Thais return beggars and labourers

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:04 Tep Nimol

ABOUT 700 Cambodian beggars and migrant labourers were repatriated from Thailand through Koh Kong and Banteay Meanchey provinces on Monday, government officials and rights workers said.

Provincial monitors from the local rights group Adhoc said Thailand deported 357 Cambodians via Koh Kong province, and between 300 and 400 through Banteay Meanchey province.

“They sent back the workers and beggars because they want to clean up Bangkok and maintain social order,” said Ouk Vantheth, an Adhoc monitor in Koh Kong. “Our beggars in Thailand affected their social order.”

Khun Mara, deputy director of the immigration office at Koh Kong’s Cham Yeam border gate, said the group had been detained for one week in Thailand before being returned to Cambodia.

“They transported them like animals in the cages and threw them away at the border,” Khun Mara said of the Thai authorities, adding that Cambodian officials had the deportees thumbprint a statement vowing that they would not return to Thailand.

Soum Chankea, Adhoc provincial coordinator in Banteay Meanchey province, said a similarly large group of migrants had been repatriated through the Poipet border gate.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the deportations were a normal implementation of Thailand’s immigration law, and unrelated to recent diplomatic tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.

“It’s similarly applied to all countries and nationalities,” Panitan said, adding that Thailand had received “very good cooperation” from Cambodia in the repatriation process.

Thai officials say the deportations aim in part to reduce human trafficking, though some rights advocates say deportees are not being properly screened to determine whether they are eligible to stay in the country.

Chhea Manit, director of the Poipet Transit Centre, said Tuesday that Thailand had deported 16,253 Cambodians via the Banteay Meanchey border thus far in 2010, after returning 91,268 in 2009. She called on the Cambodian government to address the issue by developing employment opportunities within the Kingdom.

The deportees “migrated to Thailand because they could not find domestic jobs and they don’t have land for farming or capital for business”, she said. “The government should encourage investment in factories along the border to prevent the migration of people to neighbouring countries.”

Chan Sambath, director of Koh Kong’s Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Office, said the government was doing its best to help poor migrants but had limited resources.

“We do not have the budget to give them vocational training, but we have cooperated with NGOs in providing taxi fees to send them back to their hometowns,” he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE

Dredgers in Preah Sihanouk operate despite export ban

Photo by: Sebastian Strangio

A sand-dredging boat, the Ulan Bataar, shown off the coast of Sihanoukville earlier this month.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:04 Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio

AT least five sand-dredging boats have begun mining operations off the coast of Koh Seh (Horse Island) in Preah Sihanouk province, an official said Tuesday, in an apparent violation of a sand-export ban ordered by Prime Minister Hun Sen on two occasions last year.

One local source, who did not wish to be named, said the boats belonged to a China-based company and began dredging in the area in November. Sboang Sarath, Preah Sihanouk provincial governor, confirmed on Tuesday that a Chinese company had received a licence from the government to dredge and export sand close to Koh Seh.

“It is true [that there is a Chinese company dredging sand], but the company has a legal licence from the government, which was issued by the Ministry of Water Resources,” he said. He added that he could not remember the name of the company, which is operating in cooperation with local firms.

But Mao Hak, director of the Department of Hydrology and River Works at the Ministry of Water Resources, said that only 21 local companies were licenced to dredge in Cambodia’s coastal areas, and that foreign companies were not involved.

“We allow [companies] to export sand dredged from [sea] areas where it can replenish naturally,” said Mao Hak, who is also a member of the Sand Resource Management Committee, an inter-ministerial committee set up in the wake of a sand-export ban ordered by Hun Sen in May and July last year.

Local rights activists said they were not aware of the Chinese company operating off Koh Seh. However, Cheap Sotheary, Adhoc representative in Preah Sihanouk province, said that dredging could seriously impact marine ecology, since the best sand is often buried 10 or 20 metres below the sea bed.

Mom Noron, director of the Stung Hav district Coastal Area Association, said Stung Hav was so far free of dredging operations, but he also raised concerns about their impact, saying they hurt biodiversity and fisheries resources. “We will stage protests if there is sand-dredging in our area,” he said.

Thomas J. Goreau, president of the US-based Global Coral Reef Alliance, said he was not familiar with Cambodia’s coastal ecology, but added that dredging very often has a deleterious effect by stirring up silt and mud that is then carried “enormous distances” by the current.

“This directly smothers marine organisms that can only clean themselves of a limited amount of sediment,” he said by email.

“Eventually they die of exhaustion because the amounts exceed the energy they have to keep themselves clean.”

HRP president to visit inmates in Svay Rieng

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:04 Meas Sokchea

HUMAN Rights Party (HRP) President Kem Sokha said Monday that he intends to visit two villagers jailed in Svay Rieng province, and organise the payment of fines levied against them for the destruction of temporary border markers in October.

On January 27, Svay Rieng provincial court sentenced the two villagers – Meas Srey, 39, and Prom Chea, 41 – to one year each in prison on the charge of destroying public property along with Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) head Sam Rainsy, who was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison.

The three were ordered collectively to pay 55 million riels ($13,253) in compensation for the removal of the six border markers.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kem Sokha said that on a recent visit to the United States, Khmer immigrants had asked him to help the two villagers, promising to put up the money to pay the fines. He said his visit to Svay Rieng was set for Thursday.

“I will go to meet with the victims’ families to aid them and help resolve the issue for both victims. The HRP will be paying for lawyers and all compensation payments – the HRP will be responsible for everything,” Kem Sokha said.

Kem Sokha told the Post on Tuesday that he would travel to Svay Rieng alone, and that his visit would conform to prison regulations. “If anyone prohibits me from entering the jail to visit [the jailed villagers], it means that he does not respect the law,” he said.

