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Wednesday, 18 November 2009

Rebuilding the education sector

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

International donors and development partners such as Save the Children Norway aim to ensure children of all genders and backgrounds gain access to quality education.

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We may have achieved considerable success with some aspects of quality education, but WE HAVE not attained 100 Percent perfection.

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(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 15:00 Mom Kunthear

An international conference last week set out to unlock Cambodia’s human capital potential by increasing the number of schools, improving teacher training and raising education standards

Education specialists from more than 30 countries gathered at the International Topic Network Conference on Quality Education in Phnom Penh last week.

Organised by the Cambodian chapter of Save the Children Norway, the conference aimed to review Cambodia’s achievements in education since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime.

It specifically set out to develop an understanding of the importance of quality education among participants, and how quality education could be achieved through practical and theoretical means, said Markus Aksland, country director of Save the Children Norway in Cambodia.

“We have gathered here to discuss ways to boost our achievements in education. How we ensure that children not only get access to school, but that they actually learn once they are there,” he said.

The Ministry of Education was making a concerted effort to build more schools in rural areas, he said. However, a major quality gap existed between schools in the capital and those in the most remote areas, such as Ratanakkiri province.

“I think the quality of education in some parts of Cambodia is good, but some parts outside of the capital still have problems,” Aksland said.

The conference was also used as a vehicle to present recommendations from Save the Children Norway’s Quality Education Project to educators and government officials in Cambodia and around the world.

With more than 100 delegates from 34 countries in attendance, Aksland said it was a “unique opportunity to make a difference”.

Save the Children Norway has pledged to donate US$6 million every year to Cambodia between 2006 and 2010.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has developed an action plan to ensure all Cambodian children have access to quality education at all levels regardless of their gender or class by 2015.

Education Minister Im Sethy said the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) and Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP) were timely and appropriate measures to support the government’s policy on talent and skills development.

The ministry has emphasised the development of intellectual capital and human resources as critical to the Kingdom’s development, he said.

They were also key indicators for “ensuring Cambodia’s competitiveness in reconstructing the nation’s economy and integrating itself into the region and the world”, Im Sethy said.

“We are hopeful of young students coming to schools when they reach the age eligible for entering school.”

He acknowledged that the country still had a long way to go, but said he was encouraged by the number of donor and development partners coming forward to lend a hand.

“We may have achieved considerable success with some aspects of quality education, but we have not attained 100 percent perfection,” he said.

“We are encouraged by the fact that many countries are coming to help us find ways to improve the quality of education because we lost nearly everything during the Khmer Rouge regime.”

He said that less than 20 percent of the Kingdom’s teachers survived Pol Pot’s bloody reign.

The Ministry of Education seeks to recruit an additional 500 teachers per year because the number of schools has increased rapidly.

There are now nearly 8,000 school buildings across the country, but even that is not enough to meet the demand of new and existing students.

The ministry also plans to build some 800 to 900 additional school buildings in remote rural areas, Im Sethy said.

The government is also formulating strategies and initiatives to boost the quality of education.

One method of sustaining quality education was by widening knowledge of the teachers, so they are able to pass on their knowledge to students.

“Along with our own efforts, I want to add that some of the success we have achieved is because we have good support from donor agencies such as Save the Children Norway,” Im Sethy said.

ADB approves $24.5m grant

The ADB has provided a $24.5 million grant to help develop a workforce skilled in more than just garment production. AFP

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 15:00 POST STAFF

Regional bank aims to offer vocational training programmes

Rising demand for skilled labor and inadequate investment in vocational training has created a shortage of skilled workers in Cambodia, affecting productivity and economic growth, officials have said.

To address these constraints, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) board of directors has approved a US$24.5 million grant from its concessional Asian Development Fund for a project to improve the government’s technical and vocational education training (TVET) system to make it more responsive to the country’s growing need for a skilled and educated workforce.

The project aims to provide an expanded and more integrated training system that is endorsed by industry and better aligned with the skills requirements of the formal and informal economies. The project will initially focus on three industry sectors – construction and business services, information and communication technology, and mechanics – to develop models for formal and nonformal training programmes. Later, similar training models will be rolled out for other industries.

Cambodia’s economy has grown significantly over the past decade, as the country transitions from a traditional agrarian base to a modern industrialised economy. However, the recent global financial crisis has significantly slowed Cambodia’s economic growth rate and highlighted the country’s vulnerability to shocks due to its narrow economic base. Agriculture, manufacturing and the services industry account for 85 percent of employment and 92 percent of its gross domestic product.

“The government recognises that the issue of productivity must be addressed, as must the need to attract new industries to increase the diversification of the economy,” said Wendy Duncan, principal education specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

“It strongly believes that TVET has an important role to play in the effort to meet these challenges, and it recognises the need to transform TVET into a quality demand-driven training system that is relevant to industry.”

At the same time, the government recognises the continuing importance of providing nonformal basic skills training to help the young and unemployed in rural areas raise their incomes.

The primary beneficiaries of the project will be the rural underemployed, including workers recently displaced from the garment and other industries hit hard by the global financial crisis. As well, by 2020 it is expected that there will be at least a 30 percent increase in the number of employees holding formal TVET qualifications, Duncan said.

“Beneficiaries will acquire skills responsive to the needs of industries, which should raise productivity and incomes, and benefit the economy as a whole,” she said.

