N U MB E R 3480 ssue I wednesday, august 5, 2020 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent www.phnompenhpost.com 4000 RIEL

Covid-19 school Cambodia post Un: southeast rules set; men back in business asia needs to flee quarantine despite Covid-19 tackle inequality national – page 5 business – page 7 world – Page 11 Bill covering dress code draws ire

Long Kimmarita Several people have criticised some be able to use their fundamental rights improve the law before it is passed. clothing in public places. But they points of the draft law such as ban- and the right to express themselves by He said the draft law is still in its first can wear such clothing in the privacy INISTRY of Interior sec- ning women from wearing short and wearing the clothes they choose. phase and has been sent to capital and of their room or house as that is not retary of state Ouk Kim revealing clothing and men from tak- “Blaming women for choosing to provincial administrations for review. banned,” he said. Lek responded on Tues- ing off their shirts in public places. wear certain clothes supports the views Civil society organisations (CSOs) Kim Lek said the draft also contains day to criticism concern- Social media users submitted a that women are the main cause of the and inter-ministerial groups will be articles to prevent abusive and Ming a draft law that would ban women joint petition opposing the ban. The sexual violence they suffer. Therefore, invited to discuss the law before it is immoral activities in society. from wearing overly revealing cloth- users claimed that the law should be it adds to a culture of impunity relating forwarded to the government for One such article bans minors ing, saying that input from all parties made to protect the rights of citizens, to violence against sexuality.” review and approval. under 18 years old from entering will be considered as the law moves not to oppress them. Kim Lek told The Post on Tuesday “Please look into its contents com- through the promulgation process. The petition read: “Women should that the criticism will help correct and pletely because it bans revealing Continued – page 6 Gov’t pressures KTV, nightclubs to remain closed

Voun Dara nightclubs to suspend their businesses. MUNICIPAL and provincial Preah Sihanouk Provincial authorities are doubling down Hall spokesman Kheang on their efforts to enforce Phearum said provincial virus prevention measures by authorities had been working actively enforcing the tempo- hard to ensure the venues rary suspension of karaoke stayed shut. He said there are parlours and nightclubs, a currently no karaoke parlours directive that was first issued or nightclubs open in the by the government on March province. 17. If business owners do not “For Preah Sihanouk prov- comply, their businesses will ince, there is no such case yet. be closed. Adult entertainment loca- Siem Reap provincial dep- tions in Preah Sihanouk are uty police chief Soeun Sen not operating,” he added. told The Post on Monday that National Police spokesman 10 large karaoke parlours, 16 Chhay Kim Khoeun said beer gardens, seven night- karaoke parlours and night- clubs, and three cinemas club closures are being con- have been closed in the prov- ducted with the assistance of ince, in line with Ministry of provincial Unified Command Health guidelines. Committees. Up in smoke Prime Minister Hun Sen “We never arrest anyone for Police burn almost 37kg of methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana in Svay Rieng province on Tuesday. The drugs had been recently advised karaoke par- opening karaoke parlours seized in Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham, Tbong Khmum and Prey Veng provinces as part of a nationwide anti-drug campaign. SUPPLIED sTORY > 4 lour and nightclub operators and nightclubs. There was a to shift to simple restaurants night club closure case in to stay open, he said. Phnom Penh. We assembled He said three karaoke par- almost 200 people to advise lours in the Kingdom had them, but we let them all go US chided for ‘bullying’ over TikTok been disguising themselves back home.” as restaurants to stay open. Phnom Penh Municipal CHINA on Tuesday accused the six weeks to arrange a sale of transparency and non-discrimi- “It’s got to be an American “We closed those locations Police chief Sar Thet and US of “bullying” over popular its US operations – and said his nation … It’s outright bullying.” company . . . it’s got to be owned and made the owners stop Municipal Hall spokesman video app TikTok, after Presi- government wanted a finan- The app has been under for- here,” Trump said on Monday. their actions. If they continue Met Meas Pheakdey could dent Donald Trump ramped up cial benefit from the deal. mal investigation on US “We don’t want to have any to open, we will close their not be reached for comment. pressure for its US operations Chinese Ministry of Foreign national security grounds, and problem with security.” businesses,” Sen said. However, according to a July to be sold to a US company. Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin Trump said that Microsoft was The US and China have H said that the authorities police report, authorities In the latest diplomatic spat said: “This goes against the prin- in talks to buy TikTok. clashed over various fronts are continuing to follow the closed many nightclubs and between the world’s two big- ciples of the market economy He has given ByteDance until recently, essentially barring government’s advice by forc- karaoke parlours after they gest economies, Beijing hit and the [World Trade Organisa- mid-September to strike a deal, a ing karaoke parlours and secretly opened. back after Trump gave TikTok tion’s] principles of openness, tactic that is almost unheard of. Continued – page 10

THE PHNOM PENH POST Ministry, Post Media ink MoU National News to boost education amid Covid Inside page 6 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com National Travel hotspots prepare for New Year holiday revellers Hin Pisei celebrations. Ratanakkiri prov- same period last year. ince, he said, has 50 hotels and Siem Reap provincial depart- PROVINCIAL tourism depart- guesthouses, with a total of ment of tourism director Ngov ments and operators at main 1,060 rooms. Sengkak said he did not have tourism destinations said He said he does not expect data on hotel and guesthouse room bookings are on the rise prices to skyrocket. “We only hope bookings in Siem Reap prov- significantly ahead of the to have more visitors, so prices ince as yet. upcoming public holidays. will not change much,” he said. However, he said since Siem The government set a five- Kampot provincial depart- Reap has a lot of accommoda- day holiday from August 17-21 ment of tourism director Soy tion, there won’t be a problem. to replace the Khmer New Year Sinol said about 30 per cent of “The local authorities are pre- holidays in April, which were accommodation in the prov- paring some entertainment postponed due to the novel ince had been booked as of venues to welcome tourists coronavirus outbreak. Tuesday, with room rates not during the upcoming holi- With borders closed, most much higher than usual. days,” he said. Immigration director-general Kirth Chantharith has suspended job promotions. Immigration department travellers are expected to be He said he doesn’t think An employee at Elephant Hill almost completely local. Kampot will have a shortage of Resort in Mondulkiri province Ratanakkiri provincial accommodation. There are who asked not to be named said department of tourism direc- 301 hotels, guesthouses and all 20 rooms have been booked tor Nget Pitou told The Post on bungalows, equivalent to 3,400 from August 14 to 22, with each Budget worries stall Tuesday that the number of rooms, he said. room ranging in price from $80 guests booking rooms had Sinol said his department to $120 per night. risen steadily with about 60 will promote hygiene and He said that most accommo- per cent already taken up. reduce gatherings to help pre- dation in Mondulkiri is already gov’t job promotions He said the northeast region vent the spread of Covid-19. booked. boasts beautiful nature, which He said Kampot province “As far as I know, many hotel Niem Chheng the department, the General Ministry of Interior spokes- attracts visitors. “I expect the often faced a shortage of and resort rooms in Mondulki- Department of Immigration man Phat Sophanith said number of tourists visiting accommodation during past ri have been booked,” he said. ENERAL Depart- requests all departments to similar reforms are happen- Ratanakkiri to increase during festivals, but given the length According to a report ment of Immigra- postpone submitting promo- ing at other general depart- the coming holidays, which of the holiday period, he is not released by the Ministry of tion director-gener- tion requests for deputy bor- ments of the ministry. may be similar to Khmer New too concerned. Tourism on Tuesday, Cambo- al Kirth Chantharith der post chief, deputy office “All general departments Year last year,” he said. However, Sinol said the dia received 1.18 million for- issuedG a moratorium on chief, and deputy department under the Ministry of Inte- Pitou said between 40,000 number of tourists visiting Kam- eign visitors in the first half of Monday to halt in-house of- chief,” he said. rior are carrying out reforms and 50,000 people visited dur- pot province more than doubled 2020, down 64.6 per cent from ficer promotions to the rank He said the promotion and in line with the government’s ing last year’s Khmer New Year in June and July compared to the the same period last year. of deputy chief. transfer of immigration police strategy,” Sophanith said. The directive, sent to direc- within the department must Advocacy and Policy In- tors, applies to immigration wait for position evaluations stitute (API) director Lam posts, offices and depart- and approval from Minister of Socheat welcomed the deci- ments. He said the measure is Interior Sar Kheng. sion of the General Depart- to improve work effectiveness Chantharith led a meeting ment of Immigration. He said and efficiency and hold down on Tuesday to evaluate the all government ministries and State budget expenses. positions and number of of- institutions should postpone Similar reforms are being car- ficials within his general de- promoting or recruiting non- ried out by all departments un- partment. He said the evalu- vital officials. He said the State der the Ministry of Interior. ation was made to enforce budget should be used for Chantharith said on Mon- reform that the Ministry of Covid-19 impacts. day he noticed many immi- Interior had committed to. “In this era when the coun- gration police officers hold- The evaluation was to gauge try’s economy feels the im- ing the titles of deputy border the real situation and proper pact of Covid-19 and State in- post officer, deputy office workforce needs. come is low, expenses should chief and deputy director of “The reform serves to en- be restricted. the immigration department. sure the effectiveness and ef- “In this difficult time, I “To stop promoting these ficiency of the State budget. think the government should unnecessary positions in the Police officers at all immigra- reconsider promotions and structure of the department tion departments, offices and recruitment. The current of- and office, which does not posts, must try to work hard, ficials should work hard and correspond to the workload, be disciplined, unified and their work should be effec- and to ensure the effective- work closely with each other,” tive and productive,” Socheat ness of management within he said. said. Siem Reap’s tourism director says finding accommodation will not be a problem. Hong menea S Rieng man kills grandma, slashes 14-year-old girl Kim Sarom went to find his wife who was in another village. POLICE arrested a man on Mon- Citing witnesses, Vanna said day for killing a grandmother the suspect walked to the and slashing her granddaughter house of the grandmother. with a machete at Trapaing Villagers who witnessed the Phlong commune, Romeas Hek incident took the victims to the district, in Svay Rieng province. Health Center in Doung com- Doung commune police mune. The grandmother died chief Sek Vanna said on Tues- on arrival and the granddaugh- day the suspect Seng Tith, 37, ter was admitted for a day. slashed Hing Yim, 75, and her Vanna said the suspect does granddaughter Men Ry, 14. not have a history of mental Yim was slashed on the back illness. of her neck and Ry suffered a wound on her left cheek. The suspect told police that before killing Yim, he felt as though he was being followed by some- one who wanted to hurt him. Vanna said it is hard to make sense of the suspect’s testimony. He is known as a heavy drinker. The suspect’s wife described him as an alcoholic who drinks daily and causes disputes, but never serious violence. Around 6pm on Monday, he Machete wielding man arrested allegedly took a machete and after slashing two. pOLICE THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 3 Special​​ Report Land dispute with Thai firms long resolved, landless families told to submit applications

