GLOBAL: What motivates Brits and Americans to study abroad?

Yojana Sharma06 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

Students from the UK and US have different reasons for overseas study. British students say a major motivation is to work abroad and prepare for a career with international companies, while most US students view a period abroad as an opportunity to travel and explore other cultures, with less emphasis on the academic experience or job prospects afterwards.

Despite the oft-repeated notion that students in these English-speaking countries lack foreign language skills, four out of five respondents considering overseas study from both countries said they felt confident using a foreign language – and of the top 10 overseas study destinations chosen by UK and US students, seven were non-English-speaking countries.

Nonetheless 29% of UK students considering studying overseas said the US was their first choice destination, while 22% of US students chose the UK, according to a new British Council survey, Broadening Horizons: Breaking through the barriers to overseas study, released on Wednesday during the council’s Going Global conference in Dubai.

Only one in five UK students but just over half (56%) of US students surveyed were considering studying overseas, according to the survey of more than 10,000 students from both countries.

A large number of UK students – two-thirds of respondents – said they were not considering overseas study and many said they did not have enough information to make an informed decision about overseas study.

Among the British students who were considering studying abroad, almost half wanted to do so at undergraduate level and half said they wanted to study abroad as postgraduates. In the US, 82% wanted to study overseas at the undergraduate level.

Motivations

British students have a more utilitarian attitude towards overseas study; 82% of UK respondents considering overseas study believed they would need more than their current qualification to stand out from the crowd and secure a good job.

Nine out of 10 UK respondents believed an overseas study experience could give them an edge when applying for jobs, according to the report. Just 28% said they wanted to have fun and explore other cultures, compared to four out of five students who mentioned this in America.

Among US students, 30% saw study abroad as an opportunity to start an international career and 19% as a chance to improve employment prospects. More than British students they pursued study abroad “to develop soft skills and add non-academic weight to their resumés”, the report said.

For UK respondents the top three countries for study abroad are English speaking – the US (29%), Australia (10%) and Canada (10%), followed by France and Germany – with foreign language students preferring European countries and Japan, and business and management students preferring the US, Australia, Canada and China.

Italy is popular among those interested in creative arts and design. And China was one of the most popular destinations with students at UK universities that had institutional partnerships with Chinese universities.

Improving language skills was also an important motivation for British students, with half of all of those thinking of studying abroad citing this.

For US students, top countries for study abroad were the UK, which was named by 22%, France 11%, Spain 11%, Italy and Australia.

For US students, business and management, health and medicine, and languages are the most popular study-abroad disciplines – the UK, Australia and South Korea in particular are popular destinations for students of health and medicine, while engineering students prefer Japan, Germany and China. China is also the most popular destination for students of business and management.

Barriers

The main barriers to overseas studies were cost, including the cost of healthcare while abroad, as well as language, visa issues and leaving behind friends and family.

While for British students “there is a small but increasing consideration that a destination’s tuition fees may be cheaper than those in the UK”, the report noted that some 37% of US students said that access to financial aid directly affected their decision.

The report estimates that overall, for at least two-thirds of US students, financial issues were a potential barrier to overseas study. But being away from home was also a consideration.

“Many students explained that taking a year away from their established course companions, circles of friends and sports teams would, in their opinion, have an adverse effect on their future progress and success, both academically and socially.

“Establishing and maintaining such networks was often seen as more important than pursuing an overseas study experience,” according to the report.

CHINA: Online courses gain popularity at universities

Global Times09 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

The trend of learning through open online courses has made its way to China, as more of the country's top universities unveil public courses. The first cross-university open class for college students in Shanghai kicked off last Tuesday night, reports Global Times.

The city's university course-sharing platform formally began registering students from 30 schools in the municipality, and the course "Introduction to Philosophy", offered by Professor Wang Defeng with Fudan University, became the first-ever cross-university public course, welcoming 1,072 students last Tuesday.

Attempts to open resources at top universities to the public have gained popularity in the past two years. "I have a dream that everyone who wants to go to Peking University can see their wishes come true," said Zhou Qifeng, president of Peking University.

