0

Abe: Japan opening up again
OPINION PAGE 16 NATIONAL PAGE 2

Embracing a place called home
INSIDE
8 pages
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
PROPERTY IN CAMBODIA
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIEL
I
S
S
U
E

N
U
M
B
E
R

1
9
1
0
STORY > 3
Kyoko Hasegawa
BARACK Obama yesterday became
the first sitting US president to explic-
itly affirm that hostile action against
an island chain at the centre of a
Japan-China dispute would spark an
American reaction. .
The policy of the United States is
clear the Senkaku Islands are
administered by Japan and there-
fore fall within the scope of Article
5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security.
And we oppose any unilateral
attempts to undermine Japans
administration of these islands,
Obama, whose tour of Asia will also
have stops in South Korea, the Philip-
pines and Malaysia, said in an inter-
view with the Yomiuri Shimbun
before his arrival in Tokyo yesterday.
The islands, known as the Senkakus
in Japan and as the Diaoyus in China,
at the centre of a corrosive row between
Tokyo and Beijing are covered by the
US-Japan defence alliance.
Several senior US figures, includ-
ing former secretary of state Hillary
Clinton and Secretary of Defence
Chuck Hagel have made similar
statements, which Tokyo covets as a
way to warn China away from terri-
tories it claims.
Obamas weeklong tour of Asia is
being dubbed by the White House a
rebalancing eastward of US for-
eign policy. Although China is not
on his itinerary, its presence will be
felt on every leg at a time of complex
regional disputes and questions
about US strategy.
The row over ownership of the
Senkakus is not new, but has burst to
the fore in the past two years, with
paramilitary vessels from both sides
jostling in nearby waters to assert
control. In November, China declared
an air defence identification zone
over the East China Sea, including the
Continues on page 12
Tax dept
cant do job,
report says
Eddie Morton
CAMBODIAS tax department is
under-resourced and understaffed,
thereby hindering its ability to gen-
erate revenue, according to an Asian
Development Bank (ADB) analysis
released earlier this month.
The analysis, which took into
account survey results from 22 tax
revenue bodies across Asia between
2012 and 2013, paints Cambodias
General Department of Taxation
(GDT) as one of the least effective rev-
enue bodies in Asia.
Revenue bodies require an ade-
quate level of staffing of motivated,
well-trained professionals with high
integrity, the report states.
Some revenue bodies, such as in
Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the
Philippines, and Myanmar, seem to
be under-resourced and under-
staffed in proportion to the size of
their populations.
According to the banks survey,
the GDT, which falls under the

Laignee Barron
and Chhay Channyda
O
NE month after the capi-
tals power provider prom-
ised to end chronic city
blackouts for good this hot
season, residents and businesses
continue to find themselves swelter-
ing in the heat and throwing away
any spoilable goods due to the unpre-
dictable losses of electricity.
In March, Electricite du Cambodge
employees swore the company had
enough resources this year to keep
up with rising demand, and would
not need to resort, as in every year
past, to a series of rolling cuts where
power shuts off along some city
blocks so that others can have unin-
terrupted service.
The cuts are by no means com-
pletely curtailed, but many of the
citys residents said blackouts this
year arent as long or as frequent as
in previous seasons.
This year it is much better, we
still have outages, but they only last
two hours compared to last year
when there would be no electricity
morning until night all during hot
season, Keo Lan, a 53-year-old
motodop, said.
Lan lives near Tuol Sleng Genocide
Museum in Chamkarmon district, an
area plagued by regular, eight- to
10-hour shortages.
The electricity goes to businesses
and where high officials live or
embassies are located. Its unfair,
Lan said. We have to eat dinner in
the dark and buy candles even though
we pay for electricity too.
The restaurants and businesses
near Lans house confirmed his sus-
picions: they said they have no
trouble with blackouts, even when
the houses down the street
are dark.
With nowhere to cool down during
power outages, Chamkarmon dwell-
ers said the loss of electricity in the
hot season is more than an
inconvenience, its also a potential
health hazard.
My kids cry and cannot sleep, its
too hot for them when theres no fan,
said Kim Ho, 46.
Ho said she has to bathe her 3-year-
old son regularly in cool water

EdC under pressure
Power outages still plague parts of city
Continues on page 2
Continues on page 8
Obama: US
will defend
Japan over
Senkakus
Human rights activists and civil society groups gather in front of Phnom Penhs Prey Sar prison yesterday after
21 detainees, including IDEA president Vorn Pov, were transferred to the prison from Kampong Chams
Correctional Centre 3 ahead of their trial on Friday. HONG MENEA
Flame of hope
Sean Teehan and Phak Seangly
B
EFORE this past Sep-
tember, Nov Borom,
a 52-year-old mother
of ve, lived with
both a tenuous housing situ-
ation and HIV.
But through a collaboration
of several NGOs who sought to
provide Cambodias most vul-
nerable people with housing
able to withstand the regions
rainy season and oods, she
now calls a relatively sprawl-
ing 4-by-11-metre brick house
in Phnom Penhs Por Sen Chey
district home.
I am very happy that I am
able to live in a home like
this, Borom said yesterday.
This is the rst time in my life
that I have had my own home
since the Pol Pot regime.
Borom, whose husband
died in 2001, had lived in a
small cottage house built on
land owned by a pagoda in
Meanchey district. The situa-
tion was such that her family
could be thrown out of their
meagre living space at any
time, she said.
The ailing mothers luck
changed following results of
the 2013 Cambodia Sustain-
able Housing International
Design Competition held by
Building Trust International,
Habitat for Humanity Cam-
bodia and Karuna Cambodia.
Along with assistance from
representatives from the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Collective Studio
and members of the Cam-
bodian Society of Architects,
the three NGOs challenged
architects in October 2012 to
imagine innovative housing
designs that serve the needs
of Cambodians living in pov-
erty and disease.
Theyre pretty dramati-
cally different because they
were conceived by com-
pletely different designers
and architects, Don Boring,
country director for Habitat,
said in his Phnom Penh of-
ce yesterday.
Since the contest, Habitat
and the Housing Trust have
maintained a relationship and
will continue working togeth-
er on projects, Boring said.
The competition attracted
more than 600 entrees, whose
submissions must be low-cost
houses able to endure ood-
ing and other weather con-
cerns for Cambodian families,
a statement from Building
Trust says.
Early last year, the panel
selected 10 winning designs,
three of which have been built
and are now occupied by vil-
lagers stricken with poverty
and serious diseases like HIV/
AIDS and tuberculosis, said
Chhun Sona, a Habitat pro-
gram manager.
Months before construction
began, Borom was invited to
select for herself which design
best t her needs, she said.
In addition to Boroms
house, the Open Embrace
design, people have moved
into one Courtyard House
design and one Wet and
Dry House design in Phnom
Penh, Sona said.
With labour and other ex-
penses, each house cost less
than $3,300, said Kok Chan-
darith, a Habitat construction
team leader.
All three designs move away
from traditional material such
as concrete and tin, into the
direction of material such as
bamboo and palm, a Housing
Trust statement says.
Borom feels more at ease in
her new, permanent home,
she said. She looks forward to
her children moving into the
house.
My children support me,
Borom said.
National
2
THE PHNOM PENH POST APRIL 24, 2014
Continued from page 1
to make sure the toddler
doesnt overheat.
Any goods in the fridge
spoil and we have to throw
away our food. It can cost us a
lot, she said.
Phnom Penh, which, ac-
cording to a UN draft report,
accounts for up to 70 per cent
of the countrys total electric-
ity consumption, required
more than 400 megawatts in
2012, though it was supplied
only 290 megawatts, most
of which was imported from
Vietnam.
At rates soaring above
25 cents per kilowatt hour,
Phnom Penhs electricity is
also some of the most expen-
sive in Southeast Asia.
But with several hydropower
plants that have just recently
gone online or soon to launch
operations, a new coal plant
in Sihanoukville this year and
electrical grid repairs com-
pleted, the citys power com-
pany remains condent that
chronic outages will be a thing
of the past.
This hot season, we expect
the power usage to increase,
said an Electricite du Cam-
bodge ofcial who spoke on
condition of anonymity, add-
ing that he could not provide
exact gures for this years es-
timated demand.
I can say this year there will
be less blackouts. Its [already]
much better, affecting only 2
or 3 per cent of the popula-
tion, he said.
Urban Voice Cambodia,
a crowd-sourcing platform
which maps city blackouts,
lists 20 outage incidents last
April, but this month was no-
tied of only ve shortages.
Still, project coordinator My
Sovann isnt expecting a com-
plete halt to the citys blackout
problems any time soon.
The [citys power company]
is always afraid the govern-
ment will put the blame on
them for failing to adequately
supply the city, so they are un-
der a lot of pressure to x prob-
lems quickly, Sovann said.
But the shortages will con-
tinue, they dont just go away
over night and more and more
people are always coming to
Phnom Penh, so even if the
company plans for enough
[electricity] to cover last years
shortages, it wont be enough
for the next year.
EdC under pressure
Children climb the stairs of the Courtyard House in Phnom Penh. The house was one of three winners in the 2013 Future of Sustainable Housing
in Cambodia competition. BUILDING TRUST INTERNATIONAL
A man strings up new power line and conducts maintenance in Phnom
Penhs Russey Keo district. HENG CHIVOAN
Embracing a place called home
Protest over Khmer Rouge land dispute
Four arrested for casino kidnapping scam
Chhay Channyda
ABOUT 80 villagers calling for the release
of two former Khmer Rouge soldiers alleg-
edly arrested for illegally occupying land
in Malai district rallied outside Banteay
Meanchey Provincial Hall, locals and
rights group Adhoc said yesterday.
Community representatives Ly Khley
and Hoeun Vy were detained on Tuesday
for allegedly leading nearly 80 families to
reoccupy territory they claim was distrib-
uted by the government in early March,
said Van Phin, the wife of Khley.
The government gave my [the land] to
my husband and other soldiers when they
integrated with the government in 1996
and 1997, she said, adding that each fam-
ily was allotted 5 hectares.
The land dispute dates back to 2004,
according to Soum Chankea, provincial
coordinator for Adhoc.
The people have filed complaints with
all levels of government authorities but
still no solutions have been reached, said
Chanka, adding that four high-level gov-
ernment officials have been implicated
in multiple complaints submitted by the
affected community members.
Deputy commander of Regiment E67 Ros
Thoeun and former deputy chief of staff
Mao Kiry are both accused by villagers of
violating government policy by selling the
land off to dealers, said Chanka.
Commander of Battalion 671 Chhun
Krenh and former commander Ket Tieng
also stand accused of land-grabbing.
The four military officials could not be
reached yesterday.
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
FOUR Vietnamese nationals
were arrested yesterday on
charges of kidnapping, torture
and extortion, police in Kam-
pot province have said.
The three men and one
woman are accused of kidnap-
ping two other Vietnamese
nationals from a casino in
Kampot province and detain-
ing them at a location in Preah
Sihanouk province in an
attempt to extort $14,000 from
their families, according to
police.
Brigadier General Mao Chan
Meak Thurith, deputy chief of
Kampot provincial police,
said the four suspects were
arrested after their families
lodged complaints with his
office on Tuesday.
The four Vietnamese [sus-
pects] worked at a Vietnamese
casino based on the Cambo-
dia-Vietnam border, in Kam-
pot provinces Prek Chak com-
mune, he said. They
kidnapped the victims, who
are gamblers, from Kampot to
illegally detain them for mon-
ey extortion.
The victims were the targets
of a loan scam operating out
of the casino, according to
police. After losing several
games at the casino, the men
were unable to pay back the
money they had borrowed,
leading to their kidnapping.
According to their [the sus-
pects] answers, one victim
was detained by them for 23
days, and another victim was
detained over a week, Chan
Meak Thurith said.
Any goods in the
fridge spoil and we
have to throw away
our food
May Titthara
and Laignee Barron
A
GROUP of 21 detain-
ees who have been
held at Kampong
Chams remote CC3
prison since they were arrest-
ed during garment worker
protests in early January were
transported to the capital
yesterday morning ahead of
their hearings at the Phnom
Penh Municipal Court on
Friday, dampening fears they
would not be able to attend
their own trials.
Kea Sovanna, director of
the CC3 prison, said he had
received an order from the
director of the prisons depart-
ment at the Ministry of Inte-
rior to bring all the detainees
to Phnom Penh yesterday,
where they would be held at
Prey Sar prison.
I do not know if they will
be sent back [to CC3], he
said, adding it would depend
on the courts decision.
Twenty-three people in to-
tal were arrested on January
2 and 3 as workers calling
for a higher minimum wage
clashed with authorities out-
side the Yakjin garment facto-
ry and the Canadia Industrial
Park. All of the detainees have
been charged with aggra-
vated intentional violence
and aggravated intentional
property destruction.
Two of the 23 were released
on bail, but the other 21s re-
quests were denied despite
numerous appeals.
Prak Sovannary, the wife
of Independent Democracy
of Informal Economy Asso-
ciation (IDEA) president Vorn
Pov, who has been denied
bail four times, said yester-
day that she was happy he
would nally be able to de-
fend himself in court.
I would like to implore the
court ofcers to consider the
facts and judgment based on
legal procedure to provide
justice for the 21 detain-
ees because they did not do
what they are accused of,
she said.
Rights groups have repeat-
edly called for the charges
against the 23 to be dropped.
The government is keep-
ing the 23 hostage as leverage
to get the CNRP [into] the Na-
tional Assembly . . . they will
not be free until the political
deadlock is resolved, Moeun
Tola, labour head at the Com-
munity Legal Education Cen-
ter, said yesterday.
If the court is professional,
and bases its judgment on the
facts, then the 23 will all be
released. If not, it proves the
courts are another political
tool for the CPP, he said.
Ministry of Interior spokes-
man Khieu Sopheak declined
to comment on the case yes-
terday aside from conrm-
ing that the ministry had
arranged the transfer of the
21 to Phnom Penh.
On why these 23 in par-
ticular were arrested during
the January protests, how
many thousands of people
would you prefer were ar-
rested? he said.
Ou Virak, chairman of the
Cambodian Center for Hu-
man Rights, said yesterday
that the government was
trying to make an example
out of the protesters to deter
other would-be demonstra-
tors and would likely drag
out the trials.
I expect the trial to take a
long time. I dont expect ver-
dicts this Friday. I think it will
just be introducing charges
and possibly some prosecu-
tion witnesses, he said.
National
3
Cheang Sokha
A 26-YEAR-OLD woman was
arrested in Banteay Meanchey
province on Tuesday for alleg-
edly dousing her husband with
acid during a dispute, seriously
disguring him, police said
yesterday.
Tor Rachany allegedly at-
tacked Hak Ay, 41, after he had
threatened to divorce her dur-
ing an argument, said Sisophon
district deputy police chief
Kong Koun.
[Ay] was asleep in a hammock
under the house when [Racha-
ny] poured acid on his face and
body, Koun said. This is the rst
acid attack that has ever hap-
pened in my district, he said.
Provincial Deputy Police
Commissioner Sith Luos said
ofcers could not speak with
the victim due to disabling in-
juries to his eyes and mouth.
The incident marks the rst
recorded attack this year, said
Erin Bourgois, a program man-
ager at the Cambodian Acid
Survivors Charity.
Reported acid attacks have
fallen signicantly. After peak-
ing at 27 in 2010, only three
were recorded last year. ADDITION-
AL REPORTING BY AMELIA WOODSIDE
Acid attack
leaves man
disgured
Accused 21 brought to capital
Prak Sovannary, the wife of Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association president Vorn Pov,
attends a gathering in front of Phnom Penhs Prey Sar prison yesterday. HONG MENEA
National
4
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Administrative Clerk
The U.S. Embassy in PhnomPenh is seeking an individual
for the Administrative Clerk position for the Consular Affairs
Ofce.
The jobholder serves as the sole Ofce Management
Assistant in the Consular Section, to include monitoring
working ofce equipment, preparing purchase requisition,
managingofce les, and maintaining ofce schedules.
The incumbent also handles all inquiries and drafts
correspondence including letters, telegrams, memoranda,
diplomatic notes, etc. for approval, signature, and delivery.
S/he coordinates administrative arrangements for section
VIP visits and Consular special functions.
Salary: The annual salary range for this position is
USD 8,299 12,862.
Required Qualications
Bachelors Degree in Business Administration or 1.
Education is required.
One year of experience in secretarial/administrative 2.
management with government or non-governmental
organizations is required.
Level IV (uent) Speaking/Reading/Writing English 3.
and Khmer are required. Language prociency will
be tested.
Must be able to deal with all customers with 4.
patience and tact and to work under pressure.
Must have knowledge of general ofce management 5.
and Microsoft Ofce applications.
Application Procedure
The application deadline is May 6, 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 be found 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.
Evictions at airport planned
Khouth Sophak Chakrya

D
OZENS of houses
have been marked
for demolition near
Phnom Penh Inter-
national Airport as authori-
ties say the families must be
moved to bring the site in line
with international standards.
Civil aviation ofcials vis-
ited Chrey Chisark village in
Por Sen Chey districts Choam
Choa commune with cans of
spray paint, marking the hous-
es that would be removed.
Sok Nath, 45, a villager whose
house has been marked for
eviction, yesterday implored
the authorities to issue a land
certicate to his family.
My family has lived in this
village since 1980, so we do not
want to move from this peace-
ful village. We want to spend
our lives here if the authorities
were to give us a legal certi-
cate, he said.
The move could spark fresh
protests against evictions at
the airport, where another
community in 2012 welcomed
US President Barack Obama to
Cambodia by painting SOS
on their roofs in an attempt to
highlight forced evictions.
In July 2012, 182 families
were told their homes would
be demolished to make way
for a buffer zone around the
airport. Residents maintain
they live on the land legally,
but City Hall says they have
built their houses illegally.
Nath added that the plan
for the buffer zone only af-
fected a third of his property,
meaning he should be allowed
to continue to live on the re-
mainder of his land.
Soy Sokhan, deputy secre-
tary of state for civil aviation,
said that if the families were
not moved, the International
Civil Aviation Organisation
could blacklist Phnom Penh
International Airport, which
would severely reduce the
number of inbound ights,
adding that the demarca-
tion had been carried out so
that appropriate compensa-
tion could be determined.
Until now, we did not know
the number of the houses that
will be affected by the plan,
he said, adding that the data
collected by the team at the
airport would be sent to an
interministerial panel, which
would then decide on the lev-
els of compensation.
A man tends to his shop yesterday on a property in Phnom Penhs Por Sen Chey district that has been marked
for destruction. PHA LINA
Families in
Rkiri decry
forest loss
Lightning
strike kills
two people
Phak Seangly
A HUNDRED ethnic Kreng
families filed a complaint to
the Ratanakkiri provincial
authorities yesterday asking
them to stop the alleged ongo-
ing clearing of a 500-hectare
state forest, which they say a
former commune chief ille-
gally sold to land brokers
about two years ago.
Kreng ethnic community
representatives in Kon Mon
district issued a letter to the
provincial governor and the
local Forestry Administration
through rights group Adhoc
yesterday, asking them to take
legal action in the case.
We rely on it for our liveli-
hood, one part of the letter
reads.
It is not acceptable that
they clear our forest for their
own property.
A land broker and his work-
ers had previously been arrest-
ed for clearing 40 hectares of
the forest, Adhoc provincial
coordinator Chhay Thy said.
Provincial Deputy Governor
Nab Bunheng said he had
received the letter and would
assign officers to investigate
the case.
Khoun Leakhana
LIGHTNING killed two people
sheltering from rain on
Wednesday in Preah Sihanouks
Stung Hav district.
Ros Ky, the district police
chief, said Khem Nget, a
40-year-old motodop from
Kampot, and a second victim
identified only as Vanny, 50,
were taking shelter near Vannys
home in Tomnup Ponlork com-
mune when they were struck.
Before the incident, while it
was raining heavily, Khem Nget
parked his motorbike under
Vannys house. A short while
later, the lightning struck, kill-
ing the victims, he said.
So far this year, at least six
people have been killed and
one person seriously injured by
lightning strikes.
On Tuesday afternoon, the
Ministry of Water Resources
and Meteorology sent out an
alert to the public urging cau-
tion during storms in the com-
ing months.
Keo Vy, the cabinet director
of National Committee for Dis-
aster Management, said he has
told local authorities to also be
aware of the potentially dan-
gerous weather.
Employment Opportunites
Initally established in 1996 as a project of Internatonal HIV/AIDS Alliance,
KHANA operated as an NGO from 1997 and was ocially registered as a
local NGO in 2000. Since then it has operated as a linking organizaton of the
Internatonal HIV/AIDS Alliance and is so far a leading non-governmental
organizaton in Cambodia that has made outstanding contributons to the
HIV response. KHANAs work has been made possible through support from
USAID, the Global Fund to ght AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, European
Union, World Food Programme and AusAID.
We are now seeking a qualied Cambodian natonal for the following
vacancies:
1. Technical Ofcer - HIV Prevention, MSM and TG (Extended Deadline)
Key Responsibilities:
The post-holder will be responsible for providing technical expertise,
and supporting innovations in the area of HIV prevention with men
who have sex with men (MSM), gay men and Transgender people
(TG). Technical ofcer will also provide technical and programmatic
support to implementing partners and other agencies to ensure high
quality programming and policy making.
Selection Criteria:
Degree in sociology, communicatons, social work or related
eld or 3 or more years of experience working on MSM and/or
TG programming with an internatonal development, health or
community organizaton/program.
Experience developing and managing budgets and work plans.
Good communicatons and strong presentaton skills.
2. Program Ofcer (Volunteer)
Key Responsibilities:
The programs ofcer (Volunteer) is a key member of a programs
unit that manages sub-grants to implementing partners (activity,
coverage and targets)and ensures overall IP programmanagement and
performance to meet donors indicators and the success indicators of
Boosted KSP15.
Selection Criteria:
Fresh graduate with bachelor degree in English, IT, Social Sciences,
Business Administraton or other related elds
Experience is not required
At least one-year commitment for the applied positon.
Interested candidates for positon #1 must apply online via
www.khana.org.kh(Employment Opportunites Secton,) and for other
volunteer positon #2 please send your resume to our email address
recruitment@khana.org.khby 9
th
May 2014 at 5 P.M. Only short-listed
candidates will be noted for further process. Detailed job descriptons
for these positons are available for download through above website.
Applicatons via email or hard copies will not be considered.
KHANA is commited to equal opportunites and welcomes applicatons
from appropriate qualied people from all sectons of the community.
Qualied people living with HIV, MSM, disabled people and women are
partcularly encouraged to apply.
National
5
Malaysia called on to
treat workers better
Sean Teehan
NEARLY six months after a
migrant Cambodian factory
worker detained in Malaysia on
immigration charges was freed,
an NGO that lobbied for her
release is calling on the country
to re-examine how they treat
similar cases.
A Worker Rights Consortium
assessment of the case of a
young Cambodian woman
imprisoned abroad for nearly
two months details Malaysias
increasingly harsh penalties
against migrant workers.
This case illustrates the need
for both reform in the treat-
ment of migrant workers in
Malaysia . . . and the immediate
involvement of brands and
retailers in ensuring protection
of the basic labor and human
rights, the report says.
Sry Ratha, a 21-year-old who
worked at Prolexuss Honsin
Apparel factory in Johor, Malay-
sia, failed a health inspection
when factory-hired doctors
found blood in a urine sample
last June, the report says.
Managers at Honsin, who
hold the passports of foreign
employees, notified Ratha of
the lapse in late August, after
her immigration status had
already been revoked on August
14, the report says. As an illegal
immigrant, she may not be able
to travel back to Cambodia by
air, factory managers told her,
suggesting she travel overland
via Thailand, a route heavily
used by human traffickers.
When Ratha refused, the
report says, managers sent her
to the Immigration Depart-
ment with instructions to
receive a checkout memo
they said would authorise her
return to Cambodia. Authori-
ties at the Immigration Depart-
ment arrested Ratha on Sep-
tember 9, the report says.
After a hearing which report-
edly lasted only five minutes,
[Ratha] was informed that she
had been sentenced to prison for
four months, the report says.
NGOs, including the WRC
and the Community Legal Edu-
cation Center (CLEC), were
notified by other Honsin work-
ers of the situation and con-
tacted the factory as well as
Nike and Under Armour, which
buys clothes from it. Efforts by
NGOs, buyers and Honsin
eventually led to Rathas release
on October 31.
It is difficult to say how often
similar problems arise for
Cambodian factory workers
abroad, said Huy Pichsovann,
a CLEC program manager.
CNRP request rejected, again
Meas Sokchea

