khmer sources

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- U.S. scientists are getting closer to engineering material that could make three-dimensional objects invisible to the human eye, though they're nowhere close to duplicating the "cloaking device" used by alien Klingons in "Star Trek," according to media reports Monday.

Previously, they only have been able to cloak very thin two-dimensional objects.
The findings, by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Xiang Zhang, are to be released later this week in the journals Nature and Science.

Cloaking uses metamaterials to deflect radar, light or other waves around an object.
Metamaterials are mixtures of metal and circuit board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite. They are designed to bend visible light in a way that ordinary materials don't. Scientists are trying to use them to bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows.

British diver Paul Worsley shows off the giant crab he caught in Lyme Bay, off the Dorset coast. The crab weighed 63.82kilograms (141 pounds) and had a shell width of 30.48 centimeters (12 inches) while each of its claws was as big as a man's hand. (Source: CRIonline)

The crab weighed 63.82kilograms (141 pounds) and had a shell width of 30.48 centimeters (12 inches) while each of its claws was as big as a man's hand. (Source: CRIonline)

The crab weighed 63.82kilograms (141 pounds) and had a shell width of 30.48 centimeters (12 inches) while each of its claws was as big as a man's hand. (Source: CRIonline)

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading into national polls, VOA Khmer will explore a wide number of election issues. The "Election Issues 2008" series will air stories on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a related "Hello VOA" guest on Thursday. This is the second in a two-part series examining the worries of the urban displaced.]

Although politicians and officials say they are seeking votes from the urban displaced, they may face one problem: many displaced are no longer eligible to vote. As many as 150,000 residents of Phnom Penh could face eviction in the path of development in Phnom Penh. But many of them will not be among the 720,000 voters registered in Phnom Penh.

But the Committee for Free and Fair Elections and the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections both say the displacement has put voting out of reach this year for many. Some who were registered at their old neighborhoods in Phnom Penh have not been able to register in their new locations, officials from both organizations said.

Nevertheless, parties hope they can convince those who do vote that they will act to solve many of the problems the evictees face. Cambodian People's Party lawmaker Chiem Yeap said his party's candidates will seek to explain to resettled residents reasons they were moved. "Some people say the rich put pressure on the poor," he told VOA Khmer. "

It is not like that. The CPP always wants achievement and winning in a valuable manner, and we want our citizens to understand that and vote for us." Many forced evictions have led to displaced communities far from the capital and its jobs, schools and infrastructure. Critics say eviction plans rarely compensate people fairly, but city officials maintain the evictees are squatters on state land.

CPP candidates for Phnom Penh will seek to inform potential voters of the party's future measures, to help build houses, roads, schools and hospitals, and provide them with clean water and electricity, Chiem Yeap said. The displaced could receive help from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, which seeks to raise the living conditions in these settlements to the standards enjoyed by city dwellers, Phnom Penh candidate Yim Sovann said.

Lu Laysreng, first deputy president of Funcinpec and Minister of Rural Development, called the urban displaced the patient in the hospital that needed treatment soonest. No matter the policies, the urban displaced are looking for leadership to bring them out of poverty, voters like Chim Rem, who was ousted from his Sparrow's Nest home on the Tonle Bassac and now lives in a resettlement village 20 kilometers from the capital.

"I will go to vote, to choose the prime minister, so that he sees all kinds of people and knows someone who has difficulty or lives under suppression," he said.

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh17 June 2008

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading into national polls, VOA Khmer will explore a wide number of election issues. The "Election Issues 2008" series will air stories on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a related "Hello VOA" guest on Thursday. This is the first in a two-part series examining the role of workers in the election.]

The increasing price of gas may be one deterrent for voters this year, but workers say they will also have to overcome the policies of their bosses. Many garment workers live in Phnom Penh but hail from rural provinces, where they are registered to vote. This can make travel for voting expensive, and requires time off for work.

Independent groups have worked hard to encourage factories to give their workers time off for Election Day, July 27, but workers say they worry individual factory owners have little incentive to do so. Workers say in the 2007 commune elections, they were forced to work overtime during the elections, but they were not given time off.

They are worried the same will happen in July. The July election was very important, said Nov Sokheoun, 25, a garment worker at the Teratec factory, who is registered in Kampot province. "I wish to attend to vote, although my province is 120 kilometers far away from Phnom Penh."
Some workers representatives say there should be no problem. Chuon Mom Thol, president of the Cambodian Union Federation, said there should be no problem, and he plans to make a request to the Ministry of Labor to allow workers time off to vote.

Om Mean, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Labor, said on Monday the ministry issued an official letter to all unions and factory owners to allow garment workers to vote. When the factory owners receive the letter, they will respect the ruling of the government, he said.
There are 394 factories in Phnom Penh, employing 340,000 people, according to the president of the Free Trade Union, Chea Mony.

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh, 04 July 2008

As the pre-trial detention hearing of jailed Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary came to a close this week, participants found themselves at odds over how much victim participation through civil parties was too much.

