The Cambodia Forum 9789814311397

Table of contents :
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: FORGING CLOSER BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN CAMBODIA AND SINGAPORE
LUNCHEON ADDRESS: GOVERNANCE AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR CAMBODIA
PANEL I: ECONOMIC STRATEGY
PANEL II: INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS POLICY
PANEL III: HUMAN RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
PANEL IV: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CAMBODIA FORUM 2010
THE CAMBODIA FORUM 2010

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THE CAMBODIA FORUM

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.

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THE CAMBODIA FORUM

Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace Cambodia

Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Singapore

First published in Singapore in 2011 by ISEAS Publishing Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Pasir Panjang Singapore 119614 E-mail: [email protected] Website: bookshop.iseas.edu.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. © 2011 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the authors and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the publishers or their supporters. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data The Cambodia Forum. Organized by Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, on 23 April 2010. 1. Cambodia—Economic conditions—Congresses. 2. Cambodia—Economic policy—Congresses. I. Cambodia Forum (2010 : Singapore) II. Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace. III. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. HC442 C181 2011 ISBN 978-981-4311-38-0 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-4311-39-7 (e-book PDF) Typeset by Superskill Graphics Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Seng Lee Press Pte Ltd

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CONTENTS

Foreword vii Mr Tan Keng Jin Head, Preparatory Committee of the Cambodia Forum 2010; Head, Public Affairs Unit; and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS xi

Acknowledgements Keynote Address: Forging Closer Bilateral Relations between Cambodia and Singapore His Excellency Dr Sok An Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, The Kingdom of Cambodia Luncheon Address: Governance and Its Implication for Cambodia His Royal Highness Samdech Norodom Sirivudh Supreme Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman, Board of Directors, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP)

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Panel I: Economic Strategy

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Panel II: Investment and Business Policy

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Contents

Panel III: Human Resources for Economic Growth and Sustainable Growth

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Panel IV: Energy and Environment

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The Cambodia Forum 2010 Programme

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The Cambodia Forum 2010 Speakers & Panellists

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FOREWORD

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) had the honour of playing a pivotal role in co-organizing the Cambodia Forum 2010, with the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), on 23 April 2010 at the Conrad Centennial Singapore. Cambodia, the youngest member of ASEAN, has the most potential among its fellow members that remains to be realized. Like any other country recently embarking on the road of growth and development, it experiences roadblocks and challenges that could benefit from open discussions as well as exercises to find solutions to problems. The Forum was a vehicle to discuss these areas, hint at possible solutions, as well as share experiences with other countries in similar areas. The Cambodia Forum’s objectives were to: • • •

Explore the various aspects of development in Cambodia Find out how expertise from Singapore and elsewhere can help in Cambodia’s development Facilitate opportunities for economic collaboration and partnerships between Cambodia, Singapore, and the region.

Armed with these objectives, in mid-2009, a delegation from ISEAS visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia to call on key Cambodian ministers and senior government officials, and private sector businesses to garner support for the Cambodia Forum 2010. The delegation comprised of Ambassador K. Kesavapany, ISEAS Director; Mr Tan Keng Jin, Head of Public Affairs; Mr Pou Sothirak, Visiting Senior Research Fellow; and Dr David Koh, Senior Fellow.

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Needless to say, the proposal was unanimously met with strong encouragement and commitment by both the Cambodian Government and the private sector. The Forum was a first for ISEAS as it not only involved a keynote address by His Excellency Dr Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, The Kingdom of Cambodia, and luncheon address by His Royal Highness Samdech Norodom Sirivudh, it also involved the participation of key Cambodian ministers and senior officials. His Excellency Dr Sok An spoke on the topic: “Forging Closer Bilateral Relations between Cambodia and Singapore”, acknowledging that relations between Cambodia and Singapore have flourished over the past two decades, and future cooperation between the two countries should focus on strengthening economic links, cooperation in education to improve human resources, good governance and closer multilateral diplomacy. Following the keynote address, each plenary session was followed by an open forum discussion involving practitioners, academics, and private sector professionals from various parts of the world including Cambodia, Singapore and the Philippines — focusing on the current and future developments in Cambodia across various fields such as economic strategy, investment and business policy, human resource and economic growth, and energy and environment. These sessions covered Cambodia’s efforts to diversify its economy, develop its tourism industry, harness its education and human resources, expand its energy sector, and carve a niche in ASEAN. The presentations and discussions are covered in greater detail in the ensuing sections. This Forum was an outstanding success with renewed attention given to the progress and development made by Cambodia in the past few years as well as opportunities available

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for investments in Cambodia. The overwhelming response from the general public to ISEAS’ invitation to the Forum was surprising. The original target of 150 was quickly exceeded and steps were taken to turn away additional requests; however this move was met with appeals and reasons why the individual(s) should be allowed entry and participation. In the end the attendance exceeded 240; because of the limited seating capacity of the main ballroom we had to turn away some seventy applicants. In a similar manner, ISEAS appealed for support and donations and these were met with positive responses. This was a welcome change from the normal reticent companies. In total some fifteen companies and organizations came forward with donations. This indication of interest also made itself manifest at the Networking Dinner that was organized in conjunction with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore. This was organized at the close of the Forum and allowed some twenty Singapore corporations network with the firms that flew into Singapore from Cambodia to participate.

Tan Keng Jin Head, Preparatory Committee of the Cambodia Forum 2010; Head, Public Affairs Unit; and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Cambodia Forum 2010 was supported by the Royal Embassy of Cambodia. The fifteen sponsors were: Celeste Holdings Pte. Ltd., KrisEnergy Pte. Ltd., Mekong Bank, HLH Group Limited, Asia Mobile Holdings Limited, Ocean Sky International Pte. Ltd., Asia Pacific Breweries, SMa Institute of Higher Learning, Production Services Network, Intraco Limited, General Electric, Khmer Delight, IDRC, SilkAir, and Marubeni Corporation.

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS: FORGING CLOSER BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN CAMBODIA AND SINGAPORE His Excellency Dr Sok An Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, The Kingdom of Cambodia

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Your Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sirivudh, Privy Counsellor to the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) H.E. Wong Ah Long, Deputy Chairman of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Board of Trustees Ambassador Kesavapany, Director of ISEAS Excellencies, Members of Diplomatic Corps Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Esteemed participants of the Cambodia Forum

Let me begin by thanking the joint hosts, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), for inviting me to participate in this Forum. The subject of my keynote address is “Forging Closer Bilateral Relations between Cambodia and Singapore”.

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I believe the Forum provides a useful platform for promoting Cambodia-Singapore relations through the exchange of views among government officials, academe, researchers and the private sector on key issues, development perspectives, challenges and opportunities, for making practical policy recommendations.

Historical Ties between Cambodia and Singapore Historically, Singapore is a time-tested friend of Cambodia. Diplomatic relations between our two countries were established on 10 August 1965 — a day after Singapore became independent, thus making the Kingdom of Cambodia one of the very first countries to recognize the independent Republic of Singapore. The diplomatic ties were cut in 1975, but were resumed on 18 January 1992. However, during this interregnum, Singapore maintained trade relations with Cambodia. In the 1980s, Cambodia had to endure an economic embargo following the demise of the Khmer Rouge regime. The trade and economic relations with Singapore provided a crucial support to Cambodia during this difficult period. The timely humanitarian assistance that was provided to Cambodia and channelled through Singapore during the 1980s allowed Cambodia to embark on rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in key economic sectors. Singapore and Cambodia have enjoyed excellent bilateral relations, strengthened over the years through exchanges of state visits between Heads of State and government leaders of the two countries. The foundation of our close relationship was shaped by His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk and His Excellency Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The then Prime Minister Lee was a frequent visitor to Cambodia and was conferred a doctorate honoris causa by the Royal University of Cambodia in December 1967 for his contributions to strengthening Cambodia-Singapore

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relations. Prime Minister Hun Sen officially visited Singapore in 2000. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong paid an official visit to Cambodia in May 2001. Mr Goh’s visit has subsequently resulted in (1) promoting Singapore foreign direct investment to Cambodia, (2) enhancing human resource development in Cambodia, and (3) provision of Tourism Development Master Plan for the Cambodian Government. President S. R. Nathan paid a state visit to Cambodia in February 2003 at the invitation of His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk. His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni paid a state visit to Singapore in March 2006. In March 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid a visit to Cambodia. Frequent exchange of visits by the leaders of Cambodia and Singapore has helped further solidify the already excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and their people. Singapore’s contributions to Cambodia’s human resource development in the last decade are particularly noteworthy. Singapore has provided training to Cambodian officials in diverse fields including civil aviation, economic analysis, English language, finance, information technology and trade promotion. The Civil Service College of Singapore has signed an agreement with the Royal School of Administration in Cambodia to help strengthen Cambodia’s capacity in public administration. More recently in March 2010, Singapore’s Ministry of Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance to share Singapore’s experience in public financial management by conducting study tours, training courses, seminars and workshops. On this occasion, I would like to thank the Government of Singapore on behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia for providing scholarships to bright Cambodian students at the secondary school, undergraduate and post-graduate levels

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in Singapore’s prestigious schools and higher educational institutions. Cambodia is among the top ten recipient countries under the Singapore Cooperation Programme. I do hope that Singapore’s schools and universities will keep enlarging the admission of Cambodian students and provide them with the necessary support to carry out their studies and research in the disciplines of their choice. Singapore has indeed made a significant contribution to the long-term development of Cambodia by enhancing human resources.

