Cambodia To Begin Jatropha Oil Production

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

NCT Jacam Energy Co., a joint venture between Cambodia and Japan, will begin production of jatropha oil in October, raising production to an expected 5,000 liters per day for local consumption.

Jatropha can be used to make biodiesel and could be used to meet demands in rural electricity, river ferries and agricultural and construction machinery, said Chheuy Sophors, president of NCT Jacam.

The company began operations in August, with an investment of $400,000 in a factory in Kampong Speu province, following three years of experimentation. However, the company does not have its own jatropha plantation and would require 5,000 tons of the plant per year. Some 3 kilograms to 4 kilograms of jatropha are required for 1 liter of jatropha oil.

The oil can be bought for around 3,400 riel, less than $1, per liter, equal to the current price of petroleum, but it lasts longer, Chheuy Sophors said. It can be used by any machinery that uses petroleum. Cambodia already produces bio-ethanol from cassava, which can be mixed with gasoline.

“If we can produce [jatropha oil], especially to supply rural areas, first of all, our people will have employment and our country won’t need to import oil from outside,” said Sath Samy, secretary of state for the Ministry of Mines and Energy. “Or at least we can reduce imports, as we produce [oil] from jatropha.”

Jatropha is grown in many Asian countries, supplying markets in Europe and the US, where it has become popular as a green product helping reduce global warming.

However, in Cambodia, it is not grown in massive amounts and is generally only found growing along fences outside people’s homes.

More than 10 companies from Japan, Malaysia and China are now investing in growing the plant in Cambodia, covering 3,000 to 4,000 hectares in the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Koh Kong.

Most companies are still in an experimentation stage.

“We are producing jatropha seed for ourselves, and some of them will be sent to our Japanese partner for testing,” said Tum Pen Vireak Vitour, president of Eco-Agro Japan Cambodia Energy, which is growing 100 hectares of jatropha in Preah Sihanouk province.

San Yu, a representative of Singapore’s Green Acres, said his company was growing 100 hectares in Kampong Chhnang but needed a few more years before production. San Yu, also the president of Development and Appropriate Technology, said the delay is due in part to a shortage of seeds in Cambodia.

Other problems include irrigation, low-lying land, and length of time needed to rent land and limitations of local people.

“All of these stop us from speeding up the process,” he said.

Jatropha can survive for 50 years, yielding up to 2 kg per truck after nine months and up to 20 kilograms per truck after 10 years, as long as it is fully irrigated.

Jatropha investments remains low, San Yu said, as people are still waiting to see the progress of other companies.

I can beat Preah Vihear charges : Noppadon

By The Nation

Published on October 1, 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Noppadon Pattama was optimistic yesterday he would be cleared of criminal and impeachment charges relating to the wrongful signing of the Cambodian-Thai joint communique on Preah Vihear temple last year.

"So many past indictments by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) have been dismissed by the courts," he said.

The NACC ruled on Tuesday to prosecute him and former prime minister Samak Sundaravej on suspicion of a lapse of duty, under Article 157 of the Criminal Code. They were accused of pushing through the controversial joint communique which was subsequently rejected and voided by the Constitution Court as well as the Central Administrative Court.

Noppadon - who was foreign minister at the time - insisted the NACC was prejudiced by relying heavily on evidence supplied by his opponents and those in the anti-Thaksin camp.

The joint communique was not a treaty, as claimed by opponents. It was a first document in which Cambodia duly recognised the existence of the disputed area surrounding the temple, he said, denying the allegation about sanctioning the Cambodian claim to the Thai territory.

He said he was prepared to fight the legal battle in the Supreme Court and the impeachment proceedings in the Senate.

Noppadon said ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra gave him the moral support to clear his name. Samak, who is in hospital for cancer treatment, also gave him encouragement through an aide, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government would allow justice to run its course without interfering in the matter.

In his message posted on Twitter, Thaksin said the NACC had gone overboard in trying to fault Noppadon.

As part of the indictments, the NACC cited evidence from the National Security Council on the intentions of Noppadon and Samak relating to the joint communique. Based on the evidence, it concluded the two wanted to help Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen boost his popularity ahead of the polls.

The NACC expressed shock and dismay the two were willing to risk Thai territorial integrity for the political gain of a foreign leader.

Reacting to the evidence obtained by the NACC, NSC secretary general Thawil Pliensri said he remained sceptical Samak had actually instructed Noppadon to help Hun Sen.

"The story is beyond belief and I never heard Samak tell Noppadon to act in such manner," Thawil said, insisting he was at the NSC meeting on the temple issue.

He admitted, however, there was no taped record of what transpired between Samak and Noppadon.

Thawil's predecessor Lt General Surapol Phuenaiyaka was the key witness in the NACC inquiry.

Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan said the NACC had been unfair in indicting Noppadon and Samak.

The two were not responsible for losing the Thai territory to Cambodia but Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his fellow Democrats were, Jatuporn claimed.

He insisted the two had tried to safeguard the Thai borders while Abhisit neglected to defend the disputed area in spite of a road constructed by Cambodia 250 metres inside Thai soil.

Bilateral talks are they way : PM

By The Nation

Published on October 1, 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Refuses to take issue to Asean or UN Security Council

The dispute with Cambodia over land near the Preah Vihear temple must be solved bilaterally by the joint boundary commission, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday - rejecting any move to raise the issue at international forums.

The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) has been negotiating boundary demarcation in the area.

"We refer to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 not to make any changes before completion of the boundary demarcation," he said.

"The best way [for now] is to prevent clashes along the border."

