DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia, Belarus sign cooperation agreement on education” plus 4 more

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on education with Belarus, aiming at strengthening the country's quality of education, according to a press release after the signing ceremony.

The deal was signed between Cambodia's minister of education Im Sethy and his Belarus' counterpart Sergei Maskevich at the ministry of education in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

The five-year agreement will be focused on the exchanges of curriculums, education personnel, lecturers, students at the levels of bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctorate degrees, the press release said.

"Under the deal, Belarus will accept Cambodian students to pursue higher education in universities and colleges in this East European country," it said.

In addition, they agreed to develop knowledge for both sides' students in language, culture, history, literature, geography, and custom and tradition of the two countries.

"The cooperation agreement will contribute to developing Cambodia's education sector," Im Sethy said after the signing ceremony.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia reported on Wednesday that another 4-year-old girl has contracted Avian Influenza H5N1, becoming the seventh person who infected the virus in 2013.

Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, which is the kingdom's largest pediatric hospital, said the victim is from Angkor Phnom Touch commune, Angkor Chey district of Southwestern Kampot province. She has received medical treatment at the hospital in Phnom Penh since last Wednesday.

"Now, her condition is stable," he told Xinhua over telephone on Wednesday.

So far this year, five of seven confirmed human H5N1 cases have been fatal.

The country sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in Jan. 2004. To date, the country has recorded 28 human cases of the virus, killing 24 people.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted 333,900 Chinese tourists last year, a 35 percent rise compared with 247, 200 Chinese visitors in a year earlier, according to a report of the Ministry of Tourism on Tuesday.

"China is the 3rd largest tourist arrival group to Cambodia last year after Vietnam and South Korea," Kong Sopheareak, chief of the statistics and planning department at the Ministry of Tourism, told Xinhua over telephone. "We see a steady rise of Chinese tourists to Cambodia from year to year, and we foresee that the country will receive up to 1 million Chinese by 2020."

He attributed the increase to more direct flight connection between Cambodia and China and Cambodia's attractive tourism destinations. "Moreover, the very good relationship between the royal government of Cambodia and the government of China has encouraged more Chinese investors and businesspeople to do businesses in Cambodia," he stressed.

Last year, Cambodia attracted a total investment of 263 million U.S. dollars from China, according to a record of the Council for the Development of Cambodia.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 Cambodian villagers were injured during a dance party in Northwestern part of Cambodia on Saturday night after an unidentified man threw a grenade into the party, a military police officer confirmed on Sunday.

The incident occurred at 9:15 p.m. local time in a rural Takrey village, Kamrieng district of Battambang province, about 300 kilometers Northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, Gen. Por Vannak, chief of the provincial military police, said.

"They were all villagers who danced to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year when an unidentified attacker threw the grenade into the dancing place," he told Xinhua over telephone. "It exploded and injured 14 people. Three of them are in critical conditions."

The victims were sent to hospital after the incident. Police suspected that dispute during dancing was behind the attack.

"It was not terrorism, conflict among dancers was suspicious of the attack. We are investigating into the case in order to arrest the perpetrator for legal punishment," he said.