Human Security Gateway: Cambodia

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Asie

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:04:09 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Chine, Inde, et Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: Double péril - sexospécifité et risque de VIH parmi les consommateurs de drogues injectables; Comprendre les nouvelles estimations du VIH en Inde, et Surprise dans le Sud. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Recherche pour le développement dans les pays en transition : Cambodge

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:49:36 -0700

Récemment, le CRDI a examiné pourquoi et comment il avait travaillé, au cours des trois dernières décennies, dans des pays en transition — transition de la dictature à la démocratie, d'une économie planifiée à l’économie de marché, de la guerre à la paix. L’objectif du CRDI était de mieux comprendre comment il recueille et diffuse l’information destinée à éclairer l’élaboration de la programmation et les prises de décisions. Comment le Centre avait-il été informé de l’imminence d’une transition? Comment s’était-il renseigné sur la situation ? Comment était-il intervenu? Des études de cas ont été préparées sur l’Algérie, la Birmanie, le Cambodge, le Kenya, l’Afrique du Sud, les pays du cône Sud, le Vietnam et la Cisjordanie et Gaza. Ces huit études de cas et le texte d’introduction qui les accompagne montrent que le CRDI est depuis longtemps capable de travailler dans les situations à haut risque que l’on retrouve avant les transitions et dans la phase initiale de celles-ci. Il en ressort également qu’il a joué un rôle distinct dans l’aide à la recherche et à la conception de politiques axées sur le développement et qu’il a su habituellement adapter sa programmation à des contextes mouvants. SOURCE: Centre de recherches pour le développement international

Recherche pour le développement dans les pays en transition : Introduction

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:38:15 -0700

La présence chinoise au Cambodge. Contribution à une économie politique violente, rentière et inégalitaire

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:56:06 -0700

Depuis une dizaine d’années, l’aide et l’investissement chinois au Cambodge ont crû de manière exponentielle, ce qui est révélateur de la montée en puissance de la Chine populaire, notamment dans les pays où elle peut s’appuyer sur une importante communauté chinoise d’outre-mer. Or l’aide chinoise, libre de toute rhétorique démocratique, peut autoriser les gouvernements qui en bénéficient à s’affranchir des conditionnalités imposées par les bailleurs de fonds, le Cambodge étant l’un des pays les plus tributaires de l’aide publique au développement. Une analyse en termes de contingence historique renvoie à la conjonction de deux processus d’accaparement rentier de l’économie, en Chine comme au Cambodge. De fait, l’aide et l’investissement chinois contribuent à consolider une économie politique fondée tout à la fois sur l’arbitraire, le renforcement des inégalités et de la violence, et le chevauchement des positions de pouvoir et d’accumulation. A cet égard, l’aide des autres donateurs est partie prenante de l’analyse, non seulement parce qu’elle se trouve désormais en concurrence avec l’aide chinoise, mais aussi, et avant tout, parce qu’elle a concouru depuis les Accords de Paris, certes indirectement, à asseoir le pouvoir du Premier ministre Hun Sen. SOURCE: Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales

Contamination due aux armes à dispersion : Où des bombes à sous-munitions ont-elles été employées ? Quels sont les dangers ?

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:04:52 -0700

Au moins 21 pays et quatre régions d’Afrique, du Moyen-Orient, d’Asie et d’Europe sont aujourd’hui touchés par le problème des armes à dispersion, ou l’ont été au cours des cinquante dernières années. Dans certains pays, les armes à dispersion ont été employées de manière extensive : au Laos, par exemple, des bombes à sous-munitions ont été larguées tout au long d’une période de neuf ans (1964 à 1973), plaçant la population à la merci de cet héritage meurtrier (GICHD, février 2007). Dans d’autres contextes, bien que l’emploi de telles armes ait été plus limité, les conséquences sont tout aussi graves. Au Kosovo, par exemple, où le conflit n’a duré que 11 semaines, ce sont au total entre 230 000 et 290 000 sousmunitions qui auraient été larguées * Quels sont les pays et les régions les plus touchés par le problème ? * Quelles difficultés surviennent-elles dans les zones infestées de sous-munitions d’armes à dispersion ? SOURCE: Comité International de la Croix-Rouge

Un portrait des femmes autochtones d'Asie

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:20:26 -0700

Publiée par le Réseau des femmes autochtones d’Asie (Asian Indigenous Women’s Network, AIWN) et l’Alliance des peuples autochtones de l’archipel (AMAN: Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara), de concert avec Droits et Démocratie. Cette trousse d’information met en évidence le travail accompli par les femmes autochtones, qui agissent aux échelons local, national et international afin de faire respecter leurs droits. Cette trousse est une adaptation du document << Femmes autochtones des Amériques >>. SOURCE: Droits et Démocratie

