Three Cambodians in custody in US accused of visa, marriage fraud

17 May 2010 15:02
The Phnom Penh Post
By Maggie Chen

THREE US citizens and three Cambodian nationals have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to commit marriage and visa fraud in connection with a scheme designed to enable Cambodians to obtain American citizenship, a US attorney’s office announced Friday.

Michael Reece, 57, Julianne Garcia, 27, and her mother, 64-year-old Helen Garcia, all Americans, were arrested late last week, as were Cambodians Samphear Thou, 35, Lorn Sou, 46, and an unidentified woman referred to as Jane Doe in a statement released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

“The United States ... continues to welcome legal immigration,” US Attorney José Angel Moreno said in the statement.

“It is illegal immigration, whether by illegal entry, overstay, or fraud, which cannot and will not be tolerated. We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who circumvent, or attempt to circumvent, the legal immigration process,” Moreno said.

A nine-count indictment alleges that conspirators paid US citizens substantial “marriage fees” to enter into fraudulent marriages with Cambodian nationals. Julianne Garcia is alleged to have entered into a sham marriage with Samphear Thou in August 2006, and Reece is alleged to have entered into a similar marriage with Doe in December 2006.

Helen Garcia and Lorn Sou are accused of aiding, abetting and assisting Julianne Garcia and Samphear Thou in entering into a fraudulent marriage. Lorn Sou is also accused of aiding and abetting the Reece-Doe marriage.

Both Reece and Doe are accused of falsely claiming on a passport application for a minor that Reece was the child’s father. Doe is also charged with visa fraud for using and possessing a US non-immigrant visa allegedly procured by means of a false statement.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Sunday that the Cambodian government condemned the scheme.

“As a result of any such illegal activities, [the Cambodian nationals] must face the law in the US and deal with the consequences of their actions,” he said.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a US$250,00 fine. Passport fraud and visa fraud each carry a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Coming out in Phnom Penh

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 15:00
The Phnom Penh Post
By Rachel Briggs

Weeklong LGBT Pride Festival celebrates the Kingdom’s homosexual culture

PHNOM Penh is hosting its seventh annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Festival until May 17, a weeklong event that celebrates LGBT culture and provides practical support for those in the gay community.

Over the past few years, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have seen the opening of an increased number of gay bars, and last year’s festival was attended by 50 women from the provinces, perhaps showing that “open” gay culture is not only limited to the cities.

Cambodia, along with other predominantly Buddhist countries, enjoys a reputation for tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality.

In some ways gender and sexuality are more fluid here than in Western societies. There are considered to be three genders: male, female and khtuey. Generally speaking, khtuey refers to men with feminine characteristics who are also usually gay.

When people talk about Khmer culture being accepting of homosexuality, what they’re usually referring to is khtuey, which actually represents only a small section of the LGBT community.

When compared to other Asian countries, Cambodia has a less draconian stance. In January of this year, for example, Beijing authorities closed down the Mr Gay pageant an hour before it was due to start, confirming that China’s attitude towards the gay community is undecided at best.

Meanwhile, there hasn’t been any official opposition to the Kingdom’s Pride Festival, but ongoing “morality” crackdowns are sporadic and unpredictable, with the definition of immorality ever-changing.

Tolerant views of the LGBT community are not shared by everyone. The lack of public hostility and aggression toward LGBT people does not mean that homosexuality is widely accepted in Cambodia or that discrimination does not take other forms.

Homosexuality has never been illegal in Cambodia, but there are currently no laws protecting people against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and ignorance can lead to victimisation of LGBT people by others.

“Sometimes people will say rude or hurtful things, but they don’t think they’re discriminating,” said Lang, a student in Phnom Penh.

Many believe that being gay is accepted in Khmer culture but only when it’s presented in a way that does not threaten the traditional family structure.

“My family don’t know I’m living with another woman,” said Heng, a bar worker.

“If they did I don’t think they would talk to me anymore.”

But a handful of activists in the LGBT community are working to educate the public about homosexuality. One of the festival organisers, Srorn Srun, is a project manager for Marie Stopes International, which offers vital sexual health services, including HIV/AIDS referrals and advocacy work for gay men.

