The opposition and the ruling party sat down this morning for preliminary talks on how best to sort out the raft of alleged election irregularities, opening the door for a possible compromise on an independent investigative body, opposition lawmaker candidate Son Chhay said.

According to Chhay, who attended the two-hour meeting, the Cambodian People's Party seemingly agreed to the formation of an independent investigative committee that would comprise both parties, civil society and the UN as an observer – but not the National Election Committee.

"We do not believe the NEC should be in the committee, because the NEC is the body who was causing the problems in the first place," Chhay said. "So we wanted more of a third-party investigation team to do the job and then bring the results back to us, the parties."

The Cambodia National Rescue party since the election had been pushing for a joint investigation brokered by the UN, a move the NEC insisted it could not accede to because it would be "illegal" to have foreign involvement.

"The [Cambodian People's Party] always wants to maintain the position that they cannot do anything outside the law. And we said 'no, there is no law to stop us from creating an investigative committee,'" he added. "At the end, they seemed to agree to that."

Chhay said that the two parties had not decided which local civil society organizations would take part in the investigation, and said that that would be the subject of future meetings.

"The discussion this morning came to two important conclusions. We all agreed that an investigative body should be created, and it should not come from the NEC…and that the UN can be an observer," he said. "The third thing, which has not been decided, but will be discussed in the next meeting, is the obligation of the NEC to provide all the documents."

On Tuesday, opposition leader Sam Rainsy vowed mass protests should final election results not reflect a CNRP win. Local observers, however, have urged the opposition to make further efforts at negotiation between the parties and NEC.

Some Cambodian youth may feel emboldened to confront Hun Sen, but if the Egyptian army kills pro-Morsy protesters, I think Cambodians will have a rethink.

Their work is far from over, but Jarai minority villagers in Ratanakkiri province took another important step forward yesterday in their quest for communal land titles.

More than 200 residents of O'Yadav district's Pate commune signed declarations outlining the ways in which they make use of land in Korng Yu village.

It's information that was submitted to authorities who will now consider the villagers' bid for communal titles.

Tep Borin, a program manager for the NGO Indigenous Community Support Organisation, said villagers also agreed to certain government regulations regarding communal use of land.

"They decided to follow the rules related to using and sharing the land in their community in traditional ways," he said.

But Chhay Thy, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said that even if titles were approved, it is unlikely there would be enough land left to give villagers as much as they are entitled to.

"The number of villagers is increasing, but the land is not. The government is giving it away as economic land concessions – the rich and powerful are grabbing it," he said, adding they likely possessed 70 per cent of the area.

But O'Yadav District Governor Dork Sor believed there was enough land for villagers, adding they themselves had "sold many plots of land already".

Either way, the Kingdom's 24 indigenous groups – which are spread across 15 provinces and make up 1.2 per cent of the population – face enormous challenges, said NGO Forum executive director Chhith Sam Ath.

"Their livelihoods depend completely on access to natural resources and forests," he said. "Yet their ability to achieve land title and economic security is increasingly being undermined.

"We must all work together to ensure that their rights are protected."

To mark the 19th International Day of the World's Indigenous People today, NGO Forum has issued a number of recommendations to the government asking it to protect the rights of its indigenous groups.

Recommendations include that the government enforce laws recognising the land rights of indigenous people, speed up communal land registrations and end forced evictions.

"Their livelihoods have become endangered by unchecked development as hy­dropower, mining developments and the impact of economic land concessions strip the forests and destroy their capacity to extract a living from the land," Sam Ath said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHANE WORRELL

Pheng Kunthea Borey, a former adviser and chief of protocol to Senate President Chea Sim, who the Post reported was free on Wednesday, became so courtesy of a royal pardon, prison officials confirmed yesterday.

Khlot Dara, chief of Prey Sar Prison's Correctional Center II, said Kunthear Borey, 58, was granted a pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday, but declined to comment further.

Muong Sokun, Kunthea Borey's lawyer, restated his approval of his client's release yesterday.

"I am very pleased [that] the King has granted a royal pardon to my client. I am very, very grateful to the King," he said.

