"Denmark" PhD scholarship in Political Science University of Southern Denmark

Posted: 23 Aug 2010 03:01 PM PDT Deadline: September 1, 2010, 12:00 noon Department of Political Science and Public Management offer five PhD scholarships within the programme "Beliefs in Politics: Actors and Determinants (Elites, Frames, and Personalities)" are available for appointment for a period of three years as of October 1, 2010 or as soon as possible hereafter. We look for candidates with a Master Degree in political science, political psychology or political communication (or a related field) who have distinguished themselves at the MA level and, preferably, have written a Master thesis about social, institutional, psychological and contextual determinants of political beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour. We prefer applicants whose strengths lie within methods, quantitative and/or qualitative. Only candidates with top academic qualifications will be considered for enrolment. Applications must include a detailed description of the PhD project, including research question, theory, design and methods, and a work schedule. The PhD scholarships are funded by the Danish government as "mobility scholarships" which means that candidates from the University of Southern Denmark are not eligible to apply. Please click here to read more information before you apply

Thailand, Cambodia Restore Diplomatic Ties

Thailand and Cambodia have decided to normalize diplomatic relations after nearly a year.  

Tensions flared between Thailand and Cambodia when former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is wanted in Bangkok on corruption charges, took a post as an economic advisor to the Phnom Penh government. 

But Mr. Thaksin has given up the post and the Thai foreign ministry says ambassadors will return to their posts in the two countries.  The foreign ministry also thanked Cambodia for its cooperation in "boosting bilateral relations."

Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006 and has lived in exile since 2008.  He has close links with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, and has business interests in Cambodia.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry says Mr. Thaksin resigned his post for personal reasons. 

His resignation and renewed diplomatic relations are important steps toward ending tensions said Hang Chhaya, the executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy in Phnom Penh.

"So this is a positive step, I think, by Mr. Thaksin resigning.  You can see how quickly the Thai government has sent the ambassador back to Phnom Penh and Cambodia also did the same,” he said.  “This is good in terms of the two counties can actually work together now that they have diplomatic relations back to normal." 

Hang Chhaya said diplomatic efforts, including those by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United States and China, helped improve relations. 

"So ASEAN in a sense act like a caretaker in this region and maybe to help to save face, because imagine if Thailand and Cambodia enter into a war.  That would be a disaster for them."   

Mr. Thaksin's appointment to the Cambodian post led Thailand to withdraw support for agreements on overlapping maritime claims in the Gulf of Thailand. 

The Thaksin dispute aggravated friction over Cambodia's management plan for a 900-year-old Khmer temple on the border. The Preah Vihear temple lies inside the Cambodian border on the top of a cliff.  But access to the complex is largely only available from the Thai side. 

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled the temple is Cambodian territory, but failed to determine ownership of an adjacent piece of land that Thailand controls.  Thailand was angered when Phnom Penh independently sought a World Heritage listing for the temple two years ago.

There have small military clashes around the temple since.  Talks about the dispute are expected in October.

Source: www1.voanews.com

This website provides you decorative fonts whichever you wish to.







3D
Animal
Arabic
Army/Stencil
AsianBitmap/Pixel
Brush
Calligraphy
Celtic
ChristmasComic
Computer
Curly
Decorative
DistortedDotted
Famous
Fire
Gothic
GraffitiGreek/Roman
Handwriting
Headline
Horror
Ice/SnowItalic
LCD
Medieval
Mexican
ModernOld English
Old School
Outline
Retro
Rock/StoneRounded
Russian
Sci Fi
Typewriter
Western

Cambodian Garment Workers Plan Mass Strike

Over 60,000 garment workers have put their thumbprints on a union petition calling for a mass week-long strike on September 13. The Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) called the strike after the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Garment Manufacturers Association refused its demand to renegotiate the new minimum wage structure to be implemented on October 1. In July, the Free Trade Union of Workers, a union representing over 130,000 garment employees, dropped previous demands for a 53 percent minimum wage rise. It accepted a $US5 monthly increase offered by the Labour Advisory Committee, a body made up of government officials and industry representatives. The rise means the minimum monthly wage will be $61, far below the $93 workers were demanding. The CLC and other smaller unions are demanding that the minimum wage be set at $95.

