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Sen David and Alice Cuddy

I
N AN apparent continu-
ation of efforts to clear
Phnom Penhs streets
of beggars, street sell-
ers and homeless adults and
children, City Hall is turning
its attention from the riv-
erside and Russian Market
areas to major intersections
around town.
In a statement released on
Monday, City Hall said that
it will use six trafc lights
across the capital as model
areas where beggars and
street sellers will no longer
be allowed.
The authorities always re-
ceive strong criticism from the
public about homeless people
begging there, the statement
says, adding that the ban will
soon be expanded to include
other areas of the city.
Standing at one of the tar-
geted areas, a trafc stop near
Derm Kor market, a 27-year-
old ower seller told the Post
Hor Kimsay
ITS no secret. Weddings in
Cambodia are big, colourful
and extravagant affairs. Guests
drink and eat to their hearts
content, music draws revellers
onto the dance floor and the
party lasts for hours.
But guests arent the only
people having fun. Rising afflu-
ence paired with a flood of
young people moving to the
city has created a boom in the
wedding industry.
According to City Hall, more
than 11,800 weddings were cel-
ebrated across the capital dur-
ing 2013, nearly double 2012s
total of 6,380.
Its a very good business. It
is a million-dollar business,
said Touch Ratha, a wedding
caterer in Phnom Penh.
After graduating from uni-
versity in 2003 and landing an
IT management job, he
thought he had it made. Four
years later, however, a sudden
change of heart saw Ratha,
then 24, leave his position to
run his fathers food catering
business.
When he took over at Seng
Hok Heng Chef, Ratha was
serving about 300 tables per
month. Now, seven years into
his venture, Ratha feeds more
than 3,000 tables monthly.
For even bigger companies,
I would imagine they can earn
as much as $4 million or $5 mil-
lion a year, he said, adding that
there are about 100 similar
wedding catering firms operat-
ing in Phnom Penh alone.
Chai Lim, deputy director of
the Phnom Penh Cultural Cen-
tre, also known as Chenla The-
atre, said that during the most
recent wedding season, the
venue was rented out almost
Wedding
business
a winning
proposal
Violence
threatens
still, says
Subedi
Sweep given green light
A child wanders through
waiting trafc as she
tries to sell jasmine
owers at trafc lights in
Phnom Penh yesterday
afternoon. VIREAK MAI
CONTINUED PAGE 9 CONTINUED PAGE 2 CONTINUED PAGE 4
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIEL
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Kevin Ponniah and Cheang Sokha
IF THE ruling party remains
hesitant to fundamentally
reform the way it governs its
people, Cambodia could see
more of the fatal violence that
at times exploded in the wake
of last Julys election, UN
rights envoy Surya Subedi
warned yesterday.
I reiterate my view that a real
reform in the approach to gov-
ernance is inevitable in Cam-
bodia. But there seems to be
some hesitation and lack of
sincere will to recognise the
message expressed so loudly
and clearly by the people, he
said at a press conference
marking the end of a 10-day
visit to the Kingdom.
Those who resist change
find that one day change has
been forced upon them by
developments beyond their
control. This has happened
throughout human civilisation.
Having studied Cambodian
society and its history carefully,
and interacting with people
from all walks of life, I see it as
my duty to state that if real
reforms are not effected soon,
the country runs the risk of a
return to violence.
Subedi, an international law
professor, was concluding his
11th mission as special rap-
porteur for human rights in
Cambodia, a position he took
up in 2009.
He added that a deep-rooted
frustration among the popula-
tion was evident, due to
the slow progress made on
promised reforms.
But Cheam Yeap, a senior
Cambodian Peoples Party law-
maker, rejected the idea that
the government was not com-
mitted to reform, stating that
THAI COURT TO HEAR
CASE OF XAYABURI
DAM PROJECT
NATIONAL PAGE 5
THE RUSH IS ON TO
CASH IN ON LEGALISED
POT IN THE US
BUSINESS PAGE 11
WHOS BEHIND ISISS
CREEPY PROPAGANDA
OPERATION?
WORLD PAGE 15
National
2
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Cambodian migrant workers from Thailand queue at the Battambang
passport ofce on Monday morning. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Fees capped for
migrant workers
Chhay Channyda
T
HE government yes-
terday unveiled new
rules that govern
workers travelling
abroad, among them a cap
on the amount that they
can be charged for the neces-
sary documents.
In addition to newly subsi-
dised $4 passports, the Minis-
try of Labour and Vocational
Training announced during
a meeting with recruitment
agencies that the companies
could no longer charge a com-
mission rate or take a cut of
the workers salaries.
Under the previous sys-
tem, workers would borrow
sums upwards of $500 to meet
agencies high price tags for
better-paying jobs overseas.
Now, desperate to address the
crisis of more than 220,000
repatriated and unemployed
migrants, the government has
established a set rate of $49
that includes a passport, visa,
worker ID card and transpor-
tation to the border.
But An Bunhak, director of
recruiter Top Manpower, said
agencies were unlikely to take
any nancial hits from the
changes. Instead, he said, the
nancial burden would be
shifted to employers.
We will do business the
same. Its just that before, the
government allowed us to
charge from the workers, now
they say the prot must come
from the employer, he said.
The agency fee will remain
the same as before.
Top Manpower, he added,
took one months salary for
each two-year contract that
it brokered.
One thing that is a concern
for us now that employers
pay is that workers will need
to satisfy [employers higher
expectations of] productivity,
he said.
The governments new pass-
port scheme has already gen-
erated overwhelming interest,
but not a single $4 passport
has been issued since the ini-
tial announcement on Friday.
We do not have any guide-
lines from the higher level yet,
and we have to wait for certi-
cation letters to conrm they
are registered to work in Thai-
land, said Kang Kosal, acting
director of the Battambang
passport ofce, which saw
long lines on Monday.
Meanwhile, the new price
for documents, while substan-
tially cheaper, still isnt satisfy-
ing everyone.
If [workers] can be provided
the documents and pay later
when they get their wages, it
will be much better, said Huy
Pich Sovann, labour program
ofcer at the Community Le-
gal Education Center. ADDITION-
AL REPORTING BY SHANE WORRELL
Violence still a threat, Subedi says
Continued from page 1
the recent summoning of ministers to be
questioned in parliament about a controver-
sial hydropower project was just one example
of a change in attitude this mandate.
A largely peaceful protest movement that
began after last years contested poll and
was largely led by the opposition Cambodia
National Rescue Party was quashed in
January when at least five people were
gunned down by security forces as striking
garment workers clashed with authorities.
Two bystanders were killed by authorities
during clashes in the months before that,
one during a November worker riot in Stung
Meanchey and one at police barricades at
the Khbal Thnal flyover in September.
Subedi yesterday condemned the con-
tinued blockade of Freedom Park a
symbol of democracy with barbed wire
and barricades. The park was violently
cleared of CNRP supporters during early
Januarys crackdown.
It gives the impression that there has
been an attempt to put democracy in a
cage in Cambodia, he said.
According to Subedi, government officials
have said Freedom Park will only be reo-
pened to the public when authorities believe
that people will use the space lawfully.
Yeap of the CPP said yesterday that while
he respected Subedis right to express his
views, the envoy should check and bal-
ance what the ruling party has done.
We have made reforms as the govern-
ment in this mandate such as judicial reform,
National Election Committee reform that
has been agreed to with the CNRP, lawmak-
ers inviting ministers to explain about the
[Lower] Sesan [II] dam, etc, Yeap said.
The government ordering civil servants
and armed forces to be paid on time at the
end of the month is also a kind of reform.
All of these are reforms made by the gov-
ernment that you can see, and the govern-
ment will make more reforms with its
rectangular strategy in the third phase.
Yeap also defended the blockade of Free-
dom Park, which he said was necessary until
the events of January which he blamed on
the CNRP are fully investigated.
This is the government measure to pre-
vent such violence, so we are not closing
it in the way that he means. He should not
listen to only one hand clapping. He should
listen to two hands clapping, he said.
Aside from summoning ministers to par-
liament and agreeing to some key elec-
toral reform demands, the CPP has also
recently agreed to a deal that will see the
CNRP take up a slew of top positions in the
National Assembly when it ends its parlia-
mentary boycott.
UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia Surya Subedi talks to members of the media yesterday at
the United Nations Development Programme ofce in Phnom Penh. VIREAK MAI
CORRECTION
Due to a currency conversion error, a
Japanese infrastructure loan in the Tues-
day story Aid, Aeon on agenda for Japan
was valued at $13.5 million rather than
the correct $135 million.
National
3
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Dissident no stranger to Kingdom
Amelia Woodside

A
THAI dissident who has been
in and out of Cambodia since
beginning a self-imposed exile
in 2009 has been appointed a
senior ofcer in an anti-coup organisa-
tion launched yesterday.
With a manifesto condemning the
Thai military regimes attempts to turn
that country into a state of fear, the
Organisation of Free Thais for Human
Rights and Democracy (FT-HD) an-
nounced its arrival.
This organisation will now become
the centre for all Thais who possess an
unyielding desire for full democracy,
in full compliance with the principles
of democracy, universal human rights,
international laws, and non-violence,
the groups letter said. FT-HD, the letter
added, would oppose the military dic-
tatorship and its aristocratic network
and establish the peoples complete and
unchallenged sovereignty.
Heavily involved will be Jakrapob
Penkair, a former government minister
and adviser to Thailands ousted leader
Thaksin Shinawatra. The dissident has
assumed the position of executive sec-
retary/spokesman, a position directly
below the groups secretary-general.
Jakrapob, known to have been in
Cambodia recently, faces a lese majeste
charge in Thailand, which carries a sen-
tence of up to 15 years in prison, and ac-
cusations that he instigated violence.
He has publicly stated that he and oth-
er anti-junta dissidents have not been
permanent residents in Cambodia and
have used the Kingdom only as a transit
location to different countries.
Jakrapob declined yesterday to say
where the organisations base would be.
No announcement will be made
about [FT-HD] headquarters but
Minister Charupong is announc-
ing [the group formation] from the
United States and I from London, UK,
Jakrapob wrote in an email.
FT-HDs letter was signed by the
groups secretary-general Charupong
Ruangsuwan, who resigned as leader of
the Pheu Thai Party less than a week be-
fore yesterdays announcement.
Yesterday, Jakrapob told the Post the
organisation consists of eight standing
committee members and about 20 oth-
er incognito constituents.
We will [now] seek deeper and wider
cooperation with countries around the
world, while domestic groups are go-
ing to be coordinated and enhanced,
Jakrapob wrote. He declined to answer
questions about whether Thaksin was
involved in or supported the group but
conrmed that Robert Amsterdam, best
known in Thailand as one of Thaksins
lawyers, is an adviser to the group.
Given its geographical proximity and
historic ties to the Shinawatra clan,
Cambodia was oated by media outlets
as an ideal location for a government-in-
exile following the coup.
After being deposed in a coup in 2006
and eeing to avoid a corruption con-
viction, Thaksin was made an economic
adviser to the Cambodian government
and personal adviser to Hun Sen in
2009, a move that led to both nations
withdrawing their ambassadors.
The permanent secretary of the juntas
Foreign Affairs Ministry was quick to dis-
miss the relevance of FT-HD yesterday.
There is only one legitimate govern-
ment, that is this administration, Siha-
sak Phuangeketkeow said.
Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokesman Koy Kuong reiterated previ-
ous statements that no anti-junta politi-
cal organisations or dissidents were or-
ganising or operating in the Kingdom.
Thai dissidents seeking refuge in the
Kingdom is nothing new, said Pavin
Chachavalpongpun, a professor of South-
east Asian studies at Kyoto University.
I think this has to do with the rela-
tions between Hun Sen and the anti-
coup elements [operating] inside of
Cambodia. This shows the extent to
which Cambodia has become involved
in Thai politics, Chachavalpongpun
wrote in an email.
But according to independent ana-
lyst Peter Tan Keo, Jakrapobs activities
will likely be ignored by the Cambodian
government as long as trade between
the two countries remains unaffected.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHEANG SOKHA AND THE
BANGKOK POST
Vong Sokheng
MORE than 50 representatives
from civil society groups, the
opposition, the UN, foreign
embassies and legal groups
gathered yesterday for a work-
shop aimed at producing con-
crete proposals for election
reform to aid ongoing discus-
sions between the two main
political parties.
One key guest was missing.
No representative from the
ruling Cambodian Peoples Par-
ty turned up, despite members
of both parties election reform
working groups, and Ministry
of Interior ofcials, having al-
legedly been invited.
This is the independent
stance of civil society, which
is drafting election reform
proposals for the two parties,
said Comfrel board chairman
Thun Saray. But a decision to
accept it or not depends on the
two parties.
Interior Ministry Secretary of
State Sak Sitha said he was un-
aware of the workshop.
Several weeks ago, we re-
ceive [electoral reform] recom-
mendations from Comfrel. Our
stance is still committed to ne-
gotiations, he said.
No-show
by CPP at
workshop
Jakrapob Penkair, a former Thai minister known as a close ally of ousted premier Thaksin
Shinawatra, speaks during a press conference announcing his resignation in 2008. AFP
Continued from page 1
that the ban has halved his
daily income.
I used to earn 20,0000 riel
[$5] a day from selling flowers,
but now I can earn only 10,0000
riel, because I can only sell at
lunchtime or times when the
police are not here, said the
seller, who asked not to be
named.
Were afraid the police will
catch us. We only sell flowers at
traffic lights, we dont do any-
thing to hurt anyone.
But Ouk Sovan, deputy pro-
gram director at Pour un Sourire
dEnfant (PSE), one of the NGOs
partnering with City Hall, said
the ban was intended to improve
the lives of those targeted.
Sovan said the areas would
be monitored so that street
children could be identified
and offered housing, meals
or schooling.
City Halls announcement
comes just weeks after a direc-
tive signed by Phnom Penh
Deputy Governor Seng Ratanak
was issued, ordering 12 district
governors and the municipal
social affairs department to
remove homeless people from
public areas.
The initiative was packaged
as an effort to combat human
trafficking and to offer useful
vocational training. However,
several eyewitnesses told the
Post last week that children as
young as 7 years old were
rounded up in caged vans and
taken to the citys notorious
Prey Speu social affairs centre
against their will, where they
spent much of the two to three
days they stayed there cleaning
and collecting rubbish.
A Human Rights Watch report
released last year highlighted
abuses at Prey Speu, with a
former detainee who was held
there in 2012 claiming that she
was beaten by two guards for
asking to go to the toilet.
Twelve-year-old beggar Toch
Ta said that he spent three days
at the centre before being col-
lected by his grandmother.
Now back on the streets, Ta
said he fears being taken
there again.
I am scared, but I need to
make money for my family by
begging, he said, adding that
since his parents abandoned
him, the money has been cru-
cial to he and his grandmoth-
ers survival.
Despite the accounts, author-
ities have denied that Prey Speu
was used in the street sweep.
Son Sophal, director of the
Social Affairs Department
which a member of staff at Prey
Speu claimed visited the centre
while the homeless people were
there said the facility was all
but shuttered in 2012 and no
longer a collection point for the
citys undesirables.
There are not many people
at the centre, just a few elderly
people and people with mental
illness, Sophal said yesterday.
The Prey Speu staff member,
who asked not to be named,
told the Post that there are less
than half a dozen people per-
manently in residence.
But on June 12, two days after
the first city sweep, representa-
tives of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR)
visited the centre and saw
about 40 people inside.
Bushra Rahman, OHCHR
communications specialist,
said that more than 30 people
were permanent residents
staying voluntarily.
They are mostly elderly or
homeless persons, and/or per-
sons living with psycho-social
disabilities, she said by email.
Another six to seven people
with psychosocial disabilities
were detainees, she said.
While OHCHR saw dozens
more people than the staff
member said are currently in
residence, Rahman said there
were no signs of the people
detained from the street sweeps
still being held at the Center
during their visit.
She added that the centre
was not equipped to offer voca-
tional training despite being
officially rebranded as the Por
Sen Chey Vocational Training
Centre last year.
The facility remains run
down and the staff fundamen-
tally ill-equipped, [and] ill-
trained to deal with the needs
of the people kept there, and
generally unaware of the pur-
pose of the centre, she said.
With respect to the [Por Sen
Chey] Center, there is no legal
authority to order detention
there on any grounds. However,
the needs of the people in the
centre are real . . . What they
need is tailored care, not arbi-
trary detention.
National
4
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Union boss
to appeal
$25k bail
Sean Teehan