The Court Watch Project

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:20:58 -0700

The Court Watch Project ("CWP") of the Center for Social Development has been monitoring court proceedings in Cambodia since 2003. CWP monitors observe proceedings to assess the courts' compliance with Cambodian law as well as international fair trial standards (such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). Based on this trial monitoring, the CWP issues reports that highlight possible breaches of fair trial rights. With respect to each area of concern, the reports describe the legal framework, explain CWP's factual findings and give case examples, and make recommendations for reform. These recommendations are directed at specific actors who are in a position to affect change. CSD issues four Court Watch Bulletins and one Annual Report per year. SOURCE: Center for Social Development

Annual Report 2007: The Court Watch Project

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:19:38 -0700

The Center for Social Development (“CSD”) created the Court Watch Project (“CWP”) in 2003. Since its inception, CWP continues to contribute to Cambodian legal and judicial reformation process by monitoring courts’ compliance to minimum standards of fair trial rights. This fourth Annual Report covering CWP activities from October 2006 to September 2007 (“Report”) highlights the current Cambodian judicial system, identifies potential obstructions to development, and offers suggestions for improving the entire Cambodian system of justice. SOURCE: Center for Social Development

Cambodia: Domestic genocide

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:03:59 -0700

Thirty years after Pol Pot’s reign of terror, Cambodia is beginning to come to terms with this dark chapter of its history. In the capital of Phnom Penh, the main perpetrators are under trial at a UN-supported tribunal. An estimated two million people died during the Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979, brutally murdered by their own countrymen, or victims of starvation, overwork and untreated disease. Efforts to set up the tribunal were haunted for years by wrangling between the Cambodian authorities and the United Nations over funding, responsibility and national sensibilities. In 1997, Cambodia asked the international community for assistance in bringing the Khmer Rouge to trial, but only in 2003 was the formal agreement on estabilshing a joint tribunal signed by the Kingdom of Cambodia and the United Nations. In July 2006, 17 Cambodian and 12 international judges and prosecutors were sown in for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). SOURCE: Development and Cooperation

2008, année du Rat et des Jeux en Chine … et du scrutin en Asie

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:16:09 -0700

Un printemps sous le signe du scrutin. Il n’est pas qu’en France (municipales) ou en Espagne (législatives) que cette fin d’hiver inspire l’électeur épris de devoir civique. A l’instar des élections législatives du weekend dernier en Malaisie (tout en demeurant majoritaire à l’Assemblée, le parti au pouvoir… depuis l’indépendance en 1957, affiche son plus mauvais résultat en un demi-siècle), du scrutin local se déroulant ce jour dans les provinces orientales du Sri Lanka (« libérées » l’été dernier du joug de la guérilla sécessionniste tamoule du LTTE), les semaines, les mois à venir vont voir défiler, en cette lointaine Asie, un florilège de rendez-vous politiques et électoraux . Si la majorité de ces scrutins n’emportera de conséquences qu’au niveau local ou national, il en est en revanche une poignée qui, de part l’importance ou la sensibilité de « l’enjeu », dépassent pourtant le stade strictement national, ainsi que le suggère le cas taïwanais ci-après. SOURCE: Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques

The state of human rights in eleven Asian nations in 2007

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:42:10 -0800

2007 was a year of significant upheaval in the Asian region, with one crisis following fast on the coat-tails of the last. These included the crack-down on peaceful protests in Burma, the battle for the independence of the judiciary and the resulting State of Emergency and political turmoil in Pakistan, and the stark rise in disappearances and conflict-related violence in Sri Lanka. While these situations have garnered a certain degree of interest around the world, other country situations have been overlooked, for example the mass arrests and State of Emergency in Bangladesh, or the ongoing problem of impunity and increasing lawlessness that risks presaging a return to conflict in Nepal, to name but two. Chronic human rights problems, such as those stemming from the caste system in South Asia, notably India, as well as poverty and the dysfunctional institutions of the rule of law that are at the root of most human rights violations across the nations of Asia are also included in this report. This publication features a collection of reports on the human rights situations in eleven Asian States, which together comprise the Asian Human Rights Commission’s annual human rights report for 2007. The countries in focus this year are: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Each report is prepared by the organisation’s relevant country desk and does not purport to be exhaustive or a complete overview of the entire range of human rights issues that are present in the country, but rather presents the issues of concern and experiences that the organisation encountered during its work in 2007. SOURCE: Asian Human Rights Commission

Défendre les droits économiques et sociaux au Cambodge : Une activité à haut risque

