DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Vietnam, Cambodia boost ties on government inspection” plus 4 more

HANOI, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Government Inspector General Huynh Phong Tranh met with Cambodian Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection (MONASRI) delegation in capital Hanoi on Monday.

During the meeting, Vietnamese Government Inspector General Huynh Phong Tranh briefed the Cambodian delegation on Vietnamn socio-economic situation in the first six months of 2012, and shared experience in inspection work to deal with complaints about corruption and directions for the second half of the year.

The visit of Cambodian MONASRI delegation showed the friendship cooperation between the two inspection branches, laying the foundation for the implementation of cooperation agreements between the two sides, Tranh said.

Men Sam An, head of Cambodian MONASRI delegation thanked Vietnamese Government Inspection sector for helping Cambodia in personnel training, saying that the visit would be a good opportunity for the two sides to exchange experience in inspection work, contributing to strengthening bilateral friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

In 2006-2011 period, the Vietnamese inspection sector held six training courses for Cambodian inspectors.

Vietnam and Cambodia established diplomatic relations in 1967. The bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation has developed rapidly. It reached a turnover of 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2011 and is expected to hit 5 billion U.S. dollars in the next five years.

PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) senior officials met here on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen and expand cooperation in drug combat.

Drug is still a matter of concern to Cambodia as criminals have used and attempted to use the country as a drug transit point and a base for illegal drug production for exporting to the third country, Ke Kim Yan, chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said in the meeting.

However, he said, the country has subsequently smashed down and the perpetrators have been seriously punished in accordance to the law.

For instance, he said, on July 14, the drug authority had seized the largest ever drug-production equipment and 19 tons of chemical substances thought to be precursor ingredients for illicit drug manufacturing.

He said those equipment and chemical substances in containers were confiscated at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port as criminals tried to import them to Cambodia.

In the meeting, Gary Lewis, UNODC Regional Representative for East Asia and the Pacific, hailed Cambodia for its largest ever drug crackdown.

He said that the UNODC will continue helping Cambodia in drug issues including drug rehabilitation project, law enforcement, and equipment and supplies for drug fight.

It is estimated that Cambodia has between 5,000 and 6,000 drug users, most of them are youths.

PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported garment and textile products in equivalent to 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of 2012, up 9 percent from 1.93 billion U.S. dollars in the same period last year, a report from the Commerce Ministry showed on Monday.

The United States and European countries are the main buyers, other clients include Canada, Japan, South Korea, China and some other Asian countries.

During the same period, the country had imported garment and textile raw materials in equivalent to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, a 23 percent rise from 1.22 billion U.S. dollars in the same period last year, said the report.

Those materials had been mainly imported from China, China's Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

Garment industry is the country's largest income earner. The sector consists of more than 300 factories, employing some 335,400 workers - 91 percent of them are female, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Last year, the sector had exported products in equivalent to 4. 24 billion U.S. dollars, up 25 percent from a year earlier.

HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has attached importance and given top priority to consolidating and developing the traditional relations and all-sided cooperation with the neighboring Cambodia, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong during his meeting with the visiting Cambodian National Assembly (NA) President Heng Samrin here on Sunday.

Trong said the bilateral friendship was considered by the two sides as an invaluable treasure that should be well preserved and handed to future generations, for each country's prosperity, and for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress all over the world.

Trong spoke highly of achievements that the Cambodian people have recorded in their national construction and development, and expressed his delight at the developing Vietnam-Cambodia relations both in depth and width, and with practical results in all fields.

He also highly evaluated results of cooperation between the two countries' national assemblies, and said in the coming time the two legislative bodies should further expand cooperation and exchange experience in law making, supervision and decision, as well as effectively implement agreements signed between the two national assemblies and countries, contributing to further cementing the traditional relations and all-sided cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Cambodian NA President Heng Samrin sincerely thanked the Vietnamese party leader for his warm welcome, saying his visit is of significance in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of their fully diplomatic ties.

He informed the Vietnamese party leader outcomes of talks between him and the Vietnamese NA delegation, confirming that Cambodia will continue to closely coordinate with Vietnam in implementing the agreements and declarations signed during high- ranking visits by the two sides' leaders.

The Cambodian people are deeply grateful for the great support and timely assistance that the Vietnamese people had given to the Cambodian people in their fight to defend and reconstruct their country, which will forever be engraved in the history of Cambodia, the Cambodian NA President confirmed.

HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Sinh Hung held talks here on Sunday with his Cambodian counterpart Heng Samrin who is in Vietnam on an official visit to promote legislative ties.

They informed each other of their respective country's socioeconomic situation and operations of the two legislative agencies. They agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly in external relations, and share experience in law- making. The two sides also agreed to promote the role of the national assembly and deputies in pushing the implementation of signed agreements as well as economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

After the talks, the two legislative leaders signed an agreement on cooperation between the two national assemblies.