Friday, November 20, 2009

TV, November 18, 2009; Obama Visits Great Wall of China

U.S. President Barack Obama takes a stroll on the Great Wall of China on the final day of his first visit to the communist country.

The President, whose meeting and lunch with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao overran, had limited time to take in the views at the historic site, which for the Chinese people stands as a proud symbol of their imperial heritage.

Friday, November 13, 2009

November 13, 2009; Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen Welcomes Back Border Troops



Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves at soldiers during a ceremony welcoming the troops back after they withdrew from the disputed border with Thailand.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

TV, September 8, 2009; Cambodia Invents a Different Solar Car

A Cambodian mathematics teacher has invented the country's first solar car, which he hopes to sell.

Kong Pharith spent the last 3 years researching and developing his unique solar vehicle.

Using second-hand car parts, it cost Pharith $3000 to build the 750 kilogram 4-seater car, which he hopes to retail for $5000.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

September 6, 2009; Cambodians attend Pchum Ben, Festival of the Dead




Cambodians pour water on a Buddha statue at a temple on the first day of the 'Pchum Ben' festival, or Festival of the Dead. Cambodians visit temples during the 15-day festival to offer prayers to their loved ones who have passed away. There are plates filled with fruits and incense during prayers at a temple on the first day of the 'Pchum Ben' festival.

Friday, August 28, 2009

August 27, 2009; Cambodia Troops Leave Preah Vihear Temple

Cambodia began a partial withdrawal of troops from its disputed border with Thailand.

"This shows the positive position of Cambodia, that we want to live in peace, and is something the two nations will benefit from," said the Deputy commander in chief of Cambodia's armed forces.

"At the same time, we still have enough troops to defend our own territory," he told Reporters by telephone from the border.

The regional commander on the Thai side of the border said there were no plans to follow suit.

"There will be no withdrawal from this side," Thai Major-General told Reporters.

The Preah Vihear temple, which is perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, has for decades been a source of tension and nationalist fervour.

Cambodia was awarded Preah Vihear in a 1962 international court ruling.

The two countries are also in dispute over parts of the Gulf of Thailand, where oil and gas deposits have been found.

Military representatives from both sides agreed on Monday to exercise restraint at the border. The Cambodian pull-back is due to end on Sunday.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

August 8, 2009; Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Chinese crews missing during Storm Goni



Waves triggered by tropical storm Goni by the shores of Sanya, Hainan province August 8, 2009. Nearly 100 ships' crew members from Cambodia, Vietnam and China are missing in heavy seas off south China's Hainan Island. Soldiers try to rescue residents trapped by flash floods as tropical storm Goni approaches.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009

June 27, 2009; Cambodia and Thailand Meets

PHNOM PENH, June 27 - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Thailand's deputy premier on Saturday as diplomatic tensions mounted over a 900-year-old temple that sits on the border between the two countries.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva sent Suthep Thaugsuban, to meet Hun Sen to explain why Thailand was challenging a U.N. decision to make the Preah Vihear temple a world heritage site under the sole jurisdiction of Cambodia.

Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the Hindu temple perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the Southeast Asian neighbours and could one day be a lucrative tourist site.

Thailand's latest questioning of the temple's status has angered Phnom Penh, and both sides have sent more troops to the disputed area around Preah Vihear.

Hun Sen had earlier said Preah Vihear was not up for discussion and on Friday told local television that Suthep was welcome "to raise the issue of withdrawing Thai troops from the border".

Michael Jackson Dies on June 25, 2009 Age 50 *EXCLUSIVE*



August 29, 1958 -
June 25, 2009 At 3:15pm

"We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

June 24, 2009; Robert Petit of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia Resigns



Canadian co-prosecutor Robert Petit of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia speaks during a news conference in the outskirts of Phnom Penh June 24, 2009. Petit, an international prosecutor at Cambodia's Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal, announced his resignation Tuesday from the court.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

June 23, 2009; Thai Deputy Prime Minister to Visit Cambodia

BANGKOK, June 23 - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is sending his right-hand man to Cambodia in a bid to calm rising tensions over an ancient temple claimed by both countries on their disputed border.

The Saturday visit by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Taugsuban will follow Thailand's latest challenge of a U.N. decision to make the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple a world heritage site under the sole jurisdiction of Cambodia.

"I will explain to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that we have problems with UNESCO, not with Cambodia," Suthep told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the U.N. culture body.

Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the Hindu temple perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the Southeast Asian neighbours and could one day be a lucrative tourist site.

