ដន្ត្រីកំសាន្ត

เบื้องหลังการถ่ายแบบสุดเซ็กซี่ รัน ณัทธมนกาญจน์

2012-02-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

คิดฮอดซอดแจ้ง.wmv

2012-02-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

เบื้องหลังวุ้นเส้นถ่ายแบบ

2012-02-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

Khmer Song : Kir Oun Maen Te? Sovan Panha

2012-02-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

Kromom Sros Komlos Klang - Pich Sophea, Sokun Nisa, Sokun Kanha & Chhet ...

2012-01-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

HANGMEAS_128.Every time I love you ,krup pel vea lea oon sro laghn bong

2012-01-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

01. Tors yang na nov tae min sa-orb bong (Sokun Nisa Collection 2010)

2012-01-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

Mai & Christina Beauty on the Beat Concert Medley (2 of 2)

2012-01-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

อยากให้รู้เหลือเกินว่าเสียใจ คริสติน่า อากีล่าร์ The Beat Co

2012-01-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Katrina Kaif: Salman Khan was fantastic

2012-01-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Big Boss 4 - 18th December 2010 - Part 1 (Salman Khan - Katrina Kaif & F...

2012-01-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Preap Sovath Feat Sokun Kanha Calltune Chlorng Chlory SEATV 2011

2011-12-31T18:56:00.000-08:00

Tata Young - El Ninyo

2011-12-31T13:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Khmer new year 2011 - Sowath, Sawait, Sreypech

2011-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:00

เบลล์ นันทิตา thailand's got talent - คิดฮอด (1พฤษภา)

2011-12-30T04:31:00.000-08:00

คนอย่างเรยามันต้องเจออย่างนี้

2011-12-30T04:14:00.000-08:00

MV หญิงร้ายชายเลว - ปาน ธนพร [ MASTER ]

2011-12-30T04:11:00.000-08:00

MV เบอร์นี้...ไม่มีคนของเธอ - ปาน ธนพร 2/2

2011-12-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Bong Srolange Srey Khmao -Yuthara Channy-

2011-12-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

ជឿចិត្តអូនចុះ

2011-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

រាត្រីយប់នេះបាត់សូន្យអស់រស្មី តើស្រស់ចរណៃអូនដឹងឬទេ? ធ្វើអោយរូបបងចំបែងឥតល្ហែ តើស្រស់មាសស្នេហ៍អូននៅទីណា?៕

2011-12-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Oun chmos doch doung dara

2011-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

Every year, the Sidney Awards, named for the renowned philosopher Sidney Hook, go out to some of the best magazine essays of the year. Anybody interes

2011-12-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

Every year, thousands of New York City high-school students take a test hoping to get into the superelite Stuyvesant High School. This year, 569 Asian-Americans qualified, along with 179 whites, 13 Hispanics and 12 blacks. Results like that feed the stereotype that Asians are smart, hard-working, repressed and conformist.

Nail Salon - Anjelah Johnson - Comedy Time វីដេអូកំប្លែងពីការនិយាយភាសាអង់គ្លេសត្រាប់តាម ជនជាតិរៀតណាម

2011-11-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

វីដេអូកំប្លែងពីការនិយាយភាសាអង់គ្លេសត្រាប់តាម ជនជាតិរៀតណាម

ខាងក្រោមនេះជាវីដេអូកំប្លែងខ្លីមួយដែលសម្តែងដោយតារាកំប្លែងឈ្មោះ Anjelah
Johnson ដែលជាកូនកាត់អាមេរិក និង មិកស៊ិកកូ។ នៅក្នុងវីដេអូនេះ នាងបាន
បញ្ចេញសម្លេងភាសាអង់គ្លេសដូចដែលជនជាតិវៀតណាមនិយាយបានយ៉ាងប៉ិន
ប្រសប់។

ដើម្បីជាជំនួយក្នុងការស្តាប់ Camnews សរសេរពាក្យដែលនាងបាននិយាយជូនលោក
អ្នកជាជំនួយខាងក្រោម៖

keo Meng Pich Chenda - Chuob Min Prort

2011-10-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

MANICH have built their reputation

2011-10-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

MANICH have built their reputation on delivering robust and innovative websites and web applications. Whether you are a Government Department, NGOs or Corporate Enterprise, we are able to design and build the best solution for your specific needs. MANICH has an impressive web client list, ranging from key government ministries, international NGOs to major corporate entities. Each has had specific requirements, unique to their operations. MANICH has utilized their system analyst and business specialist to design dynamic web application which fully meet the needs of their clients. The company has top graphic designers and programmers to turn those design into powerful web presences.

Besdoung Kyom Somrab Neak Na Part

2011-09-12T01:15:00.000-07:00

chenda

2011-08-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

khmer tv live

2011-02-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

khmer movie

2010-09-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

khmer movie

2010-09-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

khmer movie

2010-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

preasna maho soth

2010-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

thai song

2010-08-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

chamrov snae

2010-08-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

khmer surin

2010-08-09T03:12:00.000-07:00

Som pnheu samleng

2010-08-09T03:04:00.000-07:00

khmer surin

2010-08-09T02:53:00.000-07:00

Kmean avey thoum cheang snaeha - Samouth & Sothea

2010-08-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

prouy robos bong

2010-08-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

khmer old songs

2010-08-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

khmer old songs

2010-08-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hero - Enrique Iglesias with lyrics

2010-07-30T04:32:00.001-07:00

Hero - Enrique Iglesias with lyrics

2010-07-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

khmer song !!24h

2010-07-29T21:44:00.001-07:00

englis conversation

2010-07-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

Thai Cooking Classes in Chiang Mai

2010-07-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

One of the main reasons I am in Chiang Mai at the moment is to check out the situation of Thai cookery classes. I not only wanted to attend a couple of classes for my own benefit, but I also wanted to write some reviews for the enjoythaifood.com website. I had done most of my research in advance. On the Internet I had discovered that there were at least 15 cooking schools in Chiang Mai alone. In comparison, I think Bangkok only has two or three. Before I left I wrote emails to all of the schools asking if I could visit them to take pictures. Only five schools bothered to write back to me. These were: A Lot of Thai, Thai Farm Cooking School, Air’s Thai Culinary Kitchen, Chiangmai Thai Cookery School and Gap’s Culinary Art School.