The disputed area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear has been a source of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time. It heated up when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has ties to the government, rallied in Si Sa Ket on September 19. The PAD mob demanded that Cambodians be removed from the disputed area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen hit back on Monday, warned that troops would "shoot to kill" any trespassers who entered land he deemed Cambodian territory.

Some 4.6 square kilometres near the Preah Vihear temple is claimed by both countries. The JBC demarcation process requires approval by the Thai Parliament.

Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to raise the issue with Asean and the United Nations Security Council if the dispute was not settled soon.

Abhisit said the issue could be resolved at a bilateral level and not be put to Asean.

"We are very cautious about the Cambodian move to raise the issue to international level," he said.

Defence Ministry Permanent Secretary General Apichart Penkitti said the two countries should resolve the dispute peacefully. "If the military takes action, it could be worse. The best solution is negotiation," he said.

"Of course, we don't want to lose the territory but force cannot solve the problem. As both sides claim the same area, we must sit and talk," the general said.

Meanwhile, the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday urged tolerance over the border dispute, saying the issue should not be used by people who want to sour ties with Cambodia.

The panel said it opposed any use of violence and called for the government to engage in talks with Phnom Penh to avoid armed conflict, according to spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta, an MP from the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

Deputy panel spokesman, Democrat MP Ratchada Thanadirek, said bilateral talks on border demarcation had made much progress, but more work was needed in the long term, possibly over the next decade.

She called on the government not to respond negatively to aggressive comments from the Cambodian prime minister, saying it would worsen the dispute.

Typhoon Kills 300 Across Southeast Asia

Vietnamese police officers provide goods, foods to flooded area in Quang Tri Province, 30 Sep 2009

VOA News

By Daniel Schearf

Bangkok

30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News media)

The death toll from Typhoon Ketsana has passed 300 as the storm swept across Southeast Asia, destroying thousands of homes. The typhoon killed at least 11 people overnight in Cambodia and 30 in Vietnam.

The typhoon's powerful winds and rain battered and flooded hundreds of thousands of homes across Southeast Asia Tuesday.

The typhoon knocked over and buried homes in landslides, killing entire families in Vietnam and Cambodia. In Vietnam, floods submerged many old buildings in Hoi An, a United Nations World Heritage site.

Uy Samnath is the director of disaster management for the Cambodian Red Cross. He says about 100 families were affected by the typhoon but the agency is still assessing the damage.

"The infrastructure is mostly lost ... For Cambodia it is big. But, if you compare to other countries, it is not big," he said.

Cambodian authorities and aid groups are providing the needy with food, water, and temporary shelters.

The typhoon first hit the Philippines Saturday and Sunday, causing the worst flooding in 40 years and swamping parts of the capital.

At least 246 people were killed in the Philippines.

The storm then battered central Vietnam, sending tens of thousands looking for shelter.

After crossing into Cambodia, Ketsana was downgraded to a tropical depression before heading to Laos, where officials warned residents to be prepared for heavy rain.

In the Philippines, the government is warning citizens to prepare for more rain as another tropical storm approached the northern part of the country.

SA ambassador seeks answers over local’s detention in Cambodia

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/

Imraan Karolia

Wednesday, 30th September

(Post by CAAI News Media)

South Africa’s ambassador to Thailand on Wednesday has told Eyewitness News he has written to Cambodia’s government asking for information on a Pretoria man being detained there.

André Bester has been behind bars since earlier this month after being involved in a freak jet ski accident that left his friend Paul Hutchins dead.

He is facing a charge of culpable homicide.

His case came before the country’s courts on Tuesday but he has not yet been released on bail.

Ambassador Douglas Gibson says he wants answers.

“I sent a note to the government of Cambodia to put in writing to me whether Mr. André Bester had been arrested; whether he was being kept in jail; Precisely what charges had been brought against him; when a bail application would be heard; and when a trial was likely,” says Gibson.

Typhoon claims lives in Cambodia

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Up to 11 people have been killed and 29 others injured in central Cambodia, the latest country to be struck by Typhoon Ketsana, disaster officials say.

The storm hit the region at about 7pm on Tuesday, engulfing Kampong Thom province, about 130km north of the capital Phnom Penh, the National Committee for Disaster Management said.

Nine of the victims lived in Kampong Thom, including five members

of the same family who were eating dinner when the storm destroyed their home, Neth Sophana of the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

He said 29 people were injured and about 90 homes were destroyed.

Two died in neighbouring Rattanakiri province, including one person who was trying to escape flooding when the surge swept him into a river and he drowned, authorities said.

Authorities were searching for more victims and sending food, medical supplies and plastic sheeting for temporary tents to storm-hit areas.

Death toll rises

In Vietnam Ketsana left a trail of destruction across the country's central region, with the death toll rising to 38 on Wednesday.

The bodies of two people were recovered from their homes after being buried by a landslide, bringing the toll in Quang Nam to seven, Nguyen Hoai Phuong, a provincial disaster official, said.

Parts of the province were still isolated by flood waters and its main road remained partially submerged.

In Thua Thien Hue province, one more death was reported, bringing the toll there to four.

Buried in landslide

Elsewhere, in the Central Highland region, 30 deaths were reported in six other provinces, including 13 deaths in Kon Tum, the government said in a statement.

The deaths include five members of a family whose house was buried in a landslide.

The typhoon also left 10 people missing, destroyed or damaged nearly 170,000 homes and damaged crops and irrigation systems in the region.

