via CAAI News Media
U.S.S. Patriot to Dock in Cambodia on Feb. 15
Friday, 12 February 2010 10:30 By Ek Madra .
DAP News combodia
PHNOM PENH, The U.S.S. Patriot, an Avenger-class countermeasures vessel from the 7th fleet based in Hawaii, will make port in Sihanoukville on February 15th to begin a weeklong visit and to conduct exercises with the Cambodian Navy, said the U.S. release on Friday.
“The bilateral training exercises will focus on damage control, search and seizure and at sea rescue techniques,” it said.
In addition naval surveyors who are also traveling on the ship will assist their Cambodian counterparts in taking sides scan surveys of the port area to check for possible obstructions in commercial shipping lanes, it said.
“Both the bilateral training exercises and the survey are being orchestrated at the request of the Cambodian Navy and the Port Authority,” said the release was seen by DAP.
Sihanoukville is about 240 kilometres from the capital, Phnom Penh.
“This is the fifth visit by a U.S. naval ship since the resumption of military to military engagement between the U.S. and Cambodia.”
“Each visit represents another important step in this evolving relationship as well as an opportunity for military personnel from both countries to exchange experiences, tips and techniques which will assist them in the future,” it said.
In 2008, U.S. Navy destroyer arrived at the southern Cambodia deepwater port of Sihanoukville for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
The 155-metre USS Mustin (DDG-89), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived with its crew of nearly 300 to embark on a goodwill mission, which included free dental clinics, repairs of local schools and hospitals and other humanitarian works.
The crew conducted training programs with the Cambodian naval personnel.
There were demonstration operations, including one on disastrous operation.
Also the USS Essex, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, made a port call at the coastal province from November 26 - December 2, 2007.
The Essex was the second ship to be commissioned in the WASP-class of multipurpose amphibious assault ships.
The 844-foot long, 44,000-ton Essex is capable of transporting, deploying, commanding and supporting all elements of a Marine landing force of over 2,000 troops during an assault by air and amphibious craft.
During the ship's visit, hundreds of U.S. Sailors and Marines deployed to sites across Cambodia to provide medical and dental treatment, to complete engineering and community relations projects, and to conduct military-to-military exchanges and training.
More Japanese Investors are Interested in Investing in Cambodia
Friday, 12 February 2010 04:58 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 11, 2010– Japanese delegation told Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An late Thursday that there will be more Japanese investments to the kingdom in the near future.
But Mr. Hideo Ohkubo, a leadership committee member of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and vice-committee chairman of Advancement of New Industry, said more meetings should be held between Japanese investors and Cambodian government.
“The organizing tours for Japanese investors to see with their own eyes the Cambodia’s real situation and investment potential, which is a very good idea,” Ohkubo said.
“I am encouraging more Japanese investors to invest in the Mekong sub-region countries including Cambodia,” Ohkubo told Dr. Sok An, who is also Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, in a meeting late Thursday.
Ohkubo said it always takes times for Japanese investors before their investment flow could be made to foreign countries, but at the same he said Cambodia can be investment radar for Japanese businessmen.
“So, we need to arrange visits first for Japanese investors to see Cambodia’s investment potential,” said Ohkubo said in the meeting.
He said soon there will be a Japanese firm’s office and working with the government to facilitate Japanese investments in this Southeast Asian nation, where investment potential is high.
There are three main areas in Cambodia, which has been attractive to Japanese investors.
Those includes: Cambodian coastal province of Sihanouk could be a very good location for food processing and assembling plants, but we need to train the locals how to deal with the information technology (IT),” Ohkubo, who is also the New Business Convention Vice-Chairman, said.
“I will encourage Japanese investors to look into Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone,” he said.
“At the same time, I will convince Japanese investors, who are currently investing in Vietnam, to look into the possibilities to operate their businesses near the Cambodia-Vietnam borders.”
In response, Sok An said Cambodian government is soon to set up an information centre, where national and international investors could obtain accurate information about Cambodian investment potential.
Sok An also sought Japanese government to give green light for Cambodia Angkor Air for direct flight operation from Phnom Penh to Japanese cities such as Osaka and Narita airports, a move will contribute tourism sector.
