‘Sick’ jailed prosecutor to request bail

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 18:10 Mom Kunthear

A lawyer for a provincial prosecutor awaiting trial on corruption charges said yesterday that he was preparing to file documents to request that his client be released on bail on the grounds of ill health.

Pursat provincial prosecutor Top Chan Sereyvuth and two personal bodyguards were apprehended on November 29 in the first high-profile arrests made by the recently established Anticorruption Unit.

The following day, all three were charged with corruption, extortion and false imprisonment and were imprisoned at Pursat provincial prison, where they await trial.

Defence lawyer Kea Chhay said yesterday that the decision to seek bail had come after Top Chan Sereyvuth was rushed to hospital upon falling ill on Sunday evening.

“He is sick and he was sent to hospital immediately for help because he had high blood pressure,” he said. He said his client had been “saved in time” and was returned to prison on Monday evening.

Kea Chhay said Top Chan Sereyvuth’s health was in danger of deteriorating while he was in custody, and that he would request his client be released on bail. He said he would be willing for him to remain under police supervision.

“We don’t want him to stay in the prison because his health is not so good. We want him to stay in the hospital, but under control of the police,” he said.

Kea Chhay noted that a trial date had not been set and that Top Chan Sereyvuth was being held during investigations that would be hindered if he became seriously ill.

Sun Sao, deputy director of the provincial prison, confirmed Top Chan Sereyvuth was seriously ill and required close medical attention. He said the prosecutor’s wife visited the prison almost every day to help take care of him.

“He has high blood pressure, diabetes and pain in his right leg,” she said, adding that Sunday’s emergency showed the extent of his illness.

“He is lucky to have been sent to the hospital in time,” Sun Sao said. “If he wasn’t, he could be dead.”

Pang Chan Yutheara, deputy provincial prosecutor, said he did not know whether or not the request for bail would be granted.

“I haven’t seen the request letter from the lawyers yet and I don’t know if he can be released on bail because his case is under investigation,” he said.

Ouch Leng, land programme officer for rights group Adhoc, said it was plausible that the bail request was justified.

“If he has that disease, he could be released on bail, or a doctor could follow up his illness in the prison,” he said, adding that even if Top Chan Sereyvuth was corrupt, “he is also a human being so he needs to be taken care of”.

ACU head Om Yentieng, and the body’s spokesman Keo Remy, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Cambodian national assembly passes ASEAN-India cooperation agreement

via CAAI

December 28, 2010

The Cambodian National Assembly on Tuesday adopted the draft law on the framework agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India.

"The agreement aims at strengthening and improving the cooperation on investment, trade and economics between ASEAN and India," Kong Vibol, secretary of state for the Minister of Economy and Finance, said during the assembly floor on Tuesday. " The key elements of the agreement cover Free Trade Area in goods, services and investment, as well as areas of economic cooperation."

Also, the National Assembly on Tuesday passed the agreements on goods and on dispute resolution mechanism under the framework agreement of comprehensive economic cooperation between ASEAN and India.

Kong Vibol said that bilateral trade between Cambodia and India is still small. Cambodia's exports to India are palm oil, grain oil and garments, while India's exports to Cambodia are mostly medicines and textile accessories.

The framework agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation between ASEAN and India was signed by the Prime Minster of India and the Heads of the Governments of ASEAN members during the Second ASEAN-India Summit on Oct. 8, 2003 in Bali, Indonesia.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodian economy grew 5 pct in 2010 - deputy PM

via CAAI

Reuters - Wednesday, December 29

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH, Dec 28 - Cambodia's economy grew 5 percent this year thanks in large part to a recovery in garment exports, a deputy prime minister said on Tuesday, and an industry official forecast further growth in garment shipments in 2011.

"Our economy grew more than 5 percent in 2010 due to more exports of garments and the increase in tourists, following GDP growth of 0.1 percent in 2009," Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Ly said at a ceremony at the Rural Development Ministry.

The contruction sector was still in the doldrums, however. It contracted 42 percent in 2009 and Yim Chhay Ly said it had still not recovered, citing delays to big projects in the capital, Phnom Penh.

Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia , told Reuters that garment exports had risen about 20 percent this year, helped by the economic recovery in Europe and the United States.

"The outlook for next year, I think, remains positive overall," he said, adding that Cambodia would benefit from the European Union's Everything But Arms initiative, which lets some poor countries ship certain products tariff-free to the EU.

According to data from the GMAC, the country exported garments, textiles and shoes to the value of $2.3 billion in 2009, down from $2.9 billion in 2008. More than half of its exports go to the United States.

Kong Sopheareak, director of statistics at the Tourism Ministry, said 2.5 million tourists visited Cambodia this year, an increase of 16 percent from 2009.

"They have spent about $1.7 billion on food, accommodation, local transport and souvenirs," Kong Sopheareak said.

Yim Chhay Ly said economic growth had helped reduce the poverty rate to 26 percent of the population this year from 27.4 percent in 2009. prak.chanthul@thomsonreuters.com; +855 2 399 2102; Reuters Messaging: prak.chanthul.reuters.com@reuters.net))

River closure held for construction of Cambodian hydropower dam

via CAAI

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Cambodia, Dec. 28, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- A river closure ceremony of the lower Russei Chrum river was held on Tuesday in Mondol Sima district of Koh Kong province for the construction of Cambodia's 338 megawatt Russei Chrum Krom hydroelectric dam which was invested and was building by China Huadian Corp.

The ceremony was attended by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh, Industry, Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem and other high-ranking government officials as well as more than 1,000 residents in the area.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen highly valued the friendly relations between Cambodia and China, saying that " good cooperation between the governments of the two countries helped greatly to Cambodia's social and economic development and has brought great amount of investment capital to Cambodia."

"The hydropower dam is just one of the numerous achievements under the cooperation between Cambodia and China," Hun Sen said.

He cited the five hydropower dams being constructed by Chinese companies such as Kamchay Hydropower with the capacity of 193 megawatts, Kirirom 3 with the capacity of 18 megawatt, Tatay river hydropower dam with the capacity of 246 megawatt, Atay hydropower dam of 120 megawatt and the Russei Chrum Krom with the capacity of 338 megawatt.

State-owned China Huadian Corp., one of China's biggest power companies, will build the dam with an investment of about 500 million U.S. dollars.

Yun Gongmin, general manager of China Huadian Corporation ( Huadian Group), said that the hydropower dam is the biggest project in Cambodia at the moment.

"I believe that with the strong support from Prime Minister Hun Sen and relevant ministries, the construction of the hydropower dam will be built successfully and it will become another friendship and economic cooperation milestone between China and Cambodia," he added.

The project is a contract of a 35-year build-operate- transfer (BOT) with the local government. The total power generation is about 1.02 billion kwh per year.

The construction of the power plant began in April, 2010. So far 10 percent of the project has completed and it is scheduled to be entirely completed by 2014, said Minister Suy Sem at the ceremony.

Cambodia's electricity generation is underdeveloped, and most power plants use fossil fuels. Cambodia also buys electricity from neighboring Vietnam and Thailand. Many people rely on generators.

(Source: Quotemedia)

DAP News. Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

via CAAI

Cambodia Confiscates 6 million Pills of Crazy Drugs

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 11:46 DAP NEWS / VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 28, 2010-Cambodian police on Wednesday confiscated 6 million pills of crazy drugs with arresting 5 people after cracking down in Khan Mean Chey in Phnom Penh.

The pills were put inside 66 cases in a house belonging to an official of office of land management, and urbanization of Phnom Penh, and a nurse of Phnom Penh hospital, a police who joined the operation said.

The operation was conducted in different places.

Cambodia Break Ground 338 Megawatts Hydropower Dam in Koh Kong Province

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 11:42 DAP NEWS / VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 28, 2010-Cambodian PM Hun Sen presided to ground breaking ceremony 338 megawatts hydropower dam in Koh Kong province with $495 million of dollars from Chinese side.

“It will enhance power network in Cambodia and provide cheap price for local people to access to electricity,” PM Hun Sen told the ceremony. This dam is built under project of BOT. Currently, in Phnom Penh we need 300 megawatts and we bought 200 megawatts from Vietnam. So far Vietnamese side could support 120 megawatts.

Cambodia has capacity to produce 10,000 megawatts from hydropower dam and coal –fired power plant in near future, he added, noting that by 2023, there will be 98 per cent of villages in Cambodia could access to electricity from power.

Cambodia´s Interior Approves Royal Party's Name Return

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 10:16 by Sorn Sopheak

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 28, 2010- Cambodia´s Interior Ministry has approved a Cambodia´s royal party to change its name to original--Noromdom Ranariddh from Nationalism Party.

Norodom Ranariddh party spokesperson Pen Sangha told DAP News Cambodia that his party welcomed the approval of the ministry calling it is a positive step for his party to prepare for a two upcoming election in 2012 and 2013.

However, he added that his party would obtain as many as votes from Cambodian people with the presence of the prince Norodom Ranariddh, a son of former Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk.

Prince Ranariddh was a first prime minister of Cambodia from 1993-1997 then the chairman of Cambodia´s National Assembly.

Norodom Ranariddh earned two seats out 123 in the national election in 2008.

AKP - Agent Kampuchea Press

via CAAI

Vietnam Praises Cambodia’s Development

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Visiting Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Assembly H.E. Nguyen Duc Kien has lauded Cambodia’s rapid development, during his separate talks here on Dec. 27 with Cambodian parliament’s leaders.

He was also delighted to see the good traditional relationship between the two parliaments, governments and peoples. He believed that both governments will do their best to finish the planting of land border markers by 2012.

He told the Cambodian parliament’s leaders of his four-day visit to Cambodia (Dec. 26-29), the purpose of which he said is to further boost the cooperation between the two parliaments.

In reply, both Cambodian National Assembly President Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin and Senate Second Vice President H.E. Tep Ngorn warmly welcomed the visit of H.E. Nguyen Duc Kien, through which they said the ties of friendship and solidarity between the two peoples will be further strengthened and expanded.

They also expressed profound thanks to the Vietnamese side for their cooperation and support to the Cambodian parliament, government and people. --AKP

Article in Khmer by PAL Song

Article in English by SOKMOM Nimul

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

AKP/02

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Meets Cambodian Leaders

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, received here yesterday visiting Bangladesh Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni.

In the meeting, H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni considered Cambodia as an “emperor of food”, affirming that the government of Bangladesh is willing to import some 200,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice.

She also raised the promotion of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the agricultural field.

In reply, the Cambodian premier encouraged Bangladesh investors to come and invest in Cambodia, particularly in the agricultural field.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen accepted the invitation of the leaders of Bangladesh to pay an official visit to Bangladesh.

On the same day, H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni held a bilateral talk with her Cambodian counterpart H.E. Hor Namhong. According to the Cambodian foreign minister, the talk focused on the intention of Bangladesh to import Cambodian rice, the establishment of a joint commission between the two foreign ministries to cooperate and promote investment and mutual investment protection.

H.E. Hor Namhong said Cambodia has around 3.8 million tonnes of paddy surplus for export this year, but the country lacks rice processing factories. He then asked the Bangladeshi investors to invest in this field.

In another separate meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries H.E. Chan Sarun, the Bangladesh foreign minister also expressed her country's willingness to invest in the agricultural field and to import rice from Cambodia with a long-term contract.

For his part, H.E. Chan Sarun shared with the Bangladeshi side the important factors contributing to the success of the agricultural production in Cambodia.

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni is on a two-day visit to Cambodia since Dec. 27. This is her first visit to the Kingdom. As scheduled, she will also visit Angkor temples in Siem Reap province. --AKP

By KHAN Sophirom

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

AKP/03

Barbarous Act by Thai Troops Over Cambodians Crossing the Border to Thailand

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- The shooting of Cambodian nationals crossing the border on Dec. 20 to Thailand by Thai troops is considered as a barbarous act, which should not have been done by a civilized country, said Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The minister told reporters on Dec. 27 that Cambodia’s foreign ministry will send a diplomatic note to Thailand’s government by using strong words relating to the violence and the fatal shooting from Thai troops to Cambodian nationals who tried to cross the border to Thailand.

He said, “They (Cambodians) do not know where the border is and the forest links from Cambodia to Thailand.”

The minister underlined that the Cambodian-Thai joint boundary commission could meet, providing that Thai parliament or Thai government approve beforehand the past minutes being made in the three meetings of the commission.

Regarding the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, he said the MOU between Cambodia and the organization will expire on January 1, 2011, at that time when we will review and close it. --AKP

Article in Khmer by CHIM Nary

Article in English by THOU Peou

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

AKP/04

Information Minister Meets Singaporean and South Korean Ambassadors

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Information Minister H.E. Khieu Kanharith received here on Dec. 27 newly-appointed Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia H.E. Premjith Sadasivan.

During the meeting, the Singaporean diplomat told the minister of his wishes to learn about the media field, press freedom and press law of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

In reply, the minister warmly welcomed H.E. Premjith Sadasivan’s purpose and briefed him over Cambodia’s media filed and press law.

Following on the same day, H.E. Khieu Kanharith also met with newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cambodia H.E. Chang Ho-jin.

On the occasion, the minister highly valued the good cooperation between the two countries, especially between the Ministry of Information and the South Korean Ministry of Information and Communication in the media field.

For his part, H.E. Chang Ho-jin expressed his pleasure to see the two countries good cooperation, particularly between both Ministries of Information.

Also on Dec. 27, the Cambodian information minister received Mr. Hang Ry, representative of Harris Company, a partnership of Cambodian National Radio, who is on a location study to install a 600KW-capacity Radio Station in Cambodia. --AKP

Article in Khmer by Hun Yuth Kun

Article in English by Théng

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

AKP/05

Cambodian and Thai Authorities Meet for Drug Laws Enforcement Cooperation

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian and Thai anti-drug authorities met in their 5th bilateral Meeting on Drug Laws Enforcement Cooperation last week in Trad province of Thailand.

A report on the result of the meeting was sent to Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Ke Kim Yan, chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs.

According to the report, the authorities of the two countries agreed to continue the exchange of information, especially those relating to the forensic examination of drug samples and evidences for each case; to encourage and support the provinces bordering each other to have regular six-monthly meetings and to establish villages and communes along the border of the two nations.

The Thai side promised to give a patrol boat to Preah Vihear province, to provide further training to officers of drug-testing laboratory in Battambang province, and drug and chemicals control training to Cambodian law enforcement officials working along the border.

With the fund supported by the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, the Thai side will provide more training to Cambodian officials on the drug-related treatment, consultation and management and administration of the centre.

A number of documents in Thai language relating to the education of small children and students on prevention against the use of drugs were also given to the Cambodian side at the meeting.

Closing the meeting, Lt. Gen. Mek Dara, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said the meeting showed several positive points agreed upon by both sides to undertake an implementing mechanism for further strengthening the efforts against the production, dealings and use of drugs.

Thai side noted that the transits of drugs from Cambodia into Thailand have increased with the increasing amount in each case, and it also agreed with the Cambodian side that the drug criminals have brought the chemicals for producing synthetic drugs from Thailand into Cambodia

Attending the meeting on Cambodian side were the senior anti-drug officials from the national level and the officials with the anti-drug related responsibility from the provinces of Battambang, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Koh Kong and Pailin.

The 6th bilateral Meeting on Drug Laws Enforcement Cooperation is scheduled for next year in Preah Sihanouk province. --AKP

Article in Khmer by PEOU Kim Chan Rath

Article in English by Ravuth M.

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

AKP/06

Cambodia, Vietnam to Open Three More Border Gates

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Cambodia and Vietnam will open three remaining border gates among seven international ones at the beginning of next year under an agreement on road transportation between the two countries, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

At an annual conference between the Cambodian General Department of Transport and the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam on Dec. 27 in the Vietnamese city of Can Tho, the two sides agreed to open the border gates of Oyadao (Cambodian province of Rattanakiri)-Le Thanh (Vietnamese province of Gia Lai), Trapaing Sre (Snuol-Kratie)-Hoa Lu (Binh Phuoc) and O Raing (Mondulkiri)-Bu Prang (Dak Nong).

Over the past time, the two countries have moved to effectively carried out the agreement. They have allowed traffic through the border gates between Svay Rieng province of Cambodia and Tay Ninh province of Vietnam and opened three border gates linking Kampong Cham and Tay Ninh, Takeo and An Giang, and Kampot and Kien Giang.

Leaders from the ministries of transport of the two countries also signed an agreement to double the number of vehicles through border gates to boost bilateral trade, raising two-way trade by 40 percent to US$2 billion in the near future. --AKP

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

AKP/07

Cambodian, Chinese Companies Sign on Metallic Mining Business Agreement

Phnom Penh, December 28, 2010 AKP -- Cambodia's Nim Meng Group Co., Ltd. has signed an agreement on the “Business of the Metallic Mining” with Chinese Hong Dong Resource Co., Ltd.

The signing ceremony was held in Kandal province on Dec. 24 in the presence of Gen. Hing Bun Heang, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Mr. Suon Sithy, deputy secretary general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia and many Chinese delegates.

On the occasion, Gen. H.E. Hing Bun Heang briefed the participants on the investment growth in Cambodia in all fields, especially in tourism, textile, electricity and mine resources. --AKP

By LIM Nary

Lawmakers in border claim fracas

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarians visit a border marker along the Vietnamese border in Kampong Cham earlier this month.

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 20:38 Vong Sokheng

National Assembly president Heng Samrin slammed the opposition Sam Rainsy Party on Tuesday for its recent claims that Cambodia has ceded land to Vietnam by allowing the misplacement of border demarcation posts.

The rebuke came two weeks after a delegation of opposition SRP members claimed that Vietnamese border police crossed onto Cambodian land to prevent them from visiting border demarcation post 103, in Kampong Cham province’s Memot district on December 13.

The delegation also alleged that according to its maps and claims from local residents, 14 villages in Memot’s Da, Muol and Ruong communes had been ceded to Vietnam following the planting of border posts 108 and 109.

Speaking during a session at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Heng Samrin, who is also an honorary president of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said the SRP had expressed their concerns about the issue in an “inappropriate manner”.

“Experts on the Border Committee of the two countries have held serious discussions before reaching an agreement for each demarcation border post,” he said.

“It was a mutual understanding and agreement of the two countries, therefore there must be no matter of an allegation about border encroachment.”

He said land along some areas of the border had a history of being passed back and forth between villagers from the two countries prior to stretches of the border being clearly demarcated this year.

“I am not taking sides since there is no clear border,” he said.

“They encroached into our territory and we encroached into their territory, therefore when the border demarcation took place there were problems.”

He also noted that Vietnamese residents living along the border had “protested to their government” following the planting of new demarcation posts, claiming that they had lost land.

SRP spokesman Yim Sovann defended the actions of the opposition party, saying that the behaviour of the Vietnamese border officials “cannot be accepted”.

“We have to protest with Vietnam because their soldiers were deployed in Cambodian territory and were surrounding and threatening Cambodian parliamentarians,” he said.

He also noted that it was the duty of the opposition party to raise questions about border issues, citing consistent “trouble and lack of transparency” surrounding the Cambodian-Vietnamese border.

PM lashes out at environmental activists

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 20:52 Cheang Sokha

Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out at unnamed environmental activists on Tuesday at the groundbreaking of a 338-megawatt hydropower dam in Koh Kong province.

Speaking at the site of the Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam, which will span the eponymous stream in Koh Kong’s Mondul Seima district, Hun Sen said environmental impacts were a natural consequence of economic progress.

“Is there any development that happens without an impact on the environment and natural resources? Please give us a proper answer,” Hun Sen said. The premier said society inevitably exacts a toll on the environment, making a bizarre allusion to proposed taxes on carbon emissions in other countries.

“Only the wind that we breathe comes without a fee, but in other countries, they have to pay,” he said. “Even with farts, there is a tax, and though they do not say the tax comes from farts, it is implied when they talk about the value of biodiversity.”

The dam is set to be completed by 2014 and is being constructed by China’s Huadian Corporation at an estimated cost of US$495 million, one of the largest foreign investments in Cambodia to date.

The government has granted Huadian a 38-year lease under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement.

Um Serey Vuth, environmental team leader at local NGO Sawac, said his organisation conducted a preliminary environmental impact assessment on the project last year.

Because the area around the site is sparsely populated, he said the dam would have little impact on local livelihoods, though he noted that it would require some clearing of forest in the surrounding area.

In November, Cambodia and China inked a deal that will allow Huadian and another Chinese state-owned firm, China Guodian Corporation, to conduct feasibility studies for four proposed hydropower projects. The four include another dam in Koh Kong, two in Stung Treng province and the Sambor dam on the Mekong River in Kratie province.

A report commissioned by the Mekong River Commission earlier this year said more than one million fisheries-dependent Cambodians could be affected by dams on the Mekong, recommending a 10-year moratorium on construction pending further study.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH

State cracks down on illegal discs

Photo by: Pha Lina

A woman sells fake VCDs and DVDs at a market in Phnom Penh. Government ministries have been collaborating in the confiscation of counterfeit product.

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 20:30 Tep Nimol

The government has confiscated hundreds of thousands of illegally copied VCDs and DVDs over the course of this year, officials said Tuesday.

Kong Kanthara, under secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said the ministry collaborated with police from the Interior Ministry’s International Security Department and local authorities nationwide to seize about 260,000 illegal VCDs and DVDs in the first 11 months of the year.

He said his ministry has filed a request with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for permission to use the Olympic Stadium as a venue for the destruction of the discs.

Last year, the government confiscated more than 300,000 illegal CDs, VCDs and DVDs, which were ground into dust in January at a site near Wat Phnom.

Kong Kanthara said the lower number of discs seized this year indicated that the piracy of popular films and music had dropped on last year.

“This crackdown is motivated by Khmer producers, whose products are always copied illegally, which seriously affects their income,” he said.

Ung Soleap, general manager of Hang Meas Production, said nearly 70 percent of the discs his company creates were copied illegally for distribution at almost 10 percent of their original value.

“[The vendors] are not afraid of any competent authorities,” he said. “I want to see serious legal action against illegal writers who counterfeit discs so that they will never do it again.”

The government has announced plans to open up a commercial court in 2011 or 2012 to ensure stricter enforcement of intellectual property rights nationwide.

Private companies explore stock exchange listing

Photo by: Wesley Monts

Han Kyung-tae, managing director of Tong Yang Securities, an underwriter for the expected Cambodian Stock Exchange, says many local private companies are showing an interest in publicly listing.

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 19:27 May Kunmakara

Many private companies are exploring the possibility of listing on the Kingdom’s planned stock exchange, but are also feeling cautious ahead of its launch, according to Han Kyung-tae, managing director of Tong Yang Securities.

“Some private companies which I have met have plans in mind to go public, but whether they actually will launch IPOs [initial public offerings] – I am not sure,” he said.

Tong Yang is one of seven underwriters approved by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and is set to handle the expected IPOs by state-owned Telecom Cambodia and Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority.

Private firms are adopting a wait-and-see approach to listing, said Han Kyung-tae.

“They would like to be more certain whether the new financial market will work properly and operate well,” he said.

“The most important thing is setting up an example of a good IPO. The first IPO is a very, very important step toward the successful launching and operation of a stock exchange.”

He declined to disclose the name of the companies involved, but said they were from several different industries, notably banking, telecoms, manufacturing and service companies.

The Cambodia Stock Exchange is set to launch by July next year.

Tep Virak, general manager of Express Food Group – a subsidiary of Thai company RMA Group – has said the company planned to list, contingent on its business operations. The firm operates Cambodian fast food outlets such as Swensen’s and the Pizza Company.

Dieter Billmeier, vice president at Canadia Bank, told The Post that a possible public offering on the bourse was a constant discussion point among senior management in leading banks.

“This discussion has been on the table for quite some time, however not limited to the Cambodia Stock Exchange, but for an IPO at regional stock exchanges like Hong Kong or Singapore too,” he said.

“There are no plans for the immediate future as far as 2011 or 2012 is concerned. But who knows, if an exceptional situation may arise, plans can change,” he said, highlighting the rapid pace of growth in the banking and finance industry over the last five years.

Tuk tuks, gay bars & chillin' in Cambodia

 via CAAI

Noreen Fagan

Ottawa

Monday, December 27, 2010

The air is heavy with heat and the lingering smells of the day. It is nearly midnight when my partner and I walk down the dusty road, hopping on and off the pavement to avoid open sewers, discarded food and parked tuk-tuks. As we get to the end of the street we hear the unmistakable thumping of techno music, the trademark of Blue Chili — one of Phnom Penh’s oldest gay bars.

It is the Mr Blue Chilli competition and slender Cambodian men are strutting their stuff down a makeshift catwalk erected in the middle of the street. They swagger, smile and preen to the cheers of people crammed inside the bar while dozens of Cambodian and foreign onlookers on the street peer over the fence to get a good look.

We join the street gawkers, watching the boys, then the drag queens perform before making our way back down the street. It is our second week in the city, and once again we are struck by what a country of anomalies Cambodia is.

In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge, who ruled for three years and eight months, nearly destroyed the country. Pol Pot spearheaded an agrarian revolution that led to families being torn apart and many of Cambodia’s educated being brutally murdered. It is still not known how many people were killed, although estimates range between one and two million, in one of the worst genocides in history.

Tuol Sleng genocide museum - documentation of prisoners.(Noreen Fagan)

After two decades, Cambodia is still trying to get back on its feet and notable improvements are coming rapidly. Foreign aid has poured into the country, the Chinese have built bridges, the Japanese are helping restore infrastructure and international and domestic NGOs are ubiquitous, working on everything from safe water to healthcare.

That’s what makes Cambodia a fascinating country. It is led by the Cambodia People’s Party (CPP), a Communist government that has received some criticism for its weak human rights record. Opposition party followers cannot advance their careers and party members must kowtow to the party’s philosophy. But the sociocultural environment, perhaps because of the Theravada Buddhism practiced by most of the population, is one of tolerance for diversity.

Which brings us back to the gay thing.

Homosexuality is legal. Gay pride has been held annually in Phnom Penh since 2004, and King Sihanouk supports gay marriage, although he holds no executive power and so his opinion is, well, just his opinion. But, on the other hand, discrimination based on sexuality is not prohibited, and in 2007 Hun Sen, the prime minister, made his view publicly known by disowning his adoptive lesbian daughter.

But gay tourism is up and coming.

In Siem Reap, the base for visiting Angkor Wat, gay bars with the gayest of bartenders can be found on the main drag in between the sports bars and the Khmer restaurants. The town is becoming an international queer tourist destination and boasts a number of gay-owned guesthouses and an active nightlife.

South entrance to Angkor Thom.(Noreen Fagan)

The countryside around Siem Reap is home to the oldest Buddhist temples in the world. The temples in Angkor Wat date back centuries to the Angkorian period from AD 802 to 1432. At its height the city of temples boasted a population of more than one million people. Visiting the temples is awe inspiring and somewhat humbling. The only drawback of the temples is that they are popular, and it is not unusual for busloads to descend en masse. Yet the area is very large, and without too much effort it is usually possible to find yourself alone contemplating this fascinating civilization.

Stepping back from the temples and the gay bars there is another tempting side of Cambodia — the spas. They are ubiquitous and cheap. On every street manicures and pedicures are offered, from $3 USD upwards, and massages — from head to full body — are offered at a variety of prices, with the average massage at around $10 an hour.

Our favourite spa, the Daughters of Cambodia, is a national (albeit faith-based) NGO that helps women sold into the sex trade find alternative means of living.

The sexual exploitation of children and young men and women in Cambodia has escalated over the last decade, and sex trafficking is a major problem. Cambodia is both a destination and transit country, bordering Thailand and Vietnam, for sex traffickers and sexual tourists.

In 2008, the government passed a law called the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, in an effort to crack down on the trade. The crackdown has extended to the tourism industry, where in fact, many hotels explicitly state that they do not welcome sex travellers.

At Daughters of Cambodia, the girls run a café, where they are trained by visiting chefs; they produce clothing and small goods for the store and run a spa, which is a treat after spending the day traipsing around the city.

Getting to Cambodia is expensive, but once you are there the dollar goes a long way, and it is possible to spend a luxurious couple of weeks exploring the country. It is rare to find a country in the Southern Hemisphere where queer life is accepted. To find it flourishing, well that is just a turn-on.

Tuk Tuk - the only way to travel.(Noreen Fagan)

Reporter's Picks.

Phnom Penh:

Tuol Sleng Museum: Visiting the Tuol Sleng museum is a harsh reminder of the Pol Pot era. The old school was turned into a concentration camp where Cambodians were systematically tortured and murdered. It is now a genocide museum where the photos of victims line the walls of the old classrooms — one of the eerie remnants of the Khmer Rouge is their obsession with documentation — and hundred of skulls are piled in a heap, a sad reminder of violent times.

Grasshopper Adventures: Take a tour of the Mekong Islands on a bike. You don’t need coffee to wake you up, as the day starts with a quick cycle through the streets of Phnom Penh: best to keep Zen as there are no obvious traffic regulations.

The Blue Chilli: A fun place to be, but one of many funky bars across town with great happy hours.

www.bluechillibar.com/

Siem Reap:

Temple-hopping: We hired Mr Kim, our tuk-tuk driver, for the time we were there to take us to the different temples. The first day we started off at 4:30am to catch sunrise over Angkor Wat and came back to the hotel at 2pm.

Linga Bar: Hip gay bar with sexy gay men behind the bar serving divine cocktails.

Where to stay:

Cambodia is full of inexpensive places to stay — from guesthouses to hip boutique hotels. In Phnom Penh we stayed at the Blue Lime Hotel (around the corner from the Blue Chilli bar). In Siem Reap we stayed at the La Noira Hotel.

Getting from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap:

Options are endless — boat, bus, plane, taxi or bike. We took a boat to Siem Reap, which cost US$35 for a six-hour journey. On the way back to Phnom Penh we took the bus back for US$10.

Getting to Phnom Penh:

There are no direct flights to Phnom Penh from Canada. We flew Air Canada from Vancouver to Seoul then by Korean Air to Cambodia. On the way back the route took us through Beijing where we caught a direct flight to Toronto.

Vietnam, Cambodia enhance cooperation in legislature

via CAAI

12/28/2010

Vietnam and Cambodia wish to promote cooperation legislatures to fulfill their tasks.

This was stressed by Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam National Assembly Nguyen Duc Kien and Vice President of the Cambodian National Assembly Nguol Nhel during their talks in Phnom Penh on December 27.

They informed each other of their respective parliaments’ operations in 2010 and expressed their desire to enhance and strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

They said more efforts should be made by the two governments to complete land border demarcation and landmark planting by late 2012 and build a sustainable peaceful borderline between the two countries.

After the talks, the Vietnam National Assembly’s decision to ratify a project on information technology infrastructure worth VND23 billion (over US$1 million) was handed over to the Cambodian National Assembly’s Secretariat.

The project, which will be carried out in 2011, is expected to equip the Cambodian parliament with an electronic information system linking the NA to provincial NA deputy delegations nationwide.

The Vietnamese legislature presented its Cambodian counterpart with a security scanner and an electricity generator.

During his stay in Cambodia from Dec. 26-29, NA Deputy Chairman Kien paid a courtesy visit to NA President Heng Samrin and Vice President of the Senate Tep Ngorn and met with the Phnom Penh authorities.

Kien and his entourage are scheduled to visit several localities to meet with parliamentarians and inquire into Cambodia’s economic development.

VOVNews/VNA

Cambodia's legislature passes ASEAN transport service agreements

via CAAI

Monday, December 27, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 27, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The Cambodian National Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted the draft law of the ASEAN multilateral agreement on the full liberalization of air freight services and the ASEAN multilateral agreement on the full liberalization of passenger air services.

Nin Saphon, chairwoman of the commission on public works and construction of the National Assembly, said during the debate that the two agreements were to create air freight and passenger services freely, transparently and competitively with high effectiveness among ASEAN countries.

"The agreements will accelerate open sky arrangements and advance liberalization in air transport services, especially air freight services and air passenger services," she said.

"The two agreements will help Cambodia to attract more tourists and investment through air transport services from countries in the region and in the world," she said. "It will also build more confidence from foreign airline companies, especially airlines in ASEAN."

Mao Havanal, secretary of state of the secretariat of civil aviation, said during the debate that the agreements were committed to deepen and broaden the internal economic integration and linkages with the world economy to realize an ASEAN Economic Community.

"The agreements are to remove restrictions, on a gradual basis, so as to achieve greater flexibility and capacity in the operation of air freight services and air passenger services in ASEAN with a view to building a single unified aviation market of ASEAN by 2015, " he said.

The two agreements were signed on May 20, 2009 in Manila, the Philippines by the heads of the civil aviation of the 10 ASEAN countries.

ASEAN countries consist of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Source: Quotemedia)

Aid Dependence May Hurt Successes in HIV, AIDS

via CAAI

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK, Dec 28 , 2010 (IPS) - Thanks to a healthy cocktail of foreign aid and a pragmatic condom policy, one of South-east Asia’s poorest countries is well on course to meeting an international target aimed at reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS.

But even as Cambodia’s basks in praises for its achievement – completing one of the eight U.N. backed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 – it is facing a steady trickle of troubling questions about a possible reversal of the kingdom’s success.

Cambodia’s continued dependence on foreign donor assistance is not the best prescription for sustaining the country’s "remarkable history in driving down HIV infections", warns a new report, co-authored by Cambodian public health experts, released in December.

"Future success is not guaranteed and the government needs to focus increasingly on wise prevention tactics and assume more of the financing of its AIDS programme," reveals the statement accompanying the Dec. 21 report, ‘The Long-Run Costs and Financing of HIV/AIDS in Cambodia’.

The Cambodian government’s initial response to the report has been conciliatory. "We welcome this in-depth and forward-looking report for our country," says Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng. "Cambodia has a long history of fighting HIV/AIDS head-on, with effective prevention strategies."

The report, which has the backing of the Results for Development Institute (R4D), a Washington DC-based think tank, argues that a gradual increase in a funding role by the Cambodian government would help prevent a worse-case scenario of the virus infecting four times more people in 2031 than has been anticipated.

In a best case scenario, with proper funding, Cambodia could reduce infections to 1,000 people a year in 2031, reveals the report, but warns that if the country’s AIDS efforts "stall and current coverage of key services declines, especially in carefully targeted prevention, the number of infections could climb to 3,800 a year in 2031."

Cash-strapped Cambodia’s recognition as a success story can be seen in its two-decade achievement since HIV/AIDS was first reported in 1991. By 2000, this country, struggling to rise from nearly 20 years of civil war and the impact of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, was reporting 15,000 new HIV cases a year.

In 2000, when world leaders announced the eight time-bound development targets, the MDGs, at a U.N. summit in New York, the prevalence rate among adults in Cambodia was close to two percent. Yet by 2009, it had dropped to 0.7 percent.

Besides the call to roll back the spread of HIV in the developing world, the MDGs also targeted countries like Cambodia, where a third of its nearly 15 million population live below the poverty line, to slash the number of the poor, ensure universal primary education and reduce child mortality.

Cambodia’s achievements have been built around a highly publicised 100 percent condom use campaign for sex workers since 1997. Consequently, HIV rates among sex workers have gone from over a 40 percent prevalence rate in 1996 to 14 percent by 2006, according to a national survey.

At the same time, the country has taken strides to provide life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for people living with HIV. Currently, 40,000 people with HIV are on the anti-AIDS drug therapy, a number that accounts for over 85 percent of those who need ARVs. A decade ago, only 71 people were on this once costly treatment.

"The issue here is a question of long-term sustainability and predictability," says Tony Lisle, Cambodia country coordinator for the Joint U.N. Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). "In the medium and short term, the Cambodian government can’t be expected to meet overall costs."

"We need cost-effective, high-impact, low-cost interventions that avert new infections," Lisle said in a telephone interview from Phnom Penh. "Donors need to ensure that as donor resources decline, the government share of resources increases as Cambodia’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) increases."

According to Lisle, Cambodia will need 500 million U.S. dollars for its HIV/AIDS programme between 2011 and 2015. "The government already has 263 million dollars in the pipeline."

International donors fund close to 90 percent of the country’s HIV programme, whose resources have ballooned from 21 million dollars in 2001 to nearly 52 million dollars by 2008.

Such assistance, including substantial grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has been a lifeline in helping Cambodia develop since the 1991 peace accords in the country. In June, international donors pledged 1.1 billion dollars in aid for 2010, up from the 950 million dollars in 2009.

To avoid a second wave of HIV infections, more funds should go toward the populations with the most risky behaviour, ranging from sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), and injecting drug users, says Ly Pisey, a member of Social Action for Change, a women’s activist group based in Phnom Penh.

But she cautions against the emphasis international donors put on targeting only a select slice of Cambodian women at risk of HIV and AIDS. "This policy has seen discrimination, since it has just focused on brothel-based sex workers, while sexually transmitted infections and HIV are issues of everyone, including clients and housewives," Ly said in an interview.

Likewise, the Cambodian government’s continued dependence on international aid for a substantial number of its development programmes reveals that Phnom Penh is far from ready to shoulder more funding for HIV programmes, she added. "Without political will, this will never be possible, where Cambodia could walk or run on its own."

Vietnam, Cambodia to open more border gates

via CAAI

December, 28 2010

CAN THO - Viet Nam and Cambodia will open three new international border gates early next year to fulfil an agreement on road transportation between the two countries.

They will be in Le Thanh (Gia Lai Province, Viet Nam) - Oyadav (Andong Pich-Rattanakiri, Cambodia), Hoa Lu (Binh Phuoc) - Trapeang Sre (Snoul-Kratie), and Bu Prang (Dak Nong) - O Raing (Mundulkiri).

The plan was agreed upon at an annual conference between the leaders of Viet Nam's Directorate for Roads and Cambodia's General Department of Transport yesterday in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

With this development, there will be a total of seven international border gates linking the two countries, a target set by a bilateral Agreement on Road Transport signed in 1998.

At the conference, officials also signed an agreement to double the number of vehicles allowed to travel through the two countries' common border gates from 150 to 300 to boost bilateral trade and tourism.

They also agreed to expand the types of non-commercial vehicles allowed to travel through the border gates, and a plan to co-operate on route management projects.

A total of 32 transportation enterprises and units with 150 vehicles currently operate on Viet Nam-Cambodia routes. Of the 150 vehicles, 60 run the four major routes from Viet Nam's provinces of Tra Vinh, An Giang, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia. VNS

Cambodia Cruising Tours, Cruises in Cambodia, Cambodia cruises

http://www.prlog.org/

via CAAI

Cruising from Phnom Penh – Kôh Chen - Oudong - Visiting villages on the banks of river - Kampong Tralach – Kampong Chnang - Chnok Trou – over Tonle Sap Lake - Siem Reap

Day 1 - Phnom Penh – Kôh Chen / Oudong

Day 2 – Kampong Tralach – Kampong Chnang

Day 3 – Chnok Trou – Siem Reap

Day 1: Phnom Penh – Kôh Chen / Oudong (L, D)

12:00 Toum Tiou II is open for embarking. We will have some instruction for security on board. Our Lunch will be served lunch on boat on the way to Kôh Chen (Chinese Island).

15:00 Arrival to Kôh Chen, We will visit this small village of whose inhabitants specialize in silver and copper smiting. They make ornamental items, including delicately engraved tropical fruits, used in traditional ceremonies at the pagoda or for marriages.

Then we will explore the distant hills of Cambodia's old capital, Oudong, and its royal stupas can be seen a few kilometers away from the ferry. At the top of the hill, the ruins of Anthareu temple.

18:00 We will re-embark the Toum Tiou II. And we will leave Kôh Chen for Kampong Tralach. Then our cruise will drop anchor close to village.

19:30 We will enjoy our welcome drink and info meeting about cruise, crew introduction. After that we will have our welcome dinner. Tonight we will stay overnight on boat.

Day 2: Kampong Tralach – Kampong Chnang (B, L, D)

07:30 Our breakfast will be served during navigation, we then departure for Kampong Tralach to visit its wonderful Vihara belonging to Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To get to it, we cross Kampong Tralach Krom village along a small road perpendicular to the river, crossing some gorgeous stretches of emerald rice paddy as we leave the river behind.

The Vihara dates back to early last century. It was probably built on an older site, as indicated by the latérite foundations, and is home to some outstanding mural paintings. These, however, are starting to suffer from weathering. They remain one of the last survivors of cultural destruction that continues unabated due to widespread indifference.

Standing by itself in the middle of rice fields, it is a modest pagoda that receives very few visitors. Its isolation may well be its undoing, as was the case for Wat Tani Pagoda in the province of Kampot.

10:30 We will re-embark the Toum Tiou II. And our Lunch on boat on the way to Kampong Chnang.

14:30 Arrival at Kampong Chnang. We will visit the village and its environment. Located some 90 kilometers from Phnom Penh, the town of Kampong Chnang is one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonlé Sap. Fish farming is also widely practiced in the area. The area is famous for its pottery ware, unchanged in style for centuries, which is produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire country. And not to be overlooked are the products of the Thnot tree (sugar palm – a real national symbol) that abounds in the area: a mellow tasting, caramel-colored sugar sold in large cakes and palm wine.

18:00 we will re-embark the boat, Toum Tiou II leaves Kanpong Chnang, the going on the direction the Tonle Sap Lake. Toum Tiou II will drop anchor for overnight at the entrance of the Grand Lake Tonle Sap.

19:00 We will have dinner and overnight on boat.

Day 3: Chnok Trou – Siem Reap (B, L)

07:00 Our breakfast will be served during navigation.

08:00 We will transfer to local boats to visit Chnoc Tru

Low water (January – June) program

For visiting Chnoc Tru

Almost totally overlooked by tourists because of its remoteness and difficult access, the village is completely self-sufficient. A floating school, factories to make ice for fish preservation, church, pagoda, service stations, pigsty, stores, boat or television repair shops, video club, karaoke bar, police station... everything is on the water. All trades are represented and everybody from children to grandparents goes by boat through the network of canals that cross this little town.

0:30 we are back to the Toum Tiou II and have our lunch on boat.

13:30 We will departure with charter speedboat for our passengers to cross the Tonle Sap Lake.

* Towards the end of March, it is impossible to visit Floating village.

17:30 We will arrive to Phnom Krom, pier of Siem Reap, and then we will transfer to city.

18:00 Arrival to FCC Hotel, the final destination point of our trip.

* Note: At the end of the low water period, (around late March to June) the water level may not allow anymore speedboats to cross the lake. In this case, passengers will be transferred by our convenience from/to Siem Reap by land or river way. (5-6 hours).

* Including Services:

- Full board accommodation, including meals, coffee, tea & drinking water

- French or English speaking guide

- Visits mentions in the programs

- Entrance fees and permits

- Transportation from departure port to arrival port

* Excluding Services:

- Personal travel insurance

- Tours and Meals other than those mentioned in the programs

- Transfer from/to airport and hotel

- Personal expenses

- Tips and gratuities

To obtain our special quotes for this tour, please go ahead to email us at sales@dnqtravel.com  or visit at http://www.dnqtravel.com/Cambodiatours/49/507/Cambodia_C ...  then send us an enquiry. To find more our cruising tours in Cambodia, please take a look at http://www.dnqtravel.com/Cambodiatours/49/Cambodia_Cruis  ...

Preah Vihear group spurns relocation

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 15:02 Thet Sambath

OVER 250 families living near Preah Vihear temple say they will ignore an eviction deadline set for next week, claiming a proposed relocation site is strewn with landmines.

In an announcement dated Sunday and written by Sok Hay, governor of Preah Vihear province’s Choam Ksan district, 253 families in Kantuot commune’s Svay Chrum village were ordered to vacate their homes within seven days.

The families have been promised 50 by 100 metre plots in nearby Thamacheat Samdech Techo Village, or Samdech Techo Nature Village. The village has taken in hundreds of other families who have been moved to make way for development at Preah Vihear temple, which was enshrined as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.

“This place has no road and it is full of mines,” Svay Chrum resident Sao Yath said. “We are very disappointed that they are trying to confiscate our land and force us to settle in a new place.”

Svay Chrum village sits roughly 12 kilometres from the temple. Sok Hay’s letter said that if the villagers do not leave voluntarily by next week’s deadline, they will be removed by local authorities and the government will not be liable for any property lost.

Kim Sophy, 38, another Svay Chrum resident, said that in addition to concerns about the relocation site, villagers were suspicious of the local officials who had ordered the move.

“We will continue to stay here unless Prime Minister Hun Sen announces publicly that we must leave,” she said.

Hang Soth, secretary general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said the villagers were being needlessly obstinate.

“Why don’t they believe the government’s letter? It is an official letter,” he said.

“There is no need to write about these people because they are living apart from civilisation,” he advised a reporter.

Toll decreases: Lightning deaths down on 2009

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 15:01 Mom Kunthear

Toll decreases

THE number of people killed by lightning strikes this year fell by 26 compared to last year, largely thanks to education campaigns instructing people to remain indoors, keep away from trees and unplug electrical items during thunderstorms, an official said yesterday.

Keo Vy, chief of cabinet at the National Committee for Disaster Management, said 114 people were killed by lightning strikes during rainy season storms this year. A further 58 people were injured, 65 head of cattle were killed and three houses were destroyed, he said.

“The number of deaths is lower than last year, when 140 people died, 59 were injured, and 38 cattle were killed,” he said. “We keep on educating and explaining to the people about how to avoid the lightning.”