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No democratic nations have the prime minister organising a demonstration … only the Soviet Union has done that.

Outside the Bloomtime Embroidery factory in Por Sen Chey district yesterday, Chenda, a 23-year-old garment employee, said he would refuse overtime work this week, even though it means a large cut to his monthly wage.

"I can get about $30 per month from overtime work," said Chenda, who declined to give his full name. "I need the money, but I want to help the other workers who are detained in prison."

About half an hour later, at 5pm, Theara, 35, walked out of the nearby Bright Sky factory with more than 2,000 other workers finishing their overtime shift.

Forgoing overtime seems pointless, since so few in her factory went along with the boycott, said Theara, who also declined to give her full name.

"On Monday, between 30 and 40 workers among more than 3,000 workers boycotted overtime," Theara said. "It is difficult to succeed, because workers are not united."

The actual size of a boycott of overtime work in Cambodia's garment factories remained dubious yesterday, as it moved into its second day. Garment workers participating demand a minimum monthly wage raise to $160, the release of 21 detainees arrested during demonstrations supporting a garment worker strike early last month and five other points.

Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), said more than 150,000 workers across 129 factories boycotted overtime on Monday, but he didn't yet have yesterday's total.

However, Ken Loo, secretary-general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said that number was largely inflated and few factories are affected by the action.

Other leaders of unions behind the overtime strike – which precedes a planned stay-at-home strike from March 12 until at least March 19 – said yesterday's participation was at least on par with Monday.

Collective Union of Movement of Workers president Pav Sina and Community Legal Education Center labour program head Moeun Tola both alleged that military police gathered at some factories at about 2pm yesterday in an apparent attempt to intimidate workers.

Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito could not be reached for comment last night.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Hun Sen decried industrial action by workers during a speech in Preah Sihanouk province. "Please, hold protests against these inciters," Hun Sen said.

In Phnom Penh yesterday morning, opposition party president Sam Rainsy spoke out in favour of releasing the 21 detainees during a small demonstration in front of the Supreme Court.

"They were detained on an unfair charge," Rainsy said. "I have experienced that, not once, but thrice."

A 50-year-old man was charged yesterday by Phnom Penh Municipal Court for allegedly trafficking 15 Cambodians to Thailand and will await his hearing in Prey Sar prison, anti-trafficking officials said.

Seng Hay, 50, from Takeo's Borei Cholsar district, is charged with luring the labourers across the border with promises of work, said Lieutenant Colonel Keo Thea, chief of the municipal anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection unit.

"He was arrested … while he was preparing the 15 people from Kampong Cham province to leave Phnom Penh in taxis and illegally cross checkpoints in Poipet," Thea said, adding that if found guilty, Hay could face 15 years in prison.

The 15 each paid the accused $150 to arrange transport across the border, said Thea's deputy, Major Khat Phalla.

Cambodia's first coal-fired power plant, which is expected to fill shortages in demand by producing an additional 100 megawatts of electricity every year, commenced full-time operations yesterday.

But despite the energy boost, which could finally stabilise the power supply, electricity prices aren't expected to go down, and environmental concerns about the plant are staring local residents in the face.

Representatives from Malaysian company Leader Universal Ltd (LU), which built the plant, joined Prime Minister Hun Sen and officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy for the official launch yesterday in Stung Hav district, Preah Sihanouk province.

Operating under local subsidiary Cambodia Energy Ltd, LU completed the $195 million project in November after three years of construction.

LU received a 33-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) land concession from the Cambodian government in 2010 for the project – three years for construction and 30 years for operation before handing the plant back over to the state.

The Malaysian firm has also built the necessary power transmission line and substation that will ferry increased supply (once power reaches Phnom Penh) east to Kampong Cham province.

Presiding over yesterday's official opening, Hun Sen said the plant will put domestic supply closer to demand, providing a consistent source of energy for Phnom Penh, where power shortages have long frustrated city residents.

"Phnom Penh energy usage has increased tenfold since the 1980s, when usage was about 30 megawatts. Today it is about 400 megawatts," he said.

The addition of this project and a partially Chinese-owned coal-fired plant slated to open later this year will bring the total number of domestic and foreign energy sources, including local hydropower and imported energy, to 11.

"From this year onwards, maybe people in Phnom Penh will not complain anymore. And maybe also people in Kampong Cham," Hun Sen said, referring to sporadic power outages.

But while Hun Sen said that more domestically sourced power was on the way, he added that prices will ultimately stay the same, as the company works to swing a profit while repaying banks that helped to finance the project with loans.

"The usual price for electricity is 2,000 to 3,000 riel per kilowatt hour. If we could reduce to 1,000 riel or even less, we would do it. But we just cannot do it," he said, citing the need for further investment in the energy sector.

Since it was first proposed in 2008, the Preah Sihanouk plant, which imports coal from Indonesia, has been met with fierce criticism over potential environmental and health impacts.

"The really big issue with coal is that it has the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any fossil fuel per unit of energy gained," said Eric Kemp-Benedict, director of the Stockholm Environment Institute's Asia Centre. "Coal plants are an infrastructure with a very long lifespan, so when you install a coal plant you're talking 30 years of energy production with high greenhouse gas emissions."

Residents who live close to the plant voiced fears over worsening air quality and dangerous run-off from the plant's operations.

"We are concerned with the impact on our health as well. And the environment that we live and depend on every day," said Nget Neav, 45, from Kaong Kang village, about 10 kilometres away from the plant.

Gnin Heng, a 58-year-old fisherman who lives in Stung Hav district, said he is worried about his livelihood.

"We are always concerned because it is new and we are afraid that the waste of the power plant will affect the flow and the health of the waters here, hurt the fish and essentially our fishing," he said.

Cambodia Energy Ltd spokesman Tan Chin Jeen said the company had adhered to all requirements in its environmental impact assessment, and that additional protective measures were in place.

"We have installed an electrostatic precipitator, or an air cleaner, which removes all of the ash from the smoke that you would normally see rising from the top of the chimneys," he said.

According to the CEL spokesman, the company has rallied significant commercial interest in purchasing the ash-waste, which is removed from the residual smoke and used in producing concrete.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LAIGNEE BARRON

It will be years before oil starts to be produced by energy giant Chevron's offshore site in the Gulf of Thailand, a senior Cambodian official said yesterday.

Meng Saktheara, secretary of state at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said that negotiations over taxation have continued to stall the approval of Chevron's permit to extract, and though Saktheara is confident a resolution will be found soon, it could take "three to five years" for Cambodia to see its first drop of oil.

"So far, the government has not yet responded to the application due to the issue of taxation," Saktheara said, referring to disagreements over how much of Chevron's share of the profits should go towards state coffers.

Once those terms are worked out, he added, it only kick-starts the process of extraction, which could take until 2019 to see tangible results.

Chevron declared in 2010 that oil reserves covering 4,709 square kilometres in the Gulf of Thailand were economically viable.

However, the company's negotiations with the government has led to delays in the long-anticipated project, which would greatly help Cambodia loosen its dependence on energy imports.

"We want to make sure that all Cambodian people benefit from this development," Saktheara said.

Steve Glick, former Chevron Cambodia country manager, told the Post in 2011 that the company had paid more than $160 million to assess the commercial viability of the offshore site, referred to as Block A.

Prime Minister Hun Sen initially wanted oil to be flowing a little more than one year ago, but his self-set deadline of December 12, 2012, has long since come and gone.

Chevron, which reported $21.4 billion in earnings last year, also noted in its recent 2013 annual report that commercial discussions were still ongoing, and a final investment decision to develop the block had not been made.

"At the end of 2013, proved reserves had not been recognised for the project," the report reads.

Nearly two years after winning the Tanimex prize money tournament in Vietnam, Cambodia's Davis Cupper Bun Kenny is just one step away from his second regional tennis title triumph.

The 22-year-old right hander was near flawless in his 6-2, 6-0 victory over Singapore's Joshua Liu to make the final of the first leg of the 2014 BMW Malaysian National Tennis Circuit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

In the title round fixed for 9am (8am Cambodian time) today, Kenny will face 25-year-old Malaysian Muhammad Ashaari Zainal Abidin, who is nationally ranked second but has no ATP points to his credit.

Kenny, in consultation with his partner Ruchika Amresh, pulled out of the doubles event after winning the first set of their third round match to conserve himself for the final.

Staying solid on his ground strokes and serving consistently well, Kenny grabbed control of his semi-final early enough to put the pressure on the Singaporean, who found the going extremely tough after a semblance of a fight in the first set.

"Mentally and physically I am in good shape. I need to get a higher percentage of first serves in and I am confident I can get this right in the final," Bun Kenny told the Post after his victory.

Though Kenny failed to pick up a ranking point during the three back-to-back Futures tournaments Cambodia organised in late November and early December last year, he has nine ATP points under his belt.

Tennis Cambodia Secretary General Tep Rithivit said: "The whole tennis community is excited and this is the best that Kenny has done for quite a while apart from the Davis Cup. The timing could not have been better.

"It will be a proud moment for Cambodia if Kenny pulls it off and it would be a great inspiration for other members of the national team and hundreds of kids in our schools and junior programs," added the Secretary, who guided the Davis Cup team as non-playing captain both in Doha 2012 and Dubai 2013.

The world of golf will greet the arrival of a Ryder Cup-styled intercontinental matchplay championship next month.

Selangor's famed Glenmarie Golf and Country Club will play host to the best of Asian and European golf in the inaugural EurAsia Cup from March 27-29 with DRB-HICOM Berhad unveiled as the presenting partner.

As one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates involved in the automotive, services, and property, asset and construction sectors, DRB-HICOM is making a significant foray into the world of golf through this high profile event.

Sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour, the EurAsia Cup will be held every two years with 10-player teams from Europe and Asia affirming continental supremacy in much the same passionate way European and American rivalry plays out in the Ryder Cup.

As a mark of its stature and significance, the EurAsia Cup will be telecast live in more than 45 countries to an estimated 670 million homes. This highly acclaimed event also coincides with the Malaysian government's tourism initiative Visit Malaysia 2014.

The event features five fourball matches, five foursomes and 10 singles between Team Asia and Team Europe.

Thailand veteran Thongchai Jaidee, who is familiar to the Kingdom's golfing community as the 2008 and 2010 Cambodian Open champion, will lead the Asian side which also includes his compatriot and 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

India's Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar shore up the team alongside Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.

Leading golfers of the region, South Korea's Kim Hyung-Sun, and the Japanese duo of Koumei Oda and Hideto Tanihara have also been drafted in while Malaysian Nicholas Fung makes the team as the captain's pick.