Flooding from the typhoon killed 246 people in the Philippines, inundating the homes of nearly 2.3 million people over the weekend.

The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm on Wednesday after crossing into Laos, the national weather forecast center said.

Food association says rice venture with Cambodia necessary

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

A rice venture with Cambodia will help save Vietnam from tough competition against the neighboring country in future rice exports, an official of the Vietnam Food Association said.

Cambodia is expected to export around 1 million tons of rice to Vietnam this year

The rice area in Cambodia is as large as Vietnam, but Cambodia’s rice production figures are low due to the lack of modern technology, Vietnam Food Association Deputy Chairman Nguyen Tho Tri told the Saigon Economic Times Tuesday.

Still, the country has a surplus of rice for export to Thailand and Vietnam, Tri said. Cambodia is expected to export around 1 million tons of rice to Vietnam this year.

“If the huge potential is tapped, Cambodia will become a rice exporter as large as Vietnam.”

Vietnamese and Cambodian officials met in August to discuss setting up a rice joint venture project to boost shipments of Cambodian rice. The Southern Food Corporation, one of Vietnam’s two biggest state-owned agriculture food companies, and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam would represent a 70 percent stake in the Cambodia-based joint venture, Tri said.

The joint venture plan has faced criticism from Vietnamese farmers, who said the government should focus only on exporting locally-produced rice products.

But Tri said the project is the right move.

“If other countries invest in the Cambodian rice sector first, Vietnamese rice will face fierce competition against Cambodian rice on the global market in the future.”

He noted that both Thailand and China also wanted to work with Cambodia in rice exports.

Source: Thanh Nien

Cambodia urged to change property law to encourage real estate investors

Real estate boom in Phnom Penh harbinger of good tidings to Cambodia

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Ray Clancy Emerging - Emerging Property Markets

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Cambodia is experiencing a real estate boom and the government is under pressure to boost the sector by making it easier for foreign real estate investors to buy, it is claimed.

After spending the last three decades struggling to recover from the legacy of the Khmer Rouge's rule, the country is emerging into the 21st century. A decade ago the capital Phnom Penh didn't even have one traffic light, now high-rise condos and offices are springing up as investors rake in the profits.

Many people still have an outdated perception of Cambodia, but private-equity investors are moving into the country. At least four new private equity funds, backed by brand-name investors, are aiming to bring $475 million of foreign investment into Cambodia.

And Cambodia´s private sector is urging the government to make foreign ownership easier as an open-minded real estate market would promote economic growth.

The Cambodian investment law was amended in 2005 to allow foreign ownership of permanent fixtures, but as yet has not been enforced. The old law will only allow property investment in the name of a Cambodian national but it is hoped that pressure from the private sector will result in a change.

'Key improvements to the property investment law would open up a whole new economic world to the country of Cambodia. These measures would not only further develop Cambodia´s property investment market, but the new interest from those investors who want to take advantage early, will not only create a boom putting Cambodia on the map, but will also make the country more competitive with its neighbors,' said Chris Green, Head of Research at property investment firm Obelisk International.

There are several reasons for urgent action, according to American lawyer and chairman of the International Business Club, Bretton Sciaron. 'This is already a sector of the economy that is dynamic, but foreign ownership of apartments, condominiums will help spur further economic growth. Such a regulatory development will provide a dramatic indication that Cambodia has an investor-friendly environment,' he explained.

Vast new building projects have increased over the past few years, including a great number of satellite cities worth billions of dollars that when completed will fundamentally alter the appearance of the capital. After years of disorder within Cambodia, the country is now turning things around as a growing economy posting a steady 11% growth over the last three years, fuelled by a strong tourism industry and clothing manufacturers.

China, South Korea and Malaysia have also been pouring money into the country and in 2006 foreign direct investment totalled $2.6 billion, up from just £240 million in 2004. And according to Cambodia Investment, more than $6 billion may be invested in the country in the next three years.

Efficient Computers in Cambodian Schools

September 30, 2009
(Post by CAAI News Media)

By James Kanter

American Assistance for Cambodia

Children working on a low-power computer at a school in Phnom Penh run by American Assistance for Cambodia, a not-for-profit group.

What is the best computer for schools in developing countries?

The answer is one that is rugged and sips electricity, according to Javier Sola, one of the founders of the Open Institute, a not-for-profit group providing computers and training in Cambodia.

Mr. Sola’s organization is building desktop computers that consume about a quarter of the electricity normally used by desktop and laptop computers, and that cost just over $200. Mr. Sola said he had so far installed 400 of the “low-power-consumption” computers in schools and teacher-training centers in Cambodia.

Another not-for-profit group, American Assistance for Cambodia, said that it was assembling and marketing additional computers under the brand name “Compodia,” and using the profits for projects to build schools, fund scholarships and support an orphanage.

The biggest energy savings for the desktop machines come from an Atom processor, made by Intel, Mr. Sola said. But in some cases the computers are directly connected to a battery that is fed with electricity from subsidized solar panels, which he said was a highly efficient way to transmit power.

The batteries cost about $85 each. But using solar power in combination with the battery means students do not have to pay the usual fee to the local grid of about 4 cents a day, or buy diesel to run a nearby generator, Mr. Sola said.

Even more energy savings would possible if costs come down for monitors using LED technology, which is far more efficient than other monitors, the experts suggest.

Mr. Sola said that a popular misconception was that reconditioned desktop and laptop computers are appropriate for developing countries because they are free. But those computers are often unsuited to rural environments, where cables get eaten or short-circuited by ants, roaches and mice, and where dust ends up clogging the fans.

