WEDNESDAY, mAY 28, 2014 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIEL

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NatioNal [page 3]labouriNg over law

busiNess [page 7]bet oN bavet

health [page 18]butt out

Independent unions object to the governments additions to a draft law

Australian company buys a casino on the Vietnam border

To mark World No Tobacco Day, a few tips to help quit smoking

Kevin Ponniah and Mom Kunthear

TWO years after she was walked out of the city in the middle of the night to a quiet life of retirement on the out-skirts of the capital, Sambo, Phnom Penhs iconic and much-beloved ele-phant, might soon be back at work entertaining tourists.

With funding for her recently con-cluded rehabilitation program now gone, her owner is insisting he has little choice but to begin showcasing her once more at Wat Phnom, a deci-sion contested by the elephant rescue organisation that bankrolled her two-year sabbatical.

Sin Sorn, who owns Sambo, says that as the pair are no longer sup-ported by the Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival foundation (EARS), he cannot afford to pay for her food and medical care without the steady income he earned for the more than 20 years that she was a tourist attrac-tion at the temple.

The decades that 54-year-old Sam-bo spent walking on hard concrete and gravel while giving rides resulted in a painful abscess on a foot,

Short-livedretirement for Sambo?

Vong Sokheng and Daniel Pye

PRIME Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that his government will work with the Thai junta that came to power in a coup

last week, and quashed speculation that the ousted Shinawatra clan may be allowed to set up a government in exile in Cambodia.

In a speech to about 3,000 univer-sity graduates from the Royal Univer-sity of Phnom Penh at the Koh Pich Exhibition Center, Hun Sen said Cam-bodias constitution and its member-ship in the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations prevented it from inter-fering in the internal affairs of coun-tries in the region.

Cambodia has considered the situ-ation in Thailand, which is the inter-nal affairs of Thailand, and Cambodia will not interfere with its internal affairs, he said. Now, a military gov-ernment has been approved by the Thai king, and I hope that former prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck [Shinawatra] . . . will understand Cam-bodias stance.

The Thai military coup followed six months of political deadlock and vio-lent street protests that left at least 28 people dead.

Hun Sens remarks came days after a statement from Thaksins lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, saying that a number of foreign governments have already expressed their willingness to host such a government in exile under internationally established rules and practice, prompting speculation that Cambodia had been approached.

While two senior government offi-cials said earlier this week that the government in exile would not be allowed, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap on Sun-day told the Post that although the constitution prohibited such a move, the final decision would be down to the prime minister.

But Hun Sen yesterday said that despite his close personal relationship with Thaksin he welcomed the oust-ed prime minister in 2009 as an eco-nomic adviser, triggering a diplomatic

PM ends exile govt talkContinues on page 2

Continues on page 2

Hopes Shinawatras will understand

Tran Thi Minh Ha

VIETNAM yesterday accused a Chi-nese ship of ramming and sinking one of its fishing boats, further fan-ning territorial tensions over Bei-jings deployment of an oil rig in contested waters.

The incident, which Chinas rival Japan described as extremely dan-gerous, comes during an ongoing tense confrontation between the communist neighbours in the South China Sea that has triggered interna-tional alarm.

Vietnam summoned a representa-tive of Beijings embassy to formally protest the incident, which it said fol-lowed recent cases of damage to its fishing boats and assault of its fisher-men by Chinese forces.

The crew of the sunken vessel, who were rescued by other Vietnamese ships after the Monday afternoon incident, said their boat was encir-cled by 40 Chinese vessels before being rammed, the official Vietnam News Agency reported.

Once again, Vietnam demands China to end inhumane acts that seriously infringed on the life, prop-erties and legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen, Hanois Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said.

The 10 fishermen on board were all safe, according to a second Vietnam-ese official, who said the sinking occurred about 12 nautical miles southwest of the oil rig.

Beijing blamed the Vietnamese ves-sel, saying it had forcefully intruded into the area of the oil rig and cap-sized after colliding with a Chinese fishing boat.

I want to stress that the direct cause of this incident is that the Viet-namese side insisted on disturbing the normal work of the Chinese side, Beijings Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Some countries fantasise that [China] will sit idly by while its inter-ests and sovereignty are damaged,

Vietnam: Chinese sank boat

Continues on page 12

Sambo the elephant gets hosed down by one of her caretakers yesterday on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Sambo retired two years ago after spending more than 20 years as a tourist attraction at Phnom Penhs Wat Phnom. VIREAK MAI

Continued from page 1

overgrown toenails and a host of other issues, causing her to limp.

After a veterinarian retained by EARS warned in 2012 that a further deterioration in her painfully lame condition could lead Sambo to collapse on the citys streets, Sorn agreed to move her to a plot of land for rest and medical treatment.

That contract expired in March, leaving EARS and Sorn at loggerheads about what happens next.

I do not have money to sup-port her anymore. I will bring her back to Wat Phnom, but I will not allow people to ride her while she walks like in the past, Sorn said yesterday at the sandy Phnom Penh Thmey com-pound where Sambo has lived since February 2012, as the elephant shovelled sugar cane into its mouth behind him.

I spend $15 a day just on Sambos food . . . [In the city], she will just stand in one place and tourists or people can touch her, take photos with her or buy fruits that I will sell to feed her.

EARS has spent $45,000 over the two-year period paying for Sambos medical care and a monthly compensation pack-age for Sorn to help fund an assistant caregiver, food, elec-tricity, water and to cover his loss of earnings.

Sambos feet are in a far better condition than before, but EARS founder and CEO Louise Rogerson says sending her back to the city would be the worst possible decision for the elephants welfare.

Shes never going to fully recover 100 per cent, but what weve done is given her an intensive medical program over the last two years, she said.

It has been a very slow reha-bilitation process, there is absolutely no way she can go back to the city. It would be

impossible for her to walk on hot tarmac roads . . . It would basically be animal cruelty.

EARS has offered to fund Sam-bos retirement at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in Takeo province or at the Elephant Valley Project in Mondulkiri province instead, but Sorn has rejected these options.

He says he would prefer to move her to a piece of land in Kampong Speu province that his son has said he will pur-chase if donors help with her upkeep and medical costs. EARS has rejected that land as unsuitable for the elephants long-term retirement.

I want to appeal to everyone in Cambodia and overseas and other organisations to help my Sambo. But not EARS. I want those who love elephants to

help my elephant directly through me, because I am the owner of the elephant and I am taking care of her every day, Sorn said.

He declined to explain why he no longer wanted any support from EARS, citing personal issues with the organisation.

Sorn also brushed off con-cerns about Sambos health and any doubts of his commitment to care for her in the city.

Sambo has lived with me since she was 8 years old and I consider her my daughter. So I want to stay with Sambo until I die.

Rogerson is clear, however, that Sambo deserves a better life after 30 years of standing in the city.

Hes pleading poverty and that he cant afford to feed her, but thats not the case. We can continue on an agreement if he wants to consider his elephant first and return her to her natural habitat with other elephants, she said.

Wildlife protection officials from the forestry administra-tion will visit Sambo this week to evaluate her health and determine whether the ele-phant can return to the city, Phnom Tamao sanctuary direc-tor Rattanak Pich said.

The Ministry of Information has also offered its compound on Monivong Boulevard as a possible sleeping place for Sam-bo if she returns to the city, Min-ister Khieu Kanharith said.

Retirement short-lived for Sambo?

National2 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Hun Sen ends talk of Thai exile govtContinued from page 1 row with the Thais to host such a government in exile would be unconstitutional.

Id like to stress that Cambo-dia is not the location for any country or group, even Thak-sins group, to form a govern-ment in exile, he said. Cam-bodias constitution does not permit any foreigners to use its territory as a base to create armed forces to attack the gov-ernment of another country.

He added that, as Cam-bodia shares a border with Thailand, it is important to continue to maintain good relations and cooperation de-spite the military takeover.

There is no other choice, because Thailand has a mil-itary-ruled government now, so it is inevitable that we have to work with the military gov-ernment, he said.

More than 100 Thai opposi-tion figures, activists, academ-ics and journalists have been summoned to report to the military authorities in Bangkok since the coup. Many of those who went to the military vol-untarily have been detained.

Analysts yesterday wel-comed Hun Sens comments.

Political commentator Kem Ley agreed that to allow such a government in exile would be unconstitutional.

I appreciate his speech. Cambodias constitution says clearly that Cambodia is inde-pendent, neutral and sovereign. It does not allow any group or country to cooperate against another. Within the ASEAN charter, it clearly declares no country can interfere in the political and internal affairs [of member states], he said.

We [also] learned that [the late King Norodom] Sihanouk lost because he fought against South Vietnam and we learned a terrible history from this. And right now, Cambodian people are concerned about the high tension between Chi-na and Vietnam.

