The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Man wanted after wife found dead” plus 9 more

A man in the capital is wanted for questioning after the body of his wife was found in their home in Meanchey district, police said yesterday.

Men Heng Tit, deputy district police chief, said Peng Chantha, 23, a hairdresser with a young son, was found dead on a mattress in her room – her throat having been slashed – yesterday.

About $1,000 was missing, along with a Honda motorbike.

"The police are searching for the woman's husband, who is the perpetrator," he said.

"Property such as earrings were stolen, but a knife was left at the scene," he said.

An Seoun, 45, a construction worker who had recently returned after a stint working in Thailand, is wanted for questioning, Heng Tit added.

Mao Peng, 69, the victim's father, said his daughter and Seoun had lived together for about one year.

For the past few months, the father had been staying with them and had become concerned when his daughter, who usually woke at 7am, had not come out of her room by 9am. He later discovered her body.

Peng told the Post that he was not aware of any problems between his daughter and Seoun.

Twenty-five young people were awarded scholarships to study traditional music and dance on Thursday, as arts organisation Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) launched a new school year.

The Arn-Chorn Pond Living Arts Scholarships for the school year 2013-14, named after the organisation's founder, will give music and dance students the opportunity to develop both musical and professional skills.

The scheme is part of CLA's mission to contribute to the arts in Cambodia by developing the skills of artists and helping them find paid work in the field.

In a ceremony that featured speeches and performances from past and present scholarship students, two different kinds of scholarships were awarded: an Artistic Skills Development Scholarship, for students and professionals who wish to received advanced training in the arts, and a Non-Artistic Skills for Artists Scholarship, which can fund any kind of study, as long as the recipient can explain how it will help them professionally.

Kong Gne, 24, is a student of the chapei dang weng, a two-stringed, long-necked guitar. Originally from Svay Rieng province near the Vietnam border, Gne moved to Phnom Penh in 2011 to study tourism and hospitality at the National University and started learning to play the chapei dang weng at CLA.

He was awarded a scholarship last year and this year which allows him to study English at the Australian Centre for Education. He also receives a stipend of $50 per month.

Gne said: "I never imagined in my life that I could get a scholarship. It's very important for me to study English – when I came to Phnom Penh I couldn't speak the language, but thanks to Cambodian Living Arts I started to study step by step."

He continued: "If I hadn't received the scholarship, I might not be able to speak English. Also I can get some money – the $50 pays for gasoline for my moto or my food."

CLA's founder, acclaimed musician Arn Chorn-Pond, said he was honoured to present the awards, and stressed the importance of carrying on the country's traditions.

"The scholarship gives opportunities to young people to enhance what they have learned from Cambodian Living Arts, especially traditional music.

"I think it's very important for young people to learn about their past and their culture through the arts."

Chorn-Pond, a former child soldier under the Khmer Rouge regime, also expressed his belief that arts can play a role in healing trauma.

"There are now more and more opportunities for young people to get jobs in the arts.

"We can use arts to heal the wounds of the war, the killing fields and spread this art around the world and use it as a model. If it works here, it works everywhere else. The arts have no borders."

The truth of Shakespeare's axiom that there is a tide in the affairs of men has rarely been better illustrated than by the fluctuating fortunes of some of this region's leaders over the past few months.

In Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand, heads of government and opposition leaders, who had appeared to be riding high, have suffered major setbacks.

At the same time, some others in Vietnam and also in the Philippines, whose hold on power appeared tenuous, have not only clung on, but have reasserted their popularity even more firmly.

Often, it is hard to know why the tide suddenly turns for one prominent figure, while a neighbouring counterpart unexpectedly manages to put his house in order and appears as a regional strongman.

The best recent example has come in the Philippines, where the youthful bachelor president, Benigno Aquino, who was once viewed as a kind of national saviour, has seen his reputation plummet.

While concurrently, a reviled predecessor and convicted felon, the ex-film star and former president Joseph Estrada, has returned to public favour and was recently elected mayor of Manila, the nation's capital.

Let's start with Aquino, who has been forced to fend off charges of incompetency over his handling of two major incidents this year.

The first was his slipshod response to February's sea-borne "invasion" of the East Malaysian state of Sabah by followers of a Filipino sultan who claimed title to the land.

By not taking the maritime assault seriously, Aquino almost precipitated an armed conflict with Malaysia.

Then, in September, he again appeared asleep at the wheel when Muslim fighters stormed the southern city of Zamboanga, taking scores of hostages and wreaking devastation.

The attackers were motivated by Aquino having left their group out of a peace agreement granting the Muslim south greater autonomy.

They were eventually routed, but not before more than 150 Zamboangans were killed, 120,000 displaced and the peace pact left in tatters.

Then, last month, an even worse debacle returned to haunt Aquino.

It all began shortly after he was sworn in as president in May 2010, when a disgruntled former police officer hijacked a bus carrying Hong Kong tourists in central Manila.

