Saturday, August 20, 2011

Indonesian observers “a must” for disputed area near Preah Vihear temple: Cambodia


   PHNOM PENH, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Ministry of Defense on Saturday evening issued a statement to reject a Thai media report that reported that the Indonesian observers may not be needed to deploy in the newly defined demilitarized zone surrounding the 11 century Preah Vihear to ensure a ceasefire.
   “Cambodia sticks to its ground to straightly comply with the order of the International Court of Justice issued on July 18,” said the statement.
   The ICJ ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel currently present in the provisional demilitarized zone (PDZ) around the area of Preah Vihear temple and also ordered both parties to continue cooperating within ASEAN and allow appointed observers access to the PDZ.
   “Cambodia’s stance has been clearly announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Defense Minister Tea Banh already,” it said. “There is nothing changed.”
   Hun Sen earlier this month said that the pullouts of troops from the area of about 17-kilometer PDZ surrounding Preah Vihear temple must be done simultaneously and with the presence of Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire until the ICJ interprets the verdict in 1962 concerning the ruling of the temple to Cambodia.
   The defense statement was made after the Bangkok Post online newspaper reported on Saturday that Thai Defense Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said that Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh told him that if Cambodia can reach an agreement in bilateral talks with Thailand on the withdrawal of troops from both sides, Indonesian observers may not be needed to monitor a ceasefire.
   “The spokesman of Cambodian Defense Ministry totally rejects this fabricated information that Gen. Tea Banh has either talked with Gen. Yutthasak Sasiprapa, or said Indonesian observers may not be needed to monitor a ceasefire,” it said.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   However, the military tension has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the general elections on July 3. 

Friday, August 19, 2011

8th Cambodian dies of H5N1 infection this year

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A 6-year-old girl from Kampong Cham province was confirmed died from the case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus on Saturday, Sok Touch, director of Anti-Communicable Disease Department of Ministry of Health, said Saturday.
   The girl lived Taing Thleung Village, Mepring Commune, Cheung Prey District, Kampong Cham Province, some 120 kilometers east of Phnom Penh, he said, adding that the girl developed symptoms on 7 August, was initially treated by local practitioners with no effect and was later admitted to Kantha Bopha Children Hospital in Phnom Penh on 12 August. She died on 14 August, two days after admission.
   There have been reports of poultry die off in her village and the case is reported to have had exposure to sick poultry.
   “The female is the eighteenth person in Cambodia to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the sixteenth to die from complications of the disease. All eight cases of H5N1 infections in humans in Cambodia this year have been fatal,” said a statement from the World Health Organization. 

Vietnam’s Army pledges to support Cambodia’s in all circumstances

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam’s People Army vowed to support the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) in all circumstances to strengthen and expand the bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring nations’ armies, Do Baty, deputy minister of Vietnamese ministry of defense, said here on Friday afternoon.
   During a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Do Baty, who is also the chief of General Staff of Vietnam’s People Army, said the Vietnam’s People Army still continued good cooperation with Cambodian army and supported Cambodia to solve out border conflict with Thailand peacefully.
   He added that Vietnam profoundly thanked Cambodia for its close cooperation in a bid to search for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers, who had lost their lives during the wartime in Cambodia in 1979, and has subsequently repatriated those remains to Vietnam.
   Meanwhile, Hun Sen has highly appreciated for good relations and cooperation between the Cambodian and Vietnamese armies and thanked Vietnamese army for constantly supporting Cambodia.
   The premier also pledged to accelerate searching for the remains of Vietnamese soldiers in Cambodia.
   Thousands of volunteered Vietnamese soldiers had lost their lives during the wartime in Cambodia in 1979.
   During the visit, Do Baty had also met with Gen. Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, and Gen. Pol Saroeun, Commander-in-Chief of RCAF, for talks. 

12 Cambodians drowned, other 5,700 families affected by Mekong River flood

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River flood had killed 12 Cambodians and affected 5,700 families living along the river, concluded Nhim Vanda, vice president of Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, on Friday as the flood has receded.
   “Most of the deaths were Children due to their parents’ negligence,” he said, adding that besides claiming lives, the flood has also inundated 30,226 hectares of rice fields before its drop.
   “Now, the water levels in the provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham have dropped to the levels below the emergency levels,” he said. “However, we still appeal to residents along the river to be high vigilant as the flood can re-rise in next month as it was in previous habit.”
   The Mekong flood has begun earlier this month in Cambodia’s provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham and it has gradually dropped in recent days.
   Cambodia is located in tropical zone, and is rarely affected by heavy storm or tornado, except flooding. 

Cambodian, Vietnamese FMs to hold talks for bilateral tie boost

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 12th meeting of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Commission will be held next week in Ha Noi, Vietnam in order to boost the two neighboring countries’ bilateral cooperation on a wide range of sectors, according to a press release from Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
   The statement said that Cambodia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong will lead a delegation to participate in the meeting from Aug. 22-23 at the invitation of Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.
   “The meeting will discuss on the bilateral cooperation on economics, cultures, sciences and technologies,” it said, adding that at the end of the meeting, both sides will sign the agreed minutes of the meeting.
   During the two-day stay in Vietnam, Hor Namhong will also pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung.
   Vietnam is Cambodia’s second largest trade partner after Thailand, and is Cambodia’s fourth largest investor after China, South Korea and Malaysia.
   The two-way trade between the two neighbors was 1.35 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, 57 percent rise, compared to the same period last year, according to the figure from the Trade Office at the Embassy of Vietnam to Cambodia.
   On the investment side, accumulative Vietnamese investments in Cambodia have reached nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars in the fields of telecommunication, aviation, banking and finance, mineral resources, and rubber plantations.

Cambodia to send 230 athletes for 26th SEA GAMES in Indonesia

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will send approximately 230 athletes to take part in the 26th Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) in Indonesia in November, said a senior sports official on Thursday.
   The athletes will contest in 20 types of sports at the SEA GAMES, Vath Chamroeun, Secretary- General of Cambodia’s National Olympic Committee, told reporters on Thursday.
   The country has high hope that its athletes will win more medals in the upcoming tournaments than those they earned in the previous SEA GAMES, he said, adding that in the previous SEA GAMES, the country earned 40 medals, but only 3 in gold.
   “We expect more medals this time, especially in Pétanque, wrestling and taekwondo,” he said.
   The government of Cambodia generally provides 6,000 U.S. dollars for a gold medal winner, 4,000 U.S. dollars to the silver medal winner and 2,000 U.S. dollars to the bronze medal winners, he said. 
   The 26th SEA GAMES will be held from Nov. 11 to 22 in Indonesia. Eleven countries will send their sportsmen for the event. They are all the ten ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste.

Cambodia signs to donate rice, cash to WFP in next 5 years

   PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The government of Cambodia signed to donate 10,000 tons of rice and 2.3 million U.S. dollars to the United Nations’ World Food Program in the next five years in order to contribute to the body’s humanitarian activities, said a joint statement received on Thursday.
   The agreement was signed on Wednesday evening between Finance Minister Keat Chhon and WFP representative to Cambodia Jean Pierre de Margerie.
   Through the deal, the government will donate 2,000 tons of rice and 46,000 U.S. dollars to the WFP a year.
   Meanwhile, Jean Pierre de Margerie expressed sincere thanks to Cambodia for its five-year generous contribution to the WFP and added the donation makes Cambodia a model country in contributing multi-year resources for improving food security. 

