The National Assemblies of Vietnam and Cambodia should foster their ties to help promote the friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two countries, said Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly Tong Thi Phong.
Ms Phong made the statement at a reception in Hanoi on November 4 for visiting Deputy PM Men Sam An, who is also President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA).
The Vietnam National Assembly will do its utmost to strengthen relations with its Cambodian counterpart, said Ms Phong.
She welcomed the results of visit exchanges and cooperation between Vietnamese and Cambodian friendship organizations in recent times and hoped that both sides will continue to support each other at multilateral forums.
For her part, Men Sam An noted that Cambodia and Vietnam have treasured long standing relationship and the two nations have stood shoulder to shoulder to overcome numerous difficulties.
She thanked the Vietnamese people for providing their heart-felt support and assistance to Cambodia to drive away the Khmer Rouge and reconstruct the nation.
She also noted with satisfaction progress in the exchange of visits and cooperation between the two legislative bodies, contributing the development of bilateral ties.
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has appointed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to premier Hun Sen and his administration, a Cambodian government statement said on Wednesday.
Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as Thai premier in a coup in 2006
Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as Thai premier in a coup in 2006
The statement, read out on state television, said Thaksin would serve "as personal adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the adviser to the Cambodian government in charge of economy".
Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as an economic adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, a move that is likely to rankle Bangkok, officials said Wednesday.
Thaksin lives in exile and faces a two-year jail term for corruption if he returns to Thailand, but Hun Sen has said he would welcome him in Cambodia despite an extradition treaty with Bangkok.
King Norodom Sihamoni had approved Thaksin as an “adviser” to Hun Sen, said Phay Siphan a spokesman for the Council of Ministers.
As a developing country, Cambodia needs knowledgeable advisers, and Thaksin knows many overseas investors, which could help, Phay Siphan said.
Thai officials have said they will begin an extradition process if Thaksin is found in Cambodia, and Thaksin himself has declined Hun Sen’s overtures that he stay in the country.
(CNN) – Independents appear to be playing an important role in the country's two off-year gubernatorial races and in both states, and they are voting Republican.
In Virginia, where 30 percent of voters identify themselves as independent, 65 percent cast their ballots for CNN's projected winner, Republican Bob McDonnell. That's according to early CNN Exit Poll data. Democrat Creigh Deeds earned the votes of 34 percent of independents.
In New Jersey, the projected winner, Republican Chris Christie, took 60 percent of the independent vote while incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat, got only 30 percent. The candidate running as an official Independent, Chris Daggett, got just 9 percent of the independent vote. Independents made up 28 percent of the voters in New Jersey race.
In Virginia, where 30 percent of voters identify themselves as independent, 65 percent cast their ballots for CNN's projected winner, Republican Bob McDonnell. That's according to early CNN Exit Poll data. Democrat Creigh Deeds earned the votes of 34 percent of independents.
In New Jersey, the projected winner, Republican Chris Christie, took 60 percent of the independent vote while incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat, got only 30 percent. The candidate running as an official Independent, Chris Daggett, got just 9 percent of the independent vote. Independents made up 28 percent of the voters in New Jersey race.
Washington (CNN) -- Victories in New Jersey and Virginia Tuesday provided a major shot in the arm for the Republican Party heading into the 2010 elections, but the Democratic losses of these two governorships should not be interpreted as a significant blow to President Obama.
While the economy and jobs were the chief concern for voters in both states, 26 percent of New Jersey residents said property taxes was also a major issue, while another 20 percent mentioned corruption, according to CNN exit polling. In a similar CNN survey taken in Virginia, health care was the most important issue for 24 percent of the voters, while 15 percent named taxes and transportation was mentioned by 7 percent.
Further proof that this election was not solely focused on Obama, 56 percent of Virginians said that the president was not a factor when it came down to their vote. In New Jersey, that number increased to 60 percent of the people who went to the polls on Tuesday.
Perhaps this was the problem for Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
Neither Democratic candidate was Obama; neither was a great spokesman for "change;" and Democratic strategists and grassroots activists said each candidate failed to give independents a reason to support them.
Still, in the coming days a storyline will develop that this was a referendum on Obama and his policies.
