Yuon to boost investment in Kingdom's rubber industry ... at the expense of forced Khmer evictions from their land?

The Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation breaks ground Sunday on a new rubber plantation in Cambodia. The group announced it would increase investment by US$200 million through 2012. (Photo by: Chun Sophal)

Vietnam to boost investment in Kingdom's rubber industry

Monday, 21 June 2010
Chun Sophal
The Phnom Penh Post

Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation to increase outlay by $200 million

THE Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation (VREF) announced it would invest an additional US$200 million on planting rubber trees in Cambodia from 2009 to 2012, on top of a previous $600 million commitment, officials said Saturday.

The 14-member federation intends to plant a total of 100,000 hectares of rubber trees in Cambodia, its chief of governing council Le Quang Thung said at the ceremony for rubber plantings by Vietnamese firms Dong Nai and Dong Phou in Sambor district, Kratie province.

“We are happy to increase our capital for growing rubber in Cambodia, because we hope it will help the federation form strong infrastructure for long-term rubber plantations,” he said.

Le Quang Thung said the initial announcement for $600 million might be enough for operating the plantations, but it would not be enough to improve infrastructure in the area.

“We will use the additional amount to build roads, bridges, healthcare centres, schools and houses, so workers can access the areas companies are developing,” he said Saturday.

The VREF announced the initial $600 million investment to grow rubber when it was granted 100,000 hectares of land concessions in Kampong Thomg, Kratie, Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, and Mondulkiri provinces in 2009.

Cambodian Rubber General Directorate director general Ly Phalla said the increased investment, now totalling $800 million, was a positive sign for the VREF, as it would help create a strong basis to carry out its future plans, but that cooperation is still to be worked out.

“We are not yet aware of the degree of cooperation required to help the Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation succeed in its plans to grow rubber in Cambodia, as we have not worked together yet.”

The VREF first revealed plans to grow up to 100,000 hectares of rubber in Cambodia by 2012 following an agreement last year between leaders of the two countries.

It said the group’s 14 companies planted rubber on 10,000 hectares as a first step in 2009, adding 20,000 hectares in 2010, 30,000 hectares in 2011, and 40,000 hectares in 2012.

Last year’s VREF planting took place on 10,500 hectares in Kratie, Kampong Thom, and Ratanakiri provinces.
Le Quang Thung added the Federation might expand future plantations in Cambodia pending future discussions.

“We will invest more on growing rubber in Cambodia if the country is able to give more economic land concession,” he said.

Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Im Chhun Lim said the Cambodian government weighed forest loss against economic needs when granting concessions.

Firms investing in the domestic agro-industry created job opportunities, reducing poverty and boosting sources of income for the national economy, he said.

“We welcome the investment from Vietnam because it can help improve Cambodia to be as capable as other countries in the region.”
Low-quality rubber traded for $2,900 per tonne over the weekend, and high-quality rubber sold for approximately $3,800 a tonne.

The Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation plans to be growing rubber on 200,000 hectares in Myanmar by the end of 2010, Le Quang Thung said.

In 2006, the federation also invested capital to grow rubber on a total of 100,000 hectares in Laos.

High temperatures over the year to date may restrict the Vietnamese federation’s planned yield, VREF’s Cambodia president Leng Rithy said.

He added that he expects a 10 percent smaller yield due to changing weather in 2010, and that the federation might be able to grow only 18,000 hectares of rubber this year.

Le Quang Thung did not mention the potential impact of hot weather when speaking Saturday.

Despite growing prices for rubber on international markets, several producers have said that poor weather and rising oil prices are slowing plans to plant the lucrative crop.

Cambodia instructed to host SEA Games by 2015, says NOCC official

NOCC General Secretary Vath Chamroeun has revealed that Cambodia may have just five years to organise the hosting of the SEA Games, or risk waiting much longer. (Photo by: Yeun Ponlok)

Monday, 21 June 2010
H S Manjunath
The Phnom Penh Post

THE Southeast Asian Games Council has called upon Cambodia to host their regional sports biannual event by 2015 at the latest, with a faint warning that if the only founding member not to have staged the tournament in its 50-year history misses out on this opportunity, the wait for the next chance could be long and painful as bids are considered on a rotation basis.

Individual member countries have also pledged explicit support and co-operation for Cambodia to push its bid for 2015, but the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) argues that five years could be too short a time for the Kingdom to prepare for a sporting event of that magnitude.

“We are overwhelmed by this show of massive support, but realistically it may not be possible to mobilise resources, create infrastructure and develop human resources in a time frame of five years from now,” stated NOCC Secretary General Vath Chamroeun. “But we have already started work on human resource development as the first phase of our master plan for the SEA Games, and there are so many other big hurdles to cross before we can confidently say ‘Yes we are ready to do it.’

“We need the government’s help every step of the way for a mega event like this,” he declared. “We are in discussion with several government agencies and once the master plan is completely drawn, we can predict the time frame on our readiness.

“If not 2015, the next one could possibly be our target,” he said adding that he hoped fellow ASEAN members would respect their predicament.

