The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Union leader released” plus 9 more

Phnom Penh Municipal Police this morning released a union leader they scooped off the street yesterday evening for allegedly leading a protest despite a ban on public demonstrations.

Sok Chhun Oeung, acting president of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), left the police station at about 10am, after signing a contract promising he would not incite or participate in demonstrations and report to police any illegal activity of which he becomes aware, Oeung told the Post this morning.

"The authorities who arrested me violated the constitutional law of Cambodia," Oeung said in a phone interview. "This action is a violation of human rights, as well."

Oeung's arrest at about 5:30pm yesterday occurred as IDEA members attempted to hold a vigil for 23 people – including IDEA's president, Vorn Pov - who were arrested in demonstrations supporting a garment worker strike on January 2 and 3. Oeung, IDEA's vice president, has served as acting president since Pov's arrest.

IDEA members originally intended to hold a prayer vigil at Wat Ounalom, where they would pray for their comrades still detained at Correctional Centre 3 in Kampong Cham and release balloons.

But when they arrived at the pagoda, security guards armed with batons and wearing black motorcycle helmets pushed people in front of the pagoda, clearing the entrance.

As Oeung got on a motorbike to move the vigil to the riverside area across from the Royal Palace, Daun Penh district deputy governor Sok Penh Vuth shouted at him that he would order Oeung's arrest if the small demonstration continued.

After security guards scuffled with the small group of demonstrators, two pickup trucks filled with riot police pulled up at the scene.

Police grabbed Oeung, put him into one of the trucks and took him to Phnom Penh Municipal Police Department.
Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak said this morning that Oeung's arrest in the first place was unconstitutional, since the ban on public demonstrations violates the constitution.

"The problem is the ban is unconstitutional," Virak said. "You can't just ban public demonstrations without first declaring a state of emergency."

I think authorities taking measures to break us up shows us that freedom of expression in Cambodia today is very narrow.

Tri-Asia Phnom Penh FC completed the signing of former J.League midfielder Masakazu Kihara of Japan on Friday, with the 26-year-old inking a one-year deal that will see him start in the upcoming Metfone C-League season.

"This day will be written in stone of Cambodian football history and we will make this club become the top team in the Kingdom," said Tri-Asia owner Yokoi Tomoyuki, who has seen his side rise to the top tier via Division A1 promotional play-offs last year.

Tomoyuki added that the club were looking to build a 5,000-seat home stadium at a location yet to be determined.

Hun Sen's army of student land measurers may have marked ground for them in 2012, but representatives of about 20 ethnic families in Ratanakkiri province said yesterday that their combined 50 hectares of land has now been invaded by hordes of families digging for gems.

Chhay Thy, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said his organisation would investigate claims that ethnic Tumpoun families in Bakeo district's Keh Chung commune had lost land to almost 200 families and their "unofficial" village bosses who had taken up residence on it.

"The 50 hectares was measured by the volunteer students in 2012, but the unofficial village chief, deputy village chief and 191 migrant families grabbed it and are living on it illegally," he said.

The mining families had migrated to the area since 2010, Thy added, but the rate at which they had been coming increased following the land measuring.

"Living and mining there, those new people did not know where they can live, so they decided to live on the [disputed] land," Thy said.

The new group claimed district authorities had appointed a chief and deputy chief at the newly created "Borloy" village – on land the ethnic families say is theirs, Thy said.

Rochom Phang, 44, chief of the established Roy village, said he had asked the new families to leave but that recognition from authorities – which he said was "not official" – had enabled them to instead settle in.

"I do not know where those new people came from," Phang said.

Soth Soeurn, 56, chief of the new village, said the migrant families had lived at the site for eight years.

"We have come from many provinces," he said, adding that they had enough documents to prove they had the right to live there.

But Heng Bun Than, Bakeo district governor, said the new families had grabbed land illegally and no new village had been created.

Officials would meet to discuss the case, he added.

Four of six men arrested on Thursday for allegedly clearing more than three hectares of protected forest within Mondulkiri's Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area were charged on Saturday, court officials and rights monitors said yesterday.

Sou Sovichea, provincial deputy prosecutor, confirmed yesterday that the four suspects charged ranged between the ages of 30 and 40, while the other two were 14.

