tuesday, march 16, 2021 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent Issue Number 3627 / 4000 RIEL Road accidents dip 20%, fatalities 16%

Long Kimmarita Kim Khoeun told The Post on March laws, we also check the vehicle’s techni- Development, said three key risk fac- 15 that the number of road accidents cal specifications to ensure they are in tors should be the focus in law enforce- MORE than 400 people were killed in in the first quarter decreased by 198, compliance with the law,” he said. ment in order to prevent accidents in 808 road accidents across the country killing a total of 434 people – a decrease Kim Khoeun noted that although the the second quarter of the year. from November 24 to February 23, of 85 over the previous quarter. number of road accidents remained He said they include deterring driv- considered the first quarter for this “We’ve strengthened the implemen- relatively high, the government’s ers from speeding, driving under the S Korea grants year, according to the National Police’s tation of seven-point inspections for greater efforts had led to a decrease in influence of alcohol and attempting preliminary report. This represents a motorcycles and nine-point inspec- the overall number of accidents. to overtake other vehicles in danger- $10 million for reduction in both accidents and fatal- tions for vehicles. We’ve also imple- Kong Sovann, a technical adviser ous situations. ities from the previous quarter. mented a policy that whenever we’re and deputy director of road safety pro- demining work National Police spokesman Chhay stopping any vehicle for violating traffic gramme at the Ministry of Rural Continued – page 3 in the kingdom national – page 2 Vietnam successfully clones pigs

VIETNAMESE scientists have for the first time successfully cloned pigs using the somatic cells of ear tissue. Four healthy pigs were born on T Khmum group March 10 using somatic cell nucle- ar transfer technology. set to become Visiting the National Institute of Animal Sciences on March 14, Min- kingdom’s first ister of Agriculture and Rural Devel- opment Nguyen Xuan Cuong said mango winemaker this was an important breakthrough business – page 7 for Vietnam’s animal cloning sector, proving the country’s scientific and technological role and position in the region and beyond. The institute launched the project to study the cloning of pigs using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology back in July 2017. Head of the institute Dr Pham Cong Thieu said although the facilities and equipment were limited, Vietnamese scientists have strived to study and apply animal cloning technology. This outstanding achievement has Myanmar imposes Cover up or cough up opened up new research opportuni- Motorists​​ wear face masks as they commute in Phnom Penh’s Chak Angre Krom commune on Monday. HEAN RANGSEY sTORY > 3 ties to apply animal cloning technol- martial law in ogy in breeding, preserving rare and valuable animals as well as creating parts of Yangon livestock resistant to diseases and the impacts of climate change. It could after deadly day also help to create cloned pigs for WORLD – Page 11 organ transplants in the future, he said. Somatic cell nuclear transfer Officials: Covid-19 law technology was successfully car- ried out for the first time in 1996 in the UK, where scientists created Dolly the sheep. Minister Cuong praised the efforts born out of necessity of the researchers of the institute for cloning the pigs, which make up a high Mom Kunthear accompanying sub-decree including weddings. The as other contagious diseases proportion of Vietnamese food. during a press conference instruction came after a social that may arise in the future. “Vietnamese scientists have been HE Law on Measures held jointly with the Min- media celebrity attended a “In order to ensure the ef- creative and determined to apply to Prevent the istry of Health on March 15 wedding ceremony in Takeo fective enforcement of all world achievements to develop Spread of Covid-19 as Cambodia grapples with province and later tested pos- laws, there must be penal- Vietnam’s own achievements in the Broadway sees and Other Serious, the February 20 community itive for Covid-19, prompting ties. It’s not just in Cam- context of limited equipment and DangerousT and Contagious outbreak of Covid-19, which the authorities to cordon off bodia, but other countries facilities,” he said. light at the end Diseases was established due has seen cases rise to 810 in an entire village where the also have laws that set forth He asked the institute to review to the necessity of empower- less than a month. ceremony took place. punishments,” he said. the process to strengthen the results of the summer ing the government with the On March 15, Prime Min- Koeut Rith said the gov- He explained that the and continue to study and uphold means to contain a pandem- ister Hun Sen also instructed ernment was now empow- government and relevant this technology to preserve native after dark year ic, officials said. the governors of Phnom Penh ered to put in place the nec- ministries did not draft this animals and develop livestock as Minister of Justice Koeut and some provinces to con- essary measures to contain part of the husbandry strategy. VIET lifestyle – page 13 Rith defended the law and an sider banning gatherings the current outbreak as well Continued – page 2 NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

THE PHNOM PENH POST Don’t miss our NewAncient census staircase analysis unearthed reveals SpecialNational Report neardrop Watin domestic Phnom migration in capital InsideInside page page 5 5 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com National Man held S Korea gives $10M for demining for murder Voun Dara rean government to continue the fight against anti-person- of toddler N March 15, the nel landmines and explosive Korea International remnants of war around the Cooperation Agen- world and in Cambodia. in K Speu cy (KOICA) signed “I would like to express my Kim Sarom anO online agreement to pro- sincerest thanks to our im- vide the first $10 million in plementing partners, includ- A 40-YEAR-OLD man, whose grant aid to the Cambodian ing the Cambodian Mine Ac- wife claimed he suffered from Mine Action and Victim As- tion Centre, National Centre mental illness, was arrested on sistance Authority (CMAA) for Peacekeeping Forces, all March 14 after he had hacked in the field of mine clearance national and international a boy to death with a machete in Cambodia through the clearance operators, mine in Ampil Pha-em village, Ram- “Clearing for Results Phase action donors, other stake- laing Chak commune, and IV project” scheduled to run holders and those individuals Kampong Speu’s Samrong from 2021-2025. working to support the Clear- Tong district. The signing ceremony was ing for Results project and the Phok Sambath, head of the held in the presence of CMAA mine action sector,” he said. provincial police’s autopsy first-vice president Ly Thuch According to CMAA, in addi- bureau said on March 15 that the and KOICA Cambodia country tion to the KOICA, Cambodia suspect has a wife with three director Rho Hyun Jun. It was has been supported by other children aged between six and also attended by Nick Beres- international donors in its 16 and lived in the village. The boy ford, Resident Representative mine clearance efforts includ- was one year and two months of UNDP Cambodia; Ryan Tier- ing nations such as the US, old. The victim’s mother is a A demining expert in Pailin province in February. cmac ney, First Secretary and Consul Australia, England, Japan, New 30-year-old garment worker. at the Australian Embassy; and safe land. Mine action contin- 1998 and that the north-west- that have been deemed mine Zealand, Canada, Germany, The victim was hacked twice Elliott Kirton, First Secretary of ues to be at the forefront of ef- ern regions bordering Thai- free with national and inter- Switzerland and Ireland, as in the head and neck, leaving the New Zealand Embassy in forts to rebuild lives and com- land had some of the highest national partners, to address well as international bodies him die on the spot. After Bangkok, Thailand. munities that have become concentrations of anti-per- challenges in community like the UNDP and UNICEF hacking the victim, the suspect According to a press re- marginalized and rendered sonnel mines in the world. development, and to reduce along with civil society organi- attempted to kill himself by lease, the aid was intended vulnerable by conflict. “With this [historical] under- poverty among the most vul- sations and generous individ- cutting his neck. to advance the project in Bat- “This signing ceremony sets standing in mind, the Korean nerable households. uals the world over. “The suspect is also injured. He tambang, Pailin and Banteay an excellent example for co- government through KOICA “This project highlights Ko- As of 2020, Cambodia has is getting medical treatment at the Meanchey provinces and it operation and support, lead- has decided to support mine rea’s commitment to contrib- cleared mines from 2,138 sq provincial referral hospital and has also gained the budgetary ing the way for Cambodia to clearance activities in Cambo- ute to Cambodia’s sustainable km of land. These efforts have police are guarding him because support of the Cambodian reach its 2025 mine-free tar- dia by providing US$10 million socio-economic development, destroyed over one million he cut himself too,” he said. government, Australia, New get,” he said. from 2021 to 2025 through the in alignment with Cambodia’s anti-personnel mines and Commune police chief Yav Zealand and UNDP. Rho Hyun Jun recalled that Clearing for Results-Phase 4: Rectangular Strategy and the more than 25,000 anti-tank Kan said the suspect and the Ly Thuch said that the aid Cambodia’s landmine con- Mine Action for Human Devel- National Strategic Develop- mines and explosive rem- victim are neighbours. Before would help save people’s lives, tamination was the result of opment Project,” he said. ment Plan,” he continued. nants of war (ERW) including the murder, the boy had reduce mine-related risks and a protracted sequence of in- He added that the main ob- Nick Beresford said that the 2.8 million cluster bombs. walked for fun near the sus- raise the living standards of ternal and regional conflicts jectives of this project were to Republic of Korea’s contribu- An estimated 6.3 million pect’s home at about 1pm on the Cambodian people by that affected the country from create pathways for acceler- tion today signified the firm people have directly benefited March 14. The suspect providing them with more the mid-1960s until the end of ated development in villages commitment of the South Ko- from the demining actions. appeared from his home with the machete, hacking the vic- tim in the head and neck. His mother, grandmother and aunt tried to chase the suspect Ministry mulls revealing law violators’ identities as the boy was dying. The suspect escaped into his Continued from page 1 who do not respect the mea- lion riel ($250 and $1,250). an offence is increased to 10 six months to three years and home with the machete and sures to prevent the spread Similarly, he said escape to 20 years if it is carried out as possibly five years in aggra- people went to get the local law impulsively. A great deal of of Covid-19, a disease which from treatment or from a part of an organised group or vated circumstances. police. He locked himself in research was done and many could kill Cambodians and treatment facility is punish- arranged by an organisation. The act of barring or ob- his home. District police chief planning documents were do harm to society,” he said. able by one to five years in The violation of administra- structing the enforcement of Khut Sophal led a group of drawn up and the law had been According to Koeut Rith, the prison and a fine of between tive measures is punishable this law is punishable by im- police to the scene and tried studied by countries in the re- main offences stipulated in this five and 20 million riel. by a fine of one to five million prisonment from six months for two hours to convince the gion and across the world. law are escape from quarantine The most serious offence is riel. If that act of disobedi- to three years and a fine from suspect to turn himself over to “This law is made for one or quarantine centres, which is the intentional act of spread- ence results in the transmis- two to 10 million riel. The police, but he refused. purpose only – to protect peo- punishable by six months to ing Covid-19, which is pun- sion of disease to others, sentence can be further in- Kan said provincial police ple’s lives and public health. three years in prison and a fine ishable by five to 10 years in then the offender can be sen- creased if the offender’s ac- chief Sam Samuon ordered spe- This law only punishes those of between one and five mil- prison. The sentence for such tenced to imprisonment from tions result in the transmis- cial forces to the home who shot sion of Covid-19 to others. tear gas into the house. The At the press conference, choking gas forced him outside health ministry spokeswom- where police arrested him. an Or Vandine said if over the Pin Kim, 38, wife of the sus- next two weeks all citizens pect, said that her husband is a conscientiously follow the re- hearse driver and has had a quired health measures, the mental-illness since 2012. She February 20 community out- brought him for medical treat- break will come to an end. ment at the Khmer-Soviet “Over the next two weeks, if Friendship Hospital in Phnom brothers and sisters follow the Penh and the doctor told them instructions seriously, stay in- that the husband suffered from doors and conscientiously car- mental-illness. He had taken ry out these measures, I expect medicine for years, but he did that infections will begin to not get better. She took him to slow down and then we might a traditional healer. put an end to the community The healer had claimed that transmission,” she said. the husband was aggressive She continued that the health because he is a hearse driver ministry might disclose the and ghosts had possessed identities of individuals who fail him. to cooperate or attempt to flout “Both doctor and traditional the required health measures. healer could not treat him. He In an audio message address- often started trouble with me, ing municipal and provincial I took the children to live at my governors, Hun Sen said the mother’s home and my kids matter must be taken seriously visited him once a week,” she and Covid-19 preventive mea- said. sures must be introduced. “His memory is still good “I beg our people for their sometimes. He could remem- understanding. Now, there is ber the kids’ names, but I did only one [Covid-19] case in not think that his situation Takeo province [but] many would worsen and he would places have already been kill the boy,” she said, adding closed as they may pose high that the victim’s family is also risks,” he said. her husband’s close relative. THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 3 National More people mask up after Officials blame arson for P Vihear wildfire Nov Sivutha long time, but only a short time gov’t passes new sub-decree to prevent them from logging. A WILDFIRE in a park in Preah It would have been returned at Lay Samean Vihear’s Chheb district on an appropriate time. March 13 has left officials sus- However, Sambath con- HE number of citizens picious that it could have been firmed that Sok has not made a wearing masks in pub- deliberately lit. The fire, which plan to search for the suspects. lic has increased mark- has claimed about 200ha of Sok could not be reached edly following the gov- land, could have been started for comment on March 15. ernment’sT passage into law of a by a person seeking revenge. But on March 13, Sok wrote on sub-decree on health measures Royal Academy of Cambodia his Facebook page, with ques- to prevent the spread of Covid- (RAC)’s Techo Sen Russey Treb tions and accompanied with 19 that spells out fines and pun- Park deputy director Chea Sam- a video of the wildfire: “When ishments for those who fail to bath told The Post on March can we get rid of this bad habit. heed the instructions issued by 15 that a wildfire had swept Trees planted in the rainy sea- the Ministry of Health. through about 200ha of land. son are burnt in the dry season On March 12 the govern- The area included seven hect- because of one pig.” ment issued a new sub-decree ares of grass for cattle, small trees Meanwhile, on Russey Treb on health measures to prevent and trees planted by the RAC Park’s Facebook page on the spread of Covid-19 and and Prime Minister Hun Sen in March 15 a post stated that the other contagious diseases. 2018, or about 70,000 trees. forest area in the park and the Comprising nine chapters The trees were first-grade trees planted by Prime Minis- and 39 articles, the sub-decree Beng (hardwood) tree and Sok- ter Hun Sen in 2018 were re- states a number of new restric- rom (rosewood) tree, which cently set on fire by criminals. tions and penalties and gives were planted one to more than “A burning house could be the health ministry broad two years ago. In addition, it reconstructed, but a forest discretion to determine the destroyed many trees that have that has already burnt down, behaviours required for the were old-growth and large old could not be planted immedi- maintenance of public health. trees with a diameter of 20 to ately. There is only the word, Article 19 of the sub-decree Motorists ​​wear face masks as they they commute in Phnom Penh’s Chak Angre Krom commune on Monday. 80cm, according to Sambath. sorrow [Khmer proverb],” the states that individuals who fail Hean Rangsey The official said that the post added. to wear masks in essential plac- wear [masks]. When they are ments or business owners that don’ts. When the guidelines cause of the fire is not known, The district police Chief es – as determined by the health fined for not wearing [them], fail to follow the guidelines for are implemented consistently, but he suspected that some- Chhoun Mardy said he had ministry – will be fined between it is good,” she said. wearing masks and physical we will be able to manage the one started it. not received any information 200,000 and one million riel, af- Similarly, Sok Eang an em- distancing will be fined two to [Covid] situation,” he said. He claimed that it couldn’t about the wildfire in the park ter being given one warning. ployee for a company in 10 million riel after being given However, Ministry of Health have started by itself. If the because lower-level authorities The term “essential places” Phnom Penh, said that she has one warning by the authorities. secretary of state York Sam- fire had started at one point, had not reported to him yet. has thus far popularly been always worn a mask since the Similarly, event organisers bath has warned in the past it would have spread to an- “If anyone informed me, I interpreted as meaning any very first Covid-19 outbreak. who fail to follow social dis- that wearing masks alone other, but this fire spread would have sent a fire truck to and all public places. “I am not afraid of the fines, tancing guidelines will be fined won’t be 100 per cent effec- from the middle a field. stop it, because I am always ex- Regarding the new mea- but I am afraid of Covid. If the one to five million riel, also af- tive in preventing the spread “We suspect hunters or trap- tinguishing fires there,” he said. sures, Sopheak Leap, a coffee law imposes fines on people, it ter being given a first warning. of disease – people also have pers who may smoke and However, Mardy stated that vendor in the Chip Mong Bo- is only because they won’t ac- Phnom Penh Municipal Po- to wash their hands and ad- throw away cigarettes. Other in this area, there were always rey gated community, said she cept the need to protect them- lice spokesman San Sok Seiha here to a very high standard suspects had a tractor seized by wildfires every year without supports the sub-decree and selves from this disease they told The Post on March 15 that of sanitation and hygiene. president Sok Touch. They may anyone starting them wheth- regards it as doing her part can’t actually see,” Eang said. over the last few weeks a lot of “Wearing a mask will pre- be angry with us. In the past, er they were in Techo Sen to help prevent the spread of The sub-decree also states citizens were already wearing vent [the virus from entering] we seized the tractor while they Russey Treb Park or not. But Covid-19 and that the fines that individuals who have masks in public even prior to the nose and mouth, but the went into the park to cut down if the national park officials were necessary because some been in contact with Covid-19 the sub-decree. eyes and ears, we don’t have trees,” he said. concluded that someone de- citizens have been negligent infected persons and who re- “As the Ministry of Health anything to cover them. So, According to Sambath, Sok liberately lit the fire, he would in the wearing of masks. fuse to cooperate with health has made clear, this can quick- just as importantly, we have had no intention of taking pos- arrange officials to open an “I support it. When it comes officials in having their sam- ly have an impact in prevent- to wash our hands [frequent- session of the machine for a investigation. to the sub-decree, it will help ples taken for testing will be ing the spread of Covid-19 and ly]. So, I would like to call prevent the spread a lot. fined one to five million riel. Samdech [Hun Sen] has al- on all citizens to wash their Sometimes, some brothers Article 20 of the sub-decree ready given us the guidelines hands and bodies – it is very and sisters have neglected to states that private establish- of three protections and three important,” she said. People-trafficking duo held in Kampot Long Kimmarita we have been able to prevent it. On the Vietnamese side, we KAMPOT Provincial Court have contacted authorities to sent two suspects accused of locate more suspects hiding trafficking people across the in Vietnam. Normally, these border from Vietnam to pre- brokers contact each other trial detention and returned so they can work together to four Vietnamese nationals to bring people across the border Fire destroys over 200ha of forest at Techo Sen Russey Treb Park on their home country. illegally. Without this network, Sunday. Russey Treb Park via Facebook On March 14, Takeo provin- they cannot do it,” he said. cial police arrested one bro- Yun Phally, Kep-Kampot ker with four Vietnamese. The provincial coordinator for Road-safety adviser: ‘Thousands other broker involved in the rights group Adhoc, said that case was arrested in Kampot’s in the current Covid-19 out- die in traffic accidents every year’ Kampong Trach district, after break, the borders of both they smuggled Vietnamese countries were closed. If these Continued from page 1 Seeing the successes that into Cambodia by boat at the brokers continue to smuggle Cambodia has had with public Prek Chak international bor- people across the border, oth- “Road safety education must participation in the battle der checkpoint. Four Vietnamese nationals arrested for illegally crossing the border ers are put at risk and strict go hand in hand with traffic against Covid-19 – especially into Cambodia​ through Kampot province on Sunday. Fresh News The brokers, Chea Sovan- measures must be taken. enforcement to discourage the contributions of generous nary, or Chen, is a 30-year-old arrest, prosecutors issued a they have brought people He hopes that the authori- drivers from engaging in these people and well-known tycoons taxi driver who drove guests pre-trial detention order, and across the border illegally ties will continue to take fur- three risk factors. It includes – Sovann said he would like to to the Prek Chak Casino. He provincial authorities sent the three or four times already. ther action, especially at bor- promoting the use of helmets, see the same level of financial lives in lives in Krasaing village, case to court for further ac- Vietnamese who crossed the der checkpoints that were not respecting the safety of cyclists contributions and public sup- Chhouk district’s Chhouk com- tion. The two suspects were border illegally intended to properly guarded. and pedestrians, and respect port for the Traffic Accident mune. The other, Neang Kheng, kept in the provincial prison. work as construction workers “There is also negligence in- traffic lights and signs. Prevention Fund. or Behan, is a 58-year-old wom- He added that we have re- in our country,” he said. volved with preventing people “Some accidents are caused “Traffic accidents kill thou- an who took cigarettes to Viet- turned the Vietnamese, who il- According to Chanmathu- crossing the border illegally. by the roads themselves – sands of people every year in nam to sell. She comes from legally crossed the border, back rith, in addition to taking action Brokers want to avoid au- problems like potholes, blind Cambodia,” he said. Kroes village, Kampong Trach to their country on March 14. against the suspects, provincial thorities when taking people curves, roads that aren’t prop- According to the National district’s Prek Kroes commune; “We accused them with hu- authorities are also cooperating from one country to another. erly illuminated and a lack of Police, on March 14 alone, according to provincial police man trafficking because they with Vietnamese authorities to Smugglers look for unmanned road safety facilities during road accidents nationwide chief Mao Chanmathurith. smuggled Vietnamese work- arrest brokers and accomplices checkpoints. This is seen as an construction or a lack of road had left seven people dead and Chanmathurith told The ers across the border. We have who are hiding in Vietnam. opportunity to bring people maintenance after construc- four seriously injured in seven Post on March 15 that after the questioned them. They said “On the Cambodian side, across,” he said. tion,” Sovann explained. major accidents. 4 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com National Ministry bans all live chicken importation

