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Issue NUMBER 1653

Thai drug mules get life in prison

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NagaWorld strikers fired en masse Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Shane Worrell

NAGAWORLD casino has fired more than 400 workers who have spent about 10 days striking to demand a wage increase, union leaders, workers and a leaked internal memo have revealed. A list of names, obtained by the Post yesterday, was emailed to management and senior staff at the casino from a human resources manager on Wednesday, just hours after 19 strikers were detained during a police and security crackdown outside the casino. The email was marked of high importance and identified staff from a range of departments who had “been involved in the illegal strike against the Company. The Company has therefore terminated/suspended their contracts”. Sok Narith, vice president of The Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers Federation (CTSWF), said hundreds of workers will resume strikes outside NagaWorld today to protest their sackings, which had come by way of text message and email. “They’re using this message to Continues on page 6

Masked faces A protester stands in front of a gate secured by police officers in Bangkok’s shopping district yesterday. Thousands of protesters gathered in the capital to protest against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the current government led by his sister, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. AFP

Court summons for Sokha Meas Sokchea and Kevin Ponniah

HE Phnom Penh Municipal Court has summoned acting opposition leader Kem Sokha to appear in court for questioning on Thursday – the first day of the election campaign. The questioning comes in response to a defamation suit filed by Chum Mey, a Tuol Sleng prison survivor and president of a Khmer Rouge victims association, who sued Sokha over his alleged claims that the noto-

CNRP head called over Tuol Sleng lawsuit rious security centre was “staged” by the Vietnamese. A spokesman for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) confirmed that they received the summons on Saturday but said that neither Sokha – who is currently in Australia – nor a CNRP representative would appear in court. “This is a petty issue that we are not interested in. The national interest is

more important than this. We are focusing on how to help to resolve people’s problems,” CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said, adding that Sokha has already denied the allegations. Sokha could not be reached for comment yesterday but told reporters last week that he was not interested in the case and had yet to appoint a lawyer to defend him in court. “I have not thought about this

case. I think about the election first,” he said. According to Mey’s lawyer, Kuoy Thunna, if Sokha refuses to appear in court, procedure will be invoked to force him to appear. “Attending or not attending [court] is his right, but the court will enforce the law. As I understand, if the court issues a first citation, and then a second and he still does not appear, the

court will issue a writ to bring him in,” he said. Yeng Virak, executive director at the Community Legal Education Center, said, however, Sokha could ask the court to postpone the hearing until after the election if he promises to appear. “In principle the accused should show up but . . . it’s obvious he cannot [attend] because he’s a politician and the campaign starts that day, and of Continues on page 3

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

National

Reparations approved for victims of the KR Stuart White

Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) and his wife, Bun Rany, participate in a ceremony at Preah Vihear temple in 2010. heng chivoan

PM claims his restraint avoided war with Thais Vong Sokheng

PRIME MINISTER Hun Sen again sought to portray himself as the defender of peace in the Kingdom on Saturday, this time citing as proof his levelheaded management of the fighting that broke out around Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border. Speaking to voters at the inauguration of a school in Kampot province, the premier said that his decision to wait 100 hours before responding to Thai rocket fire with rockets of his own forced a ceasefire, and spared the rest of the country an all-out war. “There were many suspicions about why Hun Sen did not order a counter-attack while there was heavy shelling by the Thai army,” the prime minister said. “What was the situation we should choose at the time? And we didn’t have a good option or a bad option; the choice was only to choose the least disastrous situation.

“A small mistake in decisionmaking, and the war would have been sparked along the Thai-Cambodian border, which would have caused a disaster for the entire the nation,” he added. The opposition at the time, Hun Sen continued, had taken a hawkish stance, and encouraged retaliation, but he had chosen to be patient instead, conferring with all his border commanders rather than immediately retaliating with BM-21 rockets. “Just 17 minutes after I ordered the counter-attack, the Thai defence minister called for a negotiation for a ceasefire,” Hun Sen said, crediting the peace to his threepronged “triangle” strategy of using only small defensive weapons, calling on the United Nations and filing a complaint to the International Court of Justice. Cambodia National Rescue Party spokesman Yim Sovann,

however, said yesterday that he remembered the events in 2008 very differently, and said that Hun Sen was far from a peacemaker. “He’s the one who cannot avoid war,” Sovann said. “Everybody saw the fighting at Preah Vihear. At the time, my boss, Sam Rainsy, he was the one who recommended to the government to use international law at the United Nations. “Before the war broke out, we wanted them to take the case to the court as soon as possible, but they did not listen to the opposition, and that is why the war broke out and led to the loss of life of civilians and soldiers,” he added. Sovann went on to say that when it comes to the eastern border with Vietnam – long a major issue for the opposition – the CNRP would “not use bullets, but we do use our political will” to prevent Vietnamese encroachment. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STUART WHITE

HE Cambodian government has responded to a request by civil party lawyers at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, approving the first reparations projects to be offered to victims since the court began trying the regime’s senior leaders. In a June 11 letter to civil party lead co-lawyers Pich An and Elisabeth Simonneau-Fort, Council of Ministers Secretary of State Hing Thoraxy said that the government would approve two requests – one designating a National Day of Remembrance, and another expanding the teaching of Khmer Rouge history. “In accordance with the above subject and references, the Office of the Council of Ministers wishes to inform the Civil Party Lead Co-Lawyers that the Royal Government agrees to . . . Designate the 20th of May as the National Day of Remembrance, an annual public holiday celebrated in lieu of the Day of Anger or

Memorial Day, which has been observed since 1984,” reads the letter obtained yesterday. In the letter, the government also agreed “that documentation of the history of the Democratic Kampuchea regime be organised and incorporated into the academic curriculum for general education from grade 7 to grade 12, as well as the foundation curriculum of higher education institutions”. The response made no explicit mention of a third request often voiced by testifying civil parties, and included by the colawyers in their own letter: that the government help to preserve “crime locations or killing fields, build stupas or worship places, [and] set up libraries or small document centres and museum or exhibitions”. According to the government’s response, funding for the projects would be raised by the court’s Office of Administration. Latt Ky, coordinator of the rights group Adhoc’s Khmer Rouge tribunal program,

which aids nearly 1,700 civil parties, said that while the reparations were a step in the right direction, they still fell short of fulfilling the government’s responsibility to victims of the Khmer Rouge. “They want the visible reparations, like the monument and the preservation of the crime sites,” Ky said of the civil parties, noting that even the date of the proposed Day of Remembrance was already a ruling party-tinged holiday. “I don’t object to the day May 20, but it’s not meaningful reparations to the victims,” he said. “But I appreciate it, because [Khmer Rouge history] should be considered in the national education, let’s say, at the high school level. I consider it an important thing.” Cambodian Justice Initiative program officer Panhavuth Long called the approved reparations “a victory for the civil parties”, but also noted that one couldn’t rule out the possibility that the Day of Remembrance would be politicised.

A woman frees a bird at Choeung Ek to commemorate victims of the genocide during a Day of Anger ceremony in May. pha lina

Job Vacancy Maintenance and Logistic- Assistant (Full time-40h/week) Fixed-term contract (CDD) 1 year Responsibility: Maintenance and Logistic (Contract- renew annually) Requirements: - Prudential, independent, and availability - Technical Knowledge (electricity ﬁxing, plumbing….) - Good team work. - Experience in maintenance and logistic in Cambodia. - Good knowledge in administration. - Speaking French/English is preferred. How to apply: Interested candidates should submit their updated CV with current photo, copies of degrees, training certiﬁcates, list of referees and cover letter to the address below as soon as possible. Email: recrutement@descartes-cambodge.com or to secretary of LFRD

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THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

National

Kem Sokha to Nike asks gov’t for Sabrina inquiry be questioned May Titthara

Continued from page 1

course the court should understand this,” he said. Court deputy prosecutor Meas Chanpisith, who issued the summons, could not be reached for comment yesterday. If the case is allowed to proceed as planned, it would hurt and distract Sokha on the

“He must go [to be questioned], he should go, because if he would like to focus on the election, this is [part] of the election campaign. He can use this tactic . . . to show people ‘I’m not wrong, I’m right’, and maybe the mass media . . . will go there,” he said. “If I were a politician I would like to go to prison . . . it can help the political campaign . . .

It affects the atmosphere and disturbs electoral affairs . . . This case should not be taken to the court campaign trail, pointed out Koul Panha, executive director of election watchdog Comfrel. “It affects the atmosphere and disturbs electoral affairs. This case should be taken to be debated. This case should not be taken to the court,” Panha said, adding that there was little doubt the case was politically motivated. Although the suit should never have gone to court, Sokha could yet use the opportunity for political gain, political analyst Kem Ley said.

if Sam Rainsy or Kem Sokha go to court and get sent to prison it’s OK because the party will get popular,” he added. Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said yesterday that all authorities have been ordered to strengthen and enforce public security during the election campaign and report all incidents to the ministry. He declined, however, to comment on the court’s decision to summon Kem Sokha on the first day of campaigning.

IN the days after police violence allegedly caused two pregnant women to miscarry during a strike at Sabrina garment factory, footwear giant Nike urged the government to launch an independent inquiry into the incident, letters obtained yesterday reveal. Sent on May 30 to Labour Minister Vong Sauth and Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh, the two identical letters express buyer Nike’s “deepest concerns with the treatment of workers” injured when confronted by police. “Nike respectfully requests that the Cambodian government open an inquiry using credible, independent third parties to determine the cause of the incident,” state the letters, signed by Hannah Jones, Nike’s vice president of sustainable business and innovation. “In addition, we urge the Cambodian government to consider the appropriate support for the injured workers.” At least 50 people, including nine police officers, were injured during strikes at the factory starting in May that involved about 3,000 workers. Eight Free Trade Unions members were arrested on June 3, accused of inciting violence.

Workers strike in front of the Sabrina garment factory in Kampong Speu province in May.

Oum Mean, secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour, declined to comment yesterday, while Prasidh could not be reached. In a separate letter dated last Tuesday and obtained yesterday, Cambodia’s Free Trade Union pressed Nike to help secure the eight workers’ freedom. “As you know, Nike’s own Code of Conduct requires contract

manufacturers to respect their employees’ rights to freedom of association,” states the letter, signed by president Chea Mony. “[FTU] requests Nike to enforce this Code of Conduct within its supply factories.” Separately, the Community Legal Education Center issued a statement on Friday saying sportswear brand Puma has a responsibility to speak up over

heng chivoan

the case against former Bavet town governor Chhouk Bandith, who is accused of shooting three garment workers at a Puma supplier last year. CLEC says it is concerned that despite witnesses saying they saw Bandith shoot the women, corruption in the court could hinder justice. A verdict is due tomorrow. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHANE WORRELL

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

National

Kampuchea Krom demo set for capital Phak Seangly

ABOUT 200 monks and supporters plan on gathering in Phnom Penh tomorrow, to demand the Vietnamese government release two ethnic Khmer monks arrested last week. The arrest occurred in an area of southern Vietnam that was once part of the Khmer empire and is referred to by some as Kampuchea Krom. Phnom Penh deputy governor Khuong Sreng met with Kampuchea Krom community members on Friday and approved a demonstration at Freedom Park tomorrow, said Son Chumchuon, program manager for the Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association. “We were allowed to demonstrate, but were not allowed to march to the Vietnamese embassy to file our petition,” Chumchuon said. The roughly 200 people expected at the demonstration will support monks Liv Ny and Thach Thoeun, both 30, Chumchuon said. The monks were arrested last month on charges of associating with members of pro-Khmer Krom organisations abroad.

Protesters are also calling for Vietnamese authorities to re-ordain monk Li Chenda, who was arrested on the same charges last month and defrocked, but released. “We suggest that Vietnam officials must stop all threats and oppression . . . of Kampuchea Krom monks and people in Kampuchea Krom territory,” Chumchuon said. On the day of the protest a Phnom Penh Municipal Hall employee will deliver the group’s petition to the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh, according to a meeting note signed by Sreng and put on the Kampuchea Krom human rights association’s website. Protestors are not allowed to march to the Vietnamese embassy because it could cause traffic problems, and the demonstration must end by 12pm. “The demonstration will not be used to serve a political party, will not [be] influenced [by] the monarchy, neighbouring government and countries or any public figures,” the note read. Several calls from the Post to the Vietnamese Embassy went unanswered yesterday.

Life for four Thai drug mules Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

OUR Thai women were found guilty of smuggling more than eight kilograms of cocaine from Ecuador and Ghana and sentenced to life in prison on Friday. The four, who were arrested and tried in two separate cases, were also each fined between 50 million and 80 million riel ($12,500 to $20,000). Sous Sam Ath, presiding judge of Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said the suspects – Varangkana Phomdee, 29; Tangboo Ketkarn, 31; Pinwjansod Utsatee, 21; and Hollaus Nanthitya, 28 – were each given a life sentence for the charge of international drug trafficking under Article 40 of Cambodia’s anti-drugs law. He added that the four accused women have the right to appeal to an upper court should they not accept the Phnom Penh Court’s ruling. According to Sam Ath, Phomdee was arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport on August 7 last year. Authorities discovered 3.6 kilograms of cocaine hidden in her luggage. Ketkarn was arrested the next day when she travelled from Thailand

Varangkana Phomdee, 29, (centre) and Tangboo Ketkarn, 31, leave the Phnom Penh Municipal court following their trial earlier this month. The convicted traffickers were two of four Thai nationals sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday. hong menea

to Phnom Penh to buy the cocaine from Phomdee. Utsatee, meanwhile, was arrested at the capital’s airport on August 13 and police seized about 4.8 kilograms of cocaine from her luggage. Nanthitya was arrested later that day at a Tuol Kork district hotel, after police received a tip she was going to buy drugs from Utsatee. The four accused and their

defence lawyers could not be reached for comment but, during their trials in May and early June, all four women denied the charges, saying they had been unwitting mules. A life sentence for a drugs charge is almost unprecedented. Only three people are believed to have received life sentences in the past decade, and all for far larger crimes.

In 2012, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, was given a life sentence for atrocities he committed as commander of the notorious Khmer Rouge security centre, S-21. Also last year, former anti-drugs czar Moek Dara and his associate, Chea Leng, each received a life sentence for an elaborate and long-running drug trafficking and bribery ring.

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

National UNESCO meet

N Korean city makes heritage list

HE North Korean historic site of Kaesong was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list yesterday, a spokesman for the meeting said. Ek Tha, spokesman for the 37th World Heritage Committee meetings, which are being held in Phnom Penh, said the committee decided to inscribe the ancient North Korean city on Sunday after examining the nomination. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Kaesong was the capital of the Goryeo Dynasty that ruled the Korean Peninsula from 918 until 1392 when it was replaced by the Joseon Dynasty. It now sits just outside the inter-Korean border that separates the two Koreas roughly along the 38th parallel. Pyongyang requested Kaesong’s historic monuments be registered as a global heritage site in mid-2012. The 37th WHC started on June 16 and will continue until Thursday. More than 30 sites are expected to be examined with about half expected to be approved. CHEANG SOKHA

Govt and UN to save coasts Sen David

HE FISHERIES Administration and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Friday officially launched a program to protect Cambodia’s coastline from over-fishing, erosion and other damage to coastal environments and livelihoods. Since the beginning of the year, the program has been training local officials and residents in Cambodia’s four coastal provinces to patrol for illegal fishing and plant mangrove trees, which help prevent beach erosion and offer nutrients to coastal animals and plants, Fisheries Administra-

tion director Nao Thuok said. The program has trained more than 5,588 people, Thuok said, adding that the initiative had also provided communities with 13 patrol boats and several anti-trawling devices, which sit hidden underneath the water to snag and destroy illegal fishing nets. The program is part of the FAO’s Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Program, which has supported local Southeast Asian fishing communities since 2009. According to a FAO report on the program, “as coastal populations have increased in recent years, fish stocks have been depleted and the extent of mangroves has been much

reduced due to demands for wood and timber, and for land for expansion of agriculture and aquaculture and residential development.” Under the new initiative, Cambodian fishermen and government officials’ joint patrols have stopped some 100 illegal fishing boats, confiscated more than 500 pieces of illegal fishing gear and planted 8,000 mangrove trees, Thuok said. A 2012 study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature found that climate change and sand dredging had severely depleted Cambodia’s coastal mangrove populations, reduced fish stocks and caused beaches to recede by dozens of metres in many areas.

