Cambodia Opposition, Ruling Party to Resume Talks

 
Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties are preparing to resume negotiations aimed at ending the country’s political crisis following a hiatus for local council elections, party officials said Tuesday.Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy said he had contacted Interior Minister Sar Kheng, the top negotiator for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), about plans to restart negotiations, which stalled in April amid disagreement on electoral reforms.“Today I contacted Sar Kheng to inform him that tomorrow our representatives will contact CPP officials to renew talks to seek solutions for the current political deadlock,” the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) chief told RFA’s Khmer Service.

A senior CPP official told RFA the party would welcome the invitation to new talks, which comes after elections for the country’s provincial, municipal, and district councils wrapped up Sunday, with the ruling party winning the most seats but the opposition gaining ground.The two parties have been locked in a standoff since July 2013 national elections that the CNRP claims the CPP won through fraud, prompting the opposition’s elected lawmakers to boycott parliament in protest.

They have had several rounds of negotiations in the more than nine months since the national polls, but have not held talks since April, after Sam Rainsy refused an offer from Hun Sen to sign a deal ending the deadlock on terms which the two had hashed out during talks via telephone.

Hope for 'comprehensive agreement'

In a statement released Tuesday on plans to restart the talks, Sam Rainsy said the CNRP would propose specific points for a joint statement between the two parties.“We hope to reach a comprehensive agreement soon in order to break the current political stalemate,” he said in the statement.

“The CNRP delegation will come up with a proposal to detail the main points stated in the draft joint statement, which contains principles already agreed upon by the two parties.”The points cover areas the two sides have agreed to in discussions and need to put into writing, he told RFA.“We just need clarification and explanation of the details to avoid any confusion in the future,” he said.

Call for fresh polls, NEC overhaul

He said the party would stick to its demands for fresh polls to be held soon and for an overhaul of the government-appointed National Election Committee (NEC), which oversees the country’s elections.“We want political solutions in response to the people’s will. We want to restructure the National Election Committee membership and to have a new election held as soon as possible,” he said.

“I am optimistic that we can find a solution.”When refusing Hun Sen’s offer April, Sam Rainsy had said that the two were not in full agreement.The two leaders had agreed to revamp the NEC, which declared the CPP the victor in the July 28 elections despite CNRP claims of widespread election irregularities, and which the opposition says lacks independence from the ruling party.

But they were far apart on a date for new elections, with the prime minister offering to hold polls in February 2018 following earlier demands from the CNRP for a mid-term election in early 2016.Shortly after their talk by phone, Sam Rainsy left Cambodia to travel to Europe and his deputy Kem Sokha went to Australia, returning to campaign ahead of the council elections.

Senior CPP lawmaker and negotiator Chheang Vun welcomed the CNRP’s move to resume talks, but said breaking the deadlock would require “political will” from the opposition.He said any joint statement proposed by the CNRP should stick to terms already agreed to in the last statement issued by the two parties.

“I think if the CNRP complies with the statement, it will be a success for the people,” he told RFAHe expressed agreement with Sam Rainsy that most of the difficult issues have already been resolved and only a few minor issues remain.

Training under fire

 
After a series of government crackdowns on protests in Cambodia – at least one of which was known to involve an elite RCAF unit – a leading rights group yesterday lambasted the US for providing training to the country’s “abusive armed forces”.In a statement released yesterday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) hit out at US military forces for providing “training that would assist Cambodia’s military in government crackdowns on the political opposition and civil society activists”.

The statement further suggests that the joint exercises may be in violation of US law, an assertion strongly denied by the US Embassy in Phnom Penh yesterday.The training took place last month as part of Angkor Sentinel, an annual joint exercise between the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the US military.According to HRW, videos and photographs posted on Facebook show evidence of training exercises that “may violate US congressional funding requirements for military training and other forms of security assistance … except in limited areas of ‘global health, food security, humanitarian demining programs, human rights training for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, or to enhance maritime security capabilities.’”

“You have cases where there are people charging across fields with guns … storming buildings, kicking down doors. It is forbidden; it is against the law,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW’s Asia division, told the Post yesterday.“I don’t think they were actually even hiding it,” he said.
One of the photographs, under the caption “a proper vehicle search technique in an urban environment”, shows a Cambodian soldier stopping a vehicle by standing in front of it with his assault rifle aimed at the windshield.“[The] US Congress significantly restricted US military assistance . . . Maybe somebody didn’t get the memo, but this is outside the law,” Robertson said.
“Our view is that this training is inappropriate and there should be an investigation and explanation.”
However, US Embassy spokesman Sean McIntosh said: “Angkor Sentinel’s 2014 activities were conducted in full compliance with all applicable US laws and regulations.
“No Congressionally-restricted funds were used in support of the exercise,” he said by email yesterday.

