Cambodia celebrates World Blood Donor Day

PHNOM PENH, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday marked the World Blood Donor Day, calling for more blood donations.

The event under the theme "more blood, more life" was presided over by Cambodian Minister of Health Mam Bunheng and attended by about 500 health officials, foreign embassy officials to Cambodia, non-governmental organization officials, and students.

Mam Bunheng appealed to the public to donate more blood as it is very important to save lives.

"The blood transfusion will not damage your health; instead, it will save lives of the patients who are in urgent need of blood, " he said.

Hok Kim Cheng, director of National Blood Transfusion Center, said that 3 out of 1,000 people donate blood in Cambodia; it's still low if compared with other developing countries that the blood donation rate is up to 5 among 1,000 people.

Last year, the center has received voluntary donations of 40, 245 units of blood, up 12 percent from 35,895 units in a year earlier.

All blood had been tested for four types of diseases: HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and malaria, he said, adding that last year, 9 percent of the blood was founded with these diseases and destroyed.

One of the blood donors Moeung Dara said that he donated his blood regularly every three months and he has done it for three years.

"In the past, I had a disease and needed an urgent surgery, at that time, the center donated blood to save my life in the surgery, " he said. "So, to express my grateful thanks to the center and the previous donors, I decided to donate my blood regularly to the center."

A Buddhist monk Svay Sothea is one of the donors.

"This is the 24th time that I donate my blood to the center," he said. "I'm very happy to donate the blood as it will be helpful to save lives of patients in urgent need."

Cambodia visit a life changer for Rotarians

Cambodia calling: Natalie Devenny is asking people to donate for a school.

14 Jun, 2011
Neelima Choahan
Melton Weekly (Australia)

BACCHUS Marsh Rotarians are in a race against time to raise the roof for a Cambodian school before the start of the country's wet season.

The club has raised $7500 for the project and is looking for a matching amount to bring the total to $15,000.

The roofing project will allow the school in Mondul 3 to educate about 400 children in a new facility.

Rotarian Natalie Devenny said she was amazed at the support the club's 'Raise the Roof' fund-raiser received last month.

"The support of a 'Cambodia night' by the local business community was remarkable," she said.

Run by non-government organisation New Hope Cambodia, the school in the Siem Reap province was started by former Buddhist monk Soth Kemsour in 2007. Things really took off when Australian Kerry Huntly joined forces with the former monk.

Ms Devenny said the pair had contributed personal funds to the school project and had built a free medical centre, women's and children's shelter and training restaurant.

"The people of Mondul 3 are desperate and grateful for any level of support," Ms Devenny said.

"They live in conditions and attend school in conditions we in Bacchus Marsh could not begin to imagine."

Ms Devenny, who visited New Hope Cambodia earlier this year, said the experience had been life-changing.

"Life is not the same any more since I returned home to Australia after visiting New Hope Cambodia in March.

"Our worst problems seem so trivial in comparison to the daily hardships experienced by the people of Mondul 3. Their lives are plagued with poverty, disease and famine - such hardship we can't begin to imagine."

More details: 0400085583.

Thailand wants to exchange Cambodian suspect with Yellow Shirt prisoners in Cambodia

Thailand wants to exchange Cambodian suspect with Yellow Shirt prisoners in Cambodia

On Friday, Cambodia rejected the accusation, saying that it did not send army spies to the disputed zone, and that Cambodia believes that the arrest of a Cambodian citizen made by Thailand was only done with the intention of aggressing Cambodia.

Regarding the arrest of a Cambodian citizen in Thailand, the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Saturday that the Thai government wants to exchange the suspected Cambodian citizen with the 2 Thai Yellow Shirt activists who are currently jailed in Cambodia.