The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Simply too many” plus 9 more

We will not question or arrest any villagers, because there were about 500 and that's simply too many. We cannot question them all. We are afraid the villagers would react angrily if we investigated.

After a head-on collision in Kandal province killed one driver and injured nine people heading home to celebrate Pchum Ben on Monday night, the Kingdom's transportation department is urging people to be careful on the road during the holiday, which has historically seen a rise in traffic accidents.

Dok Kimheng, 29, of Kandal's Muk Kampoul district, was killed and 14 others were injured when a van carrying nine people travelling from Phnom Penh to Prey Veng for Pchum Ben veered into oncoming traffic and collided with the truck carrying Kimheng and four passengers, according to Nov Sophon, chief of police in Khsach Kandal district, where the crash occurred.

All 14 survivors, including the van's driver Ya Yan, 26, of Prey Veng province, were taken to hospitals in Prey Veng and Phnom Penh with serious injuries, Sophon said.

"The van's driver did not adhere to the traffic rules, and sped into the wrong lane," Sophon said.

Kimheng's body was recovered by his family, and both vehicles are currently impounded at the Khsach Kandal district police station.

Three main factors – the condition of drivers, vehicles and roads – cause traffic accidents, Preap Chanvibol, director of the transport department at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, said. The influx of drivers on the roads during the mass exodus from Phnom Penh that comes with Pchum Ben intensifies dangers on the road.

"People have to be especially on guard against traffic accidents during Pchum Ben," Chanvibol said. "Bus companies should avoid using tired drivers or forcing them to drive if they are sick."

Between 2005 and 2010, traffic fatalities in Cambodia doubled, surpassing 1,800, according to Cambodia Road Crash and Victim Information System.

The number of traffic fatalities around Pchum Ben are historically only second to those killed in traffic accidents during Khmer New Year, crash and victim information data show.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SEAN TEEHAN

Further upsets for the mighty Manchester sides and a draw between bitter London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea meant high-flying Arsenal remained top of the table, two points above the impressive Liverpool. Could the end of Ferguson's epic era finally signify a changing of the guard?

While finalised results are what counts for teams in the Premier League, its goals and assists that do the most damage in the Cellcard Fantasy League.

Gameweek 6 was no exception, with Everton's ballistic Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku richly deserving pick of the round for his match-winning brace and assist against Newcastle on Monday night.

Lukaku notched up 16 points, two more than his closest Dream team ally Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool, who scored one and set up two more at crisis-hit Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Sturridge's strike partner Luis Suarez was back to what he does best, eating up goals with a double in the same game to collect 13 points, which was equalled by Arsenal's unstoppable Aaron Ramsey thanks to his goal and assist from midfield.

The weekly competition was won by a familiar name, Nith Poch, and her side Aston Memot with 80 points.

Bringing in Ramsey for the round was a masterstroke along with Man United's Wayne Rooney as captain for 16 points. Nith also fielded Hull's goalscoring midfielder Robbie Brady for 11 points to seal the win and earn a $20 phone voucher and T-shirt from sponsors Cellcard.

Over in the affiliated Facebook competition (www.facebook.com/Cellcard.Fantasy), three users correctly guessed that Tottenham's Gylffi Sigurdsson would score from open play in the match against Chelsea.

Vicheth Phath was drawn out as the lucky winner of the $10 phone voucher prize.

Next week's question is: Who will score first in the game between Everton and Man City? You are also given the following five options on how the goal will be scored: By head, by penalty, by free-kick, by regular play or by own goal.

Entries must be made before the start of play (6:45pm Cambodian time on Saturday) so guesses must be made before then. It is the opening fixture of 10 to be played in gameweek 7, which fit inside the two-day weekend.

After a five-year break, Lao Airlines will revive the Phnom Penh-Vientiane route with direct flights three times a week starting in November, the company's representative said yesterday.

Ek Narun, assistant to the general manager of Lao Airlines in Phnom Penh, said tickets will be available for sale in Phnom Penh on November 7.

