អង្គការឃ្លាំមើលបរិស្ថានអន្តរជាតិ Global Witness

លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានហៅក្រុមមនុស្សរបស់អង្គការនេះថាជាក្រុមចោរ ដោយសារតែក្រុមមនុស្សទាំងនេះបានយល់ដឹងច្រើនអំពីវិធីលួចលុយ និងអំពើពុករលួយ ហើយបែរជាមកប្រដៅរដ្ឋាភិបាលរបស់លោកឲ្យចេះថែរក្សាលុយ និងឲ្យចេះចាយលុយពីធនធានរ៉ែ។


ប្រមុខរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា លោក ហ៊ុន សែន នៅក្នុងការបើកសន្និសីទអន្តរជាតិស្ដីពី ឱកាសសម្រាប់កម្ពុជា ធ្វើអាជីវកម្មរ៉ែ នៅថ្ងៃពុធ ទី២៦ ខែឧសភានេះ បានមានប្រសាសន៍ដោយសម្ដីធ្ងន់ៗថា ៖ «ឥឡូវយើងអត់ទាន់មានលុយសោះ ប៉ុន្តែគេបង្រៀនយើងពីរបៀបចាយលុយ និងរហូតដល់គេចោទប្រកាន់យើងអំពីអំពើពុករលួយនៃការចាយលុយដែលមិនទាន់មានសោះ! អ៊ីចឹងមានន័យថា ក្រុមនេះជាក្រុមចោរ! ចោរវាធ្លាប់លួច ទើបវាដឹងរឿងចោរ ឬវារៀនពីចោរ ឬវាជាមេចោរ បានវាដឹងថា តើត្រូវលួចរបៀបណា!»។


តំណាងរបស់អង្គការឃ្លាំមើលបរិស្ថានអន្តរជាតិ Global witness នៅក្នុងទីក្រុងឡុងដ៍ ប្រទេសអង់គ្លេស មិនទាន់មានប្រតិកម្មឆ្លើយតបវិញនៅឡើយទេ ពីព្រោះគេមិនទាន់បានទទួលព័ត៌មានច្បាស់លាស់នៅឡើយអំពីប្រសាសន៍របស់លោក ហ៊ុន សែន ប្រមុខរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា។


ប្រធានមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលសិទ្ធិមនុស្សកម្ពុជា លោក អ៊ូ វីរៈ បានមានប្រសាសន៍អត្ថាធិប្បាយថា ៖ «នៅពេលបច្ចុប្បន្ន តើអ្វីដែលនិយាយត្រូវ ឬមួយក៏ខុស ជាជាងវាយប្រហារគេជាបុគ្គល។ ខ្ញុំថា វាជារឿងមួយគួរឲ្យសោកស្ដាយ ដែលឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងនូវឆន្ទៈមួយអវិជ្ជមានចំពោះការរិះគន់!»។


អង្គការឃ្លាំមើលបរិស្ថានអន្តរជាតិ Global Witness ដែលមានមូលដ្ឋាននៅក្នុងទីក្រុងឡុងដ៍ ប្រទេសអង់គ្លេស ត្រូវបានរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាហាមឃាត់មិនឲ្យចូលក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ហើយបានប្រកាសបណ្ដេញចេញពីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា កាលពីចុងឆ្នាំ២០០២កន្លងទៅ ក្រោយពីអង្គការនេះបានចេញរបាយការណ៍ស្រាវជ្រាវជាច្រើន ចោទប្រកាន់ថា មន្ត្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាមួយចំនួន និងគ្រួសារសាច់ញាតិរបស់លោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន មានការពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មព្រៃឈើនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា។


មន្រ្តីរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាបានហៅការចោទប្រកាន់នោះថាជារឿងមិនពិត ហើយមានចរិតនយោបាយប្រឆាំងរដ្ឋាភិបាល។


