130612-The Post English

Time to put an end to ‘hidden’ child labour

page 16

Issue NUMBER 1645

opinion

Successful People Read The Post

WednesDAY, jUne 12, 2013

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Stuart White and Khouth Sophak Chakrya Analysis

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Crowds silence besieged Sokha

Expulsion makes no waves in media IN ENGLISH language media both here and abroad, news of the National Assembly’s decision to expel all opposition parliamentarians caused uproar.

But many readers of the biggest Cambodian news outlets would likely be surprised to hear the expulsion happened at all.

An examination by the Post of eight large Khmer-language media outlets revealed that only two had run stories – both relatively brief – about the controversial expulsion.

In lieu of reporting on the controversial decision, the stories that have run in recent days have focused solely on the furore surrounding opposition leader Kem Sokha’s S-21 comments.

Though the expulsion may have legally invalidated the legislature’s authority (article 76 of Cambodia’s constitution says there must be at least 120 parliamentarians; there are now only 96) the few newspapers that did mention the decision, did so only obliquely in their coverage of the parliament’s passage of its similarly controversial anti-Khmer Rouge denial bill.

“Hardly anyone wants to talk about it, even though I was at Mr Chheang Vun’s press conference [on the expulsion],” said Cambodia National Rescue parliamentarian Son Chhay, who was very publicly ejected from the conference after Vun said he had lost his right to speak inside the National Assembly building.

“I don’t know if they’re scared or under some influence

4000 RIEL

Cheang Sokha

I

Burning with anger A demonstrator's clothes are set on fire during clashes with riot police in Taksim Square after riot police stormed protesters with tear sTORY > 12 gas and rubber bullets in Istanbul yesterday. AFP

N A hint that this campaign season will be neither smooth nor clean, beleaguered opposition leader Kem Sokha saw two party forums fall apart after hundreds blocked his egress and employed loudspeakers to prevent him from speaking.

At both forums, held in Kandal’s Lvea Em and Kien Svay districts, about 1,000 people descended on the meetings and drowned out the speeches with calls for Sokha to publicly apologise for his alleged comments regarding Tuol Sleng, according to district police and opposition leaders.

At Lvea Em, Cambodia National Rescue Party officials spoke to some 500 supporters for about an hour, before the meeting was interrupted, district police chief Chea Thol said.

“Police forces had been deployed at the forum to ensure social order, and nothing happened until about 1,000 people from the villages along the river came to the forum in a rally, by motorbike and truck.

They started speaking through microphones outside the forum site, insisting that Sokha apologise for saying that S-21 was staged,” Thol said.

Insisting it was not a “serious confrontation” and that there had been no violence, Thol said the organisers had been unable to speak over the sound of the rally and were forced to disband the meeting shortly after the protesters arrived.

Tipped off to the presence of the demonstrators, Sokha bypassed the forum, choosing instead to go straight to the Kien Svay meeting, he told the Post.

But once he arrived, he was quickly met by the same protesters, who arrived on trucks that were then parked in front of the driveway to block his way.

“They played loud music next to the forum, and [when I tried to leave], about 10 trucks full of people hired to rally tried Continues on page 4

2

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

National

Prosecutor questions wife’s account Kevin Ponniah

SUCH was the disciplined order of Democratic Kampuchea that even spouses remained largely unaware of the work their husbands carried out for the regime, the wife of Khieu Samphan told the court yesterday.

So Socheat’s lack of detailed knowledge on her second day of testimony was exploited by the prosecution, who subjected her to a barrage of questions to test her credibility as witness.

“My husband never discussed the leadership of the revolutionary forces. He only discussed with me his personal matters,” she said, telling the court she was “only a cook” several times throughout proceedings.

Her testimony described life

under Angkar as intensely private, with comrades sticking resolutely to their own tasks and rank.

“Discipline was meant for all comrades . . . and we had to be self-disciplined in each place. We had to behave properly,” she said.

“I prepared food for my husband and others, and I did not bother to ask any questions about the nature of his work.”

Socheat added that she was unaware that Samphan held a high-ranking position until long after their marriage, saying they were “ordinary citizens”.

She added that she did not know about the planned evacu-

ation of Phnom Penh until after it happened.

And despite being shown a series of photos of her husband at lavish dinner parties, she said the regime’s leaders had been served the same simple food as all other comrades.

Communication within the regime was so poor that Socheat did not know that her own family members had been arrested for more than a year until they were released.

Despite testimony from a previous witness to the contrary, she claimed her husband was also unaware of her family’s plight when she came to him in tears.

“He turned to you, a person,

whose only duty it was to cook meals, to get his information?”

Judge Jean-Marc Lavergne asked.

Prosecutor Keith Raynor, visibly losing his patience at Socheat’s inconsistent replies, suggested she had “concocted evidence” with her husband and lied to the court about whether senior leaders shared a residential office in Phnom Penh.

He also blasted the defence counsel, saying continuous objections, requests for document filing numbers and translation issues were turning proceedings into “a farce”. Despite these complaints, he called Socheat one of the “five most important witnesses” in Case 002 and was granted additional time to question her.

Judge Nhoung Thol said. In June last year, 22-year-old Pov Kolab was sentenced to a decade in prison and fined $5,000 by the Kampong Cham Provincial Court for his attack on Kong Touch, 52.

The brutal attack in September 2011 dated to a 2010 dispute between Kolab and Touch’s nephew in 2010. Police have said that after a physical altercation

between Kolab and Touch’s nephew, Kolab demanded four million riel ($1,000) in compensation. Touch’s nephew offered to pay 50,000 riel ($12.50), but Kolab refused, police said.

Seeking revenge, police said, Kolab approached Touch with a large container of acid at 4am in September of 2011, and doused her.

In addition to losing sight in

one eye, Touch suffered permanent disfiguring burns on her face, chest and right arm.

“I accepted this verdict, and I am so happy to hear it,” Touch told reporters outside court.

Kim Pailin, Kolab’s mother, said her son could not have thrown the acid on Touch, because he was working away from home on the night the attack occurred.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy in Myanmar in March. The self-exiled leader was denied entry into Thailand last week. afp

PM denies role in Thai 10-year sentence upheld in acid case Rainsy rebuff Lieng Sarith and Mom Kunthear

THE Appeal Court upheld a 10-year prison sentence handed to a man convicted last year of dousing a woman with acid, blinding her in one eye.

“The court made the decision to uphold the ruling, and if the perpetrator is unsatisfied, he can appeal to the highest court within the law,” Appeal Court

Cheang Sokha

P

RIME Minister Hun Sen yesterday denied he had pressured Thailand’s leaders – or any other government in the region – to refuse opposition leader Sam Rainsy entrance to their country.

Speaking at the opening and groundbreaking of roads and bridges in Pursat province, Hun Sen claimed that Rainsy had accused him of playing a part in the Cambodia National Rescue Party president being refused entry to Thailand last Tuesday.

“Maybe this convicted man places the highest value in me, because it would mean that I not only have the right to give orders in Cambodia, I also have the right to give orders in Thailand,” he said.

Hun Sen said it was an “insult” to a “sovereign government” that an outsider could make decisions on its behalf.

To the Post’s knowledge, however, the CNRP leader has not publicly made the claims Hun Sen was referring to.

Rainsy lives in self-imposed

exile in France to avoid a lengthy prison term resulting from what some say were politically motivated charges.

He was travelling to Thailand to promote his new book, We Didn’t Start the Fire: My Struggle for Democracy in Cambodia.

“They told me that I would be welcome back after the election,” Rainsy said last week after immigration officials denied him entry. He declined to comment further.

Hun Sen said that after leaving Bangkok, Rainsy flew to Singapore, where he was not allowed out of his hotel.

Earlier, he had not been allowed to leave the airport in Kuala Lumpur to meet with Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, Hun Sen added.

“I think it is suitable [for me] to lead the country and unsuitable for you to because you cannot get into other countries,” the prime minister said. “[You are] so cheap to put blame on Hun Sen.” Opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua declined to respond to Hun Sen’s speech.

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3

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

National

Illegal logs found in TTY truck Khouth Sophak Chakrya

CONSERVATION officials have confiscated a truck containing 20 cubic metres of illegally cut, luxury-grade timber from an economic land concession owned by the firm TTY Corporation, a district official said yesterday.

Kratie provincial officials seized the logs, along with two trucks and two cars on Monday and Tuesday, a Snuol district official, who spoke on the

condition of anonymity, said.

“Now, the luxury wood and the trucks were impounded at the Wildlife Conservation Office and two cars were kept at Snuol district police station in order to prepare a lawsuit to the court,” the official said, adding that TTY officials were caught driving the truck from a protected area to the company’s concession in Kratie province.

Chhim Savuth, a senior investigator for the Cambo-

dian Center for Human Rights, said he was unfamiliar with the specific case but that in general, such crackdowns had had very little impact so far on rampant illegal logging in the region.

“A large area in the northeast, including community forests and wildlife conservation areas, were cut down, which led to extinction [of the forest],” he said.

“But the criminals have not been arrested yet.”

PM’s father’s health deteriorating Cheang Sokha

PRIME Minister Hun Sen announced yesterday that his ageing father’s health had worsened, and that he would make room in his schedule, if needed, to spend more time with him.

Speaking from Pursat, where he was presiding over the groundbreaking of a road and bridge construction project, the premier said the health situation of his father, Hun Neang, was not stable, and that the 92-year-old was receiving blood transfusions.

“Now the issue is that his kidney and so on is worsening, so last night we communicated within the family and might

need to bring a group of medical doctors from Singapore, because we cannot move him out of the room,” Hun Sen said.

“If there is some cutting of my schedule then it will be due to the health situation of my father, because the schedule can be postponed to another time, but for my father, we have only one,” he said, adding that his father was conscious but could only speak softly. Neang was hospitalised for a time in Singapore two years ago for treatment of

several ailments, including heart problems, and has not appeared in public since his return.

Seng Tieng, personal assistant to Hun Sen, said that the premier’s schedule in the coming weeks so far remained the same, and maintained that Neang’s health was still “normal”.

“He just said that in case his father’s health is bad, but he is normal, so his schedule has no change so far,” Tieng said.

Hun Neang’s wife, Dy Pok, died in 1998 at the age of 79.

Corruption worse than in Bangladesh: NGO Shane Worrell

I

N a country where corruption is as rife as it is in Cambodia, global brands must work with governments to ensure garment factories are safe and working conditions legal, international NGO Transparency International (TI) said yesterday.

Responding to reports that some retailers will leave Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza factory collapse that killed more than 1,100 people in April, TI said brands should instead work towards safer, less corrupt markets in countries from which they buy.

In Cambodia, where two workers were killed when a ceiling collapsed at the Wing Star Shoes factory on May 16, corruption is more extreme than in Bangladesh, TI said.

According to TI, 0 suggests extreme corruption, while 100 makes a country “highly clean”.

Cambodia scored 22, making it perceived as more corrupt than Bangladesh (26), Pakistan (27) and Vietnam (31).

“This suggests widespread corruption risk, which could make safety inspection vulnerable to bribery,” a statement from TI says.

Leng Tong, director of the Ministry of Labour’s occupational health and safety department, said corruption had

whether corruption was as prevalent in the garment sector as elsewhere in the country. BFC’s compliance assessments, which focus primarily on working conditions, did not cover some issues raised by TI, including bribery and collusion when

We’ve investigated officials who have taken money while inspecting factories. We have suspended them been an issue among some government officials whose work focused on the garment sector.

“We’ve investigated certain officials who have taken money while inspecting factories,” he said, without elaborating on how many. “We have suspended them.”

Those officials, however, were not actually fired, he added.

Jason Judd, a technical specialist for the International Labour Organization’s monitoring program Better Factories Cambodia (BFC), declined to comment on

it came to licensing and permits, he said.

Dave Welsh, American Center for International Labor Solidarity country manager, said brands, factories and the government needed to respond better to issues raised

by BFC. Welsh added that because Ministry of Labour officials were underpaid, “perhaps they are less inclined to do their jobs and more susceptible to alternative modes of payment”. ADDITIONAL REPORTING

BY MOM KUNTHEAR

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

National

Expulsion makes no waves in media CNRP alleges CPP paid for crowds Continued from page 1

directly from the ruling party, but I think there is some system of control by the government,” he added, noting a similar media blackout surrounding an earlier opposition rally criticising the National Election Committee. “It is no accident – it is an authoritarian state.”

Drawing parallels to the same blackout, Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, said the silence was indicative of both explicit censorship from the government and a widespread culture of self-censorship.

“All the pro-government outlets, particularly the radio and TV stations, have maintained their stance not to broadcast anything about the opposition,” he said.

“For newspapers, I think they are more independent from the government, but I think they try self-censorship to not broadcast about the opposition rally,” he added.

“As for the government-controlled media, I think it is in their policies.”

The self-censorship had the potential to undermine Cambodian democracy, Chhean Nariddh continued, but was understandable given the

A vendor sells Khmer language newspapers at a kiosk in Phnom Penh yesterday. hong menea

tendency of the media to view itself as a victim rather than as an agent of change. However, in spite of the potential short term benefits of appeasing the government, he warned, outlets were doing themselves a disservice in the end.

“I think we understand these outlets exercising selfcensorship for their security and safety but, in the long run, I think they wind up hurting themselves,” he said, noting media companies’ need for public support. “[Cambodians] have been quite selective in what kinds of news products they like to consume, so if a media outlet does not try to be independent in trying to produce a media product that satisfies the public, I think in the long run

they will lose the support.”

Pen Samitthy, CEO of Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper and its sister site, CEN – one of the outlets that did cover the expulsion – said he felt dutybound to run the story.

“I think that publishing the case of 29 parliamentarians from SRP, HRP and NRP being withdrawn from their positions and docked their salary is very important to the people because the voters who supported them to be their representatives need to know about the development of the political situation, and they will reconsider on how to take the next step,” said Samitthy, who is also the president of the Club of Cambodian Journalists.

But, despite the relative silence, Chhay said the opposition was accustomed to receiving less media attention, and that the impact would be negligible, given that Cambodians “have all suffered directly from this government”.

Chhean Nariddh seemingly agreed, saying that the story was bound to spread anyway.

“As the Cambodian saying goes, ‘when an elephant dies, you cannot use a small casket for the body of the dead elephant’,” he said.

“The story is too big to be hidden; it is too big to be ignored, even by the public.”

Continued from page 1

to block my car from getting out,” he said.

Eventually, CNRP supporters pushed the trucks away from the driveway and Sokha managed to squeeze through.

“I am okay and got out, but they prevented us from holding our forum. I was only able to speak a few words to our supporters before the forum had to be cancelled due to the disturbance,” he said.

Hem Soy, deputy police chief of Kien Svay district, declined to comment in detail, but confirmed the account given

by Sokha.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said the party had little doubt the protesters had been paid by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

“They systematically disturbed the CNRP meetings everywhere Kem Sokha [went],” he said. “We have never experienced this before. Because of the popularity of the CNRP, the CPP is afraid of losing the election.”

Ho Naun and Ouk Damry, both CPP lawmakers for Kandal province, could not be reached for comment, nor could senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap, while National Assembly spokesman Chheang Vun declined to comment.

On Sunday, a mass rally was

held in Phnom Penh and smaller ones held across the country calling for Sokha to apologise for his alleged comments, which were disseminated by the government late last month.

Sokha and his party have insisted the words were taken out of context and the audio doctored.

At the protests, both the opposition and rights groups sought to draw attention to the high level of government involvement – which included transportation by local authorities, military police assistance and food.

The government, for its part, has insisted it played no official role in the protests.

In a speech given yesterday,

Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed he had learned that a separate CNRP forum was cancelled after organisers began insulting the CPP, raising the ire of attendees.

“When there was a reaction, they ran into the car,” he said.

“I beg, if there is a reaction because they are speaking incorrectly, it must be done without violence. Don’t use stones,” he said, before warning that politicians similarly mind their manners.

“I would like to appeal to the opposition and other parties: promote only your own products. Don’t attack others. Otherwise, it will be a disaster.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ABBY SEIFF

Opposition leader Kem Sokha was blocked from exiting a forum hall as protesters encircled his vehicle in Kien Svay district, Kandal province, yesterday. photo supplied

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Population Services Khmer (PSK) is an independent, local non-governmental organization registered with the Cambodian Ministry of Interior. PSK’s mission is to improve the health of low-income and vulnerable Cambodians through social marketing in collaboration with the Royal Government of Cambodia. Working in partnership within the public and private sectors, and harnessing the power of the markets, PSK implements programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health. PSK’s core values are a belief in markets to contribute to sustained improvements in the lives of the poor; measurable impact through evidence based programming; speed and efficiency with a predisposition to action; empowered and accountable employees; ethical and transparent operational practices, and respect for the people we serve.

In 2012, PSK was established by Population Services International (PSI), which is the world’s leading non-profit social marketing organization with programs in more than 60 countries. PSK will have an organic and sustained connection with PSI in order to benefit from the global network to promote life-saving products, services and communications to help Cambodians lead healthier lives. PSK will maximize health impact through innovation and a culture of continuous improvement, made possible through our integration into an international network of social marketing organizations and a close relationship with PSI. For the Executive Director position, PSK seeks an entrepreneurial and dynamic candidate who will demonstrate excellence in leadership. The incoming Executive Director has a unique and exciting opportunity to take forward a newly established Cambodian organization. S/he will lead a large, high functioning organisation, working together with an exceptional Senior Management Team of Cambodian Directors, supported by Advisors. Cambodian Nationals only.

JOB SUMMARY: With more than 200 staff, PSK has a solid donor base and is well positioned for future growth and sustainability. The organization’s diverse portfolio includes health programs such as Family Planning and Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS program, Malaria and Child Survival. In addition, PSK has strong potential to grow into new programs to address other health areas in the near future.

