Cambodia’s opposition is insisting that an independent committee to investigate allegations of cheating in the recent election be established before it holds talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party on establishing a new government. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Two Cambodian children and a man were killed when their buffalo cart hit an anti-tank mine left over from the country’s civil war, police said Wednesday. …read more
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A contentious election in which Cambodia’s ruling party extended its long-running majority but the opposition made impressive gains could lead to parliamentary paralysis. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy lost his bid to regain lawmaker status Thursday in a new setback to his efforts to challenge strongman premier Hun Sen in this weekend’s election. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodia’s newly returned opposition leader cannot be a candidate in upcoming polls, election authorities ruled Monday, rejecting his application to stand against strongman Premier Hun Sen. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Thousands of cheering supporters greeted Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy as he returned from self-imposed exile Friday to spearhead his party’s election campaign against well-entrenched Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“I have come home to rescue the country,” Rainsy told the crowd gathered at Phnom Penh’s airport, after kneeling to kiss the ground.
“I am happy to be here!” Rainsy shouted to be heard through a microphone as the supporters chanted, “We want change!”
The French-educated leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party has been in exile since 2009 to avoid serving 11 years in prison on charges many consider politically motivated.
Rainsy, 64, received a royal pardon last week at the request of Hun Sen, his bitter rival whose ruling party is almost certain to maintain its ironclad grip on power in the July 28 general election.
Hun Sen has ruled for 28 years, and his party has 90 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly. The prime minister recently said that he intends to stay in office until he is 74 — cutting back from an earlier vow to stay in control until he’s 90.
Critics of the government claim the election will be neither free nor fair, arguing that Hun Sen’s regime manipulates the levers of government and influences the judiciary to weaken the opposition.
Last month, 28 opposition lawmakers were expelled from parliament when a committee run by Hun Sen’s party ruled they had broken the law because they had originally won their seats in the name of the Sam Rainsy Party, but were campaigning under the recently established Cambodia National Rescue Party, into which it was merged.
They can still run in the upcoming election, but without parliamentary immunity. Immunity from arrest is a great benefit in Cambodia’s elections, and those without it are at risk of being charged with defamation for remarks seen critical of Hun Sen and his government.
Rainsy is a charismatic and fiery speaker — qualities that have landed him in trouble before.
He is expected to draw large crowds as he embarks on a whirlwind campaign tour that his party says will take him to over a dozen provinces in a week. He is likely to push …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodia’s newly pardoned opposition leader arrived home from exile on Friday to help his party’s bid to end Prime Minister Hun Sen’s nearly three decades in power, the party said.
Thousands of cheering supporters gathered outside Phnom Penh’s airport and lined the road to the city centre to welcome Sam Rainsy, waving flags and shouting “change change!”
“He has arrived,” Prince Sisowath Thomico, a senior member of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, told AFP after Rainsy returned from France on a flight via Bangkok.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By Margie Warrell, Contributor
I’ve just returned from a trip to Cambodia with my family. In between lots of fun and adventurous new ‘firsts’ (“Crispy fried crickets anyone?”), I had many encounters that reminded me just how resilient the human spirit can be. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
A United Nations envoy urged Cambodia Monday to let opposition leader Sam Rainsy play a “full part” in politics as the recently-pardoned politician prepares to return ahead of elections.
Sam Rainsy, who lives in self-imposed exile in France, had faced 11 years in jail after he was convicted in absentia on charges that he contends were politically motivated, including publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam.
He was pardoned by King Sihamoni on Friday and has vowed to return to Cambodia on July 19 to help his party fight national polls that are widely expected to be won by strongman premier Hun Sen.
The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, said in a statement that he was “very pleased” with the royal pardon, which was “in the interests of stronger and deeper democratisation” of the country.
“I now hope that with this development, the government will take the necessary action in order to allow Sam Rainsy to play a full part in the national politics of Cambodia,” he said.
Rainsy, who is seen as the main challenger to Hun Sen, has been removed from the electoral register and is unable to run as a candidate in the July 28 general election unless parliament amends the law.
The French-educated former banker — who worked with global finance giant Paribas in the 1980s — was pardoned at Hun Sen’s request in a move welcomed by the United States.
While all political parties are free to canvass voters and hold public events, observers say there is little chance of unseating Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which won the last two polls by a landslide amid allegations of fraud and election irregularities.
Hun Sen, now 60, has run Cambodia for 28 years, making him one of Southeast Asia’s longest-serving leaders.
In May he said he would try to stay in power until he is 74. He had previously vowed to hold office until he reached 90.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
The wife of the late Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama concealed around $3 million worth of her husband’s assets to avoid a hefty tax bill, reports said Saturday.