Cambodia’s Central Bank decides to keep reserve rate at 12 pct despite rising inflation

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) decided not to raise the reserve requirement rate for commercial banks from the current 12 percent to 16 percent although the country’s inflation has gradually increased, Nguon Sokha, NBC’s director general, said on Thursday.
   “After the meeting of the NBC’s monetary board chaired by the Governor Chea Chanto, the board decided to keep the reserve rate at the existing rate--12 percent,” she told Xinhua. “The decision is to help the country to achieve its high growth of economy at around 7 to 8 percent this year.”
   Sokha said the board agreed that the inflation has gradually increased since earlier this year, but it’s still controllable.
   “The country’s inflation this year is forecast around 6.5 percent, it’s still manageable and it is in line with the forecast of the International Monetary Fund,” she said.
   Earlier this month, the NBC announced that it would consider increasing the reserve rate to 16 percent to curb inflationary pressures and to reduce liquidity in the economy.
   The reserve requirement is a proportion of customer deposits that must be held by a bank rather than being lent to borrowers; it is usually held in a bank's account with the central bank.

Cambodia to join Homeless World Cup of Soccer in Paris next week

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will send a squad of street soccer players to join the tournaments for the 2011 Homeless World Cup to be held at the Champs de Mars, Paris, France from 21-28 August.
   Chan Vibol, Executive Director of Happy Football Cambodia Australia (HFCA), which organizes and sponsors the trip for the team, said that eight young homeless Cambodian athletes will leave Cambodia on Aug. 18 for Paris.
   “This will be the fourth time Cambodian team has participated in the contest,” he said in a press briefing on Wednesday. “We want to demonstrate that they are also capable to join social activities.” 
   There are about 48 countries sending their homeless soccer players to join the upcoming event. 

Troop pullout from disputed area must be done with Indonesian presence: Cambodian DPM

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian deputy prime minister Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, on Wednesday reiterated that it is impossible to withdraw troops from the newly defined demilitarized zone surrounding the 11 century Preah Vihear temple without the presence of Indonesian observers.
   “It is impossible that Cambodia and Thailand withdraw troops from the zone without the presence of Indonesian observers because the International Court of Justice has clearly indicated that the pullout must be done with the presence of Indonesian observers,” he told reporters. “It’s the court’s order, we have to comply with it.”
   The minister’s remark came after Thai media reported on Tuesday that Thai Defense Minister Gen. Yuthasak Sasiprapa said it might not be necessary for Indonesian observers to be sent to the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple if Thailand and Cambodia can reach agreement on solving their problems.
   “If the two countries agreed on this, the International Court of Justice would be notified that it was not necessary for Indonesian observers to be sent into the disputed area and the border problem would be settled through bilateral mechanisms,” the Bangkok Post quoted Gen. Yuthasak as saying on Tuesday.
   The International Court of Justice on July 18 ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel currently present in the provisional demilitarized zone around the area of Preah Vihear temple and also ordered both parties to continue cooperating within ASEAN and allow appointed observers access to the provisional demilitarized zone.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   However, the military tension has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the general elections on July 3.

Cambodia unclear about Thai ex-PM Thaksin’s visit this week: defense minister

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian deputy prime minister Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, said Wednesday that he was not sure of the visit of Thailand’s ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia later this week.
   “I am unclear about his visit,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I also see the reports in the Thai media, but it is unclear.”
   Tea Banh’s remark came after The Nation newspaper on Wednesday quoted a source inside Pheu Thai Party, claiming that Thaksin is expected to be in Cambodia for two days from August 19 on Friday and Saturday, and he will take some foreign investors to meet and play golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Defence Minister Tea Banh to make the business deal.
   Koy Kuong, spokesman for Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he was unaware of Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia later this week.
   “However, for Cambodia, Thaksin can come to Cambodia at anytime in accordance to his wish,” he told Xinhua on Wednesday.
   Thaksin is a close friend of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. He used to be the economic advisor to Cambodian government and to Prime Minister Hun Sen from November 2009 to August 2010. 

Cambodia hosts first int’l conference on Cambodia-Sino relations in old eras

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The first international conference on Cambodia-China relations during Chen-la and Angkorian periods was held here on Wednesday, to promote long standing historical and cultural ties between the two countries that have created since the old ages.
   Khlot Thyda, President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the one-day conference was to promote philosophy, cultures and Cambodian and Chinese relations in the two eras.
   “Cambodia and China have a very long time good relation-it had started since the first century and it had been begun to flourish in the 13th century and continue to much better today,” she said. “I hope that the conference will help next generations to learn about good contacts between Cambodia-Sino in the old ages in order to build a very closer and friendlier relation on all sectors.”
   Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue said: “The conference will help to boost more understanding about friendship relations, culture and civilization between the two countries in the old time.”
   The Chen-la period started from the 6th century to 8th century and the Angkorian period lasted from the early ninth century to the early fifteenth century.
   The conference was organized by Confucius Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia. The Confucius Institute’s director Chea Monyrithy said the conference was attended by 150 participants from various ministries in Cambodia. Seven historian-speakers including 3 Chinese presented the glorious relations between Cambodia and China during the Chen-la and Angkorian eras.
   Meanwhile, the Confucius Institute also inaugurated the Center for Cambodia’s Historic and Cultural Research.The Center will build a long live relation between Cambodia and China on history, culture,language, and civilization, said Monyrithy. 

Urgent action needed to avoid extinction of Cambodia’s Mekong dolphins: WWF

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population in the Mekong River numbers just 85, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) new research revealed on Wednesday.
   Calf survival was found to be very low, leading researchers to conclude that the small population is declining and at high risk of extinction, said the Fund’s statement sent to Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.
   According to Li Lifeng, Director of WWF’s Freshwater Programme, the research is based on photographic identification of dolphins through individually unique features of their dorsal fins.
   “Most of the dolphins can be identified, and we use that information to estimate the population size,” he said.
   Although this population estimate is slightly higher than the previous estimate, the researchers were quick to note that the population had not increased over the last few years.
   “With a larger dataset and recent analytical advances, previously unidentifiable dolphins which had few marks on their dorsal fins have been included,” he added.
   However, surveys conducted from 2007 to 2010 show the population slowly declining.
   “Evidence is strong that very few young animals survive to adulthood, as older dolphins die off and are not replaced,” he explained.
    “Pressures of gill net entanglement and high calf mortality we are really worried for the future of dolphins,” Li said.
   However, Touch Seang Tana, chairman of Cambodia's Commission for Conversation and Development of the Mekong River Dolphins Eco- tourism Zone, rejected the WWF’s finding, saying that last year, 4 dolphins were killed by fishing nets, but up to 7 newborn dolphin babies were found.
   He estimated that the total population of Mekong dolphins in the north-eastern provinces of Kratie and Stung Treng is between 155 and 177 now, up from just 100 in 2006.
   The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin has been listed as critically endangered on the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species since 2004. 

