Killing Fields documentary offers chance for reconciliation

va CAAI

By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/14/2010 

Cambodian kickboxing champion Oumry Ban ,left, talks with Rob Lemkin, one of two directors of the award-winning documentary film "Enemies of the People" at the Long Beach KHMER Kickboxing Training Center. The movie about the Killing Fields of Cambodia will be shown at the Art Theater Saturday October 16th at 1:30 p.m., where there also will be a question and answer session. (Stephen Carr/Press-Telegram) 

Cambodian kickboxing champion Oumry Ban points out familiar faces as Rob Lemkin, one of two directors of the award-winning documentary film "Enemies of the People" shows parts of his film inside Oumry's office at Long Beach KHMER Kickboxing Training Center on Thursday. (Stephen Carr/Press-Telegram)

LONG BEACH - When Rob Lemkin and Theth Sambath made "Enemies of the People," the award-winning documentary about the Killing Fields, they saw it as a strong dramatic and investigative movie.

What they hadn't necessarily seen in it was an opportunity for reconciliation and healing.

Film co-director Lemkin, who is in Long Beach for several upcoming events connected with the movie, said the idea came during a screening of the film in Utah. Lemkin said two Khmer women watched the film and asked Lemkin if he would thank two of the film's subjects who came forward and admitted to killing hundreds of people and were wracked by regret and guilt.

"We took from the responses that maybe this can be a reconciliation (film)," Lemkin said. "That there can be person-to-person reconciliation."

On Sunday, a number of Long Beach Cambodian refugees and their families for the first time will be able to engage in a live videoconference dialogue with Suon and Khoun, two of the perpetrators profiled in the movie, as well as another former Khmer Rouge official.

"This will be the first time Khoun and Suon will come face-to-face with victims," Lemkin says. "We know that three hours on a Sunday won't solve 30 years of deep trauma, but it's a good first step."

The historic video conference is a private event, but residents will have other opportunities to interact with the film-makers and view the documentary in the coming days.

"Enemies of the People" is a documentary feature that won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival as well as about a dozen other awards. The movie follows the quest of a journalist, who lost his father and brother to the Killing Fields, to locate genocide perpetrators and get them to speak on camera about why it happened and why they took part. Among the perpetrators interviewed by Thet Sambath is Nuon Chea, the right-hand man of Pol Pot under whose regime upwards of 2 million Cambodians died from mass executions, starvation and deprivation.

On Saturday, the movie will be screened at the Art Theatre, followed by a question and answer period with Lemkin.

On Tuesday, there will be a screening at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, followed by a panel discussion with genocide survivors, Thet Sambath, via video conference, and Lemkin.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com , 562-499-1291

Want to go?
What: "Enemies of the People" screenings with post-movie dialogues.

When: Oct. 16, 1:30 p.m., Art Theatre, 2025 E. 4th St. Long Beach. $10.

Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. RSVP required. Call 310.772.2526.

NZ rapist facing new charges in Cambodia

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Friday Oct 15, 2010

A New Zealander jailed in 2004 for raping five teenage Cambodian girls between the ages of 14 and 19 is now facing new charges of defamation and disinformation filed by a charity group which looks after vulnerable women and children.

Graham Cleghorn, 62, is serving a 20-year sentence for raping the girls, but has claimed that he was set up, and that the charity, the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre (CWCC), paid the five girls US$10,000 ($13,198.94) each to testify against him.

The girls were employed at his Siem Reap home, near the Angkor Wat temple in northern Cambodia.

Cleghorn represented himself at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to the new charges, the Phnom Penh Post reported.

He claimed to have evidence - a letter from a girl stating that a CWCC official had asked her to testify against him in exchange for $10,000 - but said the letter and other documents he would like to present were being stored at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh.

He requested time to get the documents and contact the New Zealand embassy to help him find a lawyer.

Judge Din Sivuthy agreed and set his next appearance for November 15.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said Cleghorn was last visited by New Zealand Embassy staff from Bangkok on October 4.

Cleghorn, 62, is being held in Prey Sar prison, just out of Phnom Penh, since his conviction, which was upheld in 2007 by the Cambodian Court of Appeal.

Last month, another New Zealand man, Michael John Lines, 53, who also has Australian citizenship, stood trial in Cambodia for sexually abusing young girls.

Judge Duch Kimsan of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said he would give a verdict in the near future, but did not specify when.

Cambodia has long been a magnet for foreign paedophiles because of poverty and poor law enforcement, but in recent years police and courts have increasingly targeted sex offenders.

Phnom Penh Authority alerts residents of flooding

Friday, 15 October 2010 10:07 Xinhua

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 15(Xinhua) -- Phnom Penh Municipality Authority has alerted residents living in suburban area of the capital to cautious of any risks to property, animals and human lives that may cause by the flooding.

In the public notice sent out late Thursday and copied to the media on Friday suggested that those living along Prek Thnauth Stream which lies along the suburban area of Phnom Penh must be cautious with their property, animals and human lives.

It said the bad weather is affecting the country and it may cause more rain and flooding in the area.