“There needs to be more focus on the causes of HIV/AIDS in the gay population. In our advocacy work we try and educate people about what it is to be gay and encourage communities to be accepting,” says Srorn Srun.

Srorn Srun said the situation is particularly difficult for gay women because they keep their sexuality a secret and face more societal and family pressure to get married and follow convention. Lesbians and transgender people in particular lack support in areas that don’t affect gay men. For example, unlike men, who can marry and have gay relationships, it is very difficult for a married woman to have the same autonomy outside the home.

“I know a lot of gay men who are married. I don’t know any lesbians who are. Once they’re married there’s no opportunity for them to meet other lesbians,” said the owner of a gay bar in Phnom Penh.

Things are changing though, and March saw the inauguration of monthly women’s events at the Fly Lounge, which are proving to be a big success.

“There isn’t a space for women to meet and come together,” said Chariya Preap, the organiser of the monthly meetings.

Despite discrimination being a serious issue, there are members of the LGBT community who are accepted and supported by their families, and because of this, Srorn Srun remains optimistic about the future. “The generation born after 1980 has a different attitude to the older, more conservative generation. As this generation grows up I think tolerance and understanding will spread,” he said.

This year’s Pride Festival brings together a mix of events including film screenings, a book launch, Khmer-language workshops, parties and a beach trip. The closing party on May 17 will coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia. A complete schedule of events can be found online at phnompenhpride.blogspot.com.

Officials accused of pillaging villa

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 15:02
The Phnom Penh Post
By Thet Sambath

A FORMERLY well-heeled resident of Russey Keo district says that local authorities robbed her of hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewellery and removed US$2 million worth of property last week while serving a Supreme Court warrant to evict her from her villa.

Hang Borey said $60,000 in cash and $260,000 worth of jewellery were removed from her home during the raid on Friday, along with $2 million worth of other property.

“They removed all my property – I’ve lost everything now,” Hang Borey said. “I was not informed in advance about my removal from the villa.”

Hang Borey said her partner, Yors Sokuntheary, purchased the villa in 2007 from the brother of its Chinese owner, who was serving a jail term overseas. She added, however, that she never received a land title or a deed to the property. Hang Borey says that after the original owner returned to Cambodia, he took her to court in 2008 to get his property back, and that the Supreme Court ruled in his favour earlier this year.

The home’s original owner has since transferred his rights to the property to Sok Kong, president of the Sokimex development company, Hang Borey said. She added that she had filed a complaint against Sok Kong to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Russey Keo deputy Governor Koub Sleh said district officials were simply following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“I have no right to talk about the court’s decision. We were just following the court’s warrant,” he said.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Hing Bunchea said he had not seen any money or jewellery lying around the house when local officials entered to serve the warrant.

Sok Kong could not be reached for comment.

World's oldest person dies in Japan

AFP

TOKYO — The world's oldest person, Japanese woman Kama Chinen, has died a week short of her 115th birthday after a life spanning three centuries, Guinness World Records said Tuesday.

Chinen lived on Okinawa in Japan's far south, a sub-tropical island whose inhabitants are well known for their robust health into advanced age.

"Guinness World Records is saddened to learn the news of the death of the oldest living person, Kama Chinen from Japan, who died on May 2, 2010 aged 114 years 357 days," the organisation said.

"Though confined to a wheelchair in her later years, Chinen still enjoyed the wonders of nature and being outside."

Chinen's death hands the title of world's oldest person to Eugenie Blanchard, a 114-year-old French woman living on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Blanchard was born on February 16, 1896, the group said.

Chinen's reign as the oldest living person began on the death of US woman Gertrude Baines, who passed away in September 2009.

Kyodo News agency, citing Japan's health ministry, said an unidentified 114-year-old woman had died Sunday afternoon on Okinawa after being taken to hospital from a nursing home.

The woman was using a wheelchair but still enjoyed taking a walk on sunny days, the ministry said, adding that her relatives had asked for her name and personal details to be withheld.

Kyodo said Chiyono Hasegawa, 113, in southern Japan's Saga prefecture was now the country's oldest person.

Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, and Okinawa has been home to many centenarians, a fact variously attributed to the healthy diet and environment of the island.

Elderly Okinawans have among the world's lowest mortality rates from many chronic diseases of ageing, due to both genetic and lifestyle factors, according to the Okinawa Centenarian Study, a project that began in 1975.

