Whether the Economy Has a Plus or a Minus Is Not Important, but What Is Important Is that the People Have Enough Food to Eat

Whether the Economy Has a Plus or a Minus Is Not Important, but What Is Important Is that the People Have Enough Food to Eat

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 632 - Tuesday, 29.9.2009

"Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen dismissed yesterday, Monday, forecasts by major banks of the world which had said that the Cambodian economy has contracted different from their former forecast, saying, 'We do not care about those forecasts; what is important is that our Khmer people have enough food to eat.'

"A Report of the International Monetary Fund had predicted that the Cambodian economy will decline in 2009 by up to 2.75% - but different from that prediction it now predicted that it will drop by only 0.50%. Also, the Asia Development Bank and the World Bank had predicted a lower decline.

"The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen, said as he presided over an inauguration ceremony of a building of the Ministry of Tourism, 'Now, I would just like to say that whatever kind of forecast it is, whether there is a plus or a minus, this is not important, because these are only figures, but the most important thing is to observe the living conditions of the people in order to see whether they have enough water and food to eat or not. This is it.'

"The economic analyst of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, Dr. Kang Chandararath, said that these assessments should be conducted at the end of the year so that they are accurate, even though now the report showed that there was a decline. But based on three sectors, the garment sector comprises of about 15% of the GDP, tourism about 6%, and the construction sector about 4%. In total, these three sectors contribute 24% to 25% of the GDP. But agriculture is the biggest sector in Cambodia, covering as much as 30% and it has the most important role, besides the three sectors above.

"Dr. Kang Chandararath added, 'Through the recent Pchum Ben Day holidays, Cambodia saw no serious impacts, because many people joined to celebrate the event actively. This showed that the Cambodian people still possess a strong economy. He added that recently, the three sectors above, the garment sector, tourism, and the construction sector, are recovering gradually.

"During the inauguration of a building of the Ministry of Tourism, the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Thong Khon, said that according to an assessment of the World Tourism Organization in 2009, the global tourism will drop by about 4% to 6%. In Cambodia, within the first six months of 2009, the number of tourists declined by about 1.1%, compared to the corresponding period in 2008, in which it declined by 13% in Siem Reap and by 11.90% in Sihanoukville, but it increased by 9% in Phnom Penh. But recently starting from May to August 2009, the number of tourists has risen again by 7% to 10% in each month. The Minister of Tourism added, 'This report showed that tourism increased by 1.37%, compared to the same period in 2008.'" Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #297, 29.9.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #297, 29.9.2009

• Whether the Economy Has a Plus or a Minus Is Not Important, but What Is Important Is that the People Have Enough Food to Eat
• [The Minister of Information] Mr. Khieu Kanharith Asked Leaders of Radio Free Asia to Coordinate with Staff Members [four staff members have been dismissed - but the Minister asked if the dismissals could be avoided]
• Fourteen Least Developed Countries Meet in Phnom Penh to Talk about Reforms to Encourage Investment and Economic Growth [from 28 to 30 September 2009]
• A Man Raped His Three Daughters Since a Long Time, and when a Policeman Arrested Him, He Said that It Was because He Was Drunk and Could Dot Resist His Daughters' Beauty [Sihanoukville]
• It Is Incredible that the Boxer Vy Savuth Could Take the World Boxing Council Belt from the Philippine Boxer Paul Apolinario [he is the first Cambodian boxer to win a world-class belt]

Note:

Least Developed Countries [3]: Criteria for identification of LDCs

In its latest triennial review of the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in 2006, the Committee for Development Policy used the following three criteria for the identification of the LDCs:

• a low-income criterion, based on a three-year average estimate of the gross national income (GNI) per capita (under $745 for inclusion, above $900 for graduation);
• a human capital status criterion, involving a composite Human Assets Index (HAI) based on indicators of: (a) nutrition: percentage of population undernourished; (b) health: mortality rate for children aged five years or under; (c) education: the gross secondary school enrollment ratio; and (d) adult literacy rate; and
• an economic vulnerability criterion, involving a composite Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) based on indicators of: (a) population size; (b) remoteness; (c) merchandise export concentration; (d) share of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in gross domestic product; (e) homelessness owing to natural disasters; (f) instability of agricultural production; and (g) instability of exports of goods and services.

To be added to the list, a country must satisfy all three criteria...

=

Least Developed Countries in Asia [4]

1. Afghanistan #
2. Bangladesh
3. Bhutan #
4. Cambodia
5. Kiribati *
6. Lao People's De mocratic Republic #
7. Maldives *
8. Myanmar
9. Nepal #
10. Samoa *
11. Solomon Islands *
12. Timor-Leste *
13. Tuvalu *
14. Vanuatu *
15. Yemen

Some of these countries are LandLocked Developing Countries (#), or Small Island Developing States (*).

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2058, 29.9.2009

• The First Cambodian Death from Swine Flu Is Confirmed [a woman died, Phnom Penh]
• Cambodia Hopes that the Number of Tourists Will Rise by 2% to 3% in 2009 [as the number has already increased by 1.37% within eight months; in the first six months of 2009, there were 1,086,518 tourists, which is a decline by 1.10% compared to the corresponding period in 2008]
• Iran Tested Missiles despite Pressure [from the United States and its allies]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6765, 29.9.2009

• Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen: The People's Problems Are Not Small - and the Bad Activities of Police and of Custom Officials in Poipet Have to Stop [he warned to dismiss officials from their positions if they extort money from citizens]
• Because Her Son-in-Law Is the Murderer [who raped and killed her daughter, a Cambodian Muslim woman], a Woman Was Horrific and Died from a Heart Attack [Kompong Cham]

