The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Beehive rally violently broken up” plus 9 more

A peaceful rally led by Beehive Radio president Mam Sonando outside the Ministry of Information on Monivong Boulevard this morning was dispersed at about 10am after more than 100 military police charged, unloading volleys of smoke canisters and swinging batons to clear away stragglers.

Daun Penh security guards – the untrained, helmeted men that have been prominently used to violently enforce the ban on public assembly in recent weeks – also joined in, clubbing those, including some journalists, who failed to get away quickly enough.

Surrounding streets were quickly cordoned off and cleared following the charge, with protesters retreating or being chased down side streets and many gathering in parkland near Wat Phnom and the US Embassy.

Sonando and his supporters – who are routinely critical of the ruling Cambodian People's Party – were rallying for licences for increased radio bandwidth and a TV station. Many joining the protest also offered scathing comments about Prime Minister Hun Sen and the state of human rights in Cambodia.

Huon Phannary, assistant to Sonando, told the Post that the activist had escaped safely and was unhurt. At least three protesters were seen with injuries by Post staff, including two with bleeding head wounds.

Permission for the protest had been rejected by the Ministry of Interior and City Hall, though Sonando's group had pledged to defy the ban, despite clashes yesterday between security guards and union-led protesters at Freedom Park.

About 500 people had gathered at the Naga Bridge near the park by 9am this morning, when Sonando arrived to cheers. After delivering a speech, the radio broadcaster joined hands with an activist monk and Boueng Kak land rights protester Yorm Bopha to lead a march around Wat Phnom and then to the Ministry of Information.

As the group – which quickly swelled in size – approached the Sunway Hotel, they encountered dozens of police and Daun Penh security guards blocking the road. The protesters surged to the next street and began running towards the Ministry of Information past City Hall, where hundreds of gendarmes were waiting.

Protesters then grouped outside the ministry, with many holding signs calling for the licences and sitting on the road. As gendarmes were ordered onto the road, about 100 metres away from them, a tense standoff ensued until finally a five-minute warning was given.

Sok Penh Vuth, deputy governor of Daun Penh district, was heard shouting through a loudspeaker that the demonstration was illegal and Sonando would be arrested before the charge.

City Hall had previously stated in a letter to Sonando: "If there is a gathering which affects security, safety and public order and there are any clashes, you will be responsible before the law."

Don't think this kind of police can stop us.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced he will preside over a review of the government's reform program.

"[Hun Sen] announced that on January 29 he will preside over a wide-ranging meeting at the Peace Palace in order to evaluate and boost reform programs, especially economic reform and social reform," a statement from the Council of Ministers issued Friday said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said yesterday that land rights would be one of the discussion topics.

"The mechanism will reduce disputes at the local level and create more effective services for people," he said.

Nhem Ponharith, spokesman for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, said the government's talk of reforms was an attempt to distract people "amid the political stalemate".

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the life sentences of disgraced former anti-drug czar Moek Dara and his partner Chea Leng following a three-day hearing last month.

The pair – a former secretary-general at the National Anti-Drug Trafficking Department and a former Ministry of Interior anti-drug chief, respectively – were found guilty in January 2012 of taking bribes and siphoning drugs from confiscation stockpiles.

Both their verdicts were previously upheld by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and the Appeal Court but they took their cases to the Supreme Court last year.

"The facts show that the accused committed drug crimes with properly organised and systematic orders," said Judge Heng Priya yesterday. "They were anti-drug officers but they organised drug trafficking."

More than 50 per cent of candidates nominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party in the upcoming provincial and district council elections should be women, a coalition of 12 civil society groups said in a letter on Thursday.

The Committee to Promote Women in Politics (CPWP) also highlighted the importance of having a legislative population that is at least 25 per cent female, in a letter submitted to Sy Chhum, secretary general for the CPP and Sam Rainsy, leader of the CNRP, according to Thida Khus, executive director at Silaka.

Spokesmen from both parties pledged yesterday to promote more female representation in politics. Women claimed just over 20 per cent of the 123 National Assembly seats in July's national election, CPWP President Ros Sopheap said yesterday.

Military police officers involved in the clash on Veng Sreng Boulevard that led to the deaths of at least four protesters earlier this month have been questioned in connection with the shootings, though none will face charges, a military police spokesman said yesterday.