"From my personal acquaintance with him, Hun Sen does not want Cambodia and Thailand to have trouble with each other," Suthep said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister told reporters at the weekend that his country was ready to fend off any attacks from Thailand "either militarily, diplomatically or through legal action at the international court".

The sabre-rattling comes ahead of this week's UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville, Spain, at which both Cambodia and Thailand have representatives.

In an interview on Monday, Abhisit blamed the border tensions on UNESCO for "trying to register and manage the area when the process of demarcation hasn't been completed".

"Since they have been active in this, we have casualties, we have tensions, and tourists can't go there any more. That defeats the whole purpose of World Heritage, restoring the heritage for local people, for tourists," Abhisit said.

The Thai leader said he and Hun Sen agreed at their meeting this month to resolve the temple row without violence and not let it stand in the way of cooperation on other issues.

Both sides have talked about developing the site as a tourist destination.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

June 12, 2009; Cambodia and Thailand Prime Ministers Discussions

PHNOM PENH, June 12 - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed to allow two Thai Muslims convicted of plotting attacks on Western embassies in Phnom Penh in 2004 to serve the rest of their prison terms in Thailand.

The deal was agreed during a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The two Thais and a Cambodian, who were linked to the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah, were given life sentences by a Cambodian court in December 2004 for plotting to bomb the U.S. and British embassies in Phnom Penh.

Chiming Abdul Azi, Muhammadyalludin Mading and Cambodian Sman Esma El were found guilty of colluding to attack the missions along with Hambali, the suspected JI mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Hambali remains in U.S. detention since being handed over by Thailand after his capture in the central city of Ayutthaya in 2003.

Cambodians serving prison sentences in Thailand would be returned as part of the deal.

Hun Sen told his Thai counterpart that he would send the two convicted Thais to serve their punishment in Thailand and vice-versa.

The transfers could take some time because Thailand and Cambodia have no extradition agreement.

The two leaders also pledged to settle a long-running dispute over the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which has been a source of tension between the two countries for generations.

Cambodia and Thai Prime Ministers agreed that armed conflicts would not take place at the border near the temple.

Friday, June 12, 2009

June 12, 2009; Thai Prime Minister and Cambodian Prime Minister Meets


Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh June 12, 2009. Prime Minister Abhisit is in Cambodia to discuss border issues with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009

June 4, 2009; President Obama Visits the pyramids



U.S. President Barack Obama takes a tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

April 29, 2009; Thai Defense Minister Shakes hand with Cambodian Defense Minister


Thai Defence Minister (Left) shakes hands with Cambodian Defence Minister (Right) during the 6th General Border Committee meeting at a hotel in Siem Reap province.

May 1, 2009; World Labor Day in Cambodia, Phnom Penh




Cambodian garment workers celebrate World Labor Day.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

April 5, 2009; Major Generals of Thailand and Cambodia Meets



April 5, 2009; Talks can ease Thai-Cambodian border tension

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday supported Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen's move to downplay a border clash, calling it the result of a misunderstanding that could be resolved through talks.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday the clash would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

"I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war. I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas," Hun Sen said.

Tension over the fresh clash eased through sustained dialogue between Thai and Cambodian officials, Abhisit said on a weekly television programme.

He said the latest incident started with a Thai soldier stepping on a landmine in a disputed area over which both countries claimed sovereignty.

"Many border areas have problems arising from a dispute over counter claims by both countries," Abhisit said.

"There have been bilateral government talks over these problems, including contacts between me and Prime Mininister Hun Sen that have created mutual understanding that they should be resolved through negotiations," he said.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

April 4, 2009; Cambodia Thailand Boder Unrest, the pathway of Images







April 4, 2009; Cambodia's Prime Minister says Thailand and Cambodia border conflict "not a war"

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

"I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war," Hun Sen said a day after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rifle and rocket fire near the Preah Vihear temple that has been a source of tension for decades.

"I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas," Hun Sen told a group of disabled soldiers during a visit to the coastal province of Kampot. Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes on Friday, which Thailand called a "misunderstanding."

Friday, April 3, 2009

April 3, 2009; Cambodia and Thailand Border unrest




April 3, 2009; Thai and Cambodia troops exchange fire on border

Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire on the border near an ancient Hindu temple, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, a Cambodian official said.

The fighting erupted a day after a Thai soldier was badly wounded when he stepped on a landmine near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes near the Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both Southeast Asian nations and saw an armed stand-off last year.