The government will contribute $3 million toward the project’s total cost of $27.52 million, the ADB said.

US funds media relations training

Pen Samithy (left) and Chhay Sophal at the launch of the communication training course offered by Cambodia News. Photo Supplied

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In any job, communication skills such as letter or report writing are vital
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(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 15:00 Prum Seila

New media training centre to help officials improve business practices and good governance

More communication officers means continued improvement of the information flow in the country, says Meas KimSour, director of the Media Training Centre, a state-run facility that has provided communication training to state officials.

“Around 25 state officers from the provinces throughout the country, especially the remote ones, have received US embassy-funded course to be press officers,” said Meas KimSour.

“Besides training the Information Ministry officers from the provinces, the media training centres have also been successful in training the military and police to be the spokesperson of their department or workplace,” said Meas KimSour. “People can meet them and ask them,” said Meas KimSour.

Apart from the state training schools, some NGOs and private groups have also focused on training the press officers for government, defence and law enforcement agencies.

After a disappointing launch, the bilingual edition Cambodia News has also branded itself as a training centre, with a primary focus on the training of communication and media skills.

Having been a journalist for more than a decade, Chhay Sophal, the co-director of Cambodia News, realised the difficulties of accessing information from the private sector and state institutions. He initiated creating a training centre where the public can receive communication training.

“Some officers don’t really know about the role of press officers or journalists,” said Chhay Sophal. “They are reluctant to give public information.”

According to Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News has provided free courses to more than 90 students from different institutions such as the National Assembly, government ministries and NGOs.

“We sometimes provide free courses to government officers or other business groups in trade and industry,” said Chhay Sophal. He also said that the courses were designed to help the trainees to understand how communication operates in a business setting and to instill media-savvy skills such as producing press kits.

“Everyone has to be acquainted with some aspect of communication, not necessarily in detail,” Chhay Sophal stated. “In any profession, communication skills are essential. Every job involves dealing with forms of communication writing, like letters or reports.”

Chhay Sophal suggests that every state department should have designated press officers charged with organising events such as press conferences and reducing the workloads of top officials by responding to press enquiries. “Sometimes the ministers have a lot of tasks to do besides answering the questions of journalists,” said Chhay Sophal.

Experienced in training journalists and press officers, Chhay Sophal founded the Public Relations Committee in the National League of Communes and Sangkats of Cambodia.

With funding from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Chhay Sophal aims to publish by the end of this month a 120-page book on his experiences in advocacy communication and dealing with crisis communication.

“This book will be useful for press officers, as it has many guidelines on how to write press releases or bulletins,” said Chhay Sophal.

Last year, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, through the Asia Urb project, also conducted two pilot projects within newly urbanised areas in Battambang and Siem Reap. In the projects, the foundation trained two spokesmen for the city halls of both cities to be able to respond to journalists and media.

“There are no qualified or well-trained public relations officers,” said Ruth Gruber, former director of the Asia Urb project in Cambodia, “Those public officers do not have the confidence or judgement to release public information to journalists.”

“We need training for more suitable press officers but must also improve the counselling and administration of the institutions to ensure good governance and transparency,” said Gruber.

Cambodia hungry for medals

Photo by: Heng chivoan

Cambodian wrestlers, along with athletes of six other sports, have been training in neighbouring Vietnam for over a month in preparation for the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane next month.

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 15:00 Ung Chamroeun

The Kingdom is looking to improve on previous medal tallies at the SEA Games, with athletes making use of superior training facilites in Vietnam in the buildup

CAMBODIA is set to compete in 19 sports at the upcoming SEA Games in Vientiane from December 9 to 18, according to the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia. The sports have been listed as archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, wushu, wrestling, taekwondo, shuttlecock, petanque, beach volleyball, table tennis, badminton, tennis, swimming, golf and football (under-23).

After a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports of Vietnam, Cambodia sent seven sports teams to train for over a month in its neighbouring country, namely in wrestling, shuttlecock, athletics, karatedo, boxing, beach volleyball and football. Taekwondo fighters have also received training in South Korea, and tennis players Tan Nissan and Bun Kenny have recently returned from a residence in France to prepare for the competition.

Ouk Sethycheat, chairman of National Sport Training Centre of the Sports Ministry said that Cambodia is expecting to reap the benefits of athletes training abroad, especially from those training in Vietnam.

“We decided to send the athletes for training in our neighbour country [Vietnam] because the facilities and equipment are better than in Cambodia,” stated Ouk Sethycheat. “But we also believe in the performance of other sports trained in the Kingdom, especially petanque.”

In the 24th SEA Games in Thailand, Cambodia took a haul of 18 medals, including two golds (both in petanque), five silvers (in petanque, taekwondo and athletics) and 11 bronzes (in petanque, boxing, wrestling, tennis, taekwondo, athletics and beach volleyball).

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

34-year-old Douch Sophaon practises petanque at the National Sports Complex

On February 22, 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a sub-decree for the financial support of athletes and their coaches who obtain medals in the international competitions. For the SEA Games, winners of gold medals will each receive 24 million riels (US$5,800), silver medallists will take home 16 million riels, and bronze medallists will be given 8 million riels. This cash incentive applies to each individual, including those involved in team events. Coaches receive the same amount as their best-performing athlete. For example if they train three athletes and one obtains a gold medal, the coach receives 24 million riels. Assistant coaches will be granted 70 percent of the prize awarded to the corresponding head coaches.