Cambodian construction workers on strike Posted: 20 Aug 2010 09:55 PM PDT (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) Up to 40 construction workers from KC Gecin Enterprises in Kandal province walked off the job on August 16 to demand reinstatement of 27 colleagues fired for trying to organise a union. Strikers are maintaining a picket at the company’s main office in Phnom Penh despite having their placards destroyed by police. KC Gecin Enterprises employs over 160 construction workers in Kandal province, whom the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union of Cambodia has been attempting to organise into a union.

Love and sexual Relationship in Valentine's day in Cambodia

LOVE AND SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS:
EXPERIENCES AND PLANS OF MIDDLE CLASS YOUNG PEOPLE REGARDING THE UPCOMING VALENTINE’S DAY
IN PHNOM PENH IN 2009
(A Quantitative Study)


By
Tong Soprach, MPH
Independent Researcher
Phnom Penh, February 2010
Email: soprach76@gmail.com


Abstract

A Cross-sectional design was chosen for this descriptive quantitative study on the upcoming Valentine’s Day in 2009. Thus, cluster sampling was used primarily for administrative convenience. The questionnaires are separated into four categories of the population aged 15-24 years old and wealthier young people (n=458) in Phnom Penh: young males in a couple, young males not in a couple, young females in a couple and young females not in a couple. Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter of this study, self-administered questionnaires were used.

These Valentine’s Day quantitative study findings give more quantified information to the 2008 qualitative study, which recognized that middle class young people (n=458) do not understand the background of Valentine’s Day. Approximately two third (61.6%) of them have known only the festival coming from Western or European culture, but nearly a third (29.7%) of them stated that they didn’t know or gave a broad answer (World or no idea). More than half (52.2%) of them indicated that they heard from media, business advertising, calendar and so on. While, more than a third (37.1%) of them knew through their friends, and 10.6 percent of them knew nothing about Valentine’s Day. Due to the misunderstanding of the Valentine’s Day history, middle class young people use this festival to involve themselves in sex. This current study was therefore designed to seek to answer the research question:
Do middle class young people in Phnom Penh plan to be sexually active on the upcoming Valentine’s Day?

In the results, 12.4 percent of all respondents answered that they expect to be able to have sex on the upcoming Valentine's Day, and more than 14.3 percent of young people in a couple answered that they expect to be able to have sex with their sweethearts on that day too, and a few couples plan not to use a condom. Meanwhile, More than a third (39.5%) of the young people in a couple surveyed (n=38) stated that it will be the first time for them to have sexual intercourse. And the other two thirds (66.6%) of young males in couple (n=25) will pressure or force their girlfriend for having sex using many devices, if they do not agree. And at least seven percent of young males who answered that they expect to be able to have sex are open to being involved in Bauk on the upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Even though more than half (59.8%) of all interviewees mentioned that they agreed that it is normal and their personal right to have sexual relationships between young people and are therefore more likely to be aware of sexual reproductive health, they are consequently probably at high risk of non-consensual sex, committing suicide, contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS if they will be able to have sex on the Valentine’s Day festival. On the other hand, approximately two thirds (63.8%) answered that their parents or anyone in their family were more likely to not talk about sexual issues in the past 3 months. More than half (53.7%) of them thought that their parents or anyone in their family don’t know what young people will be doing on the upcoming Valentine's Day.

