Jan. 1, 2001

A ban on right-hand drive vehicles came into effect in Cambodia, leaving thousands of cars liable to be confiscated by the govt. The ban follows years of warnings for car-owners to have their steering columns changed from the right to left. (AFP)

Jan. 2, 2001

National Assembly adopts a law establishing a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders.

Jan. 3, 2001

UN and Washington have given a cautious welcome to a draft Cambodian law to finally bring to trial surviving Khmer Rouge leaders on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The National Assembly unanimously adopted the draft law after more than two years of talks with the UN. (AFP)

Jan. 7, 2001

There are clashes in Phnom Penh on the twenty-second anniversary of the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge regime. Hundreds of police broke up an anti-Vietnamese demonstration by opposition supporters outside the National Assembly. (BBC)

Jan. 9, 2001

UN accuses Cambodian authorities of backtracking on key elements of an agreement to create a tribunal to prosecute former leaders of the Khmer Rouge.  In a confidential letter to the RGC, Hans Corell, UN Legal Counsel, states that a new law to establish the tribunal lacked provisions designed to ensure UN oversight and to guarantee that prosecutors have authority to pursue suspects currently shielded by amnesty, "In our discussion we were . . . in agreement that no one would be exempt from the scrutiny of the investigating judges and the prosecutors.  For the UN this is a determining factor when it ultimately has to decide on its cooperation with the RGC."  (Washington Post, pA22)

Jan. 12, 2001

Two Buddhist monks have been arrested and charged with terrorism, court officials in Phnom Penh said. Veng Sothy, 35, and Kol Saroth, 31, were charged as accomplices in a group that led a failed attack on govt. offices in the capital in Nov. last year. Officials said the monks carried membership cards of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF), the group which led the shoot-out.  Security forces battled with a group of about 50 attackers for an hour in the gun-battle, which left seven rebels dead. More than 50 people have since been tried in connection with the attack, which officials say was an attempt to unseat PM Hun Sen. The monks were arrested a day earlier at a prominent Phnom Penh pagoda and are defrocked early today, clearing the way for charges to be filed on the same morning, court prosecutor Yet Chakriya said. (BBC)

The National Assembly passes the Khum/Sangkat Administrative Management Law.

Jan. 14, 2001

UN has asked for some revisions in a draft Cambodian law, which would set up a court to try leaders of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime for alleged war crimes. UN spokesman Fred Eckhard did not give any details of what the revisions were, although he said they had substantive implications. And US Pres. Bill Clinton's special envoy David Scheffer, who has been dispatched to Phnom Penh to discuss the legislation, said that the creation of the tribunal was achievable despite reservations.  (BBC)

Jan. 15, 2001

The Senate unanimously passes the law on the establishment of special tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders for crime against humanity committed during 1975 to 1979, in which the National Assembly passed Jan. 2………..Japan Foreign Ministry issues a statement welcoming the passage of the long-awaited genocide tribunal law.

Jan. 17, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing the official visit to Cambodia by Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina from Jan. 21-23, 2001, at the invitation of PM Hun Sen.

Jan. 22, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing that FM Hor Namhong will lead a Cambodia delegation to attend the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Cambodia and Laos to be held in Vientiane on 25 January 2001.

Jan. 31, 2001

The Senate approves and adopts the draft commune law (in Khmer).

Feb. 2, 2001

PM Hun Sen signs a sub-degree (Anukret 25/ANKr-BK) to establish the Cambodian embassy to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with a residence in Seoul.

Feb. 12, 2001

Constitutional Council announce that the tribunal law passed by the National Assembly Jan. 2 and Senate Jan. 15 as constitutional except those articles which refer to the death penalty with prohibited by the constitution.

Feb. 14, 2001

King Sihanouk signs into law order (Reach Kret NS/RKT/0201/036) to create the Cambodian National Council for Women (CNCW), with a task of coordinating and providing consultation to the RGC on the issues relating to the promotion of status, roles, and social welfare of Cambodian aiming at reduction and elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and violence against women.

Feb. 21, 2001

King Sihanouk arrives in China for a medical checkup. The seventy-eight year-old King, travels regularly to Beijing for health treatment. King Sihanouk left Cambodia without signing into law the long-delayed bill providing for the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide. But the King's son, Prince Ranariddh, said it could be signed by the acting head of state, Chea Sim. (BBC)

Feb. 27, 2001

Giant turtles thought to be extinct in Cambodia for more than a century have been discovered nesting along a river bank in the south of the country. The critically endangered estuarine terrapin was once considered the exclusive property of Cambodia's royal family, who dined on its eggs.  The US-based Wildlife Conservation Society says scientists have found a number of nesting sites, and estimate there are about 50 turtles living along the Sre Ambel river system. Fewer than a hundred of the turtles, which can weigh more than 30 kilograms, survive in Malaysia, and there may be small numbers in Bangladesh. (ABC)

March 1, 2001

FM Hor Namhong and Thai FM Asiphol Chabchitrchaidol hold a sign ceremony in Phnom Penh on the Protocol on the Exchange of the Instruments of Ratification of the Treaty between Cambodia and Thailand on Extradition.  The Treaty shall enter into force thirty days after the date of the exchange of the Instruments of Ratification. The Treaty on Extradition was signed in Bangkok on 6 May 1998, and ratified by Acting Head of State Chea Sim on 19 July 1999, and by the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Royal Thai Govt. on 19 December 2000. [Press Release]

March 2, 2001

Sin Song, former interior minister and a prominent Cambodian senator who led an abortive coup attempt against the coalition govt. in 1994, dies at the age of fifty-two.  He had been suffering from cancer. He fled to Thailand after the failed coup, and was sentenced to twenty years jail in his absence.  He returned to Cambodia after receiving a royal pardon in 1998, and was appointed to the senate when it was created in January 1999. [BBC]

March 26, 2001

Senate Pres. Chea Sim meets with Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Li Ruihuan.  Chea Sim is in Beijing for a four-day visit at Li’s invitation.  [People’s Daily]

March 27, 2001

Japanese archaeologists have made a rare underground find of relics at the temples of the Angkor Wat complex. The archaeology team comes from Sophia University, a Jesuit school in Tokyo. It dug up 103 pieces of Buddhist statues in mid-March, at Banteay Kdei temple, one of the dozens of temples built near the northern Cambodian town of Siem Reap between the 9th and 14th centuries. The pieces likely date back to the Angkorian period from the reign of Jayavarman VII, who ruled at the end of the 12th century. Cambodian officials confirmed the find was significant but not surprising. Many relics are believed to be in the earth surrounding Cambodia's dozens of temples but few excavations have been undertaken. The Sophia University team dug up a complete Buddha on the grounds of Banteay Kdei in August, all the relics will be given over to the Apsara Authority which manages the temple region. [ABC]

March 29, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing the official visit to Cambodia by the Pres. of the Republic of Korea Kim Dae-Jung from 04/09-11/01, at the invitation of PM Hun Sen. Cambodian PM Hun Sen will make a three-day visit to South Korea from April 9 for talks with Pres. Kim Dae Jung aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperative ties, South Korea's Presidential Office said Thursday. Hun Sen will be the first Cambodian PM to visit South Korea since Cambodia established diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1997.

