Bangkok OKs funds for road near border

Thursday, 30 July 2009 15:02 Sam Rith

Thailand to provide $41 million for repairs to road linking Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap.

THAILAND’s Cabinet has decided to allocate 1.4 billion baht (roughly US$41 million) for the repair of National Road 68, which stretches for 115 kilometres from Samraong district in Oddar Meanchey province to Kralanh district in Siem Reap province, government officials said Wednesday.

Kem Borey, director general of public works at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said he had been informed of the Cabinet’s decision on Tuesday by Thailand’s Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA).

“I am going to Thailand now to have unofficial talks with NEDA in order to speed up the process of beginning construction soon,” he said.

He added that the repairs – which will include extensive paving – will likely begin at the end of this year or early in 2010.

“Now that we have the budget, we will choose a consultant to study the details, and then we will make a public announcement to have companies bid for [the] construction [contract],” he said.

Yit Bunna, an undersecretary of state at the ministry, said the money would come in the form of a 30-year soft loan.

A Thai government spokesman was quoted by Dow Jones as saying that the loan would carry an annual interest rate of 1.5 percent.

A boon to trade?

The funding commitment came less than one month after Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking at the July 4 inauguration of National Road 67 in Siem Reap, urged the Thai government to speed up the approval of funding for National Road 68, which he said would bolster bilateral trade between the two countries.

Thailand lends Cambodia US$40 million for road project

BANGKOK, July 29 (TNA) – The Thai Cabinet on Tuesday approved a Bt1.4 billion (US$ 41.2 million) loan for a highway development project in the neighbouring country of Cambodia, a Thai government spokesman said.

The soft loan will be spent on upgrading Highway Route 68 from Kralanh to Samrong and O-Smach in Cambodia, according to Mr Vachara Kannikar.

Under the 30-year contract, Cambodia will pay 1.5 per cent annual interest, with a grace period for the first 10 years, and will begin repaying the principal from 2019 onward.

The Cabinet decision on loans to Cambodia takes effect without a need to seek parliamentary approval as it is not considered an international agreement under Article 190 of the Constitution, Mr Vachara explained.

The Constitution stipulates that any international agreement is required by law to be presented for parliamentary approval before putting it into practice.

In addition, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva assigned the National Security Council to consider opening more border crossings with Cambodia to boost border trade and bilateral cooperation.

Thai Cabinet OKs THB1.4 Billion Financial Aid For Cambodia Road Project7-28-

Thai Cabinet OKs THB1.4 Billion Financial Aid For Cambodia Road Project7-28-

09 5:28 AM EDT

Source: http://news.morningstar.com/

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- The Thai Cabinet Tuesday approved a THB1.4 billion ($ 41.2 million) budget to provide financial assistance to Cambodia for its road development project.

The 30-year soft loan will charge interest at 1.5%, with the principal being repaid from 2019 onward, a government spokesman told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

The project is expected to boost traffic volume between the two countries in both tourism and logistics.

By Phisanu Phromchanya, Dow Jones Newswires; 662-266-0744;

phisanu.phromchanya@dowjones.com

Thailand working to contain malaria at Cambodian-Thai border

Thailand working to contain malaria at Cambodian-Thai border

CHANTHABURI, Aug 14 (TNA) – The Royal Thai Army is cooperating with the Department of Disease Control to prevent and contain malaria along the Cambodian-Thai border.

 

Chief of the Royal Thai Army Medical Department Lt-Gen. Witthaya Chowichien and Dr. Seri Hongyok, director-general of the Department of Disease Control told a press conference about the malaria prevention project along the Cambodian-Thai border on Tuesday.

 

The project is under the initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

 

Lt-Gen. Wutthipong Homwisetwongsa, head of the neighbouring countries cooperation centre said that Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen asked for assistance from Thailand to prevent and contain malaria in 2005.

 

Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin assigned the Royal Thai Army medical department to run the project following his official visit to Cambodia in January last year.