Analyst Chea Vannath agreed, saying: It is a perfect position for the government, so it will not interfere in the internal affairs of other coun-tries. Cambodia can maintain its political stability.

Sambo the elephant takes a dip as Sin Sorn watches over her on the outskirts of Phnom Penh yesterday. VIREAK MAI

Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures during a speech at a graduation ceremony on Koh Pich yesterday. phA LINA

It is inevitable that we have to work with the military

government

Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan

WHILE trade union laws are typically written to expand organised labour rights, la-bour leaders said yesterday

that they oppose portions of a new draft union law they believe will stifle their ability to organise.

Amid meetings they are having with the Ministry of Labour and industry officials today and Thursday, several union lead-ers said they oppose new additions to the draft law, a previous version of which was tabled in November 2011.

It seems to lock many out from creating unions, Pav Sina, president of the Collec-tive Union of Movement of Workers, said.

If passed into law as written, the draft leg-islation would require at least 20 per cent of employees at a workplace to join a union for it to operate there. It also stipulates that only one union may exist per workplace.

Unions do not currently require a mini-mum number of members to set up in a single workplace, and there are no limits on the number of unions.

The rule could lead to wide-scale domi-nance of government-loyal unions and seriously hamper those that are inde-pendent, Cambodian Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun said.

I will demand that they change some points, he said yesterday.

Ministry of Labour officials began work-ing with the International Labour Organi-zation on the proposed laws current ver-sion in December, ministry spokesman Heng Sour said.

I think [the draft law] first protects the rights of the workers and protects the in-terest of the economy and the nation, he said. It also impedes anarchy and ex-ploitation of freedom, he added.

While unfamiliar with the exact lan-guage in the latest draft, Dave Welsh, country director of labour rights group Solidarity Center, said the idea of passing a law that reduced rights ran contrary to international norms. If that is the objec-tive of the Cambodian law, it is unique around the world, but for the wrong rea-sons, Welsh said.

Despite Sinas opposition to several points, he said one section that lowers the minimum age for a union member to

be allowed to become president from 25 to 18 could mean better representation of young workers, who make up a great deal of Cambodias workforce.

Draft law talks follow recent unrest in the garment industry, including workers being fatally shot, unionists arrested, freedom of association being targeted and business groups challenging workers right to strike.

Yesterday, six members of the Khmer Worker Power Federation Union were released on bail from a Kampong Speu prison, according to Chey Sovann, the unions president.

The six were accused of incitement during a strike at the Wing Star Shoes fac-tory on May 6.

National3THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Meas Sokchea

CAMBODIA National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy yesterday called on residents in the northeast provinces to defend their land lest the area be turned into a Viet-namese colony.

Rainsys comments were quickly condemned by both the Cambodian and Vietnam-ese governments.

Speaking to hundreds of people in Mondulkiri and Ra-tanakkiri provinces yesterday as part of a wide-ranging tour to meet supporters, Rainsy said the government has granted thousands of hectares of land to private companies that are Khmer in name only and really belong to Vietnam.

In rhetoric that is now fa-miliar, the opposition leader warned that the companies will allow floods of Vietnam-ese people into the region, ef-fectively colonising the land.

This is not immigration. Immigration is different from colonialism. An immigrant is a foreigner who enters each country to find an occasion to live for himself. But a colonist is not a normal immigrant, a colonist does not go back. A colonist serves a political plan

to take the neighbouring terri-tory, Rainsy said.

He added that the Vietnam-ese can then vote to secede from Cambodia and become part of Vietnam. He also urged people to defend their forests, fields and farms, but did not specify the means.

Council of Ministers spokes-man Phay Siphan said Rainsy misunderstood the nature of investment. Cambodia does not discriminate against any country that wants to invest in the country, he said, and more-over, Cambodia will not be controlled by another country.

We do not let our country be a slave of any country, he said. Excellency Sam Rain-sys language is just an allega-tion for political popularity, Siphan said.

Tran Van Thong, a Vietnam-ese Embassy spokesman in Phnom Penh, said Rainsys ac-cusation is groundless.

Vietnamese companies that invest in Cambodia have respected Cambodian law, in-ternational law and Vietnam-ese law. So for his accusation, I dont know about his idea. Vietnam does not have this idea, [Vietnam] has the idea of friendship and cooperation, he said.

Northeast primed for colonisation: Rainsy

Independent union president Ath Thorn speaks to the media in front of Phnom Penh Municipal Court last month. Thorn is facing incitement charges over a strike last year. hENG ChIVOAN

New law will stifle us: unions

National4 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT(Re-advertisement)

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Since 2006, AIP Foundation has been actively engaged in preventing road crash fatalities and injuries in Cambodia. We work with a broad range of stakeholders and implement initiatives to improve local road safety conditions. Learn more about our programs, activities and achievements at www.asiainjury.org and www.saferoads.org.kh.

AIP Foundation, Cambodia ofce is currently seeking qualied candidates for the following four positions, which will be based in Phnom Penh with some travel to provinces. Qualied candidates will demonstrate commitment to high professional ethical standards and a diverse workplace.

Candidates with experience overseeing or assisting with the implementation of large grant projects will be preferred; in particular, those with experience with U.S. federal grants administered internationally through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will be an asset to the organization.

Enabling Environment Campaign Manager1.

The Enabling Environment Campaign Manager will be responsible for arranging key stakeholder and advocacy activities, including developing policy briefs; arranging national, provincial, and district level stakeholder workshops; and supporting the development of action plans.

Key Duties:Coordinate all Enabling Environment program activities, including event arrangement, workshops, action plans and policy recommendation development, and advocacy;Identify road safety policy gaps and issues and develop advocacy strategies, plans, and tools to address these issues; Manage relationships with stakeholders in government, civil society, private sector, media, and other road safety NGOs;

Key Skills Event coordination and organizational skills Experience in program or project planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and report writingFluent in verbal and written Khmer and English languages

Qualications and Requirements:Cambodian national Bachelors degree in development, law, journalism or a related eldMinimum 4 years of experience working with an NGO, preferably in evidence-based advocacy campaign with media relations as well as project monitoring and evaluation responsibilities

2. Behavior Change Campaign Assistant

The Campaign Assistant will support the program activities for the Behavior Change Campaign. Position responsibilities include providing assistance to arrange workshops and trainings, develop and implement public awareness campaigns, oversee stakeholder and media relationships, and manage project reporting.

Key Duties:Assist Campaign Manager in conducting and coordinating all program activities;Supervise ongoing development and maintenance of campaign website;Maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders Support program planning and implementation with a focus on research, monitoring, and evaluation.

Key SkillsFlexible and adaptable with strong interpersonal skills Excellent organizational skills Experience with project management, planning, and monitoringFluent in verbal and written Khmer and English languages

Qualications and Requirements:Cambodian national Bachelors degree in marketing, management, or a relevant eldMinimum 2 years working experience, within the NGO sector and with a similar role

3. Operations Ofcer

The Operations Ofcer will be responsible for ensuring that the Accounting Units requests are resolved and communicated in a timely manner, assisting with compiling grant reports, managing the organizations human resources, and supporting the development of organizational and program budgets.

Key Duties:Support annual budgeting and planning process for the organization with the Country Director and Finance Assistant;Provide support to the program team through coordination of project reports and event/logistics arrangement;Manage support services (HR, IT, and Finance) in collaboration with headquarters ofce; continuously support improvements to each of these support service functions;

Key SkillsHigh level organizational skills, including experience in managing travel arrangements, VIP visits, and project events Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Ofce SuiteFluent in verbal and written Khmer and English languages

Qualications Requirements:Cambodian national Bachelor degree in Business or a related eld Minimum 2 years work experience in a similar role Experience with nancial duties, including budget development and oversightKnowledge of tax and other compliance implications of non-prot status

4. Enabling Environment Campaign Assistant

The Campaign Assistant will support the program activities for Enabling Environment Campaign. Position responsibilities include providing assistance to arrange workshops and trainings, develop and implement public awareness campaigns, oversee stakeholder and media relationships, and manage project reporting.

Key Duties:Assist Campaign Manager in conducting and coordinating all program activities;Maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders Support program planning and implementation with a focus on research, monitoring, evaluation, and action plan development.

Key SkillsFlexible and adaptable with strong interpersonal skills Experience with project management, planning, monitoring and report writingFluent in verbal and written Khmer and English languages

Qualications Requirements:Cambodian national Bachelors degree in law, journalism, or a related eldsMinimum 2 years working experience, within the NGO sector and with a similar role

For more job details, please contact us via e-mail at info@aipf-cambodia.org or telephone at 023 996 519.

Interested applicants submit expression of interest, resume, and a list of three references with current email addresses and telephone numbers using this webform. info@aipf-cambodia.org

All applications will be carefully reviewed, including both working history and references. Application deadline is 30th May 2014 at 5.30 PM.