Fishermen cast a communal net in Kandal province’s Muk Kampoul district last year. pha lina

Eight arrested for buried treasure scheme Sen David

TWO Cambodians and six Vietnamese were arrested on Saturday after attempting to dig up a buried box of gold near Battambang Provincial Hall, some three decades after its alleged owner claimed to have left it while stationed in Cambodia. According to a police report, the Cam-

bodians were identified as Lim Hok Hai, 36, and Meas Sopheap, 55. The six Vietnamese were identified as Rok Hoy, 57, Kou Sonam, 33,Vieng Chin Hok, 22, Rieng Van Ngieng, 24, Troeng Van Vy, 37, and Vieng Thidan, 40. Hoy, a former soldier, told police he had buried the box near the lion statue in Battambang when posted as a soldier in

Cambodia in the 1980s, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge. He said he hired the Cambodians to drive them frp, the Vietnamese border in order to dig up the long lost treasure. Mean Lai, Battambang penal police chief, said when police saw the accused digging near the statue on Saturday, they tried to arrest them but failed when the

Vietnamese hopped in their getaway car driven by Hok Hai and Sopheap. “They were digging illegally to steal state treasure,” Lai said, adding that police were waiting for a court warrant before continuing where the group left off. The police called for back-up and roadblocks, eventually arresting the eight in Mong Russey district.

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

National ‘Publisher’ accused of extortion Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

A “publisher” whose newspaper hasn’t produced an issue in years, police say, is facing questioning following his arrest on allegations he extorted money from a villager transporting luxury-grade wood. Police arrested Kang Dara Hul, publisher and owner of the Sachak Koun Khmer newspaper in Siem Reap’s Varin district late Sunday, district police chief, Major Nup Sarak said. “He was accused of extorting money, and he was sent to provincial court,” Sarak said. The publisher is suspected of demanding $80 from the villager. Dara Hul allegedly patrolled the forest for the illegal transport of luxury wood under the guise of covering the issue for his newspaper, Sre Nov commune police officer Keo Piseth said. But he repeatedly charged money from those found transporting wood. Although Dara Hul worked in Siem Reap with 10 reporters, Piseth said, his newspaper has not published in the three years staff members have occupied its Varin district office.

NagaWorld fires strikers Continued from page 1

threaten the strikers into thinking they have to return to work without any demands or they have lost their jobs,” he said. “But we will strike against the company until it respects the Labour Law and implements orders of the Arbitration Council.” Workers disputes at NagaWorld have been the subject of five Arbitration Council hearings since early 2009. Chhim Sitha, vice president of casino’s in-house union, said she received a message on Wednesday informing her she had been fired, prior to negotiations between government officials and worker representatives. “The company accused us of making an illegal strike,” she said. “So I sent the message to Ministry of Labour officials to intervene.” Sitha said last Tuesday that workers had begun striking on June 13, demanding the minimum wage in the casino be increased to $150 per month and had sensed management was trying to replace them. “During the strikes, the company has no right to employ new staff, but the company has made an announcement on new jobs,” she said. “Some people have said [advertisements] were in the newspaper,” she said. Dave Welsh, country manager for Solidarity Center/ACILS, said NagaWorld did not have grounds to sack the workers and had used such internal memos to threaten strikers in the past. “They would have to be fired for cause – and there was no cause,” he said. “If they’re

Job Announcement GIZ is a federally owned enterprise and is supporting the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. We are seeking candidates for the position of a Component Manager – Health Service Delivery, located in Phnom Penh. One of the German Technical Cooperation Programs financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development supports the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Provincial Health Departments in Kampot and Kampong Thom in Social Health Protection(SHP). The objective of the project is to improve access of the poor and vulnerable to effective and affordable quality health care. Technical cooperation aims at improving the quality and accessibility of public and private health providers through health care financing, quality assurance of health services, and health system governance. Major responsibilities of the position:  Supporting the Project Manager in relevant areas of project management in close cooperation with the other Component Managers.  Leading the Health Service Delivery (HSD) technical team on Quality Improvement (QI), accreditation process, and strengthening the capacity of health care providers according to the project’s objectives, indicators and work plans.  Providing professional advice to and sharing experiences with the Ministry of Heath, various stakeholders and partners at the national and local levels.  Engaging in monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management and integration of results and experiences into team efforts and all relevant project activities.  Disciplinary responsibilities, supervision and assessment of subordinated personnel, identifying and monitoring national staff capacity development and motivate the team.  Oversees component planning, implementation and monitoring based on the Annual Operational Plans, including moderation of planning exercises and documentation.  Continuously review the strategic approach, identifies bottlenecks and constraints, designs relevant capacity development interventions, and recommends alternative actions for effective implementation, including synergies with other components.  Provides high-level technical advice and assistance to the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Departments to support their sector priorities. Required qualifications and experience:  Masters or PhD degree in Medicine or Public Health, specialisation in a field related to the component would be an asset  Minimum 5 to 7 years of professional working experience in a similar position  Working experience in other similar organisations (international organisations, consultancies, bilateral agencies etc.) active in this field  Experience with independent management of a subject field with complex and alternating tasks Applicants who meet the requirements should send:  A cover letter briefly describing and justifying how they meet the above mentioned requirements  An updated CV (Certificates should not be included with the application)  Most recent recommendation letters from the previous employers If you are interested, please do not hesitate to apply until 09July 2013. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Contact: Ms.Sathavy Ros By email: sathavy.ros@giz.de By mail: No. 17, Street 306, P.O. Box 81, Phnom Penh

police blotter Mistaken identity may have sparked beating

A RANDOM attack in Kampong Chhnang province’s Boribor district left a 20-yearold confused and concussed Saturday. According to police, the victim and two friends were on their way home from a wedding when a few unidentified men blocked their way, badly beating the victim on the head with sticks. The victim was taken to the hospital by his friends. Police suspect the attackers jumped the young man after mistaking him for someone else. KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Hit-and-run seriously injures father and son NagaWorld employees strike in front of the casino in Phnom Penh last Tuesday. hong menea

using the reason that the strike was illegal, it wasn’t illegal. There was notice given.” Labour problems at NagaWorld dated back a number of years, Welsh added. “There’s a pattern . . . of politically connected foreign-owned companies engaging in rampant abuse and being able to get away with it.” The termination list was sent the morning after security guards – backed by police – cracked down on hundreds of workers carrying out a peaceful strike in parkland opposite the casino. The security guards dismantled the strikers’ tents and detained 19 workers and union leaders who refused to be moved.

The detainees, 11 of whom were women, were released without charge on Tuesday night. A representative from NagaWorld requested yesterday that questions be emailed to her but did not provide answers by press time. Khieu Savuth, the deputy director of the Ministry of Labour’s dispute department, said that he considered the memo to workers “informal” and not threatening. “However, I urge the company not to fire the strikers and for the workers to stop striking. Both sides should resume negotiations,” he said.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT PRASAC MFI, Ltd. is a microfinance institution, which is providing sustainable financial services such as loans, savings and deposits, and nationwide of money transfer. PRASAC MFI is currently seeking potential candidate to fill one vacant position as below: POSITION: Research & Development Unit Manager ,01 Position

REPORT TO: VP and MarCOM Manager

JOB LOCATION: Head Office, Phnom Penh

DEADLINE: June 28, 2013 at 4: 00 PM.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Key Selection Criteria and Qualification

• Developing the annual and long term strategic and budget plan • Develop concepts for product development and their prototypes, including the development of product policies, operational procedures, working instructions and other support documents • Manage market evolution, marketing environment, competition, client’s needs • Monitoring and Evaluation (Existing Products and Services as well as relevant projects). • Conduct research project and implementation the survey following the proposal development. • Environment and competition analysis in the banking sector and identify the market segment and its target for product development • Database management of all research findings such as primary and secondary data • Manage, motivate and evaluate staffs under supervision.

• BA in Business Administration, Marketing, but prefers in Master Degree in relevant field. • Preferably have at least three-year experience in banking or/and microfinance sector. • Experience in field research, data collection and analysis as well as presentation. • Experience in feasibility on new product opportunities • High proficiency in research methodology & procedures. • Ability to perform task without close supervision. • High motivation, initiative, willing and able to travel to the field. • Be able to communicate well with all staff, local communities and authority. • Good computer literacy (Ms Office, SPSS and relevant applications). • Good command in English.

Interested and qualified applicants should submit a resume, a cover letter with currently photo (4x6), a copy of certificates, letter of recommendation, national identity card, birth letter and family book to PRASAC MFI Ltd., Head Office, Phnom Penh at Building 212, Street 271, Toultompong 2, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For more details, please feel free contact. Tel: 023 220 102, Website: www.prasac.com.kh . Submitted documents will not be returned, insufficient documents or by email will not be accepted. Only short-listed candidates will be notified and contacted for interview.

A FATHER and his son, aged 35 and 10, were critically injured early yesterday when a Lexus rammed into the cart they were pulling in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. According to police, the victims were dragging a cart along the street when the Lexus hit them from behind and fled the scene. Both victims sustained serious injuries, and were hospitalised. Police suspect the vehicle’s driver was drunk, are currently searching for the Lexus. KOH SANTEPHEAP

Body language leads to violent body contact

AN unwelcome glance started a dangerous dance in a Veal Veng district pub in Pursat province on Friday. Police said the victim was drinking with friends, when a glance at another party of three prompted an argument, after which the other party left. They returned shortly thereafter armed with sticks and cleavers, attacking the 23-year-old. The three fled, but police have reportedly identified the attackers and are seeking their arrest. NOKORWAT

Urinating police officer finds self in hot water

PUBLIC urination prompted a dangerous altercation in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district Thursday. According to police, a security guard tried to intervene after a drunken cop started urinating on the wall inside a restaurant, asking the 30-year-old to try the bathroom instead. The policeman, none too pleased, fired his gun into the air twice, and was promptly picked up by local authorities. The man reportedly confessed, saying he was too drunk to control himself. NOKORWAT

Empty gas tank slows thieves down to a stop

POLICE apprehended an alleged thief after his getaway moto ran out of gas as he fled the scene of a phone snatching. According to police, the suspect, 18, and an accomplice grabbed the phone from the ear of 20-year-old university student and sped off, with police in hot pursuit. When their bike sputtered to a stop, however, the duo fled on foot. One managed to escape, but the other was caught. Police are still seeking the suspect at large. NOKORWAT Translated by Phak Seangly

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Business Indicative Exchange Rates as of 21/06/2013. 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

4,090

1.3216

0.9215

0.7779

1.5497

6.1277

USD / JPY

USD / HKD

97.23

7.7568

USD / SGD

USD / THB

1.275

31.18

Thai PM defends 20 pct rice price cut

The new Huawei Ascend P6 smartphone on diplay at the global launch in London last week. The smartphone is the world’s slimmest.

AFP

‘Thinnest’ smartphone is set for debut in Cambodia T Hor Kimsay

WO days after Huawei introduced the world’s thinnest smartphone in London and Singapore, the Cambodian representative office of the China-based company announced that the sleek device would be sold in the Kingdom in July. While the Chinese telecom giant hopes to increase its market share of smartphones in Cambodia, experts say local skepticism of Chinese brands and the fat price tag for the thin device might hurt the phone’s competitive potential. Talking to reporters on Friday at the Huawei showroom inside Sovanna Supermarket, Jason Liu with Hauwei Cambodia said that the Ascend P6 will be available in Phnom Penh in mid-July for about $450. “It attracts fascination on international markets, so we are optimistic in the Cambodian market as well,” Liu said.

“Ascend P6 has many special features, including [the fact that] it’s the thinnest, it has the best front-facing camera you can get right now, and many other functions.” Huawei is throwing the device into the ring at a good time, according to market observers in Phnom Penh. Cambodians are increasingly moving away from buying simple and low-budget phones and are willing to shell out a hefty figure for the latest in smartphone technology, with brands like Samsung and Apple the most popular. Sales of SIM cards reached 19.7 million last year, a 21 per cent rise from the 16.2 million sold in 2011, statistics from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications show. Chhim Sang Heng, general manager of HAKSE, a major mobile phone retailer in Phnom Penh, told the Post yesterday that Huawei, which is not new to the market, holds a relatively small

portion of market share. “The quality [of Huawei] is good, but it is not very-wellknown to many people,” Sang Heng said. “The price range of the newest series is high, so it still [remains open] if it will succeed in the market.” While the Ascend P6 costs about $450 per unit, the price is comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Note N5100, which now sells for $460.

could undercut the more expensive phones. In January, Bloomberg reported that Apple plans to sell a cheaper and smaller iPhone in late 2013 at the earliest to attract more customers in developing countries. Quoting a person familiar with the plans, the report said Apple was considering retail prices of $99 to $149 for the phone. Be Chantra, lead organiser

It attracts fascination on international markets, so we are optimistic in the Cambodian market as well Ascend P6 is cheaper than the Galaxy S4 ($599), but more expensive than the Galaxy Grand I9082, at $320 per unit. The price, however, is competitive compared to the new iPhone 5 series. The 32GB version of the Americanmade product goes for $770. But Apple may be considering a shift in strategy that

of Barcamp, an international network of user-generated conferences primarily focused on technology and mobile devices, said the amount of smart phones used in Cambodia is increasing because it is easier to access the internet and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Chantra added that not

many Cambodians know about Huawei as a brand, and many might be concerned about the quality of Chinesemade products compared to the more trusted brands of Apple and Samsung. “If it costs $450, many might prefer to use Samsung or spend more to [buy an] iPhone because they are well known,” Chantra said. Huawei’s brand already suffers in the US and England, where lawmakers have expressed concern that China could use Huawei infrastructure to engage in cyber attacks or spying. But the problems do not seem to be affecting Huawei in the region. In his 2012 book, The End of Cheap China, researcher Shaun Rein writes that the assumption that Chinese companies cannot brand and build globally is baseless. Singling out Huawei, he writes that Chinese brands “are quickly moving up the value chain to compete on branding and innovation rather than just on price”.

THE Thai government will not stop its rice-pledging policy but will continue it in a more sustainable way, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Saturday. However, she said authorities had no choice but to reduce the price paid for rice by 20 per cent, given local and world market conditions and the need for fiscal discipline. The government is trying to defuse possible protests by farmers upset by the price reduction to 12,000 baht ($385) a tonne from 15,000 baht, effective from next month. Speaking on her Yingluck Government Meets the People weekly program, the premier reiterated the government’s confidence that rice pledging could help improve the quality of life of farmers. She said that before taking office, the Pheu Thai Party carried out a study on how to resolve poverty, particularly among farmers facing the problem of low-priced rice. It concluded that pushing up rice prices would be highly effective. However, the price the government set, at 15,000 baht a tonne, was 40 per cent above prevailing market rates, and critics warned that the program would face trouble. Two years later, the government is sitting on millions of tonnes of expensive rice that it can’t sell, and has accumulated debts of at least 136 billion baht from the scheme so far. However, Yingluck on Saturday defended the program, saying it had helped spur domestic consumption and enhanced economic expansion. The price reduction, she explained, was aimed at creating a better balance in all dimensions, including rice production costs, rice quality, global prices and fiscal discipline. World rice prices did not increase last year as expected amid weak demand, and as a result the cabinet had to approve a pledging price reduction, she said. She insisted that if global rice prices increase, the pledging price for rice would be raised accordingly. The Bangkok Post reported on Saturday that almost 60 per cent of people surveyed by a Thai Suan Dusit University poll disagree with the government’s plan to cut rice payments. Reducing rice-pledging prices would create hardship for farmers who had already bought fertiliser and pesticide and would face losses, the pollsters quoted respondents as saying. BANGKOK POST

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Business

US Federal Reserve announcement sets back Asia currencies Andrea Wong

ASIAN currencies tumbled the most in 21 months at the end of last week as US Federal Reserve chairman Ben S Bernanke said the central bank will probably taper stimulus that has driven fund flows to emerging markets. The Indian rupee touched a record low and Malaysia’s ringgit had its worst week in three years after Bernanke said on June 19 that $85 billion a month of debt purchases, also known as quantitative easing, may be trimmed this year and ended in 2014 if the US economy acts in line with Fed estimates. The Bloomberg-JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index, which tracks the region’s 10 most-active currencies, dropped 1.1 per cent since June 14 to 115.51 in Hong Kong, the biggest decline since September 23, 2011. The rupee retreated 2.9 per cent to 59.2675 per dollar, the ringgit fell 2.7 per cent to 3.2 and the Philippine peso lost 2.1 per cent to 43.735. “The prospect of less quantitative easing has caused outflows and a selloff in Asian assets,” said Tobby Lin, a fixedincome trader at Yuanta Securities Co in Taipei. “The countries that had experienced the most inflows, like South Korea and Southeast Asian nations, are being hit the most.” Global investors pulled a combined $2.1 billion from Taiwanese, South Korean, Thai and Indonesian stocks in the first four days of this week, exchange data show. More than $19 billion was withdrawn from funds investing in developing-nation assets in the three weeks to June 12, the most since 2011, according to data from EPFR Global. The Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against six major counterparts, rose 1.6 per cent for the week, while the MSCI Asia Pacific In-

dex of shares fell 2.5 per cent. Losses in regional currencies have forced central banks to defend their exchange rates. The Bank of Thailand will step in to curb excessive volatility in the baht if needed, Deputy governor Pongpen Ruengvirayudh said on June 20 in Bangkok. Finance minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said on the same day he wants the Bank of Thailand to “manage the foreign-exchange rate”. Policy makers are watching the rupee and “will take steps if necessary,” Reserve Bank of India deputy governor HR Khan said on Friday. The central bank probably sold dollars around the unprecedented 59.98 level to prevent the rupee from sliding past 60, three traders said June 20, asking not to be named as the information isn’t public. A report released on June 20 suggested Chinese manufacturing shrank more than expected this month. The preliminary reading of 48.3 for a Purchasing Managers’ Index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics compares with the 49.1 median forecast in a Bloomberg survey and the final reading of 49.2 in May. Fifty is the dividing line between expansion and contraction. “The Fed’s stimulus outlook dominates the market and is weighing on regional currencies and assets,” said Tohru Nishihama, an economist covering emerging markets at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute Inc in Tokyo. “Data indicating a China slowdown is adding to the negative sentiment.” Emerging-market currencies will remain under pressure until the end of the year as concern over Fed tapering, which will probably start in December, will continue to weigh on markets, Morgan Stanley said in a research note on Friday. BLOOMBERG

Mitsubishi move

Huge stake in Thai bank up for sale

Students use tablets during a lesson at the Ban San Kong school in Mae Chan, Thailand in May.

