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July 1-15, 2004

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24-Aug-2005
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July 15, 2004 - Thaksin: Bangkok to stay out of tiff

The Thai government regards Cambodia’s current political turmoil as an internal affair of that country and hopes the problem will be resolved as soon as possible, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday. “I have been informed of the political situation in our neighbouring country. What we can do now is pray for the situation to return to normal as that would be best,” Thaksin said. The political drama escalated yesterday when Chea Sim, Cambodia’s acting head of state and president of the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP), abruptly left the country. The CPP said Chea Sim left for Thailand to receive medical treatment in a Bangkok hospital and would return home within two weeks. His departure followed his refusal to sign a measure proposed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to change the parliamentary voting system for highranking legislative positions. About 100 heavily armed military police surrounded Chea Sim’s residence on Monday night before the start of tense negotiations over his exit from the country on Tuesday. It was reported that the power and water supply to Chea Sim’s house was cut off during the negotiations. Senate Vice President Nhiek Bun Chhay eventually signed the bill, which will enable Cambodia to have a new government after an 11month stalemate. Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said security officials had been assigned to provide protection for Chea Sim while he is Thailand, although Defence Minister General Chetta Thanajaro said his ministry had not been notified of the matter.

July 15, 2004 - Convicted Glitter stays on in Cambodia  

Rock star Gary Glitter, convicted of child pornography in Britain, has reportedly escaped deportation from Cambodia because of a lack of evidence. Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, has been living for the past two years in Cambodia, which has a reputation as a child-sex haven, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Wednesday.The country has tried twice to deport Glitter but he has fought off those orders.We do not want him to be here because we fear that maybe he will do something harmful to young people, Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said. But the government has no evidence against him, the Herald Sun said.Glitter, 60, is best known for the anthem Rock and Roll Part II, which has become a staple at sporting events.

July 14, 2004 - PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Reuters) - The guru of British soap operas is giving birth to an unusual TV baby -- an "E.R."-style hospital drama set in deeply impoverished Cambodia. Dubbed the Pope of Soap for first bringing hit series "Eastenders" to British screens in 1985, director Matt Robinson now has something else to think about besides topping the weekly ratings. The 60-episode drama "Taste of Life," starring, written and shot by an all-Cambodian cast and crew, is the centerpiece of a mass public education campaign trying to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS in the worst-affected country in Asia. "I've tried to bring the skills and knowledge of popular drama that I've learned in the UK and apply that to the story-telling out here," said Robinson, pausing briefly between takes on the specially built set on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Under his watchful gaze and with $5 million of British government funding via the BBC World Service Trust, the broadcaster's charitable arm, a hospital and nursing college have sprung up from nothing in the last four months. The set, complete with ambulance waiting in the parking lot and wheelchair at the reception desk, is so lifelike staff have had to put an apologetic notice on the gates telling ailing locals it is only a mock-up and cannot provide treatment. In addition, a motley crew of beauticians, students or receptionists with little-to-no TV experience have been transformed into a 70-strong unit of sound-men, gaffers, script-writers, make-up artists, continuity editors and actors. The result? Hopefully, a drama about the lives and loves of a group of student nurses which will not only keep Cambodia's 13 million people glued to their screens but also teach them something about looking after themselves. "It's fast, it's pacy, and they've got characters that come off the screen at you. Even I want to watch the next episode," said Robinson, a veteran of more than 25 years in TV drama. "That's really all we care about -- making the audience want to watch the next scene, the next episode, so they get the health messages that we're trying to put over."

