DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Senior CPC leader meets Lao president to boost bilateral ties” plus 8 more

VIENTIANE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- -- Visiting senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) He Guoqiang met here with General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone. The two sides vowed to enhance bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership to a higher level.

He, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, conveyed greetings from CPC General Secretary and Chinese President Hu Jintao to Choummaly, expressing his appreciation of Choummaly's contribution to foster relations between the two nations and the two parties.

He called on the two sides to advance cooperation by maintaining the high-level exchange, boosting economic and trade cooperation, furthering exchange and communication among different political parties and expanding cooperation in legislation as well as in cultural and humanitarian fields.

The two side could also work together to improve their law enforcement, strengthen cooperation at various local levels and intensify their coordination on the regional and international issues, He added.

He also expressed his confidence that the Laos, under Choummaly 's leadership, would score new achievements to push forward the country's national development.

Choummaly said the Laos and China, especially after the two have recently forged a partnership of strategic cooperation, have become good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners in deed.

While expressing his gratitude to China's long-term help and assistance to his country, he said the Laos would work closer with China to make greater progress on bilateral relations.

On Tuesday morning, He visited a construction project site for a Lao primary school building in the suburb of Vientiane.

At the invitation of Lao People's Revolutionary Party, He arrived in Vientiane on Sunday for a three-day official visit. The Laos is the first leg of He's four-nation tour which will also bring him to Cambodia, Malaysia and Russia.

PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- He Guoqiang, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived here Tuesday for an good-will official visit targeted at enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between China and Cambodia.

"My visit is aimed at improving political mutual trust and expanding pragmatic cooperation between the two sides," said He, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in a written speech at the airport.

He applauded the growth of the bilateral relations over the past half century which has generated substantial profits to the two peoples and contributed to maintaining regional stability and development.

The good-neighbourly friendship, nurtured by the older generations of leaders of both countries, had withstood the test of time and entered a new historic period after the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2010, He said.

He expressed his hope that the visit will also help boost exchange and cooperation among the CPC and the political parties in Cambodia.

He is scheduled to meet King Sihamoni, National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen during his stay in the southeast Asian country.

Cambodia is the second leg of He's four-nation tour which had already brought him to the Laos.

Prior to his departure from Beijing, He visited Cambodian King- Father Norodom Sihanouk.

PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 70 judges and representatives of justice ministries from all 10 ASEAN member states met here Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen legal and judicial cooperation.

The two-day workshop entitled "Strengthening Members' Participation in Legal Information Networks" was opened by Cambodia's Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vathana, U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN David L. Carden, and Bagas Hapsoro, deputy secretary- general of ASEAN for community and corporate affairs.

"The meeting is an opportunity for ASEAN judges and prosecutors to meet and exchange views on various issues and concerns, as well as discuss ways to build and strengthen legal and judicial connections," Ang Vong Vathana said in his opening remarks."It will also enable all of you to learn from each other about each country's legal system."

He said Cambodia has constantly strengthened its legal frameworks to fight against trans-border crimes in all forms and the country has always applied severe punishment for human trafficking, terrorism, drug and weapon trafficking, technology offenses, and corruption.

The workshop is sponsored by the ASEAN Secretariat in collaboration with the U.S. government and the Cambodian Ministry of Justice.

During the meeting, the high-level legal and judicial actors in the region will discuss implications of the ASEAN Charter and integration, issues in administration of justice in ASEAN, enforcement of judgments and international arbitration, and implementation of international treaties into national law, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy on Monday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) group Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday observed the 11th World Day Against Child Labor with photo exhibition and children music festival.

Presided over by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam On and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, the photo exhibition attracted about 700 spectators, most of which are found children and teenagers.

Co-organized by Cambodian Ministry of Information, International Labour Organization and China's Xinhua News Agency, the Cambodian children-themed exhibition showcased around 60 photos, which vividly visualized the dramatic changes of local children's life in the past decades.

Some of the pictures also reflected Cambodian senior leaders' caring to the children, from the monarchy to the country's high- ranking ministers.