Voun Dara can contribute on behalf of the association. The association is THE Ministry of Agriculture, also considering this so that we Forestry and Fisheries has can find a solution to this prob- banned the import of live chick- lem. Next week we will con- ens due to a lack of markets tinue to talk more,” he said. caused by the recent spread of The association chairman, Covid-19. However, it is in dis- Srun Pov, said there has been cussions with stakeholders to discussion with the ministry find buyers for farmers. on ways to find markets for The ministry’s director-gen- farmers. But he said that cur- eral for animal health and pro- rently it is difficult to find one duction Tan Phannara said the due to the outbreak. decision would help solve over- “We have been researching supply of chickens. Meanwhile, markets, but there’s just no experts are collecting data on market for the chickens. There- the exact number of live chick- fore, we call on the government en in stock across the country to help address the issue. We do to identify market needs. not know what to do besides “We are looking for markets making this appeal,” he said. to buy chickens from farmers. Cheav Samnang, who raises I have urged all stakeholders chickens in Por Mreal com- to meet immediately to plan mune’s Romdos Thmey village what to do about the current of Kampong Speu province’s situation. Until now, we do not Baset district, said traders yet have clear data,” he said. came to buy about 20,000 A bird-eye’s view of Boeung Pearaing Bird sanctuary in Siem Reap province. information ministry Phannara confirmed that chickens from farmers in the any measures required solving village, equivalent to around the spread of Covid-19 first. 20 tonnes, at a price of 1,500 The ministry will reopen after riel ($0.35) per kg. But, he said the recent outbreak has been the number of chickens in this Urgent intervention efforts contained. district remains large. “This oversupply is due to “If the situation continues the outbreak only. There are no like this for at least another problems, we have no block- three months, farmers will requested at Pea Raing Lake ages,” he said. definitely have a problem. If Phannara acknowledged they [banks] come to confis- Orm Bunthoeurn lake at present, according to Lake,” he said. dug deeper to retain its many that if the problem persists for cate chickens and chicken the specialist. Mongkol said that the first breeds of fish,” Mongkol said. too long, the chickens will be coops, farmers won’t be able ANY species of Kong Mongkol, the head of problem that is killing off the Agricultural Department overfed and could even die. to cover costs. We are asking fish that are now the Pea Raing tourism asso- fish are the shallow waters director Tea Kimsoth said the “Currently, we are calling on Samdech [Prime Minister Hun spawning in Pea ciation, said that the lake’s wa- of the lake itself and that the digging operation had been people to buy from farmers and Sen] to request banks to delay Raing Lake in ters had receded worryingly second problem – caused by planned and would go forward I also talked to the Cambodian loan repayments otherwise MChreav commune of Siem Reap because the waters in certain the first – is that more than but that the Covid-19 outbreak Livestock Raisers Association. people won’t have any money,” province’s Siem Reap town are places were extremely shallow 170 species of birds were now had interfered with the process. We are still debating how we he said. under threat of being wiped out and that the deepest waters too-easily able to catch the “I sent a letter asking the pro- by drought and predation by remaining in the entire lake lake’s fish as their daily food. vincial administration to set birds if the lake’s waters don’t were less than three metres. “According to the data, each up an inter-department com- rise higher than current levels Mongkol believes that a plan day the birds are eating three mittee tasked with inspecting by April, according to locals. to rescue the lake is urgently tonnes of fish,” he said, citing the digging of that lake on site. A conservation official required and should begin a data forecast by the BirdLife So far, the committee has met said that the Pea Raing Lake, with efforts to pump water International Cambodia Pro- once because the province al- which previously spanned there from the Tonle Sap Lake, gramme lowed the agricultural depart- 270 ha, had now been re- which is 2km distance away, Mongkol said that in addi- ment to prepare a plan. We duced by drought to a surface in order to rescue the 90 spe- tion to pumping water to the made the plan for the province area of 30ha to 40ha and with cies of fish present in the Pea lake the other measure neces- already, but because of Covid, a water depth below one me- Raing conservation area. sary to ensure sustainability the next planning meeting tre in places. “I think that [the present is to dig the lake bed out to hasn’t been held,” he said. The drought has raised the situation] could result in a make it deeper. Kimsoth added that he ex- temperature of the water to a mass die-off of the remaining “We insisted that Siem Reap pected that the digging work point where many species of fish in late April or early May. provincial governor Tea Seyha at the lake would happen soon fish can’t survive in the waters So, I think that in order to do something to help speed because the committee meet- remaining there but certain solve this problem head-on up [the work of] digging and ing would likely be organised rare breeds of fish are still re- we have to pump waters from restoring the Pea Raing Lake by the provincial governor siding in the remnant of the Tonle Sap Lake to [Pea Raing] this year – the lake must be within the next two weeks. A live chicken farm in Kampong Speu province on March 9. Facebook 100K tree saplings planned for Boeung Tamok area