[Japan] Sato International Scholarship

The Sato International Scholarship Foundation offer two types of scholarship for self-supporting students from ASEAN countries as well as Southwest Asian countries enrolled in a Japanese undergraduate or graduate institution.
The scholarships are eligible to students from: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, Vietnam.
There are two type of scholarships
1. Scholarship for Self-Supporting Students
The applicant must be residing in Japan, enrolled in or accepted to a legitimate program. Please apply through the students office of your university.
Amount of Scholarship

1. Undergraduate students: 120,000 yen/month
2. Graduate students: 180,000 yen/month (plus additional support to cover cost for attending conferences )

2. Scholarship for Short-Term Exchange Students
This scholarship is provided to students who are recommended by those designated universities that have secured an agreement of recommendation with the Sato International Scholarship Foundation. Scholarship as well as travel fee to Japan is provided to those students from the aforesaid countries who will study in Japan on a short term based on the agreement among universities for study exchange.
Amount of Scholarship
100,000 yen/month
Click here to read more information about Sato International Scholarship

SIU Scholarships

The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) is an administrative agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (KD), with its own Board of Directors. SIU is located in Norway's second largest city, Bergen.

SIU is a knowledge- and service organisation with the mission of promoting and facilitating cooperation, standardisation, mobility, and the overcoming of cultural barriers to communication and exchange within the realm of higher education on an international level.

The goal of the Quota Scheme is to give students from developing countries in the South, Central- and East-Europe and Central-Asia, relevant education that would also benefit their home countries when they return after graduation.

The programme also contributes to strengthen Norwegian institutions of higher education's participation in global knowledge cooperation.

The Norwegian government provides scholarships for students from developing countries in the South and countries of Central- and East-Europe and Central-Asia under the Quota Scheme. The overall objective of the Quota Scheme is to promote the internationalisation of higher education.

Today, the scheme provides funding for a total of 1100 students, 800 of them from developing countries in the South and 300 from Central- and East-Europe and Central-Asia.

Each year universities and university colleges in Norway are allocated a certain number of quota students. Most of the universities and university colleges in Norway offer courses and educational programmes in English. The scheme normally includes courses at the Master and Ph.D. level, in addition to certain professional degrees. In order to locate a programme eligible under the scheme, please contact the Norwegian institutions directly.

Scholarships

The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund ( Statens Lånekasse) is responsible for managing the financial support provided for the Quota students. Each student receives the same amount of money as a Norwegian student would do in an equivalent educational programme. About 30 per cent of the amount is given as a grant and 70 per cent as a loan. However, the loan portion is waived when the student returns to his/her home country after completing the course of study. Normally, the financial support will not not exceed a time span of four years for one definite study plan, or a combination of two programmes.

Institutions offering scholarships under the Quota Scheme

State universities:

· Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB)

· Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

· University of Bergen (UiB)

· University of Oslo (UiO)

· University of Stavanger (UiS)

· University of Tromsø (UiT)

State university colleges:

· Agder University College

· Akershus University College

· Bergen University College

· Bodø University College

· Buskerud University College

· Finnmark University College

· Gjøvik University College

· Harstad University College

· Hedmark University College

· Lillehammer University College

· Molde University College

· Narvik University College

· Nord-Trøndelag University College

· Oslo University College

· Sami University College

· Sogn and Fjordane University College

· Stord/Haugesund University College

· Sør-Trøndelag University College

· Telemark University College

· Tromsø University College

· Vestfold University College

· Volda University College

· Østfold University College

· Aalesund University College

State national academies of the arts:

· Bergen National Academy of the Arts (KHIB)

· Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO)

State specialised university institutions:

· MF Norwegian School of Theology

· Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH)

· Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH)

· The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science

· The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH)

· The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO)

Private institutions of higher education

· Barratt Due Institute of Music

· BI Norwegian School of Management

· The Norwegian College of Eurytmy

· Bergen Deaconess University College

· The School of Mission and Theology

· Norwegian Teacher Academy

· Queen Maud`s College

· Diakonhjemmet University College Rogaland

· The Rudolf Steiner College of Education

Application procedures

The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) is not the admission office for prospective quota students.

Applications forms are available from the websites of the universities and university colleges. All applications should be sent directly to the International Office at the university/college to which the student applies.

Deadline

The deadline for applying for the Quota scheme is usually December 1 every year. The Letter of Admission is normally sent to the successfull candidate by April 15 every year.