Border row hampers Cambodian, Thai trade growth in first half

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and Thailand has seen a 1.4 percent rise in the first half of this year; it’s the first-ever lowest growth between the two neighboring countries’ trade due to the two large-scale armed clashes over the border dispute in February and in April.
   However, officials hope that the two neighbors’ trade ties will be restored under the new Thai government led by Pheu Thai Party.
   From January to June this year, the bilateral trade was 1.43 billion U.S. dollars, 1.4 percent increase from 1.41 billion U.S. dollars at the same period last year, according to the statistics provided by Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
   Cambodia's export to Thailand was 98 million U.S. dollars, 18 percent drop from 119 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year, while Thailand's export to Cambodia mounted to 1.33 billion U.S. dollars, 3 percent rise from 1.29 billion U.S. dollars.
   Jiranan Wongmongkol, director of the Thai embassy’s Foreign Trade Promotion Office in Phnom Penh, attributed the slight growth to the border clashes in February and April.
   “However, I believe that the two countries’ bilateral trade will be much improved from the second half of this year due to the newly formed Thai government has vowed to restore good cooperation with its neighboring countries,” she said Tuesday.
   Last year, bilateral trades between Cambodia and Thailand increased up to 54 percent to 2.54 billion U.S. dollars.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides. 
   However, the military tension has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the July 3’s general elections. 

Sinograin signs to purchase up to 200,000 tons of Cambodian rice per annum

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- China Grain Reserves Corporation (Sinograin) Guangzhou Branch on Tuesday signed to buy up to 200,000 tons of milled rice per year from Cambodia.
   The deal was signed between Xu Gefei, General Manager of Sinograin Guangzhou Branch, and Na Marady, president of Cambodia’s T.T.Y Corporation.
   Through the agreement, the Sinograin will provide capital to T.T.Y Corporation to buy processed rice from millers in order to export to China, said Na Marady.
   “Under the agreement, the Sinograin will buy up to 200,000 tons of rice from Cambodia in the first year,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony. “And, it will initially invest 20 million U.S. dollars in the T.T.Y Corp to buy rice from millers and if the work is going well, it will increase its investment with us up to 200 million U.S. dollars a year.”
   Cambodia produced up to 8.25 million tons of rice paddy in last year’s harvest season. Of this figure, the government announced that it has up to 2.5 million tons of milled rice left over for exports this year.
   Despite a great amount of rice left over for exports, the exports from Cambodia in the large quantity are still facing difficulties due to the rice storages are in different places across the country, it makes hard for exporters to collect it.
   “We will try our best to collect it and export it as much as possible to China,” he said.
   Xu Gefei said that Guangdong province has the estimated population of 100 million people and it needs about one million tons of milled rice per month.
   He added that the firm has studied about the quality of Cambodian rice for more than a year before it decided to reach the agreement with the T.T.Y Corp.
   “We observe that the quality is acceptable and we will buy all types of Cambodian rice,” he said. “The exports can start any time when the company has enough quantity to export-around 20,000 tons a month.”
   More Chinese investors have begun to look into Cambodia’s rice since Cambodia and China had signed rice export agreement in October last year in order to enable the exports of Cambodian rice to China.
   Cambodia hopes that through the deal, it would be able to achieve its self-imposed target of one-million-ton rice exports by 2015. 

Cambodia inaugurates part of ASEAN highway

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday inaugurated a 9-kilometer section of the national road No. 1, which is the main road in the ASEAN highway scheme, connecting Phnom Penh and Vietnam Ho Chhi Minh.
   The 9-kilometer section has been built since December, 2009 under the Japanese grant aid of 25 million U.S. dollars.
   Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Phnom Penh, the Prime Minister Hun Sen said the national road No. 1 is an international arterial road in Cambodia connecting Phnom Penh and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh, constituting an important part of the Southern Economic Corridor and the ASEAN highway connecting Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
   “It plays an important role for the movement of people and the transportation of goods in the region,” he said.
   He added that when the construction of Japan-funded Neak Loeung Bridge, a part of ASEAN highway, is completed in 2015, the ASEAN highway in Cambodia’s part will be fully operational.
   The premier said that so far, Japan has provided about 2 billion U.S. dollars to Cambodia, mostly are grant aid. 
   The ambassador of Japan to Cambodia Masafumi Kuroki said during the event that Japan hopes that the assistance will further strengthen the long standing friendship between Japan and Cambodia and the people of the two countries.
   “We hope that the road will help Cambodia to boost the development its economy and alleviate poverty,” he said.
   The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consist of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. 

Cambodian PM revokes all fishing licenses around Tonle Sap Lake

   PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has cancelled the licenses of all 35 fishing lots around Tonle Sap Lake in five provinces, saying that the lots have caused a great destruction to the country’s fish resources.
   The license revocation was made after the premier’s public announcement on July 1 to sack fishery chiefs in five provinces around Tonle Sap Lake in order to make way for an investigation into fishery offences.
   The five provinces around the lake are Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Siem Reap and Kampong Thom.
   “After the investigation, we found that fishing lot operators had used banned fishing nets to catch the fish, they caught even small fish; moreover, they used chemical substance to drive fish away from flooded forest into their lots in order to catch them,” he said.
   “It’s a great destruction to the fish resources,” he said. “The suspension of fishing in the Lake will be in effective at least 3 years in order to increase fish population.”
   The premier added that despite their great destruction to the fish resources, the government has not taken any fishing lot operators or fisheries officials to court for punishment.
   Fishing as family condition is still allowed around the lake, he added.
   The government has earned the revenues of merely more than 2 million U.S. dollars a year from the fishing lots, he said.
   “We do not need it if it costs great destruction to the fish resources.”
   Tonle Sap Lake, also known as Great Lake, is the largest lake in the Southeast Asian nations. During the monsoon season, the lake swells to cover nearly one-fifth of the country. 

China’s Kunming to build first, large Chinese product shopping mall in Phnom Penh

   PHNOM PENH, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China’s Kunming city has been studying the possibility to build the first and large Chinese product shopping mall in Phnom Penh in order to boost trades and investments between the two sister cities, Gu Wenwen, Head of Foreign Affair and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Kunming Municipal People’s Government, said here on Monday.
   “To build closer relations between China’s Kunming and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, the Governor of Kunming has initiated to build a Chinese goods wholesale shopping mall in Phnom Penh,” she disclosed the plan during a meeting with the Governor of Phnom Penh, Kep Chuk Tema.
   She added that the Yunnan Junfa Real Estate Company has been studying the possibility for the construction of the mall.
   There is no time frame and investment cost for the mall available yet, she added. 
   Meanwhile, Kep Chuk Tema expressed his full support for the plan, which he said it would help to boost economics and trades between Cambodia and China.
   Phnom Penh and Kunming was signed to become the sister cities in June during Kep Chuk Tema’s visit in Kunming.
   Bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and China was 912.76 million U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, 82 percent rise from 501 million U.S. dollars in the same period last year, according to the latest statistics from Cambodian Ministry of Commerce. 

Cambodia, Hong Kong friendship concert held in Cambodia

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong’s Vivace Youth Symphony Orchestra and Cambodian musicians from the Royal University of Fine Arts on Sunday evening jointly performed a friendship and charity concert to raise fund to help underprivileged Cambodian youth.
   The 90-minute concert was held at the studio of the state-owned National Television of Cambodia (TVK) and was live televised across the country.
   Sixteen musicians from Hong Kong’s Vivace Youth Symphony Orchestra had performed in the event, they included winners of international music competitions Rhythmie Wong, pianist and violinist, and Melodie Wong, pianist and cellist, as well as members of the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonic including saxophonist Charles Ng and clarinet Florence Lam.
   “The performance is an opportunity to exchange cultures between Cambodia and China’s Hong Kong,” Chan Thy, Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Information, said during the opening ceremony.
   “Through this friendship concert, it will help build closer and friendlier relations between Cambodians and Hong Kong people.”
   The event was organized by a local Simphony Music School, aiming at raising fund to support the Leadership Character Development Institute, which is a non-profitable institute that teaches Khmer, English and vocational skills to underprivileged Cambodian youth who have dropped out of the schooling system or are searching for finer work opportunities. 

