via Khmer NZ News Media
Cambodia trains 54 Commercial Arbitrators to Deal Trade Conflicts
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 13:30 DAP-NEWS/ Tep Piseth
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, June 15, 2010-Cambodia on Tuesday trained 54 commercial arbitrators under support from IFC, and EU. Ministry of commerce will open the commercial arbitration center end of 2010 to help deal trade dispute outside the court. Later, Cambodia will open the commercial court.
“The training and selection of Cambodia’s first commercial arbitration are an important step toward building an effective and independent institution for resolving business disputes,” said Cham Prasidh, senior minister and commerce minister in his statement at training course “We believe the national arbitration center will help bolster confidence in the commercial system, which is crucial for promoting investment and economic growth.” he added.
A less bureaucratic and speedier arbitration system is expected to encourage companies to do more business as it reduces the legal risks associated with business partners and transactions.
“Committed to supporting the government of Cambodia in its reform agenda, the EU is providing technical assistance and funding to help Cambodia improve its trade capacity and investment climate,” said David Lipman, ambassador of the EU to Cambodia in his statment.
Cambodia’s National Anti-corruption Council elects its leaders
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 05:54 By Ek Madra DAP NEWS
PHNOM PENH, June 15, 2010 (DAP) – For the first time the Cambodia’s National Anti-corruption Council is officially established and voted on Tuesday to elect its president and vice president for a five-year term, a move aimed to fight graft which has been criticized by donors as a serious problem that affects every single person in the country.
The Southeast Asian nation’s legislative body adopted the anti-corruption law in March authorized the country to set up the anti-corruption mechanism to crack down the rampant corruption, which has been concerned by the country’s donors who injected Cambodia up to $1.1 billion early this month.
Top Sam, who represented the National Assembly, was elected as a President of the Council and Prak Sok, who represented the Senate, was elected as Vice-President.
Top Sam described the Tuesday event “as significant milestone in Cambodia”.
“We will use the anti-corruption law as legal tool to fight corruption,” he said after the closed door votes.
“You will wait and see the result we will achieve,” said Top Sam.
The Council has 11 members including its leaders. They represented the different government’s institutions: the Royal Palace, the senate, National Assembly, anti-corruption unit, Supreme Council of Magistracy, Cambodian Human Right Committee, National Auditing Authority, government, and others key institutions.
Ek Tha, a spokesman for the Office of the Council of Ministers, told reporters that “the election today showed another government’s strong commitment to fight corruption”.
Om Yentieng, head of the Anti-corruption Unit, said the National Anti-corruption Council has now 60 staff and another 60 people would be employed to work for the Council in the near future.
The National Assembly approved in March the anti-corruption law allowed the country to establish the mechanism of National Anti-corruption Council and the Anti-corruption Unit, although the opponents said the law is not transparent which could lead to the failure in tackling the corrupt acts.
In May, 2009 U.S. ambassador Carol A. Rodley said that corruption is a problem that affects every single person in Cambodia.
“According to various studies, corruption costs Cambodia up to $500 million per year in terms of forgone state revenue that could otherwise be spent on public services in education and health care and jobs for Cambodian youth,” said Rodley.
She said that $500 million is equivalent to the cost of constructing 20,000 six-room school buildings or the ability to pay every civil servant in Cambodia an additional $260 per month.
Cambodian officials rejected Rodley’s comment as unsubstantiated.
The Berlin-based Transparency International (TI), the global coalition against corruption which surveyed nearly 200 countries, has said in its Corruption Index (CPI) ranked Cambodia as one of the worst corrupt country in the world.
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