Fisheries busts rise 300pc this year

Photo by: Sovan Philong
Fishermen in Kandal province retrieve their catch from traps tied to underwater fences, a method that is banned year-round.

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:01 Khouth Sophakchakrya

THE Fisheries Administration released new figures yesterday showing that officials had quadrupled efforts to tackle illegal fishing activities in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2009.

Nao Thuok, the director of the Fisheries Administration, said 1,772 incidents of illegal fishing were uncovered from January to June, a figure he said was “around four times as much” as the same period last year.

“We filed 107 cases to the court, and 38 perpetrators were sentenced to jail,” he said. “But some of the complaints have not yet been sent to trial.”

He said more than 321,000 metres of fishing nets,140 fish and crab traps “and other fishing equipment” had been confiscated and destroyed this year, although he could not give concrete statistics for illegal fishing violations.

“We have currently deployed our officers to fight and ban illegal fishing operations, after we received reports from people that perpetrators try to catch fish around the Tonle Sap lake at night,” he said.

“They catch about a tonne of fish a night each during the banned season.”

But Um Meng, chief of Phat Sanday Fishery Community in Kampong Thom province’s Kampong Svay district, said poorer fishermen were bearing the brunt of the crackdown whereas rich fish traders were able to afford the punishments meted out by the authorities.

“We ask them to forgive the poor families who just fish so they can eat, but not to make exceptions for the rich who fish for trade,” he said.

The community sent a letter to National Assembly President Heng Samrin last month asking for intervention, he said.

Nao Thuok said he would travel to the province on Saturday with members of the National Assembly in order to inspect the situation.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SUN MESA

Three-way land dispute sparks anew

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:01 Chhay Channyda

A GROUP of villagers in Kampong Speu province yesterday accused members of the Cambodian Disabled Survivors’ Association of illegally clearing their land, deepening a convoluted three-party dispute involving 1,500 hectares spread out across three provinces.

Phon Phen, a 31-year-old resident of Veal Thom village in Phnom Srouch district, said that 10 members of the association had used a tractor to clear rice fields.

“I saw a tractor this morning clearing our villagers’ land, and I recognised that they were Touch Seouly’s staff,” he said, referring to the director of the CDSA.

“I was too afraid to protest because Touch Seouly’s association members are violent people.”

Since April of this year, the CDSA has clashed with villagers who claim to have lived on the land since 2004, as well as with local Royal Cambodian Armed Forces soldiers who assert a similar claim.

Touch Seouly yesterday denied the allegations and accused the military of illegally grabbing the disputed land.

“I am with my tractor at home today,” he said. “Perhaps the villagers are confusing my association’s members with the soldiers from the RCAF base.”

Touch Seouly said that in 2000, provincial authorities allowed the association to develop about 1,500 hectares of land in Kampong Speu, Kampot and Preah Sihanouk provinces. But on April 29 of this year, Preah Sihanouk authorities ruled that the concession was invalid because it had not been approved by all three provincial governors.

Sann Kan, Veal Thom village chief, said yesterday that he had “no capacity to solve the dispute”, but that violent acts carried out by the association’s members had injured more than 10 people since 2000.

Mom Chheang, commander of the RCAF unit stationed at Stung Chral Development Centre, said the base was part of Veal Thom village, and that his soldiers had in the past cleared land to plant acacia trees. “It is RCAF land, and we have to develop it for our military base,” he said.

Ouch Leng, a land programme officer for the rights group Adhoc, said the CDSA had a hidden agenda.

“The association wants to grab land from the villagers and military to give to a Korean company so the company can invest in planting corn and producing animal feed,” he said.

Tep Mean, Phnom Srouch district governor, said the dispute was “complicated” because the land was claimed by three separate groups. He said he had asked all three to provide legal documentation to prove their claims to the land.

Accused midwife to countersue

Photo by: Pha Lina
Hiv Leng, sitting at his home in Meanchey district, holds a portrait of his wife, Khem Tha, who became ill and died after receiving an abortion at an unlicensed clinic.

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:01 Mom Kunthear

A MAN who filed a complaint over the weekend against a midwife whom he accused of botching an abortion procedure that killed his wife said yesterday that he had been threatened with a defamation countersuit.

Hiv Leng has accused the woman of performing the procedure at her home in late June despite being both unregistered and untrained. His wife, 40-year-old Khem Tha, died on July 20.

He said yesterday that his neighbours had warned him that the family of the accused was collecting thumbprints to be used as evidence in a defamation case against him.

“My neighbours told me when they were asked to print their thumb, but I told them that I do not care about that. I will still keep suing the midwife,” he said.

He noted that the family had previously proposed a US$2,000 settlement, an offer he refused.

“I need justice for my wife,” he said. “I don’t need money and I will go to the court on Thursday for questioning and also to urge the court to charge the woman quickly,” he said.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Monday launched an investigation into the case after Hiv Leng filed his complaint.

He has asked for the midwife to be punished in accordance with the law and for “at least” $10,000 in compensation.