Once I had arrived in Chiang Mai I did some more research. First I checked out the free magazine to see if any of the schools were established enough to take out advertising. I only found two adverts: Chiangmai Thai Cookery School and Baan Thai. Apparently, these were the first and second school respectively that were established in Chiang Mai. All of the other schools just seemingly jumped on the bandwagon. I next visited the Tourist Authority of Thailand. Here I found an excellent brochure made by the cooking school A Lot of Thai. It was really nicely done with beautiful pictures of the dishes and a handy map of Chiang Mai. The person at the information desk handed me a list of cookery schools which has now added a few more to my already long list.

Next I visited a few of the Tour Agencies. There must be hundreds of these in Chiang Mai. If you want to book treks, elephant rides, bus tickets, dinner theatre tickets etc., then you won’t have much trouble. These agencies are like 7–Eleven and you will find them on almost every corner! Although these agencies acknowledge that there are other cooking schools, they are always trying to push you into signing up for their favorite school. The name “Pad Thai” came up a few times. It is really difficult to know how sincere these people are. Are these schools genuinely the best or are these just the ones that pay out the highest commission.? Most courses seem to be around the 800–900 baht figure. However, I hear that some greedy agencies can demand up to 250 baht commission per person. To counteract that, I saw on some brochures and adverts that they say you should ring the schools directly and not go through an agency. Some even offer you a discount if you do that.

This morning, I went to visit Sompet Market as I had heard this was a good place to buy fresh produce. I was mainly going to take pictures rather than buy anything. You will find this market on the eastern side of the old city close to the moat. By the time we arrived it was 10 a.m. and there weren’t that many people around. I was the only foreigner there and there were probably about a dozen or so Thai customers. I wandered around taking a few pictures of ingredients and people shopping. Then I spotted a group of foreigners arriving. They were all carrying shopping baskets. I then realized that this must be one of the local cooking schools bringing their students to the market for a visit. I went closer to see what the teacher was saying. She was explaining about the different vegetables. There were about six students in the class. I tapped one on the shoulder and asked what cookery school he was attending. He gave me a blank look and then turned to his friend. I thought maybe they didn’t understand my question but it turned out that they had no idea!

A short while later another group of foreigners turned up with their Thai teacher. Then another and another and another. We were there about 30 minutes and in total I counted six groups! I am not joking when I say that the foreigners were now outnumbering the Thai customers. We did our best to listen to what the teachers were saying and also to find out what school they came from. Most of the teachers were young and their English wasn’t really that good. They had a strong accent and no confidence. Some didn’t seem to say much and others seemed to say too much! During my research, I got the impression that the teachers were all very experienced and were quite often the owners of the schools. But now it was starting to look like that they were sometimes passing the classes onto younger, less experienced people.

One of the schools that was sending their students to Sompet Market was Baan Thai. I was impressed with their website and was keen to visit. But, I was disappointed that they never bothered to reply to my email. With so much competition I think it is really important that they have an Internet presence. But, maybe they didn’t need to worry, as like their brochure proudly boasts, that they are “recommended by Lonely Planet”. But that means nothing. From experience, once these places get themselves featured in LP they then never bother to improve their business. As Baan Thai didn’t seem to be far away we decided to go and take a look for ourselves.

We found the cookery school down a narrow soi that was really only wide enough for a car and a half. It was a quiet soi but it looked like that many of the private houses had now been turned into guesthouses or restaurants. Parking was a real problem for us but I guess most of their clientele are backpackers and they would be walking. The funny thing is, we counted four cooking schools here alone! It looked like that everyone fancied themselves as cooks and teachers. It was a bit like them saying, “Well if my neighbour can do it then so can I!”. So, they bought a few cooking stations and put up a lean-to around the back for the classroom. Simple really.

I was really hoping that Baan Thai was going to be more than just a cooking school that operated round the back of someone’s house. I was impressed with their advertising and website. I had heard they were the second cooking school in Chiang Mai. But, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. The pictures on their web site had made everything look so spacious. But, it wasn’t. We inquired whether the owner was at home but was told that she was away. It didn’t look like she taught any more. The front room had a low table where the students could sit on the floor and eat their creations. Around the back we found the students in the middle of a lesson. There were only four of them. They seemed happy though I felt that the teacher seemed a little unsure of herself. Maybe she hadn’t had much experience yet.

When you come to pick a school you need to decide whether you want the small personal touch from a school run in a family home or a more professional school that can have 20 in a class. I like the idea of a family run school. But, the owner would also have to be the teacher. Once that person delegates their work to other people then that place loses the personal touch. Tomorrow I will be attending my first cookery class. I have chosen A Lot of Thai partly because it has small classes taught by the owner, but also because the husband of the teacher was so chatty in his several emails to me. I will let you know later how I got on with this class.

Today I spent an enjoyable day learning how to cook Thai food at the “A Lot of Thai” home cooking class in Chiang Mai. For about a month now I have been trying to decide which Thai cooking school I would attend while on holiday in the north of Thailand. There are about 20 schools in this city and I wanted to help people choose the best value for money course. I did shop around quite a bit. I visited a number of cooking schools, spoke to some of the students and also observed their visits to local markets. I was going to attend a couple of classes before I made my final decision. However, after today, I can unreservedly recommend “A Lot of Thai” as an excellent choice for a Thai cooking school in Chiang Mai. This should be your first choice of school if you want to learn how to cook Thai food in a homely atmosphere. The school is run by Yui and her husband Kwan. Unlike other schools, Yui doesn’t delegate teaching duties to younger assistants. She not only has excellent Thai culinary skills but she also speaks English with a good accent and with great confidence.