Full report on the Global Times site

 

The trend of learning through open online courses has made its way to China as more of the country's top universities unveil public courses, and the first cross-university open class for college students in Shanghai kicked off on Tuesday night.

The city's university course-sharing platform formally began registering students from 30 schools in the municipality, and the course "Introduction to Philosophy," offered by Professor Wang Defeng with Fudan University (FDU), became the first-ever cross-university public course, welcoming 1,072 students Tuesday. 

Wang's first lecture was broadcast live online Tuesday. Registered students at other universities could log on to watch it. 

"It took quite some effort to register for Wang's class. We call him the Prince of Philosophy," one student wrote on Weibo.

Another student surnamed Zhong, from Shanghai Jiaotong University, told the Global Times that he registered for a course on Western music history offered by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In addition to logging on for live classes, students are divided into 40 groups for panel discussions, and guest lecturers will also share their thoughts with the students.

Attempts to open resources at top universities to the public have gained popularity in the past two years. "I have a dream that everyone who wants to go to Peking University can see their wishes come true," said Zhou Qifeng, president of Peking University (PKU), on Tuesday.

As a flagship university in China, PKU is posting lectures by prestigious professors online. "We've produced dozens of episodes and will work hard to increase quality and share it with the public," said Zhou.

"This is a great trend. I love the film  class by Professor Dai Jinhua, and I don't need to feel jealous of PKU students anymore," a Beijing-based software engineer surnamed Lin told the Global Times. He added that such courses give people in narrow fields the chance to explore more ideas.

Global Times 
 

UNITED STATES: Tensions reappear at University of Virginia

The Washington Post09 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

 Out of sight, tension has continued to build between University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and Helen Dragas, rector of the institution's board of visitors, as they struggle for control over the university’s agenda and priorities, according to several people close to the situation, writes Jenna Johnson for The Washington Post.

In recent weeks, the conflict hit boiling point. Days after Virginia lawmakers confirmed Dragas’ reappointment to the board in January, the rector sent the president a lengthy and detailed list of goals to meet this year. Sullivan, apparently incensed, responded by sending the entire board an email arguing that the 65 goals constitute, among other things, “micro-management”.

The university is still recovering from the events of the summer, when Dragas and another board leader asked Sullivan to resign in early June without publicly providing reasons. Faculty revolted, demanding Sullivan’s return and the resignation of responsible board members. They were soon joined by thousands of alumni, students, donors and others. After 18 days of upheaval, the board reinstated Sullivan. 

Full report on the News http://Leader.com site

UAE: Universities reminded of obligation to teach in Arabic

The National09 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

Teaching in Arabic should be compulsory in state universities in the United Arab Emirates, Federal National Council members and linguistic and education experts have urged, writes Wafa Issa for The National.

Lessons taught in English are "a clear violation of the country's constitution", said Jamal Al Mehiri, a cultural advisor in the Dubai government. Article 7 of the constitution states that "the official language of the federation is Arabic", he said. "I am asking that the Federal National Council require UAE universities and schools to teach in Arabic, otherwise we will take to court any university that imposes English on our children.”

The comments and others were made at a seminar on the status of Arabic, its future and its relation to national identity, the last in a series of meetings between the committee and educational and linguistic experts. The committee will issue a report to the council and cabinet on policies and measures needed to enhance Arabic, especially among young people.

Full report on The National site

GLOBAL Australia rises as US, UK universities dip in reputation survey

David Jobbins05 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

 Three UK universities have dropped out of the top 100 in the latest Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, while Australia continues to build its presence. The US, which has more universities than any other nation in the top 100, has lost two universities since the ranking began.

The 2013 rankings, published on Monday, seal Harvard University’s place at the head of an elite 'top six' of Anglo-American universities that continue to move further ahead of the rest.

Harvard University (pictured) is followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of California – Berkeley, and Stanford University.

Although Oxford traded places with Stanford this year, membership of the top six has remained consistent since the rankings’ first edition in 2011, "with the gap between it and the chasing pack widening each year", according to the survey.

The World Reputation Rankings are a part of the ranking system published by the THE, but do not replace the broader World University Rankings published each autumn.

US representation in the top 100 dipped from 45 in 2011 to 44 in 2012 and to 43 in 2013.