Kunthea Borey was imprisoned for creating fake contracts worth millions of dollars and accepting bribes from bidders to obtain Sim's signature on letters of approval.

In a statement released yesterday, Women for All, a coalition of 25 student and community groups and NGOs, called on the government and political parties to address the decrease in elected female representatives indicated by preliminary election results.

According to unofficial results from Comfrel, only 16 women were elected as parliamentarians this election – making up 13 per cent of the total 123 seats.

One of Cambodia's Millennium Development Goals targets is to have 30 per cent female representation in the National Assembly by 2015.

For the first time since a railway rehabilitation project was launched in 2006, Cambodian rice is now being transported from Phnom Penh to the Sihanoukville port along the country's southern line for export, operators Toll said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Phnom Penh cargo loading station, a dry port in Dangkor district on the outskirts of the city, chief executive of Toll Royal Railway David Kerr said the move was a significant step towards strengthening Cambodia's export capacity.

"It is another chapter in Toll Royal Railway with the continued movement of the export of container rice by train," Kerr said.

"As soon as we have a customs officer here [in the dry port], many transporting procedures will improve."

Kerr said that the haul, the third this month, left the dry port carrying 100 containers with 2,400 tonnes of rice. Rice, according to Kerr, is just the beginning, and he expects garment and footwear exports to follow.

Toll began operations in 2010 transporting cement from Kampot to Phnom Penh.

The 256-kilometre southern line, linking Phnom Penh with the Sihanoukville port, opened in December last year, though services were limited.

The 337-kilometre northern line, connecting Phnom Penh with Poipet on the Thai border, is expected to be opened in several stages between next year and 2015.

Rice exporters, however, are not yet ready to jump on board with the new mode of transport. They believe that rail cargo has its benefits, but for now there are logistical procedures that need work to make it cost-effective.

Kim Savuth, managing director of rice exporting company Khmer Food, explained that trucks were still required to haul rice to meet the train at Phnom Penh's dry port, and then again to meet the train at Sihanoukville to ferry rice through customs before leaving Cambodia.

"It is a bit complicated and it makes the cost of transportation higher," Savuth said. "If they had a [customs] scanner at the dry port, the complicated process will be reduced."

"We want to use the train transport system and will do it when the process is easier," said Song Saran, chief executive at Amru Rice Cambodia, echoing industry sentiments.

Tith Som Oeun, spokesman for the Toll Royal Railway, agrees that some rice exporters would consider the customs scanning process a barrier.

"Soon, this issue will be solved for our customers," Som Oeun said.

The Cambodian railway project has had problems with cost over-runs as well as the displacement and relocation of families living along the line's route.

The government has been working with project partners the Asian Development Bank and AusAid to address these long-standing issues.

The 2,400 tonnes that left the port this week is minuscule when compared to the 31,000 tonnes that Cambodia exported in July. The shipments travelled by truck to ports in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

Cambodia's tiny luxury car market has lured German company Bayerische Motoren Werke, known to most as BMW, into a contract with Royal Group to open a Phnom Penh showroom next month. Outside the country, the brand is popular in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Peter Brongers, the chief executive officer of BMW Cambodia, hopes to gain a similar foothold in the Kingdom but will have to contend with so-called grey importers, or unauthorised dealers who import and sell domestically. He talks to the Post's Laura Ma about high-end cars and BMW's future in the Kingdom.

Why establish a BMW showroom in Cambodia?
The economy is developing, with a growing middle class, which leads to growing demand for quality vehicles. The car industry wasn't completely new to us. Royal Group started Royal Cambodia Limousine a couple of years ago.

Until recently, it was very difficult to start a dealership in Cambodia. Most cars were imported on the grey market, completely under the radar and some smuggled from other countries and dumped into Cambodia. The car is a bit expensive, ranging from $60,000 upwards, but a BMW after four years, for example, will give you at least 50 per cent of the value that you paid for it. Especially now when you have a showroom that keeps the car in perfect order and with original parts.

What is the size of the current luxury car market?
It's probably between 1,000 to 2,000 cars per year, which is much smaller than other Southeast Asian countries. Our target is to get a big piece of that, going for 20 to 25 per cent of that market.