Hiccups in Thai One Tablet per Child plan Suchit Lessa-nguansuk

AST week’s planned e-auction on the second phase of the One Tablet per Child scheme in Thailand has been put off until this Friday after a potential bidder appealed to halt the bidding because it failed in the technical round. Haier of China filed an appeal on Wednesday with the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec), seeking the state to review its disqualification for the first region bidding, said a highly placed source on the One Tablet per Child committee. Obec last week announced a list of qualified bidders that passed the technical round to supply 1.63 million tablets worth 4.61 billion baht ($147 million). The median price for Prathom 1 (early elementary

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school) tablets is set at 2,720 baht each, while the price for the Mathayom 1 (early middle school) tablet is 2,920 baht. Obec will hold a one-day auction by inviting bids for eight contracts in all four regions. Supreme Distribution, Shenzhen Yitoa and Shenzhen Scope were the three qualified bidders for the first region, covering central Thailand and southern provinces, with 431,105 tablets for Prathom 1. Shenzhen Yitoa, Supreme Distribution, Haier and Thai Transmission were the four qualified bidders for the second region, the North and Northeast, with 373,637 tablets for Prathom 1 students. Supreme Distribution and SVOA qualified for the third region, central and southern areas, with 426,683 tablets for Mathayom 1 students. Yitoa was the only company that qualified for the fourth re-

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gion, covering the North and Northeast, with 402,889 tablets for Mathayom 1 students. The source said Haier tablets failed to meet Obec drop tests. Under the terms of reference, tablets of qualified bidders must resist impact up to heights of 80 centimetres without fracturing or losing service. Haier tablets passed the drop test for the second region but failed for the first region. The drop tests were performed by Haier representatives. The firm insisted that even though some of its tablets broke after a drop, the devices were still operational, the source said. Each bidder is required to provide six tablets for testing in each region it wishes to service. An industry source added the median price of the tablets was set too low, limiting bidders to non-brand and Chinese firms. BANGKOK POST

APAN’S Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group plans to buy a 51 per cent stake in Thailand’s Bank of Ayudhya for about 400 billion yen ($4.1 billion) in a bid to expand its business in Southeast Asia, a report said on Saturday. “This will mark the first time that a Japanese bank takes direct control of a major bank in the rest of Asia. To date, Japanese banks have focused their operations there largely on lending to Japanese companies and helping them with trade settlement, the Nikkei daily reported. The Japanese financial group could forge a formal agreement early next month. Even on an international scale, the deal is among the biggest by a Japanese bank since MUFG announced its investment, worth about 900 billion yen, in Morgan Stanley in 2008, it added. Established by the Ratanarak family, which runs a television broadcaster, Bank of Ayudhya holds around 3.4 trillion yen in assets. The bank handles personal loans and credit cards and is strong in transactions with small and medium-sized enterprises. MUFG’s lending balance, already the largest in Thailand for a foreign bank, is expected to shoot up 350 per cent through the Bank of Ayudhya acquisition. Since Thailand bars foreign banks with local branches from providing capital to its banks, MUFG plans to merge its Bangkok branch with Bank of Ayudhya, according to the report. About 4,000 Japanese companies operate in Thailand, a major export base that is home to a burgeoning middle class. AFP

CONSULTANCY ANNOUNCEMENT National consultant for assessing level of integration of Population, Reproductive Health and Gender issues in Commune Development Plans/ Investment Programmes UNFPA’s support to the Department of Local Administration of the Ministry of Interior is to ensure that Commune/Sangkat planning tools [(5-year Commune Development Plan (CDP) and Commune Investment Programme (CIP)] adequately address and incorporate key gender, reproductive health, population, and youth issues through evidence based information as well as the effective implementation of these plans. In this context, DoLA with support from UNFPA is seeking to hire a national consultant to conduct an assessment of the CDP and CIP in selected areas. The objectives of the assessment are to:  Assess the degree to which the CC/CCWC understand the importance of: (1) evidence based planning; (2) gender sensitivity in their plans; (3) inclusion of key population issues, including RH and HIV/AIDS and youth in their plans; and (4) how such understanding reflects and is acted upon in their respective CDP/CIP.  Assess the level of accountability in utilizing UNFPA resources ($500/year) given to the target communes whether it has been utilized in response to UNFPA mandate in an accountable way.  Propose a set of actionable recommendations as a way forward to reach the programme objective in this area. How to apply The detailed Terms of Reference for this assignment, including UN Personal History Form (P11), can be obtained from: http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/cambodia. Individuals meeting the stated criteria are invited to apply by sending the duly completed P11 form and detailed CV clearly marked on an envelope as “National consultant for CDP/CIP Assessment” and to Dr. Derveeuw Marc G. L., UNFPA Representative, House 225, Street Pasteur, Boeng Keng Kang 1, Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia by 05 July 2013. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. UNFPA retains the right to contact referees directly. There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV status.

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Markets Business In carbon, gains for agriculture Daniel de Carteret

PAYING Cambodian farmers to capture carbon by not removing mulch during planting and harvesting would help support climate change mitigation, reduce soil deterioration and return higher yields in the long term, say leading agriculture experts. Speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh last Friday, Professor Rattan Lal of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University, said soil erosion, leading to poorer yields over time, can be prevented by leaving biomass – foliage from crops that serves as mulch – on the ground aiding the fertility of the soil. Biomass also forms an important part of the carbon capture process, reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The challenge for farmers, Lal says, is balancing priorities when they can realise more immediate gains for the biomass such as feeding livestock. “We have to develop a system whereby farmers are encouraged to leave as much biomass on the ground as possible,” he said.

Retailer warns Bangladesh Sarah Butler

RIMARK has warned that it could pull its clothes manufacturing operations out of Bangladesh if a safety drive fails to improve standards after the Rana Plaza disaster in April, which claimed 1,129 lives. Primark is one of 50 brands, including Next and Zara, that have agreed to contribute up to $500,000 a year for independent factory inspections and the installation of fire-safety measures under a five-year plan. The scheme will sit alongside the Bangladeshi government’s new program to improve safety. “By signing up to the accord, we are all committing to at least maintaining the level of business we have in Bangladesh for five years. After that period, we will have to re-evaluate our position. We don’t want to be in unsafe factories,” Katherine Kirk, Primark’s ethical trading director, said over the weekend. Primark was one of around 40 brands producing clothes within Rana Plaza. The disaster highlighted the working conditions in Bangladesh’s $20billion-a-year garment industry and the plight of millions of workers who are paid as little as $38.60 a month.

Thais could develop own e-cigarette

People rescue garment workers trapped under rubble at the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh, in April. reuters

Rana Plaza was built on unstable ground using poorquality materials, while two floors were added to a design that had been approved for six storeys only. Kirk said that Primark tried to safeguard the workers producing its clothing, but admitted that it had not carried out structural surveys of buildings. The firm keeps eight

permanent staff in Bangladesh to monitor conditions in its factories, and works with local partners to train factory owners in safety. But Kirk said brands needed government support to ensure that safety laws were being enforced. “When you look at the ethical audits that we are carrying out, the majority of what we are

checking is that factories are meeting legal requirements” she said. The Bangladeshi government has admitted it needs to recruit hundreds more factory inspectors. Just 51 inspectors issue factory operating licences in the country, which has more than 3,000 garment plants. THE GUARDIAN

HE Thailand Tobacco Monopoly says it might develop its own e-cigarettes or import them if the government legalises the increasingly popular tobacco-free product. Managing director Torsak Chotimongkol said as a government agency it could not proceed until e-cigarettes are legalised. “However, if the situation becomes clearer and the product is legally approved, we may consider importing e-cigarettes and developing our own product as an option for smokers,” he said. “We want to develop the product to meet health standards, be of a high quality and be affordable.” E-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, deliver nicotine in a vapour with flavours such as apple and strawberry. But countries around the world are struggling to regulate e-cigarettes, with the United States Food and Drug Administration saying it will eventually be controlled in a way similar to tobacco products. E-cigarettes can’t be sold legally in Thailand as they have not been approved by the local FDA, but they are widely distributed online. BANGKOK POST

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Business

China posing global growth risk Simon Kennedy and Kevin Hamlin

HINA’S effort to balance its economy without breaking it puts global growth at risk should policy makers fail. Premier Li Keqiang’s three-monthold government is allowing the tightest squeeze on credit in at least a decade to wean the nation off a cash binge that threatened to destabilise the world’s second-largest economy. The aim is to deliver sustainable, more-even economic expansion closer to seven per cent than the rates faster than nine per cent witnessed in recent years. The risk is that getting the transition wrong will stifle credit and hurt activity at home and abroad just as the Federal Reserve pivots toward withdrawing stimulus. “I wasn’t too worried up until this week,” said Shane Oliver, Sydneybased head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors Ltd, which manages the equivalent of more than $119 billion. “Things are quite a lot different in China than might have been expected. It does potentially pose risks for global growth.” Oliver is among investors and economists from Barclays Plc to HSBC Holdings Plc who are lowering their outlook for the Chinese economy. They say it may fall short of the government’s full-year growth target of 7.5 per cent. That’s a challenge to countries from

Australia to Brazil that increasingly relied on China after developed nations struggled to recover from the worst international recession since World War II. China was responsible for about a third of global growth last year, according to Darius Kowalczyk, a strategist at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong. “The world economy would suffer from China’s slowdown as China has been adding more to global growth than any other economy,” said Kowalczyk. “Commodity (CRY) demand would suffer in particular and Asian markets relying on China for exports growth would be hit.” Concerns about Chinese officials getting it wrong threaten to roil global financial markets, said David Hensley, director of global economic coordination at JPMorgan Chase & Co in New York. “If people get scared about China that could be a global event that would weigh on sentiment and reinforce negative forces in the markets,” said Hensley. The danger of over-doing the pullback is magnified by the fact it comes as investors contend with the prospect of reduced stimulus from the Fed. Emerging-market stocks are headed toward their steepest weekly loss in 13 months, with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index sinking 0.9 per cent to 900.54 on Friday in New York. The Chicago Board Options Ex-

An investor stands in front of an electronic board showing falling stock prices at a brokerage house in Fuyang, China, on Thursday. reuters

change Volatility Index, the so-called VIX, surged on June 20 to its highest since December. “We’ve relied on the Fed and China so much over the last few years so any signs that either might be less supportive is taken negatively – and we got both of those over the past week,” said Oliver at AMP. China’s benchmark money-market rates raced to record highs this week before sliding on Friday after the central bank finally injected funds. The overnight repurchase rate dropped

442 basis points, or 4.42 percentage points, to 8.43 per cent in Shanghai, according to a daily fixing compiled by the National Interbank Funding Center. That is the biggest drop since October 2007 and follows an unprecedented 527 basis point jump on June 20. Among those likely to suffer the most from a weaker China: commodity exporters, which will experience a “double whammy” of falling exports and prices, according to Tim Condon, head of Asia research

at ING Groep NV in Singapore. That puts Brazil, South Africa and Australia under pressure. They all count China as their biggest trading partner. Data from China’s General Administration of Customs show Brazilian exports to the country fell 11.8 per cent in the first five months of the year. Gold Fields Ltd and Sibanye Gold Ltd were among the South African mining companies to decline this week. Brazilian oil producer OGX Petroleo & Gas Participacoes SA fell as did BHP Billiton Ltd, the world’s largest mining company. Asian neighbours will likely also be pinched, with Kowalczyk of Credit Agricole estimating Taiwan and South Korea rely on China to buy about a quarter of their exports. China’s policy drive reflects a new departure in its economic management. Officials are more reluctant than they were in the past to loosen monetary or fiscal policies to check an economic slowdown. Instead, they are emphasizing the need for morebalanced growth in the longer term and policy changes to achieve it. That reflects a focus on “the quality of growth rather than the quantity,” said Stephen King, London-based chief economist at HSBC. HSBC on June 19 cut its forecast for Chinese growth this year and next to 7.4 per cent from previous forecasts of 8.2 per cent and 8.4 per cent. BLOOMBERG

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World Snowden leaves Hong Kong James Pomfret

FORMER contractor for the US National Security Agency, charged by the United States with espionage, was allowed to leave Hong Kong on Sunday because a US extradition request did not comply with the law, the Hong Kong government said. Edward Snowden left for Moscow yesterday and his final destination may be Cuba, Ecuador, Iceland or Venezuela, according to various reports. The move is bound to infuriate Washington, wherever he ends up. Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted a source at the Aeroflot airline as saying there was a ticket in Snowden’s name for a Moscow-Cuba flight. ItarTass cited a source as saying Snowden would fly from Havana to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. The South China Morning Post said his final destination may be Ecuador or Iceland. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was unaware of Snowden’s whereabouts or travel plans. The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said it helped Snowden find “political asylum in a democratic country”. It did not elaborate, other than to say Snowden was “currently over Russian airspace” with WikiLeaks legal advisers. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said last week he would not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean embassy in London even if Sweden stopped

A woman walks past a banner displayed in support of former US spy Edward Snowden in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he feared arrest on the orders of the United States. US authorities have charged Snowden with theft of US government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorised person, with the latter two charges falling under the

US Espionage Act. The United States had asked Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China, to send him home. “The US government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement. “Since the documents provided by the US government

did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR government has requested the US government to provide additional information . . . As the HKSAR government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.” Hong Kong, a former

AFP

British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and although it retains an independent legal system, and its own extradition laws, Beijing has control over Hong Kong’s foreign affairs. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier this month that Russia would consider granting Snowden asylum if he were to ask for it and proKremlin lawmakers supported the idea, but there has been

no indication he has done so. Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden, a former employee of contractor Booz Allen Hamilton who worked at an NSA facility inHawaii. The South China Morning Post earlier quoted Snowden offering new details about the United States’ spy activities, including accusations of US hacking of Chinese mobile telephone companies and targeting China’s Tsinghua University. Documents previously leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies, including Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism. The government statement said Hong Kong had written to the United States “requesting clarification” of earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. “The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter, so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong,” it said. China’s Xinhua news agency, referring to Snowden’s accusations about the hacking of Chinese targets, said they were “clearly troubling signs”. It added: “They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age.” REUTERS

Smoke fires Malaysian emergencies

A combination picture shows Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning (top) and on Tuesday. AFP

MALAYSIA’S government declared a state of emergency in two southern districts choked by smoke from forest fires in Indonesia as air pollution levels reached a 16-year high yesterday. Environment minister G. Palanivel said the air pollutant index (API) hit 750 in the town of Muar – the highest reading seen in Malaysia in 16 years – yesterday morning, with two other southern towns also reaching hazardous levels. “The prime minister has signed a declaration of emergency for Muar and Ledang districts,” Palanivel said in a text message. Haze is an annual problem during drier summer months, when westerly monsoon winds blow smoke from forest fires and slash-and-burn land-clearing on the huge Indonesian island of Sumatra across the Malacca Strait to Malaysia and Singapore. Air quality in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, which had so far escaped major impact from the current haze, also took a turn for the worst. The smell of smoke permeated the city and the twin Petronas Towers that dominate the skyline were invisible from just a short distance away, while many city residents donned facial masks.