Employment Opportunities Initially established in 1996 as a project of International HIV/AIDS Alliance, KHANA operated as an NGO from 1997 and was officially registered as a local NGO in 2000. Since then it has operated as a linking organization of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and is so far a leading non-governmental organization in Cambodia that has made outstanding contributions to the HIV response. KHANA’s work has been made possible through support from USAID, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, European Commission, World Food Programme and AusAID. We are now seeking qualified Cambodian nationals for the following vacancies: Technical Support HUB Business Manager Purpose of position: The TS Hub Business Manager is expected to deliver technical support to countries in the region as necessary and the share of working time spent delivering technical support is expected to grow to approximately 50%.

Key Responsibilities: Technical Support Hub Business Manager is responsible for the development of the Hub as an effective and efficient technical support provider providing quality technical support to organizations in Cambodia and in the region in the following thematic areas: HIV prevention, care and treatment or impact mitigation, health systems strengthening, organisational development, strategic information, M & E, financial management, knowledge management, resource mobilization, training. TS Hub Business Manager will be responsible for effective and targeted marketing and branding of the TS Hub services. Help to develop, train and quality-assure a team of technical support providers who will deliver technical support The TS Hub is committed to ensuring evidence based programming to inform best practice in South-East Asia and the Pacific Selection Criteria:

The Executive Director is responsible for overall leadership and management of the organization. S/he will be accountable to the PSK Governing Board and is expected to work closely with the Board and the Senior Management Team to ensure that PSK achieves measurable health impact. In addition to a highly capable team of 7 Cambodian Directors, the Executive Director will receive support from the Chief Operating Officer and other expatriate Advisors in technical and operational areas to manage program quality and ensure operational integrity.

In addition to proven skills in organizational management, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability to maintain excellent partnerships with donors, the Government and other key stakeholders. S/he is expected to foster an organizational culture that emphasizes quality, efficiency, speed and scale through staff development and ownership.

The Executive Director will have lead responsibility for strategic planning and management of the program and organisation; fundraising and budgeting; external representation and relationships; internal management of finance, staff and other resources; and all reporting requirements. Full details of the roles and responsibilities are given in the Job Description, which is available on request from hr@psk.org.kh.

PERSON SPECIFICATION       

A dynamic, innovative and strategic thinker who can achieve results in a large and complex organization At least five to seven years work experience in a senior management position with both personnel and financial management responsibilities and proven ability to produce results; Knowledge of national health systems, international development and public health issues; Relevant post-graduate degree (MBA, MIA, MPH, etc.) or equivalent experience; Familiarity and experience in dealing with the international donor community; Proven leadership demeanor: calm under pressure, diplomatic, and decisive; and Fluency in Khmer and English

A competitive salary and benefits package is available. Please send CV and cover letter (Do NOT attach certificates or letters of reference at this time) by July 1, 2013 to: hr@psk.org.kh or PSK HR Department, #29, Street 334, Boeung Keng Kang I, Phnom Penh. Please reference the position applying to with Subject: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

Essential:  Proven experience, excellence and credibility in marketing and business development and technical support provision.  Experience of working in more than one country in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.  Sound business oriented background/experiences.  5-year experience in public health, development or other relevant sectors.  Experience in mentoring and coaching staff.  Proven experience in designing, developing, implementing and monitoring interventions.  Experience of networking and representation at national or international levels.  Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Able to travel extensively within the region.  Self-motivated, proactive, flexible and effective team worker.

Desirable:  Experience of working with civil society and with vulnerable populations.  Extensive donor liaison experience.  Ability to oversee and manage TS Hub finances  Experience of managing projects and budgets  Relevant post-graduate qualification For more information about the job specifications, required qualifications and detailed job descriptions, please visit KHANA’s website at www.khana.org.kh.

Interested candidates must apply online via www.khana.org.kh(Employment Opportunities Section) by17thJune 2013 at 5 p.m.Only short-listed candidates will be notified for further process. Applications via email or hard copies will not be considered.

KHANA is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from appropriate qualified people from all sections of the community. Qualified people living with HIV, MSM, disabled people and women are particularly encouraged to apply.

5

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

National Justice demanded as Bandith hearing nears May Titthara

A COURT official yesterday insisted today’s scheduled hearing of former Bavet town governor Chhouk Bandith would go ahead as planned, but stopped short of saying what punishment Bandith might face should he fail to show again.

“We will not delay it any longer and Chhouk Bandith must show up in the court room,” Svay Rieng provincial court prosecutor Hing Bunchea said.

On May 21, a scheduled hearing of Bandith’s case was postponed after neither he nor his lawyers appeared at court.

The powerful former governor stands accused of shooting three garment workers during a factory protest in February 2012 in a case that has since bounced between courts with little hint at resolution.

Victims and rights workers said yesterday they would – once again – appear at court in the hope the trial might go forward. But, they admitted, they held little hope for a just resolution.

“If Chhouk Bandith is not present, I cannot hope to get justice because the court

takes the side of only the rich,” said Keo Near, one of the three young women shot during the protest for better working conditions.

Nuth Sakhorn, who was also shot in the melee, said she too intended to appear and had already purchased baby formula for her newborn daughter in order that she might be able to attend the hearings.

“To seek justice, I must struggle and my baby must struggle as well when we live apart for a few days so that I can face Chhouk Bandith,” she said.

Fingered as the shooter by none other than Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, he was charged only with causing unintentional injury and eventually saw the charges dropped altogether.

The lower court was later ordered to re-hear the case, but despite the intervention, rights monitors said they weren’t holding their breath.

“We are afraid the court will postpone the case as before,” senior Adhoc investigator Chan Soveth said.

But, he added, the fact that the national election was upcoming gave him slight hope for a resolution.

SEZ adds to tycoon’s growing portfolio May Titthara

Okhna Try Pheap’s ballooning empire of exclusive natural resource licences and concessions has been expanded even further with the granting of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Ratanakkiri province.

The May 27 issue of the Royal Gazette reveals Pheap was granted a 136-hectare SEZ in O’Yadav district in a subdecree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on May 7.

“The preparation and operation of the Try Pheap special economic zone will be under the scope of law and regulations of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” the sub-decree states.

It’s been a lucrative year for the tycoon, who in February was given the exclusive right to buy all timber logged in economic land concessions within Ratanakkiri.

He was then granted the right in March to buy and process a controversial variety of timber called yellow vine – the harvesting of which is forbidden under the 2002 forestry law – at the Stung Atay dam site in Pursat province where he has also been licensed to log a reservoir.

Pheap also has a SEZ in Pursat, two ELCs in Ratanakkiri’s Virachey National Park, one in Preah Vihear province and another in Pursat as well as two mining concessions in Stung Treng province.

The Post could not reach Pheap yesterday but his assistant, Bi Chivoandara, told a local media outlet many enterprises would be developed including a five-storey hotel

with 100 rooms, casinos, a dry port, administrative buildings, gas stations, bus stops, markets and flats.

“The next step will be constructing rubber factories in the compound, dry ports and other constructions in total worth around $20 million,” he reportedly said.

Ratanakkiri has become a hotbed of land disputes this year between ethnic minority communities and private firms, which have snapped up ELCs in contested areas at a sharply increasingly rate.

In a report released last month, Global Witness drew links between Try Pheap and a major Vietnamese rubber firm, Hong Anh Gai Lai, which it accused of land grabbing, rights abuses and rampant environmental destruction at its concessions in Ratanakkiri.

Chhay Thy, Ratanakkiri provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said Pheap’s further expansion within the province spelled bad news for such communities.

“Giving the right to a company to create a special economic zone is an additional burden for the province because the government has just allowed the company to buy timber from economic land concessionaires so further forest land will be lost,” he said.

Minister attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia Sok Chenda Sophea, who cosigned the sub-decree, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Labour safeguard

Cambodia and S Korea aid workers

C

Two 10th-century Cambodian statues previously held in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art were repatriated to Phnom Penh yesterday. A ceremony was held at the capital’s airport. heng chivoan

Statues arrive home Phak Seangly

T

WO 10th-century Cambodian statues escorted by representatives from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport at 5:27pm yesterday, 40 years after they were looted from a war-torn nation and smuggled abroad.

At the airport, UNESCO of-

ficers, government representatives and seven Buddhist monks greeted the statues, which the Met agreed to return to Cambodia after verifying they had been stolen from the Koh Ker temple complex in the 1970s.

“Evidence clearly shows they belong to Cambodia, so we transported them back today,” said Maxwell K Hearn, chairman for the Met. “We have all waited for such a

day for a long time,” said Chan Tani, secretary of state at the Council of Ministers.

Addressing the statues, he added: “We respect and welcome you both for returning to your homeland.”

The statues will be displayed at the Peace Palace during the World Heritage Committee meeting this month and then be placed in the National Museum.

AMBODIA and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday, agreeing to work together to ensure worker protection.

Last month, a Kampong Speu shoe factory collapse killed two workers. The incident inspired the Ministry of Labour to implement a Health and Safety Network for workers here and abroad, Secretary of State Huy Han Song said.

“We will focus on every work safety issue, but initially faintings, injuries in factories, construction, and traffic accidents during the commute,” he said.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Han Song added that South Korea will provide training to officials in Cambodia and a budget that will allow Cambodia to create the planned network.

Baek Hun Ki, director of South Korea’s Occupational Safety and Health Agency, said Korea will help Cambodia.

“Safety and health are the majority of workers’ needs,” Hun Ki said. SEN DAVID

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

National

Pledge to keep out corruption Phak Seangly and Justine Drennan

R

Lightning strikes

A lightning bolt illuminates the evening sky in Phnom Penh on Monday.

HENG CHIVOAN

‘Crocodile’ gran vows to fight on Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

The Court of Appeal last Friday upheld the decision of a lower court to drop the $100 million abuse of power lawsuit filed against former Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema by Okhna Chhin Sokountheary, also known as the “Crocodile Grandmother”.

According to a copy of the decision, Appeal Court general prosecutor Ouk Savuth said the lawsuit was baseless, due to the fact that the municipality’s sub-decree – which allegedly stripped some 34 hectares of Sokountheary’s land illegally and folded it into a parcel of state land – “was in the interest of the public; it

was not made on behalf of the individual Kep Chutema”, and had been authorised by the government.

Sokountheary said via email yesterday she would continue to pursue the matter.

“This sub-decree has been made with an untrue report, and has affected people’s lands,” she said.

epresentatives from the eight political parties registered for the upcoming election will meet this afternoon at the Cambodiana Hotel to sign an anti-corruption pledge – the first of its kind in Cambodia – according to Transparency International representatives.

Eighty TI delegates from 26 countries, along with diplomats, development partners and ACU officials, will witness the signing of the pledge intended to hold whichever parties win in the election accountable to their promises to fight corruption, said Preap Kol, director of TI Cambodia.

“This will allow people to monitor how election officials are complying and monitor what they’ve promised to do,” Kol said. “This is historic for Cambodia.”

To buttress this effort, about 600 youths gathered in Phnom Penh yesterday to attend a conference aimed at educating them to recognise and fight corruption.

Youths at the Chaktomuk Conference Hall wore pink and orange T-shirts bearing the slogan “I need integrity. And You?” and chanted “We pledge to fix corruption, not live with it.”

During the conference, they learned to distinguish between bribery, extortion, embezzlement, patronage systems and other forms of corruption and were encouraged to report any of these forms they witnessed to the ACU hotline or to TI. They also learned how local anti-corruption networks could check corrupt officials by publicising the proper fees for services.

Kol urged the youths to put pressure on government representatives. “The election winners should deal with corruption immediately so that poor people can gain the advantages from the natural resources,” he said.

Chhoun Hay, 21, who had travelled from Ratanakkiri to attend the conference, said his province faced corruption in its court system and environmental management and that he would share what he had learned yesterday with other young people in his town.

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police blotter Drunkeness, not anger, caused injury to head POLICE said that simple inebriation, rather than revenge, motivated a 32-year-old man to throw a bottle of wine at another man in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on Monday. The suspect staggared down the street and apparently decided the best way to dispose of his empty bottle was to throw it at the head of a stranger who was enjoying a meal in front of his house. The victim was seriously injured and police immediately arrested the suspect. The man confirmed that he had been acting on the orders of the booze. Deum Ampil

Construction supplies used as tools for robbery PRETENDING to be interested in purchasing construction tools, four men in Prey Veng town on Monday instead allegedly made off with some more valuable items. Police said the men entered the tool seller’s house posing as potential buyers but once inside threatened him with a gun. They then scoured the house for valuables and turned up a fair amount of money and jewellery before escaping. Police arrived later and are searching for the men. Deum Ampil

Thief runs out of luck by running his mouth POLICE said a 32-year-old man made it from Banteay Meanchey province to Battambang town with a stolen moto only to be undone by his own loose lips on Sunday. The man concealed himself and the stolen vehicle in the house of a friend in Battambang town and perhaps thought himself in the clear, cops said. But a neighbour had overheard him telling the friend that the moto was stolen. The neighbour informed police, who arrested the man. He admitted to the theft. RASMEI KAMPUCHEA

Live music faux pas leads to sword attack IN WHAT some might not consider a proportional response, three concertgoers allegedly used a sword to hack a 43-yearold man in the back in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on Monday. His offence was a familiar one: stepping on their feet.

Police said the three suspects waited until the concert had finished and then approached the man. The cops arrived in response to bystanders’ shouts in time to send the man to the hospital, but the suspects escaped. Koh Santepheap

Hunger unleashes man’s sharp temper A HUSBAND in Kampong Cham’s Srey Santhor district was arrested on Monday after missing a meal made him more than a little cranky. Police said the man was upbraiding his wife for not cooking his dinner when the wife’s brother attempted to intervene on her behalf. The angry husband turned on his brother-in-law and attacked him with an axe.

The brother-in-law was sent to hospital for shoulder injuries, and the husband has been sent to court. Rasmei kampuchea Translated by Sen David

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Business Indicative Exchange Rates as of 11/06/2013. Please contact ANZ Royal Global Markets on 023 999 910 for real time rates.

USD / KHR

EUR / USD

AUD / USD

NZD / USD

GBP / USD

USD /CNY

4,075

1.3255

0.9412

0.7868

1.5567

6.1333

USD / JPY

USD / HKD

98.75

7.7635

USD / SGD

USD / THB

1.2614

30.85

Phone shop selling CPP accessories

Hor Kimsay

Employees stock newly released Cambodian People’s Party phone covers at the Hello 4U mobile accessory store in Phnom Penh yesterday.

hong menea

Joint SEZs with Thailand Vong Sokheng

C

AMBODIA and Thailand yesterday agreed to boost bilateral trade and investment by establishing two special economic zones along their shared border and to push for the construction of a 1,800 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Koh Kong province.

The moves will “promote the livelihoods of people from the two neighbours”, said Cambodia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong after a closed-door border meeting between Cambodia and Thailand yesterday in Phnom Penh.

“We agreed to set up special economic zones – one is in Banteay Meanchey province bordering Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, and the other is in Koh Kong province bordering Thailand’s eastern Trat province,” he added.

Thai Deputy Prime minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said both sides tasked a joint working group with discussing further details on the zones.

They also agreed to develop new routes between the countries, set up

a project to help Cambodian farmers export rice to Thailand at fair prices, and to establish new checkpoints along the border in Preah Vihear, Battambang, Pursat and Oddar Meanchey provinces.

“These international check points will contribute to trade exchanges along the border, and will also promote a stronger understanding of each other,” Namhong said.

In the past five years, Preah Vihear province has been the site of violent and fatal clashes over a Hindu temple that the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded to Cambodia decades ago. The ICJ is expected to issue a verdict on disputed territory surrounding the temple later this year.

Namhong, who did not say if the negotiations affected the contested area, said the Thais were prepared to help with road construction on national roads 48, five and six in order to better facilitate transportation connections between the two countries.

Though no details of what would be built, traded or developed in the special economic zones were released, the deal was announced in a spirit of optimism, as if Cambodi-

ans and Thais were on the brink of everlasting friendship.

Namhong said residents of both countries would teach each other their languages, so they could work together in the future, either at the power plant or in the two special economic zones.

In addition, he said that the two countries had agreed to increase cooperation in tourism, healthcare, and anti-human trafficking across the border, referring to Cambodian workers who were tricked to go abroad by brokers and saddled with debt.

The senior officials did not offer specifics for the dam construction, but the Post previously reported that Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat was working on a $3 billion joint venture with Thai energy firm Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Plc. The agreements come on the heels of a plan by Cambodia and Thailand accounced in late May to create 15 new border patrol teams that will help prevent the growing number of shooting deaths along the border In 2012, at least 45 Cambodians were killed by Thai soldiers while crossing the border, a figure that tripled the death count from the year before.

The teams are supposed to patrol their own side of the border and communicate with each other to report on movements from both sides.

Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said that the issue of the shooting deaths was not on the agenda for the meeting as it had been discussed in May. Cambodian goods continue to do well in Thai markets.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, total exports from Cambodia to Thailand amounted to $102 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared with a little more than $85 million in the same period the year before, an increase of almost 20 per cent.

Imports from Thailand slightly declined more than four per cent, from $1.048 billion to $1 billion in the same time period.

Cambodia imports mainly include petroleum, processed goods, cement, consumer products, construction materials, fruits, vegetables and cosmetics from its northern neighbour.

It ships agricultural products, second hand garments, recyclable metal, and fish to Thailand.

AT branches of electronics shop Hello 4U, the campaign season is in full swing.

The store is rolling out custommade protective covers for smart phones, laptops and i-Pad screens emblazoned with the visages of Cambodian People’s Party senior leaders.

Customers who buy the product can talk to their friends and support the CPP at the same time.

Veng Khyhong, director of Hello 4U, which has four branches in town, said he had no intention of creating a high-selling product when he dreamed up the idea.

“I just want to show my support to the [ruling] party and I designed it to target clients who have the same view as mine,” Khyhong said. “My family members are CPP members, and they support me on this.”

The design is virtually ubiquitous, gracing billboards and offices all over the country. It features the three faces, in order from left to right, of Senate President Chea Sim, Prime Minister Hun Sen, and National Assembly President Heng Samrin, all under a brightly-coloured CPP logo.

Khyhong is charging $5 and $6, the same as the non-CPP version. The move was clearly a wise one financially. In four months, he’s sold up to 6,400 ruling party covers. The majority of his clients, he said, have been government officials.

With July’s national elections looming, the mix of private enterprise and politics is nothing new, said Son Chhay, an opposition lawmaker.

He said private companies typically flaunt one product with a party logo because they think having CPP support will help their business expand.

“It does not mean all users are truly satisfied with the current leading system,” Chhay said. “Many are doing it because of the power of the ruling party, rather than truly loving it.”

Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said business owners have the right to support any party they want by selling items that tilt towards their political preference.

But he said the idea could have a negative impact on competition.

“If we are truly businessmen, we should be neutral and target all kinds of clients,” Panha said. “If we run a business and target only CPP members, others who are from another party will not buy our product.”

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Business A cement company in Kampot steps it up

Thai bank considers lowering forecast THE Bank of Thailand is set to lower its 2013 gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast from the current 5.1 per cent following China’s disappointing economic data.

“The central bank is likely to trim the 2013 economic growth projection. However, it needs to mull information from theMonetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) policy rate call on July 10 before it does. The figure will be announced on July 19 if the forecast is revised,” said governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul yesterday.

He mentioned that if China’s economy slows down, it will also take a toll on Thailand’s export sector, while domestic consumption and investment, which have been tepid in the first quarter and April, warrant more close monitoring.

China’s industrial output in May rose 9.2 per cent from a year earlier, weaker than expected, while exports in May increased at the slowest pace in 10 months.

The world’s second-largest economy is Thailand’s biggest overseas market, accounting for almost 12 per cent of totalshipments in the first four months of 2013.

The central bank in April raised the 2013 economic growth to 5.1 per cent from 4.9 per cent predicted previously, after robust economic growth of 6.4 per cent in 2012.

However, the weaker than expected first quarter economic growth of 5.3 per cent year-on-year coupled with lacklustre domestic consumption and investment has compelled the government’s think tank, the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), in May to cut its fullyear GDP growth estimate to 4.2-5.2 per cent from the previous forecast of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent. BANGKOK POST

Rann Reuy

Lucio Tan, chairman and CEO of Philippine Airlines Inc is seen at Manila’s airport. The billionaire is eyeing an exit from the company and is negotiating with potential buyers of his group’s majority stake in the flag carrier. afp

Billionaire might sell large stake of Philippine Airlines Norman P. Aquino

P

hilippine billionaire Lucio Tan has been approached by a group of investors to sell his control of PAL Holdings Inc and Philippine Airlines Inc as he prepares to exit the aviation business after two decades.

Tan is “seriously looking into the proposal,” PAL said in a filing today. He owns 51 per cent of Philippine Airlines through companies including PAL, which may be valued at $520 million based on recent sale figures.

The billionaire would be leaving an industry plagued

by US and European bans that

have prevented Philippine Airlines from either flying to or expanding routes in those regions, and led it to post losses in seven of the past eight quarters. The announcement follows comments yesterday

by San Miguel Corp, owner of a 49 per cent stake in the airline, that it isn’t buying Tan’s holding.

“San Miguel should have the right of first refusal, and it doesn’t seem to be worried about matching an offer from an outside buyer,” Jomar Lacson, an analyst at Campos Lanuza & Co in Manila, said yesterday. “The logical investors would be a group from San Miguel itself,” with possible candidates being the

brewer’s president Ramon Ang, chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr or Roberto Ongpin, a director, he said.

Ang and Ongpin didn’t immediately reply to phone calls seeking comments. Cojuangco’s secretary said he was in a meeting and wasn’t available.

Tan, 78, gained control of Philippine Airlines in 1992 when it was privatised. He sold a 49 per cent stake in the carrier last year to San Miguel, the nation’s biggest company by revenue, for $500 million.

The Philippines has been on an EU aviation blacklist for failing to meet safety standards, meaning its airlines can’t fly into the region. The nation also has a Category 2 rating from the

Federal Aviation Administration that prevents its carriers from adding routes in the US. The two aviation authorities may upgrade the Philippines after an international review of the country’s air-safety improvements, President Benigno Aquino said March 6.

The carrier will invest $10 million for a 49 per cent interest in Cambodia Airlines Co and plans to complete the transaction by July 15, it said in a filing on May 27. The venture will probably boost its revenue by as much as $400 million, Ang said May 9. The carrier approved the purchase of four Airbus A340s and expects to fly to Europe this year once the EU lifts its ban, he said. BLOOMBERG

KAMPOT cement have accelerated works on their second factory after signing an agreement to buy technology and machinery from China, allowing them to produce more ahead of anticipated demand, according to company management.

Prak Soserey Wathana, Manager of Kampot Cement, said that it had signed a contract with Chinese company CITIC Heavy Industries Co Ltd for supplying the new equipment.

Wathana would not elaborate on the cost, but he said the agreement would allow the company to step up production ahead of the year’s schedule.

He confirmed that the second factory would be completed in late 2015.

“Now, the demand in our country is huge due to increased construction,” he said, adding that the company also has plans to export.

Kampot Cement currently operates one factory with approximate output of 2,800 tonnes per day. The second factory will be able to produce 2,500 tonnes a day.

Siam City Cement and the Chip Mong Group also signed a memorandum of understanding to build a new cement plant in the Toukmeas district of Kampot by 2015.

A feasibility study confirmed the factory should be able to produce between one and 1.5 million tonnes per year.

Sok Chantha, public relations manager for the Chip Mong Group, said he was not threatened by the new Kampot Cement factory.

“We have market share already, and the markets are still open, so it is of no concern,” he said.

United Nations World Food Programme – Cambodia VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT VA Number: 2013-05 Deadline for application: 21 June 2013 On behalf of the Humanitarian Response Forum (HRF, a forum for international NGOs and UN agencies for emergency preparedness and response in Cambodia), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking applications from international candidates to fill the following position: Position title: Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Coordinator Number of position: One Type of Contract: International Consultancy Duration: Six months Duty Station: WFP Country Office, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Responsibilities: Under the overall supervision of the co-chairs of the HRF (the country directors of ActionAid and WFP, respectively), the Consultant will be responsible for the following duties:      

Manage the overall process of strengthening preparedness levels of the HRF; In consultation with relevant stakeholders, coordinate and facilitate the review and finalization of sector-specific HRF contingency plans, and ensure consistency across sectors; Assist in and facilitate an emergency desktop simulation exercise; Work closely with the UN Resident Coordinator’s office (UNRCO) in finalizing the HRF’s emergency communications and reporting plan; Organize and facilitate HRF meetings; and Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications and experience: Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) preferably in political or social science, international studies, public administration or other relevant. Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, preferably including a coordination function with multiple stakeholders (e.g. government, international NGOs and UN agencies). Experience working in Southeast Asia is preferable.

Applications along with a mandatory completed UN Personal History Form (P11) and a detailed CV with copy of education certificate should be delivered to the WFP Human Resources Unit, WFP Cambodia House 250, Road 63, Phnom Penh, faxed to # 023- 218 749 or e-mailed to Cambodia.Application@wfp.org.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. The applications will not be returned.

Women are encouraged to apply. Equally qualified female candidates will be given preference. A detailed job description is available on request from the WFP reception/ information desk or download from the link: http://67.23.238.138/~cambodia/Jobs/ World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. WFP has been providing food assistance in Cambodia since 1979. WFP Cambodia’s activities focus on education, nutrition and productive assets and livelihood development. In 2012, WFP supported almost 1 million people in Cambodia.

9

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Markets Business

Moving towards e-commerce Inside Business Daniel de Carteret

M

OTORBIKES, vegetables, iPhones, artwork, or even land on which to build a house – a quick browse through website 7Makara.com gives the impression of a Cambodian eBay or Amazon. The difference, however, is that you can’t complete the transaction from the convenience of your bedroom.

In a country where cash is king, online classified advertising websites like 7Makara stand in for e-commerce – the practice of buying goods over the internet through a middleman with credit or debit cards.

E-commerce exists in Cambodia, but on a limited scale, hampered by sceptical consumers and a lack of secure processing options.

On 7Makara, customers register their contact details and list items for free, while buyers make contact and meet with sellers face-to-face to complete transactions, like US-

based Craigslist.

Meaning “January 7” in English, the date that the government observes every year to mark the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, 7Makara receives about 20,000 hits and 150 to 200 listings per day.

According to co-founder Kim Meng, the greatest security concerns for 7Makara are fake listings from “foreign sources” that attempt to pass off new items well under the market price. Meng, a Royal Phnom Penh University com-

when e-commerce evolves into a more mainstream practice in Cambodia.

“Young people, day by day, understand the convenience of making payments online,” he said.

According to Meng, mistrust of online credit card usage and a lack of third-party payment set-up options – including Paypal – are key challenges for e-commerce start-ups.

“It is difficult for us to sell the physical product online because the transaction from

It is not so easy in Cambodia to set up an e-commerce website.

There is [only] one bank that accepts a payment gateway puter science graduate and part-time lecturer, says his staff of eight manually checks for imposters.

“Before I launched 7Makara, my colleague was cheated like that – he lost around $2,000 for that kind of cheating,” Meng said.

7Makara is the first in an online portfolio for Meng’s IT company, Kalicee, which is positioning itself for the day

the credit card payment needs to be tracked – the percentage and the transaction” Meng said.

“It is not so easy in Cambodia to set up an e-commerce website. There is [only] one bank in Cambodia that accepts a payment gateway,” he said, referring to third-party transaction facilities.

7Makara continues to position itself on design aspects

Kim Meng, co-founder of online classified advertising site 7Makara.com, works with employees at the website’s office in Phnom Penh yesterday. daniel de Carteret

and user friendliness, but ecommerce is definitely on the horizon for the portfolio of Kalicee, with plans to launch a new online marketplace with credit card transaction facili-

ties in 2014.

Data from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications showed that at the end of 2012, Cambodia had 27 internet service providers.

Internet users in Cambodia numbered more than 2.7 million in 2012, an increase of 60 per cent compared with 2011, when there were 1.7 million users.

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Business

In brief Delta, Virgin deal to be cleared unconditionally

DELTA Air Lines is expected to secure unconditional European regulatory approval to buy a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic, allowing it to compete better with rivals in the lucrative transatlantic market. The European Commission, which is examining the deal as the pan-European regulator, does not see competition problems, three people with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. Delta, the secondbiggest US airline by revenue, and Virgin Atlantic announced the deal in December last year, outlining a joint venture that would allow both carriers to offer more flights at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport. REUTERS

Millions transferred after nap on keyboard

AN OBVIOUSLY tired German bank employee fell asleep on his keyboard and accidentally transformed a minor transfer into a 222 million euro ($293 million) order, a court heard Monday. The Hessen labour court heard that the man was supposed to transfer just 62.40 euros from a bank account belonging to a retiree, but instead “fell asleep for an instant, while pushing onto the number 2 key on the keyboard” – making it a huge 222,222,222.22-euro order.

The bank discovered the mistake shortly afterwards and corrected the error. The case was taken to court by the man’s 48-year-old colleague who was fired for letting the mistake slip through when verifying the order. The court ruled that the plaintiff should be reinstated in his job. AFP

SoftBank raises Sprint offer to $21.6 billion

SOFTBANK said yesterday it is jacking up its bid for Sprint Nextel to $21.6 billion, the latest twist in a high-stakes bid to trump a rival offer and grab a chunk of the lucrative US mobile market. SoftBank said in Tokyo it would raise its original bid by $1.5 billion, just two weeks before Sprint shareholders vote on the proposed takeover of the US-based wireless carrier. A joint SoftBank-Sprint statement yesterday encouraged Sprint investors to vote for the deal at the June 25 meeting, saying a rival $25.5 billion bid from US satellite communications firm Dish Network was “not reasonably likely to lead to a superior offer”. AFP

BoJ: pat on policy, economy ‘picking up’

THE Bank of Japan said yesterday the economy was “picking up” and held off ramping up April’s huge stimulus scheme, but warned of possible headwinds caused by uncertainty in Europe and the United States. The announcement came a day after data showed the economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter of 2013 but sent the yen rallying and stocks tumbling as investors were left disappointed. afp

Fitch: shadow banking risks Jonathan Gould

C

HINA’S unregulated shadow banking sector poses an increasing risk to the country’s financial stability that could spread to other countries, credit rating agency Fitch said on Monday.

China has tens of thousands of non-bank lenders that are providing increasing amounts of credit to businesses and government outside the mainstream, regulated banking sector, a situation that is stoking systemic risk, Fitch said.

There is little visibility on where the money is going, who is lending it or what the credit quality of assets is, meaning traditional warning signs of trouble will not function properly.

A growing amount of credit is being extended through channels that they don’t have transparency or control over “It is a Wild West atmosphere in many respects and that is one of the reasons why we are so worried,” Fitch Senior Director Charlene Chu told a conference in Frankfurt.

Regulators had little insight into the non-bank sector.

“It is a material risk because a growing amount of credit is being extended through channels that they don’t have transparency or control over,” Chu said.

Chinese authorities have been working to improve transparency in the financial sector, but Fitch said it was hard to get a handle on the problem, which hurts the effectiveness of monetary policy, will complicate the winding down of any institutions that fail and could also eventually put downward pressure on China’s sovereign rating.

The country’s bank regulator, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), publishes statistics on non-performing loans, for example, but this is of limited use, Chu said.

A construction worker walks near Pudong, Shanghai’s financial district, in May.

“A 1 per cent NPL ratio has little signaling value when 36 per cent of all outstanding credit resides outside Chinese banks’ loan portfolios,” she said.

Banks are likely to be on the hook for bailing out non-banks in trouble, because the only efficient way to deal with shadow bank exposures is to transfer the risks to the formal banking sector, Chu said.

The country was already seeing defaults in trust and wealth management products that could be an early sign of trouble.

Apple unveils music streaming service Poornima Gupta and Edwin Chan

APPLE Inc unveiled a music streaming service called iTunes Radio and new mobile software on Monday, in the biggest redesign of its operating system since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007.

The new software, designated iOS 7 and announced at Apple’s annual developers’ conference in San Francisco, sports a streamlined design, employs translucency and a fresh palette of colours, and features animation in apps.

Apple’s iTunes Radio, one of the more highly anticipated features of the new iOS 7, comes free, supported by ads across many devices including iPhones, iPads and Apple TV. Much like rival Pandora Media Inc’s Internet radio, the service - which launches in the fall, months after Google Inc’s “All Access” on-demand competitor debuted - allows listeners to customize their own radio stations by genre, skip songs multiple times, or just tune in to some 200 featured stations.

Apple has been talking to record companies for the past year in hopes of getting the ser-

vice off the ground, seen as crucial to retaining users as music consumption grows alongside smartphone use. It will also come free of ads for customers who subscribe to Match, another Apple music service.

Executives also showed off a new line of Macbook Air computers. They gave a sneak peek at a cylindrical Mac Pro desktop, in a rare preview of upcoming hardware. And, in a continuation of efforts over the past year to wean itself off archrival Google’s services such as maps, Apple’s updated Siri voice software on the iPhone will turn to Microsoft Corp’s less-popular Bing as its default in-app search engine.

Previously, Siri handled web search queries by asking users if they would like to access Google, which dominates Internet searches. With iOS 7 however, users can still choose to ask specifically for Google results.

The latest Macs will run a new computer operating system christened OSX Mavericks – named after a famous California surfing spot and a departure from Apple’s penchant for naming software after big cats like Mountain Lion. REUTERS

reuters

“Stress will appear in the weakest parts of the financial sector, which tend to be non-bank financial institutions on the fringe of the system – and gradually work its way inward,” she predicted.

While there are some factors mitigating the situation, such as China’s closed capital account, deep central bank reserves, the fact that funding is largely domestic and the main borrowers and banks are state-owned, there was still a potential for contagion, Chu said.

The foreign owners of stakes in Chi-

nese banks already saw big writedowns on those stakes in the 2008 financial crisis and this could happen again, she pointed out.

There is also about $1 trillion in credit exposure by foreign banks to Chinese banks and corporations but this was also manageable.

“The bigger issue is what is it going to mean for growth and confidence, which could play out in a very negative way because China has been so important to the global growth story,” she said. REUTERS

EU seeks WTO decision on Chinese steel duties Ethan Bilby

THE European Union plans to lodge a case with the World Trade Organization against Chinese duties on specialised steel tubes, EU sources said yesterday, opening another front in a rapidly escalating trade conflict with Beijing.

The move will allow the EU to join a related complaint filed by Japan against Chinese duties in December.

The EU complaint would seek to overturn Chinese duties on exports of seamless stainless steel tubes made by firms such as Spain’s Tubacex S.A and Germany’s Salzgitter A.G, the sources said. The sources asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case.

The filing, which may come as soon as Thursday or Friday, will send a signal to China that the EU is willing to take legal action against any duties it considers to be based on retaliation rather than objective evidence.

It follows China’s decision last week to investigate alleged dumping of EU wine in apparent retaliation against the EU imposing provisional duties on

Chinese solar panels, the biggest trade case the EU has launched.

