DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “ADB Needs Partnerships to Success Its Development Projects” plus 9 more

PHNOM PENH: ADB learned that another NGO involved in the monitoring of the railway project, the international NGO Bridges Across Borders Cambodia (BABC), was requested to attend a meeting with the Government about its activities, said in its statement released on Friday.

It said that August 5, 2011 ADB was informed that the activities of the national non-governmental organization (NGO) Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), which has been actively monitoring the resettlement impacts of the ADB-supported GMS Cambodia Railway Rehabilitation Project, were suspended for five months effective August 1st.

Since the inception of the railway project, STT and BABC have provided the railway project's resettlement team with important information about the resettlement process, information that has helped address the needs of families affected by the project.

However, ADB believes that "NGOs and civil society play an important role in the successful implementation of development projects, and hopes that NGOs will be allowed to continue making contributions".

ADB views recent developments with the utmost seriousness, and has met with STT, BABC and the Government about the situation, adding that it is fully committed to working with the Government, NGOs, civil society, and other stakeholders to ensure the implementation of ADB's safeguard policies in all ADB-financed projects.

NANNING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua)-- China and its third largest trading partner, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have both expressed a similar stance Thursday -- that protecting common interests should be prioritized through deepened cooperation.

The message came from an ongoing forum among China and Pan-Beibu Gulf countries that includes Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Singapore under the China-ASEAN cooperation framework.

Hua Jianmin, vice chairman of China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said China-ASEAN cooperation over the past three years played a major role in the world's economic recovery following the global financial and economic crisis, and with the launch of a free trade area on Jan. 1 last year, trade between China and ASEAN had surged.

Data shows bilateral trade jumped by almost 36 percent last year compared to a year earlier to exceed 290 billion U.S. dollars, while in the first half of this year, the trade figure amounted to 171 billion U.S. dollars, up 25 percent.

"The close economic cooperation between China and ASEAN has gone along with globalization and regional integration. It accords with the joint benefits of both China and members of ASEAN. It also contributes to the stability and prosperity of the global economy," Hua said at the sixth Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum held in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Bounchanh Sinthavong, vice minister of public works and transport of Lao PDR, said landlocked Laos sees economic cooperation as an important means for supporting mutual and sustainable economic growth particularly when the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement is implemented.

Sinthavong also urged common compromise in negotiations for mutual benefit in the future, though the compromises are based on the good relationship, understanding, mutual trust, equality and benefit between all parties concerned.

Tram Iv Tek, the Cambodian minister of public works and transport, said China has offered financial aid to Cambodia to construct 1,300 km of roads and 6,000 km of bridges. China has also played a key role in the development of Cambodia's various sectors including energy, mining, agriculture and telecommunications.

Guangxi Governor Ma Biao said that apart from the rapid trade growth between China and its southeast Asian neighbors, bilateral investment also picked up pace.

Data shows accumulative bilateral investment between China and ASEAN reached 74 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2010, with China's direct investment in ASEAN exceeding 10 billion U.S. dollars.

Ma said deepened cooperation among China and the Pan-Beibu Gulf countries will help with addressing the crisis amid the uncertainties in the global economy. It can speed up the economic development of these countries and improve regional competitiveness. It can also promote the integration of ASEAN countries through regional connectivity and create broader market opportunities for both sides.

Hua Jianmin said the world economic recovery is still uncertain, and countries around the world must work closely to address the challenges.

Le Manh Hung, vice minister of transport of Vietnam, said ASEAN should attach great importance to the cooperation with its partners, especially China, because China is geographically in vicinity to ASEAN and the country has abundant experiences.

Hung said the two sides need to make greater efforts in cooperation and exchanges in infrastructure, aviation, information technology, and culture.

He said these efforts will help enhance the strategic partnership between China and ASEAN and will be conducive to building a more peaceful and stable region in southeast Asia.
Editor: Chen Zhi
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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 12th meeting of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Commission will be held next week in Ha Noi, Vietnam, in order to boost the two neighboring countries' cooperation on a wide range of sectors, according to a press release from Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

The statement said that Cambodia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong will lead a delegation to participate in the meeting on Aug. 22-23 at the invitation of Vietnam's Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

"The meeting will discuss on the bilateral cooperation on economics, cultures, sciences and technologies," it said, adding that at the end of the meeting, both sides will sign the agreed minutes of the meeting.

During the two-day stay in Vietnam, Hor Namhong will also pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung.

Vietnam is Cambodia's second largest trading partner after Thailand, and is Cambodia's fourth largest investor after China, South Korea and Malaysia.