Cambodian, Chinese firms sign cassava purchase co-op agreement

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The China National Food Industry (Group) Corp and the Cambodia-registered Le Ye Rubber Co. on Sunday signed a cassava purchase cooperation deal.
   The agreement was signed between Cai Yongfeng, the president of China National Food Industry Group, and Gao Hong  Zhi, Chief Executive Officer of Le Ye Rubber Co.
   Through the agreement, the Le Ye Rubber Co. will be in charge of buying tapioca chips from Cambodian farmers and selling them to the China National Food Industry (Group) Corp, Cai Yongfeng, said after the signing ceremony.
   “If the quality of Cambodian cassava chips is standard enough for Chinese market, we will purchase up to one million tons of dried cassava chips a year from Cambodia,” he said, adding that the purchase can be started from the end of this year.
   Currently, China needs more than 8 million tons of tapioca chips per year. Of the amount, 6.5 million tons are purchased from Thailand and the rest from Vietnam, he said.
   “For Cambodia, there is no any export of cassava to China so far,” he said. “I believe that through the deal, it will be the starting point of the cassava exports from Cambodia to China.”
   Chinese companies have begun to look into Cambodia’s cassava since Cambodia and China had signed cassava export agreement in last December last year in order to enable the exports of Cambodian cassava to China.
   Kith Seng, Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Agriculture, said the government of Cambodia fully supported the agreement between the two companies.
   “It’s a good step toward the development of cassava crop in Cambodia and the two companies’ cooperation agreement will make Cambodian farmers feel no concern about the market for their cassava product,” he said during witnessing the signing ceremony.
   “The agreement also helps to boost Cambodian agriculture and to develop Cambodian economy,” he added.
   According to the report from the ministry of agriculture, in last year’s harvest season, the country yielded 3.78 million tons of cassava. 

China Food Industry to purchase 1 mln tons of tapioca chips from Cambodia

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- China Food Industry Group is willing to export one million tons of dried cassava chips a year from Cambodia to China, said a Cambodian agriculture official on Saturday.
   Yong Feng Cai, Chief Executive Officer of China Food Industry Group, during a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture Chan Sarun on Thursday, said that the Group planned to buy around one million tons of cassava from Cambodia for China, according to Preap Visarto, acting Director of the Agriculture Ministry’s Crop Protection, Proto-Sanitary Department.
   “The company has asked for the support from the minister in this investment plan,” he said.
   “At that time, the minister expressed his support for the firm’s plan,” said Visarto.
   Visarto said that more Chinese companies have expressed their interests in Cambodia’s agriculture since Cambodia and China had signed rice and cassava export cooperation agreements in last October and December respectively in order to enable the exports of the two products from Cambodia to China.
   According to the report from the Agriculture Ministry, in last year’s harvest season, the country yielded 3.78 million tons of fresh cassava. 

Cambodian gov’t, 4 private firms jointly to form first-ever life insurer in Cambodia

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Economy and Finance and four private companies have announced a joint venture to establish the first-ever life insurance firm in Cambodia, Mey Vann, director of the Ministry’s Financial Industry Department, said Saturday.
   The ministry and four firms had signed an agreement to establish a Cambodia Life Insurance on Thursday, he told Xinhua. The four private firms are PT Asuransi from Indonesia, Asia Insurance from China’s Hong Kong, Bangkok Life Assurance and Bangkok Insurance Public from Thailand.
   “Based on the deal, the Ministry holds 51 percent stake and the four firms own the remaining 49 percent stake,” he said, adding that according to Cambodia’s insurance law, to open an insurance firm here, it’s required to have the minimum capital of 7 million U.S. dollars.
   Currently, Cambodia has six insurance companies and one domestic reinsurance company, all are general insurers, and none of them is life insurer.
   “The Cambodia Life Insurance will be the first-ever life insurance company in Cambodia,” he said. “It will help to develop the country’s financial industry and also support the development of the newly formed securities market." 

Cambodia needs more Chinese investments in agriculture: parliament president

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia wants to see more Chinese investors in agricultural sector, especially the investments in rice and cassava, Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly, said Thursday.
   “More Chinese firms in Cambodian agriculture will help to boost bilateral trade between Cambodia and China,” he said during a meeting with Gao Hong  Zhi, Chief Executive Officer of a Chinese-owned Le Ye Rubber Co Ltd. “Also, the investments from China will help to boost the country’s exports of rice and cassava.” 
   He added that now Cambodia can be a favorable investment destination for China since Cambodia and China had signed rice and cassava export agreements in last October and December respectively in order to enable the exports of the two products from Cambodia to China.
   Meanwhile, Gao Hong  Zhi said that his newly established firm will focus on buying Cambodian agricultural products to export to China.
   “At the start, the firm is studying the possibility to buy dried cassava chips, and then we will consider buying other products such as rubber and rice,” he said.
   Bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and China was 912.76 million U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, 82 percent rise from 501 million U.S. dollars in the same period last year, showed to the statistics from the commerce ministry.

Cambodian, Thai border row no longer hot topic in ASEAN meetings: PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday Cambodia will no longer raise the border dispute with Thailand in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
   The 19th ASEAN Summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia in November.
   “I think that the topic of Cambodian and Thai border issues will be no longer covered in the meetings of ASEAN,” he said during a graduation ceremony of students at the Human Resources University. “The dispute will not be the burden and the concern of ASEAN anymore.”
   In May during the 18th ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Hun Sen lashed out former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government for triggering the border conflict.
   “From now on, the Cambodian and Thai border issues are probably no longer negotiated in the ASEAN meetings because the order of the International Court of Justice on July 18 has made a clear indication on both sides’ troop withdrawals from the newly defined demilitarized zone of 17 kilometers surrounding Preah Vihear temple,” he said. “I believe that Cambodia and Thailand can comply with it.”
   The border tension between the two countries has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the July 3’s general elections.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. 

Cambodia starts to build memorial stupa for 353 victims in last year’s stampede

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday broke ground for the construction of a memorial monument to commemorate the 353 people who died during the stampede in November last year at the Diamond Bridge.
   The stupa is located about 5 meters northwest of the Diamond Bridge, where the stampede occurred.
   “The memorial monument is to commemorate the dead in a tragic stampede on November 22 last year during the final day of the Water Festival,” said the Governor of Phnom Penh Kep Chuk Tema during the ground breaking ceremony.
   “The construction is scheduled to complete before the one-year anniversary of the deaths from the tragic stampede,” he added.
   The stupa, designed in the style of the Angkorian Bayon temple, will bear four faces; it is expected to cost 120,000 U.S. dollars, donated by the Diamond Island developer Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation, Bayon TV, CTN and the City Hall.
   Last year’s stampede accident was caused by the panic which soon after led to the stampede during the final day of the water festival.
   Cambodia's Water Festival is the largest annual festival in the Southeast Asian nations, around three million Cambodians, especially those from rural areas converged to the city to enjoy the regatta. 

