National Road No.3 Officially Inaugurated

The National Road No. 3 from Phnom Penh (Chom Chao) to Kampot (134.8 Km) on November 14 was inaugurated by the Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdach Hun Sen, token 36 months construction (June 2, 2008 –June 1, 2011), cost USD41.5 Million ( South Korea’s loan USD31.9 million, and USD9.6 million funded by the Royal Government).

Coincide to this, the ground-breaking event to restore another six roads with the total length of 106 kilometers were also together taken placed; i.e. national road 31-33-117, Kampot bypass road, road 33 from Kampot provincial capital to Veal Rinh, and construction of Cambodia-Vietnam border check-points Prek Chak (Kampot) to Sa Xia (Ha Tien).

Among the six roads, four projects are financed by South Korea’s loans including (1) the National Road No. 31 from Bek Kous to Kampong Trach, (2) the National Road No. 33 from Kampong Trach to the provincial town of Kompot, (3) the Provincial Road No. 117 from Ang Sophy at the intersection of the National Road No. 31 to Ton Hon (Cambodia-Vietnam Border), and (4) bypass road of Kampot Town from Choum Kriel commune intersected with the National Road No. 33 to Kampong Kreng at the intersection of National Road No. 3.

The remaining three projects were funded by the ADB’s loans and Australian Government’s grant including the restoration project of National Road No. 33 from Kampong Trach to Cambodia-Vietnam border, the construction project of border checkpoint at Prek Chak (Kampot) - Sa Sia (Ha Tieng) border and the maintenance project of the National Road No. 3 from Kampot Town to Veal Rinh.

“The road network will facilitate trade of agro-industrial and sea products such as sea salt, seafood, fruits, and the highly-rated Kampot pepper,” said the Prime Minister. “…it also allow the phosphate fertilizer factory and Chak Krey Ting cement factory to better run their operations in order to serve the agriculture and construction sectors, and promote non-smoke industry sector such as nature tourism at Bok Kor Mountain and Kep coastal area, and Sihanoukville coastal area, which is also the international seaport and the dragon head of the Cambodia’s economy.” 

These interwoven roads complement each other in their role as sea corridor, corresponding with the importance placed by international community, in particular by Greater Mekong Sub-region countries and by Cambodia-Vietnam bilateral cooperation, as these roads not only serve the transport from Phnom Penh to other parts and seaports of Cambodia, but they also diversify traffic to reduce traffic accidents, which are causing disability, deaths, as well as losses of public and private properties. This bypass road would also reduce the travelling time and transport cost to save people money and reduce poverty incidence of our citizens in the Great Mekong Sub-region countries, said Samdach Hun Sen. 

The road network will benefit the entire population especially citizens living in Phnom Penh, Kompong Speu, Kandal, Takeo, Kep, and Kompot, he added.

The National Road No. 3 construction project from Cham Chao to the Kampot’s provincial town, which is now officially inaugurated, is the result of Premier Hun Sen request to the Republic of Korea in ASEAN Plus 3 Summit at Bali, Indonesia in 2004 which was signed by H.E. Hor Nam Hong, Minister of Foreign Affair and International Cooperation and H.E. Shin Hyun-Suk, the then Republic of Korean’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia on May 08, 2007,said H.E. Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Public Works and Transport.

This segment which links to 32.79-kilometer road from Kampot Town to Tropeang Ropov, officially inaugurated on July 03, 2007. It is also connected with road segment from Tropeang Ropov to Veal Rinh at the intersection of the National Road No. 4, which has been constructed and its maintenance was completed on June 27, 2005 by the loans of the World Bank, he added.

The National Road No. 3 was built by Korea’s Kok Dong Engineering and Construction Company, Korea’s international technical consultancy company in cooperation with Korea’s Yusin Company, and inspected by two domestic technical consultancy companies, Kesec and Vido.

Cambodia and Korea at the same day also signed another loan agreement of USD52, 544 million to restore National Road. 21 Phnom Penh (Ta Kmao) to Chrey Thom (Vietnam-Cambodia border) by Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Kiet Chhon, and Director of Korean Import and Export Bank Mr. Sang-Wan Byun.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korean to the Kingdom of Cambodia H.E. Chang Ho-Jin said include the loan assistance to restore National road 21, from Ta Kmao to Chrey Thom, Korean concessional loan to Cambodia reached USD390 million.

“The government of South Korea is happy to help contribute to the Cambodian development via this economic-social development assistances, so as infrastructure development,’ said Ambassador.

PM Hun Sen Attended ASEAN Summit in Bali

By Tim Vutha

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdach Hun Sen on November 16 left the Kingdom for ASEAN summit in Bali, Indonesia hold from November 17-19.

