Cambodian Prince Ranariddh returns from exile

Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh returned home on September 28, ending 18 months in exile after King Norodom Sihamoni pardoned him, news agencies reported.

Prince Ranariddh was welcomed by more than 100 supporters at Siem Reap airport. He made a speech showing “his deep gratitude to King Norodom Sihamoni for the royal pardon.

The Prince also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Hun Sen for finding a solution to help him return to the country, the Prince’s spokesman Suth Dina said.

In July, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that found the prince guilty of breach of trust and sentenced him in absentia to 18 months in prison.

Prince Ranariddh received a royal pardon last week upon the order of Prime Minister Hun Sen after the prime minister was re-elected for another five-year term.-

Malaysia-India trade to exceed 10 billion USD

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia-India bilateral trade will surpass 34.2 billion ringgits (10 billion USD) this year, due to strong business ties between both countries, Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Ashok K. Kantha said.

Total trade for the first seven months of the year amounted to 6.2 billion USD, up by 43 percent over the same period last year and showing no signs of a slowdown in economic relations, he said at a recent press briefing on Indian Engineering Exhibition (Indee 2008) in Kuala Lumpur .

Last year, trade between both nations was 8.53 billion USD or 29.41 percent more than in 2006.

He said Indee 2008 will offer opportunities as 169 Indian engineering firms, representing the public sector and small-and-medium enterprises, will showcase their engineering capabilities, products and services of more than 350 kinds, which is set to attract Malaysian companies.

Indee chairman Rakesh Shah said Indian and Malaysian firms can use the exhibition as a platform to discuss possible tie-ups or joint ventures to bid for lucrative contracts in third countries.-

Floods kill 18 people in Thailand

Bangkok (VNA) – Floods caused by torrential rains in Thailand’s north and northeast areas have claimed 18 people and heavily affected the people’s daily life and agriculture production.

Besides, the floods made nearly 190,000 others suffer from ailments such as skin diseases and chills.

According to the Thai meteorological and hydrological department, heavy rains would continue due to impact of tropical low pressure. This is the seventh flooding so far this year that the north and northeast areas have been deluged.

To cope with the situation, the Health Ministry has provided clean water, food and mobile toilets and deployed nearly 1,000 medical teams to flood-affected areas.

The local authorities mobilised the military to join rescue activities.-

New Thai Prime Minister faces investigation

Hanoi (VNA) – New Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is facing accusations of violating the constitution by owning shares in a company that holds a concession from a state firm, news agencies reported.

Senator Ruangkrai Leekijwatana, who toppled Somchai’s predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, with a similar legal challenge, said that he would file his complaint with the Election Commission to ask an investigation.

His complaint centres on PM Somchai’s ownership of shares in Thailand’s CS LoxInfo PCL, an Internet service provider that is a contract partner of CAT Telecom, a state-owned telecommunications service provider.

The country’s constitution bars members of Parliament from holding shares in companies that do business with state enterprises.

If found guilty, PM Somchai would be disqualified as a member of Parliament and therefore no longer be allowed to serve as prime minister.-

Cambodia plans to build nuclear power plant

– Cambodia may develop its first nuclear power plant as early as 2020, a local newspaper reported on September 29.

With hydropower and coal capacity expected to peak in the next decade, nuclear energy is the best option for the country, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

“Cambodia has a long way to go before meeting electricity demand. After 10 years, we will not have enough hydropower capacity,” Sat Samy, a secretary of state for the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, was quoted as saying. He said Cambodia’s nuclear plans are in line with efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to promote atomic energy among member states.

ASEAN energy ministers reached a joint agreement last year in Bangkok to pursue new sources of power for the region’s growing electricity needs.-

Thailand’s former PM Samak resigns as PPP leader

Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand’s former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has quit as leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), local media reported.

He held a press conference on the matter in the afternoon of September 30, according to the Bangkok Post.

Samak was disqualified by the Constitution Court from the top post on September 15 for violating the constitution by hosting two cooking shows on commercial television.-

Cambodia to sell organic rice to Germany, US

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia will export more than 230 tonnes of organic milled rice to Germany and the US, local media reported on September 30.