July 14, 2004 - Cambodian PM forces acting head of state out of country: sources

July 14, 2004 - Cambodia's King Confirms Hun Sen as Prime Minister

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk has agreed to reappoint Hun Sen as prime minister, ending an 11-month-long political stalemate that followed general elections last year. The appointment followed a moment of confusion earlier this week when a senior member of Hun Sen's party left the country abruptly.
King Norodom Sihanouk cleared the way for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to return to office for a further five-year term, enabling the National Assembly to resume its work and bringing a year of political stalemate to an end. King Sihanouk, currently living in North Korea, also agreed to a controversial bill that approves the simultaneous election of prime minister and National Assembly officials. After protracted negotiations, Hun Sen finally reached agreement last month on the formation of a new coalition government with the Royalist Funcinpec Party, headed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
But the final agreement followed a last-minute moment of uncertainty Tuesday, when the acting head of state, Chea Sim - a senior member of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party - left the country. Chea Sim had reportedly balked at signing new legislation on the election of National Assembly officials, and troops and police surrounded his home late Monday. Later, diplomatic sources said Chea Sim had gone to Bangkok for "medical treatment."  As soon as Chea Sim left, the Senate vice president, Nhek Bun Chhay, stepped in and signed the bill. The King then agreed to reappoint Hun Sen.  Diplomats and analysts said political tensions in Phnom Penh have eased.  Tim Smyth, an analyst with Phnom Penh-based Indochina Research, downplayed earlier speculation that Chea Sim's departure marked a major split within the Cambodian People's Party.  "They (the C.P.P. leadership) have managed the process over the last five years to the point where there have not been any clear rifts or instability (in the party)," he said.  Cambodia has enjoyed relative political stability since 1997, when Hun Sen ousted his then-coalition partner Prince Ranariddh and violence erupted in Phnom Penh.  After the Cambodian People's Party won last year's elections with less than a two-thirds majority, Prince Ranariddh refused to join Hun Sen in a new coalition, accusing him of corruption and mismanagement.  But a tentative agreement was reached late last month, under which Hun Sen would resume the post of prime minister and the prince would become National Assembly president.

July 13, 2004 - U.S.: Cambodian ruler forced out

Washington, DC, Jul. 13 (UPI) -- The United States confirmed Tuesday Cambodia's acting head of state, Chea Sim, has been forced out of the country.  Reports from Cambodia said the military escorted him from the nation.  State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing in Washington Chea Sim left Cambodia Tuesday morning and, in his absence, the acting head of state signed a constitutional addendum known as the package vote.  The package enables the National Assembly to elect officers of the assembly and the cabinet in one vote. The removal of Chea Sim, who is also president of the long-ruling Cambodian People's Party, came after he refused to sign a controversial bill into law aimed at resolving a year-long political crisis. The military officers who forced him out of the country are loyal to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The move is seen as the beginning of a purge of ruling party members from the country.

July 13, 2004 - Remains of volunteers in Cambodia reburied

July 12, 2004 - Cambodia's Senate ratifies additional constitution law

PHNOM PENH, July 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodia's Senate enabled the country to create the new government soon when it ratified additional constitution law Monday to use package vote.     "The ratification is a success of the two parties (Cambodian People's Party and royalist FUNCINPEC party)," Sok An, minister ofthe Council of Ministers, told reporters after the session.  "I think the new government will be formed soon as planned in the middle of this month," said Sok An, adding that the National Assembly will send the ratified law to King Norodom Sihanouk through the acting head of state Chea Sim. King Sihanouk on Saturday said he will not sign off on the controversial additional constitution law adopted by the parliament last week and instead will ask Chea Sim to decide whether to sign or not.  Sok An said new cabinet members for the new government have already been in place but he did not give the detail of the cabinet list. Forty-eight senators showed their hands on Monday to ratify theadditional constitutional law to use the package vote, a single ballot to elect both the parliament's and the government's leadership. Nhek Bun Chhay, Senate's second vice president, presided over the session attended by 49 senators out of 61 from the Cambodian People's Party and FUNCINPEC. Seven Senators from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), who call the package vote a constitution coup, boycotted their attendance on Monday as they did to the National Assembly session last week. The seven-article additional constitutional law aims at ensuring the better functioning of the national institution at allcircumstances in conformity with the multi-party democratic principles and it is in accordance with the necessary need. Enditem

July 12, 2004 - European Union to send envoy in attempt to end summit deadlock over Myanmar

