ADB offers $15m loan for financial-sector growth

Cambodia and the Asian Development Bank have signed their latest loan agreement of US$15 million for the development of the Kingdom’s financial sector, according to ADB.

The money would be used for a number of development programs, including the improvement of regulatory regimes, creation of an inter-bank lending market and increased consumer access to credit, ADB said.

ADB’s loan has a 24-year term, including an eight-year grace period with an interest rate of 1 per cent and 1.5 per cent for the balance of the term.

The loan agreement, signed yesterday, marked the commencement of the third Financial Sector Program (FSP) co-ordinated by  the ADB and Cambodia, as well as the finalisation of the Kingdom’s Sector Development Strategy 2011-2020, ADB senior country economist for Cambodia Peter Brimble said yesterday. 

He noted that finance was “a key pillar” of ADB’s partnership strategy with Cambodia.

The bank also offered Cambodia a grant of $1.1 million for technical assistance, with $300,000 of that to strengthen the capacity of the National Bank of Cambodia, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia.

More than $1.5 billion in new and increased loans had been generated, and more than 12,000  jobs created, as a result of more than $75 million in assistance during the first two phases of the FSP since 2001, the ADB said.

Source: PPP

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French Prime Minister set to visit

French Prime Minister Francois Fillion is set to pay an official visit to Cambodia early next month.

Fillion is due to attend an event to mark the completion of the restoration of Baphuon Temple, in Siem Reap, during a two-day visit, according to Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A statement issued yesterday said Fillon’s visit was set to take place on July 2 and 3. During the visit, Fillon would hold official talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen and would received Royal audiences from King Norodom Sihamoni and King-Father Norodom Sihanouk.

Besides attending the closing ceremony of the completion of Baphuon Temple’s restoration, Fillion would also visit the Angkor temples, the statement said.

Earlier this year, French ambassador to Cambodia Christian Connan told The Post that the European country was placing an increased emphasis on investment and loans to help the Kingdom’s economic development, rather than assistance through development aid.

French development aid to Cambodia last year amounted to €25 million (about US$35 million), including multilateral aid to areas such as the Khmer Rouge tribunal, funding to fight disease, and economic development projects through organisations such as the Asian Development Bank.

In April this year, French relations received a boost when national airline Air France KLM restarted flights to the Kingdom – through Bangkok – after a 37-year break.

The French embassy in Phnom Penh and the French Cultural Centre declined to comment last night. according to ppp

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Investment vs Donation

After last week’s coverage of the effects of new technology on Cambodian youth, this week we will be examining how investment and aid affect Cambodia as a country.

There is no question that Cambodia has experienced its share of instability. The Khmer Rouge regime killed almost two million people, many of them well educated, along with destroying infrastructure, banning religion and stunting economic growth.  Cambodia must therefore develop quickly to catch up with the West, not to mention its Asian neighbours.  An undertaking such as this will require the necessary budget and human resources to succeed.

This week, reporters Tivea Koam and Menghuong Ngor present a feature story on Asian companies investing in Cambodian infrastructure.  Companies from Vietnam, China and Korea have invested in dams, rubber plantations, garment factories and various other sectors, while Europe and the West have mostly chosen to donate money.  Our Lift reporters will investigate this striking regional difference and what it means for Cambodia.

In contrast, a feature story written and researched by Narin Sun will examine foreign aid and its implications for Cambodia.  Some Asian, and many Western, countries have played a significant role in poverty- reduction attempts in Cambodia, donating funds and resources to help develop infrastructure nationwide.  How does this compare with the strategy of investment, and how will it affect modern Cambodia?

Meanwhile, Heim Khemra Suy takes you to try out Phnom Penh’s new Dory Seafood restaurant.  Indulge in its tasty and experimental dishes.