Reconditioned computers also have relatively short life spans, so that “Cambodia produces computer waste at a much faster speed that any of the developing countries that donate them,” said Mr. Sola.

Typhoon batters Vietnam and Cambodia

Typhoon batters Vietnam and Cambodia

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Vietnam and Cambodia are still battling rising floodwaters after a typhoon cut a destructive path through South East Asia, killing about 300 people.

Thailand is also mobilising troops to provide humanitarian assistance, as it anticipates floods from Typhoon Ketsana, which first struck the Philippines at the weekend, killing 246 people.

Vietnamese government reports said 40 people were killed by Ketsana, which swept into Vietnam late on Tuesday, while Cambodian authorities put the death toll there at 11.

Weather reports are saying that by later on Wednesday, rivers in Vietnam's Quang Nam province could reach a level last seen in 1964.

The typhoon spared most of Daklak, Vietnam's top coffee-growing province, and officials were still assessing coffee and rubber trees in Gia Lai, the third-largest coffee grower.

The region hit by Ketsana lies far north of Vietnam's Mekong Delta rice basket.

The storm has become a focus of marathon climate talks in Bangkok this week, with developing nations and green groups saying it is an example of the type of climate disaster poor nations could face in a warmer world.

British toddler swept out to sea among Samoa tsunami victims

A two year-old British boy who was swept out to sea as he played on a beach in Samoa was among the victims of a tsunami that ripped through the South Pacific Islands, killing more than 100 people.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

By By Nick Britten and Bonnie Malkin

Published: 30 Sep 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

People walk among a scene of devastation following a powerful quake in Pago Pago village on American Samoa Photo: AP

The toddler was on the beach along with his parents when a huge wave struck and pulled them out to sea. The boy’s mother and father managed to swim ashore to raise the alarm but there was no sign of the boy.

The Foreign Office said he was “missing, presumed dead”.

Huge waves battered Samoa and American Samoa, triggered by an 8.0 magnitude underwater earthquake, at dawn on Tuesday.

Residents said they had little or no warning before a giant wall of water up to 20ft high smashed into their homes, flattening buildings, villages and washing cars into the sea. Some said the first wave hit within 10 minutes of the earthquake.

As huge international rescue and aid mission also swung into operation, the Queen and Prime Minster sent personal messages of condolence.

The death toll included at least 77 in Samoa, 25 in American Samoa and six in Tonga and is expected to rise sharply over the coming days. Three Australians including a six year-old girl, were also among the victims.

Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, the wife of the comedian Billy Connolly, who was staying in a house in Samoa when the earthquake struck, described how she “started to whimper, clinging pitifully to my pillow” when the house began to vibrate.

Later after the tsunami she described the scene she saw as “like walking into a terrible dream.”

“Cars teetered where they had been thrown, on top of rubble from collapsed dwellings. Fridges and air-conditioners floated in the sea. A bus sat in a pool of water and mud,” she said. Later she found out that “a dear friend” had been killed trying to escape.

Stephen Rogers, the British honorary consul in Samoa, said the British child’s parents were staying at the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa and had been in contact with the British High Commission in New Zealand.

A New Zealand diplomat said of the parents: “They are completely distressed and have not even informed their families back in Britain about what has happened yet.”

He said he had contacted five other Britons, aged in their 20s and 30s, all of whom escaped unhurt. The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to the islands.

Gordon Brown said Britain was “ready to help in any way we can.”

The Queen said she was “saddened” by the tragedy and sent messages of condolence to the royal family in Tonga and to the Samoan head of state.

Residents described how they were forced to run for the lives after being given little or no warning before the giant wall of water smashed into their homes, flattening villages and washing cars into the sea.

Several coastal towns were wiped out entirely as the sea advanced, sending hundreds of locals running for their lives to higher ground. The south east of the island bore the brunt of the carnage.

The earthquake struck around 125 miles away from the islands.

Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, said four tsunami waves measuring 15 to 20 feet high roared ashore on American Samoa. He reported dozens of park workers missing.

The Samoa Red Cross, which opened five temporary shelters, estimated that 15,000 people had been affected.

On the island of Samoa, locals said entire tourist resorts were washed away, while one family was reported to have lost nine members in the disaster.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to determine damage and casualties.

Rescue teams were scouring the beaches for bodies and hundreds of injured were being treated in hospitals as fears rose that scores more could have been swept out to sea.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the Samoan Prime Minister, said: “So much has gone. So many people are gone. I’m so shocked, so saddened by all the loss.”

Samoa developed an early alert system following the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia that killed more than 220,000 people and laid waste to huge areas of coastline.

However, the speed of the tsunami this time meant there was little time to raise the alarm.

Australia, New Zealand and the United States have pledged assistance to the Samoan islands, with Barack Obama declaring the situation in the Pacific “a major disaster”.

The effects of the tsunami could be felt nearly 5,000 miles away on a Japanese island.

Typhoon kills dozens in Vietnam, Cambodia

A Vietnamese resident tries to get into his flooded house after Typhoon Ketsana swept through Hoi An. Typhoon Ketsana extended its destructive rampage through Southeast Asia Wednesday, blowing away whole villages in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as the regional death toll rose to 331. (AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam)

(Post by CAAI News Media)

by Tran Thi Minh Ha Tran Thi Minh Ha – Wed Sep 30

HOI AN, Vietnam (AFP) – Typhoon Ketsana extended its trail of destruction across Southeast Asia Wednesday, killing at least 66 people in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and unleashing some of the worst floods in a decade.