The biennial regional sports event was first held in 1959 in Bangkok as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (SEAP Games), changing its name to the SEA Games in 1977 after eight editions. Cambodia, one of six founding member nations, was due to host the third SEAP Games in 1963 but was forced to cancel due to political circumstances. Thailand and Malaysia have each hosted the event six times, whereas Laos makes its debut this year as a host nation.

Before the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia participated in three SEA Games, winning a total of 145 medals – 41 golds, 49 silvers and 55 bronzes. After the war, Cambodia first returned to the competition in 1983 in Singapore and then in 1985 in Thailand, failing to register any medals on either occasion.

Cambodia then managed to win one silver and nine bronzes at the 14th SEA Games in Indonesia in 1987 before missing the three SEA Games between 1989 and 1993 while the government was busy preparing the first mandate of the national election.

From the six SEA Games held from 1995 to 2007, Cambodia won a total of three golds, 11 silvers and 44 bronzes.

Vietnamese, Cambodian news agencies boost cooperation

11/18/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Cambodian and Vietnamese news agencies have agreed to implement a technical assistance project as soon as it is approved by the Vietnam-Cambodia Inter-Governmental Committee at its meeting in Preah Sihanouk early next month.

The agreement was reached at a working session between General Director Kit Kim Huon of the Cambodian News Agency (AKP) and Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Loi of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) who is on a week-long visit to Cambodia beginning on Nov. 15.

After briefing each other on their current capacity and new developments in recent years, they reviewed the implementation of technical assistance and professional cooperation agreements that were signed between the two news agencies’ leaders.

Deputy General Director Loi pledged that the VNA, in its capacity, will continue to help AKP train human resources and improve its professional capacity so as to meet the increasing demand for information.

AKP leader Kit Kim Huon expressed her sincere thanks to the VNA for its valuable assistance to AKP over more than 30 years. “This assistance is a symbol of the friendship between the two news agencies in particular and between Cambodia and Vietnam in general,” she added.

While in Cambodia, Deputy General Director Loi and his entourage had meetings with Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam Orn and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith who highlighted the VNA’s assistance to and cooperation with SPK in the past and AKP at present. VOVNews/VNA

Cambodia won't drop spy charges

Military tries personal appeal to free engineer

Published: 18/11/2009 at 12:00 AM

(Posted by CAAI news Media)

Thailand's hopes of a quick release for Sivarak Chutipong have been dashed.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said the alleged spy will not be freed any time soon.

In a phone interview with the Bangkok Post, Gen Tea Banh said legal proceedings against the Thai engineer must be allowed to run their course.

Thai military chiefs, including Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, are using their communications channels with Gen Tea Banh to try and help the government secure the release of the Cambodia Air Traffic Services engineer who is being detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison.

They hoped the general would convince Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to allow his release.

"I told them I am sorry but that it is not possible," Gen Tea Banh said. "Lawbreakers must face legal proceedings first. They must face investigations and will be taken to court. They cannot be let off scot-free.

"I don't know what to do. The law is there and Cambodia must stick to the law ... the judicial proceedings must be allowed to take their course. It's impossible to release him [Mr Sivarak] straight away."

Gen Tea Banh said Cambodian authorities had questioned Mr Sivarak and found allegations he illegally obtained information about fugitive former primer minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule had grounds.

Mr Sivarak was arrested on Thursday for allegedly obtaining confidential information about Thaksin's flight details and supplying it to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government expelled the Thai embassy's first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai in response.

Both Mr Sivarak and the Thai Foreign Ministry denied the allegations.

Mr Sivarak has not yet been formally charged, said Thani Thongphakdi, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

After blocking several attempts to meet the detained Thai, Cambodian authorities yesterday allowed Chalotorn Phaovibul - the highest ranking diplomat at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh - and two other staff to visit Mr Sivarak for 30 minutes.

"He is in good condition and good spirits. He is also being well taken care of by Cambodian authorities," the deputy spokesman quoted Mr Chalotorn as saying.

Mr Chalotorn has been in charge of the Thai embassy since ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai was recalled in protest over Phnom Penh's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser.

Mr Sivarak spoke with his mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, in Nakhon Ratchasima by phone after being given permission by prison authorities.

Mrs Simarak, who works at Nakhon Ratchasima Technical College, said she was happy to speak to her son for the first time since his arrest and to learn that he was safe.

She appealed to the government to quickly secure her son's release.

The deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, Madurapochana Ittarong, yesterday visited Mrs Simarak in the northeastern province and offered to help her arrange a visit to see Mr Sivarak in Phnom Penh.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva applauded Cambodia's decision to allow Thai diplomats to visit Mr Sivarak in prison in accordance with international standards.

Mr Abhisit told Mrs Simarak the government would try its best to secure his release as soon as possible.

"The government hopes he will be released soon following proper legal procedures," Mr Abhisit said.

Thaksin said on thaksinlive.com, his internet channel, that he had contacted the Cambodian government and asked it to ensure the engineer receives a fair trial.

"If there is anything I can do to help, I'll do it even though it [the charge] is real," he said.

The recent deterioration in Thai-Cambodian relations started last month when Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser to his government. Tensions increased when Cambodia rejected Thai requests that Thaksin be extradited.

