Cambodia reports 2 more new human cases of bird flu

English.news.cn   2014-02-28 11:10:55

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two more children have been confirmed for H5N1 human avian influenza, bringing the number of cases to five so far this year, said a joint statement by the World Health Organization and the Cambodian Health Ministry Friday.
One case involves a 10-year-old girl from eastern Tboung Khmum province, who was admitted to the Provincial Referral Hospital with fever, running nose, cough, and abdominal pain on Feb. 20 and was confirmed positive for the virus the same day.
"The girl was treated with Tamiflu. Now, she recovered," the statement said.
The other case is an 11-year-old girl from the same province, who was also sent to Provincial Referral Hospital with fever, running nose, sore throat, cough, and vomiting on Feb. 20 and was tested positive for the virus.
"She is also recovered now after being treated with Tamiflu," it said.
The two victims had direct exposures with dead and sick poultry before becoming ill, the statement said.
Bird flu remains a serious threat to the health of all Cambodians and children seem to be most vulnerable and are at high risk, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said.
"I urge parents and guardians to keep children away from sick or dead poultry and make sure children wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with poultry," he said.
H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, according to the WHO.
The virus was first identified in Cambodia ten years ago. To date, the country has reported 52 human cases of the virus, killing 34 people, the statement said.

Editor: Yamei Wang

Cambodian court sentences protester to 3 years in jail, with 2 years suspended

English.news.cn   2014-02-28 15:13:35

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian court on Friday convicted a protester, who is among the six arrested in a September clash at an overpass, of causing intentional violence and damage to public property, and sentenced him to three years in jail, with a two-year probation, according to a verdict read by presiding Judge Seng Neang.
Authorities arrested the six men at the overpass at the night of Sept. 15 during a clash between security forces and pro- opposition supporters that left one protester dead. Later, the court had granted bail to five detainees, except 20-year-old suspect Nguyen Thydoc.
For the remaining five suspects, three men were acquitted of all the charges as two men were given a three-year suspended jail term, meaning that they were also freed.
Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the rights group Licadho, expressed regret for the verdict, saying the court should drop all charges against all of them since evidence was not concrete enough for the charges.
Many protests have been held in Cambodia's capital by Sam Rainsy's opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party and its aligned trade unions after the contested election last July that handed victory to Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party.
So far, the opposition still continue boycotting parliament and demanding an early election, which was refused by the ruling party.
Last round of deadly clashes between police and protesters occurred in early January, leaving four protesters dead and 21 protesters still detained.

Editor: Fu Peng

Cambodian police arrest 12 Chinese from Taiwan for telephone fraud charges

English.news.cn   2014-02-26 14:07:13

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian police have raided a villa in Phnom Penh's Tuok Kork district and arrested 12 Chinese men from China's Taiwan, who were involved in a telecom scam, National Police Spokesman Lt. Gen. Kirt Chantharith confirmed Wednesday.
He said the raid, conducted on Tuesday afternoon, was led by Gen. Y Sokhy, chief of the Interior Ministry's anti-terrorism department, and Heng Sopheak, deputy prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
"The suspects were arrested for the charges of using VoIP ( Voice over Internet Protocol, a type of Internet phone service) from Cambodia to threaten and extort money from victims in China," he told Xinhua, adding that a number of laptops and telephones were seized during the raid.
Telephone fraud has become a social security problem in China. Suspects often use overseas servers to make phone calls from overseas, making it more difficult for the Chinese police to trace them.
Generally, perpetrators will call the victims in China, pretending to be court or police officials claiming that the victims' bank account had been breached, and will tell the victims they should transfer their money to a separate "safe account."