Finally, reporter Dara Saoyuth examines why some Cambodians hesitate to buy locally manufactured products and continue to doubt their quality.  One reason may be that Cambodian producers lack the ability and technology to promote their wares. If you have loved Lift so far, be sure not to miss this fascinating issue.  Enjoy your reading! according to pp

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Right royal ensemble [The Norodoms vs, The Sisowaths]

AN 80-year rivalry between the Norodom and Sisowath branches of the Cambodian Royal Family appeared well and truly buried last week, as fellow ANZ Royal Bank employees Prince Norodom Amarithivong and Prince Sisowath Vic worked frantically alongside each other during a team building exercise held in Siem Reap prior to the bank’s annual management conference.

The pair was among 50 senior ANZ staff that descended on the premises of local NGO Grace House to assemble wood and bamboo garden beds in the school’s community garden last Wednesday, part of a speed building challenge designed to kick off the conference the next day.

Constructed a week earlier by Grace House staff, the garden beds were pulled apart and each piece labelled for the four teams of bankers to reconstruct, a feat that Grace House vocational project manager Alan Cordory was sceptical could be accomplished in the allotted two hours.

“It took us eight or nine days to build these initially, including finishing the joints. It’s been challenging for them. I was told not to make it too easy as the CEO said they would finish them in an hour.”

Two hours later, over in the blue team corner and trying to make sense of which identical-looking bamboo piece slotted in where, ANZ CEO Stephen Higgins was philosophical about the delay. “Yeah, I thought it might take an hour. Wildly wrong as you can see. But don’t forget to say the blue team was the winner.”

“Isn’t everyone a winner?” I interjected as Higgins paused to consider whether the piece of wood he was holding was part of the garden or a chunk fallen from a tree.

“That’s not our spirit; it’s competitive for a reason,” he said.

Over in the white team’s corner, Prince Sisowath Vic and Prince Norodom Amarithivong made a formidable duo, drilling and nailing bamboo shoots along the log base of their garden bed with military precision, pausing only to joke about the difficulty of undoing their work if it turned out the pieces were in the wrong place.

Prince Sisowath Vic, a regional manager for ANZ, noted that along with the satisfaction of helping to feed the 220 students at the school, the teams involved in the building contest had the added incentive of a limo ride around town as a prize for the winner.

The Prince said: “Part of what I like about working for ANZ is their involvement with the community. Although today is just a team building exercise, it may lead to a longer relationship with Grace House in the future. We have a development budget

in Siem Reap that we’ve used to organise supplies for the wounded from Oddar Meanchey, a blood drive at Angkor Hospital for Children, and computer donations to local schools, so we’ll see what the future brings.” according to Phnom Penh Post

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Right royal ensemble [The Norodoms vs, The Sisowaths]

AN 80-year rivalry between the Norodom and Sisowath branches of the Cambodian Royal Family appeared well and truly buried last week, as fellow ANZ Royal Bank employees Prince Norodom Amarithivong and Prince Sisowath Vic worked frantically alongside each other during a team building exercise held in Siem Reap prior to the bank’s annual management conference.

The pair was among 50 senior ANZ staff that descended on the premises of local NGO Grace House to assemble wood and bamboo garden beds in the school’s community garden last Wednesday, part of a speed building challenge designed to kick off the conference the next day.

Constructed a week earlier by Grace House staff, the garden beds were pulled apart and each piece labelled for the four teams of bankers to reconstruct, a feat that Grace House vocational project manager Alan Cordory was sceptical could be accomplished in the allotted two hours.

“It took us eight or nine days to build these initially, including finishing the joints. It’s been challenging for them. I was told not to make it too easy as the CEO said they would finish them in an hour.”

Two hours later, over in the blue team corner and trying to make sense of which identical-looking bamboo piece slotted in where, ANZ CEO Stephen Higgins was philosophical about the delay. “Yeah, I thought it might take an hour. Wildly wrong as you can see. But don’t forget to say the blue team was the winner.”

“Isn’t everyone a winner?” I interjected as Higgins paused to consider whether the piece of wood he was holding was part of the garden or a chunk fallen from a tree.

“That’s not our spirit; it’s competitive for a reason,” he said.

