By Kounila Keo Kounila Keo
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Phnom Penh this week in his new role as economics adviser, the Cambodian PM said Sunday, further stoking a row with Thailand.
"Thaksin will be at the Ministry of Economy and Finance on November 12 to do a briefing with more than 300 Cambodian economics experts," Hun Sen told a news conference at Phnom Penh International Airport.
The visit is set to increase tensions with neighbouring Thailand, which have escalated since Wednesday when Cambodia announced the appointment of Thaksin -- ousted as Thai prime minister in a 2006 coup -- as economics adviser.
Both countries Thursday recalled their respective ambassadors and Thailand warned Friday that it could seal the border.
"If you want to close, close it. The loss will be mutual," said Hun Sen Sunday, pointing out that Thailand had more to lose in terms of border trade profit.
"If Thais want to close the border, Cambodia will follow. If Thais close the border, all trade between Cambodia and Thailand will be cut off," Hun Sen told reporters.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but Cambodia said last week the charges against him were "politically motivated" and vowed not to extradite him if he travelled to the country.
"Please let Thaksin share my burden of boosting the economy of Cambodia," Hun Sen appealed to the Thai people Sunday.
Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said billionaire Thaksin faced a "conflict of interest", having previously been chief of negotiations in Thailand and now working "for another side".
Twice-elected Thaksin remains a deeply divisive figure in Thailand, where his supporters have stirred up a series of protests in recent months against the government.
His own allies were forced from government in December 2008 after anti-Thaksin demonstrators held a crippling blockade of Bangkok's airports.
Abhisit used his weekly television programme to defend Thailand's handling of the spat with Cambodia, saying it had acted "calmly and carefully".
The two countries have fought a series of deadly clashes on their border since July 2008 in a dispute over land around an ancient Cambodian temple that was granted UN World Heritage Status.
"There is no reason to make tensions at the border which might lead to clashes," Abhisit added.
Hun Sen also used his press conference on Sunday to downplay tensions at the border, announce the withdrawal of elite paratroopers from disputed territory near Preah Vihear temple because the situation there was "quiet".
Commander Chab Pheakdey, head of the unit, refused to divulge the number of soldiers that would be withdrawn from the area.
The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, General Surin Pitsuwan, urged Thailand and Cambodia on Saturday to show "maximum restraint" in their ongoing spat.
He said the 10-country bloc should not be seen to be divided by the dispute ahead of a historic meeting with US President Barack Obama and regional leaders later this month. But Abhisit denied the issue would affect the summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also told Hun Sen at a bilateral meeting in Tokyo Saturday that he was "concerned" about the row, a Japanese official said.
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Sunday, November 08, 2009
Cambodia announces Thaksin visit
Thaksin to visit Cambodia this week: PM
PHNOM PENH - Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Cambodia this week in his new role as the government's economics adviser, the Cambodian Prime Minister told reporters Sunday.
"Thaksin will be at the Ministry of Economy and Finance on November 12, to do a briefing with more than 300 Cambodian economics experts," Hun Sen told a news conference at Phnom Penh International Airport.
The visit is likely to increase tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, which have escalated since Wednesday when Cambodia announced the appointment of Thaksin, who was ousted as Thai prime minister in a 2006 coup.
Both countries Thursday recalled their respective ambassadors and Thailand warned Friday that it could seal the border.
"If you want to close, close it. The loss will be mutual," said Hun Sen Sunday, pointing out that Thailand had more to lose in terms of border trade profit.
"If Thais want to close the border, Cambodia will follow. If Thais close the border, all trade between Cambodia and Thailand will be cut off," Hun Sen told reporters.
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but Cambodia said last week the charges against him were "politically motivated" and vowed not to extradite him if he travelled to the country.
"Please let Thaksin share my burden of boosting the economy of Cambodia," Hun Sen appealed to the Thai people Sunday.
But the premier also used the press conference to downplay tensions at the border, announce the withdrawal of elite paratroopers from disputed territory near Preah Vihear temple.
The two countries have fought a series of deadly clashes on their border since July 2008 in the dispute over land around the ancient Cambodian temple that was granted UN World Heritage Status.
"After examining the situation at the border between Cambodia and Thailand, the situation was quiet," Hun Sen said.
"So I announce the withdrawal of special paratroop number 911 from the area at Preah Vihear temple, and their return to the headquarters. The implementation will be finished within a week."
Commander Chab Pheakdey, head of the unit, refused to divulge the number of soldiers that would be withdrawn from the area.
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Cambodia to withdraw part of its troops from border areas with Thailand: PM
PHNOM PENH, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday afternoon announced that Cambodia has planed to withdraw part of its troops from the border areas with Thailand.
Hun Sen made the announcement at a press conference held at the Phnom Penh International Airport where he arrived from the first Mekong-Japan Summit from Nov. 6 to 7, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.
"What I should start with today is that after examining the border issue between Cambodia and Thailand, the situation is normal, quiet, then we decide to withdraw small unit 911 from Preah Vihear to the camp, and one week from now, complete withdrawal," Hun Sen said, adding that "The dispute is not between the two nationalities of Cambodian and Thai, or the two peoples, nor military and ministry between the two countries, but Abhisit and Hun Sen or Bangkok and Phnom Penh."
Relations between the two neighboring countries were strained in the past week when Cambodia named ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra its economic adviser. Thailand recalled its ambassador Thursday, and Cambodia followed suit.
Hun Sen also told reporters that Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Cambodia to give a lecture on Thursday. He said that "Thaksin will make a lecture on economic topics in Phnom Penh on Nov. 12 in the morning to 300 people. I cannot tell you when and from where he will come through, but he will make a lecture here." (PNA/Xinhua)
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Thailand protecting 'dignity’ in Cambodia spat: PM
AFP, Bangkok
Thailand's prime minister Sunday defended his actions in an ongoing spat with Cambodia over Phnom Penh's job offer to a fugitive former Thai premier, saying he had to protect the country's dignity.
"All the government has done is for dignity of the country and Thai people," said premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, adding that Thailand had acted "calmly and carefully" to deal with the recent escalation of tensions. Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday recalled their respective ambassadors after Cambodia appointed Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted as Thailand's prime minister in a coup in 2006, as an economic adviser.
Abhisit said billionaire Thaksin faced a "conflict of interest", having previously been chief of negotiations in Thailand and now working "for another side".
Thaksin is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but Cambodia said the charges against him were "politically motivated" and vowed not to extradite him if he travelled to the country. "Criticising our justice system is unacceptable," said Abhisit, although he said he thought Cambodia was "misinformed".
"Everyone has to protect our justice system's dignity," he added during his weekly television programme.
The two countries have fought a series of deadly clashes on their border since July 2008 in a dispute over land around an ancient Cambodian temple that was granted UN World Heritage Status.
"There is no reason to make tensions at the border which might lead to clashes," Abhisit added.
Thailand had warned Friday that it could seal the border between the two countries and further stoked the row by saying it would tear up an oil and gas exploration deal with Cambodia.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen at a bilateral meeting in Tokyo Saturday that he was "concerned" about the spat, a Japanese official said.
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Saturday, November 07, 2009
Ex-PM 'might move to Cambodia'
By WICHIT CHAITRONG
THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra is likely to use Cambodia as the new base for his political operations due to its proximity to Thailand, political scientist Chaianan Samudvanija said yesterday.
He said Cambodia would be more favourable for Thaksin as his current base - Dubai in the United Arab Emirates - is "too far away" from Thailand.
However, Chaianan, a former Constitution Court judge, said he thought Thaksin's decision to move his base to Cambodia "would not be a wise one". He explained that Thais generally are not familiar with having their politicians relying on assistance from other countries.
He was speaking at a seminar organised by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) in Pattaya.
Chaianan said that with Thaksin moving to Cambodia, political activities would become "more intense" as politicians close to him would find it easier to meet him in the neighbouring country.
He also had no worries about the increasing rivalry between the red shirts and the yellow shirts, saying the confrontation was part of political development to a higher level of democracy. He said Thais have become more politically active and their participation in political activities has become uninterrupted, unlike that during the brief periods around the student-led uprising of October 1973.
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Put country above self, Abhisit tells Thaksin
By The Nation on Sunday
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday hit back at ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, calling on him to review his stance over becoming an economic adviser to Cambodia.
The premier said Thaksin should put the country's interests ahead of his own and not hurt its relations with neighbouring countries.
Responding to Thaksin's statement accusing the government of using internal politics to pressure Cambodia, Abhisit said the government did not start the problem. He said it started when Cambodia announced its decision to appoint Thaksin an adviser, which adversely affects Thailand's justice system.
