Sunday, 9 December 2012

CHINA: Chinese attracted to branded British universities

PHILIPPINES: Institutions use courts to save ‘sub-standard’ programmes

UNITED KINGDOM: Foreign exchange costs eased for international students

SINGAPORE: Opposition, US professors weigh into Yale-NUS freedom debate

CHINA: 1,000 university leaders to receive ‘upgrade’ training abroad

Friday, 7 December 2012

Siem Reap International Airport Passes 2-Million Visitor Mark

By - December 4, 2012

More than 2 million visitors have passed through Siem Reap International Airport since the start of the year, marking the greatest number of annual air passengers to transit any Cambodian airport, Cambodia Airports announced yesterday.


“At Siem Reap International Airport, we broke the 2 million passengers mark [for the] year…. This is the first time in Cambodia,” said Khek Norinda, communications manager at Cambodia Airports, which operates the Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville international airports.

Total handling capacity for both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports is 2.5 million passengers per year, according to Cambodia Airports, which has plans to expand the two facilities.

But while the number of international visitors to Cambodia is increasing steadily each year, experts say this growth is largely driven by Asian tourists, who have a lesser financial impact on the local economy than their European and American counterparts.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, nearly 2.9 million people arrived in Cambodia by land, air and sea during the first 10 months of the year, up from 2.3 million during the same period last year, a 24 percent increase.

Most visitors were Vietnamese, followed by South Koreans and Chinese.
Laos and Thailand, however, saw the most dramatic increases compared to last year, and the number of Lao tourists in Cambodia almost doubled from 106,000 in 2011 to 201,000 so far this year. Thai tourists increased from 91,000 to 160,000 during the same period.

In contrast, tourists from the U.S. and France—both of which have strong historical ties with Cambodia —accounted for only 8 percent of total visitors so far this year.

Emmett McHenry, general manager of the Sokha Angkor Resort in Siem Reap, said the province has seen a drop in tourists from countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal and the U.K., attributing the trend to the recent economic recession in Europe. Mr. McHenry said that visitors to Siem Reap from neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Laos are increasing most rapidly.

Rainer Deyhle, president of the Foreign Business Owners Association of Cambodia, said that tourists from Vietnam, South Korea and China often pay for group tour packages—which include flights, accommodation, food and in-country travel—while still in their home countries, meaning they spend almost no money in Cambodia.

“They’re not spending any [money] here; they paid already at home…. They stay in a group,” Mr. Deyhle said, noting a recent decline in the number of Western tourists, who contribute to local businesses by staying in upscale hotels and dining in high-end restaurants.

“People from Europe, they spend very well,” said Luu Meng, president of the Cambodia Hotel Association, adding that better transportation options and higher standards of cleanliness in hotels and restaurants would increase the number of wealthy tourists visiting Cambodia.

Cambodia Retains Its Reputation for Corruption

By - December 6, 2012

Cambodia continues to rank among the most corrupt countries in the world and much needs to be done to enforce the Anti-Corruption Law and investigate allegations of corruption, Transparency International (T.I.) Cambodia said yesterday.


According to T.I.’s 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Cambodia ranked 157th among 176 countries and territories listed, with a score of just 22 out of 100—a slight improvement on last year’s ranking of 164.

“The CPI score for 2012 indicates that Cambodia is still perceived as a highly corrupt country,” T.I. said in a statement.

“For corruption to be reduced in Cambodia there is a need for further progress in the enforcement of the Anti-Corruption Law and an increase in the capacity and outreach of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) to effectively investigate corruption cases and bring them to court.”

Transparency also said the government needs to pass an Access to Information Law in order to make the state budget and other important financial decisions made by the government more transparent and “improve the effectiveness of the anti-corruption law enforcement.”

The Central African Republic and war-torn Syria fared better than Cambodia on the index, with joint rankings of 144. Mexico, in which a long-running and grisly drug war has claimed thousands of lives, also rated higher, ranking 105th in the world. Regionally, only Laos (160/21) and Burma (172/15) fared worse than Cambodia.

Neighboring Thailand was ranked 88th with a score of 37, while Vietnam came 123rd with 31 points. Among the Asean member nations, Brunei was judged the “cleanest,” with a rank of 46th and score of 55.
Speaking at a press conference to launch the report, Preap Kol, executive director of T.I.’s Cambodia office, likened corruption to HIV, saying that it infected many levels of society from education and health services to human rights and the judicial system.

Mr. Kol added that Cambodians “should have access to decent health care and education without paying bribes and fees.”

In a statement, T.I. Board of Directors Chairman Rath Sophal said law enforcement is crucial to minimizing corruption.

