PHNOM PENH, June 19 (Reuters) - Cambodia has made progress in improving its healthcare and education but needs to do more to reform a decrepit judiciary, especially when it comes to fighting corruption, international donors said on Tuesday.
"There remain important and in some cases growing challenges in each of these areas," World Bank country director Ian Porter told an annual meeting at which donors thrash out how much aid they will give Phnom Penh for next year.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has been in charge for more than two decades, acknowledged the concerns about rampant graft in a country rated by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt in the world.
"The royal government is aware that corruption is a dangerous cancer that needs to be tackled all the time and in all cases without exception," Hun Sen said, adding that he was committed to introducing a special anti-corruption law.
He gave no indication of when parliament would hear the long-awaited bill, which donors say is vital before Cambodia starts pumping oil from reserves discovered recently in its waters in the Gulf of Thailand.
After years of civil war and political unrest, Cambodia's economy has finally started to take off, although Hun Sen's critics say the stability he has brought has been at the expense of human rights and probity.
The economy grew 10.8 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund, and is expected to expand by around 9 percent this year, due to booms in the tourism, clothing, construction and agriculture sectors.
Foreign reserves have risen to more than $1 billion, compared to $100 million in 1994, although donors are not expected to trim the annual $600 million in aid they have given in recent years. Japan is the biggest donor, accounting for around $100 million.
"There remain important and in some cases growing challenges in each of these areas," World Bank country director Ian Porter told an annual meeting at which donors thrash out how much aid they will give Phnom Penh for next year.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has been in charge for more than two decades, acknowledged the concerns about rampant graft in a country rated by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt in the world.
"The royal government is aware that corruption is a dangerous cancer that needs to be tackled all the time and in all cases without exception," Hun Sen said, adding that he was committed to introducing a special anti-corruption law.
He gave no indication of when parliament would hear the long-awaited bill, which donors say is vital before Cambodia starts pumping oil from reserves discovered recently in its waters in the Gulf of Thailand.
After years of civil war and political unrest, Cambodia's economy has finally started to take off, although Hun Sen's critics say the stability he has brought has been at the expense of human rights and probity.
The economy grew 10.8 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund, and is expected to expand by around 9 percent this year, due to booms in the tourism, clothing, construction and agriculture sectors.
Foreign reserves have risen to more than $1 billion, compared to $100 million in 1994, although donors are not expected to trim the annual $600 million in aid they have given in recent years. Japan is the biggest donor, accounting for around $100 million.
3 comments:
those donors don't give a shit about Cambodia,jsut distroyed more lands. these are there business way of dominating weak country like Cambodia, b/c they knew that peasant slave hunsen is just a puppet. Most donors are corrupted from it own countries or ran away from the laws or tried to get rich quick like hun sen and its gangsters, why can they?...still slave hun sen and the CPP thought that they were gods or godess, the saviors,,, they grow money from trees,,..they see Cambodian as worms or sluts....jeeeehh
Remember: dictatorships will open the road to war. we can't stand anymore, war can create new freedom,..peace cannot create peace!
eeyore
i think we should make war on corruptions... like the US make war on drug. ....
he, is not just a former khmer rouge soldier, and also he was a khmer rouge comrade leader called " pouk Pear yerp "..which these people kill millions of khmer innocents at the beginning of April 17, 1975 til 1978, he escaped to srok yuon to avoid being kill by the pol pot khmer rouge ..called " pouk nary dei ", pol pot just like chkaer ke part merth ter pounous!..
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