DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodian PM heads for summits in Laos” plus 5 more

BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- China needs to introduce the relevant policies to subsidize and support the growth of the garment industry, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) said Wednesday.

Gao Dekang, who is also the chairman of Bosideng Group, China's largest maker and distributor of down clothing, made the remarks during an exclusive interview to Xinhuanet.

"Since the reform and opening up, China has witnessed a rapid growth in economic progress and workers' salaries... This heightens the cost of the processing industry. Therefore, some small and mediumsized enterprises can no longer survive or buy better equipment." he explained.

"It is not surprising that more and more enterprise orders flow to countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, which boast low labor costs." Gao said.

As a two-termer of the National People's Congress, Gao considered his title an honor and a responsibility at the same time. He sees it as his duty to make the voices of both the public and the central government are heard.

Gao submitted two proposals this year, concerning the development of labor-intensive enterprises and the protection of ancient cities.

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday repeatedly appealed to television and radio stations to broadly educate people about the outbreaks of Avian Influenza H5N1 virus, which has killed 8 people in the last two months.

"The virus has not only broken out in Cambodia, but also in some countries including the Middle East and China," the premier said during a graduation ceremony of students at the New Khmer Generation Institute.

"I'd like to appeal to television and radio stations to jointly broadcast educational spots about bird flu prevention as much as possible in order to reach people in remote areas," he said. " Television and radio hosts should also spread their educational messages to educate people about the virus."

He added that both teachers and Buddhist monks must tell their students and laypeople about the virus.

"Health officials alone cannot prevent the virus spread, but participation from everyone is very important to prevent and eliminate it," he said.

The noticeable signs of bird flu included fever with temperature higher than 38 degrees Celsius, difficulty in breathing, and before having fever, the patient must have touched or eaten poultry.

The premier's repeated appeal was made after the virus hit the country the worst in the last two months, killing 8 people.

The latest death was a 35-year-old man from eastern Kampong Cham province, who died late last month.

The H5N1 virus was first identified in Cambodia in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 30 human cases of the virus, killing 27 people.

BANGKOK, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's rail systems will undergo a major reconstruction scheme that would include the use of China-made high-speed trains to service the increasing volume of cargoes and passengers throughout the country.

According to Chula Sukmanop, director of the Thai Transport Ministry's Transport and Traffic Policy & Planning Office, the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is committed to launching major reconstruction projects for the country's rail systems starting later this year up to the year 2020.

Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Guan Mu recently disclosed that Chinese rail experts had already conducted surveys along a 677-km- long route connecting Bangkok to the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Guan said that the route would use Chinese-made hi-speed trains, which can run 255 km per hour, adding that it would only take two and a half hours to three hours to traverse the Bangkok -- Chiang Mai route.

Chula said that the estimated 2 trillion Thai baht (666 billion U.S. dollars) needed to fund the projects will primarily come from loans from both domestic and overseas sources.

The acquisition of the 666 billion U.S. dollar loan is scheduled to be submitted by the Yingluck Cabinet next week to the Parliament for approval.

If approved by the Parliament, the government would start getting the huge funding from various financial institutions on gradual basis over a seven-year period from this year.

According to Chula, of the total loan amount, 81.4 percent will be allocated for the rail projects and 15 percent for the reconstruction and expansion of roads in all regions of the country.

The rail projects will not only help improve cargo logistics systems within Thailand as well as between this country and the neighboring states but would also encourage people to use hi-speed trains instead of gas-guzzling vehicles.

"The modernized and expanded rail systems will help save not less than 100 billion baht in fuel consumption by land transport vehicles in a year," Chula said.

Hi-speed trains which will be operated under the major rail projects can run a 300-km distance within one hour and a half, compared to three hours in today's express trains.

"The use of land transport is expected to drop by 19 percent while the use of the expanded rail system is expected to double," Chula said.

The Yingluck government plans to rebuild, modernize and expand four major rail routes in the provinces where hi-speed trains will run.

According to Thai Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipun, those routes will link Bangkok with Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Bangkok -- Nakorn Ratchasima in the Northeast, Bangkok -- Pattaya in the East and Bangkok -- Hua Hin in the West.

Chatchart said that at the final stages of the projects, the northeastern route will be expanded to reach Nong Khai province, across the international Mekong River from the Lao capital of Vientiane; the eastern route will be expanded to Trat, which shares border with Cambodia; and the southern route will be stretched down to Songkla province, which shares border with Malaysia.

The project also calls for the construction of a dozen elevated rail and subway systems to link Bangkok with outlying provinces such as Nontaburi, Samut Prakarn, Nakorn Patom and Patum Thani.

The head of the Transport Policy & Planning Office added that roads to and from Thailand's provinces which share the borders with the neighboring countries will be widened from two lanes to four lanes as part of the major land-based logistics and mass transit scheme while cargo distribution centers will be built in all major provinces throughout the country.

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, son of late former King Norodom Sihanouk, denied Monday that he would return to politics.

The denial was made after local media reported Sunday that the prince would join the newly-formed opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) in the status of honorary president and lawmaker-candidate in the parliamentary elections on July 28. "It is untrue that the prince will return to politics," Pen Sangha, a close official to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, told Xinhua over telephone Monday."The prince has not wished to join the opposition party. It is a rumor that he will be elected as the honorary president of the opposition party next month."

Prince Norodom Ranariddh is currently the president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni.

The prince was former co-prime minister and ex-president of the National Assembly of Cambodia.

He declared to quit politics for the first time in October, 2008 after receiving a royal pardon on fraud charges. He re- entered politics in December 2010 and once again quit politics in August last year due to his Norodom Ranariddh Party's internal rifts.