Monday, August 24, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Border troops reduction following Hun Xen’s order
Troops face difficulties … reduction is needed
Monday, August 24, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
On Sunday, General Yim Pim, commander of Cambodian army unit No. 8 and a former Khmer Rouge army commander, said that several soldiers posted along the border are facing difficulties, therefore a reduction should take place because, right now, the border situation in normal. He added that the presence of locally based soldiers at these (border) locations should be enough to protect the present conditions as Cambodian soldiers know the region very well and they are used to living in the forest, as well as facing malaria and other diseases.
Tea Banh supports Hun Xen’s order for border troops reduction
Monday, August 24, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
12 Countries Send Delegations to Funeral
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, right, and other foreign delegates pay homage during former President Kim Dae-jung’s funeral held at the National Assembly, Sunday. Twelve countries sent delegations to the state funeral. / Korea Times Photo by Oh Dae-keunBy Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
08-23-2009
Twelve countries sent delegations to the state funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung, the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright led a 10-member U.S. delegation that included Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea policy; Harold Koh, legal adviser at the State Department; and Wendy Sherman, former counselor of the State Department and the former chief negotiator for the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.
Also included in the U.S. group were Evans Revere, president of the Korea Society, and James Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Incumbent U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens and former American ambassadors were also present. Among them were Thomas C. Hubbard (2001-2004), James T. Laney (1993-1996) and Donald Gregg (1989-1993).
The composition of the U.S. delegation was closely watched, as the issues related to North Korea have made dramatic turns in recent weeks, diplomatic sources said.
China sent an 11-member delegation, headed by former State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan. Included in the group was Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hu Zhengyue, in charge of Asian affairs and disarmament.
From Japan, a total of nine delegates were led by former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono.
Russia was represented by the solitary figure of Gleb A. Ivashentsov, the country's ambassador here.
Other foreign delegates included Michel Guerry, a member of the French Senate, and Anthony Byrne, Australian parliamentary secretary for trade.
Cambodia sent Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith and East Timor dispatched Fernando Lasama de Araujo, parliamentary chief.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
Even in death, Kim Dae-jung unites Koreas
A hearse containing a body of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, moves past the mourners after the state funeral for Kim, at the Seoul Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.(AP Photo/ Yonhap, Ha Sa-hun)
Lee Hee-ho, right, widow of the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, cries after she offered a flower to Kim before a burial, after the state funeral at the National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.(AP Photo/Jo Yong-Hak, Pool)
Lee Hee-ho, center, widow of the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, and other family members cover Kim's coffin with earth for a burial, after the state funeral at the National Cemetery in Seoul Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.(AP Photo/Jo Yong-Hak, Pool)
REFILE - CORRECTING SENTENCE STRUCTURE Honour guards and workers lower the coffin of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung into the ground during his state funeral at the National Cemetery in Seoul August 23, 2009. Kim, who was awarded the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the first summit between the leaders of the two Koreas that led to a dramatic warming of ties, died on Tuesday at the age of 85. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak 
Honor guard soldiers carry the coffin of the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung for a burial, followed by Kim's family members after the state funeral at the National Cemetery in Seoul Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.(AP Photo/Jo Yong-Hak, Pool)
Honour guards carry the coffin of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung for his burial during a state funeral at the National Cemetery in Seoul August 23, 2009. Kim, who was awarded the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the first summit between the leaders of the two Koreas that led to a dramatic warming of ties, died on Tuesday at the age of 85.REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak
South Korean Buddhist monks pray during the funeral of the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of Kim, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A vehicle putting up a portrait of late former South Korean Presiden Kim Dae-jung leads a hearse during the state funeral for Kim Dae-jung, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the funeral Sunday of ex-President, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The hearse containing the body of former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung passes by city residents during his state funeral in downtown Seoul, August 23. Kim Jong-Il had sent the envoys to Seoul to join national mourning for former president Kim, who pioneered the "sunshine" policy and held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. (AFP/POOL)
By JEAN H. LEE, Associated Press Writer
Sun Aug 23, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea – In death as in life, Kim Dae-jung managed to bring the two rival Koreas together.