កាលពីដើមខែឧសភានេះ មានសេចក្ដីរាយការណ៍ថា អង្គការ Global Witness បានចោទប្រកាន់ថា រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជាបានទទួលប្រាក់សំណូកចំនួន ២,៥លានដុល្លារអាមេរិកពីក្រុមហ៊ុនរបស់ប្រទេសអូស្ត្រាលីឈ្មោះ BHP Billiton ក្នុងការទទួលសិទ្ធិរាវរករ៉ែបុកស៊ីតនៅកម្ពុជាកន្លងមក។


លោក ហ៊ុន សែន បានប្រតិកម្មនៅថៃ្ងពុធនេះទៀតថា ប្រាក់ចំនួន ២,៥លានដុល្លារអាមេរិកនោះ ជាប្រាក់សម្រាប់មូលនិធិសង្គម ដែលបានចែងនៅក្នុងកិច្ចសន្យាចូលក្នុងថវិការដ្ឋ នៅគ្រាដែលអង្គការ Global Witness បានស្រាវជ្រាវរកប្រាក់នេះ នៅក្នុងធនាគារអភិវឌ្ឍន៍អាស៊ី (ADB) កន្លងមក៕

PM plans to wait until dust settles

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is refusing to make a decision on whether to hold a snap election until he assesses "the lay of the land", he says.

"No one can tell [exactly when the new election can be held] as we still don't know how the situation will develop from now," Mr Abhisit said in his weekly address yesterday.

"Some groups are still talking about fighting on and resuming a mass rally in June."
Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, a leader of the anti-military coup movement called June 24 Group and a key figure of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, said on Friday a small-scale anti-government rally would begin in Ratchaburi on Sunday and a new mass rally would then begin either next month or July.

The prime minister has never ruled out a dissolution of parliament before the end of his tenure next year.

He offered a snap poll on Nov 14 to the UDD in exchange for the end of the demonstration but negotiations with the red shirt leaders collapsed, leading to his decision to use force to end the protest.

The prime minister stressed that an election should be called only when the situation had returned to normal and the political campaign and the poll must be free and fair.

The government's priority now was to implement its national reconciliation plan, including a plan to approach certain "outsiders" to sit on an independent fact-finding committee that would be responsible for investigating the past violence, Mr Abhisit said.

The rally by the UDD since March 12 ended on Wednesday with several private and government buildings in Bangkok and other provinces being burned and many shops looted.

The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation pointed to armed men and radical members of the red shirts as being behind the carnage.
But Mr Abhisit said a foreigner was suspected of being involved in the arson and an investigation into this suspect was under way.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said: "A white Westerner was involved in the arson attack on CentralWorld, convincing them to set fire to it. And an Asian was also involved in the arson attacks on the banks."

Mr Panitan did not give any names but a video of a British man urging the burning and looting of the shopping mall, taken several days before it was set on fire, has been circulating on the YouTube video sharing website.

The man was identified by the British media as Jeff Savage, a resident of Pattaya. In interviews he reportedly defended his conduct but said he did not take part in the arson attack.

Despite the prime minister saying he was confident the country was heading back to normal, the curfew was still being enforced in Bangkok and 23 other provinces today from 11pm to 4am. The affected provinces include Chon Buri, except Pattaya City where the curfew has been lifted.

The decision to extend or scrap the curfew will depend on the situation, CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.

Police said the curfew was still needed and Special Branch police officers were keeping the capital under surveillance to ward off more violent attacks.
The CRES has also decided to move from the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bang Khen district to the Royal Thai Army headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue from today to be closer to Government House.

Col Sansern said the CRES would begin cutting troops securing streets and public places in the capital when and where appropriate.
It was still crucial for the military to work together with the police to ensure public security and order in Bangkok, although the violent situation had seemed to subside, he said.

Security forces will continue to secure the Ratchaprasong intersection and surrounding areas including Pratunam, Sala Daeng, Phloenchit and Pathumwan intersections.

More combined forces will also maintain a regular patrol in all areas of the capital and standard security measures at seven checkpoints located at main gateways to inner Bangkok.