Over in the white team’s corner, Prince Sisowath Vic and Prince Norodom Amarithivong made a formidable duo, drilling and nailing bamboo shoots along the log base of their garden bed with military precision, pausing only to joke about the difficulty of undoing their work if it turned out the pieces were in the wrong place.

Prince Sisowath Vic, a regional manager for ANZ, noted that along with the satisfaction of helping to feed the 220 students at the school, the teams involved in the building contest had the added incentive of a limo ride around town as a prize for the winner.

The Prince said: “Part of what I like about working for ANZ is their involvement with the community. Although today is just a team building exercise, it may lead to a longer relationship with Grace House in the future. We have a development budget

in Siem Reap that we’ve used to organise supplies for the wounded from Oddar Meanchey, a blood drive at Angkor Hospital for Children, and computer donations to local schools, so we’ll see what the future brings.” according to Phnom Penh Post

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China donates uniforms to army

China donated 50,000 new uniforms to the Cambodian military yesterday in a move representatives of both countries said was indicative of the two countries’ strong bilateral relationship.

The uniforms are part of a commitment China made last year to donate military supplies including 257 trucks to the Kingdom after the United States, angered by Cambodia’s decision to send 20 Uighur asylum seekers back to China in 2009, reneged on a similar offer.

At a ceremony held at Cambodian Air Force Headquarters in Phnom Penh yesterday, Chinese military attaché Zhang Jianlin said the donations would help bolster Cambodia’s military capacity and were a sign of China’s goodwill.

“Cambodia and China are friends and brothers,” he said.

Moeung Samphan, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence, said the donation was the second largest China had provided the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, after the 257 trucks that were donated in June of last year.

“The aid will give RCAF more advanced and modern materials,” he said.

The donation comes as Cambodia and Thailand attend UNESCO-mediated talks in Paris on the preservation of Preah Vihear temple and continued to honour a fragile ceasefire brokered earlier this month that ended vicious fighting along the countries’ shared border that broke out in April.

Carlyle Thayer, a politics professor at the University of New South Wales who specialises in Southeast Asian military affairs, suggested yesterday that the donations constituted a soft gesture by China urging Thailand to exercise more restraint in the contested border areas.

“When China announces that it’s providing these uniforms, that has political implications, but uniforms aren’t going to kill you,” he said. “[China’s] not taking sides, but I think it [still] has a chilling effect on Thailand.”

Zhang Jianlin pledged yesterday to continue to help Cambodia bulit its military capacity in the future. 

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Aid Donor Battles Cambodia Over Forced Evictions