"We charged four men with clearing the forest illegally and released [two of the six] because they were under age," Sovichea said.

Those charged, from Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Kratie and Prey Veng provinces, are being held in pre-trial detention at the provincial prison.

Authorities operating on a tip-off sighted more than 10 people clearing the protected area, according to Kong Puthira, deputy chief of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and a law enforcement team leader for Wildlife Conservation Society.

"They confessed that a man named Hear employed them to clear to forest. We are searching for Mr Hear now," Puthira said, adding that the four suspects alleged their employer was paying them each $87.50 per hectare cleared.

Sok Ratha, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, commended action taken against forest offences but added that poor people frequently bore the brunt of crackdowns.

"The rich and powerful that are [often] behind the forest offences are never arrested so we are calling on authorities to take action against them as well," Ratha said.

Cambodian trade reached a total of $15.9 billion in 2013, equaling an 18 per cent rise from 2012, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Exports were valued at $6.9 billion, up from $5.5 billion a year earlier, with garment and textiles accounting for more than 80 per cent of the whole. The US remained Cambodia's biggest single customer, claiming about 37 per cent of the yearly total.

Meanwhile, Cambodian spending on imports such as petrol, vehicles and construction materials topped exports, increasing from $7.9 billion in 2012 to $9 billion in 2013.

Mey Kalyan, senior adviser to the Supreme National Economic Council, commended Cambodian industries for well-deserved results, but said progress was hampered by political turbulence and later by garment sector industrial action. After July, the opposition party demonstrated on and off for months to protest the results, until crackdowns earlier this month led to a banning of protests.

Violent garment sector strikes at factories towards the end of the year led to the shooting deaths of at least five people, while one person was shot and killed amid opposition protests not long after the election.

"A 26 per cent increase on exports is a good result, but still there were difficulties and we should have done better. There was undoubtedly a negative impact on industry," he said.

The senior adviser also cautioned the government to keep a close eye on the widening gap between imports and exports.

Hundreds of students and professionals turned out on Saturday to explore the potential of Cambodia's fledgling app industry at Mobile Camp Asia 2014, the sector's first trade show.

Among the crowd at the Institute of Technology Cambodia, which hosted the event, were representatives from Better Factories Cambodia.

The UN program, which works to improve conditions for workers in the garment sector, launched a Cambodian labour law guide app last year for iOS and Android devices.

"We are taking it from the [law] books to the app, because it is easier for law practitioners and employees in the factory to use it," Koam Tivea, communications assistant for Better Factories Cambodia, said.

In addition to providing a digital anthology of the Kingdom's labour laws, the app also includes a tool to calculate legally entitled maternity leave and pay, as well as quizzes to test knowledge of the law.

Other apps showcased on Saturday aimed to improve smartphone functionality for Cambodians. Volunteers from Khmer Logical Keyboard, a Khmer-script keyboard app, said that their aim was to make mobile technology more user-friendly.

"I think it's good for people in Cambodia to use it, because it was designed by Khmer people themselves," Chun Pahlline, Khmer Logical Keyboard volunteer and student at Norton University, said.

She added that other Khmer keyboard layouts were based on pre-existing templates that did not take into consideration the specific needs of the Khmer script.

While mobile usage in the Kingdom is widespread, and 22.8 per cent of all web activity is conducted on mobiles, according to a 2012 study, the app sector is still in its infancy.

Nonetheless, the industry has grown rapidly over recent years, according to Kheng Vantha, owner of Biz Solutions, a startup that has developed 10 apps for Cambodian clients.

"In the last two years, the number of Cambodian apps has grown from four or five to over 300," Vanta said on Sunday.

He met more talented young developers at Saturday's event than companies could employ, he added.

With such promising numbers, Be Chantra, the digital strategist who organised Saturday's event, has high hopes that app development will continue to grow in the Kingdom.

"We can see the turning point," Chantra said. "This is the opportunity to develop business ideas."

Pongsa Metrey Sok, who led the team that designed Better Factories' app at Nokor Group digital solutions consultancy group, said on Sunday that the trade show was a good way for Cambodia's fledgling app community to network.

Of the app expo he said: "It is the day we all get together and to express our ideas, express our interest in the market."