Hours before his funeral Sunday, North Korean officials dispatched to Seoul to pay their respects to the Nobel Peace Prize winner held talks with South Korea's president — the first high-level inter-Korean contact after many months of tension.
They relayed a message about bilateral relations from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during a half hour of "serious and amicable" talks with President Lee Myung-bak, Lee's spokesman said.
It was a fitting breakthrough on a day of mourning for a man who made history by traveling to Pyongyang in 2000 to meet Kim Jong Il for the first summit between leaders of the two countries.
"Farewell, Mr. Sunshine," read yellow placards held up by mourners who packed the plaza outside City Hall on Sunday to watch a broadcast of his funeral at the National Assembly. Kim died Tuesday at the age of 85.
The two Koreas technically remain in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty. Tanks and troops still guard the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone bisecting the peninsula.
Kim Dae-jung, however, was respected on both sides of the border. As president from 1998 to 2003, he advocated a "Sunshine Policy" of engaging the isolated North and sought to ease reconciliation by plying the impoverished nation with aid.
In 2000, he traveled to Pyongyang for the summit with Kim Jong Il. Raising their hands aloft in a sight that would have been unimaginable just years earlier, the two Kims pledged to embark on a new era of peace on the Korean peninsula.
The following years saw a blossoming of reconciliation projects, including the emotional temporary reunions of thousands of family members separated by the Korean War, the restoration of a cross-border cargo train and inter-Korean business ventures.
Some criticized the flow of money to North Korea, which has evaded years of international pressure to dismantle its nuclear program.
Relations have been tense since Lee, a conservative, took office in February 2008, abandoning the Sunshine Policy and insisting that North Korea must prove its commitment to international nuclear disarmament pacts before it can expect aid.
Pyongyang, in response, ditched the reconciliation talks and most of the inter-Korean projects and routinely excoriated Lee in state media as "scum" and a "traitor" to Korean reconciliation.
The North also has been locked in an international standoff with the U.S. and other nations over its atomic ambitions after launching a rocket, test-firing missiles and conducting an underground nuclear test this year.
However, there have been signs the tensions may be easing. After welcoming former President Bill Clinton during his mission to secure the release of two jailed American reporters, the North freed a South Korean citizen held for four months. Pyongyang also said it would allow some joint projects to resume.
Kim Dae-jung's death prompted condolences from Kim Jong Il, who authorized the high-level delegation of six to pay their respects — the first time the North has sent officials to mourn a South Korean president.
Led by senior Workers' Party official Kim Ki Nam and spy chief Kim Yang Gon, the delegation went straight to the National Assembly mourning site Friday to leave a wreath on behalf of Kim Jong Il and bow before Kim's portrait.
Extending their trip by a day, three North Korean officials met Sunday morning with Lee, relaying Kim Jong Il's thoughts on "progress on inter-Korean cooperation," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said. He declined to quote the exact message, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
The South Korean president then detailed his government's "consistent and firm" policy on North Korea and reiterated the need for "sincere" dialogue between the two Koreas, the spokesman said.
"We're returning in a positive mood," Kim Ki Nam told reporters before departing.
Hours later, a somber funeral took place at the National Assembly, where Kim — who endured torture, death threats and imprisonment during his decades as a dissident — triumphantly took the oath of office as South Korea's president in 1998.
Though best known abroad for his efforts to reach out to North Korea, Kim Dae-jung was admired at home for devoting his life to the fight for democracy during South Korea's early years of authoritarian rule.
A native of South Jeolla Province in the southwest, he went up against Seoul's military and political elite. He narrowly lost to Park Chung-hee in a 1971 presidential election — a near-win that earned him Park's wrath. Weeks later, Kim was injured in a traffic accident he believed was an assassination attempt, and barely survived a Tokyo abduction engineered by South Korean intelligence.
