NATIONAL [PAGE 3]

DIDNT HAVE A COW

BUSINESS [PAGE 7]
REFORM MINDED
WORLD [PAGE 12]
PLANE CRASH
TVK director resigns af-
ter failing to air the Royal
Ploughing Ceremony live
Inspired by Australia, the gov-
ernment is considering changes
to the mining laws
A Lao air force plane carrying
senior government ofcials
goes down
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIEL
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S
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E

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U
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1
9
2
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May Titthara and Sean Teehan
BEFORE dawn on Saturday, family
members of Moun Sokmean found
him distressed and incoherent.
Over the past several months, Sok-
mean, who was left blind in one eye
after being beaten by authorities during
a January 3 garment sector protest, had
complained of headaches and other
ailments. But this time was different.
His father, Luch Pouy, and a cousin
put the 29-year-old on a motorbike and
rushed him to a doctor. When they
arrived at Visal Sok clinic in the capitals
Chamkarmon district at 3:15am, it was
too late, Pouy said. Sokmean had died
on the way there.
I took him by my motorbike to a pri-
vate clinic, but when we reached the
clinic, the doctor said he had already
passed away, Pouy said yesterday.
Sokmeans family say his death is the
result of the vicious assault by author-
ities, though a lack of proper medical
care in the aftermath may have also
lessened his chances of survival.
His father said Sokmean attended
the January 3 protest on Veng Sreng
Boulevard. Like many other protesters,
Election ofcials pour ballot papers onto a table for counting at a voting station at Yokunthor High School in Phnom Penh yesterday morning. HENG CHIVOAN
Post Staff
C
AMBODIAS subnational
elections went off without a
hitch yesterday, with the
oppositions improved per-
formance in 2012s commune elections
translating into solid gains at the dis-
trict, provincial and municipal levels
though a bit more modest than the
party had predicted.
Yesterdays vote was open only to the
Kingdoms roughly 11,000 commune
councillors, and in spite of isolated
cross-party voting, the results stuck
closely to party lines, according to
largely identical unofficial results
released by the two parties.
The opposition Cambodia National
Rescue Party won a majority in two
districts one in Prey Veng and anoth-
er in Kampong Cham province and
captured about 23 per cent of the seats
up for grabs, a figure that represents
significant gains on their previous
position, and that was only a few points
shy of the partys share of seats at the
commune level.
The CPP, however, maintained its
grip on the lions share of positions,
winning a total of 2,543 seats.
Though CNRP president Sam Rainsy
had previously predicted his party
would win in six districts, he nonethe-
less heralded yesterdays results as a
victory for democratic forces.
It means that the democratic forces
represented by [the CNRP] have our
representatives in every district, Rain-
sy said, trumpeting the unprecedented
gain of council chief positions in two
districts. This is first time that democ-
racy has invaded into the structure of
the state at the grassroots level, [and]
that we have received the titles of dis-
trict council presidents in a district in
Prey Veng and a district in Kampong
Cham province. It means that now the
democratic forces can hold on against
the ruling party.
[The CPP] cannot do whatever it
wishes, and we will use our forces to
bring democracy to the grassroots,
he added.
Rainsy also mentioned taking steps
to restart the stalled dialogue between
his party and the CPP over the opposi-
tions ongoing boycott of parliament.
Longtime CPP lawmaker Cheam
Election sticks to script
Gains for CNRP as CPP takes 195 districts
Continues on page 2
Continues on page 4
Protester
injured at
rally dies
National
2
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
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Mom Kunthear
P
UBLIC school teach-
ers are demanding the
government provide
them the health insur-
ance their meagre civil servant
salaries cant cover.
Yesterday, 40 teachers from
Takeos Tram Kak district joined
the call for health insurance
during a Cambodian Inde-
pendent Teachers Association
(CITA) meeting banned by dis-
trict ofcials.
District Governor Tek Tong-
lim had tried to prevent the
teachers from gathering,
sending a letter to CITA on
Friday informing them that
no meeting would be permit-
ted during Sundays com-
mune council elections. The
teachers met anyway and had
no problems, according to
Takeos CITA director.
During the meeting, teachers
complained of being unable to
afford even basic medical care,
let alone treatment for more se-
vere illnesses.
Last year, I got Chikungu-
nya [a tropical disease] . . . and
I had to spend more than $30
for treatment. It is not much for
the rich, but it was too much
money for me to pay, said Nget
Neang, a teacher at Kla Krohem
primary school in Takeo.
Teachers, who typically earn
a starting salary of $100 per
month, have for years called
on the government to raise
their wages, and in January,
hundreds of teachers around
the Kingdom staged strikes de-
manding $250 per month.
Rong Chhun, president of
CITA, said upcoming strikes
will add health insurance to the
list of demands.
If they receive health insur-
ance, it will help them reduce
their spending, he said.
Cambodia spends much less
on health per capita than other
countries in the region, doling
out just over $50 per capita in
2012, compared with the re-
gional average exceeding $700.
While Thailand has had uni-
versal health care since 2002,
and Vietnam plans to expand
its socialised system from 64
per cent of the population to
all citizens by the end of year,
the Cambodian National Social
Security Funds announcement
last month that it would start
providing private-sector work-
ers health insurance was met
with some scepticism.
A Ministry of Health ofcial
who declined to be named as
he lacked authority to speak to
the press, yesterday scoffed at
the idea of similar insurance
for civil servants, adding that it
was highly unlikely the gov-
ernment could do more than
continue subsidising health
expenses for poor Cambodi-
ans any time soon. Minister of
Education Hang Chuon Naron
could not be reached. ADDITIONAL
REPORTING BY LAIGNEE BARRON
Teachers union pushes
for insurance benets
Election sticks to script
Continued from page 1
Yeap confirmed yesterday that
new discussions were in the
works, but blamed the last
breakdown in talks on a disa-
greement between Rainsy and
CNRP Deputy President Kem
Sokha, and suggested that the
CNRP focus on internal unity
before returning to the table.
As for yesterdays results, Yeap
expressed little concern at the
oppositions gains.
We just received the general
election results. Of the 197 dis-
tricts and cities, the CPP has
[won] 195. Two only [went] to
the CNRP, Yeap said.
I approve of this result, he
added.
At Yokunthor High School in
Phnom Penhs Chamkarmon
district, the site of the largest
polling station in the city, voting
finished before 9am, and the
counting attended by a hand-
ful of observers and local coun-
cillors, most of them from the
opposition was a largely sub-
dued affair.
CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann
said during a visit to the station
that without universal suffrage,
the election was not important
at all, but nonetheless decried
the governments disruption of
opposition campaign rallies in
the lead-up and accused the
CPP of trying to buy votes.
Our members have been
tried with phone calls for vote
buying, but none of us have
sold our conscience or fear any
intimidation, he said.
The results at Yokunthor were
mostly unsurprising.
At the district level, the vote
split cleanly along party lines,
with the CPP earning 75 votes
to the CNRPs 33. At the munic-
ipal level, however, the CNRP
managed to pick up an extra
vote, which became a cause for
celebration among the opposi-
tion councillors still observing
the proceedings.
Despite having still lost by 40
votes, one CNRP supporter
crowed into a cellphone, Thir-
ty-four! Thirty-four!
Iv Thavy, a CPP observer at
the station, said he was untrou-
bled by the lost vote.
We lost one vote, but its a
democratic election, and its
the freedom of the voter, he
said. We saw the counting
and we cannot deny the result.
I accept it.
The CNRP also won another
symbolic victory yesterday in
the form of a public defection
by CPP Deputy District Gover-
nor Nhem En of Oddar
Meanchey provinces Anlong
Veng district.
Known to most for his history
as the official photographer at
the Khmer Rouges infamous
S-21 torture centre, En said yes-
terday that he had become
disillusioned with the CPP
after they failed to help his son,
who En maintained was
wrongfully convicted of the
murder of his wife.
Today, I handed my weapon
to the district governor and offi-
cially resigned as deputy district
governor in order to join the
CNRP, said En, who has held
the post for almost 20 years,
ever since Khmer Rouge forces
reintegrated with the govern-
ment in 1996.
I served the CPP very long,
but the party cannot help find
justice for my family member,
he added.
En maintained that he would
run as a parliamentarian in
the next national election, but
CNRP spokesmen could not be
reached last night to confirm
the assertion. REPORTING BY STUART
WHITE, MEAS SOKCHEA, CHHAY CHANNYDA
AND VONG SOKHENG
Election ofcials supervise a woman as she votes yesterday at Yokunthor High School in Phnom Penh during
the provincial elections. HENG CHIVOAN
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
SIX men and boys were charged by Pailin Pro-
vincial Court on Saturday with gang raping a
14-year-old girl until she was unconscious.
Ty Vin, 23, Yun Eab 23, and four alleged teen-
age assailants ranging from 15 to 19 years old,
were arrested on Friday following a complaint
from the victims family, said Chorm Vanthy,
chief of Pailins serious crimes police.
According to Vanthy, the victim told police
she had been sitting at a park in front of Pailin
towns Provincial Hall on Thursday evening
when a classmate she knew invited her to
come drink with his friends.
The six then gave her wine until she was
drunk, then drove her to Phnom Yat, a reli-
gious monument, where they raped her until
she was unconscious and left her, Vanthy al-
leged, adding that the six will await trial at the
provincial prison.
The victims mother told the Post yester-
day that she demands the suspects be pun-
ished and also be ordered to compensate her
daughter $20,000.
They are the gangsters in this province. My
daughter told me that they raped her until she
was unconscious even though she pleaded,
asking them not to rape her, she said.
A UN study published last September found
extremely high rates of gang rape in Cambo-
dia, where one in ve men admit to raping
someone, and 5 per cent of all men say they
have participated in a gang rape.
In February, two teens in Kandal were
charged with gang raping a seven-year-old
girl, while in November, 10 men allegedly gang
raped a 18-year-old in Banteay Meanchey.
Six charged with gang raping teen
I had to spend more than $30
for treatment. It is not much
for the rich, but it was too
much money for me to pay
National
3
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Cheang Sokha
AFTER serving just a few weeks
of an eight-month prison sen-
tence, a two-star general of
the Royal Cambodian Armed
Forces (RCAF) was granted a
royal pardon on Friday, a de-
cision described by some as a
mockery of justice and oth-
ers as not surprising.
A letter obtained by the Post
yesterday, bearing the signa-
ture of King Norodom Sihamo-
ni and dated May 16, orders
45-year-old Chea Dara to be
released from Phnom Penhs
Police Judiciary (PJ) prison,
where he was being held for a
defamation conviction.
The Royal Pardon comes
into effect on the date signed,
the letter says.
Hou Puthvisal, director of PJ
prison, conrmed yesterday
that Dara was released on Fri-
day evening.
In 2010, Dara led a lawsuit
claiming he was cheated out
of millions of dollars in a fake
land deal by General Doeun
Sovann and land dealer Chuob
Chan. The two counter-sued
for defamation and won.
While Dara was convicted
in absentia by the Supreme
Court on December 9, it took
police more than four months
to track him down. He was ar-
rested at a restaurant in Cham-
karmon district on April 25.
Sok Sam Oeun, executive
director of the Cambodian
Defenders Project, said that
while Daras release dees
Cambodian jurisprudence, it
is not surprising.
According to the law, one
should serve two-thirds of
their sentence [before being re-
leased], but the King still has the
power, he said. People need
to know there is a legal system
so they will not do anything
wrong. In many cases when po-
litical [or] military [gures] are
involved, [pardons are issued].
In practice, for special cases
like Sam Rainsy, theyve never
served any time, he said, re-
ferring to two separate royal
pardons granted to the oppo-
sition leader. But opposition
lawmaker-elect Mu Sochua
said that Rainsys evasion of
prison was not the same.
With Mr Rainsy, it was a
political issue; he should nev-
er have been there, she said,
adding that the release of g-
ures with links to the ruling
party is very common.
It creates a culture of impu-
nity; its a mockery of justice,
she said. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY
ALICE CUDDY
After weeks in prison,
general given pardon
TVK director steps down
Vong Sokheng

K
EM Gunawadh, the longtime
director-general of state broad-
caster TVK, resigned from his
position on Saturday after the
television channel failed to broadcast the
annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony over-
seen by King Norodom Sihamoni.
The shock resignation has been wel-
comed by many as a rare show of ac-
countability in Cambodia.
At the annual ceremony held this year
in Kandal provinces Takhmao town
seven different foods are laid before royal
oxen, and the fortunes of Cambodias
crops are interpreted based on what the
animals choose to eat.
Following Gunawadhs resignation, the
Ministry of Information, which oversees
TVK, issued a public apology, blaming a
lack of communication and teamwork.
At this time, the ministry is prepar-
ing to improve our [practices] in order to
avoid [issues like this] occurring again,
the statement says.
Gunawadh declined to comment yes-
terday, while Information Minister Khieu
Kanharith could not be reached.
A TVK staff member speaking on the
condition of anonymity said internal divi-
sions behind the scenes at TVK may also
have contributed to Gunawadhs decision
to leave, as staff have been unable to
unite to work together in a fractured en-
vironment. The source added that there
may have been confusion over whether
the ceremony needs to be live broadcast
if it takes place outside the capital.
TVK deputy director-general Pang Nath
has been appointed acting head, which
a number of staff are not happy with, the
source said, adding that they could strike if
that position becomes permanent.
Kanharith has remained tight-lipped on
the resignation, telling news site Thmey
Thmey that Gunawadh merely wanted
to relax for a while.
Royal palace ofcial Oum Daravuth, an
adviser to the secretariat of the Queen
Mother, said: His Majesty the King is not
angry and had no reaction at all to TVK
not broadcasting the ceremony.
Moeun Chhean Nariddh, a media aca-
demic, said he was happy to see that Gu-
nawadh had shown a model of being
accountable to Cambodian society but
added that other professional issues at
the helm of the state-controlled broad-
caster may have been affecting him.
Maintaining a media blackout of op-
position might have been a very stressful
issue for Mr Gunawadh [as a professional
journalist].
On Thursday, TVK aired videos from the
opposition party highlighting violent po-
lice crackdowns on recent protests as part
of equal airtime given to political parties
before yesterdays subnational election.
Opposition public affairs head Mu Soch-
ua rejected the idea yesterday that air-
ing the footage had anything to do with
the resignation, saying that the failure to
broadcast the ceremony was an insult.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KEVIN PONNIAH
A pair of royal oxen are led around a eld in Kandal province on Saturday during the annual
Ploughing Ceremony, believed to predict the fortune of the nations crops. VIREAK MAI
National
4
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Grenade
meant for
prosecutor
Phak Seangly
THE deputy prosecutor of
Kampong Thom province went
into hiding yesterday after an
unidentified attacker threw a
grenade into his house on Sat-
urday evening, damaging prop-
erty but causing no injuries.
Say Nora, who was not at
home when the attack occurred,
said the attempt on his life fol-
lowed the arrest of 11 members
of an illegal logging syndicate.
It is a serious threat against
my life, but I practised my duty
to serve the interests of the
nation, he said. The criminals
and black marketeers are furi-
ous with us. A grenade is not a
knife . . . for sure it was an
attempt to kill me.
Heng Bona, Kampong Rotie
commune chief, said no sus-
pects had yet been identified.
Ith Sothea, chief provincial
prosecutor, said the threats and
intimidation started after he
took over the post earlier this
month and ordered his staff to
arrest illegal loggers.
Our actions affect their
interests and profits, so they
did this to threaten us to stop
taking action against them,
he said.
Protester injured in January rally dies
Continued from page 1

he worked at a garment factory
on Veng Sreng, one of several
inside Canadia Industrial Park.
The demonstration, part of a
nationwide strike aimed at
prodding the government to
raise the minimum wage to
$160, spiralled out of control.
Workers hurled rocks and
Molotov cocktails, and mili-
tary police responded with
beatings and gunre, killing
at least four people.
Twenty-three people were
arrested on that day and on
January 2. They are facing
charges ranging from incite-
ment to intentional violence.
Pouy said that while his son
attended the protest, he car-
ried no weapons.
Three days after Sokmean
was beaten, family members
took him to the Khmer-Sovi-
et Friendship Hospital, said
Naly Pilorge, director of rights
group Licadho.
After receiving treatment for
a month, Sokmean returned
home blind in his left eye and
unable to work or care for his
3-year-old son due to frequent
headaches and other effects
from his injuries, Pouy said. His
family could not afford brain
scans or other procedures that
might have identied the exact
nature of his injuries.
No answers are forthcom-
ing. Immediately after his sons
death on Saturday, Pouy said,
he took the body to a pagoda
for cremation. No autopsy was
performed and doctors at Visal
Sok clinic did not release an
ofcial cause of death.
Khmer-Soviet Friendship
Hospital director Ngy Meng
yesterday declined to com-
ment on Sokmeans case or
on how doctors there typically
treat patients with severe head
trauma. A neurologist at Royal
Rattanak Hospital declined to
comment on the proper course
of treatment in similar cases.
Moeun Tola, head of the la-
bour program at the Communi-
ty Legal Education Center, said
that if authorities had provided
sufcient medical attention
to those injured at the protest,
this guy would not have died.
The government [should
feel obligated] to pay compen-
sation to the victims, and if the
government is really responsi-
ble for its own people, it should
not respond in that way.
But government ofcials
have publicly said they will not
compensate any victims of the
crackdown, said Dave Welsh,
country manager for labour
rights group Solidarity Center.
Victims, families and NGOs
calling for medical aid will like-
ly have to pin their hopes on
international clothing brands
who buy from factories where
victims worked or on other in-
dependent groups, Welsh said.
For families to get justice,
its sadly going to go to other
members of civil society, he
said. The government is on
record as providing no justice.
Military police spokesman
Kheng Tito said yesterday that
there will be an investigation
into Sokmeans death, though
he did not provide more details.
In time, Pouy will speak with
rights workers to discuss the
possibility of taking legal ac-
tion against authorities, he
said. But for the moment, he is
more concerned with bringing
Sokmeans ashes to his home
province of Kampong Speu for
a memorial service on Friday.
We dont have money, so
we will celebrate the seven
days ceremony and 100 days
ceremony at the same time,
Pouy said.
Protesters gather at a burning makeshift roadblock on Phnom Penhs Veng Sreng Boulevard during clashes
with police that turned deadly in early January. PHA LINA
Credentials
were faked,
police say
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
BANTEAY Meanchey Provincial
Court on Saturday charged an
unemployed 23-year-old man
with impersonating a military
police officer and using the
guise to defraud two men out
of $6,000 a payment they
believed would buy them
jobs with the military police
in Phnom Penh, authorities
said yesterday.
Poipet military police com-
mander Colonel Muth Ham said
suspect and Preah Sihanouk
province native Lim Meng is in
detention awaiting trial for
impersonating a public servant
position and fraud, for which
he could face up to six years in
prison and $2,000 in fines.
He wore a military police
uniform and wore the rank of
second lieutenant and present-
ed himself as a national mili-
tary police officer, Ham said
yesterday. He went to Poipet
town to recruit people to work
as policemen.
He required villagers or
those who wanted to work as
military policemen to pay him
$3,000 each, and he promised
to offer them jobs with nation-
al military police.
Chinese reluctant to return
Kevin Ponniah and May Titthara

T
HE vast majority of
Chinese nationals
who have ed to
Cambodia from Viet-
nam since riots broke out in
that country early last week
are sticking it out here until
it is safe to return, a Chinese
Embassy ofcial said yester-
day, with immigration police
estimating that at least 1,600
ethnic Chinese have now
crossed the border.
About 100 people ee-
ing the anti-China protests
have returned to their home
country on ights from
Cambodia, Yang Qing Lian,
head of the consular section
at the embassy, said, though
he added that gure was a
rough estimate.
Right now, Ive got the in-
formation that some Chinese
nationals, not too many, have
returned to China already . . .
but most Chinese people are
staying in Cambodia to wait
until the situation gets better
in Vietnam. So most Chinese
people will go back [to Viet-
nam], he said.
Only 300 of those who ed
to Cambodia have been in
contact with the embassy, he
continued, making it difcult
for ofcials to keep track of
the total group, most of whom
are believed to be staying in
Phnom Penh.
Mam Yoy, deputy immigra-
tion police chief at the Bavet
border checkpoint in Svay
Rieng, said that more than 1,600
ethnic Chinese have crossed
into Cambodia from Vietnam
since Tuesday. Most are main-
land Chinese, but about 100 are
Taiwanese nationals, he said.
But today, there were
only about 30 Chinese com-
ing across, so the situation
has returned to normal, Yoy
said yesterday.
The government has wel-
comed the temporary guests,
mostly businessmen worried
for their safety, who began
crossing the border after fac-
tories in Vietnam that rioters
believed to be Chinese-owned
were attacked last week.
The riots were sparked by
Chinas decision to move an
oil rig into an area of the South
China Sea that both nations
claim sovereignty over.
On Friday, the Chinese Em-
bassy sent a letter to Cambo-
dias Ministry of Foreign Af-
fairs, asking the government
to ensure the safety of those
eeing Vietnam.
According to Chinese state
news agency Xinhua, more
than 3,000 Chinese citizens
had been evacuated from
Vietnam as of Saturday. Two
Chinese have been killed and
more than 100 have been in-
jured as a result of the pro-
tests, it reported.
Chinese people walk across the Cambodia-Vietnam border at Bavet city in Svay Rieng province on Friday to
escape anti-China protests and violence. AFP

