Calgary got its first taste of cold weather today. This morning it’s minus 12 C outside, and we’re headed for a high of minus 7. Back down to minus 19 tonight. It’s rather refreshing, honestly, but I’m sure that sentiment will wear off pretty soon.

This past weekend was the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup – the league championship – held this year in my home town. The venue was McMahon Stadium which is only a few blocks from my house. While I watched the game with a keen interest and thoroughly enjoyed the action and outcome (Montreal won on a last second field goal), truly the best part for me was watching the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds demonstration team along with two CF-18 fighter jets perform consecutive fly-bys of the stadium. As I tweeted before the game, and as many of you know, I’m an airplane junkie and watching our air force perform twinges something in my heart. My house is only two kilometres away and a straight line down field. This means we’re right down the flight path.

The Snowbirds are a spectacle, and having done a good portion of pilot-in-command training myself (albeit in a Cessna), I can attest to the physical challenge and training required to pull off even the smallest routine in their performance. While I enjoyed seeing all nine of the Snowbirds flying in diamond formation straight over my house at about 800 feet, I was even more touched (okay, floored) when the two fighter jets flew over. Perhaps because they fired their afterburners. It’s safe to say that the jets were louder than I’ve ever heard before, and the hot blue flame exhausting from the rear of the aircraft provides some potential evidence. It shook the walls and windows of my house. I loved it.

Some of you will acknowledge that I’ve recently been casting a wider net  in terms of social networking. I think that the utilization of the internet for maintaining professional networks and for staying in contact with classmates and colleagues (for professional reasons) is sorely under-utilized and full of potential.

LinkedIn is an excellent tool that I’ve been using in this regard. It’s great for staying in contact with colleagues, friends and clients, and allows you to post your background, offer recommendations of someone’s work (or receive them), list accomplishments and join groups of like-minded individuals based, for example, on your academic pedigree or memberships to professional associations. I recently discovered a host of excellent LinkedIn applications that integrate with other parts of your digital life – Twitter and WordPress (the host of this blog) to name but two. There’s a fun travel app called TripIt which (in the free version) tracks your travels, ideally keeping an inventory of trips past (and distances travelled) as well as trips upcoming. LinkedIn also has a handy iPhone app, which I’m currently exploring.

Though I’m not entirely versed in the world of Facebook (since joining, my time spent on it has been limited, and my enthusiasm modest), I recognize several consistencies between the two. I appreciate LinkedIn’s offer to keep my information largely private, and the exploration of my details private until an interested party has been accepted into my network. I would suggest that friends, colleagues and clients reading this blog might consider LinkedIn, and of course look me up.

We are now approaching the 68th anniversary of the death of John Gillespie Magee, Junior. You may be forgiven for asking, “Who is he?”

Magee's grave in Lincolnshire (c) Tony Cunnane 2001

He was an American citizen serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (before the USA joined in World War 2). He died, at the age of 19 years, on 11 December 1941 as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire and is buried in an immaculately maintained Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery about 2 miles from RAF Scampton, current home of the RAF Red Arrows.

He shares the cemetery with graves of servicemen from several countries – including some Luftwaffe graves. Shortly before I retired I visited the cemetery with a BBC TV crew who were making an insert for the annual Remembrance Day programme and while they were at work I took some photographs.

Before I knew anything about Magee and long before I had any aspirations to become an RAF pilot, I knew, off by heart, his poem High Flight, which I must have been introduced to at school.

A German grave in Scopwick, Lincolnshire (c) Tony Cunnane

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of; wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

Here is Vol.1 of a new series from AviaDossier and you’ll really be wanting this book

At 72 pages, softcover, large format, Canadian Aircraft of WWII (AviaDossier I) features an eclectic selection of 19 RCAF WWII types from the Blackburn Shark to the Bolingbroke, Delta, Hudson, Kittyhawk, Lysander, Mustang, Stranraer and Sunderland. Each chapter is rich in photos, colour profiles and the written word. Modelers will especially appreciate this handsome production.

All this comes great material comes from the renowned Carl Vincent, the Canadian pioneer in publishing major aviation profiles — his 1970s era books on the Shark and Liberator/Flying Fortress in RCAF service, which have been sought-after collectors items for decades. Carl’s publisher, Terry Higgins, has produced the beautifully complementary colour profiles.

Get your hands on this beauty and you’ll be chaffing at the bit for Vol.2, whenever it appears. Specs: 72 pages, biblio, glossary, appendix & index. Regularly $29.95, CANAV’s mailorder price (Canada only, others enquire by email): $25.00 + $9.00 post + GST = $35.70. You can order by PayPal — just email us at larry@canavbooks.com and we’ll make that happen for you via a PayPal invoice.

Went this morning to the RCAF (Royal Cambodian Armed Forces) market where they sell all sorts of armed forces style paraphernalia. I ended up buying a boonie hat for general wear in the sun and Rick from the Post bought some army style pants. Quite cheap too.

Assorted hats at the RCAF market

Boots on display at the RCAF market

Today I’ll be posting about something a little more personal…

It’s an anniversary of a couple of events, so today holds a lot of memories for me.

First, it’s my 2nd wedding anniversary. I have the most wonderful husband, and it has been an amazing two years. I really have to give him props for being so supportive of me because I’ve changed a lot over the past couple of years. When he married me I was a Christian. He was  not, but he allowed me to be who I was.

He never once tried to change me, and once I started to really question my beliefs he allowed me to dive right in. He satisfied my desire to have philosophical discussions over dinner, he didn’t complain when I spent hundreds of dollars on  books, he listens intently when I blab on and on about astronomy, and he let me hijack our summer vacation and turn it  into an educational trip to the Amazing Meeting in Vegas.

I’m really lucky to have him…happy anniversary sweetie, I love you!

Today also marks a year since my grandfather passed away. It really sucked to have him die on our first anniversary, but I know I’ll always think of him on this day. I remember one year after my then boyfriend now husband gave me an expensive gift my grampa told him that he had invested too much in me and now he would have to marry me…if that’s what made him propose then I’m grateful! haha…

My grampa was hard-working, family-oriented, and very brave. He was a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 2nd World War, and in one of those amazing coincidences that fill life with wonder a Lancaster Bomber, the plane my grampa navigated while on duty, arrived here yesterday.

There are only two flight-worthy Lancasters left, and this one just  happened to fly in to spend one full day at the Aviation Museum on the anniversary of my grampa’s passing. My family had the chance to watch it fly in and to see it up close, and my mom and grandma got to step inside the plane and get a glimpse into that part of my grampa’s life.

Because I do not believe in an afterlife, I believe my grampa is gone, but the memories he leaves behind, the lessons he gave me, and the freedom he fought for won’t go away.

The 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Pipes and Drums performing at the rededication ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Memorial Gates.

and a bit of video as well…

Spot the zoomie at the parade practise!

more pictures in an album

Yes, the a=Air Force does march, albeit in a manner that annoys soldiers and is bested by even the Navy.

Here we see the fine men and women of 8 Wing at CFB Trenton practising for the dedication of the RCAF Memorial Gate. The markers march in.

A quick walk out of the main gate to the South Side, onto highway 2 and down to the gate.

And the Wing marches through the gate and onto the parade square.

Riverview Park in Peterborough on June 6 as 428 Wing unveiled its beautifully refurbished Sabre.

One of CANAV’s landmark publications is The Canadair Sabre, praised internationally as the finest F-86 book ever published. No.8 of our 30 titles to date, the book appeared in August 1986 and chronicles Sabre history from first flight in the US in 1947, to the RCAF getting involved less than two years later. In these early postwar days Canada was under pressure to support the UK by equipping with Vampire jet fighters. RCAF HQ, however, knew that the West’s new threat, the mighty USSR, already had such fighters as the MiG-15 (no one at RCAF HQ wanted to send a Vampire out to tangle with a MiG-15).

The Vintage Wings Sabre arrives at the CWH at Hamilton on June 3, 2009. Even as he was unstrapping, pilot Tim Leslie was taking questions from the crowd. Talk about interactive!

So it was that Ottawa committed to the Sabre as its postwar day fighter. The RCAF quickly began sending technical staff and pilots on course to the US, as Canadair began setting up for production. Canadair test pilot A.J. “Al” Lilly was the first Canadian to fly a Sabre (August 3, 1950 at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio), and the first Canadian to go supersonic (two days later). At Dorval on August 8 he flew the first Canadair Sabre. Meanwhile, F/L Omer Levesque became the first RCAF pilot to fly a Sabre (November 1950). In May 1951, 410 at St. Hubert became the first RCAF Sabre squadron.