Prior to one session of the hearings, the Pre-Trial Chamber judges ruled that one individual, Seng Theary, a Cambodian-American lawyer whose parents died under the Khmer Rouge, would not be allowed to participate directly. Pre-trial judges ruled that for the Ieng Sary hearings, civil party victims of the regime would only be allowed to express themselves through lawyers. That ruling has raised questions over how much participation should be allowed in the future.

The UN-Cambodia tribunal was designed with a unique element: the presence of civil parties, who participate alongside prosecutors and the defense, representing their own cases but also speaking as a voice of the victims. But following the hearings Thursday, lawyers told reporters there was a limit.

"In some ways, it was really a bad week from the perspective of the civil parties," said lawyer for the civil parties Silke Studzinsky. "We received this week a ruling by the Pre-Trial Chamber saying that civil parties are not allowed to speak personally if they are not represented." Under the tribunal's internal rules, civil parties are not obligated to have a lawyer, Studzinsky said. Seng Theary called the ruling "a prevention of the civil parties' rights." Michael Karnavas, co-defense for Ieng Sary, disagreed.

"We still have not set up the modality, how far can [civil parties] go, what should they do?" he said Thursday. "Half the time they are just repeating the arguments that the prosecutors made, rather than say, 'I concur,' and then adding one or two points."

However, Studzinsky said Karnavas was used to working with courts in a system of common law, unlike the system used to set-up the tribunal. William Smith, co-deputy prosecutor, called civil parties very important for the tribunal. They play a watchdog role, he said, and stand up for the interest of all victims. Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said the role of the civil parties was important to the courts, but in some cases, testimony such as Seng Theary's is not crucial.

"Seng Theary's case is not the same," he said. "The expression of the victims in person will be more interesting in the trials."

PHNOM PENH, July 15 (Xinhua)

There is no tension currently at the border between Cambodia and Thailand, although both sides stationed more troops there over a territorial dispute around the Preah Vihear Temple, said Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith here Tuesday.

Three Thai protesters were arrested earlier in the day for jumping an immigration checkpoint to reach the temple. Thai troops then came to fetch them and the number of soldiers gradually built up to around 100.

Kanharith confirmed the increase of Thai troops and said that negotiation is going on to quiet the situation.

Meanwhile, a Thai army ranger was released for treatment after he stepped on a landmine and made his leg ripped off, he added. Provincial authority of Preah Vihear earlier told reporters that the Thai troops entered the Cambodian territory.

However, the Thai side said that a delegation was sent into Cambodia to secure the release of the three protesters, insisting the soldiers had remained nearby but on Thai territory.
The protesters trespassed the border with intention to reclaim the 11-century classic Khmer-style temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia in 1962, a decision that rankled the Thais.

The temple straddles the Thai-Cambodian border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama resigned last Thursday after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had overstepped his authority in supporting Cambodia's application to have the temple classified as a World Heritage Site.

By Jonathan Head BBC News, Bangkok

A week after the controversial listing of the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, the dispute that has flared up between Thailand and Cambodia is still causing tension. The 11th-Century Hindu temple lies along the border between the two countries, but in 1962 the International Court of Justice judged that it belonged to Cambodia.

However the land surrounding the temple is still disputed, and the only practical access is from Thailand. The issue has stirred up nationalist emotions in an already sensitive political climate in both countries. Early on Tuesday three Thai protesters crossed into the temple - which remains closed - and were detained for a short time by Cambodian troops.

The Cambodian authorities also say 40 Thai soldiers crossed into their territory briefly, although they are putting this down to confusion over the precise line of the border.
For both sides there is more at stake than a temple. Cambodia is preoccupied with a hard-fought general election campaign, in which Prime Minister Hun Sen aims to extend his more than two decades in power.

Last week he encouraged thousands of Cambodians to join a rowdy celebration of the temple's new international status in the capital, Phnom Penh.

In Thailand feelings are running even higher; the government elected last December was already floundering under a combined assault by street demonstrators, unfavourable court verdicts and the parliamentary opposition.

Its opponents have accused it of incompetence, and of being led by nominees of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by a coup in September 2006.
Now the government is being attacked for selling out the country over Preah Vihear, because it initially supported Cambodia's bid to list the temple.

One of Thailand's top courts judged that decision to be unconstitutional, as it was in effect a treaty which needed parliamentary approval, and it has barred the government from offering any further co-operation with Cambodia. As a result Foreign Minister Noppodol Pattama was forced to resign last week, one of three ministers to lose his job over the past two months.

The volatile state of Thai politics is the principle reason the row has blown up. Thai society is still deeply polarised between those who support Mr Thaksin, and want him to stage a political comeback, and those who loathed his leadership style and mistrust the motives of the government, which is led by his party. The fact that before being appointed foreign minister, Mr Noppodol had been Mr Thaksin's chief lawyer made his position particularly vulnerable.

