DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Thai PM confident in ICJ Thai-Cambodian border case” plus 9 more

BANGKOK, May 30-- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday at Thai government House that he is confident that Thailand is ready to fight Cambodia over border dispute at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague, the Netherlands.

Abhisit stated that Thailand is ready to argue the case before the ICJ on May 30-31 as scheduled. He then asked all Thais to rest assured that the government can protect the national interest and is ready to fight in all arenas.

The Cambodian government last month asked the court to explain its ruling in 1962 that the 11th century Preah Vihear temple is located in Cambodia. However, Thailand argues that the verdict covers only the ancient ruins, not the disputed 4.6-square-km surrounding area.

According to Thai Foreign Ministry, each side will be given three hours each in total. On May 30, Cambodia will present its information first from 10:00 to 12:00 a.m. local time while Thailand will present its information on 02:00 p.m. to 04:00 p.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who is now in the Hague, also ensured the readiness of Thailand to explain with the ICJ as it has prepared historical information and evidence after knowing that Cambodia will bring this issue to the ICJ. He announced that he will make a phone-in talk to the Thai media on June 1 after the mission.

The minister also expected that the result of the Cambodian request asking the ICJ to issue a temporary measure ordering Thailand to withdraw troops from the disputed zone while the interpretation of the 1962 verdict is in process will come out in the next three to four months, according to Thai National News Bureau.

The ICJ awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962. However, Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers of scrub next to the temple. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had a border conflict, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides. (Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, May 30 -- Some 300 Cambodian tobacco-free activists on Monday gathered here to mark the World No Tobacco Day and called for the government to raise taxes on tobacco products in order to discourage smokers.

"Tax increases for cigarettes will be the most effective means to reduce the number of death caused by tobacco use," Mom Kong, the executive director of the NGO-Cambodia Movement for Health, said at the event. "Moreover, the increase will generate more tax revenues for the state coffer."

Ho Naun, the National Assembly's chairwoman of the Commission on Public Health and Social Welfares, expressed her full support for the demand.

"I believe that it's a major measure to discourage smokers," she said.

According to the statistics of the planning ministry, currently, nearly 2 million out of the country's 7.5 million Cambodian adults have been consuming smoke or smokeless tobacco (betel quid).

It is estimated that about 99 million U.S. dollars have been spent on cigarettes and tobacco annually in Cambodia. (Xinhua)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has told the United Nations highest court that "murderous armed incursions" by the Thai military around a temple in a disputed border region are a "grave threat" to regional peace and security.
He made the claim Monday at the opening of hearings into Cambodia's request to the International Court of Justice to order Thailand to withdraw its troops from the disputed region around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, which was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.
Thai officials at the court refused to comment before entering the wood-panelled Great Hall of Justice. They were due to present their arguments to the 16-judge panel later Monday.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PHNOM PENH, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is scheduled to inaugurate the long-awaited Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) on July 11, according to the statement of the finance ministry released to the media on Monday.

And the first securities trading will begin towards the end of 2011, added the statement dated on May 26.

The ministry explained that the above two different dates being planned are based on the experience of some countries, which scheduled the start of the securities market operator first, in order for this operator to have enough time in preparing the process of the first securities training.

The CSX is a securities market operator, a securities clearing and settlement facility operator, and a depository operator.

The head-office of the CSX is located in the kingdom's tallest building, Canadia Tower in Phnom Penh.

Three state-owned enterprises--Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Telecom Cambodia and Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority--have been preparing IPO (Initial Public Offering) to list in the upcoming CSX.

The plan to open CSX was initiated by Korean Exchange in 2007.

CHICAGO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Obama visited Joplin, Missouri Sunday to attend the memorial service, one week after the city was battered by the deadliest single tornado, according to local media.
Obama flew over the worst-hit area of the city, viewing it from above, before landing in Joplin. Obama said that it's going to take years to build back and he urged Americans to donate to the Red Cross, which is assisting storm victims who have lost their homes. Tornadoes, he said, can happen to anyone, according to CNN.
Obama offered condolences and encouragement to the tornado victims, while delivering his speech during the memorial service after touring the 6-mile-long storm-ravaged area and meeting with storm survivors. "This is not just your tragedy, this is a national tragedy, and that means there will be a national response, " Obama told the people of Joplin.
Obama praised the solidarity the people of Joplin had shown when tornado hit as well as people who have engaged in heroic efforts for the people of Joplin. He promised that "the country will be there with you every step of the way."
The tornado touched down into the heart of the Midwest city near 6 p.m. local time on May 22, destroying neighborhoods and killing more people than any other U.S. tornado since modern recordkeeping began in 1950. In the last month, tornadoes killed more than 300 people and caused more than two billion U.S. dollars of damages to the U.S. South.

