Cambodia records 7,890 malaria cases in first 4 months, down 54 pct

English.news.cn   2013-05-28 13:16:21

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia reported 7,890 malaria cases in the first four months of this year, a 54 percent drop from 17,043 cases over the same period last year, the National Center for Malaria's report showed on Tuesday.
During the January-April period this year, the disease killed only three people, sharply decreased if compared with 24 deaths in the same period last year, the report said.
Dr. Char Meng Chuor, director of the center, attributed the remarkable decline to last year's mosquito net distribution and broad awareness campaigns.
He said last year, more than 1 million of mosquito nets were given free-of-charge to the vulnerable groups of people throughout the country.
"We have achieved good results in the fight against the disease and will continue our efforts to reach the elimination of the death from the disease by 2015 and the complete elimination of the disease by 2025," he told Xinhua Tuesday.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. In Cambodia, the disease is often found in rainy season and mostly happens in forest and mountainous areas, particularly provinces along the border.
Last year, the country recorded 45,553 cases of malaria, killing 45 people, the report said.

Editor: Mengjie

Cambodia's upcoming polls vital to strengthen democracy, human rights: PM

English.news.cn   2013-05-28 16:24:07

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the upcoming general election was very important to heighten democracy and the respect of basic human rights of the Cambodian people.
He made the remarks during a graduation ceremony of Buddhist clergy in Phnom Penh, urging all eligible voters to cast their ballots.
"The election will be held in a free and fair atmosphere," he said. "I'd like to ask all compatriots to maintain dignity and national solidarity in order to ensure public safety and social and political stability during and after the election."
The United Nations rights envoy appealed on Saturday to all political parties and the election body to do everything in accordance with the laws in order to ensure that the July's election would be free and fair.
"I once again urge all parties and National Election Committee to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections," Surya P. Subedi, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Cambodia, said in a press briefing after a one-week mission on human rights situation in Cambodia.
"All sides should play by the rules, demonstrate maturity in debate, and not engage in insulting games," he said.
Some 9.67 million eligible Cambodians will cast their ballots on July 28 for the 5th legislative term of the 123-seat parliament, according to the National Election Committee.
Eight parties will run in the election. Three major parties among them are the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by self-exiled leader Sam Rainsy, and the royalist Funcinpec Party headed by Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, the youngest daughter of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk.
Analysts predict that Hun Sen's party will definitely win a landslide victory in the upcoming polls.
Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and vowed to stay in the office until he is 74.

Editor: Yang Yi

Cambodia marks ancient royal plowing ceremony in eastern province

English.news.cn   2013-05-28 11:50:05

KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday observed the ancient royal plowing ceremony, a ritual to mark the annual start of agricultural season in this Southeast Asian nation, where about 80 percent of the population are farmers.
The ceremony, held in Kampong Cham provincial town, was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni and attended by President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin. Officials and representatives from the diplomatic corps and several hundred spectators were also present.
At the event, royal oxen were used to plow and predict crop yields and weather in the year.
King Sihamoni designated Lun Limthai, governor of Kampong Cham province, as the King of the plowing ceremony and the governor's wife, Sun Nang as the Queen of sowing ceremony.
The designated King plowed the rice field by using royal oxen and the appointed Queen sowed seeds on the furrow as the symbol of planting.
After three rounds of plowing across the field, the oxen were offered 7 plates of food: rice, corn, green beans, sesame, water, fresh-cut grass, and wine.
Customarily, if the oxen eat a lot of the offered food, a bumper harvest is expected in the year, but if they eat little, it is believed that the yields will be low.
If the oxen eat grass and wine, it will be predicted that cattle will be plagued by epidemics, and if they drink a lot of water, plenty of water is expected.
At the event on Tuesday, the oxen ate only corn. A court soothsayer predicted that corn crops would give good yields this year.
"This is just the prediction based on the custom of the royal plowing ceremony in the ancient time," Kang Keng, chief of the soothsayers at the Royal Palace, said at the event. "This event is to announce that the agricultural crop planting season has come. "
During the ceremony, there is also a one-day fair of agricultural products, which are made in the province.

Editor: Mengjie

 

Cambodian PM urges to legislate against denying genocidal Khmer Rouge regime

English.news.cn   2013-05-27 16:02:11

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday appealed to the parliament to make a law to convict those who say that the Democratic Kampuchea, or Khmer Rouge regime, had not executed peoples during its rule from 1975 to 1979.
"I'd like to appeal to the lawmakers of the ruling Cambodian People's Party and Funcinpec Party to make a law, like in Europe, to punish someone who says that Cambodia had neither genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, nor Tuol Sleng prison and torture center," he said during the inauguration of new achievements at Langka pagoda in Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh's former Tuol Sleng prison was the main torture center during the regime, and around 14,000 people were killed at the center.
In February last year, the Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) sentenced the ex-chief of Tuol Sleng prison Kaing Guek Eav to life in prison for overseeing the deaths.
"In Europe, someone says that Hitler had not killed peoples will be punished by law," Hun Sen said, referring to Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, who oversaw fascist policies that resulted in millions of deaths during his rule from 1934 to 1945.
Hun Sen's appeal was made after Kem Sokha, vice president of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, has repeatedly and publicly said that the Khmer Rouge regime's Tuol Sleng prison and torture center was an "artificial killing place".
"The Vietnamese set up this place with pictures of the victims. If this place was truly Khmer Rouge, they would have demolished it before they left, not kept it as a museum to show tourists," Kem Sokha said in a speech on May 18 at the party's public forum in Prey Veng province.
"If the Khmer Rouge killed a lot of people, would they keep it to show to everyone?" said Sokha.
Hun Sen said that Kem Sokha's remarks were a serious insult to the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime.
On Saturday, survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime's Tuol Sleng prison held a press briefing inside the grounds of the former Tuol Sleng prison in order to demand Kem Sokha to apologize for his comments.
"It hurts me to hear Kem Sokha's remarks stating that Tuol Sleng prison was an artificial killing place," Chhum Mey, president of the Victims Association of Democratic Kampuchea and one of the survivors from the Tuol Sleng prison, said at the press briefing.
"His remarks insult people who lost lives at the prison and elsewhere in the country during the Khmer Rouge regime."
He warned to stage a mass protest against Kem Sokha if he does not apologize for his insulting expressions at the former Tuol Sleng prison.

Editor: Yang Yi

Cambodian, Swiss senior senators pledge to boost bilateral ties

English.news.cn   2013-05-27 16:16:52

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and Swiss senior senators on Monday pledged to help promote bilateral cooperation, particularly in legal field, economics and trade for mutual benefits.
The pledge was made during a meeting between First Vice President of the Senate of Cambodia Say Chhum and visiting President of the Swiss Council of States (Senate) Filippo Lombardi, said a press statement from the Senate of Cambodia after the meeting.
In the meeting, Say Chhum said Lombardi's visit was very important to further enhance good friendship relations, solidarity and cooperation between Switzerland and Cambodia, particularly between the two Senates, the statement said.
He also thanked the Swiss government for helping Cambodia in health sector development, woman and children rights protection and cultural heritage renovation and conservation.
Say Chhum also asked Lombardi to encourage Swiss investors and business people to Cambodia in order to promote bilateral economic and trade ties.
Lombardi agreed that it was very significant to strengthen bilateral ties in legal field, trade and investment in order to create closer relationship between the two countries.
He hailed Cambodia for its rapid development in all fields, especially the progress in economy, poverty reduction, democratic process and rule of law.
He invited Say Chhum to visit Switzerland at any convenient time to further promote the bilateral ties.
Cambodia and Switzerland forged the diplomatic ties in 1967.

Editor: Yang Yi

Car crash kills 6, injures 9 in northwestern Cambodia: police

English.news.cn   2013-05-27 18:47:36

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- At least six Cambodian people died immediately and nine others seriously injured when a land- loaded truck hit head-on with a mini-bus on Monday morning in northwestern Siem Reap province, police confirmed.
"All the victims were in the mini-bus," Men Chantha, chief of Prasat Bakong district, where the accident occurred, told Xinhua over telephone, adding that the truck driver fled the scene after the accident.
"Among the six dead were a 7-month-old boy and a 2-year-old boy, " he said. The injured people were sent to the provincial hospital soon after the accident.
He said the accident happened on National Road No. 6 when a cow walked across the road and the truck hit the cow and swerved to hit the full-speed mini-bus.
The death toll of road accidents has become the highest in Cambodia, higher than that of HIV/AIDS and mine casualties.
Last year, traffic accidents claimed 1,894 lives, costing the country about 300 million U.S. dollars, according to a report by the Ministry of Public Work and Transport.

Editor: Yang Yi

Cambodian, Thai FMs to meet next month for talks on border development cooperation

English.news.cn   2013-05-27 20:12:52

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will meet with his Thai counterpart Surapong Tovichakchaikul on June 11 here to discuss ways to promote development cooperation along the border of the two countries, officials said Monday.
The two ministers will meet at the 9th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand, Long Visalo, secretary of state at Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said after an internal meeting to prepare agendas and documents for the upcoming meeting.
"A number of issues will be discussed in the forthcoming meeting to boost bilateral cooperation along the border," he told reporters. "Among those are the issues concerning laborers, illegal cross-border logging, mine clearance, epidemic fight, cross-border trade and investment, new border opening, and road connectivity development."
Speaking at the meeting on Monday, Hor Namhong said the upcoming meeting was intended to further promote cooperation between the two countries, particularly cooperation along the boundary in order to build a border of peace and economic development.
Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflicts over territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple since UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008, as Thailand claims the ownership of a 4.6-square-km scrub next to the temple.
Deadly clashes between the two sides' troops happened in February and April 2011 during the rule of former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Military tensions have eased since August 2011 when ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a general election and led the current government.
Last month, the two countries delivered their oral statements on the dispute to the World Court in the Netherlands and the court is expected to issue a decision on who owns the disputed land around the temple later this year.

Editor: Yang Yi