www.KTrue-media.blogspot.com

Mr Panich and his new Fino friend are eating noodle around 9:00PM last night.

2010-04-01T16:02:00.001+07:00

"What do you think I am going to do next"? Mr Panich said.

Cambodia Reinforces Troops Along Border in Surin (TAN)

2010-02-12T11:29:00.002+07:00

Thai and Cambodian soldiers are facing in each other in a tense situation at the Ta Muan Thom archaeological site in Surin province.

Meanwhile, Cambodia reinforced troops near the Ta Kwai ancient temple in the province.

The 960th Paramilitary Ranger Company and the Task Force 23 Suranaree Force have been deployed to oversee security along the Cambodian border near the Ta Muan Thom archaeological site in Surin.

The deployment took place after it was discovered that Cambodia has been rotating its troops along the border.

Also, Thai soldiers have closed off the entrance to the Ta Muen Thom temple to the general public.

It also has been discovered that Cambodian soldiers have been reinforced along the border near the Ta Kwai temple in the province.

Cambodia has been building infrastructures to transport supplies and weapons to its troops.

As a result, Thai troops have been reinforced to increase security along the border and in the area.

Vietnamese Ambassador pays a courtesy call on Foreign Minister On the Completion of His Mission in Thailand (Press Release of Thai's MFA)

2010-02-12T11:28:00.002+07:00

February 12, 2010, 10:57 am

On 11 February 2010, Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on the occasion of his completion of his mission in Thailand.

Foreign Minister Kasit and Ambassador Hung exchanged views on ways and means to strengthen the bilateral cooperation mechanism between Thailand and Vietnam. Both sides reaffirmed their determination to promote the transportation connectivity in the region and minimize the problems relating to the East - West Economic Corridor in order to increase the economic benefits of Thailand and Vietnam as well as other countries in the region.

On this occasion, Ambassador Hung requested the Thai side to share her experience as the ASEAN Chair last year. He also confirmed Vietnam’s readiness to participate in the first Political Consultation Group to be held in Thailand in March which would also provide an opportunity for both sides to review the overall relations and improve the related mechanism to enhance the bilateral cooperation.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Kasit also hosted a luncheon in honour of Ambassador Hung and his accompanying party.

Red shirts to rally at NACC (The Nation)

2010-02-12T11:27:00.003+07:00

About two companies of policemen and riot forces have been deployed to keep peace at the National Anti Corruption Commission bracing for Friday's rally by the red shirts.

Hundreds of red shirts are expected to protest against the double standards on law enforcement from noon to 6.00 pm.

Security beefed up ahead of court ruling (Bangkok Post)

2010-02-12T11:27:00.000+07:00

About 1,500 security officers will guard the Supreme Court building at Sanam Luang and nearby areas leading up to Feb 26, the day of the court’s ruling on whether the state should seize Thaksin Shinawatra’s assets.

Deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Division 1 Vicharnvat Borirakkul yesterday said the security forces would be made up mainly of police.

They will be joined by soldiers and civilian volunteers.

About 1,500 police officers have been ordered on stand-by in their units, Pol Col Vicharnvat said.

Another 5,000 security officers will be mobilised in other areas to safeguard the capital.

The security operation will be launched according to the ‘‘Thanwa 52’’ plan which calls for the division of Bangkok into three zones.

Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Santan Chayanon is heading the operation.

About 200 checkpoints will be set up around Bangkok and nearby provinces, while security measures will be stepped up at important places such as Government House, parliament and Chitralada Palace.

Red-shirt leaders ready for million-man march (The Nation)

2010-02-12T09:03:00.000+07:00

In order to pool together a million people to take part in their anti-government rally later this month, the red-shirt movement and the Pheu Thai Party are making moves to mobilise masses across the country, an informed source said yesterday.

At a meeting yesterday, leaders of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) appeared to have differences over several key issues, including the date for the rally - on whether it should be held before the verdict is read out on former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's assets-seizure case on February 26. The date both sides finally decided upon was February 20.

DAAD leaders Veera Musigapong, Nattawut Saikua and Jatuporn Promphan reportedly wanted the rally to be held before February 26 to pre-empt the first strike, while Weng Tojirakarn and Nit Sinthuphrai wanted it to be held the day after to avoid criticism that the red-shirt movement was established to serve Thaksin.

Local DAAD organisers reported that red-shirt protesters nationwide were ready to converge as soon as they get the green light from leaders. The protesters are further prepared because they've all "graduated" from the network of "red-shirt schools" organised by the DAAD.

There are 459 of these so-called red-shirt schools across the country, with 107 in the Northeast, 100 in the North, 80 in Central, 14 in the South and 158 in the capital.

Of the million protesters, 70 per cent will come from the provinces and the remainder from Bangkok and its outskirts. The red-shirts from the provinces are expected to arrive in the capital one week before D-Day, when they will be joined by their Bangkok-based counterparts.

Red-shirt leaders and Bangkok Pheu Thai MPs have each been given the job of bringing in 10,000 to 20,000 protesters, while each of the 459 red-shirt schools will be providing between 1,000 and 2,000 people, the sources explained.

Deputy PM Visits South to Inspect Security Affairs (TAN)

2010-02-12T09:01:00.002+07:00

The deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs inspects the implementation of security measures in the deep South and the development plan for five southernmost provinces.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban, along with Deputy Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, has inspected security measures and outlined an additional framework for officials in the strife-torn southern provinces.

Region Four Army Area commander and Region Four Internal Security Operations Command Director, Lieutenant General Phichet Wisaichon, and the commander of the joint committee on civilians, military and army forces, Lieutenant General Kasikorn Kirisee attended a meeting to report on the outcome of security measures in the violence-plagued southern provinces.

After the meeting, Suthep left for Tan Yee village in Muang district of Yala to scrutinize the development projects for five southernmost provinces concerning residence construction and repair by a local community development office, and then visited a career development organization in Sa Ba Yoi district in Songkhla province.

Cambodia preparing documents to lodge with International Court of Justice (Khmerization)

2010-02-12T08:59:00.005+07:00

Cambodia is preparing legal documents to lodge with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in relations to long-standing border disputes with Thailand, reports everyday.com.

Mr. Koy Kuong, spokesman for Cambodian Foreign Ministry, said the ministry has received orders from Prime Minister Hun Sen to prepare the documents. He also said that Cambodia will take the border case with Thailand to both the International Court of Justice in The Hague and to the UN Security Council.

The spokesman said Cambodia has not lodged the legal complaints with the IJC yet, but Cambodia had already informed the court of its intention to lodge the complaints.

Cambodian Court to Rule on Land Mine Case (TAN)

2010-02-12T08:59:00.003+07:00

A Thai national accused of planting land mines in a disputed Thai-Cambodian border area will appear before the Cambodian court tomorrow for the ruling in his case.

Tomorrow, the Cambodian court will hand down a sentence for the case in which a Thai national, Suphab Wongpakna, was accused of planting several land mines along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Suphab was arrested by Cambodian soldiers in February last year. It is speculated that the defendant will receive a jail term of 15 to 30 years.

His Cambodian lawyer said Suphab has confessed to the court saying that he illegally entered Cambodia with seven other Thai nationals to plant the land mines but only him was captured. The lawyer claimed that Suphab confessed to having been ordered by Thai soldiers to do so, in an attempt to kill Cambodians living in the border area.

The ruling will be made amid fragile relations between the two countries. There is a speculation that the case will benefit Phnom Penh in its political bargaining with Thailand.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong stated that the Thai government must take responsibility for the matter while the acting Thai government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn declined giving an opinion. He only said the case should be conducted fairly under the judicial procedure.

Thailand Continues Claims on Disputed Border (KI)

2010-02-12T08:58:00.001+07:00

The Thai News Agency this week quoted Abhisit saying the Thai government will not give up the contested strip of land.

The news agency also reported that Thailand would petition Unesco to review a map submitted by Cambodia in 2008, when Preah Vihear temple was award World Heritage status under Cambodian ownership.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told VOA Khmer Tuesday such claims showed a misunderstanding of the law by Thai officials.

“Unesco does not have any jurisdiction to make a judgment over land at all,” he said.

Cambodian officials have said Thailand lobbied Unesco using its own map. Thailand may petition again, officials said, because representatives of the UN body, which protects cultural heritage, have changed.

Thai spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday that the 1962 decision did not include the 4.6 kilometers of land now claimed by both sides.

Sean Pengse, a Cambodian border expert living in France, said the International Court in fact used the 1904-1908 map when deciding on Preah Vihear temple, thereby legitimizing Cambodia’s claims to the area.

The Thai authorities “can do whatever, but the decision is legitimate and uses this French map,” he told VOA Khmer.

Cambodia failed a chance to resolve the matter when it did not immediately file a complaint with the UN Security Council when Thai troops occupied a pagoda in the disputed area in July 2008, sparking the standoff.

Panitan said Tuesday both sides remained committed to solving the problem bilaterally and asked that other countries not interfere. Thailand was pleased with Hun Sen’s commitment to bilateral talks, he added.

The problem will be solved ahead of a Unesco World Heritage meeting scheduled for later this year, he said.

The committee is scheduled to meet July 25 through Aug. 3 in Brasilia, Brazil. Cambodian officials say they will submit a plan for the conservation of Preah Vihear temple at the meeting.

Thaksin Risks His Reputation (online.wsj.com)

2009-11-13T11:38:00.000+07:00

Since Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra was forced out of power in a military coup three years ago, he has made a show of traveling the world to keep in the public eye back home. But his latest gambit -- taking up a role as economic adviser to Thailand's neighbor and rival, Cambodia -- threatens to backfire and jeopardize his standing in the country he still hopes one day to lead, analysts say.

On Thursday, Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications magnate, began his new job by delivering a lecture on economic planning to Cambodian government officials in Phnom Penh, the capital.

The former prime minister, who still commands the support of many Thais, said he could use his business skills to help steer Cambodia's economic development. He has been photographed smiling and making golf plans with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen before he leaves aboard his private jet on Friday.

This is going down badly in Thailand, where many of Mr. Thaksin's critics accuse him of selling out his country's interests to help an ancient enemy. "If Mr. Thaksin persists with this alliance with Cambodia, the nationalist backlash in Thailand will pick up, even among his own supporters," says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Mr. Thaksin's popularity has a bearing on the stability of one of America's main allies in Asia. The photo opportunities in Cambodia will play particularly badly next to images of Thailand's current, military-backed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who on Sunday will host President Barack Obama in Singapore at the first summit between Southeast Asian leaders and an American president.

Mr. Thaksin accused his foes in Thailand of "false patriotism" by criticizing his trip to Cambodia. His decision to work as Mr. Hun Sen's economic adviser is risky. The two men are close personally and share a penchant for golf and sparring with their critics in the media. But historical enmity between Thailand and Cambodia runs deep. Cambodia's Khmer Empire, which dates to the ninth century, was for centuries the dominant power in the region.

More recently, anti-Thai riots broke out in Cambodia in 2003 after a Thai actress was incorrectly reported as saying Cambodia's national symbol -- the Angkor Wat temple complex -- belonged to Thailand. Since 2008, at least seven soldiers from both sides have been killed in clashes near another temple, Preah Vihear, which is claimed by both countries. A Thai man living in Cambodia was arrested in August for sketching out a map of the Angkor Wat complex on his toilet floor.

The dispute may also provide Cambodia with more leverage in future negotiations over competing temple claims -- as well as the significant oil and gas deposits believed to exist off Cambodia's shores -- with its larger, more powerful neighbor. Analysts say the country is growing in confidence now that Chinese and South Korean businesses have begun investing there, and it is less dependent on Thailand and its other large neighbor, Vietnam.

For his part, Mr. Thaksin now has the opportunity to use Cambodia as a base from which to organize his supporters across the border in Thailand, a prospect that alarms leaders in Bangkok, who are recovering from the impact of antigovernment riots in the city last April.

Thailand and Cambodia have withdrawn their ambassadors and on Thursday expelled a diplomat apiece as part of the escalating dispute.

Thailand this week filed an extradition request to Cambodia to hand over Mr. Thaksin for a corruption conviction. Mr. Hun Sen's government refused, saying the charges against Mr. Thaksin are politically motivated and a direct result of the 2006 military coup. Thailand is now moving to cancel an oil and gas exploration deal with Cambodia and has raised the prospect of partially closing its border because of the row over Mr. Thaksin.

Other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are struggling to contain their irritation with both sides ahead of their historic meeting with Mr. Obama Sunday on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Singapore.

"We in Asean cannot afford to be seen as being so seriously divided," Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, who is Thai, said in a statement.

PetroVietnam to look for oil in Cambodia (Thanhniennews.com)

2009-11-13T11:34:00.000+07:00

PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corp., a member of state-owned Vietnam Oil & Gas Group, plans to explore for oil and gas in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake area.

Under the terms of a contract signed with the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority in Phnom Penh Thursday, PetroVietnam Exploration will do seismic and exploration work in the northeastern part of the Tonle Sap Lake in central Cambodia, according to an e-mailed statement from PetroVietnam.

Hanoi-based PetroVietnam Exploration, which will have 100 percent ownership over Block XV, covering about 6,900 square kilometers (2,664 square miles), can explore for oil for 30 years and gas for 35 years.

PetroVietnam Exploration is also involved in projects in Laos and Myanmar.

PM Abhisit calls an urgent meeting (Bangkok Post)

2009-11-11T14:11:00.001+07:00

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has called for an urgent meeting with his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban and three other ministers after Cambodia rejected the Thai government’s request for extradition of fugitive ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Other ministers at the meeting were Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul and PM’s Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey.

Reporters were given no indication what they would discuss as the men went in to the meeting.

Indonesia concerns Thailand, Cambodia tensions (CCTV)

2009-11-11T10:49:00.000+07:00

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are raising concerns from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Indonesia, says the dispute has to end, and the bloc must return to the usual path of friendship within ASEAN.

Marty Natalegawa, Indonesian Foreign Minister, said, "Tension between Cambodia and Thailand is something we're following extremely closely with a great deal of concern, to be honest, because it affects two fellow members of ASEAN, and we see the deterioration of relations to be in total disconnect with what ought to mark how ASEAN member countries ought to engage with one another."

Situation 'normal' on Thailand's border with Cambodia: Thai army chief (TNA)

2009-11-11T10:45:00.000+07:00

Thai army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda affirmed on Wednesday that there has been no military movement along the Thai-Cambodian border by either side, but that in military terms the situation is not worrisome.

Gen Anupong said the military is closely monitoring the situation and avoiding cross-border confrontations after the arrival Tuesday in Phnom Penh of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra to lecture Cambodian economists on his first assignment as economic adviser to the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

He declined to comment on the visit to the Cambodian capital by Mr Thaksin, saying only that as a former Thai prime minister he should know what is appropriate and what is not.

As for Mr Thaksin’s interview with the Times daily in London, considered deeply offensive to the Thai monarch, Gen Anupong said the army will instruct all military personnel to not to redistribute or discuss the article as doing so has legal implications and might cause further problems.

The situation remains normal on the Cambodian border, Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd reported, and no special instructions have been received from the government or given by Army chief Gen Anupong.

