Mony Gunning for First Ever Cambodian Judo Medal at the London Olympics

Cambodia is sending just a handful of athletes to the London Olympics - one of them is a France based student who only secured his place last month after being offered a wild card to compete in the Judo competition.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1752057356001

Asean Postpones Passage of Nuclear Weapons Treaty

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin holds hands with (L-R) The Philippines' Foreign Minister Albert Rosario, Singapore's Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Bilahari Kausikan, Thailand's Foreign Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Brunei's Foreign Minister Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Laos' Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia's representative and Secretary General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan during the opening ceremony of the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting (AMM) at the office of Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh on Monday. (Reuters Photo/Samrang Pring)

July 09, 2012
Antara (Indonesia)

Phnom Penh. Three documents on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), which were scheduled to be signed this week during an Asean summit in Cambodia, were postponed until November because four of the five recognized nuclear-weapon states (P5) have “reservations,” a Cambodian senior official said Monday.

Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state at Cambodia’s foreign ministry, said three documents were supposed to be signed this week, including the Asean Statement on the Protocol to the Treaty of the SEANWFZ, the Memorandum of Understanding between Asean and China to the treaty on SEANWFZ and the protocol to the treaty on the SEANWFZ by the P5 on July 12. The P5 includes France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and China.

“The SEANWFZ Commission decided to postpone the signings until the member states in Asean countries are able to work closely with the members of the P5 to resolve the reservations by members of the P5,” Hourn said in a press briefing after the 45th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) on Monday.

4 nuke states postpone signing SEANWFZ protocol next week

Xinhua | 2012-7-9

Four out of the five recognized nuclear-weapon states (P5) will not be ready to sign on the protocol to the treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting next week, a Cambodian senior official said Sunday.

The four countries are France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state at Cambodia's foreign ministry, said in a press briefing after the meeting of the SEANWFZ Commission, which was attended by ASEAN foreign ministers and chaired by Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong.

"They (the four countries) have introduced the text of reservation and position reservation to the SEANWFZ commission very late; therefore, the commission has not had more time to review them, and the commission decided that the signing will be postponed so that we will have more time to review the text of reservation and position of reservation," said Kao Kim Hourn. "We do hope that the signing by the four countries can take part during the 21st ASEAN Summit in November this year."

UK looks to boost ties with Cambodia, ASEAN

Xinhua | 2012-7-3

British Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said Tuesday that the United Kingdom has set its political program to strengthen and expand relationship with Cambodia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Browne made the remarks during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, according to Eang Sophallet, spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Browne said the UK has laid out a foreign policy to work closely with ASEAN as the ASEAN has been working closely toward a community by 2015, adding that the UK is committed to doubling trade volume with ASEAN in the next five years.

Prudential gets go-ahead to enter Cambodia

Jul 2 2012
By Helen Burggraf
International Adviser

Prudential, the UK-based, international insurance giant, has been given the go-ahead in principle from Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance to establish a wholly foreign-owned life insurance operation in the country.

When up and running, this operation would extend Prudential’s life insurance footprint in the region to 13 markets. The move will also make Prudential one of the first entrants into a market “that is in its formative stage of development”, Prudential Corporation Asia said in a statement today.

Prudential’s announcement of its plans to enter the Cambodian market comes seven months after another insurance giant with a significant presence in Asia, Toronto-based Manulife, said it had received “approval in principle” from the Cambodian regulator to begin marketing its products to Cambodian clients. As reported, Manulife said this would be its eleventh operation in Asia.

Exiled Cambodian Refugee from Santa Ana Detained Before Cultural Olympic Performance in London

Former Orange County resident Kosal Khiev in Cambodia (Photo by Sam Jam/Courtesy of Studio Revolt)

Tue., Jun. 26 2012
By Amber Stephens
OC Weekly (Orange County, California, USA)

Cambodian spoken word artist and former Santa Ana resident Kosal Khiev, who is scheduled to perform at the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad this week, was detained by British immigration officials overnight after landing at Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening.

Khiev was invited to the Poetry Parnassus, which is part of the London 2012 Festival, as a representative from Cambodia to perform his spoken word pieces involving his struggles as a Cambodian refugee and his experiences with the American prison system. Khiev was placed in a detention cell at the airport on Saturday evening and later moved to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre on Sunday, although his representatives at Studio Revolt say he had a valid visa.