In 1980, tens of thousands took to the streets in Kim's southern stronghold, Gwangju, to protest the junta that seized power when Park was assassinated in office. Kim, accused of fomenting the protests, was sentenced to death.
International calls for leniency resulted in a suspended prison sentence, and he went into exile. Returning in 1985, he helped usher in a new era of democracy in South Korea.
"We love you, Mr. President Kim Dae-jung. We will not forget you," read one banner outside the National Assembly. "Democracy, peace, human rights: We will carry out your will, Mr. President," read another. Yellow ribbons and balloons lined the street leading to parliament.
Memorials nationwide for the man dubbed the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his lifelong struggle for democracy attracted some 700,000 people, the government said.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo praised Kim in a eulogy as a passionate leader who dedicated his life to democracy, human rights, peace and reconciliation. He recalled Kim's resilience during the hard fight for democracy, and his skillful handling of the financial crisis of the late 1990s.
"Today we are overwhelmed with heartbreaking grief and sorrow. The whole of Korea is truly overcome with great sadness," Han said at the multifaith ceremony held under a blistering sun.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was among the dignitaries who joined more than 20,000 for the funeral at parliament. Another 14,000 mourners gathered outside City Hall to watch a broadcast of the ceremony, police said.
"My heart feels so empty. I'm so sad," said Kim Nam-yeop, 53. "He is someone who sacrificed his entire life for democracy, North-South Korean peace, and our economy."
Kim was buried at the national cemetery in Seoul, a blanket knit by his widow and a Bible tucked into his coffin.
"I hope you'll leave with the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness," his wife, Lee Hee-ho, told mourners at City Hall. "This is my husband's last wish."
___
Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim, Nicolai Hartvig and Wanjin Park contributed to this report.
Lasers the weapons of choice in battle to preserve world heritage sites
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz
http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Monday Aug 24, 2009
By Paul Gallagher
Scientists are to record three-dimensional models of world heritage sites so that they can be recreated if they fall victim to climate change, natural disaster, war or terrorism.
The team of six Scottish scientists - from Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art - will team up next month with an American company, CyArk, to shoot laser beams at Mt Rushmore in South Dakota.
They will create a 3D model accurate to within 3mm, digitally preserving the carved faces of former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln should they need to be repaired.
Funding for the project was rushed through because of concerns over the deterioration of the granite rockface.
CyArk has identified several other "at-risk" sites, including the Acropolis in Athens, threatened by acid rain, and Machu Picchu in Peru, which suffers from excessive tourism. Pollution, over-expansion and deforestation may have permanently damaged Tikal National Park in Guatemala, one of the largest archaeological remains of the pre-Columbian Maya civilisation.
CyArk's aim is to create 3D models of 500 sites around the world in a five-year project.
Work began this year on scanning the underworld of Rome, 170km of winding catacombs dating back two millennia, and the Zapotec capital of Monte Alban, in Mexico.
Other sites proposed for digital mapping include Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Khmer temple complex built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, Thebes in Egypt and Pompeii, the Roman town buried by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.
The Scottish team has already created 3D models of Stirling Castle and Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, Scotland.
Scanning is almost complete on New Lanark's world heritage site, a restored 18th-century cotton mill in southern Scotland. Once work is complete at Mount Rushmore in October, the team will move to Skara Brae, "the heart of Neolithic Orkney", on an island north of Scotland, which is under threat from coastal erosion.
Tinh Bien customs duty free zone opens
VOV Newshttp://english.vovnews.vn
08/23/2009
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang opened the first customs duty free zone at the Tinh Bien border gate on August 22.
Currently, six businesses have built supermarkets, shops and warehouses and 43 others have registered to do business there and export their products to Cambodia.
Lam Minh Chieu, Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee said that the zone is a place for domestic producers to store their products and look for partners to export products to Cambodia.
On the occasion, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee held a Vietnamese high-quality products festival.
