'Curse you to seventh circle of hell' - Khmer Rogue

'Curse you to seventh circle of hell'
Khmer Rouge 'First Lady' lashes out at UN tribunal
Feb 25 2009

PHNOM PENH: - Pol Pot's sister-in-law launched an angry tirade at Cambodia's United Nations-backed genocide tribunal yesterday, telling her accusers they would be 'cursed to the seventh circle of hell'.

Ieng Thirith, 76, the ultra-Maoist movement's social minister now charged with crimes against humanity, erupted at the prosecution's suggestion that she was aware of atrocities at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison during the Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979.

'Don't accuse me of being a murderer, otherwise you will cursed to the seventh circle of hell,' Ieng Thirith, whose sister Khieu Ponnary was married to Pol Pot. said in an 15-minute outburst. 'I don't know why a good person is accused of such crimes and I have suffered a great deal and I cannot really be patient because I have been wrongly accused.'

She said she only oversaw teams rebuilding hospitals destroyed by the years of civil war that preceded the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975.

The tribunal was created in 2006 to try leading members of the Khmer Rouge regime, which wiped out up to two million people through starvation, overwork and execution in a bid to forge a communist utopia. Its first trial started last week when the regime's torturer- in-chief Kaing Guek Eav, 66, also known as Duch, went before the court.

Duch's trial will resume on March 30, the court said yesterday, with at least 40 witnesses expected to testify against the former chief of Phnom Penh's S-21 prison, where an estimated 14,000 people were tortured and killed.

Ieng Thirith, speaking a mixture of English and Khmer, said 'everything was done by Nuon Chea', the regime's top ideologue who is among the five top cadres facing trial at the tribunal over the regime's atrocities.

However, the health of the ageing suspects is a concern. Ieng Thirith's husband, former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary, was hospitalised on Monday for blood in his urine, court spokesman Reach Sambath said. It was the ninth time Ieng Sary, 83, has been rushed to hospital since the couple were detained by the court in November 2007.

Pol Pot, the leader of the regime, himself died in 1998.

In documents read to the court yesterday, investigating judges argued it was necessary to keep Ieng Thirith in jail to protect her security, preserve public order and ensure she did not flee from trial.

But defence lawyer Phat Pouv Seang demanded her immediate release, saying there was inadequate evidence.

The court will announce at a later date whether judges will release Ieng Thirith from detention before her trial.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

Tsunami museum opens to commemorate 230,000 dead

Tsunami museum opens to commemorate 230,000 dead

BANDA ACEH: - Indonesia has opened a US$5.6 million (S$8.5 million) museum to commemorate the 230,000 people who died in the 2004 Asian tsunami.
The four-storey building in hardest-hit Aceh province exhibits photographs of victims, stories of survivors and an electronic simulation of the massive undersea earthquake that triggered the 10m-high waves.

It was designed by local architect Ridwan Kamil.

The museum also describes the tremendous outpouring of support from governments, companies and individuals in the aftermath of the Dec 26, 2004 disaster, which caused death and destruction in a dozen nations.

More than US$13 billion was pledged to house and feed survivors and to rebuild devastated coasts.

The government says the museum is an important part of the recovery process, paying tribute to those who died and explaining to future generations what happened and why.

The opening of the museum on Monday was not without controversy.

More than 700 families are still living in barracks in Aceh, which was home to two-thirds of the victims. Some were disappointed to see millions of dollars being spent on a monument.

'They should be taking care of us first,' said Madam Anisah Tahir, 50, who has been living with her husband and two children in a tiny room in a squalid camp in Banda Aceh.

'We need a decent place to live and sleep,' she said.

Indonesia is located in the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire', an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. It is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Freed terror detainees fit well in society

Freed terror detainees fit well in society
Rehabilitation efforts effective; none has slipped back into bad old ways
By Goh Chin Lian

23 Feb 2009

TWO-THIRDS of Singapore's terrorist detainees arrested since 2001 have been released after rehabilitation, and so far, none has strayed back into terrorism.

Close to 40 men with past terror links have been released and have returned to society, some for four years or more.

Another 20 remain in detention.

Those who have been released have re-integrated well into society, Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said yesterday at the first international conference on terrorist rehabilitation to be held here.

Addressing 200 participants from 20 countries, Mr Shanmugam said the conference is 'timely'. Rehabilitation is a critical part of counter-terrorism but has not received the necessary attention internationally, he added.