U
NION leader Ath
Thorn has been
granted an Appeal
Court appearance
on July 1, in which he will ar-
gue against conditions that re-
quired him to pay $25,000 bail
over an ongoing court case.
The Coalition of Cambodian
Apparel Workers Democratic
Union (C.CAWDU) president
is due to appear on July 1 re-
garding bail terms he received
for an incitement charge
stemming from a strike at
the SL Garment factory last
year, attorney Kim Socheat
said yesterday.
Thorn has argued that the
court had no right to demand
the $25,000, cash that he said
was largely borrowed from
C.CAWDU members. Bail
conditions also ban him from
leading any public events.
Theyre not allowed to [ne-
gate] the right . . . of trade union
[leaders], he said yesterday. I
believe the appeal court will
drop [bail conditions].
Incitement charges were
laid against Thorn and union
activist Pav Phanna in April,
after SL security guard Sath
Sophai led a court complaint
alleging that the two instigat-
ed violence amid the nearly
four-month strike. ADDITIONAL
REPORTING BY MOM KUNTHEAR
Two children wait for a red light to sell their wares to commuters yesterday in Phnom Penhs Daun Penh
district. VIREAK MAI
New street sweep
gets the green light
Overseas deaths
UN workers
bodies ying
back home
T
HE bodies of two Cam-
bodian United Nations
peacekeepers who al-
legedly died as a result of food
poisoning while on a mission in
Mali will arrive in the Kingdom
this evening, military ofcials
have said.
Ouk Bunthan, deputy direc-
tor of the mines and explo-
sive war remnants clearance
department at the National
Center for Peacekeeping For-
ces, said yesterday that a plane
repatriating the bodies of Ny
Nol, 32, and Meak Sereyva-
tana, 26, will land at 7pm.
We received confirmation
of the arrival from the UN side
yesterday, he told the Post.
The two men, who died on
June 10, were among dozens
of Cambodian peacekeepers
deployed in March for a one-
year mission.
According to Bunthan, the
body of Ny Nol will be trans-
ported to Kampong Thoms
Baray district for a funeral ce-
remony that will be attended
by the provincial governor.
The body of Sereyvatana
will be brought to the Wat
Than pagoda in Phnom Penh.
CHEANG SOKHA
National
5
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was founded in 1943 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to assist
the poor and disadvantaged. CRS returned to Cambodia in 1991 and currently works in the sectors of Health,
Educaton, and Sustainable, with approximately 20 local partners. A head oce is located in Phnom Penh. CRS
Cambodia is the hub oce for Southeast Asia programming, including Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and other
outreach countries
CRS Cambodia Job Announcement
Senior Finance Ocer
JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Finance Ocer will assist SEA Finance Manager to ensure the integrity and accuracy of nancial operatons and process of Cambodia
program including cash management, budget management, documentatons, coding, accountng system, compliance, internal control, and nancial
reportng. He/she will be responsible for nance management, grant management and nancial reportng for outreach countries under the supervision
of CRS/Cambodia, including but not limited to Thailand, China, North Korea, and Mongolia. This positon is based in Phnom Penh with travel to
outreach countries and project sites.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
CRS/Cambodia Financial Operatons I.
Cash Management: Coordinate with relevant sta/managers to prepare quarterly cash forecast as well as monthly cash request for submission to
HQ in a tmely manner, Maintain safe box for safeguarding pety cash box, blank checks and check register and Maintain list of check register and
sequental check.
Sub-recipients assessment in Cambodia and Outreach: Implement CRS sub-recipient nancial management policy in Cambodia and Outreach countries
including sub-recipient assessment, internal control improvement plan, nancial terms in agreements, reportng and monitoring and capacity building
for partners.
Support Internal and external audit: Provide support and assist Finance Ocers and partners for all related external audit, with emphasis on Global
Fund Audit, Assist SEA FM and provide support to facilitate work of CRS internal auditors, including provision of relevant documents.
Financial Management: Review all nance vouchers (cash disbursements, cash receipts and journal entries to ensure there are sucient supportng
documents, proper coding and that they are in line with approved budget, authorizaton limit & donor/CRS compliance,Act as SUN administrator to
maintain and set up SUN system in accordance with SUN manual such as new donor code, new project code, exchange rate, Q&A report design, Review
the internal control process and Ensure complete, appropriate and easy-to-access lling system
Budget Management:Partcipate in preparing budgets for proposals, in coordinaton with SEA FM, Review budgets prepared by Program Managers and
upload the budget into SUN System as part of BMF and BRF process in coordinaton with SEA FM and Inform and suggest correctve acton Outreach
Program Manager and relevant stakeholders about any budget issue (under or overspending) through BCR and/or donor report preparaton process.
Month-end closing & Financial Reportng: Month-end review of accounts and other review aspects as listed in month-end checklist such as T code,
account mapping for pooled cost and account structure/business rule, correct donor source & project number (DSPN), Review and post suspension
journals and intra-agency les and prepare any correctng entry as needed, Prepare recurring journals such as prepayment amortzaton, Assist SEA
Finance Manager in running Cost Allocaton tool and preparing CA journals, Prepare Aging reportng and other balance sheet items report such as
payable and analyze it for following up acton and coding adjustment and Prepare Budget Comparison Report (BCR) for Outreach countries and
distribute to relevant Outreach manager.
Outreach Financial Monitoring and Reportng II.
Assist in annual budget preparaton of Outreach Programs in conjuncton with SEA Finance Manager and Outreach Country Program Manager, Support
to program sta in preparing partners budgets, Review budget utlizaton of various projects, Recommend remedial actons for adverse variances,
Assess the nancial management and internal control system of existng and incoming partners and ensure that the systems are adequate to control
potental risk of loss or misuse of assets, Build the capacity of partners and program sta in Outreach countries, Review all outreach country advances,
liquidatons and payment requests, Verify vouchers and account codes, Verify that all funds and projects charged are valid combinatons, Verify partner
liquidaton documents to ensure that the expenditures are in line with the approved project budget and narratves. Ensure that all transactons are
supported by adequate & auditable documentatons, Conduct on site visits to Outreach programs, check vouchers and partners nancial systems and
resolve any outstanding issues, Keep partners informed of un-liquidated balances and provide appropriate assistance to expedite regular submission
of liquidatons.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelors Degree in Accountng and Finance or equivalent qualicaton;
At least four years of work experience in nance, preferably with an NGO or other internatonal organizaton
Computer prociency, partcularly in spreadsheets, accountng packages (Sun System) and word processing
Hard-working, friendly, honest, respectul, exible, and open. Good attude, pleasant dispositon and ability to take initatve in work.
Excellent spoken and writen English.Experience working in detailed, delicate situatons with local partner organizatons.
Ability to work in team setng, taking initatves and performing multple tasks.
Interest candidate should submit their CV and covering leter, on or before 4
th
July, 2014
To CRS recruitment email: kh.recruitment@crs.org, or send to CRS Cambodia Oce:
House # 14, Street 278, BKK I, Khan Chamkar Morn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Ocean reps
take case to
arbitration
Mom Kunthear
TWENTY representatives of
workers locked in a month-
long dispute with management
at the Ocean Garment factory
appeared before the Arbitra-
tion Council yesterday, a union
official said.
It will take one week for this
hearing and we are waiting to
see the result before we hold a
big strike again, Collective
Union of Movement of Work-
ers secretary-general Chheng
Chhoan said.
A spokesman from the Arbi-
tration Council yesterday told
the Post that such cases are
typically sorted out within 15
working days.
More than 1,000 Ocean
employees began protesting at
the factory in Phnom Penhs
Dangkor district on May 24,
when management announced
it would stop production for
one month due to a lack of
orders, a period for which they
would pay workers only $15.
Workers are demanding they
receive their full salary.
Officials from Ocean Gar-
ment could not be reached for
comment yesterday. ADDITIONAL
REPORTING BY SEAN TEEHAN
Court to hear Xayaburi case
Laignee Barron
A
THAI court deci-
sion yesterday may
throw a wrench into
the works of a main-
stream hydropower dam
loudly opposed by neighbour-
ing countries.
Agreeing to what NGOs have
called an unprecedented
trial, the Supreme Adminis-
trative Court of Thailand ac-
cepted a lawsuit that villagers
led in the hope of seeing the
cancellation of utility com-
pany Electricity Authority of
Thailands agreement to buy
almost all the power gener-
ated by Laoss 1,285-megawatt
Xayaburi Dam.
The $3.8 billion project,
which the Post reported in
March as being already 30
per cent complete, is the rst
of Laoss nine planned main-
stream projects. Conservation
groups say the Thai bank-
funded Xayaburi will cause ir-
revocable damage to Mekong
sh populations, and will
drastically impact the 60 mil-
lion people depending on the
waterway, including those in
downstream Cambodia.
Last month, the Cambodian
Senate lent support to the vil-
lagers case by also demanding
Thailand cancel the purchas-
ing agreement. The letter calls
Xayaburi the greatest trans-
boundary threat to date to food
security, sustainable develop-
ment and regional cooperation
in the lower Mekong River.
By investing in the Xay-
aburi, state authorities are
failing to comply with the Thai
constitution including hold-
ing proper consultations with
the affected people, Pianporn
Deetes, a coordinator at Inter-
national Rivers, said.
Piaporn added that activ-
ists hope the unprecedented
trial will set a new standard
for development along the re-
gions shared waters.
We hope dam developers in
the future will be more mind-
ful and conduct the necessary
impact assessments before
starting to build, she said.
The court order comes just
two days before the four Low-
er Mekong countries meet in
Bangkok, where they will con-
sider another controversial Lao
dam project, the Don Sahong.
While much smaller than the
Xayaburi, the 280-megawatt
dam could have enormous
repercussions for Cambodia,
which lies just 2 kilometres
south. Though NGOs have
previously threatened to sue
the Don Sahongs developers,
they would have to take the
case to international courts.
It would not be the same
[as in Thailand]; Cambodia
doesnt have the same laws or
type of investment in the Don
Sahong, said Meach Mean,
coordinator of 3S Rivers Pro-
tection Network. But it has
got us thinking about what
could happen with Cambodi-
an dams, like the Lower Sesan
II, he said.
Trucks and excavators move soil from the Xayaburi Dam site in northern Laos last year. INTERNATIONAL RIVERS
In brief
Alleged British pedo
arrested after NGO probe
ANTI-HUMAN trafficking
police arrested a British
national yesterday on charges
he molested three girls
between the ages of 8 and 11.
Keo Thea, director of the
polices anti-human trafficking
and juvenile protection office,
confirmed the arrest of the
55-year-old suspect. NGO
Action Pour Les Enfants
(APLE) tipped police off to
allegations against him
following an investigation they
began last year. According to
APLE, the man returned to
Cambodia this month after
molesting underage girls
during past visits. CHEANG SOKHA
Jailed loggers return
FOUR alleged illegal loggers
were repatriated to Cambodia
from Thailand on Monday
after serving time in prison
there.The quartet had
allegedly crossed the border
to unlawfully log luxury-grade
wood in 2012 when they were
thrown in jail, according to
rights group Adhoc. They
were returned to Cambodia
via the border crossing in
Oddar Meanchey provinces
Anlong Veng district, said
Touch Ra, director of the
Cambodian-Thai border
relations office at Choam
Sa-Ngam checkpoint. SEN DAVID
Commune chief in court
PHNOM Penh Municipal
Court yesterday questioned a
commune chief in the
capitals Russey Keo district
for allegedly forging public
documents. Chroy Changvar
commune chief Pich Saroeun
appeared before an
investigating judge to answer
questions related to
allegations he used fake
documents to sell a plot of
land. Saroeun allegedly sold
land in Chroy Changvar for
hundreds of thousands of
dollars without notifying the
courts, as they divided
property between him and his
then-wife during divorce
proceedings. BUTH REAKSMEY
KONGKEA
Lack of petrol scuppers
getaway for 2 robbers
WHEN it comes to thievery,
the devil is in the details, as
a19-year-old Kandal province
man found out on Monday.
When the suspect and a
24-year-old alleged accom-
plice saw a moto parked
about 100 metres away from
its owner, he jumped on it
and drove off, police said. But
soon after he sped away on
the ill-gotten vehicle, it ran
out of petrol. When police
arrested him, he confessed,
adding that he and his
accomplice steal bikes in the
area regularly. Police sent the
suspect to court. DEUM AMPIL
Woman hospitalised
following cleaver attack
POLICE are unclear about a
suspects motive for a cleaver
attack in Phnom Penhs
Prampi Makara district Tues-
day. The man, 23, allegedly
had a loud argument with a
female neighbour, rising to
the level where commune
police broke it up, police said.
After authorities left, the sus-
pect hacked at the womans
head with a cleaver and ran
off. Police arrested the man,
who confessed and the wom-
an is now recovering in hospi-
tal. DEUM AMPIL
Bad habits land drug
dealer in prison again
OLD habits die hard, especially
when it comes to easy money.
Kampot town police arrested a
suspect, 29, on drug dealing
and weapons charges Monday,
a year after he served a
10-month prison sentence for
selling drugs. Police, who
were keeping tabs on the man,
obtained a warrant to search
his house, where they found 35
yama tablets, 93 grams of
yama powder and a gun with
14 bullets, police said. The
man was sent to court and his
contraband and other property
were confiscated. DEUM AMPIL

Motodops try to make
some dishonest money
MOTODOPS made a wrong
turn moonlighting as burglars
in Phnom Penhs Sen Sok dis-
trict. Police arrested two sus-
pects, 31 and 19, who villagers
reported were breaking into
garment workers rental
rooms and stealing whatever
they could, police said. Each
man had a large quantity of
keys, a knife and scissors. The
two confessed to the crime,
police said, telling authorities
they did not make enough
money with their day jobs. Both
were sent to court. DEUMAMPIL
Makeshift roadblock
puts man in hospital
A POLICE roadblock in Mon-
dulkiri provinces Keo Seima
district had unintended conse-
quences on Monday. Police
there allegedly blocked a road
with a home-made tractor to
stymie the efforts of people
illegally transporting timber.
However, a 22-year-old was
critically injured and hospital-
ised when he drove his car into
it. Police insist they found five
pieces of illegal timber in the
car, suggesting he was an ille-
gal transporter. KOHSANTEPHEAP
Translated by Phak Seangly
POLICE
BLOTTER
National
6
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
CHIP MONG GROUP
VACANCIES
Chip Mong Group Ltd is engaged in a portfolio of diversiied
businesses from the supply of building materials to the
manufacturing and distribution of consumer and beverage
products in Cambodia. To cope with our rapid expansion, we are
looking for the following positions:
Recruitment Supervisor 1.
Account Payable 2.
Supervisor
Treasury Supervisor 3.
Logistics Supervisor 4.
Plant Supervisor 5.
Concrete
Secretary 6.
Recruitment Oficer 7.
Administrative Oficer 8.
(1 Logistic , 1 Finance)
Stock Oficer 9.
GPS Controller 10.
Local Purchasing Oficer 11.
Oversea Purchasing Oficer 12.
(1 Chinese speaking and 1
Thai speaking)
Sales Project Oficer 13.
Chinese speaking
Sales Admin Oficer 14.
Sales Oficer 15.
Telemarketing Oficer 16.
Sales Representatives 17.
(Phnom Penh, Siem Reap,
Kampong Som, Takeo,
Kampong Chhnang)
Project SalesCoordinator 18.
Project Sales Engineer 19.
Chinese speaking
Quality Control Oficer 20.
Concrete
Concrete Mixing Operator 21.
Financial Reporting Oficer 22.
Budgeting Oficer 23.
Costing Analyst 24.
Business Analyst 25.
Petty Cash Oficer 26.
Collector 27.
Please visit our website for recruitment information at
www.chipmonggroup.com/career and send your
application to hr@chipmonggroup.com.
HAGL filled in lakes: villagers
Phak Seangly

M
ORE than 100
families living
in Ratanakkiris
Lumphat district
have led a complaint with
authorities, claiming a rubber
giant already accused of ille-
gal logging lled in two natu-
ral lakes, provincial ofcials
said yesterday.
Villagers, along with govern-
ment ofcials, say Vietnamese
company Hong Anh Gai Lai
(HAGL) did not have permis-
sion to ll in the lakes, which
communities in the area con-
sidered culturally signicant.
[HAGL] violated the law. It
was never approved by our ad-
ministration. They did what-
ever they wanted, said Nguon
Sokun, chief of the provincial
Fisheries Administration, who
received the complaint.
Villagers claim the lakes
were lled in two years ago,
work that also affected thou-
sands of their cattle that relied
on the lakes.
We depended on those
lakes during the dry and
rainy season . . . Now we want
the company to make other
lakes for us, said May Chai,
a village chief in Chey Uddom
commune.
Chhay Thy, provincial coor-
dinator for rights group Ad-
hoc, said this was the second
ofcial complaint against the
company that the community
had brought forward.
In February, HAGL, which
operates rubber plantations on
economic land concessions,
was accused by 17 indigenous
families of land grabbing,
prompting community repre-
sentatives to le a complaint
with the World Banks Inter-
national Finance Corporation
(IFC), which is indirectly linked
to HAGL through investments.
Sexual assault and the an-
nihilation of sacred graveyards
are among other claims villag-
ers have levelled against the
company.
Last year, HAGL came under
re when Global Witness pub-
lished a report titled Rubber
Barons accusing it of illegally
logging outside concession ar-
eas and being in possession of
at least 47,000 hectares of eco-
nomic land concessions al-
most ve times the legal limit.
Chang Vanveng, a transla-
tor employed by HAGL, de-
nied the allegations yesterday,
while Nguyen Van Thu, a rep-
resentative for HAGLs opera-
tions in Cambodia declined to
comment.
Deadly inferno
A TELA petrol tanker overturned and exploded early yesterday morning, killing the driver after he allegedly took a turn too quickly in Phnom Penhs
Chroy Changvar district, police said. Khuon Chheang, of the Prek Tasek commune police, said police ofcers had seen the 32,000-litre tanker speeding
westward across Prek Pnov Bridge a toll bridge privately operated by tycoon Ly Yong Phat. As the truck crossed the bridge, it approached a round-
about, swerved sharply to avoid the concrete barriers in the middle, tipped over and exploded. The driver, 44-year-old Heng Hun, a native of Kampong
Cham province, was found dead in the truck with his legs trapped. The victims body was burnt in the cabin, Chheang said, adding that Huns remains
had been turned over to members of his family. A Tela representative who spoke yesterday on condition of anonymity said it was company policy to
compensate the family of a staffer killed in a work-related accident, but also called on the Ministry of Transportation to examine if the roundabout had
been improperly constructed, given that a Tela truck had overturned in the same place last year. KHOUTHSOPHAKCHAKRYA/PHOTOSUPPLIED
7 THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Business
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USD / KHR
4,048
Japanese
rm signs
agreement
with bank
Hor Kimsay
PUBLICLY listed Japanese con-
glomerate Resona Holdings
signed an agreement yesterday
with Cambodia Public Bank
(Campu) aimed at increasing
its customer base in the King-
doms banking sector.
Resona Holdings subsidiary
firms Resona Bank, Saitama
Bank and Kinki Osaka Bank
are all part of the agreement,
which allows the foreign
companies to leverage Cam-
pus local standing to generate
new business, according com-
pany officials.
The number of Japanese
companies and [amount of ]
foreign direct investment here
in Cambodia has been increas-
ing, especially in the past few
years, Phan Ying Tong, region-
al head of Indochina opera-
tions at Cambodia Public
Bank, said.
The business collaboration
between these banks will
strengthen the level of banking
service support offered to
the customers.
Ying Tong added that the
agreement will enable the
two companies to find new cli-
ents in there respective mar-
kets and improve banking
transaction times between
Japan and Cambodia.
Citing the last weeks open-
ing of the Japanese-owned
Aeon Mall on Sothearos Boul-
evard, Yuji Kumamaru, the
Japanese ambassador to Cam-
bodia, said that a growing
number of Japanese compa-
nies were shifting their focus
to the Kingdom with an eye to
new business startups.
I hope the partnership
between Resona and Campu
will contribute to the success
of Japanese companies in Cam-
bodia, he said.
Acting Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, right, and EU chief delegate to Thailand Jesus Miguel Sanz Escorihuela speak at a press conference yesterday. BANGKOK POST
Thai biz shrugs off EU lashing
T
HE European Unions
response to the May
22 coup in Thailand
would have only a
short-term, limited effect on
Thailand, key gures in the
private sector said yesterday.
The EU on Monday de-
manded the Thai military
quickly restore democracy, or-
ganise a general election and
release people detained for
political reasons.
Meantime, the EU suspend-
ed ofcial visit exchanges with
Bangkok and the signing of the
Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement between Thailand
and EU member states. It also
will review military coopera-
tion with Thailand.
Pornsilp Patcharintanakul,
vice chairman of the Thai
Chamber of Commerce, said
the EUs decision to down-
grade its relations with Thai-
land would not have any im-
pact on trade and investment
because it was purely a politi-
cal move.
He also said the EU had
no right to impose sanctions
against Thailand because that
would violate the rules of the
World Trade Organization.
Mutual trade will not be af-
fected. But negotiations can
be delayed, especially those
on free trade, Pornsilp said.
However, Sihasak Phuang-
ketkeow, the acting foreign
minister, met EU chief del-
egate to Thailand Jesus Miguel
Sanz Escorihuela in Bangkok
yesterday. He said afterwards
that the EU delegate had as-
sured him the EUs response
did not include sanctions
against Thailand.
Thailand sends about 10 per
cent of its exports to the EU,
worth $20 billion to $30 billion
annually.
Pornsilp said that as free
trade negotiations between
Thailand and the EU are sus-
pended, Bangkok could spend
its time preparing to deal with
topics that the two sides have
not agreed on for example
intellectual property rights
and drug patents.
When a new elected govern-
ment nally takes ofce in
Thailand and free trade ne-
gotiations resume, talks could
progress faster with the prepa-
ration already done, he sad.
Suphan Mongkolsuthee,
chairman of the Federation of
Thai Industries, said the EUs
reaction was only psycholog-
ical, and that trade between
the private sectors of both
sides continued.
The EUs postponement of
free trade talks with Thailand
would impact the unions own
interests as well. It would not
affect Thailands overall pro-
duction or exports, and any
effect at all would be short-
lived, Suphan said.
Suphan also said the Joint
Standing Committee on Com-
merce, Industry and Banking
would consider the impact of
the EUs stance early in July.
Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn,
chairman of the Federation of
Thai Capital Market Organisa-
tions, said the EUs negative
response would have limited
impact on Thai exports.
However, the EUs reaction
would affect Thailands tax
privileges under the Genera-
lised System of Preferences,
that are to be reviewed early
next year.
He said he expected the priv-
ileges would not be extended
and that the next government
of Thailand would have to ad-
dress the issue. BANGKOK POST
Get ready now if you want to list on Yangon exchange
COMPANIES should prepare for stag-
ing initial public offerings (IPOs)
through the Yangon Stock Exchange,
as this will be the best way to tap ben-
efits from conducting business in
Myanmar, plus the bourse can help to
improve business transparency,
according to professional services
consultancy KPMG.
Companies that thoroughly pre-
pare for an IPO will be in the best posi-
tion to benefit from a listing on the
Yangon Stock Exchange, said Yas-
uhide Fujii, KPMGs managing partner
in the neighbouring country.
Companies that undergo pre-IPO
testing and preparation will be in the
best position to maximise the value of
their business, according to Fujii.
It could raise the bar of transpar-
ency in doing business and comple-
ment the pace of economic growth in
Myanmar through a vibrant and cred-
ible stock market, he said.
Myanmar companies that are
considering a listing on the exchange
should first ask if an IPO is the right
choice and at the right time, given
their stage of development and pros-
pects. Running a comprehensive
pre-IPO test can help companies to
evaluate both timing and readiness
for a listing.
Speaking at a Myanmar business
forum hosted by KPMG in Yangon
recently, KPMG advocates the use of
a pre-IPO framework that helps busi-
nesses consider and address critical
issues for listing.
The approach is aimed at assessing
a companys group structure, interna-
tional standard accounting, internal
risk environment, financial reporting
practices and strategic planning.
From the reporting and risk per-
spective, a company needs to be cer-
tain that internal controls, compli-
ance procedures, corporate
governance policies and accounting
systems can meet the demands of the
exchange and applicable regulation.
The factors assessed in the pre-IPO
test are all critical at the company and
broader exchange level.
An optimal operating structure com-
bined with sound corporate govern-
ance and transparency will enhance
shareholder value, mitigate risks and
ultimately provide investors with con-
fidence in the Yangon exchange.
There is also a large amount of
detailed information processing that
a company needs to go through dili-
gently in order to prepare to become
a quality listed firm, Fujii said.
He said in this early stage of capital
market development, firms with the
highest potential to list on the Yangon
Stock Exchange were likely to be in the
banking, agriculture, consumer, infra-
structure, construction, manufactur-
ing products and real estate sectors.
To list, companies will need to have
more than 100 shareholders with 500
million kyat in capital ($511,250).
There will also be a requirement that
firms have a certain-sized stake owned
by minority shareholders, as well as
having turned a profit in the previous
two years or a market capitalisation of
more than $10 million.
Officials have set a goal of four or
five listed firms at the exchanges
launch, with some noting that the Ho
Chi Minh City Stock Exchange had
four listed companies when it
launched in 2000. Myanmar and Bru-
nei are the last two ASEAN countries
without stock markets. BANGKOK POST/
THE MYANMAR TIMES
Business
8
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Abe reshoots stimulus
strategys third arrow
Shingo Ito