The midwife could not be reached to provide a comment yesterday.

Heng Rami, a clerk at the court, said the midwife would be summoned for questioning on Friday.

Under the 1997 Law on Abortion, untrained abortion providers who perform a procedure that results in a woman’s death can face up to 10 years in prison.

Virya Koy, deputy chief of nursing at the Health Ministry’s Midwifery Office, said yesterday that it was “unlawful” for people to perform abortions in their homes, and that pregnant women who sought such services should discuss their options with registered health professionals at a

hospital.

He said that a registry of trained midwives was not yet available, but that the Health Ministry was working on producing one, and that it might be available as soon as the end of the year.

Road Regulations: Publisher sentenced for car plate

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:01 May Titthara

Road Regulations

THE publisher of a monthly newspaper in Kampong Thom province confessed in court to using an illegal press licence plate yesterday, prompting judges to hand him a two-year prison sentence, 23 months of which were suspended.

Horn Dara Huol, the 47-year-old publisher of the monthly Chhanteak Kuon newspaper, was arrested on July 20 in Baray district, and police at the time accused him of trying to extort money from wood vendors.

He faced between two and five years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million riels (US$2,383).

Kampong Thom provincial court president Khorn Sokol said Horn Dara Huol, who was not asked to pay a fine, was given a suspended sentence “because he confessed that he really used a fake number plate”.

Police Blotter: 5 Aug 2010

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Sun Narin

MAN SAYS NO TO PEER PRESSURE, GETS STABBED

Three mysterious assailants stabbed a man to death in Phnom Penh because he refused to drink some wine he had been offered, police said. Investigators said the incident happened Tuesday around midnight in the garden near the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The victim’s friends reported that they were sitting in the garden when three drunken men stumbled up and asked the man to drink. A fight somehow broke out, and the victim was stabbed in the stomach. He died an hour later in hospital. Police said the victim and his friends also happened to be intoxicated when the altercation occurred.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

MAN GETS KNIFED WITH A LITTLES HELP FROM FRIENDS

A man in Kampong Thom province was severely injured after he was stabbed three times in the ear following a drunken argument with his friends. Police said the the 37-year-old man was drinking with four of his closest buddies near his workplace Saturday when an argument broke out and nearby workers came to intervene. There was a violent skirmish, after which witnesses reported seeing three or four men fleeing the scene, leaving the victim unconscious on the ground with blood flowing from his body. Police said they would look into the matter.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

WIFE UPSET HUSBAND WAS ALREADY MARRIED

Police in Kampong Chhnang are investigating the death of a 24-year-old woman after her body was found with a poisonous substance around her mouth Tuesday morning. Investigators have hypothesised that the woman killed herself after discovering that her husband, to whom she had been married for almost a year, was already married to another woman. The apparently polyamorous husband said he found his wife’s body atop a hill behind his house three hours after she had left home that morning. Police said the woman died because she ingested poisonous tablets and because she was sent to hospital too late. The woman’s mother is asking police to investigate.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

FPT eyes Mekong Net stake

Photo by: RICK VALENZUELA
Vietnam's FPT Telecom is looking into purchasing up to 60 percent of Mekong Net.

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Jeremy Mullins and Soeun Say

VIETNAMESE internet provider FPT Telecom is negotiating with Mekong Net to acquire up to 60 percent of the firm, its owner and CEO Sok Channda said yesterday.

“We have agreed to cooperate,” the Mekong Net chief said, while emphasising that no deal has yet been struck.

FPT has expressed its interest in acquiring between 40 percent and 60 percent of Cambodian internet service provider Mekong Net, according to Sok Channda, but a deal would hinge on the value the Vietnamese firm would bring to the business.

“We’ve not answered yet if we want to sell,” she said.

Mekong Net would look at the personnel FPT Telecom could provide in technical and management fields before making a decision on a deal, she said.

She cited experience partnering with foreign firms through Angkor Net, a Cambodian ISP that she founded.

“Before, Angkor Net partnered with a Singaporean company, but [business progressed] very slowly,” she said.

No price tag had yet been discussed, as Mekong Net had not yet been valuated, she said.

FPT Corporation’s Vietnam-based public relations department did not return a request for comment on the deal yesterday, but a Cambodia-based representative of the firm said its telecom wing plans to have a domestic presence by the end of the year.

“FPT Telecom will be opening a branch office soon, and they have plans to invest a lot of money at the end of this year or early next year,” FPT Information System’s Cambodia chief representative Nguyen Trung Bac said Tuesday.

He said his knowledge on the move was limited as he was an employee of a separate wing of parent company FPT Corporation.

Together, Sok Channda said, Angkor Net and Mekong Net have the largest bandwidth for operation among the Kingdom’s ISPs and are the second-largest ISP by subscriber numbers next to Online.

Vietnam Business News reported earlier this week that FPT Telecom was looking to start a mobile service in the Kingdom. It said FPT Telecom intended to spend between $6 million and $10 million in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.

