DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Kathmandu's fate of being listed as endangered heritage site hangs in balance” plus 5 more

KATHMANDU, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- With a controversial road that cuts through the Pashupati Monument Zone of Nepali capital Kathmandu still in place, the fate of the city being listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site has remained unpredictable.

In 2011, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the global custodian of world heritages, had suggested the government of Nepal to come up with an alternative to the dirt road that cuts through the Pashupati Area - one of the seven UNESCO-listed monument zones of Kathmandu - citing possible danger the road possess to Pashupati's archaeological and historical value.

According to UNESCO, if one of the seven monument zones of Kathmandu World Cultural Heritage Site - two Hindu sites ( Pashupati and Changunarayan), two Buddhist sites (Swayambhunath and Bouddhanath) and three historic sites of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Squares - is altered in such a way that the change mars the cultural and natural beauty of the site, the entire Valley will be listed as endangered.

"The government of Nepal has already submitted a detailed report to the UNESCO regarding the case, and various solutions to this problem are being discussed with Nepal's Department of Archaeology, Pashupati Area Development Trust and other stakeholders," Axel Plathe, the UNESCO Representative to Nepal, told Xinhua during an exclusive interview in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

"The report addresses the issue well, which also reflects the seriousness the government of Nepal has taken in the matter."

According to Plathe, the report has been already forwarded to Paris where the World Heritage Center will assess it and submit their conclusion in the upcoming annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee to be held in Cambodia later this year.

Meanwhile, he refuted the rumor that Kathmandu will be delisted from the World Heritage Site list if it is listed as endangered heritage site yet again. However, he added that like other world heritages across the globe, Kathmandu also has challenges and risks which should be tackled duly.

Earlier in 2003, UNESCO had already listed Kathmandu as an endangered heritage site once, owing to the newly built private houses around the Bouddhanath Monument Zone, which was later ratified by the government after it reconstructed the houses complying with the historical designs.

"Just because Kathmandu has certain risks and challenges, it does not mean that the city will be listed as endangered world heritage site," Plathe said.

The controversial dirt road was constructed by the United Bagmati Cultural Development Committee, a local committee in the area, in 2007, which the Nepali Road Department and the Pashupati Area Development Trust claimed they had no clue during the inception.

"The constructors (of the road) did not come to us for our consent before dragging a bulldozer through the Pashupati Monument Zone," Division Chief Gopal Bahadur Khadka of Nepal's Department of Road Planning told Xinhua Wednesday.

Similarly, member secretary of Pashupati Area Development Trust Sushil Nata also lamented that the road was opened without the approval from his organization.

"It was on Saturday the track road was opened right through the middle of Shesmantak Forest of Pashupati Monument Zone," Nata said. "When the office resumed on Sunday we were shocked after seeing the road in the middle of the forest."

Given the government's address on the matter, it is less likely that Kathmandu Cultural Heritage Site will be listed as endangered site, Plathe said. He also clarified that even if Kathmandu is listed as endangered site, the listing will be aimed at raising awareness for corrective actions from the government and other organisations concerned.

Kathmandu Valley, inscribed as a cultural world heritage site in 1979, is one of the four world heritage sites of Nepal, the other three being the cultural site of Lumbini, and the two natural heritage sites of Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha National Park.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Royal Navy and Royal Brunei Navy pledged on Wednesday to strengthen bilateral friendship relations and cooperation in maritime territories to contribute to ensuring security and prosperity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The promise was made during a meeting between Cambodian Royal Navy's Commander Admiral Tea Vinh and visiting First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Commander of Royal Brunei Navy.

Tea Vinh said Cambodia warmly welcomed the first official visit of First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim to Cambodia, saying that the visit would create a close friendship relation between the two navies.

Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim said Brunei was satisfied with cooperation and friendship relations between the two navies, and the country would continue to further enhance the bilateral ties.

He said Cambodia was the first country in ASEAN that he chose to visit in 2013. He also invited Tea Vinh to make an official visit to Brunei in a proper time to bolster the bilateral ties.

Brunei is the host of ASEAN in 2013. According to the schedule, the country will host the first-ever multilateral military exercise under the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM- Plus) on the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Wednesday launched a "one tourist, one tree" campaign, aiming to promote green tourism and environment protection, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said.