Thousands of red shirts arrive in city

More red shirt members from the north and northeastern provinces arrived in Bangkok yesterday to join their comrades at Ratchaprasong intersection.

Around 5,000 red shirt supporters, mainly from Udon Thani and Khon Kaen, started off yesterday morning and reached the capital later in the day.

All of them had to pass security checkpoints manned by police and soldiers in Saraburi, Ayutthaya and the capital where officers recorded each person's identity card details and the vehicle's registration.

Some red shirts said their vehicles' tyres were punctured by spikes on the road between Sikhiu district in Nakhon Ratchasima and Kaeng Khoi district in Saraburi.

The arrival of more red shirts is a worry for the government as it embarks on an effort to end the political standoff with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.

A rising number of the protesters is likely to affect the reconciliation plan initiated by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and already agreed by the leaders of the demonstrations, said acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn yesterday at the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation. The CRES has recently put the number of demonstrators at Ratchaprasong area at less than 5,000. But protester numbers last night were higher than the centre's estimates.

The centre claimed that at least several thousand more UDD supporters had given up their plan to reinforce the red shirts in Bangkok, said Mr Panitan.

They changed their minds after being told by authorities how unsafe the rallying site in the capital would be under the current circumstances, he said.

Meanwhile, in Phayao's Muang district, the pick-up truck of a local UDD leader, Thoon Wetklang, 39, also known as DJ Phao, was torched in a suspected arson attack.

Mr Thoon had parked the vehicle in the garage of a house used for a community radio station called Democracy Lovers at around midnight after returning from a local red shirt rally at the Phayao city hall. Mr Thoon said the fire broke out about 3.30am. He and his neighbours spent 20 minutes putting out the blaze.

The radio station broadcasts live speeches by UDD members from the demonstration site in Bangkok.

Arunee Chamnanya, Puea Thai MP for Phayao, said the arson attack might be an attempt to stir up political conflict.

Thai PM demands clear answer on end of protests

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday called on anti-government protesters led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship to give a clear answer by the following day on whether they will end their mass rally in Bangkok's Ratchaprasong commercial district.

"You should stop the rally quickly for safety reasons," said Prime Minister Abhisit, whose reconciliation road map aims to defuse a two-month confrontation and entails holding elections on November 14.

"Schools are about to open. Parents are concerned about their children's safety," he said on national television. "There should be a clear answer by tomorrow (Monday) so that cooperation on the reconciliation plan will go ahead."

The government and UDD protesters on Saturday committed themselves to a peace process at risk of faltering after twin attacks left two police officers dead.

Grenade blasts and a drive-by shooting earlier targeted security forces locked in a stand-off with anti-government demonstrators at their massive rally encampment, which has shut down most of Bangkok's main shopping district.

Both sides said the attacks were the work of groups intent on derailing Mr Abhisit's reconciliation road map, which is aimed at ending a two-month confrontation and entails holding elections on November 14.

The UDD co-leaders have signed up to the peace process but are demanding a firm date for the dissolution of parliament before disbanding their base, where they are barricaded behind piles of fuel-soaked tyres and razor wire.

The overnight attacks also wounded 12 people, the latest outbreak of violence in a crisis that has left another 27 dead and nearly 1,000 injured in clashes and other explosions.

The government urged the Reds to end their campaign quickly to avoid further bloodshed.

"Some groups of people do not want to see (the plan) succeed so the government calls on the UDD to quickly make a decision, otherwise there will be more casualties," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

Police said three grenades were thrown at a security checkpoint in front of a park that forms the edge of the Red camp. A 35-year-old policeman died in hospital and another five police and three soldiers were wounded.

Earlier, one policeman was killed and four others -- two police and two civilians -- were injured when a man on a motorbike opened fire on officers patrolling the nearby Silom financial district.

The UDD core members denied any involvement in the attacks, which they also said were carried out by elements intent on sabotaging the peace plan.

"This will not distract us or derail the process," said UDD co-leader Natthawut Saikua. However, he indicated that an agreement was not yet within reach.

