Friday, february 12, 2021 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent Issue Number 3605 / 4000 RIEL Trade with EAEU surges 18% Hin Pisei cent year-on-year from $51.81 mil- Cambodia Chamber of Commerce According to Heng, the better part vide the Kingdom a valuable alterna- lion in 2019, and imported $15.18 vice-president Lim Heng told The of the Kingdom’s exports to the bloc tive to the EU as a trade destination ILATERAL trade between million, ballooning a colossal 193.57 Post on February 11 that the bloc’s comprised of agricultural products and countervail some of the disruptive Cambodia and the Eurasian per cent from $5.17 million. vast population and thriving econo- and textiles, while imports consist- effects of the withdrawal of the ‘Every- Economic Union (EAEU) Comprising five member states mies represent a vital target market ed of machinery, tractors and spare thing But Arms’ (EBA) trade scheme. was worth $67.37 million – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, for the Kingdom’s goods. parts for agricultural machinery. On August 12, the European Com- lastB year, marking an increase of 18.22 Kyrgyzstan and Russia – the EAEU “The pick-up in trade between Hong Vanak, director of the Royal mission (EC) officially withdrew 20 per cent compared to 2019’s $56.98 is home to 184.6 million people Cambodia and the EAEU is wel- Academy of Cambodia’s Internation- per cent of EBA from Cambodia. The million, according to data from the and represents a combined gross come news, and comes as Cambo- al Economics Department, said the suspension affects one-fifth or€ 1 bil- Ministry of Commerce. domestic product (GDP) of $4.778 dia ramps up production of high- trade numbers were a great deal amid lion ($1.2 billion) of the Kingdom’s Of that, the Kingdom exported trillion, according to International quality merchandise for export to the gloom of the Covid-19 outbreak. $52.19 million, inching up 0.73 per Monetary Fund estimates for 2020. international markets,” he said. He stressed that the bloc would pro- Continued – page 8 Vaccination drive forges ahead, 339 get jab on first day Mom Kunthear Calmette Hospital, Preah Ang Duong Hospital, the Khmer- CAMBODIA’S Covid-19 vac- Soviet Friendship Hospital cination campaign kicked off and the National Paediatric on February 10 with more than Hospital must also vaccinate 400 people registering at the all of their staff,” she said. four hospital distribution sites Medical staff from Preah in the capital and 300 actually Kossamak Hospital, the receiving inoculations. National Maternal and Child The Ministry of Health has Health Centre and the urged medical workers to National Centre for Tubercu- organise their work sched- losis and Leprosy Control must ules so as to ensure that vac- schedule times to receive vac- cinations proceed smoothly. cinations at the National Pae- Ministry spokeswoman Or diatric Hospital in order to Vandine said 425 people had avoid overcrowding. registered for vaccination and The ministry has assigned 339 had received it. The remain- Calmette Hospital to provide ing 86 were not vaccinated due vaccination for all officials from to pre-existing health condi- the Senate, National Assembly tions that might have caused and Council of Ministers. health complications or other- Officials of the National Police wise posed risks for them. and the Phnom Penh munici- The ministry also reiterated pal police department may be its encouragement for every- vaccinated at the Khmer-Sovi- one in the priority groups to et Friendship Hospital. register for the voluntary cam- Vandine said: “Covid-19 paign from February 11 onwards. vaccinations will continue Vandine said dignitaries every working day from 8am and all those in the priority to 5pm except for a lunch groups who were not vacci- break from noon to 2pm.” nated on February 10 could Those who have already go to the hospitals designat- received their first vaccine Porky peak ed by the ministry to receive dose should get the second A man cautiously lifts a whole-roasted suckling pig onto a weighing scale at a stall just outside of Phnom Penh’s Orussey Market. Sales of the roast their vaccination. pork reach their annual peak during the Lunar New Year holiday. One seller told The Post that daily sales were 2.5 times as high as usual and that “Medical professionals at Continued – page 2 one hog – typically weighing 5-7kg – costs 600,000 riel ($150). HONG MENEA 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com National P’Sihanouk province roads done in March Khouth Sophak Chakrya held on November 16, 2019, in cooperation with six com- PREAH SIHANOUK Provin- panies and two road construc- cial Hall spokesman Kheang tion engineering units. Phearom announced on Feb- The companies involved are ruary 11 that the construc- Heng Sambath Co Ltd; SCE tion of 34 roads throughout Standard Construction and the province is scheduled Engineering Co Ltd; Pisnoka to be finished in mid-March International Corporation; and will be formally inaugu- KBH Construction Co LTD; rated before the Khmer New VT Engineering Construction; Year holiday in April. and Royal Mekong Construc- He explained that all con- tion and Development. crete had already been laid, The two government units and the laying of asphalt was are the Samdech Techo Engi- 60 per cent complete. Instal- neering Corps of Siem Reap lation of traffic lights and and the Ministry of National road signs has been com- Defence’s Engineering Division peted while the installation of No 178 for Roads and Bridges. CCTV and painting of traffic The National Committee lanes and other road mark- for Coastal Management ings are about half finished. and Development was del- “All crews are now accelerating egated responsibility for the their pace and working around management of project op- the clock to finish the remain- erations and is chaired by ing tasks by March 15 in order Minister of Land Manage- for their inauguration to be for- ment, Urban Planning and River Terns are seen along the Mekong River earlier this month. WWF-CAMBODIA mally held before the upcoming Construction Chea Sophara. Khmer New Year,” he said. Sophara said that in order Barring schedule changes, for Preah Sihanouk province the roads and other public to become an economic pillar River Terns population on construction projects in the of the country with modern province will be inaugurated on commercial hubs that can at- April 9 with Prime Minister Hun tract tourists and drive growth, Sen presiding, Phearom said. the government had invested The 34 roads under construc- an additional $100 million to the rebound along Mekong tion span 84km and are being build 11 more roads in Prey constructed at a cost of $294 Nop and Stung Hav districts. Mom Kunthear WWF-Cambodia press release. Cambodia and the region,” Asia. In Cambodia, their num- million. The groundbreaking Construction is about 30 per Researchers observed the adding that concerted con- bers have declined by 80 per ceremony for the project was cent complete. HE population of birds hunting for fish among servation efforts have re- cent over the past 20 years, River Terns contin- rapids and roaming the natural versed the curve of species’ and the nationwide popula- ues to rise, having sandbar habitat for mating. decline and brought hope for tion was estimated at just 54 doubled in the past WWF-Cambodia Biodiver- its recovery in Cambodia and to 62 individuals in 2018. fiveT years and spurring hopes sity Research and Monitor- the region. The primary threats to the for the species’ conservation, ing manager Ean Sam Un “I would like to commend species include habitat dis- according to initial findings described the River Terns the tireless efforts in pro- turbance by human activities, by researchers from the World as medium-sized birds with tected area management, law nest flooding, hunting for their Wildlife Fund (WWF-Cambo- forked tails, black caps and enforcement and community eggs and predation by domes- dia) who have begun con- white bellies. He noted that engagement by the provin- tic cattle and other wildlife. ducting annual bird surveys. they are more visible during cial and local government, Due to these concerns, the A total of 68 close encoun- their breeding season which especially the provincial de- International Union for Con- ters with River Terns, known started in January and con- partments of Environment servation of Nature recently by their scientific name Sterna tinues until May. and Agriculture, Forestry and reclassified the bird, upgrad- aurantia, were documented Sam Un added that re- Fisheries, all involved part- ing the seriousness of its sta- along the Mekong landscape searchers were particularly ners and WWF-Cambodia, as tus from ‘Near Threatened’ to Road work in Preah Sihanouk province in December. Hong menea between Kratie and Stung Treng excited with the current well as the participation from ‘Vulnerable’ on their Red List. provinces and the Laos border count, which resulted from the local communities in the WWF-Cambodia noted that during initial bird surveys – up just their initial surveys. habitat areas,” Teak said. last year, a total of 47 nests of slightly from 64 last year and up WWF-Cambodia country WWF-Cambodia noted that River Terns were guarded by dramatically from only 31 ob- director Seng Teak said: “This River Terns are one of the rar- local communities along the Tea Banh: vaccine is served in 2016, according to a is such a rewarding news for est bird species in Southeast Mekong habitat. both safe and effective