Cambodia’s Recent Development and Prospects Cambodia has made rapid strides since the early 1990s in establishing a firm foundation for sustained development. Since 1993, the Cambodian economy has undergone a dramatdæ structural transformation. The rudiments of a market economy and financial sector have been established. Private sector is now a key player in many sectors of the economy. Economic growth traditionally based on agriculture is now driven increasingly by the industrial and the services sectors. One of the outstanding achievements of Samdach Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, is the implementation of the win-win policy that has resulted in the return of full peace in Cambodia after more than three decades of internal strife. Under this policy, the political and military organization of the Khmer Rouge was dismantled and Khmer Rouge forces were successfully integrated into the mainstream of our society. A sense of confidence and pride pervades the country which bodes well for the future of the economy. The return of full peace, political stability and complete national unity in more than five centuries since the fall of Khmer

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Empire created an unprecedented opportunity for economic reform and social progress. Cambodia regained international recognition and was formally admitted to ASEAN in April 1999. Since then, Cambodia has embarked on wide-ranging reforms such as public administration, public finance, legal and judicial systems, the reform of the royal Cambodian armed forces, the reform of public finances and macroeconomic management, decentralization and de-concentration, the reform of the management of natural resources (water, forestry, fisheries, land and environment), and fighting corruption. The reform in public administration is particularly aimed at serving people better through institutions that are transparent, responsive and efficient and enhancing values of motivation, loyalty, professionalism and a culture of service to be upheld by civil servants. Moreover, among other fundamental laws, such as civil code, criminal code, code of civil procedure and code of criminal procedure, the anticorruption law has recently been adopted. The improvement in legal and physical infrastructures will win confidence of private investors, improve domestic investment and attract international investors to do their businesses in Cambodia. The Royal Government attaches great importance to private investment for laying the foundation for economic takeoff. The government aims to make Cambodia a focal point for foreign investment by dismantling the disincentives to the export of goods and services. Cambodia will shape its economic destiny by relying on market forces, macroeconomic reforms, an outward-looking growth strategy, and high quality of institutions. The focus will be on improving labour productivity, infrastructure development, enlarging foreign investment and closer integration of Cambodia into the regional and global economy. With the restoration of peace, economic results have improved dramatically. During the

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last decade, GDP grew at an average annual rate of 9.3 per cent, thanks to prudent fiscal policy, conservative monetary management, and bold structural reforms. Though Cambodia has made much progress, the reform effort must be reinforced in key areas to sustain development. Since the implementation of market reforms, Cambodia’s GDP increased fivefold from US$1.27 billion in 1989 to US$10.3 billion in 2009. During this period, per capita income also grew fourfold from US$152 to US$739. Mainly due to the sustained high growth, poverty incidence dropped from 50 per cent in 1994 to 30 per cent in 2007. The recent global economic crisis has sharply curtailed Cambodia’s economic performance. Growth slowed to 6.7 per cent in 2008 and is estimated at 0.1 per cent in 2009. Three of the four main growth-driving sectors — garments, tourism and construction — contracted during 2008–09. Private investment was also hit. 40,000 jobs in garment factories have been lost. Growth is projected to pick up to 4.5 per cent in 2010. However, export performance continues to be vulnerable in view of the narrow commodity base and the high concentration of garment exports to the U.S. market. Cambodia’s per capita GDP is expected to reach US$1,000 by 2015. However, the resumption of high growth will require more concerted action to strengthen competitiveness, improve business climate and diversify the production base. Achieving full compliance with WTO requirements and lowering the cost of doing business will be crucial for enhancing competitiveness. The high growth rates in the two decades preceding the global economic crisis are attributable to favourable internal and external factors. Internal factors include political stability, prevalence of peace, stability of macroeconomic environment,

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well performing governmental institutions, and the adoption of a liberal policy towards foreign direct investment and international trade. The major favourable external factors in this period were the general robustness of the regional and global economy and the strong progress in globalization and regional cooperation. Such remarkable socio-economic achievements have provided excellent opportunities for Singapore-Cambodia economic relations.

Singapore-Cambodia Trade and Investment Relations Singapore-Cambodia economic cooperation has been a significant factor in the economic success of Cambodia in the last two decades. Bilateral trade and investment between our two countries increased more than fourfold during the last decade. Our total bilateral trade is expected to exceed US$2 billion within the next few years, making Singapore one of the main trading partners of Cambodia. However, Cambodia has a large bilateral trade deficit with Singapore which needs to be addressed. Bilateral business contacts have also expanded between the two countries as we can see from the impressive participation of the private sector from both countries in today’s Forum. Singapore is one of the major investors in Cambodia. According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, Singapore invested in 106 projects in Cambodia during 1994–2009. The investment capital comprised of US$658 million and the investment covered several sectors including services and manufacturing, in particular garments. The expansion of Singaporean direct investment in Cambodia is mainly attributed to the excellent relations between our political and business leaders, and also to the Royal Government’s

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continued efforts to make Cambodia an increasingly attractive investment destination for international investors including Singaporean companies. Several incentives have been provided to encourage foreign direct investment in Cambodia. The Investment Law of 1994 was amended in 2003 to greatly simplify the licence application procedures. The amended law mandated the approval of an investment project within thirty-one working days after the receipt of the investment application by the Council for the Development of Cambodia. A Sub-Committee on Investment of ProvincesMunicipalities of the Kingdom of Cambodia was also established by a sub-decree in 2005 to approve investment projects costing less than two million U.S. dollars in the host province or municipality. These important initiatives need to be followed up by other measures for boosting foreign investment. Special economic zones are high on the Government’s policy agenda for attracting foreign investment to Cambodia. As you are aware, the Royal government of Cambodia has approved twenty-one Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to attract foreign direct investment and to diversify the Cambodian economy. These zones are managed by the private sector. Cambodia can learn from Singapore’s vast experience in the management of Special Economic Zones. Trade and investment activities are mutually beneficial and enhance welfare in the partner countries. All steps taken to promote trade and investment are therefore welcome and ought to be encouraged. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to invite Singaporean business leaders to explore opportunities for trade and investment in sectors in which Cambodia has comparative advantage. Cooperation with Singaporean partners is particularly welcome in the more advanced technological sectors and technical education.

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The open skies policy of Cambodia has been helpful to promote tourism, trade and investment. With direct flights to Siem Reap from a number of regional destinations, particularly Singapore which is a prime international gateway, the number of tourist arrivals in Siam Reap has increased sharply creating a new growth pole in Cambodia, in addition to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Tourism has generated substantial employment and sparked trade and investment in a host of auxiliary activities. The liberalization of international travel has also facilitated business and commercial exchanges apart from the cultural exchanges. The number of Cambodian businessmen visiting Singapore and Singaporean entrepreneurs visiting Cambodia to explore business opportunities is steadily increasing. Strengthening business relations between our two countries has also helped foster a deeper appreciation of each other’s culture.

Regional and International Cooperation Cambodia-Singapore relations are not limited to the bilateral level. The two countries are partners in global, regional and sub-regional cooperation initiatives and share several transnational concerns and aspirations. Cambodia and Singapore are both members of ASEAN. Cambodia’s entry into ASEAN in 1999 is an important milestone in Cambodia’s foreign policy evolution, as it marked the end of Cambodia’s isolation in the region. Moreover, the admission of Cambodia into ASEAN helped unify all the ten countries of Southeast Asia under the ASEAN umbrella which was the vision of the ASEAN founding fathers. The main goal of ASEAN is the establishment of the ASEAN Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The goals and strategies for narrowing the development gaps within ASEAN and the

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accompanying implementation mechanism are key ASEAN initiatives which would help bring forward the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015. Cambodia values highly Singapore’s role as an important partner in ASEAN. During the last decade of Cambodia’s fullfledged membership in ASEAN, we have been able to balance our bilateral relationship with Singapore alongside our strong commitment to promote regional cooperation under the ASEAN framework. In 2002, under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), the Cambodia-Singapore Training Centre was established in Phnom Penh. The Centre has trained 4,534 Cambodian officials during 2002–09. This is a significant contribution to the improvement of the quality of public administration in Cambodia. Cambodia and Singapore have closely cooperated on international issues of common concern. For instance, in 2005, Cambodia supported the establishment of the Information Sharing Centre in Singapore to fight piracy and sea-based terrorism. Singapore has supported Cambodia’s early inclusion in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) initiative and its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2013–14 term. This mutual support clearly reflects the ever deepening cooperation, friendship and understanding between our two countries. Given Cambodia’s small market size and per capita income, integration of the Kingdom’s economy into the region and the world is necessary for market expansion. Therefore, Cambodia is committed to strengthening economic cooperation, both bilateral and multilateral, through regional and global initiatives. In particular, strengthening economic cooperation with Singapore and other ASEAN members is high on the government’s policy agenda. We have also signed a number of trade and investment

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agreements with many countries, including those in the ASEAN group. Cambodia has also actively participated in other sub-regional, regional and global cooperation initiatives, including the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) initiative, with important implications for Cambodia-Singapore relations. The proposed SingaporeKunming rail link, a major GMS undertaking, and the economic corridor projects of GMS will improve connectivity and competitiveness of the Southeast Asia region, while accelerating the pace of economic growth and improving the welfare of the entire sub-region.