Editor: Yang Yi

Cambodia lifts ban on demonstrations: military police spokesman

English.news.cn   2014-02-26 19:01:54

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has lifted a one-month- old ban on public protests after general situation has been restored, Gen. Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, said Wednesday. "Our Prime Minister Hun Sen has removed the ban on demonstrations after the situation has been improved," he told Xinhua.
The government imposed a temporary ban on demonstrations on Jan. 4 after two protests turned violent, leaving 4 protesters dead and 21 still detained.
Hun Sen said Tuesday that any future opposition demonstrations would be met by rallies by pro-government supporters who have " equal rights" to do so.
"Now, the demonstrations have two groups. Pro-opposition party supporters have the rights to demonstrate, and pro-government supporters also have the same rights to stage rallies," the premier said during the inauguration of a coal-fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province.
He said police may find it difficult to keep the two groups apart when they hold a protest at the same time and place.
Political row between the Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the Sam Rainsy's opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has persisted since the July election results showed that the CPP won 68 parliamentary seats against 55 seats for the CNRP.
Claiming serious irregularities during the poll, the CNRP refused to accept the outcome and has boycotted parliament and held many protests--some of them had turned violent--in order to demand the resignation of Hun Sen and a re-election.
Hun Sen has said that he would neither step down nor call a re- vote.

Editor: Fu Peng

Cambodia predicts 12 pct growth in tourism this year: minister

English.news.cn   2014-02-26 15:08:58

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is forecast to receive 4.7 million foreign visitors in 2014, an estimated rise of 12 percent from 4.2 million in 2013, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said Wednesday.
Last year, the country's tourism generated 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, contributing about 16 percent to the GDP, he said, adding that the sector has created 400,000 direct jobs.
He said Cambodia saw China as a huge market for its tourism.
"Last year, we attracted some 463,000 Chinese visitors, up 39 percent year-on-year," Thong Khon said at the opening of the annual tourism conference.
"We forecast that up to 800,000 Chinese will visit Cambodia in 2015 and nearly 2 million in 2020."
He said flight connections are an essential component to attract foreign tourists to Cambodia, saying that currently, 26 airline companies have been operating regular flights to Cambodia.
Tourism is one of the four main pillars supporting the Cambodian economy.
The Southeast Asian nation is famous for its two world heritage sites. One is the 12th century Angkor Wat Temple and the other is the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple.
Besides, it has a pristine coastline, which is one of the World 's Most Beautiful Bays, stretching in the length of 450 km in four southwestern provinces of Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Kep.

Editor: Fu Peng

Cambodian Prince Ranariddh to re-enter politics, forming new royal party

English.news.cn   2014-02-26 14:37:33

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, son of the late King Norodom Sihanouk, would re-enter politics by forming a new royal party to contest in the 2018 general election, Ranariddh's cabinet chief, Noranarith Anandayath, said Wednesday.
"The prince has planned to form a new party sometime this year under the name 'The Community of Royalist People Party'," he told Xinhua.
According to a media report on Tuesday, the 70-year-old prince said he decided the country needs a new party because the two current leading parties -- the ruling Cambodian People's Party ( CPP) and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) -- cannot resolve their political differences.
He said he would like to tap his father's political legacy and breathe new life into the royalists.
"I want to mobilize nationalism and Sihanoukism to form my party and restore the royal family," the prince said.
Prince Ranariddh is currently the president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to the King Norodom Sihamoni.
He was former co-prime minister and ex-president of the National Assembly of Cambodia.
He declared to quit politics for the first time in October 2008 after he received a royal pardon on fraud charges. Later, he re- entered politics in December 2010, and once again, he quit politics in August 2012 due to his Norodom Ranariddh Party's internal rifts.
Sok Touch, deputy director general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia's International Relations Institute, said since the prince has built a negative reputation in politics in the past, it seemed difficult for him to restore his popularity through forming a new party.
Cambodia is still trapped in political dispute after last July' s election results showed that Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP won 68 parliamentary seats, versus 55 seats for Sam Rainsy's CNRP.
Claiming serious irregularities during the poll, the CNRP refused to accept the outcome and has boycotted parliament and held many protests in order to demand the resignation of Hun Sen and a re-election.
Hun Sen has said he would neither step down nor call a re-vote.

