DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodian, Vietnamese PMs inaugurate border pillar to mark 45th diplomatic birthday” plus 2 more

KAMPOT, Cambodia, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung jointly inaugurated the Boundary Pillar No. 314 on Sunday in order to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two neighbors.

The pillar is located at the terminus of the land boundary between Cambodia's Kampot province and Vietnam's Kien Giang province.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Hun Sen said the Boundary Pillar No. 314 was the last overland boundary mark between Cambodia and Vietnam. "After this, we will continue demarcating the maritime boundary between the two countries," he said.

The premier added that as good neighbors and the same ASEAN family, Cambodia and Vietnam are committed to building a border of peace, friendship and cooperation for the mutual interests of the two countries and peoples.

Nguyen Tan Dung said the inauguration of the boundary pillar No. 314 has not only reflected full peace and stronger cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, but it also helped boost economics, trade and tourism between the two nations.

It was the second time that the two countries' leaders jointly inaugurated border marks. The first one was the inauguration of the border mark No. 171 in Cambodia's Svay Rieng province and Vietnam's Tay Ninh province in 2006.

Cambodia shares 1,270 kilometers of border with Vietnam to the east. To date, about 80 percent of the border demarcation has been completed and the two countries vowed to fully complete it by the end of this year.

After the inauguration on Sunday, the two Prime Ministers also co-chaired the 3rd Cambodia-Vietnam Conference on the Investment Promotion, which was held at Ha Tien, the capital city of Kien Giang province.

During the conference, the two premiers witnessed the signing of the protocol on the amendment of the agreement on the promotion and protection of investment between the government of Cambodia and the government of Vietnam.

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- He Guoqiang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, returned to Beijing Saturday after official goodwill visits to Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Russia.

On behalf of the Chinese government, He also attended the 16th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

He is also the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

PHNOM PENH, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia reported 96 landmine casualties in the first five months of 2012, according to a report of the Cambodian Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Victim Information System on Saturday.

Of the casualties, 20 people were killed and other 76 were injured.

The worst tragedy occurred on Feb. 3 when an anti-tank mine exploded, killing eight people in Banteay Meanchey province, some 400 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.

The report said that since 1979 to May 2012, landmines killed 19,639 people and injured 44,474 others.

Cambodia is one of the world's worst countries suffered from mines as the results of nearly three decades of war and internal conflicts from the mid 1960s until the end of 1998.

The country's five most mine-laid provinces are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin and Preah Vihear.

The Southeast Asian nation needs an estimate 30 million U.S. dollars a year to entirely get rid of mines until the year 2020.