Peaceful Settlement of Disputes A discussion on Cambodia’s relations with Singapore will not be complete without dealing with Cambodia’s relations with its neighbours including Thailand, our common ASEAN partner. Thailand-Cambodia relations are of great importance for the security and economic prosperity of Southeast Asia. Therefore, I do believe that other ASEAN members are interested in fully understanding the recent tension between the two neighbouring countries. For almost fifty years, Thailand never openly challenged the 15 June 1962 ICJ decision nor the shared border with Cambodia. But it created the unilateral map for the time when it could expand into Cambodia. It was marked “secret”, apparently in order to hide their territorial ambitions. The current conflict between Cambodia and Thailand came from the said unilateral map drawn secretly during the Khmer Rouge regime. The map clearly shows the frontier line between Cambodia and Thailand which runs within the Cambodian territory in the region of Preah Vihear. On 15 July 2008, one week after the

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inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List, Thai armed forces invaded the region of Preah Vihear and other areas along the northern border of Cambodia with Thailand by groundlessly claiming that the area created by the divergence of frontier line between the Annex I map used by the ICJ in 1962, which has international legality, and that of Thai unilateral map, which has never been recognized by any country in the world, first as a “disputed area”, and now as a ‘Thai territory”. Moreover, Thailand challenges the decision of the World Heritage Committee by asserting that the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear has created the armed conflict between the two countries. In fact, the real cause stems from the long-planned territorial ambition of Thailand. The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to a proactive foreign policy, which is based on the following principles: neutrality, peaceful coexistence with all our neighbouring countries, non-alignment, friendship and cooperation with all countries based on equality, mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other. Cambodia has used all peaceful means through bilateral negotiations and discussions to solve the unnecessary conflict. However, while trying to find solution to the current problem, Thailand has created new problems. For instance, Thailand insists on using the Thai name of “Phra Viharn” to refer to the Cambodian Temple of Preah Vihear, the name that has been used officially by the ICJ in 1962 and the World Heritage Committee. Sometimes, Thailand cites her complicated internal decision-making process to be related to border issues, where parliamentary approval must be sought for. After numerous meetings of the Cambodian-Thai Joint Boundary Commission, no concrete results have been achieved.

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In this context, Cambodia has to exercise its obligation to defend Cambodian territory when the act of invasion occurs, an action that can only be understood as a response to the Thai militarization of the border area. Thailand must uphold its international obligations under the existing framework of international law. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Cambodia-Singapore relationships have blossomed rapidly in the last two decades both bilaterally and in the ASEAN framework. To forge a closer bilateral relation in the coming years, it might be envisaged that cooperation between our two countries should be focused in the following key areas: •

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economic cooperation through accelerating bilateral trade between the two countries and enhancing Singapore’s investments in Cambodia, mainly trade facilitation, port management, financial and banking sector, SMEs, industrial park, city and urban planning where Singapore has overseas success particularly in China and Vietnam; education cooperation in order to promote human resource development and strengthen capacity and institutional buildings, particularly strengthening bilateral cooperation in public administration through Singapore Cooperation Programme; good governance is a core to bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and Singapore, where Cambodia can learn from Singapore’s success story; enhancing cooperation in tourism sectors, particularly in promotion and marketing; and close cooperation in multilateral diplomacy.

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I am sure that the well informed government officials, scholars, researchers, and other participants gathered here today will discuss the way forward in further improving the mutual understanding between our two countries. I would like to conclude by expressing my deep appreciation to the joint organizers for taking the initiative to host this Forum. Finally, I would like to wish Your Excellencies, scholars, researchers and other participants good health and an enjoyable stay in Singapore and the Forum’s deliberations great success. Thank you very much for your attention!

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LUNCHEON ADDRESS: GOVERNANCE AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR CAMBODIA His Royal Highness Samdech Norodom Sirivudh Supreme Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman, Board of Directors, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP)

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His Excellency Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen

A warm greeting and good afternoon to all of you! I hope you have a good lunch. Before I approach the topic of my talk, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere appreciation to Ambassador Kesavapany, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and his team, as well as to all sponsors and supporters for the superb hospitality given to me and to all the Cambodian delegation attending this important Forum. I also would like to present my warm congratulation to ISEAS for putting up an excellent Cambodia Forum, with which the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace is honoured to take part as co-organizer. A quick review of the programme would confirm that indeed the Forum is conducted in the context of Cambodia increasingly

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engaging with the international community and facing the challenges of catching up with its neighbours after years of internal problems. All topics of the presentations in the Forum reflect the dynamics of a changing national environment as well as the challenges Cambodia faces in adapting and making itself competitive. I strongly believe that good and bad lessons can be drawn out from this Forum and we can learn from the rich experiences of Singapore in order to prepare ourselves for the noble task of rebuilding our nation. More importantly, I believe that this Forum will certainly bring about stronger and closer bilateral collaboration between Cambodia and Singapore in an atmosphere of deep understanding and mutual respect. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Today, I am honoured to be given this opportunity to share with you some of my personal thoughts and reflection on the topic of governance in Cambodia — which is a foundation towards stability, security, and prosperity. In this short remark, I will attempt to explain how I understand governance, and review briefly how Cambodia approaches it. At the end, I will make some general statements on what is required to put into effect the good governance.

What is “Governance”? Good governance has long been a topic of discussion in the international arena, particularly how its influence is wielded within the realm of democracy and economic development. With no doubt, good governance is pivotal to the development process by bringing about effective democratic institutions and sound macroeconomic policy. “Governance” comprises mechanisms, processes and institutions, through which citizens and groups articulate their

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interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. Here, the role of the state is regarded as that of creating and ensuring stable political and legal environment conducive to sustainable development. Complementarily, the role of civil society institutions and organizations are viewed as a means of facilitating political and social interaction and mobilizing groups to participate in economic, social and political activities. However, “governance” is not only defined as the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development, but it also includes the promise and determination of how best it can deliver an accountable and transparent service to the public and how principles of human rights and democracy are integrated. Here, governance is being evaluated against its effectiveness to guarantee the right to health, sufficient food, quality education, fair justice and personal security. Therefore, I am of the view that “good governance” is an essential element for successful national development strategy. Good governance is the absence of bad governance. To recognize bad governance is not difficult. Several indicators of bad governance are: absence or lack of transparency and accountability, no credible and independent judiciary system, weak law enforcement, inadequate social justice, pervasive corruption, which result in high poverty rate, deepening discrepancy between the rich and the poor, and lack of protection and respect of human rights and democratic principles.

How Cambodia Approaches “Governance”? Talking about good governance in Cambodia, we need to understand it in a comprehensive way and need to emphasize the roles played by the state, the international donor community/

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development partners, NGOs, research institutes and think-tanks, and the middle class. These actors collaboratively design and make a strategic planning for the good governance and development in Cambodia. The 1993 Constitution stipulates that Cambodia is a multiparty, liberal democracy in which the Cambodian people are masters of their country and exercise their powers through the national assembly, senate, government, and court. All citizens have the right to establish associations and political parties. The Constitution incorporates the rule of law and human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to good governance by focusing on four reform areas: (1) anti-corruption, (2) legal and judicial reform, (3) public administration reform, including decentralization, and (4) reform of the armed forces, especially demobilization. The Cambodian Government has been using a number of tools to improve good governance and economic development in Cambodia. These are Governance Action Plan, National Plan for Public Administration Reform, National Strategic Development Plan, Rectangular Development Strategy, and Cambodian Millennium Development Goals. However, good policies have to be based on objective thinking and statistical analysis. We have to accept the reality that poverty rate in Cambodia is still relatively high compared with the other ASEAN family members. We have to acknowledge that we still lack both hard and soft infrastructures necessary for sustainable development and poverty reduction. We have to learn that we cannot rely too much on external sources of economic growth; we need to stand stronger on our own feet.

