The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “CNRP rally starts peacefully” plus 8 more

Security low key for start of three day demonstration ahead of planned opposition march through Phnom Penh

A three-day rally seems worrisome. If it gathers momentum, that suggests casualties to me.

Reforming the democratic system, including possible reforms to the National Election Committee, will take centre stage at a forum to be held by the end of the year, the government announced yesterday.

The meeting will include national and international political parties and civil society representatives in a debate over the future of democracy in Cambodia, which the government statement said would be "in accordance with the principles of pluralist liberal democracy and the rule of law".

"The Royal Government would like to call for compatriots and the international community to support this vital reform process for the sake of peace, stability, democracy and development in Cambodia for more robust and continual progress," it added.

Opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua yesterday cautiously welcomed the news.

Election reform "is the highest priority on our agenda and for the people wanting the truth, as long as they are clear that they will carry out reforms that will address the conduct during previous elections," she said. "We want reforms to be open to all the recommendations of the UN the EU and international organisations."

"I think it is a positive sign.… But there has to be discussions that include the recommendations [of the international community]. It should not just be a workshop for the sake of a workshop," Sochua added.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party signed a joint declaration in September pledging to work together on reforming the electoral system.

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng said the talks would form part of a push to create a more pluralist democratic system.

"The national-level workshop is really crucial for the election reforms and it helps strengthen the implementation of pluralist liberal democracy," he said.

Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator at human rights group Licadho, echoed the sentiments. "The reforms should be true to make both the people and civil society have faith, because now people do not have faith in there being deep reforms [ahead]," he said.

CNRP president Sam Rainsy and his deputy Kem Sokha could not be reached for comment yesterday.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DANIEL PYE

A young mother took to the radio airwaves yesterday seeking the public's help in finding the newborn child she says was abducted on Monday by a woman disguised as a nurse at a hospital in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district.

Kov Srey Leak, 18, and her husband Chhet Pov, 21, both residents of Chbar Ampov II commune, on Sunday arrived at Meanchey Referral Hospital, where Srey Leak gave birth to a baby boy the next day.

"I am sorry for my dear baby boy. I haven't even seen his face, and I have little hope of finding him," she told the Post yesterday, adding that a name had yet to be chosen for the newborn.

Un Sophal, police chief of Chbar Ampov I commune, said his officers were investigating the case but had few leads due to the hospital's failure to track those entering the facility.

"We have searched for the baby since last night, but there is no information," he said. "We continue to search for it, but this is the [result of the] carelessness of the staff within the health centre, who could not control the people who visit patients."

At about 4pm on Monday, a woman Srey Leak estimated to be between 35 and 40 years old, entered the young mother's hospital room wearing a dark uniform and offered her brother 20,000 riel (about $5) to purchase the newborn a set of gloves and socks.

After the new mother's brother left to purchase the items, Srey Leak gave the woman permission to bathe the newborn, assuming the woman was a nurse employed at the hospital.

Om Sokha, a director at Meanchey hospital, did not deny the story but expressed surprise that Srey Leak would allow the baby to be bathed, as he was born underweight.

"The missing baby was born less than a day ago, weighing only two or three kilograms, so the nurses did not allow his parents to inoculate or bathe the baby," Sokha said.

Hospital officials confirmed that police are investigating.

The roads surrounding In­dependence Monument will once again be blocked off as a planned three-day opposition rally kicks off this morning, but military police maintained yesterday that they will not be as tightly enforced as they were when frustration over delays erupted into violence last month.

National Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito said that while security forces will be deployed, Phnom Penh Municipal Military Police had been instructed to be more accommodating and not discriminate against the opposition.

"Thousands of military police were instructed by their commander to pay strong attention to maintain peace and stability for the rally of the CNRP and, in order to avoid any violence, individual military police were instructed not to talk with the protesters while on duty," Tito said.

"Having learned about the roadblocks from the previous demonstration, this time we will not be as strict as before, and we will not create any problem that would anger people."

City Hall spokesman Long Dimanche was quick, however, to lay the onus for security on the opposition, saying that while the government's position had seemingly softened with its decision to allow 1,000 demonstrators to deliver petitions to embassies, the CNRP would be expected to abide by other strictures, including a 10,000-person limit at Freedom Park and a 6pm curfew for the event.

"The CNRP must take responsibility to keep the protest under control in order to ensure peace, non-violence, and that it doesn't affect national security and public order, life, and public and private property," he said.

John Muller, of the private security firm Global Security Solutions, said "keep[ing] the public informed" is the best way to prevent frustrations from boiling over, as they did on September 15, when commuter Mao Sok Chan was shot dead by police during a traffic jam caused by barricades on the Monivong Bridge.

