They want to fight the Hun Sen regime. I want to fight repression, and I think a lot people are confused between fighting repression and just fighting the CPP.

Christmas really isn't the same without a traditional Christmas dinner of roast meat and vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Pork and rice, while delicious, just doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, many Cambodian kitchens lack ovens, which most would agree are fairly useful for, you know, roasting stuff.

However, it is theoretically possible to cook an entire Christmas spread using a standard issue two-burner stovetop. The idea is that by trapping the heat in a lidded saucepan you can "roast" the food.

In the interests of improving the authenticity of our readers' Christmas celebrations – and because we like mucking about in the kitchen – 7Days decided to put this to the test.

To start with, we cut our chicken into quarters and chucked the pieces in an oiled frying pan then, while they were sizzling away, we chopped up some carrots and onions. Once the chicken was nicely brown, we layered it, the vegetables and some whole heads of garlic in a large saucepan and whacked a lid on top.

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Next we sliced up some potatoes and parboiled them in salted water then threw them in the saucepan with the other veggies and chicken. The onions and chicken seemed to be burning a bit at this point, so we sloshed a little of the water from the potatoes in with the rest.

There's really no way we could think of to cook a real Yorkshire pudding on a stovetop. The usual method is to pour batter made of milk, water, eggs and flour into a muffin tin and then bake them in an oven.

We thought of frying the batter in a frying pan, but then you would just have pancakes, so we decided to try deep frying them instead. We tentatively plopped a few spoonfuls of batter into some boiling oil and the results were … interesting.

The dribbles cooked instantly into little tendrils, and we ended up with "puddings" that looked more like tiny tentacled Cthulhu-esque squid-creatures – the stuff culinary nightmares are made of.

By this time the chicken and vegetables were cooked through so we took them out and used the residue and juices to form the basis of a gravy made with a little flour, water and chicken stock.

A good roast's skin should be crispy and its flesh moist and juicy, the vegetables should be crunchy on the outside and smooshy on the inside, the Yorkshire pudding light and fluffy and the gravy smooth.

Our Christmas dinner was none of these things. The effectiveness of the stove-top method is reliant on having a thick-based saucepan – otherwise the base gets too hot and burns the food – and ours probably wasn't heavy enough. When we sloshed the extra water in the saucepan, the contents became too moist which meant it all steamed rather than roasted.

However, despite all expectations it was still quite edible. The flavours of the onion, garlic, vegetables and chicken all mingled nicely in the saucepan. And while none of it ended up being crispy or crunchy it was all definitely cooked.

If you're keen on having a proper Christmas dinner at home – and opposed to buying a rotisserie chicken at any one of the numerous street stalls around Phnom Penh – definitely give the stovetop method a shot. Maybe try and find a better way to make Yorkshire puddings though. Otherwise, those things will haunt your dreams.

$10 to feed four people.

A Dutch man who was released on bail after being convicted of sex crimes two years ago has been charged in a new case alleging he recently sexually abused two boys, age 6 and 9.

Sebastian Reuiji, 40, will be detained at Siem Reap's provincial prison, said Duong Thavry, chief of the provincial Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit.

"[Reuiji] was charged with indecent acts against a minor under the age of 15," Thavry said. Officers from the unit arrested Reuiji in his Siem Reap rental house on Wednesday, after receiving complaints of sexual abuse from the victims, Thavry added.

In October 2011, Reuiji was convicted of sexually abusing five children between the ages of 7 and 13 in Siem Reap, Thavry added. The court sentenced him to three months in prison, but he was released on bail.

Samneang Seila, from NGO Action Pour Les Enfants , said Reuiji should be deported.

"He is a dangerous person."

Cambodia's nine phone service operators plan to establish an independent body to debate issues within the industry, according to a statement yesterday from the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia (TRC).

Forming the Association of Telecommunications Operators in Cambodia, or the ATC for short, was agreed upon in principle at a meeting with the TRC on December 13, the statement said.

The new association is described as providing "a single voice for debate and to improve discussion with the TRC".

Thomas Hundt, CEO of one of the larger providers, Smart, said the idea for the ATC was put together years ago, but it never came to fruition.

While the organisation will encourage discussion between rival companies on issues such as pricing regulation, technological changes and Cambodian telecommunications law, Hundt said it would not be a panacea for every industry conflict.

"In no way can a common voice be guaranteed by the ATC. It is unlikely that most issues will be agreed upon. We are competitors, after all," he said.

Hundt stressed that the organisation was still in the planning stage and no initial meeting or schedule had been set.

In the same statement, the regulator said that all nine providers had agreed to "follow and implement" government regulations relating to Prakas 232, enforcing fixed mobile phone charges of 4.5 cents per minute inside a network and 5.95 cents between different networks.

The government reinforced the minimum price-fixing on November 28, more than three years after the rules were drafted, in an attempt to "ensure fair competition". The announcement received widespread backlash from mobile phone users and telecom operators earlier this month.

Mobitel and Smart were yesterday found to be offering 100 per cent top-up bonuses as part of a holiday promotion, seemingly contradicting Prakas 232.

Hundt said, however, the bonuses were in line with the regulator's rules allowing promotions during holidays. Mobitel CEO Ian Watson did not return a phone call seeking comment.

"Our bonus offering is in line with the regulations," Hundt said.

Mao Chakrya, director general of the TRC, said the regulator would hold an internal meeting on Monday to examine the state of the industry and the minimum prices, suggesting that the prakas was far from permanent.

Chakrya said the discussion would result in finding "what we are going to change to match the current situation for benefiting customers".

In November, Cambodia won the coveted World's Best Rice award for the fragrant variety. It was the second year in a row that the product finished first in the global competition, held this year in Hong Kong. Kann Kunthy, chief executive officer of Battambang Rice Investment Co, was a presenter at the competition. The Post's Chan Muy Hong sat down with Kunthy to talk about what the award has done for rice exports, and what challenges to stay competitive lie ahead.

How is the World's Best Rice award-winner selected?
Rice producers from around the world can submit rice samples to compete. I do not remember the number of competitors this time. But for the first round, six countries were selected to go to another round.

That included Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, India and the United States (California rice). There were three countries left after the second round: Cambodia, Thailand and the United States. Then Thailand was out. We were competing with California rice and we won. They judge the rice according to four criteria before and after it is cooked: the aroma, the overall look, the texture and the length of the grain.

The award is nice, but how has it helped farmers?
We first won in 2012. I didn't think then that we had benefited from it. But this year, we have seen attention from both local and international media, and people keep talking about it. The award was won by Cambodian farmers. This award belongs to no one specifically, but to all the farmers out there who have grown quality rice. I think this award should be the starting point for relevant stakeholders to come together and push the whole sector forward.

What needs to be done?
The number one challenge is capital. We take loans to invest in rice millers. We take loans to buy paddy rice. Buyers do not pay us immediately, so the interest rate keeps going up. This is triple risk for us. We need a lower interest rate loan.

Number two is energy costs. Compared to nearby countries, Cambodia has a lower energy supply and it is expensive. It is quite a big deal for us because it makes our operational costs higher. Number three is transportation and logistics to export rice, which require money too. We need a cheaper way to transport rice. Finally, there is no marketing or public relations campaign to promote our rice to a wider market. I believe if we could link the rice sector with tourism through marketing, we could bring the fame of our fragrant rice to the globe while attracting more tourists.

