via Khmer NZ News Media
Cambodia Opens First Sky Bridge in Phnom Penh’s History
Thursday, 24 June 2010 03:34 DAP-NEWS/ Tep Piseth
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PEN, JUNE 24,2010-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with his wife on Thursday opened the first sky bridge in over 500 years old history of Phnom Penh and in country in a move of facilitating the traffic congestion in city.
Speaking of opening ceremony of sky bridge at the bottom of Monivong bridge in Phnom Penh, PM Hun Sen said that this bridge with 308 m in length and 14 in width and height of 5.2 m is first one in our history and when we have one, we will have second at in front of Kossamak Hopital in western part of Phnom Penh and other sky bridges later. This bridge spent over 6 million US dollars for construction for one year period from 2009.
This bridge will reduce the traffic jam at this location,” he added. He urged Phnom Penh Municipality to expand the size of road at other places to avoid traffic congestion. Now Phnom Penh is in angel of development and people growth. Today we have 277 restaurants, 135 hotels, and 332 guest houses,” he noted.
He ordered to ban sale of kindergarten schools and other health center in city and country and wait for money for development.
Phnom Penh is facing a big concern of road accidents after the number of motors increased to 800,000 sets and 170,000 vehicles in Phnom Penh. All motor riders need to wear helmet to protect life. You need to love your life if not caring other lives” he stresses.
200 Cambodian Peace-Keepers to Be Sent to Lebanese Country within the UN's Framework
Thursday, 24 June 2010 07:13 DAP-NEWS
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JUNE 24, 2010 - 200 Cambodian Peace-keeping, Mine-clearing, and War-legacy forces will be sent to the Lebanese country within the UN ’s framework after 89 Cambodian peace-keepers on Tuesday of June 22, 2010 returned to Cambodia safely from Jordan and Chad.
“Cambodia will in July plan to send 200 additional Cambodian peace-keepers to Lebanese country within the UN’s framework and on Wednesday of June 23, 2010 send 3 Cambodian officials to New York in order to negotiate with the UN officials to reach an agreement on the memorandum of the decision on sending 200 Cambodian peace-keepers to accomplish their peace-keeping tasks in Lebanese country,” Mr. Prak Sokhon, Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers said.
It was noticed that Cambodia in the past four years sent 568 mine-clearers, social order- keepers, and observers to Jordan, the Republic of Chad, and South Africa to achieve a great result.
Edited by Mr. Rasmey (Mr. Go for It)
Cambodian Government Denies any Misuses of Contract Bonuses of Oil/Gas Revenues $28 mln
Thursday, 24 June 2010 09:30 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, June 24, 2010 – Cambodian government denied any wrong doing of misuses the revenues netted from the bonus contract of the concession deals of oil and gas, said the letter response to the opposition was seen on Thursday.
The government said it received $ 28 million from the French Total Oil company including the bonus contract $20 million, social fund of $6 million and another $2 to be paid by the company voluntarily in a long run, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, also the president of the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA), said in the letter.
Sok An’s letter responded to the mounts of questions raised by a leading opposition leader Son Chhay of the country’s biggest opposition party Sam Rainsy (SRP).
Sok An said in the letter as saying: “the revenues have transferred to an account of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) who jointly controls with the ministry of finance and the Cambodian National Petroleum of Cambodia (CNPA),” said the letter was seen by DAP.
The UK-based Global Witness called donors in April to scrutinize the Cambodian government received $28 million from French oil giant Total.
The group’s release came after Prime Minister Hun Sen’s statement that the Total Oil company initially gave Cambodia $28 for receiving exploration right on the Cambodian bloc off-shore early this year.
The company initially injected $20 million as contract bonus and another $8 million for social fund, Hun Sen pointed out.
But Global Witness said that such the bonus should be dominated the coming Cambodia-donor meeting in June.
“Questions regarding oil and mining payments made to the Cambodian government should top the bill at June’s donor-government meeting in light of an announcement by Prime Minister Hun Sen,” said the Global Witness.
The Southeast Asian nation has signed agreements with 23 foreign oil companies including Total, Chevron and Mitsui and others to conduct the feasibility study on its off-shore of six blocs.
In May, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An told Japanese deputy minister for economy, trade and industry, Chiaki Takahashi, that the Kingdom expected to produce oil by 2012 from Block A.
In 2005, Chevron Texaco announced a significant discovery in four exploration wells in Cambodia Block A, a 6,278 square km offshore area—55 percent owned by the oil giant, Chevron. While, Japan's Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. (MOECO), a Thai unit of Mitsui Oil Exploration Co., holds 30 percent, and the remain went to South Korea's LG-Caltex 15 percent.