At least seven communes located in Phnom Penh are being affected by the heavy rain over the past few days and the rain will continue for the next few days.

Due to flooding, at least two workers were reported dead caused by electrocuted while working the factory that submerged by the floods over the past two days.

The first victim identified as Chan Bunthy, 52, while he was working in his metal handicraft in Khand Meanchey in Phnom Penh and another victim was Than Long, 50, while he was working in the construction field as his hand touched with the metal while power supply was running.

The heavy rains over the past several days in Cambodia have damaged a number of houses and other properties while some parts of the country are facing the cut in traffic flows. Enditem.

AKP - Agent Kampuchea Press

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PM: People’s Safety Is Important in Rain Flood

Phnom Penh, October 15, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has called on all competent institutions and local authorities to pay high attention to the safety of people and to take measures to restore the infrastructures damaged by rain flood.

He made the appeal while presiding over a ceremony in Phnom Penh Wednesday to present graduation certificates to the students of Western University.

Torrential rains started early this week, causing floods in Ta Khmao Town of Kandal Province, lowlands of the Capital City of Phnom Penh, Bati District of Takeo Province, the provincial Town of Siem Reap, and a number of other areas.

He advised the local authorities to cooperate with the Branches of the Cambodian Red Cross in the rescue operation, and told the electricity authority to be cautious in turning off or on the power supply during and after the floods.

He also reminded the authorities to consider the sanitary measures to prevent people from rampant water-born diseases, especially cholera, that could hit as the waters recede.

He expressed concern over an unspecified number of people who are missing due to the storm in the provincial town of Sihanoukville.

In Bati District, rains have flooded and damaged some sections of Highway 2 and people have been evacuated from low areas to highlands.

In Ta Khmao Town, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology sent high-capacity water pumping machines to pump rains water out to reduce the flood level.

Regarding agricultural production this year, Premier Techo Hun Sen said rice growing had so far done on more than 2.3 million hectares of land, or exceeding the annual plan by 3%.--AKP

(By Ravuth M.)

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

PM Asks Cambodian Senior Leadership to Follow up Information

Phnom Penh, October 15, 2010 - Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen appealed to all senior leadership at state institutions improve their capacity building and follow up the information to deal with the current global development.

“We have to work hard together to develop our country, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said here on October 13, 2010 in a graduate ceremony at the National Institute of Education”

“All the government officials have to work hard, if not I don’t know how to work with all of you,” Samdech Techo said added.--AKP

(By KHAN Sophirom)

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Cambodian Information Minister to Visit Thailand Soon

Phnom Penh, October 15, 2010 AKP -- Cambodia’s Information Minister H.E. Khieu Kanharith will pay an official visit to Thailand at the invitation of Thai government, according to a government official.

Secretary of State of Information Ministry H.E. Nov Sovathero told reports yesterday that at the invitation of Thai government, H.E. Minister Khieu Kanharith who is also a government spokesman will lead a delegation to Thailand from Oct. 18-20.

During his stay there, he will hold a bilateral talk with his Thai counterpart and meet with Thai Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vijjajiva.

According to H.E. Nov Sovathero, a group of 12 Cambodian journalists who are working for state-run Television Kampuchea (TVK), Bayon television, Cambodia Television Network (CTN), and a number of newspapers from Nokor Wat, Kampuchea Thmei, Koh Santepheap and Rasmei Kampuchea will also visit Thailand from Oct. 17-22.--AKP

(By KEO Chandara)

Bokator heritage bid gets boosted

Two Cambodian Bokator fighters spar with bamboo sticks during a training session at the National Sports Complex on October 5. Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

The presentation of famed Cambodian martial art form Bokator left the audience spellbound at the World Martial Arts Festival in the South Korean city of Chungju earlier this month, as the Kingdom’s six performers secured second spot for their demonstration.

Although the top prize, which went to the team from Uzbekistan, eluded the Cambodian squad they were more than happy to be runners-up.

“More than the prize, we successfully showcased Bokator to the world as the only martial art form which involves both art and combat,” said Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia who witnessed the breathtaking performance at Chengdu’s United Nations Peace Park.

“I am so proud of how well our team performed. Now people all round the world know that Bokator is one of the oldest martial arts, and our case for getting Bokator its due as UNESCO heritage property has been strengthened,” he added.

“What made the presentation so riveting was the ancient music which accompanied the moves. It was almost like recreating the old glory of Angkorian civilization.”

Another major development is also working to the Kingdom’s advantage. The World Martial Arts Union, of which Cambodia is a member, has assumed an advisory role with UNESCO, and it should now be easier for the Bokator federation to lay out their claims for heritage status through the power of the union.

Union rejects industry offer

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Ath Thun, president of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, speaks to workers protesting outside the Pine Great Garment factory in Meanchey district at the start of September’s strike.

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Mom Kunthear and James O’Toole

THE Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia said yesterday that it would drop all complaints related to last month’s strikes in exchange for apologies from workers and unions, an offer a prominent union leader said had been rejected.

GMAC Secretary General Ken Loo said the offer had come following “several meetings” with union leaders and government officials convened in an attempt to resolve the outstanding disputes within the industry.