March 31, 2001

PM Hun Sen says that the RGC will continue promoting economic and trade relations between Cambodia and China. Hun Sen made the remark in a meeting with An Min, vice minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China, who arrived in Phnom Penh on Friday for a 5-day official visit at the invitation of the Cambodia Ministry of Commerce. The PM said that the visit would be beneficial to promoting the friendly cooperation and traditional friendship between the two countries. Hun stressed that this visit would implement the consensus achieved by the leaders of the two countries during the successful visit of PRC Pres. Jiang Zemin in Nov. 2000. [People’s Daily 04/01/01]

April 2, 2001

Opposition party SRP has threatened to boycott forthcoming local elections because of violence and intimidation. The party leader, Sam Rainsy, says the intimidation ranges from the death of three party members last year, through to the destruction of party signs and stone throwing. Independent organizations have joined his calls for impartial monitoring of the local elections, which are due next February. [BBC]

April 3, 2001

PM Hun Sen says that he will agree to 24 ethnic Vietnamese minorities, who fled to Cambodia amid a govt. crackdown, being resettled in the US. The Premier - who is a long-time ally of Vietnam - disputes Hanoi's claim that the US offer of asylum is meddling in Vietnam's internal affairs. "If the US or another country will take these people away it seems that would ease the problem," Hun Sen tells reporters. "I think that what the US is doing on this issue is not an intervention in anybody's internal affairs, but they are fulfilling a humanitarian obligation ... Vietnam should examine its humanitarian obligations too." [People’s Daily]

TV news report that Thailand and Cambodia will jointly develop Phra Vihea, a most renowned historic site along the border, rather than Cambodia rents the tourist attraction to Thailand. Somsak Thepsuthin, Minister to the PM's Office, tells reporters that negotiations are in progress that Bangkok and Phnom Penh share cultural and historic touches, as well as tourism benefits from Phra Vihea by jointly develop the historic site. The move is part of the two govt. agreed initiative to join forces in tourism development, he adds. [BERNAMA]

April 7, 2001

Agriculture Minister Chhea Song dies of liver disease at the age of 60 in a Phnom Penh hospital. Chhea Song had been receiving medical treatment for some months in Vietnam and France, and had acquired the disease before named minister in 1998. [Kyodo]

April 9, 2001

UNHCR has granted refugee status to 24 ethnic Vietnamese minorities.  In a statement, the US embassy in Phnom Penh said it had been informed that all 24 are refugees and have been referred them to the US for resettlement consideration.   Cambodian officials said they had been informed of the UN verdict and urged the Vietnamese govt. to accept it. [ABC]

April 10, 2001

PM Hun Sen expresses his govt.'s support for South Korean Pres. Kim Dae Jung's ''sunshine policy'' of engagement and reconciliation toward North Korea. In a summit at the Blue House presidential office, the two leaders also agreed to boost bilateral ties including private-sector exchanges in such areas as culture and tourism. Hun Sen also asks the South Korean govt. for more aid to Cambodia's efforts to rebuild itself. After their talks, Hun Sen and Kim oversaw the signings of an aviation agreement and an agreement allowing Cambodia to use South Korea's Economic Development and Cooperation Fund. Hun Sen is leading a 38-member delegation which includes Hor Namhong, Senior Minister Sok An, Commerce Minister Cham Prasith and Army Chief of Staff Ke Kim Yan for a three days visit. [Kyodo]

April 11, 2001

South Korean Pres. Kim Dae-Jung promises to help Cambodia rebuild its war-ravaged infrastructure at a meeting with PM Hun Sen. FM Hor Namhong says Cambodia is seeking a 20-million U-S-dollar loan from Seoul to rebuild roads, in which South Korean officials say Seoul is willing to offer a loan. [ABC]

April 12, 2001

PM Hun Sen and his delegation return to Phnom Penh from a 3-day official visit to South Korea. [ABC] ……….Ten of the 24 ethnic Vietnamese minority leave Phnom Penh for the US after receiving permission from the RGC, according to a US diplomat, Ted Allegra. The remainders are still being interviewed. [Kyodo 04/13/01]

April 14, 2001

Vietnam asks for increased protection at its embassy in Phnom Penh after a bomb exploded outside a day earlier, wounding a Cambodian police guard and slight damage the embassy wall. The motive for the attack is not known, but it came at a time of tension between Phnom Penh and Hanoi over Cambodia's decision to give sanctuary to a group of Vietnamese hill tribesmen, some of who are now being resettled in the US. [BBC]

April 17, 2001

Construction on the first national power transmission line between Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese border will begin later this month. Creating the 46 million US dollar power link with Vietnam is the beginning of a 10-year electricity and power project in Cambodia. The country planned to spend another 82 million dollars to build a national power grid. The Cambodian-Vietnamese power link will include two connections, according to Ith Praing, secretary of state of the Ministry of Energy. The first link is a medium voltage 15- or 22-kilowatt line that will benefit villages on both sides of the order. The second larger one is a 220-kilowatt high-voltage transmission line that will run from the Vietnamese border to Takeo town, southern Cambodia and then to Phnom Penh, he added.  The projects will bring cheaper, more reliable power supplies to Cambodia. Currently, only 7 percent of Cambodians have access to reliable electricity. Both the link from Vietnam and the power grid project will be financed with loans from the World Bank. [Cambodia Daily]

April 20, 2001

Thai and Cambodian trade delegates have reached an understanding on bilateral economic cooperation; assuring the two countries will complete a 10-year plan by late this year.  Cambodia-Thai delegation met on April 18 to discuss a draft plan for the first bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries. [Cambodia Daily]

April 21, 2001

Cambodia is negotiating with the Vietnamese govt. to broadcast Cambodian state television in southern Vietnam, home to a large ethnic Cambodian population. Officials say the govt. hopes to begin the broadcasts in the Khmer language by 2003. Information Minister Lu Laysreng says he met recently with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on the matter and negotiations are ongoing. Dep. Information Min., Khieu Kanharith, says officials hope to formalize the plan this year and start operation by the end of next year. He says a broadcast relay facility for Television Kampuchea will need to be constructed on Vietnamese soil, and the entire project could cost around two million dollars. [ABC]

April 25, 2001

Japan told Cambodia that domestic political stability is key to continued financial aid from foreign countries, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. FM Yohei Kono told visiting FM Hor Nam Hong in Tokyo that Japan intends to keep supporting the rebuilding and democratization process in Cambodia, the official said. But Kono added in the half-hour meeting, ''Many donor countries share the view that good governance and domestic political stability in Cambodia are very important'' in considering assistance, according to the official. Hor Nam Hong told Kono that Cambodia's two major political parties are cooperating for the sake of development and explained that local elections to be held for the first time in Cambodia in February are meant to spread democracy to regional areas. ''Good governance is an important pillar of Cambodia's various reform efforts and is essential for rebuilding and developing the country,'' Hor Nam Hong said, according to the official. Hor Nam Hong also requested support from Japan and other donors for his country's efforts to reduce the proportion of its population defined as poor from the current 36% to 25% by 2005 and to eliminate poverty by 2015, the official said. Representatives of donor countries and international aid agencies of the Consultative Group (CG) on Cambodia are scheduled to meet in Tokyo in June to review their aid package to the country. The Cambodian govt. said in January it would seek $500 million from foreign donors at the upcoming CG meeting. In the previous CG meeting last year in Paris, the donors pledged $548 million for rehabilitation programs. [Kyodo]