In brief
Weekend storms kill
two, damage property
RAINSTORMS on Saturday
killed two people, including a
Chinese national, and
damaged six homes, according
to the National Committee for
Disaster Management. Guo
Baoxing drowned in Koh Kong
province when a rented boat
sank during the storm. He was
a sand-dredging worker for a
Singaporean company, said
Khun Mara, deputy director of
immigration in Koh Kong.
Eight others were rescued. In
Kratie provinces Chlong
commune the same day,
56-year-old construction
worker Seng Bunly was found
dead under a fallen tree
branch. KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA
Citizen patrol says men
were clearing forest
TWO suspects accused of
illegally clearing a community
forest for the Chea Chamnan
company were remanded into
custody on Saturday after
authorities were tipped off by
a Kampong Thom community
patrol. Pouk Chantra, chief of
the Balang commune forestry
administration, said the
suspects were sent to the
court on Saturday for further
investigation. Chea Chamnan
representatives could not be
reached. PHAK SEANGLY
National
5
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
National
6
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Brotherly love lacking
in act of alleged arson
A BANTEAY Meanchey man
burned more than a bridge on
Saturday when he drunkenly
set alight his brothers home,
the same home where hed
been living, police said. The
28-year-old returned to Cam-
bodia last month after working
in Thailand. According to police,
he drank more than his fill and,
in a rage, set fire to the house.
When authorities arrived, he
allegedly chased them with a
machete. He confessed after
his arrest, insisting he was too
drunk to control himself. KAM-
PUCHEATHMEY
Six months later, cops
arrest one in gold scam
FOOLS gold fraud came back
to haunt a woman in Phnom
Penhs Russey Keo district on
Saturday, about six months
after the deed. In November,
the suspect and three accom-
plices pulled off a scam on a
23-year-old woman, dropping
a bag of fake gold near her
while the other two pretended
to find it, promising to split the
goods if the woman gave them
about $1,000 worth of jewel-
lery she had. The woman con-
fessed when police tracked
her down. Authorities are still
looking for the other three.
KAMPUCHEA THMEY
Alleged motorbike thief
gets the mob treatment
BYSTANDERS in Kampong
Cham attempted to knock
some sense into a would-be
motorbike thief on Friday but
only succeeded in beating him
senseless. The suspect, 23, saw
an opportunity in an unattended
motorbike a grocer parked out-
side a market while he grabbed
lunch, police said. When the
grocer saw a man trying to
break the lock, he shouted for
help. Villagers responded by
beating him unconscious.
Police arrested the man, who
allegedly confessed. They also
asked villagers not to injure
suspects. NOKORWAT
Suspect couldnt resist
life of crime, police say
A PREAH Sihanouk drug dealer
is out of business after a raid on
his rental room on Friday
turned up five grams of meth-
amphetamine and drug para-
phernalia. Police received infor-
mation that the 32-year-old,
who was incarcerated in 2011
for distribution, was back at it.
After his release, the suspect
was jobless and fell back into
the criminal life, police said. KOH
SANTEPHEAP

Twenty beers put truck
drivers plans on ice
DRUNK driving can be the
undoing of even the most
experienced motorists, as one
Mondulkiri ice vendor learned
on Friday. After finishing his
deliveries, the 28-year-old
drank more than 20 beers with
his friends, police said. While
driving his truck home, he
allegedly crashed into two gro-
cery shops, severely injuring
himself as well as slightly
injuring one grocer and dam-
aging property. Police released
him after he took responsibility
for the accident. NOKORWAT
Translated by Phak Seangly
POLICE
BLOTTER
Job Opening
Executive Director,
The American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AmCham)
The Executive Director is a full-time position based in Phnom Penh
reporting directly to the AmCham Board of Governors, and supported by
one local Administrative Assistant. AmCham is a non-proit institution
with a 100-plus membership which represents companies with over
115,000 employees in Cambodia.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Coordinate monthly Board of Governors meetings and serve as
secretary responsible for producing meeting agendas and minutes.
Organize and manage monthly Networking Night events for
members and non-members
Organize and manage monthly luncheons with guest speakers and
other events as required and generate ideas for future events.
Oversee member relations, including processing new applications
and securing annual membership dues.
Manage membership and media mailing lists.
Oversee regular updates for AmCham Cambodia website.
Oversee AmCham inances.
Coordinate and attend meetings for AmChamscommittees, including
Events, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Membership, and
OSAC and serve as secretary responsible for producing meeting
agendas and minutes.
Liaise with US Embassy on private sector issues and joint activities.
Liaise with Cambodian Government oficials as needed.
Liaise with other AmChams in the Asia-Paciic region as needed.
Liaise with other business associations in Cambodia.
Undertake other responsibilities as deemed appropriate by the
Board of Governors.
Candidates must have a Bachelors degree, must be luent in English,
must have well-developed writing skills and good public speaking skills.
Strong administrative and organizational skills are also essential. Private
sector experience a plus. Knowledge of Excel, InDesign, and Photoshop
desired.
Candidates should submit CVs to: admin@amchamcambodia.org

In brief
Lawmakers asked not

to pass judiciary laws
CIVIL society groups on Friday
called for three judicial draft
laws, which they claim could
jeopardise the independence
of the courts, to not be passed
by the National Assembly this
week. We have found that
provisions of the draft laws
jeopardise the independence
of the judiciary, Chak
Sopheap, executive director of
the Cambodian Center of
Human Rights (CCHR), said at
a press conference on Friday
afternoon. The laws on the
organisation and function of
the judiciary are scheduled to
be debated on Tuesday. BUTH
REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Strike at Caltex on hold
as firm reviews wages
CALTEX staff agreed to return
to work following a weeklong
strike over pay and benefits
after being promised a $20
one-off bonus and a wage
review on Friday. Sar Mora,
president of the Cambodia
Food and Service Workers
Federation, said that Caltexs
parent company, Chevron,
had promised to assess over
a two-month period how
much it could pay employees.
About 300 workers in Phnom
Penh joined the strike on May
12. SEN DAVID
Victims kin no right to cash
Sen David and Mom Kunthear

T
HE National Social
Security Fund (NSSF)
has defended its deci-
sion not to pay a sur-
vivors pension to the family
of a teenager killed in a ceil-
ing collapse at the Wing Star
Shoes factory in Kampong
Speu province last May.
On the anniversary of the
collapse on Friday, the Post
reported that the family of
Kim Dany had received only
funeral costs from the NSSF
following her death, because
they were under the age of 55.
Sum Sophorn, deputy ex-
ecutive director of the NSSF,
said in interviews on Friday
and yesterday that the fund
would not pay out any parents
younger than 55 if their chil-
dren were killed at work.
The parents must be 55, he
said. In the case of Kim Dany
. . . her case has not fullled our
conditions, he said. It doesnt
matter if it is the rst, second,
third or 10th anniversary, her
family wont get any money.
Under the law, survivors of
an employee killed at work
including parents provided
for by the victim, as in the
case of Danys household
are eligible for a survivors
pension. It does not appear to
specify age restrictions.
Although Danys family re-
ceived a sizeable payout
from Asics the Japanese
company that sourced from
Wing Star and they are not
seeking money from the NSSF,
concerns were raised by la-
bour rights group Solidarity
Center that the NSSFs failure
to pay could set a precedent
in an industry ooded with
young workers.
But Sophorn said any such
payments to a victims family
would be illegal.
We cannot pay money
against our law, we will be
guilty, he said.
For each worker, employers
are required to contribute a g-
ure equivalent to 0.8 per cent
of their salary to insure them in
the event of injury or death.
Despite millions pouring
into the NSSF from the gar-
ment industry, Pav Sina, presi-
dent of the Collective Union of
Movement of Workers, said it
was a complicated process for
victims to receive payouts.
I think the NSSF must be
responsible for everything for
the victims family, he said.
The NSSF must support the
parents until they die.
Rescue workers search rubble for survivors at a collapsed section of the Wing Star Shoes factory in
Kampong Speu province last year. PHA LINA
7 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Business
USD / JPY
101.5
USD / SGD
1.251
USD /CNY
6.23
USD / HKD
7.7519
USD / THB
32.47
AUD / USD
0.935
NZD / USD
0.8635
EUR / USD
1.371
GBP / USD
1.6789
Indicative Exchange Rates as of 16/5/2014. Please contact ANZ Royal Global Markets on 023 999 910 for real time rates.
USD / KHR
4,028
Oz an example for mining reform
Eddie Morton

I
NSPIRED by Australian
mining regulations, the
Cambodian government
is considering a raft of
changes to the mineral re-
sources mining law, including
a rethink of the sectors com-
paratively high tax rate.
Citing discussions held
with Western Australia state
mining industry representa-
tives last week, Meng Sakt-
heara, secretary of state at the
Ministry of Mines and Energy
(MME), said Cambodias 30
per cent tax on mineral re-
sources, mining, and oil and
gas operations was outdated.
From my perspective and
to be fair to both sides, I would
say the current 30 per cent tax
rate should go down to about
20 per cent, Saktheara said,
adding that his ministry was
yet to speak with the Ministry
of Commerce regarding any
proposed changes.
Saktheara made the com-
ments after returning from
a weeklong fact-nding tour
of Western Australia and its
mining sites. The visit was
organised in part by the West-
ern Australian governments
International Mining for De-
velopment Centre.
Last week, Australias co-
alition government ofcially
scrapped the countrys con-
troversial mineral resources
rent tax (MRRT), which was
implemented in 2012 by the
previous government. The
MRRT placed a 22.5 per cent
levy on mining companies
prots above A$75 million
(US$70 million).
We spoke with private
sector representatives [dur-
ing the tour] and they clearly
were not happy with the min-
ing tax. The government abol-
ished it, so it is a good lesson
to learn from a country that
has learnt from the policy,
Saktheara said.
I think it is time to rethink
our scal policy and to adopt
international best practice
one that ensures revenues
both for the government
and does not jeopardise pri-
vate investment.
In what appears to be a rep-
lication of the Australian tax-
ation system, Saktheara said
the Cambodian government
would consider a higher tax
rate for oil and gas rms. Aus-
tralia taxes oil and gas mining
operators at 40 per cent.
Taxation issues continue to
stall negotiations between the
Cambodian government and
Chevron over a 4,700-square-
kilometre site called Block
A in the Gulf of Thailand,
which was declared economi-
cally viable by the energy gi-
ant in 2010.
Saktheara said the proposed
changes would not expedite
or delay negotiations with
Chevron over the site.
A full oil and gas extraction
law and new mining licens-
ing regulations will also be
drafted by the end of 2015,
according to Saktheara, with
laws surrounding worker
safety, social responsibility
and biodiversity also in line
to be strengthened.
Mam Sambath, executive di-
rector of extractive industries
NGO Development and Part-
nership in Action, was cau-
tious about the governments
latest approach and called for
more community and cross-
ministry consultation.
Reforms are important
and they need to be done.
But a thorough assessment
of the communities affected
by mining operations and the
environmental effects must
be made rst, he said.
The MME needs to cooper-
ate with the Ministry of Agri-
culture, the Ministry of Envi-
ronment to really understand
how communities livelihoods
and the surrounding environ-
ment is being affected by in-
coming mining industry.
During its seven-day Aus-
tralian tour, the Cambodian
delegation held meetings
with the Western Australian
governments Department of
Mines and Petroleum, pri-
vate sector representative
body the Australian Petro-
leum Production and Explo-
ration Association, law rm
Hunt and Humphrey Lawyers
and accounting company
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Contacted yesterday, dele-
gation industry representative
Richard Stanger, president of
the Cambodia Association for
Mining and Exploration Com-
panies, declined to comment
on the potential changes to
the Kingdoms resources min-
ing sector.
An excavator operates near the main haul road in the Fimiston Open Pit, known as the Super Pit, in Kalgoorlie, Australia, last year. BLOOMBERG
Business
8
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
JAPANS eight carmakers have
joined forces to develop envi-
ronmentally friendly engines
to stave off erce competition
from foreign rivals, a press re-
port said yesterday.
Two of Japans leading uni-
versities will join Toyota, Hon-
da, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda,
Mitsubishi, Daihatsu and Fuji
Heavy in the project, which is
mainly aimed at slashing en-
gine emissions to meet tougher
environmental standards, the
business daily Nikkei reported.
By 2020 the group plans to
develop technology that can
cut diesel engine carbon-di-
oxide emissions by 30 per cent
from 2010 levels.
The manufacturers plan to
adapt the technology for com-
mercial use in both diesel and
gasoline-powered vehicles, the
Nikkei said, hoping to gain a
leg up over European carmak-
ers as well as helping to meet
tightening environmental reg-
ulations around the world.
Despite growing demand for
EVs, internal combustion en-
gines are expected to remain
the main source of power for
cars for the time being. AFP
Japans car
rms team
up on green
engine tech
Banned but useful: officials on FB
Felicia Sonmez

C
HINAS Communist
authorities ban their
own people from ac-
cessing major global
social media sites including Fa-
cebook, Twitter and YouTube.
But when it comes to self-pro-
motion they are increasingly
keen users themselves.
The ofcial news agency
Xinhua, the Communist Par-
tys ofcial mouthpiece the
Peoples Daily and state broad-
caster CCTV all have Twitter
accounts, as do a host of city
and provincial authorities.
When the city of Hangzhou,
renowned for its lakes and ca-
nals, looked to raise its inter-
national prole it turned to
Facebook, the worlds most-
popular social network.
Chinas internet users, who
now number 618 million,
have been blocked from using
Facebook since 2009.
But the citys Modern Mar-
co Polo competition akin
to Australias Best Job In The
World contests involves no
fewer than six Facebook apps.
The winner, to be an-
nounced on Tuesday, will re-
ceive $55,000 and a two-week
trip to Hangzhou in exchange
for promoting the city on Face-
book and Twitter for a year.
Michael Cavanaugh, a con-
sultant for British-based PR
Agency One, which has been
promoting the contest, told
AFP increasing ofcial use of
such sites was inevitable.
But he declined to say how the
winner was expected to post
to them from within China.
Chinas Communist au-
thorities maintain a tight grip
on expression both on- and
off-line fearful of any dis-
sent that could spiral into a
challenge to one-party rule.
Some Chinese Internet users
and businesses use virtual
private networks to bypass
the vast censorship appara-
tus known as the Great Fire-
wall, and state-run media
often use foreign bureaus to
accomplish the same goal.
Hangzhou itself used
a digital agency in Hong
Kong, where Facebook is not
blocked, to administer its
contest an growing trend by
cities and provinces within
Chinas borders.
Meanwhile, the social media
giant is actively seeking busi-
ness in the country.
We want to help tour-
ism agencies in China tell
the rest of the world about
the fabulous things in China
that are really not that well-
understood, Vaughan Smith,
Facebooks vice president of
corporate development, told a
Beijing audience last month.
Facebook is reportedly in
talks to open a sales ofce in
the Chinese capital, and in re-
cent weeks the company has
quietly posted Beijing-based
job openings on its website.
Duncan Clark, chairman of
Beijing-based tech consul-
tancy BDA, said Chinese local
authorities had huge budgets
and their tourism advertise-
ments were probably lucra-
tive for the multibillion-dollar
rm. However, Facebook was
unlikely to see them as a way
of gaining access to Chinese
users, Clark said.
Theres kind of a common-
sense, logical middle ground
where Facebook and China
will agree to trade with each
other. This is business sense.
But critics of Chinese cen-
sorship say such schemes give
Beijing a soft-power boost
through sleight-of-hand.
A co-founder of anti-censor-
ship website GreatFire.org who
uses the pseudonym Charlie
Smith said: I think the aver-
age Western netizen doesnt
put two and two together and
realise actually, these websites
are blocked in China.
That helps China, for sure,
because it gives this impression
that Facebook is actually open
and free for the people who
dont know that it isnt. AFP
Facebooks logo is reected in a window overlooking the Beijing skyline. AFP
Exports expand
HK the new
market for
organic rice
I
N A first for the Kingdoms
organic rice, the Cambo-
dian Center for Study and
Development in Agricul-
ture (CEDAC), successfully
exported its produce to Hong
Kong earlier this month, the
organisations top official
confirmed yesterday.
While the US and Germany
have traditionally been the key
markets for Cambodian orga-
nic rice, with about 300 tonnes
sent there last year, CEDAC
president Yang Saing Koma
told the Post that his organi-
sation has exported 30 tonnes
to Hong Kong this year, as
the market for the Kingdoms
natural produce expands.
It is an early step with a
small amount exported, but
it is another positive sign to
prove that we have new mar-
ket for our product, he said.
Farmed without using
synthetic pesticides or che-
mical fertilisers, organic rice
production must adhere to a
stringent process in order to
receive certification.
Komar estimates CEDAC
will export at least 400 tonnes
this year, up from about 320
tonnes in 2013. HOR KIMSAY
Markets
9
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Business
Thai recession threat
T
HAILANDS pro-
longed political crisis
is raising the risk that
the nation will be the
only one of Southeast Asias
biggest economies to slide
into a recession this year, un-
dermining its allure as a man-
ufacturing center.
The countrys gross domestic
product probably shrank 2.2
per cent in the three months
through March from the previ-
ous quarter, when it expanded
0.6 per cent, according to the
estimate of 12 analysts sur-
veyed by Bloomberg ahead of
data due today. Economists at
DBS Group Holdings Ltd and
Mizuho Bank Ltd said Thai-
land could experience two
consecutive quarters of con-
traction this year.
Thailand may be the out-
lier in terms of one that could
fall into a technical recession,
said Vishnu Varathan, a senior
economist in Singapore at Mi-
zuho Bank. For a long time re-
gionally, the way Thailand was
looked at was that the econ-
omy ran on a separate track
from its politics, but I think
that assumption cannot be
taken for granted any more.
Protests that began late-
October to unseat Yingluck
Shinawatra as prime minis-
ter have stalled infrastructure
spending and contributed to
Honda Motor Cos decision to
delay building a factory.
Demonstrators have thwart-
ed meetings between election
ofcials and an acting pre-
mier who was installed after a
court forced Yingluck to step
down, casting doubt on a vote
planned for July and prompting
ratings companies to warn of a
negative impact. BLOOMBERG
A man reads a newspaper featuring ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra on its front page. BLOOMBERG
Chan Muyhong
THE annual Royal Ploughing
Ceremony turned up a less
than promising outlook for
the next harvest season on the
weekend, though some farm-
ers remain sceptical of the tra-
ditional forecast.
The ceremony, held on Sat-
urday in Kandal provinces
Takhmao town, marks the be-
ginning of the agricultural pro-
duction and rainy seasons. The
royal oxen, which are charged
with the ofcial job of forecast-
ing the upcoming harvest, this
year ate only a little bit of corn,
rice and beans, which tradition
says equates to just a fairly
good prediction and far from
the excellent forecast farmers
had been hoping for.
I also fear that the harvest
will not be so good this year
because of bugs or ooding,
Nem Kourn, a rice farmer from
Battambang province, said.
But Kourn did not take the
traditional forecast as a given.
He said in his experience the
royal prediction has proved ac-
curate 60 per cent of the time.
Meas Leun, a corn farmer in
Pailin, said she too wasnt sold
on the outlook.
I will be ready for risks hap-
pening to my crops throughout
the year, she said. Though
the prediction of a good har-
vest can be good news for
farmers, getting higher prices
for their harvested crops is
even better news.
Sok Chamroeun, executive
director of Khmer Farmers
Association, said that though
the forecast helps farmers to
prepare for the worst, having
proper irrigation systems in
place was the way to best miti-
gate risks.
The government should
also look in to nding more
markets for farmers, he said.
Pich Romnea, deputy direc-
tor of the Ministry of Agricul-
ture, Forestry and Fisheries
paddy rice production depart-
ment, said he expected yields
this year to be similar to those
of last seasons crops.
The ministry is ready to
take measure for any risks
including bugs, ood and
drought, he said.
Figures from the Ministry of
Agriculture shows last years
total paddy rice production
reached 7.2 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, production of
corn, bean, sweet potato and
other vegetables reached 8.6
million tonnes.
Farmers not sold on
cows crop prediction
BOE governor warns of
risks in housing market
THE British housing market
has deep, deep problems
and is the biggest risk to the
countrys financial stability, the
governor of the Bank of
England has warned. When
we look at domestic risk, the
biggest risk to financial
stability, and therefore to the
durability of the expansion
those risks centre on the
housing market, Mark Carney
said. The bank this week hiked
its 2015 growth forecast, but
fears are growing of a new
housing bubble, after prices
rose 10.9 per cent across
Britain in the year to April, and
18 per cent in London,
according to mortgage provider
Nationwide. AFP
Tech giants end war
over handset patents
GOOGLE and Apple, the two
technology titans behind the
worlds top smartphone
platforms, have called a truce
in a long-running patent war.
Apple and Google have agreed
to dismiss all the current
lawsuits that exist directly
between the two companies,
the firms said in a joint
statement. Apple and Google
have also agreed to work
together in some areas of
patent reform. The
companies made it clear that
the detente does not include
licensing their technology to
each other. AFP
Credit Suisse to admit
illegal activities: report
SWISS banking giant Credit
Suisse is set to sign a
document admitting it had
unwittingly run a criminal
enterprise in its past wooing
of US tax dodgers, media
reported yesterday. We were
running a criminal enterprise,
but we didnt know, reads the
document cited by the
SonntagsZeitung weekly.
Switzerlands second largest
bank was expected to sign the
document, obtained by the
paper from lawyers close to
the case, in a bid to avoid
criminal prosecution in the US,
it reported. The bank refused
to comment on the report. AFP
Business
10
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Fixed Deposit Interest Rates
Cambodian
Financial Institutions
On Deposits
3 Months 6 Months 12 Months
Asof MAY 16, 2014 USD RIEL USD RIEL USD RIEL
PRASAC 5.50% 6.50% 6.50% 7.50% 8.00% 9.75%
ABA Bank 3.50% N/A 4.50% N/A 5.50% N/A
ACLEDA Bank 2.50% 5.00% 3.75% 6.00% 5.00% 7.00%
ANZ Royal Bank 1.35% 3.50% 2.50% 4.00% 3.50% 5.50%
Bank of India 2.25% N/A 3.00% N/A 4.00% N/A
Cambodia Asia Bank 3.50% N/A 4.50% N/A 5.50% N/A
Cambodia Mekong Bank 2.75% N/A 3.25% N/A 3.50% N/A
Cambodian Public Bank 2.00% N/A 3.00% N/A 3.75% N/A
Canadia Bank 2.50% 5.00% 3.50% 6.00% 4.75% 7.00%
Maybank 2.25% N/A 3.25% N/A 4.25% N/A
MARUHAN Japan Bank 2.00% 2.00% 3.00% 3.00% 4.50% 4.50%
RHB Indochina Bank 2.75% 4.00% 3.50% 5.00% 4.75% 6.00%
SBC Bank 3.00% N/A 3.50% N/A 4.50% N/A
Union Commercial Bank 3.50% N/A 4.50% N/A 5.50% N/A
GMs $35M ne comes with oversight
GENERAL Motors Co wont be able to extri-
cate itself from regulatory troubles stem-
ming from its recall of 2.59 million small
cars by writing the government a check.
Apart from a record $35 million fine less
than two hours worth of GMs projected
2014 revenue the Detroit automaker has
agreed to oversight by the US National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) down to what phrasing to avoid
in safety communications and who must
attend certain meetings.
The agreement overlays efforts by GM
chief exec Mary Barra to overhaul the com-
panys bureaucracy to make sure safety
issues get elevated more quickly. By mak-
ing some of the changes legally binding,
the agreement may give Barra more lever-
age to shake up a GM culture that, before
the companys US bailout, often prized
cost savings above other considerations.
The NHTSA has been probing why it took
the largest US automaker years to address
engineering concerns and consumer com-
plaints about engine stalling in some small
cars dating from 2004. At least 13 fatalities
have been linked to the defect.
GM has agreed to meet the NHTSA on a
monthly basis to go over company chang-
es. It has also promised to review its
changed organisational structure with the
safety agency and promptly respond to
feedback. It agreed to meet with the NHT-
SA monthly for a least a year longer if the
agency requests to discuss nonpublic
technical service bulletins, warranty claims
and field reports that may indicate emerg-
ing safety defects.
The deal even requires GM to change the
lingo it uses in training employees, by
disavowing wording diluting the urgency
of potential safety defects. BLOOMBERG
THE ancient Aztecs and Chi-
nese did it thousands of years
ago, and now a Berlin startup
hopes to provide food for
21st-century urbanites by us-
ing aquaponics, a combina-
tion of rearing sh and grow-
ing vegetables.
Set up inside the brick walls
of an old brewery, the compa-
ny ECF, short for Efcient City
Farming, is using an age-old
technique to grow tomatoes,
peppers and greens in a min-
iature container farm, fertil-
ised with sh excretions.
Our vision is to give city
dwellers access to agricultural
goods produced in a sustain-
able way, said Nicolas Leschke,
who founded ECF two years
ago with a business partner.
Aquaponics, as the method
is known, combines the tech-
niques of hydroponics, or cul-
tivating plants in water, with
aquaculture or the rearing of
sh in tanks.
Because it allows food to be
produced directly in cities, not
the distant countryside, the
environmental and nancial
costs of conserving and trans-
porting the goods are greatly
reduced, Leschke said.
And last but not least, it
guarantees access to fresh
products, he added, snacking
on a home-grown swiss chard,
a leafy green vegetable popu-
lar in Mediterranean cuisine.
The business has set up a
prototype container farm on
two levels, with a sh tank at
the bottom and a small green-
house at the top. Separate to the
aquarium is a tank with a lter
that uses bacteria to transform
the ammonium of the sh ex-
cretions into nitrates.
The nitrate-enriched water
is then pumped to irrigate a
greenhouse where the plants
grow, not in soil but in a hydro-
ponic bath of owing water en-
riched with mineral nutrients.
The roots of aquaponics
have been traced back to the
Aztecs, who raised plants on
islands in lake shallows, and
to Far Eastern cultures that
farmed rice in paddy elds in
combination with sh.
The farm will sell fruit and
vegetables in a dedicated store
on the premises, plus deliver to
locals who subscribe to a week-
ly basket of fresh produce.
It will also sell barramundi,
its chosen breed of sh, to
restaurants, or if someone
calls up and says I am having
a big barbecue at the weekend,
I need 10 of them.
With its products grown
next door, ECF is embracing
a powerful social trend. For
more and more consumers,
knowing something has been
grown or reared locally is now
more important than it being
organic. AFP
Millenia-old farming
method feeds modern
city dwellers in Berlin
An African elephant walks through Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. AFP
Hunters bemoan ban
Godfrey Marawanyika
and Brian Latham