“We have two main conditions that we deem necessary. Firstly would be at the confederation level, we need a letter of apology ... not to us, but rather to all stakeholders,” Loo said.

“Secondly, at the enterprise level, the workers in question at the enterprise level have got to apologise to the factories.”

“If the unions accept the facts and acknowledge the fact that they were in the wrong, that’s the end of the issue.”

But Kong Athit, secretary general of the Cambodian Labour Confederation, said GMAC’s offer was unacceptable.

“We cannot do that because we are not wrong and the government did not accuse us of being wrong,” he said. “If we apologise to them, it means we admit we were wrong, and then they can make more problems for us.”

Loo said 67 union representatives in total remained suspended in connection with strikes held last month to protest the minimum wage for garment workers. A total of 358 workers who protested the suspensions of their representatives had been fired because they ignored court orders requiring them to return to work within 48 hours, he added.

Kong Athit disputed these figures, however. He said 106 union representatives remained suspended and 677 workers had had their contracts terminated after protesting these suspensions.

Loo said that if the unions and workers did not agree to apologise, the factories that had filed complaints would continue to pursue them through the court system.

“If they don’t feel they were in the wrong, obviously they don’t have to apologise,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t think we were wrong, and the unions don’t admit they were wrong, but somebody’s wrong, so we can only turn to the courts to intervene.”

In a speech last month, Prime Minister Hun Sen called for employers to drop complaints against workers and union representatives.

Tuomo Poutiainen, the chief technical adviser for the International Labour Organisation’s Better Factories Cambodia programme, said it was still possible to find a compromise that would suit both the unions and the employers. He pointed to last month’s signing of a memorandum of understanding between union and industry representatives related to dispute resolution as a promising step for the Kingdom’s industrial relations.

“In my opinion, there’s basis to find positive cohabitation, and that would play well for the future of the industry,” Poutiainen said.

On Monday, 22 union representatives who had been suspended at the Sangwoo garment factory in Kampong Speu province were allowed to return to their jobs following a meeting with factory management.

Brothel owner gets 10 years

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Chrann Chamroeun

SIEM Reap provincial court yesterday sentenced a Vietnamese man and two Vietnamese women to 10 years each in prison after finding them guilty of selling three underage girls for sex in a brothel in Siem Reap town last year.

Patrick Stayton, president of the International Justice Mission, which provided a lawyer for the victims, said yesterday that police raided a brothel on June 29 last year following a tip-off from IJM.

Police arrested Ty Kimhoeung, 50, the owner of the brothel, and released six Vietnamese prostitutes, three of whom were under the age of 18. A Vietnamese woman and Ty Kimhoeung’s son-in-law remain at large after having escaped the raid.

IJM lawyer Sek Saroeun said yesterday that the court found Ty Kimhoeung guilty of procuring prostitution, while finding the two fugitives guilty in absentia of being accomplices.

Stayton said he was unhappy with the court’s decision not to order the three to pay compensation to the three victims.

“We are satisfied with the court’s conviction, which is the right judgment to show they took the case seriously and gave them heavy sentences,” he said. “But we are not happy that no compensation was given to the victims.”

He said IJM might appeal and request the court to “reconsider” the lack of compensation awarded to the victims.

Defence Lawyer Thorng Vanna said yesterday that he thought the sentence was too severe.

“We are not satisfied with the judgment, and it is a very heavy sentence,” he said, and added that a decision to appeal would depend on his client’s wishes.

Also yesterday, Siem Reap provincial court ordered a 44-year-old man to serve pretrial detention after charging him with raping and killing his 11-year-old stepdaughter in Siem Reap town’s Chong Khneas commune on Tuesday, police officials said.

Saom Phorn, 44, is accused of killing Leng Kunthea, whose body was discovered roughly 5 metres from her house on Tuesday. An autopsy revealed the girl was raped, and that she was strangled and suffered head injuries.

Deputy district police chief Mak Sam On said yesterday the court ordered the accused to serve pretrial detention.

“The court prosecutor has charged the accused with sexual assault and intentional murder,” he said.

“He didn’t confess to us, but later confessed to court officials that he killed the girl because she screamed, and he feared that she would alert the

neighbours.”

He added: “It was a brutal killing and the first time in my area that a father has raped and killed a daughter in a long time.”

Court officials could not be reached for comment.

Thai PM pushes for caution on allegations

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Cheang Sokha

THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva advised Thai security forces to be more cautious in making claims in the media about their work, Thai news outlets reported yesterday.

The call came after a member of Thailand’s department of special investigation reportedly claimed on Monday that 11 antigovernment Red Shirt activists arrested in Thailand earlier this month had received weapons training in Cambodia in a bid to assassinate Abhisit and other Thai officials.

“Giving a public statement over the issue requires extra caution,” Abhisit said, according to The Nation newspaper.

“Prime Minister Hun Sen has confirmed to me that Cambodian authorities had not been involved in any weapons training, and if the probes discover anything [otherwise], everything will be discussed directly.”

Hun Sen said onWednesday that he and Abhisit had communicated by text message on the issue, and that he had vigorously denied the allegations.

Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said in an email yesterday that Thailand would forward the results of the DSI investigation to Cambodia if necessary.

“Once the [Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs] receives information regarding Cambodia from the DSI, then we [will] seek Cambodia’s assistance in looking into the issue,” Thani said.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat said yesterday that the situation along the countries’ contentious border was “normal” because Cambodian forces were aware that the information was “made up”.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE

Old weapons: KR gun stash unearthed in Battambang

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Thet Sambath

Old weapons

Chum Sib, the district governor, said the stash was discovered while villagers were trying to plant cabbage. “We believe there are more ammunitions and weapons here because it is a former warehouse belonging to the Khmer Rouge in the 1980s,” Chum Sib said.

Kieng Sothy, deputy district police chief, seconded this assessment, but noted that weapons were “difficult to find because the persons who buried them died”. He added that the weapons were too old to be functional.

Khem Sophoan, chairman of the Governing Council of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, said the area where the weapons were discovered could potentially be contaminated with land mines.

RESIDENTS of Battambang province’s Sampov Loun district have discovered a former Khmer Rouge weapons storehouse containing 67 Chinese-made CKC rifles, officials said yesterday.

Garment workers injured in floods

Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun
People carry their belongings on foot yesterday as workers push a cart loaded with passengers and motorbikes through flash flooding along a national road in Takeo province.

via CAAI

FIVE garment workers, including two pregnant women, were severely injured when flooding caused electrical boxes to explode in Kandal province’s Takhmao district yesterday, a rights worker said.

Men Makara, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said the explosion of the electrical boxes forced workers to break down the doors of the Yong Var garment factory to escape, and that one of the women was injured on the way out.

Factory officials could not be reached yesterday.

“We are now very concerned about the two pregnant women who were injured by the explosion, especially the woman who is eight months pregnant with twins and was seriously wounded when she fell down following the explosion,” Men Makara said, and added that the workers were sent to a clinic in Phnom Penh for treatment.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday called on all Cambodians to be aware of the dangers posed by nationwide floods.

Ung Rina, deputy director of the Water Resources and Meteorology Department at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said yesterday that the ministry believed that heavy rainfall would continue until at least October 18.

The flooding, which began on Sunday, was caused by low atmospheric pressure affecting lowland areas – including Phnom Penh – as well as Kampong Speu, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces, according to a ministry statement issued Monday.

Keo Vy, director of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said yesterday that flooding had affected 13 provinces, and that three people had drowned – one each in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.

“We are doing a report about the floods now, but we do not have any specific data yet,” he added.

The drowning case in the capital involved a 4-year-old boy who was found dead on Monday afternoon in Meanchey district’s Boeung Salang lake.

On Tuesday, Kampong Chhnang provincial police chief Ath Khen said two men were killed since Sunday – one struck by lightning, and another who drowned.

In Preah Sihanouk province, deputy police chief Yin Bun Nath said on Tuesday that the body of a Cambodian fisherman was discovered near the island of Koh Takeav.

“The body has now been sent to his family in Kampot province,” he said on Wednesday. “We hope no more people are missing in the province.”

Kampong Speu provincial police chief Keo Pisey said yesterday that two people were reported dead there on Tuesday, but no deaths have been reported since.

“The two people were killed by electrical shocks when a power line collapsed into water due to strong winds on Tuesday,” he said.

In Pursat, deputy provincial governor Khov Sokha said yesterday that a total of four districts had been affected by the floods, with more than 1,000 hectares of rice fields suffering damage. He said a 2-kilometre stretch of road was flooded, one bridge was destroyed and more than 50 houses had collapsed.

“I am now very worried about people’s health and their property,” he said. “I think if the rain continues for the next few days it will destroy rice fields and other infrastructure in the province.”

In Takeo, Seng Sam Ol, a provincial police official, said four villages had been flooded, as well as “hundreds” of hectares of rice plantations.

“But no people have been reported missing or dead in Takeo province,” he said.

Thoun Sem, a fishing community representative in Koh Kong province’s Kiri Sakor district, said on Wednesday that 20 fishermen reported missing since Sunday after their boats sank had been found and returned to their homes.

JICA sets out plan to help investors

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Catherine James

THE Japan International Cooperation Agency has announced a US$2 million project to improve investment information and staff expertise at the Council for Development of Cambodia.

Officials said the scheme aimed to make it easier for Japanese companies looking to enter the Kingdom.

At a signing ceremony at the CDC’s Phnom Penh office yesterday, JICA chief representative Yasujiro Suzuki said the agency wanted to further boost private investment “especially from Japan” by “improving the capacity of CDC ... in this emerging and competitive region”.

The funding would be used to further train staff, especially those in the CDC’s operational arm Cambodian Investment Board, as well as build a new “investor-friendly” website and a reception desk, he said.

The plan should help “attract more diversified industries which have not existed in Cambodia before”, he said.

An increasing number of Japanese firms were indicating a desire to grow their business here, such as food processing companies and small parts manufacturers, he told the Post at the ceremony.

“Cambodia has been involved mainly in specific industries like the garment industry before, but now we are expecting more companies from other production sectors to come from Japan,” he said.

