Kingdom, S Korea treaty on legal assistance takes effect
ASENIOR official at the Ministry of Justice said treaty on legal assistance in criminal matters between Cambodia and friendly countries was of importance in strengthening cooperation, prevent offences or crossborder crimes, while a civil society organisation is worried that it can be a political tool curb an anti-government movement from abroad.
Justice ministry secretary of state and spokesman Chin Malin made the remarks as the ministry announced the details of such treaty between Cambodia and South Korea that would take effect on February 24.
Malin said the comprehensive cooperation treaty comprised three articles.
The first article establishes mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, the second allows for transfer of prisoners and the third is on ratification of the treaty.
“The treaty strengthens cooperation in the area of criminal justice and will assist both governments in the suppression of cross-border criminal offences. Through this treaty we will have enhanced information exchange, cooperation
in the execution of arrest warrants and cooperation in the exchange of legal documents with the necessary legal procedures in place for all of this to occur enacted by law in each country,” he said.
He added that the mutual assistance treaty was important for strengthening cooperation between signatory countries in curbing and suppressing offences and cross-border crimes.
“In the past, Cambodia has
had agreements on mutual assistance in policing and criminal justice with the countries in the ASEAN region and some other friendly countries. We will continue to strive to negotiate and sign these treaties with all friendly countries that we cooperate with,” Malin said.
Cambodian Institute for Democracy president Pa Chanroeun agreed that cooperative treaties on criminal justice matters between Cambodia and friendly countries was a positive thing and that it would increase the effectiveness of the legal authorities in Cambodia.
However, he cautioned that if this increased effectiveness was then used as a political tool it would be a violation of human rights and an antidemocratic move by Cambodia’s government.
“If this treaty is used a political tool in order to suppress any political movements who are part of the opposition to the government or the ruling party then this agreement will be restricting our rights and freedoms.
“There is a danger that this treaty could be used to violate Cambodian’s human rights and to diminish the strength of democracy in Cambodia, especially as it could affect some Khmer political activists who are in South Korea at present,” he said.
King Norodom Sihamoni issued a royal proclamation promulgating the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Korea on November 14, 2020.
The law’s stated aim is to define mutual legal assistance in matters of criminal justice between Cambodia and foreign states by establishing relevant procedural processes concerning criminal offences, as well as for the freezing of assets and seizure of properties, with the purpose of strengthening and expanding possibilities for international cooperation.
THE Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has awarded Plan International Cambodia (PIC) two gold medals and two silver medals for its contributions to the education sector in Ratanakkiri province over the past 10 years, according to a press release on February 23.
The National Construction medals were presented to Plan International Cambodia’s country director Gwynneth Wong and her team by Ratanakkiri provincial governor Thong Savon at an inauguration ceremony for new secondary and primary school buildings and a teacher’s dormitory in the province’s O’Chum district on February 22.
Wong said that recent key achievements by Plan International Cambodia in the province include the construction of nine new school buildings with 43 classrooms equipped with bathroom facilities.
She said the organisation has contributed to improving the quality of education in the country by investing in school infrastructure improvements which have directly benefited over 2,000 students to date and will continue to benefit thousands more in the future.
“We are really proud to be a part of this contribution and to ensure sustainability, we would like to request that the [education ministry] allocate more teachers to poor and remote communities where many students cannot access schooling.
“[Doing so will] strengthen the implementation of the teacher’s code of conduct and improve the [functionality] of the school management committees and school management.
“In everything that we do, we want to ensure that children – especially girls – in the remote areas receive an equal opportunity at quality education and build their brighter future,” Wong said.
Thong Savon thanked the organisation for providing funding to construct school buildings and for contributing to the development of the education sector in Ratanakkiri over the last 10 years.
“This cooperative activity actively contributes to the government’s strenuous efforts to introduce a programme of national reforms – and especially to the deep reforms underway in the education sector – all with the goal of promoting the prosperity of Cambodia,” he said.
He added that although the education ministry had provided as many academic buildings as it could afford in Ratanakkiri, they were not enough to meet the educational needs of students there.
To fill this gap, Savon said the participation of local and international NGOs, development partners and donors is needed.
He said that in the past some students there had encountered difficulties related to a lack of proper facilities and stopped attending school as a result.
The press release said Plan International Cambodia has been working in partnership with the provincial education department and local NGOs to support accelerated classes for learners who were over the traditional age for school attendance as well as re-entry classes for children who had dropped out of school.