Malaysia’s API rated the capital’s air “unhealthy”. Malaysia’s index differs from Singapore’s, which surpassed the critical 400 level on Friday, indicated potentially lifethreatening conditions for the ill and elderly, though pollution in the city-state has since eased. The Muar pollution reading was Malaysia’s highest since the API hit 860 during a severe 1997-1998 haze crisis that gripped the region and thrust the issue onto the Southeast Asian agenda. An emergency also was declared in 2005

The prime minister has signed a declaration of emergency for Muar and Ledang districts when readings soared above 500. Hundreds of schools have been closed since Thursday in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, which borders on Singapore, which also has been severely impacted by the pollution. The government announced Sunday afternoon that it would commence cloudseeding in hopes that rain will alleviate the pollution in the worst-hit areas. The annual problem is blamed by Indo-

nesia’s neighbours for affecting tourism and public health. The crisis has brought more negative publicity for big palm oil companies -Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian – which deforest vast swathes of Sumatra, as well as other areas of Indonesia and Malaysia, although the companies insist they have strict “no burn” policies. Indonesia’s government has outlawed the use of fire to clear land, but weak enforcement means the ban is largely ignored. Singapore and Indonesia have lashed out at each other in recent days. Malaysia’s government has so far avoided strong criticism of its big Southeast Asian neighbour. Indonesia, meanwhile, has blamed Malaysian and Singapore-based palm oil companies for allowing slash and burn on estates they own on Sumatra. Environmental group Greenpeace said Saturday that NASA data indicated hundreds of fires were burning in palm oil concessions owned by Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean companies. In 1997-1998, the haze cost Southeast Asia an estimated $9 billion from disruptions to air travel and other business activities. AFP

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World

Gunmen kill nine foreign tourists in north Pakistan Sajjad Tarakzai

UNMEN dressed as police killed nine foreign tourists in an unprecedented attack claimed by the Taliban at a remote camp in the Pakistani Himalayas, embarrassing the new government weeks after it took office. The attackers struck at the foot of one of the world’s highest mountains, killing Chinese and Ukrainian climbers in an area of the far-flung north not previously associated with violence or Islamist militancy. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it had set up a new faction to kill foreigners to avenge US drone strikes after its second in command was killed in the northwestern tribal belt on the Afghan border. The deaths call into question the future in Pakistan of foreign mountaineering and trekking expeditions, which provide the last vestige of international tourism in a country on the frontline of Al-Qaeda and Taliban violence. Officials said nine foreigners, including five Ukrainians and a number of Chinese were killed. One Pakistani also died and one Chinese survivor has been recovered. The climbers were staying at a base camp for Nanga Parbat, which

at 8,126 metres is the second highest mountain in Pakistan and the ninth highest in the world. The base camp is at Fairy Meadows in the Diamer district of GilgitBaltistan, which borders China and Kashmir. “The incident took place around 10pm [1700 GMT on Saturday]. They were mountaineers,” Diamer police official Mohammed Naveed said. “Gunmen came and opened fire on them. It is confirmed that they have been killed,” he said. Five Ukrainians were among the dead, Ukraine’s ambassador to Pakistan, Vladimir Lakomov, said. “Militants surrounded a tent camping site around the mountain Nanga Parbat and shot dead people who were in it,” Lakomov said. The Himalayas in northern Pakistan offer some of the most spectacular climbing in the world. Its peaks are a magnet for experienced mountaineers, often from Europe. Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar said the attackers were dressed as Gilgit Scouts, a paramilitary police unit. “They abducted two guides and through them reached the area. One guide was killed in the shootout. One is alive. He is now detained and being questioned,” he said. Pakistan condemned the attack,

but the killings will raise serious questions about security failures and embarrass a country already suffering from a poor image. The interior minister conceded there was no security escort for foreigners in that area of the mountains. The top bureaucrat and top police official in Gilgit-Baltistan were yesterday suspended, state TV said. Helicopters were dispatched to recover the bodies, and police and paramilitary were ordered into the area, officials said. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned “these inhuman and cruel acts”, ordered a thorough investigation and for the culprits to be brought to justice, the government said. Officials also spoke to the Chinese and Ukrainian ambassadors to express their condolences, the foreign ministry added. “Those who have committed this heinous crime seem to be attempting to disrupt the growing relations of Pakistan with China and other friendly countries,” it said. While Gilgit-Baltistan has seen deadly sectarian violence targeting Pakistan’s Shi’ite Muslim minority, foreigners have never before been targeted in such a remote part of the region, which officials said was inaccessible by road. AFP

A lone traveller walks to his tent set up at the base of Nanga Parbat mountain in northern Pakistan on Saturday. AFP

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World Rights group slams Saudi over activist HUMAN Rights Watch yesterday criticised Saudi Arabia’s justice system after a court sentenced a prominent human rights activist to five years in prison over his writing. Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Mikhlif al-Shammari to five years jail on June 17, “based on his writings and exposure of human rights abuses”, the New York-based watchdog said. Shammari was convicted of “sowing discord” and other offences, HRW said. He was barred from travelling for 10 years. “Al-Shammari is the latest in a lengthening line of Saudi human rights activists hauled before the courts and branded criminals for exercising free speech,” Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director, said. “King Abdullah needs to reform the criminal justice system to end abuse unless he wants his legacy to be repression rather than reform,” Stork said. Shammari, 58, was arrested in June 2010 on a charge of “annoying others”, said HRW. He was released on bail in February last year, a month before his trial began. AFP

Promises made on Okinawa

KINAWA marked the 68th anniversary of a bloody World War II battle yesterday, with Japan’s prime minister vowing to “lighten the burden” of local residents opposed to a heavy US military presence on the southern Japanese island. The concentration of American troops in Okinawa is a legacy of the US occupation of the region that continued for nearly three decades after Japan’s surrender in the war in August 1945. “Concentration of US military bases continue to pose heavy burden on people of Okinawa,” premier Shinzo Abe said at a ceremony at Itoman city in Okinawa. “I promise to give all of my strength in order to lighten the burden,” he said. A plan to move the US Marine Corps’ Futenma base from a crowded residential area to a sparsely populated area on the island have made nearly no progress because of the islanders’ push to move it outside Okinawa. After the ceremony, Abe told reporters that some US military training and equipment can be transferred to bases in other regions, Jiji Press said.

In brief Guinean man held with 10kg of rhinoceros horn

A GUINEAN man was arrested by Thai customs officers on Saturday at Suvarnabhumi airport after he was found with rhinoceros horn worth more than 10 million baht ($320,870). Paisarn Cheunjit, director of the Investigation and Suppression Bureau of the Customs Department, said on Sunday that the man was named as Doukoure N’Faly, 31. Paisarn said officers found eight rhinoceros horns weighing a total of 9.6 kilograms hidden in the suspect’s luggage. BANGKOK POST

Spurned man’s shots injure three tourists

Relatives of victims pray before a stone monument before starting the 68th memorial service for the war dead of the Battle of Okinawa in Itoman city in Japan’s southernmost island of Okinawa on yesterday. AFP

Okinawa fell to the US after three months of bloody fighting in 1945 that killed some 200,000 people, mostly native Okinawans. The island chain remained under American control until 1972. Vast tracts of the archipelago used by the occupying military

remained under US control after the handover and today still play host to around half of the 47,000 troops Washington has in Japan. This vast presence is a source of friction with islanders who complain of noise and the risk of accidents from the bases, as well as the crime and social

problems associated with the presence of a huge contingent of mainly young men. Tokyo says the US military presence on the strategic island is key for maintaining security at a time of increasing self-assertiveness from China and an unpredictable North Korea. AFP

THREE foreign tourists were injured by gunshots in Thailand’s Chiang Mai after a drunk university student opened fire at a restaurant. Police arrested Don Praweenmeth, a 27-year-old sixth-year medical student at a university in Bangkok on Saturday. Police said Don confessed that he fired five shots from a 9mm handgun at around midnight. The suspect said he was flirting with the waitress at the restaurant but she rejected him, and her boyfriend, who is a foreigner, later assaulted him. bangkok post

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World

Trade routes to take Arctic turn

HE town of Kirkenes in northernmost Norway used to be further away from Asia than almost any other European port, but it suddenly seems a lot closer because of global warming. Melting ice has opened up the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coastline, changing international trade patterns in profound ways – even if so far it looks more like a sleepy county road than a busy, four-lane highway. In a change of potentially revolutionary significance, the travel time between the Japanese port of Yokohama and Hamburg in Germany has been cut by 40 per cent, while fuel expenditure is down 20 per cent. “For the first time in history we are witnessing a new ocean opening up in the high north, which will have a major impact on both trade and provision of energy,” said Sturla Henriksen, the president of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. In 2012, when the ice reached its lowest extent on record, 3.4 million square kilometres, 46 ships used the new route, compared with only four in 2010, according to Rosatomflot, a Russian operator of icebreakers. The traffic is still negligible compared with traditional routes. Ships transit the Panama Canal 15,000

times a year, while passing through the Suez 19,000 times. But the future looks promising. The volume of goods transported along the Northern Sea Route is likely to grow strongly in the coming years, from 1.26 million tonnes last year to 50 million tonnes in 2020, according to the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Kirkenes, whose 3,400 inhabitants live in nearly uninterrupted darkness during the winter months, is suddenly preparing frantically for the expected boom. The Tschudi Shipping Group plans to open a logistics hub measuring the equivalent of 200 football fields in a fjord nearby that is held ice-free all year by the warm Gulf Stream. The port’s location is extremely strategic. It is nine days’ travel from the Pacific and the Mediterranean, and close to major oil and gas deposits in the Arctic, as well as mines in northern Sweden and Finland. Twenty-six of the ships that traversed the Arctic Ocean between Europe and Asia last year were carrying hydrocarbons, while six were transporting iron ore or coal. The new route also opens up an interesting market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) extracted in the Barents Sea, especially after North

A tanker belonging to Russian energy giant Gazprom sails in an undisclosed location in the Arctic in November.

America, the customer that local companies initially had in mind, has turned away following a decision to use its own shale gas. On the other hand, Asia’s appetite for gas has increased after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, and prices there are significantly higher than in Europe. Adding to the lucrative nature of the trade, each ship transporting LNG by the northern route can do it close to $7 million cheaper than vessels going through the Suez. Traditional goods traffic, however, is not realistic at these latitudes,

according to Tschudi Shipping. “The big trading routes in dry bulk shipping are located too far South for the Northern Sea Route to become relevant,” Henrik Falck, the company’s project manager for Eastern Europe, said. And “we can forget about containers,” he said, noting that owners preferred traditional routes with stops at densely populated cities along the way. In a fragile ecosystem the source of great worry among environmentalists, Russia plays a central role in assisting navigation with icebreakers.

AFP

It has also decided to establish 10 bases along its coast to redress the current abject lack of infrastructure. Admitted last month as an observer in the Arctic Council, China also wants to be part of the game. After the first transit of its icebreaker Snow Dragon last year, China now plans to send its first commercial shipment along the northern route this summer. Between five and 15 per cent of Chinese international trade could take this new road by 2020, the director of the Polar Research Institute of China, Yang Huigeng, said. AFP

Afghan Taliban rejects press reports EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ChildFund Cambodia is the representative office of ChildFund Australia - an independent, non-religious development organization that works to reduce or eliminate poverty for children in the developing world. ChildFund Australia is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – a global network of 12 organizations which assists more than 16 million children in over 50 countries. ChildFund Australia is a registered charity and is fully accredited by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). ChildFund was established in Cambodia in 2007 and implements programs in Svay Rieng and Kratie provinces. Specific sectors we are working include education, health, water and sanitation, local governance, child protection, safe migration and rights realisation. We are seeking to fill the role of  Sponsor Relations Manager: 1 position based full-time in Phnom Penh: The Sponsor Relations Manager is a senior ChildFund Cambodia position, responsible for leadership, management, coordination and supervision of all aspects of ChildFund Cambodia’s sponsorship work. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong understanding of global development trends, international sponsorship models and commitment to quality assurance and continual improvement. The ability to provide high order analysis and develop strategy papers aligned to ChildFund’s program approach will be critical to success. The Sponsor Relations Manager will ensure sponsorship work adheres to the highest international standards of child protection. Core competencies and Requirements of the successful candidate are:          

Dynamic, creative thinker, well-organized, systematic and with excellent time-keeping skills High-level critical thinking, analyzing and synthesizing skills Ability to handle multiple tasks while maintaining timeframes and standards, ensuring accuracy Experience in complex database management and monitoring to identify trends Demonstrated personnel and technical management experience Excellent written, spoken, listening and writing English skills Excellent computer skills including Windows, World, Excel, Power Point Ability to work eﬀectively as a team member or independently as required Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, good inﬂuencing skills Strong leadership, management and coordination skills

Interested applicants should ﬁrst obtain the terms of reference by emailing careers@childfund.org.kh or in person at 14, Street 240, Sangkat Chatomuk, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh during business hours. Applicants for the role will submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae. ChildFund Cambodia is an equal opportunity employer with competitive remuneration rates and excellent employment terms and conditions. Women are strongly encouraged to apply. All employees are required to abide by ChildFund’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct. Deadline for applications is 5.00 pm, Friday 05 July 2013. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

THE Afghan Taliban yesterday rejected reports that they may cancel peace talks with the US and Afghan governments over criticism of the insurgents’ office that opened in Qatar last week. A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan rejected a New York Times story on Saturday that quoted an unnamed rebel official saying the insurgents were determined to keep the office’s sign and flag that triggered fury in Kabul. The sign used the formal name of Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan from the rebels’ 1996 to 2001 government, and the white Taliban flag was seen by many Afghans as a reminder of Taliban rule. The opening of the Qatar office was intended as a first

step towards a peace deal as the US-led NATO mission ends next year, but Kabul accused the rebels of posing as a government-in-exile. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said yesterday that the anonymous “Taliban official” quoted in the New York Times did not represent the movement’s views. “[The Taliban] has its own spokespersons who provides information to the media,” Mujahid said in a statement. “Anyone except these spokespersons giving information, it would not be [information] from the Islamic Emirate. “The enemy for long time have given statements in their interests citing unknown persons [as Taliban spokespersons], an example of which is

an interview published on the New York Times.” John Kerry, on a visit to Qatar on Saturday, warned that Washington could call on the Taliban to close the office if the rebels failed to live up to their side of peace efforts. “It is our hope that this could ultimately be an important step in reconciliation if it’s possible. We know that it may well not be possible,” the US Secretary of State said. If the Taliban do not address concerns, “we may have to consider whether or not the office has to be closed.” President Obama has supported dialogue with the Taliban as the US prepares to pull out its 68,000 combat troops from Afghanistan next year, ending the longest US war,

which has become increasingly unpopular at home. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, imposing a harsh version of Sunni Islamic law that banned television, music and cinema, stopped girls from going to school and forced woman to wear the all-covering burqa. They were ousted in 2001 for sheltering the Al-Qaeda militants behind the 9/11 attacks, but launched a resilient and bloody insurgency against USled NATO troops and the USbacked Afghan government. Talk of a meeting between US and Taliban officials in Qatar has been put on hold, and the US has stressed the office must not be treated as an embassy and must be used only for peace talks. AFP

Palestinian PM resigns post early PALESTINIAN president Mahmud Abbas yesterday formally accepted the resignation of his newly installed prime minister Rami Hamdallah after just over two weeks on the job, officials said. The news was broken by a senior source but quickly confirmed by Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina in a statement published by the official WAFA news agency. “The president of the State of Palestine Mahmud Abbas today accepted the resignation of prime minister Rami Hamdallah and asked him to continue on in a caretaker role until the formation of a new government,” he said. The decision was taken at a meeting between the two men in Ramallah yesterday, their third such meeting in 48 hours. “President Abbas has accepted the resignation of Hamdallah after he refused to work with two deputies,” the source said,

speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He asked him to stay on in a caretaker role until he chooses someone else to form a new government.” The crisis erupted on Thursday when Hamdallah unexpectedly tendered his resignation over what government officials said was a “power struggle” resulting from Abbas’s decision to install two deputies working directly under him. Hamdallah had withdrawn his resignation on Friday during what a high ranking government official said was a “positive” two-hour meeting with Abbas. They met for another 90 minute on Saturday evening, although officials were tight lipped about what conspired. But by yesterday the situation was beyond repair with Abbas taking the decision to accept Hamdallah’s resignation. “Hamdallah initially agreed to withdraw his resignation [on Friday] but he insisted

yesterday during a meeting with the president on either not having any deputies or having deputies with restricted powers,” the source said. “This led to a sharpening of the dispute over the powers of the prime minister, which ended up with the president accepting his resignation.” At the heart of the crisis is a dispute over the division of responsibilities within government. Hamdallah, who was named to the post of premier by Abbas on June 2 and sworn at the helm of a new government four days later, had been incensed by the president’s decision to name two deputies to work under him, sources in his office said. During his talks with Abbas on Friday, Hamdallah had made clear he wanted “clear and defined powers as prime minister, and for his deputies, based on the law”, an official said. AFP

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World

Rain hampers India’s rescue efforts Mahesh Pandey

AD weather hampered rescue operations yesterday in rain-ravaged northern India where up to 1,000 people are feared to have died in landslides and flash floods that have left pilgrims and tourists stranded in remote mountains without food or water. So far 557 bodies have been found after torrential rains struck the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on June 15, flooding the Ganges River and devastating an area known as the “Land of the Gods” for its revered Hindu shrines. More than 20,000 people were cut off in remote areas with the full extent of the loss of life only likely to emerge after waters recede and rescue workers reach isolated areas, officials said. “The death toll could be more than 750 – maybe around 1,000,” Uttarakhand Minister Vijay Bahuguna said late on Saturday. Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and entire villages. Dozens of helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to help people trapped across the state. But air operations had to be suspended yesterday due to rain and overcast conditions over the pilgrimage sites of Kedarnath and Badrinath as well as Rishikesh, which is popular with adventure tourists for its whiteriver rafting.

