Cotton comeback prompts local farmers to switch crops

Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN

A farmer in Battambang province shows his soon-to-be harvested cotton crop last week.

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If growing cotton is more profitable than corn, I will change.
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(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Nguon Sovan

With the building of a new processing factory in Battambang, cotton is becoming a popular agricultural growth market

BATTAMBANG

KERT Serey has grown corn on her 5 hectares of land in Ou village, Battambang province for years, she said, but in July made a decision with her family to commit all her land to growing cotton.

She wasn’t the only farmer in the area to make the switch, despite a recent malaise that saw the domestic industry lie almost completely dormant for close to 25 years.

Up to this year, farmers in western Cambodia were growing only about 50 hectares of cotton per year, mainly in Battambang but also Pailin, Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap provinces.

Since the planting season began in July, farmers in the area have put roughly 1,200 hectares of cotton under cultivation, a figure that is expected to grow 40 percent annually in the coming years, said Kong Chan, project manager of Seladamex Co, which recently completed construction of a US$2 million cotton-processing plant 28 kilometres outside of Battambang town in Sdao commune.

“We want to revive this … crop,” he said.

Like many industries in the Kingdom, the cotton industry began to die during the Khmer Rouge era when almost all agricultural resources were focused on rice production. Between 1965 and 1975, the industry – established by the French – thrived, and thousands of acres of the crop were harvested each year.

Although planting continued under the Pol Pot regime, a lack of markets for the cotton, coupled with years during which insects devastated the crop, led Cambodian farmers all but give up on cotton by 1985.

In September, however, Seladamex’s cotton plant began processing cotton, thereby creating huge demand for the crop.

The plant site itself includes 100 hectares for cultivation, and even taking into account the increasing number of fields converted to cotton, Kong Chan said, the factory will need more.

“Now we are just encouraging farmers to start growing again, so the quantity they are producing is still low: It cannot meet the production capacity of the plant,” he said.

This year Seladamex given 14 tonnes of free cotton seeds, purchased from Vietnam at $8 per kilogram, to Cambodian farmers in a bid to spur production, said Kong Chan.

Many farmers say that converting to cotton makes good business sense aside from the lure of free seeds. Kert Serey said Thai buyers of corn and beans had regularly dropped the prices they were willing to pay for corn and beans – one of the main reasons that her family switched to cotton this year.

“I am not worried about the market because I have seen the [cotton] plant with my own eyes,” she said.

The factory has attempted to persuade farmers to switch to cotton by guaranteeing $400 a tonne, a price guaranteed in a written, legally binding contract, says Kong Chan.

San Mong Tol, a 20-year-old farmer in Neangpuon village, Battambang province, said that although he still has doubts about whether his cotton will be bought, he plans to step up from 1 hectare of cotton this year to 7 hectares next year if things go well this harvest.

“This is just a pilot growing project,” he said, adding that his revenue would be comparable to that from growing corn.

In terms of insecticides and clearing weeds, cotton is less expensive and time-consuming compared to corn, he added.

Another farmer in nearby Treng commune, 62-year-old Chhim Meng, said he also has doubts because of the huge increase in the supply of cotton that is likely to follow this year’s harvest.

“If growing cotton is more profitable than corn, I will change and grow cotton on my other 7 hectares next year that currently grow corn,” he said, after planting 7 hectares of cotton recently.

From 7 hectares of corn he would expect to get about $3,500 in revenue, he said, and he could expect an output of at least 2 tonnes of cotton per hectare, or $5,600 for 7 hectares selling cotton at $400 per tonne to Seladamex.

Given the current price of cotton on world markets and dropping global supply, farmers in Cambodia should be optimistic about getting more for their crop in the near future.

Demand up as supply falls

The International Cotton Advisory Committee said Monday that world cotton production would fall 4.7 percent in the year until July, mainly due to a declining crop in China, the biggest producer. At the same time, the Washington-based organisation said in a report this week, consumption will rise to 23.6 million tonnes from 23.1 million tonnes.

Demand for the material is also likely to increase at the Seladamex factory, Kong Chan said. The plant is capable of processing 15 tonnes a day, meaning that if the 1,200 hectares now under cultivation were to result in 2 tonnes per hectare come harvest time, there would only be 2,400 tonnes of cotton for the year. Kong Chan says he hopes to see at least 1,000 tonnes harvested. The factory can handle about 5,475 tonnes per year, and there are plans for expansion of the facility, he said.

Currently the plant can separate only dried raw cotton, but there are plans depending on financing to add $1.5 million in machinery to produce thread and cloth, Kong Chan said. This capacity would provide an obvious advantage for a garment industry that relies exclusively on imported raw materials. This is the aim in the next five years, he added.

“I have spoken to factories in Vietnam, China and South Korea and they told me that they would buy all the cotton we have,” he said. “They will buy at the international market price of roughly $1,500 a tonne.”

The only stipulation, he added, would be reaching a level of quality that Cambodia is struggling to attain.

Seladamex also hopes to sell to the only complete cotton-processing plant in Cambodia, in Kampong Cham province, which currently relies on Taiwanese imports – “if they grant us a competitive price”, Kong Chan said.

In the immediate future, farmers in western Cambodia will harvest the first major cotton crop in the past generation starting this month. And once Seladamex processes the resulting cotton, Kong Chan said, Seladamex will export to Vietnam “for the first time”.

