Officials warn of lightning strikes

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:04 Mom Kunthear

LIGHTNING strikes, which killed 140 people last year, claimed three lives through the first three months of 2010, including one on Wednesday, as officials said they were bracing for a sharp uptick in strikes as the rainy season approaches.

Keo Vy, a communications officer with the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said two of the lightning deaths recorded so far this year took place in Pursat province – one in Kravanh district in February, and one in Bakan district last month. In addition, he said, a five cattle have been killed by lightning so far this year.

Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean said 34-year-old Bun Bros of Poipet town was killed in a lightning strike on Wednesday.

Keo Vy said he could not provide a figure for deaths through the first three months of 2009, but noted that 50 people were killed by lightning through last April, and added that many of those deaths had occurred after the onset of the rainy season in April.

“Most lightning starts during March or April, when it starts to move from the dry season to the wet season, and it starts again when the weather changes from the wet season to the dry season,” Keo Vy said, adding that random strikes can also occur whenever rain falls unexpectedly during the dry season.

He said his office was working to educate people nationwide about the importance of taking precautions during storms – turning off mobile phones and radios, avoiding trees and electricity poles during storms and staying away from metal objects.

“We cannot prevent lightning, but we can avoid being struck by lightning,” he said.

Mao Hak, director of the Department of Hydrology and River Works at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, noted that there are no effective methods for forecasting the frequency of lightning storms this year.

“We cannot predict lightning strikes because they are a natural disaster, but what we have to do is broadcast and educate people to protect themselves,” he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH

Land granted to developer in Ream park

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Cheang Sokha

THE government has awarded 1,650 hectares in Preah Sihanouk province’s Ream National Park to a private company as part of a land concession intended to facilitate the development of ecotourism in the park.

According to a February 19 sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and seen by the Post, the land was awarded to a company identified as Hong Kong Research Investment and Development Consulting Group, Ltd.

Som Chenda, director of the province’s tourism department, said he was not yet aware of the concession. But he said many companies have been granted land or are in the process of developing ecotourism projects in the province.

“Of course, after the construction of all projects, we are sure that Preah Sihanouk province will be one of the most attractive tourist destinations,” Som Chenda said.

A representative for the company could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Simmering tensions

Disputes have flared over previous land concessions awarded to developers in the 21,000-hectare national park.

In January, 116 families were evicted by the military following a year-long dispute with Yi Chea Company, which had previously been awarded a 3,300-hectare concession in Prey Nob district, according to rights group Licadho.

In February 2008, 58 families in the same district were threatened after authorities awarded their land to a separate company, the group reported.

Contacted Thursday, Licadho consultant Mathieu Pellerin said the group was not aware of the most recent land concession or whether any families would be affected.

Dam breaks ground amid concerns

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

A man inspects an artist’s rendering of the Chinese-funded Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam at a ceremony in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Khouth Sophakchakrya

CHINA Huadian Hong Kong Limited, a Chinese state-run firm, broke ground Thursday on the Stung Russey Chrum Krom hydropower dam, amid conservationists’ concerns about the possible environmental impacts of the project.

The 338-megawatt dam, the second hydroelectric dam in Koh Kong province to enter the construction phase, is slated for completion by 2014 and will cost about US$496 million. Work on the 246MW Tatay Dam began last week.

Speaking Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony in Phnom Penh, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem said that Cambodia’s high electricity costs will drop once the hydropower plant is completed.

“We strongly believe this hydropower project will ensure the security of electricity in Cambodia, create more jobs and improve livelihoods,” he said.

With the addition of the two hydropower dams in Koh Kong province, Suy Sem also said the government expects a total taxation input of $12.5 million per year from Cambodia’s hydropower sector.

“This hydropower dam will help us to distribute electricity to people in the rural areas,” said Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon, who added that the government hopes to provide access to electricity for 70 percent of the population by 2030.

However, Tonn Kunthel, programme manager of the Hydropower Project and Community Rights Project at the NGO Forum, said the company should take the environmental and social impacts of the project into account.

“We cannot stop this development project, but we ask the government and the company to prevent the destruction of protected forests and wildlife in this area, as well as to pay a decent compensation to the residents who face eviction,” he said.

According to an environmental impact assessment conducted by China Huadian, a copy of which was obtained by the Post, the construction of the dam will require the flooding of a 1,270-hectare area of protected forest and destroy the habitats of 184 species of animals, birds, fish and reptiles.

Policeman says he was kidnapped, tortured

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Chrann Chamroeun

MILITARY police arrested three suspects in Kampong Thom province on Wednesday after one of their officers said he was kidnapped and tortured for hours at the offices of employees working at a wildlife sanctuary.

The three suspects are officials at Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary in Kampong Thom’s Prasat Balang district, according to Yit Sam Oeun, the province’s deputy military police chief.

Lun Pheap, a 40-year-old military police officer, says he was held in chains and beaten for five hours before being rescued by his colleagues, Kampong Thom military police chief Soam Sim said.

Soam Sim added that the victim had apparently been drinking with two of the three suspects when the pair attacked him and stole his motorbike.

Lun Pheap subsequently went to fetch a rifle and handcuffs from a local police station in the hope of arresting his assailants, but instead was allegedly captured by the suspects and held for hours.