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:51:51 -0800

Alerté par la Ligue cambodgienne pour la promotion et la défense des droits de l’Homme (LICADHO) et l’Association pour les droits de l’Homme et le développement au Cambodge (ADHOC), l’Observatoire pour la Protection des défenseurs des droits de l’Homme, un programme conjoint de la FIDH et de l’Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT) a mandaté une mission internationale d’enquête chargée d’assurer le suivi d’une mission antérieure de la FIDH, organisée en 2005 et consacrée aux libertés d’expression et de réunion. La délégation, composée de Melle Marie Guiraud, avocate (France), et de M. Andreas Kirsch-Wood, avocat (Allemagne), s’est rendue au Cambodge du 15 au 23 juin 2007. Cette mission avait pour objectif d’évaluer la mise en ouvre effective des libertés d’expression et de réunion pacifique, avec une attention toute particulière portée à la situation des activistes se consacrant au problème des expulsions forcées des populations rurales et autres groupes vulnérables. La délégation a également étudié l’impact des politiques publiques foncières sur les droits de l’Homme, notamment au regard des expulsions et réinstallations forcées de communautés entières à travers le pays. Enfin, les chargés de mission ont également mené une série d’entretiens visant à faire le point sur les attaques menées contre les dirigeants syndicaux et les suites judiciaires qui y sont apportées. SOURCE: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme // Organisation mondiale contre la torture

Don't pave Cambodia's flawed path to justice

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:34:52 -0800

Five high-profile members of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge government are finally in detention awaiting trial. It's historic progress toward long-awaited justice for the brutal regime that caused the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians in the late-1970s. The United Nations-backed tribunal set up in Cambodia to try these men is running out of money and is seeking additional funds from donor nations. The United States indicated last month that it may reverse policy and begin funding the court. There remain, however, legitimate concerns about the potential for corruption and the lack of judicial independence in Cambodia. SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor

Recent Developments at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) [December 7, 2007]

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:47:06 -0800

Khieu Samphan, the former head of state under Cambodia’s Democratic Kampuchea regime of the 1970s, was arrested on November 19, 2007. With this arrest, Khieu Samphan became the fifth former Khmer Rouge leader to be jailed at the ECCC detention facility. Khieu Samphan was arrested after being discharged from a Cambodian hospital where he was recovering from a stroke. He joins four others in ECCC detention: Kaing Guek Eav (otherwise known as Duch, the former leader of the infamous Toul Sleng torture center); Nuon Chea (known as Brother Number Two, second only to former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot); and Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith (a husband and wife team who were both top leaders of the Khmer Rouge). With Khieu Samphan’s arrest, the court now has custody of all five suspects named by the ECCC’s co-prosecutors in their introductory submission filed with the court’s co-investigating judges in July 2007. SOURCE: Justice Initiative // Open Society Institute

Ending U.N. mandate imperils human rights

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:15:02 -0800

The Cambodian government is bound by the Paris Peace Agreements that were concluded in 1991 to end a protracted war in the country. Under these agreements, a field office of the U.N. high commissioner for human rights was established in Cambodia, and the U.N. secretary-general appointed a special representative, all to monitor human rights conditions and help the Cambodian government honor its obligations under these agreements. From the beginning, however, there has been friction between this U.N. field office and special representative on the one hand, and the Cambodian government on the other. The former has issued reports and statements critical of the latter's human rights performance and its disregard for recommendations on improving human rights. SOURCE: United Press International Asia

Role of business in forced evictions for development projects

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:28:20 -0800

Readers of this newsletter will be surprised to learn that in a 23,000-word document on forced evictions [Amnesty' Intl's report "Rights Razed: Forced evictions in Cambodia] there is almost no mention of the role of business (either negatively or positively). This is despite the fact that a large proportion of forced evictions in Cambodia involve property development, beautification projects, or other infrastructure development and therefore business involvement. The forced eviction of local people has become a significant risk to business in Asia, and AI’s Rights Razed: Forced evictions in Cambodia presents a good case why companies should include thorough research on land title as part of the due diligence process. SOURCE: Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia

La sécurité humaine pour un siècle urbain : Défis locaux, perspectives mondiales

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:13:09 -0800

Le produit le plus récent et le plus détaillé Ã Ãªtre conÃ§u par securitehumaine-villes.org, cette publication s'appuie sur les travaux de 40 collaborateurs externes qui appliquent un prisme urbain Ã des thèmes tels que les enfants et les conflits armés, la réforme des systèmes de sécurité, les armes de petit calibre et les armes légères, la stabilisation et la reconstruction, la consolidation de la paix et la promotion de la démocratie. SOURCE: securitehumaine-villes.org

