DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Specialists to meet on safeguarding Cambodia's world heritage Angkor Wat” plus 8 more

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC) will convene its 19th plenary session on Dec. 5-6 in Siem Reap province, according to a press release from the UNESCO-Cambodia on Monday.

The ICC has convened regularly twice a year to consistently follow up with all operations being carried out on the site, the press release said.

The meeting will be opened by Sok An, deputy prime minister and minister for the Council of Ministers and Anne Lemaistre, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia.

On the first day of the meeting, there will be a tour for the ICC-Angkor participants to see the hydraulic structures and the urban heritage of Siem Reap, it said.

The tour will highlight the work done in the past years to prevent Angkor and Siem Reap from flooding and efforts to preserve Siem Reap's urban heritage.

On the next day, there will be a number of presentations by specialists, covering issues of conservation, archaeological research, tourism, and community development. Particularly, discussions will be held on various themes related to Angkor and its population, it said.

Angkor archeological park was inscribed in the World Heritage list on Dec. 14, 1992. After the enlistment, the ICC was established. It is the international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations.

The Angkor archeological park is the country's largest cultural tourism destination; it is located in Siem Reap province, some 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

According to the latest figures from the Tourism Ministry, the site attracted 1.64 million foreign visitors in the first ten months of this year, up 28 percent compared with the same period last year.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three Cambodian workers are missing and six including a Chinese are injured in a rupture of a concrete tunnel at a hydropower dam under construction in Pursat province, some 340 kilometers west of Cambodia, police chief confirmed Monday.

The accident occurred on Saturday afternoon at the Atay river hydropower, Sarun Chanthy, Pursat provincial police chief, said.

"Three men are still missing, 4 were hand or leg broken and two men including a Chinese were slightly injured," he told Xinhua over telephone.

"We concluded for the first phase that the accident was due to the 10-meter-round concrete tunnel was cracked and exploded when heavy water pressure hits it," he said.

The ruptured tunnel flew water from the dam's reservoir to test a turbine, he said, adding that the rupture did not damage the dam.

"For the missing men, we cannot say that they die because it is 3 days now, but we do not see their bodies," Suy Sem, minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, told Xinhua over telephone on Monday.

He said that it is a "small accident" and does not affect the dam or dam-operated machines.

"The blast broke only the dam's tunnel, so the firm just fixes it, everything is okay."

The minister said that the dam is scheduled to test operations at the end of this year, but due to the rupture, it will be a bit delayed because the water in the reservoir was gone.

Atay river hydropower dam is situated in the jungle in O'Som commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province.

The project is invested by the China Datang Corporation in the investment value of 255 million U.S. dollars. The construction of the 120 megawatt Atay river hydropower dam has been started in May 2008 and it is expected to entirely complete in May 2013.

It is a concessional contract of a 34-year build-operate- transfer (BOT) with Cambodian government.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday recorded 162 landmine casualties in the first ten months of this year, down 4 percent from 155 casualties at the same period last year, showed a report from the Cambodian Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Victim Information System.

The report said that from January to October this year, 41 people were killed, up from 34 deaths at the same period last year. In addition, 121 others were injured or amputated, down from 119 at the same period last year.

It said that 51 percent of the victims were men, 27 percent were boys, and 22 percent were women and girls.

Since 1979 to October 2012, landmines had killed 19,660 people and injured or amputated 44,519 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.

The country needs an estimated 30 million U.S. dollars a year until 2020 to totally eliminate mines and explosive remnants of war.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese legislators led by Hu Kangsheng, chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the China's National People's Congress, is visiting Cambodia to strengthen and expand bilateral ties.

The delegation met with President of Cambodia's National Assembly Heng Samrin on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, Hu highly spoke of China-Cambodia relations, saying that the two countries are good neighbors, good friends and honest partners.

He added that the visit was to discuss and exchange experiences with Cambodian legislators on legal affairs and to further promote the traditional and long-standing friendship relations between the two countries.

He also conveyed greetings from Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo to Heng Samrin, and expressed his condolences over the passing away of Cambodian former King Norodom Sihanouk.