What kinds of potential do you see in the rice sector?
We see more demand for Cambodian rice because Cambodian farmers are still using traditional ways of farming, which means we have better potential in producing better quality rice for export. Rice production in Cambodia is at nine million tonnes annually. I think in the future if we have better water management systems and we use all the available land to farm, Cambodia's rice production could reach 20 million tonnes a year. If the government could provide information databases about soil mapping and where to seek quality seeds and what province has potential for what kind of rice, I think it will attract more investment that will help improve the whole rice sector.

What should be done to strengthen the competitiveness of Cambodia's rice sector in the region?
The government should focus on marketing. The private sector should make rice quality better. In our case, we are planning to do contract farming with local farmers in which we will be working with them in selecting quality seeds, using soil and assisting them with farming techniques from our experts. ASEAN economic integration is approaching, meaning no tax will be charged on importing and exporting among the member countries. I think Cambodia should be ready in terms of competitiveness in price, quality and service.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

The Cambodian Badminton Federation has confirmed that its upcoming 14th edition of the Victory Over Genocide Day (7 Makara) Badminton Cup will be held at Svay Rieng provincial hall on January 11-12.

Events include singles and doubles for men's U16, U19, U40, 40 to 50-year-olds and over-50s as well as female doubles of all ages. All participating clubs and associations are allowed to enter up to four players in any one category, although the host club can submit up to eight players.

A U$$250 cash prize will be awarded to event winners, with runners-up getting $150 and third placers $100. Registration closes on January 5.

Cambodia found themselves back on the golden path yesterday at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar with triumph for the vovinam team. The Vietnamese martial art was the Kingdom's most successful discipline at the 2011 Games in Indonesia, with team members grabbing two golds, seven silvers and three bronzes.

Yesterday's morning session at the Zayar Thiri Indoor Stadium in Naypyidaw hadn't offered much promise, however, with Chrin Bunlong, Kat Sopheak, Ly Boramy and San Socheat failing to repeat their silver medal in the men's leg attack performance (known as Don Chan Tan Cong). The four were judged fifth on 265 points, as Vietnam clinched top spot with 280.

Cambodia's Pov Sokha also missed out on the podium, coming fourth in women's yin yang sword forms (Tinh Hoa Luong Nghu Kiem Phap) with 262. Myanmar's Hnin Thi Da won with 269.

All was forgotten, however, in the afternoon when heroes Soeung Visal, Chin Piseth, Kat Sopheak and heroine Souer Chanleakena clinched gold in the one female defender against three male attackers with weapons performance (Da Luyen Vu Hhi Nu).

It was the Kingdom's sixth gold medal of the Games, keeping them ninth in the medals table of 11. Thailand remain at the summit with 79 golds.

Two bronze medals were also kicked out for Cambodia on the vovinam mats with Mao Monita in women's 45-50kg and Tin Pheap in men's 55-60kg winning their quarter-finals but losing their semi-finals yesterday.

The delegation are hoping for more vovinam medals, as well as from events such as taekwondo, judo, kempo, sepak takraw and traditional boating before Sunday's closing ceremony.

Bunna Cheang lost her women's 53-57kg taekwondo quarter-final 15-1 on points at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium in Naypyidaw.

Cambodia had earlier yesterday spurned the chance to steal a march up the table on noisy neighbours Laos by losing the gold medal match in petanque mixed triples (two women, one man) at the Petanque Arena near Naypyidaw's Athletes Village.

Tep Nora, Chhin Srey Pich and Duong Dina had been blazing a trail in the competition, winning all four preliminaries on Wednesday before dispatching Vietnam 13-6 in yesterday morning's semi-final to guarantee silver.

But the trio came a cropper in the final despite surging into a 4-0 lead to eventually lose 13-5 to Laos players Thepphakan Bovilak, Nienmani Lar and Souliya Manyvanh.

Meanwhile, Cambodia's other triples squad (two men, one woman) of Songvat Chakriya, Sieng Vanna and Ya Chandararith suffered a 13-9 defeat in the semi-finals to another Laos outfit to collect the bronze.

The Cambodian women's hockey team conceded their hundredth goal in their fifth and final group game yesterday at the Hockey Field in Yangon, going down 7-0 to hosts Myanmar.

Pakistan-born coach Rana Asif Maqsood will be overwhelmed with areas to improve on but he should be commended for at least producing a team for competition out of absolutely no hockey tradition in the Kingdom and, indeed, not a single Astroturf facility suitable for training on at home.

The side will have one last chance to score a goal in the competition today when playing Indonesia, who beat them 15-0 on Monday, in the fifth place play-off at 10am Cambodian time. Myanmar will take on Singapore for the bronze medal at 12:30pm before huge favourites Malaysia meet Thailand in the title decider at 3pm.

At the athletics track of Naypyidaw's Wunna Theikdi Sports Complex, Kieng Samorn came up short in the men's 1,500 metres, finishing sixth. The Cambodian middle distance runner and London Olympian had made his way to second place up until the last 200m, when he appeared to run out of gas.

Angelina Jolie says her sons eat them "like Doritos," locals find them a tasty snack, but could the humble cricket ever be commonplace in a westerner's shopping basket?

New company Khmer Iron Cricket thinks so, and with a range of high-protein delicacies including cookies and baked spicy dehydrated crickets, is hoping to tempt the fussiest palates while, in the long term, providing a sustainable source of protein to malnourished Cambodian children.

Having launched in Kep and Phnom Penh a month ago, long-term French expats and friends Gérard Thévenet and Philippe Lenain are now selling their cricket-based products in Temple Town at outlets including Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa, Bopha Angkor Hotel and Cassia restaurant.

"At the moment we already have 25 points of sale in Siem Reap," Lenain says. "We sell through hotels and souvenir shops. My partner Gérard has a travel agency here so we are using that for support."

Thévenet and Lenain, based in Kep, had been living in Cambodia for several years when Thévenet came up with the idea to start a cricket farm.

The pair discovered that crickets were not only plentiful, but raising them was cost effective and most importantly they were a great source of protein, containing 59 per cent. Coming from a family of farmers, Thévenet recognised that Cambodia was the perfect environment for raising crickets, and being a chef he was also curious to explore the insect's nutritional benefits.

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Khmer Iron Cricket sells spicy dehydrated crickets that have been baked for 14 hours with garlic and spices, and power protein cookies containing whole crickets and flavoured with coffee, coconut, cinnamon or durian.

Packaged in neat little boxes with transparent lids, the cool branding suggests something that wouldn't look out of place in the world food section of Selfridges Food Hall. The slogan, 'powerfully delicious!'is derived from the Khmer term for this type of cricket – iron cricket.

"When we interviewed some Khmer people they had the idea that this cricket makes you strong," Lenain explains.

"We also sell powder made from ground crickets and down the road I'd like to use this as a nutritional compliment, to mix with food. That's our main aim – to sell it to feed malnourished children.

"I have contacted many NGOs but at the moment we're still at the stage where we must get the approval of the Ministry of Social Affairs. I have a good contact with the World Food Program; this is really at the top of the chain, because they have programs in Cambodia which are really addressing malnutrition."