April 28, 2001

Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, tells AP news agency that the RGC has defended its commitment to human rights following criticism by the UN of its track record and its failure to sign an important agreement. Since the country had just emerged from nearly 30 years of war, it's not possible to make sure all rights are respected. But, he says Cambodia's goal is a society with perfect human rights. The comments follow a resolution adopted this week by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The resolution expressed "grave concern" at continuing incidents of "torture, excessive pretrial detention, violation of labor rights and forced evictions, and an apparent lack of protection from mob killings". The commission also condemned the govt. for failing to sign a formal agreement with the UNHCR for its rights monitoring office in Cambodia. [ABC]

May 5, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing the official visit to Cambodia by Singapore PM Goh Chok Tong from May 6-10, 2001, at the invitation of PM Hun Sen.

May 10, 2001

PM Hun Sen says violence is on the rise in despite peace. In an appeal for a return to traditional religious values, Hun Sen says violence has shown a remarkable increase recently in both domestic violence and in broader society. Hun Sen said jealousy-related domestic violence was often ending in murder and youths lacked discipline and were roaming towns and cities in gangs causing chaos. UN workers and human rights groups documented some 30 cases of disfiguring jealousy-related acid attacks last year, mainly on girls and young wives. They also recorded a similar number of mob lynching. [ABC]

There is evidence that Cambodia is one of the few countries in the world where the HIV/AIDS epidemic appears to have slowed. A UN sponsored workshop in Phnom Penh, announced the development saying there has been a decline in the number of persons newly infected each year.  It says the decline in the number of newly infected persons is a tribute to the pragmatic, broad-based and frank govt. program to combat the epidemic. The statement says it's not the end of the HIV epidemic in Cambodia but it shows that a sound prevention strategy can work. There are now 169,000 HIV infected adults among 15-49 years age group compared to 210,000 in 1997 when Cambodia had the highest HIV prevalence in Asia. [ABC]

May 11, 2001

PM Hun Sen’s cabinet issues a press release denied The Cambodia Daily article HUN SEN Says Singapore PM's Advice Wrong,  “The Cabinet of the PM of Cambodia categorically rejects and considers the above interpretation as an intention to underestimate the fruitful negotiation that was held during the visit of His Excellency PM of Singapore to Cambodia. When being asked by a woman journalist: "Will Cambodia develop only its tourism?" at Pochentong International Airport, the PM gave a simple response: "If we only develop tourism, would we have anything to eat?" The Cabinet of the PM would like to stress that in Cambodia, tourism is one of the many priorities in which the GRC is now developing.”

May 13, 2001

India named Pradeep Kumar Kapcer as ambassador to Cambodia. Kapcer presents his credentials to King Sihanouk at the palace. He succeeds the late Jasit Singh Randhawa, who died almost at the end of his tour of duty in Cambodia. [Phnom Penh Daily]

May 17, 2001

UNHCR says Cambodia has granted temporary asylum to more than 150 Vietnam ethnic minorities, who fled their homes earlier this year following a govt. crackdown. But the long-term fate of the group has yet to be determined. UNHCR moved the tribespeople, who had been living in the jungles of remote northeastern Mondulkiri province, to the relative safety of the provincial capital Senmonoron on May 18. UNHCR Rep. Johanshah Assadi tell reporters after a meeting with Dep. PM Sar Kheng in Phnom Penh that he is encouraged by his talks with the govt. [Reuters]

May 19, 2001

PM Hun Sen denies that the Chinese Govt. is putting pressure on Cambodia to delay putting on trial leaders of the Khmer Rouge for genocide. Hun Sen is speaking after talks in the Cambodian Phnom Penh with the visiting chairman of China's National People's Congress, Li Peng. The PM said the issue had not been raised. [BBC]

May 21, 2001

Li Peng leave Cambodia after a 4-day official visit that emphasized relations between the two countries are closer than ever in the past 22 years.  Li, the second in command in Chinese Communist Party, did not comment publicly during his visit but met top officials and toured Angkor.  He is the fourth senior Chinese official to visit Cambodia in the past six months. Last Nov., Pres. Jiang Zemin became the first Chinese head of state to visit Cambodia in nearly 40 years. [ABC]

May 22, 2001

UNHCR says it is concerned by reports that Cambodia is expelling Vietnamese asylum seekers. The refugee agency says the expulsion reportedly took place as recently as one week ago. UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski says 14 Vietnamese from various Montegnard tribes were reportedly sent back to their homeland. Mr. Janowski says the refugee agency has increased its presence along the Cambodian - Vietnam border to try to prevent asylum seekers from being forced back into Vietnam. [VOA]

May 23, 2001

The UN has set up refugee offices along Cambodia's northeastern border following reports of force deported of Vietnamese asylum seekers by Cambodian police. The New York-based Human Rights Watch group says it has evidence 89 Montagnard people who had crossed into Cambodia seeking asylum have been expelled over the past month. Human Rights Watch has accused the RGC of reversing commitments it made to the UN to allow the refugees to stay in Cambodia until conditions improve in the Vietnamese central highlands. [ABC]

Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says: “Our position on this issue has been stated clearly on many occasions. Vietnam and Cambodia will jointly resolve any issue arising in the border area in conformity with both sides' interests and agreements made between the two countries. Outside interference would only further complicate the situation.”  The statement is made in response to the news reporters question about the Human Rights Watch's accusations of the RGC of forced repatriation of Vietnamese ethnic people who have fled to Cambodia, requests Vietnam to provide the whereabouts of those who have been forced to return to Vietnam and to give diplomats and UNHCR officials access to these people. [VN Foreign Minister’s press release]

May 24, 2001

Sacked workers of a bottled water company in Phnom Penh launch a campaign for a public boycott of the firm's products in a bid to get their jobs back. It's said to be the first time such a consumer boycott campaign has been attempted in the country. Dozens of former visit retail outlets and markets to hand out one-page flyers to vendors and shoppers.  The Thai-owned company employs some 500 people and packages some of Cambodia's best-known bottled waters, as well as other popular drinks. The company fired more than 70 workers late last year after they formed a union, and labor organizers say they will maintain the boycott until they are rehired and a union is allowed to be set up. [ABC]

May 25, 2001

CPP and FUNCINPEC sign a pact that aims to ensure a non-violent campaign ahead of the nation's first-ever local elections in February. The pact was characterized by party leaders as an attempt to show the international community before a major foreign aid donors meeting in Tokyo next month, that stability is the primary goal of the nation's cash-strapped govt. [ABC]

May 29, 2001

King Sihanouk opens the 10^th National Congress of Cambodian’s religious leaders with a call for unity and a return to traditional Buddhist values to end increasing violence in society. He says it's time for Cambodians to unite to preserve peace and harmony for the nation by adhering to the Buddha's advice on self-conduct and giving up all hatred, envy and violence. [People’s Daily]

May 31, 2001

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia govt. have agreed to work together to protect the increasingly threatened environment, in Indochina. Environment ministers of the three countries signed a declaration on cooperation during their first meeting in Hanoi. Vietnam's PM Phan Van Khai, opened the meeting, saying that the protection of the environment has become a common problem for the three countries. [ABC]

Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara inaugurates the public transport system in the capital city.  Twenty-two air-conditioned buses, donated by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will begin transporting residents of the city on June 1. [CNN]

June 1, 2001

PM Hun Sen, in a speech to mark International Children’s Day, calls for the creation of a 5-year plan to fight the commercial and sexual exploitation of children in the country. Cambodia has become a popular destination for Western paedophiles, because poverty has forced many children into the sex trade. [BBC]

Cambodian and Thai tourism officials meet in Si Saket; agreement is reached in which Cambodia will give partial management of Preah Vihear Temples to Thailand.