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How can Cambodia Achieve Good Governance? As a Cambodian, I am proud to be part of the successful politicaleconomic and institutional reforming process and achievement of the Royal Government of Cambodia in the last decade. In addition, I applaud the recent efforts of the Royal Government in curbing illegal logging in Cambodia and passing the long awaited AntiCorruption Law. The Anti-Corruption Law, with strong political commitment towards reform process, will definitely contribute to transparency, accountability and good governance. The amplitude of efforts and the challenges that lie ahead for Cambodia are enormous in pursuing the principles of good governance. Good governance can only be achieved with vigorous and constant reform processes. However, reform, in itself, is not just a shallow word. Implementing reforms requires not only political will, but also considerable human and financial resources. Cultural and political context have to be taken into account. This process of reform requires all relevant stakeholders. Everyone should participate actively, not just observe and criticize. To systematically resolve the obstacles Cambodia is facing with regards to good governance, we need to have a strong state institution working closely with the private sector and civil society. We need to build the national capacity for change at all levels as the world is changing very rapidly in a non-linear pattern. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen I personally prefer to compare “governance” to “driving a car”. To drive a car, we need to have at least three components: a roadmap showing direction of where you want to go; the physical body of the car itself represents the mechanism or process through which

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we use to embark on our destination; and finally, we need a licensed operator to drive the car safely to the intended destination. A roadmap is a short-term and long-term strategic planning of how we want to develop our country. The body of the car is the formation of the political, social, and economic system in which there is a presence of well-functioning institutions and organizations. The driver is the leader who is capable, honest and committed to the process of nation building. Driving in Cambodia is a big challenge. The roads are narrow. There are many motorbikes and the respect for traffic rules is limited. It is said that if we can drive in Cambodia, we can drive around the world. This implies that the goal of having good governance in Cambodia is challenged by many factors. It is impossible to have perfect governance system overnight. It needs time, patience and continued efforts with strong commitment. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Before I conclude, allow me to share with you some of my modest thoughts on the ways to move forward. To achieve good governance, Cambodia needs to continue and improve the development policy that is more broad-based and pro-poor, invest more in hard and soft infrastructure, promote education, especially in the rural areas, provide adequate healthcare services, and ensure that the judicial system is well-functioning and independent from political influence. In addition, we need to further improve the law enforcement and strengthen our national capacity to adapt to changes taking place at home, in the region, and around the world. Thank you very much for your kind attention!

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PANEL I: ECONOMIC STRATEGY Chaired by Associate Professor Toh Mun Heng, Department of Business Policy, School of Business, National University of Singapore Paper 1: “Economic Strategy and State Management in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Hang Chuon Naron, SecretaryGeneral of the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Permanent Vice-Chairperson of the Supreme National Economic Council, The Kingdom of Cambodia There were five components to Mr Hang’s presentation: (a) a review of Cambodia’s performance from 1998 to 2009, (b) a study of how economic development was being financed in the country, (c) the strategy for economic diversification, (d) the policy framework that should be followed, and (e) an outline of how natural resources should be managed for the country’s future. The speaker argued that the country’s performance since 1998 had been “impressive” on account of its political stability, macroeconomic stability, poverty reduction, employment creation, increasing competitiveness and rising productivity. Economic development, he noted, was being financed by several sources: a public financial reform programme funded by the government, bank credit to the private sector, foreign direct investment (approximately $515 million in 2009), official development assistance and capital market development. The speaker went on to note the potential sources of Cambodia’s growth. These include its strength in agriculture,

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especially in agro-processing; its abundant though low-skilled labour; the country’s rich cultural heritage and national biodiversity; and finally, Cambodia’s wealth of minerals, oil and gas. Mr Hang also discussed the Cambodian Government’s vision for medium-term growth. This involves paying attention to human resource development, agricultural development, tourism (from culture to beach tourism), soft and hard infrastructure, and new industries such as processing industries. The speaker concluded by noting the policy priorities that would be important for Cambodia’s economic growth and development. These include an emphasis on introducing and implementing regulatory reforms, improving the country’s agriculture policy, improving its infrastructure policy, and setting up Special Economic Zones. He also noted the importance of the development of the Mekong Industrial Corridor and the benefits that the country would enjoy from regional economic integration. Paper 2: “Culture and Tourism: Present and Future, Propoor Sustainable and Responsible Tourism and Poverty Alleviation” Presentation by Mr Thok Sokhom, Director, Department of International Cooperation and ASEAN, Ministry of Tourism, The Kingdom of Cambodia The speaker elaborated on the Cambodian Government’s policy for the tourism sector. He noted that Cambodia projects itself as a destination for “cultural and natural tourism”. Indeed, the tourism sector is regarded as one of the top ten priority sectors for socioeconomic growth, especially since sustainable tourism has the potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in the country.

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The speaker noted that tourism had been affected by the global economic slump. However, Cambodia had initiated a strategy to deal with this situation by facilitating travel and tourist transport, reducing prices and offering dynamic tour packages, diversifying and developing new tourism products, encouraging the movement of domestic tourists, improving the quality of the tourism products and services, empowering public and private sector partnership and, finally, enhancing national security and tourist safety. The speaker emphasized the role of tourism for Cambodia’s development. He noted that cultural tourism plays an absolutely vital role in the conservation and protection of the cultural and natural heritage. Tourism also accounts for approximately 70 per cent of Cambodia’s income and is thus a major generator of the country’s revenues. From 1993 to 2003, international arrivals grew by about 25 per cent and the Angkor Wat, which remains the prime cultural attraction for domestic and international visitors, witnessed more than a 50 per cent increase in international arrivals. He highlighted the steps being taken by the Ministry of Tourism to make tourism sustainable. Recent measures towards this end include the passing of the Tourism Law, law enforcement by strengthening regulatory and institutional frameworks, the elaboration of a National Tourism Development Master Plan, a Regional Tourism Development Master Plan, and a Territorial Tourism Development Master Plan. The ministry has also been investing in pro-poor tourism development via community-based tourism development. Some measures in this regard include loan-financed projects by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Mekong Tourism Development Project, and the Mekong Dolphin Discovery Trail Project along the Mekong River in Kratie and Stung Treng Province.

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Paper 3: “Designing a Tourism Strategy for Singapore” Presentation by Mr Tony Lai, Assistant Chief Executive, Sector Planning and Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board Mr Lai noted that, five years ago, Singapore decided to focus on its market share in the Asia-Pacific region. In order to be a “destination of choice” by 2015, the authorities identified three key areas of focus: first, to strengthen Singapore’s position as a leading convention and exhibition city in Asia; second, to develop Singapore as a leading Asian leisure destination by offering an experience that would be “Uniquely Singapore”; and, third, to establish Singapore as the service centre of Asia, a place where visitors may enjoy high-end quality services such as healthcare and education. He noted that the means to achieve these goals have included the building of infrastructure and service-related capacities as well as the pursuit of an integrated approach that stays abreast of the changing tourism landscape in the region.

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PANEL II: INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS POLICY Chaired by Mr Pou Sothirak, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISEAS Paper 1: “Investment Climate in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Sun Chanthol, Vice-President, The Council for the Development of Cambodia, The Kingdom of Cambodia The speaker noted that Cambodia is a country roughly onethird the size of France, with a young dynamic workforce, a stable exchange rate and a 14 million-strong consumer base. The private sector is the national engine for growth. It is a business-friendly nation that offers foreigners a liberal and open economic sector in which to invest, especially in the SEZ areas mainly along its borders. In addition, foreign investments are welcomed and investors have easy access to Cambodian ministers and other officials. The Cambodian Development Centre (CDC) and the Cambodian Investment Board (CIB) offer foreign investors onestop investment servicing in areas such as the evaluation and approval of applications, customs duty and tax exemption, visa and work permit approval, company registration, and investor aftercare services. Ten main reasons for investing in Cambodia are the country’s political stability, macroeconomic stability, a pro-business government, competitive investment incentives, a one-stop Investment Promotion Agency, good access to world markets, significant investment protection measures, efficient infrastructure and strategic location, sound financial sector, and abundant resources of labour and land.

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Cambodia’s competitive investment initiatives include the following: a 20 per cent corporate tax rate, a tax holiday for up to nine years, full import and export duty exemption, no local participation requirement, no price controls on products or services, no foreign exchange control, no restrictions on capital repatriation, no trade restrictions, and long-term land leasing for 99 years. Investment opportunities in Cambodia include agriculture and the agro-industry, transport and telecommunications, the energy sector, the tourism sector, oil and gas, and the mining sector. Paper 2: “Investment Climate in Cambodia from the Private Sector’s Perspective” Presentation by Mr Bretton G. Sciaroni, Chairman, American Cambodian Business Council The speaker said that Cambodia had an established economic track record, having experienced double-digit growth for many years and given a projected GDP growth of 4.5 per cent for 2010. Despite the inflation in 2008, an FDI rebound is on. The annual IMF Report on Cambodia consistently gives it high marks for macroeconomic stability. Economic growth areas include the garments sector, tourism and hospitality, construction, real estate, and agriculture. Agriculture is a stable economic sector since arable land is plentiful. New growth areas include infrastructure (energy, telecoms, transport and SEZs), light manufacturing, food processing, financial services and the development of mineral resources. The reasons for Cambodia’s growth include an established economic track record, despite inflation in 2008; political stability provided by the present leadership, which has

