The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Accept international adjudication” plus 9 more

"If [the Thais] don't accept international adjudication, then what will be the method of settling these other potential disputes?"

Amid growing demand, Myanmar Airways International will up the frequency of its twice-weekly Phnom Penh-Yangon flights next month, according to the company's website and an employee at the Phnom Penh International Airport office.

"In October we'll expand to three flights per week," Naing Theingi, the station manager for the airline, said.

From October 27 until March 29 next year, Myanmar Airways International will fly every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The airline now flies only on the latter two days.

"To have more flights connecting Myanmar to Cambodia is a very good prospect for both tourism and trading," said Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents. "Certainly Myanmar and Cambodia are similar cultures and Myanmar is one of the pilgrimage destinations for Cambodian people."

Eang added that tourists and expatriates in Cambodia benefit from the increased frequency.

The international flag carrier of Myanmar resumed flights to Cambodia in December, after being suspended for about three months due to low demand.

Travel between the two countries is still low, with Myanmar tourists accounting for only 0.1 per cent of the total international arrivals to Cambodia in 2012. But the 4,744 Burmese who visited represented a 13 per cent increase from 2011.

A staff member at Myanmar's embassy in Phnom Penh who declined to be named said visa requests from tourists and business people have grown in the last three years.

The Appeal Court yesterday reduced by seven years the sentence of a woman found guilty in 2007 of procuring underage girls for an American pedophile later found guilty on seven counts of child sex in a US court.

Cheung Thysang, 36, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in May 2007.

That sentence was reduced to 20 years yesterday. Nguon Im, director of the presiding council of the Appeal Court, said the court had decided to uphold Thysang's guilty verdict but reduce her jail term.

"The Appeal Court decided to uphold the verdict of the municipal court except on one point, the sentence, which has been reduced from 27 years to 20 years," he said.

In 2006, Thysang brought three girls aged between 10 and 11 years old and one woman, 20, to Michael Joseph Pepe, a 60-year-old English teacher living in Phnom Penh.

Pepe – who reportedly beat, drugged and raped the girls – was convicted in 2008 on pedophilia charges after several young Cambodian girls testified at a US court.

During the appeal hearing last Thursday, Cheung Thysang told the court that the girls' parents had given her permission to take them to Pepe and asked for a reduced sentence.

Though the International Court of Justice is expected to rule this year on who owns the land surrounding Preah Vihear temple, the decision won't solve the decades-old dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, and may even incite further border clashes, according to a new white paper.

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The paper, published last week by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, assumes that there are only two likely outcomes of the current case – either the ICJ decides it has no jurisdiction in the matter, or it rules in favour of Cambodia. The former, it reasons, would simply maintain the status quo, while the latter could unify Thai nationalist factions, stirring up currents strong enough to force the two states to a showdown over the temple's surroundings.

"The nationalists would certainly urge the government not to respect such a ruling and call on the army to send troops to protect the disputed area. If Yingluck [Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister] and the army leaders comply with the ICJ, they would likely be branded as cowards and for lacking patriotism," reads the paper, written by Chulalongkorn University international relations professor Puangthong Pawakapan.

"On the other side of the border, Cambodian leaders are not expected to sit idly but would try to assert Cambodia's sovereignty over the area should the verdict go in their favour," the paper continues.

"Another border clash is, therefore, likely to take place and ASEAN and/or the United Nation[s] Security Council may need to assist."

Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Touchayoot Pakdi declined to comment on the paper yesterday, and spokesmen for Cambodia's Council of Ministers and Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached.

In 1962, the ICJ granted ownership of Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but did not rule on the land in its immediate vicinity. The issue came to the fore in 2008 when Thailand supported Cambodia's bid to have the landmark inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a move that Thai nationalists labelled a forfeiture of sovereignty.

Uproar over the temple caused fighting to break out several times between 2008 and 2011, resulting at times in deaths on both sides and displacements in Cambodia.

However, Southeast Asia expert Carl Thayer said yesterday that renewed border clashes – while not beyond the realm of possibility – were unlikely, largely because the Thai nationalist domestic crises that fuelled prior clashes had largely cooled.

"I can't rule [clashes] out, but it's a kind of doomsday scenario," he said, noting that current domestic political issues in Thailand would take precedence in citizens' minds.

"There'll be backlash, there'll be a reaction if [the ruling] goes against Thailand, but it'll be a short-lived thing," he continued, noting that Thailand and Cambodia still have issues like the demarcation of their sea border to deal with. "If [the Thais] don't accept international adjudication, then what will be the method of settling these other potential disputes?"

Two Chinese nationals were charged in Stung Treng yesterday for allegedly attempting to illegally traffic two Cambodian women to China for marriage, police said.

Zhu Yulian, a 45-year-old woman, and Huang Wenix, 46, a businessman, were arrested on Saturday after one of the victims escaped and alerted border police at the Trapeang Kreal border crossing with Laos.