Twenty trekkers including six Americans were rescued on Saturday after they were marooned near a glacier, while the army managed to make contact with nearly a thousand people stuck in mountains near Kedarnath. Weather permitting, two aircraft were to transport a medical team and equipment to set up an emergency “mini hospital” in the region, Indian Air Force spokeswoman Priya Joshi said. Around 120 bodies were recovered from the Kedarnath temple complex and more were feared to be lying in nearby jungle where tourists took refuge after hotels and other buildings collapsed in the deluge. The Times of India newspaper said some people had died of hunger and illness when relief failed to reach them in time. “Mostly the young survived. But many had to see their loved ones die a slow death in front of their eyes,” it quoted a rescue worker as saying. For the 22,000 stranded, it has been a grim battle of survival against the odds, an army rescue worker who did not want to be named said. “They have been stuck for more than five days without food or water. Temperatures have been dipping sharply in the night, but they do not have any shelter,” he said. Rescuers hoped to evacuate more people yesterday after road links to several areas were reopened.

Rescued foreign tourists and Indian civilians in an Indian Air Force transport helicopter at Dharasu in Uttarakhand state yesterday.

Distraught relatives clutching photographs of missing family members have been waiting for days outside Dehradun airport for news of their loved ones. The military operation, involving around 50 helicopters and more than 10,000 soldiers, was focused on reach-

ing those stranded in the holy town of Badrinath after earlier finding widespread devastation in the Kedarnath temple area. Special trains and buses have been pressed into service to bring tourists home while medical and food supplies were being flown to stranded

AFP

people. In the adjacent state of Himachal Pradesh, 20 people have been killed and around 1,200 tourists remained stranded in remote rainhit regions. The Kinnaur district has seen heavy damage with power cut off to large areas and roads washed away. AFP

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World

Australia to investigate the treatment of women THE government of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday asked the Human Rights Commission to launch an inquiry into the treatment of women in the workplace, marking a return to the vexed issue of gender equality. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick will oversee a national survey to assess the prevalence, nature and consequences of discrimination relating, in particular, to pregnancy at work and return to work after parental leave. The inquiry will convene a series of roundtable forums with industry and employer groups, unions, workers and other organisations before preparing recommendations to reduce discrimination. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is significant anecdotal evidence that women in particular are being demoted, sacked, or having their role or hours unfavourably â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;restructuredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; while on parental leave or on their return from leave,â&#x20AC;? Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The inquiry will measure the prevalence of this discrimination and help ensure parents, particularly mothers, are treated fairly at work.â&#x20AC;?

It was launched after Gillard reignited a simmering debate about gender by warning voters in a recent speech that womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voices would be banished from decision making if the conservative opposition was elected in September polls. The comments were followed by Gillard being targeted by a sexist and offensive menu at an opposition party fundraiser and then a radio host was fired after pressing her on air whether her partner Tim Mathieson was gay. Gillard, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female leader, said the inquiry would be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;pivotalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; in assessing the scale of the problem for women in the workplace and what should be done about it. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very concerning that there are even anecdotal reports that people, particularly women, feel discriminated against when they are caring for young children,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; she told the Sydney Morning Herald. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Given that I want us to be a nation where (there is) equal opportunity for everyone at every time in their life, I want to get to the bottom of the problem and what the solutions could be.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; AFP

Canberra hopeful on whales

USTRALIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said yesterday he was hopeful the government would win its case against Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;scientificâ&#x20AC;? whaling which begins this week in the International Court of Justice. Dreyfus, who will be in The Hague to lead the case for the final stretch of the three-week hearing which begins on June 26, said both sides had filed very lengthy legal and factual arguments with the court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s views on whaling are well established â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we strongly oppose all commercial whaling, including so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;scientificâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; whale hunting by Japan,â&#x20AC;? Dreyfus said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;scientificâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; whaling is contrary to its international obligations and we want to see this practice brought to a halt once and for all.â&#x20AC;? The attorney-general said Australia and Japan, a key trading partner, remained friends despite their disagreement over whaling, which Tokyo says is carried out for scientific purposes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Australia and Japan agree the International Court of Justice is the best place to resolve differences between friends,â&#x20AC;? Dreyfus said.

A handout photo taken on February 25, 2013, of the Sea Shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ship Bob Barker (right) colliding with the Japanese whaling fleet fuel tanker the San Laurel. AFP

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both countries value our strong bilateral relationship and the friendship forged between our nations over many years.â&#x20AC;? The upcoming hearings mark the final stage of proceedings initiated by Australia in 2010 and the government is hopeful of a decision before the start of the next southern hemisphere whaling season towards the end of the year.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hopeful of getting the result that we want,â&#x20AC;? Dreyfus told reporters in Sydney. In a statement, Dreyfus said more than 10,000 whales have been killed since 1988 as a result of Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whaling programs in the Southern Ocean. The annual killing of the whales for research in the Southern Ocean has provoked

anger from conservationists, with militant activists from the Sea Shepherd conservation group tailing the Japanese fleet each year and occasionally clashing with the harpoon and factory ships. This year the whaling mission off Antarctica logged a â&#x20AC;&#x153;record lowâ&#x20AC;? catch of the mammals, with the Japanese government blaming â&#x20AC;&#x153;unforgivable sabotageâ&#x20AC;? by activists. AFP

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

Coming up on Thursday, July 4, The Phnom Penh Post proudly presents

The Fourth of July

INSURANCE CAMBODIA A special report that reviews whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new in Cambodia for:

Íť American companies doing business in Cambodia including motor vehicles, Íť A look at whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening for the United States of America in Cambodia: Íť The American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia: whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening. Story ideas? Email stuart.becker@gmail.com borom.chea@phnompenhpost.com or call 012 763 481 / 011 743 998 Booking deadline: Thursday, June 27. Artwork deadline: Tuesday, July 2.

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THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

World

A woman carries drinking water in an inner tube of a tyre in the Yemeni governorate of Taiz in April.

REUTERS

Women’s work still being ignored Terje Langeland

WENTY-FIVE years after she directed a broadside at the global economic order for ignoring the unpaid work women do, Marilyn Waring said, she’s still waiting. Her 1988 book, If Women Counted, persuaded the United Nations to redefine gross domestic product, inspired new accounting methods in dozens of countries and became the founding document of the discipline of feminist economics. For all that, Waring notes, men dominate most institutions that rule the economy. “It’s a disappointment to still find ourselves in a pretty barren desert,” said Waring, 60, a professor of public policy at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and a former member of the nation’s parliament and central bank board. Women who do rise to leadership in business, finance and politics often find themselves playing by rules that don’t suit them – and that don’t necessarily lead to good decisions for the planet, Waring said. “You really need to be a testosterone junkie in lots of these positions,” she said. “And if you don’t want to be a testosterone junkie, then you’re left out of the game.” Much of the world’s economic activity takes place in the form of unpaid work by women: from fetching water, carrying firewood and tending animals in subsistence agricultural countries, to caring for children, the sick and elderly in developing and developed nations alike. Much of this is still left out of GDP calculations and policy decisions. “When you don’t have all of that

in front of you, you just make really bad policy,” she said. “You make very bad policy about the next generation, about the environment.” Elected in 1975, at 23, Waring became the youngest woman to serve in New Zealand’s parliament, and in her second term was the sole woman in the ruling caucus. As head of the Public Expenditure Committee, she was exposed to the workings of the UN system of national accounts, which governs the way countries report their finances. She left politics in 1984 after famously helping topple the government of Prime Minister Robert Muldoon by backing a bill to make New Zealand a nuclear-free zone. Four years later, Waring gained international prominence with If Women Counted, also published as Counting for Nothing. Praised by feminist Gloria Steinem and economist John Kenneth Galbraith, the book lambasted national accounting systems as sexist for excluding unpaid women’s work. Canada’s National Film Board in 1995 made it into a documentary called Who’s Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics.

‘Demystifying’ economics While Waring wasn’t the first to criticise the exclusion, her book drew attention for its thorough, persuasive analysis, said Joann Vanek, a former director of social statistics at the UN. “She demystified the national accounts,” Vanek said. “Many feminists had taken pot shots at national accounts, but Marilyn went into the body of it and disaggregated the specific assumptions that were made and how that really shaped what ended up being a bias against women. “She was unafraid. These guys, these

national accountants, are somewhat oracle-type figures, and she would confront them,” Vanek said. In 1993, the UN revised the system of national accounts to recommend that all production of goods in households for their own consumption be included in the measurement of economic output, a definition excluding childcare, elder-care, cooking and cleaning.

Shifting the focus Alternatives to GDP as a measure of progress proliferated after Waring advocated methods such as time-use surveys, in which people are asked to detail how they spend their time on both paid and unpaid work. The UN in 1990 began publishing its Human Development Report, which includes the Human Development Index, ranking countries according to a composite of life expectancy, education and income indexes. The index was developed by economists Mahbub ul Haq of Pakistan and Amartya Sen of India to shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting to human well-being. If Women Counted also helped give rise to feminist economics as an academic discipline, said Margunn Bjoernholt, director of Policy and Social Research, an Oslo, Norway-based institute that focuses on gender, work, welfare and economics. “The field of feminist economics did not exist when she wrote the book,” said Bjoernholt, who is co-editing a collection of writings by scholars that will examine the impact of Waring’s work over the past 25 years. Called Counting on Marilyn Waring, scheduled for September publication, the collection will include examples of how Waring’s ideas have

been translated. In Scotland, they helped inspire the creation in 2009 of a so-called budget equality statement, said Ailsa McKay, a professor of economics at Glasgow Caledonian University and Bjoernholt’s co-editor. The statement is published alongside the annual budget to highlight how spending decisions are taking gender into account. “It’s embedded now in the Scottish budget process,” McKay said. “She’s made a huge difference in the world.” Waring acknowledges widespread change since 1988: Worldwide, people who care for sick or elderly relations at home have gained increased access to financial assistance or expanded elder-care from the government. Increased data gathering, including time-use surveys, has made more statistics available that can be employed to guide better decision-making. Still, economic policy remains driven to a great extent by GDP figures, which to leave out most forms of unpaid work. The 1993 revision of the system of national accounts to include more uncompensated labour hasn’t been widely implemented at the national level, and especially not in poor countries with large subsistence economies, Waring said. “There’s never the technical or logistical capacity to actually collect the data,” she said. “So it’s a fairly cynical move.” Men run most of the global economy’s political and corporate institutions. They hold about 80 per cent of key elected and appointed positions, according to the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Gender Gap Report. Women made up 10.5 per cent of corporate board members globally as of 2011, up from 9.3 per cent in 2009, a survey last year by New York-

based GMI Ratings found. Almost 40 per cent of companies had no female directors, the survey showed. Such data show why more female leaders are needed, and also why many women shy away from top jobs, Waring said. “The isolation and the loneliness really are pretty profound,” she said. “There’s still enormous compulsion to be ‘one of the boys’. Many women take a look at what goes on and just think, well, no, I’ve got better things to do in life,” she said.

Hostile public As one of a handful of women in parliament, Waring earned the scorn of male colleagues and received hate mail for her position on women’s issues, including her advocacy of banning marital rape, which then wasn’t a crime in New Zealand, she said. “I was told by my male colleagues that ‘real women’ didn’t think like me,” Waring said. “There was a lot of stuff – I mean, particularly abusive material – that would come from the public by way of letters.” More female leaders may eventually help transform institutions, said Waring, who applauds quotas adopted in some countries. France, Ireland and Mexico are among those with required proportions for women in certain elected offices, for example. France, Spain and Italy have quotas for women on boards of large corporations. “I’m still somebody who actually believes in the capacity of the community to work toward what is needed,” Waring said, “and I still think that every day and in every way there are significant numbers of people on the planet who are trying to make it better.” THE WASHINGTON POST

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Opinion www.phnompenhpost.com

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Singaporeans in a haze over what to do about smog Regional Insider Roger Mitton

LREADY susceptible to shopaholic mania, compulsive eating disorder and lumbered with the semiofficial tag of the world’s saddest people, Singaporeans are now forced to exist in an acrid pea-souper smog. The poor things. It ought to be enough to elicit profound sympathy, but it most assuredly does not. In fact, the dominant sentiment that irrepressibly arises within us is one that says: Great, serves the smug beggars right. There is no need for any guilt about such feelings, just as there is no need for any surprise at the way Indonesia’s universally admired foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, refused to say sorry to Singapore. Why the heck should Jakarta apologise for the blanket of smokey fog that lies over its tiny neighbour? Quite the contrary. As Indonesia’s minister coordinating its response to the calamity, Agung Laksono, said: “Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise.” He is right. It is mind boggling to witness the condescension and gall of the Singaporeans as they issue missives instructing Indonesia to take “definitive action” to deal with the smog. Let us remember that many of the vast and highly lucrative palm oil plantations in Sumatra using the slash and burn tactics that have caused the problem are owned by Singapore companies. Already identified as likely culprits are Singapore-headquartered Asia Pacific Resources and PT Sinar Mas, whose parent company is the Singapore-listed Golden Agri Resources. Asia Pacific has now put out a rebuttal asserting that it mandates a “strict no-burn policy” for all its plantations in Indonesia. Two other Singapore-based conglomerates, Wilmar International and CTP Holdings, the latter a joint venture between Cargill and Temasek Holdings, are trying to preemptively defend themselves. Temasek, Singapore’s sovereign fund administrator, said it has sent a team to Sumatra to confirm

A man wearing a mask walks past the skyline of Singapore’s business district, which has been blanketed in haze from fires buring in neighbouring Indonesia. REUTERS

that there are no fires raging at its plantations. Methinks, they doth protest their innocence too much. It is something they have been doing for decades. Every time the smog reaches catastrophic levels, they plead innocence and claim it is the work of recalcritrant local farmers. Utter nonsense. As is the claim that it only happens very rarely. In fact, it happens annually; it is just that some years, like this one and 1994, 1997 and 2005, are particularly horrendous. Each time, the excuses and the blame game grow as offensive as the statements made by plantation owners and ministers of health and the environment. Twenty years ago, when interview-

ing Malaysia’s deputy health minister Farid Ariffin, I asked about the annual choking haze in Kuala Lumpur. “Oh, it’s temporary,” he said, blithely. “There’s no need to press the panic button yet. Life goes on, but I’ve stopped jogging and I exercise inside now.” Singapore’s equivalent Vicar of Bray, Kishore Mahbubani, said on the BBC last week that he’d also stopped jogging, and, at a loss to offer any real answers, assured us that the haze will pass when the wind changes. So it will. And ministers will turn to other matters and the fat cat plantation owners will resume normal service while counting their dosh. What is most galling is the way Singapore whinges about such things, yet condones its own

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environmental pillaging, like the removal of vast amounts of sand from its neighbours’ shores. Indonesia, Vietnam and now Cambodia have banned the practice, but in reality it continues. Asked about it, Singapore officials say: Oh, but it’s a private business and the landowners and authorities allow it, so why not, lah? Well, because it’s immoral and environmentally disastrous, that’s why. Just as burning plantation lands is. Really, the best solution would be for Singapore to dredge up that stolen sand and ship it over to Sumatra to douse the fires and kill the haze. If they did that, we might have some sympathy for them. But until then, they can rub their eyes and cry a river for all the rest of us care.

