China agrees $853 million in loans for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Oct 17 - China will provide $853 million in loans to Cambodia for infrastructure, irrigation and dam projects to boost its economy and reduce poverty, Cambodia's foreign minister said on Saturday.

The agreement was clinched on Friday when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of an economy and trade fair in Sichuan, Hor Namhong told reporters.

"China continues to help Cambodia's infrastructure development, even though China is itself faced with problems from the global economic crisis," he said.

China will provide $593 million for 11 projects proposed by Cambodia's government in 2009, in addition to $260 million for five projects requested last year, Namhong added.

The money will be invested in new roads near the borders of Thailand and Vietnam and the expansion of existing links to the capital of Phnom Penh.

At least $30 million will be invested in expanding the capacity of the Phnom Penh port to meet the increasing demand of cargo ships docked on Tonle Sap River.

Cambodia is keen to develop new dams and irrigation projects to boost its agriculture sector, which contributed 34 percent of gross domestic product last year, followed by the tourism and garment manufacturing sectors.

An estimated 30 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people live beneath the poverty line, earning less than a dollar per day.

China is Cambodia's biggest aid donor, providing $600 million in 2007 and about $260 million in 2008, according to the state-run Council for Development of Cambodia.

It is also Cambodia's biggest foreign direct investor and has pumped $1 billion into the Southeast Asian nation this year. (Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Martin Petty and Ron Popeski)

Salesian Missions Planning Two New Agricultural Schools in Cambodia

World Food Day and new United Nations report highlight need for such programs

New Rochelle, NY (Vocus) October 16, 2009 -- Salesian Missions has announced it is in the planning stages to open two new agricultural schools in Cambodia next year, just as World Food Day and a new report from the United Nations highlight the need for such programs.

"Investing in agriculture in developing countries is key as a healthy agricultural sector is essential not only to overcome hunger and poverty, but also to ensure overall economic growth and peace and stability in the world," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Program, in an Oct. 14 United Nations press release announcing the economic crisis has lead to a sharp increase in hunger, affecting the world's poorest.

Salesian Missions currently operates more than 90 agricultural schools around the world. The plans for the two new schools in Cambodia - one in Poipet and the other in Battambang - should be in place early next year, according to Matt Welsh, program officer with Salesian Missions. When the schools actually open is largely based on when the necessary funds will be raised, he added (Those interested in finding out how they can help should go to www.FindYourMission.org).

"We are in the process of developing model farms at these two sites, where villagers will be provided relevant training in modern farming methods with the goal of increasing crop yields," said Welsh who oversees specific Salesian Missions programs in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.

Like their counterparts in other countries, the agricultural schools will serve youth ages 15 to 20.

"These are young people from marginalized, disadvantaged families, who do not have the resources to send their kids to school otherwise," said Welsh, who added that the schools are estimated to serve more than 100 students at a time.

"Salesian Missions has provided schools like these all over the developing world," said Welsh. "Not only can they provide skills training, but also food for students and their families."

Salesian Missions provides not only educational opportunities in more than 130 countries around the globe, they address core needs. The agricultural schools offer more than just agricultural training - they are often part of a larger program that also offers literacy education and other vocational training, in addition to feeding programs for hungry children.

"The core of our mission is to provide educational opportunities to the poorest of the poor. When the youth receive training, they stay and contribute to the local economy and the needs of their communities," said Welsh. "This delivers benefits for years after they leave our institute."

Salesians have been operating vocational training programs around the world for nearly 150 years and were invited by the Cambodian government in 1991 to establish a vocational training institute in Phnom Penh.

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS: Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for its international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople - all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries, helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. To date, more than 5 million Americans have contributed financially to this work. For more information, go to www.salesianmissions.org.

Cambodia proposes Thai border talks at regional summit

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Cambodia on Monday proposed neighbouring Thailand puts their border dispute on the agenda when it hosts this month's summit of Southeast Asian leaders, according to a diplomatic letter.

The summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six dialogue partners - China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand - takes place in the coastal resort of Hua Hin on October 23-25.

In a letter to his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya, a copy of which was sent to AFP, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said the border dispute between the two countries should be included on the summit's agenda.

