REAKSMEY KONGKEA

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed an agreement to provide grant aid and concession loans for development and improvement projects in Cambodian urban communities. The agreement was signed by the Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Kazuhiro Yoneda, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Cambodia on March 25 in Phnom Penh. Chhon said at the signing ceremony that the funding will support equipment improvements for de-mining activities and the Niroth Water Supply Project. The concession loan for Niroth Water Supply Project equals 3,513 million Japanese yen, or about US$35 million, and carries an interest rate of 0.01 percent per year and with a repayment period of 40 years, including a 10-year grace period, according to Chhon. He said the loan will be used for construction of a water treatment plant that will increase its ca

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Lao Seiha, 20, one of The University of Cambodia’s (UC) “Samdech Hun Sen – Handa National Scholarships 2008”students, was born in Kampong Cham Province and has been studying Information Technology (IT) at the University. He also has been studying for a Physics and Chemistry Specialization at the Phnom Penh Regional Pedagogical Center (PPRPC) in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in Phnom Penh as well as English and computer skills at private school in Phnom Penh. Seiha passed the scholarship exams offered by UC and he later passed the scholarship exams at the Phnom Penh Regional Pedagogical Center in 2008. “I was happy after I passed both scholarship exams,” he said. “I am lucky to pass the scholarship exams in the same academic year and to study at the UC and PPRPC.” Seiha remembered his learning experience at the Chea Sim Samaky High School in Phnom Penh, where he received a Baccalaureate in 2008. He applied to study IT at UC following the introducti

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Royal Government of Cambodia plans to build more water irrigation systems in order to improve the agricultural sector and develop farming activities in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen said during the Chareuk Water Irrigation Construction’s inauguration ceremony in Pursat province. The agricultural sector is a main priority in Phase II of the government’s Rectangle Strategy 2008 to 2013. “The Royal Government of Cambodia will do its best to build more dams and water irrigation systems for Cambodian farmers in all cities and provinces across the Kingdom of Cambodia,” Hun Sen said. Lim Kean Hor, Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM), said in the past, Cambodian farmers’ practices were dependent on the rainy season. They could produce rice only one or two times per year. In recent years, Cambodian farmers have faced many problems due to the droughts and the lack of water irrigation systems, he said. During the fourth mandate of the government, M

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Phar Ponleu Selpak, an arts organization in Phnom Penh, in cooperation with the French Cultural Center (CCF), hosted a joint international circus March 27-28, 2009, in Phnom Penh, aiming to promote and conserve traditional and contemporary arts and culture in Cambodia. Mao Kosal, Executive Director of Phar Ponleu Selpak, said 84 professional circus artists, including 28 Cambodians and 35 international artists from nine countries, took part in the performance. The artists came from all over the world, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Laos, and Vietnam. Kosal said this is the sixth circus organized by Phar Ponleu Selpak. The purpose of the event is to share various styles of circus performances among Cambodian and international artists in order to promote and develop the arts in Cambodia. “This cultural event will promote traditional and contemporary arts and culture with the nine countries that participated. I hope that as a result of the con

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) plans to promote the women players in the increasingly popular game of football in order to help overcome the cultural obstacles for Cambodian women and highlight women’s standing in society. Phoeung Sakona, Secretary of State at MoEYS, said the ministry has established training centers in cities and provinces for students and girl football players at all levels, primary to high school. Since 2006, MoEYS has conducted training courses for coaches and for both male and female football players from cities and provinces, according to Sakona. She said MoEYS also organizes student sport competitions, including football competitions with female participants, in schools every year. “Of all the sports, football is one of the most popular games for Cambodian people, and not only Cambodian men prefer to watch football competitions but also women,” Sakona said during her opening remarks delivered to the FIFA Women’s Footb

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Pech Sophealeak, 18, who was born in Phnom Penh, is one of The University of Cambodia’s “Samdech Hun Sen-Handa National Scholarships 2008” recipients. She is the oldest in her family of two brothers and one sister. She now studies English Literature at UC. Sophealeak earned her Baccalaureate from Bak Touk High School in Phnom Penh in 2008. She applied to study English Literature at UC following the introduction of the “Samdech Techo Hun Sen Vision-100 Scholarships” and “Samdech Hun Sen-Handa National Scholarships 2008” in 2008. She now studies very hard to make the most of the opportunities presented to her. Sophealeak said that she took two scholarship exams in 2008 before receiving the UC scholarship. “I think I am very lucky to have passed the scholarship exams from The University of Cambodia, a top institution in the region. I am happy because the university takes care of all my tuition fees, removing a great burden from my parents’ shoulders,” she said. So