Prach Rim, Svay Rieng provincial police chief, confirmed Kem Sokha had every right to visit the villagers.

Meanwhile, Kimsour Phirith, acting spokesman of the SRP, lauded Kem Sokha’s kindness towards the jailed villagers, saying his visit would demonstrate that democratic opposition parties were willing to help each other out.

“I think Kem Sokha does not seek to profit from his action,” he said. “I would like to appeal to more generous people to help because this is also an idea that the SRP has had for a long time.”

Riverfront renovation on schedule

Photo by: Rick Valenzuela

Chan Youkto, 55, who lives near Kandal Market, fishes Tuesday off blocks placed along the Tonle Sap riverbank near Street 118.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 Kim Yuthana and Cameron Wells

DEVELOPMENT of Phnom Penh’s Tonle Sap riverfront, in particular a flood-prevention system, is proceeding on schedule, according to officials from the city’s Department of Public Works and Transport.

“We can almost say that we completed the project before the deadline,” Department Deputy Director Meoung Sophan said, adding that, so far, everything had gone to plan.

“Our remaining job is just to renovate the parks.”

The project was begun to help protect Phnom Penh against flooding, as well as reduce any residual damage, including erosion, caused by seasonal deluges. The banks were built over and covered with concrete cubes, which bear the brunt of waves and prevent the soil below from being washed away. Gardens are also being landscaped to beautify the riverfront.

According to the plan, the construction – contracted to Japanese company Kubota – started in October 2007 and was set to be completed by March 15 this year at a cost of 2.15 billion yen (around US$2.4 million).

Som Samoth, chief of the Parks and Plants Unit of the department, was unable to specify a date when the gardens would be completed.

The manager of Cadillac Bar and Grill on Sisowath Quay, But Reaksha, said the nearly complete developments were improving her business and would be worth the wait.

“It’s very good for our business because customers, they sit out in the front and they can see the garden. It’s more beautiful than before,” she said.

“Before, they couldn’t sit outside because there was [only] dirt.”

She said the restaurant opened in April 2008, just six months after the riverside development began. The construction had not affected the number of customers, she added, as only Cambodian street vendors had been relocated by the development.

“Before [construction] our business was so-so; now it is good,” she said. “It’s a good idea at night because more families that stay here can go [to the riverside] and bring their kids.”

Tonle Sap boat owners protest change in tour-booking system

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Kim Seng, 31, and his wife, Bu Samall, 27, wait for their boat, The Butterfly, to be hired at the boat rental queue along the riverfront on Tuesday.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 Chhay Channyda

A GROUP of boat owners is preparing to lodge a complaint against a new association that was created to streamline the booking of trips on the Tonle Sap, accusing it of cutting off direct access to customers and charging unnecessarily high fees.

The Association of Phnom Penh Water Tourist Transport was formed late last year and began operating last month. Previously, customers could book tours through individual boat owners, but now they must contact owners through the association.

Boat owners are required to give the association US$3 for each trip. Hourly rates for the boats typically fall between $20 and $40.

Kim Seng, the owner of one of the 31 boats that operates on the river, said five boat owners would soon file a formal complaint with the association and with City Hall.

“We want the association to allow us to take our clients, as they have booked with us over the phone,” he said.

Eng Ponlork, assistant to the association’s director, defended the new system, saying it had cut down on the “anarchy” that had resulted when tourists and other prospective clients descended on the riverside to book tours, often attracting multiple boat owners offering varied rates.

“The aim of the association is to manage the riverside boats to create order, not to encourage tourist anarchy,” he said.

Another boat owner, who declined to be named, said the price increase resulting from the fee required by the association would discourage Cambodians from booking boat tours.

“For foreigners, the fee is okay for them. They bring money to spend,” he said. “But our local people complain that it is expensive, and we cannot make any money.”

Police accused of assaulting women in raid

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 Tep Nimol

TWO women in Banteay Meanchey province have filed a complaint against three military police officers who they say committed indecent acts against them during what police have described as a drug search.

Pum Theoun, 55, said the three military police officers arrested her and another woman and, once they were in custody, ordered them to strip before sexually assaulting them.

“I asked them many times why they were doing it and what I did wrong, but they did not say a word to me,” she said.

She added that she filed a complaint with the rights group Adhoc on Monday because the commune chief had taken no action when she reported the incident soon after it took place on January 30.

“I decided to file one more complaint to Adhoc to find justice for me. I need those military police to pay the two of us 5 million riels (US$1,196) for compensation and for them to be sentenced through the law,” she said. “They violated my rights, and I will try my best to complain about them in order to save my honor.”

Oum Phearith, provincial deputy director of the military police, said Tuesday that the three men had already been disciplined because they had failed to report the arrest. But he added that the two women were suspected drug traffickers, and that the search had been routine.

“We followed those women for a long time because it was reported that they trafficked drugs,” he said. “It is because of the carelessness of the three officers that we did not see any drugs when they checked.”

Soum Chankea, an Adhoc coordinator in Banteay Meanchey, said he was investigating the case.

“I will try my best to find justice for [the two women] because I don’t want those people to do this to other women next time,” he said.

Over 45,000 garment jobs lost

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 Sam Rith

Factory closures far outstripped openings last year, Ministry of Labour reports

AT Least 106 garment and shoe factories were closed last year, mostly because of a slump in Cambodia’s key export industry, forcing more than 45,000 workers out of employment, Ministry of Labour figures showed late Monday.

Oum Mean, secretary of state at the ministry, said that 66 additional factories had suspended operations over the same period, temporarily affecting an additional 38,124 workers.

“At the same time, we also saw 48 new established factories that employed 16,886 workers,” he said, adding that the government trained 40,000 unemployed garment workers in agriculture up to October.