The Canadian Warplane Heritage and Vintage Wings Sabres nose-to-nose at Hamilton on June 3. The CWH jet is 23651 and still wears its original Golden Hawks paint scheme circa 1960 .

As they say, “the rest is history”, much of which is covered in The Canadair Sabre. CANAV’s print run totalled 10,422 copies, the job being done by the Bryant Press in Toronto. The whole creative and production job was in the ancient style – roughing out design page-by-page, then getting everything laid out in cut-and-paste style by hand, making film and plates, then rolling Bryant’s huge, dinosauric Harris presses. Somehow it all came together and, 23 years later, only a few unopened boxes of gorgeous Sabre books remain.

The ex-RCAF Sabre pilots who attended the Peterborough event.

Book selling “experts” always scoff at a publisher who won’t remainder books after so many years. But CANAV did not go into business to remainder its beautiful books. Other publishers would call my stock of Sabre books a  “toxic asset”. Shows you how little they know. Those very books sitting on pallets in the warehouse are far from toxic. For example, Sabre sales each year cover the storage costs for CANAV’s entire inventory. How toxic is that! No … instead of being dumped, a nice book needs a nice home and in the near future that’s where the 10,422nd copy of The Canadair Sabre will surely reside, making the publisher a happy boy indeed.
What’s that they say about “What goes around comes around?” Well … doesn’t it just! Canada’s Centennial of Flight has turned into not just the year of the AEA2005 Silver Dart replica, but it’s also a sort of Year of the Phoenix, which is to say, a year of resurrected Sabres. Under Michael Potter, Vintage Wings of Gatineau, Quebec has restored to flying condition Canadair Sabre 23314, which is wowing fans at airshows from coast to coast. I first saw it at Comox in April, then in June at Hamilton.

The Vintage Wings Sabre formates with the Centennial of Flight CF-18 and a Snowbird Tutor at Comox on April 25, 2009.

Having begun in 1954, the Vintage Wings Sabre served with illustrious 441 Squadron at Marville, France and later with such outfits as the Sabre Transition Unit at Chatham, New Brunswick. Following retirement of the Sabre from Canadian service in 1968, 23314 rusted at Mountainview (near Trenton, Ontario) until sold in the US, where it flew with various owners as N8687D, until coming home in 2007.
23314 isn’t Canada’s only 2009 “Phoenix” Sabre. For $4500 in 1970, 428 Wing, Royal Canadian Air Force Association of Peterborough, Ontario acquired 23245. This Sabre did not get to serve overseas on NATO duty, but flew at No.1 (Fighter) OTU at Chatham, then was a ground training aid. Mounted on a pylon at Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo, it sat for decades until 428 decided to give it a Centennial of Flight makeover. Peterborough’s renowned Flying Colours aircraft refurbishing company undertook the job, along with many other contributors from crane to trucking experts.

On June 6, 2009 – the 65th anniversary of D-Day – 428 Wing re-dedicated its freshly-restored Sabre. Hundreds of keen supporters turned out at Riverview Park to marvel at one of aviation’s grandest sights – an F-86 “flying low and fast” over the trees, now in the NATO colours of 430 “Silver Falcon” Squadron. On hand for the historic event was the Wing in force, then 534 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets, old-time Sabre pilots, Edmonton MP Laurie Hawn (former CF-104 and CF-18 pilot), Col Mike Hood (Wing Commander Trenton) and many others. This was one of Canada’s great Centennial of Flight events and I sure wasn’t surprised to learn that 428 has been named Canada’s top Air Force Association wing for 2009.
Canada has other Sabres – at the Canadian Warplane Heritage, Reynolds-Alberta Museum, Western Canada Aviation Museum, etc. But the special dedication shown by Vintage Wings and 428 Wing has helped put this classic fighter back in the limelight and has turned 2009 into a bit of a “Year of the Sabre”.

If you don’t yet have The Canadair Sabre in your library, get moving and let CANAV know, before the last copy flies into the sunset. While it goes for $114 on Ebay, you can order a shiny new, autographed copy from CANAV for only $32. Click here to order your copy today!

Cheers … Larry Milberry

This is one of only two Avro Lancaster bombers that remain flying in the world – this one based out of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton Ontario took a small trip to the flight line at 8 Wing, CFB Trenton

Thousands of Canadian aircrew and other personnel served with the RCAF and RAF’s Lancaster squadrons in England; and thousands of Canadians at home worked at Victory Aircraft in Malton (Toronto), Ontario, where they produced over 400 Lancaster Mk X’s. In total, more than 7300 Lancasters rolled off the production lines in Britain and Canada. Only two still fly.

 
Probably the most famous Allied bomber of World War II, the Lancaster had impressive flying characteristics and operational performance. The Lancaster was the RAF’s only heavy bomber capable of carrying the 12,000-lb Tallboy and 22,000-lb Grand Slam bombs.

The aircraft demonstrated superbly its right to fame with the daring and precise raids on the Ruhr dams in May 1943, and also the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in November 1944.

The CWH Museum has dedicated its Mynarski Memorial Lancaster to the memory of Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski, VC, of 419 (Moose) Squadron, 6 (RCAF) Group. Mynarski won 6 Group’s only Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest award for gallantry in battle.

On the night of 12/13 June 1944, his Lancaster X was shot down by a Luftwafffe night fighter. As the bomber plunged earthwards, Mynarski, his flying clothing afire, tried in vain to free his trapped rear gunner from the jammed rear turret.

Miraculously, the gunner lived to relate the story of Mynarski’s bravery. Unfortunately, Mynarski died from his severe burns

An amazing sight over RCAF Road…

The Toronto Sun’s Peter Worthington had this piece last week about Canada Post’s new commemorative stamp marking the 100th anniversary of the Silver Dart, which was the first heavier-than-air machine to fly in Canada.

These stamp stories have been circulating lately, mainly about how the artist totally left the tail off the Canada Post plane. Talk about a boo-boo! That’s the real topic and the one that Jack Minor, retired RCAF and Silver Dart aficionado, should be grousing about. It’s probably not a “mistake” that the image of Douglas McCurdy on the first-day cover was used. My guess is that it was used because it’s such a nice picture of McCurdy, probably the best of him in any airplane. The McCurdy Biplane was a basic Curtiss design, likely built in Curtiss’ workshop in Hammondsport, NY. It was a far better plane than the Silver Dart.

Well, I’d say this just makes the first-day cover more interesting, as the collectors always love something to gossip about. I like the looks of the new stamp regardless of it being non-airworthy without a tail, and bought 4000, which I’ve been using on a mini-mailout. I’ll use the rest for the spring mailing (keep your eyes peeled!). Supposedly, the print run was small, maybe three million, so collectors will be loving these stamps for the next few centuries. Collectors really got off on the Canada Post stamp years ago showing an Air Canada Boeing 767 without engines! Now that’s pushing artistic licence…

There’s a version of the 767 called the 767 ER (extended range). Air Canada pilots call the plane on the stamp a 767 ER for another reason, ER standing for “engines removed”! Once when Canada Post botched a commemorative, they corrected the art and re-issued the stamp. Guess what that did to the value of the originals? Well, the philatelic folks just thrive on this stuff. Let’s see if CP re-issues the Silver Dart stamp.

Also great fun is how I wrote a year ago to Canada Post asking if they were planning to do an aviation commemorative for 2009. I’m still waiting to hear back about that! Any of our knowledgeable aviation history people sure could have saved Canada Post from putting out the tail-less Silver Dart stamp, if only they’d ask or answer their mail! Ah well, I guess that’s the Ottawa way…

*CANADIAN SALES ONLY*

2009 is Canada’s Centennial of Flight, a great time to get in on CANAV’s “once in a blue moon” sale!

Beef up your aviation library and pick up some extra titles to use later as VIP gifts. You might even think about donating some of these renowned books to your local schools (where there’s often nothing but US aviation books, if even that) and public libraries (some of which also have next to no depth of coverage)!

See all the book specs, reviews, etc. at canavbooks.com. Check these incredible prices, including Air Transport in Canada at $85.00 – how can you resist! Offer expires April 30, 2009, so order ASAP!

