DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodian, U.S. naval senior officials talk to boost ties” plus 7 more

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and the United States naval senior officials met here on Friday afternoon to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries' navies.

The meeting was made between Cambodian Royal Navy's Commander Admiral Tea Vinh and U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

It was the first time Mabus made his official visit to Cambodia.

Tea Vinh highly spoke of good relationship between the two sides' navies and thanked the United States for supporting Cambodian Royal Navy in materials and capacity building.

He said that since 2007, the U.S. Navy ships have officially visited Cambodia for 22 times with 25 warships for joint exercises.

He said Cambodia is still facing the shortages of modern materials, equipment, and ships in defending maritime territory and the country is committed to fighting against all forms of maritime crimes including terrorism, drug and human trafficking, and weapon smuggling.

Meanwhile, Mabus said the two navies have had very strong relationship and he believed that the ties would be stronger in the future.

He said that joint exercises between the U.S. and Cambodian naval forces have helped build professionalism and capacities for both sides.

Mabus added that in the next few years, about 60 percent of U.S. fleets will be deployed in Asia-Pacific and the United States is growing the number of the naval ships in the Asia-Pacific to at least 300 ships so that the United States and Cambodia will have more opportunities to work together to fight against terrorism and other forms of maritime infringements.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday reported 143 landmine casualties in the first nine months of this year, representing a 5 percent decrease from 151 casualties at the same period last year, according to a report from the Cambodian Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Victim Information System.

During the January-September period this year, 37 people were killed, up from 32 deaths at the same period last year, said the report. Besides, 106 others were injured or amputated, down 11 percent from 119 at the same period last year.

It said that 54 percent of the victims were men, 27 percent were boys, and 19 percent were women and girls.

The two latest remarkable anti-tank mine explosion incidents happened in the country's northwestern Battambang province. One incident occurred on Sept. 30, killing six people and seriously injuring two others, and the other was on Oct. 7, killing 3 farmers and injured 3 others.

Cambodia is one of the world's worst countries affected by mines as the result of almost three decades of war and internal conflicts from the mid-1960s until the end of 1998.

According to the report, since 1979 to September 2012, landmines had killed 19,658 people and injured or amputated 44,504 others.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday jointly observed World Food Day, re-vowing to work together to end hunger in the country, according to a joint media statement.

The day was held here at the Royal University of Agriculture under the theme "Agricultural Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World" by reaffirming their dedication to working with communities, civil society and the private sector to end hunger in lifetime, the statement said.

This year's World Food Day aimed to raise public awareness and highlight the impact of agricultural cooperatives and producer organizations in providing food security, generating income, creating employment and lifting people out of poverty, it said.

The event was presided over by Chan Sarun, Minister for Agriculture, and was attended by Nina Brandstrup, FAO Representative in Cambodia, Jean-Pierre de Margerie, WFP Country Representative, Senior Representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, the Ministry of Education, and the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development.

In addition, some 1,300 participants including donors, officials, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, farmer's associations and students also took part in this celebration.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's Prince Haji Abdul Azim Ibni, the second son of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan will visit Cambodia to pay their last respect to late King Norodom Sihanouk, said a media statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

The statement said Prince Haji Abdul Azim Ibni will lead a delegation to pay homage to the late King at the Royal Palace on Sunday, and Surin Pitsuwan will pay his tribute next Thursday.

Sihanouk died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Oct. 15 and his body was returned to Phnom Penh by an Air China jumbo jet on Oct. 17.

The country announced a week of mourning from Oct. 17-23. After that period, the ex-King's body is on display at least three months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday expressed his heartfelt thanks to leaders of the ASEAN and other countries for their condolence expressions over the demise of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk.

"The government and people of Cambodia would like to extend profound thanks to all ASEAN member states for sharing their deep condolences with Cambodia," he said at the opening of an ASEAN meeting at the capital's Peace Palace.

Leaders in ASEAN who had directly paid their last respects to the late King in Phnom Penh's Royal Palace included Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and Singapore 's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Other leaders in the bloc had expressed their deep sympathy through messages or sent their representatives to pay tribute to the late King.

Besides, leaders around the globe including China, Japan, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and France also expressed their great sympathy for the late King's death.

Sihanouk died of illness at the age of 90 on Oct. 15 in Beijing and his body was returned to Cambodia on Oct. 17.

Born on Oct. 31, 1922, Sihanouk reigned the country from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his voluntary abdication on Oct. 7, 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.

He was the king who led the country to gain independence from France in 1953. He was a presence through decades of political and social turmoil in Cambodia, despite long periods of exile overseas.

He was named the father of independence, territorial integrity, and national reconciliation and unity.

He suffered from various forms of cancer, diabetes and hypertension and had been treated by Chinese doctors in Beijing for years before his death.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) to harmonize their religious beliefs towards a peaceful and religious violence free region.

Speaking at the opening of the 8th ASEAN socio-cultural community council meeting at the capital's Peace Palace, the premier pushed the region to conduct studies in order to find ways for religious harmony.

"We have seen that religious conflict has been spreading in the world and it has just flowed into our ASEAN region," he said.

"Practically, violence and mutually brutal killings among different religious believers in some of ASEAN member states in the recent past are a new event that is attracting interest from international community," he said without specifically identifying countries in religious conflicts.

The premier said that it was very important to give attention to religious issues in order to ensure stability, sustainability and harmony on religious beliefs in the bloc.

"The strengthening of religious harmony in our region is the most necessary task," he said, adding that the bloc should not underestimate such conflict.

Meanwhile, he also hailed his country for no religious row even though there are multi-religions existing in the society.

"For the time being, Cambodia is fortunate because the country has never had religious violence even though 96 percent of the country's population is Buddhist, 2 percent is Muslim, and the remaining 2 percent is Christian and other religions," he said.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The ministers in charge of the ASEAN socio-cultural community from the bloc's 10 member states gathered here Thursday to expedite cooperation on building an ASEAN Community by 2015.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 8th ASEAN socio-cultural community council meeting at the Peace Palace, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the meeting was very important to strengthen and broaden ASEAN cooperation towards building an ASEAN Community by 2015. "ASEAN has still faced a lot challenges on its way towards a community in 2015,"he said."Therefore, we need deeper, closer and broader cooperation in both ASEAN framework and regional framework, "Hun Sen said.

He added that ASEAN needed to strengthen and expand a unity stance in order to solve issues and complete mutual gaps.

The ASEAN Community is scheduled to be established in 2015. The Community will comprise three pillars, namely political and security community, economic community, and socio-cultural community.

Sun Chanthol, Cambodian Senior Minister in charge of ASEAN socio-cultural community, said that the ASEAN socio-cultural community has five key characteristics, namely human resources development, social welfare, social justice and rights, environment stability ensuring, ASEAN identity building and poverty alleviation.

This year's meeting focused on culture, environment, education, disasters, woman and child issues, social welfare and protection for vulnerable people, he revealed.

ASEAN socio-cultural community blueprint is comprised of 40 major elements with 339 actions. To date, 80 percent of the actions has been achieved and all remaining actions are expected to be completed before 2015.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.