It was unclear what percentage of closures were factories that had been hit by the global economic crisis – which prompted a 15.8 percent slide in Cambodian garment and apparel exports last year – and how many had closed and immediately reopened to benefit from tax breaks, reportedly a practice that happens frequently in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Labour said at the end of September that 130 garment factories closed or suspended operations in Cambodia in the first three quarters, meaning an additional 42 factories had shut down from October to the end of December.

Just over 30,000 garment workers were made redundant last year up to the end of September.

Figures from the government showed a smaller closure rate than those by the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, a body that represents workers’ rights across different sectors.

President Chea Mony said late Monday that according to union data 135 garment and shoe factories had closed since the start of the global economic crisis in Cambodia, around August 2008, causing 78,000 workers to lose their jobs. Most redundancies had been in the garment industry, he added.

“I am concerned that workers have increasingly been losing their jobs … it is the government’s duty to address this,” said Chea Mony.

Oum Mean said the government inspects every factory in the Kingdom to calculate its employment data.

“We have not finalised the figures [for closures and job losses in January and February] yet,” said Oum Mean.

“But we have hope for 2010 because ... we see that the garment sector is stable.”

Evidence so far has suggested that openings and closures were about the same, he added.

A representative of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) told the Post last week, however, that the sector is far from recovery.

Speaking after the release of Ministry of Commerce figures that showed an annualised 0.2 percent drop in garment and apparel exports in December, GMAC Secretary General Ken Loo pointed out that shipments were still down after dismal figures for the last quarter of 2008.

He added that anecdotal evidence for January and this month suggested the situation has yet to improve.

The Ministry of Labour’s report of extensive job losses in the garment sector comes as unions have threatened strikes and put pressure on GMAC to consider a rise in the industry minimum wage of US$50 per month, a move factory owners say is unfeasible given the continued slump.

GMAC said last week that it would look into the issue of wages, which unions said last year should be raised to more than $90 per month based on living costs in the capital.

US warship in Sihanoukville

Photo by: Photo Supplied

The USS Patriot, from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, sits at anchor in the port of White Beach, Okinawa. The ship and its crew are set this week to hold joint training exercises with the Royal Cambodian Navy.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 Jacob Gold

THE USS Patriot, an Avenger-class countermeasures vessel from the US navy’s 7th Fleet, made port in Sihanoukville on Monday to begin a week of joint training exercises with the Cambodian Navy, the fifth such visit by a US vessel since military-to-military interaction between the two nations resumed in 2006.

“Every visit is new, because each ship brings along its own unique capabilities,” said US embassy spokesman John Johnson. He added that this week’s disaster-preparedness exercises, including drills to counter on-ship fires and other emergencies, will mark the first time that the Cambodian Navy has received training in such areas from the US Navy.

According to a February 12 statement released by the US Embassy, “The bilateral training exercises will focus on damage control, search and seizure and at sea rescue techniques.”

“In addition”, it added, “naval surveyors who are also travelling on the ship will assist their Cambodian counterparts in taking side scan surveys of the port area to check for possible obstructions in commercial shipping lanes.”

The US-assisted survey comes as the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port gears up for a year aimed at recovering from revenue losses in 2009, which saw Cambodia’s crucial garment exports drop sharply amid the global economic downturn.

Phnom Penh Water misses target for 2009

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 May Kunmakara

Utility reports annual revenues $1 million under expectations

REVENUES at Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) increased by about 5 percent year on year in 2009 but remained under target, said officials.

Representatives from PPWSA told the Post Tuesday that unaudited revenues for 2009 reached more than US$25 million, from an audited $24 million in 2008, ahead of a scheduled initial public offering on Cambodia's new stock exchange later this year.

Officials said that the growth was parallel with the enlargement of its network to the outskirts of the city, but remained below expected 2009 revenues of $26 million.

In 2009, PPWSA attracted 12,000 new customers out of its planned target of 15,000.

“We saw our revenues increase last year, but, we didn’t achieve our planned growth,” said Ros Kim Leang, chief of accounting and the financial department at PPWSA. “The low revenue was due to the global economic crisis, which affected customer consumption and led some factories to close in the commercial and industrial sectors – which are our big customers,” he added.

Ros Kim Leang explained that the company was also affected by network expansion to areas where customers pay low prices for water. An ordinary customer uses up to 7 cubic metres per month, and pays 550 riels ($0.13) per cubic metre. Production costs are around 900 riels ($0.21) per cubic metre.

Ros Kim Leang said that leaks also slowed revenue, although PPWSA had improved performance. He said that last year, PPWSA recorded lost water volumes totalling about 5 percent of supply in 2009, from over 6 percent in 2008.

Despite its below-target performance, PPWSA is on-schedule to pay back its loans, Ros Kim Leang said.

PPWSA has received loans from its development partners worth around $28 million which it is scheduled to repay in 2013.

“We just repaid the first phase of loans to the World Bank,” he said. “We don’t have any problem with repayments so far, because we have $26 million cash in hand.”

Currently, PPWAS can produce about 280,110 cubic metres of water per day in its three water treatment stations in Phnom Penh. It serves 180,000 customers in the capital — representing 90 percent of the city's population and some districts in Kandal province.

Kampong Speu village accuses official of corruption

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:03 May Titthara

AROUND 100 villagers protested in front of the Kampong Speu provincial governor’s office Monday, demanding their village chief be dismissed amid allegations of corruption.

The group, from the Daek Phleung village in Samrong Tong district, told the Post that since Chab Chhon was appointed village chief in September 2009, he had been pocketing profits from the sale of public land, a claim he vehemently denies.

“As the village chief I only act to protect the interests of my villagers,” he said, denying the land had even been sold.

