Tuesday, 5.8.2008: Cambodia and Kuwait Signed Five Agreements

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 572

“Phnom Penh: Cambodia and Kuwait signed five agreements to improve the cooperation between both countries during a three-day official visit by the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah, from 3 to 5 August 2008.

“The Prime Minister of Kuwait arrived on 3 August 2008 and was warmly welcomed by Samdech Akak Moha Senapadei Dekchor Hun Sen, other high-ranking officials of the Royal Government of Cambodia, ambassadors to Cambodia, the general public, and many students who were at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

“On the second day of the visit, both sides joined in a signing ceremony of agreements on economic and technical cooperation, on trade, of an agreement to promote and protect mutual investments, of a memorandum of understanding about the foreign affairs of Cambodia and of Kuwait, and a memorandum on civil aviation.

“The Minister of Information Mr. Khieu Kanharith said that this meeting of more than an hour, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 August 2008, was an intimate dialogue which achieved the best results toward success. He said in a press conference that Samdech Dekchor welcomed the Kuwait delegation, the first delegation to Cambodia since the national election last week, to strengthen relations between both countries starting a new stage.

“He added that Sheikh Al-Sabah has admired the high percentage of the participation of Cambodian citizens in the election, which shows that it was an election which is democratic and free, as the rate of voters is higher than in other countries in the world.

“Mr. Khieu Kanharith said that the Prime Minister of Kuwait has the intention to create a permanent embassy in Cambodia in order to facilitate diplomatic relations and cooperation in the fields of economy and investments between both countries, and Kuwait wants that Cambodia should also have an embassy in Kuwait.

“Sheikh Al-Sabah said that Kuwait is now preparing to invest in Cambodia and wants to invest also in agriculture as an important sector, so that Cambodia becomes strong in agriculture.

“Mr. Khieu Kanharith said that the Prime Minister of Kuwait suggested that Cambodia and Kuwait should start cultural exchange programs so that citizens of both countries learn to know each other, and that there should be exchanges of delegations from different sectors and on different levels, in order to build up cooperation; also, Sheikh Al-Sabah invited Samdech Dekchor to visit Kuwait, and Samdech Dekchor has already agreed.

“Mr. Khieu Kanharith went on to say that Kuwait wants to establish direct flights from Kuwait also to Cambodia and wants to help to buy agricultural products from Cambodia and to help in the gas and oil fields.

“He continued that in the dialogue, Samdech Dekchor had said that to exchange experiences of economic relations is also strengthening political and diplomatic relations. Samdech said that Kuwait can contact the private sector to buy a plot of land to construct an embassy in Cambodia, but Cambodia, as a first step, will assign an ambassador to the Middle East, to send diplomatic credentials to the government of Kuwait, because Cambodia does not have enough funds to construct an embassy in Kuwait.

“Mr. Khieu Kanharith added that Samdech Dekchor welcomed investments by private companies from Kuwait in Cambodia, saying that there is big potential for Cambodian economic development, and he also welcomed direct flights between Cambodia and Kuwait.

“He went on to say that Samdech Dekchor asked Kuwait to check the possibility to provide loans to Cambodia to further improve the infrastructure, such as roads and the irrigation system. Mr. Khieu Kanharith said that Sheikh Al-Sabah offered two choices – one is investments, and the other is joint investment partnerships which need to be considered later.

“Mr. Khieu Kanharith continued to say that Cambodia asked Kuwait to check the possibility to train Cambodian experts in the fields of gas and oil exploration and production, so that Cambodia will have its own technicians in the future. Samdech Dekchor welcomed the initiate for cultural exchanges, and he also suggested to hold football matches between both countries.

“Sheikh Al-Sabah finishes his official visit to Cambodia on 5 August 2008; Laos is the next destination of his visit.” Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1711, 5.8.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 5 August 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1711, 5.8.2008

• Cambodia and Kuwait Signed Five Agreements
• [Director of Sambok Khmum Radio FM 105 Hz] Mam Sonando Asked the King [by letter] to Provide Amnesty to Samdech Krom Preah [Norodom Ranariddh regarding the lawsuit of Funcinpec against him, over the sale of the Funcinpec headquarters]
• Two Supervisors of the Phsar Daeum Thkov Examination Center Were Caught on the First Day of the High School Diploma Examination, Collecting Money from Candidates During a Session of the Khmer Literature Examination
  There Were Little Paper Notes Thrown to Students with Information for Cheating in Phnom Penh, and Test Documents Were Leaked in Banteay Meanchey during the High School Diploma Examination
• New Market Vendors Assembled to Protest in Front of the Phnom Penh Municipality [to ask for intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen, because the director-general of the New Market, Mr. Sok Kimheng, and a French Company, Co SAN, plan to narrow their stalls after repairing the building]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #65, 5.8.2008

• A Son of a High Ranking Official Drove a Car and Hit a Man to Death; then He Escaped [3 August 2008]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6415, 5.8.2008

• Security of Phnom Penh Is Strengthened while a New Government Is Planed to Be Formed, and while There Is Tension with Siam [Thailand]
• The Attempt of a Journalist [ofKoh Santepheap, Mr. Ruos Phina, who was hit by a military police officer in Sihanoukville] to Lodge a Complaint Failed for the Second Time, because a Procedural Bias
• Stampede at a Hindu Temple in Northern India Killed 125 to 150 People [most of them children, women, and old people]
• A Chinese Police Post Was Attacked [by explosives thrown by two men] Killing 16 Police [in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the north-western part of China – 新疆维吾尔自治区 – [traditional script 新疆維吾爾自治區] – in north western China where the majority of the population is Muslim – according to the Xinhua News Agency – 新华通讯社]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3530, 5.8.2008

• Hundreds of Siamese [Thai] Soldiers Invade to Control the Ta Moan Temple of Cambodia [by 4 August 2008, there were around 200 Thai soldiers at the temple]
• Citizens Are Concerned about Vietnamese Boats Entering to Fish Illegally in the Khmer Sea [Kampot]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4659, 5.8.2008

• Thailand Plans to Asks for the Listing of the Ta Moan Temple as a World Heritage Site [according to The Nation of 4 July 2008, quoting that the director-general the Thai Department of Fine Arts, Mr. Kriengkrai Sampatchalit, said so]; Some Thai officials said that the Ta Moan Temple Is in the White Zone; but Cambodia claims that the Ta Moan Touch [small] Temple and the Ta Moan Thom [big] Temple Are in Khmer Territory
• Son of [former Vice-Chairperson of the Senate, Funcinpec] Prince Sisowath Chivanmonirak [Prince Sisowath Duong Chivanmonirak], Was Detained on the Accusation of Deception Relating to More Than US$100,000 [31 July 2008 – Siem Reap]
• Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel Literature Prize laureate [the well-known and brave author who criticized the tyranny of the Soviet Union – (here is his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, worth reading)], Died at the Age of 89 [2 August 2008]

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3376, 5.8.2008

• The FBI, Having an Office in the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Accepted the Request [by the Ministry of Interior] to Help Investigate the Murder of a Journalist [Mr. Khim Sambo and his 21-year-old son]

Click here to have a look at the last editorial – where we try to provide our readers with important information which all publications in Cambodia – as far as we can see – are not providing; but the international community knows more – we wonder how long the Cambodian public can be held uninformed.

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