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

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NATIONAL [PAGE 3]
LABOURING OVER LAW
BUSINESS [PAGE 7]
BET ON BAVET
HEALTH [PAGE 18]
BUTT OUT
Independent unions object to
the governments additions
to a draft law
Australian company buys a
casino on the Vietnam border
To mark World No Tobacco
Day, a few tips to help quit
smoking
Kevin Ponniah and Mom Kunthear
TWO years after she was walked out
of the city in the middle of the night
to a quiet life of retirement on the out-
skirts of the capital, Sambo, Phnom
Penhs iconic and much-beloved ele-
phant, might soon be back at work
entertaining tourists.
With funding for her recently con-
cluded rehabilitation program now
gone, her owner is insisting he has
little choice but to begin showcasing
her once more at Wat Phnom, a deci-
sion contested by the elephant rescue
organisation that bankrolled her two-
year sabbatical.
Sin Sorn, who owns Sambo, says
that as the pair are no longer sup-
ported by the Elephant Asia Rescue
and Survival foundation (EARS), he
cannot afford to pay for her food and
medical care without the steady
income he earned for the more than
20 years that she was a tourist attrac-
tion at the temple.
The decades that 54-year-old Sam-
bo spent walking on hard concrete
and gravel while giving rides resulted
in a painful abscess on a foot,
Short-lived
retirement
for Sambo?
Vong Sokheng and Daniel Pye
P
RIME Minister Hun Sen said
yesterday that his government
will work with the Thai junta
that came to power in a coup
last week, and quashed speculation
that the ousted Shinawatra clan may
be allowed to set up a government in
exile in Cambodia.
In a speech to about 3,000 univer-
sity graduates from the Royal Univer-
sity of Phnom Penh at the Koh Pich
Exhibition Center, Hun Sen said Cam-
bodias constitution and its member-
ship in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations prevented it from inter-
fering in the internal affairs of coun-
tries in the region.
Cambodia has considered the situ-
ation in Thailand, which is the inter-
nal affairs of Thailand, and Cambodia
will not interfere with its internal
affairs, he said. Now, a military gov-
ernment has been approved by the
Thai king, and I hope that former
prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck
[Shinawatra] . . . will understand Cam-
bodias stance.
The Thai military coup followed six
months of political deadlock and vio-
lent street protests that left at least 28
people dead.
Hun Sens remarks came days after
a statement from Thaksins lawyer,
Robert Amsterdam, saying that a
number of foreign governments have
already expressed their willingness to
host such a government in exile under
internationally established rules and
practice, prompting speculation that
Cambodia had been approached.
While two senior government offi-
cials said earlier this week that the
government in exile would not be
allowed, ruling Cambodian Peoples
Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap on Sun-
day told the Post that although the
constitution prohibited such a move,
the final decision would be down to
the prime minister.
But Hun Sen yesterday said that
despite his close personal relationship
with Thaksin he welcomed the oust-
ed prime minister in 2009 as an eco-
nomic adviser, triggering a diplomatic
PM ends exile govt talk
Continues on page 2
Continues on page 2
Hopes Shinawatras will understand
Tran Thi Minh Ha
VIETNAM yesterday accused a Chi-
nese ship of ramming and sinking
one of its fishing boats, further fan-
ning territorial tensions over Bei-
jings deployment of an oil rig in
contested waters.
The incident, which Chinas rival
Japan described as extremely dan-
gerous, comes during an ongoing
tense confrontation between the
communist neighbours in the South
China Sea that has triggered interna-
tional alarm.
Vietnam summoned a representa-
tive of Beijings embassy to formally
protest the incident, which it said fol-
lowed recent cases of damage to its
fishing boats and assault of its fisher-
men by Chinese forces.
The crew of the sunken vessel, who
were rescued by other Vietnamese
ships after the Monday afternoon
incident, said their boat was encir-
cled by 40 Chinese vessels before
being rammed, the official Vietnam
News Agency reported.
Once again, Vietnam demands
China to end inhumane acts that
seriously infringed on the life, prop-
erties and legitimate interests of
Vietnamese fishermen, Hanois
Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai
Binh said.
The 10 fishermen on board were all
safe, according to a second Vietnam-
ese official, who said the sinking
occurred about 12 nautical miles
southwest of the oil rig.
Beijing blamed the Vietnamese ves-
sel, saying it had forcefully intruded
into the area of the oil rig and cap-
sized after colliding with a Chinese
fishing boat.
I want to stress that the direct
cause of this incident is that the Viet-
namese side insisted on disturbing
the normal work of the Chinese side,
Beijings Foreign Ministry spokesman
Qin Gang said.
Some countries fantasise that
[China] will sit idly by while its inter-
ests and sovereignty are damaged,
Vietnam:
Chinese
sank boat
Continues on page 12
Sambo the elephant gets hosed down by one of her caretakers yesterday on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Sambo retired two years
ago after spending more than 20 years as a tourist attraction at Phnom Penhs Wat Phnom. VIREAK MAI
Continued from page 1
overgrown toenails and a host
of other issues, causing her
to limp.
After a veterinarian retained
by EARS warned in 2012 that a
further deterioration in her
painfully lame condition
could lead Sambo to collapse
on the citys streets, Sorn agreed
to move her to a plot of land for
rest and medical treatment.
That contract expired in
March, leaving EARS and Sorn
at loggerheads about what
happens next.
I do not have money to sup-
port her anymore. I will bring
her back to Wat Phnom, but I
will not allow people to ride her
while she walks like in the past,
Sorn said yesterday at the sandy
Phnom Penh Thmey com-
pound where Sambo has lived
since February 2012, as the
elephant shovelled sugar cane
into its mouth behind him.
I spend $15 a day just on
Sambos food . . . [In the city],
she will just stand in one place
and tourists or people can
touch her, take photos with her
or buy fruits that I will sell to
feed her.
EARS has spent $45,000 over
the two-year period paying for
Sambos medical care and a
monthly compensation pack-
age for Sorn to help fund an
assistant caregiver, food, elec-
tricity, water and to cover his
loss of earnings.
Sambos feet are in a far better
condition than before, but
EARS founder and CEO Louise
Rogerson says sending her
back to the city would be the
worst possible decision for the
elephants welfare.
Shes never going to fully
recover 100 per cent, but what
weve done is given her an
intensive medical program over
the last two years, she said.
It has been a very slow reha-
bilitation process, there is
absolutely no way she can go
back to the city. It would be
impossible for her to walk on
hot tarmac roads . . . It would
basically be animal cruelty.
EARS has offered to fund Sam-
bos retirement at the Phnom
Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in
Takeo province or at the Elephant
Valley Project in Mondulkiri
province instead, but Sorn has
rejected these options.
He says he would prefer to
move her to a piece of land in
Kampong Speu province that
his son has said he will pur-
chase if donors help with her
upkeep and medical costs.
EARS has rejected that land as
unsuitable for the elephants
long-term retirement.
I want to appeal to everyone
in Cambodia and overseas and
other organisations to help my
Sambo. But not EARS. I want
those who love elephants to
help my elephant directly
through me, because I am the
owner of the elephant and I
am taking care of her every
day, Sorn said.
He declined to explain why he
no longer wanted any support
from EARS, citing personal
issues with the organisation.
Sorn also brushed off con-
cerns about Sambos health and
any doubts of his commitment
to care for her in the city.
Sambo has lived with me
since she was 8 years old and
I consider her my daughter. So
I want to stay with Sambo
until I die.
Rogerson is clear, however,
that Sambo deserves a better
life after 30 years of standing
in the city.
Hes pleading poverty and
that he cant afford to feed her,
but thats not the case. We can
continue on an agreement if he
wants to consider his elephant
first and return her to her
natural habitat with other
elephants, she said.
Wildlife protection officials
from the forestry administra-
tion will visit Sambo this week
to evaluate her health and
determine whether the ele-
phant can return to the city,
Phnom Tamao sanctuary direc-
tor Rattanak Pich said.
The Ministry of Information
has also offered its compound
on Monivong Boulevard as a
possible sleeping place for Sam-
bo if she returns to the city, Min-
ister Khieu Kanharith said.
Retirement
short-lived
for Sambo?
National
2
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Hun Sen ends talk
of Thai exile govt
Continued from page 1

row with the Thais to host
such a government in exile
would be unconstitutional.
Id like to stress that Cambo-
dia is not the location for any
country or group, even Thak-
sins group, to form a govern-
ment in exile, he said. Cam-
bodias constitution does not
permit any foreigners to use
its territory as a base to create
armed forces to attack the gov-
ernment of another country.
He added that, as Cam-
bodia shares a border with
Thailand, it is important to
continue to maintain good
relations and cooperation de-
spite the military takeover.
There is no other choice,
because Thailand has a mil-
itary-ruled government now,
so it is inevitable that we have
to work with the military gov-
ernment, he said.
More than 100 Thai opposi-
tion gures, activists, academ-
ics and journalists have been
summoned to report to the
military authorities in Bangkok
since the coup. Many of those
who went to the military vol-
untarily have been detained.
Analysts yesterday wel-
comed Hun Sens comments.
Political commentator Kem
Ley agreed that to allow such
a government in exile would
be unconstitutional.
I appreciate his speech.
Cambodias constitution says
clearly that Cambodia is inde-
pendent, neutral and sovereign.
It does not allow any group or
country to cooperate against
another. Within the ASEAN
charter, it clearly declares no
country can interfere in the
political and internal affairs [of
member states], he said.
We [also] learned that [the
late King Norodom] Sihanouk
lost because he fought against
South Vietnam and we learned
a terrible history from this.
And right now, Cambodian
people are concerned about
the high tension between Chi-
na and Vietnam.
Analyst Chea Vannath
agreed, saying: It is a perfect
position for the government,
so it will not interfere in the
internal affairs of other coun-
tries. Cambodia can maintain
its political stability.
Sambo the elephant takes a dip as Sin Sorn watches over her on the
outskirts of Phnom Penh yesterday. VIREAK MAI
Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures during a speech at a graduation
ceremony on Koh Pich yesterday. PHA LINA
It is inevitable that
we have to work
with the military
government
Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan
W
HILE trade union laws are
typically written to expand
organised labour rights, la-
bour leaders said yesterday
that they oppose portions of a new draft
union law they believe will stie their
ability to organise.
Amid meetings they are having with the
Ministry of Labour and industry ofcials
today and Thursday, several union lead-
ers said they oppose new additions to the
draft law, a previous version of which was
tabled in November 2011.
It seems to lock many out from creating
unions, Pav Sina, president of the Collec-
tive Union of Movement of Workers, said.
If passed into law as written, the draft leg-
islation would require at least 20 per cent
of employees at a workplace to join a union
for it to operate there. It also stipulates that
only one union may exist per workplace.
Unions do not currently require a mini-
mum number of members to set up in a
single workplace, and there are no limits
on the number of unions.
The rule could lead to wide-scale domi-
nance of government-loyal unions and
seriously hamper those that are inde-
pendent, Cambodian Confederation of
Unions president Rong Chhun said.
I will demand that they change some
points, he said yesterday.
Ministry of Labour ofcials began work-
ing with the International Labour Organi-
zation on the proposed laws current ver-
sion in December, ministry spokesman
Heng Sour said.
I think [the draft law] rst protects the
rights of the workers and protects the in-
terest of the economy and the nation, he
said. It also impedes anarchy and ex-
ploitation of freedom, he added.
While unfamiliar with the exact lan-
guage in the latest draft, Dave Welsh,
country director of labour rights group
Solidarity Center, said the idea of passing
a law that reduced rights ran contrary to
international norms. If that is the objec-
tive of the Cambodian law, it is unique
around the world, but for the wrong rea-
sons, Welsh said.
Despite Sinas opposition to several
points, he said one section that lowers
the minimum age for a union member to
be allowed to become president from 25
to 18 could mean better representation of
young workers, who make up a great deal
of Cambodias workforce.
Draft law talks follow recent unrest in the
garment industry, including workers being
fatally shot, unionists arrested, freedom of
association being targeted and business
groups challenging workers right to strike.
Yesterday, six members of the Khmer
Worker Power Federation Union were
released on bail from a Kampong Speu
prison, according to Chey Sovann, the
unions president.
The six were accused of incitement
during a strike at the Wing Star Shoes fac-
tory on May 6.
National
3
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Meas Sokchea
CAMBODIA National Rescue
Party president Sam Rainsy
yesterday called on residents
in the northeast provinces
to defend their land lest the
area be turned into a Viet-
namese colony.
Rainsys comments were
quickly condemned by both
the Cambodian and Vietnam-
ese governments.
Speaking to hundreds of
people in Mondulkiri and Ra-
tanakkiri provinces yesterday
as part of a wide-ranging tour
to meet supporters, Rainsy
said the government has
granted thousands of hectares
of land to private companies
that are Khmer in name only
and really belong to Vietnam.
In rhetoric that is now fa-
miliar, the opposition leader
warned that the companies
will allow oods of Vietnam-
ese people into the region, ef-
fectively colonising the land.
This is not immigration.
Immigration is different from
colonialism. An immigrant is
a foreigner who enters each
country to nd an occasion to
live for himself. But a colonist
is not a normal immigrant, a
colonist does not go back. A
colonist serves a political plan
to take the neighbouring terri-
tory, Rainsy said.
He added that the Vietnam-
ese can then vote to secede
from Cambodia and become
part of Vietnam. He also urged
people to defend their forests,
elds and farms, but did not
specify the means.
Council of Ministers spokes-
man Phay Siphan said Rainsy
misunderstood the nature of
investment. Cambodia does
not discriminate against any
country that wants to invest in
the country, he said, and more-
over, Cambodia will not be
controlled by another country.
We do not let our country
be a slave of any country, he
said. Excellency Sam Rain-
sys language is just an allega-
tion for political popularity,
Siphan said.
Tran Van Thong, a Vietnam-
ese Embassy spokesman in
Phnom Penh, said Rainsys ac-
cusation is groundless.
Vietnamese companies
that invest in Cambodia have
respected Cambodian law, in-
ternational law and Vietnam-
ese law. So for his accusation,
I dont know about his idea.
Vietnam does not have this
idea, [Vietnam] has the idea of
friendship and cooperation,
he said.
Northeast primed for
colonisation: Rainsy
Independent union president Ath Thorn speaks to the media in front of Phnom Penh Municipal
Court last month. Thorn is facing incitement charges over a strike last year. HENG CHIVOAN
New law will stifle us: unions
National
4
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
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AIP Foundation, Cambodia ofce is currently seeking qualied candidates for the following four positions,
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Enabling Environment Campaign Manager 1.
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Identify road safety policy gaps and issues and
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Key Skills
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Fluent in verbal and written Khmer and English
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Bachelors degree in development, law,
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Minimum 4 years of experience working
with an NGO, preferably in evidence-based
advocacy campaign with media relations as
well as project monitoring and evaluation
responsibilities

