Cambodian Opposition MPs Enter Parliament, Call for Effective Dialogue

 
Lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) attended their first parliamentary meeting on Friday after a year-long boycott, calling for an effective dialogue with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government to tackle the country’s problems.

CNRP leader Sam Rainsy led the 55 lawmakers from the opposition in taking their seats in the National Assembly following a July 22 agreement with Hun Sen that broke a one-year political deadlock arising from disputed July 2013 general elections.

“It’s time Cambodian politicians work together to build a dialogue culture in the spirit of mutual respect for the interest of peace in the country,” Sam Rainsy said, addressing the lower house of parliament.

Sam Rainsy expressed his appreciation to Hun Sen for his efforts to bring an end to the country’s political crisis through a compromise in which the government agreed to adopt electoral reforms while the CNRP ended its boycott of parliament.

Sam Rainsy said that rather than place emphasis on winning or losing, what was more important was “seeking good ideas to help protect and rebuild the country.”

The CNRP had earlier refused to recognize the result of the 2013 elections, saying it was robbed of victory by Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) amid accusations of rigging and other malpractices blamed on the government-appointed National Election Committee, which organized the polls.

Compromise

Hun Sen said the two parties could have ended the political crisis much earlier if the CNRP was prepared to compromise.

He said that they were near to forging an agreement in September last year which was similar to the pact signed last month.

The prime minister also expressed the hope that the CNRP would refrain from whipping up anti-Vietnam sentiment for political gain.

The CNRP has accused Hun Sen of being a "puppet" of neighboring Vietnam. Many Cambodians are wary of Vietnam’s influence over their country’s affairs.

An estimated 1.7 million people, or one in four Cambodians, died in what came to be called the “Killing Fields” after the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. The regime was unseated when Vietnam invaded the country four years later.

Vietnam occupied the country for a decade before withdrawing its troops and signing the Paris Peace Agreement to restore sovereignty and stability to Cambodia.

“I hope that the CPP would not be accused of being a Vietname puppet. If you regard me as a Vietnamese [puppet], it means that we are enemies,” Hun Sen said.

Sam Rainsy did not respond.

The opposition leader was convicted and ordered jailed in 2009 for the removal of a temporary post demarcating Cambodia’s border with Vietnam and for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam, charges that were seen as politically motivated.

He was given a pardon by the country's king, enabling him to return from self-exile in France just before the July elections.

Tibetan Environmentalist, Monk Freed After Serving Prison Terms

 
Two Tibetan activists — an environmentalist who organized villagers to plant trees and report poaching, and a Tibetan monk who joined mass protests against Chinese rule — have been released from jail after serving sentences deemed as punishment for their activism, according to sources

Rinchen Samdup, who ran an environmental group in the mountainous Gonjo (in Chinese, Gongjue) county in the Tibetan Autonomous Region's Chamdo (Changduo) prefecture, was freed from a jail in the regional capital Lhasa on Friday after serving five years on charges of "inciting to split the nation," the sources said citing local contacts.

Samdup was detained in August 2009 after he accused local officials in Gonjo county of hunting endangered animals, angering powerful local groups with vested interests, sources in the area said at the time of his conviction.

The group run by Samdup and his two brothers, who had also been jailed, mobilized local villagers to reforest the area and report poaching, and operated a small magazine on environmental and other issues affecting the community.

The youngest brother, Chime Namgyal, was detained alongside Samdrup and jailed on the same separatism charges and was released earlier after serving two years in jail.

The other brother, Karma Samdrup, a wealthy antique collector, is still in jail, serving a 15-year sentence imposed by a court in the neighboring Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in June 2010 for excavating and "robbing" ancient tombs. Some his supporters believe he was punished for defending his two brothers.

Warm welcome

Rinchen Samdup in an undated photo.

Gyaltsen, the other activist who was freed, was warmly welcomed on Friday by fellow monks at the Ba Shetri Monastery in the Qinghai region's Gepasumdo (in Chinese, Tongde) county), sources said.

He was freed on July 28 after serving a two-year sentence at a prison in Ziling (Xining) prefecture for participating in a protest by thousands of Tibetans against China's "repressive" policy, they said.

“It is a joy to see him released but at the moment we are not sure of his health condition and other issues he faces,” a Tibetan in the area said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Gyaltsen was among 60 Tibetans who were arrested at that time but many of them had been released after a brief detention.

