The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

via CAAI News Media

Gameweek 30 winner

Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:00 Dan Riley

SOME powerhouse performances from some powerhouse players made for a feast of high scores in the latest Post Fantasy league gameweek. However, a lone centurion both consolidated his position at the top of the table and claimed the weekly bounty of a $20 phone voucher and T-shirt from Cellcard. Jack Ellis with his team NorfolknChance bagged a brilliant 102 points, in no small thanks to Aston Villa’s James Milner as captain for 24 points as well as the terrifying trio of Rooney (13), Drogba (10) and Torres (19) upfront. Ellis now sits a formidable 63 points proud of the nearest rival at the summit of the league. But there are still eight riveting rounds left for the rest to catch up, beginning with gameweek 31 which has a transfer deadline at 6:30pm this Saturday.

$35m Canadia project

Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:00 Soeun Say

A US$35 million housing project next to Phnom Penh International Airport will be completed by early 2011 and is nearly full, despite the economic downturn, a Canadia Bank official said Wednesday. Construction of Airway Complex City, financed by the bank, began in early 2009 and sits on 6.5 hectares of land in Dangkor District’s Chom Chao Commune, said Sok Sambath, a project manager at Canadia Bank. The complex includes 192 flats, 65 three-story connected houses and 32 luxury villas directly across the road from the airport. “We have already sold about 90 percent, and most of my clients are Cambodian businesspersons,” said Sok Sambath, who is in charge of commercial housing and construction. Prices range from $90,000 for the least expensive flats to $300,000 for the most pricey villas, and the bank has established payment schedules between seven and 10 years.

Malaysia Airlines steady

Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:00 May Kunmakara

MALAYSIA Airlines suffered a slight decline in its Cambodian business in 2009, though it beat the industry average, as a company official said he sees business picking up this year. Malaysia Airlines saw a 2.6 percent decline in Cambodian passengers, a decrease from 43,855 in 2008 to 42,715 in 2009, Abdul Karim Md Isa, the company’s manager in Cambodia, wrote in an email Tuesday. “2009 was a tough year for the airline industry, and our operation in Cambodia was not immune from the global crisis,” he said. The airline managed to outperform other carriers operating in Cambodia, which saw a total decline of 10.3 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the Ministry of Tourism. At the same time, the number of Malaysian visitors dropped 3.7 percent. Malaysia Airlines, which began operations here in 1992, runs daily flights between Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur and thrice-weekly flights from Siem Reap to the Malaysian capital. The airline’s Cambodia manager said it might start flights to Sihanoukville International Airport.

WWF inks rattan guide

Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:03 Khouth Sophakchakrya

CONSERVATIONISTS hope a new field guide documenting some of the Kingdom’s many species of rattan will help make the domestic industry sustainable over the long term.

The rattan field guide, produced with research supported by the conservation group WWF, documents rattan species in 13 provinces. It is hoped people in the domestic rattan-producing industry will use the guide to learn the ideal places to plant correct rattan species to meet market demands, cutting down on wasted harvests.

“Currently, the Cambodian rattan industry cannot compete with other rattan-manufacturing countries,” said Michelle Owen, the conservation programme manager for the WWF in Cambodia.

The field guide is part of a project aimed at enhancing the Cambodian rattan industry and improve its competitiveness in what is estimated to be a US$4 billion global market.