Singapore relinquished their rights to host the 2013 SEA Games due to construction delays of their new US$1.87 billion Sports Hub. Indonesia will be hosting their fourth edition next year.

Vath Chamroeun laid emphasis on strengthening the NOCC base by goading the 33 affiliated sports federations to start pulling their weight. The secretary revealed that some federations were doing very well while some lay totally dormant. “We at the NOCC want those federations which are inactive to wake up, hold elections and usher in a new set of office-bearers who are enthusiastic to promote sport,” he affirmed.

Cambodia plans to take part in six disciplines – Swimming, Athletics, Boxing, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Beach Volleyball – during the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou, China this November. Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s involvement in the Asian Beach Games to be held in Muscat, Oman in December is confined to just Beach Volleyball.

The NOCC has inviting a volleyball expert from China and a wrestling ace from Kazakhstan to conduct specialised technical courses for local coaches.

Former Khmer Rouge stronghold gets first textbook about atrocities committed in the 1970s

The Associated Press

ANLONG VENG, Cambodia — Cambodian students in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold were issued a textbook Monday that for the first time teaches the atrocities of the past, a little more than a decade after government forces captured the movement's last bastion.

Some 1,000 copies of, "A History of Democratic Kampuchea," were handed out Monday at the Anlong Veng high school, located in the last jungle holdout of the regime that became a killing machine in the late 1970s.

The textbook by a Cambodian genocide researcher was first published in 2007 and entered circulation in 2009. Since then, about 300,000 copies have been distributed to high schools elsewhere in the country.

Most books about the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge era, when some 1.7 million perished through hunger, disease and executions, have been written by foreigners or overseas Cambodians. Very few have been translated into the Cambodian language, and none are cheaply available.

The book's arrival in the northern province of Anlong Veng has special poignancy. The area was home to many of the former regime's senior leaders and almost everyone — from teachers to district officials — was once Khmer Rouge. But students here have remained virtually clueless about the subject.

"I'm so happy to get this book," said 18-year-old student Pen Mom, whose parents were Khmer Rouge cadres. "I have heard from my parents about the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, but now I will see how bad the regime really was."

The Khmer Rouge regime was toppled in 1979 but continued as a guerrilla force that plagued Cambodia with civil war. Anlong Veng was one of the rebels' last jungle strongholds, finally falling to government forces in 1998 after key rebel leaders surrendered.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group that collects evidence of the Khmer Rouge and published the book, says it plans to print 700,000 more copies to distribute to high schools by the end of the year.

"All of us can draw lessons from our history," said Youk Chhang, the centre's director. "By taking responsibility for teaching our children through texts such as this one, Cambodia can move forward and mould future generations to ensure that the seeds of genocide never again take root in our country."

Earlier of this year, the government said it will preserve 14 sites in Anlong Veng as tourist attractions including homes belonging to Khmer Rouge leaders, an ammunition warehouse and the grave of Pol Pot, who died in 1998.

"I will keep this book forever," said Chhun Soklin, a 29-year-old teacher at the high school. "After I read it I will pass it to my children because this book reflects the suffering endured by all Cambodians who experienced life under the Khmer Rouge."

The country is gearing up for the first and long-awaited verdict from the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal. The tribunal will hand down its verdict July 26 in the case of Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, the Khmer Rouge prison chief accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.

Four other aging Khmer Rouge leaders are facing trials expected to begin late this year or early next year.
__
Associated Press Writer Sopheng Cheang contributed reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Former sex slave fights illegal trade

"Girls are taught only shame and ignorance about their bodies and men have their first sexual experience in brothels. Rape is the only thing they know." Photo: AFP

June 22, 2010
AAP

Somaly Mam emerged from a life of sex slavery in Cambodia to become a champion of women's rights and one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people on the planet.

Abandoned by her parents, Mam was raped at 12, forced to marry at 14 and then sold into prostitution.

She suffered years of abuse before escaping with the help of a Medicin Sans Frontieres worker, whom she later married.

Mam has never had any formal schooling, yet she now speaks five languages.

She has become a tireless activist heading two organisations which fight sexual slavery, and has received international humanitarian awards.

Mam spoke about her extraordinary life during her first visit to Australia, in between a flurry of book signings, public lectures and meetings with politicians.

Her autobiography, The Road of Lost Innocence, has been reprinted many times.

It is a grim story of abuse - young lives broken by rape, torture and starvation together with betrayal by the very people who should have protected their own children.

Poverty also causes Cambodian families to sell their daughters into prostitution.

Mam says her story is symptomatic of a country with a long history of treating females worse than livestock.

"Cambodian society is about violence and submission," she told AAP.

"That smile people associate with gentle Cambodian women is a lie.

"It's always been like that. Women have been beaten slaves since before the Khmer Rouge, who killed any compassion there was.

"Although the situation is changing, 30 years later Cambodian society is still struggling. People only care about themselves."

Cambodians are a silent people, Mam says, and women's suffering is also endured in silence, compounded by a lack of education in all spheres.