Team Europe captain Miguel Angel Jimenez will have 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell and Danish veteran Thomas Bjorn to lead his team, which also includes world class golfers Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Victor Dubuisson (France), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Joost Luiten (Netherlands) and Stephen Gallacher (Scotland). Meanwhile Spain's Pablo Larrazabal and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen were roped into the European team by Jimenez as his captain's picks to complete the line-up.

Larrazabal, who made a winning start to 2014 with victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship over a high quality field which included Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, was delighted to receive a call-up from his fellow countryman Jimenez.

Olesen played alongside Jimenez for the first two rounds of the Dubai Desert Classic three weeks ago and the 24-year-old clearly impressed on the way to a fifth place finish, having tied for third spot the previous week at the Qatar Masters.

"Now that my team is complete I am very happy," Jimenez was quoted as saying in an Asian Tour communique.

"I have a very strong group of players and a very good mix of youth and experience. It will be very tough to go to Malaysia and win because the Asian team is also very strong, but I believe if my players play to their abilities then Europe can triumph."

TriAsia Phnom Penh are staring elimination from the Hun Sen Cup full in the face today as they take on provincial minnows Kampong Chhnang in their clash at Old Stadium.

The Metfone C-League newcomers this year require a goal fest this afternoon as well as Group C rivals Phnom Penh Crown losing their game later against National Police Commissary.

The Police team have already secured their place in the quarter-finals, which will be played in a week's time. Meanwhile, Group D games at Olympic and Old Stadiums will help draw a line under the group stage of the eighth edition of the annual domestic club competition.

"What can we Cambodians do for our nation?" This is what a Cambodian-American man asked himself after completing his PhD degree in the United States.

Mr. Chea Vireak received education in United States since the age of 13.

He has obtained his bachelor's degree in biology and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at the Pacific University in Oregon in 2009.

With the desire to use his knowledge he has learnt to help his home country. He also returned to Cambodia because his parents still live here. When Mr. Vireak had returned to Cambodia he established a pharmacy called "Western" in 2013 which is located in front of Baktouk High school.

The purpose to open this pharmacy, he explained, is to have an acceptable pharmacy standard.

"Standards of a pharmacy do not only refer to a clean room, air conditioning and other basics, but also refer to services, etc," he explained.

"We require a valid degree even for regular pharmacist. My standard for new staff is to provide them at least one month training before they start to serve customers. They need to provide consulting services to customers no matter how busy they are even with customers who do not buy the medicine." he said.

Mr. Vireak said what's more important is the new data storage service. "When new customers arrive we ask for their names, date of birth, and phone number and if they have allergies with any type of drugs so we can have their data in our database for future service".

"The data storage can prevent that when a customer comes back and deals with different staff who might give them a different drug. With the computer system we can see the customers' drug records and what they had bought from us before" he explained the benefit of the service.

"I learnt with them since the beginning till the end from cashier to pharmacist, they also taught me how to check, manage and be a trainer in the field" he recalled.

Mr. Ly Seng, 53, who is a customer of this new pharmacy, said: "I have bought medicine from this pharmacy since they just opened. Before that I usually bought pharmaceuticals from Vietnam but now I can buy vitamins and other types of medicine here and it has been 6 months since I stopped buying the medicine from Vietnam".

About his goals Mr. Vireak said: "In the future I hope all pharmacies can maintain high standards and sell good medicine, not the fake one, so customers don't need to travel all the way to Singapore or Thailand which cost a lot of money and time.

Sometimes when they go there they don't really understand what the doctors said because most of the medical terms the doctor use are in English".

The numbers of institutions have increased. Also the numbers of students have increased. But not the numbers of qualified teachers.

A sand-dredging ferry caught fire and two of its pumping machines exploded yesterday in Kandal's Kien Svay district.

The blast sent a black plume of smoke over the Mekong and caused oil to leak into the river.

Yem Sokhum, Phomthom commune police chief, said that according to crew members on the vessel, the fire started when a leaking oil tube spilled into running engine machinery. The fire spread to six oil containers, each carrying 200 litres of oil.

"Villagers and authorities were able to intervene in time and no one died in the accident," he said.

After the accident, the ferry was dragged ashore and taken to Phnom Penh for repairing, according to Sokhum, who added that he didn't know whether the sand-dredging ferry held a valid licence or not.

Kien Svay district governor Heng Theam said that HSC Co Ltd held a licence for sand pumping in the area where the accident occurred.

However, HSC representative Yuth Sakol said the burning ferry did not belong to his company, but was run by a man named "Pov" who worked for a dredging company.

"I am not sure whether the Vietnamese sand-pumping ferry had a government licence or not because I was not at the site when the accident happened," he said.

While details remain scant about an alleged request from the Australian government that Cambodia take in some refugees seeking asylum there, local advocates have cautioned that Cambodia is not a proper resettlement destination for any significant number of refugees.

The request, revealed by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong after a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Saturday, is yet to be confirmed by Canberra, despite Namhong's comments being widely reported.

An Australian foreign ministry media liaison yesterday directed the Post to a statement released by the Australian embassy during Bishop's official visit that "outlines the full range of issues discussed during Ms Bishop's visit to Cambodia".

The statement makes no mention of refugees but says that cooperation on people smuggling under a forum on transnational crime known as the Bali process was discussed.

"Australia and Cambodia will continue to work through the Bali process to manage processing of illegal maritime arrivals and returns," it says.