The two-way trade between the two neighbors was 1.35 billion U. S. dollars in the first half of this year, 57 percent rise, compared to the same period last year, according to the figure from the Trade Office at the Embassy of Vietnam to Cambodia.

On the investment side, accumulative Vietnamese investments in Cambodia have reached nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars in the fields of telecommunication, aviation, banking and finance, mineral resources, and rubber plantations.

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Four crew members who went missing after a police helicopter crashed into a reservoir in a northern suburb of Beijing on Wednesday have all died, police said Friday.

Two bodies of the crew members were retrieved from the reservoir late Wednesday and two others were found on Thursday, the Beijing police said in a statement.

Altogether five crew members were aboard the helicopter that was returning from a search-and-rescue drill over the mountainous region of Miyun County.

A crew member was rescued from the water shortly after the crash.

The Beijing water and environmental authorities have launched an emergency plan to ensure the safety of the water as the reservoir is a major drinking water source for Beijing residents.

On July 16, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau set up a police aviation fleet to enhance its emergency-response capability.

There were four helicopters in the fleet before the accident occurred, and Beijing police said it is considering the purchase of another six helicopters over next five years.

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River flood had killed 12 Cambodians and affected 5,700 families living along the river, concluded Nhim Vanda, vice president of Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, said on Friday as the flood has receded.

"Most of the deaths were Children due to their parents' negligence," he said, adding that besides claiming lives, the flood has also inundated 30,226 hectares of rice fields before its drop.

"Now, the water levels in the provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham have dropped to the levels below the emergency levels," he said. "However, we still appeal to residents along the river to be high vigilant as the flood can re-rise in next month as it was in previous habit."

The Mekong flood has begun earlier this month in Cambodia's provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham and it has gradually dropped in recent days.

Cambodia is located in tropical zone, and is rarely affected by heavy storm or tornado, except flooding.

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted near the east coast of Honshu, Japan at 05:36:32 GMT on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey, monitored here, said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 43.60 km, was initially determined to be at 37.6732 degrees north latitude and 141.7156 degrees east longitude.

ANKARA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed four rebels of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in the eastern and southeastern Turkey late Thursday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Friday.

During ongoing operations against PKK militants, the Turkish security forces killed one PKK rebel in Eruh town and two others in Pervari town of Siirt province in southeastern Turkey, according to the report.

In another operation in the rural area of Tunceli province in eastern Turkey, one PKK militant was killed, the report said.

On Wednesday, the PKK attacked a military convoy at Cukurca town in the southeastern province of Hakkari, leaving eight Turkish soldiers and one village guard dead and 15 soldiers wounded.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul vowed retaliation against the PKK.

"Heinous attacks of the terrorist organization will be given the harshest response. The fight against terrorism will continue resolutely without giving any concessions from democracy and the rule of law," the National Security Council said in a statement issued after the four-and-a-half hour meeting chaired by Gul on Thursday.

The PKK has intensified its attacks on Turkish troops recently and Turkish officials have vowed to retaliate with absolute determination.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, the PKK took up arms in 1984 to create an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. More than 40,000 people have been killed in conflicts involving the PKK during the past over two decades.

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PEHN, August 18, 2011-The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) announced on Thursday that it will give $ 9,000 to an athlete who win a gold medal from the upcoming 26^th SEA Game in Indonesia late this year.

Thong Khon, tourism minister and president of NOCC said: "the government will offer $6,000 and other $3000 from Naga World Casino," "Cambodian athletes will get more medals from these international competitions" he said after the agreement of MOU with Naga World.

Cambodia will send 230 athletes for the upcoming 26^th sea game for 2011 in Indonesia with 20 types of sport fields.  Cambodia also will give the same money for 27^th Sea Game in Burma 2012.   Cambodia won 3 golden medals from 2010 in Laos.

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, August 18, 2011-Cambodian PM Hun Sen on Thursday appealed to the United States and Australian government to offer help analysis on the wreckage from unmanned plane after Cambodian armed force found it in Preah Vihear province, where Cambodian and Thai troops has confronted since 2008.

"We have not accused Thai troops of using this unmanned plane in aim of terrorism acts at the area," PM Hun Sen said in the closing ceremony of second mandate for sub-national level at home affairs ministry.

"This could be a testing from terrorism group, "he added. "So, we need the help from USA and Australia to conduct an analysis on this plane. Cambodia also found the black box of machine of plane and the country could not convert the data from the box. "Next time, the terrorist group could do anywhere" he stresses.

KABUL, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police, backed by army and NATO-led forces, have eliminated 21 insurgents and detained 44 others throughout the country over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.