J
APANESE Prime Minis-
ter Shinzo Abe unveiled
a fresh round of reforms
yesterday in the latest bid
to cement a fragile recovery,
his second attempt to re the
third arrow of his economic
action plan.
In a package that has al-
ready been heavily trailed,
he promised to slash Japans
corporate tax rate one of the
worlds highest at up to 36 per
cent and tackle sectors long
sheltered by the state.
The government decided
today to make our growth
strategy more powerful in a
bold manner. The key is to
revitalise local communi-
ties, Abe told reporters in
a press conference that was
televised live.
There is neither a taboo nor
a sanctuary in the Abe govern-
ments growth strategy. We will
resolutely challenge rock-hard
regulations and institutions.
The Abe cabinet will break
all barriers so that we can rea-
lise the potential of the Japa-
nese economy, Abe said.
The plan is Abes latest stab
at making good on the nal
tranche of his growth strategy,
dubbed Abenomics, which
started in early 2013 with a
huge public spending spree
and an unprecedented mon-
etary easing campaign by the
Bank of Japan.
That gave the economy a
shot in the arm and set off a
stock market rally as rms
protability grew on the back
of a sharply weaker yen.
However, a growing chorus
over recent months has called
for action, cautioning that as
the sugar rush of cheap mon-
ey gradually wears off, the lack
of real structural reform could
prove problematic for an
economy that has stumbled
through more than two de-
cades of disappointment.
A virtuous circle of the
economy is emerging as cor-
porate prots are leading to
expansion of employment and
rises in wages, Abe said.
Abenomics takes it upon it-
self to continue expanding the
virtuous cycle.
The plan calls for a review of
the nations huge public pen-
sion fund portfolio, worth a
staggering $1.26 trillion, urg-
ing it to make more aggressive
investments in foreign and
domestic stock markets.
The hope, say commenta-
tors, is that this massive fund
will lead by example and en-
courage other funds to plough
into stocks and to demand
more and better quality re-
turns from the companies
they invest in.
Among other initiatives are
a scheme to promote clean
energy, robotic technology
and the tourism industries,
while also establishing special
economic zones.
Japans rigid labour market
is to be tinkered with to loosen
permanent residency rules
for some manual workers
and promote managerial jobs
for women.
However, the relatively
large-scale immigration seen
in other wealthy countries is a
no-go; an inux of foreigners
is anathema to Japans largely
conservative public and initial
talk of a huge policy change
has been toned down.
Abe is also calling for more
child care support, partially as
a way of encouraging women
to have more babies, as the
body politic grapples with a
shrinking and ageing society.
His much-touted rst at-
tempt at a package of struc-
tural reforms fell at last sum-
mer, with critics saying they
were too timid and not doing
enough to take on Japans
many vested interests.
This year, the premier also
faces a delicate balancing act
as ordinary citizens struggle
with lacklustre wage growth
and rising prices for everyday
goods the result of Tokyos
bid to stoke long-absent in-
ation as well as Aprils con-
sumption tax hike, which saw
the rate go to 8 per cent from 5
per cent. AFP
NISSAN Motor Co CEO Carlos Ghosn
earned more than $10 million last
year, putting him on track to become
the best-paid Japan executive for the
fourth time in ve years.
Ghosn was paid a total of 995 mil-
lion ($9.8 million) in salary and bonus-
es for the scal year ended March 31,
an increase of 0.7 per cent from a year
earlier, he said at the carmakers an-
nual shareholders meeting yesterday.
Including dividends, his total com-
pensation rises to over 1 billion.
The 60-year-old, among the few for-
eigners leading a Japanese company,
earned more than four times what Toy-
ota Motor Corp president Akio Toyoda
did last year despite Ghosn running
an automaker with about a fth the
prot. Last year, he steered Nissan to
the smallest prot rise among Japa-
nese automakers aside from Daihatsu
Motor Co.
I understand the sensitivity of the
issue, Ghosn said. Being in Japan
should not be a handicap to attract tal-
ent. We need the best minds, we need
the best talents.
Ghosn, whos also CEO of Renault SA,
was the top-paid executive in Japan
in three of the four years since 2010,
when the countrys nancial regulator
began requiring disclosures by pub-
licly traded companies of compensa-
tions exceeding 100 million.
Toyoda was paid 230 million in sal-
ary and bonuses for the 2013 nancial
year, while Honda Motor Co president
Takanobu Ito received 150 million,
according to the companies.
The gap in compensation between
Ghosn and Toyoda narrows if divi-
dends are taken into consideration.
Toyoda, grandson of the companys
founder, received about 757 million in
the 2013 scal year from the carmaker
that bears his family name. Ghosn, by
comparison, collected about 93 mil-
lion in dividends.
Toyoda is a big shareholder, directly
and indirectly, said Edwin Merner,
president of Atlantis Investment Re-
search Corp, which manages about $3
billion in assets.
Despite being the best-paid ex-
ecutive leading a Japanese company,
Ghosn is outearned by his peers at
American and European automakers.
The average compensation in 2013
for CEOs at comparable global auto-
makers rose 5 per cent to $17.2 mil-
lion, Nissan said, citing an analysis of
public data compiled by consulting
rm Towers Watson.
Ford Motor Co CEO Alan Mulally
earned about $23 million in 2013, more
than double Ghosns compensation.
General Motors Co chief Mary Barra,
who started the job this year, may re-
ceive total compensation of $14.4 mil-
lion, the company said in February.
In Europe, Volkswagen AG CEO Mar-
tin Winterkorn was paid 15 million
($20 million) in 2013, while Daimler
AGs Dieter Zetsche received 8.25 mil-
lion. HBLOOMBERG
At $10M, Nissan chief best paid in Japan
China concedes it still has a problem with innovation
FOR years, Chinese leaders have
exhorted the countrys businesses to
become innovative. After all, a country
like China that is reasserting its role as
a global superpower should be known
for more than just its copycat and me-
too companies.
Comments on the subject by US Vice
President Joe Biden have earned him
some headlines in the past. Just last
month, while heralding American
ingenuity, the vice president said that
China, by contrast, had not developed
one innovative project, one innovative
change, one innovative product.
Back in China, while presidents
come and go, the message is the same:
the importance of local innovation.
Paraphrasing Xi Jinpings remarks at a
speech earlier this month at the Chi-
nese Academy of Science and the Chi-
nese Academy of Engineering, the
Xinhua news agency reported that the
governments goal is to push forward
the fusion of science and [the] econ-
omy, so that science and technology
strength can be transformed into
industrial and economic power.
By Chinas own scorekeeping,
though, the countrys innovators still
have a way to go before they can meet
the Communist Partys expectations.
While the number of patent applica-
tions inside China is booming,
according to a report by Xinhua, the
quality of patents is still poor. Writing
about a report to the Standing Com-
mittee of the National Peoples Con-
gress, Chinas rubber-stamp legisla-
ture, Xinhua added: China owns very
few patents featuring originality and
high or core technology. Fewer than
1,000 Chinese patents have won rec-
ognition from counterparts in the US,
Europe or Japan, Xinhua added.
China is making progress. The gold
standard in international patents
remains the US, and Chinese from the
Peoples Republic applied for almost
6,600 patents in the US last year. Thats
just ahead of France and more than
double the number from India. China
had the sixth-largest number of pat-
ents granted by the US. Still, Chinas
innovators are hardly leaders there.
The Chinese total of 6,597 US patents
puts it far behind Japans 54,170 appli-
cations. Even more embarrassing,
Taiwan, the island that Beijing consid-
ers a province of China, had 12,118
patent applications granted.
On the other hand, China might not
need to innovate if it can just buy for-
eign innovation. With so many cash-
rich Chinese companies making
acquisitions overseas, the country can
afford to pay for other peoples ideas.
Alibaba, the largest e-commerce com-
pany in China, is preparing for a long-
awaited IPO in the US that optimists
hope could be one of the biggest ever.
In the run-up to the debut, the com-
pany is trying to increase its patent
holdings in the US. Last year, Alibaba
bought 20 patents from IBM, and it
now has 102 US patents, with applica-
tions for over 300 more.
Back home, though, enterprises
care very little about intellectual prop-
erty rights and invest little in techno-
logical research and development,
the new NPC report alleges.
While buying up know-how in the
West is a good short-term fix for
some Chinese companies, the coun-
try still a lot of work to do before it
has an environment that fosters
innovation. BLOOMBERG

Rio Tinto accused by
Mongolia of unpaid tax
MONGOLIAS Tax Authority
claims a Rio Tinto Group unit
operating in the country has
unpaid taxes, penalties and
disallowed entitlements
associated with the $6.6 billion
Oyu Tolgoi copper mine
development. Rios Turquoise
Hill Resources Ltd says it has
paid all taxes and charges
required under its accord with
the government and has
complied with the countrys
laws, the Vancouver-based unit
said yesterday. The disputed
amount is about $130 million,
Ganbold Davaadorj, a director
of the mines operating unit
Oyu Tolgoi LLC, said. BLOOMBERG
Toshiba ditches Alstom

plan following GE deal
JAPANS Toshiba has dropped
plans to buy Alstoms power
grid business from General
Electric, a report said
yesterday, because the US
giant is to set up a joint venture
with the French conglomerate.
Toshiba had unofficially
approached GE with a
proposal to buy the power grid
operation if it succeeded in
acquiring Alstoms energy
business, the Nikkei economic
daily said. But the Japanese
company scrapped the idea
because GEs deal with Alstom
means they will set up a 50-50
joint venture on the power grid
business rather than
purchasing it outright, the
paper said. AFP
Woolworths looking to
buy Aussie fashion chain
SOUTH African retail giant
Woolworths yesterday
announced a bid to buy out
Australian fashion chain
Country Road as part of its
plan to takeover prestigious
department store David Jones.
Woolworths already owns
87.88 per cent of Country Road
but is offering A$17 per share
for the remainder a 21.4 per
cent premium on Mondays
close, it said. The offer
amounts to a total cash
consideration of A$213 million
(US$200.7 million) for a stock
that was trading at around A$4
a share six months ago, before
Woolworths David Jones bid
was announced. AFP
The US Patent and Trademark Ofce seal at the bodys headquarters in Alexandria,
Virginia. China has admitted that it still lags other countries in patent quality. BLOOMBERG
Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, announces a new economic stimu-
lus package at a news conference in Tokyo yesterday. BLOOMBERG
Markets
9
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Business
May Kunmakara
W
ITH the Indian
government set
to inject ve mil-
lion tonnes of
rice in to its domestic market,
Cambodias rice producers
fear that any spillover into the
global rice trade may impact
local exports.
According to a June 18
Bloomberg report, India in-
tends to dump about a quar-
ter of its rice stockpiles into
the country as soon as pos-
sible, to curb ination caused
by lower crop yields brought
on by lower rainfall during the
monsoon season.
David Van, acting secretary-
general of a newly established
Cambodia Rice Federation,
said the extent of the effects of
ve million additional tonnes
of rice into the Indian market
is hard to measure at this time.
But he acknowledged that In-
dias move could effect how
much of the grain Cambodia
is capable of exporting.
Should the Indian govern-
ment indeed pour more vol-
ume into the global rice trade
with softer prices, the global
market prices would certainly
be affected as prices could
continue to soften, thereby
driving further to the edge
Cambodias ability to export,
he said.
Van added that Indias long
grain white rice would be the
main competitor for Cambo-
dian rice exports.
According to data from
the Ministry of Agriculture,
Cambodia exported 120,300
tonnes of milled rice over the
rst four months of the year,
of which fragrant rice ac-
counted for 52 per cent, while
long grain white rice made up
41 per cent.
Khan Kunthy, a local rice
miller and exporter was also
concerned with Indias plans
to inject rice into the market.
More or less it will affect
the global price as there will
be more supply in the market.
But I think it will not affect
our fragrant rice but our long
grain white rice, Kunthy said
yesterday.
India was the worlds top rice
exporter in 2012 and 2013.
According to data from the
Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Export De-
velopment Authority in In-
dia, the country exported a
total of 10.78 million tonnes
of rice in 2013-2014 finan-
cial year.
The exporting period, which
runs from April 1 2013, to
March 31 2014, was up by
about 6 per cent from close to
10.15 million tonnes exported
in the same period the year
before.
Indias rice dump may
impact local exports
Wedding business bliss
Continued from page 1

every day for weddings, with 50-
table packages starting at a min-
imum of $2,000 per booking.
During the peak season,
we were forced to turn away
couples, because we were fully
booked out, he said.
The increase in the number
of weddings every year has
created a big increase in the
number of jobs in the hospi-
tality and services industries,
such as chefs, planners, wed-
ding decorators and invitation
printers. And with that, the
number of businesses provid-
ing these services is also on
the rise.
And it doesnt look as if it will
slow down any time soon.
As of 2012, close to 23 per
cent of the Kingdoms 15 mil-
lion or so inhabitants were
aged 15 to 24 years. And ac-
cording to Chrek Soknim, dep-
uty director of Vtrust Property,
a company that monitors de-
mographic trends for property
speculation, a growing num-
ber of them are moving to the
capital for their studies and to
better their job prospects.
Many young people move
to live here [Phnom Penh], as
they want to begin their new
life in the city, said Soknim,
who estimates that 30,000 to
40,000 students and young
workers are moving to Phnom
Penh each year.
People who move from
other areas decide to set up
their family here after they get
a permanent income, Soknim
added.
With wedding numbers set to
rise again during the upcom-
ing season, which traditionally
runs from November through
to June, pressure on catering
companies, receptions, and
even guests, is mounting.
Kol Sopheak, owner of the
catering company Kunthear-
chokchey, said his business
was operating seven days a
week just to ll bookings dur-
ing the peak season.
I had bookings for wedding
receptions almost every day
and especially on weekends,
he said. This is a good busi-
ness to make money, but you
must provide a superior ser-
vice to earn more.
Guests on the other hand,
while they reap the festive
benets, face a very different
problem when it comes to
peak wedding season.
Heng Sothea, a banker who
lives in Phnom Penh and earns
a better than average salary,
received seven wedding invi-
tations in May alone.
While he is grateful for the
invitations, up to 25 per cent
of his monthly wage is spent
on wedding gifts, he says.
Sometimes, I just want to
declare that I am bankrupt and
cant afford my daily living costs,
because I get too many wed-
ding invitations nearly every
month, he said, laughing.
Service staff wait for guests to arrive at a wedding tent in Phnom Penh last year. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Thai growth forecast lifted
Plane lands at wrong airport
KASIKORN Research Center
has revised up its 2014 econom-
ic growth forecast for Thailand
to between 1.8 per cent and 2.6
per cent from 1.3 per cent to 2.4
per cent projected earlier
thanks to the big boost to senti-
ment by the juntas speedy
moves to revive the economy.
Deputy managing director
Pimonwan Mahujchariyawong
said the key economic engines
are anticipated to rebound rap-
idly in the latter half of the year,
resulting in the GDP to jump to
4.3 per cent from only 0.2 per
cent in the first half. This is in
line with the better business
climate, a return of private sec-
tor confidence in investment as
well as the higher demand for
domestic consumption.
Since the countrys annual
budget can be disbursed and
the governments state agencies
have been unlocked by the
military juntas after all activities
were frozen for six months by
the political rallies, the private
companies, which delayed their
decisions and investments pre-
viously, have regained confi-
dence, Pimonwan said.
That could translate into the
resumption of investments and
business activities to normal.
She said the juntas National
Council for Peace and Orders
economic policies may boost
GDP by 1-1.5 per cent as the
rice pledging payments to
farmers of 92 billion baht have
helped fuel additional GDP
growth of more than 0.5 per
cent, while the recent Board of
Investment approvals for pend-
ing investment projects should
also lift GDP by 0.5 per cent.
The accelerating disburse-
ment for government spending
for 2014 could boost GDP by 0.2
per cent to 0.3 per cent.
In the second half, exports are
projected to grow 5.7 per cent
against 0.3 per cent in the first
half and government spending
will continue to rise to 4.7 per
cent from 4.5 per cent.
For the full year, K-Research
forecasts GDP growth of 2.3 per
cent on average, up from 1.8 per
cent forecast previously. BANG-
KOK POST
VIETNAMS aviation authority has suspended
the crew of a plane operated by budget airline
VietJet Air after a flight bound for the tourist hub
of Da Lat landed at another airport more than
100 kilometres away.
The scheduled flight VJ 8575 carrying 200 pas-
sengers landed at Cam Ranh airport near the
coastal city of Nha Trang another popular tour-
ist destination on Thursday night, instead of
the Central Highlands town of Da Lat around
130 kilometres to the southwest.
The incident occurred because of the flight
coordinators and crew members of VietJet Air,
who did not correctly follow flight procedures,
the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV)
said in an online statement.
The body said it decided to temporarily sus-
pend the licences of the crew as well as other
staff involved while an investigation was under
way. It did not specify how many employees of
the airline or airports involved had been sus-
pended. The CAAV also said that appropriate
measures towards the airline would be taken
at a later stage.
Passengers on the misdirected plane were
transferred to another VietJet Air flight later
on Thursday.
VietJet Air was not immediately available
for comment.
The low-cost carrier, Vietnams first private air-
line which launched in 2011, currently serves 11
cities in Vietnam plus Bangkok and Singapore.
It has already cornered around 25 per cent of
the domestic market taking customers from
Vietnam Airlines and low-cost carrier Jetstar,
according to state media.
The airline shot to prominence locally when
it was fined for staging a racy in-flight bikini
dance in 2012 to celebrate the launch of flights
to Nha Trang. AFP
Forget the rest: Spore wants
Chinese tourists all to itself
SINGAPORE is mounting a
drive in China to market itself
as a standalone tourism desti-
nation, officials said yesterday,
after a drop in Chinese arrivals
to neighbouring countries
affected the city-state.
The Straits Times newspaper
reported that Singapore tour-
ism was being hurt by Chinese
travellers reluctance to visit
Malaysia due to the ongoing
Flight MH370 mystery, and
Thailand because of its politi-
cal crisis.
The 5 mi l l i on yuan
($800,000) marketing cam-
paign that will last until Octo-
ber will encourage Chinese
travellers to visit Singapore
alone rather than as part of a
trip that also includes neigh-
bouring destinations.
It is jointly organised by Sin-
gapore airport operator Changi
Airport Group (CAG), the Sin-
gapore Tourism Board and
Chinese and Singaporean
travel agencies.
The CAG said that Changi
handled 1.87 million passen-
gers to and from China between
January and May a decline of
1.7 per cent from the previous
year. Singapore officials
declined to connect the fall
directly to events occurring in
nearby countries.
Out of a total 15.5 million
visitors to Singapore last year,
over 2.27 million were from
China, according to govern-
ment data.
They spent a total of $298
million, making them the big-
gest tourist spenders in the
city-state.
Michael Chiam, a senior lec-
turer in tourism at Singapores
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said it
makes sense for Singapore to
dissociate itself from its cri-
sis-hit neighbours.
Most Chinese tourists cur-
rently visit Singapore, Malay-
sia and Thailand at the same
time as part of large tour
groups, he said.
Chinese tourists have grown
wary of travelling to Malaysia
after Malaysia Airlines Flight
MH370 vanished on March 8
with 239 people on board.
Two-thirds of the passengers
were from China.
Thailand has also seen a
plunge in arrivals after the
military seized power in a May
22 coup.
Edward Chew, regional direc-
tor for the Greater China region
at the Singapore Tourism
Board, said that the city-state
is already seeing more Chinese
visitors travelling to Singapore
as a mono-destination.
They also stay longer than
those on multi-destination
package tours so as to enjoy
Singapore at a more in-depth
level, he said.
Lacking the white-sand
beaches and other natural won-
ders of its bigger neighbours,
Singapore offers a wide array of
man-made attractions, includ-
ing two casino resorts and
Southeast Asias first Universal
Studios theme park. AFP
Tourists visit Merlion park in Singapore yesterday. The city-state hopes
a campaign in China will revive its tourism sector. AFP
French fracas
Chaos as air
trafc staff
walk off job
A
IRLINES were forced to
cancel dozens of flights
to and from Pariss main
airports and several cities in
southern France yesterday as
air traffic controllers kicked off
a six-day strike.
The stoppage comes at the
height of tourist season in a na-
tion that attracts more foreign
visitors than any other country
in the world, and follows a rail
protest that affected services
abroad and domestically and is
continuing in some areas.
The countrys civil aviation
watchdog said around one in
five flights going to and from
several big cities in southern
France, or taking off from
Paris to the south, Spain,
Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and
Algeria, were cancelled and
passengers were experiencing
delays on other services.
Not all air traffic controllers
are striking. Those stopping
work are protesting against
what they say is a lack of
funding for their sector.
They want airport fees for
airlines to rise by 10 per cent.
Companies want them to go
down and the government is
caught in between. AFP
Business
10
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
After 5 months,
SA strike ending
M
INERS at the worlds
three largest plati-
num rms have
agreed to end a crip-
pling ve-month strike as As-
sociation of Mineworkers and
Construction Union members ac-
cepted the latest offer from South
African producers.
Today the members of AMCU
ofcially terminated the strike,
union president Joseph Mathun-
jwa told reporters yesterday after a
mass rally attended by thousands
of miners. They have to sign the
agreement tomorrow and workers,
our members, will start reporting
back to work on Wednesday.
Thousands of workers shouted
out their approval for the offer from
Anglo American Platinum Ltd, Im-
pala Platinum Holdings Ltd and
Lonmin Plc at the Royal Bafokeng
stadium in Rustenburg, 120 kilo-
meters northwest of Johannesburg.
The stoppage by at least 70,000
miners cost the companies 23.9
billion rand ($2.2 billion) in rev-
enue and workers 10.6 billion rand
in wages since January 23, accord-
ing to the producers. The dead-
lock in the nation that accounts
for about 70 per cent of platinum
globally pushed its economy into
contraction in the rst quarter.
Basic salaries have gone up
and even your working over time
has improved, Mathunjwa said.
Workers in the stadium answered
yes when the union leader asked
three times whether they accepted
the companies proposal.
South Africas credit rating was cut
on June 13 to one level above junk
by S&P, which cited the countrys
longest and costliest mining strike
as among reasons for the assess-
ment. The rand strengthened 0.7
per cent to 10.57 rand against the
dollar after the unions meeting.
Most of the unions demands
were met, Mathunjwa told report-
ers after the meeting. Others are
process issues, he said. It was not
an easy ride this.
The deal includes annual in-
creases of 1,000 rand a month
for the lowest-paid underground
workers for the rst two years of
the agreement and 950 rand in the
third year. The rises are on current
pay of about 5,000 rand to 6,000
rand a month. South Africas ina-
tion rate was 6.6 per cent in May.
Lonmin has agreed to reinstate
236 workers who lost their jobs,
and Anglo American Platinum
workers will get food parcels and
vitamins in their rst month back
at work, he said. BLOOMBERG
Two leaked pictures (top) allegedly of the under-development iPhone 6s enlarged display compo-
nent; a mock-up of a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 handset (left) next to a 4-inch iPhone 5S (centre) and a 3.5-
inch iPhone 4S. Apple Inc suppliers in China will begin mass production of its largest iPhones ever
next month, according to people familiar with the plans, as the smartphone maker faces increased
competition. Apple is ramping up on two bigger devices, said the sources. One model will have a
4.7-inch display, compared to the 4-inch screen of the current iPhone 5S, that may be available to
ship to retailers around September. A 5.5-inch version is also being prepared for manufacturing
and may be available at the same time, the people said. CEO Tim Cook is under pressure to reignite
Apples sales growth and the iPhone, which generates more than half of the companys annual
revenue. BLOOMBERG/9TO5MAC/SONNY DICKSON
Coming bigger, coming soon?
Markets
11
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Business
International commodities
Energy
Agriculture
Markets
800
875
950
1025
1100
500
550
600
650
700
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
18000
19750
21500
23250
25000
2000
2250
2500
2750
3000
14000
14500
15000
15500
16000
8500
8750
9000
9250
9500
Thailand Vietnam
Singapore Malaysia
Hong Kong China
Japan Taiwan
Thai Set 50 Index, Jun 23
FTSE Straits Times Index, Jun 23 FTSEBursaMalaysiaKLCI, Jun 23
Hang Seng Index, Jun 23 CSI 300 Index, Jun 23
Nikkei 225, Jun 23 Taiwan Taiex Index, Jun 23
Ho Chi Minh Stock Index, Jun 23
15,376.24
2,144.82 22,899.62
1,888.46 3,265.93
569.77 975.87
9,246.20
1600
1725
1850
1975
2100
5500
5875
6250
6625
7000
900
1050
1200
1350
1500
3500
3875
4250
4625
5000
20000
21500
23000
24500
26000
28000
28500
29000
29500
30000
4500
4875
5250
5625
6000
4500
4750
5000
5250
5500
South Korea Philippines
Laos Indonesia
India Pakistan
Australia New Zealand
KOSPI Index, Jun 23 PSEI - Philippine Se Idx, Jun 23
Laos Composite Index, Jun 23 Jakarta Composite Index, Jun 23
BSE Sensex 30 Index, Jun 23 Karachi 100 Index, Jun 23
S&P/ASX 200 Index, Jun 23 NZX 50 Index, Jun 23
5,432.80
29,034.77 25,318.05
4,865.03 1,299.60
6,793.07 1,994.35
5,121.21
Item Unit Base Average (%)
Gasoline R 5250 5450 3.81 %
Diesel R 5100 5200 1.96 %
Petroleum R 5500 5500 0.00 %
Gas Chi 86000 76000 -11.63 %
Charcoal Baht 1200 1300 8.33 %
Energy
Construction equipment
Item Unit Base Average (%)
Rice 1 R/Kg 2800 2780 -0.71 %
Rice 2 R/Kg 2200 2280 3.64 %
Paddy R/Kg 1800 1840 2.22 %
Peanuts R/Kg 8000 8100 1.25 %
Maize 2 R/Kg 2000 2080 4.00 %
Cashew nut R/Kg 4000 4220 5.50 %
Pepper R/Kg 40000 24000 -40.00 %
Beef R/Kg 33000 33600 1.82 %
Pork R/Kg 17000 18200 7.06 %
Mud Fish R/Kg 12000 12400 3.33 %
Chicken R/Kg 18000 20800 15.56 %
Duck R/Kg 13000 13100 0.77 %
Item Unit Base Average (%)
Steel 12 R/Kg 3000 3100 3.33 %
Cement R/Sac 19000 19500 2.63 %
Food -Cereals -Vegetables - Fruits
Cambodian commodities
(Base rate taken on January 1, 2012)
COMMODITY UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE TIME(ET)
Crude Oil (WTI) USD/bbl. 105.81 -0.36 -0.34% 3:02:54
Crude Oil (Brent) USD/bbl. 113.98 -0.14 -0.12% 3:02:56
NYMEX Natural Gas USD/MMBtu 4.44 0 -0.07% 3:02:16
RBOBGasoline USd/gal. 310.53 -0.23 -0.07% 3:01:44
NYMEX Heating Oil USd/gal. 302.81 -0.45 -0.15% 2:56:17
ICEGasoil USD/MT 934 1.75 0.19% 3:02:07
COMMODITY UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE TIME(ET)
CBOT Rough Rice USD/cwt 13.78 0.02 0.15% 1:12:20
CME Lumber USD/tbf 332.7 0.7 0.21% 20:44:11
Rush to cash in on legal pot
Jennifer Oldham