P
HNOM Penh City Hall
once again rejected
the opposition Cam-
bodia National Rescue
Partys bid to hold campaigns
for the coming council elec-
tions in Freedom Park yester-
day but said the nal decision
is beyond its reach.
After its rst request was
rejected on Tuesday for going
against a National Election
Committee (NEC) order ban-
ning permanent campaign
bases, the CNRP led a second
bid with City Hall yesterday.
In the new letter, the CNRP
asked for permission to use
either Freedom Park or Wot
Botum during specic dates
of the campaign period, which
takes place between May 2 and
16, including its opening and
closure. But, once again, the
response was far from positive.
With Democracy Square
[Freedom Park], it is certain
that we cannot give permis-
sion, Phnom Penh Munici-
pal deputy governor Khuong
Sreng said yesterday.
A ban on public gatherings
is in place in the park, where
security forces used violence
to remove opposition law-
maker-elect Mu Sochua and
a peaceful crowd earlier this
week. Sreng said that City Hall
would still consider allowing
the CNRP to use the park near
Wot Botum. But, he said, the
decision ultimately fell to the
Ministry of Interior and the
Provincial Election Commis-
sion (PEC).
Sreng did not elaborate on
when a nal ruling under in-
structions of the PEC and Inte-
rior Ministry might be made.
In yesterdays letter, the
CNRP said it expected be-
tween 3,000 and 5,000 people
to join its campaigning at the
sites as well as marches along
Phnom Penhs roads.
Morn Phalla, president of
the CNRPs executive com-
mittee in Phnom Penh, said
yesterday that if the latest
request is also denied, the par-
ty will look for other, unspeci-
ed locations.
Observers have labelled the
upcoming council election
as undemocratic as voting
is only open to current com-
mune council members.
Cambodia National Rescue Party supporters wave ags as they attend a campaign event at Phnom Penhs
Freedom Park during the lead-up to the national election last year. HENG CHIVOAN
Union leaders in court over
detainment of factory boss
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
TWO union leaders were sum-
monsed and questioned by a
municipal court prosecutor
yesterday over allegations they
illegally detained the boss of a
packaging factory in Por Sen
Chey districts Choam Chao
commune during a strike.
According to Phnom Penh
Municipal Court deputy pros-
ecutor Ek Chheng Huoth, Sorn
Bora, the chief of the produc-
tion department at Harta Pack-
aging Industry and president
of the Cambodian Friends
Union, and Phann Moeung,
deputy president of the same
union, illegally detained Siva
Kuwah, a Chinese national, on
February 11.
Chheng Huoth said yesterday
that he had yet to decide
whether they would be charged
and that he wished to question
them further.
Lieutenant Colonel Yim
Sarann of the Por Sen Chey dis-
trict police said the pair had
been sued by Kuwah for incit-
ing more than 300 employees
to strike and detain their boss.
They surrounded the fac-
tory, blocked it and did
not allow the boss to leave,
he said. They surrounded
the factory for about a week.
Bora yesterday denied the
allegations, saying that, in fact,
Kuwah had been protected by
police throughout the strike.
Neither Kuwah nor his lawyer
could be reached.
Harta Packaging Industry staff hold placards outside Phnom Penh
Municipal Court yesterday in a show of support for two union leaders
attending questioning inside. HONG MENEA
Efforts to protect migrants by sea
Alice Cuddy
CAMBODIA, along with 13
other countries, has agreed to
step up efforts to protect
migrants travelling by sea,
rights groups said yesterday.
During a workshop in Jakarta
that ended on Tuesday, repre-
sentatives of countries, includ-
ing Australia and Malaysia,
agreed to take collective
action to promote and protect
the rights of people rescued
and intercepted at sea, the
United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
which co-chaired the event,
said in a statement yesterday.
The countries of origin,
transit and destination that you
represent recognise the need
for genuine multilateral and
regional cooperation, James
Lynch, UNHCRs regional rep-
resentative and regional coor-
dinator for South East Asia, told
delegates at the workshop.
The meeting comes amid
speculation that Australia is
negotiating a deal to resettle
refugees in Cambodia.
UNHCR senior regional pro-
tection adviser Tom Vargas said
Australias proposal to send
refugees to Cambodia is not in
the spirit of resettlement, Fair-
fax Media reported.
Speaking with Fairfax yester-
day, Australian Immigration
Minister Scott Morrison said it
was encouraging that countries
were willing to offer resettle-
ment places for those who are
seeking asylum in Australia.
National
6
POLICE
BLOTTER
Masked men with gun
rob victim in his house
A GUN is a trump card in any
situation, and in particular, a
robbery. A Poipet man who was
alone at home on Tuesday gave
up any thoughts of resistance to
the three masked men who
entered his domicile and asked
for his motorbike key when they
pulled out a pistol. He waited
until they had fled and the gun
was well out of sight before
calling for help, meaning by the
time police arrived, the crew
were long gone. KOHSANTEPHEAP
Accused thieves werent
there to buy vegetables
A TRIP to a local vegetable stall
can become so much more,
including a trip to jail, if you
have certain intentions. Three
men are behind bars after they
pretended to buy food from a
stall set up outside a family
home but quietly slipped inside
and stole two phones and some
cash. The eagle-eyed owner,
despite being distracted by oth-
er customers, spotted them,
and the trio was soon arrested.
DEUMAMPIL
Neither a borrower of
motos nor a lender be
THERES no kind of friend like
the kind of friend that asks to
borrow your moto and sells it
for his own profit. Thankfully,
such a friend was arrested in
Kampong Cham town on Tues-
day after he had asked his mate
of more than 10 years if he
could borrow his ride before
disappearing for three days.
Though he wanted to trust his
buddy, the moto owner eventu-
ally filed a complaint with police
and, lo and behold, his chum
had sold the bike already. KAM-
PUCHEATHMEY
Thief pounces on motos
while household sleeps
KRATIE town also saw a moto
theft from a home on Tuesday,
though in this case, the robbers
didnt have to pull any weapons
as the homes inhabitants were
all sound asleep. According to
local police, when the family
awoke on Tuesday morning,
the door to their home had
been broken down and three
motorbikes were missing.
Theyve complained to police,
but given nobody caught sight
of the robbers, the cops say its
unlikely theyll catch them. KAM-
PUCHEATHMEY
That fine slice between
the good times and bad
FARMERS and rice wine. A
potent combination that at the
best of times can lead to
impromptu dancing and merry-
making, and at the worst of
times, can lead to a blood-spill-
ing brawl. Unfortunately, in
Pursat town on Monday, the
latter of those situations
occurred. Two farmers got into
a heated argument in the wee
hours of the morning after sev-
eral drinks, and one, 26, pulled
out a knife, stabbing the other
one and leaving him with criti-
cal injuries. The suspect tried to
escape but was picked up by
police. KOHSANTEPHEAP
Translated by Sen David
Villagers in
land ght
use ames
Phak Seangly
MEMBERS of a Lao ethnic
community in Ratanakkiri
province allegedly burned
down three makeshift houses
belonging to a rubber planta-
tion on Monday.
The 250 villagers in Veun Sai
districts Hatpak village accuse
Indian-owned SK Company of
encroaching on the forest and
ignoring markers demarcating
village farmland, according to
Chhay Thy, Ratanakkiri pro-
vincial coordinator for rights
group Adhoc.
Toeur Nuo Thong, Veun Sai
district police chief, said the
company was granted an eco-
nomic land concession of
8,000 hectares.
Adhocs investigation of
the dispute, however, found
that hundreds of villagers in
Hatpak commune claim the
company has gone outside
the boundary.
The police chief said no one
was arrested after the fire,
despite the company having
lodged a complaint.
On Tuesday, police met with
nearly 350 villagers and
warned them not to resort to
arson again.
Bus strike, part deux
Mom Kunthear

S
TRIKING Phnom Penh
Sorya Transportation
bus service workers
demonstrated with red
employees outside a company
garage in Russey Keo district
yesterday and threatened to
lead others off the job again if a
deal on contracts cant be bro-
kered by the Ministry of Labour
and company representatives.
A representative for the
newly conceived bus union
said that after multiple em-
ployees were red in the lead-
up to Khmer New Year, union
reps agreed to send a letter on
Tuesday asking the Ministry of
Labour to intervene.
If we do not get any re-
sults from the ministry or the
company I will lead a bigger
strike anytime this week, said
union leader Sambath Vorn,
who claims 20 employees had
been red.
Beyond demanding the rein-
statement of red employees,
the union, which was started
by a breakaway group that re-
fused to return to work after a
previous strike this month, is
calling for an array of changes,
including a $60 monthly wage
increase and a health bonus.
But according to general
manager Chan Sophanna,
the union is exaggerating the
number of red employees.
We only red ve drivers,
and more than 10 workers
abandoned the work them-
selves because they didnt
want to work, he said.
Their demands exceed our
ability to agree with them.
What they are demanding will
close our company doors be-
cause we cant give that much
of an increase, he said.
More than 60 workers origi-
nally went on strike on April 3,
mere days before the countrys
transportation companies
geared up for increased busi-
ness over Khmer New Year,
during which many people
travel between provinces to
visit family.
However, following nego-
tiations, Sorya agreed to end
a policy ning drivers $750 for
transporting people or goods
without a ticket, leading vir-
tually all of the employees to
return to work.
Holdouts, red workers and
those having second thoughts
about going back started the
most recent round of strikes
right after Khmer New Year.
Sorya Transportation employees strike in front of a company garage in
Phnom Penhs Russey Keo district yesterday. PHA LINA
ADB gives
millions in
ood aid
Stuart White
THE Asian Development Bank
yesterday announced a pledge
of nearly $82 million in nanc-
ing to Cambodia to help with
recovery after last years oods,
and to strengthen infrastruc-
ture to mitigate the impacts of
future extreme weather.
According to the ADB, the
$81.7 million which includes a
$6.7 million grant from the Aus-
tralian government will go to-
wards rebuilding nearly 400 ki-
lometres of roads, three bridges
and nine irrigation plants in six
provinces, with construction to
wrap up in 2017.
Reconstruction of critical
infrastructure will help re-
store livelihoods by re-estab-
lishing access to markets and
social services and increasing
agricultural production, Eric
Sidgwick, ADB country di-
rector for Cambodia, said in
the statement.
Earlier this month, Cambo-
dias National Committee for
Disaster Management revised
down its estimated cost for
ood-related repairs to $356
million from $500 million.
Flooding last year affected 20
provinces, killing 168 people.
Daniel de Carteret
D
ESPITE the in-
creased integration
of ASEAN econo-
mies, cross-border
ows of skilled migrants will
be minimal when the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC)
takes shape in 2015, an econo-
mist from the Asian Develop-
ment Bank said yesterday.
Speaking at a conference at
the banks Phnom Penh head-
quarters, Jayant Menon, lead
economist at the ADBs ofce
of regional integration, said
that he expected the 2015 in-
tegration deadline to achieve
little in terms of skilled labour
mobility and that more atten-
tion is needed on low-skilled
migration policy, which is not
a focus of the AEC.
We wont see a tangible
major transformation as in
the EU, where skilled workers
and non-skilled workers hop
around all over the place quite
easily, Menon said.
The AEC aims to establish a
single market for the 10-mem-
ber Association of Southeast
Asian Nations. In theory, on
December 31, 2015, borders
will fall and trade, labour and
services will ow. But its not
that straightforward.
The AEC migration strat-
egy focuses on skilled workers
only with a handful of profes-
sions agreed upon by member
states to move freely over bor-
ders. These include accoun-
tants, architects, dentists,
doctors, engineers, nurses,
surveyors and tourism indus-
try workers.
The day where Cambodian
trained doctors will be able to
jump on a plane and go and
work in Malaysia or Singapore
will be a long, long way away,
Menon said.
Secretary of state at the
Ministry of Commerce, Pan
Sorasak, said that, with time,
improvements to training and
increased technical know-how
from foreign companies would
enable Cambodia to contribute
more highly skilled profession-
als to the regional workforce.
[This] allow people to
be better qualied, so that
they can go across borders
to provide services to other
countries such as Singapore,
Thailand or Malaysia at lower
wages, he said.
While government data show
the number of Cambodian mi-
grant workers abroad in 2013
was 22,300 down 36 per cent
from 34,804 in 2012 the g-
ures leave out the number of
illegal Cambodian emigrants
who have sought work abroad.
Rights groups estimated in
2012 that 160,000 illegal Cam-
bodian migrants were working
in Thailand alone.
Cambodias outow of work-
ers is not unique to the region;
however, the issue of illegal
migration which develop-
ment agencies say ASEAN
cannot ignore has been left
off the 2015 AEC agenda.
ASEAN is dealing with this
through bilateral negotia-
tions, but I think it can try and
address it regionally, which is
what it has to do, the ADBs
Menon said.
While efforts to coordi-
nate regional policy on illegal
migration continues in the
shadows of the AEC, rights
groups say that it is taking far
too long, with many migrants
left vulnerable.
In 2007, the ASEAN Decla-
ration on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights of Mi-
grant Workers, which outlines
decent working conditions
and protection from abuse for
intra-ASEAN workers, was ad-
opted by member states.
The challenge, however, re-
mains that an ASEAN frame-
work instrument needs to be
created to enforce those pro-
tections. The instrument has
been in draft form for years
as member states struggle to
reach a regional consensus.
The majority of ASEAN is
happy and want to cover the
protection of migrant workers
families and include the un-
documented migrant workers,
but one or two country do not
want this, said Ya Navuth, ex-
ecutive director of the Coordi-
nation of Action Research on
AIDS and Mobility Cambodia.
Navuth said he would like
the framework instrument ad-
opted before the AEC is estab-
lished and for it to be legally
binding, requiring ASEAN
members to align their laws.
Manuel Imson, a senior pro-
gram ofcer at the Interna-
tional Labour Organization, is
also concerned with the slow
progress and is expecting an
agreed instrument to be put in
place before year-end.
The fact remains that la-
bour mobility is concerned
with protection of migrant
workers, which is the very es-
sence of that instrument, and
therefore we would like to
think that the ASEAN instru-
ment will put strong provi-
sions that will strengthen the
protection of migrant workers
after 2015, he said.
ASEAN ofcials did not im-
mediately respond to an email
request yesterday.
7 THE PHNOM PENH POST APRIL 24, 2014
Business
USD / JPY
102.56
USD / SGD
1.2562
USD /CNY
6.2419
USD / HKD
7.7523
USD / THB
32.36
AUD / USD
0.9302
NZD / USD
0.8594
EUR / USD
1.3814
GBP / USD
1.683
Indicative Exchange Rates as of 23/4/2014. Please contact ANZ Royal Global Markets on 023 999 910 for real time rates.
USD / KHR
4,008
Migrant workers from the Philippines play bingo on their day off in Hong Kong's central business district. BLOOMBERG
Cambodia,
US brokers
sign off on
agreement
Hor Kimsay
LOCAL company Tong Yang
Securities has joined forces
with Decker & Co, a US-based
broker company specialising in
Southeast Asian markets, to
promote Cambodias Stock
Exchange (CSX) to investors in
the United States.
Han Kyung Tae, CEO of Tong
Yang Securities (Cambodia),
said yesterday in an email that
his firm signed off on the chap-
erone agreement, which ena-
bles US institutional investors
to open accounts with the CSX
from abroad starting from
December 23, 2013.
The agreement permits Tong
Yang to reach investors regis-
tered in the US, according to
Han, and so far more than a
dozen American investors have
shown interest in potential
Cambodian investment oppor-
tunities under the terms of
the agreement.
Decker has been very
actively promoting the Cam-
bodian stock market to US
institutional investors, Han
told the Post.
US institutional investors
have opened their trading
accounts with us, which now
represent 13 per cent of our
total institutional investor.
Decker & Co now operates
brokerage operations in Thai-
land, Vietnam, Sri Lanka,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singa-
pore, Laos, the Philippines and
most recently Cambodia.
We're looking forward to
working with our new partners
in the Philippines and Cambo-
dia, Mark Decker, CEO of
Decker & Co was quoted as say-
ing on public relations firm
Marketwireds website on
April 22.
Soleil Lamun, deputy direc-
tor of market operations at the
CSX, said the partnership was
positive as it opened up new
investor opportunities to Cam-
bodias securities market
through Tong Yang.
[The partnership will help
bring] a bigger investor base
and more capital flowing into
our economy, he said.
AEC wont spur labour flow
control of the Ministry of
Economy and Finance, does
not have authority to design
its own organisatonal struc-
ture, allocate budgeted ad-
ministrative funds, set stafng
levels, hire and dismiss staff or
negotiate staff remuneration
levels.
Taxation bodies in Thailand,
Vietnam, Laos, the Philip-
pines, Indonesia and Papua
New Guinea were all listed
as having greater indepen-
dence from their ruling gov-
ernment department.
The GDTs human resourc-
es management was named
as one of the least dynamic
in Asia, with no exibility
in stafng- or qualication-
related decisions, no staff de-
velopment skills initiatives, no
performance management,
no rewards system and no pe-
riodic staff surveys.
The report also states that
bank laws, which protect cli-
ent condentiality, were ham-
pering tax auditors ability to
obtain tax information. It adds
that with no mail, phone, in-
ternet or direct debit services
only in-person services the
GDT is also one of the least
user-friendly tax administra-
tors in Asia.
Satoru Araki, public man-
agement specialist at ADBs
Regional and Sustainable De-
velopment Department, said
Cambodias tax administration
had room for improvement.
Understafng can be an
obstacle for providing an ad-
equate level of tax administra-
tion. Not only the number of
staff [but] the capacity of tax
ofcials need to be developed
through an adequate educa-
tion and training regime, he
told the Post yesterday.
Weak tax administration
capacity is a key challenge
facing not only Cambodia but
developing Asia in general.
The ADB specialist urged
the GDT to take a compre-
hensive approach to the is-
sues listed in the recent analy-
sis and called for full-scale
tax administration reforms in
the department. In other
words, none of a single area
mentioned above, such as in-
stitutional arrangements or
the use of ICT, will be a stand-
alone panacea.
Last September, the GDT
announced a series of reforms,
which were aimed at tackling
the departments customer
services and revenue-raising
issues, but none mentioned
understafng as an issue.
Strengthening tax collection
to increase revenue, tax edu-
cation for small- and medium-
sized enterprises, reviews of
investor taxation laws and bet-
ter legal means for pursuing
tax dodgers were all named as
areas for improvement by the
GDTs director general Kong
Vibol at the time.
Earlier this month, the
World Bank published its
Cambodia Economic Update,
which showed domestic reve-
nue had increased from about
13.2 per cent of total GDP in
2011 to about 15.2 per cent by
2016. Ofcials from the taxa-
tion department declined to
comment.
Business
8
Asus enters the fray as
handset makers target
booming Thai market
C
O M P E T I T I O N
between smartphone
makers in Thailand is
heating up as new
Asian handset companies make
inroads into the promising
mobile computing market to
grab a significant market share.
AsusTek Computer Inc, a Tai-
wanese computer maker, plans
to spend $4 million to promote
the release of its first smart-
phone in the Thai market.
We aim to have a 10 per
cent share in the local smart-
phone market this year, mak-
ing us a top-five player, said
Jeff Lo, newly appointed coun-
try manager of AsusTek Com-
puter (Thailand).
The jump onto the smart-
phone bandwagon is to create
a new revenue stream and off-
set a sharp revenue decline
from computer sales.
Thailands smartphone mar-
ket is expected to have skyrock-
eting growth this year with
sales of 14-20 million units
thanks to heavy 3G migration
promotional campaigns from
mobile operators.
To capitalise on demand, Mr
Lo said Asus will introduce a
full range of smartphone mod-
els in Thailand this year, start-
ing from May.
The company yesterday
launched its first three Zenfone
models, featuring 4-, 5- and
6-inch displays priced at 2,990,
5,990 and 8,990 baht, respec-
tively. Target users are 18-35
years old.
Earlier, Asus introduced its
Padfone, a combination of a
smartphone and a tablet. Lo
said Asus is positioning itself as
a luxury design product but
affordable price. The company
used the Intel processor and
Android operating system.
The firm plans to increase the
number of its authorised deal-
ers to 6,000 this year.
We are also in talks with
mobile operators to jointly pro-
vide bundling packages for
mobile customers who want to
change their handsets, Lo said.
We expect to sell 800,000 smart-
phones this year, while sales of
our notebook computers look
set to decline by 50 per cent.
Lo said Asus Thailand expects
revenue to double this year
thanks to revenue from the new
smartphone line. Revenue
from smartphones will account
for 40 per cent of the total.
Last year, revenue from com-
puter sales made up 90 per
cent of its revenue, with the
remaining 10 per cent from
tablet sales.
For the notebook market, Lo
said AsusTek will focus on its
hybrid touch-screen notebook
a combination of a tablet and
a laptop. It plans to sell 350,000
notebooks for a 23 per cent
share of the Thai market this
year. Auss expects to sell 400,000
tablets in Thailand this year for
a 10 per cent market share, up
from 3 per cent last year.
Asus is also looking to par-
ticipate in an auction for Thai-
lands One Tablet per Child
scheme. BANGKOK POST
Tax dept cant do its job: ADB
Trafc passes the Phnom Penhs General Department of Taxation ofce in 2012. An analysis that was re-
leased this month suggests the tax department is under-resourced and understaffed. PHA LINA
May Kunmakara
CAMBODIAS trade decit ex-
panded to almost half a billion
dollars during the rst three
months of the year, according
to the latest gures from the
Ministry of Commerce.
Between January and March,
Cambodias exports reached
$1.99 billion, up 19 per cent
compared to the same pe-
riod last year, while imports
reached $2.47 billion, up 12
per cent. In total, the coun-
trys trade volume increased
15 per cent year-on-year to
$4.46 billion.
Cambodias $480 million,
trade decit, which repre-
sents a $100 million widen-
ing over the rst quarter last
year, has spurred calls from
senior economists for Cambo-
dian manufacturers to diver-
sify their exports to make up
the imbalance.
Hiroshi Suzuki, CEO and
chief economist at the Busi-
ness Research Institute for
Cambodia said that the trade
decit was not concerning,
but increasing and exploring
new export markets was an
inevitable next step for the lo-
cal economy.
It is necessary for Cambo-
dia to continue the effort to
diversify export destinations
and export items, Suzuki
said, naming vehicle parts
manufacturing as a poten-
tially lucrative new sector for
the Kingdom.
Increasing exports to de-
crease trade decit is very
necessary to avoid putting the
economy at risk.
Mey Kalyan, senior advi-
sor to the Supreme National
Economic Council, yester-
day said the trade imbalance
had primarily been caused by
massive inows of FDI and
offshore development assis-
tance packages.
It is still a concern and we
have to be a bit careful, Ka-
lyan said.
If we let it continue it will
not be a good thing for us.
Kalyan added that imports
on simple, day-to-day items,
such as groceries and food,
and materials for garment
manufacturing were also ma-
jor contributors to the coun-
trys import gures.
The Ministry of Commerce
listed garment materials, oil
and gas, construction mate-
rial, vehicles, food and bev-
arage as the main imports,
while garments and textiles,
footwear and rice were the
countrys major exports dur-
ing the rst three months of
the year.
Trade decit prompts
call to diversify exports
Chinese manufacturing still weak
CHINAS economy has yet to
respond to policymakers stim-
ulus efforts, an April manufac-
turing gauge indicated yester-
day, helping send the yuan to a
16-month low.
The preliminary purchasing
managers index from HSBC
Holdings Plc and Markit Eco-
nomics was 48.3 in April. The
reading rose from Marchs final
figure of 48 while remaining
below the expansion-contrac-
tion dividing line of 50.
Sustained weakness in man-
ufacturing would pressure Pre-
mier Li Keqiang to expand pro-
growth measures beyond a
required-reserves cut for rural
banks on Tuesday and what
some analysts have dubbed a
mini stimulus package of rail-
way spending and tax relief.
The report followed data last
week showing Chinas expan-
sion moderated to the slowest
pace in six quarters.
We do not believe that this
uptick in the HSBC PMI signals
any sort of turning point for the
economy and continue to
believe that growth momen-
tum is on a downtrend, Zhang
Zhiwei, chief China economist
at Nomura Holdings in Hong
Kong, said. He reiterated his
forecast for a broader reserve-
ratio cut in May or June.
The renminbi weakened 0.1
per cent to 6.2435 yuan per
dollar at 1:20pm in Shanghai
and earlier touched 6.2465, the
lowest since December 2012.
The State Council, or cabi-
net, on April 2 outlined a pack-
age of spending on railways
and housing and tax relief to
support growth. The govern-
ment said on Sunday that
China will start construction
on a batch of major energy
projects as part of efforts to
stabilise expansion and adjust
the nations energy structure.
The Peoples Bank of China
on Tuesday cut the reserve-re-
quirement ratio for some rural
banks by as much as 2 percent-
age points. Nomura estimated
the move will unlock as much
as 90 billion yuan ($14 billion),
while a nationwide reserve-ra-
tio reduction would release
about 550 billion yuan.
If growth keeps slowing, it
will probably become a further
nudge in the elbow towards
more easing, said Helen Qiao,
chief Greater China economist
at Morgan Stanley in Hong
Kong. China is trying to bal-
ance supporting growth with
curbing shadow banking, elim-
inating overcapacity and reduc-
ing pollution. The economy is
forecast to expand 7.4 per cent
this year, which would be the
slowest pace since 1990.
Growth was 7.7 per cent in 2012
and 2013. BLOOMBERG
Workers assemble mechanical
pencils in Guangzhou. BLOOMBERG
Increasing rate of contraction
45
50
55
China manufacturing
Measures the rate of change compared to previous month
50 = no change
Purchasing managers index
Increasing rate of growth
Data from HSBC
2013 2014
47.7
50.4
J O N D F A M A S A J
Apr
48.3
50.9
J
49.5
M
48.0