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led to national security; ongoing legal and regulatory reforms; and the pro-investment and user-friendly attitude of the Government and its senior officials. The Government has acted quickly to put regulatory reforms in place. Accession to the WTO was an important factor. The WTO Working Groups are currently weighing in on Cambodia’s progress. However, there are some negative aspects for foreign investors to contend with. They include corruption at various levels, tenuous dispute resolution procedures (although a National Arbitration System is being set up), the high cost of doing business (including expensive electricity), lack of regulations and regulatory guidelines, and problems with conducting due diligence. Those problems are caused by a lack of substantial public records, licences not being publicly available, and by credit agency and court records not being systematic nor transparent. Nevertheless, private-sector forums and working groups have proved useful in solving investor issues. Paper 3: “The Role of SMEs in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Dr Mey Kalyan, Senior Advisor to the Rural Development Bank, The Kingdom of Cambodia The speaker recalled that, about twenty years ago, Cambodia lacked in both public infrastructure and public finances. The Government then decided to promote private sector development. Today, the private sector is recognized as the true engine of economic growth and the promotion of SME growth has become a major part of private sector development. The SME sector in Cambodia still has a long way to go. At the moment, it is characterized by many micro-industries (that is, each with ten workers or fewer). The current structure of the

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industrial sector is as follows. It is dominated by micro-firms, which account for 97 per cent of the total industry; 17 per cent of the labour force is employed by SMEs; and 25 per cent of the labour force is employed by large firms. Three clusters of challenges for SMEs include the lack of regulatory frameworks, limited finance, and increasing competition. This was shown by a Japanese team’s 2008 research study, which found that Cambodia’s SMEs were poorly financed and that the level of technology involved was low. Therefore, Cambodia’s SME policy now focuses on developing the proper legal and regulatory framework, improving financing, developing proper support for SMEs, and integrating them. SME priority sectors include the agro-industry (for example, rice, vegetables, fruits, and processed food/drinks), high-quality creative products (for example, artistic and cultural products) and tourism; and industries with high market demand (for example, fertilizers, garments, rubber and furniture). Among the constraints on SME growth expansion is the narrow focus of the economy on the garments, tourism, construction, and agriculture sectors. One of the Prime Minister’s dreams was to transform the poor, war-torn Malay District in the South into a more developed area. Here, the price of rice remained low as there were no processing — rice milling — facilities. Short-term loans were provided in a flexible manner, based on promissory notes rather than a charge on the land. Rice mills were then built (for example, Baitang Rice Mills). This, along with the modernization of farming equipment, enabled the integrated production of rice. An association was also set up to produce, market and export the rice. This was a nurturing process. Initiatives for the Malay District include supporting micro-financing services in rural areas

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and promoting the growth of SMEs; mobilizing the necessary funds; cooperating with partners — stakeholders — to promote agriculture and the agro-industry; implementing projects on which the Government had agreed; and providing training for SMEs. Paper 4: “Emerging Industries in Cambodia” Presentation by Mr Chheang Vannarith, Executive Director, CICP The speaker said that the main emerging industries in Cambodia are the agro-industry, comprising 32 per cent of the GDP; the textile industry, comprising 12 per cent of the GDP and 72 per cent of total exports; tourism, with more than two million tourist arrivals per annum; the ICT sector, whereby 23 per cent of the population uses mobile phones; and the financial services sector. The agro-industry comprises natural resources (oil and gas, timber, gemstones, and iron ore); land; rice products that totalled 7.58 million tons in 2009; rubber plantations that cover 107, 900 hectares; and natural forests, which comprise 60 per cent of total land area in 2010. The three major sectors representing engines of growth in Cambodia are agriculture, textiles/garments, and services, including tourism. However, diversification of industry is necessary, along with more regional development strategies. An example would be for Cambodian textiles to be exported to the rest of Southeast Asia and to India. As for financial services, as of 2008, there were twenty-four commercial banks and eighteen micro financial institutions in Cambodia. The minimum foreign currency deposit reserve requirement is 16 per cent. ICT and financial services are currently the two fastest growing areas and are favourable for foreign and local investment.

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Paper 5: “IE Singapore: Bridging the Gap between Cambodia and Singapore” Presentation by Mr Kow Juan Tiang, Regional Director, International Operations-Southeast Asia Division, International Enterprise Singapore The speaker began by noting that Singapore and Cambodia share good bilateral relations. Singapore is currently the eighth largest foreign investor in Cambodia. Singaporean businessmen are increasingly interested in developing investment profiles in Cambodia. Singapore’s cumulative FDI into Cambodia grew from US$235 million in 2004 to US$420 million in June 2009. In 2008, the figure was US$326 million. As a small country, Singapore provides capital, financing and viable markets to countries like Cambodia. It is a good partnership opportunity. Cambodia’s main exports to Singapore in 2009 included stone, sand and gravel, gold (non-monetary), textile apparel, tobacco products, and knitted women’s clothing. Singapore’s main exports to Cambodia in 2009 included refined petroleum products, gold (non-monetary), alcoholic beverages, parts of data processing machines, and data processing machines. IE Singapore advises Singapore businesses on the requirements for investing abroad. Services include data and statistics, on-the-ground information, suitable locations, capital access, business networking, and connections for a particular market. Southeast Asia alone provides investors with a 600 million market. Connectivity (including business and trade connectivity) is an inherent Singapore strength. Singapore is also a viable business and trading partner, with trade amounting to three times its GDP.

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Singapore is currently building its trade connectivity via Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with individual countries. Singapore companies are global and equipped with multiple business competencies, especially in the energy, infrastructure, shipping and the manufacturing sectors. Singapore was the first country to invest significantly in Cambodia with the setting up of a state-of-the-art Tiger Beer Brewery. Over the past three years, the number of Singapore companies in Cambodia has increased. There are more than eighteen Singapore companies in Cambodia, based mostly in Phnom Penh City and Sihanoukville Province. These include APL Logistics, Bok Seng Logistics, Cambodia Brewery Ltd., Colben Energy (Cambodia Ltd.), Dayen Environmental, Goodhill Enterprise (Cambodia Ltd.), Holiday International Hotel and Resort, IPM Cambodia Ltd., Ocean Sky International Group, and Singapore Offshore Petroleum Services Cambodia Ltd.

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PANEL III: HUMAN RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Chaired by Mr Lawrence Strange, Executive Director, Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) Paper 1: “Mastering Human Resources for Quality Growth: The Cambodia Case” Presentation by H.E. Dr Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister for Women Affairs, The Kingdom of Cambodia The speaker noted that Cambodia had experienced tremendous socio-economic development in the past two decades. This was a direct result of the Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity, and Efficiency in Cambodia (RGC). The Rectangular Strategy articulates four priority areas with good governance at the centre. These are the enhancement of the agriculture sector; further rehabilitation and construction of the physical infrastructure; private sector development and employment generation; and capacity-building and human resource development. With the formulation of the Rectangular Strategy and related plans, the RGC has taken firm ownership of the national development agenda. It has placed high confidence in the potential of the private sector as the engine of growth and in agriculture to provide food security and sustained employment. Noteworthy here is the fact that importance is also given to capacity development and human resource development. The RGC is well aware that the current weakness of the Cambodian economy is the lack of skilled labour. It acknowledges that mastering human resources is essential for quality growth, growth that goes beyond

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macroeconomic prospects. Like all governments, Cambodia aspires to ensure that its citizenry leads long and healthy lives, is knowledgeable, and has a decent standard of living. This is also referred to as the human development approach, which puts emphasis on choices and opportunities for people. They include political, economic and social opportunities for being creative and productive, enjoying self-respect, empowerment, and for a sense of belonging to a community. To achieve human development, people must have the capabilities to make choices and benefit from opportunities. Human resource development is about unleashing these capabilities. The Rectangular Strategy points to key aspects that need to be considered in human resource development. These are: the enhanced quality of education, improvement of health services, the fostering of gender equity, and the implementation of the population policy.