Sok Chenda, secretary general at the Council for the Development of Cambodia, signed the funding agreement and officially thanked JICA on behalf of the CDC. Though the project details were not finalised, JICA expected to begin its implementation early next year.

Olympic vendors seek delay in move

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:02 Chhay Channyda

ABOUT 100 vendors facing eviction from their stalls near Olympic Stadium protested yesterday in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Phnom Penh villa and delivered a petition demanding that they be allowed to keep their businesses open during construction of a new proposed development in the area.

“We will not object to any development since this is public property, but we suggest that when the construction begins, the vendors should be allowed some pavement outside the stadium to continue our business until the construction is complete,” said Seng Soknan, a 34-year-old shoe seller.

Vath Chamreoun, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee, said vendors on the north and east sides of the stadium would be cleared out to make way for committee offices.

The vendors received a notice on October 4 stating that the eviction would take place in 15 days, after an earlier eviction order expired without being enforced.

Koeut Chhe, deputy chief of the municipal cabinet, said he did not know what City Hall would decide with respect to the proposed delay.

Kong Chamroeun, a representative of Hun Sen’s cabinet, said the petition would be given to the appropriate officials.

2011 spending: Budget draft for $2.83bn on the table

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Nguon Sovan

THE Council of Ministers is set to approve a draft law on the Kingdom’s 2011 budget today, after officials earlier this year pointed to a US$830 million expenditure rise.

Yesterday, Hang Chuon Naron, secretary of state for the Finance Ministry, declined to discuss further details, saying to “wait and see” if it was approved.

But Cheam Yeap, chairman of the National Assembly’s Commission of Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit, said the proposal may be unchanged from a statement made by Finance Minister Keat Chhon earlier this year.

The minister told National Assembly members in July that the government drafted the budget of 12 trillion riels (US$2.83 billion) for the 2011 — up from 8.5 trillion riels in 2010. Of the amount, 9 trillion riels would stem from various revenue streams, leaving a shortage of 3 trillion riels.

Cheam Yeap said yesterday that a gradual increase of the budget would meet broader needs for economic and social development in the Kingdom.

“For Cambodia, our priority sectors are still education, health, rural development, agriculture, women affairs, social affairs and physical infrastructure,” he said.

“The national security and defense budget may not increase,” he added.

Police Blotter:

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Sen David

Police catch crooks in hand-cutting crime

Two men were arrested this week for allegedly cutting off a man’s hands last year in Phnom Penh. Police said the two suspects were arguing with the victim when they held him down and cut off his hands with a knife. They escaped to another province but were arrested when they returned to the capital this week. The victim’s family reported that they were happy about the arrest, as the victim had found life without hands “difficult”.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Thieves interrupt lovers’ embrace in dark place

Two lovers were robbed at knifepoint by two thieves in Phnom Penh’s Prampi Makara district on Monday. Police said the couple were “expressing their love” in a dark, quiet place when the two bandits interrupted them. The thieves made off with their motorbike, mobile phones and a wad of cash before the victims shouted for help. Police apprehended one suspect and returned the stolen booty. The couple has promised never to sit in the dark, quiet place again because “it is so dangerous”.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Man gets wires crossed in rain, gets shocked

A 48-year-old man was electrocutedto death while trying to repair a wire in the rain in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on Wednesday. Police said the victim was attempting a repair inside his house when he was shocked, and that neighbours sent him to hospital immediately following the incident. Beforehand, the victim’s wife had implored him not to repair the line because it was dangerous. The wife is reportedly sad because she now has to raise their eight children by herself.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Gang of dancers shoot pair of youngsters

Two youngsters were shot by a gang who came to party at a restaurant in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district on Sunday. The owner of the restaurant said the gang were the first to arrive at the restaurant, and were keen to cut the rug on the restaurant’s dance floor following a meal. At one point, the gang entered into an argument with the victims, and one of the gangsters pulled out a gun and shot them. They were taken to hospital and were still alive, police said. Officials are now on the hunt for the gunman.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

No more free rides for heavy loads

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Buth Reakmey

A truck passes a toll booth on the new Prek Phnov Bridge on the outskirts of Phnom Penh yesterday. Officials today are due to start collecting tolls on the bridge, which was officially opened on September 20 and is designed to ease congestion on the Cambodian-Japanese Friendship Bridge. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, tuk-tuks and motorbike-pulled trucks will not be charged to use the bridge, but fees for cars, tourist buses, taxis and heavy trucks will range from 5,700 riels (US$1.35) to 34,000 riels ($8.07). Trucks and vehicles with 25 or more seats have been banned from crossing the Cambodian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, and must now pay to use the Prek Phnov Bridge.

Outsourcing 'fair' tech trade

Dominik Stankowski hopes that information technology outsourcing can be fair-trade certified in the future. His Phnom Penh-based company values training and aims to compete with European software developers. Photo by: Rick Valenzuela

-----------------------------------------------------------We try to provide high quality, with the additional value that we are a social business.
-----------------------------------------------------------

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Jeremy Mullins

FAIR trade coffee is increasingly sipped by globally conscious consumers. But the future may see fair trade certification for outsourcing in the software industry, according to the head of one domestic IT startup.