There's been steady growth for luxury cars in the past few years, but no reliable figures because of grey importers. We know how much is imported officially, but not how much is imported unofficially. More official brand presence here will diminish the grey market.

How will you compete with grey importers?
There were never official dealers and importers before. At the moment, buyers only see the price difference between an expensive showroom and a cheaper grey importer. It's a very short-term decision.

They don't realise official importers give them long-term service commitment and warranty, keeping their car at very high value. By establishing ourselves as an official dealer, we make a long-term commitment to our customers.

We see more and more BMWs on the roads; I would say 600 to 700. The showroom is big considering the number of cars expected to sell, but we have our eyes on the future, and confidence in the growth of the economy and standard of living. In Singapore and Thailand, BMW is already the best-selling luxury car.

How will BMW compete in a market dominated by SUVs?
We expect a movement away from big four-wheel drives in the coming years, and people wanting to drive smaller cars with less fuel consumption, easier to park and easier to drive, especially in Phnom Penh.

A BMW uses half the fuel a Toyota SUV does; I can save $80 on fuel driving to and from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Of course, on dirt roads, an SUV is more comfortable. BMW offers SUV models too. But road conditions are getting better, so there is less need for them.

What are expected sales?
We expect 100 to 150 cars sold in the first year. It's a relatively small but a growing market, but there's enough for us to build up presence and be financially healthy. We don't expect to make a lot of money to start. It's more important that we create brand awareness and presence, because for us, it is a long-term commitment. We think the showroom itself will draw a lot of people. It's an impressive building and an impressive brand. People who want to buy a luxury car will definitely go and have a look.

Any inherent challenges in becoming a new contender?
Both our after-sales managers are from Malaysia. These guys each have 15 years of experience working with BMW, and they bring a lot of knowledge. I can hire an entirely local staff, but they wouldn't be able to do that. It's a yearlong process of learning the software, computers and the specialties. But we are training local staff to take over the jobs in time. I am sending two new mechanics next week to Malaysia for very intensive courses on parts and updates.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Trade volume between Cambodia and Japan had grown 19 per cent in the first six months of 2013 compared with the same period last year, figures from the Japan External Trade Organisation show.

Bilateral trade reached $347 million in the first half, compared with $291 million first six months of 2012.

"The economic relationship between Japan and Cambodia is growing steadily," said Takayoshi Kuromiya, counsellor for the Japanese embassy in Cambodia. "These kinds of trends are very welcome."

"More and more Japanese companies are interested in Cambodia," Kuromiya added.

Cambodian exports to Japan were up 31 per cent in the first six months, with an estimated total of $240 million, while imports from Japan dropped one per cent, to $107 million. Agricultural and garment products made up a majority of the Cambodian exports. Japanese imports were mainly vehicles and electronics.

Compared with other regional countries, Cambodian exports to Japan saw the largest growth. Bangladeshi and Pakistani exports saw hikes of 22.2 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively.

Cambodian-Japanese trade volume totalled $641 million during 2012.

In recent years, a number of Japanese companies have moved into Cambodia. Tokyo-based auto supplier Yazaki has invested $24 million in an electronic parts plant in the Koh Kong Special Economic Zone. In September, AEON committed $200 million to build a four-storey shopping mall in Phnom Penh.

Every August 9, the world celebrates the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. We join them in celebrating their rich cultural heritage, and use this day to pay tribute to the enormous contribution that indigenous traditions and knowledge have made to the world's cultural heritage.

The celebration reminds us not to forget the fact that some 300 million people worldwide, living in more than 70 countries, define themselves as indigenous people and are often living in areas considered critical to the conservation of the earth's biodiversity.

Today, I would like to reaffirm the European Union's support to indigenous peoples and the promotion of their rights and capacities so that they can control their own social, economic and cultural development and be empowered to manage the natural resources which many of them rely on for their livelihoods.

The European Union is a strong supporter of the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In line with the Declaration, the European Union is highly committed to promoting the rights of indigenous peoples both within its borders and worldwide, including in Cambodia.

Following the elections on July 28, the European Union would like to encourage the future government to further ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples in Cambodia are protected and their identities are recognised.

