Continued from the previous post, where we'd just read about Hun Sen's lack of concern about Thailand's change in government.

These coup things tend to make despotic leaders edgy.

Hun Sen sent a warning to his own people, joking that when he visits Australia on October 8, similar events in Cambodia will not be tolerated.

'Do not try this when I am in Canberra. I will not let people do what they did to the former king. This is my message,'... more

It's Friday, so time for ... a wrap of news from Cambodia:

An Indonesian company, PT Medco Energi Internasional (MEDC), has taken over 90% of the, "exploration and exploitation fields in Block E off the Cambodian coast from the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA)". MEDC has previously paid more than $4.5 million to the "social development project fund" of the Cambodian government.

Their new oil and gas deal gets the company 90% of what comes out of the ground when it starts... more

The world grew a little smaller this week, as diplomatic relations have just been forged between Guatemala and a country just down wind from me (sort of), Mauritius.

From the Mauritian capitol, Port Louis:

Government House said this decision was guided by the mutual desire to initiate and develop ties of friendship and cooperation between the two states in political, trade, economic, cultural, and technical... more

Another Friday, another post about what's up in Cambodia ...

The US is giving Cambodia pats on the back for being a, "steadfast ally in the war on terror," acknowledging that this very poor country has, " worked hard to root out militancy since the September 11 attacks."

"Over the past five years Cambodia has made great strides in securing its borders and rooting out terrorists that seek to use this country as a base of operations,"... more

Japan's adoption law has not seen any significant change since the 1947 Child Welfare Law was created to address issues of orphaned children at the end of WWII. Last month, however, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry drafted a new set of guidelines in response to worries about profiteering by agencies and international trafficking concerns.

Presently, privately run adoption agencies are allowed payment only to cover costs. The list of approved expenses... more

Neil Sedaka, revisited ...

These days, it's the same song over and over ...

Yesterday, I wrote about this year's report from the Global Corruption Report focusing on corruption in the healthcare sector. Today, a report... more

Corruption in Cambodia. It happens. Bribes, graft, theft, influence peddling, intimidation ... all of the above and more. International adoptions from Cambodia have been stopped for folks in the US for coming up to five years because of corruption. This year's Global Corruption Report focused on the health sector closely, as "unfortunately, corruption is very high" in that area of national expenditure, and estimates that more than five percent of Cambodia's health budget... more

The coup in neighboring Thailand sent ripples of reaction across the border, but didn't make any real waves. Official statements from Phnom Penh that the situation was, "an internal matter for the Thai government," were immediately followed with assurances that everything in Cambodia is, "quite stable."

Defense Minister Tea Banh told reporters that the Cambodian Military remained united behind the government.

"There... more

Here's a story from Guatemala that adoptive families tied to that country should take a good look at.

It starts out all sweetness and light:

With an estimated 22,000 orphans living in Guatemala, Buckner Orphan Care International has worked since 2002 to provide abandoned children like Juan Pablo hope for the future by providing for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

What began with... more

It looks like the situation for Australians hoping to adopt internationally may be improving. Australian states are being stripped of their management of international adoptions. The Attorney-General will assume control in a bid to correct, "... state government neglect and hostility for driving down the number of adoptions in Australia since the early 1970s." With Australia's per capita rate of adoptions from overseas now... more