Growing concerns over possible violence between Cambodia-Thailand

Saffron-robed Thai monks walk through the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian side of the border with Thailand. [Getty Images]

Karen Percy, Sisakret province

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

As tensions between Thailand and Cambodia continue to simmer, there's growing concern violence could erupt between the two countries.

A visit to Cambodia by the fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has sparked the latest row.

Mr Thaksin's visit has led to the arrest of a Thai man in Cambodia accused of spying on Thaksin's movements and a threat by Thailand to suspend all aid to its poorer neighbour.

The tensions between the two countries are being felt especially near the disputed border region at the Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand's Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga has visited the region to reassure the thousands of Thai officers stationed there.

He told them they had the support and protection of the government and also offered the officers food and supplies as a gesture of thanks.

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was also there to calm the local villagers.

"At this moment there are alot of news that might frighten the people, alot of people are concerned about their normal living," he said.

"So the Prime Minister wants me to express his concerns to the people and to make the people confident in their government, in the security of their life."

'No immediate threat'

Despite the deepening rift between Cambodia and Thailand and deadly incidents between the armies in the past at the Preah Vihear temple, Justice Minister Piripan told visiting reporters that there were no immediate threats in the region.

The temple, which is of Hindu origin, was built in the 8th century.

The temple is on Cambodian soil, as recognised by UNESCO's world heritage listing last year.

But the land around the temple, measuring about 4.5 square kilometres, has been in dispute for decades.

Preah Vihear has been the site of numerous violent clashes in recent years, and the local villagers deal with the danger on a day-to-day basis.

Locals

Bunkers have been built across the region to protect the locals in case of an attack according to Deputy Village chief Seng Wongthong.

He told the ABC, the situation in the region is tense.

While the villagers seem glad for the protection, many of them want the dispute to end so the border area can flourish.

Many of them even support Mr Thaksin.

Nam Chan-Ob lost part of his right left a decade ago, when he was foraging for mushrooms and shoots in the jungle.

He says that if there was no conflict, tourists would visit the region.

"Foreigners can visit and we can make money..right now, no one is earning an income," he said.

For now, the guns are quiet along the restive border. Trade is continuing and life goes on.

But Cambodia and Thailand aren't talking about the issues that divide them and that means hopes for a resolution are a long way off.

Resilient Cambodia battles history

MICHAEL FOX/Stuff.co.nz

Part of Cambodia's sprawling Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, built in the first half of the Twelfth Century, at the height of the Angkor Empire.

By MICHAEL FOX - Stuff.co.nz
18/11/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

DETENTE: A Thai and Cambodian soldier stand together in the Thai military camp just across the border from Cambodia near the Preah Vihear temple. Leaders of the two armies were in talks following a two-day firefight.

Cambodia is a land of both brutality and promise.

It embodies some of the world's major social problems: inequality and unbridled growth with scant regard for human, social or environmental consequences.

It bears the scars of war, fanaticism, cruelty and what happens when the rest of the world turns a blind eye.

But it also shows remarkable resilience.

As the historian John Tully noted, it is a misfortune for a country to be known primarily for a brutal history. So it is for Cambodia, which is working to shake its tag as the home of Pol Pot, the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng.

I arrived in Phnom Penh on a two month exchange where I would be working for the Phnom Penh Post - one of two English language papers in the predominantly Khmer-speaking country.

In contrast to the expanse of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, where I had travelled from, the Cambodian capital's airport was about the size of a Four Square.

After a customs official decided he was going to charge me a few extra dollars for the sake of it, I knew I was in for an interesting stay. That wasn't helped by being soundly ripped off by the first couple of tuk tuk drivers before I wised up and realised that whatever they tried to charge, about a third of that was acceptable.

Caked in sweat, slightly disoriented and batting off drug dealers, it took a while to take in where I was.

Being my first time overseas my mind was reeling - the heat, the beggars, the unregulated traffic and the food, of which I had no idea what was safe to eat.

I was fortunate that working over there allowed me to take in some sights I might not otherwise have seen and I got to work on some stories which showed me the less well-known sides of the Kingdom.

One was tracking down three villagers in a hospital in Siem Reap after they had been shot by police following a land dispute.

The hospital was what I'd heard hospitals were like in developing countries, but I was still shocked by what I saw. Two of the injured men were on mats on the ground surrounded by some very sick looking patients, crammed into corridors in the stinking heat. Doctors were hard to find.

Sitting on the floor with the men, surrounded by curious locals, I had a translator who could barely speak English which made the interview even more difficult.

Another work highlight was being sent to a village about 20 minutes from Siem Reap where a "robber family" had reportedly killed 100 people and buried them in their backyard. I hired a tuk tuk driver to act as a translator and he took me to the house, down a long dirt road far off the main road. The house was a tin building in a large barren compound, surrounded by a high wire fence. Blood was still visible on the ground and the wall from where the alleged murder had taken place. Locals who had also heard the talk were making the same journey en mass.

It turned out to be a rumour though - only one person had been killed there.

I was sent to Preah Vihear on the Cambodia-Thailand border following two days of shooting where three Thai soldiers were killed. I was to spend time with Cambodian troops.

The two countries, Thailand and Cambodia both claim a small section of land near the Preah Vihear temple - a 900 year-old monument built at the height of the Khmer empire awarded to Cambodia in 1962 and made a World Heritage Site in 2008.

In the preceding days' fighting a marketplace was completely destroyed by shelling, leaving many vendors desolate, and Preah Vihear temple was damaged by Thai bullets.