Border trade zone draws thousands
A customer chooses footwear at the border market in the Tinh Bien Commercial Zone in southern province of An Giang. This zone that borders Cambodia officially opens to promote high quality Vietnamese goods. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai AN GIANG — The official opening of the Tinh Bien Commercial Zone in An Giang Province today coincides with a festival to promote high quality Vietnamese goods in the Tinh Bien area that borders Cambodia.
The 10ha commercial zone with duty-free businesses attract 1,500 visitors every day.
Forty-three companies have registered to conduct business in the zone, representing a total of more than VND350 billion (US$19.5 million) in registered capital. Twenty-four of them have begun operations.
Domestic and international tourists are allowed to buy imported products at the supermarket in the Tinh Bien Commercial Zone, and are exempt from import taxes, value-added tax and special consumption taxes for the first VND500,000 of purchases.
The two-day festival of Vietnamese goods attracted 60 Vietnamese businesses to display high quality goods, including textiles and garments, footwear, handicrafts, chemicals, foodstuff and construction materials.
The festival is part of Viet Nam’s efforts to enhance exports and duty-free sales to Cambodia, according to organisers.
Participating enterprises could take the opportunity to promote trade and explore distribution channels, said the An Giang People’s Committee chairman, Lam Minh Chieu.
Cambodian distributors can also sign import deals at the event.
Nguyen Minh Tri, head of the zone’s management board, said the fair played a significant role in the export of Vietnamese goods to Cambodia.
During the fair, Hau Giang Pharmaceutical Joint-Stock Company and An Giang Province’s General Hospital will provide free health check-ups for 400 poor residents living in Cambodia’s border area.
The organisers will also take preventive measures against swine flu during the event.
An Giang, sharing a 94-km-long frontier with Cambodia, is home to five international and national border gates, including Tinh Bien, Vinh Xuong, Khanh Binh, Bac Dai and Vinh Hoi Dong.
The province said total export turnover of commodities transported via the five border gates in the first eight months of 2009 was US$438 million. — VNS
Myanmar, S Korea strive for enhancing bilateral co-op in multi-sectors
by Chen Meihua
YANGON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar and South Korea have been striving for enhancing bilateral relations especially bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors such as economy, investment, education, tourism and culture.
According to the official statistics, Myanmar-South Korea bilateral trade amounted to 252 million U.S. dollars in the fiscal year of 2008-09 (April-March), significantly increasing from 108.2million dollars in 2007-08.
Of the total, Myanmar's export to Korea took 63.7 million dollars while its import from the East Asian country stood 188.48 million dollars.
South Korea has become the 8th largest trading partner of Myanmar which exported to Korea about 3,000 items of goods covering agricultural produces, marine and forest products, and garments, while it mainly imported from Korea steel, garment, electrical and electronic goods.
In a bid to boost trade with Myanmar, South Korea granted import duty free and quota free on 253 more Myanmar goods items for this year which include agricultural produces, marine and forestry products, textile and traditional handicraft products.
South Korea's duty exemption on the Myanmar commodities has brought the total number of goods items at HS 6 digit level originated from least-developed countries including Myanmar to 4,074.
In the first half of this year, with the order increasing by 30percent, Myanmar's garment export to South Korea rose with a proceeds of 14.4 million U.S. dollars, up 16.2 percent compared with the same period of last year.
In the investment sector, South Korea's investment in Myanmar reached 240 million U.S. dollars up to March this year since 1988, standing as the 10th largest foreign investor in the country according to the Union of Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI).
The East Asian country's investment in 37 projects accounted for 1.52 percent of Myanmar's total foreign investment of 15 billion dollars, the UMFCCI said.
Meanwhile, a South Korean leading private HC company is seeking new investment in Yadanar Theinki mining block in Myanmar's northern Shan state on a mutually-beneficial basis and a field survey has been underway since early this year.
Moreover, A total of seven Myanmar companies and 70 Korean companies have sought investment and trade worth of 31 million U.S. dollars in Myanmar following a sideline meeting of private entrepreneurs of both countries at the June commemorative summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea held in Jeju Island.
