Wednesday 11 May 2011

US Navy backtracks over gay weddings on bases



The US Navy has reversed its plans to conduct gay weddings on bases, saying that officers need more time to look at the legal issues.

This week, an April 13th memo from Navy head chaplain Rear Adm Mark Tidd was reported as saying that Navy chaplains would be able to perform the ceremonies on bases in states where gay marriage was legal.

The memo said: “Regarding the use of base facilities for same-sex marriages, legal counsel has concluded that, generally speaking, base facility use is sexual orientation-neutral. This is a change to previous training that stated same-sex marriages are not authorised on federal property.”

Despite this, another memo released yesterday said that the plans were “suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination”.

Some politicians had complained that the change would violate the Defense of Marriage Act, which restricts federal recognition of marriage to that of a man and a woman.

Missouri Republican representative Todd Akin collected 62 signatures from other Congressmen to protest against the move.

He wrote: “The law of the land is that the federal government defines marriage as between one man and one woman. This new guidance from the Navy clearly violates the law. While our President may not like this law, it is unbelievable that our Navy would issue guidance that clearly violates this law.”

The move was due to happen after the military lifts the ban on out gay troops later this summer.

The ban will not be lifted until military chiefs have certified that repealing the law will not harm military readiness. Following this, 60 days must pass.

Foreign secretary William Hague says Britain is lobbying Uganda over anti-gay bill


Foreign secretary William Hague says that the UK is continuing to urge Uganda not to pass a bill that could see gay people executed.

Responding to questions on Twitter, Mr Hague wrote: “We oppose this bill and will continue to raise our concerns with Ugandan government. We urge Ugandan MPs to reject it.”

He continued: “Our embassy is lobbying Ugandan gov & the UK initiated a formal EU demarche [diplomatic move] to the Ugandan foreign minister on the bill.”

The bill has spent two days before a parliamentary committee and is due for a second reading tomorrow, if parliament has time to discuss it. Tomorrow is the last scheduled day of parliament and it is listed on an order paper of following business.

In its current form, the bill prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated” homosexuality, such as repeat offences. Among other things, it also calls for up to three years in prison for teachers, doctors, friends, landlords and family members of gay people who do not report them to authorities.

Reports this afternoon suggested that some aspects of the bill may have been modified. Anti-gay pastor Martin Ssempa claimed today that he did not want gay people to be executed.

US blogger Jim Burroway, the author of the Box Turtle Bulletin blog, who has been following events closely, claimed MPs could pass the bill to divert attention from Uganda’s current problems, which include unrest over rising food and fuel prices.

He wrote: “Clearly, passing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which is very popular among ordinary Ugandans, would be a cynical diversionary ploy on the part of the government.

“If the bill does come up for a second reading, that is when amendments to the bill may be offered. A third reading can quickly follow a second reading, at which time the bill would be passed and sent to the president.

“The president can assent to the bill or return it to parliament for changes. According to one parliament member, the president has not returned a bill to parliament during his term.”

Campaigners are calling on as many people as possible to sign petitions to ask President Yoweri Museveni not to accept the bill.

Civil partnership for gay Tory MP Nick Boles


Conservative MP Nick Boles has tied the knot with his partner.

The 45-year-old had a “quiet” civil partnership ceremony with his partner Shay Meshulam in Camberwell in March, the Guido Fawkes blog reports.

A source said the couple invited close friends and family but intend to have larger celebration in the summer once parliament breaks up.

A spokeswoman for the MP said: “Mr Boles is very happy about it and that’s all we can say.”

Other MPs to have had civil partnerships include Tory MP Alan Duncan and Labour MP Chris Bryant.

Mr Boles, who represents Grantham and Stratford, was elected in 2010 after missing out on the marginal seat of Hove in 2005.

He was a strongly-tipped candidate for the Tory nomination for Mayor of London in 2007, but withdrew to recover from Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of cancer.

The former businessman has spoken about declaring his sexual orientation to candidate selection committees, saying he was not embarrassed and it was right to tell them.

California Senate approves equal benefits bill


The California Senate has narrowly approved a bill to encourage companies to give equal benefits to the spouses of gay employees.

Democrat Senator Christine Kehoe’s bill says that state agency contracts will only be awarded to companies who offer the equal benefits.

Ms Kehoe said the legislation would encourage equality. The bill applies to contracts over $100,000.

The bill just got the majority it needed to pass, with 21-15 votes. It will now go to the Assembly.

The legislation is supported by Equality California, which says Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, San Mateo County, San Diego and Santa Monica already have the ordinances.

Interim executive director Jim Carroll said: “Studies have shown that employees who are treated fairly have higher retention rates and are more productive. The Equal Benefits bill both advances equality, benefits business and ensures that our precious tax dollars do not subsidise discrimination.”

Slim majority of Republicans support legal recognition of gay relationships


A poll says that just over half of Republicans support some form of legal recognition for gay couples.

The Public Policy Polling survey asked 1,000 people who identified as Republicans about their views on marriage equality.

Only 12 per cent said gay couples should be allowed to marry. Support for civil unions was higher, with 39 per cent agreeing with them.

This meant that 51 per cent back either marriage equality or civil unions.

But 48 per cent said there should be no recognition at all of gay relationships.

Support for marriage equality was highest among high-income respondents as 24 per cent in this category said gays should be able to wed.

Last month, another American poll suggested that just over half of voters support marriage equality.

The CNN poll found that 51 per cent of the 824 adults surveyed said gay couples should be allowed to wed.

Among those under 50, support levels rose to 60 per cent.

CNN polls in 2008 and 2009 found that just 44 per cent of those surveyed supported gay marriage.

New York governor begins tour to highlight gay marriage


Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, has kicked off a state tour to highlight his legislative agenda for 2011.

Marriage equality is one of the priorities, along with a property tax and ethics reform.

The Democrat governor hopes to press people to support his aims and pressure lawmakers about them.

He said in a statement: “Our entire team is going to travel the state to speak directly to New Yorkers about the issues that can move this state forward, and it begins in Syracuse.

“We need to pass a property tax cap, ethics reform, and marriage equality during this legislative session. The clock is ticking, but when the people speak, the politicians will listen. We will assemble a broad coalition of New Yorkers to support this agenda and work tirelessly to get it passed in Albany.”