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Sunday hailed an agreement reached by Nepal's three major political parties to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly ( CA) for three more months, and called for "an early and successful conclusion" of the peace process in the Asian country.      
A statement issued here by Ban's spokesman said, "The secretary- general welcomes the agreement reached among the parties in Nepal to extend the Constituent Assembly, and the reaffirmation of their commitment to complete the basic tasks of the peace process, particularly the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist Army personnel."
After a prolonged rounds of internal, bilateral and multilateral meetings, the three major political parties of Nepal reached a consensus earlier Sunday morning to extend the CA term for three more months.
According to the deal, the top three parties -- the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the Nepali Congress, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) -- agreed to extend the CA term by three months initially and complete the first draft of the constitution within three months, making Nepal Army's structure inclusive and resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, reports said.
Parties forging consensus to extend the CA term for three months has not only bestowed CA's life but also worked as medicine to continued life of Nepal's ongoing peace process. The extension has dismissed probable "constitutional crisis" and arouse new hopes in frustrated Nepali people for the continuation of peace process and drafting new constitution, the reports said.
A meeting of Legislative Parliament on Sunday morning endorsed a bill to amend Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007 that enables to extend the CA term for three months.    
"The secretary-general urges the parties to bring the peace process to an early and successful conclusion on the basis of a clear timetable and plan of action and looks forward to further progress in the drafting of the new constitution," the UN statement said.
"The parties must take this opportunity afforded to them to live up to their commitments and responsibilities in the interests of peace and stability in Nepal," the statement said.
"The United Nations will continue to support progress in the peace process in Nepal," the statement added.
The 601-member CA was elected in 2008 with a two-year mandate to write the new constitution following the end of decade-long civil war between the then rebel Unified Communist Party of Nepal ( Maoist) and the state that abolished the 240-year-old monarchy in Nepal.

CARACAS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Venezuelans, including cabinet members and other senior government officials, rallied here Sunday to protest against U.S. sanctions on the South American nation's state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
The march began in the downtown Catia Square at 11:00 a.m. local time (1530 GMT) and lasted for three hours. Wearing red clothes, the color of the country's ruling party, the protesters chanted the slogan "Venezuela should be respected."
The demonstration was called by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and government officials were among the protesters, including cabinet members, governors, mayors and leaders of the PSUV.
Energy and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, who is also president of the PDVSA, said the protest was meant to reject the pressures of the U.S. imperialism against Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hailed the protest via his Twitter account.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on seven foreign companies, including PDVSA and Israeli Ofer Brothers Group, which it said are involved in providing Iran with gasoline and other refined petroleum products.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that the sanctions were aimed to prevent Iran from getting resources to support its allegedly "illegal nuclear activities."

GOLDEN SANDS, Bulgaria, May 29 (Xinhua) -- There is little hope that Russia and NATO will agree on building a joint missile shield, a report released here on Sunday at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring session said.
According to Raymond Knops, who presented the Draft General Report titled "Missile Defence: the Way Ahead for NATO," the realization of agenuine collaborative missile defense effort between Russia and NATO appears to be more difficult than the technical hurdles facing the NATO system.
The two sides' fundamental vision for the system remain far apart, and there appears to be little hope that an agreement will emerge, the report said.
However, the report said that the first signpost for assessing progress in this endeavor will come at the June 2011 meeting of NATO Russia Council Defense Ministers, where a comprehensive Joint Analysis of the future framework for broader missile defense co-operation is to be assessed.
The report also said the endeavor may also be facing some urgency, not only because of the pressures implied by Russian expectations, but also because of the electoral calendars in the United States and Russia.
"Should the issue of missile defense become significant in either country's presidential campaigns, the prospects for significant agreements could be compromised, at least in the short term," the report said.
Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called Euro missile shield during the Russia-NATO Council summit in Lisbon in November 2010.
NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability and demands NATO to guarantee that the system would not be aimed against Russian targets.

BRISBANE, Australia, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Three armed robbery suspects are in custody while a policeman is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot in the head on Australia's Gold Coast overnight, Queensland Police said on Monday.
The incident occurred shortly before 11 p.m. (local time) on Sunday after police were called to an armed robbery in progress at the Pacific Pines Tavern on the Gold Coast.
Senior Constable Damian Leeding, one of the first two officers on the scene, was injured by a shotgun wound to his head, police said.
The 34-year-old officer is in a critical condition in the Southport Hospital in Queensland.
Assistant commissioner Paul Wilson told reporters the three suspects were being questioned by police but have not been charged yet.
"I'm confident we have every person involved in this incident in our custody assisting us with our inquiries," he said.
Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said the robbery occurred around closing time and there were hostages taken.
He said this incident would raise further questions about the need for a specific armed robbery squad on the Gold Coast.

SEOUL, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Foreign securities invested by South Korea's financial institutions fell 0.3 percent in the first quarter from three months earlier as local asset managers retrieved stock fund investments amid declining share prices in emerging markets, the central bank said Monday.
Foreign-currency-denominated securities held by domestic financial institutions reached an outstanding 69.7 billion dollars as of the end of March, down from 69.9 billion dollars the previous quarter, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a statement.
Investments in overseas stocks contracted 1 billion dollars on- quarter to 38.9 billion dollars in the first quarter, but foreign bonds and so-called Korean Paper invested by local institutions increased by 400 million dollars each over the cited period, according to the BOK.
Korean Paper refers to foreign-currency-denominated securities sold overseas by the South Korean government, financial institutions or companies.
The decline in overseas stock investments was mainly attributable to asset managers retrieving their money invested in foreign stock-typed funds amid falling share prices in emerging nations like China and Brazil, the BOK said.
Increased purchases and investment profits contributed to rising investments in foreign bonds and Korean Paper, the BOK added.