 

Lt-Gen. Witthaya said that the military’s medical research centre has studied about Malaria along the border in the eastern province of Trat and found that the disease is more resistant to medicine. The centre is conducting the research to solve the problem.

 

More than 23,000 local malaria patients and 13,000 foreign patients were detected in Thailand from January through August 10. Most patients lived in 30 provinces along the borders, particularly on the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak province, followed by Thai-Malaysian border, and Thai-Cambodian border respectively, according to Dr. Seri.

 

Dr. Witthaya said in Chantaburi province, in the east, most patients — 367 people were in three districts bordering Cambodia, where foreign migrants had moved to work.

 

However, the number of the malaria patients there decreased due to prevention measures adopted by health officials including educating local people about Malaria and suggesting them to use chemical-coated mosquito nets.

 

From January through July 2007, 32,044 Cambodians had their blood sample checked, with 486 found to be infected with malaria. They received medical treatment from Thai physicians.

Cambodia, Thailand to fight malaria on border

Last Update : 2007-08-02 / 14:31:15  (GMT+7:00)

BANGKOK, Aug 2 (TNA) –

The Royal Thai Army medical department in cooperation with Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense have launched a joint two-year development project to both prevent and contain malaria along their mutual border, deputy Thai Army spokeswoman Col. Sirichan Ngathong said Thursday.

The cooperation to combat the mosquito-borne disease officially begins October 1, 2007 extending through September 30, 2009.

Under the cooperative framework, the two countries will promote skill development of their medical staff and instruct the public to protect themselves from the disease.

Cambodia and Thailand will also develop joint diagnosis, treatment, and research on drug resistance.

They have designated at-risk zones in the two countries to focus on surveillance and disease control in special areas in Thailand’s Surin, Trat, and Nonthaburi provinces and in Pailin, Koh Kong, and Udonmeechai on the Cambodian side.

Besides the establishment of a working committee, the two countries will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a framework for the project. The cooperation to fight malaria will pave the way for the two parties’ cooperation in eradicating other diseases along the border in the future. (TNA)-E004

Thailand to help Cambodia contain dengue fever

Thursday, July 05, 2007

 

BANGKOK, July 4 (Xinhua) — Thailand will send health officials and medical equipment to help neighboring Cambodia to contain dengue fever after the number of dengue fever cases there was recorded at nearly 10,000 in June.

The Cambodian government requested Thailand’s assistance to contain dengue fever there after the spreading disease officially became a crisis when the death toll last month was reported at 132,a five-fold increase over the previous month, Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Public Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department said Wednesday.

Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla has been assigned by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to lead teams of specialists and carry medical equipment to Cambodia on Thursday. Medical equipment will be sent to Cambodia by aircraft of the Royal Thai Airforce.

The Thai medical teams will treat Cambodian patients and update Cambodian medical staff on new procedures of preventing and containing dengue fever outbreaks.

 

 

Thailand donates medical equipment to Cambodia for bird flu control [-Thai generosity is mainly aimed at preventing cross border contagion]

June 26, 2007

The Thai government has provided the Cambodian government with medicines and medical equipment for the prevention and control of bird flu, local newspapers reported Tuesday.

 The aid, approved at a signing ceremony at the Cambodian Ministry of Health, is in the framework of a joint project to fight avian influenza signed by Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, Chea Moneth, Deputy Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department in the Health Ministry, was quoted by the Koh Santepheap as saying.

 The donation consists of 53 bird flu testing kits, four cases of masks, nine cases of N95 masks, 17 cases of Latex gloves, four cases of hand-washing gel, and seven bags of Surveillance and Rapid Response Team (SRRT) equipment, the newspaper said.

 The Thai government has spent 2.5 million U.S. dollars on the aid from a fund it set up in 2005 to help the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) fight outbreaks of the virus, reported the Kampuchea Thmey newspaper.

 The aid aims to strengthen the capacity of hospitals in the border provinces of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, it added.

 Source: Xinhua