Col Sansern said the people of the two countries have crossed border to do their business as usual.

On Thursday, he said, there will be a friendly football match between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at Phoomsarol village in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province which borders Cambodia.

The Army spokesman said the Thai military on border duty are placed according the framework assigned earlier, but the diplomatic spat is the responsibility of the government to address.

The extradition bid is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the armed forces has nothing to do with it, he said.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday invited spokespersons from the army, air force and navy to be briefed on the diplomatic situation between Thailand and Cambodia and the government's stance on Mr Thaksin's interview with the Times newspaper, a report which is considered offensive to the Thai monarch, to clarify information about and understanding it.

The ministry earlier on Tuesday invited governors of seven provinces bordering Cambodia to be briefed on the situation and affirmed that despite implementation of diplomatic measures, relations between the two peoples would remain calm.

Cambodia refuses Thaksin extradition (AFP)

2009-11-11T10:43:00.002+07:00

CAMBODIAN officials handed over a formal letter to Thai diplomats today refusing to extradite fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Three Thai diplomats gave extradition papers to officials at Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry but were then handed back a note from Phnom Penh denying their request.

"Our diplomatic note answering them is nothing beyond rejecting the extradition request," Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told AFP shortly before officials from the two countries exchanged the formal letters.

Thai Foreign Minister attends 21st APEC Ministerial Meeting (Mfa.go.th)

2009-11-11T09:28:00.000+07:00

On the first day, he will join other ministers for a working breakfast for a free flowing discussion on key challenges facing the region and how to address them together.

During the day, Foreign Minister Kasit is also expected to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia and the United States of America.

On 12 November 2009, the Foreign Minister will attend the AMM Plenary session. In addition to issues covered during the ministerial Retreat, the draft agenda will include items of particular interest to Thailand such as assessment of APEC developed member economies’ achievement of the Bogor Goal of free and open trade and investment by 2010, progress and future direction of Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH) and human security, both of which are essential complements to APEC’s trade and investment agenda.

During the second day of the 21st AMM, the Foreign Minister is expected to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Canada, Colombia and Papua New Guinea.

Termination of the Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf dated 18 June 2001 (Mfa.go.th)

2009-11-11T09:26:00.002+07:00

On 10 November 2009, the Cabinet approved, in principle, the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf dated 18 June 2001. The Cabinet further resolved to submit the draft negotiation framework for the termination of the MOU to the Parliament for approval. Upon receiving the Parliament’s approval, a notification of the termination will be sent to the Cambodian side through diplomatic channels.

Chavalit: Call a general election now (Khmerization)

2009-11-11T09:25:00.002+07:00

The government should call a general election as soon as possible now that it believes its popularity rating is high, Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh (pictured) said in an interview with foreign media on Tuesday.

"In fact, I want the government to dissolve the House of Representatives today or tomorrow, since its popularity rating is how so high. This should be done now before major problems occur and become more difficult to solve," he said.

Asked to elaborate on the ''major problems'', Gen Chavalit said the government already has problems with the economy and poverty.

When asked about his readiness to take on the leadership of the Puea Thai Party, Gen Chavalit said his prime objective inreturning to politics was to solve the country's problems - particularly relations with neighbouring countries, conflict among people in society, and southern unrest.

Gen Chavalit was non-committal when asked if he would later take the Puea Thai leadership.

On the possibility of Thaksin being extradited, the former prime minister said he had not studied the relevant laws in detail.

Gen Chavalit, however, cited a case in which Thailand turned down Cambodia's request to extradite Sok Yoeun, who was wanted for the alleged attempted assassination of Hun Sen in 1998.

Red carpet welcome to Thaksin's new role (Khmerization)

2009-11-11T09:24:00.000+07:00

Fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra received a warm welcome on his arrival in Phnom Penh yesterday to serve as an economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

After his private jet landed at Phnom Penh International Airport in the morning, he was whisked away in a motorcade to Hun Sen's official residence.

Thaksin's first day in the Cambodian capital began with a series of courtesy calls to senior people in the ruling Cambodian People's Party and ended in dinner with Hun Sen and his family.

It is said he was treated to a nine-course meal of various traditional delicacies. According to Thai belief, nine is considered a lucky number.

Upon landing in Phnom Penh, Thaksin posted a Twitter message saying he had landed, but was "really homesick".

"Tonight I will dine with P M Hun Sen and his family. I want to reiterate that nation, religion and the monarchy are always on my mind," he wrote.

However, Thaksin's arrival in Phnom Penh angered the Thai government, which retaliated by tearing up the maritime memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries during Thaksin's time. Sources say the government fears that the ex-PM, who knows each and every detail about the pact, might reveal some national secrets to his new boss.

The MoU was signed in 2001 to thrash out matters involving the demarcation of territorial waters and the joint development area in the Gulf of Thailand, where abundant reserves of natural gas are believed to be waiting to be discovered.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the MoU was not meant for Cambodia alone, but would benefit both parties. He added that the agreement had been signed by two nations, and could not be broken by one party.

Thaksin's move benefits both the ousted leader and his Cambodian host, but could bring the two countries closer to war, analysts have said.

Analysts said all three parties could lose if the temperature boiled over and fresh clashes erupted.

Cambodia reacts to request to annul 1907 Franco-Thai Treaty (Khmerization)

2009-11-11T09:18:00.006+07:00

Var Kimhong, Cambodia's chief border negotiator, reacted to the Thai People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD) demand for the annulment of the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty by saying that the act will contravene international laws, reports Radio Free Asia.

Earlier this week, a group of Thai hardline politicians from the PAD had asked the Thai government to cancel the 1907 Treaty and annul the 1:200,000 scale 1907 treaty map produced by France and accepted by the then Thai government. Mr. Kimhong said the Thai government cannot annul the treaty and the map because the International Court of justice in 1962 had accepted and used the treaty and the map to reach its verdict which gave ownership of Preah Vihear and the surrounding areas to Cambodia.

He said: "Now the Abhisit government doesn't recognise the 1907 Treaty? He cannot say like that because the International Court of Justice in The Hague had already given its verdict and the Thai side had already recognised the 1962 verdict which used the 1907 and the Dangrek maps which Thailand accepted in 1907...So it means that they do not accept the court's verdict. As a member of the United Nations, Thailand cannot do like that. In accordance with the letter from Mr. Tharit Komman (Thai Foreign Minister) in 1962, he accepted the verdict after the court decided. The Thai side has to recognise the court's verdict in relations to Preah Vihear. I don't know what they think about (international) laws, it is difficult, because they have accepted the verdict already. Furthermore, we have worked together until we achieved an MoU and in 2003 we all have made it very clear to each other that we will use the (1907 Franco-Siamese treaty) 1:200,000 scale map to delimit the Khmer-Thai borders."

He said Thailand had signed many border agreements with the French colonial ruler such as the 1904 convention and 1907 treaty and the acceptance of the map commissioned by Franco-Siam Mixed Commission and produced by France in 1908. "There were many agreements that recognised the map, so they cannot annul it (the map)", Var Kimhong said.

Government seeking international community help in capturing Thaksin (The Nation)

2009-11-11T09:18:00.003+07:00

Thailand is turning the heat on fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra by asking fellow Asean members and others in the intentional community to assist the government's determination to capture the former premier.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday besides Asean countries, the Interpol (International Police) and others in the international community have been asked to keep a look out for Thaksin's whereabout and to arrest him immediately and turn him over to the Thai authorities.

Panitan said all the documents along with evidence have been gathered and are ready to be submitted to the Cambodian authorities so they can arrest Thaksin.

Thailand to submit Thaksin's extradition request Wednesday (The Nation)

2009-11-11T09:15:00.002+07:00

Thai Embassy to Phnom Penh will submit extradition request for Cambodia to extradite Thaksin Shinawatra on Wednesday, an official said Tuesday.

The Thai Attorney General Office signed the official request and foward the document through the foreign ministry late Tuesday, a few hours after Thaksin landed in Phnom Penh to perform his job as an adivsor to Cambodian government.

Thailand's Thaksin arrives in Cambodia: AFP photographer

2009-11-10T10:31:00.000+07:00

AFP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Nov 10, 2009 (AFP) - Fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra landed in the Cambodian capital Tuesday to carry out his new role as economics adviser to the government, an AFP photographer said.

Thaksin exited a small private airplane at Phnom Penh International Airport and was then escorted into the Cambodian capital by a convoy of cars under tight security, said an AFP photographer at the scene.
The visit is set to further escalate tensions with neighbouring Thailand, which have increased since last week when Cambodia appointed Thaksin -- ousted as Thai prime minister in a 2006 coup -- as economics adviser.

China agrees $853 million in loans for Cambodia

2009-10-18T08:31:00.000+07:00

Reuters

China will provide $853 million in loans to Cambodia for infrastructure, irrigation and dam projects to boost its economy and reduce poverty, Cambodia's foreign minister said on Saturday.

The agreement was clinched on Friday when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of an economy and trade fair in Sichuan, Hor Namhong told reporters.

"China continues to help Cambodia's infrastructure development, even though China is itself faced with problems from the global economic crisis," he said.

China will provide $593 million for 11 projects proposed by Cambodia's government in 2009, in addition to $260 million for five projects requested last year, Namhong added.

The money will be invested in new roads near the borders of Thailand and Vietnam and the expansion of existing links to the capital of Phnom Penh.

At least $30 million will be invested in expanding the capacity of the Phnom Penh port to meet the increasing demand of cargo ships docked on Tonle Sap River.

Cambodia is keen to develop new dams and irrigation projects to boost its agriculture sector, which contributed 34 percent of gross domestic product last year, followed by the tourism and garment manufacturing sectors.

An estimated 30 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people live beneath the poverty line, earning less than a dollar per day.

China is Cambodia's biggest aid donor, providing $600 million in 2007 and about $260 million in 2008, according to the state-run Council for Development of Cambodia.

It is also Cambodia's biggest foreign direct investor and has pumped $1 billion into the Southeast Asian nation this year. (Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Martin Petty and Ron Popeski)

Cambodian PM returns home from China trade fair trip

2009-10-17T16:41:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen returned home on Saturday after attending a trade fair and paying a work visit to China's Sichuan province.

Hun Sen led a high-level government delegation to participate in the meeting which included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of Commerce as well as other members of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, and He Leping, charge d'affaires of Chinese Embassy, and other Cambodian government officials met Hun Sen and his delegation at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

During his stay in China, Hun Sen attended the opening ceremony of the 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair (WCIETF) and paid a work visit from Oct. 15 to 17 in Chengdu in China's Sichuan Province.

ASEAN chief: Thai-Cambodian issue unlikely to be aired at ASEAN Summit

2009-10-15T08:11:00.002+07:00

TNA

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan (pictured) on Wednesday said he did not believe that Cambodia will raise the border conflict with its neighbour Thailand at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of this month.

The ASEAN chief commented after French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier quoted Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong as saying Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise the Thai border spat at an upcoming regional summit despite opposition from Thailand, which is hosting the meeting.

Mr Hor Namhong however said "Because there is no answer from Thailand to my official proposal, Cambodia still considers that Prime Minister Hun Sen can raise the dispute in the ASEAN summit."

He said that Cambodia is willing to raise the issue in other international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, and accused Thailand of delaying the resolution of the dispute.

S Korea's Hyundai Group to build vehicle assembling factory in Cambodia: ambassador

2009-10-15T08:10:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

Hyundai Company of South Korea will build a vehicle assembling factory in Cambodia, South Korean ambassador to Cambodia said on Wednesday.

"The vehicle assembling factory will be opened in coastal Koh Kong Province," Lee Kyung Soo, South Korean ambassador here told reporters in a news conference on the state visit of South Korea president Lee Myung Bak to Cambodian on Oct. 22-23.

The press conference is organized by the club of Cambodian Journalists.

But Lee Kyung Soo did not give the details about the amount invested by Hyundai in Cambodia. Deputy Director General of Hyundai Group already paid a visit to Cambodia a few days ago, LeeKyung Soo said.

The press release from South Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh said that Camko Motor Company is building a Hyundai car assembly factory in Koh Koh province, about 370 km southwest of capital Phnom Penh. It covered land area of 165,000 square meters with two facilities for maintenance and dormitory. It can assemble 3,000 cars per year and the type of car including SUV, Van and other cars.

According to Lee Kyung Soo, South Korea's investment in Cambodia last year was worth about 1,238 million U.S. dollars, but for the first six months of this year, the investment decreased about 58 percent compared with the same period of last year because of the global financial crisis. South Korea's investment in Cambodia focuses on the rubber plantation, mines, energy, oil and gas, real estate, tourism, construction, agri-industry, Lee Kyung Soo said.

For the bilateral trade between the two countries in 2008, Cambodia imported about 309 million U.S. dollars worth of products from South Korea and Cambodia's export to South Korea about 294 million U.S. dollars. So far this year the two-way trade volume is worth about 120 million U.S. dollars. Both sides will try to foster more trade volume, Lee Kyung Soo said.

A Chinese company to build a new highway detouring Phnom Penh

2009-10-15T08:06:00.002+07:00

Source: everyday.com.kh
Reported in English by Khmerization

A Shanghai-based Chinese company, in co-operation with the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, has began a feasibility study to build a 40-kilometre highway running along the east of Phnom Penh.

Mr. Lim Sidenin, Secretary of State of Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, said the new highway will join Highway No. 1 east of Phnom Penh about 20 kilometre from Monivong Bridge and will run through Prek Talorng village in Chak Angrei district through a 700-800 metres long bridge that will be built across the Bassac River to connect the highway.

The Chinese government-funded highway is expected to cost $US42 million. If approved, the highway is expected to commence constructions in 2010 and in expected to be completed in 2011.

Cambodia to raise border issues with Thailand at ASEAN Summit: Cambodian FM

2009-10-14T16:29:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise border issues with Thailand at area near the 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple at the forthcoming ASEAN summit, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday.

"We requested the Thai side (Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya) in my official letter to put the border issues between Cambodia and Thailand in the agenda of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit but the Thai side so far has not replied to me officially," Hor told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Hor stressed that "border issues between Cambodia and Thailand are easy to settle and easy to plant the border markers if the Thai side respects international regulations" as the verdict of international court and border treaty in 1904 and 1907 and existing mechanism.

"It is the last choice that we will take the border issues with Thailand to international institutions," he said, adding that actually, "we want to deal with the issue through bilateral and peaceful deal."

Lee to visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand

2009-10-14T16:20:00.000+07:00

Korea Herald

President Lee Myung-bak will visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand next week for bilateral and regional summits, Cheong Wa Dae announced yesterday.

He will attend the annual regional summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its Asia-Pacific dialogue partners to be held in Hua Hin, Thailand Oct. 24-25.

On his way to Thailand, he will visit Hanoi Tuesday and Phnom Penh Thursday.

Lee will seek to enhance bilateral economic ties and regional cooperation with emerging economies in Southeast Asia, Cheong Wa Dae said.

In a summit on Jeju Island in June, Lee and 10 ASEAN leaders adopted a comprehensive partnership agreement on security, trade and socio-cultural ties. They also finalized a free trade agreement by signing its investment segment.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In the upcoming meeting, they will review the implementation of the agreement and seek to broaden their cooperation, the presidential office said.

Lee will also attend the ASEAN Plus Three Summit which includes China and Japan and an annual East Asia Summit that involves the ASEAN Plus Three and India, Australia and New Zealand.

Economic ties between Korea and ASEAN have grown rapidly since the launch of an official dialogue partnership 20 years ago.

The bloc is now Korea's third largest export market and second biggest investment destination.

During his three-days in Hanoi, Lee will hold meetings with Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and will attend a dinner hosted by Nong Duc Manh, secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

"President Lee and President Triet will review the progress in their countries' bilateral relations since their diplomatic normalization in 1992 and consult on ways to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, social and cultural sectors," Cheong Wa Dae said.

Lee will also seek Vietnam's cooperation for Korean companies' greater participation in infrastructure, energy, mineral resources, atomic energy and telecommunications industries, it said.

During a two-day stay in Phnom Penh he will hold a summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on cooperation in resources, forestation and agriculture and other economic ties.

The leaders are expected to sign an extradition treaty and a revision to an agreement on the provision of Seoul's development fund. Lee will also meet with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

In June, Lee hosted a special summit to mark 20 years of official ties between Korea and ASEAN.

Korea has been striving to catch up with China and Japan, which have already made huge investments and provided assistance in those dynamic economies with high growth potential and rich natural resources.

During the Jeju summit, Lee declared his hopes to broaden Korea-ASEAN ties as part of his New Asia Initiative aimed at expanding the nation's role in the continent.

Korea aims to increase bilateral trade with the regional bloc from $90.2 billion in 2008 to $150 billion by 2015.

It also promised to double the annual volume of Korea's official development assistance for ASEAN to $400 million by that year.

At the close of the summit, trade ministers signed an investment agreement, which marks the completion of nearly five years of FTA negotiations between the two sides.

The agreement is expected to boost investment through enhanced protection, fair treatment, transparency and dispute settlement rules, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

Cambodia to raise Thai border dispute at ASEAN: FM

2009-10-14T15:05:00.002+07:00

AFP

Cambodia's foreign minister said Wednesday that premier Hun Sen will raise the Thai border spat at an upcoming regional summit despite opposition from Thailand, which is hosting the meeting.

"The prime minister will raise the issue in the (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) ASEAN summit," Hor Namhong told reporters.

He said the dispute -- which has sparked several deadly troop skirmishes -- remained up for discussion at ASEAN since Thailand had not officially responded to his proposal to include it in the October 23-25 summit.

"Because there is no answer from Thailand to my official proposal, Cambodia still considers that Prime Minister Hun Sen can raise the dispute in the ASEAN summit," Hor Namhong said at a press conference.

The spat focuses on an area of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where clashes have killed seven soldiers since last year.

Hor Namhong added that Cambodia was willing to raise the issue in other international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, and accused Thailand of delaying a resolution to the dispute.

A spokesman for the Thai foreign affairs ministry told AFP Tuesday that his country would continue to seek a peaceful solution with Cambodia but believed the dispute should not be raised at ASEAN or "internationalised".

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July last year when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia.

Soldiers from both countries continue to patrol the area, with the last gun battle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead.

The border between the two nations has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. (AFP)

Cambodia approves law of non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical weapon

2009-10-14T15:00:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian National Assembly on Wednesday approved the law of non-proliferation of nuclear weapon, bio-chemical weapon, radioactive weapons and chemical weapon.

"This law bans on producing, recycling, transferring, transporting the kinds of these weapons in the country, and we will create authority for controlling and investigating the chemical substances as well as a laboratory for observing these substances in the country," said Tea Banh, deputy prime minister and minister of national defense. "We do not want to see these substances destroying our people's heath and lives," he added.

"We need peace and good environment in the country and we experienced the disaster of the weapons in the world," said Oeung Noeng, chairman of the committee of national defense, interior, investigation and clearance of the National Assembly.

"We have purpose to set up a region of ASEAN without the nuclear weapon," said Cheap Yeam, chairman of the audition, banking and finance. "When we have this kind of law, we will show other countries, United Nations, and IEAE (International Energy Agency) that we do not produce these weapons."

"We also show them that we are not the threat of regional security and the war monger," he said, adding that "our country is poor; we need the help from donor and other friend countries to develop the country and we do not have abilities to produce this kind of weapons."

He also expressed his concerns for some countries in the world that produced nuclear weapons because they could destroy the world and threaten security of the world.

He added this law follows to Cambodian constitution in 1993 and ASEAN charter, and International Conventions that Cambodia is signatory state.

Border defence goes on show

2009-10-14T10:23:00.000+07:00

VOV

An exhibition on the country’s defence of its borders and territories has opened at the Museum of Vietnam Revolution in Hanoi.

The exhibition is divided into three sections featuring Vietnamese borders before 1945; work on borders and territories from 1945 until today; and establishment of Vietnamese borders of peace, friendship, integration and development.

More than 300 items, documents and pictures displayed at the museum reflect the Party and the State’s attention to, and the people’s participation in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.

The two-month exhibition also showcases the efforts of border working missions and the results of border demarcation and the planting of landmarks between Vietnam and the neighbouring countries of Laos, Cambodia and China.

Also on display are pictures of Vietnam’s activities to defend its sovereignty on the East Sea are also on display.

Visitors have a chance to contemplate valuable items such as Dai Nam Nhat Thong Toan Do (The Map of United Vietnam) drawn in 1834, under King Minh Mang and the other maps of the Nguyen dynasty confirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The exhibition was jointly organised by the museum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Committee of Borders.

PM: Cambodia not allow any one to use Cambodia as shelter against other countries

2009-10-14T10:19:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said that his country does not allow foreigners and international organizations to use Cambodia as a stronghold to create illegal political and international organizations to oppose neighboring countries.

Hun Sen made the remarks at the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Brigade 70 on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

"The government has followed a policy that does not allow any illegal political and military organizations which has the purposes of making turmoil in the country to use Cambodia as a stronghold to do activities to oppose the neighboring countries," Hun Sen said.

"We strongly opposed illegal political and military organizations to conduct subversion in the country and in neighboring countries," he added. "Our armed forces are playing a key role to fight against these activities," he noted. "Moreover, our armed forces also contribute to humanitarian mission and to fight against terrorism cooperated with international communities."

In 2003, Cambodia arrested Thai nationals including Muhammad Yalaluding and Abdul Azi Haji Chiming, both from Yala province and sentenced them to life in prison on charges of helping the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot a terrorist attack against western embassies in Cambodia.

Hun Sen celebrates 15th Anniversary of his private army

2009-10-14T10:17:00.000+07:00

Khmerization

Brigade 70 and the Bodyguard Unit – a Private Army for the Prime Minister

Brigade 70 is a special unit of 2,000 soldiers headquartered in Cham Chao on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Its commander is Major General Mao Sophan. It acts as a reserve force for Hun Sen’s 4,000 strong Bodyguard Unit and Mao Sophan takes his orders from Bodyguard Unit chief Lieutenant General Hing Bun Heang. Hing Bun Heang’s commanding officer is General Kun Kim,294 one of four deputy commanders-in-chief of the RCAF and Hun Sen’s chief of cabinet.258 In January 2007 Hun Sen promoted Kun Kim to four star General, the most senior rank in the Cambodian armed forces.

In the words of a former member of United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) staff, “The term bodyguard is a misnomer ... the Prime Minister’s bodyguard unit is a substantial military elite unit equipped with modern weaponry and many of its members have received special training abroad.” The Bodyguard Unit and Brigade 70 are central to Hun Sen’s strategy of cultivating special units to protect his interests from potential challengers inside and outside the CPP. The latent threat of violence is integral to the prime minister’s hold over the population as a whole, moreover. Hun Sen responds even to muted criticism by declaring that attempts to remove him will cause the country to fall back into conflict and instability. Cambodians take these threats extremely seriously. The fact that the prime minister has developed what is essentially a private army is surely one of the reasons why.

Hun Sen’s military capability is rarely commented on by the international community, despite the evident danger that it poses to democracy in Cambodia. It perpetuates a situation in which military units are controlled by individual politicians rather than the state; the same conditions that enabled Hun Sen to unseat his co-prime minister Norodom Ranariddh in a violent coup d’etat in July 1997. Human rights organisations accuse Hun Sen’s Bodyguard Unit of playing a leading role in mounting this coup.

National Assembly Approves Penal Code

2009-10-14T10:13:00.002+07:00

VOA

The National Assembly on Monday passed a crucial penal code that government officials hailed as historic, but which others warn could be used to curb freedoms.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the passage of the penal code was a prerequisite to a much-awaiting anti-corruption law that donors have pressed for in recent years.

The penal code passed 99-3, following an eight-day debate.

Addressing the National Assembly Monday, Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana called the day “historic” for “supporting the process of the rule of law.”

“The passage of the new penal code shows the strong commitment and will of the government in building a legally strong and detailed framework for the basis of the rule of law for our country,” he said.

Opposition lawmakers had argued the law did not uphold rights to free speech and assembly, making it easy for defamation and other attacks in the courts.

Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party, said its lawmakers “would like to completely support the penal code…but we still have worries about some articles relating to freedom of expression and assembly.”

Kem Sokhan, president of the Human Rights Party, whose three parliamentarians did not vote for passage of the law, called the draft a “two-faced weapon” that could condemn offenders of the law, but, improperly weilded, “could affect the rights and freedom of expression for people.”

However, Sok Eysan, lawmaker for the Cambodian People’s Party, said during Monday’s session the party hoped the law would take away problems that “used to appear,” such as defamation and incitement.

Sok Samoeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said a weak judiciary was still a concern with the new law.

“We await implementation of the penal code,” he said.

Cambodia to import more salt from China

2009-10-13T15:31:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodia will spend a further 2.2 million U.S. dollars importing salt from China during the fourth quarter after salt production was cut back this year by excessive bad weather, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the president of the Cambodian Salt Production Association.

The Kingdom has already spent 2.2 million dollars importing 20,000 tonnes from China this year after it became clear in July that local production would not meet annual demand of about 120,000 tonnes, Ly Seng, the president of the Cambodian Salt Production Association, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying on Sunday.

"We will spend more money to import more salt if local production still cannot meet local consumption demand," he said.

For the local salt industry in Kampot province, 2009 has been a washout due to early rains that mean only about 30,000 tonnes will be produced, compared to a usual capacity of about 180,000 a year that normally produces a surplus for export, Ly Seng said. The Kingdom has 187 salt producers, he added, with 4,400 hectares of salt flats in production.

This is the first year on record that Cambodia has had to import salt.

Srun Thida, a salt retailer at Old Market in the capital, said he was able to sell imported salt from China at the same price as the Cambodian-produced variety: 142 dollars a tonne.

"We have run out of local salt since the middle of the year because our suppliers said their salt production had been affected by rainfall," Srun Thida said.

Ly Seng said the Cambodian Salt Production Association has been selling imported salt to wholesalers at 120 dollars per tonne, about 10 dollars more expensive than the 110 dollars per tonne import price.

Thai FM denies wanting Asean involvement

2009-10-13T15:27:00.000+07:00

The Nation/Asia News Network

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said yesterday he would seek help from Asean countries to resolve the dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear temple during the Asean Summit late this month in Hua Hin/Cha-am.

He said he agreed with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya to seek Asean approval for the establishment of a neutral mechanism to solve disputes among member countries.

However the Thai Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi has denied Kasit ever proposed an Asean dispute settlement mechanism to solve the conflict over Preah Vihear.

The minister might have been quoted out of context in media reports, he said. The Thai government had reaffirmed its position that the border dispute must be solved bilaterally through the joint boundary commission.

Meanwhile, Thailand's chief of the joint boundary commission has warned political groups in the Kingdom not to politicise the border issue for their benefit, since it could jeopardise the boundary demarcation with Cambodia.

"The border issue is very sensitive. It could be a powerful political tool if used for political purposes," said Vasin Teeravechyan Co-chair of the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC).

"It is dangerous to politicise the issue for personal interests," he told a seminar at the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

The JBC was set up under a memorandum of understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 to demarcate the temple boundary. The disputed area is located near the Hindu temple where both sides claim the overlapping territory of 4.6 squares kilometres.

The issue has been politicised recently by the People's Alliance for Democracy and its New Politics Party to gain support from nationalists to attack the government.

The group alleged the JBC had cut a deal with Cambodia on provisional arrangements for the disputed area adjacent to the temple, and accepted a Cambodian map.

In fact, Vasin said, the JBC merely proposed Parliament's approval on three minutes from the JBC meetings, and a note on what the JBC had talked about that was neither a commitment nor an agreement.

The three minutes are pending Parliament's approval to enable the commission to move on.

Vasin said a map drawn originally by France was one of many documents included in the boundary negotiation. "Whether we like it or not, we cannot rule out the role of the map," he said.

Police Ban Teacher Demonstration Over Salaries

2009-10-06T10:19:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh police clashed with demonstrating teachers on Monday, as a union demonstration for higher government salaries was banned.

Teachers are demanding a raise from around $30 a month to $250, a demand the government said was not possible.

Police said the members of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association had gathered in public without a permit. No one was injured, witnesses said.

“One cannot teach on an empty stomach,” said Rong Chhun, president of the teacher’s association.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian Confederation of Trade Unions on Monday requested the Ministry of Labor raise minimum salaries for factory workers from $50 per month to $93, as high food prices continue to eat into monthly budgets.

The minimum salary was “not a lot,” conceded Ken Loo, secretary-general of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia. “But $50, for the workers, as a minimum, the workers can survive.”

If they work with incentives from factories, working hard to sew many garments, workers can earn up to $150 a month, he said.

“We want to create the incentive for the workers to work hard,” he said.

HRP talks about political alliance with the SRP

2009-10-06T10:16:00.001+07:00

Khmerization

An MP from the Human Rights Party (HRP) has said that the party will hold a press conference today (6th October) to inform the public about its plans to form a political alliance with the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).

Mr. Ou Chanrith (pictured), HRP MP for Kandal constituency, has told Khmer Sthapana by phone that the party will hold a press conference today after Mr. Kem Sokha, the party president, had returned from a visit to Europe to report about his visit to the continent.

Mr. Ou Chanrith said both parties had signed a political alliance agreement on 15th January 2009 and had floated the ideas of a political merger. Both parties had already formed a joint Statute Committee to discuss and write a new party statute for future merger. Members of the Statute Committee comprised of Mr. Ou Chanrith and Mr. Yem Ponharith from the HRP and Mr. Son Chhay, Mr. Yim Sovan and Mrs. Mu Sochua from the SRP.

Both parties had planned to present a joint single candidate in each of the constituency for the 2012 commune election and the 2013 general election.

ASEAN secretary general to visit Indonesia's quake-affected areas

2009-10-06T10:06:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan will visit Indonesia's quake-hit province of West Sumatra on Tuesday, a release from the ASEAN Secretariat said on Monday.

The secretary-general would find out for himself how ASEAN can assist the government of Indonesia in dealing with the disaster.

In Padang, the capital of the province, Pitsuwan would also get a first-hand overview of the latest situation in the wake of the 7.9 magnitude quake from the relevant government authorities including the Governor of West Sumatra and the Mayor of Padang.

