Wednesday, October 12, 2016

អ្នក​ធ្វើ​រូប​សំណាក​លោក​ កែម ​ឡី បារម្ភ​ពី​សុវត្ថិភាព



អ្នក​ធ្វើ​រូប​សំណាក​លោក​ កែម ​ឡី បារម្ភ​ពី​សុវត្ថិភាព

លោក សៀន កាម៉ង់ដង់​ និង​រូប​សំណាក​ បណ្ឌិត កែម ឡី ដែល​​លោក​បាន​ធ្វើ​​​។ រូបថត ហ្វេសប៊ុក


កំពង់ស្ពឺៈ ជាង​ចម្លាក់​ដែល​​ជា​អ្នក​ធ្វើ​រូប​សំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី បាន​សម្តែង​ការ​ព្រួយបារម្ភ​ពី​​សុវត្ថិភាព​ផ្ទាល់​ខ្លួន​ក៏​ដូចជា​កូន​ជាង​របស់​ខ្លួន​បន្ទាប់ពី​មាន​មនុស្ស​មិន​ស្គាល់​មុខ​ជាច្រើន​បាន​ចេញ​ចូល​មើល​រូប​សំណាក​នេះ​ហើយ​តាម​សួរ​រក​រូប​លោក​ និង​ខណៈ​​ដែល​អាជ្ញាធរ​រាជធានី​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​រៀបចំ​ពិធី​បុណ្យ​ ១០០ ​ថ្ងៃ​នៅ​វត្តចាស់​សម្រាប់​អ្នក​វិភាគ​ល្បី​ឈ្មោះ​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​បាញ់​សម្លាប់​​ទាំង​កណ្តាល​ថ្ងៃ​នៅ​កណ្តាល​ទីក្រុង​​រូប​នេះ។

លោក សៀន កាម៉ង់ដង់ ជា​អ្នក​​ធ្វើ​​រូប​សំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី ​បាន​ប្រគល់​រូប​សំណាក​ដែល​ធ្វើ​រួច​ហើយ​នេះ​ទៅ​គណៈកម្មការ​បុណ្យ​សព​តាំងពី​​សប្តាហ៍​មុន​ប៉ុន្តែ​​រូប​សំណាក​នេះ​មិន​ទាន់​ត្រូវ​បាន​យក​ចេញ​នៅ​ឡើយ។

លោក​បន្ត​ថា​ក្រោយពី​ប្រកាស​ថា​រូប​សំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី បាន​សាងសង់​រួច​មាន​មនុស្ស​ជាច្រើន​បាន​ចូល​មក​ទស្សនា​រូបសំណាក​នេះ​ដែល​​​មនុស្ស​ភាគច្រើន​លោក​មិន​បាន​ស្គាល់​នោះ​​ទេ​ដែល​លោក​ថា​ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​លោក​បារម្ភ​ពី​សុវត្ថិភាព​ខណៈ​​ដែល​កម្មវិធី​បុណ្យ​ ១០០ ​ថ្ងៃ​លោក កែម ឡី កំពុង​ស្ថិត​ក្នុង​ភាព​ចម្រូង​ចម្រាស។
លោក​ថា​៖ ​«ម្សិលមិញ​អ្នក​ធ្វើការ​នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ​បាន​មក​ជួប​ខ្ញុំ តាមពិត​ទៅ​ក៏​មាន​បញ្ហា​ជាច្រើន​ដែល​មាន​គេ​ទាមទារ​រក​រូប​ខ្ញុំ​ ...អ៊ីចឹង​បាន​ន័យ​ថា​រូប​ខ្ញុំ​ជា​មុខ​សញ្ញា​មួយ...​ឥឡូវ​ហ្នឹង​បញ្ហា​សុវត្ថិភាព​ជា​ចម្បង​ហើយ​ពិសេស​ប្អូនៗ​ខ្ញុំ​បើ​តែ​ខ្ញុំ​មិន​ខ្លាច​ទេ​ព្រោះ​​អី​ខ្ញុំ​អត់​ធ្វើ​​អី​ខុស»។​