However, many Cambodian industry experts and government officials said when contacted by a reporter that they had no knowledge of such a plan.

Spokeswoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga confirmed that FPT Telecom was involved in discussions with Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications when contacted on Tuesday, but declined to clarify the nature of the discussions.

Four banks selected for roles on stock exchange

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Nguon Sovan

FOUR major banks have confirmed receiving in-principle approval for roles on Cambodia’s new stock exchange.

One banker described the move yesterday as “a progressive step” for the long-awaited bourse.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia said yesterday that it had told companies this week whether they were picked to become securities firms and representatives on the exchange, fulfilling roles such as underwriters and brokerages.

SECC Director General Ming Bankosal declined to immediately reveal how many of the 22 applicants had been successful, saying that approvals were subject to ongoing fee payments.

However, four companies told the Post that they had already gained in-principle approvals.

They are Cambodian banks

ACLEDA and Canadia, together with Malaysia-listed OSK Indochina Bank and Tong Yang Securities, a leading investment bank in South Korea.

“ACLEDA has been granted approval as a proposed securities brokerage business,” said Svay Hay, vice president and head of the capital market division at the bank.

As a securities brokerage, the bank would be able to buy or sell securities on behalf of its clients in return for a commission.

“We are the largest bank here in terms of loans and deposits, with nearly 1 million customers. Thus we can serve our customers when they play the stock market,” he said.

OSK Indochina Bank announced in a statement to the Malaysian bourse that it had been given initial permission to act as a securities underwriter – which can advise on public offerings, investments and dealings.

Canadia bank vice president Dieter Billmeier confirmed yesterday his organisation had been given a green light, but did not say for which role.

Chief representative of Tong Yang Securities Inc-Cambodia, Han Kyung Tae, said his bank had been approved in principle for a full licence as an underwriter, dealer, broker and securities representative.

“It’s a progressive step towards the upcoming stock market,” he said.

He said that the company was working to prepare an initial public offering with “a couple of local firms”.

Senior government officials have said the Cambodian Securities Exchange (CSX) must launch by July next year “at any cost”.

Fisheries haul in cash abroad

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Chun Sophal

CAMBODIA shipped abroad 10,000 tonnes of fish worth US$20 million during the first six months of 2010, according to figures from the General Department of Fisheries Administration.

The value of fisheries exports was US$5 million higher than the figure for the same period last year, even though volume had dropped by 5,000 tonnes by the end of June 2010 compared with the same period last year.

Fisheries Administration Director Nao Thuk said the increase in prices for fish exports resulted from rising prices for the product on foreign markets.

“Cambodia’s fishery products have been exported for very good prices this year because of demand from international markets,” he said.

Exports of freshwater and saltwater fish are limited by the Fisheries Administration to 20,000 tonnes for the whole of 2010 in order to avoid domestic shortages of the staple protein, Nao Thuk said.

Cambodia’s population of about 14 million people requires 700,000 tonnes of fish to serve local markets.

Ung Puth Molika, owners of a saltwater fish farm in Preah Sihanouk province, said fish prices were quite high because of an increase in buyers over last year.

Sea bass and grouper sold at over US$1 per kilogramme, she said, and there was still not enough fish to meet demand.

In 2009, Cambodia exported a total of 30,000 tonnes of fishery products worth $30 million, statistics show.

Some 15,000 tonnes worth $15 milion were exported in the first half of last year. Exports of fish headed to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to a previous report released by the Fisheries Administration.

Hun Sen: Rice policy updates on the way

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Sam Rith and Catherine James

CAMBODIA faces a number of obstacles in boosting rice exports that will be addressed in the government’s updated policy document, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday.

Speaking at a university graduation ceremony, he said the updated policies were due August 17, and would be aimed at maximising rice exports for the benefit of the national economy.

“We still lack things such as machines to mill rice to acceptable standards, warehouses, and money to buy paddy to export,” he said at the ceremony at Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich Centre.

With little domestic capital available to buy paddy, competitors from markets such as Thailand and Vietnam buy Cambodian paddy and then process and re-export it.

“We need a lot of money to buy the unhusked rice,” he said.

“Exporting paddy makes us lose rice husks, work.... That’s why we want to attract direct capital.”

The drafting of the new policy had been spearheaded by the Supreme National Economic Council, said Meng Saktheara, director of the Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy.

Input had largely been provided by two ministries, with the Ministry of Commerce concentrating on facilitating trade and export, while MIME tackled the supply side by increase milling capacity and standards.

The policy update would be just the latest in a raft of initiatives undertaken this year to boost the export of milled rice – a push that has already paid off with a massive surge in the milled grain’s export in the first half of this year.

Some 107,291 tonnes of milled rice worth $13.4 million were exported through May this year – a 2,356 percent jump on last year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce’s CamControl.

The prime minister said that ongoing discussions with regional leaders were aimed at facilitating rice exports. Talks have taken place with Malaysia and Singapore, and he said he looked to meet with newly elected Philippine President Benigno Aquino at a future event.