"Girls are taught only shame and ignorance about their bodies and men have their first sexual experience in brothels. Rape is the only thing they know."

Up to 70 per cent of brothel clients are Cambodian men and the remaining 30 per cent are foreigners including paedophiles targeting children, she says.

Although Mam was able to escape her past by living in France for a while with her French husband Pierre, she continues to be haunted by nightmares and post-traumatic stress.

Mam says she felt driven to rescue girls like herself. Together with Pierre she started saving victims of sexual slavery in Cambodia even though police and corrupt politicians were as bad as the pimps and clients who wanted her gone.

She was one of the founding members of AFESIP (Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances), which has rescued and rehabilitated over 4000 women since 1996.

Now divorced, Mam says her traumatic past makes it impossible for her to be in a relationship.

But becoming a mother helped her feel love for the first time.

Mam has three children aged 18, 14 and eight. The oldest girl, Ning, is her sister's daughter whom she adopted.

"I'm not a gentle girl and life has been a fight, but out of this, and becoming a mother, came love."

The motherly love she discovered now fuels her mission in Cambodia, where she lives, to maintain three shelters for rescued sex slaves where their dignity is rebuilt through nurturing and education.

"It takes five minutes to rescue a girl and then the hard work starts," she says.

"First give them love until they feel it and they feel safe. Prove to them they can trust, and then start building life skills."

Bill Livermore, the US head of the Somaly Mam Foundation, says a key to ending trafficking is empowering women.

"Access to education, law and the economy is a must. If you take 50 per cent of the population out of those areas, countries do not thrive. Cambodia is very poor".

Livermore also advocates embarrassing governments who tolerate the sex slavery scourge "because governments won't change unless they are embarrassed to change".

He says the rehabilitation success rate in Cambodia soared after survivors were encouraged to rescue other girls.

"It went up from 65 per cent to 90 per cent because they were able to bond with the prostitutes and that's the kind of skill that a PhD from Harvard will never give you," he says.

The foundation was created in the US in 2007 and has a combination of corporate and private funding - not a cent comes from the United Nations or any government body.

Mam's high international profile helps, although old enemies remain. There have been threats on her life and she has a driver and a full-time bodyguard.

"If they kill me, there will be many more to take my place," she says.

SEX SLAVERY: THE FACTS

• One in 40 Cambodian girls is sold into sexual slavery
• Human trafficking is the second-largest organised crime in the world, even bigger than the drugs trade
• 2-4 million women and girls will be sold into prostitution worldwide over the next 12 months
• Over a million will be small children
• Some girls will be sold for as little as $US10 and will be as young as five
• Profits from sexual slavery are estimated at up to $US12 billion annually

Sources: US State Department, UNICEF, UN Office of Drugs and Crime
The Road of Lost Innocence, by Somaly Mam, is published by Virago Press.
For more info go to www.somaly.org and www.projectfutures.com

SRP plans to visit other border posts with neighboring countries

Location of border post no. 270 in Anh-chanh villager, Chey Chauk commune, Borey Chulsa district, Takeo province on 12 June 2010.

19 June 2010
By Den Aythyea
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

SRP leaders plan to visit numerous planting of border posts along the border between Cambodia and neighboring countries in secret in the upcoming days.

Opposition officials have accused that the planting of border stakes by government experts and experts from neighboring countries affected the territorial integrity of Cambodia, in addition to causing the loss of rice fields owned by Cambodian farmers.

Yim Sovann, SRP MP and SRP spokesman, told RFA this weekend that in the upcoming days, SRP officials plan to travel to visit the planting of all border stakes that Cambodia agreed with neighboring countries.

He added that the planned visit to these border stakes stems from the fact that the SRP received information from local villagers living along the border claiming that the planting of border stakes between Cambodia and neighboring countries, in particular with Vietnam, led to the loss of Cambodian territories.

Yim Sovann said: “This action affects the land owned by local villagers, it affects Cambodia’s territories, and they [the government] threaten the villagers, telling them not to react or protest. This action [by the government] is not proper at all. This is a very serious issue, it’s not just the case of border post 270 alone. There are four more border posts in Chantrea village, and 2 others in Kak commune, Kampong Cham province also. Right now, we are reviewing other border posts to see if the planting was done properly or not. But, we are not doing this openly, in order to avoid being harassed [by the government].”

Opposition and civil society officials claimed that the planting of border stakes between Cambodia and neighboring countries was done through encroachments into Cambodian territories and led to the loss of villagers’ lands by several hectares. However, such accusations always met with constant denial from government officials.

Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodia Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA) and representative of the Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC), said that there is no reason for government experts to prevent opposition and civil society officials from visiting the location of the border stakes if such planting was not done with mystery and it did not lead to the loss of Cambodian territories.