WTO rules prevent members from leveling tit-for-tat sanctions, instead requiring proof assembled via a thorough investigation that a country’s industry has suffered damage before any duties can be imposed.

The sources said the stainless steel case was separate from the dispute over solar panels and

sels had challenged Chinese trade defence measures before, emboldened the EU. “The Commission is quite confident that retaliation by the Chinese is now recognized, so they think they have a good chance to win,” the source said.

Another source said the European Commission, the EU’s executive, will brief the Chinese on Thursday before opening the complaint on behalf of the EU,

The Commission is quite confident that retaliation by the Chinese is now recognised wine. Under WTO rules, the EU had a limited time to join the complaint filed by Japan.

In February, the EU won a similar WTO dispute against Chinese duties on X-ray scanners, with a settlement panel in Geneva agreeing the duties imposed by China had not been the result of a proper and thorough investigation.

One EU diplomat said victory in the X-ray scanners case, which was the first time Brus-

ahead of a meeting of EU trade ministers in Luxembourg on Friday.

The Commission’s spokesman on trade issues was not immediately reachable for comment. Japan is challenging the Chinese steel tube duties and how they were applied, alleging China did not have enough evidence and kept what it did have secret, shielding the companies who had complained. REUTERS

11

the phnom penh post june 12, 2013

Markets Business Japanese oil refiner eyeing gas in Canada Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada

IDEMITSU Kosan Co, Japan’s third-biggest oil refiner, is seeking a stake in a natural gas field in Canada to secure supplies for a proposed export plant in the country that will ship the fuel back home.

The company wants to hedge against gas price volatility by holding the upstream interest as it builds its first LNG plant with partner AltaGas Ltd, incoming President Takashi Tsukioka, 65, said without giving a budget or identifying a target. The terminal will be located on the west coast of Canada and ship as much as two million tonnes annually as early as 2017, according to Tokyo-based Idemitsu.

Japan’s energy companies are rushing to meet fuel demand following the Fukushima nuclear disaster two years ago. Idemitsu and AltaGas are among companies planning to build LNG plants on the west coast of Canada to export to Asian countries as a boom in output from shale formations has lowered North American gas prices.

Freight costs for west coast projects will be cheaper than those shipping LNG through the Panama Canal, Tsukioka said. BLOOMBERG

India’s ‘Coalgate’ scandal leads to criminal charges

I

NDIAN federal police yesterday staged new raids over alleged corruption in government coal mine allocations and filed preliminary charges against a ruling Congress party lawmaker who is also a powerful businessman.

The developments in what media has dubbed “Coalgate” are a fresh blow to the Congress government, which has been hit by repeated graft scandals and must face voters in elections next year.

Preliminary criminal cases have been filed against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and former junior coal minister Dasari Narayan Rao along with various companies, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokeswoman told AFP. Shares of Jindal Steel chaired by the MP slid by more than 24 per cent after the news broke, then retraced slightly to trade down more than 17 per cent at 220.75 rupees ($3.76) in the early afternoon.

The CBI has been probing allegations by the national auditor last year that the government, when granting coal mining rights, may have given away billions of dollars in windfall gains to 100 private and some state-run firms in exchange for kickbacks.

Leading Indian news channel NDTV quoted police sources as saying Jindal, who is chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, is accused of criminal misconduct, conspiracy and cheating.

Jindal’s company, which was allotted five coal blocks, faces separate charges of cheating and conspiracy, the channel said.

Markets Thailand

Vietnam

Thai Set 50 Index, Jun 10 1100

Ho Chi Minh Stock Index, Jun 10 550

1025

500

950

450

875

400

800

350

968.78

South Korea

KOSPI Index, Jun 10 2100

521.95

Philippines

PSEI - Philippine Se Idx, Jun 10 7500

1975

7125

1850

6750

1725

6375

1600

6000

1,920.68

6,556.65

Singapore

Malaysia

FTSE Straits Times Index, Jun 10 4000

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI, Jun 10 1800

3500

1700

3000

1600

2500

1500

2000

1400

3,170.22

Hong Kong

China

Hang Seng Index, Jun 10 25000

Workers walk in the Jindal Power and Steel complex in India’s Orissa state in March.

Indian federal police charged the company with criminal corruption yesterday. reuters

The Times of India website, also quoting police sources, said the case against Jindal alleges his company misrepresented key information to obtain valuable coalfields and that kickbacks were paid to government figures.

Jindal could not be immediately reached for comment but has in the past denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

Jindal Steel and Power spokesman Manu Kapoor said the company was law-abiding and “committed to fully cooperate” with the CBI. The CBI, which has already filed

some dozen cases in connection with the scandal, was carrying out searches in New Delhi and the southern city of Hyderabad in connection with the coal allocations, the spokeswoman added.

The Supreme Court in April rebuked the nominally independent agency for showing the government a report on its investigation into alleged corruption in the coal mine allotments.

Last month, law minister Ashwani Kumar quit after the court was told the government had altered the preliminary report on the CBI inquiry into the allotments. AFP

1,779.57 CSI 300 Index, Jun 10 3000

23250

2750

21500

2500

19750

2250

18000

2000

21,354.66

Japan

Nikkei 225, Jun 10 16000

2,484.16

Taiwan

Taiwan Taiex Index, Jun 10 8500

15250

8000

14500

7500

13750

7000

13000

6500

8,116.15

13,317.62

Laos

Laos Composite Index, Jun 10 1500

Indonesia

Jakarta Composite Index, Jun 10 6000

1350

5500

1200

5000

1050

4500

900

4000

1,338.82

International commodities

Cambodian commodities (Base rate taken on January 1, 2012)

Energy Commodity

Units

Price

Change % Change Time(ET)

Crude Oil (WTI)

USD/bbl.

95.56

-0.21

-0.22%

4:41:48

Crude Oil (Brent)

USD/bbl.

103.63

-0.32

-0.31%

4:41:09

3.8

0

0.00%

4:40:10

283.88

-0.93

-0.33%

4:40:52

NYMEX Natural Gas USD/MMBtu RBOB Gasoline

India

USd/gal.

NYMEX Heating Oil

USd/gal.

288.15

-0.23

-0.08%

4:41:05

ICE Gasoil

USD/MT

867.5

-0.75

-0.09%

5:02:01

Agriculture Commodity

Units

Price

Change

% Change

Time(ET)

CBOT Rough Rice

USD/cwt

16.1

0.1

0.63%

4:29:22

CME Lumber

USD/tbf

308

-0.3

-0.10%

4:59:02

Item Rice 1 Rice 2 Paddy Peanuts Maize 2 Cashew nut Pepper Beef Pork Mud Fish Chicken Duck

Unit

Base

R/Kg

2800

R/Kg

2200

R/Kg

1800

R/Kg

8000

R/Kg

2000

R/Kg

4000

R/Kg

40000

R/Kg

33000

R/Kg

17000

R/Kg

12000

R/Kg

18000

R/Kg

13000

BSE Sensex 30 Index, Jun 10 21000

Karachi 100 Index, Jun 10 23000

20000

22250

19000

21500

18000

20750

17000

20000

Construction equipment

Food -Cereals -Vegetables - Fruits Average 2760 2280 1860 8100 2080 4220 24000 33600 18200 12200 20800 13100

(%) -1.43 % 3.64 % 3.33 % 1.25 % 4.00 % 5.50 % -40.00 % 1.82 % 7.06 % 1.67 % 15.56 % 0.77 %

Item

Unit

Base

Average

(%)

Steel 12

R/Kg

3000

3100

3.33 %

Cement

R/Sac

19000

19500

2.63 %

Energy Item

Unit

Base

Average

(%)

Gasoline

R

5250

5300

0.95 %

Diesel

R

5100

5050

-0.98 %

Petroleum

R

5500

5500

0.00 %

Chi

86000

77000

-10.47 %

Baht

1200

1300

8.33 %

Gas Charcoal

4,609.95

Pakistan

19,253.93

Australia

22,229.66

New Zealand

S&P/ASX 200 Index, Jun 10 5500

NZX 50 Index, Jun 10 5000

5250

4750

5000

4500

4750

4250

4500

4,757.06

4000

4,463.58

12

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

World Riot police storm square Michelle Fitzpatrick

R

IOT police stormed Istanbul’s protest square yesterday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at firework-hurling demonstrators in a fresh escalation of unrest after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would meet with protest leaders.

Hundreds of police poured into Taksim Square, the epicentre of nearly two weeks of anti-government demos, warning demonstrators to stay away as bulldozers cleared the makeshift barriers erected by protesters after police pulled out of the area on June 1.

The police’s early morning return to the square in armoured cars raised the stakes in the nationwide turmoil, the fiercest challenge yet to Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted government’s decade-long rule.

Smoke filled the area as police doused protesters with tear gas and urged them to return to the adjoining Gezi Park as some protesters, in helmets and gas masks, threw molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones in response.

The police action came just hours after Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Erdogan would meet protest leaders today, his first major concession since the trouble began 12 days ago.

“Can you believe that? They attack Taksim, gas us in the morning just after proposing talks with us? What kind of leader is that?” said Yulmiz, 23, after waking up to the clashes in his tent in Gezi Park.

“We won’t abandon Gezi, they can send thousands of policemen,” he vowed. “I am not afraid of their water cannon, it’ll be my first shower in three days.”

The nationwide unrest first erupted after police cracked down heavily on May 31 on a campaign to save Gezi Park from redevelopment.

The trouble spiralled into

A protester shouts as Turkish riot police fire water cannon and teargas during a protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul yesterday. The police returned to the square yesterday morning to clear barriers erected by protesters. REUTERS

mass displays of anger against Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), seen as increasingly authoritarian, injuring nearly 5,000 people and tarnishing Turkey’s image as a model of Islamic democracy.

Erdogan said yesterday that four people, including a policeman, had died. The national doctors’ union confirmed the

broadcast live on television, Erdogan urged “sincere” protesters in Gezi Park to pull back, warning that their environmental campaign was being hijacked by “an illegal uprising against the rule of democracy”.

After nearly three hours of confrontations, groups of people milled around Taksim Square largely unopposed, chanting and booing, as police

Can you believe that? They attack Taksim, gas us in the morning just after proposing talks with us? death toll had climbed from three to four after a protester succumbed to his injuries, but gave no further details.

In a speech to lawmakers

guarded key exit points and set off only the occasional burst of tear gas.

In a symbolic gesture, police removed flags and anti-Erdogan

banners from a nearby building and replaced them with a single Turkish flag and a large portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, whose image has also been adopted by the protesters.

But many protesters responded with defiance. “We will fight. We want freedom.

We are freedom fighters,” said Burak Arat, a 24-year-old tourism student.

Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu sought to justify the police action, saying the protesters’ takeover of Taksim Square “tarnished the country’s image before the eyes of the world”.

The police would not interfere with the protesters camping out in Gezi Park, he told reporters.

Tens of thousands at the

weekend defied Erdogan’s call to end their demonstrations in cities across Turkey after he warned that his patience “has a limit”.

Overnight, trouble flared again in the capital Ankara, where riot police doused hundreds of protesters with tear gas for a third consecutive day.

Turkey’s combative leader has so far responded with defiance to the unrest. On Sunday, he inflamed tensions by staging his own rallies, telling thousands of cheering AKP supporters the demonstrators would “pay a price” for their actions.

Opponents accuse Erdogan of repressing critics – including journalists, minority Kurds and the military – and of pushing conservative Islamic values on the mainly Muslim but staunchly secular nation. AFP

Japan, US hold drill to retake remote isles JAPAN and the United States have started a joint drill to practise retaking remote islands, the Japanese government said yesterday, as Tokyo and Beijing continue to face off over a disputed archipelago.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, who has previously stressed “Dawn Blitz” was not aimed at China, told reporters that the joint exercise was designed to “significantly contribute to our capability”.

It is the first time all the three arms of Japan’s Self Defense Forces – army, navy and airforce – have taken part together in a drill based on the US mainland.

Of some 1,000 Japanese personnel participating in the multi-national amphibious exercise, the bulk are naval troops from three destroyers of the Maritime Self Defense Force, according to Japanese media.

Canada, New Zealand and military observers from seven other nations are also taking part in the US-led exercise in California, which will last until June 28, according to the US Marine Corps. Japan’s participation lasts until June 26.

The exercise comes as Beijing and Tokyo remain at loggerheads over the ownership of Tokyo-administered islands in the East China Sea, with frequent confrontations between official ships from the two sides.

The United States has repeatedly said it did not take a position on the sovereignty of the Senkaku islands, which China calls the Diaoyus, but has said they are covered by a mutual defence treaty.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seen as a hardliner against China, has stepped up defence spending by the world’s third largest economy and taken an uncompromising stance on the islands. AFP

13

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

World Safety checks

Myanamar grounds aeroplanes

C

HINA’S high-flying aviation ambitions suffered a setback yesterday as Myanmar grounded several planes made by the Asian powerhouse and Indonesia ordered special checks on its fleet following a series of safety incidents.

An MA60 turbo-prop airliner with 52 people on board crashlanded at an airport in eastern Indonesia on Monday, leaving two passengers with minor injuries and forcing state-owned carrier Merpati to write off the plane.

On the same day an MA60 operated by Myanma Airways carrying about 60 people skidded off a runway at a domestic airport in southern Myanmar, although nobody was hurt.

It was the second such incident in less than a month involving one of three MA60s owned

by Myanma Airways.

“I think the accidents happened because of system failure. We will check all the systems. That’s why we stopped the operation of the planes,” Tin Naing Tun, director general of Myanmar’s Civil Aviation Department, said. AFP

‘Sacred’ mission blasts off

A

CHINESE-MANNED spacecraft blasted off with three astronauts on board yesterday on a 15-day mission to an experimental space lab in the latest step towards the development of a space station.

The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft was launched from a remote site in the Gobi desert in China’s far west at 5:38pm under warm, clear blue skies, in images carried live on state television.

Once in orbit, the craft will dock with the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) 1, a trial space laboratory module, and the two male and one female astronauts will carry out various experiments and test the module’s systems.

They will also give a lecture to students back on Earth.

China successfully carried out its first manned docking exercise with Tiangong 1 last June, a milestone in an effort to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space station that can house people for long periods.

President Xi Jinping oversaw yesterday’s launch personally, addressing the astronauts before they blasted off to wish them success, saying he was “enormously happy” to be there.

“You are the pride of the Chi-

nese people, and this mission is both glorious and sacred,” Xi said, according to state media.

This mission will be the longest time Chinese astronauts have spent in space, and marks the second mission for lead astronaut Nie Haisheng.

It is China’s fifth manned space mission since 2003, and was accompanied by the usual outpouring of national pride and Communist Party propaganda, including children dressed as happy ethnic minorities waving off the three at the space centre.

However, some wondered

You are the pride of the Chinese people, and this mission is . . . sacred why China was spending so much money exploring space when it was still a developing country with a plethora of more pressing issues, from food safety and pollution to the prevalence of workplace fire disasters.

“Why don’t they spend this money solving China’s real problems instead of wasting it like this?” wrote one user on China’s popular Twitter-like service, Sina Weibo.

China’s space programme has come a long way since late

China in space The longest mission yet Launched Tuesday

Weight: 8.5 tonnes Tiangong-1 “Heavenly Palace”

Working and living area

Resource module contains power supply, water, support equipment Docking ports on front and rear ends

Shenzhou-10 spacecraft “Divine Vessel” 15-day mission Crew: - Nie Haisheng (mission commander) - Wang Yaping (2nd woman astronaut to be sent into orbit) - Zhang Xiaoguang

Launcher: Long March 2F rocket

leader Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China in 1949, lamented that the country could not even launch a potato into space.

But China is still far from catching up with the established space superpowers, the United States and Russia.

Craft will dock with Tiangong-1 Crew will transfer into it and carry out medical and space technology experiments China aims to land a man on the moon, set up its own space station by 2020 Source: State media

Rendezvous and docking techniques such as those which China is only testing now were mastered by the United States and the former Soviet Union decades ago, and the 10.5metre-long Tiangong 1 is a trial module, not a fully fledged space station. REUTERS

S Korea says talks with North off SOUTH Korea said yesterday that high-level talks with North Korea scheduled to begin in Seoul today had been called off, after the two sides wrangled over who should lead the respective delegations.

“There will be no talks tomorrow,” a spokeswoman for the South’s Unification Ministry said without giving a reason. It was not immediately clear if they had been postponed or cancelled indefinitely.

A South Korean government official had said earlier that there had been problems in agreeing what level of official should lead the talks on either side.

The two Koreas finally exchanged lists of proposed members of their delegations yesterday afternoon.

“But the North said it had an issue with the chief delegate from our side,” the government official said.

The scheduled talks had been seen as an opportunity to improve relations after months of elevated military tensions, that included threats from Pyongyang of nuclear war and warnings from Seoul of deadly counter-strikes to any provocation. AFP

14

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

World

In brief House speaker in bid for Myanmar’s top spot

MYANMAR’S parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann has announced he will run for president in 2015 polls, joining opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as the only declared candidates so far. The former general was a key architect of reforms since the end of the junta in 2011, has long been tipped for a tilt at the nation’s top office. AFP

India widens the net in scandal over coal mines

SOUTH Korean prosecutors said yesterday they had decided to charge the former head of the country’s spy agency Won Sei-Hoon with meddling in last year’s presidential election. The decision follows an official investigation into allegations he had ordered agents to post stories and comments attacking the opposition presidential candidate on popular websites. afp

Floods bearing down on states in north Germany DEADLY floods bore down on northern Germany yesterday as troops raced to bolster sodden dykes. Swollen rivers in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and SchleswigHolstein posed the biggest threat. AFP

Vietnam’s PM dealt a blow

V

IETNAMESE Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was dealt a rare public blow yesterday, winning the full support of less than half of members of a parliament dominated by his ruling Communist Party in a first-ever confidence vote.

