Families Foresee Rocky Road Ahead
April 26th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Construction, Disputed Land, Infrastructure, Land Tenure, News Source, Real Estate
Fourteen Phnom Penh families claimed yesterday that government maps showing their houses in the path of a road-widening project were inaccurate and would condemn them to eviction without adequate compensation.
Ek Malin, 57, a representative of the community on Street 347 in Tuol Kork district’s Boeung Kak I commune, said Om Bunly, director of the Tuol Kork land office, had distributed a map that showed their houses in the middle of the road, supposedly already blocking traffic and planned development. …
Families have been haunted by the threat of eviction since 2007, when authorities announced plans to widen Street 347 by 30 metres. …
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042665262/National/families-foresee-rocky-road-ahead.html
Rubber draft law addresses regulatory holes
April 26th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Domestic Investment, Exports, Foreign Investment, News Source
The government is drafting a rubber law to regulate the sector in response to the rapid growth of rubber plantations across the country, an official said.
Ly Phalla, director general of the General Directorate of Rubber at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said officials are drafting the law to address issues of quality management.
He told the Post that the draft law is intended to better regulate Cambodia’s rubber plantations to ensure that the quality of export be held to high standards. Currently, he added, some proccessors are damaging the sector’s reputation through poor processing quality. …
Rann Reuy
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042665257/Business/rubber-draft-law-addresses-regulatory-holes.html
40 hectares razed in R’kiri
April 26th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Disputed Land, Environment & Natural Resources, Forests, Land Tenure, News Source, Protected Areas, Timber/Wood
More than 40 hectares of protected forest in Rattanakiri’s O’Yadav district was razed by a Vietnamese company over the course of six days before they were stopped yesterday by villagers and investigators from rights group Adhoc, a local official said.
Sav Hlin, a village chief in the district, said he had received news from villagers that the company – known to them as Company 72 – had been working in the area.
“After I found out they were clearing the forest, we went straight there to stop the vehicles immediately,” said Hlin, who added that more than 40 hectares of the forest land had been cleared by the time he got there with a group of villagers and two Adhoc investigators. …
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042665270/National/40-hectares-razed-in-r-kiri.html
New CAA Fleet To Take Flight
April 26th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Business & Commercial Development, Domestic Investment, Foreign Investment, News Source
Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) intends to acquire seven more planes by 2015, more than doubling its existing fleet of five, as the airline plans new routes in the next few years to China, South Korea, Hong Kong and India.
The plan was unveiled at an industry workshop in Phnom Penh two days ago. By 2015, the airline which currently has three Airbus A321 for international flights and two ATR-72 turboprop planes serving mostly domestic destinations will have six of each aircraft model, a company representative said at the workshop. …
CAA’s vice chief executive, Lim Kao, said the new acquisitions will begin with an ATR-72, likely to be brought in around July or August this year. “This is to prepare for the high season for tourism [from November],” he said. …
A new Airbus A321 costs about $110 million, while the leasing fee is $300,000 per month. …
Low Wei Xiang
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042665258/Business/new-caa-fleet-to-take-flight.html
Scale of Wildlife Sanctuary Destruction Denied
April 26th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Economic Land Concessions, Environment & Natural Resources, International Relations, Land Tenure, Protected Areas, Social Concerns, Timber/Wood
A rights worker and forestry official yesterday contradicted a local newspaper report claiming that more than $100 million worth of timber had been illegally extracted from Ratanakirri province’s Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary. …
Adhoc’s provincial coordinator for Ratanakirri, Chhay Thy, denied having said a total of 16,000 logs had been discovered in the area and also rejected the $100 million estimate of logs’ worth. “I only said that the provincial Forestry Administration discovered more than 3,000 pieces of luxury wood,” Mr. Thy said. “I am not sure where this figure comes from,” he added, referring to the $100 million.
Although the timber was discovered on a concession held by the Hua Anh rubber company, Mr. [Phan] Phoeun [provincial Forestry Administration chief] said he did not believe the company was involved in logging. …
My Thy said … 29 families who had relied on the trees for resin had told Adhoc staff that they had no choice in the felling of the trees, but were compensated by Hua Anh company as well as Fib Rubber, a Chinese rubber firm. …
Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/scale-of-wildlife-sanctuary-destruction-denied-20366/
No Information on World Bank Bribery Allegations in Cambodia
April 26th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Business & Commercial Development, Construction, Electricity, Energy, Infrastructure, International Relations, Social Concerns
More than a week after the World Bank blacklisted a Canadian construction firm over bribes allegedly paid in Cambodia and Bangladesh, it was still unclear Thursday whether the government, or the national anticorruption body, are investigating the allegations.
SNC-Lavalin Inc. was banned from World Bank contracts for 10 years after a unit at the bank that investigates corruption found misconduct relating to a bridge building project in Bangladesh and a $5 million contract to build a national control center for state-owned power company Electricite du Cambodge. …
The contract was part of the World Bank’s Rural Electrification and Transmission project, which was overseen by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy.