2. Behavior Change Campaign Assistant
The Campaign Assistant will support the program
activities for the Behavior Change Campaign.
Position responsibilities include providing
assistance to arrange workshops and trainings,
develop and implement public awareness
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Key Duties:
Assist Campaign Manager in conducting and
coordinating all program activities;
Supervise ongoing development and
maintenance of campaign website;
Maintain good working relationships with key
stakeholders
Support program planning and implementation
with a focus on research, monitoring, and
evaluation.
Key Skills
Flexible and adaptable with strong
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Excellent organizational skills
Experience with project management,
planning, and monitoring
Fluent in verbal and written Khmer and English
languages
Qualications and Requirements:
Cambodian national
Bachelors degree in marketing, management,
or a relevant eld
Minimum 2 years working experience, within
the NGO sector and with a similar role
3. Operations Ofcer
The Operations Ofcer will be responsible for ensuring
that the Accounting Units requests are resolved and
communicated in a timely manner, assisting with
compiling grant reports, managing the organizations
human resources, and supporting the development
of organizational and program budgets.
Key Duties:
Support annual budgeting and planning process
for the organization with the Country Director
and Finance Assistant;
Provide support to the program team through
coordination of project reports and event/
logistics arrangement;
Manage support services (HR, IT, and Finance)
in collaboration with headquarters ofce;
continuously support improvements to each of
these support service functions;
Key Skills
High level organizational skills, including
experience in managing travel arrangements,
VIP visits, and project events
Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft
Ofce Suite
Fluent in verbal and written Khmer and English
languages
Qualications Requirements:
Cambodian national
Bachelor degree in Business or a related eld
Minimum 2 years work experience in a similar role
Experience with nancial duties, including
budget development and oversight
Knowledge of tax and other compliance
implications of non-prot status
4. Enabling Environment Campaign Assistant
The Campaign Assistant will support the program
activities for Enabling Environment Campaign.
Position responsibilities include providing
assistance to arrange workshops and trainings,
develop and implement public awareness
campaigns, oversee stakeholder and media
relationships, and manage project reporting.
Key Duties:
Assist Campaign Manager in conducting and
coordinating all program activities;
Maintain good working relationships with key
stakeholders
Support program planning and implementation
with a focus on research, monitoring,
evaluation, and action plan development.
Key Skills
Flexible and adaptable with strong
interpersonal skills
Experience with project management,
planning, monitoring and report writing
Fluent in verbal and written Khmer and English
languages
Qualications Requirements:
Cambodian national
Bachelors degree in law, journalism, or a
related elds
Minimum 2 years working experience, within
the NGO sector and with a similar role
For more job details, please contact us via e-mail at info@aipf-cambodia.org or telephone at 023 996 519.
Interested applicants submit expression of interest, resume, and a list of three references with current
email addresses and telephone numbers using this webform. info@aipf-cambodia.org
All applications will be carefully reviewed, including both working history and references. Application
deadline is 30
th
May 2014 at 5.30 PM.
Only short listed applicants will be notied. Interviews will take place in Phnom Penh. Work contracts
will commence in July 2014.
The water level runs low at a reservoir in Koh Kong last week. The province, which has been gripped by
drought, may have as little as a weeks supply of water. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Villagers await water
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
H
UNDREDS of fami-
lies in Koh Kong
province have since
early May been
affected by drought and a lack
of clean water, which is sup-
posed to be provided by ty-
coon and ruling party senator
Ly Yong Phat.
Due to the annual drought
in the province, two reservoirs
operated by Yong Phats LYP
Group have run dry, and locals
complain of itchy skin and ad-
ditional expenses for clean
drinking water.
LYP Group said in a letter to
the provincial water authority
on Thursday that it had sus-
pended operations until the
water level in the reservoirs
climbs, in order to produce
clean water normally again.
Poy Seurn, a village chief in
Smach Meanchey districts
Dang Tong commune, said
yesterday that, over the past
two weeks, the supply of treat-
ed water has not been able to
match the demand.
Children in my village, in-
cluding my children, got itchy
skin after using the water. We
additionally need to spend
2,000 riel per day for 20 litres
of clean water to drink and
cook, he said.
Lem Uy, a villager from Dang
Tongs Khemarak Phomen
town, said provincial water
shortages happen every year,
but few if any measures seem
to have been taken.
If the company extends
the size of the reservoirs, this
problem will not occur. The
company seems to be ig-
norant of this problem. The
provincial authorities and all
involved departments should
review the companys capa-
bilities and try to nd another
partner in order to guarantee
the clean water supply for the
whole province, he said.
Klem Koki, provincial direc-
tor of the Ministry of Industry
and Handicrafts, said he had
identied a new water source,
which could solve the prob-
lem if exploited.
According to experts per-
sonal inspection, the water in
the reservoirs will dry out in a
week if the hot climate keeps
lasting, he added.
Chhum Ratanak, director
of Koh Kongs water authority,
declined to comment, and LYP
Group could not be reached.
Remains bound for NGO
Criticism of judicial law grows
Meas Sokchea
THE opposition Cambodia National Rescue
Party said yesterday that charred human remains
retrieved by a local party member in Kampong
Speu province on Saturday would be handed over
to human rights organisations for examination.
Despite a seeming lack of evidence or investi-
gation, opposition activists have speculated that
the remains belong to 16-year-old Khim Saphath,
who went missing amid a deadly crackdown on
garment worker protests on January 3.
CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said yester-
day that the remains would be sent to Adhoc or
fellow rights group Licadho.
We are sending the remains to civil society so
that they can examine them, he said.
But when reached late yesterday afternoon,
representatives from both organisations said
that they had yet to receive the remains.
If we receive them, we will consider doing a
DNA test, and the DNA test must be done in
Thailand to find out the reality. Otherwise, we
cannot guess, Ny Chakrya, head of human
rights and legal aid at Adhoc, said.
Both groups said authorities should be inves-
tigating the case.
Som Samoeun, Kampong Speu deputy police
chief, said that yesterday morning the military,
a court prosecutor and police officers went to
examine the area where the remains were found.
They were accompanied by Mao Touch, a local
villager who first found the remains and has
been summoned for questioning.
Samoeun said police found no evidence that
anyone burned a body at the location where the
remains were discovered.
We think that whoever spread this informa-
tion did so in order to fight the authority or the
government; however, we do not know who cre-
ated this and told the journalists. ADDITIONAL
REPORTING BY KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA
Stuart White
SURYA Subedi, the UN special
rapporteur on human rights in
Cambodia, added his voice
yesterday to the growing
chorus of criticism aimed
at three draft laws on Cambo-
dias judiciary that sailed
through the National Assembly
last week.
Subedi who had previously
championed the laws as having
the potential to enact deep
reform said in a statement
yesterday that he very much
regretted the opacity with
which the laws were drafted,
and echoed observers deep
concerns that the new laws
would jeopardise the inde-
pendence of the courts.
I had previously recom-
mended that the law clearly
prohibit judges and prosecu-
tors from being active mem-
bers of any political party,
Subedi said, noting the lack of
such an explicit prohibition
in the relevant law.
I am also deeply concerned
about the fact that the Ministry
of Justice has been given a
number of powers over the
judiciary, he continued, not-
ing that any involvement of the
executive branch in the judici-
ary was unacceptable.
The special rapporteur went
on to say that the laws
seem to fall short of the
international standards of
judicial independence, and
called on the Senate and Con-
stitutional Council to bring
them into line with Cambodias
obligations under internation-
al conventions.
A government spokesman
could not be reached for
comment yesterday. Officials
have repeatedly refused to
acknowledge any flaws in the
three bills.
National
5
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Dam slammed
Groups urge
construction
be stopped
O
PPONENTS of the Lower
Sesan II hydropower dam
in Stung Treng province
have called on the companies and
the Chinese government to halt
construction at the site.
Fifteen civil society groups and
lawyers wrote to the Chinese
government and the companies
on Monday warning of social and
environmental impacts that the
dam will have on communities
across the Mekong river basin.
The groups also demanded
more accountability from all par-
ties involved in the $816 million
project, a joint venture between
Cambodias Royal Group and
China Huaneng Group.
The letters follow a meeting
between Prime Minister Hun Sen
and Cao Peixi, chairman of China
Huaneng Group, where he report-
edly called on the company to
minimise the projects impacts.
Communities are reporting
problems at the dam site which
raise questions about legal com-
pliance, such as logging outside of
the reservoir area, unlawful sh-
ing activities, use of child labour
and deteriorating water quality
downstream, said Meach Mean,
coordinator of the 3S Rivers Pro-
tection Network. DANIEL PYE
Two tried
for allegedly
dressing as
policemen
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
THE Phnom Penh Municipal
Court heard the case yesterday
of a former security guard for
HNK Company and a friend who
were charged with impersonat-
ing an officer of the law.
Touch Ravuth, 32, and his co-
defendant Sroeng Sopheap, 25,
were pulled over in the early
hours of January 4 in Sen Sok
district. Ravuth was wearing a
national police uniform with a
plastic pistol tucked into his
waistband, said district Police
Chief Mak Hong. Another pas-
senger on the moto escaped.
Ravuth said he was only
dressed as a policeman because
he was attending a birthday
party, and asked the court for a
reduced sentence. Sopheap
asked that all charges be dropped
as he wasnt wearing a uniform
at all and was only catching a
ride back from the party.
Police searched Ravuths rent-
al home in Teuk Thla commune
a day after the arrests and
claimed to have found knives, a
pair of military shoes and other
similar clothing. A verdict is due
on June 4.
Institute land not leased: govt
Chhay Channyda

R
ESPONDING to re-
ported fears among
staff that the de-
struction of a wall at
Phnom Penhs Buddhist Insti-
tute could herald the piece-
meal sale of the grounds to
adjacent casino operator Na-
gaCorp, the government yes-
terday chalked the alarm up to
a simple misunderstanding.
According to the Ministry of
Cult and Religion, the govern-
ment hasnt sold or leased any
of the institutes land, and is
only allowing NagaCorp to as-
sist government construction
of a substation on the insti-
tutes grounds. The substation
will be used to power a new
addition to the casino across
the street from the institute.
Ministry spokesman Seng
Somony yesterday invited
reporters to a news confer-
ence about the casino devel-
opment, during which press
packets containing an esti-
mated $100 were offered to
the assembled media, though
the Post declined.
Somony also told reporters
that the ministry itself plans
to relocate to a new building it
will erect on the Buddhist In-
stitutes remaining grounds.
The government plans to
construct a seven- or eight-
storey building for the Minis-
try of Cult and Religion on the
Buddhist Institute land, he
said, adding that the ministrys
site at the Preah Sihanouk Raja
Buddhist University would be
repurposed by the university.
There were no such reas-
surances, however, for work-
ers at the National Center for
Parasitology, Entomology and
Malaria Control on Monivong
Boulevard this week, who
found out that they are mov-
ing to Sen Sok district after the
centres sale as part of a land
swap to an undisclosed pri-
vate company.
On Monday morning, cen-
tre director Chor Meng Chuor
called a meeting to inform
employees that the building
had been sold and they would
have to clear out immediately.
He declined to provide further
information, but said each
staffer would be given $500 for
the proceeds of the sale, ac-
cording to an employee who
asked not to be identied.
We cannot successfully pro-
test the decision, so we have to
move unhappily thanks to the
pressure from management,
the employee said.
Workers demolish a section of wall at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh on Monday. The Ministry of Cult
and Religion has dismissed rumours that land of the Buddhist Institute was being sold or leased. HENG CHIVOAN
After violence, revenge
always seemed in cards
REVENGE was a dish best
served with a bamboo stick in
Battambangs Sampov Loun
district on Sunday. According
to police, a man was riding a
moto when another man
blocked his way and struck
him several times in the head
with the aforementioned stick.
Police quickly arrested a sus-
pect who said he himself had
been attacked by the victim
during a card game the week
before. The victims family
demanded $500 for the bam-
boo beating, but the suspect
could only afford $130. Police
sent him to court. NOKORWAT
Crew busted learning
ropes at den of iniquity
FOUR students were matricu-
lated into the school of hard
knocks in Kampot town on
Monday. Police said one
19-year-old had been seen
frequenting a rental home
believed to be a drug den.
Cops raided the house, alleg-
edly nabbing the teen and
three others with a couple
grams of yama. Three sus-
pects reportedly maintained
that they were only novice
drug addicts, while the
19-year-old alleged drug
deliverer refused to name his
hook-up. Police sent all four
to court. KOH SANTEPHEAP

Thiefs getaway turns
into a big smackdown
FLEEING on foot quickly
became lying on back for an
alleged thief in the capitals
Daun Penh district on Tues-
day. Police said the suspect
was on the run on the river-
side after snatching the phone
of a strolling tourist who was
in hot pursuit when bystand-
ers stepped into his path and
knocked him flat before he
made it 100 metres. Cops
promptly arrived and the man
was arrested. KOH SANTEPHEAP
Extra clothes in this
heat rightly suspicious
TWO alleged cat burglars may
be spending some time in a
cage after allegedly making
off with about 1,000 items of
clothing from a Kampong
Speu garment factory early
this month. Police said the
two used wire cutters to
remove an exhaust fan on the
factorys roof, then slipped
inside, hauled the garments
into a car and high-tailed it.
Unluckily for them, however,
the security camera saw it all,
and police arrested them on
Sunday. KOH SANTEPHEAP
Villagers chase down
hit-and-run driver
TWO men on a motorbike
were badly injured in a seem-
ing attempted hit-and-run in
Phnom Penhs Russey Keo
district on Monday. According
to police, the men were riding
to work when a truck attempt-
ed to pass them. The truck,
however, was forced to swerve
back into their lane by an
oncoming car, and smashed
into their moto, badly injuring
the pair. The truck sped up,
but was corralled by bystand-
ers, who made a citizens
arrest. RASMEI KAMPUCHEA
Translated by Phak Seangly
POLICE
BLOTTER
National
6
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
App aims to report bribes
Stuart White
CAMBODIANS may soon find it easier than ever
to report official corruption, and not just to the
authorities or their friends and neighbours, but
to the whole world, thanks to the impending
launch of a Khmer-language version of the
graft-reporting smartphone app Bribespot.
Already popular in Thailand with 194
reports, mostly since the launch of a Thai ver-
sion last August the tool allows users to pin-
point a spot on a map where they have been a
victim of corruption, usually bribe-taking, and
to post a short description. The apps founder,
Lithuanian-born developer Artas Bartas, said
yesterday that the Khmer-language version of
the app should be finished by next week.
Speaking at a Phnom Penh workshop intro-
ducing the tool yesterday, Transparency Inter-
national Cambodia executive director Preap
Kol said that the app gave people another
platform to solve social problems, particu-
larly corruption.
Often times, people say, to fight corruption,
you need political will . . . but in Cambodia, its
difficult to imagine [politicians] having real
political will, he said. If leaders dont have
political will, fine. We will find the people who
have the will.
Bribespot has yet to reach a critical mass of
posters; as of yesterday afternoon, there were
about 320 reports displayed on the site world-
wide. By comparison, a similar but older project
called I Paid a Bribe has recorded more than
19,000 allegations in India alone.
Bartas, the apps founder, acknowledged at
yesterdays event that whatever success weve
had has been grassroots, but added that word
of mouth and encouragement from local part-
ners would help make the app part of the wid-
er public discourse.
There has been discussion in forums, expat
communities, because foreign corruption is
very frustrating . . . and some locals have
embraced it too, Bartas said. But to get to the
point where we influence policy makers, we
need to work with local partners.
Indeed, Cambodia has already seen some
early adopters, with 19 reports detailing every-
thing from a $2 informal payment for a visa
photo to a $5,000 bribe reported for illegal
luxury wood trading.

In brief
Drug bust nabs police
officer and two others
THREE suspects including a
police officer were arrested
on Monday for alleged drug
trafficking in Preah Sihanouk
province. Sok Dien, a 35-year-
old penal police officer with
the Sihanouk town police, was
arrested at his house along
with Em Vannoeun, a 26-year-
old teacher, and Vannoeuns
wife, Yen Sam Neang, 27,
according to Heng Bunty,
commander of the Preah
Sihanouk provincial military
police. Bunty said that during
the arrest, military police
seized seven packages of
methamphetamine amounting
to more than a kilogram, two
drug scales, one pistol with 11
bullets and one AK rifle with 30
bullets. [We] spent four
months investigating and
researching them before we
could . . . arrest them, he said.
The suspects are still being
detained for questioning at the
provincial military police
headquarters, and are
expected to be sent to the
provincial court for charges
today. The suspects could not
be reached for comment
yesterday. BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Raid fails to reveal any
illegal wildlife in home
A 21-YEAR-OLD man was
arrested yesterday for
obstructing justice after he
refused wildlife officials entry
into his home to investigate
claims he was illegally keeping
wild animals. Last month,
eight officials from Wild Aid got
a court order to search Phal
Teng Tes house in Koh Kongs
Sre Ambel district, but he
refused to let them in,
according to investigating
judge Kham Sophary. Te was
summonsed to court
yesterday, where he was
questioned and arrested. At
last, the group of Wild Aid and
the court did not find any
illegal wild animals in his
house. But some forestry fruits
were seized, Kong Chet, a
Licadho provincial coordinator,
said. SEN DAVID
Maxines owner a local legend
David Boyle

I
AN Snowy Woodford,
a painter and raconteur
whose expatriate years
in Phnom Penh, marked
by his stewardship of the now
defunct Maxines bar, still elic-
it nostalgic memories from
those who knew him, died on
Friday in Sydney. He was 57.
The death occurred during an
operation for one of his mul-
tiple ailments.
Woodford, who took his
moniker from the Snowy
Mountains in New South Wales
where he grew up, moved to
the capital from Australia in
1993 to work on a dangerous
assignment retrieving vehicles
from Khmer Rouge strong-
holds for the United Nations.
He fell in love with Cambodia
and stayed for almost 20 years,
racking up a library of tales. In
the early days, Snow as every-
one addressed him worked
any kind of job. Once, he was
paid to watch TV, and drink
beer, by a foreign government
concerned about the content
of news coverage in the coun-
try a job he excelled in.
But most people remember
his tenure as the proprietor of
Maxines, which he opened in
2005. The bar sat precariously
on the eastern bank of the
Tonle Sap river in Chroy Chang
Var, constantly threatening to
topple into the water with its
uniquely slanted veranda.
Wendy Lucas, co-owner of
The Lost Room restaurant, and
one of Snows many longtime
Phnom Penh friends, recalled
his universal popularity.
He was basically an insti-
tution of Phnom Penh, and I
dont think I ever heard any-
one say anything bad about
him, everyone just loved the
guy, she said yesterday.
He named his bar after the
person he loved the most, his
now teenage daughter Maxine.
He enjoyed music and paint-
ing, and cultivated an alluring
style of rendering striking im-
ages from Cambodian folklore
through a modied indig-
enous Australian dot painting
technique. These paintings, as
well as Cambodian artefacts
and photos that he collected,
decorated Maxines.
For residents in Phnom
Penh, Maxines became a place
to escape to and watch the
sunset while Snow regaled his
customers with whatever mus-
ings he had to offer that day.
In 2002, Snow reached new
heights of expatriate fame when
he played a raving Australian
lunatic in a brothel in Matt Dil-
lons lm City of Ghosts.
After being evicted from his
bar in 2011 to make way for
the Sokha hotel, he returned
to Australia with his daughter.
But the bar lived on. A fan
bought the wooden saloon
and transported it to the banks
of the Kampot river, where it
stands today inside the Green-
house resort.
Woodford is survived by his
daughter.
Ian Snowy Woodford at Kandal
House Cafe in 2013. SAMPHON SOCH
Dolphin found
A dead 70-kilogram dolphin lies on the shore after being discovered in Sihanoukville on Sunday. Fishermen found the animal in the Gulf of Thai-
land wrapped in a shing net. It was brought ashore and buried to ward off spirits, said Nhel Sokhom, chief of Kam Penh commune. PHOTO SUPPLIED
If leaders dont have
political will, fine. We will
find the people who have
the will
Eddie Morton