Psychology as a highway to national healing

Photo by: Kounila Keo

Sreng Nearirath, a student of psychology, hopes her future professional qualifications will help her treat individuals suffering from grief induced by years of civil war.

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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Kounila Keo and Hay Phirum

When 23-year-old Sreng Nearirath began studying psychology at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, she knew exactly how it would complement her other subject, law.

“Psychology and law are very interrelated subjects. I am interested in wars, world wars, and that is why I want to know why people killed each other. So, I guess studying law and psychology would answer my questions,” said Nearirath, now a legal officer at a prominent bank in the capital.

Studying for both majors at the same time was difficult for her, but psychology, she says, has taught her patience and positive thinking.

Since she was a child, Nearirath has been curious about her country’s past.

It was over 30 years ago that Cambodia suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime. The trauma of losing family members, homes and possessions left many individuals in need of treatment by psychologists and other counsellors specialising in trauma and crisis.

“I think there have been about 2 million who have had their life threatened by near-death encounters, so I am sure they have trauma that they need to consult experts about to help them move on in their lives,” she said.

“If many people become interested in this field and are highly encouraged to study this more, they will be capable in helping the elder generation resume a normal mental state.”

Some 500 undergraduate psychology students are adopting the same strategy of combining psychology with historical knowledge to contribute to their country’s well-being, said Somchan Sovanndara, a psychology professor and practitioner for over 20 years. Somchan Sovann-

dara says that before the bitter war regime, no one studied psychology as part of the higher education curriculum, and only a few went on to pursue careers in the field and become full-fledged practising psychologists.

“Cambodians looked at psychology in a different way before, yet now it’s become very popular among students,” he said. He confirmed that Cambodia is in dire need of well-trained psychologists to help Khmer Rouge survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In high demand

Somchan Sovanndara assures the nation’s youth that there are many jobs offered to students with psychology degrees, and that they need not worry about finding them. “Besides, Cambodia now is welcoming organisations with trained psychologists to work closely with people, so psychology is timely for Cambodians and has a rightful space in my country,”he said, adding that he sees the subject in high demand, and of critical importance.

He encourages the youths of today to study psychology in order to deepen their understanding and have an analysis of the emotional wounds to be healed after decades of civil war and trauma.

Somchan Sovanndara said he is aware the subject is unattractive to some. “Usually, students study psychology as a complement to other major subjects they learn, such as law, communication, military, criminal psychology, education, business. And, the graduates can find jobs as a professor, counsellors, and researchers and NGO staff working with disadvantaged children or people with mental illness.”

Nineteen-year-old Choun Chanreasy, a psychology student, hopes an increase in psychology training will help her country withstand the trauma and depression of many years of past suffering.

“I want to understand other people’s mentality, work for NGOs and do research to help Cambodians,” she said.

Somchan Sovanndara said that psychology is available as a subject major and taught as a discipline at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

He added that the subject was introduced in 1994, and that only 510 graduates in the field have so far been produced.

Rural schools find it difficult to attract skilled educators

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Students in Banteay Meanchey commute by bicycle.

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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Colin Meyn

The clatter of boisterous schoolchildren’s footsteps and the peals of the school bell have stopped chiming for a considerable amount of time.

It is close to dusk, but classrooms are teeming with activity inside Yeang Dankhom High School in Banteay Meanchey province. Many of the teachers who work at the school are eating dinner together in a classroom, like any other night, as they have made the schoolhouse their home in order to cut down on living expenses.

Teacher shortages have plagued education in remote areas since the rebuilding of the country’s public schools began in the late 1970s.

Teacher’s advocates such as Rong Chunn of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association have criticised the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport for failing to engage in measures to increase the flow of teachers to less-developed areas.

“The ministry says they are trying to fix the problem by paying teachers $10 a month to go to rural areas. But these efforts are not enough to really change the mind of teachers who want a decent standard of living,” said Rong Chuun.

However, at rural schools such as Yeang Dankhom high school in Banteay Meanchey, there are measures both formal and informal that have been adopted to keep teachers in the classroom.

Besides allowing them to reside on school premises, the ministry provides teachers with ways of earning extra income in order to tempt them to travel to Cambodia’s most hard-to-reach areas.

Normally the ministry limits teachers to 18 hours a week of teaching; however, at remote secondary schools such as Yeang Dankhom, they are allowed eight extra hours at 5,000 riels an hour. On top of that there is a fixed monthly payment of 40,000 riels.

Along with monthly salaries of $70 to $90 for secondary schools, depending on qualifications and family size, teachers can earn more than $100 a month.

Local education officials in Banteay Meanchey also gave Men Sithol, the principal of Yeang Dankhom high school, a 400-square-metre piece of land to put up a house, though he hasn’t gotten that far yet.

“They gave me land, but I still don’t have enough money to build on it,” said Men Sithol.

For decades, the ministry has been giving extra money to teachers in rural areas; however, the efforts have been largely unsuccessful in getting teachers to stick around.

Teacher training centres are among the few higher education institutions that still award full scholarships to 100 percent of students. In return, the government has the power to send graduates for two-year stints wherever there is a high demand for teachers. After teachers finish their mandatory terms they can apply for transfer elsewhere.

“When I came here in 2004, many teachers were sent with me. Most of them stayed for two or three years and then moved back to Battambang or other cities,” said Pen Sithol, adding that he is still forced to hire unqualified teachers. Some of his staff members went through an accelerated six-week training period out of high school, as opposed to two years as is ministry policy, before they were placed in a classroom.