The Advocate reports that Mr Cuomo’s office has not released further details but judging by past tours, he may reference marriage equality in high-profile speeches and send deputies to speak with LGBT audiences around the state.

Last month, Mr Cuomo told gay rights campaigners he will devote his “full attention” to marriage equality.

Speaking to campaigners in a closed meeting, he reportedly said: “For me, this is personal.”

Lady Gaga teams up with FarmVille creators to launch GagaVille


Lady Gaga has announced a partnership with social games giant Zynga to launch GagaVille, a take on the popular FarmVille and CityVille.

Zynga, home to the most popular games on social network Facebook has
previously launched projects with Snoop Dogg, Dreamworks and Niceklodeon.
However, the company today said that the deal with Lady Gaga is its most significant to date.

GagaVille will showcase the bisexual star’s style and themes together with themes from her new album Born This Way. From 17th to 19th May, GagaVille players can unlock a new unreleased track per day. From 20th May, users can unlock tracks from the new album.

Lady Gaga branded $25 Game Cards will include bonus tracks and exclusive Lady Gaga branded virtual goods.

Lady Gaga said “I want to celebrate and share ‘Born This Way’ with my little monsters in a special way that’s never been done before…Zynga has created a magical place in FarmVille where my fans can come play, and be the first to listen to the album.”

Earlier this year, Lady Gaga signed an exclusive deal with US retailer Target but backed out after the company made donations to

David Laws guilty of a series of expenses rule breaches


Former Cabinet minister David Laws has been found guilty of a series of breaches of parliamentary expenses rules.

The Liberal Democrat MP was chief secretary to the Treasury for just days last May. He resigned when it was revealed he had paid £40,000 in expenses to his boyfriend who was also his landlord.

According to the Evening Standard, Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon found him in breach of six areas of Commons rules.

The Commons’ Standards and Privileges Committee will now look at the investigation and report back later this week.

When the story broke last year, Mr Laws said he had failed to declare the relationship because he wanted to keep his sexuality secret.

He said: “My motivation throughout has not been to maximise profit but to simply protect our privacy and my wish not to reveal my sexuality.”

Prime minister David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg were understood to be keen to see him return to the Cabinet but this will depend on the wording in the report.

Mr Laws will not face criminal charges over his claims.

Civil partnership for gay Tory MP Nick Boles


Conservative MP Nick Boles has tied the knot with his partner.

The 45-year-old had a “quiet” civil partnership ceremony with his partner Shay Meshulam in Camberwell in March, the Guido Fawkes blog reports.

A source said the couple invited close friends and family but intend to have larger celebration in the summer once parliament breaks up.

A spokeswoman for the MP said: “Mr Boles is very happy about it and that’s all we can say.”

Other MPs to have had civil partnerships include Tory MP Alan Duncan and Labour MP Chris Bryant.

Mr Boles, who represents Grantham and Stratford, was elected in 2010 after missing out on the marginal seat of Hove in 2005.

He was a strongly-tipped candidate for the Tory nomination for Mayor of London in 2007, but withdrew to recover from Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of cancer.

The former businessman has spoken about declaring his sexual orientation to candidate selection committees, saying he was not embarrassed and it was right to tell them.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Cambodians must join to oust Hun Sen

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
May 11, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

Thirty-two years ago, more than 100,000 Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, smashed Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas, took over Phnom Penh, installed a puppet regime in January 1979, and staffed the Hanoi-instituted Cambodian administrations with Vietnamese to oversee the puppet government's activities.

Several thousand Cambodian youths taken in 1954 by the Viet Minh for education, indoctrination and training in Vietnam -- by 1979 in their forties and fifties and fully acculturated in Vietnam -- were brought back to Cambodia.

The puppet government leaders and their Vietnamese masters allowed Vietnamese citizens unrestricted access to live in Cambodia in support of Hanoi's long-term economic and expansionist goals. The immigrants, like the Hanoi-backed Cambodian regime, were illegally installed in Cambodia.

These illegals were integrated into different aspects of Khmer society. There are Vietnamese who speak Khmer and act Cambodian, and many Cambodians who speak and enjoy Vietnamese ways, as this helps get them closer to privileges. An officer of Premier Hun Sen's army told me it's no longer easy to tell who is Vietnamese and who is Cambodian.

Nationally conscious Cambodians hate what has happened in the country, acknowledging their fear that Cambodia and the Khmer race may be subsumed by the country's eastern neighbor. As Cambodian anger mounts, Vietnamese who migrated and have lived in Cambodia since France ruled Indochina, who have families who have lived all their lives in Cambodia, also are threatened by the new arrivals. The "old " Vietnamese know no other place but Cambodia; the "new " Vietnamese are exploiters of Cambodia's resources.


Cambodians called on the Vietnamese to leave Cambodia and for Premier Hun Sen to step down. But the Cambodian-ized Vietnamese are not going anywhere, nor is Hun Sen, elected again and again.

Some Cambodians call for the "reactivation " of the 1991 Paris Peace Accord to restore individual rights, freedom and democracy in Cambodia, and protect her independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The international community's $3 billion U.N.-managed peace initiative never required the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese-propped Heng Samrin/Hun Sen factions to disarm, nor created a politically neutral environment essential for the accords to work. The naïve nationalist KPNLF/KPNLAF and royalist FUNCINPEC/ANS were happy to empty their pockets, in the name of "national reconciliation," with hungry alligators to get closer to the seat of power.

Recall the wide-eyed international community, which thought it could make Cambodia a "success" story, leaving town after the first U.N.-organized elections in 1993.

Today, in the midst of economic crises and world political upheavals, which government would step in to implement the accords?

Hun Sen is now a recipient of so-called Chinese "aid without strings attached" -- no strings so long as Hun Sen agrees to a "one China" policy, deports the Uighurs seeking political asylum and allows unfettered Chinese investment in Cambodia. He and his ruling party can do what they please with the land and national wealth, and thumb their noses at Western financial donors and the U.N.