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA A new program for sustainable production of rattan in the Greater Mekong region was launched in Cambodia to achieve cleaner and more efficient production. The program will serve as an economic incentive for communities, governments and industries to conserve forests, said Tep Asnarith, Senior Communications Officer of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Asnarith said the project, which includes a partnership with the European Union (EU) and international home-products retailer IKEA, started in early January 2009 and will continue through December 2011. He said the project will focus on small and medium village enterprises in 20 villages in Kampot, Koh Kong and Kampomg Thom provinces. “We want small and medium rattan enterprises to be engaged in cleaner and more efficient productions with use of environmentally-friendly processing techniques, as the program promotes forests conservation in providing communities, governments and industries an economic incentive

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Royal Government of Cambodia launched a US$11 million avian and human influenza control and preparedness project in order to curb the spread of bird flu and protect poultry farmers from financial loss in the event of an outbreak. The project, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, and the National Committee for Disaster Management, aims to fund rapid response and diagnosis of outbreaks as well as raise awareness of the disease. Prime Minister Hun Sen said the project launch demonstrates the government’s willingness and commitment in fighting against bird flu and reducing poverty in Cambodia. “We have to prevent bird flu and educate our people about it regularly before it kills people and poultry,” Hun Sen said at the launching ceremony on March 16. “We were successful in preventing bird flu only after we culled large amounts of sick poultry, but we have good cooperation with the neighboring countries, who

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Cambodian Mekong University (CMU), in cooperation with ten British educational institutions, hosted a five-day British Education Cambodia Week on March 18 to 22 in Phnom Penh. Anson Dews, International Department Officer at CMU, said the education week gave Cambodian university students more information on study abroad opportunities in the UK and highlighted the importance of education in a knowledge-based world. The event included lectures, presentations and films describing the educational opportunities and education quality in the UK, said Dews. It was conducted by a group of British lecturers and education experts. Cambodian students could participate free of charge. Dews said that the educational event took place at CMU, Meta House and David Fletcher’s English Center in Phnom Penh. The 10 British educational institutions taking part in the included: Swansea University, Northumbria University, BPP Law School, Nilai University College (degree programs with O

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA About 500 artists, singers, video stars, musicians and songs writers attended the Sin Sisamuth Association’s (SSA) gathering ceremony on March 17 in Phnom Penh. SSA was established in 2006 to preserve and promote the songs and music of veteran Cambodian singers and composers. Sin Chan Chhaya, President of SSA, said that the gathering ceremony aimed to raise funds in support of the association’s activities and to meet with elderly singers, musicians, composers, and films stars who survived the reign of the Khmer Rouge. He said this is the third celebration Phnom Penh. The funds raised will be put toward conservation and promotion of music created by those who passed away between 1975 and 1979 during the Pol Pot regime. The gathering also facilitated the meeting of veteran singers, writers and video stars from the 1960s and 70s who survived the Pol Pot regime in order to share ideas on music conservation and development for next generation of Cambodia. During the

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA About 500 artists, singers, video stars, musicians and songs writers attended the Sin Sisamuth Association’s (SSA) gathering ceremony on March 17 in Phnom Penh. SSA was established in 2006 to preserve and promote the songs and music of veteran Cambodian singers and composers. Sin Chan Chhaya, President of SSA, said that the gathering ceremony aimed to raise funds in support of the association’s activities and to meet with elderly singers, musicians, composers, and films stars who survived the reign of the Khmer Rouge. He said this is the third celebration Phnom Penh. The funds raised will be put toward conservation and promotion of music created by those who passed away between 1975 and 1979 during the Pol Pot regime. The gathering also facilitated the meeting of veteran singers, writers and video stars from the 1960s and 70s who survived the Pol Pot regime in order to share ideas on music conservation and development for next generation of Cambodia. During the

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Cambodia plans to send four nationally selected universal boxers to compete in the “31st King Cup 2009” April 3-10 in Bangkok, Thailand, said Um Yurann, President of the Cambodian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA). Yurann said the “King Cup Championship” will provide the good opportunity for Cambodian universal boxers to compete on the international level. He expects they will win medals for Cambodia. This is the first time as Cambodia has planned to send the universal boxers to the King Cup Competition. The main objective of competing at the international level to earn medals and bring honor to Cambodia, Yurann said. It will also allow the athletes to improve and provide the opportunity to exchange techniques other universal boxers in preparation for future international competitions. He said Cambodia made the decision to take part in this year’s competition after receiving an invitation from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in early March. About 70