Tens of thousands of people fled as landslides wiped out homes and rising waters submerged villages and ancient world heritage sites, just days after Ketsana killed 246 people in the Philippines.

Ketsana barrelled towards Laos on Wednesday after being downgraded to a tropical depression, while aid workers struggled to reach stranded survivors and get urgently needed supplies to the homeless.

In Vietnam, officials with the flood and storm control committee said at least 55 people died, including 13 in Kon Tum, a mountainous inland province, and 14 in central Quang Ngai province, where the typhoon made landfall.

Another 11 were missing, an official said.

Cambodia said 11 people died when the storm struck overnight, while there were no immediate reports of casualties from Laos. Scene: Hoi An flooding

Central Vietnam bore the brunt of the typhoon's impact, with the flood and storm control committee saying that six coastal provinces had been evacuated, involving 168,585 people. Many areas were without power.

The town of Hoi An, a UNESCO world heritage site, was under three metres (10 feet) of water. The town is a major tourist draw for its centuries-old pastel-coloured buildings.

On Tuesday flooding hit parts of Danang as well as Hue, the former capital and another World Heritage site, where residents used small wooden and steel boats to move around.

"This flooding might be bigger than the historic floods in 1999," said Nguyen Su, the Communist Party chief in Hoi An.

Aid agency World Vision said in a statement more than 5,800 houses in Vietnam had collapsed in floods and landslides with 163,000 houses having lost their roofs, but this was not immediately confirmed by the government.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said military helicopters could be sent to join the rescue effort, adding that they would immediately evacuate households on river banks and areas likely to suffer from landslides.

State-run Vietnam News carried a front-page photograph of houses almost submerged by brown floodwaters in badly hit Kon Tum province.

In Cambodia, authorities said the homes of thousands of people had been evacuated as the storm packed winds of up to 145 kilometres (90 miles) an hour.

Nine were killed and 28 injured in central Cambodia while two died in the northeast overnight as the country was battered by the storm, officials said. The victims included a grandmother, mother and three children in one house.

"At least nine people were crushed last night when their houses fell down," said Chea Cheat, chief of the Red Cross office in central Kampong Thom province, adding that at least 92 houses in his province were destroyed.

"I have never seen such a strong wind in my life," said Pang Phot, a police officer in the Sandann district.

"Many wooden houses were immediately blown away and many others collapsed to the ground. It was raining heavily and people could not flee their homes because the wind hit immediately," he told AFP by telephone.

In Laos, five or six villages had reportedly been flooded in Savannakhet province and aid workers were making their way there by car, World Vision said.

"We have the capability to urgently ready 500 aid packs if our assessment teams find these are needed," World Vision aid worker Vatthanathavone Inthirath said.

The Philippines is still struggling to cope with the aftermath of floods caused by Ketsana that have affected more than two million people, with the US military set to send troops and equipment there to help.

Ketsana, at the time a tropical storm, dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades on Manila and surrounding areas on Saturday, submerging 80 percent of the nation's capital.

Cambodia Looks to Improve Food Safety

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/

(Post by CAAI News Media)

by Helena Bottemiller | Sep 30, 2009

Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce and the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization met yesterday to collaborate on improving Cambodia's food safety system.

The purpose of the meeting was to bolster government agencies' capacity to "develop, implement, and monitor national food control strategies that reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of food control," according to Xinhua media.

In an opening statement, Chan Nora, leader of the Ministry of Commerce in Cambodia indicated that improving food safety was a key strategy for the government to promote economic sustainability.

Nora emphasized that reducing foodborne disease will improve consumer health and improve trade opportunities for the food sector.

"Foodborne diseases remain a leading cause of illness. Food safety problems such as intentional chemical adulteration and excessive and inappropriate use of pesticides in farming have a negative impact on public health," said Nora.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foodborne illness remains "a major public health concern" in Cambodia.

The mishandling of perishable food and unhygienic preparation, especially from restaurants, street food and hawkers, continue to cause frequent foodborne illness outbreaks in the country.

Typhoon targets Cambodia

Click here to watch Video

Published: Sept. 30, 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Typhoon Ketsana pounded Cambodia Wednesday after wreaking havoc in the Philippines and Vietnam, where the death toll reached the hundreds.

The storm has killed at least nine people in central Cambodia's Kampong Thom province, the BBC reported.

A Red Cross official in the province, about 80 miles from the capital, Phnom Penh, said the nine died in the collapse of their home. He said several homes in the province were destroyed as heavy rain worsened the flooding problem.

Southern Laos appeared to be the next target of the storm.

Ketsana hit Vietnam and Cambodia Tuesday with typhoon strength winds, while in the Philippines it came ashore near the capital Manila as a tropical storm accompanied by torrential rains.

Flooding from the rains killed more that 240 people in Manila and neighboring suburbs and dumped mud and filth into the homes of tens of thousands of people. More than 300,000 people took refuge in temporary shelters.

In Vietnam, the typhoon killed more than 30 people and forced about 200,000 people out of their homes mostly in the central provinces, the BBC report said, adding severe flooding continued Wednesday in some of those regions.

Even as relief officials in the Philippines coped with dwindling food and other supplies to help the thousands of victims, weather officials warned of new storms approaching.

In Cambodia, international organizations pitched in to help government agencies distribute tents and food to affected people in five provinces, the BBC said.

CNN quoted aid agencies in Vietnam as saying about 200,000 had been evacuated from flooded areas. An estimated 13 inches of rain fell on the city of Hue, the report said.

