Thai prosecutors on Wednesday indicted four anti-government “red-shirt” leaders with the Criminal Court in connection with a protest in front of the Sisao Thewes residence of Privy Council chairman Prem Tinsulanonda in capital Bangkok on July 22, 2007, the Bangkok Post’s website reported.
The four — Veera Musikhapong, 62, Nathawut Saikua, 35, Wiphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai, 59, and Weng Tojirakarn, 59, are charged with violating Articles 138, 215, 216 of the Criminal Code.
They led thousands of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) members to protest in front of General Prem’s residence, calling for him to resign as president of the Privy Council.
They will be taken from the Bangkok Reman Prison, where they are being detained on terrorism charges in connection with the April-May anti-government protests, to testify to the court on Thursday morning.
Related posts:

1. “Red-shirt” leaders won’t be allowed to be released on bail after surrender: Thai minister (Xinhua)
2. Red Shirt leaders delay bail bid appeal for 10 days (TNA)
3. Lawyer to ask Thai gov’t not to freeze “red-shirt” candidate’s bank A/C (Xinhua)
4. DSI waiting for red-shirt leaders to surrender (The Nation)
5. Thai red-shirt core leader Jatuporn to surrender Tuesday (Xinhua)
6. Red-shirt leaders demand Abhisit step down, order troop withdrawal (The Nation)
7. Red-shirt Core Leaders Will Not Bargain for Amnesty (TAN)
8. Red-shirt Leaders Unclear on Reporting to Police (TAN)
9. Satit: Red-shirt leaders may have good news before noon (The Nation)

A total of 278 air carriers are banned from using European airspace under strict European air safety regulations. On Tuesday one additional air carrier was added to the list alongside greater restrictions on Iran Air.
Airlines such as Ariana Afghan Airlines, Siem Reap Airways International from Cambodia, and all Philippine air carriers are excluded from using European airspace.
“We cannot afford to compromise on air safety. Where we have evidence that air carriers are not performing safe operations, or where regulators fail in their obligation to enforce safety standards,” said Siim Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, responsible for transport said in a news release on Tuesday.
Related posts:

1. Thai jet fighter violated Cambodian airspace (Khmerization)
2. 23 more banned against financial dealing (The Nation)
3. Coalition backs road map, undecided on banned politicians (The Nation)

Eight migrant workers who were trafficked to India returned home. According to the victims, the broker promised them a job in Thailand as construction workers. The broker then offered Thai visa and means to cross the border to Thailand. However, the workers ended up being locked in a boat about 28 days and sent to India. After the Indian authorities rescued the workers from the boat, they were detained in the facilities in India for six months.
Related posts:

1. Thai authority deported 210 Cambodian workers (Khmerization)
2. Army says some Cambodian workers carried bomb materials (The Nation)
3. Hun Xen: Workers’ demonstration is a No, No! (KI)
4. Man suspected of killing mother returned to Idaho (Khmerization)
5. Cambodia sends Vietnamese martyrs’ remains home (KI)
6. Cambodia’s former King returns home from friendship visit to Vietnam (KI)
7. Three US citizens and three Cambodian men indicted for marriage and benefit fraud (KI)
8. Man released after eight months in Cambodian jail (KI)
9. Cambodian-flagged vessel detained for illegal fishing in Russia’s Far East (Khmerization)

The Philippines wants to forge a counter trade deal with Cambodia for 300,000 metric tons of rice during the first RP-Cambodia Investment and Trade Mission this week.
“Cambodia has a lot of exportable rice surplus. Part of our mission is to get them to agree to a counter trade agreement wherein the Philippines will source 200 to 300,000 metric tons Cambodia rice in exchange for Philippine agricultural produce and post harvest technology,” said Pablito Villegas, the trade mission’s investment officer agribusiness.
Villegas said the Philippine delegation would also try to work out direct trade deals on rice during its mission.
“The problem with Cambodia is that they are not exporting their rice. It shares common border with Vietnam and Thailand, so that Thailand siphons majority of their rice. Technically speaking, what we buy from Thailand is Cambodia rice,” he said.
Cambodia expects a 3.1 million MT surplus of exportable paddy rice this year, according to Cambodia’s Supreme National Economic Council.
Related posts:

1. PM scraps rice-export licences to boost trade (Khmerization)
2. Taiwan trade delegation to visit Cambodia, Myanmar (Khmerization)
3. Japan signs $131 million deal with Cambodia for Mekong bridge (KI)
4. Khmer farmers claimed border posts planted in their rice-fields (Khmerization)
5. Trade with S’pore rose 84pc (Khmerization)
6. Myanmar-Singapore bilateral trade reaches $1.86 bln (Xinhua)
7. Asean Leaders Seek US Trade Attention (KI)
8. PM seeks UN, Asean help to bolster reconciliation (Bangkok Post)
9. SEC seeks probe against Thaksin, Pojaman (The Nation)

The opposition Puea Thai Party is pinning its hopes of winning the July 25 by-election in Bangkok Constituency 6 on the sympathy vote.
Puea Thai candidate Korkaew Pikulthong not being allowed to leave prison to campaign for votes might be a major disadvantage but it could draw sympathy, the chief of Puea Thai’s Bangkok MPs, Vicharn Meenchainant, said yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post.
All key party figures, MPs, Bangkok councillors and district councillors are taking to the campaign trail on behalf of Mr Korkaew, who has been detained with other red shirt protest leaders at the Bangkok Remand Prison on charges of terrorism related to the violence related to the red shirt rally.
The fact Mr Korkaew is being treated as if he were banned from campaigning for votes even though the courts allowed him to run in the by-election will make people feel sorry for him, Mr Vicharn said.
He said the public tend to perceive the way Mr Korkaew is being treated as unfair and see the government as treating the Democrat Party’s candidate differently.
Related posts:

1. Puea Thai Party plays second fiddle (Bangkok Post)
2. Puea Thai Party faces mini revolt (Bangkok Post)
3. Lawyer to ask Thai gov’t not to freeze “red-shirt” candidate’s bank A/C (Xinhua)
4. Puea Pandin remains a thorn in govt’s side (The Nation)
5. Reds parade to Talad Thai (Bangkok Post)
6. Accounts of Thaksin associates very active (Bangkok Post)
7. UDD leadership in disarray as Veera is said to have quit (Bangkok Post)
8. PM: Coalition will be stabilised (Bangkok Post)
9. Development plans could stall (Bangkok Post)

The Department of Special Investigation has set up nine teams to improve efficiency in its handling of cases involving plots to overthrow the monarchy.
DSI director-general Tharit Pengdit yesterday chaired an initial meeting of investigators who will look into cases involving the anti-monarchy movement to lay the groundwork for their inquiries.
He said the nine teams will be given different tasks to ensure efficiency in their investigations of lese majeste cases.
The teams will cover: intelligence-gathering; issues involving information and communications technology; investigations into financial, banking and tax information; foreign affairs; cases handed over by the Royal Police Office; two teams in charge of special cases which the DSI has taken over from the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES); legal secretaries; and an administration and support team.
Mr Tharit said the anti-monarchy movement is operating through two means of communication with the public.
The first is the open and direct channel such as giving public addresses, distributing leaflets, giving interviews to foreign reporters, and hosting radio or television shows.
The second method is through the internet: websites, webboards with messages showing malicious intentions towards the royal institution, showing inappropriate pictures, and the distribution of anti-monarchy articles, video clips and email.
Mr Tharit said the anti-monarchy network wants to discredit the country and bring about a change in the country’s form of government.
Related posts:

1. DSI looks into alleged conspiracy (Bangkok Post)
2. Suthep reports to DSI (Bangkok Post)
3. Anti-UDD group cancels rally (Bangkok Post)
4. Major anti-UDD rally on May 2 (Bangkok Post)
5. Newin vows to protect the monarchy (The Nation)
6. DSI to circulate latest arrest warrant (The Nation)
7. DSI waiting for red-shirt leaders to surrender (The Nation)
8. DSI warns protesters of death penalty (Bangkok Post)
9. Reds dismiss claim they plan to harm monarchy (The Nation)