The shipments would include 200 tonnes of rice to Germany in November and another 30 tonnes to the US early next year, the Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC)’s President Yang Saing Koma was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

CEDAC now has more than 600 tonnes of organic milled rice to sell locally and to export, the official said, adding that this year the centre plans to buy about 2,000 tonnes of organic paddy rice, up from 1,200 tonnes it bought last year. –

Vedan pollution double findings

Hanoi (VNA) – Monosodium glutamate (MSG) producer Vedan dumped nearly 110,000 cu.m of post-fermentation molasses residue and solid waste every month into the Thi Vai River – 2.5 times higher than earlier findings, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced on Sept. 29.

An earlier investigation by the ministry and the Environment Police Department said the company had discharged 45,000 cu.m of post-fermentation molasses waste into the river. However, after discovering that the firm had built a submerged pipeline to discharge effluent into the river the estimate was markedly raised, said Luong Duy Hanh, from the Ministry’s Environmental Protection Department.

In addition, more than 800 cu.m of waste mud was discharged into the Thi Vai River daily, said Hanh.

To avoid detection, the company stored the post- fermentation molasses waste from monosodium glutamate and lysine factories into a 7,000 cu.m container unit. A second container of 15,000 cu.m and some other smaller containers of 1,500 cu.m were also buried. The containers were connected by a system of pipelines and the waste pumped into the middle of the river some eight metres below the surface, said Hanh.

Nguyen Son Tu, who works for Vedan, said the waste was pumped into river for 12 hours each day.

Ministry officials said water quality tests found that pigment levels in the Thi Vai River were 3,675 times higher than permitted levels, while COD levels were 2,957 times, BOD5 levels 1,057 times higher, and TSS and ammonia more than 100 times higher.

After the Ministry’s first investigation, Vedan would have to pay the cost of restoring the River, which is now devoid of life, and compensate those whose health had been damaged as a result of their illegal activities. The company has also been ordered to pay earlier environmental fees totalling 5.74 million USD, which they had avoided for years.

Tran Hong Ha, the deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment said the official decision on punishments would be made public this week.-

HIV/AIDS carriers get care from Italian NGO

Hai Phong (VNA) - A project to support home- and community-based care for HIV positive people in Duong Kinh precinct and Kien Thuy district, northern port Hai Phong city, was launched on Sept. 29.

The one-year project aims to help 300 HIV infected people to access care, consultancy and treatment services.

The 82,000 USD project, funded by CESVI-Vietnam, will also provide health care and psychological support for 250 HIV/AIDS affected children.

Under the project, 21 peer educators at the two targeted localities will be equipped with skills and knowledge relating to HIV/AIDS treatment while 500 family members of HIV carriers will be provided with sufficient HIV/AIDS knowledge.

CESVI, one of the biggest Italian humanitarian organisations, works in Vietnam since 1991 in the fields of health, nutrition, rural microfinance, water and sanitation, education and handicraft.-

Vietnam needs more software parks

Participants at a conference hosted recently by the Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Information and Communications discussed ways to develop software parks in HCM City and other locations around the country.

A Government decision in 2005 called for the development of the IT Industry as a key economic strategy through 2010.

However, Nguyen Minh Hong, deputy minister of Information and Communication, worries that the national goals for IT development are not realistic given the small number of software parks that have been built since 2005.

The 10 software parks now operating in Vietnam can neither meet the Government’s target annual growth rate of 35-40 percent, nor be expected to bring in a total annual revenue of 1.5 billion USD for the IT industry in 2010.

If no significant improvement is made in workers’ skills or infrastructure in the next five years, the country’s software park was developed in powerful countries and territories like India , mainland China , Russia and Taiwan , but the term “software park” only appeared in Vietnam after Government Decision No.7 in 2000.

However, there are signs for optimism as construction of many new parks is scheduled or underway through 2012, including the Hoa Lac Software Park in Hanoi , the FPT Software Park in Da Nang, Thu Thiem Software Park and a project to expand the Quang Trung Software City.

Software parks are playing an increasingly important role in developing IT and attracting IT investment and enterprises into the country. In the last two years, they brought in investments of 2 trillion VND (125 million USD), a four-fold increase over the 2000-2005 period.

Many investors need more space to expand their business. New parks under construction should replicate the most effective models of existing software parks, according to Chu Tien Dung, head of the HCM City Computer Association and Quang Trung Software City. Preferential policies and support from the Government are essential for further development.-