The move came after Kasit reportedly said last week he would seek approval at the meeting to establish a neutral organisation that would help settle the Thai-Cambodia dispute, which has sparked deadly skirmishes between troops.
"In this regard, I would like to propose that the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand in the area of the temple of Preah Vihear be included in the agenda of the ASEAN summit in Hua Hin," Hor Namhong said.

The focus of the border dispute has been an area of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where clashes have killed seven soldiers since nationalist tensions between the neighbours flared last year.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but tensions spilled over into violence in July last year when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia.

Soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand continue to patrol the area, with the last gunbattle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead.

Cambodian premier Hun Sen last month said that he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed illegally on to land around Preah Vihear.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Source:AFP

POST BAG From Cambodia with clarity

Re: "Hun Sen, Cambodia's agent provocateur?" (Bangkok Post, Oct 7) written by "pseudo scholar" Pavin Chachavalpong-pun. His article, which was written with ill will and malicious intent, contains many manipulative and baseless arguments against Samdech Techo Hun Sen, prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as follows:

First, when the Thai soldiers entered Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia exercised maximum restraint and great tolerance because the country was about to hold elections. At the same time, Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted to avoid armed clashes between the two countries.

Second, undoubtedly Prime Minister Hun Sen is far from being an ''agent provocateur''. He is a statesman and a respected leader of Asean. He did not stir up nationalism, as the writer has wrongly accused. In fact, it was Thailand that initiated the problem and tried to exploit extreme nationalist sentiment in order to make political gains.

Third, if you know Prime Minister Hun Sen, he has never wanted to provoke an armed conflict with Thailand. There is, and has been, no reason whatsoever for him to engage in this act of provocation. The true reality is that Thailand was the one that started it all. No peace-loving nation on earth like Cambodia wants to make political gains by provoking armed conflict with its neighbours. Therefore, the recent tensions between the two countries began with the yellow-shirt protesters from Thailand who wanted to enter our Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian government simply wanted to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. With regard to the point of warning the Thais to stop ''trespassing on Cambodian land'', what Prime Minister Hun Sen really wanted was to protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to avoid any armed clash between the two sides.

Fourth, Prime Minister Hun Sen never said that he wanted Thailand to give up its Asean chairmanship. Again, this is another factual error. What he really said at the time was whether Thailand would be able to host the Asean Summit and other related meetings, given its domestic situation then. Of course, later the Asean Summit and other meetings in Pattaya were cancelled, in April of this year. What Prime Minister Hun Sen said was proved absolutely right and no one can deny this fact.

Fifth, there was no need for Prime Minister Hun Sen to use the Preah Vihear temple issue to increase his popularity because he is already popular, and his Cambodian People's Party won the election with more than a two-thirds majority.

Sixth, after Thailand had destroyed the Cambodian market inside our territory, the Royal Government of Cambodia had to demand that the former pay compensation to the Cambodian people who were affected by the destruction of the market on Cambodian soil. This is a normal process, and Thailand should comply.

Seventh, we all know very well that the opposition party in any country in the world usually does not have any good things to say about the government in power. So, do you really want to join the opposition party in Cambodia against the Royal Government of Cambodia?

Finally, the issue of ''love-hate relations'' could only take place in Thailand, certainly not in Cambodia. Everyone in the world knows that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Cambodia has no ''love-hate relations'' whatsoever.