A
USTRALIAN listed,
Cell Aquaculture
(CAQ) a onetime a
marine technology
company has purchased
a casino on the Cambodia-
Vietnam border in a bid to
generate much needed reve-
nue after nearing bankruptcy
in 2013.
On May 26, CAQ announced
in a statement to the Austra-
lian Stock Exchange that it
had hosted a soft opening
for the Roxy Casino, which is
located 200 metres from the
Vietnam border crossing, in
Bavet town, after a full reno-
vation and refurbishment of
the once defunct operation.
Richard Soo, director of
CAQ said the renovation had
cost the rm US$1.2 million
thus far.
We have had a team here
since early January, build-
ing. Then, with furnishing
and hiring of more person-
nel, we have incurred another
US$250,000 cost. The costs
are in line with our budgeted
plans of US$1.5 million to
US$2 million, he added.
Soo, who also has interests
in Malaysian playing-card
maker Leisurematics, said he
anticipates making up the ini-
tial investment in Roxy within
the rst six months of its op-
erations, following a grand
opening slated for August.
As per the requirements of
the ASX, CAQ will adhere to
full disclosure of the casinos
nancial operations, he said.
According to the ASX ling,
the new Roxy Casino will oper-
ate 24 hours a day, with 15 tra-
ditional gaming tables, eight
online gaming tables, sports
betting and 20 hotel rooms.
CAQ was placed into ad-
ministration and suspended
from trading on the ASX in
November 2012 after posting
a A$3.5 million (US$3.2 mil-
lion) loss for the 2012 nan-
cial year. In an effort regain
its position, CAQ in July last
year issued an additional 250
million new shares, which in
turn generated A$300 million
for the company. CAQ was
reinstated to the ASX on Sep-
tember 20, 2013.
When the companys own-
ers realised current opera-
tions were no longer feasible
or viable, they decided to
look for a new direction for
the rm. And with our China
operations only 46 per cent
complete so far, the company
needed a more immediate
source of income, Soo said.
In March, CAQ agreed to
purchase the Roxy Casino
along with the rights to a free-
trade zone in China for A$83
million, to be paid in the form
of 553 million CAQ shares. The
deal is expected to be nalised
by July.
But the Australian compa-
nys casino venture may not be
the quick-x, they set out for.
Hor Chenda, deputy head
of Bavet International Border
Gate, said yesterday that the
Roxy Casino had gone bank-
rupt prior to CAQs purchase
of the property due to slump-
ing gambler numbers cross-
ing the Vietnam border.
I have observed that the
number of gamblers arriving
here [Bavet] has declined and
as a result a few casinos have
been faced with shutting down
operations, Chenda told the
Post, adding that there are cur-
rently 10 casinos still operating
in the border town.
Most gamblers come from
Vietnam. Historically, as a
share of the number of Viet-
namese crossing the border,
around 40 per cent come for
gambling. But that has de-
clined noticeably recently.
Along with the Roxy Casi-
no project and as part of the
March agreement, CAQ pur-
chased the rights to Haikou
Free Trade Zone on Hainan
Island, in southern China.
CAQ stock spiked mid-
March following the rms ca-
sino and Haikou Project an-
nouncement reaching $0.129
per share. At yesterdays ASX
close, CAQs share price was
stable, trading at $0.115 cents
per share.
7 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Business
By 2020, $9 billion needed for road funding: Master Plan
Hor Kimsay
CAMBODIA needs $9 billion to be
invested into 850 kilometres of road-
ways by 2020, according to a study
by Henan Provincial Communica-
tions Planning Survey and Design
Institute.
From the Chinese province of Hen-
an, officials from the state-owned
engineering institute went to great
lengths yesterday to explain that sci-
entific analysis was behind their
Cambodia Expressway Development
Master Plan, a report delivered to the
Ministry of Public Works and Trans-
port in Phnom Penh.
To build and improve a modern
transport network, covering the whole
nation, connecting every province
and city, SEZs, resource-exploitation
areas, tourist regions, essential ports,
docks, airports and other areas, at first
there shall be a scientific development
and a reasonable plan, said Li Qiang,
chief engineer at the Henan Provincial
Communications Planning Survey
and Design Institute.
The study went beyond the 2020
deadline to reveal that by 2040, Cam-
bodia would need 2,230 kilometres
of roads costing up to $26 billion,
including a ring road around Phnom
Penh and six expressways connecting
provinces. And though much empha-
sis was put the scientific methods
used to arrive at the infrastructure
requirements, no data were present-
ed to support the plan.
Speaking to reporters after the cer-
emony to receive the expressway
report Minister of Public Works and
Transportation Tram Iv Tek said
there was no funding in place to ful-
fil the entire proposed Master Plan,
but the government was looking to
partner with the private sector to
help support its future road infra-
structure needs.
It is the right time to begin con-
sidering this [expressway project],
he said. We need to start thinking
from now to prepare for the master
plan so that we know what we should
do first and after, he said.
Iv Tek added that two highway
projects had already received fund-
ing; one connecting Phnom Penh to
Sihanoukville province with funding
from a Chinese company and the
other an expressway that would con-
nect Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh
city in Vietnam with funding from
the Japanese International Coop-
eration Agency ( JICA). Iv Tek
declined to give any further details
on the company investing or build-
ing the road linking the capital to
Sihanoukville.
JICA announced its plans for a $2.2
billion Phnom Penh to Bavet town
toll road last month. A feasibility
study is to begin next year with the
Phnom Penh to Neak Loeng section
expected be open in the early 2020s.
The entire highway is expected to be
completed in 2030.
Egami Masahiko, JICAs representa-
tive, told the Post yesterday that the
road would help support Cambodias
shift to high-value industries such as
auto parts and electronics which
require stable transportation.
Many Asian countries started
development of expressway when
their GDP per capita were less than
$500. Cambodia now is $1,000 and it
is time to start development of an
expressway network, he said.
Cassava
fuel plant
study now
one year in
Chan Muyhong
JAPANESE petroleum company,
Idemitsu Oil & Gas, is consider-
ing building a biomass plant in
Battambang province to use cas-
sava to produce fuel, a Cambo-
dia Mine Action Centre (CMAC)
official says.
Leng Chreang, director of
mine risk education at CMAC
said the Japanese firm is one
year into a three-year study
looking at whether farmers in
Battambang province an
area littered with unexploded
mines can supply the amount
of cassava needed to power
such a plant.
Idemitsu has been doing
contract farming covering
more than 100 hectares land
since 2013. If the first year
trial is a success, the company
will expand the contract farm-
ing area to 2,000 hectares and
beyond to study more the fea-
sibility of cassava production
for such a plant, Chreang
said, adding that the price of
building such a facility
remains uncertain.
Chreang said cassava produc-
tion from at least 15,000 hectares
will be needed to supply the
facility. He said the plant could
be operational by 2017, provided
the study is successful.
Chhim Vichara, director of
agriculture department at Bat-
tambang province, said the plant
will provide a sustainable market
for local farmers.
Battambang has great poten-
tial for cassava production.
Farmers here produce a total of
nearly 2 million tonnes of cas-
sava annually on 60,000 hectares
of land, he said.
More processing plants
means farmers will be less wor-
ried about having a market for
their products.
An advertisement sit in front of casino in Bavet in 2010. An announcement on Monday suggested that one casino in Bavet has been bought by an
Australian company. SOVAN PHILONG
Australian firm bets on Bavet
USD / JPY
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AUD / USD
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4,038
Cambodia now is $1,000
[GDP per capita] and it is
time to start development
of an expressway network

Beijing targets IBM in

an apparent retaliation
CHINA is pushing domestic
banks to remove high-end
servers made by IBM Corp and
replace them with a local
brand, according to people
familiar with the matter, in an
escalation of a row with the US
over spying claims. State
agencies, including the
Peoples Bank of China and the
Ministry of Finance, are
reviewing whether Chinese
commercial banks reliance on
IBM servers compromises the
countrys financial security,
said the sources. The review
fits a broader pattern of
retaliation after American
prosecutors indicted five
Chinese military officers for
allegedly hacking into US firms
and stealing secrets. BLOOMBERG
Aussie state eyes $14B

China-backed casinos
THE government of Australias
Queensland state will study
proposals for two new casinos
backed by Chinese and Hong
Kong investors, challenging
Echo Entertainment Group
Ltds hold on the local
gambling market. Hit by falling
prices for its largest export,
coal, Queensland state is
considering a bet on the
A$15.65 billion (US$14 billion)
casinos to lure Asian gamblers
whove fuelled investment in
new resorts in Macau and
Singapore. BLOOMBERG
Thai tourist timing
Calls to push
back curfew
to midnight
T
HAI tourism operators
have called on the Na-
tional Council for Peace
and Order (NCPO) to push
back the curfew from 10pm
until midnight in some popular
tourism destinations.
The extra two hours would
benefit tourism in destinations
far from political conflict such
as Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui
and Hua Hin, Association of
Thai Travel Agents chief Sisdi-
vachr Cheewarattanaporn said.
Last Thursday, the NCPO
imposed a curfew from 10pm-
5am nationwide.
I strongly believe major
tourism operators can adjust
to deal with sluggish tourism
sentiment after the curfew
imposition. However, it will be
better and more convenient for
foreign tourists who want to
go out to party and hang out,
Sisdivachr said.
Staff at many hotels have to
stay overnight at their premi-
ses due to the curfew.
The Tourism Authority of
Thailand is pinning its hopes
on domestic tourism after
the lengthy political turmoil
has deterred foreign tourists.
BANGKOK POST
Business
8
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Japan farms reap energy, too
J
APANS campaign to
boost renewable power
supplies since the Fuku-
shima nuclear disaster is
producing some unlikely win-
ners: vegetable farmers.
Makoto Takazawa and his fa-
ther Yukio earned 1.7 million
($16,700) last scal year selling
electricity from solar panels
that hang in a giant canopy
above their farm east of To-
kyo. The cash was almost nine
times more than they made
from the crops growing in the
soil below.
Harvesting dual incomes
from sunlight was a godsend
to the Takazawas. Theyre
among the majority of Japa-
nese farmers who depend on a
combination of outside work,
pension payments and gov-
ernment subsidies to make a
living. The easing of land-use
rules and mandates for utili-
ties including Tokyo Electric
Power Co to buy clean energy
at premium prices is poised
to fuel the spread of panels to
more farms.
I was racking my brain to
gure out what to do on this
land that Ill take over from my
father one day, because grow-
ing rice and vegetables doesnt
bring in much money, Taka-
zawa said. Then I heard about
solar sharing for farmland.
The government is disman-
tling a subsidy system thats
supported Japans rice pro-
duction for four decades. The
country is under increasing
pressure from trading partners
to roll back import tariffs of 778
per cent for the grain, along
with levies of more than 300
per cent on sugar and butter.
Takazawa, 51, still works full
time in machinery sales while
his retired father, 78, tends the
farm in Chiba prefecture most
days. Sixty-eight more farms
across Japan have approval to
follow in their footsteps and
set up solar panels, according
to JA Group, the countrys big-
gest agricultural organisation.
The checkerboard of pan-
els hanging from stilts about
3 meters above the farm in
Chiba cut sunlight to the veg-
etables by about 30 per cent
without harming growth, the
younger Takazawa said. The
government requires solar-
sharing farmers to maintain
agricultural output.
The system, patented by Jap-
anese engineer Akira Nagashi-
ma, covers an area about half
the size of a football pitch and
produces enough electricity to
power 10 households.
This dual-use concept does
offer the potential for another
revenue source for the farming
community, Tom OSullivan,
founder of Tokyo-based ener-
gy consultancy Mathyos, said.
Wind farms are more popular
on rural properties in other
countries because they take
up less land, he said.
Japan has more than dou-
bled solar capacity to about
13,500 megawatts since begin-
ning a clean energy incentive
program in July 2012 in the
wake of the atomic meltdown,
according to data from the
trade ministry through Febru-
ary this year.
Nagashimas system oper-
ates on the assumption that
too much sunlight can some-
times be a bad thing. The
canopy is arranged to allow in
enough to maximise growth,
but no more.
The Takazawas, who grow
taro, sweet potato, pumpkin,
blueberry and leafy vegetables,
said yields for some of the plants
increased under the shelter of
the panels because the soil re-
tained more moisture.
Farming communities have
plenty of unused resources for
clean energy, said Masahide
Sugimoto, an assistant direc-
tor in the ministrys renewable
energy policy division.
We want people to use
them. BLOOMBERG
Yukio Takazawa (left) speaks to the media during a tour to the Kazusa-
Tsurumai power station in Chiba prefectures Ichihara city. BLOOMBERG
Markets
9
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Business
May Kunmakara
CIMB Bank, Malaysias sec-
ond-largest, has entered the
insurance market via a part-
nership agreement signed
yesterday with Cambodia Life
Insurance Company (CLIC).
In Meatra, director general of
CLIC, said that under the part-
nership, CIMB had received
full access to offer their insur-
ance products to customers.
CIMB will be our sale agent
because they have wide busi-
ness coverage and they can
help us more, he said.
CIMB will offer two separate
insurance products on behalf
of CLIC one covering indi-
viduals loan repayments and
the other to relieve nancial
burden in case of unforeseen
circumstances such as loss of
income due to illness, accord-
ing to a joint statement.
It is the second banking rm
CLIC has partnered with after
signing a similar agreement
with Foreign Trade Bank ear-
lier this year.
Meatra said the Foreign
Trade Bank agreement had
assisted in bringing the insur-
ance providers customer base
to more than 600.
CIMB the
latest to add
local insurer
Banks back Thai rice payouts
Wichit Chantanusornsiri
and Phusadee Arunmas

T
HAILANDS banks
have given assurances
that they are prepared
to lend 90 billion baht
to the Finance Ministry to
pay off the long-overdue debt
owed to rice farmers, a senior
ministry ofcial has said.
Deputy Finance Secretary
Pongpanu Svetarundra said
the ministry had sent a letter
to all 32 commercial and state-
owned banks inviting them
to participate in loans for the
rst batch of 50 billion baht in
advance payments to farmers
who pledged their paddy un-
der the rice-pledging scheme
for the 2013-14 main crop.
The National Council for
Peace and Order (NCPO) on
the weekend gave approval to
the Finance Ministry to bor-
row and guarantee bond issu-
ance by the state-owned Bank
for Agriculture and Agricultur-
al Cooperatives (BAAC) worth
a combined 92.4 billion baht
to pay 858,000 rice farmers.
All farmers are expected
to receive their payments by
next month.
The military junta has au-
thority to borrow fresh funds
to pay farmers who have
been waiting for their money
for months.
Somchart Soithong, director-
general of the Internal Trade
Department, recently said that
the BAAC had already set aside
40 billion baht to pay the farm-
ers, and the remainder would
be acquired through loans
from other nancial institu-
tions as soon as possible.
The rice-pledging scheme
was the key populist policy
initiated by the former Ying-
luck Shinawatra government
with the aim of boosting farm-
ers incomes and raising the
market price of rice.
But the scheme backred
due to hefty losses when the
pledging price was set 40-50
per cent above market prices.
Moreover, the former govern-
ments caretaker status lim-
ited its ability to borrow to pay
farmers, while the Commerce
Ministrys sales could not
generate sufcient revenue to
settle the debt.
Moreover, the former gov-
ernments caretaker status
limited its ability to borrow to
pay farmers, while the Com-
merce Ministrys sales could
not generate sufcient rev-
enue to settle the debt.
In the 2013-14 main crop,
11.6 million tonnes of paddy
worth 190 billion baht were
pledged under the scheme.
Farmers who pledged 6.29
million tonnes of paddy worth
103 billion baht were paid.
Out of that total, 75 billion
baht came from rice sold to
the market by the Commerce
Ministry, 1.05 billion baht
from the Farmers Aid Fund
and another 20 billion baht
from the governments cen-
tral budget.
Meanwhile, the Commerce
Ministry has denied a report
alleging that more than 3 mil-
lion tonnes of rice disappeared
from state warehouses.
Commerce chief Srirat Ra-
stapana said the ministry
would suspend sales of rice in
the stockpile to traders for at
least a couple of days to allow
intensive stock checks.
Delivery of rice under gov-
ernment-to-government con-
tracts will continue.
A report by an investigation
subcommittee set up by the
Finance Ministry showed that
the Commerce Ministry could
not locate as much as 3 million
tonnes of rice. BANGKOK POST
Workers prepare sacks for storing rice in a warehouse at the O Karnkaset rice mill in Nong Kham, Suphan
Buri province, Thailand. BLOOMBERG
Business
10
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
S Africa contracts for
first time since 2009
S
OUTH Africas econo-
my shrank in the rst
quarter of the year, in
the worst performance
recorded since the global re-
cession ve years ago, ofcial
data showed yesterday.
Statistics South Africa re-
ported the economy contract-
ed by 0.6 per cent quarter on
quarter, a stunning reversal
for Africas most advanced
economy amid a rapid boom
elsewhere in the continent.
The worse-than-expected
data comes during the rst
full day on the job for South
African Finance Minister
Nhlanhla Nene.
The 55-year-old was sworn
in as South Africas rst black
nance minister on Monday,
tasked with overseeing radi-
cal social and economic
reforms in President Jacob
Zumas new ve-year term.
Shortly after the release of
yesterdays data the rand fell
almost 1 per cent against the
US dollar.
The possibility of a reces-
sion, two consecutive quar-
ters of negative growth, is not
being ruled out.
This makes for grim read-
ing, said Razia Khan, Africas
regional head of research for
Standard Chartered Bank.
The rst quarter contrac-
tion which is annualised and
adjusted for seasonal varia-
tions was blamed largely
on a slump in the mining
sector and a signicant drop
in manufacturing.
Khan said the gures
showed an end to a crippling
a platinum strike, now in its
fth month, and serious eco-
nomic reforms were even
more of an imperative.
In their absence, growth
might continue to languish at
these weak levels.
With unemployment above
25 per cent and ination ris-
ing, policymakers will worry
that unrest in the mining
sector is spilling over and
hurting condence across
the economy.
Predictably, the weakness
mainly came from a sharp
plunge in mining produc-
tion, analysts at Nedbank
said. But the economys fra-
gility was on display in most
other sectors too.
Weaker growth could pose
signicant problems for Nene,
bringing weaker government
revenues as he struggles to
balance the scal books amid
the threat of a further credit
rating downgrade.
The shrinking economy
will also pose serious prob-
lems for the South African
Reserve Bank, which has
seen efforts to curb ination
through higher interest rates
held back.
The weak growth perfor-
mance was the primary rea-
son why the SA Reserve Bank
kept rates on hold in last
weeks [monetary policy com-
mittee] meeting, Nazmeera
Moola, economist and strate-
gist at Investec Asset Manage-
ment, said.
A quick rate hike could
throw growth further into re-
verse. In the last quarter of
2013 the economy grew 3.8
per cent. AFP
Striking miners march in Marikana, in the South African platinum belt,
earlier this month. AFP
Pzer foiled
AstraZeneca
drops after
buyout fails

