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Thailand Still does not have Good will for Border Deal: Cambodia
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 07:13 DAP NEWS / VIBOL
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 18, 2010-Cambodia Wednesday said that Thailand still does not have good will for border deal because Thai National assembly did not set up the agenda for border deal to be approved.
The Thai border committee is just the name, ‘not necessary’ because all documents that Thai border committee signed with Cambodian side. Thai National assembly did not approve,” Koy Khoung, spokesman for foreign ministry said.
The Thai border committee did not have power to decide, he said.
Cambodia last week appealed to international communities to seek ways to deal border issues with Thailand.
ASEAN and UN will help to mediate the border issues between the two countries. When Cambodia asked the world communities to help solve the issues Thailand repeatedly said that bilateral deal is very good resolution. But Cambodia has seen it as deadlock because Thailand has not had good will to do it.
Thailand invaded Cambodia’s territory at area near Preah Vihear temple on July 15, 2008 through sending three people including a monk, a nun and layman to pray at the temple and later Thailand sent troops to area with argument that they reached Cambodia’s soil but those Thai troops did not go back to Thai territory. Thai troops claimed that that area is Thai sovereignty based with their own map which secretly drawn with military unit.
Last May, the Joint border committee agreed to go to area to measure the land to plant the border demarcation but Thailand took an excuse that it had the political conflict in the country. They could not go there. Cambodia asked to post border markers but Thailand at the time tried to manipulate the story that Cambodia planned to plant to Berlin wall at that area.
Cambodia listed successfully 11th century Preah Vihear temple in July 7, 2008. In July this year Cambodia submitted the management plan of Preah Vihear temple with world heritage center but Thailand had opposed. Thailand asked to have joint listing of Preah Vihear temple.
Thailand expressed its purpose of invading land neighboring countries like Cambodia. Thailand used the Preah Vihear matter as hostage of political gains.
Thai PM Abhisit planned to use Preah Vihear issue to seek the support from the upcoming general vote in Thailand.
Preah Vihear temple awarded to Cambodia in 1962 through verdict of international court of justice. The first story of Preah Vihear dated back when Cambodia got the independence from France in 1953. In 1954, Thailand sent troops to invade Preah Vihear temple and Cambodia asked them back to Thailand. Thai troops did not back. The court at that time used border treaty in1904-1907 as tool to explain where the temple is.
In 1962, Thai troops removed from the temple and with destroying the valued statues of the temple. Since then, Thai troops lived with shame.
After nearly a decade, Thai troops started to wake up and considering about the area near Preah Vihear temple again. Robbery never confessed that they are robbery.
Japan Donates over 4 million US dollar Fund for Expanding Agricultural Product Around Tonle Sap Lake
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 05:35 DAP NEWS / VIBOL
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH., AUGUST 18, 2010-Cambodia’s ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries on Wednesday inked the MoU with JICA, Japanese International Cooperation Agency to Cambodia to expand the agricultural products for communes around Tonle Sap lake, a largest fresh water lake in southeast Asia region.
The fund of 4.4 million US dollars from Japan will work on the projects of enlarging the agricultural products for 36 communes in Pusart, Battambang, and Kompong Cham provinces respectively.
Under-secretary of state for ministry of agriculture, Sean Vuthy said that that fund will help local communities and people to reduce poverty and provide the better livelihood. We thanked Japanese government and people who always donated and helped Cambodians and government in poverty reduction.
The fund will assist to strengthen the bilateral cooperation and friendship between the two countries, the representative of JICA to Phnom Penh said after the signing ceremony at the ministry.
Last week, PM Hun Sen ordered local authorities to devastate the illegal reservoirs which built to restore water to plant rice paddy in dry season and he also release directives to prevent the flooded forests from illegal cutting. Illegal land grabbing at the lake is a big concern for the government.
The sources from ministry of water resources said that some 640,000 hectares of forest land that floods during rainy season with be declared off-limits for development, including encroachment by farmers planting rice.
The lake covers about 250,000 hectares during the dry season and expands to about 1.25 million hectares during the rainy season.
