The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “everyone missed it” plus 9 more

We were supposed to be at the Olympic Stadium to see Hun Sen cast the first vote, but everyone missed it. Some never made it out of the building, and one person collapsed in the street.

A deputy district governor and his alleged lover were sent to Battambang Provincial Court yesterday over accusations they had been engaged in an adulterous affair, Komrieng district police chief Chhim Kimhong said.

Kimhong said the adultery complaint had been filed against Deputy District Governor Soung Keo and Heng Siny by Siny's husband, Hong Pov, who discovered the couple in a room at his and Siny's shared home — with the door bolted from the inside.

"After that, the husband told me, and I informed him not to use violence. Then the police arrived and arrested them," Kimhong said.

According to Kimhong, both defendants maintained their innocence, with Siny saying she and Pov shared a house, but had filed for divorce and were yet to receive the final paperwork.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy's request to have his parliamentary immunity restored before Sunday's national election was refused yesterday by the National Assembly permanent committee — which consists wholly of ruling Cambodian People's Party lawmakers.

"The permanent committee has unanimously decided that because [Rainsy] has become a president of [Cambodia] National Rescue Party — which does not have seats in … parliament — that it cannot restore … immunity," National Assembly president Heng Samrin wrote in a letter to Rainsy.

The granting of Rainsy's request could have allowed the pardoned leader to make one final bid to be registered as a candidate.

In June, the same committee stripped opposition lawmakers of their political status, claiming they had broken the law by joining the CNRP after winning their seats as Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party members. Those two parties merged to become the CNRP last year.

Rainsy wrote to Samrin on Tuesday, asking for his immunity to be restored, citing a law that states that "any lawmaker convicted and granted a pardon from the King will have his immunity restored".

On Monday, the National Election Committee ruled that Rainsy's name will remain off its lists, meaning he is ineligible to run as a candidate or vote.

Nguon Nhel, first deputy of the National Assembly, said Rainsy had forfeited his immunity by resigning from the SRP.

Rainsy not being allowed stand as a candidate would not affect the legitimacy of the election and observers would still recognise the result, he added.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann disagreed.

"An opposition party president who does not have his name in the voter list and cannot stand as a candidate — how is this election free and just?" he said.

Koul Panha, executive director of election monitor Comfrel, said the committee's refusal to restore Rainsy's immunity was contrary to constitutional law.

"The [parliamentary] law contradicts constitutional law. [Constitutionally], refusing to restore [Rainsy's immunity] is not legal," he said.

Police said yesterday that they believed the gruesome murder of two young female students was premeditated and happened on site.

Deputy Phnom Penh police chief Choun Narin said officers were continuing to investigate. On Wednesday, a passerby discovered the decomposing bodies of Vorn Leakhana and Choub Sreyleak — bound together by electrical wire — with stab wounds to their head and ropes around their neck.

The pair were reported by relatives to have been robbed of a motorbike, iPhone and jewellery.

Narin said police believed that the perpetrators killed the women at the scene.

In an effort to avoid exacerbating expected traffic congestion on the National Assembly campaign's final day, large trucks are banned from driving in Phnom Penh today.

From 5am until midnight, trucks will not be allowed to travel the streets of the capital, according to a directive signed by Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong and received by the Post yesterday morning.

Phnom Penh city spokesman Long Dimanche further urged truck drivers and merchants to cooperate with the ban, noting that multiple parties will likely fill the streets with vehicles campaigning.

Many restaurants, shops, supermarkets and tourist sites in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap will operate at a limited capacity or close entirely this Sunday as people line up at voting stations to elect a new government.

"We will close the whole day on the 28th," Kong Vireak, director of the National Museum, said.

Businesses will also face staff shortages over the weekend and into early next week, as workers in factories, enterprises and institutions are allowed three days off starting July 27 to accommodate voters who need to travel, according to the Ministry of Labour.

Lucky supermarket, Cambodia's biggest shopping retailer, will close all its stores across the country on the morning of July 28 to allow staff to vote, Satya Wuthy, space management supervisor, said yesterday.

The stores, however, will reopen at noon.

While restarateur Luu Meng, president of the Cambodia Hotel Association, said it is up to the business owners whether they want to shut, several small-scale restaurants, bars and cafes in Phnom Penh are deciding to close or open later in the day.

Blue Pumpkin, a popular bakery and ice cream shop, will close two of its branches, but the riverside store will remain open. Java Cafe on Sihanouk Boulevard will also shut up shop. Both businesses will resume full operations Monday.