Hirayama, a UNESCO goodwill ambassador who campaigned for the preservation of the world’s cultural heritage, died in 2009 leaving assets worth more than one billion yen ($10 million) mostly in the form of artwork, leading newspapers said.
Most of the assets were donated as non-taxable items to an art museum named after him, but his 87-year-old wife failed to report some 200 million yen in cash which was kept at home, the Yomiuri and the Asahi newspapers said, citing unnamed sources.
She also reported the value of copyrights inherited from her husband at around 100 million yen less than the real amount, the reports said.
She was forced to pay 150 million yen in back taxes and penalties, the reports said.
Hirayama was known for his efforts to preserve cultural treasures such as the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia, China’s Mogao Caves and Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Buddhist monuments, which were blown up in 2001 by the Taliban.
He was first recognised widely for his 1959 work “Bukkyo Denrai”, depicting an ancient Buddhist monk who carried the religion from India to China.
Hirayama created a series of Buddhist-themed paintings of landscapes and ancient ruins on his frequent trips to sites along the ancient Silk Road.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Cambodia’s newly pardoned opposition leader said on Saturday he would return from exile on July 19 to join his party’s campaign to defeat Prime Minister Hun Sen in upcoming elections.
Sam Rainsy, who lives in France, had faced 11 years in jail after he was convicted in absentia for charges that he contends were politically motivated, including publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam.
The French-educated former banker — who worked with global finance giant Paribas in the 1980s — was pardoned by King Sihamoni on Friday at Hun Sen’s request.
“I will arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport on Friday, 19 July, 2013 in the morning at 9:05 on a Thai Airways flight,” Rainsy wrote on his Facebook page, in a post that was widely shared and received thousands of “likes”.
A spokesman for his Cambodia National Rescue Party, Yim Sovann, confirmed the travel schedule, adding that it would take time to arrange Rainsy’s return due to some “issue with his travel document”.
Rainsy, who holds joint French and Cambodian citizenship, is travelling on his French passport as his Cambodian passport was revoked by the government after his criminal convictions.
Thousands of opposition supporters are expected to turn out to welcome him at the airport, according to his party.
Rainsy told AFP on Friday he was “very happy” to be able to return to Cambodia, adding that the pardon was “a small victory for democracy” but also warning that “much more remains to be done”.
Rainsy, who is seen as the main challenger to strongman Hun Sen, has been removed from the electoral register and as a result is unable to run as a candidate in the July 28 general election unless parliament amends the law.
Hun Sen is one of Southeast Asia’s longest-serving leaders and has steered the impoverished country from the ashes of civil war and overseen a growing economy through development, tourism, and garment exports.
But his government is regularly accused of suppressing political freedoms and muzzling activists. He is widely expected to win a majority in this month’s polls.
In May he said he would try to stay in power for another decade, until he is 74. He had previously vowed to hold office until he reached 90.
While all political parties are free to canvass voters and hold public events, observers say there is little chance of unseating Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which won the last two polls by a landslide amid allegations of fraud and election irregularities.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By Rob Quinn 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Health
By Tanya Steel On a block that was long known purely for its infamous adult film theaters, a glamorous restaurant has sprouted. White leather banquettes, white marble floors, lucite chairs and ornate chandeliers encased in lucite boxes comprise the stylish interior of a new Thai restaurant that is partly owned by the renowned and talented Pichet Ong. Qi Bangkok Eatery showcases the best of Ong’s native city, a place that fuses the cuisines of its border countries–Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. Ong, who made his name as a pastry chef of unique talents, created a menu of inventive twists on classic Thai dishes: Lemongrass Chicken Wings, Five Spice Stewed Beef with Chinese Broccoli, Panang Duck Curry with String Beans and Keffir, Grilled Chiang Mai Pork Sausage with Crispy Pork Skin. Not content with the usual sliced mango with sticky rice or fried bananas, Ong pumps up the volume on the desserts, such as a Passionfruit Cheesecake with a Sesame Crust, Caramelized Bread Pudding with Five Spice Creme Anglaise, and a Tamarind Parfait with an Oreo “Soil.” The block’s former denizens would think they were in another world–and they’d be right. (675 Eighth Avenue, New York City; 212-247-8992; qirestaurant.com/timesquare)
From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/epicurious/epiblog/~3/_LqYrJEjHYI/a-qi-grows-in-times-square.html
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Panasonic Launches 100 THOUSAND SOLAR LANTERN PROJECT
OSAKA, Japan–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Panasonic Corporation (TOKYO:6752) deploys the 100 THOUSAND SOLAR LANTERN PROJECT, a project to donate a total of 100,000 solar lanterns to people in regions of the world without electricity, by 2018, the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding. As the first stage in this effort, Panasonic donated 3,000 Compact Solar Lights (CSLs) to NGOs helping to solve social challenges in Myanmar in February 2013. In March 2013, Panasonic donated an additional 5,000 CSLs to NGOs and social enterprises in India, and then, plans to donate 2,000 CSLs*1 to refugees in Kenya.
