Angkor lights stir controversy

Thursday, 28 May 2009 Written by Ros Dina The Phnom Penh Post
A heritage specialist has requested intervention from the prime minister in a disagreement over light fixtures on temples at the Angkor Wat complex.

A HERITAGE advocate has sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen urging him to stop an ongoing light installation project at the Angkor Wat temple, saying equipping the 11-century World Heritage site with lights will have a negative effect on its ambiance.

"The illumination will disturb tourists and badly affect the beauty of the temples. By the law of the Apsara Authority, even villagers are not allowed to build new houses in the Angkor area, but it is regrettable that the area is now equipped with lights," Moeung Son, president of the Khmer Civilisation Foundation Organisation (KCF), said at a press conference Tuesday.

The project, which began late last year, was designed to encourage "night lighting" tours and prolong the stay of tourists in the area.

However, Moeung Son said it would also fail to do that.

"According my experience in the tourism sector, cultural tourists never watch temples at night. They are particularly interested in Khmer ancient building styles."

Ho Vandy, head of the permanent committee of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, also said that the lights would not increase tourist traffic to the site.

"Only about 20 or 30 tourists come to visit the temple or performances at night," Ho Vandy said.
Details of fixtures vague
Tourism officials have been vague about how the lights have been fixed to structures, saying they were put into "existing" holes in the temples.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Apsara Authority have maintained that the arrangement would help attract more visitors and consequently raise income in the tourism sector.

"I hope that the illumination will increase the number of tourists, and the Angkor Wat temple will become productive, bringing more income for Cambodia's economy. Moreover, the Angkor Wat area will look more active and lively," So Mara, a secretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, said Tuesday.

"Now we always tell visitors to get out when it's dark because we are afraid that they may fall down while walking in the dark. But when there are lights, visitors will have more time to walk around," he added.

The First sky way and new bridge in Phnom Penh

In ceremony opening with new bridge (Monivong Bridge) and constructed places for the first sky way in Phnom Penh located in Kbal Thnol area, Meanchey District, Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 27 May 2009 under present Samdach Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia, Delegations, Government Officials and peoples.

“Thanks for the former and new governor of Phnom Penh, but except governor of Lonol and polpot regime”, Prime minister said.

Monivong Bridge is under constructing fund approximately 10 million dollars from China and about 6 million for the first sky way in Phnom Penh.

Royal oxen signal worry for Cambodian rice farmers

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's royal oxen performed an ancient ceremony to predict the country's agriculture fortunes -- and raised fears of a low rice harvest by refusing to eat any of the grain.

King Norodom Sihamoni presided over the ceremony in a park outside the palace where thousands of people watched royal astrologers observing the animals' behaviour.

After a symbolic ploughing of a portion of the field, a pair of royal oxen were led to seven dishes -- rice, corn, beans, sesame, grass, water and alcohol -- laid out on trays.

They were seen eating only beans and corn, allowing the palace's chief astrologer Kang Ken to declare that this year "beans and corn harvests will be bountiful."

The astrologer did not spell out to the crowd what it meant for the rice harvest -- but he later told reporters that it would be only about 30 percent of the expected amount.

"I am extremely worried. As the oxen did not eat the rice, I fear that I cannot have (a) good harvest of rice," said farmer Vong Sak, 53, after the ceremony, which marks the start of Cambodia's planting season.

While still taken seriously by many rural Cambodians in this deeply superstitious country, ploughing ceremony predictions have been called into question in recent years.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who did not attend the ceremony, rebuked the royal astrologers for failing to predict deadly floods in 2001 that claimed 59 lives.

"Day of Anger" in Cambodia

Phnom Penh - More than 1,000 Cambodians gathered at one of the Khmer Rouge's notorious killing fields Wednesday to observe an annual "Day of Anger" and remember the almost 2 million people killed during the regime's 1975-79 rule. A crowd of government officials, Buddhist monks, survivors of the regime and victims' families watched high school students re-enact scenes of torture and execution at the Choeng Ek killing fields, where up to 15,000 men, women and children were murdered and buried in mass graves.

