Typhoon batters Vietnam and Cambodia

Typhoon batters Vietnam and Cambodia

Vietnam and Cambodia are still battling rising floodwaters after a typhoon cut a destructive path through South East Asia, killing about 300 people.

Thailand is also mobilising troops to provide humanitarian assistance, as it anticipates floods from Typhoon Ketsana, which first struck the Philippines at the weekend, killing 246 people.

Vietnamese government reports said 40 people were killed by Ketsana, which swept into Vietnam late on Tuesday, while Cambodian authorities put the death toll there at 11.

Weather reports are saying that by later on Wednesday, rivers in Vietnam's Quang Nam province could reach a level last seen in 1964.

The typhoon spared most of Daklak, Vietnam's top coffee-growing province, and officials were still assessing coffee and rubber trees in Gia Lai, the third-largest coffee grower.

The region hit by Ketsana lies far north of Vietnam's Mekong Delta rice basket.

The storm has become a focus of marathon climate talks in Bangkok this week, with developing nations and green groups saying it is an example of the type of climate disaster poor nations could face in a warmer world.

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Efficient Computers in Cambodian Schools

September 30, 2009


By James Kanter

American Assistance for Cambodia

Children working on a low-power computer at a school in Phnom Penh run by American Assistance for Cambodia, a not-for-profit group.

What is the best computer for schools in developing countries?

The answer is one that is rugged and sips electricity, according to Javier Sola, one of the founders of the Open Institute, a not-for-profit group providing computers and training in Cambodia.

Mr. Sola’s organization is building desktop computers that consume about a quarter of the electricity normally used by desktop and laptop computers, and that cost just over $200. Mr. Sola said he had so far installed 400 of the “low-power-consumption” computers in schools and teacher-training centers in Cambodia.

Another not-for-profit group, American Assistance for Cambodia, said that it was assembling and marketing additional computers under the brand name “Compodia,” and using the profits for projects to build schools, fund scholarships and support an orphanage.

The biggest energy savings for the desktop machines come from an Atom processor, made by Intel, Mr. Sola said. But in some cases the computers are directly connected to a battery that is fed with electricity from subsidized solar panels, which he said was a highly efficient way to transmit power.

The batteries cost about $85 each. But using solar power in combination with the battery means students do not have to pay the usual fee to the local grid of about 4 cents a day, or buy diesel to run a nearby generator, Mr. Sola said.

Even more energy savings would possible if costs come down for monitors using LED technology, which is far more efficient than other monitors, the experts suggest.

Mr. Sola said that a popular misconception was that reconditioned desktop and laptop computers are appropriate for developing countries because they are free. But those computers are often unsuited to rural environments, where cables get eaten or short-circuited by ants, roaches and mice, and where dust ends up clogging the fans.

Reconditioned computers also have relatively short life spans, so that “Cambodia produces computer waste at a much faster speed that any of the developing countries that donate them,” said Mr. Sola.

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British toddler swept out to sea among Samoa tsunami victims

A two year-old British boy who was swept out to sea as he played on a beach in Samoa was among the victims of a tsunami that ripped through the South Pacific Islands, killing more than 100 people.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

By By Nick Britten and Bonnie Malkin

Published: 30 Sep 2009

People walk among a scene of devastation following a powerful quake in Pago Pago village on American Samoa Photo: AP

The toddler was on the beach along with his parents when a huge wave struck and pulled them out to sea. The boy’s mother and father managed to swim ashore to raise the alarm but there was no sign of the boy.

The Foreign Office said he was “missing, presumed dead”.

Huge waves battered Samoa and American Samoa, triggered by an 8.0 magnitude underwater earthquake, at dawn on Tuesday.

Residents said they had little or no warning before a giant wall of water up to 20ft high smashed into their homes, flattening buildings, villages and washing cars into the sea. Some said the first wave hit within 10 minutes of the earthquake.

As huge international rescue and aid mission also swung into operation, the Queen and Prime Minster sent personal messages of condolence.

The death toll included at least 77 in Samoa, 25 in American Samoa and six in Tonga and is expected to rise sharply over the coming days. Three Australians including a six year-old girl, were also among the victims.

