Cambodia hosts a regional meeting of officials and stakeholders from the four new members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday to discuss how to improve the economic status in the region.
The one-day meeting is co-organized by Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce and Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) with the support from Economic Research Institute for the ASEAN and East Asia.
Prince Norodom Sirivudh, founder and chairman of CICP said the meeting was necessary to seek ways on how to curb with the impact of global economic crisis.
He said the four countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, are the new members of the ASEAN and are still poor.
He added that the economic downturn has affected economic growth, tourism and the garment sector.
At the forum, Pan Sorasak, secretary of state of Ministry of Commerce said that the Cambodian government is now working with the United States to open more markets for Cambodian products.
He said that agriculture is another potential resource for Cambodia to help boost the country's economy. But at the same time, the government is not ignoring its capacity building and the human resource development.
Read more!
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Cambodia hosts regional meeting on economic recession
How to Get a Business Visa for Cambodia
Most people who travel to Cambodia do so with the E-Visa, which is a tourist Visa. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days or do business during your stay, the business Visa is the way to go. Although the tourist Visa can be renewed every 30 days, you must make a Visa run (leaving the country and renewing your Visa upon reentry.) The business Visa is only valid for 30 days, but it is renewable in the country. This saves the traveller a lot of time and money. Unlike the tourist Visa, the business Visa cannot be applied for online and can only be obtained after arriving to the country. Here are the steps to take to get a business Visa for Cambodia.
What to bring with you.
Before departing for the trip, make sure you bring the following items: your Passport with at least one page empty and at least 6 months validity, the Visa application form, which is provided at the airport, a $25 application fee for your business Visa, one passport-sized photo and a pen for filling out the form.
Filling out the application.
Fill out your application form for the business Visa. Make sure to check the business Visa box and indicate that you're planning to stay for more than 30 days.
Submitting the application.
There is a separate line for submitting the Visa application and picking it back up. After submitting the application and paying the $25 fee they will take your passport and work on it. In the mean time, you will be asked to move to another area to wait.
Picking up your business Visa and Passport.
It should take about 20 minutes to fix the Cambodia sticker to your passport, fill in the information, and complete the rest of the paperwork before they call out your name to come and claim your Passport and Visa. Be sure to pay attention, as sometimes they won't call your name and will just raise up the Passport with the photo visible and wait for it to be claimed. After claiming them, the immigration officer will take a digital photo of you before letting you go.
Conclusion
Obtaining a Business Visa for Cambodia is an easy process compared to other countries. It will allow you to work in the country without hassle and the ability to renew it without making a Visa run will save you a good deal of money. Please make sure you follow these steps carefully to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Read more!
EU Will Provide Extra $3M for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The European Union will provide $3 million in additional funding for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide trial, an EU official said Wednesday.
The brutal 1970s rule of the Khmer Rouge left an estimated 1.7 million people dead from torture, execution, disease and starvation. A verdict is expected early next year in the tribunal's first trial for Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.
The tribunal, mostly funded by donations from foreign donors, has faced budget problems with the $56.3 million originally earmarked proving inadequate.
The EU made its decision to provide more funds after discussions with other donors about allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the U.N.-assisted tribunal, said EU delegation charge d'affaires Rafael Dochao Moreno.
Dochao said the EU had been reassured by the dismissal of a Cambodian tribunal official accused of corruption and the creation of a mechanism to deal with such allegations in the future.
The estimated cost of carrying out the tribunal's work through 2010 is $143 million. It is unclear how much of that has been raised so far.
The EU has already contributed $1.5 million to cover the salaries of the Cambodian judges, prosecutors and legal support staff, Dochao said.
Separately, the tribunal announced Wednesday it has appointed a new international prosecutor whose most recent job was defending former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial.
Andrew T. Cayley of Britain, who has also served as a prosecutor at international war crimes courts, was named to the post left vacant in September by the resignation of Canadian co-prosecutor Robert Petit, the tribunal said in a statement.
Taylor, accused of providing arms to Sierra Leone rebels in exchange for diamonds mined by slave laborers, ended 13 weeks on the witness stand earlier this month at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
The tribunal also said American Nicholas Koumjian was appointed reserve co-prosecutor.