Cambodian PM: Cambodian, Thai GBC meeting to hold bilaterally, but report to ASEAN, ICJ

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Commission meeting can be held bilaterally, except the talks on the provisional demilitarized zone of about 17 kilometers surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
   “The GBC meeting will be held bilaterally between Cambodian and Thai defense ministers without the presence of Indonesia after the visit of the new Thai defense minister [Yutthasak Sasiprapa] to Cambodia,” he said during a graduation ceremony of students at the Human Resources University.
   “But when saying about the 17 kilometers of the provisional demilitarized area defined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), it’s necessary to have the presence of Indonesia,” he said.
   However, he added: “If the Indonesia, ASEAN chair, has not attended the meeting, Cambodia and Thailand have to report her and the International Court of Justice about the results of the meeting.”
   "And when Cambodia and Thailand agree to withdraw troops from the area of 17 kilometers, there must be the presence of Indonesia too," he said.
   Hun Sen said Cambodia and Thailand have to re-build confidence between each other to bring peace along the border and to bring the border situation to normalcy.
   “The new era of cooperation between Cambodia and Thai government led by Pheu Thai Party has begun,” he said. “In last few years, border conflict between the two countries can be considered as the nightmare, now it is over,” he said.
   The border tension between the two countries has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the July 3’s general elections, said the premier.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides. 

Cambodia invites new Thai Defense Minister for official visit

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Wednesday invited newly appointed Thai Defense Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha to make an official visit to Cambodia in an effort to restore military relations between the two neighbors.
   In a congratulatory letter to Yuthasak Sasiprapha on Wednesday, Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Banh said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you and defense delegation to pay an official visit to Cambodia at your appropriate time in order to strengthen and promote bilateral relations between our two defense forces.”
   Tea Banh congratulated Yuthasak for being appointed as Thailand’s defense minister and hoped that cooperation between the two countries, especially, in military affairs would be strengthened and expanded.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had strained relations since 2008, soon after Cambodia’s ancient temple of Preah Vihear was registered as a World Heritage site.
   This strained relations were worsen and turned to fierce fighting between the two armed forces that resulted in the loss of lives on both sides, while hundreds thousands of civilians from both sides were evacuated. 
   Armed forces from both sides remain in the area near Preah Vihear Temple even though the International Court of Justice ordered in July that both Thai and Cambodian troops must withdraw their respective troops from a newly defined demilitarized zone of about 17 square kilometers surrounding the temple. 

Cambodian FM invites new Thai counterpart for visit to restore bilateral ties

  PHNOM PENH, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Wednesday extended an invitation to his newly appointed Thai counterpart Surapong Tovichakchaikul to visit Cambodia in order to ameliorate bilateral ties and cooperation.
   The invitation was made just a day after Surapong Tovichakchaikul was officially appointed as Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
   “As the start of our good collaboration, I would be very pleased if you could accept my invitation to pay an official visit to Cambodia at a convenient date in the near future,” Hor Namhong wrote in a congratulatory message to Surapong on Wednesday.
   “I look forward to working closely with you to reinvigorate the bonds of traditional friendship and fruitful cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand for the benefits of our two peoples and our ASEAN family as a whole,” he said.
   “I have full confidence that with our joint endeavor, you and I will be able to fulfill the aspiration of our two peoples to live in harmony and shared prosperity.”
   The two neighbors have border dispute since July 2008 when Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple was enlisted by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, but Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   However, the border tension between the two countries has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the July 3’s general elections.
   Cambodia is highly optimistic that with the Pheu Thai-formed Thai government led by Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of Thaksin, the two countries’ border conflict will be resolved peacefully. 

Cambodia, Thailand pledge to restore tourism cooperation as military tension eased

   PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Sompong Sanguanbun on Tuesday pledged to encourage more Thai people to visit Cambodia in a bid to restore tourism cooperation between the two neighboring nations.
   “In the competence as the new Thai diplomat to Cambodia, I’ll try all my best to boost bilateral cooperation in all sectors including tourism,” he said during a meeting with Cambodian Minister of Tourism Thong Khon on Tuesday afternoon.
   Thai tourists to Cambodia have constantly declined since the two neighbors have border dispute since July 2008 when Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple was enlisted by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, but Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   However, the border tension between the two countries has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the July 3’s general elections.
   Meanwhile, Thong Khon congratulated Thailand for the establishment of a new government led by Pheu Thai Party.
   “With the new Thai government led by newly elected Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra, I believe that the number of Thai tourists to Cambodia will start to increase again from now on,” he said.
   The latest e statistics of Tourism showed that Thai tourists to Cambodia had declined up to 36 percent to 48,136 in the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year of 75,695.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

U.S. and Cambodia start humanitarian assistance exercise

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States airmen and Cambodian armed forces security personnel, engineers, and medical counterparts have begun a week-long civil-military assistance activities in Koh Kong province, some 277 kilometers Southwest of Cambodia,  according to a statement released from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
   Some 60 U.S. airmen are teaming up with Cambodian army personnel and local non-governmental organizations to conduct medical outreach to approximately 4,000 people, an engineering civic assistance program to repair medical clinics and schools, and subject matter exchanges on health and airfield humanitarian relief operations, it said.
   The exercise, known as Operation Pacific Angel 11-1, is part of a series of joint humanitarian assistance partnerships conducted by Cambodian military units, local non-governmental organizations, and U.S. Pacific Air Force airmen. 
   “As part of this year’s Operation Pacific Angel, the United States and Cambodia are committed to an exchange of ideas and practices that will better our ability to respond together to humanitarian crises,” said U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Carol A. Rodley in the statement.
   “The relationships that we will build and sustain through this exercise will ultimately help us preserve peace and stability in the region,” she added.
   Officially in its fourth year, Operation Pacific Angel supports U.S. Pacific Command's capacity-building efforts by partnering with other governments in the Pacific to provide medical, dental, veterinary, and engineering assistance to their citizens.
   Since 2007, members of the U.S. military working in partnership with their Cambodian army counterparts have improved the lives of tens of thousands of Cambodian citizens through humanitarian assistance projects, added the statement. 

Cambodia’s micro-lenders see 19 pct rise in lending in H1: data

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia’s Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) reported 19 percent growth of loan disbursements in the first half of this year, showed the report from Cambodian Microfinance Association on Tuesday.
   By June this year, the kingdom’s 27 micro-lenders had lent 505 million U.S. dollars to customers, 19 percent increase from 425 million U.S. dollars by the end of last year, it said.
   The number of borrowers has declined by 15 percent to 1.03 million by June from 1.21 million at the end of 2010 due to loan sizes in the first half of this year were bigger than those last year.
   Generally, the maximum size of a loan that the micro-lender lends to a customer is 10,000 U.S. dollars.
   The report also recorded that the non-performing loans, or bad loans, defined as loan repayments that are at least 30 days overdue, fell to 0.74 percent or 3.8 million U.S. dollars by June this year, down from 1.29 percent or 8.3 million U.S. dollars by the end of 2010. 