"Also, I see that mobile apps will help Cambodia a lot," he added.

Few in her age group can match her determination and consistency, and Hour Srey Pov's winning run continued in the season opening National Junior tennis tournament at the National Training Centre yesterday.

In the girls U12 singles final, Srey Pov dominated from get go. Having won four tournaments last season, she got the measure of Daria Rakiting 6-2, 6-1 to record her fifth triumph in this category.

Rakiting was tentative the whole match, knowing fully well that her rival doesn't normally miss much. She tried mighty hard but failed to match the consistency shown by Srey Pov, often giving the impression that she was afraid to swing or to try and play aggressively.

Srey Pov, who is from the Boueng Khyang Orphanage, has worked her way up significantly in the past six months to emerge as one of the promising players in the girls circuit. On the way to the final, she beat Eang Kunthea 6-1, 6-2, while Rakiting beat Kim Vichika 6-4, 6-2.

Since a small field of five lined up for the girls U14 singles, the format was turned into round-robin play. Ho Srey Nuch got the better of Ouk Vanna 6-2, 6-2 in the game that mattered most.

The girls U18 singles event was won by Cheng Channeang, who outclassed Ith Leakhena 6-4, 6-2. While Channeang played the percentages well and opted for safe play most of the time, Leakhena's aggressive approach cost her numerous unforced errors.

In the semi-finals, Cheng Channeang beat Oung Sreypov 6-3, 6-1, while Leakhena beat Aim Liev 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.

Leng Sarinreach won the boys U12 singles final, beating Sam David 6-0, 6-4. Sarinreach, almost a head taller than his opponent, started out in great style, reeling off six games in a row while going for his shots and not missing much. The same tactic did not work that well in the second yet he managed to use his known strengths to shut the match out.

Both Sarinreach and David had an easy time in the semis. Sarinreach beat Cheum Seyha 6-3, 6-2 and David shot past Kun Kouen 6-1, 6-0.

A hard-fought boys U14 final saw Sen Sophon down Tep Timothy 7-5, 6-4. Timothy daringly went for his shots, keeping his rival on the hop. Yet Sophon's crafty handling and court coverage stood him in good stead. More significantly, Sophon made some successful forays into the net to maintain pressure on Timothy.

Chheang Vannasith gave Timothy a hard time in the first set of their semi-final clash before the grandson of legendary late Cambodian tennis player Tep Khunnah steadied himself to wrap up the match at 7-5, 6-2.

Sophon had an easier time against Khlang Ponlok at 6-2, 6-1.

Meanwhile, Chheang Vannasak raced away to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Selimi Theo to win the boys U18 singles final.

Vannasak's ability to change directions with ease and find short angles to move his rival paid off handsomely. Theo was driven from one corner to the other, unable to figure out most of the time which way to go with his returns. Vannasak was always handy to exploit the mistakes that flowed from the other side of the court.

In the semi-finals, however, Theo had his own way against Seoun Sothol, winning 6-3, 6-1, even as Vannasak showed no mercy on Sreum Kakada in a 6-1, 6-0 win.

One Fighting Championship has added another three exciting fights to the blockbuster card set to take place on March 14 at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

Top flyweight contenders Andrew Leone of the US and Japan's Shinichi Kojima meet in one of the year's most anticipated match-ups, while lightweights Kotetsu Boku of Japan and Frenchman Arnaud Lepont are set to do battle and American Harris Sarmiento clashes with Herbert Burns of Brazil in featherweight action.

The body of an alleged "sorcerer" that had been partially decapitated was found yesterday in Kampong Speu's Baset district, in what police suspect was a revenge attack for deaths blamed on his magical powers.

Som Chantha, Baset district police chief, said the victim was killed on Saturday night in Trapaing Chhouk commune.

Chantha said the victim, 55-year-old divorcee Khiev Porn, was a traditional healer. His wife had married two men after him, but both had died from illness, along with several other people in the village.

"We are the police, so we cannot conclude that the victim was killed because he was a sorcerer, but we can see this was a revenge-driven murder. The victim's body has no head," he said.

In Takeo's Prey Kabbas district, an alleged sorcerer also accused of making other villagers fall ill was attacked viciously by fellow villagers on Friday, according to police, though he fought back and survived.