Its researchers found elderly Okinawans "have impressively young, clean arteries" and low cholesterol compared to Westerners, reducing the risk for coronary heart disease by up to 80 percent and keeping stroke levels low.

The group attributes the healthy arteries to common lifestyle factors -- a healthy diet, regular exercise, moderate alcohol use, avoidance of smoking, blood pressure control, and "a stress-minimizing psycho-spiritual outlook".

Old Okinawans also have lower rates of many cancers, in part due to a generally low caloric, low-fat and high-fibre diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits, and to their physical activity, the study found.

Japan's population is ageing much faster than Western European countries or the United States, official data show, stoking concerns about how the elderly will be cared for as the tax base shrinks after years of economic malaise.

Average life expectancy in Japan climbed sharply after World War II and is today the world's highest. In 2008, life expectancy at birth was 86.05 years for women and 79.29 years for men, according to government statisticians.

In 2008, Japan's population of elderly citizens -- those 65 years and over -- reached 28.22 million, or more than 22 percent of the total population -- a ratio projected to rise to nearly 32 percent by 2030.

PHNOM Penh district governor accused of corruption

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 15:04
The Phnom Penh Post
By Chhay Channyda and Chrann Chamroeun

PHNOM Penh Governor Kep Chuktema on Tuesday announced that he would seek the replacement of Chamkarmon district Governor Lo Yuy, whom he accused of accepting bribes from two “illegal” karaoke clubs that were recently raided.

The proposed move would mark the first time a government official has faced dismissal as part of continued vice crackdowns sparked earlier this year by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has publicly accused officials of intentionally obstructing efforts to stamp out prostitution and human trafficking.

During a meeting at City Hall, Kep Chuktema said Lo Yuy’s failure to crack down on one of the raided clubs had been particularly egregious because it is located close to the Phnom Penh governor’s home.

“I would like to announce that I will request that the Ministry of Interior replace you,” Kep Chuktema said at the meeting, addressing Lo Yuy. “I have a report that you take money every month from the clubs. This case is a serious case, and I say it is time to change the district governor. I cannot receive blame because of you. I know it is difficult for you to crack down because you take bribes from them.”

He added: “This is an area for the district officials to control. Do not depend on the municipal police force or Military Police to lead you.”

On April 25, municipal Anti-Human Trafficking Police raided the Nam Trea Karaoke Club, where they found drugs on the premises and arrested 39 people, said Keo Thea, head of the municipal Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Bureau. Seven people were sent to prison, Keo Thea said. The Nam Trea Karaoke Club is located in Phsar Deumthkov commune.

More than 100 people were rounded up in a weekend raid of the Mega Karaoke Club in Boeung Keng Kong I commune, where Kep Chuktema’s home is also located.

The Saturday night raid netted “one package containing marijuana, a parcel with ecstacy, 300 grams of methamphetamine, as well as other instruments for using drugs,” Men Ra, head of the Anti-Drug Research Bureau of the Military Police, told the Post on Monday.

“We are now still interrogating them for further information against the five people on suspicion of drug-dealing … before deciding whether to send them to Phnom Penh Municipal Court for further investigation,” he said Tuesday.

Kep Chuktema did not say during the meeting whether he had a replacement Chamkarmon district governor in mind. Neither he nor Lo Yuy could be reached for comment after the meeting. Interior Ministry officials could also not be reached for comment.

The most recent raids appeared to be a continuation of vice crackdowns nationwide, which observers believe were prompted by orders from the premier.

In March, Hun Sen called out senior officials who he said were guilty of “misconduct” for intentionally thwarting efforts to reduce human trafficking.

“I am regretful of the misconduct of some leaders who have interfered with the court and law enforcement officials,” said Hun Sen, who did not name specific officials. “The culture of impunity is not acceptable.”

Those who advocate on behalf of sex workers say the crackdowns – which have targeted drugs and prostitution in places where sex workers routinely operate, such as karaoke clubs – could have potentially dangerous consequences for an already marginalised group, and that they could thwart key HIV-prevention efforts.

The Post previously reported that in the two weeks following Hun Sen’s admonishment, at least 280 sex workers lost their jobs as part of police raids on brothels as well as informal establishments such as karaoke clubs and massage parlours, according to figures provided by sources who work with or advocate for sex workers.