“It was very brutal violence,” Soam Sim said. “The victim was chained and severely beaten.”

Lun Pheap was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The three suspects were to be sent to court Thursday and could face charges of illegal confinement and battery, Yit Sam Oeun said.

Pop singer files court complaint

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Tep Nimol

Sok Pisey says she is not associated with pornographic video using her name t permission

CELEBRITY songstress Sok Pisey has filed a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Police after a pornographic video that features her name in its titles spread throughout the Kingdom.

Sok Pisey, a favourite pop star among Cambodian youths, said the video’s producers had used her name without authorisation, adding that the actress in the video bore no resemblance to her.

“I would never get involved in such an immoral endeavour. Out of 100 percent, the actress in the video looks only 1 or 2 percent like me,” Sok Pisey said Thursday.

The singer added that she had submitted her complaint with the anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection bureau of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police on Monday, and was seeking US$50,000 in compensation from the “anonymous, ignorant” filmmakers responsible for the video.

Keo Thea, head of the anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection bureau, said Thursday that his staff was looking into the case, but had not yet determined the identities of those involved.

“I have watched the video already – it is not a cut-and-paste job. I am not sure yet if that is Pisey or not, but her name did appear in the video,” Keo Thea said.

“The complainant is concerned about her reputation, and the perpetrator made this video for business purposes,” he added.

Sok Pisey said the video’s producers were attempting to exploit her fame and success as an entertainer.

“This kind of thing has happened to many singers and actresses already, but I cannot be patient and let them play with my name like this,” Sok Pisey said. “I have to report to the police and get justice for myself.”

Khmer traditions and morals are under attack from this and other similarly lascivious entertainment, said San Arun, secretary of state at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

“The Ministry of Women’s Affairs is educating people so that they understand how to protect Khmer culture and tradition. We want to make sure young Cambodian people are aware of our national culture and morality, but it takes time to change people’s attitudes,” she said.

YOUR SAY VIDEO SCANDAL

Sim Soklai, 24, university student

“I’m a man, but I don’t want to see naked images of film stars like this because they defame Sok Pisey. I like listening to the songs of Sok Pisey very much - she’s a beautiful girl, and she sings very well. I think that perhaps some people are jealous of her, so they are trying to defame her.”

Sy Sothana, 18, high school student

 

“I haven’t seen the video yet, but a few days after it came out, so many students sent it to one another via Bluetooth that I almost couldn’t believe it. With modern technology like this, it is easy for people to destroy the reputations of Sok Pisey and other pop stars. I am a woman too, so I pity her.”

 

 

 

 

 

Khat Yorn, 23, security guard

 

“I like pictures of women because I am a man, but I don’t want to see pictures like this, of famous people, released to the public. This is a loss of Khmer tradition. I think [Sok Pisey] will feel really shy about meeting people in public from now on. Many pop stars have been victims of this before.”

 

 

 

 

 

Pop Rane, 40, petrol vendor

 

“If these pictures were of my daughter, I would feel very embarrassed. Khmer women are not the same as Western women – they are very shy and they wear long clothing to hide their bodies. I feel angry for Sok Pisey, because images like this should not be seen by the public.”

SReap police accuse journalist of defamation

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Rann Reuy

Siem Reap Province

A LOCAL journalist appeared for questioning in Siem Reap provincial court on Thursday, following a complaint filed by Siem Reap’s land traffic police accusing him of disinformation and defamation, a court official said Thursday.

Deputy prosecutor Sok Keo Bandith said that Sim Samnang, a 31-year-old reporter for Khmer-language newspaper Koh Santepheap, was questioned over an article he wrote in mid-February, in which he quoted witnesses who said traffic police had fired a gun to intimidate a driver who had argued with officers after being pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt in Siem Reap town.

“We can not assume the outcome of the case yet because this is the preliminary investigation,”Sok Keo Bandith said. “I will question a representative of the land traffic police next week.”

Sim Samnang told the Post that he was surprised police had filed a complaint against him because he had reported the story accurately and fairly and had published a second article airing police dissatisfaction with the story, six days after the original article.

“I don’t understand why they filed a complaint against me because I wrote another article that included the police denial of the accusations,” he said, adding that Koh Santepheap had also published a letter written by Thang Sokun, the director of traffic police in Siem Reap.

“I wrote an article saying land traffic police shot a gun one time to threaten [the driver] and acted cruelly and without compassion,” Sim Samnang said, adding that he had not named any police officers in his original article and was not sure exactly who had filed the complaint against him.

Sim Samnang described the complaint as an example of “intimidation” of the press.

Thang Sokun, head of Siem Reap provincial land traffic police, hung up the phone when called for comment about the case Thursday.

Where’s the public outrage?

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, speaks at a press conference last month marking the release of an Amnesty International report on rape in Cambodia

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:02 Brittis Edman

Officials, and the country at large, must take a stronger stand against rape

COMMENT

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Brittis Edman

When meeting with dozens of rape victims in Cambodia late last year, I was struck by the loneliness of those women and girls in their struggle to cope and to seek justice.