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Lifestyle ET on the phone: Mystic in Myanmar helps Asia’s elite Kelly Macnamara

INY, frail and barely able to speak, Myanmar’s most famous fortune-teller – known as ET – has for years whispered predictions to Asia’s rich and powerful, from generals to foreign politicians. The soothsayer, whose popularity has inspired a recent Thai biopic, is one of a plethora of mystics in Myanmar, where generations of rulers have sought ethereal advice. Sprightly despite a range of disabilities – including, her family say, that her internal organs are all on the wrong side of her body – ET looks every bit the mystic when accompanied by her sister Thi Thi, whose penchant for shawls and elaborately embroidered frocks enhances the spiritualist image. “My sister [is a] very, very grand and special one,” Thi Thi told AFP in a recent interview in Bangkok, adding that her guidance is sought region-wide. “Some is politician, some is business people . . . Everybody happy, became very famous,” said Thi Thi, who acts as an interpreter for her sister. Myanmar’s fortune-tellers are thought to be behind several unexplained occurrences in the country, from the abrupt decision by the former junta to relocate the capital in 2005, to bizarre episodes when the generals appeared wearing women’s longyi – a sarong-like skirt. Normally sartorially conser-

vative, the top brass resorted to cross-dressing “so that a woman would not become president in the country,” said Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy, a news magazine started by Myanmar exiles, referring to the junta’s fear of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. “They are very superstitious,” he said. Mystics have been ascribed great influence in a country where the workings of the secretive junta were kept hidden from the public for decades. Aung Zaw said that amid the wilder speculation were strong indications that the army chiefs did dabble in the dark arts to try to reinforce their power. “There is a lot of interpretation . . . but they do these things quite often,” he said, adding that the practice of consulting astrologers dated back hundreds of years, with Myanmar’s former kings regularly consulting fortune-tellers. Ne Win, the strongman who ruled Myanmar for around three decades, was notorious for his reliance on fortune-tellers and their yadaya – an occult practice where a symbolic act is performed to influence the future. Rumours about the former junta chief’s use of yadaya to ward off adversity include that he stood in front of a mirror and shot a gun at his own reflection, according to one foreign observer who has long studied the old regime. Even Myanmar’s new reformist President Thein Sein has in-

Sopranos star had ‘wonderful’ last day

JAMES Gandolfini, star of the US Emmy-winning series The Sopranos, had a “wonderful” last day on holiday with his son before dying of a heart attack in Italy, a family friend said on Friday. Michael Kobold told journalists an autopsy on Friday morning showed Gandolfini had died of natural causes, confirming an earlier report from medical officials. reuters

Miss Algeria crowned: first time in 10 years ET, Myanmar’s most famous fortune-teller, attends a local television program in Bangkok. afp

dicated his openness to heed the predictions of mystics. “I don’t know a lot about astrology, but there are many people who know astrology very well in Myanmar,” he said in a recent documentary. Thi Thi said her sister, who is in her 40s, had also met former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and predicted his rise to power. Thaksin reportedly visited ET just days before he was ousted in a 2006 coup, but Thi Thi declined to give details of the relationship, saying only that her sister’s predictions over the years were “80 per cent correct”. In three decades on the road,

she said ET has travelled to “many many countries”, including Japan, China, Singapore and Thailand, and now ploughs a portion of her income into a hospital foundation at home. While her clients include the occasional Westerner, most are local businessmen and wealthy Asians. “It’s definitely hard to get an appointment,” said one Western diplomat, who said prices have now risen to a hundred dollars a session. Soon after Suu Kyi was released from her last bout of house arrest in 2010, amid uncertainty about how much freedom the Nobel peace laureate would be allowed, the diplomat

asked ET for a prediction of the veteran activist’s future. “In spite of a warning that she doesn’t predict politics or the lottery, she did say that ‘Aung San Suu Kyi would be more free, very free’,” the diplomat said. Suu Kyi has since been elected to parliament. ET – whose name is also written E Thi – has predicted her own early death from heart failure, but her sister says it does not worry Thi because she will be “very pretty” in her next life. Her family say her powers, including visions of ghosts and future events, were discovered after she was struck by fever while praying as a small child. afp

Philippines financial district bans plastics Mynardo Macaraig

Residents are seen at their near a dump site in Manila. The Philippines financial capital has banned disposable plastic shopping bags. afp

In brief

THE Philippines financial capital banned disposable plastic shopping bags and styrofoam food containers Thursday, as part of escalating efforts across the nation’s capital to curb rubbish blamed for deadly flooding. After a widespread publicity campaign leading up to the ban, Makati city environment protection officers began handing out fines of 5,000 pesos ($115) to shops and supermarkets caught distributing the bags. Rowena Rosario, who sells hot meals at a sidewalk stall, often packed in plastic bags, said the city ordinance was making life difficult. “Most of my orders are take-out. Now, I have to use paper bags but what if the food has a lot of sauce? No one is going to bring plates here,” she said glumly. There is strong resistance to the ban, particularly among the poor, said Xenelit Camarce, one of the ban enforcers who spoke to AFP after inspecting a public market. “A lot of people, especially those sidewalk vendors, they are still using it. But the ones really complaining are the customers, those buying fish and chicken,” she said. While Makati, one of 17 cities or districts that make up Metro Manila, still allows food to be wrapped in plastic, it has banned the bags that shops and restaurants traditionally issue for free.

Styrofoam food containers and plastic cups are also banned. Consumers are given the option of paper alternatives or not using any bags; supermarkets encourage shoppers to bring their own. “We have issued a lot of tickets,” Makati environment officer, Danny Villas, told AFP. Tow-truck crew member John Regalio shrugged with resignation as he bought juice drinks poured into paper cups instead of inside sealed small plastic bags, the preferred local way of serving beverages to customers on the go. Makati is home to many of the country’s foreign embassies, biggest corporations and banks, swankiest shopping malls and about 2,900 restaurants. Although its official population is just over 600,000, this swells to about 3.7 million in the daytime when thousands of commuters travel to the area to work, city officials said. Makati became the ninth out of the 17 areas to issue the plastics ban, meaning 6.7 million of Metro Manila’s population of 13 million people are covered. Prexy Macana, project officer of Makati’s environmental services department, said cutting down on plastic was vital to stop the clogging of the city’s waterways, which is widely blamed for contributing to floods. June is the start of the rainy season in the Philippines, and Metro Manila has already endured heavy flooding, although none of it deadly. afp

After an absence of 10 years, the Miss Algeria beauty contest was held Friday in the western city of Oran, with 19-year-old science student Rym Amari taking the pageant honours. The competition was suspended in 2003 after the death of Cheradi Hamdad, who launched the beauty contest in 1996 during Algeria’s devastating civil war and whose son Faycal Hamdad has now taken up the mantle. “I have picked up the torch for this year only, because my father died last year of lung cancer,” he said. AFP

Gaza joy as Palestinian singer wins Arab Idol

JUBILANT Palestinians took to the streets in their thousands early Sunday after singer Mohammed Assaf won a panArab singing contest that has had millions of viewers fixed to their TV screens since March. Saturday’s televised victory was the first such success for a Palestinian entertainer and sparked an unprecedented response in the occupied territories. Assaf, winner of the Arab Idol contest in Beirut, dedicated the win to “the Palestinian people, who have been suffering for more than 60 years from [Israeli] occupation”. afp

Australia names ‘Chief Funster’, ‘Taste Master’

AUSTRALIA on Friday selected a Californian as “Chief Funster” and an Irish Internet entrepreneur as “Outback Adventurer” in its “Best Jobs in the World” competition, a campaign that attracted 330,000 applicants from 196 nations “Blimey,” gasped Englishman Rich Keam as he was named “Taste Master”, a job that will see him spend six months in Western Australia touring the huge state’s best restaurants, wineries and pubs. afp

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 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

11:45

22:25

KA 206

3.5.7

14:30

16:05

KA 209

18:30

22:05

KA 206

15:25

17:00

KA 209

3.5.7

17:25

21:00

KA 206

15:50

17:25

KA 205

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

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

SHANGHAI - PHNOM PENH 23:05

PHNOM PENH - SINGAPORE

FM 833

2.3.4.5.7 19:30

22:40

SINGAPORE - PHNOM PENH

Air Asia (AK) Room T6, PP International Airport. Tel: 023 6666 555 Fax: 023 890 071 www.airasia.com

Cambodia Angkor Air (K6) PP Office, #90+92+94Eo, St.217, Sk.Orussey4, Kh. 7Makara, 023 881 178 /77718-333. Fax:+855 23-886-677 www.cambodiaangkorair.com E: mai@royalaviationexpert.com

Jetstar Asia (3K) PP: No. 333B Monivong Blvd. Myanmar Airways International Tel: 023 220909.Siem Reap: No. 50,Sivatha Blvd.Tel: 063 964388 #90+92+94Eo, St. 217, Sk. Orussey4, Kh. 7 Makara, www.jetstar.com Phnom Penh, Cambodia. T:023 881 178 | F:023 886 677 www.maiair.com

Dragon Air (KA) #168, Monireth, PP Tel: 023 424 300 Fax: 023 424 304 www.dragonair.com/kh

Cebu Pacific (5J) Phnom Penh: No. 333B Monivong Blvd. Tel: 023 219161 Siem Reap: No. 50,Sivatha Blvd. Tel: 063 965487 E-mail: cebuair@ptm-travel.com www.cebupacificair.com

Tiger airways G. floor, Regency square, Suare, Suite #68/79, St.205, Sk Chamkarmorn, PP Tel: (855) 95 969 888 (855) 23 5515 888/5525888 E: info@cambodiaairlines.net

SilkAir (MI) Regency C,Unit 2-4,Tumnorb Teuk, Chamkarmorn Phnom Penh Tel:023 988 629 www.silkair.com

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

18:45

20:00

3K 592

20:45

23:45

3K 591

18:45

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

14:50

17:50

2816

13:00

14:00

2817

13:20

16:10

2816

11:30

12:30

12:45

17:05

09:10

11:35

PHNOM PENH SORYA BUS TRANSPORT SCHEDULE INTERNATIONAL ROUTES

PHNOM PENH -TAIPEI BR 266

Daily

TAIPEI - PHNOM PENH

PHNOM PENH - VIENTIANE

BR 265

Daily

VIENTIANE - PHNOM PENH

Qatar Airways No. 296 Blvd. Mao Tse Toung (St. 245), Ground floor, Intercontinental Hotel PP Tel: +23 42 40 12/13/14 www.qatarairways.com

VN 840

Daily

17:30

18:50

VN 841

Daily

11:30

13:00

PP-HO CHI MINH DEPATURE

HO CHI MINH-PP

QV 920

Daily

17:50

19:10

QV 921

Daily

11:45

13:15

6:45, 8:30, 11:45

6:45, 8:00,11:30

PP-BANGKOK

BANGKOK-PP

6:30

PP-PAKSE,VIENTIANE

PAKSE,VIENTIANE-PP

6:45

7:30

PHNOM PENH - YANGON 8M 404

3. 6

YANGON - PHNOM PENH 20:10

21:35

8M 403

3. 6

16:45

FROM SIEM REAP

TO SIEM REAP

SIEM REAP - BANGKOK Flighs Days Dep Arrival K6 700 Daily 12:50 2:00 PG 924 Daily 09:45 11:10 PG 906 Daily 13:15 14:40 PG 914 Daily 15:20 16:45 PG 908 Daily 18:50 20:15 PG 910 Daily 20:30 21:55 SIEM REAP - GUANGZHOU CZ 3054 2.4.6 11:25 15:35 CZ 3054 1.3.5.7 19:25 23:20 SIEM REAP -HANOI K6 850 Daily 06:50 08:30 VN 868 1.2.3.5.6 12:40 15:35 VN 842 Daily 18:05 19:45 VN 844 Daily 19:45 21:25 VN 800 Daily 21:00 22:40 SIEM REAP - HO CHI MINH CITY VN 3818 Daily 11:10 12:30 VN 826 Daily 13:30 14:40 VN 3820 Daily 17:45 18:45 VN 828 Daily 18:20 19:20 VN 3822 Daily 21:35 22:35 SIEM REAP - INCHEON KE 688 Daily 23:15 06:10 OZ 738 Daily 23:40 07:10 SIEM REAP - KUALA LUMPUR AK 281 Daily 08:35 11:35 MH 765 3.5.7 14:15 17:25 SIEM REAP - MANILA 5J 258 2.4.7 22:30 02:11 SIEM REAP - SINGAPORE MI 633 1, 6, 7 16:35 22:15 MI 622 2.4 10:40 15:20 MI 630 5 12:25 15:40 MI 615 7 12:45 16:05 MI 636 3, 2 18:30 21:35 MI 617 5 18:35 21:55 3K 599 2.4.7 15:50 20:25 SIEM REAP - VIENTIANE QV 522 2.4.5.7 10:05 13:00 SIEM REAP - YANGON 8M 402 1. 5 20:15 21:25

BANGKOK - SIEM REAP Flighs Days Dep K6 701 Daily 02:55 PG 903 Daily 08:00 PG 905 Daily 11:35 PG 913 Daily 13:35 PG 907 Daily 17:00 PG 909 Daily 18:45 GUANGZHOU - SIEM REAP CZ 3053 2.4.6 08:45 CZ 3053 1.3.5.7 16:35 HANOI - SIEM REAP K6 851 Daily 19:30 VN 843 Daily 15:25 VN 845 Daily 17:05 VN 845 Daily 17:45 VN 801 Daily 18:20 HO CHI MINH CITY - SIEM REAP VN 3809 Daily 09:15 VN 827 Daily 11:35 VN 3821 Daily 15:55 VN 829 Daily 16:20 VN 3823 Daily 19:45 INCHEON - SIEM REAP KE 687 Daily 18:30 OZ 737 Daily 19:20 KUALA LUMPUR - SIEM REAP AK 280 Daily 06:50 MH 764 3.5.7 12:10 MANILA - SIEM REAP 5J 257 2.4.7 19:45 SINGAPORE - SIEM REAP MI 633 1, 6, 7 14:35 MI 622 2.4 08:40 MI 616 7 10:40 MI 636 3, 2 13:55 MI 630 5 07:55 MI 618 5 16:35 3K599 2.4.7 13:50 VIENTIANE - SIEM REAP QV 512 2.4.5.7 06:30 YANGON - SIEM REAP 8M 401 1. 5 17:05

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New Mexico Highway 117. The desert landscape of the state features heavily in American TV drama Breaking Bad. reuters

New Mexico: more than a TV backdrop Anna Gunn

aving grown up in Santa Fe, actor Anna Gunn, best known as Skyler White in Breaking Bad, was thrilled to return to New Mexico to shoot the hit TV series. What kind of people are drawn to Sante Fe? When we arrived in the late '70s it was before it had really been discovered, or written about – even as a travel destination. But it was a place people who were spiritual – and artists – knew of. I think it attracts those who want to connect with nature. How much has growing up in Santa Fe moulded you as a person? There's so much art: visual, dance, theatre. All of a sudden, as a child, I was going to the opera for the first time in my life. This was back when the opera house was somewhat uncovered so you'd be watching the Magic Flute and the backdrop would be the mountains, the sky and you'd be sitting out under the stars hearing the most beautiful music. Since Breaking Bad, has Albuquerque had more visitors? Absolutely. There's actually now an unofficial tour, which is extraordinary. People make a day of it. When we were shooting at the car wash or the white house, the lovely people who own the white house, Fran and Louis, would tell us how people now knock on their door from all over the world. Sometimes they want to know if the pizza that Walt threw onto the roof is still up there.

What is the best location to visit? All the places we filmed at are normal, everyday locations. Saul's office was just a storefront in the mini-mall. The art department put up that funny statue in front of it, so it doesn't even look that way. The most exciting thing would be the desert – when they cooked out there in the RV. Although that would be a little harder to find, because it's in the middle of nowhere, I imagine people still try to find it. Has Breaking Bad changed the way you view the area? I think the way Michael Slovis, the art director, captured New Mexico was extraordinary. New Mexico becomes a character in the show and I can't imagine it being set anywhere else. He had this vision of it being like a Sergio Leone film. What is the best thing a visitor can experience in Albuquerque? The balloon fiesta every October is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. There are hundreds of hot air balloons in all shapes and sizes. They try their best to land back in the park, but sometimes they land in people's backyards. One day I was doing the dishes and one landed outside my window. Where can you go to get a taste of Santa Fe? There's a restaurant called Cafe Pasqual's – my brother worked there as a dishwasher when he was a kid. They have a big community table and they do this breakfast burrito, which, if you manage to eat it, will mean you're set for the day. the guardian

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Entertainment NOW SHOWING

Yoga @ Yoga Phnom Penh

LEGEND CINEMA

A lunchtime yoga class offers a chance to stretch out, relax and refresh after the weekend.

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. 5:05pm, 9:25pm

Yoga Phnom Penh have linked up with ARTillery Cafe so you can place an order before class to have a healthy meal delivered to the door before the end of the session.

