Cambodia's 2 royalist political parties merge for next year's elections

PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The royalist Funcinpec party and the Norodom Ranariddh party on Thursday signed an agreement to merge as a Funcinpec party to re-unite royalists for the parliamentary elections in July next year.
The agreement was signed between Nhik Bun Chhay, executive president of the Funcinpec party and Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of Norodom Ranariddh party.
Under the agreement, Prince Norodom Ranariddh will be the president of the merged party and Nhik Bun Chhay will be the vice- president.
The two parties won two seats each in the 123-parliamentary seats in the elections in July 2008.
"The merger is to mobilize royalists, Sihanoukists to be a real national force to work with the national force of the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen in order to serve the nation," Prince Norodom Ranariddh told reporters after the signing ceremony.
The Funcinpec party was founded in 1981 by the retired King Norodom Sihanouk. Currently, it is the only coalition party of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Defense officials from 27 countries join ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Defense officials from 27 countries gathered here on Thursday in the ASEAN Regional Forum Defense Officials' Dialogue (ARF-DOD) to discuss ways to accelerate cooperation on the issues of human assistance and disaster relief and peacekeeping operations, said a Cambodian senior defense official.
"The two-day forum will seek further cooperation from our ASEAN's dialogue partners to address these issues," Lt. Gen. Nem Sowath, director general of Cambodia's Defense Ministry's Policy and Foreign Affairs Department, said at the meeting. "The assistance from the dialogue partners is very crucial to build an ASEAN region of peace, harmony and prosperity."
He said the meeting would also discuss cooperation to battle against the human and drug trafficking, maritime security, and international terrorism in the region.
During the meeting, Nem Sowath also said that ASEAN needed to strengthen the collective capacity and leadership in preventing disputes and conflicts from arising between states that could potentially pose a threat to regional peace and stability.
"We need to cooperate and support each other in preventing such disputes and conflicts from escalating into armed confrontation," he said. "We need to create an effective regional mechanism to minimize the impact of such disputes and conflicts on the region."
Defense officials from the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea also participated in the meeting.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN concludes drafting key elements for COC in South China Sea

PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday concluded drafting the core elements for making the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, said a Cambodian senior official. "We wrapped up our discussion on the key elements for drafting the COC and we will submit them to the ASEAN foreign ministers for final decision in July's meeting before we start negotiating with China,"Soeung Rathchavy, secretary of state at Cambodia's Foreign Ministry, who chaired the 7th ASEAN senior officials meeting, told reporters. "It is a positive result."
"We, ASEAN senior officials, stressed our joint commitment to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)," she said.
Rathchavy said the COC is very important for strengthening peace and stability in the region and for boosting friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and China.
Four ASEAN member states have partially claimed the sovereignty of the oil and gas-rich South China Sea, namely, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on April 22.
The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) was adopted in Phnom Penh in 2002 between ASEAN and Chinese foreign ministers. In July last year, ASEAN foreign ministers adopted the guidelines for drafting the COC in order to implement the DOC.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hillary, Obama looking forward to visiting Cambodia this year: Campbell

PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama are looking forward to visiting Cambodia this year in order to attend ASEAN meetings, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said Thursday.
His remarks were made during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, Eang Sophallet, spokesman for Hun Sen, told reporters after the meeting.
Kurt said Hillary will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum in July and Obama will join the East Asia Summit in November.
During the meeting, Kurt also promised the United States will try to encourage more U.S. investors to Cambodia and to the whole ASEAN region to cement ties between the United States and the ASEAN.
Hun Sen said that the upcoming visits of Hillary and Obama will bring closer ties between Cambodia and the United States and their visits will help build more confidence among U.S. investors in Cambodia's political and economic situation.
The United States is the fifth largest investor in Cambodia. According to the figures of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, from 1994 to 2011, the country has received a promised investment of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars from the United States.

Guinea’s President to visit Cambodia this week

   PHNOM PENH, May 22 (Xinhua) -- President Alpha Conde of Guinea will make a two-day state visit to Cambodia, starting from Friday this week, in order to promote bilateral ties, according to Cambodia’s deputy Prime Miniser and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

   During the visit, Conde will hold a bilateral talk with Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace on Friday afternoon, he said in a letter to deputy Prime Minister Sok An, minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, and it was released to the media on Tuesday.

   Conde is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Norodom Sihanomi, the King of Cambodia.

   Guinea is the world's largest exporter of aluminum ore bauxite.

Cambodia spends 121 mln USD for vehicle imports in Q1, up 40 pct

PHNOM PENH, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had spent 121 million U. S. dollars to purchase automobiles and motorcycles from foreign countries in the first three months of this year, a 40 percent rise from 86 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year, the data of the Commerce Ministry showed on Saturday.

During the January-March period this year, the country had imported 217,000 vehicles, up 20 percent from 180,800 year on year, it said.

The reports did not separate the number of automobiles and motorcycles.

The increasing demand of vehicles thanks to people's better living condition and growing economy.

The Southeast Asian nation has imported vehicles mainly from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Japan-branded vehicles are most popular in this country.

According to the figures of the Ministry of Public Work and Transport, to date, the country has about 1.8 million motorcycles and 320,000 cars, buses and trucks.

Cambodia's trade with UK up 48 pct in 1st quarter

PHNOM PENH, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The volume of bilateral trade between Cambodia and the United Kingdom for the first three months of 2012 is 178 million U.S. dollars, up 48 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a trade report provided by the British embassy here on Sunday.
It said the main Cambodia's products exported to the UK are garment products, footwear, sugar and honey, rice and bicycles. In return, the country imported industrial machinery, automobiles, medical and pharmaceutical products and malt from the UK.
Pan Sorasak, secretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce, attributed the growth in the bilateral trade volume to Cambodia's political stability, good security, and favorable business environment for businesspeople.
More importantly, the two countries have had a good and long- lasting diplomatic relation since 1953, he said.
According to the report, currently, more than 15 UK companies have set up offices in Cambodia in different sectors including the garment and footwear industry, banking and finance, engineering and architecture, education, hospitality and property services.
The UK is the fourth largest investor in Cambodia. According to the report of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, since 1994 to 2011, Cambodia had received the promised investment of 2.4 billion U.S. dollars from the UK.