លោក កាម៉ង់ដង់ ​ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ទៀត​ថា​លោក​​កំពុង​ទាក់ទង​គណៈកម្មការ​បុណ្យ​ដើម្បី​ឲ្យ​មក​ទទួល​រូប​​សំណាក​នេះ​ឲ្យ​បាន​ឆាប់​។

លោក​បន្ត​ថា៖ «ខ្ញុំ​បារម្ភ​ពី​សុវត្ថិភាព​គ្រប់​យ៉ាង​សូម្បី​តែ​វត្តចាស់​ក៏​គេ​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​ (ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ) អ៊ីចឹង​រូប​សំណាក​ដែល​មាន​ហើយ​វា​អាច​ប៉ះពាល់​​ច្រើន...​ខ្ញុំ​កំពុង​តែ​ទាក់ទង​ទៅ​គាត់​ឲ្យ​មក​យក​មុន​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ១៣ ដើម្បី​ឲ្យ​វា​ផុត​ព្រោះ​យើង​ធ្វើ​កិច្ចការ​នេះ​មិន​បាន​អ្វី​ទាំងអស់​តែ​បែរ​ជា​ភិតភ័យ»។

ទាក់ទង​នឹង​ការ​ដែល​អាច​យក​រូប​សំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី ចេញ​ពី​ស្រុក​ឧដុង្គ​មុន​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​ ១៣ នេះ​សមាជិក​គណៈកម្មការ​​បុណ្យ​សព​លោក កែម ឡី ព្រះតេជគុណ ប៊ុត ប៊ុនតិញ មាន​សង្ឃដីកា​ថា​ព្រះអង្គ​មិន​ទាន់​អាច​ថា​យ៉ាង​ម៉េច​បាន​ទេ​ដោយ​​​ត្រូវ​រង់ចាំ​ពិភាក្សា​ជាមួយ​សមាជិក​គណៈកម្មការ​ដទៃ​ទៀត​ជាមុន​សិន។​ «ចាំ​មើល​ស្ថានភាព​យើង​ទៅ​ដឹក​ចេញ​មក​បើ​ស្ថានភាព​តានតឹង​បើ​ថា​វា​តានតឹង​មាន​តែ​យើង​ទៅ​ហែ​មក...​ត្រូវ​តែ​ពិភាក្សា​គ្នា​ព្រោះ​អាហ្នឹង​វា​ជា​កិច្ចការ​រួម​អាត្មា​មិន​ទាន់​ហ៊ាន​សម្រេច​ថា​ទៅ​ហែ​មក​ ឬ​ដឹក​មក​ស្ងាត់ៗ​ណា»។​

ព្រះអង្គ​ ប៊ុនតិញ ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ដែរ​ថា​រហូត​មក​ដល់​ពេល​នេះ​​គណៈកម្មការ​បុណ្យ​នៅ​រក្សា​ជំហរ​រៀបចំ​បុណ្យ​ ១០០ ​ថ្ងៃ​លោក កែម ឡី​ នៅ​វត្ត​ចាស់​ដដែល​បើ​ទោះបី​ជា​សាលា​រាជធានី និង​ព្រះគ្រូ​ចៅអធិការ​វត្តចាស់​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​ធ្វើ​ក៏ដោយ។

ទោះ​យ៉ាង​ណា​ព្រះអង្គ​ថា​គណៈកម្មការ​នៅ​តែ​​ព្យាយាម​ទាក់ទង​សាលា​រាជធានី​​ដើម្បី​សុំ​ការ​អនុញ្ញាត​ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ និង​កំណត់​ផ្លូវ​ហែ​រូប​សំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី នេះ​។

បើ​តាម​គម្រោង​ព្រះអង្គ​ថា​រូបសំណាក​លោក កែម ឡី នឹង​ត្រូវ​ដង្ហែ​ពី​ឧដុង្គ​មក​កាន់​វត្តចាស់​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​ ១៣ តុលា​នេះ​មក​តម្កល់​ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ​នៅ​វត្តចាស់​តែ​មិន​មែន​ជា​ការ​ធ្វើ​ពិធី​អ្វី​នោះ​ទេ​ហើយ​​នៅ​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​ ១៦ ​នឹង​មាន​ពិធី​ហែ​រូប​សំណាក​នេះ​ទៅ​កាន់​ផ្ទះ​លោក កែម ឡី ក្នុង​ខេត្ត​តាកែវ។

កាលពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​ ១០ ខែ​តុលា​ព្រះចៅ​អធិការ​វត្តចាស់​បាន​ចេញ​សេចក្តី​ជូន​ដំណឹង​មួយ​ថា​ព្រះអង្គ​នឹង​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​រៀបចំ​ពិធី​បុណ្យ ១០០ ​ថ្ងៃ​សព​លោក​ កែម ឡី​ នោះ​ទេ​ដោយ​​ថា​ព្រះអង្គ​​នឹង​ស្នើ​ទៅ​កាន់​អាជ្ញាធរ​ចាត់​វិធានការ​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ច្បាប់។ សមាជិក​គណៈកម្មការ​បុណ្យ​សព​លោក កែម ឡី លោក ប៉ា ងួនទៀង ថ្លែង​ថា​ព្រះចៅ​អធិការ​វត្ត​នេះ​​អាច​រង​ការ​គំរាម​កំហែង​ណា​មួយ​បាន​ជា​លោក​មិន​អនុញ្ញាត​បែប​នេះ។

សាលា​រាជធានី​​កាលពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​ ៧​​ ខែ​តុលា​ក៏​បាន​បដិសេធ​ចំពោះ​សំណើ​សុំ​ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ​ ១០០ ថ្ងៃ​​នេះ​ផង​ដែរ និង​បាន​ណែនាំ​ឲ្យ​គណៈកម្មការ​ទៅ​ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ​នៅ​​ស្រុក​កំណើត​លោក​ កែម ឡី នៅ​ខេត្ត​តាកែវ​វិញ៕

សាលា​រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ​យល់ព្រម​ឲ្យ​ធ្វើ​បុណ្យ​ខួប​១០០​ថ្ងៃ​បណ្ឌិត កែម ឡី

Ministry warns of flooding

Ministry warns of flooding

A woman does her laundry in knee-deep water yesterday in Phnom Penh’s Choeung Ek commune. Pha Lina


The Ministry of Water Resources yesterday appealed to people living in the central lowlands and coastal areas to be prepared for flooding caused by tropical storm Aere, warning them that flooding could be even worse than usual.

According to the ministry’s weather forecast, heavy rains will continue to fall nationwide from today to Sunday and new floods are expected in the capital and multiple provinces.

“This week, some central lowland areas and plateaus might face worse flooding than in the past, so the people have to be prepared,” the ministry report said.

Hundreds of families living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh are already experiencing serious flooding. Mean Chanyada, City Hall administrative director, yesterday called on people living in the flooded areas to be patient and to work with authorities.

He also asked them to help remove waste and soil from blocked drainage points to improve water flow.

“At this moment, Phnom Penh Municipal Hall and involved authorities are dredging some canal systems to ease the water flow,” he added.

Keo Vy, spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, said that he has not yet received any report about the extent of damage to homes and farmland, but said the flooding had not gotten to a point that warranted displacing people.

“The situation is not serious enough to have to evacuate people to the safe hill,” he said.

Ley Funeral Committee to Defy Ban

Ley Funeral Committee to Defy Ban

Monks and people pray over Kem Ley's body before his funeral. KT/Chor Sokunthea
 Thursday, 13 October 2016

Organizers of the funeral committee for murdered political analyst Kem Ley have refused to back down from their wish to hold his 100-day ceremony at Wat Chas pagoda in Phnom Penh, despite notices from City Hall and the pagoda’s chief monk telling the group to find another place to hold the event.

The 100-day funeral ceremony – planned for October 14 to 17 – was due to be held at Wat Chas after weeks of back and forth between the funeral committee, City Hall and a variety of pagodas across Phnom Penh.

Organizers initially wanted to hold the ceremony in Wat Botum park, but City Hall refused to allow them to use the area.

The group then chose Wat Chas pagoda, as it was a place Mr. Ley attended on a frequent basis. But City Hall again refused to allow the committee to hold the event there and put pressure on the head monk to back City Hall’s pronouncement, telling local media outlets that the committee was attempting to turn the funeral into a protest against the government.

In a letter sent out on Monday, Wat Chas pagoda chief Venerable Meas Sakhorn said the pagoda could not hold the funeral ceremony and could not get involved in its planning out of a fear of retribution from City Hall.

