Citywide vice crackdown targets pornography at bubble tea shops

Photo by: Pha Lina

A couple shares drinks Tuesday at a bubble tea shop in Prampi Makara district. Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema has ordered that police inspect bubble tea shops believed to be serving pornography.

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 May Titthara

PHNOM Penh Governor Kep Chuktema has ordered city authorities to inspect bubble tea shops suspected of doubling as pornography theatres and drug dens, and Daun Penh district officials said they were also enforcing a crackdown on restaurants and bars that play loud music after midnight.

In a monthly meeting held at City Hall Monday, Kep Chuktema said illegal bubble tea shops – which have a dividing wall that prevents passersby from seeing pornography on show – were causing students to miss school and neglect their studies.

“The bubble tea shops that are divided by a wall not only cause students to miss school, but also can be drug-trafficking and drug-using areas,” he said. “Our authorities should go check and tell the shop owners to demolish [the wall].”

Sok Penhvuth, Daun Penh district’s deputy governor, said officials in his district were not just focusing on bubble tea shops, but also on discos, night clubs, karaoke bars and massage parlours that might be operating illegally.

“The bubble tea shops we will raid to inspect. If we see they have sex videos, we will close their business and bring them to court,” he said. “The shops that are divided by a wall, we will ask them to tear down [the wall].”

He added that authorities were also cracking down on businesses that were playing music after midnight and disturbing the peace.

“Normally people have the right to do business, but according to a Ministry of Interior order, discos or restaurants that have music should close at 12am if it interrupts people,” he said.

Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naruth said he had ordered bubble tea shops with a dividing wall to tear it down immediately or face closure.

“Some of the bubble tea shops can be operated by sex workers, drug traffickers and [be used as] a place for drug-taking, so we have to check and ask for licences,” he said.

A staff member at the Kiss Bubble Tea Shop, who asked not to be named, confirmed that she had received a letter from authorities ordering her to tear down her wall.

“In my shop though, I haven’t divided it with a wall, so I did not tear it down,” she said. “My shop respects the law.”

Chan Soveth, an investigator for rights group Adhoc, said he welcomed the crackdown on illicit bubble tea peddlers.

Authorities “should be clear with shop owners that a bubble tea shop is a bubble tea shop”, he said.

Mu Sochua plans to defy court

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy (centre) and Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua demonstrate outside Phnom Penh Municipal Court in July 2009.

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio and Meas Sokchea

SRP lawmaker could be held ‘criminally liable’ if she refuses to pay court-ordered fine.

AS the Supreme Court prepares to issue a final ruling today on defamation charges facing Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) lawmaker Mu Sochua, the politician remains defiant, repeating her earlier stance that she will refuse to pay any fines associated with the case.

In August, Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Mu Sochua guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and ordered her to pay 16.5 million riels (around US$3,975) in fines and compensation, a verdict that was upheld on appeal in October.

When asked this week whether she expected a similar verdict from the Supreme Court, Mu Sochua described the question as “rhetorical”.

“My earlier stance remains,” she said by email. “I have not committed any crime other than serving my constituency and being accountable to the voters who put their trust on the Sam Rainsy Party. Paying the fine is admitting guilt.”

Mu Sochua was sued by the prime minister after lodging her own lawsuit against him for comments he made during a speech in Kampot in April 2009. The SRP lawmaker, who is currently abroad in the United States, also pledged to return to Cambodia on April 16, regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“I do not and have never intended to run away, even if the authorities send a fleet of armed police,” she said.

“Instead of silencing the voices of dissidents, the leaders of Cambodia should think harder about the high price that the entire country is paying for this total lack of rule of law and neutral and independent judiciary.”

It is unclear what punishment Mu Sochua will face if she refuses to pay court-sanctioned fines. Government lawyer Ky Tech said the Supreme Court will hear Mu Sochua’s case in absentia, but noted that it was up to the judges to decide on what action to take to enforce their rulings.

“I leave the right for the court because for all decisions made by the court, the court is the enforcer,” he said. “If [the court] orders imprisonment a person must be imprisoned, if it orders them to pay money, they must pay money.”

Run Saray, executive director of Legal Aid of Cambodia, said the law normally allows for a period of 45 days for defendants to lodge an appeal against a court ruling.

However, for Supreme Court decisions, which cannot be appealed, there is no specific article – either in the UNTAC Law or the newly passed Penal Code – specifying how much time can lapse before fines must be paid to the court.

“We have very few cases that go to the Supreme Court,” he said, but added that according to the UNTAC Law, any person disobeying any court would be held “criminally liable”.

Chhoun Chantha, the deputy general prosecutor of the Supreme Court who issued the citation summoning Mu Sochua to appear, declined to comment Tuesday.

More fish killed near Kandal ethanol plant

Photo by: Pha Lina

A man retrieves dead fish from a farm on the Tonle Sap river Tuesday in Duong village, Ponhea Leu district, Kandal province. Villagers in Ponheu Leu estimated that 26 tonnes of farmed fish were found dead earlier this week.

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I DON'T WANT THE FISH OWNERS TO BLAME THE FACTORY RIGHT NOW.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Mom Kunthear

FOR the second time in a month, officials have launched an investigation after several tonnes of farmed fish were found dead near a Kandal province village roughly one kilometre away from a bioethanol plant that was briefly shut last year over environmental concerns.

Villagers in Ponhea Leu district’s Prek Phnov commune estimate that roughly 26 tonnes of farmed fish were found dead Monday morning.

The die-off came less than a month after 54 tonnes of fish were reported lost in a mass kill that some blamed on the plant, which is owned by the Korean group MH Bio-Energy.