To encourage Myanmar workers to work in South Korea and solve domestic unemployment problem, under an agreement between the two countries' labor ministries, Myanmar has sent 389 workers in the first seven months of this year to work in the sectors of agriculture, marine, and industries under an employment permit system (EP system).
At the same time, with the sponsor of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), dozens of government employees from various ministries are to be sent this year to pursue advanced technological expertise in the industry and IT fields under Korean government sponsorship.
So far, a total of 1,000 Myanmar state employees have been sent under KOICA sponsorship since 1991.
As part of the two countries' cooperation in the technological development in the irrigation sector, the KOICA is also building an irrigation-related laboratory center in country's second largest of Mandalay.
The KOICA has stationed in Myanmar since 1991 providing the technical expertise and equipment needed for social service organizations as well as training in related fields.
Dealing with the education sector, the South Korean government is offering more scholarships for Myanmar pre-university students to study Korean language in Korean university for three years and winning students could benefit from studying at the National Institute for International Education (NIED) in South Korea's capital city of Seoul.
In tourism sector, the KOICA has been cooperating with the Myanmar Ministry of Culture in implementing project of greening the ancient city of Bagan to attract more world travelers to the tourist site. The move would also affect prevention against forest depletion and preserving natural environment.
Furthermore, the two countries have also been cooperating in the sector of culture. Besides launching Korean film week, Korean TV and the KBS shot a documentary film -- Insight in Asia 2009 during last year and more documentary video on Myanmar's Theravada Buddhism titled "Road to Nibbana" will also be shot in the country's famous Inlay Water Village in northern Shan State.
In November last year, the KBS group had also come to Myanmar and video Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan where over 2,000 pagodas and monasteries lie.
In February this year, the Myanmar Ministry of Information and the Korea Broadcasting Institute (KBI) signed an agreement on shooting documentary film on Myanmar's Buddhism and natural scenery which will be broadcast in Korean TV channels such as KBS-1, KBS-2, MBC, and SBS.
Thai PM says to focus efforts on development, justice in S Thailand
BANGKOK, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday that his government has restructured the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) with the objective to make it more efficient in order to end the ongoing violence in Thailand's restive deep South.
Speaking during his weekly TV and radio address, Abhisit said he was optimistic that situation in the deep South would improve after completion of the restructuring of the SBPAC plan, approved by the Cabinet last week.
Under Cabinet approval, the position of director of SBPAC will be equivalent to permanent secretary of ministry and report directly to the prime minister, he said.
Most importantly, the role of SBPAC will focus on development and offering justice to the residents of the troubled region instead of suppressing the insurgency as in the past, said Abhisit.
In solving problems, representatives of the people will be allowed to participate in meetings while a so-called 'People Council' will be set up to oversee whether government officials have abused their power. Officials found to have abused power will be punished, he said.
In another development, early Sunday morning, unidentified gunmen on two pick-up trucks sprayed bullets into a security checkpoint in Thailand's southern border province of Narathiwat early Sunday morning, killing two soldiers and injuring two other soldiers and a policeman.
Police believed the southern separatist militants were behind the attack.
Thailand's deep South, which includes mainly the three southernmost provinces, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, as well as some parts of Songkla province, has undergone violence by suspected separatists for years, during which more than 3,000 people have been killed since 2004.
2 soldiers killed in insurgency attack in S Thailand
BANGKOK, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen on two pick-up trucks sprayed bullets into a security checkpoint in Thailand's southern border province of Narathiwat early Sunday morning, killing two soldiers and injuring two other soldiers and a policeman, Thai media reported.
The attack against the checkpoint at the Yoongthong Intersection in Takbai district happened at 4:26 a.m. (2126 GMT Saturday), local newspaper The Nation's website quoted police sources as saying Sunday.
Police said the first pick-up truck arrived at the scene and parked about five meters away from the checkpoint, which has a police booth. The booth was manned by two policemen, four soldiers and a Provincial Administration Department official.
