Sunday, 17 August 2008

Cambodian riot police officers bar protesters at the Cambodian Confederation of Unions's office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008

Cambodian riot police officers bar protesters at the Cambodian Confederation of Unions's office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, as they demand to pull back Thai troops from disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple, an ancient border temple. Cambodia geared up Sunday for new talks with Thailand after both sides ceased a month-long armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around the ancient border temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian riot police officers bar protesters at the Cambodian Confederation of Unions's office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, as they demand to pull back Thai troops from disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple, an ancient border temple. Cambodia geared up Sunday for new talks with Thailand after both sides ceased a month-long armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around the ancient border temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian riot police officers bar protesters at the Cambodian Confederation of Unions's office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, as they demand to pull back Thai troops from disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple, an ancient border temple. Cambodia geared up Sunday for new talks with Thailand after both sides ceased a month-long armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around the ancient border temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian riot police officers bar protesters at the Cambodian Confederation of Unions's office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, as they demand to pull back Thai troops from disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple, an ancient border temple. Cambodia geared up Sunday for new talks with Thailand after both sides ceased a month-long armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around the ancient border temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Thailand, Cambodia start withdrawing troops from disputed temple environs

17/08/2008

After one month of military standoff on the disputed territory around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Thailand and neighboring Cambodia have started withdrawing their troops in a bid to ease tensions ahead of a second-round foreign ministers' meeting, Thai state media reported Saturday.

Without disclosing the exact number of Thai troops pulling out from the disputed territory, a Thai foreign ministry spokesman was quote by Thai News Agency as saying on Saturday that it was up to the military to decide how many soldiers should be withdrawn from the area.

Citing an earlier Thai cabinet resolution that the troop withdrawal should not affect the country's capability in protecting its sovereignty, the spokesman said the Thai military would be responsible for the ongoing withdrawal.

Tensions at around the 11th century Kymer-style Hindu temple escalated after UNESCO early last month listed the temple as World Heritage site upon the application of Cambodia.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but an area of 4.6-sq. kilometers adjacent to the temple remains in dispute between the two countries.

Reports from Cambodia quoted Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Paht as saying that most troops would leave on Saturday evening.

Gen. Neang Paht said there would be around 10 or 20 soldiers from each side remaining posted there.

The first meeting of Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong to resolve the dispute was held in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap on July 28, with both sides agreeing on troop redeployment, a de-mining survey program and border demarcation by the Joint Boundary Commission.

The two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet for a second time in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin on Tuesday.

VietNamNet/Xinhua

Sacravatoons :" Two Ting-Mong "

Courtesy Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Nurse: Disease will claim lives if Cambodia-Thai temple talks fail

The Earth Times
Sun, 17 Aug 2008
Author : DPA

Preah Vihear, Cambodia - Personnel near an ancient temple on the Thai-Cambodia border warned Sunday that if talks over disputed borders fail, lives will be lost - but to disease, not war.

Nurse Keo Neang from the Preah Vihear district health department said malaria, scurvy and also diseases spread by poor sanitation had all begun taking a toll on locals and troops alike.

Troops on both sides were moved back from the border Saturday ahead of Monday's talks scheduled for the Thai seaside resort of Hua Hin, but could be redeployed at any time if the talks fail.

"We have received drugs from the government and the royal palace, but we will need more if troops move back in: basics like (paracetamol-based) Mixagrip for fevers and vitamin C," Neang said.

"If Thailand does not permanently withdraw its troops after these meetings, we are looking at some serious potential epidemics on the border as well as some very big sanitation issues."

Sergeant Nguon Samnang, on the frontline of Cambodia's defence, agreed that fighting was far less of a peril than disease for troops.

"We have plenty of food, but it is all dried or tinned and there are no fresh vegetables," he said.

"If the talks fail and we have to dig in again, there are going to be casualties on both sides from poor nutrition and of course malaria; some have fallen ill already."

Malaria is endemic to areas around both Preah Vihear temple, an 11th century temple around 300 kilometres from the capital, and the Ta Moan group of temples, 150 kilometres to its west.

Thai troops occupied areas around both sites after UNESECO granted Cambodia World Heritage status for Preah Vihear over Thai objections early last month. Cambodia matched the troop movements.