There are still about 20 monks from the Ba Shetri Monastery who are still serving jail sentences.

The protest led to various restrictions on the monastery and the Chinese authorities periodically sent work team to conduct "patriotic reeducation campaigns" in the institution, the Tibetan said.

Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008.

Some 131 Tibetans to date have set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Key post to PM’s son-in-law

 
Dy Vichea – son of the late National Police chief Hok Lundy and son-in-law to Prime Minister Hun Sen – has been appointed director of the Central Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, the National Police said yesterday.
National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said that Major General Vichea had been climbing through the ranks for almost 20 years and was a natural choice for the role, though others yesterday questioned whether the appointment was motivated by nepotism.
“His Excellency Dy Vichea has gone through a myriad of low-status [positions], and the last post for him was deputy director of the Central Security Department, so assuming the post as the director is appropriate in the hierarchy,” Chantharith said.
The position will put Vichea in charge of the National Police, internal intelligence and the police’s bodyguard unit, among other departments.
Vichea is married to Hun Sen’s daughter Hun Mana, director of Bayon Radio and TV. His father, Hok Lundy, was one of Hun Sen’s closest allies before his death in a helicopter crash in 2008. During his tenure, he was accused multiple times of using strong-arm tactics and even murder in the service of the ruling party.
The acknowledgement of Vichea’s appointment – which was made official on April 8 – came just days after Hun Sen made a speech swearing off nepotistic appointments and attempting to quash speculation that he would appoint his son to a cabinet position.
Chan Soveth, a senior investigator with the rights group Adhoc, said yesterday that Vichea’s appointment was a clear-cut example of nepotism and noted that in developed countries, positions are filled based on the competence of the candidates.
But in Cambodia, he said, “they appoint their own relatives in government institutions because they do not trust one another. The prime minister appoints his scions for major positions, while ministers name their relatives, children, nieces or nephews in some ministries, making the ministries theirs.”
Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday that appointing relatives, particularly within the security services, bred bias and could lead to compromised decision-making.

Pre-natal care lowers maternal mortality rate

A total of 289 maternal deaths were reported in 2012, but only 259 cases last year. The number in the four first months this year was just 40.The decline had been credited largely to better pre-natal checks, said professor Luu Thi Hong, Director of the Department of Mother-Child Health under the Ministry of Health.Better pregnancy management had enabled doctors to discover any dangers earlier, said Hong."Before, many pregnant women died due to bleeding, puerperal eclampsia (post natal coma and convulsions) and infections because medical treatment was not sophisticated," she said.Thanks to early management and discovery, pregnant women can now rest and avoid hard work so that their pregnancy will be full-term.

Several years ago, as many as 90 percent of women suffering from placenta praevia (lower uterus blocked by placenta, creating bleeding) could die.Today, early discovery of the complication allowed doctors to perform caesarean birth to save mother and child, said Hong. On top of this, sterilisation procedures today are also much better.However, Hong said there were significant differences in maternal death rates between regions."Women in mountain areas often still have their children at home," she said. This led to more obstetrics accidents due to the absence of doctors.
According to reports from the 595 districts across the country, there are not enough obstetric doctors to provide one for each hospital. This has led to the retention of midwives at many hospitals.
To improve the problem, women are now given more information on why they should deliver their children at medical stations. The ministry has also helped train village-based midwives to help ethnic women during their deliveries."More training should be given to obstetrics doctors and midwives at district hospitals," said Hong.She added that residents should also be given family planning to avoid having too many children.Every year, there are between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000 children born throughout Vietnam.

ASEAN foreign ministers deeply concerned over East Sea tensions

"We remained seriously concerned over recent developments which had increased tensions in the South China Sea and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, maritime security as well as freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea," they said on Saturday.
They also reaffirmed their commitments to the principles stipulated in the 2012 Statement of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers on ASEAN's Six Point Principles on the East Sea, the 2012 Joint Statement of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit on the 10th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Statement on the Current Developments in the East Sea which was issued on May 10, 2014.