“Fighting corruption requires unwavering political will and determination of the government in terms of having an adequate legal framework and governance mechanisms that minimize the opportunity for corruption along with consistent enforcement,” he said.

Since its inception in 2010, the ACU has received hundreds of complaints detailing allegations of corruption, though only four arrests have been made so far. The most high profile of the arrests was Moek Dara, former head of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, who is serving life in prison on a raft of drug trafficking and bribery charges.

When asked how the ACU could improve, Mr. Kol said it is suffering from a lack of capacity.
“They don’t have the full capacity to investigate those cases,” Mr. Kol said. He also said he questioned the independence of the unit, which once had a statue of Prime Minister Hun Sen in its courtyard, but removed the effigy as it apparently displeased the prime minister.

Mr. Kol said corruption also impacted the economic sector and investment in particular. “If a company pays a bribe, they can be subject to sanctions in their own countries,” he said.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the T.I. scorecard results were encouraging, but not reflective of the situation on the ground.

“I hope everyone on Earth understands that Cambodia is in a state of transformation,” he said. “We are reforming throughout the hierarchy of the government agencies. We should reform because the government will be a better service provider. That’s our goal.”
Mr. Siphan cited the ACU and the Anti-Corruption Law as examples of the effort the government has made to clean up graft, but said that all levels of society from government to NGOs needed to work together to stamp out the problem.

“It’s the government’s intention to fight corruption and change people’s mindsets.”
Mr. Siphan also noted that corruption in the U.S., which is ranked 19th on this year’s list, was the primary catalyst for the global financial crisis, but that Washington had a “sophisticated system” to deal with it.
Thun Saray, president of rights group Adhoc, said corruption pervades many tiers of society, but that the “poor and vulnerable” are affected the most.

“It creates more unhappiness of the people, and also creates social instability if we allow this kind of disease,” he said. “I think we have to acknowledge it and continue to collaborate to fight this social problem.”

David Carter, CEO of Infinity Insurance and president of the Australian Business Association, said Cambodia had come a long way in terms of its development, and that many developing countries wrestle with the problem of corruption.

“If you look at where the place has come from to here, it’s no surprise that corruption still remains an issue,” Mr. Carter said. “But it has improved dramatically in that time…and that might not be apparent in [the] report.”

© 2012, The Cambodia Daily. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in print, electronically, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission.

Angkor Wat site in danger: Deputy PM

Opposition party alleges corrupt government land deal

ក្រុមហ៊ុនបកប្រែ ប្រ៊ីជ ធ្វើបទបង្ហាញ ពីវិធីបង្កើត ចំណេះដឹង ភាសាអង់គេ្លស ដល់គ្រូ សាលាអន្តរជាតិ ញូយ៉ក

 Friday, 07 December 2012 14:25 ដោយ ៖ ដើមអម្ពិល(DAP): ID-014

ភ្នំពេញ៖ ក្រុមហ៊ុនបកប្រែ ប្រ៊ីជ អ៊ីធើណេសិនណល បានសហការជាមួយ គណៈគ្រប់គ្រងរបស់ សាលាអន្តរជាតិញូយ៉ក ដែលហៅកាត់ថា NYIS ធ្វើបទបង្ហាញ ជូនដល់លោកគ្រូ អ្នកគ្រូ របស់សាលាអន្តរជាតិមួយនេះ អំពីវិធីនៃការបង្កើនចំណេះដឹងភាសាអង់គ្លេស ឲ្យបានល្អ និងការត្រៀម ខ្លួន សម្រាប់ការចូលមកដល់ នៃសហគមន៍អាស៊ាន ឆ្នាំ២០១៥។
ការធ្វើបទបង្ហាញនេះ រៀបចំឡើងនៅទីស្នាក់ការកណ្តាលនៃ NYIS នៅថ្ងៃទី៧ ខែធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ដោយមានការចូលរួមស្តាប់ ពីលោកគ្រូ អ្នកគ្រូ សាលាអន្តរជាតិ NYIS យ៉ាងច្រើនកុះករ។
មន្រ្តីបកប្រែជាន់ខ្ពស់ នៅសាលាក្តីខ្មែរក្រហម លោក ស៊ាង សុបញ្ញា និងជាប្រធានក្រុមហ៊ុបបកប្រែ ប្រ៊ីជ បានឡើងធ្វើបទបង្ហាញ អំពីតួនាទី និងសារសំខាន់របស់កម្ពុជា ក្នុងការចូលជាសមាជិក នៃសមាគមអាស៊ាន ពិសេសនៅពេលដែលអាស៊ាន ក្លាយទៅជាសហគមន៍តែមួយ នៅឆ្នាំ ២០១៥ខាងមុខ។