As Lights in the Study Room of the Orphanage (C)School Aid Japan (Photo: Business Wire)
[Video] What is “100 THOUSAND SOLAR LANTERN PROJECT”
[Video] Light of Hope in Cambodia -100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project
About 100 THOUSAND SOLAR LANTERN PROJECT
Currently, there are about 1.32 billion people worldwide living without electricity, mainly in developing countries in Asia and Africa*2. Many homes in these regions use kerosene lamps for lighting, but they pose the risk of fire and the smoke released by them is harmful to human health. Since they do not provide sufficient light, activities of people are significantly restricted at night. The lack of electric light in these regions means challenges in the areas of healthcare, education and the economy.
To help solve these challenges, Panasonic has been promoting corporate citizenship projects by utilizing its core competence. In April 2011, Panasonic donated 1,000 solar lanterns to Tanzania through a UN agency, followed by 2,000 lanterns to Cambodia through 15 NGOs in March 2012. Thanks to the bright light of these lanterns, users can effectively carry out healthcare, education, and economic activities even at night without health risks. Some households have reported lower expenses since they do not have to buy kerosene.
Toward 2018, Panasonic will continue to donate solar lanterns to developing countries. The company is striving to help improve living conditions in these regions and to help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
*1 In fiscal 2013 (April 2012 – March 2013), the initial year of the project, Compact Solar Lights were donated instead of solar lanterns.
*2 Source: “World Energy Outlook 2011” International Energy Agency
Panasonic Corporate Citizenship Blog – TAG:”lantern” Archive
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Simon Montlake, Forbes Staff
Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng, who runs banking-to-telecoms conglomerate Royal Group, is teaming up with Philippine Airlines (PAL) to launch a new carrier later this year. In a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange, San Miguel, the part-owner of flag carrier PAL, along with billionaire Lucio Tan, confirmed the joint venture, in which PAL will hold 49%. The news was first reported Wednesday by the Philippine press. The new airline will be called Cambodia Airlines, not to be confused with state-owned Cambodia Angkor Air. A handful of private carriers also ply Cambodia‘s skies, but the market is dominated by regional carriers, mostly flying in from neighbouring Bangkok. A Cambodian startup would need to offer new routes or attractive discounts to compete with carriers like AirAsia and Bangkok Airways. San Miguel gave no details of how PAL would be involved in the new airline’s launch. San Miguel acquired 49% of debt-ridden PAL last year; Tan holds the majority share. Under new ownership, PAL has finally begun to upgrade its fleet and turn around its poor image. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
The United Nations-backed tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide says it will pay several months of overdue salaries for its Cambodian staffers.
An announcement from the tribunal’s administrative office received Saturday said the U.N. would provide funds covering January through April this year. It did not specify how much would be given. Foreign and Cambodian personnel are paid under separate budgets.
Translators for the tribunal went on strike in early March over their pay complaint. They agreed to resume work after being paid their wages for December.
The tribunal is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during its 1975-79 reign, when an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and execution.
Cambodian authorities have shut a foreign-run orphanage that is suspected of beating its children and carrying out human trafficking.
Officials and a rights group said Monday that police raided the unlicensed orphanage, called Love in Action, in the capital, Phnom Penh, and rescued 21 children.
Gratianne Quade, a spokeswoman for SISHA, an anti-trafficking organization in Cambodia, said an Australian woman who ran the orphanage was not arrested in the Friday raid and her current whereabouts were not known.
Um Sophanara, an official at the Social Affairs Ministry, which oversees orphanages, confirmed the closure but declined to give details. A SISHA statement said the raid came after several groups of children had fled the orphanage recently and reported a variety of neglect and abuse problems to authorities.
The former foreign minister of Cambodia‘s brutal Khmer Rouge regime has been cremated, with about 1,000 people paying their farewell to Ieng Sary.
His widow, former Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, and many old comrades in the notorious communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975-79 attended the ceremony Thursday in the country’s west.