Khorn Savi land management, the State can grant economic land DDAR Meanchey concessions to an investment provincial authori- company only if it has been ties remain puzzled registered as State land first. about the Thai Ap- Otherwise, he said the State pealO Court’s recent ruling in cannot expropriate the land. favour of more than 700 fami- Cheurm Nhoy, a 39-year-old lies who claimed to have been widow with three daughters in locked in a land dispute with Khtum village, said she inherit- three Thai-owned sugar com- ed 4ha. She claimed the author- panies in Samrong town and ities made her swap the land Chongkal district. with other residents who had Provincial deputy governor disputes with the company. Vat Paranin (pictured) told The When she complained to Post on Sunday that the land the commune chief, she was dispute with the firms was re- promised she would get the solved in 2010. He said because land back when the compa- the case occurred in Cambo- ny stops its investment and dia, the complaint should have withdraws. been filed in a regional court. “Now I have no land at all. I “If it happens in Oddar didn’t even get any economic Meanchey, they have to file a land concession in 2018. With- complaint to the provincial out land to grow rice, my two court. If it happens in Phnom daughters are hired to work as Penh, they have to lodge it at housemaids,” she said. the municipal court. I don’t Nhoy, the Khtum villager, understand why they, as Cam- said in 2018, officials went to bodian nationals, took the measure land for residents in case to a Thai court,” he said. Konkriel commune and allo- In 2008, the government cated 2ha for each family. But granted Mitr Phol Sugar Cor- he said the land was granted poration – the parent com- as a social land concession pany of Angkor Sugar –Tonle Senior officials say the land dispute with the Thai sugar cane companies were resolved in 2010. Khorn Savi and not as compensation. Sugar Cane Company and Smin Te, who represented Cane Sugar Valley 30,000ha of The ruling came as the pro- Paranin said the provincial who like to grow rice and main- residents didn’t understand the 712 families, said the 2ha economic land concessions testing families in Konkriel administration had instruct- tain trees,” he said, adding he and placed their thumbprint concessions were given to 329 for sugar cane plantation in commune’s four villages – Ta ed the local authorities to go would not give up his land. to get the land. Some others of the 712 families. The other Oddar Meanchey. Man, Bos, Trapeang Vaeng door-to-door to identify resi- Another Khtum villager, refused to accept it. 329 families had not submit- The concessions, which af- and Khtum – continued to dents who needed land for Phleung Tep, 59, said her land “Such a problem prompted ted applications for social land fected 1,738 families, were lo- demand 25,235ha which they their livelihoods. was not affected by the invest- them to file complaints to concessions because they had cated in Samrong town’s Konk- claim had been lost to the “For residents who didn’t ment. She said her village had various ministries. If there migrated to Thailand. riel and Samrong communes companies. The villagers ac- have land to grow rice, the gov- no newcomers from other was any land allocation as “I lost 5ha to the company and Chongkal district’s Chong- cused the firms of clearing ernment granted social land provinces clearing forest land claimed, the authorities need but I got back only 2ha. I kal and Pongro communes. their rice fields and levelling concessions to them. I don’t for rice farming. But she said to show proof. There is no agreed to accept it for fear that Paranin said even though the their houses in 2008 and 2009. understand why the more than there could have been new- such allocation,” he said. I would not get anything at three firms were in principal Some of the families said 700 residents filed a complaint comers coming from Prey Lawyer Sek Sophorn said if all because I have been pro- granted 10,000ha each, they since Mitr Phol Sugar Corpo- [to the Thai court],” he said. Veng province to settle in the residents cultivate the land testing since 2009. I’ve filed eventually received only more ration stopped its investment Thann Nhoy, a 51-year-old O’Bat Moan area. and settled there since 1998 complaints to the provincial than 6,000ha each as a large and returned the land to the from Konkriel commune’s Kh- Rights group Adhoc’s Oddar with no dispute, they are authorities, the Ministry of part of the concessions over- government in 2015, they had tum village, said he had occu- Meanchey provincial coordi- entitled to it under the 2001 Agriculture, Forestry and Fish- lapped with villagers’ land. begun to grow rice on it even pied 15ha of rice fields that he nator Srey Naren said the 712 Land Law, even if they have eries, the land management He said the firms agreed though the local authorities inherited from his ancestors families had continued to de- not been issued a title. ministry and even the Prime with the provincial authorities threatened to arrest them on since 1998. Citing the 2001 mand land until now because “Under the law, they are the Minister’s [Hun Sen] Cabinet. and the Ministry of Land Man- accusations of illegally occu- Land Law, he said he should the past solution coordinated rightful owners. In principle, if “Now I stop protesting for agement, Urban Planning and pying State land. have received a title after using by the authorities was unjust the State wants to revoke their fear that the authorities might Construction to allocate parts Oddar Meanchey provincial the land for over five years. and unacceptable. land ownership, it cannot do accuse me of wrongdoing be- of the land to the villagers, land management depart- But he said since 2009, the He said the authorities had so without their consent. cause after obtaining the 2ha, who had long lived and relied ment director Kim Keavin authorities ceded his 15ha and not allocated land for the “And if they refuse to leave, I promised the Forestry Ad- on it for their livelihoods. confirmed that a compromise the rice fields of other villagers families as claimed but instead there’s only one thing the ministration chief that I would “The three companies was reached since before the to the companies as economic made the residents who were State can do – expropriation. stop protesting,” he said. have already addressed the firms came to invest in their land conces- sions. involved in the land dispute But even if the land is expro- impacts and reached a com- sugar cane plantations. However, with the company accept a priated, there needs to be an promise with the affected Keavin and Paranin called from 2009 to land swap outside agreement and compensa- villagers. Each company was on villagers who need land for 2015, he said its (the compa- tion for them,” he said. originally granted 10,000ha farming to submit applica- the firms left ny’s) concession. Sophorn said according to a but they ended up receiving tions for social land conces- the land va- He said the sub-decree on State only around 20,000ha in total. sions to the provincial State cant and did swap not only That means nearly 10,000ha land management committee not plant any overlapped was already allocated for the through the local authorities. sugar cane. with other residents,” he said. Keavin said in 2018, nation- When resi- The 712 families accused al-level officials from the land the compa- one of the firms – Mitr Phol management ministry were nies eventu- Sugar Corporation – of dis- stationed in Samrong district’s ally withdrew in placing them, costing them Konkriel commune for 15 days 2015, he began the land they had relied on to receive and review villagers’ to grow rice on for their livelihoods for many applications. He said the gov- the land until 2018 years. They demand $43 mil- ernment had allocated social when the authori- lion in compensation. land concessions for them in ties allegedly ceded In 2018, the Thai Civil Court the O’Bat Moan area. his land and that rejected their joint complaint, At the time, he said only 412 of other villagers to dents’ land but also made telling them to file individual families applied for the social residents from Tbong Khmum them lose a large chunk of it. ones instead. land concessions. He stressed province and told him to stop “For example, my land is But on July 31, this year, the that the land was provided growing rice on it. 10ha, but [the authori- Thai Appeal Court ruled in fa- to landless families as social “Now, residents from Tbong ties] give me only 3ha vour of the families, allowing land concessions, and not as Khmum used machinery to or 4ha and said I oc- them to move forward with a compensation. He said the clear 4ha of my land. They cupy State land. Then collective complaint against government would not leave came to clear big and small they said either I ac- one of the firms, Mitr Phol behind any citizens who need trees in our paddy fields. They cept the compensa- Sugar Corporation. land for farming. are different from residents tion or leave it. Some 4 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com National Suspect, accomplice held in R’kiri revenge killing of two men

Khouth Sophak Chakrya get revenge,” Chamnan said. Ly’s wife and Nan’s wife are sisters THE serious crime bureau of the Ra- and Kyrvan is married to Ly’s sister. tanakkiri provincial police on Tues- Chamnan said on the evening day sent two suspects to the provin- of July 23, Nan and Saroeun were cial court for their involvement in drunk and went hunting for frogs in the murders of 22-year-old Bak Nan the banana plantation. Sensing an and 26-year-old Kim Saroeun near a opportunity, Ly rode his motorbike banana plantation in Kon Mom dis- to the scene and waited for the right trict on July 23. time to murder the pair of unsus- Provincial police chief Yin Cham- pecting victims. nan (pictured) identified the suspects Ly then fledT buong Khmum’s Pon- as 25-year-old Seth Ly, a resident of hea Kraek district to hide from police Officials participate in a drug burning ceremony in Svay Rieng province​ on Tuesday. supplied Srae Pok Thom village in Kon Mom before travelling to a relative’s house district’s Serei Mongkol commune in Kratie’s Chhlong district. and his 28-year-old brother-in-law Ly “Currently, the murder case and Kryvan, a resident of Tbuong Khmum the two suspects have been sent by Rith: Citizens must help province’s Ponhea Kraek district. police to the Ratanakkiri Provin- Ly was arrested on Sunday in cial Court for further proceedings,” Kratie province’s Chhlong district Chamnan said. and Kryvan on Monday in Tbuong Provincial court deputy prosecu- with anti-drug campaign Khmum’s Ponhea Kraek district. Ly tor and spokesman Ra Bo- is suspected of committing the mur- randy told The Khorn Savi “Drug addicts who are the victims ered, more than 67,000 suspects arrested ders while Kryvan is suspected of Post the sus- need help, but offenders who pro- and more than 2,300kg confiscated. helping him hide out in Kratie after pects are OLICE burned almost 37kg duce and traffic drugs must be pun- National Authority for Combating the incident. still being of methamphetamine, ec- ished by law,” he said. Drugs (NACD) secretary-general Meas Nan and Saroeun were murdered in questioned stasy and marijuana in Svay Svay Rieng provincial governor Virith, issued a letter in March say- the area of Hoang Anh Gia Lai com- by a pros- Rieng province, Minister of Men Vibol said burning the drugs re- ing the government had selected six pany’s banana plantation in Serei ecutor. JusticeP Koeut Rith said on Tuesday. flect the positive results of efforts by provinces this year apart from Phnom Mongkol commune’s Srae Pok Thom The drugs had been confiscated in the authorities to stop such offences. Penh for drug burning ceremonies. village. Both suffered knife wounds Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham, Tbong “At the same time, [the burning] The provinces are Battambang, Svay to their throats and abdomens. Khmum and Prey Veng provinces as clearly shows the public that all the Rieng and Preah Sihanouk, Stung Treng, “According to the confes- part of an anti-drug campaign. drug exhibits taken by the police are Svay Rieng and Banteay Meanchey. sion of Seth Ly, it hap- Rith said at the drug burning stored properly and safely for de- NACD Legislation, Education and pened because the victim event that law enforcement officers struction,” he said. Rehabilitation Department direc- Bak Nan committed adul- and citizens must help implement The government implemented its first tor Lim Tong Huot told The Post the tery with the perpetrator’s the anti-drug campaign more effec- anti-drug campaign in 2017. As of Au- government has burned drugs in wife, causing the perpe- tively for society as a whole. gust, 32,205 drug offences were discov- five provinces so far. trator to resent [him] and THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 5 National Covid school rules set; P Veng Another Pursat men flee quarantine centre UXO explosion

Khorn Savi kills two farmers

HE Ministry of Education, Youth Orm Bunthoeurn remnants of war have been and Sport on Tuesday released cleared and destroyed. guidelines for schools reopen- TWO men were killed on Mon- He said some 4,000 to 5,000 ing in the context of the Covid- day at a plantation in Veal Veng people across the country are 19T pandemic. district when a bomb (UXO) currently working to neutra- The release of the guidelines comes after they were pounding on with lise mines and explosive rem- 20 private schools with high safety stan- tools exploded. nants of war. dards reopened over the last few days. The men – Yong Ry, 39, and Ratana said police recently The nine-page guidelines said class- Nget Tra, 20, – were working found 18 rifles and four hand rooms, libraries, laboratories, canteens, in a wooden shed in Anlong grenades in Kampong Chh- toilets and handwashing facilities must be Reap commune’s Dey Kra- nang province’s Phlov Touk disinfected before a school can reopen. horm village in Pursat prov- commune and cleared the Teachers must maintain a classroom ince. now-defunct weapons. temperature of at least 24 degrees Cel- Veal Veng district police Cambodian Mine Action sius, clean classrooms daily and open chief Theang Leng told The Authority (CMAA) first vice- windows or doors to provide enough Post on Tuesday the victims president Ly Thuch has also sunlight and airflow during class. were farmers. Leng said there called on citizens not to Moreover, the school must set up desks were no witnesses, but he con- touch or take mines and UXO and chairs at least 2m from each other cluded the men likely found for recycling. He also advised and no more than 25 students can be in the bomb and were attempt- rice farmers not to plough or one class at a time. Mass gatherings must ing to recycle the metal. clear forest land in off-limits be avoided and students must stand in Twenty private schools with high safety standards reopened over the last few days. heng chivoan He said local police have areas. Mines had not still line 1.5m apart from each other. instructed residents to be been cleared completely and Libraries, playgrounds and sports areas closed in March after a Cambodian man School, where they were quarantined. careful of mines and UXOs, should be reported if found. will be temporarily closed and students in Siem Reap and a Canadian teacher in They travelled to their house in Prey but some residents didn’t pay In a February 24 letter to will not be allowed to borrow each other’s Phnom Penh tested positive for the virus. Toeng commune’s Boeung Chor village heed. “We wonder why they mark the 21st anniversary books. Unauthorised people must not be Cambodia has reported a total of 241 in Sithor Kandal district. still take a bomb and pound of National Mine Awareness allowed to enter campuses and everyone Covid-19 cases. Another senior US em- “The reason they violated quarantine on it,” Leng said. Day, Prime Minister Hun must keep a distance of 1.5m when com- bassy official tested positive on Tuesday, and their obligation was because they be- UXO explosions in the dis- Sen wrote that mines, cluster municating with each other. bringing the total number of infected lieved they did not have Covid-19. They trict, he said, occurred fre- bombs and explosive rem- If a student’s temperature hits 37.5 de- embassy officials to four. went to meet their friends and drink beer. quently. A bomb exploded nant of war have crippled grees or more, he can rest at home. Stu- Three Covid-19 patients recovered as Police caught them at 10pm. Those peo- last month injuring a farmer and killed citizens. Mines and dents and staff are required to bring food well, bringing the total number of fully ple are negligent and arrogant,” he said. who was hospitalised. bombs are also obstacles to from their homes and sit 1.5m apart dur- recovered patients to 200. Tha said the two men, who arrived from Cambodian Mine Action family livelihoods and the na- ing mealtimes. Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that Malaysia on July 23 would have to quar- Centre (CMAC) director- tional economy. The sale of food in and around schools most Covid-19 cases in Cambodia were antine for 14 more days to deter others general Heng Ratana posted is prohibited. imported. from attempting to escape. Authorities on Facebook on Tuesday that www.phnompenhpost.com The ministry warned that managers of Cambodia enacted strict measures are gathering more information about since the civil war, nearly four check the post website schools which don’t follow the guidelines on preventing virus transmissions on who met the two men after they escaped. million mines and explosive for breaking news and cause an outbreak of Covid-19 will face May 20. One measure required all for- The two men’s friends and relatives now legal and administrative punishment. eign travellers to be tested for Covid-19 need to quarantine for 14 days as well. Twenty private international schools before entering the country. They also On July 17, a Cambodian-American in Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap and Bat- must quarantine for 14 days. woman who arrived from the US fled tambang provinces have resumed op- Meanwhile, officials are concerned from her quarantine facility at a Phnom erations under the guidelines. about quarantine escapees after two Penh hotel. She took a taxi to another Education ministry spokesman Ros men left their facilities in Prey Veng hotel in Kampong Cham province and Soveacha said the second and third province on Monday evening. was found by officials the following day. phases of school reopenings would de- Provincial deputy governor Chan Tha That woman was fined one million riel pend on the evaluation of the private told The Post that under the cover of rain, and asked to sign a contract. After a third schools now open. between 4pm and 5pm on Monday, two Covid-19 test came back negative, she The Kingdom’s schools were ordered men fled Hun Sen Kampong Leav High was allowed to go home on July 29.