"I have met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen many times and we had good understanding, till Pheu Thai Party chairman General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh went to Cambodia and Thaksin was appointed as economic adviser to Cambdodia. The problem then started. Thaksin is a Thai, he should be sensitive and not blame the government,'' he said.
Abhisit said the government's downgrading of the country's relations with Cambodia was not too severe and would not lead to military clashes or affect bilateral trade.
He said Thaksin must review his stance in accepting to become an economic adviser to Cambodia because he knew all information as he had headed the government when Thailand signed the Memorandum of Understanding over the maritime overlapping zone.
"Which government will let the country lose its leverage and allow its justice system to be questioned? If we had not done that, how could have we have protected the country's interests?'' he said.
He said Thaksin's decision to side with Cambodia raised more suspicions against him over allegations that he had a vested interest over the signing of the MoU with Cambodia to seek interests in the overlapping zone.
"This make people wonder why Thaksin seems to be concerned about the interest of other countries more than his own country. They wonder whether he has a self-interest in that,'' Abhisit said.
The premier denied that the government was provoking nationalist sentiment, saying Thaksin was the one who had a problem not having nationalism.
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit yesterday said the party was concerned about recent opinion poll results, which showed that a majority of respondents supported the government's retaliation against Cambodia. He said both the Dusit Poll and Abac Poll were not impartial and the party would conduct a survey to find out the public response to the move.
He said Thaksin would on Tuesday clarify his stance about accepting the advisory position and the MoU agreement with Cambodia.
Pheu Thai MP Surapong Towichakkul challenged that if the Democrat Party believed the poll results that its popularity had surged it should dissolve Parliament and call a general election.
Also yesterday Borwornsak Uwanno, secretary-general of the King Prajadhipok's Institute, said the government had reacted correctly by recalling Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia. He warned, however, that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia could lead to the dissolution of Asean.
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INTERVIEW - Thai PM says no plan yet to seal border with Cambodia
By Yoko Nishikawa
TOKYO (Reuters) - Thailand said on Saturday it has no plan yet to seal its border with Cambodia despite a diplomatic row, but will seek to extradite fugitive former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, if he goes to Cambodia to become an adviser.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also told Reuters in an interview that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been recovering from his illness and he expected the 81-year-old king to be discharged from hospital soon.
Thailand and Cambodia deepened a diplomatic row by recalling their ambassadors from each others' countries on Thursday after Phnom Penh made Thaksin an economic adviser.
The tit-for-tat spat threatens to worsen political tensions in Thailand by potentially giving Thaksin a base across the border from where he can direct his supporters and causing a diplomatic embarrassment for Abhisit.
"We did not talk," Abhisit said when asked if he had a chance to speak with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen while he was in Tokyo for a summit of five Mekong region nations and Japan, which brought him and the Cambodian leader together at an awkward time.
"We would seek (his) extradition," Abhisit added when asked about his government's response if Thaksin goes to Cambodia.
"We do not accept the view that this is a political case. Rather, it is a straight-forward application of our laws."
But asked if Bangkok would seal its border with Cambodia, Abhisit said, "At the moment, we don't have plans to do that."
Thaksin, the twice-elected billionaire who was deposed in a coup three years ago and has been living in exile to avoid corruption charges, still commands widespread support in rural areas and remains a force in Thai politics.
Abhisit stressed the dispute did not affect the two-day Japan-Mekong summit meeting that ended earlier in the day.
"We are very conscious that this is an issue that we should solve bilaterally and that we should not let this get in the way of multilateral cooperation. So we won't allow to affect ASEAN. We won't allow to affect a forum like this," he said.
KING'S HEALTH
Abhisit said Thailand's king, who has been in hospital since Sept. 19, was recovering and that he was performing his duties from the hospital.
The 81-year-old king, the world's longest serving monarch, is regarded as semi-divine by many of the country's 67 million people.
"He has recovered and is now staying to do physiotherapy. And soon we expect His Majesty to be discharged from the hospital," Abhisit said, adding that the timing of the king's release from hospital would be up to doctors.
The king's health is a sensitive topic in financial markets because he is seen as the sole unifying figure in a politically polarised country with a long history of coups and upheaval.
Abhisit said the king was still performing his duties in hospital. "We have laws that have been signed and have come to affect, for instance, the budget law."
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POLITICS: Thai-Cambodia Diplomatic Row Bares Decades-Long Rift
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Thailand’s swift and strong response to Cambodia’s decision to appoint ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser exposed an emotional faultline rooted in decades of mutual suspicion and hatred.
By the weekend, Bangkok had delivered its second blow to an already tense relationship between the two South-east Asian kingdoms. The Thai government announced it was revoking a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on developing an overlapping maritime area rich in oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand.
It was inevitable, said the Thai government, after Phnom Penh’s appointment of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and lives in exile to evade a two-year jail term after being found guilty in a conflict of interest case. Thaksin’s new role in Cambodia "will directly affect negotiations" between the two countries, states the Thai foreign ministry, since Thaksin "was directly involved in the negotiation process" in 2001 when he was Thailand’s prime minister.
The tone for such a tough response by the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was set on Thursday. Bangkok withdrew its ambassador in Cambodia in protest against the Thaksin appointment. Phnom Penh reciprocated by Friday.
"We view the appointment of Thaksin as an interference in Thailand’s domestic affairs and disregard for Thailand’s judicial system," Thani Thongphakdi, Thai foreign ministry’s deputy spokesman, told IPS. "Our reaction has been commensurate with the action of Cambodia."
Thaksin’s appointment as the new economic advisor to Cambodia was announced Wednesday night on the country’s state television station. He was appointed by a royal decree as a "personal advisor to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the adviser to the Cambodian government in charge of economy," a statement from Phnom Penh revealed.
Hun Sen’s choice of the fugitive former Thai premier, who became a billionaire telecommunications tycoon before he was elected as Thailand’s leader in 2001, is in keeping with a practice known in Cambodia for years— of the government and the royal family appointing foreign nationals to help them as advisors.
Prior to Thaksin, Hun Sen’s economic advisor was South Korea’s current president, Lee Myung-bak. The latter served in that advisory role from 2000 till 2007, resigning ahead of the 2008 presidential poll.
"Cambodia views the appointment of Mr. Thaksin as an internal affair. We have had economic advisors to our prime minister before, like the current president of South Korea from 2000 till 2007," said Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian foreign ministry. "The Thai government is trying to mix things up."
"It is up to the Thai side to clarify the status of our relationship," Koy added during a telephone interview from Phnom Penh. "Cambodia wants to have good relations with Thailand."
Hun Sen’s fiery rhetoric towards Thailand betrays such sentiments. He is on record saying that Phnom Penh would not extradite Thaksin if he moved to Cambodia. That followed a statement that Cambodia would offer Thaksin a new home.
The recent war of words between Cambodia and Thailand threatened to overshadow a summit of South-east Asian leaders held last month in a Thai resort town south of Bangkok. "Don’t allow anybody to use you as a pawn," Abhisit told the media in a comment targeted at Hun Sen.
The current tension between the two countries has grown since July last year over a 10th century Hindu temple, Preah Vihear, perched on top of a steep cliff on the Thai-Cambodian border.
The World Heritage Committee ruled that month that the Preah Vihear would be recognised as a world heritage site. It also recognised a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice that the temple was within Cambodian territory.
Thai nationalists responded with rage, prompting a troop build-up by both sides. In April this year the soldiers from both countries exchanged gunfire, leaving three people dead.
The relationship between the richer Thailand and the poorer Cambodia hit a low point in 2003, when the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was burned down by rioters angered by a remark made by a Thai actress that allegedly questioned Cambodia’s ownership of another landmark temple. Thaksin was the Thai premier at the time.
"What we are witnessing is the love-hate relationship between the Thai and Cambodians. The problem has deep roots, going back to the Second World War period," said Charnvit Kasetsri, a historian at Bangkok’s Thammasat University. "Anti-French feelings that Thais had towards the French when they were colonial rulers of Cambodia were transferred to anti-Cambodian feelings after Cambodia got independence."
Thailand’s elites also fed this feeling in later years, Charnvit explained in an interview. "Bangkok’s educated people look down upon Cambodians as less educated and people that cannot be trusted and are unreliable."
The United States government’s war in Indo-China saw the two countries on either side of the battle lines. The Thai government, under a military dictatorship and a strong U.S. ally, was peeved at Cambodia’s neutral stance over the war during the 1960s.
Through the 1980s, after Cambodians were freed from the genocidal Khmer Rouge by the invading Vietnamese military, Thailand opened its eastern borders for the Khmer Rouge to survive. Bangkok, in fact, was the gateway for Khmer Rouge leaders to interact with the international community. Cambodia’s present attitude towards Thailand, on the other hand, reflects a trend that has evolved over the past 20 years.