W
ITH the US legal mari-
juana market forecast
to grow to $2.6 billion
this year, investors in
Denver heard pitches from com-
panies developing everything from
a mobile application that matches
potential users with cannabis dis-
pensaries to motorised scissors for
trimming plants.
Three times as many investors
listened to business plans for 11
marijuana startups on Monday as
attended a similar event in the Mile
High City in September, before Colo-
rado became the only state to allow
retail sales of pot.
About 250 angel investors from
New York to Seattle gathered at the
Denver Center for the Performing
Arts for a conference organised by
San Francisco-based ArcView Group.
The network hosted 75 investors at a
similar meeting at the Denver Ath-
letic Club nine months ago.
The challenge is there is a lot of
capital looking to be deployed, but
in many cases investors are trying to
nd the right thing to invest in, Troy
Dayton, ArcViews CEO, said.
People are looking to put $100
million to use but not nding a lot
of opportunities, he said. This is a
very nascent industry. People dont
like investing in startups, and thats
all there is.
ArcView members have invested
$10 million in a dozen companies
in the last 16 months, Dayton said.
The networks members include Joby
Pritzker, whose family started Hyatt
Hotels Corp; Douglas Leighton, a
managing partner at Dutchess Capi-
tal in Boston; Sam Znaimer, a gen-
eral partner at Vancouver-based
Ventures West; and Craig Kinzer,
chief executive of Seattle-based
Kinzer Real Estate Services.
With New York poised to become
the 23rd state to allow medical mari-
juana and as Colorado marked the
six-month anniversary of becoming
the rst state to sell pot recreational-
ly to those 21 and over, theres grow-
ing interest in cashing in on a market
emerging from prohibition.
The legal pot market in the US is
expected to be more than two-thirds
larger this year than in 2013, when it
reached $1.53 billion, according to
The State of Legal Marijuana Mar-
kets, published by ArcView Market
Research. Retail cannabis sales in
Colorado brought in $3.6 million in
sales and excise taxes in April, the lat-
est month for which gures are avail-
able, up from $2 million in January.
ArcView, which vets ideas for new
cannabis companies in weekly in-
ternet seminars, invited 11 rms to
pitch their ideas at the Denver event
after hundreds of companies vied for
the spots, Dayton said. The group
charges members a $2,500 annual
fee and seeks investors interested in
putting at least $50,000 into the in-
dustry in the next year.
Dayton said the fact that marijua-
na is still illegal under federal law, in
addition to the hodgepodge of state
regulatory requirements, is still caus-
ing some investors to hold back.
People are really cautious about
the legal risk, he said. They are
looking into ancillary businesses like
equipment and software.
As the Colorado market matures,
and recreational marijuana prices
come down as more supply comes
online, investor interest is expected
to increase, participants said.
I know of dozens of deals done
personally of syndicates doing
deals that arent interested in being
on stage, said Tripp Keber, CEO of
Denver-based Dixie Elixirs & Edibles
and an ArcView investor.
I imagine hundreds of millions
will be invested in the next eight to
12 months, said Keber, who invest-
ed $5.5 million in a new facility that
will open soon. There are massive
amounts of money on the sidelines.
People are coming out of the shad-
ows. BLOOMBERG
An employee counts cash from the sale of recreational marijuana inside Evergreen
Apothecary in Denver, Colorado; and a smartphone displays an app that points users
to licensed marijuana stores in the US. BLOOMBERG/SCOTT HOWES
Due to our exponential growing, we need a large number of
industrial professionals to join our newly created positions
as follows:
Site Supervisors (Engineer, Architect, MEP, QS) 1.
Design Team Leader 2.
Topography Surveyor 3.
Sales and Marketing Oficer 4.
Site Architect, Engineer, MEP 5.
Site Infrastructure Engineer 6.
Quality Surveyor 7.
Structural Designer 8.
Architectural Designer 9.
MEP Designer 10.
Interior and Exterior Designer 11.
Site Safety Oficer 12.
Assistant Topography Surveyor 13.
Mechanical Oficer 14.
Receptionist 15.
Store Keeper 16.
Foremen 17.
Please visit our website for recruitment information at
www.chipmonggroup.com/career and send your
application to talents@hqgtrading.com.
BOREY CHIP MONG
VACANCIES
12 THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
World
Sisi wont
interfere
on jailed
journos
EGYPTS president said yester-
day that the authorities will not
interfere in the judiciary, as
protests were staged worldwide
in solidarity with Al Jazeera
journalists, including an Aus-
tralian, whose jailing has
sparked outrage.
The United States is leading
calls for President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi to pardon the journal-
ists convicted of aiding the
blacklisted Muslim Brother-
hood movement and spread-
ing false news.
A Cairo court sentenced Aus-
tralian journalist Peter Greste
and Egyptian-Canadian
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy to
seven years in jail on Monday,
while producer Baher Moham-
ed was handed 10 years.
Eleven of 20 defendants who
stood trial were given 10-year
sentences in absentia, includ-
ing one Dutch journalist and
two British journalists. Those
sentenced can appeal.
Since the army ousted Islam-
ist president Mohamed Morsi
in July 2013, Egyptian authori-
ties have been incensed by Al
Jazeeras coverage of their
crackdown on his supporters.
They consider the network as
the voice of Qatar, and accuse
Doha of backing Morsis Broth-
erhood, while the emirate
openly denounces the repres-
sion of the Islamist supporters.
Sisi, the ex-army chief who
led Morsis ousting before being
elected president in May, said
the authorities will not inter-
fere in judicial matters.
We have to respect judiciary
rulings, and not comment
them even if others dont
understand them, he said.
Sisis comments came a day
after the White House urged the
Egyptian authorities to pardon
the journalists. But a presiden-
cy official said Sisi cannot legally
do so until a final court ruling
after any appeals.
Mondays ruling sparked an
international outcry, with US
Secretary of State John Kerry
denouncing a chilling and dra-
conian sentence.
Grestes shattered parents
vowed to keep fighting for press
freedom as Australia joined the
call for Sisi to issue a pardon.
Journalists around the world
demonstrated yesterday, inc-
luding staff at the BBC, Grestes
former employer, and reporters
at the Foreign Correspondents
Club in Hong Kong.
France yesterday joined Brit-
ain and the Netherlands in
summoning the Egyptian
ambassadors.
But reactions were limited to
verbal objections, as the West
cannot afford to harm ties with
Egypt, the first Arab country to
have signed a peace treaty with
Israel and a strategic US ally in
the Middle East. AFP
Putin moves on invasion U-turn
Max Delany and Dmitry Zaks

R
USSIAN President Vladimir
Putin yesterday asked law-
makers to revoke a resolu-
tion allowing him to invade
Ukraine in a shock turnabout that
Kiev hailed as his rst practical step
towards helping defuse the crisis.
The surprise reversal comes amid the
threat of tougher Western sanctions
against Moscow and could help spur
fragile peace initiatives to end fighting
in eastern Ukraine after pro-Russian
rebels agreed Monday to a temporary
government ceasefire.
Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said the decision to reverse the March
1 vote giving Putin carte blanche to
send troops into Ukraine was aimed at
normalising the atmosphere and
resolving the situation where over 370
people have been killed since April.
In a rare sign of agreement Ukraines
Western-backed President Petro Poro-
shenko welcomed the announcement
as the first practical step taken by the
Russian president in the wake of his
decision to officially support Ukraines
settlement plan for the [eastern]Don-
bass region.
Senators in Russias rubber-stamp
legislative body is to vote today to
rescind the decision which saw troops
massed along the border in what was
seen as a threat of intervention.
German Foreign Minister Frank-
Walter Steinmeier said after meeting
Poroshenko in Kiev that appropriate
signals were needed from all sides and
that both rebels and the Ukrainian
army had to stick to the ceasefire.
On the ground in eastern Ukraine
fighting still bubbled away albeit at a
lower intensity with Poroshenko say-
ing that one serviceman was killed as
insurgent attacks continued overnight.
That came despite a prominent rebel
leader on Monday reversing his firm
rejection of Kievs peace overtures by
agreeing to a ceasefire and suggesting
talks with the authorities.
We hope that during the period in
which both sides halt fire, we will be
able to agree and begin consultations
about holding negotiations about a
peaceful settlement to the conflict,
Alexander Borodai, prime minister of
the self-declared Donetsk Peoples
Republic said in a broadcast by Rus-
sian television.
Poroshenko has been lobbying world
leaders to follow through with their
threat to unleash devastating econom-
ic sanctions against Russia should
Putin fail to immediately end his per-
ceived military and diplomatic backing
of the insurgents.
Putins volte-face came shortly before
a visit to Vienna yesterday where he
was expected to face renewed pressure
from counterpart Heinz Fischer and
Switzerlands Didier Burkhalter the
head of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
While in the Austrian capital Putin
oversaw a deal between state energy
giant Gazprom and Austrias OMV
approving a section of a Kremlin-
backed pipeline project to Europe that
has become the focus of new pressure
as tensions have grown over Ukraine.
Putins reversal follows a conversa-
tion with US President Barack Obama
on Monday evening in which Obama
threatened Putin with new sanctions
if Moscow failed to stop the flow of
weapons to Ukraine.
Ukraines president will sign a his-
toric EU trade pact on Friday that
crowns his May 25 election promise
to make the decisive move westward
one strongly resisted by Russia and
that lies at the heart of the current
unrest.
Poroshenkos office said he told US
Vice President Joe Biden on Monday
night that the rebels ceasefire must
be accompanied by the release of hos-
tages and a sealing of the border to halt
the entry into Ukraine from Russia of
mercenaries, weapons and drugs.
Poroshenko stressed that now, Rus-
sia must demonstrate real steps for-
ward, his office said in a statement.
AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer review a guard of honour at Hofburg Palace in Vienna
yesterday. AFP
Battles rage as Kerry pledges Iraq intense support
PRO-GOVERNMENT forces
held off attacks on a key Iraqi
town and oil refinery as John
Kerry pushed yesterday for
unity against a militant
onslaught the UN says left over
1,000 dead.
But security forces successes,
also including retaking a bor-
der crossing with Syria, were
marred by air strikes that killed
civilians as they seek to push
back insurgents led by the
Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIS) who have seized
swathes of five provinces north
and west of Baghdad.
The US secretary of states
unannounced trip to Arbil in
Iraqs autonomous Kurdish
region came a day after he
pledged intense American
support to Iraq to repel the
insurgent advance.
The militant onslaught has
displaced hundreds of thou-
sands, alarmed world leaders,
and put Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki under pressure at
home and abroad.
After wilting in the face of the
militant attack two weeks ago,
Iraqi forces appear to be per-
forming better, holding off
assaults at the Baiji oil refinery
and the town of Haditha.
The overnight attack on the
refinery the scene of heavy
fighting in recent days was
repulsed by security forces,
officials said. Assaults on the
complex, which once filled
some 50 percent of Iraqs
demand for refined petroleum
products, have caused jitters
on world markets.
Elsewhere, security forces
and allied tribal fighters saw off
a militant attack on Haditha in
Anbar province, after Iraqi
forces recaptured a border
crossing with Syria on Monday.
They also carried out air strikes
on Baiji town and the western
border area of Husseibah.
State television said 19 ter-
rorists were killed in Baiji, but
officials and witnesses said the
casualties were civilians, and of
13 people killed in Husseibah,
six were civilians. Iraqi forces
have struggled against the
insurgent advance, with
Malikis security spokesman
saying hundreds of soldiers
have been killed since the
offensive began late on June 9
the most specific official
information so far on govern-
ment losses.
The UN said yesterday that at
least 1,075 people were killed
and 658 wounded in Iraq
between June 5 and 22.
Militants were able to over-
run the strategic Shia-majority
northern town of Tal Afar and
its airport after days of heavy
fighting, and at the weekend,
insurgents swept into Rawa
and Ana towns in Anbar prov-
ince west of Baghdad after tak-
ing the Al-Qaim border cross-
ing with Syria.
Kerry was in the Kurdish
regional capital to urge presi-
dent Massud Barzani to work
to uphold Iraqi cohesion, tell-
ing him this is a very critical
time for Iraq and the govern-
ment formation challenge is
the central challenge that we
face. Kurdish forces were
really critical in helping to
draw a line with respect to
ISIL, he added.
Barzani told Kerry, who has
since departed, that Kurds seek
a solution for the crisis that we
have witnessed, but warned
that it had created a new real-
ity and a new Iraq.
The militant offensive has
cleared the way for Iraqi Kurds
to take control of disputed ter-
ritory they want to incorporate
into their autonomous region
over Baghdads strong objec-
tions. Speaking to CNN before
yesterdays talks, Barzani called
for Maliki, who he blamed for
what has happened in Iraq, to
step down.
Pressed on whether Iraqi
Kurds would seek independ-
ence, Barzani said: The time is
here for the Kurdistan people
to determine their future and
the decision of the people is
what we are going to uphold.
In Baghdad on Monday, Ker-
ry met Maliki and other leaders
to urge the speedy formation
of a government following April
elections in order to face down
the insurgents.
Washingtons support will be
intense, sustained, and if Iraqs
leaders take the necessary steps
to bring the country together,
it will be effective, Kerry said.
This is a critical moment for
Iraqs future.
US leaders have stopped
short of calling for Maliki to go,
but there is little doubt they
feel he has squandered the
opportunity to rebuild Iraq
since American troops with-
drew in 2011.
President Barack Obama has
offered to send up to 300 mili-
tary advisers to Iraq, but has so
far not backed air strikes as
requested by Baghdad.
In Brussels, a two-day meet-
ing of foreign ministers from
NATO countries began yester-
day to discuss the situation in
Iraq, as well as Ukraine. AFP
World
13
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Boko Haram takes 60 women, girls
S
USPECTED Boko
Haram militants have
abducted more than
60 women and girls,
some as young as 3, in the lat-
est kidnappings in northeast
Nigeria and over two months
since more than 200 school-
girls were seized.
Analysts said the kidnap-
ping, which happened dur-
ing a raid on Kummabza
village in the Damboa dis-
trict of Borno state, could be
an attempt by the Islamist
group to refocus attention on
its demands for the release of
militant ghters.
Boko Haram has indicated
that it would be willing to
release the 219 schoolgirls
that it has held hostage since
April 14 in exchange for the
freedom of its brothers in
arms currently held in Nige-
rian jails.
Nigeria initially refused
to sanction any deal but ef-
forts have since been made
to open talks with the group,
with a possible prisoner
swap part of discussions.
The military in Abuja said in
a tweet late on Monday that it
could not conrm the latest
abductions and spokesmen
were not immediately avail-
able for comment when con-
tacted yesterday.
But a senior ofcer in the
Damboa local government,
who asked for his name to be
withheld as he was not autho-
rised to speak on the matter,
said: Over 60 women were
hijacked and forcefully taken
away by the terrorists.
The village was also de-
stroyed, he said, adding that
locals had ed their homes
to other parts of Borno and
across the state border into
Adamawa.
Among those abducted are
children between the ages of
three and 12, he added.
Aji Khalil, a local vigilante
leader, said: Over 60 wom-
en were abducted by Boko
Haram terrorists. They were
forcefully taken away by Boko
Haram terrorists. Four villag-
ers who tried to escape were
shot dead on the spot.
Damboa local government
ofcials said they were afraid
to speak out because of the
controversy surrounding the
Chibok abductions, with Ni-
gerias government coming
under heavy criticism for its
slow response.
Another resident, who
ed to the Borno state capi-
tal Maiduguri and also re-
quested anonymity, said
that more than 30 men were
killed during the raid, which
began last Thursday.
The attackers held the
whole village hostage for the
next three days, he added.
Boko Haram, which has
been waging a deadly insur-
gency since 2009, used the
kidnapping of women and
young girls as a tactic even
before the mass abduction of
the schoolgirls in the remote
Borno town of Chibok.
The Chibok abduction
triggered a groundswell of
outrage within Nigeria that
spread overseas, leading to a
social media campaign and
international pressure on the
government to act.
A number of countries, in-
cluding the US, are now in-
volved in the search effort led
by the Nigerian military.
Ali Ndume, who represents
Borno in Nigerias Senate,
conrmed the latest abduc-
tions and said Boko Haram
took advantage as people
returned to the area to check
on their farms during ood-
ing when there was no mili-
tary presence in the area.
Boko Haram selected young
males and females as hos-
tages, and left the elderly, he
said, amid local media reports
that some 30 young boys may
have also been taken.
Abductions have been a reg-
ular occurrence since the Chi-
bok kidnapping, he added.
At least 20 young mothers
from a nomadic settlement
in and around the village of
Garkin Fulani were also re-
ported kidnapped on June
7, although it has since been
claimed that the disappear-
ances could be due to annual
migration.
Ryan Cummings, a South
Africa-based security ana-
lyst for Red 24, said the latest
kidnappings could be a way
for Boko Haram to redirect
international focus on the
Chibok hostages.
It seemed that with inter-
national and domestic focus
on the issue waning, so has
the Nigerian governments
efforts in nding a resolu-
tion to the hostage situa-
tion, he said.
It was reported on May 26
that the Nigerian government
had rescinded on a hostage
exchange agreement with the
sect and that negotiations
subsequently had stalled.
The latest abduction, if
conrmed, may be an at-
tempt by Boko Haram to both
resume and expedite hostage
negotiations. AFP
Cameroonian troops stand next to heavy artillery on June 17 as Cameroon
steps up its cooperation with Nigeria against Boko Haram. AFP
Bangladesh war crimes court delays
its verdict on leader of Islamist party
BANGLADESHS war crimes court delayed
a verdict on the leader of the largest Islam-
ist party at the last minute yesterday after
doctors said he could not be moved from
jail due to ill health.
Motiur Rahman Nizami, 71, who could
face the death penalty for alleged war
crimes such as genocide during the 1971
independence conflict, was told to stay in
bed just hours before the verdict, a pros-
ecutor said.
Doctors in the jail said that he should
not be moved because of abnormally high
blood pressure, prosecutor Mohammad
Ali told reporters after the courts order.
The court said it would set a new date
for the verdict later.
Following the submission from the
prosecution and defence, we think
announcing the verdict in absence of the
accused would not be logical, Judge
Enayetur Rahim said.
Nizami, 71, faces 16 charges ranging
from mass killing to rape, arson and geno-
cide, relating to violence committed dur-
ing the war by one of the most notorious
militias, which he is accused of leading.
Secular protesters who for decades have
been demanding Nizamis trial staged a
demonstration as soon as the court
announcement spread to their gathering
at Dhaka Universitys campus.
We see some conspiracy behind this
delay, said Imran Sarkar, head of Gano-
jagoron Mancha, an organisation which
held a series of mass demonstrations last
year demanding the death penalty for war
criminals.
Security was tight with police and bor-
der guards deployed in main cities and
towns. Authorities fear a death sentence
could trigger violent protests by Nizamis
Jamaat-e-Islami party, which has hun-
dreds of thousands of activists.
Similar verdicts including the execution
of a senior Jamaat leader last year saw
massive unrest nationwide as Islamists
fought with security forces in towns and
cities, leaving around 200 people dead.
Nizami, the president of Jamaat-e-Isla-
mi, pleaded not guilty and has accused the
secular government of using the war
crimes court to target opposition leaders.
Prosecutors say Nizami was one of the
chief architects of the mass killing of Ben-
galis in the 1971 war which saw Bangla-
desh emerge from what was then called
East Pakistan. The government says three
million people died in the war. Independ-
ent researchers estimate between 300,000
and 500,000 died.
He established the Al-Badr forces dur-
ing the war to support the Pakistani army,
prosecutor Mohammad Ali said before
the verdict.
As head of Al Badr, he was involved in
committing crimes against humanity
such as genocide, murder, rape and arson
as well as the murder of the countrys top
intellectuals, Ali said.
Nizami, a minister in the Islamist-allied
government of 2001-6, is already on death
row after being sentenced to death in
January for trafficking weapons and try-
ing to ship them to a rebel group in north-
east India.
Bangladeshs war crimes court, called the
International Crimes Tribunal, is a domes-
tic body with no international or United
Nations oversight. Rights groups say it falls
short of international standards. AFP
First Pakistan suicide blast since offensive
THREE people were killed yes-
terday in a suicide bombing in
Pakistans restive North
Waziristan tribal area, the first
such attack there since the
military launched a major
operation against the Taliban
and other militants.
The attacker detonated his
car bomb in North Waziristans
Spinwam village when he was
intercepted on the approach to
a checkpoint, officials said, kill-
ing two soldiers and a civilian.
Pakistans armed forces have
used jet fighters, tanks and
artillery in the offensive that
began more than a week ago,
killing around 300 people
described as militants. The
number and identity of the vic-
tims are impossible to verify.
At least two soldiers and a
civilian have embraced martyr-
dom, a security official said.
The deaths bring to 12 the
number of security forces
killed in the offensive since its
launch on June 15.
A military statement said that
troops stopped the suicide
bomber 100 metres away from
a checkpoint near a hospital
and the action averted major
casualties.
The Ansar-ul-Mujahedin
militant group, a faction of the
Pakistani Taliban, claimed
responsibility, with spokesman
Abu Baseer saying it was the
start of a counter-offensive
against Pakistani troops.
It is beginning of our offen-
sive and we will launch attacks
against government and local
tribesmen if they form an anti-
Taliban force, Baseer said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani jets
and helicopter gunships tar-
geted militant hideouts at
several locations in North
Waziristan, officials said. The
offensive has seen the tribal
district hit by more than a week
of shelling and air raids. More
than 470,000 people have fled
ahead of an impending ground
assault, with many going to the
nearby town of Bannu.
Police and troops were
forced to fire warning shots
yesterday to quell a protest
about problems with food dis-
tribution in Bannu.
A reporter saw around 500
people blocking a main road
into the town and pelting
security forces with rocks in
protest at delays in receiving
aid, prompting police and sol-
diers to fire in the air to dis-
perse them. AFP
Job Announcement
Transparency Internatonal is the global civil society organizaton leading the
ght against corrupton. Transparency Internatonal Cambodia (TI Cambodia)
is an ocial Natonal Contact of Transparency Internatonal. The mission of TI
Cambodia is to work together with individuals and insttutons at all levels to
promote integrity and reduce corrupton in Cambodia. TI Cambodia is currently
looking for exceptonal candidates to full the positons as detailed below:
1- Human Resource and Administraton Assistant (HRAA)
(Basic monthly salary range from USD328-USD400 plus benets)
Positon Summary:
To support and assist in the management of Human Resource aspects of TI
Cambodia including sta recruitment, policy compliance, sta benets and
incentves, capacity development, as well as creatng all HR systems and
management of administratve aspects of the organizaton including internal and
external correspondence, ling systems, personal les and sta payroll, etc.
Essental Knowledge, Experience and Skills
Bachelor degreeinHumanResourceandAdministratonand/or relatedeld;
1-2experienceinHRandadministratonwithinternatonal or local organizaton;
Knowledge of policies and practces related to HR and Administraton;
Good communicaton skills in English both in writng and speaking, and the
ability to translate from English into Khmer, and Khmer into English;
Good interpersonal and public relatons skills, including the ability to build
and maintain relatonships with people from diverse backgrounds;
Sound knowledge and commitment to the promoton of integrity, good
governance and ant-corrupton;
Ability to work independently, under pressure and with a high level of
commitment to complete the tasks on tme and to a high standard.
2- Procurement Assistant (PA)
(Basic monthly salary range from USD328-USD400 plus benets)
Positon Summary:
To support and assist in the management of procurement aspects, including
purchasing goods, services and travel arrangements and safeguard
organizatons xed asset
Essental Knowledge, Experience and Skills
Bachelors Degree in Business Administraton, Management, Finance,
Procurement, Logistcs Management or a relevant eld is an advantage;
1 to 2 years of experience in procurement;
Experience and knowledge of oversea travel arrangements (ight booking,
conrmaton and cancelaton, visa processing) is highly desirable;
Able to uphold and respect procurement ethics and to conduct actvites
with integrity, respectng good governance and ant-corrupton;
A team player who demonstrates patence, exibility and honesty;
Bewillingandabletomeet tght deadlines andworklonghours whenrequired;
A self-starter, who is able to plan and manage his/her own work, take
initatve and strive to meet deadlines.
The detailed positon descripton is available on our website: tcambodia.
org/index.php/whoweare/workwithus. Interested candidates are invited
to submit a cover leter clearly indicatng the post ttle, and addressing
the recruitment criteria along with a current CV ( please do not include
certcates or recommendatons) to recruitment@tcambodia.org by 9
th
July,
2014 before 17:00 p.m.
A compettve salary is given according to experience and qualicatons plus
additonal benet package according to TI Cambodia HR policy. TI Cambodia
is commited to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, natonality
and culture. Individuals from all backgrounds, women and persons with
disabilites are equally encouraged to apply. All applicatons will be treated
with the strictest condence. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted
for interview.