Continued from page 1 Banh testified that no one who had received the vaccine one at the same place as the first had experienced negative side- between March 14 and 28. effects. Due to this, he had con- “The ministry will continue tacted China’s Ministry of to alert eligible members of Defence to discuss whether the public who are in the 18-59 Cambodia could get the vac- age group about receiving vac- cines donated from China. cinations on a voluntary “This vaccine is high quality basis,” Vandine said. and effective. No problems at Minister of National Defence all,” he declared. Tea Banh held a press confer- The government of China ence on February 10 marking the announced last month that it start of the vaccination campaign would donate one million dos- at Preah Ket Mealea Hospital. es of the vaccine to Cambodia, While public vaccinations are and a shipment containing the just beginning, Banh admitted first 600,000 doses arrived in that he and close family mem- the Kingdom on February 7. bers, along with his staff, had Half of the doses from the already taken the Sinopharm first shipment have been allo- vaccine weeks ago. cated to the health ministry for “To tell you the truth, I was inoculations of priority groups already vaccinated. In ten among the public and govern- days, it will be one month ment, while the other 300,000 since I received vaccination. doses are earmarked for the Some of my family members defence ministry to vaccinate were also vaccinated. the nation’s military forces. “My son actually took the vac- As of February 11, Cambodia cine before me. At the time, we had recorded a total 478 Cov- had only a small quantity of the id-19 cases with 19 patients vaccine in the country. After my still receiving ongoing treat- son was vaccinated, nothing bad ment at. Remarkably, the King- happened to him so he encour- dom has not suffered any aged me to take it as well,” he said. fatalities from the virus. THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 3 National​ Judicial officers, WCS CMAC breeds sniffer dogs tackle wildlife trade Orm Bunthoeurn Niem Chheng director Ken Serey Rotha said HIS year, the Cambo- the Kingdom is a transhipping dian Mine Action Cen- THE Ministry of Justice and country for the illegal wildlife tre (CMAC) will breed the Wildlife Conservation trade though the destination more than 100 dogs in Society (WCS-Cambodia) held countries for the contraband orderT to train them to sniff out a workshop to share knowl- are typically wealthier ones, mines in the Kingdom so that edge of legal procedures relat- primarily China. the nation will no longer need ing to elephant tusk and rhino He said that to effectively to rely on importing dogs for horn trafficking. The workshop follow CITES, court officials this purpose from abroad. was held on February 9 with need to be knowledgeable CMAC director Heng Ra- judges, prosecutors and wild- about these crimes and have tana said that on February 9 life experts in attendance. insight into which procedures a mine-sniffing dog had given The workshop served as a are most effective to stop birth to 11 puppies at CMAC’s forum for participants to dis- them. Technical Institute of Mine cuss their experiences com- “Another implication is that Action (TIMA) in Kampong bating the black market ivory if these crimes are allowed to Chhnang province. trade and methods for inves- happen in Cambodia because “So far we have seven or tigating and solving cases of loosely enforced laws, it is eight litters of puppies. Some related to transnational wild- basically an invitation for oth- of the litters have six puppies, life crime, according to WCS- er criminals to come and oper- some more than 10. We have Cambodia. ate here. over 40 puppies born already Justice ministry secretary “But the direct impact of fail- and there are still another of state Keng Somarith told ing to crack down on wildlife seven or eight more litters on The Post on February 10 that crimes is a loss of dignity and the way,” Ratana said. Cambodia is a signatory to respect from the international Heng Ratana said CMAC The Cambodian Mine Action Centre plans to breed and train over 100 mine-sniffing dogs to eliminate reliance the Convention on Interna- community. on foreign breeders and trainers. cmac was proud of the breeding tional Trade in Endangered “That respect is hard to earn, programme, which the cen- Dogs trained at CMAC are the capacity to create a breed- which is a source of pride for Species of Wild Fauna and but easy to lose. Our leaders tre researched and designed already sought after and rec- ing programme following our us,” he said. Flora (CITES). have been working to build independently without help ognised by the international research. We will be the sole According to Ratana, in de- As a CITES member, Cambo- Cambodia’s reputation as a from abroad. community, with six dogs owners of this project and mining activities dogs can re- dia must strictly enforce reliable and responsible part- A successful breeding pro- sold to buyers in Europe and we’re confident we’ll suceed. place humans to detect mines national laws against all illegal ner for many years,” he said. gramme in Cambodia would two more to South Sudan al- So, we are very proud that we in order to minimise the risks wildlife trades and particu- Early last year, UK-based mean the centre would no ready this year. will be breeding more than to deminers. larly against the trade of ele- anti-wildlife trade NGO Traffic longer have to depend on im- “We have been trying to 100 dogs this year,” he said. He said the dogs are trained phant ivory and rhino horn, reported that Cambodia had porting dogs from abroad, es- breed them for just three Ratana said that previously to sniff out explosive sub- Somarith said. seized 17,000kg of elephant pecially Europe, he said. years now, and we now have CMAC had bred no more than stances whereas a human will “We invited our judges and ivory from 2009 to 2018, five to 10 dogs per year. Now, use a metal detector to try to prosecutors to receive training including more than 3.2 tonnes however, their organisational find the metal casing around from international experts of ivory imported from capacity has increased to the the explosives because there is about the experiences and Mozambique. point where they are ready to not any technology that can be practices of other countries of More recently, in December breed dogs in larger numbers deployed easily in the field that cracking down on the illegal 2019, a total of 280 lion bones because they now have a new will detect explosive materials. wildlife trade,” he said. were seized at Phnom Penh younger generation of employ- “We are testing new tech- WCS-Cambodia country International Airport. ees trained to handle canines. nology with Japan, Germany, Ratana explains that the Italy, Austria, and Australia to breeding of more than 100 dogs develop new tools for detect- does not mean that all 100 dogs ing explosive substances. The can be used for mine-sniffing tests have not been success- duties. Typically only 30 to 40 ful so far though. dogs at most out of 100 will “So, it remains difficult for make the cut no matter who is humans to detect mines and breeding or training them. explosives underground de- “The selection process is spite all our science and tech- quite tough – we need very nology whereas dogs are born intelligent dogs. We’re able to with the necessary equipment CMAC director Heng Ratana holds a sniffer dog’s puppy in Kampong pick the smart dogs out at a to do it right there in their nos- Chhnang province. CMAC 70-90 per cent accuracy rate, es,” Ratana concluded. Committee sheds light on torture Niem Chheng this information. Even the Mondulkiri tance from international or UN’s bodies to and Ratanakkiri leaders didn’t know help accelerate the drafting of the law. THE National Committee Against Torture much about it. Just yesterday when I In early 2020, a high-profile case of - tor (NACT) continues to do outreach work told them about it, they were surprised ture took place in Banteay Meanchey prov- to raise awareness among sub-national by what I had to tell them,” he said. ince that resulted in the death of a detainee officials about respect for human rights Though his mission was slowed down named Tuy Sros. Two Military Police officers and the UN Convention against Torture by the Covid-19 pandemic, Sa An said were arrested and charged following the as the draft law on the Establishment of that from 2020 up until today, he had incident. In January of this year, they were a National Committee against Torture completed informational sessions in sev- sentenced by the Battambang Provincial and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading en provinces and is scheduled to conduct Court to four and seven years, respectively. Treatment is being finalised. more in Kratie and Stung Treng prov- Am Sam Ath, deputy director for rights Cambodia became a signatory to the inces on February 24 and then Banteay group Licadho, said that when Cambodia UN convention in 1992. And in 2007, the Meanchey and Battambang on March 3. acceded to the UN Convention against National Assembly enacted additional In May of last year, Ministry of Interior of- Torture in 1992, it effectively became a protocols. These require the Kingdom ficials resumed discussion of the draft law law as is the case with all international to introduce measures against torture on the Establishment of a National Com- treaties once a nation ratifies them. including the establishment of an inde- mittee against Torture and Other Cruel, He said the current draft law should pendent national body for that purpose. Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, follow- include more input from relevant stake- NACT chairman Nuth Sa An was in Mon- ing a long delay dating back to 2013. holders, but he was pleased with the ef- dulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces on Feb- The draft law has now reached the inter- forts being made at educating and train- ruary 10 to raise awareness about the obli- ministeral stage. Sa An said the bill consists ing local officials. gation of sub-national authorities to refrain of 10 chapters and more than 30 articles, “It is important to provide education and from using any form of torture on detainees. but it could be altered further during fu- training to sub-national officials about the Sa An said he held the sessions with local ture inter-ministerial discussions. convention and exactly what treatment authorities to make them aware of the rights He said the draft law reached Ministry falls into the category of torture. of those who are in custody for any reason of Civil Service but Minister of Economy “And it was even more important that in order to prevent any torture or other in- and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth had sug- action was taken in Banteay Meanchey humane treatment from taking place. gested that the three ministries should against the Military Police officers who “We have documents about human rights, first discuss it. tortured a detainee resulting in his death. the [UN] Convention against Torture and Sa An said that when the bill becomes a Such legal enforcement should continue the role of the committee to show to them. law, an independent national committee in order to prevent other officials from “Some provincial officials don’t know will be formed. He had appealed for assis- following their bad example,” he said. 4 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com National Land investors told to beware of fraudsters in Svay Rieng Nov Sivutha should ask to examine the documentation regarding the HE Svay Rieng Pro- land in question and to bring vincial Administra- it to the authorities to confirm tion has issued a its validity if necessary. statement warning Accurate and clear infor- peopleT to be cautious when mation can be obtained from buying land in the province authorities such as the dis- because there were some trict administration where individuals and companies the land is located or the pro- selling plots of land without a vincial Department of Land proper licence. Management, Urban Plan- The provincial hall warned ning and Construction. that any purchases made The letter advised prospec- from them may not be con- tive buyers to carefully exam- sidered as valid in the future. ine and understand business- It advised anyone purchasing related documents. These land there to get as much de- include land development Land divided into plots for sale in Svay Rieng province. Facebook tailed information as possible permits; business or devel- before making any deals. opment licences; contracts in the province had increased company or trader must de- Heng Chivoan, the owner He said that in some cases The announcement dated of any sort; and documents remarkably recently. velop 10 or 30 per cent of the of a land plot in Svay Rieng there are electricity poles but February 8 stated that the that identify the location and According to Piseth, some- land, including basic infra- town, supported the provin- no power lines to connect to volume of real estate trans- boundaries and the owner of times these developments do structure like utility systems, cial administration’s mes- unless relevant parties nego- actions in the province had the real estate’s identification. not seem to be in accordance before selling plots. sage. However, he said people tiate with the utility company shown remarkable growth in Deputy provincial governor with the law because there is “We just wanted to pro- won’t buy the land once they for a connection. The same is recent years and some of the Hem Piseth told The Post on no basic infrastructure such tect our people. They should understand that the land is true of the water supply sys- companies or traders involved February 10 that so far there as roads, electricity or water ask about the laws and learn being sold without permis- tem, he said. did not have the necessary li- had been no cases of fraud re- connections, while the com- more information. We want sion under the law. “Authorities don’t seem to cences or land development ported to the authorities and pany selling the land just to avoid anyone blaming Chivoan said that selling land want to work with the devel- permits from the government. that the announcement was a leaves clients behind when authorities or the provincial plots in Svay Rieng province still opers even after we put in re- It reminded people that precaution to prevent people the sale is over. administration. We want ev- has many challenges because quests to the provincial admin- before deciding to buy a plot from being cheated in the fu- Piseth added that under eryone to do business fairly there were more expenditures istration. We don’t hear much of land at any location, they ture because land speculation the recently enacted laws, the on both sides,” he said. than in other provinces. back from them,” he said. Youth asked to make Feb 14 a day of service, not romance Nov Sivutha measures to curb the spread of with students, parents and Covid-19 while studying. especially media networks to THE Ministry of Education, The letter advised the school try and ensure that no one has Youth and Sport has issued a boards to closely liaise with any confusion about the mean- letter to all schools – both pub- parents and communities in ing of February 14,” he said. lic and private – instructing order to prevent any improper He said the ministry had them to curb any irregular or immoral activities by stu- encouraged educational insti- activities on their campuses dents and to educate them tutions to hold charitable related to the February 14 Val- about the risks involved with events or social programmes entine’s Day holiday in order inappropriate behaviour. wherever practical on February to maintain compliance with Education ministry spokes- 14 for students to join instead. all precautionary measures man Ros Soveacha told The “On February 14 over the last and safety guidelines for the Post that the ministry always few years, instead of celebrating prevention of Covid-19. issues instructions similar to a foreign holiday students at all In a letter dated February 8, these to stop students’ involve- levels have come to learn as they education minister Hang ment with inappropriate normally would and then also Chuon Naron said teachers activities on or around Valen- participated in social activities and administrators must tine’s Day each year. such as blood donation, charity ensure their students’ “We have noticed that the work and Buddhist strict obedience to majority of students mental health the existing Cov- understand clearly that education. id-19-related Valentine’s Day is not a rules in addition traditional festival for to preventing Cambodians, and we any immoral have communicated activity by stu- dents inspired by the nature of the holiday. He also urged that the coun- cils for chil- dren and youth in schools initiate information ses- sions for stu- dents using “peer educa- tors” who can A woman talk to them celebrates Valentine’s about the Day in importance of Phnom Penh. maintaining safety Heng Chivoan THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Upgraded irrigation brings benefits to farmers in Battambang and Pursat

he Japanese govern- ment, using its Official Development Assis- tance (ODA), initiated a Tthree-year irrigation infrastruc- ture rehabiliation project to the west of Tonle Sap lake in 2019. The project was undertaken to replace ageing infrastruc- ture built during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979) that were not functioning properly due to flaws in their design and construction, while water volumes were also affected by unpredictable weather. Such irrigation infrastruc- ture is important in regulating a consistent supply of water to the areas surrounding the Tonle Sap lake, which are known for the cultivation of rice and re- main a key lifeline for farming communities. The second phase of the re- habilitation work targeting six districts in three impoverished provinces located to the west of the ecologically rich fresh- water lake began in February 2019, with the installation of all key equipment completed in The improved Ream Kon irrigation system in Battambang province. supplied June last year. As the infrastructure was the local FWUC, said that be- water can be supplied to areas upgraded, the Ministry of fore the irrigation system had experiencing shortages during Water Resources and Meteorol- been upgraded, water could not dry season. ogy took the lead in managing be stored, leading to serious Roads have been constructed water resources in these areas shortages. by the irrigation channels to by supporting the irrigation The improved infrastruc- improve transportation. development projects and ture provides better drain- Six months after the re- maintaining existing irrigation age during rainy season and habilitation of the irrigation systems, as well as improving prevents flooding, while stored systems, farmers have almost water management among doubled their paddy production farmers. from the previous 1.5 tonnes. The ministry is also Paddy cultivation can responsible for providing now be carried out twice a guidance on improving ” year compared to the single agricultural production to planting done previously, with raise the livelihoods of farmers After the completion farmers now optimistic of in the areas around the of the irrigation being able to grow three crops irrigation systems and their a year. Kran Samean, head of Leang Pung A Japanese-funded infrastructure project in Wat Chrey village in Pursat communities. system, yields have “The irrigation system must village’s FWUC. province. supplied Prum Kanthel – deputy risen to four to six be maintained by the villagers, director of the Technical and we want to work together used by FWUC,” said Samean. lished a FWUC to improve tion systems therefore have a Services Centre for Irrigation tonnes per hectare to manage it properly. We Another area to benefit from management. duty to ensure they remain in and Meteorology at the from the previous have formed a team among the Japanese project is Wat “After the completion of the optimum condition. Ministry of Water Resources – villagers to upkeep the irriga- Chrey village in Pursat prov- irrigation system, yields have Hay Bunthoeun, deputy said the project will span three to four tonnes. tion system. ince, with an irrigation system risen to four to six tonnes per director of the Technical Ser- three years. “I want to educate people on covering 1,227 hectares. hectare from the previous three vices Centre for Irrigation and In the first and second Meas Sok / FWUC head the importance of taking care Leaders from 10 villages in to four tonnes. Meteorology at the Ministry of years, villagers will be taught of it. This is the model to be two communes have estab- “We now can harvest paddy Water Resources – who is in improved farming methods, three times a year and grow charge of the project – said the while irrigation management vegetables as well,” said Meas irrigation system in Wat Chrey techniques will be the main Sok, the FWUC head. village is Japanese designed. focus in the third, added FWUCs plays a vital role in The vicinity around the Kanthel, who is also the chief water management and in the irrigation system is also being of Farmer Water User Com- maintenance of the irrigation developed to transform the munities (FWUC) unit under systems. area into a local attraction. CP-P11 CP-P23. They are also responsible The installation of street The projects will help for supplying water to villagers lights, the building of benches produce higher yields and during dry periods. and the planting of flowers are lessen the need for the The Ministry of Water in progress to transform the pumping of water. Resources is managing the ir- area, said Bunthoeun, who is Farming communities in rigation systems at present, but also the chief of FWUC unit. Leang Pung village in Battam- once the project is completed In both provinces, there are bang province and Wat Chrey in March this year, local FWUC high hopes in the local com- village in Pursat province are will be responsible for the munities, with the Japanese- beginning to reap the benefits rehabilitated infrastructure. funded projects set to bring of the Japanese government The FWUCs will need to huge improvements to people’s assistance. consult with the ministry on livelihoods and environment. The project in Leang repairing large-scale assets, With support of FWUCs, Pung village covers 1,969 like water pumps, should they sustainable agricultural prac- hectares, with irrigation break down, but daily mainte- tices and poverty reduction systems in seven villages nance will be the responsibility can be achieved, contribut- in three communes. of their members. ing to strong rural economic Kran Samean, the chief of Everyone using the irriga- growth. 6 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com S pecial​​ ReportReport The vaccine conundrum – Is Cambodia a victim of vaccine nationalism? The vaccination programme globally is beset by a shortage of supply via the COVAX Facility, partly due to vaccine-hogging by advanced economies. It has caused a furore among developing countries who are racing against time to inoculate their citizens