Other than Duch, the tribunal is also holding four former senior Khmer Rouge leaders in custody, and they are expected to be tried next year or later.
Read more!
Cambodia set to build 1st stock market
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia will soon start construction on a building to house its first stock exchange which it hopes will help draw foreign investment to the impoverished country, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
A South Korean firm, World City Co. Ltd., was awarded the contract to build the $6 million building in Phnom Penh, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010, said Mey Vann, director of financial industry at the Finance Ministry.
"We expect that the official operation of our stock market will start once the building is complete," Mey Vann said.
In a statement, the ministry called the creation of a stock exchange "an important and historic event in Cambodia" that will create new jobs, revitalize the local economy and transform Phnom Penh "into a world-class city."
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced plans to launch a stock market in 2007, saying Cambodia needs to find new ways to draw international capital to move beyond relying only on international aid and banks loans.
Soon after, lawmakers approved a securities law on issuance and trading of nongovernment securities to pave the way for a stock market.
The Cambodian economy is small but one of the fastest growing in Asia. The economy is largely driven by just one industry, textiles, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of exports. The economy's development has been heavily reliant on hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) in international aid.
For investors, the country's junk-level credit ratings suggest it is a risky bet because of its weak oversight and rampant corruption.
Neighboring Vietnam started its stock market in July 2000, and it has been a big success, both for companies and investors.
The four-story, 71,900-sq. foot (6,682-sq. meter) Cambodian stock market building will be located in Phnom Penh's financial district on the outskirts of the capital.
The South Korean developer, World City, is providing the land and construction costs, hoping to recoup its investment by having the value of its nearby properties increase due to the stock exchange being sited there, Hang Choun Naron, director general of the Finance Ministry.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read more!
Thais allowed to resume fishing in Cambodian waters
TRAT, Dec 1 (TNA) – Local authorities resumed issuing licenses to Thai trawlers to fish in Cambodian water on Wednesday, said Thitikorn Lohakup, chairman of the Trat fisheries association.
Mr Thitikorn said he was informed by a Koh Kong official that a meeting of the Koh Kong authorities finalised fisheries regulations on Tuesday and agreed to allow Thai fishermen to seek licenses to fish in Cambodian waters at a temporary office opposite the Koh Kong Resort from Thursday onwards.
Cambodia's Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh last week asserted that Cambodia has not closed its waters near Koh Kong as earlier reported. He said that fisheries concession procedures were being amended and that it would not affect the livelihood of the both peoples.
"I reaffirm that we will try to avoid doing things which (negatively) affect the daily life and the living of peoples to prevent any dispute," the Cambodian defence minister said. "There has been some adjustment of concession regulations recently, and if the licence has expired, fishermen can ask for renewal of their licence without any problem."
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Thai government will not close the Thai-Cambodian border as it has concern for the well-being of the population living along the border.
Mr Suthep reminded the public that the diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia flared up right after the visit to Phnom Penh of former Thai premier Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and the appointment of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to the Cambodian government.
Prime Minister Abhisit has continued to assert that political and diplomatic retaliation is separate matters, and the commitments made by the two countries which are beneficial to their citizens, particularly aid projects, will not be revoked, Mr Suthep said. (TNA)
Read more!
New international prosecutor
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S Khmer Rouge war crimes court has a new international prosecutor, the UN-backed tribunal announced on Wednesday, several months after the previous holder of the post resigned.
Briton Andrew T. Caley, who has worked at the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has been formally appointed by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, a court statement said.
The appointment was welcomed by court observers, who said it was important to get a permanent international prosecutor in place as soon as possible.
'There are many critical decisions that should be made in the (next) case in the next two months and they should be made by the international prosecutor who will have the responsibility for carrying them out,' Heather Ryan, court monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, told AFP.
Mr Caley is expected to arrive in Cambodia within the next few weeks, said tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen.