Australian lawyer David Manne, executive director of the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre, told ABC Radio Australia yesterday that regional cooperation on the distribution of refugees has been "on the table" as part of Bali process discussions between states.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong yesterday said he did not know "any details" of Australia's request. Officials at the Interior Ministry – tasked with forming a working group to discuss the request – could not be reached for comment.

Sister Denise Coghlan, the Cambodia director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, said the Kingdom would not be able to handle many refugees.

"I do not believe that Cambodia has the competence, structure or resources to do this for any larger number of people than are here at the moment," she said, noting that at the start of 2013 there were 82 asylum seekers and refugees here.

Since the government took over processing of refugees from the UN in 2009 – days before 20 Uighur asylum seekers were forcibly returned to China – very few have sought asylum here voluntarily, Coghlan said.

Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Sbong Sarath will resign on April 17 to transition into a position on the provincial council of Prey Veng following this May's council elections, he confirmed yesterday.

Sarath said his appointment to the Prey Veng provincial council would not be official until after the May 18 election, the results of which are largely a foregone conclusion, observers say, given only current commune council members are allowed to vote.

"It has not been declared yet because, based on the procedure, it isn't until the council election finishes that [the King] issues a Royal decree to appoint and recognise [councillors]," Sarath said.

Koh Santepheap and Deum Ampil reported yesterday that CPP lawmaker Sar Sokha – son of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng – would be taking Sarath's place. When reached, Sokha said he had not received information about the matter.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak could not be reached yesterday.

Singaporean bakery chain BreadTalk will open up in two locations in Phnom Penh this July, the bakery's franchisee confirmed yesterday.

The company joins a growing number of higher-end regional food and beverage brands setting up shop in Cambodia.

Ly Daline, CEO of Cham & Ly Corporation, whose company will run BreadTalk in Phnom Penh, said a rising middle class means changes in consumer tastes, providing huge potential for international food brands.

"For the bread market, there remain very large opportunities," she said. "We target all, including tourists and middle-class people. Even those who have low income are able to buy," she said.

BreadTalk, which sells bread, cakes and coffees, will open on Street 51 in the coffeehouse mecca of Boeung Keng Kang I commune, and at the newly opened Tuol Kork district shopping centre called TK Avenue.

The bakery, springing up alongside Malaysian cake specialists Secret Recipe and the popular South Korean brand Tous Les Jours, will not be hurting for competition.

"[BreadTalk] bakery will become our rival, so we must be more careful," said Vorn Vun, Tous Les Jours' general manager.

Cambodia's Davis Cup pivot Bun Kenny stormed into the semi-finals of the first leg of the 2014 BMW Malaysian National Circuit tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after scoring an emphatic 7-6, 6-3 win over Indonesia's Indra Wijaya.

The 22-year-old Cambodian right-hander, who is preparing to lead the country's ensuing Group III Asia Oceania Davis Cup challenge in April, was a bit uptight in the early exchanges of the first set but gradually found form and played an exquisite

tie-breaker to gain the upper hand over the Indonesian.

Growing more confident as the game progressed, Kenny opened his shoulders out and created a tempo that was too hot for Indra Wijaya to handle in the second set.

Kenny will take on Joshua Liu of Singapore in today's semi-finals.

"I was a bit edgy at the start since I hadn't played competitive tennis since Phnom Penh Futures in early December, but once I started getting the timing on my shots right I was feeling a lot better," Kenny told the Post after his victory. "I feel good about my game and fitness. I am hopeful of making it to the final."

Tennis Federation of Cambodia Secretary General Tep Rithivit welcomed the "very good news" yesterday.

"It is a positive sign that Kenny is beginning to do well on the circuit. He has been training hard and if he can produce results like this our Davis Cup campaign will be well served," he said. The TFC is soon be renamed as Tennis Cambodia.

Kenny had a relatively easy time in the first round dealing with local players. He demolished Muhammad Nazif Aimaan 6-0, 6-1 in the first round and then disposed off Mohd Faiz Din and Sheikh Ameer Abdullah in the next two rounds by the same scoreline. Carrying this nice touch to the pre-quarter-finals, Kenny was all over Singapore's Joshua Jordan 6-2, 6-3.

Vittels pours in support for tennis
Meanwhile, Vittel, the French mineral water brand that has been around for almost 100 years, has stepped in as an official partner of the Cambodian national team and its players in tournament competition abroad except the SEA Games and the Davis Cup.Bun Kenny's present Malaysian trip has been fully sponsored by Vittel.

"We are proud to be associated with the Cambodian national team," said Claire Caseris, head of marketing at Celliers D'Asie, the importers of Vittel to Cambodia.

A Soun Virak strike on the hour mark for TriAsia Phnom Penh was all that separated them from Metfone C-League rivals National Police Commissary in their clash at Olympic Stadium on Sunday night.

The 1-0 victory meant TriAsia kept up with the pace of the Police team, with the sides occupying third and fourth respectively behind leaders Phnom Penh Crown and Naga Corp.

The top four all have 10 points from five games of the 2014 season so far.

The Blue Flag swamped Pun Phnom School 21-0 in the Boys U14 premier section of the Barclays ISF Youth Football League at the National Institute of Physical Education and Sports on Sunday.

In other matches, The Flying Tigers smashed The Flying Dragons 17-6, Tonle Sap Teddy Bears overcame Appleton Wildcats 2's 4-2, Juice Master United hammered Appleton Wildcats 1's 12-3 and Kew Park Rangers enjoyed a 6-3 victory over Hagar BRP.