Dominik Stankowski, executive director at Phnom Penh-based technology firm Web Essentials, said fair trade software outsourcing was a prime motivation behind the creation of the company in April this year.

While tech outsourcing is becoming big business in places such as India, it often employs people who work for low salaries – suffering the pitfalls common to other profit-maximising industries such as long hours and poor working conditions.

But Web Essentials, which employs 22 Cambodian and four expatriates to help run websites built around content-management software called TYPO3, is based on a different business model.

International companies are increasingly concerned with their social relevance, according to Stankowski, providing a ready market for a ‘fair’ approach to unconventional industries such as software.

With about 80 percent of its contracts coming from companies based in countries such as Switzerland, Germany and the United States, the firm claims its services can demand better prices due to an emphasis on the social aspect of its business.

Stankowski said the company paid its employees better wages than most outsourcing firms in developing countries, a move coupled with shorter hours and extensive skills training.

The measure put the company in direct competition with Europe’s freelance software developers, he said.

“We try to provide high quality, with the additional value that we are a social business,” he said.

“My long term goal would be [to create] a certificate for fair trade software.” A large part of Web Essentials – which Stankowsi terms a “social business” – is the training and mentoring of its Cambodian staff.

The firm prides itself on developing its own employees.

“In IT, people are the main resource, as opposed to any other product,” he said.

“That’s why it’s very relevant to invest in staff from a business point of view.”

With a personal history working with overseas firms and in large Cambodian companies, Stankowski said he aimed to better target domestic small and medium enterprises.

“The only way to compete with others is a good ability to learn, and adopt new technology,” he said.

WiMAX debacle must prove a wake-up call

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Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Steve Finch

LAST year it all looked so promising and straightforward. Give internet service providers bandwidth and a licence to operate, creating stability for the likes of Chuan Wei and Mekong Net to feel confident to invest millions of dollars in WiMAX – a technology that could increase broadband coverage and lower connectivity costs in Cambodia.

But that confidence has evaporated. After nearly a year in which the government has failed to solve an overlapping licence issue, the Kingdom’s internet expansion looks to be stalled by years as investors hold back until the fiasco is resolved.

The country is set to lose out on the many benefits associated with spreading internet connectivity. In the words of one anonymous ISP executive whose company has been affected by the debacle: “This licensing problem has come along at the worst possible time for Cambodia.”

How and why did the government allow this to happen?

Just a few years ago analysts were predicting a rapid broadband rollout in Cambodia that would reduce some of the highest connection costs in the region. But with companies now reluctant to spend on costly WiMAX stations, which can transmit connectivity up to 50 kilometres where no cables exist, less comprehensive solutions such as enhanced WiFi are being deployed.

This cheaper technology can travel just 1 kilometre, at best. The result is that internet expansion to rural areas remains stalled. Where cables do exist, WiMAX has often not yet been deployed to compete and reduce costs.

Countless studies have shown that where you boost internet connectivity, you also spur economic activity. A 2009 World Bank study found that where you boost the number of internet users by 1 percent you in turn raise exports 4.3 percentage points. When new users go online they have access to a host of resources that point to potential markets, help advertise their products, increase communication and even secure payments outside of the confines of their town or village.

Rural connectivity also helps communities diversify economic activity away from agriculture, a major advantage when the economy remains extremely narrow. In cities, where you have confident ISPs investing in infrastructure and bringing down costs, the economic benefits are obvious – cheap, comprehensive internet coverage is an indispensable tool for GDP growth.

The government’s fumbling of the internet licensing issue is creating a serious setback for what would be guaranteed GDP growth. The solution is obvious. At the highest levels of government a clear decision needs to be made regarding the jurisdiction ministries have over licences. The problem is, of course, that licences provide lucrative revenue streams.

The debacle should serve as a wake-up call. If ever there was an instance when officials needed to sacrifice self-interest for the wider economic benefit, then surely this is it.

Visitors to Angkor Wat on the rise

A monk walks through Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat complex, which has seen the number of foreign tourists rise by about 24 percent so far this year. Bloomberg

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Rann Reuy

ANGKOR Wat has seen a 24 percent increase in visits by foreign tourists over the first nine months of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

Some 804,170 foreign tourists visited the temple complex during the period, a 23.91 percent increase on the 648,972 tourists who visited during the first nine months of 2009, according to a senior official at the Apsara Authority, who wished to remain nameless.

Apsara is the management authority for the temple complex.

Although total visits had increased, the Apsara official with knowledge of the situation declined to release year-on-year revenue figures.

Apsara Authority General Director Bun Narith said he could not immediately confirm revenues yesterday, as he was travelling. But he said that calculations were not simply a matter of multiplying total visitors by tickets prices.

“There are some 200 to 300 government delegations attending meetings in Siem Reap, and they visit the Angkor Wat for free,” he said.

Some 70 to 80 percent of foreign tourists travelling via bookings with the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents visit the Siem Reap temples, said association president Ang Kim Eang.