“If they accuse me of selling land, they should please have some evidence, because a land title can only be signed by the commune chief and the district governor,” he said.

A representative of the villagers, Chhuong Veasna, said he believed the land had been sold to an unknown Chinese factory for an unknown amount, and that the village chief had kept the cash.

“We want a village chief who helps people and who is not corrupt,” he said. He also threatened to “protest in front of the prime minister’s house in Phnom Penh” if the villagers’ demands were not met.

Hem Lev, representing Ralaing Kroeul commune, defended the village chief, attributing the protests to jealousy and power struggles.

“There are some powerful people in the village, and they want to make a problem with us,” he said.

Diarrhoea death reported

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Tep Nimol

A 28-year-old man has died and six more young people are seriously ill with diarrhoea in Kampong Leng district, Kampong Chhnang province, a local source said Tuesday.

District Governor Mean Eang Ly said no cases of cholera have been confirmed in his district, and that he is focusing on educating people about how to prevent the spread of diarrhoea.

Meanwhile, diarrhoea cases seem to have decreased in Kampong Speu province after health officials implemented education campaigns in the area, director of the Provincial Health Department Or Vanthan said Tuesday. “There are still some patients coming to hospital, but not many and their diseases don’t seem so serious,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation figures, there were over 8,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea recorded in Cambodia in January 2010.

New plant to generate power from rice husks

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Chun Sophal

BVB INVESTMENT Company is set to build a US$21 million rice husk-fuelled power plant in Kampong Thom province later this year, its president has said.

The plant would make BVB the first company in Cambodia to produce biofuel on an industrial scale from rice husks, according to the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy.

BVB President Duong Vibol told the Post on Tuesday that the power station planned for Steung Saen district would be capable of producing 10 megawatts of electricity for rice mills and consumers in Kampong Thom province. Construction is due to begin in seven months, he added.

“We hope that a power plant, which will use 20 tonnes of rice husk [a day] to generate electricity, will come into operation next year. Electricity generated by the plant will be sold to local consumers at a cheap price,” he said.

Planned distribution

According to the company’s business plan, 2MW of the electricity generated by the plant will be supplied to rice mills, 6MW will be distributed wholesale to dealers, and the remaining 2MW will be used as reserve power, said Duong Vibol.

Tun Lean, director general of energy at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said that using rice husks to generate electricity is a good idea, as it would have no negative impact on the Kingdom’s environment.

Earlier this month, BVB Investment confirmed that it had put $10 million towards building a new rice mill in Kampong Thom capable of processing 30 tonnes of rice per hour for export.

Police Blotter: 17 Feb 2010

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Tha Piseth

MEN TOSS ROCKS AT AMOROUS POLICEMAN

A 22-year-old military police officer was injured after five men threw rocks at his head while he was talking to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. Police said the gang was ridiculing the victim as he was sitting with the girl at the riverside in Takhmao on Sunday, dancing mockingly and throwing rocks.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

NEVER BRING STICKS TO A KNIFE FIGHT

A 30-year-old man allegedly attacked two of his relatives in the head with a knife after they assaulted him with sticks in Dangkor district on Saturday. Police said the three men had already been drinking when the two relatives asked the man to buy more beer. The man refused, as he didn’t wish to drink any more. The two relatives then started beating him with sticks, prompting him to grab a long knife and chop them.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

TWO DIE IN HEAD-ON NEW YEAR’s CRASH

Two men died instantly on Sunday after being involved in a head-on motorbike collision in Pursat province. Police said the men were driving in opposite directions from their villages during Chinese New Year celebrations. The bikes were impounded and taken to Kandeang district police station.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

GANG KILLS MEMBERS OF SMALLER GANG

Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued arrest warrants for a group of gangsters accused of murdering two 25-year-old men. Police say the two men were also gangsters in Stung Meanchey’s Russey village, and that they clashed with the group when they were drunk. They were unable to defend themselves from the larger gang because they didn’t have any weapons, police said.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

DANCE PARTY COMES TO BLOODY FINISH

Police in Kandal’s Kien Svay district arrested a gang of seven people accused of killing a 22-year-old man and injuring two others during a clash on Sunday. Police said the two groups were dancing at a venue in Prek Treng village when an argument broke out.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Bringing whisky to the masses

Photo by: ITH SOTHOEUTH

Workers bottle Baroso whisky at the company’s bottling plant in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey commune. After a year in business, the firm has grown sales to 7,000 cases per month, says Founder Prak Ponlork.

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We wanted Khmer people to know what whisky is, from its taste to its quality.

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via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Jacob Gold and Ith Sothoeuth

Local brand employs a foreign face to tap into Cambodia’s competitive budget spirits market

INSIDE BUSINESS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THOUGH they may not know his name, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians were introduced to Canadian Ryan Plaumas last year and maybe even had a few drinks together. That’s because Plaumas – a former Cambodian resident and friend of firm founder Prak Ponlork – is the human logo for Baroso Whisky, the uniquely-branded debut spirit of Phnom Penh-based EVL WiskCam Enterprises (EVL).

Since it hit the Kingdom’s shelves in January 2009, Baroso has earned the right to its mascot’s more-suave-than-thou expression.

According to EVL’s President Prak Ponlork, the company sold 500 cases of Baroso whisky in its first month on the market. As of January 2010, monthly orders have reached 7,000 cases each month and are continuing to climb.

From only a handful of retailers in Phnom Penh and among Prak Ponlork’s expat contacts in Battambang, EVL now sells directly to shops and distributors in Siem Reap, Pursat, Takeo, Kampong Speu and Kampong Cham provinces as well, with an eye toward eventual nationwide market presence.