Canadian prosecutor Robert Petit announced his resignation from the court in June, citing personal and family reasons after a row with his local counterpart over whether to pursue more suspects of the late 1970s communist regime. He denied his sudden resignation from the tribunal was due to the dispute with Cambodian co-prosecutor Chea Leang. -- AFP
Read more!
Thai mother travels to Cambodia to visit arrested son
BANGKOK, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mrs. Simaluck Na Nakhon Panom, the mother of a Thai man having been arrested in Cambodia Wednesday traveled to Cambodia to visit the detained son.
Mrs. Simaluck's son, Siwarak Chothipong, who worked as an engineer at the Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd (CATS), has been arrested in Cambodia from Nov. 11, according to an arrest warrant of the prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipality Court.
Cambodia has charged Siwarak of having had confidential information affecting Cambodia's national security.
Also, a younger brother of Siwarak accompanied the mother traveling to Cambodia, which is their second trip after Siwarak has been detained in a prison in Phnom Penh, the Thai News Agency reported.
The Thai mother flew to Cambodia with dry foods and clothes for the detained son.
Meanwhile, the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, which has prepared some money worth from 50,000 baht (1,506 U.S. dollars) to 200,000 baht (6,027 U.S. dollars), has been in the process of seeking a quick release of Siwarak on bail.
Read more!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
SNC-Lavalin awarded contract for an energy control system in Cambodia
MONTREAL, Dec. 1, 2009 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX News Network) --
SNC-Lavalin is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract to design and build Electricité du Cambodge's National Control Centre and Energy Management System in Phnom Penh. The value of the contract is estimated at $5 million.
SNC-Lavalin will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the complete system, including the control centre building, system software, hardware and system integration with the telecommunication networks and remote metering equipment. Based on SNC-Lavalin's state-of-the-art GENe Energy Management System, the control centre will operate Cambodia's entire electric transmission network. As part of the Rural Electrification and Transmission Project, this system will help provide electricity to a large portion of Cambodia's rural population.
"This project is important for the growth of the country, especially as it adapts to modern automation and Smart Grid technology to secure its electricity supply," said Joe Salim, Vice-President and General Manager of SNC-Lavalin's Power Systems Division. "Thanks to our experience in energy control systems in this region, we are able to support this project with local expertise and capabilities."
Work on the project has begun and the control centre is expected to be operational by June 2011.
SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure, and in the provision of operations and maintenance services. SNC-Lavalin has offices across Canada and in over 35 other countries around the world, and is currently working in some 100 countries. www.snclavalin.com
SOURCE: SNC-LAVALIN
Media: Leslie Quinton, Vice-President, Global Corporate Communications, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., (514) 393-8000, ext. 7354, leslie.quinton@snclavalin.com; Investors: Denis Jasmin, Vice-President, Investor Relations, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., (514) 393-8000, ext. 7553, denis.jasmin@snclavalin.com Copyright (C) 2009 CNW Group. All rights reserved.
Read more!
Cambodia Recommended to Diversify Its Market
By Ron Corben Bangkok, Thailand
A new United Nations report says Cambodia needs to diversify the economy to help protect vulnerable groups, such as women workers, from downturns. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the report also calls for the government to see the current slump as an opportunity to speed up structural changes.
The United Nations Development Program urges the Cambodian government to shift away from relying on the garment industry, which is vulnerable to sharp economic shocks such as the recent financial crisis. The report, released last week, focuses on Cambodia's challenges; the country has been among those in Asia hit hardest by the collapse in global exports.
It says the poor, especially those in debt, have felt the pain the most. The garment sector accounts for about 70 percent of Cambodia's export income. The United States is the leading market but exports there fell by over 22 percent in the past year because of the recession.
Nearly all of the workers in Cambodia's garment factories are women, mostly from rural areas. At least 50 factories have closed in the past year, and more than 60,000 workers lost their jobs. Chan Sophal, lead research consultant on the report, said Tuesday the lack of alternatives means more Cambodian women must work in the entertainment industry. The United Nations Inter-Agency Project on human trafficking sees more young women entering the industry.
