via Khmer NZ
Royal Family Provides Donation to Poor People
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- More than 1,000 families of people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans, vulnerable elderly people and disabled from seven districts and provincial town of Siem Reap province have received donation from Their Majesties the King, King-Father and Queen-Mother.
The handover ceremony of the donation, worth US$37,363 in total, was held on Aug. 13 in Sotr Nikum district under the presidency of Cambodian Red Cross President Lok Chumteav Bun Rany-Hun Sen.
The donation included rice, foodstuff, clothes, wheel chairs, etc. --AKP
(By LIM Nary)
-------------------
AKP/02
Cambodia Sticks to Peaceful Means to Settle Border Issue with Thailand
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Hor Namhong has reaffirmed Cambodia’s stand in solving the current border dispute with Thailand by peaceful means.
In a meeting here today with visiting ASEAN Secretary General H.E. Surin Pitsuwan, the Cambodian deputy prime minister further stressed that Cambodia is ready to defend its territorial integrity against any act of aggression.
Both sides also discussed about ASEAN Community establishment, the cooperation between ASEAN and other regional organizations including the African Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, etc. in order to enhance ASEAN’s prestige and to fight against terrorism, said H.E. Hor Namhong in a short interview upon the meeting.
Regarding the sanctions against Iran, the Cambodian deputy prime minister said sanction is not a solution. The solutions to all problems are negotiation and compromise, he added. --AKP
(By SOKMOM Nimul)
-------------------
AKP/03
Cambodia Seeks ASEAN’s Assistance in Solving Border Dispute with Thailand
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Hor Namhong has sent a letter to his Vietnamese counterpart H.E. Pham Gia Khiem, chair of ASEAN, seeking his assistance to meditate Cambodia-Thailand border conflict.
The full letter dated Aug. 14 reads as follows:
“Excellency,
I have the honour to recall to Your Excellency that after the inscription of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR into the World Heritage List on 7 July 2008, despite Thailand’s strong opposition, Thailand sent troops to aggress against Cambodia three times:
- On 15 July 2008, despite Thailand sent troops to occupy the KEO SIKHA KIRI SVARA pagoda of Cambodia.
- On 15 October 2008, the Thai troops crossed into Cambodian territory and clashed with Cambodian soldiers at three locations in the vicinity of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, killing two Cambodian troops and injuring two others.
- On 3 April 2009, the Thai troops again crossed the border into the vicinity of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, including the area in front of the Temple, and fired heavy weapons, destroying the office of the PREAH VIHEAR Authority and the market located inside the premises of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, as well as damaging the main staircases in front of the Temple.
At present, Thailand still maintains the presence of its soldiers at the KEO SIKHA KIRI SVARA pagoda of Cambodia, which is located only around 300 meters from the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR and well inside the territory Cambodia.
Until now, Cambodia has exercised utmost restrain and attempted to find a peaceful solution to the problem bilaterally, but to no avail. Thailand continues to stake territorial claims of the so-called 4.6 km2 area in the vicinity of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, on the basis of its secret and unilaterally drawn map, without international legal value. Recently, Thailand’s Prime Minister threatened publicly to use military force to remove the Cambodian troops and local inhabitants out of this so-called 4.6 km2 land which Cambodia does not even know where it is exactly located, as the whole area is inhabited by Cambodian people since ages.
May I further recall that based on the Annex I Map (Dangrek Map), produced by the Franco-Siamese Commission for the delimitation of frontiers between Indochina and Siam which was set up by the Franco-Siamese Convention of 1904, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) adjudicated on the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR case, on 15 June 1962, as follows:
1. The Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia;
2. Thailand is under an obligation to withdraw any military of police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity of Cambodian territory;
3. Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in Cambodia’s fifth Submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authorities.
Therefore, taking into account the above adjudication of the ICJ, the territory in the vicinity of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, is under the sovereignty of Cambodia, in accordance with the “Annex I Map” legally and internationally recognized, which is the only map that legally delimits the border in the area of TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR and is binding to both Cambodia and Thailand.
The problem stems from the fact that Thailand continues to exert its territorial claims based on its secret and unilaterally drawn map, without any international legal basis, while Cambodia’s position is to seek a bilateral peaceful settlement on the basis of the legally and internationally recognized documents which have also been recognized by Thailand until the inscription of the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR into the World Heritage List on 7 July 2008.
