Cambodia's News
Temples of Angkor
Siem Reap
Phnom Penh
Ground Transportation
(see each city's link also)
River Transportation
(see each city's link also)
Hospitals, Clinics and Health Services Professionals
Western Union/Money Transfer Points
Travelogues
and Travel Articles
Earth Changes &
Global Warming
Real Estate/Properties
(For Rent - For Sale)
Government Offices
and Ministries
Telecommunications,
Post
and Internet Providers
*****
Charles B. Jones
Managing Editor
Cambodian Online
Contact Information
editor@cambodianonline.net
Cambodian
Mobile:
012-247-125
International Mobile:
(855) 12-247-125
Information
24-Aug-2005
Last Edited
Welcome to Cambodia's Portal to its mystery and charm!
As you will find, many pages are incomplete or under construction. We are however making every effort to keep this site as timely and informative as possible and always welcome your comments, feedback and observations.
Please enjoy what we all feel to be one of the most amazing places on earth...Cambodia!
Charles B. Jones
Editor
Cambodian Online
PHNOM PENH, March 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese and Cambodian leaders on Monday pledged to broaden their economic and trade cooperation and promote bilateral trade volume in 2005. During a meeting with her Cambodian counterpart Sar Kheng, Visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi said she hopes the two government will make efforts to boost annual bilateral trade volume to 500 million US dollars in 2005 from 300 million dollars in 2003. She said that Chinese government will encourage its enterprisesto invest and cooperate in Cambodia's infrastructure, processing industry and resources development. Wu also pledged that the Chinese government will continue to provide possible assistance to Cambodia to help it develop its rural economy. At the same time, Wu said that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in negotiation on a China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) free trade agreement. She said she hopes both sides will make efforts to create a good environment for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. Sar Kheng thanked the Chinese government for its support and aid to his country. He said the Cambodian government will do its best to improve its investment environment in order to attract more foreign investors. The two sides also exchanged views on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern. Sar Kheng expressed his belief that a package of economic and technical cooperation agreements, to be signed on Tuesday by the two countries, will surely promote bilateral economic and trade relations into a new stage. Bilateral trade between China and Cambodia yielded a total of more than 320 million dollars in 2003, up 16.1 percent compared to2002. China has become one of Cambodia's major countries of foreign investment. Wu Yi arrived in Cambodia on Friday on a five-day official visit to Cambodia at the invitation of Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng. Enditem
March 21, 2004 - King to return in April
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk,
who has been in Beijing for a medical checkup since January, will return
home ahead of Cambodia's New Year celebrations on April 13, Prince Norodom
Ranariddh, president of the royalist FUNCINPEC party, said Sunday. The
81-year-old monarch, who suffers from a variety of ailments that include
lung problems, diabetes, cataracts and hypertension, regularly visits China
for health checks and treatment. (Kyodo News)
A German national has been arrested and charged with
committing sex offences against boys in the southwestern Cambodian port city
of Sihanoukville. Michael Rickrim, is accused of paying five boys between
one to two dollars each to commit repeated sex acts. Authorities say Rickrim
was detained by police on Thursday for questioning and taken to court after
the boys, believed to be aged 12 to 15, and local child activists filed a
complaint against him. Anyone found guilty of debauchery in Cambodia
face to 10 to 15 years in jail. Rickrim has been in Cambodia as
a tourist since September 2003.
Cambodian police have made a series of arrests of suspected foreign
paedophiles in recent months, most with the help of activist groups.
March 20, 2004 - Used Japanese products big in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH — While Japan's sterling reputation among Cambodians is largely based on its generous aid to the emerging nation, it is also based on a growing appreciation for Japanese "waste." Read More...
March 20, 2004 - Wash. Man Pleads in Cambodia Sex Case
SEATTLE - The first person prosecuted under a law
protecting children overseas from sex crimes by U.S. citizens has pleaded
guilty to having sexual contact with boys in Cambodia, the U.S. attorney's
office said.
Michael Lewis Clark was arrested last June in Cambodia and was indicted last
September in Seattle. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to two federal charges of
engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign
places.
Clark was charged under the Protect Act of 2003, signed into law last spring and best known for encouraging states to set up Amber Alert systems to help track down missing children. The provision of the law under which Clark was charged makes it a crime for any U.S. citizen to travel abroad for the purpose of sex tourism involving children.
Court documents said Clark flew to Cambodia from Seattle and engaged in sexual contact with two boys, about 10 and 13 years old.
The Cambodian National Police arrested Clark in Phnom Penh, accusing him of "debauchery involving illicit sexual conduct" with the boys, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The Cambodian authorities later dropped the charge, which allowed Clark to be indicted in the United States.