Toyota first to top 10m
sales within 12 months
JAPANS Toyota, the worlds
biggest automaker, sold more
than 10 million vehicles in a
12-month period for the first
time, it said yesterday, with last-
minute buying ahead of a sales
tax rise at home helping it break
the key level. The news comes
despite the firm struggling to
recover its reputation for safety
after the recall of millions of
cars around the world. The firm
said it shifted 10.13 million units
in the 12 months to the end of
March, up 4.5 per cent year on
year and likely an industry
record. Its closest rivals
Volkswagen and GM report
their sales on a calendar-year
basis but analysts said it was
unlikely they had sold over 10
million vehicles in any
12-month period. AFP
Mass Barclays layoffs
BARCLAYS, the UKs second-
largest bank by assets, could
eliminate 7,500 jobs at its
investment bank to improve
returns at its securities unit,
according to a report. The
European fixed-income,
currencies and commodities
business may be the hardest
hit, with about 5,000 job losses,
analysts led by Chirantan
Barua said in a note yesterday.
Cuts of 6,500 to 7,500 equate to
between 25 per cent and 30 per
cent of the units employees,
the report estimated. BLOOMBERG
Business
10
EUROZONE business activity
hit a near three-year high in
April as a modest economic
recovery gained momentum
and began creating much-
needed jobs, a closely watched
survey showed yesterday.
Markit Economics said its
Eurozone Composite Pur-
chasing Managers Index (PMI)
for April, a leading indicator
of overall economic activity,
jumped to 54 points from 53.1
in March, the highest reading
since May 2011.
The report also marks the
10th month running for which
it has come in above the 50-
points boom-or-bust line, re-
inforcing the view the recov-
ery is nally taking hold.
The outcome suggested the
eurozone economy will grow
by 0.5 per cent in the second
quarter, up from 0.4 per cent
in the rst three months of the
year, he added.
The upturn in overall busi-
ness activity was driven by
goods producers, although
the survey suggested a strong
performance of the eurozones
services economy also played
a part. AFP
Moderate
recovery
rolls on in
eurozone
Throw out ignition suits: GM
G
ENERAL Motors
has asked a US
bankruptcy court
to bar most suits
led over its faulty ignition
system, arguing its 2009
court-approved bankruptcy
reorganisation shields it from
liability in most cases.
In papers led with the
court this week, GM says that
it is not seeking protection
from suits over the 13 fatali-
ties and other injuries linked
to the defect.
But GM argues that under
the 2009 bankruptcy agree-
ment, which came after the
government took the com-
pany over to save it from col-
lapse, it should be shielded
from economic damages due
to product defects.
These would include the
decline in value of a damaged
vehicle, or the cost of child
care or alternative transpor-
tation while the car was out
of use.
It was an absolute condi-
tion of New GMs purchase
offer that New GM not take
on all of Old GMs liabilities,
the ling says.
It continues: That was the
bargain struck by New GM
and Old GM, and approved
by the court as being in the
best interests of Old GMs
bankruptcy estate and the
public interest.
GM says the plan to restrict
liability was also endorsed by
the US Department of Trea-
sury as the company emerged
from bankruptcy.
The Treasury, which on the
governments behalf held a
majority stake in the auto-
maker at the time, wanted
the structure that would best
position new GM for a suc-
cessful business turnaround,
GM argues in the brief.
A GM spokesman said the
company has taken respon-
sibility for its actions and will
keep doing so.
The company has hired
victim compensation expert
Kenneth Feinberg to advise
it on how to deal with victims
of accidents tied to the igni-
tion problem.
But attorneys in a class ac-
tion suit on behalf of people
whose GM cars have been re-
called for the ignition defect
asked the court on Monday to
reject GMs request.
They argued that the com-
pany had fraudulently con-
cealed the ignition problem
from its government share-
holder, the bankruptcy court
and consumers in the bank-
ruptcy reorganisation.
GM knew of the ignition
problem for more than a de-
cade and did not disclose it,
they said.
As a result, consumers
did not have an opportunity
to assert or have any reason
to believe that they should
try to assert any objections
or claims in the bankruptcy
case concerning damages
caused by the defect, the
complaint said.
Plaintiffs attorneys noted
GM faces a criminal probe
by the Department of Justice
into its actions. They also
cited a letter from ve US
senators requesting the gov-
ernment oppose GMs efforts
to avoid liability for the pre-
2009 problems.
GM has announced a re-
structuring of its global engi-
neering division into groups
overseeing product integ-
rity and vehicle components
and subsystems, appointing
chiefs of both sections. GM
said the creation of the global
integrity division will bolster
safety and prevent debacles
like the ignition recall. AFP
Photos of those killed in auto accidents linked to a defect in General
Motors vehicles are displayed during a House Energy and Commerce
Committee hearing in Washington. BLOOMBERG
Markets
11
Business
International commodities
Energy
Agriculture
Markets
800
875
950
1025
1100
500
550
600
650
700
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
18000
19750
21500
23250
25000
2000
2250
2500
2750
3000
14000
14500
15000
15500
16000
7000
7500
8000
8500
9000
Thailand Vietnam
Singapore Malaysia
Hong Kong China
Japan Taiwan
Thai Set 50 Index, Apr 22
FTSE Straits Times Index, Apr 22 FTSEBursaMalaysiaKLCI, Apr 22
Hang Seng Index, Apr 22 CSI 300 Index, Apr 22
Nikkei 225, Apr 22 Taiwan Taiex Index, Apr 22
Ho Chi Minh Stock Index, Apr 22
14,546.27
2,194.67 22,543.30
1,867.53 3,253.40
570.67 964.85
8,956.92
1600
1725
1850
1975
2100
5500
5875
6250
6625
7000
900
1050
1200
1350
1500
3500
3875
4250
4625
5000
19000
20000
21000
22000
23000
28000
28500
29000
29500
30000
4500
4750
5000
5250
5500
4500
4750
5000
5250
5500
South Korea Philippines
Laos Indonesia
India Pakistan
Australia New Zealand
KOSPI Index, Apr 22 PSEI - Philippine Se Idx, Apr 22
Laos Composite Index, Apr 22 Jakarta Composite Index, Apr 22
BSE Sensex 30 Index, Apr 22 Karachi 100 Index, Apr 22
S&P/ASX 200 Index, Apr 22 NZX 50 Index, Apr 22
5,517.77
29,083.20 22,876.24
4,891.38 1,254.05
6,769.52 2,000.37
5,142.92
Item Unit Base Average (%)
Gasoline R 5250 5450 3.81 %
Diesel R 5100 5200 1.96 %
Petroleum R 5500 5500 0.00 %
Gas Chi 86000 76000 -11.63 %
Charcoal Baht 1200 1300 8.33 %
Energy
Construction equipment
Rice 1 R/Kg 2800 2780 -0.71 %
Rice 2 R/Kg 2200 2280 3.64 %
Paddy R/Kg 1800 1840 2.22 %
Peanuts R/Kg 8000 8100 1.25 %
Maize 2 R/Kg 2000 2080 4.00 %
Cashew nut R/Kg 4000 4220 5.50 %
Pepper R/Kg 40000 24000 -40.00 %
Beef R/Kg 33000 33600 1.82 %
Pork R/Kg 17000 18200 7.06 %
Mud Fish R/Kg 12000 12400 3.33 %
Chicken R/Kg 18000 20800 15.56 %
Duck R/Kg 13000 13100 0.77 %
Steel 12 R/Kg 3000 3100 3.33 %
Cement R/Sac 19000 19500 2.63 %
Food -Cereals -Vegetables - Fruits
Cambodian commodities
(Base rate taken on January 1, 2012)
COMMODITY UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE TIME(ET)
Crude Oil (WTI) USD/bbl. 101.54 -0.21 -0.21% 3:09:41
Crude Oil (Brent) USD/bbl. 109.25 -0.02 -0.02% 3:09:52
NYMEX Natural Gas USD/MMBtu 4.73 -0.01 -0.21% 3:08:59
RBOBGasoline USd/gal. 309.3 -0.22 -0.07% 3:08:50
NYMEX Heating Oil USd/gal. 300.2 -0.06 -0.02% 3:08:50
ICEGasoil USD/MT 921.25 3 0.33% 3:08:50
COMMODITY UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE TIME(ET)
CBOT Rough Rice USD/cwt 15.36 0.05 0.33% 22:57:59
CME Lumber USD/tbf 334.6 2.3 0.69% 1:24:12
Now not leaving Mongolia
Michael Kohn and Yuriy Humber
W
ELCOME to the Hotel
Mongolia. Its a lovely
place. But you might
not be able to leave.
For about 50 foreigners miners,
accountants, bankers and charity
workers mostly drawn here by the
countrys resource boom the lyrics
of Hotel California turned into real-
ity when Mongolia prevented them
from leaving the country.
Some of those under the travel
ban say the cases involve probes of
their employers that have dragged
on months or even years. My ca-
reer has been destroyed and I dont
know when I will be able to leave,
said Philippines citizen Hilarion Ca-
jucom, who was an accountant at
SouthGobi Resources Ltd when the
Canadian company was accused of
tax fraud by the government.
Cajucom and former SouthGobi
colleague Cristobal David have been
prevented from leaving Mongolia
since 2012.
Many foreigners interviewed for
this story asked not to be named for
fear of reprisals from the authori-
ties. All denied allegations against
them. Some described their situa-
tion as a strange limbo in which they
retain their passports, havent been
charged with any crime, yet they
have been told by the police they will
not be allowed to leave the country.
James Liotta, a partner at Mahoney
Liotta LLC in Ulaanbaatar, said that
as a signatory to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, Mongolia should not be us-
ing commercial disputes to deprive
people of their freedom of travel.
Spokesmen at Mongolias Inde-
pendent Authority Against Corrup-
tion and the prosecutors ofce said
they would not comment on travel
bans on foreigners to the media.
Puntsag Tsagaan, the chief of staff
at the ofce of the President Elbeg-
dorj Tsakhia, said it was not appro-
priate for the presidential ofce to
comment on the issue.
The detentions stem from deep-
seated cultural issues, said Jack
Weatherford, author of Genghis
Khan and the Making of the Mod-
ern World. In the Mongolian view,
expatriates are accountable for the
actions of their employers.
For centuries, foreign rulers sent
their sons and brothers as hostag-
es to the court of steppe leaders,
Weatherford said. The hostage took
the blame and punishment for any
misdeeds. Foreigners working in
Mongolia are often in a precarious
position without realising it.
The stranded started off with a
common dream wanting to expe-
rience Mongolian nomad culture
and its vast deserts and steppes
while cashing in on an energy and
commodities boom that created
what was until recently the worlds
hottest economy.
As foreign direct investment fell 54
per cent last year, Mongolia sent of-
cials on tours to Singapore to New
York in the last six months to revive
their countrys appeal. Those al-
ready invested say Mongolia should
rst x its domestic policies.
The travel bans add to the un-
certainty and the already negative
mood, said Michael Preiss, co-
founder of Mongolia Asset Manage-
ment Ltd, an investment advisory
group based in the capital Ulaanbaa-
tar. For some its the nail in the cofn
that this place is just not worth it.
Some called in by Mongolias anti-
corruption police describe daylong
interrogations in windowless cells
and bolted-down chairs. This can be
repeated over months, again with no
charges led.
Banker Chris Bradley said his six-
week experience at the end of last
year erased the happy memory of a
decade of working in Mongolia.
Bradley had come back to Ulaan-
baatar to recover debt on a loan gone
sour for South Africas Standard Bank
and was told he could not leave be-
cause the Mongolian borrower was
being investigated for corruption.
While Bradley was freed and left
for Australia in late December, Ca-
jucom, the Philippine accountant,
maintains his family life birthdays,
graduations and funerals through
Skype. Cajucom said he was denied
permission to attend the funerals of
his mother-in-law and father-in-law
in the last six months.
Deep inside there is a struggle of
why, why, why? And what is going to
happen next, Cajucom said in an
interview in Ulaanbaatar. Its a per-
sonal struggle but I have to think on
the bright side, that this is the bot-
tom and there is only one way, and
that is up. BLOOMBERG
A man walks past the Mongolian Airlines booth at the domestic departure oor of
Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar. BLOOMBERG
skies above the islands. Ive also told
[Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] that all
our nations have an interest in dealing
constructively with maritime issues,
including in the East China Sea, Obama
told the Yomiuri.
Disputes need to be resolved
through dialogue and diplomacy, not
intimidation and coercion, he said.
As well as a degree of hand-holding
with Asian allies who feel a little neglect-
ed, Obama will be striving to show Bei-
jing that the US poses no threat and
does not intend to contain it.
We welcome the continuing rise of
a China that is stable, prosperous and
peaceful and plays a responsible role
in global affairs. And our engagement
with China does not and will not come
at the expense of Japan or any other
ally, Obama said.
Obama also said Washington has
enthusiastically welcomed Japans
desire to play a greater role in upholding
international security in areas of dis-
aster relief and UN peacekeeping.
I commend Prime Minister Abe for
his efforts . . . to deepen the coordina-
tion between our militaries, including
by reviewing existing limits on the exer-
cise of collective self-defence which
allows Tokyo to protect its ally Washing-
ton in Asian security, Obama said.
Obama and Abe were due to have an
informal dinner late yesterday, with
local media speculating it will be at a
tiny sushi bar that has three Michelin
stars but only a handful of seats and
featured in the documentary Jiro
Dreams of Sushi. AFP
World
Businesses
searched in
ferry probe
SOUTH Korean prosecutors
yesterday raided businesses
affiliated with the operator of a
capsized ferry as part of a wid-
ening investigation into a dis-
aster that left more than 300
people missing or dead.
The raids focused on 10 affil-
iates and firms related to the
Chonghaejin Marine Company
which owned the 6,825-tonne
Sewol that was carrying 476
people when it sank a week ago
off the southwest coast. The
operation was part of a probe
into overall corruption in
management, Kim Hoe-jong,
a prosecutor on the case, said.
More than 70 executives and
other people connected with
Chonghaejin and its affiliates
have been issued 30-day travel
bans while they are investi-
gated on possible charges rang-
ing from criminal negligence to
embezzlement.
We will also make efforts to
retrieve profits made out of
criminal acts and track down
hidden assets to support com-
pensations for [potential] law-
suits by families of the victims
and the missing, Kim said.
The tax authorities are also
probing the financial activities
of the firm and its affiliates,
Yonhap news agency said.
The confirmed death toll
from the ferry disaster stood at
146 yesterday, but 156 were still
missing, their bodies believed
to be trapped in the submerged
ship that sank in circumstanc-
es that are yet to be explained.
Prosecutors have so far
arrested seven crew members
including the captain, Lee
Joon-seok, who face charges of
criminal negligence and desert-
ing passengers. Two more crew
were taken into police custody
on Tuesday, but have yet to be
formally charged.
The shipping company has
also been accused of operating
an outdated vessel built more
than 20 years ago with unre-
solved mechanical issues. One
of the officers arrested on Tues-
day mentioned errors with
the steering system.
Prosecutors also launched a
separate investigation into
state ship safety inspectors,
amid allegations that safety
certificates were issued in
exchange for bribes. AFP
Community
action
Rio de Janeiro state military
policemen aim their guns during
a violent protest in a favela next
to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, on
Tuesday. Violent protests broke
out in Rios landmark beachfront
district following the death of a
resident last weekend during
clashes with the army in a nearby
favela. One person was shot
dead as violent protests erupted
on Tuesday near Rios famed
Copacabana beach after a dancer
was killed allegedly by police,
less than two months before the
World Cup in Brazil. Angry
demonstrators from a slum
set ablaze barricades of tyres,
forcing two main roads closed as
they hurled bottles to protest the
death of the 25-year-old dancer,
whom Brazilian media say was
killed after police mistook him for
a drug trafcker. A 27-year-old
man described as mentally disabled
was killed after being shot in the
head during the protests, media
quoted city hall ofcials. It was
not immediately clear who red
the shot. AFP
Obama: US will defend Japan
Russia to respond if interests attacked
A
BLUNT warning was
issued by Russia yes-
terday that it would
respond if its inter-
ests are attacked in Ukraine,
as pro-Kremlin rebels in the
restive east of the country
braced for a new military of-
fensive by Kiev.
The threat by Russian For-
eign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
recalling the 2008 war with
Georgia over breakaway South
Ossetia, came as US troops
were headed to the region in
a show of force after Wash-
ington again warned Mos-
cow of new sanctions over
the escalating crisis.
If we are attacked, we would
certainly respond, Lavrov told
state-controlled RT television.
If our interests, our legiti-
mate interests, the interests
of Russians, have been at-
tacked directly, like they were
in South Ossetia for example,
I do not see any other way but
to respond in accordance with
international law.
He did not elaborate, but
the reference to South Ossetia
strongly hinted at the possibil-
ity of military action.
The US, meanwhile, said it
plans to deploy 600 troops to
Poland and the Baltic states
starting yesterday to reassure
our allies and partners.
Ukraines acting president
Oleksandr Turchynov late on
Tuesday ordered a new anti-
terrorist operation against
separatists holding a string
of eastern towns after the
discovery of two brutally tor-
tured bodies.
One of the dead was a local
politician from Turchynovs
party who was kidnapped
nearly a week ago, the leader
said, blaming his death on
the rebels.
Kievs offensive threatens to
sound the nal death knell for
an already tattered agreement
struck last week in Geneva
between Ukraine, Russia and
the West to ease the crisis,
which some fear could tip the
country into civil war.
Security agencies are work-
ing to liquidate all the groups
currently operating in Kram-
atorsk, Slavyansk and the
other towns in the Donetsk
and Lugansk regions, said
Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly
Yarema, according to the In-
terfax Ukraine news agency.
Lavrov charged that the tim-
ing of the renewed offensive
during US Vice President Joe
Bidens visit to Kiev on Tuesday
demonstrated that the Ameri-
cans are running the show.
In the eastern town of
Slavyansk, a tense ashpoint
town near where the two bod-
ies were found, the streets
were calm, with locals walking
about as usual.
A handful of rebels wearing
camouage gear and ski masks
but with no apparent weapons
stood outside the barricaded
town hall they are occupying.
In front of the building were
displayed three photos of
militants who were killed in a
weekend attack on a roadblock
the separatists have blamed
on pro-Kiev ultra-nationalists.
On Tuesday, a Ukrainian re-
connaissance plane was hit by
small-arms re from the town,
but the aircraft landed safely
with none of its crew hurt.
Pro-Moscow insurgents in
Slavyansk are holding two
journalists, an American
working for the company Vice
News, Simon Ostrovsky, and a
Ukrainian working for a pro-
Kiev outlet, Irma Krat.
Slavyansks local rebel leader
Vyatcheslav Ponomarev told
reporters that the American
is not being detained, was
not abducted, has not been
arrested and claimed he was
working in one of the rebel-
occupied buildings.
However, the Twitter feed of
the normally prolic journal-
ist had been inactive for a day.
US Secretary of State John
Kerry, in an overnight call to
Russian Foreign Minister Ser-
gei Lavrov, expressed deep
concern over the lack of posi-
tive Russian steps to de-esca-
late, cited mounting evidence
that separatists continue to
increase the number of build-
ings under occupation and
take journalists and other ci-
vilians captive, a senior State
Department ofcial said.
Kerry also warned that a
lack of Russian progress on
the Geneva deal struck last
week would lead to more
sanctions on Moscow.
Washington believes Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin
is behind the rebellion in the
east and the crisis has created
a precarious Cold War-style
standoff between the Mos-
cow and the West.
The State Department of-
cial said Kerry reiterated that
the absence of measurable
progress on implementing
the Geneva agreement will re-
sult in increased sanctions.
Those messages were un-
derlined on a visit to Kiev
on Tuesday by Biden, who
also stressed US support for
Ukraines new leaders. Biden
called on Russia to pull back
its forces from the border,
and to reverse its annexation
of the strategic Crimea penin-
sula last month.
Russia has deployed tens
of thousands of troops to
Ukraines eastern border,
while the US was sending 600
soldiers to NATO countries
near Ukraine to boost defenc-
es in eastern Europe.
A company of 150 troops
was to arrive in Poland yester-
day and another 450 are due in
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
in the coming days. The move
sends a message to Moscow
that we take our obligations
very, very seriously on the
continent of Europe, US Rear
Admiral John Kirby said.
Russia has dismissed the
threat of new sanctions and
insists that it has the right to
protect the Russian-speaking
population in Ukraine, a for-
mer Soviet republic. AFP
THE US-JAPAN TREATY
ARTICLE 5
E
ACH Party recognizes
that an armed attack
against either Party in
the territories under
the administration of Japan
would be dangerous to its own
peace and safety and declares
that it would act to meet the
common danger in accordance
with its constitutional provisions
and processes.
Any such armed attack and all
measures taken as a result
thereof shall be immediately
reported to the Security
Council of the United Nations
in accordance with the
provisions of Article 51 of
the Charter.
Such measures shall be
terminated when the
Security Council has taken
the measures necessary to
restore and maintain
international peace and
security.
World
13
AT LEAST 30 fearful local of-
cials have resigned in Indian
Kashmir after rebels killed two
colleagues and issued a warn-
ing against voting this week in
the countrys elections, resi-
dents said yesterday.
Hand-written notices an-
nouncing the resignations
were posted in the Tral area of
the southern Kashmir valley
where militants shot dead two
ofcials and another man on
Monday night, residents said.
Notices have also appeared
in the local newspapers,
while local imams read out
other resignation letters of
ofcials from panchayat or
village councils at mosques in
Tral town, residents and local
media stated.
We were misled that
panchayat elections are only
meant for addressing local is-
sues. It was a mistake on our
part and we apologise for
that, one of the resignation
letters read.
In some of the resignation
letters, council members dis-
sociated themselves from po-
litical parties taking part in
the current election as well
as denying involvement in
the election process.
Tensions were running high
ahead of voting in the area
today, after rebels issued a
warning against taking part
in the mammoth general
election under way through-
out India.
Separatists have called for a
boycott of the staggered elec-
tion which ends next month
when hardline Hindu nation-
alist Narendra Modi and his
party are expected to vault to
power after a decade of Con-
gress-party rule.
A dozen rebel groups have
been ghting since 1989 for
the Muslim-majority regions
independence or for merger
of the territory with Pakistan.
The ghting has left tens of
thousands of people, mainly
civilians, dead.
Kashmir has been divided
between India and Pakistan
since 1947.
Police were hunting for mili-
tants who killed one village
council head in Tral area of
Pulwana district on Monday.
They killed another senior vil-
lage ofcial and his 24-year-
old son about an hour later in
the same area.
Local militant outt Hiz-
bul Mujahideen put up post-
ers in the area on Tuesday
warning all residents that
voting for tyrants will entail
punishment. AFP
Local ofcials quit in
Kashmir after threats
Massacre is game-changer: UN
T
HE UNs top humani-
tarian ofcial said on
Tuesday that a mas-
sacre in South Sudan,
fuelled by hate speech on a
public radio station, was a
game-changer in the coun-
trys four-month conict.
Toby Lanzer said he saw
piles and piles of bodies on
a visit to the oil hub of Bentiu
after rebels wiped out civil-
ians based on their ethnicity
and nationality. TV pictures
showed corpses lying outside
a mosque and piled up on a
mechanical digger.
It is probably the worst
single atrocity since ghting
broke out in the worlds new-
est country last December,
and raises the prospect of a
full-blown civil war along eth-
nic lines, intensifying pressure
on the international commu-
nity to intervene.
According to the UN, reb-
els slaughtered hundreds of
people when they seized Ben-
tiu, the capital of Unity state,
hunting down men, women
and children who had sought
refuge in a hospital, a mosque
and a Catholic church. The
victims included Sudanese
traders, especially from the
Darfur region.
The rebels issued a state-
ment boasting of mopping-
and cleaning-up operations,
the UN alleged, and ghters
took to the radio to broadcast
hate speech, urging men to
rape women of specic eth-
nicities and demanding that
rival groups be expelled from
the town.
Use of hate speech via a
public radio station to incite
violence is a game-changer,
said Lanzer, who was in Ben-
tiu on Sunday and Monday.
He said thousands of civil-
ians were now streaming to the
UN base in Bentiu fearing that
more violence. The cramped
base holds 25,000 people and
has very little water and only
one latrine per 350 people.
A rebel spokesman, Lul Ruai
Koang, dismissed the UN ac-
cusations as unfounded,
cheap propaganda and put
the blame squarely on govern-
ment forces.
What began as a politi-
cal power struggle in South
Sudan quickly assumed an
ethnic dimension, pitting Pres-
ident Salva Kiirs Dinka tribe
against militia forces from the
former vice-president Riek
Machars Nuer people.
Peace talks have thus far
failed to stem the ow of
atrocities on both sides.
Donatella Rovera, a senior
crisis response adviser at Am-
nesty International, who has
just returned from the coun-
try, said: Whatever the rea-
sons this conict broke out on
15 December and there were
obviously political grievanc-
es from the rst day it has
taken on markedly an ethnic
dimension. We saw this very
clearly with the attack by op-
position forces on Bentiu.
She said there was worse to
come in terms of food short-
ages. Were seeing two big
killers in South Sudan. One
is people being killed along
ethnic lines. The other, that
will kill even more people,
is the unfolding humani-
tarian catastrophe. Its the
planting season and no one
is able to plant. This is going
to be a larger catastrophe still
and it is entirely down to the
conict.
The ghting has left thou-
sands dead and forced around
a million people to ee their
homes. The government says
its forces are currently battling
rebels in three key states as
Machars ghters continue an
offensive targeting oil elds.
Peace talks are due to restart
in neighbouring Ethiopia this
month. THE GUARDIAN
South Sudan massacre
100 km
C.A.R.
D.R. CONGO
UGANDA
KENYA
ETHIOPIA
JONGLEI
JUBA
SUDAN
Malakal
Bentiu
Oil blocks Oil
pipeline
Bor
Hundreds slaughtered following capture of town last week
N
i
l
e
N
i
l
e
UN says rebels
carried out
ethnic killings
The best of teashops and cafs The best of teashops and cafs
With more and more teashops and cafs springing up around town and countrywide, we are going to take a look at
the very best spots for breakfast and lunch, to hang out, to meet friends, have business meetings, and get on top of
some out-of-ofce work. In this special, we will look at the products and services the most popular teashops and cafs
have to ofer, along with the best of the best when it comes to atmosphere.
- Cohee onJ teo tev|ews
- w|-l|: CooJ connect|on/ CooJ loce to wotl/
- looJ: whots on the menu/
- louts ol oetot|on onJ locot|on
- 8ot|stos
Invite us over and tell us about your products.
For story suggestions, contact:
Moeun Nhean, Tel: 017 693 666 E: mahanhean@yahoo.com
Taylor, Tel: 010 244 064 E: cvtaylor@gmail.com
To advertise in this special report, contact:
Chap Narith, Tel: 011 743 998, E: chapnarith@gmail.com
Toun Chanreaksmey, Tel: 012 908 363, E: toun@phnompenhpost.com
Siem Reap:
Skaline, Tel: 012 22 38 33, E: skaline.thik@phnompenhpost.com
Booking deadline : Monday, April 28
Artwork deadline : Wednesday, April 30
Publication Date : Friday, May 2
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE READ THE POST
On Friday May 2, The Phnom Penh Post proudly presents
World
14
Vice squad
Cops probed
after brothel
bust: media