Contact detail: ingeborg.revheimSPAMFILTER@siu.no

Moreinfo: http://siu.no/en/Programme-overview/Quota-Scheme

Japan-IMF Scholarships "Master Degree"

The Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia (JISPA) was first introduced in 1993. It is funded by the Government of Japan, administered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and conducted at various graduate schools in Japan. Its objective is to contribute to institutional capacity building in economic policymaking to promote the sustainable growth of emerging and developing economies in Asia and the Pacific. By training future macroeconomic managers in these countries, the JISPA aims to enable them to better formulate sound economic and financial stability policies needed for sustainable growth and development.

Scholarship awards are made on the basis of the candidate’s academic record and work background, mathematical and statistics skills, English language proficiency, and potential for contributing to the macroeconomic and financial management and economic development of their country.

Eligibility requirements

Target countries: Under current program guidelines, candidates must be a national of one of the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pacific Island Countries, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Work: Candidates should also currently work for one of the following or related agencies: central bank, ministry of economy, ministry of finance, ministry of planning/development, ministry of trade/commerce, tax administration, or national statistics bureau. The program will also consider officials working in other areas of government that have a significant impact on the formulation or implementation of macroeconomic policy.

Education background: Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent with at least 16 years of formal education. Names of schools and attending dates beginning from primary school must be listed in the application. In some cases, 15 years of formal education may be accepted if there is an official explanation (a country’s particular educational system or other exceptional circumstances).

English proficiency: Applicants must have an English language proficiency, which needs to be demonstrated as equivalent to or more than an official TOEFL score of 550, CBT213, or iBT79-80. If TOEFL scores are not available, then an overall IELTS score of at least 6.0 can be substituted.

Application procedures

1. Completed application form: The applicant for the partnership track is requested to apply through the online application system.

2. Official transcripts and official copies of diplomas or degree certificates from all undergraduate and graduate schools: An official copy means a certified copy of the original document with an official seal obtained from the administration office of the university attended. Copies attested by organizations/persons not having notarized/legal bearing will not be accepted.

3. Two reference letters: References should be from applicants’ supervisor at work and/or an academic advisor or professor.

4. TOEFL/IELTS certificate (if available): The TOEFL/IELTS test score must be from an examination taken after December 10, 2007. If a score is unavailable, the applicant will be requested to sit for a TOEFL/IELTS examination prior to receiving a final decision on the scholarship award.

All submitted application material must be presented in English or be accompanied by an official English translation. The material will be considered under the control of the IMF and provided to the relevant school(s) and the Government of Japan as it sees appropriate. None of the material will be returned to applicants.

Contact detail: insinfo@imf.org

Moreinfo: http://www.imf.org/external/oap/jispa.htm

The European Master of Science in Nematology

Erasmus Mundus - EUMAINE Scholarships

The European Master of Science in Nematology (EUMAINE) is one of the Erasmus Mundus Master courses. The EUMAINE programme brings together some of the European leading Universities and Research Institutes active in Nematology and is offered by a network of 8 partners, consisting of 4 consortium partners and 4 supporting or satellite partners. Ghent University is the coordinating university.

The consortium partners are :

• Universiteit Gent, Belgium : coordinator

• Universität Bielefeld, Germany

• Universidade de Evora, Portugal

• Universidad de Jaén, Spain

The satellite partners are:

• Christian-Albrechts Universität, Kiel, Germany

• K.U. Leuven, Belgium

• Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK

• Universiteit Wageningen, The Netherlands

The aim of the course is to train students to become highly qualified nematologists with multidisciplinary knowledge in the diverse fields of Nematology through mobility to different Universities within Europe and with a well-integrated language and cultural experience.

The programme deals with fundamental as well as applied aspects of Nematology and concerns different groups of nematodes in all possible environments: natural soils, agricultural soils, aquatic sediments of freshwater, brackish or marine habitats, temperate and tropical regions.