Prosecutors said in papers filed in federal court that Clark has spent a considerable amount of time in Cambodia over the last five years and may have molested as many as 50 boys aged 10 to 18. He most recently flew from Washington state to southeast Asia last May.
The complaint said Clark acknowledged he has been a pedophile since 1996 and that he usually paid the Cambodian boys $2 each for sex.
Clark faces a potential maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
March 19, 2004 - Chinese vice-premier visits Cambodia
SIEM REAP, Cambodia, March 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Vice- PremierWu Yi arrived here Friday afternoon to pay a five-day official visit to Cambodia at the invitation of Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng.
Wu Yi was welcomed here by Sok An, Cambodia's senior minister, and other Cambodian officials.
The aim of Wu's visit is to promote bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. The two sides are expected to sign a package of agreements on bilateral economic cooperation.
Wu Yi is scheduled to fly to Phnom Penh on Sunday morning. She will hold a bilateral meeting with Sar Kheng, and to pay courtesy calls to Cambodia's acting Head of State and Senate President CheaSim, Prime Minister Hun Sen and FUNCINPEC party President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
It is Wu's second leg of her four-nation tour to Southeast Asiaand South Asia that will also take her to Myanmar and Maldives. She had a three-day visit to Laos before she came here. Enditem
March 18,2004 - Cambodian flights set to take off
DA NANG — New weekend flights between Da Nang and Cambodian destinations of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh will take off later this month. Jointly operated by Cambodia’s President Airlines and Taiwan’s Far Eastern Air Transport, the Boeing 757 flights will start on March 28 according to the airlines’ agency Tymes Viet Nam Co. Passengers can also fly to Phnom Penh via Siem Reap, and no longer have to transit in HCM City or Ha Noi to reach Cambodia from Viet Nam, said Tymes Viet Nam’s acting deputy director, Doan Duc Phuong.
Much of Cambodia’s tourist traffic heads north from the capital Phnom Penh to Siem Reap to see the temples at Angkor Wat. This is the second service of its kind launched in the central city of Da Nang. Siem Reap Airways operates a route linking Da Nang to Siem Reap and Luang Prabang (Laos) five times a week, although returning passengers must transit in HCM City before flying back to Da Nang. — VNS
March 17, 2004 - Cambodia Oppositions
Parties Sign Agreement
Patrick Falby Phnom Penh - The leaders of Cambodia's two main
opposition parties have signed a power-sharing agreement that will give them
both positions in a future coalition government. The deal is a new sign that
Cambodia's lengthy political deadlock is nearing its end.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy signed the agreement late Tuesday that they would push for the future government to share power between the Funcinpec Party and Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). The document faxed to news agencies adds that all important government decisions and tasks will have to be approved by both parties.
A Monday meeting between Prince Ranariddh and Prime Minister Hun Sen produced what officials called "a big step forward" in ending Cambodia's political impasse when the prime minister indicated the SRP would be allowed join the government in some form.
However, no one has said how many parties would actually form the next government. One possible compromise is a two and a half party coalition in which Funcinpec shares some of its government positions with the SRP.
Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party won the July election, but did not gain enough seats in the National Assembly to set up a new government. For months the CPP has been unable to agree on terms for a coalition with Funcinpec and the SRP, who have banded together to form the Alliance of Democrats.
But as the deadlock appears headed for a resolution, a potential snag could be that prosecutors said Wednesday a criminal complaint against Hun Sen could proceed through the court. Sam Rainsy filed the complaint last month alleging Hun Sen was behind a 1997 grenade attack on a Rainsy supporters' rally. The blasts killed more than a dozen people and left more than one hundred injured.
The country's popular King Norodom Sihanouk said on his web site Wednesday that Hun Sen had shown "great kindness" in allowing Funcinpec to bring the SRP into the government. However, the king said he doubted the government would be up and running before he returned in April from medical treatment in Beijing.
March 17, 2004 - Casino Boost - Ho Wah Genting Bhd’s (HWGB) financial performance in 2004 is expected to be boosted by a much bigger contribution from its casino operations in Cambodia and having its manufacturing division returning to the black. The company has also put in place a five-year expansion plan for its casino business in Poipet, Cambodia, in view of the increased number of visitors. Read more.
March 15, 2004 - The Region's Water Supply
Yesterday was 38 degrees and it was hot! The regional
papers continue to express fears about the state of the low rivers,
especially the Mekong upstream at places such as Nong Khai in Thailand.
A headline in the Bangkok Post tell the story about the Mekong being the
lowest is has been in 25 years and with it being this early in the dry
season, things will probably only get much worse.