Two Thai soldiers were killed and six wounded in the fighting, the deputy commander of Thailand's Second Army, Lieutenant-General Thawatchai Samutsakorn, told Thai television.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said 4 Thais had died and another 10 Thai soldiers were being held by Cambodian troops.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry denied that any Thais had been captured during the morning or afternoon clashes.

"We believe that this incident arose from a misunderstanding in the area," Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told reporters in Bangkok.

There were reports of two Cambodians killed, but Khieu Kanharith said they had not been confirmed.

The latest fighting comes a day after a Thai soldier lost a leg when he stepped on a land mine in an area claimed by Thailand.

A Thai patrol visited the blast site early on Friday morning and encountered 20 Cambodian soldiers.

"After talks between the two sides failed, the Cambodian side started to walk away and turned back to open fire at Thai troops with rifles and RPG rockets, forcing the Thai side to fire back in self-defense," Thailand's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

A second round of fighting erupted in the afternoon, with the two sides exchanging rife and rocket fire, and setting a market near the temple ablaze. There were no reports of civilian casualties.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

Tensions rose last month when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, but no fighting occurred.

The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbors sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, warned this week that his soldiers would fight if Thai troops crossed the disputed border again.

The site is 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

Few foreign visitors go there, although both countries have said they would like to develop the area as a tourist destination.

The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks in the Cambodian resort town of Siem Reap to try to find a solution to the row.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

March 30, 2009; Killing Fields Trial in Cambodia


Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

March 26, 2009: Thai-Cambodia border calm after temple stand-off

A brief stand-off between Thai and Cambodian troops near a 900-year-old Hindu temple has ended peacefully after the Thais withdrew to their side of the disputed border, a Cambodian official.

"Everything is back to normal on the border after the Thais returned to their territory," Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

Thai officials said their troop movements were not hostile but part of a routine rotation on the border.

The area had been quiet for months after the Southeast Asian neighbours agreed to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area, where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Siphan said the joint border committee would meet in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, in the first week of April.

Preah Vihear sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 square km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Since last year's clashes, both sides have agreed to develop the area for tourism.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Countries give millions in money to Khmer Rouge Trials in Cambodia

Japan - $21,606,150

- $17,943,000 more to come

United Kingdom - $3,789,850

Armenia - $1000

Austria - $360, 000

Australia - $2,615,783

- $3,263,708 more to come

Belgium - $189,804

Canada - $1,762,266

Denmark - $591,716

France - $4,851,145

Germany - $1,000,000

- $3,836,317 more to come

Ireland - $319,161

Luxembourg - $139,010

Namibia - $500

Netherlands
- $1,800,909

New Zealand - $508,150

Norway - $1,902,856

Republic of Korea - $450,000

Spain - $320,600

Sweden - $401,565

Switzerland - $7,364

United States - to come $1,782,000

Saturday, March 14, 2009

March 13, 2009; Preah Vihear Temple


View of the Preah Vihear temple, a world heritage site, during sunrise in Preah Vihear province.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Friday, March 6, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

T V - February 18, 2009; Cambodia's Killing Fields trial


The trial of the chief Khmer Rouge torturer has entered a second day at a United Nations-backed court in Cambodia. Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, has been charged with war crimes, torture and murder during his time as chief of the notorious S-21 prison.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

T V - February 17, 2009; Khmer Rouge Trial Opens



The U.N.-backed trial of the chief Khmer Rouge torturer has started, three decades after the fall of the Pol Pot regime, blamed for 1.7 million deaths in Cambodia.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, is charged with war crimes, torture and murder for his role as head of a notorious prison where more than 14,000 people were tortured and executed during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror in the 1970s.

Hundreds of survivors of Cambodia's Killing Fields queued for hours to attend the hearing, which finally begins after a decade of delays and wrangling.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

T V - February 15, 2009; Khmer Rouge Trials To Begin



Thirty years after the fall of Cambodia's 'Killing Fields' regime surviving senior henchmen of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot are to be tried on charges relating to the deaths of 1.7 million people.

Friday, February 6, 2009

T V - February 6, 2009; Cambodia and Thailand Agree on Border



Thai defense minister and Cambodia's Prime Minister agree to pull out from around the Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said after meeting with Thailand's Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan that the two neighbours have solved all their main differences of an eight-month-long dispute near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. The two sides have agreed to withdraw their remaining troops from the disputed pagoda area situated near the temple.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

January 1, 2008; Santika Club in Bangkok

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva inspects the damage at Santika Club in Bangkok January 1, 2009. A blaze at the top Bangkok nightclub killed 59 people including a Singaporean celebrating the New Year and injured more than 100 others, police said.