P Penh must remove flag: PM

By THE NATION

Abhisit talks tough after PAD raises issue during protest outside his office

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that Cambodia had no right to rise its national flag over the disputed border area adjacent to the Preah Vihear Temple.

"If there is such flag, it needs to be taken down," Abhisit told reporters, but noted that he did not know where exactly this flag has been raised.

Abhisit made the comment after the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) raised the issue while protesting outside the Prime Minister's Office.

Cambodia agreed earlier to removed two stone tablets at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvara, which indicated that the area belonged to Cambodia and had been invaded by Thai troops in 2008

Abhisit said Cambodia did not have the right to declare sovereignty in the area, because Thailand was also claiming the land.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over areas adjacent to Preah Vihaer for long time, though the boundary in the temple's vicinity has not yet been demarcated.

Preah Vihear, as ruled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962, is situated in a territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia, but Thailand is arguing that it owns the 4.6 square kilometres area surrounding the temple, and the land the stone ruins are standing on.

Cambodia, meanwhile, claims that the 1:200000-scale map made by France showed that the Preah Vihear and its vicinity were on the Cambodian side. The ICJ used this map for its ruling.

The PAD is mounting pressure on Abhisit's government, demanding that it scrap the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on land-boundary demarcation signed with Cambodia since 2000 and use force to evict the Cambodian community living in the area.

The group first got angry when Phnom Penh managed to get a World Heritage Site inscription for the temple in 2008. The group, along with Abhisit as opposition leader, accused the then-government of Samak Sundaravej of supporting Cambodia's application for the status.

When Abhisit took office with PAD's blessings in late 2008, he maintained his position to oppose Cambodia over inscription. He stood strong against Preah Vihear's management plan proposed by Phnom Penh on grounds that the conflict over the temple's surrounding area had not yet been settled.

Abhisit told reporters yesterday that the ongoing conflict with Cambodia would be a good excuse for him to continue blocking the Preah Vihear management plan.

However, his plans to settle the boundary disputes are different from those of the PAD. He believes that the joint-boundary mechanism set up in accordance with the 2000 MoU could work to end the problem. The PAD said the MoU, which was signed under the Democrat-led government with Chuan Leekpai at the reins, would never work because it recognised the French map that indicated the area belonged to Cambodia.

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Ministry Accepts Many NGO Changes to Draft Law

The Ministry of Interior has accepted most of the recommendations from the non-governmental sector as it moves forward with a draft law on governing NGOs, although some concerning provisions remain, officials said Thursday.

Organizations had said they worried the new law, which seeks tighter regulations of the sector, would inhibit the growth and develop of the country by making it difficult for NGOs to both form and operate.

In a meeting between the government and NGO sectors earlier this month, organizations said they wanted to see changes to 21 articles of the law to prevent bureaucratic logjams that could diminish their effectiveness. Many of their recommendations were accepted, officials said.

“The Ministry of Interior agreed to exclude community-based organizations or associations in rural areas in the draft law,” said Sin Somony, executive director of Medicam, an umbrella group of medical NGOs.

Small, rural groups would have had a hard time forming under the previous version of the law, a potential danger to grassroots organizations in many communities.

The ministry agreed to lower the number of national founders to any group, from 21 to 11, Sin Somony said. The ministry also agreed to strike a provision in the law that called for reporting of changes or dismissals of any staff members, though changes in organizational leadership will still be required.

For all the positive changes, areas of concern remain, he said.

For example, the law still prohibits an alliance between Cambodian and international NGOs, which will be detrimental to the capacity development of local organizations, he said.

Chhith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum, a large association of organizations, said the law must provide for such alliances.

“If the current draft law is not changed, it’s worrisome to NGOs,” he said. “So we demand they provide a clear definition of alliances between local and international NGOs to make possible their continuous work to help develop Cambodia.”

The ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs will need further discussion on that question, said Nouth Saan, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, he confirmed that many of the changes had been accepted.

Regardless, Sin Somony said NGOs appreciated a chance to discuss the law with the government before it moves to the Council of Ministers for approval and the National Assembly for passage.

“It is a good step forward, because the government accepted the NGO recommendations and showed good will,” he said. “So we hope the second draft law on non-governmental organizations will reflect what NGO and government representatives talked about.”

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ADB provides Cambodia 44 mln USD for development projects

PHNOM PENH, Jan 27, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday provided Cambodia 44 million U.S. dollars in grant and loan for three development projects. The grant and loan agreement was signed by Keat Chhon, Cambodia' s deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, and ADB.

The agreements cover the Financial Sector Program (Cluster 2, Subprogram 4), the Second Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Communicable Disease Control Project, and the GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project.

ADB is providing loans of 10 million U.S. dollars and grants of 5 million U.S. dollars under the Financial Sector Program (Cluster 2, Subprogram 4), which supports development of a sound, market- based financial sector.

The program, which began in 2007, has led to increased bank lending of 1.52 billion US dollars, the creation of over 12,000 jobs, and the opening of over 980 new branches of banks and microfinance institutions throughout Cambodia.

To support the government's drive to minimize economic impact of public health threats, ADB is providing 10 million U.S. dollars in grants to expand surveillance response systems to control dengue outbreaks, and prevent the spread of communicable diseases in the GMS countries such as cholera, typhoid, and HIV/AIDS, as well as tropical illnesses such as Japanese encephalitis and schistosomiasis.

The community-based communicable disease control systems funded by the project cover around 1.7 million people living in 116 border districts in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. About one-third of the population in the target areas belong to ethnic minority groups.