EUMAINE is open to top–level students with a University Bachelor degree (requiring a minimum of 3 years study) in Agricultural sciences, Biology, Bioscience engineering or Environmental sciences.

Applicants with another degree but with experience or knowledge in one of these fields may be admitted to the course at the discretion of the EUMAINE Education Board on the basis of academic transcripts, CV and motivation.

Language Requirements

The applicant must be proficient in the language of the course, i.e. English. Command of the English language is a very important criterion for admission. With the exception of those who have a diploma (Secondary Education, Academic Bachelor Degree, Master Degree) issued by an institution officially recognized by the Flemish Government, applicants must be able to prove their proficiency in English. There are 5 possibilities to supply this proof:

1. Proof that your mother tongue is English.

2. TOEFL certificate (the UGent TOEFL code is 2643). For specific details about the minimum total score required:

1. a minimum total score of 510 on the paper based test (PBT), or

2. a minimum total score of 87 on an internet based test (IBT).

3. IELTS with a minimum overall band score of 6.0

4. Proof of at least 1 year of comprehensive English-based instruction at a university or recognized equivalent.

5. Proof of a successful “Upper Intermediate Academic English” test : CEF level: B2 (Common European framework) of the language Center of Ghent University (UCT)

Please register here. You will receive an automatic e-mail in your mailbox with a link to your personal application form

Contact detail: eumaine@ugent.be

Moreinfo: http://www.eumaine.ugent.be/index.asp

[Australian] Indigenous Leadership Scholarship

Deadline: October 8, 2010

The Australian uranium industry offers financial support for young Indigenous men and women undertaking tertiary study in areas relevant to uranium exploration and mining.

The Indigenous Leadership Scholarship Scheme is an initiative of the members of the Australian Uranium Association, who support local indigenous communities and wish to help build skills and capabilities of indigenous people in the regions where they do business.

The aim of the Indigenous Leadership Scholarship Scheme is to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to undertake full-time undergraduate studies in Science, Engineering or Business Management at an Australian University. The Scholarship Scheme is funded by the members of the Association, and is administered by the Australian Uranium Association.

Scholarship Value and Payment 
Scholarships have a value of $10,000 per annum (GST exempt) per student for the duration of the undergraduate study. Payment will be made by the Australian Uranium Association via direct Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Payments will be made fortnightly equal to 1/26th of the annual scholarship amount.

Eligibility Criteria 
In order to receive a scholarship, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria, and be able to provide documentary evidence. The applicant must:

1. Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
2. Be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
3. Be enrolled or eligible to enrol as a full-time student in a Science, Engineering or Business Management Undergraduate degree at an Australian University. Scholarships are available to students in any year of their Undergraduate degree
4. Be preferably from a rural or remote location. Although not a mandatory criterion, scholarships will be offered preferentially to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who currently live, or have lived mostly, in a rural or remote community. Students who attended boarding school will not be disadvantaged. Scholarship applicants must not be in receipt of any other Industry Scholarship at the time of application.

Applications for the 2011 AUA Indigenous Leadership Scholarship Program close at 5 pm (Melbourne time) on Friday 8 October 2010.

For further enquiries, email admin@aua.org.au or call Julianne Foley on (03) 8616 0440

Click here to visit Indigenous Leadership Scholarship website

US steps up development talks [in the lower Mekong region]

Posted: 14 Aug 2010 09:35 PM PDT

15/08/2010
Achara Ashayagachat Bangkok Post

The United States is talking to international agencies and governments in the region in a bid to get its Mekong development programme off the ground.


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phuket in July last year about the US plans to expand its role in the lower Mekong region, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.


Richard Cronin of the Washington-based Stimson Centre, who works on recommendations for the programme, said he was talking to agencies from the lower Mekong countries and their governments. ''We are still in the process of coordinating when and how to get money into the programme,'' said Mr Cronin, who advises on non-traditional security issues such as fisheries, food security and water boundaries in the region.

The US would step up support for education, health and climate change, said Mr Cronin.