The Philippines is currently the world’s largest importer of rice, according to Bloomberg.

“Cambodia has to increase its ability to compete to enlarge the marketplace, while keeping the existing markets such as the US, Europe, and Canada,” he said.

“We have to find other marketplaces as well.”

The SNEC was ordered in April to begin composing the new policy document.

Developers attribute sales to property law

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Soeun Say

A SOUTH Korean housing developer has sold almost half of its US$4 million condominium development project in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district, and the foreign property ownership laws passed three months ago has helped sales, an official said yesterday.

“We have already sold 25 units out of 56. We sold our condos since the National Assembly approved the foreign ownership law, and we hope to sell all of them by the end of the year,” Sy Veacha, personal secretary to the Maison Ruby condominium developer In Keun Oh, said yesterday.

The National Assembly passed the law providing foreigners with ownership rights in private units above the ground floor in April. It was followed by a sub-decree last month capping foreign ownership of such buildings at 70 percent.

Sy Veacha said the law had paved the way to attracting foreigners to buy the Maison Ruby condos, slated for completion early 2011. All the condos sold so far have been bought by South Koreans.

“Despite the economic crisis affecting Cambodia’s property market, we never delayed our project construction because we were confident of the foreign co-ownership law,” she said.

Once complete, Maison Ruby will be seven storeys high, with 56 units ranging from US$65,000 to $79,000 each.

The site spans over 1,595 square metres at Chom Chao Commune, Dangkor district.

Mang Savandara, property manager of the Cambodia Property Ltd Co, agreed yesterday that the foreign property co-ownership law had boosted confidence.

“Our company has received calls from so many foreigners since the law was approved,” he said.

Foreign firms entering Cambodia increase

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 May Kunmakara

THE Ministry of Commerce registered 25 percent more foreign businesses in July compared to the same month last year, according to ministry statistics obtained yesterday.

Some 121 foreign firms registered in the Kingdom last month, most of which came from three Asian countries, according to the director of the ministry’s Registration Department, Hum Hean.

“China, South Korea, and Vietnam were the largest sources of the sharp increase in foreign business registration,” he said yesterday.

“An increase in companies from those three countries drove a 42 percent rise in total registration for foreign firms this year to the end of June.”

He said the number of foreign registrants had been increasing by an average of 35 percent each year during the last few years, and highlighted the 42 percent increase in the first six months of this year as a positive sign for Cambodia’s business community.

“Most foreign businesses are registering in sectors such as the agro-industry and tourism sectors,” he said.

A total of 339 foreign and domestic firms registered with the ministry last month, a 22.82 percent increase from the 277 registrations recorded in the same month last year, according to statistics obtained yesterday.

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

via Khmer NZ

Aspire aims for OTC

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Jeremy Mullins

MINING firm Aspire International Inc, which is in Cambodia exploring for iron ore and other resources, said it would undertake an audit required for its listing on the OTC Bulletin Board electronic stock exchange, according to a press release yesterday. The firm signed a deal with Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy in April to conduct exploration on 261 square kilometres in Battambang province.

Axiata awards tender

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Jeremy Mullins

UNITED Kingdom-based Cable and Wireless Worldwide has won a two-year contract from Axiata, the owners of Cambodian mobile provider Hello, to build and manage a new internet protocol network for the firm based in Singapore. The firm claims to provide connectivity to 153 nations through its existing infrastructure network, according to a press release.

Rice exports to Europe

Thursday, 05 August 2010 15:00 Chun Sophal

KHMER Food Corporation will begin exporting 432 tonnes of jasmine rice to Europe worth over US$300,000 this weekend, president Kim Savuth has said. Worth $757 per tonne, over half of the total is headed for France, with the remainder to be shipped to Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland. The shipments run throughout August.

Cambodian King's aide sends letter

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

via Khmer NZ

By The Nation

Published on August 5, 2010

PM backs spirit of message that dispute should not spoil harmony in the region

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva interpreted a letter from the Cambodian king's adviser as a welcome gesture, saying the idea to make the Preah Vihear a symbol of reconciliation between the two countries sounded good.

"The Preah Vihear has historical and cultural values which could create peace and reconciliation between the people of two countries," he said.

"But if we take advantage of the issue for territorial boundary purposes, people on both sides won't accept it."

The Thai government has objected to the world heritage inscription on the Preah Vihear for fear of territory loss in the disputed areas adjacent to the temple.

In a letter to Abhisit recently, Prince Sisowath Thomico, an adviser to King Norodom Sihamoni, said the two countries should not use the territorial dispute to spoil "harmony" in the region.

"Raising territorial claims is a futile attempt that flies in the face of history, and that harms our people by diverting significant resources that could otherwise be invested in development," the prince's letter was quoted as saying by the Phnom Penh Post.

Abhisit acknowledged the letter but said he had not yet received the copy. It was unclear whether the letter is a personal idea or reflects real opinion in the Cambodian government, he said.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the Thai government interpreted the letter as a personal one to express goodwill and cordial relations between the two countries.