At the same time, another narrative will continue to evolve over the future of the Republican Party as grassroots conservative activists seek to increase their influence following the success of forcing the centrist Republican nominee in a New York congressional special election from the race.Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's loss to Democratic nominee Bill Owens was just a side note in a greater story about the beginning of a civil war between conservative activists and party leaders as the GOP seeks to rebuild after suffering devastating losses in 2008.
Two story lines, whether right or wrong, that will help shape the thinking, the strategy and the politics of Democrats and Republicans heading into the midterm elections.
Embrace Obama's agenda
The inclination by some Democrats seeking reelection next year might be to run away from Obama and chart an independent path believing that he was at least partially to blame for the defeats of Corzine and Deeds. But Democratic strategists and activists caution that this is the wrong decision to make. In order to win in 2010, these Democrats said candidates need to embrace the president and embrace his policy goals.
"You want to run as somebody who is supporting the Obama agenda, with an exception here or there, instead of being disdainful," said Steve Murphy, a consultant who works with conservative Democratic incumbents and challengers.
Jane Hamsher, founder of the liberal political blog firedoglake, noted that it is freshmen and sophomore Democrats who won by narrow margins in 2006 and 2008, who "are scared" of losing their seats in 2010.
"I would suggest that appealing to Republican interests is not the best way to turn out Democrats," Hamsher said. "It is just a fact of life. They have to turn out Democrats."
The problem does not just lie with House and Senate Democrats. It is an issue for the White House.
Obama's political operatives must decide how best to help their allies in Congress win next year. In 2008, African-Americans turned out for Obama, young people turned out for Obama and independent voters looking for "change" turned out for Obama.
"The political challenges for this White House will be to transfer this kind of political power to other candidates," said a veteran Democratic strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to draw fire from the Obama administration.
On Tuesday, the Obama magic did not rub off on Corzine or Deeds.
In New Jersey, while Corzine overwhelmingly won among African-Americans, only 14 percent of the vote was black; young people, age 18 to 29, made up 9 percent of the vote and 36 percent of them backed Republican Chris Christie. Meanwhile, 60 percent of independents supported Christie as well.
The numbers were worse for Deeds in Virginia. Ten percent of the electorate was age 18 to 29 and Republican Bob McDonnell captured 54 percent of this voting bloc. Deeds overwhelmingly carried the African-American vote that made up16 percent of people who turned out on Tuesday, while 66 percent of voters who identified themselves as independents backed McDonnell.
The White House has already played an active role in the 2010 mid-term elections and now the question is whether the Obama political operation will try to devise a formula to catch lightning in a bottle once again to help Democratic allies on Capitol Hill.
GOP civil war
For the past year, the Republican Party has been without a national leader as it works to rebuild after losing the White House and additional House and Senate seats in 2008. At times, the likes of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has helped drive the conversation, but it is the grassroots activists who have emerged as important players in the reconstruction of the GOP.
Hoffman's loss certainly doesn't help these conservatives, but it is not a fatal blow, either. The battle for these activists was with the GOP leadership, and they won by successfully pushing GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava out of the race.
It is just the beginning, said conservative leader Richard Viguerie. "We want to take the party back to a small government party," he said. "The train has left the station. The battle has been engaged."
And by engaged, Viguerie means by the non-traditional conservatives who have rallied around the Tea Party idea.
"There are new people," he said. "They are saying it is time to lock and load and go to war with these establishment Republicans."
But is an internal battle in the GOP good for the party?
Conservative columnist Matt Lewis said he thinks that these internal struggles help to strengthen the party in the long run.
"This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Lewis said. "Political parties ought to have vigorous primary campaigns, fight it out in the primaries over ideological battles."
Lewis predicts seeing more primary challengers emerge to take on GOP establishment candidates following a path blazed by Marco Rubio in Florida and Chuck DeVore in California.
"I happen to think when Republicans stay conservative, Republicans win," Lewis said.
While the economy and jobs were the chief concern for voters in both states, 26 percent of New Jersey residents said property taxes was also a major issue, while another 20 percent mentioned corruption, according to CNN exit polling. In a similar CNN survey taken in Virginia, health care was the most important issue for 24 percent of the voters, while 15 percent named taxes and transportation was mentioned by 7 percent.