Khiev has since been released, but immigration officials are reportedly withholding his passport pending further investigation. Oddly enough, he is scheduled to perform at the very same detention center where he was held later this week.

Released poet faces uncertain schedule in UK

Khmer-American exile Kosal Khiev is Cambodia's first spoken word artist. Photograph: supplied

Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Sean Gleeson
The Phnom Penh Post

After being released from immigration detention on Sunday, Phnom Penh-based spoken-word poet Kosal Khiev faces an uncertain few weeks in the United Kingdom ahead of a raft of scheduled appearances across the country.

Khiev, who spent nearly 24 hours locked up after being detained on arrival at Heathrow Airport, will fulfil his performance obligations for Poetry Parnassus, a festival coinciding with the London Olympics.

Immigration authorities, however, remain in possession of Khiev’s passport, and it is not known whether he will be permitted to complete a regional tour of the UK scheduled for the coming weeks.

Kosal Khiev harrassed by UK immigration?

Spoken word artist Kosal Khiev performs during a fundraiser at Pontoon on Friday. He was detained by UK immigration authorities on Saturday. Photograph: Nick Sells/Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian artist detained ahead of Olympic poetry fest

Monday, 25 June 2012
Diana Montano and Sean Gleeson
The Phnom Penh Post

“I’m being treated as a criminal, when I’ve done nothing wrong, by a country that invited me. I broke down last night, and I was so at a loss for everything”

Kosal Khiev had envisioned a very different kind of welcome to the UK.

The Phnom Penh-based spoken word artist, chosen to represent Cambodia in Poetry Parnassus, a cultural offshoot of the London Olympics, was detained by immigration officials moments after landing at Heathrow Airport.

After spending nearly 24 uncertain hours at an immigration holding site on the outskirts of London, Kosal was due to be released late last night, his London-based road manager Linda Kwon told the Post.

She added that he will still be able to perform as planned, though she was uncertain if any conditions were attached to his release.

According to a website affiliated with the artist, immigration officials are holding onto his passport for the time being.

Cambodia's trade with UK up 48 pct in 1st quarter

PHNOM PENH, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The volume of bilateral trade between Cambodia and the United Kingdom for the first three months of 2012 is 178 million U.S. dollars, up 48 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a trade report provided by the British embassy here on Sunday.

It said the main Cambodia's products exported to the UK are garment products, footwear, sugar and honey, rice and bicycles. In return, the country imported industrial machinery, automobiles, medical and pharmaceutical products and malt from the UK.

Pan Sorasak, secretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce, attributed the growth in the bilateral trade volume to Cambodia's political stability, good security, and favorable business environment for businesspeople.

UK investment in Cambodian apparel sector to surge

May 19, 2012
Fibre2Fashion

Investments in the Cambodian garment sector from the UK are to get a boost as the UK Trade and Investment Office is set to open a permanent branch in Phnom Penh.

Traditionally, Cambodia’s clothing sector has attracted the largest chunk of UK investment. Last year, the UK was the only European country to invest in Cambodia.

During the past five years, bilateral trade between Cambodia and the UK have risen by more than 300 percent and it was worth US$ 400 million in 2011, as per the data available with the British embassy in Phnom Penh. In the first quarter of the current year, there has been a growth in bilateral trade by over 40 percent year-on-year.

Sam Rainsy in London and Berlin

October 14, 2011

SAM RAINSY IN LONDON AND BERLIN

Cambodian opposition leader and SRP President Sam Rainsy is today in London to attend the 187th Executive Committee of Liberal International which is expected to admit the SRP as a LI full member.

At the LI Conference under the theme “Responsibility to Protect: A Liberal Approach?” he will make a presentation on “Cambodia: Have the lessons from the past been learned?”

During his visit to London Sam Rainsy will meet with Members of Parliament and Government officials and attend a Special Address by Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg, UK Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of Liberal Democrats. http://tinyurl.com/5vylfyd

Next week, Sam Rainsy will be in Berlin where he will meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Members of Parliament from all political parties. A meeting is being scheduled with Bundestag President Dr. Norbert Lammert.

Later this month and early next month, Sam Rainsy will flight to Bern (Switzerland), Geneva and Rome.

SRP Cabinet

Cambodia, Britain see better economic ties: Cambodian Deputy PM

PHNOM PENH, September 13 (Xinhua) -- The economic and trade relations between Cambodia and the United Kingdom have seen a significant increase in recent years, said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, Minister of Finance, on Tuesday.