Pitsuwan would be joined by the Head of the country's National Disaster Management Agency, who is the focal point of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) for Indonesia.

Pitsuwan, who is also the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator, will be accompanied by representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and the interim ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), which is based in Jakarta.

Over the weekend, Dr Surin had also sent his envoy, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, Sayakane Sisouvong, to the Philippines, which was hit by Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) on 26 September 2009, causing massive flooding and displacement of thousands of people.

Indonesia seeks opportunity from expanding ASEAN, bilateral free trade pacts

2009-10-06T10:05:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Indonesia is upbeat on its growing trade with China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand following plans to set up Free Trade Area (FTA) pacts with those countries under the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) agreement and by bilateral agreements, a senior official at the Indonesian Trade Ministry said here on Monday.

S.L. Tobing, Foreign Trade Director General at the Trade Ministry, said the government is now preparing to comply with requirements required in the would-be established free trade pacts with those countries.

"Among the essential requirement is the Certificate of Origin. We will be obliged to prove that the products we export to those countries are genuinely made by domestic producers," Tobing said.

According to the senior official, officials of ten countries that joined in the ASEAN are now in talks with their counterparts from India, South Korea, China, New Zealand and Australia regarding the plans to reduce import tariffs on certain products to those countries.

Apart from that, the Indonesian government is in bilateral talks with the Australian government over the plan to set up a particular Free Trade Area between the two neighboring countries.

Tobing said that Indonesia is assisted by the representative office of the World Trade Organization (WTO)-sanctioned International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) in drafting the trade terms proposed in the FTA with Australia.

Indonesia saw a tremendous export growth in August this year to 10.55 billion U.S. dollars, or 8.89 percent higher from the month earlier with the most export consisting of natural resources commodities.

Indonesia's total export in the last eight months this year stood at 70.30 billion U.S. dollars, or 26.30 percent lower than the same period last year.

Over 5,000 Families Need Immediate Help In Cambodia :Oxfam

2009-10-06T09:58:00.000+07:00

Bernama

Cambodia is still in emergency relief mode though flood waters in some areas are beginning to stabilize, the international humanitarian agency Oxfam said Tuesday in its press release.

Affected populations are in need of food, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, water filters and water containers among other non- food item needs, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Livelihoods have greatly been threatened especially with loss of the current rice crop. Wage labour opportunities are no longer available to those who rely on agriculture labour for income, the release said.

According to Oxfam, 5,000 families or about 20,000 people need immediate assistance in four provinces.

This figure may grow bigger as more information is received and more areas accessed. Oxfam's staff reported that flood victims in Kampong Thom, Stueng Treng, Kratie, and Preah Vihear remain among the most vulnerable.

"We can't underestimate the situation" said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia.

"We are still in an emergency situation. Public health concerns and people's livelihoods are our priorities. We must keep strong coordination with other humanitarian agencies."

It is now estimated that 60,000 people are affected with at least 17 deaths including one pregnant woman, 65 injured with 18 serious cases and 30,000 hectares of rice fields and plantation destroyed by flood waters.

Oxfam's field reports show that 1,519 houses, 55 public buildings, 40 km of rural roads, 160 irrigation systems, channels, dams, embankments, and three bridges were damaged, causing major disruption to people's livelihoods. Relief works are hampered by transportation problem as roads and bridges have been damaged.

The traditionally dispersed settlements of Cambodian people also make some of the forested villages inaccessible for need assessment and aid distribution, whilst public health concerns are mounting among unaccounted population in remote and forested villages.

Oxfam's health experts warn that people must be careful about drinking water, as flood waters are highly contaminated.

PM : Chalerm must answer for clip to Hun Sen

2009-10-05T11:54:00.000+07:00

The Nation

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday questioned the motive of Pheu Thai Party MP Chalerm Yoobamrung in sending to Cambodian PM Hun Sen an audio clip of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya criticising Hun Sen.

have no idea why he would do that and Chalerm has to answer why. The audio tape was old," the premier said. Abhisit downplayed consequences of Chalerm's move, saying what he did would not adversely affect the bilateral relations between the two countries. Whenever he met Hun Sen, they enjoyed amicable relations.

"Hun Sen told me not to let Preah Vihear [the disputed temple] become an obstacle to other bilateral cooperation,'' he said.

Abhisit said the government would protect the interests of the country and solve the conflict over Preah Vihear through peaceful means.

"That does not mean that [in the interest of ] peace we will allow them [to take over the contested land]. But ....we will be careful not to cause any casualties or losses,'' he said.

Thepthai Senpong, personal spokesman of the Democrat Party leader, attacked Chalerm, saying the politician was putting the country at stake to fulfil his political ambition. "Look back at our history. Ayutthya collapsed because Thais acted as spies for the enemy. Is Chalerm acting like that?'' he said.

He said Chalerm was abusing an internal matter to create greater conflict between the two countries and Thailand would definitely suffer as a result.

"Chalerm, do you love the country? Are you still Thai? If what you are doing causes conflict that cannot be resolved, how will you take responsibility for your actions?'' he asked.

Thepthai also defended Kasit, saying the tape featuring Kasit's stance was recorded before he assumed the foreign portfolio.

Sathit Pitutecha, Democrat Party executive, said Chalerm criticised the prime minister as being immature; but his action in sending the audio clip to Hun Sen showed Chalerm acted like a primary school student.

Hua Hin train accident death toll rises to 10

2009-10-05T11:50:00.002+07:00

The Nation

The death toll in the train derailment at Hua Hin early Monday rose to 10, State Railway of Thailand Governor Yutthana Thapcharoen said.

He said seven victims were women and two men. The other body had yet to be retrieved from the train wreckage.

Pakistani PM directs efforts to get dialogue partnership for ASEAN

2009-10-05T11:48:00.002+07:00

Xinhau

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan needs to gear up efforts to gain support for its candidature of dialogue partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The official APP news agency reported Sunday that Gilani directed Pakistani Ambassador designate for Thailand Sohail Mahmood to focus on strengthening of political, economic and trade relations with Thailand, an ASEAN member.

Gilani said that high-level contacts between the two countries were of paramount importance for strengthening the existing cordial relations. He asked Mahmood to strive for arranging high-level visits between the two countries.

Gilani also advised the ambassador designate to ensure close contacts with the Pakistani diaspora in Thailand and undertake every possible effort for their welfare.

Joint agreement necessary on climate change in Greater Mekong: WWF

2009-10-05T11:46:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

A report released Monday by an international NGO called for Asia's first regional climate change adaptation agreement in the Greater Mekong region, which, as one of the regions with richest biological diversity on the earth, is already strongly affected by climate change.

"Greater regional cooperation and coordination among Mekong nations is necessary to best cope with the impacts of climate change. Maintaining ecosystem health across borders and over a larger areas is likely the most cost-efficient and effective long-term adaptation strategy available" said Geoffrey Blate, Climate Change Coordinator for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in this region.

The WWF report, "The Greater Mekong And Climate Change: Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Development at Risk," stressed that the region, covering an area of 600,000 square kilometers comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and southwestern provinces of China, is to undergo major changes caused by climate change.

This region provides home and life source to over 300 million local people. But it is also one of the most vulnerable places when exposed to climate change, especially because of its extensive coastlines and major deltas that are barely above mean sea level, said the report, which is launched during the UN Climate Change Talks in Bangkok.

"Even small increases in global sea levels can cause large-scale devastation, when monsoon winds combine with high tides creating storm surges leading to greater inundation," it said.

Already sea level rise is threatening the region's coastal communities and changes to the climate are stressing ecosystems. Land is being lost in coastal zones, glacial melting in the Himalayas may impact the region's major river flows, and wetlands will either dry up or flood out, according to the report.

Climate change is also expected to directly affect biodiversity of this area, where over 1,000 new species were discovered in just ten years. This region may see shifts in species distributions with potentially major effects on ecosystem structure, composition and processes, and possible massive extinctions.

The report suggests, therefore, that a joint adaptation agreement be reached by the governments of the region as an essential first task to address climate change and to get more prepared for the inevitable impacts of it.

The agreement should, it said, emphasize ecosystem-based adaptation approaches that maintain the resilience of the region; strengthen existing governance structures and ensure participation of all stakeholders in preparing for climate change; act now to use existing knowledge to address climate change; include mitigation in adaptation strategies; and ensure adequate resources are available for adaptation initiatives.

But the report stresses that without decisive action on a global scale it would be very hard to avoid the worst impacts. It urges politicians to strike an ambitious and fair agreement on a climate treaty at upcoming talks in Copenhagen.

"Rich and developed nations must make deep emission cuts and commit to significant financial help to assist vulnerable regions such as the Greater Mekong," said Kim Carstensen, Director of WWF Global Climate Initiative.

The report was launched on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Climate Change Talks here from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, the second-to-last round of talks series in this year which will lead to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

Cambodia sees drop in tourists to Preah Vihear Temple

2009-10-05T11:45:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

The number of visitors to the Preah Vihear Temple complex dropped by a-third in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to a local media report on Monday.

The decrease was a reaction to the ongoing dispute with Thailand over ownership of the land surrounding the World Heritage site, Kong Vibol, director of Preah Vihear province's tourism department, told the Phnom Penh Post.

The official also blamed a general downturn in tourism arrivals, bad weather and lingering fears of influenza A/H1N1.

Only 12,214 people visited the temple complex in last quarter, down 33.93 percent from 18,487 visitors over the same period a year earlier, he was quoted by the report as saying.

The number of foreign visitors dropped 44.6 percent to 426, and the number of domestic tourists went down 34.04 percent to 11,788, Tourism Department figures showed.

Over the period, 47,682 people visited the province, including 40,857 from other parts of Cambodia, down 32.78 percent year-on-year, and 6,825 foreign visitors, down 89.17 percent, the Post reported.

Kong Vibol said he expected a recovery in the last quarter as the peak season begins and the global economy continues to show signs of recovery. Dissipating border tensions would also help, he added.

The Post said that Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in early September that Cambodian troops at the temple would be withdrawn following a bilateral agreement that effectively ended the 13-month standoff over the temple.

Om Phirom, chief of the temple's Heritage Police, said at the time the drawdown in troops led to a surge in tourist numbers, with around 200 Cambodian and 50 foreign tourists daily.

130 garments factories closed down in Cambodia this year

2009-10-05T11:42:00.001+07:00

Khmerization

The Cambodian government said 130 garment factories have closed so far this year as the global economic crisis continues to depress demand for the kingdom's key export earner, local media reported Thursday. The Labour Ministry said the closure rate of one factory every second day has cost more than 60,000 jobs so far in an industry that is one of the country's economic mainstays.

Ministry figures showed that 30,000 workers have lost their jobs this year following the permanent shuttering of 77 factories. The temporary closures of another 53 factories mean a further 30,000 workers are currently out of work.

Against that, 40 new factories opened this year creating almost 10,000 jobs.

A Labour Ministry official told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper that those factories which had suspended operations would resume if and when they received new orders.

"Only purchase orders can help garment factories in Cambodia resume their production and face the effects of the global economic crisis," the official said.

Kaing Monika, business development manager at the Garment Manufacturers' Association of Cambodia (GMAC), an industry body, said the closures had made 2009 a particularly difficult period.

GMAC has almost 300 member factories producing garments locally.

"Only those factories which are supported by significant international buyers have survived and managed to continue producing through this hard time," he said.

Weak international demand for garments in key Western markets is one reason Cambodia's economy is expected to shrink this year. The International Monetary Fund last week became the latest multilateral body to predict that the kingdom's economy will shrink when it forecast a contraction of 2.75 per cent for 2009.

That was even more pessimistic than the Asian Development Bank's prediction released in September of a 1.5-per-cent contraction.

Chinese premier leaves for NKorea: Xinhua

2009-10-04T08:53:00.000+07:00

AFP

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left for North Korea on Sunday, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said, on a trip that comes amid growing international pressure on Pyongyang to return to disarmament talks.

Wen was due to visit China's isolated neighbour until Tuesday, according to previous state media reports.

The trip has been portrayed as a goodwill visit by China, but it has also added to expectations of a possible resumption in stalled six-nation denuclearisation talks.

Wen was accompanied on his departure from Beijing by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and by China's envoy to the six-party talks, Wu Dawei, Xinhua said.

Democrat fears red-shirt violence

2009-10-04T08:51:00.002+07:00

Bangkok Post

Buranath Samutrak, spokesman of the Democrat party, said on Saturday that he felt the red-shirts try to provoke violence in the country.

Mr Buranath admitted that he was worried about the planned mass gathering of the red-shirted supporters of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship on October 17.

“The Asean summit will take place in Hua Hin and Cha Am on October 23-25 and if the rally of the red-shirts turns violence, it would affect the crucial international meeting”, he said.

He called on all parties to support the government’s plan to enforce the Internal Security Act in Petchburi and Prachuab Khiri Khan to ensure peace and order during the Asean summit.

Mu Sochua still maintains that Hun Xen defamed her

2009-10-04T08:50:00.002+07:00

Kampot SRP MP Mu Sochua showed up at the Appeal Court to clarify her lawsuit case in which she accuses Hun Xen of defaming her.

At the court, she still maintains that Hun Xen defamed her in a speech he gave in Kampot on 04 April 2009.

The new claim made by Mrs. Mu Sochua was made in front of Appeal Court Judge Uk Savuth in the afternoon of 02 October 2009, when Mrs. Mu Sochua was summoned by the court in relation to her lawsuit against PM Hun Xen.

Her original lawsuit was dismissed by the Phnom Penh municipal court in May and the court claimed that her lawsuit did not have the proper legal weight.

However, Mrs. Mu Sochua was not satisfied with the ruling of Phnom Penh municipal court and she also asked that the court review the case of the defamation lawsuit brought up by Hun Xen against her recently.

Following a 1-hour clarification at the Appeal Court, Mrs. Mu Sochua, a MP who lost her parliamentary immunity, told reporters that she maintains her claim about Hun Xen’s speech as aiming at her and it affected her honor as a Khmer woman.

Mrs. Mu Sochua also demanded that the Appeal Court hold a hearing to decide her case in conformance to Article 63 of the UNTAC criminal law regarding the defamation made against her that affects her honor and her good standing.

Myanmar minister promises 'free and fair' elections

2009-10-04T08:47:00.000+07:00

AFP

Myanmar's foreign minister promised Saturday his country would hold "free and fair" elections next year, despite the detention of democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.

"In my country free and fair elections will be held. We have already announced it," Myanmar foreign minister Nyan Win told reporters after a meeting with counterparts in Cambodia's northwestern tourist hub.

"(Whether) the elections are free and fair or not, so far no one can judge it. After the elections will be held, you can judge whether the elections are free and fair or not."

A Myanmar court Friday rejected an appeal by Suu Kyi against her conviction over an incident in which a US man swam uninvited to her home in May, earning her an extra 18 months' detention.

The sentence sidelines her from the elections promised for 2010, leading critics to say the polls are a sham.

The minister made the remarks after meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam for talks intended to foster development within the Mekong region.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and the junta refused to acknowledge the landslide win of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in the last elections in 1990.