The former central bank governor got votes of “high confidence� from 210 members of the 498-seat national assembly, with 160 passing votes of “low confidence� in a rare show of public scrutiny of Vietnam’s leaders.

The confidence vote follows a call from the president last year for greater accountability amid a background of simmering public anger over mismanagement and corruption.

Although Dung passed the test, analysts said the tepid response from members of a party that traditionally rallies behind its leaders demonstrated discontent with the government’s handling of entrenched graft and a once thriving economy stagnating under the weight of bad debt.

Dung, 63, received 122 votes of “confidence� in the ballot in which assembly members chose one of three ratings.

Forty-seven officials faced

votes and seven lawmakers did not cast ballots.

According to parliamentary law, any top officials receiving low confidence votes from two-thirds of the house must resign or face a second vote on their leadership.

Worse off than Dung was Soviet-educated central bank governor Nguyen Van Binh, who had 209 votes of low confidence and the full approval of just 88 assembly members. “Their not-so-good result reflects the people’s dissatisfaction with their management of the economy and banking system,� said Nguyen Quang A, a well-known activist and economist, who suggested the confidence vote was designed to appease the public while not threatening the status quo.

Dung in February approved an economic masterplan aimed at reforming cashhaemorrhaging state-owned enterprise and tackling banks’ high levels of toxic loans – factors blamed for squeezing credit growth and consumer spending, alarming foreign investors and causing more than 100,000 businesses to close.

Yesterday’s confidence vote comes at a turbulent

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (second right) walks behind Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong (left) and President Truong Tan Sang (right). AFP

time for Vietnam’s only party, which was rattled in January when former members and academics drafted and publicised their own constitution to coincide with a campaign to gauge public opinion on a charter widely criticised as undemocratic.

Legislators chose as their

best performer President Truong Tan Sang, who won 330 high confidence votes and just 28 votes of low confidence, adding fuel to public speculation of a split within the secretive party, between factions aligned with either the president or the prime minister.

“We see clearly the difference in the result and the people can now draw a comparison between the prime minister and the president, the voting result and the actions of their leaders,� said a lawmaker, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. REUTERS

Coming up on Friday, June 28, The Phnom Penh Post proudly presents

INSURANCE CAMBODIA A special report that reviews what’s available and what’s new in Cambodia for:

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THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Technology

Pets vanish with ‘invisibility cloak’ Ian Sample

S

CIENTISTS have shown off their latest “invisibility cloak” by making a pet goldfish and a small cat vanish from plain sight.

The device is crude and unlikely to pass muster with the pupils of Hogwarts, but researchers said it marked a significant step forward in the science of the unseen.

In video footage of the device in action, a goldfish suddenly appears as it swims out of a cloak submerged in its tank. In another clip, the lower half of a cat disappears as it steps inside a cloak placed on a table.

Scientists led by Baile Zhang at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore created the cloaks from thin panels of glass that make objects invisible by bending light around them.

Though rudimentary – the devices only hide objects from certain angles, and in both cases the cloaks themselves were partially visible – they are better than earlier versions that worked only with polarised light, or with microwaves instead of the visible wavelengths that humans see in.

In a report on the work, the scientists say operators could adjust the cloaks to make objects invisible

from any line of sight. They add that the devices could have “important security, entertainment, and surveillance applications.”

The first cloak the scientists tested was a clear hexagonal device that was placed in a tank of water containing a goldfish. The fish swam into the cloak, and appeared to need some encouragement to re-emerge.

“When swimming inside the cloak, the goldfish becomes invisible and does not block the scene of green plants behind the cloak,” the scientists write. The hexagonal cloak could hide objects from six different directions.

The second cloak was designed to hide objects from a person stood directly in front or behind. This time the researchers projected an outdoor scene of plants and flowers onto a screen and put the cloaking device in front. When an obliging cat wandered along and sat in the cloak, its lower body vanished.

In one clip, a yellow butterfly that is flitting between flowers on the screen can still be seen through the body of the cat.

Previous work The cloaks are based on technology first developed by Sir John Pendry at

Now you see me: Scientists in Singapore have shown off their latest ‘invisibility cloak’ by making a goldfish and a small feline disappear from plain sight. AFP

Imperial College London. In 2006, he described how transformation optics could allow scientists to steer light around objects, and so make them disappear from view.

Early designs of cloaks used finely structured sheets of materials that behave differently to glass, for example, by bending light the wrong way.

Later, in 2011, Pendry teamed up with scientists at Birmingham University to show that invisibility cloaks could

also be made from natural calcite crystals. In one demonstration, they showed how small objects, such as paperclips and pins, could be made invisible beneath a cloak built from two calcite prisms joined together to make a pyramid.

Simple but effective The latest cloak from Dr Zhang uses normal glass to demonstrate how

simple designs can still be effective.

Pendry, who has seen the latest study, said the work was “a genuine step forward”, but added that there was more to cloaking devices than hiding domestic animals. “Behind the fun is the serious idea that people want to control light,” he said. Using the same technology, for example, scientists are developing miniature satellite communications devices, he said. THE GUARDIAN

Sony wins first round in battle of gaming consoles SONY’S new-generation PlayStation 4 console scored an opening skirmish triumph over Microsoft’s Xbox One on the eve of yesterday’s start of premier E3 videogame conference in Los Angeles.

Sony and Microsoft each hosted distinctly different private events on Monday to spotlight their new champions in long-running console wars.

Both titans showcased blockbuster games, but Sony triggered unbridled cheers with assurances it would not interfere with sales of used titles or require internet connections for play.

The points were in sharp contrast to Microsoft, which designed Xbox One consoles to check-in on the internet once every 24 hours for games to work, and set conditions on used games.

Sony also priced PS4 at $399 as compared to the $499 Microsoft said it will charge for Xbox One consoles when they are released in the US and Europe in November.

“Clearly, Sony won the battle of the day,” said Gartner analyst Brian Blau.

“The price point is going to be a big factor,” he continued.

“At a minimum, it is a poke in the eye because Sony is just cheaper.”

Blau responded that the price divide widens when taking into account that Xbox One console owners must subscribe to an internet service, because the device requires an online connection if users want to play.

He cautioned that it was still

too early to tell which console would prove more popular because hardware and games, no mater how slickly they were presented at the media events, have yet to get into people’s hands.

“Overall, they are both strong platforms,” Blau said.

Microsoft fired the opening shot with a media event providing more details about the Xbox One home entertainment hub it revealed in May. Microsoft focused on its core audience of gamers at the E3 presentation of a box designed

At a minimum, it is a poke in the eye because Sony is just cheaper to become a hub for films, television shows, music and other home entertainment streamed from the Internet.

“Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Microsoft president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick.

The beefed-up hardware is powered by software that allows for instant switching between games, television, and internet browsing.

Kinect motion and sound sensing accessories accompanying the consoles recognise users; respond instantly to commands spoken in natural language, and even detect a person’s pulse.

Sony fired back with the first look at its new PS 4 console,

promising to combine its film, music, television and game strengths in a powerhouse home entertainment box.

“This is a completely new platform and, in many ways, represents a completely new PlayStation,” said Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House.

“We are more than ever capitalising on the vast network of Sony divisions.”

The PS4 will launch with beefed up offerings at Sony online movie and music services as the console moves to expand into a complete home entertainment center while remaining true to hardcore gamers.

Sony will use the technology of recently acquired cloud gaming company Gaikai to launch a service next year that lets people use PS3 or PS4 consoles to play blockbuster games in the internet “cloud” in real time.

More than 140 games are in development for the PS4, with at least 100 of the titles due out in the year following the consoles release, according to Sony Computer Entertainment of America president Jack Tretton.

He promised that Sony had no plans to stop people from being able to play used games, and that PS4 consoles did not need to be connected to the internet if people preferred to go it solo.

“When a player buys a PS4 disk they have the right to use that game; trade it in; lend it to a friend; or keep it forever,” Tretton said. AFP

Job Announcement The Phnom Penh Post, is an independent media company in Cambodia and is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of reporter as follows: Khmer Reporter: 1 position Job requirements: -

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or an equivalent degree At least threes years’ experience in journalism Must be able to speak and write articles in both Khmer in English Computer litraty (must be able to type Khmer Unicode well) Female candidates are highly encouraged Age 25 to 40 He/she will be required to serve on the National News Desk of both the Khmer and English Newspapers - Candidates must have no political agendas, no bias, no nepotism or discrimination - Must be fully aware of and obey all the codes and ethics for journalism - Available to work in a high pressure environment Interested candidates should submit their cover letter and CV to the human resource office of The Phnom Penh Post at the below address: Post Media Co. Ltd, #888, Floor 8, Building F, Phnom Penh Center, Corner of Sothearos and Preah Sihanouk boulevards, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh or through email address: jobs@phnompenhpost.com; Tel: 023 214 311 or Fax: 023 214 318 Deadline: June 17, 2013 Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Successful People Read The Post.

16

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Opinion www.phnompenhpost.com

editorial personnel Publisher Ross Dunkley Editor-in-Chief Alan Parkhouse Managing Editor David Boyle Editor-in-Chief Post Khmer Kay Kimsong Managing Editor Post Khmer Sam Rith Chief of Staff Cheang Sokha Deputy Chief of Staff Chhay Channyda National News Editor Chad Williams Deputy National News Editor Abby Seiff Deputy News Editor Vong Sokheng Group Business Editor May Kunmakara Deputy Business Editor Joe Freeman Property Editor Rupert Winchester Foreign News Editor Dan Besant Sports Editor Dan Riley Pictorial Editor Kara Fox Lifestyle and 7Days Editor Poppy McPherson Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk Pan Simala Special Projects Officer Stuart Alan Becker Chief sub-editor Michael Philips Sub-editors Emily Geminder, Shane Worrell, Stuart White, Joseph Freeman, Justine Drennan, Joe Curtin, Julius Thiemann, Rosa Ellen, Claire Knox, Daniel de Carteret, Anne Renzenbrink Reporters Meas Sokchea, Mom Kunthear, Khouth Sophak Chakrya, May Titthara, Khuon Leakhana, Kim Yuthana, Roth Meas, Ung Chamroeun, Sen David, Phak Seangly, Rann Reuy, Buth Reaksmey Kongkea, Chhim Sreyneang, Sieam Bunthy, Lieng Sarith Photographers Vireak Mai, Sreng Meng Srun, Heng Chivoan, Pha Lina, Hong Menea Regional Correspondent Roger Mitton Web Editor Leang Phannara Webmasters Seng Sovan, Uong Ratana, Horng Pengly Siem reap bureau

Bureau Chief Peter Olszewski Office Manager Thik Skaline Distribution Manager Seng Sech Reporters Thik Kaliyann, Miranda Glasser Marketing Executive Sophearith Blondeel production & printing

Head of Desktop Publishing Nhim Sokphyrak Desktop Publishing Suon Savatdy, Tim Borith, Tep Thoeun Thyda Chum Sokunthy, Yousos Hafisoh, Aim Valinda

head office

Post Media Co, Ltd. 888, Building F, 8th floor, Phnom Penh Center, Cnr Sothearos & Sihanouk Blvd, Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: 023 214 311, 0214 311-017 Fax: 023 214 318 siem reap

No 629, Street 6 Dangkum Commune Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 Chief Executive Officer Chris Dawe sAles department National Sales Director Borom Chea Account Directors Chap Narith Post Khmer Sales Manager Toun Chanreaksmey Classified Ad Manager Samoeurn Sambath circulation & distribution

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HR Manager Buth Lina Assistants to HR Manager Rithy Someta, Pov Linna Financial Director Heang Tangmeng Chief Accountant Sren Vicheka Treasurers Sok Sophorn, Yon Sovannara, Cheam Sopheak System Administration Seng Nak, Vong Oun TO CONTACT US newsroom@phnompenhpost.com advertising@phnompenhpost.com subscription@phnompenhpost.com webmaster@phnompenhpost.com www.phnompenhpost.com © Post Media Co, Ltd The Phnom Penh Post is wholly owned and printed by Post Media Co Ltd. The title The Phnom Penh Post in either English or Khmer languages, its associated logos or devices and the contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of Post Media Co Ltd.

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A young vendor sells snacks on Phnom Penh’s riverfront promenade.

hong menea

It’s time to put an end to ‘hidden’ child labour COMMENT Maurizio Bussi

T

ODAY, June 12, marks the World Day Against Child Labour. Today we say loud and clear “NO to child labour in domestic work”.

The theme of this global campaign is both timely and relevant to all of us, especially in Asia, which is home to nearly half of all domestic workers worldwide.

With more than 15 million children under 18 around the globe “hidden” in domestic work, turning a blind eye to their plight can no longer be tolerated.

Most of these children are girls and nearly half work under extremely hazardous conditions in paid or unpaid work in households other than their own.

Domestic work is adult work, and is simply not suitable for children. Hidden in plain sight, it requires a profound shift in societal attitudes and action so that children can enjoy their fundamental and universal rights to education, health and protection and can be better prepared for decent work as adults.

It is illegal for children under 15 to work in Cambodia, and for good reason.

Studies and testimonies repeatedly note that child labour in domestic work comes at the expense of a child’s education.

It affects children’s health with its long and irregular working hours, unsuitable living conditions, use of

Domestic workers’ rights and the elimination of child labour are issues the ILO has worked on tirelessly for decades.

Last year saw the passage of a landmark ILO Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers (No 189) which recognises the rights of domestic workers (like any other workers) and the protection of young workers

While Cambodia is yet to ratify ILO Convention 189, it has taken some positive steps towards eliminating child labour . . . dangerous household appliances and equipment, carrying heavy loads and caring for the sick.

It affects their emotional well-being as they are isolated from their family and peers, in some cases subject to verbal and physical abuse, confined and dependent on their employers.

It affects their ability to enjoy decent work as adults as a childhood of exploitation and abuse perpetuates an horrific cycle of poverty and deprivation that is impossible to break.

allowed by law to work.

While Cambodia is yet to ratify ILO Convention 189, it has taken some positive steps towards the elimination of child labour, establishing a minimum age of 15 for entry into employment.

Furthermore, in its National Plan of Action on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, it has included child domestic labour as one of 13 unacceptable and hazardous forms of work from which children must be removed with urgency.

The trouble is, child domestic labour is often simply not “seen” as illegal, or for the negative consequences it has for a child and society.

On World Day against Child Labour 2013 let us all play a part, starting with recognising child domestic labour as a hidden form of child abuse and exploitation that must not be tolerated.

It is time to multiply efforts and encourage the reform of laws and policies to ensure the elimination of child labour in domestic work and decent, protected working conditions for young domestic workers who have reached the legal working age.

It is time to put an end to the intolerable. We all have as members of society a moral imperative and a collective responsibility to support the campaign for the ratification and implementation of ILO Convention No 189 on decent work for domestic workers, along with the ILO’s child labour conventions.

Let us take action so that child domestic labour is no longer hidden in plain sight.

Maurizio Bussi is the Director of the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He is also responsible for the ILO’s activities in Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR.

17

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Lifestyle The wizards of Oz: fantasy and science fiction success David Barnett

I

F your experience of Australian science fiction and fantasy is limited to Nevil Shute’s On the Beach and the Mad Max films, it’s time to take another look as the wizards of Oz launch themselves on the rest of the world.

Earlier this year, two major Australian author acquisitions were announced by Macmillan’s UK speculative fiction imprint Tor. Sydney-born Ben Peek’s Children trilogy was signed in a six-figure world-rights deal after an auction, and the day after it was announced that Tor had also bought two novels by Rjurik Davidson, from Melbourne, in a pre-emptive deal.

Peek and Davidson join a host of names who readers of speculative fiction all over the English-reading world will recognise: Garth Nix, Trudi Canavan, Margo Lanagan, Sara Douglass, Damien Broderick, Cecila Dart-Thornton, Greg Egan, Alison Goodman, Sean McMullen, Glenda Larke, Sean Williams and Justine Larbalestier. Australia has a thriving SF/ fantasy scene and two major genre awards – the Ditmars and the Aurealis. Cheryl Morgan is

Inspired by the lanscape: The arkose massif of Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the desert of central Australia.

a Hugo award-winning British science-fiction critic and publisher who lived in Melbourne for two years. She says: “Back in the 20th century it was hard for [Australian writers] to get noticed due to the tyranny of distance, though A Bertram Chandler and George Turner made names for themselves in the wider world. All that changed in

the late 1990s when the internet made it possible for Australian writers to email manuscripts to publishers around the world.”

Is there a particular “Australian voice” in the country’s speculative literature, though?

Jonathan Strahan, from Perth, runs the Coode Street podcast, which has appeared online weekly to discuss SF/fantasy

afp

matters, since 2010. He says: “It’s certainly easy to point to the impact of Australia’s colonial experience, especially in the work of Chandler and the late George Turner (see his classic The Sea and Summer). And it’s equally clear that Terry Dowling’s farfuture Rynosseros cycle is influenced by the geography of the continent, with sweeping hori-

zons and sun-bleached vistas.

“However, if I were to try to pinpoint the real impact of being Australian in a science fiction/fantasy sense I would say that it is to be cast in the role of outsider. Again and again in the science fiction of Greg Egan, Sean McMullen, Damien Broderick and in the fantasy of Lanagan, Douglass, and others, characters are alienated from landscapes – they see themselves and the places they come from as being outside the mainstream of events . . . As a culture, [Australia] is also one of the most urbanised, with 23 million or so people mostly living perched on the edge of a parched wilderness.”

Still, success for writers depends on getting on the global stage.

Ben Peek says: “Once you’re published by, say, HarperCollins in Australia, the UK division will be reluctant to take you on because you’ve already been part of their ‘market’.”