Only short listed applicants will be notied. Interviews will take place in Phnom Penh. Work contracts will commence in July 2014.

The water level runs low at a reservoir in Koh Kong last week. The province, which has been gripped by drought, may have as little as a weeks supply of water. photo SUppLIED

Villagers await water Khouth Sophak Chakrya

HUNDREDS of fami-lies in Koh Kong province have since early May been

affected by drought and a lack of clean water, which is sup-posed to be provided by ty-coon and ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat.

Due to the annual drought in the province, two reservoirs operated by Yong Phats LYP Group have run dry, and locals complain of itchy skin and ad-ditional expenses for clean drinking water.

LYP Group said in a letter to the provincial water authority on Thursday that it had sus-pended operations until the water level in the reservoirs climbs, in order to produce

clean water normally again.Poy Seurn, a village chief in

Smach Meanchey districts Dang Tong commune, said yesterday that, over the past two weeks, the supply of treat-ed water has not been able to match the demand.

Children in my village, in-cluding my children, got itchy skin after using the water. We additionally need to spend 2,000 riel per day for 20 litres of clean water to drink and cook, he said.

Lem Uy, a villager from Dang Tongs Khemarak Phomen town, said provincial water shortages happen every year, but few if any measures seem to have been taken.

If the company extends the size of the reservoirs, this problem will not occur. The

company seems to be ig-norant of this problem. The provincial authorities and all involved departments should review the companys capa-bilities and try to find another partner in order to guarantee the clean water supply for the whole province, he said.

Klem Koki, provincial direc-tor of the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts, said he had identified a new water source, which could solve the prob-lem if exploited.

According to experts per-sonal inspection, the water in the reservoirs will dry out in a week if the hot climate keeps lasting, he added.

Chhum Ratanak, director of Koh Kongs water authority, declined to comment, and LYP Group could not be reached.

Remains bound for NGO

Criticism of judicial law grows

Meas Sokchea

THE opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party said yesterday that charred human remains retrieved by a local party member in Kampong Speu province on Saturday would be handed over to human rights organisations for examination.

Despite a seeming lack of evidence or investi-gation, opposition activists have speculated that the remains belong to 16-year-old Khim Saphath, who went missing amid a deadly crackdown on garment worker protests on January 3.

CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said yester-day that the remains would be sent to Adhoc or fellow rights group Licadho.

We are sending the remains to civil society so that they can examine them, he said.

But when reached late yesterday afternoon, representatives from both organisations said that they had yet to receive the remains.

If we receive them, we will consider doing a

DNA test, and the DNA test must be done in Thailand to find out the reality. Otherwise, we cannot guess, Ny Chakrya, head of human rights and legal aid at Adhoc, said.

Both groups said authorities should be inves-tigating the case.

Som Samoeun, Kampong Speu deputy police chief, said that yesterday morning the military, a court prosecutor and police officers went to examine the area where the remains were found. They were accompanied by Mao Touch, a local villager who first found the remains and has been summoned for questioning.

Samoeun said police found no evidence that anyone burned a body at the location where the remains were discovered.

We think that whoever spread this informa-tion did so in order to fight the authority or the government; however, we do not know who cre-ated this and told the journalists. ADDItIoNAL REpoRtING BY KhoUth SophAK ChAKRYA

Stuart White

SURYA Subedi, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, added his voice yesterday to the growing chorus of criticism aimed at three draft laws on Cambo-dias judiciary that sailed through the National Assembly last week.

Subedi who had previously championed the laws as having the potential to enact deep reform said in a statement yesterday that he very much regretted the opacity with which the laws were drafted,

and echoed observers deep concerns that the new laws would jeopardise the inde-pendence of the courts.

I had previously recom-mended that the law clearly prohibit judges and prosecu-tors from being active mem-bers of any political party, Subedi said, noting the lack of such an explicit prohibition in the relevant law.

I am also deeply concerned about the fact that the Ministry of Justice has been given a number of powers over the judiciary, he continued, not-ing that any involvement of the

executive branch in the judici-ary was unacceptable.

The special rapporteur went on to say that the laws seem to fall short of the international standards of judicial independence, and called on the Senate and Con-stitutional Council to bring them into line with Cambodias obligations under internation-al conventions.

A government spokesman could not be reached for comment yesterday. Officials have repeatedly refused to acknowledge any flaws in the three bills.

National5THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Dam slammed Groups urge construction be stopped

OPPONENTS of the Lower Sesan II hydropower dam in Stung Treng province have called on the companies and the Chinese government to halt construction at the site.

Fifteen civil society groups and lawyers wrote to the Chinese government and the companies on Monday warning of social and environmental impacts that the dam will have on communities across the Mekong river basin.

The groups also demanded more accountability from all par-ties involved in the $816 million project, a joint venture between Cambodias Royal Group and China Huaneng Group.

The letters follow a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Cao Peixi, chairman of China Huaneng Group, where he report-edly called on the company to minimise the projects impacts.

Communities are reporting problems at the dam site which raise questions about legal com-pliance, such as logging outside of the reservoir area, unlawful fish-ing activities, use of child labour and deteriorating water quality downstream, said Meach Mean, coordinator of the 3S Rivers Pro-tection Network. DANIEL PYE

Two tried for allegedly dressing as policemenButh Reaksmey Kongkea

THE Phnom Penh Municipal Court heard the case yesterday of a former security guard for HNK Company and a friend who were charged with impersonat-ing an officer of the law.

Touch Ravuth, 32, and his co-defendant Sroeng Sopheap, 25, were pulled over in the early hours of January 4 in Sen Sok district. Ravuth was wearing a national police uniform with a plastic pistol tucked into his waistband, said district Police Chief Mak Hong. Another pas-senger on the moto escaped.

Ravuth said he was only dressed as a policeman because he was attending a birthday party, and asked the court for a reduced sentence. Sopheap asked that all charges be dropped as he wasnt wearing a uniform at all and was only catching a ride back from the party.

Police searched Ravuths rent-al home in Teuk Thla commune a day after the arrests and claimed to have found knives, a pair of military shoes and other similar clothing. A verdict is due on June 4.

Institute land not leased: govtChhay Channyda

RESPONDING to re-ported fears among staff that the de-struction of a wall at

Phnom Penhs Buddhist Insti-tute could herald the piece-meal sale of the grounds to adjacent casino operator Na-gaCorp, the government yes-terday chalked the alarm up to a simple misunderstanding.

According to the Ministry of Cult and Religion, the govern-ment hasnt sold or leased any of the institutes land, and is only allowing NagaCorp to as-sist government construction of a substation on the insti-tutes grounds. The substation will be used to power a new addition to the casino across the street from the institute.

Ministry spokesman Seng Somony yesterday invited reporters to a news confer-ence about the casino devel-opment, during which press packets containing an esti-mated $100 were offered to the assembled media, though the Post declined.

Somony also told reporters that the ministry itself plans to relocate to a new building it will erect on the Buddhist In-stitutes remaining grounds.

The government plans to

construct a seven- or eight-storey building for the Minis-try of Cult and Religion on the Buddhist Institute land, he said, adding that the ministrys site at the Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University would be repurposed by the university.

There were no such reas-surances, however, for work-ers at the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and

Malaria Control on Monivong Boulevard this week, who found out that they are mov-ing to Sen Sok district after the centres sale as part of a land swap to an undisclosed pri-vate company.

On Monday morning, cen-tre director Chor Meng Chuor called a meeting to inform employees that the building had been sold and they would

have to clear out immediately. He declined to provide further information, but said each staffer would be given $500 for the proceeds of the sale, ac-cording to an employee who asked not to be identified.

We cannot successfully pro-test the decision, so we have to move unhappily thanks to the pressure from management, the employee said.