Cambodia observes World Indigenous People’s Day

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 1,000 Cambodian indigenous people on Tuesday gathered in Stung Treng province, some 485 kilometers north of Cambodia, to celebrate the World Indigenous People’s Day.
   This was the seventh consecutive year the country marked the day;  it was presided over by Minister of the Ministry of Rural Development Chea Sophara, said Chhith Sam Ath, Executive Director of the NGO Forum, which co-organized the event with the ministry.
   “The celebration is to uplift and protect the rights of the indigenous people,” he said. “It’s also to display artwork, costumes, traditions, culture of the indigenous people living in Cambodia.”
   He said that during the event, different forms of indigenous people’s traditional dances had been performed.
   The event was also simultanously held in Preah Sihanouk province, some 230 kilometers southwest of Cambodia.
   According to the Ministry of Rural Development, there are 203,000 indigenous people, or 1.4 percent, of Cambodia’s total 14.5 million populations, most of them live in Rattanakiri and Mondolkiri provinces northeastern Cambodia. 

Cambodia needs foreign military aid, except banned weapons: Defense Minister

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia needs all forms of foreign military assistance in order to strengthen its national defense capacity and to ensure security and public order, but the country needn’t aid in banned weapons, Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, said Tuesday.
   “Cambodia always sticks to the policy of neutrality, non-alignment and peaceful life, but the country still reserves its rights to accept foreign military aid such as weapons, ammunition, military training equipment and supplies, and other forms of assistance,” he said during a national workshop to disseminate the law on the prohibition of nuclear, biological and radiological weapons.
   At the meantime, he said Cambodia absolutely prohibits the production, acquisition, transfer, use, and stockpiling of nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological weapons in order to ensure peace, safety, and well-being of people as well as to contribute to the protection of security and peace in the region and the world. 
   The law was promulgated in December 2009. 

China sends 58 volunteers to teach Chinese language in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Office of Chinese Language Council International has sent 58 volunteered Chinese to teach Chinese language for one year in Cambodia in order to promote cooperation on language and culture.
   Speaking on Monday evening during a reception ceremony for the volunteered teachers, Duong Chhiv, the president of the Chinese Association in Cambodia, which oversees all Chinese schools in the country, said the 58 volunteers would allocate to teach in 22 Chinese schools in the country.
   “Chinese language is going popular in Cambodia today as this country has been attracting more and more businesspeople from China,” he said. “The volunteers will help to build the quality of Chinese language education in Cambodia.”
   Wei Ning, chief of Consular Department at Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, said it was the second time that China sent volunteer Chinese to teach in Cambodia after the last year’s group of 38 volunteers completed their one-year teaching mission.
   “The volunteers have not only helped to build Chinese knowledge for Cambodian students, but also boost traditional friendship ties between Chinese and Cambodians,” he said. “It is also a chance to exchange culture between Chinese teachers and Cambodian learners.”
   Wang Ling Ling, the team leader of the volunteered teachers, said the group, consisted of 12 male teachers and 46 female teachers, arrived here on Aug. 6-7 for one-year tuition.
   According to Chinese Association in Cambodia, there are 55 Chinese schools with more than 30,000 students throughout Cambodia. 

Cambodia’s nascent insurance industry grows by 19 pct in first half

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a 19 percent rise in premium revenues from the country’s nascent insurance industry in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to the industry’s report released on Monday.
   From January to June this year, the industry had earned the total premium revenues of 13.5 million U.S. dollars, 19 percent increase from 11.3 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year, showed the report from the General Insurance Association of Cambodia (GIAC).
   The premiums came from fire insurance of 25.7 percent, following by miscellaneous accident of 25.2 percent, motor insurance of 22 percent, health insurance of 17.5 percent, engineering of 8.2 percent, and marine insurance of 1.4 percent, said the report.
   Despite rising in the premiums, the industry has faced a big loss due to the claim amount had been up to 30.6 million U.S. dollars in the first six months of this year, it said. The big jump in claims was due to the fire completely destroyed the June Textile Factory in March.
   Ty Atith, assistant to the chairman of the GIAC, said Monday that as Cambodia’s economy is expected to grow well this year, the insurance industry is expected to gain 25 percent growth this year. 
   Cambodia has six insurance companies: Forte Insurance, CAMINCO, Asia Insurance, Campubank Lonpac, Infinity Insurance, and Cambodia-Vietnam Insurance. There is also one domestic reinsurance company.
   The industry earned the premium revenues of 24.9 million U.S. dollars in 2010. 

Phnom Penh sends 800 newly recruited troops for training

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 800 new volunteer soldiers recruited in Phnom Penh have on Monday been sent for training in two military schools in the provinces of Kampong Speu and Kandal.   
   Prum Din, deputy commander of the Infantry Headquarters and commander of the Special Military Region, said during a see-off ceremony that the troops are among the 5,000 new recruited soldiers for 2011 in order to replace the dead, retired, and disable soldiers.
   “It’s normal for a country to recruit new soldiers to defend the nation,” he said.
   Meanwhile, Kep Chuk Tema, the Governor of Phnom Penh, said youth participation in army was very important to maintain national peace and to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
   Cambodia has begun to build the capacity for its armed forces since it has border conflict with Thailand in July 2008, and periodic clashes have happened, resulted in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   Thy Sopheak, one of the new soldiers, said: “my volunteer to join the army is to defend my territorial integrity, I am very happy.”
   Yin Srin, the mother of a new soldier, said: “I come to see my son off to join the army; I am proud of him.”

Cambodia has 503,008 business establishments: new census

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has 503,008 business establishments by March this year, according to the preliminary results of the first-ever 2011 Economic Census released on Monday.
   Of the number, 493,117 establishments, or 98 percent, have ten workers or less, showed the census results, adding that 8,476 establishments or 1.7 percent with the employees from 11 to 50.
   It added that 779 establishments or 0.2 percent have workers between 51 and 100 and 636 establishments or 0.1 percent employ workers from 101 or more.
   The results showed that there are 34.6 establishments among 1,000 persons and 162.5 establishments among 1,000 households.
   Phnom Penh, the country’s capital, has the most establishments-up to 95,467 establishments or 19 percent, Kampong Cham province is at second with 55,903 establishments or 11 percent, and Kandal province at third with 40,359 establishment or 8 percent.
   The provinces with the least establishments are coastal Kep of 1,634 or 0.3 percent, Mondulkiri of 2,221 or 0.4 percent, and Pailin of 2,868 or 0.6 percent.
   The Minister of Planning Chhay Than said Monday that the census covered all establishments in Cambodia, except agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries.
   “The results provide information on the current situation of Cambodian economic activities,” he said. “The data will be useful for policy makers, private sectors, researchers, development partners and investors.”
   The 2011 economic census had been conducted by the National Institute of Statistics in March, 2011 with the total budget of 3.26 million U.S. dollars funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
   The official result will be released in March next year. 

