The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Hun Sen welcomes international investigation” plus 9 more

Prime Minister Hun Sen said this afternoon he would "welcome" an international investigation into the contested results of Sunday's election.

The remarks, his first public comments since the election, came after opposition leader Sam Rainsy announced the party had done far better than the preliminary government results had suggested and called for the premier to step down.

"For the sake of free and fair elections, I welcome the international community, all political parties and the NEC to investigate this," he told reporters, while speaking at the opening of a bridge in Stung Meanchey.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has called for a joint committee made up of representatives of all parties and international monitors to review the results of Sunday's election, which gave the ruling Cambodian People's Party 68 seats to the CNRP's 55.

The government had previously shot down such a proposal.

Hun Sen also said he would be happy to speak with Rainsy, saying "the CPP had an open heart to talk to the CNRP."

Shooting down rumours that he had fled, Hun Sen stressed that he would not "leave the country when my people are suffering" and said that no one from the party had fired him from the position of premier.

If a joint committee investigates the irregularities and results from Sunday's election, it will discover the opposition has won between 80 and 90 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly, Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy said today.

Rainsy told the Post that his party's final figures from the poll, which do not factor in irregularities, showed the CNRP had secured 63 seats – enough to lead the country – but an investigation would put that figure much higher.

"[Sixty-three] is our figure ... our final result," he said. "But I want to specify that ... if we re-adjust this figure for irregularities, disenfranchised voters and ghost voters, we would have won a much a larger estimate.

"We do not have fully [a seat number]. We want the committee to investigate. But we would have won more than 80 seats."

He went on to add that the figure could actually be as high as 90 seats.

Because of this, Rainsy said, Prime Minister Hun Sen should offer his resignation because "the figures are against him".

In a press conference Monday, Rainsy and CNRP deputy leader Kem Sokha rejected the government's call of a 68-55 Cambodian People's Party victory, claiming irregularities had cost them victory.

They called for a joint committee consisting of the CPP, CNRP, the National Election Committee, NGOs and the United Nations to investigate.

Speaking today at CNRP headquarters, where those prevented from voting were invited to share their stories, opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua said the CNRP had tallied vote counts across the country to arrive at its figure.

"We are claiming that we have 63 seats," she said. "If the NEC keeps saying we have 55 seats, give us the proof. We have proof we have 63 seats."

Preliminary NEC figures would put the count at 68 to 55 in favour of the CPP, but final results aren't due for another two weeks.

We have taken attention to smaller details, like the quality of the indelible ink – it is surely indelible.

When the garment factory that employs her opened its doors yesterday for the first time since Sunday's election, Chan Neoun was about 130 kilometres away, at home in Svay Rieng province.

"I did not go to work because my father did not allow me come to Phnom Penh," said Neoun, 25, who works at Orange Trading Co in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district. "His neighbour told him that there were a lot of police and soldiers standing guard in Phnom Penh and some main roads were blocked."

Intense rioting and a military crackdown were just some of the rumours flying around on Sunday as Cambodia waited for election results to come in.

Word of civil unrest, most of it exaggerated except for isolated protests, reached many of Phnom Penh's garment workers who had travelled home to cast ballots. A lot of them opted to miss work rather than risk walking into a dangerous situation.

Despite a Ministry of Labour decree giving travelling workers Monday off, the logistics of getting back and a fear of instability kept many workers from returning on time yesterday.

Injae Garment Co's workforce was missing about 20 per cent of its staff when it opened yesterday, said owner Nam-Shik Kang. On holidays like Khmer New Year and the Water Festival, less than 15 per cent typically come back late, he added.

The level of missing workers at Injae yesterday, which amounted to about 400 people, would reduce production by half each day, Kang said. He hoped his full staff would return by the end of the week.

For Sophary, a 32-year-old Orange Trading employee who declined to give her full name, fear of a delayed pay cheque outweighed fear of chaos.

"I am also scared and worried about the security in Phnom Penh," said Sophary, who added that when she returned to work from Svay Rieng by taxi yesterday, half the workers were absent. "But I have to come to work because my salary will be cut."

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, also attributed the high level of garment worker absences to fears of election-related violence.

"They heard news about Phnom Penh, that there are soldiers and police blocking the road," Chhun said.

Ken Loo, the secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said the level of absenteeism happens after any extended holiday weekend. He guessed the majority of workers who missed their shifts yesterday were simply unable to secure transportation.

"I wouldn't say [factory owners are] used to this, but they expect it to happen," Loo said. "If they come back within the next two days, then it will just be normal."