Costa Coffee will remain open Sunday, but with a skeleton staff and service might be slower.

Thiebault Nicolet, manager of Van's Restaurant, said the restaurant will be closed for lunch on Sunday and open again at 5pm, allowing employees to vote. Staff living farther away, such as in Siem Reap, are getting three days off.

He said he expects business to be more "quiet" in the evening, as people will prefer to stay close to their neighbourhood and avoid election-related traffic or blocked roads.

In January, the Australian Embassy and the United Nations advised their employees to stock up on emergency supplies of food and water ahead of the seven-day mourning period for King Father Norodom Sihanouk.

Asked whether customers had come to Lucky supermarket to buy supplies for the weekend, Wuthy, the supervisor, said it was the "same as usual".

Despite the closures, Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the weekend won't have an impact on the tourism industry, which accounted for 12 per cent GDP last year.

"Yesterday, I was in Angkor Wat; it's full of tourists," he said, adding that none of the tourists would postpone their trip, because "they don't care about the election".

An official with the Ministry of Tourism said that he was unaware of any major sites closing down; the National Museum is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Nightlife should be tamer too, as the government has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol by Cambodians and foreigners on the day of the election and the day before to prevent any interference, according to a directive signed this month by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

A similar ban adopted during the commune elections in 2012, however, was ignored in many parts of Phnom Penh and the provinces.

Phnom Penh Crown Academy have their last chance to make an impression in the FAM-Frenz U15 Champions Trophy when they host Vietnam PVF Academy at 4pm tomorrow at Olympic Stadium.

The Cambodian boys are coming off a 1-0 loss at home to Singapore NFA on Tuesday, their seventh defeat of the campaign, which was decided by a solitary second half strike by Rusyaidi Salime.

With two points from two draws, Crown seem destined to finish at the foot of Group A unless they can pull off a huge upset win over Vietnam, who will leapfrog tabletoppers Chonburi Academy with a victory.

One Fighting Championship have announced three more match-ups for their September 13 mixed martial arts fight card at Jakarta's Istora Senayan stadium.

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Pakistani MMA pioneer Bashir Ahmad is set for a featherweight clash with No-gi grappling world champion Bruno Pucci of Brazil, while Dutch-Indonesian Vincent Latoel will make his ONE FC debut opposite Dutch veteran Willy Ni in a lightweight contest.

Indonesian grappling champion Brianata Rosadhi has also stepped in to face Malaysian bantamweight Raymond Tan.

Also on the undercard, Long Sophy will become the first Cambodian to fight in a ONE FC cage in September when he takes on Indonesian featherweight Max Metino.

The September event will be headlined by a flyweight battle between Japanese veteran Shinichi Kojima and American wrestler Andrew Leone.

"ONE FC will be back in Jakarta on 13 September with a fight card that is sure to get the adrenaline pumping for the passionate Indonesian fight fans," ONE FC CEO Victor Cui said in a press release yesterday.

"Bruno Pucci and Bashir Ahmad are two of the most electrifying featherweights in Asia and their encounter will deliver non-stop action. Indonesian standouts Vincent Latotel and Brianata Rosadhi are exciting fighters who always come ready to put on a show and I'm sure they will be looking to give the home fans something to cheer about."

Cambodia-based fans can catch all the action live on Star Sports, while local channel MyTV also plan to show the fight with Cambodian commentary.

Ahmad is undefeated in his two professional MMA fights to date with his last win coming in an exhilarating back-and-forth slugfest against Thailand's Shannon Wiratchai at ONE FC: Kings & Champions in Singapore in April.

Ahmad had his brow split open in the first round by a vicious elbow from the Thai, but battled through two more bloody rounds to collect a points decision.

A fearsome striker, the 30-year-old Pakistani will look to keep the fight standing against a grappling specialist like Pucci.

Brazilian Pucci is a two-time No-gi grappling world champion and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He also brings a 2-0 record into the fight having produced two impressive submission victories against established Brazilian opponents.

Pucci, who turned 23 on Tuesday, now trains out of the prestigious Evolve MMA gym in Singapore and will look to make his mark in the highly competitive Asian cage fighting scene.

Vincent Latoel is a Dutch-Indonesian kickboxer that hails from the famed Golden Glory gym in Breda. A 34-year-old veteran of more than 30 fights, he will make his Asian MMA bow in Jakarta.

With roots in the Indonesian state of Moluccas, Latoel will be hoping to produce something special for 15,000-odd home fans in attendance.