Editor: Yang Yi

China starts filming drama series in Cambodia

English.news.cn   2014-02-25 17:40:41

Chinese actor Huang Haibo (L, front) and actress Zhang Jingchu (R, front) pose for photos during the launching ceremony of a television drama series in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 25, 2014. China began Tuesday to produce a television drama series in Cambodia with an aim to promote the country's tourism and culture to the Chinese people. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- China began Tuesday to produce a television drama series in Cambodia with an aim to promote the country's tourism and culture to the Chinese people.
The film, titled"Love is Brave", will depict a selfless, heart- breaking and touching love story involving a couple cast by renowned Chinese actor Huang Haibo and actress Zhang Jingchu, said a press statement released at the production launching.
The urban emotional 30-episode love drama is being produced by Beijing Jinyi Celebration Cultural Promotion Company and directed by famous director Cao Dun, the statement said. "The production house had chosen culturally rich Cambodia as overseas location for story scenes where the characters meet and fall in love,"it said.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An said the drama series would be shot at the ancient Angkor Wat temple, a world heritage site. "This project clearly shows Cambodia's favorable conditions for international film productions,"he said at the production launching.
The drama series will be screened by Hunan TV, the national TV channel with full coverage in China.
According to Sok An, Chinese producer Kiang Ming made a movie titled"Smile of Angkor"at the Angkor Wat temple last year.
Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo said it was a milestone for cultural relations and cooperation between China and Cambodia. "Through the drama, Chinese will better understand about Cambodian culture and people's lives,"she said."I have confidence that more Chinese people will visit Cambodia after they have watched this movie."
The film project was initiated by the ASEAN-China Center, aiming at promoting cultural ties between China and Cambodia and encouraging more Chinese to visit Cambodia, said Ma Mingqiang, secretary general of ASEAN-China Center.
Yuan Hui, chairman of Beijing Jinyi Celebration Cultural Promotion Company, said the film would provide a golden chance for Cambodia to showcase its cultural traditions, customs and beautiful landscape to more than 1 billion people in China and people in other Asian countries.
Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said a team of some 100 actors and crew would spend one month in filming in Cambodia. They would continue to shoot in Beijing to complete the story.

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Editor: Fu Peng

Feature: Chinese crew shoot film in Cambodia to promote its tourism

English.news.cn   2014-02-25 21:00:03

Nguon Sovan
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese team of 100 casts and crews on Tuesday began to film an episodic drama series titled " Love is Brave' in Cambodia to help promote its attractive tourism destinations and culture to the Chinese people.
Cambodian officials and tourism experts voiced their support for the project, saying it was not only important to attract more and more Chinese tourists to this Southeast Asian nation, but also crucial to boost cultural ties between the two countries.
"The film will greatly promote Cambodia's tourism sites to the Chinese people," Ang Kim Eang, president of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, which represents 220 tour and travel companies, told Xinhua Tuesday. "More importantly, it will help to strengthen cultural ties and people-to-people connection between the two nations."
Ho Vandy, president of World Express Tours and Travel, said the drama series would be a driving force to attract more Chinese tourists to Cambodia.
"When Chinese people have watched their famous movie stars filmed at Cambodia's tourism sites, they may want to see the beauty of Cambodia's attractive sites with their own eyes," he told Xinhua. "So, I believe that Cambodia's tourism will greatly benefit from this Chinese drama series."
"Love is Brave" would feature a heart-breaking and touching love story involving a couple played by renowned Chinese actor Huang Haibo and actress Zhang Jingchu, said a press statement.
The 30-episodes drama depicting urban emotional love is being produced by Beijing Jinyi Celebration Cultural Promotion Company and directed by Beijing's renowned director Cao Dun.
"The production house had chosen culturally rich Cambodia as the overseas location set for the story scenes where the characters meet and fall in love," the statement said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An said the drama series would be shot at the ancient Angkor Wat temple, a World Heritage Site.
"This project clearly shows Cambodia's favorable conditions for international film productions," he said. "The film will help further strengthen cultural ties between Cambodia and China."
The drama series will be screened by Hunan TV, a very popular TV channel with full coverage in China.
"I believe that through this film, more and more Chinese will visit Cambodia," he said.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said a team of some 100 casts and crews would spend one month filming in Cambodia; then, they would continue to shoot in Beijing to complete the production.
"The movie will help promote Cambodia's tourism destinations to Chinese market," he said, adding that the film would also be shot at some tourism sites in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
According to Thong Khon, China is the second largest source of tourists to Cambodia. Last year, some 463,000 Chinese visited Cambodia, up 39 percent year-on-year.
"Cambodia is expected to greet 800,000 Chinese visitors in 2015 and up to 2 million in 2020," he said.
Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo said it was a milestone for cultural relations and cooperation between China and Cambodia.
"Through the drama series, Chinese will better understand Cambodian culture and daily life," she said. "I have confidence that more Chinese people will visit Cambodia after they have watched this movie."
Yuan Hui, chairwoman of Beijing Jinyi Celebration Cultural Promotion Company, said the film would provide a golden chance for Cambodia to showcase its traditions, customs and beautiful landscape to more than 1 billion people in China and other Asian countries.
The film project was initiated by the ASEAN-China Center.