“Most guests think they did not see Cambodia if they miss visiting Angkor Wat,” he said.

Siem Reap is the largest hub for foreign visitors to the Kingdom, according to Kong Sopheareak, director of the Ministry of Tourism’s Department of Statistics and Tourism Information.

Foreign tourists pay US$20 to visit the temples for one day, $40 for three days, and $60 for a weeklong visit, he said.

Ready, set, go!

Nicola Scales on her cyclo, with Billy the dog, in last year’s race.

Full details and application forms for the Angkor Wat International Half marathon can be obtained from the website at www.angkormarathon.org. Additionally, details about registration and sponsorship for the Angkor Wat Bike Race and Ride can be found at www.villagefocus.org/bike. For those wishing to take part in the 12km fun ride, contact Raquel at bike@villagefocus.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Nicky McGavin

IT’S time to dig out those old trainers from the back of the wardrobe, dust them off, and start pounding the streets. This year’s Angkor Wat International Half Marathon is on Sunday, December 5, and beginning training now will save so much pain later on.

This is the 15th year for the fundraiser which just keeps on growing and draws serious athletes from all over the world, as well as those just looking for a different day out. Last year, 3490 athletes from 47 countries took part, running, jogging, ambling, and staggering around the ancient Angkorian temple complex.

“We expect about 4000 runners this year,” said Muy Lath from the marathon’s steering committee. “About half of those will be from Cambodia.”

Five races are scheduled; a 21-kilometre half-marathon, a 21-kilometre wheelchair race, the 10-kilometre road race, the 10-kilometre artificial leg race and a three-kilometre family race.

Fees range from $15 to $50 for foreigners and expatriates. Cambodians will pay $2 to participate in the running races, and the artificial leg and wheelchair races are free.

Funds raised go to the Japanese NGO Hearts of Gold, which participates in the management of the marathon, as well as the Cambodian Red Cross and a number of other organisations dedicated to supporting the disabled in Cambodia.

In more sporting news, the fifth Angkor Wat Bike Race and Ride, organised in cooperation with the marathon and staged by the NGO Village Focus Cambodia, will be held on Saturday December 4.

Also growing in strength and size, organiser Raquel Santos said: “We’re hoping for 300 to 350 participants this year.”

There will be a 30-kilometre race and a 100-metre race, as well as a 12-kilometre fun ride.

“We also hope that we can get the kids from the slum schools supported by Village Focus to participate, if we can get the funding for it,” said Santos.

The fees for the bike races are $15 for Cambodian nationals, $25 for international volunteers in Cambodia, and $75 for foreign nationals.

The 12-kilometre fun ride isn’t mentioned on the event’s website but will, without a doubt, take place.

Another “unofficial” activity scheduled for the day is the now renowned cyclo race. This was born out of the dreams of a group of Peace Corp Volunteers in 2007, and has now become a central feature of the day.

Nicola Scales, from the International School of Phnom Penh, participated in last year’s cyclo race, with her disabled dog Billy whose legs were crushed during his puppyhood. This year the duo is back, ready to hit the track in a specially “pimped up” cyclo.

The staff of the Vicious Cycle NGO donated their time to trick up the cyclo, which, according to Scales, is now “bright red and the cushion just fits Billy”.

After the race, the snazzy cyclo will be donated to a cyclo driver in Phnom Penh.

Most of the other cyclos will be rented by the riders.

Something in the air

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Post Staff

On October 10 at 10pm, people congregated at 7347 gatherings in 188 countries to draw attention to the global climate crisis, and among them were the guys and gals from ArtDeli, on Alley West in Siem Reap.

ArtDeli has already been at the centre of green happenings in Siem Reap, including the Green Market last July.

This time, the occasion was a little more subdued due to an immediate climate crisis – many of those planning on attending had been caught in a violent storm in Sihanoukville.

Loven Ramos, one of the evening’s organisers said, “Everyone we knew was out of town in Sihanoukville and couldn’t make it back for the party after they got caught in a really bad storm. But we had a great time still with some new and different people.”

The 10/10/10 date inspiration is the spin-off of 350.org, an organisation whose mission is to “inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis – to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet”.

Here in Siem Reap, this was done in demure style, with Champagne and toasts to the long life of the planet.

The group also submitted photos of the night to 350.org to mark Cambodia’s participation in this global effort to raise awareness of, and find solutions to, the climate crisis.

Meanwhile, ArtDeli, which has quickly established itself as the weirdest and funkiest joint in town – a sort of post-Bohemian outpost of surrealism – is set to expand soon, with a new library to open upstairs. This will certainly be something worth waiting for, and waiting is the operative word because the opening night has been shifted from October 23 to November 6.

No explanation for the postponement has been given, but intending celebrants are invited to come dressed as their favourite author or artist.

The idea of dressing as an author in itself boggles the mind: How does one dress, for example, as Norman Mailer? Or Germaine Greer for that matter.

And it begs the question, if, for example, Johan Smits, author of Phnom Penh Express, turned up dressed as himself, would that be cheating?

