Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Opposition Worries Japan Disaster Could Hurt Aid Money
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Opposition leaders say Japan’s earthquake and tsunami woes will affect aid coming to Cambodia in future years, underscoring the importance of economic independence.
Washington, DC Wednesday, 16 March 2011
“In following years, I am sure it will be cut.”
Opposition leaders say Japan’s earthquake and tsunami woes will affect aid coming to Cambodia in future years, underscoring the importance of economic independence.The Japanese government said this week the disaster would not affect its aid to Cambodia, signing a $94 million aid package on Tuesday.
However, following the devastating tsunami in Japan on Friday, opposition officials said Tuesday they were concerned one of Cambodia’s largest donors will not be able to sustain its level of aid.
“We face difficulties exporting our goods abroad,” opposition leader Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer. “And countries that usually give much aid to this country, when they face a problem like Japan is today, they clearly reduce their assistance to us.”
Japan has been one of Cambodia’s largest donors, giving nearly $2 billion in aid packages since 1992. Cambodia relies on about $1 billion in aid annually to support its budget.
Kem Sokha, head of the minority oppsotion Human Rights Party, said that even if the Japanese government continued its aid for the near future, it will need to save money for its own rehabilitation after the tsunami.
“In following years, I am sure it will be cut,” he said. “That’s first. Secondly, relating to some goods that are imported from Japan, this can raise the prices, because Japan will stop producing them, such as some cars.”
In light of the potential loss of funding, both party leaders urged the government to promote Cambodia’s economic growth to move away from its dependency on aid money.
“I would say the government should consider issues of finding economic income on its own, such as beneficial investments,” Kem Sokha said. “Don’t [let] all the benefits go only to powerful, big businessmen. Allow much of the benefit to go to the nation, such as in effective tax collection.”
Sam Rainsy said the government should follow the examples of neighboring countries that have stopped taking external assistance, “to properly prepare the economy by way of progress.”
“Then we surely will not completely depend on foreign aid, like today,” he said.
Lakeside villagers speak out
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| Tep Vanny, a representative for Boeung Kak lake residents, addresses a crowd yesterday at the home of another community leader. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan) |
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Boeung Kak lake residents spoke out against government officials who accused them of living on state land illegally, during a press conference yesterday in Daun Penh’s Srah Chak commune.
“If they accuse us of being thieves, what are government officials and local authorities who issued legal letters to us?” Ly Mom, a representative for Boeung Kak residents, said yesterday during a press conference in Village 24 of Srah Chak commune.
Sia Phearum, secretariat director of the local NGO Housing Rights Task Force, said yesterday that if government officials accused residents of being thieves who stole state land as they have alleged, “this language is shameful and they are not suited to be leaders … and this is not a resolution”.
Nun Pheany, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, said yesterday that she had not personally stated that Boeung Kak residents were living illegally on the disputed land.
Nun Pheany and Sar Sovann, director of the Land Management and Administration Project, were accused of alleging villagers were living on stolen land by representative at the press conference.
She added that the development of the Boeung Kak area is within the framework of the LMAP and that the World Bank’s recent criticism of the project incorrectly connected it to land disputes with Boeung Kak villagers.
“LMAP is not relevant to the villagers of Boeung Kak area because we took it out of the project because it was a disputed area,” she said, adding that the dispute arose after officials from Phnom Penh Municipal Hall and Daun Penh district accused the villagers of living on the land illegally.
“However, so far we haven’t registered land for any parties until the dispute is successfully resolved.”
Illegal Detention of Workers in Phnom Penh- Day One
March 15, 2011
Originally posted at: http://sochua.wordpress.com
We were granted permission to speak with about 100 of the trainees at T&P, after being informed that the military police had already interviewed five women who are requesting help to leave. Thirty trainees share a 4mx6m room, on three floors. Under-aged trainees are kept in a separate room on the 3rd floor. Many of these companies prey on women in rural areas who are unaware of their rights.
Originally posted at: http://sochua.wordpress.com
On Sunday, March 6, Sing Sina, a 35 year-old woman died at T&P Recruitment Agency from a heart attack, according to the police. However, locals remain skeptical. Since then, more and more women have come forward asking for help to be released from T&P, a recruitment agency that trains women to work in Malaysia.
Women are being detained illegally. Children are not allowed to see their mothers. And two weeks after Sina’s death, another woman leapt from the third floor of the T&P building to try and escape, breaking her ankle and heel.
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| Outside T&P Recruitment Agency |
Hearing this news, I joined other SRP members on Thursday, March 10, to Sen Sok district in Phnom Penh to begin investigating T&P recruitment agency where 23 year-old Srun Chan Nang, a maid trainee was being held against her will.
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| Speaking with the families outside T&P employment agency training center |
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| Being denied entrance inside training center |
Without her mother present, they denied her release. Local authorities and police ignored the law that forbids detention against one’s will. Furthermore, local authorities accepted the company’s practice of debts and the charges for food, lodging and extra fees.