As we had our own transport, we drove ourselves to Yui’s house which is just outside the city center down a quiet soi. Yui greeted us at the front gate and invited us into her house. Kwan had gone out in his VW minivan to pick up the two other students from their hotel and hadn’t come back yet. So we took this opportunity to chat with Yui about her school. She told us that she used to teach at the famous Thai Cookery school for a couple of years. At the same time she attended the local AUA school in the evenings in order to improve her English language skills. In 2001 she married Kwan (they had been dating since 1998) and together decided to open a home cooking school at his parents’ house. A year later their son Sid was born. Kwan quit his graphic designer job in order to support Yui full time. However, he used his skills to produce their excellent brochure and also the Thai Cookbook which they give away for free to every student. There are 29 recipes of popular dishes that they teach at their school. There are also instructions for making curry paste and dips. But the best thing are the18 pages of pictures detailing the ingredients that are used in Thai cooking. I would have bought this cookbook for sure if I had seen it for sale in a book store. (We will be giving a copy of this cookbook away to one lucky reader. Details at the bottom of this page.)

A short while later the other two students arrived and Yui took us through to the kitchen for the first demonstration. Today we cooked six dishes. These were: pad thai, tom yum kung, spring rolls, green curry, stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts and mango with sticky rice. There are four courses you can choose from which are run on different days. This is the popular one which is taught four days a week. The other three courses are run on the three remaining days of the week. Yui will teach the class even if there is only one student. Maximum class size is eight people. Unlike other schools which are run in homes, there is plenty of room for all of the students to stand around the demonstration table. There is also plenty of room between each of the work stations. This is quite important as foreigners are generally larger than Thai people and need plenty of elbow room. Yui said comfort is very important at her school. Although it is Thai custom to sit on the floor to prepare food and even to eat, she knows that not all foreigners find this comfortable. So she prepared spacious workstations with high stalls and a Western style dining room table.

A lot of the ingredients had already been prepared in advance by the grandmother. However, Yui demonstrated how to chop up things like garlic. She showed us how to chop off one end and then crush it before removing the skin. Then it was finely chopped. All of this was done at her workstation first. Here she showed us how to prepare the ingredients and then how to cook the food. She kept talking the whole time giving us plenty of tips. One tip which I will certainly use is to put the garlic in cold oil first. So may times I have added the garlic to hot oil and before I was ready with other ingredients the garlic was going from a golden brown colour to a burnt colour. This way you have more time. Once the demonstration was over we went back to our workstation to cook the dish ourselves. Yui kept hovering up and down each station making sure we had everything prepared correctly before starting the cooking. If there was something we couldn’t remember then she would quickly help us. Surprisingly, each of the dishes were quite easy and I think everyone ended up cooking some excellent looking dishes. They even looked like the real thing. Even mine!

The brochure says “Please don’t have a big breakfast”. I would say don’t have any breakfast as you will be snacking on six dishes throughout the day! In the morning we ate pad thai at 10.30 a.m. Then a little while later we sat down to eat the tom yum kung soup. Next came the spring rolls but we were so stuffed by this time that we asked if we could take these home to eat later. At about midday, Yui and Kwan drove us to the local Nong Hoi market. This actually worked out as a nice break from cooking. Most schools do the market visit first thing in the morning. You go with your teacher carrying baskets in order to buy the ingredients for the meals you are going to cook that day. In theory that sounds like a good idea. However, it does means you concentrate on just the dishes you are cooking. Yui had already bought all of the ingredients before the class had begun. This meant she could spend all of the time at the market explaining about the different ingredients.

I have watched six different schools do this part and I can tell you that Yui was the most competent. Her English was un-mistakenly the best which helped a lot. Also, she knew what she was talking about and was happy to answer our questions. Listening to some of the other teachers they sounded like they had memorized a speech. Yui also had a good rapport with the vendors as this was her local market. The other day we had visited Sompet market which was both smaller and inferior. Yet at least six different cooking schools took their students here. I felt sorry for the vendors as there were so many foreigners milling around. I told Yui that she should put in her brochure that she could almost guarantee that you wouldn’t bump into any other foreigners at her local market. However, another group did turn up, but the market was so big and they actually left before we had finished drinking our iced coffee.

I learned a lot at the market. Yui didn’t restrict herself to just the ingredients for what we were cooking that day. She showed us things like the different kinds of rice (her family prefers brown rice as it is more healthy), the different Thai fruit which is in season and how to choose a ripe mango, the large selections of Thai dessert, the numerous kinds of noodles and of course the wide range of vegetables. The different varieties of basil are always confusing but she clearly explained the difference. When we were finished, she telephoned Kwan and he came to pick us up in the VW. We were away for about an hour. The time had gone really quick.

In the afternoon we were taught how to cook three of my favourite dishes. These were green curry, stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts and the wonderful dessert of mango with sticky rice. The above is the result of my work which I am pretty proud about. Once we had finished cooking these three dishes we then sat down at about 2.30 p.m. to eat them. Hopefully you will allow me to say that they were really delicious. Honestly, they were! As it was the end of the course, Yui sat down to chat with us while Kwan cleared the dishes. Actually, that was one of the best things about attending this course. Not only was everything prepared for us, but we were given clean woks and cooking utensils between each dish. I think that if this was any other cooking school the teacher would have kicked us out when the course ended at 3 p.m. However, Yui remained chatting with us for over an hour.

So, how much did this one day class cost? Well consider first that it included a six dish meal. And then there is the cookbook which I would have bought if I had seen it in a bookstore. Then there is the excellent cooking course and of course the visit to the local market. All of this only cost 800 baht (about $20) which was excellent value for money. Yui said that if you ring her or Kwan yourself she will even give you a 7% discount. Their home number is 053 800724 and mobile number 09 853 9680. Don’t forget, you do not need an agency or your hotel to do this for you as they both speak excellent English. Also, please remember to say “Hi!” from me. I am missing them already.

thai food

2010-07-26T21:00:00.001-07:00

Top 10 Thai Food
Posted: 9th October 2005

I spent most of the day at the Book Fair at Queen Sirikit Convention Hall. The big fairs are usually during the school holidays in April and October. I used to comment that Thai people don’t like reading much (apart from cartoon books), but every year more and more people go to these book fairs. Today was packed and I could hardly move. I bought quite a few books that I will share with you later, but first I want to show you this book which is all about the Top 10 of Thai Food! Obviously one of my favourite subjects. As you can see, the book is in Thai. I think I already have the best of the cookery books in English. Most of them are quite limited and repeat themselves a lot. So, that is why today I was browsing through the cook books written by Thai people. A better selection for sure. I bought half a dozen cook books which will help me a lot identifying the ingredients of street food that I have already photographed. I could blog about Thai food every day, I am just lacking the information sometimes.