“I am Wat Chas’ pagoda chief and I agree with the notice from the Phnom Penh City Hall administration which does not allow the pagoda to be a location to organize the ceremony,” the Venerable Sakhorn said.

“In case the committee or any individuals and groups still organize Dr. Kem Ley’s 100-day ceremony in the pagoda, the pagoda chief is not responsible and will let the authorities proceed with administrative measures.”

But the Venerable But Buntenh, a member of the funeral committee, said they would still advocate for the Chroy Changvar district pagoda to be used for the ceremony, despite the appeals from City Hall and the pagoda chief.

“Wat Chas pagoda is a suitable location for the ceremony because Kem Ley used to celebrate there,” he said.

Regardless of the place, Mr. Ley’s 100-day funeral ceremony will start in Phnom Penh and in Tram Kak district in Takeo province on Friday.

The government’s refusal to honor the murdered academic’s death and their de facto ban on any celebrations of his life other than the initial funeral ceremony – which was watched over by heavily armed soldiers and military units – have lent credence to claims by government critics that they were complicit in Mr. Ley’s murder.

Members of Mr. Ley’s family and the funeral committee have also tried to put a statue of him in a variety of locations across Phnom Penh, but have met stiff resistance from City Hall.

City Hall officials claim Mr. Ley did not do enough to warrant a statue and several army-backed groups protested against a potential statue placement in Freedom Park.

Mr. Ley’s wife, Bou Rachana, has not escaped government attention either. She gave birth to their fifth son last week, yet was summoned by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for questioning in the case around Mr. Ley’s murder only a day later.

Ms. Rachana fled the country with the couple’s four sons in August out of fears for her safety.

She slammed the government’s decision on Sunday and said she was disappointed in the city’s vehement opposition to their ceremony. But she implored Cambodians to turn out and celebrate her husband’s life.

“I am Bou Rachana and I would like to invite national and international citizens, excellences, intellectuals, students and youth from far away. I really regret that I can’t attend my husband’s 100-day funeral ceremony because I have just given birth and cannot travel long distances,” she said.

Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mr. Ley was shot twice while reading a newspaper at a Caltex gas station café in Phnom Penh on July 10. The alleged killer, Eurth Ang, was caught minutes after the shooting, but after nearly three months, little to no information about the motive behind the killing has been released by police.

Police have refused to release security camera footage from the Caltex station which shows the shooting, leading to claims of either government mismanagement of the case or government involvement in the assassination.

Many local and international groups and leaders – including opposition leader Sam Rainsy – have criticized the government for the slow pace of the investigation and called for an independent inquiry to be held in conjunction with a variety of groups outside the government to ensure transparency.

The government has dismissed these suggestions, telling reporters that the case was proceeding normally.

City grants approval for Kem Ley’s 100-day ceremony


October 13, 2016

City grants approval for Kem Ley’s 100-day ceremony

Workers erect marquees yesterday afternoon at Wat Chas pagoda in preparation for an event to mark 100 days since Kem Ley’s death. Pha Lina


Thu, 13 October 2016

After a weeklong standoff between authorities and the organisers of a Friday-to-Sunday ceremony marking 100 days since the murder of outspoken political analyst Kem Ley, Phnom Penh City Hall yesterday granted permission for the event to go ahead.

The committee organising the ceremony initially asked to hold it in the centrally located Wat Botum park last week, but later asked to hold it at Wat Chas on the Chroy Changvar peninsula, where Ley’s wake and funeral were hosted after he was shot dead on July 10.

However, authorities on Friday also rejected that request, and the pagoda’s abbot told the committee he could not support a banned ceremony. Yesterday, a meeting between committee member But Buntenh and City Hall officials overturned that decision.

“The committee and City Hall agreed, and we can continue with the funeral at Wat Chas as usual and as planned,” said Buntenh, a dissident monk who heads the Independent Monk Network for Social justice and was a close friend of Ley.

Buntenh said Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong personally approved the request after coming to “understand the aims of the funeral”. Deputy Governor Khuong Sreng had said on Sunday the ceremony might be an effort to cheat money from mourners.

City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada said the ban had been overturned because the committee had better explained what it intended to do at Wat Chas, and proved it had permission from Ley’s family.