The ex-cop, Rolando Mendoza, had been sacked for alleged extortion and he now demanded his job back in return for releasing the tourists.

In the absence of directions from Aquino, the then-Manila mayor, Alfredo "Dirty Harry" Lim, adopted a tough line and had Mendoza's brother, who had tried to join the negotiations, handcuffed and dragged away.

That spooked the heavily armed Mendoza, who was watching the police response on the bus's closed circuit television, and he began shooting.

As a bungled attempt to charge the bus ensued, eight hostages were killed before Mendoza himself was taken out by a police marksman.

In the aftermath, Hong Kong demanded a formal apology, compensation for the victims and charges to be filed against those responsible for the lethal debacle.

Aquino refused, saying: "When I, as president, apologise, then I'm apologising on behalf of the entire country, and I don't think that is appropriate at this point in time."

Appalled, Hong Kong formally instructed its citizens to avoid all travel to the Philippines – and China backed that stance.

Consequently, millions of dollars were lost in trade and tourism revenue, and calls grew for limits on the tens of thousands of Filipino maids in the territory.

Fed up with this impasse, Estrada, who defeated the now-disgraced Lim in Manila's mayoralty race, vowed last week to visit Hong Kong and deliver a personal apology, while assuring people that his city is now safe.

So, in the near future, the haggard ex-movie star may well accomplish what the youthful Aquino has failed to do in three years: repair ties with Hong Kong.

If he succeeds, Estrada's tide really will have come in, while Aquino's will slip further out and his once-bright image will be even more sullied.

The total amount of loans at Cambodia's microfinance institutions (MFIs) continued to grow in the post-election period, climbing 9 per cent in the third quarter of this year when compared to the previous quarter that finished at the end of June. Deposits declined slightly.

Loans at Cambodia's 35 microfinance institutions reached close to $1.2 billion at the end of September, a slight rise from the $1.08 billion at the close of the second quarter, data from the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) released last weekend show.

But total deposits declined 3.5 per cent, from $378 million at the end of June to $365 million through September.

Referring to the deposits, Bun Mony, president of CMA, said customer sentiment was affected by uncertainty after the disputed elections in July, which accelerated withdrawals.

"Some are worried about the situation and come to withdraw their money," Mony said. "But it is not serious and the next quarter will be good."

The rate of non-performing loans (NPLs), or loans that aren't being paid back on time, was low. NPLs 30 days over the deadline represented just 0.3 per cent of total loans.

Local deposits make up the pool of cash from which MFIs can give out loans, and experts said a drop in deposits forces the industry into higher dependency on loans from abroad.

Mey Kalyan, adviser at the Supreme National Economic Council, said this will temporarily widen the gap between loans and deposits, but not so wide that it becomes problematic.

A teenager was killed and a man was badly injured on Friday while they were illegally clearing forest land for an unidentified businessman on the border of Stung Treng and Kratie provinces, officials said.

Kam Dek villagers Chhoun Pourn, 17, and Kam Yun, 40, were caught under a felled tree, according to commune chief , Chea Norm.

"The deceased was crushed by the tree and his ribs and thighs were broken.… The other victim's nose was injured and bleeding," said Pan Vuth, husband of the commune chief, adding that the businessman had paid compensation.

Since the accident, 11 loggers from the village have returned from clearing state forest, worried they too could get hurt, Norm added.

"They were employed to clear forest for some $200 per hectare," said Hem Sarath, a police officer in Stung Treng district who added some of his villagers – including his relatives – were employed to log.

Hou Sam Ol, Stung Treng provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said illegal forest clearing along the border has been happening for years.

"The officers collude with the employers and businessmen.… Some log timber and sell to land concession companies," he said.

All 842 prisoners evacuated from Banteay Meanchey provincial prison after water pressure caused a wall to collapse in early October will be sent back there next week – despite only minimal repairs having been undertaken to the flood-damaged building, a rights worker said yesterday.

Som Chankea, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, told the Post that some prisoners had been returned to clean out waterlogged cells.

"Government agents should open their eyes and not turn a blind eye. Or do they want to change the name of [Banteay Meanchey prison] to the 'flooded prison?'" Chankea said.

Those prisoners who had returned, Chankea added, had discovered that prison staff had burned their personal items such as clothing, mats, blankets and other paraphernalia.

"They should not have burned these items because some of them are necessary [for inmates], especially for those prisoners sentenced for five to 10 years."

Hin Sophal, director of the prison, said a request for buses to transport the evacuees back to Banteay Meanchey prison next week had been submitted and was awaiting approval.

"Concerning the items of the prisoners, what was saved from the water that couldn't be used was burned. We have kept what could still be used," Sophal said, adding that relevant officials have already repaired and cleaned the flooded cells.

Sharon Critoph, a prison consultant for rights group Licadho, said inmates should be the last to shoulder fiscal losses caused by prison officials.

"Prison authorities bear full responsibility for any property lost or damaged due to the floods," she said.