Police to release 20 in T Khmum land dispute Long Kimmarita evict them. They accused the residents of living on compa- TBONG Khmum provincial ny land, Chamnan said. police plan to release 20 of 21 “The arrest was made on protestors on Wednesday, after the orders of the company. they were detained for occupy- Whenever the residents face ing land owned by a Chinese injustice, the company files company in Dambe district’s a complaint and the authori- Trapaing Pring commune. ties ignore them. The release comes after two “When the company fired days of questioning. guns to threaten residents, One man will continue to the police just ignored it. be detained and sent to court When the road was blocked based on a complaint by the to the residents, we filed a company, Harmony Win In- complaint with the police vestment Co Ltd. and they ignored that too. Do More than 100 policemen the police work on the orders surrounded the disputed land Residents living on company-owned land were evicted on Monday. facebook of the company?” he asked. on Monday, removing sheds Tbong Khmum provincial and tents and evicting those question them and planned to into a dispute with the com- coordinator for Adhoc, Thim living there. release them on Wednesday. pany on behalf of 129 families Narin, said the arrest of 21 Tbong Khmum provincial Another resident is subject to living on 1,000ha. Leang has residents had violated human hall administration chief Mao the order, so we will send him not still been released. rights. She said police should Dun told The Post on Tuesday to court,” Dun said. Srae Praing community have addressed the dispute that the protestors are being He said the residents had member Sem Chamnan told rather than making arrests released because they were been detained because they The Post on Tuesday that the and using violence. not relevant to the complaint. occupied company land and residents were unjustly ar- “At this point, the residents But he said Hoeurn Sineath refused to leave. It is not the rested, while their joint com- are not allowed to enter the will be sent to court, although first time the land has come plaint against the company land in question. It seems the charges against him could under dispute. was not attended to. their rights and freedoms not be confirmed. On October 17, last year, The residents claim to have were stifled because they “Upon executing the order, police arrested Sem Leang a relied on the land for their have the right to protest on police detained 21 residents representative of the Sre Pra- livelihoods for a long time and the land which they relied who refused to leave the com- ing community in the com- allege that the company col- on for their livelihoods,” she pany’s land. We continued to mune for allegedly entering luded with the authorities to said. 6 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com National All-round input a must for laws on public order

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entertainment clubs, drinking beer or distributing and buying beer. Anyone who encourages minors to drink beer will be penalised according to the law. Consisting of eight chapters and 48 articles, the draft bans all activities spoiling the beauty of public places such as drying or hanging clothes or other materials in public places close to the road or in any other place that may affect public order. Pouring water, draining liquid or wastewater in public places would also be banned as would displaying or selling goods in public places with- out permission. The unsafe connection and bun- dling of electrical wires and cables would be prohibited if the law passes while excessive noise at inappropriate times would draw a penalty as well. Cambodian Institute for Democ- Post Media publisher and CEO Ly Tayseng and the education ministry’s Department of Information and ASEAN Affairs director Seng Janine pose after signing the MoU. Looking racy president Pa Chanroeun said the on is Minister Hang Chuon Naron (back, fourth from left) and ministry officials,The Post and Post Khmer executive editor-in-chief Joshua Purushotman (left), Post Khmer man- Kingdom needs such a law to ensure aging editor Sam Rith, and Post Media chief operating officer James Ong. HEAN RANGSEY public order. However, he said the most important point is consulting all relevant parties, including the opposition, before pass- ing the law. Hopefully, the law could be Ministry, Post Media ink MoU to implemented effectively, he said. Concerning the ban on wearing revealing clothing and undressing in public places, Chanroeun said such boost education amid Covid-19 a ban would push the boundaries of government control. Voun Dara try to publish education-related ar- great efforts to find effective tools ucation sector in Cambodia and are When it comes to the safety of citi- ticles on the first Wednesday of each for students to continue their edu- more than happy to do so,” he said. zens, this law should focus on defin- HE Ministry of Education, month or once every two weeks de- cation in urban and rural areas, in- As a publisher, Tayseng also said ing how clothes are worn and why Youth and Sport and Post pending on its requirements. cluding the successful implementa- he noticed that some government they may negatively affect society. Media Co Ltd on Tuesday The goal is to provide educational tion of digital education. officials dared not speak with re- “The matter of wearing clothes by signed a Memorandum of information while many students Tayseng agreed with Chuon Naron porters. He said this is unfortunate citizens should not be stipulated in UnderstandingT (MoU) to boost edu- are dealing with disruption due to that the socio-economic challeng- because only when officials com- the law because the law is different cation in Cambodia. Post Media is the the Covid-19 pandemic. es that arose due to the Covid-19 municate with the media can their from morality. owner of The Phnom Penh Post which Chuon Naron expressed his appre- pandemic have affected people messages be accurately disseminat- “The law is firm. If people do wrong, is published in English and Khmer. ciation on the MoU signing. He said throughout the world. ed to the public. they will get punished accordingly. In a ceremony presided over by min- Covid-19 requires cooperation from On its part, he said Post Media has “Officials, especially from the vari- But when it comes to morality, if ister Hang Chuon Naron, the MoU was relevant parties to enhance educa- cooperated with various business ous ministries should speak more citizens don’t follow the [acceptable] signed by the ministry’s Department tional opportunities for students. sectors in Cambodia to help boost and not be afraid of the media. practises, they will just get scolded or of Information and ASEAN Affairs “We must work together to intro- their prospects and contribute to “The media is not here to make criticised by society,” he said. director Seng Janine and Post Media duce new ways to deliver education the economy. life difficult for anyone. We are here Chanroeun said the authorities publisher and CEO Ly Tayseng. and education-related information He said the MoU is important to provide accurate news and infor- should further educate citizens about Based on the agreement, The Post to students due to the challenges because education is key to the mation so that the dissemination of good manners, communication and will provide a page in its English caused by Covid-19,” he said. Kingdom’s development. “We have fake news and misinformation is re- values, including when it is and isn’t and Khmer versions to the minis- He said the ministry has expanded enough resources to support the ed- duced,” he stressed. appropriate to wear certain clothes. Kanharith: ‘Independent press’ is about mindset, feeling no pressure Soth Koemsoeun overstep the boundary set by the not have an opinion on indepen- executive editor-in-chief. Reporters dent press but urged all reporters MINISTER of Information Khieu must always follow the stance of the to try to be more diligent in inter- Kanharith told a press conference executive editor-in-chief,” he said. viewing sources, researching ma- on Tuesday that the term “inde- Reporters, Kanharith said, terial and writing stories. pendent press” does not refer to shouldn’t be persuaded to attack the If reporters know a subject well, he media outlets that complain about government, but should carefully said that knowledge can be the foun- the government. Rather, “independ- curate their stories. dation for them to interview officials ent” refers to a mindset of writing “An independent press is from our in-depth and provide an opportunity news without feeling pressure, he mindset. To be called independent for officials to give opinions and re- said. does not depend on people who search good answers for the press. Kanharith called on officials to re- write to attack or criticise other peo- “Reporters must take part in writ- frain from considering reporters as ple or the government. ing [stories about] national achieve- enemies. “’Independent’ is a mindset where ments and development . . . We do The press conference covered the we are not pressured by others and not only write articles, but we try to progress of government bodies last we write news from our ideas and write articles that evolve naturally. year and their goals for this year. philosophies following the actual “There are things that we cannot Kanharith said several foreign jour- situation,” he stressed. change because it is the morality nalism teachers teach Cambodian Kanharith said officials should of each individual that cannot be students that to be called an inde- consider whether negative stories changed. pendent reporter, one must dare to are right or wrong and if they have “Someone questioned whether criticise and blame the government. specific sources or not. UJFC is independent. I would like to “For me, it is not like that. No re- Union of Journalist Federations respond that I have never said that porter in the world can claim he of Cambodia (UJFC) president Huy I am independent from the benefits Information minister Khieu Kanharith called on officials to refrain from considering is independent. No reporter must Vannak said on Tuesday that he did of my nation,” he said. reporters as enemies. AKP THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 7 Business

USD / KHR USD / CAD USD / CNY USD / JPY USD / MYR USD / SGD USD / THB AUD / USD EUR / USD GBP / USD 4,095 1.3376 6.9819 105.97 4.2180 1.3745 31.09 0.7147 1.1796 1.3065