Rong Chhun said: “I want the government leaders to recognize the truth, and they should avoid hiding their mistakes. We must recognize the fact that the Yuon authority is currently encroaching on lands belonging to our Cambodian people. It is true, the live witnesses are the people who are currently on the spot.”

sVar Kim Hong, the senior minister in charge of Cambodian borders, used to claim that the planting of border stakes between Cambodia and neighboring countries was not done without prior detailed discussions by expert officials and government leaders because these officials are responsible in the eyes of history. sVar Kim Hong considered the criticisms leveled by opposition or civil officials on government border experts as a prevention act to the government’s speedup of the border post planting.

sVar Kim Hong said: “We are doing according to high-level technology in the survey of border between country and country. We are not an irresponsible committee! Therefore, if the opposition cannot trust a national institution, who can it trust? They trust NGOs in France, in the US, or in Switzerland, and such and such professor! It’s tough, they harass our committee’s work. If they harass us, we have the rights to defend the interest of our nation’s government also!”

In the past, any criticisms leveled against government officials in regards to the planting of border stakes between Cambodia and neighboring countries have led to the exile fleeing of opposition and civil society critics. A number of other critics have been charged by the government with jail terms because they dare criticize this border issue.

On 27 January 2010, in regards to this border problem also, the Svay Rieng provincial court sentenced opposition leader Sam Rainsy to a 2-year jail term, as well as 2 other villagers to one-year of jail term each. All three were fined a total amount of 60 million riels for destruction of public property after they participated in the uprooting of border stakes no. 185 located in Samrong commune, Chantrea district, on 25 October 2009.

Nevertheless, Yim Sovann did not provide the schedule of the SRP visit to the border post locations, nor the location of these border posts, because doing so would earn them harassment from the Cambodian authority.

Cambodia is currently planting border posts with neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. The Cambodian government plans to end the planting of border posts with Vietnam by the end of 2012.

Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday

Cambodia's Red Klansman?

(Photo: Pring Samrang)

The Cambodia Daily reported in its 18 June’s edition that the statue (photo above) found shrouded under a red material cover in front of the Anticorruption Institution could be a 5-meter-high statue of Hun Xen which Om Yentieng claimed to have built on his own volition. However, The Cambodia Daily reported that Om Yentieng denied having knowledge of the statue, although he issued a public apology to Hun Xen for building one.

Brilliant Film Premiers Monday in NYC, Offering Solution to Global Child Exploitation

June 19, 2010
Jim Luce
Huffington Post

Not often does a filmmaker present both an untenable social problem - and its solution. Not often is its filmmaker an artist as well as a banker and a lawyer. Meet Guy Jacobson through whose eyes in the film Redlight we meet two remarkable women opposed to childhood sexual slavery in Cambodia. One, the head of the opposition party there, and the other a woman who escaped the brothels to dedicate her life to freeing others. I sat down this week with Guy to hear more about the opening of his film Redlight, produced and narrated by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu.

The film "Redlight" is produced and narrated by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu.

Having built a reputation of orphan care around the world known as Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), and being a new friend of Cambodian legend, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Mu Sochua, I am familiar with the plight of sexually abused children. But the staggering figure of 2.5 million children aged 18 months to 18 years exploited for their young bodies made my skin crawl. They can be raped 20 - 30 times a day, and up to half of them will die from shock, torture, drugs, and/or AIDS.

The film "Holly" production shot of brothel room. Photographer: Elkana Jacobson.

Two women are featured in the film, grassroots activist Somaly Mam and politician Mu Sochua. Filmed over a four year period, the incredibly moving Redlight focuses on the personal stories of the victims and two remarkable advocates for change in a nation that lived through the Killing Fields. Both women have since been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize and won other numerous human rights awards around the world. See the film's trailer on Vimeo.

This powerful, must-see film opens in New York City this Monday night, June 21, with a red carpet affair, followed by a VIP reception featuring celebrity guests. Tickets are also available to the general public.

Expected guests for the star-studded event include Ambassador Mark Lagon, Alyse Nelson, president and C.E.O. of Vital Voices, Cecilia Attias, Richard Attias, producer of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and Global C.E.O. Andrew Prozes of LexisNexis. A heavy media turnout is anticipated.

The Honorary Host Committee includes Congresswoman Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Lauren Bush, and Abigail Disney, among others. The event is sponsored in part by LexisNexis.


This special evening will be a multi-pronged event with two screenings offered. The official World Premiere Red Carpet Screening with limited tickets open to the public opens at 6pm. VIP guests will join the VIP reception and Q&A at the CUE Art Gallery, 511 West 25th Street. All other guests are invited to a one-hour open bar after-party from 9:30pm at the Juliet Supper Club, located at 539 West 21st Street.

Producers Adi Ezroni and Guy Jacobson at "Holly" premier in 2007. Photo: Madhu Dhas.

The General Public Red Carpet Screening is scheduled for 9:00pm, with an after-party also at the Juliet Supper Club. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A session featuring, M.P. Mu Sochua, UNICEF's Global Chief of Child Protection Dr. Susan Bissell, and filmmakers Guy Jacobson and Israeli actress Adi Ezroni, both of whom won the prestigious U.S. State Department's Global Hero Award for their work.