Anyway, according to this book, the following is the Top 10 list of Thai Food:

Hot and sour soup with shrimp
Green curry with chicken
Fried Noodles
Pork fried in basil
Red curry with roast duck
Coconut soup with chicken
Thai style salad with beef
Satay pork
Fried chicken with cashew
Panang curry

In Thai:

ต้มยำกุ้ง (tom yum goong)
แกงเขียวหวาน (gaeng kiaw waen gai)
ผัดไทย (pad tai)
ผัดกระเพรา (pat ga-prao)
แกงเผ็ดเป็ดย่าง (gaeng pet bet yaang)
ต้มข่าไก่ (tom kaa gai)
ยำเนื้อย่าง (yam neua yaang)
สะเต๊ะหมู (moo sa-teh)
ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วงหิมพานต์ (gai pat met ma-muang him-ma-paan)
พะแนง (pa-naeng)

2010-07-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

English songs

2010-07-23T21:59:00.001-07:00

khmer songs

2010-07-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

old songs

2010-06-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

khm

khmer songs

2010-06-25T01:09:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Michael Bolton & Kenny G - Missing you now

2010-06-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

english song

2010-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

kheartakor snaeh (KHMER OLDIES)

2010-06-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

khmer songs

2010-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

choun sovanchai

2010-06-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

baek chan

2010-06-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

2010-06-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

CHMREING SENE KAM

2010-06-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

BONG SRALANH THAE OUN

2010-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-06-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-06-01T04:51:00.001-07:00

2010-05-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Audom Duang Jet

2010-05-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

2010-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Doung_Netra

2010-05-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

rose

2010-05-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

Best Graphics - MySpace/Hi5/Friendster

khmer song

2010-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

2010-05-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

Best Graphics - MySpace/Hi5/Friendster

2010-05-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

khmer song

2010-05-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

khmer sexy

2010-05-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Cambodia: A beautiful, haunting and heart-breaking country

2010-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

I was greeted with the smell of lemongrass. After a night flight to Bangkok, and a dawn flight to Phnom Penh, and a car-ride through the chaos that is the Cambodian capital in rush-hour – a chaos full of miracles, like entire families perched on mopeds and apparently surviving – we arrived in an oasis of calm. There were mint cocktails waiting for us, and giant, carved elephants and men in pointy hats and purple knickerbockers, and grand staircases that you could imagine yourself swishing down, in evening dress, before meeting some Ernest Hemingway-type figure for martinis in the bar.

For this is Raffles Hotel Le Royal, built in 1929 in the heyday of French colonialism, when Cambodia was a peaceful country full of temples and paddy fields and Buddhas. It was the favoured haunt of writers and foreign correspondents, and it was here they fled in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge marched on Phnom Penh and launched one of the bloodiest regimes in history.

It's hard to believe now, as you collapse on a vast bed in a room that's all dark wood and gracious living, or wander to the Amrita Spa for a soothing massage, or sample the delicious buffet in the Café Monivong, but you can't get away from history in Cambodia, and this is a place – like everywhere else – that saw chaos and terror and death.

You could spend all afternoon, after your massage, and your lie-down, and your lunch, sipping G and Ts by the pool – and I have to admit it's tempting. The last thing you want, in fact, after no sleep, and the stress of getting yourself there, and that journey through the rush-hour traffic, is to be bussed out, in the heat of a burning sun, to a place where thousands of people were killed. But it's also, in a peculiar way, the best way to start your trip to Cambodia.

If you want sunshine, go to Torremolinos, but if you want to get a true taste of the beautiful, haunting, heart-breaking country whose capital, Phnom Penh, was once regarded as the "Pearl of Asia", you have to see the killing fields. You have to see the beauty born out of blood, and the courage that has grown – yes, like a pearl – out of suffering beyond imagining.

There are brilliant pink flowers and a stall selling canned drinks at the entrance to Choeung Ek. This was the point where the trucks stopped, two or three times a month, to deliver men, women and children to death and mass graves. Between 1975 and 1979 – a time when in Britain we were watching Starsky and Hutch and listening to Abba – about 17,000 died here, bludgeoned to death, poisoned, disembowelled or buried alive. Many of the killers were children, children who learnt to smash babies' skulls against the rough bark of a "killing tree" before later being killed themselves. Loudspeakers played music to drown out the victims' screams.

Even now, you can see bits of bone and cloth poking up through the ground. Many of the mass graves have never been disinterred. But if you can't see the bodies, you can see some of the skulls. There are more than 8,000 of them, arranged by sex and age, behind the glass panels in a Memorial Stupa, created in 1988. Green mats next to it say (in English) "Welcome" and next to them are buckets of chrysanthemums.

Inside, funeral music is playing. In a hut nearby, there's a notice, presumably put up by the Cambodian government. "They have the human form," it says of the Khmer Rouge, "but their hearts are demons' hearts."

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Back in Phnom Penh, we saw more evidence of the "demons' hearts".

When the Khmer Rouge took the city, they requisitioned the Tuol Svay Prey High School as a centre for detention and torture.

"While getting lashes or electrification, you must not cry at all" says a sign outside the former "Security Prison 21" – a sign offering detailed guidance on how prisoners should behave while having their torsos whipped with iron chains, or their organs, or bowels, cut out. In the rooms used for torture there are still iron beds, electrical sockets, and some of those chains. The floors, walls and ceiling are flecked with blood.

In rooms nearby are the most haunting photographs I've ever seen. Thousands of men and women – men with the same cropped hair, women with the same regulation bob – stare out at you, eyes frozen with fear. Upstairs are the tiny cells – some built in brick, some in wood – where they awaited torture and death. In theory, they were sent to Choeung Ek to die, but some died in those iron beds, and were beheaded so they couldn't be identified.

