Category: Politics

Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen has urged Qatar to open a permanent embassy in Cambodia with the resumption of Qatar Airline flights.

He made this statement on May 8 on the occasion of allowing Khalid Ali Abdullah Abel, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Cambodia, to pay a courtesy call at the Senate in Phnom Penh.

During the meeting, Hun Sen frankly stated that Qatar, a rich country, should open its own embassy in Cambodia rather than have a residence in another country. He reminded that when he was the Prime Minister, he did not have enough time to receive ambassadors with residences abroad, as this was a special case.

Cambodia-Qatar diplomatic relations began in 2008 when the Prime Minister of Qatar paid a royal visit to Cambodia.

He added that Qatar should resume Qatar Airline flights after being disrupted by COVID-19 in the past to allow people-to-people contacts, as well as bringing visitors from the Middle East and Europe to Cambodia and also bringing visitors from Cambodia and ASEAN to Qatar.

Ambassador Khalid Ali Abdullah Abel stated that the reason he came here was to reap the benefits of the two countries, promising to work hard to attract investors from Qatar to Cambodia as well as bring investors from Cambodia to Qatar to explore the possibility of investment cooperation.

The Ambassador stated that “Qatar has the potential to invest in energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, hospital construction, airports, and more, and Qatar is reviewing the resumption of Qatar Airline, citing the favourable conditions for Qatar tourists to travel to other destinations.”

Hun Sen said that the relationship between the two countries depends on economic ties; as long as the economic ties are strong, the political ties are strong. He urges to look at the possibility between the two countries: 1) To give investors confidence, it is necessary to have an investment protection agreement; 2). to have a non-overlapping tax agreement; and even better, if possible, to establish a Free Trade Zone Agreement, as Cambodia has done with China, Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Peng Ponea, Minister of Public Works and Transport and Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), participated on May 8 in the celebration of the 15th National Road Safety Week in Battambang Province under the chairmanship of Sar Sokha, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC).

The event was held at Battambang Provincial Stadium with the participation of members of the National Road Safety Committee, the Governor of the Board of Governors and Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Road Safety of Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin, Siem Reap, and Pursat Provinces, local authorities, the Police Force, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, representatives of national and international organisations, private companies, teachers, students, youth, and the population, a total of more than 1,200 people.

Speaking on this occasion, Sar Sokha highlighted that the road accidents in the first quarter of 2024 are the same as in the first quarter of 2023; there is no decrease yet. A total of 781 accidents occurred, resulting in 387 deaths and 1,084 injuries, with an average of nine accidents per day, resulting in more than four deaths and 12 injuries.

The Chairman of the NRSC also took this opportunity to urge all road users to remember that only the spirit of responsibility to respect the law on road traffic, increasing caution at all times when travelling on the road, morality, understanding, and tolerance are necessary to avoid traffic accidents and always have safety on the road.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy has expressed his optimism and appreciation for the good relations and cooperation between the two nations, particularly in the areas of politics, economy, trade, education, health, demining, etc.

In a farewell visit to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Peace Palace yesterday, the outgoing U.S. diplomat noted that under the leadership of the premier in the past eight months, the diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two countries have been further strengthened and expanded.

The Ambassador thanked the Royal Government of Cambodia for its support and good cooperation in the POW / MIA search and rescue mission.

As a major partner of Cambodia in mine clearance, he continued, the U.S. will continue to support Cambodia’s hosting of the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World in November this year.

W. Patrick Murphy also mentioned the defense cooperation between both countries through discussions on a joint plan of action, including exchange programmes for military students.

For his part, Hun Manet spoke highly of the active contribution of the outgoing ambassador and his colleagues in tightening diplomatic relations and cooperation in the fields of education, health, tourism, culture, people-to-people relations private sector connectivity promotion, and so on.

The Premier reaffirmed the 7th-mandate Royal Government’s readiness to continue to deepen Cambodia-U.S. cooperation, stressing that it remains committed to relations with all countries based on consistency and sustainability.