Today there are 24 groups of indigenous peoples living in 15 provinces of the Kingdom of Cambodia, many of whom live in areas that are threatened by developments such as unsustainable agro-business development, rapid deforestation and climate change.

Today should be an opportunity for all Cambodians to reflect on the realities of the daily lives of indigenous people.

The European Union, as one of the main partners of Cambodia, reiterates its support for efforts to effectively implement land reform in a manner which both protects the rights of citizens and ensures green and inclusive economic growth as defined in Cambodia's National Development Strategy.

Through its Delegation in Cambodia, the EU is currently supporting six projects, worth more than €3.4 million (about US$4.3 million), to directly support Cambodia's indigenous peoples in claiming their rights to education and healthcare, to the preservation of their cultural and traditional identities and to securing titles to their ancestral lands through mechanisms such as communal land titles.

Thanks to the efforts made by indigenous peoples, local authorities, civil society and development partner funding and technical support, eight communal land titles were issued by the Ministry of Land Management, Urbanisation and Construction since late 2011.

This is a positive step and efforts must be maintained to swiftly increase the number of these titles.

On the world stage, the European Union pays tribute to human rights defenders in the world who champion the rights of indigenous peoples and who in many countries are exposed to risks and acute repression, as documented in numerous international reports, including those by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

To recall a statement made by High Representative Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, "the EU seeks to integrate human rights, including those of indigenous peoples, into all aspects of its external policies, including its political dialogues with third countries and regional organisations, and at multilateral forum such as the United Nations.

"The EU also provides financial support to indigenous peoples' delegates at UN bodies, through the Technical Secretariat to the activities of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in promoting the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No 169."

In Cambodia, the European Union will continue to support all actors striving to further promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, one of the wonders of this Royal Kingdom.

HE Jean-François Cautain is the ambassador of the European Union to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

German sports therapist Joerg Teichman has sent out a strong message to Cambodian coaches that rehabilitating an injured player is as vital as fine-tuning their playing skills.

In his closing remarks yesterday at the end of a two-day seminar on knee and ankle injuries in sport and their prevention he conducted at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia headquarters, Teichman told an audience of several national coaches and their assistants not to treat injured players as "outcasts".

"What an injured player needs is your attention and care, and you have a big responsibility towards the injured just as you have in enhancing their performances," said Teichman, who has spent well over three decades in Asia, the last 16 years as head of rehabilitation at the Malaysian National Institute of Sports.

"Injuries are part of a sportsman's life, and you have to deal with them. Always remember a player is injured not sick. And you can do something about it to help fast recovery and, in some cases, prevent aggravation."

Frustration, Teichman contended, would normally be the first reaction from an anxious coach and a suffering player. But the follow-up should be quick acceptance and treatment leading to progress.

"Instead of letting an injured player sit at home and brood over his misery, coaches should make him feel that he is still part of the team. This immensely helps the healing process," added the German.

"[The] body adopts to training – always keep this in mind, The same level and same intensity of training will not work," he told the gathering, calling on the participants to keep assessing the biological limitations of the players while changing training patterns for better results.

Later, in an interview with the Post, Teichman described his two-day seminar as just the beginning.

"Coaches should develop special knowledge of sports medicine and sciences, which is fast evolving, and I am glad that Cambodia will soon have a full-fledged Sports Medicine and Science Centre," he said.

NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said they were "extremely grateful to Teichman for voluntarily coming forward to help our coaches get a better grasp of a complex subject like sports medicine and its applications. This was indeed an eye opener for our coaches.

"We need his expertise and experience to guide us through. This is a priority sector for us and we expect bigger budgetary allocations for sports medicine and sciences."

Teams holding the top three ranking spots in the Cambodian Basketball League, sponsored by Western Union and Coca Cola, will put their four-game unbeaten records on line when they figure in tomorrow's bumper card at Beeline Arena.

Arguably the punchiest game of the three on offer is the one between IRB the Lord and Extra Joss Warriors, ranked second and third, respectively. If the these two teams live up to their reputations, it should turn out to be a classic confrontation between IRB's defence, easily the most sturdy so far, and the Warriors all-out attack, markedly the most feared.