June 4, 2001

Cambodian genocide researchers are asking Thai Thammasat University for the records of Nuon Chea who attended law school there in the 1940s, saying they may contain vital evidence for any UN-sponsored trial. Nuon Chea was Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and Dep. PM of Democratic Kampuchea. [ABC]

June 6, 2001

FIFA Pres. Sepp Blatter pledges almost 800-thousand dollars for a new training facility for Cambodia’s soccer program. Blatter said the training and administrative center should be a rallying point for the rebirth of soccer, which like all other forms of leisure, culture and entertainment were eliminated during the Khmer Rouge's rule. [ABC]

June 7, 2001

PM Hun Sen arrives in Japan to attend the fifth Consultative Group meeting, where the RGC seek to raise about 500 million dollars from the meeting.

June 10, 2001

The RGC has approved a draft law regulating air traffic and setting punishments for those who endanger air traffic safety. Offenders will face prison terms of between 10 and 20 years and fines of up to 5,000 dollars. A govt. spokesman says the bill, approved at a weekly cabinet meeting, will soon be sent to the National Assembly for adoption. The spokesman said the bill was not drafted in reaction to last month's terrorist attacks in the US, but was the result of a long period of planning.

June 11, 2001

The trial of 32 CFF suspects begin in Phnom Penh after a dozen defense lawyers walked out of court saying their clients can not get a fair trial due to govt. pressure and court bias.  The lawyers protest the judge’s refusal to grant a change of venue from the gightly-guarded court, judicial bias, as well as a heavy military presence in the court, which they say is an attempt to intimidate the judge and witnesses.  Three other lawyers remain in the court.  The 32 suspects are tried on charges of terrorism and belonging to an illegal armed force that tried to topple the RGC by attacking three govt. buildings in Phnom Penh last Nov.  Richard Kiri Kim, one of American citizens and CFF member, admits that he was the leader of the group.  He tells the court that he joined CFF in 1998 and was appointed dep. commander in chief in 2000.  Two other Cambodian-Americans, Chhun Yasith and Thong Samien, are tried in absentia. [AP] [VOA]

PM Hun Sen asks Japan $15 million for the efforts to cut military and provide discharged soldiers with education and job-training projects. During talks with Japanese FM Makiko Tanaka, Hun Sen explains that Cambodia is trying to reduce its number of soldiers from 130,000 to 100,000 by 2002.  Hun Sen also asked for Japan's assistance in the spheres of administrative reform, the promotion of information technology, the funding of local elections to be held next year, the building of a national road and the promotion of tourism.   [The Japan Times 06/12/01]

Moeung Sonn, Phnom Penh tour agent, write letter to the Ministry of Culture complaining the use of Angkor Wat as logo by the Bangkok Airway.  Mr. Moeung says it is look like the Angkor Wat belongs to Thailand rather than Cambodia.

June 12, 2001

PM Hun Sen says Cambodia plans to soon enact a bill to set up a special court to try senior Khmer Rouge members for their role in the atrocity committed during their rule. Hun Sen tells an international conference in Tokyo that he respects justice and that judging the past helps make Cambodia's future bright. Japanese Senior Vice FM Seiken Sugiura tells the same aid conference it is essential that Cambodia and other SEA countries promote judicial system reform as well as other types of structural reform. [BERNAMA]

Tong Siv Eng, a pioneering Cambodia female politician, dies at age 81 in a Bangkok hospital from heart disease.  She played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in helping to end Cambodia's civil war in the late 1980s. She was elected to the National Assembly in 1958 and became Cambodia's first female minister (Social Action) in 1959-63 and Health 1963-63.  In 1987-88, she brokered the first three meetings between then-prince Sihanouk and Hun Sen. Tong Siv Eng was born in 1919, educated in Cambodia and Vietnam, married at 19 and had two children. She and her husband were among King Sihanouk's closest aides during the monarch's six decades in Cambodia's political spotlight.

PM Hun Sen asks Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi not to cut Japan's official development assistance to Cambodia when Tokyo reviews aid as part of its fiscal reforms. In a meeting at the PM's Official Residence, Hun Sen told Koizumi that although he is aware of Japan's difficult financial situation, Cambodia still needs help from the international community. Koizumi, whose govt. is reviewing its ODA to poor countries, replied that Tokyo plans to study ways to offer cooperation that will help countries effectively. In the meeting, Hun Sen outlined six areas where he hopes to receive Tokyo's assistance. They include expenses for cutting its military personnel, funds to promote administrative reforms and aid to conduct the country's first local elections next year. [The Japan Times 06/13/01]

June 13, 2001

The RGC announces the arrested of Duong Sopheap, 28-year old customs department official, at his home in Phnom Penh two days earlier.  Sopheap is a suspect in an alleged attempt to topple the RGC last Nov. Police say he is the deputy security chief of the CFF. [AP]

June 14, 2001

Donor nations conclude a 2-day conference on aid to Cambodia in Tokyo with combined pledges of $560 million.  Japan pledged the largest portion of the aid package, $118 million, partly to help Cambodia reach its goal of slashing its troops by 31,500 to reach a total of 100,000 by next year.  On its part, Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to political and economic reform, including in its judicial system and fiscal policy, as well as the military cuts.  On the same day, PM Hun Sen asks the Liberal Democratic Party to ensure Japan maintains its current level of official development assistance to the country, saying Cambodia wants to set an example to the world in transparency and efficiency in the use of financial aid.  [The Japan Times 06/14/01]

June 15, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing the official visit to Cambodia by Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra from June 18-19, 01, at the invitation of PM Hun Sen.

June 17, 2001

King Sihanouk honors Tong Siv Eng, the first Cambodia’s female politician, by lighting her funeral pyre at a ceremony attend by more than 1,000 mourners at Wat Botum.  PM Hun Sen does not attend ceremony but wrote a letter saying that the death of Tong Siv Eng ``is a great loss ... to the nation'' and that she ``served the nation actively and loyally.''

