Latest news with #Cambodians
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Border issues with Thailand require patience and determination, says Cambodian PM
PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that resolving border issues is complex and must be approached with patience and persistence and through legal and diplomatic channels. On Saturday (May 31), he spoke to about 1,600 Cambodians living, working, and studying in Tokyo, Japan. The Prime Minister emphasised that border demarcation should be managed by the countries' designated border committees rather than through military conflict. Referring to the clash that occurred on Wednesday, he warned that if the situation had not been addressed quickly, the death toll could have risen from one to potentially one hundred, and the conflict could have spread along the entire border. He also indicated that taking border disputes to international court should be considered only as a last resort, stating, 'Once it reaches the court, negotiations will no longer be possible.' Furthermore, the Prime Minister strongly disapproved of opposition claims suggesting that the Royal Government allowed the Thai army to fire on Cambodian troops in order to distract the public from online crime issues. He condemned attempts to demoralise Cambodian forces during this sensitive time. 'This is a moment for national unity,' he said. 'We must support and uplift our soldiers who are risking their lives to protect the territorial integrity of our homeland,' questioning the opposition's intentions behind their efforts to sow division between army generals and frontline soldiers. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Royal Government's commitment, alongside the Ministry of National Defence and the Cambodian Armed Forces, to peacefully resolve border disputes and to safeguard Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. - Khmer Times
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Cambodian women rising to tap global fishery products market
Using modern techniques in the post-harvesting, drying fish in a solar dryer dome. - Photo Unido Cambodia PHNOM PENH: (Bernama) Cambodian women are stepping up in the fishery products sector, transforming their roles from traditional producers to key players in the global market. Enterprising women entrepreneurs, dominating at least 60 per cent of the micro and small informal enterprises, are now upgrading their post-harvest processing skills in the fishery sector to penetrate high-end markets. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation's (Unido) Capfish-Capture - a post-harvest fisheries development project - is helping Cambodian women to upskill, shifting from their archaic fish processing techniques to world-recognised standards. "We supported over 51 fishery enterprises and their value chain actors in upgrading their businesses. Thirty-five of these enterprises are led by women and three persons with disabilities. "We are now linking them with global buyers from the EU (European Union). Some of the enterprises have already started exporting to China, South Korea and Australia,' Unido's Capfish-Capture Chief Technical Advisor Dr Shetty Seetharama Thombathu told Bernama. Capfish-Capture is a five-year project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Unido in coordination with the Cambodia Fisheries Administration. Women dominate the post-harvest process of fishery activities inCambodia. - Photo UnidoCambodia Fishing is a vital economic lifeline for Cambodia. About six million people are employed both directly and indirectly in the domestic fisheries sector. The post-harvest fishery activities alone employ an estimated 33,000 workers, the majority of them are women. Fish remains a staple diet for Cambodians and their per capita consumption of fish is 54 kilogrammes, considered higher among its Asean peers. Cambodian Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry revealed that total fisheries and aquaculture production reached 926,936 metric tonnes last year. Locally-made fishery products - fish sauce, fermented fish, fish balls, and smoked fish - are widely produced but seldom exported due to a lack of value addition and food safety compliance. According to Unido, Cambodia's low competitiveness in terms of value addition makes it tough to compete in the domestic market flooded with imported fishery products and, at the same time, unable to enter regional or global markets. The Capfish-Capture project has stepped in to revitalise this untapped lucrative sector to compete with high-quality international exporters by equipping local producers with modern techniques. "The ultimate goal is to boost the competitiveness of the fishery products to promote trade, both domestic and export, and to protect public health by ensuring safe and high-quality fishery products for consumers. "We work on various issues and elements of the value chain such as governance, food safety, capacity building and skills development, marketing and branding, access to finance, research and development, gender empowerment, environment and climate resilience,' said Shetty. Cambodia's new success story is going beyond its borders. Neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines, where the fishing industry plays a critical role in their economy, are recognising the Capfish-Capture project. Meanwhile, Egypt, Chile and Kyrgyzstan have expressed their willingness to replicate Unido's training model. "Listing Cambodia as an eligible country to export to the EU is our main goal. We have already established all the requirements to meet EU food safety requirements and are ready for an audit by DG SANTE (European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety),' said Shetty. Cambodian women are now shining in the often-neglected and shunned occupation by many due to its laborious work and paltry income. But the fortunes could now favour them. - Bernama