The May 20 ceremony marks the day in 1976 when it is believed Khmer Rouge leaders decided to transform Cambodia into a completely agrarian society - a policy that led to mass deaths through execution, starvation and overwork.

During Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia from 1979 to 1989, the event was a well-organized public holiday with ceremonies held throughout the country.

Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, an archival organization dedicated to documenting the history of the Khmer Rouge, said the day was a hugely significant part of the country's path towards reconciliation.

"The anger has faded somewhat because young people today were not around during that period and did not witness what happened," he said. "But it is important to have this day so we can remember what happened and how the millions of deaths made us so angry."

This year's ceremony was held as the trial of the Khmer Rouge's former chief torturer continued before Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal.

Kaing Guek Eav, known by his revolutionary alias Duch, faces charges of crimes against humanity, torture, premeditated murder and breeches of the Geneva Conventions, allegedly committed while he was warden of the Tuol Sleng torture prison in Phnom Penh.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Youk Chhang said the first trial before the court was an important part of reconciling Cambodia's troubled past.

"We have taken military action against the Khmer Rouge as well as social action, such as today's event, and now the time has come to take legal action," he said. "This must occur for us to become a truly democratic society."

Prisoners at Tuol Sleng were sent to their deaths at Choeng Ek, but the site has since been transformed into a genocide museum and memorial that receives thousands of visitors each year.

Quality of Education is needs

Modern country in Cambodia Is improving with high quality of education, so quality of health education is needs.

Some of students at International University are graduated with Health Major under present Cambodia Prime Minister at Institute of National Education, located in Daun Penh District near Independence Monument, on 24 March 2009.

International University is the first private school with the Health education located in Phnom Penh Thmey Commune and new district was created is SenSok District.

Cambodia to send troops to African nations

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia will contribute troops to U.N. peacekeeping forces in Chad and the Central African Republic, marking the poor Southeast Asian country's second military mission abroad in three years, the prime minister said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen did not specify the number of Cambodian troops or when they would depart.

He said he decided "two weeks ago to send our forces to Chad and the Central African Republic" based on a request from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He made the comments while presiding over a university graduation ceremony in the capital, Phnom Penh.

The United Nations recently took over peacekeeping duties in the two African countries from the European Union.

Eastern Chad and northeastern Central African Republic have been seriously affected by fighting across the border in Sudan's Darfur region, where up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes since 2003.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the Cambodian contingent would consist of noncombat forces and would perform only humanitarian duties. He said it was too soon to say how many troops would go and when.

In April 2006, Cambodia sent 135 soldiers to help U.N. peacekeepers clear mines in war-torn Sudan.

That same year, Hun Sen rejected U.S. requests for the deployment of Cambodian troops in Iraq. He said he questioned the overall legitimacy of the war in Iraq and that it remained too dangerous for Cambodians to operate there.

Korea Exchange to jointly launch Cambodian bourse

SEOUL, March 24 (Reuters) - The Korea Exchange (KRX) said on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with the Cambodian government to jointly launch a Cambodian stock exchange by the end of 2009.

The Cambodian government and KRX will control 55 percent and 45 percent of the exchange, respectively, and will jointly operate the bourse, KRX said.

The announcement marks the latest effort by the South Korean exchange to expand its presence abroad.

In November 2008, KRX signed a memorandum of understanding with Laos government on setting up the country's stock exchange, with the South Korean bourse holding 49 percent of the venture.

(Reporting by Jungyoun Park; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

Cambodia's coming oil economy

BANGKOK – Haunted by war, and wracked by poverty, Cambodia has had little opportunity to enjoy one its few blessings.

The nation of 14 million people, sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, is flush with natural resources. Veins of iron and gold run beneath its soil. Natural forests offer a wealth of timber. Most promising of all are Cambodia’s deposits of oil and gas, believed to snake offshore all the way through the kingdom’s lush interior.

As Cambodia’s leaders begin to parlay these natural blessings into wealth, selling off drilling rights to firms across the globe, American oil companies are taking notice.

So, too, are the watchdogs.

Foreign aid, in large part from U.S. tax dollars, accounts for half of Cambodia’s national budget. Much of this is aimed at the more than one-third of Cambodians living on roughly 50 cents per day.