During the three-day conference, much of which is closed-door, government officials and experts will share case studies from such countries as Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia.

Officials from Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan and Bangladesh will also talk about rehabilitation programmes that they hope to put in place and the challenges they are facing.

The event is organised by the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and a group of volunteer Islamic teachers and scholars who make up the Religious Rehabilitation Group.

One major challenge to current rehabilitation efforts is the lack of a foolproof way to assess whether a terrorist has been truly reformed, Mr Shanmugam said.

That is why in Singapore, released detainees must continue to attend a rehabilitation programme that aims to inoculate them against radical ideas.

The authorities here do not ever declare success but know they 'will always have to remain alert', he added.

Singapore's track record compares well against that of other countries. About one in 10 of those released from the United States' detention facility in Guantanamo Bay is either known or suspected to have returned to terrorist activity.

Saudi Arabia has re-arrested slightly over 1 per cent of its released former detainees for security offences.

While explaining that Singapore takes a holistic approach that incorporates psychological and religious aspects in rehabilitation, Mr Shanmugam also stressed that there can be no one-size-fits-all solution which will be effective across the globe.

'Every country has its unique security, cultural and social context, and the factors which lead people to and away from terrorism also differ from one country to the next,' he said.

Conference speaker Douglas Stone said a key lesson from Iraq was that physical detention alone could lead to greater radicalisation if the underlying motivations for terrorism were not addressed.

A former deputy commanding general of the multinational force in Iraq, Dr Stone was in charge of detainees there from April 2007 to June 2008.

Psychologist Michele Gelfand, of the University of Maryland in the US, said researchers are working on an index to measure the extent of a detainee's deradicalisation, by studying such factors as his approval of violence and perception of justice towards Muslims.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the terrorism research centre here, praised Singapore's rehabilitation programme as the most systematic in the world.

'They take a very long-range view, and invested significant intellectual and other resources to study the best practices,' he said.

Mr Shanmugam also launched a web portal, www.P4Peace.com, developed by the research centre to provide a one-stop source of information on counter-terrorism.

It also aims to promote discussion on peaceful alternatives to terror, and thereby spark a counter-movement to the spread of terrorist ideas online.

chinlian@sph.com.sg

Changi Prison: Did it have to go?

Changi Prison: Did it have to go?
By K. C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent
23 Aug 2008

THE recent decision to shelve construction of two new clusters at Changi Prison Complex raises a question: Was the decision to tear down the historic Changi Prison a mistake?
Despite calls four years ago to save it as part of the national heritage, only a 180-metre wall was preserved. The argument then: Land was scarce, more space was needed to meet future needs, so the old girl had to go.

Two weeks ago, the prison authorities sang a different tune: The prison population has dropped to its lowest in 10 years, construction costs have gone up, so the need to finish completing the prison city would be reviewed 'year on year'.

One cluster of prison buildings is up and a second is due to start housing inmates next year. The second sits on land on which Changi Prison once stood.

Two clusters that were to be built on land cleared by demolishing three prisons - Jalan Awan, Medium Security and Moon Crescent - have been shelved. If the land reserved for the third and fourth clusters had been used for the second, the original Changi Prison would still be standing today.

Sceptics may dismiss such talk as so much water under the bridge. It may also be argued that no one could have predicted the fall in the prison population. But the outcome does raise questions as to how decisions on the preservation or demolition of Singapore's heritage are made. Could the move to bring down the Changi Prison have been avoided?

A media report two weeks ago noted that the soon-to-be operational second cluster is expected to absorb inmates from neighbouring Tanah Merah Prison (TMP) as well as from Remand Prison and other prisons elsewhere. Four years ago, The Straits Times published an article suggesting that TMP be demolished instead of Changi Prison.

A comparison of the respective heritage value of the two prisons would have shown which is more valuable. Lamentably, no such comparison was made. As a result, land bigger than the size of the old Changi Prison will remain vacant - and the old girl is gone.

Changi's historic value was self-evident. As Dr Kevin Tan, a member of Singapore's Preservation of Monuments Board and president of the Singapore Heritage Society, once put it, Changi Prison is 'one of the great icons of Singapore that has international recognition'.