Japanese foreign minister Katsuya Okada said the talks raised "Myanmar-related questions".

"We hope that Aung San Suu Kyi will be released and transparent elections will be conducted with the participation of all political parties," he told reporters.

Myanmar's foreign minister told his counterparts that "democracy can't be imposed from outside," Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said.

Japan's new government has voiced hopes of fostering ties with countries in the Mekong region.

Suu Kyi, who has spent much of the last 20 years in detention, had a rare meeting with junta minister Aung Kyi Saturday, in which her lawyer said they probably discussed how to end Western sanctions against Myanmar.

Mekong, Japan's foreign ministers pledge for more cooperation

2009-10-04T08:44:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Dao Viet Trung, Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong , Laos' Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win pose for a photo during the second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting at a hotel in Siem Reap province, 230km (143 miles) nort-west of Phnom Penh, October 3 , 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The second foreign ministerial meeting among five Mekong countries and Japan ended Saturday afternoon with pledges for more cooperation in the region.

In a chair's statement released after the meeting, "the ministers reaffirmed their determination to closely cooperation on regional and global issues of common concern, and to deepen and broaden the existing Mekong-Japan cooperation and cooperation under other frameworks, such as the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue Relations, the ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit as well as the ASEAN Regional Forum to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region."

"The ministers also reaffirmed the importance of improving, through closer consultation of all its stakeholders, the business environment of each country and of the region as a whole to accelerate trade and investment," it said.

The statement, however, said the ministers recognized that the Mekong region, despite its recent development, still confronts challenges that need to be overcome as soon as possible.

For youth exchange, Japan pledged to accept 10,000 youth from Mekong countries for five years, starting from 2007, said Hor Namhong.

At the start of the meeting earlier in the day, Hor Namhong said "Our gathering here today constitutes a step further in the realization of our partnership for the development of the Mekong basin, which would certainly yield great benefit for the peoples living along the Mekong River and Japan as well."

The second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting has reviewed progress made since the first meeting in Tokyo, Japan in January 2008.

Mekong-Japan Partnership Program was launched in 2007 for the sake of peace, development and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region.

Hun Sen offers greetings to Mekong, Japan FMs

2009-10-03T16:28:00.003+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has offered greetings to foreign ministers from five Mekong countries and Japan on the sideline of the second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministerial Meeting, spokesman to the prime minister said Saturday.

Srey Thamarong said Hun Sen had offered his greetings to the foreign ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan just before the plenary session of the second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministerial Meeting that was about to start in Siem Reap province, northern Cambodia.

He said Hun Sen has attached significance of cooperation and solidarity among the five Mekong countries as well as Japan.

Suu Kyi meeting with junta minister: Myanmar official

2009-10-03T16:28:00.000+07:00

AFP

Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi had a rare meeting with a minister from the ruling junta Saturday, a Myanmar official said.

The opposition leader, who is currently detained under house arrest, was in talks with Aung Kyi, the labour minister and official liaison between Suu Kyi and the government, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi are meeting now at the state guest house. They met at about 1pm," (0630 GMT) he said.

Vietnam typhoon death toll at least 107: officials

2009-10-03T16:27:00.002+07:00

AFP

The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Ketsana, one of the worst disasters to hit the country in recent years, rose to at least 107 on Saturday, officials said.

That figure came from an official at the national flood and storm control committee in Hanoi, who listed 28 missing and 252 injured. He declined to be named.

The Danang office of the flood and storm committee, closer to the heart of the area where the typhoon made landfall last Tuesday, said there were 122 dead and 12 missing.

The heaviest tolls came in the central Vietnam fishing province of Quang Ngai, south of Danang, and in Kon Tum, a mountainous province with a large population of poor ethnic minority tribes. Both areas recorded 33 deaths, the Danang official said, also declining to be named.

Initial estimates of the damage in Vietnam shot up to 587 million dollars, according to government figures released on Friday for 10 out of 14 provinces affected by the typhoon.

Ketsana toll in Laos rises to 24: Red Cross

2009-10-03T16:26:00.002+07:00

AFP

The death toll from Tropical Storm Ketsana in Laos has risen to 24, the country's Red Cross said on Saturday.

Seven people who refused to leave their homes in southernmost Attapeu province accounted for most of the additional deaths, said Bountheung Menvilay, head of the agency's disaster preparedness division.

Their houses were swept into a river, he said.

On Friday, when details of the tragedy began to emerge from one of Asia's poorest nations, Bountheung reported 16 deaths from the storm which moved through the country on Wednesday.

Ketsana has brought devastation across Southeast Asia, first killing at least 293 people in the Philippines last weekend before striking Vietnam, where 99 died, and Cambodia where it claimed 17 lives.

Attapeu province borders Cambodia and, along with adjacent Sekong province, has been the hardest hit in Laos, aid workers said.

Up to 4,000 buried by Indonesia quake: UN, Red Cross

2009-10-03T16:25:00.000+07:00

AFP

Up to 4,000 people are still trapped in rubble following the devastating 7.6-magnitude quake that struck Indonesia this week, the UN and Red Cross told AFP Saturday.

"We estimate about 3,000 to 4,000 people are still trapped or buried under the rubble," UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Indonesia El-Mostafa Benlamlih told AFP.

Bob McKerrow, head of the Indonesia delegation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, said his estimate was 4,000, based on his tour of the city of Padang and surrounding countryside.

"We're up to 4,000. People don't like those figures out -- they don't want the families to be grieving too much," he told AFP.

Cambodia expected to become a member of Unesco Heritage Committee

2009-10-03T16:08:00.000+07:00

Source: Khmer Sthapana newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization

Cambodia has applied to become a member of the Unesco Heritage Committee and is expected to be admitted a full member of the Committee in a vote on the 25th October, said an advisor to the Council of Ministers.

In a press conference held on 2nd October, Mr. Pen Ngoeun (pictured), advisor to the Council of Ministers, said that other Unesco members will vote to support Cambodia's application because Cambodia has plenty of ancient archaeological sites and therefore should be given a role in the Unesco committee.

Mr. Pen Ngoeun had also reiterated that Preah Vihear and the surrounding areas are located within the sovereignty of Cambodia in accordance with the maps from 1904 Khmer-Thai Convention, 1907 Khmer-Thai Treaty and the verdict of the International Court of Justice in 1962.

He said after the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty (Khmer-Thai Treaty), Prince Damrong, who was the then Thai Minister of Interior, had requested the French government to provide Thailand with maps of the treaty. Fifty maps from the treaty, which have shown clearly that Preah Vihear temple and the surrounding areas were located within Cambodian sovereignty, were provided to the Thai government.

Khieu Kanharith: Abhisit's party elected because of Preah Vihear issue

2009-10-03T16:01:00.000+07:00

Source: Khmer Sthapana newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization

The fiery exchanges between the Cambodian and Thai leaders have indicated that the Preah Vihear and border issues are no closer to any resolution any time sooner.

The latest politician to enter the fray is Cambodia's Information Minister Khieu Kanharith (pictured) who accused Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of using Preah Vihear as his political tool to achieve his political goals.

The recent spates of exchanges re-occurred when the Thai yellow shirted ultra-nationalists attempted to march to reclaim Preah Vihear on 19th September. The march had angered Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen to issue an order of a "shoot-to-kill" policy if those Thai ultra-nationalists dare to enter Khmer territories. Mr. Hun Sen also lambasted Thailand for using its unilaterally-drawn maps. "Khmer territory is Khmer territory. We will use maps that are internationally-recognised. We do not recognise maps that were unilaterally-drawn by the Thai side. If these maps are used for the negotiation, I will tear them up and throw them away", Mr. Hun Sen said.

Mr. Hun Sen also personally blamed Mr. Abhisit for inciting Thai ultra-nationalists to invade Khmer territories on 15th July 2oo8. "Why such thing happened? It was because (their) prime minister said something like that because this is his original view since he was in the opposition party", he said.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hit back by saying that Mr. Hun Sen's outburst was just for media consumption."Whenever he gives interviews to the foreign media he always has this attitude where he wants to make headlines," Abhisit told reporters.

Mr. Abhisit's comments had attracted a swift response from the Cambodian government spokesman, Mr. Khieu Kanharith.

Mr. Kanharith said Mr. Abhisit's attack on Mr. Hun Sen was just for domestic political consumption. He had also accused Mr. Abhisit of using Preah Vihear as his political tool to get elected.

King Sihamoni visits and distributes gifts to victims of Typhoon Ketsana

2009-10-03T15:58:00.000+07:00

Source: Koh Santepheap newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization

King Sihamoni (pictured) has on 30th September travelled by boat to visit and distribute gifts to villagers in Prek Ch'dor village in Kampong Oss commune of Cholkiri district, Kampong Chnang province who have lost 100 homes to Typhoon Ketsana.

The king was accompanied by Palace Minister Kong Sam-Ol, Kampong Chnang Governor Touch Marim, senior civil servants and many armed security forces.

Speaking to 100 families who lost their homes, the king said he had come to bring well wishes from the King-Father and Queen Mother.

Mr. Morm Hun, Police Inspector of Cholkiri district, told the king that the 100 homes were flattened when Typhoon Ketsana hit the areas at 1.35pm on 25th September. He said other than the 100 homes destroyed, one monks's residence, a school building and a police station have been significantly damaged.

Each victim family had received one 50-kilogram sack of rice, one tent, one case of instant noodles, one sarong, one blanket, one krama (thin towel), one shirt and one trousers, one pack of salts, one mosquito net and 100,000 riels ($25) in cash.

'Kasit Piromya' attends Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Cambodia

2009-10-03T15:55:00.000+07:00

TNA

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his diplomatic counterparts from Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, and Vietnam, are meeting Saturday with newly-appointed Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in the northwest Cambodian city of Siem Reap to review progress and set the direction for continued cooperation in regional development.

The Second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is being chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong and is being attended by Mr. Okada along with the foreign ministers of Lao, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.

On the sidelines of the Mekong meeting, Mr. Hor Namhong will also chair the Second Foreign Ministers’ Meeting regarding Emerald Triangle Cooperation between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

Under the Second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Japan, which has actively assisted the Mekong region countries, is expected to offer continued commitment to regional development with its vision to create an ‘East Asian Community’.

The meeting is aimed at improving regional infrastructure and human resources, as well as reducing poverty, and will pave the way for a leaders’ summit later this year.

In the afternoon, the foreign ministers of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand will meet under the Emerald Triangle Cooperation umbrella in which they are expected to commit to expanded cooperation in tourism, infrastructure and trade.

The Emerald Triangle Cooperation framework consists of the three neighbouring countries joining together to utilise the combined tourism resources of the sub-region for the mutual benefit of the participating countries. The strengths in the tourism industry of each member country will enhance the combined potential in this sector and promote tourism in the sub-region.

It will also help generate growth and reduce income disparity in the three countries and enhance the well being of people at the grassroots level.

In the afternoon Mr Kasit will hold bilateral talks with the newly-appointed Japanese foreign minister over common interests and plans to develop the Mekong Sub-Region.

Thai Army chief says no tension at Thai-Cambodian border near PreahVihear

2009-10-02T17:41:00.002+07:00

The Nation

Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Anupong Paochinda said Friday that there is no tension along the Thai-Cambodian border near the disputed 4.6 square kilometre plot near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

He said he had reported the latest situation to Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wonsuwan.

He said the dispute has yet to be discussed in a joint border demarcation committee.

Thailand to impose Internal Security Act to ensure ASEAN Summit security

2009-10-02T17:33:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Thailand's government announced Friday a plan to enforce the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the forthcoming 15th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

On Friday morning, the government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and involved security authorities held a meeting to discuss about security steps to be applied to ensure law and order at the 15th ASEAN Summit's venues, Thai News Agency reported.

In mid-April this year, the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in central resort town Pattaya were canceled due to violent protests by thousands of members of the Thai anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Thailand, which is the 2009 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will also host the 15th ASEAN Summit and related meetings during Oct. 23-25 in central beach resort town Cha-am and Hua Hin.

However, the ISA law will be imposed from Oct. 12 ahead of the start of the ASEAN Summit as it will be enforced until Oct. 27,army chief General Anupong Paochinda said after the meeting.

The ISA law will be imposed in nine sub-districts of Cha-am, while four other sub-districts in Hua Hin will be also under the ISA law's imposition, General Anupong said.

A combined security force will be deployed to ensure law and order there, General Anupong said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, in charges of security affairs, said the government will not let anything to disturb the ASEAN Summit and related meetings as it happened in the past.

Also, Suthep said the government will impose the ISA law in capital Bangkok, if new rallies by the UDD protestors show a sign of chaos.

From Sept. 18 to 22, the ISA law had been enforced by the government at Dusit district in the center of capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure law and order during a mass anti-government rally by the UDD group on Sept. 19.

Hence, Suthep said the government can impose the ISA law again in Dusit.

The Thai-government plans to explain about the ISA law's enforcement at the ASEAN Summit and related meetings' venues on a state-run television on Friday.

Cambodia hopes U.S. to shift 1970s debt as development aid

2009-10-02T17:30:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Cambodian foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on Thursday that his country expressed the hope that the U.S. to shift Cambodia's debt as development aid for the country.

"While I was in the U.S., I held the bilateral talk with Madam Hillary Clinton and I told her that Cambodia hopes U.S. to cancel debts owned by then Lon Nol administration in 1970s, if not possible, Cambodia hopes the U.S. to shift that debt as development aid for our country," Hor told reporters upon arrival from U.S. where he joined the U.N. General Assembly.

Hor said "that development aid will focus on building infrastructure for the country," adding that "Madam Hillary told me that she will pay attention on this debt and take care of that issue."

Cambodia has owed the United State in a total of over 300 million U.S. dollars by Lon Nol regime. Hor Namhong, at the same time, also highlighted the progress of the bilateral military cooperation between two countries. "We are optimistic in improving and moving forward the bilateral cooperation between the two countries," he added.

National assembly rejected SRP's proposal for the amendments to 43 articles of the Penal Code Bill

2009-10-02T17:28:00.000+07:00

Source: Khmer Sthapan newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization

On the first day of the resumption of the parliamentary session on 1st October, there have been exchanges of heated debates among government and the opposition MPs in relations to defamation and disinformation laws.

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) has put forward a number of proposals to withdraw a number of articles in relations to defamation, incitements and disinformation from the Penal Code Bill which contained more than 600 articles.

Mr. Yim Sovan (pictured), spokesman for the SRP, has tabled the proposals to the parliament on behalf of his party. Speaking in the parliamentary session, he said, in principle, the SRP supports the Penal Code Bill but the party is concerned about a number of articles it considers that will infringe on the freedom of expression.

Mr. Cheam Yeap, an MP from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), said 83 of the total 101 MPs rejected the SRP's proposal because the proposals were not done in accordance with the parliamentary Intrernal Regulations and 99 of 101 MPs voted to adopt the Bill in its entirety.

He added that the SRP's proposals were not for amendments to the 43 articles of the 673-article draft Bill, but a total review of the Bill itself which is against the parliamentary Internal Regulations.

Mr. Ang Vong Vattana, Minister of Justice, told the parliament that this Penal Code Bill protects the rights of the citizens, promote the freedom of expression in accordance with democratic principles and provides justice to the victims.