Workers demolish a section of wall at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh on Monday. The Ministry of Cult and Religion has dismissed rumours that land of the Buddhist Institute was being sold or leased. hENG ChIVOAN

After violence, revenge always seemed in cards REVENGE was a dish best served with a bamboo stick in Battambangs Sampov Loun district on Sunday. According to police, a man was riding a moto when another man blocked his way and struck him several times in the head with the aforementioned stick. Police quickly arrested a sus-pect who said he himself had been attacked by the victim during a card game the week before. The victims family demanded $500 for the bam-boo beating, but the suspect could only afford $130. Police sent him to court. NokoRwAT

Crew busted learning ropes at den of iniquityFoUR students were matricu-lated into the school of hard knocks in kampot town on Monday. Police said one 19-year-old had been seen frequenting a rental home believed to be a drug den. Cops raided the house, alleg-edly nabbing the teen and three others with a couple grams of yama. Three sus-pects reportedly maintained that they were only novice drug addicts, while the 19-year-old alleged drug deliverer refused to name his hook-up. Police sent all four to court. koh SANTEPhEAP Thiefs getaway turnsinto a big smackdownFLEEING on foot quickly became lying on back for an alleged thief in the capitals Daun Penh district on Tues-day. Police said the suspect was on the run on the river-side after snatching the phone of a strolling tourist who was in hot pursuit when bystand-ers stepped into his path and knocked him flat before he made it 100 metres. Cops promptly arrived and the man was arrested. koh SANTEPhEAP

Extra clothes in this heat rightly suspicious Two alleged cat burglars may be spending some time in a cage after allegedly making off with about 1,000 items of clothing from a kampong Speu garment factory early this month. Police said the two used wire cutters to remove an exhaust fan on the factorys roof, then slipped inside, hauled the garments into a car and high-tailed it. Unluckily for them, however, the security camera saw it all, and police arrested them on Sunday. koh SANTEPhEAP

Villagers chase down hit-and-run driverTwo men on a motorbike were badly injured in a seem-ing attempted hit-and-run in Phnom Penhs Russey keo district on Monday. According to police, the men were riding to work when a truck attempt-ed to pass them. The truck, however, was forced to swerve back into their lane by an oncoming car, and smashed into their moto, badly injuring the pair. The truck sped up, but was corralled by bystand-ers, who made a citizens arrest. RASMEI kAMPUChEA

Translated by Phak Seangly

PolicebloTTer

National6 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

App aims to report bribesStuart White

CAMBODIANS may soon find it easier than ever to report official corruption, and not just to the authorities or their friends and neighbours, but to the whole world, thanks to the impending launch of a Khmer-language version of the graft-reporting smartphone app Bribespot.

Already popular in Thailand with 194 reports, mostly since the launch of a Thai ver-sion last August the tool allows users to pin-point a spot on a map where they have been a victim of corruption, usually bribe-taking, and to post a short description. The apps founder, Lithuanian-born developer Artas Bartas, said yesterday that the Khmer-language version of the app should be finished by next week.

Speaking at a Phnom Penh workshop intro-ducing the tool yesterday, Transparency Inter-national Cambodia executive director Preap Kol said that the app gave people another platform to solve social problems, particu-larly corruption.

Often times, people say, to fight corruption, you need political will . . . but in Cambodia, its difficult to imagine [politicians] having real political will, he said. If leaders dont have political will, fine. We will find the people who have the will.

Bribespot has yet to reach a critical mass of

posters; as of yesterday afternoon, there were about 320 reports displayed on the site world-wide. By comparison, a similar but older project called I Paid a Bribe has recorded more than 19,000 allegations in India alone.

Bartas, the apps founder, acknowledged at yesterdays event that whatever success weve had has been grassroots, but added that word of mouth and encouragement from local part-ners would help make the app part of the wid-er public discourse.

There has been discussion in forums, expat

communities, because foreign corruption is very frustrating . . . and some locals have embraced it too, Bartas said. But to get to the point where we influence policy makers, we need to work with local partners.

Indeed, Cambodia has already seen some early adopters, with 19 reports detailing every-thing from a $2 informal payment for a visa photo to a $5,000 bribe reported for illegal luxury wood trading.

In brief Drug bust nabs police officer and two othersThREE suspects including a police officer were arrested on Monday for alleged drug trafficking in Preah Sihanouk province. Sok Dien, a 35-year-old penal police officer with the Sihanouk town police, was arrested at his house along with Em Vannoeun, a 26-year-old teacher, and Vannoeuns wife, Yen Sam Neang, 27, according to heng Bunty, commander of the Preah Sihanouk provincial military police. Bunty said that during the arrest, military police seized seven packages of methamphetamine amounting to more than a kilogram, two drug scales, one pistol with 11 bullets and one Ak rifle with 30 bullets. [we] spent four months investigating and researching them before we could . . . arrest them, he said. The suspects are still being detained for questioning at the provincial military police headquarters, and are expected to be sent to the provincial court for charges today. The suspects could not be reached for comment yesterday. BUTh REAkSMEY koNGkEA

Raid fails to reveal any illegal wildlife in homeA 21-YEAR-oLD man was arrested yesterday for obstructing justice after he refused wildlife officials entry into his home to investigate claims he was illegally keeping wild animals. Last month, eight officials from wild Aid got a court order to search Phal Teng Tes house in koh kongs Sre Ambel district, but he refused to let them in, according to investigating judge kham Sophary. Te was summonsed to court yesterday, where he was questioned and arrested. At last, the group of wild Aid and the court did not find any illegal wild animals in his house. But some forestry fruits were seized, kong Chet, a Licadho provincial coordinator, said. SEN DAVID

Maxines owner a local legendDavid boyle

IAN Snowy Woodford, a painter and raconteur whose expatriate years in Phnom Penh, marked

by his stewardship of the now defunct Maxines bar, still elic-it nostalgic memories from those who knew him, died on Friday in Sydney. He was 57. The death occurred during an operation for one of his mul-tiple ailments.

Woodford, who took his moniker from the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales where he grew up, moved to the capital from Australia in 1993 to work on a dangerous assignment retrieving vehicles from Khmer Rouge strong-holds for the United Nations.

He fell in love with Cambodia and stayed for almost 20 years, racking up a library of tales. In

the early days, Snow as every-one addressed him worked any kind of job. Once, he was paid to watch TV, and drink beer, by a foreign government concerned about the content of news coverage in the coun-try a job he excelled in.

But most people remember his tenure as the proprietor of Maxines, which he opened in 2005. The bar sat precariously on the eastern bank of the Tonle Sap river in Chroy Chang Var, constantly threatening to topple into the water with its uniquely slanted veranda.

Wendy Lucas, co-owner of The Lost Room restaurant, and one of Snows many longtime Phnom Penh friends, recalled his universal popularity.

He was basically an insti-tution of Phnom Penh, and I dont think I ever heard any-one say anything bad about

him, everyone just loved the guy, she said yesterday.

He named his bar after the person he loved the most, his now teenage daughter Maxine.

He enjoyed music and paint-ing, and cultivated an alluring style of rendering striking im-ages from Cambodian folklore through a modified indig-enous Australian dot painting technique. These paintings, as

well as Cambodian artefacts and photos that he collected, decorated Maxines.

For residents in Phnom Penh, Maxines became a place to escape to and watch the sunset while Snow regaled his customers with whatever mus-ings he had to offer that day.

In 2002, Snow reached new heights of expatriate fame when he played a raving Australian lunatic in a brothel in Matt Dil-lons film City of Ghosts.

After being evicted from his bar in 2011 to make way for the Sokha hotel, he returned to Australia with his daughter.

But the bar lived on. A fan bought the wooden saloon and transported it to the banks of the Kampot river, where it stands today inside the Green-house resort.

Woodford is survived by his daughter.

Ian Snowy Woodford at Kandal House Cafe in 2013. SAMPhoN SoCh

Dolphin foundA dead 70-kilogram dolphin lies on the shore after being discovered in Sihanoukville on Sunday. Fishermen found the animal in the Gulf of Thai-land wrapped in a fishing net. It was brought ashore and buried to ward off spirits, said Nhel Sokhom, chief of Kam Penh commune. PhoTo SUPPLIED

If leaders dont have political will, fine. We will find the people who have

the will

Eddie Morton

AustrAliAn listed, Cell Aquaculture (CAQ) a onetime a marine technology

company has purchased a casino on the Cambodia-Vietnam border in a bid to generate much needed reve-nue after nearing bankruptcy in 2013.

On May 26, CAQ announced in a statement to the Austra-lian stock Exchange that it had hosted a soft opening for the roxy Casino, which is located 200 metres from the Vietnam border crossing, in Bavet town, after a full reno-vation and refurbishment of the once defunct operation.

richard soo, director of CAQ said the renovation had cost the firm us$1.2 million thus far.

We have had a team here since early January, build-ing. then, with furnishing and hiring of more person-nel, we have incurred another us$250,000 cost. the costs are in line with our budgeted plans of us$1.5 million to us$2 million, he added.

soo, who also has interests in Malaysian playing-card maker leisurematics, said he anticipates making up the ini-tial investment in roxy within the first six months of its op-erations, following a grand opening slated for August.

As per the requirements of the AsX, CAQ will adhere to full disclosure of the casinos financial operations, he said.

According to the AsX filing, the new roxy Casino will oper-ate 24 hours a day, with 15 tra-ditional gaming tables, eight online gaming tables, sports betting and 20 hotel rooms.

CAQ was placed into ad-ministration and suspended from trading on the AsX in november 2012 after posting a A$3.5 million (us$3.2 mil-

lion) loss for the 2012 finan-cial year. in an effort regain its position, CAQ in July last year issued an additional 250 million new shares, which in turn generated A$300 million for the company. CAQ was reinstated to the AsX on sep-tember 20, 2013.