He adds that the tourist interest in his cricket products was accidental.

"We didn't have the tourist angle in our minds at all, but in Kep there are a few tourists, hotels and restaurants. Some people who had tried them said their clients really liked them, and wanted more."

But while people are evidently going crazy for crickets, being new to the business, it took Lenain and Thévenet nearly a year of trial and error before successfully delivering the product.

Now about one and a half million crickets are kept in 300 square metre layers of boxes down at the farm. They are fed on a diet of vegetables including pumpkin and eggplant, and harvested every six weeks. After four weeks, bowls of coconut fibre and rice husk are placed in their 'living quarters' to attract the females, who lay their eggs once a day.

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The crickets are cooked according to recipes devised by Thévenet, who used to own La Taverne restaurant in Phnom Penh.

"Some we do with spices, some are simply dehydrated, without flavour – plain," says Lenain. "They are added to the cookies, or they are turned into powder. The taste of the cricket is not very powerful, maybe a bit similar to a chestnut."

In the future, Khmer Iron Cricket plans to introduce some new products and also launch abroad.

"We are working on a protein bar for sportsmen, on protein pastas and many more delicacies," Lenain says. "We're discussing with companies to represent us in France, in the USA and in China. It's still early days, but we're ready to expand."

"Everybody eats insects – except us, except the western world.. We are the exceptions."

He adds that the protein content of these little critters is astonishingly high.

"Beef is at 28 per cent, chicken would be 20, maybe 25," he says. "Fish is only ten or 13. So 59 per cent is very, very high. The good thing about it is that I read to get one gram of protein from crickets, it takes forty times less food than for cattle."

LOW DECEMBER TOURISM NUMBERS
Chill winds hit town this week, matching the chilly outlook that some in the tourist industry have about this year's high season which, to date, has certainly not hit the expected heights. Despite predictions of a record high season, numbers appear to be down this month. There's also concern that the high season may be somewhat shortened this year – the Chinese New Year usually falls in February thus extending seasonal numbers into that month. But this year the celebration falls in January, and there are reports that February numbers are dropping off, and that March will see a crash in tourist numbers. One major hotel reports that it has absolutely zero bookings for March.

And of course there's the perennial debate about whether Siem Reap has too many hotels. That certainly wasn't the case last year with high occupancies, but this year there is an estimated 800 new hotel rooms bringing the number of rooms in town to around the 10,000 mark. Plus pundits note that there is a rash of new hotels under construction throughout town. This, observers say, could drive many hotel room prices down to about $35.

There are concerns that continual political problems in Thailand could adversely affect tourism numbers and many tourism players are keeping a wary watch over developments in Myanmar, with a fear that the opening up of tourism there may harm Cambodian numbers.

'DIVOTS' McHENRY MOVES ON
The ebullient and effusive Emmett McHenry has finished a five-year stint as general manager of the Sokha Angkor hotel and in a press release he said, "In the five years since I joined the team at Sokha Angkor , the hotel has come on in leaps and bounds. We've served prime ministers and presidents and I'm proud of all that we've achieved.

"I believe in developing strong multi-cultural teams which demonstrate the essence of Cambodian hospitality and I can honestly say that the team I leave at the Sokha Angkor is ready to tackle any challenge."

His achievements at the Sokha Angkor include strong growth for the hotel in all markets and guests are drawn from throughout the globe – 70 per cent of those who stay in the resort are from Asia, 8 per cent from Europe and 8 per cent from North America.

Emmett officially finished at Sokha on December 10 and on Monday December 16 he celebrated birthday number 65 at Viva Restaurant. A star of the night was his recently born baby daughter.

He declared he will stay in Siem Reap and seek new challenges, including much-needed improvement in his golfing prowess.

He is also president of the Cambodian Hotel Association Siem Reap Chapter which should soon have 50 members, and he will continue to advise the charity which he set up with Sokha Angkor which provides help and assistance for 156 families living on the lake. This charity has ensured that every child has a school place, and books and bags.

SHORTS
Must see show: Cambodia Space Project performs Galaxy Khmer tonight and tomorrow night at the Phare Circus.

Festive dinners: Nest Angkor Cafe-Bar has a Christmas day special set dinner worth $35+ with a glass of champagne and coffee or tea. The New Year's Eve countdown includes a $55+ set menu with a glass of champagne, coffee or tea and a souvenir gift. Live music and surprises will feature until countdown, with a drink promotion from 10pm until late.

Telling moment: One of Siem Reap's longest running and much loved restaurants, Tell, has taken a dramatic step and opened an extra floor upstairs with great views of all the night-time downtown madness. And as always, great food. Plus there are two private rooms allowing those who insist on smoking to smoke without bugging others.

Phnom Penh-based British photographer David Holliday describes his first Siem Reap exhibition, which opened on Saturday at Palate Restaurant, as "Painting with photographs." The show, titled "The Montages La Palate", consists of brightly coloured, almost cartoon-like portrayals of street scenes, river views and old French colonial houses.

Londoner Holliday, who has lived in Phnom Penh for three years and exhibited at The Plantation hotel and Rubies Wine Bar, uses a special technique to create the comic strip-style look of his montages. He says his processing method has been compared to illustrations in Tintin books – and indeed looking at the bright colours and sharp outlines of the photographs, this is definitely true, particularly of the images of bicycles and motos.

"I have a technique I developed by chance," he says. "But I have to keep this a little bit secret. I am still experimenting with technique and not all I produce gets shown as certain subjects do not work with this style or montage."

The finished results look more like paintings or prints than photographs, and he agrees that once he has finished "dabbling" with them, this is certainly the case.

"Sometimes photography is described as painting with light. I would describe my works as painting with photographs," he says. "I construct them by hand rather like painting with a brush on a board before printing on huge canvases.

"Often I fill in and add details with wax crayons and scraps of paper. I use canvas now and am experimenting with more mixed media, like oil paints or crumbled up brick and glue."

Each picture takes about two weeks to make. Holliday is inspired by old buildings, street scenes and the small details he notices while out and about in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and the provinces.

"I love windows and doors, shutters and crumbling paintwork," he says. "I love the old cultures in alleyways and features. But I also like the trendy motorbikes and sense of style people have. At the moment I am expanding my moto-style picture into a huge street montage using several canvases. I am also working on Siem Reap images."

Subjects include Phnom Penh's dilapidated White Building, an old abandoned coffee shop, a motorbike fashion parade, houses overgrown with plants and scenes from Otres beach after the rainy season.

One of Holliday's favourite montages is Boat Village 4, which he created after chartering a boat on the Tonlé Sap.

"It was just me and the captain, who had no idea what I was doing," he says. "I sat on the roof and took several hundred images. The tin roofs came out nicely. I wanted to portray the living conditions of the riverside squats and shanty towns and this is not possible by foot. Some people live in boats, some in falling down shacks.

"When I began to work on the picture, I made four very long photo montages and some smaller ones; I tacked them to my wall and it was a big confusion at first. There was too much detail, also the river was murky brown and dull.

"My son Dominic had the brilliant idea to make a reflection of the shacks, boats and houses on the brown river therefore keeping the colour. This I did."