Ieng Sary‘s death from cardiac failure on March 14 ended the chance he might be punished for his role in the regime, which oversaw the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
He was being tried at the time of his death by a U.N.-backed tribunal for crimes against humanity and other offenses. Two co-defendants remain: former head of state Khieu Samphan and ex-chief ideologist Nuon Chea.
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Stevia Nutra Moves To Fill Alternative Sweetener Market Demand as Coca-Cola Leads “Anti-Obesity” Push
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Stevia Nutra Corporation (OTCQB: STNT) – (The Company), an Agro-Management company focused on stevia agronomics, having just reported a successful first harvest, is developing plans to expand its production capacity of high quality stevia in Cambodia. This ramp up in production capacity coincides with a number of positive announcements by leading food and beverage brands to increase the use of the all-natural, zero calorie sweetener ‘stevia’ in their ingredient mix.
One clear example of this trend is Coca-Cola’s recent announcement that its regular Sprite will no longer be available in the United Kingdom, to be replaced with a version that uses the sweetener stevia, and has 30 percent fewer calories. The change by the world’s biggest beverage maker comes in response to a government push calling on companies to address obesity. Coca-Cola already made a similar move with Sprite in France last year. Sprite is Coca-Cola’s fifth most popular brand in the United Kingdom, after Coke, Diet Coke, Schweppes and Fanta.
The announcement came ahead of the airing of Coca-Cola’s anti-obesity TV ad in the United Kingdom. That ad first aired in the United States in January amid increasing fire over the role sodas play in fueling obesity rates. New York City, for example, is looking to enact a first-in-the-U.S. ban on sugary drinks bigger than 16 ounces in restaurants, movie theatres and other venues. Coke has already been experimenting with reduced-calorie versions of Sprite and Fanta that use stevia in select U.S. markets since this summer 2012.
“It’s pretty clear where the trend line is pointing“, said Stevia Nutra President, Brian Dicks. “The big food and beverage brands and manufacturers are addressing the “obesity-battle”, and consumer demands, with new healthier products and formulations that are lower in calories. Stevia really hits the sweet spot because it delivers on taste, calories and is naturally derived from a plant, not from a lab. There is not enough stevia grown in the world to meet current demand and Stevia Nutra intends to expand its operations and capacity dramatically to take advantage. It’s very simple. Consumers want stevia; we will grow it.”
Stevia Nutra CEO, Dr. Hilary Rodrigues further noted, “We applaud Coca-Cola, with its global reach and influence on consumer tastes, for taking proactive steps in expanding stevia use as a food and beverage ingredient. In doing so they are extending the benefits stevia offers to consumers, especially those battling diabetes and other obesity …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Stevia Nutra Receives Excellent Leaf Test Results
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Stevia Nutra Corporation (OTCQB: STNT)- (The Company), an Agro-Management company focused on stevia agronomics, is pleased to report that independent test results on its stevia leaf has confirmed a high level of Reb ‘A’ and total steviol glycosides (TSG).
Stevia Nutra Corp. is very pleased to inform that stevia leaf samples from its initial harvest have been tested at the Institute of Botany, a division of The Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, with test results yielding very high levels of Reb ‘A’ and TSG. This represents the first testing of the Company’s leaf since its Stevia Propagation Center (SPC), located in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia, was established in 2012. These positive results validate the Company’s plan to drive revenue streams through rapid expansion and production of high quality stevia leaves to satisfy growing demand.
Stevia Nutra‘s Chief Agronomist, Dr. Ahmed El Sheikh, noted that, “Cultivation conditions in Cambodia combined with our choice of seed variety and the protocols we initiated have proven to be very effective. With this confirmation of leaf quality we can continue our planned plantation expansion with confidence.”
“I am extremely encouraged with this test result,” noted Stevia Nutra‘s President, Brian Dicks. “The combined efforts of Dr. El Sheikh and his team on the ground in Cambodia along with our local partner, Ecologica Co. Ltd., have resulted in our establishing a high grade, commercially viable, stevia plant.” Dicks went on to say, “Management will now move forward with its plans to secure and develop additional acreage and ramp up production to meet increasing global demand.”
Dr. Hilary Rodrigues, CEO, commented, “This is indeed excellent news. With confirmation of our high quality leaf we can expect a high value harvest. With demand rising and approval of stevia for use as an ingredient in more and more food and beverage products expanding, Stevia Nutra is positioning itself to carve out a piece of the over $50 billion sweetener market as a significant producer in the stevia sector.”
About Us
Stevia Nutra:
Stevia Nutra is an Agro-Management company focused on stevia agronomics which includes plant breeding, proprietary agricultural practices and post-harvest techniques. Stevia Nutra intends to invest heavily in R&D and IP acquisition …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
