Ethnic Armies Say Peace Talks to Proceed with Myanmar Government

 

Armed ethnic groups have agreed to meet with the Myanmar government next month for peace talks despite reservations over a number of conditions imposed under a proposed nationwide ceasefire agreement.

The talks will be held “in the third week of May” in Yangon, said Naing Han Tha of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), which represents nearly all members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a key coalition of 12 ethnic rebel groups.Next month’s talks will center on resolving disagreements with the government that are hindering progress on signing a ceasefire agreement, Naing Han Tha told RFA’s Myanmar Service, speaking at the end of a two-day meeting among NCCT representatives in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai city.

Last month, the NCCT and the government’s Central Peace Making Work Committee said they had agreed on the first draft of the nationwide ceasefire agreement and would meet again in the second week of May to try to complete it.Naing Han Tha had warned on Monday that that six conditions proposed by the military at the last meeting, including the need for ethnic groups to disband their armies, could scuttle the talks planned for next month.

The NCCT has also expressed doubts over the proposed formation of a federal union that should give ethnic states greater powers. On Tuesday, Naing Han Tha said that the talks would go ahead as planned, but would focus on “what positions the government might be willing to change.”

“We plan to discuss including these points in the ceasefire agreement as a guarantee to enter into political dialogue” shortly after a completed ceasefire deal, he said.Naing Han Tha said that the NCCT will not abide by a military condition that would force ethnic groups to adhere to laws set out by Myanmar’s 2008 junta-drafted constitution, which is currently being reviewed for amendment in the country’s parliament.

“We have fought with the government for a long time because we don’t like these laws. So, we see [this demand] as unfair,” he said.“The government has said something like the 2008 constitution can’t be amended. We also can’t accept this. We want to find out why it is so difficult for us to achieve peace while the president, parliamentary speaker and some MPs are currently discussing amendments to the constitution in parliament.”

The Irrawaddy online journal quoted Naing Han Tha as saying that the NCCT wants to meet with the government to learn its views, “as the military’s proposal [in the last meeting] is unacceptable.”“We are not still clear on how the government views the military’s statement for the [first draft], and our proposal on federal policy and autonomy for our states to be included in the draft [nationwide ceasefire],” he told the journal.

Recent clashes

Recent clashes between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)—which is represented by the NCCT—in Myanmar’s Kachin and Northern Shan states during the past month that have left more than 30 soldiers killed or wounded have also threatened to derail peace talks.

Naing Han Tha told RFA that the clashes, which have prompted more than 5,000 people to flee their homes, demonstrated that the “government is taking advantage” of negotiations to try to gain control of strategically located ethnic-controlled territories.“But we also are led to think about whether the government really wants to [sign the national ceasefire agreement] because some generals don’t want Myanmar to become a democratic country, which would reduce the military’s power.”

During the second day of meetings in Chiang Mai, the NCCT selected Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) as the deputy chief of the eight-member delegation team which will hold the May discussions with the government on a nationwide ceasefire.

KIO request

KIA deputy commander-in-chief General Gun Maw echoed concerns about the latest clashes and said the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) had sent the government a letter on Tuesday requesting bilateral talks scheduled for May 10 in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina.“Because there have been several clashes with government soldiers in Kachin state and northern Shan state, it is likely to harm the bid for a nationwide ceasefire,” he said in Chiang Mai.

“We need to reconsider our participation [in this process]. We would like to hold a discussion with the government so as not to hamper the progress of the agreement.”The Kachin rebels and government officials have not had such a meeting since October last year.The KIO has also suggested that Vijay Nambiar, the Special Advisor on Myanmar for the U.N. Secretary-General, Chinese Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Wang Yingfan and central committee members of the NCCT should attend the May 10 meeting.

Kachin conflict

More than 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Kachin conflict, which erupted in June 2011, ending a 17-year ceasefire agreement.The KIO and an ethnic Palaung group, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), are the only two armed groups that have not yet signed a bilateral ceasefire with the government.Gun Maw has said that the KIA will not sign a nationwide ceasefire accord if the government tries to force it to the table through “military means.”

China Warned Over Use of Force As Obama Heads Home

 

U.S. President Barack Obama ended his Asian tour on Tuesday with a warning to Beijing not to use force to settle territorial disputes, sparking an angry response from Chinese media amid growing regional tensions.Obama told a gathering of U.S. and Filipino troops at the end of his tense four-day visit to the region on Tuesday that nations should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We believe that international law must be upheld, that freedom of navigation must be preserved and commerce must not be impeded," said Obama as Washington signed a 10-year agreement to give the U.S. military greater access to Philippine bases. Obama said the arrangement will help promote peace and stability in a region unsettled by China's claims on disputed territories. Many of the details remain to be worked out.

"We believe that disputes must be resolved peacefully and not by intimidation or force," he told troops at Fort Bonifacio near Manila, before boarding Air Force One for the flight home to Washington.He said the U.S. commitment to defend the Philippines in the face of external armed attacks was "ironclad."But he omitted to give the same specific reassurance to Manila as he had to Tokyo on the first leg of his tour; namely that the U.S. would come to Japan's aid in the event of military conflict with China over ongoing and multi-party maritime disputes in the East and South China Seas.

Beijing responds

China's state media responded by accusing Obama of "ganging up" with its neighbors and creating a security threat of its own."It is increasingly obvious that Washington is taking Beijing as an opponent," said an editorial in the English-language China Daily newspaper on Tuesday.Beijing has come to view Obama's visits to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines as a tour of anti-Chinese hostility, it said.

"With Obama reassuring the US allies of protection in any conflict with China, it is now clear that Washington is no longer bothering to conceal its attempt to contain China's influence in the region," the paper said."Ganging up with its troublemaking allies, the US is presenting itself as a security threat to China," it said.Obama on Tuesday also insisted that the United States is not seeking to counter or contain China.China's foreign ministry was relatively cautious in its response.

"As for whether the move is aimed at containing China, we need to see what the American side says and what it does," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday."President Obama and other US officials have said on different occasions that the United States has no intention of containing China," Qin said. "We believe that China and the United States share extensive common interests in the Asia-Pacific region and in Asia-Pacific affairs."However, Beijing sent three Chinese coastguard ships into waters around disputed islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, which controls them, the Japanese coastguard service said on Tuesday.

Two threats

Chinese political analysts say the administration of President Xi Jinping has pursued a more aggressive foreign policy than its predecessors since taking the reins of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in November 2012.According to retired Toledo University international politics professor Ran Bogong, Beijing sees two major threats to national security; domestically from acts of internal unrest, violence and terrorism, and externally, from Japan.

"In the near future, [perceived] threats to China's national security will come from two quarters at least: internally from terrorist activities; and externally from the challenge presented by Japan," Ran told RFA in an interview on Monday.China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, which is believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas, even including disputed waters, islands and reefs close to its neighbors.Such disputes have sparked sporadic maritime standoffs with vessels from Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines in recent months, prompting calls for stronger U.S. support.

Ran said U.S. military power was still likely to be decisive in maintaining the status quo in territorial disputes."U.S. military might is still far greater than China's, and everyone including China recognizes that reality," he said.