According to the figure of the Council of the Development of Cambodia, during the first seven months of this year, the Council has approved British investment projects in Cambodia worth up to 2. 2 billion U.S. dollars.

On the trade side, the two countries' trade volume was 247.2 million U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, 55 percent rise, compared to the same period last year, according to the figures from the British Embassy in Phnom Penh.

Student Puts Studies to Work in Kenya [-Good JOB, Polyne!!! We are proud of you!]

Hean Polyne is working as an intern for the Stara Rescue Center and School in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums. (Photo: Courtesy of Hean Polyne)

Monday, 01 August 2011
Huy Sampors, VOA Khmer | Washington, D.C

“I’ve learned a lot from my work that can put my knowledge from the UK into practice. I’ve also learned how to communicate with different nations and cultures.”

Hean Polyne, who completed her master’s in development studies in the UK and was recently accepted to Oxford, has spent her summer in Nairobi, Kenya.

She is working as an intern for the Stara Rescue Center and School in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums. As one of the few Cambodians working in Africa, she told VOA Khmer recently she has many ideas to help her organization.

She said she hopes her work will improve awareness for the organization, to help people internationally understand the work of Stara, providing information that could help it find funding. She has been busy collecting data to post on the website, writing funding proposals and participating in student home visits.

Politiktoo​ns No. 170 : "My Humble Day"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Politiktoons No. 169: End of the World

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Politiktoons No. 168: The Rescuer

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

LONDON (AP) — Rupert Murdoch's media empire was besieged Monday by accusations that two more of his British newspapers engaged in hacking, deception and privacy violations that included accessing former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's bank account information and stealing the medical records of his seriously ill baby son.

His reporters were also accused of paying Queen Elizabeth II's bodyguards for secret information about the monarch, potentially jeopardizing her safety.If proven, the charges by rival newspapers would dramatically increase the pressure on top Murdoch executives so far largely insulated from the scandal.

Politiktoo​ns No. 166 : News of the World

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

News of the World to close amid hacking scandal

This Sunday's edition of the News of the World will be its last, News International chairman James Murdoch has said, after days of increasingly damaging allegations against the paper.

The 168-year-old tabloid is accused of hacking into the mobile phones of crime victims, celebrities and politicians.

On Thursday, the Met Police said it was seeking to contact 4,000 possible targets named in seized documents.

Cambodia’s progress in basic education by UK's Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

Source: http://www.developmentprogress.org/progress-stories/cambodia%E2%80%99s-progress-basic-education

A long process of reconstruction, following genocide and years of instability and civil war, has resulted in substantial progress in Cambodia’s education system. Almost all children are now entering school, and far more than before are completing primary. The gender gap in primary and lower secondary has effectively been closed. The rate of improvement has been most notable among girls, in rural and remote areas and among lower income quintiles.

Reconstruction in Cambodia was initially characterised by high levels of political conflict and fragility. Since then, the government has worked with development partners to create more functional and effective sector-wide administration and planning, paired with expanded supply-side investments. Several highly innovative local and international NGOs have worked with the most marginalised to improve the quality and relevance of education, fostering community participation and social capital to expand access to the poorest. Education NGOs are now also more integrated into sector planning.

High levels of corruption and low institutional capacity constrain further progress in education. Dropout rates remain high, and low levels of education quality need to be addressed. Meanwhile, efforts to improve incentive structures in educational governance are progressing only gradually. Achieving the MDGs and Education for All (EFA) goals will require substantial further reforms.

ODI - Cambodia Report - Master
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/58140197?access_key=key-2g704r41b3lveu8hp62v

ODI - Cambodia Education - Summary Case Study
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/58140247?access_key=key-jh2f4dkdxgmjhet9szb

New funding for child protection in Cambodia on International Children's Day

31 May 2011
UK Embassy

British Embassy Phnom Penh announces the new funding for protecting Cambodian children and building law enforcement capacity.

On International Children’s Day the British Embassy is pleased to announce that the Embassy’s work with the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) in Cambodia in protecting children and building law enforcement capacity will continue to receive funding this year.

This is part of an ongoing regional initiative in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Our Embassies support CEOP’s work with the law enforcement agencies and NGOs in those countries to safeguard children.

Sacrava's Royal Cartoon: Man Kiss Woman

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)