The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “That's long enough” plus 8 more

I see they have been detained for four months – that's long enough.

Eight unionists locked in prison in Kampong Speu province since violent clashes at the Sabrina Garment factory in May and June were released on bail yesterday, court and union officials said.

Cheum Rithy, a provincial judge, said he had decided to release the eight Free Trade Union members because they had been "detained long enough" and because the plaintiff had withdrawn demands for compensation.

"I see they have been detained for four months – that's long enough," he said.

The eight men still face charges of inciting violence and destroying company property at the factory, charges they deny.

They will be re-arrested if they "do something wrong", Rithy added.

Chea Mony, FTU president, yesterday claimed credit for the unionists' release, saying the decision had been a direct result of his urging garment workers to join opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party protests that begin in Phnom Penh tomorrow.

"Yes, of course they decided to release them immediately after I announced to all workers that they should join … to demand the court release the eight workers and increase wages to $150 per month."

Mony added that he will continue to make demands for a wage increase through the Labor Advisory Committee.

A mother of one of the eight unionists, who didn't want her name printed, said yesterday she was very happy when she learned her son would be released on bail.

"I met my son at the pagoda after he left the prison and came to be blessed," she said. "I am so happy to see him free. I cried for many months because I missed him."

The eight unionists either declined to comment or could not be reached yesterday.

Multiple clashes broke out at the factory, a supplier to sportswear giant Nike, in late May and early June.

Members of FTU allegedly clashed with members of the rival Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, while police and workers also clashed, resulting in a number of injuries.

Revenue from ticket sales to foreign tourists visiting Angkor Wat reached $41.4 million in the first nine months of 2013, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, according to data from the Apsara Authority, which manages the site.

Reflecting a rise in foreign tourist arrivals, the growth rate is a bit smaller compared to previous years, Bun Narith, director general of the Apsara Authority, said.

"The revenue growth is smaller . . . due to the early rain," he said. "[But] we can't predict that this amount will be lower for [the whole] year. We hope that it will increase during peak season, with higher tourist arrivals."

Official data show that almost 1.5 million foreign tourists visited the site in the first nine months, an increase of 13 per cent. Foreign tourists pay $20 to for a one-day ticket, $40 for three days and $60 for a week. Last year the revenue reached roughly $51 million.

In 1999, the government gave the ticketing rights to Sokimex, one of the largest petroleum suppliers in the country owned by tycoon Sok Kong.

Yim Sovann, spokesman of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, argued that the collected amount is pretty small compared to the number of tourist arrivals.

"If you look at the number of tourists visiting the temple a year – around 2-3 million, we should collect at least $100 million per year," he said.

"I am wondering why the government does not want to set up a mechanism to properly collect [the money] by themselves? Why let a private company do it?", he said, adding that the extra money could be put back into development.

The Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra has been named Southeast Asia's second best hotel by luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller.

The five-star hotel, where rooms go for $200 a night, was also voted 35th best hotel or resort in the world in the 2013 Readers' Choice survey, while Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra in Siem Reap was voted the fifth best resort in Asia.

Five of Cambodia's most luxurious hotels featured in the short-list of 25 regional hotels, competing with those in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Myanmar.

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, which Condé Nast Traveller's website called the city's "most professional hotel", narrowly beat the La Résidence d'Angkor in Siem Reap, which was ranked third in Southeast Asia.

Charles-Henri Chevet, general manager of the hotel, said in a statement: "It is extremely rewarding to be listed on the Conde Nast Traveller Reader's Choice and to learn that guests coming to our hotel have had a magnifique experience and enjoyed excellent service."

Pnom Penh's historic Raffles Hotel Le Royal was ranked 19th in the region, while its sister branch in Siem Reap, Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor, was ranked fourth in Southeast Asia and 19th in the world.

The top ranking for Southeast Asia went to Amankila, a luxury seaside resort in Bali. The hotel boasts a three-tiered pool overlooking the Lombok Strait.

The Peninsula Bangkok was ranked the best hotel in Thailand, which was not ranked with the rest of the region, and 75th best hotel or resort in the world.

Two establishments claimed the top prize in the world rankings, including South Africa's La Residence in the Franschhoek valley. The prize was shared with The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, in New Zealand's Matauri Bay.

Nearly 18,000 travellers cast 1.3 million votes in this year's Reader's Choice Awards, which ranked the world's best cities, islands, hotels, resorts, cruise lines and airlines.

The Alaxan FR Patriots winning pattern has become so routine and predictable in the inaugural Cambodian Basketball League, sponsored by Western Union and Coca-Cola, that not one team has managed in 17 weeks of competition to come anywhere near breaking their total domination.

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The Patriots stuck to their familiar script at the Beeline Arena on Saturday and reeled off yet another impressive win, this time putting the Phnom Penh Dragons completely out of business 75-53 after firing 15-2 in the first five minutes of the game.

It was as if the Patriots were cherry-picking their points much to the annoyance of the Dragons in the first two quarters, setting out on one fast break after another.

The Dragons did well to whittle the lead down to just eight points at halftime but the Patriots were adept in driving through a porous Dragons defence time and again, producing in the bargain a string of backboard shots from under the rim.

The Dragons could look back with disappointment, a few good attempts circling round the ring and popping out and their Plan B of switching from zonal to man-to-man defence simply did not work in the final quarter.

The most thrilling encounter of the day saw Cellcard Eagles clinch the eighth and final play-off spot after beating NSK Dream 61-53. Interestingly, both teams looked full strength unlike their previous games, though each had to make do without one of their key players. Dream lost the services of Reazzy and Eagles, Sean Looney.

Looking for the low post, the Eagles put their size advantage to good use trawling many offensive rebounds through Australians Callom McWiloch and Keith Kelly, thus opening up a huge 20-point gap.