Several provinces in Thailand hit by Ketsana depression

2009-10-01T15:50:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Typhoon Ketsana, which weakened Wednesday to be a tropical depression, has affected several provinces in Thailand.

The tropical depression started attacking a northeastern province of U-bon Rat-cha-tha-ni Wednesday morning, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

In Chai-ya-poom, another province in the Northeast, local people have been instructed to closely monitor a warning announcement from involved authorities after three dams there broke after the heavy raining, Thai News Agency reported.

In the city of Chai-ya-poom, the flood due to the tropical depression, damaged agricultural areas and state buildings, while many roads had been flooded.

In beach resort town Pattaya in an eastern province of Chon-bu-ri, nine boats for a tourism service, which were parking on the Pattaya Gulf, were sunken due to an over-two-meter-height wave.

The high wave also wiped some of the boats to hit restaurants and pubs, which were built up off the seashore of the Pattaya Gulf.

Moreover, in a southern province of Sa-tool, locating along the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, fishermen there could not work due to the strong wind and high wave as the fishermen have been in troubled of foods.

State buildings and almost 100 houses along the coastal areas have been damaged by the strong wind and heavy rain.

EU condoles victims of natural disasters in Asia, Pacific

2009-10-01T15:47:00.002+07:00

Topnews.in

Stockholm - Sweden, holder of the rotating presidency of the European Union, on Thursday sent its condolences to the victims of the natural disasters which have hit southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

The need for assistance following Thursday's earthquake off western Sumatra, Indonesia, was being assessed by the EU, the statement issued on behalf of the 27-nation bloc said.

The EU has previously offered some 4 million euros (6 million dollars) in emergency aid to victims of typhoon Ketsana - which ravaged the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, destroying homes, schools, roads and rice fields.

The bloc has also announced emergency assistance to South Pacific island nations hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami that has claimed over 100 lives. (dpa)

Asia readies for next storm as death toll rises

2009-10-01T15:40:00.000+07:00

Asia had little respite Thursday from an already brutal storm season, with warnings the next tempest was en route to the Philippines while three nations counted their dead from the previous typhoon, with the toll reaching 383.

Officials were preparing compulsory evacuation plans for tens of thousands of people in the Philippines as they watched Typhoon Parma track toward the country with winds gusting up to 130 mph (210 kph).

A decision on the evacuations would be made in the next day or so, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said.

Parma could be more powerful than Ketsana, which left the Philippines' capital awash Saturday and then cut a destructive path across Vietnam and Cambodia. Officials in all three countries again raised their death tolls Thursday, for a total of 383.

"We are dealing with a very strong typhoon (and) there is a big possibility that this typhoon will gather more strength," Nathaniel Cruz, the Philippines' chief weather forecaster, said of Parma. "Let us all pray."

Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region struggled to recover from two major earthquakes. The death toll from Tuesday's quake-triggered tsunami in the South Pacific rose above 140, and Indonesia said the toll from a 7.6-magnitude quake there Wednesday was now above 450.

Steady rain fell in Manila on Thursday after several days of clear skies, making conditions miserable for more than 2 million people whose homes were lined with slushy mud by the worst flooding in four decades.

The idea of another storm brought fresh trauma to survivors.

"I hope the typhoon will hit another place," said Glen Juban, whose family was washed from the roof of their shanty by floodwaters last Saturday. Juban, his wife and 13-year-old son survived but his 4-year-old daughter drowned.

"We've been hit so hard. The situation now is just so difficult and I don't know if we can take some more, another calamity."

In Cambodia and central Vietnam, rescuers picked through the remains of houses that were blown down or buried in landslides, and villages remained cut off by mud-blocked roads and the worst floods in decades.

A Vietnamese military helicopter dropped packets of instant noodles to cutoff villages in central Kon Tum province while authorities in Quang Ngai province used speed boats to rush noodles and bottled water to victims in two isolated mountain districts, provincial officials said.

In Cambodia, rain poured down on towns in Siem Reap province already awash in three feet (half a meter) of floodwaters. Schools, markets and other businesses were closed, deputy police chief Kan Sambath said.

Four large trees at the famed Angkor Thom temple complex were felled by the storm but did not cause any damage, he said.

Officials in Vietnam raised the death toll there to 92 on Thursday. Cambodia's rose to 14. The storm was deadliest in the Philippines, with 277 killed.

Parma was 404 miles (650 kilometers) off the Philippines on Thursday morning, heading for the coast north of where Ketsana hit. It was expected to hit on Saturday, but was already bringing rain to eastern provinces.

Cruz said Parma could strengthen into a "super typhoon," a designation given to storms with sustained winds exceeding 124 mph (200 kph). It was carrying less rain than Ketsana, but the stronger winds could be very destructive, he said.

However, the storm could still change course and miss the Philippines, he said.

Typhoons occur year-round in the northeastern Pacific, usually blowing in from the east and tracking a path threatening Southeast Asia and southern China to Japan in the north. They are most common and usually most powerful from August to November.

Ketsana followed on the heels of Typhoon Morakot, which slammed into Taiwan in early August, causing mudslides and the worst flooding on the island in 50 years. Morakot also killed 22 people in the Philippines and eight in China.

Hun Sen begs Japan to continue providing aid to Cambodia

2009-10-01T15:33:00.000+07:00

Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

PM Hun Sen asked Japan to continue providing aid to Cambodia, and in particular, not to cut aid if Japan does not want to provide additional aid. Hun Sen made this statement to the new Japanese ambassador to Cambodia during a meeting at the National Assembly on 30 September 2009.

Hun Sen said that the development of Cambodia and the peaceful development cannot be cut from the aid provided by Japan. Japan plays a major role in the search for peace in Cambodia, as well as in the development of Cambodia. Hun Sen asked Japan to continue providing aid to Cambodia, and in particular he begged that there is no aid cut to Cambodia even if Japan decided to not add more aid to Cambodia. Hun Sen asked the Japanese ambassador to pay attention in helping the construction of infrastructure and the agriculture sector, as well as pushing for tourism investment and human resource development.

Sam Rainsy: Ho Vann must get back his parliamentary immunity automatically

2009-10-01T15:30:00.000+07:00

Source: Khmer Stapana newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization
Click here to read the aritcle in Khmer

Legal experts and opposition politicians said that the Phnom Penh Court should, through Ministry of Justice, send a request to the National Assembly to reinstate Mr. Ho Vann's parliamentary immunity after it dropped all defamation charges against him.

Mr. Sam Rainsy, leader of the eponymous Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), said by a telephone interview that the SRP will not write a letter to the National Assembly to request for it to give back Mr. Ho Vann's immunity by saying that by laws Mr. Ho Vann should automatically get his immunity back after the court dropped all charges against him.

Mr. Ho Vann was sued by 22 military officers after he criticised their qualifications awarded by the Vietnamese Military Institute. On 22nd June, the National Assembly stripped him off his parliamentary immunity and he fled to the United States.

A week ago, the court dropped all charges against him after international pressures and after U.S Secretary of Defence Robert Gates raised the issue with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh during their meeting in Washington DC a week ago.

Climate change to hit Asia’s poor, rural women most: ADB

2009-10-01T15:25:00.000+07:00

(PTI)

Poor people and rural women from developing nations in Asia will be among those most affected by climate change which poses fundamental threats to the region’s food and energy security, according to studies funded by the Asian Development Bank. The climate change is also expected to lead to increased migration of people within national boundaries, mainly into mega cities.

Attributing to three studies on agriculture, energy and migration, the ADB in a statement today said the impacts of rising temperatures in Asia would fall disproportionately on the region’s poor, and rural women from developing countries would be among the most affected groups.

Such a scenario would arise on account of these groups dependence on subsistence crops, their limited access to resources, and their lack of decision-making power. “The food and energy security of every Asian is threatened by climate change, but it’s the poor - and especially poor women - who are most vulnerable and most likely to migrate as a consequence,” ADB Vice-President Ursula Schaefer Preuss said.

Over half of Asia’s total population lives below the $2 per day poverty line and these people are more depend on rain-fed agriculture and live in settlements that are highly exposed to climate variability and change. Noting that about 2.2 billion Asians rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, the statement said the sector is now threatened by falling crop yields caused by floods, droughts, erratic rainfall and other climate change impacts.

“Current climate models indicate food prices may increase sharply – rice prices by 29-37 per cent, maize by 58-97 per cent and wheat by 81-102 per cent – by 2050,” it added. Another study found that climate change-induced threats to Asia’s agriculture and energy would contribute significantly to migration within national boundaries.

As per the energy report, Asia’s access to affordable energy is facing rising threat due to demand-supply gaps, high reliance on traditional biomass fuels, and the high-energy intensity of the region’s economies, among others.

The statement noted that the region’s vast renewable energy potential could help in responding to this scenario, provided “policy and finance measures quickly scale-up proven technologies for the poor, including small hydro and solar power”.

The agriculture, energy and migration studies were produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); USA; The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India; and the University of Adelaide, Australia, respectively.

More than 1,000 feared dead in major Indonesian quake: officials

2009-10-01T10:05:00.000+07:00

AFP

JAKARTA, Sept 30, 2009 (AFP) - A massive earthquake wreaked havoc on the Indonesian island of Sumatra Wednesday, with officials saying it could have killed more than 1,000 people as homes and buildings collapsed.

At least 75 people were confirmed dead after hospitals and hotels crumbled, and as fires raged in the coastal city of Padang, home to nearly a million people, in the wake of the 7.6-magnitude quake.

"People are trapped, hotels have collapsed, schools have collapsed, houses have collapsed and electricity has been cut off," Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters in Jakarta.

Health Ministry crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya told AFP that a major city hospital was among the many buildings that had buckled.

"Houses and buildings have collapsed, causing thousands of people to be trapped inside in the rubble," Pakaya said.

Rescue teams and doctors had been rushed out overland and were expected to arrive in the city and nearby affected areas overnight, Pakaya added.

He said he expected the death toll to soar over 1,000 as rescuers reached the city, where communications and power had been cut off by the quake.

Three military transport planes had been prepared to deliver aid including tents, blankets and medicine, Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono said.

Chinese and Cambodian youths jointly hold art performance in Phnom Penh

2009-10-01T10:01:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Political Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Cambodia He Yueping delivers a speech before a performance in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Sept. 29, 2009. The Hand-in-Hand art troupe of China's Shanghai Youth Center and Cambodian Duan Hua Chinese School jointly held an art performance here on Tuesday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Lei Bosong)

Investors Lose Interest in Cambodia, Vietnam

2009-10-01T09:55:00.002+07:00

In the private equity world, Cambodia just isn't what it used to be.

At one point in early 2008, fund managers were expecting to raise as much as $500 million for investment in the country. Instead, interest from investors evaporated with the financial crisis, forcing several funds to shut down or scale back.

Frontier Investment and Development Partners, which once hoped to launch a $250 million Cambodia fund, is struggling to find seed investors. Another, Cambodia Emerald postponed fundraising for their planned $100 million fund last year.

In total, Cambodia funds raised only $23 million in 2008, the Centre for Asia Private Equity Research, or APER, says. So far this year they've raised $5.6 million.

In neighboring Vietnam, once one of Asia's hottest investments, investors have also lost interest. Last month Indochina Capital Vietnam Holdings -- a prominent fund that invested in both listed and private companies -- was liquidated.

More broadly, Vietnam focused managers have raised no funds this year, according to APER data, a stark drop from the $1.6 billion raised in 2007. ¶ Naturally, deal making has declined. Dealogic tallies $20 million worth of private-equity investments in the two markets so far this year -- less than a third of the investments made the first nine months of 2008.

For those still in the game, the fundraising drought presents an opportunity. With fewer competitors sniffing around for investments, terms are better for buyers.

Managers say being smaller has its benefits, since most opportunities are in startups anyway. The majority of businesses in Vietnam are less than 8 years old.

Expectations for deal sizes have certainly changed. Leopard Cambodia, which has raised $28.6 million out of a planned $100 million, is now targeting investments between $1 million and $2 million. It once expected deals to be between $5 million and $15 million.

Leopard is among those that's resumed fundraising efforts. Another, Mekong Capital, a Vietnam-focused private equity firm, is raising a $150 million fund, its fourth.

But they're certainly not getting the reception they once might have. Investors are showing an increased appetite for risk, but few are willing to extend themselves as far as Cambodia just yet.

Cambodia Looks to Improve Food Safety

2009-10-01T09:54:00.002+07:00

Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce and the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization met yesterday to collaborate on improving Cambodia's food safety system.

The purpose of the meeting was to bolster government agencies' capacity to "develop, implement, and monitor national food control strategies that reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of food control," according to Xinhua media.

In an opening statement, Chan Nora, leader of the Ministry of Commerce in Cambodia indicated that improving food safety was a key strategy for the government to promote economic sustainability.

Nora emphasized that reducing foodborne disease will improve consumer health and improve trade opportunities for the food sector.

"Foodborne diseases remain a leading cause of illness. Food safety problems such as intentional chemical adulteration and excessive and inappropriate use of pesticides in farming have a negative impact on public health," said Nora.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foodborne illness remains "a major public health concern" in Cambodia.

The mishandling of perishable food and unhygienic preparation, especially from restaurants, street food and hawkers, continue to cause frequent foodborne illness outbreaks in the country.

Ketsana leaves more than 360 dead across SE Asia

2009-10-01T09:52:00.000+07:00

MANILA, Philippines — A new typhoon gathered strength Thursday off the Philippines while nearly 700,000 people still sought help in badly stretched relief centers from massive flooding caused by Ketsana, one of the region's most destructive storms in years.

Ketsana prompted the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in 40 years when it struck Saturday, and then continued its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides on Tuesday.

The death toll climbed Thursday to 362, and was still rising.

"We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province.

The immediate threat from Ketsana eased as it was downgraded to a tropical depression as it crossed into a fourth nation, Laos. But its powerful winds and pummeling rain left a snaking trail of destruction.

Meanwhile, another typhoon gained strength as it moved toward the hard-hit northern Philippines. Typhoon Parma was 404 miles (650 kilometers) off the country's eastern coast Thursday, but was already bringing rain to eastern provinces.

Packing winds of 93 miles per hour (150 kilometers per hour) with gusts of up to 115 mph (185 kph), Parma was expected to hit land Saturday in the northeastern Philippines, weather forecaster Rommel Yutoc said.

Landslides triggered by Ketsana slammed into houses in central Vietnam on Tuesday, burying people including five members of the same family, the government said. The country's toll rose to 74 as officials recovered more bodies from the muck and swollen rivers, with 179 injured and a dozen missing, the government said late Wednesday.

It said the storm destroyed or damaged nearly 180,000 homes, inundated 150,000 more, and flattened crops across central Vietnam. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them.

"The scale of the devastation is stretching all of us," said Minnie Portales, a World Vision aid agency official in the Philippines. The agency said it was scrambling to assess the needs of victims in four countries, including the possibility that Laos would have damage.

Parts of two Vietnamese provinces remained cut off by floodwaters and downed trees and power lines on roads, officials said.