Perhaps the government is not ignoring the calls of rural teachers for higher standards of living, but they are not convincing teachers to stay put in the provinces.

New training centres aim to boost tourism sector services

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

New education centres proposed by the Ministry of Tourism are set to apply international standards of training in cities in Cambodia.

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Rann Reuy and Tristan Chan

Ministry of Tourism targets four locations – Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Kratie and Sihanoukville – to improve tourism infrastructure and attract more visitors

Siem Reap Province

Thong Khon, the tourism minister, was quoted in a press conference last week in Siem Reap as saying that the ministry plans to build hospitality and tourism training centres and culinary schools to cater to the demands of newly emerging and developed tourist sites. The schools aim to foster the development of specific skills which will allow students the ability to provide international standard service that is expected of the tourism industry.

Four sites – the capital city Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk, Siem Reap and Kratie provinces – are the main targets for building schools that will train the next generation of tourism and service providers who will ensure top quality products for their clients.

Thong Khon, who has recently returned from a state visit to Australia supported by the University of Queensland and AusAID (Australian Government Overseas Aid), said that his five days in the city of Noosa gave him insight into how the seaside city approaches ecotourism and adventure travel development at other Australian sites.

“We want to compete in the global economy. If we don’t have the required standard of service, how do we stand a chance of competing?” he said, adding that “we are determined to complete work in this mandate”.

Thong Khon said he remains committed to Cambodia’s viability as a growing destination with high-quality facilities and services and is certain that the Kingdom’s natural resources and physical beauty can be tapped to shape and strengthen tourism sites.

“In the past, it wasn’t that we had no desire to develop, but we did not dare to develop due to our lack of experience,” he said, adding that Cambodia is capable of building attractive new sites to which tourists will flock.

Cambodia’s limited sea coasts could be compensated for by the numerous riverside locations in several of the Kingdom’s provinces, Thong Khon said.

The four proposed tourism education centres will be designed to train students based on the characteristics of those regions, he said.

For example, Thong Khon said, Siem Reap has been targeted as a centre for culture, Kratie as an ecotourism hub and Preah Sihanouk as a coastal destination. The proposed schools at each of the sites will focus on the speciality of the individual locations.

Development of the training facilities and curricula are being crafted with technical assistance from Australiato ensure that plans proceed efficiently and professionally.

“We already have the land in Preah Sihanouk province, and we will ask for land from the Apsara Authority to build the school in Siem Reap,” he said. “This school needs a lot of funding for necessary materials; it is not like studying for a master’s degree or doctorate.”

He added: “We have to offer quality services as a strategy for attracting and keeping tourists.” The ministry has already selected and sent officials to study in Australian tourism schools, Thong Khon said, in order to provide them with the necessary qualifications for nurturing top-quality services not only in the tourism sector but in the private sector, in schools and in communities as well.

Neb Samouth, an assistant to the minister of tourism, said the ministry delegation had met with Queensland’s tourism institutions, an Australian private training and education council, Queensland’s tourism industry council, Queensland’s commerce institution, Australian ecotourism unit, Seashore City Noosa councillors and Queensland University management.

“They promise to help us develop the tourism sector of Cambodia, especially welcoming the Australian tourism officials to assist us with the training,” Seb Samouth said.

Luu Meng, president of the Cambodia Hotel Association (CHA), said he welcomed the ministry’s plans of establishing hospitality schools to educate students on delivering good service that is vital to the sector’s growth. He was supportive of programs that could impart skills like customer relations and business etiquette.

“Presently, we almost do not have any skilled workers capable of providing standard service,” he said, adding that it would be beneficial for the tourism sector to launch at least two to four service-centred schools in each region.

He said Cambodian universities have been teaching students about management of hospitality but not the softer aspects of hotel and tourism service. “This initiative is very good, so we want to see the government establish it as soon as possible,” he said.

Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said that Cambodia has, in the last two decades, rapidly developed its hotels, roads, cars and human resources. He said he believed that Cambodia should continue developing its tourism sector.

“Those schools are important in identifying skills needed for good tourism service,” Ang Kim Eang said. “At the same time, the private sector has foreign partners, so we gradually learn from our partners to provide quality service.”

Ang Kim Eang added that around three months ago, the Tourism Ministry called for both state universities and private universities to customise a tourism school curriculum that was well-suited to the industry, but he is unsure of how the plan has developed so far.

Cyclo Centre teaches drivers street smarts

Drivers pick up a variety educational courses. Photo Supplied

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Jude Mak and Tristan Chan

Providing training in English, health programmes and a banking system, the centre helps the ambitious help themselves

Considered painful menial labour and slowly fading from the Cambodian landscape, the cyclo offers a hard life.

Drivers endure turbulent traffic and grimy streets, cacophonous dins, meagre wages and long hours.

However, over the past decade, the Cyclo Centre in Phnom Penh has sought to improve the lives of drivers through outreach and education programmes.

Located on Street 158, the centre provides washing and repair facilities as well as educational programmes in which drivers can hone their skills and improve their lifestyles. Among the courses on offer are English lessons and educational sessions on traffic laws, hygiene and health.

Other services available include haircuts and a “Savings Book” programme that works like a bank, allowing drivers to store their money safely at the centre.

The Cyclo Centre opened some 10 years ago, but it was not until August 2005 that it registered with the Ministry of Interior and became an independent NGO.