Asked about the specific training Cambodian soldiers were given, McIntosh said exercises included “activities in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, such as battalion staff training, engineering exchanges, medical training, and preparation for United Nations peacekeeping missions.
“The photos posted by the US military on Facebook show Cambodians being trained to respond properly to the threat of improvised explosive devices, a persistent danger in Cambodia’s peacekeeping operations throughout the world,” McIntosh said.
General Eth Sarath, head of military training for the RCAF, said HRW’s accusations were unfounded.
“The training is the military cooperation between the US and Cambodia that we do every year. [HRW] are speaking without facts and … reason. We don’t listen to them; it is not the truth,” he said.
Since the election last July, Cambodia has seen a number of violent crackdowns on opposition and labour demonstrations at the hands of government security forces, which have resulted in dozens of injuries and at least six deaths. An additional protester who sustained head injuries during a garment wage protest on January 3 died this week.

Soldiers take part in an exercise demonstrating proper vehicle search technique in an urban environment during Angkor Sentinel 14 last month. FACEBOOK

While the military units that took part in Angkor Sentinel 2014 have not been made public, HRW said that footage of a Cambodian officer in a red beret at the closing ceremony of the event could implicate the Army Paratrooper Special Forces Brigade 911.
Brigade 911 was responsible for violently clearing protesters outside the South Korean-owned Yakjin garment factory during a wage strike on January 2.
Chap Pheakdey, commander of the 911 commando unit, hung up when called to confirm his unit’s participation.

McIntosh said yesterday that no members of Brigade 911 were involved in the training. He also dismissed claims that members of the gendarmerie were present.
“All Cambodian individuals and military units that participated in Angkor Sentinel 2014 were thoroughly vetted in compliance with the Leahy Amendment, which requires the Department of State to ensure there is no credible information suggesting participating individuals or military units have committed gross violations of human rights,” he said.
Ou Virak, chairman of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the accusations raised wider questions about foreign military assistance.
“The important question to ask is, ‘Does it contribute to human rights violations or does it help fight them?’”

Nick Vujicic returns to Vietnam

Nick Vujicic arrived at the Tan Son Nhat airport in HCM City last night. Because of some small problems at the airport, he went to the hotel at nearly 0h.
This time, Nick Vujicic will stay a week in Vietnam to meet with and talk to the people in unfortunate circumstances. He will attend two galas in HCM City on May 21 and Hanoi in Hanoi on May 24, where the outstanding disabled are honored for their contribution to the society.
This morning Nick Vujicic met with the local media in HCM City. In the afternoon he had an online interview with readers of an online newspaper.

Nick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, in a family of Serbian origin. He suffered from the tetra-amelia syndrome, a very rare congenital disorder. Nick has no arms and his two legs are very small and they could not help him in the move.But, like Nick said: "If you cannot have a miracle, let yourself become a magical thing," he became an example of winning the fate. Vujicic has gradually realizes that the life is still good even when he does not have limbs and he can still do things like normal people.From totally dependent on others to do the most basic things like going to the toilet, eating, dressing, etc., Nick practiced writing by two toes of the left foot that he called "the chicken leg" and doing other things like taking a glass of water, combing hair, brushing teeth, answering the phone, etc.He can use computers and type 45 words a minute using his "heel and toes". He also learns how to throw tennis balls, play drum, playing golf, swim and even skydiving.

All invasions of Vietnam have ended in badly for Chinese dynasties

The East Sea has gotten “choppy” in recent days because of China’s bellicose behaviors. Their provocative acts have led to high tensions in the whole region. Chinese expansionism, which has existed for millennia, has once again reared its ugly head.VietNamNet conducted an interview on the matter with Dr. Nguyen Khac Thuan, former Head of the Asian Studies Research Institute, and now Dean of Vietnamese Studies & Tourism of Nguyen Tat Thanh University.

There was no Chinese dynasty which did not evade Vietnam
VNN: In the past, Vietnam many times was invaded by its “northern feudal neighbor”. China was always an aggressive giant. However, miraculously, Chinese troops have always suffered bitter defeats, despite their great strength. These have been recorded in history. What do you think was the Vietnamese strength which helped drive the Chinese out of Vietnamese territory?
NKT: All Chinese dynasties, since the Qin Shi Huang reign, have nurtured hegemony. They sent their best generals and powerful armies to Vietnam, bringing food, weapons, and medicine, and mobilizing their best strategists to plot the conquest of our nation.

In theory, it was nearly impossible for Vietnam, a small country, to fight against such a giant. However, Vietnamese, who faced a formidable enemy, still struggled resiliently, as acknowledged by Emperor Quang Trung, to let everyone know that Vietnam is a heroic country owned by Vietnamese.
The Vietnamese strength lay in solidarity. All Vietnamese believe that they need to fight against invaders and protect their homes and communities. When enemies come, everyone goes to the front, from the kings and royal families to the court officials, from military forces to normal people, from old men to young women.