His critics accuse him of putting his former client's business interests in Cambodia before the country's interests over the temple, something he has strongly denied. That suspicion harks back to the five-and-a-half years Thaksin Shinawatra was in office. As an immensely wealthy and successful businessman himself, he promoted his can-do ethos around the country, especially in poorer rural areas.

He believed in the global marketplace, and in exposing Thais to its risks and opportunities. He pushed hard to privatise state-owned industries and get free trade agreements with as many countries as he could. Inevitably he provoked opposition from those who felt they would lose out, or from those who felt he cared more about making money than about Thailand's traditions and interests.

The most vehement opposition to the Preah Vihear World Heritage bid comes from the same groups who objected to many of Mr Thaksin's policies: the traditional, royalist and aristocratic elite and elements of the Bangkok middle class.

But there are also genuine historical grievances at play. The international court decision awarding Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962 was not unanimous. It rested largely on Thailand's failure to protest against the French-drawn border line in the decades before.
At the time it was mapped, a hundred years ago, Thailand had few skilled cartographers of its own.

The French colonial cartographers were supposed to draw the border along the forested edge of the Dangret Escarpment, but they veered in a few hundred meters to put the temple on the Cambodian side. It is not clear why the Thais did not object then. But it is worth remembering that in 1941 Thailand fought its only war of the 20th Century with French colonial forces over where the border with Cambodia should lie. A huge monument in the centre of Bangkok still commemorates that conflict.

At different periods in the past Thai and Khmer empires have vied for dominance in the region; the town next to the famous Khmer ruins at Angkor Wat is Siem Reap, which means "Siam [Thailand] flattened".

Khmer-style temples like Preah Vihear still dot much of Thailand's north-east. That historical rivalry still resonates today. Only five years ago the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was burned down by an angry mob after a Thai actress was wrongly quoted as saying Angkor Wat should belong to Thailand. As it awaited news of the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site, the Cambodian government took the precaution of reinforcing security around the re-built Thai embassy.

King Norodom Sihamoni called for Cambodian unity to help develop the country, saying too that people living in the capital play a crucial role.

Speaking at the inauguration of a statue to honor Grandmother Penh, on whose legend the name of the capital rides, King Sihamoni said national unity, helped by citizens of Phnom Penh, was the key to raising Cambodia out of poverty.

The statue, he said, was a testament to the capital.

Phnom Penh was established as the capital of Cambodia relatively recently, but it has been central to the country’s economy and politics for nearly 600 years. It was established along with five pagodas after 1422, when King Ponhea Yat abandoned Angkor to the jungle.

Many tourists these days opt out of seeing Phnom Penh altogether, focusing instead on the rediscovered ancient capital and the temples of Angkor. Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema told VOA Khmer Friday he hoped the statue would help tourists reconsider.

Meanwhile, Meach Ponn, an advisor for the Institute of Buddhism, said the municipality should research the stories of other Khmer heroes, such as A Cha and Sva Krala Homkong, to build more statues in the name of Cambodia.

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading into national polls, VOA Khmer will explore a wide number of election issues. The "Election Issues 2008" series will air stories on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a related "Hello VOA" guest on Thursday. This is the second in a two-part series examining the impact of foreign investment on voters.]

Although voters are satisfied with foreign investment development in Cambodia, they are disappointed that the income does not benefit the poor. And as the election approaches, investment that has led to infrastructure could pay off for the ruling party, observers say.
Not all, however, are convinced they benefit.

Under a mango tree, in a poor neighborhood in the middle of Phnom Penh, Phan Na, 32, prepared a prahok dish for her family's lunch. She said she was happy for the overall development of projects like skyscrapers in Phnom Penh, but she was concerned about her own living conditions, as these developments had not reached her.

"The development is not for the poor, but for the powerful government officials and the millionaire businessmen," she said. "The poor Cambodian people have no one to help them. If someone gives the benefit to me, I will vote for them, especially any government who can help the poor Cambodian people."

Investment in the first quarter of this year has fallen compared to last year, but an overall development boom has benefited Cambodia's economic development over the past few years. But many Cambodians do not see the direct benefits. "I have no hope," Ou Soeun, 55, who lives in a slum area of Phnom Penh, told VOA Khmer. "

"Poverty controls my daily life." "I feel very happy for this development, but the result of the development has not benefited me," she said. "I am very disappointed for that. We are poor, and still poor, and have only disappointment, and nothing to do."

Human Rights Party Vice President Keo Remy said Cambodia's economic boom had served powerful officials and millionaires only. "The Cambodian people right now are focused on the election more and more, to change their living conditions, so the development of the big buildings, or modern, new buildings, is not connected with the people's vote for the ruling party," he said. "The people now think only of living and eating, for enough food, enough clothes, and sending their children to school."

Some officials of the ruling Cambodian People's Party say their party will win support from eligible voters through development and investment.
Puthea Hang, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, agreed with this.