Several of them told me how difficult it had been to tell anyone about the crime, even parents or other family members. Shame and perceived loss of dignity often stand in the way of pursuing assistance and justice, and so does fear.

In almost all cases of rape I came across during my research for the report Breaking the Silence – Sexual Violence in Cambodia, which Amnesty International released on International Women’s Day, the perpetrator had threatened to harm or even kill the victim if she told anyone what had happened. Such threats linger in the minds of victims, and against a backdrop of widespread shortcomings and distrust in the criminal justice system, they continue to haunt them.

Impunity perpetuates violence

Far too often, perpetrators remain at liberty, while victims struggle to cope with the trauma and fear in the aftermath of the crime.

Many victims stay in long-term shelters – away from their homes and loved ones – in order to hide from their attackers , who often bribe their way out of a police investigation and any judicial process.

Impunity of this kind has ramifications beyond the individual victim and her family. It signals that rape in general is acceptable. And it also indicates that the misconduct of public officials that leads to impunity in the first place – corruption, discrimination, nonresponsiveness and lack of accountability – is acceptable too.

Only the Cambodian authorities can bring about change within the government and authority structures – and they need to do so now. To address the massive shortcomings in the system is a tall order and will take time, but some steps cost very little beyond political will and should be taken immediately.

First, the government should condemn sexual violence against women, explicitly and forcefully, saying that it is absolutely unacceptable.

Second, they should discipline police who broker illicit out-of-court payments, court clerks who request bribes to do their jobs, judges who take money to reach a certain verdict or prosecutors who do not pursue cases because the defendant or his family paid them not to.

The government should make public the disciplinary measures it takes, which will act as a deterrent and foster awareness about what is unacceptable behaviour.

Authorities are not the only individuals who must play a role in supporting victims of sexual violence. Every Cambodian should try to combat sexual violence against women and girls.

Bullying and harassment of rape victims, and at times their families, are widespread. In interviews, many girls told me they had stopped going to school because of bullying.

Several women had to move from their village because neighbours or even family members ostracised them.

Rapists cause rape

Gossip and rumours about perceived faults of victims – the way they dress or talk, the fact that they were outside late at night, or simply how they were not considered “good” – does further damage to rape victims.

Rape signifies an absence of a true and freely given agreement to engage in sexual acts – regardless of the length of the victim’s skirt or whether she was singing karaoke.

The perceived morality of the victim does not “cause” rape; the rapist does. And that is the bottom line and what should cause outrage.

Bullying and stigmatising rape victims are worldwide phenomena that aggravate their trauma.

Such behaviour is a social poison that makes victims even more unwilling to report the violence perpetrated against them. As a result, it leads to more impunity, not less – which in turn leads to more rape.

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The highest levels of government must show political will and lead the way by supporting victims of sexual violence to break the silence.

Brittis Edman is Cambodia researcher for Amnesty International, which issued the report Breaking the Silence – Sexual Violence in Cambodia in March.

ICT event focuses on regulation, investment

Photo by: BEJAN SIAVOSHY

Visitors to Cambodia’s ICT World Expo visit a stand run by Ezecom, a domestic Internet service provider, on Thursday, the first day of the three-day event.

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I hope over the next two years we will bring down the cost of Internet access."

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via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 Ellie Dyer

Kingdom’s only technology expo looks at structural issues

REGULATION and investment proved the focus at the opening of Cambodia’s only international information and communication conference Thursday, as industry leaders joined top officials to discuss the Kingdom’s burgeoning technology sphere.

Hundreds of participants joined the World Expo, which will run for three days on Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island, where government representatives outlined plans for development, and members of the private sector presented their products and services.

Director General of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC), Mao Chakrya, emphasised the need for Cambodia to boost domestic Internet traffic and develop submarine network links.

“I hope over the next two years we will bring down the cost of Internet access and other services,” he said.

The importance of effective regulation was also emphasised.

Moa Chakrya outlined plans to create a separate regulator for the sector, which is currently overseen by MPTC, while audience members emphasised the importance of passing laws on copyright and e-commerce to boost private sector development.

The conference comes just two days after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reviewed US$1 million worth of technical assistance for the government to develop its telecommunications policy.

In a report on it Web site, the ADB emphasised the need for a telecommunications law – now in the pipeline – which “will play a useful role in resolving commercial disputes with little need for regulatory intervention.”

The ADB said the government needed “different sections” of the MPTC to improve “transparency, efficiency, policy, regulation and ownership interest in Telecom Cambodia”.

Relations between the private sector and MPTC have been strained in recent months, with Internet service providers (ISPs) voicing united dissatisfaction over the issuance of overlapping frequency licences and plans to centralise Internet traffic through a state-run hub.

However, the conference proved an opportunity to address the issue. During the meeting, MPTC expressed a willingness to work with the private sector to overcome disputes.

“We have consulted with operators now and will work on a plan to bring the issue for proposal,” said Mao Chakrya.

Some ISP representatives believe the centralisation plan will stifle the private sector, and on Thursday they submitted their views to Minister of Finance Keat Chhon.

Conference discussions also highlighted the potential for development and investment in the IT and telecoms sector.