Freed death row woman
arrested at Sudan airport
MERIAM Ibrahim, the Christian
woman released from death row
in Sudan on Monday, has been
arrested with her husband and
two children at Khartoum
airport, according to local media.
Sudanese intelligence agents
detained the family 24 hours
after Ibrahim was released by
the appeal court. Ibrahim had
been sentenced to death for
apostasy and to be publicly
flogged for adultery following a
courts ruling that her marriage
to a Christian was invalid. The
terms of her release had not
been made public, but they may
have included her remaining in
Sudan. THEGUARDIAN
Brooks cleared, Coulson

guilty in hacking trial
FORMER Rupert Murdoch
confidante Rebekah Brooks was
cleared of all charges while
British Prime Minister David
Camerons one-time media
chief Andy Coulson was
convicted of phone hacking in a
dramatic end to the News of the
World trial yesterday. The jury
delivered verdicts after nearly
eight months of evidence
sparked by the scandal that led
to News Corp boss Murdoch
shutting down the tabloid in
disgrace in 2011. The scandal
also prompted an inquiry into
the ethics of Britains famously
aggressive press. AFP
Kids best friend
Pooch saves
boy from a
bear attack
A
PLACID pet dog was
being hailed a hero after
saving a 5-year-old boy
from a mauling by a wild bear
in northern Japan, police and
media said yesterday.
The dog, a 6-year-old shiba
inu, took on the metre-high
bear after it attacked the young
boy during a riverside walk
with his great-grandfather.
The dog barked unusually
loud and chased off the ani-
mal on Saturday evening in
Odate, some 550 kilometres
(340 miles) north of Tokyo, a
local police spokesman said.
The boy suffered slight brui-
ses and was taken to hospital
but he was released on the
same day, the spokesman
said. The boys 80-year-old
great-grandfather, who was a
short distance away near his
car, raised the alarm.
Local media identified the
dog as a 6-year-old bitch
named Mego (Cute).
Asian black bears are native
to large parts of Japan, inclu-
ding the main island of Japan,
while brown bears roam Hok-
kaido further north. AFP
World
14
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
China stops execution
of abused wife: family
CHINAS Supreme Court has
overturned the death sentence
for a woman who killed her
abusive husband, a relative said
yesterday, in what rights
advocates called progress
against domestic violence. The
case of Li Yan, who in 2010 beat
to death her husband who had
physically hurt her and three
previous wives has raised
attention on spousal abuse in
China. A judge said the case
was sent back to Sichuan to be
reheard, referring to where she
was sentenced. AFP
Jail sought for skipper

in Japan diver deaths
INDONESIAN prosecutors
yesterday sought a jail term of
three years and six months for a
boat skipper who lost track of
seven Japanese women during
a diving trip that left two of them
dead. Agustinus Brata Kusuma
lost sight of the women near the
resort island of Bali on February
14 when a storm hit suddenly.
Five of them were saved after
clinging onto coral reefs for
three days some 20 kilometres
from their take-off point.
Kusuma, who is accused of
negligence causing death and
injury, admitted at a recent
hearing that after searching for
around an hour for the women,
he left to get more fuel. AFP
Aus warns PNG political

instability is unhelpful
AUSTRALIA yesterday warned
neighbouring Papua New
Guinea against political
instability after its leader was
accused of authorising millions
of dollars in illegal payments.
Prime Minister Peter ONeill
was last week served with an
arrest warrant for alleged
corruption and misuse of funds.
ONeill promptly sacked his
attorney general and the head of
the nations anti-corruption task
force, Sam Koim. AFP
Student survivors
to testify in trial of
Sewol ferry crew
Won Suk-choi

S
TUDENT survivors
of South Koreas ferry
disaster will testify in
the trial of the captain
and crew in a special session
at a courtroom in their trau-
matised home town, a district
court ruled yesterday.
The court in Gwangju, 265
kilometres (165 miles) south
of Seoul, said the decision
had been made to spare the
students any further stress.
The ruling came as the
court began to hear evidence
in the trial of the captain and
14 crew, who are charged
with criminal negligence
and abandoning the passen-
gers of the Sewol ferry which
capsized and sank on April
16 with the loss of nearly 300
lives. Among the dead were
around 250 students from the
same high school in Ansan
city just south of Seoul.
Captain Lee Joon-seok and
three senior crew members
are accused of homicide
through wilful negligence
a charge that can carry the
death penalty.
The 11 other defendants are
being tried on lesser viola-
tions of maritime law.
Some 50 witnesses are ex-
pected to give evidence and
the court said the students
testimony would be given
during a special session at a
court in Ansan.
This decision was taken in
consideration of the students
who live in the Ansan area and
may have difculty travelling
such a long distance in the
aftermath of the accident, a
court statement said.
The session will take place
between July 28-30 and will
be closed to the public to pro-
tect the students privacy and
mental well-being, it said.
Most of the 75 students who
survived the disaster were set
to return to normal classes at
Dawon High School tomor-
row. It was not clear how
many had chosen to testify
in the trial.
The bulk of the charges
against the crew arise from the
fact that Lee and the others
chose to abandon the 6,825-
tonne ferry while hundreds of
people were still trapped in-
side the heavily listing vessel
before it capsized.
They were also condemned
for ordering the passengers to
remain where they were when
the ship began listing.
A handful of crew members
who stayed and tried to guide
passengers to safety were
among those who died.
Captain Lees lawyer has
vowed to challenge the ho-
micide charge, citing the ab-
sence of any criminal intent
on the part of his client.
The start of the trials evi-
dentiary stage yesterday co-
incided with the recovery of
another victim from the sub-
merged ferry. It was the rst
body to be retrieved from
the interior of the vessel in
16 days.
The body was of a female
student and brings the total
number of conrmed victims
to 293, with 11 still unac-
counted for.
The recovery operation has
dragged on for more than two
months, with the body re-
trieval rate falling off rapidly
since the beginning of June.
Two divers have been killed
in the operation and some
people have begun calling for
heavy cranes to be brought in
to lift the sunken vessel.
Relatives of those still miss-
ing insist all the bodies must
be recovered rst, despite in-
dications that some may have
been carried away by the
strong currents in the area.
The tragedy stunned South
Korea, knocking the entire
country off its stride and
unleashing a wave of public
anger as it emerged that in-
competence, corruption and
greed had all contributed to
the scale of the disaster.
Lee and his crew were vili-
ed in the wake of the trag-
edy, and there have been
some expressions of concern
about how fair their trial can
be in such a charged atmo-
sphere. AFP
ICC not to probe North Korea
THE International Criminal
Courts chief prosecutor on
Monday said there were no rea-
sonable grounds to start an
investigation into whether
Pyongyang should face war
crimes charges for attacks on
South Korea.
Fatou Bensouda concluded
that there is no reasonable
basis to initiate an investiga-
tion into two deadly incidents
in 2010: an artillery attack on
Yeonpyeong island and the
sinking of South Koreas Cheo-
nan warship.
The Hague-based ICC, set up
to prosecute the worlds worst
crimes, launched an initial
probe in 2010 after then-pros-
ecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo
received communications
about the two incidents.
South Korea is a state party to
the courts founding Rome Stat-
ute and did not ask for a probe,
but Moreno-Ocampo at the
time said the court had a duty
to check whether the attacks
could constitute war crimes.
On March 23, 2010, the South
Korean corvette Cheonan sank
in disputed waters of the Yellow
Sea, with the loss of 46 sailors
lives. Seoul and an interna-
tional enquiry both blamed the
sinking on a torpedo fired by
the communist North.
In November 2010, North
Korea also launched an artillery
assault on Yeonpyeong island,
killing two South Korean
marines and two civilians.
North Korea has denied any
involvement in the ships sink-
ing and accused its southern
neighbour of provoking the
shelling in waters claimed
by Pyongyang.
Regarding the Cheonan, the
conclusion is that the alleged
attack was directed at a lawful
military target and would not
otherwise meet the definition
of . . . war crime, the prosecu-
tors office said.
On the attack at Yeonpyeong
island, the investigation con-
cluded that even though the
shelling resulted in civilian
casualties, the information . . .
does not provide a reasonable
basis to believe it was directed
against civilian objects.
Bensouda, however, warned
her report in no way should be
construed as condoning in any
way North Koreas use of
armed force. AFP
JAPANESE Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe broke a nearly
weeklong silence yester-
day and apologised for sex-
ist taunts shouted by a party
member at a young Tokyo as-
sembly woman.
The apology, issued to the
male head of the womans
opposition party, came hours
after Abe published a blog on
the importance of improving
the low rate of female work-
place participation in Japan.
In the post, the prime min-
ister called for women to
shine but made no men-
tion of the episode. Tokyo as-
sembly man Akihiro Suzuki,
51, on Monday admitted he
had yelled Why dont you get
married? at Ayaka Shiomura,
35, when she was speaking in
the chamber last week during
a debate on motherhood.
After days of denials, Suzuki
said he was responsible and
apologised to Shiomura as
he resigned his membership
of Abes ruling Liberal Demo-
cratic Party.
Hours after Suzukis apology
his ofce was pelted with eggs
and his Facebook page was
ooded with comments criti-
cal of his behaviour. He was
also vilied on Twitter.
Several hours later, Shiomu-
ra said she had not been told
of the prime ministers inter-
vention. I would like to hear
his opinion, she said. AFP
Japans PM sorry over
lawmakers sexist jeers
Rescue boats sail to the Sewol in waters off Jindo, South Korea, on April 16; and ferry captain Lee Joon-seok
is escorted to a courthouse in Gwangju last week. AFP
Ancient cities of Myanmar make UNESCO list
MYANMAR on Monday welcomed the
designation of its ancient Pyu king-
dom cities as a UNESCO World Herit-
age Site, marking its first entry onto
the UN cultural agencys prized list.
An annual World Heritage Com-
mittee meeting in Doha on Sunday
granted endangered status to the
remains of the cities of Hanlin, Beik-
thano and Sri Ksetra in the countrys
Irrawaddy basin.
We are happy. We all worked hard
to make this happen for a long time,
said Me Me Khaing, director of the
archaeology department at Myan-
mars culture ministry.
Inclusion on the list has significant
economic implications, as a World
Heritage Site is eligible for financial
assistance for preservation, while the
status is a powerful draw for tourists.
Remains of the palace citadels, brick
Buddhist stupas and burial grounds
at the site currently draw around
60,000 local and foreign visitors every
year, according to Me Me Khaing, who
hopes the new status will bring many
more. We will have a better situation
for our heritage sites as we gain expe-
rience from this, she said.
Officials are now campaigning for
Myanmars better-known ancient city
of Bagan, which is home to a sprawl-
ing complex of Buddhist temples, to
join the Pyu cities on the UNESCO
list, she added.
The temples, some of which are
around 1,000 years old, are one of the
countrys most treasured religious
sites and a major attraction for foreign
tourists f locking to Myanmar as it
emerges from under decades of mili-
tary rule.
But experts have previously warned
that haphazard renovation work on
some of the temples has irreversibly
damaged the landscape, which could
threaten Bagans chances of winning
World Heritage status.
The brick, walled and moated cities
at Pyu reflect the Pyu kingdoms that
f lourished for over 1,000 years
between 200 BC and AD 900, accord-
ing to UNESCO.
These ancient cities built along the
Ayeyarwady [Irrawaddy] Val ley
belong to the Pyu, a people speaking
a language closely related to Myan-
mar and now extinct, UNESCO said
in a statement.
The Paris-based United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) oversees the
system of granting coveted World
Heritage Site status to important cul-
tural and natural sites.
Obtaining the status for sites is a
point of pride for many nations and
can boost tourism, but it comes with
strict conservation rules.
Other sites given the status this year
include a French cave that is home to
the worlds earliest known figurative
drawings, and ancient terraces in the
West Bank that are under threat from
the Israeli separation barrier. AFP
15
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
World
Who is behind ISISs terrifying
online propaganda operation?
Patrick Kingsley

T
HE Clanging of the Swords
IV sounds like the latest in a
series of Hollywood action
movies. It looks like one,
too. A feature-length lm released
online a few weeks ago, Swords IV
includes a slow-motion bomb se-
quence reminiscent of The Hurt
Locker, aerial footage that nods to
Zero Dark Thirty, and scenes lmed
through the crosshairs of a sniper
rie that wouldnt look out of place
in a rst-person shoot-em-up.
But Hollywood this is not. Perhaps
surprisingly, The Clanging of the
Swords IV is the work of the Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS),
the extremist jihadist group that
has led the insurgency against the
authoritarian Iraqi government in
recent weeks, and which runs parts
of northern Syria.
ISIS want those living in the lands
they now control to return to the ul-
traconservative traditions that they
claim the earliest Muslims lived by.
Yet this regressive goal is accompa-
nied by a hypermodern propaganda
machine that sees ISISs sadistic at-
tacks promoted by a slick social me-
dia operation, a specially designed
app and well-made videos like The
Clanging of the Swords IV.
When ISIS stormed Iraqs second
city of Mosul earlier this month,
analysts say their propaganda made
the ghting easier. In wars gone by,
advancing armies smoothed their
path with missiles. ISIS did it with
tweets and a movie.
Thousands of their Twitter fol-
lowers installed an app called the
Dawn of Glad Tidings that allows
ISIS to use their accounts to send
out centrally written updates. Re-
leased simultaneously, the messag-
es swamp social media, giving ISIS
a far larger online reach than their
own accounts would otherwise al-
low. The Dawn app pumps out news
of ISIS advances, gory images, or
frightening videos like Swords IV
creating the impression of a ram-
pant and unstoppable force.
And it works, Iraqis say. When ISIS
stormed Mosul, Iraqi soldiers ed
their posts, apparently aware that
they would face a gruesome fate if
they were captured while on duty.
The video was a message to ISISs
enemies, says Abu Bakr al-Janabi,
an ISIS supporter in Iraq who claims
knowledge of the groups media oper-
ations. Its ISIS saying to them: look
what will happen to you if you cross
our path. And it actually worked: a
lot of soldiers deserted once they saw
the black banners of ISIS.
Zaid al-Ali, author of The Struggle
for Iraqs Future, a book about con-
temporary Iraq published earlier
this year, says it isnt clear how many
people actually follow ISIS on Twit-
ter or Facebook. But the general im-
pression ISIS tries to convey of itself,
this very violent and determined
force making huge advances in Syr-
ia and Iraq that trickles through
to the local population, says al-
Ali. The image that they convey of
themselves has convinced people in
many parts of the country, and that
[was] clearly a factor in encouraging
people to leave their posts as ISIS
was advancing.
ISIS and their followers tried a
similar approach with Baghdad. As
fears rose of an ISIS assault on the
Iraqi capital, ISIS supporters stoked
tensions by releasing a slick Photo-
shopped image of an ISIS militant in
Baghdad, overlaid with the words:
Baghdad, we are coming.
As JM Berger, an expert on extrem-
ism, wrote in The Atlantic: The vol-
ume of these tweets was enough to
make any search for Baghdad on
Twitter generate the image among
its rst results, which is certainly
one means of intimidating the
citys residents.
In fact, ISISs use of social media is
so slick that it has made the group
seem more powerful than it is. Cov-
erage of its menacing online identi-
ty may have both obscured the role
other Sunni groups have played in
Iraqs insurgency and made oppo-
nents wrongly assume that ISIS has
all of Iraq within its grasp.
The fear about ISIS storming the
capital is borne out of their social
media campaign, not reality, says
the Guardians Middle East cor-
respondent, Martin Chulov, who
is currently stationed in Baghdad.
They dont have the manpower to
do that.
ISISs media output is not all bar-
baric. Much of its propaganda is
frightening: Swords IV showed ISISs
captives literally digging their own
graves, while on Twitter ISIS has
posted images of a cold-blooded
massacre of Iraqi soldiers in Tikrit,
Saddam Husseins hometown. But
other ISIS messaging focuses on its
social activity photos of supporters
bringing in the harvest, or delivering
food shipments. Members recently
distributed an earnest English-lan-
guage newsletter a well-designed
PDF since deleted from the internet
documenting the often dull details
of their community work.
If ISISs work seems planned and
professional, thats because it is,
says Abu Bakr al-Janabi, the ISIS
supporter in Iraq. According to al-
Janabi, ISIS runs centralised Twitter
accounts that (when not banned by
Twitters management) tweet of-
cial statements and news updates.
Then there are provincial accounts
for each province in which ISIS is
present which publish a live feed
about [local] ISIS operations.
The Dawn app was built by mem-
bers of ISISs Palestinian afliate, in
consultation with leaders in Iraq and
Syria, says al-Janabi. And the wider
group also harbours trained design-
ers. There are a lot of people in ISIS
who are good at Adobe applications
InDesign, Photoshop, you name
it. There are people who have had a
professional career in graphic design,
and [others] who are self-learnt.
Swords IV was made by profession-
al lmmakers, al-Janabi also claims
and independent observers think
he might be right. The ofcial ISIS
operation released photos of them
lming and its all on equipment
that we use at Vice, says Vice jour-
nalist Aris Roussinos, who reports
extensively on both jihadists and
their online activity. Its high-quality
equipment that theyre actually very
technically skilled at using, in a way
that the other rebels arent. Theyre
also really good at Photoshop.
But while parts of ISISs messag-
ing are centralised and run by pro-
fessionals, its online strength is also
derived from the participation of a
large swath of independent actors.
First, there is ISISs online fanclub:
thousands of ISIS supporters with
no ofcial role within the group who
boost its brand by retweeting its
hashtags, and translating its Arabic
members messages for potential
sympathisers in the west. Many of
them make Photoshopped slogans
to promote the group in fact, many
of ISISs slick viral adverts come
about this way, claims al-Janabi.
And then there are the ISIS mili-
tants themselves. They tweet about
their experiences in the eld, and
publish their own private pictures
sometimes gory images of severed
heads, sometimes mundane snaps
of food and cats often to apprecia-
tive audiences.
My rst time! writes one Brit-
ish jihadi underneath a Facebook
photograph of his bloodied hand
apparently after killing an oppo-
nent. First of many, responds one
friend. Mabrook, says another:
congratulations.
Others use their Instagram ac-
counts to post well-polished pro-
jihad slogans that are aimed at, and
seemingly appreciated by, a western
viewership. You only die once,
reads one image that attracted 72
likes on Instagram. Why not make
it martyrdom?
It is this kind of social media us-
age that points to the third goal of
ISISs propaganda war. While ISISs
Twitter presence rst and foremost
serves to frighten its enemies in
Iraq and Syria, and to inform its
members there, it may also help
ISIS expand its brand among ji-
hadis outside of the Middle East.
Nominally an offshoot of al-Qaeda,
ISIS has been disowned by its par-
ent organisation. As a result, it is
now in active competition with al-
Qaedas approved afliate in Syria,
Jabhat al-Nusra, as well as al-Qae-
da franchises across the world.
Part of the purpose of ISISs social
media activity is denitely to scare
people, says Aymenn Al-Tamimi, a
fellow at the Middle East Forum, a
US think-tank. But also its to give
ISIS greater prominence in wider
media coverage. It becomes a kind of
recruitment tool in the competition
with al-Qaeda in terms of leading the
global jihad brand, and of winning
the support of jihadis worldwide.
In some ways theyve won the
battle: most of the foreign ghters
who go to Syria join ISIS. But around
the world, it hasnt been denitively
won one way or the other. Ansar al-
Sharia in Tunisia and Libya tend to
be pro-ISIS. But then you have the
al-Qaeda afliates in Somalia which
are clearly siding with al-Qaeda.
ISIS is by no means the only jiha-
dist group that uses the internet to
its advantage. Jabhat al-Nusra also
has a network of provincial tweet-
ers, apparently inspired by ISIS. An
al-Qaeda afliate in Yemen recently
released a video of their actions that
they edited to seem like a rst-per-
son shooting game.
In Egypt, the dominant terrorist
threat the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar
Beit al-Maqdis (ABM) regularly
release videos explaining how they
carried out certain attacks, and their
output is occasionally tinged with a
sense of humour. When Egypts po-
lice claimed to have killed an ABM
leader this year, the group quickly
released a photograph of the al-
legedly dead man reading a report
about his assassination.
But analysts reckon no other group
has as sophisticated a grasp of social
media as ISIS. When JM Berger anal-
ysed their respective performances
in February, he discovered that ISIS-
linked hashtags received up to four
times as many mentions as those
promoting Jabhat al-Nusra.
Jabhat al-Nusra have been out-
classed and outcompeted by ISIS on
every level on the battleeld, and
in the battle of media operations,
concludes Vices Aris Roussinos. Ei-
ther theyve got fewer resources or
theyre less in tune with the modern
world in a way that ISIS doesnt seem
to be. THE GUARDIAN
An ISIS propaganda image. PHOTO SUPPLIED
The video was a message to
ISISs enemies. Its ISIS saying:
look what will happen to you
if you cross our path
My rst time! A British jihadist posts on Facebook. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Opinion
16
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
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T
HE jailing of three Al Jazeera
journalists in Egypt marks a
disturbing new stage in the
erosion of freedom of expres-
sion rights worldwide. In 2013 more
than 200 journalists were jailed
worldwide for doing their job close
to recorded highs.
A free press is one of the corner-
stones of a free society. And it needs
to be free in practice, not just in the-
ory. This means not just enshrining
guarantees of press freedom and
freedom of expression more general-
ly in the legal system, but also mak-
ing sure that other laws such as those
ostensibly created to protect citizens
from, say, terrorists should not be
used as a means to stifle the press.
In countries including Egypt, Tur-
key and Russia, laws brought in to
protect national security are being
used to prevent journalists from
investigating and reporting objec-
tively. They are being used against
citizens who criticise their govern-
ments. The effect of these laws, and
of rulings such as that made on
Monday by the Egyptian court, is
to create a climate of fear that
means other journalists, bloggers,
campaigners and activists are
afraid to speak out.
And rather than censoring the
media directly, governments can
effectively control coverage by get-
ting individuals to censor them-
selves. As Andrei Soldatov, a Russian
blogger, told Index on Censorship
last week: Very few people [have
been] sent to jail for posting critical
things online, and relatively few
new media were put under direct
government pressure. But free-
dom of expression on the internet
in Russia has been hugely affected:
users have become cautious in
their comments, and internet com-
panies, even when invited to talk
to Vladimir Putin, are so fright-
ened that they failed to raise the
issue of regulation.
The beauty of the Russian
approach, Soldatov said, is that it
doesnt need to be technically
sophisticated to be efficient. It also
doesnt need mass repression against
journalists or activists. So why is
that? Basically, the Russian approach
is all about instigating self-censor-
ship. It is a similar story in countries
such as Azerbaijan, which have used
smear tactics against investigative
journalists in an effort to discredit
them and frighten them off their
reports, or claim they believe in free
speech while arresting prominent
free speech campaigners on spuri-
ous charges such as drug possession.
An anti-protest law passed in Egypt
at the end of last year gives security
forces the right to break up any gath-
ering held without government
authorisation, and allows the use of
lethal force against demonstrators
deemed a threat to public order.
Those Al Jazeera journalists work
for a well-resourced international
organisation, with a network of vocal
supporters. Not all of those under
threat of censorship have such a net-
work, and it is crucial that the inter-
national community pays attention
to these individuals too: the bloggers
still under arrest in Ethiopia for try-
ing to report events in the country,
the Turkish journalists dismissed
from their papers for failing to toe
their owners official lines, and the
citizen journalists harassed by Bra-
zilian police for reporting anti-gov-
ernment protests.
Freedom to speak, write or even
tell your friends what is happening is
vitally important. Without informa-
tion people will never learn about
disasters and how to avoid them in
future. They will never know that
there is an epidemic and to take pre-
cautions. People must feel free and
safe to share information and opin-
ions. Without freedom of expression
people will never be able to trust
their governments. THE GUARDIAN
Comment
Jodie Ginsberg
Jailing Al Jazeera journalists is
a blow to freedom of expression
Al Jazeera news channels Australian journalist Peter Greste (left) and his colleagues, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (right) and Egyptian Baher Mohamed, listen to the
verdict inside the defendants cage on Monday during their trial for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood at the police institute near Cairos Tora prison. AFP
Jodie Ginsberg is CEO of Index on
Censorship.
Rather than directly censoring the
media, governments can effectively
control coverage by getting individuals
to censor themselves
17
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Lifestyle Lifestyle
In brief
NK takes aim at Franco
and Rogens new flick
AN UPCOMING comedy by
James Franco and Seth Rogen
has drawn the attention of
Pyongyang for its depiction of a
scheme to assassinate North
Koreas supreme leader Kim
Jong-un. Franco and Rogen
play journalists who land an
interview with Kim, prompting
the CIA to recruit them in an
assassination plot. A Pyong-
yang spokesman made it clear
that the North Korean regime
doesnt appreciate this brand of
comedic storytelling. There is a
special irony in this story line as
it shows the desperation of the
US government, Kim Myong-
chol told Britains Telegraph. A
film about the assassination of a
foreign leader mirrors what the
US has done in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria and Ukraine. THE
WASHINGTONPOST
Threes company for
concert in Bangkok
A HORN professor from the US,
a violinist from China and a
young Thai pianist will perform
at Siam Ratchada Music
Auditorium in Bangkok on July
3. The Trio Belle Voce for Horn,
Violin and Piano concert will
see Brian Kilp from Indiana
State University perform with
Jia Xiaocheng, an associate
professor of violin at Shenyang
Conservatory of Music in China.
They will be accompanied on
piano by Parita Karnjananon-
kul, a student at Chulalongkorn
University. BANGKOKPOST
Cobain was desperate
for fame, Love says
KURT COBAIN was so eager
for fame that he wrote to every
major record label asking to be
signed, Courtney Love says in a
new TV show. He was
desperate to be the biggest
rock star in the world, Love
says in the new National
Geographic miniseries The
90s: The Last Great Decade.
The Nirvana frontman always
portrayed himself as someone
uninterested in fame. However,
Love says, he took a less purist
line in private. He wrote to
every major label, Well pay.
Let us be on your label. He
was desperate to be the biggest
rock star in the world. But he
made it look like it was thrust
upon him, she says in the
series. THEGUARDIAN
All of Tasmanian forest
to remain protected
UNESCO on Monday rejected
an Australian attempt to revoke
World Heritage status for parts
of the Tasmanian Wilderness,
which would have opened them
up to loggers. Delegates at
UNESCOs World Heritage
Committee voted to turn down
the request at a gathering in
Doha, where they are
considering additions and
changes to the UN list of
cultural and natural wonders.
Australias government asked
UNESCO to revoke its World
Heritage listing for 74,000
hectares of the forest, claiming
the area was not pristine. AFP
The King of Pop raking it in
Bennett Murray