Cambodia says the land is sovereign but Thailand disagrees, causing major strains on the formerly friendly bilateral relations between the neighbours and even fears that fighting may break out.

Kuwait signed $27 bln of deals in Asian tour-paper

KUWAIT, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Kuwait signed more than $27 billion of investment agreements with nine Asian countries, including Brunei and the Philippines, during an Asian tour this month, its finance minister said in remarks published on Sunday.

The agreements were in the economic, oil, health and foreign affairs sectors, daily Awan cited Mustapha al-Shamali as saying.

"The value of the accords and economic and commercial protocols are more than $27 billion, with $3 billion to $4 billion of investments and possible commercial partnerships with each country," Shamali said.

Shamali and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah went on a tour of eight Asian countries this month to boost trade ties.

Kuwait would also "cooperate with South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, in the health sector", Shamali said, without giving details.

Kuwait is talking with Asian countries, including Cambodia, about securing food supplies and investing in agriculture as the Gulf state looks to diversify its sources of food, the state news agency KUNA reported on Saturday. [ID:nLG655656]

A delegation including the Kuwait Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, will visit Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar this month to look at investments in agriculture and industry, KUNA cited Shamali as saying on Saturday.

Kuwait wants to boost investments across asset classes in Asia with a focus on Japan, China and India, Shamali said last month.

Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia to boost tourism at borders

Phnom Penh — Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed to boost tourism development projects in 10 provinces in the three countries’ economic development triangle.

At a recent meeting in Phnom Penh, the tourism ministries of the three countries also agreed to conduct joint surveys on tourism development potential and foreign direct investment attraction capacities in the provinces of Ratanakiri, Mondolkiri and Stung Treng of Cambodia; Atopu, Sekong and Saravan of Laos; and Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dac Lak and Dak Nong of Viet Nam.

The tripartite agreement also outlined that ministries would propose that their Governments approve projects related to immigration control and tourism infrastructure construction in those provinces.

The Cambodian tourism ministry would submit to its Government a project to build a road segment running from Krache Province to Viet Nam’s border areas via Mondolkiri Province.

A book of 148 pages introducing famous tourist sites at the border triangle of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia will also be published in the coming time, according to the agreement. — VNS

PM and Anupong will visit troops at Preah Vihear

(BangkokPost.com) - The 2nd Army Area Command reported that Prime Minister and Defence Minister Samak Sundaravej and the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, Gen Anupong Paojinda, will visit the Thai military officials near Preah Vihear temple on Monday morning.

Gen Anupong is expected to oversee the Thai soldiers’ operation along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The Suranaree military task force is preparing to welcome the premier and the national army chief on Monday.

Troops at disputed temple not yet reduced

(BangkokPost.com) - The number of Thai and Cambodian troops stationed near Preah Vihear temple has yet reduced after both sides earlier agreed to lower the number of military personnel to 10 personnel each.

However, the situation around the 11th century Hindu temple is still normal and not tense, as soldiers from both countries are closely monitoring the situation while avoiding confronting each other.

Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong are scheduled to have a meeting to end the ongoing border dispute in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province on August 18 and 19.

Cambodia, Thailand to meet for new border talks

International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: August 17, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia and Thailand geared up Sunday for renewed border settlement talks after both sides ended a monthlong armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around an ancient temple.

Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin on Monday in a bid to find a lasting solution to a lingering border dispute that brought the two neighbors close to an armed clash.

The new meeting follows two inconclusive rounds of talks.

On July 28, the two nations' foreign ministers agreed on a plan to withdraw their troops from disputed area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple to reduce tension.

Both countries completed moving most of their troops from a nearby temple on Saturday, said Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, a government agency managing the historic site.

He said the two sides are currently keeping only 10 soldiers from each side in the compound of the pagoda, which is located in a border area claimed by both countries.

"The tension has eased considerably. There is no more confrontation," Hang Soth said Sunday, calling the troop withdrawals a "good process giving us hope" about the new talks.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith confirmed Sunday that there were only 20 soldiers — 10 Cambodian and 10 Thai — in the grounds of the pagoda.

The standoff began on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both countries have long held claim to the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand confronted each other in the area for a month.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed Cambodia's World Heritage site bid, sparking demonstrations by Thai anti-government protesters who claimed it would undermine Thailand's claim to the surrounding area.