While the teams will have to fight every inch of the way for space and baskets, the key to the success of either of them remains hidden in this vexed question: Can The Lord stonewall Fred Babida and Ley Denetrosa, two of the Warriors known snipers?

Whoever finds the right answer will obviously keep their winning streak going.

After eight weeks of action, Alaxan FR Patriots sit at the top of the rankings. They have had a relatively easy run, except in the game against Ganzberg when they were called upon to stretch their sinews.

But the top-rankers may find the Cellcard Eagles a tough proposition to deal with tomorrow. The Patriots will be up against the tallest team among the contending dozen and that is clearly no easy task.

Though the Eagles take the court without crafty point guard Sophy Pich, they still have the means to present a strong line up in Geoff Harry, Nic Morgan, Keith Kelly and Stephen Higgins.

Harry, who also doubles up as Eagles manager, summed up his pre-game strategy in a chat with the Post.

"We didn't rebound well in our last game and gave our rivals too many offensive rebounding opportunities," he said. "We only lost by seven and they had a bunch of two chance points, which really made a difference. So we will be looking to improve our rebounding."

Meanwhile, CCPL Heat, who went cold in their past two outings, losing both of them by narrow margins, will be eager to warm up when they face NSK Dream.

Shooting Guard Pepe will miss this game for the Heat while NSK will be without the consistent Jae-Jae who is currently in Vietnam.

Dream manager Houn Vanak, for one, feels that his team's handling of rebounds could be of vital importance. "We do not really fear Heat, but we will have to effectively deal with point guard Panha, whose speed may cause some problem for us," he said.

Saturday's Schedule
IRB The Lord v Extra Joss Warriors – 2pm
CCPL Heat v NSK Dream – 4pm
Cellcard Eagles v Alaxan FR Patriots – 6pm

Brazil may be the birthplace of BJJ, but even fighters from the South American MMA stronghold are well aware of the vital role that Asia has played in the sport's history and development.

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Bruno Pucci grew up watching his Brazilian heroes do battle in Japan during the days of the now defunct Pride FC and, as he prepares to fight in Asia for the very first time, says the continent has always had its allure.

"I have been following some of the Asian MMA fights since I was a teenager watching Pride FC," Pucci told the Post.

"There are a lot of shows in Brazil and most of the fight cards mainly consist of Brazilian fighters, but in Asia the shows are more varied as the fighters are from different countries. You can see the different styles here, and it is good for the growth of the sport,"

The 23-year-old No-Gi grappling world champion, who holds a black belt in BJJ, is effectively embarking on a crash course in Asian MMA as he is slated to face unbeaten Pakistani featherweight Bashir Ahamd at ONE FC: Champions & Warriors on September 13.

The two fighters, who both boast perfect professional records of 2-0, will do battle at the 15,000-seater Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta, with Pucci expecting a completely different challenge from the type he has typically been facing in his native Brazil.

"Both of the previous opponents I fought were from BJJ backgrounds, so I could use my ground game. In this fight we've got different fighting styles because Bashir has more striking skills, so probably the fight will be quite different from my previous fights," he said.

Pucci's presence in Asia is entirely due to Evolve MMA owner Chatri Sityodtong, who was sufficiently impressed by the young Brazilian's exploits in becoming a multiple time world grappling champion, as well as the promising start he had made to his professional MMA career, to invite him to join the fight team he founded in Singapore.

Evolve MMA has a reputation as being the best facility of its type in the region and Pucci feels fortunate to have been given the opportunity to continue his development as a mixed martial artist in such a prestigious environment, "I feel lucky to get the offer from Evolve MMA last year after my graduation from university and it was not a difficult decision to move to Singapore and join Evolve considering the world class facility, famous world champions in different disciplines of martial arts, as well as the opportunity to fight in big shows like ONE FC," said Pucci.

The ONE FC featherweight division is highly competitive and is home to top fighters such as Eric Kelly, Bae Young Kwon and Honorio Banario, as well as reigning champion Koji Oishi, who won the title belt in front of 20,000 fans in Manila in May.

