DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia launches green growth plan 2013-2030” plus 3 more

PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday adopted the national policy and strategic plan for green growth 2013-2030, aiming at developing the economy with consideration for environmental and natural resources sustainability.

The plan was approved during the weekly cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"The national policy, compiled by the ministry of environment, aims to balance between economic development and environment, society, culture and sustainable consumption of natural resources in order to enhance people's well-being and living conditions," said a media statement after the meeting.

"The strategic plan for green growth 2013-2030 is to promote Cambodian economy towards the green economy, focusing on effective use of natural resources, environmental sustainability, green jobs, green technologies, green finance, green credit, and green investment," the statement said.

It said the country has already adopted several legal instruments for the green growth implementation. Those included the roadmap for green growth, the memorandum of understanding on green growth cooperation between Cambodia and South Korea's Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the National Council of Green Growth, and Cambodia's membership into an agreement on the establishment of the GGGI.

The GGGI was officially launched in March 2010 by former President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak. Its core activity is advising member countries on forming a Green Growth Plan (GGP).

PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday ordered all relevant ministries and institutions to take "strict measures" to prevent and eliminate the spread of Avian Influenza H5N1 virus, which has killed 8 people so far this year.

In a circular signed on Friday, Hun Sen said during the first two months of 2013, the H5N1 virus has broken out and infected to nine people -- eight of them died.

"Even though there are preventive measures by relevant institutions, the spread and death toll from the virus are still alarmingly concerned," he said.

To ensure the safety for people more effectively, the premier ordered the ministry of agriculture to continue strengthening necessary and urgent measures to prevent and eliminate the spread of H5N1 virus.

"The ministry must thoroughly and constantly inspect poultry' s health throughout the country, and carry out bio-safety and sanitary measures at all poultry farms, slaughter-houses and markets," he said in the circular. "The ministry must promote broader awareness of bird flu virus to the public."

He also instructed the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of health to continue strengthening cooperation in information exchange to take measures timely to prevent and eliminate the virus.

In addition, he ordered the ministry of interior to take a firm and urgent measure to prevent the illegal trafficking of poultry and poultry-made products in all images and at anywhere.

Cambodia sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 30 human cases of the virus, killing 27 people.

The latest death was a 35-year-old man from eastern Kampong Cham province, who died on Monday.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Mam Bunheng appealed to people to be more careful about the outbreaks of bird flu virus, urging people not to eat ill or dead poultry.

"Poultry must be cooked well. Properly cooked poultry meat is therefore safe to consume," he told reporters.

Sonny Krishnan, communications officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cambodia, said that home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food is hazardous.

He said parents and guardians should keep their children away from poultry -- do not allow them to touch feathers and do not keep poultry in their house.

"Parents and guardians must also make sure children wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with poultry," he said. "If they have fast or difficult breathing, they should seek medical attention at the nearest health facility."

PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a remarkable rise in trade volume with its neighboring Vietnam and Thailand in 2012, official statistics showed on Friday.

The bilateral trade with Vietnam was worth 3.3 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 18 percent year-on-year, according to a data from the Vietnam trade office in Cambodia.

The figures recorded that Cambodia's total exports to Vietnam valued at 486 million U.S. dollars last year, up 13 percent year- on-year, while total imports from Vietnam increased by 18 percent to 2.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Main products Cambodia exported to Vietnam are agricultural products including rice, corn, cassava, rubber latex and furniture. In exchange, the country imported petroleum, construction materials, Information Technology devices and equipment, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, and consuming goods.

On the bilateral trade ties with Thailand, the total trade volume between Cambodia and Thailand had reached 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2012, up 40 percent year-on-year, showed a data provided by Thai embassy's foreign trade promotion office in Phnom Penh.

The figures revealed that Thailand exported to Cambodia was 3.5 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 20 percent year-on-year, while Cambodia exported to Thailand valued at 300 million U.S. dollars, up 70 percent.