"We have more airplanes to operate and we have seen more [Lao] tourists coming to Cambodia, so we decided to restart flights between the two cities," Narun said.

He added that Lao Airlines started connecting the two capitals in 1989, but that flights were suspended in April 2008 due to a lack of customers.

For the route, the carrier will use an Airbus A320 that can carry 158 passengers.

Lao Airlines is set to break a monopoly on a route that has until now been operated by Vietnam Airlines.

Minister of Tourism Thong Kong yesterday welcomed the return of Lao Airline's services, saying it will help to strengthen ties between the two countries.

"It is a good move to be connected via air because we are neighbours," Khon said. "We can boost more trade and the tourism sector."

Data from the Ministry of Tourism show that Lao tourists ranked fourth in the list of international arrivals to Cambodia last year. Vietnam came in first, followed by South Korean and Chinese visitors.

Between January and May this year, Lao tourists in Cambodia numbered 146,340, compared with 81,059 in the same period in 2012.

Founded in 1976, the national and flag carrier of Laos is already flying to Siem Reap along with other regional airlines in a bid to capitalise on the growing number of visitors to the Angkor Wat gateway.

According to aviation industry website ch-aviation, Lao Airlines plans to acquire two A321-200s in 2015 to boost its local and regional network.

The airline's website says the carrier serves six international and six domestic locations. New routes planned are within Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The head of the Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) program said yesterday that consultations on its new public-disclosure initiative have been going on for more than a year, contrary to claims by a garment factory representative who characterised the process as hasty.

Jill Tucker, chief technical adviser for the UN-backed BFC, which is part of the International Labour Organization, said an earlier version of the plan was discussed with the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia's secretary-general Ken Loo and government officials in September.

Subsequent meetings were then held with GMAC board members in February and July this year. During the latter, Tucker said, GMAC "clearly stated their opposition to transparency".

"We are confused as to why they are saying they didn't have sufficient consultation, unless of course Ken had not been speaking to his board," she said, adding that BFC is gathering emails with GMAC to support its version of events.

On September 23, BFC announced plans to resume publicly disclosing reports on the labour standards at garment factories. The quarterly reports, due out in January, will be based on inspections beginning this month.

GMAC responded with an announcement in local media and letters to factory owners, stating that only one official meeting took place over the summer with BFC to discuss the resumption.

The short window, GMAC argued, gave employers little time to assess the "negative implications that might arise".

GMAC has advised factory owners that unless BFC inspectors are accompanied by officials or a government letter, owners should "exercise discretion" before admitting them.

Tucker at BFC said that since GMAC's statement, she has visited two factories and not had any pushback.

Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union, rallied quickly to BFC's side.

Since 2012, Thorn also attended meetings with BFC, GMAC and the government to discuss the issue. He said that despite 430 out of 800 factories agreeing to the program, GMAC opposed it.

"I think even if we give them [GMAC] 10 more years, they will still not work it out."

Acknowledging that the topic had been discussed in the past "over coffee", Loo defended his argument that BFC failed to engage, yet continued to claim full support for public disclosure.

According to Loo, specifics were not discussed in July at a project advisory meeting, and a follow-up meeting has not been held. He requested that BFC delay the announcement, at least until after he had time to discuss it with the board on September 30, but alleges BFC ignored him and went ahead anyway.

"Today the relationship between BFC and the factories is at its worst," he said.

The Ministry of Labour could not be reached for comment.

BFC doesn't monitor footwear, but its new safety compliance program comes months after two Cambodians died when a mezzanine floor collapsed at the Kampong Speu province Wing Star Shoes factory in May.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An has accused two independent election watchdogs of conspiring with the opposition to undermine the election.

Speaking at the Council of Ministers on Monday, An said that the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (Comfrel) and the US-government-funded National Democratic Institute (NDI) had inflated the number of names they claimed were missing from the voter list before the July 28 poll.

"It is a bad trick of the [groups] manipulated by the opposition to question the legitimacy of the election procedure [and] reject the election result," he said.