"I will see you down here," said our gentle guide. "I don't want to go up there," she added quietly. Like so many others in Cambodia, she is still living with the legacy of what she witnessed. She spent 14 years in a refugee camp, but was lucky to survive. Three million Cambodians did not.

You carry these thoughts with you wherever you are in Cambodia, and you're right to. This is not something you can wash away with cocktails in the Elephant Bar (there's a cocktail, the Femme Chic, in honour of Jackie Kennedy, who stayed at Le Royal) or by eating a delicious dinner in the Restaurant Le Royal, or even with a few gentle lengths in the pool. But those cocktails and that dinner provide vital tourist dollars to a country recovering from profound trauma. They won't erase it. Nothing can erase it. But to see a country, and understand its past and present splendours, you have to know its history.

It was, nevertheless, a relief to have a day of gentle sight-seeing in Phnom Penh, a vibrant mix of temples, markets and colonial buildings, and of bustle and crumbling grace. First, we went to the Royal Palace complex, still the official residence of King Sihamoni (a 50-something bachelor ballet dancer who has so far failed to produce the requisite heir) and therefore with only selected bits open to the public. Much of it is 20th-century, though there's a pavilion that was built for Napoleon in Egypt in 1869 and moved here in 1876. What the palace lacks in age, it makes up in grandeur. The Silver Pagoda, covered in 5,000 tiles and five tons of silver, is breathtaking. Inside, there are more Buddhas than you could shake a sceptre at: a massive emerald one, a life-size gold one, studded with diamonds, an 80kg bronze one, and thousands of tiny ones, surrounded by silver floral arrangements and silver cigarette boxes. Asian kings, it seems, like their bling.

One of the chief pleasures of wandering around this Disneyland-with-a-royal-Asian-twist is watching the Cambodians relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. It was one of the pleasures of our next stop, too: a small wat (temple) at the top of 300 steps. Vendors nearby were selling bacon and eggs, flowers and grilled pork to offer to the gods, or the chance to set a songbird free. Inside the temple, there was a giant Buddha (of course), accompanied by flashing neon lights and tinkling music.

The artefacts on display at the National Museum were a little more tasteful. They're magnificent, in fact – more than a millennium's worth of fabulous Khmer sculpture, including an eight-armed Vishnu from the sixth or seventh century, giant wrestling monkeys carved from sandstone and practically an army of post-Angkorian Buddhas, many rescued from Angkor Wat.

We had lunch overlooking the Mekong, and after (at last!) a few hours by that gorgeous hotel pool, we went back to it, to glide down the river in a little wooden boat, and drink beer while the sun set. In a fishing village of huts on stilts a woman swung in a hammock, girls washed their hair, and children bobbed in the water like happy ducks. As we gazed out at the pointed roofs silhouetted against a sky shot through with brilliant pink and orange, the city at last seemed at peace.

Now it was time for the temples. If you do them properly, you have to get up early, and so we got up early for the long drive to Sambor Prei Kuk, originally known as Isanapura, the pre-Angkorian capital of Chenla. On the way, we stopped off at a service station, where travellers and passersby were enjoying a wide range of snacks, including fried crickets, ants and tarantulas. One of our party grabbed a long, hairy leg and took a bite. From the expression on her face, it clearly wasn't delicious. It is, however, probably not a great idea to risk anything that might turn your stomach because the roads outside Phnom Penh can do that on their own. They may have been cleared of mines – thoughV C there are still up to four million left in the country – but they're a far cry from smooth Western Tarmac. By the time we arrived at Sambor Prei Kuk, we felt like thanking all the gods for our arrival.

And there were plenty of opportunities, because there are more than 100 temples scattered through the forest, many dating back to the early seventh century. There were plants poking through the ancient bricks and among the Sanskrit inscriptions and the carvings, and it felt like a world lost to nature and forgotten, except by the children who followed us around. They asked us – in better English than the government-sponsored guide who was thrust upon us – our names and what we earned. In Cambodia, according to our real guide (who had to defer to the government guide), everyone asks everyone what they earn.

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In the next few hours, on the bumpiest roads I've ever been on, we had the chance to see more of this fascinating country: landscape that shifted from lush green to arid brown, and then back again, animals scrabbling for food under houses on stilts, and in one village what appeared to be an entire school – dressed in the standard national uniform of white shirts and blue trousers or skirt – on bikes. In the same village, we saw men chipping away at stone Buddhas – as if there was a national shortage of Buddhas. Which, I can tell you, there isn't.

By the time our minibus juddered to a halt, at the end of a track in the depths of the jungle, we were ready to collapse. Refreshment, thank god, was at hand, but first we were taken to our accommodation – a whole tent each, with a real bed, and a separate (tented) loo and ingenious shower. In those few moments, dusk descended, and we emerged to flaming torches and margaritas.

The men looking after us – of which there seemed to be an embarrassingly large number – made top-notch cocktails, and a top-notch dinner, too. We ate and drank late into the starry, flame-lit night.

As we staggered out of our tents, clutching our heads, at sunrise, that no longer seemed such a great idea, but spirits rose with a spectacular, hangover-crushing breakfast and with the sight, behind us, of a vast, brick pyramid. This, it turned out, was Prasat Thom, a seven-story sandstone temple built 1000 years ago. We were in Koh Ker, for a brief period (from AD928 to 944) the capital of Cambodia, and this magnificent building looming in front of us was, it turned out, only the beginning. We were in a vast temple complex, which looked as if it hadn't been touched for centuries, and with the exception of the odd khaki-clad guard, and the cicadas, we were alone. The surrounding area was teeming with temples: temples with Shiva Linga (vast phallic symbols) in them, like Prasat Thneng and Prasat Leung, and others (like Prasat Neang Khmau) in which the gnarled tree-roots and strangler figs laced, like a lattice-work, over them, looked as old as the stones.