S
HARES in AstraZeneca
slid yesterday, one day
after US drugmaker
Pzer scrapped its controver-
sial takeover bid for the British
pharmaceuticals giant.
AstraZenecas share price
dropped 1.79 per cent to
42.50 ($71.50) in midday
deals on Londons FTSE 100
index, which rose 0.51 per cent
to 6,850.73 points.
Pzer announced on
Monday that it had decided to
walk away after making a
nal friendly $117 billion
takeover offer.
The London stock market
was closed on Monday for a
public holiday.
The improved and nal
bid, pitched at 55 per share,
was rejected last week by
AstraZenecas management,
who were asking for an offer of
at least 58.85.
Pzers announcement
on Monday put an end to a
long-running saga that drew
widespread attention over
fears that British jobs and re-
search capability would be lost
and accusations that the tie-up
was a cynical ploy by Pzer to
pay less tax. AFP
Kiev balks at EU gas compromise
UKRAINE said yesterday that it was
unhappy with the terms of an EU-brokered
compromise with Russia that could save
Europe from seeing a large chunk of its gas
supplies cut as early as next week.
What we are hearing now is you pay and
then we talk, Ukrainian Finance Minister
Oleksandr Shlapak said a day after Europes
energy commissioner reported that there
was a good chance a compromise could
be reached within days.
This does not suit us, Shlapak said.
The two neighbours launched their third
gas war in less than a decade after the
ouster of a Kremlin-backed president in
February and Ukraines decision to seek
closer economic ties with EU states.
Russia retaliated by hiking Ukraines gas
price by 81 per cent to $485.50 per 1,000
cubic metres the highest of any of its
European clients and demanding a pay-
ment by next Monday of $5.17 billion for
debts and June deliveries.
Ukraine refused to pay anything and
branded the price increase a form of eco-
nomic aggression.
Europe imports 15 per cent of its gas
through Ukraine and has been keen to help
find a compromise that could avert a
repeat of 2006 and 2009 disruptions that
damaged Russias reputation as a reliable
supplier and prompted Brussels to seek
ways to diversify supplies.
European Energy Commissioner Guen-
ther Oettinger on Monday reported rela-
tively good progress at talks in Berlin
involving Russian Energy Minister Alexan-
der Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart
Yuriy Prodan.
Oettinger said a deal under considera-
tion would see Ukraine pay Russias state
energy giant Gazprom $2 billion by Thurs-
day out of money it received from the IMF
and other world lenders in the past few
weeks. Russia would then be ready to rene-
gotiate the price of future deliveries.
Ukraine has threatened to sue Russia in
an arbitration court in Stockholm should
no agreement between Gazprom and its
Naftogaz state energy company be reached
by Thursday. AFP
Call for Proposals
Research on Social Protection and
Migration (Extension)
The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women) is inviting rms/research organizations
to submit proposals to undertake a research study on social
protection to women migrant workers and their families.
The detailed Request for Proposal and ToR are available at:
http://asiapacic.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs
Deadlinefor submissions: 09 June 2014 at 5 p.m. local time
Please send your proposal to cambodiaco.unwomen@
unwomen.org
Any inquiries regarding the study proposal, please contact
our UN Women Country Ofce via e-mail at:
vathanak.ieng@unwomen.org.
Please note that this e-mail is only for enquiries. Only proposals
sent to cambodiaco.unwomen@unwomen.org will be accepted.
Nhlanhla Nene, South Africas rst
black nance minister. BLOOMBERG
Max Delany with Tanya Willmer
U
KRAINE said yes-
terday that it had
regained control of
the airport in the
eastern city of Donetsk after
a day of punishing air strikes
and erce ghting with pro-
Moscow separatist gunmen
left dozens of people dead.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin immediately called on
Ukraine to end its punitive
operation in the rebel-held
east and for talks between
Kiev and the insurgents.
The battle for the main
transport hub in Ukraines in-
dustrial heartland erupted on
Monday just hours after pres-
ident-elect Petro Poroshenko
vowed to take a tough stand
against the terrorists.
The airport is under our full
control. The enemy suffered
heavy losses. We have none,
Interior Minister Arsen Avak-
ov said. He said, however, that
the military was continuing its
operation at the airport and
journalists reported hearing
sporadic gunre and explo-
sions during the morning.
The Organisation for Securi-
ty and Cooperation in Europe
also reported being unable to
establish contact with a four-
member observer team based
in the restive city since Mon-
day evening. Donetsk Mayor
Oleksandr Lukyanchenko said
two civilians and 38 combat-
ants had died. Rebel leaders
suggested that the toll among
their ranks could be higher.
A correspondent reported
seeing body parts and blood
splattered near a bullet-rid-
dled truck on the airport road,
where makeshift blockades
had been set up with dumper
trucks and piles of tyres.
Combat jets and helicopter
gunships struck the airport
terminal on Monday after it
was seized by scores of gun-
men just a day after Ukraines
presidential election won by
Poroshenko.
The strikes represented
the most forceful action by
Kiev yet in its battle to crush
a bloody rebellion that has
raged in the coal and steel
belt since early April and
threatened to tear the former
Soviet state apart.
The military action has also
revived tensions between
Kiev and Moscow, which had
initially said it was ready to
work with the new leader of
its western neighbour.
In his rst comments on
Ukraine since Sundays elec-
tion, Putin called for an
immediate end to the mili-
tarys punitive operation in
southeastern regions and the
establishment of peaceful
dialogue between Kiev and
regional representatives, the
Kremlin said.
Poroshenko, a 48-year-old
pro-Western chocolate ty-
coon, had said he was ready
to engage with the Russian
leadership and was optimis-
tic a meeting with Putin could
be arranged soon.
Yesterday, however, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lav-
rov who had initially said
Moscow was open to prag-
matic dialogue with the new
leader declared that a visit
to Moscow by Poroshenko
was not being considered.
Sundays election had been
viewed as crucial if Ukraine
was able to turn the page on
months of turmoil that fol-
lowed the February ousting of
Kievs pro-Kremlin leadership.
Kiev and the West accuse
Russia of pulling the strings
of the insurgents who took up
arms against the government
in the wake of the Kremlins
seizure of the Black Sea pen-
insula Crimea in March.
The US and its allies had
warned of another round of
sanctions against Moscow if
it meddled in Sundays elec-
tion, which saw Poroshenko
declared the clear winner
with 54 per cent of the vote.
In the days before the poll,
Russia also announced it had
started withdrawing from
Ukraines border around
40,000 soldiers whose pres-
ence had raised Western sus-
picions it could be planning
to invade.
Poroshenko, a political vet-
eran, said on Monday that
the military would press on
with its offensive against the
insurgents who now con-
trol about a dozen cities and
towns in the east. And he
insisted there would be no
talks with terrorists until
they laid down their arms.
The insurgency, which has
now cost around 200 lives,
thwarted polling in much of
the east and rebels have de-
antly refused to recognise
Poroshenkos election.
But a 1,000-strong team of
international monitors led by
the OSCE concluded that the
election largely upheld dem-
ocratic commitments and
provided Poroshenko leader
with the legitimacy needed
to tackle the insurgency. The
OSCE said yesterday that it
had lost contact with four
members of its Special Moni-
toring Mission when it went
out on a routine patrol east
of Donetsk on Monday.
It added that both the Ukra-
nian government and re-
gional authorities had been
informed of the situation.
Poroshenko also faces a
daunting task in attempting
to avert economic collapse
after years of Soviet-era mis-
management and rampant
corruption.
The IMF, which is leading a
$27 billion international bail-
out package to avert Ukraines
bankruptcy, has forecast the
economy will shrink by at
least 5 per cent this year.
Ukraine is also trying to ne-
gotiate a deal to prevent Russia
from cutting off gas supplies
from next week if it fails to pay
more than $5 billion demand-
ed for debts and prepayments
for June deliveries. AFP
12 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
World
Park: family
root cause
of tragedy
SOUTH Korean President
Park Geun-hye yesterday
denounced fugitive members
of the ship-owning family
linked to last months ferry dis-
aster, calling them the root
cause of the tragedy that
claimed around 300 lives.
The government has offered
a $500,000 reward for informa-
tion leading to the arrest of Yoo
Byung-eun, patriarch of the
family behind Chonghaejin
Marine Co.
Chonghaejin owned and
operated the 6,825-tonne Sewol
ferry that capsized and sank on
April 16 with hundreds of high
school students on board.
Yoo and his eldest son have
become the targets of a mas-
sive manhunt after they
ignored prosecutors sum-
mons to surrender themselves
for questioning. Initial inves-
tigations suggest that lax safe-
ty standards and negligent
business practices may have
been a major contributor to
the disaster.
The Yoo Byung-eun family,
the root cause of the tragedy,
is flouting the law and causing
public fury at a time when it
should repent in front of peo-
ple and reveal the truth, Park
told a meeting of her cabinet.
Yoo has no direct stake in
Chonghaejin, but his children
and close aides control it
through a complex web of
holding companies.
Prosecutors had offered an
initial reward of $50,000 for
information on Yoos wherea-
bouts, but upped the figure to
$500,000 on Monday after days
of fruitless searching. A
$100,000 reward was offered for
his eldest son Yoo Dae-kyun.
On Thursday, investigators
raided a compound belonging
to the Evangelical Baptist
Church of Korea, of which Yoo
is a leading member, but failed
to find him. The church insist-
ed it had no connection with
Yoo, but former followers who
left the institution described
him as its leader who was wor-
shipped as a demi-god.
In the wake of the Sewol trag-
edy, President Park has had to
contend with widespread pub-
lic criticism of the rescue effort
and lax regulatory oversight.
In a tearful address to the
nation last week, she accepted
personal responsibility and
announced she would dis-
mantle the coastguard in an
overhaul of the national emer-
gency response system.
Park has been very outspo-
ken in her own criticism of the
ferrys captain and surviving
crew members, saying their
decision to abandon ship while
hundreds were still trapped
was tantamount to murder.
The Sewols captain and
three crew have been charged
with manslaughter through
gross negligence. Five Chong-
haejin officials have already
been arrested for possible
criminal negligence. AFP
Vietnam claims Chinese sank shing boat
Continued from page 1
he added. Qin said the rig had moved
to a new location, but Vietnamese state
media said it was still within what
Hanoi considered its territory.
It was the first ship reported sunk
since the dispute flared in early May.
The standoff has seen repeated skir-
mishes between dozens of Chinese and
Vietnamese vessels, including many
civilian and fishing boats.
The confrontations have included
reported rammings and the use of
water cannon.
A dozen Vietnamese fisheries surveil-
lance officers have been injured in
rammings since the start of May, the
deputy commander of the Vietnam
Marine Police, Ngo Ngoc Thu, said.
Relations between frequently testy
neighbours Vietnam and China have
plummeted over the oil rigs presence,
which has worsened an increasingly
heated dispute over territorial claims
in the area. The oil rig is positioned in
the vicinity of the contested Paracel
Islands. In Japan which has a thorny
maritime territorial dispute of its own
with Beijing in the East China Sea
government spokesman Yoshihide
Suga said if the report was true, it was
an extremely dangerous act.
Its important that relevant coun-
tries abstain from unilateral actions
that raise tensions and that the coun-
tries act cool-headedly, observing
international laws, Suga said.
Tensions over the oil rig sparked
violent anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam
earlier this month. Beijing says four
Chinese citizens died in the unrest,
while Vietnam says three Chinese
died. Hundreds of people have been
detained over the riots and two Viet-
namese men on Sunday became the
first sentenced to jail, receiving terms
of one and three years.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung said last week that Chinas
placement of the rig in the contested
area had seriously threatened peace.
China claims nearly all of the sea,
even waters approaching the coasts of
its neighbours, and has become increas-
ingly assertive in staking those claims.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and
Malaysia, as well as Taiwan, have com-
peting claims to parts of the sea.
In recent years China has begun
aggressively patrolling contested waters,
using fishing bans and patrol boats to
keep foreign trawlers out, according to
Vietnamese officials and fishermen.
Hanoi says hundreds of fishing boat
crews have been arrested by Chinese
authorities over the past few years.
Beijing for its part estimates that
more than 11,000 Chinese fishermen
experienced attacks, robberies or
detention by foreign vessels between
1989 and 2010. AFP
Dozens dead in battle for airport
A pro-Russian ghter takes position behind a car as a truck packed with comrades heads towards the battle during clashes against Ukrainian
forces near the airport in Donetsk on Monday. AFP
World
13
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
INDIAN Prime Minister Na-
rendra Modi held landmark
talks with his Pakistani coun-
terpart and announced his
new cabinet yesterday, in a
high-energy start to his term
in ofce.
The morning after Modi
and his slimmed-down team
of ministers were sworn in,
the right-wing leader hosted
Pakistans Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif in a bid to ease
tensions between the nucle-
ar-armed neighbours.
The two leaders shook
hands and smiled for the
cameras on the steps of a
government building in
central New Delhi before
heading inside for almost an
hourlong meeting that ran
over its allotted time.
Sharif was one of six regional
leaders who attended Modis
lavish inauguration on Mon-
day evening. Modi has an im-
age as a hard-liner, even within
his own Hindu nationalist par-
ty, and is regarded with deep
suspicion by many in Pakistan
after deadly anti-Muslim riots
erupted in his western efdom
a decade ago.
But in a surprise move that
disarmed many of his critics,
Modi decided last week to in-
vite Sharif to his inauguration
and then to join him for talks
in a signicant olive branch
to Indias Muslim neighbour.
Let us together dream of a
strong, developed and inclu-
sive India that actively engages
with the global community to
strengthen the cause of world
peace and development,
Modi said as he was sworn in.
It is the rst time an Indian
prime minister has hosted a
Pakistani leader for ofcial
talks in Delhi since the rup-
ture in relations that followed
the 2008 attacks in Mumbai
that killed 166 people.
The attacks were blamed on
Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani
militant group which is now
accused of being behind an
attack by gunmen last week
on an Indian diplomatic mis-
sion in western Afghanistan.
Modi raised trade between
India and Pakistan in his talks
with Sharif, as well as secu-
rity concerns over anti-India
groups operating from Paki-
stani territory, analysts say.
In 1999, then-Indian prime
minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
rode a bus to the Pakistani city
of Lahore to sign an accord
with Sharif, but three months
later the neighbours nearly
went to war over the disputed
region of Kashmir. AFP
New Indian PM Modi in
talks with Pakistani rival
We know where missing girls are
N
IGERIAS highest-
ranking military
ofcer on Monday
gave a glimmer of
hope to the families of more
than 200 schoolgirls held by
Boko Haram militants, saying
that the country had located
the missing teenagers.
But the defence staff chief,
Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh,
warned that any potential
armed rescue operation was
fraught with danger as the 223
girls still held hostage could
be caught in the crossre.
Boko Haram ghters kid-
napped 276 girls from the
remote northeastern town of
Chibok on April 14, leading to
global outrage.
The good news for the girls
is that we know where they
are but we cannot tell you,
Badeh said in the capital
Abuja, as the abduction crisis
entered its seventh week.
Nigerias government and
military have been sharply
criticised for their slow re-
sponse to the mass abduc-
tion and were nally forced
to accept foreign help in the
rescue effort.
US drones have been sur-
veying northeast Nigeria and
neighbouring Chad from the
air while British, French and
Israeli teams have been on
the ground providing special-
ist assistance.
The military has previously
said that the search was cen-
tred around the Sambisa for-
est area of Borno, in northeast
Nigeria, where makeshift mil-
itant camps have previously
been found as well as arms
and ammunition caches.
Badeh earlier addressed
demonstrators who had
marched on Defence Head-
quarters in Abuja in the lat-
est in a series of protests
that have sought to maintain
pressure on the government
and keep the disappearance
in the spotlight.
The ofcer refused to di-
vulge specic details, de-
scribing the operation as a
military secret, but he add-
ed: We are working. We will
get the girls back.
Addressing the protesters,
Badeh said that the military
was faced with the dilemma
of whether to send in ground
troops, given concerns of
deaths and casualties among
the hostages.
Nobody should come and
say the Nigerian military
does not know what its do-
ing. We know what we are do-
ing. We cant go and kill our
girls in the name of trying to
get them back, he told the
crowd. The United Nations
Security Council last week
designated Boko Haram an
al-Qaeda-linked organisa-
tion, in a move designed to
curb any overseas funding
and support, as well as re-
strict its leaders movements.
However, analysts have
questioned whether the sanc-
tions would have any effect
on the ground, given the Isla-
mists largely localised cam-
paign of murderous violence
to create an Islamic state in
northern Nigeria.
Badeh touched on possible
foreign assistance to the mil-
itants, saying that weapons
recovered during operations
were very alien to Nigerian
armed forces, which means
there are people from out-
side fuelling this thing [the
insurgency].
Mr President said we have
al-Qaeda in west Africa. I be-
lieve it 100 per cent because
I know that people from out-
side Nigeria are in this war.
They are ghting us.
They want to destabilise
our country and some people
in this country are standing
with the forces of darkness.
We know. We must salvage our
country. We must bring sanity
back to our nation. AFP
A screengrab taken on May 12 from a Boko Haram video shows girls
wearing full-length hijabs and praying in an undisclosed location. AFP