By Sangeetha Amarthalingam

t the time of writ- ing, some 500 per- sons comprising high-ranking govern- mentA officials, medical staff and journalists had received the first phase of inoculation by the Sinopharm vaccine, de- veloped by state-owned China National Biotech Group. The figure is just a teaser to Cambodia’s vision of vac- cinating 10 million people in time, which is about two- thirds of the population. The first batch of 600,000 doses arrived less than two months after Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decision to go with vaccines from China, hav- ing reneged from an initial plan of acquiring only World Health Organisation (WHO)- approved vaccines. Misquoted, as he alleged, or not, Hun Sen’s resolution was seemingly laced with desperation as the number of Covid-19 cases inched up late last year, although there have been no deaths. To date, 478 cases have been recorded, the latest surge driven by the return of several thousand panic-stricken Cambodian mi- grant workers who flooded back across the border from Thailand after an eruption of Covid-19 The eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Hun Manet agreed to Covid-19 immunisation to eliminate widespread scepticism over the Chinese vaccine. heng chivoan cases there in December. Despite its 79.3 per cent of the Advance Market Com- will then purchase these vac- the only WHO-approved vac- She felt that it might take a She said many of the poten- efficacy, the Sinopharm vac- mitment (AMC), a financing cines with a goal to try and cine, thus far). few years before poorer coun- tial ones are patented, mean- cine, whose science is com- instrument that offsets some initially provide doses for an And, this is subject to cave- tries can get their needed vac- ing that vaccination will take posed of an inactivated ver- cost of the vaccines. average of 20 per cent of each ats such as requirements for cines for up to 80 per cent of time, even if production and sion of Covid-19 that sets off With a seed capital of $2.4 country’s population, focus- negotiation and execution of the population. access is increased. the immune system, comes billion as of December 18, ing on healthcare workers and additional agreements, con- “[Even] if production [is] “So, treatment will be needed. through as the world battles a 2020, the AMC is part of the the most vulnerable groups. firmation of acceptance and ramped up, it will still take time. Generic medicines will therefore war against vaccine national- Covid-19 Vaccines Global Ac- “Further doses will be made enforceability of product han- That is why the WHO is sug- be very important, too, more so ism to ensure democratic ac- cess (COVAX) facility that is available based on financing, dling and AMC country readi- gesting that all frontliners and for countries that cannot have cess to medicines. led by the WHO and Gavi, The country need, vulnerability ness, making the distribution vulnerable or high risk popula- vaccination,” she added. One cannot be certain of Vaccine Alliance. and potential threat. [In ad- even more cumbersome. tions in the world be covered Hun Sen’s change of heart, This year, AMC plans to dition] a buffer of doses will In the meantime, evaluation first rather than rich countries Repeatedly met impasse but ruminations are that it raise an additional $6.8 billion be maintained for emergency is being carried out on Oxford- vaccinating all their own popu- These impending conse- might be connected to block for research and development and humanitarian use,” Chee AstraZeneca’s vaccine which lation first,” she said. quences are what possessed orders made by rich nations ($800 million), COVAX AMC told The Post via email. pledged an “indicative distribu- While that happens, it is South Africa and India to sub- for Western vaccines created (about $4.6 billion) and deliv- Her Malaysia-based or- tion” of 240 million doses in the also important to enlarge the mit a proposal to the World by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna ery support ($1.4 billion). ganisation works on develop- first and second quarters this basket of vaccine options. Trade Organisation (WTO) Inc and AstraZeneca plc. While AMC leverages on ment, developing countries year. Although the Pfizer and Mod- last October to seek a waiver This has resulted in an ap- upfront payments for or- and North-South affairs. That said, there is no certainty erna’s mRNA technologies are from certain provisions of parent shortage of vaccines, ders via COVAX by 98 high- to the actual supply, as it is con- apparently not so complicated, the Trade-Related Aspects of which according to interna- income economies, doses for ‘No guaranteed supply’ tingent upon factors including in that it might not be difficult Intellectual Property Rights tional lawyer Chee Yoke Ling, poor countries, also procured But with an alleged hogging the granting of WHO EUL, sup- for companies to make them, Agreement (TRIPS). is no surprise. through the facility, are settled of vaccines by richer nations, ply volume or operational con- they are unfortunately new and The proposal, adopted by “Even countries who can by a separate financial mecha- the outlook is stark. straints and time taken to place would take time and invest- some 100 WTO members, WHO afford to buy may not get the nism, largely funded by official It even drew the ire of WHO purchase orders. ment to set up production. and civil society organisations, volume they need if 75 to 80 development assistance (ODA). director-general Dr Tedros “The AstraZeneca advance “Here is where patents, as asked that provisions relating per cent vaccination of the Having said that, the 92 Adhanom Ghebreyesus who purchase agreement that has each vaccine has many pat- to copyrights, industrial de- population is the threshold countries accessing vaccines lamented that the world was been made public shows that ents [and] not just one, and signs, patents, and protection for protection,” said Chee, di- are expected to share some on the “brink of a catastroph- they signed a ‘best reason- trade secrets relating to tech- of undisclosed information be rector of Third World Network costs of the vaccines and de- ic moral failure” last year. able efforts’ agreement,”Chee nology know-how are barri- suspended temporarily. (TWN), an independent non- livery, ranging between $1.60 For instance, the COVAX said, pointing out that what ers,” Chee bemoaned. It is unknown if Cambodia profit global research and ad- and $2 per dose, a mirror of interim distribution forecast that means is that there is no As such, a waiver is impor- adopted the proposal. vocacy organisation. the sum paid upfront by self- as of February 4, showed that guarantee of supply in accor- tant for medicines that treat Numerous efforts to seek Thus, acquiring Western vac- financing participants (SFP). only 1.2 million doses of the dance to the expected volume the infected (therapeutic) comments from government cines could be a tad onerous “Once a vaccine has been WHO emergency use listing and schedule. where more than 100 clini- spokesman Phay Siphan, for the moment, even though approved by regulatory agen- (EUL)-approved Pfizer-BioN- “We suspect all the similar cal trials are going on to see Ministry of Health spokes- Cambodia is among 92 low cies [and, or] prequalified by Tech is presently available for agreements are on this basis,” which existing medicines can woman Or Vandine, and Min- and middle-income countries the WHO, the COVAX facility the first quarter this year. (It is she added. be used for Covid-19. istry of Economy and Finance THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 7 Special​​ Report

