37 Investment Projects Approved by CDC in February(2nd LD) Russia says in close communication with Seoul over detained S. Korean national

In February, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) approved 37 new investment projects with a total capital of almost US$1.2 billion. The update was unveiled in a press release made public on Mar. 12 by the CDC, adding that the approved projects are expected to generate 38,000 jobs for the locals. Most of the licenced projects are in the industrial sector, while the rest in the industrial and agriculture and agro-agriculture sectors, the source pointed out. The outstanding projects include the construction of a hydropower dam in Mondul Seima district of Koh Kong province and the construction of multi-purpose port and logistics centre in Kampong Leng district of Kampong Chhnang province. The establishment of data centres in Khan Daun Penh and Khan Russey Keo of Phnom Penh capital and the manufacturing of car tyres in Svay Rieng province are among the major investments on the approved list. Over 58 percent of the total investment is from local investors, 33.19 percent from China, 4.31 percent from Singapore and 4.09 percent from Vietnam. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse Russia is communicating closely with South Korea about the arrest of a South Korean national in Russia reportedly on espionage charges, and is considering allowing him consular counsel, its government official said Wednesday. The comments from Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman at Russia's foreign ministry, are the first official response from Moscow after media reports that the South Korean, surnamed Baek, has been held in a prison in the Russian capital since late February on spying charges. "We're in close contact with South Korea and considering granting the right to consular access," Zakharova said in a briefing. Zakharova declined to comment on Baek's charges, saying that it's a confidential matter. Her comments came hours after South Korea's top envoy to Russia, Lee Do-hoon, met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and requested the Russian government actively cooperate to ensure Baek's safety and protect his rights. The meeting took place at the South Korean embassy's request. Russia's TASS news agency reported Monday that the South Korean, surnamed Baek, has been held in the Lefortovo detention facility in Moscow since late February on charges that he handed over classified information to foreign intelligence agencies. It reported citing law information officials that a court extended his detention until mid-June. The foreign ministry in Seoul said it has been in communication with Moscow over the matter and has been providing necessary consular assistance to the South Korean national. Baek, a missionary with a South Korean Christian aid group named the Global Love Rice Sharing Foundation, was working in Vladivostok at the time of the arrest, mostly engaged in helping North Korean defectors flee and providing them with other assistance. The aid group rejected the spying charges against Baek and claimed he has been wrongfully accused. "Spying charges are either a misunderstanding, or have a political purpose," Lee Sun-koo, head of the foundation, located in Incheon, west of Seoul, told Yonhap by phone. Lee described Baek as a man who has been devoted to his job of providing basic needs like food, clothes and medicine to vulnerable groups and foreign laborers. "Suspicions that he helped with North Koreans' defection are all just outrageous," Lee said. Lee said the foundation will actively seek ways to get Baek released, starting with filing a petition calling for his release with the foreign ministry and the Russian Embassy in Seoul. Source: Yonhap News Agency