He was speaking on the sidelines of his talk on ''Harnessing the Mekong: Human Security and Regional Stability'' at Chulalongkorn University last week.

He observed a meeting between the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and other agencies on development programmes in Vientiane two weeks ago.

He also met non-governmental organisations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City two weeks ago, and in Bangkok met the Foreign Ministry and World Bank.

''There are varying degrees of welcome. Most countries in Asean are happy to see more US involvement. That includes Thailand and Vietnam.

''But some countries are uncertain about implications of having US involvement in the the MRC,'' he said.

Mr Cronin said Washington could restore the geopolitical power balance needed to support new development in Southeast Asia.

Suthep ready to talk with Cambodia

Posted: 15 Aug 2010 01:04 AM PDT

15/08/2010
Bangkok Post

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said on Sunday he is ready to hold talks with the Cambodian government immediately once he receives the order from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.


"I ask all sides not to be too worried about the Thai-Cambodian border row and the interviews given by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen. If there is a problem affecting Thailand, the Foreign Ministry and relevant agencies will deal with it right away," Mr Suthep said.


The deputy premier said the Foreign Ministry had additional information regarding the border issue to clarify.


Foreign Minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said Thailand and Cambodia both agreed to use satellite technology to settle the border demarcation dispute at the Special Meeting of the Cambodian-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC) on Nov 2008 and the JBC meetings in Bangkok and Phnom Penh earlier last year.

Sovannareach

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

stronger

kanye west mp3s
download FREE music

My Playlist

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

A Key Link With China

One felicitous result of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan was the setting up of a military-to-military relationship between China and the United States 30 years ago. The move was born of mutual fear of Russian expansion, for no one could foresee then that Afghanistan would be the undoing of Soviet power and that the Soviet Union itself would collapse partly because of it.

Nor was it clear then that China would emerge in the next century as the potential rival to American power in the Pacific. But militaries have their own codes and their own ways of thinking and it is always a good idea to keep them talking and getting to know each other.

Recently China put a halt to these exchanges because of American arms sales to Taiwan — which are mandated by American law. When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked if he could come to Beijing as part of his five-nation tour earlier this year he was rebuffed.

The exchanges began in the Carter administration, soon after the Soviet invasion, when Secretary of Defense Harold Brown visited Beijing.

“Brown’s visit marked the wary beginning of the formal relationship between two military establishments whose most recent view of each other had been over gun sights in the Korean Peninsula 27 years before,” wrote the old China-hand Nicholas Platt in his recent memoir “China Boys.”

Platt, a retired State Department officer who was seconded to the department of defense and accompanied Brown, writes that the Chinese could not get used to the idea of a Pentagon hotline in their midst. They would not get around to setting one up until 2008.

Most of the Chinese generals and admirals that Brown met were well into their seventies and beyond, for retirement was unthinkable in those days.

“The freefall from four-star rank to life in one’s home village was just too far,” according to Platt. Back then the Chinese had none of the support systems of a fruitful retirement that old soldiers in America enjoyed. They peppered the American delegation about annuities, promotion rates and jobs in industry.

A Chinese military delegation followed up Brown’s visit with a trip to Washington, and was taken to visit military facilities in Indiana, Colorado, California and Hawaii. The U.S. side looked for “ways to improve China’s defense capability without threatening others,” according to Platt.

One of the things China really wanted was help in developing sophisticated fighter planes — especially advanced radars, electronics and guidance systems — so its planes could match the Soviet MIG-23, which the Vietnamese had been given. In those days, China was more than a little annoyed at the Vietnamese for invading Cambodia, and in a short, sharp incursion to teach Vietnam a lesson, the Chinese had come off second best.

The Americans were not willing to share with the Chinese at that level, but the relationship developed despite that early disappointment. It would later expand and flower under Secretary of Defense William Perry, who served President Bill Clinton.

There have been stresses and strains in America’s relationship with China since then, and the pity is that the first thing to get curtailed when we have a spat is the military exchanges. The United States suspended them after the suppression of the Tiananmen demonstrations, and China followed suit after the recent arms sales to Taiwan.