The protests left Samak politically vulnerable, and he sent troops to occupy the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Buddhist pagoda compound adjacent to Preah Vihear to appease his critics. Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment.

Tensions ease as Thai and Cambodian troops withdraw from temple

Radio australia

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are easing after a monthlong military standoff over the Preah Vihear temple on their mutual border has ended with the withdraw of most of the troops from the area.

Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear, which belongs to Cambodia, was awarded heritage status by the United Nations, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the 11th century Khmer temple.

On July the 15th Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try to reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on a tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.

More than 1,000 fully armed soldiers from both countries were deployed around a small pagoda near the temple.

A senior Cambodian military official says 10 soldiers from each side will remain in the pagoda's compound while another 20 from each side will remain in the disputed border area near the ancient temple.

The next round of talks at the foreign ministerial level will be held in Thailand's Hua Hin beach resort tomorrow to settle remaining differences between the two nations.

New Corruption Charges Threaten Khmer Rouge Tribunal

New America Media, News Report, John Hall
Posted: Aug 16, 2008

More than one Cambodian staff member at the Khmer Rouge tribunal has now come forward with new allegations of kickbacks and corruption involving the court's administration. The tribunal has faced similar allegations before, but this is the first occasion that staff members have been willing to file written complaints and it seems unlikely that the allegations can be swept under the carpet this time around.

The new allegations, currently under review by the UN in New York, are an opportunity to test the tribunal's new anti-corruption mechanisms.

Even more importantly, they will test the Cambodian government's commitment to upholding the international standards it promised to honor when it negotiated with the UN to establish the tribunal.

If the Cambodian government fails this test - if it refuses to fully cooperate with the international management's efforts to stamp out corruption, obstructs the anti-corruption process , fails to conduct an independent, thorough and honest investigation, or if the whistleblowers are not protected from retribution - the tribunal will be critically and, in all likelihood, fatally damaged.

Donor nations, already skittish from the earlier scandals, are worried. The UN Development Program has announced that it is withholding donor money earmarked for the tribunal pending a reassessment of the situation in light of the new corruption charges. Cambodian staff have not been paid, money is drying up fast, and the tribunal faces death by financial starvation.

The Cambodians who have filed the complaints are taking a huge risk: no whistleblower protections exist for them, and they are staking not only their careers but also quite possibly their personal safety on their identities never being revealed.

That such complaints have been filed at all is unprecedented within the notoriously corrupt Cambodian judicial system.

The recent changes in the international management team at the tribunal appear to have encouraged the Cambodians to step forward. The first brave soul approached deputy director Knut Rosandhaug in June after he announced to his staff on his arrival at the tribunal that he would take the issue of corruption seriously. Similarly, David Tolbert, the UN's Special Expert, announced that dealing with corruption allegations would be one of the mandates of his appointment.

Tolbert, who was brought in to put in place policies that would enable the scandal-prone tribunal to move forward , has been formulating an anti-corruption policy in recent months.

The plan consists of three parts: First, hiring a program officer within Rosandhaug's office responsible for training staff in ethics and serving as a conduit for the filing of complaints. Second, strengthening the existing codes of conduct for Cambodian staff and judges, including a clear statement that giving bribes - not just requesting them - is a violation.

Third, affirming the UN's right to review allegations involving Cambodian staff. Previously, the Cambodian government had jurisdiction in these cases. When kickback allegations were raised in 2007, the UN was reduced to simply asking the Cambodian side to investigate. UNDP sent a letter to that effect to Cabinet Minister Sok An in January 2008. The result was predictable: Nothing.

Tolbert's approach distinguishes between an initial review (intended to assess whether a complaint is adequate to warrant an investigation), and an investigation (the examination of evidence to determine the merits of the allegations). The former falls within the jurisdiction of the UN, and reflects the responsibility of the international management team to uphold the integrity of the entire tribunal.

Under Tolbert's plan, allegations of corrupt activities are forwarded to New York for review by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the inspector-general arm of the UN. The UN oversight office will determine whether the allegations warrant an investigation and, if so, it will transmit its report to the Cambodian government.