Bilateral negotiations have lasted more than two years, since 2008, namely three meetings at foreign minister level (July 2008 in Siem Reap, August 2008 in Hua Hin, November 2009 in Siem Reap) and three meetings of the Joint border Commission (JBC) between Cambodia and Thailand (November 2008 in Siem Reap, February 2009 in Bangkok, April 2009 in Phnom Penh) have yielded a number of agreed arrangements that could lead to the resolution of the problem. However, the Thai side did not submit them for its own parliamentary approval and to allow the implementation of those arrangements.
As the current stalemate has extinguished any hope on further bilateral negotiations and in order to avoid any large scale armed conflict, while considering the spirit of ASEAN’s solidarity and the fact that both Cambodia and Thailand are fellow members of the ASEAN family, I earnestly seek Your Excellency’s assistance, as Chair of ASEAN, to mediate on the matter under the ASEAN framework either as a whole or on an individual basis involving only certain ASEAN members, in line with the Principles of the ASEAN Charter, Article 2 (c) and (d).
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.” --AKP
--------------------
AKP/04
Malaysia Wants to Import Rice from Cambodia
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Malaysia’s Ambassador to Cambodia Mr. Datuk Pengiran Hajimohd Hussen told Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon last Thursday that Malaysia is interested in importing Cambodia’s agricultural products such as coconut oil, rubber and especially rice.
The Malaysian ambassador pledged to try his best to strengthen Cambodia-Malaysia cooperation both in bilateral and ASEAN frameworks, and to encourage Malaysian businessmen to invest in Cambodia, according to an official of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Malaysia ranked first among the foreign investors in Cambodia from 1995 to 2000.
In reply, H.E. Keat Chhon warmly welcomed Malaysia’s willingness to import rice from Cambodia and promote its investment in the country.
The Malaysian government has cooperated closely with Cambodia and helped assist and support Cambodia in the national development such as helping train Cambodian government officials and build a portion of railroad from Svay Sisophon to Poipet, the minister was quoted as saying.
He further stressed that the Malaysian investors, as well as other investors in Cambodia, have been protected by both the country’s investment law and the leaders of the Royal Government of Cambodia. --AKP
(By Noeu)
-------------------
AKP/05
Interview: Cambodia-China Economic and Trade Relations Very Good: Deputy PM
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said that the economic and trade relations between Cambodia and China are very good, in a recent interview with Xinhua.
In the interview, Sok An said the economic and trade relations between the two countries, which started centuries ago, have been strengthened and expanded significantly in recent years, adding “If you go shopping in Cambodia, you will find many products labeled MADE IN CHINA, ranging from kitchenware to high-tech products such as telecom equipments.”
China has been a significant foreign investor in Cambodia, he said, with thousands of Chinese companies, big and small, operating in sectors such as textiles and garment, hydroelectric power, agriculture and mining. China’s investment, measured in fixed assets, increased to US$930 million in 2009 from US$461 million in 2007, and in the 1st semester of 2010, the investment is US$234 million.
Sok An, also the minister of the Council of Ministers, said that the trade between Cambodia and China has also substantially increased. The bilateral trade (imports plus exports) was about US$138 million in 1998, and it has increased to more than US$946 million in 2008, an increase of about sevenfold over the last ten years.
In terms of tourism sector, the minister said that Chinese tourist arrivals in Cambodia have ranked among the top 5 during the last 5 years. But it moved to the 3rd place after South Korea and Vietnam in the first half of 2010, with the number of tourists reaching 84,335.
The minister also commended Chinese government’s decision to provide duty exemption for 418 items or tariff lines for Cambodian products to enter into Chinese markets, which he considered as an acceleration for more bilateral economic activities between the two countries.
Sok An said “These activities have undoubtedly contributed to the Royal Government’s efforts to reduce poverty and to increase the living standard of the Cambodian people. The Chinese people have also benefited from this good economic relation and cooperation.”
Talking about the future cooperation on trade and economy between the two countries, Sok An said that Cambodia needs more financial and technical support for further development of physical infrastructure such as irrigation system, roads and bridges, as well as for human resources development. “So, I firmly believe that China will consider this positively.”