"The voters will focus on the construction of roads, bridges and all kinds of buildings, as well as modernized markets," he said. "All of these can attract voters, but this is a focus on the rich people." Sim Vibol, a teacher of law at a private Phnom Penh university, disagreed.

"The development of modern buildings and economic development are not very important factors for attracting people to vote for the CPP, but it is the style of how to rule, how to control the country to make progress," he said. "The CPP can have the support from the people in the rural areas where the ruling party constructs roads, schools and bridges, or sometimes gives gifts."

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading into national polls, VOA Khmer will explore a wide number of election issues. The "Election Issues 2008" series will air stories on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a related "Hello VOA" guest on Thursday. This is the first in a two-part series examining the impact of foreign investment on voters.]

Signs of investment in Cambodia now abound: from plans for skyscrapers, fresh paint on new villas and infrastructure projects across the countryside. Millions of dollars are coming in, but, as Cambodia enters an election year, those numbers are dipping. Political observers say little of this money gets to the people anyway, even as quality investment has shied away from the country thanks to corruption.

Still, voters are likely to start looking for leaders who can help bring them some of the millions of dollars of foreign investment coming in, with a government that will be in power until 2013.

Cambodia saw private investment drop from $503 million in the first quarter of 2007 to $253 million in the same period this year, according to the government's investment oversight body, the Council for Development of Cambodia. The top investors for the country include Singapore, China and South Korea.

A dip in investment capital will be felt by Cambodia's labor force, which comprises hundreds of thousands of young voters. This also affects Cambodia's overall economic development, said Sok Sina, an independent economic analyst, who blamed a decline in garment exports to the US and the overall struggling global economy for the dip.

Voters may not necessarily think of this immediately as an issue, but opposition leader Sam Rainsy said poor investment was a product of poor government, especially corruption, which keeps away quality investors.

Election observers say voters are not concerned with the fall of investment or slow economic growth, because their living conditions remain still poor. But voters could concentrate on leaders who can pull them out of poverty.

Cambodian elephants can be distinguished from their African counterparts by their smaller ears, Yun Mane, a young law student of the Phnong minority, explained recently from Mondulkiri province. These elephants are endangered, just as the traditions of the Phnong people are.

The Phnong's traditional use of elephants to clear forests and for transportation is declining, as the monetary value of elephants increase. Many Phnong, who are short of food and money, sell their elephants to companies in Siem Reap, where they are used transport tourists around Angkor Wat, Yun Mane told VOA Khmer recently.

"The elephant is the animal we love the most because it helps transport wood from the forests to help us build homes, and rice from the fields, and fruits and vegetables from farms," she said. "Our people do not rely on motorcycles or bicycles, because, in the forests and on the mud paths, when there is heavy rain and flooding, the elephant is the most reliable of all.''

As a child Yun Mane rode her elephant into Vietnam to bring back food and herbal medicine. But she sold her elephant several years ago to help her family and help pay for her education. Phnong are historically known as expert elephant captors. In their religion, the Phnong pray to elephant gods for good health, abundant harvests and safe journeys. The Phnong are forbidden to kill or eat the animals. A domestic elephant is honored in death with th same traditional funeral burial as a human.

''When an elephant dies, the Phnong do not eat the dead elephant," Yun Mane said. "A few Phnong might, but very few. The elephant is considered sacred, even in death. We bury a deceased elephant, especially the elephant that I personally love."

Melbourne scientists plan to run DNA tests on elephant dung sent from Cambodia to help work out numbers and monitor wild populations. Rangers have collected almost 600 samples of elephant dung from the Cardamom Mountains in the country's southwest. Elephant biologist Joe Hefferman said getting a more accurate picture of population size would help conservationists work out how many elephants were being poached.

Jailed Khmer Rouge president Khieu Samphan has selected a replacement defense lawyer from two likely candidates, but neither had confirmed a position Friday. A new candidate is likely to be approved by next week, tribunal officials said.

Khieu Samphan's former Cambodian lawyer, Say Bory, resigned early last week, leaving on opening in the defense team, which includes the French attorney Jacques Verges. "I went to meet Khieu Samphan this morning, and [he] gave me the name that he read in the directory of lawyers," Say Bory said.

He chose an experienced lawyer who can speak French, but Khieu Samphan must wait for final confirmation from the candidate, Say Bory said. Rupert Skilbeck, head of the tribunal's defense section, said it would take some time because of the importance of the decision.

Khieu Samphan must make sure he chooses a lawyer he is confident with and who can sustain a trial that could last two to three years, Skilbeck said. Family members of Khieu Samphan could not confirm his choice Friday. A source close to the tribunal said Khieu Samphan indicated interest in two names, Heng Chy, a former judge and former chief of the Appeals Court, and Sar Sovann, who holds a doctorate of law from France.