“If they wanted to hold a normal funeral, City Hall would never have denied them,” the spokesman said. “At first, the committee did not present themselves clearly . . . But now everything is clear, so we have allowed them to hold the funeral ceremony.”

A statue of Ley will be placed at Wat Chas over the three days of the ceremony, and on Sunday it will be marched to his home in Takeo province, with Buntenh saying the committee had agreed with City Hall to manage the procession in an orderly manner

ASEAN centre to tackle animal-borne illnesses

ASEAN centre to tackle animal-borne illnesses

A man lies in a bed next to medical equipment earlier this year at the Khmer Soviet Hospital after contracting H1N1. Photo supplied

Thu, 13 October 2016

Cambodia joined other Southeast Asian countries earlier this week in a commitment to establish a new ASEAN centre to tackle diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, for which exposure is common in the Kingdom’s rural areas.

The animal health centre is estimated to run at an annual cost of about $350,000, which will be divided among the 10 participating countries, including Cambodia, said Kachen Wongsathapornchai, an official with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Thailand.

“It is good to have an animal health centre with proper [disease] prevention for animals,” said Ministry of Health spokesman Ly Sovann, who is also the director of the Communicable Diseases Department.

“It could eliminate zoonotic diseases, such as avian influenza … [and] rabies that could be transmitted to humans.”

Cambodia saw its first fatality from H1N1, or swine flu, earlier this year, though it has seen large outbreaks in the past. Avian flu is also prevalent in poultry in Cambodia, though the last human avian flu case was reported in 2014. The kingdom has reported 42 avian influenza outbreaks among poultry, but only 56 human cases since 2004.

The ASEAN centre is expected to be operational by late 2017, Wongsathapornchai said. The centre will be hosted on a rotating basis, first by Malaysia from 2017 to 2020, followed by Thailand for the next four years, after which other ASEAN countries will be eligible to host.

Meat seized; sellers flee from Stung Treng market


October 13, 2016

Meat seized; sellers flee from Stung Treng market

Illegal wildlife meat sits on the ground in Stung Treng province yesterday after it was seized during a raid on a local market. National Police
Thu, 13 October 2016

Local authorities confiscated more than 30 kilograms of rare wildlife meat being illegally sold yesterday during a second raid in eight days at a market in Stung Treng province, though once again, no arrests were made.

The Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT), along with national military police, raided the market, seizing 32 kilograms of fresh wild pig and red muntjac – a type of deer – found lying on the ground and for sale in a few stalls, said WRRT team chief Vuthy Ravong.

However, no one claimed to be the owners of it, he said. “We seized it from a few stalls, but we didn’t see any sellers,” he said. “The wildlife meat had been sold at the same place.”

Last Wednesday, officials from the Forestry Administration raided the same location, where they confiscated about 200 kilograms of meat and live animals, though the female sellers managed to escape.

During last week’s inspection, meat from several protected species, such as wild pig, red deer, porcupine and loris were seized, as well as two live tortoises and 10 iguanas.

A similar raid on the illegal trade took place at Banlung market in Ratanakkiri province yesterday, but no wildlife meat was found there, Ravong said.

Wild meats are sold at the markets because some Cambodians don’t have the knowledge to distinguish protected species and others like to eat it, Ravong said.

Eng Hy, spokesman with the National Military Police, and Cheang Yodung, deputy director of provincial Forestry Administration, both said they were unaware of the raids.

Eleven injured in yet another worker crash


October 13, 2016

Eleven injured in yet another worker crash

A garment worker lies down at a hospital in Kampong Speu province yesterday after she was involved in a traffic accident. Photo supplied

Thu, 13 October 2016

In the second such crash in as many days, 11 garment workers were injured yesterday when two trucks carrying about 60 workers collided with each other in Kampong Speu province’s Chbar Mon district.

Yesterday’s incident in Rakar Thom commune was caused when one of the trucks, which was speeding, crashed into the rear of the other, said Meas Sern, chief of traffic police for the district.

“The second truck was driving very fast and then crashed into the first one, injuring 11 workers,” he said. Sern said that the driver of the speeding truck was at fault and that he had been trying to “compete” with the other driver.

“The drivers did not escape. The police checked the [erring] driver’s licence,” he said, adding that the investigation was ongoing and that the driver would have to pay the workers for the accident.