Ron Livingston stars as Patrick, an American card shark and dealer of stolen artifacts living in Cambodia for years, when he encounters Holly, a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl sold by her impoverished family and smuggled across the border to work as a prostitute in the feature film Holly, a captivating, touching and emotional experience, that highlights the growing international issue of human trafficking. Photo: Elkana Jacobson.

This film is the second in Guy's trilogy, known as the K11 Project. Holly was the first in 2007, the story of a 12-year old prostitute who captures the jaded heart of a foreigner living in Cambodia who in turn goes out of his way to rescue her from the criminal element that controls her. This filmed premiered at the United Nations, with honorary committee members including Susan Sarandon and Hillary Clinton. All three films benefit from Guy's undercover work in Cambodian brothels, using espionage equipment and secret cameras to research the plight of child trafficking victims.

Filmmaker, banker and lawyer Guy Jacobson, standing, with his team in Battambang, Cambodia.

To make Redlight in Cambodia, where he was challenging the underground that profit off the lives of children, Guy had to surround himself with 40 bodyguards armed with automatic weapons. As Lucy Liu states in the film, the brothels are powerful and notoriously violent. "I come from Israel originally. I know how to take care of myself," Guy shrugged with a smile. At one point, Interpol contacted Guy to warn him to flee the country because the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian mafia had hits taken out on his life.

In 2000, Guy left the intersection of investment banking and law here in NYC to spend two years travelling the world. In Phnom Penh he walked down one street where he was surrounded by a large group of girls competing to offer his sexual favors in exchange for cash. Just as my first visit to an orphanage 'warehouse' led to my epiphany, Guy's experience with these girls led to his life commitment to end the plight of red light children, leading him to found an organization to help end exploitation by the same name.

Children in Cambodia fishing villages, as children anywhere in the world, can be in danger.

Guy's cutting-edge strategy to end the sexual exploitation of children is to work with major law firms around the world s, and focus on filing civil suits on behalf of a victim against an exploiter in each city, sending a message of deterrence across oceans like a Tsunami. "This does not end exploitation on its own, but sends a chill down the spines of the exploiters." Guy told me. If it scared only 10%, it would save 250,000 children. "Governments in many countries are not strong enough to fight this scourge effectively. We need to fight for the children ourselves, in the civil courts and arena of public opinion."

The Redlight Children Campaign originally aimed at pressuring governments to enact or amend legislation to address this issue more effectively and allocate more resources towards enforcement of laws. This has proven to be difficult. Now, in addition to the original strategy, Guy wants to make it more difficult and costly for perpetrators to sexually abuse children. Redlight Children has partnered with LexisNexis to create both an international case law database for trafficking, and a trafficking offenders database to assist lawmakers and prosecutors.

According to RedLightChildren.org:

Every single day children are kidnapped or stolen and forced into the global, multi-billion dollar sex industry. Interpol estimates that this trafficking of children and young women is the third largest international criminal activity.

Its scope is shocking. According to UNICEF, over two million children are involved -- from kids around the world who are kidnapped from their families to children victimized on the internet via community sites and chatrooms.

To effectively counter the violent mobs who control child exploitation around the world, Guy turned to his artistic past and decided to incorporate film with law and finance. He began Priority Films. He understood that to solve a problem, he had to first bring people to the realization that such a problem existed. He chose to do this through film, using the law and financial pressure to provide a cutting-edge solution. His film company is a cutting edge 'micro studio' with a focus on low budget, high quality, commercial films. He has created a strong grassroots approach to film, producing the K11 Project, the most comprehensive film project about child trafficking and child prostitution to date.

At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves: are our world's children safe?

Human trafficking is a brutal and horrific reality. I hope you will support efforts in the fight against this global epidemic. Proceeds from this important event will benefit RedLight Children and Restore NYC, two not for profit organizations both working tirelessly to end slavery and child exploitation.

For further issues, facts and the rule of law, see LexisNexis website.
To buy the DVD, go to Priority Films website.

British paedo running kids charity in Cambodia

20/06/2010
EXCLUSIVE by Andrew Drummond in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
and Justin Penrose
Mirror.co.uk

They are known as the ­rubbish dump kids… ­starving children who ­scavenge for scraps of food on a toxic mountain of waste.

He is a former hairdresser who runs a “charity” in Cambodia inviting you to send him money to save them.

David Fletcher, 65, appears to be the Good Samaritan, feeding hundreds of children who affectionately know him as “Papa”.

But Fletcher hides a dark secret – he was jailed in Britain for the ­statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl and videoing the horrific crime.

He now uses the guise of his unregistered charity in ­Cambodia – where he fled to six years ago – to spend every day with little girls, some as young as eight. The pervert raises money from tourists who believe they are providing food and shelter for the hundreds of poor and ­hungry children.

But a Sunday Mirror investigation can reveal how Fletcher has become ­worryingly close to a number of young girls – and spoke to our investigators of an eight-year-old he calls his “favourite little girl”.

Fletcher has even bought himself a 17-year-old Cambodian bride for £150 who he met on the dump – sold by her own mother to pay off debts. Genuine charities are so concerned they attempted to outbid him to keep the girl out of his clutches.