Heng Chy said Friday he had discussed the position with Say Bory, but at age 76, as old as his would-be client, sitting in long tribunal hearings and poring over thousands of pages of documents would be difficult. Sar Sovann said Friday he was likely to lose the job to Heng Chy, but would not comment further.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's former king dismissed any Thai claim to an 11th century temple on the border as baseless, weighing in on a dispute that has soured relations between the neighbors and fueled anti-government protests in Thailand.

Preah Vihear temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site this week, reopening a long-standing disagreement between Phnom Penh and Bangkok over which country owns the land that surrounds it.

Former King Norodom Sihanouk said in a handwritten note posted on his Web site Friday that any Thai claims to the temple were "absolutely false."He accused the Thais of causing "unmerited and anachronistic problems" for Cambodia "rather than concentrating on developing harmonious, friendly and fruitful relations" between the two countries.

Samdech Ta, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk said that some Thais are ignoring historic facts that prove that the "mountain and the temple of Preah Vihear are 100 percent Cambodia and belong to Cambodia 100 percent."

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the temple and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor Wat in northwestern Cambodia."

Thanks to Khmer kings and the Khmer Empire -- the Angkorian Empire in particular -- Thailand is actually very rich in temples and other Khmer monuments in the style of Angkor," the former king said.Thailand's Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama resigned Thursday after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had overstepped his authority in supporting Cambodia's application to have the temple classified as a World Heritage Site.

UNESCO added the temple to its list of landmarks on Monday.Some political opponents have charged that the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej deliberately bypassed Parliament and backed the bid in exchange for business concessions from Cambodia for toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other Samak cronies.Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, led a group of Thai, British and Dubai businessmen to Cambodia in late May to discuss several investment projects, including the construction of a new city.

But at a recent news conference, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong dismissed suggestions that the business trip was linked to the Preah Vihear issue.As Cambodians celebrate the recognition for the temple, a small group of Thais continue to protest, demanding the eviction of Cambodians living on land near the temple.

Source: Xinhua 07-10-2008 09:48
Special Report : 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

King of Cambodia has confirmed to be present at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games.

"Our King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games to share the joy of the Chinese people," said Hor Namhong, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The FM also highly praised the preparation having been done for the Beijing Olympic Games in a recent written interview with Xinhua, saying it's impressive thanks to the utmost efforts of the whole Chinese nation.

"There is no doubt that the event will be a great achievement and success of the Chinese people, in spite of certain disruptive incidents in some areas and countries affecting the organization of the Olympic Games," he said.

The FM continued that a successful hosting of the Olympics this year will elevate the prestige of China worldwide and also give a sense of great pride not only to the Chinese people, but also other peoples of the whole East Asian region.

"Chinese athletes will certainly bring China many gold medals," he added.

Meanwhile, he said in the interview that the Cambodian people are very happy that the Olympic Games in Beijing coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China.

According to an official statement, Cambodia will send a 15-member delegation to participate in the Beijing Olympics. Four Cambodian athletes will join races of marathon and swimming.

A member of the Cambodian Mine Action Center walks with dog training to be a canine mine detector in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Puppies training to be landmine detectors play with their trainers.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- Five squirming puppies born in the outskirts of this capital city may hold the future to successful land mine eradication in Cambodia.As part of the first litter of 10 mine-detection dogs born in Southeast Asia, the puppies spend their time wrestling and napping in a silky-soft heap. The government hopes these snuffling pups will become the nation's next generation of heroes, sniffing out TNT and exposing lethal buried land mines.

"Of all trained working dogs, the most difficult job is being a mine detection dog. These dogs need to be at the top every day," said P.A. Bergstrom, a canine expert with Norwegian People's Aid who is developing the program for Cambodia Mine Action Center, a nongovernmental organization. Cambodia has one of the world's highest rates of unexploded munitions, according to the International Campaign to Ban Land mines. Hundreds of thousands of land mines, cluster bombs and artillery shells are buried throughout the nation's jungles and countryside - lethal reminders of three decades of past wars.

"Even when land mines and UXOs (unexploded ordnance) do not directly kill or hurt people, they are a major obstacle to the development of the country because the contaminated land cannot be used for agriculture or resettlement," Deputy Prime Minister Sok An has said. "People cannot travel or access basic social infrastructures. Getting rid of land mines is a prerequisite to lifting affected populations out of poverty."

Since 2000, canine mine-detection teams have been used in Cambodia in four of the worst hit provinces. Currently, there are 53 dogs in the field. Experts say the optimum canine is a fully trained German or Belgian shepherd from Europe, which generally costs about $30,000.

Purchasing such pricey foreign dogs has been an issue for impoverished Cambodia.After the mine action center was formed in 1996, the organization attempted to turn local dogs into mine detectors. They sent 10 prospects to Sweden for training. But even though the Cambodian canines learned how to detect mines, the effort eventually failed. The dogs had difficulty trusting their handlers upon return to Cambodia."