The journey on pot-holed roads took the better part of two days, first travelling from Phnom Penh north to Siem Reap then on to Anlong Veng, near the grave of Pol Pot, where we stayed the night, and then on to Preah Vihear the next day.

The site of the standoff was something pretty foreign to me as a New Zealander.

Machine gun nests, AK47s and sand bagged trenches littered the plateau, rocket launchers leaned against walls unattended while armed soldiers who spoke no English lounged around in hammocks. The Thai camp was a stone's throw away across a gully littered with landmines - a scourge in Cambodia.

It was interesting to see the clash between the old and the new here. The soldiers on the Cambodian side were camped around Preah Vihear temple. Atop a vast plateau with views stretching for miles back into Cambodia and over into Thailand, it was reportedly perched there so that visitors to the ruler were overawed by the occasion.

Following peace talks, we crossed to the Thai side and it was here I got a bit lost.

As I followed a group of armed troops it wasn't until about 200m down a track, getting further and further away from Cambodia that I realised I was on my own and following a group of Thai soldiers, without my passport.

I fast tracked it back to Cambodia and sanctuary, through the Thai front line and across the de-mined path. I still haven't told my mum.

On the same trip I travelled further along the border to near the Cambodia-Thailand-Laos tri-border as part of a field trip with representatives of a shared conservation project.

As I waited in a small village at the intersection of the two roads, I became aware I was the star attraction. I was like a circus freak - a foot taller than everyone else and pale(ish) skinned. The Khmers are also not shy about staring and are known for making foreigners the butt of their jokes. There isn't much you can do but smile back and keep walking.

Not being able to speak with anyone made it difficult to order any food or drink. Having run out of clean clothes as I could only carry with me what I could fit in my back pack, trying to buy a clean shirt proved fruitless also. They're generally smaller over there.

It showed me the strange relationships that can develop between neighbouring countries. In one area, Thais and Cambodians were shooting at each other while 17 miles away they were working together to preserve the environment.

This turned out to not be quite the case however, as the trip ultimately revealed the Cambodian armed forces were building a military base and two major roads through the protected forest. This apparently did not jeopardise the project.

Working some days on the business desk it was interesting to note the issues a developing economy faces.

There is much to dislike about Cambodia.

Corruption and impunity are endemic. Brutal crimes are rife and the street is littered with beggars with missing limbs and deformities, the result of landmines and battlefields and poor maternal health.

Yet there is also much to love and admire. The people, while out to make a quick buck, are relentlessly positive, quick to laugh (albeit often at your expense), loyal to their families and attempting to get on with their lives.

Their tenacity and resolve is admirable when only three decades ago was one of the world's worst atrocities.

While I was there the Khmer Rouge trials were on and I was privileged to speak with Cambodians about their experiences and their opinions. It is one thing to know about what happened from 1975 to 1979 but it is another thing to hear people talk about it happening to them.

The country has its faults but as a burgeoning destination and a country on the mend it is a must-see for those touring South East Asia.

Michael Fox was in Cambodia courtesy of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

Leading Cambodian Bank Selects M-Com Technology For Mobile Banking And Payments

ACLEDA Bank Selects M-Com’s BankAnywhere to Power Next Generation Mobile Self-Service Channel

Published on November 17, 2009

by Serge van Dam (OfficialWire)

ATLANTA, GA

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

International mobile banking solution provider, M-Com, announced today that ACLEDA Bank Plc has selected its flagship product – BankAnywhere – to power its mobile banking and payment services.

“We are delighted to have been selected by ACLEDA to help them execute their self-service strategy” comments M-Com CEO and Founder, Adam Clark. “Mobile phones have transformed the lives of many Cambodians in a positive way, and we will work with ACLEDA to bring them compelling mobile financial services that deliver convenience, control and more financial freedom to them.”

“As a fast-growing bank in a rapidly-developing economy, we were looking for a complete mobile banking and payment solution. We want to make sure that our mobile services are universally available to our customers, are safe for them to use and deliver the dependability and reliability that ACLEDA is known for” said Mr. In Channy, President and CEO of ACLEDA Bank Plc. “We will be leapfrogging the Internet channel and going straight to mobile”.

ACLEDA will deploy M-Com’s BankAnywhere product within its secure data center in Phnom Penh and integrated to its Temenos T24 core banking system. The solution will enable ACLEDA customers to make person-to-person payments, pre-paid top up, utility bill payments and manage their finances in both Khmer and English scripts. These services will be available through text messaging, mobile browser and downloadable application interfaces and support multiple currencies and language scripts as required by ACLEDA’s customers.

“We have invested years of focus and energy to understand the dynamics of banks in emerging markets like Cambodia, and have tailored our BankAnywhere platform to meet those needs effectively and economically. We will help the leading bank in Cambodia exploit the mobile channel to deliver clear commercial outcomes” Clark continues.

In May, M-Com was confirmed by Bank Technology News on its list of “Top 10 Technology Companies to Watch in 2009” and in October of this year, M-Com was positioned in the ‘Leader’ quadrant within Gartner Inc’s Magic Quadrant for North American Mobile Retail Banking report.

About M-Com: Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, M-Com (www.mcom.co.nz) is an international mobile banking and payments solution provider with live Fortune 500 banking customers across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North America. M-Com’s core proposition is centered on helping financial institutions and payment processors deliver world class adoption and revenue metrics from the mobile channel.

