As the wheels of Vietnam’s export machine to the U.S. and Europe begin to slow, local shippers are turning their attention to the often overlooked neighboring market of Cambodia.
Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee, told Sai Gon Giai Phong (Sai Gon Liberated) newspaper, the city’s total export turnover last month fell by 13.9 percent from the same period last year.
But it was a very different story in impoverished Cambodia. During the same stretch, exports from Vietnam soared 44 percent over July last year, she said.
Cambodia, home to 14 million people and one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries recorded average economic growth of ten percent from 2004 to 2008. Much of that progress can be tracked back to the UN-backed Paris Peace Accord between the government and Khmer Rouge in 1994.
The country has opened up a great deal since then and today the free market is king.
Between Vietnam and Cambodia - which have often had a turbulent relationship - two-way trade has risen on average by 40 percent annually over the past few years, from US$935 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2007 and nearly $1.7 billion in 2008.
Made-in-Vietnam goods have also gained a foothold in Cambodia through fairs and trade events held in the country.
About three years ago, Vietnam was the third largest exporter to Cambodia after China and Thailand. At present, Vietnamese exporters are offering a wide range of products in Cambodia, from construction materials to consumer goods and household appliances.
Tran Huu Duc, public relations director of Vietnamese food producer Dong Tam Nutrition Food Joint-stock Co. (Nutifood), said his company’s dairy products for the elderly are hugely popular in the country.
But in a possible case of the chickens coming home to roost, most Vietnamese exporters are still unable to gain a better foothold in the market as distribution networks in the country are firmly in the hands of Cambodian firms.
Red tape and fierce competition from Chinese and Thai imports are also among the obstacles for Vietnamese businesses to further explore the neighboring market.
Ho Chi Minh City-based multi-service Saigon Trading Group (SATRA) is working on a plan to build a duty free supermarket chain at the Moc Bai and Tinh Bien border gates between the two countries, Hong said.
A number of warehouses designed for Vietnamese goods will also be set up at Vietnam-Cambodia border gates to help Vietnamese exporters save transportation costs.
Satra is also teaming up with Cambodian business conglomerate Sokimex Group to build a supermarket for Vietnamese products in the country and provide Cambodian language courses for Vietnamese businessmen.
source: Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper
Friday, August 7, 2009
Downturn pushes exporters to eye Cambodia
Also In Global Health News: Malaria In Cambodia; HIV And Human Trafficking; HIV In Vietnam, China; Male Rape In Congo
Malaria Cases, Deaths In Cambodia Increase
Cambodia has seen an increase in the number of malaria cases and deaths because of an early rainy season and delays in the distribution of mosquito nets - Duong Socheat, director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control - said, the Phnom Penh Post reports. He said that during the first six months of 2009, 27,105 people in Cambodia contracted malaria, which includes 103 who died. In comparison, 25,033 contracted the disease during the same period last year and 65 died (Rith, 8/5).
Women To Address HIV, Trafficking, Violence
More than 20 women who have "endured trafficking, violence, exploitation and HIV" will speak on Thursday at the first "South East Asia Court of Women on HIV and Human Trafficking: from Vulnerability to free, Just and Safe Movement," which will be held in Bali, Indonesia, the Hindu reports. The article includes additional information about the event, sponsors and funding (8/5).
Viet Nam Invests $90M To Improve HIV/AIDS Prevention Centers
About $90 million will be put towards improving the construction and infrastructure of the nation's HIV/AIDS prevention centers in Viet Nam by 2015 under a project ratified by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Viet Nam News reports. An estimated $60 million will come from the state, $29.2 million from localities and the remainder "from official development assistant and financial support from abroad," the newspaper writes (8/4).
HIV/AIDS Project In China Reduces Discrimination Among Migrant Workers
A three-year HIV/AIDS educational project that reached out to 50 million migrant workers in China resulted in their becoming "less prone to discriminate against people infected with HIV/AIDS," according to a recent study, Agence France-Presse reports. According to the study, "Among the 250,000 workers who participated in 29 programmes in Guangdong province in the south, Yunnan in the southwest and Anhui in the east, 84 percent said they did not mind working with people living with HIV" - "a sharp increase from 40 percent in a survey of the workers conducted before the campaign started," the news service writes (8/4).