Frustrated, some bloggers have chided me for not providing a "solution." Actually, they wanted an ABC manual to bring Hun Sen down; ideas and thoughts seem too complicated. Yet, in my column last week, "Stop giving Hun Sen power to rule," I suggested what to do, and not do -- to converge the different efforts by individuals and groups, to disintegrate a dictatorship. A reader emailed to tell me not to "bark" too much and return to Cambodia "to fight" and he will join me. Oh dear.

Last month, an email from a friend from a different continent referenced the necessity to create a "critical mass" in Cambodia to bring a long-lasting change and led me to write on the subject.

Last week, an old Cambodian friend emailed from Phnom Penh to urge continued "fighting" on two main fronts: education and economy. "At least 80 percent of the population (of 14 million) must have at least 10 years of schooling; at least 40 percent of the population must be college graduates, and at least 10 percent must have Ph.D. degrees, ... and the GDP per capita must be at least $10,000," he wrote. Ah, the man of my dreams, I said to myself as I scratched my head. When will we reach that level of education and economic development?

Unless we do, Cambodians have every reason to worry about the disappearance of Cambodia and the Khmer race.

Only last week I quoted statistics by the U.N. Children's Fund that recorded Cambodia's net secondary school enrollment for 2005-2006 at 36 percent for males and 32 percent for females. My questions were: Out of these enrollees, how many actually attend school (which is open only a few hours per day), how many actually graduate from secondary school, how many go on to high school, etc.

So my friend's email made me want to cry to heaven for help. And when I think of the finding that nearly 40 percent of the Cambodian people live under the poverty line of $2 a day -- many live on 50 cents a day -- the suggested $10,000 GDP per capita makes me look for my spiritual balance.

Yet I cannot accept despair. And so I keep on writing and hoping more readers will not remain complacent and will join with others to do something, do many things, which will converge to create a tipping point to cause Hun Sen's government to disintegrate.

Police appeal over anti-gay attack in Woking

Ta Dambang Dek (Grandpa with an iron staff): A statue at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in front of which everybody had to take their oath
Reach Sambath


10 May 2011
Dith Sokthy
The Phnom Penh Post (Khmer)
Translated from Khmer by Soy

Phnom Penh – Reach Sambath, director of the public relation office of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, is currently under medical care at Calmette Hospital. However, there is no official indication as to what his illness is. Doctors are currently providing him with medical care.

Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy met with French MP Michel Issindou in Paris

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Today, opposition leader Sam Rainsy meet with Michel Issindou, French MP from Isere Province, at the French National Assembly in Paris, France.

France's National Assembly in Paris


US Olympic official quits over gay marriage comments



Former Olympic gymnast Peter Vidmar has resigned as the chef du mission of the US 2012 team after anger over comments he made about gay marriage.

In 2008, Mr Vidmar, a Mormon, joined the fight against California’s gay marriage law.

As well as joining two rallies and donating $2,000, the gold medal winner was quoted at the time as saying: “It’s good for our society to have a traditional definition of marriage.”

His comments resurfaced last week in an article on Outsports.com and then in the Chicago Tribune, leading fellow athletes to condemn him.

The figure skater Johnny Weir, who is gay, told Outsports.com: “I certainly wouldn’t want to be represented by someone who is anti gay marriage. It isn’t just about marriage; it is being allowed equal rights as Americans. The fact this man who is very publicly against something that may be represented on the American team is disgraceful.”

In a statement on Friday, Mr Vidmar, 49, said: “I have dedicated my life to the Olympic movement and the ideals of excellence, friendship and respect. I wish that my personal religious beliefs would not have become a distraction from the amazing things that are happening in the Olympic movement in the United States. I simply cannot have my presence become a detriment to the US Olympic family. I hope that by stepping aside, the athletes and their stories will rightly take centre stage.”

Before resigning, he told reporters he had not tried to hide his remarks and added: “I fully respect the rights of everyone to have the relationships they want to have.”

Gay friend of Boy George speaks out after attack


A gay friend of Boy George has spoken out after he was attacked in central London.

Philip Sallon, the socialite and event organiser, was badly injured in the April 2nd attack in Piccadilly.

He suffered a brain haemorrhage and fractured skull after he was kicked and stamped on. He spent time in hospital but is now recovering at home.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, he said: “It was a severe blow to the head. From leaving home I remember nothing. It could have been some stranger who lashes out and just hates queers. But I also can’t rule out other possibilities.”

Mr Sallon said he now suffers severe headaches and a loss of smell, hearing and taste.

His friends feared he was the victim of a homophobic attack, although police are looking at other motives. No one has been arrested.

Friends said that Mr Sallon, a popular figure on London’s club scene, enjoys walking around the West End and night and striking up conversations.

He said he would not stop walking about alone and considered the capital safer than many high streets.

Boy George said the public response to the attack was “overwhelming”.

Girl, 13, is latest victim of South African ‘corrective rape’


A 13-year-old girl in South Africa has reportedly become the latest victim of the ‘corrective rape’ epidemic.

The girl, who was attacked on Thursday in Pretoria, was said to be open about being a lesbian and it is believed she was targeted for this reason.

The phenomenon of corrective rape involves the targeting of lesbians in order to ‘cure’ them. There have been high-profile cases in the country, including the recent rape and murder of gay rights campaigner Noxolo Nogwaza.

Government spokesman Tlali Tlali promised a police investigation and assistance for the girl and her family.

“The government condemns this senseless and cowardly act of criminality,” he said.

”Gay and lesbian rights are human and constitutional rights which must be protected and respected at all times.”

Dipika Nath, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, said: ”If the police and other state officials do not act swiftly, it will only be a matter of time before they have to account for their failure to the family and friends of the next lesbian who is beaten and killed.”

Last week, the government announced the formation of a task team to tackle anti-gay hate crimes.

A government spokesman said that the task force would comprise the police, the social development department, six judges and six LGBT campaigners.

The team will be charged with developing a legislative intervention plan, a public awareness strategy, and LGBTI-sensitive shelters, he said.

Chaz Bono ‘thrilled’ with results of transition



Chaz Bono, the son of singer Cher, has spoken candidly about his transition from female to male.

Speaking ahead of a book and documentary about his journey, the star said he never had a moment’s doubt that he was supposed to be a man.