The Sunday Mirror joined Fletcher for one of his tours to the rancid rubbish tip on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh.

We met him at the Flora Bar where he had his hand inside the bra of a young ­Cambodian hostess and was ­happy to tell us: “She’s ­shaven, you know. That’s how I like them. No pubic hair. I prefer Cambodian girls. I tried ­Thailand first… went there for years, but here it’s much better. They’re more needy. You just have to be a little careful. I know I am being watched.”

He added: “My two grown-up sons have disowned me. They did not like the fact that my girlfriends were younger than theirs. Who cares? It’s their loss.”

Fletcher was convicted at Norwich Crown Court in July 1997 of the ­statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl who he had plied with champagne and offered £250 for sex.

He also admitted possessing offensive weapons. He was jailed for 18 months. At the time he ran a series of ­hair-dressing salons in Cambridge and Saffron Walden. When he was released from jail, he fled Britain.

When asked about his conviction he was unapologetic, saying: “Oh yes. She was just my girlfriend. They caught me. I just did it ahead of her 16th ­birthday. People will stoop very low to say bad things about me.”

Fletcher runs the Rubbish Dump Project and has a website which tells the moving story of Phnom Penh’s ­garbage dump kids. He invites readers to send donations to his private bank account and claims every penny is spent on the children.

The Sunday Mirror signed up for a tour of the dump and handed over US$50, the amount Fletcher says will feed 150 children.

When we got to the garbage mountain at Stung Meanchey on the outskirts of the capital he took a cream bun and some fruit to “my favourite little girl”.

With his tuk-tuk driver he dished out fruit to more than 100 desperate children amid the stench. The slum families try to survive on what they can scavenge, so flock to him when he has food.

The pervert preys on their desperation, building up the ­children’s trust – ­including his 17-year-old bride-to-be Yang Dany, who he met at the tip.

We accompanied him to Yang Dany’s home with a special bag of goodies for her mum.

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“I’m planning to marry her when the time is right,” he said. “Where can a man like me get a girl like this?”

Earlier in the day our investigators saw British-born Scott Neeson, who runs the respected charity ­Cambodian ­Children’s Fund, try to persuade Yang Dany’s mother to change her mind about letting her daughter marry Fletcher.

Inside the corrugated shack in ­Dhamnak Thom Village No. 1, Mr Neeson, tried to negotiate with the mother.

Khaeng Sokun, 58, lost her first ­husband and baby twin daughters in the “Killing Fields” of the Khmer Rouge.

Now she is about to unwittingly give her daughter to a convicted British paedophile for £150 ($200) to help clear her debts.

She said: “But we owe $600. How else can I pay this off? Dany wants to help her family. Her future husband is a good man. She feels sorry for him. He comes here and gives everybody food.”

Scott says he will help the family with their debts and begs her to reconsider.

Scott, 51, said: “People like Fletcher are a continuous source of worry. There is little doubt Fletcher devotes his time here to befriending young girls.

“He tells their parents he wants to adopt them, care for them. They think because he gives out food he is good. But he is grooming them.

“The fact is that these children can be bought. It’s difficult to stop it. The British Embassy have been told about Fletcher. Many organisations have files on him, but nothing has happened.”

The abuse of children by ­foreigners in ­Cambodia is hampered by ­institutionalised corruption in a one-party state run by Hun Sen, who has locked up ­opposition leader Sam ­Rainsy.

Cambodia has become the favoured destination for paedophiles after ­several crackdowns on sex tourism by the ­authorities in neighbouring Thailand.

Last week the Sunday Mirror revealed that teacher Gary Robcoy became the first Brit to be deported from Thailand because of his paedo convictions in

the UK. In contrast only a handful of foreign tourists languish in Cambodian jails for sex offences, despite a thriving child sex industry. Police take pay-offs to release ­foreigners on child sexual abuse charges and most cases are settled with cash payments to victims.

Fletcher used to run his charity from a bar called “Bogie and Bacall” but the two Australian colleagues he had quickly left.

One of them, Ross Wright, said: “We decided to go our own way. He never once showed us the bank account into which donations were going.

"There were tens of ­thousands of dollars ­coming in. Cash was ­being donated by Rotary Clubs and big private ­donors. We also had ­complaints of him being too familiar with young girls.”

Fletcher is now being investigated by Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which has officers in South East Asia.

CEOP, part of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, has established a ­presence there in the last two years and is ­working with Cambodian police.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of complaints about David Fletcher and have been in ­discussion with the ­authorities.”

scoops@sundaymirror.co.uk

CAMBODIA: Key role for universities in healing society

Vicheth Sen*
20 June 2010
Issue: 129
University World News

Universities need to move beyond their traditional roles of teaching, learning and research towards another core function - linking campuses to communities. They can play a key role in organising programmes in which students have the opportunity to be engaged in civic activities. This is particularly important in countries like Cambodia, which have been damaged by severe societal breakdowns in the past.