From 20 three-point attempts Sok Panha managed to sink just two for NSK Dream, though Chim Chandara often got his way past the two tall Aussies under the rim. The loss meant that NSK Dream, who were ninth in the ranking going into this game, are out of play-off contention.

Once the outcome of this needle match was known, the eight play-off places were automatically decided, though the final order of placings will only been known after two more gameweeks.

The eight teams making it to the knock-out phase beginning on November 23 are Alaxan FR Patriots, IRB The Lord, Sela Meas, CCPL Heat, Phnom Penh Dragons, Pate 310, Extra Joss Warriors and Cellcard Eagles.

Two other matches on Saturday had no bearing on the play-offs.

CCPL Heat trounced Extra Joss Warriors 91-55. With just seven players showing up for the Warriors, the side could hardly bear the enormous heat national player Panha Sovann generated for the winners.

Despite being out of the play-off reckoning, Post Buffaloes showed their customary zeal before going down to IRB The Lord, who were never really extended in their 64-47 victory.

Saturday's Results (Scores)
Alaxan FR Patriots 75 (Aimar Sabayo 18, John Cornito 9, Salvador 8) beat Phnom Penh Dragons 53 (Leng Seng 12, Matsuki Nishikawa 8, Jay Booklin 6)
Cellcard Eagles 61 (Don Buer 20, Geoff Harry 11) beat NSK Dream 53 (Ravuth Meas 14, Sok Panha 12, Chandara Chim 11)
CCPL Heat 91 ( Panha Sovann 28, Kai Pak 13, Largo Engelbert 9) beat Extra Joss Warriors 55 (Fred Babida 17, Carlos Gatdula 12)
IRB The Lord 61 (Ratana Monh 20, Patri Som 12) beat Post Buffaloes 47 (Jay Roden 17, Gino Gicqueau 9)

More than 150 families from Koh Kong's Botum Sakor district were confronted by authorities when they staged a protest on Monday demanding compensation from agro-industrial giant Sinimexim Investment Co Ltd for bulldozing their plantation land.

District Governor On Phearak said authorities had to intervene to uphold the company's right to bulldoze.

"We do not have the right to stop the bulldozers, because the company has the right to develop the land. We suggest the residents return home to file complaints," Phearak said.

However, Andong Teuk commune resident Prum Sat, 47, said he has been living on the land for more than 30 years.

"Our livelihood depends on this plantation, and now the company has begun to destroy [our land]. We stopped them, but not with violence," Sat said.

Nget Saret, 50, witnessed company bulldozers begin clearing land on Sunday.

"They used a bulldozer to clear our land and fields immediately. Where is our compensation?" Saret asked.

Neang Boratino, a coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said that the representatives of 163 families remained peaceful during the demonstration.

The company purchased 4,280 hectares of land in Andong Teuk, Thma Sar and Ta Noun communes from the government on July 22, 2011, to develop it for agro-industrial and rubber
plantation production.

In a separate incident in Botum Sakor's Kandorl commune, Ing Kong Chet, a coordinator for rights group Licadho, told the Post that five men were questioned by police over allegations that they destroyed crops owned by businessman Heng Huy.

Hem Kham, 53, Tith Ry, 48, Sim Min, 49, Sith Ra, 53, and Phoun Ra, 48, are being accused by Huy of destroying mango and jackfruit trees.

Kham maintained that the accusations were unfounded.

"It's unfair, we did not destroy it, because this crop belonged to us for many years."

A ninth grade student from CIA First International School, Tieng Kimleng, emerged as the winner of a writing contest yesterday to determine Cambodia's young reporter heading to next year's Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, under a program sponsored by the Olympic Council of Asia.

The bespectacled 16-year-old was picked from a short list of four after 37 students from various Phnom Penh schools had taken an essay/story writing assignment based on an address by Cambodia's 2012 London Games Olympian swimmer Hem Thon Vitiny.

It took Jeremy Walker, editor of the OCA's official newsletter Sporting Asia, close to three hours to assess all the 37 submissions and he eventually declared Tieng Kimleng as the winner.

"It was by no means easy," Walker told the Post. "The other three in that final list were equally good. What clinched the prize for Kimleng was that he produced two direct quotes from Vitiny unlike the others, who had just made a mention of it.

"Those quotes turned an ordinary essay into a news story and I could sense that journalistic touch."

Tieng Kimleng revealed that he had not expected to win.

"Some time ago when we were given similar writing assignments in school, I hadn't done all that well but our teacher had told me then how to go about it when doing a news story. I kept that in mind when I was writing this one today," he said.

A squad of inveterate over-50s from the Ministry of Interior Badminton Club have returned home from the Lak Hong Badminton Association Championship sporting a bronze medal in men's doubles.

The day-long competition, held in Rach Gia in the bordering southern Vietnamese province of Kieng Giang, was participated by 40 clubs and associations.

The Cambodian pair, two of eight club members that made the trip, beat an Ang Yang Club duo 3-2 in the bronze medal match after winning two of their three games in the group stage.

Phnom Penh Crown Academy boys were merciless against Western University in their FFC U17 Championship clash on Sunday at the National Institute of Physical Education and Sport field, romping home to an 8-1 victory.

Crown's In Sodavid bagged a first-half hat-trick and team-mate Mat Nouron hits goals in both the first- and second-half stoppage times.

In Chanpolin, Mak Sakrorvy and Yeu Muslim also found the net for Crown, while Western's Thong Sopheak struck in the 26th minute in what turned out to be his side's only positive note.

In Sunday's other U17 fixture, Svay Rieng sent the Civil Aviation team crashing with a 5-0 rout. Cheam Ratana was starred with a four-goal haul including three netted in the space of 13 first-half minutes, while substitute Mey Puthavy made his own contribution to the drubbing.