Contact: Serge van Dam, Head of Marketing, +1 678 369 0602, serge.vandam@mcom.co.nz.

About ACLEDA Bank Plc.: ACLEDA Bank Plc. (Association of Cambodian Local Economic Development Agencies'), a Cambodia's leading commercial bank, was established in February 1993 providing customers all types of banking services where headquartered in building #61, Preah Monivong Blvd., Sangkat Srah Chork, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. ACLEDA Bank Plc. was rated as stable by two international rating institutes. They are Moody's Investors Services and Standard & Poor's Corporation(S&P).

ACLEDA Bank Plc. recently employs more than 7,000 staff and maintains a network of 231 offices throughout Cambodia. It scored the "first" for Cambodia by arranging a comprehensive insurance package with Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia ('JLT'), the largest UK insurance broker listed on the London Stock Exchange, and Asia Insurance (Cambodia) Plc. The policy provides for Banker's Blanket Bond, Electronic and Computer Crime, Directors & Officers Liability and Company Reimbursement Insurance covering such as risks as theft of cash and other securities, fraud and embezzlement, forgeries and counterfeiting of valuable documents, computer fraud and malicious attack on the bank's systems and third party liability of its directors and senior management.

With a wide range of experiences, sufficient human resources, strong financial resource, and best risk management system, ACLEDA Bank Plc. has become the first domestic bank to invest in foreign country by establishing ACLEDA Bank Lao Limited with existing 12 branches and offices serving Deposits, Credits, Fund Transfers, Cash Managements, and Trade Finances. By growing rapidly, 5 more branches will be operated soon. Now ACLEDA Bank Plc has more than 421 Correspondent Banks within 54 different countries.

Villagers hospitalized in land dispute in Cambodia

Tue, 17 Nov 2009

By : dpa

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Phnom Penh - At least eight Cambodian villagers were beaten and a number of them were hospitalized after a violent stand-off with soldiers and armed police over a disputed land concession, a local human rights group said Tuesday. The villagers have long contested an 8,000-hectare land concession awarded to a Vietnamese rubber-plantation company.

The incident, which took place in Kampong Thom province in central Cambodia on Monday, is the latest in a series of land-related clashes this year in which the authorities have been accused of using violence against civilians.

Naly Pilorge, director of human rights group Licadho, said police and soldiers had tried to prevent 500 villagers from obstructing land-clearing machinery belonging to the company. Licadho condemned the violence and the presence of soldiers.

"Current laws clearly state that soldiers have no jurisdiction over civilians, and yet private companies routinely use soldiers to evict or threaten villagers on land-related cases," she said. "[It] has once again led to violence and injuries to villagers who were only trying to protect their land."

The provincial governor of Kampong Thom province, Chhun Chhon, confirmed that the clash had taken place and that soldiers were present, but had no information about casualties.

Chhun Chhon said soldiers were used because police numbers were insufficient. He said authorities had shot into the air, and accused locals of burning machinery belonging to Vietnam's Tin Bean company.

"As far as shooting into the air - we did that just to frighten the villagers," he said. "We are preparing a document to submit to the government about this incident, because the villagers didn't obey the authorities."

The villagers reportedly told Licadho representatives that they had burned the machinery after violence was used against them.

Land disputes are a highly contentious issue in Cambodia, with impoverished urban and rural people regularly losing their land to the powerful.

In September, the World Bank said a fair and transparent method of resolving land disputes is among the country's greatest challenges.

Cambodia's Hun Sen urges cooperation to combat transnational crime+

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 17 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen urged more regional and global cooperation Tuesday to prevent and combat transnational crimes.

"Close cooperation between law enforcement agencies of member states in the region and the world, coupled with domestic interagency cooperation, will enable us to be successful in preventing, investigating and combating transnational crimes," he said in opening remarks to ministerial meetings on transnational crime in Cambodia's northern Siem Reap Province.

The forums, over two days, bring together ministers of security and criminal affairs from 13 countries in East Asia -- from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and from China, South Korea and Japan.

Hun Sen said the meetings "are the evidence reflecting our commitment and strong will to seek all methods and common strategy to protect national security and lives of our innocent people from the intrusion of ruthless, criminal groups."

"The security situation can have a great influence on development and development cannot be sustained in the absence of peace and security," he added. "Fighting transnational crime, therefore, requires joint effort from all of us.

The ASEAN members are Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Myanmar.

Thailand probes attack on anti-Thaksin rally

Web posted at: 11/17/2009 9:37:0

Source ::: AFP

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

bangkok: Thai police said yesterday that a grenade was responsible for a blast at a rally by opponents of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as the number of injured rose to 12.

Organisers said the small explosion at the protest in central Bangkok on Sunday was caused by a firecracker thrown by men on a motorcycle, but police said they now believed it was a more serious attack. The rally by around 20,000 “Yellow Shirts” was held to condemn Thaksin’s visit to neighbouring Cambodia last week and his appointment by Phnom Penh as a an economic adviser to the government.

“This M-79 grenade was likely fired from the side of the venue, where the defence ministry and a court are located,” said Lieutenant General Worapong Chewpreecha, chief of Bangkok Metropolitan Police. “But it was far away so its power was lower and did not cause many injuries,” he told reporters, adding that he had ordered the inspection of closed-circuit television cameras in the area.