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The regional seminar on the “Role of Parliaments in Promoting Peaceful and Sustainable Societies in Southeast Asia” was held March 9 to 11, 2009, at the InterContinental Hotel in Phnom Penh. Lawmakers, researchers and policy makers from Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Australia and Switzerland attended the three days seminar. Samdech Chea Sim, President of the Senate of Cambodia, welcomed the participants to the seminar and stressed the importance of discussing and sharing experiences related to the issues they have faced, especially in regards to reconciliation and peace building in Southeast Asia. Samdech Chea Sim reminded the seminar’s attendees of Cambodia’s particularly difficult history. Toward the end of the Cambodian civil war in 1987, he said, negotiations to reconcile the processes for peace building among the Khmers started and all political parties signed the Paris Peace Agreement on October 23, 1991.

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Phoan Putheary, 19, was one of The University of Cambodia’s “Samdech Techo Hun Sen Vision-100 Scholarships” recipients in 2008. She passed the scholarship exams at The University of Cambodia (UC) as well as at the University of Puthisastra (UP). Putheary was born in Phnom Penh and has one sister and one brother and she is the eldest sibling in her family. She now studies International Relations at UC and Management of Business at (UP) in Phnom Penh. “I am very happy because I passed the scholarship exams from the University of Cambodia and the University of Puthisastra in 2008. I think that I passed the two scholarship exams in the same academic year because I study hard and work hard,” she said. After earning her Baccalaureate from Tuol Tumpong High School in Phnom Penh in 2008, she applied to study International Relations at UC. The university’s introduction of the “Samdech Techo Hun Sen Vision-100 Scholarships” program garnered her interest in the university

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphanvanh will play in a “Friendship Golf Competition” on March 28 in Vietnam, said Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of Commerce of Cambodia. The Minister Cham Prasidh said Prime Minister Hun Sen initiated the “Friendship Golf Competition” with support from Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphanvanh. “This is the first time that the golf competition between three countries will be organized to take place in Vietnam,” he said. “The main objective of the competition is raise for funds in order to help the poor people and vulnerable groups by providing the eye treatment for poor people and heart operations for poor children as well as helping homeless people, orphaned children, the elderly and other people who have suffered from natural disasters in the three countries.” Prasidh said Prime Minister Hun Sen, Prime

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Cambodia plans to send six nationally selected gymnastic players to the “First Aerobic Asia Championship” on March 25-30 in Bangkok, Thailand, said Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) and President of the Cambodian Gymnastic Federation (CGF). Thong Khon said the Aerobic Asia Championship will give the gymnasts the chance to compete on an international level in order to gain medal and honor for Cambodia. Their participation will also allow them to improve, learn and exchange techniques with international gymnasts in order to prepare for future international competitions. “I think that gymnastics is one of the Cambodia’s most potential sports, in which our competitors can easily earn medals for the Kingdom of Cambodia,” Thong Khon said. “I hope that through their hard training, previous experience in international competitions, and strong financial support from the Cambodian Gymnastic Federation and Minis

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Nineteen-year-old, Yos Sokra, is one of The University of Cambodia’s “Samdech Hun Sen-Handa National Scholarships 2008”recipients and began studying English Literature after passing the scholarship exam. “I am happy I passed the scholarship exams. I think that without the scholarship, I probably would not have the chance to study at The University of Cambodia (UC), the most outstanding and qualified university in Cambodia,” he said. Sokra graduated from Sunthormuk High School in Phnom Penh in 2008. Following the introduction of the “Samdech Hun Sen-Handa National Scholarships”and after completing his high school exam, he applied to study English Literature at UC. “I will study hard to earn my Bachelor’s degree as a way of thanking The University of Cambodia and the scholarship sponsor Dr. Haruhisa Handa,” he said. “I plan to then continue to study for my Master’s and Doctoral degrees with The University of Cambodia,” he added. In order to achieve his goals, he

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA About 50 famous international motorcycle riders from eight countries – Cambodia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Iceland, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Thailand – attended the “Total International Motocross Championship 2009” on March 7 at the Prek Leap racetrack on the National Road Number 6A on the outskirt of Phnom Penh. The “Total International Motocross Championship 2009” competition was co-organized by the Total Cambodge and the Comin Khmer Companies and jointly sponsored by Cell-card, Ford, ANZ Royal Bank, Oxygenizer and the Plazza Company, according to Yim Vibol, Marketing and Communication Manager of the Total Cambodge in Cambodia. “This is the fourth time the international motocross competition has taken place in Cambodia, and the main objective of the race is to promote motocross riding in Cambodia,” he said. Vibol said that another objective of the competition is to advertise about Total’s brand of oils, fuels and lubricants. Total is the world’s fou