Ly Pisey, a technical assistant with the Women’s Network for Unity, a collective of sex workers in Phnom Penh, said she did not have statistics on the number of people in the sex industry who have been affected by crackdowns since Hun Sen’s orders. But arrests are still frequent, she said.

“The crackdowns are still going on,” said Ly Pisey, who attributed the raids to the premier’s speech.

And with the continued raids, many sex workers are being put at greater risk as they are pushed further underground, she said.

“If they are out in the open and accepted, it is easy for them to be protected,” Ly Pisey said. “But now it is like they are working as thieves. They’re trying to hide themselves in order to maintain their work.”

Many sex workers are refusing to accept condoms, fearing they will be arrested if they are caught with them, Ly Pisey added.

Diamond Island build rescheduled

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 15:01
The Phnom Penh Post
By Soeun Say

DEVELOPERS of a US$100 million housing development in Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island are trying to complete the build ahead of schedule, a company project manager told the Post Tuesday.

Touch Samnang, project manager and architect for developers Overseas Cambodia Investment Corp (OCIC), said the first stage of the Elite Town build, comprised of 168 homes, would be completed at the end this year.

“After we finish the first project we are jumping ahead [of schedule] to have the second and third phase ready in three to four years,” he said.

The Diamond Island project, which lies on 75 hectares of the isle in the Tonle Bassac River, Chamkarmon district, was originally slated for completion by 2016 when it was granted approval in 2006.

Touch Samnang added that 50 percent of homes set to be built in the first phase have been sold, at price tags between US$200,000 and $1 million per unit.

Director of Visal Real Estate Co, Sear Chailin, said there is active demand from buyers for homes, but that the business property market is still stagnant.

“I hope that that [Elite Town] will get enough of clients to buy,” he said.

The Koh Pich, or Diamond Island, development project is one of five satellite cities planned for Phnom Penh.

The others are the $2 billion Camko City project, the $600 million Grand Phnom Penh International City, the $2 billion Malaysian-backed Sunway City and the $300 million Boeung Snor Satellite City.

Heng Pov pens book lauding PM

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 15:04
Phnom Penh Post
By Cheang Sokha and James O'toole

FORMER Phnom Penh municipal police chief Heng Pov has written a book from prison that offers effusive praise for Prime Minister Hun Sen, in what observers say is a marked turn from previous public comments and may be an attempt to secure a pardon.

The book was first distributed to stores in central Phnom Penh on Tuesday, with Heng Pov’s preface dated January 2010. In the 227-page volume, titled Strategy to Extinguish War in Cambodia, Heng Pov offers an analysis of recent Cambodian history and politics that describes Hun Sen as the Kingdom’s most skillful leader and refers to him by his full honorific.

“The special condition of the diplomatic strategy of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen is not to consider any philosophy, country or religion as an enemy of Cambodia with whom we cannot compromise or reconcile,” Heng Pov writes, offering similar praise for the premier’s role in domestic politics.

“Samdech Techo never considered other Cambodian politicians as life-or-death enemies with whom he cannot compromise or reconcile,” he says.

Kao Soupha, Heng Pov’s lawyer, said he had proofread the book prior to publication. He said Heng Pov’s aim in writing it had been to demonstrate his patriotism and to describe Hun Sen’s political career.

“This book is not written simply to praise Hun Sen, but to show the facts of his leadership of the country,” Kao Soupha said.

Heng Pov, a widely feared leader during his time as police chief, was arrested in 2006 and sentenced last year to over 90 years in prison on a raft of charges including extortion, kidnapping and murder. He is scheduled to appear at the Appeal Court on April 30 to contest three of the cases against him, though Kao Soupha said that at this point, Heng Pov’s only hope is for the prime minister to come to his aid.

“For Heng Pov’s case, the court will never find justice for him, and only Hun Sen can save him,” Kao Soupha said.

Heng Pov’s praise for Hun Sen stands in stark contrast to previous public statements, including a 2006 interview with the French weekly L’Express in which he accused Hun Sen and former national police chief Hok Lundy of being behind the 1997 grenade attack on a Sam Rainsy Party rally and numerous other assassinations of opposition or political figures.