New York Times Examines Male Rape In Congo
The New York Times examines the rising number of male rape cases in the Congo, which the newspaper writes is "a consequence of joint Congo-Rwanda military operations against rebels that have uncapped an appalling level of violence against civilians." Though the male rape cases represent "just a fraction of those against women … for the men involved, aid workers say, it is even harder to bounce back," the newspaper writes. "Aid workers here say the humiliation is often so severe that male rape victims come forward only if they have urgent health problems, like stomach swelling or continuous bleeding," while others have died with no care (Gettleman, 8/4).
This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.
Cambodian conviction signals crackdown on dissent
A Cambodian court found a prominent politician guilty of defaming the country's prime minister Thursday in what analysts call a setback on Cambodia's shaky path to democracy. The conviction of Mu Sochua, an outspoken member of the opposition, amplifies a pattern of assault on political dissent and free speech, say the analysts.
"This is a reversal of hard-won freedoms, to have a member of Parliament threatened and sued," says Sara Colm, a researcher for Human Rights Watch based in Phnom Penh, the capital.
Ms. Sochua's ordeal, which has polarized Cambodia's political landscape for months, began with an act of defiance. In April, during a public address in Kampot Province, Prime Minister Hun Sen derided the province's parliamentarian by calling her a cheung klang – literally "a strong leg" in English, a term considered highly offensive to women.
Mr. Sen did not mention Sochua by name, but Kampot is her province, making the inference clear. Sochua says it was retaliation for her public criticism of Sen's policies.
Sochua did the unthinkable in a country where Sen rules virtually unchallenged: she sued him for defamation. But her case was thrown out by the courts, and Sen countersued her for defaming him. His case the court accepted.
It soon became a David-versus-Goliath showdown. At stake is the essence of Cambodia's experiment in democracy, particularly the rights of elected officials to confront the ruling party, Sochua says.
Many agree. At its height, the case brought the diplomats of the United States, Germany, France, and Britain out to show support for Sochua. Sen responded with a stiff message: Stay out of Cambodian politics.
Following decades of civil war, Cambodia turned to democracy under the administration of the United Nations in 1993. It has made steady progress toward liberal democracy, but always under the rule of Sen, whom critics accuse of stifling civil liberties in the name of political stability.
Sochua's case is not the only one of its kind. In recent weeks, Sen has launched eight defamation cases against opponents, effectively turning the courts into a political weapon to silence critics, observers say.
"I don't see the courts as neutral," says Meas Nee, an independent analyst based in Phnom Pehn. "The whole court system is being manipulated to be on the side of the ruling party."
Some of the criticism in question is surprisingly mundane: One critic questioned the wisdom of Sen's drive to boost tourism to Angkor Wat, the county's famed temples. The lights being affixed to the ancient stone – to lure visitors at night – were damaging the buildings, he said. Sen called the critique an attempt to incite an antigovernment campaign, and sued.
Given the trend, few were surprised when the court found Sochua guilty, least of all Sochua herself. "When I filed the lawsuit, I knew I would never win," she said in a recent interview. "I knew the option was jail."
Sochua has been fined $4,000. If she refuses to pay – and she insists she will refuse – she risks going to jail. She says it is not a prospect that daunts her.
"I am not preparing for my going to jail with my head down," she says. "I am preparing to walk to jail with my head up. You know, I tell my constituents: If you believe in ghosts, then ghosts will haunt you. And fear is the ghost. When you are so determined of what you want, then you do not fear. You are at peace."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Prison was 'anteroom to death'
Mr Chandler said he believed the prison was able to exercise
AN EXPERT witness told Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal on Thursday that the most notorious Khmer Rouge prison was a secret 'anteroom to death'.
American professor David Chandler, 76, was testifying at the trial of Duch, the man accused of overseeing the torture and execution of about 15,000 people at Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21.
'I use the word anteroom (to death) because... every single person in S-21, except for these handful of survivors and some of the staff, (had a) forceful and violent death,' he said.