PHNOM PENH — A manmade sand dune looms over Cham Pothisak's tin-roof and plywood shack, left by builders who want to transform the sprawling slum-like neighborhoods on the periphery of Phnom Penh's largest lake into fancy villas and office space. Cham and his family are among 10,000 people who face eviction because of a questionable deal turning over some of the Cambodian capital's priciest real estate to a company reportedly owned by a close associate of the prime minister. Their predicament stems in part from a flawed $23.4 million World Bank program that was supposed to prevent such land grabs by strengthening people's title to their land. The problems illustrate how difficult it can be for well-intentioned outsiders to bring about change in developing countries plagued by corruption and entrenched interests. The dispute over Boeung Kak lake has embarrassed the World Bank and led to an unusually tense standoff with Cambodia's government. The bank issued an ultimatum in March demanding a halt to evictions and higher compensation for landowners. A May 8 deadline has been pushed back to next Monday, though the bank is not likely to act immediately. The 38-year-old Cham likens the situation to life under the Khmer Rouge, the ultra-Marxist regime that terrorized the country for four years in the late 1970s. "We're angry but we can't do anything against them," he said. "It's like the Khmer Rouge all over again. We're helpless." The root of the mess lies with the Khmer Rouge, which outlawed private property in a bid to create an agricultural utopia. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians were killed or died of starvation or disease under its brutal rule and failed polices. Since the Khmer Rouge was ousted in 1979, the United Nations and other international groups have tried to help rebuild the country and its government institutions, with mixed results. Democracy has struggled; Prime Minister Hun Sen consolidated power in a 1997 coup and has not relinquished it since. A real estate boom has driven land-grabbing by wealthy or politically connected developers to new heights, activists say. In 2002, the World Bank, the Washington-based institution focused on development and poverty reduction, helped set up the Land Monitoring and Administration Program to build a system of paper titles and central registries. Germany, Canada and Finland helped finance the effort. When the lands in question were marginal, the system appeared to work. Government surveyors interviewed owners, reviewed documents and issued more than 1.2 million titles, a sign of the program's success, the bank says. But when business interests wanted land—for logging, sugar plantations or real estate, for example—the process actually left some more vulnerable to eviction. That's because government officials running the program would simply reject claims from poor landowners or deny them the right to appeal, said David Pred, whose organization Bridges Across Borders Cambodia advocates for landowners. "Meanwhile, the wealthy and well-connected have little difficulty in acquiring land title in high value areas in which poor communities reside due to their connections or their ability to pay the high 'unofficial fees,'" Pred wrote in an email. A 2006 report done for the German government's aid agency found that 20 percent of households surveyed were refused the right to prove ownership of their property, according a land-use consultant with firsthand knowledge of the report. The consultant spoke on condition of anonymity because the report is not public. Many landowners around Boeung Kak—a 330-acre (133-hectare) bowl of sewage-filled water and trash-littered marshes in the shadow of high-rise banks and government ministries—expected to have a chance to argue their claims after workers began surveying their properties in May 2006. But in January 2007, authorities surprised residents, activists and foreign donors by refusing to acknowledge any records of the residents' properties, essentially pre-empting any ownership claims. The next month, the government announced that a company called Shukaku Inc. had acquired the development rights to the lake under a $79 million, government-backed 99-year lease. The land was worth far more, residents say. Shukaku's chief is widely reported to be Lao Meng Khin, a ruling party senator, reclusive businessman and close associate of Hun Sen. By August 2008, workers had started pumping sand into the lake, creating berms like the one menacing Cham's house. Torrents of sand and water flooded some homes almost instantly, sometimes in the dead of night.

The World Bank and many foreign embassies complained.

In September 2009, the government abruptly canceled the land title program, citing what Hun Sen called "complicated conditions."

Most of the lake is now filled, the sand all but destroying its ecology. More than 2,000 families have already moved. The remaining landowners complain that the compensation being offered is laughable, particularly given skyrocketing real estate values.

Authorities "aren't stupid, they're just corrupt. They just have no conscience," said Tep Vanny, who faces eviction from her house on the lake's east side. "It's a way to keep the people poor, and for them to stay in power."

Neither Shukaku officials nor Lao Meng Khin responded to written requests for interviews.

Government officials, including the Phnom Penh governor and the national government's chief spokesman, either refused to comment or take a reporter's repeated phone calls.

In an internal report released March 8, World Bank inspectors concluded the land title program was flawed in its design, violated bank social and environmental policies and may have made it easier to evict landowners.

The bank also warned that it would reconsider both current and future projects in Cambodia if the government doesn't help resolve the Boeung Kak controversy. Bank President Robert Zoellick took the unusual step of publicly criticizing the government on the day the inspectors' report was released.

Aid experts say the government does not want to be seen as being pushed around by a foreign institution and may be using the fight as a signal to keep other donors in check. For the World Bank, its credibility is at stake if a strong-arm government can ride roughshod over bank policies to protect the poor.

Sia Phearum, head of a Cambodian housing rights organization, said that people in many countries welcome development projects and the hope they bring for better lives — but not in Cambodia. "In Cambodia, people who have no land have no hope," he said. according to irrawaddy.org, May 16, 2011

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Facebook users to aid orphans