He said that of the 12 people wounded in the blast three remained in hospital, one of them in intensive care. Two children were among those hurt, he added. Photographs of the scene showed a small crater in a paving stone and a number of supporters of the yellow-clad People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) suffering from slight cuts.

Yellow Shirt founder Sondhi Limthongkul said on Sunday that two men on a motorbike had thrown a large firecracker, which caused the explosion. The royalist PAD said they were also protesting against comments about the monarchy made by billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006. The Yellow Shirts held mass rallies in the months before the coup and took to the streets again in 2008, blockading Bangkok’s airports to drive out the then pro-Thaksin government.

The group has however also held protests in recent weeks asking the current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a bitter foe of Thaksin, to take stronger action against Cambodian territorial claims. Previous rallies by the Yellow Shirts have been hit by grenade blasts while Sondhi escaped a gun attack on his car in April.

Sondhi was in October voted leader of the movement’s new political party, the New Politics Party. Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia sparked a diplomatic crisis between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, with relations already tense after a series of deadly clashes in the past year over disputed land around a temple on the border.

The row erupted again yesterday over consular visits to a Thai man accused of spying. Thai citizen Siwarak Chothipong, 31, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, was arrested Thursday on charges of supplying details of Thaksin’s flight schedule to his country’s embassy.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said a Thai diplomat visited Siwarak yesterday, but Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said there had been no such meeting. “Since he was arrested, Thai embassy officials have kept contacting Cambodian officials to seek permission to visit him, but we have not been granted it yet,” Kasit told reporters. The spy allegations prompted Phnom Penh to expel the Thai Embassy’s first secretary on Thursday and Thailand reciprocated hours later.

Thailand reviews aid to Cambodia after Thaksin row

Tuesday November 17, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet was reviewing aid to Cambodia on Tuesday, a government official said, the latest move in a diplomatic row triggered by a visit by fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the neighbouring country.

The cabinet will discuss various retaliatory measures, including freezing low-interest loans to build roads in Cambodia, during its weekly meeting, said Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"Most of the projects discussed are aid and loans for infrastructure projects, which might be delayed or cancelled," Panitan said.

"The government will also look at all other projects with Cambodia and discuss appropriate measures, but we will make sure it does not hurt the public."

Thaksin went to Cambodia after its prime minister, Hun Sen, offered him a job as an economic adviser. The Cambodian government rejected Bangkok's request to extradite him.

Thaksin returned to self-imposed exile last year ahead of a court judgment that found him guilty of violating a conflict of interest law while in office and sentenced him to two years in jail. He was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006.

His visit to Cambodia further strained relations between the two neighbours. They recalled their ambassadors and a Thai man was arrested in Cambodia for alleged spying.

Panitan said the cabinet would discuss ways to assist the man, who works as an engineer for the Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS).

He is accused of sending Thaksin's flight schedule to a Thai diplomat, who was expelled from Cambodia last week for allegedly breaching diplomatic protocol.

The Thai government says the information was publicly available. An embassy official in Phnom Penh was allowed to see the engineer on Tuesday but was not informed of any formal charges.

Abhisit urged Cambodia on Monday to follow "international standards" in pursuing any case against him.

Thailand has already said it would scrap a 2001 memorandum of understanding on energy development in the Gulf of Thailand.

The agreement was signed under Thaksin's administration, with the aim of finding a way to jointly develop oil and gas resources in disputed waters, although little progress has been made.

Thaksin left Cambodia on Saturday. He spends most of his time in Dubai.

(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Thailand says diplomats visit alleged spy in Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) talks to former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (L) in Siem Reap province

BANGKOK — Cambodian officials allowed Thai diplomats Tuesday to make their first visit to a Thai national held on charges of spying on fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai officials said.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, was arrested Thursday on charges of supplying details of Thaksin's flight schedule to his country's embassy when the Thai tycoon visited Phnom Penh last week.

His arrest deepened a diplomatic crisis between the neighbouring countries over Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser and its refusal to extradite the ousted prime minister to Bangkok.

"The Thai charge d'affaires and three to four embassy officials are visiting Siwarak at prison now and have reported back to the ministry that everything is well," said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister.

"He told diplomats that he was well treated. We are asking him about the case details, the charges, how we can defend him and who should be appointed as a lawyer," Chavanond told reporters in Bangkok.

Siwarak was also allowed to talk to his mother in Thailand on the telephone for the first time since he was arrested, Chavanond said.

Cambodia expelled the first secretary of Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh last Thursday after alleging that Siwarak had passed information to the diplomat. Thailand reciprocated hours later.

Thaksin was toppled in a coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, but he has been stirring up protests in his homeland against the current Thai government for the past year.

Angered by his presence in Cambodia, Thailand last week put all talks and cooperation programmes with Cambodia on hold and tore up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's time in power.

Tensions were already high between the two countries following a series of deadly military clashes over disputed territory near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on their shared border.

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Thailand Hopes Cambodia to Release Detained Thai Man

http://english.cri.cn/
2009-11-17
Xinhua
Web Editor: Qin Mei

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Thailand has hoped that Cambodia will release a Thai man, who was arrested by the Cambodian government last week, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday.

An official allegation against the Thai man has not been made clear by Cambodia partly due to a language problem, which occurred during an investigation process, the Thai premier said.

It is expected by Wednesday all involved legal processes will be completed, Abhisit said.