C
HINA is investigating eight
police ofcers includ-
ing a city deputy chief for
their role in a prostitution ring
that was busted last year, state
media have reported. The police
among them the deputy head
of the public security bureau of
Zhengzhou have been put into
the ruling Communist Partys
internal interrogation process over
their involvement, the Southern
Metropolis Daily reported.
Their detention came after
police in November raided an
entertainment complex that
allegedly organised and assisted
with prostitution, evaded taxes and
accommodated drug abuse, the
report said on Tuesday.
Royal Number One, opened in
August 2012, was believed to be
the most luxurious facility of its
kind in the city, with about 500
prostitutes and annual revenues
topping $32 million, according to
Chinese media reports.
Altogether 256 people have
come under investigation and
133 of them have been sent for
indictment. The eight ofcers were
suspected of taking nancial and
sexual bribes from the owner of
the facility in exchange for their
protection . AFP

Thai navy to extend
lawsuit to Reuters
THE two Phuketwan journalists
facing a Royal Thai Navy
defamation lawsuit over
mistreatment of Rohingya, its
Australian editor Alan Morison
and Thai colleague Chutima
Sidasathian, suggested the suit
be dropped to celebrate World
Press Freedom Day on May 3,
but the navy rejected that and
said it was preparing a second
lawsuit against the Reuters
news agency. This involves
national security, said Third
Navy Fleet commander, Vice
Admiral Tharathorn
Khajitsuwan. We cannot allow
anyone to go around freely
making false accusations. He
said the service plans further
action. Not only do we refuse to
withdraw any lawsuit, but we
are processing another suit
against Reuters as well, he
said. The Phuket Court has set
May 26 for the initial session to
check the list of witnesses and
set hearing dates. BANGKOKPOST
Australia to purchase 58
US F-35s for $11.6 bln
AUSTRALIA will buy 58 more
F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a
cost of A$12.4 billion (US$11.6
billion) in a major upgrade to
defence capabilities, the
government said. The new
aircraft will bring Australias
total JSF force to 72 aircraft, with
the first due to arrive in Australia
in 2018 and enter service in
2020. The F-35 will provide a
major boost to the Australian
Defence Forces intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities, Prime Minister
Tony Abbott said on Tuesday.
The fifth generation F-35 . . .
will make a vital contribution to
our national security. The deal
with US aerospace giant
Lockheed Martin is in addition to
14 F-35s Australia already
approved in 2009. AFP
MH370: more powerful sonar needed
Yingluck gets more time in critical legal case
A
USTRALIAN au-
thorities searching
for missing Malay-
sia Airlines ight
MH370 are gearing up to send
in much more powerful sonar
equipment to scan for debris
on the seabed.
Search coordinators said
yesterday that nothing had
been found by the US navy
robotic submarine Bluen 21,
which has covered more than
80 per cent of a zone off the
Australian west coast.
The area of 310 square kilo-
metres is thought to be where
the plane is most likely to have
gone down, based on ping
signals that match those from
an airliners black box. Those
signals were picked up by
search vessels but are thought
to have ceased when the bea-
cons batteries ran out.
Australias defence minister,
David Johnston, said more
powerful towed side-scan
commercial sonar equipment
would probably be deployed,
similar to the system that
found the Titanic 3,800 me-
tres under the Atlantic Ocean
in 1985 and the Australian
second world war wreck
HMAS Sydney in the Indian
Ocean, north of the current
search area, in 2008.
The next phase, I think, is
we step up with potentially a
more powerful, more capable
side-scan sonar to do deeper
water, Johnston said.
Australia was consulting
with Malaysia, China and the
US on the next phase of the
search for the plane, which
went missing on 8 March af-
ter veering off course between
Kuala Lumpur and Beijing,
Johnston said
The search area is a circle
20km (12 miles) wide around
an area where sonar equip-
ment picked up a signal on 8
April consistent with a planes
black box.
The Bluen had less than
one-fth of the search area
left to complete but that could
take another two weeks, the
minister said. We want to be
very thorough.
The Bluens rst 16-hour
mission last week was aborted
because the water depth ex-
ceeded its 4.5 kilometre safety
limit. Johnston said it was
possible wreckage had been
missed in that deep water.
Analysis was continuing
of ight data and the appar-
ent black box beacon sig-
nals, Johnston said. We are
currently gathering all of the
facts together to mount a fur-
ther assault on the most likely
location, given all the facts,
he said.
A lot of this seabed has not
even been hydrographically
surveyed before . . . were y-
ing blind, he said, adding
that there were waters seven
kilometres deep in the area.
The air search for debris
would likely continue un-
til the announcement of a
new search phase next week,
Johnston said.
Radar and satellite signals
have shown the jet carry-
ing 239 passengers and crew
veered far off course for
unknown reasons during
its ight from Malaysia to
China. Analysis indicates it
would have run out of fuel in
the remote section of ocean
where the search has been
focused, but no debris has
yet been recovered.
Meanwhile, authorities are
investigating whether un-
identied material washed
up on the southwest coast of
Australia has any link to the
missing jetliner, ofcials said
yesterday.
Western Australia Police
have attended a report of
material washed ashore 10
kilometres east of Augusta
and have secured the mate-
rial, Australias Joint Agency
Coordination Centre said in a
statement.
The Australian Transport
Safety Bureau (ATSB) is exam-
ining photographs of the ma-
terial to determine whether it
has any links to the search for
the missing jet, it added. The
bureau has provided photo-
graphs of the material to the
Malaysian investigation team.
Its sufciently interesting
for us to take a look at the pho-
tographs, ATSB chief com-
missioner Martin Dolan told
broadcaster CNN, describing
the object as appearing to be
sheet metal with rivets.
But he added a note of cau-
tion: The more we look at it,
the less excited we get. THE
GUARDIAN/AFP
THAILANDS Constitutional Court yes-
terday gave crisis-mired Prime Minis-
ter Yingluck Shinawatra more time to
submit her defence against allegations
of abuse of power, which could see her
removed from office.
The premier, who is facing a cascade
of legal challenges to her tenure as well
as months of sometimes violent street
protests, must give her defence by
May 2, the court said in a statement.
The case pivots on the transfer of
then-national security chief Thawil
Pliensri after Yingluck was elected in
2011. A group of senators filed a com-
plaint to the court over Thawils trans-
fer, saying it was carried out for the
benefit of Yinglucks party.
Under the Thai constitution drawn
up after a 2006 coup that ousted
Yinglucks brother Thaksin Shina-
watra as premier such an offence
could lead to her sacking. The court
agreed to Yinglucks request for a
15-day extension which she made
last Friday and said it will hear four
more witnesses on May 6, including
Yingluck and Thawil.
But the statement did not indicate
when the court may deliver its ruling.
Thailands judicial agencies have
moved centre stage of the near-six
month political drama which has seen
months of protests, left the kingdom
without a fully functioning govern-
ment since December and seen a Feb-
ruary election annulled. Political vio-
lence has also left 25 people dead and
hundreds wounded, raising fears of a
wider conflict to come.
Yingluck is also accused of negligence
linked to a loss-making rice subsidy
scheme critics say engendered wide-
spread corruption. Either case could
lead to her removal from office and pro-
government supporters have upped
their rhetoric in anticipation of a knock-
out legal blow over coming weeks.
Prominent pro-government red
shirt activist Thida Thavornseth said
she expects the Constitutional Court
to rule against Yingluck in early May.
Until then we will travel to our prov-
inces to get our people ready to rally
. . . we will protect this government,
she said in a televised speech.
Mass protests by the red shirts in
2010 triggered a military crackdown
under the then Democrat Party gov-
ernment that left scores dead.
The backstory to the crisis is Thak-
sins removal from power in a 2006
coup which plunged the kingdom into
a downward spiral of political turmoil
from which it is yet to emerge.
Thailand has since been split by
rivalries broadly pitting the Bangkok-
based middle-class and establishment,
as well as staunchly royalist south,
against the north and northeastern
rural heartlands of the Shinawatra
clan. AFP
Operators on board ADF Ocean Shield moving US Navys Bluen-21 into position for deployment in the
search for missing Malaysia Airlines ight MH370. AFP
CHINA, the US, Japan and
more than a dozen other Asia-
Pacic countries have signed
a naval agreement aimed at
ensuring miscommunication
between ships at sea does not
escalate into conict.
The Code for Unplanned
Encounters at Sea, which was
agreed on Tuesday, would re-
duce the potential for situa-
tions to arise that could lead to
conict in busy sea lanes, the
state-run China Daily said.
China is embroiled in a se-
ries of disputes with territorial
with neighbours and also feels
threatened by an increase in
US naval power in the region.
In December, a US-guided
missile warship, the Cowpens,
had to make a sharp turn to
avoid colliding with a Chinese
naval ship that cut in front of
it, according to the Pentagon.
Gary Li, an analyst with the
consultancy IHS, described
the agreement as the ideal
thing for China to grab hold of
the rules of the road.
It is not some kind of com-
prehensive covers all code of
conduct. It is a mechanism to-
wards de-escalation, he said.
The agreement would al-
low redress for China if it was
blamed for an encounter,
Li said, adding that China
would also benet from the
agreement being exible,
given that it is not legally
binding. AFP
China and rivals sign
pact to ease tensions
Pirates kidnap three crew on
Singapore tanker off Malaysia
HEAVILY armed pirates have
boarded a Singapore-man-
aged tanker in the Strait of
Malacca, kidnapping three
Indonesian crew and stealing
some of its cargo of diesel
fuel, the International Mari-
time Bureau said yesterday.
The attack occurred early on
Tuesday off Malaysias west
coast, said Noel Choong, head
of the IMBs Kuala Lumpur-
based Piracy Reporting Centre.
The tanker was believed en
route to Myanmar.
A tanker was boarded by
about 12 heavily armed
pirates, a report from the
IMB said.
It added that the pirates
brought in other tankers that
pumped out some of the ves-
sels diesel and kidnapped
three crew members.
IMB is concerned about
the kidnapping of the three
senior Indonesian crew mem-
bers, Choong said, adding
that the ship was now berthed
off Port Klang in Malaysia for
investigations.
Malaysian media said the
crew only realised they had
been hijacked when they saw
about five or six men armed
with a pistol and a machete
aboard the ship.
The crew comprised Indo-
nesian, Thai, Myanmar and
Indian nationals.
No further details on the ves-
sel were provided.
Marine police gave the name
of the ship as the Naniwa
Maru 1, whose owner is from
Saint Kitts and Nevis but which
is Singapore-operated.
In previous attacks in the
region in recent years, pirates
had mostly stolen cargo but
not kidnapped any crew mem-
bers, Choong said.
The Strait of Malacca is a key
maritime highway linking
Europe and the Middle East to
Asia, and has long been a
hunting ground for pirates.
Attacks in the strait had
dropped in recent years fol-
lowing stepped-up patrols and
cooperation between neigh-
bouring countries to secure
waterways. AFP
15
World
US DEFENSE Secretary Chuck
Hagel got a rst-hand look at
a lifesize robot on Tuesday
that resembles Hollywoods
Terminator, the latest experi-
ment by the Pentagons hi-
tech researchers.
But unlike the cinematic
version, the hulking Atlas ro-
bot is designed not as a war-
rior but as a humanitarian
machine that would rescue
victims in the rubble of a nat-
ural disaster, ofcials said.
The 6-foot 2-inch (187-cen-
timetre) Atlas is one of the en-
trants in a contest designed to
produce a man-like lifesaver
machine, the brainchild of the
Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA).
The competition, which will
require the bots to navigate
rough terrain and enter build-
ings, was created in the after-
math of Japans Fukushima
quake and tsunami disasters.
DARPA, the Pentagons
research arm known for fu-
turistic projects often evok-
ing science ction, showed
off the Atlas robot to Hagel,
however except for LED light-
ing, the humanoid was ap-
parently switched off on a
static display.
Brad Tousley, head of
DARPAs Tactical Technology
Ofce, told Hagel that Holly-
wood has created unrealistic
expectations of what real ro-
bots can do.
Building robots that can
climb ladders, open doors and
carry objects requires daunt-
ing feats of engineering and
computer science, he said.
Scientists also showed Ha-
gel the latest technology for
prosthetics, including a me-
chanical hand that responds
to brain impulses and a
prosthetic arm controlled by
foot movements.
A wounded veteran who
once worked with Hagel in
the 1980s demonstrated one
of the devices, giving the Pen-
tagon chief a thumbs-up with
his prosthetic left arm.
Its the rst time in 45 years,
since Vietnam, Im able to use
my left hand . . . said Fred
Downs, who lost his limb in
a landmine explosion during
the war. AFP
Pentagons scientists
show off lifesize robot
Warrior stance
A Native American tribal leader sits on his horse in front of the US Capitol in Washington on Tuesday as the Cowboy and Indian Alliance
protests the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The demonstration was part of Reject and Protect, a weeklong series of actions by farmers,
ranchers and tribes against the tar sands oil pipeline from Canada to the US. AFP
Curse it! Your brain is hard-wired to swear
Trained navy dolphins will not accompany destroyer to Black Sea
M
OST of the time, words
behave themselves.
Theyre just a useful ar-
rangement of sounds
in our mouths, or letters on a page.
They have no intrinsic power to of-
fend. If someone told you skloop
was a vile swearword in some for-
eign language, with the power to
empty rooms, you might laugh.
How could an arbitrary combina-
tion of sounds have such force? But
then think of the worst swearwords
in your own language and you quick-
ly understand that something else is
at play here. Our reaction to them is
instant and emotional.
Which is why parents will not nec-
essarily rejoice at the ndings of a
study by Timothy Jay, who looked
at the range of bad words used by
children as young as 1. Between the
ages of 1 and 2, Jays experiments
showed that boys drew on a vocabu-
lary of six such words, girls eight. This
expanded rapidly, with ve to 6-year-
old boys using 34 words, and girls of
the same age 21.
Parents tend to want to protect
children from swearwords. But Jays
study suggests the impulse is futile,
at least if we believe itll stop them
learning the words at all.
What it might do, however, is
teach them about context. Theres a
time and a place for swearing, and
a sense of taboo can help children
understand that society expects dif-
ferent standards of behaviour in dif-
ferent surroundings.
But this leaves us with some un-
answered questions: why are certain
words considered dangerous in the
rst place? And why, when they are,
do they seem to possess that special
raw power?
Surveys of swearwords, which
seem to be in all cultures, have di-
vided them into the deistic those
related to religion and the visceral
those related to the body. Fear and
awe cling pretty closely to religion.
And disgust, shame and the high-
stakes business of sex all play out in
the territory of the body. Words used
in deistic or visceral contexts naturally
get linked with these emotions too.
But the magic really happens as
those links become entrenched.
Somehow the words get dragged out
of the linguistic realm, and into the
emotional quite literally. People
who have experienced brain dam-
age in certain areas of the left hemi-
sphere, which is the seat of language
in most right-handed people, may
nd themselves unable to form sen-
tences, but able to swear.
While parts of the highly evolved
cortex may be destroyed, areas that