Trading Information on Cambodia Securities Exchange Date: August 4, 2020 Auction Trading Method (ATM) No Stock Closing Price Opening Price High Low 1 ABC 17,300 17,400 17,480 17,260 2 GTI 3,060 3,200 3,360 3,060 3 PAS 14,960 14,960 15,200 14,960 4 PPAP 11,720 11,680 11,720 11,600 5 PPSP 2,300 2,300 2,300 2,300 6 PWSA 5,700 5,700 5,700 5,600 ADB: Covid Cambodia Post back in business to cut $100B Thou Vireak TATE-owned mail service from global provider Cambodia Post on Monday resumed limited ex- press delivery after a nearly remittances fiveS month long Covid-19 hiatus. On March 12, Cambodia Post sus- THE global economy could lose pended all international shipments more than $100 billion in remit- during the intensifying crisis. tances, warns a report by the Ma- It said it will ship mail and pack- nila-based Japanese-led multilateral ages to some Asia-Pacific countries lender Asian Development Bank. such as Australia, China (includ- It adds that governments need to ing Hong Kong and Taiwan), Japan, act fast to protect the most vulner- South Korea, Israel, Singapore, the able in society from this loss of vital UAE, Vietnam and Thailand. income. Other destinations include European Migrant workers are among the countries such as Austria, Belgium, groups hardest hit by the Covid-19 Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, France, pandemic, with many facing scant Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Nor- job security and limited access to way, Poland, Sweden, the UK and Spain social assistance, the report said. as well as North American countries, Large-scale unemployment and including the US and Canada. wage reduction among migrant Cambodia Post director-general workers also threaten the wellbeing Ork Bora told The Post on Tuesday of many households in Asia and the that the resumption of operations Pacific who depend on remittances comes after the company partnered to meet their daily needs, it added. with a new air carrier. “Based on our worst-case sce- He noted that mailing rates will in- nario, where the Covid-19 eco- crease by $8 per kg for the duration nomic impact persists throughout of Covid-19. the year and dissipates halfway in Cambodia Post earned more than $2.65 million in revenue during the first six months of this year, down 55.23 per cent from more On Monday alone, he said, Cam- than $5.93 million in the same period last year. hONG MENEA the last three months of the out- bodia Post received 2,810kg of mail break, global remittances will fall from 373 customers. He said Cambodia Post earned more from $3,771,598 in 2011. Canadia Investment Holding Plc by $108.6 billion in 2020, [an 18.3- “We expect our revenue to re- than $2.65 million in revenue during Cambodia Post also invests is CP Banks’s majority shareholder, per-cent drop on expected remit- main strong or register an upward the first six months of this year, down in Cambodia Post Bank Plc (CP with 50 per cent of its equity, fol- tances],” it said. spiral towards our $1 million per 55.23 per cent from more than $5.93 Bank), which has registered some lowed by Singapore-based invest- It added that remittances to Asia month ambition by virtue of the million in the same period last year. $36.52 million in profit since it was ment company Fullerton Financial and the Pacific would fall by $54.3 substantial Covid-19 era surge in Last year, the company netted launched in 2013. In 2018 alone, the Holdings Pte Ltd (45 per cent) and billion, equivalent to 19.8 per cent online orders,” Bora said. $12,237,459, up 224.46 per cent bank posted $13.81 million in profit. Cambodia Post (five per cent). of remittances in 2018. By subregion, remittances in South Asia are expected to fall fur- thest, by $28.6 billion (24.7 per cent of 2018 receipts), followed by remit- tances to Central Asia ($3.4 billion, PWSA logs record daily trading value of $1.9M 23.8 per cent), Southeast Asia ($11.7 billion, 18.6 per cent), and East Asia May Kunmakara worth 2,375,569,460 riel. the trading date. dragging the price up for three con- ex-People’s Republic of China and PWSA’s share price rose 200 riel “US dollar settlements are only allowed secutive days.” Japan (1.7 billion, 16.2 per cent). AFTER weeks of unremarkable trad- ($0.05) or 3.6 per cent from July 29 to for stock trading through the negotiated He noted that crises are magnets for Remittances to the Pacific will also ing days, locally-owned Acleda Bank close at 5,700 riel on Tuesday for a trading method [NTM], in which the speculators who are eager to make a prof- fall ($267 million, 13.2 per cent). Plc (ABC) and state-owned utility market capitalisation of 495.747 bil- buyers and sellers agree to a transaction itable bet. “That is why the stock market The majority of the decline in Phnom Penh Water Supply Author- lion riel, with 1,605,923 shares traded in the US currency,” PWSA said. is where investors can make money remittance flows to the region is ity (PWSA) have undergirded an un- worth 8,040,325,780 riel. CSX vice-chairman Ha Jong-weon either during ups and downs” in global explained by a $22.5 billion fall in expected bounce in the stock mar- PWSA noted that individual inves- told The Post on Tuesday that uncer- trade and economic earthquakes. remittances from the Middle East, ket from last Wednesday. tors accounted for six million riel of tainties associated with Covid-19 Ha said: “Investors should be flex- which accounts for 41.4 per cent of The highlight of the period was July the nearly eight million riel trading have jolted the Kingdom’s economy ible and respond to changes wisely. the total remittance loss in Asia. 31, when PWSA logged its highest- value posted on July 31. Negotiated and stock market. There’s always a way that works out. This is followed by a $20.5 billion ever daily trading value of trade orders by institutional investors But basic stock market statistics do “For example in such a situation, slump in remittances from the US, 7,949,427,920 riel ($1.9 million), with accounted for the rest. not paint a full picture of stock mar- investors may eye on investing in less (37.9 per cent of total). The fall in re- 1,589,770 shares traded, since it It said the July 31 negotiated trade ket variations, he warned. vulnerable companies such as PWSA mittances from the EU and the UK began trading on April 18, 2012. orders “were the first transactions on Ha said: “ABC’s price has gradually whose business is not affected by the accounts for 6.3 per cent of the total, The Cambodia Securities Exchange the CSX to be settled in US dollars. fallen since it reached its peak a week pandemic as people still need to or $3.4 billion. (CSX) index hiked 3.8 per cent from They were handled by Yuanta Securi- after listing, down to nearly its IPO drink water and take showers.” The decline from Russia amounts July 29’s 640.48 points to close at ties (Cambodia) Plc”. [initial public offering] price on As of the end of June, there are 12 to $2.1 billion, of which $2 billion 664.88 points on Tuesday. It explained that investors can exe- Wednesday last week which triggered listed firms in the Kingdom – six reflects the decline in remittances ABC’s share price rose 800 riel cute large trades in Cambodian riel renewed demand. stock-listed and six corporate bond- going to Central Asia. ($0.20) or 4.8 per cent from July 29 and then opt to settle in US currency “A large volume of retail bid orders listed. The 12 companies have raised By percentage, the Middle East to close at 17,300 riel on Tuesday for to hedge exchange rate risk. pushed ABC’s price up. On the other a combined $240 million. and Russia experienced the sharp- a market capitalisation of 7.494 tril- “The exchange rate used to deter- hand, the record breaking NTM trade CSX’s market capitalisation rose to est decline – over a third – primarily lion riel, with 259,557 shares traded mine the US dollar equivalence is of PWSA of nearly two billion riel $2.57 billion, 4.5 times higher than reflecting the effects of low demand worth 4,618,631,080 riel. On July 30 the rate issued by the National Bank between institutional investors also last year while the index also rose 12 and oil prices on remittances. THE NA- alone, 133,552 shares were traded, of Cambodia one working day before had a positive impact on retail trade, per cent over the same period. TION (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 8 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Business Agricultural product exports tally PTT to scale down LPG 2.68 million tonnes in seven months import as Thou Vireak demand falls AMBODIA exported a to- tal of 2.68 million tonnes THAI-listed State-owned energy gi- of agricultural products ant PTT Pcl will slow down the im- in the first seven months port of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) ofC this year, reflecting encouraging in the second half of this year as the signs in the sector while tourism, Covid-19 outbreak has reduced do- garments and construction wither mestic demand, Thai Department away amid Covid-19. of Energy Business director-general The Ministry of Agriculture, For- Nanthika Thangsupanich. estry and Fisheries reported that the She said: “PTT Pcl has informed the Kingdom exported 49,937 tonnes of department that in July it only mangoes and its dehydrated prod- imported 9,000 tonnes of LPG for ucts, 194,525 tonnes of cashew nuts, domestic use and has not submitted 167,754 tonnes of fresh yellow ba- any additional import plan for the nanas and 3,430 tonnes of pepper. rest of the year. It exported more than 420,000 “In the first half of 2020, the average tonnes of milled rice, 144,721 tonnes domestic demand of LPG is at 15 million of corn kernels, 32,810 tonnes of kg per day, down by 16 per cent com- palm oil, 4,282 tonnes of tobacco pared to the same period last year. and 1.55 million tonnes miscella- “We estimate that average domes- neous products including natural tic demand for the whole year will be rubber, fresh cassava, tapioca starch, at around 14.9 million kg per day.” cassava crisps and cassava pulp. Nanthika added that the sector that Mao Sothea, a sales manager at saw the biggest decrease in LPG demand Kirirom Food Product Co Ltd, a mango was transportation, which dropped processing plant, told The Post that ag- from last year’s demand at around 30.6 ricultural products are still in consider- per cent, followed by the petrochemical, able demand despite the pandemic. industrial and household sectors. She said her company’s mango ex- The department also reported that ports reached 1,400 tonnes in the first Unique Gas and Petrochemicals Pcl is seven months of this year, up about another active LPG importer besides 30 per cent from the same period Cambodia exported 4,282 tonnes of tobacco in the first seven months of this year.POST STAFF PTT, but they import solely for export last year. “We expect to export 3,000 at 3,000 tonnes per month. tonnes of mango products in 2020.” specific certifications represents a pot pepper will be widely available in the total agricultural land area used Nanthika said: “As for Siam Gas and Farm Link Ltd general manager Se- barrier to supply large importers.” the best restaurants in Shanghai or for farming in the Kingdom last year Petrochemicals Pcl, they stopped bastien Lesieur told The Post that his Lesieur expressed his optimism Hong Kong in the coming years.” was about 4.88 million hectares. importing LPG since mid-2019 and have company exported about 10 tonnes that Kampong pepper products Minister Veng Sakhon has said Of the amount, paddy was grown been buying LPG from PTT instead.” of Kampot pepper in the first seven would be granted tariff-free access the value of agricultural product on 3.88 million hectares, cassava The department predicts that by months of this year and expects to to the Chinese market under the shipments to the international was grown on about 650,000ha, ca- 2037 the domestic demand for LPG export between 17 and 20 tonnes by Cambodia-China bilateral free trade market has steadily increased from shew nuts on 230,000ha, red corn in the transportation sector will drop year’s end. agreement which is scheduled to be nearly $1 billion in 2013 to $1.5 bil- on 200,000ha, mango on 120,000ha, to 280,000 kg per day from the 2.8 He said: “The Kampot pepper signed later this month. lion last year. yellow bananas on more than million kg per day recorded last year, market is increasing in Europe, with He said: “It will take time, like in Eu- Ngin Chhay, the director-general 40,000ha, Pailin longan on nearly as more people will shift to gasohol, Spain, France and Germany the main rope, to make this product well known of the ministry’s General Director- 10,000ha and pepper on more than biodiesel as well as electrical vehicles. importers. In the US, the demand for in China. We are confident that Kam- ate of Agriculture, in mid-June said 2,000ha, he said. THE NATION (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK S’pore central bank enhances scheme for int’l lenders THE Monetary Authority of Singapore portion of global key appointment pore from 8,000 to 10,000 – of which to grow the business and accelerate the largest foreign banking subsidiary (MAS) on Monday announced that it holders are based in the country, the more than 1,200 roles are in future digitalisation. here, with an $80 billion balance sheet will enhance the Significantly Rooted creation of a substantial number of growth areas such as digital banking, Lee noted that as one of the oldest backed by $6 billion of capital. Foreign Bank (SRFB) scheme such jobs or counting a local group as a international banking, cyber, data banks here, with a history of serving Lee said: “We are also the only that foreign banks with a deep pres- major shareholder. solutions, analytics and cloud. clients for over 160 years, StanChart international bank that has adopted ence in Singapore could one day be Under the SRFB framework The bank announced in June that “has remained steadfast in its com- Singapore as its global operational allowed to open digital-only banks. announced in 2012, Qualifying Full it would invest a further S$5 million mitment to Singapore”. and innovation headquarters, with a It also named the London-based Banks (QFBs) that have become sig- (US$3.6 million) over three years to Last year, it became the first and only significant share of our global man- Standard Chartered Bank as the first nificantly rooted in Singapore are boost talent development and re- international bank to incorporate all agement team based here.” THE STRAITS SRFB in Singapore, allowing it to allowed to establish an additional 25 skilling in support of ongoing plans its businesses in Singapore. It is also TIMES (SINGAPORE)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK operate up to 50 places of business, places of businesses, of which up to double its current cap. 10 may be branches. The banking regulator said an SRFB This is up from the 25 places of that “substantially exceeds the crite- businesses or branches that QFBs are ria for significant rootedness” may, allowed to have. in the future, be given extra privi- SRFBs are only awarded as part of leges, including the ability to estab- an overall package negotiated under lish a separate subsidiary to develop free trade agreements with these alternative business models. banks’ home countries. Under the enhanced SRFB frame- To determine if a QFB is signifi- work, MAS will consider granting an cantly rooted, MAS considers a range additional full bank licence to an of attributes, including the bank’s SRFB that substantially exceeds the alignment of economic interests with baseline criteria. Singapore, local business presence, MAS said: “This will enable them to and commitment to Singapore’s have the same flexibility as Singa- financial stability and development pore-incorporated banking groups in the long term. to establish subsidiaries, including Also on Monday, StanChart Singa- with joint-venture partners, to oper- pore CEO Patrick Lee welcomed the ate new or alternative business mod- MAS announcement and said the els such as a digital-only bank. bank would review its strategy and “The enhanced SRFB Framework development plans, “with a view to will strengthen the ability of SRFBs invest more and further deepen [its] to complement the local banks as presence in Singapore”. anchors to Singapore’s financial It told The Straits Times it currently system.” has 18 places of business, of which To determine if the foreign bank 16 are bank branches. substantially exceeds the criteria, Since 2018, to accelerate digitalisa- MAS said it will take into account fac- tion and business growth, StanChart The Monetary Authority of Singapore said a Significantly Rooted Foreign Bank (SRFB) that ‘substantially exceeds the criteria for tors such as whether a significant has increased its headcount in Singa- significant rootedness’ may, in the future, be given extra privileges. AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 9 Business VN businesses slow in preparing for EU FTA