Races for the title and for survival carry on at tremendous velocity in the English Premier League, while battles in the Cellcard Fantasy League are also hotly contested.

High-scoring affairs at both Arsenal and Liverpool yielded the top performers of the gameweek, with strikers Olivier Giroud and Daniel Sturridge securing identical 16-point tallies thanks to a brace and an assist each in their games against Sunderland and Swansea respectively.

Meanwhile, defensive stalwarts John Terry of Chelsea and Patrice Evra of Man United were also prized possessions of fantasy league managers with 15 points a piece. Both kept clean sheets, but Terry scored the decisive goal in their 1-0 win over Everton and Evra set up both of United's goals past Crystal Palace.

Over in the weekly competition, Cambodian national rugby team import Luke Wilkie successfully switched codes to claim the top spot with his team Stevie McCools XI on
103 points.

Wilkie was the only centurion of the round, doing so with Sturridge as captain for 32 points as well as Giroud, Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny (13) and West Ham's Kevin Nolan (12).

The Cellcard goodies of a $20 phone voucher and T-shirt wings its way to Wilkie.

Meanwhile, a $10 phone voucher is bound for Phyrun SosengMao, who won the lucky draw of Cellcard's Facebook contest after he and three other users correctly guessed that Daniel Sturridge would be topping the charts with 16 points.

Gameweek 28 this coming weekend is missing two fixtures, with Man City and Sunderland contesting the League Cup final on Sunday and Man United v West Brom shuffled back due to previous postponements.

Four Vietnamese rubber firms are responsible for destroying an estimated 1,000 hectares of community forest, including an indigenous graveyard, in Ratanakkiri's Andong Meas district, a group of NGOs have claimed.

The land dispute involving 196 families living in Talav commune dates back to 2011, Chhay Thy, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, who has been investigating the logging with representatives from three other NGOs, said yesterday.

"These companies have been clearing protected forest, farmland and indigenous graveyards to plant rubber plantations," he said, adding that the actions represented the destruction of the villagers' cultural and spiritual traditions along with their economic livelihoods.

In Vuthy, a representative from the Cambodian Defenders Project (CDP), another NGO involved in the research, said yesterday that the investigation into the operations of companies Veasna Investment, CRD, Heng Brother and Krong Pok Ratanakkiri Rubber Development would be published in a report.

"It's a remote area bordering Vietnam and Laos that was once forest but has now been replaced by rubber plantations," Vuthy said, adding that representatives witnessed the clearing of an indigenous graveyard on Saturday and Sunday.

But according to Nab Bunheng, provincial deputy governor, all four of the companies are operating legally.

"Our authorities worked with the volunteer students [assigned by Prime Minister Hun Sen] to measure the affected land for the villagers," Bunheng said, adding that any complaints involving land disputes were welcome and would be reviewed by relevant authorities.

The Kingdom began parceling land off land in Andong Meas to Heng Brother in 2009, allotting the company 2,361 hectares.

Two years later, 19,366 hectares of land were divvied up between CRD, Veasna Investment and Krong Pok Ratanakkiri Rubber Development.

All four companies could not be reached for comment before press time.

Police, soldiers and military police, they help and protect the companies, but not us. The land of the oknhas is everywhere.

The Cambodian Taekwondo Federation held the second of its monthly Junior Championships, entitled The Hope for Taekwondo in 2014, on Saturday at the Booyoung Khmer Taekwondo Hall in the National Sports Complex.

The event was participated in by 90 boys and 23 girls from 13 clubs, organisations and associations bracketed into age classes of U12, U14 and U17.

The federation plans three more such competitions, with 61 boys and girls selected so far to compete in the Best of the Best contest in late May.

When it comes to doing business, there are few places worse, it seems, than the likes of Myanmar, also known as Burma.

That's at least, according to the World Bank, which has Myanmar ranked as the worst in Asia – at 182nd of 189 rated economies – on the ease of doing business. That's even worse than 137th-ranked Cambodia.

Rounding out the "Top 5" for worst in Asia in The World Bank 2014 Doing Business report – the latest annual assessment of the ease of doing business in economies around the world – are Timor-Leste (179th), Afghanistan (164th), Laos (159th) and the Federated States of Micronesia (156th).

But Cambodia should not take heart in being "better" than the likes of Myanmar or Timor-Leste. Nor should the nation see investment from a relatively more risk-tolerant China as an alternative to taking actions to improve the enabling environment for business.

Indeed, a much troubled water supply project in Nepal supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – and the recent replacement of the Chinese contractor on it – underscores yet again the challenges that development partners have in getting things done in numerous countries where the ease of doing business has much to be desired. (Nepal ranks 105th on the list.)

As information is updated and Myanmar moves to draft, pass and then enforce new legislation as part of efforts to strengthen the rule of law, that nation's ease-of-business ranking will surely improve, and may one day move past Cambodia to attain a title that sadly the Kingdom has yet to earn – and that is being heralded as the latest Southeast Asian tiger economy.

Already, major western multinationals are rushing in to Yangon and Mandalay, joining the ranks of Chinese, Thai and other Asian businesses and entrepreneurs who have long been active in Myanmar despite western sanctions.

Clearly, investing in Myanmar or any of the places low on the World Bank's ease of doing business list is not for the faint hearted.