Gov’t Rejects RFA Report over Cambodia Daily Defamation

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

The Cambodian Government on Tuesday rejected a Radio Free Asia (RFA) analyst’s report over the Phnom Penh Municipal Prosecutors’ ruling to convict two staff of the Cambodia Daily newspaper and fine them each CR 4 million in a case centered around Ho Vann, an opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker. Ho Vann allegedly criticized the degrees conferred by a Vietnamese military upon senior Cambodian army officers, according to an article in the Daily. He was found innocent of defamation.

Kim Pov Soton’s report on Tuesday morning took the form of interviews with journalists who gave their own opinions of the ruling.

“Following the RFA broadcast, I would like to clarify that the rules of the court’s were followed and implemented by lawful means and its process was not under any political pressure,” Tith Sothea, Government advisor and media liaison for the Council for Ministers Office, told reporters. Speaking of the issue of the Cambodia Daily in question, he said “It is not professional journalism, which affect others’ dignity and reputation.”

Kim Pov Soton on Tuesday said that this report was an analysis in which she merely interviewed other journalists.

“It is the opinion of those journalists, which is not an RFA opinion,” she added.

However, Tith Sothea urged journalists to adhere to the profession’s strict code of ethics, and not to compromise their coverage for any reason.

“The response of the Council Ministers is only to clarify to those journalists who gave their own opinion in this case,” Kim Pon Soton stated.

“If the court ruled to Ho Vann lost the verdict, protest and criticisms would be more than this,” Tith Sothea claimed.

Philippine Center, Thai MP Call for Conflict Resolution

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

The Philippines and a Thai MP called for Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their border disputes on Monday at a press conference at the Philippine Center.

Jon Ungphankom, a Thai MP, stated at the press conference that “Thailand should not try to make war with its neighbors.”

Conflict between Cambodia and Thailand is nothing new, he added. “It is not a new story that Thailand opposes Cambodian at Preah Vihear Temple.” He remarked that legitimate concerns could have been raised earlier, questioning whether the current spat was the result of Thai nationalist politics.

The Thai Government should not try to play for time in delaying demarcation of the Cambodian-Thai border, he suggested.

“Cambodian and Thai power leaders should negotiate,” he said. The Thai MP said Preah Vihear Temple has become a big symbol the both sides.

“Preah Vihear is our shared heritage so we should not try to destroy and hide it from the world,” he stressed. At around 14 months, the stndoff has been lengthy, he said, though he expressed hopes it would soon be over.

The three-day September 28-30 seminar will include ASEAN members, human rights groups, NGOs and the media.

A/H1N1 Victim’s Relatives Accuse Doctor of Negligence

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

A doctor was on Tuesday accused of negligence in the care of the kingdom’s first fatal case of A/H1N1.

After two days of suffering from the A/H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, the victim died on Sunday afternoon. Her relatives on Tuesday alleged that the doctor, Srour Yina of the Sokha Phirum clinic, did not pay the woman enough attention after she tested positive for A/H1N1.

At an interview at DAP News Cambodia Head Office, Lim Chhay, the victim’s brother, said that her sister at first got fever and then was rushed to the clinic on September 20.

“Her temperature was 39.5 to 40 degrees when the doctor checked the victim’s health and her blood sample … but he had not told yet the result,” Lim Chhay added. “The victim’s health got very serious on September 25 and then rushed to the Calmette hospital, but this was so late,” he said. “When the victim was rushed to the hospital, the doctors asked for the blood sample result, doctor Srour Yina said that the Health Ministry had not yet given it.”

DAP News Cambodia could not contact any member of staff of the climic for comment.

One woman who answered a phone said she was a guard before turning off her phone.

Health Minister Morm Bunheng told DAP News Cambodia that he will send a group of experts to check this case.

The 41-year-old Cambodian woman who died of A(H1N1) flu at Calmette hospital at 4pm on Sunday became the first victim of the disease in Cambodia.

“This is the first case in the kingdom where the flu has killed the patient,” he said at the inauguration ceremony of the new tourism ministry. The dead woman lined in the Chamkar Mon district of Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday.

“The woman had been sick for a long time because she had lung disease,” the premier said, adding that the woman was treated in a private clinic a week before she died, but her infection was serious before she was taken to Calmette hospital.

“Cambodia has confirmed at least 88 cases of H1N1 flu since the virus was first contracted in the coun- try in June,” said a Health Ministry statement.

Over 3,900 people have died from the A(H1N1) flu worldwide since a global rash of infections began in April, the World Health Organization said last week.

Cambodia May Not Meet Millennium Development Goals

Written by Administrator -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Cambodia’s economic situation will at least improve by 2015, even if the kingdom does not achieve all of its development goals, Cambodian Minister for Planning Chhay Thon said on Monday at a Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CDMG) seminar.

Sophie Barrans, vice officer of the UNDP for Cambodia, said at the event that “CMDGs can release Cambodia to reduce poverty.”

Chhay Thon said that the Government would strive to meet the deadline.

Barrans said that the priority is “improving of the CMDGs, such as human resource development.”

Cambodia Hosts ASEAN Drugs Meeting

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Cambodia on Tuesday hosted the 30th meeting of ASEAN senior officials on Drug Matters in Phnom Penh in to help strengthen regional cooperation to fight nacoctics trafficking and contribute to a drug free ASEAN by 2015.

“Through cooperation in information sharing and implementation of controlled delivery method between Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thail- and, and Indonesia, we have destroyed criminal organizations which imports drugs into Southeast Asia,” said General Ke KimYan, chairman of the National Authority of Combating Drugs of Cambodia.