“Japanese Airline (JAL) alone cannot carry all Japanese visitors who wanted to visit Cambodia. Soon, Cambodia Angkor Air will have more planes and we wish we could have direct fly to and from Japan if that possible,” Sok An told the delegation.
JAL had 20 flights to Cambodia in 2008 and it was only 10 flights last year, said Sok An.
Tourist arrivals from Japan ranked fourth. There was 144,220 Japanese tourists visited Cambodia in 2008. It was only 129,283 for last year, according to tourism ministry.
Japan also pledged to train Cambodian experts how to improve rice productions.
“I would like to see Japanese experts to technically help us how to improve Cambodian rice productions, especially in Takeo province, where the dry rice season has a lion share out of the country’s dry rice crops,” he said.
Dr. Sok An also said that a polytechnic institute is being built in the southern province and hoped Japanese firm could join hands to develop the centre.
In response, Japanese delegation is interested in Dr. Sok An’s project of the institute and will send Japanese rice experts along with farming technology to help Cambodian experts and farmers on how to improve rice yield and hoped to increase the crop harvest up to three times a year.
Agriculture and tourism played vital factors in contributing Cambodian economic growth.
Cambodia produced more than 7 million tonnes of rice for 2009/2010. The country received more than 2 million last year.
Total of Japan’s investment value in Cambodia between 1994- 2009 was US $105.18 million, according the figures provided by the Office of the Council of Ministers.
Cambodia exported goods to Japan was about US $32 million in 2008 and it was $6.8 million for the first eight months of 2009.
Cambodia imported goods from Japan was $69.6 million in 2008 and it was $8.3 million for the first eight months of 2009.
Japan provided Cambodia the duty free quota of 1,000 items exports to Japan.
Cambodian Soldiers Unconcerned by Thai Military Exercise
Friday, 12 February 2010 03:21 DAP-NEWS
A Thai military exercise on Thursday has caused Cambodian soldiers stationed at the border area no concern as they remain ready to defend the country, a source at the border said.
The source said the Thai exercise was not considered a significant event as Thai soldiers did not fire into Cambodian territory.
The Thai soldiers’ exercise comes following Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s first visit to the border areas. Hun Sen warned during his visit that any exercise must not involve firing into Cambodian territory.
Previous Thai exercises saw bullets in Cambodian land three times because of “technical matters.”
The situation at the border is normal, but the border source said that Cam-bodian soldiers are ready to fight if Thai forces cross illegally into Cambodia.
UN, City Hall Meet to Discuss Capital’s Future
Friday, 12 February 2010 03:21 DAP-NEWS
Cambodia’s Phnom Penh City Hall and UN-Habitat on Thursday met to discuss the safety and security of the urban poor in city of Phnom Penh joined by relevant stakeholders to seek the best way to help the capital’s urban poor.
Man Chheoun, deputy director of the committee of the population and development for the Council of Ministers and deputy governor of Phnom Penh, said that Phnom Penh will have master plan of development soon and we already handed over to the CoM after it was agreed by the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Construction, Urbanization and Land Management.
The master plan for 2020 will contribute to the beauty of the city and help boost health and with large spaces for people to exercise, he said in a seminar yesterday.
“To ensure safety and security and help the poor, we need to join to together to protect and clean our city, and need responsibility,” he said, adding that “anarchic” buildings promote disorder.
In 2003, there were 569 urban poor communities in Phnom Penh, but this was later reduced to 200 communities, he claimed.
“We integrated the urban poor into simple areas living like other people and it helped the poor to have responsibility for themselves, and upgrade their living conditions,” he said.
He highlighted that the poor created crimes, robbery and domestic violence, and are sometimes jobless and inactive. Streetlights along the streets also played a part in reducing crime, he said. “A good city needs to have all aspects, including beauty, few crimes and construction according to legal procedures and traditional norms.”
Din Somethearith, program manager of UN-habitat here, said that “we all are trying to create city with beauty, nice construction, and to avoid increasing crimes in the city, and ensure safety and security for all people. A city with crimes is unstable and sparks the fears of travelers.”