He also alleged that actress Piseth Pilika, who was shot and killed in 1999, was gunned down on orders from first lady Bun Rany, who he said had learned of an affair between the starlet and her husband, and accused local tycoon Mong Reththy of involvement in drug trafficking. These allegations have been denied.

Heng Pov has claimed innocence of the charges against him, alleging that they were engineered by Hok Lundy, his former rival.

Hok Lundy was killed in a helicopter crash in 2008, a fact that Cambodian Defenders Project director Sok Sam Oeun said may have played into Heng Pov’s decision to write the book.

“The enemy of Heng Pov, Hok Lundy, is dead, so maybe Heng Pov thinks he has a chance to be pardoned by the prime minister,” Sok Sam Oeun said. He added that for a case involving a high-profile political figure – Heng Pov is also a former adviser to Hun Sen – a pardon could indeed be possible.

Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said the book might have been conceived as an attempt to “appease” Hun Sen. Though he said a pardon could be possible, he argued that given the severity of Heng Pov’s past statements, the premier may be unlikely to offer leniency.

“The fallout was so deep,” he said. “I know that sometimes the prime minister does have a change of heart over political-related court cases, but this one is a difficult one.”

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said that Heng Pov may indeed be angling for clemency, but declined to offer a response without first reviewing the book.

“He has the free time to write – that might be the intention – but because I didn’t see the book, it would be difficult for me to make any comment,” Khieu Kanharith said, adding that government staffers could “make excerpts” for Hun Sen if they were deemed of interest.

Nearly US$1 million in Heng Pov’s personal bank accounts has frozen following his arrest, and he wrote to Hun Sen last year in a bid to secure funding for family and legal expenses, asking the prime minister to “intervene to allow me to withdraw some money from the bank, with forgiveness”. This request, however, went unheeded.

Prey Sar prison director Mong Kim Heng said Tuesday that despite his former stature, Heng Pov has received no special treatment in jail.

“He has nothing to do each day besides exercise,” Mong Kim Heng said, “and I have observed that he likes reading and writing in his free time.”

Australian documentary on Thai royals sparks outrage

Bangkok Post

Thailand has protested to the Australian government over the airing of a documentary critical of the Thai royal family and warned that the broadcast could affect ties between the nations.

A senior representative from the Thai embassy met with officials from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday to express his concern at the programme aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"The concern is that it might affect the good relations between Thailand and Australia, especially the people to people relations," Saksee Phromyothi, minister-counsellor at the Royal Thai Embassy, said.

"We consider this an issue matter of national security... because the royal family, the monarchy, in our constitution is above politics."

Thailand's ambassador designate Kriangsak Kittichaisaree has also written to ABC managing director Mark Scott to complain about the programme which could breach Thailand's lese-majeste laws which prohibit criticism of the royals.

"I regret that an organisation of the ABC's stature has lowered its own standard by airing the said documentary which is presented in a manner no different from tabloid journalism," he wrote.

The programme, which aired late Tuesday, was broadcast on the state-funded station only in Australia and cannot be viewed over the Internet outside the country.

But Thailand's diplomatic missions in Australia say they have received complaints about the programme on the monarchy -- which Kittichaisaree said was "the soul" of the nation and cherished by Thais from all walks of life.

"I presume that once you have decided to put this hyper-sensitive programme on air, a protest letter like mine, which I hope you will seriously heed, should come as no surprise," Kittichaisaree wrote to Scott.

"I strongly express both resentment and disappointment with the poor decision you have made."

The ABC could not immediately be reached for comment. But a report in the Australian newspaper said the ABC had effectively shut down its Bangkok office, sending its local staff home until further notice.

A spokesman for Australia's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Thai embassy officials had complained about the ABC programme and noted that the Thai monarchy was a much revered institution.

"However, the Australian government does not and cannot control content run by Australian media organisations," he told AFP.

Breaking Thailand's rules on the monarchy have seen prison sentences of up to 18 years handed down, and Australian writer Harry Nicolaides was in 2009 sentenced to three years in jail under the law over a self-published novel.

