Thai PM stresses importance of ties with Cambodia

– The Thai-Cambodian ties are of great importance as the two countries are immediate neighbours and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

The PM made the remarks when he spoke to Thai soldiers during his August 18 visit to the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

The PM also advised Thai soldiers to be patient as Thailand and Cambodia attempt to resolve the row over the disputed area through negotiations.

The same day, Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong discussed the two countries’ border row at a working dinner ahead of their second round of formal talks on August 19 in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin.

Minister Tej told reporters that his talks with Minister Hor Namhong this time will not cover another border row involving an area around the temple of Ta Muen Thom, hundreds of kilometres away from Preah Vihear. –

Myanmar plans to export rubber to DPRK

– Myanmar has planned to export rubber to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as part of their bilateral economic cooperation programme following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in April last year.

The export will begin within two months and 10,000 tonnes of rubber will be exported in the first year under an agreement signed by the DPRK and the Myanmar Rubber Planters and Producers’ Association last week, according to the Myanmar Times.

The export will make the DPRK become Myanmar’s fifth export client after China, Singapore, Malaysia and India, this week’s Myanmar Times issue said.

Myanmar has been extending cultivation of rubber. During the fiscal year 2007-08, which ended in March, Myanmar cultivated over 364,500 hectares of rubber in the whole country, producing more than 80,000 tonnes. It projected to grow 81,000 hectares more in the present 2008-09.

Statistics showed that the country exported 19,200 tonnes of raw rubber in 2007-08.-

Laos and RoK to launch new website on tourism

– Laos and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will work together to create a website to promote tourism in the Sub-Mekong River region with Laos being the centre of tourist sites.

An agreement to this effect was signed early last week between Lao National Tourism Authority and RoK’s International Tourism Information Exchange Agency, Lao News Agency (KPL) said.

Under the agreement, the website, to comprise five components, is expected to be built at the end of this year and it will take five years for development.-

Cambodia boosts investment in sea-based tourism

– Cambodia is nurturing a hope of turning its territorial waters and islands into tourist sites in addition to its famous tourism destination of Angkor Wat in Seam Riep province.

This is part of the Southeast Asia nation’s ambitious master plan which has received warm response from foreign and local investors, who hired 11 islands on the gulf of Sihanoukville for tourism development.

Cambodia’s Royal Group together with Hong Kong-based Millennium Group will carry out a two-billion USD project to build a seaside resort in Koh Rong, an island off Sihanoukville.

The move comes as investors from Japan, US and the Middle East are planning investments to construct a series of villas and other tourism infrastructure along the coastline in Kep city, some 173 kilometres south west of Phnom Penh.

Cambodia’s tourism industry has grown steady at 20 percent in the recent years, becoming a key for the country’s economic development.

The country targets to welcome 2.4 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, 3 million by 2010 and 5 million by 2015.-

Thailand sets up economic policy committee

– Thailand’s cabinet on August 19 set up an 18-member economic committee in an attempt to follow up the government’s economic measures and to ensure that growth targets are achieved, local media reported.

The committee, chaired by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, comprises ministers related to economic matters, plus the governor of the Bank of Thailand, the Budget Bureau, the National Economic and Social Development Board, and economic advisers to the prime minister, the Thai news agency (TNA) reported, citing Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee.

Deputy PM Surapong, who was appointed vice chairman of the committee, said the committee will hold its first meeting on August 27. It is expected that it would meet every Monday thereafter, according to the news agency. –

Thailand, Cambodia reaffirm troop redeployment

– Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to continue troop redeployment and to step up efforts to mark the border around the disputed Preah Vihear temple, local media reported.

This was declared in a joint press conference after a meeting between Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin on August 19.

Both sides pulled out most of their soldiers on August 16, leaving only 10 troops from each country at the compound of a pagoda near the temple, according to the Thai news agency (TNA).

The two countries agreed to convene a second meeting between the head of the Cambodian Temporary Coordinating Task Force and the head of the Thai Regional Border Committee (RBC) on August 29 in Cambodia to discuss the second phase of redeployment.

They also agreed to adopt a provisional arrangement pending the survey and demarcation work to be carried out by the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), which is expected to be convened in October.

Minister Hor Namhong said that he hoped the dispute will be addressed soon so as tourism activities can be conducted there.

Meanwhile, the Thai foreign minister said the dispute should be resolved in accordance with Thailand’s law.

Relations between the two neighbours flared up last month after the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s World Heritage Committee named the Preah Vihear temple as World Heritage site. –

Lao Airlines to open new routes to Vietnam, Thailand

– Lao Airlines is planning to open two new routes from Savannakhet to Vietnam and Thailand in October this year, Laos news agency (KPL) reported.

Director General of the Lao Airlines Somphone Duangdala said that the number of flights to those countries would be once a week but could be increased to seven flights a week due to increasing demand.

Last week, the airlines reopened its route from Savannakhet to Vientiane after five years of repairing and upgrading the Savannakhet airport into international one.

Governor of Savannakhet province Vilayvanh Phomkhe warmly welcomed the reopening of flights between Savannakhet and Vientiane.

He said he hoped to see the commencement of the new routes from Savannakhet, the most populous province in Laos, to neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.-

29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly kicks off

– The 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 29) kicked off in Singapore on August 20 with the attendance of high-ranking delegations from eight ASEAN countries.

Addressing the opening of the annual ASEAN inter-parliamentary assembly meeting, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged parliamentarians from Southeast Asian nations to support the grouping’s integration policies, in particular the implementation of the Charter.

He said that as intermediaries between the political leadership and the people, parliamentarians occupy a unique position.

“National parliaments play a key role in supporting policies that foster closer integration of ASEAN countries, and in particular the implementation of ASEAN agreements, which in several member countries have to be ratified by the legislature,” he said.

The Singaporean PM also called on ASEAN countries to enhance regional cooperation to overcome global economic difficulties which have made impacts upon many Asian countries.

During the five-day meeting, delegates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam focus their discussions on energy and food security, environment, poverty reduction, religion, and legal cooperation in the fight against human and drug trafficking with the aim of accelerating the building of the ASEAN Community and implementing issues relating to the AIPA’s organising affairs.

ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-

Quang Nam province to plant protective forests

The central province of Quang Nam’s authorities on Sunday said they would invest 40.9 billion VND (2.5 million USD) to plant protective forests in five districts in the province.

The money has been borrowed from the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation.

The project includes planting 2,700 ha of new forests and allocating 2,175ha of natural forests and 1,416 ha of planted forests in the care of local people.-

Binh Duong’s IP builds waste water treatment plant

Southern Binh Duong province’s Nam Tan Uyen industrial park will build its own waste water treatment plant in line with the trend.

Under a newly-signed contract between the IP and Koastal Eco Industries of Singapore, the plant will have a capacity to treat 2,000 cu. m of water a day in the first phase.

Construction of the project is scheduled for six months and it is expected to be put into operation in early 2009.

According to the province’s Industrial Parks’ Management Board, 10 IPs in the province have already operated their waste water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 27,700 cu.m a day.

Six other plants with a total capacity of 19,800 cu.m. are under construction and are expected to be operational by the end of this year.-