The 19 million U.S. dollars grant for the Cambodia part of the GMS Biodiversity Project is part of the 69 million U.S. dollars GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project, which aims to conserve more than 1.9 million hectares of threatened forest, home to over 170,000 mostly poor, ethnic minority groups in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The project will include planting indigenous trees to restore habitats in over 19,000 hectares of degraded forest land.

"These GMS projects will support sustainable economic growth by preventing public health threats, reducing negative impacts on economic productivity, trade and tourism, and conserving threatened forest land. They will contribute to poverty reduction and income generation for poor and disadvantaged communities, including ethnic minorities," said Putu Kamayana, ADB Country Director for Cambodia.

With the signing today, ADB has approved a total of 160.8 million U.S. dollars in Asian Development Fund grants and loans for Cambodia in 2010, plus an additional 36.8 million U.S. dollars mobilized from co-financing partners such as the Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund, the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Nordic Development Fund. Read more!

Recently released market study: Cambodia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2011

Fast Market Research recommends "Cambodia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2011" from Business Monitor International, now available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jan 27, 2011 – In our Q111 Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings (BER), Cambodia remains last of the 17 pharmaceutical markets surveyed in the Asia Pacific region. Globally, Cambodia ranks 80th among the 83 countries surveyed, and is considered a more attractive pharmaceutical investment prospect than only Nicaragua, Zimbabwe and Honduras. Given issues with corruption, counterfeit pharmaceuticals political situation and funding pressures within the country, Cambodia is unlikely to rise up the regional matrix in the short to medium term.

On a positive note, there have been some improvements with regard to the presence of counterfeit drugs in Cambodia. Around 65% of the illegal pharmacies operating in Cambodia have been closed as a result of a major anti-counterfeiting operation undertaken by the Cambodian government, according to recent reports by the US Pharmacopeia. Moreover, a new study, published in October 2010, revealed that approximately 3% of drugs sold in licensed outlets in Cambodia are counterfeit, a lower proportion than in previous years. However, despite this lower level of counterfeit drugs, a greater proportion failed quality assessment tests, indicating that efforts to control the issue must continue.

Cambodia's pharmaceutical market was calculated to be worth KHR711bn (US$172mn) in 2009. In 2010, we calculate that pharmaceutical expenditure will reach a value of KHR815bn (US$194mn). BMI forecasts drug consumption to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% in local currency terms, and 11.2% in US dollar terms over the next five years, to reach a value of KHR1,190bn (US$292mn) in 2014. Spending on drugs currently represents over a quarter of total health expenditure, with this proportion expected to continue rising in the coming years, driven by volume rather than value changes. Our long-term forecast is for the market to reach KHR1,925bn (US$481mn) in 2019, equivalent to a CAGR of 10.5% in local currency terms, and 10.8% in US dollar terms over the 10-year period. However, risks are on the downside, given the lack of political and social stability, especially in the face of widespread corruption and - more recently - violations of land rights by government officials.

We believe that the impressive rebound in Cambodian trade exports following the global financial crisis will fade going into 2011. Cambodia's heavy reliance on United States (US) and the European Union (EU) demand indicates a vulnerable trade structure that will be susceptible to a slowdown in external demand in 2011. This will also have an impact on the availability of public finances for the improvement of healthcare services, while international donations may be also stretched by the global slowdown. Forced evictions will, at the same time, increase the number of Cambodians living in poverty, creating political uncertainties in the coming months.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/111513_cambodia_pharmaceutica ...


Report Table of Contents:

Executive Summary
SWOT Analysis
- Cambodia Pharmaceuticals And Healthcare Industry SWOT
Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings
- Table: Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings, Q111
- Rewards
- Risks
Cambodia - Market Summary
Regulatory Regime
- Intellectual Property Environment
- Counterfeit Medicine
- Pricing And Reimbursement
Industry Trends and Developments
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Sector
- Health Insurance
- Research & Development Sector
- Clinical Trials
- Medical Devices
Industry Forecast Scenario
- Pharmaceutical Market Forecast
- Table: Pharmaceutical Market Forecast, 2006-2014
- Healthcare Market Forecast
- Table: Healthcare Expenditure Forecast, 2006-2014
- Macroeconomic Forecasts
- Table: Cambodia - Economic Activity
- Medical Devices Forecast
- Table: Medical Devices Market Forecast, 2006-2014
- Pharmaceutical Trade Forecast
- Table: Pharmaceutical Trade Forecast, 2006-2014
- Key Risks to BMI's Forecast Scenario
Competitive Landscape
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Pharmaceutical Company Developments
- Pharmaceutical Wholesale
- Pharmaceutical Retail
Company Profiles
- Indigenous Companies
- PharmaProduct Manufacturing
- Cambodia Pharmaceutical Enterprises
- Multinational Companies
- Sanofi-Aventis
- Pfizer
Country Snapshot: Cambodia Demographic Data
- Section 1: Population
- Table: Demographic Indicators, 2005-2030
- Table: Rural/Urban Breakdown, 2005-2030
- Section 2: Education And Healthcare
- Table: Education, 2002-2005
- Table: Vital Statistics, 2005-2030
- Section 3: Labour Market And Spending Power
- Table: Employment Indicators, 2000-2004
- Table: Consumer Expenditure, 2000-2009 (US$mn)
- Table: Average Annual Manufacturing Wages, 1996-2001
BMI Methodology
- How We Generate Our Pharmaceutical Industry Forecasts
- Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings Methodology
- Ratings Overview
- Table: Pharmaceutical Business Environment Indicators
- Weighting
- Table: Weighting Of Components
- Sources

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets. BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports. Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports. View more research from Business Monitor International at http://www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

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