Mr Chandler said he believed the prison was able to exercise a high degree of autonomy because of the value put on secrecy under the regime.
The 66-year-old Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, has previously accepted responsibility for his role governing the jail and begged forgiveness.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia. Up to two million people died of starvation, overwork and torture or were executed during the 1975-1979 regime. -- AFP
Respect free speech obligations, UN tells Cambodia
The UN’s human rights office in Cambodia yesterday appealed to the judiciary to respect the country’s national and international obligations on freedom of speech, saying that a recent spate of lawsuits risks stifling public debate. Cambodia’s courts have found against three defendants in recent weeks, and fined or jailed them for disinformation or defamation. Human rights groups have complained that the cases, which were brought by the government against perceived critics, are politically motivated. “Under international law, freedom of expression is to be restricted only in exceptional cases, where clearly necessary and proportionate to the value that the restriction seeks to protect,” the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement. Opposition parliamentarian Mu Sochua was found guilty on Tuesday of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and fined 16.5mn riel.In June, the editor of an opposition-aligned newspaper was fined and jailed for a year for articles alleging corruption within the government. And last month, the director of a local cultural organisation was fined and sentenced to two years in prison, in absentia, for suggesting that new lighting at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple could damage the stonework. The government has consistently denied the charges are politically motivated. DPA
Cambodia to lift entry visa restrictions
The agreement to waive the visas for holders of ordinary passports is expected to be signed next year as part of activities celebrating the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 60 years ago.
The decision leaves Burma as the only member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations requiring Thais wishing to enter the country to apply for a visa.
Hor Namhong said Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to strengthen cooperation on tourism by jointly promoting the sector under the Two Kingdoms, One Destination project and would expedite the single visa policy between the two countries.
He said the two sides would hasten the next Joint Boundary Commission meeting, chaired by former Thai ambassador to Seoul Vasin Teeravechyan and his Cambodian counterpart Var Kim Hong, and resume the Joint Technical Committee meeting on overlapping maritime claims which has been suspended since 2006.
Mr Kasit said all obstacles to border negotiations would soon be resolved.
In a joint statement, the two ministers said they would work together to identify the area bridging Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province before setting up a new international checkpoint.
An Emerald Triangle meeting would be held soon to help develop human resources, Hor Namhong said.
Mr Kasit and Hor Namhong yesterday also signed an agreement that would allow some prisoners, after serving minimum periods of imprisonment, to be transferred in order to serve their remaining sentences in their own country.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Online lotteries ruled to be legal
The Council of State yesterday ruled online digit lotteries were legal, opening the way for the government to permit a private firm to start such a venture.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Finance Ministry would now consider whether the government should proceed with the Internet-based lotteries.
The Council of State was asked by the Government Lottery Office to interpret whether its long-delayed plan for Loxley Gtech Technology, a joint venture between Loxley and Gtech Holdings of the US, to provide such a service was legal.
Shares of Loxley jumped 5.4 per cent yesterday to Bt2.70. -
The Nation
SAMUI'S PLANE CRASH - Co-pilot in critical condition
Though stable, he will need two operations; survivors happy with care given
The co-pilot of the ill-fated Bangkok Airways flight to Samui is still in critical condition.
Following the accident at the Samui Airport, Thanawat Premruethai was rushed to a local medical facility before being transferred to the Bangkok Hospital in the capital.
As of press time, he was under close observation in the intensive-care unit. Thanawat has internal bleeding in the abdomen, a bruised right lung, torn liver and several broken bones. Doctors are still waiting for results of his brain scan.
"At this point, his condition is stable but he will likely need an operation in the abdomen and chest," Bangkok Hospital CEO Dr Chatree Duangnet said yesterday.
On Monday, the Bangkok Airways plane skidded off the runway at the Samui Airport and hit an unused control tower.
The accident killed chief pilot Chartchai Pansuwan and injured many people on board, including Thanawat.
"I was shocked when I felt the impact. Then I saw a spark of fire and tried my best to jump out of the emergency exit because I was worried the plane would catch fire," a survivor said on condition of anonymity.
Another survivor, British woman Claire Ballantyne, said good safety measures at the Samui Airport allowed officials to quickly contain the fire before it spread. "Thai officials have taken good care of me," the Briton said.