A
S PROFESSIONAL
hunter Cliff Walker
sets out before dawn
in Zimbabwes Zam-
bezi River valley to nd a lion
for his US client, he has el-
ephants on his mind.
Walker, 37, says a US ban on
ivory imports from Zimbabwe
and Tanzania in February may
cost him tens of thousands
of dollars. While Gavin Shire,
spokesman for the US Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vices, said last month that the
ban was temporary, Walker
thinks it will dissuade clients
from coming to the country.
I had six quotas for elephant
trophy hunts for American
clients, Walker said in an in-
terview in the Matetsi Lot 1 in
northwestern Zimbabwe near
Victoria Falls. I spent a lot of
money to get those quotas.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wild-
life Management Authority di-
rector-general Edison Chidz-
iya travelled to Washington
last week to lobby against the
ban, which government of-
cials say will cost the southern
African nation vital foreign ex-
change. Before the ban, Zim-
babwe was expecting to earn
about $60 million from trophy
hunting this year, up from $45
million last year.
The US government banned
ivory imports from Zimbabwe
because it does not have suf-
cient information on the
number of elephants in Zim-
babwe to determine if the
population of the animals is
sustainable, Shire said.
We were caught napping
by the US ban as we didnt an-
ticipate it, Langton Masunda,
chairman of Hwange-Gwayi-
Dete Conservancy in Mata-
beleland North province, said.
We now have to look at Rus-
sian and Chinese markets,
and at other nationalities in-
terested in sport hunting in-
stead of relying on Americans
who think they are the only
ones with the big bucks.
Zimbabwes hunters, who
undergo some of the most
rigorous training in Africa,
can earn as much as $2,000
a day helping clients shoot
anything from antelope to
lion and elephant.
A client will pay about
$30,000 in permit fees and
for the hire of a professional
hunter to get an elephant. A
lion kill will likely cost a hunt-
er about $55,000, according to
the authoritys guidelines.
The Zimbabwe Parks and
Wildlife Management Author-
ity says the 100,000 elephants
in the country destroy trees
and food supplies needed for
other species. Only neighbor-
ing Botswana, with a popu-
lation of about 120,000, has
more of the pachyderms.
If you dropped 80,000 to
100,000 elephants in Califor-
nia, they might learn pretty
damned quick that you need
some balance, retired hunter
Alec Robinson said.
Elephant conservation will
ultimately suffer from the ban,
according to Lampies Breden-
kamp, who hunts every year in
Zimbabwe. As soon as you ban
hunting, theres no income for
the people and they resort to
poaching. BLOOMBERG ECF founder Nicolas Leschke checks his crops in Berlin on May 5. AFP
11 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
World
Iran: nuke
deal still
possible
IRANIAN Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif said
yesterday that clinching a
final nuclear deal with world
powers is still possible,
despite a tough round of talks
this week.
Agreement is possible. But
illusions need to go. Opportu-
nity shouldnt be missed again
like in 2005, Zarif wrote on
Twitter, referring to Irans long-
stalled dispute with world
powers over its suspect nucle-
ar program.
Iran and six world powers
ended a fourth round of nucle-
ar talks in Vienna on Friday
with no tangible progress.
Britain, China, France, Rus-
sia, the United States and Ger-
many known as the P5+1
group want Iran to radically
scale back its nuclear activities,
making any dash for an atomic
bomb virtually impossible and
easily detectable. The parties
want to clinch an accord by July
20, when a November interim
deal expires, under which Iran
froze certain activities in return
for some relief from crippling
Western sanctions.
In return for further con-
cessions, the Islamic repub-
lic, which denies seeking an
atomic weapon, wants the
lifting of all UN and Western
sanctions, which have badly
damaged its economy.
The fourth round of talks
between Iran and the P5+1
ended on Friday with both
sides complaining that major
gaps remained ahead of the
July 20 deadline.
Huge gaps remain, there is
really more realism needed
on the other side, a Western
diplomat said. We had
expected a little more flexi-
bility on their side.
Yesterday, Irans English-
language Press TV cited the
countrys deputy foreign min-
ister, Abbas Araghchi, as say-
ing that the next round of talks
were to be held in Vienna on
June 16-20.
Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign
policy adviser to Iranian
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, was upbeat about
the prospects of an agreement
being reached.
There is hope for a positive
outcome in the talks, as long as
other parties show their good-
will like Iran, he said. I am
hopeful the talks will yield
positive results.
Failure to reach an accord by
July 20 could have calamitous
consequences, potentially
sparking conflict neither
Israel nor Washington rules out
military action and creating a
nuclear arms race in the Mid-
dle East.
Negotiators could in theory
extend the deadline, but both
US President Barack Obama
and his Iranian counterpart
could struggle to keep their
respective sceptical and impa-
tient hardliners at bay. AFP
Vietnam sties new rallies as China fumes
VIETNAMESE security forces stifled
fresh protests yesterday over Chinas
plans to drill for oil in contested waters,
as Beijing sent five ships to help evac-
uate its nationals from Vietnam follow-
ing deadly mass riots last week.
Chinas state media said more than
3,000 of its citizens had already returned
home in recent days after the territorial
tensions and riots sent relations
between the frequently quarrelsome
communist neighbours spiralling to
their lowest point in decades.
Enraged mobs torched or otherwise
damaged hundreds of foreign-owned
businesses last week, officially killing
two Chinese nationals and injuring
about 140.
While Chinas deployment of the giant
rig is seen in Vietnam as a grave provo-
cation, the ferocious public reaction
appeared to catch authorities by sur-
prise. Fearing an impact on vital foreign
investment, Vietnamese authorities
took no chances yesterday as activist
groups tried to stage further demon-
strations, though they insisted they
would be peaceful.
Hundreds of security personnel
swarmed over streets leading to the
sprawling Chinese Embassy in Hanoi,
restricting access to the neighbourhood
and other suspected protest sites.
Blogs by civil society groups involved
in the protest call said activists were
detained in several areas around the
country or prevented from leaving their
homes. Chinas Xinhua news agency
said the Chinese nationals brought
home included 135 people hurt in the
unrest last Tuesday and Wednesday
including 16 critically injured.
China also said it was dispatching
five ships to bring home even more of
its nationals and would suspend some
bilateral exchanges with its southern
neighbour. The recent violence was
damaging the atmosphere and condi-
tions for exchanges and cooperation, a
foreign ministry statement said.
The Chinese side as of today . . . sus-
pended part of its bilateral exchange
plans, it said, without giving specifics
of the plans. China will see how the
situation develops and look into taking
further steps.
China had earlier warned its citizens
against travel to Vietnam following what
it called the explosion of violence and
has urged its nationals still in the coun-
try to increase safety precautions.
The oil rig standoff has further poi-
soned relations between two countries
that have fought territorial skirmishes
in the past and are increasingly at odds
over their South China Sea claims.
Workers demonstrated in 22 of Viet-
nams 63 provinces last week, according
to the government, with furious mobs
torching foreign-owned factories and
enterprises believed to be linked to
China or which employed Chinese per-
sonnel. Hundreds of businesses were
hit, Vietnams government has said.
China is widely accused in Vietnam
of bullying behaviour stretching back
more than 1,000 years, and Hanois
communist government occasionally
allows protesters to vent anger.
But the recent outbursts have sent the
government scrambling to limit dam-
age to a developing economy depend-
ent on foreign investment.
We will not allow any acts targeting
foreign investors, businesses or indi-
viduals, to ensure that the regrettable
incidents will not be repeated, Dang
Minh Khoi, assistant to Vietnams for-
eign minister, said on Saturday.
We ask countries to continue to
encourage their investors and citizens
to rest assured on doing business
in Vietnam.
Vietnamese officials say more than
300 suspected perpetrators were being
prosecuted. AFP
Modi: 21st century belongs to India
Jason Burke