“Look at the recent history of Cambodia and you will see people who don’t hold degrees from universities such as Harvard or Yale, but people who were at the right place at the right time and can spot opportunities,” said Phu Leewood, secretary general of the National ICT Development Authority (NiDA).

Members of a discussion panel that included IBM’s Steven Deskovic and Beeline’s Gael Campan highlighted potential areas of growth in the next five years, especially in rural and youth markets.

Debate on property law begins

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 Chun Sophal and Vong Sokheng

CPP and SRP clash over total area of economic concessions

THE National Assembly began debating a long-awaited draft law on foreign property ownership Thursday, sparking a dispute between the government and the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party over the exact extent of land concessions already awarded in the Kingdom.

SRP Lawmaker Son Chhay accused the government of approving 2.3 million hectares of economic concessions in the country, more than double the official 950,000 hectares reported by the Cambodian People’s Party.

“The majority of the population lacks land for farming and the legal documents of property ownership,” Son Chhay told the National Assembly, adding that at least 60 percent of Cambodia’s landowners do not have the necessary legal documentation to fight land grabs.

“The government should pay more attention to ensure land titles and rights ownership … for Cambodian people before it focuses on foreign property ownership,” he said.

Earlier in the session, Im Chhun Lim, minister of land management, told lawmakers the government had awarded just 950,000 hectares of economic concessions, 300,000 of which had been withdrawn due to company inactivity.

On January 4, the government announced it had cancelled the concessions of 50 private companies in Mondulkiri province covering 260,000 hectares after the projects concerned failed to get off the ground. Most had been approved for agricultural development including rubber and coffee plantations.

According to the figures given in Thursday’s debate, the SRP therefore claims the government has underreported land concessions by some 1.65 million hectares, with neither side accounting for the huge discrepancy.

Im Chhum Lim said the government planned to pass the draft law on foreign ownership – which would allow private possession of apartments above the ground floor – in a bid to boost the economy. The economic crisis that first hit Cambodia in the last quarter of 2008 decimated the property sector in particular as developers stalled or cancelled projects and private property transactions all but dried up.

“The draft law is aimed at attracting foreign investment and facilitating the opening up of the real estate market to allow real estate to rise in price for the restoration of the economy,” Im Chhun Lim told the National Assembly on Thursday. “The government’s target is to boost foreign investment … especially the development of special economic zones.”

Under the new law, property purchases by foreign firms or private investors would not be permitted within 30 kilometres of an international border, except within an SEZ, a number of which lie close to Cambodia’s border with Vietnam.

The SRP has accused the government of lacking transparency in awarding concessions, saying that many were the result of land speculation.

Real estate agents say such activity has slowed significantly since the economic crisis hit the sector as demand – and therefore price escalation – stalled.

The government argued Thursday that the new law would strengthen regulation of the property sector while benefiting the domestic economy.

I hope that the real estate market will boom after the National Assembly passes the law and will strengthen the state of law … for foreign investors,” said Cheam Yeap, a senior CPP lawmaker.

Real estate agents have backed the long-awaited legislation, particularly since the onset of the crisis, as the sector waits for a recovery. Sung Bonna, president of Bonna Realty Group, told the Post on Thursday that the new law would help generate confidence among foreign investors.

“This law will restore the real estate sector following the current crisis and bring an increase in economic growth,” he said.

The draft 24-article law aims to regulate increased foreign participation in the sector and contains articles similar to those used in Thailand, such as a requirement that apartment and condominiums restrict foreign ownership to 49 percent of the building.

After the Council of Ministers approved the draft in December in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen the law was then submitted to the National Assembly – the last stage following a lengthy drafting process – as an “urgent” measure for approval, Cheam Yeap said at the time.

Police Blotter: 2 Apr 2010

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:03 Sen David

POLICE SUSPECT FOUL PLAY IN DEATH

Police are suspecting bloody murder after the body of a 27-year-old motorbike taxi driver was found with multiple stab wounds in the woods of Kampong Chhnang Tuesday. The victim’s family said they originally believed their relative was off on holiday – somewhere – but then they became suspicious when the man did not return home for three days. Police said the body had been stabbed three times and left for dead in the middle of nowhere. Police have helpfully reported that the man used a modern motorbike.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

SUSPECTED THIEVES BUSTED IN KANDAL

Two suspected thieves have been arrested after allegedly swiping a motorbike belonging to a guesthouse patron while he slept. Police said the incident happened Tuesday in Kandal province. When the motorbike owner woke from his slumber to discover his wheels missing, he started shouting. Police found the suspected robbers shortly thereafter. Officers kindly returned the motorbike to the owner, then deposited the suspected thieves in court. They said this is not the first time the pair have been accused of stealing someone’s motorbike.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

WOMAN TAKES OWN LIFE, LEAVES 2 KIDS

A 25-year-old woman hanged herself in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district, police and neighbours said. Police said the woman’s two children found her hanging from a tree and promptly got in touch with police. A neighbour said that the woman had previously tried to kill herself by swallowing poison, but was unsuccessful. The neighbour said that before the woman died, she complained about being poor and not having enough money to raise her children, and that she just divorced her husband last month.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

PARENTS BLAMED FOR BOY’S DEATH

A 4-year-old boy died while trying to cross a national highway by himself in Pursat province Wednesday. Police said the boy lived near the national road and was thus accustomed to crossing it. On this day, however, the boy crossed without his parents. Immediately, a car crashed into him, and the boy died. Police blamed the incident on the carelessness of the boy’s parents. Young children, they warned, should never be allowed to cross the road by themselves. Police have impounded the car that slammed into the boy and detained the driver in a local police office in the hopes of finding a resolution to the incident.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

SKorean project is latest to be delayed

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 Soeun Say

VOGO Village II, a South Korean development project on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, has delayed construction until the property market improves, a company official said Thursday.