Mr. CHAN SOPHAL said "Karaoke parlor, the massage places and the beer promotion industry, and all of those have women at risk in terms of being a disguised sex worker and at the exposure of diseases." The global downturn also hit Cambodia's construction industry, tourism businesses and migrant workers. But the UNDP report says the crisis should be seen as an opportunity that spurs efforts to address structural weaknesses in the economy. Chan Sophal says the report calls for institutional reforms, and more equity in public spending to lift the economy and reduce the effects of external shocks. Mr.
CHAN SOPHAL added "This crisis may represent an opportunity for the government to speed up the structural reforms which takes time - but now we have no time. The quicker we can do to improve competitiveness, the economic diversification the better chance we will recover from the economic downturn."
Recently, the International Monetary Fund said garment exports from Cambodia would fall by as much as 15 percent this year. However, the Asian Development Bank forecasts that the economy will grow just over three percent next year, as the global recovery takes hold and increases clothing exports and tourism arrivals.
Read more!
Cambodian kids painting with hope
BY ILIANA STILLITANO
CAMDEN Civic Centre will be filled with the colours of hope next week as the artwork of Cambodia's poorest children goes on sale.
The artwork, painted by underprivileged street children, will be sold to raise money for the Cambodian Children's Painting Project, which helps the poorest children in the village of Sihanoukville.
Project director Felix Brooks-Church said residents of the coastal village lacked regular access to food, clean drinking water and medical care.
``We are trying to change that by providing a supportive and safe place to come and play and express themselves in a positive way. And it's art that is our major focus,'' he said.
Mr Brooks-Church has been travelling around Australia since August holding fund-raising art exhibitions.
Camden Council's Family Day Care coordinator Debbie Tuckey is custodian of the unsold paintings, which will be exhibited at Camden Civic Centre.
They will be available for purchase for one week only from Saturday at 1pm.
Read more!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Cambodia-Vietnam joint commission meeting to be held later this week
Cambodia and Vietnam are set to hold a joint commission meeting later this week in Cambodia's southwestern province of Sihanouk.
In a statement released on Monday, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said the 11th Meeting of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation will be held in Preah Sihanouk Province from Dec. 3-4, 2009.
It said that Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem will lead a delegation to attend the meeting.
During his stay in Cambodia, Pham Gia Khiem will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hun Sen, and sign with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong on the agreed minutes of the meeting.
Read more!
Cambodia to consider bail request for Thai engineer on Friday
BANGKOK, A Cambodian court will hear Thailand's bail request bid on Friday for the Thai engineer in Phnom Penh on espionage charges and affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had done its utmost to help him, according to MFA Department of Information director-general Vimon Kidchob.
Siwarak Chutipong, an employee of Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was arrested by Cambodian police November 12 on charges of passing to Thai diplomatic officials what the Cambodian authorities considered as privileged information regarding the flight of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra when he made his recent visit.
Ms Vimon said she believed that Simarak na Nakon Panom, Mr Siwarak's mother, understood the procedure and had made an appointment with the Thai officials to go to Cambodia again next Monday (December 7 to hear the court's verdict) on the next day but she may want to visit him sooner.
However, Ms Vimon said that the mother had not informed the ministry of her desire to visit her son earlier than planned.
Mrs Simarak on Monday met former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama at Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party headquarters, seeking his assistance to get bail for her son and permission from Cambodia to visit him again.
She claimed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had moved too slowly for her to help her son.
Mr Noppadon, a legal adviser to convicted ex-premier Thaksin, said he would help her on a humanitarian basis by using his old connections in Phnom Penh to help Mrs Simarak see her son again and he did not want his move to be seen as a political issue. (TNA)
Read more!
US says to continue help Cambodia to fight HIV/AIDS
PHNOM PENH: The United States said on Monday that it will continue to help Cambodia in fighting against HIV/AIDS.
"The United States looks forward to continuing our support of successes like these and we are committed to furthering efforts that curb the spread of HIV in Cambodia," it said in a statement released here on Monday by its Embassy.
The US is considered as the largest bilateral HIV/AIDS donor in Cambodia, committing US $18 million in 2009 as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
The US helped Cambodia cut its HIV/AIDS prevalence rate by half among the general population and by two thirds among brothel- based sex workers, a remarkable success story in the global fight against the disease.