permanent secretary of state have been publicised as a        Vongsey Vissoth proved futile. donation to Cambodia. It is   As per 2021-01-20 Meanwhile, South Africa a sign of “deep relationship” Contracts: Some of the supply WTO representative Mus- between the nations, said 2,270 included in the projections are linked to 630 deals that are already concluded and taqeem Da Gama, who was Chinese ambassador to Cam- some are currently being negotiated. quoted by TWN in a February bodia Wang Wentian. Terms are subject to change. COVAX Available Supply, Cumulative, Mn doses, 20211 4 article, said the world was With the stress on manu- 1,945 Candidate attrition: Some candidates facing vaccine nationalism facturing scale as per rising 540 are still in clinical development. If they and artificial scarcity – two orders, it would appear logi- do not achieve positive clinical trial outcomes (safety and efficacy) and challenges that are preventing cal that Cambodia turned to Secured volumes from signed �greements2 1,620 regulatory approval, these volumes vaccines from being shared China, though it has been criti- 455 1,640 will not be procured by COVAX. Volumes under �ctive negoti�tion equitably among countries. cised from the outset for failing Regulatory approval: Supply timing Da Gama also rued over the to disclose its full test results. 1,405 will depend on regulatory success 1,295 and timelines, including reviews of intellectual property monopo- Early this month, China vowed 365 individual batches (“batch release”). lies over technology and know- to provide 10 million doses to 1,165 1,080 Manufacturing: In many cases, how that relate to COVID-19, low and lower-middle income 295 manufacturing is yet to reach full scale. pleading that they be shared to countries via the facility, which Manufacturing productivity will be 870 930 influenced by multiple factors, which will in ramp up manufacturing. it joined in October, 2020. 225 Further turn influence volume and timing of supply. He also asked that vaccine China’s vaccine distribution 785 volumes Corresponding to supply 640 to become Timing of delivery will depend supply and treatment of the to Cambodia is aside from �v�il�bility, regul�tory Delivery: 160 640 �v�il�ble in on various factors, including local disease be diversified just so COVAX, flowing instead from �pprov�ls m�y c�use 2022, subject del�ys to deliveries regulatory approval, country readiness, everyone everywhere can be its transportation and deal- 480 to funding logistics, indemnification and liability in �v�il�bility vaccinated in the shortest signing activities with devel- 325 place, in-country distribution etc. 235 325 timeframe. oping countries as part of its Funding availability: Total potential supply 145 235 is shown; procurement of these doses However, the call by the group global vaccine diplomacy. 145 will depend on COVAX AMC fundraising, has repeatedly met an impasse Back home, Cambodia is AMC92 cost-sharing beyond donor- with advanced nations. armed with nearly $70 million funded doses, and the final prices and J�n Feb M�r Apr M�y Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec E�rly volumes of doses allocated to AMC92. Assuming the waiver is ap- Covid-19 spending money, 2022 proved, it blows open new donated by local tycoons and Allocation: These supply forecasts reflect a preliminary distribution of challenges, said UK-based friendly nations, to buy vaccines doses based on each participant’s share Fitch Solutions Inc pharma- - some 11 million of them. of available supply pro rata by demand 1 Supply refers to volumes of vaccine available from the manufacturer. Timing of forecasts is based on anticipated release of doses from and are to be treated as indicative. Final ceutical and healthcare anal- Recently, Minister Vongsey manufacturers. Volumes for expected single-dose regimen vaccine candidates doubled to ensure comparability across vaccine candidates. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 5M (except for those smaller than 5M), and so totals may not equal sum of segments. timing and volumes will be determined ysis head Beau Noafshar. said Cambodia had placed an Source: COVAX Global Supply Forecast 2 Signed agreements include legally-binding agreements, memoranda of understanding, and statements of intent. by the WHO Allocation Mechanism. “[They comprise] obtaining order with COVAX for seven knowledge of production pro- million doses. A check with cesses without patent-hold- the facility’s latest data, how- Pacific would include sig- which is “over and above” the “Some fees will be charged,” to stark shortages. ers support as well as [a lack ever revealed an order of only nificant supply from Chinese quantity of doses supplied to the embassy said. “However, They noted that the dis- of clarity over] how much the 1.3 million doses of AstraZen- vaccines that could help ease COVAX by Indian companies. consideration will be given to missal was largely due to the global vaccine manufactur- eca vaccines, which COVAX shortages across the others. The embassy said the sup- Cambodia’s status as a Least perception that they were ing capacity is already widely expects to distribute starting “Pricing could, however, be ply was cleared as an “urgent Developed Country while de- “inferior” to Pfizer-BioNTech, being put to use in manufac- end of this month, barring an issue. The latest report of measure on a contract basis”. ciding the charges.” Moderna or AstraZeneca, and turing vaccines in line with caveats. pricing of Sinopharm’s vaccine It was done because of the It is unclear when the pack- that this perception might intellectual property law,” he Separately, Cambodia hopes suggests $30 per dose, higher special relationship between age would arrive as both par- have stemmed from the fact told The Post via email. to acquire more from China than all so far except Moderna. the countries, although In- ties contemplate over the date. that China and Russia are au- Having said that, he found and India, possibly by circum- “Overall, countries are like- dia also kept in view its own thoritarian states. that the waiver, in theory, venting the WHO process. ly to adopt a mixed approach domestic requirements and ‘Evidence is accumulating’ “[But] evidence [has been] would improve vaccine sup- When asked, Fitch Solu- using AstraZeneca vaccines large requests from partner In the midst, uncertainty accumulating for a while ply as companies with vac- tions’ Noafshar agreed that- through COVAX where avail- countries for vaccines. seems to sum up the current that the vaccines from those cine manufacturing capabili- countries that have adopted able [and] supplemented To be sure, there is a price situation in terms of addi- countries work well, too,” they ties would be able to legally a ‘wait and see’ approach with doses from Sinopharm for the merchandise, which is tional Covid-19 doses and the said, citing interim results side-step intellectual property will be faced with longer lead and others,” he said. being negotiated with Serum efficacy of Chinese vaccines. published by leading medical protections and produce ap- times for delivery of vaccines Institute. For Fitch Solutions, the ef- journal The Lancet from late- proved vaccines without the produced by Pfizer, Moderna ‘Some fees will be charged’ Based on Indian news re- ficacy of these vaccines based stage trials that show Russian consent of the patent-holder. and AstraZeneca. In the meantime, negotia- ports, each dose costs about on test results including those vaccine Sputnik V had a 91.6 “[Although] we don’t see this “So, it makes sense that tions are ongoing with one of 200 Indian rupees ($2.75), developed by Sinovac Biotech per cent efficacy rate. playing out, as multiple ma- countries, particularly those India’s largest pharmaceuti- which is by far cheaper than Ltd (50.7 per cent in Brazil) Chee and Prabhala also jor economies [such as] the with good ties to China, will cal firms Serum Institute for other Covid-19 vaccines in the and Can Sino Biologics Inc highlighted that countries US, EU, Japan, Switzerland instead opt for nearer term AstraZeneca doses or Cov- market. It is also in line with (65.7 per cent) is a major risk that vetted the vaccines, made and Canada are blocking text- delivery of vaccines from ishield, the local name for the AstraZeneca’s declaration last to its outlook on Asia Pacific. informed decisions, based on based negotiations of the waiv- Sinopharm which [have] vaccine in the country, the In- year “not to profit” from the So far, the financial infor- evidence about safety and ef- er which are essential to its comparable efficacy to the dian Embassy said via a text vaccine in the pandemic. mation services firm is rely- ficacy released by theC hinese progression,” Noafshar said. others,” he said. message to The Post. Going by a back-of-the-en- ing on the efficacy results and Russian manufacturers. Mid December last year, This comes on the heels of velope calculation, Cambodia provided in the pharmaceuti- Much of evidence was also ‘Pricing could be an issue’ Fitch Solutions noted that Indian Prime Minister Naren- might end up with a bill ofabout cal companies’ press releases, published in peer-reviewed For now, the Chinese vac- its three-speed view for vac- dra Modi’s promise to supply 40 million rupees ($550,000) for which Noafshar opined might scientific journals like The cines that arrived on Sunday cine distribution across Asia- 100,000 doses of Covishield, two dosages per person. hold up in full results. Lancet and JAMA Network, “[As of now] all the vaccines or after running independent

have been good at cutting the   trials of their own.     As per 2021-01-20 number of severe cases and “To assume otherwise is to   ultimately this is what matters Contracts: Some of the supply doubt the ability or integrity 2,270 includedmost in thefor projections our view,” are linkedhe said. to of these governments, some of      485 deals that are already concluded and which have health regulatory someChina, are currently Russia being vaccines negotiated. equal Terms are subject to change. systems on par with those in COVAX Available Supply, Cumulative, Mn doses, 20211 footing the US or Europe,” they said. 1,945 Candidate attrition: Some candidates 485 are stillMoving in clinical development. on, the C Ifambodian they In addition, the writers al- do notgovernment achieve positive is clinical undeterred trial by leged a preferred treatment 1,785 outcomesChinese (safety vaccines,and efficacy) and as lead- by the WHO in approving AMC 1,620 regulatory approval, these volumes 445 will noters be including procured by COVAX.Hun Sen’s kin vaccines developed by largely SFP Regulatoryand cabinet approval: members Supply timing volun- advanced nations in a seem- 1,460 will dependteered on to regulatory be immunised. success ingly faster mode but con- 1,295 and timelines,Lauding including those reviews who of took the versely, pussyfooting those 355 individual batches (“batch release”). vaccine, the premier asked the from developing nations such 1,175 1,080 Manufacturing:rest of the In many population cases, not to as China or Russia. Unlike the 295 manufacturing is yet to reach full scale. Manufacturingbe fearful productivity about will the be vaccine’s former, vaccines from devel- 870 940 influenced by multiple factors, which will in 240 brand or country of origin, oping nations, which could Further turn influence volume and timing of supply. 785 volumes rather they should be worried be placed on equal footing Corresponding to supply 640 to become Timing of delivery will depend �v�il�bility, regul�tory Delivery:about not being vaccinated. as Western vaccines, are re- 175 630 �v�il�ble in on various factors, including local �pprov�ls m�y c�use 2022, subject An appeal for people to sign up quired to undergo a prequali- del�ys to deliveries regulatory approval, country readiness, to funding logistics,for the indemnification vaccination and liability programme in fication process. I“ n reality, it 465 �v�il�bility 325 place,is in-country underway, distribution albeit etc. with a slow is an onerous and time con- 235 90 Fundingtake-up, availability: mostly Total potential attributed supply to suming process.” 145 65 235 40 is shown; procurement of these doses 170 prevailing scepticism. Considering the current 105 will depend on COVAX AMC fundraising, AMC92P erhaps,cost-sharing T beyondWN’s donor-Chee could predicament, Hun Sen might fundedallay doses, some and the doubts. final prices In and a joint J�n Feb M�r Apr M�y Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec E�rly be making a judgement call volumesarticle of doses with allocated Indian to AMC92. public 100% 100% 100% 100% 75% 74% 73% 72% 72% 72% 72% 2022 by going with Eastern vac- Allocation:health These activist supply forecasts Achal Prab- cines, even as it plays into the % Secured volumes from signed �greements2 reflect a preliminary distribution of doseshala based in on Theeach participant’s New York share Times hands of his critics. of availablelast Friday, supply pro the rata duo by demand wrote that Still, it has most likely helped 1 Supply refers to volumes of vaccine available from the manufacturer. Timing of forecasts is based on anticipated release of doses from and are to be treated as indicative. Final manufacturers. Volumes for expected single-dose regimen vaccine candidates doubled to ensure comparability across vaccine candidates. Chinese and Russian vac- Cambodia steer clear of the Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 5M (except for those smaller than 5M), and so totals may not equal sum of segments. timing and volumes will be determined

cines, though dismissed by 2 Signed agreements include legally-binding agreements, memoranda of understanding, and statements of intent. Source: COVAX Global Supply Forecast by the WHO Allocation Mechanism. crossfire of a raging war against the West, might be the answer vaccine nationalism. 8 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Business

USD / KHR USD / CAD USD / CNY USD / JPY USD / MYR USD / SGD USD / THB AUD / USD EUR / USD GBP / USD 4,078 1.2680 6.4582 104.69 4.0425 1.3246 29.88 0.7745 1.2131 1.3830

Trading Information on Cambodia Securities Exchange Date: February 11, 2021 Auction Trading Method (ATM) No Stock Closing Price Opening Price High Low 1 ABC 17,020 17,060 17,060 17,020 2 GTI 3,340 3,200 3,340 3,200 3 PAS 13,660 13,660 13,660 13,660 4 PEPC 2,930 (SQ) - 2,930 2,930 5 PPAP 11,600 11,600 11,600 11,600 6 PPSP 1,540 1,520 1,550 1,510 7 PWSA 6,080 6,080 6,080 6,080 Cambodia Vehicle import duty cuts proposed exploring Thou Vireak

INISTER of Economy and FTA with Finance Aun Pornmon- iroth has proposed an ad- justment on vehicle im- EAEU bloc Mport duty, to be effective from March Continued from page 1 1, to revive the market and buttress the logistics sector after customs clearance annual exports to the bloc. revenue on vehicles fell by 40 per cent “The amount of trade will be in 2020 from a year earlier. further unleashed once Covid- In a February 1 letter addressed to 19 is over,” Vanak added. “Based Prime Minister Hun Sen and signed by on the data, we can conclude Pornmoniroth, the ministry contend- that the EAEU is a market that ed that while the adjustment could has explored the possibility of hive off 122.54 billion riel ($30.26 mil- buying products from Cam- lion) in customs revenue, the move bodia – this is precisely what would bolster demand for imports we want. [The numbers] also beyond last year’s levels and partially indicate that Cambodia boasts offset the perceived losses. goods that meet the EAEU’s re- On February 4, the prime minister quirements.” issued a consent letter to Pornmon- After signing the agreed min- iroth regarding the adjustment, voic- utes on the conclusion of ne- ing support for the transport sector gotiations over the Cambodia- and environmental protection, and Korea Free Trade Agreement hopes that the vehicle import market (CKFTA) via video link on Feb- would be restored. ruary 3, commerce minister The ministry said in its letter that the Pan Sorasak said the Kingdom is import duty for “family cars” with cyl- Customs clearance revenue on vehicles fell by 40 per cent in 2020 from a year earlier. HENG CHIVOAN pushing for scoping studies on inder capacity not exceeding 3,000cc similar deals with, among oth- would be trimmed by 10 percentage a reduction in logistics costs. and logistics sectors. said, arguing that application to used ers, India, the UK and EAEU. points – from 30 to 20 per cent and And dump trucks, cranes and other He said: “I am very happy that the cars would motivate the import of “We’ve met with a handful from 60 per cent to 50 per cent where specialised vehicles will have import government has made the tariff pref- junkers into the Kingdom, which he of countries to envisage FTA applicable. tax lowered from 40 to 30 per cent in erences, which will help reduce the stressed are less safe. [free trade agreement] nego- For those with engines exceeding a bid to underpin physical infrastruc- cost of customs duties. I believe that Phnom Penh is thoroughly choked tiations. We’re willing to open 3,000cc in size, the rate will be slashed ture construction and logistics. all companies in the logistics sector by traffic congestion during rush hour, up the Cambodian market by 15 percentage points – from 65 to The letter said a sharp decline in au- will increase imports of lorries to fill he said, calling for the tightening of and allow our people to ex- 50 per cent and from 70 to 55 per cent tomotive sector revenue and a slug- the shortage,” he said. traffic laws, improved management port products and balance as the case may require. gish economic recovery during and Kong Ratanak, a traffic safety expert, of motorist behaviour and spruced- commercial priorities, in a bid Purely electric family and passen- after Covid-19 are major concerns told The Post that the measure would up road infrastructure to stamp out to endeavour side-by-side and ger cars will see import duty reduced and pose significant hurdles for cus- provide the people with more access to the problem. reap good results,” he said. from 30 to 10 per cent, in a nod to en- toms revenue collection. cars, but suggested that it be exclusive Last year, the General Department Cambodia’s total interna- vironment protection. Cambodia Logistics Association to new vehicles, which he said are built of Customs and Excise of Cambodia tional trade was valued at Customs duty on semi-trailers and (CLA) president Sin Chanthy wel- to higher safety standards, save money collected $2.4196 billion in revenue, $35.81 billion last year, up heavy lorries (over five tonnes) will be comed the move as a show of solidar- and help to protect the environment. down $795.5 million or 24.8 per cent 2.52 per cent from $34.92 bil- cut from 40 to 25 per cent and 40 to 30 ity by the head of state and ministry “I encourage and support the reduc- compared to 2019. This was equivalent lion in 2019, according to data per cent, respectively, to contribute to for the Covid-19-strained transport tion of import duties on new cars,” he to 83.5 per cent of the 2020 plan. from the ministry. Oil states face $9T shortfall as demand falters: analysis