Officials, however, have yet to point fingers in the most recent case, saying tests must be done on water samples first.

“I don’t know why those fish died,” said Keo Pitou, the Fisheries Administration chief in the district. “I cannot blame the factory, because we haven’t received the test results yet … I don’t want the fish owners to blame the factory right now.”

At this stage, villagers are also proceeding with caution.

The chief of the village, Chav Bun Thong, said villagers have seen no visual signs of a chemical spill in the water.

“My people are not yet strongly complaining,” he said. “They told me if they find that this was caused by the factory, then they will demand compensation.”

Yeang Hoeung, a villager from Prek Phnov’s Doung village, said he suspected his loss of roughly 8 tonnes of fish was caused by the factory, but that he wasn’t willing to make a judgment yet.

“I can’t say I’m 100 percent sure the fish died because of a chemical spill. I am waiting to see the results,” he said.

Photo by: Pha Lina

Villagers pull out dead fish Tuesday at a fish farm on the Tonle Sap river in Duong village, Ponhea Leu district, Kandal province.

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Previous concerns

In mid-March, authorities declared that the bioethanol plant was not responsible for the estimated 54 tonnes of fish that villagers had found dead.

Instead, an Environment Ministry spokesman blamed the deaths on climate change.

“There are no toxins in the river,” spokesman Sam Saroeun said at the time; however, oxygen levels in the water were found to be very low.

In September last year, the factory was closed for 11 days after villagers reported losing roughly 60 tonnes of fish.

Officials found that the facility was producing “bad-smelling liquid and gas waste”.

The company said there had been a spill caused by a broken water-treatment system and offered compensation to 53 families. But it insisted any liquid spilled into the river was toxin-free.

Previous concerns

In mid-March, authorities declared that the bioethanol plant was not responsible for the estimated 54 tonnes of fish that villagers had found dead.

Instead, an Environment Ministry spokesman blamed the deaths on climate change.

“There are no toxins in the river,” spokesman Sam Saroeun said at the time; however, oxygen levels in the water were found to be very low.

In September last year, the factory was closed for 11 days after villagers reported losing roughly 60 tonnes of fish.

Officials found that the facility was producing “bad-smelling liquid and gas waste”.

The company said there had been a spill caused by a broken water-treatment system and offered compensation to 53 families. But it insisted any liquid spilled into the river was toxin-free.

Police Blotter: 7 Apr 2010

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:02 Sen David

CHURLISH SIBLINGS FIGHT OVER FUNERAL

Two siblings have wound up in hospital following a vicious fight over who would pay for their father’s funeral. Police said the father of the two men died last week in Pursat province after he was struck by lightning. But his two sons bickered so fiercely over who would pay the costs of the funeral that, in the end, they did not even have a funeral for the family patriarch. Now, the father’s neighbours have agreed to hold the funeral. The neighbours said the two sons “are not good children”. Police officers said they plan to educate the pair – when they are released from hospital.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

ALLEGED THIEVES RIPPED OFF: VICTIM

Two alleged thieves have been arrested after they reportedly swiped a high school student’s motorbike in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district Sunday. The victim said she was robbed at gunpoint of her motorbike when she was leaving school. The victim said she agreed to hand over her wheels because she was thinking, “safety first”. Police officers caught the pair, but not before they sold the vehicle. The suspects admitted to stealing the motorbike and selling it for US$100 in booze money. The victim said the sale price was “cheap”; and that she originally bought the bike for $700. Police have sent the suspects to court.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

STREET JUSTICE FOR ALLEGED THIEVES

Two men accused of robbery were almost beaten to death by vigilante residents in Phnom Penh’s Prampi Makara district on Sunday, police report. The robbery victim told police she was holding her mobile phone in her hand when two men swooped by on a motorbike and grabbed it. However, witnesses somehow caught up to the men and started hitting them with rocks and staves. Police said the two men almost died before officers intervened and sent them to hospital. Police advised residents they should refrain from attacking alleged thieves, because they themselves could then be prosecuted by the law. Then the police returned the mobile phone to its rightful owner.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

MAN ARRESTED AFTER CONSENSUAL MURDER

Police in Banteay Meanchey province have arrested a man accused of murdering his wife – who reportedly agreed to be killed – in an incident that has left locals and officers heartbroken. Neighbours said the man asked his wife if she would let him kill her. She declined. But eventually, she could not stand the constant violence that came whenever she refused to cook rice, police said. So she agreed to let her husband hang her. The man is now in court.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Hun Sen fires forestry director

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Cheang Sokha and Chhay Channyda

PRIME Minister Hun Sen announced Tuesday that Ty Sokun, director of the Forestry Administration, has been removed from his post for failing to successfully crack down on illegal logging.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the premier said Ty Sokun had taken insufficiently swift action against logging offenders across the Kingdom.

“I think Ty Sokun has no more ability to resolve this issue. I’m beginning to despair ... [so] it is time to remove,” Hun Sen told an audience of several hundred government officials.

“If he is not removed, Ty Sokun would work until he died and still not resolve this problem. Ty Sokun, don’t feel disappointed – consider this a life lesson and try to work harder,” Hun Sen added.

Ty Sokun will be moved to the position of undersecretary of state at the MAFF, Hun Sen said, replaced as Forestry Administration director by his current deputy, Cheng Kimsun.

Ty Sokun said Tuesday that the chances for success in his former position had been limited, and that many illegal loggers have connections to rich men and high-ranking officials who threaten forestry officers.