Myanmar mulls curbs
on religion conversion
MYANMAR is considering
restrictions on religious
conversion, according to a draft
bill released in state media
yesterday, the first of several
controversial proposals
stemming from a rising tide of
Buddhist nationalism. The
proposed legislation would
require people who want to
change their faith to get
approval from a specially
created local authority. Under
the proposed law any violation
could attract a two-year prison
sentence. The proposals on
religious conversion are part of
a wider series of draft bills being
considered by government
ministries and suggested by
President Thein Sein after a
campaign by extremist monks.
A highly controversial plan to
impose restrictions on interfaith
marriage is also being
considered but details have yet
to be revealed. AFP
Yingluck freed: junta
THAILANDS junta yesterday
said former prime minister
Yingluck Shinawatra had been
released from military
detention and allowed to return
home. Yingluck was detained
on May 23 after reporting to the
army. [Yingluck] has been
released, junta spokesman
Colonel Winthai Suvaree said,
without specifying when she
was freed. AFP
Border tension
N Korea in
warning of
catastrophe
N
ORTH Korea yesterday
warned that recent
provocative activities
by US troops at a truce village
on the heavily fortified inter-
Korean border could lead to a
catastrophic military clash.
The warning came from
the head of the North Korean
forces stationed in the
frontier village of Panmun-
jom where the cease-fire
agreement to end fighting
in the 1950-53 Korean War
was signed. Panmunjom has
hosted multiple inter-Korean
talks over the decades and is
heavily guarded.
The North Korean military
official, who was not named,
said recent activities by US
troops threatened to destabi-
lise the sensitive area.
Given the military sensi-
tivity of Panmunjom, where
North and South Korean
border guards stand almost
eyeball to eyeball, the official
said such activity was parti-
cularly dangerous.
The slightest accidental
mistake or undesirable
behaviour could lead to a
catastrophic military clash,
he said. AFP
World
14
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Successful People Read The Post.
Job Announcement
The Phnom Penh Post is an independent media company in Cambodia
and is seeking qualied candidates to ll the position of reporter as
follows:
Lifestyle Sub-editor: 1 position
Job requirements:
Bachelors degree in journalism or an equivalent degree -
At least 2 (two) years experience in Media -
Knowledge of media law and professional ethics -
Those who specialize in certain area such as tourism, travel, -
entertainment and leisure news are highly welcomed.
Very good in Khmer and English, Speaking and Writing -
Computer literacy (must be able to type Khmer Unicode well) -
Available to work in a high pressure environment -
Interested candidates should submit their cover letter and CV to the
human resource ofce of The Phnom Penh Post at the below address:
Post Media Co. Ltd, #888, Floor 8, Building F, Phnom Penh Center,
Corner of Sothearos and Preah Sihanouk boulevards, Sangkat Tonle
Bassac, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh or through email address:
jobs@phnompenhpost.com; Tel: 023 214 311 or Fax: 023 214 318
Deadline: June 03, 2014
Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.
China: bomb material seized
P
OLICE in Chinas
Xinjiang have seized
1.8 tonnes of bomb-
making material and
detained ve people, authori-
ties said yesterday, follow-
ing a string of deadly attacks
blamed on militants from the
Muslim Uighur homeland.
China at the weekend
vowed a year-long crackdown
on terrorism, with violence
attributed to separatists from
Xinjiang increasingly target-
ing civilians and spreading
far outside the western region
in recent months.
Last week, ve suspects
killed 39 people and wound-
ed more than 90 in a car and
bomb assault on a market in
the regional capital Urumqi,
in an attack condemned as
terrorism by both Beijing and
Washington. Four of the at-
tackers also died.
Ofcers in and around
Hotan in southern Xinjiang
destroyed two explosive-
making dens and seized 1.8
tonnes of raw material that the
gang planned to use to make
explosive devices, along with a
large amount of partly nished
explosive devices, a report on
the website of the regional
Tianshan government said.
In recent days the group
began making explosive de-
vices with the goal of driving
into a crowded place, running
people over and setting off
bombs in Hotan, it said.
The gang had watched
videos promoting terrorism
and religious extremism, it
added, and said the groups
leader had instructed mem-
bers to acquire materials
from Urumqi and elsewhere
in China.
On April 30, the nal day of
a visit by Chinese President
Xi Jinping to the region, at-
tackers armed with knives
and explosives killed one
person and wounded 79 at
an Urumqi railway station.
In March knifemen killed 29
people and wounded 143 at
a railway station in the south-
western city of Kunming, an
incident dubbed Chinas
9/11 by state media.
Authorities have vowed to
crack down and taken the
rare step of deploying more
armed police in major cities,
but also emphasised the need
to improve ethnic integration,
education and employment
in Xinjiang.
Chinas most powerful body,
the Politburo Standing Com-
mittee, agreed at a meeting on
Monday that cracking down
on violent terrorist activities
must be the focal point of the
current struggle, the ofcial
news agency Xinhua reported.
Ethnic separatist activities
must be resolutely opposed
and lawfully combated,
it said.
At the same time the com-
mittee pledged to expand bi-
lingual education, make high
school free in southern Xin-
jiang and ensure at least one
member of every family had a
job, among other measures.
Police arrested more than
200 suspects and seized more
than 200 explosive devices
around Xinjiang over the past
month, state-run media said
at the weekend.
More were detained across
Xinjiang on Monday on sus-
picion of taking part in violent
activities, making bombs and
illegally crossing the border,
the Tianshan report said.
Beijing says it faces a vio-
lent separatist movement in
Xinjiang driven by religious
extremism and backed by
overseas terror organisations.
But experts question how
organised the groups in Xin-
jiang are and how strong their
foreign links may be, while
China strictly controls infor-
mation in the region. AFP
Chinese paramilitary policemen stand guard on a city square in
Urumqi in Chinas Xinjiang region on Saturday. AFP
Job Advertisement
The NGO Forum on Cambodia (NGO Forum) is a membership
organization consisting of local and international NGOs. It exists to
coordinate and equip members, networks of NGOs, and other civil
society organizations to actively engage in policy dialogue, debate,
and advocacy with and for poor and vulnerablepeoplein Cambodia.
The NGO Forum is seeking qualied candidates to ll the position of
Development Issues Program (DIP) Manager
Overall responsibilities of Development Issues Program (DIP)
Manager:
Under the guidance and direct supervision of Deputy Executive
Director in chargeof Program, DIP Manager provides overall technical
and analytical leadership to project teamunder Development Issues
Programincluding Development Policy, Aid Effectiveness, National
Budget, and Economic Development Policy. DIP Manager represents
theNGO Forumand its network members on related programissues
and work in closecollaboration with Coreprogramand other programs,
civil society, development partners, and government ofcials ensuring
successful implementation of theprograms Action Plan.
Key Qualications Development Issues Program (DIP) Manager:
Masters degree in development economics, development
studies, or a related subject with three years relevant
experience (NGOs, development, advocacy, management,
research), or Bachelor degree with ve years relevant
experience
In-depth knowledgeof government and development in
Cambodia
Strong understanding and experiencein policy dialogue,
debateand advocacy
Strong experiencein Project CycleManagement, Staff
management and teambuilding
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain aprofessional
network
Excellent oral and written communication skill both Khmer
and English
Qualied and interested candidates shall submit CV and cover letter
with clearly specify the position apply for, expected salary,
and how they nd the job advertisement to theNGO Forumno later
than 10
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J une 2014 (5:00 pm) via e-mail: job@ngoforum.org.kh,
Tel: 023 214 429. Hard copy applications arenot accepted. For more
details about theNGO Forumand J ob Description pleasevisit our website:
www.ngoforum.org.kh. Only short-listed candidates will becontacted.
Women and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
15
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
World
Egypts anointment of Sisi will lay bare Wests conict
Ian Black
Analysis
WESTERN governments will
have to come up with some
tortuous language as Abdel
Fatah al-Sisi becomes Egypts
president. No one doubted
that the former field marshal
would win this weeks elec-
tion by a handsome margin,
thanks to a combination of
genuine support, boycotts by
Islamists who have been
banned and persecuted, and
the absence of credible rivals.
Victory was no less
assured than it will be for
Bashar al-Assad, facing his
date with Syrias destiny
next month though that
exercise is a parody of
democracy.
Washington, London and
Brussels are already finalising
carefully crafted statements
about the will of the Egyptian
people and pressing forward
with the promised demo-
cratic transition. There will
be calls for inclusiveness
and widening the countrys
political space. There may
even be some critical words
about and human rights. But
there will be congratulations
for Egypts new strongman.
Sisi is able to claim the
mantle of Gamal Abdel Nass-
er and other soldiers-turned-
presidents because he and
his fellow generals removed
the democratically elected
Mohamed Morsi last summer
in a move that was undoubt-
edly popular but was still a
coup by any definition.
The US never used that
C-word, because under con-
gressional rules it would
have meant an automatic
cut-off of aid. Britain fretted
about the dangers of mili-
tary intervention and
hoped for better times.
For a few weeks there was a
slight chill in relations with
Cairo. EU aid and UK arms
export licences were sus-
pended. US military aid was
frozen, though some sales
resumed when Russia
stepped in to fill the gap.
Ambassadors who had
embraced the Muslim
Brotherhood uncritically
during Morsis unhappy
year in office to the fury of
Egyptians who loathed him
accepted that things had
changed overnight. Busi-
ness as usual did include
condemnation of repression
under the military 1,000
people killed and many
thousands imprisoned
could hardly be ignored.
The outlawing of the Broth-
erhood, mass trials and death
sentences and a media crack-
down have drawn fire too.
Still, the announcement of a
UK investigation into the
Brotherhood and Tony Blairs
warm endorsement of Sisi
sent very different messages
about Egypts lurch back to
pre-2011 authoritarianism.
In private, western govern-
ment ministers and officials
admit that Sisis road-map
cannot include the aspira-
tions that accompanied the
fall of Hosni Mubarak. But in
the battle between interests
and values, interests win
hands down: these include
fighting jihadis in Sinai,
keeping the peace with Israel,
and economics.
The UK is Egypts biggest
source of foreign direct
investment. Huge Egyptian
debts to British companies
are unlikely to be paid if Lon-
don is at loggerheads with
Cairo. The US defence indus-
try needs pragmatic engage-
ment, not principles. Coun-
ter-terrorism may turn out to
be Sisis trump card just as
it was for Mubarak.
The Muslim Brotherhood
has been at the forefront of
the campaign against Sisi, but
Islamists are not alone in
fearing for Egypts future. The
now-outlawed secular April 6
movement, in the vanguard
of the 2011 revolution,
appealed to the EU not to
send observers to grant the
election a spurious legitima-
cy. After some dithering, the
mission went ahead.
Even if every ballot box is
perfectly pristine and voter
turnout more than middling,
the grim backdrop . . . means
the observation mission can
hardly claim it was a free and
fair exercise, commented
Fatima Ayub of the European
Council on Foreign Relations
thinktank. Neither can the
final report assert the ugly
truth that the election is a
limp punchline to a bad joke
without begging the ques-
tion of why the EU made
itself a midwife to the rebirth
of autocracy in a neighbour-
hood where it had ostensibly
committed itself to support-
ing new democracies.
Normalisation will be the
order of the day for Egypts
new era: Its a question of
holding your nose but being
prepared to engage with
them so that you can influ-
ence the direction of travel,
argues one former Cairo-
based diplomat.
Sisi is going to win and
Egypt is an important coun-
try. You can either say were
not going to talk to you or
you can say we are going to
get with on with dealing
with the world as we find
it. THE GUARDIAN
Tank Man: protester who became an icon
Sebastien Blanc
H
E IS world famous, and at
the same time unknown.
The man who stood alone
blocking a column of
tanks at Tiananmen Square endures
as a symbol of peaceful protest and
defiance 25 years later.
It was just before noon on June 5,
1989. Wearing a white shirt, carrying
a shopping bag in each hand, he
strode out a day after Chinese troops
killed hundreds of pro-democracy
protesters in the heart of Beijing.
In the middle of the wide avenue
running north of Tiananmen Square
by now empty of the students who
had dreamed of democracy he
stopped, facing the first of a column
of tanks and armoured vehicles
stretching far down the road.
Captured on camera, Tank Man
has become one of the defining imag-
es of the 20th century. Unforgettably
powerful, his photograph has been
endlessly reproduced, despite being
censored at home by Chinas ruling
Communist Party. His identity and
fate are unknown.
The first tank repeatedly tried to
move around him. Each time, he
stepped back into its path.
I felt he was saying: I wont let you
pass, back off were prepared to die
here, said Hu Jia, a prominent dis-
sident in Beijing.
What he did symbolises the spirit
of young people at that time.
The protester climbed onto the
vehicle to engage in a conversation
with one of the tank crew, as gunshots
crackled in the air.
Climbing down, he stood to one
side, gesticulating for the column to
go back down the road. But when the
lead tank tried to speed past him, he
dashed back into position to stop it
again. Eventually, he was pulled away
by two men. By some accounts they
were security agents; others said they
were worried onlookers.
The stand-off lasted only minutes.
But Tank Mans calm and courage
have earned him a place in history
his mystique reinforced by his dis-
appearance, probably at the hands of
the security forces.
For a quarter of a century theories
have swirled about him, but few
facts have emerged.
Some identified him as Wang Wei-
lin, a name that has never been con-
firmed. Nor has that of the tank
driver who refused to crush him.
Like many others, Hu Jia tried to
find out who the protester was and
even asked a friend in the military
to try to track down the soldier at the
wheel but without success.
From Chinese authorities, there has
been nothing but a wall of silence.
A year after the crackdown, Ameri-
can TV journalist Barbara Walters
confronted Jiang Zemin, by then
number one in the Communist Party,
with a photograph of Tank Man.
Do you have any idea what hap-
pened to this young man? she asked.
A flustered Jiang stressed that the
tanks had not run the man over. He
declined to confirm the mans fate
beyond saying that he did not
believe he had been killed.
Several photographers captured
Tank Mans lone figure on film that
day. But it was Jeff Widener of the
Associated Press news agency whose
shot became the most widespread,
nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and
now regarded as one of the most rec-
ognisable photographs of all time.
Taken from the balcony of his
room at the Beijing Hotel, it was
splashed across the front pages of
newspapers the world over except,
of course, in China.
Since 1989 it has been recycled
countless times by rights groups
denouncing repression, in advertising
campaigns, and by satirists. A parody
version appeared in The Simpsons,
with Homer Simpson refusing to
budge before a column of taxis.
But in China the image remains
largely unrecognised, heavily cen-
sored by the authorities. Hu Jia, for
instance, did not see it until several
years after it became world-famous.
Not many people owned cameras
in those days, so the image is incred-
ibly valuable, Hu said.
Last year, a satirical version of the
shot with giant yellow rubber ducks
replacing the tanks went viral
online. China responded by banning
the phrase big yellow duck from
internet searches.
Widener, now 57, confesses that he
developed a love-hate relationship
with his photo in the years that fol-
lowed, as it overshadowed all of his
later work.
I think about Tank Man from time
to time and wonder what happened
to him, Widener, who now lives in
the German city of Hamburg, said.
Perhaps it is better we never know
who he is, he added. Its a bit like
the Unknown Soldier. He will always
remind us of the importance of free-
dom and democracy and our rights
for human dignity.
Hu agrees. Maybe he was killed,
maybe he was thrown in prison,
maybe he went abroad, but it doesnt
matter any more, he said.
I believe we are all Tank Men. If
we confront the system, Tank Man
lives on. AFP
Left, a protester holds a poster showing a democracy activist stopping
tanks in Beijing during the 1989 pro-democracy movement, on 30 May
1999, during a rally in Hong Kong. Thousands took part in a rally and
march to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the crackdown on the
democracy movement in Beijing; above, a satirical version of the shot
with giant yellow rubber ducks replacing the tanks that went viral
last year. AFP/PHOTO SUPPLIED
Opinion
16
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
T
HE abduction of more than
240 Nigerian girls has
shocked the world. But,
unfortunately, their case is
not an isolated one in Nigeria.
Indeed, the countrys torment is
shared by many other African coun-
tries, and the motivation behind the
kidnapping derives from an ideology
that is global.
That ideology is based on a warped
and false view of religion. It is taught
in formal and informal school set-
tings worldwide. Of course, the hide-
ous and crazed words of the leader of
Boko Haram, the group that kid-
napped the girls, are representative
only of the most extreme fringe of this
ideology. But, until we clean the soil
in which this poisonous plant takes
root, it will continue to blight the life
chances of millions of young people
around the world and jeopardise
our own security.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, this
problem is now vast. Mali, Chad,
Niger, the Central African Republic,
Somalia, Kenya and even Ethiopia
have all suffered or face acute anxie-
ties about the spread of extremism.
Many other countries have now iden-
tified extremism as their single most
important challenge.
Governments are often confronting
the challenge with courage and deter-
mination, and the use of African
forces in many countries to try to
keep peace is a tribute to that
resolve. But the fact is that the prob-
lem is continuing to grow.
This is not by accident. When I
became prime minister of the United
Kingdom in 1997, Nigeria was serving
as an example of productive coopera-
tion between Christians and Muslims.
The destructive ideology represented
by Boko Haram is not part of that tra-
dition; it has been imported.
As the population grows, so will the
problem. Nigeria has approximately
168 million people today, with some
estimates putting the population at
300 million by 2030, split roughly
equally between Christian and Mus-
lim. Without a peaceful coexistence,
the consequences for the country
and the world will be enormous.
Poverty and lack of development
play a huge part in creating the cir-
cumstances in which extremism
incubates. But poverty alone does not
explain the problem. And a major fac-
tor now holding back development is
terrorism. Who would invest in north-
ern Nigeria under current conditions?
How can local economies thrive in
such an atmosphere?
This challenge is not confined to
Africa. The Middle East, as we know,
is immersed in a process of revolu-
tion and upheaval that has been
complicated by Islamism and its
extremist offshoots. In Pakistan,
more than 50,000 people have lost
their lives in terror attacks over the
past decade. Violence linked to the
same ideology has taken innocent
lives and destroyed communities in
India, Russia, Central Asia, and East
Asia as well.
What is that ideology? Here is the
crux of the issue. Because misrepre-
sentation follows any pronounce-
ment on this question, let me state
some things very clearly. This ideolo-
gy does not represent Islam. The
majority of Muslims do not agree with
it. They are repulsed by it. This should
give us hope about the future.
But this ideology is a strain within
Islam that represents an organised,
powerful and well-funded minority.
What might loosely be called Islam-
ism is based on a politicisation of reli-
gion that, at its core, is incompatible
with the modern world, for it assumes
there is one true religion, only one
interpretation of that religion, and
that this interpretation should prevail
and dominate all countries politics,
government institutions and social
life. Those who do not share this view
must be overcome.
This Islamist ideology is a spec-
trum. At one extreme are groups like
Boko Haram. Other groups may not
advocate violence (though sometimes
they do) but still preach a view of the
world that is dangerous and hostile to
those who disagree. To see what I
mean, read the Muslim Brother-
hoods statement in 2013 denounc-
ing the UN Womens declaration for,
among other things, defending
womens right to travel or work with-
out their husbands permission.
It is the ideology, not just the acts of
extremism, that must be confronted.
My foundation, which provides
practical support to help prevent reli-
gious prejudice, conflict, and extrem-
ism, has been active in Nigeria for
several years, bringing together Chris-
tian and Muslim clerics to foster
mutual understanding. In more than
20 countries worldwide, we have
school programs that connect chil-
dren of different faiths to learn about
each other. Even in the most chal-
lenging places, the results are clear
and powerful.
In Sierra Leone, where we are part
of the campaign against malaria, we
mobilise churches and mosques to
work in their communities and help
families use bed nets effectively to
protect themselves against a disease
that still kills 750,000 pregnant wom-
en and children each year in Africa.
We have reached two million people
in an act of compassion and care,
with results that are as remarkable
as the interfaith cooperation that
produces them.
So the battle is not lost. But it has to
be seen for what it is. Every year, the
West spends billions of dollars on
defence relationships and on fighting
terrorism. Yet the very thing we are
fighting is given licence to grow in the
education systems of many of the
countries with which we are engaged
even in our own.
Education today is a security issue.
The Group of 20 should agree that
open-minded education that pro-
motes religious tolerance should be a
responsibility of all countries. We
should insist upon it in our own
school systems and then insist upon
it in others systems.
Nigerias kidnapped girls are victims
not just of an act of violence but of a
way of thinking. If we can defeat that
ideology, we will begin to make
progress toward a more secure world.
PROJECT SYNDICATE
Comment
Tony Blair
The kidnappers ideology
A screengrab taken in September from a video shows men claiming to be the members of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. AFP
Tony Blair, the former prime minister of the UK,
is a special envoy for the Middle East Quartet.
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THE what-the-hell effect. For
decades, weve known its a
major reason why diets fail. You
resolve, say, to eat no sugary
foods. But then you cant resist
one of the cupcakes that some-
one brought for their birthday
and left in the office kitchen.
Healthwise, this minor slip-up
is insignificant, but its hugely
consequential goal-wise: your
hopes of a sugar-free day are
screwed and if youre going
to fail, you petulantly con-
clude, you might as well have
fun doing so. Which means
more cake, perhaps with a
chaser of Skittles. You decide
to start afresh tomorrow, when
things will be different. Except
they never are.
The what-the-hell effect also
sabotages our spending (when
youve broken into a $20 note,
youre far likelier to buy things
with the change) and even our
attempts to behave ethically:
once youve cheated a bit, youre
more likely to cheat a lot; you
might as well, since youre
already a cheat.
The what-the-hell effect is
usually interpreted, rightly, as
an argument for setting more
realistic goals. Instead of prom-
ising youll eat no unhealthy
foods, or spend nothing on frip-
peries, build in a safety valve:
permit yourself one self-indul-
gent item a day, or a certain
amount of money a week. Bet-
ter yet, replace inhibitional
goals the intention to stop
doing things with acquisi-
tional goals, focused on obtain-
ing or achieving something. But
the effect illustrates something
more profound, too: that when-
ever youre trying to change
how you do something, the
important part to focus on isnt
how often you succeed. Its
what you do after the numerous
times you fail. THE GUARDIAN
17
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Lifestyle Lifestyle
Rubber Man tells naked truth
Will Jackson