The centre now has three full-time teachers along with regular volunteers who act as assistants, facilitating seminars. Some 1,500 cyclo drivers are members of the Cyclo Centre, and membership is free.

Perhaps the most favoured of the programmes are the English language classes taught by native English-speaking volunteers.

Students are tested monthly to observe their progress and determine where they might need extra help.

In addition, course length and schedule is tailored to accommodate the number of interested drivers.

“We provide English language training to all cyclo drivers. It is important for them to communicate with tourists, so we teach them how to communicate, like saying, ‘Where do you want to go?’” explained Nouv Sarany, coordinator of the Cyclo Centre.

Previously, the centre provided vocational training in addition to its existing services, but this ended in 2005 due to a lack of funding.

The training aimed to make cyclo drivers more business-savvy by broadening their skills.

Every two months, seminars are conducted by local health care professionals about health and safety issues relevant to the drivers.

Within the span of four hours, topics such as traffic laws, swine flu, smoking, and HIV/AIDS are covered.

Health-related seminars are conducted by representatives from the World Health Organisation as well as Population Services International.

Nouv Sarany said that she is confident drivers are benefiting from their lessons.

She also said that careful monitoring and evaluation is done because donor organisations are concerned with drivers’ progress.

“We conduct evaluations monthly. We interview drivers. Our donors need the evaluation to know that the education is working,” Nouv Sarany said.

She added: “A lot of people in Cambodia like to smoke a lot. But 40 percent to 50 percent of our drivers [who have attended the anti-smoking seminars] have stopped smoking and are able to save money and send it back to their families.”

Students step in as teachers

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:01 Prum Seila

Travelling down a trash-laden and potholed road, visitors invest at least four hours to reach Marich village, the so-called “Hidden Village”, from Preah Vihear town.

It’s the name given to the community by staff of Save the Children Norway. At Marich, the NGO teaches writing and reading, while also training homegrown teachers. Outstanding students of the third grade teach their juniors. And besides the 77 students it attends to, the programme instructs villagers in subsistence farming and herding techniques.

Helping each other

“I want to continue my studies and help villagers who are illiterate at the same time,” said Tin Dany, one of the two teachers in the village.

Becoming a teacher in a remote, rural area with little or no formal education was a daunting challenge for the 19 year old.

“I learned how to read and write from my father, who was able to read a few words,” Tin Dany said.

“I was also taught by one of my fellow villagers – the only one in the village who could read and write.”

Off the beaten path

Marich is in deep forest 100 kilometres from Preah Vihear town. The Hidden Village has been isolated from the outside world for decades – villagers’ only livelihoods are growing rice and collecting gum mastic from trees in the deep woods. Now the 250 villagers have their own school where their children have access to education.

However, the school is only able to accommodate students up to the third grade, and it is too far off the beaten path to allow teachers to commute from a larger town.

Coaching at home

Now Tin Dany is fortunate enough to receive coaching from Save the Children Norway’s teachers.

The NGO’s instructors come to the village twice a month and stay for at least three days on each visit to train the village’s two teachers, offering them lessons in subjects such as reading, writing and educational techniques.

Until recently, Save the Children Norway invited the Marich teachers to Preah Vihear town for training, but because it is difficult for them to travel there, the organisation decided to send teachers to provide on-site training.

The village has changed and improved quickly.

Villagers are more exposed to neighbouring communities, which has increased access to information, and most students are now able to read and write. Parents now push their children to go to school.

Girl makes the grades despite her disability

SAVE THE CHILDREN NORWAY

Despite discrimination and pressure from her peers, Duk Chaavy persevered in her studies to get good grades.

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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Prum Seila and Nou Vannsan

While her classmates write with their hands, Duk Chhavy, 14, is not as fortunate as her peers and relies only on two feet in daily activities such as studying.

Sareun, Chhavy’s mother, recalls the harsh judgement that surrounded Chhavy’s birth.

“My neighbours told me it’d be better to let Chhavy die,” she said.

Sareun said that before Chavvy turned a year old, she and her husband separated as they were unable to come to terms with her handicap.

But Sareun was determined.

“I could not let my daughter die,” she said. “I will do everything to help her.”

Sareun’s relatives give her physical and moral help, and Chhavy gets help from her mother and her relatives, who have never thought of sending Chhavy to school and be with other kids.

At first, Chhavy’s classmates teased her with names like “crippled girl” and avoided playing with her. Even teachers of Svaysor Primary did not believe that she was able to hold a pen and fit into their class.

However, with her perseverance and with the support from Save the Children Norway , Chavvy was able to study at Svaysor Primary.

Save the Children Norway is jointly managed by a Battambang-based organisation to support children with disabilities by providing home-based care, informal education, skill training and other forms of rehabilitation. A social worker educated her communities about her condition and worked at reducing discrimination. Besides the advocacy support, Chhavy’s mother also received donations to start a home business. Chhavy has achieved remarkable grades that are comparable to her peers, and she dreams of taking dance and singing lessons and having access to libraries. She is preparing for entry into high school next year. “Chhavy has never asked people to raise her up when she falls, the only thing she can’t do is to clothe herself,”her mother said.

Better schooling seen necessary for the future of youth, workforce

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 James O'Toole

UN outlook for youth bleak on employment obstacles and economy

YOUNG Cambodians face increasingly daunting prospects for entering the Kingdom’s labour market, the United Nations said in a report released last week.