But whether Myanmar or any of the Top 5 ranked economies for ease of doing business – Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the United States and Denmark – there are lessons for Cambodia to be taken from each on how best to grow economies, create jobs and reduce poverty.

For nearly four years, I served as US Ambassador to and board member of the Asian Development Bank and had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia on more than one occasion.

During my time in the post, several points became very clear, particularly as I saw many a troubled project or others that never got off the ground.

That included: while development banks and aid agencies can provide incremental good, it is good governance and a strong rule of law that are critical to businesses and essential to job creation and long-term growth.

More than ever, given dwindling government budgets and reduced foreign assistance dollars, the private sector – whether brave entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized enterprises or well-established and deep-pocketed corporations – can play a critical role in fighting poverty.

Business investments that can make money and simultaneously empower communities at the grassroots level are also a key to economic growth and the reduction of poverty-related violence.

The private sector must be a critical partner if we are to sustainably lift people out of poverty. Indeed, whether in Asia or the United States, it will be small businesses and entrepreneurs – regardless of nationality – who will drive long-term change and job creation.

It is not sustainable to have most employment funded by aid money and government largesse.

With well-thought-through partnerships, public-private efforts can be done in a way that is good for business and more sustainable than aid packages subject to donor fatigue and annual budget cuts.

Yet, too often, inept bureaucracy, poor or poorly enforced regulation, interventions by government and endemic corruption get in the way.

These challenges of the "little bric" may well be a longer-term constraint to growth and one of the biggest impediments to building better lives for people everywhere, including in Cambodia and others of the world's smallest or land-locked states.

Curtis S Chin served as US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank under presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush (2007-2010). He is a managing director with advisory firm RiverPeak Group, LLC.

Cambodia's Keo Roomchang travelled to the Thai coastal resort town of Hua Hin to take on Yodsanklai Fairtex on Saturday in a fight which was broadcast live on national Thai TV.

The Kun Khmer veteran put up a brave performance before being knocked out in the second round by the Muay Thai legend.

Yodsanklai was the winner of The Contender Asia, the reality TV show which put Muay Thai on the international map, and is also a former Lumpinee champion, WBC champion, WMPF champion and reigning WMC and Lion Fight champion.

Roomchang, by contrast, is relatively unknown outside of Cambodia and came into this bout for the Thai Fight promotion as a major underdog.

He has 108 Kun Khmer fights to his name but Yodsanklai is rapidly approaching his 300th Muay Thai match and has consistently faced the best in the business all the way from flyweight up to middleweight.

The fight was fought under traditional Muay Kaad Chuek rules, meaning that no gloves were worn, with hands wrapped in ropes instead. Roomchang looked determined to land wild, swinging punches right from the opening bell.

It was to his credit that the Cambodian decided to take the fight to his illustrious opponent, but Yodsanklai looked more amused than perturbed as he easily weathered the onslaught and countered Roomchang's telegraphed attacks with well timed punches and elbows.

Roomchang hit the canvas for the first time after a hard left elbow but the referee ruled it a flash knockdown and neglected to give him a count. Moments later he was felled by a barrage of punches and this time he was given 10 seconds to recover with both fighters swinging for the fences as the round came to an end.

Whereas Yodsanklai looked completely unmarked as his sat on his stool, Roomchang's face was badly marked up, a testament to the superior accuracy of his Thai opponent.

The end came early in the second when punches put the Cambodian flat on his back, and he wisely decided to stay there.

It was an emphatic performance from Yodsanklai, who demonstrated his considerable advantage in experience and ability. The fight left Roomchang bloodied, bruised and battered, but speaking afterwards the 26-year-old suggested that a spell of recent inactivity was to blame for his loss.

"I came to Thailand on the 18th and I was in Bangkok for four days with nowhere to train and no-one to train with, so my conditioning was not good," he said.

Cambodia's stock exchange will receive a $2.5 million funding injection from the South Korean government in an attempt to draw more corporate interest from companies who may want to go public, according to a recent report on state media site AKP.

The funds will go towards paying for Korea International Cooperation Agency-led training programs aimed at helping the government, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) and the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) rope in more firms.

Key Cambodia staff will be trained by South Korean experts, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, or KOICA, will also help launch a public-awareness campaign that boosts the stock exchange's image, according the state media report.

"Under the agreement, KOICA will dispatch qualified experts to assist SECC in drafting policy framework and regulations that would attract more IPOs," the report says.

The CSX launched in 2012 with the first and only IPO from the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority. The Cambodian government and the Korea Exchange struck the joint-venture deal in 2010.

Although numerous proposals from other companies, including garment makers Grand Twins International Ltd and TY Fashion, may materialise sometime this year, the water authority is still the only listed firm.

But few people connected to the multimillion-dollar plan that is supposed to create more awareness about the stock exchange could go into much detail when questioned about it yesterday.

Despite being present at the public signing, Nguon Sokha, secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, declined to comment on exactly where or how the additional funding would be allocated or spent.

"I cannot speak on behalf of the ministry," Sokha said.

Hort Sroeu, a representative from KOICA, said he was unable to discuss the deal or whether KOICA had already rallied local and overseas business interest in Cambodia's stock exchange.

South Korean embassy counsellor Lee Hyung-jong said he was not aware of the details of the KOICA funding project in Cambodia.

Sok Dara, deputy director general of the securities exchange commission, which regulates the bourse, welcomed the funding.