"We have already prepared tourism gardens in 11 provinces including cultural Siem Reap province, coastal Preah Sihanouk province and eco-tourism side in Kratie province. A garden has a minimum size of 5 hectares," he said."Tourists who love green environment, they can go and grow tree seedlings in those gardens."

The launching was made during the celebration of the National Clean City Day, which was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An and was attended by some 3,000 tourism-related business operators and students.

"The tree-planting campaign is a new and attractive tourism product and the concept will provide a good memory for tourists," Thong Khon said. "The campaign can be a magnet to attract tourists to visit Cambodia again to see the trees that they had grown by their own hands."

The minister added that the campaign would encourage tourists to contribute to protecting environment, and reducing climate change, global warming and other natural disasters.

Tourism is one of the major four pillars supporting this Southeast Asian nation's economy. He said the country greeted 3. 58 million foreign tourists last year, generating total revenue of about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars. "We predict that the sector will attract about 4 million foreign visitors this year," he said.

The country is well-known for its 12th century Angkor Wat temple, a world heritage site, in northwestern Siem Reap province. Besides, it has a pristine coastline stretching in the length of 450 kilometers in four Southwestern provinces.

The coastline was officially recognized as one of the World's Most Beautiful Bays in 2011.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Garment and footwear manufacturers in Cambodia unanimously agreed on Tuesday to add 11 U.S. dollars to a worker's monthly wage for 2013, but the offer was rejected by trade unions, saying "it is too low to accept."

The manufacturers, represented by Van Sou Ieng, President of Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), announced on Tuesday in a meeting with representatives of trade unions in Cambodia that the employers agreed to increase a worker's minimum salary to 72 U.S. dollars a month, up from the current 61 U.S. dollars.

However, Rong Chhun, president of Cambodian Confederation of Unions, who represented workers in the negotiations, said that the increase was too low to accept as prices of food and fuel are rocketing up, and they severely affects workers' living conditions.

"We still stick to our original demand of the minimum wage of 120 U.S. dollars for a worker a month," he told Xinhua over telephone after the meeting.

Both sides, under the coordination by Minister of Social Affairs Ith Samheng and Labor Minister Vong Sauth, agreed to continue their negotiations on Wednesday in order to seek a point that will be acceptable by the two sides, he said.

Chea Mony, President of Free Trade Union of Workers, which is the kingdom's largest trade union, warned Tuesday that his union will lead a mass protest if their demand of the minimum wage of 120 U.S. dollars is not met.

Garment industry is Cambodia's largest foreign exchange earner. The sector comprises more than 300 factories, employing some 335, 400 workers--91 percent of them are female.

The country exported garment and textile products in equivalent to 4.6 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 8 percent year-on-year, according to a report of the commerce ministry.

The United States and European countries are the major importers, and other clients are Canada, Japan, South Korea and China.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh and his Thai counterpart Sukumpol Suwanatat informally met and had lunch near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple on Tuesday, aiming to reduce tensions ahead of the World Court's hearing over the disputed border around the temple in April.

"The two defense ministers just met and had lunch together in front of the Preah Vihear temple to create a closer atmosphere between the two sides' troops," Chan Punloek, an assistant to Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander in Preah Vihear, Chea Tara, told Xinhua over telephone. "The meeting could cool tensions along the border ahead of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling over the disputed border," he said.

"The two ministers agreed to solve all issues peacefully based on existing mechanisms," said Chan Punloek, who also attended the meeting. "They also reiterated their commitment to complying with the decision of the ICJ."

The ICJ awarded the 11th century Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962.

The two neighbors have had sporadic border conflicts over territorial dispute near the temple since the UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008, but Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers of scrub next to the temple.

Fierce clashes between the two sides' troops happened in February and April 2011 under Thailand's Democrat Party rule.

However, the two nations have seen improving ties since August, 2011 when former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won the general election and led the current government.

At Cambodia's request, the ICJ is expected to issue a decision on who owns the disputed land around the Preah Vihear temple later this year.

The two countries are scheduled to give their oral statements on the dispute to the ICJ in the Netherlands on April 15-19.