H.E. Chum Sounry, Spokesperson of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has reacted against an article of The Diplomat, saying that it was the results of misperceptions and misunderstanding about Cambodia. 'I read with dismay the wild allegations tarnishing the prestige of my country, the Kingdom of Cambodia, made in an article 'U.S. Sanctions and Rallying Around the Flag in North Korea and Cambodia' published in The Diplomat on 16 February 2024. I am therefore constrained to write this letter for the sake of my homeland 's image,' he wrote in a letter dated Feb. 17 to Mr. Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat's Southeast Asia Editor. As an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dealing with the promotion of Cambodia-U.S. relationship, H.E. Chum Sounry applauded Professor Steve Hanke's pragmatic position against the imposition of U.S. sanctions on foreign countries, including Cambodia as reported in this article. He have observed with encoura gement the spread of this view in the U.S. policy. Of course, he continued, Cambodia and the U.S. still have had differences on some issues, but the two countries have not allowed those differences to obstruct the promotion of relationship in many areas that they can find common ground for moving the cooperation forward while keeping on discussing on the remaining differences. H.E. Chum Sounry has noted with much pleasure the increasing U.S. cooperation and engagement with Cambodia, particularly on diplomacy, economy and trade, culture and Conservation of Antiquities, health, education, POW/MIA, environment, clearance of unexploded ordnance and landmines, food security, etc. 'I do acknowledge Mr. David Whitehouse's rights, the author of this article, to advocate for the view opposite to that of Professor Steve Hanke, but I question his flawed methodology by putting two completely different countries in a common category for comparison. The fundamental flaws and errors in the analytical framework of this art icle cast severe doubt on the validity and reliability of its contents,' he said. According to the spokesperson, the allegation that Cambodia's power transmission operates solely on a hereditary basis is inaccurate and misleading. The country's Constitution clearly states that Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with a multi-party system, separation of powers, and guarantee of fundamental rights and freedoms. The transfer of power in Cambodia has regularly operated on a democratic basis. Since 1993, the general elections have been conducted on a regular basis, with multiple political parties contesting. The 2023 election was one of the most diverse general elections in Cambodia's modem political history with 18 political parties competing. The election was widely assessed as free and fair, credible, just, and inclusive by thousands of international and independent national observers. Through the 2023 general election, he added, Cambodia witnessed a peaceful, smooth, and democratic transfer of power, marki ng a historic political succession in Cambodia's contemporary political history. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) endorsed Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei HUN Manet as the future candidate for Prime Minister, and subsequently his candidacy was publicly and widely disseminated to Cambodian voters prior to the election. The results showed that Cambodian people trust and choose Samdech Thipadei HUN Manet to be their leader, whom they believe can best lead the nation on the path of peace, stability and socio-economic development. 'The author 's political judgement and allegations were largely the result of misperception and misunderstanding about Cambodia,' underlined H.E. Chum Sounry. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday called for doctors to refrain from taking collective action amid their looming strike in protest of the government's decision to raise medical school enrollment seats. Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced earlier this month to add 2,000 to the country's medical school freshmen quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats. "If doctors actually take action resulting in a health care vacuum, the damage will fall on the people," Han said in a statement. "The health care vacuum resulting from collective action is something that should never happen, as it takes people's lives and health as hostages." Han pointed out that the government's efforts to reform the medical sector can only succeed when the country secures more doctors. The prime minister's statement came after trainee doctors of five major general hospitals in Seoul said that they would submit their lett ers of resignation on Monday. They also decided to walk off the job on the following day. "Considering the time needed to educate medical specialists, we can no longer delay the hike. Not only patients are aging, but so are the doctors," Han said, noting that the quota has not been raised for 27 years. Han reiterated that the government will continue to roll out incentives for doctors as well, including building a "safety net" to limit their criminal liability in cases of malpractice. South Korea also earlier vowed to allocate 10 trillion won (US$7.4 billion) by 2028 to enhance compensation for medical services in crucial areas and to attract more doctors to practice in such sectors with higher risks. In a separate statement, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said the government is open to talks with doctors, urging them to refrain from taking collective action. "It is deeply regrettable that the Korea Medical Organization is taking the path of protest," Cho said. "We urge medical staffers to stand by patien ts, and the government will continue to leave the door open for dialogue." Officials, meanwhile, earlier said the government has issued an order on hospitals to submit doctors' daily work logs as it vowed to take stern actions should doctors engage in a strike. "(The directive) was issued to prevent instances where doctors, having received the government's return-to-work orders, return to the hospital, only to leave again to participate in collective action," an official from the health ministry said. As of Friday, the health ministry reported that 715 trainee doctors from 23 hospitals had submitted resignation letters, although none of them have been accepted so far. "If trainee doctors engage in collective action, the government will take necessary measures under the authority granted by the law to protect the people, as well as their health and lives," Cho said. Under the local medical law, the government possesses the authority to potentially revoke doctors' licenses should they receive criminal puni shments after failing to adhere to the order to return to work. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), the largest lobbying group for doctors, on Saturday vowed to take "unbearable" steps and said they could walk off the job indefinitely if the government continues to threaten interns and residents opposing the plan. Shortly after Han's statement, the KMA's emergency committee warned of an "irreversible medical catastrophe" if the government tries to punish medical students and doctors. The committee accused the statement of being "nothing more than a justification to suppress and punish" the doctors and criticized the government for attempting to turn the Korean healthcare system into a "Cuban-style socialist healthcare system" while demonizing and witch-hunting doctors. Meanwhile, major hospitals issued announcements their surgery schedules may be adjusted due to the collective move. Students from 35 out of 40 medical schools also committed to submitting leave of absence requests to their respective uni versities on Tuesday, showcasing their solidarity with the ongoing doctors' protest. In the first such move, around 160 medical students at Wonkwang University in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, submitted their leave of absence, the education ministry said Sunday. In a Gallup Korea poll involving 1,002 individuals last week, 76 percent of respondents favored the "positive aspects" of the medical school quota hike, with only 16 percent expressing a negative view Source: Yonhap News Agency