While Cambodia’s ruling party could use the coming resource wealth to wean the country off foreign aid — and potentially lift millions out of poverty — leaders already appear to be hording this money for themselves, watchdogs say.

According to Global Witness — the U.K.-based non-profit that helped expose the West African “blood diamonds” trade — the coming oil wealth will likely just entrench Cambodia’s ruling cabal in corruption.

“In a couple of years, the elites will be so wealthy it will be hard to rewind the tape,” said Global Witness Director Gavin Hayman during a business trip in Bangkok. The non-profit recently published an investigative report on Cambodia’s growing oil wealth.

Cambodian PM: Phnom Penh to have conference center

PHNOM PENH, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will build a conference hall of international standard in Phnom Penh to host diplomatic events with foreign audiences, national media said on Thursday.

"I will use only 15 months to complete it," Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as telling a graduation ceremony of the Royal University of Phnom Penh here on Wednesday.

"Before, we relied on hotels for international events, and it is always difficult to find a place, and sometimes we are forced to hold meetings in Siem Reap," he said.

The conference hall would be constructed with government funds next to the new Council of Ministers building, he said, adding that local architects would be tapped to design it.

The decision was prompted by plans for Cambodia to host a series of regional conferences in the coming years, including three regional meetings next year and two ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summits in 2012, according to the premier.

Prek Kampi is the part Mekong river and located in Kratie provinces, we can go there by car, about 40 km from Kratie city.















Bak pheng water fall, located in Lao, we can go there by car, about 500 km from Phnom Penh and pass a the cambodia-lao borders.

Independent Day in Cambodia

55th,Independent day 9, November, 2008,
Many peoples are participating, Most of them, from Officials government, Polices, Armies, and Public peoples..


This events under the present of the King Rodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Samdach Hun Sen, and the top Delegation of Cambodia.

Continuing to order buying from Cambodia

Welcome to Cambodia which in ordered by international countries in the World in textile sector. According to joint announcements between IFC and ILO issued on 14 oct 2008, next year 2009 in order buying textile from Cambodia in equal 2.6 billion dollars.

Note:
Twenty-eight representatives from leading garment brands came to
Cambodia last week for a two-day meeting of the International Buyers’ Forum
organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International
Finance Corporation (IFC). The representatives stated they are recommending that
their companies continue sourcing from Cambodia.

The Government official works at Ministry of labor, Rady said that very happy to hear this information, it can make increase income for worker’s family and reduce unemployment rate in Cambodia.

The smiling face and walk on the flood street in Toulsang Keo District, Phnom Penh , her name is Any work at Roo Sing Factory Co.Ltd, she is very happy

As seeing that, Cambodia is nearly end of order buying contract with other countries in the world on 2009

Impacting to the Building labor sector

In the end of Third term of Cambodian Government, Constructing of Building sector were popular for the land and Building owners.

In fact, third term during was a strongly interesting change in Economics, Constructing Building, Most of labors very greats for many jobs. Iron labor is the part of Building sector.

Recently some of the Small and Medium Scale Constructing building was abandoned and the Big projects in Building sector were going on until now such as CamKoCity ( locate Boeng Sayap, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh), ParosMekong (located in Chroy Chongva front of the Royal Palace), Golden Tower 42 (Near the Yokunthor High school, Chamkarmorn district).....etc.

Note:
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – World City, a joint venture between South Korean and Cambodian companies, has begun building a satellite city near Phnom Penh. The US$ 2 billion urban development project will be financed by South Korea’s Shinhan Bank.

The South Korean bank will provide US$ 65 million to build Camko City’s first thousand residential units, and infrastructure for the development, which is expected to take between 11 and 15 years to complete. The first phase is due for completion in two years and the latter phases will include a university, a hospital and schools.

This is a preview of Futuristic Metropolitan of Cambodia (CamKo City)….SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

The Children is looking his house was banned by the sand box, Toulsangkeo Commune, Russey Keo District, Phnom Penh.

The road was flooded, Toulsangkeo Commune, Russey Keo District, Phnom Penh.