June 18, 2001

Nuon Chea says he is ready to appear before a tribunal to face genocide charges if required. He says he will respect the law if called to defend his actions before a tribunal planned to be set up and accept the tribunal’s legitimacy even it failed to call Ieng Sary. [ABC]

June 19, 2001

Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra urges Krung Thai Bank to stay on in Cambodia following reports that it and two other Thai banks based in Phnom Penh would close their operations.  The Premier says he did not want to see the state-run bank withdraw from Cambodia because it could assist Thai investors in neighboring countries.  Cambodia's new central bank regulations call for commercial banks to increase their minimum capital to US$13 million from $5 million by year-end. The rules have been cited by Krung Thai Bank, as well as Bangkok Bank and Thai Farmers Bank, as their reason for planning to close after this year. [Bangkok Post-Business 06/20/01]

June 22, 2001

Phnom Penh court sentence three US citizens, Richard Kiri Kim, Chhun Yasith, Thong Samean, to life imprisonment for their involvement in a failed attempt to topple the RGC last Nov.  The later two were tried in absentia.  The court also sentence 27 Cambodians to jail term ranging from life to three years in connection with the same incident. [BBC]

June 29, 2001

Bangkok Post reports today Cambodia's culture ministry has asked the Thai govt. to look into Bangkok Airways' use of a picture of Angkor Wat temples on the side of its planes.  The request come in respond to a complain letter sent by a Cambodian tour agent two weeks earlier. [Bangkok Post-Aviation/Tourism 06/29/01]

June 30, 2001

A Sam Rainsy Party commune council candidate, Uch Horn, in Kampong Speu is murdered, in which Human Rights Action Committee says politically motivated.

July 04, 2001

An extortion group calling itself “Maria” bomb two hotels, Hong Kong and Hotel Favour, in Phnom Penh, killing three people.

FUNCINPEC Pres. Prince Ranariddh announces that Prince N. Sirivudh, King Sihanouk's half brother, will become the party's new secretary general. Prince Sirivudh, was exiled in 1995 after being charged of plotting to kill then Second-PM Hun Sen; he returned in 1998 after a compromise between CPP and FUNCINPEC.

July 6, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing the official visit to Cambodia by North Korea National Assembly Pres. Kim Yong Nam from July 17-20, 01, at the invitation of King N. Sihanouk.

July 11, 2001

The National Assembly passes the revision of legislation for the establishment of a genocide tribunal of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for the atrocities committed during their reign from 1975-1979.  The revision is needed to satisfy the Constitutional Council’s objection to the death penalty which forbidden by the Kingdom constitution.

July 14, 2001

A former general, Ouk Satya, wanted in connection to the deadly bombings of two hotels in Phnom Penh earlier this month has surrendered to the authorities. However, he denied any involvement in the bombings on July 4 that left three people dead and another 12-injured. Police have already arrested two people, including a former Cambodian soldier, and charged them with terrorism and forming an illegal armed group. Both men have confessed to the charges, saying their motive was to extort money and create chaos in the city. They claim Ouk Satya was the mastermind behind the attacks. [ABC]

July 16, 2001

PM Hun Sen sacks So Mara, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, following a controversy over an agreement negotiated with Thai authorities in which partial management of Preah Vihear Temples is ceded to Thailand.  39 National Assembly members sent letter to PM Hun Sen demanding the removal of the director.

July 17, 2001

The War Crimes Research Office at American University and the Coalition for International Justice release a report naming seven of former Khmer Rouge leaders as candidates for prosecution of crimes against humanity committed during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of horror from 1975 to 1979. The Seven are: (1) Nuon Chea, (2) Ieng Sary, (3) Khieu Samphan, (4) Ta Mok, (5) Ke Pauk, (6) Sou Meth and (7) Meas Muth.  A Funcinpec commune council candidate, Meas Soy, in Kampong Chhnang is shot dead by two unidentified person.

Min. of Tourism, Veng Sereyvuth, write a letter to his Thai counterpart Somsak Thepsutin annulling the signed records of a meeting between Thai and Cambodian officials on the so-called "lease" of Preah Vihear temple on June 1 at Si Saket.  The minister says the Cambodia representative, So Mara, exceeded his mandate and signed records of the meeting without the ministry’s consent.  [Bangkok Post-News 07/25/01]

A Funcinpec commune council candidate, Meas Soy, in Kampong Chhnang is shot dead by two unidentified person.

July 19, 2001

PM Hun Sen calls for strong borders control in an effort to stop drug smuggling and armed rebels crossing.  The Premier made the call following talks with Vietnam Minister of Public Security, Le Minh Huong, in Phnom Penh.

July 20, 2001

Three of seven former Khmer Rouge leaders, who was named in the War Crimes Research Office at American University and the Coalition for International Justice report as prime suspects for prosecution of crime against humanity, deny any responsibility for the killing of an estimate 1.7 millions Cambodian during the Khmer Rouge’s reign from 1975 to 1979.

Cambodia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) issues a joint communiqué in Phnom Penh expressing the willing to further develop friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries.  The communiqué issues following the conclusion of official visit by the president of North Korea National Assembly, Kim Yong Nam, who arrived Cambodia on July 17.

July 21, 2001

Voter register have begun for February 3, 2002 communal election.  More than 1600 communes will elect its leaders, some 6 million Cambodians are expected to be eligible to vote.

July 23, 2001

The Senate unanimously passed, with the vote of 51-0, the revision of legislation for the establishment of a genocide tribunal of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for the atrocities committed during their reign from 1975-1979.  The revision is needed to satisfy the Constitutional Council’s objection to the death penalty which forbidden by the Kingdom constitution.

July 27, 2001

Cambodia-Thai General Border Committee hold its 2 days meeting, the first in six years, chair by Thai Dep. Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Cambodia co-Defence Minister Tea Banh.  [Bangkok Post-News 07/27/01]

July 29, 2001

Bangkok Post reports today that Cambodia has asked Thailand to help it secure membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  A team of international trade negotiators from the Thai Commerce Ministry will head for Phnom Penh early next month to offer advice on issues their Cambodian counterparts have to tackle as part of the process.

July 30, 2001

Thailand Dep. PM Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said in Phnom Penh that his country will not allow its soil to be used by insurgents as a launching pad to overthrow the RGC.  There would be no repeat of incidents such as that involving Sok Yoeun, accused of trying to assassinate Cambodian PM Hun Sen in Siem Reap in 1998. Gen Chavalit was in Cambodia for the second General Border Committee meeting. [Bangkok Post-News 07/30/01]

Aug. 3, 2001

Vietnam Dep. PM Nguyen Tan Dung says the armed forces of Vietnam and Cambodia should work together to execute their joint border treaty.  He expresses his hope that the CRAF would help Vietnam in its search for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers killed in action in Cambodia. “The Party, State and people of Vietnam harbored great hopes for Cambodia to become a prosperous nation,” Dung told General Kun Kim, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the CRAF. [VNS 08/06/01]

Aug. 7, 2001

The Constitutional Council approves a revived genocide tribunal bill, which was passed the National Assembly on July 11 and by the Senate on 07/23/01.  The bill will forward to King Sihanouk for his signature before it becomes law.

Aug. 8, 2001

PM Hun Sen calls for an urgent session of National Assembly to mandate a reshuffle of his cabinet.  The cabinet posts of justice, agriculture, forestry and fishery, and rural development will be reshuffled.