Hu thanked Cambodia for its staunch support for China on issues related to China's core interests.

Meanwhile, Heng Samrin said that Hu's visit would provide greater possibility for the two countries to strengthen and expand friendship relations and historic solidarity.

"Cambodia undoubtedly supports one China policy and the stance will be never changed," he said.

Later in the day, Hu held a meeting with Pen Panha, chairman of Cambodia's national assembly's legislation and justice commission.

Hu and his delegation arrived here on Saturday for a 3-day visit. During the stay, they also visited Angkor Wat temple, a world heritage site, in Cambodia's northwestern Siem Reap province.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that he would file a counter-suit against Soung Sophoan, leader of the Sam Rainsy Party's youth movement, if the court found that Hun Sen has no fault over the deaths of 353 people in a bridge stampede in Nov. 2010.

The premier's remarks were made after Soung Sophoan lodged a complaint at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday against him, saying that the premier must be responsible for the deaths of 353 people in a bridge stampede in November 2010 during the Water Festival.

Soung Sophoan claimed that the government should be responsible for the deaths of those people because it was poor security and a lack of oversight that created the conditions on the crowded bridge that lead to a fatal panic.

"He said it was a premeditated murder. Let the court to proceed with the case, but I just confirm that as a citizen, if the court found that I have no mistake, I reserve my rights to file a counter-suit against him," Hun Sen said Sunday during a land-titling ceremony in Preah Sihanouk province.

"This is a must in order to protect my reputation and dignity as well as the government's reputation and dignity."

The premier said that when he files the counter-suit, one should not accuse the government of political intimidation because the country is now full of freedom in politics.

"Now, it is clearly shown that politics in Cambodia is free from oppression because a party's youth leader, whose age is just over 20, has sued the Prime Minister," he said. "If (it's) a dictatorship, not let you reach the court."

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and Vietnamese Defense Ministries on Friday signed two documents relevant to a joint venture for establishing a quarry and a rubber plantation project in Cambodia.

According to a document briefed to reporters at the signing ceremony, the two deals included a quarry site establishment in Kampong Chhnang province, in which Vietnamese side will be responsible for the investment cost, and a memorandum of understanding on a feasibility study for a 6,000 hectare rubber plantation in Cambodia.

For the rubber project, at the initial phase, both sides will start to plant rubber seedlings on an area of 220 hectares.

The documents were signed between Lt. Gen. Ouk Korsa, head of Cambodian Defense Ministry's development department, and Gen. Tran Trung Tin, head of Vietnamese Defense Ministry's finance department and military business association. "All investment projects by the two armies have complied with the two countries' investment laws,"said Ouk Korsa ahead of the signing ceremony.

Gen. Tran Trung Tin arrived in Cambodia on Wednesday for a three-day visit. On Thursday, he met with Cambodian Secretary of State for Defense Gen. Moeung Samphan, and the two sides agreed to further strengthen and expand military ties through capacity building and technical assistance.

BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong will attend a meeting in Russia and visit Cambodia, New Zealand and Australia from Dec. 4 to 14, the Foreign Ministry said here on Friday.

Spokesman Hong Lei said at the ministry's daily press briefing that Liu will hold the 13th session of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation in Russia at the invitation of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.

Liu's official visits to Cambodia, New Zealand and Australia were invited by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, the New Zealand government and the Australian government, according to Hong.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's inflation rate is expected to be less than 3 percent in 2012 thanks to stable food prices, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Friday.

"This year, the inflation will be less than 3 percent, it is low and good if compared to 5.5 percent rate last year," he said at a land-titling ceremony in Kampong Thom province.

He attributed the lower inflation rate to stable prices of food, particularly cheap fish prices.

However, gasoline prices remain high. On Friday, a liter of gasoline is 1.39 U.S. dollars, up 11 percent from 1.25 U.S. dollars in June.

The premier's inflation projection is the same as the rate predicted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), but still lower than the 3.5 percent forecast by the International Monetary Fund.

The ADB said last month that Cambodia's inflation this year is driven by more moderate price increases for food and fuel.