“In addition, for a first book the print runs by a mainstream press are about three to five thousand – roughly what a good indie press out of the States will do.” the guardian

Mumbai star’s lover in court over suicide THE Indian boyfriend of the late Bollywood actress Jiah Khan was to appear in a Mumbai court Tuesday on suspicion of abetting her suicide after her family found a letter in her room.

Suraj Pancholi, a 22-year-old aspiring actor, was detained on Monday, a week after his girlfriend’s body was discovered by her parents at her home.

“He is arrested for abetment to commit suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code,” Additional Police

Commissioner Vishwas Nangre-Patil told AFP. “There is a suicide note, there is a statement of her mother and some circumstantial evidence of triggering,” he said of the grounds for the arrest.

Khan, who made her debut starring opposite acting legend Amitabh Bachchan, was found dead in an apparent suicide on June 3.

The 25-year-old’s parents found a suicide note in her wallet that reports said contained details of her rela-

tionship with Pancholi. Khan, born in New York before moving to London and then Mumbai, made her Bollywood debut in 2007 with the controversial film Nishabd (No words), playing a teenager in love with her best friend’s much older father, played by Bachchan.

The movie won attention because of its provocative storyline and Khan was praised for her bold acting.

Khan, who changed her name from Nafisa Khan, went on to star alongside

actor Aamir Khan in Ghajini, a boxoffice hit.

India’s film industry reacted with shock and sadness to her death, with superstar Aamir Khan saying he was “deeply pained” to hear the news about a close family friend.

Pancholi has been taking acting lessons and was set to make his own film debut, having signed to feature in the Salman Khan movie Hero.

He has previously worked as an assistant director. afp

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In brief John Malkovich saves life of Ohio pensioner

JOHN Malkovich ‘saved the life’ of an elderly man after 77-year-old Jim Walpole fell and cut his neck open.

According to the Ohio pensioner the star of Dangerous Liaisons, Red and Being John Malkovich put pressure on his wound and said: “My name is John and you are going to be all right”.

Walpole suffered his accident while on a bus holiday to Toronto with his wife, Marilyn.

He tripped outside his hotel, fell into scaffolding and suffered a gash to the neck.

Malkovich was one of the first on the scene. “He started to press on my neck,” Walpole told the Toronto Sun. “He said he was trying to stop the bleeding.” afp

Leonardo DiCaprio set to play mystic Rasputin

LEONARDO DiCaprio is set to play the infamous Russian mystic and confidante of the Romanov Russian royal family, Rasputin, in a new biopic, reports Deadline. Studio Warner Brothers has picked up the rights to Jason Hall’s screenplay with the aim of casting the Oscar-nominated star of Django Unchained and The Aviator to take the lead role. DiCaprio reportedly likes elements of the script which centre on Rasputin’s life as a twin whose brother died early, leaving him missing the better part of himself. AFP

Black Sabbath to release new album, tour globe

FORTY-THREE years ago Black Sabbath released its debut self-titled album, a collection of songs inspired by occult themes and powered by heavy-metal guitar riffs.

Now, three of the original band members – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler – and drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine, are releasing a new album, 13, and planning to tour the world to promote it. “I never thought we’d still be going strong in 2013,” said Osbourne. reuters

18

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Health

MERS coronavirus could cause a pandemic: WHO Stephanie Nebehay

T

HE World Health Organization on Monday urged health workers around the world to be on the alert for symptoms of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which has the potential to circle the globe and cause a pandemic.

The United Nations agency, which issued new, long-awaited guidance to countries on influenza pandemics, said the world was also in the same “alert phase” for two human strains of bird flu – H5N1, which emerged a decade ago, and H7N9, first detected in China in March.

“We are trying to find out as much as we can and we are concerned about these [three] viruses,” Andrew Harper, WHO special adviser for health security and environment, told a news briefing on its new scale for pandemic risk.

The interim guidance, to be finalised later this year, incorporates lessons from the 2009/2010 pandemic of H1N1 swine flu, which caused an estimated 200,000 deaths, roughly in line with annual seasonal flu.

Having been adjusted to include the notion of severity when assessing risk, the new scale has just four phases against six previously and is intended to give countries more flexibility in judging local risks.

“International concern about these infections is high, because it is possible for this virus to move around the world. There have been now several ex-

Men wearing surgical masks as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus speak at a hospital in Khobar city in Dammam. reuters

amples where the virus has moved from one country to another through travelers,” the WHO said of MERS, which causes coughing, fever and pneumonia.

Travelers have carried the virus to Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Infected people have also been found in Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

“Consequently, all countries in the world need to ensure that their healthcare

workers are aware of the virus and the disease it can cause and that, when unexplained cases of pneumonia are identified, MERS-CoV should be considered.”

MERS-coronavirus, a distant relative of SARS that emerged in Saudi Arabia last year, has been confirmed in 55 people worldwide, killing 31 of them. Forty cases occurred in Saudi Arabia, many in a hospital in the eastern province of al-Ahsa.

“The overall number of

cases is limited but the virus causes death in about 60 percent of patients,” the WHO said, reporting on a weeklong mission of international experts to Saudi Arabia that ended on Sunday.

“So far, about 75 per cent of the cases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been in men and most have occurred in people with one or more major chronic conditions.”

But the source of the MERS virus remained unknown, it said. Clusters of cases have

occurred in families and health facilities, indicating a limited capacity to spread among people in close contact with an infected person, it said.

All countries in the Middle East should urgently intensify disease surveillance to detect any infections, it said.

The WHO has not yet drawn up advice for Travelers ahead of the annual haj pilgrimage in October, which draws millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia. reuters

Threats to health as China grows rich THE Chinese are increasingly facing diseases of affluence such as cancer, according to a study to be published Saturday in a leading medical journal, with threats to health including diet, pollution and city living.

The trends identified in The Lancet, mined from data from 1990 to 2010, illustrate the human impact of China’s speedy development and urbanisation.

“Looking back to 1990, China had a health profile very similar to much of the developing world, including countries such as Vietnam or Iraq,” said one of three institutes involved in the study.

“It now looks more like the US, UK or Australia in some respects,” the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said in a statement.

Among the advances, The Lancet said, were “striking declines in fertility and child mortality and increases in life expectancy at birth”.

China’s life expectancy has risen from 69.3 in 1990 to 75.7 to 2010, lifting it one spot to 12th place among G20 countries.

Child deaths saw a dramatic drop over the same period from one million to 213,000.

But new health troubles were emerging as more people lived longer and in cities – which could bring better medical care but also more pollution and a sedentary lifestyle.

Leading causes of health problems in China now include stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low back pain and road injury. afp

Diet change could boost prostate cancer survival

Healthy fats like those in olive oil, as well as nuts and vegetables, could help improve the chances of survival in men with prostate cancer, according to the results of a new study. bloomberg

MEN who ate more healthy fats from vegetables, nuts and olive oil after a diagnosis of prostate cancer saw better survival rates than peers whose diets were unchanged, a US study said Monday.

The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA) Internal Medicine suggest that dietary improvements can be an important way to lower the death risk among men whose prostate cancer has not spread.

“Consumption of healthy oils and nuts increases plasma antioxidants and reduces insulin and inflammation, which may deter prostate cancer progression,” said lead author Erin Richman, a postdoctoral scholar in the University of California San Francisco Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

The study involved 4,577

men who had been diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer between 1986 and 2010.

Researchers found that men who replaced 10 per cent of their total daily calories from carbohydrates with healthy vegetable fats had a 29 per cent lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

They also had a 26 per cent lower risk of dying from all causes.

The effects were seen even in small changes: adding one tablespoon of oil-based dressing per day was associated with a 29 per cent lower risk of lethal prostate cancer and a 13 per cent lower risk of death in those patients.

Adding one ounce of nuts per day was linked to an 18 percent lower risk of lethal prostate cancer and an 11 per cent lower death risk.

Healthy vegetable fats included olive and canola oils,

nuts, seeds and avocados.

“The beneficial effects of unsaturated fats and harmful effects of saturated and trans fats on cardiovascular health are well known,” Richman said.

“Now our research has shown additional potential benefits of consuming unsaturated fats among men with prostate cancer.”

About 2.5 million men are living with prostate cancer in the United States, and nearly 30,000 are expected to die from it this year.

Although one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, most do not die from it.

In the JAMA study, less than a quarter of participants – a total of 1,064 men – died during the research period: 31 per cent from cardiovascular disease, 21 per cent from prostate cancer and 21 per cent from other cancers. afp

19

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Travel PREAH SIHANOUK - SIEM REAP Flighs Days Dep Arrival K6 130 1-3-5 12:55 13:55

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULE FROM PHNOM PENH Flighs

Days

Dep

TO PHNOM PENH Arrival

PHNOM PENH - BANGKOK

Flighs

Days

Dep

Arrival

BANGKOK - PHNOM PENH

K6 720

Daily

12:05

01:10

K6 721

Daily

02:25

03:30

PG 938

Daily

06:40

08:15

PG 931

Daily

07:55

09:05

PG 932

Daily

09:55

11:10

TG 580

Daily

07:55

09:05

TG 581

Daily

10:05

11:10

PG 933

Daily

13:30

14:40

PG 934

Daily

15:30

16:40

FD 3616

Daily

15:15

16:20

FD 3617

Daily

17:05

18:15

PG 935

Daily

17:30

18:40

PG 936

Daily

19:30

20:40

TG 584

Daily

18:25

19:40

TG 585

Daily

20:40

21:45

PG 937

Daily

20:15

21:50

PHNOM PENH - BEIJING CZ 324

Daily

BEIJING - PHNOM PENH 08:00

16:05

CZ 323

Daily

14:30

20:50

PHNOM PENH - DOHA ( Via HCMC)

DOHA - PHNOM PENH ( Via HCMC)

QR 605

1.2..5.6

22:35

05:15+1

QR 604

1.2..5.6

08:00

21:00

QR 603

..34..7

15:50

22:25

QR 602

..3.4..7

01:25

14:20

PHNOM PENH - GUANGZHOU Daily

08:00

11:40

CZ 6059

2.4.7

12:00

13:45

CZ 6060

2.4.7

14:45

18:10

CZ 323

Daily

19:05

20:50

09:40

13:00

PHNOM PENH - HANOI Daily

17:30

20:35

VN 841

Daily

HO CHI MINH CITY - PHNOM PENH

VN 841

Daily

14:00

14:45

VN 920

Daily

15:50

16:30

VN 3856

Daily

19:20

20:05

VN 3857

Daily

18:00

18:45

PHNOM PENH - HONG KONG 1.2.4.7

11:25

15:05

KA 208

1.2.4.6.7 08:50

10:25

KA 207

6

11:45

22:25

KA 206

3.5.7

14:30

16:05

KA 209

1

18:30

22:05

KA 206

1

15:25

17:00

KA 209

3.5.7

17:25

21:00

KA 206

2

15:50

17:25

KA 205

2

19:00

22:35

PHNOM PENH - INCHEON Daily

23:40

06:40

KE 689

Daily

18:30

22:20

OZ 740

Daily

23:50

06:50

OZ 739

Daily

19:10

22:50

PHNOM PENH - KUALA LUMPUR

5J - CEBU Airways.

MH - Malaysia Airlines

2 Tuesday

AK - Air Asia

MI - SilkAir

3 Wednesday

BR - EVA Airways

OZ - Asiana Airlines

4 Thursday

CI - China Airlines

PG - Bangkok Airways

5 Friday

CZ - China Southern

QR - Qatar Airways

6 Saturday

FD - Thai Air Asia

QV - Lao Airlines

7 Sunday

FM - Shanghai Air

SQ - Singapore Airlines

K6- Cambodia Angkor Air

TG - Thai Airways | VN - Vietnam Airlines

This flight schedule information is updated about once a month. Further information, please contact direct to airline or a travel agent for flight schedule information.

AIRLINES

KUALA LUMPUR - PHNOM PENH

AK 1473

Daily

08:35

11:20

AK 1474

Daily

15:15

16:00

MH 755

Daily

11:10

14:00

MH 754

Daily

09:30

10:20

MH 763

Daily

17:10

20:00

MH 762

Daily

3:20

4:10

20:05

06:05

PHNOM PENH- PARIS

PHNOM PENH - PARIS 20:05

06:05

PHNOM PENH - SHANGHAI 2.3.4.5.7

1 Monday

INCHEON - PHNOM PENH

KE 690

FM 833

KA - Dragon Air

HONG KONG - PHNOM PENH

KA 207

2

COLOUR CODE

2817 - 16 Tigerairways

HANOI - PHNOM PENH

PHNOM PENH - HO CHI MINH CITY

AF 273

AIRLINES CODE

GUANGZHOU - PHNOM PENH

CZ 324

VN 840

SIEM REAP - PREAH SIHANOUK Flighs Days Dep Arrival K6 131 1-3-5 11:20 12:20

19:50

AF 273

2

SHANGHAI - PHNOM PENH 23:05

PHNOM PENH - SINGAPORE

FM 833

2.3.4.5.7 19:30

22:40

SINGAPORE - PHNOM PENH

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Tel: 023 881 178/77-718-333 Fax: (+855)-23-886-677 E: mai@royalaviationexpert.com

Jetstar Asia (3K) PP: No. 333B Monivong Blvd.

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MI 601

1.3.5.6.7

09:30 12:30

MI 602

1.3.5.6.7 07:40

08:40

MI 622

2.4

12:20

15:20

MI 622

2.4

08:40

11:25

3K 594

1.3.6

12:35

15:55

3K 593

1.3.6

10:40

11:50

3K 599

2.4.7

17:25

20:25

3K 591

5

18:45

20:00

3K 592

5

20:45

23:45

3K 591

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20:00

MI 607

Daily

18:10

21:10

MI 608

Daily

16:20

17:15

2817

1.3

16:40

19:40

2816

1.3

15:00

15:50

2817

2.4.5

09:10

12:00

2816

2.4.5

07:20

08:10

2817

6

14:50

17:50

2816

6

13:00

14:00

2817

7

13:20

16:10

2816

7

11:30

12:30

09:10

11:35

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PP-BANGKOK

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3. 6

YANGON - PHNOM PENH 20:10

21:35

8M 403

3. 6

16:45

FROM SIEM REAP

TO SIEM REAP

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Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, a popular tourist site. Recent protests in the city, Turkey’s capital, have raised safety concerns. bloomberg

Istanbul in tumult: is it safe to visit?

I

CAN’T recall when I first heard about the protests in Istanbul. It may have been just before my flight from New York City took off, maybe I caught a glimpse of CNN en route or learned about them in speaking with a colleague at the business conference I would be covering.

The conference I was covering for Entrepreneur.com was the annual Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network event, which gathers more than 150 entrepreneurs from 14 different countries. Many attendees expressed concern for their safety. If Taksim Square was overflowing with protesters, would they even be able to take in the breathtaking sights of the Blue Mosque or the Ayasofya Mosque? Or maybe they wouldn’t get the opportunity to bargain over silk rugs and hand-woven towels at the famed Grand Bazaar?

Some Turkish women entrepreneurs found the conference an ideal platform for broadcasting their solidarity with the antigovernment protests, which kicked off peacefully in Taksim Square’s Gezi Park May 28 but turned violent in the days since.

For me, I have to admit to feeling scepticism. While I had received the multiple US State Department travel warnings in the past few days, which I read with the intensity with which a starving person might devour a home-cooked meal, I felt insulated. Not only is the five-star hotel where the conference was held located in a remote fishing village, Dell was in the driver’s seat. I knew that the Austin, Texas-based company wouldn’t take any chances on risking the safety of conference goers.

I couldn’t maintain that blasé attitude for long. Protesters took to the streets near the hotel where I stayed on at least two occasions over the week. They caused traffic jams and sleep loss as they banged pots and chanted during the wee hours.

I also began to hear stories about conference goers caught up in the tumult. One attendee claimed a tear gas canister had been thrown at her. Though she was unharmed, she called the experience “frightening”. Dell cancelled an excursion to the Grand Bazaar.

The protests had also expanded into multiple cities, as the reasons behind them widened to include anti-consumerist and anti-government ideologies. As the days flew by, and more and more groups joined the fray, the reality of contending with a prolonged situation set in.

After the conference wrapped up, my husband and I moved to an apartment. He had joined me in Istanbul two days prior.

The apartment is near the Galata Bridge, which connects the newer and older parts of Istanbul. The protests wouldn’t be 15 kilometres away but just outside our window. The Galata neighbourhood is also just a tram stop away from Taksim Square, though things so far have been calm.

While calm is good and calm is safe, just being here is to see real people expressing their ideals in a place that has inspired praise from authors and heads of state.

Even Napoleon Bonaparte praised the cosmopolitan city: “If the world were a single state, Istanbul would have been its capital.” reuters

20

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Entertainment NOW SHOWING

Philippine bash @ Memphis

legend cinema

Join the Philippine Independence Day Party tonight at Memphis Bar on Riverside. Cambodia-based expats will play covers and original classics from the country.

EPIC A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world − and ours.

9:30am

The lineup features alternative rock band Adobo Conspiracy, indie punk Jaworski 7 and Michael Coronel playing Filipino classical music (kundiman). Free entry.

FAST AND FURIOUS 6 Hobbs has Dom and Brian reassemble their crew in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organisation of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all.

9:30am, 2:10pm, 7pm, 9pm

Memphis, #3, Street 118, 9pm

Trivia @ The Willow Test your trivia prowess at one of Phnom Penh’s biggest trivia nights.

NOW YOU SEE ME An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

4:40pm, 9:30pm STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

12pm

cineplex cinema

Set among orchids and potted plants in The Willow’s pretty courtyard, up to $100 in prize money can be won. Entry is $2, with a maximum of seven people per team.