Key Aspects of Human Resource Development A large number of workers in Cambodia are undereducated and under-skilled. In fact, about 75 per cent of rural workers have a primary education or less and no skills training other than by way of family tradition in agriculture.1 Consequently, the economy is constrained by insufficient managerial and technical human resources. To address the deficiency of skilled workers in agriculture and other sectors, investment in education and, more specifically, in relevant and adequate vocational training options is essential, together with promoting good human resource management practices among employers. There is broad consensus among youth, employers and the RGC on the importance of this, as well as on the measures. However, Cambodia is now facing technical and financial constraints, and therefore

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bilateral and development partners’ support in the development and implementation of these measures is needed. Singapore would be the ideal partner for Cambodia at several levels: the private sector, civil society institutions, and public institutions in a broad variety of areas where Singapore has shown outstanding performance, such as the Singaporean banking sector, the services sector and the port industry. Partnership between the two countries’ private sectors should seek to enable Cambodian businesses to enhance their competitiveness by rendering them help through sophisticated vocational training courses and human resource policies. Potential areas of collaboration include the twinning of universities, instructor exchange programmes, study tours for Cambodian education professionals, scholarship programmes, internships, and programmes to enable young Cambodians graduates to volunteer for Singaporean companies or the Government. On this note, the continuing learning of Cambodian professionals should be promoted, such as the mentoring of Cambodian professionals at the workplace by their Singaporean business/professional counterparts, the twinning of institutions and businesses, the sponsoring of mid-career professional programmes (where a Singaporean employer sponsors an employee to volunteer with a Cambodian institution), and the sharing of best practices. The other crucial aspect of human development is gender equity. The Rectangular Strategy in fact recognizes the importance of equitable development and the contribution of women to poverty reduction and economic growth, and hence supports capacity development and human resource development targeting women. Women in Cambodia are considered the backbone of the economy and society. Cambodia has the third highest female labour force

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participation within the region at 71 per cent (Vietnam’s is 78 per cent and China’s is 76 per cent). Women’s participation is high in all main sectors: 44 per cent in industry, 36 per cent in services, and 50 per cent in agriculture.2 Despite women’s high participation in all sectors, a large majority is unpaid worker (women amount to 52 per cent of unpaid workers), and women are still enduring the burden of household care, childcare, care for the elderly, care for HIV- and AIDS-affected people, and community work. This care is invisible, unpaid and undervalued in the economy. Furthermore, it serves as a barrier to women’s and girls’ workforce participation in the “visible” sectors of the economy, where women do get paid for their work. At the same time, it also limits men’s role in the domestic sphere. The increased participation by women in the labour market needs to be matched by employment policies, programmes and services that reduce women’s domestic workload and reconcile work and family. These policies, programmes and services include childcare facilities, relevant and realistic employment opportunities, parental leave, encouragement of part-time work, and infrastructure investments.3 The last aspect of human development has to do with population. Cambodia has a fast growing population, and a large number of young people. To be precise, half the population is under twenty years of age and close to 250,000 youth are entering the workforce every year. With little opportunities for education or work in rural areas, youth will continue to move to the cities to look for work. Following the recent economic crises, workers have migrated back to rural areas. This gives rise to the related issue of migration. Both internal and international migration affects

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the population size and the sex ratios within the provinces, causing either a shortage or an excess of human resources. Although dealing with migration is challenging, the question is one of opportunities. Cambodia has a large surplus of labour and a workforce which is young, eager to learn and work, and which is usefully mobile and flexible. To ensure that these young people are productive employees and workers, investment in their capacity is needed through formal and vocational education and continued human resource development. Paper 2: “Challenges of Education in Cambodia” Presentation by Mr Kim Sedara, Senior Research Fellow and Programme Coordinator, Democratic Governance and Public Sector Reform Programme, CDRI The speaker said that, after the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, Cambodia, like other countries in the Third World, initiated reconstruction. The recent decades of Cambodia’s contemporary history have been characterized by a protracted period of conflict. Cambodia underwent many sudden and diverse political and economic transitions condensed into a relatively short span of time. But these are yet to be fully realized. The country has found it difficult to achieve smooth transitions and continues to face the challenges of social and political development, slow economic growth, poverty, and social confrontation over certain educational and human resource issues. Despite Cambodia’s long history of educational development, the country’s contemporary education sector begins at the end of the destructive civil war during which education curricula and infrastructure were abandoned, and human resources were devastated. The education sector virtually had to start up from

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almost nothing with barely any resources. Cambodia’s education sector thereafter has been exposed to many lessons learnt for improving both quantity and quality of education in Cambodia. Cambodia’s Constitution of 1993 and the Law on Education of 2007 require the provision of free general education to all with equity and quality and without discrimination and separation regardless of sex, race, and political affiliation. The educational reforms in Cambodia are based on various major strategic guidelines: the Rectangular Strategy, Phase II, the National Strategic Development Plan 2006–2010 (NSDP), Education For All (EFA), the National Plan 2003–2015, the Education Strategic Plan 2006–2010 (ESP), the Education Sector Support Programme 2006–2010 (ESSP), Education Progress of the Implementation of NSDP 2006–2010, and the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs). Educational development for children in Cambodia is clearly defined in the statement: “Children are the future of the nation”. The goal that all children should attend school for a minimum of nine years has been set by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport through the implementation of the Education Strategic Plan (ESP). For the time being, the number of pupils enrolled in preschools and primary, lower and upper secondary schools is 3,251,992 students. Compared to a total population of almost 14 million, one out of four people has access to education. In the academic year 2008–09, the total number of schools stands at 10,163, of which 65 per cent (or 6,565) are primary schools. Upper secondary schools form about 3.3 per cent (or 383) across the country. On average, the overall ratio of male to female students across all levels of general education is about 1:1, meaning that the proportions of male and female students are almost the same.

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However, worthy of note is that the higher the level of education, the wider the gap in terms of the difference between the numbers of male and female students, where the greater proportion comprises male students. However, the difference is not considerable. Net enrolment ratio in primary education increased from 87 per cent in 2001 to 94.4 per cent in 2008. Given the target set for 2010 is 100 per cent enrolment, Cambodia needs to increase the ratio by about six percentage points. The big challenge is net enrolment in lower secondary education, where Cambodia needs to increase the ratio by at least 41 percentage points by the end of 2010 and 66 percentage points by 2015, since the ratio increased from a mere 19 per cent in 2001 to 33.9 per cent in 2008. The literacy rate shows little progress: about a three percentage point increase from 82 per cent in 1999 to 84.7 per cent in 2007; another 10 percentage point increase needs to be achieved by 2010 and a further 15 percentage point increase by 2015. Higher education has significantly improved in the past ten years, especially the quantity, as a result of policy implementation carried out by development partners in both the public and private sectors. Currently, there are 76 institutions of higher education, 33 of which are public institutions and 43 of which are private. Higher education offers associate degrees, bachelors’ degrees, masters’ degrees and doctoral degrees. The total number of students in higher education has been increasing over the years. The number doubled in 1999, when the government began to allow public universities to enrol nonscholarship students and, simultaneously, the number of private universities and institutions began to grow. The nine-year growth rate since 2000 is around 19 per cent. Unlike that in general education, the gender difference in tertiary education remains a gap. On average, from 1995 till 2009,

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almost three quarters of the total number of students were male. However, the proportion of female students has been increasing by an average of about two percentage points a year; more than one third of students in 2009 were female. In 2008–09, the total number of students in tertiary education was around 130,000, of which 60 per cent were in private institutions.4 Taking the four-year average from 2005 to 2009, 93 per cent of the total comprises undergraduate students (80 per cent studying for the bachelors’ degree), only 6.5 per cent pursuing masters’ degree studies, and 0.5 per cent Ph.D. research. The total number of graduates is around 11,730, 71 per cent of whom hold a bachelor’s degree, followed by 22 per cent with an associate degree and 7 per cent masters’ and doctoral degrees. Among the graduates, the lower level of tertiary education has the highest number of scholarship students. Associate degree graduates who were awarded a scholarship stand at 50 per cent, compared to 23 per cent among bachelors’ degree graduates. There are no scholarship students at post-graduate levels. Between 1979 and 1999, there were only scholarship students; each student had to pass a very competitive exam in order to get a scholarship from the Government. The number of scholarship students peaked in 1997–98, when around 3,300 scholarships were provided. Then the number of scholarship students began to decline by more than half in 1999 amidst the establishment of private universities (and thus the arrival of non-scholarship students) before it started to rise again, till it reached 3,000 in 2009. However, on average, only 25 per cent of the total since 1999 comprises scholarship students. The proportion shows a declining rate over the past few years amidst the substantial increase of non-scholarship students. Since 2008, almost half of the total students have majored in business studies; between 2008 and 2009, the number of business

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students increased by more than two percentage points. The second most popular major is foreign languages, standing at 13 per cent. Agriculture and engineering are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, out of the ten majors. Vocational education and skills training are vitally important for all Cambodian youth to have access to, especially those who do not have the opportunity to continue tertiary education. Hence, the Government has paid great attention to this area and steadfastly keeps financing investment in this sector. Out of the total workforce, 60 per cent engage in agriculture, 27 per cent in services and 13 per cent in industry. Of the total employed workforce, 67 per cent are skilled agricultural and fishery workers, followed by sales workers at 13 per cent and unskilled workers at 8 per cent. Almost half of the total employed workforce comprises unpaid family workers, meaning that they are employed but do not receive a wage from employers, who are their family members or relatives. This is followed by self-employed workers, who account for a third of the total employed workforce. Paid employees are ranked third at 20 per cent. Cambodia’s development is dependent on education and, in particular, on human resource development. Its education sector has improved notably in the past ten years, having been elevated in terms of both the quantity and the quality of education. However, there are still many challenges to be addressed, such as the relatively high rate of drop-outs, the inadequate number of teachers in rural areas, low public investment in education, and quality. The Royal Government of Cambodia has launched several measures to enhance vocational education to meet the demand for a skilled workforce. Nevertheless, given Cambodia’s turbulent past, low skills and limited employment opportunities remain an exacting challenge for youth and the workforce. The poor,

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especially women, are still excluded from education as well as vocational training. Paper 3: “Reflections on the Roles of the Universities in Cambodia” Presentation by Associate Professor Kwok Kian Woon, Head, Division of Sociology and Associate Chair (Academic) School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University The speaker said that Cambodian education has been moving towards a market-oriented system with the rapid expansion of post-secondary education, growing demand for higher education, and increasing privatization. In the aftermath of the Cold War, Cambodian higher education had moved towards a marketoriented system where universities and higher education institutions have been increasingly privatized, with higher demand for tertiary education and continuing expansion of post-secondary education. To date, higher education in Cambodia has been predominantly in the sphere of private institutions where students pay tuition fees. However, various challenges remain, including insufficient access to and equity of education, poor accreditation and quality, poor research capacity, lack of academic governance and professionalization, limited internationalization, and inadequate financing. These challenges call for a transition towards a differentiated university sector, where universities are wellcategorized into, for instance, comprehensive and specialized universities, and teaching and research universities. These universities must be community-oriented and leverage on the well-established as well as on new universities.