European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to send a special envoy to Asia in an attempt to end a deadlock over Myanmar that is threatening to scupper the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) scheduled for Vietnam in October. The ministers were demanding "a signal" that Myanmar's military, which has ruled the nation since 1962, is prepared to allow a degree of democratic opening -- specifically by releasing democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, said Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot. "We have expressed our hope to the Burmese authorities for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi," Bot added. "So far we haven't seen much progress." The row threatens to call off the Europe-Asia summit meeting, which is held every two years and is intended to increase cooperation on a wide range of issues, including trade, anti-terrorism, immigration and human rights. Cambodia said earlier this month that it would refuse to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting unless the European Union also allows Myanmar entry to the summit. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has said it wants its newer members -- Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar -- to be included in the summit in return for the participation of 10 new EU members. The EU ministers agreed to send former Dutch foreign minister Hans van den Broek for a 10-day tour of Asia, which would be followed by a visit to EU capitals. "All ministers agreed on the importance of close cooperation with the Asian partners," Bot said. "Efforts are required on all sides to allow for the summit to take place." The dispute already has led to the cancellation of two preparatory meetings for the summit.

July 11, 2004 - Actor Rupert Everett says racism plays into decision to ignore AIDS

1BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Prejudice keeps people in wealthy countries from Game summary: paying attention to the worldwide AIDS epidemic, said British actor Rupert Everett, visiting Thailand to attend the 15th International AIDS Conference. "We are extremely racist," the 45-year-old actor told reporters, adding that patients in developed countries such as the United States have access to health care to manage AIDS, while the disease devastates poorer nations. Everett, the voice of Prince Charming in the animated movie Shrek 2, has visited Africa and Asia as a goodwill ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a private foundation that raises money to combat the diseases. On Wednesday, he completed a six-day visit to neighbouring Cambodia, where he met with hospice patients and talked to schoolchildren. "What Cambodia needs, like everybody else needs, is more - more money," he said Thursday in Bangkok. Everett said he hopes to draw attention to the fight against AIDS and to encourage people to give money to the cause. There are about 600,000 people in Thailand living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

July 11, 2004 - Cambodia's king calls for referendum on controversial law

PHNOM PENH, July 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk asked the National Assembly to hold a referendum on a controversial law passed by it on Thursday.  "I cannot give a response for such important issue which is splitting our nation. I will ask Acting Head of State Chea Sim to decide whether to sign it or not," the king said in a message posted on the royal website on Sunday. The message was a response to the letter sent by Cambodian Human Right Center Director Kem Sokha on Friday, asking the king not to sign the additional constitution law of a "package vote", accusing the law of violating Cambodia's current constitution.  Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the royalist FUNCINPEC party, signed a deal on June 30, agreeing to have a package vote to elect the leaderships of parliament and the new government. On Thursday, the first parliament session ratified the law withthe show of hands of 96 lawmakers, but the session was boycott by all 24 parliamentarians of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). "The King reigns but not rule. Therefore, the parliament should organize a referendum to decide the issue," the monarch said. It was reported here that the revered monarch's refusal to attach his own name is likely to jeopardize the new administration's mandate. The Senate will hold its first meeting on Monday to approve the package law. Enditem

July 11, 2004 - Vietnamese volunteers' remains repatriated from Cambodia

July 9, 2004- Cambodia’s new parliament sits at last, passes disputed law

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s parliament sat on Thursday for the first time since a coalition deal was struck last week to end a year-long stalemate, passing disputed legislation that paves the way for government to be formed.
The 123-seat national assembly, overseen by its oldest member Chea Soth, unanimously passed a constitutional amendment the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) charges is illegal, prompting its 24 MPs to boycott the session.
"Now the additional constitutional law that will ensure the normal process of national institutions is passed," Chea Soth said after 96 MPs - the minimum number required for the session to run - unanimously raised their hands.
The opposition along with activists are upset that the hastily-drafted amendment is being passed by a parliament that has not yet followed procedures required under its rules to begin work. Effectively, the new law allows Prime Minister Hun Sen and his royalist coalition partner Prince Norodom Ranariddh to be jointly elected as premier and national assembly president by a show of hands. Its adoption illustrates the high degree of suspicion between the parties, with Hun Sen wanting to ensure the royalists do not at the last minute block his re-election to the top slot. Cambodia’s CPP-controlled senate will now debate the legislation on Monday before it is passed to the king for assent, who may direct his representative, CPP president Chea Sim, acting head of state in his absence, to sign for him. The legislation becomes law 72 hours later, meaning the earliest parliament can sit is next Thursday. King Norodom Sihanouk demonstrated his annoyance at being sidelined in the past year’s political drama by threatening Tuesday to abdicate, a gesture he has previously made in times of domestic crises when irked.