The erosion of trust in Cambodia - both interpersonal and institutional - caused by the Khmer Rouge regime, has weakened people's ability to work together for a common goal. It has crippled Cambodia's ability to recover from the devastation caused by prolonged civil conflicts. The Khmer Rouge regime left a psychological legacy - in this case, trauma - which has yet to be treated or healed.

As someone born after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, I believe that many young Cambodians have been affected by their parents' bad experiences. This trauma has become inter-generational.

Although young Cambodians' experiences are not as bad as those of their parents, parents' traumatic experiences of the genocidal regime and the chronic civil wars have been passed on to their children through the ways they were brought up.

The bad experiences affected the ways people viewed the world around them and how they related to other people. The erosion of trust continues into present Cambodian society.

It is noticeable that the ability to work together among (young) Cambodians tends to be limited to within families and small intimate groups of close friends. People don't seem to have enough confidence to extend cooperation beyond close networks, which really affects their ability to work together as well as the productivity of their work.

Promoting civic engagement at universities allows students to interact with one another beyond their small groups, to communicate with one another, to work together to achieve a common purpose, and to learn about one another, which leads to a better understanding of each other.

This process is critical for confidence and trust building, which is the first step to encouraging people to work together productively.

However, because of limited budget and lack of understanding of the importance of civic engagement, most Cambodian universities focus only on their traditional roles of teaching, learning and research.

Although some students mention having been involved in community service or volunteerism, the primary reason they stated was egoistic rather than altruistic, self-centered rather than compassionate. For instance, the most cited reason for doing community service or volunteerism was to gain some experience so that it was easier to secure a job in future.

I believe being civically engaged means learning to give back to the community, to help one another, to share, to take responsibilities, to understand the working and systems of the government and the processes of choosing a leader, and learning to be a good leader, to be accountable and to understand the principles and practices of democracy, to mention a few.

In this sense, civic engagement at university makes young people build or connect the missing link between the academic world and the real world. Civic engagement makes the students understand the importance of being civically engaged because of the benefits they will gain by doing so.

It also helps them to learn to trust fellow Cambodians through working together and helping those in need of support. At the same time, they learn to be good citizens and good leaders.

What's also important is that civic education programmes help students to understand the importance of their role in a democratic country. This is vital not only in the present but also in the future. I believe that a healthy democratic country has a huge population with high levels of civic mindedness and engagement.

For this reason, in this critical stage of democratising Cambodia, it is important to promote civic engagement among young Cambodians. This will provide a good opportunity for them not only to be well prepared for future careers but also to contribute to a healthy democracy in this newly democratised country.

* Vicheth Sen, a lecturer at the Royal Phnom Penh University, is the author of Higher Education and Civic Engagement In Cambodia: A Case Study at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Letter from KI-Media Reader

Sunday, June 20, 2010

I observe with dismay the lack of analytical skills as well as shrewd, tasteful hard-punching political parody in our society. KI Media is the only forum providing this about Cambodia, for Cambodians and Cambodia followers.

No one is raising an eyebrow or question the crude, crass conversations and gory, sexually-charged images on the streets or in the local dailies that is part of daily consumption; we are numbed and dense to the blatant, blood-soaked violence exacted on the poor and the vulnerable in this society.

However, we get all bent out of shape when KI Media would post witty humor, thoughtful analysis questioning authority, thought-provoking headlines.

KI-Media has garnered a following and is the most popular Cambodia blog because of its forum for questioning and punchy, witty political parodies in its courage to provide us with sensitive news and information on Cambodia.

Avid reader of KI-Media

Statement of Principles on Business and Human Rights in the Kingdom of Cambodia (2010)

Click on the statement in Khmer and English to zoom in

Click here to read related article

CACJE Opposition Statement

Click on the statement in Khmer to zoom in

Partial translation from Khmer by Socheata

The Cambodian Action Committee for Justice & Equity (CACJE) is:

1. Opposed to the visit of former King Norodom Sihanouk – who will be accompanied by his family including his wife and son Norodom Sihamoni, the current king – to Vietnam on 22 June 2010.
2. Opposed to the question raised by Son Soubert, the former member of Constitutional Council, who planned to have a joint administration by the Yuon and Khmer governments on the sovereignty of the territory of Koh Tral Island which belongs to Cambodia, as well as the territory of Kampuchea Krom belonging to Cambodia, based on the model of the Pyrenees region in the European Union which is placed under the joint administration of France and Spain since 1607 under an agreement between the French Emperor and leaders of the Spain movement.
3. Absolutely opposed to the plan set by Touch Narim, the Kampong Chhnang provincial governor, who wrote a letter to ask the authorization from the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh in which he promised to provide lands to 4,000 illegal Vietnamese immigrant families and to provide $10,000 to each Vietnamese family that agree to move out of the Chhnok Trou region in Kampong Chhnang to housings in the land area.

Heng Soy's reply to irate Reader

While posting a contrast of lifestyle in Cambodia, Heng Soy managed to irritate and rankle quite a few of KI-Media's Readers. One Reader posted:

KI[-Media],

You play a very dirty game, a great divider is KI[-Media].

