តារាសម្តែងថៃល្បីឈ្មោះនាងផ្កាយព្រឹកបាត់ទៅណាក្រោយផ្ទុះកំហឹងពីពលរដ្ឋខ្មែររឿងនាងថាអង្គរវត្តជារបស់ថៃ

នាង Kob Suvanant Kongying ដែលគេស្គាល់ថានាងផ្កាយព្រឹកត្រូវបានគេទទួលស្គាល់ថាជាតារាសម្តែងស្រីដ៏មានប្រជាប្រិយបំផុតមួយរូបរបស់ថៃហើយល្បីដល់កម្ពុជាក្នុងអំឡុងឆ្នាំ១៩៩០ដល់ឆ្នាំ២០០០។ផ្កាយព្រឹកកើតនៅថ្ងៃទី២២កក្កដាឆ្នាំ១៩៧៨មានបងប្អូន២នាក់ដែលនាងជាបងគេនៅក្នុងគ្រួសារ។ក្រោយចាប់អាជីពជាតារាសម្តែងនាងក្លាយជាតួឯកស្រីនៅក្នុងរឿង  Dao Pra Sook ដែលគេស្គាល់នាងថាជាផ្កាយព្រឹកដល់សព្វថ្ងៃ។    ភាពល្បីល្បាញរបស់នាងបានសាយភាយដល់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាហើយក៏មានអ្នកស្រលាញ់នាងច្រើនដូចគ្នាប៉ុន្តែនៅក្នុងឆ្នាំ២០០៣តារាស្រីរូបនេះត្រូវបានអ្នកកាសែតស្រុកថៃមួយបានចុះផ្សាយដោយស្រង់សំដីរបស់នាងថា Kob Suvanant Kongying អះអាងថាប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្តគឺជាប្រាសាទរបស់ថៃ គ្រានោះហើយធ្វើអោយមហាជនខ្មែរទូរទាំងប្រទេសផ្ទុះកំហឹងយ៉ាងខ្លាំងជាពិសេសក្រុមសិស្សនិស្សិតបាននាំគ្នាធ្វើបាតុកម្មរហូតដល់ដុតស្ថានទូតថៃប្រចាំនៅកម្ពុជាទៀតផង ជាពិសេសសូម្បីស្ថានីយទូរទស្សន៍នាំមុខគេនៅកម្ពុជាក្នុងការចាក់ផ្សាយនារឿង នាជំនាន់នោះក៏ត្រូវបានវាយបំផ្លាញដូចគ្នា។       មួយរយះរឿងរ៉ាវមួយនេះត្រូវបានស្ងប់ស្ងាត់ទៅវិញហើយនាងផ្កាយព្រឹកក៏បានធ្វើការសុំទោសដល់ប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា ទាំងអស់ជាសាធារណះ ចំពោះកំហុសឆ្គងដោយអចេតនារបស់នាងហើយការសុំទោសជាសាធារណះនេះក៏ត្រូវបានសារព័ត៌មានល្បីៗជាច្រើននៅលើពិភពលោកធ្វើការចុះផ្សាយដូចគ្នា។  ប៉ុន្តែក្រណាត់ដែលប្រឡាក់លាងមិនជ្រះមួយនេះបានធ្វើអោយតារាស្រីរូបនេះធ្លាក់ប្រជាប្រិយភាពយ៉ាងខ្លាំងហើយប្រជាជនខ្មែរមិនគាំទ្ររូបនាងដូចកាលពីមុនទៀតទេ រហូតមកដល់ពេលនេះនាងក៏បានរៀបការជាមួយតារាសម្តែងប្រុសម្នាក់និងមានកូនចំនួន២នាក់ផងដែរ។តាំងពីឆ្នាំ២០១០រហូតមកដល់បច្ចុប្បន្នផ្កាយព្រឹកក៏បានបាត់មុខពីសិល្បះតែម្តង៕

Thirty garment workers hurt in truck crash

Thirty garment workers were injured in Kampong Chhnang province’s Samaki Meanchey district on Tuesday night when the truck they were travelling in collided with a tourist bus.

Deputy district police chief Hong Buntha said the incident, which occurred when the workers were being driven home, was the fault of the truck driver, who was attempting to overtake the bus in the district’s Svay commune.