M
ICHAEL Jackson
fans will place
flowers on his grave
in Los Angeles this
week to mark the fifth anniver-
sary of his death, but half a dec-
ade on, the pop icons financial
fortunes are blooming.
The self-proclaimed King of
Pop was struggling to avoid
bankruptcy when he died on
June 25, 2009. At the time, he
was in rehearsals for a series of
comeback shows he hoped
would resurrect his earlier jaw-
dropping wealth.
But in the five years since, the
Michael Jackson Estate which
runs his affairs on behalf of Jack-
sons mother and three children
has earned over $700 million,
according to a new book about
the singers business empire.
Michael Jackson is making
more money now, five years
after his death, than he had
been since the prime of his
career, Zack Greenburg, author
of Michael Jackson Inc, said.
Die-hard Jackson fans staged
a flash mob Sunday ahead of
todays anniversary when
more are expected to pay their
respects at the Forest Lawn
cemetery just outside Los Ange-
les, where he is buried.
While the business side is
going well and fans are celebrat-
ing his legacy, its been a tough
few years for his family both
through losing Jackson himself,
and because of the frenzy of
legal action unleashed by his
shock death.
One of the biggest was the
criminal trial of Conrad Murray,
the doctor who, while treating
Jackson for insomnia, gave him
the clinical anesthetic propofol
that killed him at his Holmby
Hills mansion five years ago.
Murray was eventually con-
victed of involuntary man-
slaughter and jailed for four
years. He was released last
October after two years behind
bars.
Then came the civil trial
brought by Jacksons aging
mother, Katherine, who sued
tour promoters AEG Live claim-
ing they negligently hired an
incompetent doctor and drove
her son to his death. A jury
threw out her claims.
But while the family came to
grips with their loss, the Michael
Jackson Estate, led by executors
John Branca and John McClain,
got straight down to business
five years ago.
Above all, they had to rapidly
generate revenues to stave off
the massive debts that Jackson
had built up in the last five years
of his life.
In his heyday, Jackson
whom Greenburg said funda-
mentally changed the formula
for monetising fame forever
was making over $100 million
a year, with hits including
1982s Thriller, still the biggest
selling album ever.
He had also bought the Beatles
back catalogue for $47.5 million
in 1985, an investment estimat-
ed to be worth $1 billion today.
But the child molestation
charges that engulfed Jackson
in the mid-2000s brought an
end to the good times. Jackson,
who temporarily went to live in
Bahrain, almost had to sell his
beloved Neverland ranch.
In his final years, he was still
going on massive spending
binges, taking loans on his
assets to cover the bills. At the
lowest point, his debts totalled
some $500 million, forcing him
to plan for the doomed come-
back concerts in 2009.
After Jacksons death, one of
the estates first money-making
ventures was the This Is It
motion picture, patched togeth-
er from footage of rehearsals for
the doomed final tour.
The film made some $200 mil-
lion worldwide.
A few months after his death,
Sony and his lawyers signed a
record contract said to be
worth over $200 million by the
Wall Street Journal foreseeing
the release of seven albums
over 10 years.
The estate also did deals with
Cirque du Soleil for both a tour-
ing show and a permanent show
based at the Mandalay Bay
casino in Las Vegas.
Only last month, Jackson
was back on stage as a holo-
gram performing at the Bill-
board 2014 Music Award event
in Las Vegas. Jackson, or rath-
er his hologram, sang and
moonwalked to A Slave to the
Rhythm recorded in 1991 and
included on the recently-re-
leased album Xscape, the sec-
ond since his death, following
Michael in 2010.
Greenburg said the stars
financial turnaround, in death,
was unprecedented.
If you look at the numbers,
its actually over $700 million in
five years. Over that period of
time . . . no living artist has
gotten anywhere close to that,
he said.
Regardless of where the King
of Pops spirit resides, one things
for sure: Michael Jackson, Inc is
alive and well, he concluded in
his book. AFP
Monet water lilies painting sells for $54 million
AN ICONIC water lilies painting by French artist
Claude Monet sold for 31.7 million ($54 million)
at a London sale on Monday, the second-highest
sum paid for his work on record.
The 1906 painting Nympheas sold to an anon-
ymous bidder formed part of a seminal exhibi-
tion held at the Galerie Durand-Ruel, in Paris, in
1909 to unveil Monets water lily works.
The instantly recognisable Impressionist mas-
terpiece once belonged to the French art dealer
Paul Durand-Ruel and remained in his personal
collection throughout his life. It has since been
displayed in the worlds top galleries, including
the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the
Musee National dArt Moderne in Paris.
Le Bassin aux Nympheas (Pool of Water Lilies),
from the same series, still holds the record for a
Monet painting sold at auction, fetching $80.3
million at Christies in London in 2008.
The series of about 250 oils, which became
Monets main focus during his last 30 years, is
considered to have had a huge impact on the
evolution of modern art.
Also sold at Sothebys Impressionist & Modern
Art sale was Composition With Red, Blue and Grey
by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, which also achieved
the second-highest price ever paid for one of his
works. The 1927 piece, which sold to an anony-
mous bidder for 15.2 million, features a distinc-
tive prime colour combination and is unusual
for its large size. It once belonged to renowned
collector Ernst Beyeler and has been included
in some of the most important exhibitions of
Mondrians work, including the 1971 show at
the Guggenheim.
Mondrians works, featuring straight black
lines, balanced compositions and bold colours,
have been an inspiration for fashion designers,
including Yves Saint Laurent.
Helena Newman, Sothebys head of Impres-
sionist, explained: At the core of the sale this
evening was a significant group of works from
private and estate collections which were met
with great enthusiasm and drove global bidding
throughout the auction, with notable participa-
tion from Asian and Russian collectors. AFP
A Sothebys employee poses with a painting by French impressionist
painter Claude Monet, titled Nympheas, which was sold at an auction on
Monday for $54 million. AFP
This 2009 le photo shows the star of Michael Jackson on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. AFP
THE LIFE OF MICHAEL JACKSON
B
elow are key dates in the
life of pop icon Michael
Jackson
Aug 29, 1958: Michael
Jackson born in Gary, Indiana.
Aug 1962: Singing debut with
his brothers, the Jackson Five.
1970: Launch of solo career.
Dec 1982: Release of Thriller
album, which sold 50 million
copies worldwide.
May 1994-Feb 1996:
Marriage to Lisa Marie
Presley, daughter of Elvis.
Nov 1996-Oct 1999: Marriage
to Debbie Rowe, a nurse with
whom he has two children.
Feb 2002: Birth of third child,
by surrogate pregnancy.
Nov 20, 2003: Jackson
arrested on several counts of
child molestation.
June 13, 2005: Jackson
acquitted on all charges.
March 5, 2009: Jackson
announces a series of
comeback concerts.
June 25, 2009: Jackson dies
in Los Angeles after an
apparent cardiac arrest.
Health
18
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Ebola out
of control
in W Africa,
MSF says
AN EPIDEMIC of the deadly
Ebola virus in West Africa is
now out of control with more
than 60 outbreak hotspots, the
medical charity Doctors With-
out Borders (MSF) said
on Monday.
The scale of the current
Ebola epidemic is unprece-
dented in terms of geographi-
cal distribution, people infect-
ed and deaths, MSF said in a
statement.
The rapid spread of the dis-
ease, which is deadly in up to
90 per cent of cases, has over-
whelmed aid agencies and
health workers and terrified
local communities.
The epidemic is now out of
control, said Bart Janssens,
MSF director of operations.
With the appearance of new
sites in Guinea, Sierra Leone
and Liberia, there is a real risk
of it spreading to other areas.
After the first reported cases
in Guinea at the start of the
year, at least 337 people have
died from Ebola in the three
countries.
The incurable disease is
spread by contact with bodily
fluids including sweat, meaning
touching an infected person is
enough to spread the virus.
MSF called for a massive
deployment of resources by
governments in the region to
curb the epidemic.
We have reached our limits,
Janssens said. We are no long-
er able to send teams to the
new outbreak sites.
Ebola can fell its victims
within days, causing severe
fever and muscle pain, weak-
ness, vomiting and diarrhoea
in some cases shutting down
organs and causing unstoppa-
ble bleeding.
This is the first time the dis-
ease has spread through the
region and MSF said it had
identified more than 60 sepa-
rate locations with confirmed
cases of the virus.
Ebola is no longer a public
health issue limited to Guinea:
it is affecting the whole of West
Africa, Janssens said. AFP
British Muslims condemn female genital mutilation
THE Muslim Council of Britain, the
countrys largest Muslim organisation,
has condemned the practice of female
genital mutilation as un-Islamic and
told its members FGM risks bringing
their religion into disrepute.
The influential MCB has for the first
time issued explicit guidance, which
criticises the practice and says it is no
longer linked to the teaching of Islam.
It added that one of the basic princi-
ples of Islam was that believers should
not harm themselves or others.
The organisation will send fliers to
the 500 mosques that form its mem-
bership, in a drive to eradicate a prac-
tice that affects 125 million women
and girls worldwide and can lead to
psychological torment, complica-
tions during childbirth, problems
with fertility and death.
The MCB has collaborated with the
African womens support and cam-
paigning organisation Forward and
the Muslim Spiritual Care Provision in
the NHS (MSCP) to raise awareness of
the dangers of FGM and warn practi-
tioners that they face up to 14 years in
prison if they subject girls to the prac-
tice, which involves the removal of the
clitoris, or in more extreme cases the
removal of the outer labia and the
sewing up of the vagina.
The leaflet states: FGM is not an
Islamic requirement. There is no refer-
ence to it in the holy Quran that states
girls must be circumcised. Nor is there
any authentic reference to this in the
Sunnah, the sayings or traditions of
our prophet. FGM is bringing the reli-
gion of Islam into disrepute.
It also states that there is an increas-
ingly high risk of being prosecuted
for carrying out mutilation, which has
been illegal in Britain since 1985.
Dr Shuja Shafi, secretary-general of
the Muslim Council of Britain, said:
We at the MCB are pleased to address
this very important issue of female
genital mutilation. Working closely
together we can end this practice and
ensure it is no longer linked to the
religion of Islam or the teachings of
the prophet Muhammad.
Dr Soheir Elneil, chair of the African
womens campaign group Forward,
which helped to prepare the leaflet,
said the publication was a step for-
ward in the battle to bring FGM to an
end within a generation. This is the
first time such a publication has been
achieved with the full cooperation
and support of the relevant parties,
and we hope all those working in FGM
will find it a helpful tool in the work
that they do, she said. It states that
FGM is non-Islamic and is against
the teachings of Islam, that it is
putting the health of women and
girls at risk, and informs the reader
of the legal implications in the UK of
carrying out the practice.
Last week the Home Office held a
summit at which other religious
organisations, including the Shia al-
Khoei Foundation and the Muslim
Womens Network UK, announced
their support for a government decla-
ration against FGM to be published
next month. THE GUARDIAN
How clowns are helping to better
the lives of dementia patients
T
HE word clown
doesnt spring to
mind when you meet
Zoe Darbyshire. In her
early 50s, she is warm and elo-
quent. She trained at the Royal
Scottish Academy of Drama
and Music and Ecole Philippe
Gaulier, where she studied
clowning. But what she does
now couldnt be further from
the TV acting gigs of her peers.
She is an Elderower, a spe-
cially trained practitioner who
uses clowning techniques to
enhance the quality of life of
dementia patients.
Were not party clowns,
Darbyshire is quick to explain.
Its not as simple as stick-
ing on a red nose and falling
over. Were character clowns.
People are more used to see-
ing clowns in the wards of
childrens hospitals, but this is
a different concept. Initially,
there was some resistance to
the red noses. But without
them, people didnt really un-
derstand who we were. In cer-
tain dementias, some colours
can fade but red tends to
retain, and the nose helps us
establish eye contact.
For Darbyshire, meeting
Magdalena Schamberger of
arts-in-health charity Hearts &
Minds was serendipitous.
It was 2004 and the El-
derowers were establishing
themselves. It felt perfect for
me: I wasnt particularly driv-
en, performance-wise, but I
was attracted to using my skills
to work in health care, where I
could be part of taking the arts
to people who wouldnt nor-
mally have direct access.
So what does Zoe actually do
when she visits a ward or care
home? Elderowers always
work in pairs, in character as
brother and sister or cousins.
The people we visit seem to
understand the concept, and
that helps make them feel
more safe and comfortable.
At the start of each session,
the Elderowers get refer-
rals as much information as
possible about the individual.
Some people dont like to
be touched, and in some in-
stances, we have to be aware
of overstimulating.
We make a plan based on
this, then our session will often
start quite indirectly: some kind
of interaction between the two
Elderowers, so we can gauge
who is interested immediately
and with whom we need to take
a gentler approach. Visits can
involve any topic from Shake-
speare to cooking. However it
evolves, we leave openings to
respond. There is laughter, gen-
tle slapstick, music, object play
but, crucially, were engaging
with the patients, not perform-
ing at them.
So what sort of reaction do
they get? We work with people
from assessment right through
to end of life, so responses vary
enormously says Darbyshire.
Sometimes we get told in no
uncertain terms to go away,
which we respect and obey. But
most of the time, it can be any-
thing from laughter and play-
fulness to a small change in the
way the person is breathing.
We have times when a person
will disclose something pain-
ful and there can be tears, but
that has its positive side too. I
remember one woman who
told me shed lost a baby many
years ago. We listen, acknowl-
edge, then gently move the
conversation forward.
People with dementia are
often in a situation where all
theyre doing is taking its all
thats possible. We try to create
a scenario where they can give.
They are given some sense of
control and value. Some of the
health care staff can take lon-
ger to warm to the process, but
mostly come round when they
see were providing one-to-one
engagement and stimulation.
THE GUARDIAN
Clowns at a parade in Toronto in 2002. In the UK, clowns called Elderowers are helping engage patients with dementia. BLOOMBERG
Somalian writer and UN ambassador Waris Dirie poses in front of a placard against
female genital mutilation in Berlin in February. AFP
TIPS FOR DEALING WITH A LOVED ONES DEMENTIA
M
agdalena Schamberger,
of the charity Hearts &
Minds, suggests five ways to
engage with a relative or
friend with advanced dementia
Take time and just be
Be in the moment, make
gentle eye contact and allow
for silence, stillness and
breathing together. Spend
time with no pressure, no
agenda, no tasks and no
expectations.
Dont ask questions
Questions can be distressing
at the best of times and can
put pressure on people. But
repetition can be good. As a
way of creating a connection,
repeat the name of your
relative or friend gently to a
well-known melody or song
that they love.
Focus on physical activity and
memory
Remember physical activities
you used to do together, such
as baking or DIY. If the person
is physically still able, try to
do them together. Even
though they may not
remember these activities
later, they may remember the
experience and the positive
feelings they had when they
were doing them.
Be kind, caring and
compassionate
Physical contact is important.
Although people with
dementia may seem distant or
confused, they have emotions
and feelings. Hold their hand,
give them a hug. Show them
compassion and care.
Look at the person, not the
illness
Remember to laugh, sing and
dance together. Get out of the
daily routine. Explore fresh
things and create shared
moments together. THEGUARDIAN
Travel
19
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SCHEDULE
FROM PHNOM PENH TO PHNOM PENH
Flighs Days Dep Arrival Flighs Days Dep Arrival
PHNOMPENH- BANGKOK BANGKOK- PHNOMPENH
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
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TG 585 Daily 20:40 21:45 PG 937 Daily 20:15 21:50
PHNOMPENH- BEIJING BEIJING- PHNOMPENH
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PHNOMPENH- DOHA( ViaHCMC) DOHA- PHNOMPENH( ViaHCMC)
QR 965 Daily 16:30 23:05 QR 964 Daily 01:00 15:05
PHNOMPENH- GUANGZHOU GUANGZHOU- PHNOMPENH
CZ 324 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
PHNOMPENH- HANOI HANOI - PHNOMPENH
VN 840 Daily 17:30 20:35 VN 841 Daily 09:40 13:00
PHNOMPENH- HOCHI MINHCITY HOCHI MINHCITY- PHNOMPENH
QR 965 Daily 16:30 17:30 QR 964 Daily 14:05 15:05
VN 841 Daily 14:00 14:45 VN 920 Daily 15:50 16:30
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PHNOMPENH- HONGKONG HONGKONG- PHNOMPENH
KA 207 1.2.4.7 11:25 15:05 KA 208 1.2.4.6.7 08:50 10:25
KA 207 6 11:45 22:25 KA 206 3.5.7 14:30 16:05
KA 209 1 18:30 22:05 KA 206 1 15:25 17:00
KA 209 3.5.7 17:25 21:00 KA 206 2 15:50 17:25
KA 205 2 19:00 22:35 - - - -
PHNOMPENH- INCHEON INCHEON- PHNOMPENH
KE 690 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
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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
PHNOMPENH- PARIS PHNOMPENH- PARIS
AF 273 2 20:05 06:05 AF 273 2 20:05 06:05
PHNOMPENH- SHANGHAI SHANGHAI - PHNOMPENH
FM 833 2.3.4.5.7 19:50 23:05 FM 833 2.3.4.5.7 19:30 22:40
PHNOMPENH- SINGAPORE SINGAPORE-PHNOMPENH
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 1234..7 15:25 18:20 3K 593 Daily 13:30 14:40
3K 594 ....56. 15:25 18:10 - - - -
MI 607 Daily 18:10 21:10 MI 608 Daily 16:20 17:15
2817 1.3 16:40 19:40 2816 1.3 15:00 15:50
2817 2.4.5 09:10 12:00 2816 2.4.5 07:20 08:10
2817 6 14:50 17:50 2816 6 13:00 14:00
2817 7 13:20 16:10 2816 7 11:30 12:30
PHNOMPENH-TAIPEI TAIPEI - PHNOMPENH
BR 266 Daily 12:45 17:05 BR 265 Daily 09:10 11:35
PHNOMPENH- VIENTIANE VIENTIANE- PHNOMPENH
VN 840 Daily 17:30 18:50 VN 841 Daily 11:30 13:00
QV 920 Daily 17:50 19:10 QV 921 Daily 11:45 13:15
PHNOMPENH- YANGON YANGON- SIEMREAP
8M 402 1.3.6 13:30 14:55 8M 401 1.3.6 08:20 10:45
SIEMREAP- PHNOMPENH
8M 401 1.3.6 11:45 12:30
SIEMREAP- BANGKOK BANGKOK- SIEMREAP
Flighs Days Dep Arrival Flighs Days Dep Arrival
K6 700 Daily 12:50 2:00 K6 701 Daily 02:55 04:05
PG 924 Daily 09:45 11:10 PG 903 Daily 08:00 09:00
PG 906 Daily 13:15 14:40 PG 905 Daily 11:35 12:45
PG 914 Daily 15:20 16:45 PG 913 Daily 13:35 14:35
PG 908 Daily 18:50 20:15 PG 907 Daily 17:00 18:10
PG 910 Daily 20:30 21:55 PG 909 Daily 18:45 19:55
SIEMREAP- GUANGZHOU GUANGZHOU- SIEMREAP
CZ 3054 2.4.6 11:25 15:35 CZ 3053 2.4.6 08:45 10:30
CZ 3054 1.3.5.7 19:25 23:20 CZ 3053 1.3.5.7 16:35 18:30
SIEMREAP-HANOI HANOI - SIEMREAP
K6 850 Daily 06:50 08:30 K6 851 Daily 19:30 21:15
VN 868 1.2.3.5.6 12:40 15:35 VN 843 Daily 15:25 17:10
VN 842 Daily 18:05 19:45 VN 845 Daily 17:05 18:50
VN 844 Daily 19:45 21:25 VN 845 Daily 17:45 19:30
VN 800 Daily 21:00 22:40 VN 801 Daily 18:20 20:00
SIEMREAP-HOCHI MINHCITY HOCHI MINHCITY-SIEMREAP
VN 3818 Daily 11:10 12:30 VN 3809 Daily 09:15 10:35
VN 826 Daily 13:30 14:40 VN 827 Daily 11:35 12:35
VN 3820 Daily 17:45 18:45 VN 3821 Daily 15:55 16:55
VN 828 Daily 18:20 19:20 VN 829 Daily 16:20 17:40
VN 3822 Daily 21:35 22:35 VN 3823 Daily 19:45 20:45
SIEMREAP- INCHEON INCHEON- SIEMREAP
KE 688 Daily 23:15 06:10 KE 687 Daily 18:30 22:15
OZ 738 Daily 23:40 07:10 OZ 737 Daily 19:20 22:40
SIEMREAP- KUALALUMPUR KUALALUMPUR- SIEMREAP
AK 281 Daily 08:35 11:35 AK 280 Daily 06:50 07:50
MH 765 3.5.7 14:15 17:25 MH 764 3.5.7 12:10 13:15
SIEMREAP- MANILA MANILA- SIEMREAP
5J 258 2.4.7 22:30 02:11 5J 257 2.4.7 19:45 21:30
FLY DIRECT TOMYANMARMONDAY, WEDNESDAY &SATURDAY
YANGON- PHNOMPENH PHNOM PENH - YANGON
FLY DIRECT TOSIEMREAPMONDAY, WEDNESDAY &SATURDAY
SIEMREAP- YANGON YANGON - SIEM REAP
#90+92+94Eo, St. 217, Sk. Orussey4, Kh. 7 Makara, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel 023 881 178 | Fax 023 886 677 | www.maiair.com
REGULAR SHIPPING LINES SCHEDULES
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LINE CALLING SCHEDULES FREEQUENCY ROTATIONPORTS
RCL
(12calls/moth)
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AIRLINES
Air Asia (AK)
Room T6, PP International
Airport. Tel: 023 6666 555
Fax: 023 890 071
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Cambodia Angkor Air (K6)
PP Ofce, #90+92+94Eo,
St.217, Sk.Orussey4, Kh.
7Makara, 023 881 178 /77-
718-333. Fax:+855 23-886-677
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Qatar Airways (Newaddress)
VattanacCapital Tower, Level7,
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Penh. PP, P: (023) 963800.
E: pnhres@kh.qatarairways.com
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Sk. Orussey4, Kh. 7 Makara,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Tiger airways
G. oor, 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