In neighboring Cambodia, at least 11 people were killed and 29 injured Tuesday as the storm toppled dozens of rickety houses and swept away residents in the two provinces north of the capital that were hit. About 100 houses were destroyed and 400 others damaged, said Ly Thuch of the country's disaster management committee.

Five members of the same family died when their house collapsed as they ate dinner, said Neth Sophana of the Red Cross.

Authorities were searching for more victims and rushing food, medical supplies and plastic sheeting for temporary tents to storm-hit areas.

The cleanup task was enormous.

In the Philippines, officials said 2.5 million people had their homes swamped, and nearly 700,000 were seeking help in relief centers hastily set up in schools and other public buildings — even the presidential palace. The Philippines death toll stood at 277, with 42 people missing.

The international relief effort picked up pace, with condolence messages coming from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the EU, Japan, Germany and other nations. Many added pledges of aid to help the recovery.

Three helicopters and 30 rubber boats were being sent by the United Nations and would arrive with 72 hours, Teodoro said late Wednesday.

Philippine military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said at least 30 U.S. Marines and Air Force personnel who were to attend two annual war exercises in the country would join the relief work, bringing trucks bulldozers and forklifts.

At relief centers, women and children clutching bags of belongings lined up for bottled water, boiled eggs and packets of instant noodles for a fifth day. Men waded through thick, gooey sludge back to their homes to clean up the mess with shovels and brooms.

The government estimated the damage cost at more than $100 million.

Cambodia urged to change property law to encourage real estate investors

2009-10-01T09:47:00.000+07:00

Khmerization

Real estate boom in Phnom Penh harbinger of good tidings to Cambodia

Cambodia is experiencing a real estate boom and the government is under pressure to boost the sector by making it easier for foreign real estate investors to buy, it is claimed.

After spending the last three decades struggling to recover from the legacy of the Khmer Rouge's rule, the country is emerging into the 21st century. A decade ago the capital Phnom Penh didn't even have one traffic light, now high-rise condos and offices are springing up as investors rake in the profits.

Many people still have an outdated perception of Cambodia, but private-equity investors are moving into the country. At least four new private equity funds, backed by brand-name investors, are aiming to bring $475 million of foreign investment into Cambodia.

And Cambodia´s private sector is urging the government to make foreign ownership easier as an open-minded real estate market would promote economic growth.

The Cambodian investment law was amended in 2005 to allow foreign ownership of permanent fixtures, but as yet has not been enforced. The old law will only allow property investment in the name of a Cambodian national but it is hoped that pressure from the private sector will result in a change.

'Key improvements to the property investment law would open up a whole new economic world to the country of Cambodia. These measures would not only further develop Cambodia´s property investment market, but the new interest from those investors who want to take advantage early, will not only create a boom putting Cambodia on the map, but will also make the country more competitive with its neighbors,' said Chris Green, Head of Research at property investment firm Obelisk International.

There are several reasons for urgent action, according to American lawyer and chairman of the International Business Club, Bretton Sciaron. 'This is already a sector of the economy that is dynamic, but foreign ownership of apartments, condominiums will help spur further economic growth. Such a regulatory development will provide a dramatic indication that Cambodia has an investor-friendly environment,' he explained.

Vast new building projects have increased over the past few years, including a great number of satellite cities worth billions of dollars that when completed will fundamentally alter the appearance of the capital. After years of disorder within Cambodia, the country is now turning things around as a growing economy posting a steady 11% growth over the last three years, fuelled by a strong tourism industry and clothing manufacturers.

China, South Korea and Malaysia have also been pouring money into the country and in 2006 foreign direct investment totalled $2.6 billion, up from just £240 million in 2004. And according to Cambodia Investment, more than $6 billion may be invested in the country in the next three years.

BORDER DISPUTE: Bilateral talks are they way : Thai PM

2009-10-01T09:41:00.000+07:00

By The Nation

Refuses to take issue to Asean or UN Security Council

The dispute with Cambodia over land near the Preah Vihear temple must be solved bilaterally by the joint boundary commission, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (pictured) said yesterday - rejecting any move to raise the issue at international forums.

The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) has been negotiating boundary demarcation in the area.

"We refer to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 not to make any changes before completion of the boundary demarcation," he said.

"The best way [for now] is to prevent clashes along the border."

The disputed area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear has been a source of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time. It heated up when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has ties to the government, rallied in Si Sa Ket on September 19. The PAD mob demanded that Cambodians be removed from the disputed area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen hit back on Monday, warned that troops would "shoot to kill" any trespassers who entered land he deemed Cambodian territory.

Some 4.6 square kilometres near the Preah Vihear temple is claimed by both countries. The JBC demarcation process requires approval by the Thai Parliament.

Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to raise the issue with Asean and the United Nations Security Council if the dispute was not settled soon.

Abhisit said the issue could be resolved at a bilateral level and not be put to Asean.

"We are very cautious about the Cambodian move to raise the issue to international level," he said.

Defence Ministry Permanent Secretary General Apichart Penkitti said the two countries should resolve the dispute peacefully. "If the military takes action, it could be worse. The best solution is negotiation," he said.

"Of course, we don't want to lose the territory but force cannot solve the problem. As both sides claim the same area, we must sit and talk," the general said.

Meanwhile, the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday urged tolerance over the border dispute, saying the issue should not be used by people who want to sour ties with Cambodia.

The panel said it opposed any use of violence and called for the government to engage in talks with Phnom Penh to avoid armed conflict, according to spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta, an MP from the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

Deputy panel spokesman, Democrat MP Ratchada Thanadirek, said bilateral talks on border demarcation had made much progress, but more work was needed in the long term, possibly over the next decade.

She called on the government not to respond negatively to aggressive comments from the Cambodian prime minister, saying it would worsen the dispute.

Sam Rainsy: Ho Vann must get back his parliamentary immunity automatically

2009-10-01T09:39:00.000+07:00

Source: Khmer Stapana newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization

Mr. Sam Rainsy, leader of the eponymous Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), said by a telephone interview that the SRP will not write a letter to the National Assembly to request for it to give back Mr. Ho Vann's immunity by saying that by laws Mr. Ho Vann (pictured) should automatically get his immunity back after the court dropped all charges against him.

Inauguration of the U.S-funded Pursat College

2009-10-01T09:37:00.002+07:00

Source: Radio Free Asia
Reported in English by Khmerization

The U.S ambassador to Cambodia, Mrs. Carol Rodley, has inaugurated a one million dollar Pursat College, in a grand ceremony attended by 5,000 students and villagers.

Pursat College was built by U.S funds in the 1960s, but has fallen into disrepair through years of neglect.

A year 12 student, 18 year-old Him Vicheth, said he was in constant fears that the building might collapse on top of the students any time. "It's very old, everything was broken. When there is rains, it leaks everywhere. I study there and when there is rain and it's windy we cannot study because the building is too old, everything is broken", he said.

Lim Hu Ninn, another year 12 student, said he is very happy with the renovations. "I'm very happy because the school buildings are very old and after they were renovated by the U.S embassy, the scool looks very new and it is very comfortable (to study there). If we can, we want to ask for one more building because we need more (school) buildings because we students need to use the building with other students", he said.

Mr. Suong Sophy, director of Sports Department, said other than Pursat College, the United States government had funded the building of a six-room Pro-Ngil Primary School and a six-room Keo Sovan Junior High School in Pursat that cost one million dollars in total.

Mrs. Carol Rodly, U.S ambassador to Cambodia, said the fundings of schools and colleges in Pursat are just one part of the U.S educational aid to Cambodia. She said the U.S government has provided and will continue to provide scholarships to brilliant Cambodian students to further their education in the United States.

Cambodia To Begin Jatropha Oil Production

2009-10-01T09:28:00.000+07:00

VOA

NCT Jacam Energy Co., a joint venture between Cambodia and Japan, will begin production of jatropha oil in October, raising production to an expected 5,000 liters per day for local consumption.

Jatropha can be used to make biodiesel and could be used to meet demands in rural electricity, river ferries and agricultural and construction machinery, said Chheuy Sophors, president of NCT Jacam.

The company began operations in August, with an investment of $400,000 in a factory in Kampong Speu province, following three years of experimentation. However, the company does not have its own jatropha plantation and would require 5,000 tons of the plant per year. Some 3 kilograms to 4 kilograms of jatropha are required for 1 liter of jatropha oil.

The oil can be bought for around 3,400 riel, less than $1, per liter, equal to the current price of petroleum, but it lasts longer, Chheuy Sophors said. It can be used by any machinery that uses petroleum. Cambodia already produces bio-ethanol from cassava, which can be mixed with gasoline.

“If we can produce [jatropha oil], especially to supply rural areas, first of all, our people will have employment and our country won’t need to import oil from outside,” said Sath Samy, secretary of state for the Ministry of Mines and Energy. “Or at least we can reduce imports, as we produce [oil] from jatropha.”

Jatropha is grown in many Asian countries, supplying markets in Europe and the US, where it has become popular as a green product helping reduce global warming.

However, in Cambodia, it is not grown in massive amounts and is generally only found growing along fences outside people’s homes.

More than 10 companies from Japan, Malaysia and China are now investing in growing the plant in Cambodia, covering 3,000 to 4,000 hectares in the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Koh Kong.

Most companies are still in an experimentation stage.

“We are producing jatropha seed for ourselves, and some of them will be sent to our Japanese partner for testing,” said Tum Pen Vireak Vitour, president of Eco-Agro Japan Cambodia Energy, which is growing 100 hectares of jatropha in Preah Sihanouk province.

San Yu, a representative of Singapore’s Green Acres, said his company was growing 100 hectares in Kampong Chhnang but needed a few more years before production. San Yu, also the president of Development and Appropriate Technology, said the delay is due in part to a shortage of seeds in Cambodia.

Other problems include irrigation, low-lying land, and length of time needed to rent land and limitations of local people.

“All of these stop us from speeding up the process,” he said.

Jatropha can survive for 50 years, yielding up to 2 kg per truck after nine months and up to 20 kilograms per truck after 10 years, as long as it is fully irrigated.

Jatropha investments remains low, San Yu said, as people are still waiting to see the progress of other companies.

US Ambassador Warns of Energy Crunch

2009-10-01T09:26:00.002+07:00

VOA

In the coming years, Cambodia will face some of the most expensive energy prices in the region and will suffer from a lack of energy that could hurt economic growth, US Ambassador Carol Rodley said Wednesday.

Rodley was speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh on energy development for the Greater Mekong sub-region, which ended Wednesday.

A number of energy companies, including General Electric and Chevron, as well as ConocoPhillips, AES, Schlumberger, Dupont and Rockwell Automation warn that Cambodia continues to suffer from the lack of energy resources and needs energy supplies for promoting economic growth.

“Energy prices here are amongst the highest in Asia, and connectivity is one of the lowest,” Rodely said.

The Greater Mekong subregion includes Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and the Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan.

“GMS energy infrastructure will require billions of dollars of investment if energy supply is to keep pace with energy demand,” Rodley said. “In the next decade, the demand for energy at national levels is expected to continue to rise between 7 percent and 16 percent per annum. The challenges facing the GMS in the energy sector are not unique: high economic growth of the region is driving the demand for energy, whereas almost 50 million people in the GMS lack access to electricity.”

Phalla Phan, undersecretary-general of the Supreme National Economic Council, recognized that energy prices in Cambodia are very high compared to its neighbors.

The average energy price in Cambodia is $0.16 per kilowatt-hour, but that price can rise as high as $0.90 per in rural areas.

“The government must rethink its energy policies to reduce energy price, just like its neighbors,” said Yim Sovann, spokesman for Sam Rainsy Party. “It affects our economic growth and the living of people, if the government does not reduce energy price.”

Ty Norin, head of the Electricite du Cambodge said the government has many plans to develop the energy sector and achieve the right price.

“We have a major goal to develop more than enough in an improved and effective energy sector compared to the past,” he said.

Rodley said the development of the energy sector in one country would benefit the development of all in the region, adding Cambodia “has ambitious plans to expand the country’s electrical production and connectivity.”

“The GMS economies are undergoing multiple transitions: from agriculture to industry and services, and rural to urban migration,” she said. “These transitions will drive energy demand growth in coming decades.”

Thailand committed to solving border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means: Thai spokesman

2009-09-30T15:48:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

Thailand's acting government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday that his country has committed to solving the border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means base on the bilateral framework.

The acting government spokesman's statement was made after news reports saying that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers in the disputed border area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Thai News Agency reported.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not worried about the latest development at the Thai-Cambodian border as the two leaders earlier have agreed they will not let the border dispute affect the broader relations of the two countries, said Panithan.

If the two countries use forces to solve the border dispute, it will negatively affect the two neighboring countries and the ASEAN group, Panithan said.

In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he plans to meet with Hun Sen, who will attend the forthcoming ASEAN Summit in Thailand, to discuss about the border dispute.

Thailand, which is the 2009 chairmanship of ASEAN, will host the 15th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits from Oct. 21-25 in central beach resort town Cha-am and Hua Hin.

Thailand's death toll from A/H1N1 infection rises to 165

2009-09-30T15:47:00.000+07:00

Xinhua

Thailand's Public Health Ministry on Wednesday announced five more deaths due to the A/H1N1 influenza infection, bringing the country's death toll to 165.

The ministry has also instructed provincial health organizations to help protect the Thai people from the A/H1N1 influenza amid the coming of the Typhoon Ketsana, Thai News Agency reported.

Thailand had its first two confirmed patients on May 12.

Ketsana leaves more than 300 dead across SE Asia

2009-09-30T15:42:00.000+07:00

By ROHAN SULLIVAN (AP)

MANILA, Philippines — One of the most destructive storms in years extended its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides after submerging much of the Philippine capital.

The death toll Wednesday climbed past 300 and was rising.

"We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. But I've never seen a storm this strong," said Nam Tum, governor of Cambodia's Kampong Thom province.

The immediate threat was easing as Typhoon Ketsana was downgraded to a tropical depression as it crossed Wednesday into a fourth nation, Laos. But its powerful winds and pummeling rain left a snaking trail of destruction.

Landslides triggered by the storm slammed into houses in central Vietnam on Tuesday, burying at least seven people including five members of the same family, the government said. They were among 52 people killed in the country, some by falling trees, officials said.

The storm destroyed or damaged nearly 170,000 homes and flattened crops across six central Vietnamese provinces, officials said. More than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon's path, posing a logistical headache to shelter and feed them.

Parts of hard-hit Quang Nam province were cut off by floodwaters and fallen trees on roads, said local official Nguyen Hoai Phuong. World Vision said Quang Tri province was also unreachable.

In neighboring Cambodia, at least 11 people were killed and 29 injured Tuesday as the storm toppled dozens of rickety houses in Kampong Thom province, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Five members of the same family died when the storm toppled their home as they ate dinner, said Neth Sophana of the Red Cross. Others were swept away by floodwaters.

Neth Sophana said about 90 homes were destroyed.

Authorities were searching for more victims and rushing food, medical supplies and plastic sheeting for temporary tents to storm-hit areas.

Light rain was falling over some parts of the disaster zone Wednesday, and most rivers had peaked in the morning and were starting to slowly recede, Vietnam's National Weather Forecast Center said.