When the second pick-up truck arrived at the checkpoint, the officials informed the driver that they needed to search the truck. But about 10 men on the back of the truck opened fire at the authorities immediately.
The other truck then joined the fight and the two sides exchange gunfire for about 10 minutes before the two trucks fled the scene.
One soldier died at the scene and the other one died at the Narathiwat Provincial Hospital.
Police believed the southern separatist militants were behind the attack.
Thailand's deep South, which includes mainly the three southernmost provinces, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, as well as some parts of Songkla province, has undergone violence by suspected separatists for years, during which more than 3,000 people have been killed since 2004.
Drunken Cambodian workers attack
http://www.pattayapeople.comBrothers attack co-workers with knives
On Fri, just after midnight, the Banglamung Police were called to the scene of attack at the construction worker’s camp of the Wandee Group, on Soi Naklua 16/2.
The Police then rushed to investigate. Upon arrival, the officers discovered a group of injured men, who were Cambodian construction workers, waiting for help from the authorities outside the camp. The Police sent them to Banglamung hospital for treatment. Four workers had been slashed by knives on their arms, heads and legs. All the injured were treated separately, as they were still in drunken condition. The Head of the Cambodian workers, Joy, aged 30, told Police that before the incident occurred, the workers had been paid, and then set to drinking in a circle inside the camp. After they all got quite drunk, a brawl started. The troublemakers, Pao and Lain, aged 29 and 26, who are brothers, pulled out their knives and slashed their co-workers, but the two had also been beaten up by their friends as well. All of the injured parties will be interrogated after they get better.
News stories placed on this website are short versions. If you would like the full story, please read the Pattaya People Weekly newspaper.
Taiwan bars Thai surrogate mother company from seeking clients
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com
http://www.nationmultimedia.com
Sun, August 23, 2009
By Deutsche Presse Agentur
Taipei - Taiwan has warned a Thai surrogate company against seeking infertile-parent clients in Taiwan because Taipei's law still bans using surrogate mothers to produce babies, a newspaper said Sunday.
Wu Hsiu-ying, an official from the Council of Agriculture, told the Apple Daily that doctors who introduce infertile parents to a foreign surrogate mother company face loss of license and fines of up to 250,000 Taiwan dollars (7,500 US dollars.)
"Taiwan has not passed the surrogate mother bill. So if a doctor arranges a surrogate mother for infertile parents here, he or she could lose their doctor's license," she told the Apple Daily.
An Apple Daily reporter, posing as a client, had contacted the headquarters of a Thai firm, Baby 101, in Bangkok about the service. The reporter said he was told it would charge 50,000 dollars for the service.
The surrogate mothers, who were reportedly Vietnamese, live in a dormitory 20 minutes drive from Bangkok.
Baby 101 has been advertising to potential Taiwan clients for quite some time through a Chinese-language ad on the Internet. The ad lists Baby 101's headquarters' telephone number in the Thai capital Bangkok, and its branch company's telephone number in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh.
An estimated one of every seven Taiwan couples is incapable of bearing children, the Apple Daily reported.
More than a gateway to Angkor
Pathway to the past: The gardens behind the National Museum, which houses a vast array of Angkorian artefacts and Buddhas. (JP/Sara Veal) Sara Veal , CONTRIBUTOR , JAKARTA
Sun, 08/23/2009
Thinking of visiting Cambodia? You’re likely picturing the serene faces of the Angkor temples. Possibly even the sandy beaches of Sihanoukville. But what about Phnom Penh?
I’ve met countless people who have either entirely bypassed Cambodia’s 143-year-old capital city in their quest for ancient empires and beach parties, or merely considered it a stop-off point, a place to quickly view the tragic remnants of the Khmer Rouge regime. Which is a shame, as Lady Penh (the city’s founder and enduring spirit) is a charming hostess – give her the chance, and she will make you feel right at home, offering an intoxicating, accessible mix of rich culture, fine cuisine and aesthetic delights.