The US assistance is also helping to provide life-saving antiretroviral medication to more than 31,000 Cambodians living with HIV/AIDS, reaching over 90 percent of those in need, the statement said.
Over the next five years, the United States will place a renewed emphasis on partnering with Cambodia to build the country' s national HIV/AIDS response, it added.
Read more!
Thaksin and Chavalit's Cambodia plan badly misfired
By Avudh Panananda
The Nation
After their best-laid plan went awry, two cunning schemers now find themselves left high and dry. Thaksin Shinawatra and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh have fallen off the political stage.
Until the two can come up with a new ploy to reclaim pole position, the role of playmaker has now been taken up by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
In the next couple of months, Abhisit has a rare opportunity to rectify ailing politics. If he succeeds in his mission, then there is a glimmer of hope for overcoming Thaksin's gravitational pull.
Just a few short months ago, Thaksin and Chavalit acted and talked like they already had the world in the palms of their hands.
Chavalit stepped out of retirement to accept the Pheu Thai Party chairmanship. He confidently outlined his game plan designed to boost Thaksin's political standing.
He believed that he could overcome political polarisation if the pro-Thaksin camp could outshine the Democrat-led coalition.
Thaksin pulled strings with the red shirts and opposition lawmakers in order to orchestrate a showdown to dislodge the coalition.
It so happened that Thaksin and Chavalit found Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with a receptive ear to get involved in Thai politics and risk the good neighbourly ties.
Under the plan, the involvement of Hun Sen in the Thai political equation was supposed to be proof of Thaksin's superiority over Abhisit. But the plan backfired.
Friends and foes alike saw Thaksin and Chavalit as traitors, serving as Cambodian lapdogs instead of protecting Thai interests.
The very plan designed to destroy the prime minister yielded the opposite result. Abhisit received an all-time-high popularity rating.
Regardless of his experience as the longest-serving prime minister in Southeast Asia, Hun Sen picked two wrong horses to stage an entrance into the Thai political scene.
The Cambodian government had to switch on damage-control mode by dispatching Defence Minister Tea Banh, seen as Hun Sen's closest ally, to Bangkok on a fence-mending mission last week.
The pro-Thaksin camp fell into disarray. Chalerm Yoobamrung, the leader of the Pheu Thai MPs, became "conveniently" ill so he could sit on the fence and watch how the game played out.
Although some 30 Pheu Thai MPs and hardcore supporters went to meet Thaksin in Siem Reap, much greater numbers of opposition lawmakers followed Chalerm's lead to keep their cards close to their chest.
Even Chavalit tried to salvage his image by back-pedalling from Thaksin's Cambodian card. He turned down Thaksin's offer for him to fly to Phnom Penh to pick up the Thai engineer who is expected to be released from the legal wrangling for spying.
As if adding insult to his own injury, Thaksin made controversial and offensive remarks against the monarchy when he tried to apportion the blame for his predicament.
It came as no surprise that the red shirts were forced to postpone their mass rally, billed as a final showdown with the government. Thaksin is doing everything he can to win back trust in his loyalty.
As Thaksin and Chavalit will likely spend months trying to pick up the pieces of their own undoing, the limelight has shifted to Abhisit.
With the lull in street protests, Abhisit now has a fighting chance to steer mainstream politics to overcome the turmoil.
The key is how to accommodate and appease opposition lawmakers in order to stop them from gravitating toward Thaksin.
Three key events may be the decisive factors in reshaping Thai politics. The anticipated Cabinet reshuffle. The upcoming censure debate. And the twisting and turning of the process to amend the charter.
If Abhisit plays his cards right, then voters will likely go to the polls next year. The polarisation may not end completely with one round of voting, but at least the animosity is likely to dissipate.
Read more!
Mother wants Pheu Thai to help free her son
It came as a big slap on the government's face when Simarak Na Nakhon Phanom, mother of Siwarak Chutipong - a Thai national being detained in Cambodia - asked the opposition Pheu Thai Party for assistance yesterday.
