Representatives from three Mekong countries - Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - met in

Siem Reap on June 26 and 27. They discussed ways to catch up with richer countries

such as Singapore and Thailand.

Masahiko Takeda, a senior advisor of IMF, said strengthening the banking system and

developing the legal systems would be the key.

The conference, Accelerating Development in Mekong Region, was organized by the International

Monetary Fund (IMF), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat

and the Cambodian government.