When the companys own-ers realised current opera-tions were no longer feasible or viable, they decided to look for a new direction for the firm. And with our China operations only 46 per cent complete so far, the company

needed a more immediate source of income, soo said.

in March, CAQ agreed to purchase the roxy Casino along with the rights to a free-trade zone in China for A$83 million, to be paid in the form of 553 million CAQ shares. the deal is expected to be finalised by July.

But the Australian compa-nys casino venture may not be the quick-fix, they set out for.

Hor Chenda, deputy head of Bavet international Border Gate, said yesterday that the roxy Casino had gone bank-

rupt prior to CAQs purchase of the property due to slump-ing gambler numbers cross-ing the Vietnam border.

i have observed that the number of gamblers arriving here [Bavet] has declined and as a result a few casinos have been faced with shutting down operations, Chenda told the Post, adding that there are cur-rently 10 casinos still operating in the border town.

Most gamblers come from Vietnam. Historically, as a share of the number of Viet-namese crossing the border,

around 40 per cent come for gambling. But that has de-clined noticeably recently.

Along with the roxy Casi-no project and as part of the March agreement, CAQ pur-chased the rights to Haikou Free trade Zone on Hainan island, in southern China.

CAQ stock spiked mid-March following the firms ca-sino and Haikou Project an-nouncement reaching $0.129 per share. At yesterdays AsX close, CAQs share price was stable, trading at $0.115 cents per share.

7THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Business

By 2020, $9 billion needed for road funding: Master PlanHor Kimsay

CAMBOdiA needs $9 billion to be invested into 850 kilometres of road-ways by 2020, according to a study by Henan Provincial Communica-tions Planning survey and design institute.

From the Chinese province of Hen-an, officials from the state-owned engineering institute went to great lengths yesterday to explain that sci-entific analysis was behind their Cambodia Expressway development Master Plan, a report delivered to the Ministry of Public Works and trans-port in Phnom Penh.

to build and improve a modern transport network, covering the whole

nation, connecting every province and city, sEZs, resource-exploitation areas, tourist regions, essential ports, docks, airports and other areas, at first there shall be a scientific development and a reasonable plan, said li Qiang, chief engineer at the Henan Provincial Communications Planning survey and design institute.

the study went beyond the 2020 deadline to reveal that by 2040, Cam-bodia would need 2,230 kilometres of roads costing up to $26 billion, including a ring road around Phnom Penh and six expressways connecting provinces. And though much empha-sis was put the scientific methods used to arrive at the infrastructure requirements, no data were present-

ed to support the plan.speaking to reporters after the cer-

emony to receive the expressway report Minister of Public Works and transportation tram iv tek said there was no funding in place to ful-

fil the entire proposed Master Plan, but the government was looking to partner with the private sector to help support its future road infra-structure needs.

it is the right time to begin con-sidering this [expressway project],

he said. We need to start thinking from now to prepare for the master plan so that we know what we should do first and after, he said.

iv tek added that two highway projects had already received fund-ing; one connecting Phnom Penh to sihanoukville province with funding from a Chinese company and the other an expressway that would con-nect Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam with funding from the Japanese international Coop-eration Agency ( JiCA). iv tek declined to give any further details on the company investing or build-ing the road linking the capital to sihanoukville.

JiCA announced its plans for a $2.2

billion Phnom Penh to Bavet town toll road last month. A feasibility study is to begin next year with the Phnom Penh to neak loeng section expected be open in the early 2020s. the entire highway is expected to be completed in 2030.

Egami Masahiko, JiCAs representa-tive, told the Post yesterday that the road would help support Cambodias shift to high-value industries such as auto parts and electronics which require stable transportation.

Many Asian countries started development of expressway when their GdP per capita were less than $500. Cambodia now is $1,000 and it is time to start development of an expressway network, he said.

Cassava fuel plant study now one year inChan Muyhong

JAPAnEsE petroleum company, idemitsu Oil & Gas, is consider-ing building a biomass plant in Battambang province to use cas-sava to produce fuel, a Cambo-dia Mine Action Centre (CMAC) official says.

leng Chreang, director of mine risk education at CMAC said the Japanese firm is one year into a three-year study looking at whether farmers in Battambang province an area littered with unexploded mines can supply the amount of cassava needed to power such a plant.

idemitsu has been doing contract farming covering more than 100 hectares land since 2013. if the first year trial is a success, the company will expand the contract farm-ing area to 2,000 hectares and beyond to study more the fea-sibility of cassava production for such a plant, Chreang said, adding that the price of building such a facility remains uncertain.

Chreang said cassava produc-tion from at least 15,000 hectares will be needed to supply the facility. He said the plant could be operational by 2017, provided the study is successful.

Chhim Vichara, director of agriculture department at Bat-tambang province, said the plant will provide a sustainable market for local farmers.

Battambang has great poten-tial for cassava production. Farmers here produce a total of nearly 2 million tonnes of cas-sava annually on 60,000 hectares of land, he said.

More processing plants means farmers will be less wor-ried about having a market for their products.

An advertisement sit in front of casino in Bavet in 2010. An announcement on Monday suggested that one casino in Bavet has been bought by an Australian company. Sovan phILonG

Australian firm bets on Bavet

USD / JPY

101.92

USD / SGD

1.2529

USD /CNY

6.2368

USD / HKD

7.7533

USD / THB

32.59

AUD / USD

0.9235

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0.8535

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1.362

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1.6835

Indicative Exchange Rates as of 26/5/2014. Please contact ANZ Royal Global Markets on 023 999 910 for real time rates.

USD / KHR

4,038

Cambodia now is $1,000 [GDP per capita] and it is

time to start development of an expressway network

Beijing targets IBM in an apparent retaliationCHINA is pushing domestic banks to remove high-end servers made by IBM Corp and replace them with a local brand, according to people familiar with the matter, in an escalation of a row with the US over spying claims. State agencies, including the Peoples Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance, are reviewing whether Chinese commercial banks reliance on IBM servers compromises the countrys financial security, said the sources. The review fits a broader pattern of retaliation after American prosecutors indicted five Chinese military officers for allegedly hacking into US firms and stealing secrets. BlooMBerg

Aussie state eyes $14B China-backed casinosTHe government of Australias Queensland state will study proposals for two new casinos backed by Chinese and Hong Kong investors, challenging echo entertainment group ltds hold on the local gambling market. Hit by falling prices for its largest export, coal, Queensland state is considering a bet on the A$15.65 billion (US$14 billion) casinos to lure Asian gamblers whove fuelled investment in new resorts in Macau and Singapore. BlooMBerg

Thai tourist timing

Calls to push back curfew to midnight

THAI tourism operators have called on the Na-tional Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to push back the curfew from 10pm until midnight in some popular tourism destinations.

The extra two hours would benefit tourism in destinations far from political conflict such as Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui and Hua Hin, Association of Thai Travel Agents chief Sisdi-vachr Cheewarattanaporn said.

Last Thursday, the NCPO imposed a curfew from 10pm-5am nationwide.

I strongly believe major tourism operators can adjust to deal with sluggish tourism sentiment after the curfew imposition. However, it will be better and more convenient for foreign tourists who want to go out to party and hang out, Sisdivachr said.

Staff at many hotels have to stay overnight at their premi-ses due to the curfew.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is pinning its hopes on domestic tourism after the lengthy political turmoil has deterred foreign tourists. BANgKoK PoST

Business8 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Japan farms reap energy, too JAPANS campaign to boost renewable power supplies since the Fuku-shima nuclear disaster is producing some unlikely win-ners: vegetable farmers.

Makoto Takazawa and his fa-ther Yukio earned 1.7 million ($16,700) last fiscal year selling electricity from solar panels that hang in a giant canopy above their farm east of To-kyo. The cash was almost nine times more than they made from the crops growing in the soil below.

Harvesting dual incomes from sunlight was a godsend to the Takazawas. Theyre among the majority of Japa-nese farmers who depend on a combination of outside work, pension payments and gov-ernment subsidies to make a living. The easing of land-use rules and mandates for utili-ties including Tokyo Electric Power Co to buy clean energy at premium prices is poised to fuel the spread of panels to more farms.

I was racking my brain to figure out what to do on this land that Ill take over from my father one day, because grow-ing rice and vegetables doesnt bring in much money, Taka-zawa said. Then I heard about solar sharing for farmland.

The government is disman-tling a subsidy system thats supported Japans rice pro-duction for four decades. The country is under increasing pressure from trading partners to roll back import tariffs of 778 per cent for the grain, along with levies of more than 300 per cent on sugar and butter.

Takazawa, 51, still works full time in machinery sales while his retired father, 78, tends the farm in Chiba prefecture most days. Sixty-eight more farms across Japan have approval to follow in their footsteps and set up solar panels, according to JA Group, the countrys big-

gest agricultural organisation.The checkerboard of pan-

els hanging from stilts about 3 meters above the farm in Chiba cut sunlight to the veg-etables by about 30 per cent without harming growth, the younger Takazawa said. The government requires solar-sharing farmers to maintain agricultural output.