Human Rights in Cambodia: The Charade of Justice

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:25:02 -0800

The Cambodian justice system has failed. Despite the UNTAC intervention and 15 years of aid to legal and judicial reform, in 2007 the primary functions of the courts continue to be to: persecute political opponents and other critics of the government, perpetuate impunity for state actors and their associates, protect the economic interests of the rich and powerful. This report examines the performance of the Cambodian judiciary since the Consultative Group (CG) donor meeting of 2-3 March 2006. It seeks to point out patterns in injustice and impunity, highlight the Cambodian government’s ongoing lack of tangible action to promote rule of law, and to urge the international community to revise its strategies in assistance to legal and judicial reform. SOURCE: Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights

Restrictions on the Legal Profession by the Bar Association: A Threat to Free and Independent Legal Aid in Cambodia

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:55:57 -0800

The independence of the legal profession faces a serious threat due to attempts by the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia to limit the freedom of Cambodian lawyers to work for non-government organizations (NGOs). At stake is the future of legal aid services in the country, and whether NGOs are free to employ lawyers to represent Cambodia’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens in court cases. The Bar is closely aligned to the government and ruling party, and its efforts to place restrictions on NGO lawyers must be seen in this light. If successful, the Bar will effectively gain control over which NGOs are permitted to employ lawyers, and potentially be able to influence what types of cases those lawyers accept. The dangers – including that NGOs will be less able or willing to file lawsuits on behalf of victims against powerful persons such as government officials – are obvious. SOURCE: Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights

Le rÃ´le de la diaspora dans la justice transitionnelle : L'example du Cambodge

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:00:32 -0800

La montée en puissance des diasporas dans les relations internationales leur confère un nouveau rÃ´le sur la scène politique et judiciaire. Impliquées dans des contextes en transition, les diasporas munies de nouveaux outils de communication, de médias et de ressources humaines, économiques et organisationnelles s’approprient les recours juridiques, participent Ã l’établissement de la vérité et occupent avec détermination un espace de parole. Parmi ces communautés, la diaspora cambodgienne en France et en Belgique mobilise actuellement son attention sur les développements du processus de justice visant Ã juger les responsables Khmers rouges pour les crimes perpétrés au Cambodge entre 1975 et 1979. Cette étude met en évidence les appréhensions d’une communauté face Ã un tel processus, partagée entre la peur et les séquelles d’un traumatisme encore présent d’une part, et son besoin de justice et de reconnaissance de sa qualité de victime d’autre part. SOURCE: Centre International pour la Justice Transitionnelle

From Neo-Colonialism to a ‘Light Footprint Approach': Restoring the Justice System in Post - Conflict Operations

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:16:52 -0800

The article attempts to briefly analyze state-building theories and methods, as applied to justice system reform in post-conflict scenarios. In this respect, the international authorities involved in the reconstruction process may traditionally chose between either a 'dirigiste' or a consent-based approach, which represent the essential terms of reference for past interventions. However, features common to most reconstruction missions and relatively poor results confirm the need for change in the overall strategy. This requires the international donors to focus more on the 'demand for justice' at local level than on the traditional supply of legal aid. In this respect, the articles stresses the need for effectively promoting the 'local ownership' of the reform process, without this expression being merely used by international actors as a political umbrella under which to protect themselves from potential failures. SOURCE: European Conference on International Relations

Powerful Cultures: Indigenous and Western Conflict Resolution Processes in Cambodian Peacebuilding

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:35:28 -0800

In this essay the author explores the role of cultural differences and disparities in power in western and indigenous mediation and cross cultural conflict resolution processes. The author unpacks several complex key terms such as mediation, culture, conflict, and power to make their role in conflict visible. Conflict resolution literature serves as my foundation for offering insights about the nature of culture and power, and the way these elements are operationalised in the practice of mediation. This paper draws on recent fieldwork in Cambodia in order to identify the challenges of praxis as a conflict resolution practitioner in an intercultural work environment. Specifically, the author look at the dynamics of western and indigenous cultures in mediation trainings where western epistemologies are prioritised. This paper concludes with suggestions for eliciting organic and culturally based styles of conflict resolution in Cambodia. SOURCE: Journal of Peace Conflict & Development

Recent Developments at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: December 7, 2007 Update

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 08:21:07 -0800

A 13-page report released today by the Open Society Justice Initiative describes and assesses several recent developments at the Extraordinary Chambers in Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the court established to try surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge. The report is available by clicking on the icon at right. In addition, the report addresses some of the court's pressing challenges. Regarding the ECCC's anticipated 2008 fundraising driveâ€”which is the subject of a separate Justice Initiative reportâ€”the Justice Initiative renews its recommendation that states condition further funding on the ECCC's adoption of effective measures to address inadequate transparency, administrative divisions and corruption allegations, translation backlogs, human resource management issues, and failure to begin renovations needed to ready the principal courtroom for trial proceedings SOURCE: Open Society Justice Initiative