Dr Pamela Stephenson Connolly, the wife of the comedian Billy Connolly, who was staying in a house in Samoa when the earthquake struck, described how she “started to whimper, clinging pitifully to my pillow” when the house began to vibrate.

Later after the tsunami she described the scene she saw as “like walking into a terrible dream.”

“Cars teetered where they had been thrown, on top of rubble from collapsed dwellings. Fridges and air-conditioners floated in the sea. A bus sat in a pool of water and mud,” she said. Later she found out that “a dear friend” had been killed trying to escape.

Stephen Rogers, the British honorary consul in Samoa, said the British child’s parents were staying at the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa and had been in contact with the British High Commission in New Zealand.

A New Zealand diplomat said of the parents: “They are completely distressed and have not even informed their families back in Britain about what has happened yet.”

He said he had contacted five other Britons, aged in their 20s and 30s, all of whom escaped unhurt. The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to the islands.

Gordon Brown said Britain was “ready to help in any way we can.”

The Queen said she was “saddened” by the tragedy and sent messages of condolence to the royal family in Tonga and to the Samoan head of state.

Residents described how they were forced to run for the lives after being given little or no warning before the giant wall of water smashed into their homes, flattening villages and washing cars into the sea.

Several coastal towns were wiped out entirely as the sea advanced, sending hundreds of locals running for their lives to higher ground. The south east of the island bore the brunt of the carnage.

The earthquake struck around 125 miles away from the islands.

Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, said four tsunami waves measuring 15 to 20 feet high roared ashore on American Samoa. He reported dozens of park workers missing.

The Samoa Red Cross, which opened five temporary shelters, estimated that 15,000 people had been affected.

On the island of Samoa, locals said entire tourist resorts were washed away, while one family was reported to have lost nine members in the disaster.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to determine damage and casualties.

Rescue teams were scouring the beaches for bodies and hundreds of injured were being treated in hospitals as fears rose that scores more could have been swept out to sea.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the Samoan Prime Minister, said: “So much has gone. So many people are gone. I’m so shocked, so saddened by all the loss.”

Samoa developed an early alert system following the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia that killed more than 220,000 people and laid waste to huge areas of coastline.

However, the speed of the tsunami this time meant there was little time to raise the alarm.

Australia, New Zealand and the United States have pledged assistance to the Samoan islands, with Barack Obama declaring the situation in the Pacific “a major disaster”.

The effects of the tsunami could be felt nearly 5,000 miles away on a Japanese island.

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Typhoon kills dozens in Vietnam, Cambodia

A Vietnamese resident tries to get into his flooded house after Typhoon Ketsana swept through Hoi An. Typhoon Ketsana extended its destructive rampage through Southeast Asia Wednesday, blowing away whole villages in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as the regional death toll rose to 331. (AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam)

by Tran Thi Minh Ha Tran Thi Minh Ha – Wed Sep 30

HOI AN, Vietnam (AFP) – Typhoon Ketsana extended its trail of destruction across Southeast Asia Wednesday, killing at least 66 people in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and unleashing some of the worst floods in a decade.

Tens of thousands of people fled as landslides wiped out homes and rising waters submerged villages and ancient world heritage sites, just days after Ketsana killed 246 people in the Philippines.

Ketsana barrelled towards Laos on Wednesday after being downgraded to a tropical depression, while aid workers struggled to reach stranded survivors and get urgently needed supplies to the homeless.

In Vietnam, officials with the flood and storm control committee said at least 55 people died, including 13 in Kon Tum, a mountainous inland province, and 14 in central Quang Ngai province, where the typhoon made landfall.

Another 11 were missing, an official said.

Cambodia said 11 people died when the storm struck overnight, while there were no immediate reports of casualties from Laos. Scene: Hoi An flooding

Central Vietnam bore the brunt of the typhoon's impact, with the flood and storm control committee saying that six coastal provinces had been evacuated, involving 168,585 people. Many areas were without power.

The town of Hoi An, a UNESCO world heritage site, was under three metres (10 feet) of water. The town is a major tourist draw for its centuries-old pastel-coloured buildings.

On Tuesday flooding hit parts of Danang as well as Hue, the former capital and another World Heritage site, where residents used small wooden and steel boats to move around.