CAMBODIAN young people are harnessing Facebook to raise money for poor children ahead of International Children’s Day on June 1 this year. Organiser Siv Sokhoeun, founder of SSK Promotion, said the scheme was designed to enable Cambodian youngsters to take advantage of information technology. “I’ve seen a lot of benefits brought by information technology and many Cambodian people don’t know how to use it properly to achieve the right goals. “So I decided to create the programme to share benefits and link friendship to the benefits of information technology while helping orphaned children,” he said. “Young people will have the chance to entertain themselves by inviting their Facebook friends to join the programme to see what they can do to help orphaned children at UNICAS.” Siv Sokhoeun said this was the fourth Facebook campaign he had organised, but the first one to benefit charity. Earlier events have included a Christmas party and a countdown to the Khmer New Year. Those who join the Facebook campaign for International Children’s Day will meet on June 1 from 5pm to 8:30pm at City Mall Supermarket in Phnom Penh. Artists and musicians will entertain the audience and participants will pay US$3 entry, which includes food and drinks. Collection boxes will also be set up for participants to contribute directly to UNICAS, which runs an orphanage for 92 children in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district. Bun Sokseila, director of UNICAS, said: “Facebook friends often gather for various parties and we think that if we take this opportunity to help our orphans, it would allow more Khmer people to help us provide food, clothes, healthcare and education.” Children’s Day was a special celebration at the orphanage each year, he explained. “We usually take them out for the day to visit a resort. We take wrapped food to mix with the cooked ducks and chickens that the children raise, so we can keep expenses down.” Those who wish to take part in the City Mall event on June 1 can telephone 012 266 213 or 067 5858 77, or email info.sskpromotion@gmail.com. according to ppp

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Aid donor battles Cambodia over forced evictions