Fortune-teller predictions dire as Year of the Tiger looms up

Tuesday, 13 April 2010 15:01
Phnom Penh Post
By Khouth Sophakchakrya

THE Year of the Tiger will see a continuation of drought, diseases, flooding and violence in Cambodia, the capital’s fortune-tellers said on the eve of the new year, but the anticipated disasters will do little to seriously impact the Kingdom’s economic development in the upcoming year.

Chea Samnang, 57, a soothsayer from Chamkarmon district’s Tonle Bassac commune, said abnormal weather is expected to wreak havoc on crop production in the coming year, with the dry season continuing longer than usual, causing a major drought, followed by floods in September and October.

“About 30 percent of agriculture production will be lost to natural disasters, insect infestation and disease this year,” she said, adding that, as far as deaths go, most occurring this year will be “due to traffic accidents”.

Another fortune teller, Sok Mie, 65, said that political strife due to border conflicts will persist until the end of 2010. Likewise, the political arena will be impacted this year, when many corrupt politicians will be tried and prosecuted following a sweep of arrests, especially politicians born in the Year of the Tiger.

“This year is dangerous to those committing acts violating the law and humanity, especially civil servants and members of the military,” he predicted.

There are those who believe that people born in the Year of the Tiger, especially females, are prone to be stubborn or ill-tempered, along with being “unlucky in love”.

However, Phnom Penh resident Triv Sovannry, 25, said she is hoping that she will give birth to a child during the new year. She said that she and her husband, both born in the Year of the Tiger, have been blessed with good fortune throughout their lives.

Kasit slams international community

Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya lashed out at the international community Monday for failing to take action against fugitive ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whom he blamed for the country's political unrest.

"Everyone is washing their hands but he is a bloody terrorist," said Kasit, citing countries such as Russia and Germany for turning a blind eye over Thaksin's corruption conviction and allowing him in.

He also cited Dubai, which the billionaire Thaksin had reportedly used as a longtime base after being overthrown in a military coup in 2006, as well as Nicaragua and Montenegro, both of which he recently visited.

"There is this act of interference by third countries -- how can the Russians allow him there for two days or the Germans before that?"

"Everyone is playing naive, closing their eyes and so on, simply because he was once an elected leader," Kasit said.

He likened Thaksin to an Al-Qaeda terrorist and past "elected" leaders such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini.

"Hitler was elected, Mussolini was elected, even Stalin could say that he was elected also but what did they do to their very society? This is the question," the top Thai diplomat said at a meeting with a small group of reporters and think tank heads.

Kasit, in Washington attending a landmark nuclear summit called by President Barack Obama, accused Thaksin of orchestrating demonstrations by his so-called Red Shirt supporters last week that led to 21 deaths in the bloodiest political unrest in 18 years.

The 60-year-old Thaksin exiled himself to avoid imprisonment on a 2008 corruption conviction and occasionally addresses the Red Shirts through Internet video links.

Kasit lamented that Thailand was "not getting any international cooperation at all" over Thaksin's case, saying even Interpol "just simply refused to work with us."

He blamed the ousted premier for using extralegal means to topple Thailand's current democratically elected administration.

While the world demanded for more democracy in Thailand, it "allows Thaksin to run loose as if nothing happens," he said.

Kasit called on the Obama administration to prod the Red Shirts to come to the negotiating table. The United States and Thailand are treaty allies.

The Red Shirts charge that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's current government is illegitimate because it came to power in 2008 after a court ousted allies of former prime minister and telecoms tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra from power.

Thailand deputy premier Trirong Suwannakiri, who was also at the forum, warned that if the current crisis raged out of control, the military could stage a coup to restore order.

The military has a duty to "take care of the country and restore order," he said, pointing out that such an action could be a "worst case scenario."

Kasit, speaking earlier Monday at a forum of the Johns Hopkins University, said he still believed in a negotiated resolution to his country's crisis.

He said any resolution to the turmoil might see the role of the revered monarchy revamped with greater involvement in the political process of the impoverished rural poor, who are up in arms against the nation's military-backed government.

The monarchy's role in Thailand's recent political upheaval remains one of the most sensitive subjects in the kingdom.

The Thai crisis took a new twist Monday as Thailand's election body called for the dissolution of the ruling party, piling pressure on embattled Prime Minister Abhisit.

The move, which centers on allegations of an illegal multimillion-dollar donation to the Democrat Party during 2005 elections, raised the stakes in the crisis.