In its fifth report on the flood situation, released on October 30, the Humanitarian Response Forum – a network including the United Nations and NGOs – found that recent flooding has affected more than 1.7 million people and led to188 deaths.

The government will give $250 to the families of each person who died in the floods, reports published last week by government news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMELIA WOODSIDE

In one of the largest stings of alleged brothels this year, officials raided two massage parlours in Phnom Penh on Thursday night and rescued 21 girls believed to have been trafficked, officials said.

The raid was conducted by Cambodia's anti-trafficking police unit, juvenile protection officers and evangelical anti-trafficking NGO International Justice Missions.

A municipal police officer who was involved in the raids but declined to be named said police took 29 people out of both locations during simultaneous raids.

At the first parlour on Street 163 in Daun Penh district, officers rescued 10 sex workers and arrested three men. At the second location on Sothearos Boulevard in Chamkarmon district, police removed 11 sex workers and five men.

"We have been following this case with police for several months," said John Roberts, director of IJM's investigations unit. He added that police have not yet verified how many of the rescued girls are underage, but as many as 40 per cent of the sex workers in Cambodia are minors, according to NGO End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking in Cambodia.

The court had questioned six men arrested in the raid, said Ork Youran, a clerk of deputy prosecutor Chea Meth at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

IJM staff said they believed both parlours are part of a larger criminal network that brings Vietnamese girls to Cambodia as sex workers. Officials were alerted to the activities at the massage parlours by a client who was offered sexual services.

IJM has previously come under fire for using entrapment techniques to bust fraudulent businesses masking sex trafficking – a tactic that is now legal for drug busts, but not for anti-trafficking raids.

"IJM is currently talking with government officials at the ministry of justice and information to implement a good legal structure … that would give police the authority to use anti-trafficking tactics available to police in most countries in the world," Roberts said.

Police believed they have smashed an illegal betting syndicate by arresting more than 25 Chinese and Cambodian nationals in the capital on Friday.

Major General Y Sok Khy, chief of the Ministry of Interior's anti-terrorism police, told the Post yesterday that 19 Chinese nationals and seven Cambodia nationals were arrested at the offices of a real estate company in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district.

"They were accused by our police of illegal gambling and will be sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court for further questioning," Sok Khy said.

"A decision will be reached in accordance with the law."

Several computers, he added, had been confiscated.

"This marks the third crackdown on Chinese [nationals] involved in online gambling in Phnom Penh this year."

The suspects and their legal representatives could not be reached yesterday.

On September 2, 67 people were arrested in a coordinated bust across three locations in Phnom Penh.

The group included 30 Cambodians nationals, five Vietnamese, five Thais, six Chinese, seven Indonesians and 14 Malaysians, National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith said.

According to Cambodia's Law on the Suppression of Gambling, which was adopted by the National Assembly in 1996, betting is illegal, even if the process is online.

Health officials confirmed the 22nd case of H5N1 human avian influenza this year in Cambodia on Friday – a 6-year-old girl from Battambang province's Phnom Proek district.

The number of H5N1 cases this year is already the highest ever in Cambodia, where a total of 43 people have been reported infected.

The girl was diagnosed last month and remains in stable condition after being a administered Tamiflu – only used in severe cases – on October 24, a joint statement from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization said.

The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery's animal health task force has deployed a rapid response team to investigate any "epidemiological linkages among the 22 cases and initiate preventive treatment as required", the statement said.

Initial findings reveal chickens and ducks recently died in neighbouring houses and villages close to the girl's own, but officials are yet to confirm whether she was directly in contact with sick or dead poultry.

Only three recorded cases of H5N1 – all fatal – were confirmed in 2012, WHO found.

The increasing mobility of Cambodians presents one explanation for the doubling in total cases this year, said Sonny Krishnan, spokesman for the WHO Cambodia office.

"[But] what is particularly concerning right now is that we're seeing chickens dying in large numbers in villages," he said yesterday.

"Normally, ducks can carry the virus for a long period of time but appear asymptomatic, so this is really not a good sign."

Previous trends point to an increase of cases in Cambodia between November and February, Krishnan added.

The Health Ministry and WHO statement focuses on ways in which people can help prevent the spread of the virus. "The government's message is – wash hands often with soap and water, before eating and after coming into contact with poultry; keep children away from poultry; keep children away from poultry; keep poultry away from living areas; do not eat dead or sick poultry; and all poultry eaten should be well cooked," the statement says.

The inaugural Tiger National Futsal Championship concluded at the Beeline Arena on Saturday with Ramar FC grabbing the title after a 1-0 win over Phnom Penh Crown in a thrilling final.

In the semi-finals, Ramar overcame Khmer Super Red 6-4 while Crown got past Khmer Hearts 3-1.

In the third place play-off contested before the final, Khmer Super Red edged out Khmer Hearts 5-4.

As many as 32 teams took part in the six-day tournament which was sponsored by Tiger Beer, who brought the Tiger Street Football world series to Cambodia in March.