XPERTS have raised con- requirements for the construction cerns that Vietnamese busi- of concentrated industrial parks nesses are slow in preparing for textiles and clothing, including conditions to enjoy prefer- waste water treatment. entialE tariffs in the Vietnam-EU Free Therefore, Cam said, the textile Trade Agreement (EVFTA). and garment industry could have European Chamber of Commerce large dyeing and textile projects with in Vietnam vice-chairman Nguyen products meeting the EVFTA’s origin Hai Minh said the EVFTA has taken requirements and also requirements effect from August 1, but only two of the Comprehensive and Progres- per cent of 8,600 local enterprises sive Agreement for Trans-Pacific know the details of the deal and Partnership (CPTPP). about 20 per cent of them know Deputy Minister of Industry and about the agreement at all. Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said the coun- The important thing, he said, is try expects to surpass Bangladesh and that they must really understand become the second largest textile and the content of this agreement and garment exporter to the world market its conditions. after the EVFTA comes into effect. Minh said some textile enterprises But without a supporting industry are choosing whether or not to meet for the domestic textile and garment the rules of origin to enjoy preferen- sector, reaching the goal could prove tial tariffs in this FTA. difficult, Khanh said. At present, he said, the main im- Vietnam Chamber of Commerce port material of Vietnamese textile and Industry (VCCI) chairman Vu enterprises is still from China, so if Tien Loc also agreed with the pro- they do not change suppliers their posal and said that it is an impor- products can not satisfy the origin tant issue that needs attention from requirements in the EVFTA. ministries and sectors. Minh told the Dau Tu (Investment) He said Vietnam could not promote newspaper: “Some businesses say textile and garment exports if it does that if they buy the materials from not create favourable conditions to eligible suppliers with higher prices develop the auxiliary industry for the to enjoy tariff preferences, it still won’t Vietnam expects to surpass Bangladesh and become the second largest textile and garment exporter to the world market after the textile and garment sector as well as EVFTA comes into effect. VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY/VIET NAM NEWS be as profitable as buying materials call on investment to this industry. from China to enjoy the tariffs accord- ers are ineligible to export to the EU, announced at the beginning of this The planning of raw material re- VCCI has proposed the National ing to the EU’s Generalised scheme of even if they already have customers, year that they would stop using plas- gions for Vietnam’s many export prod- Assembly to formulate the Law on preferences [GSP] at present. because they do not have the re- tic packaging – instead of recyclable ucts is challenging for businesses and Auxiliary Industry for receiving a “However, Vietnamese businesses quired medical certificates. materials – many Vietnamese busi- also the government, Minh said. new wave of foreign direct invest- need to know that right after the Minh said Vietnamese business- nesses have immediately changed to Vietnam Textile and Apparel As- ment, he added. EVFTA comes into effect, the GSP es also do not understand clearly use paper and bamboo packaging. sociation (Vitas) deputy chairman The State also needs institutional tariffs would end.” about food hygiene and safety con- However, when the EU businesses Truong Van Cam said the association reforms, complete the legal frame- In addition, the EVFTA’s rules on ditions when working with Euro- required information about material continues to request the Ministry of work, and improve investment and origin are quite complicated. The pean partners. region for producing the packaging, Industry and Trade to complete the business environment to meet the complexity is the reason that many Another problem is the material Vietnamese enterprises could not Textile and Apparel Development EVFTA requirements, he said. VIET NAM Vietnamese face mask manufactur- region. He said when EU enterprises identify eligible material regions. Plan until 2035, which must clarify NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 7-Eleven parent reveals $21B US buy Thailand’s Banpu set SEVEN & i Holdings Co Ltd, the to acquire $66 million world’s largest convenience store operator by number of stores, on Monday announced wind farm in Vietnam that it will acquire Speedway, the convenience store and gas THAI-listed Banpu Pcl, a Thuan province on the coast station chain of US oil refiner leading integrated energy so- ensures high-wind speed, Marathon Petroleum Corp, for lutions company in the Asia- and together with the Viet- $21 billion in cash. Pacific, is acquiring the El nam government’s support- In the US as well, Seven & Wind Mui Dinh Wind Farm, ive policy, 80 per cent of the i is the largest convenience which marks a key milestone country’s renewable power is store operator with about in the company’s long-term generated in the province. 9,000 7-Eleven stores. By ac- investment in Vietnam. Banpu CEO Somruedee quiring Speedway, the third- The $66 million acquisi- Chaimongkol said investment largest in the industry in the tion, subject to adjustments in the wind asset in Vietnam US with about 4,000 stores, outlined in the sales and pur- is a testament to Banpu’s the Japanese company in- chase agreement, was made continuous commitment to a tends to further strengthen through BRE Singapore Pte greener, smarter future. its position over rivals. Ltd, an associate company in She added that the El Wind As there is no major overlap which Banpu holds a 50 per Mui Dinh Wind Farm will in the US regions in which Sev- cent share through Banpu help expand the company’s en & i and Speedway operate, Next Co Ltd (BanpuNEXT). portfolio of renewable energy the acquisition is expected to Banpu secured a feed-in- and generate more revenue allow the Japanese company tariff of $0.085/kWh for a and cashflow. to reduce purchasing and period of 20 years in a power Recently, the Vietnamese delivery costs through the in- purchase agreement with government approved 7GW crease in store numbers. Vietnam Electricity. of new wind projects to be In terms of the purchase Speedway is the third-largest convenience store operator in the US with about 4,000 stores. pUBLIC DOMAIN The El Wind Mui Dinh Wind built and by 2025, the coun- price, this acquisition is among Farm went into commercial try is looking at a total wind- the biggest ever for a Japanese ed,” Seven & i president Ryuichi March-May period was 1.39 to be prolonged. operation on April 23, 2019, power generation capacity of company buying an overseas Isaka said during a conference trillion yen, down 12.8 per cent Kyodo News reported in at a capacity of 37.6MW. nearly 12GW. firm, following Takeda -Phar call on Monday. “It will be a big from a year earlier. For the full May that CP All Plc, Thai Its 16 wind turbines, each The Banpu Group aims to maceutical Co’s acquisition of step forward to becoming a year, the unit saw its revenue conglomerate Charoen Pok- with a capacity of 2.35MW, achieve a power-generation major Irish drugmaker Shire global retailer centring on the and profit fall, posting a 73.2 phand Group Co Ltd’s Stock are designed and maintained capacity of 6,100MW within Plc at 6.9 trillion yen ($65 bil- convenience store business.” per cent plunge in net income Exchange of Thailand-listed by Enercon Partner Konzept 2025 by focusing on markets lion), SoftBank Group Corp’s The group’s most profit- to 13.9 billion yen. retail arm, concluded a deal (EPK), a leading wind-power with growing power demand purchase of major British chip able segment, 7-Eleven con- Seven & i started exclu- with Dallas-based 7-Eleven company and turbine manu- with BanpuNEXT spearhead- designer ARM Holdings Plc at venience stores in Japan, has sive negotiations to acquire Inc to operate 7-Eleven stores facturer. ing the development of re- 3.3 trillion yen and Japan To- had difficulty growing signifi- Speedway this spring, but the in Cambodia through its sub- Banpu has a 20-year full- newable energy and energy bacco Inc’s purchase of fellow cantly as the number of stores negotiations had stalled over sidiary CP All (Cambodia) Co comprehensive maintenance technology. tobacco company Gallaher has swollen to about 21,000 the purchase price. beginning next year. services agreement with Ener- Inclusive of the El Wind Mui Group Plc at 2.2 trillion yen, nationwide. However, the Japanese A Seven & i Holdings spokes- con GmbH, a leading wind Dinh Wind Farm, the compa- according to Recof Corp. The segment’s performance company decided to acceler- woman told Kyodo News that power company and turbine ny’s total committed capacity “This is a once-in-a-lifetime has also been hit by the novel ate efforts to shore up over- the first outlet is set to open in manufacturer from Germany. of renewable business will be chance in North America coronavirus outbreak. The seas operations as the im- Phnom Penh. THE YOMIURI SHIM- The location of El Wind reaching 814MW. THE NATION where robust growth is expect- consolidated sales for the pact of the pandemic is likely BUN (JAPAN)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Mui Dinh Wind Farm in Ninh (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 10 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com World The economic fallout from Tiktok staff told to ‘anticipate more virus ‘will worsen conflicts’ difficulties in future’ HE novel coronavirus Continued from page 1 employees on Tuesday, the pandemic is worsen- company’s founder Zhang Yim- ing the humanitar- Chinese telecoms company ing suggested the US aimed to ian situation in the Huawei from the US market ban the app rather than force a world’sT deadliest conflicts and waging a global campaign sale of its US operations. and threatens to unleash eco- to isolate it over national secu- He told staff to “anticipate nomic devastation that will rity concerns. more difficulties in the future” intensify violence, UN diplo- Beijing slammed the latest and said anti-China sentiment mats and experts warn. move as “political manipula- has recently “risen significant- Covid-19 is hampering aid tion”. ly in many countries”. programmes, diverting the at- Wang told a regular press “Regarding public opinion, tention and resources of major briefing on Tuesday: “The US, we must be able to accept mis- powers battling the deadly vi- without providing any evidence, understandings for a period of rus at home, and cutting remit- has been using an abused con- time. I hope that everyone tances to already fragile, war- cept of national security . . . does not take to heart the weary economies, they say. unjustifiably suppressing cer- short-term reputational dam- New York-based UN expert tain non-US companies.” age, and does the right thing Richard Gowan said: “There’s He said the national security with patience,” he said. a very high level of concern grounds for the US’ clamp- In an earlier statement on that its economic impact is down on Chinese firms “does Monday, ByteDance said it has going to spark more disorder, not hold water”, adding that the always been committed to more conflict. companies conduct their busi- becoming a global company “We’re still only really in the ness activities in line with inter- and was considering “re-estab- opening act of quite a long national rules and US laws. lishing TikTok headquarters in drama.” “But the US is cracking down major markets outside the US”. UN secretary-general Anto- on them on trumped-up charg- UK media reported it was con- nio Guterres’ plea for a global es,” said Wang, who warned the sidering relocation to London. ceasefire back in March has US not to “open Pandora’s box”. Zhang had earlier said the gone largely unheeded, with In Yemen – where tens of thousands of civilians have died since 2015 in what the UN describes as the world’s TikTok has as many as one worst humanitarian crisis – fighting is intensifying, according to diplomats who say the country is in free fall.AFP company had “always been fighting continuing to rage billion worldwide users, who committed to ensuring user in hotspots such as Yemen, the new problems – Covid-19 ing to contract by more than to end the nine-year conflict. make quirky 60-second videos data security, as well as platform Libya and Syria. is spreading out of control.” seven per cent this year. But last month Guterres de- with its smartphone app. neutrality and transparency”. Lockdowns are restricting The British diplomat told the The diplomat added that job nounced “unprecedented lev- But the pressure for a sale of Meanwhile, Wang urged the the movements of envoys, UN Security Council that the losses in recent months have els” of interference in the war- its US and international busi- US on Tuesday to “refrain from peacekeeping troops and non- coronavirus crisis had slashed increased unemployment torn country, where Russia and ness, based in Los Angeles, has politicising economic issues” governmental agencies, hin- remittances, which has long from 42 per cent last year to Turkey back rival factions. left the company and its Chi- and to provide an open, fair dering mediation efforts and been a lifeline for the country, close to 50 per cent now. “Now obviously Germany’s nese parent ByteDance facing and non-discriminatory envi- impeding the distribution of by as much as 70 per cent. Diplomats say western gov- focus is on propping up the tough decisions. ronment for foreign market desperately needed aid to in- He cited a recent survey ernments are reducing the European economy,” said In an internal letter to players. AFP creasingly vulnerable civilians. that found that about half of amount of aid they send to Gowan, of the International In Yemen – where tens of Yemeni families have lost at humanitarian crisis zones as Crisis Group think-tank. thousands of civilians have least 50 per cent of their in- they focus on getting their Experts are also watching died since 2015 in what the come since April. coronavirus-battered econo- with close concern Lebanon, UN describes as the world’s “Help Yemen now or watch mies up and running again. currently mired in its worst worst humanitarian crisis the country fall into the Analysts say it has also tak- economic crisis since its 1975- – fighting is intensifying, ac- abyss,” he implored. en the steam out of peace ef- 1990 civil war, with runaway cording to diplomats who say Lowcock also reported de- forts as mediators swap face- inflation and bank capital con- the country is in free fall. pressing economic news from to-face meetings for Zoom trols fuelling poverty, despair UN relief chief Mark Low- Syria, whose economy has and Skype calls. and angry street protests. cock said last week: “Famine been devastated by almost a In January, at a summit host- A UN diplomat said: “It’s a is again on the horizon. Con- decade of civil war. ed by Germany in Berlin, world pretty bleak and depressing flict is again escalating. The He said lockdown mea- leaders committed to ending picture across the board . . . economy is again in tatters. sures to contain the spread all foreign meddling in Libya’s The economic fallout is just Humanitarian agencies are of Covid-19 was one factor in civil war and to uphold a weap- going to exacerbate conflict Beijing hit back after Trump gave TikTok six weeks to arrange a sale of again nearly broke. And then the Syrian economy expect- ons embargo as part of a plan in those countries.” AFP its US operations. AFP Harvard researchers want more ‘crappy’ Covid-19 tests THE aphorism “perfect is the ing to researchers calling for by the whole population. lot of positive results and hence He said: “Maybe we only “From an epidemiologic enemy of good enough” has quick tests that cost only about Michael Mina, assistant pro- give a lot of “false positives”. need a crappy test. point of view, that’s when you been played out to tragic effect a dollar each, and which may fessor of epidemiology at Har- But for Mina and other “If it’s cheap enough to use it want to capture people. You in the US’ inadequate testing for not be as accurate but can be vard University, has for weeks experts, such a strategy would very frequently, then if it doesn’t want to get them when they’re the novel coronavirus, accord- carried out several times a week been pushing for what he calls be more effective in terms of detect less than five per cent of infectious,” he said. “crappy” tests. public health because across people when they’re transmit- Even if rapid tests miss half His idea is to move away the whole population, the ting, maybe it detects 85 per cent the cases, it is likely that with from the current high-preci- number of cases identified of people when they’re transmit- two tests a week, they will end sion molecular tests, known as would be higher than under ting. And that’s a huge win over up detecting them. PCR tests, which are still scarce the current system. what we have right now.” It must also be noted that the in large swathes of the country The quick tests tend to be The head of Harvard’s Glo- current system is thought to be and which people often have good at detecting people who bal Health Institute, Ashish missing nine cases out of ten to wait hours to get done, and emit a large amount of virus, Jha, touched on the subject on because so few people are then have to wait days – or up which is when they are more Monday. being tested, according to esti- to a week – for the results. contagious, right at the begin- “They’re not crappy tests,” he mates by Centres for Disease He has called for the US Food ning, while the PCR tests are told reporters. “In certain cir- Control and Prevention. and Drug Administration (FDA) very sensitive and can detect cumstances, they are not so The FDA has still not author- to authorise the sale of rapid even small concentrations of sensitive when you have very ised the sale of any of the paper tests which can be done out at the virus when people are no low amounts of virus, and you’re strip tests, which would cost home using a strip of paper longer as contagious. not doing much spreading. between one and five dollars. that changes colour in a quar- “We’re so focused on high- “But when you’re infectious, Jha said: “I’m worried that ter of an hour to give a result, end expensive tests that we’re you have large amounts of our federal government is still High-precision molecular tests, known as PCR tests, are still scarce in similar to a pregnancy test. not testing anyone,” said virus in your throat elsewhere stuck in a mental model that large swathes of the US and people often must wait hours to get them These tests have a low sensi- Mina in the podcast “This and the test becomes much, doesn’t make sense for this done. They then have to wait days – or up to a week – for the results. AFP tivity, which means they miss a Week in Virology”. much better. pandemic.” AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 11 ASEAN HCMC set to UN: SE Asia must tackle inequality cut red tape OUTHEAST Asia must step were not necessarily more successful up its Covid-19 response in their responses to the pandemic. to combat the imminent He underscored leadership and quick for agrarian deepening of inequality, UN and accurate responses to the pandem- secretary-generalS Antonio Guterres ic as indicators of success, citing Angela said in a recent report highlighting Merkel of Germany and Jacinda Ardern installations weak health systems and connectiv- of New Zealand as examples. ity in the region. He also noted that there were gaps FARMERS and experts have asked Ho “The pandemic has highlighted in testing capacity between countries Chi Minh City authorities to remove deep inequalities, shortfalls in gov- like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and hindrances and create favourable ernance and the imperative for a Malaysia and other Southeast Asian conditions for residents to build sustainable development pathway. countries. Despite such limitations, greenhouses and breeding centres on And it has revealed new challenges, countries had to work mostly alone to agricultural land used to build nurs- including to peace and security,” Gu- tackle the pandemic, he said. ery gardens. terres said in a statement, suggesting “Now is the time not only to end Du Huy Quang, head of land man- that the region had much work to do. this pandemic on a local scale but agement division under the Ho Chi The secretary-general published also on a regional one,” he said. Minh City Department of Mineral a policy brief on July 29 highlight- “Don’t let any country choose the Resources and Environment, said the ing the disproportionate impact of wrong strategy.” Land Law of Vietnam allows the the pandemic on vulnerable groups Amid calls for more regional co- building of agricultural support facil- and the danger that many would be operation, Ministry of Foreign Af- ities such as glasshouses and green- pushed back into poverty and un- fairs director-general for ASEAN houses on agricultural land typically employment. cooperation Jose Tavares told The used to build nursery gardens. Some countries remain unable to Jakarta Post that ASEAN was explor- However, farmers faced challeng- address Covid-19 sufficiently. More ing several initiatives to curb Covid- es in transferring land-use purpos- than half of the countries in South- An epidemiologist noted the gaps in testing capacity between countries like Singapore, 19 regionally. es, Quang said at a recent seminar Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. AFP east Asia are vulnerable because of He noted that Indonesia had held by Ho Chi Minh City People’s weak health systems, the report said. pared to the level that is required”. demic, connectivity has come to the formulated the ASEAN Standard Council and Ho Chi Minh City Tel- It said: “The World Health Organisa- Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thai- fore and is crucial.” Operating Procedures for public evision (HTV). tion’s universal health coverage index land, East Timor and Laos had low Some 55 per cent of Southeast health emergencies, had coordi- Pham Kim Bang, manager at the of service coverage reported a median health expenditure as a proportion of Asia’s population remains without nated cross-border public health re- Business Licensing Division under index of 61 out of 100, suggesting that their gross domestic products (GDPs) internet access, UNESCAP said in a sponses, had established a Covid-19 the Ho Chi Minh City Department of much more progress is needed.” in 2016, according to an assessment statement late last month. ASEAN response fund and had aid- Construction, said the Construction However, the region has report- adapted from the Human Develop- In Indonesia, the digital divide has ed with regional reserves of medical Department has drafted instructions ed significantly fewer confirmed ment Index (HDI) in the report. impeded the government’s Covid-19 supplies, among others initiatives. on the construction of agricultural Covid-19 cases and related deaths The report showed that some social assistance programmes, which In a press briefing on July 30, Min- support facilities, which includes two than most other global regions with countries had a lack of physicians, rely heavily on online platforms to ister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsu- categories of construction works. some variation among countries. nurses and midwives, as well as hos- deliver relief to those in need. di hinted at the passage of another The first category includes works The report noted that regional co- pital beds, among other indicators. The report urges the region to ad- ASEAN Covid-19 initiative. that provide nets and favourable con- operation had been “robust”. But Armida noted that almost all of dress rising inequalities in its plans She said: “Regarding the ASEAN ditions for plant varieties and breed- UN Economic and Social Commis- the region’s countries had seen high for recovery by employing short-term travel corridor proposed by Indonesia, ing animals. Construction of these sion for Asia and the Pacific (UNES- levels of connectivity through mobile stimulus measures, long-term policy as of now it is still being finalised and works, which use removable materi- CAP) executive secretary Armida phone service subscriptions, although changes and by bridging the digital discussed among ASEAN countries.” als, must be reported to commune Salsiah Alisjahbana told reporters only a handful of countries had suffi- divide, among other measures. Indonesia proposed the plan during People’s Committees. in a teleconference that while four cient levels of fixed broadband. But Griffith University epidemiolo- an ASEAN summit in June, seeking to Sentry boxes at these nursery gar- or five countries in the region were She said: “The usual indicators gist Dicky Budiman argued that the increase the region’s connectivity and dens must be built with environmen- “quite okay” in their Covid-19 pre- before this pandemic were human countries with high health system rank- facilitate the economic recovery from tally friendly materials such as trees paredness, health expenditures for development-related measures and, ings in the survey – with a high number the Covid-19 pandemic. THE JAKARTA and thatch. They must have one sto- some countries were “too low com- of course, health. But with the pan- of hospital beds and health workers – POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK rey and be under 15m wide and 6m high, with a total area of less than 1,000sqm. According to figures released by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Philippines ‘will not Agriculture and Rural Development, the city has about 114,000ha of agri- cultural land, nearly half of the city’s total land area. join’ other navies It includes about 66,000ha for agri- cultural production; 35,684ha for silviculture (tree cultivation); and in S China Sea drills 10,798ha for aquaculture. The city also has more than 25,300 farming CITING an order by President Rodrigo tually raising the white flag in surrender households. Duterte, Secretary of Defence Delfin of Philippine sovereignty in Scarbor- Ho Chi Minh City Department of Lorenzana on Monday said the Philip- ough Shoal which the president said Agriculture and Rural Development pines would not join the navies of was already “occupied” by China. deputy director Duong Duc Trong other countries, like the US, in mari- Instead, he said the Philippines said after nearly 10 years’ operation time drills in the South China Sea for should just pursue “diplomatic of the city’s urban agricultural devel- fear of raising tension in the area. endeavours”, without elaborating. opment project, the areas under hi- He told an online press briefing: China has laid claim to nearly the tech agricultural production had “President Rodrigo Duterte has a entire South China Sea, including been expanded. standing order to us, to me, that we waters in the exclusive economic The per capita income of these should not involve ourselves in naval zones of the Philippines, Brunei, farmers rose from 25 million dong exercises in the South China Sea Malaysia and Vietnam. ($1,100) per year in 2011 to 63 million except our national waters, [within a Duterte has said the Philippines last year, Trong said. 22km] distance from our shores, [as could not afford to go to war with The city has 130 agricultural coop- defined by the 1982 UN Convention China just to protect its sovereignty. The Philippine defence chief said the country would not join in maritime drills in the eratives and is expected to build two on the Law of the Sea]. In response to the Philippine pres- South China Sea for fear of raising tension in the area. PHILIPPINE NAVY/PHILIPPINE DAILY to three hi-tech agricultural zones “We cannot exercise with them in ident, Chinese Ministry of Foreign INQUIRER with expected revenues of 900 mil- the South China Sea. Affairs Wang Wenbin stressed that all Duterte took a pivot to China when China Sea, but they have different inter- lion dong for each hectare of land, “If one country’s action is consid- nations are endowed with the right he became president in 2016 suppos- ests than the Philippines . . . Their main and projected per capita income of ered as belligerent, another tension to pursue an independent foreign edly in exchange for loans and eco- concern is freedom of navigation.” 100 million dong for residents in rural will normally rise, so I hope that all the policy and to shape foreign relations nomic aid. His officials described it He said, though, that the Philip- areas, Trong added. parties in this exercise will have, will in line with its national interests. as a shift to an independent foreign pines supports freedom of navigation Dinh Minh Hiep, head of the man- work on their actions there, to exercise He said: “We appreciate President policy, but not kowtowing to China. in the South China Sea because “it agement board of the Ho Chi Minh prudence and carefulness so that Duterte’s remarks and stand ready to He has also swept aside an interna- also coincides with our wish. City’s Hi-tech Agricultural Park, said there will be no miscalculations that properly resolve maritime disputes tional tribunal ruling that declared “But if we study further, we have that urban agriculture would be could further increase the tension.” with the Philippines through friend- China’s mythical nine-dash line claim other issues in the South China Sea developed with a modern concept of The US, a long-time ally of the Phil- ly consultations to jointly safeguard to the whole of South China Sea as like how are we going to exercise our sustainable development, with a ippines, has sent its nuclear-powered peace and stability in the South Chi- invalid and its incursions into the sovereign rights to exploit the focus on the use of hi-tech industries aircraft carriers in the South China na Sea and the entire region.” maritime territories of the Philip- resources in the South China Sea,” and biotechnologies. Sea in recent weeks, conducting But former Supreme Court Senior pines and other countries as illegal. Lorenzana said. Hiep said the city would build cen- naval exercises and freedom of navi- Associate Justice Antonio Carpio dis- Lorenzana defended Duterte’s “It looks like these other countries tres for plant varieties and animal gation operations. puted Duterte’s statement, saying the remarks, saying that the president won’t intervene” on the matter of breeding which would be provided Duterte recently drew flak for saying Philippines’ neighbours, which face was just adopting a “realistic and Philippine sovereignty in the West to southern provinces in Vietnam and that he was “futile” and “cannot do any- a similar dilemma, are upholding pragmatic approach”. Philippine Sea, he said. “It’s only neighbouring countries including thing” to counter China’s perceived their dignity as sovereign nations He said: “There are so many countries between us and China.” PHILIPPINE DAILY Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. VIET aggression in the South China Sea, vir- without going to war. who are getting involved here in South INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 12 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Opinion