developed earlier in our history
the limbic system and basal ganglia,
which mediate emotion and habitu-
al movements remain intact. This
is where swearwords seem to live, in
the animal part of the brain that once
gave rise to howls of pain and grunts
of frustration and pleasure.
Now, human culture has changed
a lot over the years, and gone down
some pretty weird avenues. A core
of things we consider dangerous re-
mains consistent across time and
space, but there are some unusual
examples of taboos you may not
recognise. Do they send a charge
through your limbic system?
The bear
We may laugh now humans have
the upper hand, but for much of our
evolution we were prey to large, un-
forgiving animals. As a result, the
words used to name such beasts as
the bear itself became taboo. Many
European languages label bears eu-
phemistically in Russian medvedev
means honey eater, and bear itself
means brown as a direct reference
was considered too unpleasant.
The dead
Many cultures have practised a
prohibition on the use of a dead
persons name or even words that
sound similar to it. According to
James Frazer in The Golden Bough,
the chief motive was fear of evoking
the ghost.
Linguist Robert Trask records that
in 1975 when a speaker of an Aus-
tralasian language, whose given
name was Djayila, died, the fre-
quently used verb djal, meaning to
want had to be abandoned and re-
placed with a word borrowed from a
neighbouring community.
The name of God
In various religions it is forbidden
not just to take a deitys name in vain,
but to use it at all. For practical pur-
poses, an indirect name may serve.
The Hindu god Shiva (whose name
means something like kind or gra-
cious) originated as a way of referring
to his forerunner Rudra.
It is not known how the name of
the Hebrew god was pronounced as
it was subject to a taboo, and only the
consonants, YHWH, were recorded.
When reading the Torah, Jews appar-
ently say Adonai, a word meaning
master instead.
. . . and nally: resorting to clicks
Bantu languages in southern Af-
rica use unique click consonants
borrowed from nearby Khoisan
languages. These Bantu speakers
encode many strong cultural ta-
boos in their linguistic behaviour;
even words which sound like unac-
ceptable ones, such as the names of
dead relatives, may be jettisoned.
Over time, this can limit the expres-
sive power of the language, to the
extent a new range of sounds may
be drafted in to help. Hence, the
clicks. THE GUARDIAN
HOWEVER ominously mar-
tial Russias actions towards
Ukraine have become, the
next combatants in the crisis
will not be the US navys eet
of dolphins.
Yes, the navy trains and
keeps dolphins, whose power-
ful echolocation abilities help
sailors spot suspicious un-
dersea objects that might be
mines. The marine mammal
are the aquatic equivalent of
the dogs, whose sophisticated
sense of smell has aided in the
hunt for homemade insurgent
bombs on land.
But, contrary to reports, the
dolphins are not accompany-
ing the USS Donald Cook to
the Black Sea.
Russias Izvestia newspaper
recently asserted that a team
of US dolphins had formed a
maritime security perimeter
around the Cook, a guided
missile destroyer the US re-
cently sent to international
waters near Ukraine.
Last week, Russian ghter
jets passed over the warship
in a move the Pentagon con-
sidered a provocation, but it
is unclear what the dolphins
would have done to confront
Russian airpower.
The question is moot, since,
according to the navy, the dol-
phins were never alongside
the Cook in the rst place.
There is no truth to this re-
port, a navy spokeswoman
said. There will probably be no
truth to the next one, either.
The navys marine mammal
program, based in San Di-
ego, leverages the sonar-like
echolocation of bottlenose
dolphins to detect submerged
objects that might be mines or
suspicious swimmers. It also
trains California sea lions
the animal kingdoms marines
to rush to the scene of the
potential danger, though usu-
ally retrieval missions are left
to the larger mammals who
serve as the navys explosive-
ordnance disposal divers. In
all, the program trains about
120 dolphins and sea lions.
The sea lions have excellent
low-light vision, complement-
ing the dolphins echolocation
sensing. Both animals possess
submerged maneuverability
skills and a resistance to un-
dersea pressure that humans
nd difcult to withstand.
The dolphins and sea lions
are rarely deployed. In addi-
tion to worldwide demon-
strations and exhibitions, the
vast majority of actual naval
dolphin operations are con-
ducted in US harbours and
ports, Ed Budzyna, a spokes-
man for the naval marine
mammal program, said.
As far as being deployed to
other regions and areas, that
doesnt really happen, Budzy-
na said. I dont believe they
were ever at the Black Sea.
Even if they were, they would
make poor scouts. Even the
best trained dolphins cannot
distinguish between friendly
and adversarial vessels. And a
host of laws prevent the navy
from using its dolphins as
mammalian shields. Yet the
rumours of the US navys at-
tack dolphin eet persist.
Obviously theres a market
for them, because they appear
periodically, Budzyna said. It
makes a good story. However,
it is easy to debunk.
Still, while dolphins may
not serve alongside US war-
ships in an ofcial capacity,
occasionally dolphins take it
upon themselves to act as un-
paid privateers.
During a May 2012 voyage
of the fast-attack submarine
USS Mississippi alongside the
southern Atlantic coast, a crew
of dolphins outraced the 377-
foot boat, hailing it by per-
forming ips worthy of a Sea
World show. Sailors aboard
the Mississippi said their dol-
phin honour guard was not an
infrequent occurrence, as the
dolphins can be fascinated by
what they perhaps perceive as
an impossibly large cousin.
Such impromptu encoun-
ters are the closest the navy
comes to subjecting the
bottlenose dolphin to the
horrors of maritime warfare,
in the Black Sea or elsewhere.
THE GUARDIAN
Opinion
16
EDITORIALPERSONNEL
Publisher
Chris Dawe
Editor-in-Chief
ChadWilliams
Editor-in-Chief WeekendPost
AlanParkhouse
Editor-in-Chief Post Khmer
Kay Kimsong
ManagingEditorPost Khmer
SamRith
Chief of Staff
CheangSokha
DeputyChief of Staff
Chhay Channyda
National NewsEditor
ShaneWorrell
National Assignment Editor
JoeFreeman
Digital MediaDirector
DavidBoyle
DeputyNewsEditor
VongSokheng
BusinessEditorPost Khmer
May Kunmakara
PropertyEditor
Pisei Hin
ForeignNewsEditor
JoeCurtin
SportsEditor
DanRiley
PictureEditor
Scott Howes
Lifestyleand7DaysEditor
Poppy McPherson
DeputyHeadof LifestyleDesk
PanSimala
Chief Sub-editor
Michael Philips
Sub-editors
LaigneeBarron, Daniel deCarteret, AliceCuddy,
Will Jackson, EddieMorton, Bennett Murray,
KevinPonniah, Daniel Pye, ShaneRothery, Sean
Teehan, SamWheeler, Stuart White, Emily Wight,
AmeliaWoodside
Reporters
KhouthSophakChakrya, SenDavid, HorKimsay,
ButhReaksmeyKongkea, MomKunthear, Khoun
Leakhana, LiengSarith, KimSarom, PhakSeangly,
MeasSokchea, ChhimSreyneang, MayTitthara
Photographers
HengChivoan, PhaLina, HongMenea, Sreng
MengSrun, VireakMai
WebEditor
LeangPhannara
Webmasters
UongRatana, HorngPengly
SIEMREAPBUREAU
BureauChief
Peter Olszewski
OfceManager
ThikSkaline
DistributionManager
SengSech
Reporters
ThikKaliyann, MirandaGlasser
MarketingExecutive
SophearithBlondeel
PRODUCTION&PRINTING
Headof DesktopPublishing
NhimSokphyrak
DesktopPublishing
SuonSavatdy, ChumSokunthy, AimValinda,
DanhBorath
GRAPHICDESIGNER
TepThoeunThyda, Hasoh, Borin, Meng
HEADOFFICE
Post Media Co, Ltd.
888, Building F, 8th oor,
PhnomPenh Center,
Cnr Sothearos &Sihanouk Blvd,
Chamkarmon, PhnomPenh, Cambodia
Tel: 023 214 311, 0214 311-017
Fax: 023 214 318
SIEMREAP
No 629, Street 6 DangkumCommune
Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590
Chief ExecutiveOfcer
Chris Dawe
SALESDEPARTMENT
National SalesDirector
BoromChea
Account Directors
ChapNarith
Post KhmerSalesManager
TounChanreaksmey
Digital SalesManager
Soy Sontery
CIRCULATION&DISTRIBUTION
CirculationDirector
SopheaKalvinHeng
CirculationSupervisor
Chally, Rithy
DistributionManager
Meas Thy
ADMINISTRATION
HRManager
PichSocheat
HRExecutive
NeangSopheap
AssistantstoHRManager
Lay Sopanha
Financial Director
HeangTangmeng
Chief Accountant
SrenVicheka
Treasurers
SokSophorn, YonSovannara, CheamSopheak
ITManager
SengNak, VongOun
TOCONTACTUS
newsroom@phnompenhpost.com
advertising@phnompenhpost.com
subscription@phnompenhpost.com
webmaster@phnompenhpost.com
www.phnompenhpost.com
Post MediaCo, Ltd
The Phnom Penh Post is wholly owned
and printed by Post Media Co Ltd. The title
The Phnom Penh Post in either English or
Khmer languages, its associated logos or
devices and the contents of this publica-
tion may not be reproduced in whole or in
part without the written consent of Post
Media Co Ltd.
U
S PRESIDENT Barack
Obama is visiting Tokyo at
a unique moment in my
countrys history, with
Japans economy moving onto a sta-
ble growth path that will take advan-
tage of its geographic position. Japan
no longer considers itself the Far
East; rather, we are at the very centre
of the Pacific Rim, and a neighbour to
the worlds growth centre stretching
from Southeast Asia to India.
There can be little doubt that this
growth centre will continue to propel
Japans economy for the foreseeable
future. Japanese direct investment is
expanding in Vietnam and India, for
example, which will boost demand
for Japanese tools and capital goods.
But, to maximise its opportunities,
Japan must open its economy further
and become a country that actively
incorporates capital, human resourc-
es and wisdom from abroad. Japan
must be a country capable of growing
by channelling the vitality of Asia.
To this end, we have sharply accel-
erated the pace of negotiations on
economic partnership agreements, or
EPAs, with various partners around
the world. Earlier this month, Austral-
ian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and I
reached agreement in principle on a
Japan-Australia EPA. Next in line is
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),
which would unite 12 countries in the
worlds largest trading area.
Both Japan and the United States
attach great importance to rules,
uphold the principles of freedom and
democracy, and possess the most
advanced technologies and indus-
tries. We intend to overcome our dif-
ferences and together forge, in the
form of the TPP, a 21st-century eco-
nomic order for Asia and the Pacific
that will serve as an unshakable foun-
dation for growth.
My government is also pushing
hard to realise an EPA with the Euro-
pean Union. Given that the US and
the EU already are engaged in trade
talks, an EPA between Japan and the
EU, coupled with the TPP, will give
rise to an immense market a single
enormous growth engine that will
benefit the entire global economy.
But Japans economic frontiers
extend well beyond Asia and the
Pacific, to Latin America and Africa
more reason to abandon our long-
held inward-looking perspective. A
large number of highly motivated and
ambitious young people have already
come to Japan from around the
world, especially from neighbouring
Asian countries, to study or work.
Japan must remain their hope. We
must not be disrespectful of them,
and our arms must always be wide
open towards them. Japan, I believe,
is that kind of country.
In the near future, we will designate
six National Strategic Economic
Growth Areas Tokyo, Kansai,
Okinawa prefecture, and the cities of
Niigata, Yabu and Fukuoka to serve
as models for the rest of the country.
In health care, education, agriculture
and employment practices we are
identifying policies that have fallen
out of step with todays needs, and we
will move quickly to reform them. The
National Strategic Economic Growth
Areas will insert the probe of reform
down into our regulatory system,
which has hardened into bedrock.
Another habit that Japanese must
change is our pervasive male-orient-
ed thinking. We have already resolved
to ensure that at least 30 per cent of
all personnel hired by the national
government are women. I am also
now urging publicly traded compa-
nies to add at least one woman as a
board member. Once we reach the
point at which it is no longer news to
have a woman or a non-Japanese
serving as a CEO, Japan will have rein-
vented itself and recovered its true
spirit of risk-taking and innovation.
Womenomics tells us that a socie-
ty in which women are dynamically
engaged will also have a higher birth
rate. My government intends to
address, urgently, the need to expand
day care facilities and other such
infrastructure as the foundation for a
society that benefits from all of its
members skills and talents.
We are fully capable of change;
indeed, we relish it. But some things
about Japan are unchanging, and
some must not be changed.
One of these is our track record,
which supports our ambition to be a
proactive contributor to peace.
Japan has made more than its fair
share of financial contributions to the
United Nations and its organisations,
both historically and today. And our
embrace of our global responsibilities
extends to Japans Self-Defense Forc-
es. Members of the Self-Defense Forc-
es displayed exemplary cooperation
with the US and Australian armed
forces in the wake of the Great East
Japan Earthquake in 2011, and they
have earned deep appreciation and
respect everywhere they have been
deployed, including Haiti, Indonesia
and, most recently, the Philippines.
To make a contribution to peace
means that Japan will bear its own
share of responsibility for assuring
the security that supports global
prosperity and stability. Working
alongside countries with which we
share values and interests, we will
safeguard and cultivate international
public goods, ranging from space and
cyberspace to the skies and the seas.
As the world has seen during
Obamas visit, Japan is back and thriv-
ing. And its return is indispensable for
global prosperity. PROJECT SYNDICATE
Comment
Shinzo Abe
Japans second opening
US President Barack Obama listens to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a meeting in The Hague on March 25. AFP
Shinzo Abe is the prime minister of Japan.
17
Lifestyle Lifestyle
In brief
Local filmmakers short
to get Cannes screening
CAMBODIAN-French
filmmaker Davy Chous short
film 2099 is to screen during
the 2014 Cannes Film
Festivals prestigious Directors
Fortnight sidebar. Chou is best
know for his film about
Cambodias golden age of
filmmaking, Golden Slumbers.
The Directors Fortnight
sidebar is an independent
section held in parallel to the
Cannes Film Festival to help
critics and audiences discover
new filmmakers and films. In
the past it has showcased the
first films of Werner Herzog,
Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
Nagisa Oshima, George Lucas,
Martin Scorsese, Ken Loach,
Jim Jarmusch, Michael
Haneke, Chantal Akerman,
Spike Lee and more. This
years sidebar will also feature
films from the UKs John
Boorman and Frances Bruno
Dumont. WILL JACKSON
Bieber visits contentious
Japanese war shrine
THE Justin Bieber courted
controversy once again
yesterday, posting a picture of
a Japanese war shrine after
an apparent visit to the spot
that counts convicted war
criminals among the fallen
warriors it honours. The
Canadian pop prince posted
the snap of the Yasakuni
shrine on his Instagram
account tweeting the link to
his 51 million Twitter followers
but later took it down.
Thank you for your blessings,
the 20-year-old star tweeted
with a picture showing the
backs of two people standing
in front of the shrine pavilion.
The post sparked a backlash,
including in South Korea and
China, where the shrine is
seen as a symbol of Japans
perceived lack of penitence for
its imperialist past. AFP
Student movies to be
shown in Bangkok
THE Bangkok International
Student Film Festival will
return with new works by
talented entrants from around
the world next week. The fifth
consecutive BISFF 2014 will
screen a selection of 160 of the
1,148 entries submitted from
120 film schools and univer-
sities across the globe. Ten
Thai universities also partici-
pated. The opening ceremony
will take place at the Centre
for Cinematic and Digital Arts
at Bangkok University, Rangsit
Campus, on April 28 at 1pm.
The premiere screening of the
winning films from the two
categories International and
Thai will follow at 3.30pm.
The festival will continue with
screenings of films selected by
a jury of 12 veterans from
Thailand and overseas, plus a
special program of ASEAN-
themed movies, experimental
films and animations, at the
Bangkok Art and Culture
Centre on Pathumwan
intersection, from April
29-May 4. BANGKOK POST
Posting pictures of chidren
online has dark ramifications
Napamon Roongwitoo