N
ARENDRA Modi,
the controversial
Hindu nationalist
who won a land-
slide victory in Indias general
election on Friday, met senior
leaders of his Bharatiya Ja-
nata party (BJP) yesterday to
begin the process of forming
a government.
Tens of thousands of sup-
porters welcomed him as he
made a triumphant entry to
the capital Delhi on Saturday.
The new prime minister was
until a few years ago the little-
known chief minister of the
western state of Gujarat, but
his blending of nationalism
with the promise of economic
and cultural revival struck a
chord with voters.
India is still reeling from
the scale of Modis win. Few
predicted his conservative,
pro-business Bharatiya Ja-
nata party, in opposition since
2004, would win 282 of the 543
directly elected seats in Indias
lower house. With existing al-
lies, the total number of par-
liamentarians in the current
BJP-led coalition rises to more
than 340. No party has won by
such a margin since 1984.
The results were historic
. . . It is evident that the In-
dian voter has delivered an
epochal verdict, wrote Anil
Padmanabhan in Mint, a lo-
cal business newspaper.
The centre-left Congress,
which has governed India for
all but 18 of the past 67 years,
won only 44 seats, consider-
ably lower than the most pes-
simistic of its own internal
predictions and its worst per-
formance. Rahul Gandhi, 43,
scion of Indias most famous
political dynasty and the face
of the partys campaign, ac-
cepted responsibility for the
defeat at a press conference
on Friday night.
Modis plane arrived from
Gujarat, where he was born
and which he has run since
2001, at 11am and a mo-
torcade of a dozen vehicles
cruised along streets cleared
by police from the airport to
the BJP headquarters in the
centre of the city. Roads for
half a mile around the build-
ing had been closed and large
numbers of security person-
nel deployed.
Now we are in an abso-
lute majority we are capable
of doing anything, said Bala
Das Sharma, 42, a homeo-
pathic doctor from the nearby
town of Ghaziabad, who had
travelled to salute the new
prime minister. Nikas Ku-
mar, a bank employee in the
booming satellite town of
Gurgaon, and his wife Gitika,
a human resources executive,
had brought their daughter. I
wanted to feel a part of it, to be
proud of it, to know our vote
counted, said Kumar, 39.
Modi, 63, a former tea seller
whose background sets him
apart from the established
political and cultural elite of
Delhi and was a major factor
in his success, spoke briey
to party workers. This vic-
tory belongs to you, he told
them, before leaving for the
holy city of Varanasi, one of
the two seats from which he
was elected, where he was to
offer prayers on the banks of
the Ganges at sunset.
The huge win has raised con-
cerns in some quarters in India
and overseas. Most analysts
had predicted the BJP would
form a government with coali-
tion partners from among In-
dias powerful regional parties.
These would have been a brake
on any hard-line agenda.
The new prime minister
is a deeply polarising gure
who many Muslims in India
around 14 per cent of the
population fear. Modi, the
former organiser in the coun-
trys biggest Hindu revivalist
organisation, has been ac-
cused of failing to stop, or even
encouraging, sectarian riots in
which 1,000 people, mostly
Muslims, were killed in Guja-
rat shortly after he took power
there. The violence followed
an arson attack on a train full
of Hindu pilgrims in which 59
died. Modi has always denied
wrongdoing and a supreme
court investigation found in-
sufcient evidence to support
the charges against him.
Modi, who has never held of-
ce at national level, pledged
in his rst speech after learn-
ing of the scale of his victory
to full the dreams of all of In-
dias 1.25 billion people.
I want to take all of you
with me to take this country
forward . . . it is my responsi-
bility to take all of you with me
to run this country, he said.
He promised to make the
21st century Indias century.
International investors and
local businessmen have wel-
comed the huge mandate for
the BJP, which has promised
to implement wide-ranging
economic reforms. Though
economic growth was strong
through much of the decade
of rule by Congress, it has fal-
tered in recent years.
Modi made good gover-
nance and development the
main focus of his campaign,
deriding Gandhi as a prince-
ling who had little concept
of the aspirations of the 551
million people who voted in
the bitter and protracted six-
week contest.
Gandhi, whose mother, So-
nia, led Congress to victory in
2004, fought a lacklustre cam-
paign. Party ofcials sought
to insulate the Nehru-Gandhi
dynasty from criticism on Sat-
urday. It is not about the re-
sponsibility of one particular
person or another, one said.
It is possible, though far
from probable, that the
crushing defeat will force the
Congress into a radical re-
structuring to make the party
more transparent, representa-
tive and responsive to voters.
For his part, Modi is likely
to use his personal victory
to lever out many old-guard
gures within his own party
who opposed his rise. Ravi
Shankar Prasad, a senior BJP
leader, said that the mood
among ofcials was as sober
and sombre in victory as [it
would have been] in defeat.
The BJP won more than 30
per cent of votes cast, with
Congress on 19 per cent. Due
to Indias British-style rst
past the post electoral sys-
tem, some smaller parties
did extremely well with tiny
overall vote shares. About one
voter in 100 used the none of
the above option, introduced
for the rst time in this poll.
THE GUARDIAN
Chief minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat and Bharatiya Janata Partys prime ministerial
candidate Narendra Modi waves as he arrives at party headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday. AFP
World
12
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
CAMBODIA COMMUNITY JUSTICE ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP (CCJAP)
INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)
The Cambodia Community Justce Assistance Partnership (CCJAP) contnues the support that Australia has 1.
provided over the past 17 years in the criminal justce sector in Cambodia; the assistance has moved from
being donor-driven and insttutonally focused to an increasingly community oriented and locally owned and
administered program of support to provide communites with equitable access to justce.
The aim of CCJAP is to provide safer communites for women, youth and children through less crime. CCJAP 2.
will work toward strengthening court and prison systems through more eectve management of pre-trial
arrangements, use of non-custodial sentencing and improved prisons.
Now the Ministry of Interior invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for constructon of prison small scale 3.
infrastructure and equipment, to be constructed in Kampong Speu, Batambong, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear,
Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Kampong Cham and Say Rieng provincial prisons.
Procurement Method will be conducted through Natonal Compettve Bidding (NCB) procedures consistent 4.
with:
Royal Government of Cambodia: Procurement Manual for Externally Financed Projects/Programs in Cambodia,
September 2005 and,
Government of Australia: Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines.
Interested qualied eligible bidders are invited to obtain a copy of the bidding documents free-of-charge from 5.
the address given below by submitng a writen applicaton and by providing a copy of their current company
legal certcaton (Ministry of commerce; Ministry of Economic and Finance; Ministry of land Management and
Urban Planning and Patent year 2013 and 2014), there shall be no other conditon for obtaining the bidding
documents.
To be considered eligible applicants must: 6.
Be a legally consttuted rm - copies of original documents dening the consttuton or legal status, place of
registraton, and principle place of business shall be submited with the bid.
Have completed within the last 3 years contracts of similar nature of at least 50% of the value of the bid.
Not be under any notce of disbarment issued by the Government, The ADB, World Bank or other projects.
Bids must be delivered to the address given below at or before 7. 2:30 hours on 11 June 2014. Late bids will be
rejected. Bids will be opened in public immediately thereafer at the address given below in the presence of the
Bidders representatves and the projects beneciaries. Bidders representatves who choose to atend shall be
allowed to be present in person.
All bids must be accompanied by a bid securing declaraton, as described in the bidding documents, any bid not 8.
accompanied by one will be rejected as non-compliant.
The bidding process is as follows: 9.
Start of bid document distributon: 8:00 hrs, 13 May 2014
Deadline for Submission: 2:30 hrs, 11 June 2014
The address referred to above where properly sealed and stamped bid must be addressed is as follow: 10.
To: Lt.Gen. Kuy Bunsorn
Director General Department of Prison, as Project Director;
Chairman of Procurement Commitee;
Ministry of Interior,
Address: CCJAP Oce, 2
nd
oor of the Department of Local Administraton (DOLA building)
Norodom Boulevard,
Phone & Fax: 023 726 207,
Email:nouarun@ccjap.org
War declared on Boko Haram
N
IGERIA and its
neighbours vowed
on Saturday to
join forces against
Boko Haram under an ac-
cord described as a declara-
tion of war on the Islamic
militants holding more than
200 schoolgirls.
Meeting in Paris, Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan
and his counterparts from Be-
nin, Chad, Cameroon and Ni-
ger approved an action plan
to counter an organisation
blamed for 2,000 deaths this
year as well as last months
abduction of the schoolgirls
from northeastern Nigeria.
Underlining their threat,
Boko Haram was suspected
of carrying out another attack
on the eve of the summit, kill-
ing one Cameroonian soldier
and kidnapping 10 Chinese
workers in Cameroon.
We have seen what this
organisation is capable of,
French President Francois
Hollande said. They have
threatened civilians, they
have attacked schools and
they have kidnapped citizens
of many countries.
When more than 200
young girls are being held in
barbaric conditions with the
prospect of being sold into
slavery, there are no ques-
tions to be asked, only ac-
tions to be taken.
The action plan will involve
coordination of surveillance
efforts aimed at nding the
girls, the sharing of intel-
ligence and joint efforts to
secure the porous borders in
the region, according to the
summits conclusions.
In the longer term, the
countries agreed to forge a
regional counter-terrorism
strategy under the auspices of
the existing but barely active
Lake Chad Basin Commis-
sion, with technical expertise
and training support from the
UK, France, the EU and the
US. The countries also agreed
to push for UN sanctions
against the leaders of Boko
Haram and another Nigerian
Islamist group, Ansaru.
The west African countries
have already been promised
help in the form of surveil-
lance tools and expert military
advice from Britain, France
and the US as they seek to
combat a group that Hollande
said had forged links with ter-
rorist groups all over Africa.
The African leaders echoed
that warning. We are here to
declare war on Boko Haram,
Cameroon President Paul
Biya said. And Chads Idriss
Deby warned: Terrorists
have already done enough
damage. Letting them con-
tinue would run the risk of
allowing the whole region to
fall into chaos.
Nigerias Jonathan, criti-
cised for what many see as
a lacklustre response to the
abduction, stressed his com-
mitment to nding the girls.
We are totally committed
to nding [them], Jonathan
said. Weve been scanning
these areas with surveillance
aircraft, he added, saying
Nigeria had deployed 20,000
troops to nd the girls.
Boko Haram is no lon-
ger a local terror group, he
said. From 2009 to today it
has changed and can be de-
scribed as al-Qaeda in west-
ern and central Africa.
The pressure on the lead-
ers in Paris to come up with
concrete steps to address the
crisis intensied when gun-
men launched the Cameroon
attack. Militants stormed an
encampment used by Chinese
road workers late on Friday
in a region of northern Cam-
eroon just across the border
from the town where they ab-
ducted the girls a month ago.
A Cameroon soldier was
killed in a reght and 10 Chi-
nese workers were believed to
have been taken prisoner by
the gunmen. AFP
Nigerias President Goodluck Jonathan (centre) is escorted by French
President Francois Hollande following a summit in Paris on Saturday. AFP
A LAOS air force plane car-
rying senior government of-
cials has crashed, killing the
countrys defence minister
and at least ve others.
The plane came down in a
forested area of Xiangkhoung
province, near one of Laoss
major archaeological sites,
the Plain of Jars, the Thai for-
eign ministry spokesman Sek
Wannamethee said.
Laos National Television
showed images of the aircraft
with smoke rising from its
charred remains.
The defence minister,
Douangchay Phichit, was one
of the countrys deputy prime
ministers and a high-ranking
member of Laos Politburo,
the main decision-making
body for the nations ruling
Communist party.
Also among the dead were
his wife, the governor of the
capital of Vientiane, Sukhan
Mahalad, and two other se-
nior ofcials.
The Russian-made plane
left the capital early on Sat-
urday morning, heading
for an ofcial ceremony in
the northeastern province
of Xiangkhoung, about 290
miles away.
The cause of the crash is not
yet clear, but a witness said
the plane crashed just over
a mile away from the airport
where it was due to land.
Around 20 people were be-
lieved to have been on board,
according to Nipat Thonglek,
the Thai defence ministrys
permanent secretary. He said
he was given the information
by authorities in neighbour-
ing Laos who did not imme-
diately release details of the
other passengers.
Thailands Thai Rath news-
paper identied the plane
as a Russian-made Antonov
AN-74.
A Laos air force plane has
crashed on its way to Xiang-
khouang province in the
north of the country. The
mayor of Vientiane, the de-
fence minister of Laos and
his wife were on board, an
ofcial told Reuters.
Thailands foreign ministry
said it had been informed by
Laoss government that the
plane had crashed at 6.15am.
Laos is one of the poor-
est countries in Asia, under
its authoritarian communist
one-party government, and
has a poor track record on air
safety. Last October a civilian
plane crashed into the Me-
kong river, killing all 49 peo-
ple on board. THE GUARDIAN
Laos crash kills defence
minister, senior ofcials
World
13
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Technical Coordination Advisor (Re-announcement)
Programme/Division : Technical Coordination Unit, Ofce of the CEO
Post Level : M-13
Work location : Vientiane, Lao PDR
Contract type/ Duration : Fixed-term appointment / One-year contract renewable
Mekong River Commission
Key Responsibilities:
Provide advice on and ensure better quality and integration
across all MRC programmes; Support Programme Coordinators
in operational management of their programmes and projects
through a result-oriented project cycle management approach;
Advise the CEO on programme development strategies;
Actively helps pursue the implementation of the Strategic Plan of
the Mekong River Commission, by driving and promoting it both
internally and externally as regards policy and organizational
development aspects;
Prepare and organise MRC annual international events/
conferences;
Design and implement consistent MRC programme
workplans and establish an inte-grated workplan monitoring
system;
Monitor on-going programme activities and identify gaps and
duplications;
Responsible for quality assurance of technical reports and
project proposals;
Identify inter-programme cooperation opportunities and establish
the appropriate mechanisms; Ensure integration of cross-cutting
activities such as strategic planning, programme promotion and
facilitation, information management, development of rules
and procedures, and integrated capacity building;
Improve MRC project and programme management guidelines
for more efcient and harmonized formulation and reporting;
Design and implementan MRC evaluation system;
Other related duties, as required by the CEO.
Qualications/Requirements:
Advanced degree (Masters Degree or higher preferred) in
Water Resources/Natural Resources Management, sustainable
development or a related discipline;
At least 15 year experience in international technical cooperation
in the eld of Water Resources/Natural Resources Management
and Development; preferably in the scope of river basin
organizations and integrated water resources management;
Demonstrated experience and skills in strategic planning for
regional/international organizations;
Extensive experience in project/programme management
including the formulation, coordination, and results based
monitoring and evaluation of international programmes;
Strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written, to
fulll the diverse technical and managerial requirements, and to
effectively coordinate with MRC programmes and a wide range
of regional stakeholders;
Proven experience and facilitation skills in organizing international
events/conferences;
Capacity to work in a multicultural environment essential;
Computer prociency and good knowledge of the possibilities
and use of electronic information systems;
Fluency in English, both written and spoken.
The job description and other information can be obtained at MRC
website http://www.mrcmekong.org/working-with-mrc/employment.
Qualied female candidates are encouraged to apply. Only short-
listed candidates will be notied.
Closing date for applications: 6 June 2014
Application procedures:
Only nationals of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Namare
eligible to apply. The application should include (i) a cover letter
outlining clearly how the candidate meets the requirements of the
position, (ii) a detailed CV, and (iii) MRC Personal History Form. The
position title and section/division must be indicated in the cover letter.
The application should be sent to the National Mekong Committee
in the applicants home country:
Cambodia National Mekong Committee
P.O.Box 623, 364 Monivong Blvd.,
Sangkat Phsar DoermThkouv, Khan Chamkar Mon, PhnomPenh,
Cambodia
Tel. (855-23) 216 514 Fax. (855-23) 218 506
E-mail:cnmcs@cnmc.gov.kh or khom.sk@gmail.com
Lao National Mekong Committee
KhunbulomRoad, Chantabouly District, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Tel. (856-21) 260 983 Fax. (856-21) 260 984
E-mail: lnmcs@monre.gov.la
Thai National Mekong Committee
Department of Water Resources
180/3 Rama 6 Road, Soi Phibul Watana Building
Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 Thailand
Tel. (66-2) 271 6165, 271 6620
Fax. (66-2) 298 6605
E-mail: tnmc@dwr.mail.go.th
Viet Nam National Mekong Committee
23 Hang Tre, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel. (84-4) 825 4785 Fax. (84-4) 825 6929
E-mail: vnmc.personnel@gmail.com
The role of MRC is to promote and coordinate sustainable management and development
of water and related resources for the countries mutual benet and the peoples well-being
MRC Secretariat is now recruiting a highly qualied candidate for the position of
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Financial Analyst
The U.S. Embassy in PhnomPenh is seeking an individual
for the Financial Analyst position for the Ofce of
Financial Management (OFM), USAID/Cambodia.
The Financial Analyst performs a wide range of nancial
analyses necessary for the effective and efcient
management and control of the USAID programfunds.
Other position duties include the conduct of audit reviews;
assisting in the determination of nancial feasibility
of development projects and in the design of internal
management controls. The incumbent will be responsible
to collect and present facts and recommendations clearly
and concisely.
Salary: The annual salary range for this position is
USD 19,168 29,711.
Required Qualications
Bachelors degree in Accounting, Financial 1.
Management, Auditing, or Economics.
Five years of experience in professional accounting, 2.
auditing or nance.
Level IV (uent) Speaking/Reading/Writing English 3.
and Khmer are required. Language prociency will
be tested.
Application Procedure
The application deadline is June 2, 2014. Interested
candidates must submit applications by email to
RecruitmentPHP@state.gov using the Universal
Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff
or Family Member (DS-174) form. The application form
and complete details on this position can befound at http://
cambodia.usembassy.gov/employment_opportunities.html.
Note: All Ordinarily Resident (OR) applicants must have
the required work and/or residency permits to be eligible
for consideration.

Syrian general killed in
combat, says official
THE chief of Syrias air defence
forces, General Hussein Isaac,
has been killed in combat near
Damascus, a security official
said yesterday. The general
died of wounds suffered in
fighting at Mleiha, a key
battleground southeast of the
capital, making him one of the
few top-ranking officers whose
deaths have been announced
during Syrias three-year war.
The air defence forces
headquarters is in Mleiha, a key
flashpoint in current fighting
around Damascus. Because
the rebels do not have an air
force, the forces under Isaacs
command have rarely been
deployed for air defence. AFP
Iraq election candidate

kidnapped in Baghdad
MILITANTS kidnapped a
candidate from a small Shia
Muslim political party yesterday
as officials in Iraq prepared to
announce the results of last
months general election.
Rahman Abdulzahra al-Jazairi
is the general secretary of
Hezbollah Warithun, an offshoot
of the main Hezbollah party in
Iraq. It is not expected to win
any seats in parliament
following the April 30 vote,
results of which were due to
be released later yesterday or
today, election commission
officials say. AFP
S Sudan on brink of human disaster
Robin Lustig

I
T IS happening again.
Twenty years after the
genocide in Rwanda, 30
years after the famine in
Ethiopia, Africas twin scourg-
es are back.
This time it is a single coun-
try facing a double disaster.
South Sudan, the worlds
newest nation, not yet three
years old, is on the brink
of catastrophe.
In Melut, on the banks of
the Nile, close to the oilelds
and the border with Sudan,
the signs of impending di-
saster are impossible to miss.
This week the worlds rich-
est nations will have one last
chance to make good their
promises of help.
Nearly 20,000 people have
ed to the refugee camps in
Melut since ghting between
rival government factions
broke out last December. In
total, more than a million
people have ed from their
homes and, with the rainy
season starting, more than a
third of the population 3.7
million people are already
facing emergency and crisis
levels of hunger.
There is no food here, a
man says beneath an acacia
tree in one of Meluts make-
shift camps. No food. We
eat leaves from the trees and
the women go out to collect
rewood. But when the rain
comes, it will be still worse.
We will starve and then we
will die.
Relief agencies are ghting
a desperate battle to alert the
outside world to the scale of
the impending disaster. Last
week Oxfam warned that the
crisis has reached a now
or never moment to avoid
catastrophic levels of hunger
and suffering.
Chief executive Mark Gol-
dring said: The crisis is at
a tipping point. We either
act now or millions will pay
the price. We need a mas-
sive and rapid global surge
in aid . . . We cannot afford to
wait, and we cannot afford
to fail.
In Melut, the rains have
just started. Two of the towns
camps are on the banks of
the Nile and few of the imsy
straw huts have plastic sheet-
ing for their roofs. Soon the
dust will turn to mud. Dis-
ease will spread. The old and
the young, already weak from
hunger, will start to die.
Please tell the world, says
one of the camps leaders. We
need food, shelter and mos-
quito nets. We cannot survive
like this.
Last week, in an ominous
development, the South Su-
danese government ofcially
declared a cholera outbreak
in the capital, Juba. In a state-
ment last Thursday, it said
that 18 suspected cases and
one death have already been
reported in the city. The fear
is that soon the outbreak will
spread among the 1.3 mil-
lion people who have been
displaced by the past ve
months of violence.
The world cannot say it
didnt know about this crisis.
Last month the USs top aid
ofcial, Rajiv Shah, warned:
South Sudan is on the brink
of famine.
The EU said the world was
witnessing a humanitarian
disaster of appalling propor-
tions, and the UNs humani-
tarian aid coordinator, Toby
Lanzer, said that without im-
mediate action the South Su-
dan crisis will be more serious
than anything seen in Africa
since the Ethiopian famine of
30 years ago.
Tomorrow, the worlds ma-
jor donors will meet in Oslo
to decide on a response to
the crisis. The UN says cur-
rent pledges amount to less
than half of what is needed: it
wants another $1.26 billion to
pay for urgent assistance un-
til the end of this year. With-
out it, four million people
will be left at risk of avoidable
diseases, hunger or death. Up
to 50,000 children could die
from malnutrition.
Cholera could spread and
tens of thousands of people
could die from other diseas-
es such as measles, pneumo-
nia and malaria. If no seeds
are planted during the rainy
season, famine will follow
within months.
A UN human rights report
published 10 days ago makes
grim reading: All parties to
the conict have committed
acts of rape and other forms
of sexual violence against
women of different ethnic
groups . . . There are reason-
able grounds to believe that
violations of international hu-
man rights and humanitarian
law have been committed by
both parties.
After the Ethiopian famine
of the 1980s, leaders of the
worlds richest nations said
it must never happen again.
They said the same after the
Rwandan genocide of 1994.
But in South Sudan it is hap-
pening. Again. THE OBSERVER
South Sudanese internally displaced people wait to be registered on a
World Food Programme list on February 9. AFP
World
14
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Swiss reject
$25 an hour
minimum
SWISS voters yesterday reject-
ed a proposed hourly mini-
mum wage of $25 which
would have been the worlds
highest in one of the planets
priciest nations, a polling
agency said.
Only 23 per cent of Swiss vot-
ers came out in favour of a
minimum wage in Switzerland
so high it could pass for mid-
management pay elsewhere,
the gfs.bern polling institute
said in a projection of yester-
days referendum results.
Voters also appeared likely to
reject a multibillion-dollar deal
to buy fighter jets from Sweden,
while they overwhelmingly
supported measures to ban
pedophiles from working with
children. Much of the national
debate ahead of the referen-
dums, held every three months
as part of the countrys direct
democratic system, has focused
on the pros and cons of intro-
ducing a minimum wage.
Backers of the initiative
wanted Switzerland to go from
having no minimum wage to
boasting the worlds highest,
far above the $7.25 in the US,
9.43 in France, 5.05 in Spain
and the recently agreed 8.50
in Germany, set to take effect
next year. AFP
T
HE heaviest rains in
more than a century
sparked oods across
Bosnia and Serbia,
claiming at least 30 lives and
leading to the evacuation so
far of more than 16,000 from
ooded villages, ofcials said
on Saturday.
More than 20 corpses have
so far been brought to the
citys morgue, mayor of the
northern Bosnian town Doboj,
Obren Petrovic, told Bosnias
FTV public broadcaster. An-
other victim drowned in the
town of Samac, police chief
Gojko Vasic was quoted by
Fena news agency as saying.
And the bodies of two elder-
ly women were found in the
town of Maglaj after the waters
withdrew, the civil protection
chief there told reporters.
Four ood victims had been
found in Bosnia and three
in Serbia on Friday. And the
death toll could rise. Serbian
Prime Minister Aleksandar
Vucic said rescuers have
started recovering dead bod-
ies from ooded areas, but
we will not make the number
public before the complete
withdrawal of the water.
Hardest hit has been the
town of Obrenovac, some 30
kilometres north of Belgrade,
where the entire town is now
being evacuated amid warn-
ings of more ooding, Predrag
Maric of the emergency ser-
vices said.
Reporters were banned from
entering the town, but a lo-
cal television channel broad-
cast footage from a helicop-
ter showing that most of the
city was ooded, with water
swamping the lower oors of
six-storey buildings.
Water defences gave way
outside Obrenovac near a
power plant that produces
about half of Serbias electric-
ity, prompting authorities to
urge citizens to limit their use.
Some 78,000 homes in Serbia
and 60,000 in Bosnia have no
power at all, authorities said.
Sirens wailed in the nearby
town of Baric as police ordered
its 7,000 inhabitants to leave.
A photographer saw mili-
tary and police helicopters
evacuating women and chil-
dren, while others were leav-
ing the town by car or walking
towards buses carrying bags
with some of their belongings.
The European Commission
said 14 EU nations were send-
ing aid including helicopters
and motorboats, as well as
food and medicine, to the
ooded countries. AFP
Bosnia, Serbia oods
leave at least 30 dead
Making a point
Turkish miners talk in front of a a statue representing miners at work in the western town of Soma, in the
Manisa province, on Saturday, four days after a mine explosion. Turkey announced on May 17 the nal death
toll from this weeks devastating coal blast as 301, after retrieving the bodies of the last two miners trapped
underground. Turkish police yesterday detained 18 people suspected of negligence in connection with this
weeks deadly mine disaster, including executives from the mine operator, local media reported. AFP
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
World
15