And now we were on our way to the biggest temple in the world, but first, thank the Buddha, there was civilisation, in the form of the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. For 75 years, this magnificent hotel on the edge of Siem Reap has been the place where anybody who was anybody – anybody, that is, seeking a bit of 1,000-year old epic splendour – has stayed. Gracious elegance, with dark woods and antique furnishings, was just the ticket after our night under canvas, and the gargantuan pool proved irresistible.

There was more punishment ahead, in the form of a pre-dawn alarm call, but the punishment, we were assured, would be rewarded. And so it was. The sight of the sun rising over the vast, spiky skyline of one of the most spectacular spiritual buildings in history is one you'll never forget. Particularly, it has to be said, when accompanied with the tongue-tinglingly delicious patisserie in the lavish packed breakfast that Raffles had provided.

You need sustenance for the hours ahead, to drink in the delights of Angkor Wat, a three-tiered pyramid crowned by five towers, like beehives, that rise 65 metres above the ground. It was probably built as a funerary temple for Suryavarman II (1112 – 1152) to honour the Hindu god, Vishnu, who lurks (in the form of a statue) in one of the towers. But it feels more like a homage to history, religion and life. In the extraordinary bas-reliefs, which stretch around the outside of the central temple complex, and which would take a lifetime to study, you can see pictures of battles from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, military marches from the army of Suryavarman (complete with parasols, elephants and the royal tiara), armies of monkeys and scenes from heaven and hell.

Nothing in Cambodia – or indeed in much of the world – is as spectacular as Angkor Wat, but other temple complexes are fascinating in different ways. Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Angkorian empire, has an entrance flanked by 54 massive gods on one side, and 54 massive demons on the other, each with a different expression – sad, happy, sneering – on their face. The carvings in the main temple are touching in their humanity: men cooking meals, women weighed down by children, chubby-buttocked soldiers in loincloths fighting, a man wincing because his bottom has been bitten by a tortoise. Ta Promh, "discovered" by the French explorer Henri Mouhout in 1860, and left as he found it, is a symbol of human impotence in the face of nature: a magnificent, collapsing, mythical mix of giant roots and giant stones.

On our last day, we went on a boat trip to Tonle Sap, one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Asia. Four million people live on the lake, or the banks of it, many in tiny floating boats, in floating villages. There are floating schools, and floating restaurants, and floating health centres, and floating crocodile farms. It's a hard, hard life, to scrape a living and bring up a family in a space the size of a small room. But they do it. Day after day, they do it. Like so much else in this beautiful, sad, fascinating country, they weather the storms and go on.

Travel essentials: Cambodia

Getting there

* Cox & Kings (020-7873 5000; coxandkings.co.uk) offers a nine-night trip to Cambodia from £3,195 per person. The price includes Thai Airways flights from Heathrow via Bangkok, private transfers, two nights' B&B at Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, four nights' B&B at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap, two nights' B&B in a tented temple camp, some meals and all excursions.

* There are no direct flights between the UK and Cambodia; the gateway is Bangkok, served by Thai Airways (0870 606 0911; thaiairways.co.uk), British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com), Eva Airways (020-7380 8300; evaair.com) and Qantas (08457 747767; qantas.co.uk) from Heathrow. Connections to Phnom Penh are offered by Thai Airways and Air Asia (0845 605 3333; airasia.com).

Staying there

* Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh (00 855 23 981 888) and Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Siem Reap (00 855 63 963 888): raffles.com

Visiting there

* National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh (cambodiamuseum.info). Open daily 8am-5pm; admission US$3 (£2).

Royal honour for croc doc who saved ‘extinct’ species

2010-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

A SCIENTIST from Cambridge has been given a royal honour by the government of Cambodia – for saving one of the world’s rarest crocodiles.

The Siamese crocodile was believed to be extinct in the wild, but several years ago Dr Jenny Daltry, from the Cambridge-based conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI), discovered a tiny number were still alive in Cambodia.

She has since spearheaded a successful campaign to save them – and yesterday the Royal Cambodian Government recognised her efforts by awarding her the title Officer of the Order of Sahemetrei.

The award is given for “distinguished services to the king and nation”.

Dr Daltry, a senior conservation biologist at the charity, told the News: “I’m overwhelmed and grateful.

“For a conservationist to receive this rare honour does, I think, signify the importance that Cambodia places on its wildlife, forests, and protected areas.”

She has worked for FFI for 15 years and much of her time has been spent in Cambodia, where she has led several field expeditions, resulting in increased protection of forested areas in the Cardamom Mountains.

After discovering Siamese crocodiles surviving there in the year 2000, she set up a community-based programme to protect the endangered reptile.

She has also led a ground-breaking initiative to establish a new generation of Cambodian scientists.

An FFI spokeswoman said: “Because the Pol Pot regime largely wiped out the educated classes, the country lacks enough qualified practitioners to manage its wildlife and help it to develop sustainably. Under FFI Cambodia’s University Capacity Building Programme, Dr Daltry created the first permanent Masters of Science programme at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Nearly 150 Cambodians have enrolled on the course so far.”

The honour was presented to the Cambridge scientist at a ceremony attended by senior government officials, international dignitaries and the British ambassador to Cambodia.

Dr Daltry said: “The achievement I feel most proud of is helping talented Cambodians to become leaders in biodiversity conservation. I also thank my colleagues and co-workers for their tireless commitment and support for more than a decade.”

CAMBODIAN PREMIER URGES FOR PROMOTING THE CAPACITY OF RCAF’S HUMAN RESOURCES

2010-01-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

PHNOM PENH, Jan 30 (NNN-AKP) — Cambodian prime minister has urged the Ministry of National Defense to promote the capacity of the human resources in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) at the level equal to that in the regional countries as well as in the world.

Addressing the closing seminar to review the reform of RCAF in the last five years (2005-2009) and set its objective in the next five years (2010-2014), Hun Sen noted that in the early 21st century, Cambodia still has a gap if compared to some regional countries, mainly a lack of human resources to be faced, which he requested the ministry to surmount.

He said since the military reform in 2000, Cambodia has seen many difficulties and big sacrifices by successfully carrying out ?win-win policy? that brings peace, national reconciliation, country unity and certainty to the Cambodian people.