Orm Bunthoeurn park in order to create a green space manage the park development project for Phnom Penh residents and all and the Boeung Tamok Lake area with THE Phnom Penh Municipal Adminis- Cambodian people alike. It will be a transparency and accountability. tration is preparing to plant 100,000 tree site where we can take pleasure in the “I asked that tree saplings be planted saplings to establish a national park beauty of nature,” he said. around the Boeung Tamok Lake and in around Boeung Tamok Lake in northern Although he could not clearly con- other areas on roads around Phnom Phnom Penh to make it a green environ- firm when the saplings would be Penh because presently Phnom Penh ment and preserve it as a place of natu- planted, he said if there had been no lacks public parks for citizens to enjoy ral heritage for future generations. further complications to the work due and to exercise in and this is a neces- Municipal governor Khuong Sreng to Covid-19 the municipal adminis- sity in our society,” he said. told The Post on March 15 that 100,000 tration would have finished the project He added that planting trees along thnong tree saplings – also known by its within the next three years. the roads and around homes in scientific name Pterocarpus macrocar- “In fact, if Covid-19 wasn’t spreading Phnom Penh is a good way to increase pus – will be planted on 75ha near the then within three years it would be fin- the beauty of the city. lake in the capital’s Prek Pnov district. ished. For now, the national budget is Chanroeun said Phnom Penh was once The project to establish a national limited and funds are being diverted to recognised as a green city with wonder- park was initiated by Prime Minister prevent the spread of the disease. So, we ful public parks, especially during the Hun Sen with the support of the Min- have suspended these activities for now period that the late Singaporean found- istry of Interior and the Ministry of but at the appropriate time we will con- ing father Lee Kuan Yew visited in 1960. Economy and Finance. tinue with this project,” Sreng said. Chanroeun continued that con- “Under the guidance of Prime Min- Cambodian Institute for Democracy verting the present Phnom Penh into ister Hun Sen, the Phnom Penh president Pa Chanroeun hailed the a green city would be a very effective Municipal Administration has pre- project as a positive for the capital, but means of contributing to the promo- Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng shows tree saplings to be planted at pared a site of 75ha in size on Boeung he said that as a citizen and a social tion of good mental health and the Boeung Tamok Lake. Khuong Sreng via Facebook Tamok Lake to establish a national worker he requested that the authorities wellbeing of citizens. THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 5 National Adhoc logs 145 rape cases, Ancient staircase unearthed cites minors’ vulnerability Kim Sarom plaint] and did not pursue the case further in court. Some cases were near Wat Phnom in capital RIGHTS group Adhoc recorded 145 also facilitated outside of court. This rape cases last year, most of which is why impunity persists. Orm Bunthoeurn involved girls under 18 years old. “In criminal cases, even if a vic- Mao Mab, head of the women and tim receives civil compensation, AMBODIAN Mine Action children’s division at rights group the case will still need to proceed Centre (CMAC) mine clear- Adhoc, said her organisation had through the court system. ance experts have uncov- observed and collected data through “In most cases, compensation for ered part of an ancient its affiliates in the provinces. She victims only existed on paper despite staircase,C which is just over 30m away said some of the victims were raped a final verdict from the court because from a site where a lion statue was by their relatives and some were it took a long time to process. There- previously found. even killed. fore, the victims’ family sometimes The stairs were discovered dur- According to Mab, the main factor chose to receive compensation out- ing construction of an underground leading to rape was the victims’ eco- side the judicial system,” she said. reservoir supported by the Japanese nomic situation. She explained that Regarding complaint procedure, International Cooperation Agency some parents worked abroad, leav- Mab noted that relevant authorities (JICA). The site is in front of the ing their children with grandparents have made greater efforts. Generally Council for the Development of who are not strong enough to care when there is a complaint, they would Cambodia in Phnom Penh’s Daun for their grandchildren. take action against perpetrators. Penh district near Wat Phnom. Aside from that, she said some Mab said the highest number of CMAC director-general Heng Ra- victims lived in huts, leaving them rape cases was reported in Battam- tana told The Post on March 14 that vulnerable to abuse. bang, Kampot and Kampong Thom CMAC discovers an ancient staircase near Wat Phnom on March 11. CMAC CMAC experts working with JICA on “In most cases, parents or relatives provinces. Many parents from these Phnom Pehn’s sewerage system de- Municipal culture department project first. On an appropriate day, only realised there was a problem provinces work abroad, so the num- velopment project came across the director Chum Vuthy said officials we will return according to the min- when the child had an injury or pain. ber tends to be higher than in other staircase on March 11. from his department and the Na- istry’s assignment. It means that we Most cases occurred in remote areas, provinces, she explained. “The staircase is 5m long and 3m tional Museum had already inspect- may need to excavate. It depends on which is another problem,” she said. Chiv Phally, director of the Ministry wide. It is about 30m from where the ed the staircase, but had yet been the ministry’s decision,” he said. Mab added that most girls who of Interior’s anti-human trafficking lion statue was found. But they’re able to determine its age. Vuthy said the section of staircase were sexually abused did not dare and juvenile protection department, downstream. We came across them “The construction of the stairs was discovered by CMAC officials was talk about it to their family because said on March 15 that if people are while digging at about 4m deep,” he from concrete, using smooth steel found during construction of the perpetrators often threatened to kill aware of a rape case, they should re- said. wire and stones. We can only see the groundwater reservoir and Phnom them or harm the whole family if port it immediately to the police, es- Hab Touch, director-general of part of the stairs which is usually near Penh’s 6th pumping station next to they broke the news. pecially the unit closest to them. the Directorate General of Techni- the water. Typically, the staircase the Tonle Sap River. She also attributed the problem to Early this month, a 23-year-old wom- cal Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of should start from the top of the river “The statue was discovered upriver. a limited understanding of the law an named Huon Srey, who worked at a Culture and Fine Arts, told The Post bank. So we will leave it for now, be- We do not understand the relation- among local people and little faith casino in Banteay Meanchey province’s on March 14 experts are working to cause we cannot remove it. The stairs ship between the two, or how many in the judiciary. She noted that be- Poipet town, was raped and stabbed determine their origins. are more than 3m wide,” he said. steps there are. We do not know. We cause solving a complaint in court to death in her rental room. The sus- “I think this staircase and the lion According to Vuthy, a cultural de- don’t have specific documentation often took too long, the victims’ pect, 38-year-old Roeun Thearin, was statue that we found are probably partment expert had used GPS to about that. However, the stone lion is family sometimes opted to accept later arrested in Siem Reap province from the same historical period. But if mark the place so that he can re- in the Bakheng style. It may have been civil compensation from perpetra- and was placed in pre-trial detention you want clarification, please ask the search the staircase later. transported from Phnom Bakheng tors outside the court system. by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial municipal culture department be- “Because it’s JICA’s construction temple [in Siem Reap province]. We “Mostly the victims’ family took Court on March 6 on charge of pre- cause they are working on it,” he said. site, we will let them complete their just don’t know yet,” said Vuthy. compensation [after filing a com- meditated murder. 6 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Business

USD / KHR USD / CAD USD / CNY USD / JPY USD / MYR USD / SGD USD / THB AUD / USD EUR / USD GBP / USD 4,069 1.2453 6.4997 109.09 4.1135 1.3451 30.73 0.7750 1.1925 1.3935

Trading Information on Cambodia Securities Exchange Date: March 15, 2021 Auction Trading Method (ATM) No Stock Closing Price Opening Price High Low 1 ABC 16,700 16,700 16,700 16,680 2 GTI 3,600 3,600 3,740 3,310 3 PAS 13,100 13,300 13,300 12,640 4 PEPC 2,950 2,900 2,950 2,900 5 PPAP 12,700 12,800 12,800 12,500 6 PPSP 1,640 1,620 1,660 1,610 7 PWSA 6,320 6,360 6,360 6,180 $350M Koh Kong airport on track India eyes

May Kunmakara import of

RE-commissioning work on the $350 million Dara Sa- Cambodian kor International Airport in Koh Kong province remains Pon schedule, with flight operations peppercorn planned to start in mid-2021, State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) Thou Vireak spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha told The Post on March 15. INDIA is eyeing imports of pepper- This comes even as the February corn from Cambodia without geo- 20 community transmission compels graphical indication (GI) status, which more provinces to tighten their bor- could provide a gateway for access to ders – especially those along the coast. the major South Asian market. Chansereyvutha noted that the The declaration of intent was made runway, terminal buildings and oth- during a meeting between represent- er facilities had been completed at atives of the Cambodia Pepper and the end of last year. Spices Federation (CPSF) and Indian Having entered the pre-commis- ambassador to Cambodia Devyani sioning and testing phase, the air- Uttam Khobragade on March 9. port will need at least six to seven CPSF president Mak Ny told The months before being certified for Post on March 15 that the talks flight operations, he said. focused on opening up the pepper “The schedule reveals that [flight] market in India, adding that the operations will start in mid-2021. South Asian country is also interested Despite the [latest] outbreak . . . the in Cambodian turmeric. company has not yet submitted a The $350 million Dara Sakor International Airport in Koh Kong province is set to commence operations in mid-2021. SSCA Under the coordination of the Indi- notice of delay. an embassy in Phnom Penh, the two “The company is now preparing to Another international airport slated will show marked improvements.” passenger mark for the first time, sides will hold additional discussions submit the relevant documents to ob- for the province with $40 million cap- Passenger traffic at Cambodia’s with passenger growth recorded at in the near future to hash out quotas tain airport certification for operation. ital investment was put on hold until three international airports took an 11.2 per cent. on quantities and other require- “At this early stage, [the airport the developer – a joint venture be- 81.3 per cent nosedive last year from Sihanoukville International Airport ments, he said. developer] is merely testing the in- tween Ly Yong Phat’s LYP Group and 2019, while cargo traffic dropped saw even more remarkable growth, “We have not discussed things in stalled facility and running test flights Bangkok Airways Pcl – deemed the 29.9 per cent amid disruption caused with passengers growing by a whop- detail yet. They [the embassy] will – not at regular capacity as that will Covid-19 situation had improved. by the Covid-19 pandemic, accord- ping 158 per cent. The airport wel- arrange a meeting between potential depend on the extent that Covid-19 Chansereyvutha said that despite ing to Cambodia Airports, the long- comed 1.6 million passengers in 2019. buyers and production teams to have eases and the confidence of the pas- the availability of Covid-19 jabs in standing owner and manager of the Siem Reap International Airport, a concerted dialogue until a deal is sengers,” Chansereyvutha said. the Kingdom, people remain vigi- Kingdom’s three current airports. in contrast, saw a decline of 12.3 per reached,” Ny said. Located in Koh Kong’s Botum lant and are reluctant to fly. The three international airports cent in the number of passengers, The embassy said in a statement Sakor district, the airport is being “The aviation sector has not im- welcomed 11.6 million passengers with just 3.9 million people passing that as a first step, it would hold a developed by Chinese firm Tianjin proved yet due to concerns over in 2019, marking a 10.2 per cent hike through the airport that year. meeting between the Spices Board of Union Development Group (UDG) Covid-19 infections. So, uncertainty from the previous year, Cambodia The three airports combined serve India and CPSF to explore the pos- and will reportedly be able to han- remains and we do hope that if the Airports reported. 55-plus destinations and welcome sibility of exports of Cambodian dle long-haul aircraft such as Boeing Covid-19 vaccination rollout proves In 2019, Phnom Penh Internation- 700 regular flights per week, accord- spices to India and the required phy- 777 and Airbus A340. to be relatively effective, the industry al Airport surpassed the six-million ing to Cambodia Airports. tosanitary measures. Indian and Cambodian companies would then attend a business-to- business meeting, it said. “The embassy is clear about the Retail sector feels pinch of Covid-19 outbreak quality of pepper and turmeric pro- duced in Cambodia, expecting a win- Thou Vireak in the number of patrons to Park Cafe catering businesses had been affected quiet and without customers at all for win situation for companies of the outlets during this time. during the Covid-19 epidemic. the last couple of days,” she said. two countries, which will lead to an MOST retail businesses in Phnom While he put the decline in sales at He said Tous les Jours outlets had On the other hand, Thong Sophoan, increase in bilateral trade,” the state- Penh have seen a substantial plunge about 60 per cent since February 20, felt the drop in number of customers, a kitchenware seller in Phnom Penh, ment said. in sales since the February 20 com- Sengly said online orders only saw which has weighed on the company’s said her shop’s sales have not been According to Ny, the price of non- munity transmission, which contin- slight falls. revenue. doing so well since the beginning of GI pepper had jumped from 8,000 riel ues to spread across the capital and However, he said, Park Cafe is ready “But now we are continuing to push the year, suggesting that people had ($2) at the beginning of last year to to the provinces. to adapt if the situation worsens. for more on-site delivery services. I tightened their budgets even before 15,000 riel on March 15. As of March 15, the Ministry of “If things get as severe as they did in hope the situation improves soon,” February 20. Cambodia exported 8.55 million Health has logged 810 cluster cases, China or Italy, we have a last resort – Sila said. “My sales aren’t doing so hot lately. tonnes of six major cash crops, bringing the Kingdom’s Covid-19 we’ll close the shops, only accepting The latest outbreak has also Looking back on previous days, I’d be through formal and informal chan- tally to 1,325, with 594 receiving orders for delivery and takeout,” he said. strained smaller businesses. able to sell out the 20-to-30 items I nels, worth more than $2.32 billion ongoing treatment. According to Sengly, the first Park Sopheak Leap, an employee at LN stock in just two weeks. And now I’ve last year as of December 15, accord- Heng Sengly, general manager of Cafe branch opened in 2004, with 19 Cafe in Phnom Penh, said her had them for nearly two months and ing to Minister of Agriculture, For- local restaurant chain Park Cafe Food more setting up in Phnom Penh and income had been halved since Feb- can’t rid myself of them. estry and Fisheries Sakhon. and Beverage Co Ltd, told The Post Kampong Cham province. ruary 20. She now sells less than 40 “I’m worried what’ll happen if sales In a December 24 post on his official that the latest transmission had trig- Chy Sila, director-general of CBM cups of coffee a day, a far cry from remain as poor as they are. Where am Facebook page, the minister listed the gered greater levels of anxiety and Corp Co Ltd, which brought the South 80 just a month ago. I going to get the money to pay for crops as cassava, cashew nuts, fresh fears of going out than previous out- Korean Tous les Jours bakery franchise “The recent Covid-19 outbreaks in water and electricity bills, rent or mangoes, fresh yellow bananas, pep- breaks, leading to a significant drop to the Kingdom, noted that virtually all the community have left the shop bank payments?” percorn and Pailin longan. THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 7 Business