China blames Xinjiang
attack on foreign group
CHINESE authorities blamed an
April railway attack in Xinjiang
on an overseas Islamic
extremist group, state media
said yesterday, reinforcing
Beijings claims that foreign
militants are provoking
domestic unrest. The far-west
Xinjiang region, home to the
mainly Muslim Uighur minority,
has seen periodic violence.
Beijing says it faces an increase
in terrorism from a violent
separatist movement there, but
critics accuse it of exaggerating
that threat to justify hardline
measures. The Turkestan
Islamic Party (TIP), a militant
Islamist group, released a video
online showing the construction
of a briefcase bomb allegedly
used in the attack, the
US-based SITE Intelligence
Group, which monitors
extremist organisations, said
last Tuesday. But, in response to
that, several analysts said they
doubted whether the TIP had
the capability to launch such
attacks, suggesting that it could
be looking to raise its profile. AFP
6.2-magnitude quake

strikes off Indonesia
A 6.2-MAGNITUDE quake
struck off the western
Indonesian island of Sumatra
yesterday, prompting panicked
people to run out of their
homes. However there were no
reports of damage and a
tsunami warning was not
issued. The US Geological
Survey said the quake hit at a
depth of nine kilometres, just
over 300 kilometres west of the
coastal city Banda Aceh. It
occurred at around 7am (0100
GMT), USGS said. The quake
was felt strongly for a few
seconds by residents on the
west coast, said national
disaster agency spokesman
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Some
people ran out of their homes.
But he added there had been no
reports of damage.
Mochammad Riyadi, from the
Indonesian meteorology,
climatology and geophysics
agency, also said there were no
reports of damage. The
magnitude may be big but the
epicentre is at sea and relatively
far away from the nearest city,
Banda Aceh, he said. AFP
Hungry elephants raid
cupboards in Thailand
ABOUT 30 elephants raided a
village in Khao Chamao district
on Saturday and searched for
food in the cupboards of
villagers homes, a national park
official said. The villagers of Ban
Khao Ngor said the elephants
intruded into their village around
1am while most of them were
out tapping rubber in local
plantations. Pitak Yingyong, the
chief of the Khao Ang Rue-nai
wildlife sanctuary, said villagers
told him that some of the
elephants opened cupboards at
the back of some houses and
ate ripening mangoes. They did
not attack the villagers. The
villagers had seen the herd
around the village for three
days, he added. Pitak said he
believed the elephants were
from the same herd that came
down from the forest in search
of food and damaged crops in
neighbouring districts earlier.
The elephants picked different
villages as their targets before
returning deep into the forest in
the sanctuary, he added. AFP
Plan to appoint interim premier on track
THAILANDS upper house has vowed
to press ahead with plans to install an
interim prime minister, saying the proc-
ess is already 80 per cent complete.
Peerasak Porchit, the acting second
deputy senate speaker, said on Satur-
day that the upper house is still looking
for the best way to install a neutral
premier who would have full authority
to run the country, and suggested the
result is now almost inevitable.
However, he said the Senate was at
this stage sticking to its condition
that the caretaker government must
first resign.
Peerasak said the Senate would await
the outcome of a meeting between act-
ing Senate Speaker Surachai Liang-
boonlertchai and acting caretaker
Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boon-
songpaisan today.
The pair are set to discuss whether
the caretaker government will agree
to stand down to pave the way for the
appointment of an interim prime
minister.
If the government refuses to yield,
Peerasak said the Senate would reas-
sess its strategy and would need to
investigate whether the constitution
allows senators to appoint a prime
minister in such a situation.
He did not elaborate on the Senates
strategy for appointing a neutral pre-
mier, saying only that the process is
now more than 80 per cent complete.
Peerasaks comments came after
Peoples Democratic Reform Commit-
tee (PDRC) secretary-general Suthep
Thaugsuban on Friday expressed dis-
appointment with the result of a Sen-
ate meeting which failed to agree on
plans to install a new government.
Surachai said the upper house had
agreed that efforts must be made to
complete national reform swiftly to
restore peace to the country. He said a
prime minister and government
invested with full authority to run the
country was needed to implement
these reforms.
Peerasak said he will invite elected
senators to a special meeting on
Wednesday to seek ways out of the
political deadlock. He said previous
discussions have involved only
appointed senators.
Concerning the PDRCs threat to seek
a new prime minister its own way,
Peerasak said any action taken by the
protest group must comply with the
law. He suggested Suthep would be
better to wait for the Senates decision,
which would be more lawful than tak-
ing matters into his own hands.
Acting caretaker premier Niwattum-
rong said he had accepted an invitation
to attend talks with the Senate tomor-
row. He said he expects to see a fruitful
result from this discussions, saying all
resolutions from it must fall under the
rule of law.
Niwattumrong said he will also talk
with the Election Commission (EC)
next week to discuss the date of a fresh
general election. He said he has yet to
decide whether he will meet the EC
directly or will talk to them via video
conference.
Talks between the EC and Niwattum-
rong on Thursday were foiled by PDRC
protesters who rallied at the Royal Thai
Air Force Academy, where the meeting
was being held. The acting premier
insisted that the caretaker government
is ready to submit a draft royal decree
on the poll date as soon as talks with
the EC are completed. BANGKOK POST
N Korea in rare apology for accident
S
ENIOR ofcials in
North Korea have
publicly apologised
for an unimaginable
accident at an apartment
construction site, state media
said yesterday, a rare admis-
sion of culpability by the se-
cretive hardline state.
South Korean ofcials said
the incident involved the col-
lapse of an apartment block in
Pyongyangs Pyongchon dis-
trict, which already had nearly
100 families in residence.
It is extremely unusual for
the North to report negative
news of this type, and its of-
cial KCNA news agency also
reported equally rare apolo-
gies from top ofcials.
Leader Kim Jong-un sat up
all night, feeling painful after
being told about the accident,
the agency said.
The accident happened last
Tuesday and was the result of
irresponsible supervision by
ofcials in charge of construc-
tion, KCNA reported.
An intensive operation had
been mounted to rescue sur-
vivors and treat the wounded,
it said. It did not give a gure
for the number of dead or in-
jured but said the accident left
Pyongyang citizens greatly
shocked.
The agency carried lengthy
public apologies by senior of-
cials including the ,minister of
peoples security, Choe Pu-il.
[Choe] repented, saying he
failed to nd out factors that
can put at risk the lives and
properties of the people and
to take thoroughgoing mea-
sures, thereby causing an un-
imaginable accident, it said.
A South Korean ofcial,
speaking on condition of
anonymity, said the incident
involved the collapse of a 23-
storey apartment complex.
It is common in North Ko-
rea that people move into a
new apartment building be-
fore construction ofcially
ends, the ofcial said.
The ofcial said 92 families
were believed to be living in
the collapsed building, and
the nal death toll was likely
to be considerable.
Among those making a
public apology were Kim Su-
gil, chief secretary of the city
committee of the ruling Work-
ers Party. He said Kim Jong-
un had instructed leading
ofcials of the party, state and
the army to rush to the scene,
putting aside all other affairs
and command the rescue op-
eration. The state-run Rodong
Sinmun newspaper also pub-
lished yesterday a rare photo
of an unidentied ofcial bow-
ing deeply in apology towards
hundreds of people who gath-
ered at what appeared to be a
construction site.
The rare ofcial apology ap-
pears to be aimed at portray-
ing Kim as a sincere leader
who pays great attention to
public sentiment, said Kim
Yong-hyun, professor of North
Korean studies at Seouls
Dongguk University.
The North in 2009 an-
nounced plans to build
100,000 new high-rise apart-
ments in three districts of its
showpiece capital to mark the
100th anniversary in 2012 of
the birth of its founder Kim Il-
sung, grandfather of the cur-
rent leader. The project went
ahead despite chronic food
shortages elsewhere in the
impoverished nation.
In July 2011 a South Korean
news outlet reported that stu-
dents and soldiers had been
drafted in to help complete the
projects on time, after delays
caused by shortages of funds
and of building materials.
About 2.5 million people
mostly the ruling elite or those
considered politically trust-
worthy are believed to live in
Pyongyang. They enjoy prior-
ity access to electricity, food
and other goods and services.
Kim has launched a urry
of high-prole construction
projects of his own.
He last year celebrated the
opening of a new water park,
an equestrian club and apart-
ments for scientists, teachers
and athletes in the capital,
and a massive ski resort in the
northeast.
KCNA last December praised
the miraculous pace of con-
struction, saying many of the
facilities were built within a
year thanks to the guidance of
the young leader.
Analysts say such projects,
launched despite a chronic
shortage of materials, were
aimed at solidifying the image
of the inexperienced ruler.
The secretive nation has
rarely made public the details
especially death tolls of
major accidents.
But in one exceptional
case, the North announced
in April 2004 a massive train
explosion in the northwest-
ern county of Ryongchon had
left 154 including dozens
of schoolchildren dead and
some 1,300 injured.
The accident caused by
damaged electric wires dev-
astated many nearby towns,
prompting Pyongyang to make
a rare plea for help from the in-
ternational community. AFP
Face-off
Participants of a candle-lit rally
clash with police following a vigil
for victims of the Sewol ferry,
during which they also
denounced the governments
response to the disaster, in
Seoul on Saturday. President
Park Geun-hye made a direct
apology on Friday to relatives of
the victims of South Koreas ferry
disaster and vowed to reform the
countrys safety standards from
scratch. AFP
World
16
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014

Bogota hails important
step in peace process
COLOMBIA and leftist FARC
guerrillas concluded a key stage
in talks on Friday aimed at
ending five decades of war, as
the rebels announced a truce
for the upcoming presidential
election. The outcome of talks
between FARC rebels and
Bogota authorities is important
for President Juan Manuel
Santoss May 25 re-election bid.
Santos faces growing opposition
to the peace talks from
conservatives, especially Oscar
Ivan Zuluaga, a top candidate
supported by popular former
president Alvaro Uribe. FARC
members said the May 20-28
unilateral truce will include
Colombias second-largest
guerrilla group, the National
Liberation Army. Government
officials however said they will
continue to pursue the rebels.
Colombian and FARC
representatives have been
negotiating a peace deal since
November 2012. On Friday the
two sides agreed on ways to end
Colombias vast illicit drugs
trade, the third of a six-point
peace agenda. AFP
Brazilian prisoners take

more than 120 hostages
INMATES in a prison in the
northeastern Brazilian state of
Sergipe took 122 hostages on
Saturday nearly all of them
visiting relatives, a prison
official said. Prison
spokeswoman Sandra Melo
said there were four prison
guards among the hostages at
the Advogado Jacinto Filho
prison in the city of Aracaju, the
Sergipe state capital. According
to Melo the reason for the
unrest was unclear, though it
may be related to inmate
demands to be transfered. She
said police had been called in,
the situation had calmed down
and negotiations for the release
of the hostages were to resume
yesterday. AFP
Thats my boy
Konys son
is promoted:
army chief

N
OTORIOUS rebel chief Jo-
seph Kony has named his
son as deputy of his Lords
Resistance Army (LRA), a guerrilla
force known for its savagery, the
army said yesterday. Salim Saleh,
reported to be 22, is understood
to have spent his entire life in the
bush with his fathers force, which
continues to defy international
efforts to hunt them down.
Top Ugandan general, Sam
Kavuma, claimed it was a sign
that Konys control of the force
has been weakened, with ghters
now split into several autonomous
gangs. Long since forced from
Uganda, the rebels roam remote
forest regions of the CAR, Sudan,
South Sudan and DR Congo.
The role of the son is an indica-
tion Kony has lost contact with
most of his commanders, some
who have been killed by our forces
and others are in disarray, with
the rebels becoming weaker,
Kavuma added. However, the force
has shown itself adept at avoiding
capture and continues to launch
attacks despite being hunted by
Ugandan troops with the support
of US special forces. AFP
Ten dead, more than 70 wounded in Nairobi blasts
Man charged in southern California wildres
TEN people were killed and
over 70 wounded on Friday in
two bomb attacks at a busy
market in Nairobi, the latest in
a wave of unrest blamed on
Kenyas Islamist militants.
The twin bombings came as
hundreds of British tourists
were being evacuated from
beach resorts near the port city
of Mombasa after Britains For-
eign Office and other nations
issued new travel warnings.
The National Disaster
Operation Centre (NDOC)
said the first blast in the cap-
ital occurred next to a
14-seater matatu, or public
minibus, and the second was
inside a shop in Gikomba
Market close to Nairobis cen-
tral business district.
A spokesman at the Keny-
atta National Hospital, Nai-
robis main hospital, said eight
bodies had brought in and
more than 70 people admit-
ted for treatment, many of
them in a serious condition.
The NDOC then revised the
death toll up to 10, while
another hospital said it had
received around 14 patients.
Many of the injured are
bleeding profusely. We need
a lot of blood, spokesman
Simon Ithae said as the
hospital issued an appeal
for donors.
Nairobi police chief Benson
Kibue confirmed that two
bombs had been used, and
the area was littered with
debris including clothing
hurled into overhead power
and telephone lines.
Two IEDs were detonated
simultaneously, Nairobi
police chief Benson Kibue told
reporters at the scene, trying
to reassure an increasingly
sceptical public that the secu-
rity forces are in control.
Dont panic. We are on top
of things, he said. Police
also said two suspects had
been arrested.
The United States con-
demned the latest in a series
of cowardly attacks on inno-
cent civilians in Kenya as des-
picable. As we have for half a
century, the United States
stands with our Kenyan friends
and partners who continue to
face adversity with courage and
resolve, said National Security
Council spokeswoman Caitlin
Hayden. We support them in
their efforts to confront terror-
ism in all of its forms.
Earlier this month, three
people were killed and 86
wounded in twin bus blasts in
Nairobi that were blamed on
militant cells connected with
Somalias al-Qaeda-linked al-
Shebaab rebels. The previous
day, twin attacks left four dead
in Mombasa.
Kenya has been targeted by
al-Shebaab since sending
troops to war-torn Somalia in
2011. Kenyan soldiers are still
posted in southern Somalia
as part of an African Union
force supporting the coun-
trys fragile internationally-
backed government.
On Thursday and Friday,
hundreds of British tourists
were evacuated from beach
resorts near Mombasa follow-
ing warnings of terror attacks
from Britains Foreign Office.
Australia, France and the
US also issued similar warn-
ings this week to avoid Mom-
basa, and in some cases Nai-
robi. AFP
CALMER winds helped firefighters gain
ground on Saturday against fires that
have destroyed homes and raced
through nearly 8,100 hectares of north-
ern and eastern San Diego County
brush land. Authorities charged a man
for adding fuel to one of the nearly
dozen blazes. A new fire at the Camp
Pendleton Marine base left some evac-
uations in place.
Thousands of firefighters and fleets of
water-dropping military and civilian
helicopters planned fresh battles on
Saturday as investigators continued to
seek the causes of the fires that burned
at least eight homes and an 18-unit con-
dominium complex, emptied neigh-
bourhoods and spread fields of flame,
smoke and ash that dirtied the air in
neighbouring Orange County and as far
north as Los Angeles County.
Alberto Serrato, 57, pleaded not guilty
on Friday to an arson charge in connec-
tion with one of the smaller fires, a
43-hectare fire in suburban Oceanside
that started on Wednesday and is now
fully contained.
Tanya Sierra, a spokeswoman for the
San Diego County district attorneys
office, said witnesses saw Serrato add-
ing dead brush to smouldering bushes,
which flamed up. He has not been con-
nected to any other fire, Sierra said.
Oceanside police Lieutenant Sean
Marshand said Serrato was believed to
have added fuel to the fire but not to
have started it.
Unfortunately we dont have the guy
that we really want, he said.
Serrato remained jailed on Friday;
Sierra said she didnt know whether he
had an attorney. All together, the wild-
fires about 50 kilometres north of San
Diego have caused more than $20 mil-
lion in damage. Three fires continued to
burn at Pendleton: a 6,000-hectare blaze
that began on Thursday was 40 per cent
contained, and a new fire on Friday that
quickly grew to 320 hectares was 25 per
cent surrounded that night. A 2,600-
hectare fire that started on Wednesday
at a neighbouring navy weapons station
and rolled on to the base and the city of
Fallbrook was 65 per cent contained.
At their peak, the fires prompted
about 8,400 military personnel and
their families to be sent home from
parts of the sprawling coastal base
between Los Angeles and San Diego,
but some housing-area evacuations
were lifted, base spokesman Jeff
Nyhart said.
The most destructive fires started in
Carlsbad a densely populated coastal
suburb of 110,000 people where a badly
burned body was found on Thursday in
a transient camp and San Marcos, a
neighbouring suburb of 85,000 people
where strip malls and large housing
tracts mix with older homes whose
residents cherish their large lots and
country living.
The Cocos Fire, which hopscotched
through San Marcos and Escondido, was
70 per cent contained Saturday morning
after burning 1,020 hectares, the county
reported. As some evacuations were
lifted, residents returned to their homes
not sure what they would find.
The region had become a tinder box in
recent days because of conditions not
normally seen until late summer
extremely dry weather, 80-kilometre-per-
hour Santa Ana winds and temperatures
in the 90s Fahrenheit. On Friday, slightly
cooler weather and calming winds aided
the 2,600 firefighters, and thousands of
people began returning home.
Al Said of Escondido refused to evac-
uate and helped firefighters save his
home with a garden hose. Two of his
neighbours lost theirs.
That house burned and the house
next to it burned, he said. By the grace
of God and the hard work of these fire-
fighters, they came in and they saved
my house right here.
Hes happy his home survived, but
yet I look at my neighbours property
and what do you say? Just devastating,
he said. Eight of the San Diego County
blazes popped up between late morn-
ing and sundown on Wednesday, raising
suspicions that some had been set.
In Carlsbad, investigators finished
examining the burn site across the
street from a park and focused on
interviewing people who called a hot-
line that was set up to report any suspi-
cious activity.
Police in Escondido arrested two peo-
ple, ages 17 and 19, for investigation of
arson in connection with two small fires
that were extinguished within minutes.
But they found no evidence linking the
suspects to the 10 biggest wildfires.
The Bernardo fire, the first of the
North County blazes to break out,
burned 625 hectares and was 95 per
cent contained by Friday night.
A backhoe operator at a development
site accidentally started the fire while
digging trenches, San Diego fire officials
said on Friday. THE GUARDIAN
Libya troops storm Benghazi militias
Chris Stephen

T
HE heaviest ghting
in Libya since the
Arab Spring revolu-
tion broke out in the
eastern capital of Benghazi
on Friday as forces led by a re-
tired general attacked militias
on the ground and with jets.
Air strikes pounded mili-
tia bases at dawn and 6,000
troops converged on the city,
storming a series of bases and
checkpoints.
Eyewitnesses described a
city in chaos, with jets streak-
ing low over rooftops, tanks
on the streets, heavy detona-
tions and aggressive ghting.
The ghting is close to my
house, said one resident in
the Hawari district. Planes
are going very low, there are
explosions, there is ghting
around the February 17 [mi-
litia] base.
But there were wildly dif-
ferent claims over whether
the attacks have ofcial
sanction, with the govern-
ment denouncing the of-
fensive and the local army
command saying it was
monitoring the situation.
The attack is led by Khalifa
Hiftar, a former commander
of the 2011 uprising that de-
posed Muammar Gadda.
Hitfar announced the opera-
tion was launched to clear
Benghazi of Islamist militias
and restore Libyas dignity.
Hiftar, who called on the
army earlier this year to
mount a coup against the
government, appears to
have the support of a signi-
cant proportion of Libyas
armed forces.
He insisted the operation
was sanctioned by army
commanders, saying: All
reserve forces are mobilised.
If we fail today then the ter-
rorists win.
But Libyas government in-
sisted the operation had no
ofcial sanction, with the
chief of the general staff, Ab-
dul Salam Jadallah, branding
Hiftar a criminal and order-
ing Benghazis militias to
ght back.
Air force planes struck the
bases of the Rafalla al-Sahati
and Ansar al-Sharia militias,
the latter blamed by Washing-
ton for the attack two years
ago on the US consulate that
led to the death of ambassa-
dor Chris Stevens.
By early afternoon on Fri-
day hundreds of Benghazi
residents had assembled
on a yover to watch the
battles around militia bases,
as jets and helicopters cir-
cled above.
There are only few for-
eigners in Benghazi, with
most diplomatic missions
evacuated after a string of
attacks and bombings. Brit-
ain closed its consulate in
the city in 2012 after a rocket
attack on the former ambas-
sador which wounded two of
his bodyguards.
Elsewhere in Libya, there
are reports of pro- and anti-
government forces mobilis-
ing. The capital, Tripoli, is
tense after weeks of skirmish-
es between rival militias.
The attack comes after
weeks of chaos and instabil-
ity in Libya, with the national
congress split between Is-
lamists and their allies and
non-Islamists.
A new prime minister,
Ahmed Maiteeg, was elected
earlier this month in a vote
opponents labelled fraudu-
lent, and has still to take of-
fice, which remains in the
hands of former defence
minister Abdullah al-Thinni,
himself a replacement for
Ali Zeiden who was sacked
in March.
Earlier this week the Penta-
gon announced the deploy-
ment of a force of 200 Ma-
rines, backed by helicopters
and vertical takeoff aircraft
in Sicily amid growing con-
cerns about Libyas unrest.
THE GUARDIAN
Libyas interim premier Abdullah al-Thani, speaks during a news
conference in Tripoli on the security situation in Benghazi on Friday. AFP
17
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
World
PALEONTOLOGISTS in Ar-
gentinas remote Patagonia
region have discovered fossils
of what may be the largest di-
nosaur ever, amid a vast cache
of fossils that could shed light
on prehistoric life.
The creature is believed to
be a new species of Titano-
saur, a long-necked, long-
tailed sauropod that walked
on four legs and lived some
90 million years ago in the
Cretaceous Period.
Researchers say that
the plant-eating dinosaur
weighed the equivalent of
more than 14 African ele-
phants, or about 100 tonnes,
and stretched up to 40 me-
tres (130 feet) in length.
The previous record holder,
also in Argentina, the Argen-
tinosaurus, was estimated to
measure 36.6 metres long.
A fossilised femur of the Ti-
tanosaur was larger than a pa-
leontologist who lay next to it.
And the nd didnt stop there.
Bones from at least seven in-
dividual dinosaurs, including
some believed to be younger,
were found at the site.
This is the most complete
discovery of this type of gi-
ant dinosaur in the world,
a momentous discovery for
science, cheered Jose Luis
Carballido, one of eight sci-
entists who participated in
the research.
The fossils were acciden-
tally discovered in 2011 by a
farm worker in a remote area
in the Patagonian province of
Chubut, some 1,300 kilome-
tres (800 miles) south of Bue-
nos Aires.
The worker rst spotted a
massive leg bone, measuring
some 2.4 metres in length.
Excavations launched in
January 2013 also uncovered
complete bones of the tail,
torso and neck which will
allow for a fuller picture of
what the entire animal looked
like when alive.
Carballido, part of a team
of Argentinian and Span-
ish researchers, said that
the group had uncovered
10 vertebrae of the torso,
40 from the tail, parts of the
neck and complete legs.
Until now, what was
known, worldwide, about
sauropods was from frag-
mentary discoveries, said
the 36-year-old paleontolo-
gist from the Egidio Feruglio
Museum in the southern city
of Trelew, calling the nd
extraordinary.
Tip of the iceberg

