The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “My gun fired” plus 9 more

I merely … pointed at the victim. I did not fire it. But my gun fired, and I did not know that it hit and injured him.

A penal police officer and his wife were tried yesterday by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for shooting and injuring a moto taxi driver in a dispute over a traffic accident in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district last year.

According to presiding judge Sous Sam Ath, victim Ham Chantrea, 40, crashed into Eng Liheang, 31, from behind while both were driving motorbikes. The pair started arguing and Liheang called her police officer husband Luy Vuthy, 35, to the scene. Vuthy allegedly fired three bullets on his wife's request, meant not to hurt Chantrea but to threaten him. The first two bullets were aimed in the air but the last – directed at the ground – hit the victim's right foot, causing serious injury.

Vuthy was also charged with illegal weapon use, and his wife was charged as an accomplice in causing the injuries.

Both denied the accusations during the hearing yesterday.

"I merely … pointed at the victim. I did not fire it. But my gun fired, and I did not know that it hit and injured him," Vuthy stated.

The couple's verdicts are due in March.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted a man to 10 years in prison yesterday for the murder of senior navy officer Lieutenant Colonel Sin Hoy in Russey Keo district's Chroy Changvar Commune in 2012.

The court dropped all charges against his would-be wife and mother-in-law, initially charged as accomplices.

Kor Vandy, presiding judge, said Chhay Thorn, 36, was found guilty, but "there was no proof to show that Reith Ratana, 45, and her daughter Sin Rathleychen, 20, committed the murder".

Veng Chork, Chroy Changvar police chief, said that Hoy and Ratana but had been separated for more than a year when Ratana found out that her husband had raped their daughter multiple times since she was 13 years old.

Chork said Thorn, Rathleychen's partner, had killed Hoy in a fight that he framed as a suicide.

Thorn claimed not to have killed the victim, as he did not know how to use a gun.

Vilagers on Tuesday found the head of an alleged sorcerer floating in a lake in Kampot's Kampong Trach district, months after his brutal decapitation.

Mao Chanmakthuristh, provincial deputy police chief, said the male victim, Yong Han, 49, was murdered in November and his headless body found in the same commune – Boeung Sala Kang Tbong – as the head.

"The victim's head was hacked off, because he was accused of being a sorcerer," he said. "After their arrest, the suspects did not tell police where the head was put."

The deputy police chief added that Han was murdered while fishing on November 21.

Police arrested three men, accusing them of using a machete to the kill the victim, he added.

Han's death is one of at least three murders in recent months of people accused of being sorcerers.

In a similar case in January, a man, 55, was murdered in Kampong Speu province. His body was later found, but his head remains missing.

While last year was full of good news for Cambodian rice exports, which hit a record-breaking 378,800 tons, 2014 is getting off to a much slower start.

Observers say Thailand's disastrous rice scheme is largely to blame.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's controversial pledge to pay farmers above market rates for their rice is coming to an end this month, and it has been wreaking havoc on global markets.

Stockpiles accumulating since the scheme was introduced in 2011 have risen to record levels, and an anticipated fire sale has buyers holding out in anticipation of cheap rice flooding the market. Cambodia and other countries are taking the hit.

In January 2012, Cambodia exported 9,700 tons of rice. A year on and exports for the same period in 2013 jumped to 25,700. But in January this year, the pace has not been maintained, with only 21,500 tons leaving the country.

"Buyers are anxiously waiting to see how Thai prices could deflate further as the Thai government rice scheme is expiring this month," said David Van, deputy secretary general for the Alliance of Rice Producers and Exporters of Cambodia. "And regional exporters are monitoring whether the Thais would dump prices to unload their huge stockpile and that would impact upon the global rice trade."

A public tender last month for the sale of close to 150,000 tons of Thai government-purchased rice fetched bids of between 7 and 19 per cent below market prices, according to a January 28 report from the US Department of Agriculture.

With unrest mounting from farmers owed money, the Thai government plans to sell 1 million tons a month for the first quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported yesterday.

More rice on the market means greater competition and lower prices.

"Before, Thai rice stood at $1,169 per ton, but now, they sell for only $950, the same price as Cambodia's rice, and they tend to sell it even in lower prices to get the overstock of rice out to the market," said Khan Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment, referring to costs for Cambodia's fragrant rice variety, a strong competitor with Thailand's jasmine rice.

Kuthy expects February to be another slow month for exports. The prospect of meeting Cambodia's future rice targets, he said, is largely reliant on Thailand's decision making.

"The growth of our rice exports is now so much dependant on the outside market," he said.

Mey Kalyan, a senior adviser on the Supreme National Economic Council, says that short term pain is inevitable with such a large supply entering the market.

He added that for Cambodia, increased productivity and greater quality will help support growth in the longer term, once the situation in Thailand settles down.

"If we produce good products, people will buy from us," he said.

New Ministry of Tourism data shows that more than 871,000 Cambodians travelled outside the country in 2013, up 10 per cent on 2012 outbound figures.

Vietnam and Thailand remain the most popular destinations for Cambodian tourists, according to the data.

Kong Sophearak, director of statistics for the ministry, said that as tickets get cheaper, Cambodians are travelling more than ever on cross-border bus services.

"They are traveling abroad for holidays, business and even just for the odd health check-up," he said, adding that the outbound traveler increase is evidence that Cambodia's standard of living is improving each year.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the government-private sector working group on tourism, said he expects the figure to increase annually as the region nears the Asean Economic Community deadline in 2015.

"The less complicated the paperwork gets between countries, the more people will be able to travel," he said.

It may not seem too long ago that people were able to smoke freely wherever they wanted, in airplanes, restaurants, hotel rooms and even hospitals.

Eventually, the overwhelming evidence of the harmful effect of exposure to second-hand smoke made lawmakers realize that it may help to ban smoking in certain areas. In 1990, the first indoor public smoking ban in the world was passed in San Luis Obispo, California.

This ban included smoking in restaurants and bars. Since then, many cities, states and countries across the globe have followed the example of San Luis Obispo and have worked to create smoking bans.
Indeed, living in a smoke-free environment is simply good for health.

As a first step towards a total ban on smoking in public places in Cambodia, the Ministry of Health recently issued a circular that gives the right to managers of public places, including educational and health institutions, public transport, restaurants, hotels, museums, playgrounds, gas stations and historical and cultural sites, to ask smokers to leave the premises if they light up.

Though the circular is only advisory, without any punitive measures for transgressors, it is an important step towards protecting the public from exposure to dangerous tobacco smoke.

But much more needs to be done to reduce the deadly impact of smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke. Strong legislation for a smoke-free environment in the Kingdom is urgently needed.

According to the latest National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS) Cambodia, 90 per cent of Cambodian citizens are exposed to second-hand smoke at indoor public places.

This is the highest percentage among ASEAN countries reflecting the need for more effective legislative measures in Cambodia to protect the public, particularly children, from exposure to tobacco smoke. The survey also revealed 80 per cent of Cambodians support the government in adopting a policy that bans smoking in all public and work places.

The data related to smoking in the Kingdom is alarming. About 30 people die every day from tobacco related diseases, many of whom are still in their productive years.

That means that in 2013 about 10,000 Cambodians lost their lives prematurely to an epidemic that is entirely preventable. Almost one in every seven deaths among those between 30 to 44 years of age and one in seven among those aged between 45 to 59 years were attributable to tobacco use.

Without urgent and comprehensive tobacco control measures the tobacco death toll will rapidly escalate to an estimated eight million deaths globally by 2030.

With the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) countries have an important and effective tool to put effective tobacco control in place.

The Western Pacific Region is the only region that has 100 per cent ratification of the FCTC, demonstrating how seriously governments view tobacco control.

Cambodia was one of the early countries to ratify the FCTC in 2005. One of the important articles in the FCTC, Article 8, lays out the measures that countries have to take to protect the public from exposure to second-hand smoke.

The Article 8 guidelines provide a step-by-step guidance on measures governments can take such as the scope of legislation (smoking in indoor public and workplaces, public transport, etc), its enforcement, including penalties, and monitoring mechanisms.

The time is now right for the Kingdom to move towards a policy of 100 per cent smoke-free environment for all its citizens.

Countries in the ASEAN region such as Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have put in place effective smoke-free policies and legislations with penalties that have shown to be effective in establishing healthy smoke-free environments.

The experiences of these countries need to be emulated as they demonstrate what works. Let there be no mistake: There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, contrary to what the tobacco industry is promoting.

As early as 1986 the US Surgeon General's Report provided evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke causes cancer in non-smokers.

It is a misconception that smokers and non-smokers can co-exist in harmony, for instance, in restaurants that have separate smoking and non-smoking rooms or in buildings or offices with smoking rooms.

This does not work because smoke does not respect physical boundaries, with the result that non-smokers become victims of passive smoking.

While public education is vital in getting the message across, legislative measures underpinned by fines are necessary to deter would-be-violators. The recent circular on the ban of smoking in public and work places in Cambodia is a good start to ensure a smoke-free environment.

The next step is the passing of the Law on Tobacco Control that should include strong punitive measures in the form of fines for violators of the ban on smoking in public and work places.

At the end of the day, a public smoking ban will be a strong contribution to a healthier Cambodia.

Dr Pieter JM Van Maaren is Representative of the World Health Organization in Cambodia.

Vorng Saut, the Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, was named as the new president of the Special Olympics Committee of Cambodia following elections held at the ministry yesterday morning.

Vorng Saut replaced Labor and Vocational Training Minister Ith Sam Heng at the head of the organisation, which aims to provide year-round training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Other posts confirmed yesterday include Meas Sarin as permanent vice president, Saem Sokha as vice president, Kleng Chanthou as secretary general, Laor Veng as vice secretary general, Chab Ratana as chief of finances, and Chhun Leng, Em Heang, Meas Sareth, Ngin Sokkrova, Oung Savan, Huy Houn, Ek Emmara as executive members.

