Bird flu quarantine lifted in China’s Guangdong

– China lifted a bird flu quarantine in the southern province of Guangzhou on July 10 after no new cases were reported for 21 days.

The trade of live poultry within 13 km of the epidemic region was resumed on the same day, China’s Xinhua News Agency quoted the Ministry of Agriculture as saying.

The ministry also urged the local authorities to boost epidemic monitoring and prevention measures to effectively guard against any further outbreaks of bird flu.

China has reported seven bird flu outbreaks among poultry so far this year in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region, the southwestern Guizhou Province and in Guangdong Province.

The Ministry of Health reported in February this year three human bird flu cases in the central Henan Province, southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province. All three people died from the illness.-

RoK president wants to resume inter-Korean dialogue

Seoul (VNA) – Republic of Korea (RoK) President Lee Myung-bak on July 11 proposed the RoK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) immediately resume dialogue.

In a speech delivered to the new parliament, the RoK leader wanted the two Koreas to discuss denuclearisation of the DRPK, implementation of existing inter-Korean summit agreements and cross-border humanitarian cooperation.

President Lee said his government is willing to engage in serious consultations with the DPRK on how to implement the inter-Korean agreements made so far.

Agreements between the two Korea’s include the summit declaration signed in October last year, the Joint Declaration of June 15, 2000, and a 1991 joint declaration of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Inter-Korean relations should transcend changeovers in administrations and be pursued from a future-oriented perspective for all the Korean people, the president was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying. –

Cambodians urged to vote for CPP Party

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Coordinating Committee (KKKCC) has called on the entire Cambodian people, particularly the Khmer Krom, to support and vote for the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

KKKCC Chairman Kim Van Chheng said that the CPP under the leadership of three leaders Chea Sim, Hun Sen and Heng Somrin has led Cambodia on the way of further stability and development, thus helping improve the people’s living conditions.

The committee called on more than 13 million Khmer people, including Khmer Krom -an ethnic minority group in Cambodia- to cast their ballots for the CPP to ensure the nation’s sustainable development.-

Myanmar to send sports delegation to Beijing Olympics

Beijing (VNA) - Myanmar will send a 20-member sports delegation to take part in the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China in August.

The delegation includes Myanmar Olympic Committee (MOC) Chairman and Minister of Sports Brigadier-General Thura Aye Myint, MOC Secretary-General and Director-General of Ministry of Sports U Thaung Htike and six athletes, MOC Joint General-Secretary U Khin Maung Lwin was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

Myanmar will compete in five sports — track and field, swimming, archery, rowing and canoeing — with six athletes, four men and two women, in the 29th Beijing Olympic Games, according to the official.

Myanmar took part in the Olympic games since the 14th Olympic Games in London in 1948 except the 21st Olympic Games in Canada in 1976. But the country has never pocketed any medal in the Olympic Games.-

DPRK agrees to sign ASEAN’s non-aggression treaty

Hanoi (VNA) – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has agreed to sign the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ non-aggression treaty, according to ASEAN official sources and diplomats.

The DPRK’s Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun has written a letter to Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, the grouping’s current chairman, to convey Pyongyang’s decision to sign ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia which will promote cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes in the region, news reports said.

”Our government of the republic has decided to accede to the treaty… out of the desire to contribute to ensuring lasting peace, stability and co-prosperity in the region,” foreign media quoted Pak as writing in the June-12 letter.

However, Pak laid certain preconditions, requesting that the treaty should not be imposed on Pyongyang’s relations with countries outside ASEAN and that articles 14, 15, and 16 be restricted to ASEAN states.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. –

UN calls for more aid for Myanmar’s cyclone victims

Hanoi (VNA) – The United Nations has appealed for 482 million USD to assist Mayanmar’s victims of Cyclone Nargis that devastated large areas of the country in early May and left around 140,000 dead or missing and severely affected about 2.4 million people.

Launching the appeal at the UN Headquarters, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said the funding would support 103 aid projects covering food supplies, agriculture, water and sanitation, health, schooling and shelter.

Holmes said the total funds included 201 million USD requested in an earlier appeal and that the proposed aid effort was based on information from a joint assessment of the impact of the cyclone carried out by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Myanmar government and the UN.

The UN predicts some 924,000 people will need food assistance until the November harvest this year, while around 300,000 will need continued relief until April 2009.

More than 70 percent of households reported inadequate access to clean water because of damage to rainwater collection systems and saltwater contamination of ponds. –

Thai Prime Minister promises to revamp cabinet

Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has promised coalition parties there will be a major cabinet reshuffle to streamline the government’s performance, the Bangkok Post reported.

PM Samak also repeatedly ruled out dissolving the House, the newspaper said.

He told coalition party leaders that the government will not bow out because there are still important tasks to accomplish, adding that these are expected to include charter amendments and the passage of the next fiscal year’s budget.

The newspaper also quoted Thai Finance Minister Surapong Suwonglee saying that a cabinet reshuffle is unavoidable because there are two ministerial posts that need to be filled. –

ASEAN chief calls for quick appointment of Thai FM

Hanoi (VNA) - Secretary General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan has called for the quick appointment of a Thai foreign minister to prevent any “vacuum of leadership” as Thailand assumes the ASEAN chair later this month.

In a phone interview from New York, ASEAN chief Surin was quoted by Thai daily The Nation as saying that it is important Thailand maintains the momentum the government has been building during the past five months.

“Thailand must provide a strong leadership to ASEAN,” he said.

Singapore is holding the annual ASEAN ministerial meeting from 21-24 July. After that, Thailand will take up the ASEAN chair from Singapore.

ASEAN chief Surin said that it is important that Thailand has a new foreign minister as soon as possible to get acquaint with the major issues the grouping is dealing with, including the reconstruction of Myanmar and other issues. –

Germany pledges 2.4 mln USD for Khmer Rouge tribunal

Hanoi (VNA) – The German government on July 11 pledged 1.5 million EURO (roughly 2.4 million USD) to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to continue its trial of the Khmer Rouge, news reports said.

The financial assistance aims to allow victims of the Khmer Rouge regime to play “a more prominent role in the proceedings”.

The German government has provided around 5.5 million USD to the tribunal since 2005, when the ECCC has began trying the Khmer Rouge for its atrocities committed in Cambodia. –

Indonesia, Singapore conduct joint exercise

Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia and Singapore have conducted a joint air exercise to enhance the professionalism and forge closer relations between the two countries’ air forces.

Some 300 personnel and 15 aircraft were involved in the biennial exercise, which was held at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore from July 9-11.

This is the first phase of the exercise, code-named Elang Indopura. The second phase will be conducted at Iswahyudi Air Force Base (AFB) in East Java from July 18 to August 1. –