The five officers, whose names and positions are unknown, were questioned about their role in the violence at Phnom Penh Municipal Court last week, Brigadier General Kheng Tito said.

"They were already questioned by the prosecutor last week," he told the Post. "They were summonsed by the prosecutor to give their explanations about the violent clash that happened between the violent protesters and our military police forces."

He added that the five men were not accused of committing a crime as they were acting in self-defence.

Major General Rath Sreang, commander of Phnom Penh Municipal Military Police, declined to comment.

Prum Phearom, 22, who was wounded in the leg by police gunfire during the January 3 clash, said yesterday that the questioning was strictly for appearances.

"The court has just called them for questioning in order to show the international community they made an effort to investigate," he said. "But I know that they will not bring the real shooters to trial, because they [the investigators] are not independent."

Chhan Soveth, deputy head of rights group Adhoc's human rights and legal aid division, said a deeper investigation was needed into who gave the order to shoot, if one was given.

"To find the truth and real justice for the victims, I think the court should conduct deeper research and an investigation about this case … because until now, we do not know who were the killers or who has killed the victims," he said.

On January 3, at least four people were killed and more than 40 injured during clashes between riot police and protesting workers on Veng Sreng Boulevard.

Sok Sam Oeun, a veteran lawyer and director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said the questioning of the five military police officers would not bring justice for the victims and their families.

"If they investigate like that, I don't believe they can find answers. They must also investigate the commander who gave the order to shoot. They [the five officers] will deny everything. The investigation must be made by forensic experts," Sam Oeun said yesterday.

He added that the wealth of video and photographic evidence available from the incident should be used as evidence in court proceedings.

"Find out who had a gun during that time. There are a lot of video clips on the internet; they must look at them. There are lots of videos and photos. We can see that police pointed guns at demonstrators – they should make use of this evidence," he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA

Crippling revenue and poor gamer numbers have prompted Entertainment Gaming Asia (EGA) to consider walking away from its Dreamworld Casino in Pailin province, according to a filing on the NASDAQ exchange on January 21.

EGA, owned by Melco International Development, runs Dreamworld Casinos in Pailin and Banteay Meanchey provinces.

In the filing, EGA said it would write off its initial $2.5 million investment in the Pailin venture, as it struggles to lure gamers from across the Thai border, and would think about whether or not to stay put in the future.

"The company is reviewing all potential options for the Dreamworld Pailin operations, which include seeking additional leasing contracts with third-party operators, subletting the entire facility or exiting the Dreamworld Pailin operations altogether," said the statement from EGA, which sells slot machines to NagaWorld in Phnom Penh and the Bokor mountain casino in Kampot province.

EGA recorded a decrease of more than $475,000 between the second quarter and third quarter of 2013 at Dreamworld Pailin. The casino first opened its doors in May of 2012.

Young Cambodian filmmaker Sothea Ines has been awarded $10,000 and a trip to Hollywood to meet movie moguls after winning first prize in the inaugural Tropfest South East Asia festival on Saturday.

In a successful night for Cambodian film, the first runner-up prize was awarded to fellow Cambodian Ly Polen, for his film, Duetto.

A 5,000-strong crowd attended the event, held in Penang, Malaysia, along with a judging panel including the likes of Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot and Palme d'Or winning-Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

More than 180 short film entries all centred around the festival's theme, rice, and 12 finalists were selected to have their films screened live.

On winning Tropfest South East Asia with her first short film, Ines, 24, said it was an experience that she would never forget.

"I'm feeling so excited and incredible," she said in an interview on Sunday.

"It's not just winning the award, it's all about attending and getting to know so many inspiring and professional people in the festival."

Her winning entry, titled Rice, is set in 1975 in a children's camp during the Khmer Rouge regime. Scenes show children searching through the fields for rice as they struggle to survive.

While admitting it was an ambitious subject for such an inexperienced filmmaker to confront, Ines said she felt that the experience has encouraged her to make more films that feature Cambodian voices.

"This has opened my eyes to the world of [storytelling]. I hope I have the luck to tell story from Cambodian perspective and tell [the] Cambodian story."

Polen, a self-taught filmmaker inspired by the communicative capabilities of YouTube, said the award was not only a personal achievement but also could serve as a source of inspiration for other aspiring filmmakers.