Yoga Phnom Penh, #172 z2 Norodom Boulevard, 12:15pm

AFTER EARTH A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help. 1pm, 7:40pm

Duo @ The Village Monday night at The Village brings lounge music courtesy of Liza (vocals) and Ram (guitar).

MAN OF STEEL A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. Starring star British actor Henry Cavill as the caped superhero. 9:25am, 2:25pm, 3:50pm, 6:35pm, 9:15pm 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. With Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson. 11:40am

Complement the laid back mood with a plate of hearty Lebanese cuisine.

The Village, #1 Street 360, 7:30pm

TV PICKS

9:15am – X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start World War III. FOX MOVIES

PLATINUM CINEPLEX

11:30am – IN TIME: In a future where people stop ageing at 25 but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. FOX MOVIES

MAN OF STEEL (See above.) 9:15am, 1:35pm, 6pm, 8:30pm

1:20pm – THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW: Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist for NORAD, must make a daring trek across America to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden storm. FOX MOVIES

AFTER EARTH (See above.) 11:45am, 4:10pm PEE MAK Thai romance, horror and comedy film. The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. 9:15am, 11:15am, 1:10pm, 4:50pm, 8:50pm

Pizza @ Show Box

Tone into tip-top shape with today’s yoga class at Yoga Phnom Penh. BLOOMBERG

Michael Fassbender stars in X-Men: First Class on Fox Movies tonight. BLOOMBERG

8pm – THE BOOK OF ELI: A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. FOX MOVIES

Every Monday, Phnom Penh’s favourite mobile pizza chefs, Katy Peri’s Peri Peri Chicken and Pizza, station themselves at the gates of alternative music venue Show Box. A night of fast food and indie tunes.

Show Box, #11, Street 330 6pm

Margaritas @ Riverhouse Margaritas of every flavour are on offer at this Phnom Penh institution tonight – even better is that they’re two-for-one all night. As for the soundtrack, DJ Narata will mash up classic songs.

Riverhouse Lounge, corner of Sisowath Quay and Street 110 8:30pm

Thinking caps “NO WAY” ACROSS 1 Patton portrayer 6 Business-name abbr. 10 Run-down part of town 14 Muslim deity 15 Use a harvester 16 Gigantic 17 Last name in farm manufacturing 18 “Pro” foe 19 Seasoned stew 20 Tempting-but-dangerous thing 23 Affirmative comment 24 ___ as a pin 25 Super, to a Beatles fan 28 Type of hockey shot 31 Diamond-shaped flatfish 35 “Wait just ___!” 37 Singing Fitzgerald 39 Your brother’s son’s sister 40 Costner film 43 King of the arteries 44 Acoustical bounce 45 Jalousie feature 46 Rent collector 48 Confederate topper 50 One taken at random 51 Self-complacent 53 More indicator, briefly 55 Place one should not enter 62 “Did I just do that?” 63 “Now ___ me down to sleep ...” 64 Gazpacho grabber 66 One who tells it like it will be? 67 Sharpness of voice 68 Personal, as thoughts 69 Parasite’s home 70 Back chat 71 Partner of “desist”

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 22 25 26 27 29 30 32 33 34 36 38 41 42 47 49 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 65

Down at the mouth Treble, for one Substitute spread Be reluctant to go Ancient city on the Nile Hollywood’s Pitt Tear to bits Like certain cereals Type of piano Barbecued treats One-name singer of the 1960s Trademarked fruit name It’s eschewed by vegans Small bit of land Regional wildlife Like most mamba bites “... old lady who lived in ___ ...” Round at the bar Additive in skin lotions Pull strings Edward’s love in “Twilight” Moby Dick’s domain Hardly easygoing Abridges Word with “head,” “tooth” or “heart” The elder Judd Had aspirations Red stones Typeface First name among classic “SNL” regulars Endangered whooper Luxuriously fashionable Prefix with “stat” Keep ___ head above water Yard sale labels Places for contacts “Giant” writer Ferber Pub staples Two-way poetic preposition

Friday’s solution

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Lifestyle SINGHA Beer Premier experience @ Sky Club

Chhim Sreyneang Social Life Manager

Singha Beer models

Toeum Rotha, model, and Neath Chakriya, and Toeum Vatey, model

Mok Sensonita, actress, and Ni Monyneat, actress

Thai beer brand Singha held a boozy bash on June 17 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the brand. Khmer celebrities and Singha customers enjoyed healthy servings of the beverage while listening to mixes by a Thai DJ. The company also booked 60 tickets for the Premier League to be given to some of Singha's most loyal Cambodian fans. The lucky recipients will go to a football match between Man United and Chelsea at a Thai stadium in July.

Saray Sakhana,model

Thai dancer

Alix Chantra, singer

GG, MC and Manich

Rolin, singer

Pen Chamrong

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Lifestyle

Socheata and Sontery Social Life Team

EAT.DRINK.PHNOM PENH @ Himawari

Chris, Kate Salmond and Srey Sros Srol

Fon Supannakul and Sophie Mensdorff

This month eat.drink. phnompenh had their event at the Himawari on June 13, for all guests who love to test different kinds of food in any restaurant in Phnom Penh. Everyone at the event enjoyed beer from the Himawari Microbrewery with Singaporean dishes of canapĂŠ, prawn laksa in cup, beef & chicken satay and Hainanese chicken rice balls, for guest to test new food experiences.

Grand Opening @ Uber Life shop

Brian Huppe, General Manager @ Himawari, and Antonio Lopez de Haro

Jasmin Lao and Sendra Sothea Gilbert Lopez

Felipe Berger, Ben Wilson and Richard

Dave and Hannah

Christian Becker and Karl Garcia

Emily Garilan, Lori Phillips, Evelyn Moedemaker and Anthony Karge

Street 240 has fast become the first stop for Phnom Penh fashionistas. On Friday, June 21, the road had a new addition: Uber Life shoe and bag shop. The store offers classic styles crafted from genuine leather. At the opening, shoppers picked up some of their favourite styles, after helping themselves to canapĂŠs and soft drinks.

Manish S Rathore, owner Of Uber Life shop

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Sport

Game of throws New York Yankees shortstop Jayson Nix flies over Tampa Bay Rays runner Wil Myers (bottom) after forcing him out at second base in the ninth inning of their MLB American League game at Yankee Stadium in New York on Saturday. Nix’s throw to first base was wild and Rays batter Yunel Escobar was safe and took second base on the error. The Yankees went on to win the game 7-5. REUTERS

Lions will be much better: Gatland W

George North of the British and Irish Lions tries to break the tackle of Australia’s James Horwill (right) in their Test match in Brisbane. AFP

arren Gatland warned Australia his victorious Lions, who beat the Wallabies 23-21 in Brisbane on Saturday, would be a lot better in next Saturday’s second Test in Melbourne and would have added firepower, with Tommy Bowe and Manu Tuilagi expected to make their comebacks against the Rebels tomorrow. The team that won the opening Test in Brisbane in 1989 and 2001 went on to lose the series, but the Lions’ coach said he was not concerned about history repeating itself. “Each series is different,” he said. “I am well aware of what happened in 2001 [when the Lions won the opener then lost in Melbourne and Sydney], but whatever happens we will be in the series on the final day and we have the chance to wrap it up on Saturday. “It was not the prettiest performance but we deserved to win. Our game management was not as good as it should have been and I told the players afterwards that they have to trust themselves and our systems. “We will be a lot better on Saturday – and when you look at the injuries Australia

have picked up and the firepower we have coming back, it should serve us well.” Gatland said he was not happy with the refereeing of Chris Pollock after his side lost the penalty count 13-8 and agreed that the Lions had been crucified at the breakdown by Pollock. “He penalised Mako Vunipola [at the end] for coming in from the side when he had made a tackle and he did Brian O’Driscoll early in the game when he was on his feet. Brian said to me he was then afraid to go into the breakdown in case he got a yellow card. “It is a big step up from provincial or Super Rugby and I think the two touch judges [who referee the next two games] will have learned a lot. With Craig Joubert in charge on Saturday, we will certainly have the opportunity to win some quick, quality ball.” Gatland said that George North, who scored the Lions’ first try, had at one stage looked unlikely to play after suffering a hamstring strain. “The medical and fitness staff did an incredible job and what we saw in the game was two exceptional talents up against each other, George and Israel Folau,” he said.

“I was talking to a sprint coach Frans Bosch when he was working with Wales a couple of years ago – and he said that the two most incredibly special athletes he had worked with were George and Folau, who was then playing rugby league. They will both have learned a lot from tonight.” The Lions’ captain, Sam Warburton, paid tribute to the 20,000 visiting supporters who made it seem like a home match. “I could hear the noise they were making from my hotel room in the afternoon and, any time you were feeling tired, they gave you a lift,” he said. “When Australia had a penalty to win at the end it was the worst minute of my life. I thought the kick was going over and, while I am delighted with the win, it was way too close for comfort. We know we can beat Australia and we have to keep repeating that mentally in the next week.”

Habana joins 50-try club Bryan Habana became the sixth man to score 50 test tries as South Africa romped to a 56-23 victory over 14-man Samoa to win the four nations trophy at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria on Saturday.

The wing joins Japanese pair Daisuke Ohata and Hirotoki Onozawa, Australia’s David Campese, Shane Williams of Wales and England’s Rory Underwood in reaching half a century of tries. In the third place playoff played earlier, Scotland flanker Alasdair Strockosch crashed over the try-line after the final hooter to secure a dramatic 30-29 victory over Italy. The try provided a simple conversion chance for Greig Laidlaw to clinch a first win for Scotland in the final game of their three-match tour of South Africa.

New Zealand sweep series New Zealand replacement Beauden Barrett’s 80thminute try from a sweeping counterattack helped the All Blacks to a flattering 24-9 victory over France in New Plymouth on Saturday to complete a 3-0 series sweep. The All Blacks, near perfect in their 30-0 win in Christchurch a week ago, lacked the same level of execution against a fired-up French side, who were let down in the final 10 minutes when lock Yoann Maestri was sin-binned for an apparent head butt. THE GUARDIAN/REUTERS

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Sport

Murray shrugs off tough half Martyn Herman

ith British hopes of elusive home success again resting on his shoulders, Andy Murray could have been forgiven an envious glance Novak Djokovic’s way after the Wimbledon draw was made on Friday. Top seed Djokovic got lucky with the two other members of the so-called big four, defending champion Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, ending up in second seed Murray’s half. It could have been worse for Murray too – he was spared a potential quarter-final with fifth seed Nadal, although the Scot knows that, should he reach the last four, Nadal or Federer will most likely be waiting. “I have no issue with the seeding. I’d rather Rafa and Roger were on the other side of the draw, but they’re not,” the 26-year-old, bidding to go one better than last year when he became Britain’s first men’s finalist here since 1938, told reporters. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to put myself in a position where that becomes relevant because that would mean getting to the semi-finals, and I’d love to be there.” The ATP ranking system means Spain’s David Ferrer is fourth seed at Wimbledon this year and Djokovic’s predicted semi-final foe. While there is no disputing Ferrer’s credibil-

Sorn Sivmey’s SEA Games bid hit by injury

Taekwondo star Sorn Sivmey returned home last night from South Korea after being forced to end her six-month training scholarship barely a week after it had begun due to injury. National team coach Choi Yong Sok, who accompanied the athlete on the flight back home, told the Post that she had aggravated an existing back injury. Hem Samnang, the general secretary of the Cambodia Taekwondo Federation, added that Sivmey had struggled to cope with the high level of training at the club in Yeong Cheon-si as well as the cold weather. He noted with regret that it was likely Sivmey’s injury would rule her out of competing at the SEA Games in Myanmar in December. Sivmey grabbed a bronze medal at the previous tournament two years ago in Indonesia, while her older sister Sorn Davin took silver. Davin will continue training in Korea ahead of the SEA Games. YEUN PONLOK, TRANSLATED BY CHENG SERYRITH

Britain’s Andy Murray returns the ball during training at Wimbledon in London on Saturday, ahead of today’s start to the tournament.

ity as a grand slam contender, 12-times major winner Nadal is clearly superior. Wimbledon’s seeding criteria can adjust the world rankings, depending on recent grasscourt results, but Ferrer’s quarter-final run last year and Nadal’s shock second round exit meant there was no chance the Mallorcan would be bumped up. Murray believes it is a fair system. “I really don’t think it [Nadal’s seeding] should have been [higher],” said Murray,

who has lost his three Wimbledon clashes with Nadal. “Even with the formula and stuff, because of Rafa’s result here last year it was always going to be difficult for him to move up in the seedings. “Ferrer made the quarters of Wimbledon last year, made the semis of the US Open, he made semis at the Australian Open. The guy deserves to be seeded where he is. It’s not like he’s got there by fluke.” Djokovic may feel he was due a break.

The Serb had the misfortune to face claycourt king Nadal in the semi-finals of the French Open, losing an epic five-setter in what was effectively the final in most people’s eyes. Nadal then beat Ferrer to claim an eighth Roland Garros title. “I honestly wasn’t thinking about it too much because it’s a matter of luck and it’s a matter of a coin toss,” Djokovic, looking for his second Wimbledon title, told reporters. “Some people would say

Women’s campaign heats up Maria Sharapova tore into Wimbledon rival Serena Williams on the eve of the Championships, setting the tone for a tournament likely to be dominated by their unseemly public row. The Russian blasted the defending champion for her controversial comments over a high-profile rape case and even ripped into the American’s colourful private life. In the astonishing attack on the world number one, Sharapova told Williams to keep her opinions to herself, laying bare the bitter relationship between the two. Williams, the 16-time Grand Slam title-winner, was forced to apologise for her comments regarding the rape of a 16-year-old girl by two high school American football players in Ohio. “She should be talking about her accomplishments, her achievements, rather than everything else that’s just getting attention and controversy,” said Sharapova. The world number three, who has not beaten her great rival since 2004, also criticised Williams’s love life after the American had aimed a thinly disguised jibe at the Russian’s affair with Bulgarian player, Grigor Dimitrov – believed to be a former Williams boyfriend. “There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis. I mean, seriously, give it a rest,” Williams told Rolling Stone magazine without naming Sharapova. “She begins every interview with ‘I’m so happy. I’m so lucky’ – it’s so boring. She’s still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it.”

REUTERS

that I was, you know, lucky with the draw. But it’s a grand slam, so I don’t think there is any easy way to the title.” With the queues already forming and “Murray Mania” about to hit full swing, at least the Scot’s first round should not cause him or his followers too many headaches. Germany’s 32-year-old world number 95 Benjamin Becker, who Murray beat on the way to winning this month’s Queen’s Club title, is his first hurdle today. AFP

Reds clip the Eagles’ wings at Navy Field HS Manjunath

Serena Williams of the US shakes hands with Maria Sharapova (left) of Russia after winning their women’s singles final at the French Open on June 8. REUTERS

Sharapova, clearly upset at the insinuation, hit back at Williams’s romance with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou. “If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids,” said Sharapova. Williams, targeting a sixth All England Club title and 17th major, is fresh from her second French Open triumph,

having beaten Sharapova in the final. Williams is on a 31-match winning run, the best of a career that is already comfortably into its third decade. She is now just two Grand Slam titles behind the 18 won by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and four back from the 22 racked up by Steffi Graf. Williams’ confidence is bad news for Sharapova, who is seeking a second Wimbledon title, nine years after her first. AFP

China Reds used their advantage in the ruck and bigger bodies to score a 56-29 win over Cambodian Eagles in a rain-ravaged Aussie Rules humdinger at the Navy Field on Saturday. Blending the best from Beijing and Shanghai, the Reds were decidedly the dominant side. They burst out of the gates kicking the first three goals and were a tad unlucky not to have added a few more. The second quarter saw the Eagles fight back by kicking two goals to the visitors one, finding ball movement and hitting the packs hard. The second half was a muddy affair with both sides trying desperately hard to assert their physical superiority. But, more often than not, the packs were ending up in gridlock of sorts. The Reds were on strong legs at the finish, kicking clear of a somewhat tiring Eagles. Former Eagles coach David Murphy was the best of ground for the Eagles as he strung together four solid quarters and turned back the clock with some excellent tackles and crucial possessions. Eagles captain Simon Whitney and Mat Rees also had a solid game working tirelessly in the mud. The next big assignment for the Eagles, who saw their two-year unbeaten run at home come to an end, will be the Asian Championship in Bangkok in August.