“He wanted to pass the bus, but then crashed into it, injuring the workers. There were no injuries on the bus,” he said. He added that the driver was also injured and would be questioned after receiving treatment.

A Ministry of Labour release said 30 garment workers had received minor injuries and that the National Social Security Fund was paying for their medical costs.

Factory worker Chen Da said she was lucky to have received only small injuries to her leg and arm, but that many of the workers were shaken after the experience. “I did not see how the [driver] was driving, and only heard a loud crash.”

Local chiefs still key to registration, study finds

Local chiefs still key to registration, study finds

 Thu, 27 October 2016

Despite having access to other sources of information about the election process, including television and smartphones, Cambodia’s urban poor remain heavily reliant on potentially biased village-level officials when it comes to voter registration, according to a new report.

The study from land rights NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), which surveyed three communities across Phnom Penh, found that 45 percent of respondents had learned of the need to register from their village chief, while nearly as many depended on the chief to then walk them through the process.

The survey’s 237 respondents said they still gleaned general knowledge about the elections from TV broadcasts, word of mouth, radio and Facebook. But despite a generally high level of access to technology, STT program adviser Jessica Sercombe said respondents were still reliant on “traditional forms” of information dissemination that could be influenced by political inclinations.

“There is always a potential risk of [local authorities] having a bias,” she said. “There is a lot of potentials for [information] gaps to take place.”

The survey also found a majority of participants unfamiliar with voter eligibility requirements. More than 80 percent were unable to identify more than two of five criteria such as identity cards and age.

Ros Nin, village chief for Village 23 in Tuol Kork district, one of the surveyed locations, said while he was focused on getting first-time voters registered, he was making no pretence of impartiality.

“I told them to please vote for our party, because those young people are not yet in our Cambodian People’s Party,” he said.

Sovannara not allowed to travel

Sovannara not allowed to travel

Thu, 27 October 2016

The Supreme Court opted to uphold a lower court’s verdict yesterday, ruling that Meach Sovannara, the jailed information chief of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, cannot leave Cambodia to seek medical treatment.

Sovannara, who holds Cambodian and US citizenship, was sued for his participation in a 2014 demonstration at Freedom Park where security forces and demonstrators clashed.

On July 20, 2015, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for “leading an insurrection”. He had appealed to the Supreme Court to allow him to travel abroad for a medical check-up for injuries sustained in a car accident last year.

But Kim Sathavy, the presiding judge, refused the request, saying that the lower court’s decision to ensure that Sovannara remains in Cambodia was the correct one.

After the verdict, Sovannara’s attorney, Chuong Choungy, said he recognised that the Supreme Court’s decision is final, but said he will discuss ways to file a further complaint with his client.

Sovannara was jailed at a time of heightened tensions between the ruling and opposition parties in a case widely considered to be politically motivated.

Research shows full reach of indigenous population

Research shows full reach of indigenous population

Thu, 27 October 2016

Cambodia's indigenous groups populate much more of the country than was previously known, but many are also at risk of disappearing, according to yet-to-be-published research.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior had previously identified 445 indigenous villages countrywide. But new research by the Cambodian Indigenous People Organization (CIPO) shows there are at least 573 indigenous villages in Cambodia, with that number expected to expand to 632 as further research is conducted.

Indigenous villages are spread out across 15 of Cambodia’s provinces, and while previous censuses identified 18 ethnic groups among Cambodia’s indigenous populations, CIPO claims to have identified 24.

The NGO’s researchers are now urging the government to begin collecting accurate data on the country’s indigenous populations, especially as some of them risk disappearing over the next several generations.

“Information is needed in order to design any support for indigenous people’s development, such as in education, health and support for maternal care and birth rates,” said CIPO director Yun Mane.

In order for the official data to be verified and updated, the Ministry of Planning, which oversees the census, should seek support from the UN Population Fund and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the two main donors for the 2018 edition, she added.

Currently, five indigenous groups – the Saoch, Khe, Spong, Loeun and Samre – are most at risk of disappearing, according to CIPO’s research. The groups are found primarily in Preah Vihear, Preah Sihanouk, Ratanakkiri and Stung Treng.

“I think is it absolutely critical to save these groups,” Mane said. “And to document their community profile and history so they can build community pride and solidarity.”