"You can find out where the roadblocks are going to be, where they plan to do vehicle checks, so if they release that information in advance [it would be good]," he said.

Nonetheless, Muller added, it was worth noting that injuries had remained low during last month's mass protest – with the exception of the "embarrassing" attack on protesters at Wat Phnom by plainclothes men.

National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith yesterday declined to say how many officers would be deployed today, but said that if "there are more protesters, then there will be more police also".

However, more protesters are not likely to be a problem, said Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak, who noted that a combination of disenchantment over the opposition's overtures towards compromise and simple fatigue would keep some demonstrators home.

"I think the number will be declining a bit compared to the previous three-day protest," he said. "I think some people are fatigued. I think a lot of protest people are tired, because the protests didn't lead to the results that they wanted."

The Ministry of Health yesterday announced the 21st case of avian influenza in Cambodia this year – an eight-year-old girl from Kampong Thom province's Baray district.

The victim, the 42nd person confirmed to have contracted the H5N1 virus in the Kingdom, was hospitalised at a private clinic on October 10, after developing a cough along with a fever and vomiting.

The girl's condition worsened a day later, and she was referred to Jayavarman VII hospital in Siem Reap.

Institut Pasteur du Cambodge confirmed the girl had tested positive for human H5N1 influenza on October 17, was administered Tamiflu on October 14, and is now in stable condition.

The girl had come in direct contact with dead poultry in Pung Ror commune while preparing a meal with chicken.

Minister of Health Mam Bunheng yesterday called for parents to keep children away from sick or dead poultry.

Mong Reththy Group is co-investing $2 million to build a factory in Preah Sihanouk province for the packaging and export of Cambodian mangoes, the first company to formally ship the fruit overseas.

Located in Koe Phos commune, the factory will cover 12 hectares of land and is a joint investment with Singaporean company King Fruit. Operations won't start until late 2014, at the earliest.

Oknha Mong Reththy, president of the eponymous firm, said yesterday that mango cultivation in Cambodia has ramped up over the past decade, but until now the fruit hasn't been directly exported to markets outside the country.

To change that, Cambodia needed a processing factory for the washing, storing, packaging and testing of mangoes to guarantee a fruit free of chemicals.

"We seek to export directly to Singapore, Japan and Korea," he said. "The factory will contribute to increase the price of mangoes for Cambodian farmers."

Farmers living along the Mekong have been planting more mango trees with the aid of a relatively new seed, the "Koe Romeat".

The Koe Romeat mango needs a shorter time to bring in revenue, as it takes about three and a half years between planting the seeds and harvesting the fruit.

Nearly all mango farmers use the Romeat variety, as older seeds took up to 10 years on average to harvest. Reththy did not say how many tonnes of mangoes the factory planned on exporting per month or per year once operations start.

But mango farmers could be in for a sweet deal as the tycoon has to purchase the fruit locally. Reththy singled out Kampong Speu province as one area he's interested in buying from.

Cambodian mangoes are typically exported to Vietnam and Thailand informally by individual traders. Afterwards, they are packaged and then exported to China, according to Chorn Dalis, a mango farmer who owns an 80-hectare property and who is also the director of PRL Co, a processing company producing dry mangoes.

She said Cambodian mango traders are facing difficulties in exporting the fruit to international markets because of their inability to meet sanitary standards and the insufficient quality of the fruit.

"I am happy to have a factory that can export mangoes from Cambodia," Dalis said.

Nearly 400 workers at the USA Fully Field (Cambodia) Garment factory blocked National Road 2 in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district yesterday after fears spread that the factory was winding down operations and that management wouldn't pay necessary wages once it closed.

Soy Nakri, a worker representative at the factory, said the protest started on Thursday when factory management began removing equipment without telling workers.

While some 60 per cent of machinery remains, Nakri said that workers had not been given any jobs to do since the equipment was taken.

"We decided to block the road this morning because the employers and the authorities did not find any resolution for us," she said, referring to a third round of negotiations underway since the strike began.

"We need our seniority pay, because the factory attempted to close without informing the workers," she said.

Having worked at the factory since 1999, Nakri calculates that her seniority pay, which accumulates over time for a one-time payment once employment ends, is more than $1,600.

Yong Leab, an officer with the Free Trade Union, said yesterday that it was all too common for garment workers in Cambodia to run into difficulties when factories unexpectedly shut down.

"I always see the workers crying and trying very hard to protest and demanding their payments when the factory closes or the employers flee," she said.

Leab said the onus should not be on the workers to protest against management and appealed to officials to get their contractual dues.

"I think it nearly becomes part of the culture of the garment workers, until they get their payment," Leab said.