OIL and gas producing nations face income by one third, it found. there will be trade-offs,” he said. “Think- 20-40 per cent of government reve- with new technology. up to nine trillion dollars in lost As renewable energy such as wind ing about fossil fuel producing coun- nues, while Russia, Mexico and Iran The analysis said that countries income as the world accelerates the and solar becomes cheaper than fossil tries who are reliant on fossil fuel reve- were set to lose between 10-20 per could be helped to transition with transition to renewable energy, sad- fuels, oil producing nations collectively nues to balance their budgets, they’re cent, the study said. funding for technical assistance, as dling poorer but resource-rich nations risk a $13 trillion loss by 2040, compared going to have to face challenges.” The 2015 Paris climate deal enjoins well as regulatory and tax reform to with higher risk of stranded assets, an with industry expectations. “It really is a matter of when, rather nations to work to limit temperature ease the shock of weaning their econ- analysis showed on February 11. The report warned that govern- than if,” he added. rises to “well below” two degrees Cel- omies off of fossil fuels. Over 400 million people live in the ments needed to act now to reduce The analysis found that seven sius above pre-industrial levels Pointing to social unrest caused by worst affected countries, where dependence on oil and gas revenues countries, including Angola and through sweeping cuts in greenhouse government decisions to lower oil and declining fossil fuel revenues could or face the risk of wasted capital and Azerbaijan, could lose at least 40 per gas emissions. gas subsidies – which increases the cost see government income fall by at least obsolete infrastructure projects. cent of total government revenues by Under the framework ratified in for the consumer – Grant said states 20 per cent, leading to cuts in public Andrew Grant, head of climate, ener- 2040 if oil failed to hold its price at that accord, richer nations and busi- needed to improve their messaging. services and greater unemployment, gy and industry at Carbon Tracker, said the Organisation of the Petroleum nesses are supposed to provide $100 “These things are always framed as an according to an assessment by the recent net-zero announcements from Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) long- billion annually to countries most increase in price of a tax. But it’s not like Carbon Tracker industry watchdog. global powerhouses such as China and term forecast levels of $60 a barrel. vulnerable to climate change. the money is disappearing, you can do Half of those set to be impacted live Japan have added impetus to the shift Nigeria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Half of that money is meant to help other things with it,” he said. “It’s about in Nigeria, where a 70-per-cent drop away from highly polluting energy. Kuwait and Iraq were among 12 those states adapt to the heating making sure people are aware of the in oil revenues would cut state “Clearly for certain places in the world nations that could lose between planet and to green their economies opportunities, not just the cost.” AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 9 Business CDC approved 238 investment Coca-Cola revenues hit by pandemic but projects worth $8.2B last year offset by cost, job cuts Thou Vireak THE resurgence of the coro- Coca-Cola is anticipating HE Council for the navirus again weighed on “some level of asynchronous Development of The Coca-Cola Company’s recovery depending both on Cambodia (CDC) quarterly results released on vaccine distribution and oth- approved 238 invest- February 10 as the beverage er macroeconomic factors”, mentT projects worth a total of giant expressed confidence it said CEO James Quincey on a $8.2 billion last year, down 12 would prevail in a potentially conference call with analysts. per cent from 2019, according costly US tax dispute. Coca-Cola set aside tax re- to a CDC press statement. Coca-Cola suffered an “in- serves of $438 million last At the same time, the CDC cremental” sales hit in De- year connected to six-year- noted that it gave the green cember and through early this old litigation with US tax au- light to 20 investment projects month due to rising Covid-19 thorities over how the soda with a total capital investment cases in key markets. giant reports income from of $621 million last month, up However, the company some overseas markets. from 17 projects worth $93 managed to report better- In November, a US court million in January last year. than-expected profits due to largely sided with the Inter- “These results are the fruit cost-cutting measures that in- nal Revenue Service (IRS) on borne from the implemen- cluded a restructuring that will the matter, but Coca-Cola has tation of drastic measures trim 2,200 jobs worldwide. said it would continue to fight to control the Covid-19 epi- Coca-Cola has also reduced the suit. demic and the government’s spending on marketing during The IRS sent a notice to Co- sweeping package of reform the pandemic, executives said. ca-Cola in 2015 stating that measures launched at the The Council for the Development of Cambodia approved 20 projects worth $621 million in January. cdc Executives expressed opti- the company owed poten- 18th Government-Private mism in a recovery once vac- tially $3.3 billion in taxes over Sector Forum on March 29, economic and Banking Prog- rent to FDI inflows last year. Commerce vice-president cines are widely distributed the three-year period, plus 2019 in a bid to improve and ress Report 2019 and Outlook “Foreign investors who wish Lim Heng said the drop in and offered a full-year fore- interest. streamline the investment 2020” that FDI inflows to to invest in Cambodia have the investment capital in the cast for the first time since the But on February 10, Coca- climate in Cambodia,” the Cambodia totalled $3.588 had their projects delayed approved projects last year pandemic began. Cola dramatically increased statement said. billion in 2019, an increase due to the disease,” he said. would not have a significant Coca-Cola reported that the potential liability of the CDC secretary-general Sok of 11.7 per cent compared to He pointed out that China impact on the economy. fourth quarter profits fell 29 case, saying the hit could Chenda Sophea said in the 2018’s $3.212 billion. has been the leading source “This is just to show the per cent to $1.4 billion on a reach $12 billion. statement that the government A breakdown of the data by of FDI for the past decade, number of new investment five per cent decline in rev- “While the company dis- is in the process of drafting new country showed that China for the most part investing in projects being registered, it enues to $8.6 billion. agrees with the IRS’ position investment laws and other reg- led the FDI inflows into Cam- garments, construction, real is not worrying. On the other The company projected and intends to vigorously de- ulations related to investment bodia in 2019, accounting for estate, hospitality, agriculture hand, if the investment is reg- full-year revenue growth of fend its position, it is possible that are aimed at increasing for- 43 per cent, followed by South and mineral resources. istered and then the project is “high single digits” this year, that some portion or all of the eign direct investment (FDI). Korea (11 per cent), Vietnam “The main factor that leads withdrawn, that’d be a matter excluding foreign exchange adjustment sustained by the “The new investment law (seven per cent), Japan, Sin- the Chinese to invest in Cam- of concern,” he said. and acquisition effects. US Tax Court could ultimately will increase the attractiveness gapore (six per cent) and oth- bodia is strong diplomatic CDC data show that China The forecast was built on be upheld,” Coca-Cola said. of investment as a basis for er countries (27 per cent). relations between Cambodia was Cambodia’s leading for- Coca-Cola’s analysis of how “We will ultimately prevail investors, business people to Hong Vanak, director of In- and China. In the future, I eign direct investor for five long the pandemic would last on appeal,” Quincey said on decide to invest and do busi- ternational Economics at the believe Chinese investors will consecutive years from 2013- in each country and then how the conference call. ness in Cambodia,” he said. Royal Academy of Cambodia, remain the most dominant in 2017, pumping in FDI worth long it would take each country Shares dipped 0.18 per cent The National Bank of Cam- told The Post that the Covid-19 Cambodia,” Vanak said. $5.3 billion during the period, to return to 2019 levels of eco- to $49.60 at close on February bodia (NBC) said in “Macro- outbreak was a serious deter- Cambodia Chamber of or about $1 billion annually. nomic growth, executives said. 10. AFP Malaysian GDP contracts 5.6%, most since ’98 crisis MALAYSIA’S economy last year performance since a 7.4-per- imposing a lockdown last contracted at its fastest pace cent drop in 1998 during the year that closed most busi- in more than two decades, Asian financial crisis. nesses for weeks, but it was as the coronavirus shuttered In the fourth quarter, GDP hit hard by a second wave businesses and hammered slipped 3.4 per cent year-on- once restrictions were eased. the country’s key exports, data year, worse than had been Net exports fell 12.3 per showed on February 11. forecast as a virus resurgence cent last year, official data Full-year gross domestic forced authorities to re-impose showed. Malaysia’s economy product (GDP) shrank 5.6 per measures to curb its spread. is underpinned by exports of cent, the statistics depart- The country initially kept commodities including oil ment said, marking the worst the virus in check by quickly and gas, and palm oil as well as manufactured goods such as electronics. The manufacturing sector Samsung Electronics spent $36.4B last year on semiconductor chips, second only to Apple’s $53.6B. yonhap shrank 2.6 per cent, the ag- ricultural sector declined 2.2 per cent, and construction Apple, Samsung lead chip buyers shrank by a fifth. Despite the dismal figures, REFLECTING the increased OEMs’ semiconductor spend- For Samsung, one of the pos- there was evidence that an demand for telecommunica- ing in 2020 – the Covid-19 pan- itive factors was the weakened upturn “in the manufactur- tions amid the Covid-19 pan- demic and the political conflict competition from Huawei due ing and commodity sectors demic, Apple remained the between the US and China. to the US’ trade restrictions on has taken root”, Sunway Uni- world’s largest buyer of semi- “The pandemic weakened the the Chinese firm. versity Business School eco- conductor chips in 2020 for the demand for 5G smartphones Samsung also benefited nomics professor Yeah Kim second year straight, industry and disrupted vehicle produc- from Covid-19 trends such Leng said. data showed on February 10. tion, but drove the demand for as working from home and But he warned that “the According to global research mobile PCs and video games, as e-learning, which drove de- pandemic resurgence and and consulting firm Gartner, well as the investment in cloud mand for PCs and cloud serv- accompanying containment Apple spent $53.6 billion on data centres through 2020. ers, in which many solid-state measures will likely dampen chips, up 24 per cent from 2019, “Furthermore, a rise in drives from Samsung are the economic recovery in the and thus accounted for 11.9 per memory prices in 2020 re- used, Yamaji said. first half of this year”. cent of the worldwide market. sulted in increased OEM chip Among the top 10 com- The International Mone- Next was South Korea’s spending through the year.” panies, Xiaomi marked the tary Fund has warned global Samsung Electronics, which Boosting Apple’s chip de- sharpest increase, up 26 per GDP will be about $22 tril- spent $36.4 billion, up 20.4 mand was the continued suc- cent year-on-year, partly lion smaller than previously per cent year-on-year. cess of AirPods, special demand driven by online sales and expected between 2020 and Gartner research director for Mac computers and iPads, also benefiting from Huawei’s Malaysian exports dropped a precipitous 12.3 per cent last year. AFP 2025 because of the virus Masatsune Yamaji said: “Two and increasing NAND flash sanctions impact. THE KOREA crisis. AFP major factors impacted the top consumption, Yamaji said. HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 10 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com

www.phnompenhpost.com/post-focus MANUFACTURING

HK Burltex is the first face mask manufacturer in Cambodia to offer customised logo printing. HONG MENEA The company makes one million face masks per day on 10 production lines. HONG MENEA HK Burltex: From fashion to protecting the Kingdom with mask production