Most of the US institutions to suffer significant falls are public universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison (27 to 30), the University of California – San Francisco (31 to 40), the University of Massachusetts (39 to 42), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (which has dropped out of the top 50) and the University of Pittsburgh (which has fallen from the 61-70 band to 71-80).

US winners include Carnegie Mellon University (37 to 26) and New York University (34 to 29).

Outside the US, the UK has the most representatives (nine) in the top 100, but its overall performance has weakened since 2011, when it had 12.

The UK has seven universities in the top 50, with University College London up one place to 20 and the London School of Economics up from 29 to 25. The University of Edinburgh climbed three places to 46 and the University of Manchester has entered the global top 50 for the first time, in 47th place.

But this year the University of Leeds dropped out of the top 100, following the relegation in 2012 of the University of Sheffield and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Phil Baty, editor of Times Higher Education Rankings, commented: “Traditionally, the strength in depth of the UK system has been one of its most notable features. Having a large number of institutions with truly world-class standing has delivered huge returns for the sector and the wider economy.

“However, it now seems that a gap is opening up between the best and the rest, with even star institutions losing their lustre. With the coalition government attempting to introduce a ruthless market in UK higher education and concentrating increasingly scarce resources on a select few, it looks like there will be trouble ahead for UK plc.”

Australia rising

Outside the US and UK, Australia built on its strong representation, with the four existing top 100 universities joined for the first time by Monash University (91-100 band) and the University of New South Wales (81-90 band).

Baty said: “In many ways these results show that Australia’s image among scholars around the world is catching up with the reality: until now it has tended to perform less well in the reputation rankings compared with the overall, objective World University Rankings, which come out every autumn.

“These results show how well poised Australia is to make the most of its geographical advantages: while it has strong links with the best universities in the West, it has also made the most of East Asia’s booming higher education scene.

"If it continues to exploit these opportunities, Australia could be a serious beneficiary of the Asian Century, which is great news for its economy and competitiveness.”

Other nations

Japan, The Netherlands and Germany each has five institutions in the top 100, with Germany gaining a new entrant in 2013: Freie Universität Berlin, which entered the 91-100 band.

Canada, Hong Kong and Sweden each has three institutions in the top 100.

Japan remains Asia’s leading nation, but its universities are losing ground to rivals in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, including the National University of Singapore (up one place to 22), Nanyang Technological University (from 91-100 in 2011 to 71-80 this year), Seoul National University (41), and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (up from 81-90 to 61-70).

The University of Hong Kong is in 36th place (up from 39 in 2012 and 42 in 2011) and National Taiwan University moved up from the 81-90 band in 2011 to the 51-60 group in 2013.

Although they remain in the top 50, China’s two globally reputed universities have slipped down the ranking – Tsinghua University from 30 to 35 and Peking University from 38 to 45.

Just 20 countries are represented in the top 100. India and Ireland do not appear, and nor does any African country. Brazil’s University of São Paulo, which holds its position in the 61-70 band, is the only Latin American institution represented.

Israel lost one of its two top 100 representatives, Tel Aviv University, while the Hebrew University of Jerusalem slipped from the 61-70 band to 71-80.

The reputation rankings are based on a global invitation-only opinion poll carried out by Ipsos MediaCT for THE’s rankings data supplier, Thomson Reuters. Over three years, there have been 48,000 responses from senior published academics in more than 150 countries, with the 2013 survey based on 16,639 responses.

Baty said: “It is clear that no university, no matter how prestigious, can afford to be complacent in this fast-moving, information-rich global age. New forces in higher education are emerging, especially in the East Asian countries that are investing heavily in building world-class universities, so the traditional elite must be very careful.

"In the three years that the World Reputation Rankings have been running, we have clear evidence that the US and the UK in particular are losing ground.”

Full results of the survey are here.

* Photo credit: Busch Courtyard at Harvard University. Picture by Rose Lincoln, a Harvard staff photographer.

GLOBAL: Higher education as soft power in the age of autonomy

Yojana Sharma08 March 2013 Issue No:262

 

Higher education is often seen as playing a ‘soft power’ role in international relations. But it is not easy for governments to co-opt universities, and soft power can be both positive and negative, an international higher education conference in Dubai heard this week.