From the tilted glass of its debonair mascot to the moment that inspired its origin, EVL’s Baroso Whisky was a brand built one sip at a time.

Prak Ponlork first encountered Scotch when he attended a joint military training seminar in Australia during his days in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. After a few wild nights with his new Australian buddies, he knew that one day he would “bring whisky to Cambodia”, even if Baroso resembles Scotch more in terms of its style rather than substance.

“We wanted Khmer people to know what whiskey is, from its taste to its quality. Right now, we are priced to accrue market share,” Prak Ponlork said.

So, how did a bout of Scotch-fuelled rowdiness in Australia turn into a US$2-3 bottle of 40-percent-proof rice whisky?

For that, look to EVL’s Vice President Seat Kim-Eang, a longtime friend of Prak Ponlork’s, whose technical work for a French winery afforded him the know-how and industry contacts to assemble the Baroso distillery in Stung Meanchey commune, Meanchey district, Phnom Penh. The centre is where the whisky is bottled, labelled and packaged. It also holds the company offices upstairs.

Throughout 2008, the pair experimented to develop the flavour of Baroso as well as earn safety approval from the Ministry of Industry, which gave them the green light in June.

By January last year, they had their whisky. Now they only needed customers.

With only six employees and a shoestring budget, EVL’s staff took their product directly to the people, riding around Phnom Penh on a motorbike giving out samples to potential buyers.

“At first it was hard. The shops said they didn’t need another bottle taking up space,” said Prak Ponlork.

But after tasting the product and noting the price, several carriers said “yes”. The distribution network continued to grow, largely by word of mouth and unrelenting footwork.

Now, Baroso advertises with outdoor signs and spot ads on television, the radio and in print. The highest spending for ads goes to TV spots during big kickboxing matches on Cambodian stations.

Nonetheless, it is the two faces of EVL – Prak Ponlork and Mister Baroso – that keep the brand growing.

Western look

Prak Ponlork says that the choice of a Western man to symbolise the liquor was deliberate.

“Khmer people are fascinated by something new, especially with Western things, so we decided to make this bottle interesting for them,” he said.

With its busy one-house workshop, which now employs over 40 people and uses recycled glass bottles, EVL is expanding. This January, it launched the E&L Single Label brand, which at $1.50 per bottle is even cheaper than Baroso and aimed at capturing a wider rural market.

Part of the reason that Prak Ponlork wanted to roll out a second brand just one year after launching a first one, he said, is the fun of going head to head with the lower-tier brands and outcompeting them. At the same time, he is nervous about what will happen when the demand for his products outstrips his current operation.

“The hardest thing about this business is not selling the whisky, it’s finding the capital,” he said. “We can’t take out a large enough loan because we have no land to use as collateral. We welcome any companies that want to invest and cooperate with us to make us bigger.”

Women left behind amid global crisis

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

This file photo taken in 2009 shows women working in a Phnom Penh garment factory. The sector was badly hit by the global economic crisis, forcing many women to find employment elsewhere.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:02 Sarah Ireland

YEAR 2010 will be a year of challenges for Cambodia. We all know about the effect of the global economic downturn. In Cambodia, the four main pillars of the economy – garment, construction, tourism and agriculture – have been affected. Businesses cut spending. Jobs were lost.

People migrated to other areas to look for work. And some went back to work in agriculture. Women in export-oriented and service industries are particularly vulnerable after overseas demand plummeted with eroding consumer confidence in American and European markets.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, as many as 63,000 Cambodian garment factory workers, or 18 percent of the total industry workforce, lost their jobs from September 2008 to May 2009. Many of them are women who had to go back to the farm sector only to find that there was nothing much to do at home because there was no rain for their rain-fed agriculture. The annual floods and Typhoon Ketsana that hit parts of the country late last year damaged thousands of hectares of rice crops in the last harvesting season and made their return to the farm sector a nonviable coping mechanism for many women.

Now the world economy is picking up, slowly but steadily. Governments across the world continue rolling out stimulus packages to fight unemployment and boost growth. Investor confidence started growing. There is hope that Cambodia’s economy will follow the same pattern. That is good news.

Here’s the bad news: Very few measures and policies are really designed to help poor people weather the economic storm, especially women who are the most vulnerable and affected by the turmoil and yet instrumental in the recovery.

Oxfam’s research and interviews with women in the region show that despite the positive outlook, the road to recovery is still bumpy, and there’s a long way to go, especially for women working in export-oriented industry in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, whose main incomes rely on overseas demand.

According to the new World Bank report titled Global Economic Prospects 2010, the global recovery is still fragile and the fallout from the crisis will change the landscape for finance and growth over the next 10 years. It has estimated gross world product to grow 2.7 percent this year and 3.2 percent in 2011, a slight increase from 2.2 percent in 2009. In developing countries including China and India with robust recovery, the figure is expected to be around 5.2 percent this year and 5.8 percent next year, and much lower for developed countries.

For Cambodia, this means we cannot expect an overnight recovery, as we depend on demand from developed countries. In 2009 Cambodia suffered from a decreased export of garments, with negative growth in the sector, whereas Bangladesh and Vietnam have been exporting more garments than last year. The country should re-examine its competitiveness in the industry.

Sadly, it is always poor people who are hardest-hit and the last to recover from an economic crunch.

Since women workers generally earn little more than a minimum wage, they are able to save less. And because women are the majority of workers in export-oriented and service industries, they are more vulnerable to job loss and wage cuts than men in times of economic crises.

Some might think a family should not suffer much if a woman loses her job since her spouse earns more money anyway, but the fact that women spend more of their money on children, household goods and daily expenses compared with men means the loss is more serious.

And despite their majority and crucial roles in managing family income and ensuring everyone’s well-being, there were very few loan projects that granted the much-needed money to these women on the ground to rehabilitate their livelihood.