“I am proud to have been given a new position by the prime minister, and I will make an effort to work harder to combat forest crime and illegal fishing and to support law enforcement,” he said.

Cheng Kimsun, the former deputy director of the Forestry Administration, said he was “surprised” by his promotion, and pledged to continue the

fight against illegal logging.

“My first job is to continue to combat illegal logging and find and arrest the perpetrators who are receiving bribes from the illegal loggers,” Cheng Kimsun said.

Cheng Kimsun will face the possibility of punishment and jail if he, too, performs inadequately, Hun Sen said Tuesday.

Ty Sokun was implicated in Family Trees, a 2007 report on the logging trade by the watchdog group Global Witness, which said that under his leadership, the Forestry Administration “played a key role in facilitating ... illegal logging and other criminal activities”.

“There is substantial evidence that [Minister of Agriculture] Chan Sarun and Ty Sokun have illegally sold 500 or more jobs in the Forest Administration,” the report stated, estimating that Ty Sokun had made hundreds of thousands of dollars from bribes paid to him.

Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said the sacking of Ty Sokun “comes as a bit of a surprise”, though he noted that it is of a piece with the government’s recent efforts to publicly crack down on illegal logging. Hun Sen issued a directive in January calling on government agencies to step up their efforts against the illicit timber trade, referring to its practitioners last month as “national traitors”.

“I think the prime minister is really waking up to this issue and realising he must tackle this problem in Cambodia,” Hang Chhaya said, though he added that Ty Sokun “should not be used as a scapegoat for the whole issue”.

“It’s systematic in the way these things operate,” Hang Chhaya said.

In his speech, Hun Sen warned that government officials who attempt to flee warrants for their arrest could face life imprisonment.

“You cannot hide or escape anymore,” Hun Sen said.

Ty Sokun said last week that since Hun Sen’s January directive, government officials had conducted more than 100 raids and collected more than 3,000 cubic metres of timber. He said that prosecutions are pending against more than 100 government officials and businessmen involved in the illegal logging trade, though military police spokesman Kheng Tito said Tuesday that only 14 people had been arrested as a result of the crackdown as of the end of March.

Three forestry officials were arrested in Pursat province last week for allegedly transporting lumber illegally into Koh Kong province, and four forestry officials in Kampong Cham province were questioned last Thursday in connection with a similar case.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA AND JAMES O’TOOLE

RCAF trades fire with Thais near PVihear

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Thet Sambath

THAI and Cambodian troops stationed along the contentious border near Preah Vihear temple exchanged fire briefly on Sunday, according to Cambodian troops, who say the incident was provoked by drunken Thai soldiers.

“The Thai soldiers started shooting first, and Cambodian soldiers responded,” said one Cambodian officer stationed at Phnom Trop, an area adjacent to the temple and claimed by both sides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment. He estimated that the exchange lasted for only a few minutes. Commanders from both sides, he added, “wondered who was shooting and why they were shooting”.

Yim Phim, commander of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Brigade 8, said Thai officials had apologised for the behaviour of their “drunk” soldiers and had pledged to discipline those involved.

“Now we have no problems because the Thai military commanders apologised for the shooting and promised to send those soldiers away from the front lines,” Yim Phim said.

Royal Thai Army deputy spokesman Veerachon Sukondhadhpatipak said Tuesday that he had not heard anything about the incident.

“Of course we’ll look into this matter, but right now I’m not aware of the situation,” he said.

Phnom Trop has been the site of tensions between Thai and Cambodian troops in the past. In January, commanders from the two sides met after their troops confronted one another in a disputed zone. In the aftermath of those talks, troops were pulled back to their respective sides.

Earlier in January, a series of brief skirmishes broke out near Preah Vihear temple, though no one was hurt and the two governments later said the incidents stemmed from a “misunderstanding”.

Despite tension along the border, RCAF troops in the area are planning celebrations with their families for the upcoming Khmer New Year holiday, complete with food and dancing.

“They can enjoy and be happy, but we are still on alert all the time,” Yim Phim said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE

Court sentences three in ’09 abduction case

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Chrann Chamroeun

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a Cambodian couple and a Korean man to three years in jail each for the unlawful removal of a 17-year-old girl, who was drugged and delivered by the couple to the Korean man’s hotel room in July 2009.

Yoo Bong Hwan, 38, was arrested on July 18, 2009 at a Korean hotel in Phnom Penh following a complaint by the victim’s family. The Supreme Court decided on December 31 to release him on bail after he had been denied release by the Appeal Court.

Yoo Bong-hwan, who was convicted in absentia after failing to appear in court Tuesday, was originally charged with rape and unlawful removal with a purpose.

However, the rape charge was dropped during a hearing on March 26, and the latter charge – which would have carried a maximum penalty of 15 years – was reduced to simple unlawful removal under Article 9 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. The Cambodian couple’s charges were also downgraded to unlawful removal during Tuesday’s hearing.

Judge Lim Makaron sentenced the Cambodian man, Theng Kimsreng, 35, and his wife, Buth Vicheka, 25, to three years in prison, starting from the date of the couple’s arrest last July. However, he announced that two years of the woman’s sentence would be suspended.

The judge told the court that the couple had promised to find a job for the underage girl at a casino in Svay Rieng province, but had instead drugged her with sleeping pills and transferred her to Yoo Bong-hwan’s hotel room, where he allegedly raped her.

The three perpetrators of the crime were also ordered by the court to pay the victim’s family a total compensation of US$3,000, he added.

Samleang Seila, country director for Action Pours Les Enfants, a children’s rights organisation, applauded the outcome of the case Tuesday.