On the Issues: Cambodia

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:40:07 -0800

The recent arrests of major figures from Cambodia’s former Khmer Rouge regime garnered global attention. Among the five apprehended were the warden of a notorious prison where an estimated 15,000 Cambodians were interrogated, tortured, and killed in the 1970s, and the architect of the regime’s radical and destructive ideology. The arrests come soon after a unique system of transitional justice was created to address national reconciliation in Cambodia. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a hybrid of both UN and national systems, has as its mandate to try former Khmer Rouge officials with crimes against humanity, including war crimes, murder, torture, and genocide. Scott Worden, advisor to USIP’s Rule of Law program, and co-director, International Network to Promote the Rule of Law (INPROL) discusses the legacy of the Khmer Rouge and the current process of transitional justice in the country. SOURCE: United States Institute of Peace

Pathway of the Political: Electoral Processes after Civil War

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:24 -0700

Most civil wars today end in negotiated settlements, and in most instances an essential part of such agreements is agreement on a defined political pathway through which a transitional process to consolidate peace is to unfold. These transition paths often feature the formation of transitional governments, sometimes constitution-making processes, and, at some point, an electoral process and event to give post-war governance a new sense of legitimacy. This chapter argues that the political pathway of transition and especially the initial, post-war electoral process matters for significantly for statebuilding. The transition sequences and institutional choices made in war-settlement negotiations often determine the nature and timing of initial post-war elections; in turn, these electoral processes deeply affect the nature of the state that emerges for years to follow. In sum, elections are the principal means by which war-terminating peace agreements are democratically legitimated by the affected population, and they determine initial control of state institutions by either affirming existing patterns of power or ushering in new elites and by re-arranging state-society relations. SOURCE: Research Partnership on Postwar State-Building

Third Indochina War, 1978-1981

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:18 -0700

The People's Republic of China had been convenient allies during the Vietnam War despite being traditional enemies. With the American defeat in 1975 it would not take long for the traditional animosity to become the norm once again. Once the communist victory was secured in Vietnam the new communist government began perusing relations with the Soviet Union. However with the Sino-Soviet split and the PRC's improving relations with the United States, Vietnam's ties with Moscow would contribute to increasing tensions between Vietnam and the PRC. Tensions further increased with Vietnam's 1978 invasions of Laos and Cambodia and with Vietnam's expulsion of ethnic Chinese in Vietnam. SOURCE: Globalsecurity.org

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:03 -0700

In 2001 the Cambodian National Assembly passed a law to create a court to try serious crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime 1975-1979. This court is called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea (Extraordinary Chambers or ECCC). SOURCE:

Kingdom of Cambodia: The killing of trade unionist Chea Vichea

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:56 -0700

This report provides background information on the political context in which Chea Vichea's killing occurred. It also provides information on problems faced by trade unions in the growing garment industry in Cambodia, with which Chea Vichea was closely involved. The report outlines Amnesty International's concerns relating to the investigation of his death and provides recommendations on the lack of independence of the judiciary, the use of torture to extract confessions, and restrictions on freedom of assembly and association in Cambodia. SOURCE: Amnesty International

First Khmer Rouge leader charged

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:44 -0700

An ex-Khmer Rouge prison chief has been charged with crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia. SOURCE: British Broadcasting Corporation

IFJ Research Findings on Reporting HIV/AIDS in Six Countries in Africa and Asia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:35 -0700

At its most basic level, the HIV/AIDS challenge for media is simple: people around the world are contracting HIV and dying of AIDS in massive numbers and the spread of the disease could be substantially curtailed if more people had accurate information about how HIV is contracted. Journalists have a frontline role to play in combating the reasons why AIDS is on the rise. There is a vital role that journalists and the media can play in combating the HIV/AIDS crisis, primarily in providing information - often at the most basic level - to the public. Additionally, the media can play a crucial role in combating stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and exposing myths about the disease. HIV/AIDS is the news story of our time - and our research shows that journalists agree. Over November 2005 - March 2006, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the global organisation representing more than 500,000 journalists in 120 countries, conducted research into the media's reporting of HIV/AIDS, as part of a program aimed at improving reporting of HIV. The research was supported by the Swedish trade union movement, the LO-TCO. The research focused on six countries across Africa and Asia. The six countries were: the Philippines, India and Cambodia (in Asia) and Zambia, South Africa and Nigeria. There were two parts to the research: media monitoring for two two-week periods (one for Asia and one for Africa) in late November/December 20#05 to determine the quality and quantity of HIV/AIDS reports in the media; and surveys of journalists and NGOs in the HIV/AIDS field on their perception of coverage of HIV/AIDS. The research work was part of a broader project called "Strengthening journalists' unions by improving reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa and Asia". It commenced in the second half of 2005 and will be conducted throughout 2006. Fundamentally, this project recognises that HIV/AIDS is a union issue. It seeks to strengthen the capacity of journalists' unions to effectively represent their members' interests, both as workers who are affected by HIV/AIDS and as journalists who can improve professionalism when reporting HIV/AIDS. This project seeks to share experiences and resources between journalists in Africa and Asia on combating HIV/AIDS from two perspectives: journalists as workers who can build strong unions to implement workplace strategies to combat HIV/AIDS, and journalists as part of the hugely influential media, which has an instrumental role to play in combating the epidemic. The research findings presented here start with an executive summary of results from all six countries, including recommendations for both media organisations and journalist organisations. It then examines each country's research results in detail. The results give us an insight into the current quantity and quality of reporting HIV and AIDS in the six target countries, and more importantly, pointers to strategies to improve it. And the overall strategy is simple: by improved and more frequent media reporting of HIV/AIDS, lives will be saved. SOURCE: International Federation of Journalists