In urban areas of Cambodia, many women have sought new incomes through multiple jobs, some in the informal and entertainment sectors. In many cases, these options were taken after borrowing money. This livelihood disruption occurs across the region. Research and interviews with women workers in Southeast Asia by Oxfam has confirmed this. Complaints such as, “I was able to pay my loan but the interest ruined me”, “I scrimp and save and walk to the market”, “It’s much more difficult to find jobs in the cities, so everyone has to come home even if there’s nothing for us here” or “We have to budget all the time to have enough for even necessities” are all too common when you talk to them.

Questions abound as to why their governments have overlooked them or failed to set up specific programmes or measures that addressed their needs. Most governments in the region have also ignored the gendered impact of the crisis.

It is also worrying that many companies have used the crisis to hasten moves to a more “flexible workforce”, giving them less secure pay and conditions through shorter, temporary contracts. An Oxfam study in 2009 found that a small number of factories in Cambodia closed and reopened suspiciously for tax holiday purposes. Many employees were made to work without social security.

Studies around the world have suggested that active participation of women is necessary to deliver clear, practical and gender-balanced measures. Communities in which women play an active role in decision making and resource management showed a strong resilience against crises. And that should be our goal.

This one isn’t the last crisis. The key lesson from this is that governments must focus on how to create a sustainable economy with social welfare for poor men and women. We must also ask how durable this recovery is and whether it builds resilience or reduces vulnerability to future shocks.

The crisis has given an opportunity to ask this question: Have we wasted the chance of reform? Have we promoted women’s roles in speedy recovery and shaped a sustainable economy enough? If not, it is about time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah Ireland is regional director of Oxfam Great Britain. She was country director in South Asia for a few years before moving to Southeast Asia in 2007.

Heng Samraing sees bout decision upheld

Photo by: Yeun Ponlork

Heng Samraing had an appeal against his CTN tourney loss Sunday denied by a committee.

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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:00 Chhorn Norn

A committee assembled Tuesday morning at CTN’s headquarters, after 65-kilogram tournament fighter Heng Samraing contested his points decision loss to Him Saray Sunday. The meeting was headed by CTN Director of Sport Ma Saray and attended by officials from the Cambodian Amateur Boxing Federation.

Heng Samraing complained that the judges should have scored him the winner, while also citing local newspaper Koh Santepheap’s article on the fight which had misreported him to have suffered a cut above his eye when in fact it was his opponent who had ended the fight bloodied.

After some deliberation, including a review of a recording of the fight, Ma Saray announced that the committee had decided not to overturn the decision.

Heng Samraing’s coach Prum Sophea, who revealed it was his first-ever review meeting, refused to agree with the decision of the judges and committee but was resigned to accept the matter as closed. “The rice has already been cooked, it cannot return back to being raw,” he said, quoting a popular Cambodian proverb.

Teams advance to semis

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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:00 Ung Chamroeun

LOCAL amateur football sides Sovatepheap Gaz and Phnom Penh Computer booked their place in the Football For All tournament semifinals after victories Saturday. Sovatepheap Gaz – third in last year’s competition – defeated Senate Team by a solitary goal, and Phnom Penh Computer emerged victorious from a thrilling 4-3 encounter with Phoumin Khmer. Semifinals will play out February 28 at Olympic Stadium, with Sovatepheap Gaz facing Chamcar Nonong, and Phnom Penh Computer up against reigning champions Flying Motor Shop.

Johnson & Johnson heiress Libet Johnson loses custody of Cambodian boy she has been raising

Lionel Bissoon and Libet Johnson have been battling for custody of a 7-year-old boy from Cambodia.

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BY Katie Nelson

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, February 16th 2010

An heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune won't get to keep custody of the Cambodian boy she has been raising, New York's highest court ruled Tuesday.

Libet Johnson - sister of Jets owner Woody Johnson and aunt of dead socialite Casey Johnson - has been batting her diet guru ex-boyfriend for custody of William, who is now 7.

Johnson and Lionel Bissoon initially spotted the boy in a Cambodian orphanage back in 2003. They brought him back to New York so he could be treated for a heart ailment and started to raise him together.

While still a couple, Bissoon got permission to adopt William through the Cambodian government in 2004. But he backtracked the next year and asked for the right to be revoked.

As the couple's relationship went sour, a bitter custody battle ensued. Both Johnson and Bissoon wanted the right to adopt little William.

In 2006, Johnson tried to secretly adopt William through New York courts without telling Bissoon. She also didn't disclose a stint in rehab, court document say.

The former flames pushed their fight all the way to New York's highest court, which today sided with Bissoon.

Bissoon should get the boy because he validly adopted William in June 2004, the Court of Appeals said, despite the request for revocation.

Johnson "should not have been allowed to adopt [William] without notice to the person who was [William's] father under Cambodian law," the ruling said.

William has lived with Johnson for his entire life, including during the bitter proceedings, and will continue to do so, according to the court decision.

"[Bissoon] has no intention of removing the child from the only home he has ever known," the court ruling said.

knelson@nydailynews.com

Fundraising event to benefit Sharing Foundation

Courtesy photo.Children at the Roteang Orphanage pile on Dr. Nancy Hendrie, president of The Sharing Foundation, which supports the school and other programs in Roteang, Cambodia.

Courtesy photo.Children at the Roteang Orphanage in Cambodia wear their school shirts.

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Lexington — Room at the Table is sponsoring a fundraising event to benefit The Sharing Foundation on Feb. 27 from 6-8 p.m. at Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC, 55 Coolidge Ave., Lexington.