Without services and support from the government, the country could lose an array of languages, belief systems and traditional food, dance and cultivation practices, Mane noted.

Ali Al-Nisani, country director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, agreed Cambodia’s government needs to get serious about the issue before the world loses an important piece of cultural heritage.

“We have to understand that indigenous people are part of Cambodia’s national heritage. They are protected by international and Cambodian laws, and these laws need proper implementation,” Al-Nisani said. “The fact that . . . there are far more indigenous villages than officially registered clearly indicates more exact data is needed.”

Kandal beating death spurs concurrent inquiries

A Kandal prosecutor said yesterday that three concurrent investigations will be conducted into the death of a man alleged to have been beaten to death in police custody in Kandal’s Sa’ang district on Friday.

Provincial court prosecutor Lim Sokuntha said that provincial police, the provincial court and the National Police will each investigate the death of 26-year-old Chamroeun Seyha, who was allegedly beaten to death by three police officers after being mistaken as a robber and hauled in by district police officer Chhay Sina, 33.

Authorities initially blamed the beating on a mob of villagers, even as contradictory accounts from witnesses and a survivor began to emerge.

“We have sent a letter to the National Police asking them to launch their own investigation, too,” Sokuntha added. “Once they have finished their probe, they will send us a report.”

National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith said yesterday that he had not received any such letter, but maintained it was “the duty of the Kandal provincial police to investigate”.

On Tuesday, provincial deputy police chief Roeun Nara rejected claims that the three suspects – Sina, along with district deputy police chief Pheadey Vitou, 33, and district police officer Kheang Songtheng, 31 – had fled town. However, yesterday provincial police chief Eav Chamroeun confirmed the men were indeed at large.

Chamroeun, who on Tuesday insisted the death was the result of a mob beating, acknowledged yesterday that the three officers were under investigation. “Our investigation will continue and if they made the mistake, they will receive punishment.”

Ex-officer denies antagonising Vietnam

Ex-officer denies antagonising Vietnam

Former Khmer Rouge commander Chuon Thy yesterday vehemently denied that his unit encroached on Vietnamese territory in testimony before the Khmer Rouge tribunal, claiming Democratic Kampuchea soldiers only defended Cambodia’s border.

Thy served as one of the commanders of Division 340, created by the Khmer Rouge specifically to defend the border in Svay Rieng province in 1978, prior to the Vietnamese invasion. Others, most recently expert witness and historian Stephen Morris, have accused the Khmer Rouge of harassing the Vietnamese with cross-border raids long before Vietnam decided to invade.

“We were in constant combat,” Thy said yesterday, claiming Cambodian and Vietnamese forces were “attacking one another on a daily basis”, while maintaining that Cambodian troops only fought to protect their territory.

Lysak read from a Vietnamese report claiming Vietnamese forces took captives from the witness’ unit after a Cambodian incursion across the border.

“That is false, we did not enter Vietnam territory; we contained them inside Kampuchean territory,” the witness protested.

Lysak then pressed the witness, asking how the Vietnamese could know the number of his division. The witness acknowledged that his division was “newly established” in 1978 and the number was only known within the military.

Khmer Rouge leaders Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea are on trial for various crimes against humanity, including alleged atrocities committed against ethnic Vietnamese.

The defence for Nuon Chea has argued that the existence of a legitimate military threat from Vietnam is a key element of its defence, but Chea defender Victor Koppe yesterday argued that alleged crimes committed during excursions into Vietnam are supposed to be outside the scope of this trial.

“Incursions into Vietnam as a crime is not within the scope, but is still relevant in understanding the armed conflict,” prosecuting lawyer Dale Lysak countered. Koppe then claimed he was unprepared to deal with this line of questioning, a statement Lysak called “absurd”.

“Mr Koppe himself has repeatedly tried to tender evidence that it was Vietnam that was initiating conflict,” he said.

The prosecution later asked the witness if he knew of any members of his division who had been arrested and sent to Phnom Penh.

When the witness said he did not, Lysak revealed a list of 16 names of men from Thy’s division who were sent to S-21, including the division secretary. The witness, who testified in 2013 that “people were happy” during the regime, said he did not recognise any of the names and denied having heard of S-21 at that time.