Bono, 42, grew up as Chastity and was a lesbian activist for many years. He announced two years ago that he was transitioning and completed the process last year, albeit in the public eye.

Speaking to TIME, he said he had “confused gender identity with sexual orientation” when younger.

He said: “So when I was about 13 or 14, I realised I was attracted to women and then made the assumption that I was a lesbian, and didn’t realise that that wasn’t the case. It was the fact that I was a man and a heterosexual man. The issue wasn’t my sexual orientation, but rather my gender identity.”

The star, who says he wants to speak up for trans rights, has refused to talk about whether he has had genital surgery.

But he said that he was “thrilled” about the results of his ‘upper’ surgery, or breast removal.

“It was the greatest day, probably of my life,” he said. “It was getting rid of something on my body that felt like it didn’t belong there since they started to develop at, like, 11 or 12.”

Bono revealed that he spent time talking to psychologists about how he would deal with transition but said he “never had a moment’s doubt” about whether it was the right thing to do.

He said: “I had felt uncomfortable as a women my whole life. So that wasn’t the issue. It was about finding the strength to transition and how that would affect my life.”

The star added that he was continuing to publicise his journey to “bring awareness” of the issue.

Becoming Chaz will be broadcast in the US on the Oprah Winfrey Network tomorrow.

Bono’s memoirs, Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, will also be released this week.

Gay activists’ petition against Ugandan ‘kill gays’ bill


Gay rights campaigners hope to collect enough signatures to ask Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni to refuse to sign an anti-homosexuality bill.

The legislation, in its current form, calls for harsher punishments for homosexuality. For “aggravated” case, such as those involving disabled people, those with HIV or minors, it calls for the death penalty.

Landlords, teachers and family members could also be prosecuted for failing to report gay people to police.

The status of the bill has been unclear for months, with conflicting reports about its progress through the legislature.

Late last year, it appeared to have been scrapped. However, campaigners say that parliament may vote on it this week and are urging people to sign a petition against it.

The petition, started by Allout.org, says: “Our best chance at stopping the bill is each other – if thousands of us spread the word we can make clear that the world is watching and we will not allow this to stand.”

The appeal adds: “Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has shown himself to be sensitive to international pressure. Last year, a massive response from people around the world pushed him to stop the bill in its tracks.”

President Museveni has not given his opinions on the bill but ethics minister James Nsaba Buturo said last January that the leader did not agree with killing gays and lesbians.

The anonymous blogger GayUganda wrote last week that parliament’s return to the bill was a “diversion” tactic to take attention away from riots and the fear of more civil unrest.

Study finds gay men are more likely to have had cancer


A large US study has suggested that gay men are more likely to have had cancer than straight men.

The research, from California, found that gay men were almost twice as likely as straight men to have been diagnosed with this disease. On average, diagnoses happened a decade earlier for gay men.

It also found that lesbians and bisexual women are more likely than straight women to report poorer health after cancer.

Researchers are unsure whether gay men may be more likely to have cancer, or whether they are more likely to survive the disease. It is known that anal cancer is more likely to affect gay men and can be caused by HIV.

The study, of 120,000 people, was carried out by using data from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview surveys.

Out of 51,000 men, about 3,700 said they had been diagnosed with cancer as an adult. Just over eight per cent of gay men said they had a history of the disease, compared to five per cent of straight men. Researchers said the difference was not down to differences in race, age or income.

About 7,300 out of 71,000 women in the study had been diagnosed with cancer, but there was no difference between straight, lesbian or bisexual women. However, they were more likely to rate their health after treatment as ‘poor’ or fair’.

Liz Margolies, executive director of The National LGBT Cancer Network, told Reuters that more information is needed to plan care and prevention strategies.

She pointed to research which suggests gay men, lesbians and bisexuals are more likely to smoke and abuse alcohol than straight people and said that LGB people are less likely to visit doctors for health check-ups, partly because of stigma.

“Health care facilities and social service agencies – any organisation that addresses the needs of cancer survivors — must understand the extra challenges that lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors and gay men have,” she said.

Jason Warriner, clinical director for HIV and sexual health at the Terrence Higgins Trust, told BBC News: “We know that HIV can cause certain types of cancer, and that gay men are at a greater risk of HIV than straight men.

“Another factor potentially having an impact is Human Papilloma Virus, which can lead to anal cancer in gay men.

“The government currently runs a national vaccination programme for young girls, but we think recent figures on oral and anal cancers justify taking another look at whether the programme should be extended to include boys.”

Gay MP Nigel Evans ‘in denial’ when he voted for Section 28


Gay Conservative MP Nigel Evans says he was in denial and going through a “neanderthal phase” when he voted for Section 28.

The MP for Ribble Valley, who came out last year, backed the legislation to ban mention of homosexuality in schools and once voted against lowering the age of consent for gay men.

Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I was going through denial and what I would describe as my neanderthal phase.

“I was just stupid, and clearly I wasn’t thinking. Of course, I was completely wrong.”

Mr Evans’ sexuality was an open secret in Westminster but he did not feel able to come out to the public until last year, at the age of 54. He claimed a Labour MP had threatened to out him.

In the interview, with lesbian comedian Rhona Cameron, he praised prime minister David Cameron for his “leadership” on gay rights issues.

He added: “I said it when I came out, I showed absolutely no leadership, whereas David Cameron has. When you say you can’t work out how there are so many gays in the Tory party – David is hugely instrumental in that, because of his approach to gay issues and equality.”

He said that “being something like the 22nd or 23rd openly gay MP is not brave at all” but sports men and women should be commended for their openness.

“If only we could get some gay footballers to come forward, that would help,” he said. “It’s daft to say there are no gay footballers in the premier league – of course there are. Every one of them who could possibly find the courage to come out would help so many people.”

Mr Evans, who is the deputy Speaker, said his position meant he could not give an opinion on the blood donation ban for gay men.

But he did say: “Equality is basically the rule of thumb, and that’s what it should be irrespective of what the issue happens to be. If you have distinguishing elements between gay and not gay, you have a problem.”

Anti-gay pastor rejects Ugandan death penalty for gays


Anti-gay pastor Martin Ssempa has told a Ugandan parliamentary committee that he does not agree with the death penalty for gays and lesbians.