This plan is a good one - and probably the best available without rewriting the agreement establishing the tribunal. By conducting its own review, the UN will be much better informed of the substance and weight of the allegations and in a much stronger position to demand that the Cambodian government proceed. In addition, the review and request for an investigation will be made public, which will turn up the pressure on the Cambodians to act.

But there are potential problems ahead. It is unclear, for example, whether the Cambodian government will accept Tolbert's neat distinction between a review and an investigation. Indeed, Sok An has just sent a letter to the Office of Legal Affairs, apparently asserting that the UN lacks jurisdiction.

And what if the Cambodian government simply ignores any UN recommendation, or launches a sham investigation? If that happens, those individuals who have come forward at great risk will have done so for nothing.

One possible solution is for the tribunal's Project Board and donors to require that a UN-appointed observer be assigned to monitor the investigation and report how carefully it adheres to international standards. The Project Board, in turn, should explicitly withhold future funding if no adequate investigations have been carried out in a timely fashion in response to the UN oversight office’s recommendations, or if there are any reports of retaliation or threats to witnesses as a result of the investigation.

The fact that Cambodian court staffers have filed complaints about corruption suggests that they desire a tribunal that does more than merely pay lip-service to fighting corruption. It suggests also that they have faith in the new international management team. And it suggests that some Cambodians seek a legal system freed from political cronyism, patronage and corruption. This could be the most important legacy of a successful tribunal: serving as a practical example of a court which though far from perfect strives to meet international standards.

Let's be clear: The allegations pose an important test for Tolbert's new anti-corruption strategy, but an even more significant test of the commitment of the Cambodian government to upholding international standards. The future of the tribunal depends on the response.

John Hall is an associate professor at Chapman University School of Law, in Orange, Calif., and a research fellow at the Center for Global Trade & Development. This article is reprinted with permission from The Cambodia Daily.

Day in Pictures: Floods in Kampong Cham province & Cambodian pray at the Preah Vihear temple

Cambodians pray at the disputed Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai armies have pulled back almost all troops from a disputed territory around an ancient temple.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Cambodia children play in front of their house near the Mekong river during floods in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, August 16, 2008 .The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

A Cambodian man rows a boat during floods near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, during floods August 16, 2008 .The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
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A Cambodian man rows a boat during floods near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, during floods August 16, 2008 .The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodians are transported by boat near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, during floods August 16, 2008 .The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Devastated Myanmar hit by floods

A man pulls his boat through floodwaters for a sightseeing tour at the Xiengkuane Buddha Park, about 25 kilometres east of the Laos capital of Vientiane yesterday. The Mekong River hit 13.68 metres in Vientiane on Thursday.

gulfnews.com
AP
Published: August 16, 2008

Bangkok : Severe flooding triggered by torrential rains has struck areas of Myanmar still reeling from a cyclone that killed more than 84,000 people, a state-run newspaper said on Saturday.

Flooding has also hit parts of Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In Laos, at least four people died after levels in the Mekong River reached record highs.

In Myanmar, the floods hit areas of Yangon and the Irrawaddy delta, where Cyclone Nargis left a swath of devastation early May, as well as other regions of the country, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said. No casualties were reported.

People fled their homes, schools were closed and rice fields submerged in regions ranging from Karen and Mon states in the southeast to Mandalay in central Myanmar. No damage to rice fields was reported, however.

Landslides

In Laos, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalansy said Friday that four people died outside the capital, Vientiane, after being injured in landslides. The state news agency said one of the dead was a child.

Speaking by telephone from Vientiane, Yong said that there were reports that the flooding was receding Friday after water levels in the Mekong had reached 13.68 metres, beating the previous recorded high of 12.38 metres in 1966.

The flooding also cut electricity in some parts of the old royal capital of Luang Prabang, a popular tourist destination, the website reported. It added that the main road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang had been cut off by a landslide.

Thailand's national news agency said areas of three northeastern provinces bordering the Mekong River and Laos were badly affected, with flooding causing damage to dykes and thousands of acres of farmland.

In Nong Khai province, more than 1,000 houses were flooded, with some villagers evacuating. Two hospitals were hit and patients and medical supplies were moved to higher ground, the Thai News Agency said.

Some 128,000 people in Nakhon Phanom province were also affected, the agency said.

