The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Not have any intentions of killing” plus 9 more

The Royal Government does not have any intentions of killing its people.

A container storage facility off the coast of Preah Sihanouk province that allows Cambodia to blend oil before export could hold the key to sustainable growth in the country's nascent energy sector, according to a Danish oil and gas expert.

With Chevron positioned to lead offshore oil extraction in the Gulf of Thailand by as early as 2016, Tommy Christensen, chief executive of Denmark-based Go4 Bunker Cambodia, presented his "energy roadmap" to government officials and industry experts at the Sunway Hotel on Friday.

Go4 Bunker's expertise is in the storage and shipment of fuels post-oil extraction, particularly the development of bunkers that can serve as gas stations at sea to supply passing vessels.

"The crude oil in the Southeast Asian region is not a standalone crude oil, it's a crude oil that needs to be mixed up with another crude oil to meet the demand both in Thailand, which has the largest petrochemical industry in Asia, and also Vietnam and China," Christensen said.

If he had his way, the storage facility would be stationed around the Koh Wai islands in the Gulf of Thailand, acting as an initial link allowing Cambodia to retain more value from oil extraction.

While Christensen's roadmap does include future plans for an oil refinery, the $2.3 billion Chinese-backed oil refinery slated for Preah Sihanouk and Kampot Provinces in 2015 is too much, too soon, he said.

"Before you consider a refinery, you have to consolidate your off-shore first, otherwise your economy will never work," he said.

At the point of development where a "smaller' refinery does make sense, Christensen says the next steps are to consider piping oil north to the nation's capital, with benefits flowing on to smaller power plants being built in Cambodia's provinces.

As wishful as his ideas may sound, they have backers, including Danish Ambassador to Cambodia Mikael Hemniti Winther.

"It is something we have a lot of comparative advantage in, not in the big oil drilling, but we have the technology to support a lot of the processes " Winther said, referring to Denmark's success in the maritime industry and oil industry technology development.

Winther said that Danish companies offer a sustainable approach to development in Cambodia, citing Danish brewer Carlsberg, which partners with Angkor brewery, as one such example.

"They provide this high-quality input; they cooperate with partners; they do a lot of training of staff; they are here for the long haul," he said.

Men Den, a spokesman for the Cambodia National Petroleum Authority, said that, while there's potential in the Danish concept, more needs to be done to understand what the available options are for both economic development and environmental protection.

"This one depends on technology; we need to study the alternatives and consider which is best," he said.

The storage facility is one link in Christensen's breadth of interconnected ideas for the energy sector's role in society. He also envisions a not-for-profit Danish technical training facility to support the educational requirements the industry demands, and an oil pipeline that would cut down on the need for transportation, taking trucks off the road and reducing road fatalities.

Kampot provincial police have arrested two men for the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in the early hours of the morning.

"We have detained two suspects," deputy provincial police chief Mao Chan Mortheara said. "One has confessed, the other denied [involvement] but said he was present."

Provincial police and district police in Teuk Chhou, where the body of Sou Nita was found, declined to name the suspects.

The two men, allegedly drunk, passed Nita's house at about 1am, while she was urinating outside, Mortheara said. They allegedly kidnapped and raped her, stole a pair of earrings she wore, then held her face under water until she drowned.

A villager found Nita's body at 5am, wrapped in a blanket on the front doorstep of a neighbour's house about 100 metres away from her own home, said Nob Chanpheap, deputy chief of Teuk Chhou district police.

"We have arrested the suspects, who both live in the victims' village," Chanpheap said.

A fourth-quarter spurt ensured a 67-51 victory for Alaxan FR Patriots over their arch rivals IRB The Lord at the Beeline Arena on Saturday in the Cambodian Basketball League, sponsored by Western Union and Coca Cola.

The top-line contest involving two unbeaten teams snapped The Lord's five-game run and left the Patriots as the only side yet to taste defeat in 11 weeks of competition.

But after enjoying the moments of jubilation that the victory gave the Patriots camp, manager Chris Borja lost no time in reminding his players that his sights are firmly fixed on nothing less than the title.

"It's fantastic we won that game," Borja told the Post. "What made the difference in the second half was team play. Now we are on top, but it's useless if we lose in semi-finals." Mutual respect was glaringly evident on the court and that largely explained away a tight first half and an even tighter third quarter. At the end of three sessions, the scoreboard showed no bias towards either side at 42 points a piece.

Then came the shift made possible by best-scoring Patriot Aimar Sabayo in tandem with John Cornito. The two came up with quick combinations that kept the baskets coming.

At the other end, The Lord's resorting to too many passes in fast breaks did them no favours, and their usually productive three-point attempts that had worked fairly well in the first half were doomed at crunch time.

The Patriots fourth quarter surge was so empowering that their lead kept expanding, with IRB only managing nine points to their rival's 23.

Nearly half of the Patriots score came from Sabayo, who used his good height and speed to often rip The Lord defence open. Jayson Mercado's 10 points was the next best effort.

The Lord were served well by Monh Ratana (21 points) and Phanat Ouch (10).