I
T WAS after being visited
in a dream by a forest spirit
that Khvay Samnang be-
gan working on his new art
project, Rubber Man.
The spirit who appeared as
a white naked man took Sam-
nang to a rubber plantation to
show him how its home had
been destroyed, he explained a
few days after the show opened
on Friday.
I felt it was like how the vil-
lagers who have lost their land
come to Phnom Penh to pro-
test, the artist said.
Inspired by the homeless
spirit, Samnang embarked on
an unusual project: dumping
rubber tree sap over his naked
body, hoping to raise questions
about where the inhabitants go
when forests are destroyed.
More than 300,000 hectares
of rubber trees have already
been cultivated in Cambodia
and the government hopes to
more than double that in the
next few years.
However, rights groups say
that the deforestation destroys
minority groups hunting and
gathering grounds and places of
spiritual signicance along with
animal habitats.
Pouring materials over him-
self has become something of a
trademark for Samnang.
In a previous work, Untitled,
he went to various development
sites around Phnom Penh and
dumped buckets of sand on his
own head. In Newspaper Man,
he covered himself in news-
papers and wandered blindly
around Boeung Kak, which was
lled in with sand in 2010 to
make way for a development.
For Rubber Man he under-
took about 10 trips to Ratanak-
kiri where he was lmed and
photographed sans-clothes in
rubber tree plantations and vil-
lages dousing himself in buck-
ets of rubber tree sap.
It was really smelly, like rub-
ber, but not that bad, he said.
Getting it off was very painful.
It took two and a half hours each
time to remove and it pulled out
all the hair from my legs.
Samnang said some of the vil-
lagers he encountered were dis-
turbed by his nudity and threat-
ened to have him arrested.
But a friend in the village who
was respected for perceived su-
pernatural powers was able to
smooth things over.
Samnang said that normally
in Cambodia power trumped
rules. I dont normally have
power but in this case I was able
to use my friends power.
The result of Samnangs or-
deals is a single-channel video
and photographic series ac-
companied by a series of hand-
carved rubberwood sculptures
of threatened animals and ma-
chinery such as chainsaws and
bulldozers.
Samnang said he did not want
any publicity ahead of the exhi-
bitions opening last week be-
cause he feared it might be shut
down by the authorities.
It wasnt the political aspect of
the show that would be a prob-
lem it was the nudity.
The footage is carefully edited
(the full frontal shots are ob-
scured by the liquid rubber) but
Samnang was still concerned.
I didnt put out any press re-
lease or anything, he said.
Ironically, Samnang could
not have completed the project
without the help of a friend who
owns a rubber plantation.
He said the friend admitted
to him that he had done wrong
by cutting down the forests but
hoped that helping with Rubber
Man could be redeeming.
Most people who own the
rubber plantations wont admit
they have done anything wrong,
but at least he did, he said.
The Rubber Man exhibition is
on at Sa Sa Bassac gallery (#18
2nd Floor, Sothearos Boulevard)
until July 12.
Artist Khvay Samnang poured rubber tree sap over his naked body for his new project at Sa Sa Bassac gallery. PHA LINA
Simple way
to beat the
what-the-
hell effect
Sukhumaporn Laiyok

S
ATURDAY is World No Tobac-
co Day, so what better time
to explore why smoking is a
hard habit to break. Smoking
cigarettes is addictive and quitting
them can be as tough for the mind
as for the body. This is especially true
for Peechaow Chalernpaison, who
smoked for more than 20 years.
Peechaow started smoking at the
age of 15 due to peer pressure. As a
closet smoker, he usually smoked
during school breaks and once he
arrived home.
We thought smoking was cool, and
it was a sign of being a macho man,
he recalled.
Smoking gradually became a daily
ritual and his urge for cigarettes grew
from a few cigarettes to as many as
10 to 15 a day. As a regular smoker, he
said he always had to smoke after a
cup of coffee in the morning.
Its like an automatic action for me
to have a coffee and then smoke in
the mornings, he said.
According to addiction special-
ist Dr Pichai Saengcharnchai from
Phramongkutklao Hospitals Ad-
diction Psychiatry Centre in Bang-
kok, smoking can be regarded as
a habitual activity among those
people who smoke at particular
times during the day or at particu-
lar places only.
Often people smoke because its a
habit, not because they are addicts,
Dr Pichai said, adding that habitual
smoking is considered a psychologi-
cal addiction.
After celebrating his 35th birthday,
Peechaow realised smoking had neg-
ative effects on his health and appear-
ance. Premature ageing and wrinkles,
icky teeth caused by a heavy tartar
build-up and stained ngers contrib-
uted to his low self-esteem. Also, his
nocturnal cough got worse.
A bad cough interrupted my sleep.
I felt weak on waking up. When I
looked in the mirror, the reection of
myself was terrifying, said the now
40-year-old who, after realising and
experiencing smoke-related health
effects, decided to kick the habit.
Peechaow went cold turkey. When
a craving struck, he fed himself a
mint candy to keep his mouth busy.
When he was irritated and anxious,
he calmed himself by gardening and
going for a brisk walk. These simple
techniques worked.
A craving was intense but short-
lived. I tried to be patient and let
it pass. My vanity saved me, said
Peechaow.
According to Dr Pichai, withdrawal
symptoms are rarely dangerous. The
symptoms, which in most cases in-
clude bad moods, headaches, anxi-
ety and dizziness, usually last about
two to 10 days. After a year without
a cigarette, Peechaow fell off the
wagon when he went to a party with
friends who smoked.
Although going cold turkey is an
easy quitting method, smokers often
experience a relapse, Dr Pichai said.
Going cold turkey requires will
power and adjustment of habits, as
well as management of withdrawal
symptoms, said the doctor. When
you have a friend or family member
who smokes around you, its hard to
quit or to avoid a relapse.
Peechaow resumed smoking and
his cough eventually got worse.
Tobacco use is a chronic disease,
said Dr Pichai. It can lead to signi-
cant negative health consequences
such as cardiovascular diseases and
pulmonary diseases.
The doctor explained that many
smokers are dependent on nicotine,
the addictive chemical in tobacco
that makes them feel good, as the
substance triggers an increase in do-
pamine the brains happy chemical
and stimulates the area of the brain
associated with pleasure and reward.
In addition to nicotine, when
burned, the doctor continued, a
cigarette produces more than 4,000
chemicals, with more than 60 of
them being known to cause cancers
and other toxins.
Peechaow said emotional support
is of paramount importance in quit-
ting smoking. He said health care
providers at the foundation offered
him advice on quitting techniques
and periodically gave him a ring to
monitor his progress in quitting.
They cheered me on and remind-
ed me why I quit. I learned it by heart.
Soon I didnt need a cigarette, period,
Peechaow said. I have to also thank
my mother. I told her to be nice to me
as I was stressed and a bit cranky and
sometimes nasty when having with-
drawal symptoms, he said.
The Smart Quit Clinic also gave
Peechaow some tips to help him
when a craving struck such as
sucking on diced lemon.
Dont underestimate a natural
remedy, he said. The taste of lemon
is harsh and sharp so it helped stop
my craving for tobacco.
Peechaow claims he has been nico-
tine-free for almost a year, has expe-
rienced moderate weight gain and is
more energetic. There is no wheez-
ing at night and no coughing.
Try to focus on why you want to
quit and benets you will gain from
quitting so that it helps keep up
your motivation to quit, Dr Pichai
advised.
After smokers stop smoking, Dr Pi-
chai said, the body starts to heal itself.
Their ability to taste and smell will be
enhanced after a couple of days. Lung
function increases after three weeks
of quitting. The bodys energy level is
increased and coughing should less-
en after a few months. After one year
of cessation, the risk of dying from
coronary heart disease is reduced by
about one half and life expectancy
extended by roughly 10 years.
I think smokers who try to quit slip
at least one time. Its not easy to go
through unpleasant changes physi-
cally and emotionally. But I have
won, said Peechaow. BANGKOK POST
Health
18
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Bidding a final farewell to cigarettes
Limiting after-hours emails can help tackle burnout
AS SMARTPHONES and portable
devices increasingly dominate
our working lives, moves are
afoot in France and Germany to
prevent the little electronic mir-
acle workers from encroaching
on peoples private lives.
For several years now, some of
Germanys biggest companies
have started waking up to the
counterproductive effects of
expecting executives to be reach-
able around the clock.
Burnout has become a buz-
zword as an explosion in the
number of work-related psycho-
logical illnesses has forced compa-
nies to rethink the demands they
make on employees. The last three
or four years have seen firms such
as car giant Volkswagen install vir-
tual dams to prevent the seem-
ingly unstoppable deluge of work-
related emails from reaching
stressed employees at home.
The more work encroaches on
peoples private lives, the more
employees are likely to suffer from
stress, burnout and an inability to
switch off, the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health
(BAuA) found in a recent report.
Teleworking, or using IT or tele-
communications to replace work-
related travel or enable work out-
side the office, can be a valuable
option for a company because it
offers flexibility, said BAuA expert
Frank Brenscheidt.
Leaving the office early to pick
up children from school, and then
finishing off the days work at home
may suit some working parents.
But if it brings with it a perma-
nent increase in workload and
extra hours, it can make some
employees ill, Brenscheidt said.
According to the BAuAs statistics,
the number of sick days taken as a
result of psychological problems
has increased by more than 40 per
cent between 2008 and 2011.
German auto giant Volkswagen,
at the behest of the mighty met-
alworkers union IG Metall, has
prescribed a daily rest period
from work-related emails.
Its servers no longer forward
emails to employees work phones
between 6:15pm and 7:00am.
Originally aimed at around 1,000
employees, the measure has since
been widened to cover around
5,000 staff members, out of a total
domestic workforce of 255,000.
Rival carmaker BMW has come
up with a different approach.
We are aware that a boundary
needs to be drawn between work
and private life. But we dont want
rigid rules to negate the advan-
tages of worker flexibility, said
Jochen Frey, a spokesman for
BMWs personnel department.
Since the beginning of this year,
more than 30,000 employees can
carry out tasks offsite and outside
working hours. An hour spent
answering email requests can count
as an hours overtime.
But that presupposes a certain
degree of trust and dialogue
between workers and their bosses,
Frey admitted. AFP
A Cambodian man smokes a cigarette near a trafc sign along a street in Phnom Penh on May 31, 2013. AFP
A model shows a BlackBerry Z3 smartphone Jakarta edition earlier this month. In Europe,
companies are coming to terms with the psychological effects of always being available. AFP
Travel
19
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 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
FD 3617 Daily 17:05 18:15 PG 935 Daily 17:30 18:40
PG 936 Daily 19:30 20:40 TG 584 Daily 18:25 19:40
TG 585 Daily 20:40 21:45 PG 937 Daily 20:15 21:50
PHNOMPENH- BEIJING BEIJING- PHNOMPENH
CZ 324 Daily 08:00 16:05 CZ 323 Daily 14:30 20:50
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
VN 3856 Daily 19:20 20:05 VN 3857 Daily 18:00 18:45
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
PHNOMPENH- KUALALUMPUR KUALALUMPUR- PHNOMPENH
AK 1473 Daily 08:35 11:20 AK 1474 Daily 15:15 16:00
MH 755 Daily 11:10 14:00 MH 754 Daily 09:30 10:20
MH 763 Daily 17:10 20:00 MH 762 Daily 3:20 4:10
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
CALLING PORT ROTATION
LINE CALLING SCHEDULES FREEQUENCY ROTATIONPORTS
RCL
(12calls/moth)
1 Wed, 08:00 - Thu 16:00 1 Call/week SIN-SHV-SGZ-SIN
2 Thu, 14:00 - Fri 22:00 1 Call/week
HKG-SHV-SGZ-HKG
(HPH-TXGKEL)
3 Fri, 20:00 - Sat 23:59 1 Call/week SIN-SHV-SGZ-SIN
MEARSK (MCC)
(4 calls/moth)
1 Th, 08:00 - 20:00 1 Call/week
SGN-SHV-LZP-SGN
- HKG-OSA-TYO-KOB
- BUS-SGH-YAT-SGN
- SIN-SHV-TPP-SIN
2 Fri, 22:00- Sun 00:01 1 Call/week
SITC (BEN LINE
(4 calls/onth)
Sun 09:00-23:00 1 Call/week
HCM-SHV-LZP-HCM-
NBO-SGH-OSA-KOB-
BUS-SGH-HGK-CHM
ITL (ACL)
(4 calls/month)
Sat 06:00 - Sun 08:00 1 Call/week SGZ-SHV-SIN-SGZ
APL
(4 calls/month)
Fri, 08:00 - Sun, 06:00 1 call/week SIN-SHV-SIN
COTS
(2 calls/month)
Irregula 2 calls/month BBK-SHV-BKK-(LZP)
34 call/month
BUS= Busan, Korea
HKG= HongKong
kao=Kaoshiung, Taiwan ROC
Kob= Kebe, Japan
KUN= Kuantan, Malaysia
LZP= Leam Chabang, Thailand
NBO= Ningbo, China
OSA= Osaka, Japan
SGN= Saigon, Vietnam
SGZ= Songkhla, Thailand
SHV= Sihanoukville Port Cambodia
SIN= Singapore
TPP= TanjungPelapas, Malaysia
TYO= Tokyo, Japan
TXG= Taichung, Taiwan
YAT= Yantian, China
YOK= Yokohama, Japan
AIRLINES
Air Asia (AK)
Room T6, PP International
Airport. Tel: 023 6666 555
Fax: 023 890 071
www.airasia.com
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
www.cambodiaangkorair.com
E: mai@royalaviationexpert.com
Qatar Airways (Newaddress)
VattanacCapital Tower, Level7,
No.66, PreahMonivongBlvd,
Sangkat wat Phnom, KhanDaun
Penh. PP, P: (023) 963800.
E: pnhres@kh.qatarairways.com
MyanmarAirwaysInternational
#90+92+94Eo, St. 217,
Sk. Orussey4, Kh. 7 Makara,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
T:023 881 178 | F:023 886 677
www.maiair.com
Dragon Air (KA)
#168, Monireth, PP
Tel: 023 424 300
Fax: 023 424 304
www.dragonair.com/kh
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
Sitges: a counterculture paradise yet also a relaxing and vibrant holiday
town without the tourist trafc. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Tranquil vibes
in Spains mini
metropolis
Amanda Erickson