Bangkok Airways president Puttipong Prasarttong-osoth yesterday visited eight of the injured victims at Bangkok Hospital in Samui.
"Other passengers are now lodged in hotels. A team of medical workers and psychiatrists are there to take care of them," Puttipong said.
He extended his condolences to the victims, their families and friends. "I wish them all a speedy recovery," he said.
Puttipong said his company would provide full assistance to Chartchai's family and Thanawat. An investigation is currently underway to see what caused the accident. The plane's black box will also be checked.
At the Cabinet meeting, Transport Minister Sophon Saram said strong winds that caught the plane while it was landing were the likely cause of the accident.
Samui Airport, which was closed immediately after the accident, re-opened yesterday afternoon with the first flight, PG100, leaving Samui at 2pm and arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3pm.
Source: The Nation
PM Warns Critics About Calling Cambodia "Dictatorial Regime"
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday warned critics they risk legal action if they call the country a "dictatorial regime."
"Be careful with the language of 'dictatorial regime.' Be careful, (or) one day legal action will be used," Hun Sen said during a graduation ceremony in the capital, Phnom Penh.
The premier's warning appeared to be aimed at those who allege senior Cambodian officials have recently used defamation lawsuits against critics to impede freedom of expression.
"This is a constitutional monarchy," Hun Sen said. "Don't curse it as a dictatorial regime - be careful!"
"(And) when legal action is used, you guys would say freedom of expression is prohibited, but your expression is wrong," he said.
Hun Sen's remarks came a day after a court found outspoken opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua guilty of defaming him and ordered her to pay more than $4,000 in fines and compensation.
Local human rights group Licadho said the verdict was "predictably unjust, and shows yet again how the courts are controlled by the government and used as a weapon against its political opponents."
There have been three defamation or disinformation convictions against Cambodian government critics in just over a month, the United Nations human rights office said Wednesday.
New York-based Human Rights Watch recently alleged Hun Sen's government aimed to silence political opposition and critics with a "campaign of harassment, threats, and unwarranted legal action."
Source: AFP
Thailand and Cambodia resume ministerial talks
Foreign ministers from Cambodia and Thailand resumed joint policy talks for the first time in three years Wednesday after months of fractious relations over a border temple dispute.
Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya met at a Bangkok hotel to discuss the spat and deeper economic ties.
Violent clashes near the ancient 11th century Preah Vihear have left seven soldiers dead since July 2008 when the temple was granted UN World Heritage status.
High level delegations have met at various times over the past year in an attempt to heal rifts, but Wednesday's meeting is the first time since 2006 that ministers have convened their joint policy commission.
The body had previously met once a year to oversee relations between the two countries.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the Khmer ruins for decades. Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, its most accessible entrance is in northeastern Thailand.
Tensions have also arisen over disputed waters where both countries have granted oil and gas exploration rights to private companies.
After Wednesday's meeting both foreign ministers said the talks signified progress in relations.
"We agree to speed up the border talks so that the existing problems will be solved," Hor Namhong told a press conference.
"We also agreed to cooperate over human trafficking, as Cambodia faces this problem," he said.
The pair said they would resume a Joint Technical Committee on the maritime dispute and vowed the disagreement would not be an obstacle.
"Our problems will not trouble our relations. Whatever our troubles are, we will solve them," Kasit said following the two-hour meeting.
Senior officials met a day earlier in Bangkok, where they kicked off the talks covering cooperation on the economy, trade, education and the border issue.
The ministers also agreed to advance plans for visa exemption scheme when they celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
They also signed an agreement that will allow some prisoners, after serving minimum periods of imprisonment, to be transferred in order to serve their remaining sentences in their own countries.