"The Montages La Palate" will run at Palate until March 10 2014.

They have burned an [effigy] of Hun Sen. It's as if they learn from terrorists in the Middle East.

If a man has a rep for beating people up, it's probably best not to push him on the subject, but police say that's just what happened in Battambang on Monday when a pair of siblings got soused with some locals.

A seemingly good-natured ribbing about the noted brawler's past exploits ended with him punching one of the two brothers in the face.

The other brother promptly picked up a stick and smacked the bully in the head with it. Both siblings fled the scene, but the cops picked up the stick wielder later that day. NOKORWAT

A young man's trip to a guesthouse with his girlfriend cost him his moto on Tuesday in the capital's Prampi Makara district.

Police said the 20-year-old had just arrived at the guesthouse when a friend caught up via motodop and asked to borrow the bike so he could go on a date of his own.

Unfortunately, he had no money for said date and promptly pawned the moto to raise the cash. He quickly cracked under police questioning. NOKORWAT

Cambodia is one of the least-attractive investment destinations in ASEAN, according to new findings that an economic adviser to the government is already challenging.

Released last week, the 2013 ASEAN Competitiveness Survey ranked Cambodia above only Brunei in terms of investor "attractiveness".

Just 21 per cent of the survey's 502 respondents, all of whom hailed from the business community in ASEAN, identified Cambodia as a desirable nation for future investment.

Meanwhile, more than 40 per cent said they intended to invest in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand. Thirty-eight per cent identified Myanmar, 36 per cent cited Vietnam and 24 per cent chose Laos as alluring foreign investment options. Consequently, Cambodia scored an overall "attractiveness rating" of 4.06 out of a possible 10, beating only Brunei's 3.67.

"This is a big surprise," Mey Kalyan, an adviser to the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC), said.

"I have heard investors' assessments of Myanmar that suggest the investment climate for infrastructure, telecommunications companies and legal frameworks are not yet right."

Produced by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, the survey tookTc into account responses from only three companies in Cambodia, while 72 per cent of the responses came from Thailand and Vietnam.

The ASEAN council is a working group that was formed in 2003 to provide private-sector feedback on the region's economic integration.

The local firms that took part in the survey between May and August were the Alliance of Rice Producers & Exporters of Cambodia, Manulife Cambodia and Winson International Garments Ltd. All three could not be reached for comment.

Kalyan said that while Laos has a stronghold on the region's energy resources, Cambodia's liberal foreign investment regulations, which allow 100 per cent foreign ownership of companies, cheap labour costs and relative political stability, are all major drawcards for investment.

"It might be that Myanmar labour is cheaper, but you must be mindful of equity issues for workers and the skill level of your production," he said. "There are weaknesses in infrastructure and energy, but these are not decisive factors."

The ASEAN survey also found that Cambodia's outward foreign direct investment activity, or export trade, was among the least attractive to investors, with just 3.3 per cent of respondents naming the Kingdom as a planned export location within the next three years.

Grant Knuckey, CEO of ANZ Royal Bank, said the survey proves how competitive ASEAN is for investment, and while Cambodia is an attractive destination, it cannot afford to slow its economic development.

Auction house giant Christie's will next year participate in a charity auction in Phnom Penh for the second time, it was announced yesterday. Auctioneer Lionel Gosset from the house will sell paintings, sculptures, fashion and jewelry by more than 30 local artists and designers.

The event, which will take place in March at the Sofitel Hotel, will be organised by the arts agency ReCreation. Following Christie's Charity Auction 2012, which raised more than $40,000, this year's proceeds will go to arts-based charities Cambodia 2000 and Amrita Performing Arts. Madeleine de Langalerie, founder and CEO of ReCreation, said the initial idea came from a desire to promote Cambodian artists as well as to contribute to the emerging arts sector in the Kingdom. She said: "The auction in 2012 was a huge success."

Artists will donate the artworks, but also have the opportunity to sell their work at the Galerie des Arts, a three-month long commercial exhibition at the Sofitel also to launch in March.

De Langalerie said: "We wanted to reward the artists who give their art. They give something, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to get something back."

Cambodia 2000, wich was founded by the late HRH Norodom Vacheahra in 1996, has recently launched two new programmes, the first donating free art supplies to rural schools and the second donating to emerging artists in search of financial aid. Amrita Performing Arts aims to revive and preserve Cambodian performing arts. Each charity was chosen specifically for their artistic vision, De Langalerie said.

Princess Norodom Veasna Diva Sirivudh, spokesperson for Cambodia 2000, said the association was founded with the recognition that a vibrant national culture could revitalise the country following decades of war. She said: "I thank Christie's and ReCreation for giving us the opportunity to continue the work of Cambodia 2000 into the field of art and design. Induction of these programmes is a fitting memorial to Princess Vacheahra's love for this country and her love of the arts."

Kang Rithisal, executive director at Amrita, said: "The support and participation of Christie's charity auction, exhibition and events will be a catalyst to embracing and enabling these emerging artists to grow like new flowers creating and adding to the beauty of their country's arts and culture."

Contemporary photographer, painter and sculptor Nou Sary is one of the artists whose work will be featured at both the auction and exhibition. Although he was born in Cambodia, he now lives in Lyon, France. He said he was happy to give something back to Cambodia 2000 and Amrita. He said: "I am happy to donate to people less fortunate than me."

Lionel Gosset, the auctioneer from Christie's who will participate, said he often auctions for charity. "I like to get involved in charity projects, especially for countries that have been suffering. This auction will help young artists."

Christie's Charity Auction will take place on March 30. The Galerie des Arts exhibition will begin on March 1 and last for three months. Both will be held at the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh.

Moldovian sensation Radu Albot has joined Thailand's top player Danai Udomchoke and five of his compatriots in a one-week pre-season training camp being conducted by the Tennis Federation of Cambodia's technical director Braen Aneiros at the National Training Center.

After rain washed out Tuesday's planned opening session, training began in right earnest yesterday morning.

Cambodian Davis Cuppers Bun Kenny and Long Samneang complete the nine-player line-up.

Currently ranked 170 in the world, Albot is heading to Melbourne to play in the Australian Open qualifiers next month and is using the camp for extensive preparations.

The Rattiwatana twins, Sanchai and Sonchat, have been training under Braen Aneiros for over three years and are ranked 39 in world doubles. The pair have set their sights on an event in Brisbane.

Thailand's No.2, Kittipong Wachiramanowong, who figured in the recently concluded Cambodian Futures series, is also in the camp with fellow Thais Punn Bodhidatta and Suthinan Tantahseraneewat.

"This pre-season training camp is very helpful for these players to get ready for the 2014 season wherever they choose to go," Aneiros told the Post.

"For Cambodian Davis Cup players Bun Kenny and Long Samneang, it is a good opportunity to practise with players of such high level and sharpen their reflexes."

Analysis

So Arsenal get Bayern Munich in the knock-out stages of the Champions League for the second year running and Manchester City are drawn against Spanish giants Barcelona. That ensures that the best two teams in England, on current Premiership form at least, will face arguably the top two sides in Europe.

Back in March of this year, Ahmet Cakar, a former Turkish football referee considered one of his country's most successful, sensationally suggested how former football stars who participate in the draw have metal objects in their hands that pick up vibrations in the balls as they bounce around the pot.