Last week I met a Swedish couple who had just arrived here in Phnom Penh having just some down by express boat from Siem Reap along the Tonle Sap. They related a story in which they said the boat had run aground on a shoal and the passengers had to get out and help push the boat off.
March 6, 2004 - Phnom Penh - A Full Moon over the Mekong
An overcast day today with the beginning's of an amazing full
moon last night. As it disappeared behind the clouds last evening, a
very light drizzle started. A full moon and a light rain....seems like
I am in luck.
Awoke again at 6AM to the sounds of Buddhist chants in preparation for the seemingly endless weddings that happen here in Phnom Penh. Hard to walk more than 5 minutes and not see a huge, red tent adorned with flowers and gold being prepared for that day's new couple to be.
March 4, 2004 - Tourists numbers up
Last month (January 2004), 99,400 tourists visited Cambodia. 30 percent more
than in January 2003, according to the ministry of Tourism. But the
Minister of Tourism, Veng Sereyvuth, told Chinese news service Xinhua net
tourist numbers may decline by around 10 percent this month because of
concerns about bird flu.
March 4, 2004 - The Phnom Penh Editor
summoned to court
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has issued a warrant to the Cambodia Daily's
Editor-in Chief Matt Reed to appear on March 4 to respond to an accusation
of publishing defamatory information.
A court official told Rasmei Kampuchea Daily the case relates to a story published on November 15, 2003 which said acid-attack victim Tat Marina was a mistress of a senior government official and that his wife was the suspect. Note: Acid-attacks are quite common here as the weapon of choice in lover's quarrels.
March 3, 2004 - Phnom Penh - Arrest of an American English Teacher
The local news reported the arrest of a 38 year-old American teacher here
for having way to much sex with underage young ladies. Other teachers
here reported the guy was a really nice guy who was "brilliant". Seems
however he will be using that "brilliance" behind bars for quite a long time
both here and in the US...
March 2, 2004 - US to fund Cambodia to destroy its 233 surface-to-air missiles
PHNOM PENH, March 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodia and the United States discussed the concrete steps Tuesday to destroy Cambodia's Man Portable Air Defense Systems or MANPADS. Cambodia's co-Ministers of Defense Tea Banh and Prince Sisowath Sirirath held the meeting with US Ambassador to Cambodia Charles A.Ray at the Ministry of Defense. "Cambodia is committed to destroying the entire stock of man portable air defense missiles, Strela-2, in the near future," Tea Banh said at the press briefing. "Though they (the missiles) are old and outmoded, if fallen into the hands of terrorism, it might be very dangerous," added Tea Banh. Cambodian government announced to destroy its surface-to-air missiles on Dec. 16, saying it is for an effort to prevent them from falling into the hands of international terrorists. The decision was made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after he met with Charles A. Ray. There are total of 233 A-72 surface-to-air missiles in Cambodia's military arsenals, which was said imported from former Soviet Union in 1980s. US Ambassador Ray praised Cambodia's agreeing to destroy their MANPAS stocks, saying that it "is setting an important precedent in the region." He said that Cambodia is the only country in Asia that has made this commitment to date. He also announced that the US Senate has approved more than 230,000 US dollar to help Cambodia to implement the initiative. "With the US specialized team and the availability of funding, the Ministry of National Defense will start the execution of the project's main phase in the very near future," Tea Banh said. "The destruction of these missiles would not only benefit the internal security of Cambodia but it is also a significant contribution to efforts of combating international terrorism in the region and throughout the world," he stressed.
March 2, 2004 - Cambodia launches campaign to register population
A campaign has been launched in Cambodia to register the population of more than 12 million people. Cambodia's interior ministry, assisted by United Nations volunteers and the aid group, Plan International, has begun a mobile registration campaign in eastern Svay Rieng and southwestern Kampong Speu. Organisers say commune chiefs will meet village chiefs and inform people about the benefits of being registered when making citizenship, divorce or inheritance claims. Less than five per cent of Cambodians are recorded in the civil registry, despite the government decreeing in December 2002 that everyone must be registered within three years.
February 25, 2004
- Viet Nam and Cambodia have agreed to build a power plant on the Se San River, a tributary of the Mekong River, to supply electricity to Phnom Penh. The deal was unveiled on Tuesday after a two-day meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic, Cultural and Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Ho Chi Minh City. At the meeting, the two sides also agreed to boost cooperation in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling, Viet Nam's Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien told reporters. They will set up a joint patrol team to combat piracy on their territorial waters, Nien added. The two sides discussed plans and measures to boost cooperation in other fields including education, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, natural resources, industries, trade, investment, and tourism.