Seeking stability

Li Xiaobing, director of the Western Pacific Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma, agreed."It would be very dangerous to underestimate America's military strength," he said in an interview at the start of Obama's trip.But he said Obama's aim in Asia was still to maintain stability."There is a lot of trouble in the world right now, so Obama will want to stabilize [the U.S.] backyard in Asia," Li said.

"He doesn't want to see any major conflict, and that includes clashes between China and Japan."

Refugee plan looks like a go

 

The government has “agreed in principle” to a controversial refugee resettlement scheme with Australia, but will hold off on inking a deal until the proposal has been further analysed, a senior Foreign Ministry official announced yesterday.A visiting senior UN rights official also said that the United Nations would be willing to provide assistance to ensure that any resettlement agreement meets international standards. 

Ouch Borith, secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the comments to reporters yesterday after a meeting between Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Flavia Pansieri.“In general, the government has agreed in principle, but it has not yet been given the OK,” Borith said, before clarifying that a committee was still “studying” the proposal, the exact details of which have been kept under wraps by both governments.

“The government agreeing in principle means that it is still under study. And we will do it in accordance to international standards, because the main important thing is [that this] is based on a volunteer principle, without [Cambodia] being forced,” he said.

In response to questions from reporters, Borith also denied that the deal, rumoured to involve $40 million being paid for Cambodia to settle 100 refugees processed at Australian detention facilities on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, had any financial or aid imperative for the government.

“Cambodia is [dealing with the refugee proposal] as a humanitarian act,” Borith said.

Simon Fellows, first secretary at the Australian embassy, declined to comment.Earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed that his government had asked Cambodia to participate in the regional resettlement of refugees.In her comments to the media, Pansieri declined to make any “firm statements” on the Australian proposal due to a lack of clear details, but said that the UN would be willing to provide assistance if Cambodia decided to settle refugees.

“What we think is important is to note that Cambodia is well aware of its international commitments to human rights standards, keen to abide by them and to the extent there is any need for cooperation, we stand ready to provide support to ensure that standards are met,” she said.Pansieri, the most senior UN rights official to visit the Kingdom since 2010, also said that the UN would like to see a transparent investigation into the shootings of protesters by authorities on Veng Sreng Boulevard in early January that left at least four dead.Earlier in the day, she attended a civil society workshop on collective land registration for indigenous communities, where she criticised economic land concessions being prioritised over indigenous land titling.“In practice, what is happening in some degrees is that land concessions are receiving priority before communal land titling,” she said.

The government has said that 10 new communities would now receive titles every year, but Pansieri said it could do more.“I think we can be more ambitious than that.”

Tra Vinh woman dies of silicone injection

Doctors said the patient was taken to the hospital on Saturday in a state of weakened breathing, heart palpitations, high fever and sweating. The woman’s body was covered in red bumps and showed signs of infection.According to the patient's relatives, a day earlier the woman had been visited in her home by a mobile beautifying service provider. The provider, who lacks any certification in cosmetic surgery, injected silicone into the woman’s bust, neck, hands and feet. A few hours later, she began to feel tired and was overtaken by shortness of breath.

Doctors said the patient suffered from shock due to blood sepsis as a result of the large volume of silicone in the body. Though the doctors tried their best, the woman died on the morning of April 27 due to respiratory failure.This is not the first case of death due to abuse of silicone. Hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City sometimes receive patients who attempt to self-beautify, injecting silicone directly into their own bodies.In 2011, a 21-year-old man bought 500cc of liquid silicone to inject into his body after friends commented that his buttocks was small. The man was brought to HCM City’s Trung Vuong Hospital in a coma. He died of respiratory failure.

In 2013, Binh Dan Hospital in HCM City treated about 40 young men from a fishing village in the southern province of Ca Mau. The men, of ages ranging from 19 to 32, had all attempted to enlarge their penises by injecting liquid silicone into them.When doctors asked one of the men – NTK, 22 years old – why he had felt the need to "upgrade” his genitalia, he offered the following account:It started, said NTK, when he got drunk with friends and all went skinny-dipping in a river. There they commented on each other’s manhoods, and NTK was singled out for having one that was smaller than the rest. NTK was warned that, given his small size, he would be unable to satisfy his future girlfriend or wife.

Someone suggested that NTK buy silicon from Thailand to inject into his penis to make it bigger. NTK’s friends also told him about several men who had had successful penis enlargements from silicone injections. NTK did the same. After several injections, his penis did look bigger and he was very happy with the results.But it wasn’t long before the organ became swollen and had expressions of edema, became deformed and gave off an odor. NTK also could not urinate. Ultimately, with the pain unbearable, he had to tell his concerned family the truth, and was rushed to a local hospital. To save and restore his penis, the doctors recommended that he go to Binh Dan Hospital.

South Korean president apologizes for response to ferry sinking

 

The web of blame in the South Korean ferry sinking is getting wider, and now the country's president is accepting some of the heat.President Park Geun-hye apologized to the nation Tuesday over the government's initial response to the Sewol ferry tragedy."I am losing sleep as there is no news about saving more lives and because there are many families who don't know whether their loved ones are dead or alive still," the president said.

"I am at a loss for words for an apology that can be enough to console the pain and suffering even for a little while over insufficiency in efforts made to prevent the accident and also in the initial response to the accident," she added."I am sorry, and my heart is heavy that so many precious lives are lost because of the accident."

Earlier Tuesday, Park attended a memorial in Ansan, the Seoul suburb where hundreds of students on board the ship were from. She talked to family members and laid flowers at the memorial site.

"We'll fix the problems and change our practices so we'll have safer nation and won't let them die in vain," Park said.The ferry sank April 16 on the country's southwest coast. The number of dead now stands at 210. Another 92 are still missing."All we are asking for is, 'Bring the dead bodies out,'" a father wailed Tuesday. "We know they are not alive now."

 On Monday, South Korean authorities arrested three people on suspicion of destroying evidence connected to the ferry sinking. Investigators also raided a Coast Guard office in a probe of how officials handled the first emergency call from a passenger.The director and two other people with the Korea Shipping Association's Incheon office were arrested and accused of destroying evidence related to the probe of Chonghaejin, the company that owns the ferry.The Korea Shipping Association is a trade group that promotes the interests of the country's shipping industry.The site raided was the Coast Guard building in Mokpo, which includes the South Jeolla province emergency center -- a facility that provides 119 services, akin to the 911 emergency service in the United States.

Hun Sen Warns NGOs Not to Interfere With Judicial Reform Legislation

 

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday fired back at criticism that his cabinet had failed to consult civil society groups and the public before approving three draft laws on the judiciary, saying there was nothing legally obligating his government to do so.Speaking at a graduation ceremony in the capital, he said non-governmental organizations had no right to ask to be consulted about the three pieces of legislation, which the government says are aimed at making the justice system more transparent and independent as part of long-awaited reforms.

“The law as set out in our Constitution doesn't allow us to hand over draft laws to anyone besides those who compose the laws, before they are forwarded to the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly,” Hun Sen said at the Asia Euro University graduation ceremony. 