This, according to Cakar, guarantees the stars making the draw know precisely when to select each ball, and thus UEFA's top brass get the outcome of the "random" draw that they desire.

This may all sound rather bizarre, however, Cakar recreated the exact same draw that was made for the opening elimination stage of last season's competition using a mock-up version of his bouncing ball theory. The chance of this occurring according to bookmakers at the time is around 5,000/1, although some analysts suggest that it could be as extreme as 2,000,000/1 depending on which way one looks at it.

I am not sure if that means that one is looking at it through rose-tinted glasses or standing on one's head whilst rubbing their tummy button with a feather duster, so I will try to look at it as impartially as possible.

What a load of rubbish, or more to the point, what a load of old balls.

Hang on a sec, in last season's draw only two English clubs qualified for the final sixteen – they were Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal were then drawn against Bayern Munich, who went on to lift the trophy, and Manchester United were selected to play Real Madrid.

Both English clubs were eliminated resulting in no English Premier League sides progressing into the quarter-finals. Coincidence or just a random outcome?

Anything of odds from 5,000/1 to 2,000,000/1 is actually pretty random, so does Cakar have a point or is he just another wacky conspiracy theorist?

Conspiracy theories have indeed ranged over the years from the sublime to the ridiculous. We have had the logical reasoning that suggests that John F Kennedy was shot by more than just a lone gunman, to the arrant nonsense that Marilyn Monroe currently resides on the planet Mars alongside Princess Diana, Elvis Presley and the kidnapped racehorse Shergar.

However, if the mighty power of the interior forces of the American government can conspire to kill their own president, then it surely must be considered possible that the much less powerful forces of UEFA can conspire to rig a football tournament. Although some may well argue that UEFA has even more power than a former US administration.

Therefore it is worth looking at this particular "conspiracy theory" in a little more depth.

It is one thing to allege that English teams are being targeted out of the competition, but what if also the remaining quality teams are then being kept apart until the last possible juncture?

Using last season's quarter final draw as an example, one can easily reach a rather disturbing conclusion. The four best sides that reached the final eight last time around were naturally Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

There is no seeding whatsoever during this part of the draw. Were the "big four" then kept away from each other?

Such a scenario would obviously generate a larger interest on many levels. Higher media coverage, an increase in public enthusiasm, potentially more and preferable sponsorship deals and greater revenue from television rights and gate receipts?

That aforementioned quarter-final draw, random or otherwise, had Barcelona playing Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich taking on Juventus, Borussia Dortmund versus Malaga, and last and by no means least, Real Madrid were handed a tie against Galatasaray. All of the "big four" therefore somehow managed to avoid each other.

One thing is for certain, it would have taken only one of the big four teams to play against another one for there not to be argument.

So I will highlight just one further example that surprisingly gives a great deal of credence to Ahmet Cakar's case. In the 2002 World Cup, which is of course done by FIFA and not UEFA, it is interesting to see the draw that concluded the group that England were set to participate in. Their rivals were the number one ranked team in the world at the time, Argentina, Sweden, whom England had not beaten since the days of black and white television, and Nigeria, who were the reigning African Cup of Nations finalists.

Furthermore, the game against Nigeria, a country naturally able to deal with hot and humid conditions, was arranged to be played in the hottest and the most humid venue on co-hosts Japan's list.

All of this of course would only be considered conjecture in a court of law, so until such time as there is sufficient evidence to infer the contrary, I can only assume that UEFA and FIFA are the nicest of people that have never been involved in anything at all suspicious. Maybe I just do not have the bouncing balls to think otherwise.

Defending SEA Games men's champions Malaysia sealed a spot in today's football semi-finals with a decisive 2-1 victory over Vietnam on Tuesday in which all three goals were scored in the dying moments.

Ashri Chuchu and D Saarvindran had put the result beyond doubt in the 81st and 89th minutes respectively, although Mac Hong Quan grabbed a consolation goal for the five-time silver medallists.

Malaysia will face Indonesia, who they beat via penalties in the final two years ago, at 4:30pm Cambodian time today at Naypyidaw's Zayar Thiri Stadium. Eleven-time gold medal winners Thailand take on Singapore in the other semi-final at 7:15pm.

A single bronze was added to the Cambodian cause at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar yesterday, but it was not enough to stop neighbouring rivals Laos from leapfrogging the Kingdom into eighth place out of 11 in the medal table.

The taekwondo team's Chhoeung Lyna came third in women's individual poomsae (forms performance) at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium in Naypyidaw, although there were only three participants in the competition. The Cambodian scored 7.565, while Singapore's Chelsea Ann Sim Shu Zhen took silver with 7.765 and Yamin Khine notched yet another gold for hosts Myanmar with 8.200.

Lyna teamed up with Phal Sovannat to finish last out of eight in the mixed pairs poomsae event with a total of 7.315, compared to Vietnamese winners Dinh Toan Nguyen and Minh Tu Nguyen on 8.355.

Sovannat also came bottom of the men's individual poomsae with 7.500, as Myanmar's Thaw Zin Han struck gold on 8.400.

There was disappointment for judoka Khom Ratanak Mony, who has represented Cambodia at the London Olympics last year and was looking to improve on his SEA Games silver from Indonesia in 2011.

Mony beat Thailand's Thailand's Janluechai Kanisorn in the men's 55kg quarter-finals but lost to eventual winner Nam Nhat Thong Huynh of Vietnam in the semi-finals. The 30-year-old, currently based out of the French city of Brest, went through to the repechage section (bronze medal playoffs) but lost to Malaysia's Muhamad Jafaannuar Jamaludin.

Over at the Ngalike Dam, Cambodia came close to a medal in the men's traditional boating 10-crew 1,000m final, crossing the line fourth out of five teams with a time of 4 minutes 34.659 seconds. They were three and a half seconds slower than race winners Myanmar, with Indonesia and Thailand taking silver and bronze respectively.

Golfer Thong Sokhamony, meanwhile, was having a torrid time at the Royal Myanmar Golf Club across town and ended up a distant last in the field of 32. The Cambodian was 55-over-par with a four-round total of 343, 24 shots worse than his closest rival.

Malaysia's Gavin Kyle Green, who at No 18 in the amateur world rankings is the first from his country to break the top 20, and Thailand's Danthai Boonma shared first place with a total of 278. Poom Saksansin of Thailand was third on 281.

Cambodia's men's table tennis team – namely Sok Long Lim, Tola Soeung and Sroy Huor Oeung – lost all three of their Group B matches at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium, falling 3-1 to Vietnam, 3-0 to Thailand and 3-1 to Myanmar.

The Wunna Theikdi Equestrian Field saw no podium spots for the Cambodian contingent, although the team can be proud of some promising jumping performances.

Soth Puthminea's fifth in the first round and Sim Narith's seventh in the second round were the best placings for the Kingdom yesterday in the individual show jumping event, while the team discipline, which featured the pair along with Ly Sovanchandara and Phat Makara were fifth out of seven squads.

The embattled women's hockey team were thrashed 16-0 by Singapore on Tuesday to continue their woeful campaign in which they scored no goals and let in a total of 93 goals. They play hosts Myanmar in their final game today.