Cambodia hoists ASEAN flag to mark bloc’s 44th anniversary

 PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday hoisted the flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adjacent to its national flag at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to mark the 44th commemoration of the founding of the ASEAN.
   The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, and foreign diplomatic corps to Cambodia.
   Speaking during the ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony, Hor Namhong said the official flag hoisting of ASEAN flag side-by-side with respective national flag have been held simultaneously on Aug. 8 in the ASEAN member-countries’ embassies and consulates all over the world.
   “The ASEAN flag hoisting is the historic and symbolic event to show our unity and solidarity in the ASEAN member countries toward building an ASEAN community by 2015,” he said. “It is also to promote the awareness of ASEAN among international community.”
   ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

1,528 new businesses opened in Cambodia in first half, up 37.6 pct: commerce data

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a 37.6 percent increase in new business registration in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to the data obtained from the Ministry of Commerce on Sunday.
   Some 1,528 new companies have opened in Cambodia from January to June this year, up 37.6 percent from 1,110 companies at the same period last year, showed the data.
   Global economic recovery and better business environment in the country have been attributed to the increase.
   Most companies have been opened by Chinese, South Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Thai and local businesspeople.
   The foreign firms are mostly dealing with the businesses of garment, agriculture, agro-industry, tourism, transport services, IT and mining.
   In 2010, the Ministry had issued license to 2,572 new businesses, up from 2,003 in 2009 - a rise of 28 percent. 

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Cambodia requests Thailand to return remaining stolen artifacts

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 -- Cambodian government has asked Thailand to return the remaining artifacts stolen from Cambodia in 2000, a senior government official said Saturday.
   Him Chhem, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, said he had asked Sompong Sanguanbun, Thai Ambassador to Cambodia, to process the remaining artifacts back to Cambodia.
   In 2000, Thai authorities seized 43 pieces of artifacts stolen from Cambodia, and following the request from the Cambodian government seven pieces of them were already returned to Cambodia in 2009.
   The 7 pieces of artifacts were handed over by then Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva during his one-day official visit to Cambodia.
   Him Chhem said he had made the request, for returning the remaining of 36 artifacts, to Thai ambassador during a meeting on Thursday in Phnom Penh.
   According to Him Chhem, Sompong Sanguanbun responded that he would convey Cambodia’s request to his government in Bangkok. 
   The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has earlier said, in addition to, the 43 stolen pieces of artifacts bounded for Thailand, at least 5 other pieces were stolen and smuggled to Switzerland and another piece to Indonesia.   
   Cambodia is well-known for richness in cultural heritages, in particular, the ancient temples including Angkor Wat Temple, one of the World Heritage sides.

Cambodia’s garment, textile raw material imports up 19.6 pct in H1

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had imported garment and textile raw materials in equivalent to 1.22 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of this year, 19.6 percent rise from 1.02 billion U.S. dollars in the same period last year, showed the data from the Commerce Ministry on Saturday.
   The garment and textile raw materials include cloth, buttons, threads, and other accessories; they have been imported from China, Taiwan region, Japan and South Korea.
   At the meantime, the figure also showed that the country’s garment and textile exports had increased by 45 percent to 1.93 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year from 1.33 billion U.S. dollars within the same period last year.
   Cambodia’s purchasers of garment and textile products are the United States, European countries, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and China.
   Garment and textile industry represented more than 90 percent of Cambodia’s total exports. The sector has 262 garment factories employing 319,313 workers and 36 foot-wears factories with 56,643 workers.
   Last year, the country had exported a total worth of 3.4 billion U.S. dollars of garments and foot-wear products, up 27 percent from 2.67 billion U.S. dollars in a year earlier. 

Cambodian PM not yet congratulate Thailand’s new PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has not sent an official letter to congratulate Yingluck Shinawatra for being elected by the House of Representatives to be Thailand's 28th Prime Minister and the first female Prime Minister of Thailand, Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said Saturday.
   “So far, Prime Minister Hun Sen has not yet sent any letter to congratulate Mrs. Yingluck Shinawatra for being elected as Prime Minister of Thailand,” he said.
   The spokesman has rejected the online publication of the state-owned Agency Kampuchea Press (AKP) that reported that the premier sent a congratulatory message to Yingluck Shinawatra on August 5.
   On August 5 in the evening, an official at the AKP, which is under the control of the Information Ministry, had sent out the unsigned premier’s congratulatory message to the media by e-mail.
   Yingluck Shinawatra, 44, is the sister of the Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Pheu Thai PM Candidate.
   The Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory-265 out of the 500 parliamentary seats-in the general election on July 3 and it has formed a coalition government with four small parties, making the coalition control about 60 percent of the House seats.  Enditem

Friday, August 5, 2011

Cambodian PM congratulates Thailand’s new-elected PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday wrote a letter to congratulate Yingluck Shinawatra for being elected by the House of Representatives to be Thailand's 28th Prime Minister and the first female Prime Minister of Thailand.
   In a letter, dated Aug. 5, sent to Yingluck Shinawatra, Hun Sen said on behalf of the government of Cambodia and Cambodian people, he expressed his heartfelt and sincere congratulation to Yingluck for being elected by Thai lawmakers to be the Prime Minister of Thailand.
   “I am optimistic that with a joint commitment, Your Excellency and I will obviously be able to restore our traditional friendship, good neighbors, and fruitful cooperation between our two countries’ peoples,” said the premier.
   “I am ready to work closely with Your Excellency to serve the interests of our two countries and peoples, and to solve all issues peacefully in order to bring good harmonization to our nations and to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” he said.
   Yingluck Shinawatra, 44, is the sister of the Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Pheu Thai PM Candidate.
   The Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory-265 out of the 500 parliamentary seats-in the general election on July 3 and it has formed a coalition government with four small parties, making the coalition control about 60 percent of the House seats.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides. 

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday instructed all ministries and troops along Cambodian-Thai border to build a "trustful environment" with Thai counterparts in order to restore the two countries’ bilateral cooperation in the context of the Pheu Thai-formed government, according to a press release after the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers. “The premier also noticed that since the Pheu Thai Party was announced the victory in the general election, the situation along Cambodian-Thai border has turned good,” added the statement. The former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory-265 out of the 500 parliamentary seats-in the general election on July 3. Yingluck Shinawatra, 44, sister of Thaksin and Pheu Thai PM candidate, was elected by the House of Representatives on Friday morning to be Thailand's 28th Prime Minister and the first female Prime Minister of Thailand. Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides. Cambodia hopes that with the Pheu Thai-formed government, the two countries’ border conflict will be solved out peacefully.

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday instructed  all ministries and troops along Cambodian-Thai border to build a "trustful environment" with Thai counterparts in order to restore the two countries’ bilateral cooperation in the context of the Pheu Thai-formed government, according to a press release after the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers.
   “The premier also noticed that since the Pheu Thai Party was announced the victory in the general election, the situation along Cambodian-Thai border has turned good,” added the statement.
   The former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory-265 out of the 500 parliamentary seats-in the general election on July 3.
   Yingluck Shinawatra, 44, sister of Thaksin and Pheu Thai PM candidate, was elected by the House of Representatives on Friday morning to be Thailand's 28th Prime Minister and the first female Prime Minister of Thailand.
   Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
   Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.
   Cambodia hopes that with the Pheu Thai-formed government, the two countries’ border conflict will be solved out peacefully. 

Cambodian gov’t passes rule to control dispatch of laborers abroad

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Council of Ministers on Friday approved a sub-decree to control the dispatch of Cambodian laborers abroad via private recruitment agencies in order to ensure them safe jobs.
   There have been 33 private companies licensed to dispatch laborers abroad.
   Since 1995 to June this year, the country has dispatched 136,958 laborers to work in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan; in return, they have remitted about 195 million U.S. dollars home every year.
   “The sub-decree aims at looking for jobs and providing jobs to Cambodian migrant workers in order to uplift their living conditions,” said a press release after the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers. “It will ensure safety for Cambodian laborers abroad.”
   Currently, Cambodian workers in Malaysia are female, working as maids, garment workers, baby-sitters and shop assistants.
   Those in Thailand are working in agriculture, construction, fishery and industries, while in South Korea and Japan are in the sectors of manufacturing industries, constructions, and services.
   Cambodian workers in Malaysia and Thailand have often been reported for labor law violation and torture from their employers.
   Cambodian laborers working in Thailand and Malaysia earn about 200 U.S. dollars per month, whereas in South Korea and Japan is between 800 and 1,000 U. S. dollars per month. 