លោកថ្លែងថា ភាសាអង់គ្លេស មានសារសំខាន់យ៉ាងខ្លាំង ដែលជាភាសាយានមួយ សម្រាប់ប្រើប្រាស់ នៅក្នុងទីផ្សារការងារ បើកចំហនៅ ពេលអាស៊ាន ក្លាយជាសហគមន៍តែមួយនៅឆ្នាំ ២០១៥។ ដូច្នេះ ដើម្បីត្រៀមខ្លួនប្រកួតប្រជែង ក្នុងទីផ្សារការងារដ៏សម្បូរបែបនេះ គឺទាមទារ ឲ្យពួកយើង អាចប្រើប្រាស់ភាសាអង់គ្លេស ឲ្យបានល្អ។

លោក ស៊ាង សុបញ្ញា បានបង្ហាញពីវិធីសាស្ត្រ ក្នុងការសិក្សាភាសាអង់គ្លេស ឲ្យបានល្អ ចាប់ចេះ ចំនួន ៥វិធី គឺទី១ ត្រូវធ្វើយ៉ាងណា ទម្លាប់ប្រើភាសា អង់គ្លេសប្រចាំថ្ងៃ ។ ទី២ ពេលអានឯកសារ ត្រូវពន្យល់ខ្លឹមសារ របស់ឯកសារនោះឡើងវិញ ថាតើឯកសារនោះ គេនិយាយអំពីអ្វី។ ទី៣ ត្រូវចេះ ស្តាប់អ្នកដទៃ និយាយភាសាអង់គ្លេស ហើយរៀនថាតាម គេដើម្បីរៀននិយាយឲ្យបានស្ទាត់ជំនាញ ។ ទី៤ បន្ទាប់ពីស្តាប់បាន និយាយបានហើយ ត្រូវប្រើពាក្យជំនួយ ពីមួយទៅពាក្យមួយទៀត ដែលមានន័យដូចគ្នា និងទី៥ ត្រូវរៀនបកប្រែ។
លោក ជា សុខឃាង អគ្គនាយក ក្រុមហ៊ុន អារីហ្សូនគ្រុប ខូអិលធីឌី ជាក្រុមហ៊ុនធំ បង្កើតសាលាអន្តរជាតិ ញូយ៉ក និងសាលារៀន អារីហ្សូន នៅកម្ពុជា បានថ្លែងអំណរគុណ ដល់ក្រុមហ៊ុនបកប្រែប្រ៊ីជ ដែលចំណាយពេលមកធ្វើបទបង្ហាញ ដល់លោកគ្រូ អ្នកគ្រូ សាលាអន្តរជាតិ NYIS ហើយថា បង្ហាញនេះពិតជាបានផ្តល់ នូវបទពិសោធន៍ជូនដល់សាលា NYIS ដើម្បីអាចបង្កើនចំណេះភាសាអង់គ្លេស បន្ថែមទៀត ក្នុងការប្រកួត ប្រជែងការងារ ក្នុងឆ្នាំ២០១៥ ខាងមុខនេះ។

ក្រុមហ៊ុនបកប្រែ ប្រ៊ីជ អ៊ិនធើណេសិនណល សេវាកម្មបកប្រែឯកសារ និងផ្ទាល់មាត់ និងជួលឧបករណ៍បកប្រែទំនើបៗ សម្រាប់សន្និសីទធំៗផង ដែរ។ ក្រុមហ៊ុន ក៏ទទួលសរសេរ និងវាយតម្លៃគម្រោង និងបណ្តុះបណ្តាល តាមស្ថាប័ន អង្គការ និងក្រុមហ៊ុនឯកជនផងដែរ។ អ្វីដែលពិសេសនោះ ក្រុមហ៊ុននេះ ផ្តល់សេវាកម្មភាសាមួយចប់ នៅកន្លែងតែមួយ (One-stop language solutions) ដូចជា ការបោះពុម្ភ និង ការរចនាសៀវភៅ ជាដើម៕ ព័ត៌មានលម្អិត អំពីវគ្គបណ្តុះបណ្តាល និងសេវាកម្មផ្សេងៗ មាននៅគេហទំព័រ www.bridgeinternational.biz

The 2024 Workshops for Foreign Confucius Institute Directors on June 13-21, 2024 at Sichuan Province, China

My sincere thanks and gratitude go to my respectful Rector, H.E. Sok Khorn , and the Chinese Confucius Institute Director, Prof. Yi Yongzhon...