Each of the 11 batches of wine had been made with 7.5kg of mangoes in 20-litre water jugs. SUPPLIED Community to become first mango winemaker Hin Pisei If support for the project turns out to be widespread, TBONG Khmum Piseth said he would rush to provincial farming prop up the domestic market community is on as well. tenterhooks as it However, without a commer- waitsA for its 11 20-litre batch- cial mango-processing busi- es of mango wine to ferment, ness plan or comprehensive in a new project backed by studies on packaging methods the provincial agriculture de- in tow, he stressed that this was partment as it explores new just the first rung of the ladder. opportunities for the fruit. SDAC president Um Sophea The Samaki Dambe Agricul- said he had been in talks with tural Community (SDAC) on the provincial agriculture de- March 9 started the batches partment’s senior manage- using the Keo Romiet variety ment to arrange a consultative of mango found throughout meeting with its experts on the Cambodia, with an aim to finer, more technical points of commercialise the new prod- winemaking from mangoes. uct at an industrial scale in He noted that each of the 11 what could be a first for the batches had been made with Kingdom, Department of Ag- 7.5kg of mangoes in 20-litre riculture, Forestry and Fisher- water jugs, adding that the ies director Heng Piseth told prospect of mango-wine pro- The Post on March 15. duction had garnered much at- He said the community tention from SDAC’s farmers. comprises 70 growers with “The production of man- some 30,000 trees planted go-made wine has been very across about 127ha that can good during the week. We yield an average of around 30 expect that next week [once tonnes per year. fully fermented], the wines The mango-wine operation we’ve made will be of top- is a joint initiative with the de- notch quality,” he said. partment, backed by its leader- With fresh mangoes flood- ship and senior management, ing the market during each to discover value-added uses harvest season, chipping away for domestic agricultural prod- at prices, SDAC will do its part ucts, boost incomes for grow- to ease saturation and make ers, create new jobs and exploit not only wine, but also dried local raw materials to the full- mango and jelly, Sophea said. est extent possible, he said. According to Piseth, mango is With the fermentation pro- currently grown on 2,000ha in cess taking 14 days, Piseth Tbong Khmum, yielding about noted that the product will be 30 tonnes per hectare per an- ready around March 23, add- num. Mangoes now cost about ing that results to date have 200 riel ($0.05) per kilogramme been remarkably positive. – similar to last year – and are “If the results are good, in mostly exported to Vietnam. terms of quality and in taste, The Kingdom exported I’ll do what I can to boost pro- 43,680 tonnes of fresh mangoes duction of this Keo Romiet in 2020, according to Minister wine as much as possible, as of Agriculture, Forestry and this creates another added- Fisheries Veng Sakhon, adding value option for the mango that China, Thailand, Vietnam, farmers who rely on the ex- France, Russia and South Korea port of fresh mangoes and were major markets for Cam- limited processing,” he said. bodian mango exports. 8 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Business Solar energy company Sunseap S’pore business signs agreement with Amazon sentiment turns

INGAPOREAN solar energy firm Sunseap Group has signed a long- positive for Q2 term agreement with AmazonS to export clean energy SINGAPORE companies are SCCB CEO Audrey Chia said: to the e-commerce giant looking at the second quarter “The outlook for local busi- through the national grid. with a hopeful anticipation nesses has shown signs of fur- The 62-megawatt-peak they had not expressed in the ther recovery as we enter into (MWp) of renewable energy, past 12 months, a survey the second quarter of 2021.” tapped from industrial land- found. The financial services, whole- lord JTC’s solar farms, will help Local businesses are expect- sale trade and manufacturing Amazon meet its commitment ing improved sales volume, sectors have in particular con- to achieve 100 per cent renew- net profit, selling prices, new tinued to experience sustained able energy by 2030. orders, inventory and employ- growth and demand both Sunseap was awarded one of ment levels in the April-June locally and globally, she said. two contracts under JTC’s period, according to Singapore But the construction and SolarLand phase three tender Commercial Credit Bureau’s transportation sectors were last year as part of JTC’s efforts (SCCB) quarterly Business “still experiencing a muted out- to make industrial estates more Optimism Index (BOI) released look from weakness in building environmentally friendly. on March 15. activities and a slower pace of Under the contract, Sunseap However, the optimism was border reopening amidst a glo- will install the solar systems on limited to the financial, manu- bal surge in Covid-19 cases and an estimated 40ha of temporary facturing and wholesale sec- a more contagious strain of the vacant land across Singapore. tors, while sentiments within virus”, she added. Unlike conventional fixed the construction and trans- The BOI showed that the Under the contract, Sunseap will install the solar systems on an estimated 40ha of temporary vacant land designs, these systems are across Singapore, and all the renewable energy generated will be supplied to Amazon. SUNSEAP portation sectors remained financial sector had the most modular and flexible, and can downbeat. optimistic outlook, with all six be redeployed when the land this opportunity to prove that nesses and consumers across few months, bringing the total The BOI index rose for the indicators in the positive zone. is needed for other uses. we are equally adept at install- Southeast Asia a suite of finan- to 14 across the region. third straight quarter to +3.94 The outlook for the manu- Sunseap said the project will ing ground-mount systems.” cial solutions to encourage the Frederick Chin, head of percentage points for the sec- facturing sector remained be the largest aggregated mobile Besides Singapore, Sunseap development and adoption of group wholesale banking and ond quarter of 2021, from -1.03 relatively upbeat with five of solar system designed and has projects in Cambodia, solar power. markets at UOB, said the pan- percentage points in the previ- the six indicators in the posi- installed in Singapore when it is Australia, Vietnam, mainland These solutions include pro- demic has highlighted and ous quarter, to mark the first tive territory. Sentiments with- completed next year. China and Taiwan. viding cash management and accelerated the need to do positive reading after languish- in the wholesale sector was The 62MWp generated from Another example of green green financing to solar project more to protect and preserve ing in the negative territory for also optimistic. the solar systems will amount efforts in the corporate sector developers, as well as end-to- the environment. four straight quarters. In the services sector, three to 80GWh of clean energy is UOB’s U-Solar programme, end contract-based financing He said: “Through initiatives On a year-on-year basis, the of the indicators – sales, profit annually – the equivalent of which has helped to generate solutions to engineering, pro- such as U-Solar, Asia’s first solar index jumped to +3.94 per- and new orders – signalled powering more than 10,000 nearly 160GWh of solar power curement, construction and industry ecosystem, we provide centage points from -7.88 per- potential expansion. homes in Singapore. across ASEAN since it was commissioning (EPCC) con- a platform that helps drive the centage points for the second Sentiments within the con- All the renewable energy launched in October 2019. tractors. development of the solar pow- quarter of 2020. struction sector improved generated by the plant will be This is the equivalent of The U-Solar programme is er industry and promotes the The latest survey was based slightly, with selling prices supplied to Amazon. reducing more than 77,200 part of the UOB Smart City use of renewable energy.” on responses from 200 busi- making its way into the positive Sunseap Group co-founder tonnes of carbon dioxide equiv- Sustainable Finance Frame- The bank said the U-Solar ness owners and senior execu- territory. However, most of the and president Lawrence Wu alent greenhouse gas emissions, work, which guides the bank’s programme will help to gener- tives representing major indicators were still negative. said Amazon has set a pace in or taking nearly 17,000 cars off financing efforts to support ate more than 51,000MWh of industry sectors across Singa- Sentiments within the trans- sustainability that multination- the road for a year. the development of smart and solar power in Singapore, pore, indicating the level of portation sector remained al corporations should follow. U-Solar is available in Singa- sustainable cities regionally. equal to about 4,600 cars being business confidence and sen- weak with four of the six indi- He added: “Sunseap has pore, Malaysia, Indonesia and The bank has added three taken off roads for a year. THE timents that can be used to cators in the negative territory. been a leader in rooftop instal- Thailand. Through the pro- EPCC firms to its network of STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE)/ASIA NEWS assess turning points in eco- THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE)/ASIA NEWS lations and we are grateful for gramme, UOB offers busi- U-Solar partners in the past NETWORK nomic activity and growth. NETWORK VN to tax overseas sellers China industrial output, retail sales surge CHINA’S industrial output and retail sales on e-commerce platforms surged in the first two months of the year, THE Vietnamese tax watchdog accounts to pay taxes online. official data showed on March 15, under- hopes to tax sellers based in After the first successful tax scoring the country’s recovery from the foreign countries but operat- registration, overseas suppli- coronavirus pandemic. ing e-commerce businesses in ers would be provided with a Industrial production spiked a forecast- Vietnam. username and password to busting 35.1 per cent year-on-year, the The Ministry of Finance declare and pay taxes on the biggest bounce in decades, while retail recently said the Law on Tax department’s e-portal. sales also beat expectations with 33.8 per Management No 38/2019/ Ten-digit tax codes would be cent growth. QH14 stipulated that e-com- provided for overseas suppli- But the National Bureau of Statistics merce businesses and digital- ers and authorised agencies. (NBS) said the latest surge was in part due based businesses and other E-commerce has boomed in to distortions from last year’s “low base in services provided by overseas Vietnam in recent years, espe- the same period”. suppliers without an entity in cially in 2020 amid the Covid- Both indicators plunged in the early Vietnam must directly or 19 pandemic. months of 2020 after Covid-19 surfaced authorise others to implement The department’s deputy in central China and spread rapidly tax registration, declaration director-general Dang Ngoc around the country. and payment in the country. Minh said a number of new tax But the world’s second-largest economy The ministry is compiling a regulations that will take effect became the first to bounce back after circular to provide detailed this year are expected to con- imposing strict lockdowns and virus con- Strict lockdowns and virus control measures helped China’s economy bounce back from Covid-19 and clock a full-year economic growth of 2.3 per cent. AFP instructions for this regulation tribute to preventing tax avoid- trol measures, clocking a full-year eco- which was recently made pub- ance, especially in e-com- nomic growth of 2.3 per cent. towns because of Covid-19 restrictions, ers in unofficial employment. lic for comments. merce and digital-based “After removing the base effect, the meaning some factories remained open “Even though we do see improvement Overseas suppliers on e-com- businesses. growth of main indicators is stable and through the holiday or reopened sooner. on the global economic environment, they merce and digital platforms The Ministry of Industry and macro indicators are in a reasonable “We expect activity to remain strong in are still very cautious,” said OCBC Bank’s were new tax subjects that Trade’s report showed about range,” said NBS. the near-term, as the easing of virus head of Greater China research Tommy required detailed regulations to 53 per cent of the population Data for January-February were released restrictions boosts consumption and fis- Xie, on the issue of unemployment. collect taxes efficiently, the did online shopping made together to eliminate the influence of cal stimulus among key trading partners He noted that the urban unemployment ministry said. e-commerce to expand at 18 uncertainties brought about by the Lunar should keep exports strong,” said Capital rate remains within the government’s target, Under the draft, overseas per cent in 2020 to reach a New Year holiday, which typically falls Economics senior China economist Julian adding that the caution was likely due to suppliers were asked to regis- $11.8 billion market. within this period. Evans-Pritchard. another potential record number of gradu- ter for online tax transactions E-commerce revenue was Industrial output in the first two months Urban unemployment rose to 5.5 per ates entering the job market this year. via the e-portal of the General estimated to account for 5.5 rose 16.9 per cent. cent in February, up from 5.2 per cent in He added that there is an “uneven recov- Department of Taxation. per cent of the total retail sales Industrial activity was likely boosted by December, March 15’s data showed, but ery” ongoing as well, with smaller firms and Overseas suppliers could of goods and services. VIET NAM the fact that many migrant workers were experts warn that the real rate might be industries such as travel not fully recovered register several banking NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK discouraged from returning to their home- higher owing to the high number of work- from the coronavirus hit. AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 9