Despite the World Bank announcing the Montreal based firm’s debarment on April 17, little has been said about the bribery allegation in Cambodia . …
Preap Kok, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, said that the ACU [Anti-Corruption Unit], though it has the authority to do so, tends not to investigate cases unless a complaint is filed directly with it, even if allegations are published in the media. …
In September, the ACU said it had investigated about 30 percent of the 800 or so cases it had received in the first nine months of 2012. …
Simon Lewis and Phorn Bopha
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/no-information-on-world-bank-bribery-allegations-in-cambodia-20363/
Farmers Suffer From Illegal Pig Imports
April 25th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Imports, Livestock, Trade
Small pig farmers are struggling to stay in business as illegal imports of pigs from neighbouring countries rise, squeezing them out of the market, industry insiders say.
Srun Peu, deputy director of the Cambodia Pig Farmers Association, an organisation with 4,000 members, said the increase in illegal pig imports from Vietnam was negatively affecting local production, especially on small farms. …
“There are 400 to 500 pigs imported illegally to Cambodia every day,” Srun Peu said.
“It is affecting not only our local pig farmers but also the health of consumers, as there are no quality checks.” …
According to Peu, the Kingdom consumes 4,000 to 5,000 live pigs a day, but local producers can supply only about 3,000 pigs a day. …
Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042565222/Business/farmers-suffer-from-illegal-pig-imports.html
Incitement, Disinformation Suit Filed Against Rights Worker
April 25th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Disputed Land, Economic Land Concessions, Land Tenure
A commune official in Pursat province’s Veal Veng district has filed a lawsuit accusing a human rights worker of incitement and disinformation after villagers the NGO staffer spoke to traveled to Phnom Penh to protest over a land dispute involving a well-known businessman Try Pheap.
Pursat Provincial Court prosecutor Tan Seihak Dechak said that on Monday, Thma Da commune chief Prom Ngoy submitted a complaint against Adhoc provincial coordinator Phuong Sothea alleging that the human rights worker was guilty of criminal incitement and spreading misinformation. …
Khy Sovuthy, P. 16
The Cambodia Daily
Long Rainy Season to Help Increase Rice Yields
April 25th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Environment & Natural Resources, Farming, Production
Farmers can expect better rice paddy yields this year compared to last year after the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology yesterday predicted that the rainy season would run from mid-May until November with only a short dry spell. …
Chhomg Sopal, agriculture development cooperative officer with the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture said that farmers should see high yields if the ministry’s rainy season prediction is correct. …
Khuon Narim
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/long-rainy-season-to-help-increase%E2%80%88rice-yields-20266/
Demand for quality rice seed development
April 25th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Domestic Investment, Farming, News Source, Rice
To enhance Cambodian rice yields, the government should encourage private development of rice-seed production and focus its efforts on farmers’ education and regulations that ensure the quality of seed, industry experts say.
The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (MAFF) is the main source of high-quality seeds for distribution to Cambodian farmers.
According to David Van, deputy secretary-general of the Alliance of Rice Producers and Exporters of Cambodia, MAFF does not have the resources to supply enough high-quality seed. …
Daniel de Carteret
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042565221/Business/demand-for-quality-rice-seed-development.html
Cambodia, Uruguay sign visa-free agreement for diplomatic, service passport holders
April 25th, 2013, Global Times, International Relations, News Source
Cambodia and Uruguay on Thursday signed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, aiming at creating close contacts among the two countries’ diplomats, officials and business people, officials said.
The deal was inked here between Long Visalo, secretary of state at Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Gerardo Prato Rodriguez, Malaysia-based Ambassador of Uruguay to Cambodia. …
Xinhua Staff
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/777467.shtml#.UXj27yLENmQ
Families Ordered to Leave Disused Airfield Land in Preah Vihear
April 25th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Disputed Land
More than 25 families living on the site of the long-disused airfield in Preah Vihear province have been ordered to move off the land, a district official said yesterday. …
“The authorities are forcing residents to leave without compensation and this eviction is illegal because they have stayed for a long time [since 1979],” said Lor Chan, provincial coordinator at Adhoc, adding that 50 other families at the site have been left alone. …
Aun Pheap, P. 16
The Cambodia Daily
Kingdom’s rubber exports rise, but prices stay flat
April 25th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Domestic Investment, Exports, Imports, News Source, Trade
Rubber exports from Cambodia were up over 17 per cent in the first quarter of 2013, but the revenue from rubber stayed steady as prices decline worldwide, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.
The data showed that in the first quarter of this year, total export increased to 15,019 tonnes from 12,805 tonnes in the same period last year.
