Donors Give $11 Million for Bird Flu

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008

The government’s national Bird Flu Plan got an $11 million injection from donors Friday in a bid to strengthen the response to a potential outbreak over the next three years.

The Bird Flu Plan is a three-year project that combines the participation of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for Disaster Management.

The plan calls for improving animal and human health and for better preparation against a potential pandemic of avian influenza, the H2N1 virus.

Ly Sovan, deputy director of the infectious diseases department of the Ministry of Health, said the government has six separate priorities for fighting the spread of the disease, and he encouraged donors—which included Japan and the World Bank—to send the pledged funds as soon as possible.

Japanese Ambassador Katsuhiro Shinohara said Cambodia played an important role in minimizing the threat of bird flu.

World Bank country director Ian Porter said the project will help the government assess and improve its national comprehensive plan.

Oil high on Qatar prime minister's Cambodian agenda

Tue, 01 Apr 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Oil and gas issues were high on Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani's agenda on day one of his two-day official visit to Cambodia, a government spokesman told a press conference Tuesday. The sheikh, who is also Qatar's foreign minister, met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and almost immediately inked deals ranging from oil and gas exploration cooperation to direct airline flights, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told journalists.

After being presented with a gift of Cambodian sandalwood by Hun Sen, the Qatar politician signed an expected deal on direct flights between the Qatari capital of Doha and the Cambodian capital, as well as the northern tourist town of Siem Reap.

The sheikh also answered a call by Cambodia for foreign donors to assist it to prepare for an expected influx of oil and gas revenue from offshore oil reserves predicted to be tapped within three years.

He agreed to assist with training of Cambodians in oil and gas exploration, as well as teaming up with the Cambodian government in the future to increase exploration for oil, gas and minerals.

Cambodia has been described as Asia's new mining frontier and the government is hopeful additional petroleum deposits lie under its massive inland Tonle Sap lake.

"He also negotiated for Qatar to begin farming cotton in Cambodia and agreed to loans for roads and irrigation," Kanharith said.

The leaders also discussed investment protection legislation and a multi-million-dollar donation for a new school just outside of the capital.

The sheikh is scheduled to fly to Siem Reap Wednesday to visit the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex before flying out the same day.

Appeal from the Sralanh Khmer newspaper

Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Kingdom of Cambodia
Nation – Religion – King

Sralanh Khmer

APPEAL

“Sralanh Khmer” is an independent and neutral newspaper which publishes information about the current issues in the Cambodian society, such as border issues, illegal immigrants, corrupt judicial system, recent political events inside the country, and the application of the multi-party democracy system in Cambodia.

We need to add additional personnel to our staff, and we also need to buy office equipments, such as voice recorders, photo cameras etc… in order to complete our work on time. Therefore, we are appealing to all our Cambodian Brothers and Sisters, both inside and outside the country to help us, in terms of equipments and financial supports, in order to give us the ability to continue our expanded mission to serve the Cambodian Nation, and to participate in the push for progress in our society to bring it on par with that in other advanced countries in the world.

We are thanking you very much and we hope to see the generous participation from all sources of our Cambodian Brothers and Sisters.

Your participation is an encouragement and a push for the advancement and the progress of democracy in Cambodia.

Thank you.

For further information, please contact:

Phone:
(855) 12 851 991
(855) 12 445 040
(855) 12 45 2005

Fax:
(855) 23 997 765

Emails:
kksnews@yahoo.com

Website:
www.slknews.blogspot.com

List of Equipments and Funding needed by the office of Sralanh Khmer Newspaper:

1. Two (2) computers system
2. Two (2) cameras and two (2) voice recorders
3. Addition of two (2) staff members at a cost of $300 each per month (Monthly salary of each staff member is $150)
4. Rental cost and utility fees: $130 per month

South Korea Company finances Cambodia to build Taekwondo training center

August 17, 2007

A South Korean company has donated 300,000 U.S. dollars for Cambodia to build the Taekwondo Training Center, local media reported on Friday.

The center will become a bridge of friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and South Korea, Cambodian-language newspaper the Kampuchea Thmey quoted Lee Joong Keun, president of Boo Young Company as saying.

Bun Sok, Secretary of State of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, said that both sides signed the memorandum of understanding on Aug. 15 and the center will be built inside the Olympics Stadium in Phnom Penh.

"My ministry considers this sport field influential for Cambodia, because our Taekwondo players used to receive golden medals on the international stage," he said.

Earlier in April, the South Korean company had donated 100,000 U.S. dollars to help train Cambodian Taekwondo players and purchase equipment for them.

Source: Xinhua

China donates 200 water pumps to Cambodia

June 13, 2007

China donated 200 units of small-size diesel-powered water pumps on Wednesday to Cambodia for agricultural use.

Sun Weiren, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy to Cambodia, and Sam Sarith, Secretary of State of Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia, signed the certificates of delivery and receipt on behalf of both governments.

Sun said that the Chinese government expects the donation to help beef up the agricultural development of Cambodia.