“The law doesn't say we need to forward them to the NGOs.”

He said his government had already “heard many recommendations” from civil society groups on various issues, warning rights groups should not overstep their bounds.  “Don't demand things beyond what’s within your rights. You should be ashamed of yourselves, and just enjoy the rights that are given to you as NGOs.”

Cabinet approval

Hun Sen’s cabinet approved the three draft laws—the Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Courts, the Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, and the Law on the Statute of Judges and Prosecutors—at a meeting on April 18 without releasing the texts of the legislation. The drafts follow Hun Sen’s promise of deep reforms to the judiciary in September following elections in July last year that led to a deadlock between his long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The CNRP has repeatedly called for reforms to Cambodia’s judiciary, which has been criticized for corruption and bowing to political pressure. Rights activists who saw initial drafts of the three pieces of legislation earlier this year said those versions would not do enough to ensure the independence of judges and prosecutors and would give too much sway to a politically appointed justice minister.

Last week, the Cambodian Center of Human Rights issued a statement condemning the cabinet’s approval of the laws “without prior publication and open and broad consultations.”The lack of transparency about the laws had raised questions about what Hun Sen’s government was “trying to hide” in them, it said.  CCHR also called on parliament to postpone adopting them until after members of the CNRP, which has boycotted parliament amid an eight-month deadlock with the CPP over the disputed elections, take their seats.

Encouraging effective laws

Ou Virak, a member of CCHR’s board of directors, said in response to Hun Sen’s comments Monday that the government should seek the people’s input and recommendations from NGOs on any pieces of legislation it writes up.  “A government that is open to [input from] the NGOs [on proposed legislation] would be a responsible government,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service.

"We don't want to interfere in any political party’s work, but the government doesn't belong to one single group. We want to encourage effective laws.”Ny Chakriya, chief investigator for local rights group Adhoc, said Cambodia’s citizens should have a say in the laws because they have a stake in them. "The three draft laws, just like all other laws, are not reserved for Hun Sen.  The laws are composed for the people,” he told RFA. 

Promised reforms

According to a government statement issued after the April 18 meeting, the three draft laws are the first step in a series of promised judicial reforms.  “The laws aim to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, maintain discipline of judges, and to assure the good functioning of Cambodian courts,” the statement said, according to reports.

"The compilation of the three laws is an important beginning of legal and judicial reforms.”Drafted by the Ministry of Justice with the aid of French legal experts, the three pieces of legislation are based on experiences of countries with advanced rule of law, it said.

Rights groups said they expect the final draft copies to be released soon before the legislation is submitted to the National Assembly. An initial draft of the Law on the Statute of Judges and Prosecutors obtained by RFA earlier this year did not specify that prosecutors and judges may not be members of a political party, raising concerns about guarantees of their independence.

In addition, a previous draft of the Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Supreme Council of Magistracy put the Ministry of Justice in control of the council’s budget, raising concerns from legal experts that the council would lose independence. Others raised concerns the law would give too much power to the justice minister—a political appointee—to nominate and terminate judges.

North Korea Steps Up Export of Workers to Russia to Boost Foreign Exchange

 

Cash-starved North Korea has rapidly increased the number of workers it dispatches to Russia and widened the scope of jobs they could take up in the neighboring country in a bid to diversify away from its traditional key market China, according to sources.But the selection process has been tightened to prevent North Korean defections, the sources said, adding that some officials were accepting bribes from desperate prospective workers to cash in on the new procedures.

Until recently, North Korea has been sending its workers mostly to its key ally neighbor China to draw foreign exchange to support its impoverished economy. But of late Pyongyang has stepped up its dispatch of labor to Russia, where wages are higher, according to the sources, citing the hard-line communist regime’s attempt to diversify its sources of foreign revenue.A resident of North Hamgyong province who recently visited China told RFA’s Korean Service that going by the current pace, "dispatched workers are recruited more for Russia than for China.”

"In the past, the dispatched workers for Russia were mostly loggers,” the source said. “However, in recent years, the occupation pool for the dispatched workers has become very diverse." The pool of workers has widened to include construction workers, seamstresses, and farming sector workers, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The source said that higher wages and a three-year duration of dispatch were among factors attracting North Koreans to travel to Russia to work.

'Rigorous' selection

However, according to the source, the North Korean authorities are conducting a “very rigorous” process for selection of workers to prevent defections.“It appears to be very difficult to become a dispatched worker to Russia,” the source said.Among those not eligible to apply to work in Russia are bachelors and spinsters, married couples without children, those with relatives in South Korea, China or Japan, and those whose relatives have defected, sources said, identifying them as among potential defectors. One woman who wanted to become a seamstress had her application rejected because her loyalty was in question, a source living in North Pyongan province said.

"During the interview, the interviewer asked her why she wanted to go to Russia, and she answered innocently by saying that she [wanted] to visit a foreign country just once,” the source said. "She failed because it seemed she lacks loyalty to the party and the country.”Yet the source said that another woman, who heard that the seamstresses can earn U.S. $50 per month, offered to surrender nearly her whole anticipated annual salary to the authorities for a three-year work contract in Russia.

"The corruption of the executives in the selection process of workers is very serious" the source said.  It is believed that among workers dispatched to Russia, construction technicians earn the highest salaries, sources said.According to recently released figures, Chinese authorities granted 93,300 work visas to North Koreans in 2013—a roughly 17 percent gain from the prior year.

Easing restrictions

Last month, Russia and North Korea agreed to ease visa procedures as part of an agreement to boost bilateral trade, which also includes settling payments in Russian rubles as well providing for Russian access to proposed special economic zones in North Korea, Russia's Far East Development Ministry said.The move came following a visit of a Russian delegation to North Korea for talks in conjunction with the 65th anniversary of a bilateral cooperation agreement.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has been relying traditionally on foreign exchange from logging operations in Siberia, in the central and eastern portion of Russia. A significant part of the salaries of North Korean loggers goes into cash-starved Pyongyang's coffers.At least 10,000 North Koreans are believed to be working as loggers in Siberia, according to 2010 figures.

At that time, it was reported that most loggers receive less than 10 percent of the money Russian logging companies provide their North Korean handlers as salary.

Dutch national murdered in Phnom Penh home

 

A DUTCH woman working for the United Nations was found stabbed to death on Monday morning in an attack that also left her 19-month-old baby daughter in critical condition.

Daphna Beerdsen was found by the family’s babysitter lying alongside her child in their rented house in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district shortly before 9am.

Police at the scene said Beerdsen, whose LinkedIn profile says she worked as a consultant on climate change projects for UN Habitat, died from several stab wounds. Her child is in a critical condition after being stabbed multiple times with what appeared to be the same weapon, which has not been recovered.