“The court’s conviction was acceptable because it carried the maximum sentence against the Korean man and Cambodian couple,” he said.

However, he added that it was not consistent for the Korean man to be released on bail while the Cambodian couple was kept in prison pending the trial.

Group bashes seizure of legislator’s property

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:04 Meas Sokchea

THE Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) has condemned last week’s clearing of a 3-hectare plot of land in Siem Reap province claimed by Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay, saying the move was “of dubious legality and amounts to an act of intimidation of the opposition parliamentarian”.

Last Thursday, more than 100 police, military police and demolition workers destroyed three homes while clearing the land, which Son Chhay has said he purchased in 1995.

Son Chhay has said that the Apsara Authority plans to turn the land over to Sok Kong’s Sokimex Group for a hotel development. Apsara Director General Bun Narith has said that the land falls in an Apsara conservation area and is slated for tourism development.

In a statement released Tuesday, the CCHR said that Son Chhay had not been sufficiently compensated for the land – the lawmaker has said that he received US$0.50 per square metre – and that a hotel development “serves no clear public interest as required by Article 5 of the Land Law and Articles 2 and 4 of the Expropriation Law”.

“Another disturbing feature of the land expropriation is the implicit intimidation of a SRP member through the courts of Cambodia,” the statement reads. It called the case one in a “series of incidents in which members of the SRP have been the victims of a judicial system subordinated to the Royal Government of Cambodia”.

Market eviction aborted

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:03 May Titthara

POLICE and military police on Tuesday abandoned attempts to forcibly evict vendors from Psar Snoeng in Battambang province’s Banon district, after almost 100 shop operators protested outside the market, the demonstrators said.

Bun Thet said that around 15 police officers arrived early Tuesday morning to remove vendors and conduct demolition at the site, but ditched their plans after seeing the protesters.

Vendors have been given two notices to leave the site, though deadlines have passed without incident.

Authorities say the site needs to be closed for a highway upgrade, and have suggested vendors move to a new privately owned market site.

Hun Sen orders destruction of reservoirs near Tonle Sap lake

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:03 Khouth Sophakchakrya

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has ordered authorities to destroy manmade reservoirs around the Tonle Sap lake and ban farmers from raising crops and animals in the surrounding ecologically sensitive flooded forest areas.

The government last year ordered that all reservoirs surrounding the lake be destroyed, but relented after local farmers pleaded with authorities to allow them to cultivate rice for one more dry season. On Tuesday, Hun Sen ordered authorities to proceed with dismantling any remaining reservoirs.

“Now, it is time for us to recheck these problems and take measures to destroy the water reservoirs,” Hun Sen said in a speech Tuesday, the final day of an annual Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries meeting.

Farmers say the reservoirs are needed to irrigate their crops.

Hun Sen acknowledged that a ministry report released Tuesday showed that the reservoirs boosted crop yields, with farmers enjoying a yield of 5 tonnes of rice paddy per hectare this past dry season – the national average is just above 2.6 tonnes per hectare, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

However, the premier said authorities must weigh the short-term gains against longer-term environmental damage . Authorities say the reservoirs impact fish habitats, jeopardising a resource that represents the Kingdom’s main source of protein.

“I cannot accept any explanation that will lead the water in the Tonle Sap lake to be become shallow in the future,” Hun Sen said.

Water resources have also become an issue for Cambodia and its neighbours along the Mekong River.

Some conservationists have said that dam projects in China are responsible for unusually low water levels this year.

However, Hun Sen, who returned this week from a summit of the Mekong River Commission in Thailand, reiterated the position of Cambodian authorities that the low levels have been caused by “global climate change”.

“They should blame the angel or God, not China,” Hun Sen said in his speech.

Ratanakkiri farmers to file complaint

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:03 Thet Sambath

FARMERS in Ratanakkiri province plan to file a complaint today with the rights group Adhoc, protesting what they deem excessively high compensation payments demanded by a rubber plantation owner who has accused the farmers of letting buffalo run wild on plantation land.

Yoeung Hampil, a 36-year-old farmer from O’Chum district, said five of his buffalo and seven belonging to another farmer had been caught on a rubber plantation late last week, and that the owner of the plantation demanded US$1,300 in compensation.

He said he struck a deal to give the owner two buffalo – which the owner valued at $600 each – and $100 in cash, but that the payment was too high.

“I do not want to pay, but I was forced to,” he said.

Adhoc provincial coordinator Pen Bonnar, who is processing the complaint on behalf of the farmers, said such cases were on the rise.

“The habits of tribal people and all the new farms are coming into conflict, and it will get worse if a solution is not found,” he said.

Provincial governor Pav Ham Phan said he was not familiar with the case, but that the payment was too high.

The owner of the rubber plantation could not be reached for comment.

Trio freed after striking deal with reporter

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:03 Kim Yuthana

A BANTEAY Meanchey Provincial Court prosecutor has dropped charges against three people who allegedly injured a reporter while he was researching a story on illicit gambling, after the accused agreed to pay an unspecified amount of compensation and apologise publicly to the victim, court officials said Tuesday.

“We dropped the charges against the three people after reaching a mutual reconciliation between the victim and Vong Tho, a reporter for Rasmey Kampuchea newspaper in Banteay Meanchey province, and the three accused on April 1,” court prosecutor Tan Seyhak Dechak said.

“I followed the request from the plaintiff and defendants after they reached a reconciliation and asked me to lift the charges against the three suspects and free them before the Khmer New Year celebration,” he added.

