CSR Asia, Hong Kong
by Vijay Ramani
vramani@csr-asia.com
Poverty-reduction goals to be hit by global crisis
Global financial turmoil and rising domestic inflation will likely keep Cambodia from reaching its poverty-reduction target this year, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh has said, adding that a worsening economy has pushed more Cambodians below the poverty line with one percent of Cambodians - around 140,000 people - having fallen below the poverty line this year. Sok Sina, an independent economist, said fluctuations in global markets, along with inflation of around 25 percent, have had one definite impact on poverty in Cambodia. However, the Asian Development Bank, in an update of its 2008 economic outlook assessment released in September, presented a dramatically higher figure, saying, "preliminary evidence suggests that as many as two million people may have slipped below the poverty line, in addition to 4.5 million already in poverty". (The Phnom Penh Post, October 30)
Vigilant farmers keep eye on polluters
Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau have joined hands to fight firms causing “unacceptable” long term pollution. Residents say that the shrimp shell processing plant Duc Tai - renamed Quoc Thanh-Viet Trung Company - has dumped untreated waste containing high acid volumes into rivers and canals for about 13 years. Other firms including Hong Cam A, Kim Hong, SitoZang, Quoc Binh and Hung Nguyen in the province have done the same. For years, Nguyen and others have taken losses in aquaculture, suffered from nausea and vomiting, and woken up to the offensive smell of rotten shrimp shells from nearby processing plants. Local farmers have had to confront this kind of pollution by not using rain water, wrapping themselves from head to toe under blankets while sleeping, and moving dining tables all the time to evade the wind. (Thanhnien News, November 5)
ADB disappointed by use of aid
Officials at the Asian Development Bank have expressed disappointment at the conclusion of the distribution phase of its US$38 million emergency food aid project, saying widespread complaints about village officials indicate that the rice was not distributed fairly. Piseth Long, ADB's project implementation officer, told the Post Wednesday that the first phase of the project, which ended Wednesday in Siem Reap, did not fulfill its aims because of mismanagement on the ground. According to NGO groups, more than 1,000 poor families have complained to monitoring organisations, accusing village chiefs of registering only their relatives and political supporters. (The Phnom Penh Post, November 6)
Blame it on public apathy
It does not cost much more to build green buildings, just 2 to 6 per cent extra, but developers in South-east Asia are not inclined to construct them unless consumer demand catches on, said energy experts at a forum on environmental sustainability in Singapore. While some felt that fiscal incentives would motivate developers, Mr Parasu Raman, vice-chair of the World Green Building Council, was of the view that the demand for eco-friendly buildings should be market-driven. “It’s more effective if it’s market-driven by multiple stakeholders — tenants, businesses, consumers,” he said. “The role of government should be to set minimum energy benchmarks that will compel developers to build green.” (Todayonline, November 7)
‘Sickening’ film on plight of burmese migrant fishermen
A documentary film showing how Burmese seamen aboard Thai fishing boats are abused, beaten and even murdered is now available for viewing on the Internet. The 10-minute film, titled “Abandoned, not Forgotten,” was released on the official Web site of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITWF). General Secretary, David Cockcroft said: “This is a 21st century scandal, and everyone involved—including those who wittingly or not buy or sell fish products tainted by this horrible exploitation—must examine their consciences and act.” (The Irrawady, November 7)
Farmers get rich breeding wild animals
According to a report from the Forest Protection Department of Viet Nam (FDP), there are some 4,000 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – approved establishments raising 2 billion non-traditional livestock animals. Farmers are now raising 93 species of mammals, 78 species of birds, 54 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 105 species of invertebrates in danger of extinction, said Prof Dang Huy Huynh, former director of the Institute of Ecological and Biological Resources. Though many of these farms have participated in breeding endangered animals, their primary objective is to make money, not preserve wildlife. The national action programme on managing the trade of wild species plans to boost the planting and breeding of rare flora and fauna to combat poverty and protect the environment simultaneously. (VietnamNet Bridge, November 13)
Who’s responsible?