"For years Thailand was an important investor in Cambodia and was always welcome, but now its predominant role has been replaced by China, Japan and others," said Punagthong Pawakapan, assistant professor in international relations at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. "They do not have to depend on Thailand unlike before."
China, with over 3,000 companies and with investments valued at over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, is the largest investor in Cambodia. South Korea follows, with 1.2 billion dollars in investment. And Japan, with over 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, has been Cambodia’s top donor since 1992.
Thailand’s investments are valued at 226 million U.S. dollars. Its major investments are in hotels and the agro-industry. China has poured money into large infrastructure projects while South Korea has invested in the information technology sector.
"Thailand’s relationship with its other neighbours like Burma, Laos and Malaysia do not compare with the relationship with Cambodia," Punagthong told IPS. "Disagreements do not result in the same kind of tension and trouble."
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Friday, November 06, 2009
PM Abhisit arrives in Tokyo for 1st Mekong-Japan Summit
BANGKOK, Nov 6 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva arrived in Tokyo Friday morning to attend the first Mekong-Japan Summit in the Japanese capital and to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Mr Abhisit declined to comment on his possible first encounter with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the summit, saying that there was no schedule to meet the Cambodia leader and the gathering was focusing in the regional issue.
The Thai prime minister and leaders of Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, were scheduled to attend the luncheon hosted by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and it could be the first time that Mr Abhisit and Hun Sen meet after tensions were heightened following Cambodia’s appointment of convicted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as personal advisor to Cambodian Premier Hun Sen and advisor on economy to his government.
Thailand protested the move by withdrawing its ambassador from Phnom Penh, saying it considered the Mr Thaksin’s appointment as interference in its internal affairs, while Cambodia later recalled its own ambassador in a reciprocal action.
After the luncheon, the leaders the Mekong sub-region countries were to have an audience with Crown Prince Naruhito and then meet the Speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives, Takahiro Yokomichi, and Japan's upper house President Satsuki Eda respectively.
The Thai prime minister was scheduled to participate in the Mekong-Japan Summit at 5.30pm local time or 7.30pm Thai time.
Mr Abhisit said earlier that Thailand will focus on three important issues—infrastructure connectivity to boost economic development in the East-West and Southern economic corridors and pave the way for ASEAN economic integration, resolution of environmental problems (Japan has played a major role in resolving climate change), and human resources development.
The Thai premier said that the summit is expected to issue an investment plan for infrastructure and environmental rehabilitation, as well as human resources development.
In addition, Mr Abhisit said a declaration on joint political will was scheduled to be signed.
The Thai premier said that after the summit ends, he will meet bilaterally with the Japanese premier and with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.
He said the meeting will focus on economic cooperation, especially applying the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA) and Creative Economics for Economic Value Added.
The Thai premier said Thailand has met with Japanese investors both in Thailand and abroad about implementing the economic partnership agreement and will resolve the continuing problem at Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in accord with the law, worrying investors after Thailand's Central Administrative Court ordered 76 industrial projects there to temporarily halt operations amid continued concern by local residents and NGOs about critical environmental and health impacts.
Japan earlier reaffirmed its continued commitment to help narrow the development gaps in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through various sub-regional development activities.
Japan initiated the Mekong-Japan Cooperation framework while designating the year 2009 as the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year.
The 1st Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo is expected to strengthen cooperative relations between Japan and the Mekong countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. (TNA)
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Japan’s Hatoyama Pledges $5.5 Billion in Aid to Mekong Nations
By Sachiko Sakamaki
Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Japan pledged at least 500 billion yen ($5.5 billion) in aid to five Southeast Asian nations that share the Mekong river over the next three years to spur economic development and fight climate change.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said developing the Mekong region will accelerate economic integration among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Mekong region is “key” to promoting Hatoyama’s idea of an “East Asian Community” modeled on the European Union and that would eventually have a regional currency, according to a Japanese government official who briefed reporters.
The leaders of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar welcomed Japan’s pledge at the first Japan-Mekong summit in Tokyo, the official said.
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Attendees included Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, whose countries have recalled their respective ambassadors after Cambodia named fugitive ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra an economic adviser.
Also present were Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Japan is now giving roughly 160-170 billion yen a year to the five countries, the official said.
President Barack Obama, on his first trip to Asia, is scheduled to co-chair with Abhisit a Nov. 15 summit of Southeast Asian leaders that will include Hun Sen.
To contact the reporters on this story: Sachiko Sakamaki in Tokyo at Ssakamaki1@bloomberg.net;
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Thailand to pull out of maritime talks with Cambodia in protest
Nov 06, 2009 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- Bangkok, Nov. 6 Kyodo - A dispute between Thailand and Cambodia escalated Friday with Bangkok's threat to end talks with Cambodia on their disputed maritime border in the wake of Phnom Penh's recent appointment of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser.
Meanwhile, fellow ASEAN member Singapore issued a statement Friday saying it is "concerned about the deteriorating relationship between Thailand and Cambodia." "It is not good for ASEAN. We hope that both our friends will keep the larger interest of ASEAN in mind and find a way to resolve their differences quickly in a spirit of good neighbourliness," it said.
Thailand's threat to pull out of maritime talks with Cambodia comes a day after it recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh to protest against Thaksin, a fugitive from justice, being made Cambodia's economic adviser, calling it an insult to the Thai judicial system.
Cambodia recalled its ambassador from Bangkok in return.
On Friday, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said his ministry will seek abrogation of a memorandum of understanding on maritime boundary negotiations that the two countries signed in 2001 while Thaksin was still Thai premier.
He said Thailand's negotiating stance is known to Thaksin, so his new advisory position could leave Thailand at a disadvantage in the maritime talks with Cambodia, which have not made progress in the last eight years.
Thailand will instead explore other ways under international law of resolving the two countries' overlapping claims over about 26,000 square kilometres of the Gulf of Thailand, he said.
Kasit was speaking by telephone from Tokyo, where he is attending the Japan-Mekong summit meeting that is being participated in by both Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Friday that if Cambodia continues to act badly towards Thailand, "then we must continue to downgrade relations and maybe seal off all border checkpoints." Koy Kuong, spokesman of Cambodia's Foreign Ministry, told Kyodo News that the appointment of Thaksin as an adviser is purely an internal affair of Cambodia and that revocation of 2001 MOU would slow down and further complicate the already slow and complicated negotiation process.
Regarding the threat to close the land border, the spokesman said such an action would benefit neither side and would actually be more costly to Thailand more than Cambodia.
He cited figures for two-way trade in 2008, which show exports from Cambodia to Thailand were worth only $14 million whereas imports from Thailand to Cambodia were worth $674 million.
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Thailand, Cambodia dispute not good for ASEAN: Singapore
SINGAPORE, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the recent dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is not good for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The ministry said in a statement that Singapore is concerned about the deteriorating relationship between Thailand and Cambodia.
"It is not good for ASEAN. We hope that both our friends will keep the larger interest of ASEAN in mind and find a way to resolve their differences quickly in a spirit of good neighborliness," the ministry said.
The Cambodian government on Thursday evening announced it recalled its ambassador to Thailand in a move to respond to the Thai government's earlier recall of its ambassador to Cambodia. The diplomatic retaliation occurred after ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was officially appointed as adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia King Norodom Sihamoni.
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Thailand-Cambodia Tensions Rise Over Appointment of Fugitive Thai Official
By Daniel Schearf
Bangkok
Tensions between Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Cambodia are high after Cambodia's leader appointed a fugitive former Thai prime minister as an advisor. Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors and claim interference in their internal affairs.
Regional political analysts say relations between Bangkok and Phnom Penh are the worst they have been in several years.
On Friday, Cambodia withdrew its ambassador to Thailand, in retaliation for Bangkok's withdrawal of its ambassador the day before. Thailand's action came after the Cambodian government of Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed fugitive Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls the appointment interference in its domestic affairs and a failure to respect its judicial system.
Thani Thonthongpakdi is a Foreign Ministry spokesman. He says Thai-Cambodia relations have been tested for over a year, and tensions are rising.
"We believe that we had to send a strong signal to Cambodia regarding their recent action. I think that the extant to which our bilateral relations will be affected, we will have to see what the reaction on the Cambodian side is," he said.
Thailand says it is now reviewing all its existing agreements and cooperation projects with Cambodia.
Thani says the government will most likely postpone or reduce projects if Mr. Thaksin's appointment goes ahead.
Koy Kuong, a spokesman for Cambodia's Foreign Ministry, says despite Thailand's objections, the government will go ahead with Mr. Thaksin's appointment. He says the Thai government is interfering in Cambodia's internal affairs by objecting to the appointment.