Koreanair (KE)
Room.F3-R03, Intelligent Ofce
Center, Monivong Blvd,PP
Tel: (855) 23 224 047-9
www.koreanair.com
Cebu Pacic (5J)
Phnom Penh: No. 333B
Monivong Blvd. Tel: 023 219161
SiemReap: No. 50,Sivatha Blvd.
Tel: 063 965487
E-mail: cebuair@ptm-travel.com
www.cebupacicair.com
SilkAir (MI)
Regency C,Unit 2-4, Tumnorb
Teuk, Chamkarmorn
Phnom Penh
Tel:023 988 629
www.silkair.com
AIRLINES CODE COLOUR CODE
2817 - 16 Tigerairways KA - Dragon Air 1 Monday
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 ight schedule information is updated about once a month. Further information,
please contact direct to airline or a travel agent for ight schedule information.
SIEMREAP- SINGAPORE SINGAPORE- SIEMREAP
MI 633 1, 6, 7 16:35 22:15 MI 633 1, 6, 7 14:35 15:45
MI 622 2.4 10:40 15:20 MI 622 2.4 08:40 09:50
MI 630 5 12:25 15:40 MI 616 7 10:40 11:50
MI 615 7 12:45 16:05 MI 636 3, 2 13:55 17:40
MI 636 3, 2 18:30 21:35 MI 630 5 07:55 11:35
MI 617 5 18:35 21:55 MI 618 5 16:35 17:45
3K 598 .2....7 15:35 18:40 3K 597 .2....7 13:45 14:50
3K 598 ...4... 15:35 18:30 3K 597 ...4... 13:45 14:50
SIEMREAP- VIENTIANE VIENTIANE- SIEMREAP
QV 522 2.4.5.7 10:05 13:00 QV 512 2.4.5.7 06:30 09:25
SIEMREAP- YANGON YANGON- SIEMREAP
8M 402 1. 5 20:15 21:25 8M 401 1. 5 17:05 19:15
PREAHSIHANOUK- SIEMREAP SIEMREAP- PREAHSIHANOUK
Flighs Days Dep Arrival Flighs Days Dep Arrival
K6 130 1-3-5 12:55 13:55 K6 131 1-3-5 11:20 12:20
A photograph taken during a game encompassing the PNC Park, the
Roberto Clement Bridge and the city of Pittsburgh. PHOTO SUPPLIED
A home run
for sports fans
in Pittsburgh
Charlie Vascellaro

M
Y BASEBALL fa-
natic friends and
I always close the
bar at the River-
towne Brewing Hall of Fame
Club after Pirates games at
PNC Park in Pittsburgh. We
linger for as long as they let us,
enjoying the great view of the
eld and reduced postgame
drinks prices.
Talk to any travelling base-
ball fan or ballpark acionado
about PNC Park, and theyll
speak in reverent tones about
the panoramic view of the
Pittsburgh skyline beyond the
outeld wall. In its 14-year ex-
istence, the visually stunning
chiseled-limestone ballpark
has become one of baseballs
most highly regarded cathe-
drals, sitting at the centre of a
historic sports mecca.
Pittsburghs iconic sports his-
tory is celebrated with statues,
monuments, memorials and
historical markers throughout
the city, as well as some very
entertaining and enlightening
sports museums.
I dont think theres another
city in the United States that
uses sport as much as Pitts-
burgh to tell its story to the
world, says Rob Ruck, a sports
history professor at the Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh.
In his LinkedIn prole pho-
to, Ruck is posing in front of a
preserved portion of the out-
eld wall at Forbes Field that
Mazeroskis historic blast ew
over. The wall segment stands
outside the universitys Mervis
Hall, which was built on the
site of the Pirates home park
from 1909 to 1970. Pirates fans
gather here every October 13
to listen to the radio re-broad-
cast of the game. Home plate
from Forbes Field is imbedded
in the oor of the universitys
Posvar Hall student union
building. And the specic sec-
tion of the wall that Mazeros-
kis home run passed over was
restored in 2009 and moved
to the Riverwalk area outside
PNC Park, near a statue of the
slugger himself.
Beyond the outeld wall,
the Roberto Clemente Bridge
looms at the forefront of the
horizon providing a spectac-
ular vista from the park.
Outside the right-eld wall,
which rises to 21 feet, the Ro-
berto Clemente Memorial
Park contains a series of cas-
cading waterfalls along the
ballparks exterior walkway. A
small piece of the University
of Pittsburghs Schenley Drive
has also been renamed in Cle-
mentes honour.
But perhaps the greatest
memorial to his legacy is the
Roberto Clemente Museum.
Housed in the old Engine-
house No 25 in the Law-
renceville neighbourhood,
about 5 kilometres from PNC
Park, its the largest collection
of Clemente photographs and
memorabilia assembled.
About a kilometre from the
Clemente Museum is the West-
ern Pennsylvania Sports Muse-
um at the Heinz History Center,
where a life-size gure of Steeler
great Franco Harris making the
Immaculate Reception greets
you on the second oor.
An enlarged photo of the Ne-
gro Leagues Pittsburgh Craw-
fords adorns an adjacent wall
in front of the museums Negro
Leagues exhibit, which draws
particular attention to famed
slugger Josh Gibson. A statue
of Gibson will be unveiled with
the creation of an expanded
Negro League exhibit and the
relaunching of the sports mu-
seum in 2015.
As a lifelong student of the
game, Im familiar with Gib-
sons legacy as one of the most
prolic sluggers in baseball
history and make it a point
to visit his gravesite at the Al-
legheny Cemetery every time
Im in town. Located in what
was once a segregated corner
of the sprawling cemetery, its
a great place to contemplate
Pittsburghs baseball history
and baseball history in gen-
eral. THE WASHINGTON POST
Entertainment
20
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
LEGEND CINEMA
22 JUMP STREET
After making their way through high school
(twice), big changes are in store for officers
Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep under-
cover at a local college.
City Mall: 3:25pn, 9:50pm
Tuol Kork: 7:20pm, 9:50pm
13 SINS
A cryptic phone call sets off a dangerous game
of risks for Elliot, a down-on-his luck salesman.
The game promises increasing rewards for
completing 13 tasks, each more sinister than
the last.
City Mall: 9:15am, 3:45pm, 7:55pm
Tuol Kork: 4pm, 8:05pm
EDGE OF TOMORROW
A soldier fighting in a war with aliens finds
himself caught in a time loop of his last day in
the battle, though he becomes better skilled
along the way.
City Mall: 11:45am, 7:50pm
Tuol Kork: 9:30am, 5pm
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave
that is home to hundreds of new wild drag-
ons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two
friends find themselves at the centre of a battle
to protect the peace.
City Mall: 9:15am, 11:10am, 1:35pm, 5:40pm
Tuol Kork: 11:40am, 1:50pm, 5:55pm
CINEPLEX CINEMA
22 JUMP STREET
(See above.)
3pm, 8:20pm
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
(See above.)
9:30am, 11:20am, 1:10pm, 5pm
13 SINS
(See above)
3pm, 6:15pm
NOW SHOWING
Zumba @ K1
Get t the fun way with zumba
classes incorporating aerobics,
martial arts and dance moves
taught by licensed zumba teacher
Tisam Oumazza.
K1 Fitness & Fight Factory, #131
Street 199. 6pm
Ultimate Frisbee @ ISPP
Pickup games from 4:30pm at
International School of Phnom Penh
eld.
Contact Greg at gbloom88@gmail.com
for more information.
ISPP, Street 380. 4:30pm
TV PICKS
Some ne wines will be on offer at Sotel Phnom Penh Phokeethras wine dinner tonight. BLOOMBERG
Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid. BLOOMBERG
Exhibition @ Java
Rain is new series of work in which
emerging artist Nov Cheanick uses
rain as a metaphor for sorrow and
trauma that has led to apathy and
lethargy.
Java Cafe, #56E1 Sihanouk Boulevard.
6pm
Wine dinner @ Do Forni
Indulge in a ve-course dinner pairing
gastronomy and ne wines presented
by Thibault Odent from the prestigious
Bordeaux wine merchant Cordier
Mestrezat. Price $120.
Do Forni, Sotel Phnom Penh
Phokeethra, 26 Old August site,
Sothearos Boulevard. 6:30pm
10:35am - THE KARATE KID: Work causes a single
mother to move to China with her young son; in his
new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by
a master. FOX MOVIES
2:30pm - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: A naive young
woman comes to New York and scores a job as the
assistant to one of the citys biggest magazine editors,
the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly. FOX MOVIES
4:20pm - SALT: A CIA agent goes on the run after
a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. FOX
MOVIES
11:40pm - ENEMY OF THE STATE: A lawyer becomes a
target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when
he accidentally receives key evidence to a serious
politically motivated crime. FOX MOVIES
Thinking caps
ACROSS
1 Anesthetized
5 Be excessively fond
9 Egg protector
14 Where India is
15 Make, as money
16 Sank, as a putt
17 Everyone has one
20 Aromatic herb
21 Madames grooming ritual
22 Indy 500 mishap
25 Was in front
26 Surveys
28 Check
32 Equip, Brit-style
37 Talia of Rocky
38 Neer-do-wells
41 Sonata section
42 Exactitude
43 Inhabitants of a sci-fi planet
44 Pun reaction, often
46 ___ we there yet?
47 Loiterer
53 Lacking knowledge
58 Bicker
59 Mr. Hyde went through them
62 Division of a long poem
63 Lean and muscular
64 Arduous journey
65 Chinese green tea variety
66 Plane part
67 Back talk
DOWN
1 DEA officers
2 Deplete
3 City in Florida
4 It holds water
5 Animal house
6 Big brute
7 Equine gait
8 Sign up for class
9 Youngster
10 Go from pillar to post
11 Came down
12 Camping gear
13 Halftime lead, e.g.
18 Lennons wife
19 Untruths
23 Whatve you been ___?
24 Unit of pressure
27 Slow, musically
28 Ankle-knee connector
29 Food sticker
30 Units of work
31 Awful state
32 Uttar Pradesh city
33 Henhouse
34 Traffic marker
35 What are the ___?
36 Abduction ship, in tabloids
37 Girls pronoun
39 Kind of thermometer
40 Type of fish or salad
44 Court star Steffi
45 Celebrity
46 Burning desire?
48 Gangsters gun
49 Southern breakfast dish
50 Ancient Greek marketplace
51 Ancient characters
52 Schoolroom furniture
53 Cast wearers problem
54 Confederate soldiers color
55 Bobbsey sister et al.
56 Im ___ you!
57 The Three Tenors, e.g.
60 Post-wedding title
61 Affirmative vote
GOING PRO
Tuesdays solution Tuesdays solution
Basketball
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
21
Second CBL
season to tip
off on July 5
H S Manjunath

T
HE second season of
the Cambodian Basketball
League will be up and run-
ning from July 5 at its new
home, the recently renovated in-
door hall of the Olympic Stadium,
which can house up to 7,000 spec-
tators and comes complete with a
brand new wooden oor.
The day-to-day affairs of the CBL
will be handled by an organising
committee while one of the Cam-
bodian Basketball Federations
functionaries will assume the role
of league commissioner, accord-
ing to an agreement reached earlier
between the CBF and CamBasket, a
group of representatives from vari-
ous participating clubs.
Sources with intimate knowledge
of the protracted negotiations be-
tween the CBF and CamBasket told
the Post on condition of anonymity
that the sides had often been driv-
en apart by their divergent views on
many organisational issues.
Like last year, 12 teams will be
on the roster, with most of the
matches xed for Saturdays dur-
ing the season, stretching up to the
grand nal in December. Some odd
games are likely to be played on
weekday evenings.
A major regulation, designed to
boost the Cambodian stock in the
CBL, is a mandate that every team
have at least three local players in
its ranks.
The entire season will be split into
two phases. All 12 teams will play
each other in a round-robin com-
petition from July to November.
The best eight teams will progress
to a monthlong playoff.
Registration is still open and or-
ganisers are hopeful of lling up
the roster with the best teams in
the country.
The all-Cambodian Sela Meas,
who nished third last year, will
launch their bid for the title with a
new name and some new recruits.
The side has registered as Mekong
Tigers this season, roping in Meas
Ravuth and Meas Pich from NSK
Dream and winning over Nim Van-
nak from CCPL Heat.
The Tigers preparation has been
going so well that they havent lost
a single preseason game.
Many players from last seasons
runners-up, IRB The Lord, have
joined hands to form a new unit,
calling themselves Emperors. Led
by Monh Ratana, Emperors can
count on the experience of for-
mer national players Hai and Veng
Ngoun besides Chao Prohors, a
former Sela Meas player who has
stacked up impressive stats in tune-
up games so far.
Inaugural season champions Al-
axan FR Patriots, managed so well
by Chris Borja last year, may have
to deal with the new Cambodian
players regulation dominated as
the side is by foreigners.
However, this readjustment by
no means will make the Patriots
any easier to handle when they hit
the court, and they will once again
be odds-on favourites to retain
the title.
Among the teams nishing mid-
eld last season, Pate 310 have
staged a coup of sorts by signing
in Ouch Phanat, one of last sea-
sons revelations.
Some more teams from the
inaugural show have assumed
new names. CCPL have replaced
Heat with Warriors and Phnom
Penh Dragons may well go out as
The Rocks.
It should be an exciting season.
We will have the best teams in the
roster and the new centrally locat-
ed venue could not have been bet-
ter for players, ofcials and fans,
Michael Dibbern, one of the mem-
bers of the organising panel, told
the Post.
This will be a great advertisement
for Cambodian basketball.
An Alaxan FR Patriots player (left) goes up for a lay-up against IRB The Lord during the 2013 Cambodian Basketball League nal
at Beeline Arena last November. SRENG MENG SRUN
SAN Antonio Spurs forward
Tim Duncan is ready to re-
turn for a run at a sixth NBA
title next season.
The Spurs announced
on Monday that Duncan
has decided to exercise his
contract option to play an-
other season at a salary of
$10.3 million.
Duncan, the number one
overall selection in the 1997
NBA draft, has played his
entire 17-year career with
the Spurs.
But some had speculated
that after San Antonios NBA
championship triumph over
Miami, Duncan might elect
to head off into the sunset
with his ve titles.
While the 38-year-old player
is undoubtedly in the twilight
of his career, Duncan has re-
mained extremely effective.
The 14-time All-Star av-
eraged 15.1 points, 9.7 re-
bounds and 1.9 blocks over
74 regular-season games in
2013-14.
He averaged 16.3 points,
9.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists
while starting all 23 playoff
games, helping the Spurs
to the clubs fth NBA title
since 1999.
Duncan is the Spurs all-
time leader in games played
with 1,254, points scored
with 24,904, and rebounds
with 13,940.
He is one of ve players,
along with Hall of Famers
Michael Jordan, Magic John-
son, Bill Russell and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, to win ve
NBA titles and ve Most Valu-
able Player awards for either
the regular season or NBA
nals. AFP
With fth title in hand,
Spurs Duncan to return
Anthony opts for free agency
CARMELO Anthony made it
official on Monday, opting out
of the final season of his New
York Knicks contract in order to
test the free agent market, his
agent said.
Carmelo loves being a
Knick, Leon Rose said. He
loves the city and the fans. At
this stage of his career, he just
wants to explore his options.
The impending move had
been widely reported at the
weekend, but the seven-time
NBA All-Star had until Monday
to exercise the early termina-
tion clause in his contract with
the Knicks, who were due to pay
him $64 million in the final sea-
son of the three-year extension
he inked after being acquired
from the Denver Nuggets in
February of 2011.
As a free agent, Anthony can
hear offers from other teams
starting on July 1. The Knicks
will have a chance to match or
exceed an offer from any poten-
tial suitor. New team president
Phil Jackson had voiced a hope
that Anthony would play out
the final year of his contract
before testing free agency.
Jackson has indicated hed
like to see the star forward back
in New York at a less than max-
imum contract in order to
speed up the Knicks rebuilding
effort. But Anthony, who at 30
has never been a free agent,
could be looking for a chance
to sign with a title contender.
Anthony expects to draw
interest from several teams
with championship aspira-
tions, with the Chicago Bulls,
Houston Rockets and Dallas
Mavericks having been men-
tioned as possible suitors.
The 30-year-old helped lead
the Knicks to a 54-28 record
and an appearance in the East-
ern Conference semi-finals in
2012-13. However, the Knicks
were unable to build on that
success and missed in the
2013-14 season.
Anthony averaged 27.4
points, a career-best 8.1
rebounds and 3.1 assists over
77 games in 2013-14, finishing
second to league Most Valuable
Player Kevin Durant in the
scoring race. In three-plus sea-
sons since arriving in New York,
Anthony has averaged 26.5
points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1
assists. AFP
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks takes a free throw shot
against the Phoenix Suns during their NBA game on March 28. AFP
Chenla Uni crowned
queens of the court
CHENLA University female
volleyball team smashed
through all opposition on their
way towards victory in yesterday
mornings final of the 2014
National College and Technical
Institute Championships at the
indoor hall of the Olympic
Stadium. Chenla won all four of
their matches 3-0 against rivals
including Norton University,
Pedagogical Institute of Stung
Treng, the National Physical and
Sports Institute and finalists
PSE Institute. However, the
unbeaten side expressed their
frustration at the lack of
drinking water made available
to them during the tournament.
In the third place play-off,
National Physical and Sports
Institute hammered their Stung
Treng opponents 3-0. CHHORN
NORN, TRANSLATEDBY CHENGSERYRITH
McCaw to miss Super 15
run-in with broken rib
NEW Zealand captain Richie
McCaw will miss the Canterbury
Crusaders push for the Super
15 finals after breaking a rib in
the Test series against England,
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen
said yesterday. Hansen said
McCaw would be sidelined for
three weeks after X-rays
confirmed the players rib
problem, initially thought to be
heavy bruising, was a fracture.
Unfortunately hes got a broken
rib which he did possibly in the
second Test, or early in the first
one, Hansen told Radio Sport.
It was a courageous effort for
him to be out there and doing
what he does. The injury
means McCaw will miss the last
three games of the Super 15
regular season, a major blow for
the Crusaders who face tough
run of New Zealand derbies
against the Wellington
Hurricanes, Auckland Blues
and Otago Highlanders. AFP