The Sharing Foundation was founded in 1998 by Dr. Nancy Hendrie, a retired Concord pediatrician and the foundation's president. Today it serves more than 1,500 Cambodian children each day through its many ongoing programs, one of which is the Roteang Orphanage. The proceeds of Room at the Table's event will help to feed, clothe, educate, and provide medical care for the children of this orphanage.

Other educational programs of The Sharing Foundation include a Montessori-based preschool, Khmer literacy and English language programs, high school and college student sponsorships, a farming cooperative, a computer school, and a sewing school. Additional projects include efforts to provide clean water, school uniforms for street children of the village, sponsorship of handicapped children in their own homes, and large immunization outreach efforts.

Ninety-one percent of every dollar donated supports the Sharing Foundation's programs in Cambodia.

At the Feb. 27 event, there will be a slideshow and cultural exhibit, as well as an opportunity to purchase items such as tote bags and purses — all sewn by Cambodian young women. As always, children are welcome and there will be special craft projects for their participation. Entertainment will be provided by LHS a capella group Rock Paper Scissors. A meal prepared with authentic Cambodian recipes from Bopha Samms' Cambodian Stir Crazy restaurant in Pocasset will be served. There is no admission charge, but donations equivalent to a restaurant meal are suggested.

For more information, call the church office at 781-862-0357.

In 2010, Officials Who Use Their Positions to Extort Money from the People Will Not Be Tolerated – Tuesday, 16.2.2010

http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

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Posted on 16 February 2010.

The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 652

“Phnom Penh: The firm position of the Phnom Penh Municipality in 2010 is not like that in 2009; it will not allow dishonest officials to keep on committing bad activities towards the people. This was declared by an official during the convention in the morning of 15 February 2010 to reflect on the work during 2009, and to determine the targets for 2010; the meeting was chaired by the Phnom Penh governor, Mr. Kep Chuktema.

“During this annual convention, Mr. Kep Chuktema advised all civil servants and all armed personnel to continue to be strictly honorable towards the people, so that they have confidence and trust in the services provided, though previously, some officials used the opportunity of their positions to extort money from the people. But now, he warned, saying that officials doing such bad activities will no longer be tolerated.

“The governor went on to say that only by obeying discipline and with heightened responsibility can the efficiency of the work and its results increase. He added, ‘Considering 2009, Phnom Penh can be proud for having cooperated well with each other, effectively deploying our forces to prevent and intercept crime, the activities of gangs, the illegal use of weapons, gambling, human and sex trafficking, and drug related crimes.’

“He continued to say that in 2010, what remains to be done is to focus more on such issues as public order, car parking facilities, traffic jam, illegal construction sites, and violations of the regulations regarding the use of pedestrian’s sidewalks. Also, he shared the information that Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen had ordered the Phnom Penh Municipality to create ties with the Intervention Brigade 9 of Division 3, stationed at the battlefield in the Preah Vihear area. ‘It is a new obligation for all of us to support the battlefield which is a great pride for the people in Phnom Penh.’

“During the convention, the Phnom Penh governor delivered a new car the Tuol Kork district command station, as a reward for its previous hard work.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.18, #5127, 16.2.2010

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

High Court Upholds State Courts' Determination of Cambodian Adoption Issue

Judge Robert S. Smith
image: Rick Kopstein/New York Law Journal

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Joel Stashenko

New York Law Journal

February 17, 2010

ALBANY - New York courts, not Cambodian government agencies, should resolve the custody claims of two New York residents over a Cambodian-born boy who has lived in New York, the Court of Appeals determined today.

The 7-0 Court ruled that it would unfairly leave the status of New Yorkers who are attempting to adopt any foreign child in flux if it were to recognize the Cambodian government's awarding of custody to Johnson & Johnson heiress Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson in her dispute with former boyfriend Lionel Bissoon.

"It may be debatable ... whether parental rights created by a Cambodian adoption should, under circumstances like these, be treated as valid in New York," Judge Robert S. Smith wrote for the Court in Matter of Adoption of John Doe, 20. "But once parental rights have been validly established under New York law, between an adoptive parent and child who continue to live in New York, the choice of law governing the parental relationship is much less difficult: New York law applies."

The text of today's Court of Appeals rulings will appear in the print edition of tomorrow's Law Journal.

To decide otherwise would create "unacceptable uncertainty for every New York parent raising a child he or she has adopted in a foreign country," Judge Smith added.

Ms. Johnson had argued that decisions by two Cambodian agencies resulted in her having legal custody of the boy she and Mr. Bissoon first tried to adopt in 2003 from an orphanage she had established in Cambodia.

But both Manhattan Surrogate Kristin Booth Glen and an Appellate Division, First Department panel (NYLJ, Nov. 26, 2008) ruled that Mr. Bissoon was the "adoptive father" of the Cambodian youngster, who is now 7 and that the rulings by the Cambodian agencies were "null and void."

Mr. Bissoon, a celebrity diet doctor, had challenged Ms. Johnson's adoption of the boy identified in court papers only as "John Doe."

A romantic relationship between Ms. Johnson and Mr. Bissoon fell apart a year after they sought to adopt. Mr. Bissoon, a dual citizen of the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, was initially awarded custody by Cambodia. Mr. Bissoon renounced fatherhood status before Cambodian agencies in 2005 but later changed his mind and asserts his right as father in New York courts.

The Court today rejected Ms. Johnson's contention that the "act of state" doctrine requires that New York courts recognize the Cambodian government's adoption decree in her favor.

Judge Smith noted that the Court hopes there will be no need for further intervention by New York courts.

While Mr. Bissoon has contended that he is free to prevent any adoption attempt by Ms. Johnson and to seek to remove the boy from her home, Judge Smith suggested that the Court does not believe that would be in the best interests of the youngster.