"This flooding might be bigger than the historic floods in 1999," said Nguyen Su, the Communist Party chief in Hoi An.

Aid agency World Vision said in a statement more than 5,800 houses in Vietnam had collapsed in floods and landslides with 163,000 houses having lost their roofs, but this was not immediately confirmed by the government.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said military helicopters could be sent to join the rescue effort, adding that they would immediately evacuate households on river banks and areas likely to suffer from landslides.

State-run Vietnam News carried a front-page photograph of houses almost submerged by brown floodwaters in badly hit Kon Tum province.

In Cambodia, authorities said the homes of thousands of people had been evacuated as the storm packed winds of up to 145 kilometres (90 miles) an hour.

Nine were killed and 28 injured in central Cambodia while two died in the northeast overnight as the country was battered by the storm, officials said. The victims included a grandmother, mother and three children in one house.

"At least nine people were crushed last night when their houses fell down," said Chea Cheat, chief of the Red Cross office in central Kampong Thom province, adding that at least 92 houses in his province were destroyed.

"I have never seen such a strong wind in my life," said Pang Phot, a police officer in the Sandann district.

"Many wooden houses were immediately blown away and many others collapsed to the ground. It was raining heavily and people could not flee their homes because the wind hit immediately," he told AFP by telephone.

In Laos, five or six villages had reportedly been flooded in Savannakhet province and aid workers were making their way there by car, World Vision said.

"We have the capability to urgently ready 500 aid packs if our assessment teams find these are needed," World Vision aid worker Vatthanathavone Inthirath said.

The Philippines is still struggling to cope with the aftermath of floods caused by Ketsana that have affected more than two million people, with the US military set to send troops and equipment there to help.

Ketsana, at the time a tropical storm, dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades on Manila and surrounding areas on Saturday, submerging 80 percent of the nation's capital.

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MediaWATCH: 'Shoot the Thais' Cambodia Call

Phnom Penh lifts the rhetoric in border temple dispute with Thailand

Photo by phuketwan.com

By Phuketwan Reporters

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Phuketwan MediaWATCH

A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective and reports from national and international media.

dailytimes.com.pk Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered his troops Monday to shoot any trespassers in a simmering border dispute with Thailand and angrily blasted the neighboring nation's territorial claims. His remarks came a little over a week after Thai protesters rallied at the disputed border area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the site of clashes that have killed seven soldiers since tensions flared last year.

dailytimes.com.pk Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered his troops Monday to shoot any trespassers in a simmering border dispute with Thailand and angrily blasted the neighboring nation's territorial claims. His remarks came a little over a week after Thai protesters rallied at the disputed border area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the site of clashes that have killed seven soldiers since tensions flared last year.

phnompenhpost.com Siem Reap Airways will resume international flights and the domestic Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route when it relaunches, most likely next month, a government aviation official says. The Cambodian government chose not to renew the licence for Bangkok Airways to fly the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route from October 25. New national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air started the same domestic route at the end of July, with two domestic carriers on the Siem Reap-Phnom Penh route from next month.

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No time to lose for Abhisit as reality bytes

By Sopon Onkgara

The Nation

Published on September 29, 2009

BACK from the limelight in New York, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva faces the painful reality of dealing with unresolved issues which, if mishandled, could escalate into a crisis of confidence in his leadership.

His speeches and responses to the media in the US reflected his comfort in speaking his mind without party hotshots looking over his shoulder. What he said about ideals and new democratic politics is suitable for a Western sensibility but it is difficult to end gutter politics at home.

The tough nut to crack is the appointment of the police chief, blocked time and again by antagonists in the National Police Committee. It is still unclear whether Abhisit will be successful in his choice, as other equations remain unchanged.This is a true test of his leadership. Failure on this will raise serious public doubt over his ability to control the national agenda amidst the prevailing economic problems. Already, there have been chuckles and taunts among political watchers who see the young prime minister as too soft towards his adversaries, even more so in his treatment of senior party members who disagree with his position. Weakness could embolden coalition partners to be more demanding in their push for approval of big projects promising large kickbacks.