The system, patented by Jap-anese engineer Akira Nagashi-ma, covers an area about half the size of a football pitch and produces enough electricity to power 10 households.

This dual-use concept does offer the potential for another

revenue source for the farming community, Tom OSullivan, founder of Tokyo-based ener-gy consultancy Mathyos, said. Wind farms are more popular on rural properties in other countries because they take up less land, he said.

Japan has more than dou-bled solar capacity to about 13,500 megawatts since begin-ning a clean energy incentive program in July 2012 in the wake of the atomic meltdown, according to data from the trade ministry through Febru-ary this year.

Nagashimas system oper-ates on the assumption that too much sunlight can some-times be a bad thing. The canopy is arranged to allow in enough to maximise growth, but no more.

The Takazawas, who grow taro, sweet potato, pumpkin, blueberry and leafy vegetables, said yields for some of the plants increased under the shelter of the panels because the soil re-tained more moisture.

Farming communities have plenty of unused resources for clean energy, said Masahide Sugimoto, an assistant direc-tor in the ministrys renewable energy policy division.

We want people to use them. BlooMBerg

Yukio Takazawa (left) speaks to the media during a tour to the Kazusa-Tsurumai power station in Chiba prefectures Ichihara city. BlooMBerg

Markets9THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Business

May Kunmakara

CIMB Bank, Malaysias sec-ond-largest, has entered the insurance market via a part-nership agreement signed yesterday with Cambodia Life Insurance Company (CLIC).

In Meatra, director general of CLIC, said that under the part-nership, CIMB had received full access to offer their insur-ance products to customers.

CIMB will be our sale agent because they have wide busi-ness coverage and they can help us more, he said.

CIMB will offer two separate insurance products on behalf of CLIC one covering indi-viduals loan repayments and the other to relieve financial burden in case of unforeseen circumstances such as loss of income due to illness, accord-ing to a joint statement.

It is the second banking firm CLIC has partnered with after signing a similar agreement with Foreign Trade Bank ear-lier this year.

Meatra said the Foreign Trade Bank agreement had assisted in bringing the insur-ance providers customer base to more than 600.

CIMB the latest to add local insurer

Banks back Thai rice payoutsWichit Chantanusornsiri and Phusadee Arunmas

THAILANDS banks have given assurances that they are prepared to lend 90 billion baht

to the Finance Ministry to pay off the long-overdue debt owed to rice farmers, a senior ministry official has said.

Deputy Finance Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra said the ministry had sent a letter to all 32 commercial and state-owned banks inviting them to participate in loans for the first batch of 50 billion baht in advance payments to farmers who pledged their paddy un-der the rice-pledging scheme for the 2013-14 main crop.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on the weekend gave approval to the Finance Ministry to bor-row and guarantee bond issu-ance by the state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultur-al Cooperatives (BAAC) worth a combined 92.4 billion baht to pay 858,000 rice farmers.

All farmers are expected to receive their payments by next month.

The military junta has au-thority to borrow fresh funds to pay farmers who have

been waiting for their money for months.

Somchart Soithong, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, recently said that the BAAC had already set aside 40 billion baht to pay the farm-ers, and the remainder would be acquired through loans from other financial institu-tions as soon as possible.

The rice-pledging scheme was the key populist policy initiated by the former Ying-luck Shinawatra government with the aim of boosting farm-ers incomes and raising the market price of rice.

But the scheme backfired due to hefty losses when the pledging price was set 40-50 per cent above market prices.

Moreover, the former govern-ments caretaker status lim-ited its ability to borrow to pay farmers, while the Commerce Ministrys sales could not generate sufficient revenue to settle the debt.

Moreover, the former gov-ernments caretaker status limited its ability to borrow to pay farmers, while the Com-

merce Ministrys sales could not generate sufficient rev-enue to settle the debt.

In the 2013-14 main crop, 11.6 million tonnes of paddy worth 190 billion baht were pledged under the scheme. Farmers who pledged 6.29 million tonnes of paddy worth 103 billion baht were paid.

Out of that total, 75 billion baht came from rice sold to the market by the Commerce Ministry, 1.05 billion baht from the Farmers Aid Fund and another 20 billion baht from the governments cen-tral budget.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry has denied a report alleging that more than 3 mil-lion tonnes of rice disappeared from state warehouses.

Commerce chief Srirat Ra-stapana said the ministry would suspend sales of rice in the stockpile to traders for at least a couple of days to allow intensive stock checks.

Delivery of rice under gov-ernment-to-government con-tracts will continue.

A report by an investigation subcommittee set up by the Finance Ministry showed that the Commerce Ministry could not locate as much as 3 million tonnes of rice. bangkok post

Workers prepare sacks for storing rice in a warehouse at the O Karnkaset rice mill in Nong Kham, Suphan Buri province, Thailand. bloomberg

Business10 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

S Africa contracts for first time since 2009S

OUTH Africas econo-my shrank in the first quarter of the year, in the worst performance

recorded since the global re-cession five years ago, official data showed yesterday.

Statistics South Africa re-ported the economy contract-ed by 0.6 per cent quarter on quarter, a stunning reversal for Africas most advanced economy amid a rapid boom elsewhere in the continent.

The worse-than-expected data comes during the first full day on the job for South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.

The 55-year-old was sworn in as South Africas first black finance minister on Monday, tasked with overseeing radi-cal social and economic reforms in President Jacob Zumas new five-year term.

Shortly after the release of yesterdays data the rand fell almost 1 per cent against the US dollar.

The possibility of a reces-sion, two consecutive quar-ters of negative growth, is not being ruled out.

This makes for grim read-

ing, said Razia Khan, Africas regional head of research for Standard Chartered Bank.

The first quarter contrac-tion which is annualised and adjusted for seasonal varia-tions was blamed largely

on a slump in the mining sector and a significant drop in manufacturing.

Khan said the figures showed an end to a crippling a platinum strike, now in its fifth month, and serious eco-nomic reforms were even more of an imperative.

In their absence, growth might continue to languish at these weak levels.

With unemployment above 25 per cent and inflation ris-ing, policymakers will worry that unrest in the mining sector is spilling over and hurting confidence across the economy.

Predictably, the weakness mainly came from a sharp plunge in mining produc-tion, analysts at Nedbank said. But the economys fra-gility was on display in most other sectors too.

Weaker growth could pose significant problems for Nene, bringing weaker government revenues as he struggles to balance the fiscal books amid the threat of a further credit rating downgrade.

The shrinking economy will also pose serious prob-lems for the South African Reserve Bank, which has seen efforts to curb inflation through higher interest rates held back.

The weak growth perfor-mance was the primary rea-son why the SA Reserve Bank kept rates on hold in last

weeks [monetary policy com-mittee] meeting, Nazmeera Moola, economist and strate-gist at Investec Asset Manage-ment, said.

A quick rate hike could throw growth further into re-verse. In the last quarter of 2013 the economy grew 3.8 per cent. afp

Striking miners march in Marikana, in the South African platinum belt, earlier this month. afp

Pfizer foiled

AstraZeneca drops after buyout fails

SHARES in AstraZeneca slid yesterday, one day after US drugmaker Pfizer scrapped its controver-sial takeover bid for the British pharmaceuticals giant.

AstraZenecas share price dropped 1.79 per cent to 42.50 ($71.50) in midday deals on Londons FTSE 100 index, which rose 0.51 per cent to 6,850.73 points.

Pfizer announced on Monday that it had decided to walk away after making a final friendly $117 billion takeover offer.

The London stock market was closed on Monday for a public holiday.

The improved and final bid, pitched at 55 per share, was rejected last week by AstraZenecas management, who were asking for an offer of at least 58.85.

Pfizers announcement on Monday put an end to a long-running saga that drew widespread attention over fears that British jobs and re-search capability would be lost and accusations that the tie-up was a cynical ploy by Pfizer to pay less tax. afp

Kiev balks at EU gas compromiseUKRAINE said yesterday that it was unhappy with the terms of an EU-brokered compromise with Russia that could save Europe from seeing a large chunk of its gas supplies cut as early as next week.

What we are hearing now is you pay and then we talk, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak said a day after Europes energy commissioner reported that there was a good chance a compromise could be reached within days.

This does not suit us, Shlapak said.The two neighbours launched their third

gas war in less than a decade after the ouster of a Kremlin-backed president in February and Ukraines decision to seek closer economic ties with EU states.

Russia retaliated by hiking Ukraines gas price by 81 per cent to $485.50 per 1,000 cubic metres the highest of any of its European clients and demanding a pay-ment by next Monday of $5.17 billion for debts and June deliveries.

Ukraine refused to pay anything and branded the price increase a form of eco-nomic aggression.