Dorothea Rüland, secretary general of Germany’s Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), said at the British Council’s Going Global conference on 5 March that using higher education for soft power had become more difficult, despite the growing importance of the sector.

In a panel on “Soft Power: Higher education and cultural diplomacy”, delegates heard that the emergence on the scene of new players such as China had changed the landscape of soft power using higher education, which had previously been based on the strength of a country’s higher education and research sectors.

A totally different environment

Many more emerging countries “want to be players. They want to be knowledge economies and they want a very strong position. So I am sure governments will try to promote soft power to position themselves for reputation, visibility and influence,” Rüland said.

And the picture has become more complicated. “It’s harder now because former ‘target countries’ such as China or Brazil are now themselves players in this field. It’s becoming far more competitive. Soft power today takes place in a totally different environment.”

Also, not all universities would necessarily do a government’s bidding abroad. “Universities have high autonomy, and they have their own internationalisation strategies. They know what they want and where they want to be active, so it’s much more difficult for governments to use universities as agents in their soft power strategy,” she said.

Martin Davidson, chief executive of the British Council, said: “The paradox of soft power is that the greater the government involvement is, the weaker the soft power is.

“Increasingly, the strongest higher education institutions are autonomous of governments. Governments may talk of where their national interests lie; but the government can’t instruct universities to act in a certain way.”

What governments can do is help “create conditions of exchange”, Davidson said. But even organisations like the British Council, founded to promote British culture and education abroad, must “remain at arm's length from government in order to work effectively”.

Hard versus soft power

Dr Li Minjiang, an associate professor at Singapore’s Nanyang University of Technology’s S Rajaratnam School of International studies, told the conference: “There’s no such thing as hard and soft power; it depends how you use it.”

Culture can be used to coerce as well as for diplomacy, he said. “There are many, many examples where culture can motivate violence.

“Nation states engage in soft power activity because they want to achieve certain objectives with their national interest. For example, if country A decides to forbid higher education exchanges with country B, then country A is using higher education for hard power,” Li said.

China in particular had been using various policies to improve soft power, including through its Confucius Institutes abroad – they now number 700 – that teach the Chinese language and promote Chinese culture.

“The purpose of China investing so much money is to improve the image of China, globally, to help people understand China. China also provides a lot of scholarships to foreign students – in 2010 almost 23,000 scholarships,” said Li.

“So obviously China has been very serious about using higher education to cultivate soft power.

Some countries would prefer soft power relations to hard power. “We are getting hard power support from different sources, but soft power is not coming,” said Junaid Zaidi, rector of the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Pakistan.

“We need higher education for our own development,” he said. “We depend on different countries to get our people trained.”

Panellists agreed that soft power was most effective when the relationship was ‘win-win’. It will only work “if you really have cooperation and not one partner utilising the other”, Rüland said.

’Denationalisation’ of higher education

But in terms of international relations, she said: “In the 20th century, politics was very important, but now education, the power of research in addressing big global issues, has grown in influence. Nations may not play such a big role any more.”

Technology, including information technology and massive open online courses (MOOCs), may well be leading to a ‘denationalisation’ of higher education, Rüland added, which would make its use for soft power purposes even more challenging for governments.

Regarding the MOOCs movement: “We do not know what it will mean in the end and who will join and which countries and universities will feed into it worldwide."

Said Rüland: “We can observe a strong networking going on in the university sector”, and it could significantly change the way governments are involved in promoting higher education collaborations – perhaps excluding them altogether. 

Cambodia ‘near bottom’ in budget transparency

Last Updated on 08 March 2013

By Stuart White

 

Cambodia's government ranks among the worst in the world in terms of budget transparency and has shown zero improvement since 2010, according to a biennial report released by an international transparency group yesterday.

According to the report from International Budget Partnership, which was presented at a conference by a coalition of NGOs including the NGO Forum and Transparency International Cambodia, the country scored 15 out of a possible 100 points – the same as in 2010 – putting its score between Nigeria and Egypt in a group of countries identified as providing “scant or no information” about their budgets.