M
Y BROTHER-IN-
LAW was the rst
one to tell me
about Sitges. Hed
been there with his boyfriend
and thought my wife and I
would like it. I must admit I
was a bit surprised; all I knew
was that it was a gay resort near
Barcelona and was famous for
its nightlife. My wife, Sophie,
was pregnant and we both
needed a holiday, but we were
hardly in the mood for rau-
cous nightlife gay or straight.
Surely this was the last place
we should be going?
We were wrong. We went for
a week and had a great time.
It was easy to get there only
16 miles from Barcelona air-
port. It was remarkably attrac-
tive lots of historic buildings,
from Renaissance to art nou-
veau. The beach was damn
near perfect a broad sweep
of vanilla sand, sheltered by a
ring of green rolling hills (the
Garraf massif) and yet some-
how Sitges hadnt been over-
whelmed by tourism. It still felt
like a working town.
The gay bars are conned to
a few streets but their presence
energised the community;
they made Sitges come alive in
a way that felt friendly and up-
beat. There were no sunburnt
lads in Ingerlund shirts, no
broken glass or vomit in the
streets. We felt invigorated yet
relaxed, free from the stag-
night atmosphere of so many
Anglo-Iberian resorts. I rea-
lised Sitges was to Barcelona
what Brighton is to London: a
mini metropolis by the seaside,
cosmopolitan yet homely.
When we returned, two
years later, our son, Edward,
was a toddler. He was awake
at dawn and asleep by sunset.
And after our daughter, Thea,
was born, we came for a third
time and, as with all the best
holiday spots, Sitges became
a constant backdrop to our ev-
er-changing family life. Weve
been back several times in the
past decade as nowhere else
quite hits the spot.
So what is it that makes Sitg-
es so seductive? Its history, for
one thing. For several centu-
ries its young men went to the
new world (especially Cuba)
to seek their fortunes and re-
turned home to build ornate
houses to show off the money
they had made. Under the
Franco dictatorship it became
a discreet refuge for artists and
free-thinkers.
To this day it retains a cul-
tured ambience out of keep-
ing with its compact size. The
robust baroque church is the
focal point for amboyant
processions (men on stilts,
marching bands, scary pyro-
technics). Several grand old
houses have been converted
into galleries and museums.
Barcelona is less than an hour
away by bus or train; Tarrago-
na is even closer. Though its a
UNESCO World Heritage Site,
on account of its splendid Ro-
man ruins, its remarkably free
from tourist trafc. Ticking off
the sights isnt the point of Sit-
ges. Its mainly just a place for
doing nothing. Each time we
go there we do less and less
and it feels great.
It shares some of Barcelonas
big-city vibes, but it still feels
like a place apart. Its large
enough to sustain a life of its
own but is close to proper
countryside. Its architecture
is eye-catching but its not a
culture-vulture destination.
A lot of its visitors are Cata-
lans daytrippers and since
most shops cater to locals
you wont be ripped off. A lot
of visitors rent apartments,
and eat in local restaurants,
rather than hiding away in
plush resorts.
Sure, its still a holiday resort,
but it has local culture of its
own. Is there anywhere else
that matches up? Maybe, but
Ive yet to nd it. THE GUARDIAN
Entertainment
20
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
LEGEND CINEMA
NEIGHBOURS
A couple with a newborn baby faces unexpected
difficulties when they are forced to live next to a
fraternity house.
City Mall: 7:20pm
Tuol Kork: 10pm
GODZILLA
The worlds most famous monster is pitted against
malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanitys
scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
City Mall: 9:30am, 11:35am, 2:20pm, 4:30pm,
6:10pm, 9:35pm
Tuol Kork: 9:45am, 12pm, 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:15pm,
9:40pm
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious
company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains
against him, impacting on his life. Starring Emma
Stone.
City Mall: 4:35pm, 9:20pm
Tuol Kork: 1:45pm, 6:55pm
MILLION DOLLAR ARM
A sports agent stages an unconventional recruitment
strategy to get talented Indian cricket players to play
Major League Baseball.
City Mall: 7pm
PLATINUM CINEPLEX
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
(See above.)
4pm
THE QUIET ONES
A university professor and a team of students
conduct an experiment on a young woman,
uncovering terrifyingly dark, unexpected forces in
the process.
3:05pm, 6:50pm
GODZILLA
(See above.)
9:30am, 11:40am, 1:45pm, 6:30pm, 8:40pm
NOW SHOWING
Salsa @ The Groove
New to salsa? The Groove is oering
a class for beginners. This is the
ideal time to start if youve ever been
curious about getting involved.
Followed by a salsa party.
The Groove, #1C Street 282. 9:30pm
Trivia @ The Willow
Try your luck at The Willows trivia
night. Its probably the citys biggest
quiz (they regularly pay out over $100
in prize money to the winning table)
but they dont take themselves too
seriously.
The Willow, #1 Street 21. 7:30pm
TV PICKS
A Bosnian Muslim woman, survivor of the Srebrenica 1995 massacre, mourns near body caskets of her relatives. AFP
A scene from The Internship. BLOOMBERG
Fashion @ Naga World
East meets West in an evening of
Fashion at Naga World titled Victorian
Geisha. Catwalk show by Gown
Fashion. Two DJs will be on the decks,
but make sure to dress stylish.
Naga World, Samdech Techo Hun Sen
Park, from 9pm.
In Utero Srebrenica @
Bophana Centre
Bophana screens In Utero Srebrenica,
a documentary about the struggle of
survivors of the Bosnian genocide to
nd the remains of their children. The
director will be present for a Q&A.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre,
#64 Street 200. 6pm
4:25pm - THE INTERNSHIP: Two salesmen whose
careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find
their way into a coveted internship at Google, where
they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy
geniuses for a shot at employment. FOX MOVIES
8pm - OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL: A small-time
magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is
forced into a power struggle between three witches.
Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams. FOX MOVIES
10:10pm - MONSTERS UNIVERSITY: A look at the
relationship between Mike and Sulley during their
days at Monsters University - when they werent
necessarily the best of friends. FOX MOVIES
11:55pm - A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD: The latest
instalment in the franchise. FOX MOVIES
Thinking caps
ACROSS
1 Prefix with physical
5 Word in upscale restaurant
names
9 They have sticking points
14 Type of man or horse
15 Salerno money no more
16 Second-largest Great Lake
17 Newspaper bigwigs
20 When you might get there, for
short
21 Start again from scratch
22 Wading bird with an upcurved bill
23 Spray alternatives
25 Favorable votes
26 Escape clause
27 Debate sides
28 Sound of satisfaction
31 Capitol Hill prizes
34 Feudal farmer
35 ___ Major (Great Bear)
36 Amazing carpenter
39 Chamber effect
40 Type of chair
41 Speaks hoarsely
42 Motive, essentially
43 Wines partner?
44 Non-sharer
45 Making its way there
46 Travel allowance
50 Pass, as time
53 One not yet a marquis
54 Turn down
55 One with a bipolar disorder
58 Outright
59 Sinister look
60 One opening a manual
61 Run-down in appearance
62 Pigsty
63 Confined (with up)
DOWN
1 Silent performer
2 Sister of Urania
3 Melodic
4 The Santa ___ winds
5 Consumer of professional
services
6 Some does
7 Cogito, ___ sum
8 Part of a jazz duo?
9 Baked-potato topping
10 You can fill a lot with them
11 Colorful outdoor shoe
12 Ripped
13 Pt. of MIT
18 Fuss and fret
19 Workers perk
24 Bingo relative
25 Orderly display
27 As such
28 Slot-machine features
29 Without delay
30 ___ Christian Andersen
31 White-crested duck
32 Per person
33 Pale
34 Meager
35 Grammarians concern
37 Controlled with straps
38 Figures in Scandinavian folklore
43 Perceive
44 Vitae reviewers
45 Gathered intelligence
46 Some equines
47 Star-shaped spice
48 Established fact
49 Wield, as influence
50 Birds with inflatable neck sacs
51 Not when expected
52 Cost of staying in
53 Sword type
56 Deciduous tree
57 Have a late bite
HEY, BIG BOY!
Tuesdays solution Tuesdays solution
Sport
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
21

Table tennis tournament
aims to find future stars
THE group stage of the 2014
Heng Samrin Table Tennis Cup
hit off yesterday morning at
the Dambol Touk indoor hall of
the National Sports Complex,
with 45 male and 18 female
players from 10 clubs and
associations putting their bats
into action. Table Tennis
Federation of Cambodia
secretary-general Sun
Sothearith told the Post that
this second edition of the four-
day tournament was special
because it featured only U17
participants and no national
team members. Through this
competition, young talents will
be found to compete in future
international events, including
the [20th Southeast Asian
Table Tennis Association]
Junior Championship in
Brunei from June 16 to 21.
Four players will be entered
into the U18 section, and two
more into the U15 class,
Sothearith added. CHHORN NORN,
TRANSLATED BY CHENG SERYRITH
Chinese star Li stunned
in first round in Paris
FORMER champion Li Na, the
second-seeded Chinese
superstar and Australian Open
winner, was sensationally
dumped out of the French Open
in the first round yesterday,
beaten by a tearful Kristina
Mladenovic. Li, the 2011
champion, went down 7-5, 3-6,
6-1 to the 103rd-ranked blonde
Frenchwoman, the Roland
Garros junior champion in 2009,
to suffer her first opening round
defeat in Paris in eight visits.
The two hour and six minute
loss on a windswept and chilly
Suzanne Lenglen court saw Li
undone by 37 unforced errors.
Mladenovic, who was Australian
Open mixed doubles champion
this year with Daniel Nestor,
goes on to face Alison Riske of
the United States for a place in
the third round. AFP
Whiz kid Tomkins fined
over wee indiscretion
THE New Zealand Warriors
fined star recruit Sam Tomkins
NZ$2,000 (US$1,720) yesterday
for urinating in public while out
celebrating his teams National
Rugby League win over the
Gold Coast Titans. Australian
police apprehended Tomkins,
the incumbent England
fullback, on Sunday morning at
Broadbeach on the Gold Coast
after the Warriors 24-16 victory
and issued an on-the-spot fine
for public urination, the club
said. The Warriors said they
imposed their own fine after
conducting an investigation into
the incident. Tomkins signed
for the Warriors from Wigan
during the offseason for a
reported world record transfer
fee of US$1.12 million. Im
disappointed in myself. I
thought I was in a secluded
spot but realise I still made a
poor decision, he said. AFP
Hunter-Reay banks big
windfall for Indy 500 win
RYAN Hunter-Reay received a
winners check for $2,491,194
on Monday, a day after he
captured the 98th Indianapolis
500 by the second-closest
margin in the history of the
US oval classic. The American
driver edged three-time Indy
500 winner Helio Castroneves
of Brazil by 0.0600 of a
second. AFP
Root desperate to avoid agony
J
OE Root has said Englands
much-vaunted attempt to rebuild
their standing with their fans, let
alone the rest of the cricket world,
will come to nothing if they suffer yet
more humiliation during the ongoing
one-day series with Sri Lanka.
England, in classic early season Eng-
lish conditions, were bowled out for
just 99 as Sri Lanka cruised to a huge
157-run victory in the second ODI at
northeast county Durhams Chester-
le-Street headquarters on Sunday to
level the ve-match series 1-1 after
the hosts won in a rain-affected open-
er at The Oval.
The series continues at Manchesters
Old Trafford today and with crowds
appearing to be down after Englands
5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia, Root
bowled for a third-ball duck by La-
sith Malinga at the weekend knows
a repeat of the Durham debacle wont
go down well with the paying public.
We dont want fans turning up for
games and seeing a performance
like that, said the Yorkshire bats-
man after Sundays drubbing. Its
quite embarrassing.
The one way to get people to come
and watch you is to win games of
cricket, and we have to make sure
we can do that consistently, earn the
right for people to want to come and
watch us.
But Root insisted England, who will
hope to welcome back captain and
opener Alastair Cook at Old Trafford
after he missed Sundays match with a
groin strain, had not lost faith in their
collective ability to win the series.
We played some really good crick-
et at The Oval, which was not even a
week ago now, Root said.
If we do play at the top of our
game were going to beat sides like
Sri Lanka.
Root though was at a loss to explain
why England had batted so badly at
Chester-le-Street.
There isnt one [explanation] that
slaps you in the face, he said.
I think there are little things from
a personal point of view that we can
work on tomorrow in practice and try
and iron out.
What were expecting is to come
back strong on Wednesday and show
how good a side we can be. We should
be able to win in these conditions.
Root himself was stuck on the back
foot when Malinga knocked back his
off stump on Sunday but the player
himself didnt think a radical altera-
tion to his technique was required.
Im feeling pretty happy with my
game. Im still learning, as you always
do, but Ive got a reasonable idea of
what my role is within the side and
its not always going to be exactly the
same every game, he said.
Thats why I like it. Youve got to
adapt and make sure you can play
the situation, whether youre com-
ing in for the last 10 overs or near the
front. I have to make sure Im pre-
pared to do both.
Obviously yesterday, I possibly
could have got forward . . . [but] I am
not too worried about the way I got
out. Im just going to make sure it
doesnt happen again. Its pretty sim-
ple really. AFP
On a mission
NagaWorld vice president of events management Jerome Lee (centre), anked by Tennis Cambodia general secretary Tep Rithivit (to his right), national team coach Braen Aneiros (to
his left) and Davis Cup squad members Long Samneang (left), Mam Phalkun (second left), Bun Kenny (second right) and Mam Panhara (right) attend a press conference at NagaWorld
yesterday. For the third straight year, NagaWorld will be the main sponsor of Cambodias squad in the prestigious annual world team tennis competition. The team will y to Bangkok
on Saturday for some clay-court practice before heading to the Iranian capital of Tehran on June 6 for the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group III tournament. Lee used his address yesterday
to wish the players well, saying: I hope that Cambodia can earn a promotional ticket to Group II. BUNSAK/NAGAWORLD
Englands Joe Root plays a shot as Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara looks on during the countries rst one day international
cricket match at The Oval cricket ground in London last Thursday. AFP
LOS Angeles pitcher Ryu
Hyun-Jin threw seven perfect
innings on Monday to help set
a club record and power the
Dodgers to a 4-3 victory over
the Cincinnati Reds.
The 27-year-old South Ko-
rean left-hander retired the
rst 21 Reds batters he faced
before Todd Frazier doubled
down the left-eld line to
break up the perfect game and
no-hit bid.
Ryu improved to 5-2 on the
season, throwing 66 of his 95
pitches for strikes. He struck
out seven batters without a
walk and surrendered three
runs over seven and a third
innings.
Unbelievable through sev-
en, Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly said of Ryu.
Ryus winning effort, coming
one day after teammate Josh
Beckett threw the rst no-hit-
ter of the Major League Base-
ball season, gave the Dodgers
pitchers 17 hitless innings in
a row, shattering the old team
record of 12 from 1976.
A third-inning error by
Reds rst baseman Frazier
allowed Dodgers catcher
Drew Butera to score from
second base to give Los An-
geles a 1-0 lead and the score
stayed there until Ryu helped
his cause in the bottom of
the seventh inning.
Ryu, who helped South Korea
win Olympic gold at Beijing in
2008, chopped a ground ball
to Cincinnati shortstop Zack
Cozart, who fumbled the grip
and allowed a run to score on
the error. Carl Crawford fol-
lowed with a two-run double
to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
But Ryu saw the perfec-
tion bid slip away on Fraziers
hit. Frazier scored on a Chris
Heisey sacrice y and Billy
Hamilton hit a two-run dou-
ble off Dodger reliever Brian
Wilson to pull the Reds within
the nal margin.
Mattingly said the long time
at the plate for the Dodgers,
nearly half an hour in all,
broke up the momentum that
Ryu had built and contrib-
uted to him losing the perfect
game bid.
That big inning hurt him,
Mattingly said. It kind of
breaks the momentum for
him. He was in a 1-0 game
and had no margin for er-
ror and suddenly hes in a
game where he has got some
breathing room. He lost some
momentum out there.
But he didnt lose the game.
Heisey reached second base
with two outs in the ninth but
a nal Reds y out ended the
game. AFP
22 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Sport

Liang, Kapur, Griffiths
earn US Open berths
LIANG Wen-chong of China,
Shiv Kapur of India and Simon
Griffiths of England will make
their debuts in the US Open
next month after qualifying for
the years second Major
through the Sectional
Qualifying on Monday. Liang,
the first Chinese to win the
Asian Tour Order of Merit in
2007, topped the two-day
Sectional Qualifying in Japan
after posting a final round five-
under-par 66 at the Nara
International Golf Club. The
three-time Asian Tour winner
totalled nine-under-par 133 to
lead five other players to
Pinehurst Resorts and Country
Club from June 9 to 15. Kapur
sealed his third appearance in
a Major tournament when he
posted a one-under-par 71 for
a 139 total to finish tied fifth at
the Walton Heath Golf Club.
The Indian, who played in The
Open Championship in 2006
and 2013, was among 14
players who made the grade in
the Sectional Qualifying which
was won by Shane Lowry of
Ireland. Asian Tour member
Griffiths also sealed his
maiden appearance in the US
Open following a final round 70
to tie for second on 137. Wade
Ormsby of Australia and
Siddikur Rahman of
Bangladesh both missed out
on a US Open ticket after
finishing tied 17th and 68th
respectively. THE ASIAN TOUR
Saracens Borthwick
gets Japan role, report
SARACENS captain Steve
Borthwick will become Japans
forwards coach when he
retires at the end of the
current English season, the
BBC reported on Monday. The
34-year-old former England
skipper, capped 57 times by
his country, is set to end his
16-year playing-career when
he leads Saracens in their
English Premiership final with
Northampton at Twickenham
on Saturday. The second row
forward will work under Japan
head coach Eddie Jones, the
former Australia and Saracens
boss, when he joins up with
the Brave Blossoms, who on
Sunday beat Hong Kong 49-8
in Tokyo to qualify for next
years World Cup which will be
held in England. AFP
Kings rip Chicago, reach
brink of Stanley Cup final
THE Los Angeles Kings moved
to within one victory of the
Stanley Cup final by routing
defending champions Chicago
5-2 on Monday in their
National Hockey League semi-
final playoff series. The Kings
seized a 3-1 edge in the best-
of-seven Western Conference
final and can advance to the
trophy series with a victory in
game five at Chicago tonight.
AFP
Philippines lures NBA
veteran for World Cup
THE Philippines is planning to
fast-track citizenship for
American NBA veteran Andray
Blatche in a bid to give its
national team much-needed
extra height and class at this
years World Cup. The
Philippine Senate on Monday
passed a bill to grant
citizenship to the 6-foot,
11-inch (2.11-metre) Brooklyn
Nets centre. AFP
Faldo to cast eye on locals
H S Manjunath
SIX-TIME Major winner Sir
Nick Faldo will be watch-
ing closely the performances
of local golfers, particularly
teenagers Tevy Saroeun and
Thong Sokhamony, who are
expected to lead the Cambo-
dian charge in the third edi-
tion of the Faldo Series Asia
event lined up for Siem Reaps
Faldo-designed Angkor Golf
Resort from July 11 to 13.
I take enormous pride in
helping the game take-off in
non-traditional golng na-
tions. Seeing golf grow in
popularity in Cambodia is
tremendously rewarding for
everyone involved in the Fal-
do Series, said Sir Nick in a
communication released to
the Post on Monday.
Im greatly encouraged
by the progress we have wit-
nessed over the past two years
since we launched the Faldo
Series Cambodia Champi-
onship and Ill be following
closely the performances of
the local players.
In the girls section, 14-year-
old Tevy Saroeun, being talk-
ed about as a fast emerging
talent, is bound to garner lot
of attention while Cambo-
dian hopes among the boys
will be pinned on 18-year-
old Thong Sokhamony.
I have strong hopes that
Saroeun or Sokhamony can
make the breakthrough for
Cambodia this year by quali-
fying for the Grand Final. It
would be a reward for the ef-
fort that they have put into
their games, said AGRs di-
rector of golf David Baron.
Supporting junior golf is
an underlying goal of ours,
which is why we are delight-
ed to continue our partner-
ship with the Faldo Series
Asia by once again hosting
the event, he added.
Players from Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand and
New Zealand, apart from
local players, made up last
years eld.
Though players from the
Asia-Pacic region are ex-
pected to make the bulk of
this years eld, the event
organisers are hopeful of an
uptake in local participation.
For the first time, Cambo-
dian juniors will be invited
to take part in an unofficial
age category so as to help
them get valuable competi-
tive experience.
A grass-roots clinic, which
is almost an integral part of a
Faldo Series event, affords the
local student community the
best chance to enjoy an intro-
duction to golf.
Thong Sokhamony will lead the local challenge in the Faldo Series
Cambodia Championship. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Heat punish
Pacers to near
Finals berth
L
EBRON James scored 32 points
as two-time defending cham-
pion Miami ripped into Indi-
ana 102-90 on Monday, push-
ing the Heat to the brink of a fourth
consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
Chris Bosh scored 25 points and
James added 10 rebounds and ve
assists as the Heat seized a 3-1 lead
in the best-of-seven Eastern Confer-
ence nal.
Miami can clinch another berth in
the championship series with a victory
in game ve tonight at Indianapolis.
Its going to take a better game than
we had tonight, James said. We have
to get better every game.
Miami or Indiana will face either
San Antonio or Oklahoma City in next
months NBA Finals.
The Heat improved to 8-1 at home
against Indiana over the past two sea-
sons and stretched their overall home
playoff win streak to 10 games.
Miami led 49-44 at half-time, but
the Heat dominated the third quarter,
thanks in part to 14 points from James,
and stretched the margin to 80-64 en-
tering the fourth quarter.
A 13-1 Indiana run pulled Indiana
within 95-84 but the Heat, who never
trailed, kept the top-seeded Pacers at
bay over the nal minutes.
Bosh, who had struggled to find
his scoring touch against the Pac-
ers, scored 17 points in the first 17
minutes.
I thought that was going to happen
today, James said. I told him he was
going to have that kind of game. We got
off to a great start because of him.
Bosh said the key to victory was
not taking too many shots or press-
ing too hard.
Sometimes its all about simplify-
ing everything and getting back to
the basics, Bosh said. As a scorer
you want to see the rst shots go in.
That helped me be aggressive as the
game went on. I was able to put the
cerebral stuff to bed and just go out
and play the game.
The Heat also made a starting lineup
switch, adding Rashard Lewis to alter
the individual matchups with the Pac-
ers and help spark Boshs scoring.
It was good to get off to a good
start, Bosh said. We played the game
we wanted to play from beginning to
end. We changed up their looks and
gave them something to think about.
We were able to get into our rhythm
and dictate the tempo.
Paul George led Indiana with 23
points while David West had 20 points
and 12 rebounds and George Hill con-
tributed 15 points.
Miami outscored Indiana 30-11 at
the free throw line and George in-
credibly claimed that was the reason
the Heat won, even though the Pacers
never led.
We outplayed them, George said.
They won this game at the free throw
line. But I thought we outplayed them.
Its just demoralising when the game
is lopsided. They made 30 free throws.
That put them over the edge.
James responded by saying, We
only had ve turnovers and we scored
20 points off their turnovers. Thats got
nothing to do with free throws.
Indianas Lance Stephenson, who
said he felt his taunts were getting
inside of James head, managed only
nine points.
Once the ball went up, all that stuff
was behind him, Indiana coach Frank
Vogel said. He got into foul trouble
and didnt get into a rhythm.
Stephenson wasnt willing to recant
about having any impact on James.
Tonight was his night to step up and
show he was awesome and he did that
tonight, Stephenson said. I guess he
stepped up and they got the win.
I can take the heat. I can take the
re. He got the win. His teammates
helped him.
James laughed at the idea, saying,
I got a smirk out of it, and adding,
I didnt need any motivation. I was
motivated enough to get back to the
nals. Thats what its all about.
Stopping the four-time NBA Most
Valuable Player is the Pacers main
goal and likely their only hope to win
the nal three games and advance.
Weve got to do a lot to keep in front
of him, Vogel said. Hes the best play-
er in the world. Weve got to make it
difcult for him. AFP
LeBron James of the Miami Heat leaves Paul George of the Indiana Pacers in his wake as
he drives to the basket during game four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. AFP
Ryus seven of the best
helps spark Dodger win
Football
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
23

