DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia's construction receives 2.1 bln USD investment in 2012” plus 1 more

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Construction sector attracted the investment projects of about 2.1 billion U.S. dollars last year, a 72 percent rise compared with some 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in a year earlier, according to a report from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction on Friday.

The report said that last year, the ministry provided licenses to 1,694 construction projects, down 20 percent from 2,125 projects in a year earlier.

Lao Tip Seiha, deputy director-general of the ministry's construction general-department, said that the projects in 2012 were bigger in scale than those in 2011, adding that those projects are in shopping malls, tourism resort development, commercial buildings, hotels, condominiums, rice mills and garment and footwear factories.

"The remarkable rise last year is thanks to stable economic situation and full security and political stability," he said. " These are the priority factors to build confidence among both local and foreign investors."

Construction is one of the four pillars supporting the economy. Top ten countries and regions investing in the country's real estate and construction are South Korea, China, Britain, Thailand, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, China's Taiwan, India and Vietnam.

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's National Assembly on Thursday adopted a long-awaited draft law on the establishment of the Supreme Council of National Defense (SCND).

The parliamentary session was chaired by the president Heng Samrin. Eighty-five out of 97 lawmakers, who were present at the session, passed the draft law.

The establishment of the SCND is made in accordance with the Constitution of Cambodia, which was promulgated in 1993.

Moeung Samphan, secretary of state at the defense ministry, said in the session that the law is to ensure the protection of the Constitution, national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and to ensure the implementation of roles, duties, and obligations of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

In addition, he said, the body will oversee and decide on national defense policy and planning.

According to the draft law, the SCND, which oversees the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, will be chaired by King Norodom Sihamoni with Prime Minister Hun Sen serving as his deputy.

The body's members will comprise ministers in charge of the council of ministers, defense, interior, foreign affairs, and finance, and commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, it said.

The law consists of six chapters with 11 articles.