T
HERES something
about social media
that shows us the
darker side of our so-
ciety, thanks to the anonym-
ity of users. On one hand, it
is good to know what others
honestly think. On the other,
the truth can be downright
terrifying, such as the issue
of pedophilia.
The topic is nothing new
newspaper headlines are con-
stant reminders of its existence
in our society. Before the inter-
net boom, we only heard con-
demning words about these
criminals. Now the way people
communicate has changed
and evil thoughts emerge on
social media.
The recent talk about Iraqs
draft law to allow girls as young
as 9 years old to marry has
raised a few eyebrows in Thai-
land, not only the law itself but
in the way some Thais reacted
to the news. There are raunchy
comments, for example, on
a Facebook page called Loli
Little, a reference to Lolita, a
novel in which the adult male
protagonist is obsessed with
a 12-year-old girl. Some of the
users praised the idea and said
they hoped Thailand would
consider legalising child mar-
riage as well. Some even joked
that they would y to Iraq so
they could legally sleep with a
9-year-old.
While it is unfathomable
whether the comments were
honest opinions or merely
sick jokes, the discussion high-
lighted the fact that there are
people who nd young chil-
dren sexually attractive. Some
compare sexual attraction to
children to homosexuality. In
the past, people did not accept
homosexuals, but today same
sex marriage is ne, reads one
comment on the page. Sex-
ual preference is a personal
choice. Whats wrong with be-
ing attracted to children?
Nothing scares parents of
young children more than
the realisation that there are
ill-minded people out there
who would harm their kids.
But ironically, what modern
day parents do can actually
put their children in danger
the simple act of posting pic-
tures of their children online,
equipped with location and
personal information may
not be as cute as they intend.
Kanya*, whose 2-year-old
girl is adored by her friends,
nds it perfectly harmless to
post pictures of her daughter
on Facebook. She posts two
pictures a day on average,
mostly generic photos of her
girl doing daily activities such
as eating, talking a walk, sleep-
ing and taking a bath com-
pletely naked.
I set my Facebook privacy
to private so I am not wor-
ried that strangers will see
the pictures or steal them,
the mother said. When asked
whether she knew for sure
the friends she tagged had the
same privacy setting for their
accounts, she could not an-
swer. When asked whether she
ever thought of the possibility
pedophiles might get hold of
the pictures of her daughter in
the bath tub, she admitted she
never thought of that.
Shes not alone. Most par-
ents today post pictures and
videos of their children on so-
cial media, whether its to keep
friends and family members
updated about the childs life
or to feed that mental hunger
for Likes to prove their own
or their childs popularity.
Anchalee*, who has a half-
European daughter, also
thinks that opening a Face-
book account for her daugh-
ter and posting pictures of
her 1-year-old would lead the
child to stardom. Ive seen
many mothers posting pic-
tures of their adorable chil-
dren on Pantips parenting fo-
rum or who have fanpages on
Facebook, and their children
become famous, she said. I
hope my daughter can one day
become a child model, too.
Maja Cubarrubia, country
director at Plan International
(Thailand), said parents and
society in general need to
acknowledge that technol-
ogy and social media are here
to stay. There will always be
technological advances that
will inuence peoples ways of
connecting and relating with
the rest of the world.
Technology, and that in-
cludes social media, is now
the new tool for learning and if
used properly, it can help chil-
dren and young people reach
their full potential and be-
come productive members of
society, Cubarrubia said. But
we need to be aware that there
are bad people around who
can hurt children and young
people, whether virtually on
Facebook or elsewhere.
A simple Google search
can reveal the ugly side of the
world. There are many web
boards and sites containing
child porn and disgusting,
perverted sexual comments
about such pictures. Unfor-
tunately, many parents are
not even aware of this twilight
zone. Pictures of your children
can end up there, because in
cyberspace, nothing is ever
truly private.
Suchada* posted a picture
of her daughter swimming
over two years ago. One day,
her friend sent her a link that
shocked her. It was an online
swimsuit shop and it used my
daughters picture. I was hor-
ried to see that. I would not
want the world to see me in a
swimsuit and I felt really bad
that I exposed my daughter
to such a thing. I have no idea
how they got that picture I
only posted it on Facebook. I
contacted the website and al-
though they did not reply, they
took down the picture.
The public at large is some-
times not aware enough of pe-
dophilia, and many childrens
activities do not take it into
account. There are photo con-
tests urging parents to submit
pictures of their children in
swimsuits or in the shower to
win prizes, and many parents
happily oblige. Most of them
dont even bother to ask how
the pictures will be used.
If you think it is a far-fetched
matter that wont happen to
your child, here are a few ex-
amples of what online posting
can lead to.
In 2012, a Boston CBS sta-
tion reported that Facebook
photos of local teenage girls
were copied and posted on
a pornography website. And
its not only pedophiles who
might have their eyes on those
pictures your enemies could
use your child as revenge.
In 2012, it was reported that
a teenager, angry at a reporter
who wrote an article about un-
derage drinking, harassed and
threatened the reporters chil-
dren via Facebook.
Such cases have not yet been
reported in Thailand, but they
can happen anywhere.
Just like many countries, it
is not unthinkable that there
will be cases in Thailand of
bullying of young people be-
cause of what has been posted
on social media or pictures
of naked children being sold
to pedophiles, for example,
Cubarrubia said. With de-
tailed information on a child,
ill-meaning people can track
them down and do physical
harm, or can use the informa-
tion for things that will ben-
et them without the child or
the family knowing anything
about it. BANGKOK POST
* Names have been changed
to protect privacy.
Many parents are not aware of the dangers of posting photos of their children on social media websites. AFP
INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS
Never create a Facebook ac-
count for your children. Never
put personal information on
Facebook, including your childs
full name, birth date, daily rou-
tine and whereabouts
Checking in is actually a point-
less thing to do. There is no need
to tell the world where you are.
Nothing good comes of it and
you might be providing stalkers
with crucial information.
Never post pictures of your
children naked, such as while
taking a shower, or wearing a
swimsuit. These pictures only
embarrass your children later.
Ask yourself if my child could
decide, would he or she post
this picture?
On Facebook, if you post pic-
tures of your child, do not tag
people, because you never
know their privacy setting.
Only post pictures on private
platforms. Do not post them on
public forums or send pictures
to contests. Even with big
companies, there is no guaran-
tee that they will protect your
pictures. BANGKOKPOST
Motoring
18
Jazzy BMW i3 designed with the
needs of city commuters in mind
Jason H Harper

A
UTOMAKERS love
concept cars and, as
per usual, we found
an oddity or two at
last weeks New York Interna-
tional Auto Show.
Bayerische Motoren Werke
AG (BMW) has teased its own
oddity at various auto shows
for the past three years, a
snub-nosed electric vehicle
called the i3. It looked as akin
to a regular Bimmer sedan as a
duck to a platypus.
Go gure that the i3 heads
to US showrooms in May. Of-
cially a ve-door model that
seats four, its roughly the same
size as a Mini Cooper Country-
man. With a starting price of
$41,350, its far pricier than the
Mini despite a limited range of
100 miles (161 kilometers) or
less on a full charge.
Designers at Munich-based
BMW went for full-on funky.
The novelty factor is an-
nounced in every angle and
detail. A jarring juxtaposition
of irregularly shaped body
panels, shiny glass and tall
skinny tyres, the i3 is a free-
form jazz composition, some-
times groovy and other times
squealing and dissonant. Pass-
ersby do an amusing double
take, but time will tell whether
the i3 will age gracefully or
grate on the eye.
The electric motor is in the
rear and produces 170 horse-
power and 184 pound-feet of
torque. A 22-kilowatt-hour
lithium battery pack that
weighs 200 kilograms runs un-
der the oor.
The vehicle has two full-size
doors and two sub-doors with
rear-facing hinges that open
suicide style. The front doors
have to be opened rst. When
you do open the doors, youll
notice that the sill is an un-
painted strip of carbon ber,
one of the cars calling cards.
The interior is as novel as
the exterior. My test model
had the Giga World-level in-
terior, a $1,700 surcharge over
the base i3. Its an unlikely mix
of unvarnished eucalyptus,
wool cloth infused with re-
cycled plastic and a hemplike
material. Think of a science-
ction design seen through a
1950s lens. Steampunk for the
Mad Men set.
I liked it. There is no centre
console separating driver from
passenger an advantage of
an electric vehicles mechani-
cal design so theres copious
foot room. The roof is tall and
the front window large. The
airiness is one of the most de-
sirable aspects of the car.
The back seats are cramped,
though, and the rear windows
dont roll down. Rear storage
space is also compromised.
In fact, the car is a series of
compromises. While Tesla Mo-
tors Inc has proved that its
possible to make a desirable
electric sports sedan the
Model S is a competitor with
the BMW M5 the i3 is a dif-
ferent proposition altogether.
As a city vehicle, its mandate
is circumscribed. With the
smaller (and easier to park)
footprint, comes less space,
a smaller motor and battery
pack, and reduced range.
In the future, the i3 will also
be available with a 34-horse-
power, two-cylinder gasoline
engine expressly used to re-
charge the batteries on the go
in emergency conditions. The
range extender option will cost
about $3,800.
Unlike, say, Daimler Ags tiny
Smart, the i3 does ne on the
highway, though top speed is
limited to 93 mph. (The doors
clunk with authority; this feels
like a real car.) Its even rear-
wheel drive, like any BMW
should be. Less pleasing was
the synthetic and twitchy elec-
tric steering.
Owners of the i3 will need to
change their style of driving,
as the system relies heavily on
regenerative braking. In effect,
every time you take your foot
off the accelerator pedal, es-
pecially in slower trafc, the
car radically slows, sending
extra juice to the batteries. The
upside is you nd that youll
usually drive using just the ac-
celerator pedal and only using
the brake for sudden stops. Its
quite elegant.
As far as BMW-worthy thrills,
the electric motor delivers its
full torque from the moment
you step on the accelerator,
so the car is very quick up to
about 40 mph. This is brilliant
in New York City trafc, where
zipping into spaces is an art.
The turning radius is also tight.
No question, the i3 is a fabu-
lous city car. BLOOMBERG
The BMW i3 electric vehicle sits on display at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show in November. BLOOMBERG
Audi takes step into the future with virtual cockpit
Samuel Gibbs
THE design of Audis celebrated TT took just four
weeks to create in 1995. Now the German auto-
motive giant has spent five years updating it for
the smartphone generation.
Audis TT sports car started life as concept
developed in the 1990s a sporty coupe built
atop Audis common platform underpinning
the Golf among others.
An update to the TT was released in 2006,
which brought the coupe into line with Audis
range at the time, with a slightly sharper look
and better performance. Now, after a five-year
design process that included three years of
painstaking discussion and workshops agonis-
ing over every little detail, a new TT is ready.
On the outside it is sharper, more taught,
aggressive and masculine looking; an inten-
tional shift to position the TT as a legitimate
sports car behind the R8 in the Audi lineup,
according to Dany Garand, lead exterior
designer of the TT.
Audi has dragged the car out of the analogue
world, doing away with the traditional lineup of
fixed needles, gauges and dials that sit in front
of the driver. Instead, information like the cars
speed, fuel level and revolutions per minute is
beamed from a high resolution LCD screen to
create a customisable virtual cockpit.
The virtual cockpit puts everything in front of
the driver. Two separate systems one isolated
safety system, which displays things like the
rev counter and speedo, and the internet-con-
nected infotainment system are fused onto
one screen.
The standard view displays the familiar dials
and gauges found in most cars, but the central
fuel monitor can be swapped out for a list of
music tracks, a list of contacts or calls from a
Bluetooth phone, or a mini satellite-view map
pulled live from Google Earth.
Drivers can also control almost any function
using natural language voice control, much like
Apples personal digital assistant Siri.
You can just say I have to talk to Peter, call
Peter and then just say yes when the system
asks if you want to phone Peter, said Dr Andre
Ebner, head of Audis development of onboard
systems. Theres no more fixed and clunky
dialogues just talk to it like you would a
human. THE GUARDIAN
Google Earth is displayed in the Audi TTs new virtual cockpit on the 12.3-inch, high-resolution screen located
on the drivers console. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Travel
19
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 ..34..7 16:10 22:45 QR 964 ..34..7 01:05 14:30
QR 967 12...6. 22:40 05:20+1 QR 966 12...6. 07:25 20:50
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 ..34..7 16:10 17:10 QR 604 ..34..7 13:30 14:30
QR 967 12...6. 22:40 23:40 QR 966 12...6. 19:50 20:50
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
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
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
No. 296 Blvd. Mao Tse Toung
(St. 245), Ground oor,
Intercontinental Hotel PP
Tel: +23 42 40 12/13/14
www.qatarairways.com
MyanmarAirwaysInternational
#90+92+94Eo, St. 217,
Sk. Orussey4, Kh. 7 Makara,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
T:023 881 178 | F:023 886 677
www.maiair.com
Dragon Air (KA)
#168, Monireth, PP
Tel: 023 424 300
Fax: 023 424 304
www.dragonair.com/kh
Tiger airways
G. oor, Regency square,
Suare, Suite #68/79, St.205,
Sk Chamkarmorn, PP
Tel: (855) 95 969 888
(855) 23 5515 888/5525888
E: info@cambodiaairlines.net

Koreanair (KE)
Room.F3-R03, Intelligent Ofce
Center, Monivong Blvd,PP
Tel: (855) 23 224 047-9
www.koreanair.com
Cebu Pacic (5J)
Phnom Penh: No. 333B
Monivong Blvd. Tel: 023 219161
SiemReap: No. 50,Sivatha Blvd.
Tel: 063 965487
E-mail: cebuair@ptm-travel.com
www.cebupacicair.com
SilkAir (MI)
Regency C,Unit 2-4, Tumnorb
Teuk, Chamkarmorn
Phnom Penh
Tel:023 988 629
www.silkair.com
AIRLINES CODE COLOUR CODE
2817 - 16 Tigerairways KA - Dragon Air 1 Monday
5J - CEBU Airways. MH - Malaysia Airlines 2 Tuesday
AK - Air Asia MI - SilkAir 3 Wednesday
BR - EVA Airways OZ - Asiana Airlines 4 Thursday
CI - China Airlines PG - Bangkok Airways 5 Friday
CZ - China Southern QR - Qatar Airways 6 Saturday
FD - Thai Air Asia QV - Lao Airlines 7 Sunday
FM - Shanghai Air SQ - Singapore Airlines
K6- Cambodia Angkor Air TG - Thai Airways | VN - Vietnam Airlines
This ight schedule information is updated about once a month. Further information,
please contact direct to airline or a travel agent for ight schedule information.
SIEMREAP- MANILA MANILA- SIEMREAP
5J 258 2.4.7 22:30 02:11 5J 257 2.4.7 19:45 21:30
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
K6 130 1-3-5 12:55 13:55 K6 131 1-3-5 11:20 12:20
A view of San Sebastian from Igeldo Mountain. PHOTO SUPPLIED
A foodie bike
ride through
San Sebastian
Benjamin Haworth