July 8, 2004 - Cambodia says thanks to Jolie

Cambodia's prime minister has offered Angelina Jolie citizenship in honor of her charity work for the Southeast Asia nation. Prime Minister Hun Sen made the offer after meeting Jolie, who was visiting the nation on a two-day trip, a Cambodian spokesperson confirmed. Jolie adopted a Cambodian orphan in 2002. While in Cambodia, the actress gave a community development organization $1.5 million to help a new environmental protection campaign.

July 8, 2004 - Cambodia's new parliament sits at last, opposition stays away

PHNOM PENH : Cambodia's parliament sat for the first time since a coalition was formed last week to end a year-long stalemate, but was marred by an opposition boycott and threat by the king to abdicate.The 123-seat national assembly, overseen by its oldest member Chea Soth, passed controversial legislation that paves the way for the government to be formalised next week, with work expected to begin next month."Now the additional constitutional law that will ensure the normal process of national institutions is passed," Chea Soth said after a show of 96 MPs' hands were unanimously raised Thursday.
The opposition's 24 seats in the assembly remained empty after it decided to boycott the session, infuriated by what it and activist groups say is an illegal move. But the minimum number of MPs needed to proceed were present.
Inconclusive elections were held in the kingdom in July last year, won by Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which scooped 73 seats, just nine short of the two-thirds majority it required to govern alone.
The shortfall sparked a year of squabbling and behind-the-scenes deal-making among the three parties winning seats, while legislation the impoverished kingdom urgently needs gathered dust at the abandoned national assembly.
The intrigue finally culminated in last week's coalition pact between the CPP and royalist FUNCINPEC party, which trailed second in the polls with 26 seats, ahead of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.This will be the third mandate of the two parties, which have run uneasy partnerships characterised by mistrust. In 1997, Hun Sen ousted Ranariddh in a coup but the two men later gingerly reconciled.Thursday's legislative sleight of hand, which diplomats say appears to be operating in a legal grey area, allows for Hun Sen and Ranariddh to be jointly elected to their top positions in the new administration by a show of hands.Such a move prevents renegade politicians secretly crossing party or factional lines and demonstrates the ongoing climate of suspicion among Cambodia's politicians.The session was also overshadowed by King Norodom Sihanouk's threat on Tuesday to abdicate and remain in exile in North Korea, where he has been waiting out the crisis for months, after being sidelined during the saga.The revered King Sihanouk has already signalled his displeasure at the coalition's maneuverings, and his threat shows his patience has been tested to the limit.The monarch enjoys a role as deal-broker in political crises, but this time the parties reached an agreement alone.A question mark remains over whether he will give royal assent to the new law but diplomats say it is unlikely he would refuse to do so.

July 7, 2004 - Miracle cow has sickness licked

July 7, 2004 - CAMBODIA to Refuse to Join ASEM Without Burma

Voice of America - Washington,DC,USA- Cambodia says the European Union (EU) should stop trying to dictate which Asian countries can join an upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting.

July 7, 2004 - Textile firms positioning for quota-free age

Hong Kong : 7th July 2004 As the quotas end December this year, Hong Kong prepares to shift manufacturing bases to mainland China’s low cost centres, to capitalize on the situation likely to occur then.  The current shake out is the outcome of almost a decade long moves of production shifting to mainland as well as countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, squeezing the territory's global market share from 20 per cent to under 10 per cent today. Creating a niche in the supply chain management and high-end production in Hong Kong thus effects survival. They believe an open market place will be to their advantage.  Big names like Sun Hing Knitting Factory, which produces knitwear for French designer Sonia Rykiel and Marks & Spencer, is investing US$2.5 million this year to expand production capacity by 25 per cent on the mainland and Hong Kong.  In another development, Luen Thai Holdings, the territory's biggest garment maker, will use proceeds from listing on the stock exchange this month to fund new factories on the mainland.   HK’s textile exports totalled US$36 billion last year, about 16 per cent of its total exports. This year, garment shipments were 11 per cent higher in the first quarter than a year ago and should accelerate next year, analysts said. The scope to expand on the mainland is huge: under quotas, the mainland is restricted to exporting around 250,000 dozen cotton shirts a year to the United States, while Bangladesh exports about 7 million dozen, according to the Textile Council.
The transition to a quota-free system will be difficult.
Under WTO rules, the United States and Europe can impose ‘anti-surge’ quotas until end-2008, curbing annual import growth from a country to 7.5 per cent per product category if they feel their domestic industry is being disrupted.