But it was unnecessarily and unceremoniously torn down, without so much as giving the public a chance to view what was inside. Compare this with how Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) officials took the trouble last month to organise public tours to view the now former Supreme Court building, including its lock-up cells. The SAL even had its tour guides costumed in the uniforms of the 1960s to add to the authenticity of the experience.

The new Prison Complex bears no resemblance to the old. The old Changi, for instance, had exercise yards on the grounds and inmates got their daily dose of direct light, if not sunlight. The new cluster is all indoors and above ground. What the effect on long-term offenders living in its cells would be is open to question.

It's like demolishing an old school and replacing it with an entire new structure, with hardly any thought given to retrofitting or preserving some structures as a nod to history.

Consider what Malaysia has done in preserving the more than century-old Johor Baru prison or Pudu Jail in Kuala Lumpur. The latter is vacant but still standing, next to the swanky multiplex called Times Square.

In Singapore, there is the example of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which has preserved the century-old Hill Street Fire Station. It sits on prime land and still functions as a modern fire station.

One wonders if the planners who decided to demolish the 1936 Changi Prison were aware of its potential heritage or tourist value. Would the result have been different if a better informed public had been able to provide timely feedback?

In this context, one matter that can be improved upon is the publication of prison data. Prisons annual reports offer minimal statistics buried in its last four pages. That's where The Straits Times picked up the drop in numbers, which started a year before Changi's demolition in 2004. It dipped from 16,315 the previous year to 15,774. (The new clusters are designed to house 23,000 beyond 2010.)

Contrast this to 35 years ago when prison annual reports were routinely laid before Parliament, published by the Government Printing Office and picked up for a then princely sum of $1.50.

A typical report would provide information about the age groups of inmates, the nature of offences, lengths of sentences, the number of prisoners who had re-offended after being released and the number of patients treated at the prison hospital. Other details included the number of offences committed while in prison and the number of cane strokes ordered by prison superintendents for serious violations of prison rules, compared to the number of strokes ordered by the courts.

After 1973, such information was no longer presented before Parliament routinely, although it would still have been collected. The current annual prison report has less than 10 per cent of the information that the previous reports contained.

The prison authorities would do well to share information in the same way their Home Team counterparts like the Police and SCDF have done - putting out data at least once if not twice a year.

The latest prisons report has 11 pages of pictures of the top brass and only four devoted to data. The captains of lives - as prison officers call themselves in the latest annual report - may want to consider whether they should start giving information about the lives they have in their charge.

vijayan@sph.com.sg

Welcome restraint seen in border-temple issue

Welcome restraint seen in border-temple issue

THE Asean community has reason to breathe a sigh of relief as Cambodia and Thailand reached an interim agreement this week on their Preah Vihear dispute. The two countries came too close to armed hostilities for their neighbours to avoid raising concern. The situation, indeed, remains sufficiently unsettled for anyone to take for granted an enduring resolution.
For the time being, foreign ministers Hor Namhong of Cambodia and Tej Bunnag of Thailand have managed to keep the conflict from worsening. Their accord reduces the most immediate sign of tension; more troops from both sides will leave the overlapping area around the temple.

It also envisages removal of landmines. Making it possible again for tourists to visit the site will promote a return to normalcy. The challenge remains, nevertheless, for the two governments to ratify what the ministers have reached in informal talks. An even greater challenge confronts the joint boundary commission, which the negotiators have agreed will be the key mechanism to settle the issue. The dispute remains more fundamentally over borders than over property ownership.

More than a hundred years ago, French cartographic ineptitude or simply colonial hauteur placed the thousand-year-old temple on one side of the boundary and then on the other. The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962, but left unadjudicated the boundary ambiguity that gave rise to competing claims to the sanctuary. Preah Vihear, nevertheless, remains a potent symbol of gain and loss in territorial integrity. When - as is the case these days - there is no lack of ambitious politicians on either side to inflame and then exploit nationalistic passions, the dispute can easily boil over.

The latest re-ignition arose, ironically, from Unesco's designation last month of the temple as a World Heritage site. The proposal to underscore its 'outstanding universal value' - if implemented without any territorial implications - could yet contribute to building trust and confidence, not to mention increased tourism for both countries. In the event, neither the United Nations nor Asean played a direct role in negotiations to defuse the danger. Still, Asean influence must have weighed on Cambodia and Thailand even as they confined themselves to bilateral channels.