It was meant to be a refuge for rescued animals when it opened two months ago. But more than half the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) Wildlife Rescue Centre site in Singapore at Chua Chu Kang remains closed because of contamination. Tonnes of woodchips and petrochemical were allegedly dumped into a backfill by the main contractor. The backfill used to level a slope at the site had decayed, mixed into the soil and polluted the groundwater. Under the Environment Protection and Management Act, the penalty for discharging toxic substances into inland waters is a fine not exceeding $20,000. But the Subordinate Court yesterday gave ANA Contractors Pte Ltd a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after its lawyer argued that his client was not responsible for the dumping. (Todayonline, November 13)
Dead river
One of Long An Province’s rivers that originates in nearby Ho Chi Minh City has become an open sewer system for industries, threatening locals’ health and damaging farming. The district’s People’s Committee Chairman Pham Hong Kim said only 11 out of the 200 firms in the district had wastewater processing. Long An’s low-lying Can Giuoc and Can Duoc Districts are well-known black tiger prawn farming areas but the pollution from Can Giuoc river has wiped out many of the farmer’s prawn stocks. Some firms in Can Giuoc District said it was cheaper to pay environmental fines than build wastewater treatment plants - but only 11 fines totaling a paltry VND28 million (US$1,650), have been issued so far in 2008. (Thanhnien News, November 14)
Global HIV effort kicks off in Phnom Penh
Taking the opportunity to reach the millions of Cambodians visiting Phnom Penh for the Water Festival, the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) launched the first phase of a global effort to test one million people for HIV/Aids this week. Dr Chhim Sarath, the country program manager for AHF Cambodia, said the group, which operates 11 free Aids clinics around the country, has donated 20,000 testing kits to the government. The goal, however, is not just to test people, but also to raise awareness and teach people about the virus. In about a week, the testing push will expand into eight provinces. (The Phnom Penh Post, November 14)
Illegal forest clearings threatening hundreds of species with extinction
Forest clearing is threatening 236 plant species and 51 animal species in Kalimantan, Indonesia with extinction. Orangutans, owa monkeys and tarsius are the most endangered animals, increasingly losing their sources of food and water as forests are cleared for palm oil plantations. The number of animals, especially orangutans, is declining as fast as 9 – 10 percent a year. According to the Center of Orangutan Protection, if nothing is done to prevent this, around 8,400 orangutans outside the protected forest will disappear within three years. (Tempo Interactive, November 18)
Prohibitionists stop Thai Beverage listing
The Stock Exchange of Thailand decided to shelve its decision on whether to list Thai Beverage Plc indefinitely as thousands of monks, students and social activists celebrated the victory. Vichate Tantiwanich, a SET executive vice-president, told the protesters outside the exchange headquarters on Thursday that financial advisers for ThaiBev were unable to set an appropriate price for the local offering by the filing deadline. "As a result, the plan to list ThaiBev will be delayed," Mr Vichate said, adding the advisers had said market conditions were not conducive at this time. (Bangkok Post, November 21)
File photo of the Indian naval warship INS Tabar. A maritime watchdog said Wednesday that the Indian navy had attacked and sunk a Thai fishing trawler after mistaking it for a Somali pirate "mother vessel" in the Gulf of Aden.(AFP/Indian Navy/Ho/File) 
An Indian Navy picture shows an alleged pirate vessel burning after being hit during anti-piracy operations at sea in the Gulf of Aden on November 18. A maritime watchdog said Wednesday that the Indian navy had attacked and sunk a Thai fishing trawler after mistaking it for a Somali pirate "mother vessel" in the Gulf of Aden.(AFP/Indian Navy/Ho/File)
The French frigate Le Nivose leaves Djibouti harbour on its way to escort a convoy of commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden, November 25. A maritime watchdog said Wednesday that the vessel sunk by the Indian navy in the Gulf of Aden was a Thai fishing trawler and not a Somali pirate vessel as was first announced.(AFP/Eric Cabanis) 