www.phnompenhpost.com More than 50 years of remarkable

EDITORIAL PERSONNEL Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Ly Tayseng Executive Editor-in-Chief transition of ASEAN Joshua purushotman such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, Managing Editor Post Khmer Opinion the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN+1, Sam Rith Vo Tri Thanh Deputy Chief of Staff the ASEAN+3 and the ASEAN+6. N August 8, ASEAN will phak Seangly In the future, ASEAN will likely face Business Editor celebrate the 53rd anniver- more challenges and uncertainties May Kunmakara sary of its establishment. caused by tensions between major Deputy Business Editor Along this remarkable powers and the Covid-19 pandemic. growthO journey, ASEAN has under- Despite growing at 4.6 per cent in Sangeetha Amarthalingam Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk gone significant transitions. 2019, ASEAN economy is expected to pan Simala The bloc turned from a region of contract by 2.7 per cent due to the Senior Reporters conflicts and diversity, which charac- substantial impact of Covid-19. Meas Sokchea, Niem Chheng terised the region until the 1980s, to a Since the outbreak, and as lock- Reporters region “inspired by and united under downs and quarantines were enforced Khouth Sophak Chakrya, Kim Sarom, One Vision, One Identity and One in many ASEAN member states (AMS), Long Kimmarita, Khorn Savi, Hin pisei, Caring and Sharing Community”. job losses and business closures have Soth Koemsoeun, Voun Dara, Sous Yamy, From a less developed region, mounted. This led to a sharp fall in Thou Vireak ASEAN has become much more pros- productive economic activities partic- perous and a dynamic region. ASEAN Photographers ularly in the hardest hit sectors such as successfully weathered economic tourism, aviation, manufacturing, as Heng Chivoan, Hong Menea headwinds such as the Asian finan- well as the vulnerable groups. Web Editor cial crisis of 1997 and the global eco- The pandemic is likely to have a Leang phannara nomic recession of 2008-2009. The Webmasters prolonged impact on the macro- region’s gross domestic product Sous Chanthy, pang Vichea economy. A well thought out recovery (GDP) has been raised to early $3 tril- plan to restore in particular fiscal dis- SIEM REAP BUREAU Economically, ASEAN now is deemed a ‘hub’ for global trade and investment. pIXABAY Offi ce Manager lion in 2018, more than four times cipline in the AMS is vital in the post- Sophearith Blondeel the figure of 1999, making it the fifth ness of trade, investment, tourism and From the achievements, the world pandemic period. PRODUCTION & PRINTING largest economy in the world. services, both intra-regional and inter- has had perspectives of ASEAN sig- At the regional level, ASEAN should Head of Desktop Publishing For almost two decades, ASEAN has regional, and economic integration. nificantly different than before. formulate a regional socio-economic Nhim Sokphyrak been growing at an average annual In 2018, ASEAN received $154.7 bil- Economically, ASEAN now is recovery plan post-Covid-19 to facilitate Desktop Publishing rate of 5.3 per cent, consistently lion of foreign direct investment deemed a “hub” for global trade and regional growth. A detailed plan for the Suon Savatdy, Chum Sokunthy, Danh Borath above the global average. (FDI) flows, the highest in its history investment. When foreign investors regional post-Covid-19 recovery would Tep Thoeun Thyda, Tim Borith, Than Veasna ASEAN has managed to balance and a 30.4 per cent increase from look for investment destinations in require close coordination across sec- economic growth with human devel- total FDI inflows of $118.7 billion in the Southeast Asia, they not only aim tors and community pillars, as well as a HEAD OFFICE opment to lift millions of people out 2015. to seek a base in ASEAN member dialogue with various stakeholders. of poverty across the entire region. ASEAN’s efforts in economic integra- countries for their factories, but also ASEAN should also further promote The development gap over the past 20 tion have also paid off with intra- seek a market of 600 million people the sense of Community through fur- years has been gradually narrowed. ASEAN accounting for the highest and the whole world. ther deepening economic integra- Post Media Co, Ltd. If almost half the ASEAN popula- shares in trade and investment at 23 Politically, ASEAN used to be criti- tion, strengthening political-security The Elements Condominium Level 7, tion in 1990 lived below the poverty per cent and 15.9 per cent, respectively. cised for its weak connection among and socio-cultural pillars with more Hun Sen Boulevard, Phum Prek Talong, line ($1.23 purchasing power parity Efforts to boost intra-regional trade member countries, weak institutions people-centre institutions. Sangkat Chak Angre Krom,12353, Phnom per day), after 25 years, the propor- openness was manifested by the fact and too much dependence on con- Victoria Kwakwa, the World Bank’s Penh, Cambodia tion reduced to 14 per cent. Notably, that 98.6 per cent of intra-ASEAN sensus while there are still variations vice-president for East Asia and the Tel: 023 888 161, 023 888 162 the reduction was not restricted to trade flows are now tariff free, not to in the economic and social status Pacific was quoted in the ASEAN Eco- Cellcard: 078 555 166, 078 555 133 the major economies, but also mention the ongoing harmonisation among individual nations. nomic Integration Brief publication last Smart: 086 822 999, 086 277 999 included the less developed CLMV of technical standards, a facilitation However, so far, the ASEAN connec- month as saying: “Even in ASEAN, SIEM REAP countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myan- for greater labour mobility for eight tion is a successful story, showing the which has suffered less than other parts No 629, Street 6 Dangkum Commune mar and Vietnam) where poverty industries (engineering, nursing, attachment and commitment to of the world, we cannot take the transi- Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 rates fell from 66 per cent of the pop- architecture, medicine, dentistry, objectives, based on international and tion to a post-pandemic stage for grant- COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT ulation in 1990 to 18 per cent in 2015 tourism, surveying and accountancy). inter-governmental mechanisms. ed in either health or economic terms.” Chief Operating Offi cer when ASEAN Economic Community From a divided ASEAN with a weak All countries in Southeast Asia now To make that transition, she said James Ong Soon Teck was announced to be established. position in the global arena, the region belong to a community working that ASEAN must not treat contain- Advertising Department In terms of living standards, has become a community internation- together to achieve the aims and pur- ment of the disease and mitigation of Chap Narith, 017 996 241 improvements in access to health care, ally recognised with the role of “cen- poses inscribed in the ASEAN declara- the economic pain as separate goals Hun Channet, 017 578 768 increases in the availability of safe trality” in initiating and developing tions. The association has succeeded in to be achieved with separate instru- prach Monnyreak, 012 123 7777 water and sanitation facilities have various regional architectures. defusing tensions in the region and has ments. Instead, the bloc needs to Keo puthy, 012 966 605 helped strongly decrease the infant ASEAN’s voice has gradually been helped maintain potentially explosive take an integrated view of policy phon Sok Chea, 012 717 404 mortality rate which reached a figure of raised strongly in regional and global situations at a manageable level. where health and economic authori- Jessa piastro, 092 445 983 26 per 1,000 live births in 2016, com- forums, which is of great importance The association has succeeded in ties work together to help preserve CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION pared to a global average of 41. to international institutions. Despite transforming a region riddled with both lives and livelihoods. Acting Distribution Manager Access to education has also been disparities among member countries disputes and rivalries into a generally If ASEAN could do these tasks Thenh Rithy, 087 888 854 improved with enrolment rate in pri- and rising global uncertainties, stable neighbourhood. ASEAN has effectively, we have a firm foundation Circulation Supervisor mary education in the region reach- ASEAN is still able to maintain its sta- proved its vitality and become an to believe that its central role and Nou Chanthy, 096 999 2828 ing 96 per cent in 2016, seven per- bility, peace and development. important factor in ensuring an envi- position in shaping the wider region’s Yim Veasna, 015 814 499 centage points higher than the global ASEAN secretary-general Lim Jock ronment of peace and stability and future would be maintained. VIET NAM ADMINISTRATION average. The rate in the CLMV Hoi said: “Such achievements are not promoting cooperation and develop- NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Admin & HR Manager nations beat expectations to reach 98 to be taken for granted, as they are pich Socheat ment in the Asia-Pacific. per cent in 2016. the outcomes of decades of trust- Vo Tri Thanh is a senior economist at the Central Assistants to Admin & HR Manager The central role of ASEAN is clearly Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) Nhel Soaphea The positive transition of ASEAN is building, cooperation, and mutual manifested in ASEAN forums and and a member of the National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council. Financial Director also recognised in terms of the open- market opening.” meetings held annually with partners 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 august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 13 Lifestyle Tikhanovskaya: Stay-at-home mum rocking polls in Belarus