Sem Samnang, a worker on the rear truck, said that “luckily” the driver had slowed down a little before the crash or the number of injuries might have been higher.

“The driver was driving fast because it was nearly time for us to get to work. I knew it was about to happen, so I protected myself,” he said.

The crash comes a day after 61 workers were injured in a similar incident in Svay Rieng’s Bavet district. While the government vowed earlier this year to introduce increased safety measures, such accidents remain common.

Khmer Rouge-era mine costs border officer leg

Khmer Rouge-era mine costs border officer leg

A man is loaded into a vehicle yesterday in Oddar Meanchey province after he was injured by a Khmer Rouge-era mine. National Police

Thu, 13 October 2016

A Khmer Rouge-era mine blew off the foot of a border police officer near the Thai border in Oddar Meanchey’s Anlong Veng district as he patrolled near his base yesterday morning, according to provincial border police.

Sum Saroeun, chief of Border Police Battalion 905, said Eang Sodon, 36, stepped on the K58 mine while patrolling with four colleagues and five soldiers. He added that the incident took place in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold.

“It happened around 8am, and his right foot was blown off while he was patrolling between border posts 9 and 10. The other police officers and soldiers were not injured,” Saroeun said, adding that this was the first time in a decade that a police officer there had triggered a landmine.

“We feel sorry for him and regret that it happened. But because it is the border protection forces’ duty and obligation, we must patrol regularly,” he continued.

Sodon has been receiving treatment at a Thai hospital, Saroeun said.

Last week, police in Battambang uncovered a smorgasbord of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Sangke district, while in Pursat’s Veal Veng district, a man had his right leg blown off by a landmine while gathering herbs in a forest.

The incidents came as the US pledged $1.9 million to tackle the scourge of UXO in Cambodia, with the Japanese government recently chipping in $833,000.

Analysis: Time, cash heal all wounds



Analysis: Time, cash heal all wounds

Workers put the final touches on portraits of King Norodom Sihamoni and Xi Jinping, president of China and Communist Party chief, yesterday at the royal palace. Hong Menea

When Prime Minister Hun Sen penned the opinion that China was the “root of all that is evil in Cambodia” in the late 1980s, he probably did not imagine he would come to depend so much on the country.

Yet when Chinese President Xi Jinping touches down in Cambodia at 11am today, he will be arriving as the head of a regime that has become one of the premier’s most important supporters amid increasingly frequent criticism of his authoritarian style.

Far from the China of the 1980s that refused to recognise Hun Sen’s regime and financed the Khmer Rouge resistance fighting to topple it, today’s China has poured billions into the country – often when the regime’s legitimacy has appeared most at threat.

“China has never made a threat to Cambodia, and has never ordered Cambodia to do something,” Hun Sen warned the rest of the world during a speech earlier this year, after Europe’s parliament threatened to cut aid if he did not end a wave of repression.

“Don’t scare me,” he warned. “Don’t threaten me. Don’t threaten Cambodia by cutting off aid.”

China’s largesse has been rewarded by the premier, who has used the country’s veto in the ASEAN bloc to prevent it from issuing statements against Beijing’s aggressive South China Sea claims – and inevitably opened Cambodia up to claims of becoming a client state.

But the seemingly easy fit between the CPP and China’s authoritarian government over the past few years was a long time coming, with the party’s wholesale embrace of its former enemy only arriving two decades after relations were normalised in 1991.

“A number of factors are at play here,” said Lee Morgenbesser, who researches elections under authoritarian regimes at Australia’s Griffith University. “First, the CPP has historically been more closely aligned with the Communist Party of Vietnam.”

China’s President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Hun Sen as they pose for a photo prior to a meeting in Beijing in 2014. Kim Kyung-Hoon/AFP

“The existence of this longstanding bilateral partnership would naturally take some time to be edged out by the Chinese Communist Party, who initially represented a more risky and less rewarding alternative,” he said.

“Second, the riches on offer from China are far more enticing now than any time in the 1990s or 2000s.”

Most recently, and less than a week after Cambodia nixed another ASEAN statement, China pledged $600 million in aid until 2018, the year of the next national election, when the CNRP hopes to put an end to the CPP’s almost four-decade grip on the country.