The enemies had to confront not only battle-hardened combatants, but also confront a whole nation well-organized and united.And nowadays, when facing new challenges, Vietnamese remind each other of President Ho Chi Minh’s saying: “Doan ket, doan ket, dai doan ket. Thanh cong, thanh cong, dai thanh cong” (“Unity, unity, great unity will bring success, success, great success”).
“Big” does not always mean “strong”VNN: Is there any difference in the two sides’ balance of power in the past and nowadays? I read a document which says that under the Qing dynasty, China made up 45 percent of the world’s GDP, but the Qing army was still defeated when invading Vietnam. What do you think about this?NKT: Vietnam, if compared with China, is very small in terms of territorial area and population. Therefore, confronting Chinese is not something the faint of heart would dare to do. They would get dazed, lose the fighting spirit and self-confidence needed to stand up, let alone go to the front with weapons in hand.China, under all of its dynasties, has had stronger economic power than Vietnam. It was very powerful under the Qing dynasty, but even more powerful under the Yuan dynasty. Even Europe was frightened by them, while Asia was devastated by the Mongolian Yuan Empire.

However, those cruel and terrifying troops suffered defeat after defeat during all three attacks on Dai Viet, then the name of Vietnam.
The Vietnamese army, at that time, was fortunate enough to be commanded by the great general Tran Hung Dao. That said, the decisive factor behind the victory was that Dai Viet was an unyielding and united nation.

VNN: Has Vietnam drawn any lessons from the resistance against the “peril from the north” that our ancestors successfully carried out?

NKT: The main ideas of expansionism were drawn up right at time of the Qin Shi Huang, and were later inherited and developed by ensuing dynasties and administrations.
The three main principles of Chinese expansionism throughout history have been 1) maintain good relations with distant countries, while conquering nearby ones;  2) settle “matters of the south” first, and “matters of the north” later; 3) proceed in the manner of silkworms eating mulberry.[Slowly but steadily, small silkworms manage to consume all the mulberries in a garden. – reporters]
I have to remind you that China implements its expansionism not only when it is at the peak of its strength. It may also carry out the plan because of internal problems. It tries to draw the public’s attention away from domestic problems and to the external activities.
VNN: What would you say about the dangers Vietnam is facing and how Vietnamese should prepare to protect our fatherland?

NKT: Invasion and domination, subjugation and assimilation, bloody repression and political deception – all the masks have become too familiar to Vietnam because they have been used by China for the past thousands of years. However, Chinese always taste defeat in the end.
In the name of a tenacious nation, perhaps we should remind the ambitious Chinese ruling power that anyone, without justice, will not gain anything valuable.

Blasts at market kill 118 in central Nigeria, official says

At least 118 people were killed Tuesday in twin blasts at a market in the central Nigerian city of Jos, an official said, warning the toll could climb.The explosions, which targeted Terminus market, went off some 20 to 30 minutes apart, setting fire to the entire venue."The death toll stands at 118. This is the number of victims recovered from the scene of the explosions, but we are still searching through the smoldering debris for more bodies," said Mohammed Abdulsalam, coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency in the city."The figure may rise when the search is over," Abdulsalam said.A journalist on the scene of the first explosion called it "massive." People were screaming and running, some covered in blood. Some had to be carried away, the journalist said.

An ambulance driver who asked not to be identified said he saw at least 15 bodies and about 30 injured.

Plateau State Commissioner Chris Olakpe described the blasts as "terrorist activities," but refused to speculate on who might be responsible.He said the first blast was a suicide car bomb, while the second was caused by an improvised explosive device in a separate car.Olakpe said 46 people were killed in the blasts and that 45 were injured, disputing the higher death toll provided by Abdulsalam.It is not uncommon for authorities to report conflicting death tolls in the immediate aftermath of attacks."Terrorists usually want to cause fear and trepidation," said Olakpe. "By tomorrow, we will get on top of the matter."In a statement, President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the bombings as a "tragic assault on human freedom" and described those behind them as "cruel and evil."

"President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that government remains fully committed to winning the war against terror, and this administration will not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilization," the statement said, adding that Nigeria was committed to implementing anti-terrorism measures and resolutions put forth at a recent summit in Paris.When CNN tried to speak with a nurse at a local hospital by phone, she was unable to hear because of victims' cries and screams.CNN had previously reported three blasts at two markets -- Terminus and Abuja. Terminus market is also known as the New Abuja market. A possible third blast may have been a gas canister ignited by the first bomb. 

Late Sunday, a bomb in the northern Nigerian city of Kano killed at least four people, according to local police.The blast occurred at a busy intersection in a predominantly Christian area of the city and left several cars burning, Kano police spokesman Rabilu Ringim said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, the spokesman said.Terrorism in Nigeria has been in the spotlight recently since more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram.

The terror group abducted 276 girls on April 14 from a boarding school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Dozens escaped, but more than 200 girls are still missing.In his statement Tuesday, Jonathan reaffirmed his government's commitment to take "every necessary measure" to find the girls and cooperate with other countries in the region to combat the "Boko Haram menace."

The president also said Nigeria was determined to ensure safety and security in schools in Borno state and other parts of the country and to rebuild the school in Chibok.