www.phnompenhpost.com/post-focus Corporate responsibility

Royal Group CEO Kith Meng (right) and Mao Chamnan (second right) are regular donors to the Cambodian Red Cross, of which Prime Minister Hun Sen’s wife Bun Rany is the president. supplied Royal Group CEO: ’A business that cares a lot about our community’

he Royal Group’s phil- chairman and CEO Kith Meng. uted $3 million to assist the grained within the Royal Group To support and improve Covid-19 further highlighting anthropic philosophy has The home-grown conglomer- government in procuring a and its subsidiaries. the lives of people, especially the need to “give back”, T touched lives in all seg- ate has spent millions of dollars vaccine against the corona- Wing (Cambodia) Special- underprivileged children, the Royal Group’s recent ments of Cambodian society. on its diverse range of CSR virus threat. ized Bank, which is part of the the Royal Group’s Infinity endeavours demonstrate its The group’s people-oriented programmes, which are now Their financial contribu- Royal Group, has contributed Insurance – the largest continued commitment to lead corporate social responsibility entrenched as a comprehensive tions to tackle the pandemic $100,000 to tuk-tuk drivers who Cambodian-owned insurer – the way with its wide-ranging (CSR) initiatives continue seek- business strategy – ready to started early last year when lost income during the Covid-19 has partnered with Sustainable CSR projects in support of ing to improve the quality of assist Prime Minister Hun Sen’s they donated $500,000 when outbreak. Cambodia, the Komar Pikar the government’s vision for life in underprivileged commu- programmes for social good the first incident was reported Wing has also been actively Foundation and Riverkids. a progressive and innovative nities, reskilling workers and during challenging times. in Cambodia. involved in various charitable In such ways, and with nation. addressing education to health The Royal Group’s CSR ef- The group’s Cambodian activities, such as the Kantha issues, as well as assisting the forts this year are very much Broadcasting Service (CBS) Bopha Foundation and Smile Kingdom during disasters. focused on Covid-19-related has also used its position as a Cambodia – an NGO that pro- “It is very important to live activities. leading broadcaster to play a vides free surgery for children by the principles of our or- Kith Meng and his wife Mao key role in providing reliable suffering from facial deformities. ganisation and to demonstrate Chamnan recently donated information to the public about The couple are regular donors what we stand for, especially $3 million to fight the recent Covid-19 health risks since its to the Cambodian Red Cross, in critical times. We are a busi- outbreak – termed the February outbreak early last year. and on every World Red Cross ness that cares a lot about our 20 Community Event. This shared value of giving and Red Crescent Day – which community,” said Royal Group Prior to that, they contrib- back to society is deeply in- is celebrated on May 8 – they donate $500,000 to the largest humanitarian organisation in the Kingdom. Kith Meng and Mao Cham- nan’s charity works have also touched the Kantha Bopha Hos- Wing hands over a donation to the Angkor Hospital for Children. supplied pital, where they are patrons. In 2018, they donated 1,372 square metres of land valued at $8 million to the Cambodia Kan- tha Bopha Foundation, which was established by Hun Sen. Their humanitarian assis- tance also reached victims of last October’s severe flooding, when they donated $200,000, while mobile network opera- tor Cellcard, another company under the Royal Group, offered free mobile services to flood vic- tims, medical professionals and rescue teams involved in natural Ezecom, a subsidiary of the Royal Group, carries out a CSR project. supplied disaster relief operations. Relief efforts after severe flooding last year. supplied 10 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com World US’ Biden, Pelosi sidestep calling on New York state governor Cuomo to resign

US President Joe Biden on Cuomo’s accusers, most of Sunday sidestepped questions them women who worked in on whether New York governor the state government with him, Andrew Cuomo should resign “must be treated with respect,” over sexual misconduct allega- Pelosi said in carefully worded tions, while House Speaker comments on ABC’s This Week Nancy Pelosi said the state programme earlier on Sunday, leader should “look inside his adding that “they are credible heart” to decide if he can gov- and serious charges”. ern. She added: “The governor The pair stopped short of should look inside his heart – joining a growing list of other he loves New York – to see if he politicians, including many fel- can govern effectively.” low Democrats, in demanding Cuomo, who at 63 has been Cuomo’s resignation. governor for the last 10 years, Exiting Marine One on Sun- has repeatedly denied acting in day, Biden told a reporter that any way he considered “inap- “the investigation is underway propriate”. and we should see what it He has shrugged off the calls brings us”. to resign, asking people to wait Eight women have come for- for the results of several inves- German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks on at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin on March 10. pOOL/AFP ward since last month to tigations, including one being denounce what they said were led by the state’s attorney gen- inappropriate words and ges- eral, Letitia James. tures from Cuomo. One former Pelosi told ABC that she had employee said he slipped his “zero tolerance for sexual Merkel’s party suffers losses hand under her blouse in an harassment” and said Cuomo’s incident act last year. accusers should be listened to. New York’s senior senator, But she said both the women Chuck Schumer, now the and Cuomo “deserve to hear in two German regional polls majority leader in the US Sen- the results of these investiga- ate, is among those who have tions”, adding that she had con- erman Chancellor Angela fice since 2011. If confirmed, the results mark a- wor explicitly called for the gover- fidence in the state’s attorney Merkel’s conservative party He could now choose to maintain his rying start for the CDU/CSU to what has nor to step down. general. AFP suffered heavy losses in two current coalition government with the been dubbed Germany’s “super election key regional elections on Sun- CDU, or build a new one with the cen- year”. day,G early estimates showed, as voters tre-left SPD and the pro-business FDP, Merkel’s federal government, which in- vented anger over pandemic setbacks which each took around 10 per cent of cludes the SPD as junior partner, initially and a face-mask procurement scandal. votes. won praise at home and abroad for sup- The votes in the southwestern states In neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate, pressing the first coronavirus wave last of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland- the CDU placed second with 25-26 per spring. Palatinate were being closely watched as cent of votes, down from almost 32 per But it has increasingly come under a barometer of the national mood ahead cent in the previous regional election. fire over Germany’s sluggish vaccination of a general election on September 26 – The centre-left SPD shed some sup- campaign, a delayed start to free rapid when Merkel’s successor will be chosen. port but held onto first place, at 33-34 testing, and a resurgence in cases despite In wealthy Baden-Wuerttemberg, per cent, according to the estimates. months of shutdown. Merkel’s centre-right CDU was set for its The result paves the way for popular The CDU and its Bavarian CSU sister worst-ever result at 23 per cent, accord- SPD state premier Malu Dreyer to con- party have also been roiled by damaging ing to exit polls by public broadcasters tinue governing with the pro-business claims about members of Parliament ap- ARD and ZDF. FDP and the Greens, who more than parently benefitting financially from face As in the 2016 vote, the Green party doubled their score. mask deals early on in the pandemic, took first place again, garnering more Because of the pandemic, a higher forcing three lawmakers to step down in than 31 per cent. than usual number of votes were cast by recent days. Baden-Wuerttemberg is Germany’s mail, and observers cautioned that the The mask scandal “weighed heavily on only state run by a Green premier, Win- final results could still change as ballots the election fight”, said CDU secretary- US President Joe Biden talks to members of the press on the South Lawn fried Kretschmann, who has been in of- continued to be counted. general Paul Ziemiak. AFP upon returning to the White House in Washington, DC on Sunday. AFP Women across Oz march against gender violence, inequality Women protested across Aus- the conservative government. of sexual assault in the nation’s senior minister, with lawyers “We fundamentally recognise Sydney. Several thousand also tralia on Monday against sexual The #March4Justice rallies parliament. saying the attorney-general the system is broken, the glass rallied in Porter’s hometown of violence and gender inequality, were held in more than 40 Aus- Dressed in mostly black, the was “easily identifiable” in the ceiling is still in place, she said. Perth on Sunday. with tens of thousands hitting the tralian cities and towns, with crowd gathered outside Parlia- article and has since been sub- “We are here because it is “Evil thrives in silence,” sex- streets as outrage grew over rape a major demonstration in ment House holding aloft jected to “trial by media”. unfathomable that we are still ual abuse survivor and Aus- allegations that have convulsed Canberra following allegations placards with slogans includ- Local media also reported that having to fight this same stale, tralian of the Year Grace Tame ing “You’re Not Listening”, women in the opposition Labor tired fight.” told the crowd in Hobart. “How Many Victims Do You party had recently set up a Face- Organisers of Monday’s ral- “Behaviour unspoken, Know?” and “I Believe Her”. book page that details alleged lies declined an offer from behaviour ignored, is behav- Former government staffer sexual harassment by male col- Prime Minister Scott Morrison iour endorsed.” Brittany Higgins alleged pub- leagues and politicians. to speak with them privately, The #March4Justice is licly last month that she had The government has ordered saying attending a closed-door demanding a raft of measures been raped by a colleague in a an independent inquiry into meeting would be “disrespect- including independent investi- minister’s office in 2019. parliament’s workplace cul- ful” to alleged victims. gations into all cases of gendered And earlier this month, Attor- ture and established new sup- “I think the prime minister, if violence, a boost in public fund- ney-General Christian Porter port services for staff. he really cared about women, ing for prevention and the imple- vigorously denied swirling But critics say systemic change really cared about our voices . . . mentation of recommendations accusations that he had raped is needed – not just in politics he [could] open the door, walk from a 2020 national inquiry into a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when but across Australian society. across the forecourt and come sexual harassment at work. they were both students. Higgins told the crowd in and listen to us,” organiser Australia’s parliament has On Monday, Porter launched Canberra her story was “a Janine Hendry told the ABC. been repeatedly criticised for a defamation proceedings painful reminder to women An estimated 10,000 joined “toxic” workplace culture that against public broadcaster that it can happen in Parlia- the protest in Melbourne, with has allegedly spawned persist- People attend a protest against sexual violence and gender inequality ABC, which first published the ment House, and can truly thousands more in major cit- ent bullying, harassment and in Melbourne on Monday. AFP allegations against an unnamed happen anywhere”. ies including Canberra and sexual assault. AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 11 ASEAN Thai gov’t Myanmar declares martial law in urges calm after sudden Yangon townships after deadly day Covid spike yanmar’s junta Thailand’s Ministry of Pub- late on March 14 lic Health has urged people to imposed mar- avoid panic and remain cau- tial law in two tious after a sudden surge in Mdensely populated Yangon Covid-19 cases in Bangkok. townships after at least 18 Deputy Prime Minister and protesters were killed in one Minister of Public Health of the deadliest days since the Anutin Charnvirakul, along February 1 coup. with Dr Opas Karnawinpong, March 14’s violence brings the director-general of the the number of people killed in Department of Disease Con- mass protests since the mili- trol (DDC), went on March 14 tary wrenched civilian leader to inspect a proactive testing Aung San Suu Kyi from power operation in Wang Thong vil- to around 100, though activ- lage in Bangkok’s Nong ists and rights groups believe Khaem district, after it was it could be higher. found that people in the vil- The junta has repeatedly lage had visited Bang Khae justified its power grab by al- Market, a Covid-19 hotspot in leging widespread electoral the capital. fraud in November’s elections, Anutin told people while vis- which Suu Kyi’s National iting the area to stop worrying League for Democracy (NLD) about the infection, and that party won by a landslide. March 14’s proactive screening State-run media announced was already in line with the late on March 14 that Yangon’s proactive patient search mech- massive Hlaing Tharyar town- anism of the public health sys- ship and the neighbouring tem for disease control. If an Shwepyitha township will be infected person is found, they placed under martial law. will be taken into the system for The vast and impoverished further treatment. townships are known as facto- The minister also revealed ry hubs and home to garment that the government was nego- factories. tiating with Sinovac to pur- The junta “gives administra- chase an additional five million tive and judicial martial law doses of vaccine, as reserve. power to the Yangon regional However, he insisted that Astra- commander . . . to perform Zeneca would be the main vac- security, maintain the rule of cine and would be ready for law and tranquility more ef- mass inoculation from May. fectively,” said an announcer The Bangkok Metropolitan on state-run TV. Security forces stand guard during a demonstration by protesters against the military coup in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar township on Sunday. STR/AFP Administration (BMA) will start Soldiers and police have in Covid-19 vaccination by March recent weeks been staging tors wounded when the se- heard gunshots continuously breaking accounts of killings, regime to return power to the 15 for people with underlying near-daily crackdowns against curity forces opened fire, but throughout the day, while mil- mistreatment of demonstra- elected civilian officials. medical conditions, according demonstrators calling for a re- a doctor said not all could be itary trucks were seen driving tors and torture of prisoners” Hours before violence to the health service depart- turn to democracy, using tear reached. through the smoky streets. from contacts in Myanmar. erupted in Hlaing Tharyar a ment. gas and firing rubber bullets “I can confirm 15 have The UN’s envoy for Myan- The ongoing brutality “se- police officer posted a TikTok He added that the govern- and live rounds to quell anti- died,” the doctor said, adding mar strongly condemned the verely undermines any pros- video saying in a voiceover ment was accelerating delivery coup protests. that she had treated about 50 bloodshed, stating that the pects for peace and stability” that security forces would be of vaccine to the people. In Hlaing Tharyar township people and expects the death international community, “in- in the country, she said. bringing heavy weaponry into In the meantime, he urged police and soldiers clashed toll to climb. cluding regional actors, must Former colonial power Brit- the township. people to be careful and fully violently, with protesters The Assistance Association come together in solidarity ain said it was “appalled” by “I will not have mercy on protect themselves. wielding sticks and knives and for Political Prisoners moni- with the people of Myanmar the use of force “against inno- Hlaing Tharyar and they will Dr Opas confirmed 80 new rushing for protection behind toring group – which verifies and their democratic aspira- cent people.” fight back seriously too be- cases from markets in Bang- makeshift barricades. arrests and fatalities since the tions”. A statement signed by Brit- cause there are all kinds of khae district, adding the source Protesters using cut-out coup – gave a higher death Envoy Christine Schraner ish ambassador Dan Chugg characters there,” said the of the infection was being trash cans as shields managed toll. Burgener said in the statement called for an “immediate ces- officer under the account investigated. THE NATION (THAILAND)/ to rescue some demonstra- Residents hiding at home that she had heard “heart- sation” of violence and for the @aungthuraphyo40. AFP ASIA NEWS NETWORK Philippines faces ‘learning crisis’ after yearlong school shutdown