Source: AFP
TYPE A (H1N1)-Decline in new cases, deaths
Minister cites rising awareness about the virus
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said yesterday that the number of infections and deaths caused by the typeA (H1N1) virus has dropped over the past week, mostly because people were more aware of the disease and were not panicking.A source from the ministry said yesterday that so far 10,045 people have been infected and 81 have succumbed to the virus. However, he said the ministry's deputy permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit will announce the official numbers at a press conference today.Last week, the ministry said 65 had died since the disease broke out in May, and 8,879 people had been infected. He said the number of cases this week had dropped because not only were people not panicking, they were also seeking treatment immediately. He also complimented health care volunteers, especially those in Ubon Ratchathani province, for keeping an eye out for infections.Meanwhile, Witthaya said his ministry was still vigilant because even people with no underlying diseases had succumbed to the disease.Deputy director of the Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, Dr Veerasak Kaitpadungkul, said an 11yearold boy had died from the virus yesterday, bringing the total of fatalities in the province to four. The boy was admitted at hospital on August 1 with high fever and troubled breathing. Apparently, he had had a high fever for more than 15 days before he was taken in for treatment, and tested positive to the virus.Meanwhile, Nakhon Ratchasima public health office chief, Dr Chuwit Likhityingwara, said the hospital also admitted two pregnant women with flulike symptoms, and one tested positive to the virus.One of the women, a 16-year-old who was sixmonths pregnant, had a miscarriage and died from severe pneumonia. She did not test positive to the virus.The second woman, an 18yearold who is also sixmonths pregnant, is in critical condition. She has been transferred to the Ramathibhodi hospital and is being treated with the antiviral zanamivir. Her unborn baby is in normal condition. Chiang Mai public health office deputy chief, Surasing Visaruthrat, said more than 10 healthcare workers had already contracted infections either at work or at home, but all had made a full recovery.Meanwhile, Witthaya said few clinics nationwide had agreed to dispense the antiviral drug oseltamivir because they did not want to shoulder the burden. He said he would extend the deadline for clinics to join the programme to August 17.Director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), Dr Vitthit Attavejchakul, said his agency will come up with the first dose of the liveattenuated vaccine, even though it has still not undergone animal or human trial.The vaccine was supposed to be tested on humans this month after the National Ethic Committee had given the study its green light.
Source: The Nation
SAMUI'S ACCIDENT-Bangkok Airways crash kills captain, injures 11
The co-pilot was injured in the accident, Puttipong said, adding that Chartchai had flown for Bangkok Airways for 19 years.
The captain also had 17 years' experience flying the ATR 72-500.
The accident took place amid heavy rain as the pilots attempted to land.
Eyewitnesses said there was a loud noise when the aircraft hit the tower following the landing, after which a fire broke out that killed the pilot and injured 11 others.
The ATR72-500 can seat 70 passengers.
Koh Samui Airport is closed temporarily while the Civil Aviation Department investigates the cause of the accident.
Puttipong said four passengers received serious injuries: two Britons, one Spaniard and one Italian.
Bangkok Airways' insurers will be responsible for compensation. The aircraft is covered by Bangkok Insurance for US$250 million (Bt8.5 billion).
The airline yesterday cancelled seven flights out of Koh Samui Airport and another seven to the island.
Passengers on Koh Samui were transferred by boat to Surat Thani Airport for charter flights to Bangkok.
Bangkok Airways is allowed to operate 34 flights a day to Koh Samui, while Thai Airways (THAI) has a twice-daily service.
THAI senior executive vice president Narongsak Sanga-pong said the national flag carrier also had to suspend its service to Koh Samui, due to the airport's closure.
As a result, two return flights were suspended, affecting 292 passengers.
Once the airport reopens, the company will resume its normal flight schedule.Treated in hospital
Injured passengers
Bangkok-Samui HospitalThanawat Premrudee, 35, co-pilotLinda Thongkorn, 28, crew memberSupanasa Namjit, 25, crew memberNicolas Havel, 39, BritonPanteli Pantelis, 39, BritonJoyce Goosleng, 26, BritonClaire Ballantye, 38, BritonElodie Lacovangelo, 41, SwissMirella Gastaldi, 39, ItalianBan Don Inter HospitalAbreheam Gzaaf, 42, DutchLucar Gzaaf, 11, Dutch
TYPE A (H1N1)-Flu's fatalities reaches 81 Wednesday
Thailand on Wednesday announced an additional 16 fatalities of new strain of influenza, bringing the country's death toll to 81, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Paijit Warachit said.