Powell to race 100m in
Paris Diamond League
JAMAICAN sprinter Asafa
Powell, free to compete again
pending the outcome of an
appeal against his 18-month
doping ban, will race the 100m
at the Diamond League meet in
Paris on July 5, organisers said
on Monday. Powell and training
partner Sherone Simpson
tested positive for banned
stimulant oxilofrine after the
100m finals at the Jamaican
nationals on June 21, 2013.
Powell, who blamed his positive
result on a nutritional
supplement, was banned until
December 28, by the Jamaica
Anti-Doping Commission
Disciplinary Panel. AFP
Mark Cavendish to lead
Omega Pharma at Tour
ISLE of Man sprint superstar
Mark Cavendish will lead a
strong Omega Pharma team
when the Tour de France begins
on July 5 in Leeds, England, the
team announced on Monday.
Winner of 25 Tour stages, which
is third on the all-time list, nine
behind Belgian legend Eddy
Merckx and three behind
French rider Bernard Hinault,
Cavendish will be supported in
the sprints by Italian veteran
Alessandro Petacchi as well as
Australian Mark Renshaw to
lead him home. Polands Michal
Kwiatkowski, who finished 13th
in 2013, is the teams main hope
for a good finish in the overall
standings. AFP
22 THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Sport
Serbias Novak Djokovic returns to Kazakhstans Andrey Golubev during their mens singles rst round match on day one of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships on Monday. AFP
Djokovic, Murray cruise
T
OP seed Novak Djok-
ovic and defending
champion Andy Mur-
ray stormed into the
Wimbledon second round
on Monday with such speed
that All England Club organis-
ers had to pad out the Centre
Court schedule.
Murray took out baby-faced
Belgian, David Gofn 6-1,
6-4, 7-5 in a shade over two
hours while Djokovic, the 2011
champion and runner-up to
the third-seeded Briton in
2013, needed just 88 minutes
to dispose of Kazakhstans An-
drey Golubev, 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.
In between, Li Na, the wom-
ens second seed, took only
77 minutes to get past Polish
qualier Paula Kania.
As a result, Centre Court fans
in possession of the hottest
tickets in town were treated
to 10th seeded Dominika
Cibulkova facing Canadian
qualier Aleksandra Wozniak
as a closing gesture.
Murray, bidding to become
the rst British man to suc-
cessfully defend a Wimble-
don title since Fred Perry in
1936, hit eight aces and 28
winners past world number
104 Gofn.
I thought it was a very high
standard of match, we played
some great rallies, and I was
glad to nish it in three sets
because he was playing very
well, said Murray.
Sometimes you can win in
three and not play well but in
terms of the way I struck the
ball it was a good start.
The British star was never
broken as he brushed past the
23-year-old Gofn with new
coach Amelie Mauresmo and
former NBA superstar Sha-
quille ONeal looking on from
the Centre Court stands.
Murray, who has made at
least the semi-nals on his
last ve appearances at the All
England Club, goes on to face
Slovenias Blaz Rola.
Djokovic, playing for the
rst time since losing the
French Open nal to Rafael
Nadal, won the rst 11 games
of his Centre Court mismatch
against world number 55 Gol-
ubev who has now lost all four
of his main draw appearances
at Wimbledon. The Serb red
seven aces and 34 winners
and next tackles Czech veteran
Radek Stepanek for a place in
the last 32.
It was a great start, especial-
ly in the rst two sets. Credit
to Andrey for coming back in
the third, but I cannot be hap-
pier with the performance,
said Djokovic.
Murray and Djokovic were
joined in the second round
by Czech sixth seed Tomas
Berdych, the 2010 runner-up,
who came from a set down to
beat Romanias Victor Hanes-
cu, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
Spanish seventh seed David
Ferrer, twice a quarter-nalist,
also made it through by seeing
off compatriot Pablo Carreno-
Busta 6-0, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 6-1.
Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgar-
ian 11th seed who won the
Queens title last week, beat
Ryan Harrison of the United
States, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-2.
But Spanish 18th seed Fer-
nando Verdasco, who took
Murray to ve sets in the quar-
ter-nals in 2013, was knocked
out by Australias Marinko
Matosevic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Chinese womens second
seed Li Na, a three-time
quarter-nalist, got back on
track after her French Open
misery thanks to a 7-5, 6-2
win over Kania.
Li suffered her worst Grand
Slam performance since 2011
when she slumped to an open-
ing round exit against Kristina
Mladenovic in Paris.
But the 32-year-old from Wu-
han was too strong for world
number 183 Kania, hitting 24
winners to set up a second
round meeting with Austrias
Yvonne Meusburger.
In the beginning I was a bit
shaky because I hadnt played
her before and she was using
my power against me, so I
was really happy to win in the
end, said Li.
Former womens world num-
ber one Victoria Azarenka won
her rst match since January
as the eighth seed triumphed
6-3, 7-5 against Croatias Mir-
jana Lucic-Baroni, who was a
semi-nalist back in 1999.
The former Australian Open
champion has been plagued
by a left foot injury which kept
her off tour from Indian Wells
in March to Eastbourne last
week where she lost her open-
er to Camila Giorgi.
US 18th seed Sloane Ste-
phens, a quarter-nalist in
2013, was defeated by Russian
former top 10 player Maria
Kirilenko, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6).
Kirilenko, who had won
just one match all year after a
lengthy battle with a knee in-
jury, claimed victory on a sixth
match point.
Australian 17th seed Saman-
tha Stosur red 13 aces but still
suffered another Wimbledon
nightmare when she slumped
to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Belgiums
Yanina Wickmayer.
The former US Open cham-
pion has now failed to get
beyond the third round in 12
Wimbledon appearances.
Five-time champion Venus
Williams, the 30th seed, beat
Spains world number 53 Ma-
ria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-4, 4-6,
6-2. Czech sixth seed Petra
Kvitova, the 2011 champion,
beat compatriot Andrea Hla-
vackova, 6-3, 6-0. AFP
Schumacher medical documents stolen: management
DOCUMENTS relating to Michael
Schumacher have been stolen, the
Formula One stars management said
on Monday, with the thieves claim-
ing them to be medical records about
his coma from a devastating ski crash
in December.
For several days, stolen documents
and data are being offered for sale. The
offeror claims them to be the medical
file of Michael Schumacher, the Ger-
mans spokeswoman Sabine Kehm
said in a statement.
We cannot judge if these docu-
ments are authentic. However, the
documents are clearly stolen. The
theft has been reported. The authori-
ties are involved, she added.
Kehm warned against either the
purchase or the publication of the
data, stressing: The contents of any
medical files are totally private and
confidential and must not be made
available to the public.
She vowed to sue against any pub-
lication of the content or reference to
the medical file.
Schumacher was transferred from a
French hospital to a facility in Swit-
zerland earlier this month after emerg-
ing from a coma.
He had been treated since Decem-
ber 29 in the French Alpine city of
Grenoble after he slammed his head
against a rock while skiing with his
son and friends.
A police source later told AFP that
Grenoble hospital had last week filed
a lawsuit regarding the theft of the
data.
The 45-year-old was transferred to
a hospital in the Swiss city of Lausanne
where he will be undergoing further
treatment. The racing star underwent
two operations to remove life-threat-
ening blood clots after the freak acci-
dent that shocked the world, before
being plunged into a medically
induced coma.
Since then, Kehm had said he was
showing short moments of con-
sciousness, but few other details
have filtered out and it is still unclear
as to what the future holds for the
man who cheated death countless
times on the track. AFP
Football
THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
23
First woman boss walks
away from Clermont job
PORTUGALS Helena Costa
said yesterday she had decided
against taking up the coaching
position at French side
Clermont for purely personal
reasons. The 36-year-old Costa
made global headlines as the
first woman to take charge of a
mens professional team in a
leading European nation after
being named in May to coach
Clermont, who play in Frances
second tier. But club president
Claude Michy took everyone
aback on Monday with the
sudden announcement that the
ground-breaking deal had
fallen through. Costa appeared
alongside Michy at a press
conference at the clubs Stade
Gabriel Montpied yesterday, but
would only say that personal
considerations had been
behind her decision to step
away from the job. She said
that she had explained her
decision in private to Michy
and that she would have no
further comments to make.
Michy, however, called Costas
decision astonishing,
surprising, incomprehensible.
AFP
Team USA match sets
record with TV viewers
SUNDAYS dramatic World Cup
match between the United
States and Portugal may have
ended in a disappointing 2-2
draw for Team USA, but it was a
record-setter on US television.
Cable sports network ESPN
said on Monday the late-
afternoon game pulled an
average 18.2 million viewers to
become the most-viewed
soccer match in the United
States ever and the biggest
event on ESPN that wasnt
professional or college
American football. The soccer
viewing record previously
belonged to the 1999 Womens
World Cup final between the
United States and China that
kept nearly 18 million
Americans glued to their TV
sets, according to ESPN. AFP
World Cup brings about
global trail of carnage
THE hangover goes around the
globe like a Mexican wave a
trail of destructive and
sometimes deadly celebration is
left after every win and the
World Cup sickie has become
an epidemic. Bogotas mayor
ordered a ban on alcohol sales
during Colombias World Cup
matches after nine people died
in fighting and car accidents
sparked by the countrys 3-0 win
over Greece. We want peaceful
celebrations. We must reject
violence, said the mayor,
Gustavo Petro. About 3,000
street fights were reported to
police after the win in the city of
eight million people. In France,
migrant Algerian fans poured
onto the streets of Paris and
other big cities after their
country beat South Korea 4-2 on
Sunday. At least 28 people were
arrested by police who fired
flash balls to break up unruly
crowds and in some cases were
pelted with stones, police said.
Dozens of cars were burned.
Alcohol is causing other World
Cup tragedies. A drunken
Mexican fan jumped off a cruise
ship deck to his death after his
country drew with Brazil. The
ship was taking 3,500 Mexicans
between the Brazilian cities of
Fortaleza and Recife. AFP
Brazil, Netherlands secure
top spots in group deciders
N
EYMAR managed to bag a
brace as Brazil thrashed
Cameroon 4-1 to reach
the World Cup knockout
rounds just ahead of group rivals
Mexico on Monday.
A thrilling nale to Group A saw
the hosts surge past Cameroon in
Brasilia while Mexico downed Cro-
atia 3-1 in Recife. The Netherlands
beat Chile 2-0 to take top spot in
Group B.
Brazil nished top of their group
on seven points, leading Mexico, also
with seven, on goal difference.
Brazil will play Group B runners-up
Chile in Belo Horizonte on Saturday
while Mexico will face the Nether-
lands in Fortaleza on Sunday.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said
he was pleased his side had shown
signs of improvement but admit-
ted he would have preferred to have
avoided Chile.
I feel good now that we have qual-
ied and I am thinking about my
team. I know that they are going to
keep improving, said Scolari.
I have played against Chile two
times before and I know how difcult
a side they are. Some people think
we will beat Chile easily but they are
a quality side, well organised.
If I could have chosen our op-
ponents I would not have chosen
them, Scolari explained.
Star striker Neymar opened the
scoring in the 17th minute the
100th goal of the tournament in Bra-
zils 100th World Cup match to set
the hosts on their way.
A close-range effort by Camer-
oons Joel Matip jolted Brazil on 26
minutes before Neymar settled the
nerves again with his second of the
match nine minutes later.
Brazil stretched their lead through
Fred after the interval and looked to
be cruising to rst place.
But a urry of three Mexico goals in
10 minutes from Rafael Marquez, An-
dres Guardado and Javier Hernandez
against Croatia changed the com-
plexion of the qualifying picture.
With Mexico rampant and leading
3-0, one more goal could have seen
them just edge Brazil to rst place
in Group A.
Panic was short-lived however,
with substitute Fernandinho strok-
ing home Brazils fourth to restore
the hosts goal difference advantage.
A late consolation goal by Croatias
Ivan Perisic snuffed out any chance of
a remarkable turnaround by Mexico.
In Mondays earlier games, the
Netherlands ensured top spot in
Group B and a date with Mexico
by beating Chile 2-0 in Sao Paulo.
Super-subs Leroy Fer and Memphis
Depay grabbed the late goals to settle
a hard-fought clash.
The victory gave the 2010 runners-
up a 100 per cent record after earlier
wins against Spain and Australia.
The Netherlands, missing sus-
pended captain Robin van Persie, -
nally broke through Chiles defence
on 77 minutes.
Daryl Janmaat whipped in a cross
and Fer rose high to thunder home
a header.
In the dying minutes, Arjen Rob-
ben burst clear down the left ank
and crossed for Depay to stab home
from close range.
We have to take time to enjoy this
fantastic result but it shouldnt end
here, said Robben.
We have to change our mindset
and look ahead because we really
want to move forward.
Spain defeated Australia 3-0 in
Group Bs dead rubber, with David
Villa, Fernando Torres and Juan
Mata scoring.
Villa, 32, took his Spanish record
goals tally to 59 in his 97th appear-
ance with a clever backheeled nish
on 36 minutes, in his last interna-
tional appearance.
But Villas goalscoring nale was
scant consolation for Spain after a di-
sastrous World Cup campaign which
saw the 2010 champions knocked
out after their rst two matches.
Villa, who will now concentrate on
a new club football career in Aus-
tralia and the United States, was
substituted early in the second
half, shedding tears as he left the
field to applause.
I have always had a lot of love for
the national team and it has always
been what I dreamed about, Villa
said afterwards. I would play until I
am 55 but that is impossible and I have
to be realistic. AFP
Brazils forward Neymar controls the ball during their Group A match against Cameroon at
the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia on Monday. AFP
Iran chase goals, advance
ASHKAN Dejagah is confident
Iran can end their goal-drought
by beating Bosnia tonight to
reach the World Cup last 16.
Iran are third in Group F with
one point after a goalless draw
with Nigeria and the heartbreak
of their 1-0 defeat to Argentina
when Lionel Messi scored in
added time.
In Salvador, the Iranians must
beat Bosnia, who are already
out, while hoping Nigeria fail to
pick up a point against Argen-
tina in Porto Alegre, which also
kicks off at 1pm local time
(11pm Cambodian time).
Salvadors Arena Fonte Nova
has seen 17 goals in three games
after the Netherlands 5-1 romp
over Spain, Germanys 4-0 ham-
mering of Portugal and Frances
5-2 rout of the Swiss. Iran can
now do with scoring a few of
their own at the same venue.
If they win and Nigeria loses,
both sides will finish with four
points leaving goal difference
to decide who goes through to
the last 16 clash in Brasilia next
Monday against the Group E
winners. Fulhams Dejagah
says his side must bounce
back from the disappoint-
ment of their Argentinian
defeat with a win.
We still have a chance to go
through and who would have
thought our World Cup would
last longer than England and
Spain, Dejagah said.
Swiss aim to avoid deja vu
Switzerland have a chance
tonight to put right their dra-
matic failure of 2010 when they
again face bogey team Hondu-
ras for a place in the World Cup
knock-outs.
The situation is eerily similar
to four years ago, when the
Swiss were in contention for the
last 16 but missed out when
they drew their last group game
with the Central American min-
nows. This time around, having
scaled the FIFA rankings to a
dizzying sixth place, expecta-
tions are high for Ottmar
Hitzfelds respected side.
Switzerland currently trail
Ecuador on goal difference. If
France beat Ecuador, Switzer-
land need only a point from
Honduras to qualify. But if
Ecuador win Switzerland must
better their rivals result to
advance. AFP
Tonights Fixtures
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Iran
11pm
Nigeria v Argentina 11pm
Ecuador v France 3am
Honduras v Switzerland
3am
Irans Ashkan Dejagah (left) and
Argentinas Pablo Zabaleta vie
during their Group F match. AFP
A COLLEGE student in China
leaped to his death after los-
ing more than US$3,000 gam-
bling on the World Cup, state
media reported yesterday.
The second-year student,
identied only by his sur-
name Lin, jumped from the
seventh oor of a building on
his campus on Monday, the
Information Times said, cit-
ing a witness.
I heard him say do not
force me and give me two
more days and Ill return you
the money, the report quot-
ed the witness as saying.
He talked on the phone for
more than 10 minutes. I saw
him hang up and stand up
and then all in a sudden he
just disappeared, she said.
Lin was rushed to hospi-
tal in Panyu in the southern
province of Guangdong,
but doctors were not able to
revive him, the newspaper
reported.
Another student described
as a classmate of Lins said
the gambler had lost nearly
20,000 yuan (US$3,200) in
bets on several World Cup
games, it said.
We heard that he borrowed
quite a lot of money and the
interest rate was rather high,
said the student, according to
the report.
It did not specify which
teams Lin had backed.
China has millions of foot-
ball fans, some of who are
both devoted viewers and
passionate gamblers.
Sales of a government-run
World Cup-related lottery
reached four billion yuan by
Saturday, nearly twice the
2.3 billion yuan sold during
the 2010 tournament, the
China News Service report-
ed yesterday.
Total sales of the tickets are
expected to exceed 10 billion
yuan, it said, citing an ofcial
with the General Administra-
tion of Sport. AFP
China student jumps to
death after losing bets
24 THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 25, 2014
Sport
ONE FC CEO Victor Cui (left), CBS general manager Bernard Anthony (second left), NagaWorld COO Mark Brown (second right) and CMMAA president Vath Chamreoun conduct the ONE FC press conference yesterday. SRENGMENGSRUN
ONE FC promises world class
entertainment for September
Dan Riley

O
NE FIGHTING Champion-
ship, Asias largest mixed
martial arts organisation,
yesterday emphasised
their intent on bringing Cambodian
sports fans the biggest spectacle they
have ever witnessed with their inau-
gural ght night in the Kingdom on
September 12, although their CEO
Victor Cui hinted there may be even
more at stake for him.
September 12 is my wifes birthday
and she comes with me to every ONE
FC event, Cui told a packed out press
conference at NagaWorld yesterday.
So I have to promise her that when
she comes to Cambodia that this is
the most exciting ght card that shes
ever been to.
Cui, however, seemed condent his
organisation would rise to the chal-
lenge. We bring world class enter-
tainment wherever we go, he added.
It is a night of heart-thumping,
hair-raising, Las Vegas-style level of
entertainment of ghts, music, ce-
lebrities, the whose who of people
that are in town and the entire ght
community.
Billed as ONE FC: Rise of the King-
dom, the September 12 event will
be held at the Koh Pich Theater on
Diamond Island with an expected ca-
pacity crowd of around 3,000. Ticket
prices will be announced in the com-
ing weeks.
Cui was joined on stage by three
representatives from ONE FCs three
pillars of event production in Cam-
bodia who had laid the foundations
for the historic ght card.
Firstly there was Vath Chamroeun,
president of the Cambodian Mixed
Martial Arts Association and secre-
tary-general of the National Olympic
Committee of Cambodia, who bro-
kered a deal via the Tourism Minister
Thong Khon to supply government
sanctioning.
Secondly, NagaWorld chief operat-
ing ofcer Mark Brown represented
the corporate sponsorship, with the
Phnom Penh entertainment hub
having signed a two-year partnership
deal with ONE FC last month that
covers 10 events including two on
home soil.
Lastly was Cambodian Broadcast-
ing Service general manager Bernard
Anthony, who facilitated the me-
dia backing in live action coverage
of ONE FC events on local channel
MyTV. ONE FC shows are currently
screened in 70 countries with a po-
tential reach of a billion people.
These three pillars are what en-
ables world class sport to come to
Cambodia, said Cui of the CM-
MMAA, NagaWorld and MyTV.
Without them, this [event] would
not be possible.
As the representatives each gave
addresses, a gleaming multi-tiered
trophy stood illuminated at the side
of the stage.
Grand Prix bouts between locals
have been proposed for the Sep-
tember 12 card in each of the feath-
erweight (65.8kg), bantamweight
(61.2kg) and yweight (56.7kg) divi-
sions to identify who are the best
Cambodian ghters in the nation,
according to Cui.
This beautiful trophy, which will
nd its home right here in Naga-
World and the winners with their
names etched on it for history, is up
for grabs, he added.
The 10-bout card is set to include
further Cambodian battles, including
the Kingdoms rst female ONE FC
cage ght.
No ghters have yet been named
for the event, although local MMA
club A Fighter is likely to provide a
few familiar faces.
Media ofcials yesterday were
shown an impressive set of video
montages showcasing some of the
most explosive action from past
ONE FC nights included a specially
produced segment highlighting the
exploits of three A Fighter prospects
Khim Dima, Tok Sophon and Long
Sophy who have fought abroad for
ONE FC over the past year.
In his closing remarks, Cui recited
a short story that encapsulated the
reasons why MMA is one of fast-
growing sports in the world, why it is
so popular in Asia and why he loved
martial arts.
A few months ago, we had a re-
match ght between a Malaysian
champion [Saiful Mercian] and a
Cambodian champion [Khim Dima]
... It was held in Kuala Lumpur, so the
Malaysian had the home advantage.
The rst time they had fought,
Khim Dima won, but this time the
Malaysia took the win.
After he had collected his prize
winnings, Saiful Merican heard
that Khim Dimas [sisters] house
had burnt down and theyd lost
everything.
In the true spirit of martial arts,
Saiful Merican took his envelope
and wrote on there: To my brother
in martial arts. I heard about the
bad luck and I want to give you my
prize purse.
And he did that not in front of
media, he did it not in front of me.
He did it privately. Just gave his en-
velope of cash.
That is the beauty of this com-
munity.
You will never see in any other
sport, two men face off and ght with
all of their heart for 15 minutes and
afterwards, [one gives the other] his
prize purse because hes his brother
in martial arts.
ONE FC CEO Victor Cui will be looking to impress his wife on her birthday on September
12 as Cambodia hosts its rst ONE FC mixed martial arts ght night. SRENG MENG SRUN

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