The morning fixture between Ganzberg and NSK Dream turned into an offence-oriented affair. In the end, Ganzberg won the day 80-70 thanks to their three-minute blitz towards the end.

For the youthful all-Cambodian Dream, Ravuth Meas showed great ball-handling skills, invariably ending his moves with right assists. That kept Ganzberg on the hop, yet they found their own means to counter this threat through Sander David and his strong presence under the rim. It all boiled down to who could close out stronger, and Ganzberg charged home late but well, even as some desperate three-point shoots by Dream went nowhere.

David and Rafael Dionco came up with 19 points each for Ganzberg.

Cellcard Eagles were put on the grill by CCPL Heat in a low-scoring tie. The Heat won it 47-40, latching on to an eight-point second quarter advantage until the end.

The Eagles played hard and true in defence but were unable to score in attack. The Heat also suffered much the same plight. They could hardly reach the paint that was defended so stoutly by the Eagles 2-1-2 zone defence.

But a few fast breaks by national point guard Panha Suvann (22 points) worked around that problem midway through the contest.

Eagles lack of creativity in offence eventually brought their downfall despite the best efforts of Sean Looney (10 points) and Geoff Harry (7).

The tottering Post Buffaloes proved no match for the in-form Phnom Penh Dragons, who rattled away 70-55 in a late evening game. Interestingly, both teams showed up with a limited line-up of eight players each.

The Dragons hit the front in a trice as Leng Seng got going on fast breaks, while the Buffaloes could hardly find a way to crack the solid Dragons defence. Adam Noah (14 points) and Jay Rodden (21 points) managed to inject some life into the Buffaloes offence but, in the face of sustained Dragons pressure, their efforts were not adequate enough.

At the other end, Matsuki Nishikawa (15 points) was very effective playing the low post and the Dragons were kicking clear. Leng Seng top scored for Dragons with 20 as Jay Boolkin chipped in 14.

"The team played awesome today, despite some key players missing – a real team effort," Dragons coach Michael Dibbern told the Post.

"Our transitions worked perfectly and on set offence we played some great moves from the posts."

The Cambodian Swimming Federation held its fifth General Assembly on Saturday at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia headquarters, with members of the executive committee voted in for the new four-year term, the majority of which being experienced swimmers and coaches.

The election, officially observed by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport deputy general secretary Bo Chom Sery and NOCC deputy general secretary Hem Samnang, saw Soun Chan Thol retain his position as president of the Federation.

Hem Thon continues as general secretary, while his son Hem Kiry gained promotion to deputy general secretary. Hem Chan Ly, Ku Kim Heak, Chea Bun Heang and Soun Bun On were named as vice-presidents and Ket Sovan was handed the role of chief of the financial department.

Local and South Korean taekwondo students took to the mats of the Khmer-Booyoung Taekwondo Center at the National Sports Complex yesterday morning to contest combat and performance events as part of the Cambodia-Korea Friendship Competition to honour the completion of the World Taekwondo Federation Peace Corps mission to the Kingdom.

According to Cambodian Taekwondo Federation's president, Noun Sophea, the tournament yielded participation from seven local organisations – Boeung Trabek High School, the National Bodyguard department, New World International School, the National Pedagogical Institute, Westline School and the University of Puthisastra.

It was attended by director of the sports department at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Ouk Sethycheat, National Olympic Committee of Cambodia general secretary Vath Chamroeun, head of the Ministry's Physical Sports Department Hun Samuth and chief of the National Sport Training Centre Pong Sok.

"This event, which includes both combat and performance contests, really helps contribute to the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation's experience and techniques, which will in turn help [Cambodia] earn medals at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar [in December]," Ouk Sethycheat told reporters.

As the opposition continues to contest election results, the government has issued its second post-election announcement on salaries, saying yesterday that it has formed a committee aimed at boosting minimum wages for garment and footwear workers next year.

Following the government announcing a pay increase for civil servants days after last month's ballot, Vong Sovann, secretary-general of the Ministry of Social Affairs' strikes and demonstrations settlement committee, said the committee would raise wages after examining living costs for workers.

"We can't tell you how much the workers will receive until after we've done the research, but there will be an increase," he said.

The committee, he added, will involve the government, unions and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia. "It might take three or four months to complete it, because we're aiming at increasing wages in 2014," he said.

Som Aun, president of the National Union Alliance Chamber of Cambodia – considered government-aligned – believed talks could begin next month.

The NACC, he added, will try to secure a minimum wage of up to $200 over the next five years. "I expect the workers will get an increase between $20 and $30 next year," he said.

But not everyone has been invited to join the new committee. Because the government does not officially recognise Rong Chhun's Cambodian Confederation of Unions, he will be observing from afar.

"I'm surprised [about this committee] but I congratulate them.… I want them to increase wages to $150 per month as soon as possible," he said, adding construction workers, beer promoters, domestic servants and hospitality staff should be paid the same.

Kong Athit, vice president of the independent Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, said he, too, had not received an invitation and suggested the announcement was aimed at calming down workers tempted to join Cambodia National Rescue Party demonstrations.

The government raised the minimum garment wage from $61 to $75 in March after the opposition vowed to raise pay to $150 per month if it won the election.