Cambodia has suffered from the transiting of drugs and from drug abuse, especially ATS and methamphetamines, he said, adding that “The current development is that Cambodia is facing with the attempt to use Cambodia to manufacture drugs for exporting to outside markets.”

“We would have fallen into grave danger if our law enforcement had not surprised in time the manufactur- ing locations into grave early 2009.”

Drug crime in Cambodia and outside criminals are “a threat to our society,” he added. “Cambodia has been removed from the first of drug manufacturing countries which is a success for the effort of the Government. The growth of marijuana for drug production has been eliminated. However, there is a new concern about safrole- rich oil which can be used for producing ecstasy for the demand within and outside the country… [and] at the same time, drug injection aids the spread of HIV/AIDS infection and other infection disease among drug users. This presents us a new set of challenges and duties.”

“Drugs are a global issue and no single country can successfully fight against this menace but it requires broad international cooperation in all aspects and strong determination and commitment.”

In 2008 and early 2009, the import and transit of drugs are still a major concern and threats to the security, safety and social order of Cambodia, said Moek Dara, secretary general of the national authority of anti-drug of Cambodia.

“The Golden Triangle area is still considered as a source of heroin and ATS trafficked into Cambodia,” he said, adding that drugs are imported into Cambodia through airports and border gates before being exported onto international markets.

ATS and heroin are the main drugs circulating in Cambodia, he said. Although there is an increasing import of the cocaine into the country, India first imported heroine into Cambodia in 2009.

In 2008, the law enforcement officers suppressed 197 cases, compared to 152 cases in 2007, and arrested 394 criminals compared to 279 persons in 2007, he added. The drugs confiscated included 116,772 methamphetamine pills (down from 390,987 pills in 2007) , 193,305 grams of ICE methamphetamine and 15 more ‘small packages’ with a total of 6750.58 grams, as well as 35 tons of safrole oil.

“In the first semester of 2009, the law enforcement officers suppressed 140 cases, arrested 287 persons and confiscated drugs include pill methamphetamine, ICE drugs, dried marijuana, heroine, drug powers with 73,561 pills, 1, 247,433 grams, and safrol-rich with 304 tons or 11,552 liters,” he said.

This meeting was joined by officials from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Phili-ppines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, India, China and South Korea. Burma, also known as Myanmar, was absent from the meeting.

USAID Education Donations Lauded

Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided over US$1 million for education in Cambodia’s Pursat province, a USAID agency officer said on Monday.

Carol A. Rodley, the US Ambas-sador to Cambodia, said at Pursat High School that “Over the funds would help development the remote province’s educational infrastructure.

“Over US$ 1 million is to be spent on the renovation of four flats and support to the building sector, which donated by the USAID through the US Embassy for Cambodia,” Rodley added.

The US Ambassador said she was proud to support the developing of the educational sector, like build high school buildings.

Pursat High building was originally constructed by the US in 1962, so it is 47 years old, the output which shows good relationship between Cambodian government and the US, she added. “It is a symbol for joining to Cambodia to develop as the counterparts of the both sides, to provide and the US focuses on educational sector.”

Cambodian Minister for the Education Youth and Sports Im Sour Sdey said that “Pursat is very happy to get new which supported by the US through the US Embassy.”

“It is very important Cambodia has a partnership with the US, especially USAID who led donations to support Pursat province.”

The Cambodian Government wants to poverty and try to improve human resources through the educational sector, Im Sour Sdey said.

Provincial Pursat Governor Khoy Sokha said that “Pursat has a high potential for education, especially infrastructure, to help all Cambodian students to join classes.”

Siem Reap vendors protest to keep stalls

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:03 Lily Partland

SIEM REAP

DOZENS of market vendors in Siem Reap province gathered on Monday and Tuesday to protest against the government-ordered removal of their stalls on National Road 6, eventually securing a reprieve from Siem Reap provincial Governor Sou Phirin.

Chhun Chamroeun, one of the protesters, said that he and others had gathered in Siem Reap town because government officials had ordered them to shutter their stalls at Phsar Leu in an effort to “clean up” the market.

Crowds gathered around Psar Leu on Tuesday morning, along with at least 50 police trying to disperse the protesters, who were blocking traffic along the town’s main artery.

After some minor scuffles between protesters and police, Sou Phirin showed up and announced the overturn of the government’s previous decision. “Now you can sell from your stalls again,” the governor told the crowd.

Siem Reap town Governor Tep Bunchhay explained that local authorities had planned to transfer the vendors to another market because their sprawling stalls were disrupting traffic.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY TEP NIMOL

When the moon’s high

Photo by: Sovan Philong

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:03 Sovan Philong

To mark the imminent beginning of the Mid-Autumn Festival this Saturday, the nation’s second-most important Chinese holiday after the Chinese New Year, 22-year-old Apsara employee Kun Rita arranges moon cakes near Phnom Penh’s O’Russei Market. The cakes are usually filled with lotus-seed paste and are traditional fare during the festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar – a time when the moon is at its fullest.

Up in smoke

Photo by: Sovan Philong

(Post by CAAI News media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:04 Sovan Philong

A villager from Kampong Chhnang clasps a stick of incense between his hands Tuesday outside the Ministry of Justice. Representatives of 64 families delivered a thumb-printed letter to the ministry requesting help in an ongoing legal dispute, but their plea was rejected. SOVAN PHILONG

Donors air next year’s aid agenda

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:04 Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng

LAND rights, judicial reform and the global economic crisis are to be among the key challenges for Cambodia in 2010, according to foreign donors, who have expressed cautious optimism about the government’s progress in key areas.