“We planned to begin the construction of 80 villas for [the] project in 2010, but our research shows that we cannot get started this year,” said Tan Socheath, general manager of VOGO Co Ltd. “We are waiting for a good time to build, but we don’t know when we will do it.”

Not enough buyers had come forward for the Dangkor district project, “That’s why we decided to delay,” he said, adding that work has been confined to a new administrative office.

VOGO will continue with the Star River construction project with its contractor, South Korea’s Posco Engineering and Construction Co Ltd, Tan Socheath said.

Posco is behind the US$300 million Star River development along the Tonle Bassac river in Chamkarmon District, the designs for which include 1,000 apartments in three buildings higher than 40 stories.

Work is already complete on the $3 million VOGO Village I, near Phnom Penh International Airport, which sold out all 80 of its residential villas last year, Tan Socheath said.

Prices for Village I ranged from $140,000 to $220,000 per unit, and a similar price structure had been expected for Village II, he added.

Neuk Narin, general manager of Bonna Realty Group, said Thursday that the project is suffering because of its location.

“Every residential development outside the city has been very hard to sell,” he said. “But if they develop a housing project within the city, they can hope to attract clients to buy it.”

The delay for VOGO represents the latest in a series of developments that have stalled amid a sluggish property market following the onset of the economic crisis in the last quarter of 2008.

In an effort to spur more projects to completion, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction has begun inspections.

VOGO’s Village II project has so far escaped scrutiny.

“We didn’t know project development at VOGO Village II had been delayed,” said Lao Tip Seiha, director of the ministry’s Construction Department. “We will prepare a suitable time to go down and check it.”

New car sales improve in Q1

Photo by: Uy Nousereimony

Subaru launches its first new vehicles in Cambodia on March 22 in Phnom Penh. Despite new brands entering what has been a depressed car market since the economic crisis, most dealers reported the start of a sales recovery in the first quarter.

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 May Kunmakara and Nguon Sovan

Most auto dealers report slight recovery, but Ford says there’s a long road ahead

A NUMBER of dealers in new automobiles reported a rise in quarterly sales Thursday, adding the industry was showing signs of recovery even as more brands enter the marketplace.

Long Narith, managing director of Narita Motorcare Cambodia Co Ltd, which imports Nissan vehicles, said sales had increased 60 percent in the first quarter from the last quarter of 2009.

“There has been a huge increase in auto sales this period,” he said. “Maybe the economy has begun to recover, because now we are seeing people beginning to spend money on new cars.”

Long Narith would not disclose sales numbers, citing confidentiality and the competition, but he said he expected to sell 500 vehicles this year if the sales pace continues.

In the past six months, two new brands have entered the Cambodian market: China’s Great Wall vehicles and Japan’s Subaru, which announced last month it would sell models of the Forester SUV.

Dealers had reported a slump in sales in the wake of the economic downturn in 2008. But early signs of recovery, perhaps prompted by the coming of the Khmer New Year, are emerging.

“The New Year is coming soon, so we hope more vehicles will be sold in the second quarter of this year as well,” Long Narith said.

Horn Seam, a representative Huotraco Automotive, which has imported the South Korean Ssangyong brand since 2007, said Thursday that his company had seen a slight rise in quarterly sales.

“We’ve sold 15 units in the first quarter of this year, two units more than the last quarter of last year,” he said. “Sales increased due to our introduction of the 2010 model. And it’s Khmer New Year in the coming weeks, so people prefer to buy new cars to celebrate the New Year.”

People are beginning to buy more luxury goods, he said, following a drop in sales over the past two years, when the real estate market fell off.

“Because the economy has begun to recover and the agricultural sector is doing well, we expect to sell about 80 units of Ssangyong this year,” he said.

Kong Nuon, president of Toyota (Cambodia) Co Ltd, said Toyota sales also increased but he declined to disclose the figures.

“We are better now, especially from last month, because we’ve seen improvement in many sectors of the country like agriculture, tourism and construction, while many Korean investors have begun resuming development.”

Kong Nuon was optimistic about future growth.

“We will definitely reach our sales target because we’ve seen our sales from January until now continuing to increase,” he said.

The demand for new cars in Cambodia is around 2,800 per year, he said, and people buy around 20,000 secondhand cars annually.

Toyota plans to sell between 600 and 700 vehicles this year, he said.

Toyota has recalled 8 million vehicles worldwide in recent months after revelations of safety defects, but Kong Nuon said none of his customers had been affected.