"We urged all parties concerned to exercise self-restraint and avoid actions which would complicate the situation and undermine peace, stability, and security in the South China Sea and to settle disputes through peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, including friendly dialogue, consultations and negotiations, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," said the communiqu.
The ministers further stressed the importance of the collective commitments of ASEAN Member States and China to peace, stability, maritime security and mutual trust in the region and the need to create conditions conducive for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

They agreed to intensify consultations with China on measures and mechanisms to ensure and further enhance the full and effective implementation of the DOC in its entirety, particularly Articles 4 and 5 as well as substantive negotiations for the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). They said they tasked their senior officials to follow up on this matter.
The communiqu also took note of the Progress Report on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea to be submitted to the ASEAN-China Post-Ministerial Conference. The statement also tasked officials to work with China to finalise the objective and structure and elaborate the substance of the COC, including concrete elements which would promote trust and confidence, prevent incidents and manage incidents should they occur.

The ministers also underscored the importance of maintaining the momentum of consultations and working towards the early conclusion of the COC following the constructive outcomes of the 7th ASEAN-China Senior Officials Meeting on the Implementation of the DOC (SOM on DOC) held on April 21 in Pattaya, Thailand and the 10th and 11th ASEAN-China Joint Working Groups on the Implementation of the DOC (JWG on DOC) held on March 18 in Singapore and June 25, 2014 in Bali, Indonesia, respectively.

"In this regard, we looked forward to more substantive discussions at the 8th SOM on DOC to be convened back-to-back with the 12th JWG on DOC in October 2014 in Bangkok," they said.
They also noted the paper on the Triple Action Plan introduced by the Philippines and other proposals on Article 5 of the DOC raised by other ASEAN Foreign Ministers on the East Sea.
The joint communique also mentioned other issues discussed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during the AMM-47, including realising an ASEAN Community with three main pillars, ASEAN Community's post-2015 vision, promoting ASEAN's principles, norms and values and ASEAN's centrality and its relations with partners, among others.

Malaysia Airlines to be pulled from stock market

 

State investor Khazanah, which owns nearly 70% of the airline, is planning to buy out small shareholders as a first step to overhauling the national carrier.The fund said it would announce more details by the end of August."The proposed restructuring will critically require all parties to work closely together to undertake what will be a complete overhaul," it said in a statement.

Shareholders will vote on the plan at an extraordinary general meeting. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines will continue to operate all current flights. 

After taking the business private, management could sell assets such as Firefly, its budget unit.

Related: 3 things Malaysia Airlines must do to surviveMalaysia Airlines was in big financial trouble before the twin disasters of Flight 370 and Flight 17 claimed the lives of 537 people.

Those tragedies would force changes to the way the company operates, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said."We believe our national carrier must be renewed," he said. "This means wholesale change, to deliver a wholly different outcome."The airline was once a symbol of national pride. But it hadn't turned a profit in years, efforts to compete with low-cost carriers had failed, and the need for yet another government bailout was growing.Analysts have long argued that Malaysia Airlines needed to slim down, and drop flashier features of a flag carrier. 

For example, the airline could operate fewer full-service flights and increase seat counts.

Related: Passengers' families could collect millionsMH17 was shot out of the sky in July, over territory that's controlled by pro-Russian militants battling the Ukraine government. The United States says a surface-to-air missile took down the plane.In March, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people on board. No trace of the plane has been found.

Dehydration or massacre: Thousands caught in ISIS chokehold

 
The Sinjar Mountains rise suddenly from the endless desert of northern Iraq, a ridge of craggy rock some 50 kilometers (30 miles) long, running east to west. Barren and windswept, some 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) high, they make a forbidding sight. But for centuries, they have been the refuge of the desperate and a place of mystical importance.

Last week, the mountains saw another influx, as tens of thousands of people tried to escape the rapid advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which now calls itself the Islamic State. Many of them were Yazidis, fleeing the town of Sinjar and surrounding villages in convoys of dozens of vehicles. The lucky ones used smuggling routes to cross into Syria and back into Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq. The less fortunate were either seized by ISIS militants or headed into the mountains.

The Yazidi are an ancient religious sect -- mainly ethnic Kurds -- that worship an angel figure held by many Muslims to be the devil. ISIS has executed Yazidis who refuse to convert to its extreme ideology.By Sunday, according to Iraqi and Kurdish sources, as many as 20,000 had been able to leave the mountains -- perhaps half of those who had been stranded for nearly a week. U.N. agencies estimated late last week there were as many as 50,000 people in the mountains.

Kurdish peshmerga forces appear to have secured an escape route, but a hazardous one with ISIS militants still roaming the area. According to some accounts, Syrian Kurds also helped people use parts of northeastern Syria under their control to reach Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.