Speaking at the Government-Development Partner Coordination Committee (GDCC) meeting held in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, senior officials and diplomats discussed the country’s progress on the series of Joint Monitoring Indicators (JMIs) that are linked to annual donations of foreign aid.

“This meeting of the GDCC is taking place at a particularly critical juncture, as we are seeing more clearly the impacts from the global economic downturn and the slowdown in Cambodia’s economic growth,” World Bank Country Manager Qimiao Fan said in a statement released following the meeting.

German Ambassador Frank Markus Mann hailed “very positive results” in the land sector but said a spate of recent land disputes represented an “urgent” challenge to poverty reduction and equitable economic development.

Similarly, Australian Ambassador Margaret Adamson praised recent actions on judicial reform, including the government’s plan to send the long-awaited anticorruption law to the National Assembly “in the coming weeks”, but expressed concerns about the recent crackdown on government critics.

The meeting came ahead of December’s annual Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum, at which foreign nations are set to announce their aid donations for 2010, but critics have long questioned the utility of such meetings.

In a February report, international group Global Witness argued that despite promises of reform dating back to 2001, the government has failed to deliver, noting the continued lack of an anticorruption law.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said donors, who pledged nearly US$1 billion in aid in 2009, had the power to pressure the government on key issues, but that past experience was not encouraging.

“If they continue to do what they’ve done in past years, there will be no improvements,” he said.

Chith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum, who attended the meeting, said it was positive that the issues were being raised but that the government’s commitment would be tested in between the government-donor forums.

“There need to be further discussions between NGOs and development partners,” he said. “NGOs welcome” further discussions and dialogue.

‘Biting monk’ finally speaks

Photo by: Deum Ampil
Kiet Chan Thouch, the ‘biting monk’ from Wat Leu in Preah Sihanouk province.

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:04 May Titthara

IN his first interview with the media since being accused of attacking and biting his fellow monks and nuns, the chief monk of Preah Sihanouk province’s Wat Leu and adviser to Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong told the Post on Tuesday that the allegations against him were totally baseless.

“I am a monk. I have been ordained for 20 years already. How could I drink wine? If I drank wine, I would have defrocked myself, but I haven’t done this,” Kiet Chan Thouch said, accusing his colleagues of acting on personal agendas. “There are some monks and nuns who are accusing me of things for their own profit, getting local newspapers to write bad things about me. All I asked them to do was to clean the pagoda on Phchum Ben day. I’m the leader. It’s up to me to order them to work, but they said I mistreated them. I am a monk, so how can I have a gun?

“If I was supposedly fighting with them, why didn’t they stay at the pagoda and talk with me instead of running to talk with the newspapers? This is a part of Buddhist Lenten practice, that a monk cannot stay away from the pagoda. I’m a monk, but I still know about penal law. If I fight with people, the police will come to arrest me. They wouldn’t allow me to stay in the pagoda, as they are today.”

Despite his protestations of innocence, one of the monk’s colleagues insisted the original claims were true. The Venerable Koa Suon told reporters Kiet Chan Thouch bit him in the incident, which took place earlier this month. “This wasn’t the first time he’d drunk wine or threatened to fight other monks,” the 76-year-old said. “He would always threaten violence against all the monks and nuns in the pagoda, but nobody dared to say anything because they were scared of his power.”

A resolution seems unlikely, with various authorities reluctant to intervene. Kang Dinath, Preah Sihanouk province chief for the Department of Cults and Religions, said: “This case lies outside of my jurisdiction because it’s a matter among the monks,” he said. “I’ve reported my findings to the provincial chief monk already, so what happens now is up to them.”

Provincial chief monk Muo Rorn, however, also denied responsibility. “This case is outside of my duties,” he said. “I have no right to make a decision on this case, so I have reported it to the provincial governor, and now I have sent it to Phnom Penh. I dare not say what will happen. It’s up to the chief monk in Phnom Penh.” Non Nget, chief monk of Cambodia, could not be reached for comment.

9-year-old boy killed by hornets in Kampot

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:03 Cheang Sokha

A 9-year-old boy died in a Kampot province hospital Sunday, five days after he was stung more than 30 times by hornets, Teuk Chhou district Governor Se Da said on Tuesday.

Ou Ban and his mother Touch Mao were travelling along a road in Samroang village, Chum Kriel commune, when they passed a palm tree supporting a hornet’s nest, Se Da said.

A strong gust of wind sent the nest crashing to the ground, releasing a swarm of angry hornets that promptly attacked the boy, his mother and a group of nearby children.

Most of the children escaped after suffering only one or two stings, but Ou Ban bore the brunt of the attack. His mother sustained three stings.

“Children here often provoke the hornets by shooting stones and slingshots at their nests, but this is the first time that hornets have killed anyone in my district,” Se Da said.

Strangest death

Chum Kriel commune chief Hay Seng said Tuesday that the boy was taken to the Kampot provincial hospital in critical condition shortly after the incident, but despite trying for five days, doctors at the hospital failed in their efforts to save his life.

“The doctors tried hard to save him, but his condition was very serious,” Hay Seng said. “Just two or three stings from this type of hornet can cause fever for several days, and this boy was stung more than 30 times.”

Hay Seng said Ou Ban was due to be cremated Tuesday evening, and that the boy’s family and friends were still in shock after the strangest death in the village’s recent history.