Source: Xinhua
2009-12-23 11:59
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB)technology first developed by South Korea will be launched in Cambodia on a trial basis, said the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Wednesday.
The KCC, South Korea's telecommunication regulator, officially announced in a press release that the start of its test run with Cambodia's national broadcaster TVK on delivering terrestrial DMB services in the country at a ceremony held in Phnom Penh Tuesday.
The Cambodian government will decide on converting the trial program into a full-scale service in the first half of next year, the KCC said.
Prior to this announcement, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on DMB service cooperation last October, the regulator said.
In order to expand the DMB service to overseas markets, the KCCis also in the process of promoting full-scale services in Egypt and Malaysia, after conducting pilot programs last year, it added.
DMB is a service that allows users to receive multimedia such as TV, radio, and data-casting directly to their mobile devices.
The breakthrough technology was originally developed in South Korea and the world's first official mobile TV service started in May 2005.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Govt calls on Japan to increase business ties
The Phnom Penh Post
Thursday, 17 December 2009 15:01 Chun Sophal
Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh says Japanese firms can benefit from new agreement offering minimal tariffs on exports
SPEAKING to Asian business officials visiting Phnom Penh, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh Wednesday singled out Japan, encouraging firms from the country to do business and invest in Cambodia to take advantage of a recent trade deal.
On December 1, the Cambodia-Japan Free Trade Deal went into effect offering foreign firms that invest in the Kingdom access to the Japanese market with 98 percent of duties eliminated.
“Japanese companies should … take the chance to do business and invest in Cambodia to produce goods for duty-free export,” Cham Prasidh told the gathering of business leaders and officials.
According to the agreement, exporters to the world’s second-largest economy must produce a certificate proving country of origin.
Some Japanese companies are already taking advantage of tax breaks in the Kingdom. Ajinomoto, the world’s largest producer of monosodium glutamate (MSG), started building a packing factory at the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone this quarter and has previously suggested it may expand operations further. However, there are markedly fewer Japanese companies operating in Cambodia than elsewhere in the region.
Hiroshi Hattori, an expert from the Japanese Overseas Development Corporation, said Wednesday that 3,000 firms from Japan operate in Thailand and 1,500 in Vietnam.
Last year, Japanese investment totalled just US$7.82 million, about a tenth of that from Singapore or Thailand. The figure will almost certainly drop this year, given that only $4.76 million was invested by Japan in the first 10 months.
Hattori said that numerous obstacles remain for Japanese companies considering doing business in Cambodia, namely the high price of electricity and the still-bureaucratic administrative system.
“Japanese companies spend a long time planning before starting businesses or investments,” he said, adding that firms from Japan are usually looking to the long term.
Doing Business, part of the World Bank Group, ranked Cambodia 145th out of 183 countries surveyed in terms of ease of doing business, six places lower than the 2009 position. For starting a business, Cambodia was at 173, falling two places on the 2009 survey result.
The project found that it took an average 85 days to start a business in the Kingdom, more than double the Asia Pacific average of 41 days – and was one of the main obstacles to launching investments here.
Cambodia faired much better in the category that measured how well investments were protected, ranking 73rd overall.
Cham Prasidh’s call to Japanese firms Wednesday echoed comments made earlier this year when he likened Japan to an economic magnet that could drag firms from other countries to invest in Cambodia.
Thursday, 17 December 2009 15:01 Chun Sophal
Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh says Japanese firms can benefit from new agreement offering minimal tariffs on exports
SPEAKING to Asian business officials visiting Phnom Penh, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh Wednesday singled out Japan, encouraging firms from the country to do business and invest in Cambodia to take advantage of a recent trade deal.
On December 1, the Cambodia-Japan Free Trade Deal went into effect offering foreign firms that invest in the Kingdom access to the Japanese market with 98 percent of duties eliminated.
“Japanese companies should … take the chance to do business and invest in Cambodia to produce goods for duty-free export,” Cham Prasidh told the gathering of business leaders and officials.
According to the agreement, exporters to the world’s second-largest economy must produce a certificate proving country of origin.
Some Japanese companies are already taking advantage of tax breaks in the Kingdom. Ajinomoto, the world’s largest producer of monosodium glutamate (MSG), started building a packing factory at the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone this quarter and has previously suggested it may expand operations further. However, there are markedly fewer Japanese companies operating in Cambodia than elsewhere in the region.
Hiroshi Hattori, an expert from the Japanese Overseas Development Corporation, said Wednesday that 3,000 firms from Japan operate in Thailand and 1,500 in Vietnam.
Last year, Japanese investment totalled just US$7.82 million, about a tenth of that from Singapore or Thailand. The figure will almost certainly drop this year, given that only $4.76 million was invested by Japan in the first 10 months.
Hattori said that numerous obstacles remain for Japanese companies considering doing business in Cambodia, namely the high price of electricity and the still-bureaucratic administrative system.
“Japanese companies spend a long time planning before starting businesses or investments,” he said, adding that firms from Japan are usually looking to the long term.
Doing Business, part of the World Bank Group, ranked Cambodia 145th out of 183 countries surveyed in terms of ease of doing business, six places lower than the 2009 position. For starting a business, Cambodia was at 173, falling two places on the 2009 survey result.
The project found that it took an average 85 days to start a business in the Kingdom, more than double the Asia Pacific average of 41 days – and was one of the main obstacles to launching investments here.
Cambodia faired much better in the category that measured how well investments were protected, ranking 73rd overall.
Cham Prasidh’s call to Japanese firms Wednesday echoed comments made earlier this year when he likened Japan to an economic magnet that could drag firms from other countries to invest in Cambodia.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Immigration officer held over bribery
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009
Kyodo News
An immigration officer was arrested Friday on suspicion of receiving about ¥6 million in bribes from a man who runs pubs in exchange for favors involving residence permits for foreign women working as bar hostesses, police said.
Masashi Ogura, 54, a senior immigration officer at the Narita Airport District Immigration Office, allegedly received the bribe from Shingo Ito, 46, in 2007 regarding applications for certificates of resident eligibility, the police said.
Dozens of Filipino women who came as dancers have made the illegal entry through the scheme, and were working in Ito's pubs.
Both Ito, who was also arrested Friday, and Ogura have owned up to the charges, according to the police.
Ogura served as a senior immigration officer at the Yokohama District Immigration Office, part of the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau, at the time of the bribes.
According to police, Ito had approached Ogura after hearing rumors that the Yokohama immigration office was lax in checking the certificates. Ito allegedly wined and dined Ogura as well as taking him to golf courses and handing over ¥200,000 a month.
Ogura received ¥5.8 million for the favors he gave Ito.
Kyodo News
An immigration officer was arrested Friday on suspicion of receiving about ¥6 million in bribes from a man who runs pubs in exchange for favors involving residence permits for foreign women working as bar hostesses, police said.
Masashi Ogura, 54, a senior immigration officer at the Narita Airport District Immigration Office, allegedly received the bribe from Shingo Ito, 46, in 2007 regarding applications for certificates of resident eligibility, the police said.
Dozens of Filipino women who came as dancers have made the illegal entry through the scheme, and were working in Ito's pubs.
Both Ito, who was also arrested Friday, and Ogura have owned up to the charges, according to the police.
Ogura served as a senior immigration officer at the Yokohama District Immigration Office, part of the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau, at the time of the bribes.
According to police, Ito had approached Ogura after hearing rumors that the Yokohama immigration office was lax in checking the certificates. Ito allegedly wined and dined Ogura as well as taking him to golf courses and handing over ¥200,000 a month.
Ogura received ¥5.8 million for the favors he gave Ito.
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