Three years ago China and Myanmar signed an agreement to construct a high-speed rail network .

Three years ago China and Myanmar signed an agreement to construct a high-speed rail network that would connect China’s Yunnan Province to the Bay of Bengal.
But last month, the three-year memorandum of understanding expired, leaving the network's future in doubt.
Myanmar officials said plans for a $20 billion high-speed railway that would have linked a sleepy seaport in one of Myanmar's poorest states to Kunming, Yunnan's provincial capital, were never realized, and no construction has been started.
But Chinese authorities said they are not giving up.
Rail near pipeline
The train would have run alongside the already completed Shwe natural gas pipeline, built by the Chinese. A road was to be built as well.
Railway Ministry director Myint Wai said last month the project was canceled because it was the will of the Myanmar people.
Wai said there are "no plans to implement this project, and the [agreement] has expired so we will not carry on the project, in accordance with the public's demand."
Similar large-scale joint venture projects between China and Myanmar have sparked popular opposition, mostly from the local people who would be affected by the construction.
These projects include a mega-dam for hydropower on the Myitsone River in Kachin state that appears to have been successfully suspended, and a Chinese-run Latpedaung copper mine in upper Myanmar.
Wong Aung, an activist with the Shwe Gas Movement, said canceling large-scale infrastructure projects with the Chinese is a way the nominally civilian government makes a break with the former military government.
"When they started to build the pipeline, at the time there had been a lot of military operations and a lot of people were still being oppressed under the military junta," Aung said.
"So now we consider this a kind of political development under the so-called civilian government under President Thein Sein. [The] President usually mentioned about people's participation and a kind of democratization which could create a kind of platform for local people to take control and voice their concerns," Aung said.

Thailand & military government this week approved a $23 billion,

Thailand & military government this week approved a $23 billion, eight-year plan to upgrade the national railway system, marking another effort to boost and reshape the economy.The eight-year spending program covers a broad upgrade to much of the rail network, including high-speed rail eventually linking up with China. It will connect to Thailand’s industrialized eastern seaboard and northeastern regions.The plans indicate how authorities are preparing for the ASEAN Economic Community that, in 2015, will begin dropping trade barriers to boost Southeast Asian nations’ economic links, said Luxman Attapich, an Asian Development Bank economist "The military administration and their advisers really value connectivity,” Attapich said. “They are thinking about regional cooperation and connectivity within the region."strongExpanding ties with ChinaSince seizing power May 22 after months of political turmoil, the military has stepped up economic and business ties with China and looked into increasing agricultural exports, especially rice, under government-to-government deals.The previous civilian government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra also launched a transportation spending bill. But the $65 billion program was criticized for a lack of transparency and courts later invalidated the planMany hope the military will provide greater transparency in overseeing projects, said Adrian Dunn, CEO of the investment management group Brooker Dunn Asset Advisory."What people are waking up to is that these people may actually have some quite sensible plans for the economy,” Dunn said at a recent economics conference, “and that you can actually spend for instance 20 percent less on infrastructure and get 10 percent more if you don't spend 45 percent in bribes."   The military has made the economy a priority after Thailand fell into recession in the first quarter as confidence slipped amid political conflict and anti-government protests.Criticism of the government and its policies has been muted since authorities effectively outlawed public dissent. But a former finance minister cautions the junta against focusing too much on economic reforms. Instead, it should ensure political stability ahead of general elections, he said."There's a great temptation by both the private sector and by those in power to try to push through all kinds of large projects, said Korn Chatikavanij, who served in the Democrat Party-led government until 2011. “That's well and good, but I don't think it's the most productive use of their time. I don't think their job is to make eBut the military is pressing ahead with spending on new rail locomotives, major highway renovation and electric rail routes in Bangkok.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is seeking to quell disappointment from hard-line supporters over his deal with the ruling party this week. In an interview with VOA Khmer, the president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party said he and other lawmakers plan to fight for supporters through the legislature, where they will have 55 of 123 seats, as well as senior positions, following a political deal earlier this week. “You, brothers and sisters, wait and see,” he said. “The legal way of confronting will be more effective than we have seen before because there has never been a situation like this—only two parties to confront each other in the parliament. And it’s the first time that the democrats have had the same stance, being determined together to rescue the nation.” Negotiation means you never get everything you want, he said, but moving forward there will be a new National Election Committee, and the Rescue Party will be able to back a TV station, as well. He thanked protesters who had supported the party, saying he would not forget them. “If we had not protest, we could not have shown our existing strength,” he said. “The concessions they gave us could not have been achieved through doing nothing. They never give without reason, but we struggled, we sacrificed, died, were injured, were detained. In any struggle, before we achieve results, there is sacrifice.” The next step is to take the fight to the National Assembly, he said. “These positions were given by the people. We did not take them quickly, as we needed to prepare…to ensure we could enter the fight effectively.” Names for the new NEC will be put forward soon, he said. The NEC will have four members selected by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, four by the Rescue Party and one more that must be agreed upon by both. After that, voter registration will be “smooth,” he said, and the process will not depend on commune chiefs and CPP members. The new NEC will “have its own money” and means to work independently, Sam Rainsy said. But not everyone is so optimistic. Koul Panha, head of the election-monitoring group Comfrel, told VOA Khmer that national institutions like the NEC will be hard to reform, as they are already under the sway of the CPP and their members don’t necessarily trust the opposition. “In other countries that have done it, they prepared the big national institutions to be independent, like the courts, anti-corruption committees, police, military, and others,” he said. “But the CPP does not believe in that method.” Hang Puthea, who is chief of the election watchdog Nicfec, said the opposition could, however, have a positive effect in parliament. “But both political parties will be under scrutiny, to see whether these two groups of politicians have the ability to take actions that serve the interests of the voters or not,” he said.