The Willow, #1 Street 21, 7:30pm

TV PICKS

EPIC (See above.)

1pm FAST AND FURIOUS 6 (See above) 3:45pm, 8:20pm PEE MAK Adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. Some time during the Rattanakosin Kingdom, Mak becomes a soldier and has to leave his pregnant wife Nak at home in Phra Khanong.

In the distant frontline he meets four soldiers who become his best friends.

9:15am, 10am, 11:15am, 1:15pm, 3:15pm, 5:15pm, 6:45pm, 8:50pm

Blood donation @ Sofitel

Celebrate Philippine Independence today with the country's sizeable expat population. REUTERS

8:50am – DA VINCI'S DEMONS: Written by David S Goyer, the series follows the “untold” story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years in Renaissance Florence. FOX MOVIES

Today is the 10th annual World Blood Donor Day, and to mark the occasion Sofitel hotel will hold a blood collection event from 8am until 4pm, with a target of more than 250 donations.

12:55pm – WARRIOR: The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his older brother. FOX MOVIES

Sofitel Phnom Penh, 25 Old Auguste Site, Sothearos Boulevard, 8am

8pm – BRAVE: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.

FOX MOVIES

Laura Haddock as a sultry Lucrezia Donati in Da Vinci's Demons. BLOOMBERG

11:50pm – 21 JUMP STREET: A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring. FOX MOVIES

Film @ Meta House Piasechi Poulsen’s hard-hitting documentary Blood in the Mobile shows us the appalling price paid in Africa, particularly the DR of Congo, to sate our obsession for mobile phones.

Meta House, Sothearos Boulevard, 7pm

Thinking caps “THIRSTY?” ACROSS

DOWN

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

39 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

1 5 9 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 29 31 34 35 36 37 40

It’s tender, legally Proclaim profanely English test segment, perhaps Former wide receiver Jerry The “A” of ABM Allotted portion Aroma Mountain goat’s perch 200 milligrams Excellent excuse Calendar abbr.

“Tarzan” extra Squirrel’s tidbits Bishop of Rome Handle clumsily Aristotle’s forte In person Bummed-out color?

Something to dive for James who wrote “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” Soon, to a bard Heirloom location Bro’s sibling ___ Bator (Mongolia’s capital) Address Eliminate Pastoral sound Topic of many comedies It’s spotted in westerns Wise one Open carriage Shine Cottontail’s tail With the greatest of ___ “My pet” Like Santa’s cheeks Aardvark fare

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 35 36 38

53 54 55 56

Boast Verdi’s classic opera Sean Connery, for one “Catch!”

Desert sight Strip of gear Alone Lovelorn utterance Break Fissile rock Indian wraparound garment Jeddah resident Abominable Snowman Russian alternative Become narrower Some sports cars, for short Literally, “dwarf dog” Curved moldings Bread can do it Mountain climber’s tool Tandoor, for one Bit of chinaware Goldfinger’s first name Screen siren Raquel Turner of “Peyton Place” ___ noire (fearsome entity) “Where’s ___?” (children’s book series) Southern fruit tree Wicked It should come first Banana oil, e.g.

Counterfeit Acted like Prix ___ (menu listing) Machu Picchu dweller SALT I signer Food once hawked by a Chihuahua On open waters Comparative word “___ of Eden” Some bakery loaves

Tuesday’s solution

Tuesday’s solution

21

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Sport

Taking a peak A woman takes pictures at the top of Pikes Peak mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains within Pike National Forest, 16 kilometres west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday. The mountain is not only a national landmark but is also home of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak. The track measures 20 kilometres with more than 156 turns, climbing 1,440 metres from the start to the finish with grades averaging seven per cent. AFP

Badminton’s bad boy set to bow out Froome wins Tour

Indonesia’s former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat will this week bring down the curtain on a colourful career which made him one of badminton’s biggest stars and an icon in his home country.

The 31-year-old will receive a rapturous and emotional send-off at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, a tournament he has won six times.

However, Hidayat’s chances of bowing out with a seventh win are low, with no major titles to his name in recent years and facing a tough field that includes the world number one and

two, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long of China.

And fans who had been hoping for one last showdown between Hidayat and his arch-rival Lin Dan were left disappointed after the Chinese star pulled out last week.

Hidayat – who famously wept at Athens 2004 as he was awarded Indonesia’s first Olympic gold medal – said he hoped spectators would support him “all the way, whatever the result is”. He will start against a qualifier today.

But the 2005 world champion is giving little away about his retirement

plans, telling AFP: “I will remain focused on helping develop badminton, but the details are still secret.”

Hidayat is renowned for his fiery temper and earlier in his career, he was notorious as the bad boy of badminton, drawing comparisons with outspoken tennis great John McEnroe.

Hidayat reportedly attacked a spectator at the 2001 national championships, and he also walked out of a match during the 2002 Asian Games – which he later won – in a dispute over line-judging.

Likewise, in 2006, the reigning Olym-

pic champion stormed out of a match with Lin in Hong Kong after complaining about the line-judging. According to reports, he was also involved in a carpark scuffle during the 2004 Thomas and Uber Cup in Jakarta.

But a repeat of such incidents are unlikely at the Indonesia Open, which runs until Sunday in Jakarta, with prize money of $700,000 across all categories.

Lee and Chen are the favourites to win the men’s title. Last year’s winner, Indonesia’s Simon Santoso, has pulled out, reportedly over a hip injury. AFP

Judo boss in clean-up fight T

he world judo chief urged Japan on Monday to clean up its act after the sport was sullied in its birthplace by scandals, including abusive coaching, misuse of funds and sexual harassment.

International Judo Federation (IJF) president Marius Vizer told a news conference in Tokyo that Japan’s judo authority needed to shape up because he is aiming to raise the sport’s profile in the Olympics with reforms.

“The IJF follows carefully the present situation in Japanese judo,” he said. “The IJF with the All-Japan Judo Federation will do our best to clean up the situation and start with new reforms and new development in Japanese judo.”

Japan’s judo community was rocked in February when the coach of the national

women’s team was found to have used a bamboo sword to beat athletes, calling his charges “ugly” and telling them to “die” in the run-up to the London Olympics. The coach resigned later.

In April, judo officials were accused of receiving subsidies for coaches from a government fund although they did not serve as coaches.

Then the Japanese federation said last month it was considering expelling Jiro Fukuda, 76, for life following the revelation that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a female athlete in 2011.

Vizer said the IJF had given the Japanese federation until October 15 to submit a full report on the incidents and that the IJF would take appropriate action against any illegal acts.

Vizer, an Austrian businessman who became the IJF president in 2007, was visiting

IJF president Marius Vizer (right) at a press conference with All Japan Judo Federation president Haruki Uemira in Tokyo on Monday. aFp

Tokyo after his May election as president of SportAccord, an umbrella organisation for all international sports federations.

He said the visit was partly

aimed at grasping the “situation” in Japan as his organisation wants to persuade the International Olympic Committee to allow a team competition to be added to the

judo program for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The 2016 program will be decided at an IOC session in Buenos Aires in September.

“We have a great chance to go with the teams to the Rio Olympics,” said Vizer, 55, who is credited with promoting judo as a more visible international sport by establishing a full world tour, introducing world rankings and modifying rules.

He said the IJF’s efforts in the last four or five years had helped judo go up in a new revenue-sharing ranking of Olympic sports in five categories by which IOC fund allotments for the Rio Olympics are distributed.

In late May, the IOC executive board promoted judo to the third tier from the fourth tier. The top flight consists of athletics, swimming and gymnastics. AFP

tune-up

British rider Chris Froome reinforced his status as favourite for this year’s Tour de France on Sunday when he won the testing warm-up race, the Criterium du Dauphine.

The 28-year-old, second behind Team Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins in last year’s Tour de France, claimed victory after Italian Alessandro de Marchi won the 155.5km eighth and final stage from Sisteron to Risoul.

Froome, Kenyan-born and brought up in South Africa but who has ridden with a British licence since 2008, was followed in the overall standings

by Sky team-mate Richie Porte of Australia, who finished 58 seconds in arrears.

However, Froome dismissed suggestions he was favourite for the Tour. “No, I do not consider myself the ‘favourite’ for the Tour,” he said. “I have won the Dauphine, and other races before, but the counter is back to zero when the Tour starts.

There will be six to seven main contenders for overall victory.

“The names? Contador, Valverde, Rodriguez, Evans, Van Garderen, Quintana, Porte. . .,” commented Froome.

Spain’s two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador had a miserable stage, falling on the descent from the col de Vars before sacrificing his chances for a consolation stage win by waiting for Australian team-mate Michael Rogers who got into diificulty on the final climb. AFP

22

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Sport

Racing legend Cecil dies of cancer at age of 70

English champion racehorse trainer Henry Cecil, who triumphed a record 75 times at Royal Ascot, died of cancer yesterday at the age of 70. “It is with great sadness that Warren Place Stables confirms the passing of Sir Henry Cecil earlier this morning,” said a statement on the Newmarket trainer’s official website sirhenrycecil.com. Following communication with the British Horseracing Authority, a temporary licence will be allocated to Lady Cecil,” it added. In his later years, the 10-times champion trainer looked after Frankel, the highest-rated racehorse in the world who was unbeaten in 14 starts before retirement last year with almost three million pounds ($4.66 million) in earnings from 14 victories.

REUterS

Aussie captain Clarke to miss out on Kiwi clash

Australia captain Michael Clarke will miss today’s ICC Champions Trophy match against New Zealand as he continues to struggle with a lower back injury. The batsman missed Saturday’s opening loss to England due to the complaint and Cricket Australia has now confirmed that he will not feature against the Black Caps.The 32-yearold’s continuing problems with the long-standing injury will cast further doubts over his availability for the remainder of the tournament and this summer’s Ashes, which begin on 10 July at Trent Bridge. The Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said: “Michael is continuing to have intensive treatment in London.” tHE GUARDIAN

Five-star Jadeja stalls Windies R

avindra Jadeja picked up a careerbest 5-36 as India kept the West Indies down to 233-9 in a key Champions Trophy match at the Oval on Tuesday.

The left-arm spinner took three wickets for five runs in 14 balls to reduce the West Indies from a comfortable 103-1 to 109-4 after India won the toss on a grim, overcast day in London.

Johnson Charles smashed 60 off 55 balls, but it was a brilliant unbeaten 56 from 35 balls by former captain Darren Sammy towards the end that boosted the total.

Sammy plundered five boundaries and four sixes to lift his side from 182-9, making all the 35 runs from the last two overs as last man Kemar Roach watched from the nonstriker’s end without scoring.

With both teams having won their opening matches, the winner will step closer to booking one of the two semifinal spots from group B. India won the initial battle by getting rid of danger man Chris Gayle in the fifth over, caught at slip off Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, after he had scored 21 of the first 25 runs.

But Charles took over, reaching 50 from 46 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six as the West Indies raced to 91-1 in the 17th over.

Charles brought up his team’s 100 in the 19th over by lofting Ravichandran Aswin for a six, but fell six balls later when he was leg-before to Jadeja.

Jadeja won a leg-before decision from the television um-

pire to remove Marlon Samuels and then had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught down the legside by Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the West Indies slipped from 103-1 to 109-4.

Left-hander Darren Bravo scored a watchful 35 off 83 balls when he attempted to loft Ashwin, missed the line and was stumped by Dhoni to make the West Indies 140-5.

Kieron Pollard, kept scoreless for the first 10 balls, opened with two consecutive sixes off Ashwin before holing out in the deep off Ishant Sharma after making 22.

India retained the same side that defeated South Africa in Cardiff last Thursday.

The West Indies were without wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, who was handed a two-match ban for claiming a dropped catch during his team’s victory over Pakistan at the Oval on Friday. Sammy replaced Ramdin in the side, with Charles picked to keep wickets.

Meanwhile, ahead of today’s game, New Zealand seamer Tim Southee said yesterday that his side would take nothing for granted when they face Australia in the Champions Trophy at Edgbaston.

The Black Caps come into the Group A clash on the back of a nail-biting one-wicket win over Sri Lanka, whereas defending champions Australia, who beat New Zealand in the 2009 final, suffered a 48run loss to hosts England at Edgbaston last week.

New Zealand have doubts, over the fitness of veteran left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who ended a lengthy

It’s your move, plan carefully.

Tigran Petrosian v Kozali 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

a

b

c

White to play and win

d

e

f

g

h

Solution on page 23

Moving house? Call 023 880 951 or visit www.asiantigersgroup.com for more information

India’s Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after dismissing West Indies’ Johnson Charles as umpire Aleem Dar signals during the ICC Champions Trophy group B match at The Oval yesterday. REUTERS

lay-off with an achilles injury against Sri Lanka. Vettori will be re-assessed on Wednesday – all-rounder Grant Elliott has already been ruled out with a tight calf – but New Zealand showed they could triumph without their former captain in a recent 2-1 one-day series win over England.

New Zealand, who have not played an ODI against Australia since a defeat at the 2011 World Cup in Nagpur, have lost five out of their last seven matches at this level against their trans-Tasman rivals.

“We know that they’re a good side, and there’s the whole rivalry between New Zealand and Australia that sort of both sides tend to lift a little bit when you play against each other,” Southee said at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

With the likes of Shane

Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, having retired in recent years, Australia are not the intimidating force of old.

“I think you have to understand that the players that left were exceptional, and you’re not going to replace them overnight,” said Southee, who made a crucial 13 not out against Sri Lanka said.

“But they’ve still got some great players; you look at [Shane] Watson and (David) Warner, and on their day they can tear a side apart, and their bowlers, someone like Clint McKay, who’s got a great one day record.”

Having seen the team win one-day series in both South Africa and England, the 24-year-old Southee was confident that New Zealand

were making progress.

“We’ve shown glimpses in the last six months of what we are capable of, the one day series win in South Africa against them and then also the series win over here against England is a massive step in the right direction.”

Today’s match promises to be particularly special for New Zealand-born ex-Australia wicketkeeper and batsman Luke Ronchi, now representing the Black Caps having grown up in Perth, Western Australia.

The 32-year-old’s best score in four ODI innings for New Zealand is 22 but Southee said: “I don’t think he has to prove himself to us. We know he’s a good player. He’s turned out a truckload of runs in domestic cricket since he’s been in New Zealand.” AFP

Button pessimistic as to McLaren’s chances Jenson Button is no longer certain that McLaren can win a race this season – and he has written off the team’s chances of victory at Silverstone this month.

That is the bleak but pragmatic assessment of one of the most respected drivers in Formula One. It shows how much work McLaren have ahead of them before they can rejoin the group of leading teams.

After failing to win a point in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren are back in sixth place in the constructors’ championship and falling further behind the much smaller but well organised Force India team, unthinkable at the start of the season.

McLaren’s form is a bitter disappointment for Button, who believed he had a chance of winning a second world title. His hopes were enhanced when Lewis Hamilton left to join unfancied Mercedes.

But after finishing 12th in Montreal, Button is a hopeless 107 points behind the world champion and current leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull – and he is 52 points behind fourth-placed Hamilton.

McLaren have always said they will be capable of winning races this season – there are 12 left. But Button was brutally honest when he said: “No one knows the answer to that. It’s pointless for me to try and answer. I don’t know if we’re going to win a race this year.”

When he was asked about the British Grand Prix he said: “Going to Silverstone we’re looking to have a much better result than that. We do have some parts on the car which should help us. But it’s not going help us get to the front.

“The fans in the UK are amazing. We’re not going to get the result I’m sure all the Brits want, and we want. But we will fight on and do the best we can. There are no positives from this weekend. The one positive is that Silverstone is a different circuit.”

McLaren admit they got their tyre strategy wrong on Sunday and that they should have started on the prime tyre. They also say that they should have pushed harder on their prime because it was more durable and quicker than they had anticipated.

Button agrees with that but

he says that even a better strategy would not have made much difference. “The pace isn’t there,” he said. “We could have been in the points. But even then we would have been eighth, ninth or 10th. We still would have been lapped by the leaders. That’s the shocker, really. We still wouldn’t have been quick, but we could have had a better race.”

But Button is still backing McLaren to produce a more competitive car. He said: “I’m still in a great team, probably the best team to find your way out of a situation like this. It will happen. It just takes time.

“We have a lot of talented people in this team, people who will find answers, and find a way back to the front.

And it will be so much sweeter when it happens.”

But Paul di Resta, who is nine points ahead of Button in the drivers’ championship, says Force India are determined to stay ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ table. “We have come away scoring more points than the team we want to beat and that is McLaren,” he said. THE GUARDIAN

23

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Football

Mourinho now ‘Happy One’ T Daniel Taylor

here was a moment, away from all the cameras, when Jose Mourinho could sit down and try to put into words what has changed at the age of 50. “More grey hair,” he began. Then he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of reading glasses. “And these . . . ” The new José, he told us.

Older, wiser. Less confrontational, more clued-up. “Humble” was the word he used.

Well, until the moment he was reminded of the time, at one of his first Chelsea press conferences, he had lifted his hand above his head to show approximately where he regarded his own ego.

Did he still feel the same? “Of course,” he replied, and for the first time he cracked a smile.

“I’m still very confident. But, at the same time, I’m more stable, more mature.

“If I was a proud guy because of what I did before, now I’ve done more. I’ve been at Inter Milan, Real Madrid, I’ve won titles. The only thing that affects me is the glasses, man. After that, I’m happier than ever.”

That was one of the 18 times the soft-focus, best-behaviour Mourinho used the word “stable” or “stability”. And if you didn’t know the man, you might have wondered why Chelsea had received more press applications than for a single match at Stamford Bridge last season.