Further proof that this election was not solely focused on Obama, 56 percent of Virginians said that the president was not a factor when it came down to their vote. In New Jersey, that number increased to 60 percent of the people who went to the polls on Tuesday.
Perhaps this was the problem for Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
Neither Democratic candidate was Obama; neither was a great spokesman for "change;" and Democratic strategists and grassroots activists said each candidate failed to give independents a reason to support them.
Still, in the coming days a storyline will develop that this was a referendum on Obama and his policies.
At the same time, another narrative will continue to evolve over the future of the Republican Party as grassroots conservative activists seek to increase their influence following the success of forcing the centrist Republican nominee in a New York congressional special election from the race.Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's loss to Democratic nominee Bill Owens was just a side note in a greater story about the beginning of a civil war between conservative activists and party leaders as the GOP seeks to rebuild after suffering devastating losses in 2008.
Two story lines, whether right or wrong, that will help shape the thinking, the strategy and the politics of Democrats and Republicans heading into the midterm elections.
Embrace Obama's agenda
The inclination by some Democrats seeking reelection next year might be to run away from Obama and chart an independent path believing that he was at least partially to blame for the defeats of Corzine and Deeds. But Democratic strategists and activists caution that this is the wrong decision to make. In order to win in 2010, these Democrats said candidates need to embrace the president and embrace his policy goals.
"You want to run as somebody who is supporting the Obama agenda, with an exception here or there, instead of being disdainful," said Steve Murphy, a consultant who works with conservative Democratic incumbents and challengers.
Jane Hamsher, founder of the liberal political blog firedoglake, noted that it is freshmen and sophomore Democrats who won by narrow margins in 2006 and 2008, who "are scared" of losing their seats in 2010.
"I would suggest that appealing to Republican interests is not the best way to turn out Democrats," Hamsher said. "It is just a fact of life. They have to turn out Democrats."
The problem does not just lie with House and Senate Democrats. It is an issue for the White House.
Obama's political operatives must decide how best to help their allies in Congress win next year. In 2008, African-Americans turned out for Obama, young people turned out for Obama and independent voters looking for "change" turned out for Obama.
"The political challenges for this White House will be to transfer this kind of political power to other candidates," said a veteran Democratic strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to draw fire from the Obama administration.
On Tuesday, the Obama magic did not rub off on Corzine or Deeds.
In New Jersey, while Corzine overwhelmingly won among African-Americans, only 14 percent of the vote was black; young people, age 18 to 29, made up 9 percent of the vote and 36 percent of them backed Republican Chris Christie. Meanwhile, 60 percent of independents supported Christie as well.
The numbers were worse for Deeds in Virginia. Ten percent of the electorate was age 18 to 29 and Republican Bob McDonnell captured 54 percent of this voting bloc. Deeds overwhelmingly carried the African-American vote that made up16 percent of people who turned out on Tuesday, while 66 percent of voters who identified themselves as independents backed McDonnell.
The White House has already played an active role in the 2010 mid-term elections and now the question is whether the Obama political operation will try to devise a formula to catch lightning in a bottle once again to help Democratic allies on Capitol Hill.
GOP civil war
For the past year, the Republican Party has been without a national leader as it works to rebuild after losing the White House and additional House and Senate seats in 2008. At times, the likes of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has helped drive the conversation, but it is the grassroots activists who have emerged as important players in the reconstruction of the GOP.
Hoffman's loss certainly doesn't help these conservatives, but it is not a fatal blow, either. The battle for these activists was with the GOP leadership, and they won by successfully pushing GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava out of the race.
It is just the beginning, said conservative leader Richard Viguerie. "We want to take the party back to a small government party," he said. "The train has left the station. The battle has been engaged."
And by engaged, Viguerie means by the non-traditional conservatives who have rallied around the Tea Party idea.
"There are new people," he said. "They are saying it is time to lock and load and go to war with these establishment Republicans."
But is an internal battle in the GOP good for the party?
Conservative columnist Matt Lewis said he thinks that these internal struggles help to strengthen the party in the long run.
"This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Lewis said. "Political parties ought to have vigorous primary campaigns, fight it out in the primaries over ideological battles."
Lewis predicts seeing more primary challengers emerge to take on GOP establishment candidates following a path blazed by Marco Rubio in Florida and Chuck DeVore in California.