According to the release, Plan International Cambodia has been engaged in programmes related to capacity building for teachers on inclusivity and gender teaching methodology, establishing community schools, constructing standardised school buildings with libraries, an annual school enrolment campaign and a recent back to school campaign when the Covid-19 situation eased.
The organisation also has a programme that helps provide transportation for children who live far from their schools as well as cash scholarships and school supplies for marginalizsd children.
Education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha said on February 23 that the ministry welcomed positive cooperation from organisations that can assist with the government’s education reforms.
“Development partners and international organisations including Plan International Cambodia have important roles in promoting [high] quality education and especially in contributing to the development of Ratanakkiri province these past 10 years,” he said.
SOUTHEAST Asia now risks a delayed economic recovery that will steepen permanent economic losses, says a new report by S&P Global Ratings.
Thailand and other major ASEAN markets are living with the effects of new Covid19 waves that appear to have peaked only recently, according to the report, Delay Risk on the Rise for Southeast Asia’s Recovery.
S&P Global Ratings economist Vishrut Rana said: “Our baseline estimates still assume emerging Southeast Asia will return to its pre-pandemic level of GDP [gross domestic product] around August of this year.
“However, delay risks are rising, and a prolonged recovery would drag on the region’s growth rate and lead to higher permanent economic costs.”
As hospitals filled up with
Covid-19 patients in recent months, governments again restricted mobility and households voluntarily stayed home more often. Since late last year, mobility has stalled and then fallen across Southeast Asia. While this has not led to a return to the harsh lockdowns, it could drag on first-quarter economic performance, the ratings agency said.
The biggest threat to speedy economic recovery is individual consumer behaviour, as people stay home more and spend less, it added.
A two-month delay in the recovery could cut S&P Ratings’ 2021 growth forecasts by about one percentage point, to 5.2 per cent, said the agency. About two-thirds of this decline would likely come from weaker-than-expected activity in the first quarter, which would have carry-over effects into the second half. It would also mean higher growth rates in 2022, off a lower base.
The longer an economy is stuck with unemployed resources, the larger the damage to balance sheets and workers. More businesses would close, and more workers would lose jobs, skills and motivation. Together, this would hold back the level of activity once the economy reaches its new normal. S&P Ratings calls the gap between its estimate of the achievable new normal and the pre-Covid trend “permanent damage”.
It currently estimates the permanent loss at about 7.4 per cent. This would rise to 8.1 per cent with a two-month delay in the recovery timeline. Thailand and the Philippines would likely see the largest permanent losses at about 10 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. For Thailand, the issue is structural and related to the tourism sector which is expected to be among the last industries to recover from the pandemic.
However, external demand may boost growth more than expected this year, especially if the US adds more stimulus soon, said the agency. China’s recovery may also rebalance faster than expected, lifting consumer spending and imports, including from the rest of Asia.
Southeast Asia’s emerging economies have secured enough vaccine doses for 40-50 per cent of their populations on average, and the ratings agency assumes inoculation will be in place by the second half of this year.
THE first lot of AstraZeneca vaccines were set to arrive in Thailand on February 24 afternoon, Dr Sopon Mekthon, chairman of the government’s sub-committee on Covid-19 vaccine management, confirmed.
Around 100,000 doses of the vaccine will be used to inject 50,000 people.
The public health ministry said the AstraZeneca vaccine would also be used to inject people aged 60 and over, noting that China’s Sinovac isn’t recommended for this age group.
Thailand will receive AstraZeneca from the company’s plant in Italy, where the European Commission is strictly monitoring exports.
Thai authorities will take at least three days to check the quality of both Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. As soon as the vaccines are considered safe, vaccinations will commence, even if on a Sunday, they stressed.
The first vaccinations will be conducted at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute.
The sub-committee hopes both Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul will take different vaccines to boost public confidence, with Prayut – at age 66 – reportedly set to receive AstraZeneca while Anutin will reportedly take Sinovac.
Dr Sopon said there was no major difference between the two vaccines. Both need to be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius.
After being injected, both ministers will be observed for symptoms, if any, at the hospital for 30 minutes.
For Sinovac vaccines, two doses are required – injected two-to-four weeks apart, but the sub-committee plans to carry out injections three weeks apart. On the other hand, the AstraZeneca vaccines need to be injected 10-12 weeks apart.