Besides, he highlighted the launch of new policies and action plans to improve the business environment in Cambodia to attract more new investors, including those from the U.S. 
On the occasion, Hun Manet conferred a high decoration upon W. Patrick Murphy in recognition of his efforts in fostering the relationship between the two countries. AKP

Sar Sokha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, expressed hope that Australia will continue to provide assistance, including technical assistance, materials, and training, to the Ministry of Interior.

On the occasion of the opportunity to allow Pablo Kang, Chargé d’Affaires at the Australian Embassy in Cambodia, to pay a courtesy call and discuss work on May 2, 2024, Sar Sokha thanked the Australian Ministry of Interior for inviting him to lead a delegation from the Ministry of Interior study tour to Australia in June 2024.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the visit is aimed at helping the Cambodian side gain strategic experience related to immigration, cyber security, decentralisation, and deconcentration, with the Cambodian delegation hoping to gain new experience and knowledge from Australia both in the management of the National Police Force and in promoting communication training for police officers in the fight against cybercrime.

The Deputy Prime Minister also conveyed the greetings from Sar Kheng, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, to Pablo Kang and described his presence at the meeting as a demonstration of efforts to further enhance cooperation between the Australian Government and the Cambodian Ministry of Interior, both now and in the future.

Pablo Kang agreed with Deputy Prime Minister Sar Sokha’s assessment of the long-term relationship between Cambodia and Australia. He also recalled the positive results of the visit of Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, to the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Australia on March 2–6, 2024, which led to the signing of a direct flight from Australia to Cambodia.

During the meeting, the Chargé d’Affaires and the Deputy Prime Minister also praised the progress of cooperation between the two sides and discussed immigration and the fight against transnational crime, including human trafficking and drug trafficking, cybercrime, public administration reform, decentralisation and deconcentration reform, social accountability in Cambodia, and the commitment to strengthen the work even better.

Sar Sokha also expressed hope that “the Australian side will continue to provide assistance, including technical assistance, equipment, and training, to the Ministry of Interior.” Once again, the head of the Ministry of Interior also hopes that the upcoming visit of the Ministry of Interior delegation to Australia will be fruitful, providing benefits such as good knowledge and experience in the implementation of the work. Dap-news

Rival camps have agreed to handle in Thursday’s plenary session a special bill that seeks to establish a probe team to shed light on the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush disaster. 

The senior deputy floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party(PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) reached the agreement on Wednesday to revise parts of the special bill. 

The two parties are said to have worked out details on the formation and operation period of the envisioned team and the method of investigation the team will implement. 

The special bill was passed in the opposition-dominated parliament on January 9 but was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol later that month.

It currently is pending in parliament for a revote.

The nation's biggest entertainment company Hybe has filed a complaint with the police against subsidiary ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin over alleged breach of trust.

The Seoul Yongsan Police Station said on Friday that the complaint against Min, as well as ADOR Vice President Shin Dong-hoon was received in the morning.

Announcing interim findings from an audit against the sublabel on Thursday, Hybe claimed that it has verified concrete facts about a scheme to seize control of the company led by Min, and has obtained related physical evidence.

Hybe claimed Min ordered the management to come up with ways to pressure Hybe to sell off its ADOR shares, leading to discussions of the early termination of a contract with K-pop girl group NewJeans and nullifying a contract between Min and Hybe.

Min disputed this at a press conference on Thursday, accusing Hybe of manipulating the content of her private conversation with ADOR management to make a distorted claim that she had attempted to seize corporate control.

South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's launch of a military reconnaissance satellite and its weapons shipments to Russia as violation of UN Security Council resolutions. 

Seoul’s defense ministry said on Friday that the three nations made the statements in the 14th Defense Trilateral Talks(DTT) held virtually on Wednesday. 