He also highlighted the situation and the main principles for implementing the policy of national defense, being aimed at being sure to maintain national independence, sovereignty, peace, security, public order for contributing to the national development.

He also gave some recommendations to Cambodian officers on the viewpoint in the future based on the present, the past experiences of advantage and disadvantage, the challenging issue and opportunities for solving the problem in response to the urgent development in the region and the world.

In his speech, the Cambodian premier also reminded the soldiers to perform good deeds for the sake of the nation and the people.

Girl school girl claims that her ass really sweet

2010-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Vietnam, Cambodia strengthen ties for ... Yuon's benefits solely!

2010-01-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Cambodian Ministry of Interior need to strengthen their cooperation for the sake of the two countries’ people, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

PM Dung made the comment during his meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng in Hanoi on January 12.

The PM lauded the Cambodian Minister’s working visit and the results of his talks with Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh earlier the same day.

He said he was delighted at the growing of bilateral traditional friendship and asked the two ministries to work more closely to implement a wide range of agreements reached by the two countries.

“Fine cooperation between the two ministries has helped facilitate the development of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and especially between the provinces which share the borderline,” PM Dung said.

He said the two ministries should enhance their assistance and cooperation in training and share experiences and professional skills to help maintain security, social order and safety in their countries.

PM Dung reiterated that Vietnam wants to implement its agreements reached with Cambodia effectively to elevate the traditional friendship and cooperation for the benefit of the two countries’ people.

Noting down PM Dung’s opinions, he affirmed that the Cambodian government is willing to coordinate with Vietnam to carry out bilateral agreements, including those agreed by the two ministries, in an efficient way.

Earlier, Deputy PM and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng held talks with Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh during which they informed each other of the current situation in their respective country and discussed issues of mutual concern.

They reviewed the implementation of cooperative programmes in 2009 and exchanged views on measures to be taken to boost their cooperation in 2010.

The two officials reached agreement on the issues they raised and showed their determination to lift the two ministries’ cooperative ties to a new height.

They signed a cooperation plan for their ministries in 2010.

The IRI did it again: Results of the “infamous” IRI survey revealed by Cambodia's Strongman ... not by the IRI

2010-01-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

The US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) released its survey indicating that the Cambodian government led by the current ruling CPP party is moving in the right direction. Support for the popularity of the CPP government has increased up to 79%. However, the IRI survey was criticized by the SRP as being imperfect.

The IRI conducted its survey between 31 July to 26 August 2009. The results of the survey were not made available by the IRI itself, but it was publicly announced by Hun Xen in the morning of 12 January 2009 instead.

During a ceremony for the distribution of diplomas to students in Phnom Penh, Hun Xen pulled out a paper showing the results of the IRI survey to read. He indicated that the IRI’s survey question was: “Is the leadership of the Cambodian government moving in the right or wrong direction.” The results indicated 79% of the people surveyed indicated that the government is moving in the right direction.

The survey results surprised Hun Xen when the survey question was: Will you vote for the CPP in any election? Hun Xen indicated that the result indicated that 53% are certain that they will vote for the CPP. This number reflects a full 1% increase from last year’s IRI survey.

Hun Xen claimed that the IRI had already revealed its survey results to all parties that hold seats at the National Assembly, including the CPP and Funcinpec.

The current support for the government stems from the fact the government built roads, schools, healthcare centers, pagodas, bridges and the living condition has improved due to water irrigation, electricity and water, peace in the country and good business climate.

Nevertheless, the survey conducted by the IRI – which, in the past, used to be close to the SRP and human rights and democratic NGOs in Cambodia – was criticized by Yim Sovann, the SRP spokesman, of being imperfect. Yim Sovann explained that the survey was conducted under a climate of repression, of silencing the freedom of expression, of arrest made against journalists, of lifting the immunity of MPs, and the arrest and jailing citizens involved in land dispute.

POVERTY IS NOT FATE: It is man-made

2009-12-24T04:35:00.000-08:00

Theary C. SENG giving her "Poverty is Not Fate" speech to 90,000 live audience, millions of TV viewers (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).

On 7 June 2007, German rock legend Herbert Groenenmeyer, U2's Bono, Bob Geldof and civil society umbrella organization Global Call to Action against Poverty organized the P-8 Rock Concert in Rostock, Germany to highlight the plight of the world's poor, to coincide with the G-8 Summit where the leaders of the world richest countries were meeting in nearby, seaside Heiligendamm. I represented Cambodia, one of the "Poor 8" countries invited, along with Bangladesh, represented by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus. Following is my speech to an electric crowd of 80,000 and several million more TV viewers.

Hallo Rostock!

My name is Theary Seng and I run the Center for Social Development in Cambodia. The Center for Social Development is a Cambodian human rights NGO which monitors 7 courts (including the Khmer Rouge Tribunal), advocates for good governance and accountability (many times with Transparency International) and conducts grassroots dialogue with villagers all over Cambodia on Justice & Reconciliation. One of our main donors is Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst.

I stand united with you today to resoundingly proclaim: Poverty is not fate. Poverty is not destiny. Poverty is man-made; it results from the greed and arrogance of power, poor governance and ill-conceived policies. Today, we join voices against the scourge of poverty and to urge the G-8 leaders to be more mindful of Cambodians, and the less fortunate of this world.

Yes, Cambodia is back -but not everyone. In Cambodia, 35 percent live on less than 50 US cents a day.

Lack of education causes poverty

Enrollment is up, but we have one in two Cambodian child not completing primary school. The girls are most vulnerable to dropping out first because of the lack of toilets -10 Million out of 14 Million Cambodians do not have access to toilets - or the girls are needed at home to care for sick family or they are trafficked and sold into prostitution or they have to work to supplement the family income. In Cambodia, education is supposed to be free, but students must often supplement teachers' meager salary of $30 a month.

War causes poverty

Poverty causes war. We, in Cambodia, had to start literally from the Year Zero, when almost 2 million Cambodians died as a result of the Khmer Rouge, including my parents - my dad immediately when the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, and my mom later when we were in prison and I was 7 years old.