July 6, 2004 - CAMBODIA has no Vietnamese Montagnard refugees: PM
Xinhua - China PHNOM PENH, July 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sensaid here Tuesday that Cambodia does not have Vietnamese Montagnard refugees hiding in it.

July 6, 2004 - EVERETT visits Cambodia to push HIV issue
Seattle Post Intelligencer

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- British actor Rupert Everett met with Cambodians
suffering from AIDS on Tuesday during a trip to raise awareness of the
disease.

July 6, 2004 - Cambodia OKs U.N. refugee agency offices

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday agreed to let the U.N. refugee agency open offices in northeastern Cambodia, but warned they should not become refugee camps for Vietnamese ethnic minorities. Some members of the Vietnamese hill tribes, known as Montagnards, have fled to the Cambodian provinces of Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri since a crackdown by Vietnam's government in April.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' attempts to help the Montagnards have irked the Cambodian government, which insists they are not political refugees and only economic migrants.Cambodian media reported last month that 36 Montagnards are hiding in the jungles near the border, suffering from diarrhea and malaria and facing food and water shortages. The Interior Ministry said Monday there was no evidence to back the reports, and Hun Sen told reporters Tuesday they were spread by "liars." Who can we help when there is no person?" he said. "I don't know how and whom to distribute (aid) to since there is no person to give it to."However, to show good faith, Cambodia will soon sign an agreement with the UNHCR allowing it to establish local offices in the two provinces, Hun Sen said."But those offices must not become refugee camps at all. We will not allow refugee camps on Cambodian soil," he said. He did not say when the agreement would be signed. The Montagnards, many of whom are Protestant Christians, complain of religious persecution by Vietnam's Communist government and of seizures of their ancestral lands. Hun Sen warned that he will use military force to crack down on the Montagnards if they set up clandestine bases inside Cambodia to fight for a separate homeland in Vietnam. In 2001, more than 1,000 Montagnards fled to Cambodia following a massive government crackdown on their protests against religious repression and land confiscation. Many eventually resettled in the United States

July 5, 2004 - It's destination Cambodia for headline-hungry celebs

July 5, 2004 - Cambodia temple off danger list

July 5, 2004 - Cambodia woman jailed for trafficking her own children

A Cambodian woman has been sentenced to 15 years' jail for trafficking two of her own children and five others. Teang Touch, from the northwestern province of Kampong Cham, was convicted of selling the children - aged one to seven - to Cambodian families in a number of provinces.In 2001, the woman was convicted of forcing children to work as domestic labourers, for which she received a one-year jail term.The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association says the woman was arrested in March after being caught selling her own children, aged three and six, for $US350 dollars.The other children were sold for as little as $US20 dollars.

July 5, 2004 - Border guards catch pirate from Cambodia

Kien Giang, July 5 (VNA) - Coast guards in southern Kien Giang province have caught a pirate ship which was using weapons to rob Vietnamese fishermen in  2.5 sea miles off the coast of Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province. The guards arrested one pirate, named Khun Thia, born in 1981. Initial investigations showed the ship originated from Cambodia and often robbed fishing ships in the area. Authorised units are now searching for two other pirates, who fell into the sea during the chase by the coast guards, for further questioning. After the investigation, Khun Thia will be handed over to Cambodian authorities.-Enditem

JULY 5, 2004 - Political moves irk Sihanouk

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk has signalled his displeasure over political manoeuvrings in the kingdom aimed at getting the national assembly back to work nearly a year after elections.  In a message posted on his website on Saturday, the 81-year-old king mentioned politics for the first time since an agreement to form a coalition government last week was made. The king, now in self-imposed exile in North Korea, quoted a letter from a 'respectable' Phnom Penh woman strongly condemning a planned change to the Constitution that would allow the government to get to work. Although he said he would maintain his own silence on the issue, he has often used commentary from other people to express his own opinions. His own attempts to resolve the crisis that resulted from inconclusive elections in July last year failed. \-- AFP

July 3, 2004 - Landlocked Mongolia takes to the waves (via Cambodia!)