At least one dealer, Seng Voeung, manager of RM Asia Co Ltd, which sells Ford vehicles, said sales remained stagnant.

“Other dealers say sales are better, which is not right,” he said. “The truth is the industry is not better yet, in my view due to people still keeping their money in the bank,” he said.

Yeak Loam musicians perform in Phnom Penh

Photos: Laurel Daugherty-Seto

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 Douglas Long

Yeak Loam Lake in Rattanakiri province is a place of eerie beauty: Nestled in the circular crater of an extinct volcano, the water is crystal-clear and surrounded by lush, semi-deciduous forestland.

Around the lake are five villages – Lapoe, Lon, Sil, Chree and Phnom – that are home to the Tampuen, a minority group who hold animistic beliefs and who consider the lake and forests to be inhabited by powerful spirits.

The area’s beauty has proven to be a blessing as well as a curse. In 2007, members of the Tampuen community formed the Yeak Loam Arts Group with the aim of preserving the region’s traditional music, dance and culture in the face of encroachments on indigenous lifestyles from outsiders seeking to buy up and develop land around the lake.

Group spokesperson Van Cae explained that the survival of Tampuen culture was dependent on the health of the lake and the forests that surround it.

“The forest is very important to us. If there is no forest, life will be very difficult for the villagers,” he said. “If they take the land and the lake, it will mean the loss of our culture, the loss of everything. That’s why we want people to understand our culture.”

This week, 25 members of the Yeak Loam Arts Group have brought an array of metal gongs, bamboo flutes and other instruments to Phnom Penh to spread the word by making studio recordings of their music and performing live at Gasolina and Café Living Room. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has covered travel and accommodation expenses for the musicians, as well as recording and CD production costs.

Meas Hurn, the group’s team leader, said he hoped that making a studio recording of their music and releasing it on CD would help teach people about Tampuen culture and raise awareness about the dangers posed by unscrupulous development.

“We came to record our songs because we are in danger of losing our land,” he said. “So we want to promote our culture because we hope it will help raise support for us to prevent loss of the land and forest.”

The songs themselves serve as an introduction to the musicians’ culture. Traditional songs cover the gamut of Tampuen life, from infancy (“Pallam Kon Bom Pay”, or the Lullaby Song), to work (“Paih Bok Srou”, or Pounding Rice), to making religious offerings (“Trom Koll Ka Pow”, or Placing the Buffalo Head on the Ling Cross), to death (“Bot Bun Sop”, or Funeral Songs).

The group also plays newer songs that will sound traditional to the untrained ear, some written during the Khmer Rouge era and others composed more recently by team leader Meas Hurn. A few of these deal with decidedly modern topics, including “Karob Chbab Carachor” (Respect Traffic Song) and “Bongkan Preteat Ka Pear Pak Retan” (Protected Area Song).

The recording sessions took place at the Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) Studio on March 31 and April 1. Phany Tum, the country manager of CLA, said the recordings were part of the organisation’s main work, which is supporting “the revival of traditional performing arts as well as supporting the creation of new works of art”.

“The studio’s focus is archiving and documenting in video and sound, as well as creating new products in video and sound as well,” she said.

The studio, which was established with support from well-known English musician Peter Gabriel, has already created five CDs to sell with the aim of helping to provide some income for local artists.

The Yeak Loam Arts Group CD is expected to be released within two months and will include a booklet with information about the group, their songs and their instruments.

The Yeak Loam Arts Group will perform at Gasolina (#56-58 Street 57) on April 2 from 7pm-8pm. The group will also be at Café Living Room (#9 Street 306) on April 3 from 10am-4pm. Visitors can learn to play the group’s instruments (10am-11am), sample Tampuen food (12pm-2pm) and hear age-old tales during storytelling hour (2pm-3pm). All events are free.

An art-loving deli

Photo by: Peter Olszewski
Many of the objects seen in ArtDeli were found at the municipal garbage dump.

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:01 Peter Olszewski

Is it a deli that also sells art? Or an art gallery that sells deli items? Or is the entire building housing Siem Reap’s newest allegedly mercantile venture, ArtDeli, an art installation in itself?

The answer is none of the above and all of the above, and whatever it is, it will officially open for trade, or for viewing, or whatever, on April 3.

Officially, the shop, the newest addition to Siem Reap’s hip and happening Alley West parallel to Pub Street, has been described by the proprietors as “a pop-up deli in a 1927 French colonial structure in an alley”.

The co-proprietor is one of Siem Reap’s foremost graphic artists, the offbeat Loven Ramos, and he says the concept is to regard the building as an art installation in itself. Nothing in the bare, stripped-down building is fixed or permanent and can be altered on an artistic whim, and many of the fixtures that have been installed were found while rummaging at the municipal garbage dump and therefore have no value or permanence.

But apart from being an art installation, the enterprise will have a utilitarian purpose, functioning as a deli shop that sells deli items packaged as art, and an art gallery that that sells art packaged as deli items.

Photo by: Peter Olszewski

Co-proprietor of ArtDeli, Loven Ramos.

“We will exhibit some art as though it were a grocery item in a deli,” says Loven.

“Here the relationship between the artists and the buyers is simplified,” he adds.