"I just feel and I believe that after the war, Cambodia has lost a sense of art a lot, especially with cinema and I believe with this achievement, I think it will inspire the younger generation a little bit to believe and hope more about filmmaking."

Following Rithy Panh's recent Oscar nomination for best foreign-language film with The Missing Picture, this strong showing at Tropfest South East Asia signals the promise and talent of young Cambodian filmmakers, said Nicolaus Mesterharm, who runs the German cultural centre Meta House.

Mesterharm, who frequently screens local films and has worked with Polen, said that younger generations of Cambodian are becoming more involved in film with a greater access and understanding of its capabilities. "It's good to see that Rithy Panh is nominated for the Oscar, it's a great thing for him I guess, but also good to see that the younger generation are following," he said.

"It tells you something about the local talent as well as something about the young generation who now through the internet can participate in these events and can inform themselves and can actually influence."

For the first time in its history, the Tennis Federation of Cambodia organised a two-day coaches conference at the National Training Centre to ensure the entire team follows a uniform and consistent method of teaching all over the country in sync with well-established practices.

The conference on Friday and Saturday, chaired by the TFC's technical director and national head coach Braen Aneiros, was attended by all 17 federation coaches and two current Davis Cup players, Bun Kenny and Long Samneang.

It addressed both the theoretical and practical aspects of coaching with the main focus on novices and their initiation into the game through programs like Tennis 10s.

Before getting down to brass tacks, Cambodia's national coach for the last four years, Aneiros, himself a former Panamanian Davis Cupper, shared with the attending coaches the knowledge and experiences he had drawn from his visit last November to the Worldwide Coaches Conference held in Cancun, Mexico.

Pivoting Tennis 10s coaching as a significant challenge, Aneiros highlighted the finer points coaches will have to bear in mind in handling the various stages of player transitions from red to orange and, eventually, green marked courts.

"It makes no sense for a player eight or nine years old to play on the same court as a professional. Other sports don't make kids play like adults so why should tennis be any different," the national coach contended, citing a video produced by the United States Tennis Association which poses the same question.

"With everything customised to their size and ability, like mini court, controlled bounce on the ball and smaller racquet, the kids can not only play but also serve, rally and score from the first lesson," he said.

"The game is always changing and we must change with it. More importantly, every coach must stick to a model of consistency in teaching basic techniques at this level."

TFC secretary-general Tep Rithivit told the Post that the body is planning to have similar conferences every year and to introduce new material that would be useful to the coaches.

"The idea is to evolve a consistent pattern of coaching," he said.

"The TFC would like to thank Gaea, one of our co-sponsors of the Schools Tennis Initiative along with Cambodia Airports. They have been supporting our co-ordination programs throughout the country."

Gaea, which deals with waste disposal in Kep, was in the forefront of a Kep clean-up project jointly undertaken by the TFC and Miss Japan Volunteer Association headed by TFC Global goodwill ambassador Hisae Arai about six months ago.

According to the TFC, the travelling needs of some coaches from provinces attending the two-day conference were met by Gaea, which also supported the recent TFC presentation to local businesses
in Kep.

Assembly names executive
At the Tennis Federation of Cambodia's general assembly held on Saturday in the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia's headquarters, Minister for Industry, Mines and Energy Cham Prasidh was re-elected president unopposed for another term. He later re-appointed Tep Rithivit to continue as the secretary-general.

Christopher Forsinetti, who served as treasurer in the previous committee, was elevated to vice president, with Kith Siphin being named to manage the TFC finances.

The other members of the executive committee are Chay Manakseka, Som Sokha, Yun Youri, Chea Pov and Ik Bun Leakhana.

The French Agency for Development (AFD) has pledged $359 million in grants and loans to Cambodia over the next three years, state news agency AKP reported Friday.

Announced during a meeting last week between Cambodian Finance Minister Aun Porn Moniroth and AFD Asia director Gregory Clemente, the sum includes $14 million worth of grants, $160 million in concessional loans and $180 million in interest-free loans.

According to AKP, the international development assistance will be put towards agricultural development, infrastructure and vocational training.

Cambodia only became eligible for sovereign loans from AFD in 2012, when the IMF upgraded the Kingdom's debt ranking.

From 1993 to 2013, AFD disbursed more than $369 million in project funding to Cambodia, according to its website.