Both sides adhered to the Asean spirit of peaceful conflict resolution. This is an important gain for the grouping as it continues to build institutions and mechanisms for cooperation. As the two sides resume more difficult talks in the coming days, a relieved Asean should remain ready to help.



ST Aug 23 2007

Man behind 1st Ceylonese eatery dies at 101

HIS regulars called him 'Kanthar', and the foodie's Outram Road eatery 'Kanthar's shop'.
Opened in 1948, it was the very first restaurant here that specialised in serving up the migrant Ceylonese community's favourites like adueraghi - or mutton curry - the restaurant's signature dish.

When the man behind the recipe, Mr Sabapathy Kandiah, 101, died of pneumonia complications earlier this month, he took the coveted secret recipe to the grave.

Remembering their father at a prayer ceremony over the weekend, his youngest son, Mr S.K. Singam, a 54-year-old ship captain, said his father had a fiercely guarded 'secret ingredient' to the adueraghi, giving it a 'special flavour'.

Despite having two cooks and three helpers, Mr Kandiah, who had spent three years as a cook at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), was very hands on with many things to do with his restaurant.

'He would get up at 5am every day and go to the nearby Maxwell Market to select and buy the produce,' his son said, adding that his father would also cook and serve customers until 10pm.

It provided the Ceylonese community here a welcome taste of home.

Among its former regulars was the current treasurer of the Singapore Ceylon Tamils Association K. Ramanathan, 70, who, as a 19-year-old, began stopping by regularly. 'A lot of Ceylonese used to go there because it reminded them of home. There were a lot of South Indian restaurants around at the time, but there's nothing like having Ceylonese food,' he said.

But the sweet scent of Mr Kandiah's curries would often waft out of the tiny Outram Road shophouse, and draw not just members of the community, but also scores of workers from the nearby SGH and the police headquarters.

Besides 'Kanthar's shop', its regulars had a variety of other monikers for No. 6 Outram Road, but the outlet's real name was Ambiga Restaurant, named after his third child - and first daughter - who was born that year.

Takings from the eatery helped Mr Kandiah and his wife raise their eight children.

Home was in the shophouse directly above the restaurant, and every meal was lovingly prepared by Dad, of course.

But even as he did well here, Mr Kandiah, who moved here in the 1930s, never forgot his village of Kavarittey in Jaffna, Ceylon, where many of his relatives lived, and made regular visits back.

In 1952, when Mr Kandiah struck it big in the Big Sweep lottery, part of his $600,000 winnings went towards building a Hindu temple in the village because there was no proper place to worship then, the devout Hindu told his children. The temple was finally finished in 1956.

'He never forgot his roots,' said Mr K.K. Singam, 67, another of his sons.

Then, in 1968, 20 years after it opened, Ambiga restaurant was forced to shut as the site it was on was being re-developed.

Mr Kandiah, then 61, decided to retire to devote more time to his wife. In any case, none of his children were interested in taking over the business.

The family moved to a flat in Kampong Bahru, where Mr Kandiah spent his later years with his wife. After her death in 1994 at the age of 75, he devoted his time to taking long walks and spending time with his 13 grandchildren.

Mr Kandiah eventually developed age-related illnesses, and was moved to the Swami Home for old folks in Sembawang, for round-the-clock care.

He never let age get the better of him, though. Mr Juna Segran, 50, a family friend and regular volunteer at the Swami Home, said Mr Kandiah refused to be wheeled around, and insisted on freedom to move with his walker.

Buoyed by several brushes with Lady Luck, he also remained a fan of betting.

After visits from his children, Mr Kandiah would thrust cash into the hands of volunteers like Mr Segran, who helped him place bets at the nearby betting outlets.

His other love - horses. In fact, when he first moved here, Mr Kandiah could not read English, but taught it to himself by reading the newspapers' racing pages. 'The first thing he learnt to read were all the horses' names,' said Mr K.K. Singam.

But even more than betting, the one thing that remained sanctimonious to Mr Kandiah all his life was his food.

Ms Kunes Dilip Rai, 56, the youngest of his three daughters, said that even in her foodie father's final days, visitors were not appreciated during meal times.

Showing up would mean getting shooed away so 'Kanthar' could enjoy his meal in peace, she said, before adding: 'He loved his food.'