“The baby was badly stabbed in the head, back and waist and was sent to Kantha Bopha Children’s hospital,” said Chan Sahuth, an officer with the Ministry of Interior’s Criminal Investigation Department.“[The child] is in a bad condition with a blood clot in the brain and is being prepared to be forwarded to Thailand,” he said.Police are still investigating at the scene of the murder in Tonle Bassac commune and have not ruled out robbery as a motive. However, police said they found no evidence of forced entry.Beerdsen’s husband, Joris Oele, 34, returned home at about 1pm and was escorted into the courtyard of his house by a British embassy official.Oele, who also works for UN Habitat, left the capital on a work trip to Preah Sihanouk province on Sunday, according to neighbours.

Railway official suspended for his words

The railway official, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, was said to have made an “irresponsible statement” on the increase of over $300 million for the project, impugning the reputation of the transportation industry.Minister Thang asked the administration head to review his personal liability in making the statements and to explain the increase of investment capital in the project before May 7.

Minister Thang assigned Deputy Chief of the Vietnam Railway Administration, Mr. Tran Phi Thuong, to temporarily replace Nguyen Huu Thang during the suspension.

Earlier, in an interview with the Tien Phong (Pioneer) Newspaper on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway project, Nguyen Huu Thang said: "We’ve done our best. Look at other projects, such as the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station route, which is still idle. We’ve done a lot of good things, but nobody has paid us a compliment. Just when the project was adjusted a little, they have made a lot of noise about it”.Thang’s statement stirred up the public, who don’t accept that the increase of over $300 million for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway route is “a little adjustment” as Thang claimed.

Russia vows 'painful' response to new U.S. sanctions over Ukraine

 

The United States expanded its sanctions against Russia on Monday, targeting members of President Vladimir Putin's "inner circle" and technology that could be useful to Russia's military.

President Barack Obama said the "targeted" sanctions are in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

"The United States has taken further action today in response to Russia's continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts that undermine Ukraine's democracy and threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," the White House said in a statement. Since a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 17, Russia "has done nothing" to meet its commitments "and in fact has further escalated the crisis," the White House said in a statement.

"The Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on seven Russian government officials, including two members of President Putin's inner circle, who will be subject to an asset freeze and a U.S. visa ban, and 17 companies linked to Putin's inner circle, which will be subject to an asset freeze.

"In addition, the Department of Commerce has imposed additional restrictions on 13 of those companies by imposing a license requirement with a presumption of denial for the export, re-export or other foreign transfer of U.S.-origin items to the companies."Also, the departments of Commerce and State are tightening their "policy to deny export license applications for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russia's military capabilities. Those Departments also will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions," the White House said. 

Russia: The U.S. won't 'impress its cronies'

Sergey Ryabkov, Russia's deputy minister for foreign relations, called the sanctions "meaningless, shameful, and disgusting.""It will only intensify all the processes in Ukraine which it intends to change or stop," Ryabkov told CNN, speaking English. "It is yet another sign of a reckless behavior of the U.S. administration. No lessons are learned from the past. The U.S. does literally nothing to impress its cronies and clients in Kiev on whom there is full responsibility for constant deterioration of the situation in Ukraine. This is what needs to be changed and not the policy of Russia.

"A response of Moscow will follow, and it will be painfully felt in Washington D.C."

A senior Ukrainian government official called the new sanctions "a very good step, but we hope it's not the final step. Sector sanctions would be the really painful measure."

The sanctioned include a Putin 'trusted ally'

The seven officials named are:

-- Oleg Belavantsev, Russia's envoy to Crimea.

-- Sergei Chemezov, who oversees Russia's high-tech sector as head of state-owned corporation Rostec and is "a trusted ally of Putin," according to the White House.

-- Dmitry Kozak, deputy prime minister.

-- Evgeniy Murov, director of Russia's Federal Protective Service.

-- Aleksei Pushkov, deputy of the State Duma.

-- Igor Sechin, president of Russia's leading petroleum company, Rosneft.

-- Vyacheslav Volodin, Putin's first deputy chief of staff, one of the advisers who encouraged Putin to move into Crimea, according to the White House.

Obama: This isn't personal

Earlier, speaking to reporters in Manila, Philippines, Obama praised the Ukrainian government for abiding by its agreements made in Geneva and operating "in good faith."The goal of the new sanctions, he said, is not to go after Putin personally, but "to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he's engaging in in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul -- and to encourage him to actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk when it comes to diplomatically resolving the crisis.""There are specific steps that Russia can take. And if it takes those steps, then you can see an election taking place in Ukraine; you can see the rights of all people inside of Ukraine respected."If the latest round of sanctions don't work, the next phase could target sectors such as banking, Obama said. 

EU sanctions coming

The European Union also is expected to impose sanctions Monday on about 15 Russian officials who are believed to be undermining democracy and creating chaos in Ukraine, according to Western diplomats.The sanctions will include asset freezes and travel bans.The EU is not expected to impose sanctions on Putin associates in part because the European judiciary system has a much higher bar in terms of applying the law, the diplomats said.Judges are not able to look at intelligence to sign off on the sanctions, they said. One Western diplomat said there was also some division within the EU as to whether sanctions against Putin's cronies should be imposed.

Several European countries are also concerned that their economic interests would be greatly affected by such sanctions. Additionally, some countries feel more space should be given to diplomacy before such measures are considered, the diplomat said.Neither the United States nor EU is ready to impose sanctions on Russian industries, like the energy sector, both U.S. officials and Western diplomats said."Today's targeted actions, taken in close coordination with the EU, will increase the impact we have already begun to see on Russia's own economy as a result of Russia's actions in Ukraine and from U.S. and international sanctions," U.S.Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a statement. "Russian economic growth forecasts have dropped sharply, capital flight has accelerated and higher borrowing costs reflect declining confidence in the market outlook."

CNRP plans election rallies

 

After weeks abroad in Europe and the United States, respectively, Cambodia National Rescue Party leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha are returning this week ahead of the council election campaign, which kicks off on Friday.Though the election is not a universal vote and instead sees sitting commune councillors cast ballots – typically along party lines – for municipal, district and provincial councillors, a two-week campaign will run May 2-16 before the May 18 poll. 

Meach Sovannara, director of the information department at the CNRP, said yesterday that Sokha would be arriving today, after a short stop in South Korea, while Rainsy will arrive on Tuesday.

He said the CNRP was planning on holding large election rallies in the streets of Phnom Penh during the two-week campaign period and that political negotiations with the Cambodian People’s Party could not resume until after the campaign.

“We are thinking of the election campaign and demanding an early election. How can we negotiate?” Sovannara said, adding that his party planned to attract huge crowds for a march on May 2.

“Our political message is related to the current political situation,” he said.

Senior CPP official Ork Kim Han, who is in charge of the election campaign, criticised the CNRP’s plan to marchas “illegal”.“I know that the Cambodian People’s Party will not march. But in case it changes and the supporters march, I cannot stop it. But whatever we do will be according to the Election Law,” he said.“Election rallies are different from protest marches. At election rallies we propagandise about the political platform of the party. But if we hold demonstrations, it means we demand something. So itis illegal.”At a meeting last week hosted by the National Election Committee, political parties were told they were not banned from marching during the campaign, but that their election rallies could not turn into demonstrations, must not insult other candidates and could not permanently occupy public places.

