Hun Sen to visit Australia
KHMER INTELLIGENCE
15 September 2006
Breakdown of Cambodia's population by ethnic origin (2) According to a recent Interior Ministry's report titled "Population statistics covering all ethnic groups as of 2nd quarter 2006", Cambodia's population can be broken down as follows:
- Khmers: 12,279,057
- Chams (Muslims): 290,199
- Vietnamese: 112,225
- Laotians: 21,587
- Chinese: 11,454
- Thais: 1,860
- Others: 3,005
TOTAL: 12,719,387
Book on corruption at the Cambodia Center for Human Rights (2) Following accusations of corruption and embezzlement leveled against him by 16 persons who have closely worked with him (see KI, 10 September 2006: "Corruption scandal at US-financed CCHR"), CCHR President Kem Sokha earlier this week attributed the allegations to "disgruntled former employees who lost their jobs." However, among those former employees, there are high-caliber lawyers and journalists who now hold important positions at prominent NGOs and claim that their motivation is to only expose "Kem Sokha's dishonesty" in order to "prevent Cambodian democrats and donor countries from being cheated by a crook." They are preparing a book titled "Corruption at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights" in which methods of fund embezzlement will be detailed: stealing staff members' salaries, daily allowances and fringe benefits, inflating expenses, paying accomplices under the table, inventing activities that have never been conducted, issuing falsified documents, etc. They claim that CCHR regional office heads officially earn $500 a month but in fact get only $300 to $350. In the same manner, education assistants at the same regional offices must assert in writing that they perceive a monthly salary of $200 while in fact they get only $150. They also claim that Kem Sokha himself officially earns a salary of $3,000 a month from American tax-payers' money. However, since the creation of the CCHR in 2002 its initially poor President has apparently amassed a fortune as evidenced by his standard of living: luxurious villa, lavish expenses, children studying in costly schools in the USA. More information at http://tinyurl.com/lljtd
Hun Sen to visit Australia (2)
Prime Minister Hun Sen who is currently on vacation in Paris after attending the 6th ASEM summit in Helsinki earlier this week, will pay a five-day official visit to Australia around the middle of next month at the invitation of Prime Minister John Howard.
Ranariddh to take another long leave of absence (2)
Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who has recently been in and out the country, sharing his time between Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur where he has a second home with his second wife Ouk Phalla, will leave Cambodia next week for France/Europe where he will be vacationing with Ouk Phalla for at least six weeks.
Sam Rainsy to inaugurate SRP chapters in Italy and Sweden (2)
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy will be in Verona (Italy) on September 16 to inaugurate a SRP chapter with several hundreds Cambodian Italians. He will travel to Stockholm on September 23 to inaugurate another SRP chapter in Sweden. In Europe, the SRP already has chapters in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
15 September 2006
Breakdown of Cambodia's population by ethnic origin (2) According to a recent Interior Ministry's report titled "Population statistics covering all ethnic groups as of 2nd quarter 2006", Cambodia's population can be broken down as follows:
- Khmers: 12,279,057
- Chams (Muslims): 290,199
- Vietnamese: 112,225
- Laotians: 21,587
- Chinese: 11,454
- Thais: 1,860
- Others: 3,005
TOTAL: 12,719,387
Book on corruption at the Cambodia Center for Human Rights (2) Following accusations of corruption and embezzlement leveled against him by 16 persons who have closely worked with him (see KI, 10 September 2006: "Corruption scandal at US-financed CCHR"), CCHR President Kem Sokha earlier this week attributed the allegations to "disgruntled former employees who lost their jobs." However, among those former employees, there are high-caliber lawyers and journalists who now hold important positions at prominent NGOs and claim that their motivation is to only expose "Kem Sokha's dishonesty" in order to "prevent Cambodian democrats and donor countries from being cheated by a crook." They are preparing a book titled "Corruption at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights" in which methods of fund embezzlement will be detailed: stealing staff members' salaries, daily allowances and fringe benefits, inflating expenses, paying accomplices under the table, inventing activities that have never been conducted, issuing falsified documents, etc. They claim that CCHR regional office heads officially earn $500 a month but in fact get only $300 to $350. In the same manner, education assistants at the same regional offices must assert in writing that they perceive a monthly salary of $200 while in fact they get only $150. They also claim that Kem Sokha himself officially earns a salary of $3,000 a month from American tax-payers' money. However, since the creation of the CCHR in 2002 its initially poor President has apparently amassed a fortune as evidenced by his standard of living: luxurious villa, lavish expenses, children studying in costly schools in the USA. More information at http://tinyurl.com/lljtd
Hun Sen to visit Australia (2)
Prime Minister Hun Sen who is currently on vacation in Paris after attending the 6th ASEM summit in Helsinki earlier this week, will pay a five-day official visit to Australia around the middle of next month at the invitation of Prime Minister John Howard.
Ranariddh to take another long leave of absence (2)
Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who has recently been in and out the country, sharing his time between Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur where he has a second home with his second wife Ouk Phalla, will leave Cambodia next week for France/Europe where he will be vacationing with Ouk Phalla for at least six weeks.
Sam Rainsy to inaugurate SRP chapters in Italy and Sweden (2)
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy will be in Verona (Italy) on September 16 to inaugurate a SRP chapter with several hundreds Cambodian Italians. He will travel to Stockholm on September 23 to inaugurate another SRP chapter in Sweden. In Europe, the SRP already has chapters in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