"I happen to think when Republicans stay conservative, Republicans win," Lewis said.
The odd is still the same, when Vietnam can put new one on the top, the rests and former top will become paralyzed or extinct.
How good method like this? Vietnam has used it very effectively. Vietnam will never lose benefit in utilizing Khmers fight with Khmers for power. Khmers who are paranoid in power will get the power when they can act as a real lackey to Vietnam.
Reading this article, I would like to say congratulation Man Sam An for your gut to abide by perspective and order of Vietnamese leaders regarding Sam Rainsy and the border poles.
As we can observe, Cambodia's history has repeated again and again. Who served best to Vietnamese interests, that person can exceed their position to the highest post promptly.
For instance, Pol Pot came to power because of his obey to Vietnamese top leaders in their campaign to overturn America and Lon Nol. When Pol Pot disengaged from Vietnam; Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin were the best candidates for Vietnam to overturn Pol Pot. Impressively, when Pen Sovann was not really their servant, Vietnam quickly installed younger Hun Sen to power inside the same party.
Now, Man Sam An who is listenable to Vietnam and she is also the president of Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), if she can achieve this task of suing Sam Rainsy, she will be raised up high, or we can say she can be higher than Sar Keng who is the current highest deputy prime minister. Man Sam An has been running faster than brilliant Sok An and other prime minister deputies.
The odd is still the same, when Vietnam can put new one on the top, the rests and former top will become paralyzed or extinct.
How good method like this? Vietnam has used it very effectively. Vietnam will never lose benefit in utilizing Khmers fight with Khmers for power. Khmers who are paranoid in power will get the power when they can act as a real lackey to Vietnam.
In contradict, as we are Khmers, we can ask simple question that "how can Man Sam An worship Vietnam by jailing our same Khmer race accordingly?".
In reality, Vietnam just wants to test their tiny trick to lure Hun Sen into their trap. If just this poles of border, Vietnam can sue or jail Sam Rainsy, it explicitly shows about many previous treaties that Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin had severally signed with Vietnam.
Vietnamese leader is using this issue to sue Sam Rainsy in order to threaten those CPP's leaders not to get away from them under the prospect of laws.
Sam Rainsy has done nothing wrong, and I want to see Man Sam An realize the truth that finally she will become a victim because of her affinity towards Vietnamese leader in taming their own Khmer race. Pol Pot is a good example for Man Sam An
.
How good method like this? Vietnam has used it very effectively. Vietnam will never lose benefit in utilizing Khmers fight with Khmers for power. Khmers who are paranoid in power will get the power when they can act as a real lackey to Vietnam.
Reading this article, I would like to say congratulation Man Sam An for your gut to abide by perspective and order of Vietnamese leaders regarding Sam Rainsy and the border poles.
As we can observe, Cambodia's history has repeated again and again. Who served best to Vietnamese interests, that person can exceed their position to the highest post promptly.
For instance, Pol Pot came to power because of his obey to Vietnamese top leaders in their campaign to overturn America and Lon Nol. When Pol Pot disengaged from Vietnam; Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin were the best candidates for Vietnam to overturn Pol Pot. Impressively, when Pen Sovann was not really their servant, Vietnam quickly installed younger Hun Sen to power inside the same party.
Now, Man Sam An who is listenable to Vietnam and she is also the president of Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), if she can achieve this task of suing Sam Rainsy, she will be raised up high, or we can say she can be higher than Sar Keng who is the current highest deputy prime minister. Man Sam An has been running faster than brilliant Sok An and other prime minister deputies.
The odd is still the same, when Vietnam can put new one on the top, the rests and former top will become paralyzed or extinct.
How good method like this? Vietnam has used it very effectively. Vietnam will never lose benefit in utilizing Khmers fight with Khmers for power. Khmers who are paranoid in power will get the power when they can act as a real lackey to Vietnam.
In contradict, as we are Khmers, we can ask simple question that "how can Man Sam An worship Vietnam by jailing our same Khmer race accordingly?".
In reality, Vietnam just wants to test their tiny trick to lure Hun Sen into their trap. If just this poles of border, Vietnam can sue or jail Sam Rainsy, it explicitly shows about many previous treaties that Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin had severally signed with Vietnam.