She complained that the Foreign Ministry was being too slow in getting her son out of prison.
She went to the party headquarters yesterday to ask former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama to help free Siwarak, who is being held on charges of spying on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule.
"The Foreign Ministry is too slow and my son and I can't wait. I will do anything to get him out," Simarak told a press conference.
Noppadon said he had used his connections in Phnom Penh to help Simarak visit her son again in a couple of days.
Simarak also thanked Thaksin for offering to help her son even though he had done something bad against the former PM.
Siwarak admitted that he had passed Thaksin's flight information on to a Thai diplomat who later was expelled from Cambodia, but Simarak said her son did not know that Thaksin was on the plane.
Siwarak was arrested on November 12 while Thaksin was in Phnom Penh to deliver a speech on economy. His visit intensified tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, especially since Bangkok was already angry with Cambodian PM Hun Sen for appointing Thaksin as his economic adviser. Simarak also called on Pheu Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, asking for help yesterday.
Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, said he understood that Simarak is a mother and would do anything for her son.
"But the Foreign Ministry is doing what it can to help her, too," he said.
Read more!
Hun Sen rules out normal ties with Abhisit government
By Rasmei Kampuchea
Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attacked Thailand again yesterday, saying the Thai government was derisive about his country and that Abhisit Vejjajiva was the most difficult Thai PM he had ever worked with.
Hun Sen told reporters in Phnom Penh that bilateral relations, which have been sour for months now, would only be normalised if Thailand had a new government. He added that his country would "have no happiness" while Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya were still in power.
"I'm not an enemy of the Thai people ... But, these two people look down on Cambodia," Hun Sen said.
"Cambodia will have no happiness as long as this group is in power."
Hun Sen claimed that Abhisit called him over the weekend after Phnom Penh sent a note last week telling Bangkok that it was cancelling its request for a Bt1.4-billion loan to construct a road from the Thai border to Siem Reap.
"Abhisit called me, for the first time, asking me to withdraw the note. He said Thailand is still willing to give the loan," Hun Sen said.
However, Abhisit was told that Cambodia needed an official letter from him, but though the Thai premier agreed he failed to send the letter at the time it was promised.
"Abhisit is the most difficult person to work with when compared to other Thai PMs," Hun Sen said, adding that from now on Cambodia would not accept any aid from Thailand.
"We have decided to stop receiving any assistance from Thailand. Cambodia cannot allow itself to be humiliated," he added. "I told Abhisit that my people and I were hurt when we heard you talk about halting aid and loans. Now stop talking like this - it is cheap and childish."
The Cambodian leader also hit back about Thailand's threat to close the border between the two countries, saying: "If you are [an] idiot, if you want losses, please go ahead."
Bilateral relations between the two countries soured when Hun Sen appointed fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser and refused to extradite him to Thailand.
Read more!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thai FM: no plan of talks with Cambodia to end diplomatic dispute
[The Nation report: "Mother meets detained son in P Penh jail"]
Takes soil from house as symbolic link to his motherland
Detained Thai employee Siwarak Chotipong met his mother for the first time yesterday since being arrested on a charge of spying.
Siwarak has been accused of passing on fugitive former prime minister Shinawatra's flight information to an official of the Thai Embassy two weeks ago.
Simarak Ra Khon Phanom flew to see her son in Prey Sor prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh for an hour and a half yesterday afternoon. She took along soil from her house in Nakhon Ratchasima for her son as a symbolic connection with the motherland.
Siwarak has lost some weight but is still in good health and Cambodian authorities are taking good care of her son, she told reporters in Phnom Penh after a visit.
"He wants to get out of jail as soon as possible and is waiting for the court ruling on December 8," she said.
He is not a political victim, but there might have been some misunderstanding and bad luck for him, she said.
Siwarak was arrested on November 12 on the day Thaksin was in Phnom Penh to give a lecture on economic development after being appointed an economic adviser to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Siwarak, an employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was accused of passing Thaksin's flight information to Thai diplomat Kamrob Palawatwichai, who was later expelled from Cambodia.