Pucci is taking on another up-and-coming star in Ahmad, and hopes he can get himself into contention for a shot at one of the established 145lbs (65.8kg) stars by making a big impression on his ONE FC debut,

"I have watched these guys fight in previous ONE FC events. There are some tough fighters from Japan, Philippines and Korea and I respect their skills, hard work and big hearts, but I am not intimidated by them.

"They inspire me to train harder and improve more because I know my skill, dedication and heart are not less than theirs. When I face one of them, I will be very confident," he added.

Oishi, the reigning featherweight champion, is over a decade older than the Brazilian and has more than 20 times as many fights but, despite this enormous gulf in terms of experience, Pucci is already sizing him up as a potential future opponent,

"I always believe in myself and if I get the opportunity to contend for the title shot with Oishi, I'd do my specific training camp to be the new champion. Since Oishi's known to be a wrestler, I'd probably pay more attention to refine my takedowns," he said.

Pucci's first fight for ONE FC is on a completely different scale to anything he has ever experienced in Brazil. It will be screened live all over Asia by Star Sports and shown by numerous other broadcasters worldwide, including in South America.

He will also be taking on an accomplished opponent who has already registered a hard fought decision win under the ONE FC banner and Pucci is well aware of what will be at stake in Jakarta.

"Without doubt it is the most important fight for me since I started MMA because it's my first time fighting in Asia in such a big show and I hope to make a good impression and make all my family, friends and students proud," he said.

In the first instalment in an ongoing series, The Phnom Penh Post talks with Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, about the 2013 vote and the post-election process.

What I could do at that site was just watch that they were confirming aloud the correctness of the addition.

After two years of assembling Hyundai vehicles in Cambodia for the domestic market, South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Company is increasing its production to meet rising demand, aiming to reach 800 units in 2013, a company's representative said.

"We hope to achieve it," Lim Visal, director of Hyundai's Cambodian assembler, Camko Motor Company, said in an interview on Tuesday.

Visal is confident that despite a shortage of parts from South Korea due to high global demand for Hyundai vehicles, the company can continue to gain market share in Cambodia.

"We perceive the outlook for the near future to be very positive," he said.

Located in the Koh Kong Special Economic Zone, about 370 kilometres southwest of Phnom Penh, Camko Motor Company is a joint venture between Hyundai distributor KH Motors and Cambodia's Ly Yong Phat Group. The operation currently employs about 30 people.

Camko Motor plans to build a new warehouse to accommodate more stock as well as expand its showroom, but details on the scheduling have been scant.

In the domestic market, the company produces SUVs and 12-seater vans.

Visal said Camko is also contemplating exporting the cars it assembles in Cambodia.

As production costs rise in countries such as China, Thailand and Vietnam, more companies could relocate to Cambodia where manufacturing is cheaper, industry observers have said.

The Cambodian automotive industry will expand after the Kingdom's integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community in 2015, thanks to the free flow of goods within the bloc and Cambodia's competitive advantage as a low-cost manufacturer, according to Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh.

Speaking to reporters at the First Phnom Penh International Motor Show in March, Prasidh said that many Japanese-based companies in Thailand and Vietnam are considering coming to Cambodia to operate assembling factories.

"Companies can import tires from Malaysia, the mirrors from Indonesia, or other spare parts from other countries and then assemble them in Cambodia where the production cost is cheaper," Prasidh said, highlighting Cambodia's low-cost labour advantage.

The Supreme Court issued a mixed-bag verdict in the appeal case of former Chea Sim bodyguard Chhoeun Chanthan yesterday, upholding his 10-year sentence in a civilian court of forgery and illegal weapons possession, but ordering his 26-year sentence from a military court to be re-examined at the appellate level.

"He was accused of damaging military equipment by selling four military cars, dereliction of duty, selling weapons and issuing illegal weapons without authorisation from the Ministry of Defence. The accused used all kinds of tricks by selling materials and real estate without the approval from the ministry," presiding judge Khim Bun said.

Chanthan's initial 2012 conviction on charges relating to possessing a cache of illegal weapons and of forging and distributing weapons licences for those considered unqualified to hold them would stand, Bun said. In addition to his 10-year prison sentence on those charges, Chanthan had been fined $1,250.