The Japanese government has offered a US$20-million-aid to boost the development of provinces along the border of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Laos.
Cambodia and Laos each received $7.5 million and Viet Nam got $3.5 million. The rest will be used to rebuild the infrastructure in the zone.
Buffed by the Japanese aid, lawmakers from Cambodia, Vietnamese and Laos assemblies met on July 7 in Cambodia’s Katie province to discuss the possibility of a triangle development among three countries.
The Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam Development Triangle covers the territory of the following provinces: Mondulkiri, Rattanakiri and Stung Treng (Cambodia); Attapeu, Saravan and Se Kong (Laos); and Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum (Viet Nam).
Related posts:

1. Cambodia launches optical cable with Laos (Khmerization)
2. UN: Cambodia must address wide rural-urban development divide (Khmerization)
3. Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC) visits the Cambodian-Viet border in Takeo province (KI)
4. Democracy, Human Rights, Refugees: [US] Assistant Secretary Eric P. Schwartz Traveling to Australia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (KI)
5. PM scraps rice-export licences to boost trade (Khmerization)
6. Myanmar vows close cooperation with East Asian countries for regional development (Xinhua)
7. Development plans could stall (Bangkok Post)
8. Vietnam, Cambodia complete 17 border markers (Khmerization)
9. Cambodia receives $1.1 billion in aid pledges from donors for 2010 (Khmerization)

NEW YORK, July 8 (UPI) — A human rights group Thursday criticized the U.S. choice of a Cambodian military unit with a record of human rights abuses to host a peacekeeping exercise.
Human Rights Watch announced in New York the choice undermines the commitment of the United States to promote human rights in Cambodia.
The 2010 Global Peace Operations Initiative, of which the Angkor Sentinel exercise is a part, is a peacekeeper-training joint effort by the U.S. Departments of Defense and State. It is co-hosted by the U.S. Pacific Command, and will be the largest multinational military exercise held this year in the Asia-Pacific region, Human Rights Watch said, with more than 1,000 military personnel from 23 Asian-Pacific countries scheduled to participate.
The U.S. Defense Department funded construction of a $1.8 million training center for the 2010 initiative, which is scheduled to begin Sunday.
“For the Pentagon and State Department to permit abusive Cambodian military units to host a high-profile regional peacekeeping exercise is outrageous. The United States undermines its protests against the Cambodian government for rampant rights abuses like forced evictions when it showers international attention and funds on military units involved in grabbing land and other human rights violations,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
The ACO Tank Unit has been involved in illegal land seizures for years, the organization said. The United States should suspend military aid to Cambodia until abusive people or units have been screened out, the group said.
Related posts:

1. Cambodia to host regional Buddhistic tourism forum at Angkor Wat (Xinhua)
2. Cambodia to host Asian political parties conference in December (Xinhua)
3. Cambodia declines to host games (Khmerization)
4. NGOs urge peace with red shirts (The Nation)
5. US-Cambodia war games spark alarm (Bangkok Post)
6. EU provides 1.2 million euros in aid … to human rights work in Cambodia (KI)
7. Chiang Mai local leaders call for peace (Bangkok Post)
8. Vietnam to host ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting soon (Xinhua)
9. Boonjong: Thaksin key to peace (Bangkok Post)