It might have passed you by that, a couple of months before Roman Abramovich moved him out in 2007, Mourinho had gone for the same line about “mellow Mourinho”. Or that the reason Manchester United and Manchester City overlooked him was because he could not guarantee the one thing he now promised: stability.

The only flicker of irritation came afterwards, having left the bedlam of the Harris Suite, when it was pointed out to

Chelsea football club’s new manager, Jose Mourinho, leaves after addressing a press conference at Stamford Bridge, in London, on Monday. AFP

him that the man he had just described was not the guy we had seen at Madrid. You remember the one: the manager who poked Tito Vilanova in the eye, the acrimony with the Spanish media, the breakdown in his relations with all those modern-day galacticos and, finally, the long, drawnout break-up.

Mourinho took that to mean a specific reference to Iker Casillas. “A football decision, nothing else,” he said.

“The same decision Sir Alex [Ferguson] made by leaving Wayne Rooney on the bench when they played Madrid in the Champions League. The same thing for me to leave [Marco] Materazzi on the bench when he was a God at Inter – decisions that every manager makes around the world, based on meritocracy.

After that, I can sleep at night.

“But the Real Madrid captain . . . that was a problem for the media. For them, a meritocracy doesn’t exist. Some guys are untouchable. They can be injured for three months but, when they’re back, there’s no respect for the other guy who has come in.

“The goalkeeper [Diego Lopez] played more than 20

matches in three months.

Real won at Old Trafford because that goalkeeper was man of the match. But people wanted Casillas back after three months out, with two training sessions. That was it.

They wanted him back. Like that [swats his hand].”

Point made. The Happy One, as he wanted to be known, glossed over the fact his fallouts at the Bernabeu were not just restricted to Casillas.

But he still had that disarming knack, as implausible as some of it was (there was never a fallout with Abramovich, apparently), of sounding like he believed every word.

He mentioned being “happy” that Arsene Wenger was still around, but it did not carry the read-between-the-lines mischief of old. As for David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini, there were kind, supportive words – “good decisions, good decisions” – and only a passing reference to the fact Moyes had never managed in the Champions League “so people can’t expect him to be a fish in water”. Mourinho, of course, has managed “I think, 108 matches” at that level.

On Chelsea, he said he would not talk about Rafael

Benitez’s time in charge. That, too, wavered a little with his assessment of the squad.

“Europa League winners can be analysed in two ways. One way: you won it. The other way: why did you win it? You won it because you didn’t get through the group phase of the Champions League. You don’t have teams like Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League . . .”

What is clear is that he fits more snugly into English football than its Spanish counterpart. “I don’t enjoy too much winning 6-0. I don’t enjoy a league where you are against one team and it is about 90 points, 92 points, 96 points, 100 points; 100 goals, 110 goals, 120 goals. The number of points Barcelona got last season, finishing second, they would win every other league with this number. The same with Real this season.

“It’s a two-horse race, and that is a big difference with English football. But also, I missed the mentality of the 90 minutes in England, pushing everybody to the maximum, playing the extra competition [the League Cup], 60 matches, 70 matches, three matches in a row, the Christmas period,

the Easter period. Fantastic.

“I’m not saying it’s right, I just love it. Sometimes you love things that aren’t right.

But would I prefer to have a week’s holiday in Christmas?

I went to New York two years ago, last year Brazil. But I’d prefer to play. I was envious at home, watching the Premier League. Envy. Total envy. Is it right playing four consecutive matches? Probably not.

But I love it.”

This was the point at which he was asked how the Premier League compared now to his previous stint. “In terms of quality, I don’t think it’s better. In terms of quality, we all have to work together to raise the level. But in terms of competitiveness, it’s harder.

“Last time, everyone knew it would be between Chelsea, United and Arsenal. Now City have appeared with this fantastic economical power. Tottenham had a very good period with Harry [Redknapp], reaching fourth spot, playing Champions League, going up and up and up.

“André [Villas-Boas] did a good job and they have conditions to fight for the Premier League, not just a Champions League spot. And Liverpool. I know Brendan [Rodgers] and I know he can do it. I know his ideas, his project, and Liverpool will go up, too. So there are six teams. Who’s going to be first, who’s going to be sixth? I don’t know.”

And therein lies the problem. What happens if Chelsea finish second or worse when, historically, that tends to mean one thing with Abramovich: the sack? “I don’t need anybody to push me to have that ambition [winning the title].

“I’ve enough motivation and self-esteem myself, enough desire to do it. But if we don’t do it, yet show we’re moving in the right direction, I think we’ll be champions in the second season. I don’t think it’s a drama. I’d expect to be here to win it in that second season. Of course.”

THE GUARDIAN

Brazil deserve top marks, says minister Brazil’s preparations to host this month’s Confederations Cup deserve high marks, despite criticism over everything from delayed stadium projects to chaotic ticket de-livery, the sports minister said on Monday.

“I’d give us a nine” out of 10, Aldo Rebelo said on a conference call with foreign media. “We’ve been able to deliver all the stadiums but we could have delivered them sooner to allow for the realisation of more test events.

“Apart from that, all the requirements were executed in accordance with expectations,” he added.

Four of the six stadiums that will host Confederations Cup matches were delivered late, including Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracanã, whose immediate surroundings still look like a construction site. The Maracana will host the final.

Ticketing has also been an issue.

Some fans complained FIFA asked them to pick up their match tickets weeks after the games are scheduled

to take place. Others were given handwritten notes and told to come back and pick up their tickets later.

The two-week tournament is considered an important test run for next year’s World Cup and features the hosts along with Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, Tahiti and Uruguay.

It kicks off in Brasilia on Saturday when Brazil face Japan in one of the most expensive venues. The National Stadium holds 70,000 but the capital has no top football clubs and the arena is a candidate to be one of a handful of white elephants.

Rebelo dismissed those concerns, saying stadiums in remote cities such as Cuiaba and Manaus can be used to hold concerts and other shows as well as soccer matches.

“People who question the stadiums of Brasilia, Manaus and Cuiaba have no idea what these metropolises are, they don’t know they are important cities,” Rebelo said.

“These stadiums have been con-

ceived as multi-purpose arenas.

They will be much more than football pitches.”

Rebelo also said public transport was not an issue as visitors arrive for the Confederations Cup. Although Brazil’s rickety airports and underdeveloped transport systems have not received the promised upgrades, that is expected to be more of a problem for next year’s World Cup than this month’s warm-up tournament.

Only three per cent of Confederations Cup tickets were sold to foreigners with up to 25,000 overseas visitors expected to attend the matches. The number of people visiting Brazil for next year’s World Cup is expected to exceed 500,000.

The Confederations Cup is a biennial competition played by teams from each of world football’s governing confederations – UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC and OFC.Brazil are to be joined by Spain, Nigeria, Italy,

Japan, Mexico, Uruguay and Tahiti.

Brazil scrapped their way to a flattering 3-0 friendly win over France on Sunday in an ugly, disjointed match against opponents who are even worse off than themselves.

Second-half goals from Oscar, Hernanes and Lucas gave the under-fire Confederations Cup hosts a timely pretournament tonic in the city where coach Luiz Felipe Scolari built his reputation.

Brazil, who ended a six-match, 21-year winless run against France, had gone into the game under enormous pressure after only one win in six outings since Scolari returned for a second stint in the job last November.

While the result, if not the performance, will give Brazil some relief, France were left to face the long flight back from their brief South American tour reflecting on their fourth defeat in five matches this year and their fifth in 11 outings under Didier Deschamps.

REUTERS

Fabregas adamant he wants to stay in Spain

CESC Fabregas has insisted he wants to stay at Barcelona amid reports that Manchester United are interested in bringing him back to England.

The 26-year-old midfielder told the Spanish radio station Onda Cero that he wants to continue “living the dream” at the Camp Nou. Former United full-back Denis Irwin has claimed that the Premier League champions “are going to move heaven and earth” to try to land the player but Fabregas said he was in the dark as regards any interest from United. Fabregas has endured mixed fortunes at Barcleona, being frequently played out of position and occasionally being the butt of the crowd’s displeasure. THE GUARDIAN

South Korea’s Son set to join Bayer Leverkusen

South Korea striker Son Heung-min is likely to join Bayer Leverkusen in the coming days, the sporting director at his current club Hamburg, Oliver Kreuzer, said yesterday. “We think that the transfer should be completed in the next few days.

I’m working on the principle that Son will go to Leverkusen,” he said. Son will turn 21 on July 8 and has already let it be known that he wants to join Leverkusen, whose third-place finish in the Bundesliga last season earned them a Champions League spot. The transfer could net Hamburg $13.2 million, freeing up Leverkusen to allow their Germany international Andre Schuerrle to join Chelsea. AFP

Rodgers to Kop second signing in Celta’s Aspas

Liverpool are close to completing their second signing of the summer after Iago Aspas arrived on Merseyside to finalise his $10 million move from Celta Vigo. The 25-year-old forward travelled to Liverpool on Monday and will undergo a medical on Tuesday before sealing the transfer from his boyhood club.

He will become the second addition to Brendan Rodgers’s squad this summer, with Kolo Toure’s free transfer agreed once his Manchester City contract expires. THE GUARDIAN

CAS turn down Malaga’s appeal against Euro ban

Malaga will not be able to take a place in next season’s Europa League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected their appeal against a UEFA ban from continental competition. European soccer’s ruling body initially banned Qatar-owned Malaga for two years in December because of overdue payments to rival clubs and Spanish tax authorities.

That was later reduced to a year after the club “regularised its overdue payables” by a March 31 deadline and they appealed to CAS asking for the UEFA decision to be annulled or replaced with less severe sanctions. However, CAS announced yesterday it had rejected the appeal and ruled Malaga, who finished sixth in La Liga last season, would also have to pay the original fine of €300,000 ($395,800). REUTERS

Chess Puzzle solution: Qh4!!, Kf1, Qf4+, Qf3, Bg4!! wins

24

THE PHNOM PENH POST june 12, 2013

Sport Lions tear apart Combined Robert Kitson

A

ustralian television viewers had a choice between watching a game of rugby and tuning into Croc College, a reality show in which the participants learn to catch saltwater crocodiles. Those who opted for the swamp missed 80 minutes of fish being shot in a smallish barrel, never the greatest entertainment.

Luckily, no one got seriously hurt on either show.

Quite what the British & Irish Lions are meant to conclude from this slaughter of a bunch of fringe pros, students, engineers and plumbers is hard to say.

Yes, the visiting backs cut some impressive lines and looked fit, motivated and sharp, apart from a few lapses in concentration in the second-half.

Yes, George North once again resembled an irresistible force seeking immovable objects to embarrass and scored a couple of good first-half tries. But semi-opposed training runs are just that. Any resemblance with next week's first Test began and ended with the colour of the Lions' jerseys.

Poking from the wreckage of the combined New South Wales and Queensland Country XV, however, were one or two points of possible significance. The first was the way the Lions kept going, always hungry for more. Ravenous Lions teams tend to carry that habit around with them.

And, secondly, here was further proof that Warren Gatland's team are much more than mere boshmerchants. In Justin Tipuric, Stuart Hogg, Brian O'Driscoll and Sean Maitland they had clever rugby players, too, toying with the opposition

British and Irish Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll dives through the Combined Country defence in an attempt to score in the corner during their tour match in Newcastle yesterday. AFP

time after time. As only O'Driscoll is a Test probable, Gatland will be suitably impressed that his fringe players are raising their game regardless of their surroundings.

Tipuric, in particular, was everywhere, adding further to the healthy reputation the Osprey is building on this trip. In theory, of course, his path to the Test team is blocked by the tour skipper Sam Warburton,

but it is a long series and it may yet be that the Lions are grateful to have both of them. The 23-year-old Tipuric passes a ball better than some fly-halves and has the pace and engine to match. At the very least, he is a player on the up.

If you were going to quibble the Lions should probably have run in a few more tries and topped the century mark. Their lineout also

creaked with three or four throws going awry. Gatland, nevertheless, was more concerned with running through some potential combinations, not least the old midfield axis of O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts who gelled so sweetly in South Africa in 2009.

They looked comfortable again here, with Hogg growing in confidence inside them. The young Scot

also kicked four of his side's six first-half tries, hitting the post with another. For a goal-kicker of little previous top-level experience it was a fair return. Boss Hogg, indeed.

Any romantic notions about the boys from the bush causing some kind of upset swiftly evaporated in the five minutes it took the Lions to score 19 unanswered points after a little bit of polite early shadow-boxing.

Tipuric had a big hand in the first couple scored by Alex Cuthbert and Conor Murray, before Hogg cruised through a yawning gap to score a worryingly easy third.

Suitably encouraged, the Lions enjoyed their best passages of the game, North shadowing the pacy Maitland up the left touchline to score perhaps the game's best try.

The rest was largely routine, with a procession of Celtic Lions following each other over the try-line.

The Country XV never gave up but, apart from a near-interception from replacement Dale Ahwang, a removals man by profession, a decent crowd of over 20,000 had only scraps of possession to cheer.

There is a wider issue here for Australian rugby union. When the Western Force needed reinforcements for this tour's opening game, they had to whistle them up from the Sydney Premiership on the far side of the continent.

Cattle stations and outback communities are dwindling in number and even small boys from the back of Bourke now play computer games rather than kick footballs across dusty paddocks. The Lions would have been better off playing Australia A rather than having to make do with yet another mismatch.

THE GUARDIAN

Australia in Kruse control to demolish Jordan Ian Ransom and Narae Kim

Robbie Kruse grabbed one goal and laid on two others as Australia thrashed Jordan 4-0 yesterday to move a step closer to a third successive World Cup finals appearance.

The Bayer Leverkusenbound winger set up midfielder Mark Bresciano and striker Tim Cahill in each half before scoring himself in the 76th minute.

Captain Lucas Neill then put the icing on the cake by heading home six minutes from time on a chilly night at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.

The win put Australia second in Asia's Group B qualifying table on 10 points and victory over Iraq in their final match in Sydney next week would seal the second direct berth to Brazil 2014. Japan are already assured of top spot in the group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We played wonderfully tonight but we had a little meeting there and stressed that it's just half the job,â&#x20AC;? the

baby-faced Kruse told reporters after terrorising Jordan's defence down the right wing.

"It's a massive game next week so it's important we prepare and do everything we can to make sure we're feeling good."

Jordan, on seven points, will need a home victory over third-placed Oman in their final qualifier and for other results to go their way to keep their hopes of a maiden World Cup appearance alive.

Unchanged Australia, riding a wave of confidence after holding Japan to a draw in Saitama last week, pledged to take the game to the cagey Middle Eastern side, and they were as good as their word as they peppered the goal from start to finish.

With former Serie A playmaker Bresciano in outstanding form, Australia went close in the ninth minute when defender Mark Milligan fired the ball over the bar.

Goalkeeper Amer Shafi made an excellent save from a Brett

Holman effort in the 14th minute, although he could do nothing to stop Bresciano tapping the ball in a minute later from two metres out after a right-wing cross from Kruse.

Kruse blew a gilt-edged chance for the Socceroos's second goal four minutes later but made amends by setting up Cahill on the hour mark, the New York Bulls striker heading in from close range.

The 24-year-old Kruse slammed the door shut on 75th-ranked Jordan by turning the defence inside out after receiving the ball on the edge of the area and beating Shafi at the near post in the 76th minute.

Neill scored his first international goal on his 91st appearance for the Socceroos, nodding in from close range to send a 43,000-plus crowd into raptures.

Australia coach Holger Osieck had been under pressure after a stuttering campaign in the final phase of Asian qualifying but the German was all smiles

after yesterday's victory. "It was a great team effort. We showed great unity . . . definitely it will give us a lot of confidence for the last game against Iraq," he said.

Jordan will have their fingers crossed that Japan can hold rock bottom Iraq to a draw overnight in Doha and then hope to defeat Oman in order to take third place in the group.

That would offer the chance to qualify via a two-legged playoff against the equivalent finisher in Group A before a playoff against the fifth-placed team in South America.

"I think we had our chances," Jordan coach Adnan Hamad said. "We had problems in defence, that was because of the pressure."

Meanwhile, South Korea are on the brink of making another World Cup finals appearance after scraping a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a top-of-thetable qualifying clash in rainy Seoul yesterday.

An entertaining match was

settled by an own goal from Akmal Shorakhmedov just before halftime, the Uzbek defender heading Kim Younggwon's cross from the right past his helpless goalkeeper.

The Koreans now have 14 points from seven matches in Group A of Asian qualifying, three clear of the Uzbeks with Iran on 10 from six games with only the top two guaranteed a place at Brazil 2014.

Iran were to host Lebanon later yesterday and a shock defeat for the home side would mean Korea qualifying ahead of their final fixture against Carlos Queiroz's side in Ulsan next week.

Koreans had the better chances on a slick surface in Seoul yesterday with towering striker Kim Shin-wook causing the visitors numerous problems in the air.

A flicked header by the forward gave Asian player of the year Lee Keun-ho a fantastic chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute but the tricky forward sliced his shot hope-

lessly wide from six metres.

The Uzbeks also played well although they struggled in the final third, striker Ulugbek Bakayev offering their best chance with a fizzing shot from distance that was palmed away.

The Koreans always looked more likely to score and they took the lead three minutes before halftime when Kim Young-gwon cut inside on to his left foot and his inswinging cross was flicked in by Shorakhmedov at the near post.

The Uzbeks, who are at home to Qatar in their final match next Tuesday, took the game to the Koreans in the second half.

They threw on substitute forwards Aleksandr Geynrikh and Sanzhar Tursunov but were still unable to create clear-cut chances.

The Koreans comfortably held out for the three points which left them on the verge of their eight consecutive World Cup finals appearance.

REUTERS