The failing grade, the report says, is largely attributable to the Kingdom’s failure to make key budgetary documents – such as draft budgets and audit reports – accurate, useful and available to the public.

“Publishing the [budget] report, making it transparent, is just part of the process,” maintained Transparency International Cambodia Executive Director Preap Kol.

Failing to do so, he said, “may create a question mark as to whether the government has a real will for change”.

Kol also advocated a wait-and-see approach, noting that the 2014 survey “will tell whether the political will is there or not”.

In the meantime, noted In Samrithy of NGO Education Partnership, uncertainty over the budget among teachers was already causing disruptions in the education sector, and Ros Sopheap of Gender and Development for Cambodia similarly cited a dearth of specificity on funding for women-centric issues in the national budget.

According to opposition parliamentarian Son Chhay, Cambodia’s draft budget isn’t even made public to lawmakers outside of a select few in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

“No one besides the ruling CPP has a right to know or a right to decide on a yearly budget of the country,” he said, while noting that corruption accounts for hundreds of millions in lost revenue each year.

“We are left in the dark,” he added. “We are representing all the provinces, but we don’t even know what they’re doing in Phnom Penh.”

However, Phenn Rithipol, the bureau chief of the Ministry of Economics and Finance’s Department of Budget, maintained at yesterday’s conference that there was “no secret or reason behind” not publicising budgetary matters, but that there was simply no money with which to do so.

During his remarks, Rithipol allowed that there was “a lack of information sharing,” but urged patience, saying that ministry employees worked a difficult schedule, and were “very busy”.

 

Foreign investment in Cambodia’s property rises

Last Updated on 28 February 2013

By Siv Meng

 

Property experts say foreign companies are coming to invest in Cambodia’s property sector, as they see the growth and potential of the Kingdom.

Sung Bonna, director of Bonna Realty Group, said that the number of foreign companies in the sector has grown, and most are from South Korea, Japan, China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Chinese companies started their investments earliest, while other foreign companies have been studying and doing research about Cambodia before investing here.

“The property investment companies growth rose a little bit during 2011-212 as it grew better during 2012 and early in 2013”, Bonna said, “After Cambodia hosted the Asean Summit, with world leaders joining the meeting, we see the inflow of foreign investors into Cambodia, but some of them, at the moment, have been doing research and considering about the possible investment in Cambodia”.

Despite the signs of more investment, Bonna warned that there are too many public holidays to make investors happy in Cambodian, a point which he is worried and focused on.

“Forty-five days into the year to so far, there have only been 25 work days, which is an important issue that Cambodia government should take care of.”

Kong Putheara, director of the statistics and information department in the Ministry of Commerce, said there are 347 international companies entering to invest in Cambodia’s property, in which 107 are from South Korea, 54 from China, 21 from Malaysia, France and the USA, 17 from the UK, 15 from Australia and Vietnam, 12 from Thailand, eight from Japan and 56 from other countries.

However, he didn’t comfirm the growth level of foreign companies investing in Cambodia.

Keuk Narin, vice president of Asia Real Estate Cambodia, said that since 2012, there have been many international companies investing in Cambodia’s property sector, in which investors are Malaysian, Singaporean and Chinese, and from the second quarter of 2012, there has been a greater inflow of Japanese companies in Cambodia.  

Cheng Kheng, director of the CPL real estate company and president of Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association, said now he was working with a concerned partner, so he do not want to say anything.

He said “the number of foreign companies investing and doing business in this sector has really increased but I don’t have specific figures. I have been working with the concerned parties to clearly get the figure in hand.”

Tourists, Not Tension, Reign at Preah Vihear Temple

By Neou Vannarin and Simon Lewis - March 8, 2013

 PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE – Several fierce battles have been fought with Thailand at this ancient temple in recent years, but last week it was an energetic game of volleyball that kept Cambodian troops on their toes as groups of tourists wandered unconcerned around the 11th-century ruins. 

 

A Preah Vihear Authority conservation ranger drinks water. (Simon Lewis/The Cambodia Daily)

Despite saber-rattling stories in the Thai press and a recent warning by Prime Minister Hun Sen that Thailand planned to attack if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules that land around Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, volleyball and water were the two main concerns among troops at the temple.