Moto taxi was broken, Toulsangkeo Commune, Russey Keo District, Phnom Penh.

A long meeting BarCamp Phnom Penh

A long meeting on 20 September 2008 at Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC),

next to Institute of Foreign Languages and Royal University of Phnom Penh, RUPP-CJCC, Blvd. Confederation of Russia, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh, Cambodia sponsored by BarCamp Phnom Penh and others NGOs in Cambodia and participate other students , this meeting focuses on Information Technology in Cambodia.

The Microsoft representation shows some products about microsft in Cambodia,

T-shirt BarCamp Phnom Penh, The student question asks the Microsoft representation about the license price with Microsoft license, he concerns about with his Computer

The Microsoft representation said that the Microsoft license is not the same price for the student is cheaper than and different price between NGOs and Company in Cambodia.

As seeing that, in currently Cambodia has Copy rights law.

In meeting room

Raining Season

Now, Cambodia is Pchum Ben Season, all the peoples in the country visits pagodas during 15-day festival to offer foods to the month and pray to relatives who have dead.

The darkly cloud, Pchum Ben Season is the raining season, some roads is fully water when the rain had been comes.

My house is one of Flood Victim Families in ToulSangke village, Toulsangkeo Commune, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, the local authorities did not concern over this area.

As seeing that, In National Election, Toulsangke Commune, CPP is won Election

The Population of Cambodia Is 13,388,910 .

Phnom Penh: On 3 September 2008, the Ministry of Planning announced, the results of the general census of Cambodian citizens in 2008 is 13,388,910

“ According to the temporary results of a countrywide census published on 3 March 2008, the number of Cambodian citizens is 13,388,910 persons, out of which 6,495,512 are male and 6,893,398 are female”.

As seeing that, Cambodia is the country in South East Asia, the Kingdom's capital and Largest is Phnom Penh, a citizen of Cambodia is usually identified as "Cambodian" or "Khmer,"

In fact the country borders Thailand to its west and northwest, Laos to its northeast, and Vietnam to its east and southeast. In the south it faces the Gulf of Thailand.

Impact to Tourist

It was no surprise, Since Thailand announced the state of emergency on Tuesday, five countries immediately issued the warnings - Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and United Kingdom.

Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) president Apichart Sankary said the political unrest should end before September 15, which is the start of the high season of tourism industry.

Prakit Shinamourphong, president of Thai Hotels Association (THA), said business operators are worrying over political turmoil. "It is too soon to finalise the degree of impact on the hotel and tourism business, but operators are not happy with the situation," said Prakit. [According to website: http://www.nationmultimedia.com]

Mr, Minch Chanthy, General Manager of B2B travel Co., Ltd, said business is better than before.

As seeing that, The CPP over whelmingly won the 2008 national election. The National Election Committee on Tuesday afternoon released final Official results from July 27 polls. NEC confirmed the seat count in National Assembly to be 90 for the CPP, 26 for the Opposition SRP, Three for the Human Rights Party, Two for Funcinpec and Ranariddh.

The First priority of New Government is Infrastructure, Poverty Alleviation,.....

Welcome New World Heritage is Preah Vihea Temple

Cambodian Government Delegations, artists, and peoples are singing a song

Other Government Official, Students, and Peoples

The Thousand of the Peoples from Other Places, Government Official, Students and people are welcome Preah Vihear Temple is the World Heritage.

The smiling face of people who jointed welcomes Preah Vihear temple is the world heritages in Olympic Stadium, located 7 Makara district Phnom Penh, on 14-07-2008, Participated by Cambodian Government Delegation, Excellency Mr. Sok Ann and his colleague.

Currently, in the 32th UNESCO meeting in Canada, Kebec City, Preah Vihear is the world heritage.....

Nigh Market in Phnom Penh

In fact Nigh Market is located in front of river side, Spar Chas Market near Wat Phnom, Daun Penh District,

This Market was attracted by Tourist and Cambodian,,,, Khmer Product and Cheap pricesss,,,, All this production are producted by Khmer People and Cambodian enterprise......

this is Khmer Product,,, Coffee Shop in Nigh Market