The report, titled “Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia”, was prepared to coincide with Saturday’s UN Day and is being launched at a ceremony this morning at the National Institute of Education. UN resident coordinator Douglas Broderick said that though the report also contains sections on health, education, rights and vulnerability, many of its most urgent recommendations focus on the issue of youth employment.

“This is the biggest issue affecting young people,” he said. “Cambodia has a young and vibrant workforce, but they lack the skills and training to achieve their full potential.”

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LACKING THE SKILLS AND TRAINING TO ACHIEVE FULL POTENTIAL, NUMEROUS YOUTHS DON’T HAVE A SOCIAL NETWORK.

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People ages 10 to 24 currently comprise 34.7 percent of the Cambodian population – more than 300,000 leave school and look for work each year, and youth participation in the labour force is among the highest in the region, according to the report. However, recent economic growth has largely depended on a few key sectors: garments, construction and tourism, and these sectors are ill-equipped to further absorb large numbers of workers.

John McGeoghan, project manager at the Phnom Penh office of the International Organisation for Migration, said that Cambodia must account for the potential social dislocation that occurs when young people migrate from rural to urban areas in search of employment.

“What we are concerned about, perhaps in terms of trafficking, is that there are significant numbers of young people who don’t have a social network,” he said.

The UN analysis also noted this trend, but it emphasised the importance of expanding Cambodia’s labour capabilities in the agricultural sector, as the earning potential for youths entering the labour force is significantly lower in rural areas than it is in Phnom Penh.

Officials from the Ministry of Labour could not be reached for comment. In August, however, Ministry of Labour Director General Heng Sour told the Post that the government is currently sponsoring a job training programme supporting 40,000 people, 30,000 of whom are studying agricultural vocations.

“We are observing whether the economic crisis will continue and whether this training will be enough,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Economy and Finance will consider whether or not to renew this programme at the end of the year.

These sorts of initiatives, Broderick said, are crucial for the Kingdom to meet the challenge or a burgeoning working-age population. He adds, “Establishing programmes and opportunities for young people to develop work-related skills, such as more school-based vocational training, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and opportunities in civil service … is essential.”

Music festival lights up

PHOTO: SENSI CREATIONS

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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 POST STAFF

Kong Piseth, singer and guitarist with homegrown band Phos Phore, performing onstage at the Wave Music Festival 2009 on Saturday night. Phos Phore and fellow Cambodian rock outfit Cartoon Plus kicked off the two-day full-moon festival at The Airport Club, Victory Beach, Sihanoukville. The rock concert vibe transformed into a hardcore dance club later in the night as DJs took over, with locals and expats alike enjoying a moonlit beach dancefloor, state-of-the-art laser light show and frenetic tunes.

Locals go 2-1 in Om Tuk card

Photo by: ROBERT STARKWEATHER

Nuon Soriya, in red, commanded the early rounds but faded down the stretch against Yukiya Nakamura of Japan.

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HERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE FIGHTING ALONE. YOU JUST WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH.
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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Robert Starkweather

Cambodian kickboxing legend Nuon Soriya comes up short against Japan’s Yukiya Nakamura; Bheut Kam, Thun Sophea both score decisive victories

THE cut on Harlee Avison’s nose was still fresh when he entered the ring Friday night against Bheut Kam. The stitches had come out just days earlier.

The gash gave Bheut Kam a target, and within seconds of the opening bell he whipped Avison’s head back with a straight left hand flush to the nose.

Nearly 1,500 enthusiastic Kun Khmer fans packed Old Stadium on Friday night for TV5’s annual Bon Om Tuk fight card, which this year included three international and five local bouts.

In the international features, Thun Sophea smashed Muhammed Nsugbuga of Uganda with low kicks to score an effortless first-round TKO, Nuon Soriya lost by majority decision to Yukiya Nakamura of Japan and Bheut Kam beat Harlee Avison by unanimous decision.

“Shit fight,” said Avison afterwards, the sting of defeat unmistakable on his face.

The 18-year-old from Cairns, Australia, trains out of Promthep Camp in Phuket, Thailand.

He typically fights with his father Wayne and his uncle Danny working the corner.

But Harlee flew to Cambodia with only Thai fight promoters, and the men in his corner Friday night were practically strangers.

Without his family for support, the young Avison said he struggled.

“You’re a bit more motivated, a bit more enthusiastic with friends and family in the corner,” he said.

“Here you feel like you’re fighting alone. You just want to get it over with.”

Encouraged by Avison’s lackluster performance, Bheut Kam, 22, put on a kickboxing clinic, scoring easily with hard punches to the body and vicious elbows.

Photo by: ROBERT STARKWEATHER

Thun Sophea eyes an envelope filled with 10 crisp $100 bills given by Hun Sen.

By round five, he was landing five- and six-punch combinations unanswered and egging Avison on.

The Australian occasionally showed hints of power, and he shook Bheut Kam a few times with strong kicks.

He never appeared in any trouble, even after taking some incredibly hard elbows.

But he just never worked enough to be competitive in the fight.

“I could have kicked more, could have kneed more,” he conceded.

In the second co-feature of the night, 21-year-old Yukiya Nakamura of Tokyo came on strong in rounds four and five to steal the decision from Nuon Soriya, who had dominated rounds one, two and three.

“I did not think I could lose,” said Nuon Soriya, the 29-year-old veteran, afterward.