"The five-point roadmap plan which is proposed by Mr Abhisit we already understand. But on our part, we need a few more days to come up with our own proposals, which will be flexible," he said.

Underlining the UDD's determination to remain at their fortified base, 5,000 more supporters arrived Saturday from the movement's heartland in Thailand's rural, impoverished Northeast.

Crowds at the UDD's camp have swelled to as many as 100,000 people in the past, but earlier this week when a resolution appeared near, numbers dwindled to just a few thousand as a weary air descended on the rally area.

Pro-establishment yellow-shirts -- who blockaded Bangkok's two main airports in 2008 in their own protests -- have rejected the road map and election plan and called on the prime minister to resign.

And in another setback, a moderate pro-government group known as the "Multicoloureds", whose rallies in the capital have also drawn thousands of supporters, called for the election date to be pushed back.

In its colour-coded crisis, Thailand is largely split between the mainly rural poor and urban working class Reds -- who broadly support fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- and the elite-backed Yellows.

The UDD condemn Mr Abhisit's administration as illegitimate because it came to power in an army-backed 2008 parliamentary vote after a controversial court ruling ousted Mr Thaksin's elected allies.

The billionaire ex-premier, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, now lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.

European Union envoys in Bangkok called for a quick and peaceful resolution to the crisis following the latest unrest.

"We strongly condemn the recent acts of violence and express our condolences to the families of the victims," top diplomats from the EU and its member states said in a statement.

"We call on all sides to refrain from violence and hope that an early peaceful solution can be achieved to swiftly lead Thailand back towards national reconciliation, prosperity and stability, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic principles."

PM gives ultimatum to reds

The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has left everyone in confusion after being pressed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for the exact date on which it will lift its rally to oust the government.

Key red shirt leaders Veera Musikhapong, Natthawut Saikua and Chatuporn Prompan cancelled a press conference and held an urgent meeting yesterday to counter the fresh demand by the prime minister.

After three hours of talks, Mr Chatuporn said the UDD could not come up with a common position. More talks were needed before a final decision.

Mr Abhisit gave the UDD until today to give an exact timeframe for the end of its rallies which have paralysed parts of the inner city. He also accused former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of standing in the way of efforts to end political rifts.

The red shirts have agreed in principle to join the reconciliation process unveiled by Mr Abhisit last Monday . The prime minister's plan to end political divisions could pave the way for elections on Nov 14.

The UDD has yet to say when it will ask demonstrators to lift their occupation of the shopping and business district in Ratchaprasong.

Shooting and grenade attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning worry the prime minister.

He suggested yesterday the attacks were the work of "terrorists" who did not want to the rallies to end, as they face the threat of legal action and criminal charges once the reds go home.

That worry prompted Mr Abhisit to demand the UDD give him an answer by today.

Any delay would put the safety of the public, officials and demonstrators at risk as opponents of the road map proposal could strike again, he said.

"We need an answer so we can move forward," he said in his weekly address to the country.

The prime minister also made clear that dispersing the demonstration on May 15 as the UDD has proposed would be "too late" given the dangers posed.

Mr Abhisit said he would shelve his proposed elections if the rallies continue.

Politicians also need guarantees they will be safe on the election campaign trail, he said.

"If all points in the reconciliation plan are achieved, I can say the government will be ready for the elections on Nov 14. If not, the elections will not take place," he said.

The prime minister also accused his political rival, Thaksin, of standing in the way of the government's reconciliation efforts.

Mr Abhisit is soliciting support for his five-point reconciliation plan. But Thaksin, he said, was one of the obstacles.

"Mr Thaksin is not satisfied with the reconciliation plan because it is not the answer to Mr Thaksin's personal interests in court cases and other matters," he said.

Thaksin was sentenced to two years jail in absentia by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions in 2008 for abusing his authority in the Ratchadaphisek land deal in 2003.

His wife at the time, Potjaman na Pombejra, clinched the deal while Thaksin was in power.