July 3, 2004 - Elephant tramples South Korean tourist in Cambodia

An enraged elephant in remote northeastern Cambodia has trampled a South Korean tourist who tried to take its photograph.  The Cambodia Daily reports 29-year-old Chong Huisit, suffered broken ribs and other injuries when the beast turned on him, just before it was supposed to take him for a ride in jungle-clad Ratanakiri province.   The victim was airlifted to Phnom Penh for treatment.   The director of the province's Tourism Department, Tra Nuth Sean, said the elephant was unused to tourists and had probably been frightened by the camera flash.

July 3, 2004 - Cambodia's king orders assistance for Vietnamese Montagnards

PHNOM PENH : Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk has ordered the government to deliver supplies to an unknown number of Vietnamese Montagnards sheltering in the country's northwest after April unrest in their homeland.  The government, which claimed last month to have softened its stance towards the Montagnards after insisting they were illegal migrants, has still not permitted humanitarian agencies into Ratanakiri province to assist them.It is unknown how many are hiding in the remote, jungle-clad border region but reports here citing local sources have put the figure as high as 250."Please send to... these poor Montagnards food, rice, salted fish, medicine and 50,000 riel (13 dollars) each," King Sihanouk said in a message posted on his website.The note was written to Kong Som Ol, deputy prime minister and a minister of the royal palace, at the bottom of a newspaper story on the difficulties the Red Cross has encountered with the government on the issue.A Red Cross official told AFP earlier this week that it could not start work in the area where the Montagnards are hiding unless the government asked it to. Meanwhile Queen Norodom Monineath, who is honorary president of the Cambodian Red Cross, urged the agency's president Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, to send humanitarian assistance to the asylum seekers.Cambodia's border police tightened security to prevent the entry of refugees in the wake of Easter protests in Vietnam's Central Highlands over religious repression and confiscation of land, which were quashed by authorities.Human rights groups say at least 10 people were killed in the unrest, while the Vietnamese government puts the toll at two.Critics have said Cambodia has not wanted to help the refugees to avoid irking Vietnam, which has insisted there was no need for the Montagnards to leave.- AFP

July 1, 2004 - Ashley Judd to visit Cambodia to raise AIDS awareness

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Ashley Judd will visit Cambodia next week to raise AIDS awareness and to launch new health products and services, a U.N. program said Thursday. The star of Double Jeopardy and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood also will visit Thailand and attend this month's international AIDS conference in Bangkok, according to YouthAIDS, run by the nonprofit Population Services International. Her visits will include trips to clinics and schools to speak with children about the threat of catching HIV. She'll tour the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, home to the famed Angkor Wat temples, during her stay. In Asia, 7 million people are HIV positive, with about 2 million of those ranging from 15-24 years old. About 600,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand, and Cambodia has Southeast Asia's highest HIV infection rate, although it dropped to 2.6 percent in 2002 from 3.8 percent in 1997. Judd, 36, plays Cole Porter's wife in the new movie De-Lovely. Kevin Kline stars as the composer who was gay and involved in a platonic marriage. The movie opens Friday in limited release.

July 1, 2004 - UN chief welcomes agreement on new Cambodian government

New York, July 1 (VNA) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday welcomed the signing of a coalition agreement by Cambodia's two main political parties that paves the way for the formation of a new government, said a UN spokesman.The accord between the Cambodian People's Party and the United National Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) was signed on June 30 in Phnom Penh nearly a year after elections were held. Annan hoped the agreement will be quickly formalized by the appropriate organs, so that a new government will be established as soon as possible."-Enditem

July 1, 2004 - King waits in the wings as Cambodia emerges from political darkness . Read more...

July 1, 2004 - Aid officials act to end Cambodia hospital row. Read more.

July 1, 2004 - EU To Propose New Trade Barriers Against Chinese Textiles. Read more.