*Canadair North Star $40.00 Spec. $20.00

*Canadair Sabre $40.00 Spec. $20.00

*Canada’s Air Forces on Exchange $50.00 Spec. $25.00

*Canada’s Air Force at War and Peace Vol.1 $69.50 Spec. $35.00

*Canada’s Air Force at War and Peace Vol.2 $69.50 Spec. $35.00

*Canada’s Air Force at War and Peace Vol.3 $85.00 Spec. $45.00 (All 3 volumes Spec. $115.00)

*Sixty Years: The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924-1984 $60.00 $30.00

*Typhoon & Tempest: The Canadian Story $37.50 Spec. $20.00

*Fighter Squadron:441 Squadron from Hurricanes to Hornets $75.00 $35.00

*Air Transport in Canada $155.00 Spec. $85.00

*Wilf White Propliner Collection $40.00 Spec. $20.00

*Leslie Corness Propliner Collection $40.00 Spec. $20.00

*De Havilland in Canada $45.00 Spec. $25.00

*Power:The Pratt & Whitney Canada Story $40.00 Spec. $20.00

Hot off the press: Great Circles: The Keith Greenaway Story takes you through a young man’s wartime years, then Greenaway becomes a leading postwar airman. He flies with a special USAF B-29 unit doing top-secret Arctic research. A stint at the Defence Research Board follows, he publishes ground-breaking works, receives the McKee Trophy for 1952, then is involved in developing the world’s first airborne, self-contained global positioning system. In 1954 Greenaway begins an exchange in Strategic Air Command, crewing on the B-47, B-52 and KC-97, and taking part in aerial exercises practicing for WWIII. In 1958 he crews on a US Navy blimp on another Arctic project. Later he is a station commander & overseas air adviser. The Order of Canada & membership in Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame follow. Solid RCAF reading for any serious fan! 314pp, hc, photos, endnotes, index. $30.00

Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada is C.W. Hunt’s important new coverage of a major Canadian topic. How 20,000+ Canadians trained in Ontario to serve in the British air services 1917-18. Everything about this long-forgotten scheme. Includes the famous exchange in Texas & the impact of the plan on the air war overseas. 352 pp,m sc, photos, index. $25.00

*For sales in Canada only*

**Spend $350 min. and get a free copy of CANAV’s new title Aviation in Canada:The Pioneer Decades**

***Add $9.00 for shipping 1 book, $15.00 for two or more books, then add the GST***

Mail your order with cheque (sorry, no plastic) to CANAV Books, 51 Balsam Ave., Toronto, ON M4E 3B6.

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 601

Apologies for the delays in publishing – due to my international travel. I try to catch up as soon as possible.

Norbert Klein

The life of a society is not like a mechanism which works according to preset laws of physics or chemistry. The different agents in a society – all the people, and some people with special functions – may see different things getting more important, and they change their mind. But not every change of mind can lead to a change of the rules according to which a society works.

Some of such changes are surprising. We take some examples from quite different fields, just to show that a direction was taken, or a result was reached, which had not been expected at all.

On 22 January 2009, General Ke Kim Yan was removed from his position of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander-in-chief by Prime Minister Hun Sen. This had triggered concerns among some generals at military garrisons and at divisions, being afraid that they too might be removed, but Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Tea Banh had affirmed that there are no such shifts to come -m but they came. Later, on 7 February 2009, we mirrored a report that the Prime Minister had explained that the removal of the commander-in-chief was part of the ongoing military reform. The rumors that there might be more involved showed up in the press on 13 February 2009, claiming that the Prime Minister had ordered to take legal action against Mr. Ke Kim Yan. More detailed information reached the public, when the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported three days later that the government criticized the press for publishing leaked information (without denying its content). According to the minutes, “the Council of Ministers has been informed and commented on the termination of the position of commander-in-chief of HE Ke Kim Yan based on two reasons: First, reforming the RCAF rank and file by adhering to work effectiveness in the military rank and file. Second, involvement with land issues by a top and powerful person in the military rank and file and doing business by using the name of military for personal gain.” The minutes went on to describe a resolution by the Council of Ministers to have both military and government bodies investigate Ke Kim Yan’s land dealings.

And the end? This week came the final clarification: The Prime Minister announced that Mr. Ke Kim Yan will be the 10th Deputy Prime Minister, heading the drug control administration.

The 14th ASEAN Summit was held from 27 February to 1 March 2009, in Hua Hin, Thailand. After the ASEAN Charter had come into force in December 2008, the summit was under the heading ‘ASEAN Charter for ASEAN Peoples,’ to start a new era of ASEAN with people at the heart of cooperation. It had therefore been expected that the summit would focus on human rights, but the global financial crisis moved up to the top of the agenda.

Nevertheless, it had been foreseen because of this orientation of ASEAN – being for the ASEAN people – some people not from the governments, but from civil society, would also have a chance to meet and to discuss with government leaders. But as it was reported, the government representatives of Cambodia and Myanmar threatened rather to boycott this meeting than to discussion the creation of an ASEAN human rights institution with civil society persons. So the persons from Myanmar and from Cambodia withdrew, in order not to be an obstacle to this important discussion.

Even so, by the end of the summit, it had not been possible to find an agreement about the nomination of an ASEAN human rights commissioner, also the creation of the ASEAN human rights organization did not progress well. The plan originally announced was not achieved.

But the final declaration of the summit continues to uphold the vision of ASEAN as “a rules-based community of shared values and norms, a cohesive peaceful, stable and resilient region with shared responsibility for comprehensive security, as well as a dynamic and outward-looking region in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world.”

The confidence, that events and decision will be proceeding according to set rules, is basic for the stable development not only for an international community like ASEAN, but for every society. That is why the events described above are confusing for the public – for “the people” – because the rules according which events proceeded, and the values and norms applied, are not transparent to the public.

Now there is another field where it is not clear how rules-based proceedings – a state of law, as another terms says – were applied in the closure of the gambling chain CamboSix, which was announced by the Prime Minister on 24 February 2009 during a graduation ceremony, explaining the negative social consequences of gambling. But CamboSix had, after all, a license to operate, issued by the competent authorities of the government, valid until the year 2011. Now, about an estimated number of 6,000 to 8,000 workers lost their jobs, and the Minister of Finance was quoted that though the government had issued a license, there are “no particular contract links between both parties.” But the international partial co-owners see this differently: CamboSix, partly owned by foreign companies, claims to have lost more than US$12 million in investments made before the withdrawal of their license, and they will ask for compensation according to the legal protection provided to investors in general.

Raising this question is not giving an endorsement for gambling. But how is the public to understand this action? Just five days prior to this suspensions, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance Chea Meng Chhieng had stated the 2009 goals of the state to collect a 12.5% tax, to produce more tax income over the 2008 figures: US$20 million, tax income from all kinds of gambling.

As we had reported on 24 February, the Prime Minister had ordered the Ministry of Economy and Finance to observe all hotels that have entertainment clubs and all types of electronic entertainment centers, as they are required to prohibit Khmer citizens to enter for gambling. “If there is any violation of the rules, like permitting Khmer citizens to enter, the Ministry of Economy and Finance must revoke their licenses and immediately stop their operation within 24 hours.”

Police in Phnom Penh, who do not understand the difference between computer based gambling and computer games, have closed also about 20 of the 160 shops hosting the role-playing game Justice X-War 2, though this is a game where the participants do not bet and cannot win any money. Even the Secretary-General of the government’s National Information Technology Development Authority, Dr. Phu Leewood, was quoted in the Cambodia Daily to regret this confusion: “Gambling is betting, while gaming is not. I used to play games a lot when I was at university.” But shops stay closed, and many people who wanted to register for the upcoming game tournament at the Cambodia ICT World Expo, scheduled for 3 to 5 April 2009, do not dare to come forwards, as they are afraid to be mistaken to be gamblers.

So far, there are many reports how the soccer-betting company CamboSix is affected. Is this regulation also be enforced where a hotel has a gambling room with slot machines? According to recent observations, there does not seem to be such checking in force at the Naga Casino – the biggest such establishment in Phnom Penh.

On 4 September 2007, we had mirrored a Khmer newspaper report that a door was opened too late for a Cambodian 4-Star General to enter the casino, so he called four police vans and had three Malaysian Naga Casino foremen handcuffed – followed by a report one day later that $150,000 were spent for the release of these three Malaysian employees of Naga Casino.

On Friday, we carried a headline that the Prime Minister apologized to the public for the late action of closing gambling institutions. There are also reports that there is an understandable wide public support for this action. It might falter again, if the public will see – as in the past – that the enforcement of sudden government decrees, and the enforcement even of laws, continues to be selective.

In spite of the failure of the recent ASEAN summit to nominate an ASEAN human rights commissioner for the ASEAN human rights organization to be created, the vision of ASEAN as “a rules-based community of shared values and norms” remains as a hope that all member countries will make progress, if this vision is upheld, and will be “peaceful, stable and resilient, as well as dynamic and outward-looking” as the final ASEAN summit document says for the whole community.

Please recommend us also to your colleagues and friends.

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The young Corporal crouching on the far left side is me.

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 598

“Global Witness released a report for 2008 with big titles on the book cover ‘Country for Sale – How Cambodia’s elite has captured the country’s extractive industries.’ This book describes mysteries, corruption, and irregularities related to the provision of concessions to foreign oil, gas, and minerals exploring companies in Cambodia – but some high-ranking officials of the Cambodian government denied all Global Witness allegations.

“Global Witness, based in London/England, an organization monitoring the exploitation of global natural resources ['Global Witness works to increase transparency in the granting of mineral concessions, in the flow of revenues from oil and gas companies to governments and in the trading of resources'], released a [72 pages] report on 5 February 2009 with the title, Country for Sale, in which it revealed many things about top officials of the government of Cambodia, allegedly involved in and colluding with corruption, jeopardizing forests and other natural resources.

“The report of Global Witness said that during the last 15 years, 45% of the land in Cambodia has been contracted out by concessions to foreign entities, and millions of dollars were received by the government from private companies to secure their concessions – but it is known that this money was lost and did not go to the books of the Ministry of Economics and Finance. Global Witness reports that its investigations discovered that oil, gas, and mineral exploring licenses were provided secretly to ruling officials and their relatives, and especially, that they are controlled by the military of Cambodia. Those top military officials are General Ouk Koasa, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces – RCAF – commander in charge of military development regions; Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh’s brother, Mr. Cham Borei; Prime Minister Hun Sen’s younger cousin, Okhna Dy Chouch or Hun Chouch; army commander, General Meas Sophea; a senator, Oknha Ly Yong Phat; a special advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights of the government, Mr. Om Yentieng; a senator and director of the Pheapimex Company, Mr. Lao Meng Khin; the RCAF commander-in-chief, General Pol Saroeun, and Oknha Try Heng.

“The report of Global Witness found that RCAF forces were deployed to guard areas rich in mineral resources such as in Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, and Pursat, and citizens’ land in those areas was grabbed through threats and violence. The report spoke also about the institution in charge of the oil and gas industry, called the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority, an institution under direct control of the government – administered by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An

“Global Witness added that all ministries, departments, institutions, or authorities do not have any power over that institution, adding that the same politicians and powerful people involved in illegal logging now take control over the oil, gas, and mineral resources, and a handful of powerful people ruling the country have awarded expensive land concessions to private companies without transparency. Global Witness stated that mineral resources and the forest in Cambodia exist only once, and when those valuable natural resources are exhausted, they will disappear forever. All persons mentioned in the allegations by Global Witness regarding corruption, like some generals, oknhas, high-ranking officials of the government, such as General Ouk Koasa, Mr. Cham Borei, Mr. Dy Chouch or Hun Chouch, General Meas Sophea, Senator Ly Yong Phat, Senator Lao Meng Khin, and Oknha Try Heng could not be reached for comment. However, some government officials who provided interviews to Global Witness, claimed that the Global Witness report exaggerates the facts and is not true.

“Global Witness found that a special advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Royal Government of Om Yentieng, has received a mineral exploration license quietly; he said that Global Witness has distorted information about the Cambodian government for many years, adding, ‘I think that if that organization Global Witness knows what is right and wrong, and has trust towards the respect of the truth, one could call it to swear an oath with me. If I am wrong, I would die, and if I am not wrong, it [Global Witness] would die. This would be a quick and trustworthy method for the listeners to judge. But I believe that if they [Global Witness] want to lie, they do not lack continuing lying stories. Therefore I think that this is not strange and surprising, because they have lied for many years already. They have distorted information about Cambodia for many years.’

“A Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Mr. Tea Banh, reacted strongly to the Global Witness report, saying that he cannot accept allegations by this organization without any evidence. Mr. Tea Banh added that those having mineral exploration licenses have them all legally.

“The RCAF commander-in-chief, General Pol Saroeun, about whom Global Witness has written in the report, accusing him of having received a mineral exploration license quietly, denied that he is involved as a businessman, he said that he is just a military person. Mr. Pol Saroeun added, ‘No, I never had a company. I never do business. I am a soldier. Why is Global Witness accusing people like silly? They seem to look down on people too much.’

“A secretary of state of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Mr. Ith Prang, said that the oil resources ow being explored to be exploited in future, have not yet produced even one percent of what is expected. The Cambodian government is not stupid in managing all natural resources.

“He continued to say, ‘So far, no oil has yet been produced, we just known that there is oil. Therefore, we have not planned how to use it, because no oil has been extracted yet. But the government is not stupid in distributing revenues of its resources.’ A secretary of state of the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Prach Son, said that many oil and mineral exploration companies in Cambodia are from foreign countries, from China or from Australia. All those companies get exploration licenses in Cambodia, but they are not allowed to take raw materials to their countries.

“Global Witness has tried to ask for explanations from government officials, oknhas, generals, companies mentioned in its report, but has, so far, not received sufficient explanations. It has not even obtained a response from Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen reacting to the report since it was released officially. There is only the Li Phoeung [?] company of China that provided an explanation, but Global Witness does not show the details [original unclear – actually, only the Swedish company Lundin Petroleum responded to the inquiries of Global witness – but for information referring to their website].

“The Global Witness director, Mr. Gavin Hayman, said that what the Cambodian government should do is not to provide new concessions too quickly to private companies. The Cambodian government should rather verify and conduct audits on the concessions already provided to those private companies. He went on to say that all donor countries should put pressure on the Cambodian government not to provide new concessions too quickly to private oil, gas, or mineral exploration companies, and to verify them again. The report has found that 70 companies have already received concession contracts and are exploring minerals. Those concessions have been provided without transparency, because there is no clear system in place for providing concessions, besides delivering them to high-ranking officials of the government. Also, he voiced concern about the loss of mineral resources for which concessions have been provided to foreign companies involved in serious human rights abuses in Cambodia, and the government should work effectively to control them.

“Global Witness showed in its report that some oil exploration companies in Cambodia had paid money to the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority, and that money was probably not put into the National Treasury. The report added that oil, gas, and mineral exploration companies are required to pay kickbacks for signing up to bids for concessions with the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority. Like a company from Indonesia, PT Medco Energi Internasional, which has spent US$7.5 million to the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority. Moreover, each company having stakes in mineral exploration according to contracts, is also required to pay taxes annually. In the first year, a tax with the amount of US$800,000 was required to be paid for each concession.

“Global Witness added that in 2006 and 2007, money was not seen to have been put into the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The report said also that an oil exploration company has been exploring oil along the Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, which produces between 40% and 70% of fish for the Cambodian people. The Tonle Sap basin is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Global Witness criticized donor countries for not using their influences through development funds to improve good governance, while the annual international aid for Cambodia is equal to half of the national budget.” Khmer Aphivaot Sethakech, Vol. 7, #336, 6.2.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 6 February 2009

Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #13, 6-8.2.2009

• The Sam Rainsy Party Appointed Ms. Ke Sovannarath Secretary-General [before she was acting secretary-general]

Khmer Aphivaot Sethakech, Vol. 7, #336, 6.2.2009

• Global Witness Encourages Donor Countries to Use Their Influence on the Government to Check how Oil, Gas, and Minerals Exploration Licenses Were Given
• [One faction of] The Norodom Ranariddh Party Asks the Presidents of the National Assembly and of the National Election Committee to Remove [NRP secretary general] Mr. You Hockry and Mr. Sao Rany [from the other faction of the NRP] as Members of Parliament

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1866, 6.2.2009

• Cambodia Holds the Third Economic Forum [United Nations Development Program, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and other development partners joined the event [Note: the member of the National Assembly Ms. Mu Sochua, was denied access by bodyguards; this surprised the German ambassador so much that he skipped to participate in this event]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #198, 6.2.2009

• Military Police Surround the Mobitel Company and the Station of the Cambodian Television Network – CTN [of Oknha Kith Meng, for several hours] – Reason not Known
• A Meeting of the Cambodian and Thai Ministers of Defense Will Be Held Today in Phnom Penh [to discuss border problems]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6571, 6.2.2009