Suarez optimistic of
playing in World Cup: doc
URUGUAYS star striker Luis
Surez is recuperating after
undergoing surgery to repair
knee meniscus damage in
training and is doing well as
he fights to get fit for the World
Cup, team doctor Alberto Pan
said on Monday. The 27-year-
old who is set to clash with
Liverpool teammate Steven
Gerrard as Uruguay has been
drawn with England, Italy and
Costa Rica, had the surgery
late last week after injuring his
knee in training on Wednesday.
It augurs well that things have
gone very well following the
operation and that he has
plenty of optimism right now
and a great desire to keep
getting better, Pan told a
press conference. AFP
Liverpool manager
Rodgers signs new deal
BRENDAN Rodgers has
signed a new, improved, long-
term contract designed to
keep him at Liverpool for the
foreseeable future. Quite apart
from rewarding Rodgers for
his achievement in steering
the club into second place in
the Premier League and
guaranteeing Champions
League football at Anfield next
season, the deal is intended to
thwart any attempts to poach
the 41-year-old. The Northern
Irishman had a year remaining
on his previous agreement and
this lucrative extension its
precise length has not been
specified, but it is understood
to extend to 2018 will make it
very expensive for any
potential suitors to prise him
away from Anfield. THE GUARDIAN
Birmingham holding
firm receives offer
BIRMINGHAM Citys Hong Kong
holding company said it received
an undisclosed offer for a stake
in the football club, sending its
shares soaring, months after its
owner Carson Yeung was jailed
for money laundering. A filing to
the citys stock exchange,
Birmingham International
Holdings Limited did not
disclose the offered amount or
the identity of the bidder, but
said: if a disposal was to be
agreed, only up to 24 per cent
interest of BCFC should be
disposed of. Shares in the
company surged 43.3 per cent
to HK$0.175 (US$0.02) in
response to the news on
Tuesday morning after trading
in it was suspended ahead of
the announcement. Birming-
ham-based Daniel Ivery said on
his Often Partisan fanblog: As
news goes it is vague and an
anti-climax but it does confirm
the stories that the club would
be sold piecemeal to any
potential investors. Yeung was
jailed six years in march at the
end of a case that gripped the
southern Chinese city and fans
of the English football club with
its tales of unexplained dealings
and financial transactions
involving local businessmen and
an alleged triad member. AFP
Protests as Brazilian stars
arrive at World Cup camp
B
RAZILS World Cup squad
were forced to run a gauntlet
of 200 striking teachers on
Monday as they headed for
their tournament base camp against
a backdrop of public anger over the
cost of staging the event.
An educator is worth more than
Neymar, teachers chanted, referring
to the star striker, as the team bus
edged through the protesters from
Rio de Janeiros international airport
to the squads base about 90 kilome-
ters away at Teresopolis in the hills
north of Rio.
Despite a heavy police presence,
the demonstrators managed to hold
up the teams convoy long enough to
plant anti-World Cup stickers on their
bus before it nally eased past the
throng.
At the squads Granja Comary train-
ing complex, where they were met by
more protests, coach Luiz Felipe Sco-
lari said his charges have what it takes
to win the countrys sixth World Cup.
We have a great mix [of youth and ex-
perience]. The young players have ex-
perience having played at the top level
in Europe, he told Globo television.
The players minus Marcelo, given
dispensation to y in late after win-
ning the Champions League late Sat-
urday with Real Madrid gathered
after breakfast for their bus transfer
and arrived at their training complex
around midday.
But the protests were all too visible
for the players. Protesters shouted
their trademark There will be no
Cup slogan in easy earshot.
Some tried to block the team bus
from leaving Rio, but the driver
dodged them and accelerated away.
The Cup does not interest me. We
want more money for health and edu-
cation, protesters bellowed.
The teachers went on strike in Rio
state on May 12, demanding a 20-per-
cent salary increase.
Even diehard fans who had turned
out to greet the team and wave the
ag amid tight security around the
training complex were frustrated as
they barely got a glimpse of their he-
roes, hidden behind tinted glass.
I came from Mage [about 40 kilo-
meters away] especially to see Ney-
mar, but unfortunately I couldnt see
anything. What a shame the bus just
sped past, said Marineide, 40, who
had come with her two daughters.
To ensure Brazil have the best pos-
sible conditions to prepare, the CBF
earlier this year gave the training com-
plex a multimillion-dollar facelift.
The facilities include 39 individual
rooms with king-size beds and sev-
eral full-size pitches where Scolari
will prepare the team before they play
the opening match of the tournament
against Croatia in Sao Paulo on June
12.
But such luxurious details have an-
gered a populace demanding urgent
investment in infrastructure, health
and education.
A small group of protesters gathered
outside the facility, where one banner
read, in English: Billions for the FIFA
World Cup, no housing for the victims
of the heavy rains [of ] 2011. Do you
think it is fair?
Torrential rains claimed more than
900 lives in the Teresopolis region
days after President Dilma Rousseff
took ofce.
Rosangela Castro, a local teacher,
said: It is a real scandal they spent
more than 15 million reais (US$7 mil-
lion) to refurbish this training center
and billions on the World Cup.
Police will stand guard 24 hours a
day at Granja Comary to ward off any
trouble.
Brazil has been hit by a wave of
strikes and protests ahead of the
World Cup and elections in October.
Police, teachers, bank security guards
and bus drivers have staged disrup-
tive strikes in recent weeks.
Protests during last years Con-
federations Cup, a World Cup dress
rehearsal, brought a million people
into the streets and turned violent at
times, to the embarrassment of tour-
nament organizers.
Recent protests have been smaller
but more radical.
The players will train from today
and undergo tness checks after a
long season in Europe, where all but
ve of the 23 play.
They will stay in Granja Comary
until Sunday before traveling to the
central city of Goiania for a June 3
friendly against Panama. Three days
later, they will play their nal warm-
up against Serbia in Sao Paulos Mo-
rumbi stadium. AFP
Brazil striker Neymar trains with the squad at the Granja Comary training complex in
Teresopolis on Monday, ahead of the FIFA World Cup tournament. AFP
ASIAS football body has
warned the Maldives risks
being suspended from inter-
national competition after
anti-corruption investigators
launched a probe into alleged
ticket fraud at the AFC Chal-
lenge Cup.
The Asian Football Con-
federation (AFC) said the
Maldives anti-corruption
commission did not have
the authority to investigate.
Brawls broke out on Sunday
when disgruntled fans were
unable to buy tickets.
Since the jurisdiction to
investigate any misconduct
remains exclusively with the
AFC and FIFA, if any domes-
tic investigative authority
attempts to intervene in the
affairs of AFC or in any tour-
nament conducted by AFC
in partnership with FAM, the
Republic of Maldives, as a
member of AFC and FIFA is
at risk of being penalised for
such intervention, including
suspension from internation-
al events and tournaments,
the AFC said in a statement.
The statement added that
the Football Association of
Maldives (FAM) is regularly
audited by the AFC and re-
mains in good standing.
AFC also believes that [the]
conduct of FAM in the cur-
rent tournament is transpar-
ent, and in accordance with
the established rules of the
AFC, it said.
There was no immediate
comment from the indepen-
dent Anti-Corruption Com-
mission of the Maldives.
Scufes broke out in the
capital Male when tickets for
Tuesdays semi-nals went
on sale but fell short of de-
mand. Disappointed fans
accused ofcials of selling
them on the black market for
a higher price.
In Tuesdays seminals,
Maldives play the Philippines
and Afghanistan will face Pal-
estine. The eventual champi-
ons earn a place at next years
Asian Cup.
FAM president Ilham
Ahmed told local media on
Sunday that about 50,000
people had wanted tickets,
but that the national sta-
dium could accommodate
only 8,000.
Meanwhile, the privately
run Minivan News said only
150 tickets were made avail-
able to the public on Sunday.
Maldivian police said they
were following the fraud alle-
gations, but had not received
a formal complaint. AFP
Maldives warned over
AFC ticket fraud probe
Lukaku inspires romp
ROMELU Lukaku scored a hat-
trick as World Cup darkhorses
Belgium eased to a 5-1 win over
minnows Luxembourg in the
first of three prefinals friendlies
they will play before travelling
to Brazil.
Lukaku, who had an excellent
season on loan with Everton
from Chelsea scoring 15 goals
in the Premier League, was
joined on the scoresheet by
Tottenham Hotspurs Nacer
Chadli and VfL Wolfsburgs
former Chelsea attacking mid-
fielder Kevin de Bruyne.
The game was also notable
for the first appearance in the
Belgian colours by Adnan Janu-
zaj, the Manchester United
teenager who had been coveted
by several other countries for
whom he was eligible to play
before he finally opted for the
Red Devils in late April. Januzaj
did not disappoint after he
replaced playmaker Eden Haz-
ard, displaying some nice deft
touches. He will, however face
far sterner examinations come
the finals in Brazil.
Despite the weak opposition,
Belgian coach Marc Wilmots
selected a first choice side, save
goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois,
who was rested following his
side Atletico Madrids 4-1
Champions League final defeat
by city rivals Real on Saturday.
Lukaku fired the Belgians
into a third minute lead, but a
lapse of concentration allowed
Aurelien Joachim to level 10
minutes later.
Lukaku, though, restored the
one goal advantage in the 23rd
minute and completed his hat-
trick with a brilliant individual
goal in the 53rd.
Lukaku gave way on the hour
mark as Wilmots blooded
another young debutant in
Divock Origi, who plays in the
French championship for Lille,
the club where Hazard made
his name before his move to
Chelsea.
Chadli added a fourth after
being set up by De Bruyne, and
the provider turned goalscorer
in the dying seconds as he con-
verted a penalty.
Belgium, who will also play
Sweden away on Sunday and
then Tunisia in Brussels on
June 7, will be appearing in
their first World Cup finals
since 2002 where they have
been drawn in Group H.
They begin their World Cup
campaign proper against Alge-
ria on June 17 before going on
to play Russia (June 22) and
South Korea (June 26).
Mondays Results
International Friendlies
Australia 1 South Africa 1
Russia 1 Slovakia 0
Montenegro 0 Iran 0
Estonia 1 Gibraltar 1
Macedonia 0 Cameroon 2
Serbia 2 Jamaica 1
Belgiums Romelu Lukaku (right) vies with Luxembourgs Tom Schnell
during their friendly match at the Fenix stadium in Genk, Belgium. AFP
2014 RHB Singapore Cup
Svay Rieng v Albirex Niigata
12:30pm
International Friendlies
South Korea v Tunisia 5pm
Denmark v Sweden 1:15am
Nigeria v Scotland 2am
Mexico v Israel 8:30am
TODAYS FIXTURES
24 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 28, 2014
Sport
Cheese roll
Competitors tumble down Coopers Hill in pursuit of a round Double Gloucester cheese during the annual cheese rolling and wake near the village of Brockworth near Gloucester in western England on Monday. With a dis-
puted history dating back to at least the 1800s, the annual Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling involves hordes of fearless competitors chasing an eight pound (3.6 kilogram) Double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. The slope
has a gradient in places of 1-in-2 and in others 1-in-1, its surface is very rough and uneven and it is almost impossible to remain on foot for the descent. The winner of the race down the hill wins the cheese. AFP
Wawrinka mystified by slump
S
TAN Wawrinka said he had
no answers to his listless
rst round exit at the French
Open on Monday where he
was well beaten by Spanish journey-
man Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4,
5-7, 6-2, 6-0.
The Australian Open champion,
who was tipped as a possible win-
ner in Paris after claiming the
Monte Carlo Masters title, struggled
throughout in a mistake-strewn
performance that saw him produce
61 unforced errors.
It wasnt good at all, I kept trying to
nd my game, anything to get back in
it, but I just need to take a few days off
now and gure out what happened,
said a visibly dejected Wawrinka.
Hes a really good player, but it was
me. I couldnt nd solutions, and it
was just terrible and a really big dis-
appointment.
Wawrinka has endured a roller-
coaster clay-court season with the
high of his Monte Carlo title followed
by dispiriting early exits in Madrid
and Rome.
On Monday, there was the added
pressure of trying to become the rst
man since American Jim Courier in
1992 to win the French Open in the
same year as the Australian title.
Im really sad, but I cant change it.
And I just have to accept it and think
about the future, said Wawrinka.
The grass court season is com-
ing up, and theres still a lot to think
about for the rest of the year. But I
dont have the answers right now as
to what happened.
Everything was terrible, but thats
what it is. he added.
Garcia-Lopez laid down the gaunt-
let from the outset by breaking twice
and putting Wawrinka in an early hole
by taking the rst set in 36 minutes.
The Swiss number one and quarter-
nalist last year, then had to dig deep
to level the match when he broke at
6-5 up in the second, despite ring an
uncharacteristic 17 unforced errors.
The Spaniard remained unrufed
however and broke the Wawrinka
serve for the fourth time in the open-
ing game of the third set to seize the
momentum he never relinquished.
When he wrapped it up 6-2 under
fading light on a rain-hit day, the writ-
ing was on the wall for the Swiss star.
The 29-year-old was increasingly
frustrated and out of sorts as Gar-
cia-Lopez continued to dominate a
match he never looked like losing.
Wawrinka, who has a reputation as
a great ve set player, never got that
far as he collapsed 6-0 in the fourth to
hand Garcia-Lopez arguably the n-
est win of his career.
The 30-year-old, who came into
the tournament ranked 41 in the
world, can now look forward to a
second round match against French-
man Adrian Mannarino. Wawrinka,
a quarternalist at Roland Garros in
2013 and tipped as a possible title
contender after winning the Monte
Carlo Masters crown last month,
was the second top 10 seed to lose
on Monday.
Japanese ninth seed Kei Nishikori
had earlier lost 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-2 to
Slovakias Martin Klizan.
There were no such problems for
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and
Maria Sharapova, who all shrugged
off the Paris gloom.
Eight-time champion Nadal, bid-
ding to become the rst man to win
ve Roland Garros titles in a row, beat
US wildcard and world number 279
Robby Ginepri 6-0, 6-3, 6-0.
It was Nadals 60th win at the French
Open against just one loss.
World number one Nadal kicked off
his campaign on the secondary Su-
zanne Lenglen court while title rivals
Djokovic and Wawrinka were handed
top billing on the main Philippe Cha-
trier arena.
But it was still business as usual
for Nadal who red 27 winners past
Ginepri, a seminalist at the 2005 US
Open whose challenge was undone
by 41 unforced errors.
It doesnt matter where I play, said
Nadal who next faces highly-rated
Dominic Thiem of Austria.
Its always a pleasure and an hon-
our to play at Roland Garros, on Cha-
trier, Lenglen or any other court. This
place has given me unforgettable
emotions.
Second seed Djokovic, the 2012
runner-up who is seeking a rst Ro-
land Garros title to complete a career
Grand Slam, brushed aside Portugals
Joao Sousa, the world 42, in straight
sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Djokovic, widely regarded as the
favourite to dethrone Nadal having
beaten the Spaniard in Rome two
weeks ago, next faces French hope
Jeremy Chardy. I played for most of
the match quite solid. The end of the
match was not so nice from my side
because I dropped my serve twice,
said Djokovic.
Sharapova, seeded seven and the
2012 champion, needed just over
an hour to beat fellow Russian, Kse-
nia Pervak, the worlds 156th-ranked
player, 6-1, 6-2.
The 27-year-old will next face Bul-
garias 2010 Wimbledon seminalist
Tsvetana Pironkova.
First matches at Grand Slams
are always tough, no matter how
prepared you are, no matter how
many matches youve played, said
Sharapova, now 13-1 on clay in 2014
with titles in Stuttgart and Madrid.
Mondays action also witnessed the
rst marathon of the French Open
with Argentine qualier Facundo Ba-
gnis marking his Gramd Slam debut
by seeing off Frenchman Julien Ben-
neteau 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 18-16 in four
and a half hours.
Other top mens players going
through were Italian 14th seed Fa-
bio Fognini, Tommy Robredo, the
17th seed from Spain, as well as
colourful 18th seeded Latvian Er-
nests Gulbis. AFP
Switzerlands Stanislas Wawrinka (right) is comforted by Spains Guillermo Garcia-
Lopez at the end of their French Open rst round match in Paris on Monday. AFP

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