Cambodia also has great potential in several important sectors such as agriculture, agro-industry, infrastructure, labor-intensive industries, exports-oriented industries, exploration and exploitation of natural resources such as oil and gas, mining as well as tourism. “These sectors offer many investment opportunities,” Sok An said.
Chinese investors are encouraged to explore these opportunities and other business potentials, he said. --AKP
-------------------
AKP/06
Finance Minister Meets Tunisian Ambassador
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon said that Cambodia-Tunisia ties of friendship and cooperation have been growing better and better.
The deputy prime minister was reported as saying in a farewell meeting on Aug. 12 with H.E. Mohamed Sahbi Basly, out-going Tunisian ambassador to Cambodia.
Along with the ambassador in the meeting was a Tunisian investor who looks for a cooperation with Cambodia.
H.E. Keat Chhon expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia for the successful mission of the Beijing-based Tunisian Ambassador H.E Mohamed Sahbi Basly. --AKP
(By MOM Chan Dara Soleil)
-------------------
AKP/07
Brazil To Help Cambodia in Sugar Cane Production
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Brazil will continue helping Cambodia’s sugar cane production, said the out-going Brazilian Ambassador to Cambodia in his farewell meeting with H.E. Uch Borith, secretary of state of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry on Aug. 13.
H.E Edgard Telles Ribeiro, the out-going Brazilian ambassador to Cambodia, stated that in response to the request from H.E. Uch Borith, he will forward the request to the new Brazilian ambassador to Cambodia to coordinate an official visit of an agricultural delegation to study the possibility of the assistance.
According to the ambassador, sugar cane can be processed into ethanol – colorless liquid that can be used for many purposes such as scents, flavorings, colorings, and medicines. In addition, the waste from sugar cane can be transformed into fertilizer and paper as well.
Sugar cane production is one of Brazil’s specialties and the country has long experience in this field.
The Brazilian diplomat acknowledged the support from Cambodia for the membership of Brazil into the United Nations Security Council as well as into other international’s bodies and Brazil will also return its favor. --AKP
(By MOM Chan Dara Soleil)
-------------------
AKP/08
MoI Held Meeting to Review Work Performance in Implementing LEASETC Project
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- The Ministry of Interior (MoI) held a meeting on Aug. 13 to review its work performance after having a project of the Law Enforcement Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children (LEASETC) implemented.
The project, sponsored by UNICEF and World Vision, is aimed to improve the capacity of the Cambodian national police in rescuing child victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, investigating cases, arresting offenders, searching for evidence and bringing offenders to trial.
Mr. Richard Bridle, UNICEF country representative, requested for strengthening the capacity of police dealing with the building up of files being sent to the court for trial, the investigation, and the interview, mainly those at provincial, district and commune levels, referring to some negative points being raised in the meeting.
Secretary of State H.E. Prum Sokha of the Ministry of Interior and also chairman of LEASETC project, who presided over the meeting, said the sexual abuse, the sexual exploitation and juvenile trafficking became a global issue and/or a war to be opposed, being treated these like a modern age slavery created in many forms by the criminals.
As the remarks presented by Secretary of State H.E. Prum Sokha, his assessments referred to the impact on the effectiveness, the relationship and sustainability of LEASETC project procedure of mechanism and also to the provision of recommendations on an objective and a strategy so as to enable the royal government, UNICEF and World Vision to help promote Cambodia’s courts system, especially the law enforcement for child victims of exploitation, trafficking, abuse and violence.
It is noted that the Department of Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection (DAHTJP) under the Ministry of Interior sets up a 24 hours Hotline and response unit to help potential victims, their families and third parties report cases of child sex abuse and trafficking of children.
The Hotline is supported by UNICEF and World Vision. --AKP
(By THOU Peou)
-------------------
AKP/09
Cambodia Palm Sugar Exported Abroad
Phnom Penh, August 16, 2010 AKP -- Cambodia palm sugar has been exported to three foreign countries, President of the Association for Promoting Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Mr. Sam Sareoun said recently.
During the five-month of palm sugar production, we produced 31 tons and sold to three local partners and one of them has exported to France, Australia and Malaysia, he said.
Mr. Chhorn Ravuth, an official of a local company Confirel, said this year Cambodia will continue to export palm sugar to the above said countries. --AKP
(By KHAN Sophirom)