In this photo taken on March 17, 2011, rubble are scattered around houses on the edge of Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh's largest lake. The residents of the area are being evicted from their homes to make way for upscale villas and office buildings. The dispute over Boeung Kak lake has embarrassed the World Bank and led to an unusually tense standoff with Cambodia's government. The bank issued an ultimatum in March demanding a halt to evictions and higher compensation for landowners. A May 8 deadline has been pushed back to next Monday. PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A manmade sand dune looms over Cham Pothisak's tin-roof and plywood shack, left by builders who want to transform the sprawling slum-like neighborhoods on the periphery of Phnom Penh's largest lake into fancy villas and office space. Cham and his family are among 10,000 people who face eviction because of a questionable deal turning over some of the Cambodian capital's priciest real estate to a company reportedly owned by a close associate of the prime minister. Their predicament stems in part from a flawed $23.4 million World Bank program that was supposed to prevent such land grabs by strengthening people's title to their land. The problems illustrate how difficult it can be for well-intentioned outsiders to bring about change in developing countries plagued by corruption and entrenched interests. The dispute over Boeung Kak lake has embarrassed the World Bank and led to an unusually tense standoff with Cambodia's government. The bank issued an ultimatum in March demanding a halt to evictions and higher compensation for landowners. A May 8 deadline has been pushed back to next Monday, though the bank is not likely to act immediately. The 38-year-old Cham likens the situation to life under the Khmer Rouge, the ultra-Marxist regime that terrorized the country for four years in the late 1970s. "We're angry but we can't do anything against them," he said. "It's like the Khmer Rouge all over again. We're helpless." The root of the mess lies with the Khmer Rouge, which outlawed private property in a bid to create an agricultural utopia. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians were killed or died of starvation or disease under its brutal rule and failed polices. Since the Khmer Rouge was ousted in 1979, the United Nations and other international groups have tried to help rebuild the country and its government institutions, with mixed results. Democracy has struggled; Prime Minister Hun Sen consolidated power in a 1997 coup and has not relinquished it since. A real estate boom has driven land-grabbing by wealthy or politically connected developers to new heights, activists say. In 2002, the World Bank, the Washington-based institution focused on development and poverty reduction, helped set up the Land Monitoring and Administration Program to build a system of paper titles and central registries. Germany, Canada and Finland helped finance the effort. When the lands in question were marginal, the system appeared to work. Government surveyors interviewed owners, reviewed documents and issued more than 1.2 million titles, a sign of the program's success, the bank says. But when business interests wanted land — for logging, sugar plantations or real estate, for example — the process actually left some more vulnerable to eviction.  That's because government officials running the program would simply reject claims from poor landowners or deny them the right to appeal, said David Pred, whose organization Bridges Across Borders Cambodia advocates for landowners.  "Meanwhile, the wealthy and well-connected have little difficulty in acquiring land title in high value areas in which poor communities reside due to their connections or their ability to pay the high 'unofficial fees,'" Pred wrote in an email.  A 2006 report done for the German government's aid agency found that 20 percent of households surveyed were refused the right to prove ownership of their property, according a land-use consultant with firsthand knowledge of the report. The consultant spoke on condition of anonymity because the report is not public.  Many landowners around Boeung Kak — a 330-acre (133-hectare) bowl of sewage-filled water and trash-littered marshes in the shadow of high-rise banks and government ministries — expected to have a chance to argue their claims after workers began surveying their properties in May 2006. But in January 2007, authorities surprised residents, activists and foreign donors by refusing to acknowledge any records of the residents' properties, essentially pre-empting any ownership claims.  The next month, the government announced that a company called Shukaku Inc. had acquired the development rights to the lake under a $79 million, government-backed 99-year lease. The land was worth far more, residents say.  Shukaku's chief is widely reported to be Lao Meng Khin, a ruling party senator, reclusive businessman and close associate of Hun Sen. By August 2008, workers had started pumping sand into the lake, creating berms like the one menacing Cham's house. Torrents of sand and water flooded some homes almost instantly, sometimes in the dead of night. The World Bank and many foreign embassies complained. In September 2009, the government abruptly canceled the land title program, citing what Hun Sen called "complicated conditions." Most of the lake is now filled, the sand all but destroying its ecology. More than 2,000 families have already moved. The remaining landowners complain that the compensation being offered is laughable, particularly given skyrocketing real estate values. Authorities "aren't stupid, they're just corrupt. They just have no conscience," said Tep Vanny, who faces eviction from her house on the lake's east side. "It's a way to keep the people poor, and for them to stay in power." Neither Shukaku officials nor Lao Meng Khin responded to written requests for interviews. Government officials, including the Phnom Penh governor and the national government's chief spokesman, either refused to comment or take a reporter's repeated phone calls. In an internal report released March 8, World Bank inspectors concluded the land title program was flawed in its design, violated bank social and environmental policies and may have made it easier to evict landowners. The bank also warned that it would reconsider both current and future projects in Cambodia if the government doesn't help resolve the Boeung Kak controversy. Bank President Robert Zoellick took the unusual step of publicly criticizing the government on the day the inspectors' report was released. Aid experts say the government does not want to be seen as being pushed around by a foreign institution and may be using the fight as a signal to keep other donors in check. For the World Bank, its credibility is at stake if a strong-arm government can ride roughshod over bank policies to protect the poor. Sia Phearum, head of a Cambodian housing rights organization, said that people in many countries welcome development projects and the hope they bring for better lives — but not in Cambodia. "In Cambodia, people who have no land have no hope," he said. according to khmerization

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Cambodia marks 148th anniversary of International Red Cross Day

PHNOM PENH, May 03, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Approximately 10,000 people gathered here on Tuesday to commemorate the 148th anniversary of the World Red Cross - Red Crescent Day which falls on May 8.

The celebration under the theme "volunteering-humanitarian effectiveness" was presided over by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, with the participation from Jacques Stroun, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross's regional delegation, and Anne Leclerc, head of Southeast Asia Regional Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Anne Leclerc said that currently one out of 2,000 people is the volunteer for the Red Cross or Red Crescent.

"It means that almost all of the communities in the world have Red Cross or Red Crescent volunteers," she said, adding that in total, the Red Cross or Red Crescent have more than 13 million volunteers to assist about 150 million people around the world who are in needs of help every year.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen said that the annual event was held in order to mobilize funds from national and foreign donors to support humanitarian activities of the Cambodian Red Cross.

"Your donations reflect the will, determination and concerted effort in promoting socio-economic development, in particular for the cause of humanity through providing relief assistance to our people during hardship and natural catastrophes," he said.