Although the garment industry is Cambodia's largest, the post-election worker absences won't cut into the overall economy, said Hiroshi Suzuki, chief executive of the Business Research Institute for Cambodia.

"Cambodia has 26 holidays in addition to 52 Sundays," Suzuki said in an email. "I do not envision any serious impact by this delay to the Cambodian economy."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DANIEL DE CARTERET

Revenue at the Cambodia Post (CP), the country's mail service provider, rose nearly $2 million in the first half of this year, a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2012. But the service still handles mostly international shipments, and is failing to make a dent domestically.

Ork Bora, CP's general director, attributed the revenue to an increase in foreign direct investment and a surge in tourism.

"Large increases in the numbers of people who are going to live and work abroad is also a big contributor to the growth of our revenue," he said.

The raise, however, was almost entirely driven by volume between Cambodia and its neighbours. Bora said that most Cambodian workers outside of the country in South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand use CP to send money or products home, while families send back goods.

Cambodia Post now dispatches mail to 192 countries, but revenue from domestic services accounts for a mere one per cent of total revenue, Bora said.

"Now, we are trying to differentiate our domestic revenue by increasing the accessibility of our services to customers. We are opening more branches nationwide."

CP signed an agreement with Canadia Bank last month to provide a loan and deposit service called Cambodia Post Bank, targeting rural Cambodians and their businesses. The program has not been implemented yet.

Bora also said he will urge the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to crack down on the informal post, in which Cambodians use taxis and messengers for deliveries.

Following global supply growth and falling prices, Cambodian rubber has decreased in value over the past three months, according to industry experts.

Men Sopheak, deputy director-general of the Chop Rubber Plantation, a major rubber exporter in Cambodia, said yesterday that the price of dried [natural] rubber was at $2,100 per tonne, in contrast to $3,100 per tonne in March.

"It affects our competitiveness and causes lower profit margin because sale revenues decrease while our production costs are high," Sopheak said.

Reuters reported yesterday that Asian rubber prices were set to fall due to rising supply – Thailand plans to offload stocks later this year – and slowing demand.

Heng Sreng, general director of the Boeung Ket Rubber Plantation Company in Kampong Cham province, confirmed that the local price had dropped compared to March.

"It is a noticeable decrease. It is not so serious yet, however, we should be concerned," Sreng said. "If the price continues to fall lower than $2,000, it will strongly affect our business."

Stephen V Evans, secretary-general of the Singapore-based International Rubber Study Group, said in a recent interview that Cambodia is only active in producing and exporting natural rubber.

"In this case the global oversupply position of natural rubber has reduced prices significantly through 2012 and 2013 year to date," he said. "There is no obvious relief in sight at this time from the perspective of price, but the export picture is much more positive with 37,300 metric tonnes being exported in the first six months of 2013 versus only 23,000 during the same period in 2012."

The general economic slowdown in Cambodia's largest rubber market, China, is having a relatively minor impact on China's total rubber demand, Evans said, citing growing sales of new vehicles.

"In China, total rubber consumption in 2012 grew by eight per cent to around nine million metric tonnes. Activity based on the year to date suggests that there will be similar growth in 2013," he said.

According to the International Rubber Study Group, a significant volume of rubber consumption in China is exported as rubber end products such as tyres to Europe or North America.

"In North America total rubber consumption in 2012 fell by around six per cent to around 2.9 million metric tonnes. Activity based on the year to date suggests that there will be similar negative growth in 2013," Evans said.

Profitable income generation has many sources. Whether it requires work in an office, trading on the market or farming land – the outcome always depends on the innovation and effort of the individual.

For Pring Leang, the sources are three small fields in Kampong Por village in Kraingyov commune of Saang district, about 40 kilometres south of Phnom Penh. Here, on a total of half a hectare of land, the 49-year-old plants garlic to sell its leaves. '

This, he says, brings him $5,000 per year.

"I have never feared loss of income because we have been professionally working for nearly 30 years," he said.

The time between planting the seeds and harvesting the leaves is about 40 days, a process Leang performs three times in a given year.

"This work is not tiring because I can rest whenever I prefer," he said.

The garlic leaf price has been volatile, going up and down depending on the number of farmers planting. However, he says he has never sees losses because his fields are well preserved and he always reserves seeds from the current crop for planting later, to avoid the necessity of spending more money by purchasing them from traders.

"It is cheap when more garlic leaf farmers plant simultaneously during harvesting time," Leang said.

