DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Hand-foot-mouth disease widely spreads in Vietnam” plus 5 more

HANOI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The hand-foot-mouth (HFM) disease, a contagious viral illness that targets mostly infants and children, has affected over 10,000 Vietnamese people in the first two months of this year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MOH)'s Preventive Health Department warned on Tuesday.

Nguyen Van Binh, head of the department told local media that the disease has spread to 60 out of the country's 64 provinces and cities, and in the past two weeks increased numbers of patients were reported in 28 provinces and cities.

Specifically, central Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Quang Ngai, northern Yen Bai and Tuyen Quang, and southern Soc Trang provinces, the number of infected patients increased by from 22 percent to 700 percent.

So far this year, averagely 1,000 new patients per week nationwide got infected by the disease, according to the department.

The HFM disease has some symptoms of fever and a rash most frequently seen on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and inside the mouth.

In Vietnam the most common strain is Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), which causes sores in the mouth and blisters on the hands and feet of patients.

The toxicity of the virus is very high, as proven in the death of a 4-month-old baby in southern An Giang province on February 28. The baby died just one day after contracting the virus, reported the department, adding that the same viral toxicity has been seen in Cambodia, where 54 children recently died within 24 hours of contracting the disease.

As many other countries and territories in the region, including Japan, China's Macau, South Korea, Singapore and Cambodia, have reported high numbers of new patients, the disease is forecast to continue spreading in Vietnam, with an estimated number of 100,000 new patients this year, said the health official.

In Vietnam, the HFM disease normally hits its peak during April to May and September to November periods.

The MOH instructed local authorities to popularize information of the disease, i.e. the disease can be transmitted though digestive tracts; there are no vaccines or specific medicines to combat the disease; children under five years old are most vulnerable to the disease; and the main preventive measures are following hygienic practices in eating, drinking and living.

The ministry plans to launch a national campaign to wash hands in April, besides efforts to improve environmental hygiene at schools, especially at kindergartens and pre-schools.

In 2012, HFM disease claimed 151,100 infected cases, up 41.3 percent year on year, of which 45 died, down 72.4 percent, according to the Vietnamese General Statistics Office.

PHNOM PENH, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is willing to establish an embassy residence in Cambodia in order to promote bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, the newly- designated ambassador of Turkey to Cambodia, Osman Bulent Tulun said Tuesday.

The Bangkok-based ambassador unveiled the plan during a meeting with President of Cambodia's National Assembly Heng Samrin.

The permanent residence in Phnom Penh will be easier for Turkey to strengthen and expand bilateral ties with Cambodia, especially in economics, trade, tourism and education, the ambassador said without specifying the exact date towards the embassy establishment.

He also pledged to increase scholarship to Cambodian students to study in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Heng Samrin spoke highly of good relationship and cooperation between Cambodia and Turkey, saying that the two countries should create closer ties in trade and tourism for mutual benefits.

The two countries' bilateral trade is relatively small. According to the record of Cambodia's Commerce Ministry, the total trade volume was only 6 million U.S. dollars last year.

On tourism side, some 3,400 Turkish visitors came to Cambodia last year, up 4 percent year-on-year, said a tourism report.

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The third round of negotiation between Cambodia's garment and footwear manufacturers and representatives of trade unions on minimum wage increase ended without result on Monday.

The talk between the employers represented by Nang Sothy, co- chair of the Government-Private Working Group on Industrial Relations, and Ken Loo, secretary general of Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), and 10 representatives of the trade unions, was mediated by Om Mean, secretary of state at the Ministry of Labor.

"There was no progress in the talk today," Rong Chhun, president of Cambodian Confederation of Unions, told Xinhua by telephone.

"The trade unions insist on a monthly minimum wage of 100 U.S. dollars, while the employers said that they could increase by only 9 U.S. dollars from the existing wage of 61 U.S. dollars," he said.

Ken Loo said that GMAC could afford to offer the minimum wage of "only 70 U.S. dollars".

Meanwhile, Rong Chhun warned of a mass protest if their demand is not met by the end of this month.

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 worth 4.6 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 8 percent year-on-year, according to the commerce ministry.

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday signed agreements to receive 47.7 million U.S. dollars from France for an expanded water treatment project in Phnom Penh, an irrigation infrastructure project, and a fight against emerging diseases in Southeast Asia.

The three agreements were inked by the two countries' relevant officials under the presence of Cambodian deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Keat Chhon and Dov Zerah, visiting Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD).

Under the deals, AFD will provide a loan of 39 million U.S. dollars to the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority to construct the second phase of a water treatment plant in Phnom Penh, a grant of 5.2 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology for water resource management and irrigation infrastructure investment, and a grant of 3.5 million U.S. dollars to support the Instituts Pasteur in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam for medical research on emerging diseases in Southeast Asia.

"Through this funding, France's official development aid to Cambodia has remarkably increased and strengthened France's position as one of the top bilateral donors to Cambodia for 2013," said Dov Zerah.

Keat Chhon said the new financial support came from a good bilateral relation between Cambodia and France and these projects are very vital for Cambodia's social and economic development.

He said since 1993 to date, the AFD has provided a total of 351 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia. Of the amount, 158 million U.S. dollars was grant aid and the rest was loan.

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Ex-Khmer Rouge foreign minister who was hospitalized on March 4, remains in hospital for his illnesses and old age, a spokesman of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) said Monday.

Neth Pheaktra, ECCC's spokesman said Ieng Sary, 87, who was sent to Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital on March 4 for his weakness and vomiting because of his old age, remained there till Monday.

He said while it is unclear when he will be discharged, Ieng Sary's health is "stable".

Ieng Sary is one of three former leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea who are being tried by the ECCC for war crime, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide.

Two other leaders are Khieu Samphan, head of state and Nuon Chea, head of the parliament.

He was arrested in 2007.

Leaders of Democratic Kampuchea are blamed for the deaths of many Cambodians under their rule from 1975 to 1979.