he ruling party and opposition have requested that a prominent human rights activist be selected as the tie-breaking member of the National Election Committee,

The ruling party and opposition have requested that a prominent human rights activist be selected as the tie-breaking member of the National Election Committee, part of a political compromise reached last week between the two sides. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party on Monday sent the request to Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho. She has sent back a list of questions she wants answered before accepting the position, Am Sam Ath, a lead investigator for Licadho, told VOA Khmer. She wants to ensure the NEC will be neutral, including in its budget, and work independently to recruit outside experts, he said. The CPP has not yet responded to those requests, he said. Both sides still must select four other members each to make up the NEC, which was widely criticized in past elections for bias towards the CPP. Sam Rainsy said Monday the country was moving toward “historic” national reconciliation in the people’s interest, and he said both sides are working toward selecting their NEC members. Monday marked the one-year anniversary of national elections that put Cambodia in a political deadlock, an impasse that analysts say may have invigorated more Cambodians to engage in the political process. “Citizens became active socially, in the media and on social media, talking more about policy,” said Kem Key, a social development researcher in Phnom Penh. “But things that need deep reform, like land disputes, deforestation, the justice system—these are still the same. There is no change.”

WASHINGTON DC — Kalyanee Mam, a Cambodian-American filmmaker,

WASHINGTON DC — Kalyanee Mam, a Cambodian-American filmmaker, has created a new short film that explores the potential destruction of a remote valley in western Cambodia for the construction of a Chinese hydropower dam. In an interview with VOA Khmer, she says the Areng Valley represents what is happening across much of Cambodia, deforestation and other destruction to make way for development. “We all must help preserve our natural resources, because that is what we have,” she said. In past visits, she said, she saw a lot of remaining forests, particularly in the northeast, “but now our forests are gone.” Now, in the Areng Valley, in the western province of Koh Kong, similar development is going forward. Once built, the hydropower dam will affect 26,000 hectares of land and 1,500 people of the Chong ethnic minority. “They want nothing,” Kalyanee Mam said. “They don’t want money. They don’t want to be evicted. They only want to live in their place.” They will not be the beneficiaries of the dam, she said. One woman in her film said “her life is nothing without nature…and the two cannot be split apart.” The Chong people rely on the land and the forest and the Areng River, Kalyanee Mam said. “The eviction will change their lives completely.” She produced the film in March, and it was recently featured on the website of the New York Times, as one of their Op-Docs. The film shows life for the Chong, as well as protests against the construction of the dam. One Chong woman, Reem Sav See, describes her resistance to the dam. “If we are relocated,” she says, “we will suffer beyond compare.”