Pien Peuy, deputy chief of the provincial anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection force, said the 19- and 23-year-old victims, who are both residents of Kampong Cham's Kang Meas district, had been promised factory jobs in China by the suspects, who charged them $400 each to act as their brokers.

"After that, when they arrived at the border, they knew that they were being brought to marry Chinese people.… That is why one of them escaped, prompting the police to arrest [the two suspects]," he said.

The 23-year-old returned to her family while the 19-year-old was moved to Phnom Penh, where she is receiving vocational training from a local NGO.

In the first six months of 2013, the total amount of government-approved investment in Cambodia jumped more than 200 per cent year-on-year, according to the most recent statistics from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Released on Friday, the numbers show that $2.3 billion was earmarked for projects, compared with $692 million in the first half of 2012.

Of the 68 projects that received funds, 36 were in the garment and textile industry, which attracted $200 million. The construction sector accounted for the majority of investment, bringing in nearly $2 billion.

Hiroshi Suzuki, chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said the jump is a product of mega-investments taking place inside the six-month period.

Stabilising economies in the US and EU also boosted exports in the garment industry and garnered more funds to ramp up local production.

"Cambodia has very good potential to attract labour-intensive industries, not only the garment and shoes, but also parts manufacturing," he said.

"The increasing numbers of so-called 'middle class' in Cambodia is attracting the service sector such as retail and cosmetics."

Nguon Meng Tech, director general of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, a private-sector arm, said that investment flowed in the first half of the year despite a normally sluggish period in the lead-up to July's national election

"Of course, I noticed that we got very huge potential to attract more investments before the election, especially on the garment, construction and the agricultural sector," he said.

But the current political stalemate following the poll could mean that the green-lighted projects won't come to fruition, he added.

"With this approval, we are not sure whether it will materialise as the situation is still not good."

Cambodia's GDP per capita is projected to hit $1,036 this year, up from nearly $1,000 a year earlier, according to the government's projection. The economy is expected to grow by 7.6 per cent.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash of Australia spent some playing time with the grand old man of Cambodian tennis, Yi Sarun, at the National Training Centre around noon yesterday, describing the 69-year-old Khmer Rouge regime survivor as a source of great inspiration for the next generations.

"His story is amazing. He is really good. I can see that passion for tennis in him even now. I wish at 69 I am as fit as he is," Cash told the Post in an exclusive chat.

Gaunt, slightly hunched back and almost toothless, Yi Sarun carries on his face the scars of atrocities he suffered and survived even as 40 of his tennis-playing mates perished.

Neither the advancing age nor the past troubles have stood in the way of his passion for the game. He turned up at the NTC well ahead of Cash, who had gone out in the morning on a visit to two Holy Baby run orphanages in Kandal province, where the Tennis Federation of Cambodia has initiated grassroots programs.

When the two reached out for an emotional handshake a history of sorts was in the making. The playing session lasted little less than 15 minutes. But in that time Cash could be heard showering praise for the felicity with which Yi Sarun was moving on the court and stroking the ball on both flanks.

At the end, a friendly embrace said it all, the awe and respect both had for each other.

"I knew about Cash – that he is a very good player from Australia. In fact it brought back memories of the great Australian coach Harry Hopman who trained our national team for quite some time in the early '60s," Yi Sarun told the Post in a voice choking with emotion.

It was the national team's turn next to get on court with Cash, who is an Australian tennis Hall of Famer.

The tips came flowing from the Cash half of the court. Volleys, contact points, footwork, service motion, open-close stance and the art of movement.

"In warm-ups, you concentrate on techniques. In matches you concentrate on the ball. You can only move if you are on the ground, not if you are jumping around in the air," Cash could be heard advising Phalkun Mam, Bun Kenny and Long Samneang.

Bun Kenny's double-handed backhand came under close scrutiny from Cash, who gave an immediate prescription to solve the problem of the Cambodian number one getting his racquet too close to the body.

"Open out a little bit and hit freely. It is the upper body which generates 80 per cent of the power and you must get the contact point right," said Cash.

The Cambodian team members told the Post they were thrilled to be on court hitting with a player of Cash's calibre and fame.

Later at a media conference, Cash summed up his visit, saying: "Cambodian tennis has a big heart, enthusiasm and passion, and the federation has big ideas."

"I really didn't expect it to be this good. The federation is doing the right thing in encouraging grassroots development and the coaches are getting the approach right and I cannot think of any other country comparable to Cambodia in terms of their success in relation to limited resources and the adversities they have gone through.

"Now we are friends. We know each other quite well and I will be happy to do my bit for Cambodian tennis. Maybe leverage corporate [companies] to come in or bring a player or two along and play some exhibition matches. I have ideas – let us see how it works out."