The figure was lower than the previous week's toll of 21, which the Public Health Ministry attributed to the public's more awareness of the virus.
"People have a better understanding of the flu and better access to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu," a statement from the ministry said.
Nine men and seven women were killed by influenza between July 26 and August 2, 12 of whom had underlying illnesses when they became infected, it said.
Source: The Nation
Cambodia expects garment exports to drop 30 per cent in 2009
Phnom Penh - The Cambodian government expects garment exports will decline by at least 30 per cent this year due mainly to lower demand in the key US market, local media reported Wednesday. "It is clear that this year's garment exports will drop at least 30 per cent because consumers in the United States have cut purchases," Mean Sophea, the head of the Ministry of Commerce's trade preferences department, told The Phnom Penh Post.
Earlier this year the government said it expected garment exports to drop just 5 per cent in 2009.
However, trade union president Chea Mony predicted that exports would fall even further.
"We are concerned that the situation of Cambodia's garment exports will deteriorate even further than that predicted by the [ministry] unless the government can get rid of rampant corruption in the garment sector," said Chea Mony.
Garments are Cambodia's key foreign exchange earner, generating 3.1 billion US dollars last year. Most garments are exported to the US market and the European Union.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Clinton, 2 journalists depart NKorea for US (AP)
Monday, August 3, 2009
TYPE A (H1N1) -Banquets great site for infections
Chinese banquets are prone to spread the type-A (H1N1) influenza among patrons, as most event halls hosting them are poorly ventilated, while serving spoons are not regularly used and eating utensils not properly cleaned or sanitised, the Public Health Ministry warned yesterday.
The ministry's permanent secretary Prat Bunyawongwiroj said such banquets or similar events with large gatherings were still regarded as high risk for spreading the disease.
Prat earlier visited a hospital in Ayutthaya province where five pregnant women with the influenza had been admitted for treatment. He said three had recovered and discharged. The other two were still being treated, but were no longer on life-support systems and could breathe on their own.
Prat did not comment on speculation that the hospital had hidden details about the admission of the five pregnant patients.
One woman, 36, gave birth prematurely to a baby boy, who was also infected with the disease. The other woman, 39, also gave birth but there was no sign of the baby being infected.
A 50-year-old inmate in the provincial prison has been diagnosed with the flu and is being treated at hospital. Her case has prompted concern among local corrections authorities that an outbreak could develop among inmates. There are five prisons in the province.
Source: The Nation
Cambodia Bans "Miss Landmine" Pageant
(AP) The Cambodian government said Monday it will not allow a "Miss Landmine" beauty pageant to take place later this week, calling it an insult to the disabled. "The land mine beauty contest would make a mockery of Cambodia's land mine victims," said government spokesman Khieu Khanarith. "The government does not support this contest." The Ministry of Social Affairs sent a letter to the pageant's organizers Friday informing them of the ban and saying the contest would damage "the dignity and honor of our disabled." The contest was scheduled to be held this Friday. The Ministry of Social Affairs was supposed to be one of the pageant's partners, along with the Ministry of Women's Affairs and other groups, according to the pageant's Web site. The Miss Landmine site says the pageant's goal is to empower its participants and other disabled people and raise awareness about the dangers of land mines. The Web site shows photos of the 20 Cambodian contestants, all in crowns and dresses, with missing limbs. They range in age from 18 to 48. Organizer Morten Traavik said he was "disappointed" with the government's decision but would still hold the contest over the Internet and announce the winner on Dec. 31. "I am extremely disappointed with the government's decision," Traavik said. "I have tried to find a solution but we cannot reach an agreement." Traavik launched the first Miss Landmine pageant in Angola in 2007. An estimated 4 million to 6 million land mines and other unexploded ordinance remain in Cambodia, a legacy from decades of civil war. Hundreds are killed or wounded every year.
Ex-Khmer Rouge medic testifies in Cambodia trial
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – A former medic at the most notorious Khmer Rouge prison in Cambodia told a genocide tribunal he treated people with missing fingernails and toenails, saying Monday that hundreds of prisoners died from torture wounds.