Andrix Serrano studies alone internet for his shuttered classrooms across the country on the wall behind him. After class, Navales visits Ser- are falling even further behind inside a Manila slum shack he school’s online lessons. remain empty and children are “It’s fun in school. It’s easier rano and other students who and those that have dropped shares with his street-sweeper A year after the coronavirus still stuck at home. to learn there.” are struggling to keep up – and out might not come back to the grandmother. Like many in his pandemic sent the Philippines Fearing youngsters could The nine-year-old’s science delivers bags of vegetables to classroom. fourth-grade class, he has no into a months-long lockdown, catch the virus and infect eld- teacher, Kristhean Navales, their families. “Covid is affecting all school erly relatives, President Rodrigo runs a class over Facebook He worries that his students systems in the world, but here Duterte refuses to lift the Messenger but less than half of are not learning much and he’s it is even worse,” said Isy Fain- restrictions until vaccinations his 43 students have access to frustrated by the government’s gold, UNICEF’s education chief are widespread – something a device. failure to prepare schools for a in the Philippines. that could take years. Using heart and thumb emo- return to in-person classes. Classroom closures also leave A “blended learning” pro- jis, those that can join signal if “Their right to education children at greater risk of sexu- gramme involving online class- they have understood or have should not be hampered by this al violence, teenage pregnancy es, printed materials and les- questions about the lesson pandemic,” he said. and recruitment by armed sons broadcast on television Navales has pasted into the groups, he said. and social media was launched group chat. Stay-at-home order A stay-at-home order for chil- in October, four months after They don’t always have inter- Fifteen-year-olds in the Phil- dren under 15 makes it even the school year was supposed net and what data they have ippines were already at or near more dangerous. to start. isn’t enough for video calls. the bottom in reading, math- Many parents have flouted It has been plagued with “Subjects that require hands- ematics and science, according the order, allowing their chil- problems – most students in the on activity like science, math- to data from the Organisation dren to play in parks or on the Philippines don’t have a com- ematics – how can we do that for Economic Coooperation street. But it’s taking a toll on puter or internet at home. in the messenger?” Navales and Development (OECD). their development. “I can’t do it, it’s difficult for asked. But since the school shut- The rule was briefly lifted for me,” said Serrano, sitting in his The rest of his students rely on down enrolments have dropped some children in January but Andrix Serrano (centre) reviews lessons with his teacher Kristhean shack next to a polluted river, printed materials that have by more than a million, the UN’s Duterte quickly reimposed it, Navales (right) at a home in an informal settlers area in Quezon City, with a photo of him wearing a been simplified by the school to children agency estimates. telling them to watch television suburban Manila. AFP class graduation gown hanging ease the burden on children. Experts worry many students instead. AFP 12 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Opinion

www.phnompenhpost.com Sustainable Development Goals can EDITORIAL PERSONNEL Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Ly Tayseng Managing Editor Post Khmer guide Asia-Pacific to build back better Sam Rith Deputy Chief of Staff Phak Seangly Opinion Business Editor Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana May Kunmakara Deputy Business Editor HE Covid-19 crisis Sangeetha Amarthalingam poses an unprece- Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk dented threat to Pan Simala development in the Senior Reporters Asia-PacificT region that could Meas Sokchea, Niem Chheng reverse much of the hard- Reporters earned progress made in Khouth Sophak Chakrya, Kim Sarom, recent years. The good news Long Kimmarita, Hin Pisei, Mom Kunthear, is we know how to tackle this Hong Raksmey, Pann Rethea, Voun Dara, challenge. Recovery from the Roth Sochieata, Orm Bunthoeurn, pandemic and our global Lay Samean, Thou Vireak, Nov Sivutha efforts to deliver the UN Sus- Photographers tainable Development Goals Heng Chivoan, Hong Menea, Hean Rangsey (SDGs) by 2030 must go Web Editor hand-in-hand. The Goals Leang Phannara provide a compass to navi- Digital Team gate this crisis, faster and Sous Chanthy, Pang Vichea, Suy Sovandy greener, everywhere and for SIEM REAP BUREAU everyone. Offi ce Manager Results from the 2021 edi- Sophearith Blondeel tion of the Asia and the Pacif- PRODUCTION & PRINTING ic SDG Progress Report pub- Head of Desktop Publishing lished today by the UN Nhim Sokphyrak Economic and Social Com- Desktop Publishing mission for Asia and the Suon Savatdy, Chum Sokunthy, Danh Borath Pacific (ESCAP) show that the Tep Thoeun Thyda, Tim Borith, Than Veasna region fell short of its 2020 milestones for the Goals, even before entering the glo- bal pandemic. The region must accelerate progress eve- HEAD OFFICE rywhere and urgently reverse Post Media Co., Ltd. its regressing trends on many The Elements Condominium Level 7, of the Goals and targets to Hun Sen Boulevard, Phum Prek Talong, achieve the ambitions of the Sangkat Chak Angre Krom,12353, Phnom 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Children attend a class in a monastery-turned-temporary shelter for internally displaced people (IDP) in Hsipaw of Myanmar’s Shan state on Penh, Cambodia January 13, 2019. AFP Development. Tel: 023 888 161, 023 888 162 In the last decade, Asia and vation in the new ESCAP that our unsustainable con- recent years as more coun- Cellcard: 078 555 166, 078 555 133 pandemic’s negative environ- the Pacific has made extraor- report is regressing climate Smart: 086 822 999, 086 277 999 sumption and production tries prioritise the SDGs. mental impacts have already dinary progress in good SIEM REAP action trends (Goal 13) and put unbearable pressure on However, challenges remain, emerged. Additionally, there No 629, Street 6, Dangkum Commune health and well-being (Goal life below water (Goal 14). ecosystems. Unless there is a and we need to do more to are concerns that the eco- Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 3), which may partly explain The Asia-Pacific region is transformative change fill data gaps on nearly half of nomic recession caused by COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT its relative success in reduc- responsible for more than towards a sustainable future, the official indicators without Covid-19 might lead to a Chief Operating Offi cer ing the health impact of the half of the global greenhouse pandemics will emerge more sufficient data to tell us the decline in investment in pro- James Ong Soon Teck Covid-19 pandemic on its gas emissions. Adverse often, with more damage to true story of progress. tecting natural environments. Advertising Department population. Yet despite these impacts of natural disasters our societies and economies. It is too soon to see the real Recovery measures are an Chap Narith, 017 996 241 hard-won gains, the region on people and economies Wildlife and ecosystem con- impact of the Covid-19 pan- excellent opportunity for us Hun Channet, 017 578 768 faces many challenges, such demic on progress towards to rethink our options for Prach Monnyreak, 015 239 293 as providing an adequate Unless there is transformative the SDGs. However, early development pathways that Keo Puthy, 012 966 605 healthcare workforce, reduc- studies from UN agencies in are inclusive, more resilient Phon Sok Chea, 012 717 404 ing premature deaths and change towards a sustainable the Asia-Pacific region show and respect planetary Jessa Piastro, 092 445 983 improving mental health. future, pandemics will no single Goal is safe against boundaries. As we enter the CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION As we find our way out of the pandemic’s negative Decade of Action to deliver Acting Distribution Manager this pandemic, we must focus emerge more often impact. In particular, the the 2030 Agenda, we need to Thenh Rithy, 087 888 854 efforts on more equitable and “leave no one behind” objec- reinforce our collective com- Circulation Supervisor greener growth. The environ- increase year-by-year. The servation are vital to prevent tive of the SDGs is at high risk. mitment to the SDGs and let Nou Chanthy, 096 999 2828 ment and the most vulnerable quality of the oceans contin- future pandemics and the Early data show that mothers it provide our compass for Yim Veasna, 015 814 499 population groups should not ues to deteriorate due to transfer of diseases from and children, students, infor- building back together, better ADMINISTRATION pay the price for our econom- unsustainable human activi- animals to humans. mal workers, the poor, elderly, and greener. Admin & HR Manager ic ambitions and rapid indus- ties, and economic gains Robust evaluation of refugees and asylum seekers Pich Socheat trialisation (Goal 9, another from sustainable fisheries are progress on the SDGs is dis- are extremely vulnerable. The author is UN undersecretary- Assistants Admin & HR Manager area of progress for the decreasing. rupted by lack of data. Data Simultaneously, despite a general and executive secretary of the Nhel Soaphea region). The Covid-19 pandemic availability on the indicators short-term dip in air pollution UN Economic and Social Commission Financial Director The most alarming obser- was another urgent signal has increased in the region in during strict lockdowns, the for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) Heang Tangmeng Chief Accountant Sren Vicheka Treasurers Sok Sophorn, Yon Sovannara, Cheam Sopheak, Huy Hamsovannary IT Manager Seng Nak, Vong Oun