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cambodia and western Massachusetts intertwined at the State House
BOSTON (WWLP) – The State House is showcasing Cambodian heritage with an exhibit telling the stories of the Khmer people in Amherst. The Amherst Historical Society and Museum and Amherst Media, alongside a community of partners and Cambodian people, put together an exhibit telling the history of western Massachusetts Khmer community. This exhibit features artwork, clothing, photographs, and history lessons about the Khmer Rouge and how the Amherst community provided sanctuary for recent immigrants. An influx of Cambodians fled genocide in their home country in the mid-1970s and resettled in Amherst. 'Your story matters. Our lives matter, and everyone needs to hear it. I think it's huge for Western Mass to be present here on Beacon Hill,' said Amherst Media's Interim Executive Director, Yanna Ok. Since then, many Cambodian families have relocated to cities like Lowell, and their history in western Massachusetts was already being lost to time. That's when Cambodian refugees and the Amherst Historical Society came together to make sure their stories are a documented part of the community's history. 'Khmer history is so important to Western Mass. And it's a lost history that we want to continue to share and preserve for you all,' said Vira Douangmany Cage, Amherst Media's Board President. As part of the preserving history effort, the exhibition opening featured traditional Cambodian dance. Although the original Amherst exhibit has closed, there will be a virtual tour available, and portions of the exhibit will be displayed inside the State House for the next week. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Barnama
2 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Cambodian Women Rising To Tap Global Fishery Products Market
Using modern techniques in the post-harvesting, drying fish in a solar dryer dome. Credit: UNIDO Cambodia By Vijian Paramasivam PHNOM PENH, May 30 (Bernama) -- Cambodian women are stepping up in the fishery products sector, transforming their roles from traditional producers to key players in the global market. Enterprising women entrepreneurs, dominating at least 60 per cent of the micro and small informal enterprises, are now upgrading their post-harvest processing skills in the fishery sector to penetrate high-end markets. bootstrap slideshow The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation's (UNIDO) CAPFISH-Capture - a post-harvest fisheries development project - is helping Cambodian women to upskill, shifting from their archaic fish processing techniques to world-recognised standards. 'We supported over 51 fishery enterprises and their value chain actors in upgrading their businesses. Thirty-five of these enterprises are led by women and three persons with disabilities. 'We are now linking them with global buyers from the EU (European Union). Some of the enterprises have already started exporting to China, South Korea and Australia,' UNIDO's CAPFISH-Capture Chief Technical Advisor Dr Shetty Seetharama Thombathu told Bernama. CAPFISH-Capture is a five-year project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by UNIDO in coordination with the Cambodia Fisheries Administration. Fishing is a vital economic lifeline for Cambodia. About six million people are employed both directly and indirectly in the domestic fisheries sector. The post-harvest fishery activities alone employ an estimated 33,000 workers, the majority of them are women. Fish remains a staple diet for Cambodians and their per capita consumption of fish is 54 kilogrammes, considered higher among its ASEAN peers.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Army chiefs pursue peace talks
The country's military chief has met with his Cambodian counterpart after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash. Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters yesterday that 'both sides should remain calm and discuss to see what we can agree' and called for peaceful discussion. Her Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet wrote on Facebook that he hoped the meeting between the two army commanders 'will yield positive results'. Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai earlier told journalists the talks were to be held in the afternoon yesterday, adding that there had been a 'misunderstanding by both sides'. A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday during an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, a Cambodian army spokesperson said. His death – a rare fatality along the long-sensitive frontier – came after Cambodian and Thai leaders attended a South-East Asian summit where the regional Asean grouping vowed greater cooperation. Thailand's military said on Wednesday that its soldiers fired in response to gunshots from Cambodia's border force, leading to an exchange lasting around 10 minutes before the Thai side said the Cambodians requested a ceasefire. Cambodian Royal Army spokesperson Mao Phalla confirmed the clash on Wednesday but said Thai soldiers had attacked Cambodian troops who were on border patrol duty in northern Preah Vihear province. 'Our soldier died in the trenches. The Thais came to attack us,' Mao Phalla said. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800km border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. Yesterday, influential former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen – Hun Manet's father, and an ally of Paetongtarn's father, ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – urged calm and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border issues between the two countries. Paetongtarn had earlier travelled to Cambodia last month for a two-day visit, during which she met Hun Manet to discuss cross-border cooperation on issues such as online scams and air pollution. — AFP