If found guilty, he would be sentenced to a 7-15-year jail term or fined 5-25 million Cambodian rials (about Bt50,000-Bt250,000) in accordance with article 19 of the Archive law.
Visiting Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said his country would handle the Siwarak case in accordance with law and international practice.
Tea Banh was in Thailand for a meeting of General Border Committee with his Thai counterpart Prawit Wongsuwan. They agreed to maintain good ties despite the conflict between the two governments.
Siwarak's case is seen as an extension of the diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia. Angered by the appointment of Thaksin as Hun Sen's adviser, Thailand downgraded relations with Cambodia and reviewed cooperation projects including a maritime deal.
Meanwhile Cambodia informed Thailand yesterday it was cancelling an agreement to receive a Bt1.4-billion loan to upgrade a highway from the Thai border, Associated Press reported.
Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said his country will not accept the loan because it could afford to build the road on its own.
Read more!
World Vision Goes Around the World to Find the True Spirit of Christmas Next stop: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Team began quest in U.S. two weeks ago, will travel to three more countries in next three weeks
$25 million fundraising effort aims to fight poverty and help 625,000 people around the world
Contact: Laura Blank, World Vision, 646-245-2496, lblank@worldvision.org
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Nov. 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Since November 19, World Vision and thousands of people around the world have been traveling the globe in search of the Christmas spirit as part of the Christian humanitarian agency's "Spirit of Christmas" tour. The month-long tour features interviews and stories with children and families in the United States, Ecuador, Cambodia, Zambia and Ethiopia. In the past two weeks, World Vision's team has been highlighting both the heartbreaking circumstances of the poor and the inspiring impact even small donations of a few dollars can make in helping families provide for their children.
"So far, we've traveled from the neighborhoods of New York City to the mountains of Ecuador to see if we can find the 'true spirit of Christmas' around the world," said Devin Hermanson, campaign manager for World Vision's "Spirit of Christmas" tour. "In a year full of financial scandals, war, natural disasters, and a global recession, we all need a little encouragement. What we've found so far is that people around the world are still helping their neighbor in need."
The team has traveled to New York City and Quito, Ecuador. The team left Ecuador on Saturday, November 28 and traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There the team will learn first-hand about the sex trafficking industry and meet several young children who have been rescued from sexual slavery and are rebuilding their lives. About 2 million children -- most of them girls -- are enslaved in the global sex trade today.
Fast facts about the "Spirit of Christmas" tour in Phnom Penh, Cambodia:
The team has traveled more than 14, 456 miles since November 19.
So far, more than $4.2 million -- or nearly 20% of the goal -- has been raised toward this year's $25 million goal.
More than 14 million people live in Cambodia.
More than one-third of Cambodians live below the poverty line, and nearly 78% live on less than $2 a day.
Between 50,000 -- 100,000 women and children are involved in the global sex trade.
It is estimated that nearly 30% of children involved in the sex trade are under 18.
The life expectancy for the average person is 61 years old.
World Vision has worked in Cambodia since 1970.
As part of the "Spirit of Christmas" tour, the organization seeks to raise a record-breaking $25 million through the World Vision Gift Catalog to help provide these communities with much-needed resources like water, livestock, medicine, and agriculture -- assistance that could change the lives of nearly 625,000 people. World Vision's cash donations are currently down 4 percent -- or $33 million -- a deficit that could ultimately affect the poorest families around the world. If World Vision meets the Gift Catalog's financial goal this year, it would be far more than the aid agency has ever raised during the holiday period, making it a truly extraordinary response in extraordinary times.
To schedule an interview with the team as they travel, please contact Laura Blank at lblank@worldvision.org or +1.646.245.2496. To follow the team online, log onto Facebook, visit us on Twitter, or check out the "Spirit of Christmas" campaign site at http://www.worldvisiongifts.org/.
Note: The "Spirit of Christmas" World Tour Schedule
Bronx, New York November 17 - 22, 2009
Quito, Ecuador November 22 - 27, 2009
Phnom Penh, Cambodia November 28 - December 5, 2009
Lusaka, Zambia December 6 - 13, 2009
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia December 13 - 17, 2009
Bronx, New York December 18 – 23, 2009
About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org/press. Read more!