The chief delegates of the three nations denounced the North’s recent diversification of nuclear delivery systems, tests and launches of multiple ballistic missiles and the launch of what the North purports to be a military reconnaissance satellite using ballistic missile technology as clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions. They also condemned the North’s illicit ship-to-ship transfers and arms shipments to Russia. 

The three sides then reaffirmed that North Korea’s seventh nuclear test, if conducted, will be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community. 

Noting Russia’s recent veto of a renewal of the mandate of a UN panel monitoring violations of sanctions on North Korea, the three sides affirmed their commitment to strengthening efforts to ensure effective sanctions implementation.

MALE, Maldives — Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's political party has swept parliamentary elections in a strong endorsement of his pro-China foreign policy, according to preliminary results reported Monday by local media.

The People's National Congress won 70 out of 93 seats in Sunday's vote, and along with three seats secured by its allies has taken absolute control of Parliament, according to the preliminary results.

The Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as pro-India, held 65 seats in the previous Parliament but won only 15 seats, the news site Mihaaru.com reported.

Official results are expected later Monday.

The election was closely watched by regional powers India and China, which are competing for influence in the archipelago nation, which has a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.

Muizzu’s election as president last year sharpened the rivalry between India and China as he took a pro-China stand and acted to remove Indian troops stationed on one of Maldives' islets.

Sunday's election was easier than expected for Muizzu, who had been expected to face a tough fight because some of his allies had fallen out and more parties entered the race.

Six political parties and independent groups fielded 368 candidates for the 93 seats in Parliament. The number of seats is six more than in the previous Parliament following adjustments for population growth.

Muizzu ran for president on a campaign theme of “India out,” accusing his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty by giving India too much influence.

At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives and their known activities were operating two aircraft donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Muizzu has taken steps to have civilians take over those activities.

Relations were strained further when Indian social media activists started a boycott of tourism in Maldives. That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s own string of islands similar to the Maldives.

India has fallen from being the top source of foreign visitors to Maldives to No. 6, according to Maldives government statistics.

Muizzu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and inbound flights from China.

In 2013, Maldives joined China’s “Belt and Road” initiative meant to build ports and highways to expand trade — and China’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe.

ISTANBUL -- Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers emphasized that the military confrontation and crises in the Middle East could potentially widen to a larger area, underscoring the necessity for urgent action.

Hakan Fidan and Sameh Shoukry met in Türkiye's Istanbul on Saturday to discuss current regional challenges and bilateral relations.

"Conflicts, incomprehension, and violence must not continue," said Shoukry at a joint conference with Fidan. "There is a possibility that the conflict may spread. The tension between Iran and Israel has increased... We have called for restraint," he noted.

The Egyptian foreign minister also noted that the strain between Iran and Israel diverted the international community's attention from the "tragic situation" in Gaza, underscoring the significance of delivering aid to the region.

Shoukry called for the immediate opening of six Israeli crossings with Gaza for humanitarian aid, stressing that any failure to do so constitutes a violation of international law.

"It is very important that a ceasefire is established first and that the Palestinian people receive the humanitarian aid they need," he remarked.

Fidan, for his part, noted that everything that happens in Palestine could trigger global fault lines and expand across both Eastern and Western spheres.

"The disruption of logistics chains and the surge in prices are just the tip of the iceberg. To curb the proliferation of crises, proactive measures are imperative to address these issues at their core," the Turkish minister said.

"Our priority should be the end of the Israeli occupation and the realization of the two-state solution formula. Without this resolution, yesterday's attacks from Yemen, today's Iran-Israel tension, tomorrow's potential for another war, and the day after's risk of civil unrest will persist," he said.

Meanwhile, the two ministers also underscored the profound and constructive relations between Türkiye and Egypt, emphasizing their positive impact on the region.

"We are committed to elevating our political, economic, cultural, and security relations to a superior standard. Our strong ties will contribute significantly to the security and stability of the region," Shoukry said.

In February, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Cairo in over a decade, aiming to revitalize ties with Egypt after more than a decade of estrangement.