Where are the thousand pictures of King Sihanouk and his wife feed their people? Where are the pictures of King Sihamoni built homes for his poor people?

Offering food and fake money to the spirits and through Monks are Asian cultures and Khmers are ones of the Asians.

Wonder, Heng Soy is one of Yuon Hanoi's spy, a great divider?

Here is Heng Soy's reply:

Respected Reader,

If I am a "Yuon Hanoi's spy" as you alleged, please just wait and see by the end of this month. If you happen to see a photo of Samdech Ta shaking my hand during his visit to Hanoi, then yes, I would be guilty as charged, but if you don't, what's next?

No offense,

Heng Soy

Attack on Queen Mother's Birthday

Dear KI Staffs,

As faithful follower of your blog I would like to share the following feedback and observations with you.

Currently, the antagonizing against the King-Father and Mother has really been on the rise especially on note of their planned official visit to Vietnam.

Although KI-Media has its part in this divisive new trend - evidence in the fact that no other time is this kind of behavior more prevalent than now - it is not entirely KI-Media's fault. I like the service you provide and i trust that your enthusiasm for our country will keep it going for a very long time. But, I wonder sometimes, in light of immaturity of Khmer society shown her in adopting this new IT communications tool, if KI-Media's dedication to bringing sensitive news and opening up anonymous interaction is rather more detrimental than being a positive and open venue for Cambodians to participate and voice their concern and frustration in their country's development and politics.

Why do I wonder this? Because these various virile increase number of attacks at least to me, points to conclusion that mob mentality is on the rise and that KI through its sometimes provocative titles to images -albeit without intention to divide- are lending a helping hand to creating a negative space on the net and negative mob mentality.

Over and over again, here on KI-Media when I observed that once a person is attacked, a whole group of commentators equipped with anonymity as their shield will reign in and echo the attacks, and only at even more disturbing level of cruelty. Whether these people can expressed their opinions clearly and respectfully does not matter as long as they have the megaphone of anonymity they will spout out anything. Even the dignity of an elderly women is not off the subject!

Case and point clear example, such persons who made comments under the article you post

A study of contrast ... well, Happy Birthday Your Majesty Queen Mother!

were attacking Queen Mother very personally and cruelly referring to her various physicals features. It is unbelievable that such person him/herself was also born of a mother, and grandmother. As a Khmer myself, It is hard for me to believe that this was or is part of Khmer tradition! This is ភ្លើ (Pleu) tradition (How do we say Pleu in English)? We should understand that we Khmer have these words because we have a beautiful culture of respect and defined these characters clearly for which our children are to be rear up against.

Myself, born as Khmer was taught to respect other people and especially our elders. But I wonder why these aspect of Khmer character are not demonstrated with these cruel commentators? Are they Khmer? Do they know what it means to be Khmer? In light of this, do they even qualify to speak about the Khmer problem when they themselves are part of the problem?

In light of such despicable acts and disrespect should they even have the right to speak at all? Freedom of speech is only free and wonderful if we respect the rights of others.

I like to ask KI-Media and its readers to think about what distinguish such persons from Hun Sen? Hun Sen is a man who deserves to be put in isolation not a person deserving of respect as head of state. He has no dignity. Just this past week, we as Khmer has helped to sign over 2000 petitions against this man and his view of women. Yet here on KI-Media, we see no other attitude from some readers then the one we just condemned! Is it not those type of character and personality which KI-Media and we Khmer patriots work so hard to eliminate from our society? Or do we still wish to foster and support that culture of disrespectful,savage characterization and personal attacks of people we disagree with?

Because ultimately, whether we Khmer like it or not, it is purely a disagreement in policy.

I for one, vehemently disagree with former King's father's visit and perfectly agree and appreciate the well thought out but harsh analysis by Neay Krud and Khmer Young and Khmerization and other civil analysis given here, but I am appalled by the level of ignorance and pheap akseliathor from some so called "Khmer" people who speaks here when they disagree. These people give bad name to all Khmer character as a whole.

I believe KI-Media with its increasing influence has a role to play. You are now building a very large follower and therefore you have a "power" and with this power of information should also comes responsibility.

I hope that KI-Media will continue to grow into mature media in order to help us Khmer in Cambodia and oversea understand our country, and shape our future together as Khmer through constructive dialogue and listening, to affect the decision-making and fate of our nation.

As you all know, the people in government also follows your site. You can use this rare opportunity, because I believe no other site is more popular and far reaching as KI-Media. Let this be a tool for call to unity rather than to help foster mentalities, characters, and altitude like that which Mr. Hun Sen portrays!

That said, I am not asking you to stop your exposé of the government's shortcomings and corruptions- in fact it is these very type of news and information that drives me and many other Khmer to your website. I just ask that you consider your power and responsibility within this new framework of IT news and help to continue open the dialogue space for all Cambodian people but steer clear of leading a mob and negative mentality.

I also understand that you cannot control your commentator and the extreme opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect your own.

I like to finish my long tirade with one of your commentators in the forum, "Leave room for some tradition". We are Khmer.


Thank you,

Name withheld by request