Pariya prevails after day of drama in Selangor

Pariya Junhasavasdikul holed a pressure-packed five-foot par putt at the last hole to win the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in Malaysia by one stroke yesterday, ending a frustrating three-year winless run. The 29-year-old Thai completed a wire-to-wire triumph following a oneunder-par 70 at the Seri Selangor Golf Club to edge India’s Anirban Lahiri, who challenged with a 68 in the RM1.2 million ($400,000) Asian Tour event. THE ASIAN TOUR

Grass greener in Miami for Heat’s LeBron James

His legacy now intact, LeBron James’s second championship ring validates his decision to join the Miami Heat and sets the stage for a possible “threepeat” performance next season. “I came here to win championships,” James said. “To be able to go back-to-back and win two championships in three years so far is the ultimate.” James scored a 2013 post-season high of 37 points on Thursday as the Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in the decisive game seven of the NBA finals to take the league championship. Miami become the first Eastern Conference team to win back-to-back NBA titles since the Chicago Bulls won three straight, beginning in 1996. AFP

Tigers pitcher Scherzer makes it a perfect 11 Max Scherzer became the first Detroit pitcher in 104 years to open the season with 11 victories as the Tigers destroyed the Boston Red Sox 10-3 in a battle of American League division leaders on Saturday. Scherzer (11-0) tied George Mullins’s start to the 1909 season for the franchise record and also matched the best start to a season since Roger Clemens in 1997 with Toronto. Victor Martinez belted a grand slam and had five RBIs to give Scherzer the run support he needed as the AL Central Tigers improved to 41-32, while the AL East Red Sox fell to 45-32. REUTERS

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Sport

Olympic Day marked across globe Comment Jacques Rogge

he International Olympic Committee (IOC) is widely known as the organisation behind the Olympic Games. Far less is known about its work to bring the joy of sport to people who could never aspire to compete on a global stage. Guided by the belief that sport is a human right, the IOC supports a wide range of initiatives to encourage sport and physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. One of the most popular events is Olympic Day, a global celebration that commemorates the founding of the modern Olympic Movement in Paris on June 23, 1894. In some ways, Olympic Day is the polar opposite of the Olympic Games. It is a celebration of inclusion that is open to everyone, and there are no set requirements for the featured activities. Although Olympic Day Runs have become a popular annual event in communities around the world, other activities have included tricycle races, group exercise sessions and backyard games â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whatever it takes to get people moving. Some countries have incorporated Olympic Day activities into the school curriculum. Others have

Former Belgian Olympic yachtsman Jacques Rogge was elected as president of the International Olympic Committee in 2001. REUTERS

added concerts and exhibitions to the sports activity. Olympic Day does not look like the Olympic Games, but there is a strong connection. Both are rooted in the belief that sport and physical activity are essential elements of the human experience. Both bring peo-

ple together. Both seek to inspire others to engage in sport. Both provide a platform for promoting Olympic values. Because Olympic Day typically attracts young people, it is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the Youth Olympic Games â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a unique event that combines sport,

education and cultural programs. Other IOC initiatives promote grassroots sport in communities that would otherwise have few options for organised physical activity. The IOC has also joined forces with international organisations, such as the United Nations (UN), to

use sport as a tool for development, conflict resolution, HIV prevention and other positive social goals. A three-year IOC collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is bringing the joy of sport and the benefits of education to a refugee settlement in Namibia, where 40 per cent of the population is between 10 and 30 years old. The project uses sport to educate participants on healthy lifestyles, gender equality and the prevention of pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. The list of similar projects is long. All of the IOCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s varied activities in this area are guided by the belief that sport is for everyone, not just the elite athletes at the Olympic Games. The Games will always be the centrepiece of the Olympic Movement, but every human being, regardless of ability, can benefit from sport and physical activity. Gold medals are great, but health is its own reward. So whether you are an Olympian, a weekend athlete or someone whose connection to sport is mostly via television, we encourage you to get active on Olympic Day. Enjoy whatever level of physical activity fits your ability. If you do, you will be a sure winner. The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia marked Olympic Day this year when it hosted the Phnom Penh International Half Marathon on June 16.

This Friday evening June 21, Hagar Restaurant and The Phnom Penh Post proudly present: A dinner lecture by Royal University of Phnom Penh Professor Jean-Michel Filippi

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Phnom Penh 1865 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1995 Birth and evolution

Appetizer Tomato and Artichoke Salad with French Dressing Prawn and Avocado in a GlassRock Melon wrapped in Smoked Ham Sushi Asparagus cream soup Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Salad Bar Mixed Green Lettuce, Sliced Cucumber, Tomato, Onion, Capsicum, French bean With Dressing of your Choice Live Station BBQ pork wonton Soup (Egg noodle, sliced BBQ pork, Beef Ball and Vegetables with Condiments) Main Course Grilled Fish with Orange Cream Sauce Pollo al Rosmarino, Boeuf Bourguignon Mashed Potatoes and Carrots, SautĂŠed Vegetables in Butter Jasmine Rice Desserts Mixed Khmer cakes, Cream Caramel, Walnut and Carrot Cake Sliced Seasonal Fresh Fruits

From June 16 and running through to June 27, for the first time and as second nation in Asia ever, Cambodia has the honour to be chairman of the 37th yearly convention of the World Heritage Committee.

Buffet Dinner Friday, 21st June

$49 per person includes dinner, unlimited wine and beer, and a signed copy of Filippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strolling Around Phnom Penhâ&#x20AC;?.

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During the convention the Kingdom will host more than 1400 delegates of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee coming from 190 different countries and more than 200 members of the international press. The Post will publish messages of welcome from the Royal Government as well as a schedule of events and highlights of what's on the agenda. In the June 28 report two weeks later, we will publish what happened during the important series of meetings, including the Siem Reap closing ceremony on June 27. This is not only a chance for travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants, banks, telecoms and all kinds of providers to highlight their companies in the special reports but all companies that are proud of Cambodia. For the special occasion the Post will increase its production by several thousands and distribute the papers to the international guests. Advertisers will be offered special discount rates for inclusion in both publications on June 14 and 28. Phnom Penh To advertise, contact borom.chea@phnompenhpost.com - call 012 76 34 81 or Siem Reap: Sophearith Blondeel - call 092 752 801 | 063 964 151 | Email:Sophearith.Blondeel@phnompenhpost.com This is a chance to show how much your company cares about the preservation of Cambodia's antiquities.

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In the eight to 16 pages strong reports published in Khmer and English version of the Post, our newspaper will give insights into how Cambodia's UNESCO chairmanship will contribute to a robust future of the national tourism industry and the conversation of our World Heritage Sites such as Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear

X marks the spot: the confluence of the Mekong River, the Tonle Sap and the Tonle Bassac. Jean-Michel Filippi describes how and why this spot grew into what we now call Phnom Penh

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United Nations

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THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Football Hernandez nets twice, misses penalty in win

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari classed Neymar as a “genius” on Saturday and said his Brazil side were pumped up and ready for Wednesday’s Confederations Cup semi-final. “He is the hero of every Brazilian and of everyone who loves football,” Scolari said of the 21-year old striker after the hosts finished top of Group A with three wins from three following a 4-2 victory over second-placed Italy. “He had some great moves today. People who have that genius can make a difference.” Neymar won the man of the match award and scored for the third game running as Brazil shone in a pulsating encounter. Meanwhile, Javier Hernandez scored two headers and missed a stoppage time penalty as Mexico notched a 2-1 consolation win over Japan which sent their opponents home pointless. REUTERS

Almeria back in La Liga after two-year absence

Teenage kicks Crown’s Mat Noron (left) kicks past Chonburi’s Autthagowit Jantod during their 2013 FAM-Frenz U15 Asean Champions Trophy match at Olympic Stadium on Saturday. The Thai visitors turned over their Cambodian counterparts 4-1 with two goals from Sittichok Paso and one each from Nattawut Chootiwat and Samart Authairatsamee. Crown grabbed a late consolation through Chhout Senteang. The Crown boys flew out yesterday to Dili ahead of their next tournament clash tomorrow against East Timor U15s. SRENG MENG SRUN

Boeung Ket strike back H S Manjunath

fter a string of disappointing results in the last few weeks, defending champions Boeung Ket shook off the demons and touched their near best in the second half of the Metfone C-League season to post a 3-1 win over National Police at Olympic Stadium yesterday. Another shock seemed to be heading Boeung Ket’s way when Nov Soseila gave Police an unexpectedly bold start with a third-minute goal. But Boeung Ket saw the red flag soon enough and swiftly swung into action. There has been so much pressure on young Chan Vathanaka that the 19-yearold striker had to produce something valuable out of his bag to jeeve himself up, and he did that commendably well by giving Boeung Ket the ninth minute equaliser the side so desperately needed. In the first minute of added time before the first half, the ever consistent Bisan George doubled the lead to ensure that his team-mates felt more relaxed in the locker room during the breather. Nothing would have pleased coach Prak Vuthy more than that healthy lead Boeung Ket carried into the second session and George was back again in the 65th minute to bulge the net to the collective relief of the Boeung Ket camp. His brace took his personal tally to 16 goals, two clear of Khuon Laboravy of Svay Rieng. In the race for the top scorers, Dutchman Ellroy van der Hooft of Phnom Penh Crown is third with 10 goals

National Police Commissary’s Sok Va (centre) performs an overhead kick between two Boeung Ket Rubber Field defenders during their Metfone C-League match at Olympic Stadium yesterday. SRENG MENG SRUN

from far fewer matches than the top two. Build Bright United pulled down another heavyweight in Naga Corp in yesterday’s second fixture which ended 2-1. The University-backed side stunned the two time champions with a last gasp match winner after the sides had shared a goal each. The decisive moment for BBU came deep into injury time when Daniel Omachoko turned a game heading to a certain draw into a sensational victory. Within the first five minutes, Naga were pushed on the defensive when Chan Chhaya gave BBU a dream start. Naga managed to draw level in the 55th minute through Teab Vathanak and held their own until that fateful moment. Boeung Ket head the standings with 34 points from 15

games ahead of Svay Rieng, who despite losing two games back-to-back are still in second at 30. After Saturday’s 3-1 win over Svay Rieng, Crown are slotted third with 28 points from 15 matches, four clear of Naga in fourth. Kirivong Sok Sen Chey and BBU are tied at 24 points apiece for the fifth and sixth positions. At Olympic Stadium on Saturday, Crown lost no time in grabbing the early initiative with Van der Hooft treating the Svay Rieng defensive lines with contempt. The Dutchman helped the former champions sign off the first session with two fantastic goals. Armed with an advantage and Svay Rieng finding the going increasingly tough, Crown’s victory was put beyond doubt when Leng Makara rammed the third in the 76th minute.

Chasing a cause which was long lost, Svay Rieng got late consolation when Phany Rotha scored in injury time. Trust the Army men to come out of the trenches in times of adversity. That is precisely what Ministry of National Defence have been doing in the second half of the season after the first was a near disaster. Having taken Svay Rieng in their stride last week, the Army side got the better of Asia Europe University 2-1 on Saturday at the Old Stadium. Chhin Chhoeun and Phoung Soksana netted for MND while Sok Sengdara notched one for AEU. Earlier on Saturday, Kirivong Sok Sen Chey were absolutely at ease, posting a 7-2 win over Senate. The only noteworthy piece of statistics for the bottom most team in the league was that they managed to score more than one goal.

Suspension looms as Thais fight reforms Thailand face a FIFA-imposed suspension today after a lowly fourth tier club refused to balk at pressure from the world governing body to drop a court order halting controversial reforms that has left the game in crisis. Thai FA (FAT) leader and FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi has also, so far unsuccessfully, pressured Pattaya FC to drop the court injunction which led to him postponing last Sunday’s FAT presidential elections indefinitely. The argument centres on one of the FIFA and Worawi backed reforms that would see the slashing of the number of eligible voters from around 180 to just 72. Worawi wanted to push through the new reforms in line with FIFA statues in a vote on June 15 before holding the presidential election a day later, just before his latest term ended. But Pattaya secured an order from Bangkok’s Min Buri court on June 14 that prevented the Thai FA meeting to vote on the matter before the court reaches a verdict on the club’s claim, local media reported. Critics say shrinking the vote is a ploy by Worawi to retain his seat amongst growing unpopularity. The controversial 61-year-old says the new reforms are a FIFA prerequisite. FIFA said they could impose a suspension on Thailand should Pattaya not drop the claim by today, which Worawi said would jeopardise lucrative tours by Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to the country in the coming weeks. REUTERS

Almeria secured the third and final La Liga promotion berth when a 3-0 stroll at home to Girona on Saturday in the return leg of their second-division playoff final sealed a 4-0 aggregate win. “Finally,” Almeria captain Corona said in a chaotic interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus, as team-mates, technical staff and fans celebrated wildly on the pitch around him. Almeria return to the Spanish top flight after two seasons in the second tier while Cataloniabased Girona have never featured in La Liga. REUTERS

Liverpool set to sign Sunderland’s Mignolet

Liverpool have agreed a deal with Sunderland for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and the Belgium international will sign for the Merseyside club early next week for £9 million (US$13.85 million), British media reported on Saturday. The Liverpool Echo newspaper said the 25-year-old goalkeeper was expected to have his medical examination and discussions with the club over personal terms after he returned from holiday this weekend. Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers has completed the signing of Spanish forward Luis Alberto from Sevilla, subject to international clearance, the Premier League club said on their website (www.liverpoolfc. com). Rodgers has already recruited Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas and landed Manchester City defender Kolo Toure on a free transfer since the end of last season. REUTERS

Wambach’s four-goal outburst sets record

Abby Wambach became the all-time leading goal scorer in international men’s or women’s football on Thursday with four goals to secure a 5-0 friendly triumph for the United States over South Korea. The 33-year-old striker broke the old all-time world mark of 158 goals set over 275 matches from 1987 through 2004 by former US team-mate Mia Hamm, scoring four first-half goals in her 207th cap to stand on 160 career goals. AFP

THE PHNOM PENH POST June 24, 2013

Sport Blackhawks on brink of NHL title P

atrick Kane scored two goals and the Chicago Blackhawks moved within one victory of capturing the Stanley Cup by defeating Boston 3-1 on Saturday in game five of the National Hockey League Final. The host Blackhawks took a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven championship series. Game six is set for tonight in Boston and a seventh game, if needed, Wednesday would be back in Chicago. “I was in the right spot at the right time tonight on both goals,” Kane said. “Everyone wants to be that guy in bigtime games, and I’ve been lucky enough in a couple to step up.” The Bruins are trying to lift the trophy for the second time in three seasons, but Chicago can claim the Cup for the second time in four seasons by outscoring Boston one more time. “It’s do or die,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Right now our goal is to create a game seven, and to do that you have got to win game six. So that’s our approach. There is no panic.

Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (centre) celebrates his goal with team-mates Duncan Keith (left) and Jonathan Toews (right) and a group of fans behind the glass during game five against the Boston Bruins. REUTERS

“You’re not going to push us away that easily. We’re a committed group, and we plan on bouncing back.” Kane opened the scoring with 2:33 remaining in the first period, when a shot

broke the stick of Bruins’ defenceman Dennis Seidenberg and bounced to the left of Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask and to Kane perched at the side of the goal. Kane gained control of the

puck and flicked it into the net to give the Blackhawks the early advantage. “Plays around the net, he’s dangerous. He has quick hands,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

“Kane has got high-end skill. He’s dangerous with the puck, his anticipation without it offensively is high end. Being a top player, they anticipate like we would like to.” Just 5:13 into the second period, Bryan Bickell took his own rebound and skated around the back of the Boston net, then flipped a pass out front to Kane, who backhanded the puck into the net for a 2-0 Chicago lead. “Kane stepped up and had two huge goals for us,” said Blackhawks’ goaltender Corey Crawford, who made 23 saves. “They put some pressure on us, but we were able to close the door on them.” The Bruins answered just 3:40 into the third period when defenceman Zdeno Chara scored to trim Chicago’s lead in half. “We just played better in the third,” Julien said. “We started playing versus maybe sitting back too much, and we weren’t as good as we could have been in the first two. We were better in the third and gave ourselves a chance.” But when the Bruins pulled

Finland’s Rask from the net in the dying seconds in favour of an extra attacker, the Blackhawks made them pay, Dave Bolland finding the empty net for the clinching goal with 14 seconds remaining. “It was a huge win, and we put ourselves in a good position to win one more game,” Kane said. “It’s very exciting, I think, but at the same time you’ve got to try to play like it’s not on your mind, play one game and play to win it as hard as you can.” The Bruins announced that Patrice Bergeron had been taken to a hospital with an undisclosed problem. He had skated off the ice without incident in his last shifts. “As far as we’re concerned, he’s just getting evaluated right now,” Julien said. “Not much I can say on his situation. He may be in next game.” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews suffered an upper body injury but returned to the ice after the game to join his team-mates in saluting Blackhawks’ fans. Game six begins at 7am Cambodian time tomorrow morning. AFP