There is ongoing haggling in the House over how the Constitution should be amended to accommodate MPs with self-serving interests. Six key points proposed so far have nothing to do with the public interest, but are mainly designed to open wider access for MPs to mess with bureaucrats and to pursue self-enrichment possibilities.

What Abhisit hopes to use as a delaying tactic is a public referendum for the amendment. He insisted on this condition during his talk to the press yesterday. If all parties agree, the amendment process could be completed within nine months, after which the House could be dissolved for a general election.

That's too long. The opposition, as well as the coalition partners, does not want to give the Democrats that luxury of time. The opposition and the red shirts have been demanding almost daily, and quite desperately, that Abhisit dissolve the House, resign and call a new election.

They do not want a referendum, being aware that their amendments could be voted down. A group of senators hostile to the opposition does not want such amendments. Pressure groups hiss that they will seek impeachment of MPs who push for changes in the Charter.

Then the hardest problem to solve is the occupation of 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the Preah Vihear temple by Cambodian soldiers, monks and villagers. This is an embarrassing issue now that Phnom Penh is handing out concessions to foreign oil companies to engage in surveys and exploratory drilling in disputed maritime areas.

The government and armed forces have been lukewarm on this issue, insisting that the dispute should be dealt with through negotiation. So far there has been no progress after rounds of talks. The encroachment by Cambodia is blatant and will not stop there. There are other areas susceptible to Cambodian occupation by force.

These are just a few hard issues to test Abhisit's leadership and courage to deal with potential crises. A Bangkok University Poll shows that 51.5 per cent of those surveyed still want him to stay on as premier, while 43.5 per cent said he is not decisive. Such opinions are not surprising. People want him on the job, but not as a wimp.

His weakness, perceived and tested, has made hotshots within the Democrat Party show disrespect to his leadership, much to the frustration of his supporters. That's why the public wants him to do what he said in the US, particularly the intention to uphold what is right and negate what is wrong, despite his earlier compromise over the acceptance of coalition partners with credibility and image problems.

The content of his speeches in New York must be translated into real action so that he will not be accused of just talking about grand plans and ideas. Friends and foes are waiting to see him show decisiveness and achieve things. The nine months he seeks for the Charter changes is too long for the country to endure; it would be another period without meaningful achievement.

What's more, Abhisit is not a politician with nine lives to survive endless adversity, unlike Newin Chidchob, the king-maker with increasing clout and influence who could step into his shoes after he is no longer banned from active politics. Such a scenario would be dreadful indeed.

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Death toll from flooding in Philippines hits 240

Rescuers and police carry bodies that they recovered along the riverbanks in suburban Marikina city, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday Sept. 28, 2009. Many Filipinos tried to rebuild their lives Monday after saving little more than the clothes they wore in a tropical storm that prompted the capital's worst flooding in more than four decades.(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents receive relief goods in suburban Marikina city, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday Sept. 28, 2009. Many Filipinos tried to rebuild their lives Monday after saving little more than the clothes they wore in a tropical storm that prompted the capital's worst flooding in more than four decades. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents scramble to receive relief goods in suburban Marikina city, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday Sept. 28, 2009. Many Filipinos tried to rebuild their lives Monday after saving little more than the clothes they wore in a tropical storm that prompted the capital's worst flooding in more than four decades.(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A medical patient trapped during the flooding is evacuated by navy personnel after the floodwater subsides allowing big trucks to enter the area Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 in suburban Cainta, east of Manila, Philippines. Weary victims of a tropical storm that unleashed worst flooding in more than a decades begun cleaning up their damaged homes as rescue workers plucked more dead bodies from muddy floodwaters.(AP Photo/ Pat Roque)

Filipino pedestrians cling to a rope as they brave floodwater brought by Tropical Storm Ketsana in Quezon City. Overwhelmed Philippine authorities appealed for international aid Monday as the death toll from once-in-a-lifetime floods soared to 140 and weary survivors sheltered in squalid conditions.(AFP/File/Jay Directo)

An aerial picture shows residents caught in heavy flooding brought by tropical storm Ketsana in Marikina City, east of the Philippine capital Manila. The humanitarian crisis facing the government deepened significantly after it reported hundreds of thousands of people had poured into the centres, where food, medicine and other relief supplies were in dire shortage.(AFP/File/Noel Celis)