"The government of Cambodia has no intention to worsen the relationship between the two countries because of the appointment of Thaksin as an economic advisor to the government. So, it is the Thai side which views [it] in [a] different way," he said.
Koy Kuong says Cambodia views the charges against the former prime minister as politically motivated.
Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup and fled Thailand last year to avoid a jail term for corruption.
The former leader is still popular in Thailand's countryside and among the poor because of his social welfare projects.
The argument adds to growing tensions over a disputed border area where sporadic fighting has broken out.
Puangtong Pawakapan is a professor of politics at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. She says Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin Shinawatra is pay-back against the Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for disputing the listing of a temple along the border as a world heritage site. The temple is in Cambodia, but Thailand controls land around it.
"I don't think Hun Sen invited Thaksin to be his advisor because he really needs Thaksin's advice no economic issues … I think it's [a] political issue and it's emotional retaliation of Hun Sen on the Abhisit government," said Pawakapan.
The Thailand's ambassador was last withdrawn in 2003 when rioters burned down the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh after a Thai actress questioned Cambodian sovereignty over the border temple.
Despite the withdrawal of ambassadors, both Thailand and Cambodia say normal business and travel relations will not be affected.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
UN: 50 peacekeepers punished for sex abuses
By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER
GENEVA — At least 50 peacekeepers have received punishments ranging from reduction in military rank to eight months imprisonment for committing sexual abuses on United Nations missions since 2007, the U.N. said Thursday.
The data were released after media organizations asked what measures countries were taking against peacekeepers accused of rape and other abuses in conflict areas such as Congo. The U.N. can investigate allegations of misconduct, but prosecution is handled solely by governments contributing personnel to missions.
The figures show a significant increase in prosecutions and court-martials by national authorities this year. The disciplinary action against 33 peacekeepers in "cases involving sexual exploitation and abuse" through November included lesser penalties from dismissal, forced retirement and withdrawal of an officer's commission to prison sentences reaching eight months.
Only two military personnel were punished for similar abuses in 2008, and 15 in 2007, according to the U.N. data aggregated by the organization's field support department.
"When allegations of misconduct involving military and police personnel are substantiated, the U.N. can repatriate the individuals concerned and ban them from participating in future peacekeeping operations," the U.N. said.
Allegations of sexual exploitation and other crimes have dogged U.N. peacekeeping missions almost since their inception in 1948, with abuses reported in missions from Bosnia and Kosovo to Cambodia, East Timor, West Africa and Congo. The issue was thrust into the spotlight after the United Nations found in early 2005 that peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money.
In response, the U.N. adopted a "zero tolerance" policy toward sexual abuse and a universal code of conduct that required training for all peacekeepers. But it left punishment for wrongdoers to individual countries, which has been a continuing problem.
The figures show that the U.N. has referred to national authorities over 450 instances of misconduct — sexual and otherwise — since 2007. It received responses in only 29 of these cases.
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Cambodia recalls ambassador to Thailand over Thaksin issue
PHNOM PENH, The Cambodian government on Thursday evening announced to temporarily call back its Ambassador to Thailand, a move came shortly after Thai government's recall of its ambassador to Cambodia.
The decision was announced at 8:30 pm local time by Sok An, minister of council of ministers, at a hastily arranged press conference.
"The move we took is a response to Thai's recall of its Ambassador to Cambodia," Sok An said, adding that "That we appointed Thaksin as our government's adviser is Cambodia's internal affairs and conforms to international practice."
Earlier Thursday, the Thai government decided to recall its Ambassador to Cambodia to protest against the appointment of the ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatre as adviser of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government.
The Cambodian government announced on Wednesday that former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was officially appointed as adviser of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia by King Norodom Sihamoni. Moreover, the Cambodian government will not allow to extradite the ex-Thai premier.
Also, the Thai government said that it is ready to demand of revising bilateral agreements, which have been agreed by the two countries, Thai News Agency reported.
The Thai government's movement is based on diplomatic principle, which does not intend to any violence to occur between the two neighboring countries, the report said.
Ties between Cambodia and Thailand have been difficult since July 2008 amid an ongoing border conflict over land surrounding an11th century temple which has claimed several lives. The withdrawal of ambassadors was the most severe diplomatic actions thus far in ongoing tensions between the two countries which will only result in a further worsening of the relations between them.
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Thailand, Cambodia recall envoys over Thaksin spat
By Ploy Ten Kate Ploy Ten Kate
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand and Cambodia recalled their ambassadors from each others' countries Thursday, deepening a diplomatic row after Cambodia made fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra an economic adviser.
The tit-for-tat spat threatens to worsen a political crisis in Thailand by giving Thaksin and his red-shirted anti-government supporters an ally just across the border, causing a diplomatic embarrassment for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
It also suggests deepening enmity between leaders of the two countries after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen soured the start of an Asian summit hosted by Abhisit last month by turning up and offering Thaksin the job of adviser.
"We will recall our ambassador in Cambodia to express our dissatisfaction," Chavanont Intarakomalsut, a secretary to the Thai foreign minister, told reporters.
"We will also review all of the agreements between the two countries along with any other cooperation with them."
Hours later, Cambodia followed suit, describing its move as temporary and saying that its envoy would return when Thailand's ambassador was sent back to Phnom Penh.
It called on Thailand to be "open minded" and said it was not surprised by Bangkok's decision to withdraw its envoy.
Hun Sen's offer last month to give Thaksin a job and a home in Cambodia riled Thaksin's opponents and heightened tension between the neighbors, whose troops have clashed over a disputed border and a 900-year old temple straddling the frontier.
DAMAGE CONTROL
Some independent analysts said Thailand's decision to respond to Thaksin's appointment by recall its ambassador was playing into the hands of the former telecoms tycoon.
"The government should avoid escalating this and should instead be in damage control mode," said Gothom Arya, director of research at Mahidol University in Bangkok.
"Thaksin is already causing problems for the government. Being so close to home, he will be in closer contact with his people and it could strengthen his political campaign."
Thaksin lives mainly in exile in Dubai but he is still immensely popular among Thailand's rural poor and his supporters have staged frequent street rallies, calling for his pardon and return.
The Cambodian government said late Wednesday that Thaksin had been made a personal adviser to Hun Sen and an economic adviser, effective October 27.
It said it would reject any request to extradite the billionaire on the grounds that his removal in a 2006 coup and subsequent graft conviction were politically motivated.
"(Cambodia) will not, under any circumstances, extradite Excellency Thaksin upon any eventual request made by Thailand," the statement said.
Abhisit stood by the decision to recall the ambassador and said the Cambodian government had "intervened in Thai justice" and hurt the feelings of the Thai people.
"I believe Thailand and Cambodia still want to be good neighbors, but once these problems happen, we need to respond," Abhisit told reporters.
The Thai Foreign Ministry accused Cambodia of meddling in its internal affairs by helping a "criminal fugitive" to "play a political role."
"This is an intervention in Thailand's business and a rejection of Thai justice, putting a personal relationship and an individual's benefit above the relationship between the two countries," the ministry said in a statement.
"The Thai government, therefore, will not stand still."
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Cambodia aims to raise AIDS/HIV awareness among drivers
By Wang Eng Eng, Channel NewsAsia
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's battle against AIDS and HIV infection has hit the road.
From this year, new drivers will have to learn more than just how to handle a vehicle; they will also be quizzed on their knowledge of AIDS/HIV infection.
"Every year, we have more than 20,000 people who want to get a driver's licence. So during the examination, we'll put 12 questions on HIV prevention," said Lim Sidenine, director of Planning and Admin General Department, Ministry of Public Works & Transport, Cambodia.
Questions include how AIDS/HIV infection is transmitted and how to protect oneself against the disease.
The Ministry of Public Works & Transport is also taking the lead in educating truck and lorry drivers, as this group is considered at greater risk of AIDS/HIV infection.
Truck and lorry drivers play a key role in Cambodia's infrastructure growth as they transport building materials across the country.
However, most of the infrastructure and road improvement projects are concentrated in towns with a high prevalence of AIDS/HIV infection such as Poipet, which is at the Thai-Cambodia border.
Cambodia's HIV infection rate has fallen in recent years from 0.9 per cent in 2006 to 0.7 per cent in 2008 - mostly due to government efforts to promote condom use in brothels. - CNA /ls
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Thailand says Thaksin job may harm Cambodia relations
BANGKOK, Nov 5 (AFP) - Thailand said Thursday that Cambodia's appointment of fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser may cause relations between the two countries to further deteriorate.
The Cambodian government announced the move on state television late Wednesday, two weeks after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen first riled Bangkok by offering the job to the billionaire Thaksin.