A USA garment factory representative, who declined to be named, said negotiations were ongoing, but did not confirm that the factory was closing. The representative said the company agreed to pay $650 for workers who were there from a year to more than 10 years, and $100 for those who worked on a three-month contract.

Huy Houth, a deputy director administrator in Meanchey district who participated in the negotiations, said yesterday that the company representative had told him the factory would remain open, and that the strike was the result of a misunderstanding. Houth said the company wants to cancel old contracts with the workers and negotiate new terms.

"They assured me that the company will not close, but the workers are confused and they are worried that the company will close," he said. "The company wants to make a new contract with the workers, but it's still the same company."

"We are still working on it to find resolution."

Nakri, the worker representative, was adamant that the factory faced closure, adding that the current offer was not enough, and would not be accepted.

"We will protest until we get what we are demanding," she said.

Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary general Sieh Kok Chi has laid out a roadmap to help Cambodia prepare a master plan to host the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in the Kingdom for the first time since the inception of the biennial event in 1959.

As a special invitee to the General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia on Monday, Kok Chi outlined in great detail the organisational, logistical and infrastructural developments required to stage a mega-event like the SEA Games, which is the region's biggest sporting spectacle.

In a two-part presentation, the Malaysian veteran, whose experience in the organisation and promotion of the Games spawns nearly five decades, guided the top brass of the NOCC and member federations through the challenges that they have to face in the run up to the nomination deadline.

Here are some of the salient features of Kok Chi's roadmap as presented in the General Assembly to help Cambodia's preparations:

Timeline
The 10-year target that Cambodia has set for itself is really commendable. It gives them plenty of time to prepare very well. Generally, host countries set a time frame of two to three years for preparations. Since time is on Cambodia's side, tackling several major issues will be lot easier.

Beneficial impact
The SEA Games will hugely impact the host country. Out of the 11 countries representing the region, Cambodia is the only founder member not to have hosted the Games. The other one to not have hosted is the newest member in the fold – East Timor.

If you look back at the nine countries that have staged these Games, you can clearly see the beneficial side.

A striking example is Vietnam. They held their first SEA Games in 2003 and by the end of this decade they would be in line to host the Asian Games.

There are rewards for a host country in several key sectors – transportation networks, new infrastructure, human resource development – where you can build a bank of efficient managerial and technical workforce.

It augments sports sciences, brings about improved on-field performances, strengthens individual federations and overall builds a strong sports culture.

Tourism, hotel industry, construction – all these sectors will be well served by a successful organisation of the Games.

Infrastructure development
This is the most challenging issue for any host nation, especially for a country like Cambodia doing it for the first time. This is one area which is totally dependent on government funding.

Do not build too many, too big and too expensive. You need to strike a balance between what is a dire need for the big show and its post-Games utility, because costs to maintain these giant facilities will be too high. The post-Games scenario has to be clearly worked out before embarking on a major project.

Explore innovative solutions; present-day technology provides for construction of temporary venues. Address accommodation needs through hotel networks instead of building Games villages at enormous costs.

It is important to note that the NOC has to work with the government in infrastructure development as a partner. There are instances when the NOC will experience what is generally regarded as governmental meddling, but treat this as government's responsibility rather than looking at it as interference.

This partnership between the government and the NOC is very important.

Meticulous planning is needed in the choice of venues and one way of cutting transportation costs is to find hotels for athletes in specific disciplines close to the facility they compete in.

Additional revenue
While the Games funding is basically done by the government, there are several avenues to bring in extra revenues for the host country. One key element could be to encourage the government to allow tax rebates for sports sponsorship and donations as prevalent in countries like Malaysia and Singapore. Issuing commemorative stamps and coins and even a lottery could be contemplated alongside tourism promotion initiatives.

Budget
Keeping cost escalation in mind – the Games could cost as much as US$30 million or slightly more, and that is the figure we in Malaysia are looking at for the 2017 Games.

Number of disciplines
The host country has the sole prerogative to decide on the number of disciplines and events that would be staged during that particular edition. For example, Indonesia staged a record 43 disciplines in 2011 while Brunei in its first attempt in 1999 did only 21.

So it is up to Cambodia to decide on how many disciplines and what they are. My suggestion would be around 25 disciplines.

Legacy
These Games leave a lasting legacy apart from short- and medium-term impacts. It is very important to determine what legacy will be left behind and how well the Games be remembered. Every host country wants to be the best.

People's support
The NOC has to ensure that the people of the country support these Games. This backing is very crucial to its success.

Strengthening federations
It is not enough if the NOC is strong. It is critically important that member federations provide a solid platform and address the needs and interests of the discipline they serve.