Europe imports 15 per cent of its gas through Ukraine and has been keen to help find a compromise that could avert a repeat of 2006 and 2009 disruptions that damaged Russias reputation as a reliable supplier and prompted Brussels to seek ways to diversify supplies.

European Energy Commissioner Guen-

ther Oettinger on Monday reported rela-tively good progress at talks in Berlin involving Russian Energy Minister Alexan-der Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart Yuriy Prodan.

Oettinger said a deal under considera-tion would see Ukraine pay Russias state energy giant Gazprom $2 billion by Thurs-day out of money it received from the IMF and other world lenders in the past few weeks. Russia would then be ready to rene-gotiate the price of future deliveries.

Ukraine has threatened to sue Russia in an arbitration court in Stockholm should no agreement between Gazprom and its Naftogaz state energy company be reached by Thursday. afp

Call for ProposalsResearch on Social Protection and

Migration (Extension)

The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is inviting rms/research organizations to submit proposals to undertake a research study on social protection to women migrant workers and their families. The detailed Request for Proposal and ToR are available at: http://asiapacic.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs

Deadline for submissions: 09 June 2014 at 5 p.m. local timePlease send your proposal to cambodiaco.unwomen@unwomen.org

Any inquiries regarding the study proposal, please contact our UN Women Country Ofce via e-mail at: vathanak.ieng@unwomen.org.

Please note that this e-mail is only for enquiries. Only proposals sent to cambodiaco.unwomen@unwomen.org will be accepted.

Nhlanhla Nene, South Africas first black finance minister. bloomberg

Max Delany with Tanya Willmer

Ukraine said yes-terday that it had regained control of the airport in the

eastern city of Donetsk after a day of punishing air strikes and fierce fighting with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen left dozens of people dead.

russian President Vladimir Putin immediately called on Ukraine to end its punitive operation in the rebel-held east and for talks between kiev and the insurgents.

The battle for the main transport hub in Ukraines in-dustrial heartland erupted on Monday just hours after pres-ident-elect Petro Poroshenko vowed to take a tough stand against the terrorists.

The airport is under our full control. The enemy suffered heavy losses. We have none, interior Minister arsen avak-ov said. He said, however, that the military was continuing its operation at the airport and journalists reported hearing sporadic gunfire and explo-sions during the morning.

The Organisation for Securi-ty and Cooperation in europe also reported being unable to establish contact with a four-member observer team based in the restive city since Mon-day evening. Donetsk Mayor Oleksandr Lukyanchenko said two civilians and 38 combat-ants had died. rebel leaders suggested that the toll among their ranks could be higher.

a correspondent reported seeing body parts and blood splattered near a bullet-rid-dled truck on the airport road, where makeshift blockades had been set up with dumper trucks and piles of tyres.

Combat jets and helicopter gunships struck the airport terminal on Monday after it was seized by scores of gun-men just a day after Ukraines presidential election won by Poroshenko.

The strikes represented the most forceful action by kiev yet in its battle to crush a bloody rebellion that has

raged in the coal and steel belt since early april and threatened to tear the former Soviet state apart.

The military action has also revived tensions between kiev and Moscow, which had initially said it was ready to work with the new leader of its western neighbour.

in his first comments on Ukraine since Sundays elec-tion, Putin called for an immediate end to the mili-tarys punitive operation in southeastern regions and the establishment of peaceful dialogue between kiev and regional representatives, the kremlin said.

Poroshenko, a 48-year-old pro-Western chocolate ty-coon, had said he was ready to engage with the russian leadership and was optimis-tic a meeting with Putin could be arranged soon.

Yesterday, however, russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lav-

rov who had initially said Moscow was open to prag-matic dialogue with the new leader declared that a visit to Moscow by Poroshenko was not being considered.

Sundays election had been viewed as crucial if Ukraine was able to turn the page on months of turmoil that fol-lowed the February ousting of kievs pro-kremlin leadership.

kiev and the West accuse russia of pulling the strings of the insurgents who took up arms against the government in the wake of the kremlins seizure of the Black Sea pen-insula Crimea in March.

The US and its allies had warned of another round of sanctions against Moscow if it meddled in Sundays elec-tion, which saw Poroshenko declared the clear winner with 54 per cent of the vote.

in the days before the poll, russia also announced it had started withdrawing from

Ukraines border around 40,000 soldiers whose pres-ence had raised Western sus-picions it could be planning to invade.

Poroshenko, a political vet-eran, said on Monday that the military would press on with its offensive against the insurgents who now con-trol about a dozen cities and towns in the east. and he insisted there would be no talks with terrorists until they laid down their arms.

The insurgency, which has now cost around 200 lives, thwarted polling in much of the east and rebels have de-fiantly refused to recognise Poroshenkos election.

But a 1,000-strong team of international monitors led by the OSCe concluded that the election largely upheld dem-ocratic commitments and provided Poroshenko leader with the legitimacy needed to tackle the insurgency. The

OSCe said yesterday that it had lost contact with four members of its Special Moni-toring Mission when it went out on a routine patrol east of Donetsk on Monday.

it added that both the Ukra-nian government and re-gional authorities had been informed of the situation.

Poroshenko also faces a daunting task in attempting to avert economic collapse after years of Soviet-era mis-management and rampant corruption.

The iMF, which is leading a $27 billion international bail-out package to avert Ukraines bankruptcy, has forecast the economy will shrink by at least 5 per cent this year.

Ukraine is also trying to ne-gotiate a deal to prevent russia from cutting off gas supplies from next week if it fails to pay more than $5 billion demand-ed for debts and prepayments for June deliveries. AFP

12 THE PHNOM PENH POST MaY 28, 2014

WorldPark: family root cause of tragedySOUTH korean President Park Geun-hye yesterday denounced fugitive members of the ship-owning family linked to last months ferry dis-aster, calling them the root cause of the tragedy that claimed around 300 lives.

The government has offered a $500,000 reward for informa-tion leading to the arrest of Yoo Byung-eun, patriarch of the family behind Chonghaejin Marine Co.

Chonghaejin owned and operated the 6,825-tonne Sewol ferry that capsized and sank on april 16 with hundreds of high school students on board.

Yoo and his eldest son have become the targets of a mas-sive manhunt after they ignored prosecutors sum-mons to surrender themselves for questioning. initial inves-tigations suggest that lax safe-ty standards and negligent business practices may have been a major contributor to the disaster.

The Yoo Byung-eun family, the root cause of the tragedy, is flouting the law and causing public fury at a time when it should repent in front of peo-ple and reveal the truth, Park told a meeting of her cabinet.

Yoo has no direct stake in Chonghaejin, but his children and close aides control it through a complex web of holding companies.

Prosecutors had offered an initial reward of $50,000 for information on Yoos wherea-bouts, but upped the figure to $500,000 on Monday after days of fruitless searching. a $100,000 reward was offered for his eldest son Yoo Dae-kyun.

On Thursday, investigators raided a compound belonging to the evangelical Baptist Church of korea, of which Yoo is a leading member, but failed to find him. The church insist-ed it had no connection with Yoo, but former followers who left the institution described him as its leader who was wor-shipped as a demi-god.

in the wake of the Sewol trag-edy, President Park has had to contend with widespread pub-lic criticism of the rescue effort and lax regulatory oversight.

in a tearful address to the nation last week, she accepted personal responsibility and announced she would dis-mantle the coastguard in an overhaul of the national emer-gency response system.

Park has been very outspo-ken in her own criticism of the ferrys captain and surviving crew members, saying their decision to abandon ship while hundreds were still trapped was tantamount to murder.

The Sewols captain and three crew have been charged with manslaughter through gross negligence. Five Chong-haejin officials have already been arrested for possible criminal negligence. AFP

Vietnam claims Chinese sank fishing boatContinued from page 1

he added. Qin said the rig had moved to a new location, but Vietnamese state media said it was still within what Hanoi considered its territory.

it was the first ship reported sunk since the dispute flared in early May. The standoff has seen repeated skir-mishes between dozens of Chinese and Vietnamese vessels, including many civilian and fishing boats.

The confrontations have included reported rammings and the use of water cannon.

a dozen Vietnamese fisheries surveil-lance officers have been injured in rammings since the start of May, the

deputy commander of the Vietnam Marine Police, ngo ngoc Thu, said.

relations between frequently testy neighbours Vietnam and China have plummeted over the oil rigs presence, which has worsened an increasingly heated dispute over territorial claims in the area. The oil rig is positioned in the vicinity of the contested Paracel islands. in Japan which has a thorny maritime territorial dispute of its own with Beijing in the east China Sea government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said if the report was true, it was an extremely dangerous act.

its important that relevant coun-tries abstain from unilateral actions that raise tensions and that the coun-

tries act cool-headedly, observing international laws, Suga said.