The life of a Cambodian dog is not like in Western culture," Bergstrom said. "Here, they're used for guarding the house and almost everyone knows the best way to get rid of one on the street is to bend down and pretend that you are picking up a stone, because that's normal treatment for local dogs."

So even though the Cambodian dogs learned how to find mines, they regressed once they returned to Southeast Asia, Bergstrom said. "They came back to their old behaviors. They began listening to their handlers less."

Since then, the center has imported dogs. But that could change if the current program's instructors can mold the puppies into full-fledged mine detectors."The dog is not easy to train," said Vim Lay Im, an instructor who handles Tess, a retired mine detector who has worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Angola and Cambodia. "The instructor needs to be strong and patient and get involved with the dog most of the time. ... It is hard at first, but it will be better once you grab the dog's heart."

The new trainees were born in March, the offspring of proven mine detectors. The parents, November and Frode, are Belgian shepherds from Bosnia.The training process began almost immediately after the puppies were born: Bergstrom and trainer Huot Vannara played games with them, encouraging them to investigate and retrieve with the hope that playful roughhousing and fetch would help develop brave, curious adults with a "high-sniff frequency."

Last month, however, five of the 10 dogs died from canine coronavirus, which affects the intestinal tract. Bergstrom said the deaths underscore the difficulties in raising dogs in Cambodia: The disease is rarely fatal in Western countries where vaccines and expert veterinary care are available.The setback, however, won't deter Cambodia from developing its dog mine-detector program, Bergstrom vows."If even a couple of puppies make it into the field, the fledgling program will be a huge success," he said.

Cambodia and land mines

Cambodia is cluttered with land mines and unexploded ordnance from past wars involving the Cambodian military, the former Khmer Rouge regime, Vietnam and the United States. It is one of the most contaminated countries in the world, affecting nearly half of the nation's rural villages.Between 1970 and 1975, an estimated 539,129 tons of bombs were dropped on Cambodia.

Conservative estimates show that the United States dropped more than 50,000 tons of unexploded general purpose bombs and 3.75 million unexploded bomblets.Since 1979, there have been more than 63,000 casualties from land mine and unexploded ordnance. One in every 250 Cambodians is disabled, and the proportion of amputees - 1 in every 384 people - is the highest in the world.In 1993, Cambodia began its program to eradicate the mines.

A 2002 survey identified 1,724 square miles of known or suspect areas. By 2006, 23 square miles had been cleared of 236,929 mines and other devices.As a result, deaths and injuries are decreasing. Land mines and ordnance killed or maimed 1,154 people in 1999 compared with 315 last year.The Cambodian government hopes to clear all land mines by 2012.

Sources: International Campaign to Ban Landmines; Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority; Cambodian Red Cross/Handicap International Belgium; Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System; HALO Trust; Rand; Mines Advisory Group; U.N. Development Program; U.N. Mine Action Service; World Bank.

Canine mine detectors

More than 750 dogs are used in detection programs in an estimated 23 countries, including Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Angola, Afghanistan and Iraq.In Cambodia, the 18-month training program begins soon after the puppies are born. Initially, teachers stimulate the dogs with playful roughhousing and loud noise recordings designed to develop hunting instincts and an unflappable demeanor.The dogs are then given a conical red rubber toy, which is used as a reward and as a teaching tool. By using increasingly smaller pieces of the toy, the trainers teach dogs to sniff out specific scents by putting the plaything into a carousel of stainless steel cans. Trainers also bury slivers of the toy in sand and teach dogs to sit once they have found it.After dogs are able to detect a small sliver of the toy, the same tactic is applied to smaller and smaller pieces of TNT. Eventually, they learn to smell even the slightest trace of explosives in the air or on the ground.A dog and his handler can clear at least 6,458 square feet a day. In contrast, a person with a metal detector can cover only a quarter of that area.

Sources: Norwegian People's Aid; Cambodia Mine Action Center; Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining; Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority.

E-mail Katie Nelson at foreign@sfchronicle.com.

The widely known epic of Indian mythology, the Brahmanist legend of the Churning of the Sea of Milk, is as intrinsic to Khmer culture as it is on the subcontinent, and the mysterious but beautiful images of the story are commonly seen in Cambodian temples. In fact, Cambodia has adopted this religious epic, given it a distinctive flavor and made it the mother of those haunting Khmer icons, the Apsaras. Most temples in the kingdom will have some reference to the legend, whether it be a balustrade in the shape of a long snake held by dozens of gods and demons, a depiction of the three-headed elephant Ai Ravoan or a brightly painted scene of the churning pole balanced on the back of the god Vishnu's incarnation as a giant turtle. An entire gallery at Angkor Wat is dedicated to an incredibly intricate and beautiful rendition of the story, a work which has been called the greatest scene ever carved in stone.

