, especially from companies from neighboring China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Much of Laos’s economic growth has come from land concessions for natural resources—including timber, agricultural products, minerals, and energy—but some worry that it comes at a cost for those who lose their land.
'Both good and bad'
Since all the land in Laos is owned by the state, residents can be forced off their land with little compensation as they are pushed out to make room for development projects.
“Land concessions are both good and bad; they’re good because they allow the economy to grow fast, but bad because they takes over people’s land,” the Xiangkhoang official said.
In the Lao capital, Vientiane, which is about five times as big as Phonsavan and where authorities are implementing a new city development plan to accommodate the expanding population, real estate prices have soared as investors buy of land for resale.
Anticipating higher values, they are scrambling to buy up areas of Vientiane where the government has planned to build new road and satellite cities, residents say.
Nationwide, Laos had at least 2,000 land concession projects in 2009, although many of them have not yet been developed, the Vientiane Times said.
The Lao government has considered suspending mining and land concessions several times in the past five years, but so far has not put the policy into practice, the newspaper said.
Reported by RFA’s Lao service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Laos has suspended land concessions in tourism-driven Xiangkhoang province's towns even though nearly all the land in them has already been taken up for development, as the country rapidly exploits natural resources through foreign investments, officials said.
The province, home of the famous Plain of Jars archeological site, has over the past three years given many land concessions to foreign investors for carrying out development projects.
In the province’s urban areas, there is little land that has not been granted away, an official said.
“There is no more land in the towns, no more land for concessions. There’s nothing left,” a provincial official told RFA Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Xiangkhoang is mostly a rural province, with a population of about 37,000 in its biggest city, the tourism hub of Phonsavan, but under Laos’s land classification system, towns in the province count as urban land.
The official said that the Lao government has ordered concessions suspended in Xiangkhoang’s towns but that there is still plenty of land available in rural areas.
Laos, one of the least developed Southeast Asian states, has become the subject of massive foreign investment, especially from companies from neighboring China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Much of Laos’s economic growth has come from land concessions for natural resources—including timber, agricultural products, minerals, and energy—but some worry that it comes at a cost for those who lose their land.
'Both good and bad'
Since all the land in Laos is owned by the state, residents can be forced off their land with little compensation as they are pushed out to make room for development projects.
“Land concessions are both good and bad; they’re good because they allow the economy to grow fast, but bad because they takes over people’s land,” the Xiangkhoang official said.
In the Lao capital, Vientiane, which is about five times as big as Phonsavan and where authorities are implementing a new city development plan to accommodate the expanding population, real estate prices have soared as investors buy of land for resale.
Anticipating higher values, they are scrambling to buy up areas of Vientiane where the government has planned to build new road and satellite cities, residents say.
Nationwide, Laos had at least 2,000 land concession projects in 2009, although many of them have not yet been developed, the Vientiane Times said.
The Lao government has considered suspending mining and land concessions several times in the past five years, but so far has not put the policy into practice, the newspaper said.
Reported by RFA’s Lao service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
'I Have Taught Three Generations'
'I Have Taught Three Generations':
The Chinese American community of San Francisco recently honored veteran teacher Mei-ling Chan, who received a lifelong service award from the city government. Chan arrived in the U.S. at the age of 18 after her mother's marriage to a U.S. citizen, who later died suddenly of illness. Chan, who had been educated in English-language Hong Kong schools, soon set to work helping other newly arrived immigrants from China. She has taught new immigrants English in the same school for four decades.
She told RFA's Cantonese service about her life in America, helping new immigrants to find their feet:
When I was a kid, I saw a lot of injustice. There were servants in our house in Hong Kong, but I never treated them like servants. They were my aunties. I learned to cook from them and to do housework. I always felt compassion for people in poverty and wondered why no one would help them. I would get mad at the rich people for the way they made the poor suffer and then they wouldn't help them. I have had these thoughts from a very young age.
When [I arrived in the U.S.] I knew English, because I had gone to an English school. We were given a lot of trouble by the immigration department, so that our first six months were very uncertain. We were like refugees. My first job was teaching the new immigrants. I made up my mind that I would help them in future.
At first, my level of Chinese wasn't very good and I couldn't even use verbs and nouns properly. Later the students taught me, so they became my teachers. I was their teacher, too. We helped each other, so I learned a lot more Chinese.
That year, I just taught English spelling, which gave me a very good basis upon which to build, and I was able to develop a number of methods for teaching English to newly arrived immigrants. These methods were very well-suited to them. People have been finding them useful from primary school up to university, since 1971.
The kids [I taught] were all immigrants, and they lived a pretty unstable existence, particularly because their parents couldn't understand any English. They were very needy, so I was able to help these students by teaching them to read and to get used to life in America. I would often help out the parents privately if I heard there was something they needed. I am very happy to have had this opportunity. There are some families in which I have taught three generations.
The hardest thing for me has been how to use the very best methods to help people to get used to their surroundings in the space of a year, so as to go on and achieve success at other schools. A lot of the time we have to start with English letters. At the beginning, we spend a lot of time teaching them independence.
Some of them don't even have a basic level [of English] when they come into my class. I often challenge my students. I don't use traditional teaching techniques. I will tell them to ask me questions, and any questions I can't answer, they get points for. I encourage them.
I may be a teacher, but I still learn something new every day.
Reported by Li Li for RFA's Cantonese service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
The Chinese American community of San Francisco recently honored veteran teacher Mei-ling Chan, who received a lifelong service award from the city government. Chan arrived in the U.S. at the age of 18 after her mother's marriage to a U.S. citizen, who later died suddenly of illness. Chan, who had been educated in English-language Hong Kong schools, soon set to work helping other newly arrived immigrants from China. She has taught new immigrants English in the same school for four decades.
She told RFA's Cantonese service about her life in America, helping new immigrants to find their feet:
When I was a kid, I saw a lot of injustice. There were servants in our house in Hong Kong, but I never treated them like servants. They were my aunties. I learned to cook from them and to do housework. I always felt compassion for people in poverty and wondered why no one would help them. I would get mad at the rich people for the way they made the poor suffer and then they wouldn't help them. I have had these thoughts from a very young age.
When [I arrived in the U.S.] I knew English, because I had gone to an English school. We were given a lot of trouble by the immigration department, so that our first six months were very uncertain. We were like refugees. My first job was teaching the new immigrants. I made up my mind that I would help them in future.
At first, my level of Chinese wasn't very good and I couldn't even use verbs and nouns properly. Later the students taught me, so they became my teachers. I was their teacher, too. We helped each other, so I learned a lot more Chinese.
That year, I just taught English spelling, which gave me a very good basis upon which to build, and I was able to develop a number of methods for teaching English to newly arrived immigrants. These methods were very well-suited to them. People have been finding them useful from primary school up to university, since 1971.
The kids [I taught] were all immigrants, and they lived a pretty unstable existence, particularly because their parents couldn't understand any English. They were very needy, so I was able to help these students by teaching them to read and to get used to life in America. I would often help out the parents privately if I heard there was something they needed. I am very happy to have had this opportunity. There are some families in which I have taught three generations.
The hardest thing for me has been how to use the very best methods to help people to get used to their surroundings in the space of a year, so as to go on and achieve success at other schools. A lot of the time we have to start with English letters. At the beginning, we spend a lot of time teaching them independence.
Some of them don't even have a basic level [of English] when they come into my class. I often challenge my students. I don't use traditional teaching techniques. I will tell them to ask me questions, and any questions I can't answer, they get points for. I encourage them.
I may be a teacher, but I still learn something new every day.
Reported by Li Li for RFA's Cantonese service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
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