However, the price of rubber decreased sharply, by $461 per tonne for the three-month period, from $3,216.52 per tonne in the early part of the year, to $2,755.34 by the end of the quarter. Total revenue reached $41,382,434 so far
this year, compared with $41,187,582 the previous year. …
Union Plan Massive Demonstration in Phnom Penh
April 25th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Garment Industry, Labor, Textiles
Four of Cambodia’s independent and opposition-aligned unions have informed the Phnom Penh municipality that they plan to gather 20,000 people on May 1 to march from Olympic Stadium to the National Assembly. …
Chin Chan, P. 18
The Cambodia Daily
Gaming Asia opens new club
April 25th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Business & Commercial Development, Foreign Investment, News Source
Entertainment Gaming Asia will open up it’s second Dreamworld Club in Cambodia in the Thai-Cambodia border town of Poipet, in Banteay Meanchey province, according to a media release from the US-listed company on Monday. …
Daniel de Carteret
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042565219/Business/gaming-asia-opens-new-club.html
In Mondolkiri Province, Asian Wild Elephants Are Thriving
April 25th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Environment & Natural Resources, Forests, Protected Areas
New York-based organization Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has released some remarkable footage of wild Asian elephants in Mondolkiri’s Seima district that offers a rare view of the endangered species in its natural habitat. …
“We released this footage on Earth Day to show that if we work together, conservationists, governments, and local communities can save elephants,” Joe Walston, WCS executive director for the Asia Program, said in the statement. “These beautiful images in Seima Protection Forest are a visual testimony of what conservation success can look like.” …
According to WCS senior technical adviser Alex Dimant, a 2006 DNA study discovered there were 116 elephants living in Seima.
“There’s no evidence that it has declined, no reports of elephant killings,” he said Tuesday by telephone. “They’re not being hunted or poached; the threat is in the form of habitat loss and encroachment,” he added.
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/in-mondolkiri-province-asian-wild-elephants-are-thriving-19970/
Export Values Up 21 Per Cent
April 24th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, Exports, Foreign Investment, Garment Industry, Industry, Rice, Trade
Cambodian export values increased more than 21 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, and officials said the rise was a positive sign for the Kingdom’s economic growth. …
According to the Ministry of Commerce’s export data obtained by the Post yesterday, exports reached over $1.65 billion in the first three month period this year, up from the goods exported during the same period last year, up from the goods exported during the same period last year, valued at $1.36 billion. …
The World Bank recently predicted that Cambodia’s GDP growth would reach 7.0 per cent for this year, up 0.3 percentage points from its last projection in December. …
Rann Reuy
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013042465194/Business/export-values-up-21-per-cent.html
Sihanoukville port volume increases 15 per cent
April 24th, 2013, The Phnom Penh Post, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, Exports, Imports, News Source, Trade
The volume of cargo passing through the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (SAP) rose 15 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the corresponding period last year. Experts say milled-rice exports and fuel imports contributed to the boost in activity.
From January to March, SAP, Cambodia’s largest port, processed a total of 759,897 tonnes, compared with 659,489 tonnes in the first three months of last year. …
Villagers Protest Eviction by Chinese Company
April 24th, 2013, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Disputed Land, International Relations, Land Tenure, Social Concerns, Social Land Concessions
More than 100 villagers living on a 20-hectare swath of a rubber plantation in Ratanakkirri province gathered outside O’Chum commune hall yesterday to protest their eviction at the hands of a Chinese company, local officials and rights activists said.
About 120 families from Trang Churng Village in O’Chum district, who are living on the land that was sold by locally owned Tay Seng Company to China’s Fib Rubber Co. Ltd. in 2010, called for authorities to intervene after they were informed by representatives of the company that they would be evicted. …
But commune chief Kham Sovy said that there was nothing that local officials could do to help, as the land was legally purchased by Fib Rubber Co., even though the villagers have been living on the land for nearly two decades. …
Cambodia’s land law stipulates that the state has an obligation to grant ownership to any Cambodian person who, for at least 10 years prior to the passing of Cambodia’s new Civil Code in 2011, had uncontested possession of the land.
But O’Chum district governor Pak Son said that the villagers must go.
“We explained that they are living here illegally . This is not an economic land concession, this is company land,” he said.
The villagers can apply for a social land concession through their villager or commune chiefs,” he added. …
Aun Pheap, P.19
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/
Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam parliamentarians meet in Cambodia to boost Development Triangle Area
April 24th, 2013, Xinhuanet News, Economics, International Relations
Parliamentarians of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam gathered in Cambodia’s northeastern Mondulkiri province on Wednesday to discuss the parliaments’ role in supporting the three countries’ Development Triangle Area, according to a media release from Cambodian National Assembly.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day meeting, the 1st Vice-President of Cambodian National Assembly Nguon Nhel said the meeting would help promote the development of the triangle area and further enhance cooperation among the parliaments of the three nations. …
The triangle area consists of 13 provinces including four in Cambodia, four in Laos, and five in Vietnam. …
Xinhuanet News Staff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/24/c_132336947.htm