“I won rounds one, two, three and four.”

Of the five ringside judges, only one scored the fight in favor of Nuon Soriya, who while commanding the first three rounds, began to visibly tire in the fourth and appeared absolutely exhausted in the fifth.

In the third co-feature, Thun Sopea dismissed a badly overmatched Muhammad Nsubuga with low kicks, scoring three knockdowns in less than 90 seconds of the first round.

“I could feel the pain,” said Nsubuga afterward, poking gingerly at his left hamstring. “I thought it was going to break.”

Nsubuga, predominantly an English boxer, took the fight on short notice.

He was filling in for a Russian fighter listed only as “Mitery”, who did not appear for unspecified reasons.

Thun Sophea himself was filling in for Sen Bunthen, who was out of the country.

In the five local matches, Mtes Kmang drew against Rith Kao, Khan Sovan beat Lim Bunna on points, Chim Sarath dropped a decision to Cheng Rithy, Sarim Vonthon outpointed Bheut Bunthoeun and Les Tuk earned a decision over Him Saram.

Prime Minister Hun Sen gave US$1,000 to each fighter in the international bouts and $500 to the 10 local fighters on the undercard.

Football: Under 23s suffer minor setback

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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Andy Brouwer

The Cambodian Under-23s suffered a minor setback in their Ho Chi Minh City-based preparations for next week’s four-team BIDC Cup competition, to be played at the Olympic Stadium. On Sunday, the U23s lost their latest practice match 4-1 to Can Tho, who have just finished 3rd in Division I of the Vietnamese League. National coach Scott O’Donell reported: ‘‘We had a very positive first half which finished 1-1, with Kuoch Sokumpheak scoring after good work by Chan Chhaya. I made seven changes in the second half, and we conceded three very soft goals. … We will play Can Tho again on Wednesday evening and will be looking at a big turnaround.’’ Injuries have blighted O’Donell’s team selection ... and he’s been unable to field his strongest line-up.

Police Blotter: 04 Nov 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:02 Chhay Channyda

Philanderer hangs self, leaves note

A 24-year-old man hanged himself on Monday in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district after his wife caught him cheating. Police said that the man had brought another woman to his home for an adulterous romp on Sunday when his wife was away. However, his wife returned and caught the two lovers together before chasing the other woman away. After his wife stormed out, the man took a cotton scarf and hanged himself from a pillar. He left a note reading, “Goodbye, with regret”.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Brother arrested after eatery brawl

The brother of a Phnom Penh restaurateur is facing charges after allegedly shooting a man in the ear Sunday. The violence was sparked after the suspect’s restaurant-owner brother was struck when attempting to intervene in a fight during a birthday party at his eatery. Angry that his brother was hit, the suspect reportedly shot the victim in the ear, leaving the 20-year-old seriously wounded. The suspect was arrested and sent to court. RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Coconut seller found dead in home

Questions surround the death of a 35-year-old coconut vendor who hanged himself for unknown reasons on Sunday in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. A neighbour guessed that the man may have suffered from a mental illness because the victim had told him the night before committing suicide that he was being hunted by the police and feared for his life. The victim was also seen anxiously pacing in and out of his home and talking to himself, said the neighbour, who found him dead in the morning.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Couple accused of killing stepson

A man and a woman in Kampong Chhnang province are facing charges on suspicion of killing their 3-year-old stepson. The couple has denied the charges, but police say the stepfather, 31, threw the child against the wall then hit him repeatedly with an ice cooler because he would not fall asleep. Police say the man and his wife then attempted to bury the body at a local pagoda after the Thursday incident, but were stopped by a group of villagers who intervened and then contacted police.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

Gas station robbed of money, jewellery

Police are looking for six men who robbed a Siem Reap petrol station at gunpoint Sunday. Police say the bandits made off with US$4,000 and jewellery after threatening the gas station owners with AK-47s. Police said that the suspects pulled up to the station and pretended to fuel up their car. Instead, the suspects allegedly pulled out four rifles and pointed them directly at the owner, demanding that the man’s wife hand over the goods.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

In Brief: Maybank to offer yuan

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 POST STAFF

KUALA Lumpur-based Maybank has announced that it will offer yuan trade settlements at its regional branches, which include Cambodia, following Beijing’s easing of trade in the Chinese currency. In a Monday announcement, the bank – which first opened in the Kingdom in 1993 – said it expected the new services in yuan to benefit ASEAN-based firms trading with the 365 Mainland Designated Enterprises permitted to settle in yuan as a dollar alternative. However, given the dollarised nature of Cambodia’s economy it remains unclear whether domestic firms will choose to settle trade in the Chinese currency.

In Brief: World Bank Asia report

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Steve Finch

THE Washington-based World Bank will today launch its semiannual assessment of the Asia-Pacific’s economic performance, it said in an announcement, which will focus on the effect that China has had in promoting recovery in the region. The report will note, however, that Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand are all tipped to see GDP contract this year. The World Bank in April predicted the Kingdom would see the largest reversal in economic output in the whole region between 2007 and 2009 at 11.2 percent, predicting a 1 percent contraction in GDP for this year.

Former Thai PM to Visit His 'Brother' Than Shwe

Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh (Source: nationmultimedia.com)

By LAWI WENG

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The chairman of Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, is to visit Burma this month amid warnings from the Democrat-led Bangkok government not to do anything that would complicate relations with Naypyidaw.