Thai and Cambodian police signs a co-operation agreement to step up suppression of gangs smuggling stolen vehicles from Thailand into Cambodia.  Most of the vehicles stolen here were destined for Cambodia. [Bangkok Post-News 08/09/01]

Aug. 9, 2001

Foreign Ministry announcing an official visit to Cambodia by Lao PM Bounhang Vorachith from Aug. 15-17, 2001, at the invitation of PM Hun Sen.  Bounnhang will be granted a Royal Audience by King Sihanouk and Queen Monineath Sihanouk at the Royal Palace. During his visit, PM Bounnhang will hold official talks with PM Hun Sen at the Office of the Council of Ministers and will pay courtesy calls on Chea Sim, Pres. of the Senate, and Prince Ranariddh, Pres. of the National Assembly. The visiting PM will also visit places of cultural interest in Phnom Penh.  A Joint Communiqué will be issued at the end of the official visit. [FM Press Release]

Aug. 10, 2001

King Norodom Sihanouk signs the genocide tribunal bill into law.  The bill was passed by the National Assembly on July 11, the Senate on July 23, and approved by the Constitutional Council on August 7.  The United Nations welcomes the approval of the law.

Chen Chi-il, a Taiwanese Bamboo Union gang leader, is freed from prison on time served after he was convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal court on charge of illegally possessing weapons.

Aug. 14, 2001

PM Hun Sen says the United Nations must accept Cambodian law on the genocide tribunal law, “The Memorandum Of Understanding must comply with Cambodian law. It must not make Cambodian law comply with the MOU.”  Cambodia and the UN are set to negotiate on details of how the world body involve in the tribunal.

PM Hun Sen says he expects only about 10 former Khmer Rouge leaders will go on trial for crimes against humanity.  He said he expected lower ranks would not be targeted by an international tribunal.  Cambodia finally approved laws to set up the international tribunals last week, but the UN has yet to approve the legislation and it has expressed concern that some former Khmer Rouge members won't face trial. Hun Sen has warned that he will go ahead with the trials without the UN if it objects to the new legislation. [BBC]

Aug. 15, 2001

PM Hun Sen appeals for calm among former Khmer Rouge commanders, saying only the top leadership of the Khmer Rouge will be prosecuted by the genocide tribunal for crimes against humanity.

Aug. 16, 2001

Hanoi welcomes Cambodia’s passing of the genocide tribunal law to try former Khmer Rouge leaders but hesitate to say whether it would cooperate with the tribunal by providing access to state archives, which would shed light on key defendants.

Aug. 17, 2001

Khieu Samphan makes a public apology to Cambodians who lost family members and relatives during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of horror, “I apologize to our compatriots who had lost their love ones in the regime,” He also rejects all allegations of his involvement in the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.

Minister of Information send letter to Co-Ministers of Interior requesting the confiscation of all copies of book “Light of Justice” wrote by opposition leader Sam Rainsy.  MoI charges the book is wrote to attack and accuse the RGC without proof and thus intentionally creating suspicion and defamation of the govt.

Aug. 19, 2001

The one billion dollar vaccination drive, funded by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, reach Cambodia.  Baby Chan Rasmey of Siem Reap is the first child in Asia to be immunized.

Aug. 20, 2001

PM Hun Sen dismisses denials by former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan as laughable.  The premier says he finds it hard to understand how Khieu Samphan knew nothing of the atrocities when he was the head of state.

Nearly 80 percent of electorate registered for the commune election scheduled to be held on Feb. 3, 2002.  Around 90 percent of eligible voters registered for 1998 national elections.

Aug. 21, 2001

The National Assembly approves the cabinet reshuffle requested by PM Hun Sen. Ly Thuch (FUNCINPEC) replaces Chhim Seak Leat as Minister of Rula Development; Neang Situng replaces Ouk Vithun as Minister of Justice; and Chan Sarun becomes Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the post that vacated by the death of Chea Song in April.

FM Hor Namhong and Japanese Amb. Gotaro Ogawa sign an Exchange of Notes concerning a Grant Aid of ¥ 311,000,000 (approximately equivalent to US$ 2,500,000) extended by the Govt. of Japan to the RGC for the execution of the project for human resource development scholarship. The grant will be made available during the period between the date of coming into force of the present arrangements and 31 March 2002. [FM Press Release 08/20/01]

Aug. 22, 2001

PM Hun Sen says the opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, would be arrested for inciting farmers to demonstrate in Phnom Pehn on pretext of seeking food.  Hun Sen says the real flood victims would be busy at home and take care their family; they won’t have time to come to Phnom Penh.  Around 600 farmers have stayed in the park in front of the National Assembly for a week.

U.S. Ambassador Kent Wiedemann, at an anti-corruption conference, criticizes the RGC over its slow response against corruption in the country.  He adds that with sufficient political will, steps could be taken immediately, and the RGC’s request for technical assistance and more time to draft corruption laws is “a bad excuse”.

Aug. 23, 2001

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri arrives in Phnom Penh, from Siem Reap where she spent a few hours visiting Angkor, for a two-days official visit.  She is received at Pochentong Airport by King Norodom Sihanouk.

About 350, 000 people are evacuated from flooded areas in the eastern part of the country.  Govt. appeals for food and medicines to cope with the evacuation.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy put complaint with National Assembly President Prince Ranarriddh concerning the PM Hun Sen’s threat of arresting him for inciting demonstration and the confiscation of his book “Light of Justice”.

Prince Ranariddh, answer to reporters at Pochintong Airport, says his father not only had no connection with the Khmer Rouge but its victim.  He also adds that the King will be ready to be a witness if the court calls.

Aug. 24, 2001

Police and party officials say a key activist for Sam Rainsy Party has died after being shot by two gunmen.  The 54 year-old Toch Voeun was shot dead on late Aug. 23 at his house in Ta Peam village of Siem Reap province. SRP claim the killing was politically motivated; police says the killing is a personal dispute.  [AFP]

Aug. 28, 2001

Deputy PM Sar Kheng urges UN High Commissioner for Refugees to speed up its efforts to repatriate some 300 Montagnard refugees from Vietnam who are sheltering in Cambodia.  Montagnards have been fleeing to Cambodia following Vietnamese govt. crackdown on demonstrations over land rights.

Aug. 29, 2001

The RGC slams foreign ambassadors in Cambodia through a diplomatic note send to all diplomatic missions in the country over their criticism of the RGC’s moves to fight corruption.  The note refer to an unnamed ambassador, “The said ambassador has also used inflammatory words inciting a revolt against the Royal Govt. of Cambodia.”

The death toll from severe flooding in Cambodia reach 35 today as torrential rains continued to wreak havoc among villagers, destroying bridges, roads and crops in the countryside.  Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee Nhim Vanda told AFP another 13 people had died overnight after floodwaters continued to break the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.  The victims took the death toll from the floods to 35, since counting began on August 22. The latest deaths included five children. [AFP]

Aug. 30, 2001

Authorities in the capital Phnom Penh struggle to cope with an influx of people who are homeless by recent flooding.  More than 135,000 people are homeless after two weeks of heavy rains.