Even more bones may yet
be discovered.
So far, we have only recov-
ered an estimated 20 per cent
of whats in the eld, Carbal-
lido said.
The nd is set to help shed
light on more than just the
anatomy of these remarkably
large herbivores.
The researchers have also
found what they believe to
be muscle insertions, which
will help them reconstruct
the form of the creatures
muscles and calculate how
much energy was needed to
move them.
Paleontologists have found
about 60 teeth at the site, 57
of which are from Tyranno-
titan carnivores one of the
largest known therapods, and
known scavengers.
In addition to the skeletal
remains, fossil imprints of
leaves and stems have been
found, which could help re-
searchers rebuild the ecosys-
tem at the time.
We will be able to make a
very precise reconstruction
and answer many questions,
Carballido said including
just what about southern Ar-
gentina made conditions fa-
vourable for so many massive
dinosaur species.
A treasure trove
So far, the new species re-
mains unnamed, and scien-
tists estimate they will publish
the rst results next year.
The research will be done
in several stages. First we will
present the new species, its
characteristics, Carballido
said, followed by years of study
to detail the animals biology
and the way it grew up.
Paul Barrett, fossils and an-
thropology expert at Londons
Natural History Museum,
cautioned that claims this di-
nosaur is the largest ever still
must be conrmed.
This is an inspiring new
discovery of a truly gigantic
dinosaur, Barrett said.
However, we need to know
more about the overall size
and proportions of the skel-
eton and use several differ-
ent methods to investigate its
possible width before decid-
ing its denitely the largest
dinosaur species yet known.
US paleontologist David
Burnham agreed that a lot of
things still need to be proven.
But largest dinosaur or not,
the breadth of the discovery
was truly remarkable.
You can really start recon-
structing past life when you
get a treasure trove like this,
said Burnham, of the Univer-
sity of Kansas.
Finding so many individual
dinosaurs at one site could
conrm the hypothesis that
these herbivores lived in
herds, as well as determine
any predators they may have
had, whether they were scav-
engers, when they died and
in what type of environment
they lived, the paleontologist
added. AFP
Fossils of largest dinosaur found in Argentina
China aiming to break cycle of military graft
Tania Branigan

I
T HAS a huge and growing
budget, its rst aircraft carrier
has taken to the seas, and its
increasing assertiveness stirs
anxiety in the region and the west.
Chinas 2.3 million-strong Peoples
Liberation Army is also the focus of
deep concern at home, and one of
the biggest causes of disquiet is the
enemy within: corruption.
President Xi Jinping has told PLA
commanders they must be ready to
ght and win wars comments that
have been read by some as a sign of
swaggering condence. But others
say Xis words underline profound
worries about a force that has not
been tested in combat for decades.
A corrupt army has no ability to
ght and cannot win wars, warned
a commentary carried widely across
Chinese news sites last Monday,
claiming corruption had reached
an unprecedented level.
Last week the PLA promised to in-
tensify an anti-corruption drive that
began late last year. The crackdown
is not just about tackling public dis-
affection or raising internal morale.
Corruption has eaten at a lot of
the core competences, said Tai
Ming Cheung, director of the Insti-
tute on Global Conict and Coop-
eration at the University of Califor-
nia, San Diego.
Selling posts often for the equiv-
alent of hundreds of thousands of
pounds each results in inferior
personnel, while kickbacks and em-
bezzlement in procurement lead to
cut corners and reduced capabil-
ity. Experts warn of a vicious circle
as ofcers who have paid for their
places seek to recoup the cost.
Xi has made it clear that the anti-
corruption campaign is a priority,
and is pushing forward with other
measures, including major restruc-
turing and attempts to upgrade the
calibre of recruits by attracting
graduates.
The president took charge of the
top military body as soon as he
became civilian leader his prede-
cessor, Hu Jintao, had to wait two
years and he is tied to the forces as
Hu was not. His father was a guer-
rilla leader before the revolution;
Xi himself was aide to a military
leader in his youth; his wife, Peng
Liyuan, was a famed army singer;
and he is close to Liu Yuan, the
well-connected political commis-
sar of the logistics department who
made waves with a ery internal
speech on the do or die struggle
against corruption in 2012.
It is not that he has deep military
experience, but he has deep military
interest, said Cheung, who noted
that Xi made a dozen military vis-
its in his rst year as chairman of
the Central Military Commission
(CMC), compared with Hus two in
the same period. Is he just arrang-
ing the deckchairs or can he pursue
the deeper structural reforms that
he signalled? Cheung added.
In March, a former logistics chief
was charged with embezzlement,
bribery, abuse of power and mis-
use of state funds, making him the
highest ranking ofcer to stand trial
since 2006. Gu Junshan was initially
detained under Hus leadership, but
it was Xi who pushed through and
broadened the investigation.
Reports allege Gu sold hundreds
of positions and may have billions
of dollars of assets. Items taken from
one of his many properties included
a Mao statue made of gold.
No one doubts the rot goes fur-
ther. His friend and protector Xu
Caihou was placed under investiga-
tion while undergoing treatment for
cancer. Last month Xinhua warned
that inspectors had found problems
in the Beijing and Jinan military
commands the latter being where
Xu previously served. Whether the
Chinese leadership is ultimately
willing to bring charges against the
former vice-chair of the CMC re-
mains to be seen.
Even as the campaign got off the
ground at the end of last year, Xin-
hua warned of special difculties
in tackling corruption, citing the
military ethos of unconditional obe-
dience to superiors.
It is not the rst attempt to tackle
the problem. Current regulations are
so specic that they ban excessively
lavish ofce stationery, costly gym
activities and self-promoting ac-
tivities along with being divorced
from reality. In the last major
crackdown, at the end of the 1990s,
the PLA was ordered to divest itself
of commercial operations. Experts
say much economic activity simply
went underground.
Some observers think Xi may
be looking beyond the immediate
problems. They see a parallel with
the way the anti-corruption drive
in the party and state-owned enter-
prises allows the promotion of sym-
pathisers and sends a warning to
those resisting economic reforms.
This year the Japanese newspaper
Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the
PLA was planning the most signi-
cant structural changes for almost
three decades, moving from a system
based on geographic regions to one
focused on military missions, with
the loss of about 300,000 ground
personnel though some, it seems,
may be transferred to the paramili-
tary police. Though PLA ranks have
been thinned substantially over
the years, the new move would go
beyond getting rid of peasants in
plimsolls to slimming parts of the
ofcer corps too.
But changes have been talked
about for decades. Theres a win-
dow of opportunity for him to push
structural reform, but if he cant do
it in the next year or so it will go back
to the status quo, argued Cheung.
Andrew Scobell, senior political
analyst at the Rand Corporation, said
Chinas military as currently struc-
tured was poorly positioned to wage
limited war under conditions of
informatisation the core mission
set out by Hu. But he said he would
be very surprised to see wholesale,
across-the-board changes.
The desire to push through struc-
tural reforms might actually deter Xi
from targeting abuses too zealously,
lest it alienate an important con-
stituency, he suggested. Xi certainly
has military allies who also see cor-
ruption as sapping the discipline and
operational readiness of the PLA,
[but] no one within the military is
too happy about washing their dirty
linen in public. THE GUARDAIN
A technician next to a dinosaur fossil likely to be from the largest dinosaur to ever roam the earth in Chubut, some 1,300 kilometres (800
miles) south of Buenos Aires on Saturday. AFP
Opinion
18
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
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A
FTER a prolonged period of
political drift and paralysis,
Indias new government will
be led by a man known for
his decisiveness. Just as Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abes return to
power in late 2012, after six years of
political instability, reflected Japans
determination to reinvent itself as a
more competitive and confident
country, Narendra Modis election
reflects Indians desire for a dynamic,
assertive leader to help revitalise their
countrys economy and security.
Like Abe, Modi is expected to focus
on reviving Indias economic fortunes
while simultaneously bolstering its
defences and strengthening its strate-
gic partnerships with like-minded
states, thereby promoting regional
stability and blocking the rise of a
Sino-centric Asia. The charismatic
Modi a darling of business leaders at
home and abroad has promised to
restore rapid economic growth, say-
ing there should be no red tape, only
red carpet for investors.
The 63-year-old Modi mirrors Abes
soft nationalism, market-oriented
economics and new Asianism, seek-
ing close ties with Asian democracies
to create a web of interlocking strate-
gic partnerships.
In a country where the gap between
the average age of political leaders
and citizens is one of the worlds
widest, Modi will be the first prime
minister born after India gained inde-
pendence in 1947. This constitutes
another parallel with Abe, who is
Japans first prime minister born after
World War II.
There is, however, an important dif-
ference in terms of the two leaders
upbringing: while Modi rose from
humble beginnings to lead the
worlds largest democracy, Abe the
grandson and grandnephew of two
former prime ministers and the son
of a former foreign minister boasts a
distinguished political lineage. In fact,
Modi rode to victory by crushing the
dynastic aspirations of Rahul Gandhi,
whose failure to articulate clear views
or demonstrate leadership ran coun-
ter to the Indian electorates yearning
for an era of decisive government.
Modi, like Abe, faces major foreign-
policy challenges. India is home to
more than one-sixth of the worlds
population, yet it punches far below
its weight. A 2013 essay in the journal
Foreign Affairs titled Indias Feeble
Foreign Policy focused on how the
country is resisting its own rise, as if
the political miasma in New Delhi
had turned the country into its own
worst enemy.
Many Indians want Modi to give a
new direction to foreign relations at a
time when the gap between India and
China in terms of international stat-
ure has grown significantly. Indias
influence in its own backyard
including Nepal, Sri Lanka and the
Maldives has shrunk. Indeed, Bhu-
tan remains Indias sole pocket of
strategic clout in South Asia.
India also confronts the strengthen-
ing nexus between its two nuclear-
armed regional adversaries, China
and Pakistan, both of which have
staked claims to substantial swaths of
Indian territory and continue to col-
laborate on weapons of mass destruc-
tion. In dealing with these countries,
Modi will face the dilemma that has
haunted previous Indian govern-
ments: the Chinese and Pakistani for-
eign ministries are weak. The Com-
munist Party and the military shape
Chinese foreign policy, while Pakistan
relies on its army and intelligence
services, which still use terror groups
as proxies. The Modi government is
unlikely to let another Mumbai-style
terrorist attack staged from Pakistan
go unpunished, employing at least
nonmilitary retaliatory options.
Restoring momentum to the rela-
tionship with the United States
damaged recently by grating diplo-
matic tensions and trade disputes is
another pressing challenge. But
Modis commitment to pro-market
economic policies and defence mod-
ernisation is likely to yield new
opportunities for US businesses and
lift the bilateral relationship to a new
level of engagement.
Americas strategic interests will be
advanced by likely new defence coop-
eration and trade that boosts US arms
sales and creates avenues for joint
military coordination. The US already
conducts more military exercises with
India than with any other country.
Modi is the sort of leader who can
help put US-India ties back on track
and boost cooperation. Yet there is a
risk that his relations with the US, at
least initially, could be more busi-
nesslike than warm, owing to an
American slight that is hard for him to
forget. In 2005, the US government
revoked his visa over unproven alle-
gations that he connived in Hindu-
Muslim riots in 2002, when he was
chief minister of Gujarat. Even after
Indias Supreme Court found no evi-
dence to link Modi to the violence,
the US continued to ostracise him,
reaching out to him only on the eve of
the recent election.
With the US having expressed no
regret for its revocation of his visa,
Modi is unlikely to go out of his way
to befriend the US by seeking a White
House visit. Instead, he is expected to
wait for US officials to come calling.
By contrast, Modi is likely to
remember states, such as Japan and
Israel, that courted him even as the
US targeted him. Modis 2007 and
2012 visits to Japan opened new ave-
nues for Japanese investment in busi-
ness-friendly Gujarat.
Moreover, Modi has forged a special
relationship with Japan and built per-
sonal rapport with Abe. When Abe
returned to power, Modi congratulat-
ed him with a telephone call.
Modis victory is likely to turn Indo-
Japanese ties Asias fastest-develop-
ing bilateral relationship into the
main driver of Indias Look East
strategy, which, with Americas bless-
ing, seeks to strengthen economic
and strategic cooperation with US
allies and partners in East and South-
east Asia. Abe, who has sought to
build security options for Japan
beyond the current US-centric frame-
work, has argued that his countrys
ties with India hold the greatest
potential of any bilateral relationship
anywhere in the world.
A deeper Japan-India entente under
Abe and Modi could potentially
reshape the Asian strategic landscape.
It is no surprise that Abe rooted for a
Modi victory. PROJECT SYNDICATE
Comment
Michael Mandelbaum
Modis mandate
Indias prime minister-elect, Narendra Modi, waves to supporters after performing a religious ritual at the banks of the River Ganges in
Varanasi on Saturday. AFP
Michael Mandelbaum is professor of American
foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies.
19
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Lifestyle
In brief
DreamWorks seeks 4th
Train Your Dragon film
JEFFREY Katzenberg, chief
executive officer of
DreamWorks Animation SKG,
wants to extend the How to
Train Your Dragon series to a
fourth film. His director, Dean
DeBlois, isnt on board yet. He
always saw this as a trilogy,
Katzenberg said on Friday at a
press conference at the
Cannes Film Festival, where
How to Train Your Dragon 2
made its debut. And the only
thing that we actually have
disagreed about is whether he
can succeed in telling as much
of a story as he has in the third
of the trilogy. I think its going
[to] take two movies to do it,
and he thinks its going to take
one. How to Train Your
Dragon 2 opens worldwide
next month, and a third film is
set for 2016. THE WASHINGTON POST
As I Lay Dying singer
jailed for murder plot
TIM Lambesis, the singer of
San Diego metal band As I Lay
Dying, has been sentenced to
six years in prison for conspir-
ing to kill his wife. Lambesis,
33, was sentenced on Friday
after pleading guilty to soliciting
the murder of his wife Meggan
Lambesis in February. The
couple had separated, and
Lambesis said his wife had
restricted his access to their
three adopted children, and
that he was angry about the
amount of his money she
would get in a divorce
settlement. After apparently
twice telling a man at his gym
that he wanted his wife killed,
he met an undercover
detective, to whom he gave
$1,000, photographs of his wife
and the security codes for her
house. THEGUARDIAN
Celebrities mobilise for
abducted Nigeria girls
MEXICAN film star Salma
Hayek and French actress
Julie Gayet branded signs
saying #BringBackOurGirls on
Canness red carpet Saturday,
joining global calls to free 223
schoolgirls kidnapped by
Islamist militants in Nigeria.
Hayek and Gayet posed with
the signs for a long time
before climbing up the steps to
the festival hall in the French
Riviera resort. They are the
first stars at the Cannes Film
Festival to publicly take a stand
for the schoolgirls using the
now world-famous hashtag on
Twitter also promoted by US
first lady Michelle Obama.
Islamist group Boko Haram
abducted 276 girls in northern
Nigeria on April 14, and while
some subsequently escaped,
223 are still missing. AFP
Recordings of the Reamker
earn World Heritage listing
Poppy McPherson