Tensions over the oil rig sparked violent anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam earlier this month. Beijing says four Chinese citizens died in the unrest, while Vietnam says three Chinese died. Hundreds of people have been detained over the riots and two Viet-namese men on Sunday became the first sentenced to jail, receiving terms of one and three years.

Vietnamese Prime Minister nguyen Tan Dung said last week that Chinas placement of the rig in the contested area had seriously threatened peace.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of

its neighbours, and has become increas-ingly assertive in staking those claims.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as Taiwan, have com-peting claims to parts of the sea.

in recent years China has begun aggressively patrolling contested waters, using fishing bans and patrol boats to keep foreign trawlers out, according to Vietnamese officials and fishermen.

Hanoi says hundreds of fishing boat crews have been arrested by Chinese authorities over the past few years.

Beijing for its part estimates that more than 11,000 Chinese fishermen experienced attacks, robberies or detention by foreign vessels between 1989 and 2010. AFP

Dozens dead in battle for airport

A pro-Russian fighter takes position behind a car as a truck packed with comrades heads towards the battle during clashes against Ukrainian forces near the airport in Donetsk on Monday. AFP

World13THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

IndIAn Prime Minister na-rendra Modi held landmark talks with his Pakistani coun-terpart and announced his new cabinet yesterday, in a high-energy start to his term in office.

The morning after Modi and his slimmed-down team of ministers were sworn in, the right-wing leader hosted Pakistans Prime Minister nawaz Sharif in a bid to ease tensions between the nucle-ar-armed neighbours.

The two leaders shook hands and smiled for the cameras on the steps of a government building in central new delhi before heading inside for almost an hourlong meeting that ran over its allotted time.

Sharif was one of six regional leaders who attended Modis lavish inauguration on Mon-day evening. Modi has an im-age as a hard-liner, even within his own Hindu nationalist par-ty, and is regarded with deep suspicion by many in Pakistan after deadly anti-Muslim riots erupted in his western fiefdom a decade ago.

But in a surprise move that disarmed many of his critics, Modi decided last week to in-vite Sharif to his inauguration

and then to join him for talks in a significant olive branch to Indias Muslim neighbour.

Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclu-sive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development, Modi said as he was sworn in.

It is the first time an Indian prime minister has hosted a Pakistani leader for official talks in delhi since the rup-ture in relations that followed the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

The attacks were blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani militant group which is now accused of being behind an attack by gunmen last week on an Indian diplomatic mis-sion in western Afghanistan.

Modi raised trade between India and Pakistan in his talks with Sharif, as well as secu-rity concerns over anti-India groups operating from Paki-stani territory, analysts say.

In 1999, then-Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rode a bus to the Pakistani city of Lahore to sign an accord with Sharif, but three months later the neighbours nearly went to war over the disputed region of Kashmir. AFP

new Indian PM Modi in talks with Pakistani rival

We know where missing girls are

nIgerIAS highest-ranking military officer on Monday gave a glimmer of

hope to the families of more than 200 schoolgirls held by Boko Haram militants, saying that the country had located the missing teenagers.

But the defence staff chief, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, warned that any potential armed rescue operation was fraught with danger as the 223 girls still held hostage could be caught in the crossfire.

Boko Haram fighters kid-napped 276 girls from the remote northeastern town of Chibok on April 14, leading to global outrage.

The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you, Badeh said in the capital Abuja, as the abduction crisis entered its seventh week.

nigerias government and military have been sharply criticised for their slow re-sponse to the mass abduc-tion and were finally forced to accept foreign help in the rescue effort.

US drones have been sur-veying northeast nigeria and neighbouring Chad from the air while British, French and Israeli teams have been on

the ground providing special-ist assistance.

The military has previously said that the search was cen-tred around the Sambisa for-est area of Borno, in northeast nigeria, where makeshift mil-itant camps have previously been found as well as arms and ammunition caches.

Badeh earlier addressed demonstrators who had marched on defence Head-quarters in Abuja in the lat-est in a series of protests that have sought to maintain pressure on the government and keep the disappearance in the spotlight.

The officer refused to di-vulge specific details, de-scribing the operation as a military secret, but he add-ed: We are working. We will get the girls back.

Addressing the protesters, Badeh said that the military was faced with the dilemma of whether to send in ground troops, given concerns of deaths and casualties among the hostages.

nobody should come and say the nigerian military does not know what its do-ing. We know what we are do-ing. We cant go and kill our girls in the name of trying to

get them back, he told the crowd. The United nations Security Council last week designated Boko Haram an al-Qaeda-linked organisa-tion, in a move designed to curb any overseas funding and support, as well as re-strict its leaders movements.

However, analysts have questioned whether the sanc-tions would have any effect on the ground, given the Isla-mists largely localised cam-paign of murderous violence to create an Islamic state in northern nigeria.

Badeh touched on possible foreign assistance to the mil-itants, saying that weapons recovered during operations were very alien to nigerian armed forces, which means there are people from out-side fuelling this thing [the insurgency].

Mr President said we have al-Qaeda in west Africa. I be-lieve it 100 per cent because I know that people from out-side nigeria are in this war. They are fighting us.

They want to destabilise our country and some people in this country are standing with the forces of darkness. We know. We must salvage our country. We must bring sanity back to our nation. AFP

A screengrab taken on May 12 from a Boko Haram video shows girls wearing full-length hijabs and praying in an undisclosed location. AFP

Myanmar mulls curbs on religion conversionMyanMar is considering restrictions on religious conversion, according to a draft bill released in state media yesterday, the first of several controversial proposals stemming from a rising tide of Buddhist nationalism. The proposed legislation would require people who want to change their faith to get approval from a specially created local authority. Under the proposed law any violation could attract a two-year prison sentence. The proposals on religious conversion are part of a wider series of draft bills being considered by government ministries and suggested by President Thein Sein after a campaign by extremist monks. a highly controversial plan to impose restrictions on interfaith marriage is also being considered but details have yet to be revealed. aFP

Yingluck freed: junta ThailandS junta yesterday said former prime minister yingluck Shinawatra had been released from military detention and allowed to return home. yingluck was detained on May 23 after reporting to the army. [yingluck] has been released, junta spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said, without specifying when she was freed. aFP

Border tension

N Korea in warning of catastrophe

North Korea yesterday warned that recent provocative activities by US troops at a truce village on the heavily fortified inter-Korean border could lead to a catastrophic military clash.

the warning came from the head of the North Korean forces stationed in the frontier village of Panmun-jom where the cease-fire agreement to end fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War was signed. Panmunjom has hosted multiple inter-Korean talks over the decades and is heavily guarded.

the North Korean military official, who was not named, said recent activities by US troops threatened to destabi-lise the sensitive area.

Given the military sensi-tivity of Panmunjom, where North and South Korean border guards stand almost eyeball to eyeball, the official said such activity was parti-cularly dangerous.

the slightest accidental mistake or undesirable behaviour could lead to a catastrophic military clash, he said. aFP

World14 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014

Successful People Read The Post.

Job Announcement

The Phnom Penh Post is an independent media company in Cambodia and is seeking qualied candidates to ll the position of reporter as follows:

Lifestyle Sub-editor: 1 position

Job requirements:

Bachelors degree in journalism or an equivalent degree- At least 2 (two) years experience in Media- Knowledge of media law and professional ethics- Those who specialize in certain area such as tourism, travel, - entertainment and leisure news are highly welcomed.Very good in Khmer and English, Speaking and Writing- Computer literacy (must be able to type Khmer Unicode well)- Available to work in a high pressure environment-

Interested candidates should submit their cover letter and CV to the human resource ofce of The Phnom Penh Post at the below address: Post Media Co. Ltd, #888, Floor 8, Building F, Phnom Penh Center, Corner of Sothearos and Preah Sihanouk boulevards, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh or through email address: jobs@phnompenhpost.com; Tel: 023 214 311 or Fax: 023 214 318

Deadline: June 03, 2014

Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

China: bomb material seizedP

oliCe in Chinas Xinjiang have seized 1.8 tonnes of bomb-making material and

detained five people, authori-ties said yesterday, follow-ing a string of deadly attacks blamed on militants from the Muslim Uighur homeland.

China at the weekend vowed a year-long crackdown on terrorism, with violence attributed to separatists from Xinjiang increasingly target-ing civilians and spreading far outside the western region in recent months.

last week, five suspects killed 39 people and wound-ed more than 90 in a car and bomb assault on a market in the regional capital Urumqi, in an attack condemned as terrorism by both Beijing and Washington. Four of the at-tackers also died.

officers in and around Hotan in southern Xinjiang destroyed two explosive-making dens and seized 1.8 tonnes of raw material that the gang planned to use to make explosive devices, along with a large amount of partly finished explosive devices, a report on the website of the regional Tianshan government said.

in recent days the group began making explosive de-

vices with the goal of driving into a crowded place, running people over and setting off bombs in Hotan, it said.

The gang had watched videos promoti