Sek Dorn, 48, testified at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav — better known as Duch — who headed the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh. Up to 16,000 people were tortured under Duch's command and later were taken away to be killed during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-1979 rule. Only a handful survived.
"There were many prisoners who were wounded and died. There were probably hundreds," Sek Dorn said.
He told the court he was assigned to distribute medicine and clean wounds of the detainees for a year, along with three other medics who were also in their teens.
"The majority of them had wounds and sores on their bodies, especially on their backs and their heads. Some of their fingernails and toenails were missing," he said. "They were wounded by torture."
Sek Dorn said he did not personally witness the torture, but saw the effects during medical treatment.
"I did not dare ask them in detail," the former medic said. "I was afraid that I would be seen by the guards and I would be killed."
Sek Dorn said he gave the wounded traditional medicine, which was produced by Khmer Rouge medical staff.
Some 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation during the Khmer Rouge's rule, during which the Maoist ideologues emptied cities and forced virtually the entire population to work on farm collectives.
Duch (pronounced DOIK), 66, is the first senior Khmer Rouge figure to face trial in the U.N.-assisted tribunal and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. He is charged with crimes against humanity and is the first of five defendants scheduled for long-delayed trials.
Senior leaders Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and Ieng Sary's wife, Ieng Thirith, are detained and are likely to face trial in the next year or two.
Source: AP
Firms go hi-tech into Cambodian market
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese companies are taking advantage of business opportunities in Cambodia with the transfer of advanced technology, particularly in the agricultural sector.
Nguyen Tran Trung Nam from An Giang Plant Protection JSC's representative office in HCM City said that the company started transferring agricultural technologies to Cambodia in 2002.
"The technical transfer with a focus on opening training courses for Cambodian agricultural experts and farmers will help our company to better introduce our products, establish our networks in order to enhance our presence in the country," Nam said.
"This move also helps us to explore more business opportunities here," he said, adding that the company plans to open a ten-day training course for Cambodian technicians in the southern An Giang province next month.
Chairman of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Viet Nam Bui Chi Buu agreed that untapped business opportunities existed in the Cambodian market and that technical transfer was an effective method for firms to better take advantage of these chances.
Cambodia is the third largest export market to Viet Nam after Thailand and China.
The country plans to raise trade turnover with Cambodia to US$2.45 billion by 2010.
In 2008, Viet Nam earned $1.43 billion from exports to Cambodia, a year-on-year increase of 50 per cent.
Major exports from Viet Nam to Cambodia include fuel, steel, instant noodles, plastic products, fertiliser, materials for the textile and garment sector, cosmetics and detergents.
Many Vietnamese enterprises have set up representative offices and shops in the country.
However, the Vietnamese Trade Mission to Cambodia said that few Vietnamese businesses have long-term plans for developing this market.
Source: VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Only 31 of 181 clinics agree to accept tablets
So far only 31 of the 181 clinics registered for experimental use of oseltamivir have agreed to accept the tablets, for fear that ordinary patients will turn away after learning that they will be treated along with those carrying the novel flu.
Only after the Wednesday deadline will it be known how many private clinics in total will decide to join the government scheme in which all confirmed cases are automatically prescribed with oseltamivir, Dr Somyos Deerassamee, directorgeneral of the Health Service Support Department, said yesterday.Six hospitals run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, more than 100 community clinics and several hundred BMArun public health centres would be ready to provide free oseltamivir tablets and other treatment to people without case confirmation needed, he said.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in his weekly address that the flu situation in Bangkok was under control but the virus may still be spreading upcountry. He dismissed criticism that Thailand was the hardest hit by the 2009 influenza, saying the government was following a World Health Organisation guideline to not regularly report on the fatality rate of the disease.The Public Health Ministry is now requiring all private clinics to ensure that all patients unconditionally wear protective masks while awaiting treatment, and to examine people with suspected flu in a separate area, besides the mandatory use of handwashing gel and protective masks.Dr Itthiphorn Khanajaroen, deputy secretarygeneral of the Medical Council, expressed worry over possible confusion among the public on what conditions would get them free oseltamivir. "It's important to make people aware that not everyone who visits a clinic will be automatically given the tablets," he said.Incorrect dosage for children was also highly possible, because it had to be measured precisely by using a drugdiluting device. "Oseltamivir tablets cannot be cut and given to children in smaller doses like other medicine pills," he said. "There is a great risk of giving a stronger dose to young children who visit clinics without the diluting devices," he added.Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said a ministry analysis of fatal cases revealed that those patients without the risk factors of chronic disease, pregnancy or young age, had seen a doctor too late, beyond the twoday incubation period. "People with risk factors including the elderly, those with chronic diabetes, asthma, kidney and heart disease, made up 60 per cent of all fatalities," he said.More than 987,000 public health volunteers now pay house calls three times a week in provinces outside Bangkok to educate people about preventive measures against the 2009 influenza and to hand out information. Starting last Friday, more than two million house visits have been made under this project, Manit said.