In a single day you can visit elegant pagodas, inspiring exhibitions, learn Khmer cooking, browse markets for silks and keepsakes, watch traditional dance and cruise along the Mekong. Punctuated this with mouth-watering meals and cap it off with hours of dancing at a sardine-packed nightclub and you may never want to leave.
Holly and I touched down in Phnom Penh International Airport in the early evening. After breezing through customs, we took a taxi into town – a flat US$9 to anywhere in the center – along the way admiring the eye-catching blend of reinvigorated yellow French colonial buildings, art-deco structures, Khmer temples, glassy office buildings and tacky, cake-like residences.
We stayed at the Blue Dog Guest House (#13, St. 51). Owned by newlyweds Ty and Hun, it’s within walking distance of one of the city’s key sights, the Independence Monument. Launched just over a year ago, it offers eight rooms priced between US$5-12 a night, as well as a limited but cheap and delicious menu.
If you fancy something more upscale, Phnom Penh is full of boutique hotels and 5-star luxury, such as the Frangipani Villa 90s ($25-60) or the Amanjaya ($155-250). If on the other hand you’re really trying to save, look around the Boeung Kak lake area for rooms as low as $3.
It is easy to get around Phnom Penh, as there is little traffic and most drivers know the city like the back of their hand. Pick up the free The Phnom Penh Visitors Guide as soon as you see it, for maps and tips; its usually available at eateries and guesthouses.
Visitors mostly travel via tuk-tuks (motorcycle trailers), which offer a surprisingly quiet, pleasant ride. I recommend committing to one tuk-tuk driver. Tuk-tuk drivers, who mostly have impressive English skills, can help you with booking bus tickets, arranging river cruises and even getting a SIM card ($10) for your cell phone.
Monument to past and future glory: The Independence Monument, which was inaugurated on November 9, 1962, to celebrate Cambodia’s independence from colonial rule. (JP/Holly Kosmin)
All the city’s major points of interest can be visited within a day, but its best to set aside at least two or three. The Independence Monument, an architectural celebration of Cambodia’s independence from foreign rule in 1962; Wat Phnom, a small hill that marks the city’s legendary founding site; the National Museum ($3 entrance); the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum; the Killing Fields; and the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, the King’s residence, should all be checked out. A market visit to either Phsar Toul Tom Poung, the Russian market, which offers a large selection of souvenirs, silks and curios, or Phsar Thmey (Central Market), a striking art-deco building, which specialises in jewels and gold, is also a must.
Beyond the obligatory sights, the city centre has much to offer in the way of shopping and dining. There are four main areas for these more leisurely pursuits: Street 178 or “Art Street”; Street 240; the Riverfront area and the Boeng Keng Kang area or “The Foreigner’s Quarter”.
Street 178 is right by the National Museum, so after I had spent the morning browsing Angkorian artefacts, I wandered around “Art Street”. Most of the artists can be seen at work and are happy to answer any questions you might like to bother them with. Chea Hak, of shop Hak Rachana, was working intently on a wood carving, which he said would take a week to complete. He can sell it for $100.
The best place to eat near Art Street is Friends (#215, St. 13), a delightful tapas restaurant that is run as part of a program to teach street youth marketable skills. Holly and I feasted on several dishes ($2-5), including mango coleslaw and zucchini fritters.
My favourite place in Phnom Penh is Street 240, a tree-lined avenue near the Royal Palace, which boasts excellent boutiques, unique handicrafts, second-hand bookstores, delectable eateries and the best spa in town (Bliss, #29). I splurged at Mekong-Quilts (#49, St.240), a non-profit organisation that aims to provide employment and increase family incomes for communities in the remote villages of Svay Rieng province.
I returned to haunt Street 240’s cafes several times, enjoying Mediterranean tapas at Tamarind (#31), burgers at Freebird Bar and Grill (#69) and cakes at The Shop (#39).