On Saturday, a day before the national election, garlic leaves were sold for 3,500 riel per kilogram, jumping from 2,500 riel two weeks ago. Leang says at a price of 3,500 riel he can make about 1 million riel ($250) from leaves planted on 0.10 hectares – one of the three small fields.

Two years ago, the price decreased to a level as low as 800 riel a kilogram, and profits were so low that some people quit planting.

Although making a small loss, Leang continued on the reserve seeds he had saved up.

He says that recently, prices have been good and during the rainy season in October, November and December, they climbed up to 10,000 riel a kilogram.

Besides selling to middlemen trading on markets in Phnom Penh, Leang also hawks seeds to farmers in his village or neighbouring villages.

While damage on the fields does occur, Leang said the worst scenario would be a maximum 30 per cent loss of the his total output for a round of planting.

Of his three children, two are married and followed his career as a garlic farmer, while his youngest daughter is in her third year as a student at a university in Phnom Penh.

"I have spent much money for my daughter studying," he says. "If my daughter didn't study, the money I owned today would be pretty good."

Some 50 people in Kampong Cham province's Tbong Khmum district were summoned to a pagoda on Monday morning to receive their promised pay-offs for votes they cast for the ruling party in the previous day's election – but only after swearing an oath before the pagoda spirit that they actually did.

Runn Sophea, the deputy district governor in Tbong Khmum, confirmed the payments to the Post yesterday, while denying that villagers had been made to swear an oath.

According to local villagers, all of whom asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, village chiefs and their subordinates had passed out money that had been handed down from higher levels of the party leadership, with 10,000 riel ($2.50) going to each villager who swore the oath and 20,000 riel going to the chiefs themselves for organising the vote.

"The people asked [villagers] to swear that half their body would die if they had not voted for the CPP," said one villager. "I did not take the oath, because I did not vote for them and the pagoda spirit is very effective, but some people took the money, because they had voted for the CPP."

Another villager who said he was called to claim the money, said the oath-taking ceremony was meant to identify Cambodia National Rescue Party supporters.

"In the law, it says the election is secret, but how secret is it?" he asked, adding that oaths were taken to find out "exactly who voted for the CNRP in order to easily watch them".

Deputy district governor Sophea, a Cambodian People's Party appointee, denied any such conspiracy.

"Giving money is just to encourage them because they voted for the CPP, and after the election, Peam Chilaing commune was won by the CPP," he said.

Provincial Comfrel official Neang Savath said that instances of payments made after Election Day had cropped up in two districts, and that the oath-taking constituted intimidation.

"Forcing people to swear is a threat, and it is an illegal act that someone must be held responsible for before the law," he said.

Andrew Leone's path to the pinnacle of Asian MMA has taken the New York native from Singapore to Taiwan to South Korea, to Malaysia to the Philippines, and he is currently getting ready for the biggest fight of his career against Shinichi Kojima in Indonesia on September 13.

ONE FC: Kojima v Leone is taking place at the 15,000-seater Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta.

Having proven himself on the Asian circuit, the American now finds his name on top of a card put on by the biggest promotion on the continent.

"It's awesome getting the opportunity to headline this ONE FC show in Indonesia. I'm very grateful for the opportunity and I plan to make the most out of it," said Leone.

The 23-year-old booked his September spot courtesy of a unanimous decision win over Geje Eustaquio in front of 20,000 fans in Manila in May at ONE FC: Rise to Power. That victory took his overall MMA record to 6-2 and established him as an immediate contender for the flyweight title.

Leone is going to need to win at least one more fight before he can think about a title shot, and the Jakarta bout will be the toughest of his career against an opponent who has over a decade of cage-fighting experience under his belt and knows what it takes to be a champion.

Kojima made his professional debut in 2003, when Leone was just 13 years old, and has gone on to face some of the best fighters in the world. His record currently stands at 13-5-5 and he is a former shooto bantamweight champion, a belt he held for four years and only gave up after a cruciate ligament injury to his right knee rendered him unable to defend it.

Leone knows he is taking a big step up in competition and has nothing but respect for the Japanese veteran he will be standing opposite on September 13.

"Kojima is an animal. He's been around for a while and I think he was ranked number one in the world a couple of years ago," said the American. "He's quick, he's strong, he's got a weird style but I wanted this fight and now I'm fortunate enough to get it in the main event so I'm real excited."

Leone's older brother Anthony is also a successful mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator in the bantamweight division. The two train together at Phuket Top Team and both have fights booked in the coming weeks.

Anthony is getting ready for the 18th fight of his career against Frank Baca at Bellator 97 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Andrew says that helping his brother get ready for that July 31 bout has effectively served as the first stage of his own preparation for the ONE FC event.