On March 1, as he was researching an article about illegal gambling in Poipet commune’s Kbal Spean village, Vong Tho was confronted and allegedly beaten by Nging Trem, 49; his son, Lim Hy, 16; and his wife, 48-year-old Lim Lang.

The reporter has said that Nging Trem was operating a gambling ring in the area and wanted to prevent the story from being made public.

Vong Tho said Tuesday that he agreed to withdraw his complaints against the three suspects Thursday after they offered to pay compensation and issue a public apology in the form of a letter.

“I agreed to get the apology and compensation from the suspects after they have already served one month in pretrial detention and they were begging me,” he said. He did not divulge the amount of financial compensation granted in the settlement.

On March 2, the Club of Cambodian Journalists issued a statement decrying the attack on Vong Tho, saying violence against reporters was a serious violation of press freedom.

New rules anger SReap vendors

Photo by: Rann Reuy

Market vendors at Psar Leu sit under umbrellas at their stalls on Tuesday after protesting against new restrictions, including one that bans the use of umbrellas before 11am.

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Siem Reap Province

VENDORS near Psar Leu protested outside the office of the market owner on Tuesday, claiming that restrictions intended to facilitate traffic in the area – including one that prohibits them from opening umbrellas until 11am – are harming their business.

Y Mao, a 41-year-old vendor who participated in the protest, said the restrictions had been in place since late February, when more than 100 vendors stationed in front of the market were relocated, a move officials said was necessary because the vendors were impinging on a nearby road.

She said she believed authorities were looking to force remaining vendors out as well. “They want to evict us, but we have refused to go, so they have forbidden us from opening umbrellas,” she said.

Other vendors said the owner, who could not be reached on Tuesday, had deployed extra security guards to ensure that they were complying with the regulations.

Oeun Pov, deputy governor of Siem Reap town, said he was unaware of the restrictions, but that officials were working to “improve order” ahead of planned road upgrades. “We will pave the street,” he said, and added that spaces for vendors would be clearly demarcated following the upgrades.

UN clears local troops for duty in Lebanon

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:02 Sam Rith

THE United Nations has approved a contingent of at least 200 troops that is set to join the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, a move that would mark the Kingdom’s first foray into Middle East peacekeeping, officials said.

A UN delegation began observing the troops on Saturday, said Sem Sovanny, the director general of the government’s Institute for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines and ERW (explosive remnants of war) Clearance.

“The UN came to check our preparedness to fulfill the mission in Lebanon,” Sem Sovanny said. “On the first day, they introduced themselves and explained why they came to Cambodia. On the second day, we introduced ourselves and talked about our preparedness. And on the next day they checked whether we had fulfilled the conditions – including whether we had enough forces, and whether we had vaccinations and passports and so forth.”

Suong Khunny, the deputy director general of the institute , added: “Then the UN said OK.”

Suong Khunny said the contingent would be composed mainly of engineers but would also include a handful of de-miners. He said he believed the mission would begin in July and last for about a year, though he noted that those details had not been finalised.

The UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon was established in 1978 and tasked in part with confirming Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The operation’s mandate was expanded following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War.

Cambodia has previously participated in peacekeeping missions in Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic, a fact Prime Minister Hun Sen touted in a statement dated April 4 and released yesterday, citing the Kingdom’s participation as “evidence of the solidarity and peace of Cambodia with other nations all over the world”.

Insurance revenue lifts off

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Vehicle wrecks sit behind Phnom Penh Municipal Police headquarters in July as they are held until drivers and insurance companies complete paperwork and payments.

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:01 Nguon Sovan

Insurers say business is surging again after last year’s decline

INSURANCE premium revenue for the entire industry grew 19 percent in the first two months of this year and is forecast to grow around 20 percent for all of 2010, the Kingdom’s insurance association reported Tuesday.

Chhay Rattanak, chairman of the General Insurance Association of Cambodia (GIAC), told the Post on Tuesday that, according to figures provided by all of the country’s insurance firms, the industry’s premium revenues grew to US$3.8 million in January and February, up more than $600,000 from the same period last year.

Premium revenues grew 11 percent for insurance on automobiles, 10 percent for fire and 16 percent for personal accident, Chhay Rattanak said. Revenues dropped 22 percent for maritime insurance and 48 percent for worker compensation.

“We saw good recovery in almost all businesses,” he said. “And there have not been any dramatic changes in claims trends in the first two months.”

Chhay Rattanak estimated that for the first quarter, the market would grow up to 20 percent, with 20 percent growth to continue throughout the year.

Larger insurers said Tuesday they had seen double-digit climbs in quarterly premium revenue.

“We have increased by 20 percent in premium revenues so far,” said David W Carter, CEO of Infinity General Insurance Plc, declining to disclose premium levels. “This is in line with our budget forecast, and we expect to achieve this trend for the rest of the year.”

Growth came from current clients purchasing more coverage as well as new clients, he said. More revenue came from construction premiums, as a number of projects got underway.

“We are seeing an overall improvement in business conditions and a greater acceptance in the market of Infinity as a strong and reputable insurer,” he said. “This would take us to second position in the market, out of a field of six players, by the end of 2010.”

Forte Insurance (Cambodia) Plc, the Kingdom’s largest insurer in terms of premium revenues, saw growth of around 20 percent the first quarter.

“The growth came from all businesses – food processing, hotels, construction, autos – except garments,” Forte’s general manager, Youk Chamroeunrith, said. “Premium revenues from the garment sector slightly dropped, as not many new factories came in and some existing ones scaled down or closed.”