Willy Ni is a shooto veteran from the Netherlands, who has faced some of the best lightweights in Europe including British slugger Dan Hardy.

He is especially proficient with his grappling skills, having claimed nine of his 15 wins by way of submission, and is relishing a return to the cage after being out of action for four years.

Indonesia's Brianata Rosadhi has stepped in to replace injured compatriot Stefer Rahardian, who had to withdraw from the planned bout against Raymond Tan.

Rosadhi is a Wushu champion who has also impressed on the grappling circuit and will be looking to use his versatility to catapult him to a victory.

Bragging rights will be at stake as he takes on Raymond Tan from Malaysia, a nation that holds storied sporting rivalry with Indonesia.

Raymond Tan is a founding member of Penang Top Team and ranked as one of the best bantamweights in his country.

The 26-year-old will be looking to use his long reach to devastating effect with crisp striking and signature kicks when he faces Rosadhi in September.

A gun, bullets and two Cambodia National Rescue Party caps were laid out on a table yesterday during a press conference at Phnom Penh Municipal Police headquarters to announce the arrest of six alleged robbers.

Police said the males, aged between 16 and 24, most of them students, had been arrested after robbing victims of their motorbikes, iPads and phones as they travelled on the street.

Deputy municipal police chief Chuon Narin said he suspected the group also used drugs.

"These suspects are being questioned further before their case is sent to the court," he said.

Police added that some of the men had CNRP stickers on their own motorbikes and possessed party caps.

No explanation was given as to why the CNRP hats were displayed alongside weapons and stolen goods.

The arrests came days after television stations ran news features in which CNRP campaigners were accused of "gangster" behaviour and drug use.

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said those who committed crimes must be dealt with according to the law.

"But please, authorities, don't link crime to politics to defame the CNRP," he said.

Police said an officer broke his leg during a struggle.

Sam Rainsy has made his triumphant return to Svay Rieng, the province where he was once convicted on charges of inciting racial discrimination, and where yesterday he doubled down on the anti-Vietnamese tough talk that has long been a mainstay of his rhetoric.

Rainsy, along with two others, was found guilty by the Svay Rieng Provincial Court in early 2010 on a handful of charges — including racial incitement — for his involvement in uprooting border de­marcation posts that he maintained Vietnam had been planted on Cambodian soil.

In a speech to supporters yesterday, Rainsy seemingly picked up where he left off.

"We will usher in a new era in Cambodian history to write a new page on the protection of its territorial integrity," he said.

"Many Yuons have come. They move their border posts close into our territory," he continued, using a sometimes-derogatory term for the Vietnamese.

"I pity Khmers very much. They have lost their farmland, because Yuons are always coming in, and the authorities do not protect their fellow Khmers at all, but protect the invading Yuons. Now they have brought Yuons to vote for Hun Sen, so Khmers should vote for Sam Rainsy to protect our territory."

Speaking next to a car that held farmer Meas Srey — one of Rainsy's co-defendants in the border-post case who spent nearly 10 months in jail — Rainsy questioned the validity of his conviction.

"The Yuon authorities set up demarcation markers on [Meas Srey's] land that dates back to her ancestors, and when she joined us to pull them out, she was imprisoned," he said. "How about Chhouk Bandith? The guy shot and injured three female workers and gets away with it instead."

Rainsy never served any jail time on his convictions, and has spent most of the last four years in self-exile in France.

CNRP supporter Has Say, 75, said Rainsy's stance on Vietnam had particular resonance with him. "He dares to fight against Yuons, and he has seized the land from Yuons for Cambodians," he said.

"At my house the demarcation markers have been moving closer to my house, and if I continue to support the [Cambodian People's Party] I will lose both the house and the land."

However, Kao Phorn — one of the many CPP supporters dancing and blaring loud music near Rainsy's rally — said that Rainsy had "only empty promises".

Border committee president Var Kimhong also dismissed Rainsy's claims of Vietnamese encroachment as merely election propaganda.

"If he says we've lost [land] anywhere, point it out and I will go down to see whether or not it's been lost," he said. "Don't say [this] for the votes."

But according to political analyst Lao Mong Hay, votes are precisely what Rainsy stands to gain by keeping up his anti-Vietnamese rhetoric, which plays to the concerns of a sizeable segment of Cambodians.

"People have been concerned about the continued influx of Vietnamese nationals into their country.… Not all [voters], but many," he said, adding that the subject rarely entered the public discourse. "They talk in private — a lot."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STUART WHITE