The Foreign Ministry would read and offer an official interpretation of the letter later, he said.

The letter was sent when Thailand and Cambodia were both claiming victory over the World Heritage Committee's decision.

Thailand saw a victory in the committee's decision to consider the temple management plan at its next session in 2011, rather than reading reports submitted by Cambodia during the session in Brazil last week.

Thailand expressed its concern that Cambodia might take the areas to the west and north of the temple, which are subject of a border dispute with Thailand, as buffer zones for the heritage-listed property.

Cambodia argued it had not taken the areas - and the committee decision would not deter it from implementing the plan it had submitted to the committee months ago.

Nationalist movements in Thailand are pressuring the government to oppose all Cambodian moves and activities at the Preah Vihear. They called on the government to use military force to exercise 'Thai sovereignty' in the disputed areas near the temple. "Peaceful ways might cause loss of territory," said Panthep Puapongpan, spokesman of the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Phnom Penh blamed Abhisit's government for provoking nationalism and for giving out misleading information over the world heritage for political gain.

The Preah Vihear's status was ruled on by the International Court of Justice in 1962. It is situated in territory under sovereignty of Cambodia, but nationalists in Thailand and Abhisit's government claim only the stone temple ruin belongs to Cambodia, not the surrounding areas.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen told the Cambodian people there was nothing to worry about over the border issue with Thailand, despite feelings heating up. The military leaders of both sides met and agreed to keep their troops in their stations.

Despite the current calm, Hun Sen said his troops were ready to protect the border from intrusion.

Abhisit welcomes letter from Cambodian king's advisor

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

via Khmer NZ

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday interpreted a letter from Cambodian king's advisor as a good gesture saying the idea to make the Preah Vihear as a symbol of reconciliation between the two countries sounds good.

"The Preah Vihear has a historical and cultural values which could create peace and reconciliation between the people of two countries," he said.

"But if we take advantage of the issue for territorial boundary purpose, people on both sides cannot accept," he said.

The Nation

Gap year: Vietnam and Cambodia 'proving popular'

http://www.yearoutgroup.org/

via Khmer NZ

2010-08-04

Gap year students looking for a taste of Asia have been told that traditionally less common choices, such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos are proving popular at the moment.

Brett Warbrick, group marketing and product director for Round the World Experts, said that along with these countries, South America, Australia and New Zealand are always in high demand by travellers.

"The number one consideration when booking a trip is to think carefully about your priorities – what do you want to get out of your trip, which places are must-sees, and what level of comfort are you looking for?" he stated.

Mr Warbrick went on to say that once an experience is decided on, then an expert should be talked to as they can help to work out an itinerary and budget.

Year Out Group has 11 founder members which arrange gap years in Cambodia, while seven are experts in Vietnam.

See the different gap year destinations on offer.

Author Undertakes Battambang School Rehabilitation

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, D.C
Wednesday, 04 August 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: Courtesy of Ung Kilong
Ung Kilong, the 50-year-old author of “The Golden Leaf”.

“Young people joined the Khmer Rouge because they lacked understanding,” he said. “With the schooling in place they will have more knowledge.”

The author of a Khmer Rouge memoir who now lives in the US is raising funds to help education in Cambodia.

Ung Kilong, the 50-year-old author of “The Golden Leaf,” said he hopes better education will promote free thinking and a break from the kind of political ideology that led to the disaster of the Khmer Rouge.

“Young people joined the Khmer Rouge because they lacked understanding,” he said. “With the schooling in place they will have more knowledge.”

Ung Kilong is working with a group of associates to build a primary school in Thmor Kol district, Battambang province, where students are taught by underpaid teachers in a dilapidated school and without proper uniforms.

Ung Kilong is himself originally from Battambang, but he fled to the US with his sister following the Khmer Rouge and the loss of their parents and other siblings.

“I was lucky to come here, so I want to help Cambodia, so that in the future, Cambodian children can raise up the face of the country,” Ung Kilong told VOA Khmer from Portland, Oregon, where he was fundraising for the school project.

Cambodia’s ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, who attended the fundraising ceremony, urged other Cambodians to do more to help education, health and social issues.

“As Cambodians, no matter where we go and no matter what citizenship we hold, our blood is still Khmer,” he said. “Therefore, we always think of our country.

Officials Fear Swine Epidemic From Vietnam, Thailand

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Wednesday, 04 August 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
The pigs have all died in the last two weeks, fanning concern of an epidemic, officials said in a special meeting of provincial leaders in Phnom Penh.

“Animal health officials, military police and police, as well as customs officials, are working closely together to stop the illegal import of pigs,” Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said at Wednesday’s meeting. “This measure is to prevent an epidemic of the disease from one side [of the border] to the other.”

Hundreds of pigs have now died across nine provinces, from two types of disease that may have come from neighboring countries, animal health officials said Wednesday.