Celilia Andersson, coordinator for the Safer City project of UN-habitat in Nairobi, Kenya, said in the Asia-Pacific region there are over 2.6 billion urban poor so organizations involved must build trust.
According to the finding report from the CDRI, Cambodia has made significant progress from a decade ago, when the kingdom was experiencing a very high crimes rate and a lot of violence. A survey in 2001 by UNIVCS revealed that Cambodia ranked top for violence and property crimes among developing countries in the survey. Since then, however, the total number of victims of crimes has declined. In 2006, there were 1,451 organized crimes and 3,005 recorded property crimes. The amount of property crimes decreased from 2,414 in 2007 to 1,796 in 2008. The decrease was seen as a positive sign of security improvement since 2002.
No Worries over Rainsy Case, CPP Claims
Friday, 12 February 2010 03:20 DAP-NEWS
A Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker on Thursday claimed to be unworried by the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s plans to raise Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy’s case in the next parliamentary session.
The rejection was made following an IPU committee meeting on the human rights of parliamentarians and a confidential decision at its 128th session on 18-21 January, 2010 to confirm deep concern related to this case.
Svay Rieng Court on January 27, 2010 sentenced Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy in absentia to two years imprisonment for uprooting border markers on the border with Vietnam.
The opposition “express further concern at the charges laid against Mr. Sam Rainsy which, in the light of the information before it, appears highly questionable; and wishes to receive a copy of the indictment and to be kept informed of the outcome of the trail hearing of 27 January, 2010,” the report said.
Cheam Yeab, a CPP lawmaker, told DAP News Cambodia that only the political opposition and NGOs heed such reports of concern.
“All we have done is legal and was a request by the court via the Justice Ministry,” he added.
However, we reject all fear even though this case is going to talk at the next session as we have done by legal ways, he confirmed.
Abhisit Coward to File Border Dispute to International Court of Justice Commentary
Thursday, 11 February 2010 12:30 DAP-NEWS
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen reaffirmed that his government will raise the ongoing border dispute with Thailand to the International Court of Justice or the U.N. Security Council, but Thai Prime Minister Abhhist Vejjajiva said he would not seek to do that fearing the repeated loss as that ruled by the International Court of Justice at Hague in favor to Cambodia on 15 June, 1962.
This attitude shows the current Thai leaders are shamelessly claiming without any legal background the ownership of Preah Vihear Temple and its vicinity of 4.6 square kilometers.
It is ridiculous that Abhisit is betraying his ancestors and predecessors who respected the ruling judged by the International Court of Justice that Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding area are in Cambodia’s territory. The Cambodia’s exclusive ownership was in fact, if any objection, by Thailand in accordance with the international norms and laws--shall be made in 10 years, but has ever made such objection or claim until 46 years later. Based on the principle of international norm, Abhisit has nothing to say whether or not he agrees with the ruling and nor the ownership of the temple and the area.
With a latter unilateral map drawn by itself, Thailand claims for 4.6 squares kilometer adjacent to Preah Vihear Temple, and only after Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple was registered as the World Heritage Site. As this is a case, we wonder if any country on earth accepts this and nor Cambodia undoubtedly.
Cambodia itself was a victim of warfare for several decades and not at all ready to engage in any other war, but peace and good neighborly country. On the contrary, Thailand is provocative to stage war with Cambodia in order to divert public attentions from domestic political turmoil and divisions to the border area with Cambodia.
Facing such circumstance, Cambodia has no right stop Thailand from orchestrating this war, but to be ready for self-defense at any cost.
While certain powerful country is for sure to judge this disputed case in favor to Cambodia based on logic and legal principle at any means, it instead suggests not to have it raised at the top level, the U.N. Security Council, the consideration being processed by Cambodia.
It is useless and nonsense to further engage in bilateral negotiation with Thailand as long as the current Thai leaders bear in mind to sabotage the issue to its domestic problems for their political gains through this nationalistic sentiment.
A wise and just vision must be promptly materialized; otherwise, the ASEAN bloc will be divided and who to be blamed for this, of course, not Cambodia as a victim and neither a provocateur, but Thailand (and other backers, if any) who will solely and wholly be responsible.
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