But the cleanup task was enormous.

In the Philippines, Ketsana on Saturday triggered the worst flooding in 40 years across a swath of the island nation's north and submerged riverside districts of the sprawling capital of 12 million people.

Officials said 2.3 million people had their homes swamped, and 400,000 were seeking help in relief centers hastily set up in schools and other public buildings — even the presidential palace. The Philippines death toll stood at 246, with 42 people missing.

Frustration boiled over at some sites.

Flood victims rushed at an army helicopter delivering boxes of clothes to a relief center in Rodriguez town in hard-hit Rizal province just east of the capital, an Associated Press photographer at the scene said. No one was apparently injured.

Elsewhere in Rizal, police said they were investigating reports that flood victims mobbed two convoys carrying relief supplies and pelted the trucks with stones.

"Apparently victims who were hoping to receive the relief goods blocked the convoy," police official Leopoldo Bataoil told The AP, adding that the report was unconfirmed.

At relief centers, women and children clutching bags of belongings lined up for bottled water, boiled eggs and packets of instant noodles for a fourth day. Men waded through thick, gooey sludge back to their homes to clean up the mud — sometimes two feet (half a meter) deep — using shovels and brooms.

Manila's main downtown business and tourist district was largely unscathed.

Another tropical storm was headed toward the southern Philippines on Wednesday but was still 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) off the coast. If it stays on its current path, it could bring winds more powerful than Ketsana's and driving rain back to the Manila area Saturday, said Nathaniel Cruz of the government's weather agency.

The government has declared a "state of calamity" in Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces and estimated the damage at $100 million. It concedes its ability to cope with the disaster is stretched to the limit and has appealed for foreign aid, and accepted pledges from the United States, Australia, Japan and other nations.

Associated Press writers Teresa Cerojano and Jim Gomez in Manila, Minh Van Tran in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia, contributed to this report.

Cambodian and Thai soldiers clashed in Ouddor Meanchey province

2009-09-30T15:38:00.002+07:00

Source: everyday.com.kh
Reported in English by Khmerization

The Reaksmei Kampuchea Daily reported that on the midnight of 27th September, a group of Cambodian and Thai soldiers based on borders in OuddorMeanchey province have engaged in a brief gunbattle.

A Cambodian military source said that a group of Thai soldiers have launched an attack on a group of Cambodian soldiers who were on patrol at 2.30 am along the borders at Kbal Ansong point west of Choam Sa-Ngam Pass in Anlong Veng district. The Cambodian soldiers have exercised their self-defence by returning fires.

The fighting only lasted a few minutes and there was no reported casualty from either side.

Typhoon Ketsana kills 11 in Cambodia: official

2009-09-30T15:31:00.001+07:00

AFP

Typhoon Ketsana has killed at least 11 people in northeastern and central Cambodia, police and government officials said Wednesday, after the storm left another 38 dead in Vietnam.

Nine were killed and 35 injured in central Cambodia while two died in the northeast overnight as the country was battered by the storm, officials said.

"At least nine people were crushed last night when their houses fell down," said Chea Cheat, chief of the Red Cross office in central Kampong Thom province.

Chea Cheat added that at least 92 houses in his province were destroyed Tuesday evening and that heavy rain and rising floods were continuing.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their inundated homes, Ray Rai, police chief of northeastern Ratanakiri province, told AFP.

The storm packed winds of up to 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour when it hit central Cambodia Tuesday evening, Ly Thuch, deputy chief of the National Committee for Disaster Management.

Seth Vannareth, director of Cambodia's department of meteorology, said Cambodians were experiencing high flooding but the storm's winds were decreasing as it moved over the country towards Laos.

Singapore offers to host ASEAN-U.S. summit

2009-09-29T07:56:00.002+07:00

Xinhua

Singapore has offered to host a leaders summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States later this year, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

The ministry said in a statement that Singapore has offered to host a stand alone meeting between the leaders of the ten ASEAN member states and the United States.

"Singapore welcomes reports of U.S. President Barack Obama's keenness to meet with ASEAN Leaders. Pending confirmation from the U.S., the meeting is planned for Nov. 15, 2009," according to the statement.

1500 American soldiers to hold a military exercise in Cambodia

2009-09-29T07:47:00.002+07:00

everyday.com.kh
Reported in English by Khmerization

A senior Cambodian military official said on Saturday 26th that about 1500 U.S soldiers will participate in military exercises in Cambodia in mid 2010.

Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of the Cambodian Defence Ministry, said that approximately 2000 troops from around 20 countries, 1500 of them are American soldiers, will join in the military exercises.

These military exercises, codenamed Global Peace Operation Initiatives, are sponsored by the United States and will be staged in June or July next year.

Under the plans, these military exercises will be staged in Phnom Penh and Phnom Sruoch district in Kampong Speu province.

CPP: Mu Sochua's immunity will be reinstated if she withdraws lawsuit againt PM Hun Sen

2009-09-29T07:45:00.000+07:00

everyday.com.kh
Reported in English by Khmerization

A senior member of parliament from the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said on Thursday 24th that the National Assembly might give back Mrs. Mu Sochua and Mr. Ho Vann their parliamentary immunity if the court drops all charges against the two MPs and sends a request for the reinstatement of their parliamentary immunity to the National Assembly.

Mr. Cheam Yeap, MP from the CPP, told "Hello VOA" program recently that the parliament will vote to reinstate the pair's immunity when the court drops all charges against them.

Mrs. Mu Sochua was fined 16.5 million riels ($8,500) by the Phnom Penh court on 4th August for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and Mr. Ho Vann was sued by 22 military officers for defamation, but the case against him has been dropped by the court last week.

The National Assembly is sheduled to meet on 1st October, but up until now there is no request from the court asking the parliament to reinstate the pair's parliamentary immunity yet.

Health & Education In Cambodia

2009-09-29T07:38:00.000+07:00

Voice of America
Editorials
The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the US government

This month, the United States and Cambodia signed amendments to 2 bilateral agreements that will provide $34.8 million in 2009 funding to support Cambodian priorities in health and education.

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Carol Rodley presided over the September 8th signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Flynn Fuller, United States Agency for International Development [USAID] Mission Director, signed on behalf of their respective governments.

"I am pleased to be here to reaffirm the commitment of the American people to investing in the health and education of the Cambodian people," Ambassador Rodley said.

"By working side by side with our colleagues in the Cambodian government, we've helped stem the tide of HIV/AIDS, improve the quality of basic health services, and enhance the relevance and availability of education for thousands of youth."

The amendment to the first agreement consists of $31.6 million in grant funds to achieve health objectives. Funds will be used to promote a variety of activities to reduce the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS; to prevent and control major infectious diseases such as tuberculosis; to fight avian influenza and other influenza-like illnesses; to improve maternal, reproductive, and children's health; and to strengthen Cambodian public-health systems.

The amendment to the second agreement will provide $3.2 million in grant funds to support the Cambodian government's education objectives. These funds will support the launch of a new program that will build on USAID's ongoing education program, which is improving the quality and relevance of basic education and increasing access to schooling for all children, including minorities, people with disabilities, and the very poor.

Activities will also focus on reducing school dropout and repetition rates through improvements in teaching quality, school-management training, and measuring student academic achievement. The total amount of direct, bilateral assistance through all foreign assistance accounts is $65.1 million in fiscal year 2009; of which USAID assistance accounts for $59.9 million.

The United States is committed to working with the government of Cambodia to help provide better education and health care to the Cambodian people.

Cambodian PM threatens to skip ASEAN summit over temple row

2009-09-29T07:33:00.000+07:00

Bureau Report

Phnom Penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said that he might skip a regional summit to be held in Thailand next month if a dispute over an ancient temple on the border between the two countries continues.

Hun Sen said he might send the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thailand is set to host the 15th ASEAN summit on October 23-25 at the coastal town of Hua Hin.

Hun Sen, meanwhile, said he will never hold talks with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on the 4.6 square kilometre area near the temple as long as his counterpart uses a particular map drawn up by Thailand.

The Premier also alleged that the border dispute was caused by internal problems of Thailand.

Since the border issue erupted last year, many rounds of talks at different levels including defence and foreign ministerial levels have been held but a concrete agreement or solution has proved elusive. The overall territorial dispute stems partly from the use of different border maps.

Cambodian leader warns Thais over border dispute

2009-09-29T07:30:00.002+07:00

Associated Press

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that anyone from Thailand who illegally intrudes into Cambodian territory claimed by both countries will be shot.

He also said that if Thai officials seeking to negotiate the border demarcation line present their own maps during bilateral talks, Cambodian officials should tear them up or walk out.

Speaking at the opening of the Tourism Ministry's new office in the capital, Phnom Penh, he charged that Thailand's leaders wanted to base their territorial claims on maps they drew up themselves because they wanted to occupy Cambodia's land.

A long-running dispute over territory heated up in July 2008 when UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, located on the border, named a World Heritage Site. Thailand initially supported the bid but then reneged after the move sparked outrage and protests.

Both sides rushed troops to the border, which resulted in several small gun battles.

The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over the surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

Hun Sen said for negotiations, Cambodia would accept only maps drawn up jointly by Thailand and France in 1904 and accepted as official by Thailand at the time.

"Any map not recognized internationally that the Thais submit for negotiation, please tear it up and I will do so also if in front of the Thai prime minister if he presents such a map for talks," Hun Sen said.

Thai government officials were not immediately available to comment on the remarks.

The Cambodian leader also denounced a Thai nationalist group that recently tried to march to the border to present its claim concerning the 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of disputed land near the temple.

Cambodian soldiers will use their weapons to protect the country's territory and will not allow such protesters to occupy Preah Vihear temple, he said.

"Whether civilians or military officers, whenever they enter illegally (into Cambodia territory), they will be shot," Hun Sen said.

The People's Alliance for Democracy blames current and past Thai governments for failing to protect national land and sovereignty. Several hundred of its members tried to force their way to the border on Sept. 19, triggering clashes with villagers and police that left at least 17 people injured.

The alliance is the same group that last year occupied the prime minister's offices in Bangkok for three months and seized the Thai capital's two airports for a week to try to bring down governments they opposed.

Japan supports telecom technician training

2009-09-24T17:15:00.002+07:00

VNA

Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications will continue to implement a programme to train telecom technicians for Laos , Cambodia and Myanmar with funding provided by Japan .

An agreement on the second phase of the project, lasting from 2009-2011, was signed in Hanoi on September 23 between the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Japan International Co-operation Agency.

During the four-week courses, technicians from the three beneficiary nations will be taught skills needed to operate and maintain circuits and digital microwave transmission equipment, as well as general knowledge about Internet Protocol (IP) and Next Generation Network (NGN) technologies.

The Institute of Post and Telecommunications Technology under the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group will directly conduct the training courses.

The first phase of the programme was carried out from 2005 and has reaped practical results for the information technology-communications sectors of each of the three targeted countries.

Border guard officers visit Cambodia

2009-09-24T17:14:00.002+07:00

VNA

A delegation of the High Command of the Border Guard of Vietnam, headed by its Deputy Commander Nguyen Phuoc Loi, is paying a friendship visit to Cambodia from September 22-25.

On September 23, the officers visited the Supreme Command Headquarters of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), where they met with General Pol Saroeun.

The General warmly welcomed the Vietnamese delegation, describing their visit as proof of the friendship between the armies of the two fraternal nations.

The two sides reviewed the results of co-operation between the border guard forces of Vietnam and Cambodia , and shared experiences in maintaining security along their common borderline.

Saroeun emphasised bilateral co-operation in training military officers, saying that hundreds of Cambodian officers were trained in Vietnam and have served effectively in the RCAF in recent years.

Loi said the Vietnamese side have worked closely with their Cambodian counterparts, particularly in the exchange of information and in combating cross-border crimes.

These co-operative ties form a firm foundation for Vietnam and Cambodia to build their shared borderline into an area of peace, friendship, co-operation and development, he said.

The same day, the Vietnamese delegates paid a courtesy visit to leaders of the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence and met with Director General of National Police Neth Savoeun.

The guests are scheduled to visit Cambodia’s south-western-most province, Koh Kong, on September 24 and 25 before wrapping up their trip.

Two journalists in Cambodia convicted of defamation, fined; lawmaker acquitted

2009-09-24T17:12:00.002+07:00

SEAPA

A Cambodian court found two journalists guilty of defamation on 22 September 2009 for publishing an article in which an opposition lawmaker criticized a group of military officers, media reports said.

The Associated Press said "Cambodian Daily" editor-in-chief Kevin Doyle and reporter Neou Vannarin were each fined US$1,000. Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sin Visal said, "The article published in their paper caused confusion among the Cambodian people and damaged the dignity of the military officers."

Opposition legislator Ho Vann, who had also been charged with defamation by a group of 22 senior military officers, was acquitted for lack of evidence, according to Judge Sin Visal.

The "Cambodia Daily" ran a story in April this year in which Ho Vann, a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, was quoted as saying that the military certificates received by the officers in a year-long program in Vietnam were "useless". The officers sued Hor Vann for defamation.

This conviction came on the same day that opposition leader Sam Rainsy told members of the international media in a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand that Prime Minister Hun Sen's government has been actively suppressing dissent in Cambodia.

Sam Rainsy in the SEAPA-sponsored event accused Hun Sen of depriving the Cambodian government of hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue through graft and corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

He said that the worldwide economic crisis is also taking its toll on ordinary Cambodians, resulting in a simmering discontentment among the population. Sam Rainsy said Hun Sen is thus cracking down on the media, the opposition and even civil society groups to contain the situation.

Duong Hak Sam Rithy, vice president of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ), claimed in the SEAPA-sponsored press conference that some 10 journalists have been killed by suspected government agents.

In July this year, Ho Vann, along with a party colleague, Mu Sochua, were stripped of their parliamentary immunity to enable the government to charge them with defamation.

Last month, the same court convicted Mu Sochua of defaming Hun Sen and ordered her to pay US$2,000 to the state and another US$1,882 in compensation to the prime minister.

Doyle, an Irish national, said the newspaper will appeal against the court's ruling.

Kasit, Suthep to explain border row

2009-09-24T17:11:00.002+07:00

Bangkok Post

The government will explain the situation on the Thai-Cambodian border in a television broadcast after the foreign minister returns from the United Nations, acting Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Thursday.

He was responding to the the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's (UDD) accusation the government of not taking any action over roads were being constructed on a disputed 4.6-square-kilometre territory near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple.

"I'll invite Foreign Minister Kasit (Piromya) to explain the border situation to the public with me after he returns from the United Nations General Assembly in New York," Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, said.

He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had clear evidence to counter the red-shirts' accusation that the government was being passive.

"The red-clad leaders must be careful about raising this issue, because it could turn to hurt them in the end," he warned.

"The roads were built during the previous government. And even if there are roads in the border area it does not mean that the land belongs to Cambodia," he said.

Mr Suthep said Thai and Cambodian authorities should also meet to discuss the disputed maritime zone in the Gulf, where Phnom Penh has granted a concession to a French company to explore for petroleum in the area.

He said the two countries should discuss this so both could benefit from it, similar to the way Malaysia and Vietnam and discussed issues.