TAY-AT-HOME-MOTHER with tens of thousands taking to the Svetlana Tikhanovskaya streets to support her bid. never had presidential ambi- In speeches, Tikhanovskaya calls tions. herself an “ordinary woman, a SBut in a tale worthy of a Hollywood mother and wife” and pumps up script, in a matter of weeks the 37- crowds with calls for change. year-old has gone from an unknown She acknowledged that she is to the strongest rival to Belarus standing despite receiving threats. strongman Alexander Lukashenko, Her husband has been accused of who is seeking a sixth term in the plotting mass unrest and collaborat- August 9 poll. ing with Russian mercenaries, claims Tikhanovskaya says she is contest- Tikhanovskaya has called “very scary.” ing the election to get her jailed blog- Their five-year-old daughter and Presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya leaves after her campaign rally in Maladzechna, some 70km northwest of Minsk. afp ger husband out of prison and win 10-year-old son have been taken much-needed freedom for the ex- abroad for their own safety. won’t show you this on television”. formation with help from two wom- She has also revealed her talent Soviet country of 9.5 million people. Tikhanovskaya stresses that if “Unexpectedly her first speech on en with more experience and politi- for languages: she gave an interview “I love my husband very much so I elected, she would free her husband television was strong, without false cal drive. to the BBC in fluent English – in am continuing what he started,” she and other detained opposition fig- notes or weak points,” wrote oppo- These are Veronika Tsepkalo, contrast to Lukashenko who is not said. ures and hold fresh polls. sition newspaper Nasha Niva. whose ex-diplomat husband Valery known for language skills. “I love Belarusians and I want to Belarusian Nobel-prize winning Tsepkalo was barred from standing, However, she has appeared un- give them an opportunity to have a ‘Joan of Arc’ author Svetlana Alexievich has said and Maria Kolesnikova, campaign comfortable over mounting pres- choice.” Her bid has prompted scepticism she will vote for Tikhanovskaya. chief of ex-banker Viktor Babaryko sure to explain her political views. Tikhanovskaya, an English teacher from some, while others have com- who was also dropped from the Asked about the key issue of Rus- by training, only made the decision pared her to historical heroines. ‘Charlie’s Angels’ polls and is in jail. sian-annexed Crimea, she said it is to stand for president in May. The Village, a Minsk-based news site, Tikhanovskaya’s simple but direct The two women, more sharply Ukrainian but de facto Russian, add- Her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky called her “an accidental Joan of Arc.” speeches have prompted lengthy dressed and confident speakers, ing: “Don’t torment me any more.” – a popular 41-year-old YouTube “You’re a wife of a Decembrist!” cheers at crowded rallies. flank her at rallies – with one Belar- Tikhanovskaya grew up in Mika- blogger – had been detained and one supporter shouted at a rally, re- “Are you tired of enduring it all? usian news outlet nicknaming them shevichi, a small town south of Minsk. could not submit his own presiden- ferring to 19th-century aristocrats Are you tired of keeping silent?” she “Charlie’s Angels.” With top grades she studied to be- tial bid in time. who followed their husbands into asked supporters recently. The women wear t-shirts with come a teacher of English and Ger- The electoral commission allowed Siberian exile. “Yes,” the crowd screamed. a design featuring their signature man in the historic city of Mozyr. It Tikhanovskaya to stand in a surprise Hesitant in early television ap- The brunette says that she lacks gestures: Tikhanovskaya’s punched was there she met her future hus- move, after dropping two stronger pearances, she has won praise for the “massive charisma” of her hus- fist, Kolesnikova’s fingers in a heart band, who owned a night club there. opposition candidates. recent speeches. band, who has travelled round Be- shape and Tsepkalo’s victory sign. She later worked as a translator in- Despite a lack of political experi- Allocated live slots on state tele- larus interviewing ordinary people Tikhanovskaya has started wear- cluding for Chernobyl Lifeline Ireland, ence, she has quickly emerged as vision, she listed alleged lies by Lu- for hard-hitting videos. ing her hair down and swapped se- a charity helping children from areas the country’s top opposition figure, kashenko’s regime, repeating: “They Image-wise, she pulled off a trans- vere dark clothing for pastels. affected by the nuclear disaster. afp Congolese refugee artist ‘Lusaks’ seeks niche in Greece

SURROUNDED by cans of Brazzaville and Turkey. Art therapy’ paint and canvas in his small Lusakumunu, who hopes to “I try to bring out what is in studio in the Greek city of live in France some day, says them, put them at ease, and Thessaloniki, Richard Lusa- there are “hidden talents” encourage them to release kumunu feels he has com- among thousands of fellow their problems in the paint- pleted his “metamorphosis” asylum seekers in Greece. ing,” he said. from refugee to artist. After receiving asylum and Essentially, it is “art thera- “Art means integration, in- reaching Thessaloniki in py”, he added. clusion, breaking loneliness 2018, he volunteered to give “In the camps, you meet and living like everyone else,” painting lessons in the near- people who want a better said Lusakumunu, who se- est migrant camp, Diavata, to life,” he said. cured asylum in 2017 and is help discover other artists in In January 2022, he hopes to also active as a talent scout. the area. organise an exhibition of art- Two years ago, the Con- One of the young men in ists from the Aegean islands. golese man created “Mazi” the Mazi collective, Afghan Lusakumunu is certain (Greek for “together”), an art Jaamel Khan, had never there is “plenty of talent” in collective bringing together painted before, he said. the dismally overcrowded 11 refugee and Greek artists “But faced with the loneli- camps of Lesbos and Samos. living in Greece’s second city. ness of the camps, he began One of his paintings – which The collective is supported to doodle and he is a great art- was sold – is entitled “Meta- by the UN High Commission- ist,” Lusakumunu explained. morphosis”, a bright green er for Refugees, non-profit Spotted by the Greek culture and orange canvas of a cater- NAOMI and the French Insti- Congolese artist and refugee Richard Lusakumunu at a studio in the refugee camp of Diavata in Greece. afp ministry, the Congolese art- pillar turning into a butterfly, tute in Thessaloniki. ist is “a driving force to help which he drew shortly after It has already held two exhi- members of the collective. perative for Lusakumunu to ture which was deemed criti- others integrate,” France’s arriving in Thessaloniki. bitions at the institute and is “We do not speak the same flee the Democratic Republic cal of the regime of President consul-general Philippe Ray Aside from painting, Lusa- planning a third on September language, it is painting that of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, Joseph Kabila. told AFP. kumunu works in hotels part- 14 with around 30 artists. unites us,” Lusakumunu, who in early 2017. For this, and other reasons At the Diavata camp, Lu- time to enable him to rent a “The goal is to make them signs his paintings as Lusaks, The son of a graphics art- he prefers not to talk about, sakumunu patiently shows small apartment. visible, to make ourselves vis- told AFP. ist, Lusakumunu, a graduate “we had to flee”, he said. a group of girls and women “In all our creations, there ible, it is up to us to reach out to ‘ of the Kinshasa Academy of He reached the Greek island – aged between 10 to 20 – is one thing in common, it’s the world,” said the 26-year-old, We had to flee’ Fine Arts, held an exhibition of Samos by inflatable boat where to put the next brush a journey, we try to talk about nicknamed “Admiral Lusaks” by It was art that made it im- on young people’s lack of a fu- after passing through Congo’s stroke on their designs. our past,” he said. afp 14 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Lifestyle Thinking caps

Chris Chan, president of the Singapore-headquartered Global Esports Federation, says he’s invited doctors into his organisation to better understand and tackle the physical and mental effects of gaming competitively. afp Injury, obesity, stress: eSports starts wising up to health problems “NOT PLAYING”

ROWING concern can be considered a sport. tions from around the world, ACROSS 59 Really does the trick 28 Fuzzy fruit over health stan- Chris Chan, president of the and last month announced a 1 Isle of Man inhabitant 62 Gestation stations 29 Las Vegas illumination dards in eSports Global Esports Federation, a collaboration with the Olym- 5 Baseball sacrifice 63 ___ and void 30 Folklore monster has prompted a new body backed by Chinese pic Council of Asia to pro- 9 Biblical hymn 64 Toward the windless side 31 Asian cooking pans newG federation to pledge to gaming giant Tencent, said mote eSports in Asia. 32 Two-person bands 14 Unwanted aquarium organism 65 Butte relatives address the problem, as play- credibility was a problem, However, it remains unclear 33 Peruvian native 15 Jacob’s twin 66 Very strong wind ers fall victim to conditions with health and wellbeing one what impact it can have on 34 Twirled like a top 16 Whence eagle eyes may watch 67 Swiss capital ranging from wrist injuries to area that needs attention. health and other areas. 35 Be a poor loser 17 Be on a strict deadline DOWN 36 Geisha’s wrap obesity, stress and diabetes. “It’s about time that in eS- eSports’ governance re- 1 Stares excessively 20 Demonstrate subservience 37 Banned bug spray The retirement of top Chinese ports we looked into all this,” mains a confusing patchwork 2 Solitarily 21 Catalyst’s counterpart 39 Leftovers dish player Jian Zihao, better known he told AFP. and the new body has several 3 Well-plumed bird 22 Head out on the briny 40 “So what ___ is new?” by his gaming handle “Uzi”, sent Chan said the Singapore- rivals, including the South 4 There are only five great ones 25 Kin of “yuck” 44 Biblical murder victim tremors through the booming headquartered federation, Korea-based International 5 “Ain’t Too Proud to ___” 26 Adagio or allegro 45 Ho-hum sport, whose revenues are pre- which launched in Decem- Esports Federation. 6 Dos Passos trilogy 28 Understand, as a language 46 Orbital extreme dicted to reach $1.1 billion this ber and has a focus on “ho- Remer Rietkerk, head of eS- 7 Hair removal brand 32 Break up 48 Pendulum’s path year, according to industry ana- listic health”, has already set ports at Newzoo, said GEF faces 8 Prepare to make music 49 Betty Ford Center activity, briefly 37 San ___, Calif. 9 Nicotine ___ lyst firm Newzoo. up an “education, culture “significant” challenges to be- 50 Like an old bagel 38 Juvenilia, for an author 10 Stone paving block The 23-year-old, hailed as and wellness” commission ing regarded as the sport’s main 51 Broadcaster 41 Windows in domes 11 Operatic solo an “icon” of the League of to guide its work. federation, not least as it only 52 Aden’s land 42 Classic crackers 12 Outline Legends game, stepped away “We’ve got some very promi- has the backing of one major 53 Did laps in a pool 43 Went down 13 Track competition from eSports in June, saying nent doctors, who are sitting in- game publisher, Tencent. 54 A, in music 44 Bottomless chasm 18 By way of “chronic stress, obesity, irreg- side sharing with us,” he said. Tencent owns Riot Games, 55 Valuable deposits 46 Blood classification letters 19 Starch from a palm ular diet, staying up late and the maker of League of Leg- 56 Cajun cooking pod 47 Grapevine tidbit 23 “___ have to do” ‘Pulling in different directions’ 57 Predatory seabird other reasons” had given him ends, backs large tourna- 24 Jeans purveyor Strauss 53 Nosy Parkers 60 Building wing Type 2 diabetes. He also had a Coaches do sometimes ments, and holds investments 27 Complicated, as a divorce hand injury. think of health. Ahead of eS- in many other game publish- 58 Bind again 61 Ginger ___ However, Uzi’s case is far from isolated in a sport where We’re all pulling in different Tuesday’s solution professional players can per- form up to 500 moves a min- directions now. Nobody’s ute, according to the Ameri- addressing the diversity . . . the can Osteopathic Association, and train for hours a day. fair play, the health A report published by the as- sociation last year said eSports’ ports’ debut last year in the ers, but GEF has not yet signed “sedentary nature” meant Southeast Asian Games, a agreements with others. “musculoskeletal injuries of regional multi-sport tourna- “To have real meaning- the neck, back, and upper ex- ment, physical exercise was ful global coordination they tremities” were likely for ath- part of regular training for need buy-in from publish- letes, also flagging concerns many teams. ers because the publishers over gaming addiction and so- But Chan said competition are the ones who can say yes cial behaviour disorders. between different industry or no to any kind of event or Alarming warnings are noth- bodies meant important is- monetized broadcast occur- Tuesday’s solution ing new for eSports, which has sues, from player wellbeing ring,” Rietkerk told AFP. met with a mixed welcome to corruption, were not being In eSports, publishers own from the sporting establish- fully addressed. the rights to games and set rules ment despite its wildfire pop- “We’re all pulling in differ- of play, with governing bodies ularity, as witnessed by the ent directions now,” he said. playing only a limited role. hundreds of millions who fol- “Nobody’s addressing the Alexander Champlin, eS- low big tournaments online. diversity . . . the fair play, the ports analyst from consultancy Attempts to join the Olym- health.” Niko Partners, said the GEF’s pics have so far faltered, for He said GEF was aiming “to main role initially was likely to reasons including a lack of be a platform for the ecosys- be as an advocacy group. cohesion between competing tem to bring some credibility “But expect them to be a companies, the changing na- to the sports”. contender as eSports gover- ture of games and basic ques- The body has been joined nance does eventually begin to tions over whether gaming by dozens of national federa- consolidate,” he added. afp THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 15 Sport Defending champion Blues lose opener