K Burltex Manufactory Co pandemic, the reputable company’s raw materials imported from China The wearing of face masks has become Ltd is embracing a shift in foray into face mask manufacturing – retails at leading supermarkets and demand by venturing into will bring peace of mind in light of convenience stores at $8. an everyday part of the new normal in the face mask and personal concerns over the quality of face And Hong believes this is a Hprotection equipment (PPE) market af- masks and increased prices in the reasonable pricing proposition response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and ter almost a decade of making fashion market over the past year. that will help protect Cambodia handbags for export. “To meet consumer concerns while contributing to stabilising local firm HK Burltex is raising quality The Sino-Cambodian company has on the quality and also the level the price of face masks in the turned its manufacturing expertise and of protection provided by our Kingdom. standards, as well as confidence in experience to face masks in response products, we concentrated efforts As well as the basic three-ply to the effects of the global Covid-19 over a period of five to seven months type face mask, HK Burltex also domestically made protective equipment. pandemic. to develop products and fabrication manufactures other variants, such as The outbreak has not been kind to methods that meet health and safety four-ply and N95 surgical masks. the apparel and fashion industry in requirements. With 10 production lines and a staff general, with the past year bringing “This was performed after the pool of 700 employees, the company is unexpected economic and business company’s application to produce able to produce up to one million face challenges to those specialising in the face masks was approved by the mask every day. manufacture of fashion accessories. government in April last year. Interest in its face mask production “Established in the manufacture “As a result, we can confidently chain is expected to be further boosted of handbags and shoes since 2012, say that the entire range of face as the company has recently started producing face masks is something mask products made domestically by manufacturing original equipment for that is new to us. But with the HK Burltex are among a few that is corporate customers, with products outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic certified by the Cambodian Ministry of customised according to the client’s early last year, we experienced a sharp Health to meet required branding requirements. decline in the market for our products. international And there are plans to further “With demand for face masks and health and expand operations in the coming PPE spiralling both domestically and safety months, with an additional 10 more globally in response to the health standards,” production lines to double crisis, the company made the strategic said Hong. the company’s production output decision to add face masks as another a box of to two million face masks per product in its manufacturing chain,” 50 pieces – day – with HK Burltex looking to said HK Burltex Manufactory Co Ltd comprising manufacture further items of PPE, The company’s range of face masks are made in Cambodia. HONG MENEA managing director Hong Kong Wai. a basic and to export. leading online market research three-ply “Riding on the quality of our platform MarketsAndMarkets.com has type face products as well as our reasonable forecast the global face mask market mask made pricing proposition to our retail to grow from $737 million in 2019 to using quality partners and corporate customers, we $22 billion in 2021, an almost 30-fold expect to capture a 10 per cent increase. share of the domestic The global medical face mask face mask market market was expected to have within the next reached more than 52 billion two years. units by the end of 2020 “As for PPE, due to the eruption of the that will be Covid-19 pandemic, with another story this expected to stabilise in to look out 2021, reaching 29 billion for from HK units by 2025. Burltex,” As Cambodians said general continue to face manager changes to everyday Frankie Product fabrication methods meet Ministry of Health safety standards. HONG MENEA life brought on by the HK Burltex Manufatory Co Ltd managing director Hong Kong Wai. HONG MENEA Yeung. THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 11 World China spaceship reaches Mars NK stole $300M HINA’S Tianwen 1 in crypto to fund robotic probe en- tered a Martian or- bit on February 10 Cnight after a lengthy inter- nukes: UN experts planetary voyage, becoming the first Chinese spacecraft to NORTH Korea has stolen nuclear arsenal. reach the red planet. more than $300 million worth The UN panel said it was in- The probe’s 3,000-Newton- of cryptocurrencies through vestigating a September 2020 thrust orbital-control engine cyberattacks in recent hack against a cryptocurren- was activated at 7:52pm (1152 months to support its banned cy exchange that resulted in GMT) and worked for about 15 nuclear and ballistic missile $281 million worth of crypto- minutes to conduct a crucial programmes, a confidential currencies being stolen. “braking” operation to decel- UN report said. A second cyberattack si- erate the probe and help it be Compiled by a panel of ex- phoned off $23 million a captured by Martian gravity. perts monitoring sanctions month later. Then the probe moved into on Pyongyang, the report “Preliminary analysis, based an elliptical orbit with a perigee said the country’s “total theft on the attack vectors and sub- of about 400km and a circling of virtual assets from 2019 to sequent efforts to launder the period of 10 days, then started November 2020 is valued at illicit proceeds strongly sug- flying around the planet, ac- approximately $316.4 mil- gests links to the DPRK,” the cording to the China National lion”, citing a UN member report said, using the initials Space Administration. state. for the North’s official name. The Martian orbital opera- Financial institutions and Pyongyang’s cyberwarfare tion, one of the most impor- An illustration of the Tianwen 1 probe entering Martian orbit. CHINA NATIONAL SPACE ADMINISTRATION/CHINA DAILY exchanges were hacked to abilities first came to global tant and challenging steps in generate revenue for Pyong- prominence in 2014 when the Tianwen 1 mission, came Meaning “quest for heaven- tration said in a statement. the largest recognised impact yang’s nuclear and missile it was accused of hacking one day after the UAE’s Hope ly truth” in Chinese, Tianwen During its journey, the basin in the solar system – to development, said the report, into Sony Pictures Entertain- probe, the first interplanetary is named after a long poem spacecraft conducted four conduct scientific surveys. which was seen by AFP. ment as revenge for “The In- mission by the Arab world, written by famous ancient midcourse corrections and a On February 5, the space The vast majority of the pro- terview”, a satirical film that entered Martian orbit. poet Qu Yuan of the Kingdom deep-space orbital manoeu- administration published a ceeds came from two thefts mocked leader Kim. The move required the of Chu during the Warring vre to make sure it was always black-and-white picture of late last year. The attack resulted in the probe to slow down within States Period (475-221 BC). precisely aimed at Mars. Mars taken by Tianwen 1 when The North is known to op- posting of several unreleased 10 minutes from the ultra- He is known for his patriotism Next, it will carry out several the probe was about 2.2 million erate an army of thousands movies as well as a vast trove of fast speed of 28km/s to about and contributions to classical orbital adjustments to move kilometres from the red planet, of well-trained hackers who confidential documents online. 1km/s, according to design- poetry, especially through po- into a “berth” orbit above the the first snapshot of the planet have attacked firms, insti- The North is also blamed ers at the Shanghai Academy ems in the anthology Chu Ci red planet to make observa- from the Chinese craft. tutions and researchers in for a huge, $81 million cyber- of Spaceflight Technology anthology, or Songs of Chu. tions and investigations of Tianwen 1 is the world’s 46th South Korea and elsewhere. heist from the Bangladesh who designed the Tianwen 1 The five-metric-tonne the pre-set landing site, the Mars exploration mission It has also been accused of Central Bank, as well as the orbiter. They noted that the probe, which consists of two statement said. It added that since October 1960, when the exploiting its cyber capabili- theft of $60 million from Tai- whole process was autono- major parts – the orbiter and payloads mounted on Tian- former Soviet Union launched ties for financial gain. wan’s Far Eastern Interna- mously executed by the craft. the landing capsule – had wen 1’s orbiter including the first Mars-bound space- The North is under multiple tional Bank. Tianwen 1, China’s first in- flown for 202 days and about cameras, a magnetometer craft. Only 18 of those mis- sets of international sanc- The North’s hackers have al- dependent Mars mission, was 475 million kilometres on its and a mineral spectrometer sions were successful. tions over its banned nuclear legedly stepped up campaigns launched by a Long March 5 journey to Mars before its ar- will gradually begin to work In the second step in China’s weapons and ballistic mis- to raise funds by attacking heavy-lift carrier rocket on rival at an average flight speed on their scientific tasks. Mars exploration programme, sile programmes, which have cryptocurrency exchanges as July 23 from the Wenchang of about 100,000km/h. The Tianwen 1 mission’s ul- a larger probe will set off for made rapid progress under the value of bitcoin and other Space Launch Centre in As of February 10 night, it timate goal is to land a rover in Mars around 2030 to take sam- leader Kim Jong-un. cybercurrencies soared. Hainan province, kicking off was around 192 million kilo- May or June on the southern ples and then return to Earth, A summit between Kim and They were blamed for the the nation’s planetary explo- metres from Earth and in good part of Mars’ Utopia Planitia space officials said. CHINA DAILY/ then-US president Donald 2017 WannaCry global ran- ration programme. condition, the space adminis- – a large plain within Utopia, ASIA NEWS NETWORK Trump in Hanoi in February somware cyberattack, which 2019 broke down over sanc- infected some 300,000 com- tions relief and what Pyong- puters in 150 nations en- yang would be willing to give crypting user files and de- up in return. manding hundreds of dollars Haitian police fire tear gas on protesters Nuclear talks have been from their owners for the keys stalled ever since, while the to get them back. HAITIAN police fired tear gas argues it should have ended a tear gas canister in the back ing to his lawyers. However, North showed off several new Pyongyang has denied the on hundreds of protesters last weekend, in a standoff of the pickup of the TV Pacific human rights activist Marie- missiles at military parades in accusations, saying it has who were marching against over disputed elections. car,” he said, referring to a Hai- Yolene Gilles of the Je Klere October and last month, when “nothing to do with cyber- President Jovenel Moise in Police moved to violently tian media outlet vehicle, while Foundation later said the Kim pledged to strengthen his attacks”. AFP Port-au-Prince on February clear the demonstration, and clutching a copy of the coun- judge remained in prison. 10, and attacked journalists on several occasions were seen try’s constitution in his hand. Another protester, Ebens covering the demonstration, directly targeting clearly iden- In a statement, the Associa- Cadet, on February 10 said: in the latest clashes to mark tified members of the press, tion of Haitian Journalists then “When there are opponents the country’s political crisis. including AFP journalists. called on the Haitian National fighting, the best way to elimi- The protesters accuse Moise Protester Senat Andre Dufot Police authorities to “conduct nate them was to accuse them of illegally extending his term said: “Their job is to shoot the an investigation to identify the of fomenting a coup.” in office. activists, throwing gas on all perpetrators of these abuses so The decree appeared to be He says it lasts until Febru- the press. that they can be held account- contrary to the constitution ary 2022 – but the opposition “We all noticed that they put able for their actions”. and Haitian law. Officials loyal to Moise The US had backed Moise’s claimed on February 7 they had stance, and he appears to have foiled an attempt to murder retained control of the Carib- him and overthrow the govern- bean island nation. ment in a “coup”. Police arrest- But in a statement on Twit- ed 23 people, including Haitian ter posted on February 9, the Supreme Court judge Yvickel US embassy in Port-au-Prince Dieujuste Dabresil, accusing said it was “deeply concerned them of an “attempted coup”. about any actions that risk And on February 9, Moise damaging Haiti’s democratic tried to force out three judges, institutions”. including Dabresil, who were The dispute over when the proposed as potential interim president’s term ends stems national leaders to replace him. from Moise’s original election. Dabresil was released on He was voted into office in a February 10 from prison on poll subsequently cancelled Tear gas is fired by police during a march in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince the outskirts of the Haitian after allegations of fraud, and North Korea has made rapid progress on its banned nuclear weapons on Wednesday to protest against the government of President Jovenel capital but remains under then elected again a year later, and ballistic missile programmes under leader Kim Jong-un. Moise. AFP judicial supervision, accord- in 2016. AFP KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY 12 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com ASEAN VN’s Kon Tum mulls measures to reduce third-child birthrate