PM Speech - Part Two. New Media

.New Media -
adapt, get used to it, and turn it to positive effect
inform, educate, debate and engage
being discerning on the net
setting prudent limits to flag problems and avoid excesses
participating actively but do not get swept away
rules governing politics must keep up to date too


Our children will grow up in a completely different world
a.We have to prepare them and our society for this

2.One of the biggest changes that will affect us– the internet
a.New media is pervasive and fast-moving
b.Everyone is plugged in and connected
c.People are blogging, engaging one another, organising themselves online, and doing politics online
d.From “Grassroots” to “Netroots”
e.Happening worldwide

3.America

a.Current US election campaign
b.John McCain is present on the internet, even though he says he does not know how to use a computer (Slide 1)
c.Barack Obama – internet is a key part of his campaign
i.Home page – “Change we can believe in”
ii.Younger Americans are highly energised
iii.They are helping him to run the system (1) e.g. Chris Hughes (24, a founder of Facebook) joined Obama’s campaign (2) Using Facebook technology to link up, mobilise and organise supporters all over the country
iv. Raising funds online (1) “Donate now” (2) More than 1.5 million people have donated – small amounts individually, but cumulatively a huge boost to his campaign
v.Rebutting attackers on “Fight the Smears”

4.Korea – world’s most wired country

a.Internet has had a major impact on Korean politics
b.Empowered new groups
i.e.g. mass access to the internet helped President Lee Myung-bak to win resoundingly in Dec 2007
c.But also created rapidly changing moods in the population
i.Within a few months, President Lee was under siege
ii.Mass demonstrations and protests
d.One issue – mad cow disease
i.Fanned by rumours on the internet; (1) “94% of Koreans have a gene which predisposes them to mad cow disease”; (2) “Cow products are used to make pampers, which gives babies who wear them mad cow disease”
ii.Videos and pictures circulated online and worked people up
e. President Lee calls it “infodemics”
i. Anonymous false information on the internet
ii. Creating discontent and unhappiness which spread like an epidemic in the real world
f. One Korean newspaper called this “mad cow madness”

5. Malaysia
a. Internet has become an active space for information and engagement
i. Lively debate and serious contributions, together with more doubtful stuff
(1) On blogs and chatrooms
(2) On alternative news sites, e.g. Malaysiakini
ii. Politicians themselves participate actively in cyberspace
(1) Cyberspace personalities entered politics, e.g. Jeff Ooi
iii. In recent elections
(1) Mass of materials circulated through blogs, SMS and YouTube
(2) Public went into cyberspace to get what they could not get in mainstream media
(3) Opposition campaigned widely in cyberspace
(4) BN was also present, although not to the same extent
b. Election was not just about the new media
i. It was about real life politics
(1) Opposition raised many hot issues in ceramahs
(2) e.g. rising costs of living, poor public service delivery, and perceived inequalities in the government’s policies
ii. But these issues were picked up in the new media, and amplified through viral distribution

6. Even in China
a. World’s largest number of internet users – more than America
b. After Sichuan earthquake, netizens mobilised to collect funds and show support (Slide 10)
c. Leaders are engaging on the new media
i. President Hu Jintao held his first web chat recently

7. In Singapore too, the new media is a big thing
a. Talked about this two years ago
b. We have moved further on since then
i. More than 80% of homes have broadband access
ii. 6 million handphone accounts – more handphone accounts than babies per person!
c. Young people are totally immersed in this medium
i. Reading print newspapers less
(1) Getting information and discussing issues online, e.g. ST, CNA and omy websites
ii. Organising interest groups
iii. Writing their own content and sharing it with others
d. All this has changed how the Government works
i. Many services online, 24/7
(1) From passport renewals to incorporating a new business
ii. Communicating with and engaging Singaporeans online
(1) Not just putting out video clips
(2) Two way process
iii. REACH
(1) At the forefront of this
(2) Lively exchanges on its website – blogs, online chats etc
(3) Also active participation on Facebook
(4) Lots of discussion on cost of living, ERP, babies etc – useful feedback for this NDR

8. It will also change the way we conduct our politics
a. We have to adapt, get used to it, and turn it to positive effect
b. Use it to inform, educate, debate and engage
c. Each of us must learn how to be savvy cyber-citizens
i. Be discerning about what you see on the net
ii. Distinguish between what is true and false
iii. Set prudent limits to flag problems and avoid excesses
iv. Participate actively but do not get swept away
v. Do not catch mad cow madness
d. Our rules governing politics must keep up to date too