The pigs have all died in the last two weeks, fanning concern of an epidemic, officials said in a special meeting of provincial leaders in Phnom Penh. Authorities say they are concerned infected pigs are being smuggled in from Thailand and Vietnam.

Government officials are now appealing to provincial officials near the borders to step up efforts to stop the import of pigs for an unspecified amount of time.

“Animal health officials, military police and police, as well as customs officials, are working closely together to stop the illegal import of pigs,” Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said at Wednesday’s meeting. “This measure is to prevent an epidemic of the disease from one side [of the border] to the other.”

Blood tests by the Ministry of Agriculture’s department of animal health on more than 80 pigs turned up two causes for the deaths: porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome and classical swine fever.

Classical swine fever was found in samples from Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Cham and Takeo provinces. PRRS was found in samples from Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, Kampong Cham, Takeo and Prey Veng provinces, officials said.

Authorities from the ministry’s department of animal health have taken control of villages in nine provinces where they hope to contain the spread of the diseases.

A similar epidemic in China in 2006 killed more than 10,000 pigs before it was brought under control. In May, Vietnam and Laos experienced a similar outbreak, followed by another in Thailand last month.

Hun Sen Praises Tribunal Verdict in Duch Case

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Wednesday, 04 August 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday praised the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s sentencing of torture chief Duch, in the premier’s first public statement since the decision last week.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia respects the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s decision because the court is independent,” he said in public remarks. “We respect the independence of the court. The court sentenced Duch to 35 years in jail. It is up to the court, which the Royal Government of Cambodia must respect.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday praised the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s sentencing of torture chief Duch, in the premier’s first public statement since the decision last week.

Victims have said they are unsatisfied with the commuted sentence of the prison chief, under whose supervision more than 12,000 people were tortured and executed.

Hun Sen said the courts had made an independent decision free of political influence.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia respects the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s decision because the court is independent,” he said in public remarks. “We respect the independence of the court. The court sentenced Duch to 35 years in jail. It is up to the court, which the Royal Government of Cambodia must respect.”

In fact, Duch was handed a commuted sentence of only 19 years, following leniency and time served.

And tribunal observers say the court risks being tainted by political influence, with a number of senior officials refusing to cooperate with the international investigating judge and public statements by the premier against further indictments at the UN-backed court.

“The tribunal is facing problems of independence…relating to summonses of witnesses and progress on Case Nos. 003 and 004,” said Long Panhavuth, a tribunal monitor for the Cambodian Justice Initiative. “The government has not allowed the arrest of more suspects.”

Bu Meng, a former prisoner in Duch’s S-21, was not convinced of the court’s independence.

“The tribunal verdict seems to have had pressure from some circle or someone,” he said. “But [Prime Minister] Hun Sen said the court has independence and non-interference. That’s his right. The rights of the victims are different.”

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said the verdict had the support of donor countries in a decision that was jointly arrived upon by international and national judges.

Cambodian farmers work at rice field during the rainy season

Local Cambodian villagers take a lunch during their short break at a farm field during the rainy season in Prakar village, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Local Cambodian villager takes lunch during her short break of work at a farm field during the rainy season in Prakar village, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, August 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Local Cambodian villagers plant rice in a farm field during the rainy season in Prakar village, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian farmers work at a rice field in the outskirts of Phnom Penh August 4, 2010. Cambodia's rice exports in the first six months this year has surpassed the whole of last year to 15,000 tonnes, a senior commercial official said on Monday, as the country steps up its efforts to become a leading shipper of the grain. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

A Cambodian farmer works at a rice field in the outskirts of Phnom Penh August 4, 2010. Cambodia's rice exports in the first six months this year has surpassed the whole of last year to 15,000 tonnes, a senior commercial official said on Monday, as the country steps up its efforts to become a leading shipper of the grain. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea : The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year

Yum Makara (front) sits next to his brother three-year-old Yum Sophorn at their shelter in the Blue Tent community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Ouch Thy, 28, sits near her children Yum Sophorn, 3, and Yum Makara (R), 1, at their shelter in the Blue Tent community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Yum Sophorn, 3, receives medical treatment from the mission of the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope at his shelter in the Blue Tent community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Ouch Thy, 28, sleeps with her children Yum Sophorn, 3, and Yum Makara, 1, in their shelter in the Blue Tent Community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Moa Soly, 3, stands near Ouch Thy, 28, feeding her children Yum Sophorn, 3, and Yum Makara, 1, in their shelter in the Blue Tent Community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Yum Sophorn (R), 3, his mother Ouch Thy, 28, and brother Yum Makara, 1, seek treatment at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope in the Blue Tent Community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Yum Sophorn, 3, looks from his shelter in the Blue Tent community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Panna Bun (C) holds his child as his wife cooks lunch in the Blue Tent Community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

A Cambodian man stands with a child in their shelter in the Blue Tent Community in Srah Po village northwest of Phnom Penh August 3, 2010. The Blue Tent community was set up for the 465 families, forcibly evicted from their prime location in Phnom Penh last year to make way for a private developmental in Kamdal province, who are now facing basic shortages such as toilets, clean water, electricity and health clinics. Picture taken August 3. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