More than 15 per cent of to- Ho Thi Thuy Van, principal tal families in Kon Tum have of Dak Ha Primary School, reported giving birth to more said about 100 out of 622 stu- than three children, making dents in the school were from the Vietnamese province lead families with more than three the Central Highland region children. These students were in third child birthrate, the sometimes absent from class provincial Health Depart- as they had to help their par- ment has announced. ents with farm work. Although the figure is lower Dr Do Ngoc Hoa, deputy di- than last year, the province rector of Kon Tum province’s has failed to meet the goal of Health Department, said get- reducing the third child birth- ting pregnant again less than 12 rate to 15 per cent, it said. months after giving birth was Kon Tum borders Taveng associated with health risks for district’s Taveng Loeu com- both women and infants. mune and Andong Meas dis- This was worse in rural ar- trict’s Talav commune in Cam- eas where most lived in pov- bodia’s Ratanakkiri province. erty and had little chance of Tu Mo Rong is among the accessing health care servic- Thai pro-democracy protesters returned to the streets of Bangkok after nearly two months. AFP districts with high birthrates es, she added. in the province. Figures from The provincial Department the district’s Sub-department of Health said it had imple- of Population and Family mented many programmes Thai democracy protesters take Planning showed nearly 15 on family planning since per cent of total families had 2011, but the results had re- more than three children last mained modest. year. Notably, the percentage Yang, a population health to streets in first rally of this year was 29.5 per cent in Dak Ha officer in Dak Ro Wa com- commune. mune, said five officers were HAI pro-democracy Protesters also broke a Also joining the protest were The Myanmar military had According to Y Khuong, mobilised to hold training protesters returned long-held taboo by demand- scores of Myanmar migrant justified theF ebruary 1 coup by head of Ngoc Leang Village in courses on reproductive to the streets of ing reforms to the country’s workers – a front of solidar- alleging electoral fraud in No- Dak Ha commune, more than healthcare for local residents Bangkok on February unassailable monarchy. ity for pro-democracy values vember’s elections, which Suu 110 Xo Dang ethnic minority in five villages. 10T after nearly two months, On February 10, a few thou- after their home country was Kyi’s party won in a landslide. households are in the village, Last year, more than 1,800 clanging pots and pans – a sand protesters gathered in a plunged back under military Many people in Myanmar and 108 of them have more residents joined the courses tactic borrowed from mass downtown shopping district, rule last week when their leader have also engaged in nightly than three children. Some and 854 families received rallies against a coup in chanting “Prayut, get out” Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted. banging of pots and pans, a even have more than 10 chil- guidelines on reproductive neighbouring Myanmar. while banging pots and pans. Hundreds of thousands of practice traditionally associated dren. healthcare knowledge. How- The protest came a day af- Protest leader Panusaya people have since taken to with exorcising evil spirits, in a Nearly half of these house- ever, the third child birthrate ter a court denied bail to four Sithijirawattanakul an- the streets of Myanmar to de- bid to chase out the generals. holds live in poverty. remained 35 per cent last year. prominent democracy lead- nounced: “Today is the first mand a return to democracy. Aside from emulating the At the age of 22, Y Thum is “They joined the courses but ers who were charged under day of this year’s fighting. Prayut – who came to power banging of the pots, some the mother of three children didn’t follow the guidelines. the kingdom’s draconian roy- “Our aim this year is to in 2014 after staging a putsch Thai demonstrators on Feb- in Ngoc Leang village. Some still take contraception al defamation laws. bring millions of people onto – told reporters on February ruary 10 carried posters of Thum said her family lived but use it incorrectly with the Since the pro-democracy the streets and when more 10 that he had received a let- Suu Kyi. in a worn-out house built with wrong dose and time. By the movement kicked off in July, come out, our demands will ter from Myanmar coup lead- Myanmar’s protesters have wood and corrugated iron end of last year, only half of more than 50 protesters have become true.” er General Min Aung Hlaing also drawn inspiration from the panels and there was nothing the couples applied modern been charged under the laws After night fell, they marched asking for help “to support Thai democracy movement. valuable in the house. contraceptive methods in the and face up to 15 years in jail. to a nearby police station, an- democracy”. They have made waving a She has to stay at home to commune,” she said. At the movement’s peak last gered that some protesters “We support the democrat- three-finger salute one of their take care of the children, so In Tu Mo Rong district, the year, tens of thousands of peo- had been detained. ic process in Myanmar but trademarks, which is a ges- they live on her husband’s health division has held 43 ple rallied across Bangkok to But by about 9:00pm, protest what’s important is that we ture that became a symbol of small salary. talk shows with reputable call for the resignation of Prime organisers announced that the keep good relations with each resistance for Thailand’s pro- In Dak Ro Wa commune, people in the community Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. demonstration was over. other,” Prayut said. democracy movement. AFP the situation is no better. on reproductive healthcare, As many as 115 out of 170 distributed 3,300 leaflets and households have more than guideline brochures and of- three children. These include fered direct consultancy to five households, all Bahnar 220 families. But the district ethnic minorities, that have has the highest fertility rate in Biden takes aim at Myanmar generals more than 10 children. the province. Y Khai Hoang is a 33-year- Nguyen Duy Tan, health PRESIDENT Joe Biden on February 10 old mother of 11 children. officer at Tu Mo Rong dis- said the US was taking action against After getting married in 2004, trict’s Health Centre, said low Myanmar’s military including freezing she gave birth to her children awareness of local residents, access to US-based assets as he urged its between 2004 and 2018. language barriers and low generals to relinquish power. The family of 13 lives in a payment for health workers “Today I again call on the Burmese mil- small house in Kon Jo Rin vil- were among the main rea- itary to immediately release democratic lage. They have no farmland sons for the failure to make a political leaders and activists they are and have to work odd jobs for difference. now detaining including Aung San Suu money. Currently, each health Kyi and also Win Myint, the president,” She said: “My first two chil- worker receives 149,000 dong Biden said in his latest remarks following dren are studying in high ($5.9) per person every three last week’s coup. school, the next two are in months instead of 750,000 “The military must relinquish power,” secondary school, the next dong ($30) as previously for he said. four are primary students disseminating reproductive Biden said his administration was cut- and the two youngest are in healthcare knowledge. ting off the generals’ access to $1 billion kindergarten. Village leaders are now in in funds in the US and would soon un- “I don’t have to pay school charge of population and veil new sanctions. fees, but the money for study family planning, but most “I’ve approved a new executive order tools is quite costly so I have are not trained to do the job, enabling us to immediately sanction the US President Joe Biden discusses new action against Myanmar over the military’s coup. AFP no money left to repair the leading to ineffective pro- military leaders who directed the coup, house. It’s getting seriously grammes and policies. their business interests as well as close US law forbids assistance to govern- paign against the mostly Muslim people downgraded.” Dr Hoa, deputy director of family members,” Biden said. ments that take power in coups, although Rohingya people. When asked how she hoped the health department, said Biden said that his administration virtually all US funding to Myanmar is Department of State spokesman Ned to get out of the situation, Ho- it was necessary to improve would identify a first round of targets channelled through non-governmental Price said the US could still raise further ang just shook her head. the consultancy capacity of under the sanctions this week. groups. pressure on the generals by coordinating The high fertility rate has health workers and create He reiterated that the US would not Top generals including the army chief its action with allies. not only brought poverty but dissemination methods for curb assistance to Myanmar, also known who led the coup, Min Aung Hlaing, are He said: “We can impose costs that are also little chance of education ethnic minorities suitable for as Burma, directed toward civil society already under US travel and financial even steeper by working with our like- for children and health risks their customs and lifestyles. or humanitarian groups. sanctions for Myanmar’s brutal cam- minded partners and allies.” AFP for mothers. VIET NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 13 Opinion

