DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia to lead forthcoming ASEAN Summit with responsibilities: PM” plus 3 more

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday the country is proud of leading the upcoming 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits and pledged to chair the Summits with responsibilities.

"We proudly host the ASEAN Summits, and we will chair them with responsibilities in all tasks," he said in a ceremony to deliver land titles to residents in Siem Reap province.

The country sets to host the 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits from Nov. 18-20 at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

The premier said that there will be the 21st ASEAN Summit, ASEAN+3 Summit, ASEAN+1 Summit and the 7th East Asia Summit.

The Summits will bring together all ASEAN leaders and dialogue country leaders including newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Hun Sen said that among those leaders, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will make his official visit to Cambodia on Nov. 18 and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will be on Nov. 20.

As of Monday, the agendas of the forthcoming Summits are not released, but analysts envisaged that the Summits will touch on a number of issues including economics, trade, security, human rights, environment and climate change.

"Economic issues, particularly narrowing the development gap and economic integration facilitation, will be the core issue," Dr. Chheang Vannarith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, which closely works with ASEAN, told Xinhua in an interview.

He added that other issues will include ASEAN human rights declaration, ASEAN regional demining center, and other regional security issues of common concern such as ethnic and religious tensions in Myanmar, South China Sea, East China Sea, and the peace process in the Philippines.

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

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that recently imported tanks and armored personnel carriers was aimed at bolstering self-defense capacity.

"The new arrival of tanks is to strengthen self-defense capacity only. It is impossible that a country doesn't have weapons in hand," he said while delivering land titles to residents in Siem Reap province.

The premier did not unveil the origin of those tanks and armed personnel carriers, citing military confidentiality.

"Don't ask where we bought those tanks from. Don't want to know, it is a military confidentiality," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Banh said recently that more than 100 new tanks and armored personnel carriers arrived in Cambodia's Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Oct. 30.

Cambodia has begun strengthening its military capacity since 2008 border conflict with Thailand.

The deadly conflict broke out between the two neighbors a week after the UNESCO approved Cambodia's bid to award Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers of territory next to the temple.

However, the tensions over border dispute has eased since the Pheu Thai Party led by sister of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra won a landslide victory in the general elections in July 2011.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 150 parliamentarians, government officials, recruitment agency representatives, trade unions leaders, and development partners gathered here on Monday to discuss ways and measures to promote and protect the rights of Cambodian migrant workers.

Speaking at the opening of the parliamentary forum on the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers, Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly, said that migrant workers have actively contributed to developing economy and society and the migrant workers overseas bring home money and skills.

"However, illegal migrant workers are often trafficked and abused sexually," he said. "Therefore, we need to work together to discourage people from illegal migration."

He added that in its efforts to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers, Cambodia has signed international treaties and conventions, and agreements and memorandums of understanding with countries in the region and the world.

Currently, 124,890 Cambodian laborers have been working legally in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, according to the figures of the Ministry of Labor.

Those migrant workers have sent home about 200 million U.S. dollars a year.

Douglas Broderick, Representative of the United Nations Development Program to Cambodia, said at the forum that any migrant workers work for excessively long hours and some are subjected to verbal and physical abuse, sexual abuse, confined against their will, denied health care and deprived of food.

"Promotion and protection of their rights is essential; they all have the right to work safely, and to make enough money to send some back home," he said. "We need to put more effort into protecting migrant workers. No one institution only can do this job successfully. We have to work together in a concerted way."

"A partnership with parliamentarians is vital. Through such partnership, we can build support and linkages between policy and legislative frameworks, and implementation," he said.

Jenna Holliday, Representative of the United Nations Women to Cambodia, said that the forum was crucial towards increasing the promotion and protection of migrant workers rights. "UN Women is committed to supporting the government to improve the promotion and protection of migrant workers - but for this work to be effective; we must also look to implementation and spreading the safe migration messages at the sub-national level," she said.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 10,000 security forces will be deployed in capital Phnom Penh in order to ensure security and safety for foreign leaders attending the 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits next week, Lt. Gen. Kirt Chantharith, spokesman for the National Police, said Sunday.

"Over 10,000 police, military police, and bodyguards had been trained for months ahead of the Summits and they will be deployed in the city from next week to safeguard foreign delegates," he told Xinhua over telephone. "We will use all security measures to ensure full security and safety for the forthcoming meetings."

The forces will be deployed at the capital's airport, the Peace Palace, streets, hotels, and guesthouses, he said, adding that at night, there will be routine patrols and search for weapons and explosions among passengers.

Cambodia will host the 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits from Nov. 18-20 at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

The Summits will bring together all ASEAN leaders and dialogue country leaders including newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

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