U
NI QUE audi o
recordings of the
Reamker have been
inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage list.
Ten hours of recitation are
the only such historical record
of Cambodias version of the
Ramayana, which tells the tale
of Ramas efforts to rescue his
wife Sita with the help of the
monkey Hanuman.
The recordings of the epic,
stories from which are found in
almost every Khmer art form
from dance to literature, were
last week listed on the Memory
of the World Register for docu-
mentary heritage.
We are very excited it was
my wish to see this recording
recognised internationally,
said Sopheap Chea, deputy
director of the Bophana Audio-
visual Resource Center.
The performer, Ta Krut, was
an exceptional storyteller
who died in his late 60s during
the final weeks of the Khmer
Rouge regime, Chea added.
Two different performances
by Krut were recorded in the
late 1960s by Jacques Brunet, a
professor at the University of
Fine Arts in Phnom Penh,
before the Khmer Rouge took
power and nearly destroyed the
countrys oral tradition.
The Reamker recordings sur-
vived but deteriorated badly in
France over the five decades
before Brunet donated them to
the Bophana centre, where
they were restored and digi-
tised in 2011.
The following year they were
submitted to UNESCO for
inscription on the basis of their
value, as noted on the nomina-
tion form, as the only known
audio materials of an oral
Khmer tradition.
Helen Jarvis, government
advisor and member of the
International Advisory Com-
mittee for UNESCOs Memory
of the World program, said it
was a miracle the recordings
were able to be restored.
These rare 1960s audio
recordings of the Reamker . . .
as told by grand master Ta Krut,
have now been given their true
recognition as of priceless val-
ue with significance to the Asia-
Pacific region, Jarvis wrote in
an email.
Cambodia now features twice
in each of UNESCOs three cul-
tural heritage lists.
Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear
fall under Cultural Heritage
while the Royal Ballet and Sbek
Thom Shadow Puppets are
classified as Intangible Herit-
age. Under Memory of the
World are the Toul Sleng
Archives and now the Reamker
of Ta Krut.
Krut was the most well-
known storyteller of his time.
He specialised in the Reamker
and gave dramatic perform-
ances, his voice rising and fall-
ing with the ebb and flow of the
story, accompanied by the
whine of leaf whistles.
Despite countrywide fame, he
lived a humble life in his home
province of Kampong Cham.
In an account obtained by
the Bophana centre, the eth-
nomusicologist Brunet wrote
the following after visiting Krut
in 1967: Nothing seemed
to distinguish this man,
famous throughout the king-
dom, from any other rice-
grower in the area.
He lived in the same house
of wood and thatch as every-
one else, sitting cross-legged
on a sort of cot.
A life by no means poor, but
one of great simplicity.
His face radiated the same
generous smile as that of
men of piety, and seemed to
share the quality of humans
who live in intimacy with
the supernatural.
Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (second left) looks at the churning of the sea of milk segment of the Reamker, among other stories from the
epic that are engraved into the walls of Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap. AFP
Siege of Homs lm receives standing ovation
A SYRIAN woman whose horrifying foot-
age of the siege of Homs was turned into
a film by an exiled director was on Friday
given a standing ovation at the Cannes
Film Festival, a few hours after the pair
met for the first time.
Documentary maker Wiam Simav
Bedirxan, dressed in a long black dress
and red shawl, bent forward, put her head
in her hands and had to be comforted by
director Ossama Mohammed as the
Cannes audience applauded her arrival
at the start of the film they made togeth-
er, Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait.
The meeting marked the close of an
extraordinary chapter in each of their
lives in which he escaped Syria with his
life but suffered from survivors guilt in
exile in Paris and she returned to her fam-
ily in the besieged city of Homs armed
with a video camera.
Ossama, who has twice before brought
films to Cannes, said he felt he had been
given a second chance when Simav con-
tacted him from Homs asking what he
would do in her position.
Simav saved me, she really saved me,
she saved my life. Syria made her remem-
ber about Ossama and believe that he
could help, the filmmaker, from Latta-
kia, said in an interview.
It was a very painful time for me, feel-
ing that I [was] first in Damascus and
second Paris, feeling that Im saved,
maybe, but psychologically I was
not saved.
I was not sleeping. I [thought] OK, I
had an illusion that I was [a] brave
defender of truth, of human rights, but
Im defending it from my room in Paris,
he added, speaking in his second lan-
guage, English.
Over the following months, Simav sent
more and more footage over the internet
to Ossama, who started to construct the
film using the images combined with
their email exchanges.
In the film, Simav describes how fol-
lowing her return to Homs she finds her-
self in a flat with the remains of who I
am and my old father crying like a
cat. AFP
Directors Wiam Simav Bedirxan (left) and Ossama Mohammed meet for the rst time, before
the screening of Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait in Cannes, France, on Friday. AFP
We are very excited
it was my wish to see
this recording
recognised
internationally
Travel
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
20
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 what Phnom, Khan
DaunPenh. PP, P: (023) 963800.
E: pnhres@kh.qatarairway.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
Gran Sasso, the highest peak in the Apennines, is also home to the
prison-turned-hotel of dictator Benito Mussolini. PHOTO SUPPLIED
A getaway . . .
to Mussolinis
prison in Italy
W
HEN you step
on to the cable
car from Fonte
Cerreto in the
springtime, you can never tell
if you are going to get sudden
blizzards or boiling sun as you
reach the top. I had checked
the forecast and, as I left the
warm valley behind, was
ready to catch the last skiing
of the season when I reached
Gran Sasso, the highest peak
in central Italys Apennine
range. What I wasnt ready for
was the unusual history of the
ski lodge that awaited me.
The Hotel Campo Impera-
tore, an art deco jewel at 7,000
feet, is still surrounded by snow
drifts in early May. Among its
bedrooms is the room once
occupied by fascist dictator
Benito Mussolini. It has been
preserved unchanged since
he was held prisoner there for
12 days in 1943 right down to
the same elegant wooden fur-
niture, the same bed and even
the same, now pretty soggy,
mattress. The sheets are new,
but the originals are folded in
the cupboard if you take your
history that seriously.
The lodge was built in 1934,
but the good times came to an
end and in September 1943, it
became a makeshift prison for
Mussolini, who had just been
ousted by the king of Italy as the
allies started their march up the
peninsula. But two weeks later,
Hitler ordered the SS to mount
a daring raid using gliders
to land outside the hotel and
spirit Mussolini away his 80
guards stood aside and failed
to re a shot before installing
him as a puppet dictator in the
Republic of Salo.
Seven decades on, as man-
ager Paolo Pecilli sets out
plates of local ricotta cheese
and chunks of pizza for a pre-
dinner aperitivo, he said he
does get neofascists coming
through, although he isnt one:
I keep the room and the hotel
unchanged to respect the his-
tory, not to honour it.
Slightly stiff after a night in
Benitos bed, I hopped back
into the cable car, emerging
in the warm, sunny valley
below to nd Romans load-
ing skis back in their cars for
the 90-minute drive back to
town, and nonchalantly talk-
ing of heading to the beach
the next day.
My plan was to climb up and
check the view from the 1,000-
year-old fortied tower on the
peak above Calascio, built to
defend the shepherds. Scal-
ing a steep path past crocuses,
daffodils and the rst, hesitant
lizard of the season, a collec-
tion of crumbled outhouses
and a proud tower came into
view, with what appeared to
be most of the world spread
out at its feet. To the south sat
the snow-capped Monte Sir-
ente, while to the east I looked
down across empty moun-
tains and deep valleys as far as
the eye could see, punctuated
by fairy-tale villages and sliced
into shifting shades of green.
Getting hungry, I drove on to
the nearest village, Castel del
Monte, and ate a huge portion
of excellent homemade pasta
with lentils followed by salty
mutton kebabs for a derisory
sum at La Loggia, a restaurant
hidden in an old house in the
village. Afterwards, I walked
off my lunch in the grassy
wilderness of the national
park, curling round contours
to reach Santo Stefano di Ses-
sanio, another ridiculously
photogenic stone village.
I know Ill be back. In August,
when the heat is unbearable
in the capital, Romans ee to
Gran Sasso and hike up to the
Calderone Europes south-
ernmost glacier. I plan to join
them and eat sausage and
polenta in the cold air, as if it
were January. THE GUARDIAN
Entertainment
21
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Thinking caps
Fridays solution Fridays solution
LEGEND CINEMA
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious
company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains
against him.
City Mall: 12pm, 1:25pm, 6:30pm
Toul Kork: 9:15am, 4:15pm, 9:20pm
NEIGHBOURS
A couple with a newborn baby faces unexpected
difficulties when they are forced to live next to a
fraternity house.
City Mall: 1:50pm, 5:50pm, 10:10pm
Tuol Kork: 9:15am, 11:55am, 7:50pm
RIO 2
In this animated film, its a jungle out there for Blu,
Jewel and their three kids after theyre hurtled from
Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. As Blu
tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful
Nigel, and meets the most fearsome adversary of all:
his father-in-law.
City Mall: 9:30am
Tuol Kork: 5:50pm
THE RAID 2
A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was
convicted of murder.
City Mall: 9:10pm
Toul Kork: 11:45am
PLATINUM CINEPLEX
THE RAID 2
(See above.)
4pm
NEIGHBOURS
(See above.)
11:50am
WALK OF SHAME
A reporters dream of becoming a news anchor is
compromised after a one-night stand leaves her
stranded in downtown LA without a phone, car, ID
or money.
6:40pm
NOW SHOWING
Bingo @ SoulTEAse
Bringing bingo back. Anyone with a
passion for bingo or even just a
casual interest might check out
this night at the Street 240 cafe,
SoulTEAse.
SoulTEAse, #55, Street 240. 6:30pm
Franglish @ Plantation
Brush up on your French or English-
language skills with Franglish at the
Plantation Hotel. Designed for people
who are uent in one language and
can speak a little of the other.
The Plantation, #28 Street 184. 6:30pm
Yoga @ Yoga Phnom Penh
Get your Monday morning o to an
invigorating start before work with a
yoga class from an experienced
teacher. The class runs from 8am until
9:30am.
Yoga Phnom Penh, #39 on Street 21.
8am
Mohuntakray @
Romeet Gallery
Battambang artist Chea Sereyroths
debut solo exhibition Mohuntakray
(Disaster) deals with cataclysmic
events: oods, nuclear explosions,
earthquakes.
Romeet Gallery, #34E Street 178. All
day
ACROSS
1 Get outta here!
5 Ski lift
9 Prepare, as a violin bow
14 Corkscrew-horned antelope
15 Rice-A-___
16 Sports venue
17 Persia, today
18 Tired-blood vanquisher
19 Poe bird
20 City money-makers
23 Prime meridian letters
25 Common Market abbreviation,
once
26 Watchful and ready
27 Some fetes
29 Tax assessment
31 Tree-shaded place
32 Scotch or masking
33 Singer Tori
37 First National of Wyoming?
40 Snow-day vehicle
41 Horses fare
42 Dweebish
43 Heal
44 Part of a foot
45 Kind of jar
48 Hartebeest kin
49 Umbrage
50 It deals with recreation
54 Native Alaskan
55 Round farm building
56 Three-piece piece
59 Play for time
60 Lie at ease
61 Pins and needles case
62 Overstuffed with dialogue
63 So what ___ is new?
64 Request on an invitation
DOWN
1 Snowmobile part
2 Mean mutt
3 Not limited to one use
4 Popular salad fish
5 Tots wheels
6 ___ acid (mild antiseptic)
7 In a bit, to Shakespeare
8 Symbol of a commitment
9 Hardly ever
10 Stand up and speak
11 Cut, as ties
12 Not exactly active
13 Fabray and Bobbsey
21 Stylishly old-fashioned
22 Acknowledged expert
23 Shows ones age
24 Edible mushroom
28 Auctioneers closing word
29 Espresso with milk
30 Grand poetry
32 Old Russian royal (Var.)
33 Lummoxes
34 Rigid disciplinarians
35 Laws partner
36 Online call company
38 Got the watch going
39 Boredom
43 Expensive
44 Foot pad?
45 Vallettas island
46 You did ___ nice job
47 Hide in the dark
48 Underwater breathing organs
50 Time machines destination
51 Robinson Crusoes home
52 Fretted fiddle
53 In excess of
57 Vehicle not chosen for its mpg
58 Cash left behind
PICNIC IT
TV PICKS
A new art show at Romeet, now open, deals with environmental catastrophes. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Hugh Grant in Did You Hear About the Morgans?.
BLOOMBERG
12:55pm - SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS: A magazine editor
and a gruff pilot must put aside their mutual dislike if
they are to survive after crash-landing on a deserted
South Seas island. FOX MOVIES
4:15pm - DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?: In
New York City, an estranged couple who witness a
murder are relocated to small-town Wyoming as part of
a witness-protection program. FOX MOVIES
6pm - THE EAST: An operative for an elite private
intelligence firm finds her priorities changing
dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an
anarchist group. FOX MOVIES
8pm - THE LAST STAND: The leader of a drug cartel
busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican
border. FOX MOVIES
Lifestyle
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
22
Socheata and Sontery
Social Life Team
Cambodian and international stars alike rocked a charity concert to raise funds for childrens hospital Kantha Bopha at the Chenla The-
atre in Phnom Penh last Friday. Among the national singers were Preap Sowat, So Kunisa, Hem Sivon and Noy Vannet as well as the comic
actor Peakmi. Filipino actors Mikael Daez, Carla Abellena and Andrea were among the guests. The event, organised by Cambodian television
stations CTW and MYTV, raised $295,000 for Kantha Bopha. Photos by Kimsoeurn Seth.
CTN & MYTV concert for Kantha Bopha Hospital @ Chenla Theatre
Apsara dancers perform to open the event
Filipino actor Mikael Daez
Presenter Yok Chanda with Ith Setha Singer So Kunisa and her supporting team
Peace signs at the charity concert Special guests in the seats close to the stage
Prince Norodom Chakrapong
Chhim Sreyneang
Social Life Manager
Lifestyle
23
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Ladies Magazine launched their
May issue with a party on Thurs-
day, May 8. Cambodian superstars
mingled with guests and everyone
sipped wine and cocktails and
snapped seles before heading
home with a copy of the fashion
magazine in hand. Photos by Hong
Menea.
On May 9, Sotel Phokeethra Hotel
hosted the ofcial Cambodia launch of
RMA Groups new model of Ford Ecos-
port. This new car has a good deal of
space for ve people including airbags
that protect seven people. To celebrate
the launch, Ford gave out gift cards
worth 775 litres of petrol to the rst
customer to buy Ford Ecosport. Photos
by Kimsoeurn Seth.
Ladies May issue launch party @ Fashion TV Lounge Naga World
Ford Ecosport launch @ Sotel
Rami Saraf, CEO at RMA group, presents the 775-litre gift card to his rst customer
Models present the Ford Ecosport MC Serey Roth and Tabui
A model beside the Ford Ecosport
Haki, Ly Samnang, Sok Peng Heang, Tav Channara
Models from Sapors
Heng Houn, managing director at First Printing, Korn Chavbopha, ac-
count executive Mr Prim Services, Touch Pisal, GM Mekong View Tower
Setha Heang, project development,
Ravy Loch, project development at V
Star Group
Chan Chan Leakhena, Andy
Sara Garcia and Chan Nyda from
InterContinental
Dina Fujimoto, Samphors
Sarim
Roxy Leak
Balazs Maar, Roxy Leak
Makara Neang and Mollyta Orel
Kanha Paula, Tisam Mazza, Yulia Khouri and Darren Harris
Em Riem
Shae Whyatt, Therese Deutgen, Nou Vichet, Casandra Gally and
Channarath Soum
Balazs Maar, Leang Syna, Julius Thiemann
Kate Sutherland, Theirry Chantha Bin and Chem Vuth Sovin
Jenny Seang, Tony Re-al
The team behind Chivas Models from Sun agency
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
24
Sport
Swimming course for
coaches starts at NOCC
A LEVEL-2 swimming coach
training course for 25 local
coaches, including eight
females, got underway at the
National Olympic Committee of
Cambodia headquarters
yesterday. The ten-day course,
funded by the Olympic Solidarity
program of the International
Olympic Committee, is being
lead by Englishman James
Richard and will focus on
strategies, psychology and
teaching methods. Swimming
Federation of Cambodia
secretary general Hem Thon
said: The aim of our course is
to further educate the coaches,
who will contribute to swimming
programs at the new Kampong
Cham swimming pool, which
costs around US$2 million and
will be completed in October. All
participants in the course will be
offered three meals per day and
given $40 at the end. YEUN
PONLOK, TRANSLATEDBY CHENGSERYRITH
Cambodian fighters go
3 for 4 over Thai rivals
CAMBODIA claimed three of the
four bouts against Thai
opponents during the 2015 AEC
Fighting tournament, hosted by
Bayon TV and held at the
Vietnam Circus Centre on
Saturday. Chub Cheang scored
a third-round knockout of Anup
Sor Kamsing, while compatriots
Phal Sophan and Vong Noy both
completed impressive stoppage
wins within the first minute of
their fights against Lamnunchee
Rongrean Angthong and
Sansakchai Auqurnmung
respectively. Em Vutha was the
only local man to fall to his Thai
foe, receiving a fifth-round
stoppage from the referee after
suffering some heavy blows
from Rombo Sor Sophit. YEUN
PONLOK, TRANSLATEDBY CHENGSERYRITH
England rugby sweat
on injured Mike Brown
ENGLAND were left with an
anxious wait to discover if full-
back Mike Brown would be fit
for next months tour of New
Zealand after the full-back was
injured in a gruelling
Premiership semi-final on
Saturday. Harlequins star
Brown, player of the tournament
in this seasons Six Nations
Championship, went off with a
hamstring injury midway
through the second half of his
sides 31-17 semi-final loss
away to Saracens. England
coach Stuart Lancaster is
already without regular full-
back alternatives in Saracens
Alex Goode and Northamptons
Ben Foden for the first of a
three-Test series against the
world champion All Blacks in
Auckland on June 7 as the pair
will be required for the
Premiership final at
Twickenham seven days earlier.
Saracens, who remained on
course for a domestic and
European double ahead of their
European Cup final against
French defending champions
Toulon in Cardiff next
weekend, had an injury worry
of their own when captain
Steve Borthwick sustained a
shoulder problem. AFP
Both turns
about game
in Manila
M
ARCUS Both of Australia
secured an emphatic vic-
tory at the ICTSI Philip-
pine Open yesterday, to
revive his career after thinking of quit-
ting the game last year.
The towering Aussie, who lost his
Asian Tour card last year for the rst
time since 2003, posted a two-under-
par 70 for a winning total of six-un-
der-par 282 at the US$300,000 Asian
Tour event.
EurAsia Cup star Siddikur Rahman
(69) of Bangladesh, Tour rookie Nathan
Holman (70) of Australia, Thailands Ar-
nond Vongvanij (70) and home heroes
Antonio Lascuna (70) and Jay Bayron
(72) nished two shots back for tied
second on 284.
Overnight leader Chan Kim of the
United States battled tooth-and-nail
for his rst Asian Tour victory before
settling for a share of 10th place follow-
ing a round of 76 at the Wack Wack Golf
and Country Club.
Both was almost reduced to tears
after winning his third Asian Tour title
and ending a ve-year title drought on
the regions premier Tour. The victory
was even sweeter as the Australian lost
his playing rights last year and had to
rely on a sponsors invite this week.
It was an emotional year on and off
the golf course after I lost my Tour card.
I had to return to Qualifying School
earlier this year and I missed the cut
by one shot. It was so bad that I even
thought of quitting the game, said the
34-year-old Both, who won US$54,000.
Words cant describe how it feels
from being an invite to a winner this
week. I have to thank ICTSI and the
Asian Tour for giving me the invite. To
come away with the trophy is amazing.
Im a bit lost for words, he added.
After turning in 34, Both needed to
make a huge 20-foot birdie putt on 15
followed by a short birdie on 16 to take
a three-shot lead. He bogeyed the last
two holes and admits that he was lucky
to hold on to victory as his closest com-
petitors failed to take advantage.
I didnt let off in the last two holes. I
gave it full commitments there. Strange
things have happened in golf and Ive
seen people hole second shots on the
last to win. You just have to hope that it
doesnt happen to you.
I hit my putt on 15th a bit too hard
but it went in. I gave it a bit more speed
than what I had intended too. Then I
hit one of my best swings [four iron] on
16 and the wind died when I needed
it too. Those two holes gave me some
momentum, Both explained.
Siddikur, the rst Bangladeshi to
play and win on the Asian Tour, birdied
holes two, three and seven but strug-
gled to keep pace as he returned with
11 straight pars.
Im very happy with my round be-
cause it was bogey-free. Im not happy
with my putting but I still managed
to escape from making errors. I was
condent I could win this event but I
didnt putt too well on the second and
third day. This is all part of golf and we
learn from it, said Siddikur, a two-time
Asian Tour winner.
Korean-American Kim, winner of the
2013 Asian Tour Qualifying School, cut
a forlorn gure after missing out on his
rst Asian Tour victory when he traded
three birdies against four bogeys and
one triple bogey on the 18th hole.
I didnt play too bad but I missed a
lot of putts inside of 10 feet. It is just
something that I need to learn from. I
just need to stay patient and not force
the issue of winning. I missed the cut
here last year and now I nished top-
10. Thats a big improvement so maybe
I will get the win next year, said Kim.
THE ASIAN TOUR
Australias Marcus Both won an emotional third Asian Tour victory at the ICTSI Philippine Open
at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Manila yesterday, his rst win in ve years. AFP
Chrome wins Preakness, eyes Triple Crown
CALIFORNIA Chrome won the
US$1.5 million Preakness
Stakes in Baltimore on Satur-
day, following up his Kentucky
Derby triumph to seize a
chance at US flat racings elu-
sive Triple Crown.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza,
California Chrome held off Ride
On Curlin down the stretch at
Pimlico racecourse and will
now head to the June 7 Belmont
Stakes with the opportunity to
become just the 12th horse to
sweep the coveted treble.
The last horse to achieve the
feat was Affirmed in 1978 and
since then a dozen others have
won both the Kentucky Derby
and Preakness only to come up
empty at Belmont in the 1 1/2
mile race dubbed The Test of
the Champion.
Trainer Art Sherman admit-
ted the three races in five
weeks is a tall order, but he
was delighted with what the
chest nut t hree-year-old
showed him in the 1 3/16th-
mile Preakness.
Ill tell you, its quite a thrill,
the 77-year-old Sherman said.
I knew he had to run harder
this race. Just watching him
perform, coming back in two
weeks, I was a little concerned.
But Ill tell you one thing, hes a
real racehorse.
Im hoping the mile and a
half is up his alley, too, he said.
After watching him run today,
I think he really can go a mile
and a half.
Saturdays triumph was the
sixth in a row for California
Chrome, who justified his sta-
tus as the odds-on favourite in
the 10-horse field.
Mexicos Espinoza said it was