Sarith expressed his government's appreciation for the donation and hoped to carry out more cooperation with the Chinese side in the field of agriculture, especially irrigation and water conservancy.

Source: Xinhua

South Korean company donates to help Cambodia train footballers

General Sao Sokha (R), president of the Football Federation of Cambodia, during a ceremony in which he received the Moha Sereiwath medal from Hun Sen (L), January 2007 (Photo: Cambodia's Family Tree, Global Witness)

June 08, 2007

The Korean Technology Company ( KTC) from South Korea has decided to donate 105,600 U.S. dollars each year from 2007 to 2009 to help Cambodia train its national footballers, a sports official said on Friday.

"The finance will be used for paying salary for the players and purchasing materials," said Sao Sokha, president of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC).

The consecutive donation will help strengthen Cambodian footballers' capacity, said Sokha, adding that the players used to have financial difficulties which led to unsatisfied match results.

In addition, he said, KTC will spend 100,000 U.S. dollars annually to hire South Korean coach to train Cambodia's national football team and qualified footballers will be sent to South Korea for further improvement.

Cambodia now has some 30 functional football clubs. It stays almost at the bottom of the International Football Federation's ( FIFA) world ranking.

Source: Xinhua

Sihanouk offers $1,000 to the parents of the two sentenced for the murder of Chea Vichea

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
By DS
Cambodge Soir
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek

Click here to read Cambodge Soir’s original article in English

Norodom Sihanouk gave $1,000 in donation to the parents of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, who are currently jailed for the murder of unionist Chea Vichea. Several NGO representatives claimed that the two are innocent.

King-Father offered $1,000 in donation to the parents of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, who were sentenced to 20-year of jail for the murder of union leader Chea Vichea on 22 January 2004. Even though the innocence the two men were claimed by numerous civil society representatives, who also deplore the lack of guilty proof against the two, their sentence was upheld on 12 April by the appeal court. This latter sentence again raised numerous criticisms from several local and international human rights organizations. “Myself, I find that Messrs Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang are not the true assassins. My private advisor told me that this case was very complicated. I ask you to excuse me. I am retired and I regret that I have neither the power nor the possibility to come to your help in this affair,” Norodom Sihanouk wrote to the parents of the two prisoners.

Cambodia Asks for $36 Million for TB Fight

Sarita Nuch
VOA Khmer
Washington
02/04/2007

Cambodia is negotiating with donor countries for $36 million it says is needed to combat tuberculosis over five years, officials say.

Up to 20 percent of that would be for medicine and salaries for a TB program, officials said, adding that the program was being funded by the Global Fund, the World Bank and the Japanese government, among other agencies.

The incidence of TB has seen a slight decrease since 1979, officials said.

Japan donates 1.7 mln USD food aid to Cambodia

March 01, 2007

The Japanese government has decided to donate 210 million yen (about 1.7 million U.S. dollars) food aid to Cambodia through the World Food Program (WFP), a press release said on Wednesday.

The food aid will be allocated to Cambodia for vulnerable groups, such as HIV/AIDS patients, tuberculosis patients, primary school children and those who are suffering from chronic food shortage caused by poverty, the press release from the Japanese Embassy to Cambodia said.

The Japanese government has decided to extend food aid totaling 2,520 million yen (about 20.4 million U.S. dollars) through the WFP to support chronically food-insecure people in 13 countries, including the Kingdom of Cambodia, the press release said.

Notes to this effect were exchanged in Rome on Feb. 27 between Mr. Yuji Nakamura, Ambassador of Japan to Italy and Mr. Jean- Jacques Graisse, Senior Deputy Executive Director of the WFP, it added.

Japan has been one of WFP's largest donors since 1992, it said, adding that the WFP Cambodia Office has received about 91 million U.S. dollars from Japan.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodia, Vietnam sign donation, trade agreements

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, left, talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during the one-day Cambodia-Vietnam Business Forum in Phnom Penh, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007. Triet is in Cambodia since Tuesday for a three-day state visit. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Xia Lin)

February 28, 2007

Cambodian and Vietnamese government officials here on Wednesday signed two agreements on trade cooperation and sports donation, on the sideline of the one- day Cambodia-Vietnam Business Forum.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and visiting Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet witnessed the signing ceremony.

Under the trade cooperation agreement, the ALPHANAM Sai Gon JSC of Vietnam will supply Amatak Angkor Elevator Company Ltd. of Cambodia with electronic equipment worth around five million U.S. dollars.

In accordance with the sports donation agreement, Vietnam will offer the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia with products worth about 400,000 U.S. dollars.

The forum was held as part of the schedule of Triet, who arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day state visit, at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

On Tuesday, he respectively met with King Sihamoni, Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Hun Sen to discuss the bilateral ties and cooperation.

Source: Xinhua

World Bank Signs $14 Million Grant [-Another $14 mln of graft money?]