• Tragedy of a Farmer Family Who Rode a Cart Loaded with Firewood and Hit an Anti-Tank Mine, Triggering an Explosion, Killing Three People and Injuring Two More [a man and his two small sons died, his 6-year old daughter suffered serious wound, and his wife was lightly injured – Battambang]
• A Car Coming Out from a House Pushed a [female] Student against a Wall, Killing Her [police are investigating, to ask for an arrest warrant for the car driver, also a woman]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3680, 6.2.2009

• Real Estate Property of Ke Kim Yan Is Expropriated as Property of the Cambodian People’s Party [according to a high ranking official close to Prime Minister Hun Sen]
• [Around 20] Military Personnel of the First Region Used Violence to Evict Citizens from Their Land [and threatened to shoot those who dared to protest – Recheanukoul village, Stung Treng commune and district, Stung Treng]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4814, 6.2.2009

• The Philippines Reduce Taxes for Goods from Cambodia
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Promises to Update Information on Its Website [after there was criticism from the public; however, confidential documents will not be published]
• Japanese Investors Are Satisfied with Plan to Invest along Cambodian Beaches [in Koh Kong]
• The National Bank of Cambodia Signs an Agreement with Citi Bank for Training about the Bond Market [officials of the National Bank of Cambodia will be sent to receive training in New York]
• An Official of National Television [TVK] in Pursat Was Murdered in a Guesthouse [a woman rented a room to sleep with the murdered man, and two other men who had rented a room next door are also suspected in this robbery and murder]

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.16, #3481, 6.2.2009

• The Tokyo Government Blocks the Entry of [Thai ousted prime minister] Thaksin into Japan

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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 597

“Recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Tea Banh confirmed that the Cambodian military is as stable as normal, after the change of the commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces – RCAF – on 22 January 2009. Tea Ban’s claim was made after General Ke Kim Yan was removed from his position of RCAF commander-in-chief by Prime Minister Hun Sen on 22 January 2009, while the Khmer-Siamese [Thai] border disputes have not yet been solved and Khmer and Siamese troops are still in a tense mutual confrontation.

“The former RCAF deputy-commander-in-chief, General Pol Saroeun, was appointed RCAF commander-in-chief instead of General Ke Kim Yan quickly and unexpectedly on 22 January 2009. The shift of the RCAF commander-in-chief triggered concerns among some generals at military garrisons and at divisions, being afraid that they too might be removed from their positions eventually. Especially those who were close to General Ke Kim Yan are worrying that they might loose their positions.

“Regarding the above concerns of military officers with the rank of general, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Tea Banh affirmed that there are no such shifts to come. Also, another high-ranking official of the Ministry of Defense, who asked not to be named, said that so far, the government has no plan to change more military commanders, and a recent meeting and agenda for the next military meetings do not mention the shakeup. But, according to some unofficial sources, there will be more changes affecting many other generals in the future, particularly those who were close to General Ke Kim Yan.

“Nevertheless, some senior-officials of the Ministry of Defense said that the vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, Prime Minister Hun Sen, appointed many more Generals and high-ranking military officers as his advisors, besides their current positions, after stripping General Ke Kim Yan of his rank. Some observers assessed that that Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed many Generals and high-ranking military officers as his advisors in an effort to assemble a strong military power, but it wastes many national resources. Therefore, generals and high-ranking military officers at garrisons and at divisions are very concerned, after Hun Sen quickly and unexpectedly removed Ke Kim Yan from the position of RCAF commander-in-chief.

“According to a source from the Ministry of Defense, when General Ke Kim Yan was removed from his position on 22 January 2009, 507 other military officers were also removed from the bodyguard unit of the president of the Senate, who is also the president of the Cambodian People’s Party, Chea Sim, and were sent back to their barracks. Among them, two brigadiers; the number of the bodyguard unit’s forces of Chea Sim were cut down to only around 100. This receives much attention by national and international observers, because they think that it is Hun Sen’s maneuver to reduce the bodyguard force of Chea Sim below what he had planned.

“Reacting to the above case, the recently promoted RCAF commander-in-chief, General Pol Saroeun, said on Thursday, 29 January 2009, that the redeployment of bodyguards is not a revocation, as those soldiers will not be shifted from their places forever. General Pol Saroeun told reporters, ‘We just bring them back to undergo more [military] training.’ The RCAF commander-in-chief added that there are still 100 soldiers to protect Chea Sim, because he is a top leader. Separately, on Wednesday, 28 January 2009, General Pol Saroeun also tried to halt rumors among some units of the armed forces about the removal of some more senior military officers, after the very quick removal of General Ke Kim Yan.

“On Thursday, reporters could not reach Chea Sim’s bodyguard chief, General Chhoeun Chanthan, for comments. However, the RCAF commander-in-chief General Pol Saroeun said that General Chhoen Chantan is not ranked down or removed. General Hem Savy, an officer of Chea Sim’s bodyguard unit, said that the order for 507 soldiers to go back to their military bases at Battalion 70 was made on Sunday, 25 January 2009, and there will be more removals. General Hem Savy told reporters, ‘We were removed following orders of the government.’

“An officer close to General Pol Saroeun, who asked not to give his name, hinted that around 10 more military commanders close to Ke Kim Yan and to Chea Sim might be removed, if they do not turn to support the powerful vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, Prime Minister Hun Sen. In the meantime, Hun Sen might organize a strategy to remove also Chea Sim from the position of president of the Cambodian People’s Party, because at present, Hun Sen holds the whole military power.

“Observers of the Cambodian People’s Party’s internal affairs noticed that before Ke Kim Yan’s removal, Hun Sen held only about 60% of the power. But after the changes, Hun Sen controls 100% of the power, even though Sar Kheng is holding the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Obviously, the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, held by Sar Kheng, are also considered to be of concern, because Hun Sen can demote him any time.

“Observers of the Cambodian People’s Party’s internal affairs went on to say that after Hun Sen has already cleared out military commanders and police chiefs close to Sar Kheng and to Chea Sim, he may organize new internal arrangements of the party, and force Chea Sim to leave the position of the president of the Cambodian People’s Party, so that he can take up that position himself. Furthermore, he might reduce the power of the current secretary-general of the Cambodian People’s Party, Say Chhum, by putting his in-law, Sok An, into this position. As for the position of Sar Kheng, Hun Sen can remove him whenever he wants, but after having removed Ke Kim Yan, if he would also remove Sar Kheng, it might affect the Cambodian People’s Party internally and cause turmoil.

“High-ranking officials of the Cambodian People’s Party said that now, the internal power of the Cambodian People’s Party is totally controlled by Hun Sen, and if Hun Sen really has the ambition to become president of the Cambodian People’s Party, it is very easy, because when Ke Kim Yan was removed as RCAF commander-in-chief and Pol Saroeun was assigned to replace him, there was no reaction from Chea Sim’s and Sar Kheng’s factions, but they just kept silent and let Hun Sen create storm and rain as he liked.

“Observers said that even though Tea Ban had said that there is no more change to come for internal military affairs, information about the removal of more military officers close to General Ke Kim Yan was eventually disclosed. These disclosures worry generals and other high-ranking military officers at different garrisons and divisions very much, because they are afraid that also their positions can be affected. That means the removal of Ke Kim Yan is causing serious internal problems in the Cambodian People’s party, especially it is strongly and uncontrollably shaking the military situation.” Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #34, 31-1.1-2.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 31 January 2009

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1861, 31.1.2009

• The Authorities of the Russey Keo District Office Ordered to Remove [around 20] Floating Houses along the Tonle Sap Riverbank [to maintain social order]
• Somali Pirates Hijacked German Ship Loaded with [liquefied petroleum] Gas and Arrested Thirteen Sailors
• UN Officials Met with [Rohingya] People Who Are Held in Detention in Thailand [after having been sent on boats floating on he sea]

Khmer Aphivoath Sethakech, Vol.7, #332, 31-2.1-2.2009

• Human Rights Abuses in 2008 Increased [by 25% compared to 2007; according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights – LICADHO, there were 381 cases in 17 provinces and cities in 2008 – 212 cases related to land disputes – and there were 16,725 victims involved by 2,669 abusers, where 9.19% were abused by military personnel, 4.25% by military police, 17.59% by police, 16.80% by civil officials, 3.41% by court officials, 6.82% by business companies, 12.07% by civilian people, 8.92% by unidentified people, 1.05% by mobs, and 18.90% by different groups]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #334, 31.1.2009