Editor: Fu Peng

Cambodian PM holds opposition-backed unions responsible for future factory closures due to strikes

English.news.cn   2014-02-25 15:44:51

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the opposition-aligned unions, inciting garment workers to stage strikes for higher wages, must take responsibilities for any future closures of factories.
"The government has worked very hard to attract investors to build factories and has urged manufacturers to increase wages for workers every year," he said during the inauguration of a coal- fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province.
"We wait and see if any factories close doors due to demonstrations or strikes demanding higher wages," the prime minister said. "When investors close factories, (unemployed) workers should hold protests against those inciting unions and demand those inciters to find jobs for them."
The minimum monthly wage for Cambodian garment workers is 100 U. S. dollars.
"Currently, the wages for our garment workers are higher than those of Laos, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Myanmar," Hun Sen said.
The prime minister's remarks came after a coalition of 18 opposition-aligned trade unions and associations have incited garment and footwear workers to boycott working overtime since Monday to demand a 160 U.S. dollars minimum wage and the release of 21 detained protesters.
The overtime strike would last until Friday this week, said Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, adding that the unions would continue to lead a stay-at-home strike from March 12 to 19 if the demands are not met.
The garment and shoe industry comprises more than 900 factories employing about 600,000 workers. The sector is the kingdom's largest foreign exchange earner that generated some 5.53 billion U. S. dollars in revenues last year.
Van Sou Ieng, president of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, warned Friday that if the trade union group still plans to lead an outlawed strike next month to demand a 160 U.S. dollars wage, about 80 percent of the factories in the country would be closed, while some would be moved to other countries.
Last round of garment worker strikes, which began in late December and early January, had turned violent and left 4 protesters dead and 21 protesters still detained. Since then, the government has temporarily banned all forms of rallies or demonstrations to restore security and public order.

Editor: chengyang

1.83 mln ASEAN peoples travel to Cambodia in 2013

English.news.cn   2014-02-23 12:30:58

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted about 1.83 million visitors from its ASEAN member countries last year, up 21 percent from 1.51 million in a year earlier, a report of the Ministry of Tourism showed Sunday.
The ASEAN visitors to Cambodia represented 43 percent of the total 4.2 million foreign travelers to the country last year, the report said.
Among the ten-country bloc, Vietnamese visitors to Cambodia last year topped the chart with its 854,100 citizens, followed by Laos with 414,530 and Thailand with 221,260.
Malaysia and the Philippines came at fourth and fifth with 130, 700 tourists and 119,000 respectively, it said.
In addition, some 57,800 Singaporeans, 28,200 Indonesians, 5, 100 Myanmar nationals, and 814 Brunei citizens had come to Cambodia last year.
Ang Kim Eang, president of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, which represents 220 tour and travel companies, said the growth of ASEAN travelers to Cambodia was thanks to good connectivity between Cambodia and those ASEAN member states by both air and land.
"Visa exemption agreements between Cambodia and those ASEAN member states are also an encouragement for ASEAN peoples to visit Cambodia," he told Xinhua Sunday, adding that currently, peoples from ASEAN countries are granted visa-free to travel to Cambodia.
"Moreover, Cambodia has a lot of attractive tourist destinations," he said.
The country has two world heritage sites. One is the 12th century Angkor Wat Temple in northwestern Siem Reap province and the other is the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple in northwestern Preah Vihear province.
Besides, it has a pristine coastline, which is one of the World 's most beautiful bays. It stretches in the length of 450 km in four southwestern provinces of Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot and Kep.

Editor: chengyang