I
AM in the Basque coun-
try, eating the best food
Ive ever had. Im not yet
in the fabled foodie heav-
en of San Sebastian, but sit-
ting, sweating and exhausted
halfway up a mountain, eating
what is essentially an omelette
sandwich. It is amazing.
The day begins in mellow
fashion in the lovely harbour
at Hondarribia, right on the
French border east of San
Sebastian. My biking buddy
Ed and I fuel our bodies with
caffeine, breakfasting mainly
on powerful but strangely
sweet cortados (a kind of mini-
cappuccino) in one of many
pretty cafes. Our heart rates
sufciently jumpy, we head off
to meet Doug, our guide.
Were trying one of his one-
day rides, and our goal is San
Sebastian, 35km along the
coast. Pungent aromas from
trailside owers and bushes
waft over us. The surf crashes
away down below us.
Mountain biking is unparal-
leled in its ability to take you
through a landscape. We ride
through bamboo copses and
lush meadows, passing wind-
sculpted bedrock and craggy
clifftops. Its almost draining
in its beauty.
At the 20km mark, all this
cycling is taking its toll. We
reach the top of a particularly
stiff peak and Doug points at
something in the distance. It is
a cafe. Exhausted, we high-tail
it down a sinuous sliver of a
path. Its here I enjoy the om-
elette sandwich. I shall never
forget it. The cafe, called Can-
tina de Jaizkibel, sits above the
shing town of Pasai Doni-
bane. As we wolf down our
food, local families are enjoy-
ing lunch. Tray after tray of
amazing dishes lamb, ribs
and steaks pass before us.
Duly refuelled we continue
on along the beautiful coast.
The trail spits us out in Pasai
Donibane, where we board
a tiny ferry for a two-minute
journey over the Oyarzun riv-
er, with the Atlantic beating at
the mouth of the estuary.
A lengthy climb through
juicy woodland takes us to the
nal stretch. Suddenly, San
Sebastian appears. One sec-
ond we are hacking through
swoopy forest, and the next
we are on the beach at Gros,
just east of the city, having
a cana (beer) with the surf-
ers at Cerveceria Monpas
(Paseo de Jose Miguel Baran-
diaran), abbergasted that
such a wild landscape can sit
so close to a big old place like
San Sebastian.
We celebrate our mini ad-
venture by visiting some of the
citys famous pintxos bars. No
one bats an eyelid as we lean
the bikes up against walls or
tables. We wander from place
to place, down winding al-
leyways, feasting on different
small plates of deliciousness
at each one.
And although the omelette
sandwich will live long in my
memory, what we eat in San
Sebastian is even more mind-
blowing. We feast on blue
cheese and anchovy creations
in the family cubbyhole of Bar
Irrintz and enjoy the drama
of lobster with dry-iced rose-
water at modern Bar Zeruko.
We then move on to baked
cheesecake from Bar La Vina
with a snifter of raisin-y Pe-
dro Ximenez wine and sup
real ale at Never Stop. But the
solomillo (sirloin steak) at
the busy Gandarias is prob-
ably the best meal Ive ever
had. THE GUARDIAN
Entertainment
20
Thinking caps
ACROSS
1 Desert plants
6 Shah Jahans building site
10 GOP rival
13 Hearing-related
14 Opposing sides
15 Martial arts school
16 They may break your bones?
19 Large handbag
20 Beginning of a conclusion
21 Draw forth
22 Abbreviation meaning and
others
24 Type of pine
25 Honey holder
27 Open truck
31 Leave out in pronunciation
33 Guided trip
34 Employed
38 Furniture makers adhesive
41 Dispatched
42 Cambodian coin
43 Fingerprint part
44 Airline passenger status,
sometimes
46 Remote control abbr.
47 Grassy Argentine plains
51 Poker buy-in
53 Lacking
human warmth
54 All 52 cards
57 Difficult duty
60 Dairy offering
63 ___ Tu (70s hit)
64 Prefix meaning trillion
65 Certain Arabian
Peninsula native
66 Hotel units (abbr.)
67 Container of pre-plumbing days
68 Imitative birds
DOWN
1 Start fishing
2 Prefix for pilot
3 Touchstone
4 Be silent, in music
5 Sort or kind
6 Whence to admire from, for some
7 Bad sound at a talent show
8 Modernize, as a room
9 Biblical mount
10 Car trick, briefly
11 Kick out
12 Take ones time walking
15 Winged one in Wonderland
17 Do a spokespersons job
18 Watch the bar or the goal
23 Words on Marine posters
24 Adjust letter spacing in type
25 Rosh Hashanah observers
26 ___ vera
28 Open central courts
29 Kind of booth or opposition
30 Musclemans pride
32 Banned insecticides letters
34 Vocalized grunt
35 Native of Ljubljana
36 Widely used currency
37 Farmers locale in song
39 Uneaten morsels
40 Acting lover of Charles II
44 Sometimes-cracked container
45 One way to cook clams
47 It loses to scissors
48 Car buyers option
49 Memorable Heston role
50 Theyre often placed on the back
burner
52 The Whos rock opera
54 Obtained water from a well
55 Ireland, another way
56 Powerful businessperson
58 Arm bone
59 Helicopter runners
61 All-terrain vehicle, briefly
62 One of baseballs DiMaggio
brothers
ATTACHMENTS
wednesdays solution wednesdays solution
LEGEND CINEMA
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the
modern world and battles a new threat from old
history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter
Soldier. Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L Jackson and
Scarlett Johansson.
City Mall: 9:30am, 2:25pm, 7:20pm
Tuol Kork: 11:55am, 4:35pm, 7:20pm, 9:30pm
DIVERGENT
In a world divided by factions based on virtues,
Tris learns shes Divergent and wont fit in. When
she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and
the mysterious Four must find out what makes
Divergents dangerous before its too late.
Tuol Kork: 9:15am
RIO 2
Its a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three
kids after theyre hurtled 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. An animation film featuring the voices of Jesse
Eisenberg and Anne Hathway.
City Mall: 9:35am, 3:45pm, 5:45pm, 9:55pm
Tuol Kork: 11:20am, 1:10pm, 5:30pm
TRANSCENDENCE
As Dr. Will Caster works toward his goal of creating
an omniscient, sentient machine, a radical anti-
technology organization fights to prevent him from
establishing a world where computers can transcend
the abilities of the human brain. Starring Johnny
Depp and Rebecca Hall.
City Mall: 12:05pm, 5pm
Tuol Kork: 9:45pm
PLATINUM CINEPLEX
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
(See above.)
9:30am, 1:35pm, 6:10pm
TRANSCENDENCE
(See above.)
4:40pm, 8:35pm
NOW SHOWING
Film @ Meta House
AG Bonnes documentary A Lady of No
Fear tells the story of Burmese opposition
leader and human rights activist Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Meta House, #37 Sothearos Boulevard.
7pm
Art @ Romeet Gallery
For Bo Rithys second solo exhibition at
Romeet he has created an installation
titled Longvaeks Bamboo. The work
references a story from 16th century
Cambodia. Bos current installation
utilizes bamboo to create two connected
structures, one a ying naga serpent and
the other an elevated platform for a
golden seat protected by razored wire.
Bo studied visual art the Phare Ponleu
Selpak School in Battambang.
Romeet Gallery, Street 178. Ongoing
Chat @ Twelve Tables
Twelve Tables Multicultural Chat is an
event made up of group of people from
all over the world who come together to
learn from each other. Engage in lively
and thought provoking discussions with
curious and open-minded people.
Twelve Tables House, southwest corner of
Kampuchea Krom and Street 109. 7pm
TV PICKS
10am - SWORDFISH: A secretive renegade counter-
terrorist co-opts the worlds greatest hacker (who is
trying to stay clean) to steal billions in US Government
dirty money. HBO
4:05pm - GROWN-UPS: After their high school basketball
coach passes away, five good friends and former
teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.
FOX MOVIES
5:15pm - THE DUKES OF HAZZARD: Cousins Bo and Luke
Duke, with a little help from their cousin Daisy and Uncle
Jesse, egg on the authorities of Hazzard County, Boss
Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane. HBO
9pm - THE AWAKENING: In 1921, England is
overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax
exposer Florence Cathcart visits a boarding school to
explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she believes
unravels as the missing begin to show themselves. HBO
Bo Rithys exhibition at Romeet Gallery CHARLOTTE PERT
Hugh Jackman stars alongside Halle Berry and John
Travolta in Swordsh. AFP
Music @ Equinox
Bands of Cambodia Music Video Night
presents performances from local
bands, along with professionally
produced videos on the big screen and
a 1,500 watt sound system.
Equinox Bar, #3A, Street 278. 8pm
Sport
21
Five bouts added to ONE FC card
Dan Riley

O
NE FIGHTING Champi-
onship has added ve ad-
ditional ghts to its mixed
martial arts card, ONE FC:
Honor & Glory, which is set to take
place on May 30 at the Singapore In-
door Stadium.
The event, which will be headlined
by American welterweight king Ben
Askren making his ONE FC debut
against Bakhtiyar Abbasov of Azer-
baijan, will also feature an exciting
bantamweight bout between Chinas
top MMA star Xian Ji and rising Viet-
nam prospect Thanh Aladdin Vu.
Heavyweights Alain Ngalani, a
Cameroonian-born kickboxing spe-
cialist who now represents Hong
Kong, and Britains Chi Lewis Parry
will also clash in the ONE FC cage,
while Singaporeans Radeem Rahman
and Stephen Langdown will both get
the opportunity to achieve consecu-
tive wins in Asias leading MMA or-
ganisation when they take on Malay-
sias Raymond Tan and Casey Suire of
the US respectively.
Lastly, Malaysian welterweight Nik
Harris will face up with a familiar foe
in Canadas Brad Robinson.
ONE FC returns to the Singa-
pore Indoor Stadium with the most
stacked lineup of ghts in the history
of ONE FC, ONE FC CEO Victor Cui
stated in a news release yesterday.
Fans in Singapore have been eagerly
awaiting the return of world-class
mixed martial arts action since our
last event in October last year.
Xian (11-2) has made a reputa-
tion for himself as one of the best
cage ghters coming out of China,
having gone undefeated in his rst
eight ghts including capturing the
Legend bantamweight champion-
ship. Known as The Executioner,
the 26-year-olds signing with ONE
FC will provide Xian the opportuni-
ty to test himself in the talent-laden
bantamweight division.
Thanh Vu (3-3), a decorated grap-
pler in his native Australia, has
rapidly become a crowd favourite
through his all-action style and will
look to return to action with a win
over the most high-prole oppo-
nent he has ever faced.
Four-time Muay Thai and kick-
boxing champion Ngalani (1-1) will
enter the ONE FC cage again eager
to entertain his fans. The Panther
has wowed fans with his explosive
striking and the 38-year-old used it
to devastating effect, knocking out
Egypts Mahmoud Hassan with a
spinning wheel kick in his ONE FC
debut last September.
Towering UK heavyweight cham-
pion Parry (5-0) has successfully
made the transition from profes-
sional basketball to professional
cage ghting, and will look to deploy
the longest reach in the ONE FC di-
vision to full effect against Ngalani.
Rahman (1-0) was the rst Singa-
porean to compete at ONE FC back
in 2011, emerging victorious over
Susovan Ghosh of India. Now fully
recovered from an injury that has
ruled him out of competing since,
he looks to stamp his mark on the
ONE FC bantamweight division
with a resounding win in front of his
home fans.
Tan (2-1) is a founding member
of Penang Top Team and one of the
most highly rated Malaysian ban-
tamweights. Having begun training in
taekwondo before moving into MMA,
the 26-year-old is no stranger to com-
peting in hostile territory after travel-
ling to Jakarta and submitting home-
town favourite Brianata Rosadhi in
just 21 seconds last September.
Langdown (1-0) returns to the ONE
FC cage after convincingly defeat-
ing Malaysias Marc Marcellinus on
his debut last October. He now gets
the chance to become the rst Sin-
gaporean to record two wins for the
promotion when he faces a fellow
undefeated prospect.
Louisiana-born Suire (4-0), who
beat Raymond Tan in ONE FC: War-
rior Spirit in November, trains with
jiu-jitsu black belt Niko Han and un-
defeated Indonesian star Fransino
Tirta in Indonesia. He has nished all
of his opponents so far and will aim to
silence the 12,000 fans in Singapore.
Harris (5-2) trains at Selangors
MuayFit alongside fellow ONE FC
stars Peter Davis, Arnaud Lepont and
Chen Yun Ting. The Bloodhound is
eager to represent his country once
again after his impressive victory
against Indonesian MMA pioneer
Zuli Silawanto last November.
The young Malaysian is relentless
in going for the nish, having never
gone to a decision in all his wins.
Fighting out of Singapore gym
Fight G, Robinson (0-2) is known for
his various talents including being
a professional TV presenter at Cine-
max. He made his professional MMA
debut in a local competition in 2012
against Harris, winning via unani-
mous decision.
Robinson wants to prove that the
rst win over his rival was no uke
and with both ghters vastly im-
proved since then, their rematch will
likely be very different.
The next event, ONE FC: Rise of
Heroes, will take place at the Mall
of Asia Arena in Manila on May 2,
featuring a ONE FC bantamweight
world championship title bout be-
tween reigning champion Bibiano
The Flash Fernandes of Brazil and
Japanese contender and ONE FC
bantamweight Grand Prix winner
Masakatsu Ueda.
Fans can catch all the action live on
StarSports.
Vietnams Thanh Vu (right) will face Chinese bantamweight Xian Ji at ONE FC: Honor & Glory in Singapore on May 30. ONEFC.COM
BRADLEY Beal scored a game-
high 26 points to spark Wash-
ington over Chicago 101-99 in
overtime on Tuesday, giving
the Wizards their best NBA
playoff start in 32 years.
Brazilian forward Nene
scored 17 points and John
Wall added 16 as the Wizards
seized a 2-0 lead in the best-
of-seven Eastern Conference
rst-round series with games
three and four tomorrow and
Sunday in Washington.
We still feel like we have
to be humble, Beal said. We
are up 2-0 but we need to feel
like were 1-0. We just have to
have a sense of urgency com-
ing home and protect our
home court.
Its the rst time in fran-
chise history that Washington
won the rst two games on
the road to open a series and
the rst time since 1982 they
won the rst two games in a
playoff series.
East top seed Indiana and
Toronto each won at home
on Tuesday to level their rst-
round match-ups, with the
Pacers beating Atlanta 101-85
and Toronto downing Brook-
lyn 100-95 to deadlock each
series at 1-1.
But in Chicago, where
the Bulls Joakim Noah was
named the NBA Defensive
Player of the Year on Mon-
day, the hosts bid to equalise
failed because they could not
stop 20-year-old guard Beal.
He made some big shots for
us, said Wizards coach Randy
Wittman. He was condent
for us. He stayed aggressive
even through misses. Bradley
made some big plays for us
coming down the stretch.
The Wizards led by as many
as 17 points but the Bulls out-
scored them 26-14 in the third
quarter and stretched their
edge as large as 87-77 in the
fourth quarter.
But Washington ended the
fourth quarter on a 14-4 run,
equalizing on a Beal free throw
to force overtime.
Chicago managed only two
baskets over more than 10
minutes, missing 12 shots in
a row and falling behind 97-91
in the extra period before bat-
tling back.
Noah made two free throws
with 34 seconds to play to
trim the score to the nal
margin. A Beal miss gave Chi-
cago the ball and Nene fouled
Kirk Hinrich with 2.4 seconds
remaining.
But Hinrich missed the rst
free throw and then delib-
erately missed the second,
hoping to grab a rebound and
make a tying basket. Instead,
the Wizards got the ball and
ran out the clock. AFP
Wizards edge out Bulls as
Pacers, Raptors equalise
Pujols hits 500 milestone
DOMINICAN slugger Albert
Pujols smacked two home
runs off Washington pitcher
Taylor Jordan on Tuesday to
reach the 500-homer career
milestone in the Los Angeles
Angels 7-2 victory.
Pujols became the first
player in Major League Base-
ball history to smash his
499th and 500th homers in
the same game.
The 14-season veteran
blasted a three-run homer off
Jordan in the first inning and
belted a two-run homer off
him in the sixth to reach the
landmark.
Pujols, 34, became only the
26th player to reach 500 hom-
ers and only the fourth to do
so in his first 14 major league
seasons, a list that also
includes Willie Mays and two
players who have admitted
using performance-enhanc-
ing substances, Mark Mc-
Gwire and Alex Rodriguez.
Only Rodriguez and Jimmie
Foxx were younger when they
hit their 500th homer, both of
them at age 32.
Pujols, who trails Eddie
Murray by four homers for
25th place on the all-time
major league homer list, is
only the fourth player born
outside the United States to
reach 500 homers, joining
countrymen Manny Ramirez
and Sammy Sosa and Cuban-
born Rafael Palmeiro.
Tanaka triumphant
New York Yankees pitcher
Masahiro Tanaka was a win-
ner in his first Major League
Baseball game against the
archrival Boston Red Sox,
striking out seven in Tues-
days 9-3 victory.
The 25-year-old Japanese
right-hander, signed to a
seven-year deal worth $155
million in January, scattered
seven hits over 7 1/3 innings
while walking none.
Tanaka surrendered his
only runs on back-to-back
home runs by David Ortiz
and Mike Napoli in the fourth
inning and improved to 3-0
in the young season with his
first triumph at historic Fen-
way Park.
Jacoby El l sbury, who
helped the Red Sox win two
World Series titles in seven
years with Boston, went
2-for-5 with a triple and a
double and drove in two runs
in his first Fenway appear-
ance for the Yankees, who
signed the star outfielder to
a seven-year deal for $153
million.
Tanakas triumph was his
31st in a row in regular-sea-
son games, a run that includes
the last four games of his
2012 season in Japan, his 24-0
run last year for the Japan
series champion Rakuten
Eagles and his first three
decisions for the Yankees.
The only loss Tanaka has
suffered in that span came
in last years Japan Series,
when the Tokyo Yomiuri
Giants beat him in game six
only to watch him earn the
save in the series-clincher
the next night.
Tanaka had a 1.27 earned
run average and 183
strikeouts last year in Japan.
Also for the Yankees, Brian
McCann went 3-for-4 with an
run-scoring double and Car-
los Beltran finished 2-for-5
with a homer and drove in
two runs. AFP
Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels hits a two-run home run during
the fth inning of their game against the Washington Nationals. AFP
Sport
Marathon to help boost
tourism in Siem Reap
THE National Olympic
Committee of Cambodia will
host the Kingdoms full-
distance marathon and half
marathon around the Angkor
temple complex in Siem Reap
on August 17, following a deal
struck with the Royal
government to help address a
recent slump in visitors to the
historic site. Tourism Minister
and NOCC president Thong
Khon told the Post: Sport and
tourism contribute to each
other. In order to respond to
the need of foreign runners,
we would like to launch a full
marathon of 42.195km. Also,
amateur races including a half
marathon [22km], 10km and
3km events will be held for
entertainment and to promote
good health. About 400
participants from 24 nations
have already registered online
and main sponsors have been
confirmed as Pepsi, Angkor
Beer and Smart mobile,
according to Vath Chamroeun,
the vice general secretary of
the Ministry of Tourism and
the general secretary of the
NOCC. YEUN PONLOK, TRANSLATED BY
CHENG SEYRITH
Chess Federation
officials making moves
OFFICIALS of Chess Federation
of Cambodia held a meeting
with their counterparts in the
International Chess Federation
(FIDE) on Tuesday at the
National Olympic Committee of
Cambodia headquarters to
discuss the development of the
sport for Cambodians on both
the national and international
stage, as well as sharing the
vision of helping make chess a
medal sport at the Winter
Olympic Games. Our mission
is to encourage the Cambodian
federation to send its
competitors to the Winter
Olympic Games, FIDE
pesident Kirsan Ilymzhinov of
Russia stated during the
meeting. We will hold an
international chess competition
in Norway [the 41st World
Chess Olympiad in Tromso on
August 1-15], and I hope
Cambodia will show their
presence on this international
stage. Furthermore, our
organisation is going to
conclude an upcoming
conference with an election for
the new president with
Cambodia holding the right to
a vote. Ilymzhinov is the
former president of the
Republic of Kalmykia in
southwest Russia, which is
Europe's only officially
Buddhist region. Following the
meeting with NOCC, the FIDE
officials held a press
conference at NagaWorld
attended by government
ministers, with the aim of
enhancing cooperation
between the Kingdom and the
world chess governing body. A
plan to offer Cambodian
players training scholarships
in Russia was also announced.
Heng Chamnan, chief of the
CFCs administration
department, told the Post:
The main idea of the [FIDE]
conference at NagaWorld was
to urge Cambodia to
participate at the competition
in Norway. [FIDE] will offer us
equipment and help launch
this kind of this event in
Cambodia this October. YEUN
PONLOK, TRANSLATED BY CHENG SEYRITH
A player from Taramana NGO (in blue) faces a challenge from a Rene Descartes high school opponent during their junior rugby sevens match at the Old Stadium. BING GUAN
Rugby marathon on Sunday
H S Manjunath