His passion still stands tall

 

Raising their voices in unison, friends, relatives and former colleagues of slain environmental activist Chut Wutty chanted his name as they approached the place along the road where his life ended two years ago to the day.On April 26, 2012, Wutty, the director of the National Resource Protection Group and tireless advocate for Cambodia’s forests, was gunned down in bizarre circumstances during an investigation into illegal logging in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district.

The shooting, by a military police officer, was the most high-profile killing of an activist since unionist Chea Vichea was shot dead outside a newsstand in Phnom Penh in 2004, and it sent shockwaves throughout the country’s activist community.Two years later, during the first ceremony at the site to mark the anniversary of Wutty’s death, emotions were still running high.“He told us that losing our forest is like losing our life force,” said 58-year-old Tun Lam, an activist from Stung Treng province who met Wutty in 2008. “Even though we were afraid after he was killed, we can’t stop our activities, or it will all be for nothing.”

The event on Saturday, which occurred alongside a stretch of road in Mondul Seima district called Veal Bei point, attracted about 100 people who travelled in vans and the same truck that Wutty was driving when he was shot. The group gathered around an effigy of the activist fashioned out of tree branches, as the Venerable Luon Savath, an activist monk, led a Buddhist ceremony to commemorate Wutty’s spirit.His son Chheuy Oddom Rasmey, 21, remembered the last time he heard his father’s voice, in a phone conversation about an hour before he was killed.

“He wanted me to become a lawyer, but I don’t want this job, because the court system in Cambodia is neither independent nor just,” he said, adding that he was committed to ending illegal logging on a grassroots level.

Three monitors sporting the powder blue vests of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) placed a wreath alongside Wutty’s shrine, paid for by staff members of the OHCHR Cambodia office.The crime scene is typically guarded by at least two men, according to Neang Boratino, provincial coordinator for Adhoc, which worked closely with Wutty.“They made an exception for this day, because they know how large we are in number,” he said.Provincial Forestry Administration director Oum Makary said yesterday, however, that the site was near a public road, and access was never blocked.

People attach a photo of environmental activist Chut Wutty to an effigy on Saturday at the site where he was fatally shot in Koh Kong. Scott Howes“No one is allowed to log that area, because [environmental NGO] Wildlife Alliance and military police officers patrol the area on foot and with a helicopter,” Makary said.Rights monitors say the circumstances leading to Wutty’s death haven’t been properly investigated. What’s known is a standoff turned ugly, ending with Wutty and a military police officer both dead.

 

Rattana had allegedly tried to confiscate the memory card of a camera Wutty, who was in the company of two journalists, had been using to document stockpiles of yellow vine.

As the official narrative goes, after arguing, Rattana shot and killed Wutty before being shot dead by Ran Borath, a security guard for a logging firm. The two journalists were unharmed in the incident.

When the case finally came to trial, the provincial court focused on the unintentional murder of Rattana, the man supposedly responsible for Wutty’s death. Key witnesses were never called to testify, and Borath, the security guard who was accused of the “accidental killing” of Rattana, only served six months of his two-year sentence.

“Two years on, Chut Wutty’s family and friends are still demanding justice for Cambodia’s premier defender of the forest. But those pleas are falling on deaf ears in the government,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, said on Sunday.In a press release issued on Saturday, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights characterised the official version of what happened as “ludicrous”.But violence and intimidation of environmental activists will continue, along with the depletion of Cambodian forests, if Wutty’s work is abandoned, said Chhim Savuth, the current executive director of the National Resource Protection Group.Sitting in a small clearing during the ceremony as a means of escaping the crowd, Savuth said logging had only accelerated since July’s national elections.

“The only way for this to change is if the government stops issuing licences to export timber abroad and reinforces the forest law,” Savuth said, adding that as each year passed, the forest’s supply of rosewood was coming dangerously close to the brink of extinction.As the burning incense began to wane and the light dimmed, the crowd slowly returned to nearby vans, ending an event that was sombre but far from hopeless.Wutty’s effigy was left leaning along a shrine constructed in his honour, surrounded by sticks of incense.“In Cambodia, justice is like salt in the water or a pin at the bottom of the ocean that is nearly impossible to find,” said monk Luon Sovath to the kneeling participants. “But if you kill one Chut Wutty - 10,000 more Chut Wutty’s will stand up and continue his work.”

Hanoi’s lakes from flying cameras

From a height of over 200m, Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake look clean, green and peaceful in the bustling city.

Hoan Kiem Lake viewed from Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square. On the left are Dinh Tien Hoang Street and Le Thai To streets and the Thuy Ta Restaurant in the right corner. Ngoc Khanh Lake in Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, surrounded by the two streets of Nguyen Chi Thanh and Pham Huy Thong. There are many coffee shops and restaurants that have attracted young people for a dozen years. Inside the park of Nghia Do in Nghia Tan Ward, Cau Giay District is the lake of the same name. Nghia Do Lake is opposite the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Along with Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake is Hanoi's most famous lake, having been described in many poems and songs. It is the largest natural lake in the city, covering an area of over 500 hectares, 18km in perimeter. On the lake emerges the beautiful Tran Quoc Pagoda. In the northwest of the West Lake is the West Lake Water Park and amusement sites along the lake. This is the place for the young and couples. Hoang Cau Lake in Dong Da District is surrounded by the streets of Hoang Cau and Mai Anh Tuan. On the lake are the abutments of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated urban railway. Bay Mau Lake in Thong Nhat Park. The lake occupies about 28 hectares, with the two islands of Thong Nhat and Hoa Binh in the middle. The lake is surrounded by the roads of Dai Co Viet and Le Duan. Thien Quang Lake is surrounded by the four streets of Nguyen Du, Tran Trong Binh, and Quang Trung and Tran Nhan Tong. This area is famous for milky flowers in the autumn. Giang Vo Lake in Ba Dinh District. This is a densely populated area. Around the lake are cafes, big restaurants and hotels. Xa Dan Lake is surrounded by Hanoi's old apartment blocks such as Trung Tu and Nam Dong on the roads of Ho Dac Di, Tran Huu Tuoc and Dang Van Ngu. Van Lake on Quoc Tu Giam Street, Dong Da District, is in front of the Temple of Literature. Amid the lake is Kim Chau Hill with the Phan Thuy house. This was the site where scholars declaimed poems in the past. This is part of the Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university.

Cemetery for aircraft, military vehicles in Vietnam

Aircraft, tank chains, specialized military vehicles and other iron equipment are piled around the village of Quan Do, in Van Mon Commune, Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province.

For nearly 10 years, Quan Do village has become the center of metal waste. Right at the entrance to the village are aircraft bodies. Local people used to buy more than 20 military aircraft from MiG 19 to MiG 21 and IL18 at the same time. They also buy old military vehicles as scrap. A specialized military vehicles is about to be “processed" to collect metals. There are thousands of old motorbikes in the village. Locals buy them at the price of VND500,000 to VND700,000 ($25-30).   Military communication equipment and computer screens.   Electronics boards. These things will be dismantled to collect metals. The switches split from electrical equipment will be sold to sellers of used electronic items at the flea market in Hanoi. Every day, villagers buy tons of scrap. They have to hire workers from other villages to dismantle and classify waste. Across the villager roads are piles of scrap, ranging from cables to copper wires, electrical transformers, motors etc. A pile of tank chains. After being classified, scraps become best-selling items. In the photo, a truck carries plastic covers of electric wires and plastic materials to recycling facilities.