A number of soldiers approached by reporters said they were under strict orders not to talk to the media. But rather than staying quiet to keep the enemy in the dark about military matters, they said they were gagged after a recent radio report quoted Cambodian soldiers complaining about the lack of water at the temple.

“The commander was angry after that,” said a soldier who declined to be named.

Far into the dry season, with only a few centimeters of water remaining in wells, and the ancient ponds of the mountaintop temple almost dry, water appeared to be the troops’ most pressing concern.

One soldier, Morn Phat, said that drinking water was being brought up the mountain.

“The water [to drink] is enough, but we have some trouble with water for bathing,” he said. “It’s normal for this season.”

Another, Touch Rathana, said all had been quiet on both the Cambodian and Thai sides of the frontline since July, when the countries held an official withdrawal of troops from an ICJ-proposed demilitarized zone (DMZ) around the temple.

Combat troops were withdrawn on both sides, and Cambodia has kept only conservation rangers and police at the temple since, Mr. Rathana said.

However, troops in army fatigues sat in sandbag bunkers on the steep road up to the mountaintop, which is still within the DMZ. Around the Hindu temple, only police and the Preah Vihear Authority’s rangers, armed only with pistols, were seen on patrol. The heavy weaponry previously stationed near the temple has been removed and there has been no fighting in the area for almost two years.

Around the ancient stones of Preah Vihear, on four ornate tiers separated by steps and long causeways, a handful of tourists strolled peacefully, occasionally crouching behind the sculptures for shade.

Eur Say Lang, 57, a rice farmer from Banteay Meanchey province’s Svay Chek district, said she had come to visit with a group of 17 people.

“But I feel a bit disappointed because it is ruined because of the war,” Ms. Say Lang said, peering sadly at the iconic lower pavilion, which is in a rundown state of repair.

“It must have been beautiful, if it wasn’t ruined by the Thai shells,” Ms. Say Lang said of the iconic stone portico, familiar to all from advertisements and beer labels.

Though the damage Ms. Say Lang spoke of was not inflicted by Thai artillery, but just hundreds of years of neglect and the harsh tropical climate, she thanked the Cambodian army for saving what was left.

“I’m really afraid that they [Thailand] will shell more and ruin everything. I’m happy the army is here to protect it.”

Ms. Say Lang carried with her a $1.25 photograph of herself in front of the temple, taken by one of the young men who make their living with digital cameras and battery powered laser printers.

According to figures from the provincial tourism department, visitors to Preah Vihear temple reached 92,300 in 2012, an increase of more than 75 percent compared to 2011.

Kong Vibol, director of the provincial tourism department, said the two-year period of peace at the temple meant visitors now felt safe.

“The security issue is under control. Our authorities have strengthened security, public order and hygiene for tourists to the temple,” he said.

Of the visitors in 2012, 7,141 were foreign nationals, almost two-and-a-half times the amount recorded in 2011, according to the figures.

“Most of the [foreign] visitors are from Europe, including Italy and France, as well as Asia, including Vietnam, China and Japan,” Mr. Vibol said, adding that the growth in tourism at the temple looked to be continuing this year, with more than 9,500 visitors seen in February alone.

Russian visitor Oleg Malin, 35, said the temple compared in beauty to Angkor Wat, but had an added element of excitement.

“I had some concerns. I was not advised [to visit],” he said, indicating that the modicum of danger associated with Preah Vihear was just his cup of tea.

Mr. Malin gestured at his two Russian companions: “I have some very adventurous friends.”

Prosecutor Wants Change to Sonando Charges

By Eang Mengleng and Zsombor Peter - March 8, 2013

In a bizarre twist at the Appeal Court hearing of jailed radio station owner Mam Sonando, the prosecution on Wednesday asked that judges drop the charge against Mr. Sonando of inciting antigovernment violence, but then asked the court to uphold another charge of leading an insurrection.

Jailed radio station owner Mam Sonando waves to photographers from a holding room at the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, during the second day of hearings to have Mr. Sonando’s 20-year jail sentence overturned. (Siv Channa)

 Both charges carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

The owner of independent Beehive Radio, Mr. Sonando was convicted on a total of six charges for stoking an alleged secessionist movement in rural Kratie province by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in October and handed down a 20-year jail sentence in a decision widely denounced as politically motivated and aimed at stifling a popular government critic.