However, Bun said, the facts in the military court case – in which Chanthan was sentenced to 26 years and fined more than $3 million for breach of trust, embezzlement of state property and illegally distributing weapons – were unclear, and the case would be returned to the Appeal Court for a new investigation and a retrial.

Puth Theavy, Chanthan's lawyer, applauded the court's decision to reinvestigate his client's military charges, but said that its upholding of the civilian court's sentence was unacceptable.

"For the verdict that the Supreme Court upheld, I will appeal to review the documents," he said. "As for the verdict that was transferred to the Appeal Court, I will take legal action for my client to be acquitted. I understand that the military court action to sentence my client to 26 years was a serious decision."

Chanthan was first arrested in 2011 at his home in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district. During the arrest, police seized a dozen guns, including an AK-47 and two machine guns, as well as more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition.

Villagers in Kandal province have instigated a turf war over a private company they accuse of illegally pumping sand out of Koh Prak River.

Fearing riverbank erosion could damage the surrounding community, about 100 residents of Koh Prak village in Kien Svay district's Phoum Thom commune began protesting Saturday against the unidentifed company's placement of three pipes in the river.

Kandal provincial governor Phay Bunthoeun said yesterday that after sending provincial officials to examine the situation, responsibility lay with officials in bordering Meanchey district, Phnom Penh.

"I will continue tracking this case, but this is not the problem of Kandal province," Bunthoeun said.

After the protest, pumping stopped, according to villager Phok Dara, 51, who said two tubes had been removed while one remained in the river.

"We will have to wait and see which authorities take responsibility for this dispute," he said.

Meanchey district governor Kouch Chamroeun denied the presence of private companies pumping sand in his district.

"If the Kandal governor said there was pumping in my territory, you should tell him to get more information."

More than 4,000 workers returned to work at a Kampong Cham-based footwear company after the company agreed to eventually negotiate with workers on demands the company had refused.

The employees at Chinese-owned Juhui Footwear Co, Ltd, walked out on Friday, with 18 demands of their employers.

Juhui officials agreed to 15 of them, but wouldn't budge on a $3 raise to their monthly transportation payments, a $5 monthly healthcare allowance or paying attendance bonuses in proportion to how much work employees miss (rather than losing the entire bonus by missing a day).

"There are three more points that the factory did not agree, but we will get back to work because a factory representative promised the workers that in three months, they will discuss the workers' remaining issues," said Soung Liza, a worker representative.

Workers, most of whom unionised with the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) in June, were also asked not to protest on company premises, Liza added.

On Saturday, Juhui agreed to pay sick leave and overtime transportation costs, and to introduce onsite doctors, Kong Athit, C.CAWDU's vice-president, said this week.

Government officials began inspecting markets across the country yesterday in search of baby formula containing an ingredient from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra that could cause botulism, quality control representatives at the Ministry of Commerce said.

"We informed all our officials directly to collect nationwide some batch numbers of products which [local distributor of] the company informed us of," said Khoun Savuth, an official with the ministry's Camcontrol department.

"I don't think we will have any difficulties because we have staff nationwide, and we have had especially good cooperation with the company," he said, referring not to Fonterra but to the Cambodian purveyor of the potentially tainted baby formula, Danone Dumex.

On Saturday, Fonterra alerted eight companies, including French food giant Danone, that they had bought the contaminated ingredient to use in their products. Through local distributor Danone Dumex Cambodia, the ingredient was traced to baby formula here and a recall of up to 8,000 cartons of the product began on Monday.

The tainted whey protein in question contains a bacterium that can cause botulism, a rare but potentially fatal disease.

Danone Dumex Cambodia received nearly 600 phone calls to its hotline from concerned mothers on Tuesday after the announcement.

Kong Bo, Danone Dumex's acting country manager, was anticipating an even greater number of calls yesterday, as concerned parents phoned to check their products against batch codes that contain the whey protein.

"The affected code is not the majority of our products," Bo said, adding that he was unaware of any reports of illness.