Sept. 4, 2001

Police stun human rights groups by releasing five people who allegedly brought babies and young children for illegal adoption, saying their arrest was the result of a misunderstanding. "After we examined the case we have decided to release all of them because we did not have any charges to lay," district police spokesman Heng Vathana said. Ten babies aged between 10 days and two years plus a boy aged three and a girl aged six were retrieved in a police raid on night of Sept. 3. [AFP]

Sept. 6, 2001

Govt. officials have appealed for increased international food donations, as more provinces bordering Vietnam become hit by floodwaters. Fifty-six people have drowned so far. Nhim Vanda, Dep. Chairman of NDMC, says more than one million people are now affected by flooding in 12 of the 20 provinces. Roads and bridges have been swept away, and the staple rice crop is under threat. [BBC]

Sept. 10, 2001

A police officer says Phnom Penh Police has unearthed the case of bomb explosions two days earlier in the Headquarters of Funcinpec Party and arrested two suspects. The two suspects, Kev Ta and Chea Sophal, were arrested Sept. 7, and they confessed to the police that they threw bombs into the headquarters of Funcinpec Aug. 8, 2001. The suspects said that they had two purposes: one is to work for a terrorism group - the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF), and the other is to destroy the cooperative relations between Funcinpec and CPP. The police stated that they also arrested two other suspects, Neak Phaling and Prom Sithun, at New Market in the central Phnom Penh Sept. 6. The two said they committed bomb attack at the enclosure of the Foreign Ministry on the night of July 5, 200l. [The People’s Daily]

Sept. 11, 2001

The trial begins for one Cambodian and two American journalists accused of defaming FM Hor Namhong. The three are being sued over two articles published in The Cambodia Daily in January in which the minister was said to have played an active part in administering a prison camp in Phnom Penh, in which innocent people were taken from the camp, tortured and executed. Hor Namhong, who did not appear at the court, said he was put in charge of a committee at the prison camp but that he was merely a prisoner. [AP]

Japan Foreign Ministry issues a press release concerning the extension of emergency grant to Cambodia.  The Govt. of Japan decided to extend emergency grant aid of 100,000 dollars (10,700,000 yen) and emergency aid materials to Cambodia, which has sustained damage from floods.  The water level of the Mekong river has been rising due to heavy rain since mid-August, causing flood disaster in the provinces along the river.  The RGC has requested emergency assistance from the international community.

Sept. 12, 2001

PM Hun Sen says Cambodia should adopt English as its second or working language, to better take advantage of the information technology revolution. He says promoting English in schools will make Cambodia more competitive in the future within the context of Association of Southeast Association Nations and globalisation. He also said he supported the idea that every Cambodian should know at least four languages, Khmer, English, French, and a language of an East Asian country. [ABC]

PM Hun Sen sends letter of condolence to U.S. Pres. George Bush, “Excellency, The whole people of Cambodia and I are deeply shocked to learn about the immense tragedy caused by very criminal terrorist attacks against the United States, which resulted in a tremendous loss of lives and injuries. May I convey on behalf of the Royal Govt. and the People of Cambodia, my most heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those victims and the U.S. Govt. on this mournful occasion. I am fully convinced that the whole world must take every joint efforts and action to combat the terrorism in our world today. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Military police have deployed five water cannon trucks and scores of troops to head off protesting workers who marched on a Phnom Penh court demanding the release of their colleagues. Witness quoted by the AFP news agency say 200 workers marched on the court after the arrests of three strikers who allegedly took part in a riot one week ago when two-thousand workers rampaged through a footwear factory. Last week's riot erupted after 96 employees were laid off. Computers, machinery, three cars and about 60-percent of the Ming Da Footwear factory were destroyed as scuffles broke out between strikers and security guards. [ABC]

Oct. 8, 2001

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing a working visiting of Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia on Oct. 11, 2001.  During his visit, the premier will be received in a Royal Audience and awarded the Medal " Grand Croix de l' Ordre Royal du Sahamétrei " by King Norodom Sihanouk at the Royal Palace.  He will also hold talks with PM Hun Sen.

Oct. 13, 2001

Cambodia picked Koh Kong as its top industrial area to cater to the expected relocation of Thai factories after the two countries' economic strategy is put in place. The selection of Koh Kong over two other prime areas, Poipet and Pailin, conforms to a govt. plan to put more development efforts into its coastal territory. Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said the RGC was putting the final touches on an economic co-operation plan between Thailand and Cambodia. [Bangkok Post]

Oct. 12, 2001

Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra backs a suggestion by PM Hun Sen for a summit of the six countries in the Mekong sub-region, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and China.  Cambodia offer to host the summit. [Bangkok Post]

Oct. 24, 2001

Cambodia marks its first arms reduction effort in areas formerly controlled by the Khmer Rouge by burning more than 5,000 weapons. The ceremony takes place in the northern town of Pailin, one of the last refuges of the Khmer Rouge.  The event is part of the European Union-sponsored "Flame of Peace" campaign, which aims to stop the proliferation of small arms in Cambodia.  The governor of Pailin, Y Chhien, said the ceremony underlined a commitment made by the Khmer Rouge to show the world that the region is at peace and ready to support plans to try the regime's leaders in an international tribunal.  Arms experts estimate that are still an estimated half-million illegal weapons circulating in Cambodia. [BBC]

Nov. 2, 2001

Police say they believe anti-govt. rebels were responsible for a grenade attack overnight in the northwestern town of Pursat. Officials said six hand grenades exploded near govt. offices shortly after dark, causing some damage.  There were no injuries. Police said they believed a group known as the Cambodian Freedom Fighters were behind the attack.  The US-based rebel group said it was responsible for an attack on govt. buildings in Phnom Penh last November in which four people were killed.  The attack led to Cambodia's largest-ever terrorism trial in June this year in which 30 people were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three years to life. [BBC]

Nov. 3, 2001

Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn asks the army to help build a secondary school in Cambodia with her own money and public donations.  Maj-Gen Surawat Butrwong, chief of staff officers attached to the defence minister, said the school construction project in Kampong Thom was initiated by the princess, and that she had sought help from the army's engineering unit. The school, called Prasart Somboon, would be able to admit 1,200 pupils from Grades 7 to 12.  It would open next year and would receive technical assistance from some lecturers at Chulalongkorn University, Maj-Gen Surawat said. [Bangkok Post]

Nov. 7, 2001

PM Hun Sen thanks U.S. President George Bush for removing Cambodia from the list of major illegal drug producing or transit countries, “... This is a great pride for Cambodia and it is a justification from the US President because Cambodia is not a producer or consumer of drugs... Through our activities, in our efforts to combat and eliminate drugs, I think it is a justification both for the people and the RGC... Though some people try hard to tie the RGC with the drug issue, the Mafia issue... finally, the President of a powerful country has removed Cambodia from the list... It is clearly the pride for the people of Cambodia, a justification from the powerful country... and I am proud and thank President George W. Bush for giving this justice to the Cambodian people..."

Foreign Ministry issues a press release announcing a signing ceremony on the Loan Arrangement and the Loan Agreement from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of the Govt. of the Republic of Korea to the RGC, which will be held on 8 November 2001, at 11:00 am, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Secretary of State UCH Kiman and Ambassador Lee Wun-Hyung of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Cambodia will sign the Loan Arrangement. Secretary of State for Economic and Finance OUK Rabun and Mr. SUNG-Kyu Kim, Executive Director of the Export-Import Bank of Korea will sign the Loan Agreement. The Loan Agreement of the amount of $20,000,000 is for the capacity expansion of the RGC's Administration Information System Project.