Human Rights and Cambodia's Prisons: Prison Conditions 2004

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:28 -0700

Since 1997, LICADHO has issued reports on human rights in Cambodian prisons, highlighting the most serious human rights concerns and recommending avenues of change. As an independent non-governmental organization, LICADHO has several key aims: Monitor Cambodian prisons and prisoners' rights; Disseminate relevant high-quality non-partisan information; Lobby for positive reform. It is our hope that this report will be used by government and prison officials, human rights advocates, researchers, media, aid donors and legal professionals as a tool to identify existing problems, improve prison conditions and to promote prisoners' rights. SOURCE: Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights

Displacement and Vulnerability: An Investigation into the Complex Dynamics in North-west Cambodia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:12 -0700

The report explores the affects of displacement in north-west Cambodia and the vulnerabilities that arise as a result. Through a series of interviews, questionnaires and focus groups with the members of rural households, Ian MacAuslan and Graham Wood investigate the types of vulnerability that displaced people face. Ill health, domestic violence, shocks to incomes and the risk of further displacement are just a sample of the challenges that are explored in the report. Ockenden International has worked in the Banteay Meanchey region of Cambodia, where much of this study took place, since 1998. The region was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge and has experienced significant displacement as a result of past conflict. Many of the refugees who fled to Thailand returned to the western regions of Cambodia between 1997 and 1999 and have been trying to reintegrate since. These communities were not able always to return to their place of origin and have been joined by migrants from other parts of the country. SOURCE: Ockenden International

The Political Ecology of Transition in Cambodia 1989-1999: War, Peace and Forest Exploitation

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:03 -0700

The author examines the role of forestexploitation over the last decade in the transition of Cambodia from war to peace. SOURCE: University of British Columbia

International Interim Governments, Democratization, and Post-Conflict Peace-building: Lessons from Cambodia and East Timor

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:50 -0700

Some years ago the British diplomat Robert Cooper created a huge controversy when he argued that "liberal imperialism" is a legitimate response to the chaos and disorder of civil strife and disrupted states. But yesterday's heresy has become today's conventional wisdom. In his new book "Empire Lite," Michael Ignatieff, declares: "Temporary imperialismxe2x80x95Empire Litexe2x80x95has become the necessary condition for democracy in countries torn apart by civil war." Is he right? Is externally directed and monitored democratization an appropriate strategy for successful peace-building in post-conflict environments? Are liberal protectorates or international interim governments stable institutional bridges between regimes that can carry a society from conflict to sustainable peace? This study discusses this subject with reference to Cambodia and East Timor. SOURCE: Center for Contemporary Conflict // Naval Postgraduate School

Vietnam: Persecution of Montagnards Continues: Dega Christians Targeted in Latest Crackdown

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:49 -0700

Recent religious reforms announced by the Vietnamese government are not improving religious freedom for many Christian Montagnards, indigenous hill people from Vietnam's Central Highlands. A directive on Protestantism issued by the Prime Minister in February 2005 provides greater legitimacy to some branches of the Protestant Church. This was followed in early March by implementation regulations for a new ordinance on religion that was enacted in last November. New evidence from the Central Highlands, however, indicates that officials are using the new regulations to force Montagnard Christians to abandon religious organizations that operate independently of the government-authorized Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN), on threat of arrest. SOURCE: Human Rights Watch

Audit of Human Resources Management at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:38 -0700

The report is a summary of the main observations and conclusions arising from the audit of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) human resources management. SOURCE: United Nations Development Programme

Pol Pot: Life of a tyrant

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:38 -0700

Pol Pot's death in April 1998 heralded the end of the brutal career of a man responsible for overseeing one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. SOURCE: British Broadcasting Corporation