"Since he says he does not want to [remove John Doe from Ms. Johnson's home], neither we nor the courts below have had any occasion to decide whether LMB's [Mr. Bissroon's] rights are as extensive as he claims.," Judge Smith wrote. "That question is academic, and we hope it will remain so."

SWINE FLU VACCINE 'COULD BE DELAYED' IN CAMBODIA

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Cambodia is still waiting to receive 300,000 swine flu vaccines promised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the Phnom Penh Post, the vaccines were supposed to arrive in the south-east Asian country before the end of 2009 but were delayed.

It was then hoped that they would be dispatched at the beginning of February following the distribution of syringes and safety boxes.

The WHO plans to immunise every Cambodian, although the delay in supply means only priority groups defined as those who are most vulnerable to the virus - health workers, pregnant women and children - are currently being given the H1N1 vaccine.

Speaking on 14 February 2010, Dr Nima Asgari, WHO's Cambodian health specialist, said that there was no exact date for when the vaccine would be received.

Three more cases of swine flu were confirmed in Cambodia in the last week, bringing the total number of cases to 560 across the country. Six Cambodians have died from the virus since the start of the outbreak.

The WHO is aiming to distribute around 200 million donated H1N1 vaccines to 95 countries across the world.

Written by Clare Devlin

Smoother waters for Cambodia

http://www.themovechannel.com/

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Catherine Deshayes

Cambodia and Vietnam have agreed to free up cross-border navigation on Mekong waterways. "This will help all vessels - including river cruise ships - by allowing better access to ports in the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and many more sites that attract tourists," says the chief executive of the Mekong River Commission, Jeremy Bird...

One of the vessels to benefit from the change is La Marguerite, the only cruise ship on the Mekong to offer balcony cabins. Launched in September, the 92-passenger La Marguerite has a pool, spa, gym, lounge, a fine-dining restaurant and its veranda suites have king-sized beds and spas.

La Marguerite is named after and inspired by French novelist Marguerite Duras, who wrote about her life in Vietnam's French colonial era in the 1930s. Her best-selling book, The Lover, was turned into a film.

Blue Sky Holidays has a range of cruises on La Marguerite from eight to 20 days. Phone 1300 665 109 or see blueskyholidays.com.au.

Thai deportation policy under fire

http://www.mizzima.com/

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Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Thai government’s policy to deport millions of Burmese migrants from Thailand from March 1 has come under fire from labour rights groups and triggered protests.

Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) led rights organizations have complained to representatives of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants and on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, as well as the Director General of the International Labour Organisation. The complaint letter noted that over two million migrants are threatened with deportation by the Royal Thai Government after 28 February if they fail to go by the nationality verification, a press statement released on Tuesday said.

“Thailand’s migration policies must be carefully planned to ensure protection of migrants’ human rights. The nationality verification process has not been well thought out and remains a serious threat to human security of over two million workers that contribute greatly to our economy and society,” said Somchai Homlaor, Secretary General of the HRDF.

The groups mentioned that most migrants from Burma left their country illegally but are still being pressurized by the government to submit their biographical information to Burma’s regime, return to Burma to complete the process and then return to work “legally” in Thailand with temporary Burmese passports.

According to the Thailand Ministry of Labour, only 10 per cent of migrant workers from Lao and Cambodia in Thailand have submitted documents to extend their work permits at of the end of January.

Thanit Chumnoi, the Director of Office Of Foreign Workers Administration said last week that the total number of registered migrant workers this year is about 140, 000 against the total 1,400,000 last year.

The rights groups said that the declining numbers is because of the nationality verification that most migrants in Thailand do not yet understand and have not yet started the process.

“The Government must extend the February 28 deadline and immediately stop threatening mass deportation. Threatening migrants to comply with the imminent deadline or face deportation disregards the challenging situation faced by migrants from Burma,” said Sawit Keawan, General Secretary of the State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC).

“Additionaly, if mass deportations are carried out it will serve only to harm Thailand’s economy which remains heavily reliant on migrant labour, as well as Thailand’s international reputation,” he added.

On Tuesday morning, migrant workers, trade unionists and rights defenders marched to the Government House to submit an open letter of concern to the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, signed by over 60 domestic, regional and international rights groups and trade unions. The letter demands an end to threats of mass deportation for migrants and sweeping changes in the government’s nationality verification policy.

Meanwhile in Chiang Mai, a northern province of Thailand, where ten thousands of Shan ethnic from Burma are working in several business ventures, representative from the group also submitted the letter through the Deputy Governor Pirote Saengphuwong.

Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends full effort to help Thai national jailed in Cambodia

http://www.mcot.net/

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BANGKOK, Feb 16 (TNA) - Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya said Tuesday that the ministry is seeking to help the convicted Thai national and has submitted a request to Cambodian Foreign Ministry to permit Thai officials to meet the man who was sentenced to 20 years in jail for planting landmines along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Mr Kasit said the government had asked for cooperation from international agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and non-governmental agencies in Cambodia to contact the Cambodian Corrections Department to send staff to visit the Thai national in prison.

The foreign minister said the man is reportedly having health problems.

The international media earlier reported Friday that 39-year-old Suphap Wongpanna was sentenced to 20 years in Cambodian jail after confessing in proceedings that he had planted at least five landmines in Cambodia's Anlong Veng town near areas claimed by both countries.

The news service said that he was arrested one year ago and that the Cambodian authorities charged him with attempted murder, endangering national security and entering Cambodia illegally.

The Cambodian court record was quoted as saying Mr Suphap was arrested by Cambodian border guards just a few metres inside the country while carrying a land mine on February 27 last year

Mr Kasit added that the ministry had asked officials at Si Sa Ket province to contact his family in the province for possible assistance, which the ministry would extend under its normal procedures. (TNA)