"Yes, this is very good news for the CSX," he said, without commenting further on the potential impact the $2.5 million funding agreement will have on the stock exchange's attractiveness.

Stephen Hsu, an underwriter at Phnom Penh Securities, said he heard about South Korea's interest in the stock exchange, but could not say where the money is most needed in order to improve the lackluster market.

"We had visitors from Korea recently doing research on the CSX. But I have been out of the country lately, so I am unsure about the details of this agreement," Hsu said. "I am sure the SECC would rather generate interest from local firms instead of overseas firms and I do think the CSX needs to be publicised more."

Since 2012, when the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority went public, its shares have fallen dramatically, and the exchange has recorded several consecutive days without any trading volume.

When Dina Chhan was growing up with her three brothers and two sisters, it was clear to her that the girls in the family worked harder than the boys. As the eldest, she was responsible for helping her mother with household tasks and looking after the younger children.

Chhan is now 29 years old and she hasn't for one minute stopped being aware of the toil of the women who surround her. The painter's new exhibition, The Quiet Half of the Sky, which opened at Equinox last night, portrays the hard graft and the struggle of women all over Cambodia.

"The idea is that Cambodian women work very hard – men work hard too, but not as hard as women. Most women are very strong, and they have to carry a lot of heavy things – they have a burden," she said, adding that the title of the exhibition comes from the idea that women are holding up half of the sky.

The exhibition, which is made up of 11 paintings, features images of mothers throughout generations in one family, women working in the rice field, at the market, two beer girl sisters, and a girl who works on a farm but dreams of becoming a ballet dancer.

The painter, who also teaches art to children at an NGO and in an international school in Phnom Penh, said that she had been painting women for a long time before deciding to put them together in an exhibition.

"Every time I see something, like a woman working hard, I paint, and one day I sat down and saw the paintings, and thought, 'Why do I paint a lot of women?' and then I realised I wanted to explore women in Cambodia who lead busy lives and work very hard," she said.

One of the most striking paintings in the collection is Fighting for Peace, which attempts to encompass the political turmoil – and activism – of recent times, specifically celebrating the work of land rights activists such as Tep Vanny and Yorm Bopha who are known for their campaign at Boeung Kak lake. On the right side of the painting is an abstract, colourful swirl of a female form; to the left is a collage of high-profile political figures cut out from newspapers: King Father Norodom Sihanouk, CPP politicians, Boeung Kak activists.

Chhan, who is well known internationally for her ceramic sculptures depicting the effects of land mines in Cambodia, said: "The last time we had an election, you didn't see many women getting involved in politics. This time, women are involved a lot, and with the Boeung Kak activists, women are the leaders, they go first, they know how to talk. That inspired me. For me, I'm a bit scared, but they go and try to get their land back from the government. I think that's great – I feel like being a part of that too."

The Quiet Half of the Sky will be exhibited at Equinox on Street 278 until April 5.

Despite a government ban on public demonstrations, a group of around 30 young people held a "peace mob" yesterday afternoon at Freedom Park, where previous protests have been violently suppressed by authorities.

Two other peace mobs with similar numbers of participants dancing and handing out stickers were held concurrently at about 5pm at Riverside and Wat Botum Park to "raise awareness of peace building among Cambodian citizens especially youth".

The activities were organised by an informal network of students and young people called the Mekong Peace Journey, with support from the Working Group for Peace.

The groups at all three locations – all wearing powder-blue T-shirts with the words "Peace is in our hands together" – were supposed to dance together before handing out stickers bearing the same phrase.

However, at Freedom Park, a sweets seller with a PA on his motorbike who was set to play music cancelled at the last minute so the young people there played games such as sey, badminton and football with a rattan ball instead.

The vendor said he had been in an accident on the way to the gathering and his equipment had been damaged.

Peace mob co-organiser Lay Dinna said: "We decided that this was the best way to promote peace.

"Lots of people pray to Buddha at the temples at Riverside but have no success, so we just come here to get together and dance to a few songs to promote peace."

University student San Pros, 22, who was at Freedom Park said he was aware that the authorities might violently disperse the gathering.

"I think I put myself in danger but it's my duty to promote peace even though the authorities might want to suspend our activities," Pros said.

"We want to get the message out to people that we want our country to stay in peace."

All the peace mobs were allowed to proceed unmolested by the authorities.

Municipal spokesman Long Dimanche said in an email that he wished to "clarify" the city's policy.

"First of all, a protest is guaranteed by the constitution; therefore, Phnom Penh City Hall never issues on any banning protests," Dimanche said.

"The fact that we did not allow the past protests [was] because those protests occurred from opposition groups and also lead to violence and social anarchy. We do suspend such activities for awhile, waiting for the social situation [to] become normal as before.

"Secondly, this afternoon youth group did not organise any protest activity. They were gathering for dancing exercise the same way as other Phnom Penh citizen doing exercise as usual. And we do not have any reason to ban them."

Cambodian students flaunted colourful kimonos yesterday at a fashion contest held as part of the Kizuna Festival 2014, a Japanese cultural celebration.

At the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), 10 Japanese-language students competed to win the title of Mister and Miss Yukata, after the type of kimono they wore.

Hisae Arai, who was crowned Miss Japan in 2011, emceed the event and the winners, selected by a panel of judges, were both from the Tayama Business School team.