Cambodian National Insurance Company (CAMINCO) reported growth in premium revenues of 40 percent in the first quarter, to $551,000.

Main premium revenue increases came from insurance for vehicles and home and garment industry fire, CAMINCO Managing Director Duong Vibol said, adding that claims increased as well.

“There were a lot of claims in [the first quarter], especially accidents of passenger buses,” he said.

Cambodia has six insurance companies, with one reinsurer supporting the market.

Total premium revenues for 2009 were $20.07 million, a 2.86 percent drop from 2008.

Govt to cap foreigners’ stakes in properties

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Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:01 Soeun Say and Bejan Siavoshy

GOVERNMENT officials are considering a limit on the amount of property a foreign investor can own, by reinstating a cap that was withdrawn from landmark legislation passed Monday.

Under the Foreigner Property Ownership Law, non-Cambodians can now own residential property, as long as it is not on the ground floor and not within 30 kilometres of an international border.

Nonn Pheany, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction told the Post Tuesday officials were considering a sub-decree that would limit the percentage of property a foreigner can own.

A previous draft of the property law contained a provision that foreigners could not own more than 49 percent of a property, but that cap was dropped from the final draft.

A percentage limitation is “ideal to put in a sub-decree, but that figure could be more or less [than 49 percent] depending on the situation and location of the property”, Nonn Pheany said.

Having a limit in the law itself, which would not be easy to change, would not stimulate foreign investment, a main reason for the law, she added.

“I don’t really know why the 49 percent limitation was put into the law in the first place if the idea ... is to pump in foreign investment,” said Matthew Rendall, of Sciaroni & Associates, a law firm that helped draft the law.

Sub-decrees can easily be changed, and as the number of foreign property investors grows, a percentage can be increased to meet demand, he added.

Office rent prices continued slide during Q1

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:01 Soeun Say

OFFICE rental prices continued to tumble in the first quarter of the year, dropping as much as a third from the end of 2009, according to figures from a national assessor’s group.

“I think the prices have continued to fall because the supply for office space for rent is much more than the demand,” Keuk Narin, general manger of the Bonna Realty Group and secretary of the National Valuers Association (NVA), told the Post Tuesday.

The prices are likely to continue to fall through the rest of the year, he said.

The NVA estimates that the best Grade A office space now rents for US$20 to $25 per square metre per month, down $10 from the final quarter of 2009. Grade B rentals now go for $7 to $11 a square metre, a drop of around $3. Grade C data are difficult to gather, as most of these properties are independently owned and operated.

Khoun Davy, finance manager for the Delano Business Centre, said Tuesday the asking price there was $15 per square metre per month, but that the centre was considering lowering the price because nobody’s interested.

“It’s so quiet,” he said. “It’s hard to attract clients to rent our space. We’ve had 70 percent of our renters from early 2009 until now. We’ve still got 30 percent [empty].

“We’re preparing next month to decrease the price from $15 to $8 per square metre per month,” he said. “The location is good. It’s probably the best location in Phnom Penh.”

Office space continued to sit empty with many new developments in the first quarter.

According to NVA figures, the Icon Professional Centre on Norodom Boulevard had rented only 26 percent of its space. The Delano Business Centre, on streets 134 and 169, filled 70 percent at $15 per square metre per month. And the Attwood Business centre, near Phnom Penh airport, was reporting 61 percent occupancy.

Other companies reporting occupancy to NVA included: Canadia Tower at 28 percent in February; Bo Retra, 78 percent; Paragon Office Building, 25 percent; and Premier Office Centre, 68 percent.

More established properties reported better occupancies, such as the Intelligence Office Centre, which is 89 percent full, Hong Kong Centre at 91 percent, the Phnom Penh Centre with 96 percent and B-Ray Tower, which was also nearly full.

Despite the falling prices, Daniel Parkes, country manager for CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), said Tuesday that his company was optimistic demand would grow in the longer term.

“Demand will continue to grow in coming years from existing occupiers within the Phnom Penh market looking to upgrade their premises and business image, and also from new entrants from abroad,” he said.

Grade A office space is likely to continue to decline, Parkes added, as demand over the next five years increases.

CBRE has previously estimated that there will be demand for 200,000 square feet of office space by 2013, nearly double the existing space, as businesses look to upgrade offices and the economy grows, creating new companies.

Rice production on the rise

Photo by: Uy Nousereimony

Workers pile rice for storage at a Phnom Penh rice processing plant on March 22. Cambodian rice dealers are hoping to continue boosting surplus stocks in a bid to raise exports.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:01 Chun Sophal

Nation produced 7.58m tonnes last year, 5.7pc more than 2008-09, govt reports

CAMBODIA produced 7.58 million tonnes of paddy during the 2009-10 farm year, an increase of 5.7 percent over last year, according to formal statistics released Tuesday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The Kingdom grew 2.33 million hectares of rice, yielding 6 million tonnes of paddy in the wet season, and 380,000 hectares for 1.58 million tonnes of paddy in the dry season, according to the figures.

The Ministry of Agriculture said Cambodia could have 3.5 million tonnes of paddy left over for export, a 10.75 percent rise on the 3.16 million tonnes left over last year.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the closing of an annual agriculture conference Tuesday that the year’s success in paddy output helped ensure food security and lessen the impact of the global economic crisis.

“We will continue to promote productivity of the agricultural sector to reach its top potential to enlarge ... economic growth,” Hun Sen said.

Cambodia plans to raise yields to as much as 3 tonnes per hectare by 2012 to increase exports of processed rice to international markets.

The Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday that Cambodia could have as much as 2.24 million tonnes of rice for export, after farmers brought in 2.83 tonnes of paddy per hectare this year.