"I'm getting Anthony ready. We are both in Phuket at the moment but in a few days he's flying back for the fight. It's going to be a good fight and hopefully he's going to do wonders in this tournament and then fight for the belt next year," he said.

Leone was a high school wrestling champion who dropped out of college in order to pursue his professional MMA dreams in Asia. With a headlining slot for one of the biggest promotions in the world next on the agenda it would be fair to say that the decision to abandon academic life to focus on an athletic career has paid off emphatically.

He is also an avid surfer which makes him extremely suited to Phuket and he already has plans in place that will allow him to take advantage of the trip to Indonesia to catch some waves.

"Once the fight is over we are going surfing in Bali for a week. To get to compete in an international event against an international opponent – some people don't get that opportunity for a while but I've been doing it for the past couple of years – it's awesome."

The beaches of Bali might beckon, but first there is hard work to be done as Leone prepares for the most important fight of his life. A win over Kojima would establish him as one of the best flyweights in the world and, with main event status at the biggest cage-fight night Indonesia has ever seen, the stage is set for the American to make a name for himself this September.

China's Olympic champion Ye Shiwen finished a shock fourth in Monday's 200m individual medley final, while teenager Ruta Meilutyte smashed the world record in the women's 100m breaststroke semi-finals.

The 17-year-old Ye had been the hot favourite for Monday's 200m IM final at swimming's world championships in Barcelona, but finished a full second behind the medallists as Hungary's Katinka Hosszu claimed gold.

Hosszu, 24, won by a considerable margin, clocking 2mins 07.92secs with Australia's Alicia Coutts second at 1.47sec back and Spain's Mireia Belmonte 1.53 behind, but defending champion Ye was a noticeable absentee on the dais.

Ye finished more than a second behind the medalists, which surprised Hosszu.

"I'm sure she will get back up there soon. She's a great swimmer and I'm sure it is really tough to get back after an Olympic gold medal," said Hosszu.

Ye has her next chance at an individual medal in this Sunday's 400m IM, in which she set the world record at the Olympics last year in controversial fashion by swimming the last leg faster than Ryan Lochte did when he won the men's Olympic title.

Lithuania's teenage star Meilutyte, who pulled off a shock win in the Olympic 100m breaststroke final last year, punched the water in delight as she took a 10th of a second off the world record.

"The world record was always a dream for me, but yes, obviously a gold medal at the world championships would be like the cherry on top of the ice cream," said the 16-year-old.

Meilutyte broke the four-year-old mark of 1min 4.45secs, set by Jessica Hardy of the US.

Swedish teenager Sarah Sjostrom regained her women's 100m butterfly title, while defending champion and world record-holder Dana Vollmer could only take bronze. Sjostrom, who won the 2009 title aged just 15, hit the wall at 56.53secs, ahead of Coutts and Vollmer, America's Olympic champion who set the world record in winning the Olympic crown.

Coutts claimed two silver medals in Monday night's session, leaving her with three silvers in two days after anchoring the Australian team in Sunday's 4x100m freestyle relay.

"It has been a big two days for me and I am really happy because now I have two days off," said Coutts, who won five medals at the Olympics, Australia's best haul in the pool in London.

There was more good news for the Antipodeans as Christian Sprenger gained revenge for his defeat in last year's Olympic final when he won the men's 100m breaststroke gold.

South Africa's Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh, who edged Sprenger into second in the Olympic final, was second and Brazil's Felipe Lima third. Exactly a year to the day after the Olympic final, the 27-year-old Sprenger took his revenge as he overhauled the South African, the halfway leader, on the return lap.

In Monday's other final, Brazil's Cesar Cielo retained his men's 50m butterfly world title, just 10 months after surgery on both knees.

Cielo claimed gold in a winning time of 23.01secs with Eugene Godsoe of the US just four hundredths of a second behind claiming silver and France's Frederick Bousquet at 0.10sec back to win bronze.

In yesterday's men's 50m breaststroke heats, Cambodia's Hem Thon Ponleu placed 69th out of 80 finishers with a time of 32.41 seconds, 5.63 slower than the top time posted by Van der Burgh.

Ponleu will also be the next Cambodian to race in Barcelona, when he vies in the men's 50m freestyle heats this Friday.

Ponleu's niece Hem Thon Vitiny will compete in both the women's 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke heats on Saturday, as compatriot Pu Sovichea returns to the pool for the men's 1,500m freestyle. AFP & DAN RILEY