"The event reflects the government's particular attention to enhance children's rights and social activity participation and it also significantly contributes to uplift the value of children, maintain national identification, and develop culture," Men Sam On said at the closing ceremony of the Music Festival for Children, which is organized by the Ministry of Information.

"The music festival provides opportunities to children to show their performing abilities and talents," she said, adding that children and teenagers together make up about half of Cambodia's 14.5 million population.

Khieu Kanharith said that the music festival functions as a platform to promote children rights and to preserve and develop national art and culture.

He said the music festival has been opened since May 22 with 22 children-orchestras from various state-owned and private-owned schools. The champion team will be awarded 2,000 U.S. dollars plus a trophy.

As a result, the team from the state-owned School for Music and Fine Arts won the award.

The World Day Against Child Labor was launched in 2002 by the international Labor Organization (ILO) to serve as a catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labor.

In Cambodia, the ILO's most recent global estimate found that around 1.5 million children involved in child labour and about 310, 000 in the Worst Forms of Child Labour, for instance, working in salt fields and brick factories.

Besides the government-organized events to mark the day, a well- known local right group Licadho announced that it will mark the day on Tuesday afternoon in Battambang province to promote understanding of child labor and invite some 500 people to join the event.

The event is to encourage parents, guardians, youths, employers, local authorities, and members of the public to participate in the prevention and elimination of the worst form of child labor, said a Licadho's press release.

"As the standard of living rises in Cambodia, more people are looking to hire domestic workers," said Sao Seny, Licadho's senior monitor on child rights. "A shortage of labor leads some to hire children as domestic workers, and they are most vulnerable to abuses such as physical violence, verbal abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse."

PHNOM PENH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Over 70 senior-level judges and representatives of justice ministries from all ten ASEAN member states will gather here on Tuesday to exchange views and discuss ways to enhance legal and judicial cooperation, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy on Monday.

"It will be an unprecedented event for legal and judicial actors to exchange ideas and experiences, as well as discuss deeply on building and strengthening legal and judicial connections," said the press release.

It said that ASEAN's deepening integration is presenting new challenges in cross-border legal issues; and the high-level legal and judicial actors in the region will also discuss implications of the ASEAN Charter and integration, issues in administration of justice in ASEAN, enforcement of judgments and international arbitration, and implementation of international treaties into national law.

The meeting is held after the 14th ASEAN Senior Law Officials' Meeting (ASLOM) in Phnom Penh last year recognized the need to strengthen the networks among high-level legal professionals throughout ASEAN, especially the ASLOM and ASEAN judicial bodies, it said.

The U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN, David L. Carden, Cambodia's Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vathana, and Bagas Hapsoro, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, will open the event.

The two-day event is presented by the ASEAN Secretariat in collaboration with the U.S. Government and the Cambodian Ministry of Justice.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

HANOI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will grant 18 million U.S. dollars to a coffee processing factory in Vietnam to enhance its capacity and provide more jobs to the local laborers, reported Vietnam News Agency on Monday, quoting sources from the IFC.

According to the report, the factory, run by the Caf Ngon Limited Company and an asset of an Indian company, processes instant coffee for export to 58 countries and territories.

Simon Andrews, IFC Country Director to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, said that Vietnam's coffee industry has a great potential for development. IFC's investment will help the country in promoting the exports of high-quality coffee and increasing the income for coffee growers and processors, hence enhancing the local coffee sector's competitiveness.

Since 2010, IFC has supported Vietnamese coffee industry in establishing training centers for the farmers to help them gain international certificates for coffee sustainable growing, increasing coffee prices for sale and connecting coffee growers with the global supply chains.

With IFC's investment, Caf Ngon Ltd. Company plans to invest more in processing equipment and technique to produce better quality coffee and ensure its friendliness with the environment, said the company's president cum manager, Pajendra Prasad.

Currently Vietnam ranks second in the world in exporting coffee, however 97 percent of Vietnamese coffee exports are primarily processed, so the quality is not good and the price is not high enough, he added.

As a member of the World Bank Group, IFC promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries. In 2011 alone, under the world economic fluctuations, IFC supported its partners with a total of nearly 19 billion U.S. dollars.