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As the rest of the world moves towards a global education system, Cambodia needs to develop its own long-term strategy. The challenge is that the Cambodian universities, especially private institutions, are predominantly teaching-oriented, and sustainable enhancement of research capacity seems plodding since rewards are often intangible and related to national and/or institutional interests rather than individual incentives. As a matter of fact, research activities in Cambodia are not deemed as part of the job scope while lecturers’ remuneration (for example, salary and career advancement) is inadequate. Consequently, they end up taking on part-time teaching excessively in other institutions for extra income, instead of pursuing research. Given these obstacles, the development of Cambodia’s higher education must emphasize research-oriented universities. To achieve this, Cambodia is in dire need of calibre researchers with doctoral degrees and a strong commitment to research. At the same time, research must be part of performance assessment, and the Government must provide sufficient research facilities, remuneration, and funding. Policy must be pro-education. The success of Cambodia’s higher education development needs several strategic interventions. Research areas vital to Cambodia’s development must be identified, and the core research strengths must be established. Cambodian universities and higher education institutions must also tap on research collaboration and partnership with international institutions and industries. Research development must also be redirected towards interdisciplinary approaches (for example, involving both natural and social sciences), whereby research inquiries are not only problem-driven and policy-oriented but also curiosity-driven.

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PANEL IV: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Chaired by Mr Tan Keng Jin, Head, Public Affairs Unit and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS Paper 1: “Petroleum Development in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Ho Vichit, Vice-Chairman, Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA) Cambodia has the potential for petroleum development but information and capacity are lacking. His Excellency highlighted that the potential for petroleum accumulation in Cambodia is revealed by the presence of some onshore natural oil seepages, the presence of sedimentary rocks, and their involvement in geological structures that may trap and hold oil and gas, and the interpretation of the regional geology. However, a more detailed geological and geophysical survey is needed to do a proper assessment of the conditions for petroleum accumulation in Cambodia. The problem with gathering this information is cost and capacity: exploration surveys are expensive and requires specialized technology and expertise. Therefore, the speaker affirmed the Government’s strategy of granting petroleum concessions to petroleum companies and private sector investors in return for valid exploration efforts. If successful in their exploration, these petroleum companies might also gain the exclusive rights to develop and produce the discovered petroleum resources within the area of the concession. The Government has sought and will continue to actively seek suitable petroleum

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investors who will conduct petroleum exploration in Cambodia in an efficient, environmentally sound and technically proficient and accountable manner. Cambodia lacks the capacity and resources to carry out surveys. Private sector investment therefore has a key role in bridging these gaps. However, the Government also wants to avoid the creation of monopolies. Therefore, it is seeking diversity of explorers from large multinational petroleum companies to small, independently-funded investors to prevent any controlling interests dictating the development of Cambodia’s upstream petroleum sector. The Government recognizes the status of the country’s nascent petroleum industry. It has encountered some positive signs of oil and gas during some drilling operations, but has yet to realize any oil or gas production. The overall petroleum endowment of Cambodia is most uncertain at this stage. The Government does not really know where and how much recoverable oil and gas will ultimately be found. However, a few small fields have been identified by Chevron in recent years. Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia, where there are major refining centres like Singapore that have substantial economies of scale and that might be able to provide petroleum products at prices lower than a domestic refinery might be able to. Any refinery development in Cambodia will have to be most carefully assessed to ensure that the investment does not result in inflated petroleum product prices just to afford a commercial return to the refinery investor. The governance of the petroleum sector will be the subject of new comprehensive sector legislation, which the Government plans to present to the National Assembly for its consideration in

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due course. This new legislation has been prepared by the CNPA on the basis of the earlier Petroleum Regulations of 1991, and has had substantial inputs from many development stakeholders and sector experts. Petroleum resource revenues will have significant developmental impacts for Cambodia. Revenues can be reinvested into human resource development and capacity-building, better healthcare, infrastructure, education, and social programmes. However, the Government recognizes that the petroleum industry is not a major employer in itself and that its manpower requirements are generally for a relatively small number of highlyskilled technical and professional workers. This may be contrasted with other extractive industries such as mining, which is a very much larger employer. Even with the development of downstream petroleum industries, such as refining and gas-based industries, the level of employment is not large, but the dependent industries may offer many jobs. However, the revenue arising from petroleum production may be a significant stimulus to the economy and may indirectly create many employment opportunities. New legislation on petroleum exploration and development has been formulated, but will continue to develop as upstream and downstream petroleum industries grow. To promote Cambodia’s human resource capacity, the Government will need to direct the results of its petroleum industry policy towards improved health, education, and social programmes providing better welfare and opportunities for Cambodians. Infrastructure will require attention, as well as the broad range of Government services that provide for Cambodians. Cambodia also seeks to develop its petroleum industry in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner.

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Paper 2: “Hydroelectric Power Generation and the Environment: A Case Study of the Bakun Dam, Sarawak, Malaysia” Presentation by Dr Lee Poh Onn, Coordinator and Fellow, Regional Economic Studies Programme; and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS The speaker noted that dams as a form of clean alternative energy could be a double-edged sword. They do not emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), unlike fossil fuels, while supporting economic development. Dams bring new technology into the country and promote industrialization. They are cost-effective in the light of the rising cost of fossil fuels. Dams, however, indirectly emit GHGs when forested areas are cleared for them; vegetation left when the lake floods also emits methane when it decomposes. The pros and cons of dam construction must therefore be carefully weighed. Policies should ensure minimal social, economic and environmental disruption. Some pros of dam construction are that dams provided 19 per cent of the world’s total electricity supply in 2007; twentyfour countries depend on them for more than 90 per cent of their supply; they harness massive energy from rivers; and they spur the development of industries and industrialization in an area. As capital investment, they have a multiplier accelerator effect on economic growth. They are an alternative source of energy; they produce no greenhouse gas emissions like that of fossil fuels; and they provide large areas for recreation, boating, and fishing habitats. They are a source of irrigation for agricultural areas and water reservoirs to regulate supplies in times of drought. They are cost-effective (if prices of fossil fuels continue to rise). Some cons of dam construction are that, depending on size, dams may floods thousands of hectares of land to provide electrical

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power. There is an environmental impact when greenhouse gas emissions result from forested areas being cleared for dams; vegetation is left when the lake floods; and methane is emitted as dead materials in the lake decay. Forested areas which have been eliminated will no longer remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Communities living in these areas will have to relocate, and their source of livelihood will be affected. Several lessons can be learnt from the Bakun Dam in Sarawak. Bakun will be Asia’s largest dam which includes the construction of an undersea cable that will have to go through Indonesia in order to transport electricity generated from the Bakun Dam to mainland Malaysia. This creates some sensitivities regarding sovereignty issues. More than 50 per cent of Sarawak’s population lives in rural areas, which is also where the dam is being built. The people most affected by the development would therefore be the Dayaks who live in rural areas and are economically most marginalized. There were blockades and protests in 1987 against deforestation in the area. Intermittent starting and stopping of the project showed lack of preparation and bad planning by the Government. There was also a lack of transparency and poor governance. The contract for the dam was awarded to Ekard without an open tender. The fifteen affected communities in Sungai Asap were not adequately compensated for their loss of land. Their means of purchasing food was reduced, the methods of valuation and compensation were arbitrary, and the new long houses where they were relocated were poorly built and had no schools for the children. The flooding of Bakun Dam, an area the size of Singapore, led to soil erosion and sediment building. It also released methane and carbon emissions, had downstream impacts, affected biodiversity, and did not go through a proper EIA process. The Bakun Dam experience therefore illustrates that choosing the use of alternative clean energy could also have