Appeal Court prosecutor Hean Rith asked the judges to uphold five of those charges, including the one for leading an “insurrectionary movement,” but to drop the charge of inciting anti-government violence.

In its place, though, the prosecutor asked the court to convict Mr. Sonando of a brand new charge, under the forestry protection law, of illegally clearing state-owned forestland for private ownership, which carries a prison sentence of five to 10 years.

“The prosecution believes the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s decision to charge Mr. Sonando with Article 464 was not right and that he should be charged with Article 97.6 of the Forestry Law,” Mr. Rith said.

Mr. Sonando is appealing all the charges against him, alongside Touch Ream and Khan Sovann, who were handed five- and three-year jail terms, respectively, for their own roles in the alleged insurrection.

All three have adamantly professed their innocence.

Presiding Judge Khun Leang Meng, bringing two days of hearings to a close, said the court would issue its decision on March 14.

Contacted afterward, Mr. Rith, the prosecutor, said the Forestry Law charge made sense because the alleged secessionists in Kratie province’s Broma village were in a dispute with Casotim, the private owner of a local rubber plantation.

“I asked the judges to change one of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s charges and keep the others,” he said. “It is a land dispute and a forestry issue, not an incitement issue.”

Mr. Sonando’s lawyer, Sa Sovan, said the Appeal Court had no authority to change the original charges, only to uphold or drop them entirely.

Yeng Virak, executive director of the Community Legal Education Center, a legal aid NGO, said the courtroom twist was astonishing.

Mr. Virak said the prosecutor’s attempt to have Mr. Sonando convicted of leading an insurrection without actually inciting violence—the charge he wants dropped—was mind-boggling.

“It does not make any sense,” he said.

However bizarre, Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for local rights group Licadho, said merely swapping one charge for another would make little difference.

“It is not good for Mr. Sonando because he still faces other criminal charges,” he said. “Those other articles still carry three- to 10-year prison terms, and some three to five years.”

Outside the courthouse gates, hundreds of Mr. Sonando’s supporters who had come from far and wide were no less wary of success.

Kong Hong, who joined some friends in renting a taxi for the trip from Kompong Cham province, proudly sported a baseball cap with the logo of Mr. Sonando’s NGO, the Association of Democrats. A member since early last year, his Association of Democrats photo ID hung from around his neck.

“Mam Sonando broadcasts the real thing in Cambodia; he educates people about democracy,” he said of Mr. Sonando’s Beehive Radio station, one of the few independent broadcasters left in Cambodia.

“They convicted him because they didn’t like his activity, so that he can’t speak on the radio,” Mr. Hong said. “They don’t want Sonando to do something right for the people.”

Rupert Abbott, Cambodia researcher for Amnesty International, said the failure of all seven witnesses that Mr. Sonando’s lawyers had asked to attend the hearing—for the second straight day—also left the proceedings wanting of due process.

Some of the seven had been co-defendants with Mr. Sonando at his first trial in September and implicated the radio station owner in the alleged insurrection. After Mr. Sonando was convicted, those who had testified against the radio presenter had the remainder of their prison sentence suspended and walked free.

“I think it’s outrageous,” Mr. Abbott said of the absence of the witnesses, “because the evidence was really based on what those witnesses were saying [in court].”

“So the fact that they did not turn up and the defense did not have an opportunity to cross examine them and show the inconsistencies in what they’d said was very disappointing. And the defense asked for those testimonies to be thrown out, and I think that they have a very strong case for that.”

But Mr. Abbott said the prosecutor’s request to have one of the most serious charges dropped did add to the prospects of an early release for Mr. Sonando.

“We have to be hopeful,” he said. “We would hope that the conviction is overturned, that he is released immediately and unconditionally.”

Mr. Sonando’s case has attracted widespread attention from human rights groups and foreign governments alike, all calling for his release.

On a visit to Phnom Penh in November, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Prime Minister Hun Sen to release all of Cambodia’s political prisoners and called out Mr. Sonando by name.

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