Gold prices in Cambodia hit record high in last fortnight

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Gold prices in Cambodia have hit record high on Friday-a damlung goes for 2,010 U.S. dollars, 7 percent rise from 1,880 U.S. dollars in two weeks ago, said Sieng Lim, the president of Cambodia’s largest gold dealer, Ly Hour Exchange in the capital.
   Damlung is the commonly used Cambodian measure for the precious metal, equal to 37.49 grams or 1.2 troy ounces.
   “The surge in gold prices here is in line with those trading on international market,” she said. “Also, it is due to the U.S. dollar experiences weakness and it makes investors seek a safe haven for their proceeds.”
   Lim said that high rise of gold prices benefits Cambodian people.
   “Traditionally, Cambodians prefer to save in gold to currencies, so with rising price of gold, people will get good returns on their savings” she said. 
   Cambodia imported gold from Singapore or Hong Kong. 

Cambodia reports 33 percent decline in landmine casualties in first half

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday reported 112 landmine casualties in the first half of this year, represented a decrease of 33 percent from 167 casualties in the same period last year, according to the report from the Cambodian Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Victim Information System.
   From January to June this year, landmines had killed 25 Cambodian people and injured 87 others, said the report, adding that 75 percent of the victims were men, 18 percent were boys, and 7 percent were women and girls.
   Since 1979 to June 2011, a total of 63,918 mine/ERW casualties were recorded. Of the casualties, 19,600 were killed and 44,318 injured from mine/ERW accidents.
   Cambodia is one of most mine affected nations in the world as the result of 30 years of armed conflict. Mines had been laid in Cambodia during the decades of chronic conflicts from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s.
   Cambodia's five most mine-laid provinces are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin and Preah Vihear.

Cambodia’s GDP to grow much higher than expectation in 2011: Commerce Minister

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth could grow over 8 percent this year despite gradual rise in inflation, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh predicted on Thursday.
   He said three of the four pillars-garment exports, tourism, agriculture and real estate- supporting the country’s economy are expected to see strong increases this year.
   “Based on the figures in the first half of this year, the garment and textile exports rose up to 45 percent, tourism industry increased by 13 percent, agriculture is going well, I believe that the country’s economic growth this year will reach more than 8 percent,” the Minister said during a press briefing after the conclusion of the 17th Greater Mekong Sub-region Ministerial Conference.
   Earlier this year, the government forecast the growth this year is around 6 percent.
   The Minister said the real estate and construction has also started to recover this year after it was hard-hit by the global financial crisis since 2008.
   Despite the Minister’s optimism over the growth in 2011, the director general of the National Bank of Cambodia Nguon Sokha warned that the country’s inflation this year could reach as high as 8 percent, up from the previous prediction of 5 percent due to mainly soaring prices of petroleum, food, and consuming products. 

GMS ministers fully support 3rd decade economic co-op strategic framework

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ministers of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries on Thursday fully supported the new GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022 and will submit it to their leaders for endorsement in December this year at the 4th GMS Summit in Myanmar, according to a joint ministerial statement.
   The statement released after the 17th GMS Ministerial Conference said that the new GMS strategic framework, oriented towards the development of GMS economic corridors, includes multi-sector infrastructure investments related to urban and rural area development, as well as greater focus on the software needed for more effective and efficient use of existing and future infrastructure and for addressing shared social and environmental concerns.
   Under the new framework, Asian Development Bank will assist the GMS countries in their efforts to maximize the impact of limited regional resources by focusing on catalyzing investment in strategic areas.
   “Our experience in economic corridor development points to the need to further broaden and deepen our interventions, not only in terms of geographical reach, but also in terms of moving into the third decade of activities,” Bindu Lohani, ADB Vice-President-in-Charge of Operations 2, said in a press briefing after the conclusion of the conference.
   He added that ADB has provided support to the GMS Program for almost two decades and it would remain committed to assist the GMS countries to tap more fully into the opportunities that regional cooperation provides.
   Meanwhile, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh highlighted the role of China in contributing to the development of upcoming GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022.
   “For the development of GMS countries, China plays very important role as both development partner and money lender,” he said during the press briefing.
   By the end of June 2011, the ADB had extended loans and grants totaling almost 5 billion U.S. dollars for 55 projects in the subregion, mainly infrastructure investments.
   The GMS countries consist of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

GMS ministers meet in Cambodia to finalize 3rd decade economic co-op roadmap

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ministers of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries gathered here on Thursday to finalize the new GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022 ahead of submitting it to their leaders for endorsement in December this year.
   The 3rd decade GMS strategic framework would continue its focus on physical infrastructure investments, and also widen and deepen economic corridor development activities, effective trade and transport facilitation, human resource development, protection of shared environmental resources and solicit involvement among the private sector and development partners to address the issues and requirements of the GMS program, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said at the opening session of the 17th GMS Ministerial Conference.
   “The strategy would guide us in the next decade of economic cooperation among the GMS countries,” he said.
   The GMS program established in 1992 with the support of Asian Development Bank, it has nine priority sectors of cooperation: agriculture, energy, environment, human resource development, investment, telecommunications, tourism, transport infrastructure, and transport and trade facilitation.
   “In the last two decades of cooperation, we have achieved a great success, but much work remains to be done in the new decade to ensure that we are advancing the GMS economic cooperation program towards its full potential,” he said.
   Speaking during the opening ceremony, Zhang Shaochun, Vice-Minister of the China’s Finance Ministry, said in the past two decades, the GMS cooperation was constantly making headways and harvests, contributing greatly to poverty reduction and economic and social development in the sub-region.
   “The new GMS Strategic Framework will be a sound guidance for future GMS cooperation,” he said. “We feel confident about the next ten-year of GMS cooperation.”
   Zhang said that as a GMS member, China has been exploring various ways to actively support the sub-regional cooperation.
   In 2005, China donated 20 million U.S. dollars to set up the China’s Fund for poverty reduction and regional cooperation in the Asian Development Bank, he said, adding in six years, the Fund has provided grants to 47 projects in 45 countries, among which about 8.67 million U.S. dollars was used in GMS countries.
   He added that in May this year, the government of China announced to replenish the Fund by another 20 million U.S. dollars.
   “The government of China is willing to contribute more to GMS cooperation within policy of building friendship and partnership with neighboring countries, strengthen cooperation with all members and join the concerted efforts to realize development and prosperity in the sub-region,” said Zhang.
   The GMS countries consist of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
   During the opening session of the 17th GMS Ministerial Conference, there were also addresses by U Tin Naing Thein, Minister of Commerce of Myanmar, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Deputy Secretary-General of Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), Vo Hong Phuc, Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment, and Yaseng Lao, Lao Ambassador to Cambodia.
   The ministers of the six GMS countries expect to finalize the new strategic framework and will submit to their leaders for endorsement at the 4th GMS summit in Myanmar in December 2011.