The story is simple in its line and complex in its meanings. Several Brahmanist epics tell the story of Vishnu's second avatar, or incarnation, as Koromeak, the giant turtle, and how the goddess Lakshmi was born from the womb of the ocean. Why the gods began their churning is a matter for debate. Some say they
needed to recover precious jewels lost in a great deluge, some that they had grown weak and old and needed the elixir of life, amrita, to be churned from the sea to save them, and others that the sage Durvasa had given the god Indra a gift of a garland of ethereal flowers, which Indra had not respected and allowed to be trampled under his elephant's feet, causing Durvasa to curse him to become void of all riches. Shri, or Lakshmi, goddess of riches, then disappeared into Kshirasagar, the sea of milk, and needed to be recovered from its womb by the gods. For whatever reasons they decided to commence, however, it became obvious after a thousand years that the gods could not churn it successfully on their own. They sought the advice of Vishnu, and he advised them to collude with the demons. They agreed, and the divine mountain, Mount Mandara, was laid in the ocean, a churning pole placed on top and the great serpent Vasuki coiled around it. Gods took one end of Vasuki, demons the other and they proceed to twist the snake back and forth to churn the sea. The bas-relief at Angkor Wat shows this scene, with 92 giants, or demons, at Vasuki's head (the giants have the bulging eyes and the helmets) and 88 gods (they can be distinguished by their Khmer-shaped eyes and conical helmets) at his tail. Vishnu appears in both his four-armed human incarnation and as the sacred turtle, Koromeak, in the depiction. What is most haunting from the scene is the depiction of the ethereal Apsaras, floating above the sea and dancing for the gods and demons alike. The Sea of Milk legend also appears at other temples in the complex, although each period has a different style and way of carving the main characters. "Carvings of the Churning of the Sea of Milk are seen in all temples of the Angkorian period until the end of King Jayavarman VII's reign in 1220AD," Chan Pheak Kdei, Director of Cultural Tourism Development of the Ministry of Tourism, says. "But the style of carving differs through the 11th, early 12th and 13th centuries. And of all the carvings of this legend, only the piece on Angkor Wat's eastern wall has the most beautiful, low bulging styles, with all the gods in depicted in character as they are portrayed in their divinity tales, or legends."

The legend explains that the Sea of Milk was once a Sea of Smoke. One day, a sacred cow emerged from the sea, radiating a light brighter than 1000 suns and appearing larger than the sacred mountain. Its light put the 1000 horses of the royal carriage to sleep, and the gods were forced to go to see Lord Vishnu to ask what could be done. Vishnu floated up to the level of the cow's face on his lotus flower, but when he looked, the cow had become a beautiful nymph. She said, "I will offer you three wishes". "I need only one,"
said Lord Vishnu, "Turn this sea of smoke into a sea of milk so that any being that drinks of it no longer feels hunger or thirst." She agreed, and that is how the Sea of Milk began. As the gods and demons churned to find treasures, a celestial cow, the divine four-headed horse named Ochai Svarak (the horse also represents the five Buddhist commandments not to kill, steal, to take someone's wife, to lie or to drink alcohol) emerged, along with the three headed elephant Ai Ravoan, and a nymph called Sriel Ksei, but before they could find the amrita elixir of life or the goddess Lakshmi, the churning stick faltered and became unstable. The group of gods had moved to hold the serpent's belly instead of his tail, and he began to sway, creating a storm that could destroy the universe. Preah Indra and Preah Brahman could not stop it so Preah Vishnu invited the monkey king Viroskab from Nokor Hem Voan Kiri. The monkey king respected only Preah Vishnu, but he agreed to hold Vasuki steady so work could continue. His efforts made his body red like fire, so he was renamed Mohaa Chumpou, or the Great Pink. Another disaster quickly followed. Mount Mandara began to sink and neither the gods nor the giants, nor even Vasuki could stop it. To make things worse, the snake felt sick from the churning, and vomited venom called halek halak into the water which threatened to kill gods and demons, or giants, alike. Preah Shiva saved them from this, using his hand to scoop up the venom and then swallow it. The venom burnt his throat to a very dark red, and the group offered him the new name of Preah Nilton because of this. To save Mount Mandara, Vishnu turned himself into the turtle Koromeak and swam underneath the stick so that stability could return and churning could recommence. But there was a problem with one of the demon giants, who wanted to outsmart the gods. The gods and giants had agreed that if amrita was found at the giant's end of the snake, the giants could drink it and take its powers of immortality, and vice versa. One giant, named Reahou Asoret, had decided he would not help churn, but wait outside to see when the amrita came out so he could run to drink it immediately, before anyone else. Vishnu was suspicious and asked the sun and moon to watch him carefully while they worked. Suddenly, the churning produced the sacred water of amrita and an Apsara, or celestial dancer, at the same time. But the sacred water emerged at the side of the giants and the Apsara appeared with the gods. Vishnu ordered the Apsara, called Dilotama, to dance and trick them into watching her, and they were captivated. At that moment, Reahou Asoret seized the amrita and drank. The sun and moon yelled a warning to Vishnu, and Vishnu threw his sharpened discus at the thieving giant, severing his head and hands before the water could reach his stomach. That's why to this day Reahou Asoret has only a head and hands-because the water of life only reached as far as these parts. Furious that the sun and moon had betrayed him, Reahou Asoret made a vow of revenge "It does not matter, sun and moon," he told them. "From this day on, I will swallow you at night when we meet at night and I will swallow you in the daytime when we meet in the daytime." Reahou Asoret then became the deity in charge of eclipses, and is often pictured with the sun in his hands, ready to swallow it, and that is why we have eclipses to this day.