The recalled formulas were listed as Dumex Dupro Green, Dumex Dupro Gold and Dumex Dulac Gold, powders used for making infant milk. By the end of the day on Tuesday, Danone Dumex Cambodia representatives had met with 210 retailers and took back hundreds of cartons.

With the ingredient present in products from China to Saudi Arabia, New Zealand's Fonterra was struggling to meet its self-imposed deadline of late last night to have it removed from circulation.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

At least 20,000 tourists and travellers will participate in the so-called "sea festival" at the end of this year, officials at the Kep province tourism department said.

The two-day event, which started in 2011 as a tourism booster for the country's coasts and beaches, was cancelled last year due to the death of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk in October.

Som Chenda, director of the Kep province tourism department, said the government decided to hold the festival on December 7 and 8 in Kep, and it will include sporting activities, a trade fair, fashion shows and concerts.

The first sea festival, held in Preah Sihanouk province in 2011, attracted thousands of tourists. This year, however, accommodation might pose a problem.

"We have experience from Sihanoukville province, which has a lot of hotels and guesthouses but still faced a shortage of accommodations during this event," he said. "Kep province has less than Sihanoukville and will definitely feel the shortages a lot."

Chenda said one way officials might deal with the tight squeeze is to market the use of hotels in nearby Kampot or Preah Sihanouk, a little more than an hour's drive away from Kep.

Uy Vunly, owner of the 13-room Champey Sar guesthouse in Kep, is betting on an increase in visitors over the festival weekend.

Chenda said that at the same time of the sea festival, Cambodia will also host the meeting of the general assembly of the Most Beautiful Bay, a club headquartered in Paris that promotes beach destinations in 30 countries.

The whole Cambodian coastline was recognised as a member of the club on May 26, 2011.

Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said in May that ministers from all over the world will attend the meeting of the general assembly.

"It's a new opportunity to promote our beaches on an international stage."

The number of tourist arrivals increased by about 19 per cent in the first half of this year, reaching over two million tourists at the end of June, data from the Ministry of Tourism show.

A six-member Cambodian national team accompanied by Happy Football Cambodia Australia head coach Jimmy Campbell will leave Phnom Penh today for the Polish city of Poznan to take part in the 11th edition of the annual Homeless Football World Cup from August 10-18.

This unique, socially pioneering enterprise, which aims to beat homelessness in the world through football, has attracted 64 teams – 48 in the men's section and several new teams among the 16 in the women's event. Northern Ireland will be fielding a mixed team for the first time.

Poznan, one of the host cities of UEFA Euro 2012, will stage the event at Lake Malta, a popular tourist attraction offering a combination of scenic beauty and professional sports facilities.

"HFCA is proud to be taking a Cambodian Team for the sixth consecutive year starting from Melbourne in 2008," coach Campbell told the Post yesterday.

"This year's team is once again relatively inexperienced and will, once again, be one of the youngest teams competing. We are looking forward to being involved in this prestigious worldwide event."

Local sponsors for this Poznan expedition are mobile phone operators Smart, while two foreign supporters are Flight Centre (Australia) and GFSS Constructions (Canada).

"Our sponsors throughout the year have shown tremendous support and we have to thank Smart for their backing once again," Camp-bell added.

The six players aged 17 to 20 representing Cambodia are goalkeeper Chhun Bunlao, defenders Lek Chhunmalivy and Nuth Daneth, midfielders Huon Neasa and Chey Makara and striker Prum Chhunly.

While HFCA has been managing and supporting Cambodian national teams for the past six years, it has also provided employment opportunities to work as coaches for nine former players.

Homeless World Cup matches are played on a small 22 metre by 16 metre pitch with walls on each side. The games, involving four players per team including the goalkeeper, are played over two halves of seven minutes each. Substitutions are allowed as often as the manager wants.

Previous host cities of the Homeless World Cup include Graz, Austria (2003), Gothenburg, Sweden (2004), Edinburgh, Scotland (2005), Copenhagen, Denmark (2006), Cape Town, South Africa (2007), Melbourne, Australia (2008), Milan, Italy (2009), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010), Paris, France (2011), and Mexico City, Mexico (2012).