Vietnamese leader is using this issue to sue Sam Rainsy in order to threaten those CPP's leaders not to get away from them under the prospect of laws.
Sam Rainsy has done nothing wrong, and I want to see Man Sam An realize the truth that finally she will become a victim because of her affinity towards Vietnamese leader in taming their own Khmer race. Pol Pot is a good example for Man Sam An
.
THE Kingdom's main opposition party is defending its leader's tactics after the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments condemned Sam Rainsy for uprooting posts marking the tenuous border between the two countries.
In a media statement, Sam Rainsy Party officials said the government had launched a lawsuit against the opposition leader after he removed six markers last week along the border with Vietnam in Svay Rieng province.
"We have not done anything wrong, so we are not scared of anything at all," SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said Tuesday. He admitted he was unsure whether a lawsuit had actually been filed, but said that the party was prepared for legal action following government comments published in the media.
Svay Rieng provincial Governor Cheang Am could not be reached for comment Tuesday but said last week that the law should hold Sam Rainsy responsible.
After uprooting the border posts last week, Sam Rainsy said that the markers had been illegally placed by Vietnamese authorities.
In a statement issued Friday, Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned Sam Rainsy's actions and asked the government to protect the nations' ongoing border demarcation process. The statement called Sam Rainsy's act "perverse, undermining common assets, violating laws of Cambodia and Vietnam, treaties, agreements and deals between the two countries”.
In 2006, Cambodia and Vietnam officially began demarcating their contentious 1,270-kilometre border in an effort to end decades of territorial disputes.
In a media statement, Sam Rainsy Party officials said the government had launched a lawsuit against the opposition leader after he removed six markers last week along the border with Vietnam in Svay Rieng province.
"We have not done anything wrong, so we are not scared of anything at all," SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said Tuesday. He admitted he was unsure whether a lawsuit had actually been filed, but said that the party was prepared for legal action following government comments published in the media.
Svay Rieng provincial Governor Cheang Am could not be reached for comment Tuesday but said last week that the law should hold Sam Rainsy responsible.
After uprooting the border posts last week, Sam Rainsy said that the markers had been illegally placed by Vietnamese authorities.
In a statement issued Friday, Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned Sam Rainsy's actions and asked the government to protect the nations' ongoing border demarcation process. The statement called Sam Rainsy's act "perverse, undermining common assets, violating laws of Cambodia and Vietnam, treaties, agreements and deals between the two countries”.
In 2006, Cambodia and Vietnam officially began demarcating their contentious 1,270-kilometre border in an effort to end decades of territorial disputes.
The Mineral Fuels Department says Thailand and Vietnam's solution for the problem of overlapping sea territory is also best for a similar problem between the Kingdom and Cambodia regarding oil and gas exploration.
Director-general Kurujit Nakornthap said the model would benefit Cambodia more than other solutions would.
Thailand and Vietnam agreed to divide the overlapping area, with Thailand owning 67 per cent and Vietnam 33 per cent.
Kurujit said with a similar division between Thailand and Cambodia, the latter could enter into joint-venture agreements with private concessionaires and gain full technology transfers from them on its own without needing to discuss the matter with Thailand.
Thailand also solved a similar problem with Malaysia by setting up a joint juristic organisation to develop the entire area and share the benefits evenly. That area has been found to contain natural-gas reserves of 10 trillion cubic feet.
Kurujit said the problem of the overlapping territory between Thailand and Cambodia, amounting to 26,000 square kilometres, should be resolved quickly, as that would afford benefits to both countries in terms of gas-field development.
If the problem is prolonged indefinitely, both countries would lose business opportunities if other sources of energy, such as wind and solar power, became popular and inexpensive to produce in the interim. This would make the value of Thailand's existing but as-yet-untapped natural resources decline.
Thailand has already set up a committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to solve this problem, but the two countries have yet to reach a conclusion. Meanwhile, neither one can allow companies holding concessions for oil and gas exploration in the area to operate.
Thailand granted rights to private companies to explore in the area in 1971, but a 1975 Cabinet resolution suspended exploration after learning it overlapped with Cambodia's territory.
Cambodia has also granted exploration rights to private companies, including Total.