The agreement was signed in Vientiane on March 22 by the Laotian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sitaheng Rasphone and T. Badamjunai, the Mongolian Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.

“We are interested in trading agricultural and forestry products with Laos”, said Mongolian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr. Badamjunia during his official visit to the country. He told local media, “this cooperation would increase relations between the two countries in the future.”

Under the agreement, the two sides agreed to formulate joint collaborative projects involving both the public and private agricultural sectors of the two countries and to set up joint venture companies in rice production and processing, said the newspaper.

According to signed agreement, Laos would export rice and sugar to Mongolia, as well as invest in wood processing and livestock breeding exchanges.

Laos contains more than 800.000 hectares of rice fields and produced about three million tones of rice last year, a figure which is set to rise to 3.3 million tons this year, said President of the Lao-Agro Processing Association, Mr Phouvong Korasack.

The country has sufficient rice for domestic consumption and also exports the crop to Vietnam and Thailand. Last year the country exported around 10.000 tones of sugar to Europe, said Mr Phouvong. The Laotian government plans to increase production of rice and sugar to ensure domestic supply is met and that exports can be increased.

Mongolia currently imports about 25.000 tons of sugar and 30.000 tons of rice a year, primarily from Vietnam and China.

On the basis of the cooperation agreement, Laos will consider a number of proposals by Mongolia including the transferring agricultural land use rights of 10.000 hectares in Laos to Mongolian companies to produce rice and other crops, the development of sheep farming in Laos and the establishment of a Mongolian agriculture cooperation center in Laos.

For the second straight year, Vietnam has been the largest investor in Laos’ economy with 48 projects worth US$1.42 billion in total capital, followed by China and Thailand.

“There are many bright prospects for bilateral economic ties,” said Prime Minister Somsavat, who is also the chairman of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Sup-Committee. “Laos has strong potential for hydro-electricity, land, and minerals while Vietnam has capital, capability, and technology.”

SAM NEUA, LAOS Six battalions of Communist guerrilla troops have penetrated the borders of Sam Neua Province in northern Laos and hold more than 20 villages, the commander of the northern zone said today [Aug. 10]. “The situation is serious,” said Brig. Gen. Amkha Soukhavong. The Peking radio quoted Ta Quang Bun, Vice-Minister of National Defense, as saying: “If the army of any country dares to interfere in Laos, according to U.S. imperialist schemes, this would constitute not only an aggressive act against the Laotian people, but also an act directly threatening the security of the Viet Nam Democratic Republic.”

The

Duch is currently on trial for crimes against humanity in his role as the head of the notorius S-21 detention center in Phnom Penh from 1975 to 1979.

Duch had been facing life in prison for his role in the regime, but the tribunal’s legal communications officer, Lars Olsen, said that at least 10 years would be taken off the sentence, depending on how long the trial lasts.

“And he would also be entitled to additional remedies which the trial chamber in its decision today said they would address when the time for the sentencing would arise,” Olsen said. “That could be typically that he would get extra time off of a sentence because of his unlawful detention.”

Duch is the only official to face justice for crimes commited during the Khmer Rouge’s rule. He is also the only one to admit guilt, though Duch claims he never personally killed anyone.

Up to 2 million people Cambodian died from forced labor, execution and starvation during the Khmer Rouge’s brutal attempt to create a utopian, communist agrarian society.

“Poverty is worsening in many countries. Businesses are struggling. The extremely urgent climate change agenda could be affected,” said Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting in Bali. “If all this goes unchecked, down the road we could see social and political unrest in many countries.”

China, Japan, and South Korea will provide the bulk of the finances with contributions of US$38.4 billion each from China and Japan, and US$19.2 billion from South Korea.

ASEAN members will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent, or US$32 billion.

The fund will target social spending, health, education, credit-guarantees, and clean energy.

Following the failed summit, Yang unveiled Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s plan for a US$ 10 billion investment in infrastructure as well as a US$15 billion line of credit to ASEAN members.

“China plans to establish a US$10 billion China-ASEAN investment cooperation fund to promote infrastructure that connects it to ASEAN nations,” said Yang on the flight back to China, according to state media. “It will also offer a credit of US$15 billion to ASEAN countries, including preferential loans of US$ 1.7 billion for cooperation projects.”

While China is not a member of the ASEAN, it recently appointed its first ambassador to the association and remains a very influential player in the region.

U.N. backed allegations against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as comrade Duch, also include crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the murder of at least 14,000 individuals.

Kaing is the first of five Khmer Rouge officials to be taken to court for one of the most horrific periods in recent history, in which 1.7 million people are reported to have died from hunger, disease, torture, and over-exhaustion from work during the late 1970s.

A Christian convert who has expressed remorse for his actions, Kaing has gone into great detail about what went on at the Tuol Sleng prison in his pretrial sworn statement. In his testimony, Kaing described the torture methods used which sometimes involved medical experiments and live autopsies.

The maximum sentence that can be issued to the Khmer Rouge officials on trial is life imprisonment.

Rattans are a climbing palm with tough stems that are largely used in the production of wickerwork, such as furniture and baskets.

More than 90 percent of the rattan used in the region comes from natural forests which are being harvested at an aggressive rate and at the cost of severe damage to the environment.

The WWF’s plan includes steps that will make processing environmentally cleaner and more efficient so that the natural forests and rattan stocks of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia may be brought to a sustainable level.

The news of the trial’s start made headlines in the country, and people were feeling “very numb,” Youk Chhang, head of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, where about 20 members of the public had gathered to watch the televised proceedings, told CNN.

In memory of those who were lost:

As a child trying to understand the Khmer Rouge regime, I had many questions about the strange world that had overtaken my homeland. At twelve years of age, during the Khmer Rouge regime, I asked my older sister, Chea, a question in the hope of understanding our pain and the loss of those I loved. He answer became the seed of my survival, planted by a sister who I idolized.

“Chea, how come good doesn’t win over evil? Why did the Khmer Rouge win if they are bad people?”

Chea answered: “jchan baan chea preah chnae baan chea mea,” which means “Loss will be God’s, victory will be the devil’s.” When good appears to lose, it is an opportunity for one to be patient and become like God. “But not very long, p’yoon srey,” she explained, and referred to the Cambodian proverb about what happens when good and evil are thrown together into the river of life. Good is symbolized by klok, a type of squash, and evil by armbaeg, shards of broken glass. “The good will win over evil. Now, klok sinks, and broken glass floats. But armbaeg will not float long. Soon klok will float instead, and then the good will prevail.”

From “When Broken Glass Floats” by Chanrithy Him

An annual IMF review said the crisis will potentially affect economic activity, capital inflows and the banking system in the southeast Asian country. The impact on the garment industry is already being felt. As was recently reporting by NPR, two-thirds of Cambodia’s export earnings come from the garment industry, which employs about 360,000 people — almost all of them women.

With demand for garments dropping, these workers are losing what was once thought of as a steady, good-paying job. NPR sites Whitex Garments in Phnom Penh; Six months ago, the factory had more than 500 workers in the packing department alone, manager David Teo says. Now, there are fewer than 300.