Lifting the Resource Curse: Extractive Industry, Children and Governance

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:31 -0700

Countries rich in natural resources are often cursed by corruption, conflict, poor economic growth, low levels of child welfare and other problems. The report explores the reasons underlying the paradoxical link between mineral wealth and child poverty in countries such as Azerbaijan, Colombia, Nigeria, Sudan and Venezuela. Drawing from the experience of these countries and the success stories of Botswana and Norway, it focuses on positive, practical and achievable approaches that key actors can use to lift the 'resource curse' and improve the impact of the extractive industry on children and the rest of their societies. SOURCE: Save the Children

UNAMIC: United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (October 1991-March 1992)

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:22 -0700

UNAMIC was established to assist the Cambodian parties to maintain their ceasefire during the period prior to the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia(UNTAC), and to initiate mine-awareness training of civilian populations. Later, the mandate was enlarged to include training in mine-clearance and the initiation of a mine-clearance programme.The Mission and its functions were subsumed by UNTAC in March 1992. SOURCE: United Nations // United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations

UNTAC: United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (March 1992-September 1993)

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:22 -0700

UNTAC was established to ensure implementation of the Agreements on the Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict, signed in Paris on 23 October 1991. The mandate included aspects relating to human rights, the organization and conduct of elections, military arrangements, civil administration, maintenance of law and order, repatriation and resettlement of refugees and displaced persons and rehabilitation of Cambodian infrastructure. SOURCE: United Nations // United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations

The Growing Prospects for Maritime Security Cooperation in Southeast Asia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:15 -0700

This article discusses the threats to maritime security in Southeast Asia, describes the factors tending toward strengthened maritime security cooperation, and argues that networks of bilateral relationships may be more fruitful than purely multilateral arrangements. The first section, a historical overview of maritime cooperation in Southeast Asia from the end of the Cold War through December 2004, is followed by a survey of contemporary maritime security threats. The article then discusses five significant factors that now favor improved maritime cooperation. It concludes with the various forms that future cooperation might take and speculation as to which are mostly likely in light of evolving state interests and constraints. SOURCE: Naval War College

Trial Watch: Nuon Chea

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:06 -0700

Nuon Chea, with real name Long Bunruot, was born in 1927, in Battambang. From 25 September till 15 October 1976, he was acting as Prime Minister of the Democratic Kampuchea. Between 1976 and 1979, he is President of Assembly of the Democratic Kampuchea. As head of the security of the regime, Nuon Chea is considered as the ideologist of the Khmer Rouge and as a key actor of the revolution. He was the most powerful man after Pol Pot (see xe2x80x98related cases') and when the latter died, he became the party's highest person in charge still alive. SOURCE: Track Impunity Always

Review of a Decade of Research On Trafficking in Persons, Cambodia

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:05 -0700

A growing body of research has addressed the issue of trafficking in persons in, from and to Cambodia during the past decade. Various studies have explored the different aspects of the phenomenon, including the extent of the problem, the exploitative and abusive situations that trafficked persons experience, sending and receiving patterns within Cambodia and across boundaries, and the needs of trafficked persons, including the special needs of trafficked children. These studies have been conducted with one main purpose: to inform the focus and direction of the programs and interventions to counter trafficking. For service providers involved in the counter-trafficking effort, relevant and reliable research information is of major importance to inform and guide their work. This report looks back at a decade of trafficking-related research in Cambodia. It systematically reviews what the available information canxe2x80x94and cannotxe2x80x94tell us about the patterns, extent and consequences of trafficking in Cambodia (and in relation to its neighboring countries). This also involves a critical assessment of the major approaches, perspectives and debates that have guided the research; the ways in which the studies were conducted; and the extent to which specific research findings can be generalized to Cambodia as a whole, taking into account the limits of the targeted groups, sectors and locations. SOURCE: Center for Advanced Study

Taking a Cut: Institutionalised Corruption and Illegal Logging in Cambodia's Aural Wildlife Sanctuary

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:05 -0700

Six years after the Cambodian government pledged to reform the country's forest sector, the main obstacle to real change - corruption - has not been addressed. Cambodian functionaries and soldiers charged with suppressing forest crime use their office as a basis for extortion, rather than law enforcement. They are encouraged, even compelled to do so by senior officials in Phnom Penh who control the opaque patronage networks that substitute for a system of governance in Cambodia. Global Witness and others have highlighted the extent of corruption in Cambodia's forest sector over almost a decade. The government and international donors have refused to confront the issue, however, with the result that Cambodia's forest sector reform process has not realised its objectives. Cambodia remains completely dependent on foreign aid. Meanwhile, the costs of weak forest sector governance, in terms of lost revenues, destruction of rural livelihoods and environmental damage, continue to mount. This report presents the findings of a series of Global Witness investigations into illegal logging in Aural Wildlife Sanctuary in southwestern Cambodia in 2004. Conditions in Aural precisely illustrate the institutionalised corruption prevalent across the country and the government's conspicuous failure to address it. SOURCE: Global Witness

