Sep
14
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Human remains found at Cambodian pagoda
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PHNOM PENH, Construction workers at a Buddhist temple in Cambodia have unearthed human bones officials say could be the remains of victims of the Khmer Rouge.
Eighteen skulls appeared to have been violently shattered, the Phnom Penh Post reported.
Workers at the Wat Kesararam pagoda in the town of Siem Reap said arm bones were found bound together with rope and leg bones locked together with iron cuffs.
Chief monk Sambath Ly Ye said the temple had been built on a former Khmer Rouge execution site.
Human bones had been discovered at the pagoda in the past several years, he said, many buried with handcuffs. The remains are kept in a small cottage behind the temple.
A construction worker said more bones were first discovered last week, and many skulls and bones, "some already rotten," were found this week after a few feet of topsoil was removed to build living quarters for the monks.
Work at the site has now stopped.
Van Than Peou Dara, the deputy director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said the center's research had found the land on which the pagoda is now built had been a security office, prison and killing site during the Pol Pot regime.
Siem Reap District Governor Tep Bun Chhay said the deaths also could have occurred in the Lon Nol era.
Some 24 killing sites were known to exist in the province, he said, where an estimated 44,258 people were believed to have died.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/09/12/Human-remains-found-at-Cambodian-pagoda/UPI-13521347451053/#ixzz26PROUU00
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Sep
14
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TOURS & DETOUR: Voluntourism opportunities this fall and winter
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Greenloons, which guides travelers to sustainable vacations, suggests vacation adventures from Cambodia to Tanzania offering voluntourism opportunities for families and friends traveling over the upcoming winter holidays. “We can’t image a more meaningful holiday season and wish the world a happy New Year,” says Greenloons founder and president Irene N. Lane.
Explore Cambodia and Laos Dec. 29, 2012, to Jan. 13, 2013, for example. New Hope Cambodia is a grassroots, hands-on non-government organization whose mission is to restore hope, dignity and promise to the local community of Mondul. Volunteer work varies from helping build a new school or library to participating with teaching in classrooms or visiting local families who require assistance. The rest of the time is spent with bike rides, swimming, cave-exploring and visits to the countryside. Departures are monthly and Lane calls this trip “ideal” for children 12 years and up.
Accommodations are for 12 nights at hotels and guest houses. One night is with a family home stay and another night is on a sleeper train. All are designed to be authentic experiences with many of the comforts of home.
Greenloons Voluntourism Vacations requires an average level of fitness and there are opportunities for hiking and biking. The price includes entrance and guide to Angkor Temples and the New Hope Volunteer Project, the UNESCO town of World Heritage of Luang Prabang and more. Maximum number permitted for group is 15, but the average size is 10 participants.
Another project is Tanzania and Safari Dec. 9-21, 2012. Guests in Zanzibar volunteer in the village of Jambiani, helping teachers in local schools and organizing sports activities for community youth. The local government school in Jambiani has about 1,300 students and on average only 20 percent pass their government exams. Although English is widely spoken in areas frequented by tourists, a large percentage of Zanzibar’s population has limited English skills. Schools are very appreciative of assistance from English-speakers in helping children master the language. Due to a lack of teachers with science and computer training, volunteer contribution in these areas are also needed.
Other opportunities for voluntourism are Zambia Community and Safari Dec. 29, 2012-Jan. 11, 2013, which is an adventurous trip across three countries with an authentic safari through national parks in search of the “Big 5” with time spent working on volunteer projects that benefit the people and the animals of the region. Guest walk with rhinos and gain personal insight into the culture of the Shangaan people one day and participate in the Livingstone community volunteer program the next.
Project Kenya and Safari Nov. 26-Dec. 10, 2012, is a 15-day trip in which guests scour the Maasai Mara for lions, cheetahs, elephants and rhinos while camping under the sky for a uniquely African experience. Volunteers are involved at the Limuru Children Center, Mukeu special unit school and In His Image baby-rescue center.
Project Peru Amazon and Project Costa Rica are two of the many programs in Latin America that Greenloons offers where volunteer work and family vacations combine to help these countries.
Project Peru Amazon is a 9-day family adventure that includes travel by motorized canoe up the Tambopata River to spend 5 days at a center for the rehabilitation and conservation of wild animals. Zoologists help to maintain an interpretative trail, build animal enclosures and interact with the local community. An additional 2 days are spent in the rainforest learning about traditional medicinal plants, spotting exotic birds, caimans and monkeys. Departures are weekly.
Project Costa Rica gets families involved with the Pacific Sea Turtle Project, a conservation initiative undertaken to protect endangered sea turtles and their nests and improving the chance of the hatchlings on Matapalo Beach. Over the 15-day program, families will volunteer in night beach patrols to protect the turtle nests, collect data, do some general cleaning and maintenance, and monitor the hatchery where baby turtles are counted and released. There are 2 days scheduled in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and another 2 days in the town of La Fortuna where activities in the Arenal Volcano area range from birdwatching to hiking and biking to canyoning and river rafting. Departures are July through November and the trip is recommended for children aged 12 plus. Continued...
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Sep
14
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International tourism expo opens in Ho Chi Minh2
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Nhan Dan - The 8th International Tourism Expo (ITE HCMC 2012) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on September 12.
The event was attended by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan, and tourism officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar...
This year’s expo has attracted 500 businesses from 30 countries across the world and 26 cities and provinces in Vietnam. With more than 230 booths, the exhibition is expected to attract around 18,000 visitors.
Themed ‘Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia-Myanmar, Four Countries, One Destination’, the event comprises a number of activities, such as a meeting of tourism ministers from the four countries and a meeting of senior tourism officials from lower Mekong cities...
Also at the opening ceremony, the Tourism Alliance Awards (TAA) 2012 were presented to honour outstanding businesses for their contributions to the tourism development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Organised for the first time in 2005, the ITE aims to introduce the latest tourism products and strengthen the neighbourliness and friendship between Vietnam and countries in the region.
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Two international standard amusement parks for Da Nang
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14/09/2012 09:46:23
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City beefs up waterway transit system
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14/09/2012 09:42:08
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Vietnam proposes Southeast Asian heritage network
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14/09/2012 09:39:35
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Arthouse Vietnam to bring local works to Art Expo Malaysia
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14/09/2012 09:38:14
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Sofitel Saigon hosts Indian Food Festival
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14/09/2012 09:36:28
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Top chef Pascal Pochon at Sheraton Saigon
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14/09/2012 09:33:46
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Early Mid-Autumn color at D5’s ‘lantern street’
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14/09/2012 09:31:58
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Japanese, Taiwanese artists join city’s dan tranh gig
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14/09/2012 09:29:32
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Contours of history
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14/09/2012 09:24:55
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