Twice-elected Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption. The Thai government, now led by his opponents, wants to bring him home to face justice.
"It will hardly help. It is more likely to make things worse," Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters Thursday when asked if Thaksin's appointment would improve relations.
Suthep said Thailand would also press for Thaksin's extradition if he ever goes to live in Cambodia, saying that a treaty between the two nations would cover the former premier's case.
"If they refuse to hand him over then we consider that a breach of an international agreement," he said.
Thaksin, who is believed to spend much of his time in Dubai, said in a Twitter posting that he thanked Hun Sen for the appointment but still wanted to work for Thailand's well-being.
"I thank His Excellency Hun Sen and I just received a copy which was signed by King Sihamoni. It's an honour. But it's not going to be fun like working to help Thai people out of poverty," Thaksin said.
Thaksin remains a hugely influential figure in Thailand, where he has stirred up mass protests against the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in the past year.
His own allies were driven from government in December 2008 after anti-Thaksin protesters occupied Bangkok's airports.
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Veteran Vietnamese meet Cambodian officials
Representatives of Vietnamese veterans who had been sent to Cambodia as voluntary soldiers and specialists in the past two decades met with those of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association in Hanoi on November 4.
The event was hosted by the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association, the Military-run TelecommunicationsCorporation, Viettel, and the Cambodian embassy in Vietnam.
The visiting President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association Men Sam On, who is also Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, expressed her gratitude to Vietnam, for helping Cambodia to escape from Pol Pot’s genocidal regime.
She pledged to do her best to preserve and foster the solidarity and friendship between the two nations.
Meanwhile, the President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association, Vu Mao, and a contingent of veteran Vietnamese volunteers expressed their hopes that Men Sam On’s visit would usher in a new era of cooperation between the two associations to boost the traditional friendship between the two countries.
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Vietnam set to reinforce practical ties with Cambodia
The strangest relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia in this world. This friendship is always reinforced too many times in a year and every year. Isn't it more than good enough for Vietnam? every time in reinforcement practical tie, Vietnam ordered Cambodia to silence for land grabbed by Vietnam. Stop dreaming!
Vietnam expects to join efforts with Cambodia to develop bilateral relations in a bid to bring practical benefits to both sides, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
PM Dung made this statement while receiving Cambodian Permanent Deputy PM Men Sam An, who doubles as President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), in Hanoi on November 3.
The government leader noted with pleasure that Vietnam-Cambodia ties have grown fruitfully, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics and trade, despite the impact of the global economic crisis.
The two nations have also co-operated smoothly in maintaining security, border demarcation and marker planting, mitigating damage caused by natural disasters and facilitating co-operative relations between border provinces, he said.
PM Dung appreciated the efforts of both the CVFA and Men Sam An in beefing up their bilateral relationship, saying that the Vietnamese government will create favourable conditions for the two sides to co-operate effectively, not only at the central level, but also among local chapters.
The PM asked the two associations to increase the dissemination of information about the time-honoured friendship amongst younger generations, and step up co-ordination at international forums, particularly in ASEAN and APEC.
Regarding acts and statements made by Sam Rainsy - President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), who recently uprooted six temporary poles for Marker 185 between Vietnam’s southern province of Long An and Cambodia’s Svay Rieng province - he proposed that the Cambodian government take due measures to deal with Rainsy’s acts of sabotage and not permit similar cases to occur, as they negatively affect the fine relations between the two nations.
Having expressed delight at effective co-operation in economics, trade and investment, An said the two nations need to expand co-operation into the areas of aviation, post and telecommunications and banking.
The deputy PM stated that Sam Rainsy’s recent acts destroyed a national asset and violated the laws of Cambodia , undermining its fine relationship with Vietnam .
Empowered by the President, PM Dung bestowed a Friendship Order on the Cambodian official.
The same day, Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Truong Tan Sang, received the Cambodian guests.
Mr Sang applauded the CVFA’s collaboration with its Vietnamese counterpart and other partners from both countries to organise practical activities which have helped to beef up friendship and co-operation between their two peoples.
The Party official said he hoped that the two associations would work together to hold more such activities in future for the sake of Vietnam-Cambodia relations.
Also on November 3, the Cambodian delegates worked with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam Women’s Union .
VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong took this occasion to present the union’s noblest award--the insignia ‘For peace and friendship between nations’ - to Men Sam An and four other members of the Cambodian delegation. (VNA)
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Tropical storm flooding kills 91 in Vietnam
15,000 evacuated in hardest-hit area; some rescued from rooftops
HANOI, Vietnam - The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae rose to 91 in Vietnam on Wednesday as authorities stepped up rescue and relief operations in the country's central region.
In the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen, 26 more deaths were reported as information trickled in from isolated areas, bringing the death toll there to 65, disaster official Dang Thi Lanh said. An additional 13 people were missing.
Elsewhere in the region, the storm and flooding left 26 people dead and five others missing, according to disaster officials and the government's Web site.
In Phu Yen, soldiers in dozens of speed boats rushed instant noodles, water and clothes to victims in flooded areas who have gone hungry for the past several days, Lanh said. Three military helicopters were also dropping food to victims in isolated areas.
Although flood waters were beginning to recede, many areas remain inundated.
Authorities have evacuated nearly 15,000 people from Phu Yen. Some were rescued from rooftops, where they had scrambled to escape the overflowing Ha Thanh River.
In the neighboring province of Binh Dinh, two military helicopters dropped food and water to villagers still stranded in isolated areas, said Ho Quoc Dung, deputy chairman of the provincial People's Committee.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent a telegram late Tuesday urging local authorities to use all means to bring people still stranded to safety and provide them with temporary shelters and food, the government said on its Web site.
The storm and flooding also left 52 people injured, destroyed or damaged 14,000 homes, and damaged about 12,400 acres of rice and other crops, according the national committee for flood and storm control.
Vietnam's western neighbor, Cambodia, reported a woman and her daughter died Monday night when the storm toppled trees onto their house in Mondulkiri province, about 325 miles east of the capital, Phnom Penh.
In a separate incident in northern Vietnam on
Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the weekend, killing 27 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.
Both Vietnam and the Philippines were still recovering from Typhoon Ketsana, which brought the Philippine capital of Manila its worst flooding in 40 years when it struck in September. Ketsana killed 160 people in Vietnam.
In the Philippines, Ketsana and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck.
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Cambodia appoints former Thai PM as advisor
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was appointed as economic advisor to the Cambodian government, officials said Wednesday.
He will also be a private advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Xinhua reported.
King Norodom Sihamoni has formally appointed Thaksin to the posts on Oct 27 at the request of prime minister and in accordance with the country's constitution, a government spokesman said Wednesday.
Thaksin has been living in self-exile in foreign countries since he was toppled from power in 2006.
Cambodia said it will not extradite Thaksin to Thailand if he stays in the country.
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No fanfare for China's Three Gorges Dam
by Staff Writers
Beijing (UPI) Nov 3, 2009
As the water level in the reservoir on the Yangtze River approaches its final height of 175 meters, criticism of China's Three Gorges Dam continues.
The completion of Three Gorges is being met with little fanfare, unlike the elaborate celebrations Beijing staged 12 years ago to mark the diversion of the Yangtze on the spot of the future massive dam, Inter Press Service reports.
In China, critics are saying filling of the dam is worsening the drought already affecting the Yangtze's delta. And Chinese diplomats are being met with skepticism in their efforts to promote hydropower across Asia and Africa.
To construct Three Gorges -- the world's largest and most expensive dam -- 1,350 villages were submerged and 1.3 million displaced from their homes. The dam has a capacity of 18,000 megawatts of electricity.
The dam's original cost, when approved in 1992, was estimated at $8.3 billion. That figure has now risen to $27 billion by Beijing's estimate, while other predictions slate the final cost at $88 billion.
"The Three Gorges dam is a model of the past," said Peter Bosshard, the policy director of California-based International Rivers, an organization whose mission is "to protect rivers and the communities that depend on them," Inter Press reports.
"There are smarter ways of generating energy and managing floods than by building outdated mega-projects," said Bosshard.
By blocking the flow of the Yangtze, its ecosystem has been altered to the extent that rare river species of dolphin and sturgeon are now facing extinction. Commercial fisheries along the Yangtze as well as off the river's mouth in the East China Sea have declined. And landslides, pollution of freshwater supplies and a greater risk of earthquakes are among the side effects of the dam.
In September 2007 government officials admitted, "If preventive measures are not taken, there could be an environmental collapse."
Pan Jiazheng, hydrologist with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, maintains that water is the only renewable energy source in China that can be developed on a large scale.