Meatophum, Vol.53, #746, 28-30.9.2009

• Three Robbers Fell into a Police Trap in Sen Sok District [Phnom Penh]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #5007, 29.9.2009

• A Journalist in Siem Reap Drove a Car to Chase a Car Loaded with Wood, but Hit Two People to Death [the offending driver escaped immediately after the accident]
• The Government Declares an Emergency because of the Approaching Typhoon Ketsana
• Ms. Angela Merkel Won New Term Elections [to become again Chancellor of Germany for four more years]
• The Cambodian Prime Minister Denied that There Is a 4.6 km2 Buffer Zone with Thailand [at the Preah Vihear temple area]; if Thailand Dares to Use a Unilateral Map for Negotiations, Samdech Hun Sen Will Tear That Map to Pieces in Front of Thai Leaders

Note:
This statement indicates hat there is a change in the position of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. During the exchanges between the Royal Governments of Cambodia and of Thailand, in the official Cambodian document pepared by the Council of Ministers, proposing the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List presented to UNESCO (in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic), as well as in the final Joint Communique - signed by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An for the Kingdom of Cambodia, and by the [then] Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, and witnessed by an Assistant Director General of UNESCO in June 2008 - to finally prepare the decisive session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July 2008, the term of "buffer zones" is used, referring to their geographic location in relation to the temple itself, specifically adding that the inscription of the temple itself "shall be without prejudice to the rights of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand on the demarcation works" - mutually acknowledging that the borderline in this area has not been finally agreed upon. See the following Documents 1 and Document 2.
Document 1

The Kingdom of Cambodia
The Temple of Prah Vihear
Proposed for the inscriptin on the World Heritage List (UNESCO)
Edited by the Council of Ministers
June 2008

(continuing in this document:)

CAMBODIA AND THAILAND ENHANCE THEIR COOPERATION FOR THE INSCRIPTION
OF THE TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR

In a spirit of friendship, neighborliness and mutual understanding between the two countries, the Royal Government
of Cambodia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand have been working together in recent months to
strengthen dialogue and consultation in a number of areas of mutual interests...

5) And finally, during a meeting in Paris (France) on 22 May 2008 between a Cambodian delegation led by His
Excellency Mr. SOK An, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and a
Thai Delegation led by His Excellency Mr. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the
Kingdom of Thailand in the presence of a number of UNESCO eminent members, led by Her Excellency the Deputy
Director General of UNESCO for Culture, Mrs Françoise RIVIERE. The Kingdom of Thailand reconfirmed its
support for the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List at the 32nd
Session of the World Heritage Committee to be held in Quebec, Canada in July 2008. For it part, the
Kingdom of Cambodia, in a spririt of goodwill and conciliation, accepted to inscribe the Temple of
Preah Vihear on the List of the World Heritage, at this stage, without a buffer zone on the north and
west of the Temple.

[The boldfaced secion is also boldfaced in the original.]

Sources:

(English) 4.24 MB, (French) 6.52 MB, (Español) 3.86 MB, (العربية ) M4.51 MB.

• http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/publishing/ [5]
• http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/publishing/Preah_Vihear_English.pdf [6]
• http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/publishing/Preah_Vihear_French.pdf [7]
• http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/publishing/Spanish.pdf [8]
• http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/publishing/Arabic.pdf [9]

Document 2
JOINT COMMUNIQUE

[beginnig abbreviated]

The meeting was held in a spirit of friendship and cooperation.

During the meeting both sides agreed as follows:

1. The Kingdom of Thailand supports the inscription, at the 32th session of the World Heritage Committee (Québec, Canada, July 2008), of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List proposed by the Kingdom of Cambodia, the perimeter of which is identified as N. 1 in the map prepared by the Cambodian authorities and herewith attached. The map also includes, identified as N.2, a buffer zone to the East and South of the Temple.
2. In the spirit of goodwill and conciliation, the Kingdom of Cambodia accepts that the Temple of Preah Vihear be nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List without at this stage a buffer zone on the northern and western areas of the Temple.
3. The map mentioned in paragraph 1 above shall supersede the maps concerning and including the "Schéma Directeur pour le Zonage de Preah Vihear" as well as all the graphic references indicating the "core zone" and other zoning (zonage) of the Temple of Preah Vihear site in Cambodia's nomination file;

[tThis referns to the maps of 1904 and 1907, used by the International Court of Justice in 1962.]

4. Pending the results of the work of the Joint Commission for Land Boundary (JBC) concerning the northern and western areas surrounding the Temple of Preah Vihear, which are identified as N. 3 in the map mentioned in paragraph 1 above, the management plan of these areas will be prepared in a concerted manner between the Cambodian and Thai authorities in conformity with the international conservation standards with a view to maintain the outstanding universal value of the property. Such management plan will be included in the final management plan for the Temple and its surrounding areas to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre by 1st February 2010 for the consideration of the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010.

[We are not aware that drafts of, or information about this joint Cambodian-Thai management document, due in 4 months for submission to UNESCO, have been published.]

5. The inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List shall be without prejudice to the rights of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand on the demarcation works of the Joint Commission for Land Boundary (JBC) of the two countries;...

Phnom Penh, 18 June 2008
For the Royal Government of Cambodia
H.E. Mr. SOK AN ,
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers

Bangkok, 18 June 2008
For the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand
H.E. Mr. NOPPADON PATTAMA
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Paris, 18 June 2008
Representative of the UNESCO
Françoise Rivière
Assistant Director-General for Culture

Source:
The text of the Joint Communique, including the map presented by the Cambodian side), can be found here: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/pdf/jointcommunique.pdf [10]

Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.17, #1796, 29.9.2009

• Civil Society Organizations [and the Ministry of Information] Held a Workshop about a Network to Legally Protect Journalists

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