REAKSMEY KONGKEA

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim has called on all Buddhist monks and other Buddhist followers to continue to support and maintain the beauty of Cambodia’s national religion, traditional culture, and civilization. The President made this announcement whilst presiding over the 17th Annual Buddhist Monk Congress. This meeting was arranged by the Ministry of Cults and Religions on December 17-18 and took place at Chaktomuk Conference Hall in Phnom Penh. According to Chea Sim the Buddhism in Cambodia is in the best of health and being a living, vibrant religion, has many worthy contributions to make. He added that this is the result of peace, progress and political stability, established by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the Royal Government of Cambodia under the leadership of the Prime Minster Hun Sen. “Buddhism is a leading social and cultural strength. It is the state religion and has existed in Cambodia since the third century,” he said. “It is ...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has ordered to stop the sale and as well as transporting the chickens and ducks from about three kilometers radius for 30 says inspection period, especially Doeum Roeus commune, Kandal Stung district, Kandal province, said officials. Kao Phal, Director of Animal Health and Food Production Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries (MoAFF), said on December 17, his authorities have issued an official announcement to stop the sale of chickens. He said the announcement was made after the area investigation was done by the MoAFF and Health Ministry Officials following the exposure of one case of a 19-year-old man on November 28. He told the Cambodia Weekly that the Ministry decided to kill about 400 chickens and would continue with more chickens and ducks in the area in order to contain the spread of the virus, which experts fear could mutate into a more dangerous form for human beings.Dr. Ly...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Ministry of Health has issued a directive to curb the operations of certain ambulance services. Rogue operators are patrolling the streets and grabbing victims of traffic accidents to take them to private clinics. Whilst the victim may be incapacitated, they are nevertheless to be offered rational medical attention best fitting the scenario. Narrow and unseemly commercial considerations on the other hand should not be considered a priority in an emergency situation, according to the Royal Government of Cambodia. Heng Taykry, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health, said that the directive is to eliminate the uncontrolled practice of peeling traffic accident victims off the street and transporting them to private clinics that may be too far away or improperly equipped to really help a victim. This system depends on a network of tipsters in the employ of various private clinics. These people report the location of road accidents and ambulances are dispat...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Prach Sun, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment (MoE), said his government has banded together with the wider international community to fight climate change and mitigate its impact. “We know that climate change is a global environmental issue which has negative impact regionally and globally, particularly in developing countries like Cambodia, where many people rely on natural resources for their livelihoods,” he said. The Secretary of State continued that his ministry, through the Cambodia Climate Change Office (CCCO) has been working closely with national and international partners to enforce protocol and to support the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The Ministry of Environment has been working with United Nations agencies and other organizations to carry out projects related to climate change in preparation for the initial national communication on Cambodia's greenhouse gas emissions. The national projects have been designed to conform ...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Cambodian government has plans to establish conservation habitats for aquatic birds and other animal species to keep them safe from human hunters, according to Thuk Kroeun Vutha, Secretary of State at the Environment Ministry. “To preserve bird and animal species the government has plans to expand conversation areas to protect natural biodiversity in pristine environments in provinces across the country,” the Secretary of State said during introductory remarks made during the opening of a Workshop. This workshop was held under the banner “Sustainable Control of Aquatic Birds and their Habitats”. It was prepared by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) with help from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries (MoAFF). The Secretary of State said that according to the master plan, the areas under consideration include stretches of bank surrounding the Tonle Sap Lake and Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Pursat, Kampong Chhnang and Ramsar, located in...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Cambodian government has plans to establish conservation habitats for aquatic birds and other animal species to keep them safe from human hunters, according to Thuk Kroeun Vutha, Secretary of State at the Environment Ministry. “To preserve bird and animal species the government has plans to expand conversation areas to protect natural biodiversity in pristine environments in provinces across the country,” the Secretary of State said during introductory remarks made during the opening of a Workshop. This workshop was held under the banner “Sustainable Control of Aquatic Birds and their Habitats”. It was prepared by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) with help from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries (MoAFF). The Secretary of State said that according to the master plan, the areas under consideration include stretches of bank surrounding the Tonle Sap Lake and Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Pursat, Kampong Chhnang and Ramsar, located in...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA About 20,000 visitors from Phnom Penh and other provinces came to see a Lakhaon Basac performance of an old favorite - “Kraithong Kropeur Charavann” at the National Olympic Stadium on December 10, 2008. The theater performance was organized by the Cambodian Television Network (CTN) with support from the Randonal Wine Company and CamGSM Company Limited. The “Kraithong Kropeur Charavann” was performed by a group of Cambodian boxers, film stars and CTN staff members, with a staring role for Choun Chy alias “Kuy”, a famous Comedian, according to Pol Vibo, Deputy Director General of CTN. Vibo said that “Kraithong Kropeur Charavann” is the one of the best documented of the traditional Cambodian stories, with a film produced in the 1960s in existence. He said that the story has not been retold in theatres since the civil wars in Cambodia. “This is the first time that CTN has attempted such a project and it aims to conserve and promote the art form for the enjoyment of...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim has called on all Buddhist monks and other Buddhist followers to continue to support and maintain the beauty of Cambodia’s national religion, traditional culture, and civilization. The President made this announcement whilst presiding over the 17th Annual Buddhist Monk Congress. This meeting was arranged by the Ministry of Cults and Religions on December 17-18 and took place at Chaktomuk Conference Hall in Phnom Penh. According to Chea Sim the Buddhism in Cambodia is in the best of health and being a living, vibrant religion, has many worthy contributions to make. He added that this is the result of peace, progress and political stability, established by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the Royal Government of Cambodia under the leadership of the Prime Minster Hun Sen. “Buddhism is a leading social and cultural strength. It is the state religion and has existed in Cambodia since the third century,” he said. “It is ...

By BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Khmer Gastronomy Festival was held on December 5 at the National Cultural Center in Phnom Penh. The festival was organized by Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MoCFA). A total of 41 Cambodian cooks including 5 male competitors, all of them professional chefs from 13 cities and provinces across the country attended the competition. “It is the 9th time that the ministry has organized this cooking event to show the people in Cambodia, how the best of our national cuisine is made “, said Him Chhaem, Minister of MoCFA. He said, “The main purpose of the cooking competition is to promote our culinary heritage, with special attention paid to regional foods from each province and city in the Kingdom of Cambodia.” He added,” Another objective of the event is to document and conserve all Khmer traditional cultural foods for enjoyment by the next generation.” He said that according to MoCFA documents, Cambodia can boast of hundreds of traditional dishes all of th...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Cambodia has organized the 13th International Marathon, scheduled for December 7. The event is to be held in Siem Reap province, site of the Angkor Wat temple complex and one of the richest sites of cultural interest in the world, according to Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and the Chairman of National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC). The Minister revealed that about 2,200 athletes including over 800 participants from 31 other countries have signed up to take part in the International Marathon. He said that last year about 2,000 athletes had competed in the Siem Reap race. “This is the centerpiece sporting event for the whole year and this year marks the 13th occasion that the Marathon has been run.” said the Minister. “The marathon race will not only bring glory to the winner, but it will also promote tourism in the region.” Meas Sarin, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), and Secretary General of the NOCC, sai...

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Over 70 kite flyers from 15 different cities and provinces across the country have attended the Khmer Kite Flying Festival on December 5 in Phnom Penh. The festival took place at Samdech Hun Sen Park on the banks of the river and was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MoCFA). Minh Kosny, Secretary of State with MoCFA, said that this was the 12th such festival organized in Phnom Penh. “The main purpose of the event is to demonstrate the skill of the flyers and the beauty of their kites. We hope that the younger generation of spectators will be encouraged to take the hobby up for themselves, thus preserving this ancient art for future generations. The event will also help us choose flyers for competition both here and in future international competitions,” she said. The Secretary of State said that Khmer kite flying is an important symbol of Khmer identity. She added that its history dates back over 400 years to the Fu-nan period, also known as t...