But some works will also be sold simply as art, as long they are small and priced under $500.

Prospective artists can also go to ArtDeli to make art – empty canvasses and tubes of paint will be on hand for on-the-spot inspired daubing.

For starving artists, ArtDeli will also have a café function, serving food cooked in the nearby Café Sammaki that opened above the Circle store last month and is owned by Jam, who is also the co-proprietor of ArtDeli.

At time of publishing, ArtDeli was still a work in progress, but whatever it turns out to be on Saturday, it’s certain to be unique.

Truly tribal

Photo by: Peter Olszewski

Eastern Ages stocks a range of quirky buys

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Friday, 02 April 2010 15:00 Post Staff

While it will never pose a marketing threat for The North Face, the truly tribal backpack gracing the walls of Siem Reap’s Eastern Ages store may just be the thing for the truly authentic traveller.

It’s a rarity and will certainly separate the traveller far from the madding crowd. But it ain’t cheap, coming in at $250 – almost double the price of The North Face’s new 2010 catalogue backpacks.

The native backpack hails from hill tribe territory in the Himalayan lowlands and was crafted by either the Sherdukpen or Miji people who inhabit the Tibetan and Bhutan borderlands of the Kameng district in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh.

It’s a nifty little device, made of straps and pockets of hide from mithun, a forest-dwelling herbivore that’s a cross between a water buffalo and a cow.

The covering looks like horsehair, but it is, in fact, palm fibre that has a water sheeting effect, or so promises Tony Estes, one of the three proprietors of Siem Reap’s Eastern Ages store, which is a spin-off from the renowned store of the same name in Chiang Mai.

The store is a repository of all things ethnic and hill-tribal, a cornucopia of hard-to-come-by Asiana collectibles. Hours can be whiled away here poking around, and the owners are keen to show off their stuff. Co-proprietor Billy Wilson, a 67-year-old former California trucker, holds up his pride and joy, a dinky little crossbow from somewhere in the hills bordering Laos and Cambodia. This comes complete with a tiny bamboo quiver and small arrows that are just a step up from darts.

Meanwhile, Tony Estes reaches into a glass case and withdraws a tiger’s tongue, a solid silver opium trade token from the Golden Triangle. Then there’s Tony’s collection of rare and ancient ethnic beads. And the collection of opium scales. And the pipes. And the costumes. And on it goes…

Riding his way into history

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:00 Peter Olszewski

It’s very much a case of “have bicycle, will travel” for the distinguished Monsieur Paul Dubrule, founder of the Paul Dubrule Hotel and Tourism School in Siem Reap.

In 2002, at age 68, Dubrule travelled just over 15,000 kilometres by bicycle from the French town of Fontainebleau to Siem Reap to attend the grand opening of the school that bears his name.

Last weekend he returned to Siem Reap to attend the inaugural Paul Dubrule School Family Bicycle Rally. This time he travelled by air but packed his trusty cycle in a large case and brought it with him in baggage, ready to ride to glory again as the rally’s guest of honour.

And while unpacking the cycle from the case last Saturday morning, he told 7Days, “This is the bicycle I used when I made that trip in 2002. It was specially built for me, and it’s made from titanium. I brought it back to Siem Reap to ride in the rally, and after that I will leave it here as a memento for the school.”

Knowledge of the epic bike journey is now part of the school’s legend, but while the where and when is known, the why is not.

Consequently the big question when meeting Dubrule is: Why?

Why ride a bicycle for 15,000 kilometres when there are such modern wonders as aeroplanes?

Dubrule’s retort revealed his quirky humour. He explained that by setting out by cycle he arrived at the school just as it was completed. Had he gone by airplane, he would have arrived too early.

Tsk tsk. But seriously, he said it was one of those things many men do in late life – meet a challenge while the mind and body is still able.

“I like bicycling,” he said, “I was turning 68 and I thought, ‘OK, I do it now or I will never do it.’”

Dubrule is one of the leading figures in the world of international hotels and, as the co-founder of the Accor group, owners of the Sofitel in Siem Reap, he’s been coming to Cambodia since 1984. At the turn of the century he decided that his hometown Fontainebleau and Siem Reap should officially become sister cities.

“In late 1999 and 2000 I was the mayor of Fontainebleau and I wanted to join the two cities. I had negotiations with the Siem Reap governor at that time, the then King Norodom Sihanouk, and the president of the senate.

“They all agreed to the idea. But I felt I had to do something further. With the development of tourism in Siem Reap and the lack of education in the tourism sector, I figured the best thing was to build a school. My idea was that the city of Fontainebleau would offer the school.”

Wrong. Dubrule hadn’t taken into account the vicissitudes of democracy and in an election he was promptly voted out office.

“Joining Fontainebleau with Siem Reap was a great idea, but the voters did not see it that way. They thought it was fantasy. I thought the issue would be good for my election, but it gave me nothing,” Dubrule said.

But Dubrule had still promised Siem Reap a school. He said, “My mayoral successor didn’t want to have anything to do with a school in Siem Reap. But I had given a promise, so I decided to undertake it myself.”

The idea of bicycling to Siem Reap for the school’s opening also had its genesis during Dubrule’s mayoral tenure.