Meas Sopheavy, head of the statistics office at the ministry, said Cambodia will be able to raise paddy production in coming years by making farmers modify growing techniques and use pure seeds.

“Under these measures, we hope Cambodian farmers will be able to harvest higher paddy yields in the coming years and will be able to meet the demands of both local use and export,” Meas Sopheavy said.

In the farming year 2008-09, Cambodia grew 2.61 hectares of rice, an average paddy yield of only 2.74 tonnes per hectare.

Yang Saing Koma, president of the Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture, said farmers can increase both paddy production and sale price.

“When paddy price is increasing like this, we hope that farmers will take this opportunity to produce more rice, if in the future the government can get enough expansion of irrigation systems for them,” he said.

The Supreme National Economic Council said last month that Cambodia could produce as much as 15 million tonnes of rice paddy, leaving 8 million tonnes for export.

Economic analysts say the Kingdom’s farmers can improve their livelihoods if the country can further penetrate the competitive international marketplace.

However, rice millers and other industry insiders say the quality of processed rice remains low, keeping Cambodia out of a market that has proved lucrative for neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.

PM says oil giant must produce

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:01 Cheang Sokha and Ellie Dyer

PRIME Minister Hun Sen warned Tuesday that US energy giant Chevron could lose rights to explore offshore interests if it does not produce oil by the end of 2012.

Speaking at the closing of a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries conference, the premier said the Cambodian government has ordered Chevron to get petroleum production under way or face termination of its contract.

“We have set [a deadline for] the Chevron company to reach oil production by the end of 2012; otherwise we will cancel the contract ... [if] negotiation has not been reached,” Hun Sen said in front of several hundred government officials gathered at the Faculty of Agriculture, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Chevron owns a 30 percent stake in Block A, a 4,709 square-kilometre area in the Gulf of Thailand. Lying about 120 kilometres from shore, the concession is widely considered Cambodia’s best chance of pro-

ducing energy within the next few years.

The government first awarded contract-sharing agreements covering Block A in August 2002 to energy companies Chevron, Moeco Cambodia Co and GS Caltex.

Chevron initially owned a 55 percent stake in the concession, but the multinational is believed to have sold a 25 percent stake in the block to Singaporean-based company KrisEnergy in February.

Production deadlines have routinely changed since operations started on the block, which Chevron officials described in February last year as a “complex reservoir” that posed a “challenge”. However, following Hun Sen’s warning, Chevron has been keen to emphasise its willingness to cooperate with the government.

“We are aligned with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s desire to see production from Block A as soon as economically possible,” Chevron spokesman Gareth Johnstone told the Post by email Tuesday.

“The first oil date is reliant on a successful exploration programme, and is dependent on achieving key milestones,” he added.

Johnstone did not to elaborate on what such milestones could be and did not comment on whether the 2012 deadline was a realistic target.

Over the past 12 months, the relationship between Chevron and the government has been the cause of much speculation.

It took months of negotiation for a deal on Block A exploration rights to be renewed after a previous agreement ran out in April last year, prompting speculation that Chevron may pull out of Cambodia.

Johnstone said Tuesday that the extension deal, reported by the Post in January, was drawn up for an undisclosed sum in exchange for an obligation to drill three exploratory oil wells.

According to Chevron’s annual report for 2009, the extension runs “to the third quarter 2010”.

“Information gained from the drilling program is expected to provide improved definition of the resource in the block,” Johnstone wrote. He added that Chevron is continuing to evaluate the “commerciality” of its Cambodian prospects.

Chevron’s overall financial performance has suffered as the economic crisis caused oil prices to plummet last year.

In January, the company posted fourth quarter earnings of US$3.07 billion, down 37 percent on the previous year.

An interim update on its first-quarter earnings is due Thursday.

New film delves into history and practice of bokator

A still image from Daniel Perrier’s film Une Breve Histoire du Boxkator shows students in training at the Bokator Academy of Phnom Penh.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:00 Sorn Sunsopheak

Phnom Penh

A DOCUMENTARY film on the ancient Khmer martial art bokator, formally known as labokator, will be screened tonight at the French Cultural Centre (CCF) in Phnom Penh.

The 50-minute film, titled Une Breve Histoire du Boxkator (A Brief History of Bokator), was directed by Daniel Perrier, a French artist and instructor at the School of Fine Arts in Nantes.

Perrier shot footage for the documentary during a previous visit to Phnom Penh, and now he is back for an extended stay to take part in a series of art projects at CCF.

The artist said he became interested in bokator after he met San Kimsean, a coach of the martial art, in August 2008. The more Perrier learned about bokator from the coach, the more intrigued he became.

“When I came to Cambodia I met San Kimsean by chance, and as we talked he told me about labokator,” Perrier said. “I knew about martial arts like kung fu and judo, but now I have learned about labokator. I think it is not only a martial art, but also the art of self-defence with real tactics.”

According to oral tradition, bokator dates back to the ninth century and was used to fight enemies on the battlefield. Legends say the technique was created by Khmer farmers who lived near the forest and had to learn to fight wild animals with weapons and bare hands – thus the various bokator techniques that mimic the movements of animals such as tigers, horses and crocodiles.

As an artist, Perrier was not interested in making a traditional documentary. Though the film does deal briefly with the history of bokator, it mostly focuses on different aspects of the training process. Using long, unedited shots of students learning basic movements at the Bokator Academy of Phnom Penh, the director allows the viewer to meditate on both the beauty and the rigour of the sport.