Thailand's main products exported to Cambodia include vehicles, petroleum, processed goods, building materials, agricultural machinery, fruits, and vegetables. In return, Cambodia exported agricultural products, second-hand garments, recyclable metal, and fish.

Jiranan Wongmongkol, director of the Thai embassy's foreign trade promotion office in Phnom Penh, said the sharp rise in the two-way trade volume last year was thanks to Cambodia's good economic performance, improving ties between the two governments, and Cambodians' trust on the quality of Thai products.

Cambodia also shares border with Laos, but bilateral economic ties between the two neighbors are relatively small.

KUNMING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming execution of four Mekong River murderers manifests judicial sovereignty and judicial authorities' protection of Chinese citizens' legitimate rights and interests, prosecution authorities in southwest China's Yunnan Province have said.

Myanmar drug lord Naw Kham and three of his accomplices, all of whom were convicted of murdering 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in 2011, will be executed on Friday, the Kunming Intermediate People's Court(KIPC) said on Wednesday.

They will be executed by lethal injection in the city of Kunming in Yunnan Province, the court ruled.

Naw Kham's three accomplices were identified as Hsang Kham from Thailand; Yi Lai, stateless; and Zha Xika, Laotian.

"The trial of the Naw Kham case is in accordance with the law and manifests related rules of China's criminal laws," Yan Hui, presiding judge in the first instance of the case, told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.

The case built up sufficient evidence. According to China's criminal laws, the criminal measures taken by the four murderers were held to be extremely cruel and the consequences extremely serious. "They were sentenced to death due to combined punishment according to laws," Yan added.

Prosecutor Zhang Weiting from the People's Procuratorate of Yunnan Province told Xinhua that "intentional murder is the heaviest crime in China and the murderers deserve their sentence."

The execution will be supervised by the Kunming People's Procuratorate.

"Lethal injection can better demonstrate judicial progress," said Cai Shunbin, spokesman for the KIPC.

The KIPC received a judgment regarding the judicial review, as well as the execution order on Feb. 22. The convicts were informed of the judgment on Feb. 24.

"Naw Kham has learned that he will be executed. We have arranged translators to accompany and chat with him, plus psychological counseling," said Yang Xiaoping, a judge of the case from the KIPC.

"Naw Kham's current situation is relatively stable and nothing special is happening," said Yang.

According to the KIPC judge, after Naw Kham was informed of the verdict, he maintained that he had paid compensation and confessed, so hoped that the Chinese government can be lenient.

After the judge explained to him that execution is the final verdict, he said that he has 10 children and hoped to meet them though he cannot remember their phone numbers, Yang said.

"We have informed the consulate of Naw Kham's hope and not received any applications to meet him so far," he added.

The court already arranged for officials from the Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming, as well as some of the convicts' relatives, to meet with the convicts on Thursday morning.

The meeting was in accordance with Chinese law, a note from the Thai consulate and applications from convicts' relatives, according to the KIPC.

After the execution, the court will hand over their remains, wills and personal belongings to their relatives or relevant consulates.

"Given the current situation, since the downfall of Naw Kham's gang, the security of Mekong waters has been fine," noted Wu Ruzhen, liaison officer to Myanmar from China's Ministry of Public Security.

Naw Kham and his gang members were found to have masterminded and colluded with Thai soldiers in an attack on two Chinese cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, on Oct. 5, 2011 on the Mekong River.

Under Naw Kham's instructions, several of his subordinates were also found to have kidnapped Chinese sailors and hijacked cargo ships in exchange for ransom in early April 2011.

The gang was broken up in early 2012 in a joint operation by police from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand after the brutal murders of Chinese sailors triggered calls to rein in rampant crime in the border region.

Naw Kham and the other three convicts were given death penalties on Nov. 6, 2012.

Another two members of Naw Kham's gang, identified as Zha Bo and Zha Tuobo, received a death sentence with reprieve and eight years in prison, respectively.

Nicknamed "the Godfather," Naw Kham was the boss of the largest armed drug trafficking gang on the Mekong River, which flows through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.