Chevron has conducted further tests, but it appears near certain that Cambodia is about to become a petroleum producing country.
The revenues from the oil reserves would have a major impact on the economy of the former war-ravaged Southeast Asian nation, which recovered from the “Killing Fields” ruled from 1975- 79 during which an estimated 1.7 million people died.
Cambodia Expands Education of Preventing Genocide for Next Generation
Thursday, 24 June 2010 09:33 DAP-NEWS/ Tep Piseth
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JUNE 24, 2010-Document Center of Cambodia, a independent agency for truth research of Khmer Rouge regiom in cooperation with education ministry conducted third Commune Teacher Training in Pursat, Siem Reap, and Svay Rieng Provinces to expand education of using books of preventing genocide for next generation in the country.
“It will be held from June 24-30, 2010," Chy Terith, an official for DC-Cam said.
The statement from DC-Cam said that since the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea regime in January 1979, efforts to teach Khmer Rouge history to Cambodians, especially the younger generation, have been limited either to official political propaganda or to stories privately shared between parents and children.
It added that twenty-eight years later, the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) published a textbook, A History of Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979), written by Khamboly Dy, a Cambodian researcher. It was reviewed by the Government Reviewing Committee and finally approved as a supplementary material for the teaching of Khmer Rouge history in secondary schools throughout Cambodia starting with the 2010-2011 academic year. For the second year in a row, the national high school examination has included five questions on Khmer Rouge history, making the teacher trainings all the more timely and necessary.
The statement stresses that DC-Cam has distributed 300,000 copies of the textbook free of charge to students across the country and plans to distribute 700,000 by the end of the year in order to reach all 1,000,000 students grades 9-12. It has also developed a teacher’s guidebook and student workbook to accompany the textbook.
With these materials, the Center is currently working with the Ministry of Education to train a total of 3,200 teachers nationwide in methodologies for teaching Khmer Rouge history to students objectively and with pedagogical effectiveness. Over 1,600 history teachers will have been trained before the end of 2010, and an additional 1,600 literature and morality teachers will be trained in 2011.
“National and provincial teacher trainings were held in 2009. The two commune teacher trainings have been held in 2010 and the third will be conducted June 24-30with participants from Pursat, Pailin, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, and Svay Rieng,” it said.
PM Hun Sen Reveals Lawmakers of Sam Rainy Party Related Terrorism Mastermind Chhun Yasith
Thursday, 24 June 2010 09:38 DAP-NEWS/ Tep Piseth
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, JUNE 24,2010-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday said that lawmakers of opposition Sam Rainsy Party related with terrorism acts in toppling government led Chhun Yasit who was sentenced by the U.S. court for life imprisonment on Tuesday.
I still have document that Sam Rainsy asked for pardon for those lawmakers who related with terrorism acts against government led by Chhun Yasit,” PM Hun Sen said, adding that he also called the prosecution of Yasit is the counterterrorism in the country and the world.
Sam Rainsy who conducted self-exile after Svay Rieng court sentenced in absentia of destroying public property through pulling out the planted border markers with Vietnam could not contact immediately for the case.
Chhin Yasit, 53 convicted for a life in jail by the Los Angeles of the U.S.on Tuesday over the charge of plotting a bloody coup attempt in Cambodia in 2000. In 2001, Chhun was convicted in absentia by Phnom Penh court in June of conspiracy, terrorism and membership of an illegal armed group which called itself “Cambodian Freedom Fighter” (CFF).
Cambodian Low Level of Tax Compared with other Developing Countries
Thursday, 24 June 2010 09:40 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, June 24, 2010 – The U.N expert said on Thursday that Cambodian tax is almost double lower compared with other developing countries and said increase tax collection is important for the Cambodian development.
Cambodia’s low level of tax - estimated at around 11 percent of GDP compared to average of 20 per cent in developing countries – was also an area of concern, said the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist of ESCAP said: “To increase tax collection is important both for the mobilizing of resources for physical and social investment and for enhancing the country’s fiscal space, allowing the country to respond more effectively to economic crises.”
Vann Puthipol, Director of the Cambodian General Department of Taxation, highlighted the importance of “increasing the tax base and improving tax administration” before an increase tax collection is to be made in future.
But Cambodian finance minister and also Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon said the greatest challenge of the country in the medium-to long-term is to enhance the diversification and improve the competitiveness of the economy.
“Diversifying the economy and strengthening its competitiveness will be crucial for Cambodia’s future economic developments,” said Keat Chhon.
U.N Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick said that improving education and building nationally integrated social protection systems are two additional key medium- to long-term challenges for this Southeast Asian nation who emerged from 30 years of civil war ended in 1998, said the release.
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