The ASEAN Summit and related Summits included the 19th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN-China Commemorative Summit, 14th ASEAN-Japan Summit, 14th ASEAN-South Korea Summit, 4th ASEAN-United Nations Summit, 9th ASEAN-India Summit, 3rd ASEAN-United States Leaders’ meeting, 6th East Asia Summit, Mekong-Japan Summit and 14th ASEAN+3 Summit.

This regional leaders’ talk discussed toward the issues related to regional and global securities, the principles of not-interfere of internal affairs of ASEAN members, anti-pirate mission, improve peaceful cooperation, anti-corruption, enhance economic and social integration, disaster management, and sustainable environmental development, H.E. Sry Thamrong, Minister attached to the Prime Minister told reporter shortly before taking off.

‘Cambodia will urge the improvement in all fields, and also to review the affairs that ASEAN has accomplished and remained so far aiming to accelerate ASEAN to head for the 2015 Economic Community, ASEAN-East Asia integration, and the connection of rail way and high ways, etc,” H.E. Sry Thamrong, Minister attached to Prime Minister told Cambodian reporters before the plan toke off.

                                                                 Posted in Convention, MICEE News by nicemicee 

Attending this ASEAN summit are leaders of ASEAN members states, and partnering leaders to ASEAN including UN Secretary General, US President, Australian Prime Minister, Chinese Premier, Indian Prime Minister, Russian Prime Minister, and so on, he said.

Separating from the Summit, the Prime Minister bilaterally held talks with imminent leaders i.e. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Flew by Cambodian Angkor Air and toke off on 08:10 A.M., he leaded a high Cambodia’s delegations comprised of H.E. Chom Prasidh,Minister of Commerce, H.E. Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister, H.E. Sry Thamrong, H.E. Oun Ponmonyroath Secretary of State Ministry of Economy and Finance, H.E. Sok Chenda Sophia Secretary General of the Council for Development of Cambodia (CDC), and some other officials.

Cambodia, now officially, receives rotating ASEAN chair for 2012, and Samdech declared in his speech at the closing ceremony of ASEAN Summit that Cambodia will deploy it utmost effort to perform such ASEAN chair successfully.

He returned home on November 20, and land the Phnom Penh International Airport at about 3P.M with the Flag of ASEAN Chair on hand.

3^rd  Science Film Festival Hosted Addressing Climate Change

Cambodia is celebrating the 3^rd Science Film Festival 2011 spotlighting on climate change issues so as to encourage youngsters to think of scientific innovations to help mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘forests’ which reflects the designation by the UN of the year 2011 as the year of the Forest, while Protecting Nature, Motivating Young People, Science for a Better Life, were encrypted as slogan in Cambodia.

15 movies selected from four countries (12 European movies and three Asian’s) addressing ecology system and biodiversity are being showcased from 15-31 November, 2011 in 11 provinces-cities, i.e. Battambang, Ratanakiri, Pursat, Kompong Chhnang, Siem Reap, Otdor Meanchey, Kompong Thom, Kompong Cham, Sihanouk Ville, Svay Rieng, and then Phnom Penh, said Soum Kalyan, Youth Focal Point, Khmer Youth For Social Development (KYSD), organizer of the festival this year.

“As in previous years, the festival is primarily aimed at children and teenagers, this project is to awaken young people who interest in science and to offer them new avenues into the exploration of scientific topics,” said H.E. Dr. Mok Mareth, Minister of Environment at the film opening ceremony on November 15, Adding that, “The government has put strong focus to climate change adaptation and mitigation such as the carbon emission policy, and climate change adaptation policy.’

Lately at the 19^th ASEAN Summit, Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed for the immediate establishment of the ASEAN climate change mechanism, while the region as a whole is hurting from more unpredictable natural hazards especially floods.

The 3^rd Science film Festival celebrating in Cambodia this year is an adjunct to the 6^th International Science Film Festival hosting in many countries (from October to November annually since 2005), and the movies for this year’s festival are produced from Europe and Asia that are on screen and translated into languages of all the attending nations of the festival, said Horst Triller, First Secretary and deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cambodia.

Children and students are the targeted audiences, bringing them better awareness on how science could help improve better life while the world is suffering from climate change, he added.

“In Cambodia proper forest management can contribute to reducing poverty and helping the government to achieve one of the main Cambodia Millennium Development Goals, which is to maintain 60 percent forest cover,”Triller believed.

This festival was launched under the scientific cooperation between France and Cambodia, and it reflects daily concerning topics of students of the institute of Technology of Cambodia or for Cambodia-France research framework of Pastier Institute, according to Dominique MAS, First Counselor of France Embassy.

Amid the increasing impact of climate change and the loss of biodiversity, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable forest management. This topic is of particular relevance in Cambodia, whose forest cover is currently estimated to be at 57 percent, which is among the highest in the region.