Secretary general Kleng Chanthou told the Post: "Now we've got 3,025 members and have been given a grant of 164 million riel [$41,190] from Prime Minister Hun Sen. However, our problems remain the same. We have yet to send athletes to compete in other countries because there is no annual budget package as with other sports.

"Annual budget package for running annual competition across the country and proposed awards for athletes and coaches are our committee's target," added the general secretary.

Siem Reap's Angkor Golf Resort, which carries six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo's creative imprint, will host the Cambodian leg of the Faldo Series Asia in either the last week of June or the first week of July.

After two successful seasons, the event returns to the Kingdom, which features among 14 countries hosting 19 tournaments through the year as British legend Faldo continues to paint a global picture for youth golf.

Apart from Cambodia, the 2013/2014 cycle includes events in mainland China (four), India (two), the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Brunei, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Thailand.

Traditionally the series concludes at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, with the Asia Grand Final which is a world amateur golf ranking event.

The Faldo Series Asia is supported by The R&A, ISPS Handa and Mission Hills. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Federation.

Meanwhile, 70 of the most promising junior golfers in Asia and five winners from the 2013 Faldo Seires Grand Final at The Greenbrier in West Virginia will reach Mission Hills for the Eighth Asia Grand Final set for March 11-13.

"Last March, Luo Xue-Wen was crowned our first Chinese champion at the end of a landmark week for golf in China, where we also celebrated Guan Tianlang's trip to Augusta," Faldo said in a statement made available to the Post.

"I always look forward to returning to Mission Hills. It is their support, together with The R&A and ISPS Handa, which allows us to bring opportunity to the finalists and thousands of young Asian golfers each year."

Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year. Past winners include Major champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.

This September, Sir Nick will begin taking students at a full-time residential academy for education and golf development in the United States. The first ever Faldo Series Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona, is also home to the Faldo Series USA and marks the next significant step in the programme's history.

Analysis

Hardly a day passes without Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho opening his mouth, seemingly spurting out some form of cantankerous claptrap that might offend anyone from a well-respected football coach to probably his own psychologist.

I am told that Mourinho's psychologist actually visits another psychologist before he can cope with even having a session with him. So is "The Special One" mad?

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The great surrealist painter Salvador Dali once said: "There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad."

So does the Chelsea manager know he is mad? If this is the case, then by Dali's definition alone he is not mad, or is he?

As I am completely confused already, I will pass that debate over for now and look at the possibility that Mourinho is Machiavellian. In other words, does he use clever lies or tricks in order to achieve something?

Jose's most recent outburst to date was last weekend (so that gives him ample time for another 75 before this article is printed), when he accused Arsenal's Arsene Wenger of "being a specialist in failure". So is that true?

Arsene Wenger (OBE) has won 11 major trophies at Arsenal alone. Alan Hansen described Wenger's 2004 "invincibles" as "quite simply the most fluid devastating team the British Isles has seen", and that therefore includes Manchester United's treble winning outfit of 1999. Is that a definition of failure?

Mourinho, of course, was referring to Wenger's most recent eight years in charge when there has been a trophy drought. However, does that really make him a "specialist"?

During that time the Gunners, on a limited budget, qualified for the Champions League without fail – 17 years in succession in all. This helped to fund their new stadium whilst continuing to develop a highly successful academy, producing the likes of Jack Wilshere, who is considered to be one of England's most naturally gifted players.

Running a football club is also a business, and Arsenal are currently and have been for most of those eight years, the most profitable high profile football club in the world. Success is not gauged solely by trophies. After all, at Chelsea, managers get sacked even when they win a few. Benitez, Di Matteo and you guessed it, Mourinho, have all been shown the direction of the door shortly after winning trophies.

Wenger is still in charge, therefore to describe him as Mourinho did, was wholly inaccurate.

This leans towards the probability that Jose is Machiavellian.

On August 11, 2011, Mourinho "savagely" attacked Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova by poking him in the eye. That kind of assault can easily lead to blindness, and Vilanova has since been diagnosed with cancer.

Was that a random act of kindness? Could Mourinho be further described as malevolent? If he was, by definition having or showing a wish to do evil to others, it was certainly shown and is still shown to many on YouTube.

Mourinho has yet to be prosecuted. Maybe the Spanish equivalent of PC Plod (El Plodo de Classico), in the words of Arsene Wenger, "did not see the incident", or maybe YouTube has yet to reach the Madrid constabulary.

Therefore a better terminology for Jose Mourinho could be "The Pokey One".

In an instant, I have eliminated the "just playing mind games" analogy. That is unless the Chelsea manager was trying to reach Vilanova's mind, via the complex route of gouginga out his eye socket.

So that leaves us with the Machiavellian argument, unless there is some substance additionally in the "mad" scenario. For that, consider Dali's definition and the "Vilanovagate Affair" and send your thoughts to our sports editor.

In the meantime, perhaps "The Pokey One" is another one of the aforementioned letter M's in the alliterated title of this article – a mason! I shall therefore be watching Mourinho's hand shake with Martinez in Chelsea's game against Everton this Saturday very closely indeed.