Although he is just 25 years old, Long Vannak, believes that his arranged marriage is prosperous and his parents knew what was best for him. He doesn't think he will ever look back with regret. Outsiders sometimes view arranged marriage as a practice of the countryside, or as something bad, but Vannak was educated to 12th grade level. His family is reasonably well off and he chooses to live in the city. Vannak sees himself as a symbol of his culture and is proud of the way he found his wife.

"I used to be a playboy and had many girlfriends, but now I'm married I've changed, and I had no say in who the girl would be-my parents arranged the marriage," he says. Meng Kim Lim, at 28, is seriously preparing for marriage, and he is confident the best way to find a good partner is through the efforts of his parents. "I need to discuss with my parents first about whom to choose to marry with.

If they agree with me, I have no problem," he says. "They are responsible for that." But Srey Thom is also 25, and a graduate of the National Institute of Management in Phnom Penh, and her ideas of marriage reflect the changing ideals of many younger Khmers. "I have a boyfriend at the moment," she says. "He is not the first, and I was devastated when I split up with my first boyfriend.

That taught me one thing-that I don't want to rush into anything. We are engaged to be married as soon as he finds a job, and I am hopeful that he is 'The One', but I believe that knowing and understanding each other before we get married is a very important thing. When an arranged marriage fails, we blame our parents and it creates problems in families, but when the marriage is not arranged, we have to face facts and blame ourselves.

" Khmer tradition demands that parents find a suitable marriage partners for their children, and that their children accept whoever the parents choose. It is a tradition at loggerheads with modern trends, but Vannak, for one, is happy to follow the path his ancestors have always followed and put his faith in his family. "Before parents decide for us to get married to somebody, they think a lot," he says. "No parents want their children to face divorce or unhappiness in the future." But what if they find that they just cannot get along?

"The answer is almost certainly trouble within the family or a divorce," he says. "However, a divorce cannot be a result that comes easily because Khmer society does not accept it well, so the troubled couple needs to try to stay together as long as possible to avoid a divorce that could spoil the family's reputation. Most couples can bear it until the pain disappears."

Khmer children traditionally place great trust in their parents' decisions, particularly that they can provide a happy marriage. In Khmer culture, it is believed that the parents are always right.

One Khmer proverb says that a cake is not bigger than a cup, meaning that parents know more about the world more than their children and, for instance, that the children need to follow their parents' lead in choosing a husband or a wife.

But the world is changing, and young people today are more and more outspoken. Not every child who has watched television, surfed the net and been through university believes the cup and the cake must be different at all. Debate comes from the most unlikely corners.

Yi Soksan, 40, is an official with the human rights group ADHOC and a father of three, but he sees no conflict with arranged marriages. Parents want the best for their children, and good parents do not want anything but happiness for their offspring, he says. "According to tradition, parents arrange and choose the marriage for the children. But according to the law, children can choose somebody they love to marry," he says.

"In this new generation, people choose their marriage by themselves. I believe that in many cases, they do it, not because of real love, but because of love movies, youthful exuberance and the influence of foreign cultures." Miech Ponn, 72, is a consultant at Buddhist Institute's Mores and Custom Commission. He agrees that the new generation is freer than his generation. He also says that people of this generation have higher divorce rates than in the old days. "Before, people needed to spend three days performing a wedding ceremony properly.

Nowadays, the wedding ceremony lasts only a day or two," he says. "Also, in the old days, men could not get married unless they had been ordained or studied at the pagoda, because people believed that being a monk made you more knowledgeable and patient than those who were not ordained. On the other hand, a woman needed to do the Chohl Mlob tradition (rites of passage performed at puberty) in which a girl needed to stay inside the house and refrain from being seen by any man for at least three months. By doing this, it was believed that she learned more about being a perfect girl and a good wife.

" He says that once upon a time, a bride's parents would ask the groom to work for the bride's family for the period of two to three years. After that, the bride's family would be able to judge whether he was hardworking and capable enough to feed their daughter. "The ceremony would only start when the bride's parents liked the groom," he says.

"In the old days, it was the woman who asked for a man's hand in marriage. This happened from the 1950s until the 1970s. This happened when a man was a teacher, a government official and a person who had influence and knowledge." But the outcome of any marriage is always fraught with doubts and dangers, arranged or not. In the end, most people believe, the solution is to marry someone we love, or maybe just someone we can come to love as we spend our lives together.