DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Joint Conference of Confucius Institutes in Asia to kick off in Cambodia” plus 6 more

PHNOM PENH, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Heads of 90 Confucius Institutes in 31 countries and regions in Asia have arrived in Cambodian capital for the 2013 Joint Conference of Confucius Institutes, to be held from May 29-31, the institute's senior official said Wednesday.

The conference will be held by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday afternoon at the Peace Palace.

Speaking in a press briefing on Wednesday morning, Xu Lin, Director-General of Chinese Language Council or Hanban and Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters, said that the conference would discuss the next 3-year action plan in developing the Confucius Institutes.

"They will also seek ways to build capacity for local teachers in teaching Chinese language and develop teaching materials for Chinese language teachers in each country," she said.

She added that as next year will be the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institutes, the conference will also discuss the preparations of various activities to celebrate the anniversary.

The Confucius Institutes focus on Chinese language teaching and Chinese culture promotion. Xu Lin said that for Cambodia, the Confucius Institute of the Royal Academy of Cambodia was founded in 2009, so far, there are more than 6,800 students learning in more than 10 locations.

"The Confucius Institute in Cambodia has rapidly developed and becomes a good model for the institutes in other countries to follow, this is the reason we choose Cambodia for the 2013 conference," she said.

BANGKOK, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A proposal from Thailand to jointly develop economic zones and communication infrastructure between Thailand and Cambodia will be presented to a bilateral meeting next month, Thai News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on Monday presided over a meeting of the Thai ad hoc committee preparing for bilateral talks in Phnom Penh on June 10-11.

At the meeting, he outlined five issues to be raised in the bilateral meeting, including the establishment of two special economic zones in Aranyaprathet district of Thailand's Sa Kaeo province and Poipet district of Cambodia's Banteay Manchey province, and Thailand's eastern province of Trat and Koh Kong of Cambodia.

A second issue involves infrastructure developments including the construction of three roads in Thailand which link Srae Ambel district of Koh Kong province of Cambodia, and a few railways connecting the two countries through different border checkpoints.

Surapong said Thailand will also propose public utility development and energy cooperation, including Thailand's offer to sell electricity to Cambodia and joint development of a power generating dam and coal power plant in Cambodia.

Another proposal is on human resource development, particularly on public health, labor skills, Thai language studies, and opening of a center for victims of human trafficking in northwestern Banteay Manchey province.

Thailand will also assist Cambodia in increasing its people's income by facilitating the neighboring country on agriculture industry and tourism.

Surapong said the proposals, if agreed by Cambodia, will be immediately implemented without having to seek Thai parliamentary approval.

According to Surapong, the bilateral meeting in June will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, in addition to 10 cabinet members including Surapong, the commerce minister and defense minister.

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the upcoming general election was very important to heighten democracy and the respect of basic human rights of the Cambodian people.

He made the remarks during a graduation ceremony of Buddhist clergy in Phnom Penh, urging all eligible voters to cast their ballots.

"The election will be held in a free and fair atmosphere," he said. "I'd like to ask all compatriots to maintain dignity and national solidarity in order to ensure public safety and social and political stability during and after the election."

The United Nations rights envoy appealed on Saturday to all political parties and the election body to do everything in accordance with the laws in order to ensure that the July's election would be free and fair.

"I once again urge all parties and National Election Committee to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections," Surya P. Subedi, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights to Cambodia, said in a press briefing after a one-week mission on human rights situation in Cambodia.

"All sides should play by the rules, demonstrate maturity in debate, and not engage in insulting games," he said.

Some 9.67 million eligible Cambodians will cast their ballots on July 28 for the 5th legislative term of the 123-seat parliament, according to the National Election Committee.

Eight parties will run in the election. Three major parties among them are the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by self-exiled leader Sam Rainsy, and the royalist Funcinpec Party headed by Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, the youngest daughter of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk.

Analysts predict that Hun Sen's party will definitely win a landslide victory in the upcoming polls.

Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and vowed to stay in the office until he is 74.

PHNOM PENH, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia reported 7,890 malaria cases in the first four months of this year, a 54 percent drop from 17,043 cases over the same period last year, the National Center for Malaria's report showed on Tuesday.

During the January-April period this year, the disease killed only three people, sharply decreased if compared with 24 deaths in the same period last year, the report said.