The preacher told the committee that he supports controversial legislation for punishing homosexuality because it is “killing” society.

But he reportedly stopped short of praising the bill’s harshest clause – the death sentence for “aggravated” homosexuality.

The bill’s author, MP David Bahati, originally included the clause to state that the death penalty could be used in cases involving repeat offenders, minors, HIV-positive people or disabled people.

But he told AP news agency that this “was something we have moved away from”.

However, the bill still contains language to lengthen prison sentences for gay people and also calls for punishment for anyone who does not report homosexuality to police. This would include doctors, landlords, teachers and even friends and family members.

Mr Ssempa reportedly told the committee: “The parliament should be given the opportunity to discuss and pass the bill, because homosexuality is killing our society.”

It is not clear whether MPs will get a chance to debate the bill before this session of parliament ends on Friday.

During the hearing, Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo said the bill would not stop homosexuality and would lead to more cases of HIV.

“How can we expect doctors to treat everyone when this bill will require them to report on their patients who are LGBT?” he said.

Thai-Cambodian Border Dispute Fueled by Nationalism, Politics

From left, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva , center, sit during a trilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 8, 2011 (Photo: AP)

Daniel Schearf, VOA
Bangkok May 10, 2011

An ancient temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia is at the heart of a deadly dispute between the two countries. Clashes along the border this year have killed some 30 people and sent tens of thousands of villagers fleeing. Both governments say the dispute is about who owns the land around the temple. Nationalism and domestic politics in both countries also play a key role in driving the conflict.

The border dispute dominated the agenda of this year’s summit of Southeast Asia nations, where efforts by host Indonesia failed to bridge major differences between the two sides.

When Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met Sunday at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, they exchanged accusations over who is responsible for prolonging the conflict.


Thailand’s Prime Minister argues that Cambodia provoked the fighting by stationing troops in the disputed area. Since then, he says Cambodia has repeatedly tried to internationalize the dispute by involving outside groups such as ASEAN and the United Nations.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

"ASEAN has tried to mediate. There was an agreement in February to send Indonesian peace observers to both Cambodia and Thailand and Thailand agreed to it. But, the domestic crisis in Thailand is such that the army has superseded the civilian Abhisit government by reneging. And, basically, the agreement has been abrogated by the Thai side," Pongsudhirak explained.

In Thailand, the border clashes have come as the government prepares for nationwide elections in early July, raising suspicions that the country’s divisive domestic politics are playing a role in the conflict.

The election is seen as a showdown between Thai elites backed by the military and an opposition party supported by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had friendlier relations with Cambodia during his time in power.

The military ousted Thaksin in a 2006 coup that was backed by nationalist demonstrators known as the Yellow Shirts. His supporters were purged from the military and government and he went into self-imposed exile to avoid corruption charges.

Since then, the country’s politics have been bitterly divided and opinion polls indicate the July elections vote will be close.

William Case is a professor of Asian and International Studies at City University of Hong Kong. He says Thaksin’s opponents may be hoping the border crisis can rally the nation behind them or can be used as an excuse to postpone elections.

"There are certain forces which would include the military and the Yellow Shirt movement that maybe don't want those elections because of the results that they may well bring," he said.

In December a group of Yellow Shirts stirred up nationalists on both sides by going to the disputed area where they were arrested by Cambodian troops for spying.

Yellow Shirts have since protested outside government offices against Abhisit for being too soft on Cambodia.

Tensions were first raised along the border in 2008, when the United Nations declared an ancient Khmer Hindu temple located just inside Cambodia as a World Heritage site. At that time in Thailand, a government aligned with Thaksin supported Cambodia’s application.

Michael Montesano is a visiting research fellow on Thai history and regional affairs at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. He says the former prime minister’s political opponents seized on the temple’s listing to politicize the border dispute.

"Since then obviously things have spun out of control and we have armed violence among the Thai and Cambodian forces along the Thai and Cambodian border, a prolonged series of incidents over several years, ASEAN's chronic inability to address this violence between member states, all emanating from what began as a domestic political stunt on the Thai side,” Montesano stated.

The border dispute also has a political dimension in Cambodia, where relations with Thailand and Vietnam play a major role in domestic politics.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is a close friend of Thaksin and in 2009, appointed him an economic advisor, and refused to extradite him to Thailand.

Montesano says many Cambodians see Thailand as arrogant towards its small neighbor and Prime Minister Hun Sen scores easy political points for standing up to Bangkok.

But Montesano says the issue also gives the Cambodia government political cover in its own border dispute with Vietnam. Hun Sen’s opponents have accused him of being weak in negotiations with Hanoi.

"I'm in no position to know whether they're right. But, they're people who say that Hun Sun's playing up the situation on the Thai border is a way to distract the Cambodian people from his much softer stance vis a vis Vietnam relating to poorly demarcated borders." he said.

The Cambodia-Thailand border was demarcated over a century ago by the French colonial powers and Thailand, then known as the Kingdom of Siam.

The Thai side tacitly accepted a French-produced map but resentment later resurfaced over allegations that the map was unfair.

The main area of contention is land surrounding a 900-year-old temple called Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled the temple was Cambodia’s, which Thailand accepted, and the issue lay dormant for decades.

Thailand claims the land surrounding the temple, which the court did not rule on.

Earlier this month Cambodia asked the ICJ to clarify the 1962 ruling to try to settle the dispute. Thailand says it wants to resolves the dispute through direct talks with Cambodia.

Myanmar Model Girl Photos: Christina's hot fashion pose

Myanmar Model Girl, Christina
Real Name : Aye Myat Thu , Date of Birth : 6.9.1985 , Place of Birth : Yangon
Body Structure : 34, 24, 36, Height : 5' 4" , Religion : Christrian
Race : Mon + Myanma , Marital Status : Single
Favourite Color : Baby Pink & Many light colour
Contact : No;296, Room 11, Shwe Da Gon Street, Dagon Township Yangon.




After Ban Ki-moon Said Stood Behind UN Rights Rep in Cambodia, His Leaving Draws No Reaction, like ECCC

Monday, May 09, 2011
By Matthew Russell Lee
Inner City Press

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Cambodia last October, Prime Minister Hun Sen “ordered” him to remove the head of the UN human rights office in Phnom Penh, Christophe Peschoux.

Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky about it. Nesirky called it an “internal personnel matter,” then added that Ban stands behind the office and, by implication, its staff.

Now six months later, Peschoux has been chased from the country. Human rights groups call it “worrying.” Mr. Peschoux himself has said that in Cambodia
“human rights are tolerated to the extent that they do not challenge the political, economic and financial interests of the ruling elite. That’s where the red line runs. If you cross that line, trouble starts... Of course I’m leaving because it has become impossible for me to continue to operate in this environment.”
Given this, one might have expected Ban Ki-moon to have some follow up comment, if not to have actually defended Mr. Peschoux. But when Inner City Press on May 9 asked Ban's acting deputy spokeman Farhan Haq about Peschoux's leaving Cambodia, Haq said “we do not have any comment at this stage,” nor “any reaction.”
Ban in Cambodia, Peschoux and
Ban follow through on human rights not shown

Back on April 12, Inner City Press had asked Haq about Cambodia:
Inner City Press: there is a lot of controversy about the UN-backed Court [Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia] there. Some are saying that the President told Ban Ki-moon that there should be no more prosecutions and that the Court should be wound down. And advocates are saying that the UN hasn’t spoken up in defence of the Court’s mandate. Does the Secretary-General have a view on whether this Court should go on in a non-politicized fashion, or, as many say, should be moving to dismiss future cases beyond those it has?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: The Secretary-General fully supports the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in Cambodia, and he believes that it is up, ultimately, to the senior officials of the Extraordinary Chambers to proceed with their work as they see fit.
Since then, concerns have only grown. Ban Ki-moon and human rights: que pasa? Watch this site.

ECCC urged to quiz new suspects

9 May 2011
AFP

The international co-prosecutor at Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia on Monday called for the unnamed suspects in a politically sensitive new Khmer Rouge case to face questioning.

In a written statement, Andrew Cayley urged the co-investigating judges to examine more crime sites and "summon and question the suspects", adding that he felt their alleged crimes "have not been fully investigated".

In its landmark first trial, the court sentenced former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav to 30 years in jail in July for overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people during the brutal 1975-1979 regime.

That case is now under appeal, while a second trial involving four of the regime's most senior surviving leaders is due to start in the middle of the year.

But the court has been tight-lipped about progress into potential third and fourth cases against another five members of the regime, whose identities remain confidential and details sketchy.


I object!

Observers say both cases are likely to be dismissed as they face strong opposition from the Cambodian government, with Prime Minister Hun Sen even saying last year these cases were "not allowed".

Late last month the court announced in a terse press release that it had concluded its initial investigations into the third case, without providing details of the crimes nor summoning the suspects, to the dismay of victims and observers.

Cayley's national counterpart Chea Leang has opposed going after more suspects from the beginning and her name was notably absent from Monday's statement.

Cayley refused to comment on the apparent rift between them but said that he had "a legal obligation" to demand further investigations.

"I am using every single legal instrument at my disposal... to ensure justice is done in this case," the Briton said.

"My view is that the victims, the witnesses and the potential suspects are entitled to know what is taking place in the courtroom."

Information first

In his list of new crime sites, Cayley disclosed numerous Khmer Rouge security centres across the country, including one in the capital Phnom Penh, as well as a forced labour site in southern Kampong Som province.

By giving victims some basic information, Cayley had "done the right thing, and this may be crucial for the credibility of the court", said Clair Duffy, from the rights group Open Society Justice Initiative.

The co-investigating judges are expected to announce next month whether they will take up Cayley's requests.

The third case is widely believed to centre around a former Khmer Rouge navy commander and an air force commander, while the fourth case is thought to involve three lower-level regime members.

Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Marxist Khmer Rouge regime emptied cities in the late 1970s in a bid to create an agrarian utopia, killing up to two million through starvation, overwork and genocide.

Indigenous Peoples Standup for Their Rights in Vietnam

Source:KKN



Vietnam has been recognized as one of the countries in Southeast Asia with the impressive progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations by 2015. However, more than half of the Indigenous Peoples in Vietnam currently still live below the poverty line. Instead of trying to improve the standard living for the Indigenous Peoples, the Vietnamese government confiscates their ancestral farm lands. When they speak up for their land rights, the Vietnamese government labels them as “separatists” or “try to disturb the society”. With those alleged crimes, the Vietnamese government can send them to the prison without a fair trial.






Neang Phuong was shot at her leg by the Vietnamese police.





On February 2008, the Indigenous Khmer-Krom farmers in Tri Ton district, An Giang province organized a peaceful protest to demand returning their confiscated farmland. The Vietnamese government used armed forces to disperse the protest. Many Khmer-Krom farmers were injured. Neang Phuong, Mr. Chau Hen’s wife, was shot in her leg and was refused for treatment at the Vietnamese hospital in Triton district. Mr. Chau Hen and his family escaped their beloved hometown to seek refugee status in Thailand.




The UNHCR staff in Bangkok refused to grant Mr. Chau Hen’s family refugee status and asked them to go back to Vietnam because they believed that the Vietnamese government would not do any harm to them. On December 17, 2010, leaving behind their children in Bangkok, only Mr. Chau Hen and his wife went back to find out if the Vietnamese government would not do any harm to them as the UNHCR staff in Bangkok said or not. Unfortunately, when they got back to their village for about two hours, the Vietnamese government in Tri Ton district sent the Vietnamese polices to arrest Mr. Chau Hen.






Mr. Chau Hen's Sons urged the UNHCR in Bangkok to grant them refugee status in April, 2011 after their father is imprisoned in Vietnam.





On March 31, 2011, the Vietnamese court of Tri Ton district brought Mr. Chau Hen for a trial even he was very sick and could not speak to defend for himself. He was sentenced for two years in prison with the alleged crime of inciting the Khmer-Krom farmers to demand returning their confiscated farmlands and caused the public disturbance.




Since April 20, 2011, Mr. Chau Hen’s wife has urged the Vietnamese government to allow her to visit him, but the Vietnamese government keeps denying and made her suspected that if Mr. Chau Hen is actually alive or not. The Vietnamese polices promised her that she will be allowed to visit him on May 10, 2011. Hopefully, Mr. Chau Hen is still alive.