A young boy watches as a military truck with evacuees passes by after floodwater subsides allowing the entry of big trucks in the area Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 in suburban Cainta, east of Manila, Philippines. Weary victims of a tropical storm that unleashed worst flooding in more than a decades begun cleaning up their damaged homes as rescue workers plucked more dead bodies from muddy floodwaters. (AP Photo/ Pat Roque)

A military truck loaded with evacuees braves the flooded street after the water subsides allowing big trucks to enter the area Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 in suburban Cainta, east of Manila, Philippines. Weary victims of a tropical storm that unleashed worst flooding in more than a decades begun cleaning up their damaged homes as rescue workers plucked more dead bodies from muddy floodwaters.(AP Photo/ Pat Roque)

By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer

(Post in CAAI News Media)

MANILA, Philippines – Rescuers pulled more bodies from swollen rivers Monday as residents started to dig out their homes from under carpets of mud after flooding left 240 people dead in the Philippine capital and surrounding towns.

Overwhelmed officials called for international help, warning they may not have sufficient resources to withstand another storm that forecasters said was brewing east of the island nation and could hit as early as Friday.

Authorities expected the death toll from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which scythed across the northern Philippines on Saturday, to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked off by floating cars and other debris. The storm dumped more than a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours, fueling the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years. At least 240 people died, and 37 are missing.

Troops, police and volunteers have already rescued more than 7,900 people, but unconfirmed reports of more deaths abound, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.

He told a news conference that help from foreign governments will ensure that the Philippine government can continue its relief work.

"We are trying our level best to provide basic necessities, but the potential for a more serious situation is there," Teodoro told a news conference. "We cannot wait for that to happen."

The extent of devastation became clearer Monday as TV networks broadcast images of mud-covered communities, cars upended on city streets and reported huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food and power.

In Manila's suburban Marikina city, a sofa hung from electric wires.

Since the storm struck, the government has declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue.

The homes of nearly half a million people were inundated. Some 115,000 of them were brought to about 200 schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, officials said.

Resident Jeff Aquino said floodwaters rose to his home's third floor at the height of the storm.

Aquino, his wife, three young children and two nephews spent that night on their roof without food and water, mixing infant formula for his 2-year-old twins with the falling rain.

"We thought it was the end for us," Aquino said.

Among those stranded by the floodwaters was young actress Christine Reyes, who was rescued by movie and TV heartthrob Richard Gutierrez from the rooftop of her home near Manila after she made a frantic call for help to a local TV network with her mobile phone.

"If the rains do not stop, the water will reach the roof. We do not know what to do. My mother doesn't know how to swim," she said, weeping.

Gutierrez, a close friend and Reyes' co-star in an upcoming movie, heard of her plight, borrowed an army speedboat and ferried Reyes, her mother and two young children to safety.

"I thought it was our ending but I did not lose hope," Reyes said, thanking Gutierrez. "Let us help those who have not yet been rescued."

Rescuers pulled a mud-splattered body of a woman from the swollen Marikina river Monday. About eight hours later, police found three more bodies from the brownish waters.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has said Ketsana and the flooding were "an extreme event" that "strained our response capabilities to the limit but ultimately did not break us."

The United States has donated $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country's south, where they have been providing counterterrorism training. The United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Program have also provided food and other aid.

Activists, meanwhile, pointed to the deadly flooding as an example of the dangers of global warming at U.N. climate negotiations in Bangkok.

"The Philippine floods should remind politicians and delegates negotiating the climate treaty that they are not just talking about paragraphs, amendments and dollars but about the lives of millions of people and the future of this planet," said Kim Carstensen, Leader of the WWF Global Climate Initiative.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report.

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Over 4 square km land near Preah Vihear temple not overlapping land: Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said with strong words that Cambodia and Thailand do not have overlapping land of 4.6 square km near 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple.

"That area is Cambodian soil," Hun Sen said at a opening ceremony of the new Tourism Ministry building in Phnom Penh downtown.

"Thailand is using their own map which was drawn unilaterally to take land from Cambodia such as 4.6 km square near Preah Vihear Temple," he said.