"[But] even if the opposition and its allies use every trick there is to destroy the election result, the truth is still the truth, as the National Assembly and the government have been formed [according to the constitution]."

A pre-election NDI voter list audit found that 10.8 per cent of registered voters' names were missing from the voter list, while a Comfrel audit found a figure of 13.5 per cent.

An internal National Election Committee (NEC) audit later found a similar figure of nine per cent.

An said, however, that the two groups had "conspired" with the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to accuse the NEC of failing to account for nearly two million voters.

He added that Comfrel and NDI also refused to cooperate with the NEC to provide a list of missing voters' names.

Comfrel director Koul Panha yesterday said that his organisation's audit was carried out separately to NDI's and that as it was sample-based it would have been impossible to provide a list of all missing names to the NEC, even if Comfrel's code of ethics allowed it.

"The NEC says this is a problem, with particular people whose names are missing. [But] we just provide information about the size of the problem and the NEC should continue to investigate by themselves," he said.

Panha added that the groups were "clearly" independent and called on the government to ask the NEC to release more information so a proper investigation can be conducted.

NDI could not be reached for comment.

British national David John Fletcher, who was sentenced in absentia by a Cambodian court to 10 years in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl, was extradited from Thailand to Cambodia yesterday afternoon, said Major General Keo Vanthan, director of the local Interpol office.

According to Vanthan, Fletcher, 65, was returned – along with 13 others wanted by the Cambodian justice system – more than three years after his extradition was requested.

"We have received him. The next step is contacting police and the court," Vanthan said.

Fletcher, who ran a charity helping children at the Stung Meanchey dump site, fled to Thailand in 2009 as he was being investigated.

Samleang Seila, director of child protection NGO Action Pour les Enfants, said that Fletcher was arrested shortly after he entered Thailand at the request of Cambodian authorities in 2010.

"Justice has been done for the victim, as she has waited for years," Seila said.

Thousands of students were unable to attend classes yesterday after returning from holiday, as more than 500 schools remained closed due to flooding that has claimed 50 lives so far this year.

According to a report released by the National Committee for Disaster Management, 513 schools in six provinces shuttered their doors citing an expected lack of attendance.

The worst-affected provinces were Kampong Cham and Prey Veng, where disruptions caused by the deluge were reported in dozens of districts. In Kampong Cham, 187 schools in 13 districts were closed, while 165 schools in 12 districts postponed the new term in Prey Veng.

Banteay Meanchey, Kandal, Kratie and Stung Treng were also affected.

Svay Phally, director of Kampong Cham's Department of Education, said rising water levels had affected students of all ages, forcing education officials to cancel schools' opening ceremonies.

"We could not hold open ceremonies because of the flooded schools," he said. "We will announce how long studies will be delayed for after the flooding dies down, but unaffected schools will be open as usual."

Hem Sophal, director of Prey Veng's Department of Education, said at least 165 schools in the province were forced to close, adding that the department would release new timetables for students who would miss classes.

"It is difficult for students and teachers to travel to school due to flooding. That is why they could not come to school on time; anyway, we will make a new timetable for them after the flood dies down. They will study an extra hour and [will be able to catch up with] other students who were not affected by the floods," he said.

In Phnom Penh, a municipal disaster-monitoring delegation measured the river levels in the capital, where the Mekong River has been threatening to reach critical levels.

Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong said experts and officials would continue to monitor the water levels to ensure the safety of residents whose houses abut the Mekong.

However, he emphasised that while the risk of flooding in the capital necessitated continued vigilance, it had not yet reached the 10.5-metre point at which the alarm would be raised.

"If the water level reaches 10.5 metres, Phnom Penh municipality will be ready to protect [residents], but right now, it is not a serious danger to the residents who live along the river," he said.

The 160 families affected by the floodwaters in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district, he added, were receiving aid from the local authorities.

More than 100 boats and dredging equipment were seized yesterday in Kandal province in an attempt to prevent further erosion of the riverbank, which could place residents at risk.