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Twenty Cambodian political leaders took a one-week trip to Japan to learn good experience between the two countries. The trip took place March 3-12, 2009 and officials from the four Mekong Region countries – Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – also attended. Three of the Cambodian delegates were parliamentarians and 17 were officials from youth departments in different political parties, Leng Peng Long, Secretary General of the National Assembly of Cambodia, said. The Secretary-General said that the visit is a part of the “Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009.” They traveled to Japan as part of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Program to share knowledge, developments and working experiences with young Japanese parliamentarians and political party members. “This is the first time young Cambodian political leaders have received support from the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia under the JENESYS Program,” he said. “I think this pr

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The National Information Communications Technology Development Authority (NiDA) and International Data Group (IDG) will host the 5th Cambodia ICT & Telecom World Expo 2009 in Phnom Penh on April 3 to 5, 2009 at the NagaWorld International Hotel. Phu Leewood, NiDA’s General Secretary, said the conference has seen remarkable growth since its inceptions in 2005 and continues to build its strength each year. NiDA and IDG will mark the fifth anniversary by holding the event at the NagaWorld International Hotel in Phnom Penh and launch interactive activities to be held simultaneously. The activities include the best of 10 ICT products awards and the e-government symposium. “The main objective of the Cambodia ICT Expo is ‘Building a Robust ICT Industry’ and to speed up the country’s ICT industry development by calling the government sector, companies, and individual specialists to share their experiences. We also want the local and international companies to show

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA About 1.5 million Cambodian families who live in rural areas and provinces use private microfinance companies to operate their own business activities in Cambodia, according to Huot Ieng Tong, President of Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA). Tong said that most of the typical microfinance clients are poor and low-income people that do not have access to formal financial institutions in Cambodia. He said that they are usually self-employed and household-based entrepreneurs or businesses. Cambodia has a diverse array of microenterprises – small retail shops, street vendors, artisan manufacturers, farmers and service providers – where the business owners, known as “microentreprenuers” engage in low income-generating activities such as food processing and trade. “The reason why many Cambodian people have decided to use our private microfinance institutions because they did not have accessibility to the state banks or other financial microfinance institutions

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS), in cooperation with the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will organize the 2nd Regional Science and Technology Camp. The event will open on 25th February until the 5th March at the Cambodian Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), in Phnom Penh. The 2nd Regional Science and Technology Camp was prepared by the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA Cambodia) with support from the Japanese Funds in Trust, the University of Indonesia, LEGO Education and Tokyo Institute of Technology. The camp was attended by children aged between 12-15 years from nine different countries in the Asia and Pacific Region including Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand. Im Sethy, Minister of Education Youth and Sport, has warmly welcomed and expressed his heartfelt greetings and hospitality to all national an

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA One of the University of Cambodia’s Samdech Techo Hun Sen “Vision 100”scholarship students, Bunnrith Soriya, 19, was born in 1988 in Phnom Penh. She is the youngest in her family and has three brothers. She is now studying economics at the University of Cambodia (UC). “I think I am very lucky as I passed the scholarship exams from the University of Cambodia, a top flight institution in the region. I am happy because the University takes care of all my tuition fees, removing a great burden from my parent’s shoulders,” she told the Cambodia Weekly on February 24. Soriya studied at Samdech Chea Sim–Chroy Changvar High School in Phnom Penh, earning her Baccalaureate in 2008. She applied to study Economics at UC following the introduction of the Samdech Techo Hun Sen “Vision 100”scholarship in 2008. She now studies very hard to make the most of the opportunities presented to her. “I think that if I paid for my studies at another private university, my expenses would

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA There are over a hundred Karate coaches and referees in Cambodia, according to Mel Kado, Deputy Director General of the Youth and Sports Department in the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports. He said Lach Chan Sovan, 55, is one of the best referees, having completed a training course in Japan in 2004 and being a holder of a World Karate Referee Title from the Asian Karate Federation based in the United States of America. The Deputy Director General said that Chan Sovan is the only qualified Cambodian Karate referee in Cambodia. On top of this, he is also a master trainer. Chan Sovan has taught for over 30 years in Cambodia. “I am proud of him as he is a very active and capable referee. I believe that he will share his skills and working experience with all the young Karate fighters in Cambodia,” he said during an interview with the Cambodia Weekly on February 24. The sixth level black-belt was born in 1953 in Saang district, Kandal province and has four sist