Two Vietnamese women have been charged with illegally storing 102 kilograms of reptiles with the intent of transporting them from Kandal's Loeuk Dek district to Vietnam.

Forestry officials along with Wildlife Rapid Rescue Teams raided the two women's rental house last Tuesday, seizing a variety of reptile species including but not limited to seven monocled cobras, two Burmese pythons, one snail-eating turtle, one checkered keelback snake and white-spotted slug snakes.

Prek Tonloap commune chief Ngi Sary yesterday expressed surprise over the suspects' illegal activities. "We just saw them buy fish. We did not know they bought wildlife until after their arrest," Ngi told the Post.

The cobras were transported to Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center in Takeo's Bati district to ensure their mouths had not been stitched, a tactic commonly used by traders for self-protection and to weaken the snakes.

All other confiscated wildlife was released into protected habitat on Wednesday.

Aided by the recovery of large economies in the United States, the European Union and Japan, Cambodia's exports jumped more than 20 per cent during the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2012.

Ministry of Commerce data released at the end of last week showed that total exports in the first six months were worth more than $3 billion, a 26 per cent year-on-year increase. Imports, meanwhile, topped exports, at a value of $4.5 billion.

"For Cambodia's export sector, such as garment and shoes, the good economic situation in major export destinations is most welcome," said Hiroshi Suzuki, chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia.

Grant Knuckey, CEO of ANZ Royal Bank, said that the export figures were in line with expectations, and reflective of improvements in quality and processed products.

According to the statistics, total exports of garment wear and textiles went up by nearly 20 per cent to $2.5 billion. Agricultural exports rose by 40 per cent in the same period to reach $293 million, while the remaining products cover a wide range of goods, including electronics.

Knuckey said that the growth of the garment sector is indicative of the pick-up in the US economy. Agricultural exports are less sensitive to growth there because, as staple items, they are under more recently adopted fixed-volume contracts to Europe and the Middle East.

"As such I expect the growth trend on the agricultural side to be maintained," he said.

Hiroshi said that in addition to garment and shoe exports, the product diversification is a positive sign.

"The export of parts manufactured by Japanese factories in Cambodia seems to grow. This is one piece of evidence that shows the success of the government policy to invite foreign direct investment, especially the labour-intensive industry from Japan," he said.

"Cambodia's export diversification of export items [from garments to parts], and export destinations [from the US and the EU to Japan and ASEAN], is now getting the success based on the increase of foreign direct investment."

Kampong Cham may be a long way from Palo Alto, but one Silicon Valley institution has found its way to rural Cambodia: technology conferences.

Over the weekend some 600 people attended a two-day networking event in the province, which was hosted at the provincial capital's Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear.

BarCamp, with topics including Wikipedia and social networking, and more than 50 educational sessions on information technology, was open to the public and free.

Some 130 technology enthusiasts came from outside the provinces, some making use of special no-fee bus rides from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

"I have many [Facebook] friends from different provinces, and we were finally able to meet at BarCamp," said Eang Kearovak, a 29-year-old Cellcard merchant from Kampong Cham.

BarCamp is an international conference structure that was first used in 2005 in California. Anyone can organise a BarCamp using an online wiki system, and to date it has been held in more than 350 cities worldwide.

While BarCamp has had eight sessions in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang, this was the first event held away from the large urban areas.

"We targeted the big cities, with the large universities, but we also want to target smaller cities," said event organiser Be Chantra, who stressed the importance of involving the whole country.

Javier Sola, program director of Open Institute and BarCamp participant since 2008, said that Kampong Cham's central position in northeastern Cambodia made it accessible to a greater number of rural people.

"It's a key place, and it has universities, so you've younger students who are more interested in technology."

Tep Sovichet, who co-led a conference on the emergence of Khmer Wikipedia, said that previous BarCamps had inadvertently excluded many people in rural areas.

"People in the provinces did not know how to join. They think about their budget and time. But if we come to the provinces, it is OK for them."

Oum Vantharith, who co-led the session with Sovichet, said that the Kampong Cham BarCamp had a noticeably different flavour from the events he has attended in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

"In Phnom Penh, it's more of a local unit. Here, it's more diverse, with Kampong Cham youth and people from other provinces," Vantharith said, adding that the participants at his session, who he estimated were 70 per cent Kampong Cham residents, left the session with far more knowledge than when they entered.

"Before we started our session, we asked the audience [about] their background with Wikipedia. Most of them really didn't know or had little experience with the movement.

"Now they are aware that Wikipedia exists in their language, and they can edit the site. It gives them a chance to get involved."

Vantharith added that increasingly intense competition among internet service providers and the influx of inexpensive, Chinese-made smartphones is making home internet access increasingly affordable for rural people of modest means.

Nheong Chanthou, a 28-year-old BarCamp volunteer from Kampong Cham, said that her mind was opened to thinking deeply about social networking.

"I have had Facebook for a year," said Chanthou, who accesses the internet primarily from a smartphone. "But I've never socialised a lot, so it was very interesting to learn more about the possibilities of [online] communication."