Chavalit’s visit to Burma follows a controversial trip he made recently to Cambodia, where Prime Minister Hun Sen told him Thailand’s fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be welcome to live there, safe from extradition.

The Bangkok English language daily Bangkok Post quoted Chavalit as saying he would meet junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, both of whom he admired. “"Gen Than Shwe and I are like brothers to each other,” he was quoted as saying. “As for Gen Thein Sein, we are each other's fans.”

Chavalit is a former Thai Prime Minister who worked to end Burma’s isolation in the international community after the violent suppression of the uprising in Burma in 1988. He was involved in business deals with the Burmese junta in timber, fishing and hotel construction.

On his second visit to Burma in 1989 Chavalit agreed to repatriate student activists who fled to Thailand after the crackdown.

In another controversial move recently, Chavalit said the current Thai government was wrong to condemn the Burmese junta over opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest.

The Puea Thai Party said Chavalit would be going to Burma and, later on, to Malaysia “to mend fences with neighboring countries.”

Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samutarak warned Gen Chavalit, however, to avoid taking any steps which could complicate Thailand’s relations with two of its closest neighbors.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a senior reporter with the Bangkok English language daily The Nation, told The Irrawaddy on Monday: “Perhaps he [Chavalit] just simply wants on this trip to discredit the Thai government for its failure to solve any problem in Burma.” Chavalit couldn’t solve Burma’s problems, either, Supalak said.

Visiting of neighboring countries by opposition chairman may cause trouble: Thai deputy PM

http://www.chinaview.cn/

2009-11-03

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday it is possible that visits of neighboring countries by the chairman of the opposition may cause trouble to the government.

General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the leading opposition Puea Thai Party, earlier said he has planned to visit neighboring countries, including Myanmar.

It is normal that General Chavalit, who was the former Thai premier, has had good relationships with the neighboring countries, Thai News Agency quote Suthep as saying.

However, Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, has conceded that General Chavalit's visits may cause trouble to the coalition government, if he will say something, which will lead to confusion.

"The government will use all facts as tool to discuss with the neighboring countries, hence, whatever General Chavalit will say, I have insisted I will speak the truth (to clarify to the neighboring countries)," Suthep said.

In October, General Chavalit visited Cambodia and met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Hun Sen earlier had said that ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra could be in Cambodia as his guest and he would provide a residence for him.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September, 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then.

He returned to Thailand in February, 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

Editor: Anne Tang

Storm kills at least 40 in Vietnam: official

Flooded houses in the central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh

(AFP)

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

HANOI — Tropical storm Mirinae, which hit the Philippines as a deadly typhoon at the weekend, killed at least 40 people and left 11 missing in Vietnam, a national disaster official said Tuesday.

Mirinae was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical depression before it hit communist Vietnam's central coastal areas on Monday.

"Most of the victims were because of serious floods that hit the provinces of Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and Gia Lai in particular," the official said.

Fifty-nine people were reported as injured so far, the official added.

The national disaster committee's earlier toll was four dead and two missing.

According to the committee, up to 338 millimetres (13 inches) of rain fell in Vietnam's central regions. The storm damaged or destroyed an estimated 2,600 houses and flooded some 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres) of farmland.

"Rain is not very heavy now but several areas in our province are seriously flooded," official Nguyen Xuan Phu of Binh Dinh province told AFP earlier on Tuesday.

State television showed people stuck on their roofs, waving for help from local emergency workers in Phu Yen, and rescuers trying to take children and old people to higher areas.

Vietnam's coastal provinces had evacuated more than 50,000 people before the storm hit Monday night but some residents were still trapped by flooding Tuesday, the disaster committee said.

Mirinae also killed two people in Vietnam's neighbour Cambodia and left 19 people dead and three missing in the Philippines.

The Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council said the deaths were due mostly to drowning and occurred in suburban areas just south of Manila and in two eastern provinces.

Three other people are missing primarily due to flash floods, the council said. Almost 16,000 people are still in evacuation centres three days after the typhoon hit.

Floodwaters remain waist-deep or higher in Laguna province south of Manila and in Pangasinan to the north, after Mirinae dumped more rain on areas already inundated by two previous deadly storms.

Vietnam and the Philippines are frequently hit by tropical storms and flooding with both hit hard by Typhoon Ketsana in September.

Ketsana inflicted one of Vietnam's worst disasters in recent years, leaving a death toll of more than 160 and hundreds injured.

It caused devastating floods, inundating hundreds of thousands of homes and damaging tens of thousands of hectares of rice and other cropland.

The typhoon affected 14 provinces but about half the deaths happened in just two areas: the central fishing province of Quang Ngai and mountainous Kon Tum.

Carter To Visit Habitat for Humanity Homes

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Former US president Jimmy Carter is expected to visit Cambodia later this month, to tour the worksite of 21 houses by Habitat for Humanity, in Kandal province.

Carter, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will undertake a weeklong visit of Mekong River countries, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Every year since 1984 the former US president has spent one week volunteering with Habitat for Humanity somewhere in the world,” spokeswoman Melissa Cronin said. “And this year it’s very special because they are going to do the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter work project in five countries at one time, including Cambodia. So he is coming to visit the volunteers, meet the home owner and tour the build site in Oudong where the project took place.”

From Nov. 16 through Nov. 20, Carter, along with the former first lady, Rosalynn, and 3,000 volunteers, will build and repair 166 homes for the poor, including those in Cambodia.

