DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “JBC and GBC for Cambodia –Thailand Delayed” plus 9 more

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 16, 2011-The meetings of Joint border committee (JBC) and general border committee (GBC) have been delayed until April 7-8, a senior official for foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"The postponement of the meetings related to time arrangements and it does not involve in political issues," Khuy Khuong , spokesman for foreign ministry said.   

"As schedule, it planned to be held on March 24-25 in Bogor in Indonesia but it was postponed because Indonesia gave enough time for two sides and other relevant persons for the meetings. The meetings will be held on April 7-8 and both sides already agreed with indoesian side,"he added.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed on Feb 22 to allow Indonesian observers to monitor permanent ceasefire at the area near the 11 century khmer Preah Vihear temple. Indonesia as chairman of ASEAN called for the meetings of border issues between the two countries.

Cambodia declared it needs third party to be involved for the border talks after Thailand has not ratified three diplomatic notes for foreign ministers' meetings on border issues.  Thai troops invaded Cambodia soil on July 15, 2008 by using own map after Cambodia enlisted the temple with world heritage committee on july 7, 2008.

The UNESCO also summoned Thailand and Cambodia over the damage of the temple during the fresh fighting on Feb 4-7 leading dozen dead and thousands of families fled from home for safety.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 16, 2011-Cambodia will invest $ 500 million for power transmission line to bring the power from hydropower to households, senior officials said on Tuesday.  

"We will invest some $500 million during the next five year in transmission line. Power transmission lines is under master plan in 2021," Dr Hang Chuon Naron, secretary of state for economy ministry said in a seminar of 2011 Cambodia outlook conference.

He added that the power will help poverty reduction and expand the business transaction in the country.   In his speech,   he explained that the country need electrify with cheap prices of electricity to develop country and it need other sources of future growth , and Cambodian needs human resources development, agriculture development, processing industry, new industry, soft and hard infrastructure, expand tourism from culture to beach tourism.

"Cambodia will become a major regional exporter of rubber rice. The country needs electricity with cheap price to expand those fields," he stresses. Those fields need electricity demand.  

Report from ministry of energy and industry in 2015, Cambodia needs 5,000 gwah. And fuel mixed generation in national grid and in Phnom Penh. It added annual electricity demand growth rate in country 19 per cent while in Phnom Penh. The electricity demands growth rate high as 25 per cent. The annual electricity demands per capital increased from 138.4 kwh in 2009 to 159.2 kwh by 2020.

It said: the peak capacity supply increased from 472 Mw in 209 to 538 mw in 2010, at that same time, the capacity supply in Phnom Penh was 300 mw. Policy of electricity target, 70 per cent for rural households have access to quality to quality electricity services by 2030. And 100 per cent villages have aces to electricity services by 2020.

"In 2010, the national electrification just reached to 29 per cent while in the household in urban areas were almost 100 per cent electrified and only 12 .3 per cent of the total household in rural areas. Besides supply, Cambodia imported electricity from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam with total capacity about 225 mw in 2010,"it said, adding that Cambodia imported electricity mainly from Vietnam 67 per cent, Thailand about 32 per cent and Laos about 1 per cent.

It increased about 48 per cent from 2009. Cambodia has good potential of hydropower about 10,000 mw. At the present, about 10 percent to the potential has been under construction.  Cambodia signed already MOU for 2200 mw with foreign companies from Vietnam at northeastern region of the country. Under construction about 1,000 mw is about 27 per cent at the southeastern provinces. And 10,000 mw hydropower needs at the western region of the country.

PHNOM PENH, March 15 -- The outgoing Thai ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai said Tuesday that his government will submit a petition to Cambodian government in order to ask Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni to grant a royal pardon to  the two high-profile "Yellow Shirt" activists jailed in Cambodia for espionage.

The ambassador made the remarks during a farewell meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Tuesday.

The ambassador also told reporters after the meeting that so far the two Thais have not signed the letter for royal pardon yet.

"As soon as they sign the request, I will present it to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs; then, ask the royal government of Cambodia for high consideration," he said.

The two Thai prisoners are Veera Somkwamkid, one of the leaders of the People's Network against Corruption and a high-profile activist in the Thailand Patriot Network, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court, on Feb. 1, convicted Veera and Ratree of illegal entry, unlawful entry into military base and espionage and sentenced them to 8 years and 6 years in jail respectively.

Koy Kuong, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,declined to comment if Cambodia will consider royal amnesty for the duo.

According to Cambodian law, a prisoner can be granted a royal pardon only if he/she has served two third of the jailed term in prison.