TO CONTACT US [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.phnompenhpost.com © Post Media Co., Ltd The Phnom Penh Post is wholly owned and printed by Post Media Co., Ltd. The title The Phnom Penh Post in either English or Khmer languages, its associ- ated logos or devices and the contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of Post Media Co., Ltd. www.phnompenhpost.com THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 13 Lifestyle Broadway sees light at the end of the summer after dark year e will be back!” a handful of productions – three musicals who in 2018 became the first transgen- dozen singers pro- and two plays – have definitively thrown der woman to play the leading role in a claimed in the middle in the towel. Broadway musical Head Over Heels. of New York City’s That leaves 31 shows positioned to “I can sing in the shower all day long,” Times‘W Square, in a pop-up event com- start up again in the fall, along with a few she said. “But when you get to hear memorating the one-year anniversary new additions, including a revival of The somebody, see somebody’s reaction of Broadway going dim. A clear sense Music Man and MJ: The Musical, with and see that it affects them, and then if of optimism filled the air – despite the music and lyrics by Michael Jackson. that affects you, that’s an emotional ex- “Closed” signs still darkening the doors Musicians, actors and technicians change.” of nearby theatres. are largely surviving on unemployment Redmond has found work only on tele- With the latest wave of Covid-19 now benefits, most with no health insurance, vision and in cinema for the past year, under control, amid a massive vaccina- though the stimulus package passed this but there’s no rust in her voice, which tion programme and as some theatres week by the US Congress might help, St she lent to the character of Olaf the Ayaal Fyodorov (left), 28, one of the designers poses with a man wearing partially reopen, the US city is “definitely Martin said. snowman in Broadway’s Frozen. a costume of the StarWars protagonist Din Djarin. AFP starting to get some more life right now”, But some performers or stage hands “You know, we’ve been doing a lot of said Ryann Redmond, who performed in have given up for good. Craddock took Zoom musicals and lots of voice record- the musical Frozen before the pandemic some software classes, and he almost ings at home,” she said. “So I’ve just been Russian Star Wars fans forced Broadway’s closing on March 12, became an insurance agent. trying to keep it going, because it is a last year. “But I realised my talents are not in muscle, like an athlete – so just trying to “People need it more than I think the financial services, insurance and infor- do it every day.” build Mandalorian whole world understands,” Redmond mation technology,” he said. Disney permanently cancelled Frozen said as she participated in the event “I have honed my skills, playing drums last May, but Redmond said she hopes alongside three or four dozen other ac- for the past 45 years. I’m not going to to find “something else” when Broadway spaceship in Siberia tors and dancers. give this up. This is what I do best.” reopens. Despite a decision by New York state Nor has a year out of the spotlight Even if the performers gathered at Star Wars fans in Russia have the series’ second season. governor Andrew Cuomo to allow the- dampened the passions of many other Times Square on March 12 seemed ready built a giant replica of a space- “We were very much moti- atres to reopen at 33 per cent capacity, Broadway professionals. to return to the stage at the drop of a hat, ship from the spinoff series The vated to make it. As if we were with a maximum of 100 people indoors On March 12 at Times Square, when St Martin said most Broadway produc- Mandalorian and installed it in inside the TV series and rebuild- as of April 2, the hard reality is that the first familiar notes of George Ben- tions need at least three or four months a park in one of the world’s ing the ship,” Fyodorov said. Broadway, with its compact theatres and son’s On Broadway sounded, a powerful to resume operations. coldest cities. He estimated the project cost huge production costs, won’t be joining chorus of voices – some quavering with “So ideally,” she added, “we’ll be told The model of the Razor Crest more than 750,000 rubles them right away. emotion – quickly joined in. June 1 if we’re going to be able to open in – a gunship used by the hit TV ($10,200). “We’re thrilled that he’s doing it,” Char- “It was wonderful,” said Peppermint, September.” AFP show’s mysterious bounty hunt- Fyodorov first used his sav- lotte St Martin, president of The Broad- er to roam the galaxy’s outer ings, then sold his car, then way League association of producers reaches – now sits on a snow- asked ordinary Russians and and theatre managers, said of the gover- covered hill in a park in the east- companies to pitch in. nor’s plan, but “we’re still looking at the ern Siberian city of Yakutsk. He is proud of the result. fall”. “The ship weighs more than a “This is the only such cosplay Broadway theatres need to fill at least tonne,” Ayaal Fyodorov, 28, said, ship in the world,” he said, 75 per cent of their seats if reopening is adding that it had taken him and standing next to his creation. to make any economic sense, she said. his cosplayer friends around The space vessel has become And despite the governor’s announce- three months to build it. a major point of attraction for ment, local authorities, she added, have The sci-fi vessel, which stands locals and tourists alike and has yet to decide when, or under what con- 4m tall, has been made from won praise from experts in a ditions, theatres can reopen. fibreboard, metal and plastic region known for its booming Everyone is counting on an indication foam. film industry. from Anthony Fauci, the White House The makers sought to metic- “Honestly, I did not expect coronavirus adviser, who said in January ulously recreate the spacecraft’s this to turn out so well,” said that theatres should be able to reopen interior and the vessel even has Semyon Shishigin, head of by “early to mid-fall” with an end to the a lowering ramp and a seat for Taragai Cinema, a local film pandemic finally in sight. Baby Yoda, a small creature studio, who recently brought “There has to be a plan,” said Clayton with whom the protagonist, his family to the park to look at Craddock, a drummer who was working Din Djarin, forms an unlikely the ship. with the musical Ain’t Too Proud until bond. “I see that there are lots of the theatres shut down. Fyodorov said he and his locals here, and most of them Despite losing 12 months of revenue Performers participate in ‘We Will Be Back’, a live pop-up event and commemoration of Broadway’s friends were “shocked” to see came to see the ship. That’s just and probably six more to come, only a ‘lost year’ at New York’s Times Square. AFP the ship getting destroyed in fantastic!” AFP Museums, coins to mark Greek revolution bicentenary

Hundreds of rare items dat- centenary events scaled back to the Philhellene foreign vol- Items on display include eight-month exhibit with reproductions of coins mint- ing to the 1821 Greek revolu- because of the Covid-19 pan- unteers who fought and died Byron’s weapons, a letter by over 1,200 items, its largest ed in 1828 and 1832. tion go on virtual display in demic. for Greece will be inaugurated US revolutionary war hero ever, on Greek history from The Greek state will also Athens this month, with bi- A new museum dedicated next month, featuring con- and French aristocrat the 1770 to 1870. issue 1.5 million commemo- temporary paintings, weap- Marquis de Lafayette, early Among priceless items on rative €2 coins showing the ons, ornaments and personal drawings of the Greek revolu- display at the Benaki is a wall- Greek flag and laurel wreaths. items of the fighters, among tionary flag, and the logbook sized political map of the Bal- According to reports, them celebrated 19th century of a warship that participated kans and Greece published in French President Emmanuel poet Lord Byron. in the pivotal naval Battle of Vienna in 1796-1797. Macron, Prince Charles of “The Philhellenic movement Navarino that led to Greek in- The map by Rigas Feraios, Britain and Russian Prime seduced all social classes . . . it dependence. a liberation pioneer who Minister Mikhail Mishustin was a vertical and horizon- Two key Greek museums sought aid from Napoleon have been invited to attend tal movement without prec- are also holding exhibitions Bonaparte and was impris- Greece’s annual Indepen- edent,” says museum founder to mark the revolution against oned and murdered by the dence Day parade in Athens Constantinos Velentzas, a pri- Turkish rule. Turks, helped inspire the on March 25 – the date tradi- vate collector and IT entrepre- Greece’s National Gallery Greek revolution against the tionally associated with the neur. will reopen on March 24 after Ottoman Empire. start of the revolution. “We are preparing a 3D vir- an extensive eight-year reno- A committee overseeing But government spokes- tual tour. We have to address vation that more than dou- this year’s commemoration woman Aristotelia Peloni this a wide public that is not only bled its display capacity. events has produced over a week said the leaders’ visit will Philhellenism Museum founder Constantinos Velentzas poses at the based in Greece,” he said this And the Benaki Museum dozen limited-edition coins be carried out “if pandemic entrance to the new museum. AFP week. earlier in March opened an for the bicentenary, including developments permit it”. AFP 14 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Lifestyle Thinking caps

US country singer Miranda Lambert performs during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony broadcast live from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on March 14. AFP Stars of music world stage glam Grammy red carpet TV revival apper Megan Thee dress studded with plenty a leather jacket, matching Stallion, the queen of of sequins, pearl beads and pants and a green boa – all by the hot girl summer, crystals. Gucci – to sing the song. sizzled on the Gram- She told E! network that the On the red carpet and to ac- mysR red carpet on Sunday as Thom Browne creation in fact cept his award, Styles wore a “CR-UNCH TIME” music’s biggest stars emerged was the initial inspiration for yellow-checked jacket and a from a year of pandemic lock- what became her look, not- purple boa. ACROSS 49 The end, musically 18 A wife of Henry VIII downs in their best couture. ing: “I asked for it. I basically “This is Harry’s first Gram- 1 They give a hoot 50 Catch for a Florida fisherman 22 Wilson of “The Grand Budapest At the Emmys last year stole it.” mys, and so we wanted to 5 Put in the fridge 51 Periodic payment Hotel” and the Golden Globes last Of course, there was mask do something that felt Brit- 10 Not a nice film 54 Chicken part 24 Baldwin and Templeton month, red carpets were couture – Taylor Swift perhaps ish and eccentric,” his stylist 14 Pullman track 58 Be a good couch potato 25 Art of writing verse muted affairs, with only a did it best, with flower appli- Harry Lambert told Vogue. 15 Flood embankment 59 Orchard grumps? 27 Guiding beliefs of a group 62 Tablet company few stars actually in atten- ques all over her face covering “A little bit rock ‘n’ roll and a 16 Middle word of Descartes’ 28 Racial equality org. 63 Mitigator dance – and the rest Zoom- to match her blossoming Os- little bit camp.” conclusion 29 Found fault with 64 Small amount of Greek? ing in from home, in either car de la Renta mini dress. Rapper DaBaby hit the red 17 Uneasy, eerie sensation 31 Enveloping qualities 19 Frigid 65 Fancy dressers of 1960s London gowns or pajamas. carpet in a wild patterned suit 32 Impolite glances Feather boas and studded 20 From the mountains of Peru 66 Wanda of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” But music’s biggest night with a green and red hat. When 35 Emmy winner Lucci gloves 21 Dustin Hoffman movie 67 Sign of sorrow – always the event with the he hit the stage to perform 39 Trouble spot for Indiana Jones 23 Defeated king of Troy DOWN boldest looks – featured a Naturally the men of music Rockstar, he changed into a 41 Prime minister’s assistant 26 They’re “company” 1 Ocean predator more traditional fashion pa- were not to be outdone. white suit with studded gloves. 42 Batting coach’s concerns rade, as many of the industry’s British singer Harry Styles, And finally to join DuaLipa 27 Completely surround 2 Alert of danger 30 Like some teas 3 Emulated Pinocchio 43 Weather map lines top names were due to per- who won his first-ever Grammy for “Levitating,” he rocked a 46 Lasso wielders form outside in Los Angeles as for Best Pop Solo Performance pale pink suit to match her 33 Empty truck’s weight 4 More heavy-eyed 34 Causes to attack 48 Part of BBC (Abbr.) part of the gala. for Watermelon Sugar, donned dreamy pastel look. 5 Places for nonresident patients 36 Feel remorse over 51 Grand ___ home run Megan, who won the cov- 6 Lobster’s mother 37 Small margin of victory 52 Shell food? eted Grammy for Best New 7 “So ___ heard!” 38 Grand ___ (wine phrase) 53 Heavy low cart Artist and a second for Best 8 “___ We Forget” 39 Desertlike 55 Shower gel ingredient, often Rap Performance, slayed in a 9 Basutoland, today 40 Hept- plus one 56 ___ record (make history) bright orange strapless Dolce 10 Military zone 41 Saint Francis’ home 57 Ivan the Terrible’s title (Var.) & Gabbana gown with a high 11 Mix, as dogs 44 Warm, on a hunt 60 Seek answers leg slit, a dramatic bow on the 12 Jamaican tangelo 45 Life force 61 Royal jelly producer back – and tons of diamonds. 47 Pours down 13 A la ___ (with ice cream) DuaLipa, one of the top contenders at the gala, got Monday’s solution the memo on the high slit – she donned a barely there gauzy spaghetti-strap Versace confection with a pastel but- terfly bodice, cut-outs and a see-through skirt. And then on stage, she wore even less, shedding a volumi- nous fuchsia cape to reveal – a (From left) Aaron Dessner, Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff at the 63rd pink bikini, thong back and all. Grammy Awards at Los Angeles Convention Centre on March 14. AFP Singer and rapper Doja Cat paid tribute to one of the most iconic Grammys looks ever – Jennifer Lopez’s dra- matic plunging Versace gown Monday’s solution – in a Roberto Cavalli gown with a moto jacket bodice un- zipped to her navel and a skirt of neon feathers. Sister act Haim delivered a symphony of coordinating iri- descent lavender Prada outfits on the red carpet, and then changed to basic black and gold for their stage performance. Rocker Phoebe Bridgers wore one of her signature skeleton outfits – but this US rapper Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 63rd Grammy one was a Thom Browne Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 15 Sport Ramos returns for Madrid to face Atalanta

