Motivational Book for Students

Deadline for Application: April 18, 2008.

In 2006, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) Visiting Research Fellowship Program at Tsukuba, and at Okinawa were modified and combined together under one program, and a new fellowship program, named Project Site Type, was launched.
The JIRCAS Visiting Research Fellowship Program aims at the promotion of collaborative research to address various problems confronting the countries in developing regions on a global scale, including the critical situation of food production, the progression of desertification and the gradual disappearance of genetic resources.
Under this Fellowship Program JIRCAS is inviting promising researchers from institutes in developing regions who will play a major role in the activities of their own institutes in the future to carry out collaborative research for the sustainable development or rapid progress of agriculture, forestry and fisheries compatible with the preservation of the natural environment.
For the Project Site Type Fellowship, four (4) researchers will be selected to conduct research on a specified theme at a JIRCAS project site located in a developing country for a period of one (1) year.

Read full story at

http://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp

Application Deadline: July 31, 2008

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University is now accepting applications from scholars and researchers who work on Southeast Asia, or on any one of the countries in that region, and are interested in spending time in Kyoto, Japan, in order to conduct research, write, or pursue other scholarly interests in connection with their field of study.

Since 1963, more than two hundred distinguished scholars have visited the Center for periods ranging from six months to one year. They have availed themselves of the Center’s considerable scholarly resources and the invigorating atmosphere of scenic Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan and the main repository of the country’s cultural treasures, to pursue their interests in Southeast Asian area studies. The Center’s multi-disciplinary character and the diverse research interests of its faculty offer visiting scholars an ideal opportunity for the exchange of ideas and the cultivation of comparative perspectives.

Five fellowships will be awarded for the first half of 2009 on a competitive basis. Fellowships are normally for a six-month duration, although in exceptional cases they can be extended for an additional six months.

Successful applicants will receive an appropriate stipend to cover international travel and living expenses in Kyoto. Research funds will also be provided to facilitate his/her work. Funds will also be allocated for domestic travel, subject to government regulations, and a number of other facilities are available to visiting scholars. Fellows will be expected to reside in Kyoto for the duration of their fellowship period.

Scholars are normally invited to deliver a public lecture during their term at the Center. Fellows will also be encouraged to submit an article for possible publication in the Center’s quarterly journal, Southeast Asian Studies, and to contribute to the online Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia.

Read more at
http://www.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/job-openings/visiting-scholars_ja.html

Title: University Education in Cambodia - Challenges and Prospects
Date: 12 April 2008 from 11:00 – 16:00
Venue: Seminar Room 2F, Hyogo International House

The main purpose of this forum which was initiated by Prof. Dr. Nophea Sasaki (University of Hyogo) is to enhance the skills of exchanging, expressing ideas and thoughts on how we should address the issues in University Education in Cambodia among Khmer Students in Kansai. It’s the first time for Kansai Student Association to host such a forum in Kansai, so we are hoping optimistically to have many people come to join us. Please join us on 12 April 2008 to have your voice heard.

Here are the issues we want to challenge:

Session 1: What are the main challenges for university education in Cambodia?

Session 2: What are the best ways for encouraging university students to focus on learning?

Session 3: What are the main challenges for job hunting in Cambodia?

Let us know your participation through this contact by 11th:

Mr Leng Vandy
Tel: 090 62488118
Email: leng_vandy@ATyahoo.com (remove AT)
KSAK committee 2008

PHNOM PENH, 26 March 2008 (IRIN)

… New buildings are shooting up all over Phnom Penh, modern shopping malls are opening, and more and more cars are crowding the streets of the capital city as the country’s economy continues to grow. But, “Almost four out of every 10 Cambodian children suffer from stunted growth or are underweight — both key symptoms of malnutrition. The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) recently launched an online updated food security map of Cambodia to help identify the areas most vulnerable to food scarcity. Malnutrition is the agency’s key indicator of poverty and food scarcity - and the picture for Cambodia remains grim even though there has been substantial improvement over the past 10 years. …

=> Full story: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77458

Based on recent studies by Kim, Sasaki and Koike (2008) on the 57 resin collectors, annual income of the plant-based Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) ranges from US$ 5.0 to as high as US$270 with an average of US$58.5 per collector in Phnom Kok Forest Community in Ratanakiri province. About 80.7% of the collectors were able to generate up to US$ 79 and the rest were able to generate more than US$ 100 annually.

For income generated from animal-based NTFPs, their study results of 62 collectors showed that about 96.8% of the collectors were able to generate the annual income of up to US$50.0 or less per year. The remainder were able to generate more than US$50.0 annually. On average, about US$20.4 of income was generated from animal-based NTFPs, which include honey and beeswax.

Totally, NTFPs collectors in the Phnom Kok community forest were able to generate, on average about US$78.9 annually. Additionally, other NTFPs are sold, but they represent a much smaller proportion of income. Although this value is small, but it is the amount of extra money that local villagers can save every year. Community forests are likely to play a vital role in poverty reduction if Cambodian government provides initial supports and protection to the communities.

For more information about this study, please use the contact form below.

Thanks.

Nophea

PHNOM PENH, 28 MARCH 2008: The Cambodian Government intends to play a leading role in managing potential revenues from the country’s recently discovered oil and gas reserves and has appealed for continued knowledge sharing from different stakeholders, Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Sok An said today.

In his closing speech on the final day of the international conference, Fuelling Poverty Reduction with Oil and Gas Revenues - Comparative Country Experiences, he vowed that the Cambodian government would not take a back seat. “We do not want to be mere spectators in our petroleum industry,” he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Cambodia’s petroleum companies would endeavor to involve local people and businesses as much as possible in their operations. He added that any input from experienced countries would also help the development of the petroleum sector.