Fontainebleau created another sister city partnership with Konstanz in Germany, and Mayor Dubrule rode his bicycle to that city to meet the mayor.

A colleague said that after setting a precedent, he should also travel to Siem Reap by bicycle.

“What a crazy idea,” Dubrule said. “But since I was also crazy, the idea started circulating in my head. After one year I said, why not? And since I was no longer mayor I had some time to spare.

“The school was under construction, and I said I will come for the grand opening. The school was finished and had just opened with the first 60 students. At that time, after eight months of cycling, I arrived.”

Toward a new social architecture

CBET under construction in Chi Phat

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:00 Ahti Westphal

A new breed of socially conscious architecture is springing up all over the developing world. Since ancient times, architects have primarily worked in service of the wealthy and powerful, designing and inventing methods of building everything from Angkor Wat in Siem Reap to the skyscrapers of Hong Kong. In the past decade a handful of architects working across the globe have emerged from the shadows, setting aside the mantle of high design to focus on the fundamental issues of poverty alleviation, community empowerment and sustainability.

In 2001, Hollmen Reuter Sandman Architects established an NGO based in Finland called Ukumbi. Ukumbi set to work in Rufisque, Senegal, designing and building an internationally acclaimed centre for women. One tenet of Ukumbi’s design philosophy is that “architecture grows most naturally from familiarity with local culture and an understanding of local spatial thinking”. Hollmen Reuter Sandman are not alone in identifying the important role culture plays in sustainable design. Other notable architects and champions of this new approach are Francis Kere of Burkina Faso, and Anna Heringer, an architect working in Bangladesh.

Both Kere and Heringer are recipients of the prestigious Aga Khan award, which was set up to applaud outstanding sustainable design in the Muslim world. A common thread between these architects, and the growing number of others inspired by them, is their effort to involve the community from the very beginning and to truly understand the subtleties of different cultures’ dwelling practices.

In a world where big development often subdues seemingly small local issues, the new social architecture works from the outset to build a platform for intensive community participation. Communities are involved in every step of the process, learning from and teaching the architects how to best meet their needs. Often communities are involved in the actual construction process, simultaneously strengthening and sometimes reviving their own traditional building techniques for future generations. This give and take method of working between community, culture, design and invention clears a space for new solutions to be discovered and put into action against poverty.

In a time when a significant percentage of all global emissions are generated by the construction industry, the philosophy of a new social architect tirelessly seeks out local sustainable building materials such as earth, stone, bamboo and geographically specific plants that can be harvested for thatching roofs and reinforcing walls. When modern industrial materials such as concrete and steel must be used, they are balanced by recycling local waste to fantastic effect. For Ukumbi a grid of old car wheels placed within a wall become an elegant ventilation solution; old glass soda bottles become pixilated points of colour, ushering light into a building and eliminating the need for expensive and imported glass windows.

The Women’s Centre in Rufisque, Senegal, by Hollmen Rueter Sandman Architects.

TYIN Tegnestue, a non-profit design group based in Norway, has ingeniously recycled old truck tyres into urinals and toilets for a bathhouse located in a Karen orphanage along the Thai-Burmese border. A recently completed project in the Cambodian village of Chi Phat in Koh Kong Province now has its own social architecture project to show the world. The community based ecotourism office, otherwise known as CBET, is a joint venture between Wildlife Alliance and the community of Chi Phat. This recently completed 500-square-metre building is one of the first examples of a bamboo structure in Cambodia that elevates the material to its full capacity. The raw material was harvested directly from the village and over a two year time span community members soaked the bamboo in water with minerals to increase its durability. A combination of design expertise from SM Architects Cambodia, construction methodology and demonstrations from bamboo expert Jorg Stamm, and the hard work and local knowledge of the Chi Phat community, CBET was able to create a truly sustainable structure to support a growing interest in ecotourism in the area.

As Cambodia continues to rapidly develop, I hope to see more architects creating socially responsible and sustainable projects in the Kingdom. Surely by directing our attention to this beautiful culture and the needs of the people, we can all contribute to this noble endeavour, if only by spreading the word.

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

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GI status ceremony

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:00 May Kunmakara

KAMPOT pepper and Kampong Speu palm sugar will have their first official registration today, as the Ministry of Commerce moves into geographical trademarks. Such trademarks are an attempt to brand products for effective trading for local and international markets. Geographical branding and trademarks support production of quality goods that can be promoted for export, the ministry said. This in turn creates employment and improves incomes, while protecting the environment and promoting tourism, it said.

First real estate seminar

Friday, 02 April 2010 15:00 Soeun Say

A REAL estate seminar to examine the current state of the market opens today at Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Cambodia Real Estate Market Intel 2010 – run jointly by Indochina Research, DFDL Mekong, ANZ Royal Bank and CB Richard Ellis (Cambodia) – comes amid a lag in the sector, with many developments languishing in the wake of the economic downturn. “This is the first seminar on the real-estate market in Cambodia,” Daniel Parkes, country manger for CB Richard Ellis, told the Post. Also, International Data Group will hold its Cam Build expo today on Diamond Island in the capital, which will include a presentation on Singapore’s experiences on building sustainability, among others.