Iraq's Constitutional Challenge

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:04 -0700

In an atmosphere of heightened violence and instability, Iraq urgently requires a new political formula that will increase the powers, legitimacy and representative quality of Iraqi governing institutions. This report argues that the key to a more successful transition lies in decoupling the immediate need to transfer governing authority from the longer-term task of constitution making, with the UN having a wider oversight role in both areas. Separating immediate governance from constitutional issues will enable a faster handover of authority while allowing the Iraqi people more time to debate the permanent institutions and fundamental rules of the new Iraq. SOURCE: International Crisis Group

Asie de l'Est et Pacifique

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:04 -0700

Le 15 aoxc3xbbt 2005, le Gouvernement indonésien et le Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (mouvement de libération d'Aceh) ont signé un mémorandum d'accord confirmant leur volonté de trouver une solution pacifique, globale et durable au conflit qui sévit dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Il est Ã espérer que l'application de cet accord permettra le rapatriement dans la sécurité et la dignité des habitants de la province qui vivent actuellement Ã l'étranger, et en particulier en Malaisie, oxc3xb9 quelque 20 000 d'entre eux sont recensés par l'UNHCR. L'Organisation se tient prxc3xaate Ã venir en aide Ã toutes les parties concernées, dans la limite de ses responsabilités et de ses compétences. Toujours en Indonésie, l'UNHCR a participé Ã l'intervention interorganisations menée dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Ã la suite du tremblement de terre et du tsunami survenus dans l'océan Indien le 26 décembre 2004. Aprxc3xa8s s'xc3xaatre retiré d'Aceh Ã la fin de la phase d'urgence, enmars 2005, l'UNHCR est retourné dans la région en juin 2005, Ã l'invitation du Gouvernement indonésien. Ses efforts porteront principalement sur l'aide Ã la réhabilitation et Ã la reconstruction dans la province de Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam et sur l'xc3xaele de Nias, au nord de Sumatra, oxc3xb9 une assistance immédiate a été fournie Ã quelque 20 000 personnes victimes du tremblement de terre du 28 mars 2005. SOURCE: L'Agence des Nations Unies Pour Les Refugies

Rhetoric vs. Reality: ASEAN's Clouded Future

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:04 -0700

Last October, at the Ninth Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bali, the leaders of the organization formally declared their aim of establishing a security community in Southeast Asia by the year 2020. The declaration serves as a bold statement of the ASEAN members' attempts to rejuvenate an institution at once plagued by internal paralysis and subject #to assault from the forces of Islamic radicalism. Hopes are high within ASEAN. As ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Wilfrido Villacorta noted: "This security communityxe2x80xa6[will] strengthen national and regional capacity to counter terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and transnational crime." This is not mere rhetoric. In early March this year, the ASEAN foreign ministers met in Vietnam's scenic Halong Bay to make headway on initiatives to build a security community. One idea under serious consideration is the establishment of an ASEAN peacekeeping force. An increasing number of scholars and the organization itself argue that ASEAN should strive to realize the goal of a forming a security community. SOURCE:

An Ounce of Prevention: The Failure of G8 Policy on Armed Conflict

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:02 -0700

The chapters in this report represent World Vision's distinct analysis on the human, social and economic costs that violent conflict has wreaked in sixteen different contexts that have not had the high media profile of Iraq. It is World Vision's attempt to highlight countries suffering from the 'perfect storm' of post-conflict recovery: low human development, high indebtedness, and another significant challenge, often disease or poor economic prospects. These conflicts have exacted concurrent and crippling consequences on the people living in them; factors which, left unaddressed, make them highly susceptible to future violent conflict. Industrialised countries, and in particular the G8, however, need not be resigned to inevitable civil wars. If pursued, the recommendations presented here offer a realistic chance not only of averting re-cycling of individual conflicts, but of addressing other global afflictions that are fuelled by the preponderance of wars. SOURCE: World Vision

UN warning on Cambodia tribunal

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:01 -0700

A United Nations report criticising the Cambodian administration of the Khmer Rouge trials has been made public. SOURCE: British Broadcasting Corporation

Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:56 -0700

This report provides historical context, discusses political and economic developments, and raises policy issues in Cambodia that affect U.S.-Cambodian relations. These issues include human rights, bilateral trade, U.S. foreign assistance to Cambodia, terrorism, HIV/AIDS, the Khmer Rouge tribunal, and Cambodia's relations with its southeast Asian neighbors and China. This report will be updated periodically. SOURCE: Congressional Research Service