RoK, East Timor sign energy accord

Seoul (VNA) - East Timor has signed a deal that could permit the export of gas from its major gas field, the Greater Sunrise, to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by 2013, local media reported.

The deal was signed in Dili, East Timor’s capital and marks the first time that East Timor has signed an energy-resources pact with a foreign country since 2002, Yonhap news agency said, citing the RoK’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

Under the terms of the deal, East Timor would also allow a consortium led by state-run Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) to search for other gas fields in the country.

However, the two sides have yet to complete discussions establishing the annual amount of natural gas to be imported from East Timor .

The Greater Sunrise field is believed to contain enough gas to meet the RoK’s energy needs for seven years.

The field is part of the Joint Petroleum Development Area, shared by East Timor and Australia .-

ADB provides more loans for Indian water project

Hanoi (VNA) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an extra 71 million-USD in loans for an urban water supply project in India’s Madhya Pradesh state, the Manila-based lender said on October 14.

The project aims to improve the water supply services, sewerage and sanitation services, storm-water drainage, and solid waste management in Madhya Pradesh’s major cities, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, and Jabalpur, ADB said in a statement.

ADB extended a 181 million USD loan in March 2005 for the project. However, progress was hampered by the slow awarding of contracts, which eventually led to a huge cost overrun due to the rupee appreciation and price increases since the project’s appraisal in 2003.

“Without the additional funding, the project in its original scope cannot be completed, and the integrity of the urban infrastructure system for water supply, sewerage, and waste disposal will be severely undermined,” ADB economist Hiroyuki Ikemoto was quoted as saying.-

Thailand extends emergency decree in restive south

Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai cabinet agreed on October 14 to extend an emergency decree in the three southernmost provinces plagued by violence for a further three months.

The cabinet decided to extend the decree in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces. The new extended decree will commence on October 20 and last until January 19, 2009, according to government spokesman Nattawut Saikua.

The emergency decree was first implemented in July 2005. It has been renewed every three months since then.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in violence in the three provinces since early 2004.-

Thailand continues peaceful means to resolve border issues

Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand will continue to use peaceful means to settle the border dispute with Cambodia, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said on October 14.

The remark was made after PM Somchai met with Thai army commanders for almost two hours.

Thailand will not use force against the Cambodian troops and the Thai army will protect the country’s border without encroaching onto Cambodia’s territory, the Prime Minister said.

PM Somchai, who is also the Defence Minister, said that a joint border committee will meet to find a solution to the ongoing dispute on October 21.

Earlier, on October 13 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum, stating that it would declare war if Thailand failed to withdraw its troops from an area near Preah Vihear Temple.

But the Thai army said in a statement on October 14 that it will maintain its troops in the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple despite Cambodia’s ultimatum for Thailand to withdraw the troops.-

Indonesia suspends four airliners for lack of safety

Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian transport ministry has suspended four charter airliners due to lack of safety standard, spokesman of the ministry Bambang Ervan said on October 15.

The suspended airlines included Pura Wisata Baruna, Sampoerna Air Nusantara, Dabi Air Nusantara and Atlas Deltasatya. They failed to comply with minimum safety standard.

The move is one of the efforts to boost flight safety in the archipelago country, which is now struggling to exit from the European Union (EU) travel ban which has been imposed since July 6 last year.

The spokesman said that after the suspension took affect on October 7, the airliners were given three months to improve their safety standard, otherwise their Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC) would be frozen.

Plane is a favourite transport means in Indoneis but lack of safety standard has triggered many accidents, killing hundreds of lives.-

Asia-Europe Meeting to find measure against crisis

Beijing (VNA) - The financial crisis and other major issues challenging the world will be discussed in the summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), scheduled to be held in Beijing from October 24-25.

“The ASEM summit would be convened under the special international circumstance,” Liu Jieyi , China’s assistant foreign minister was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. He added that the financial situation was in turbulence and the three major challenges, including food safety, climate change and energy issues, were interwoven.

Under the theme of dialogue, cooperation, mutual benefit and common prosperity, the summit would focus on disaster-relief cooperation, the promotion of trade and investment, sustainable development and strengthening dialogue, Liu added.

He also said that China would devote itself to holding the ASEM as a green summit and has taken measures in this regard.

The 45-member ASEM, established in 1996, is a high-level forum between governments of Asia and Europe.-

Asian Economic Forum copes with globalisation’s challenges

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Leading scholars and economists from Asian countries are attending the 4th Asian Economic Forum in Cambodia to find measures against globalisation’s challenges.

The biennial forum also attracts the participation of ambassadors and other diplomats from ASEAN members and other Asian countries including Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and India.

Speaking at the forum, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called for further cooperation between developing countries in Asia and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the next few years to boost economic development in the region.

The October 14-15 forum also discussed major economic challenges for Asia, Asian leadership in the world, economic priorities to be done and economic development orientation of the region in the future.-

ADB begins water, sanitation project in Cambodia

Hanoi (VNA) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is laying the groundwork for a water and sanitation project to help improve the health and lives of about 200,000 people living in nine towns in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

“The towns are situated in “economic corridors” that have roads linking the six countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS)”, the ADB’s press release said on October 15. Those towns have high poverty levels and poor, or even non-existent, water supply and sanitation services.

A 1.5 million USD technical assistance from Japan, the Netherland, the three GMS governments and the ADB, is being extended to pave the way for the Mekong Water Supply and Sanitation Project.

The technical assistance will be used to determine the services needed for each town, the appropriate level of user charges, and the financial and technical capacity of participating public utilities and local governments, in order to design a project that is both realistic and sustainable, the release said.-