Corruption causes poverty

In Cambodia, the Anti-Corruption Law has been in draft form since 1995; 12 years later, still no political will, still no law. Now we struck oil, and fear the Resource Curse. If big businesses control more and more of the world's resources, they must bear social responsibility. Let them start with transparency of information of what they pay to government, and let us join the Publish What You Pay movement to pressure them to do so.

Environmental destruction causes poverty

At least 30% of Cambodia's dense, tropical forests have been illegally depleted by the rich and powerful. Last Sunday, Global Witness - which the government has banned from the country for its past reports - released via the internet another scathing report. On my way to join you here, the Cambodian government again threatens confiscation.

Landlessness causes poverty

The Cambodian poor face illegal evictions, or they are forced to sell their land cheaply to pay for health care and life's unexpected crises.

The G-8 leaders believe they can judge our future. In Cambodia, we are currently trying to judge our past for our future. But at least, the G-8 are 8 individuals who control and possess power; in Cambodia, there's only one.

So, today, let us be reminded: Poverty is not destiny. Poverty many times is man-made. Poverty is the worst form of violence. Hence, let us do everything in our power to fight against this worst form of violence. Amidst the poverty, there's also much beauty in Cambodia; come visit us. We still need your help.

And today onward, ich bin eine Rostockerin! Danke schön

Theary C. Seng

Theary C. SENG before her speech on stage at P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany), July 2007.
Theary C. SENG with Bono at Press Conference before the P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Bono with Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Theary C. SENG with Sir Bob Geldof (remember 'We are the World' rock concerts of the 1980s) at the Press Conference (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
German rock legend Herbert Gronenmeyer who organized this P-8 Rock Concert (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).
Theary C. SENG behind the stage during the day-long rock concert to raise awareness of world poverty with the G-8 leaders meeting in Heiligendamm (Rostock, Germany. July 2007).

Thailand preparing coup?

2009-12-24T04:33:00.000-08:00

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday accused neighbouring Thailand of preparing a coup against his government as the war of words between the neighbouring nations worsened. -- PHOTO:

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIAN Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday accused neighbouring Thailand of preparing a coup against his government as the war of words between the neighbouring nations worsened.

Mr Hun Sen said he had seen a secret Thai government document outlining the plan to mount a coup, which he said he had passed to Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni to show the 'bad character of our neighbouring leaders'.

'In your secret document it says that although the (Thai) foreign ministry does not agree to stage a coup in Cambodia... others are working on it,' Mr Hun Sen said. 'Don't even think about it. I know who is doing this,' he added, during a speech at a provincial ceremony.

The Cambodian premier said he had also seen documents that showed Thailand has considered waging war against its neighbour. 'You have outlined bad scenarios, including preparing to wage war against Cambodia,' he said.

Mr Hun Sen's comments follow the leaking of a document in Thailand last week, written by the Thai foreign minister to premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, in which the worsening relations between the two countries are analysed.

Relations between the countries, which have fought a string of deadly gunbattles on their border since last year, plunged last month when fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra became an economic adviser to Cambodia.

China to execute five more for Xinjiang unrest

2009-12-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

BEIJING — Five more people have been sentenced to death over ethnic violence in July in China's Xinjiang region, an official said Thursday, as Beijing's human rights record comes under a harsh new spotlight.

The sentences bring to 22 the number of people condemned to die or executed over the unrest in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi, which pitted mainly Muslim Uighurs against China's Han ethnic majority and left nearly 200 dead.

The first executions last month of nine people for their roles in the violence drew sharp criticism from the United States, the European Union and rights groups concerned that the accused had not been guaranteed due process.

Eight others were sentenced to death earlier this month.

"On Wednesday, 22 people were tried in five cases with five people being sentenced to death and five others sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve," Ma Xinchun, spokesman for the Urumqi city government told AFP.

A death sentence with a two-year reprieve is often commuted to life in prison if the defendant is deemed to exhibit good behaviour.

The spokesman refused to give other details, such as the names and ethnicity of the convicted or their crimes.

During the initial eruption of violence on July 5, Uighurs attacked Han Chinese, but in subsequent days mobs of Han roamed the streets seeking revenge on the minorities, who have long complained of repression under Chinese rule.

According to official figures, more than 1,600 people were injured in the ethnic violence, the worst seen in China in decades.

Uighurs say the violence was initially triggered when police cracked down harshly on peaceful demonstrations in Urumqi that were held in protest of the beating deaths of two Uighur migrant workers at a factory in southern China.

China says it faces a serious separatist threat in Xinjiang. But exiled Uighurs say Beijing exaggerates the threat to justify harsh controls in the strategic western region, which is rich in energy reserves.

Based on names provided in state media reports, most of those sentenced to death and executed before Wednesday's sentencings have been Uighurs.

In recent weeks, Chinese police have been rounding up suspects that fled Urumqi after the unrest, with the government reporting earlier this month that 94 fugitives had been brought into custody after fleeing.

On Saturday, Cambodia handed over to China another 20 Uighurs who had sought political refuge in the Southeast Asian nation following the unrest, prompting a firestorm of criticism from the West amid fears they could face mistreatment.

Washington said it was "deeply disturbed" by the move and said relations with Phnom Penh would suffer, while the EU urged Beijing to treat them properly.

The UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Novak, on Tuesday called the expulsion of the Uighurs "a blatant violation" of anti-torture rules and urged an independent probe as well as access to the group should they be detained.

Washington and Brussels have also expressed concerns this week over the trial of prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo on subversion charges. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted when the verdict is given Friday.

"As far as we can tell, this man's crime was simply signing a piece of paper that aspires to a more open and participatory form of government. That is not a crime," US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.

"Clearly, a political trial that will likely lead to a political conviction is uncharacteristic of a great country."

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday slammed statements made by foreign governments about Liu's case, calling them a "gross interference" in China's internal affairs.

China is also facing calls from Britain and rights groups for clemency for a Briton with reported mental health problems due to be executed in the Asian nation next week on drugs charges.

London said it was "alarmed and concerned" when Akmal Shaikh's final appeal was denied, but Beijing says the case has been handled properly.