• Four-Star General Moeung Samphan Is Stripped of His Rank and More Than 3,000 Weapons of [RCAF Commander-in-Chief] Ke Kim Yan’s Supporters Are Taken Away
• The Sam Rainsy Party Holds an Extraordinary Congress Today

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #194, 31.1.2009

• The Norodom Ranariddh Party Will Be Changed into the Khmer Front Party, if there Is No Solution [for the dismissal of a high-ranking member of the party]
• [Three] Citizens Who Had Been Detained regarding a Land Dispute Are Released [after several-days protests by around 140 families to release them – Siem Reap]
• Cambodia Hopes that the New Envoy of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Cooperates with the Government Well

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6566, 31.1.2009

• [Anti-government] Red-Shirt Demonstrators Gather in Front of the Cambodian Embassy [in Bangkok] to send a letter saying that the Thai government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya are not just, and are not real representatives of the people; then they moved on to the Laotian and Vietnamese embassies]
• Fire Destroyed More Than 50 Houses of People Doing Fishing at the Tumnup Rolork Region [Sihanoukville]
• The National Bank of Cambodia Signed an Agreement with the National Bank of Laos [to strengthen bilateral cooperation in banking]
  US$1.5 Million [granted by World Bank, controlled by the Emerging Markets Consulting Program] to Help Exporting Companies to Open Export Market Access, for a Program of the Ministry of Commerce [this program will assist financial and technical sectors in order to help to increase their exports to new markets]
• North Korea Cancels All Agreements with South Korea

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #34, 31-1.1-2.2009

• Many More High-Ranking Officials Close to Ke Kim Yan Face Removal from their Positions, and Generals at Military Garrisons and at Divisions Are in Panic

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4809, 31.1.2009

• The Municipality Issues a Statement Denying Allegations [by non-government organizations, some international organizations, and opposition parties] to Have Used Force to Evict People from the Dey Krahom Area [some further information by pictures is here]
• 2009: FAO Grants US$2.25 Million for Strengthening Agriculture
• Community Health Insurance Program Is Another Choice for Poor People
• Cambodia Continues to Encourage Thailand to Return Khmer Artifacts Soon [that Thai authorities caught from illegal smugglings from Cambodia]
• More Than One Million People Demonstrated against French President Nicolas Sarkozy [regarding his economic policies to reduce the number of permanent staff of state institutions, especially in schools, which disappoints and makes French people angry – France]

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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 597

The vice-president of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Wolfgang Thierse, plans to visit Cambodia at the end of January 2009 for discussions and to strengthen mutual friendship and tourism, following a request by the Cambodian National Assembly, asking for German experts to assist in developing and organizing laws related to fuel in Cambodia.

“The official friendship visit to Cambodia starts on 31 January 2009. Dr. Wolfgang Thierse is to promote cooperation between both countries through tourism from Germany to Cambodia, and Cambodia will ask for funds and invite German experts to come to help the National Assembly of Cambodia to draft three laws related to fuel in Cambodia.

“Mr. Cheam Yeap – the chairperson of the Commission on Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit of the National Assembly was assigned by the President of the National Assembly, Samdech Heng Samrin, to lead fifteen members of the National Assembly, ten from the Cambodian People’s Party and five from opposition parties, to meet with Dr. Wolfgang Thierse, who is in Cambodia for an official friendship visit to Cambodia starting at the end of January 2009. He said that the intention of the meeting was: first, to create closer ties of cooperation between Cambodia and Germany; second, to elaborate publications on policies, in order to increase trust for investment in Cambodia by German investors; and third, to develop tourism from Germany to Cambodia which has dozens of cultural resources and temples all over the country.

“Mr. Cheam Yeap went on to say that during this occasion, Cambodia will invite legal experts from Germany to help to draft three laws: legislation on fuel control, taxation legislation in Cambodia, and legislation to tax the profit of oil exploitation and production in Cambodia.

“It should be noted that Cambodia will get profits from huge amounts of oil in the near future.

“Previously, through cooperation between Cambodia and Germany, a lot of goods were exchanged, and Cambodia had also received substantial aid from Germany.

“According to an announcement from the National Assembly on 28 January 2009, Dr. Wolfgang Thierse will make an official friendship visit to Cambodia from late January 2009 to 4 February 2009, responding to an invitation by the president of the National Assembly, Samdech Heng Samrin.

“Dr. Wolfgang Thierse will meet also the president of the Senate, Samdech Chea Sim, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia Samdech Hun Sen, representatives of the political parties that won seats in the National Assembly, and many different representatives in Cambodia.” Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #193, 30.1.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 30 January 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #110, 30.1.2009

• [More than 100] Protesters Surrounded and Locked in Court Officials in the Siem Reap Provincial Court [the protesters agreed to unlock the door after an intervention from the provincial governor, Mr. Sou Phirin, who promised to release their three representatives held in detention over a land dispute]
• An Arab Foundation Provides US$50 Million for One Year for the Water Resources Sector in Cambodia
• The United Nations Asks Rich Countries to Step Up Actions to Prevent Poverty [according to the British NGO Oxfam, around 1 billion people are facing food shortages]

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1860, 30.1.2009

• [Royal Cambodian Armed Forces – RCAF – Deputy Commander] Kun Kim: There Is No More Shakeup of Military Commanders, but There Will Be Some Adjustments
• [Cuban President] Mr. Raul Castro on a Historical Visit to Russia

Khmer Aphivoath Sethakech, Vol.7, #331, 30.1.2009

• Head of the Government [Prime Minister Hun Sen] Warns Cambodian Politicians Not to Go to Taiwan [Taiwanese officials are not allowed to enter Cambodia]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #333, 30.1.2009

• The Prime Minister Said that the Border Disputes at the Preah Vihear Temple Region Started from the Position Taken by the Siamese [Thai] Military, Which Was Stricter Than the Siamese Government’s [in a letter to the National Assembly, saying that not the Thai government should be blamed, but the Thai military; however, a Thai spokesperson in Cambodia denied this accusation]
• [The vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, Prime Minister] Hun Sen Cuts Down the Number of Bodyguards of [the president of the Cambodian People’s Party, president of the Senate] Chea Sim from More Than 600 to only 100 after Removing [RCAF commander-in-chief] Ke Kim Yam from His Position

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #193, 30.1.2009

• The National Assembly Asks for German Experts to Come to Cambodia to Help Organize Laws Related to Fuel
• Mr. Sam Rainsy Appeals, after Loosing in [the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation] Mr. Hor Namhong’s Case in France [on defamation]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6565, 30.1.2009

• New US Ambassador [Ms. Carol A. Rodley] Promises to Change Ideas in Washington to See Cambodia in a Better Light

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3674, 30.1.2009

• To Choose [an international] Substitution Judge for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal [to fulfill busy work in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in order to solve disagreements and complicated problems] Is a New Case

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4808, 30.1.2009

• Local Vegetables Could Occupy from 60% to 70% of the Market [compared to before, 90% was imported from Vietnam - according to the Chbar Ampov market chief; however the director of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, Dr. Yang Saing Koma, said that this figure is acceptable, but it is seasonal, adding that Cambodia has enough land to produce vegetables, but farmers lack techniques, capital, and skills to study the market, and this prevents Cambodia to reach that figure; also most Khmer farmers do not want to shift from doing rice cultivation to growing crops]
• New Monivong Bridge Will Be Inaugurated before the Khmer New Year [14 – 16 April 2009] and the Construction Site of an Elevated Road Will Be Begun on the Same Day
• Cambodia Is the Country with the Lowest Life Expectancy in the Region [World Health Organization: women's life expectancy is 65, and men's is 59]
• Siam [Thailand] Promises to Allow Khmer Agricultural Products into the Country again in Early February
• US$18 Million Optic Fiber Plan Will Help Speed Up Internet Services and Make them Cheaper [according to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mr. So Khun]

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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 596

“Seeming to be floating towards failure of their long term investments in Cambodia, while the global financial crisis expands, investors in construction and in real estate from Korea are seeking interventions from Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen, the outstanding Prime Minister of Cambodia.

“The director of the Public Internal Financial Control framework which also represents investors from Korea, Mr. Kim Suan Mok [phonetic], said that because Cambodia has Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen as the cleverest and most intelligent Prime Minister and leader, more investors came to invest in Cambodia unexpectedly.

“Mr. Kim Suan Mok added that being a leader with high determination, Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen provides opportunities to investors to invest billions of dollars in Cambodia. They expect to receive warmth from the leadership of Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen as well as support from the Council for the Development of Cambodia; for example Mr. Kim Sun Sok [phonetic] has invested more than US$2 billion in Cambodia, with other investors also having billions of dollars.