Connecticut school slaying suspect under emergency commitment

A 16-year-old Connecticut high school student suspected in the slashing death of a classmate was under emergency commitment at a medical facility, his lawyer said Saturday.

The classmate, Maren Sanchez, 16, who was described by her family as "a bright light full of hopes and dreams," died Friday after being slashed in a school stairwell, authorities said. She was cut in her neck, chest and face.Though the motive is under investigation, police were looking into rumors the boy was angry because Sanchez had declined to go to the prom with him.The alleged assailant was removed by staff members at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, local police said.He was being held at a local medical facility and a murder charge is pending, officials said.Attorney Richard Meehan said Saturday via e-mail that the suspect was under a 15-day emergency commitment and would not appear at an arraignment scheduled for Monday. Meehan would not elaborate.He'll be arraigned in a juvenile court in New Haven, though police note that courts will decide later whether he will be tried as an adult.The incident began around 7 a.m. in a stairwell at the school, and was witnessed in part by at least one school staff member.

Sanchez, a junior, suffered "multiple lacerations" and investigators "recovered a knife at the crime scene," police said. Morgan obtained the followingThe Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Connecticut concluded Saturday that 16-year-old Maren Sanchez died from "stab wounds to the trunk and neck" and ruled the death as a homicide.School staff members and emergency technicians attempted "life-saving measures," according to Milford Police Chief Keith Mello, but Sanchez was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital at 7:43 a.m.

Addressing reporters on Friday, the police chief didn't provide a motive but said investigators are looking into rumors that the boy was angry because Sanchez had declined to go to the prom with him.

The prom, scheduled for Friday night, was postponed. All students were sent home, and Milford Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said counseling services will be available to them throughout the weekend.

On Friday, friends and classmates of Sanchez gathered around her prom dress and released balloons into the air. The balloons were violet, her favorite color.On Instagram, classmates in prom attire posted images of themselves holding her green gown.The slain girl's cousin, Edward Kovac, read a statement from her family lamenting what they called an "unprovoked attack" that ended the life of a young woman who had "her future at her fingertips.""Maren should be celebrating at her prom this evening, with her friends and classmates," the family said, via Kovac. "Instead, we are mourning her death, and we are trying as a community to understand this senseless loss of life." 

The family statement recalled other cases of school violence, saying "we can never forget the lessons ... from this" and other incidents. One of those incidents happened about 22 miles away, in December 2012 in Newtown, when a lone gunman shot his mother to death, then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people, including 20 children, before taking his own life.

"We need to ensure that more young children are protected from violent attacks at school," the family said.

First hearing wraps for 23

 

THE trial of 23 people arrested during a garment strike in January was adjourned on Friday until May 6 after a long-awaited first hearing.After hearing from witnesses, Phnom Penh Municipal Judge Keo Mony said that due to the seriousness of the charges, the court needed more time to study the evidence before it could reach a verdict.

“These people [are accused of] having incited people to protest against garment factories and causing serious turmoil in our society,” he said.All suspects were arrested on January 2 and January 3 in Phnom Penh during a nationwide garment strike that ended in government forces shooting dead at least four people.Charges include aggravated intentional violence and aggravated intentional property destruction, which carry a maximum prison sentence of five years. The court has reduced charges against at least three, including Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA) president Vorn Pov, whose charges carry a maximum of two years.

In one courtroom, a judge took nearly two hours after the afternoon lunch break to call roll for witnesses for a second time. When the clock neared 4pm, he said judges needed to end proceedings due to time constraints in getting the defendants back to Prey Sar prison, where they are being held.

In addition to the two trials composing the 23, two men were separately on trial for their alleged participation in a Meanchey district riot that occurred when factory workers on strike from SL Garment were blocked by police during a march on November 12.After the hearing, police in riot gear cleared journalists and rights workers in front of Phnom Penh Municipal Court to the other side of the street, as a van containing the prisoners sped out of the building’s back entrance.

Earlier in the day, police focused their attention on about 400 supporters who waved flags, burned incense and made speeches over loudspeakers.Authorities had blocked the street in front of the courthouse with barricades and police in riot gear before 7am. Demonstrators on one side set up a makeshift shrine with sacrifices of beer and fruit in front of the police roadblock. “Free the 23” was printed on many of their T-shirts and painted on some faces.

At about 9:15, Yorm Bopha and other land rights activists made their way across the barricades on one side, ran toward the courthouse and were stopped and physically carried back by police and Daun Penh security guards – a process that was repeated over the course of two hours.

Some 50 police guarded each side of the blockade, while an additional 50 reinforcements sat at Olympic Stadium, which is located across the street from the court.

Successful surgery for patient with 4.5kg tumor

The patient, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong, 41, is from the Mang Thit District of the southern province of Vinh Long.After having given birth two months earlier, Phuong felt something heavy in her right chest and had difficulty breathing when walking. Seeing doctors at Cho Ray Hospital, she was diagnosed with a huge tumor in the right breast.Scans showed that this was a neurofibrillary tumor, with great size of 30x70x25cm. The tumor wasweighing down on her entire right lung and other structures in her chest.

On April 17 doctors performed an operation to remove the tumor, which weighed up to 4.5kg.

Doctors say that this was a very difficult procedure because the tumor was stuck to the patient’s diaphragm, pericardium and blood vessels in the chest and the chest wall.

Currently, Phuong is recovering well. She can walk and eat. The surprising thing is that the patient was completely unaware of the giant tumor in her body until after giving birth.

Everest avalanche: Climbers descend amid uncertainty

 

A row over local guides' share of revenue from foreign climbers erupted after last week's deadly accident, prompting some to threaten a boycott.Sherpas also want better rescue and treatment facilities for guides.If others descend, some fear it could effectively end plans to climb the world's highest mountain this year.Ang Tshering Sherpa, the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), told BBC Nepali's Surendra Phuyal that was a distinct possibility if the majority of climbers decided to abandon climbing.

But Madhusudan Burlakoti, a tourism ministry official, hoped that some teams might still climb. Sherpas have been in talks over these issues with the Nepalese government.

More than 300 foreigners were preparing to climb Everest this year, but the tense aftermath of the avalanche that killed 13 Sherpas and left 3 missing presumed dead dashed hopes and left many climbers disturbed and shocked, our correspondent reports.

Rescuers paint harrowing portrait of search aboard sunken ferry

 

In the final, chaotic moments before the South Korean ferry Sewol rolled over and sank into the chilly waters of the Yellow Sea, 48 girls obeyed the orders of crew members and put on their life vests.Perhaps afraid, they all crammed into a single room meant for 30.None of them survived.The account of the recovery of the girls' bodies, offered Friday by rescue officials, offers a glimpse of the final moments aboard the sinking ferry, which went down on April 16 with 476 people aboard.