Since 2010, the science film festival is held in six ASEAN countries. Besides Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam also host this festival. This has been made possible through the dedication, organizational skills and hard work of many international and national partners, who share the conviction that the issues facing our world in the future can be addressed if the future generations have access to necessary information and education.

Anti-Corruption Unit Warns Officials for High Services’ Charges

Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) warns public servants not to over-charge administrative services from the people as the Unit will take legal procedure against those stubborn staffs.

In a corruption talk attended by about 100 representatives of the Kingdom’s public institutions, ACU President H.E. Oum Yinteang warns for not claiming high public service charges which is more than the legal amount from the citizens, while such over services’ charges have been traditionally complained. 

“After this warning, if those stubborn officials don’t stop claiming overcharge amount, justice polices will be dispatched for thorough investigations, and if offenses actually found, legal procedure against those officials will be implemented,” President warns.

H.E. Oum Yinteang asks each institution to determine public services’ charges and submit to the ACU for consideration, and along with the receipt issued. “Creating such administrative charges is to legally ensure that those revenues are legal and ACU will bring the set-administration costs to discuss with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Council for Development of Cambodia (CDC) for final approval.”

                                                                       ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Photo by: DAP News

A reliable foreign report as distributed to reporters by ACU warns that most ministries and institutions have claimed huge administrative fees which is far much than the amount stated by-law.

It also points out the survey related to the use of money to facilitate work process such as passport fee as determined by public fee is USD132-USD138, and 3days costs USD400-USD500, 7days costs USD250-USD300, and 30days costs USD150-USD200. 

The document also stressed that the traffic police usually claims over-fine of 5,000-10,000 riels, while fire extinguisher equipped in major outlets are charged USD70, family book costs USD50, resident book costs 50$, Letter of Relocation costs 25$, and Certificate of Residence for normal people costs USD5.

He, anyway praised the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Tax Authority related to 2011 tax collection and recent tax personnel’s recruitments as ACU didn’t found any corruption during tax collection in 2011, but only rude behavior acted by the staffs which need to be enhanced.   

After the inspection in the tax staff recruitments, which attended by16, 000 candidates and only 300 were selected,  ACU noticed four candidates committed briberies providing between USD20,000-USD30,000 to pass the exam, but after ACU noticed these cases, those candidates weren’t’ passed, so the exam was acceptable.

In response to this warning, Secretary of State of Ministry of Foreign affairs, H.E. Ouch Borith as represent officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests ACU to immediate inform whenever corruptions are found at the Ministry.

 Photo by: Radio Free Asia

According to him, the Unit faces 3 internal weaknesses, i.e. the lack of human resources, Troubling complaint filing procedures, and narrow broadcasting of the unit to the public.

On November 14, this Council of Ministers’ Anti-Corruption Agency inserted 77 justice polices aiming to accelerate the working competencies while it has been slow so far. “Corruption cases are complicated, and time-consuming, so with this new justice force will help accelerate the investigation progress to head for perpetrators.”

But he impressed to his own agency saying that, “ACU was just established with little human resources, and we reached this stage; we appreciate our achievements.” adding that, “But we agree such accomplishments are little compared to what the people want.”

ACU will move forward corruption crackdown campaigns, step-1 campaign among principal figures, i.e. public servants, step-2, gather opinions, requests from the ministries- institutions to discuss with CDC and Ministry of Economy and Finance to standardize and clarify the administrative costs, than issue an official declaration about the cost, and to step-3 implement it.

“From now on, we should not think the past, but focus on what the present, and future should be look like,” he said for a corruption-free Cambodia in the future.

The committee will host a meeting with the press and NGOs by end of this year to seek out common cooperation on anti-corruption attempt.

Remarks that ACU recorded 38 corruption cases only related to drug smuggling alone the series of crimes of which solely committed by former head of Cambodia's anti-drugs department Moek Dara, and former chief of the anti-drug office at the Ministry of Interior, Chea Leng.

Moek Dara’s cases contained over-half meter height of complaints, and was on trial on November 17, 2011 at Banteay Meanchey’s provincial court, and it will take the next two months to complete while 130 witnesses accused him, and ACU stands as Accuser, said Head of ACU.

If only I…

If only I would be more handsome, you could find me so pleasant to stay with

If only I would be more communicative, you would find me not so boring

If only I could be more understanding, I would grasp sadness and concern behind your smile

If only I knew you earlier, we would get closer than today

If only I am braver, I would smartly declare my love for you and make you excitedly accept it

Oh my darling, If only I contained all these things, we wouldn’t stuck today, and our love would be tremendously blossom

God, My dear father, If only you granted me these above wishes, I wouldn’t hurt, and suffer as described today

I wish, If only my love prospered, I wouldn’t have to compose such blue poem

But that’s called love, easy received mean easy lost, so let’s try more, so that the above wishes maybe meet.