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said the government appreciated the billions Beijing had provided since the ruling party properly mended its relationship after the bloody 1997 factional fighting that destroyed the power of China’s preferred partner, Funcinpec.

“We welcome all funds from Chinese to develop and build the country,” Eysan said, while also denying that China’s long support for the Khmer Rouge, which only ended in 1991, should still be remembered.

China’s President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Hun Sen as they pose for a photo prior to a meeting in Beijing in 2014.  Kim Kyung-Hoon/AFP
China’s President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Hun Sen as they pose for a photo prior to a meeting in Beijing in 2014. Kim Kyung-Hoon/AFP
“We have not thought about that, because the Khmer Rouge regime has ended, and therefore there is no need to remind [people] about that,” he said. “This bitter old history should not be brought up.”

While the CPP and Hun Sen himself justify much of their rule by reminding Cambodians of their part in overthrowing the Khmer Rouge, the Chinese president has been less than keen to remember his country’s support for the guerrillas long after their regime was toppled in 1979.

An essay that he penned on the front page of yesterday’s CPP-aligned Rasmei Kampuchea Daily took a much more positive line about Chinese-Cambodian relations than Hun Sen’s missive of 30 years ago, avoiding any mention of the Khmer Rouge. Instead, Xi’s essay focussed on Cambodia’s steadfast support for China on its “core issues”, as the rest of the world shuns the country’s recalcitrant stand on its disputed territorial claims to South China Sea.

“We cannot forget that amid the rise of a new China, which has been censured and considered as an enemy by many countries, Cambodia has led the way in establishing good relations with China,” Xi wrote.

“China and Cambodia are good and honest friends. On issues related to core interests . . . the two countries come together to help each other.”

And while Cambodia’s contributions to supporting China’s “core interests” in the South China Sea are apparent enough, for Hun Sen it has not only been the sheer volume of cash on offer that has made China such an appealing international friend.

“Perhaps more importantly, it now has a 20-year track record of steady support for the CPP,” said John Ciorciari, a Cambodia scholar at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy, explaining that loyalty had currency with the CPP.

“Since the 1990s, when CPP leaders patched fences with China, the relationship has shifted from one marked by mistrust to one in which China is seen as the CPP’s most reliable foreign friend,” he said. “Cambodian domestic politics also play a role. As Hun Sen looks toward elections and fears further erosion of popular support, China provides the most credible external backstop to his illiberal regime.”

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann yesterday declined to comment on whether the opposition was concerned by the CPP’s dramatic turn towards an authoritarian government like China and its seemingly growing disinterest in trying to please Western nations.

“The CNRP’s position is to maintain relationships with all countries in the world that give benefits to our nation. We think relations with all of the world are beneficial,” Sovann said. “We do not want to make comments on what the government does with China.

“When the CNRP is in power, we have our own policies to build up relationships with all countries, and we do not regard any country as an enemy. We need to have mutual cooperation with everyone.”

However, with many questioning the CPP’s interest in holding free elections in July 2018, the opposition will have to hope Hun Sen still places some value in the democratic legitimacy conferred by pleasing the West, rather than cosying up further with Xi.

“The CPP is still concerned about its relations with the US and EU,” said Ciorciari. “That said, Western donors clearly have less clout in Cambodia than they did in the past, especially as Beijing offers the CPP an alternative source of support.”

ภาคกลางตอนล่าง ตอ. ใต้มีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง

ภาคกลางตอนล่าง ตอ. ใต้มีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง

พยากรณ์อากาศประจำวันที่ 13 ตุลาคม 2559ลักษณะอากาศทั่วไปพยากรณ์อากาศ 24 ชั่วโมงข้างหน้า บริเวณภาคกลางตอนล่าง ภาคตะวันออก และภาคใต้ยังคงมีฝนตกต่อเนื่องและมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง และด้านตะวันตกของภาคเหนือยังคงมีฝนตก ขอให้ประชาชนในบริเวณดังกล่าวระวังอันตรายจากฝนตกหนักและฝนที่ตกสะสมในระยะนี้ไว้ด้วย ส่วนบริเวณภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือมีปริมาณฝนน้อย สำหรับกรุงเทพมหานครและปริมณฑลมีฝนมากกว่าเมื่อวานและมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง

ลักษณะสำคัญทางอุตุนิยมวิทยาร่องมรสุมพาดผ่านภาคกลางตอนล่าง ภาคใต้ตอนบน และภาคตะวันออกเข้าสู่หย่อมความกดอากาศต่ำบริเวณประเทศกัมพูชาและเวียดนามตอนล่าง ประกอบกับมรสุมตะวันตกเฉียงใต้ยังคงพัดปกคลุมทะเลอันดามัน ภาคใต้ และอ่าวไทย ลักษณะเช่นนี้ทำให้บริเวณดังกล่าวมีฝนตกหนักได้ในระยะนี้

พยากรณ์อากาศสำหรับประเทศไทยตั้งแต่เวลา 06:00 วันนี้ ถึง 06:00 วันพรุ่งนี้

ภาคเหนือมีเมฆเป็นส่วนมาก กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 40 ของพื้นที่ และมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง ส่วนมากบริเวณจังหวัดแม่ฮ่องสอน เชียงใหม่ เชียงราย ลำพูน ลำปาง สุโขทัย และตาก อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 22-25 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 32-34 องศาเซลเซียส ลมแปรปรวน ความเร็ว 15-30 กม./ชม.

ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือมีเมฆบางส่วน กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 20 ของพื้นที่ ส่วนมากบริเวณจังหวัดชัยภูมิ นครราชสีมา สุรินทร์ บุรีรัมย์ ศรีสะเกษ และอุบลราชธานี อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 24-25 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 32-33 องศาเซลเซียส ลมแปรปรวน ความเร็ว 15-30 กม./ชม.

ภาคกลางมีเมฆเป็นส่วนมาก กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 40 ของพื้นที่ และมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง บริเวณจังหวัดกาญจนบุรี ราชบุรี และนครปฐม อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 24-25 องศาเซลเซียส ณหภูมิสูงสุด 33-34 องศาเซลเซียส ลมแปรปรวน ความเร็ว 15-30 กม./ชม.

ภาคตะวันออกมีเมฆเป็นส่วนมาก กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 60 ของพื้นที่ และมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง บริเวณจังหวัดฉะเชิงเทรา ชลบุรี ระยอง จันทบุรี และตราด อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 24-27 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 30-34 องศาเซลเซียส ลมตะวันตกเฉียงใต้ ความเร็ว 15-30 กม./ชม. ทะเลมีคลื่นสูงประมาณ 1 เมตร บริเวณที่มีฝนฟ้าคะนองคลื่นสูง 1-2 เมตร

ภาคใต้ (ฝั่งตะวันออก)มีเมฆเป็นส่วนมาก กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 40 ของพื้นที่ ส่วนมากบริเวณจังหวัดเพชรบุรี ประจวบคีรีขันธ์ ชุมพร สุราษฎร์ธานี และนครศรีธรรมราช อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 24-26 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 33-35 องศาเซลเซียส ลมตะวันตกเฉียงใต้ ความเร็ว 15-30 กม/ชม. ทะเลมีคลื่นสูงประมาณ 1 เมตร บริเวณที่มีฝนฟ้าคะนองคลื่นสูง 1-2 เมตร

ภาคใต้ (ฝั่งตะวันตก)มีเมฆเป็นส่วนมาก กับมีฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 60 ของพื้นที่ กับมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง บริเวณจังหวัดระนอง พังงา ภูเก็ต และกระบี่ อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 24-26 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 30-33 องศาเซลเซียส ลมตะวันตกเฉียงใต้ ความเร็ว 15-35 กม/ชม. ทะเลมีคลื่นสูง 1-2 เมตร บริเวณที่มีฝนฟ้าคะนองคลื่นสูงประมาณ 2 เมตร

กรุงเทพมหานครและปริมณฑลมีโอกาสเกิดฝนฟ้าคะนอง ร้อยละ 80 และมีฝนตกหนักบางแห่ง อุณหภูมิต่ำสุด 25-26 องศาเซลเซียส อุณหภูมิสูงสุด 33-34 องศาเซลเซียส ลมแปรปรวน ความเร็ว 15-30 กม./ชม.