Editor's note: Phnom Penh's property market is racing towards the future, especially in terms of hardware. However, the software side of the market cannot be overlooked if truly international standards are to be achieved. The Post invited CBRE Cambodia property manager Simon Griffiths to explain the purpose of property management and describe the current state of property management in Cambodia.

Everywhere you look in Phnom Penh you see green netting around the construction of new buildings or the renovation of old buildings. Phnom Penh is modernising and moving toward its future after a period of only modest growth following the global financial crisis. The skyline of Phnom Penh will have drastically changed by 2016.

While I would love to write about all the exciting developments which will spring out of the ground in coming months and years, it is important to understand that these buildings must be managed well. Services must be provided which ensure the ongoing safety of the users of the building and customer service that allows these spaces created by developers to be utilised to their fullest.

Property management, albeit not the sexiest topic in the world, is an essential service which should be going on behind the scenes to ensure safety, cleanliness and customer satisfaction. Without good property management, the aesthetics of a building, customer service, maintenance and repairs, internet provision, cleaning and security all suffer. Facilities such as lifts, gyms, spas and swimming pools can deteriorate, creating health and safety risks. Effective property management will always benefit a building and is a good way to retain tenants.

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In Cambodia it is common for developers to seek short-term profits and neglect effective property management. Invisible to the untrained eye, this puts users of the buildings at risk. For example, elevator maintenance can be neglected, proper evacuation training not provided to the users or staff of the building, proper evacuation signage or firefighting equipment not provided or electrical equipment not properly maintained. These are unnecessary risks.

The situation is not all doom and gloom though. With very little in the way of regulatory controls or governance, the market is stepping in and raising standards. As new developments open and new businesses are established in Cambodia, people are demanding higher standards. Developments which can deliver these high standards in property management – whether they be condominiums, serviced apartments, offices or shopping centres – are increasingly gaining a competitive advantage. Consumers, (effectively you, the users of these buildings) are coming to expect higher standards, better safety and excellent customer service, and that is driving up standards across Cambodia. Progress is being made in the unseen world of property management.

CBRE Cambodia has been working hard on bringing international property management standards to Cambodia for the last four years and continue to do so by partnering with De Castle Royal as their property management agent to provide international property management standards to this premium luxury condominium development in Phnom Penh.

We want to see more though. CBRE Cambodia adopts international property management practices as part of global CBRE practices and calls upon experience from Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok, but property management in Cambodia is almost entirely self-regulated. There is a lack of training, experience and knowledge in the industry. Coupled with a lack of regulation, this has an impact on both developers and property management.

Hopefully, market forces will continue to raise standards and quality in important matters such as fire prevention and health and safety. Ideally, developers will increasingly view property management as a way to extend competitive advantage to buildings, and not just a way to make short-term profit. But regulation and guidance are the keys to providing the safest and highest quality built environment for Cambodia. Much needs to be done, but a lot can be achieved and we hope that property management standards will continue to improve across the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The Post thanks Simon Griffiths for his contribution. CBRE Cambodia's Phnom Penh office can be reached at 023 964 099 or through its website at www.cbre.com.kh.

Now, I don't understand about this 'independent' word. Who is to put a score on it? Who is independent? Is the NGO or the foreign NGO?

Cambodian English students often complain that their English pronunciation doesn't actually sound like English. But at least for smartphone users with bad pronunciation there is now less need to worry about being understood because they can boost their skills with the IELTS Speaking Practice – and study for the IELTS exams at the same time.

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The application – available for iOs and Android – contains more than 10 topics and over 200 questions which are often used in the IELTS tests. A;hough these are informal, they can help you answer questions in the test.

How it works: You record and play your answer and the app tells you if you pronounced it correctly.

If you keep practising regularly, it may be enough for you to pass an IELTS Speaking Test.

Singapore and Cambodia will soon embark on a strategic tennis development partnership that will not only boost the game's appeal in the two countries, but will also shine a light on the Southeast Asian region as a whole.

The broad outlines of a tennis-dominant alliance that opens up avenues at various levels for budding talent at both ends emerged during hectic parleys yesterday between the visiting Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Sports Council Lim Teck Yin and the Tennis Federation of Cambodia top brass including President Cham Prasidh, secretary general Tep Rithivit and technical director Braen Aneiros.

Another prominent player in these series of productive meetings and discussions which spread out during the day was Robert Davis, who has 22 years of experience as a professional tennis coach and served as technical director and national coach for Peru, Panama, Thailand, Indonesia and now Myanmar. A long time resident of Cambodia, Davis has been representing Tennis Cambodia and its worthy causes around the world.

"We have a lot to learn from Cambodian tennis. It is an inspirational story. The federation has raised the profile of tennis in the world," Lim Teck Yin, who took a break from the ongoing SEA Games in Myanmar to make this short trip, told the Post yesterday.

Tep Rithivit said the alliance with Singapore was "very important" for the TFC. "We would like to learn from others but at the same time we would like to share with others our recipe for success, he said.

Cham Prasidh, meanwhile, said: "I feel this partnership will create exciting possibilities for young players in both countries."

Later in an exclusive interview with the Post, Lim Teck Yin spoke about the city state's major initiatives to promote sports harmony in the South Asian region as a whole to counter balance the dominance of sports giants like China and Japan.

"We are creating a mega sports hub at a cost of US$1.3 billion to be completed next year. To go with it we want to bring world events to Singapore and at the same time focus on training and development," he said.
"We will stage the WTA season

finale in October next year involving the world's top eight women's singles players and doubles pairs. We will also have an event for the legends and one for the rising stars," added Kim, hinting that Singapore could also be the first country to host an Indian Premier League cricket franchise.

"For me, the most exciting prospect would be to see Singapore schools bringing tennis teams over to Cambodia. Exchange of tennis camps will be beneficial to both sides," he said.

If the alliance as envisaged by both Singapore and Cambodia take the desired shape, the next generation of players in both countries would be heading for a great future.

The Thansur Bokor International Half Marathon and Bike Race will return to the renowned Bokor mountain of Kampot province next year, organisers told reporters during a press conference at Sokha Club hotel on Monday evening.

The inaugural event, held on October 26-27 along the mountain's newly constructed road, attracted 577 runners and 104 cyclists with participation slated to increase ten-fold, according to organisers.

A total of US$4,000 raised from entry fees has been donated to Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, confirmed Thansur Bokor Resort general manager Michael Brabsche.

Football can be cruel at times, none more so than in the case of 27th SEA Games hosts Myanmar, whose U23 team were knocked out of the men's competition after a 1-0 loss to Indonesia on Monday night despite holding a better goal difference with both ending the group phase on seven points.

A 36th minute penalty by Alfin Tuasalamony at Yangon's Thuwunna YTC Stadium was all that stood between the sides, as Indonesia progressed to tomorrow's semi-finals along with Group B toppers Thailand due to their superior head-to-head record over Myanmar.

The result sparked a riot in the former capital, with dozens of local football fans clashing with police late into the night.

Cambodia triumphantly passed the gold mark set at the previous SEA Games in Indonesia, with petanque legend Ke Leng topping the podium in women's shooting yesterday in Myanmar.