A
SURFEIT of drama and ex-
citement is in store for rugby
fans at the Old Stadium on
Sunday when the penulti-
mate rounds of the compact sevens
version lls out the day at three differ-
ent levels of competition.
A marathon session of 42 games is on
offer in the sub-junior, junior and se-
nior sections running from the starting
time of 9am to late evening.
Most of the teams in the U9, U11 and
U13 categories are drawn from dif-
ferent local and international NGOs
which are developed and coached by
Kampuchea Balopp, a charity organi-
sation working for the betterment of
lives through rugby. The eld also
includes a team from Phnom Penhs
French high school Rene Descartes
and a visiting side from Siem Reap,
Monnin Rubber Plantation.
Several new teams feature promi-
nently in the junior section (U15,
U18 and women). The most eagerly
awaited debut is that of ISPP, coached
by CFR referee and ISPP teacher Peter
McCombe. The PSE Garudas and Stade
Khmer are easily the best two teams
among the seniors. The Garudas have
already booked their place in the May
18 nal but Stade Khmer need to win
at least one more game to ensure their
slot in the championship round.
THE fourth Asian Beach
Games will be focusing on
both tourism and sports, Thai
ofcials said on Tuesday.
To be held in Phuket from
November 11-23, the tourna-
ment features 26 sports with
168 gold medals up for grabs,
said Sangvien Boonto, deputy
governor of the Sports Au-
thority of Thailand.
While Thailand sees it as
a good venue to boost the
countrys economy and
tourism, the competition it-
self will not be overlooked,
Sangvien said.
Sports have something to
do with economy, he told
a press conference. But to
make the tournament more
interesting, it must be com-
petitive. The success of our
athletes is also important.
Under the slogan Celebrate
Charming Sunshine, Sang-
vien said that the fourth edi-
tion of the biennial event will
show tourism and sports can
go together.
To make the Games more
interesting, the number
of disciplines has been in-
creased from 23 to 26 and
the tournaments dura-
tion has been extended to
13 days, ve more than the
original schedule.
It will be the biggest Asian
Beach Games with the larg-
est number of participants,
he said.
In an attempt to promote
the tournament among Thais
and tourists, the organisers
will start the 200-day count-
down in Phuket on April 28.
The ceremony will be pre-
sided over by Yu Zaiqing,
vice-president of the Olym-
pic Council of Asia, Sangvien
revealed.
Events to be contested in the
Games are air sports, aquat-
ics, jujitsu, beach handball,
sambo, beach volleyball,
woodball, beach basket-
ball, bodybuilding, sailing,
squash, beach kabaddi,
beach wrestling, kurash,
Muay Thai, petanque, beach
sepak trakaw, foot volley,
jetski, beach modern pen-
tathlon, triathlon, beach
athletics, waterski, beach
ag football, beach soccer,
and extreme sports.
The Asian Beach Games
were rst held in Bali in 2008.
BANGKOK POST
Thai economy to benet
from Asian Beach Games
Kiradech back for glory
REIGNING Asian Tour Order of
Merit champion Kiradech
Aphibarnrat of Thailand is hop-
ing to get back onto the winning
trail at the CIMB Niaga Indone-
sian Masters, which tees off
today, after being recently dis-
charged from hospital.
The Thai ace, who also swept
up the Players Player of the
Year title and Special Achieve-
ment Award at the Asian Tour
Awards Night on Tuesday
night, was forced to withdraw
from the third round in Malay-
sia last week because of tonsil
inflammation.
He was admitted into a
local hospital there and was
only discharged on Monday
afternoon.
Im still not feeling 100 per
cent but Im recovering well
and will still give my best. Hav-
ing said that, if I dont feel Im
ready I would not show up. Im
here for the CIMB Niaga Indo-
nesian Masters and that says
everything, said Kiradech.
The 24-year-old hopes the
three awards he won is a sign
of good things to come for him
at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club
this week.
I won three awards at the
Asian Tour Awards Night [on
Tuesday] night and I am very
happy that I can make it for this
event. To be able to win the
Order of Merit title is like a
dream come true for me. Its a
great start to the week and I
hope it continues to stay that
way, said Kiradech.
Compatriot and EurAsia Cup
Team Asia captain Thongchai
Jaidee meanwhile believes the
event can welcome its first
Asian champion since it was
inaugurated in 2011.
There are a lot of new faces
on the Asian Tour now as com-
pared to 10 years ago. The Asian
Tour has grown a lot over the
years and its always exciting to
see Asian players playing well
all around the world, said
Thongchai, who has an unprec-
edented three Asian Tour Order
of Merit titles and 13 victories
under his belt.
I hope there will be an Asian
winner this week but [there] are
also many good players like
Louis Oosthuizen and Victor
Dubuisson. They are all in good
form and playing well. Itll be
exciting as anyone can do well
out here, added Thongchai.
THE ASIAN TOUR
Thai golfer Kiradech Aphibarnrat is looking to come out ring at this
week's CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters after recent bout in hospital. AFP
Football
23
Buoyant Benfica set for
Juventus showdown
HAVING shaken off the
hangover from their title
celebrations on Sunday,
Portuguese champions Benfica
host Juventus in the first leg of
their Europa League semi-final
tonight. The Eagles have been
driven this season by the bitter
memory of 12 months ago,
when they found themselves on
the verge of winning a treble of
Portuguese league and Cup
and Europa League, only to
miss out on all three trophies in
an agonising two weeks. The
winner will face Spanish
opposition in the May 14 final in
Turin, with La Liga rivals Sevilla
and Valencia facing off in the
other last-four tie. Both games
tonight kick off at 2:05am
Cambodian time. AFP
Champions Guangzhou
seal AFC last 16 place
A FIRST-HALF double from
Brazilian striker Elkeson
rescued title-holders
Guangzhou Evergrande from
possible elimination and sent
them into the AFC Champions
League last 16 on Tuesday.
Marcello Lippis injury-hit
tournament favourites had
been in danger of bowing out
but they shrugged off the
pressure to beat Yokohama F
Marinos 2-1 in their final group
game. Guangzhou were joined
by 2006 winners Jeonbuk
Hyundai Motors, who survived a
late penalty shout to draw 0-0
with Melbourne Victory and
escape an ultra-tight Group G
on goal difference. AFP
Leicester beat Bolton
to win Championship
LEICESTER assured themselves
of finishing top of the second tier
Championship with a 1-0 win
over Bolton on Tuesday.
Leicester, who had already
clinched promotion back to the
Premier League for the first
time since 2004 earlier this
month, getting the crucial goal
through midfielder Lloyd Dyer in
the 62nd minute. Burnley will
finish second and take the other
automatic place in the Premier
League. Elsewhere the tight
race for the playoff places saw
Reading move into sixth spot
the final place for the play-offs
as they beat Middlesbrough 2-0.
Goals by Adam Le Fondre and
an own goal by George Friend
saw them to victory and keep
alive hopes of an immediate
return to the top tier. They have
a point advantage over Brighton
with two games remaining,
though, another four teams are
still in contention for the sixth
spot. AFP
Singaporean fixer
arrested in Helsinki
FINNISH police have arrested
a convicted Singaporean
match-fixer linked to
corruption cases in Europe
and Australia, the Helsingin
Sanomat newspaper reported
yesterday. Wilson Raj Perumal
was detained last week in
Helsinki after an international
arrest warrant was issued by
Singaporean authorities, the
paper said. The police will
investigate, after that it will be
judged if he can be extradited,
said Jari Nieminen, who is
leading the investigation. In
July 2011 Perumal was
convicted by a Finnish court for
rigging around 30 matches
between 2008 and 2011. AFP
Mourinho threatens to play
weakened team at Liverpool
Daniel Taylor

J
OSE Mourinho is threatening to
rest virtually his entire Chelsea
team and potentially hand Liver-
pool the Premier League title after
revealing he will seek permission from
Roman Abramovich to pick a deliber-
ately weakened side in protest at being
made to play the game on Sunday.
Mourinhos plan is likely to infuri-
ate the Premier League and also has
serious ramications for Manchester
City, who are relying on Chelsea to
beat Liverpool and throw the title race
back open.
However, Mourinho is furious that
the game was not switched to Friday
or Saturday when Chelsea have the
second leg of their Champions League
semi-nal against Atltico Madrid at
Stamford Bridge the following Wednes-
day and is willing to risk sacricing
their slim chance of the title unless
Abramovich, the owner, blocks him.
The Chelsea manager was speaking
after learning that Petr Cech dislocat-
ed a shoulder in the goalless rst leg
at the Vicente Caldern and that John
Terry suffered an ankle injury that is
likely to end his season unless they
reach the nal.
I cant decide by myself, Mourinho
replied when asked how the injuries
would inuence his team selection at
Aneld. I have to listen to the club.
Im just the manager and I have to lis-
ten to the club.
The fact that the match is on Sunday,
I think that puts the problem not in my
hands but in the hands of those who
decide the game should be Sunday, not
Saturday or Friday. We represent Eng-
lish football and are the only [English]
team in European competition.
Spain have four and give them all
the conditions to try to have success.
So I know what I would do. I would
play the players who are not going to
play on Wednesday. My priority is the
Champions League. But Im not the
club. I have to speak to them.
Chelsea are ve points behind Liver-
pool with three games to play. City, in
third spot, are another point behind
Chelsea but have a game in hand and
could potentially win the league on goal
difference if Liverpool lose this week-
end and Manuel Pellegrinis side win all
their xtures. It was put to Mourinho
that he should have the nal say rather
than anyone else at Stamford Bridge.
Im not the most important person
in the club, he said. Roman and the
board everybody is above me. I work
for them and have to follow what my
club decides. Im just a piece. Im the
manager, no more than that.
Cech was taken off after a heavy fall
18 minutes into a game of few oppor-
tunities and Terry was injured in the
second half. Petr Cechs season is
over, Mourinho said. And for John,
we have to play in the nal for him to
play again.
Chelseas problems before the second
leg are also exacerbated by the fact that
Frank Lampard and Mikel John Obi
were booked and are now suspended
for the second leg. We had problems
before the game and during the game,
Mourinho continued. We lost four
players two with injuries and two
with yellow cards but we will ght.
If we have to play the kids, we play
the kids. But Branislav Ivanovic is back.
Mark Schwarzer [Cechs replacement]
showed we can trust him. People such
as Ashley Cole, with an amazing per-
formance, giving an example. Before
the game we were speaking about the
game of their lives for Atltico Madrid.
Now the game of their lives is at Stam-
ford Bridge. THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (left) watches as his goalkeeper Petr Cech (right) leaves the eld after dislocating his shoulder during
their UEFA Champions League semi-nal rst leg at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on Tuesday. AFP
Ferguson to help to choose next manager
SIR Alex Ferguson will be asked
to take a prominent role in
deciding Manchester Uniteds
next manager despite an
acknowledgement within the
club that he was responsible
for choosing the wrong man
last time.
United are deliberating
between Louis van Gaal and
Carlo Ancelotti to replace Dav-
id Moyes after the former Ever-
ton manager was sacked in an
early morning meeting with
the clubs chief executive, Ed
Woodward, on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone, the Atltico
Madrid coach, is also being
considered, but United are
leaning towards a more expe-
rienced candidate and their
initial discussions, involving
Ferguson, have concluded that
the job has come too early for
Ryan Giggs, even if he exceeds
expectations in his four games
as interim manager.
Laurent Blanc has also been
ruled out, despite Fergusons
close ties with the Paris Saint-
Germain coach, and it has been
made clear that the final say
this time will belong to Wood-
ward, supported by the Uniteds
American directors, rather than
the most successful manager
in the clubs history.
Ferguson will, however, still
be an influential voice because
the club feels it would be fool-
ish to discount him, even
though there is now an accept-
ance at boardroom level that
he made a serious error of
judgment choosing Moyes
last year when Jos Mourinho
was available.
Uniteds directors have fleet-
ingly discussed Mourinhos
position at Chelsea but are also
acutely aware that they would
almost certainly be wasting
their time trying to extract him
from Chelsea and their atten-
tions are on Ancelottis position
at Real Madrid and Van Gaals
availability after leading Hol-
land at the World Cup. There
is not a vast pool to choose
from, a high-level source at
Old Trafford admitted.
While it counts against Van
Gaal that he would not be able
to start until mid-July, the
62-year-old is still regarded as
the leading candidate and has
already let it be known he
wants the job. However, it is
not true that anyone from Old
Trafford has already met him.
The process of speaking to
prospective managers will
begin in the next couple of
weeks and one of the reasons
Moyes was removed now,
rather than waiting until the
end of the season, was that
the club did not want to do it
behind his back and risk the
embarrassment of being
caught in the way, for exam-
ple, that happened with Man-
chester City in the changeover
from Roberto Mancini to
Manuel Pellegrini.
United now privately accept
it was a mistake bringing in
someone with Moyes inexpe-
rience and believe it is manda-
tory the next manager has
worked at the highest level.
Simeones record this season
makes him difficult to ignore,
although he is not a frontrun-
ner. Jrgen Klopp has said he
does not want to leave Borus-
sia Dortmund and United
intend to respect that position.
Antonio Conte, the Juventus
coach, has been learning Eng-
lish, with a desire to work in
the Premier League, but has
not featured prominently in
Uniteds discussions so far.
Ferguson has a good rela-
tionship with Ancelotti and
was scathing of Chelsea when
the Italian was sacked a year
after winning the Double.
Ancelottis position might
depend on how Madrid, third
in la Liga and preparing for a
Champions League semi-final
with Bayern Munich, finish the
season. His high salary would
not put off United.
The decision to fire Moyes
was taken in a conference call
involving Woodward, the Glaz-
ers, Ferguson and the clubs
other directors on Sunday
night, directly after the 2-0
defeat to Everton. The relevant
people agreed to discuss the
matter again on Monday rath-
er than making an emotional
decision but there was already
a clear consensus that Moyes
had to go.
Ferguson was asked for his
opinion but it was made clear
to him that his colleagues had
already made up their minds.
Most of the directors had lost
faith in Moyes in February and
Woodwards opinion was that
he could have been sacked,
justifiably, any time over the
last two months.
Moyes learned his fate when
the story broke on various
newspaper websites on Mon-
day and is particularly unhap-
py about the way it was han-
dled. THE GUARDIAN
The Old Trafford hierarchy believe that Sir Alex Ferguson made an er-
ror in selecting David Moyes as his replacement. AFP
Sport
Armstrongs ex-team manager banned for 10 years
THE US Anti-Doping Agency
on Tuesday banned Lance Arm-
strongs former sports director
Johan Bruyneel from all sport
for 10 years over his role in
drug-taking in cycling.
A US sports arbitration pan-
el found Bruyneel, former US
Postal team doctor Pedro
Celaya and team trainer Jose
Pepe Marti guilty of multiple
doping violations, the agency
has revealed.
The evidence establishes
conclusively that Mr. Bruyneel
was at the apex of a conspiracy
to commit widespread doping
on the USPS and Discovery
Channel teams spanning many
years and many riders, said a
USADA statement. Similarly,
Dr. Celaya and Mr. Marti were
part of, or at least allowed them-
selves to be used as instruments
of, that conspiracy.
Following the hearings by an
independent three-member
panel of the American Arbitra-
tion Association for the North
American Court of Arbitration
for Sport (AAA) Bruyneel
copped a 10-year ban from
sport while Celaya and Marti
were both given eight years.
It means five former support
personnel at Armstrongs old
team have now received bans
following the lifetime suspen-
sions handed to doctors
Michele Ferrari and Luis Gar-
cia del Moral.
Armstrong was also banned
for life from competitive sport
for his role in taking banned
substances and using banned
methods to gain an advantage
in winning the Tour de France
seven times. He has since been
stripped of the results.
Bruyneel responded to the
ban on his personal blog in
similar manner to Armstrong,
insisting that he has been
unfairly singled out.
I do not dispute that there
are certain elements of my
career that I wish had been dif-
ferent, said Bruyneel. Nor do
I dispute that doping was a fact
of life in the peloton for a con-
siderable period of time.
However, a very small minor-
ity of us has been used as scape-
goats for an entire generation.
There is clearly something
wrong with a system that
allows only six individuals to
be punished as retribution for
the sins of an era.
Bruyneel also disputed the
authority of US ant-doping
agency and the arbitration
panel to ban him, saying that
he was a Belgian national resid-
ing in Britain and so not answer-
able to a US body.
Bruyneel, who said he was
considering an appeal to the
international Court of Arbitra-
tion for Sport (CAS), was a mod-
erately successful rider during
the 1990s, when widescale dop-
ing first came to the fore.
He once finished seventh
overall at the Tour de France,
where he also won two stages,
and was third in the Vuelta a
Espana in 1995.
His greatest success came as
a sports director with US Postal,
later Discovery Channel, from
1999 to 2007 and then Astana
from 2008 to 2009.
His riders won 13 Grand
Tours, although Armstrong was
subsequently stripped of all
seven of his Tour victories.
Two others of his Grand Tour
winning riders, Spaniards
Alberto Contador and Roberto
Heras have also served bans
for doping.
Only Italian Paolo Savoldelli,
who won the Giro dItalia in
2005, has won a Grand Tour
under Bruyneels guidance and
not been subsequently caught
doping. AFP
Johan Bruyneel (right), the former team manager of Lance Armstrong (left), has been banned from any
participation in cycling for 10 years. AFP
MTB Series set for Silk Island start
H S Manjunath

T
HE 2014 Cambodia Moun-
tain Bike (MTB) Series hits
the road to champion-
ship glory at Phnom Penhs
famed Silk Island on May 4, signal-
ling the start of another exciting sea-
son of ve pulsating rounds spread
over the next six months.
With awareness and interest in the
MTB series on the rise, the series is
widely expected to attract far big-
ger turnouts than have been seen in
previous years.
The well-spaced calendar and the
choice of challenging locales com-
bine to make this a unique experi-
ence for riders at all levels from the
most seasoned to the start-up.
According to the calendar made
available to the Post by one of the
prime movers of the series and a
passionate biker himself, Pierre Yves
Catry, the second round will be held
at Prek Leap on June 8, the third in
Kampong Speu on August 3, the
fourth in Kep on October 19 and
the nal round at Phnom Baset on
November 2.
These dates and locations may
be revised if found unsuitable. We
will stick as much as possible to
this calendar.
The total number of champion-
ship rounds will however be main-
tained at ve, Catry told the Post
on Tuesday.
The only change from last years
edition as far as the categories of-
fered for participants is B class be-
ing split into two age groups.
Every event involves competition
in nine different categories the
A1 Elite Open (all ages), A2 Expert
(30 years and over), B1 Intermedi-
ate (18-29), B2 Intermediate (30 &
over), C1 Junior (14-18), C2 Novices
(19-35), C3 Novices (36 and over), W
(Women class) and K (Kids class, 13
years old and below).
For A1, A2, B1 and B2 riders, the
organising committee has drawn up
a list of competitors from previous
years and will decide on the basis of
the 2013 performance which class
each will race in.
Participants are not allowed to
change class once the list is ap-
proved and after the rst round.
However, new riders with no perfor-
mance records can race in the cat-
egory of their choice.
At the end of each round, winners
will be entitled for xed points to
match their nishing position.
Riders who do not manage to
complete the required number of
laps will not get points while a rider
must nish the race not later than
25 minutes from the race winner to
be eligible for a score.
The championship goes to the rid-
er with the highest number of points
accrued over the ve rounds. In
case of a tie on points for a par-
ticular place in the standings, the
result of the most recent race will
determine the winner.
The following are the registra-
tion and transport fees xed by the
organisers.
Registration: For events around
Phnom Penh and Kampong Speu
$3 for Cambodian students (proof
required), $5 for Cambodian adults
and $10 for foreigners. For Kep and
other races $5 for Cambodian stu-
dents, $8 for Cambodian adults and
$15 for foreigners.
Transport: Phnom Baset and Kam-
pong Speu $2 for Cambodian stu-
dents, $3 for Cambodian adults and
$5 for foreigners.
Kep $3 for Cambodian students,
$5 for Cambodian adults and $10
for foreigners.
Bikers to hit up Mondulkiri tracks
A special mountain bike race and
fun ride will be held in Mondulkiri
province from May 17 to 19.
The three-day event, which is be-
ing highlighted as Bike for People,
Culture and Nature, is being spon-
sored by the World Wildlife Fund
with the aim of promoting respon-
sible tourism in Mondulkiri.
The event offers free transport to
the participants. For registration
enquiries contact Flying Bikes 2, No
131B, Street 51, Phnom Penh.
Mountain bike riders assemble on the starting line of the rst leg of the 2013 Cambodia MTB Series on Silk Island. PHOTO SUPPLIED

0

Încărcat de

Informații document

Descriere originală:

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

0

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Abe: Japan opening up again

OPINION PAGE 16 NATIONAL PAGE 2

S-ar putea să vă placă și