Participants were judged on demeanour, makeup, hair, the educational value of the costume and faithfulness to tradition, according to Arai. "Yakuta is the most casual kimono – it is easier to wear and more comfortable," she added.

The contest was among the last events of the festival. Organised by the CJCC and the Japanese embassy, it aims to promote Japanese culture and bilateral relations in the Kingdom.

After a somewhat shaky start and a couple of missteps in the first four games of the Metfone C-League season, last year's runners-up Boeung Ket Rubber Field touched their fiery best at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday when they downed 10-man Phnom Penh Crown 3-1, with the last two goals coming late in a game full of thrust and parry.

The first 30 minutes was so full of exciting possibilities for both sides that no one could dare predict the final outcome until a devastating second yellow card on Crown's most tenacious defender, Odion Obadin, with little more than an hour left to play.

That dramatically changed the complexion of the game and the one man advantage clearly stacked the odds in favour of the 2011 and 2012 champions, though Crown put up a stiffer fight than the scoreline tends to suggest.

What looked like a trip-wire tackle on a fast advancing Chan Vathanaka cost Obadin his first yellow card and a free kick to Boeung Ket inches away from the left corner of the box.

That set piece did no harm but his second booking had a touch of irony about it since he was in the midst of a frenzy inside the Boeung Ket box following a fierce free kick by Bin Chantha Thierry that was fisted away by keeper Peng Bunchhay.

Khim Borey's header off that deflection kept the action alive, but apparently Obadin ran into the rival goal-keeper, as referee Thong Chanketya saw it, and was flashed a second yellow leading to the Crown defender's marching orders.

It didn't take long for Boeung Ket to exploit this huge gap in the defence and Chan Vathanaka's perfectly weighted cornerkick was nodded home in spectacular fashion by Khoun Laboravy to give the Kampong Cham side a distinct halftime advantage. Although they would have been much happier if Keo Sokngorn's screamer hadn't come crashing off the crossbar.

Yet Crown battled their way back into the game after the break and in under two minutes found the equaliser when Newton Katanha produced a stunning overhead kick with his back to the net, clearly jolting the Boeung Ket camp.

Crown coach Sam Schweingruber brought in Sos Souhana for the Zimbabwean goal scorer with nearly 30 minutes of play left. Almost off his first touch, the substitute had a near empty goal to fire at. He got the power right but the direction wrong.

The unluckiest player on the pitch was possibly Bin Thierry, with two of his power-packed freekicks well anticipated by Peng Bunchhay. Having missed out on these chances, Crown were dealt two quick blows towards the end.

Boeung Ket defender Chukwuma Ohuruogu, who has already acquired a reputation as the best free thrower this season, was in the mix when Vathanaka nicely centred his cornerkick. In the ensuing scramble for the ball, Ohuruogu beat the rest to give his side a 2-1 lead. An unmarked Laboravy doubled his own contribution by scoring the side's third goal, a free pass to a vantage point just outside the box and a tidy finish.

This was Crown's first loss in five games and Boeung Ket's second win in two weeks.

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Naga deal with Albirex
Naga Corp made heavy weather of their league clash with Albirex Niigata yesterday before winning 2-0 at the Olympic Stadium.

Naga head coach Prak Sovanara was away in Kuala Lumpur for a coaches course but the feedback from his staff may prompt him to seek some clarity as to what went wrong with the team's professed firepower, which simply did not work to the measure he would have expected.

Naga's African import Barry Alpha Oumar accounted for both the goals, the first in the 15th minute through a well-guided deflection and the next a minute before regulation time through a curling free kick.

In between these two strikes came a plethora of failed attempts with poor marksmanship negating the domination Naga enjoyed in space and possession. In fact, Albirex came threateningly close to a strike themselves more than once in an inspired second half showing, during which former Prek Pra Keila striker Mat Hassan and two Japanese midfielders Kazuki Tatsuta and Michimori Kataoka each had a hard look at the Naga net.

"I don't know what happened to some of my team-mates. Sometimes we play like this when the mindset is that the opposition is easy," Oumar told the Post after the game, implying that against stronger teams it has always been a different story.

As the first foreign franchise to figure in Cambodia's top tier, Albirex had history by their side but the performances in the last four matches had been abject to say the least – 23 goals conceded and four scored.

But with yesterday's gutsy show, they amply demonstrated that they are made of much sterner stuff than they had been credited with and perhaps will command greater respect when they take to the pitch again.

Army knock back Svay Rieng
The fall of the defending champions Svay Rieng to Ministry of National Defence at the Old Stadium on Saturday somewhat overshadowed Boeung Ket's win over Crown at the Olympic Stadium, where Build Bright United later shocked Western University 2-0.

The Armymen, always the sort to spring surprises when least expected, enjoyed the upper hand throughout in that 3-1 victory, with two goals within the first six minutes creating a solid foundation.

Phong Soksana fired the first salvo for MND in the third minute and saw his team-mate Ek Vannak double the lead in as much time to cast the die for a huge upset.

After being frustrated time and again, Svay Rieng saw a glimmer of hope emerge from Dzama Bata's 71st minute goal but Chhin Chhoeun hammered in the proverbial last nail in the 83rd minute to see MND safely home.

In Saturday's first fixture at the Old Stadium, Kirivong Sok Sen Chey's Carlos Alberto gave his side a ninth-minute lead which the visitors from Takeo held on to until George Kelechi leveled for Asia Europe University in a well fought 1-1 draw.