The Riverfront is a great place to spend the evening, affording a view of the Mekong sunset. It is home to many of Phnom Penh’s most enduring institutions, such as the famous Foreign Correspondents Club and the original Happy Herb Pizza. Cantina, a popular “gringo” haunt decorated with onset photos from Matt Dillon’s City of Ghosts (2002) had excellent Mexican food. Most of the best places to boogie are nearby too, such as the Riverhouse Lounge (#6, Street 110).
A thing of beauty: Street 178 artist Chea Hak at work, in front of his shop, Hak Rachana. He is carving an intricate, decorative wooden piece that will form part of a door. (JP/Sara Veal)
“The Foreigners’ Quarter”, near the Independence Monument, is rife with embassies, hotels and expatriate residences. I frequented the Java Café and Gallery (#56, Sihanouk), a must for lap-top addicts, sampling a range of teas and fresh salads.
Nearby was Romdeng, a sister-restaurant to Friends, which offers Khmer specialities like fried spiders, as well as a fascinating exhibition “Imagine That” that showcased pictures street kids had taken of tourists in Siem Reap. The infamous Heart of Darkness nightclub is around here (#26, St. 51), where you can dance until dawn.
Besides all this, you can also take cooking classes at Khmer restaurant Frizz (#67, St. 240), watch shadow puppet performances at the Sovanna Phum Art Association (#111, St. 260), and Apsara dancing at Bopha Phnom Penh Titanic (Sisowath Quay). And no trip to Phnom Penh is truly complete with a boat ride down the Mekong, perfect around sunset ($5).
After a week of such delights, I felt relaxed, exhilarated, inspired and fatter. As the airplane took off, I watched the city disappear into the patches of green and brown paddyfields that dominate the Cambodian landscape, watching the ever-present Mekong shrink into a shimmering, twisting snake… and planned my next visit.
The gateway to the rest of Cambodia
Roads have been greatly improving in Cambodia, making it increasingly easy to travel from Phnom Penh to other Khmer cities. Buses are a (usually) comfortable and affordable way to get around, with one-way tickets starting from $5. You can also hire private cars from $25. There are several bus companies dotted around the city, especially near the Riverfront and Boeng Kak lake area. I visited Sihanoukville and Kampot.
Sihanoukville: (Paramount Angkor Express, $11 return, 4 hrs each way) Cambodia’s premier beach town. Stay in Ochheuteal beach or Serendipity beach if you’re the dance-til-dawn type… if you’d prefer a blissful getaway, try the more low-key Otres beach or Victory beach. Sample fresh seafood, scuba-dive and take day trips to exotic islands. Stay at the Beach Road hotel ($10-45) and dine at Cambodge Garden ($2-5 per dish).
Kampot: (Phnom Penh Sorya, $10 return, 3 hrs) A quaint, sleepy town, with few tourists, colonial architecture and breathtaking views of the river and surrounding mountains, sheltering ghostly hill stations. The perfect place to truly get away from it all. Stay at the Bodhi Villa ($3-8), which offers an excellent mix of homemade comfort food and Khmer specialities, and a friendly bar.
Flights: Ours were $170 there and back thanks to Air Asia – book in advance and be prepared for two check-ins
Visa: $20 one-month tourist visa available on arrival. Can be extended for a further month. Good to have a passport photo ready.
Airport Tax: $25 – payable upon departure.
Currency: US dollars and Khmer Riels (about 4000R to US$1).
Accommodation: From $3, depending on where you’re staying
Meals: Expect to pay $4-7 a meal, minus alcoholic drinks, at popular eateries. Water is usually provided for free.
Transport: Tuk-tuks ($1-2 for short trips, $10-15 all day), motos and cyclos (1500-4000R, $8/day), taxis ($4-5, $35/day). You can also rent a bicycle, motorcycle or car for your trip – inquire at your guesthouse.
Language: Khmer. Most people you will encounter speak reasonable English, and don’t expect visitors to understand Khmer. French can also be useful.
Wi-Fi: Many cafes and guesthouses offer Wi-Fi access, either free or available through Hotspot cards (starting at $5 for 5 hours), which you can buy from most supermarkets.
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