Master Plan for an Indochinese Federation under Vietnamese thumb?

Creating position of strength for Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia in international and region integration

November 25, 2008
Nhan Dan (Hanoi)
Editorial

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has arrived in Vientianne to attend the 5th Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Development Triangle Summit. This is an important event aimed at strengthening solidarity, co-operation and close-knit relations between the three countries, creating the position of strength for each country and for all the three countries in the process of international and regional integration.

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia lying in the Southeast Asian region share a lot of cultural and historical similarities. The relations of Vietnam with Laos and Cambodia have seen continuous consolidation and fine developments in the spirit of solidarity, friendship and comprehensive co-operation which has been ever more expanded and gone in depth, particularly in the economic, trade and investment co-operation. The People’s Democratic Republic of Laos has been deploying its implementation of the Agreement on 2008 scientific, technical, cultural and economic co-operation. The two countries has enhanced the mechanism of constant contacts and exchanges between the senior leaders, between the officials, sectors and localities. Vietnam and Cambodia have also enhanced their high-ranking visits to each other with the current visit to Vietnam by Samdec Chea Sim, Chairman of the Cambodian People’s Party and President of the Senate, making a contribution to raising the two countries’ relations and comprehensive co-operation to a new height. Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to accelerate further the exchange of visits by delegations at all levels in order to strengthen mutual understanding; unanimously agreed to reserve priority for co-operation in areas the two countries have potentials of such as trade, investment, energy, mineral mining, oil and gas, industrial plants, communication and transport; and agreed to create opportunities for trade and service activities to bring the two countries’ trade to reach over US$ 2 billion in 2010.

We are glad to see that as far as the Development Triangle is concerned, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have taken active steps to deploy the Vientianne Declaration (November 2004), the Siam Reap Agreement between the three prime ministers in July 2004 and a lot of other important plans for the Development Triangle.

The 5th conference between the prime ministers of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is aimed at enhancing solidarity, co-operation and close-knit relations between the three countries, creating favourable conditions for the social and economic development and guaranteeing political security in each country; establishing a special preferential policy and mechanism for the Development Triangle; making clear the Master Plan for the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Development Triangle already approved at the 4th Conference and working out the direction for the implementation of its content as pointed out in the Vientianne Declaration of building the Development Triangle, intensifying the relations with Japan, creating the position of strength in each country and the common position of strength of the three countries in the process of international and regional integration, particularly within the framework of ASEAN, WEC, ACMECS and the co-operation between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Good success to the Conference, thus making a contribution to consolidating and tightening the friendly relations and comprehensive co-operation between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, making a contribution to peace, stability, co-operation and development in the Southeast Asian region and the whole world.

Hun Sen Leaves for Laos, Vietnam Summit

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 November 2008

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday left for a two-day official visit to Vientiane, to sign agreements trade agreements and attend a summit of Laos, Cambodian and Vietnamese leaders.

The two countries hope to develop investment on the border of Vietnam, in a zone called the Development Triangle Area of CLV, or Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam.

“The visit will strengthen bilateral friendship, and both prime ministers will negotiate and sign an agreement on the promotion and protection of investment,” said Sri Thamrong, a political adviser to Hun Sen.

The business exchange between Laos and Cambodia amounts to around $1 million, mainly in agriculture. The two neighbors hope to open two international gateways, at Stung Treng and Ratanakkiri provinces, to boost trade and tourism.

5th meeting on Indochinese Triangle to take place in Vientiane on 26-27 Nov

PM Dung to attend meeting on development triangle in Laos

22/11/2008
VNA (Hanoi)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the 5th Meeting of Prime Ministers of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on the Development Triangle scheduled for Vientiane, Laos from Nov. 26-27.

The attendance will be made at the invitation of Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh.

Mekong countries launch hydropower consultation

VIENTIANE, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Countries along the Mekong River launched a consultation meeting for the regional Mekong Hydropower Program platform here on Thursday, aiming to shape a way for the river's future hydropower development.

All the four member countries of the hosting Mekong River Commission (MRC), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and MRC's dialogue partner China and other countries' observers, will discuss during the three-day meeting for achieving a future dialogue mode on important aspects of hydropower development that require an integrated basin perspective.

The MRC's Hydropower Program aims to co-operate and promote sustainable development, utilization, management and conservation of water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin in an integrated approach for the economic and social well-being of the people in the riparian countries.

The primary objectives of the Regional Consultation are to gather information on the scope and approach of the MRC's emerging Hydropower Program; to provide an opportunity to assess and disseminate major and related activities of the program; and to provide a forum for discussing some of the key issues facing hydropower development in the Basin.

The MRC approved its Hydropower Strategy in 2001 and drafted a Concept Note for its Hydropower Program in 2005. These documents were a comprehensive attempt to interpret emerging international good practice and lay out what it meant for the Mekong region, and identify strategic work areas and possible components of the program.

After the three-day consultation, representatives will pay a visit to the Theun Hinhoun Hydropower Scheme in Lao's Khammuan Province.

Backgrounder: The Mekong River Hydropower Program

VIENTIANE, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River Commission (MRC) on Thursday launched consultation meeting for the regional Mekong Hydropower Program platform here on Thursday, aiming to shape a way for the river's future hydropower development which is shared by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and China.

Hydropower developments in the Lower Mekong Basin are developing rapidly, with the advent of numerous private-sector/government partnerships and proposals, both on the tributaries and for the Mekong mainstream. High oil and gas prices and concerns over climate change have intensified the focus on hydropower as a renewable technology. Upstream developments on the Lancang-Mekong are also influencing investment decisions downstream.

The MRC approved its Hydropower Strategy in 2001 and drafted a Concept Note for its Hydropower Program in 2005. These documents were a comprehensive attempt to interpret emerging international good practice and lay out what it meant for the Mekong region, and identify strategic work areas and possible components of the program.

Although due to funding constraints, the Hydropower Program did not start until earlier this year, a number of the strategic directions and activities identified under the Strategy were already incorporated into other related MRC programs.

Under the agreements, the MRC member states cooperate to "optimize the multiple-use and mutual benefits" of water resources and to "minimize the harmful effects that might result from natural occurrences and man-made activities".

Based on this mandate, the Hydropower Program with other MRC programs to fulfill the following roles in relation to the sustainable development of hydropower: undertaking applied research to improve understanding of the natural processes in the river system and the consequences of development proposals; providing a basin-wide integrated water resources management strategy within which individual project proposals can be assessed; analyzing the cumulative impacts of various future development scenarios; administering formal notification and consultation procedures; undertaking specific studies and providing interpretation of project proposals where requested; building capacity for sustainability assessment; monitoring river hydrology, environmental health and productivity.

Laos invite Cambodia to attend 23rd Francophony ministerial conference

Friday, August 24, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Laos said that it invited Cambodia to participate in the 23rd conference of foreign affairs ministers of Francophony countries which will be held in Vientiane between 20-21 November 2007. This invitation was made in the afternoon of 22 August in Phnom Penh, during a meting between Hor Nam Hong, minister of Foreign Affairs, and Su Ban Srithirat, the Lao minister in charge of Francophony. Su ban Srithirat told Hor Nam Hong that the reason he is visiting Cambodia is to invite Cambodia to participate in the conference in order to show the solidarity among neighboring countries. The Lao minister asks Cambodia to support the topic raised by Laos: French is an instrument for solidarity which raises multiculturalism and language. Hor Nam Hong welcomes this invitation request made by the Lao minister, and he said that he will send an official to participate in the conference because, himself, he will be busy attending the ASEAN summit meeting in Singapore on that same date also.