Source: The Nation
Govt to verify signatures for Thaksin-pardon petition
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that the government will verify the signatures attached to the red-shirt movement's petition to seek a royal pardon for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Abhisit said when the red-shirt movement submits the petition to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary, the office will seek an opinion of the government.
The government will verify the signatures to see whether they lists are not forged and the signatories really want to petition His Majesty for Thaksin's pardon, Abhisit said.
He said if there are irregularities, the ones who submit the lists must be held responsible.
The prime minister did not say how the government would verify the some 4 million names as the red-shirt movement had earlier announced it gathered over 4 million signatures.
Source: The Nation
Thaksin confident he can return to Thailand in 6 months: Kwanchai
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is confident that he can return to Thailand in six months, Kwanchai Praiphana, chairman of the Udon Thani Loving Club, said Saturday.
Kwanchai said he met Thaksin in Dubai and he expressed the confidence that the political situation would change and the Democrat-led government would collapse so he would be able to return in six months.
Kwanchai said Thaksin also promised that he would return to serve the people by returning to politics.
Source: The Nation
Cambodia rejects landmine beauty contest
The Cambodian government has urged the cancellation of a beauty pageant in which landmine victims will compete to win a prosthetic leg, organisers say.
In the Miss Landmine Cambodia contest, 20 competitors from around the country are due to appear in a photo exhibition opening on Friday in Phnom Penh, followed by an internet voting campaign to select the best candidate.
But in a letter to organisers, the Ministry of Social Affairs has called on them to cancel the contest - although the Cambodian Mine Action Authority said in 2007 it fully supported the event.
"The ministry asks the people who organise this contest to stop this action ... for protecting ... the honour and dignity of people with disabilities," the letter said in English.
But Norwegian pageant director Morten Traavik said the contest, which offers as the top prize a custom-made prosthetic leg, would increase awareness about the victims of landmines.
"I have asked to meet the Cambodian officials to clear up our misunderstanding, and I hope once they know about our project details, they will welcome this," he said.
He explained that the pageant aimed "to raise awareness of what landmines have done to the people", adding that it would be a "big shame" if people could not see the exhibition.
The first Miss Landmine contest was held in Angola last year, drawing protests from rights activists who viewed it as exploitative and racist.
Cambodia remains one of the world's most heavily mined countries, along with Afghanistan and Angola.
Hundreds of people are killed or maimed every year by the millions of landmines and other unexploded ordnance still littering the countryside after decades of conflict.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen cancelled a Miss Cambodia beauty pageant in 2006, saying he would not allow such a contest until poverty in Cambodia was reduced by more than half.
Source: AFP
Cambodians begin to learn of bloody past
ANG SNUOL (Cambodia): It plunged their country into a communist “Year Zero” in the late 1970s and killed about a third of the population, but most young Cambodians shrug when asked about the Khmer Rouge.
“I never learned about the regime and my parents never told me about it either,” says 15-year-old Si Phana. Her schoolmate Ang Pheaktra, 17, knows only a little more about that bleak time which traumatised a generation.
“My parents only told me that the Khmer Rouge were very cruel,” Ang Pheaktra says.
Even though there’s a war crimes tribunal for senior leaders of the movement, most here are unaware the regime killed up to two million people and enslaving the population on collective farms