Flooding Strikes Asia, Killing 4 In Laos And Affecting Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand

August 16, 2008

Linda Young - AHN Editor

Bangkok, Thailand (AHN) - Flooding struck Myanmar and other Asian countries on Friday, causing mudslides in Laos that killed four people and causing rivers to overflow into fields in parts of parts Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Flood waters reached record high levels of 44.8 feet on the Mekong River in Laos before beginning to recede on Friday, beating the old record high of 40.61 feet in 1960, officials reportedly said. Flooding there also cut electricity in some areas and resulted in roads blocked by landslides.

In central Myanmar where residents hadn't fully recovered from Cyclone Nargis in May, torrential rains and flooding forced residents from their homes. However, the water has reportedly receded, planted rice fields were not affected and there were no reports of casualties there.

But farmers weren't so lucky in Laos where three provinces along the Mekong River were affected when flooding damaged dikes and affected thousands of acres.

During the First Six Months of 2008, Cambodia Attracted Fifty-One Investment Projects

Posted on 16 August 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 573

“The Council for the Development OF Cambodia – CDC - said that during the first six months of 2008, Cambodia attracted 51 investment projects with a total volume of approximately US$1.5 billion, and when implemented, they will create employment for 73,176 citizens.

“A report issued early August said that the South Korean projects are the biggest, making it the biggest investor, China ranks next, and the third is France.

“This report said that investors from Korea are submitting investment projects on the market relating to more than 71.47%, China will submitted 10.21%, and France 2.8%.

“This report continued to say that the investment for a 52-Stories International Financial Center is coordinated by Korea with US$1 billion.

“According to this report, foreign investments increased almost by 50 %, while investments from inside of the country declined, compared to the same period in 2007.

“This report said that in the period of six months, there were only US$519.8 million, while this year they increased to US$1.5 billion.

“Last year, investments by investors in the country were US$332.4 million, but this year, they declined to US$208.4 million.

“Mr. Chan Sophal, the president of the Cambodian Economic Association, said that recently, the economic situation in Cambodia is really good.

“He said that the elections this year did not bring any hazards to Cambodian economic growth; on the contrary, after the elections, the Cambodian economy is growing more.

“He added that the elections clearly show that Cambodia is politically stable, which is the main factor to develop the economy, and some other continuing changing political components that can contribute to promote the economic development of Cambodia on the international arena are the rising value of agricultural products and the growth of tourism.

“He continued to say, ‘The three big components that I mentioned above are strong forces for the current Cambodian economy.’

“Mr. Sok Sina, an economist, said that the 2008 elections were different from 2003. These elections will not put Cambodia into a crisis like the previous one.

“He went on to say, ‘I cannot see any political forces which would affect the process attracting foreign investors and the economic development.’”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4669, 16.8.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:Saturday, 16 August 2008

Thailand, Cambodia start withdrawing troops from disputed temple environs

www.chinaview.cn
2008-08-16

BANGKOK, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- After one month of military standoff on the disputed territory around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Thailand and neighboring Cambodia have started withdrawing their troops in a bid to ease tensions ahead of a second-round foreign ministers' meeting, Thai state media reported Saturday.

Without disclosing the exact number of Thai troops pulling out from the disputed territory, a Thai foreign ministry spokesman was quote by Thai News Agency as saying on Saturday that it was up to the military to decide how many soldiers should be withdrawn from the area.

Citing an earlier Thai cabinet resolution that the troop withdrawal should not affect the country's capability in protecting its sovereignty, the spokesman said the Thai military would be responsible for the ongoing withdrawal.

Tensions at around the 11th century Kymer-style Hindu temple escalated after UNESCO early last month listed the temple as World Heritage site upon the application of Cambodia.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but an area of 4.6-sq. kilometers adjacent to the temple remains in dispute between the two countries.

Reports from Cambodia quoted Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Paht as saying that most troops would leave on Saturday evening.

Gen. Neang Paht said there would be around 10 or 20 soldiers from each side remaining posted there.

The first meeting of Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong to resolve the dispute was held in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap on July 28, with both sides agreeing on troop redeployment, a de-mining survey program and border demarcation by the Joint Boundary Commission.

The two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet for a second time in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin on Tuesday.

Editor: Bi Mingxin