“However, the financial crisis which is plaguing the world seems to drive investors in Cambodia more towards failure than towards hope for potential profit from investments in Cambodia. Mr. Kim Suan Mok said that the financial crisis results in a decline of real estate prices in the world by 50%. This led to bankruptcy for some banks. Mr. Kim Suan Mok emphasized that big financial institutions lacking capital had to announced that the world is in crisis, and some financial institutions have to minimize their operations.

“The more than US$2 billion investment mentioned by Mr. Kim Suan Mok is a huge contribution for the Cambodian economy, but some problems, related to skyrocketing prices of real estate in Cambodia, seem to encourage investors to abandon their projects. This will become a bad model for investors having invested their capital, then they will transfer it out again..

Mr. Kim Suan Mok noticed that prices of real estate in the word dropped sharply, but real estate owners in Cambodia seem not to care for world developments and changes. Because the price of real estate in Cambodia is too high, compared to the world market, some investors have given up their plans to buy real estate for investment. Moreover, it is not only investors who worry, but also many Cambodian people are seriously affected by this problem.

“Mr. Kim Suan Mok added that most investors from Korea face failure in Cambodia, and only 10% of them achieve success with their plans. This failure is he result of the fact that most investors did not know the cultural and commercial situation in Cambodia well. Another important point is that investors find it very difficult to find real information leading to success. So far, some investors from Korea have given up their long term investment plans and just wait and see whether the situation of the financial crisis might change soon.

“To support investors so that they have the opportunity to invest in Cambodia for a long period, investors ask the government to help ease the general legal framework for investments, such as the rights to buy and own land for a long period, and not only to lease land from the state for a period of 99 years. The Cambodian government itself should broaden the actual opportunities for investors.

“Also, Mr. Kim Suan Mok appealed to Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen to publish information about the changed global economic situation in order to persuade real estate owners in Cambodia to sell their real estate to investors at prices which are in line with world market price levels.

“Mr. Sung Bunna, director of the Bunna Realty Group and director of the Khmer Real Estate Appraisal Association, said that prices of real estate in Cambodia are fixed and have not declined like in other countries. This is a big problem for investors. Facing the general financial crisis, Mr. Sung Bunna asked the Cambodian government to help rescuing the real estate situation in Cambodia.

“Mr. Sung Bunna estimated that at present, many Cambodian citizen rush to sell their real estate in a narrow market; that means there are many people who rush to sell, while the number of buyers is small. This situation will make the prices of real estate in Cambodia drop dramatically in the near future, and the government should release some money to buy real estate from businesspeople and from banks which might lack money, in order to avoid Cambodia from falling into a crisis.

“Mr. Sung Bunna added that whether the price of real estate in Cambodia will recover again soon or not depends on the confidence of Khmer citizens, but not on foreign investors. Even real estate companies around the country joined as an associations to prevent the price of houses to drop further. In another separate case, more than 730 construction companies are not likely to leave their plans being orphaned too long, and that will be the time when the Khmer real estate sector will be in a good condition again, at the latest in 2010.

“Mr. Sung Bunna appreciates the real estate market in Cambodia which grew strongly in 2008 and provides good economic growth for Cambodia. The prices of real estate might drop dramatically due to the economic crisis, while some businesspeople and banks might encounter a financial crisis and therefore rush to sell their real estate to have financial resources for their trade – but this will have a negative impact on the Cambodian economy; that is, the Cambodian economic growth will drop sharply, making it difficult recover in the future.” Wat Phnom, Vol.16, #8004, 23-25.1.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 23 January 2009

Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #9, 23-27.1.2009

• Mr. Sam Rainsy: Solving Border Disputes with Thailand Has to Be Done Together with the International Community [because it is useless to solve disputes bilaterally]

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #109, 23-29.1.2009

• Siam [Thailand] Prohibits the Import of Agricultural Products from Cambodia [after a meeting between the Thai Prime Minister and his officials to ban the import of agricultural products and to prevent the illegal entry of workers from Cambodia for economic reasons]

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1854, 23.1.2009

• Nearly 10,000 Workers of the Yongwa Factories Held a Violent Demonstration [demanding to release the annual saving money of US$50, which was normally provided to each worker in January - Takhmao, Kandal]

Khmer Aphivoath Sethakech, Vol.7, #329, 23.1.2009

• If There Is No Solution [for land disputes with the Heng Development Company and shooting by military police at people] on 23 January 2009] Kandal Stung Residents Will Protest in Front of the National Assembly
• The Presidents of Unions and Civil Society Ask the Government to Arrest the Real Murderers for Prosecution [who shot dead Mr. Chea Vichea, the former president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia. On 22 January 2009, around 200 people marched with flowers to the site behind Wat Langka where Mr. Chea Vichea was shot dead]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #332, 23-27.1.2009

• Siamese [Thai] Minister of Foreign Affairs [Mr. Kasit Piromya] Asks to Meet also with [the president of the opposition party] Mr. Sam Rainsy [during his official visit on 25 January 2009 to discuss border disputes]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #190, 23.1.2009

• Position of Mr. Ke Kim Yan Is Finished – He Is Replaced by Mr. Pol Saroeun as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces [8 other high ranking military officials are also assigned]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3673, 23-29.1.2009

• Appeals Court Begins Investigations to Seek the Real Murderers Who Killed Mr. Chea Vichea

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4802, 23.1.2009

• More Than 300 People Were Arrested during an Operation to Suppress Fishing Crimes, and People Were Detained for Questioning
• US Ambassador [Ms. Carol A. Rodley] Talks about the Economic Crisis and about Military Relations with Cambodia
• A Man Took, Tortured, and Raped a 10-Year-Old Girl while Her Grandmother Was Asleep [he was arrested - Kompong Cham]
• The Director of a Milk Powder Company [mixing melamine plastic into the milk] Was Sentenced to Imprisonment for Life, and Two Others Received the Verdict of Capital Punishment [China]

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.16, #3673, 23-29.1.2009

• The Victims Unit of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Announces that Victims of the Khmer Rouge Regime Can now to Lodge Complaints against the Suspect Kaing Gek Eav, Called Duch [the former Tuol Sleng Prison chief, within 10 days before the first hearing on 17 February 2009]

Wat Phnom, Vol.16, #8004, 23-25.1.2009

• Reasons Why Investors from Korea Fail in Cambodia

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]]> http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/d-day-raf-keevil/ Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:07:26 +0000 shortfinals http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/d-day-raf-keevil/

It was 23.19hrs on the night of 5th June, 1944. A Short Stirling IV aircraft of 196 Sqn, RAF slowly accelerated down this runway at RAF Keevil, and took off for Normandy. It was followed by 45 others, from both 196 and 299 Sqns (38 Group), each carrying 20 airborne troops of the 6th Airborne Division of the British Army. 38 Group comprised crews from the RAF, RCAF, RAAF and RZNAF, with the Canadian and Australian contingents being particularly strong.

Units such as 12th Battalion (Yorks.) Parachute Regiment, and 225th Para Field Ambulance, 5th Parachute Brigade were headed for the Ranville area, and some heavy fighting. The Stirlings would return (minus casualties), and form up in a second wave – this time towing Airspeed Horsa gliders – with a take-off time around 1800hrs.

S/Sgt R. E. White, The Glider Pilot Regt., was awarded the DCM for conspicuous gallantry on D-Day; he single-handedly manned a 6 pounder anti-tank gun, destroyed a German self-propelled gun, and fought off tank attacks, just one of many acts of heroism amongst the Airborne Forces. RAF Keevil was also used to launch the abortive attack on Arnhem, Holland – Operation Market (part of Market-Garden). Keevil is still as lush and green as it was on that June day in 1944, and it was a moving visit for me.

S/Sgt R .E. White, DCM, died at Arnhem.

]]> http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/a-magnificent-obsession-g-adwt/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:47:32 +0000 shortfinals http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/a-magnificent-obsession-g-adwt/

Miles M.2W Hawk Trainer

In 1934, the Phillips and Powis Aircraft Co. produced yet another of their brillant series of Miles designs – the M.2W Hawk Trainer. Powered by the popular Gipsy Major 1c engine, this aircraft had prominent ‘trousered’ undercarriage legs. The company had a history of producing streamlined designs which delivered sparkling performance on not too much horsepower. The aircraft has been through many hands including being owned by the private Flying Club of No. 47 Squadron, RAF at Abingdon, who had achieved an excellent record flying the Handley Page Hastings during the Berlin Airlift, (carrying mostly coal!) and were in the process of transitioning to the Blackburn Beverley. G-ADWT was owned in the 1960s by a member of No. 3 Wing, RCAF, stationed at Zweibrucken,  Germany – this must have been a huge contrast for the pilots that flew her, for the wing was equipped at the time with CF-104 Starfighters!