It also illuminates the daunting task facing divers trying to retrieve bodies while maintaining a fading glimmer of hope that perhaps, somewhere aboard the ferry, someone remains alive.

Rescue officials spoke of a forest of floating objects, doors forced shut by enormous water pressure, and of currents that tug at the breathing tubes that keep them alive as they look for the dead.

Civilian diver Chun Kwan-geung, one of the many rescuers working in the murky waters, spoke of having to break out windows to get to the lower decks of the ship, which now lies on its right side on the seafloor some 73 meters (240 feet) below the surface."The rescue effort is getting slower," said South Korean navy Capt. Kim Jin-hwang, commander of the rescue operation. "The divers already searched all the places easily accessible. They are expecting the search to become harder because of increasing currents and harsher weather. But the navy will not stop until the last body is found."

As if highlighting the point, Kim's divers are trying to find their way into another dormitory-style room where 50 girls were believed to be as the ship began to sink.

So far, rescuers have retrieved 187 bodies. Another 115 people remain missing, although no one has been rescued since 174 were plucked from ship and sea the day the ferry sank.As the effort inside the ship continues, South Korean authorities are pressing a criminal investigation into the sinking. It's resulted in the arrests of the ship's captain and 14 other members, searches of the company that owned the ferry and the home of the man whose family controls it, and a wide-ranging probe into the country's marine industry. 

Safety concerns about sister ship

Prosecutors in Mopko, South Korea, who are leading the ferry investigation told CNN's Nic Robertson on Friday that authorities have yet to determine what caused the sinking.

Leading theories include changes made to increase the ferry's passenger capacity and shifting cargo.

On Friday, investigators checked out the Sewol's sister ship, the Ohamana, and said they found 40 of its life rafts weren't working, emergency slides to help evacuate passengers were inoperable, and equipment to tie down cars and cargo either was nonexistent or didn't work very well.

Like the Sewol, the Ohamana had been modified to add more passengers, the prosecutor's office said.

The ship arrived in Incheon on April 16, the same day the Sewol sank, and has not left yet, officials said.

Investigators are looking into whether those modifications could have contributed to the Sewol's fate.

Kim Yong-rok, an opposition lawmaker who represents Jindo, an island near where the ship sank, told CNN that modifications to add 117 more passenger cabins to the ship raised the ferry's center of gravity.On Friday, the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced it would ask lawmakers to consider legislation prohibiting modifications to ships to increase passenger capacity.

Government investigators are also probing the private organization that conducts ship safety inspections on behalf of the government to determine if any wrongdoing was involved in the certification of the Sewol after its 2013 modifications.

Families confront officials

The revelations about the sister ship came the day after angry relatives of missing ferry passengers cursed government and police officials for failing to do enough to save the lives of their loved ones as hopes of finding survivors dimmed.The relatives berated Fisheries Minister Lee Ju-young and two coast guard officials, accusing them of misleading the public about the operation and of wasting time.

"How can you fool us into believing you were out there trying to save our children?" one mother yelled at the officials.

Also, officials at the South Korean headquarters for the task force coordinating the search told CNN that they believe the body of a boy who reportedly made the first emergency call from the ship after it began to list sharply has been recovered. DNA tests will help officially identify the remains, officials said early Friday.Also on Friday, an official involved in the investigation in Mokpo asked for patience."I know a lot of people are curious as to the cause of the accident, but we don't have the information yet," said Heo Yong-beom, a maritime safety judge. "We will try our best to satisfy and answer questions."

'We join you in mourning'

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama, in South Korea for a previously scheduled trip, presented South Korean President Park Geun-hye with an American flag that flew over the White House the day the ferry sank."I'm very mindful that my visit comes at a time of mourning for the people of this nation," he told the U.S. and the South Korean delegations. "As allies but also friends, we join you in mourning the missing, and especially the young people."The delegations held a moment of silence, then Park thanked Obama for the gesture."The Korean people draw great strength from your kindness," she said.

Deal falters, blame begins

 
Senior Cambodian People’s Party figures who have been at the forefront of negotiations with the opposition party yesterday offered lukewarm responses to the prospect of restarting talks that would bring an end to the opposition’s seven-month-long parliamentary boycott.
Their position – that the opposition party was wrong to reject a deal discussed at length between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy earlier this month after weeks of backroom talks – confirmed speculation that while the political deadlock had shown promising signs of ending before Khmer New Year, two weeks on, the parties are no closer to an agreement.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng responded yesterday to reporters’ questions , with seeming exasperation about further negotiations, which stalled after Hun Sen said on April 10 that Cambodia National Rescue Party deputy leader Kem Sokha was holding up a deal.
“Now I will ask you two questions. Who should we meet with? And if we meet, what are we supposed to talk about? Where should we start from now because we have gone all the way from the lower level to the top level [in negotiations] and in the end, the result was kicked out by the CNRP,” he said.
“Now where should negotiations start from? I don’t know,” said Kheng, speaking after a ceremony where he appointed the director-general of the newly formed Department of Immigration at his ministry.
However, he continued, the CPP would still be willing to talk with the CNRP, but with the onus resting on the opposition to request further negotiations
Before the New Year holiday, Rainsy and Hun Sen had reportedly agreed on a number of aspects of reform, including the overhaul of the National Election Committee and that the next election be brought forward to February 2018.
In a move that many interpreted as part of a “divide and conquer” approach, the premier placed the blame squarely at the feet of Sokha, who was away in the United States, for not agreeing to that proposal when the deal faltered.
In response, Rainsy denied there was any split between himself and Sokha, and said that he had never agreed to a February 2018 election date. He added that the CNRP was holding out for an election to be held at least a year earlier than the scheduled July 2018 date.
Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap yesterday echoed Kheng in expressing pessimism about future talks.
Following the prime minister’s line, he said no agreement could be made while Sokha remained “defiant”, but congratulated Rainsy’s alleged flexibility in comparison, adding that negotiations could resume when Hun Sen returns from an official visit to Belarus this Saturday.
Rainsy flew to Europe on April 13 and Sokha remains in the United States, though both are expected to return to the Kingdom in the coming days.
“But [I think] that if the negotiations cannot reach a good result, not doing it is better because it wastes time. [The parties might] nearly be in accord but just being nearly [in agreement] is not an agreement at all,” Yeap said.
Rainsy did not respond to emailed requests for comments before press time.
CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said he was not surprised that the CPP was not keen on further negotiations.
He added that his party was remaining firm on three key points – namely an early election, NEC overhaul and a TV licence being granted to
the opposition.
“Regarding these three points that we have taken to propose, there does not seem to be any points that the Cambodian People’s Party [is serious] about wanting to do at all,” he said.
“If they don’t want to negotiate . . . we should let people who are the voters solve this.”
Political commentator Kem Ley yesterday said he was disappointed in both parties for focusing on political concessions in negotiations instead of meaningful reforms.
“They are organising for winning an election, not [to create] a free and fair election,” he said.
“Before Khmer New Year was just a politicians’ agenda . . . [and] not in the country’s interest.”