"Developing hydropower is the only viable way to make a dent in China's consumption of coal," Pan told Inter Press. "Those who argue that hydropower is not a clean energy have to ask themselves whether there is any other task more urgent for China's clean development than burning less coal."
Despite domestic and foreign criticism of Three Gorges, China is actively seeking to build hydropower projects in countries ranging from Cambodia to Pakistan to Nigeria.
"It is quasi-science to believe that hydropower equals green energy," said Zheng Yisheng, who researches environment and development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "You can't see rivers just as a source of energy and choose to ignore their ecological function as ecosystems. People need energy but they need a place to live, too."
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Vietnam Set To Reinforce Practical Ties With Cambodia
HANOI, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Vietnam expects to join efforts with Cambodia to develop bilateral relations in a bid to bring practical benefits to both sides, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Dung made this statement while receiving here Tuesday Cambodian Permanent Deputy PM Men Sam An, who doubles as President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
The government leader noted with pleasure that Vietnam-Cambodia ties have grown fruitfully, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics and trade, despite the impact of the global economic crisis.
The two nations have also cooperated smoothly in maintaining security, border demarcation and marker planting, mitigating damage caused by natural disasters and facilitating cooperative relations between border provinces, he said.
Dung spoke highly of the efforts of both the CVFA and Men Sam An in beefing up their bilateral relationship, saying that the Vietnamese government will create favourable conditions for the two sides to cooperate effectively, not only at the central level, but also among local chapters.
The PM asked the two associations to increase the dissemination of information about the time-honoured friendship amongst younger generations, and step up coordination at international forums, particularly in Asean and APEC.
Regarding acts and statements made by Sam Rainsy - President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), who recently uprooted six temporary poles for Marker 185 between Vietnam's southern province of Long An and Cambodia's Svay Rieng province - he proposed that the Cambodian government take due measures to deal with Rainsy's acts of sabotage and not permit similar cases to occur, as they negatively affect the fine relations between the two nations.
Having expressed delight at effective cooperation in economics, trade and investment, An said the two nations need to expand cooperation into the areas of aviation, post and telecommunications and banking.
The deputy PM stated that Sam Rainsy's recent acts destroyed a national asset and violated the laws of Cambodia , undermining its fine relationship with Vietnam.
Empowered by the State President, Dung bestowed a Friendship Order on the Cambodian official.
The same day, Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Truong Tan Sang, received the Cambodian guests.
Sang applauded the CVFA's collaboration with its Vietnamese counterpart and other partners from both countries to organise practical activities which have helped to beef up friendship and cooperation between their two peoples.
The Party official said he hoped that the two associations would work together to hold more such activities in future for the sake of Vietnam-Cambodia relations.
Also on Tuesday, the Cambodian delegates worked with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam Women's Union.
VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong took this occasion to present the union's noblest award--the insignia "For peace and friendship between nations" -- to Men Sam An and four other members of the Cambodian delegation.
-- BERNAMA
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Cambodia To Pave Road To Preah Vihear Temple
PHNOM PENH, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces ( RCAF) will begin paving the 80 km dirt road from Oddar Meanchey province's Anlong Veng district to Preah Vihear temple before Nov 25, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing officials from RCAF as saying in a local media.
"We will begin pave the road by the end of the month. The total distance is about 80 km. It may cost about US$10 million and it will be finished by June 2010," Kwann Seam, director of RCAF's engineering department, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.
He said that his team would begin surveying the road after the Water Festival in Phnom Penh is finished.
By April 2010, RCAF will begin paving another 22 km dirt road, this time to Ta Moan temple from Kork Mon commune in Oddar Meanchey province's Banteay Ampil district, he said.
Seam said that the paving of roads in the area is part of a larger project to pave all northern roads in the country.
"We hope that by 2013, all the roads in the northern area will be paved," he said.
Major General Srey Dek, commander of RCAF Division 3, said that despite ongoing tension between Cambodia and Thailand over Preah Vihear temple, tourists should not worry about safety.
-- BERNAMA
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Hun Sen praises Japan's role in Cambodia ahead of regional summit+
PHNOM PENH, Nov. 3 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday praised Japan's contributions to peace in Cambodia over the years and said Tokyo is playing a key role as a development partner in the Mekong River region.
In a written interview with a group of senior editors from Kyodo News' member newspapers visiting Cambodia, Hun Sen expressed a request for Japan to upgrade infrastructure to strengthen ties in the region.
In particular, Hun Sen sought support as "a highest priority" for the Mekong River Bridge that will serve as the final gateway of the Southern Economic Corridor, and requested cooperation in world heritage protection.
Hun Sen said Japan has played a key role in seeking justice for the victims of the genocidal Pol Pot regime by contributing both spiritual and financial support for the work of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
He said Japan has provided $56.9 million to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, nearly half of the total budget spent by both Cambodia and United Nations since it began operation from 2006.
Other than key roles played in Cambodia, Hun Sen also commended Japan's contributions to larger regional cooperation.
Hun Sen is due to visit Japan later this week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama along with his fellow leaders from other Mekong countries -- Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- at the first Mekong-Japan Summit to be held in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday.
Hun Sen said he "regards Japan as a key partner in discussion over political and security issues in the region and also thanks Japan for her recent efforts in helping maintain political stability in the region such as seeking a solution over problems in Myanmar and the Korean peninsula."
In spite of receiving great assistance from Japan in many fields, Hun Sen said he desired to see more Japanese investors flocking to his country.
He said as his country is enjoying the discovery of oil and gas, and assured a warm welcome for Japanese investors.
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Tropical Storm Mirinae kills 23 people in Vietnam, 2 in Cambodia
HANOI, Vietnam - Tropical Storm Mirinae unleashed severe flooding in parts of central Vietnam, killing 23 people, leaving two missing and stranding families on rooftops, disaster officials said Tuesday.
The death toll in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen was 15 after the storm drenched the region with heavy rain Monday, said disaster official Dang Thi Lanh.
"Many villages remain cut off by rising waters and we expect the death toll to rise," she said.
Several villages in neighbouring Binh Dinh province suffered the worst flooding in four decades after the Ha Thanh River surged over its banks, said disaster official Nguyen Van Hoa. Five people were killed by falling trees or were washed away by floods in Binh Dinh and two others were missing, Hoa said.
In Khanh Hoa province, south of Phu Yen, three people were killed, a disaster official there said, refusing to give his name, citing policy.
Vietnam's western neighbour, Cambodia, reported a 40-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter died Monday night when the storm toppled trees onto their house in Mondulkiri province, about 325 miles (520 kilometres) east of the capital, Phnom Penh.
Three other people from the same family were injured, said Neth Sophana, deputy chief of the disaster management committee of the Cambodian Red Cross.
In Vietnam, the military sent two helicopters to drop instant noodles to people in isolated villages and to rescue people who were still trapped on rooftops a day after the storm, which lost force as it moved inland.
"We have received many calls for help from people who are still stranded," Hoa said by telephone.
Ho Quoc Dung, vice chairman of Binh Dinh provincial People's Committee, said about 400 soldiers were mobilized to use speed boats to reach areas cut off by flooding and have ferried out more than 1,000 villagers.
Several thousand remain stranded, he said.
Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the weekend, killing 20 people before losing power as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.
Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia were still recovering from Typhoon Ketsana, which brought the Philippine capital of Manila its worst flooding in 40 years when it struck in September. Ketsana killed 160 people in Vietnam and at least 18 in Cambodia.
In the Philippines, Ketsana and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck.
In a separate incident in northern Vietnam on Monday, one woman drowned and five others were missing after a whirlwind toppled two boats in Quang Ninh province, disaster official Le Thanh Nam said.
Sixteen other passengers managed to swim to safety after the boats sank, Nam said.
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Outside influence allegations dog Khmer Rouge trials
The beleaguered Khmer Rouge trials in Cambodia have hit another obstacle. In a motion filed last week, two pre-trial judges, Australian Rowan Downing QC, and a Dutch national, have been accused of taking instruction from their respective governments.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal has endured considerable controversy in its four years of existence, and the latest scandal is yet another setback to expedient justice for victims.
Presenter: David Boyle
Speakers: Michael Karnavas, defence lawyer; Yuko Maeda, spokeswoman, ECCC; Heather Ryan, court monitor, Open Society Justice Initiative
Listen: Windows Media
BOYLE: The Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia were created to try the leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, which is accused of killing more than two million people in the 1970s.
But instead of bringing justice to a generation, many believe its become entrenched in its own politics.
The lawyers of accused war criminal, Ieng Sary, have filed a motion requesting that two pre trial judges, including Australian Rowan Downing, be removed from the court due to a public perception of bias.
Radio Australia has obtained a copy of the motion that seizes on comments recently made by the Cambodian Prime Minister.