Cambodia’s opposition indicated that the terrorism accusation leveled by the Kampong Thom provincial court against SRP activists is a trick to weaken the SRP.
Yim Sovann, SRP MP and spokesman, told reporters on Wednesday that 4 SRP activists were accused of terrorism by the Kampong Thom provincial court. Yim Sovann said that this a renewed accusation after the same problem took place once in 2004 when the court summoned these men to go to court to clarify, but had to release them back due to lack of sufficient evidence.
Yim Sovann said: “They [the CPP] know that they cannot stop the SRP’s popularity, therefore, they don’t know what else to do but to raise this old case back in order to threaten our party.”
The four suspects include: Uk Thorn, SRP advisory chairman for Balaing district; Kim Hong, Kroya commune councilor; and Koy Koeun and Choam Cheav who are both SRP activists.
Uk Thorn said that this accusation stems from an event that took place in 2004. He explained that Kroya commune villagers living in Santuk district, were concerned about rumors spreading that a group of thieves would attack villagers with syringes during their sleep. The group of thieves was called the “paper tiger.” Uk Thorn’s colleagues reported the concerns to the provincial authority through a letter, however the end result was that the authority turned around and accused his group of spreading rumors and of creating unrest, then the court went on to accuse his group of terrorism.
Yim Sovann said that Kroya villagers suffered from the confiscation of their lands by the authority to give to a Yuon company for a rubber plantation. Because of this condition, the villagers went on to provide strong support to the opposition SRP party. This was the reason why the CPP created problems to try to weaken the SRP.
Related posts:

1. SRP accuses CPP of ‘making up’ defections (Khmerization)
2. Corruption is more dangerous than terrorism: Yim Sovann (KI)
3. Heng Samrin denied SRP MPs request on the border (Khmerization)
4. Hun Sen accused SRP of recruiting terrorists as party members (Khmerization)
5. SRP MPs to visit border post # 270 despite permission denied (Khmerization)
6. Thai activists oppose Cambodian PM presence at Mekong Summit in Thailand (TNA)
7. PM hints that SRP had role in failed coup (Khmerization)
8. PM Believes Extradition for Thaksin Will Be Easier Due to Terrorism Charges (TAN)
9. Govt used vigilante groups to block SRP MPs’ visit to border post No. 270 (KI)

Cambodia’s government and several unions agreed on Thursday to a 9-percent minimum wage rise for garment workers but the industry’s biggest unions said their demands were not met and a strike was still possible.
Garment workers have threatened a nationwide strike in Cambodia, where minimum wages are among the world’s lowest, if pay levels fail to rise sharply in an industry vital to the impoverished country’s nascent economic recovery.
Labor Minister Vong Sauth said wages would rise from $56 a month to $61 from Oct. 1 under a new four-year agreement that would be strictly enforced.
Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union (FTU), which had demanded a $70 minimum monthly wage and organised a strike for July 13-15, told Reuters those who voted did not represent the majority of workers. He had not been invited to the talks.
“We were not included to provide opinions,” he said, adding he wanted to see more details of the agreement before deciding whether to go ahead with a strike.
Ath Thorn, president of Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, which represents about 40,000 workers and had sought a $93 monthly wage, told reporters he would ask his members if they agreed with the new wage.
Related posts:

1. Teachers and trades unions planned to screen documentary about Chea Vichea’s murder (Khmerization)
2. Recession shows need for Cambodian garment factories to diversify – UN agency (UN.org)
3. Cambodia’s foreign tourist arrivals rise 11.5% in first 5 months (Xinhua)
4. Sniper ‘targeted Khattiya from high-rise’ (The Nation)
5. ILO weighs freedom of association (KI)
6. Hun Xen: Workers’ demonstration is a No, No! (KI)
7. Red-Shirt Leader Claims Bomb Suspects Arrested in Cambodia Were Govt Spies (TAN)
8. Jatuporn says no to talk with govt (The Nation)
9. MFA: Govt gets international support (Bangkok Post)

The embassy in Washington will mark 60 years of diplomatic relations with the US on Friday, with celebrations scheduled in Cambodia in weeks ahead.
The Cambodian Embassy has invited 200 guests and dignitaries for a performance of traditional dance and a live concert Friday, the Ambassador Hem Heng told VOA Khmer.
In Cambodia, the US Embassy is hosting a week of activities starting from July 18. On that day, the Pacific Fleet Marine Band will play a concert at Chaktomuk Hall in Phnom Penh, followed by another performance in Battambang town on July 20.
The award-winning “New Year Baby,” produced by Socheata Poeuv, will play July 19 at Chenla Theater in Phnom Penh. On July 21 and July 22, the government and US embassy are co-sponsoring a discussion of former ambassadors and historians that will be open to the public on both days. And on July 24, the embassy will host a public dance recital of “Seasons of Migration,” by master dancer Sophiline Shapiro, at Chaktomuk Hall.
Related posts:

1. Cambodians to mark new year with parade (KI)
2. Cambodia to host regional Buddhistic tourism forum at Angkor Wat (Xinhua)
3. Cambodia Watchdog Council asks Sar Kheng to show the number of immigrants currently living in Cambodia (KI)
4. Vietnam investment takes off in Cambodia; some wary (Reuters)
5. Phnom Penh City Hall to prepare a place for all demonstrations (Khmerization)
6. Cambodia’s handover of 2 Thai bomb suspects a thaw in relations? (The Nation)
7. Cambodia’s former King returns home from friendship visit to Vietnam (KI)
8. British NGO calls on Cambodia to honour reforms (KI)

Cambodia’s government and several unions agreed on Thursday to a 9-percent minimum wage rise for garment workers but the industry’s biggest unions said their demands were not met and a strike was still possible.
Garment workers have threatened a nationwide strike in Cambodia, where minimum wages are among the world’s lowest, if pay levels fail to rise sharply in an industry vital to the impoverished country’s nascent economic recovery.
Labor Minister Vong Sauth said wages would rise from $56 a month to $61 from Oct. 1 under a new four-year agreement that would be strictly enforced.
Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union (FTU), which had demanded a $70 minimum monthly wage and organised a strike for July 13-15, told Reuters those who voted did not represent the majority of workers. He had not been invited to the talks.
“We were not included to provide opinions,” he said, adding he wanted to see more details of the agreement before deciding whether to go ahead with a strike.
Ath Thorn, president of Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, which represents about 40,000 workers and had sought a $93 monthly wage, told reporters he would ask his members if they agreed with the new wage.
Related posts:

1. Teachers and trades unions planned to screen documentary about Chea Vichea’s murder (Khmerization)
2. Recession shows need for Cambodian garment factories to diversify – UN agency (UN.org)
3. Cambodia’s foreign tourist arrivals rise 11.5% in first 5 months (Xinhua)
4. Sniper ‘targeted Khattiya from high-rise’ (The Nation)
5. ILO weighs freedom of association (KI)
6. Hun Xen: Workers’ demonstration is a No, No! (KI)
7. Red-Shirt Leader Claims Bomb Suspects Arrested in Cambodia Were Govt Spies (TAN)
8. Jatuporn says no to talk with govt (The Nation)
9. MFA: Govt gets international support (Bangkok Post)

While Cambodia has adopted a competitive investment strategy, it lags behind Asia-Pacific countries in terms of investment facilities and other factors, the World Bank reported Wednesday.
Cambodia is one of the more open countries to foreign investment, but its roads, ports and other infrastructure are not developed, according to the “Investing Across Borders” annual report.
“It’s a showcase to attract more foreign direct investment,” said Ngoun Meng Tech, secretary general of Chamber of Commerce of Cambodia.
Cambodia’s economy has struggled since the 2009 recession, and foreign investment has fallen from $1.2 billion in the first six months of 2009 to $1.1 billion for the same period this year. Experts say the country must now find ways to compete in a different global economy.
In Cambodia, it takes 86 days and 10 procedures to open a business, compared to other East Asia-Pacific countries, where the average is 68 days and 11 procedures, the World Bank reported.
Related posts:

1. Vietnam investment takes off in Cambodia; some wary (Reuters)
2. East Asia Welcomes US Engagement In The Region (Bernama.com)
3. Mekong Sub-region nations vow to develop infrastructure (Xinhua)
4. World Bank predicts 4.4-per-cent growth for Cambodia this year
5. Foreign tourists to Cambodia increase by 10.55 pct in first 4 months (Xinhua)
6. Cambodian PM predicts GDP growth of 5 pct this year [-Cambodia's economy according to Hanoi PhD Hun Xen?] (KI)
7. Banking System Shows Signs of Recovery (KI)
8. Asean: Bad for the region (Bangkok Post)
9. Cambodia receives $1.1 billion in aid pledges from donors for 2010 (Khmerization)