Concerns ahead of trial for 23

 

One the eve of the trial of 23 people arrested during a garment strike in January, their supporters yesterday expressed concern that politics, rather than the facts, may determine the verdict.

Nearly four months after their arrests at protests on January 2 and 3 – the day that authorities killed at least four people when they fired automatic rifles into crowds on Veng Sreng Boulevard – all 23 will stand trial today.

“The [largest] concern for us is that the ruling party will keep them as political hostages,” said Moeun Tola, head of the labour program at the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), which is providing legal representation for some defendants. “If the court really depends . . . on the law, the charges against the 23 should be dropped.”Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged a large majority of detainees with intentional violence and damage, crimes that carry a maximum of five years in prison and $2,500 in fines. The court later reduced charges against three suspects – including Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA) president Vorn Pov – to charges carrying a maximum of two years. 

Defendants were arrested outside the Yakjin garment factory on January 2 and on Veng Sreng Boulevard the next day. Two were later released on bail, while 21 were held at Kampong Cham’s Correctional Centre 3 until they were brought to Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison on Wednesday.

Unsure about what evidence the prosecution has against those arrested, Naly Pilorge, head of rights group Licadho, which is also providing legal representation, said the defence’s evidence includes up to 52 witnesses and video footage.“With the number of [the defence’s] witnesses and documents . . . we expect this [trial] to be longer than a day,” Pilorge said yesterday.Evidence has already been sent to the courthouse, said Kim Socheat, one of the attorneys representing Pov.“I expect the court will release my client and the other people, because they are not guilty,” Socheat said.

Rio police in fresh clashes with residents after burial of dancer

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse dozens of angry protesters from the Pavao-Pavaozinho favela.The protesters were returning from the burial of a man whose death - allegedly at the hands of police - triggered the earlier clashes.Authorities say they will investigate the death of TV dancer Douglas Pereira.Rio's public safety director, Jose Maria Beltrame, said they would proceed "with the utmost rigour and transparency".

The latest clashes came weeks before Brazil is to host the football World Cup.

On Thursday, cars were torched and hundreds of residents were unable to return to their homes as protesters blocked roads with burning barricades.Police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters. One person was detained, according to Brazilian G1 news portal.Authorities temporarily closed the main avenue of the nearby Copacabana district, which is famous for its sandy beach.'Everybody loved him'
 
The residents had been walking home from Mr Pereira's funeral.
At the burial, his mother, Maria de Fatima Silva, told the BBC's Julia Carneiro that she would seek help from the human rights group Amnesty International."This cannot go unpunished, he can't become just a statistic," she said."This story about him being a criminal is just not true. He was not a delinquent," she told our correspondent.

There were scuffles between angry residents and riot police in the touristic district of Copacabana

Some people at the funeral called for justice, saying Douglas Pereira was killed by the police

The authorities have promised a thorough investigation into the death of the popular dancer

According to some residents, Mr Pereira had been trying to flee from a shoot-out between police and drug dealers and had climbed over a wall to hide.They said he had then been found by police, who, believing he was a trafficker, had beaten him to death.One person died in Tuesday's clashes. Swift actionOfficials said on Wednesday that the dancer had been killed by a bullet, contradicting an earlier version that stated he had died from a fall.The Rio authorities have promised that, if there were any indications that police were linked to Mr Pereira's death, swift action would be taken.

Pavao-Pavaozinho is one of the poor districts of Rio that has been part of a police "pacification" programme, in which the security forces move into an area in an effort to wrest control from the drug traffickers who run it.It is an attempt by the city authorities to drive the armed gangs away from communities and restore police authority ahead of the World Cup in June and July.
But the programme is controversial as Brazilian police have been accused of using excessive force, at times killing residents not connected to any gangs.Amnesty International says some 2,000 people die every year in Brazil as a result of police violence.

Russia in new Ukraine attack threat

 

Moscow has again warned that it will retaliate if it judges that the interests of Russian people are being threatened in Ukraine.Russian troops have begun military exercises close to the border with Ukraine while Nato forces are conducting exercises in Poland.The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from eastern Ukraine.

Aid Groups in Rakhine State Required to Report Activities in Advance

 

U.N. agencies and international humanitarian groups in Myanmar’s Rakhine state will be required to report on their activities in advance and receive approval for them from a government-led committee as part of new measures following the latest violence in the troubled state, a panel member said Wednesday.The new rules come amid international calls for Myanmar to facilitate aid workers’ return to Rakhine amid a bitter humanitarian crisis following riots last month that led to the biggest disruption of aid in the area in years.

Aid groups who return will be required to submit information about their activities to the Emergency Coordination Center, a newly established body comprising state and central government officials as well as representatives from the United Nations, NGOs, and the local ethnic Rakhine community.

ECC member Than Tun, a Buddhist community leader in Rakhine’s capital Sittwe, said after a meeting of the body Wednesday that aid groups will need to submit the information at least seven days in advance and receive approval for their planned activities.“We agreed at today’s meeting that U.N. organizations and international NGOs must inform the ECC one week in advance on how they plan to help, how much aid, and where,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service.“They can begin their work when the ECC approves it,” he said. 

Chased out

The new rules follow the expulsion of international NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from Rakhine state and rioting in Sittwe on March 26 and 27 that chased other groups from the state.

In a rampage that saw a 13-year-old girl accidentally shot dead by police, mobs of hundreds of ethnic Rakhines ransacked and hurled stones at aid groups’ offices following reports that an aid worker from Malteser International had taken down a Buddhist flag.

The ECC confirmed at Wednesday’s meeting that it would not be giving Malteser International or Doctors Without Borders (MSF) permission to return.Rakhine state government spokesman Win Myaing had said earlier this month that aid groups would need approval from the ECC to return to the state.Win Myaing said humanitarian organizations had previously operated in Rakhine State under memoranda of understanding with the central government in Naypyidaw, but state officials were not kept informed, leading to problems, according to local news outlet Mizzima.

International concern

The U.N. and foreign governments have called on Myanmar to help aid workers return to Rakhine state, which has been torn by violence between Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims in recent years.

U.N. officials have warned that the violence and the humanitarian crisis posed a serious threat to the country's dramatic economic and political reforms as it emerges from decades under military rule.

Last week the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power urged Myanmar to intervene to stop communal violence there and protect humanitarian workers in Rakhine.

"We continue to support Burma's reforms, but are greatly concerned that without effective government intervention violence in Rakhine could worsen, lives will be lost, and the critically needed humanitarian presence will not be sustainable," Power said in a statement, using another name for Myanmar.

"The government must take urgent steps to avoid more violence and to prevent setbacks on the journey to democracy and prosperity,” she said.In a meeting with Myanmar’s President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw earlier this month, a senior U.S. diplomat, the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for East Asian  and  Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, raised concerns about the humanitarian workers’ lack of access to Rakhine State.Aid workers who fled Rakhine state following the riots warned of a growing humanitarian crisis for thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims living in refugee camps in the state following sectarian violence in the state in 2012.

The workers were providing assistance to 140,000 Rohingyas living in crowded displacement camps near the city of Sittwe and more than 700,000 other vulnerable people in remote, hard-to-reach villages.