02.13.07
Associated Press

The World Bank signed an agreement Tuesday to provide a US$14 million (euro10.8 million) grant to help Cambodia improve its financial management, a day after other aid donors blasted the government for failing to adopt long-delayed anti-corruption legislation.

The money is intended for Cambodia's public finance management and accountability project, the bank said in a statement. The grant agreement was signed by Jim Adams, the World Bank's vice president for East Asia and the Pacific, and Cambodia's Finance Minister Keat Chhon.

"We strongly believe that this project will help make our budget more credible ... (and) an effective tool of sustainable development in Cambodia," Keat Chhon was quoted as saying.

The project will cover six areas: revenue management, budget formulation, budget execution, capacity development, a merit-based pay initiative and building the oversight capacity of Cambodia's National Audit Authority.

Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and about 35 percent of its 14 million people live below the national poverty line of US$0.50 (euro0.40) a day. It is also one of the world's most corrupt nations, ranking 151 among the 163 countries in the 2006 corruption perceptions index of Transparency International, a non-governmental agency.

During a meeting with government officials Monday, aid donor representatives lashed out at the government's repeated failure to live up to its promise to adopt legislation for fighting rampant corruption.

"We the donor community are disappointed," U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said in a statement Monday. "We ask you, when will this law be enacted?"

The government has in the past said it is working hard to enact the law but has not indicated when it would table the draft for the National Assembly to debate and vote on.

Land registration: The computerized system would work fine if the entire country was not in a state of total disarray

Cambodia Improves Its Land Registration with Help from Finland

The Finnish government has donated approx. two million USD to Cambodia in efforts to improve the country’s land registration.

By Theis Broegger
ScandAsia

Cambodia’s Ministry of Urbanization and Construction will use the money to adopt modern information technology, strengthen public awareness, and increase community participation in the sector of land registration, the chief of the Minister’s Cabinet, Mr. Mean Chanvanny, told local media on Saturday.

Finland’s generousity was praised by Cambodia’s Minister of Urbanization and Construction, Im Chun Lim, who expressed his appreciation this weekend, saying that Finland has helped Cambodia handle the task of land registration, which is a key work closely connected with the living conditions of the people.

From 2002 to 2007, Finland has now provided a total sum of 3.5 million USD to be spent on land registration in Cambodia, reports the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Finland donates 2 mln USD for Cambodia to improve land registration

February 11, 2007

Finland has donated about 2 million U.S. dollars for Cambodia to improve its land registration, officials told Xinhua on Saturday.

Ministry of Urbanization and Construction will use the fund to adopt modern information technology, strengthen public awareness and increase community participation in the sector of land registration, said Mean Chanvanny, chief of Cabinet of Ministers.

In addition, Im Chhun Lim, Minister of Urbanization and Construction, expressed appreciation to Finland, saying that it has helped Cambodia handle the land registration, a key work closely connected with the living conditions of the people.

From 2002 to 2007, Finland altogether provided about 3.5 million U.S. dollars for Cambodia to improve its land registration, he added.

Source: Xinhua

Germany donates USD 10 mn for road repairing in rural Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Feb 10 (Xinhua) The German government has donated 7.6 million euro (around USD 10 million) for improving roads in rural areas of Cambodia over the next three years, local Television reported Saturday.

The fund will help in restoration and repair of about 2,000 km of rural roads across the country, it quoted Yim Chaily, secretary of state in the Ministry of Rural Development, as saying.

Chaily said the quality of rural roads in the country is expected to match that of the national roads in future.

According to official statistics, Cambodia's road network covers 35,000 km, including 4,800 km of national road, 5,700 km of provincial road and 24,500 km of rural road.

Finland also has donated about USD two million to Cambodia to modernise its information technology, strengthen public awareness and increase community participation in land registration, officials have told Xinhua.

WFP urges more aid for Cambodia

February 09, 2007

The World Food Program (WFP) here on Thursday urged the international community to increase contributions for Cambodia.

"We note that WFP still needs further urgent donations from the international community to continue providing food assistance to the people of Cambodia," said WFP's country director Thomas Keusters in a statement.

The United States and Spain have responded to the call by contributing food and cash, he said.

"We still look forward to continued cooperation in fighting hunger in Cambodia," he added.

WFP said that it needed at least 10 million dollars to distribute food to more than one million Cambodians through July.

Currently, Cambodia remains one of the world's poorest countries, with 35 percent of its 14 million people in poverty, defined in Cambodia as living on less than 50 U.S. cents per day.

Source: Xinhua

Spain pledges 500,000-euro donation to Cambodia

February 09, 2007

The Spanish government on Thursday announced a 500,000-euro donation to Cambodia through the World Food Program.

The pledge came after a warning was issued in late January that the Southeast Asian nation's most vulnerable citizens were running out of food.

Leire Pajin, Spanish secretary of state for international cooperation, is currently visiting Cambodia, and inspecting Spanish-aid projects there.

It is estimated that up to 14,000 Cambodians will benefit from the Spanish donation, which could distribute 1,359 tons of rice and 68 tons of other staples.

Source: Xinhua