Meanwhile, the ambassador also said that Thai government will hold an internal meeting on Wednesday to decide if it will join the ASEAN-arranged meetings on Cambodia-Thai General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Border Committee on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) in Bogor, Indonesia on March 24-25 to resolve the border dispute between the two countries. (Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 15, 2011-"Thai government will discuss on proposal from Indonesia tomorrow on the meeting of joint border committee and general border committee on March 24-26 March in Bogor," Thai ambassador said

Outgoing Thai ambassador to Phnom Penh told Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong in a courtesy ceremony, that Thai government will have an internal meeting on the Indonesia's proposal tomorrow, Khuy Khuong, spokesman for foreign ministry quoted as telling media after the meeting. New Thai ambassador will be appointed in April, Kong said.

Cambodian side hopes that Thai side will receive Indonesian observers quickly to monitor the permanent ceasefire," Kong said.  "We are trying to shorten the conflict and expand cooperation, he added.

Samdech Hun Sen yesterday said that Cambodia also will buy walkie-talkies and transportation in Cambodia and other expenditure for Indonesian observers for their work in the country.  Cambodian and Thai Foreign ministers agreed to get Indonesian observers on Feb 22.

Thai troop invaded Cambodian soil through unilateral map at areas near 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 15, 2011-A Cambodian female doctor, Chin Kim Huy, 30, worked at Russian – Khmer Hospital in Phnom Penh on Monday committed suicide after she was forced to depose from her current job.

 "I have blamed the director candidly in the meeting and her boss expelled from job," she said in her letter for families.

 The rare suicide in Phnom Penh, a police said, adding that after autopsy, she was not murdered; she committed suicide through using ties to hand from her balcony in her house in stung Mean Chey district in Phnom Penh.  She was upset from expelling from job, the relatives said.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 15, 2011-50,000 environment activists in Cambodia plan to conduct a campaign to clean city in a move raise awareness about the environmental issues.

"They plan to clean 8 places in Phnom Penh city and some places that need to educate about the environmental issues and stop throwing litters ," statement from AIESEC.

The theme this year "Cambodia let do it," the statement noted.  They plan to clean the city on April 23, it added.

"They also will host the campaign at the universities and schools in Phnom Penh, it said.

Phnom Penh authorities announced about the money fine for litter throwers.  They were fined about $2.5 but cases have still happened and some restaurants which put waste disorderly also fined.

PHNOM PENH, March 14  -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday the massive earthquake in Japan on March 11 will not only damage Japanese economy, but also will affect Japanese assistance overseas.

"The destruction by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan were the worst and caused hugely losses both human lives and properties, " he made the remarks during a graduation ceremony for students at the Royal University of Law and Economics.

"The natural disaster will impact both Japanese economy and Japan's internationally obligatory implementation abroad including Cambodia."

The premier said that tomorrow (Tuesday), Masafumi Kuroki, ambassador of Japan will still sign up to provide a grant aid package of 94 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia for flood protection, water distribution system, and demining activities.

He confirmed that so far, there is no report on Cambodian students were killed or injured in the massive earthquake in Japan.

A total of 1,598 people have been killed and 1,720 others are still missing by 8:00 a.m. (2300 GMT) Monday in Japan following Friday's catastrophic earthquake 9.0 magnitudes on the Richter scale and ensuing enormous tsunami, said the National Police Agency.(Xinhua/sp)

VIENNA, March 13 -- Radioactivity levels at the site boundary of the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Japan have returned down to normal background levels, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Sunday.

The first (lowest) state of emergency was reported at the plant earlier on Sunday after an increased level of radioactivity was detected at the site boundary, the IAEA said in a statement quoting Japanese officials.

However, investigations at the site indicate that no emissions of radioactivity have occurred from any of the three units at Onagawa, the statement said.

The three reactor units at the power plant are now under control, Japanese officials told the IAEA.

The IAEA said the increased level may have been due to a release of radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where explosion had occurred at its unit 1 reactor. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 14 -- China's fiscal revenue jumped 41.5 percent year on year in February to 699.7 billion yuan (106.5 billion U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Monday.

Of the February fiscal revenue, the central government collected 375.53 billion yuan (57.16 billion U.S. dollars) and local governments collected the rest, the MOF said in a statement on its website.

The February took the January-February figure to 1.85 trillion yuan (281.5 billion U.S. dollars), up 36 percent from last year' same period. (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, March 14 -- The gold price in Hong Kong went up 105 HK dollars to open at 13,260HK dollars per tael on Monday, according to the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society.

The price is equivalent to 1,428.84 U.S. dollars a troy ounce, up 11.31 U.S. dollars at the latest exchange rate of one U.S. dollar against 7.790 HK dollars. (Xinhua)