The human rights violations committed by the Vietnamese government against the Indigenous Peoples do not happen only in the Mekong Delta, but it is all over the country. The Degar (Montagnard) people in the central highland of Vietnam have been harshly persecuted when they stood up to demand for their fundamental rights, such as: land rights and religious freedom.




According the 46-page report, “Montagnard Christians in Vietnam: A Case Study in Religious Repression” by Human Rights Watch in March 2011, stated that “more than 250 Montagnards in prison or awaiting trial are charged with national security crimes such as "undermining national solidarity." Many former Montagnard political prisoners and detainees report that they were severely beaten or tortured in police custody and pre-trial detention. Since 2001, at least 25 Montagnards have died in prisons, jails, or police lock-ups after beatings or illnesses sustained while in custody, or shortly after being prematurely released by prison authorities to a hospital or home.”




In Muong Nhe, Dien Bien province of North Vietnam, near the border with Laos, since April 30, 2011, thousands of the Indigenous Hmong Peoples have protested to demand for their fundamental rights. According to the U.S. –based Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), 28 protesters were killed and hundreds are missing after the military moved to suppress the protests. At this time, the Vietnamese government has surrounded this area and forbid any foreigners to visit this area.




The Tenth Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will be held at the United Nation Headquarter in New York City from May 16-27. The Vietnamese government and the organizations that represent for the Indigenous Peoples in Vietnam will attend this forum. In previous years, the Vietnamese government representatives always claimed that Vietnam does not violate Human Rights and always respect the rights of all people in Vietnam including the ethnic minorities. Vietnam does not recognize the existence of the Indigenous Peoples in its country. With the human rights violation records that the world is condemning Vietnam to respect the Human Rights of the people in Vietnam, especially the rights of the Indigenous Peoples, it would be hard to believe if Vietnam still sings the same old song at the forum this year.




It is time for Vietnam to open its heart and mind to have a constructive dialog with the Indigenous Peoples to solve the issues in a peaceful and respective way. If Vietnam keeps using the oppressive strategies to imprison and kill the Indigenous Peoples, then Vietnam will never gain the respect from the other countries. Moreover, it might lead to the human rights revolutions as in North Africa and Middle East.

Opposition Plans Demonstration for Textile Workers

Sophea (left), 25, a former employee of the June Textiles company, speaks to reporters after being injured during a scuffle with police yesterday in Sen Sok district (Photo: Pha Lina, The Phnom Penh Post)
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 09 May 2011

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy says he plans to gather garment workers together in a demonstration, after about 2,000 gathered for a strike in front of the June Textiles factory outside Phnom Penh.

The factory, which sits on the main road leading to the airport, burned down in March, costing the company millions of dollars and leaving many workers without pay.

Workers said they hoped to block the airport road Sunday night, as the prime minister and other leaders returned from an Asean summit in Indonesia, but were dispersed by riot police.

At least eight workers were injured as police clashed with protesters and two were detained through Monday. Sam Rainsy told reporters Sunday he planned a larger demonstration soon.

After Ban Ki-moon Said Stood Behind UN Rights Rep in Cambodia, His Leaving Draws No Reaction, like ECCC

Monday, May 09, 2011
By Matthew Russell Lee
Inner City Press

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Cambodia last October, Prime Minister Hun Sen “ordered” him to remove the head of the UN human rights office in Phnom Penh, Christophe Peschoux.


Now six months later, Peschoux has been chased from the country. Human rights groups call it “worrying.” Mr. Peschoux himself has said that in Cambodia
“human rights are tolerated to the extent that they do not challenge the political, economic and financial interests of the ruling elite. That’s where the red line runs. If you cross that line, trouble starts... Of course I’m leaving because it has become impossible for me to continue to operate in this environment.”
Given this, one might have expected Ban Ki-moon to have some follow up comment, if not to have actually defended Mr. Peschoux. But when Inner City Press on May 9 asked Ban's acting deputy spokeman Farhan Haq about Peschoux's leaving Cambodia, Haq said “we do not have any comment at this stage,” nor “any reaction.”
Ban in Cambodia, Peschoux and
Ban follow through on human rights not shown

Back on April 12, Inner City Press had asked Haq about Cambodia:
Inner City Press: there is a lot of controversy about the UN-backed Court [Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia] there. Some are saying that the President told Ban Ki-moon that there should be no more prosecutions and that the Court should be wound down. And advocates are saying that the UN hasn’t spoken up in defence of the Court’s mandate. Does the Secretary-General have a view on whether this Court should go on in a non-politicized fashion, or, as many say, should be moving to dismiss future cases beyond those it has?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: The Secretary-General fully supports the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in Cambodia, and he believes that it is up, ultimately, to the senior officials of the Extraordinary Chambers to proceed with their work as they see fit.
Since then, concerns have only grown. Ban Ki-moon and human rights: que pasa? Watch this site.

A laughable Kangaroo court with illiterate judges obeying to a Stalinist government

May 10, 2011

A LAUGHABLE KANGAROO COURT WITH ILLITERATE JUDGES
OBEYING TO A STALINIST GOVERNMENT

Today the Phnom Penh Appeal Court postponed its awaited decision related to a ten-year imprisonment sentence handed down to me on September 23, 2010 for “forgery of a public document.”

The accusation against me is related to a French-era 1:100,000 map posted on the Sam Rainsy Party website which allegedly has an “unusual” grid on it (see Map # 4 at http://tinyurl.com/yeaoxyf). The Hun Sen government accuses me of adding the grid to the original map, therefore “falsifying” the document. They point to the grid by using the French word "carreaux" while the technical term in both English and French is UTM graticule.

Some CPP-affiliated judges seem to be as illiterate as some Hun Sen government “experts.”

Actually, I used and published both French-made maps and US-made maps to show that they corroborate one another regarding border delimitation between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Cambodian judges and government “experts” should read this explanation by Colonel Edward G. Anderson, Jr. of Corp of Engineers, United States Army (excerpt from "Mapping in Southeast Asia", in The Military Engineers, March-April 1969, page 232): "You would notice the Minutes mention the use of UTM (grid) on 1:100,000 French-made maps. The UTM (standard military grid) with marginal data in English was overprinted on the French maps by the US Army since outbreak of WW II. NATO, France included, adopted UTM grid after 1945."