In Kampong Cham, a 60-year-old Chinese man, Zhang Wenhua, an employee of plantation firm Phan Tong Hong, was killed when the boat he was travelling in capsized in swollen waters in Danbe district's Trapaing Pring commune. Four other Chinese nationals and one Cambodian escaped alive.

Two more bodies have been found in connection with a flood-induced car crash in Prey Veng province that left at least six people dead and a young girl missing.

Police said yesterday they still cannot determine the language spoken by the sole survivor, a 24-year-old Muslim man they believe is named Rozan and assume to be Syrian based on where he pointed on a world map. Through communication limited to drawings and body language, the police believe the Toyota Camry involved in the accident was carrying seven foreign passengers and one Cambodian driver.

The bodies of two females, aged 17 and 24, and two boys between the ages of two and five, were discovered on Monday morning at about 3am on a flooded road in Ba Phnom district's Theay commune.

A 42-year-old foreigner who police assume to be a Syrian national was found floating dead at 6am yesterday, while the body of a Cambodian man was found later in the afternoon.

"We know through the drawing of people sitting in the car that there were seven foreigners and a Khmer driver. Now there is still one girl missing, around five years old.… We are still searching," Sreng Kea, deputy police chief of Prey Veng, said.

Police believe the foreigners in the car to be related, as the sole survivor began crying upon identifying the bodies of the two young boys on Monday.

The Ministry of Interior is still working to find a translator able to speak with the survivor, who cannot understand Khmer, French, English, Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Armenian or Kurdish, according to NGOs working with police.

The bodies of the females and children were buried on Monday, and the 42-year-old man was cremated yesterday.

The International Organization for Migration will travel to Prey Veng tomorrow to help to identify the man's nationality and language while police continue searching for the missing girl.

Syria's embassies in Beijing and Malaysia and its consulate in Bangkok did not respond to requests for comment.

"This case is difficult for us, as we cannot communicate. Right now, we are working to identify the [victims'] names and nationalities," said Kirth Chantharith, spokesman for the National Police.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LAIGNEE BARRON

More than two weeks after the slaying of 29-year-old Mao Sok Chan in clashes at Phnom Penh's Kbal Thnal overpass, police have yet to launch an internal investigation into the use of force, officials said yesterday.

National military police spokesman Kheng Tito said he had no knowledge of any progress in the case and was not even sure whether the Permanent Security Committee had decided to open a special committee to investigate the case.

"Currently, I have received no updated reports on this case," Tito told the Post.

On September 15, the construction worker and father of four was shot in the head while trying to return home during a night protest turned violent at the Kbal Thnal overpass. In addition to his death, numerous people were injured by police wielding electric prods and batons and shooting live ammunition to disperse what they claimed was a violent mob.

Cambodian People's Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap directed questions to the Permanent Security Committee yesterday, citing a busy schedule due to floods along the Mekong River.

Just days after the incident, Yeap told the Post that intra-party negotiations were the reason for the hold-up.

"An investigation into the military police response will be held in a few days," Yeap said at the time.

Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, and National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith could not be reached for comment yesterday.

When asked if any efforts were being made to find the culprits involved in the killing, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said he "was not following the case".

For Sok Chan's family, however, the lack of answers has been harrowing.

"I have called again and again for authorities to find justice for my son and punish the criminals with strong sentences, but nothing has happened," his mother, Sith Chan, said.

"I don't know if authorities have taken any measures to investigate the case of my son [or] find and arrest the gunman," she said, adding that relevant authorities had not reached out to her with any updates or new information about the shooting.

If any approach is being taken by local authorities, rights groups have heard nothing, affirmed Preap Kol, executive director of the Cambodia office of Transparency International, a global social accountability NGO.

"I'm sure the status of this investigation will be delayed further because of the holiday [Pchum Ben]. We can only hope the UN Human Rights Council continues pushing for a follow-up," Kol told the Post yesterday.

In the days following the shooting, relevant officials and authorities have continuously cited Sok Chan's death as being "under investigation", a buzz phrase that means little, according to Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

"I doubt this case is truly under investigation. We have seen no real attempts made by any relevant authorities," he said.