Siwarak Chothipong, a 31-year-old Thai man worked as an engineer in Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd (CATS), was arrested on Nov. 11 according to the arrest warrant of prosecutor of Phnom Penh Municipality Court.

He spied through copying the letters of flights of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen from CATS, which has duties to control all flights in the country, and he sent those reports to Thailand, the Khmer language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea reported.

Meanwhile, Mrs Simaluck Na Nakhon Panom, the mother of Siwarak has asked the Thai government to help her to meet with her son and for a quick release of him, Abhisit said.

Earlier Tuesday Thai envoy Chalotorn Paowiboon was allowed to meet with Siwarak, which was the first meeting with Thai officials after Siwarak has been arrested.

In a related development, the Thai weekly cabinet meeting did not review agreements made with Cambodia and financial aid projects planned for Cambodia.

Thailand and Cambodia have downgraded their diplomatic relations due to conflict over an appointment of ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor to Cambodia 's government and Prime Minister Hun Sen on Nov. 4.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then.

He returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

VN investment in Cambodia reached US$1.5 bn

By By Rasmei Kampuchea

Asia News Network

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Phnom Penh : Vietnamese investors consider Cambodia as a big potential investment destination in the future. So far, its investment in Cambodia has reached US$1.5 billion in the last few years in different sectors such as construction, agriculture, and banking sector.

Tran Bac Ha, chief of a delegation of Vietnamee investors told Prime Minister Hun Sen on October 16 that Vietnam government allowed three Vietnamese companies to invest in Cambodia in real estate, construction and agriculture.

Tran Bac Ha added that Vietnamese company planned to buy in 2010 between 300 000 and 400 000 tonnes of paddy from Cambodia to boost Cambodian economy and reduce poverty.

Recently, Vietnamese investors planned to plant rubber trees on 50 000 hectare in the Northeast of the country and they put in place the mobile phone company, Viettel, and at the same time, Vietnamese airline company has invested in running the Cambodian National Airline called "Cambodia Angkor Air". The joint venture investment costs $100 millions, of which , Cambodia holds 51 per cent and the rest belongs to Vietnamese side.

While the diplomatic row has increased between Thailand and Cambodia, Some Thai leaders threatened to close the border. But, in his reaction, Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to stop buying Thai products and in stead using products from other countries.

Cambodia’s Continued Economic Growth Dependant On Financing And Skilled Labor

http://thegovmonitor.com/

Source: Asian Develpment Bank (ADB)

16th November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Rising demand for skilled labor and inadequate investment in vocational training has created a shortage of skilled workers in Cambodia, impacting on productivity and economic growth.

To address these constraints, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved a $24.5 million grant from its concessional Asian Development Fund for a project to improve the government’s technical and vocational education training (TVET) system to make it more responsive to the country’s growing need for a skilled and educated workforce.

The project will provide an expanded and more integrated training system that is endorsed by industry and better aligned with the skills requirements of the formal and informal economies. Initially, the project will focus on three industry sectors – mechanics, construction, and business services and information and communication technology – to develop models for formal and nonformal training programs. Later, similar training models will be rolled out for other industries.

Cambodia’s economy has grown significantly over the past decade, as the country transitions from a traditional agrarian base to a modern industrialized economy. However, the recent global financial crisis has significantly slowed Cambodia’s economic growth rate and highlighted the country’s vulnerability to shocks due to its narrow economic base. Agriculture, manufacturing and the services industry account for 85% of employment and 92% of its gross domestic product.

“The government recognizes that the issue of productivity must be addressed, as must the need to attract new industries to increase the diversification of the economy,” said Wendy Duncan, Principal Education Specialist in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department. “It strongly believes that TVET has an important role to play in the effort to meet these challenges, and it recognizes the need to transform TVET into a quality, demand driven training system that is relevant to industry.” At the same time, the government recognizes the continuing importance of providing nonformal basic skills training to help the young and unemployed in rural areas raise their incomes.

The primary beneficiaries of the project will be the rural underemployed, including workers recently displaced from the garment and other industries hit hard by the global financial crisis. As well, by 2020 it is expected that there will be at least a 30% increase in the number of employees holding formal TVET qualifications.

“Beneficiaries will acquire skills responsive to the needs of industries, which should raise productivity and incomes and benefit the economy as a whole,” said Ms. Duncan.

The government will contribute $3 million toward the project’s total cost of $27.52 million. The executing agency is the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training.

Justice officials ordered to Cambodia

Published: 17/11/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga has ordered two high-level ministry officials to travel to Cambodia to visit Thai engineer Siwarak Chutiphong, who was arrested for spying last Wednesday, Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit said on Tuesday.

Mr Tharit said they are deputy justice permanent secretary Pol Col Tawee Sodsong and Suwana Suwannajutha, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department.

Mr Siwarak is being detained at Prey Sar prison. They had been instructed to visit him as soon as possible to make sure he is accorded his rights.

The Rights and Liberties Protection Department has also been assigned to contact Mr Siwarak's family and the Foreign Ministry to arrange legal assistance.

Thai officials will not interfere in Cambodia's investigation process, Mr Tharit said.

Mrs Suwana said will visit Mr Siwarak's mother, Seemarak na Nakhon Phanom, in Nakhon Ratchasima to find out if she wants any help.

Thailand reviews aid to Cambodia after Thaksin row

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet was reviewing aid to Cambodia on Tuesday, a government official said, the latest move in a diplomatic row triggered by a visit by fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the neighbouring country.