During the celebration, the Cambodian Red Cross had received a total donation of 8.6 million U.S. dollars from generous people including government officials, members of parliament and senate, foreign diplomats, especially local and foreign companies doing business in Cambodia. Chinese embassy donated 10,000 U.S. dollars to support the activities of Cambodian Red Cross.

"Your support is a gracious contribution to assisting victims of all kinds of disasters and to the poverty reduction efforts of Cambodian government," said the premier's wife Bun Rany, president of Cambodian Red Cross.

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ROC donates money to build girls shelters in Cambodia

Taipei, (CNA) The Republic of China government has donated US$100,000 recently to help three charity organizations establish teenaged girls shelters in Cambodia, a Taiwan diplomat said Thursday.

The donation, made on April 27, was given to the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC) , the Fullness in Christ Fellowship (FiCF), and the Garden of Hope Foundation to help Cambodia eliminate human trafficking and protect affected teenaged girls.
Andrew Kao, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, said at the donation ceremony that the ROC government has spared no effort to uphold women's rights, protect human rights, and crack down on human trafficking.
Taiwan was listed as a "tier 1" country in the U.S. State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons report released in June 2010, which means Taiwan fully complies with the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, Kao said.
In Asia, only Taiwan and South Korea were listed among the "tier 1" countries in 2010.
He said Taiwan maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Cambodia, but is willing to help it fight against human trafficking -- a problem that has constantly plagued the Southeast Asian nation.
Both Yeh Chi-ming, the CCHC founder, and Lily Chang, a New York-based executive of the Garden of Hope Foundation, offered their appreciation to the ROC government for its generosity.
Lily Lee,president of the Garden of Hope, Cambodia,said she plans to use the donation to establish a teenager girls home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. The home, to be called the Pleroma Home for Girls, will be followed by the building of other women's homes and girls schools to help victims of human trafficking. (By Deborah Kuo) enditem/ly

Focus Taiwan

28th April, 2011

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[Australian] Students donate footy gear to Cambodian kids

Prefect and house captain Matthew Ventura is one of those organising the Boots for Cambodia project at St Pius College Chatswood.

WHEN you think of charitable works needed in Cambodia, you immediately think of housing, fresh water, schooling, clothes ... but there are other ways to make a significant contribution.


One of these might even be to donate a pair of footy boots, as the students of St Pius College Chatswood discovered.


During a Monday morning prayer at assembly students were asked to reflect on the practical things they had done during Lent, the 46 days which ended on Saturday.


The college’s languages co-ordinator, Mrs Manga, suggested working with the Indochina Starfish Foundation.


Known as ISF Australia, it has undertaken development projects in Cambodia with an emphasis on those which benefit children.


The foundation’s aim is to provide a lifeline for some of the poorest and most disadvantaged children in Cambodia.


One of ISF main projects is through encouraging, coaching and organising the children of Cambodia in playing football.
This gives the children real purpose and direction, building upon their self esteem and hope.
Throughout the year ISF Australia organises shipments of football gear to be sent and distributed to the children of Cambodia. The most recent shipment was sent to Phnom Penh.
The St Pius boys are preparing for winter sports and asked that they check whether their boots no longer fit.
They have been asked to drop their old boots, shin pads and even soccer shirts that are in good condition into a container labelled “Boots For Cambodia”.
The school will then arrange for ISF Australia to send the equipment to the children of Cambodia.


According to Northern District Times,

Chatswood, NSW

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Officials meet donor groups

Photo by: Pha Lina

Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon speaks during a donor meeting yesterday in Phnom Penh.

Donor countries and development groups raised concerns about the controversial draft NGO law and other issues during a meeting with government officials yesterday in connection with more than US$1 billion in aid pledged to Cambodia last year.