Source: Bankok Post

Over 5,000 families need immediate help in Cambodia: Oxfam

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is still in emergency relief mode though flood waters in some areas are beginning to stabilize, the international humanitarian agency Oxfam said Tuesday in its press release. Affected populations are in need of food, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, water filters and water containers among other non-food item needs. Livelihoods have greatly been threatened especially with loss of the current rice crop. Wage labour opportunities are no longer available to those who rely on agriculture labour for income, the release said. According to Oxfam, 5,000 families or about 20,000 people need immediate assistance in four provinces. This figure may grow bigger as more information is received and more areas accessed. Oxfam's staff reported that flood victims in Kampong Thom, StuengTreng, Kratie, and Preah Vihear remain among the most vulnerable. Source: China View "We can't underestimate the situation" said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia. "We are still in an emergency situation. Public health concerns and people's livelihoods are our priorities. We must keep strong coordination with other humanitarian agencies." It is now estimated that 60,000 people are affected with at least 17 deaths including one pregnant woman, 65 injured with 18 serious cases and 30,000 hectares of rice fields and plantation destroyed by flood waters. Oxfam's field reports show that 1,519 houses, 55 public buildings, 40 km of rural roads, 160 irrigation systems, channels, dams, embankments, and three bridges were damaged, causing major disruption to people's livelihoods. Relief works are hampered by transportation problem as roads and bridges have been damaged. The traditionally dispersed settlements of Cambodian people also make some of the forested villages inaccessible for need assessment and aid distribution, whilst public health concerns are mounting among unaccounted population in remote and forested villages. Oxfam's health experts warn that people must be careful about drinking water, as flood waters are highly contaminated.

Pregnant woman dies of swine flu in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia's health minister says a pregnant woman died from swine flu, the country's third reported fatality from the illness.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng says the 25-year-old woman, who was nine months pregnant, went to a Phnom Penh hospital several days ago with flu-like symptoms and tested positive for swine flu.

He said doctors performed a cesarean section and the baby was born healthy, but the woman died Tuesday.

Cambodia's second swine-flu related death, a 47-year-old man, occurred Monday at the same hospital, the minister said.

The World Health Organization reports more than 340,000 confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide, and more than 4,100 deaths. Many countries have stopped counting individual cases.

Source: AP

Cambodia: Functioning Judiciary Required

Cambodia: Functioning Judiciary Required For Rights To Become A Reality

Thank you Mr. President,

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the initial report of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, in particular the highlighted areas of priority for future work, namely: the freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary, land and housing rights, impunity and prison reform.
The ALRC wishes to take this opportunity to underline the need for an end to long-standing delays by the government in implementing provisions of the 1993 Constitution of Cambodia, in particular concerning the functioning and independence of the judiciary.

The Constitution specifically stipulates that a number of laws need to be enacted, including a law on the statute of judges and prosecutors and a law on the organization of the judiciary. However, after 16 years, these laws are still missing. As a result, Cambodians are not entitled to be tried by an independent, competent and impartial tribunal, in practice. They are being tried by judges whose status has not been defined by law and by courts whose establishment has no legal basis under the Constitution.
The government has preferred to continue to apply an outdated law on the nomination of judges and the activities of courts, enacted during the country’s communist past, which is unconstitutional, does not live up to international standards and does not ensure the independence of the judiciary. This leads to corruption, favouritism for certain judges and infringements by the Ministry of Justice and the Executive on the workings of the judiciary.
In light of this, the ALRC firstly wishes to know whether the Special Rapporteur has taken up this issue with the Cambodian authorities and whether they have responded and shown any credible intent to take action to ensure the separation of powers and an independent judiciary? Has the government provided any time-frame for the enactment of the above laws, which are essential for there to be any hope of independence of the judiciary.
Finally, you have stated sensing a disconnect between national law concerning land rights and widespread land grabbing ongoing in the country. We firmly believe that without a functioning, independent judiciary there will always be a disconnect between the law and the enjoyment of rights in practice, notably concerning the mentioned issues of priority, and support your efforts in this regard, as well as the continuation of your mandate.