Many China watchers have wondered why the Obama administration ran into such hostility after the president’s visit with the Dalai Lama and the sale of arms to Taiwan. After all, American presidents often meet with the Dalai Lama, and the Taiwan arms sales have been a regular feature since Congress mandated them in 1979, before Harold Brown’s visit.

Nicholas Platt, who still visits China several times a year as a private citizen and is well respected there, believes the big fuss and the slighting of Gates is due to what the Chinese perceive as a changed relationship between the two countries.

The last eight years have seen American power decline and the Chinese have looked on with wonder as we Americans seemingly self-destruct with two wars on the mainland of Asia and what looks to many as the failure of the U.S. economic model in the current great recession. What was acceptable to the Chinese before is no longer acceptable now. The relationship is less unequal today than it was when China was trying to catch up with the Vietnamese military and begging for radar systems.

China and the United States should realize the intrinsic value in military exchanges that will only grow more important in years to come. These exchanges should not be the first to go every time the two countries want to show displeasure.

By H.D.S. GREENWAY, I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
International Herald Tribune (Paris, France)

Love and sexual Relationship in Valentine's day in Cambodia

LOVE AND SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS:
EXPERIENCES AND PLANS OF MIDDLE CLASS YOUNG PEOPLE
REGARDING THE UPCOMING VALENTINE’S DAY
IN PHNOM PENH IN 2009
(A Quantitative Study)


By
Tong Soprach, MPH
Independent Researcher
Phnom Penh, February 2010
Email: soprach76@gmail.com


Abstract

A Cross-sectional design was chosen for this descriptive quantitative study on the upcoming Valentine’s Day in 2009. Thus, cluster sampling was used primarily for administrative convenience. The questionnaires are separated into four categories of the population aged 15-24 years old and wealthier young people (n=458) in Phnom Penh: young males in a couple, young males not in a couple, young females in a couple and young females not in a couple. Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter of this study, self-administered questionnaires were used.

These Valentine’s Day quantitative study findings give more quantified information to the 2008 qualitative study, which recognized that middle class young people (n=458) do not understand the background of Valentine’s Day. Approximately two third (61.6%) of them have known only the festival coming from Western or European culture, but nearly a third (29.7%) of them stated that they didn’t know or gave a broad answer (World or no idea). More than half (52.2%) of them indicated that they heard from media, business advertising, calendar and so on. While, more than a third (37.1%) of them knew through their friends, and 10.6 percent of them knew nothing about Valentine’s Day. Due to the misunderstanding of the Valentine’s Day history, middle class young people use this festival to involve themselves in sex. This current study was therefore designed to seek to answer the research question:
Do middle class young people in Phnom Penh plan to be sexually active on the upcoming Valentine’s Day?

In the results, 12.4 percent of all respondents answered that they expect to be able to have sex on the upcoming Valentine's Day, and more than 14.3 percent of young people in a couple answered that they expect to be able to have sex with their sweethearts on that day too, and a few couples plan not to use a condom. Meanwhile, More than a third (39.5%) of the young people in a couple surveyed (n=38) stated that it will be the first time for them to have sexual intercourse. And the other two thirds (66.6%) of young males in couple (n=25) will pressure or force their girlfriend for having sex using many devices, if they do not agree. And at least seven percent of young males who answered that they expect to be able to have sex are open to being involved in Bauk on the upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Even though more than half (59.8%) of all interviewees mentioned that they agreed that it is normal and their personal right to have sexual relationships between young people and are therefore more likely to be aware of sexual reproductive health, they are consequently probably at high risk of non-consensual sex, committing suicide, contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS if they will be able to have sex on the Valentine’s Day festival. On the other hand, approximately two thirds (63.8%) answered that their parents or anyone in their family were more likely to not talk about sexual issues in the past 3 months. More than half (53.7%) of them thought that their parents or anyone in their family don’t know what young people will be doing on the upcoming Valentine's Day.