ប៉ូលិស​និង​កម្មករ​ប៉ះ​ទង្គិច​គ្នា - Argument Between Police and Workers (In Khmer language)

RFAKhmerVideo  May 03, 2010

ទេសចរណ៍ ភ្នំពេញ​តាម​ស៊ីក្លូ - Some Tourists Take a Cyclo While most Tourists Tour Phnom Penh by Bus, Motorcycle and Motorcycle Trailers (In Khmer language)

RFAKhmerVideo | August 04, 2010

Female Workers' Song "Terrible Karma" (In Khmer language)

From: RFAKhmerVideo | July 30, 2010

ចម្រៀង កម្មការិនី បទ «កម្ម កំណាច ឫស្យា» កម្មករ ទាមទារ សុំ ដំឡើង ប្រាក់ខែ

http://www.rfa.org/khmer,  http://www.rfakhmerplus.com/

លោក លោកស្រី អ្នកនាង កញ្ញា ជាទី​មេត្រី ! កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​២៥ កក្កដា ឆ្នាំ​២០១០ ក្នង​ទៅ​នេះ កម្មករ​ប្រមាណ​ពីរ​ពាន់​នាក់ បាន​ជួបជុំ​គ្នា​ក្នុង​វេទិកា​សាធារណៈ​មួយ នៅ​មុខ​អ​គារ​រដ្ឋសភា ដើម្បី​ទាមទារ​សុំ​ដំឡើង​ប្រាក់​ខែ​ឲ្យ​បាន​សមរម្យ សម្រាប់​ទ្រទ្រង់​ជីវភាព​របស់​ពួក​គេ ។ ជំនួស​ឲ្យ​ការ​និយាយ​រៀបរាប់​ពី​ទុក្ខលំបាក ដែល​កំពុង​តែ​ប្រឈមមុខ ក្រុម​កម្មការិនី បាន​នាំ​គ្នា​ច្រៀង​ចម្រៀង​មួយ​បទ​ក្រោម​ចំណង​ជើង​ថា «កម្មកំណាច​ឫស្យា» ។
ទោះ​យ៉ាងណា ការ​រទាមទារ​បស់​កម្មករ​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ដដែល​នោះ ពុំ​ទទួល​បាន​លទ្ធផល​ឬ​ការ​ឆ្លើយ​តប​អ្វី​ឡើយ ពី​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ ៕

The General Public Criticized the Action of the Authorities to Arrest Children Selling Newspapers at Traffic Lights, Saying if They Cannot Help Those Children with Anything, They Should Not Destroy Their Rice Pots – Monday, 2.8.2010

http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

via Khmer NZ

Posted on 4 August 2010.

The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 676

“Homeless and poor children and orphans in Phnom Penh do different things to earn their living. Some steal, as they are too poor and cannot find enough food to eat. Some beg to survive, though it affects the social atmosphere.

“But after one year of being restricted, while receiving general education, many of these homeless and poor children and orphans turn to take up appropriate and honorable jobs again in the city by selling newspapers and flowers at traffic lights and along congested roads in Phnom Penh. These small jobs allow these homeless and otherwise inactive Khmer children to get away from misery and poverty and have better living conditions, where they can buy enough food to eat, which is welcome. Even travelers are pleased with those jobs of the children. They help to buy newspapers and flowers, and often they give them extra tips, as they see that these children can create honest jobs on their own. Compared with previous years, often many beggars were found at traffic lights, taking away the attention from the traffic lights.

“But it is regrettable and disgusting, that within the week, police tried to chase the children away who sell newspapers along the roads and at traffic lights, as if they were thieves. It is not known whether police received orders and from whom. These acts of the police make the children to live in fear. Some were sitting at the roadside, holding their newspapers and flowers and cried and felt hopeless for their lives, that just had started with some new light. The general public traveling along these roads condemned such bad actions. Some said that if the authorities cannot assist the children with anything, they should let them have their rice pots.

“In the heavenly modern cities of Singapore, Prey Nokor [Ho Chi Minh City], Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur, in those highly developed cities, there are people selling things or distributing commercial advertisement at traffic lights. Why is it so different in Phnom Penh, which is heading toward modernity?

“What the authorities do is not different from just taking away the rice pots of those homeless and poor children, many are also orphans, and it is like pushing them back to return to their previous way of living.”

Koh Santepheap, Vol.43, #7023, 2.8.2010

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:

Monday, 2 August 2010

Sarandon has sex slaves’ backs

via khmer NZ

2010/08/04

OSCAR-WINNING actress Susan Sarandon launched a campaign on Friday to urge US politicians to protect, instead of prosecute, children who become victims of sex trafficking.

She wants Americans to sign a petition lobbying politicians to stop the prosecution of child sex trafficking victims as prostitutes.

According to the “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People” campaign, only New York, Connecticut and Washington state have laws to protect child trafficking victims.