He's alleged the two judges have been acting on the orders of their respective foreign governments.
Michael Karnavas is one of the co-defence lawyers who filed the motion.
KARNAVAS: "What we're saying is we're caught in the middle of all of this, we're entitled to a fair trial. The average person in Cambodia believes their Prime Minister, the United Nations hasn't stepped up to the plate, to either defend these judges or to show that they've taken any action to look into these allegations. The judges haven't spoken up I expect because of their position, but we want this matter cleared."
BOYLE: The two pre-trial judges, Mr Downing and Dutch national Katinka Lahuis are unable to comment on either Hun Sen's comments or the motion being filed against them.
But a spokeswoman for the court, Yuko Maeda, says the court believes all their court officials are behaving appropriately.
MAEDA: "We believe all the judicial officials who work at the ECCC are performing accordingly, independently from any of the executive bodies. This is the international standard, ECCC is following the international standard. We believe that none of the judicial officials who are working at the ECCC is influenced by any executive body."
BOYLE: Heather Ryan is a court monitor with the Open Society Justice Initiative.
She's seen no evidence to confirm the allegations, but says they should be publicly addressed to protect the credibility of the court.
RYAN: "Many of the international players and the judges are in my view, unfortunately reluctant to speak publicly when statements like this that impact the credibility of the court are made and I think it's part of that sort of general reluctance of commentators and officials of the courts to speak about what's going on in the court publicly. There's kind of a conspiracy of silence."
BOYLE: An early report into the court's activities prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development concluded corruption was "pandemic" within the administration of local officials with bribery a widely accepted practice.
A subsequent report produced by the court, which was initially suppressed, revealed similar findings.
But there is no suggestion that these allegations relate to the judges of the court.
And lawyer Michael Karnavas dismisses any suggestion that his motion is designed to further erode the tribunal's reputation, arguing it upholds expectations of transparency and due diligence.
KARNAVAS:"I haven't made these allegations, somebody else has. I'm not the one getting kick backs from the national staff. I'm not the one who is hiding the UN report, others are doing that. So you can't blame the defence for trying to shed light and trying to make this process as transparent as possible."
BOYLE: Ms Ryan -- of the Open Society Justice Initiatives -- says the court should be concerned about mounting public scepticism over its transparency and capacity to deliver swift and effective justice.
RYAN: "The court has an obligation now, if its to preserve its obligation to the people of Cambodia to go out of its way and take additional steps to be transparent, to scrupulously deal with any allegations of misconduct or wrong doing and to ensure that people can see that they actually are serving the interests of justice. Right now when everything is done behind closed doors people don't see that and so when statements like the one that is alleged by Ieng Sary's lawyers are made, it feeds on a kind of inherent suspicion."
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Humanitarian emergency aid for typhoon victims in Cambodia
1. With regard to enormous loss of human lives and property in Cambodia caused by typhoon "Ketsana" on October 1-2, the Government of the Republic of Korea has decided to provide emergency relief supplies worth 200,000 dollars to support recovery efforts in Cambodia and join the international community in its humanitarian assistance activities.
Typhoon "Ketsana" that hit northwestern Cambodia on October 1-2 has left 43 people dead, 67 injured, about 6,000 families homeless, and around 48,000 families short of food. The typhoon also caused property and infrastructure damage, washing away or damaging about 1,000 houses, sweeping away 57,000 hectares of farmland and livestock, and destroying roads.
2. During the summit between President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Hun Sen on October 22, President Lee expressed his intention to provide cooperation through the Foreign Ministry in response to a request from the Cambodian side to support typhoon recovery operations. The Korean government will provide relief food and daily necessities that the Cambodian government has asked for.
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT
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Monday, November 02, 2009
In Cambodia, a Cry for Small-Scale Subsidies
A $20 solar-powered lamp could benefit millions of rural Cambodian residents, but most still can’t afford it. Subsidies, its makers say, are sorely needed.
At the moment, conference participants complained, such incentives are sorely lacking.
“Cambodian investors have low investment capital,” said Rin Seyha, the managing director of SME Renewable Energy, a Cambodian-based renewable energy investment firm. Unlike neighboring Vietnam, there is very little in the way of tax incentives and subsidies on loans for renewable energy companies, he said.
Jeroen Verschelling, the director of Kamworks, a Cambodian-based solar energy company, said consumers who wish to use more environmentally friendly energy sources are often forced to ask for assistance from microfinance institutions that tend to provide loans with extremely high interest rates.
Mr Verschelling complained that large scale coal plant and hydropower projects are able to easily secure financing. For smaller, renewable projects, “it is much harder to do that,” he said.
According to the environmental group Geres, 80 percent of Cambodia’s energy consumption comes from biomass, mostly from burning timber. The United Nations Development Program estimates that just 20 percent of the population has access to the national power grid.
Small, renewable energy developers say this means most energy-sector financing is directed at projects that benefit only a fifth of Cambodia’s residents.
Meanwhile, Margaret Ryan, an energy consultant for Khmer Solar, which specializes in solar power installation, said that despite government efforts to slash import tariffs on equipment used for renewable energy sources — tariff rates on imports have been reduced form 35 percent to seven percent on items such as solar panels and battery chargers and have been altogether eliminated for items such as wind and hydraulic turbines — the Cambodian consumer is generally unable to afford the costs of installing solar panels.
“Even if labor is very inexpensive, it is still costly,” she said. “Any expense is too much expense.”
In order to reduce prices, Khmer solar is encouraging Cambodians to install the equipment themselves by disseminating simple installation leaflets and employing operators who can troubleshoot for clients with technical issues.
Danish man charged with child sex abuse in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, A Cambodian court has charged a Danish man with sexually abusing three underage girls in a northwestern border town, officials said Monday.
Banteay Meanchey provincial court on Sunday charged Kenneth Hansen-Jorgen, 61, with sexual abuse of children and he faces at least 10 years in jail if convicted, prosecutor So Vath told AFP.
The mother of one of the children was also charged with prostituting her daughter to the suspect, the prosecutor said.
Hansen-Jorgen allegedly crossed from Thailand into Cambodia and took the girls, all aged under 15, to a guesthouse in the border town of Poipet, said provincial police chief Hun Hean.
"He has confessed to us through translation that he has had sex with the girls, and the victims have also told us about him," the police chief added.
Dozens of foreigners have been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries since Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia push in 2003 to try to shake off its reputation as a haven for sex predators.
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Taiwan smuggler gets 37 years
PHNOM PENH - A CAMBODIAN court has sentenced a Taiwanese man to 37 years in jail for drug smuggling and possession of illegal weapons, a judge said on Monday.
Judge Chhay Kong of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said he sentenced 21-year-old Hsiao Kuo-leang on Friday after finding him guilty of trying to smuggle a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin and possession of two handguns.
Hsiao, who was arrested in late 2008 when authorities found the drugs in his car, was also ordered to pay a fine of US$25,000 (S$35,000), the judge said.
The judge added that Hsiao also testified that he was hired by another Taiwanese man to set up a laboratory in order to produce drugs to smuggle out of Cambodia.
In recent years a number of Taiwanese nationals, including a 90-year-old man, have been jailed for attempting to smuggle narcotics out of the Cambodian capital.
Although drug arrests have increased, Cambodia is becoming an increasingly popular trafficking point for methamphetamines and heroin, particularly since neighbouring Thailand toughened its stance on illegal drugs. -- AFP
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AHF/Cambodia CARES to launch its AIDS testing initiative during the annual Water Festival
During Last Year's 'One Million Tests' World AIDS Day 2008 Campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES and Cambodian Partners Surpassed Country's 30,000 Testing Goal by Testing 35,034
As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar. The Water Festival commences Sunday, November 1st. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest AIDS group in the US which currently provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe, is spearheading the worldwide initiative to test millions. Last year, AHF led the successful 'One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008' campaign during which AHF/Cambodia CARES and its Cambodian partners surpassed their country goal of performing 30,000 tests by testing 35,034 individuals, identifying 1,112 HIV positive individuals in the process. The 2008 campaign far exceeded its goal of performing one million tests by testing 1,603,272 people and identifying 61,399 HIV positive people.
AHF/Cambodia CARES, which partners with NCHADS in operating 12 free AIDS treatment clinics throughout the country, has also taken a leadership role to coordinate and partner with other stakeholders to reach as many people as possible for the HIV testing and the Love Condom campaign. As its part of the in-country component of the global testing campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES has committed to testing 12,000 people for HIV throughout the month of November in Cambodia, one of the countries in the Asia Pacific region that has been hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
"With the beginning of the Water Festival, AHF/Cambodia CARES will get an early start and launch our country's participation in the 'Testing Millions' World AIDS Day 2009 campaign. We will be testing in Phnom Penh and other provinces and link those found to be positive to a clinic for follow up care and access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as well as the positive prevention to stop the spreading of the virus, and those who found as negative will learn about HIV prevention to keep them stay negative" said Chhim Sarath, M.D., AHF Country Director for Cambodia.
Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Asia and also has one of the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the region. The HIV epidemic has spread beyond high-risk groups such as sex workers, male police officers, factory workers, mobile populations, injection drug users and men who have sex with men, to the general population.
The number of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers in Cambodia has increased dramatically over the last 5 years (only 12 sites in 2000 to 216 sites by the end of first quarter 2009). Of the current 216 VCT centers, 194 are supported directly by the government, while 22 are supported by non-governmental organizations.
SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation
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Sunday, November 01, 2009
Trying to get Cambodia Town off the ground
Long Beach provided the designation but left financial support up to businesses in the area. Many have been reluctant to sign on, but backers of the district are working hard to persuade them.
Sithea San rejoiced when Long Beach officials designated a strip of Anaheim Street the nation's first Cambodia Town in 2007. The name would celebrate the largest Cambodian population center in the country and help revitalize the gritty neighborhood, she believed.
San envisioned one day looking down Anaheim Street and seeing facades resembling ornate Cambodian temples; a large-scale shopping center where tourists could sample Cambodian cuisine and buy handcrafts; and even a museum outlining the history of Cambodian Americans in Long Beach.
But years after the official designation, the fate of Cambodia Town remains in limbo. Long Beach officials did not commit city funds to improve the area.
Backers have been struggling to persuade businesses on the 1.2-mile strip to shell out money to support a business improvement district, which is mandated by the city to pay for additional services, such as special signs, increased security, street cleaning and landscaping.
These are features that would lure investors and tourists to the area, said San, chairwoman of Cambodia Town Inc. But for businesses, many of them mom-and-pop shops hurt by the economic downturn, the extra services would mean paying $50 to $200 in extra fees per year.
"You can't blame the small businesses because they count every penny, and they don't necessarily feel the need" for the district, San said. "They are asking us, 'I already pay high taxes; why should I have to pay extra?' "
For San, a refugee who fled the killing fields in Cambodia with her family as a teenager, the answer is simple. "We should be proud to have Cambodia Town," she said. "In the U.S., we are the only place that has one."
On a recent Saturday afternoon, San and a dozen other Cambodian Americans walked down Anaheim Street to promote the district, which would run from Atlantic Avenue to Junipero Avenue.
San, who wore a navy blue Cambodia Town Inc. hat, carried a black binder containing glossy photos of ethnic districts in the area that she hoped Cambodia Town would resemble one day: Little Saigon in Westminster and Chinatown in Los Angeles.
The corridor is lined with Cambodian-owned restaurants, bakeries, markets and auto repair shops. It is also home to a hodgepodge of Latino-owned stores and Chinese and Vietnamese businesses.
The group needed about 185 businesses of the 370 along the corridor to support the district. At first, proponents reached out to owners they knew personally, and petitions were streaming in. Then they turned to businesses owned by those outside of their community. After several years of pounding the pavement, the group had 105 businesses on board.
"We're going to be more aggressive now," San said as she marched west on Anaheim Street in the beating sun, past vacant lots and drab strip malls with signs in the Khmer language. "It doesn't matter how long it takes."
Long Beach is known as the Cambodian capital of the United States. The port city is believed to have the largest concentration of Cambodians outside the home country, with an estimated 50,000, though 2000 census figures put the number at 20,000. Most were refugees who escaped the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s that claimed the lives of nearly 2 million Cambodians. Many settled around Anaheim Street, lured by its cheap housing and growing Cambodian American community.
"In the past, no one wanted to walk down Anaheim Street because it was considered a red-light district," San said. "It's a lot safer now, but we can do more. We want it to look clean and very nice to attract more people to shop."
A few steps behind San, Paul Chorn, 25, recalled that when he was younger, he hardly ventured onto Anaheim Street because of crime. But now he is proud that many Cambodian businesses have transformed the corridor into a safer, thriving area.
Chorn said the district would mean something more for his people. "With this designation, we can show that we are not people stuck in the era of genocide," he said. "We progressed for the better."
Chorn, San and several others walked into a strip mall at Anaheim and Orange Avenue. It was the third time the group had tried to get business owners in the plaza to sign the petition. Owners of a Cambodian supermarket, two restaurants, a design store and a video store have already signed up, but the group still needed the support of an Eastern herbal store, a dentist, a sandwich shop, a jewelry store and a pharmacy.
Chorn and several others walked into a pharmacy.
Michael Saing, 25, explained to Ben Mai, whose wife is a pharmacist there, why the group wanted a business improvement district.
Mai, who is Vietnamese, said he understood. "I come from Orange County, and when I drive down Bolsa [Avenue] in Little Saigon, you can see there's a lot there," he said. "For you Cambodians, you have a big community, but you don't have something to represent you."
Saing said it took 15 years to get Little Saigon started. "You have to start somewhere," he said.
But Mai said the pharmaceutical industry is struggling. "I don't know if I can make this decision right now," he said. "I'm for improvement, but it is kind of expensive."
The group left the store and continued down the street. They popped into Lily Bakery, a French patisserie that also sells Cambodian sweets. The flowery fragrance of sesame balls and breaded banana wafted through the store.
Saing greeted three women standing behind the counter in Khmer. He showed them the petition, laying his binder over the counter where packaged spring rolls lay. The women asked several questions and said they would talk to the owner.
The group continued westward, turning into a Church's Chicken and two auto repair stores. No one signed.
Next, the group walked into a Cambodian broadcasting studio, the Khmer Media Network. They were greeted by Alexander Thong, president of the studio, who invited San to sit on a black leather couch as she explained the need for the improvement district.
Thong decided to sign. "We moved to Anaheim Street to be closer to the Cambodian center," he said. "Cambodia Town is my second home from my homeland."
The group's last stop was Edith's Beauty and Barber Shop, owned by Blanca Edith Rivas, who said she doesn't have many Cambodian costumers. Many decide to go elsewhere when they learn that the shop is not Cambodian-owned, she said.
But Rivas decided to sign the petition. "I know that what Cambodians say they are going to do, they do it," she said.
The group gathered outside in the shade of Rivas' building. They were joined by Long Beach Councilman Dee Andrews, whose district includes parts of Cambodia Town. He told them to keep up the effort. The group snapped a photo.
It had been two hours, and the group got five businesses on board, including a Vietnamese pho noodle restaurant, a pizza joint and a coin-operated laundry.
"You see, it's not easy," said Richer San, Sithea's husband. But he said they weren't discouraged. The group would try again soon, he said.
He looked down the street and said he could one day see tourists streaming in from downtown Long Beach.
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Cambodia celebrates Water Festival
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia on Sunday started the celebrations of the annual Water Festival, the biggest festival in the capital city, in front of the Royal Palace here, which regularly draws over 1 million people from all over the country.
King Norodom Sihamoni, accompanied by the government leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and members of the foreign diplomatic corps, watched the boat racing on the first day of the festival celebrations which will last through Tuesday.
Nearly 400 boats with more than 25,000 boat racers are ready to take part in the annual water festival. Last year, 424 boats with 26,000 boat racers came from various parts of the country participated.
Cambodia's boat races or water festival is a three-day event crediting Cambodia's strong armed forces in defeating enemies by using boats.
Every year, millions of Cambodians are coming from across the country and are flocking to Phnom Penh to view and enjoy the boat races. Besides the boat racing, the three-day celebrations include firework, moon prayers and illuminated boats with ministry and royal emblems.
The 1,700-meter race is held on the Mekong River in the capital in front of the Royal Palace.
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United Kingdom-Yorkshire pigs arrive in Cambodia.
The Yorkshire company ACMC Ltd, who specialize in breeding genetically advanced pigs, flew the first consignment of pigs to Cambodia last week, as the first shipment in a multi million pound deal.
There was a Royal reception for the pigs at Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia, complete with garlands of flowers and dignitaries from the highest level of government.
This was the start of a 20 year franchise agreement, and is the first time Cambodia have imported such a large number of breeding pigs into the country.
The pigs including ACMC’s specially created Meidan breed, plus Volante and Vantage sows and boars, which will form the nucleus of a herd in a new 5 hectare pig unit that plans to fatten over 20,000 pigs per week.
The CEO of the MRT Group, Stephen Curtis said, " This is a massive boost for the company and the British pig industry, which has come out of 10 very bad years".
The company is currently exporting pigs to Thailand, China, the Philippines and Cambodia.
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