Man About Town

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Peter Olszewski

WATER TORTURE

WHENEVER an international journalist comes to town, it seems the mandatory story to write is that the iconic temples are in danger of tumbling because too many tourists are using too much water causing the groundwater to decrease, thus undermining the foundations of the huge ancient structures.

On September 27 The Guardian entered the fray, declaring that water used by Siem Reap hotels “is being sucked from groundwater under the city, threatening the stability” of the temples.

The piece as usual was large on conjecture, light on fact. Granted, Peou Hang, the deputy director of water management for Apsara did say that if the groundwater goes down there will be a problem. But he added: “The problem is not yet happening.”

So is Siem Reap’s groundwater table shrinking?

Not according to a report lodged by the University of Tokyo’s Department of Environment Systems during June’s Technical Session of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor.

The report said, in part, that preliminary results on the groundwater-surface water relationship at Siem Reap “suggests that the overall water table distribution did not change much from 1999 to present”.

And, of course, the period from about 2001 until now in Siem Reap has seen one of the greatest surges in modern tourism history.

DRESSED FOR GOLF

AUSTRALIA’s dapper golf legend Rodger Davis, famous for his spiffy plus-fours, has been in town this week competing in the Victoria Angkor Pro Am at the Angkor Golf Resort, where the greens have been alive with the sound of raucous Aussie accents.

The Pro Am attracted 59 golfers from Australia. It concludes today after having

got off to a dramatic start with the second day’s play delayed due to flash flooding in Siem Reap which left part of the course underwater.

GROUNDS FOR ACCLAIM

HOTEL de la Paix’s resident barista Sambatheany is the only entrant from Siem Reap to compete in Cambodia’s prestigious National Barista Championships, part of the much anticipated International Hospitality and Food Service Show 2010.

This showdown will be held next weekend at the newly constructed Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh.

The National Barista Championships will see top local baristas and bean grinders showcase their wealth of coffee knowledge and celebrate Cambodia’s flourishing food and drinks scene.

No Nescafé 3-in-1 will be allowed.

Eating with your heart

Sala BaÏ’s sales help train young Cambodian chefs

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:00 Nicky McGavin

It’s not so much about eating your heart out, as eating with your heart, with hospitality training school Sala Baï’s training restaurant opening its doors to the public on Monday.

The restaurant serves set menu options as well as à la carte, and its dishes are derived from both Asian and Western influences.

From the set menus, the first week’s items include Tonle Sap fish with pineapple and jasmine rice, and beef on lemongrass skewers with pepper dip and jasmine rice.

For more Western appetites, there is pan-fried Tonle Sap fish with lemon butter sauce, and spaghetti with chicken and asparagus.

Starters include spring rolls, grilled vegetables in a mixed green salad and tomato soup with cheese ravioli.

Emmanuelle Dethomas, the Sala Baï marketing and communications manager, promises many forthcoming gastronomic treats. “Our chefs are coming up with some wonderful new ideas for the year ahead,” he said.

The restaurant’s set menu, which consists of three courses, costs $8 per person, which is enough to cover the cost of training one student for one day. For those wishing to make a contribution to the future of young Cambodians, this is a perfect opportunity to literally put your money where your mouth is. And of course, it helps that the food is invariably delicious, too.

On September 6, Sala Baï welcomed a new intake of 100 young students from the villages around Siem Reap. With free training and board, they will spend the year learning the ins and outs of the hospitality trade.

This is the ninth intake for the training school, which has already seen 704 students graduate, all of whom have found work in Siem Reap and elsewhere. The school is immensely proud of its record in training and placing students, Dethomas said. “When the general mangers of the hotels come to us and say they want Sala Baï students, that is our best result.”

Last week was what the school called the “semaine de gout” – a tasting week to introduce the students to the strange tastes integral to Western cooking such as vinegar, butter, cheese and wine. This is an important aspect of their learning, as they must be prepared to work in both international and Cambodian kitchens.

The chefs-cum-trainers this year are Sith Pisan and Dam Chamroeun. Sith Pisan has just returned to Cambodia after spending four years as

a chef at a five-star hotel in Dubai, while Dam Chamroeun is actually a graduate of Sala Baï from the second intake when he trained under former high-profile head chef at the Hotel de la Paix, Joannès Riviere.

“The most important thing we do is poverty reduction,” says Dethomas. “Through a whole year of free schooling, materials, clothes, room and board, as well as helping find a job at the end, we are helping the students to open a window into a new future”.

Freedom

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

via CAAI

Friday, 15 October 2010 15:01 Meas Sokchea

Svay Rieng province residents Meas Srey (second from left) and Prum Chea (third from right) exit Kandal provincial prison yesterday, one day after the Appeal Court ordered that the one-year sentences they received in connection with a political stunt along the Vietnamese border be shortened by two months. The villagers were convicted in the same case that saw opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is in self-imposed exile, receive a two-year sentence for racial incitement and destroying public property. At a press conference yesterday, Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann reiterated the party’s call for a “political compromise” that would allow Sam Rainsy to return to Cambodia. Tith Sothea, spokesman for the Press and Quick Reaction Unit at the Council of Ministers, said the chances of such a compromise were far-fetched – “like the horizon”.