TFC secretary-general Tep Rithivit said: "To have someone like Pat Cash here is a blessing. It is a vote of confidence. I am sure our players will greatly benefit from the tips they have got from him and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with Cash."

In the company of Tep Rithivit, Phalkun Mam and Bun Kenny, Cash left for Kep to visit ASPECA Orphanage and Tennis School Kep.

"I have been pretty much on the road since Wimbledon this year, and I am getting back to my home in London," added Cash, who arrived here in Phnom Penh late Sunday evening from Kuala Lumpur.

But there is something more urgent and attractive awaiting the Australian, and that is a first look at his second grandson born in Oslo six weeks ago. After waiting four days for the new arrival, Cash left town only to find out that his daughter had delivered a baby boy two days later.

More than 100 young Cambodian artists will today hear which of them have been honoured as the country's best, as the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) holds its second annual Cambodian Fine Art Contest at the university building.

Some 137 contestants are competing for the prizes, which will be awarded for the best painting, sculpture and design.

The afternoon before the event, Em Pisey, a 22-year-old RUFA student originally from Prey Veng, stood confidently by his design: in a lifelike image painted over with bright neon colours, a girl is set against a vibrant background of bright orange and green flowers.

"I feel very confident in myself, because I've tried my best to get this experience," he said.

Last year's winners included Sreang Pisey, who took home an award for an Angkorian-esque sculpture that resembles a three-dimensional bas relief.

The organisers behind this year's event, held in conjunction with the Japanese embassy, said they were looking for originality in the designs.

"We want to progress Cambodian fine arts into the future," said Ly Sary, the 31-year-old assistant event organiser.

His role is to aid the judge and chief organiser Yamada Takakazu, 55, who is also a professor of painting at RUFA.

Takakazu, a Japanese artist who first came to Cambodia in 1999 looking for artistic inspiration, said it is essential to support originality in the arts, adding that although Cambodia's art history is cherished throughout the world, the future of Cambodian art is undecided.

The contest has more than doubled in scope since the first competition, with more than 400 applicants compared with last year's 200. A panel of nine judges will score contestants on technique, concept and composition. In addition to Takakazu, judges include representatives from RUFA, the embassy of Japan, as well as several independent Cambodian and French artists.

"We need these skills from other countries, because here in Cambodia. We don't have much education," said Sary, stressing the importance of revitalising artistic energy lost since the pre-Khmer Rouge years.

"A lot of art in Cambodia has disappeared, and a lot of art has almost disappeared."

For many of the artists, the exhibition is more about sharing their work than winning a prize. Neam Sopheap, a 23-year-old RUFA student painter from Kampong Speu, said she will have 'won' the contest regardless of the final results.

"I would love to be the winner, but I feel that I already am a winner because I tried my best."

The Cambodian Fine Arts Competition will be held today at 3:30pm at the Royal University of Fine Arts on Street 178. An exhibition of last year's winning works will be launched at 6pm at Meta-House, #37 Sothearos Boulevard, and will run until October 15.

A squad of 30 national team athletes from the sports of traditional boat racing, sepak takraw and chinlone and seven coaches and officials fly out to Myanmar today to begin a two-month training course in the lead-up to the 27th SEA Games, which will be held there in December.

The delegation includes 14 oarsmen and 16 sepak takraw and chinlone players, eight of whom are female.

Police have identified a suspect in the armed robbery and shooting of an American man but have made no arrests, while suspects in an almost identical case involving a Japanese woman have yet to be identified, an official said yesterday.

"We do have a suspect in this case, and we're working hard with the municipal police department to find the suspects," said Mom Sittha, chief of Phnom Penh's Foreigner Police Office.

On Friday, Maurice Law, 57, and his wife, Debbie, were mugged in Chamkarmon district's Tonle Bassac commune as they returned home from dinner at about 7pm. After handing over Debbie's purse, the robbers shot Maurice before driving away.

The bullet passed through his upper groin and pierced his thigh.

Sittha said the case was being investigated by the police and that the US embassy had been made aware.

Spokesman John Simmons declined to comment on the case, but urged a thorough investigation.

"The US embassy is very troubled by the recent incidents of violent crime against American citizens and other foreign nationals in Phnom Penh. We call on the authorities to conduct prompt and thorough investigations necessary to bring the culprits to justice and to deter further crime," Simmons said via email yesterday.

Standing in a grey corridor in Calmette Hospital, Debbie said her husband was on the mend.

"We're not pursuing further police action; they already have the information taken from the [crime] scene," she said, as her husband propped himself up on his elbows and smiled.

A day after Law was shot, Sakiko Takaya Naci, 33, was shot in the leg at about 8pm during a robbery that took place near the highly populated Night Market in Daun Penh's Wat Phnom commune.

Sittha said that no suspects have been identified in Naci's case, but emphasised that it was ongoing.