Hun Sen had said that Thai "yellow T-shirt" protesters rallied at the area near Preah Vihear temple to demand Cambodian troops and villagers to move out from the land of 4.6 square km near the temple. "They are extremists and have ambitions," he said.

Hun Sen warned that he has told his military commander that if the Thai "yellow T-shirt" protesters forced their way into the area, Cambodian troops could use force.

The Prime Minister also rejected the declaration by Thai leaders that the road Cambodia built to Preah Vihear temple is joint sharing for using. "This road was built on Cambodian soil and it did not have joint share with Thai side. I am so sorry for your comment," he said, adding "you have confused the matter of this street."

However, Hun Sen stressed that even though "we will not avoid to use force, our stance is still to deal with the issues with peaceful way, Cambodia does not need war."

Cambodian and Thai troops have confronted each other since July 15, 2008 at the areas near Khmer Preah Vihear temple after Cambodia registered the temple as the World Heritage Site in July 7, 2008.

Editor: Fang Yang

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Health & Education In Cambodia

VOA News

28 September 2009

This month, the United States and Cambodia signed amendments to 2 bilateral agreements that will provide $34.8 million in 2009 funding to support Cambodian priorities in health and education.

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Carol Rodley presided over the September 8th signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Flynn Fuller, United States Agency for International Development [USAID] Mission Director, signed on behalf of their respective governments.

"I am pleased to be here to reaffirm the commitment of the American people to investing in the health and education of the Cambodian people," Ambassador Rodley said.

"By working side by side with our colleagues in the Cambodian government, we've helped stem the tide of HIV/AIDS, improve the quality of basic health services, and enhance the relevance and availability of education for thousands of youth."

The amendment to the first agreement consists of $31.6 million in grant funds to achieve health objectives. Funds will be used to promote a variety of activities to reduce the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS; to prevent and control major infectious diseases such as tuberculosis; to fight avian influenza and other influenza-like illnesses; to improve maternal, reproductive, and children's health; and to strengthen Cambodian public-health systems.

The amendment to the second agreement will provide $3.2 million in grant funds to support the Cambodian government's education objectives. These funds will support the launch of a new program that will build on USAID's ongoing education program, which is improving the quality and relevance of basic education and increasing access to schooling for all children, including minorities, people with disabilities, and the very poor.

Activities will also focus on reducing school dropout and repetition rates through improvements in teaching quality, school-management training, and measuring student academic achievement. The total amount of direct, bilateral assistance through all foreign assistance accounts is $65.1 million in fiscal year 2009; of which USAID assistance accounts for $59.9 million.

The United States is committed to working with the government of Cambodia to help provide better education and health care to the Cambodian people.

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Cambodia to end Bangkok Airways domestic flights

By THE NATION
Published on September 26, 2009


Bangkok Airways will discontinue its Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route when its aviation agreement expires on October 25, a company official said.

The official said it had been known for some time that the agreement would not be extended after it expired. Cambodia in July established its own airline, Cambodia Angkor Air, which has been servicing that route since its maiden flight on July 28.

Bangkok Airways had earlier set high hopes on establishing a presence in Cambodia.

Mao Havannal, secretary of state at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), was quoted by The Phnom Penh Post as saying a decision was made to give a boost to the new national carrier.

"Now that we have our own domestic airline, Bangkok Airways will not be allowed to continue flights when the agreement finishes on October 25," he said.

Bangkok Airways has been |flying four flights daily between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, since taking over the route last November, when its Siem Reap Airways subsidiary was grounded by the SSCA.

China's Xinhua News Agency quoted SSCA Cabinet Chief Long Chheng as saying on Thursday that a letter had been sent to Bangkok Airways last week informing it of the decision.

Tourism is one of the only sources of foreign exchange for impoverished Cambodia, which is recovering from nearly three decades of conflict, which ended in 1998.

The kingdom wants to receive 3 million tourists annually by next year.

Bangkok Airways public-relations director ML Nantika Worawan, insists the move will not affect the airline's revenue, because only a half-hour flight is involved. The company will remain focused on the Cambodian market, with four daily round-trip flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh and five to six a day from Bangkok to Siem Reap.

Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways are among several other foreign airlines also operating direct flights to Cambodia.

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