Here we see this magnificent survivor, which has been the subject of a superb restoration, ready to depart GVFWE at Hullavington.

]]> http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/promoting-70-more-military-officers-leads-to-more-serious-inflation-friday-1612009/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:20:29 +0000 Klein Norbert http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/promoting-70-more-military-officers-leads-to-more-serious-inflation-friday-1612009/

On Monday, 12 January 2009, we had the 100,000th visit to the Mirror – starting from January 2007.

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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 595

“On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of Defense Tea Banh said that there are 70 military officers among a group of generals of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces who were promoted to the rank of one-star general in 2008, in a ceremony on 31 December 2008. Tea Banh, mentioning the six-month confrontation at the border region during disputes with Siam [Thailand], said that generals from all provinces were promoted according their accomplishments and successes in defending the nation.

“Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Tea Banh – suspected by some people not to be of Khmer descent – said, ‘We have laws for the appointment of officers in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, from low to high levels, and appointments are based on the special positions in the military and in any specific region where troops are deployed.’

“It should be noted that in March 2006, Minister of Defense Tea Banh said that there were 613 generals ranking from one star to four stars in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. However, on Wednesday, Tea Banh did not mention how many generals from one star to four stars exist at present. This creates a strong interest among observers of the field of national defense in Cambodia, while this field loses its importance to a considerable extent.

“According to a figure in 2006, it was estimated that each one-star general could only have 179 soldiers under his command among the 110,000 soldiers in Cambodia at that time. Figures from 2004, released on the website of a World Security Organization, allow to compare figures with the US armed forces, where there were 876 generals, and for each general there were 1,347 soldiers, both male and female. A journalist in Thailand, an expert in security affairs, said in an email on Wednesday that the newly promoted 70 generals of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces seem to be too many, but the awarding of such ranks is frequently based on political reasons.

“Nevertheless, Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of Defense Tea Banh said that the promotions giving higher ranks is completely based on qualifications, but not on political considerations. Also the Preah Vihear RCAF commander Sam Bopharath said that he is one of the military officers promoted, and he was given the rank of a brigadier, having been a captain before. This Preah Vihear military commander said, ‘I was promoted to be a one star-general, after I have worked for 30 years in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

“He went on to say that this promotion is part of the administrative reform of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, requiring all regional commanders to hold the rank of one-star general. As for Neak Vong, the chief of the General Staff of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces of the Fourth Region, assigned to be positioned at the Ta Moan temple region along the Cambodia-Siam [Thai] border, he said that the ranking is based on active work and long term experiences in military affairs. He added, ‘I have worked for the Ministry of Defense nearly ten years, but I am not yet appointed to be a general; I am still a major.’

“It should be noted that among the expenses in the 2009 national budget of up to US$1,8 billion, the Hun Sen government increased the expenses for the national defense, in order to improve this field to be stronger. In the meantime, observers of the national defense in Cambodia said that in order to strengthen the national defense, corruption in the Ministry of National Defense and in the Military General Headquarters must be eliminated urgently, otherwise the effort to strengthen the military will not receive good results, because corruption in the Ministry of National Defense and in the Military General Headquarters has previously even taken away hats, shoes, and clothes of military officers and of soldiers countrywide. Therefore, the elimination of corruption in the field of national defense is crucial, so that it can be compared to neighboring countries.

“Some experienced military officers said that even though at present, Cambodia has many generals, their abilities are still limited, because their promotions do not depend on real skills and work experiences, and on the struggle to serve the nation. In contrast, they receive their ranks for political reasons, which leads to a serious inflation of ranks, making their positions less valuable, and the stars on their shoulders are just worn for decoration.” Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3667, 16.1.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 16 January 2009

Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #5, 16-18.1.2009

• International Human Rights Organization [Human Rights Watch 2009 report] Criticizes Cambodia for Violating Human Rights

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #107, 16-20.1.2009

• Israel Is Seeking Cooperation in Economy and Investment in Cambodia [according to a diplomatic visit by the first secretary of the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok, Mr. Tzahi Selzer, in Cambodia]
• The 7NG Company Will Wait for Three More Days, Offering US$20,000 [for residents] in Exchange for Leaving [the Dey Krahom region]
• Cambodia Plans to Create [Cambodian National] Television Representative Office in Beijing [according the Minister of Information, Mr. Khieu Kanharith]
• A Danish Woman Is Convicted to Serve 15 Years in Prison and Fined Riel 30 Million [approx. US$7,500 for drug trafficking. Actually, she bought several thousand of over-the-counter painkillers with codeine that can be easily and legally bought at street-side pharmacies throughout Phnom Penh; she was arrested in Phnom Penh when she tried to mail them abroad]

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1848, 16.1.2009

• Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen Presented the Potential of Natural Resources of Cambodia to Kuwait Investors [during his visit to Kuwait]
• To Let Their [10-year-old] Daughter Work for Other People in Phnom Penh for Pay Is Like to Let Them Mistreat Her; When a Girl Could Not Bear It Any Longer, She Escaped from a House and Asked for Help from the Police [she could no longer bear the work and the mistreatment, and could not go to school as had been promised to her parents; she escaped and she wants to return to her parents in Battambang]
• The Chinese Economy Reaches the Third Rank in the World [after the United States of America and Japan - the Chinese government estimates that the economic growth of 11.9% in 2007 can grow up to 13%]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.2, #184, 16.1.2009

• The Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party Create an Alliance to Form a Democratic Political Movement

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6553, 16.1.2009

• The Co-Judges of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Decided to Set the Date for the Hearing of Former Tuol Sleng Prison Chief ‘Duch’ in March
• A Detestable Man Who Raped His [12-year-old] Daughter while His Wife Was at the End of Her Pregnancy Was Arrested and Brought to the [Preah Vihear] Court

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3667, 16.1.2009

• Promoting 70 More Military Officers Leads to More Serious Inflation
• The Phnom Penh Municipal Court Summons Khmer Rouge Tribunal Officials to Question Them about Corruption

Rasmei Angkor, Vol.16, #1403, 16.1.2009

• The Ministry of Health Seeks Self-Governing for State Hospitals [in Phnom Penh, in order to make them autonomous in finance, hoping that this will lead to better health care for patients]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4796, 16.1.2009

• India Asks Cambodia to Produce Grains That Can Be Exported to India [according to a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and the new Indian ambassador to Cambodia, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Sachdeva]
• In 2008, Khmer Tourists Traveling Abroad Decline by 200,000 [with a total number of 760,000, if compared to 2007, because plane tickets were too expensive while the fuel price skyrocketed]
• More Than 1,000 [Palestinian] People Died in Gaza [since the war started 19 days ago - among them, more than 300 were children and 76 were women - during the same time 13 citizens of Israel died - 4 in Israel, and 9 while invading Gaza]

Have a look at the last editorial – you can access it directly from the main page of the Mirror.

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]]> http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/an-auster-aop6-really-no-thats-reilly-ffoull/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:03:00 +0000 shortfinals http://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/an-auster-aop6-really-no-thats-reilly-ffoull/

Auster J-1N Alpha, G-BLPG

Here we can see another sheep-in-wolf’s-clothing, this time it is an Auster J-1N Alpha, G-BLPG, re-painted to represent an Auster AOP6 of the post-war Royal Canadian Air Force. All-yellow schemes were often used where aircraft would operate over snow, or in wilderness areas (and there is certainly a lot of both of those in Canada). The AOP6 was an immediate post-war development of the AOP5, to give better all-round performance, and was supplied to the RAF, RCAF and Belgian Air Force, amongst others. ‘16693′ is a regular visitor to GVFWE, and is very smartly turned-out.

It carries some interesting ‘nose art’ (a practice that went on right through the Gulf War); in this case it is a drawing of Captain A.R.P. Reilly-Ffoull, the leading character in a British cartoon strip which appeared in the Daily Mirror during WW2. It was drawn by Bernard Graddon, from 1938 until his death in 1952.

]]> http://redonion.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/rcaf-dc-3c-47-dakota/ Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:07:17 +0000 Glenn http://redonion.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/rcaf-dc-3c-47-dakota/