DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “U.S. warships arrive at Cambodian sea port for jointly naval exercise” plus 9 more

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- A USS Vandegrift frigate and two U.S. diving and salvage ships arrived at Cambodia's Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Monday morning for a five-day naval exercise with the Cambodian Navy, said U.S. Public Affairs Officer Lt. Commander Clayton Doss.

The USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) is commanded by Commander Joseph R. Darlak, Doss said in an e-mail to Xinhua on Monday.

Approximately 500 U.S. Navy and 300 Royal Cambodian Navy personnel are participating in the third Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Cambodia exercise 2012, he said.

Other U.S. participants include Marines from Fleet Anti- Terrorism Security Team Pacific, a medical training team from Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training, SH-60 Seahawk aircraft and the U.S. 7th Fleet band, he added.

The exercise will focus on enhancing maritime security skills through activities such as maritime interdiction, diving and salvage operations, maneuvering, and disaster response, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy to Cambodia.

In addition, it aims to increase cooperation, promote understanding, and build trust between the U.S. and Cambodian navies through sports and social events.

The press release said that CARAT 2012 will also improve relationships with the civilian community through community service projects.

In 2010, Cambodia participated in the CARAT exercise for the first time. Other CARAT participants include Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Timor- Leste, it added.

Since 1995, the CARAT exercises have taken place on an annual basis in the Southeast Asia region.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda have already confirmed their participation in the 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits here on Nov. 15-20, said Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Monday.

"All heads of states and governments of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), President of South Korea, President of the U.S., Chinese Premier and Japanese Prime Minister will come to join the Summit," he told reporters after a meeting with visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

He said that in the meeting with Marty, both sides discussed the preparation for the 21st ASEAN Summit here next month besides talks on bilateral relation boost.

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

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Government of Cambodia announced Oct. 15 as the official day of homage to late King- Father Norodom Sihanouk, said a circular signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday.

The government sets Oct. 15 as the Memorial Day for former King Norodom Sihanouk, according to a sub-decree on public holiday calendar for 2013, the circular said.

"All ministries, institutions, public and private enterprises must organize the Memorial Day properly in accordance with Cambodian custom and tradition," the circular said.

It also instructed all Cambodian embassies and consulates- general to foreign countries to hold the day properly in accordance with national prestige and pride on international arena.

The most revered ex-King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Oct. 15 and his body was transported to Phnom Penh by Air China jumbo jet on Oct. 17.

The country announced a week of mourning from Oct. 17-23, and the body of the King-Father will be lying in state at least three months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

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 had been 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. 20 (Xinhua) -- About 5,000 Buddhist monks gathered on Saturday afternoon in front of the Royal Palace to chant and pray for the soul of late King-Father Norodom Sihanouk.

The monks are from pagodas across Phnom Penh, and they were greeted and thanked by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol.

Thousands of Cambodian mourners also attended the praying ceremony in front of the Royal Palace on Saturday, which is the fourth day of mourning for the late King-Father.

The most revered ex-King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Monday and his body was transported to Phnom Penh by Wednesday afternoon.

The country announced a week of mourning from Oct. 17 to 23, and the body of the King-Father will be lying in state at least 3 months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

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 has gone 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. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yang Hyong-sop, Vice Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Dr. Sai Mauk Kham, Myanmar's Vice President, will travel to Cambodia to pay their last tributes to late former King Norodom Sihanouk, according to a media statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Saturday.

Yang Hyong-sop will arrive here on Sunday to pay homage to the King-Father at the capital's Royal Palace. After the ceremony, he will hold a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, the statement said.

It added that Dr. Sai Mauk Kham will pay his last respects to the former King on Monday. Besides the homage, he will also meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The most revered ex-King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Monday and his body was transported to Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon.

The country announced a week of mourning from Oct. 17 to 23, and the body of the King-Father will be lying in state at least 3 months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

Regional leaders including Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited the country on Friday to subsequently pay their last tributes to the late King-Father.

According to the statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, will also arrive in Cambodia on Sunday to pay their last respects to the King-Father.

In addition, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa will travel to the country on Monday for the homage.

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 has gone 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.

BANGKOK, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Thai reporter, again, apologized for her inappropriate act, deemed by a group of Cambodian people, regarding the late Cambodian King-Father Norodom Sihanouk.

After causing dissatisfaction by mistakenly placed a photograph of late Cambodian King-Father Sihanouk on the ground while covering his funeral, Thailand's Channel 3 reporter Thapanee Ietsrichai is in trouble again.

On Wednesday, Thapanee, a field reporter of Channel 3, went to cover about the late King-Father's funeral in Phnom Penh. As conducting a stand-up report, she mistakenly did the inappropriate act. A Cambodian took a photo and spread it on the social network, causing hundreds of comments condemning Thapanee.

Thapanee quickly came out to apologize and later visited the Cambodian Embassy to Thailand in Bangkok to apologize in front of the photo of the late King-Father.

The television station quickly issued a statement, expressing " deep regret" for what happened. "Channel 3 would like to request for pardon from the Cambodian royal family and for forgiveness from the government and people of Cambodia. We hope this incident will not affect the relations between the two countries," the statement said.

Thapanee had no intention of being disrespectful to the Cambodian monarchy, Channel 3 said.

However, her photo, kneeling down before the late King-Father at Cambodian Embassy made some Cambodian dissatisfied again -- this time is for not taking shoes off.

The Nation newspaper of Thailand on Friday reported that there was a call on social network by a group of Cambodian students to protest at Thai-Cambodian border, prompted tight security at the border. Nevertheless, no reports of such protest.

Thapanee again on Friday apologized and said she was instructed by the embassy official all the time while apologizing.

Also on Friday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Phnom Penh to pay homage to His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk. On the occasion, PM Yingluck was granted a royal audience with His Majesty Nordom Sihamoni and Her Majesty Nordom Monineath Sihanouk, the Queen Mother, as well as her counterpart Prime Minister Hun Sen to express condolences.

Thai Army and police commanders also on Friday gathered and paid their respects at a makeshift marquee put up in honor of the late king at the Poi Pet checkpoint at Thailand-Cambodia border in Sa Kaeo province.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Members of the United States Navy aboard the USS Vandegrift will join the Royal Cambodian Navy to conduct an exercise from Oct. 22-26 in Cambodia's Sihanoukville in order to boost naval cooperation, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy to Cambodia on Saturday.

The third Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Cambodia exercise will focus on enhancing maritime security skills through activities such as maritime interdiction, diving and salvage operations, maneuvering, and disaster response, the press release said.

In addition, the five-day exercise aims to increase cooperation, promote understanding, and build trust between the U.S. and Cambodian navies through sports and social events.

CARAT 2012 will also improve relationships with the civilian community through community service projects, it said, adding that the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet Band will give a free public concert in Kampot province's Kampot town at the provincial roundabout near the stadium next Wednesday night.

In 2010, Cambodia participated in the CARAT exercise for the first time. Other CARAT participants include Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Timor- Leste, the press release said.

Since 1995, CARAT exercises have taken place on an annual basis in the Southeast Asia region.