“I appeal for positive contributions from stakeholders in the same manner that this conference has been a positive hearing of sector themes and issues,’’ he said. “It has been a wonderful forum for the sharing of petroleum sector knowledge and learning.”

The conference has brought together more than 500 participants – including senior policymakers, high-ranking officials, global energy experts – from Cambodia and around the globe to examine ways in which resource-rich developing countries can harness their newfound resource wealth to reduce poverty. Panels discussed best practices that have been successfully employed in other countries, including Norway and Timor-Leste. They also outlined the potential dangers of not putting appropriate regulations and frameworks in place before starting production.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Government was committed to finding long-term positive outcomes. “The translation of the capital value of oil resources into the stored capital value of our people through improved health, social conditions and education is very important for the long-term prosperity of Cambodia,” he said.

The Cambodian Government recognizes the importance of having a good set of laws in place to manage the petroleum sector and is committed to putting such mechanisms in place. “The Government is working hard to establish a comprehensive set of petroleum laws that will provide a sound framework for oil production with best practices reflected, including the principles of transparency and accountability,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

A key point that emerged from the conference was the need for careful preparation and operational transparency in the management of oil reserves at every stage of the process. High risk areas included establishing National Oil Companies (NOC) and local refineries. Willy Olsen, an oil and gas advisor to Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners, said NOCs have to compete with the private sector and many have failed in the past. Similarly, establishing local refineries can lead to increasing fuel prices as they struggle to compete with larger refineries.

Options for Petroleum Funds or National Resource Funds were explored and those that were well designed and transparent were seen to play a valuable role within the broader context of public sector finance.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Government was considering this option: “We will explore the establishment and use of petroleum funds for the best advantage of our economy and, where appropriate, consider their use”.

He also called for multiparty collaboration between the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority and other players. “It needs the cooperation of all other stakeholders, be they Government Ministries or Government Agencies, donors, civil society or the media,” he said.

Speakers at the two and a half day event included the Deputy Prime Minister, global energy and development experts, economists from the World Bank, IMF, International Energy Forum and ADB, senior executives from Chevron and PETRONAS, and high-level energy officials from developed and developing countries. The event was organized by UNDP Cambodia in partnership with the Cambodia National Petroleum Authority, Supreme National Economic Council, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and Petrad.

Over the past few years, UNDP has been working closely with the Government of Cambodia, the Norwegian Government and other partners to explore ways Cambodia can best develop and manage its new found resource wealth. Cambodian officials have been linked up with energy experts in countries around the world which have faced similar opportunities and challenges, notably Norway, and more recently, Timor-Leste. The aim has been to share experiences and expertise on how to maximize resource wealth for the benefit of all. This conference is part of the ongoing open dialogue.

# # #
For further information, please contact:
Vincent MacIsaac Tel: (855) 023 216 167 ext. 207 Mobile: 092 856 360
Email: vincent.macisaac@undp.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Or
visit: http://www.un.org.kh/undp

Scholarship and/or fellowship announcements for study and research opportunities abroad and in Southeast Asia are posted here as they become available. Cambodian and other developing-country applicants can find scholarship and fellowship opportunities for study and/or research outside of their own country. Developed-country applicants can find study and/or research opportunities in Southeast Asia. Please bookmark this website for your future visit.

Thank you.
Site Admin

This website was created to post recent news about Cambodia. If you have any news from Cambodia, you may post it here.

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(01/29/2008) – Dr. Nophea Sasaki is announcing the launching of his book Walking Away From the Killing Field – How a Hopeless Boy Became a University Professor in Japan. It is a motivational book that will teach the reader step by step how to become a university professor, and more important than that, how to pursue his/her life’s dreams.

Nophea and his family were forced to migrate when the Khmer Rouge regime took power in 1975. He was submitted to witness his father’s execution in 1977 and his sister’s death as a result of starvation later in 1977. Left with nothing but hope, courage and the determination to change the outcome of his life, Nophea managed to get himself educated becoming a respectable professor at the University of Hyogo in Japan.

Throughout the book, Nophea talks about hardship and success, about the determination to achieve dreams no matter how high one might aim, about becoming a respected university professor in spite of all the obstacles, but most important about how to never give up. By sharing his personal experience, Nophea is sharing with the world the power of determination and it teaches how to achieve success. How one should be determined to better themselves and be willing to fight for realization of their dreams. Setting his life’s experiences as an example he guides the reader through his/her journey on becoming a university professor by offering him/her with real life situations and experiences that one can relate to and easily put into practice.

About the Author

Nophea Sasaki was born in 1973 in Kampot, a southwest town in Cambodia. As the Khmer Rouge regime took power in 1975, Nophea and his family were forced to migrate in the jungles. His father was executed in 1977 because of the regime’s desire to abolish former ways of educated thinking and establish new leadership rules. Later, his sister died of starvation in 1977. He spent a year in an asylum center with his brother and two remaining sisters, and other children whose parents were executed or deceased.

Despite of the unfortunate circumstances of his childhood, Nophea graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in 1994, his Master’s degree in 1999 and his Ph.D. in 2002. He spent two years as a post-doctoral research fellow in Germany. In 2004 he returned to Japan where he became an Associate Professor at the University of Hyogo. In 2006 he was awarded Japanese citizenship for all his accomplishments and the positive impact on the Japanese society.

For more information: http://www.nophea.net

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Dear Readers,

As suggested by readers who rather wanted to know more about my life during the Khmer Rouge regime, I have added extra pages for chapter one. If you have already ordered the book, please let me know so that I can send your the supplementary chapter. If you have not yet ordered, here is a link to order!

Thank you.

Nophea