Nov. 9, 2001

Two CFF suspects, Chu Trie and Puth Siem, are released after Municipal Court ruled that they had been unlawfully arrested and found that there was no evidence against them.

Nov. 15, 2001

PM Hun Sen is awarded an honorary degree in political science by Thai Ramkhamhaeng University. In an address to university students, the PM pledges to actively take part in the Asean and Mekong sub-region forums to push Cambodia into the regional and global communities.  Hun Sen receives the degree after he concluded his 3-day official visit.  [Bangkok Post 11/16/01]

Vietnam foreign ministry’s spokesperson, in response to VNA correspondent’s request concerning the recent territorial border demands made by some SRP parliament members, states that “Viet Nam and the Kingdom of Cambodia entertain friendly neighborliness and multi-faceted cooperation based on the principle of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference into each other's internal affairs.  Viet Nam always categorically respects agreements on the border between the two countries, which it signed with the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Govt.s of Viet Nam and Cambodia are actively cooperating to seek an early solution to the remaining issues on the border between the two countries in conformity with fundamental principles of international law and other legal foundations including the 1993 Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Cambodian official statements, striving to build a common borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and long-lasting stability. The territorial demands by some Cambodian members of parliament of Mr. Sam Rainsy party are not in line with the current status of negotiations and management of the border between the two countries, not conducive to the ongoing friendly neighborliness and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries and run counter to the will and aspiration of the State and people of Cambodia.” [VN Foreign Ministry Press Release]

Nov. 16, 2001

Jailed Khmer Rouge leaders awaiting trial will not be released when their three-year legal detention period expires early next year, PM Hun Sen announced. Former Khmer Rouge army chief Ta Mok, also known as "The Butcher", can only be held without trial until March next year. The UN has been pressing Cambodia to bring Ta Mok and other former Khmer Rouge leaders to trial for atrocities carried out during their rule between 1975 and 1979. But Hun Sen blames the delays on the UN and repeats his threat to go it alone if the delays continued. [BBC]

Nov. 20, 2001

PM Hun Sen orders the immediate closure of all bars, nightclubs and Karaoke bars in a move to tackle violent crime and crack down on vice. Hun Sen said increased crime and drug consumption was damaging traditional values and culture in Cambodia. He said the order did not affect restaurants, which use orchestras or traditional dancing to entertain customers. The move follows two recent deaths and eight injuries, which the authorities have linked to nightclub crimes. Tourism officials in the country were confident the orders would increase visitor numbers.  [BBC]

Nov. 21, 2001

Foreign Ministry announces a planned state visit to Cambodia by Vietnam Pres. Tran Duc Luong from Nov. 26-28, 2001, at the invitation of King Sihanouk. Pres. Tran will be received in a Royal Audience by the King. Chea Sim, Pres. of the Senate, Prince Ranariddh, Pres. of the National Assembly, and PM Hun Sen will pay separate courtesy calls on the visiting president. [FM Press Release]

Nov. 26, 2001

A huge fire levels a Chomkar Mon district squatter neighborhood, leaving thousands of people homeless.

Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong arrives Phnom Penh for a three-days state visit.  He is received at Pochintong Airport by King Norodom Sihanouk, govt. officials.  Thousands of student line the street for the visiting Vietnamese President's motorcade route.

Nov. 28, 2001

VN foreign ministry spokeswoman, in response to reporter inquiry of Vietnam's reaction to the failure of Vietnam and Cambodia to settle the land border disputes between the two countries following Pres. Tran Duc Luong's state visit to Cambodia, and thousands of ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia suffered by fire in Phnom Penh, says: “On State Pres. Tran Duc Luong's visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the two sides signed many agreements…..  With regard to the border issue between the two countries, at present, Viet Nam and Cambodia are actively pushing negotiations to resolve remaining issues on territorial borders between the two countries. On State Pres. Tran Duc Luong's visit, the two sides affirmed their determination to resolve the issue as soon as possible on the basis of equality, mutual understanding and good neighborliness with a view to building a border of long lasting peace, stability and friendship between the two countries……At the moment, we have not obtained detailed and full information on the incident.  We very much sympathize with the people residing in the area over their losses caused by the fire and hope that the Govt. of the Kingdom of Cambodia and local authorities will take care of and help the Vietnamese nationals to soon stabilize their life.”

Nov. 30, 2001

National Assembly approves, with vote 81 of 91, supporting the suspension of opposition Sam Rainsy Party member Son Chhay for 15 assembly sessions and fine of half of his salary for two months.  The move come after Son Chhay criticized NA President Prince Ranariddh for not sitting in the president’s chair while Assembly is in session.

12/04/01

The Senate’s secretary-general Um Sarith says the institution will no longer help its members to get travel visas for spouses, children and relatives that have been done through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The decision comes amid an investigation into a visa scam in which high govt. officials are alleged to use their positions for procuring visas for thousands of dollars.

The new $56 million bridge funded by Japanese govt. is inaugurated in Kompong Cham by PM Hun Sen.

Dec. 6, 2001

FM Hor Namhong and Japanese Amb. to Cambodia, Gotaro Ogawa, sign an Exchange of Notes on a Grant Aid of two billion yen (2,000,000,000) provided by the Govt. of Japan for contributing to promotion of the economic structural adjustment efforts by Cambodia and mitigation of the economic difficulties of Cambodia. PM Hun Sen presides over the signing ceremony. [FM Press Release 12/03/01]

Dec. 8, 2001

Thai FM Surakiart Sathirathai says Thailand and Cambodia agreed to end their maritime dispute next year after years of controversy and stalled negotiations.  The agreement reached following the two-days meeting between the FM and Cambodian Cabinet Minister Sok An.  Thailand and Cambodia have an overlapped claim of area of almost 26, 000 square Kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand. [Bangkok Post]

Dec. 11, 2001

A cafe is attempting to get the safe sex message across by giving away free condoms to young people. The UN estimates that just under 3% of the country's population of 11 million is HIV positive or has Aids.  A locally based charity, Friends, says it is providing the free condoms and sex education because the govt. is not doing enough to tackle the pandemic. [BBC]

The APSARA Authority sign an agreement with the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo (NRTICPT) to engage in collaborative research regarding the temple surroundings, the protection of their environment, as well as methods to clean temple stones. The collaborative research plan was approved by the International Coordinating Committee for Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC). [Yashodhara N° 5: July-Dec 2001]

Dec. 23, 2001

Thai authorities close the only entrance to Preah Vihear, citing environmental damage to Thai villages and Cambodia failure to deal with the matter. Trash and wastewater from a market and shops run by Cambodians near the temple were reportedly flowing into a stream, which runs through five nearby Thai villages.  [Bangkok Post-Environment 12/23/01]

Dec. 24, 2001

FM Hor Namhong and PRC Amb. to Cambodia, Ning Fukui, sign an Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between Govt. of Cambodia and Govt. of the PRC. Through this Agreement, the PRC Govt. will grant Cambodia an interest-free loan of RMB eighty million yuan over a period of five years starting from 1 January 2002. [FM Press Release]