“In an area of the world where many people live in deplorable conditions, we have a chance to help families improve their housing,” Carter said in a statement Monday.

Private Companies Prepare To Enter Stock Exchange

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

At least eight private companies are prepared to enter Cambodia’s nascent stock exchange, some as soon as it opens and others a few years down the road.

Thy Khemara, a research analyst for Tong Yang Security, which is preparing private companies and state enterprises for the bourse, said at least two or three companies will be ready when the exchange opens, while five or six others “would be able to do so after the stock exchange is running for a few years.”

More than 70 companies met in Phnom Penh last week to study the processes of a bond market, including the banks Cambodia Public, Acleda, First Commercial, Maruhan Japan, Vattanak and OSK Indochina; the micro-lenders Amret and Hatha Kakekar; and Camintel and Forte Insurance.

Chhun Sambath, a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia, declined to disclose the names of the companies that plan to list on the exchange, but he said those who had attended last Wednesday’s meeting were close to being able to join.

“These companies are all potential companies, meaning they are able to issue bonds,” he said. “Now they are preparing and working with the SECC. To sum up, we have enough companies to run our market if we establish it in the upcoming time.”

Ly Tay Seng, CEO of ABS and Consultants, said his firm was working with two foreign banks in Cambodia on security regulations.

Cambodia plans to establish its securities market in December, and government officials have been struggling to meet the deadline. Three state-owned companies, Telecom Cambodia, the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority and the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, are expected to be the first to join the stock market.

It remains to be seen which private companies will immediately join.

Sok Sophal, chief of securities and investment for Acleda Bank, said the company intends to one day list on the stock market and has created an internal securities team.

The bank will watch how credit grows when the stock market is established and determine whether it needs more capital, he said. “If the credit grows fast, we will consider whether we should sell equities or bonds,” he added.

Cheong Kin Soon, senior manager of OSK Indochina Bank, said his company has made a priority of joining the securities market.

Listed companies will be able to sell equities and bonds, but not before an independent securities evaluation agency determines the strength of the companies, Chhun Sambath said.

No such agency currently exists in Cambodia, he said.

Spirit of Tribunal Honors Victims: Official

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

Washington

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The head representative of the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s Victims Unit said Monday the role of the court was not only to find justice, but to heal and unify the country.

“In the spirit of healing and national reconciliation in any country, such as this kind of court, [judges] will not do what contradicts this main spirit, at all,” said Neou Kassie, head of the Victims Unit, as a guest on “Hello VOA.” “Once turmoil again occurs, the innocents suffer, and that’s not the direction of national reconciliation.”

The spirit of the tribunal is to conduct practical trials with international standards, to bring the top leaders of the Khmer Rouge to justice, he said.

Victim outreach is also an important component of the UN-backed court, he said, with news reaching people by TV, radio and other media, to help them understand the process and follow the proceedings.

Still, there has not been a consensus among more than 90 civil party complaint groups as to what kind of general compensation they may seek in the case against former prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, whose trial is wrapping up.

Some want rural development, while others want psychological clinics, and still others a research center, he said. And while compensation is going to be up to the court, a strong request would help.

“They need to make the decision together,” Neou Kassie said. “Otherwise their request is not strong.”

Opposition Accused of Border Post Destruction

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party will face yet another lawsuit, for the destruction of boundary demarcations on the Vietnam border.

Authorities of Chan Trea district, Svay Rieng province, say party leader Sam Rainsy colluded with local villagers to rip border markings out of the ground last week, officials said Monday.

The suit would bring to three the number of cases against the opposition in recent months, including Prime Minister Hun Sen’s defamation suit against lawmaker Mu Sochua, and a similar suit brought by 22 military officials against lawmaker Ho Vann.

The lawsuit stems from an Oct. 25 Katina ceremony, led by Sam Rainsy, in Samrong commune, Chantrea district. At the end of the ceremony, villagers showed gathered officials six boundary posts reportedly planted in their own rice fields, indicating incursion, officials said.

Sam Rainsy then said the markers should be removed, after which villagers pulled them up.

“The complaint has been filed for destruction of public property,” said the party’s Svay Rieng provincial deputy chief, Meas Kheng.

District Governor Chea Yieng confirmed a complaint had been filed but declined to give details, saying only it had to do with boundary markers and not the Katina ceremony.

Cambodia and Vietnam agreed in 2005 to finalized border demarcation, in a bid to end decades of disputes on a nationally sensitive topic. However, border activists have continued to protest the alleged incursion by Vietnamese into Cambodian territory.

“If there is a complaint, it would be another concern, after Mu Sochua and Ho Vann,” said Am Sam Ath, an investigator for the rights group Licadho.

Judge Korm Chhean, president of Svay Rieng’s court, said he had not yet seen a complaint.

Water Festival Wraps Up in Capital

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Phnom Penh wrapped up its annual Water Festival Tuesday, with at least 18 of nearly 400 racing boats sunk and one Kampong Cham province boatman missing after his craft capsized Monday.

The yearly festival, which features races, a lighted flotilla and millions of spectators, celebrates the defeat of a Cham naval force by an Angkorian fleet.

The festival is also a time when Cambodians give thanks to the waters of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, which meet in front of Phnom Penh. It is the most popular of all Cambodia’s annual festivals.

Touch Naroth, chief of Phnom Penh police, said authorities met no big surprises with the crowds this year, although some concerts were suspended because of rain.