mentally exhausting trying to
decide how to position his
mount in the early going.
California Chrome broke
beautifully from the gate and
Espinoza settled in behind the
pace. But when Social Inclu-
sion drew up on the outside, he
had to press the issue.
I knew they would want to
get to the front, so I was going
to sit second, but the next time
I looked another one had gone
past, and I had to do something
different from that point,
Espinoza said. But I got in the
clear and it worked out fine.
Ride On Curlin, ridden by Joel
Rosario, came on strong from
back in the field, but didnt have
enough to catch California
Chrome.
Social Inclusion, the second-
favourite with Luis Contreras
aboard, was third.
Hes just an amazing horse,
Espinoza said.
Espinoza has reason to know,
however, how hard it is to close
out the Triple Crown.
He rode War Emblem to vic-
tory in the Kentucky Derby and
Preakness in 2002, only for the
horse to stumble almost to his
knees out of the gate at Bel-
mont Park. Although he recov-
ered to briefly take the lead, the
effort cost too much and he
faded to finish eighth.
The last horse to arrive in
New York with a Triple Crown
chance was Ill Have Another
in 2012, and he didnt even
make it to the starting gate.
He was scratched on the
eve of the Belmont Stakes
with career-ending tendini-
tis. AFP California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, races to the nishline to win the 139th Preakness Stakes. AFP
Sport
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014 25
Evans takes overall lead
as Ulissi wins Giro stage
VETERAN Australian Cadel
Evans replaced compatriot
Michael Matthews in the overall
leaders pink jersey following the
179-kilometre eighth stage in
the Giro dItalia on Saturday. The
37-year-old Evans, Tour de
France champion in 2011 and
third in this race last year, came
fifth in the stage, eight seconds
adrift of Italian Diego Ulissi, who
was winning his second stage of
this years race. The stage went
just as we had hoped even if we
were a little tired from the
previous days, Evans said. AFP
Phelps steps up his
comeback with fly win
OLYMPIC legend Michael
Phelps stepped up his return to
competitive swimming on
Friday with a 100m butterfly
triumph at the Charlotte Grand
Prix, his first finals win since
the London Games. Phelps,
who retired after the 2012
Games with a record 22
Olympic medals a staggering
18 of them gold launched his
comeback last month in Mesa,
Arizona, where he won his
100m fly heat but finished
runner-up in the final to US
Olympic teammate Ryan
Lochte. On Friday, Phelps led at
the 50m mark and won in
52.13sec, with Pavel Sankovich
of Belarus second in 52.72 and
Singapores Joseph Schooling
third in 52.95. AFP
Sharks make history to
triumph over Crusaders
THE Coastal Sharks are the
team to beat in this years
Super Rugby contest after a
gutsy history-making win in
New Zealand to go five points
clear this weekend. The South
African pacesetters beat the
seven-time champions
Canterbury Crusaders 30-25
for the first time in
Christchurch in the 18 years of
Super Rugby. Jake Whites
team did it with 14 men for 65
minutes and outscored the
Crusaders three tries to one in
a courageous performance. AFP
Laporte has suspension
lifted ahead of final
TOULON head coach Bernard
Laporte will be allowed to give
his team talk to his players at
next weekends European Cup
final after he had his 16-week
suspension lifted by the
National Rugby League, his
club announced. The 49-year-
old former France national
coach whose side has
reached the European Cup
final and on Friday the French
championship final during the
suspension had been
slapped with a 13-game
suspension imposed by the
LNR on February 12 after a
bitter verbal attack on a
referee on January 4. AFP
Casey equals PGA Tour
record with back-nine 27
PAUL Casey has matched the
PGA Tour record for the best
score on a back nine, carding an
eight-under-par 27 in the
second round at the Byron
Nelson Championship in Texas.
The Englishman shot a one-
over 36 on Fridays front nine
with three bogeys and an eagle.
He had six birdies and an eagle
on the back nine to finish two
shots off the leader, Brendon
Todd, with a few players still out
on the course. THEGUARDIAN
Marquez comes back from
knockdown to beat Alvarado
M
EXICAN veteran Juan
Manuel Marquez ral-
lied from a ninth-round
knockdown to win
a unanimous decision over Mike
Alvarado in a 12-round non-title
welterweight ght on Saturday in
Los Angeles.
Forty-year-old Marquez, who scored
a knockdown of his own in the eighth,
has likely earned a shot at a fth ght
with Filipino superstar Manny Pac-
quiao with this victory.
He was strong, fast and very wor-
thy, Marquez said of Alvarado. I
wanted to put on a good performance
for the fans.
Marquez dominated the early
rounds but then had his hands full
in the second half of the ght as the
hard-punching Alvarado showed a lot
of heart in coming back from being
knocked down.
Marquez improves to 56-7-1 as two
judges scored it 117-109 and the third
had it 119-108. He also landed more
punches, 278-178, than Alvarado in
front of a crowd of 12,090 at The Fo-
rum arena.
Marquez knocked Alvarez down late
in the eighth round with a blistering
right hand on the chin that was set
up by a left jab. Alvarado got up just
in time to hear the bell sound, ending
the round.
The knockdown seemed to help
wake up the 33-year-old American as
he came out for the ninth with more
energy and focus. With just over two
minutes left in the round, he got into
a wild exchange and beat Marquez
to the punch with a short right that
dropped the seven-time world cham-
pion to the canvas.
Alvarado also staggered Marquez
twice in the ght, hurting him in the
seventh with a similar short right hand
then almost knocking him down again
in the 11th. Marquezs knees bent and
he fell back slightly but somehow
managed to stay on his feet.
I like wars, Alvarado said.
In between rounds, Alvarados cor-
ner kept urging their ghter to beat
up this old man up.
It was a great ght, said Alvarado.
He felt the power from me. It was a
good experience.
Alvarado, who fell to 34-3, took a lot
of punishment in the rst six rounds
and fought the second half of the ght
with a cut under his left eye.
Alvarado said he wishes he had been
busier in the rst six rounds. I was
warming up a little too much before
getting off. I needed to let my hands
go, Alvarado said.
Marquez, who has won titles in four
weight classes, is expected to next
ght Pacquiao in the fall which would
be their fth bout. In 2012, Marquez
spectacularly knocked out the Filipi-
no congressman in ght number four
in Las Vegas.
Asked if he wants to ght Pacman
one more time, Marquez sounded more
like a promoter than a challenger.
I dont know at the moment, but
whatever decision it will be good
for me, my family, and all my
Mexican fans.
This marked the rst boxing match
at the refurbished Forum facility in
13 years. Marquez kept his perfect re-
cord intact at The Forum as he fought
there several times as a much young-
er boxer.
This was the second straight de-
feat for former champ Alvarado who
lost to Ruslan Provodnikov in his last
ght. AFP
Mexicos Juan Manuel Marquez throws a right hand at Mike Alvarado of the US at the Forum on Saturday in Inglewood, California. AFP
CHRIS Kreider, Brad Richards
and Ryan McDonagh scored
on consecutive shots and
the New York Rangers ripped
Montreal Canadiens 7-2 on
Saturday to open the National
Hockey Leagues Eastern Con-
ference nal.
The Canadiens will try to
level the best-of-seven series
at home in game two tonight.
Either Montreal or New York
will face off with the Western
Conference winner, Chicago
or Los Angeles, in the Stanley
Cup nal.
New Yorks Martin St Louis,
a Montreal native, opened the
scoring 4:35 into the rst pe-
riod and Mats Zuccarello fol-
lowed with a wrist-shot goal
1:52 later to give the Rangers
a 2-0 lead. Rene Bourque an-
swered for the Canadiens 12:38
into the second period.
But Kreider responded for
the Rangers with just 61 sec-
onds remaining in the period.
And Richards put New York
ahead 4-1 just 49 seconds
later, bouncing the puck in off
the left glove blocker of Mon-
treal goaltender Carey Price to
extend the Rangers lead.
Swedish goalie Henrik Lun-
dqvist of the Rangers and his
Montreal counterpart Price be-
came the rst goalies from an
Olympic nal to start against
each other in the same years
Stanley Cup playoffs. Prices
Canada squad defeated Swe-
den in Februarys gold-medal
matchup at Sochi.
Montreal inserted Peter Bu-
daj for Price to start the third
period, giving the reserve his
rst appearance of the play-
offs. However it didnt stop
the Rangers.
McDonagh, who assisted on
two earlier goals, found the
net with a slapshot on a power
play only 88 seconds into the
third period to give New York
a 5-1 edge off goals from three
Rangers shots in a row over
two periods.
New York made it ve goals
on seven shots as Derek Ste-
pan scored 4:11 into the nal
period and Rick Nash followed
25 seconds later, the power-
play goals giving the visitors a
7-1 advantage. Montreals Lars
Eller added a short-handed
goal with 4:38 remaining to
create the nal margin. AFP
Rangers rout Montreal
in NHL series opener
Thunders Ibaka injured
THE Oklahoma City Thunders
NBA playoff hopes suffered a
blow on Friday when they
announced forward Serge
Ibaka will likely miss the
remainder of the postseason
with a calf injury.
The team issued a statement
saying Ibaka underwent an
MRI exam after injuring his left
calf in the third quarter of their
second round series-clinching
victory over the Los Angeles
Clippers on Thursday night.
The Thunder, led by NBA
Most Valuable Player and
scoring champion Kevin
Durant, are due to open the
Western Conference finals
against the San Antonio Spurs
tonight, with a place in the
NBA Finals championship
series on the line.
We are obviously disap-
pointed for Serge, as he is a
tremendous competitor, and
we know how badly he wants
to be on the court with his
teammates, Thunder execu-
tive vice president and general
manager Sam Presti said.
At this point it is important
that our team directs its con-
centration and energy towards
preparation and execution for
our upcoming series. As with
all teams, our group has con-
fronted different challenges. It
is our collective experience that
we will call on to ensure that we
play to our capabilities.
Ibaka, a Congolese-born
Spaniard, is averaging 12.2
points on 69 of 112 (.616)
shooting from the field, 7.3
rebounds and 2.23 blocks in 13
postseason games.
During the 2013-14 regular
season, Ibaka notched career-
highs with 15.1 points and 8.8
rebounds a game while leading
the league in total blocked
shots for the fourth consecu-
tive season with 219.
Ibaka, 24, is the son of two
basketball players. His father
played for the Republic of
Congo and his mother played
for the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
Ibaka moved to France and
Spain as a teen and helped
Spain capture Olympic silver at
the 2012 London Games behind
a US squad that included
Durant. AFP
Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots under pressure from
Blake Grifn of the Los Angeles Clippers last Thursday. AFP
26
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014
Football
Army take down leaders Naga
H S Manjunath
I
T WAS one of those days when
the full might of the Ministry of
National Defence descended on
Naga Corp, handing out the two-
time champions and league leaders
going into the match a 2-1 defeat
in their Metfone C-League tie at the
Olympic Stadium yesterday.
After surviving a penalty scare,
Naga managed to hold Asia Europe
University safe 1-1 last week in what
the camp insiders had described as a
disappointing show.
But if the 2013 Hun Sen Cup win-
ners were looking for a turn around,
it clearly was not to be as they fell be-
hind by two goals within an hour.
An ominously impressive free kick
nearly 25 yards out from Pum Tola in
the 32nd minute signaled the start
of the Armymens ag march. A fast
break in through the Naga backline
by Phoung Soksana ended in MNDs
second goal.
Fighting with their backs to the
wall, Nagas desperate search for a
way back in to the game would only
take them as far as that 86th minute
consolation goal from the teams Jap-
anese Fukusawa Masahiro.
Svay Rieng hit ve past Western
After being stonewalled by Western
University for the entire rst half, de-
fending champions Svay Rieng cut
loose in the second at the Old Stadi-
um on Saturday, pumping ve goals
without reply to complete a 5-0 win
that would most certainly do their
self esteem a world of good.
If Western changed ends hoping
to keep their castle safe for another
half, they were in for a rude shock
within moments.
Nop Tola opened up the scoring for
Svay Rieng a minute into the second
half and was back in the 70th minute
to complete his second strike. Svay
Riengs foreign signing Dzarma Bata
provided the meat for the Tola sand-
wich with a 62nd minute goal as the
trigger for his own grand treble 14
minutes later that followed with two
quick re goals within a minute of
each other.
While the victory gave Svay Rieng
the much vaunted breathing space
ahead of a long campaign after some-
what spotty form, the defeat kept
Western glued to the darker end of
the table.
The 2013 runners-up Boeung Ket
Rubber Field chose not to stretch
themselves much once they took rm
control of the proceedings against
bottom enders Albirex Niigata.
The goal that Boeung Ket kept
promising in the early stages took
nearly 35 minutes to materialise
through Chukwuma Ohuruogu.
By the midpoint of the second half,
Boeung Ket had doubled the lead
when Keo Sokpheng was bang on tar-
get. With Albirex holding out no real
threats, the Kampong Cham-based
team could afford the luxury of going
easy on the tempo, though this may
have ultimately ruined their chances
of keeping a clean sheet.
Two minutes into added time, Mat
Hasan pulled one back for Albirex
to make the scoreline read more re-
spectably for a side that has lost elev-
en games out of twelve so far.
Police romp, BBU win
Midelder Noun Borey, who came
on as a substitute just past the hour
mark, galvanised National Police
Commissary to a 5-0 thumping of
Kirivong Sok Sen Chey, a victory
which was built around his com-
mendable hat-trick at the Olympic
Stadium on Saturday.
Samuel Oseika and Srey Oudom
chipped in with a goal each as the Po-
lice dragged themselves back on track
following a string of poor results after
their maiden triumph in the Hun Sen
Cup two months ago.
Police coach Ung Kannyanith
pulled out Moeung Phanit from his
attacking formation, replacing him
with Noun Borey and this tactical
move completely changed the com-
plexion of the game. The Police are
currently fth on the leader board
with 17 points from 12 matches.
In the days second xture at the
Olympic Stadium, Build Bright Unit-
ed tenaciously hung on to a third
minute strike by Pich Sena to down a
ghting TriAsia 1-0.
Obviously, veteran coach Lah
Salakhans men have found a new
set of springs after their unexpect-
edly bold Hun Sen Cup run, using
that momentum to strengthen their
hopes of a remunerative berth in the
league standings this year.
The University backed side has now
moved up to fourth place in the table
with 20 points from 12 matches.
Federation bans trio of players
The Football Federation of Cambo-
dia has imposed a six-month domes-
tic and year-long international ban
on three of the four players who were
abruptly dropped from last years SEA
Games squad bound for Myanmar
under swirling suspicions of impro-
priety in the team.
The ofcial FFC announcement of
this punitive action against Tum Saray
(Svay Rieng), Sok Rithy (Naga Corp)
and Keo Sokgnon (Boeung Ket) came
in the form of a letter signed on May
13 from FFC President Sao Sokha, re-
leased to the media on Friday.
No specic charges against these
players were mentioned in the letter
though the bans took effect from the
day it was issued.
Naga Corps Barry Lelouma (left) vies with Ministry of National Defences Pum Tola
yesterday during their league match at the Olympic Stadium. SRENG MENG SRUN
Football
THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 19, 2014 27
Singapore billionaire
Lim joins Asian owners
SINGAPORE billionaire Peter
Lim, the new owner of Valencia,
has realised a long-held dream
by buying a top European
football club and will hope for
better fortunes than some of his
fellow Asian investors. Publicity-
shy Lim, a fishmongers son
who made his wealth by
investing in a palm oil company,
is an avid Manchester United
fan who nonetheless was linked
to a bid for their archrivals
Liverpool in 2010. On Saturday,
patrons of the Valencia
Foundation unanimously
approved 60-year-old Lims
proposal to take a 70.4 per cent
stake in the debt-stricken
Spanish club, which twice
reached the Champions League
final. Valencias hierarchy has
been looking for investors since
principal creditor Bankia
refused to refinance the
combined 306 million ($530
million) debt the club and its
foundation has with the bank.
Lim has an estimated $2.4
billion fortune and owns a string
of Manchester United-themed
bars in Asia. The father of two is
married to former actress
Cherie Lim. With 11-storey
home in Singapores plush
Orchard Road district, according
to reports, and a fleet of 25
Ferraris, Lim appears to have
the means to prop up the six-
time La Liga champions. AFP
Robben, Mueller strike,
Bayern win German Cup
BAYERN Munichs Pep
Guardiola says he has endured
the toughest year of his
coaching career, despite
winning his fourth title this
season by lifting the German
Cup. Arjen Robben and
Thomas Mueller scored extra-
time goals as Bayern won the
German Cup with a 2-0 victory
over rivals Borussia Dortmund
on Saturday. Guardiola finishes
his first season in charge of
Bayern with four trophies
having already won the
Bundesliga title, Club World
Cup and UEFA Super Cup. AFP
Tommy Wright hails St
Johnstones maiden title
ST JOHNSTONE manager
Tommy Wright said winning the
Scottish Cup was the pinnacle of
his career following his sides
2-0 defeat of Dundee United in
Saturdays final. Steven
Anderson and Steven MacLean
grabbed the goals as St
Johnstone claimed the first
major trophy of the clubs 130-
year history with victory at Celtic
Park. It caps a remarkable first
season in charge for Northern
Irishman Wright, who also led
the McDiarmid Park side to
famous Europa League away
wins over Rosenborg and FC
Minsk as well as a League Cup
semi-final. AFP
Cheer Gunners
Phnom Penh-based Arsenal fans stand with a replica trophy after their favoured London side won the FA Cup nal on Saturday against Hull City. The Gunners ended a nine-year trophy
drought by beating the Tigers 3-2 at Wembley stadium thanks to a 109th-minute winner by Aaron Ramsey. SRENG MENG SRUN
Atltico Madrid celebrate La
Liga title after draw at Barca
A
TLTICO Madrid have done
it. A year after they went to
the Santiago Bernabu and
took the Copa del Rey from
Real Madrid, they came to Camp Nou
and took the league title from FC Bar-
celona. It is their rst in 18 years.
Next they travel to Lisbon to play
their rst European Cup nal for 40
years. What Diego Simeone and his
side have achieved is barely believ-
able. Barcelonas supporters on Sat-
urday recognised the magnitude of
what they had witnessed: when the
nal whistle went, they immediately
broke into applause.
Spain suffered a collective coronary
as the season headed into the nal
minutes of the nal day with a single
moment sufcient to change the des-
tiny of the title. Barcelonas goalkeep-
er, Jos Pinto, was even up for a corner
that almost dropped his way.
But in the end Diego Godns
header from a corner was enough to
clinch a 1-1 draw that means that for
the rst time in a decade Spain has a
champion that is not Real Madrid or
Barcelona.
Simeones side have taken on the
duopoly and defeated it. This is a
monumental achievement: not only
has it been 10 years since someone
else won the title, the nearest anyone
has been over the last ve years was
24, 39, 25, 28 and 17 points.
Atltico nished this season three
points ahead. They came into the
nal game needing at least a draw
as for the third time two contenders
faced each other on the last day with
the title in play.
All season, the question had been
asked: could Atltico really win the
title? Now, incredibly, they have. They
did it the hard way.
The clock showed 94.04 when, on
the penultimate weekend, Adrian
Lpezs shot was turned away by the
outstretched hand of Willy Cabal-
lero. A goal would have given them
the title.
Instead, they had to avoid defeat on
Saturday. Barcelona, who had given
up on the league, had beneted from
an extraordinary run of results and
now had their fate in their own hands.
At home too.
A case could be made for this being,
a priori, the biggest Spanish league
struggle in history. Here was a chance
for Atltico to break up a decade-long
duopoly, while setting themselves up
for a second European Cup nal, and
it was the third time that two con-
tenders had come face to face on the
nal day.
In 1946, Sevilla had gone to Barce-
lona and in 1951 Atltico had gone
to Sevilla. Both times a 1-1 draw had
clinched the title for the away team.
It was not easy. Atltico lost their top
scorer, Diego Costa, in tears in the rst
half and then Arda Turn departed
sadly too. Then, out of nothing, Bar-
celona had the lead. Cesc Fbregass
clipped pass into the area reached
Lionel Messi, whose chest-pass found
Alexis Seanchez.
The Chilean caught the ball as it
bounced up and thumped a shot of
implausible power and precision that
rocketed past Thibaut Courtois and
into the top corner by the near post.
Classic Atltico, some concluded.
Maybe that jinx had not been deni-
tively laid to rest, after all.
Perhaps not. This was the rst time
Barcelona had taken the lead in the
ve meetings between them this sea-
son and momentarily, it felt like the
end. Barcelona would exercise con-
trol while Atltico could not fail to be
crushed by the misfortune.
Barely an inch away six days ago,
now they had lost two men and trailed
by a goal that was a lightning bolt with
no sign of the storm.
Atltico, though, responded; there
is heart in this team and lots of it.
There is head too. The intelligence
with which they play is too often over-
looked. In the nal minutes of the half
Atltico pushed Barcelona back, swift
into tackles, quick to move the ball
and accurate with it.
With every delivery into the area,
there were nerves. Jos Pinto is a goal-
keeper who makes saves, but not one
who inspires condence.
One corner squirmed from his
hands and led to another as the pres-
sure built. The rst had come when
Dani Alves had to intervene with
Adrin arriving at the far post. Raul
Garcas shot was then blocked.
The second half began with a David
Villa shot ying back off the post, then
appeared to be in only to be tackled.
From a corner on the right, Diego
Godn leapt and headed powerful
down and into the corner. It was a fa-
miliar sight: with 12, Atltico had now
scored more from dead balls than
anyone else.
Messi had the ball in the net but it
was ruled out for offside. On came
Neymar, the only Barcelona player to
have scored against Atltico this sea-
son, and the noise rose. Atltico were
forced backwards.
It was going to be a long half-hour
but they resisted superbly. Courtois
pushed Alvess shot over and Gerard
Piqu went forward as the number
9. But only one centre-back was des-
tined to score here: Godns header
means that Atltico Madrid are cham-
pions for the rst time in 18 years.
There was no trophy handed out,
because the president of the Span-
ish Football Federation could not
make it, but Atltico will not care.
THE GUARDIAN
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone
celebrates their Spanish league title at the
end of their match against Barcelona. AFP
Spanish La Liga
Real Madrid 3 Espanyol 1
Valencia 2 Celta de Vigo 1
Italian Serie A
Udinese 3 Sampdoria 3
French Ligue 1
Bastia 0 Nantes 0
Lorient 1 Lille 4
Marseille 1 Guingamp 0
Monaco 1 Bordeaux 1
Nice 0 Lyon 1
Paris SG 4 Montpellier 0
Reims 1 Rennes 3
Sochaux 0 Evian TG 3
St Etienne 3 Ajaccio 1
Toulouse 3 Valenciennes 1
SATURDAYS RESULTS