EFENDING Stanley Cup for the Avalanche, who next face champion St. Louis and Dallas on Wednesday. National Hockey League Philadelphia’s 21-year-old goal- wins leader Boston were tender Carter Hart made 34 saves, beatenD Sunday, upstarts sending becoming the youngest Flyers net- messages in their first official games minder to win a post-season game. since March’s Covid-19 shutdown. Backup goalie Jaroslav Halak made Colorado’s Nazem Kadri poked 25 saves while Tuukka Rask was out home a rebound with one-tenth due to illness, but the Bruins know of a second remaining to give the they can’t afford another stumble or Avalanche a 2-1 victory over the St. their sizzling start to the season will Louis Blues in a Western Conference have been for naught. seeding contest. Philadelphia’s Michael Raffi scored ‘That was awesome’ one goal and set up another in the “I think that we all realise we can second period to spark the Flyers do better,” Bruins captain Zdeno over NHL wins leader Boston 4-1 Chara said. “It goes to simplifying in an Eastern Conference seeding certain plays, just managing the game. puck and making better decisions.” The reigning champion Blues, who In best-of-five qualifying openers, lifted the trophy for the first time in Columbus netminder Joonas Korp- club history last year, join Dallas and isalo made 28 saves as the Blue Jack- Las Vegas in the top four West teams ets blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs that have clinched playoff spots and 2-0 on their own home ice. are playing to decide seeds for the It was the first post-season shut- start of the NHL playoffs. out for the Finnish goalie and the The Boston Bruins, who had 44 first shutout in team history for the wins and 100 points when the sea- Blue Jackets, who are in their 20th son was halted March 12, face Phila- NHL campaign. delphia, Washington and Tampa “I felt pretty confident from the Bay to determine the seed order in get-go today and I think the boys the East. played really good in front of me,” Other clubs meet in best-of-five Korpisalo said. “That was awe- qualifying series to claim a berth some.” against a seed in the best-of-seven Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper made playoff matchups that begin August 40 saves and the Coyotes had a goal 11. and an assist from Christian Dvorak All contests are being staged in cit- in a 4-3 victory over Nashville. ies, Toronto for the East and Edmon- “[Kuemper] gives us a ton of confi- ton for the West, in a bubble quaran- dence back there,” said Clayton Keller, tine atmosphere as part of protocol who also scored for Arizona. “He has and safeguards against Covid-19. been our best player all year.” The Avalanche served notice they The was the first post-season vic- will be contenders for a top seed by tory by the Coyotes since 2012. edging the Blues on Kadri’s last-tick Minnesota got power-play goals power-play goal that withstood vid- from Kevin Fiala in the first period eo review. and Jared Spurgeon in the second “We feel like we can go and play plus an empty-netter by Spurgeon with and beat anyone,” Colorado in the final seconds of a 3-0 Wild coach Jared Bednar said. victory over Vancouver. Alex Stalock The St. Louis Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup last season and have clinched a playoff spot this year but the reigning champs dropped Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves made 28 saves for the shutout. AFP their first official game back by a score of 2-1 to the Colorado Avalanche. getty Images/AFP Racing fears for future after crowd trial cancelled

GLORIOUS Goodwood felt Waterworth is concerned ticket or membership twice.” more like Gloomy Goodwood that any further delay could Waterworth, who says 75 this weekend despite the sun- put in doubt the magical date per cent of Goodwood rev- shine after a pilot scheme to of October. enue comes from ticket sales welcome 4,000 spectators Before the recent rise in and spending on hospitality, was cancelled at short notice virus cases the government agreed. due to an uptick in coronavi- had announced fans might “We have started budgeting rus cases. be able to return to sports for next year,” he said. “From The scheme had offered stadiums across England on my point of view next year we hope for dozens of racecours- October 1. will be hit harder than this year. es in Britain that they could “Hopefully the work we have “What assumptions do we admit the public at some done will enable other race- make? Will we be at 30, 50 or point this year following the courses to deliver,” he said. “At 80 per cent capacity? I do not financial pain of the virus least I know we can do it.” know how long racecourses shutdown. can survive under such re- Collectively the courses are ‘Battle on’ strictions. losing £5 million ($6.5 mil- Armstrong admitted the “At least we have the back- lion) a month, Racecourse situation was challenging and ing of Goodwood Estate but Association CEO David Arm- the cancellation was a “tem- if we are feeling it hard, other strong told AFP. porary major blow,” but he colleagues must be really That is an improvement believes the crunch will come struggling.” from the £8 million they were next year. Waterworth, though, says losing after lockdown was in- “I am anxious the way we racing is resilient and has troduced in mid-March – the are positioned,” he said. come through previous crises return to action on June 1 “Will racecourses survive such as foot and mouth and meant revenue from media Battaash smashed his own course record at Britain’s Goodwood Racecourse but a pilot scheme to welcome coming into 2021? The race- equine flu. rights and betting was re- 4,000 spectators was cancelled on short notice due to an uptick in coronavirus cases. AFP courses’ pinch point is most One pilot did go ahead at stored. likely to be in 2021 as they can Goodwood, performing two For the Goodwood staff of One employee, wearing a lines in a car park only to have Goodwood Estate, said the cobble through till then. fly-pasts in a Spitfire fighter around 100 – who will be put panama hat that is tradition- to then erase them. pilot scheme was never about “It will be harder then be- thanking the NHS (National on the government’s furlough ally sported at the five-day Some spectators on Satur- money but about providing cause they have asked an- Health Service) staff for their scheme again this week – the festival, talked of the “demor- day turned out with picnics to feedback to the government nual members and those who efforts during the pandemic. last-minute cancellation was alising feeling” that swept sit on Trundle Hill overlooking on how the measures put in bought tickets for the festi- Waterworth reflected the a body blow after the physical through the course on Friday the picturesque racecourse place had worked. vals to roll over their tickets to spirit shown by the Royal Air and emotional effort they had when the news broke. situated in the Sussex Downs, The course, like local ho- next year. Force, who despite being out- put in to prepare the venue A car park attendant spoke southwest of London. tels, bars and shops, has tak- “That means there is a little numbered defeated the Luft- to meet stringent hygiene re- of the backbreaking 10 hours’ Adam Waterworth, manag- en a significant hit as usually less pressure this year but waffe in 1940. quirements. work rolling out the white ing director of sport at the 100,000 spectators turn up. into 2021 you cannot sell that “We will battle on.” AFP 16 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 5, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Sport Mexico’s ‘lucha libre’ wrestlers forced outdoors as arenas closed

RIVEN from their spectator- to take it to this magical place,” 24- filled stadiums by the coro- year-old wrestler Ciclonico tells AFP. navirus, Mexico’s “lucha The muscle-bound fighter’s face is libre” wrestlers have taken covered by a mask representing an theirD flamboyant costumes and acro- axolotl, an amphibian endemic to batic maneuvers to an unlikely new Xochimilco similar to a salamander. battleground immersed in nature. Hanging from a tree, a green ball As dawn breaks over the capital, a shaped like the novel coronavirus dozen burly fighters board a boat in offers a reminder of the health crisis Xochimilco, a maze of canals and ar- shaking the country, which is ap- tificial islands created centuries ago proaching 50,000 confirmed deaths by the area’s indigenous peoples. and 450,000 cases among a popula- The pocket of green in the sprawl- tion of 128 million. Covid-19 forces Mexico’s ‘lucha libre’ wrestlers take their flamboyant costumes and acrobatic maneuvers outdoors.afp ing smog-plagued metropolis is Mexico now has the world’s third- now the scene of high-flying moves, highest official death toll from the “Not the mask!”. “Yes, I miss it a lot.” He is not the only one who feels blows and insults that will be broad- disease. Then it is the turn of X-Devil and This veteran fighter, who relies the excitement of returning to the cast online. Big Philip Jr. to fall backwards on on money from his taco business ring: Magic Eagle has also missed The goal is to raise funds to save ‘Healthy distance’ a plastic table that shatters under to survive, admits that returning to the adrenaline rush. the wildly popular mix of sport and The show begins, narrated by two their combined weight. the ring was hard after putting on “It’s good. I feel liberated,” says the entertainment. commentators gushing with the Amidst the tranquil surroundings, weight during the lockdown. strongman, who combines wrestling Lucha libre is an integral part of Mex- same passion as if they were in the the bellowing rings out even louder, “Yes, I have struggled (against the with his job as a construction worker. ican popular culture, but like many ac- Arena Mexico, the high cathedral of particularly when Shocker lets rip economic crisis), but thank God Confident of the event’s success, tivities it is now facing financial disas- lucha libre. with a common Mexican insult in- there is food to eat, which is the the organizers plan to keep using ter because of the coronavirus. Emotions are running high when volving Mr. Jerry’s mother. most important thing, and good their new arena deep in nature and In the absence of the usual crowds of Japanese wrestler Yoshioka tries to But it is not quite the same with- health which is essential,” he says. next time hope to attract more spec- fans, the hubbub of the wrestlers’ arenas tear off the mask of Thunderstorm – out the shouts, insults and applause So “when they told me about this tators by holding it at night. has been replaced by birdsong in the the ultimate humiliation. of the spectators. project I said ‘go ahead’. I feel com- The show will air on Saturday at nature reserve on the edge of the city. The referee, who had asked the “You feel an emptiness, a hole, fortable. Yes, I get tired, apart from a price of 30 pesos ($1.35) and the “Because of the pandemic, we wrestlers to keep a “healthy dis- because the public motivates you, that I put on a lot of weight, but the money will be distributed among couldn’t do it indoors. So we decided tance”, intervenes with a shout of they make the energy,” says Shocker. body recovers,” he adds. the wrestlers. afp Davis dazzles as Lakers sink Jazz to clinch top spot

ANTHONY Davis scored 42 Siakam, who finished with 22 reward for the hard work the points as the Los Angeles points and three assists. Nuggets have put in behind the Lakers clinched top seeding Kyle Lowry had 14 points, scenes since being sequestered in the Western Conference on while Serge Ibaka also made inside the NBA’s “bubble.” Monday with a 116-108 de- double figures with 15 points for “We needed it,” Jokic said. feat of the Utah Jazz. the defending NBA champions. “For the guys that are here, Stung by defeat to the To- Goran Dragic led the Mi- this is I think their 24th day, ronto Raptors on Saturday, ami scorers with 25 points, 27th day that they are here, the Lakers roared back in im- while Kelly Olynyk had 17 they are working. pressive fashion to overpower off the bench. Butler and Jae “This is my third week, so a talented Utah line-up. Crowder both finished with the guys are putting the work The win sealed top spot in 16 points apiece for Miami. in, it has kind of paid off a the West for the Lakers for the Elsewhere on Monday, little bit. But, of course, this is first time since 2010, when Nikola Jokic had a triple-dou- our goal to win the game.” the late Kobe Bryant would ble as the Denver Nuggets Nuggets coach Michael Ma- go on to lead the team to the overpowered the Oklahoma lone echoed Jokic’s remarks. NBA Finals crown. City Thunder in a 121-113 “I think it’s valuable and im- On Monday, Davis stamped overtime victory. portant for us to get a win, a his class on the contest with Jokic finished with 30 points, 12 division win, against a good a hefty points tally as well as rebounds and 10 assists in a stel- team,” Malone said. coming up with 12 rebounds, lar performance for Denver, who “We’ve been down here for four assists and three steals. improved to 44-23 with the win. like 28 days, I don’t even know LeBron James finished with The Nuggets remain third in what the exact number is. 22 points and nine assists as the Western Conference stand- “Days are just kind of, days the Lakers finally pulled away ings behind the Los Angeles Lak- and days, I don’t know what from a stubborn Utah side. Anthony Davis scored 42 points as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched top seeding in the West. afp ers and Los Angeles Clippers. day it is anymore.” “All the stuff we’ve been Michael Porter led the Den- The NBA restarted its sea- through this season, to clinch in a helicopter crash in January. included seven three-pointers It was an all-round display ver scoring with a career-high son last week after a four- No1 in the West means a lot but “To be in a category with from 12 attempts as Toronto that left Raptors coach Nick 37 points, while Paul Millsap month hiatus caused by the we’re not finished,” Davis said. him means a lot,” Davis said. improved to 48-18 to remain Nurse purring with pleasure and Monte Morris had 17 coronavirus pandemic. “It’s just one of the mile- “I know he’s looking down on in second place in the East. after the victory. points each. The relaunched season is stones of many to get to where us, cheering us on.” “What makes his defense Oklahoma City’s scoring was taking place with 22 teams we want to be.” Elsewhere on Monday, Fred ‘Unique defense’ unique is that he doesn’t look led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexan- based inside a secured zone Davis’s points haul included VanVleet scored a career-high VanVleet also made a big con- very fast out there, but his lat- der with 24 points, Chris Paul at Disney World in Orlando. 23 in the first half alone. 36 points as the Toronto Rap- tribution defensively for the eral side-to-side speed and (23) and Danilo Gallinari (20). In other early action on It was the 20th time Davis has tors dug deep to defeat the Raptors, forcing a deflection of a the way he can move his feet Monday, the Indiana Pac- scored 20 points or more in the Miami Heat 107-103 in their Jimmy Butler pass later on that is incredible, it’s deceiving,” ‘We needed it’ ers defeated the Washington first half as a Laker, the first play- Eastern Conference clash. denied Miami an opportunity Nurse said of VanVleet. Jokic, who dominated over- Wizards 111-100, thanks to a er from the franchise to achieve VanVleet led the scoring for for a game-tying score. VanVleet VanVleet was backed offen- time to help Denver close out 34-point double-double from that feat since Bryant, who died the Raptors with a haul that finished with four turnovers. sively by Cameroon’s Pascal the win, said the victory was TJ Warren. afp