ergio Ramos returned for retaining current stars and making Real Madrid on Saturday but space for new blood. the bigger question is wheth- Ramos is the embodiment of that er he is back for good. debate, the most iconic and charis- SAfter two months out with a knee matic figure of an era almost gone, injury, Ramos played an hour in Ma- who is also the most outspoken and drid’s win over Elche, with the plan most expensive. to blow away the cobwebs ready for For him, the discussion is about a start against Atalanta in the sec- performance. ond leg of the Champions League “Santiago Bernabeu said there on Tuesday. are no young or old players only His availability should be a sig- good and bad,” Ramos said. “I can nificant boost for Madrid, who have perform for three, four or five more a 1-0 advantage from last month’s years, if my body supports me.” first leg in Italy and will be confident And it is also about respect. “I of being Spain’s first, and perhaps would like to leave with a clear only, survivor in the tournament’s conscience,” he said. “I want to go quarter-finals. out through the front door.” And yet Ramos’ reemergence has For the club, there is a wider con- been pinpointed less as a boost to cern about a lack of change, a stick his team than a bolstering of his that Zidane has been regularly beat- case to stay, every week he was ab- en with this term when results have sent another blow to his hope for taken a turn for the worse. a contract extension beyond the If they want to fund a move for summer. Kylian Mbappe or Erling Braut Haa- Madrid president Florentino Perez land this summer, sacrifices will has reportedly offered Ramos a two- have to be made. year deal with a 10 per cent pay cut But there are warnings against or a second option, the continuation shuffling too soon, Luis Suarez’s of his current wages but for only one goals for Atletico Madrid a reminder more year. that Ramos could be a gift for a rival, Ramos wants two more years on if not in La Liga then the Champions the same wages, with the possibility Elche’s Argentinian forward Guido Carrillo challenges Real Madrid’s Spanish defender Sergio Ramos (right) during the Spanish League. to add a third. League football match against Real Madrid at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas on Saturday. AFP Ramos himself pointed to Cristia- “There is a lot of uncertainty,” Ra- no Ronaldo as an example of a split mos said on Thursday. the most successful, and while there But he also turns 35 at the end of lasted an entire campaign. that benefitted nobody. “Cristiano “I would like to be able to say have been lapses in recent years, his this month and a parting this sum- There has been a political ten- and Real Madrid both lost,” Ramos something but there is nothing new. contribution to Real Madrid is still mer would offer immediate relief sion too between Ramos and Perez, told Ibai Llanos on his Twitch chan- I’m only thinking about coming back considerable. for a club now seeking financial a power battle that has erupted in nel last week. from injury and to finish the season When they marched to the La Liga recovery. moments of crisis. Neither will want “I wouldn’t have let him go be- in the best possible way. There is title last season, Ramos was their Real Madrid’s revenue last sea- to lose face in this fight. cause he’s one of the best players nothing new about the renewal.” most important player. son fell by almost €50 million ($59.6 But perhaps most importantly, in the world and he would have Ramos’ pedigree is not in doubt “I hope the Ramos thing will be million), a figure that is expected to Real Madrid find themselves again helped us win. given he is probably the greatest de- fixed as soon as possible,” Zinedine worsen again for the current season, facing a question of how to evolve, “There are some relationships that fender of the modern era, certainly Zidane said last week. when the absence of fans will have of where the balance lies between have to be for life.” AFP Schachmann wins Paris-Nice Verstappen tops F1 test times as Roglic suffers collapse again while rookie Tsunoda impresses Primoz Roglic mirrored his Even the champion sounded Roglic was soon distanced World champion Lewis Ham- “It’s going to be a great, long (GBR/Williams-Mercedes) 2020 Tour de France last-gasp downbeat after the race. and isolated from his team- ilton saw Max Verstappen top battle with them through the 1:30.117 (158), 7. Daniel Ric- nightmare with another col- “It’s not nice to win like that, mates, and eventually finished the times in Formula One test- year,” he added. ciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mer- lapse to lose Paris-Nice to Ger- I have mixed feelings,” the Ger- outside the top 10. ing on Sunday and predicted Verstappen, too, was keen to cedes) 1:30.144 (76), 8. Sergio many’s Maximilian Sch- man said. The defeat compounds the Dutch star’s Red Bull team douse expectations that this Perez (MEX/Red Bull-Honda) achmann on Sunday. “Suddenly I’m here with the Roglic’s agony, after he also will be “a different animal” could be the year that Red Bull 1:30.187 (49), 9. Fernando Roglic famously blew a strong yellow jersey, but I don’t know missed out on the 2019 Giro when the season starts in two break Mercedes’ stranglehold. Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) lead on the penultimate stage what to think. I don’t know if I d’Italia after enjoying a posi- weeks’ time. “I don’t think we are the 1:30.318 (128), 10. Charles of last year’s Tour when fellow can be happy.” tion of strength in the early Verstappen, who was third favourites,” Verstappen said. Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:30.486 Slovenian Tadej Pogacar pul- Magnus Cort won the stage stages. behind Hamilton and the Brit- Carlos Sainz, in a Ferrari, Alfa (80), 11. Lando Norris (GBR/ verised him in a time-trial. itself but the headlines will be Fellow Jumbo rider Steven on’s Mercedes teammate Valt- Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren-Mercedes) 1:30.661 Defending champion Sch- reserved for Roglic’s loss. Kruijswijk praised Roglic for teri Bottas in the 2020 champi- Hamilton rounded out the top (56), 12. Pierre Gasly (FRA/ achmann of Bora-Hansgrohe He went into the eighth and not giving up. onship, timed a best lap of five on Sunday . Alpha Tauri-Honda) 1:30.828 went into Sunday’s final stage final day with a healthy 51-sec- “He fought until the end. If 1:28.960 on Sunday. (76), 13. Esteban Ocon (FRA- in second place, but ended up ond lead after picking up three you see how he showed himself That proved to be the fastest Third and final day times: Alpine/Renault) 1:31.310 (61), retaining the Paris-Nice title as stage wins along the way. the past week, he was the time of the three-day session. 1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red 14. Nikita Mazepin (RUS/Haas- Roglic endured a turbulent day He fell and was guided back strongest in the race, but any- However, rookie Yuki Tsuno- Bull-Honda) 1:28.960 (64 laps), Ferrari) 1:31.531 (67), 15. Mick in the saddle with two falls. to the peloton with a nasty thing can happen until the last da, the first Japanese driver to 2. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/Alpha Schumacher (GER/Haas-Fer- “It’s not the end of the world,” graze visible on his left hip. day,” said the Dutchman, who compete in Formula One since Tauri-Honda) 1:29.053 (91), 3. rari) 1:32.053 (78), 16. Valtteri said Roglic who dislocated his He then fell again at the bot- came third on the 2019 Tour de Kamui Kobayashi in 2014, also Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:32.406 shoulder in the first fall. tom of a slope and struggled to France. laid down a marker. 1:29.611 (79), 4. Kimi Raik- (86), 17. Sebastian Vettel (GER/ “It was how it was, so there’s get his chain back on before his The Paris-Nice is often His time on Sunday of konen (ITA/Alfa Romeo-Ferra- Aston Martin-Mercedes) not much to add. Of course, we teammates, exhausted from described as a mini-Tour de 1:29.053 in his AlphaTauri was ri) 1:29.766 (166), 5. Lewis 1:35.041 (56), 18. Lance Stroll are disappointed but, like I the previous slog to get him France as it tries to pack in all the second best overall of the Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) said, the world will not stop back to the pack, were unable the difficulties of the Grand week. 1:30.025 (54), 6. George Russell 1:36.100 (80). AFP and we will go forward.” to repeat the trick. Tour. Verstappen had also topped A much-awaited perform- the charts on Friday on the ance from Giro winner and opening day at the dusty Ineos star Tao Geoghegan Hart Sakhir circuit which will also never emerged when the Lon- stage the season opener on doner misjudged a corner on March 28. stage three and withdrew “They are looking strong,” injured after his Ineos co-lead- said seven-time champion er Richie Porte had also crashed Hamilton. out. However, Hamilton insisted Ireland’s Sam Bennett, he was unconcerned as Ver- though, laid another marker for stappen had won the last race 2021. of 2020 in Abu Dhabi and had The speed specialist added momentum on his side. two bunch sprint triumphs “Having seen them winning here to the two he notched up the last race you can only at the UAE Tour, making the assume they’re going to be Team Jumbo rider Primoz Roglic wearing the leader’s yellow jersey gentle giant the man to beat on right there if not at the front, at Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the third day of the F1 pre-season sprints ahead of Team Bahrain rider Gino Mader (left) on Sunday. AFP the flat this season. AFP the first race. testing at the Bahrain International Circuit on Sunday. AFP 16 THE PHNOM PENH POST march 16, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Sport Ronaldo hits back with hat-trick to overtake Pele, Inter move nine clear ristiano Ronaldo Lukaku fired home the hit back at his critics resulting spot-kick in the 62nd with a quick-fire hat- minute. trick as Juventus Inter looked to be wobbling brushedC aside Cagliari 3-1 on when Antonio Sanabria pulled March 14, five days after their Torino level eight minutes Champions League elimina- later, finishing off goalmouth tion, while Inter Milan moved scramble. nine points clear at the Serie A But Martinez snatched the summit. victory by getting his head to Portuguese star Ronaldo bore an Alexis Sanchez cross for his the brunt of the criticism for 14th league goal this term. Juve’s latest European flop after Inter stretched their winning failing to score in either leg of run to eight matches to move the last-16 defeat by Porto, further ahead of AC Milan. while also being partly at fault “Victories like these are cru- for what proved to be the goal cial,” said Inter assistant coach that knocked them out. Cristian Stellini, with Conte But the 36-year-old scored a serving a touchline ban. header in the 10th minute at AC Milan’s hopes of a first title the Sardegna Arena, added a since 2011 diminished as they second from the penalty spot failed to win for their third con- 15 minutes later, and com- secutive game at the San Siro, pleted a “perfect” treble on 31 days before they host Man- minutes with a fine left-footed chester United in their last 16 strike. Europa League decider. His career tally is now 770 Matteo Politano scored the goals, overtaking Brazil legend only goal just after the break Pele’s 767 scored in official with Milan finishing the game matches, which he matched a man down after Ante Rebic earlier this month. was sent off in injury time for Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins a header during their Serie A football match with Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena on Sunday. AFP Defending champions arguing with officials. Juventus are 10 points behind knocked out the other night,” meet a Federico Chiesa cross. ing the value of Cristiano Ron- Antonio Conte’s Inter once Napoli’s Champions League leaders Inter Milan, who beat said Pirlo. Ronaldo is the leading scor- aldo,” said Paratici. “It’s a again needed their strike duo hopes have been revived as Torino 2-1 earlier on March 14, “Ronaldo was angry like the er in Serie A with 23 goals this privilege to have him with us. of Lukaku and Martinez to find they move above Roma into but with a game in hand. rest of the team. He reacted season, ahead of Inter’s Rome- He’s part of our future.” a way to win in Turin. fifth before the two sides play Andrea Pirlo’s side pulled like a true champion.” lu Lukaku, who has 19. Christian Eriksen came off next weekend, after the capital just one point behind second- He could also have been Before kick-off, Juventus Lukaku, Martinez find way the bench on 56 minutes and side fell 2-0 at 19th-ranked placed AC Milan, whose title sent off after a quarter of an chief football officer Fabio Lautaro Martinez scored a had an immediate impact, Parma. hopes took a big hit following hour, receiving only a yellow Paratici dismissed talk about brilliant 85th-minute winner playing a part in the move Valentin Mihaila opened the a 1-0 home defeat to Napoli. card for dangerous play as his Ronaldo’s future with the in a tight game against 18th- which resulted in Torino scoring on nine minutes with “Our approach was spot on boot struck Cagliari goal- club. placed Torino to keep Inter on defender Armando Izzo foul- Hernani added a second from and it was important to get off keeper Alessio Cragno in “It makes me laugh. I would track for a first league title ing Martinez in the penalty the spot to snap Parma’s on the right foot after being the face while attempting to never have imagined discuss- since 2010. area. 17-match winless run. AFP Three talking points from the Premier League Manchester City took another do their challenge for next season’s man may have feared where his side’s Tuchel is still yet to experience one factor keeping the race for the step towards the Premier League title Champions League no favours. goals would come from. defeat in 12 games since arriving in final place in next season’s Cham- with a 3-0 win at Fulham, while vic- Here we look at three talking points Deprived of star midfielders Harvey England in January, but that is thanks pions League alive. tories for Manchester United and from the Premier League weekend. Barnes and James Maddison, as well to a rock solid defensive record with Leicester on March 14 strengthened as promising defender James Justin, 10 clean sheets and just two goals Same old story for Spurs their position in the top four. Kelechi comes good for Leicester Rodgers is having to maintain Leices- conceded in that time. Arsenal’s victory over Tottenham Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at Leeds opened When Brendan Rodgers surveyed ter’s top four challenge with a make- The German is yet to find the right means both sides of the north Lon- the door to the chasing pack for the packed treatment room at Leices- shift line-up. formula at the other end of the field don divide may be relying on the fourth, but West Ham, Everton, Tot- ter’s plush new Seagrave training Fortunately for the Foxes, Kelechi despite a wealth of attacking talent Europa League to save their season. tenham and Aston Villa all faltered to base this week, the Northern Irish- Iheanacho has stepped up to the at his disposal. Spurs had won their previous five plate to fill the void left by Barnes and Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud games with Gareth Bale finally hitting Maddison in impressive fashion. were left on the bench as Christian top form to complete a fearsome After going three months without a Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Kai front three alongside Harry Kane and goal, the Nigerian is in fine form and Havertz failed to take their chance Son Heung-min. he underlined his resurgence with a to shine. But not for the first time this sea- clinical hat-trick in March 14’s 5-0 Chelsea have scored just 13 goals son, Tottenham paid for trying to thrashing of bottom of the table Shef- in Tuchel’s 12 games in charge counter punch rather than taking the field United. despite facing eight of the 10 Pre- game to their opponents even before Iheanacho now has seven goals in mier League sides to concede most Son limped off with a hamstring his last eight games to ensure Rodg- this season. injury and Bale was hauled off by Jose ers’s men do not stumble in the home “I believe we have enough quality Mourinho after 55 minutes. straight for Champions League quali- to use the chances and counter- Indeed it was not until Tottenham fication like they did last season. attacks better to create more and be went behind and were reduced to “I’ve said I can see improvement in more clinical,” said the former Paris 10 men by Erik Lamela’s red card him, and day on day he trains so Saint-Germain boss. that Arsenal were put under any hard,” Rodgers said after Iheanacho’s “This is my responsibility, but we pressure. first Premier League treble. could have won this game by one or The Gunners nearly threw away a two goals and we would talk totally first derby win in three years as Kane Misfiring Chelsea trouble Tuchel differently about it.” hit the post and had a goal ruled out Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel could Tuchel’s men remain fourth as for offside, only serving to show what do with a striker in that sort of form West Ham, Everton and Tottenham could have happened had Spurs Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane (right) takes a free kick in the closing minutes as the Blues drew another blank at all lost with the chance to close the shown the same intent from the of their match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday. POOL/AFP Elland Road. gap, but their lack of firepower is the start. AFP