NGOs and foreign governments have come out forcefully against the proposed law, which many say would create burdensome registration requirements and allow the government to shut down civil society groups arbitrarily. The law is expected to be advanced to the Council of Ministers in the coming weeks.
In prepared remarks at yesterday’s meeting, United States Agency for International Development Mission Director Flynn Fuller said the NGO law posed a significant threat to the Kingdom’s development.
“In these times of fiscal constraint, justifying increased assistance to Cambodia will become very difficult in the face of shrinking space for civil society to function,” Fuller said.
World Bank Country Manager Qimiao Fan, too, called for further discussion of the law. He also raised concern about property rights, an increasingly dire concern in a country where tens of thousands of people have been pushed off their land in recent years.
“With rapid urbanisation, the resumption of fast economic growth and the increasing interest from investors in large-scale commercial farming, land issues will become only more challenging, as exemplified in the Boeung Kak Lake area,” Qimiao Fan said, referencing the high-profile land dispute in Phnom Penh in which more than 4,000 families may ultimately be displaced by a project run by a ruling party senator.
But Karl Anders Larsson, a counselor at the Swedish embassy, said there was little debate on the NGO law or land rights yesterday beyond the prepared statements.
“It’s part of the overall discussion on development and poverty reduction – you have to include these issues, you can’t just leave them out of the discussion, but still, there was certainly not a real discussion” on these points, he said.
Reporters were ushered out of yesterday’s meeting during the opening remarks, and numerous government officials subsequently declined to comment on the gathering.
At a meeting last June, donors offered a record US$1.1 billion in aid to the Cambodian government. As part of that process, the two sides agreed on a set of 20 development benchmarks known as “Joint Monitoring Indicators”, which cover issues ranging from land rights to demining to judicial reform.
Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, working groups established by the government in cooperation with donors presented a report on the various indicators, saying that progress had been “encouraging in many cases”. They noted, however, that gains had in some cases been limited by a lack of resources and “the complexities of issues that are being addressed”.
Local civil society groups, meanwhile, submitted their own report on the indicators, raising serious concerns about the NGO law, land rights and government transparency, among other issues.
Larsson said the NGO report was “unfortunately not discussed”, nor was the government report.
Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said the JMIs were “a wonderful mechanism”, though he stressed the need for donors and the government to follow up on the benchmarks that have been set.
“If there’s a goal that’s not been met, who’s accountable?” he said.
Yesterday’s meeting also focused on the government’s National Social Protection Strategy, budgetary issues and the structure of future meetings. In his own opening remarks, Finance Minister Keat Chhon said the Kingdom was “well-positioned to take forward an ambitious and successful programme of growth that will deliver benefits for all Cambodians”.

According to PPP

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Norway contributes over one million dollar to UN- Cambodia Tribunal

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 21 APRIL, 2011-The Government of Norway has confirmed a new contribution of NOK 6,000,000 (approximately US$ 1.1 million) to the international component of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the statement from the court said on Thursday.

With this latest contribution, Norway has provided financial assistance exceeding US$ 3.9 million to the ECCC. “We are very thankful for the generosity and continuous support offered by Norway. Such support is imperative to ensure that the court can complete its mandate, bringing justice to the Cambodian people and the victims of the Khmer Rouge who have waited for more than 30 years to see justice be done,” said Acting Director of the Office of Administration, H.E. Tony Kranh and Deputy Director Mr. Knut Rosandhaug in a statement. Norway has been supporting the ECCC since the court’s establishment in 2006.

According to DN

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Japan donates 11 fire engines for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 20 APRIL, 2011-Japan even getting hard from Tsunami and earthquake recently on Wednesday donated 11 of 20 fire trucks to Cambodia to help develop the fire fighter unit and contribute the humanitarian affairs of the country.
it will be offered to different province in the country but currently they were under control of the Phnom Penh authority after they arrived Cambodia today, Net Vantha,  office head of fire fighter department said by phone.  He could not reveal about the price of the materials.  It will help intervene to fire out in the country timely and effectively,” he noted. 11 fire trucks arrived here 20 April and in July 2010, nine fire trucks already occupied by the fire department.  Fire occurred with concern from local people who usually forget to turn off light and electric shock occurred.  Local people lost property and recent garment factories fire left hundreds of garment worker laid off job.

According to DN

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