“I wanted to document an old Khmer practice, but I also wanted to show how they can re-create information when there are so few teachers,” he said.

“Labokator originated in the ninth century … but under the Pol Pot regime most of the next generation of practitioners were killed. So now there are very few young people involved, and the expert trainers are too old,” he said.

As a result, Perrier said, the coaches have invented a “new process of teaching” in which even intermediate-level practitioners are drafted to teach novices.

“I was really interested by this way of teaching. If they wait for an instructor, an old one with experience, they will be waiting for a long, long time because labokator is a very complex art. The progress is step by step by step,” he said.

Perrier said he made the documentary with very little money, using only a small video camera.

He added that he plans to sell copies of the documentary on DVD for US$25, with $20 going to support bokator students in training and $5 to fund his next video project.

“Next summer I also plan to bring students from France to collaborate with students in Cambodia to learn more about labokator under the sponsorship of the MAC/VAL Museum in Paris,” he said.

Une Breve Histoire du Boxkator will be screened tonight at 7pm at the French Cultural Centre, 218 Street 184, in Khmer with French subtitles.

Battambang season wraps up

Photo by: Sam Schweingruber

Kanniah (right) from the G-Girls teams converts her penalty against the Battambang Rangers in the U14 Girls final Saturday at Battambang’s Institute of Technology field.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 15:00 Sam Schweingruber

The ANZ SALT Academy youth football season reached its exciting conclusion in Battambang Saturday, with finals in four categories deciding team standings

Battambang

Battambang’s Institute of Technology hosted the thrilling conclusion of the ANZ SALT Academy youth football season Saturday. More than 35 teams had been competing since November last year in 9-a-side games played across half pitches, with the top 16 teams playing Saturday to decide the final standings in each of four age categories.

For players from teams that didn’t make the cut, a fun 5-a-side competition was also organised, with the Corner Crown side triumphing in the U17 division while members of the Tschrey team sealed victory in the U12s by means of a penalty shootout.

The first of Saturday’s grand finals featured U14 girls playing at lunchtime. The G-Girls looked physically stronger but the young girls from the SOS Children’s Village, also known as the Battambang Rangers, displayed superior technical skill and a nice short pass game.

Minutes before half time, the Rangers keeper booted the ball against her own defender to concede an unlucky own goal. The G-Girls seemed in control, and capable of holding onto their slender lead with the Rangers failing to create any clear cut chances. However, with 3 minutes left on the clock Nou Sokhieng stunned everyone with an unstoppable left foot strike to level the scores, and force the game into penalties.

It was a day for the keepers, with only Golden Boot winner Srey Kanniah of the G-Girls successful with her spotkick to bring tears to the SOS girls and send the G-Girls into song and dance.

In the U12 boys final, the Catholics boys faced the BB Rangers from the SOS Children’s Village. During the season, the Catholics had dominated, but the Rangers were prepared to fight for every ball and focused on eliminating any mistakes.

Photo by: Sam Schweingruber

Rven Tschomrak (front) scores a penalty during the U12s final to spark wild celebrations from the Catholics team.

Catholics striker Oum Vesna - the season’s Golden boot winner with 17 goals - almost secured victory for his side with a last minute attempt, but it ended 0-0 in a poor reflection on the excitement of the match.

For the second time Saturday, the Rangers team showed weakness from the spot, this time losing 4-3. Catholics’ Rven Tschomrak surprised himself with one of the goals for his team in his first ever penalty in competition. “I was so nervous before I shot because I didn’t want to be the one responsible if we lost,” he said afterwards. “For me I never wanted to shoot, but the coach decided for me. Now I feel so happy because we won and in the future I will volunteer to shoot a penalty again.”

The U14 boy’s competition featured yet another team from SOS Children’s Village. Their boys displayed some fantastic skill against the team nicknamed Jerusalem, but despite having the majority of possession and creating some good chances, it was Jerusalem’s Nut Tschomnan who netted the winning goal. His shot from outside the box took a wicked deflection off a defender, but it proved decisive as the team celebrated their victory to grant the SOS camp their third straight runners-up placing.

The final game of a high engaging season didn’t disappoint. Just minutes into the U17 boys final, the Catholics team created a superb chance, but Kew Samnang failed to convert in front of the Jerusalem goal.

The very same player made amends near the end of the half, heading in from a corner kick to leave Brum Den in goal of Jerusalem not the glimpse of a chance.

The second half was crammed full of action. A Jerusalem striker was clearly shoved whilst going for a header, and the referee had no choice but to award a penalty and show a yellow card to the guilty defender. A heated debate followed, and much to everybody’s surprise, the Catholics defender was then dismissed with a second yellow.

Long Piseth eventually stepped up to convert the spotkick and equalise for Jerusalem. The Catholics found themselves a man down and under a lot of pressure for the remaining 15 minutes.

A superb couple of stops by Jerusalem’s Brum Den kept things even to ensure the third final of the day would be settled from the penalty spot. And it was Brum Den who emerged as the hero, saving two Catholics attempts to help his team to clinch the title and Jerusalem’s second.

During the closing ceremony address, Sam Mary from the provincial government stressed the importance of developing young people into mature athletes and leaders and thanked SALT Academy for their ongoing efforts in Battambang. She also praised ANZ Royal – the official sponsor of the youth league – for their contribution to the local community before presenting the four trophies to the victorious sides as well as various other prizes.

With so many young players now involved in sporting activities in the Battambang area, including learning important life skills on and off the field, everybody could look back on a hugely successful season with pride and the knowledge that the future for these kids looks brighter than ever.