Dr. Char Meng Chuor, director of the center, attributed the remarkable decline to last year's mosquito net distribution and broad awareness campaigns.

He said last year, more than 1 million of mosquito nets were given free-of-charge to the vulnerable groups of people throughout the country.

"We have achieved good results in the fight against the disease and will continue our efforts to reach the elimination of the death from the disease by 2015 and the complete elimination of the disease by 2025," he told Xinhua Tuesday.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease. In Cambodia, the disease is often found in rainy season and mostly happens in forest and mountainous areas, particularly provinces along the border.

Last year, the country recorded 45,553 cases of malaria, killing 45 people, the report said.

KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday observed the ancient royal plowing ceremony, a ritual to mark the annual start of agricultural season in this Southeast Asian nation, where about 80 percent of the population are farmers.

The ceremony, held in Kampong Cham provincial town, was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni and attended by President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin. Officials and representatives from the diplomatic corps and several hundred spectators were also present.

At the event, royal oxen were used to plow and predict crop yields and weather in the year.

King Sihamoni designated Lun Limthai, governor of Kampong Cham province, as the King of the plowing ceremony and the governor's wife, Sun Nang as the Queen of sowing ceremony.

The designated King plowed the rice field by using royal oxen and the appointed Queen sowed seeds on the furrow as the symbol of planting.

After three rounds of plowing across the field, the oxen were offered 7 plates of food: rice, corn, green beans, sesame, water, fresh-cut grass, and wine.

Customarily, if the oxen eat a lot of the offered food, a bumper harvest is expected in the year, but if they eat little, it is believed that the yields will be low.

If the oxen eat grass and wine, it will be predicted that cattle will be plagued by epidemics, and if they drink a lot of water, plenty of water is expected.

At the event on Tuesday, the oxen ate only corn. A court soothsayer predicted that corn crops would give good yields this year.

"This is just the prediction based on the custom of the royal plowing ceremony in the ancient time," Kang Keng, chief of the soothsayers at the Royal Palace, said at the event. "This event is to announce that the agricultural crop planting season has come. "

During the ceremony, there is also a one-day fair of agricultural products, which are made in the province.

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will meet with his Thai counterpart Surapong Tovichakchaikul on June 11 here to discuss ways to promote development cooperation along the border of the two countries, officials said Monday.

The two ministers will meet at the 9th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand, Long Visalo, secretary of state at Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said after an internal meeting to prepare agendas and documents for the upcoming meeting.

"A number of issues will be discussed in the forthcoming meeting to boost bilateral cooperation along the border," he told reporters. "Among those are the issues concerning laborers, illegal cross-border logging, mine clearance, epidemic fight, cross-border trade and investment, new border opening, and road connectivity development."

Speaking at the meeting on Monday, Hor Namhong said the upcoming meeting was intended to further promote cooperation between the two countries, particularly cooperation along the boundary in order to build a border of peace and economic development.

Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflicts over territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple since UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008, as Thailand claims the ownership of a 4.6-square-km scrub next to the temple.

Deadly clashes between the two sides' troops happened in February and April 2011 during the rule of former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Military tensions have eased since August 2011 when ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a general election and led the current government.

Last month, the two countries delivered their oral statements on the dispute to the World Court in the Netherlands and the court is expected to issue a decision on who owns the disputed land around the temple later this year.

PHNOM PENH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- At least six Cambodian people died immediately and nine others seriously injured when a land- loaded truck hit head-on with a mini-bus on Monday morning in northwestern Siem Reap province, police confirmed.

"All the victims were in the mini-bus," Men Chantha, chief of Prasat Bakong district, where the accident occurred, told Xinhua over telephone, adding that the truck driver fled the scene after the accident.

"Among the six dead were a 7-month-old boy and a 2-year-old boy, " he said. The injured people were sent to the provincial hospital soon after the accident.

He said the accident happened on National Road No. 6 when a cow walked across the road and the truck hit the cow and swerved to hit the full-speed mini-bus.

The death toll of road accidents has become the highest in Cambodia, higher than that of HIV/AIDS and mine casualties.

Last year, traffic accidents claimed 1,894 lives, costing the country about 300 million U.S. dollars, according to a report by the Ministry of Public Work and Transport.