In February, the court ordered the seizure of 46 billion baht in assets belonging to Thaksin and his immediate family after ruling that a portion of the fortune was derived from policy corruption during his tenure as prime minister.

Mr Natthawut said Mr Abhisit's attack on Thaksin could spoil the atmosphere as the red shirts and the government worked on how to solve the political crisis. He should not have made the comments, the UDD leader said.

Thaksin did not react to Mr Abhisit's attack yesterday. He said on Twitter that he was in Saudi Arabia on a rice trade mission.

Government of Thailand Is Promised Support

BANGKOK — The pro-government “yellow shirt” movement added to Thailand’s tensions on Sunday with a threat to challenge the red-shirt protesters with a counterdemonstration if the government did not move quickly to crush them.
“We give the government seven days to return peace to the country or we, every member of the P.A.D., will perform our duty under the Constitution,” said Chamlong Srimaung, a leader of the yellow shirts, whose formal name is the People’s Alliance for Democracy.

“Prepare yourselves for the biggest rally when we will eat and sleep on the street again,” he said, referring to months of crippling protests by the yellow shirts in 2008 that culminated in a weeklong takeover of Bangkok’s airports.

Red-shirt demonstrators have paralyzed parts of Bangkok for more than a month, demanding that the government step down and call a new election. A clash between rival demonstrations could lead to the kind of widespread violence that analysts say would be difficult to control.

The yellow-shirt statement, during a gathering of about 3,000 supporters, came as the red shirts and the military exchanged their own warnings about a possible confrontation this week.

The red shirts, who have built a tent city in Bangkok’s commercial center, said they would rally Tuesday in the nearby financial district. Their mood has become increasingly militant and angry since a clash with security forces a week ago in which 24 people died.

An army spokesman said that the soldiers would be ready for them.
“We won’t let them go anywhere further,” the spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said on television. “Whatever will be, will be. If we have to clash, we will. We can’t just think we don’t want casualties.”

He said soldiers would be stationed in high-rise buildings at the main rally site, which is surrounded by shopping malls and five-star hotels.

Many Thais have become frustrated with the government’s inability to control the red shirts after its failed attempt to disperse them a week ago and a bungled operation that failed to arrest some of their leaders. All the leaders escaped — one of them lowered by rope from a hotel window — while two high-ranking police officers were briefly taken hostage.

A new faction in Thailand’s color-coded protests, the “no colors,” emerged on the streets of Bangkok during the past week, mostly middle-class demonstrators who are demanding that the government take action to restore order.

“We want our normal lives back,” said Tun Sittisomwong, an obstetrician and university lecturer who is leading the protests. “We want peace again for Bangkok and the country.”

The group, calling itself Civilians Protecting the Country, said that it supported the government and the military, but that the time had come to take strong action against the red shirts.

“The problem facing the country now cannot be solely solved by politics,” it said in a statement. “It has become terrorism, and only military strategy and strict law enforcement can tackle such acts.”

The tone at the no-color rallies this weekend was oddly upbeat, like a pep rally, as demonstrators vigorously waved tiny Thai flags, sang patriotic songs and called out to passing commuters, “Join us!”

“I am yellow,” said Maneerat Wimonprasarn, 43, an accountant, “yellow and pink and everything. In Thailand we are all Thai people, no color.”

But it may be that the no-colors, though they may represent a silent majority, offer only a fading, forlorn hope for a nonviolent resolution to the country’s crisis.
The reds and the yellows embody what seem to be irreconcilable sides in the country’s deep-running social and political divisions. While the red shirts are mostly drawn from the country’s rural and urban poor, the yellow shirts support a royalist bureaucratic and business elite that has held sway for generations.
At a no-color rally this weekend, Chris Puranasamriddhi, 34, manager of a construction company, lamented the harsh new mood in a country that values gentleness and nonconfrontation.

“Thailand is the land of smiles, easygoing, and I want it back,” he said. “The red shirts, they are quite aggressive, and we are not an aggressive country, as everyone knows. For the first time, I am embarrassed for Thailand in front of the world.”