ASHINGTON DC — Eight opposition members have been called back to court,

WASHINGTON DC — Eight opposition members have been called back to court, facing lingering charges of insurrection and incitement as Cambodia’s dueling political parties continue to fine tune details of an agreement last month. The seven lawmakers and one assistant for the Cambodia National Rescue Party were released on bail after a July 22 political deal between Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Sam Rainsy. The deal broke through a political impasse that had been in place since an opposition boycott of the government in the wake of July 2013 elections it said were fraudulent. Rights workers say they fear the courts and the arrests of the lawmakers are being used in political negotiations. The lawmakers, including outspoken senior Rescue Party member Mu Sochua, will be summoned to court over the next two weeks, starting Aug. 8. It is unclear whether charges will be dropped or whether they will be sent back to jail and face a trial over clashes between opposition supporters and Phnom Penh security personnel on July 15, in which some 50 people were injured, some of them seriously. Rescue Party Vice President Kem Sokha said the party received the summonses on Thursday last week, in what he called a well-established “trick” of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. “They use the courts to make threats and politicize them all the time,” he said. “So it’s time now.” The summonses are a sign the courts need immediate reform, he said. Long Ry, a Rescue Party official facing the charges, said he will go to court. “What can we do?” he said. “Because we aren’t running away.” The ruling party and opposition are currently trying to reform the National Election Committee, with each side selecting four of nine members and a final member being agreed upon by each. The two sides are also settling on positions within the National Assembly for Rescue Party lawmakers. As the court process moves forward, 55 Rescue Party lawmakers are slated to give oaths at the Royal Palace on Tuesday afternoon—a procedure that would cement the political deal and restart a government that has been stalled for a year. Rescue Party spokesman Yim Sovann said small details remain to be worked out in political negotiations, but they are minor and can be dealt with after the swearing-in. However, the opposition has not yet agreed on a date to take its seats at the Assembly, he said. Ny Chakrya, lead investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said the sooner the opposition can sit in the Assembly, the better. “They have to give oaths to take seats at the National Assembly to enforce these reforms.” Cambodia’s rights and democracy groups, meanwhile, say more reforms are needed. In a statement issued Monday, a coalition of groups called for further changes to the rules of the National Assembly, including better public access to government information and more participation in lawmaking by civil society.

Cambodia Urges China to Restrict Visas for Single Women to Combat Trafficking

PHNOM PENH  Cambodia says it has asked China to restrict the number of visas it issues to single Cambodian women, to prevent the brokering of marriages to Chinese men. The appeal comes as an increasing number of Cambodian women are finding their way into Chinese marriages and becoming victims of human trafficking. Chu Bun Eng, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Interior and head of the National Authority Against Human Trafficking, said restrictive visas will help lower the number of trafficked women. "We sent a letter to Chinese embassy telling them that nowadays many Cambodian women are tricked by fake marriage to Chinese men in China. They are now suffering. We request the embassy refer the issue to Chinese authorities in China," she said. Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Cambodia has asked for China's cooperation, including at its embassies in Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, where Cambodian women might also request visas. "Because this issues keep piling up, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested cooperation from the Chinese embassy to deal with the issue," he said. "That is why Chinese embassy has started to have tougher restrictions on visas for single Cambodian women traveling to China." But a Chinese spokesman said he could not confirm or deny that Beijing was prepared to restrict visas. Chinese Embassy spokesman Cheng Hong Bo did say that China is ready to work closely with Cambodia on the issue of human trafficking. "Between the two countries, I think that we should put more emphasis on [the trafficking issue] too," he said. Human trafficking has been a longstanding problem in Cambodia. The rights group Adhoc says that in the first six months of this year, it has received 108 complaints of cross-border trafficking, with some 295 victims involved. Of those, 29 people had reportedly gone to China. Lim Mony, Adhoc's deputy chief, said trafficked women who have managed to escape China report sexual abuse, overwork and starvation. "They said that some of the victims took suicide drugs and others went into hiding or are detained to work as slaves in the homes," she said. She added that traffickers running the sham marriages have a deep network in Cambodia and China. One victim of the scheme was Chan Rumduol, which is not her real name. In an interview at her impoverished home in Kampong Cham province, she said her family was persuaded by a middleman to send her to be married to a man in China. In exchange, her family would receive money every month. Instead, she said, she was taken by a human trafficker, who she says raped her before passing her on to a Chinese man, who let her live with him in rural China. "I thought I would get a good husband - one husband only and not as many. I was first rapped by the trafficker. I was forced to change from one husband to another. Finally I get a poor husband living near a mountain," she said. Chan Rumduol said adding that her life there was "miserable, like a living hell." She says she managed to escape the house and call her mother, who sought out Adhoc for help. She eventually returned home has filed a complaint against the trafficker who tricked her family in the first place. But he remains at large. Chu Bun Eng says her ministry will take action regarding any complaints that reach her office. "If they filed complaint against a trafficker and we didn't take actions, then they can say we ignore them. But we never ignore any report of human trafficking. The important issue is that the victims need to cooperate with the authorities to successfully do the jobs," she said. But Adhoc's says many victims have filed complaints and government officials have refused to take action.