The Kampong Chhnang native, whose glittering career includes two silvers and two bronzes at past SEA Games tournaments as well as three successive golds in women's shooting at the Asian Championships and victory in this year's Women's World Championships, was in blistering form in the pits of Naypyidaw.

She dispatched Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Thi 36-13 with balls to spare in the semi-finals before steamrolling Potjanaseni Pawinee of Thailand 36-16 in the final.

Ke Leng's team-mate Dy Sopanha grabbed bronze in men's shooting yesterday to move the Kingdom's overall total to five golds, seven silvers and 13 bronzes.

At time of print, Thailand had everyone in their wake with a tally of 64 golds, compared to second-placed Vietnam on 47 and Indonesia on 44. Hosts Myanmar had dropped to fourth with 42 event titles.

Across town at the Wunna Theikdi Stadium, both of Cambodia's athletics representatives at last year's London Olympics fell short in their races.

Sprinter Chan Seyha finished fifth out of six in her women's 100m heat with a time of 12.75 seconds, nearly a second slower than winner Neeranuch Klomdee of Thailand.

Middle-distance runner Kieng Samorn was similarly outclassed in the men's 800m, crossing the line in 1:55:17 to come seventh out of nine. It was exactly two seconds slower than his personal best achieved two years ago at the SEA Games in Palembang.

Cambodia ended an arduous group phase of the men's volleyball competition with a 3-1 loss to Malaysia. The result saw them finish bottom of Group A, having lost both of their earlier games 3-0 to Thailand and Myanmar at the Zaya Thiri Indoor Stadium in Naypyidaw.

Thailand advanced as group winners and will face either Vietnam or Laos, who play each other in a crucial concluding Group B clash today, in Friday's semi-finals. Myanmar and Indonesia will contest the other semi-final, with bronze medal match and grand final slated for Saturday.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHHORN NORN

Religion is obviously one of the important structures in Cambodian society. It has played a key role in leadership and nation building for a thousand years.

Throughout the history of religion in Cambodia, Khmer people have built thousands of temples under the leadership of the King. Apart from his royal duties and privileges, the King was also the nation's religious leader. Often, he was considered a god or a god-king. That made the King very powerful both in religious and leadership aspects.

However, religion can also destroy a country when there is a conflict between faiths. In the Angkor period, there was a conflict between Hinduism and Buddhism. This not only destroyed the country but also the different cultures.

Nowadays, religion still holds a key place in Cambodian identity. Nearly everyone in Cambodia is Buddhist. Also, the three words in the country's motto - Nation, Religion, King - describe Cambodian priorities well.

The Cambodian constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The government assures us that this right is respected. Furthermore, it is not only the right to believe what one chooses that is guaranteed by the government but also the right to practise this freely.

Besides Buddhism, which is the state religion of Cambodia, there are also some Muslims and a small number of Christians in the country as well.

Muslims in Cambodia (Khmer-Islam or Cham) are allowed to practise their religion as they wish. There is no discrimination against them. The Chams also enjoy democratic rights like all the Khmer citizens, with the right to vote for and be elected as politicians.

The same freedoms apply to the practising Western religions in the country. You may well have seen missionaries around your city. The number of Cambodians converting to Christianity has been growing quite quickly in the Kingdom.

Many missionaries work every day. The Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is one of many sects of Christianity that has found a place in Cambodia. The number of Mormon missionaries is increasing at a fast pace.

Currently in Cambodia there are 155 Mormon missionaries. There are six Mormon churches (districts) in Phnom Penh with 11,469 members, according to a one church in the capital.

It is easy to spot Mormon missionaries making their way around the city - you might have seen them yourself. They usually ride a bike and wear a helmet, white shirt and black trousers, and always carry with them notebooks or the Bible. They are always smiling and they can speak Khmer.

Because Buddhism does send out missionaries to convert people, I found it interesting to get to know more about Mormon missionaries. I followed them to their places of worship and around the community, speaking to them as well as to their converts.

The most striking thing about the Mormons as a group is that they are incredibly friendly, pious, decent and helpful people. However, sometimes it arouses my suspicion when people are too friendly.

Of course, a few days of keen research is too short a time to get to know everything about the Mormons, but one of the things that really surprised me was the fact that their members pay contributions to the church (one-tenth of their income, according to a family I asked). The family pays $25 to $30 per month. They described it as a "donation" or "gift" to God so that they would be blessed by Him. If it is true and the average member pays $20 a month, then considering there are 11,469 members – that is a lot of donations. According to the website Mormon.org, this major source of revenue is based on the ancient law of the tithe (one out of 10), which means people are expected to pay 10 per cent of their income to move forward the work of the church.

Giving donations is standard in every religion. Buddhists also do it. To me, donations are good when they come from the willingness of the givers, without force or a set rule. But people have a right to choose, anyway.

I am not against religion, be it Christianity, Mormonism, Islam or Buddhism. I believe that the idea of these religions as a moral guidance is good per se. Religion helps to teach people to be good. I respect people who do good things by not harming anyone else, regardless of which religion they follow.

"When I was seven, I dreamt that I could predict future events correctly. I woke up and then tried to predict what was going to happen to my neighbours and they appreciated my accuracy. I started holding their hands to help me see their future," said the fortune teller from Takeo province, who has over 20 years of experience.

Are you superstitious? Do you believe that fortune tellers can predict future events? Some people say fortune tellers just like to cheat people out of their money, while others believe that fortune tellers can be a great life guide and give you motivation. There are usually both pros and cons about everything in life. With nearly 21 years as a fortune teller under her belt, 49-year-old Chhit Mom told LIFT that on a slow day she might have five customers while on a busy day she could have up to 20. A widow, Mom is raising her six children with her fortune-teller career.

Mom says she has met some customers who said they have nothing to live for and asked why should they continue on in this world, telling her they wanted to commit suicide. Even though she is just a fortune teller, she is proud of her career because she has used it to save people's lives.

"I told them that life is always this way; most people face the same problems as you, but they can confront them and deal with them. This is what we call life. Therefore, you have to be strong and confront your problems. Death is not a solution for sadness and despair. You can deal with these problems as long as you are alive."

There are several methods for people to select from through which they can supposedly foresee their future fortune and future wife or husband. Methods include looking at a client's palm, birth year, date of birth and facial expression. The most popular method, however, is through cards.

"Some people don't believe in fortune telling and so they don't trust me; still, I am proud to say that I have never cheated anybody out of their money. Whether somebody believes in my skills is up to him or her."

In front of the district building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Church of Mormon, opposite Hun Sen Library LIFT meets Elder Sat and Elder Duffy, both 19, from the US. The two elders (missionaries in the Mormon faith) are on a two-year mission in Cambodia to convert Cambodians to Mormonism.

Since the church was legally accepted in Cambodia in 1994, about 11,500 Cambodians joined and six church buildings, called districts, have been built in the country, three of them in Phnom Penh alone.

"This [the two years of mission] is the best time of our lives." Elder Duffy says. "I know what I do is the right thing and I know it helps people."

Both young men are exceptionally friendly, open and helpful.

Today LIFT is allowed to join the pair on their mission to help people.

We visit Vanny and Dara. Dara has been a member for 12 years but stayed away from the church for five years. Her husband Vanny joined about a year ago.