“It can be changed,” Sarandon said.

“It’s really important that the public be educated.”

The petition is part of a broader campaign by the US branch of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (Ecpat ), The Body Shop and the Somaly Mam Foundation, run by former Cambodian child sex slave Mam, to end child trafficking.

“We have a lot of minds to change, we have a lot of work to do here in the United States to make sure these kids are offered assistance and protection – not a jail cell – when some pimp recruits them at 12 years old,” said Carol Smolenski, Ecpat -USA executive director.

The UN children’s agency Unicef says that about 1.2 million children a year are trafficked for cheap labour and sexual exploitation. Ecpat -USA says 300000 US children are at risk of being forced into the sex trade and US citizens account for 25 percent of child sex tourists globally.

“Not that many people know that this is not just an issue that affects children in other countries. There are hundreds of thousands of American children who are sexually exploited and trafficked right here in the United States,” Smolenski said.

The Body Shop has raised more than 1.5million (R10.92m) in the past year through sales of a special hand cream and tote bags for Ecpat -USA and the Somaly Mam Foundation, which run shelters in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

“It’s easy to go to the brothel and save the girl. Five minutes you can save them, no problem, but make your five minutes 10 years to (help them) recover,” said Mam, who last year rescued a four-year-old girl from a brothel in Cambodia.

Sarandon became involved in the Somaly Mam Foundation after meeting Mam at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy in 2006 when the pair participated in the opening ceremony. Sarandon then helped Mam set up her foundation in the United States.

“It’s not just an emotional thing, she understands what these girls need and I know that the money is being well spent,” Sarandon said. “It speaks to me so personally as a mother.” - By MICHELLE NICHOLS — Reuters

OSK Cambodian ops gets approval

via Khmer NZ

Wednesday August 4, 2010

PETALING JAYA: OSK Holdings Bhd (OSKH) announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia has granted an approval-in-principle to OSK Indochina Securities Ltd (OSKISL), an indirect subsidiary of OSKH, to act as a securities underwriter in Cambodia.

OSKISL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of OSK Indochina Bank Ltd, which is in turn, wholly-owned by OSK Investment Bank Bhd (OSKIB). OSKIB is wholly-owned by OSKH.

As a securities underwriter, OSKISL is permitted to advise on public offerings, to carry on underwriting, securities dealing, securities brokerage and investment advisory activities in Cambodia. — Bernama

Cambodia seeks investors to boost milled rice exports

http://news.alibaba.com/

via Khmer NZ

Published: 04 Aug 2010

PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK, Aug 4 - Cambodia is looking for foreign investors to boost its fledgling rice milling sector so that it can reap higher dividends from its grain crop, much of which is currently sent to Vietnam to be milled and re-exported.

Its short-term goals are modest: it has exported 15,000 tonnes of milled rice this year and is aiming for 20,000, said Commerce Secretary of State Mao Thura.

That is an increase on last year, he said. "This is because we have more decent-standard rice millers. Before we had none."

But the government knows it must find foreign investors to have any hope of getting into the same league as neighbours Thailand and Vietnam, respectively the world's biggest and second-biggest rice exporters.

Thailand aims to export at least 8.5 million tonnes of rice this year and Vietnam is targeting 6.1 million.

"We have good rice but we don't have the quality millers or warehouses to produce milled rice for exports" Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told students in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

Indeed, it has plenty of rice, ranking as the world's 15th biggest producer with around 7 million tonnes of paddy each year. Of that, around 3 million tonnes is for domestic consumption and the rest for export, according to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

After decades of political turbulence, including civil war and the deadly Khmer Rouge years, its economy was in tatters by the end of the 1980s. In some years it has had to import low-quality rice from Thailand.

With renewed stability, it has made great strides in the past decade and exported 500,000 tonnes of unmilled rice under its own brand in 2009, according to United States Department of Agriculture data.

But the bulk of its crop transits via Vietnam.

"Nowaday, there are only a few good-quality millers in the capital," said a Thai commercial diplomat in Phnom Penh. "That's why we always see Vietnamese rice traders come to buy rice directly from the fields in Cambodia to be milled, packed and re-exported in Vietnamese sacks."

MARKETS

Exporters hope to find more buyers in the European Union as the European market has been duty-free for Cambodian rice since last September under the EU's "Everything But Arms" initiative aimed at supporting exports from poor countries.

"Since our equipment is getting more modern, more people are coming and we're exporting to places like Russia, Europe and the United States," said Phou Puy, president of the Cambodian Rice Millers Association

But Cambodia needs money to invest in milling and irrigation systems to help boost production and rice quality, said premier Hun Sen, adding he had discussed this recently with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He said he also planned to talk to new Philippine President Benigno Aquino. The Philippines is the world's top rice importer.

A panic over food scarcity that pushed up the price of rice and other commodities in 2007/08 has already encouraged investors from Gulf countries to invest in rice fields and irrigation systems in Cambodia, in the interests food security.