Militaries could heal battered bilateral ties
By The Nation
The positive tone of the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers hold hopes for normalisation
The General Border Committee meeting ended on Friday on a positive note as the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers agreed to work for peace. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and his Cambodian counterpart, Tea Banh, said they would use their good offices and the armed forces to create the political space needed to bring about the comfort level for the two sides to move on.
The two governments are currently engaged in one of their bitterest diplomatic disputes in decades after Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser. The move was nothing less than a slap on Bangkok's face. Hun Sen, naturally, said it was his and his country's business as to who he should appoint. He went on to cut Thailand's judicial system to pieces for charging his good friend with corruption, and taunted the Abhisit Vejjajiva government of being immature and lacking credibility and suggested that it seek legitimacy.
Nevertheless, the two defence ministers spent Friday mapping out guidelines for future cooperation between the armed forces and identified specific programmes to serve as a platform for such cooperation. The soccer game between soldiers from the two countries might well be back on schedule.
It has been pointed out that the Thai Army and their Cambodian counterparts, in spite of experiencing hiccups every now and then, have effectively turned the page and moved on from the turbulent years of the previous decades when Vietnam and Thailand turned Cambodia into a high-stakes game. Everybody had blood on their hands and no one is in the mood to dig up the past, hence the desire to leave the political baggage behind.
But let's not let the cosy feelings in Pattaya blur reality. Tea Banh may be the defence minister but we all know that the buck stops with Hun Sen. If Hun Sen does not want Tea Banh to get cuddly with the Thais, he won't.
Hun Sen may think he is smart by adopting this two-pronged strategy - a diplomatic spitting contest between the two capitals, but hugs and kisses between the two soldiers. But the problem strongmen with inflated egos have is that they invariably shoot themselves in the foot. And by that time it could be too late, as the damage could be too severe and the situation out of control.
No one can deny that there is a high degree of pretentiousness in diplomacy, as the outcome of the Pattaya General Border Committee meeting has shown. Maybe that is what is needed. Bangkok may have to pretend that its feelings were not bruised as badly as it seemed, while Cambodia could reap the benefits of the political capital sowed by Tea Banh and its armed forces. Who knows? The two countries could be hugging and kissing each other one day.
Read more!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Cambodia cancels $41.2 million loan from Thailand
By SOPHENG CHEANG,Associated Press Writer
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia informed Thailand on Friday it was canceling a US$41.2 million loan from Bangkok meant to finance the upgrade of a highway from the Thai border.
Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said his country didn't need the loan and could afford to build the road on its own.
The decision comes during a period of bad relations between the two countries over Cambodia's recent welcome to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a fugitive from Thai justice.
Thai-Cambodian relations took a turn for the worse when Cambodia recently named Thaksin an adviser on economic affairs. The subsequent visit by Thaksin, and Cambodia's rejection of a formal request from Bangkok to extradite him, drew a negative reaction from Bangkok.
Each country has recalled its ambassador and Bangkok has canceled an agreement to negotiate on joint development of offshore territory claimed by both countries. It also said it would review all other assistance agreements and projects with its neighbor.
Cambodia is holding a Thai man on a spying charge for allegedly sending a copy of Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai Embassy during the former leader's visit earlier this month.
The secretary to Thailand's foreign minister, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, downplayed the importance of Phnom Penh's cancellation of the loan to upgrade the 73-mile (117-kilometer) road stretching from Cambodia's northwestern border with Thailand to the province of Siem Reap.
He called it a normal procedure, as Friday marked three months after the agreement was signed, and Cambodia was supposed to give notice on whether it agreed to its terms.
The road would in large part serve trade between the two countries, which is heavily in Thailand's favor.
He said Thailand had reviewed the agreement, as part of its earlier threat to cancel all assistance agreements, but took no action on it.
A Thai court last year sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict of interest law, but he fled into exile before the verdict. He was prime minister from 2001 until ousted by a military coup in 2006.
Read more!