To strengthen the converts' faith and dedication to the church, Sat and Duffy visit them once a week and teach them the principles of Mormonism.

Elder Duffy gives us a handy-sized pamphlet with Jesus on the cover, which contains today's lesson: The Plan of Salvation.

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We enter Dara's and Vanny's business, a dark and smoky Internet café packed with truants in school uniform playing online computer games.

Seemingly unaware of the students' screams when they make a kill in their ego shooter game, the two elders and two converts open their lesson with a prayer.

Sat and Duffy read from both the Book of Mormon and the Bible in fluent Khmer. Young missionaries are thoroughly prepared for their missions abroad in one of 15 training centres worldwide.

Before they ever set foot into a country they have to read and speak the local language fluently.

To simplify the doctrine of salvation Duffy earlier drew a map that features the three different kingdoms people will go to in the afterlife, according to Mormon beliefs.

Those who die without accepting the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Mormon Church will not enjoy the full glory of God.

To make sure Vanny and Dara understand, the elders set them a reading assignment in the Book of Mormon.

Vanny is very concerned about the afterlife. He himself feels safe because he accepts the faith, doesn't drink and smoke, and goes to church every Sunday.

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"I want to go to the Celestial Kingdom [the highest possible form of eternal being in the Mormon afterlife]," he explains.

"But I want my whole family to come and I worry about my father very much. If he wasn't Buddhist but Mormon he could stop drinking."

Tobacco, coffee, drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited.

But as there is no church house (or district) in Vanny's father's home province chances for his father to dry up and become Mormon, as Vanny would wish him to, are small – though they may increase.

According to Richard Verhaaren, spokesperson for the Mormon mission in Cambodia, the church follows an expansion strategy and Cambodia has the fastest-growing Mormon community in Asia.

The mission is paid for by the church members who give 10 per cent of their income to the "mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ", as it states on the church's website mormonnewsroom.org.

Dara and Vanny also donate 10 per cent of their earnings from the online gaming Internet café; $20 to $30 a month.

"The church asks us for the money so they can build more church houses." Vanny explains.

Although voluntarily according to the church website, paying so-called tithes is not a practice welcome or affordable by everyone.

"I know some people who stopped going to church because they don't have enough money," Vanny says.

Dara adds: "I know there are some people who quit believing in the church because they pray to God for help and God does not help at all when they have problems. They are disappointed."

Vanny and Dara however, seem to place most of their hopes in the afterlife.

Their concern is to save enough money to travel to the big Mormon temple in Hong Kong to complete a ritual called "celestial marriage" that qualifies them for a god-like life in the afterlife.

"Together with my husband I plan to go to Hong Kong to register our names to be transferred to heaven after we die. We expect to see each other there," Dara explains.

Elder Duffy and Elder Sat seem to do a good job of convincing people of their own faith.

Next week they will come back with a new lesson and check if Dara and Vanny completed their reading assignment that should further strengthen their faith.

In the 1950s Khmer rock music started to blossom. Initially influenced by Western rock and pop culture, Cambodian musicians created a unique sound by mixing Western melodies with Khmer lyrics. The upbeat sound with the high-pitched voices of Pan Ron, Ros Sereysothea, Yous Aularang, Em Yeang, Sos Mat, Meas Samon, and the "King of Cambodian Music" Sin Sisamouth created the legendary Golden Age of modern Cambodian music.

When the Khmer Rouge murdered the Golden Age singers, Cambodian rock almost died with it. Many recordings of the time only survived in the luggage of refuges.

For a few years now Cambodian rock has made a comeback, starting from a group of rock music lovers from Phnom Penh who gather for headbanging and share their music, which is completely different from the sounds of the Golden Age.

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The history of Cambo headbangers
Prom Veasna, Buth Puthea Roth and Chhuth Sen Propey – the three founders of the Cambodian rock and metal society – have got together Cambodian teenagers who are passionate about rock music. The group was established in 2010 under the name of Cambo Headbangers on Facebook.

"In the past, Cambodian teenagers thought they were the only ones who loved rock music. Everything started individually. They did not know that there were some other Cambodians who listened to rock music, too. After they joined our group, they started to realise that they were not alone," said Cambo Headbanger founder Veasna, 27.

Happy to have found like-minded people and a common music taste, the Cambodian rockers have grown in numbers dramatically. They get together and encourage each other to enjoy rock music by sharing common music and goals.

The young rock lovers and musicians, aged from 15 to 27, take their inspiration from Western rock bands like the Golden Age singers. Yet, their sound is unequally hard, with bands representing the deathcore and metal genre and they mostly sing (or scream) in English.

The annual Cambo Headbanger festivals are the nucleus of new bands. The Anti-fate – considered the first punk rock band – and Sliten6ix – the first blast Cambodian deathcore band – are the first two bands that were formed in the 2010s. Because there is no music industry apart from the pop mainstream in Cambodia, the punk and deathcore pioneers keep their unique style underground. Relatively few people understand the purpose and quality of their sometimes violent sounds.

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"People think that we are monsters – even the musicians and the listeners. They said why do you play this kind of music? It is useless. It doesn't earn you any money," said Veasna, the lead guitarist of deathcore band Sliten6ix.

"If we try to create something new, people think we're crazy," said Propey, the 24 year-old frontman of Anti-fate. "But if we make it work, it is not crazy anymore – they instead follow us."

Challenges of creating a unique sound
Creating an individual style in contemporary rock music has become more challenging over the decades.

During the 1950s rock came to Cambodia through wealthy families who travelled to Europe and came back with Western modern music and guitars.

The sound of the Golden Age resembled a psychedelic garage rock sound which was popular during the mid-60s. The lyrics often describe love and the free spirit of being an adolescent, which reflects the real aspect of Cambodian society at that time.

Many rock sounds of the 2010s are loud and heavy, however, with offensive and inappropriate lyrics full of social criticism and taboos. Drugs, sex, violence and corruption are omnipresent themes in the songs.

While the softer sounds of the 1950s and 1960s with their harmless lyrics were compatible with Cambodian ears, language and morals the new Cambodian rock bands find it hard to develop today's Western sounds into a style of their own. The tone of Khmer language is unsuitable for deathcore scream-singing. Cambodian traditions are hardly compatible with intrusive and offensive addressing of social problems.

"Making rock music is different from designing clothes," explained Veasna. "Music is made from our brain – what we have in mind will appear like what we want it to be. If Cambodians tried to make their own rock sound, it should sound more like Thai rock because we have a similar language tone and traditions.

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"In Khmer language it is quite difficult to go more hardcore – not only in rock, even in some other genres such as hip-hop or rap. And we can't have offensive words in our lyrics due to our traditions."

Propey added: "Cambodian traditions are humble and polite. We are not born aggressive."

Despite the difficulties in composing original lyrics and melodies that fit into the harder genres, the young rock musicians do not lose hope to add heavy Khmer rock to the Cambodian music scene. Instead, they believe that eventually rock music will become a popular genre in Cambodian society.

"People need more time to get familiar with new things," Propey said.

"In the 1990s and early 2000s, not many people picked up a guitar to play. Now you see a lot of teenagers playing guitars everywhere – wait and see what happens over the next 10 years."