Monday, 5 October 2009, 1:24 pm
Press Release: Asian Human Rights Commission

After delays, Cambodia rekindles stock market dream

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Construction cranes and unfinished high-rise buildings surround the silty marshland where a year from now Cambodia hopes to turn the page on decades of upheaval by opening a stock exchange.
The idea of a Cambodian stockmarket has been floated since the 1990s but has struggled for traction in a country known for a culture of political impunity, chronic poverty and a history of violence, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields."
But authorities argue those days are over and plan to sign a deal this month with World City Co Ltd, a South Korean-backed developer, to start building a $6 million, four-storey stock exchange on the waterfront of a new financial district.
"We want to do it next year," Mey Vann, director of the financial industry department at Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance, said in an interview. "It'll be good timing for us with the economic recovery."
It was supposed to open in September, a target set last year when South Korea's stock exchange operator agreed with the Cambodian government to set up and run a joint stock exchange.
But the global financial crisis intervened, ending an unprecedented boom which saw Cambodia's economy expand 10 percent annually in the five years up to 2008. Foreign investment collapsed, tourist arrivals fell by double digits and garment exports, a mainstay of the economy, shrank by 15 percent.
In recent weeks, Cambodian officials have cautioned against moving too fast, in some cases questioning whether a country whose education system was decimated during Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror is ready to invest in stocks.
"We've been waiting for a green light," said Intyo Lee, project director for Korea Exchange, Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator which will own 49 percent of the exchange and is recruiting and training workers for it. Cambodian will own the rest.
"We're pretty much ready," he added, "but many people say it's too early. The government is trying to build consensus."
STARTING SMALL
The exchange expects to start small with just four or five companies issuing about $10 million worth of shares each, said Lee. That's comparable to neighboring Vietnam's first stock market launched in 2000 with its initial market capitalization of $43 million. Today, Vietnam's market is worth $27 billion.
Yet there are risks to Cambodian investors. In Vietnam, most of the investors were local, often unaware of the risks, and many were burned as the market steered a rollercoaster course. Meanwhile, foreign investors largely sought to dip into the potential high returns of an emerging frontier market while hedging their bets with a highly diversified portfolio.
Like its communist neighbor, Cambodia is giving privatizing state companies priority with a place to sell stock. The Finance Ministry has asked three state-owned companies to list shares: Telecom Cambodia, port operator Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority.
Some of those companies have a simple question: why do it?
"We don't have any financial constraints. I don't understand the reasons we are going to be listed," said Ek Sonn Chan, who runs the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, which employs about 600 people, has about $200 million in assets and generates about $25 million in annual revenue. He said the company is profitable.
"If we become a public company, maybe we are more responsible, more transparent and maybe we can help the government allocate financial support to our company. But in the meantime, we don't know much about how it happens. It's very new to Cambodia, very new to me," he said.
Others say the timing may not be right for some time. Foreign direct investment nearly halved to an estimated $490 million from $815 million in 2008, according to the International Monetary Fund, which expects Cambodia's economy to shrink nearly 3 percent this year before growing about 4 percent next year.
Most of the disappearing capital had flowed into construction projects, including a $2 billion satellite city on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh where the exchange will be built.
Developed by South Korean-backed World City, the two-year-old project known as Camko City aims to create a new financial district by 2018 spread over 125 hectares, complete with glass-walled office towers for stockbrokers, upmarket apartments, securities regulator offices and sleek retail spaces.
But construction has slowed, said Kim Duk-kon, a vice president at World City. Although the first phase is nearly complete with many of the residential villas built and sold, subsequent phases are on hold after capital dried up.
FLOODED SWAMPLAND
The area where the stock exchange will be built is flooded swampland on the edge of Boeung Kak Lake in the heart of the city. The Finance Ministry said the end of the rainy season this month will allow workers to begin building the exchange on the corner of what developers are calling Phnom Penh Boulevard.
Cambodian officials rejected an initial design, saying the exchange's exterior was too modern and not Cambodian enough. It has since been redesigned using traditional Khmer accents.
Vann at the Finance Ministry and Kim said a news conference this month will announce construction of the exchange. A new Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia, he added, is drafting market regulations that will be issued soon.
"We have a very good team at the Securities and Exchange Commission. They graduated from overseas. They are new blood in terms of enforcement of the law," he said. "Our law is very strict in terms of speculation."
Some observers are unconvinced and say authorities need to demonstrate how investors will be protected in a country with a reputation for corruption at nearly every level of the bureaucracy. Some fear speculative gambling by public employees.
David Cowen, deputy division chief for the International Monetary Fund's Asia and Pacific Department, met recently with the new securities regulator and urged its officials to work closely with the central National Bank of Cambodia.
He said the Commission would soon issue operational guidelines on securities firms. The IMF wants to see if those rules are consistent with banking laws and recognize the central National Bank of Cambodia's role as the nation's chief regulator.

Source: Yahoo News