Mr. Var Kim Hong, the head of government border “experts” did not get the point when he claimed in his accusation against me at a February 22, 2010 press conference, “The French are ignorant of UTM grid (map making).” Actually, it is Mr. Var Kim Hong and his CPP colleagues who are ignorant of elementary graph and map techniques.

Proeur Heungsa Chea Nich - "Always resorting to violence": Poem in Khmer by Kaun Khmer

Monday 9 May 2011

Gay Couple, Fleetingly Famous for a Kiss, Separated by Tragedy

Two young men electrified a conservative South African town when a picture of them kissing prompted anger--mostly from area males--but also spoke to gays of passion, commitment... and normalcy. The photo, capturing a moment in time, is immortal--but a month after it was taken, one of the young men is dead, and the other in critical condition, following a car

Whitney Houston in Rehab for Drug and Alcohol Treatment

Whitney Houston is seeking help. The singer, 47, who has struggled with substance abuse in the past, has recently entered an out-patient treatment program.

"Whitney Houston is currently in an out-patient rehab program for drug and alcohol treatment," her rep tells PEOPLE in a statement. "Whitney voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process." Full story here!

Rugby Guys Gone Wild (NSFW)






This post sponsored by:

Khmer Girl Model Kim Lisa

Yet another question has come...Khmer model Kim Lisa, where does she get the beauty from?


Khmer Girl Model Kim Lisa
Khmer Girl Model Kim Lisa

Tribunal Prosecutor Supports Disclosure of Suspects’ Names

Manilene Ek, VOA Khmer
Monday, 09 May 2011

The international prosecutor for the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday urged judges at the UN-backed court to publicize the identities of suspects in a controversial case.

So far the identities of suspects in cases 003 and 004 at the court have remained confidential, although likely suspects have been named by outside parties.

Prosecutor Andrew Cayley said Monday that announcing the names of suspects for potential indictment in Case 003 would be in “the interest of public information.”

Investigating judges concluded their work in that case in April.


Both cases remain controversial because Prime Minister Hun Sen objects to their going further, a position publicly supported by many Cambodian tribunal officials.

Critics say the cases should move forward in the name of national reconciliation.

Man accused of murdering wife suffered metal toxicity, court told

Narin Sok is pictured on July 30, 2008, the day he was arrested by police and charged with the second-degree murder of his wife Deang Huon.Photograph by: Supplied, Edmonton Journal

May 9, 2011
By Ryan Cormier, Postmedia News
Edmonton Jounal (Alberta, Canada)

EDMONTON — In a rare move, Crown and defence lawyers have agreed that an Edmonton man charged with the second-degree murder of his wife is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder caused by "heavy metal toxicity."

After his arrest, Narin Sok told doctors he thought his wife might have been possessed by the "snake spirit" of his dead brother. He has admitted he killed her in the couple's downtown apartment on July 30, 2008.

Deang Huon, 40, died of strangulation.

In a joint submission, defence lawyer Peter Royal and Crown prosecutor Robert Fata agreed that Sok was suffering from lead, cadmium and manganese toxicity the day his wife was found dead.


The condition is attributed to years of working with scrap metal, and the fact that in hours before the murder, Sok tried to melt "magic belts" he and his wife had used in hopes of increasing their chances of pregnancy. That last concentrated exposure occurred in the couple's enclosed apartment.

"In my 36 years of practice I have never seen another case like this, and doubt we will ever see another one," Royal told court.

Sok, 51, was in a deranged state when police found him and his wife's body in their apartment after concerned relatives asked that someone check on the couple's welfare.

Police found a bizarre scene, according to an agreed statement of facts.

Sok was sitting in the bedroom, ripping up a black garbage bag to add to numerous others that covered the floors and windows. Next to him, his wife's dead body was partially covered with garbage bags, rice sacks and other debris. Rigor mortis had already set in.

Sok was taken to police headquarters in the back seat of a cruiser, where he spit and complained of thirst.

In his cell, he urinated on the floor and simultaneously complained the room was dirty.

He was soon moved to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where he was treated for kidney failure, liver damage and facial scratches and bruises. There was also damage to his heart. He was then transferred to Alberta Hospital for a psychological assessment.

Starting in 1986, Sok had spent a total of nine years off and on working in various scrap-metal yards. Largely, his job was to cut and peel wires to separate various metals to be recycled. He told doctors he usually wore gloves but only used a mask sporadically because it was uncomfortably hot.

He told doctors his job was dusty and could turn his mask black when he did wear it.

When he returned from a 2007 visit to Cambodia, Sok brought back two "magic belts" made of zinc, silver and lead that were supposed to increase the chances he and his wife could conceive a child. The couple constantly wore two belts each, he told doctors.

Huon never became pregnant.

The night before his wife's death, Sok tried to melt those belts in a pan on the stove. As the apartment filled with smoke, he disabled the smoke detector, but had already covered the windows with garbage bags in what doctors later thought was a sign of increasing paranoia.

He said he doesn't remember going to sleep that night. Sometime after, the couple fought and Huon was strangled.

Sok told doctors he couldn't understand what happened in the moments before his wife's death, or why he punctured her right arm with a thin metal rod. He remembered placing a chair astride her neck then using a rice sack to weigh it down. He remembered both of them falling asleep.

At one point, he told doctors he thought his wife might have been possessed by the "snake spirit" of his deceased brother.

Heavy metal toxicity occurs when the amount ingested exceeds the body's ability to eliminate them. The effects vary greatly, depending on the level of toxicity and the specific metal involved.

Doctors concluded that Sok's toxicity started because of his occupation, leading to paranoia and abnormal behaviour.

It also led to the impaired judgment that led him to burn the metal belts, which caused acute poisoning by inhalation.

The Cambodian couple married in Edmonton in 1994. Between then and the murder there was no evidence of violence in the relationship and Sok did not have a criminal record.

Court was told Sok is now fully recovered from his mental illness.

The trial continues.