DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia to conduct first ever agriculture census next April” plus 3 more

BANGKOK, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Bangkok's top-rated Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School suspended classes from Tuesday through Friday after a number of students were infected with hand, foot and mouth disease, Thai News Agency reported.

Chalermpol Daoruang, the school's deputy director, said that the temporary closure came after an unspecified number of Grade 1 and 2 students were diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease ( HFMD).

Suspending classes is intended to help halt the spread of the contagious disease among students and school staff as well as to allow the infected children to rest and receive medical treatment.

The school has a total of 1,500 primary students in Grades 1-6 and will resume classes normally on Monday, Asst Prof Chalermpol said.

In a related development, Chulalongkorn Hospital clinical virology expert Yong Phuworawan said that the virus carriers of the hand, foot and mouth disease currently affecting Thailand are different from the past and that several types and strains of the virus have been identified.

The HFMD found in the country were commonly caused by Enterovirus 71 and Coxsackie virus A16 which are not severe virus carriers, Dr Yong explained.

Yet, the ongoing disease in the country was caused by Coxsackie Virus A6 and Enterovirus 71 C4, which are the same strains found in neighbouring Cambodia, as well as Enterovirus 71 B5.

In Thailand, treatment depends on patient symptoms. Some countries have more experience with and research regarding hand, foot and mouth disease, the virologist said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expressed concern over the spread of the disease in schools, and assigned the public health and education ministries to jointly respond to the threat.

PHNOM PENH, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China is the largest provider of financial assistance to Cambodia for agriculture and irrigation development in the last three years, Cambodia's Minister of Finance Keat Chhon said here on Tuesday.

Since 2010 to date, he said, Cambodia has received a total loan of 561 million U.S. dollars and a total grant of 22 million U.S. dollars from South Korea, India, China, Japan and France.

"Of the amount, China's soft loan to Cambodia is 436 million U.S. dollars," he said in an economic conference at the National Assembly. "We show that China is playing very important role to promote Cambodia's agricultural development and irrigation system construction."

The minister said that besides, Cambodia also received the loan of 88 million U.S. dollars from the Asian Development Bank, and 24. 2 million U.S. dollar loan and 17.5 million U.S. dollar grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

He said this financial assistance is very vital for the government of Cambodia to use for developing agricultural sector, especially rice production and export.

Cambodia is an agrarian country. More than 80 percent of the population is farmers. The country produced some 8.25 million tons of paddy rice last year. With the amount, it's estimated that there is around 2.5 million tons of milled rice left over for export this year.

In August, 2010, the government launched the rice export promotion strategy, aiming at exporting one million tons of milled rice by 2015.

Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, said Tuesday that in the first half of this year, the country has exported 92,000 tons of milled rice.

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to support the community building of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

Commenting on the recent ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in Cambodia, Hong said the meetings have yielded positive results, which show these countries' willingness to strengthen regional cooperation and achieve common development.

Although a joint statement was not produced, ASEAN members have reached profound agreement on accelerating their community building, said Hong.

The spokesman also said China will comprehensively promote pragmatic cooperation with the ASEAN in various fields to benefit each other.