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environmental and social repercussions, such as the relocation of native communities. Policy in the development of dams as a clean alternative source of energy therefore needs to be carefully crafted to include things such as proper compensation and relocation of natives; stronger channels of communication between native groups, environmental NGOs and the state; land allocation for displaced natives; and environmental considerations. Paper 3: “Rice in Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities for Growth” Presentation by Dr Bas Bouman, Head, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), Leader Program Intensive Rice Production Systems, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Agriculture is a major part of Cambodia’s economy: 80 per cent of the rural population is in agriculture, which accounts for 34 per cent of the GDP. Rice forms 86 per cent of cropped land and constitutes 70 per cent of daily calorie intake. Cambodia faces several challenges: droughts, flooding, poor soils, pests, and diseases; poor rice varieties; weak knowledge base of farmers; agricultural labour scarcity; weak post-harvest (drying, milling and storage); weak marketing (high transaction costs); and climate change and water scarcity. In addition, 85 per cent of rice in Cambodia is rain-fed, which makes it vulnerable to El Nıño and droughts. Rice production in Cambodia took off in 1995 and now stands at about 7 million tons a year. About half of this is exported. But most of the value adding is done in Thailand and Vietnam, where the crop is processed. Drying is poorly done in Cambodia. The

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mills use old technology, which leads to huge losses in rice in the process. Soil in Cambodia is mostly poor in chemical and physical properties; therefore, planting rice needs a lot of fertilizer. Cambodia also has poor rice varieties. It does not have a strong rice breeding programme, which is based on local varieties that have not been improved. R&D in rice production is therefore crucial and can bring about various benefits: improved varieties; improved rice production practices; reduced pest and disease losses; increased mechanization; and reduced post-harvest losses. The Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project (CIAP): from 1987 to 2001, it involved rice technology development and National R&D capacity-building totalling US$29.3 million. The project improved rice technologies and led to the establishment of the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Farmers enjoyed a net financial benefit of US$1.3 billion and an economic rate of return of 32 per cent. The use of agro-ecological engineering, mechanized harvesting has enabled farmers to increase yield, improve crop management, and increase income. Agro-ecological engineering also has an important role. For example, the planting of flowers that have the ability to attract insects that prey on the plant hopper which feeds on the rice plant uses nature to mitigate the devastation from pests.

Notes 1. 2. 3. 4.

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“Common Country Assessment Cambodia”, UN Cambodia, 2009. “A fair share for women”, Cambodia Gender Assessment, 2008. “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men”, Backgrounder, UN CSW, 2009. It does not mean that the other 40 per cent in public institutions are scholarship students; they have to pay tuition fees like the others in private institutions.

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IIEII!i THE CAMBODIA FORUM 2010 Friday, 23 April 2010 The Ballroom, Level 2 Conrad Centennial Singapore

PROGRAMME 8.30 a.m. – 9.00 a.m.

Registration

9.00 a.m. – 9.10 a.m.

Welcome Remarks by Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, ISEAS Welcome Remarks by H.R.H. Samdech Norodom Sirivudh, Supreme Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman, Board of Directors, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP)

9.10 a.m. – 9.45 a.m.

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Keynote Address: “Forging Closer Bilateral Relations between Cambodia and Singapore” by H.E. Dr Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, The Kingdom of Cambodia

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Q&A 9.45 a.m. – 10.00 a.m.

Tea Break PANEL I: ECONOMIC STRATEGY Chaired by Associate Professor Toh Mun Heng, Department of Business Policy, School of Business, National University of Singapore

10.00 a.m. – 10.20 a.m.

“Economic Strategy and State Management in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Permanent ViceChairperson of the Supreme National Economic Council, The Kingdom of Cambodia

10.20 a.m. – 10.40 a.m.

“Culture and Tourism: Present and Future, Pro-poor Sustainable and Responsible Tourism and Poverty Alleviation” Presentation by Mr Thok Sokhom, Director, Department of International Cooperation and ASEAN, Ministry of Tourism, The Kingdom of Cambodia

10.40 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.

“Designing a Tourism Strategy for Singapore” Presentation by Mr Tony Lai, Assistant Chief Executive, Sector Planning and Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board

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11.00 a.m. – 11.15 a.m.

Q&A PANEL II: INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS POLICY Chaired by Mr Pou Sothirak, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISEAS

11.15 a.m. – 11.35 a.m.

“Investment Climate in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Sun Chanthol, Vice-President, The Council for the Development of Cambodia, The Kingdom of Cambodia

11.35 a.m. – 11.55 a.m.

“Investment Climate in Cambodia from the Private Sector’s Perspective” Presentation by Mr Bretton G. Sciaroni, Chairman, American Cambodian Business Council

11.55 a.m. – 12.15 p.m.

“The Role of SMEs in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Dr Mey Kalyan, Senior Advisor to the Rural Development Bank, The Kingdom of Cambodia

12.15 p.m. – 12.35 p.m.

“Emerging Industries in Cambodia” Presentation by Mr Chheang Vannarith, Executive Director, CICP

12.35 p.m. – 12.55 p.m.

“IE Singapore: Bridging the Gap between Cambodia and Singapore” Presentation by Mr Kow Juan Tiang, Regional Director, International OperationsSoutheast Asia Division, International Enterprise Singapore

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12.55 p.m. – 1.10 p.m.

Q&A

1.10 p.m. – 2.30 p.m.

Luncheon Address: “Governance and Its Implication for Cambodia” by H.R.H. Samdech Norodom Sirivudh, Supreme Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman, Board of Directors, CICP Q&A PANEL III: HUMAN RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Chaired by Mr Lawrence Strange, Executive Director, Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI)

2.30 p.m. – 2.55 p.m.

“Mastering Human Resources for Quality Growth: The Cambodia Case” Presentation by H.E. Dr Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister for Women Affairs, The Kingdom of Cambodia

2.55 p.m. – 3.15 p.m.

“Challenges of Education in Cambodia” Presentation by Mr Kim Sedara, Senior Research Fellow and Programme Coordinator, Democratic Governance and Public Sector Reform Programme, CDRI

3.15 p.m. – 3.35 p.m.

“Reflections on the Roles of the Universities in Cambodia” Presentation by Associate Professor Kwok Kian Woon, Head, Division of Sociology and Associate Chair (Academic)

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School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University 3.35 p.m. – 3.50 p.m.

Q&A

3.50 p.m. – 4.05 p.m.

Tea Break PANEL IV: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Chaired by Mr Tan Keng Jin, Head, Public Affairs Unit and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS

4.05 p.m. – 4.25 p.m.

“Petroleum Development in Cambodia” Presentation by H.E. Mr Ho Vichit, ViceChairman, Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA)

4.25 p.m. – 4.45 p.m.

“Hydroelectric Power Generation and the Environment: A Case Study of the Bakun Dam, Sarawak, Malaysia” Presentation by Dr Lee Poh Onn, Coordinator and Fellow, Regional Economic Studies Programme; and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS

4.45 p.m. – 5.05 p.m.

“Rice in Cambodia: Threats and Opportunities for Growth” Presentation by Dr Bas Bouman, Head, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), Leader Program Intensive Rice Production Systems, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

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5.05 p.m. – 5.20 p.m.

Q&A

5.20 p.m. – 5.40 p.m.

Closing Remarks by Dr Chin Kin Wah, Deputy Director, ISEAS

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THE CAMBODIA FORUM 2010 Friday, 23 April 2010 The Ballroom, Level 2 Conrad Centennial Singapore

SPEAKERS & PANELLISTS

1.

Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, ISEAS

2.

H.R.H. Samdech Norodom Sirivudh, Supreme Privy Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia; Founder and Chairman, Board of Directors, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP)

3.

H.E. Dr Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, The Kingdom of Cambodia

4.

Associate Professor Toh Mun Heng, Department of Business Policy, School of Business, National University of Singapore

5.

H.E. Mr Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Permanent Vice-Chairperson of the Supreme National Economic Council, The Kingdom of Cambodia

6.

Mr Thok Sokhom, Director, Department of International Cooperation and ASEAN, Ministry of Tourism, The Kingdom of Cambodia

7.

Mr Tony Lai, Assistant Chief Executive, Sector Planning and Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board

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8.

Mr Pou Sothirak, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISEAS

9.

H.E. Mr Sun Chanthol, Vice-President, The Council for the Development of Cambodia, The Kingdom of Cambodia

10.

Mr Bretton G. Sciaroni, Chairman, American Cambodian Business Council

11.

H.E. Dr Mey Kalyan, Senior Advisor to the Rural Development Bank, The Kingdom of Cambodia

12.

Mr Chheang Vannarith, Executive Director, CICP

13.

Mr Kow Juan Tiang, Regional Director, International OperationsSoutheast Asia Division, International Enterprise Singapore

14.

Mr Lawrence Strange, Executive Director, Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI)

15.

H.E. Dr Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister for Women Affairs, The Kingdom of Cambodia

16.

Mr Kim Sedara, Senior Research Fellow and Programme Coordinator, Democratic Governance and Public Sector Reform Programme, CDRI

17.

Associate Professor Kwok Kian Woon, Head, Division of Sociology and Associate Chair (Academic) School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University

18.

Mr Tan Keng Jin, Head, Public Affairs Unit and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS

19.

H.E. Mr Ho Vichit, Vice-Chairman, Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA)

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20.

Dr Lee Poh Onn, Coordinator and Fellow, Regional Economic Studies Programme; and Co-Coordinator of the Environment and Climate Change Programme, ISEAS

21.

Dr Bas Bouman, Head, Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), Leader Program Intensive Rice Production Systems, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

22.

Dr Chin Kin Wah, Deputy Director, ISEAS

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