Day: June 3, 2024

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has sent a congratulatory message to H.E. Francis Joseph Guevara Escudero on his election as President of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.

‘On behalf of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia and my own behalf, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on your recent election as the 25th President of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. Your election victory reflects the confidence and trust that Senators and Filipino people have placed upon your leadership,’ he wrote in the congratulatory message dated June 3.

Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1957, he continued, Cambodia and the Philippines have enjoyed and reaped benefits from their cordial friendship and fruitful cooperation.

‘I look forward to working closely with Your Excellency to further advance our long-standing relationship and close cooperation for the mutual benefits of our countries, legislati
ve bodies, and peoples,’ Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.

The Cambodian senate president expressed his conviction that under H.E. Francis Joseph Guevara Escudero’s leadership, both Senates will continue to foster their parliamentary cooperation to make more positive impacts on the peace, happiness, and prosperity of the two countries and the ASEAN region.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

JOHOR BAHRU, A Toyota Vios driven by a man, 25, skidded and crashed into the gates of Istana Besar Johor here yesterday.

South Johor Bahru district police chief ACP Raub Selamat said the crash that occurred at around 3 pm was due to slick road conditions.

“The man was driving alone when his car skidded on its own without involving other vehicles and he did not sustain any injury.

“Investigations found that the driver weas not drunk and he tested negative for drugs,’ he said when contacted today, adding that the driver was released on police bail and that the case is being investigated under Section 43 of the Road Transport Act 1987.

A couple of photos and a three-second video depicting a car crashing into the palace gates had gone viral earlier.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), Cambodia’s largest port, is experiencing a significant surge in revenue in the first four months this year.

A PAS’ report showed on Monday that the port generated US$35.2 million in revenue during the first five months, a 24.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.

‘The port handled throughput of 296,685 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the first four months this year, up 24 percent from 239,273 TEUs in the same period last year,’ read the report.

Analysts attribute the revenue growth to several factors. One potential driver is the continued positive performance of Cambodia’s economy.

The country is expected to see steady growth again this year, fueled by sectors like tourism and garment manufacturing. This translates to an increase in imports and exports, keeping the port busy.

Another contributing factor could be the recent completion of a new container terminal at PAS. This expansion, finalised in late 2023, allows the port to accommodate larg
er vessels and handle a greater volume of cargo.

The increased capacity is likely a significant factor in attracting new business and boosting revenue.

The PAS is the Kingdom’s sole international and commercial deep seaport.

PAS plans to develop the port in three phases. By 2026, the new container terminal, which will be 350 metres long and 14.5 metres deep with a container capacity of 1.45 million TEUs per year, is expected to be completed.

The second phase of the new container terminal will be implemented in 2028 and the third phase, to be completed in 2029, will increase the container capacity to more than 2.67 million TEUs per year.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

PUTRAJAYA, Preliminary reports indicate that a cow and three bull elephants recently found dead in Kluang, Johor, belong to the Bandar Tenggara herd that roamed the Lenggor; Kluang and Kluang Tambahan; Labir and Sembrong forest reserves in Johor and Taman Negara Endau Rompin, Pahang.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that these primary habitats are surrounded by agricultural areas, plantations and residential settlements.

“I would like to emphasise that elephant habitats and roaming areas are crucial to support the elephant population, as habitat loss due to land use changes for agriculture, plantations, settlements, urbanisation and infrastructure development results in human-elephant conflicts.

“Human-elephant conflicts can lead to the destruction of agricultural crops, property damage, injuries and loss of life,” he said in a statement today.

On Saturday, Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Aminuddin Jamin reported t
hat post-mortems would be conducted to determine the cause of death of the four elephants found dead in a fruit orchard in Kahang Timur, Kluang.

Nik Nazmi urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Perhilitan through their hotline at 1-800-88-5151.

“Further investigations are underway, and Perhilitan is also conducting inspections and monitoring around the area,” he said.

He noted that according to Perhilitan’s records, 646 human-elephant conflict complaints were reported in Johor from 2020 to May 2024, with 292 complaints involving the Kluang district.

According to Nik Nazmi, current data estimates the elephant population in Johor to be between 120 and 160.

“Elephants are one of the country’s iconic wildlife species and are fully protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716),” he said.

Nik Nazmi highlighted that the government is continuously proactive in preserving and conserving wildlife habitats, including for elephants, through several initiatives such as develop
ing the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan 2023-2030, establishing the National Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang, and intensifying efforts to gazette forested areas as Permanent Forest Reserves.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Hundreds of thousands of mourners have joined the cremation ceremony of Supreme Patriarch General Tep Vong in Phnom Penh.

After being laid in state at Ounalom pagoda for 100 days, the late chief monk was cremated on June 3 at a state cremation site in front of Botum Vattey pagoda in Phnom Penh.

Mr. Kong Sanh, 69, from Takeo province, said, ‘I feel a huge loss. I deeply admire Supreme Patriarch General Tep Vong.’

A long procession through some main streets was organised to bring the body of the chief monk for the cremation ceremony held under the royal presidency of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia.

Ms. Soun Sothea, 70, from Kampong Cham, could not help crying for the loss.

Venerable Tep Vong passed away in Phnom Penh on Feb. 26, 2024, at around 17:40, at the age of 93 years old, due to natural causes.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse