IMF insider talks Cambodia May Kunmakara Monday, 23 April 2012
Olaf Unteroberdoerster, a senior economist at the International Monetary Fund’s Asia and Pacific Department, talked to Post reporter May Kunmakara about the Cambodian economy and the future of growth during the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington.
OLAF UNTEROBERDOERSTER SPEAKS DURING A MEETING IN PHNOM PENH. PHOTO BY UY NOUSEREIMONY
What is the IMF’s forecast for Cambodia given the current state of its key export markets in the West? This is one of the reasons why we have lowered somewhat the growth focus for Cambodia to 6.5 per cent this year. It is true that Cambodia remains exposed to the United States and to Europe. One thing working in Cambodia’s favour is that the access to the European market is not yet fully exhausted. So, even if growth in Europe is sluggish, Cambodia can still achieve a reasonably high growth rate because it might capture a lot of market share in the European market. And that’s what we are hearing from garment exporters in Cambodia.
What do you predict for inflation in Cambodia? We believe that the National Bank of Cambodia should stand ready to normalise its monetary policy stance ... We think that [the low reserve requirement] is just the kind of support to growth that is now no longer needed. Growth in 2011 was very strong. If you [subtract] the impact of the flood on overall GDP growth and just look at non-agricultural GDP growth, it was 7.5 percent – that’s very high. And we also see that growth in 2012 is likely to be fairly robust at over 12 per cent. So it’s important the NBC take a firm stance on its commitment to price stability. We believe that it should be ready to raise reserve requirements and to signal that it is committed to the price stability goal.
What are the main challenges facing Cambodia’s financial sector?
Cambodia’s financial sector has come out of the global financial crisis relatively unscathed. We had seen in 2008 that deposits slowed at some points, and also credit growth slowed, but the banking system had remained relatively strong. And when confidence returns, your credit growth resumes. So these are positive developments, but we also have to be mindful that the banking system is still at the early stage of the development.
What about Cambodia’s current-account deficit? Our view is that Cambodia’s current account reflects the early stage of development and a need for further investment in the country. And it also reflects the need of funds for the investment and power sector – hydropower plants. Our view is that as long as these investments remain productive and pay off and allow Cambodia to develop, and as long as such finance is [long-term and stable], the current-account deficit does not pose a problem.
What can you say about the Kingdom’s ability to attract foreign direct investment? What we see is that in the past FDI was mainly in tourism and garments. But what we are seeing now is more diversification and also other manufacturing firms outside the garment sector are beginning to invest in Cambodia. And we expect this trend to continue if Cambodia makes improvements in infrastructure, in power generation, improvements in investing in education and skills in the labour force and continuing the improvement in all governances and service delivery.
How do you see the Cambodian business environment? We hope that the business climate continues to improve and that these investments will materialise and help Cambodia to grow and catch up in the other economies in the Asian region. We have to be careful when we talk about business climate because we see all the global rankings and Cambodia does not rank very high. But I think we also need to be seeing that the country is moving in the right direction. Cambodia has been doing very well in attracting garment companies and investors. But what we would like to see is more diversifying in the economy. That will help Cambodia be more resilience to shock in the future.
Japan extends billions to Mekong Vong Sokheng Monday, 23 April 2012
Japan had pledged more than 600 billion yen (US$7 billion) over three years to the development of countries in the Mekong region, Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong said yesterday.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER HOR NAMHONG SPEAKS TO REPORTERS AT PHNOM PENH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AFTER RETURNING FROM JAPAN YESTERDAY. PHOTO BY PHA LINA
The deputy prime minister said the agreement had been inked at the Mekong-Japan Summit, held on April 20 and 21, but division of funds among the five Mekong nations had yet to be determined. “After this, there will be a meeting of the Japan-Mekong foreign ministers to decide a concrete plan for the implementation [of the grant aid],” Nor Namhong said. Japan and the leaders of Mekong countries adopted the Tokyo Strategy 2012 at the summit. The pact was inten-ded to boost infrastructure development, IT capabilities, trade and food security, he said, adding that the development “must be sustainable”. Prime Minister Hun Sen had invited his Japanese counterpart to make an official visit to Cambodia next year, Hor Namhong said. Chheang Vanarith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said Japan and China had poured aid and investment into the region and were increasingly seen as competitors for influence, along with the US and India. Economic influence would be key, he said. To contact the reporter on this story: Vong Sokheng at vong.sokheng@phnompenhpost.com
Xayaburi study locks in funding Shane Worrell Monday, 23 April 2012
Japan has agreed to fund a study into what negative effects the controversial Xayaburi hydro dam project in Laos could have on Mekong River communities, a Cambodia National Mekong Committee official said yesterday.
LOCAL VILLAGERS STAND ON THE BANKS OF THE MEKONG RIVER IN XAYABURI PROVINCE, LAOS, NEAR THE AREA WHERE A CONTROVERSIAL DAM IS SLATED FOR CONSTRUCTION. PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL RIVERS
Te Navuth, the committee’s secretary-general, said Mekong River Commission (MRC) member states, including Cambodia, had agreed in December that another study was needed before the 1,260-megawatt dam project could begin. “Mekong countries and Japan have agreed to carry out this study,” he said, referring to have this statement clearly.” Thai development firm Ch.Karnchang announced it had begun construction work on the dam on March 15 after signing a US$2.4 billion contract with the Xayaburi Power Company, the Post reported last week. Sin Niny, permanent vice-chairman of CNMC, was reported elsewhere saying Cambodia had the right to file a legal complaint if Laos began the project on its own. Under a 1995 agreement, a host country must consult MRC members of such projects before proceeding. Te Navuth said legal action against Laos might be hasty. “I don’t think [Cambodia] would do this. [The agreement with Japan] is a new positive development . . . that will promote cooperation of the member states.” But concern remained over whether the dam project, the first of its kind on the Lower Mekong, had begun, he said.
“We have reports of some preliminary constructions,” Te Navuth said. “Cambodia will send an official to Laos. We have sent several letters . . . [asking them] not to proceed with any work. I think they will consider this [new study],” he said, adding they had been unresponsive in the past. Save the Mekong spokesperson Meach Mean said he was concerned about the project. “Without a study, we do not know what ... the damage will be,” he said. “We ask the Lao government to postpone [the dam project]. Please, Laos, respect the 1995 agreement.” Sin Niny and the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh could not be reached. To contact the reporter on this story: Shane Worrell at shane.worrell@phnompenhpost.com
Borei Keila protesters turned away Khouth Sophak Chakrya Tuesday, 24 April 2012
The Ministry of Interior refused to accept a letter of complaint yesterday from Borei Keila villagers, who are again seeking government intervention after the company Phan Imex failed to come through on their promise to provide them housing, a village representative said.
BOREI KEILA EVICTEES OUTSIDE THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR YESTERDAY. PHOTO BY MENG KIMLONG
“We have tried to seek help from everywhere the past four months, but there is no proper solution. Besides, they want us to leave to Tuol Sambo and Phnom Bat, the land given by the company,� village representative Chum Ngan said yesterday. Phan Imex agreed in 2004 to construct 10 buildings on two hectares of land at Borei Keila to house 1,776 families, in exchange for development rights to the remaining 2.6 hectares, but the company has built only eight buildings. Chum Ngan said they attempted to deliver their letter to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, urging him to push the company to construct the remaining two buildings that were promised. However, she said they were turned away by a police officer at the ministry, who refused to accept the letter. On Friday, Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema urged Phan Imex to speed up the construction of homes for Borei Keila villagers who agreed to leave to move to Tuol Sambo village in Dangkor district. To contact the reporter on this story: Khouth Sophak Chakrya at khouth.sophakchakrya@phnompenhpost.com
Hun Sen aims to attract more Japanese money Don Weinland Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Japan's Sumi Wiring Systems Co Ltd launched production of automobile wiring this month, a company official said yesterday. Japanese companies such as Sumi and Minebea, a ball-bearings maker, have helped Cambodia’s manufacturing industry diversify away from garments, the country’s main manufacturing product and export, and Prime Minister Hun Sen seems intent on continuing to attract higher-end investment from the East Asian nation. During talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yohishiko Noda last weekend in Tokyo, Hun Sen pledged to upgrade Cambodia’s business environment to attract more Japanese investment, Kyodo News Agency reported. While industry insiders said there were already many incentives for Japanese companies in place, more clarity surrounding the country’s business regulation, as well as better transportation between countries, would be needed to see a continued increase in Japanese investment. “So far, there are no big issues between Japan and Cambodia on law and regulation. But regulations are very new in Cambodia and many Japanese companies don’t get lots of information about them,” Suzuki Hiroshi, CEO and chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said yesterday by phone. Better communication between governments on customs regulations could help boost trade, he said. Companies such as Minebea are reliant on transportation routes between Cambodia and Thailand, Suzuki Hiroshi said. The company ships in parts from Thailand to be assembled and then ships them back. Heightening connectivity between the countries could get regional investors looking toward the Kingdom, he said. Tax- and duty-free treatment, as well as cheap labour were the main factors that brought Sumi to Cambodia, the company’s general manager Kenichi Onogi told the Post yesterday. Transportation at the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone was another important factor, he said. A widely acknowledged skill shortage still affects Cambodia.
The Asian Development Bank’s annual report on the country pinpointed problems companies face in finding competent labour. ADB’s senior country economist said this month that, although Cambodia has managed to attract companies such as Minebea, a continued skill shortage would stop similar companies from investing in the future. Japan invested about US$6.2 million in fixed assets in Cambodia in 2011, according to data from the Cambodian Investment Board, or about 0.09 per cent of total foreign direct investment last year. To contact the reporter on this story: Don Weinland at don.weinland@phnompenhpost.com
Ieng Sary was B-1 boss, says Pol Pot’s nephew Kristin Lynch Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Ieng Sary had an iron-clad grip on decision-making within Democratic Kampuchea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pol Pot’s nephew Saloth Ban testified yesterday at the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
IENG SARY'S IN COURT ROOM. PHOTO BY ECCC
The full day of examination by the prosecution began slowly, with Saloth Ban repeatedly saying he was simply an “ordinary combatant” with limited knowledge about the questions posed to him. However, during the afternoon session, while being probed by senior assistant prosecutor Vincent de Wilde, he illuminated the administrative structure of B-1, the internal code-name for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ieng Sary, its deputy prime minister. “Just now you told us that your role was as a coordinator and Ieng Sary was in reality the real boss [at B-1]. Does that mean he had complete responsibility for everything done in the foreign ministry?” de Wilde asked. “Yes, that is correct,” Saloth Ban replied. “So when you were working as secretary-general of the ministry, when you fulfilled your duties, it was always in full respect of the hierarchy, with full permission from above, from Ieng Sary?” de Wilde said. “Yes, we had to have permission from Ieng Sary,” Saloth Ban explained, adding the caveat that if Chheum Sam-Aok, alias Pang, was present, he could at times make decisions “without informing Ieng Sary”. Pang was the chairman of government office S-71, one of the two highest-level offices
within the regime. De Wilde tried to establish that decisions within Democratic Kampuchea were made collectively by the regime’s senior leadership, rather than solely by Pol Pot. When Saloth Ban said he was uncertain whether Pol Pot had made decisions alone, de Wilde presented a transcript from an interview Saloth Ban gave to co-investigating judges in 2009, in which he said “Pol Pot couldn’t make decisions alone”. After a brief interrogation, Saloth Ban said he stood by his previous statement. To contact the reporter on this story: Kristin Lynch at kristin.lynch@phnompenhpost.com
Pol Pot’s nephew brings spirited debate to court Kristin Lynch Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Saloth Ban’s testimony yesterday at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal frequently sidestepped questions from the prosecution and contradicted previous statements he had made to investigators.
Photo by Meng Kimlong Visitors at the tribunal attend Saloth Ban's testimony.
In an unusual beginning to the day, Saloth Ban explained that Lok Ta Dambong Dek, the Khmer guardian spirit of justice, had appeared to him in a dream and told him that the tribunal was “unjust” and that he did not need to answer questions that did not make him “happy”. This prompted Trial Chamber president Nil Nonn to respond: “Your dream is a superstition and it cannot be used in the court of law.” Toward the end of the day, Nil Nonn had to instruct the former Khmer Rouge secretary general of the ministry of foreign affairs to “compose” himself after he began rambling, unprovoked, about “the enemy who intends to destroy the world”. For much of the day, senior assistant prosecutor Vincent de Wilde focused on the process of internal purges within Democratic Kampuchea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, trying to determine former Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Ieng Sary’s complicity in such matters. In an exchange that was typical of Saloth Ban’s contradictory statements throughout the day, de Wilde asked him whether Ieng Sary convened meetings to discuss the arrests of foreign ministry staffers. “There were no meetings,” Saloth Ban replied. De Wilde then produced statements Saloth Ban had given to tribunal investigators in 2007 in which the witness stated that Ieng Sary had “convened meetings to discuss these issues
[internal enemies]”. In another exchange, de Wilde attempted to determine whether Ieng Sary was aware of the arrests of foreign ministry personnel. When Saloth Ban said he did not know whether the former foreign minister was privy to such matters, de Wilde again presented previous statements Saloth Ban had given to investigators in which he said that Ieng Sary did indeed have knowledge of such arrests. “This is what you said, and I quote, ‘When cadres and members of the staff of the foreign ministry were arrested, Ieng Sary was … aware of it, however, he never said anything about that, he himself was afraid’,” de Wilde told Saloth Ban. “Do you confirm that is what you stated?” de Wilde followed. “I agree to the statement,” Saloth Ban replied. To contact the reporter on this story: Kristin Lynch at kristin.lynch@phnompenhpost.com
UN rep warns of more floods Khouth Sophak Chakrya Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Cambodia was urged by the special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction yesterday to prepare for an increase in floods, storms and lightning strikes as climate change affected global weather conditions.
MARGARETA WAHLSTRÖM, UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, SPEAKS DURING A MEETING IN PHNOM PENH YESTERDAY. PHOTO BY HONG MENEA
Margareta Wahlström said in a meeting with National Committee for Disaster Management first vice chairman Nhim Vanda that she would call on Cambodia, as chair of ASEAN, to highlight this issue. “I will ask the government of Cambodia to call on the prime ministers of ASEAN countries to call a conference that talks about how to reduce the risk of disaster,” she said. According to the NCDM, 247 people were killed in last year’s floods and 1.64 million people were affected – 70,000 of whom were children. One hundred thousand hectares of rice paddy had also been damaged. An NCDM report released on Sunday states that in the first four months of 2012, 15 provinces were affected by storms and lightning. 242 houses were destroyed, 1,422 houses damaged and 21 people killed in storms or by lightning. Nhim Vanda said that the disasters had presented a “huge” challenge. To contact the reporter on this story: Khouth Sophak Chakrya at khouth.sophakchakrya@phnompenhpost.com
How can rural Cambodia develop an understanding of technology? Ty Samphors Vicheka and Kong Sovan Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Ly Sengchrea, 26, student at Institute of Foreign Languages “We should implement computer classes in rural areas because it is an important part of the development of Cambodia. Most people in rural areas don’t know about developing technology, so we need to introduce them to the benefits of modern technology. Young people should get this knowledge from both in and outside of school. There is a good opportunity for university students in Phnom Penh to share their knowledge of modern technology and educate those living in the provinces.”
Leang Sokun Mealdey, 20, student at National University of Management “I want to create a youth campaign aimed at raising funds to buy computers for schools
in remote areas and financing computer teachers. This would help show them the advantage of technology in their daily lives. Also, I would teach them how to use the internet because it can help improve knowledge and allow access to important information. This could help them build the technology sector in the provinces, too.”
Hay Voleak, 18, student at Pannasastra University “I would create more schools that provide technical skills, like how to use the computer and the internet. This would allow students more opportunities to catch up with urban education. Also, I would use the media to send messages to people in the provinces explaining the advantage of using new technology. I hope that in the future, technology will be developed and reach rural areas if we keep on paying attention to this developing sector.”
Tha Sokhna, 21, former student of Hun Sen Takhmao High School “I think it’s about changing mindsets first, because people in the countryside aren’t interested in the development of new technology. They are busy with simple livings and trying to earn a profit for their family. Also, the telco companies can’t cover all rural
areas. So, if we want to improve this sector, we should expand coverage to allow for easy access. Of course, the issue of price needs to be addressed since access is still expensive.”
EK Sunmonyroth, 21, student at Royal University of Law and Economics “We need more educators with computer and internet skills in order to provide knowledge to those living in rural provinces. If I had the chance to visit rural Cambodia, I would explain the advantages of technology in our daily lives. Some organisations or major company stakeholders could benefit from financing computer education in rural areas, as they’re building a future work-force. “
An expanding partnership for ASEAN-EU Cathy Ashton Thursday, 26 April 2012
As foreign ministers from ASEAN and the European Union gather in Brunei Darussalam for the 19th ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting today and tomorrow, the sense of drive and ambition underpinning our partnership has never been stronger.
A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION AT THE ASEAN BUSINESS SUMMIT IN PHNOM PENH EARLIER THIS MONTH. PHOTO BY MENG KIMLONG
I look forward to using this meeting to take the EU’s relations with South-east Asia to a new level. Our shared goal is to make this partnership – encompassing one-sixth of the world’s population – fit for purpose in the 21st century. There are several ways we can do that. The first way is by boosting prosperity in our regions and the wider world. Thriving commercial ties between the EU and ASEAN – with total trade reaching €167 billion in 2011 – are an engine for much-needed growth, but we can do much more to unleash their full potential. The conclusion of free trade agreements with our ASEAN partners – with a region-to-region agreement the ultimate objective – will remove impediments to doing business and increase investment in the region. The EU has developed its single market over decades – a process that has benefited not only our 500 million citizens, but also those who want to do business within our borders. With this in mind, the EU fully supports ASEAN’s plan to create an ASEAN economic community by 2015. We are pleased to support initiatives that will help to make that vision a reality, including the launch in Brunei of a program to promote joint work on customs and standards. The annual ASEAN-EU business summit, which convened in Phnom Penh this month, is
another valuable platform to cultivate connections between governments and business. The second way to strengthen this union is through an enriched political partnership and more practical collaboration. In Brunei, we will announce the launch of enhanced co-operation on crisis management, including exchanges of best practice; closer co-ordination on disaster risk reduction; the establishment of a regional network of early warning systems to respond to disasters; and capacity-building for the ASEAN Co-ordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and disaster management. I also look forward to boosting our co-operation in maritime security and the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This political partnership has led to closer co-ordination between the EU and ASEAN in addressing global challenges, from terrorism to climate change, and from sustainable development to the fight against communicable diseases. Positive engagement is already under way in these areas, and there is room to take our cooperation further. Democratic and human-rights values are a vital adjunct to the EU-ASEAN relationship. Just as the EU has expanded human-rights protection and promotion in its domestic and foreign policies – including through a Charter of Fundamental Rights and the creation of a Fundamental Rights Agency – the advent of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights provides a new basis for collaboration in this important field. The remarkable transformation under way in Myanmar will further strengthen EU-ASEAN relations. At the ministerial gathering, we will jointly commend the significant progress made by Myanmar towards a democratic future. Immediately after the ministerial, I will make my first visit to that country to launch a new phase in EU-Myanmar relations. Technical and political co-operation cannot exist in a vacuum: it is contact between the one billion citizens of EU and ASEAN countries that will foster mutual understanding. That is why initiatives such as the EU’s Erasmus Mundus program – which awards 250 scholarships to ASEAN students each year, enabling them to study in Europe – are vital. Last but not least, the EU and ASEAN should continue learning from each other’s experiences in crafting regional integration. Integration is not an end in itself, but a means to better deliver peace, prosperity and tangible improvements to citizens’ lives.
The EU, which has gone through its own 50-year integration process, is pleased to be supporting ASEAN integration through a 70 million euro program to implement the three “blueprints” for the ASEAN community – political-security, economic and socio-cultural – and through a total of two billion euros allocated for the period from 2007 to 2013 to individual ASEAN member states to bridge the development gap. The two-way exchange of acumen and experience will be further aided by the launch in Brunei of a staff exchange scheme for ASEAN and EU institutions. ASEAN’s initiative of forming new regional forums such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN defence ministers’ meeting plus 15 has confirmed its central role in a new East Asian regional architecture. The EU wants to be an active, constructive partner in Asian regionalism. That is why it particularly looks forward to EU accession to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Co-operation. As we mark 35 years of relations between the EU and ASEAN, the ministerial meeting in Brunei will pay tribute to an enduring relationship characterised by friendship, stability and co-operation.
Anti-tank mine kills man Buth Reaksmey Kongkea Thursday, 26 April 2012
An anti-tank mine explosion yesterday in Banteay Meanchey’s Malai district claimed the life of one man, after his tractor drove over the buried munition.
A MINI-TRACTOR IS LOADED ONTO A TRAILER IN BANTEAY MEANCHEY PROVINCE YESTERDAY. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Cambodian Mine Action Centre’s deputy manager for Banteay Meanchey, Seam Hak, said 24-year-old Chan Sophoan, was driving his tractor to a rice field in Tuol Pongro commune when he struck the mine. “He was killed after the anti-tank mine exploded. His body was shredded to pieces,” the CMAC deputy manager said. Provincial deputy police chief Chan Kosa said Tuol Pongro was a battleground for Khmer Rouge and government troops in the 1980s. Many of the buried unexploded ordnances have not yet been removed and destroyed. This is the third mine explosion in Banteay Meanchey this year, with one blast in February killing eight people and injuring another when a tractor ran over two anti-tank mines. The CMAC Incident report for January through June of 2011 recorded 17 fatalities and another 71 injuries, with 19 requiring amputations, after coming into contact with unexploded ordnances. To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at kongkea.buthreaksmey@phnompenhpost.com
First female voted into leadership Meas Sokchea Thursday, 26 April 2012
The National Assembly yesterday appointed Khuon Sodary as second deputy president of the assembly, the first female lawmaker to hold a position of leadership in the legislature. Khuon Sodary, of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, was voted in by 83 out of 101 votes, with all opposition Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarians abstaining from the vote. In a rare appearance, Prime Minister Hun Sen personally attended the National Assembly to cast his vote and personally congratulate Khuon Sodary on her new position. However, SRP lawmakers said the election of a female lawmaker would make no difference to the running of government under the CPP’s monopoly of power within all government institutions. “This arrangement is an arrangement of a single party, absolute and communist,” SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said. “In democratic countries, opposition party members must be part of the leadership structures in the top institutions of the nation.” To contact the reporter on this story: Meas Sokchea at sokchea.meas@phnompenhpost.com
Hor Namhong held at Boeung Trabek: Saloth Ban Kristin Lynch Thursday, 26 April 2012
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong was one of the “intellectuals” held at the Boeung Trabek reeducation centre during the Democratic Kampuchea regime, Saloth Ban, Pol Pot’s nephew, said in testimony yesterday at the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
FOREIGN MINISTER HOR NAMHONG. PHOTO BY HENG CHIVOAN
“Mr Hor Namhong was kept there,” the former secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, responding to questions about the specific names of people residing at that reeducation centre. Last year, anti-secrecy organisation WikiLeaks published an alleged US diplomatic cable from 2002 that stated “Hor Namhong came back to Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge took over, but was not killed because he was a schoolmate of Ieng Sary. He became head of the Beng Trabek [sic] camp and he and his wife collaborated in the killing of many prisoners”. Hor Namhong has consistently denied allegations he was head of the Boeung Trabek camp and has called such allegations defamatory. According to the Case 002 indictment against the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan, “conditions at Boeng Trabek were difficult” and “guards were more brutal than they had been at other locations”. In spite of these facts, Saloth Ban said yesterday that residents appeared “happy” and “warmly welcomed” he and Khmer Rouge Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Ieng Sary on the few times that they visited the centre. Hor Namhong himself was summonsed as a witness by investigating judges at the tribunal in 2009 to provide statements as part of the Case 002 investigations, but did not respond to the summons.
Nuon Chea’s defence team last year filed a criminal complaint against Hor Namhong and other senior politicians, including the prime minister, for interfering with justice at the court, but their complaint was quashed. Hor Namhong was one of many intellectuals that returned from abroad to Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime. According to the indictment, intellectuals returned after either an invitation or order from Ieng Sary. “Those people wanted to come back home,” Saloth Ban said. “He [Ieng Sary] told those students that it was hard back home, but those students insisted that they wanted to come home,” he added. As in previous days of testimony, on multiple occasions the former secretary-general failed to remember details that he had given during previous interviews with investigators. The Trial Chamber and defence teams will take their turns at questioning Pol Pot’s nephew today. To contact the reporter of this story: Kristin Lynch at kristin.lynch@phnompenhpost.com
Hun Sen aide charged Chhay Channyda Thursday, 26 April 2012
Four men, one an assistant to the prime minister, are facing jail terms of three to five years after being charged with “intentional violence” yesterday in the wake of an alleged violent beating in Koh Kong over the weekend. Lay Menglaing, chief of the province’s minor crimes police office, told the Post that Bun Sokha, deputy chief of staff of Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit and a personal assistant to the premier, along with his bodyguards Sum Veasna and Meang Chheangly and driver Sum Chhaiya, were sent to Koh Kong provincial prison at about 4pm yesterday following two days of questioning. “The court charged them with intentional violence like what I accused them of. We are sending them to prison,” he said. Rights groups said that the charge came despite an offer of US$15,000 in compensation, which they claim was rejected by two of the victims yesterday. Investigating judge Kham Sophary, the man who issued the warrant for the quartet’s detention, declined to comment yesterday, saying his deliberations were “secret”. The four suspects were arrested on Monday after allegedly beating four people at the Koh Kong City hotel in a dispute that originated over a missing necklace. The victims accused them of beating, kicking and handcuffing them as well as using an electric baton and threatening them with a gun, actions police previously told the Post had been captured by hotel security cameras. Human rights groups monitoring the case welcomed the court’s actions in dealing with a senior official, comparing it favourably to the case of former Bavet town governor Chhouk Bandith, who remains free more than two months after allegedly shooting into a crowd of strikers outside a factory in Svay Rieng province, hitting three young women. Chhouk Bandith has been charged with causing “unintentional injury”, a decision that has been pilloried by rights groups and victims alike. “The Koh Kong court’s work is based on the law and can avoid impunity. The court in Svay Rieng province should follow [their example],” said In Kong Chet, provincial coordinator for human rights group Licadho. He added that he had been worried the men would be freed on bail and might threaten the victims. Neang Boratino, provincial coordinator for human rights group Adhoc, praised the court’s decision as “a model for other courts”, adding that his organisation had also received
complaints from victims Sang Thairath and Norng Suden. “We provided a lawyer for them. Before [the court’s decision], the suspects offered them $15,000 each to settle the case out of court, but they disagreed and let it go through the court system,” he said. None of the four victims could be reached for comment yesterday. To contact the reporter on this story: Chhay Channyda at channyda.chhay@phnompenhpost.com
New hospital, new vision Mom Kunthear Thursday, 26 April 2012
Sath Nget, her weathered skin sunken in pockets around her face and chest, spends most of her days lying half-outstretched in her hut of corrugated metal and wood along the road to Bokor Mountain as one of her four orphaned grandchildren fans her with a piece of discarded styrofoam.
DR KENDRICK KAHLER (RIGHT), WHO IS A PARAPLEGIC, TEACHES CPR USING A DUMMY. PHOTO BY HONG MENEA
SATH NGET, 75, WHO SUFFERS FROM A HEART CONDITION, SPEAKS TO THE POST AT HER HOME IN KAMPOT PROVINCE. PHOTO BY HONG MENEA
A CHILD RECEIVES MEDICINE FROM THE PHARMACY AT THE SONJA KILL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. PHOTO BY HONG MENEA
Three hundred metres away, in the sprawling grounds of the three-week-old Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital, hospital director Cornelia Haener recalls meeting 75-year-old Sath Nget during the hospital’s soft launch. “We saw this old woman sitting on the floor. When we asked her, ‘What is wrong with you?’ she said: ‘I have chest pain’,” Haener says. Sath Nget was whisked away for a battery of tests, including a chest X-ray and an electrocardiogram, which revealed she was very sick with a heart condition. The goal of the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital, initially envisaged as a pediatric hospital, is to become a premier general hospital that could take care of every member in a family, Haener says. She says Sath Nget reinforced to her the idea that the hospital needed to focus on the whole family. “If we were not a hospital for adults and children, most likely this woman would have died pretty soon, and left four orphans behind with nobody to care for them,” Haener says. When the facility, jointly run by a private, Germany-based charity, the Sonja Kill Foundation, and the international NGO Hope Worldwide, officially opens this Saturday, it will be a general hospital first and foremost, the director stresses. The facility, about six kilometres outside Kampot town, is the newest pediatric hospital in Cambodia’s coastal region and one of the first in Kampot to introduce a means-based payment scheme: patients pay according to their financial ability. It is also a fascinating case study of what a hospital setting up during what Haener terms the “capacity-building” phase of Cambodia’s medical sector might focus on. Low-slung white buildings, 27 in all, dot the enormous 70,000-square-metre site, but only one, for outpatient treatment, is operational. Haener says the hospital has been seeing 18 to 20 patients a day.
The aim is for the entire hospital to be up and running in three to four years, partly depending on human resources. There are 15 staff members, mostly Cambodian, including two trainees fresh out of medical school, and two more Cambodian trainee doctors are on the way, Haener says as she takes the Post to where they are preparing a weekly training exercise. Giggles fill the room as the staff, mostly under 30, practise resuscitation on a dummy under the guidance of senior doctor Kendrick Kahler. The mentoring of young medical professionals, particularly in primary health care, is an important need in Cambodia, Haener says. “Many of them come with a dream to be a specialist – for example, one tells me, ‘I want to work with children,’” she says. But Haener insists they rotate through every department to get a range of experience first. “Cambodia is battling with two burdens of disease: infectious diseases . . . and noncommunicable diseases, [which] need to be addressed at a community and primary healthcare level,” she says. One of Haener’s mentees, Nget Srey Pov, 27, arrived just three days before but already has a good impression of her new workplace. “The hospital has a good environment, staff, nurses and doctors, and I expect that more people will know and love this hospital in the near future,” she says. The hospital also has a social affairs officer, who assesses patients on their ability to pay. Sath Nget, for example, was treated free of charge. The means-based model, implemented four years ago for smaller general-practice clinics run by Hope Worldwide in Phnom Penh, is a “very positive model”, Haener says. “With the global financial situation, we realised that a charity hospital cannot entirely depend on donations but has to set up a more sustainable model,” she says. “After four years, we can say that excess revenue is coming from the social enterprises to support our work for the poor. It’s not 100 per cent yet, but it’s growing.” The hospital’s location in a regional area will also help patients who cannot afford to travel to the capital for treatment, Haener says. Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension form a large number of cases treated so far, she says. The evolution of the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital will ultimately depend on such needs and
demands of the population, along with the resources available – financial as well as human, Haener says. “It’s the testing phase, the first phase,” she adds. Meanwhile, Sath Nget says she will return to the hospital after praying to her father’s spirit. “I prayed to my father’s spirit, and he said that I can go to see the doctor or use the medicine over the next two weeks,” she says. Although still tentative about her future with the Sonja Kill Hospital, Sath Nget – who had previously never visited a hospital – says the free treatment has given her a glimmer of hope. “I expect that my disease will get better,” she says. To contact the reporter on this story: Mom Kunthear at kunthear.mom@phnompenhpost.com
PM envisions malaria’s end Mom Kunthear Thursday, 26 April 2012
Malaria can be completely eliminated from the Kingdom by 2025 if civil society cooperates with the Ministry of Health’s plans, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday in an address to mark World Malaria Day.
A MOSQUITO BITES A MAN ON THE ARM YESTERDAY IN PHNOM PENH. PHOTO BY MENG KIMLONG
In the address, directed to all citizens, Hun Sen stressed that malaria remains a dangerous disease that affects not only public health, but also economic development in Cambodia. “Malaria does not just affect economics through personal spending on treatment, but it also affects the macro economic: business, tourism and investment,” he said. “We cannot accept this situation anymore while we have enough ability and effectiveness to help the people who face malaria in the remote areas in the Kingdom.” The premier’s address declared that the Cambodian government had been able to reduce mortality rates for malaria from 6.29 per cent to 0.67 per cent in 2011, beating its Millennium Development Goal target of reducing the rate to 0.78 per cent by 2015. Malaria is currently endemic in Cambodia. Doctor Char Meng Chuor, director of the National Centre for Malaria, said he supported the government’s goal and expected Cambodia would be able to reach a goal of malaria elimination by 2025. “We can reach the goals because we have the willingness to do so, enough resources and participation from the relevant institutes and villagers,” he said yesterday. He also stressed that success depended upon cooperation and participation in government initiatives by villagers living in at-risk areas. To mark the day, Ministry of Health officials also traveled on an education drive to Pailin
province’s Samlot district to a commune where malaria cases had increased more than 60 per cent in recent times due to the high number of internal migrants living in the area. In the first three months of 2012, 19,049 people had contracted malaria and 25 people had died, compared with 23,730 cases in the first three months of last year and 23 deaths. To contact the reporter on this story: Mom Kunthear at kunthear.mom@phnompenhpost.com
Thai protestors rally against Xayaburi dam construction Shane Worrell Thursday, 26 April 2012
Protests over construction of the controversial Xayaburi hydro dam project in northern Laos could spread from Thailand to Cambodia as communities along the Mekong River begin to feel its negative effects, an International Rivers programme director said yesterday.
PROTESTERS RALLIED IN BANGKOK ON TUESDAY TO DEMAND THAT THE XAYABURI DAM PROJECT BE SUSPENDED. PHOTO BY THITI WANNAMONTHA/THE BANGKOK POST
About 70 Thai villagers who rely on the Mekong River for their livelihoods rallied outside the offices of developer Ch.Karnchang in Bangkok on Tuesday. The protest came after the company announced last week it had signed a construction deal with Xayaburi Power Company to build the 1,260-megawatt dam, the first of its kind on the Lower Mekong River. Ch.Karnchang, which said construction began on March 15, owns 30 per cent of Xayaburi Power Company. “We are calling for Ch.Karnchang to immediately suspend the Xayaburi construction until the commission’s study is completed,” the protesters said in a statement. Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia programme director at International Rivers, said sources had told her Ch.Karnchang has already hired as many as 5,000 construction workers on three-year contracts. “It sounds like construction has started on the dam itself. This is essentially a violation of the 1995 agreement, because the four countries [Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam] are yet to agree,” she said.
Under this agreement, Mekong River Commission [MRC] countries must consult one another on projects that could affect other members. “If construction continues, people will feel the impact. . . you are changing the ecosystem of the river. There will be fewer fish . . . communities will suffer. “Given it will affect their livelihoods . . . [Cambodians] will definitely join the protests.” Protesters at Tuesday’s demonstration, which coincided with Ch.Karnchang’s shareholders’ meeting, complained the company was contravening another MRC agreement made in December that an environmental impact study was needed before the project could begin. Te Navuth, secretary-general of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, told the Post on Monday that Japan had agreed to fund this study. Surasak Glahan, communications officer for the Mekong River Commission secretariat, said member countries were still discussing “scope, timelines and methodology” for the study, as it involved other MRC development partners. “All four member countries are still showing their commitment to further study by participating in discussion on the matter,” he said, adding that the issue of Cambodia launching legal action if Laos proceeded had not been raised. Surasak Glahan said the Lao government had still not told him whether construction on the dam had begun. Marc Goichot, the WWF’s sustainable hydropower manager for the Greater Mekong region, said the MRC needed to take it a step further. “WWF would like to recommend that a group of representatives from the MRC council is appointed to visit the dam site to observe and monitor,” he said. “It is clear construction workers are present at the site.” Ch.Karnchang CEO Plew Trivisvavet told the Bangkok Post the project would have “limited environmental impact”. “All concerns regarding the environment were taken into account in the project’s design and environmental study,” he said. To contact the reporter on this story: Shane Worrell at shane.worrell@phnompenhpost.com
UN: Cambodia flood-ready Cassandra Yeap Thursday, 26 April 2012
Government officials and civil-society groups were gearing up for floods ahead of the impending rainy season and appeared better prepared this time around, a UN official and NGO representatives said yesterday. Visiting UN assistant secretary-general for disaster risk reduction Margareta Wahlström commended the Cambodian government and CSOs on their efforts to prepare for rainyseason floods. “I’m convinced the country will be better prepared this year because so much attention has been given to these questions [of preparedness],” Wahlström said on the fifth day of a sixday trip to Cambodia to meet government officials and development partners. “The ministries and organisations, including local governments, are preparing and thinking about how they can have a higher level of alert for possible floods later this year,” Wahlström added. This included a willingness to consider how provincial authorities could collaborate with CSOs, she said. Extensive flooding last year affected more than a million people and left many stranded without aid for weeks due to a lack of governmental and NGO co-ordination. Wahlström said there had been delays in “conveying that this [was] quite a serious situation”, but said there was now a “different attitude” expressed by national and international representatives. Deputy secretary-general of the Cambodian Red Cross Men Neary Sopheak likewise said a flurry of consultations and co-ordination had been taking place in the past month, with the National Committee for Disaster Management working with provincial authorities and organisations on assessments and discussions of flood-related measures. “We have lessons learned and best practices . . . our common goal is how to best help the people, and we have been working constantly,” she said. Last week, the final draft of the Disaster Management Law was discussed by the NCDM, according to the state press agency. The draft states that “commune/sangkat disaster management councils” are to be established and counts “ensur[ing] social safety” and timely responses to people’s needs among its aims. To contact the reporter of this story: Cassandra Yeap at newsroom@phnompenhpost.com
Wider tax base key to Cambodia’s future: IMF May Kunmakara Thursday, 26 April 2012
Washington, DC The Cambodian government must raise its tax revenue intake if it is to stay on a sustainable path toward development, International Monetary Fund officials said in Washington during the fund’s 2012 Spring Meetings last week. Tax collection is low when compared to the country’s gross domestic product, Olaf Unteroberdoerster, senior economist at the IMF’s Asia and Pacific department, said. “It will be necessary to raise the revenue performance of the government so that expenditure can be financed,” he said. Cambodia’s ability to build its fiscal space, or the capacity to finance education, health and other public services, will be a major task for the government in the medium-term, IMF director of the Asia and Pacific Department Anoop Singh said during a press conference in Washington last week. A plus for Cambodia’s development was its debt-sustainability level, which was stable according to the IMF and the Asian Development Bank. “[Cambodia’s] account debt level is fairly prudent and the government has a good track record of prudent fiscal and debt management,” Unteroberdoerster said. The low debt level – US$2.5 billion, or about 22 per cent of GDP – would act as a buffer against the external shock that would result from continued economic crisis in the West and a potential drying up of garment orders, he said. Further diversification away from garment manufacturing, however, was still needed. A recent ADB report also said Cambodia’s debt levels were sustainable, although ADB and IMF economists have noted the potential risks associated with build-operate-transfer projects, in which government-to-government agreements were sometimes unclear. To contact the reporter on this story: May Kunmakara at kunmakara.may@phnompenhpost.com
Chut Wutty slain: Another chapter in bloody history David Boyle and Bridget Di Certo Friday, 27 April 2012
With his slaying yesterday in the jungles of Koh Kong province, Chut Wutty becomes one of the highest-profile members yet on a dark list of Cambodian activists who have been killed for making a stand against greed and corruption.
CHUT WUTTY (L), THE LATE DIRECTOR OF THE NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION GROUP, IS HARASSED BY RCAF SOLDIERS WHILE TRAVELLING WITH TWO JOURNALISTS FROM THE POST IN KOH KONG PROVINCE, IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR. PHOTO BY WILL BAXTER
Although the details of his death remain unclear, rights groups are already raising the alarm that yesterday’s shooting is a disturbing example of the violent intimidation routinely used against activists in Cambodia. Sok Sam Oeun, chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, said yesterday that while such violence had been predictable at conservation demonstrations, the shooting was unprecedented. “Powerful people try to use the courts all the time, but now they use force. The situation has become more serious than ever before,” he said. “Look at this story – and look at who will benefit from this killing.” In December last year, Chut Wutty helped the Post expose large-scale illegal logging and corruption in the southwestern Central Cardamom Protected Forest that was being conducted by military and forestry officials with the complicity of a conservation group. Conservationists estimate the trade in the CCPF is worth tens of millions of dollars. Chut Wutty was willing to take risks, and his skill in negotiating with dangerous people became clear when he repeatedly confronted heavily armed military police officials, was apprehended, intimidated and then able to talk his way free.
His death is the most high-profile killing of an activist in Cambodia since unionist Chea Vichea was slain in 2004, but it is by no means an isolated case of violence being employed against anti-logging activists. In 2007, after UK-based Global Witness released a report linking senior politicians to illegal logging cartels, journalists reporting on the allegations received death threats and violent intimidation, including arson attacks by unknown assailants. The Post reported on the axe murder in October, 2009 of an environmental activist in Kratie’s Sambo district whose work led to a large-scale crackdown on illegal logging in the months prior to his murder. In January, 2010, the Post reported that RCAF soldiers had detained at gunpoint 10 journalists who were pursuing a story on illegal logging. The journalists were later released after their cameras were confiscated. That October, a forestry administration official was hacked to death with axes as revenge for his work in cracking down on illegal logging. Last November, 500 police and military police descended on a demonstration by 300 Prey Lang activists, who made a human shield around Chut Wutty after he was wrestled to the ground in an attempted arrest, having set fire to caches of illegally logged timber. Ou Virak, executive director of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said fighting illegal logging was like fighting a drug cartel – a very risky endeavour. “These people have lots of money and they have lots of interests at stake, and they pay off local authorities and armed officials to provide protection for them,” he said. Ek Tha, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers Press and Quick Reaction Unit, said he could not confirm the details of Chut Wutty’s case, but guns were for protecting the public, not shooting them. “I want to send a message to all gun owners to put the gun law and other related laws before them or they would face legal action if they had committed unlawful activities,” Ek Tha said by email. “Always bear in mind that we are all living in the global technology, so once a single bullet is fired in an unlawful manner, it is reported worldwide through electronic media.” Svay Phoeun, a representative of villagers in Preah Vihear province who worked with Chut Wutty, said the death was bad news for villagers who worked with Chut Wutty, but they would continue to follow in his footsteps with even more vigour. “Chut Wutty’s heart is gone, but thousands of Chut Wutty hearts still survive. We are not afraid of the person who killed Chut Wutty for trying to stop illegal loggers; we have never been afraid.”
To contact the reporters on this story: David Boyle at david.boyle@phnompenhpost.com Bridget Di Certo at bridget.dicerto@phnompenhpost.com
Disgruntled villagers march to PM’s house May Titthara Friday, 27 April 2012
Boeung Kak lake villagers will protest “until they die” if authorities do not help them find a solution to their housing dispute, villager Heng Mom told the Post during a demonstration in Phnom Penh yesterday.
POLICE LINK ARMS IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT A GROUP OF HOUSING RIGHTS DEMONSTRATORS PROTESTING IN FRONT OF PRIME MINISTER HUN SEN’S HOUSE IN PHNOM PENH YESTERDAY. PHOTO BY MENG KIMLONG
More than 100 villagers from Boeung Kak lake, Borei Keila and Street 347 gathered at the capital’s Freedom Park to march to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house with a petition. During the walk, about 100 police and district security guards banned them from walking along Norodom Boulevard, forcing them into Street 19. Heng Mom said Boeung Kak villagers were urging Hun Sen to mark the boundaries of 12.44 of hectares he agreed in August to give them and to issue land titles to 94 more families. “They’ve torn down our homes, they’ve filed a complaint about us to the court; I would like to condemn the court, because it is not independent,” she said, adding that they would keep protesting until they died. Pich Lim Khhoun, a representative of villagers from Borei Keila who are in dispute with development firm Phan Imex, said the company should honour an agreement it made in 2004. “We would like the government to order the company to construct two more buildings for us,” Pich Lim Khhoun said. Pao Pannha, a villager representative from Street 347, said 14 families in his community faced losing their homes because City Hall wanted to widen the road. “We ask the Prime Minister to order commune officers to stop using the word ‘develop’ to
take villagers’ land,” he said. Kong Chamroeun, a cabinet official, said he had received the petition. “Villagers can call me [tomorrow] to get the result. I have written down my number for them already,” he said. To contact the reporter on this story: May Titthara at titthara.may@phnompenhpost.com
Ieng Sary defence puts Pang’s role in spotlight Kristin Lynch Friday, 27 April 2012
For three hours yesterday at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, Ieng Sary defence counsel Michael Karnavas meticulously dissected more than three days’ worth of testimony by Saloth Ban, attempting to prove that Pol Pot’s nephew was speculating and consequently deal a blow to the strength of his testimony.
Former Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary attends his trial at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Earlier in the week, Saloth Ban, the former secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, testified that Ieng Sary, the ministry’s deputy prime minister, was the “real boss” and held “complete responsibility”, but yesterday, Karnavas attempted to disprove such claims, focusing on the role that Chhim Sam Aok, alias Pang, played in the regime. Pang was the chairman of government office S-71, one of the two highest-level offices within the regime. Saloth Ban’s responses to Karnavas’ interrogation painted a picture of a leader with “influence in every ministry”, who reported to no one and “could take people away as he pleased”. Many Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel, Saloth Ban said, were removed by Pang or his “people” and taken to re-education centres or the notorious S-21 prison, with what seemed like little oversight or challenge. “Ieng Sary told me that when Pang arrived, I was to do whatever Pang needed”, Saloth Ban testified. “Did Pang ever explain to you on whose authorisation he was requesting these people to be
transferred out of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?” Karnavas asked. “No, he didn’t explain to me, and I did not ask him,” Saloth Ban replied. Through a repetitive line of questioning, Karnavas attempted to demonstrate that Saloth Ban had limited first-hand knowledge about the inner workings of the regime and its decision-making process and had been making statements about such matters based on personal conclusion. Earlier in the week, Saloth Ban had said that Pol Pot never acted alone when making decisions. To contac the reporter on this story: Kristin Lynch at kristin.lynch@phnompenhpost.com
Music with a message Roth Meas Friday, 27 April 2012
As the sun went down the music roared on Tuesday when the Messenger Band took the stage at a pagoda in Svay Rieng province, about 10 kilometres from the provincial town. The seven women – all former or current garment workers – performed for about four hours, using music to raise awareness about a wide range of social issues, from evictions to migration and indebtedness.
MOTODOPS WITH LOUDSPEAKERS ARE A QUICK WAY TO GET A MESSAGE ACCROSS IN RURAL AREAS. THE MESSENGER BAND USED THEM TO ANNOUNCE THEIR CONCERT IN SVAY RIENG. PHOTO BY ROTH MEAS
A YOUNG MAN HELPS SET THE STAGE FOR A CONCERT BY THE MESSENGER BAND ON TUESDAY IN SVAY RIENG. REPORT PAGE 7. PHOTO BY ROTH MEAS
THE MESSENGER BAND PERFORMS IN SVAY RIENG PROVINCE ON TUESDAY. BELOW: MEMBERS OF THE BAND REHEARSE IN THE AFTERNOON BEFORE A CONCERT THAT DREW AN AUDIENCE OF ABOUT 1,000. PHOTO BY ROTH MEAS
The songs hit home, sparking bursts of applause and shouts from the audience of about 1,000 people. “I never heard anyone singing about being in debt to a microfinance institute,” audience member Hem Sokloeun said, noting that many of her neighbours were juggling loans from different lenders. “I also like the songs about the migration for work because two of my children left home to work in Phnom Penh.” Kruos commune chief Net Sanin agreed that the first concert in his commune was a hit because it was so topical. “Every family has one or two members who have left to find work in other places,” he said, noting that his commune in Svay Chrom district was prone to drought as well as periodic flooding. With no irrigation in the area, farming households are dependent on rainfall for their one annual rice crop. If the rain does not fall, or there is too much, they are left without food or money to repay debts accrued while waiting for the harvest, he explained. Precarious livelihoods in rural areas are the root cause of the social issues the Messenger
Band sings about. “We try to give voice to people through songs, to motivate them to reduce discrimination or end violence and exploitation,” said Vun Em, the group’s 28-year-old manager. “Workshops bore people so we turned to music. The songs are their stories and they enjoy listening to them. We bring their stories to them,” she explained. Messenger Band has released four albums since it was formed with the help of a non-profit group in 2005: From Seed to Seeds, No Choice, Life and Work and Don’t Be Hopeless. Although they may not top the charts, their songs don’t fade away and some are more popular now then when first released years ago. The songs are for people who need them: a mix of traditional melodies with contemporary lyrics. Songs about evictions, like Land and Life, and discrimination, Sadness of a Karaoke Girl, are among their most popular, as is Workers' Tears, which tells about life as a garment worker. Kao Sochevika, 34, who has been with the band since its inception said their goal was not just to sing about social issues but to offer solutions. They get their inspiration from listening to people, she added. “Wherever we go, we hear people have the same problems: homelessness, debt, eviction, sex work, discrimination or poor health. When we put these issues into songs and sing them, they always say, ‘Oh, that’s my story!’” she explained. Kao Sochevika now works from home as a seamstress. She quit working at a factory in 2008, saying her health could no longer stand it. She works for the band part time. Vann Houn, 27, who joined the band in 2007, also stopped working in a garment factory, saying she almost fainted before quitting. She spends all her time with the band. Besides performing she collects stories from communities, which are then turned into lyrics and sung back. On Tuesday night two songs about people being forced to leave their villages to find work were performed – No Choice and Life and Work – as the band knew that such migration would be common in Svay Rieng. “Awareness should be raised because it’s very important. If people, for instance, don’t know much about migration, they may be at risk. If they listen to these songs, they will know more about migration, so their lives won’t be at risk. We expect people will learn from these songs and follow them in their life,” Vann Houn said. On the road, they visit communities facing challenges, gather information from them about the challenge, such as its cause and impact, and ask how it can be solved.
The last step, according to Vun Em, is composing a song. Vun Em said it would be impossible to write the lyrics without getting the inspiration from the people. The band travels frequently, performing in the poorer neighbourhoods of Phnom Penh and nearby provinces, as well as Siem Reap. Tuesday marked the Messenger Band’s first visit to Svay Rieng.