It is the habitat for more than 200 species of fish, 42 types of reptiles, 225 species of birds and 46 kinds of mammals.
Lake provided the jobs for local people with over one million, and fish product is 75 per cent of the total product in the country. Tonle Sap also provided the transportation means for Cambodia to home of Angkor wat temple in Siem Reap province and the lake also is a hub of rare flocks of birds that attracts the foreign tourists to see.
Ban Ki-moon Ready to Mediate Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 04:56 DAP NEWS / Soy Sophea
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 18, 2010-Head of United Nations Ban Ki-moon has showed his willingness to be a mediator for Cambodia-Thailand border disputed following Cambodian PM Hun Sen’s word request.
Deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary General Farhan Haq replied an email of DAP Media Center on Wednesday saying that, “The Secretary-General is willing to mediate situation when both sides request him to do so.”
Cambodian PM Hun Sen last week called on an international conference to seek peaceful solution to the two-year-long border dispute as Thailand sent troop invade Cambodia’ territory sounding world heritage Preah Vihear temple. Hun Sen said that bilateral talk was stuck due to Thailand did not approve the two countries’ border committee’s notes, which has been done for three meetings to put an end to the disputed, adding that he would inform Ban Ki-moon as he plans to pay a two-day official visit to Cambodia on October 27-28.
However, the UN added that so far it has not received any formal requests from the both sides.
Cambodian said it is ready to bring the border issue to ASEAN or UN while Thailand wants to seek settlement only bilateral talks.
Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Koy Kuong on Wednesday welcomed Ban Ki-moon’s respond to the border issue.
The spokesman told DAP Media Center that, “This is a positive signal of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he want to contribute to find resolution to Cambodia-Thailand border dispute.”
(Additional reporting by Sorn Sopheak and Yung Khemara)
Cambodia Focuses on Climate Change Impact of Agriculture and Social Development
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 04:04 DAP-NEWS/ VIBOL
CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 18, 2010-Cambodia’s ministry and environment with other line ministries and EU office in Phnom Penh on Wednesday conducted a seminar of climate change in a move to seek the good ways to prevent the impact of agriculture and social development in the country.
“We are doing this task at the time when climate change has become more severe and requires much consideration in the national development agenda,” Dr. Mok Mareth, environment minister said in the opening ceremony of national workshop on Cambodian Climate change alliance.
He added that Cambodia has affirmed its position to obligate all developed countries to take lead in reduction of GHG emission and provide more financial support for capacity development and technology transfer to countries most vulnerable to climate change in order for them development the necessary capacity and ability to adapt to the devastating climate change.
“the government acknowledges the need to main stream climate change in the national policy and the national and sub-socio-economic development plan as well as in the sector plans as climate change is cross-cutting and directly relevant to ministries and agencies responsible for the national development activities,” Dr Mok stresses.
We have recently adopted coastal adaption project proposal, the first to access Cambodia climate change alliance, funding to addressing coastal vulnerability through a demonstration with the participation of line provincial agencies, Dr. noted.
International community provided Cambodia with 8.9 million US dollar project for climate change in adaptation and mitigation.
Rafael Dochao Moreno, EU delegation to Cambodia said in the event that “we have come together as a group of allies because we recognize that climate change is real and that impacts of climate change will be global and that Cambodia is particularly vulnerable. But we also recognize that new opportunities for funding and technology are emerging that have the potential to create new development pathways, bringing new opportunities for low carbon emission development.
The effects of climate change have the potential to increase existing inequalities, as well as present new challenges that will have direct implications for achievement of Cambodian millennium development goals and for Cambodia’s sustainable development aspirations-from increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, and droughts.
In past few weeks, Cambodian expressed very regretful for disasters in floods in pakisatn, and landslides in China and India. PM Hun Sen expressed his own feeling of condolence with the countries suffering from the climate change. Yesterday PM Hun Sen said that global food security will face recently and in the near future. That thing is a potential for Cambodian agricultural product. We will have large market for our agricultural products, he said, adding that we will not increase the rice price and other grain crops. Russia will not export of its wheat product this year after it suffered from fire and food matter.
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