Eco-parks the ticket to afforestation www.phnompenhpost.com visions – live animals for hunt- EDITORIAL PERSONNEL Opinion ing, medical supervision, and Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Ly Tayseng J P Gupta creating a natural ecosystem. Managing Editor Post Khmer Many animals rearing activi- Sam Rith HERE is increasing ties in eco-parks, like those in Deputy Chief of Staff reluctance on the the Scandinavian Eco Park Phak Seangly part of industrialists and Resort, have been so suc- Business Editor to undertake affores- cessful that they have been May Kunmakara tationT as it is perceived to be able to send surplus animals Deputy Business Editor a drain on their resources. to other eco-parks or even Sangeetha Amarthalingam This is a pity and a wasted back into the wild. They also Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk opportunity. Not only is it have a gene pool which will be Pan Simala essential for socio-economic of immense help in preserving Senior Reporters reasons, but also to achieve highly endangered species. Meas Sokchea, Niem Chheng carbon neutrality in their Singapore’s River Themed Reporters schemes and projects. Wildlife Park, Japan’s Amphibi- Khouth Sophak Chakrya, Kim Sarom, The Indian government has an Park, the Madras Snake Long Kimmarita, Hin Pisei, Mom Kunthear, set up a Compensatory Affores- Park, and Australia’s World Hong Raksmey, Pann Rethea, Voun Dara, tation Fund Management and Famous Marine Crocodile Park Roth Sochieata, Orm Bunthoeurn, Planning Authority (CAMPA) as are biological storehouses. a National Advisory Council for Many of these parks also take Soth Koemsoeun, Thou Vireak, Nov Sivutha technical assistance and evalu- up the onerous task of tending Photographers ation of compensatory affores- to old, abused, and decrepit Heng Chivoan, Hong Menea, Hean Rangsey tation activities. circus animals and other such Web Editor Leang Phannara It is advisable that rather Animals are so well adapted to Eco-Park surroundings that they even multiply freely without any artificial unfortunate creatures who than monitoring and giving means. This is something that most wild animals cannot do in captivity. AFP have been victims of man’s cru- Digital Team financial assistance to such elty and avarice – Kartick Saty- Sous Chanthy, Pang Vichea, Suy Sovandy projects, afforestation should globally to close down zoos in tackle global warming. Bush- layan and peninsular), the anarayan’s Bear Rescue Park in SIEM REAP BUREAU be made attractive and lucra- favour of eco-parks. An eco- es and trees can be grown Indian ungulates, the Indian New Delhi is a classic example. Offi ce Manager tive for those industries so that park is a well-planned and spa- with a plan for landscaping wolf, the rhino and the hippo, These parks could serve as Sophearith Blondeel they are positively inclined to cious area where animals can the areas by planting the the gibbon, the great Indian part of veterinary colleges PRODUCTION & PRINTING implement such schemes. live in a natural environment. right trees to suit birds and bustard, the Indian vulture, and research centres, and Head of Desktop Publishing Several industries have They are not enclosed in cages animals, and with a design to and almost all members of contribute to biomedicine in Nhim Sokphyrak shown interest in setting up or in highly restricted areas. create a carbon sink. the pheasant family have areas such as the investiga- Desktop Publishing zoos to boost afforestation but In fact, they are so well adapt- Industries could grow trees either been made extinct or tion of snake venom, and Suon Savatdy, Chum Sokunthy, Danh Borath they appear unaware of the ed to these surroundings that to offset their carbon emis- are at great risk of becoming developing antidotes, or for Tep Thoeun Thyda, Tim Borith, Than Veasna high maintenance costs and they even multiply freely with- sions and also gain lucrative- extinct in the near future. the study of animal senses other ethical issues involved in out any artificial means. This is ly in the process. Also, indus- At the same time, there are such as a centre devoted to the running of a zoo. something that most wild ani- tries could also adopt these several water species such as the study of Heat Sensors in Many environmentalists mals cannot do in captivity. parks for afforestation. the blind freshwater dolphin Snakes or the Infrasound HEAD OFFICE now see zoos housing ani- A barren rocky hillock, nei- Eco-parks serve to preserve (once a beautiful sight in the Sensors of Bats. This infor- Post Media Co., Ltd. mals in cloistered surround- ther fit for any industry, farm- and foster wild animals espe- river Ganges), the gharial, the mation can be useful to help The Elements Condominium Level 7, ings or cages as little better ing or residential purposes cially those that are endan- sea otter, and several sea spe- us understand them better. Hun Sen Boulevard, Phum Prek Talong, than a prison. They consider could become an ideal site for gered, and need special care cies of whales, dolphins, dug- Eco-parks are evolving Sangkat Chak Angre Krom,12353, Phnom this is cruelty to the animals an eco-park. Its minimum area lest they become extinct. ongs, sea turtles, and so on institutions in respect to be Penh, Cambodia as well as damaging to the is anywhere over 200 acres or They also serve to help ani- which are in danger. conversation of biological Tel: 023 888 161, 023 888 162 environment. more. It can also house a varie- mals breed in greater num- There are also many spe- diversity. From past functions Cellcard: 078 555 166, 078 555 133 Animals are kept under ty of species many of which are bers. For example, a leopard cies which are not endan- in recreation as menageries Smart: 086 822 999, 086 277 999 severe stress in cages and pens, endangered, primarily for the may give birth to two or four gered today but need protec- and in education as living SIEM REAP sake of trying to save them leading to high mortality rates. cubs but the chance of the tion like the nilgai, the wild museums, they are coming to No 629, Street 6, Dangkum Commune Most zoos across the world are from extinction. cub’s survival in the wild is boar, and the peacock due to discharge these functions, Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 attracting fewer tourists now-a- Eco-parks are well designed less than one out of four. heavy deforestation and plus other meaningful ones in COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT days. A menagerie of wild ani- and provide tourists with a In an eco-park, they breed poaching. Eco-parks act like research and conservation, as Chief Operating Offi cer mals trapped in cages is looked panoramic view of wildlife, in more freely, they are main- a bulwark protecting wildlife, internationally oriented con- James Ong Soon Teck upon with pity instead of a planned setting where the tained in insular areas and enabling them to breed, and servation centres. Advertising Department amusement. A visit to a zoo animals scarcely feel as under remote supervision then letting the adolescent The zoo is now being trans- Chap Narith, 017 996 241 leaves the impression of cruelty though they are in restricted which results in much better animals into other national formed into a modern, inter- Hun Channet, 017 578 768 towards these hapless animals. or confined surroundings. survival rates. In the present parks in a planned way. active eco-park that aims to Prach Monnyreak, 015 239 293 Increasingly, many animal The National Park is thus left scenario where many animals For the tiger, for example, raise awareness of environ- Keo Puthy, 012 966 605 rights activists are extremely undisturbed and it is the Eco- are on the verge of extinction, an eco-park of 10sq km would mental issues and the impor- Phon Sok Chea, 012 717 404 vocal and seek to protect wildlife Park that the tourists enjoy. such drastic measures are a suffice. Adult females are tance of protecting animals’ Jessa Piastro, 092 445 983 from harm and mistreatment. Despite eco-parks being a must to ensure the survival of reared with one or two males natural habitats. CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION A zoo may have served its great tourist attraction, very endangered species. and as they breed, the cubs Let all of us do a kind act to Acting Distribution Manager purpose at one point in time few exist in India. Mean- Most members of the wild are looked after by the fight for animal rights and Thenh Rithy, 087 888 854 but today it has lost its rele- while, overseas, eco-parks cat family such as the tiger, females and monitored by the give them freedom from Circulation Supervisor vance. The Alipore Zoo in reap profits from tourism cheetah, civet cat, and other park authorities from a dis- zoos. Animals are also a part Nou Chanthy, 096 999 2828 Kolkata is in total disarray and that in turn can be used to smaller wild cats are close to tance to ensure they are of the ecosystem which we Yim Veasna, 015 814 499 has more than 70 per cent of not only preserve wildlife extinction. The Indian chee- healthy, well provided for, and all belong to. THE STATESMAN ADMINISTRATION its cages empty. Similarly, sanctuaries but also become tah which once was so com- are not victims of other carni- (INDIA)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Admin & HR Manager zoos in Manali, Mumbai, a valuable source of income mon all over the subconti- vores or other male tigers. Pich Socheat Vadodara, Bangaluru, and for sustainability. nent is now extinct. The writer is chairman of the Indian There is little or no direct Ministry of Environment, Forests and Assistants Admin & HR Manager Hyderabad are all struggling. An eco-park can provide As with the Felidae family, contact with humans except Climate Change’s Expert Appraisal Nhel Soaphea There has been a rapid shift huge climate benefits as we the Indian bear (both Hima- remote monitoring, food pro- Committee (Industry-II) Financial Director Heang Tangmeng Chief Accountant Sren Vicheka Treasurers Sok Sophorn, Yon Sovannara, Cheam Sopheak, Huy Hamsovannary IT Manager Seng Nak, Vong Oun

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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 14 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Lifestyle Sloppy & spicy seafood by the bucketful from Samut Anousa Roth Sochieata freshly cooked seafood coated in bright rich sauce right onto a sheet N an evening when Cam- of paper on the table. bodia’s tropical weather Then it was time to put on a pair of was at its coolest month, plastic gloves and ditch etiquette to some people were craving feast on the pile of delicious seafood. forO hot and spicy meals to warm up Seafood Shake is served as a $10 set their stomach. good for two to three people or a $15 While it is not hard to find local set good for four to five people. restaurants serving spicy food, it’s A set consists of lobster, prawns, not common to enjoy hot, plentiful crab, squid, clams, hotdog sausages, seafood at an affordable price. meatballs, corn and spaghetti mixed Seafood shake: a combo of lobster, prawn, crab, squid, clams, hotdog, meatball, corn and spaghetti mixed with spicy red sauce. HONG MENEA Located behind the National Pae- together and bathed in a spicy red diatric Hospital on Russian Federa- sauce – a mouth-watering dish. tion Boulevard, a small restaurant of- Customers in larger groups can tack fer diners a comfortable way to enjoy on extra orders of individual ingredi- sea food while dropping etiquette. ents without needing to purchase a The sign says “Samut Anousa” whole set. Extra seafood costs $2 while which literally means “memory from corn, hotdog sausages or meatballs the sea”. There is no wonder that will set them back $1. the star of the menu comes straight Despite the fair blend of sour, sweet, from the blue salty water of Cambo- salty and spicy flavours to matchA sian dia’s southwest coastal zone. taste buds, the Seafood Shake offers a “The seafood supply is sourced casual and fun dining experience. from different provinces such as In addition to the signature dish, Kampot, Koh Kong and Kampong prawns with crispy fried garlic, Khmer Som [Preah Sihanouk] with a very noodle with clams, and grilled seafood selective quality”, the restaurant are also popular among patrons. owner, Sot Ratha, tells The Post. The ingredients are all local supplied. The 27-year-old says Samut Anou- Serving mainly seafood, Samut sa, which was opened October last Anousa might leave passersby with year, has kept customers coming an impression that it’s not for peo- back for more. ple with shallow pockets. “‘Samut’ is ‘sea’ in English and But in fact, most dishes come with since our restaurant focuses on sea- prices ranging from $2.50 to $5, ex- food, I think it’s a great idea. ‘Anousa’ cept the Seafood Shake which can means ‘memory’. You can think of it feed a small group. as meaning people usually love the “All the dishes we have mentioned sea when they come to visit, and they are from the evening menu, but we Prawns with crispy garlic, lobster and clam with Khmer noodles. HONG MENEA miss it so they will always come back also have different lunch sets which to visit again,” the sea-lover says. only cost 9,000 riel ($2.25) a piece. wrote on Facebook that despite the instance, has just a plain sort of ta- him to take out the shells from the Sea- Samut Anousa offers various kinds Some might think it’s a bit expen- good food, he was not satisfied with ble. When we first started, and since food Shake because they made it hard of boiled, grilled, or deep-fried sea- sive for a meal, but we really serve the decor of the restaurant. we offer lunch as well, we thought it to eat – with some shells even having food. The must-try is the Seafood big portions. Samut Anousa’s owner says he’s would be prudent to use this kind of particles of dirt which customers com- Shake, a $10 bucket of assorted sea- “We don’t want to sell at a cheaper still new in the restaurant business table.” plained spoiled the rest of the dish. food in savoury sauce. price but smaller quantity and let but is considering improving the Ratha continues: “I don’t know what “I listened to them and made It is a casual meal with no plates customers’ stomachs feel empty vibe and interior. we can do with it yet, but we are hop- changes by taking out the shells needed – the spicy seafood bucket even after eating,” he says. “Honestly speaking, I’m very young ing to adjust our environment and from the recipe.” will go straight on your table. Most customers have given good in this kind of business. To me, it work harder on our service at lunch Samut Anousa opens for lunch An extra tip for customers is to feedback and reviews on social media. seems like a woman’s job, but I’m in- time when [the restaurant] is full.” from 10:30am to 1:30pm and dinner avoid wearing a fancy white top – or Lim Marady, for one, left with a terested to try something different. Ratha says he is taking into ac- from 4pm to 9pm. else they’ll need aprons. review saying: “Food is authentic, “Everything you see here is my count everything his customers have For delivery Samut Anousa can be As customers waited to satisfy quick service and friendly staff.” [idea]. And I can tell you there is a to say, either positive or negative. contacted via contact number 016 662 their appetites, staff wearing face Another patron who identified lot of room for improvement. Having said that, he recalled a time 129 or to Facebook Page https://www. masks carefully poured out the himself as a former tour organiser “The decor of the restaurant, for when there were customers advising facebook.com/SamutAnousa.

The interior is simple with tables placed a good distance apart. HONG MENEA Staff pour a Seafood Shake from a bucket onto a sheet of paper on the table. HONG MENEA THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com 15 Lifestyle Thinking caps

A couple shows their newly-issued marriage licence on Valentine’s Day in Bang Rak, the Thai capital’s ‘district of love’, on February 14, last year. AFP Valentine’s marriages in Thailand cancelled overs across Bang- es will refrain from providing among the city’s malls and kok will be heartbro- marriage licence registration businesses compared to pre- ken come Valentine’s service on this Valentine’s vious years, though that hasn’t Day, with city officials Day,” Thailand’s Public Re- stopped some restaurants for “LESS DIRECT” declaringL on February 10 that lations Department said on punting out Valentine’s Day- all of the Thai capital’s 50 dis- Twitter. themed meal offerings. ACROSS 55 Profitable periods 23 Noted honey eater tricts will be banned from is- “The cancellation aims to pre- Burger King Thailand has 1 Brightest star in Cygnus 56 Eclipse shadows 25 Double-___ (rat) suing marriage licences. vent the spread of #Covid19.” debuted “Black and Pink 6 Copied reasonably 58 Wee hooter 26 Powder type The holiday, immensely The announcement also burgers” for Valentine’s Day, 10 Fat-sounding fish 61 Doesn’t stutter? 29 They’re often next to fives popular across the kingdom, said the Lunar New Year fes- featuring a pink salmon patty 14 Candidate’s concern 66 Atlantic fliers 30 Buck naked is also typically considered an tival, which usually involves a with rose-colour buns. 15 Pie a la ___ 67 Drop, as from a list 32 Sixth month in the Hebrew auspicious day for couples to raucous parade in Bangkok’s Last year Thailand was far- 16 Large green moth 68 Having more upstairs calendar tie the knot resulting in large Chinatown, will not go on. ing well in handling the pan- 17 They may yield good ideas 69 Food regimen 35 Gazpacho, e.g. queues at marriage registra- Last year, Bang Rak district demic but infections have 20 The first multimillionaire 70 Bowler’s targets 37 Icelandic tales tion offices across the city. had scores of couples dressed climbed to more than 23,000 21 Units equal to 10,000 gauss 71 “___ Frutti” 39 Long-haired dog’s bane The most popular district is in matching outfits or formal cases after a new wave hit in 22 Wife of Saturn DOWN 40 Military aide Bang Rak which translates as wear lining up before dawn to December. 24 Peace talks result 1 Prefix with “respect” 41 Jump “district of love” in Thai. register for licences, helped This has led to a partial lock- 27 Della the TV angel 2 Very large bird 44 British medical org. But the hopes of eager-to-wed by pink-shirted civil servants down in Bangkok, with author- 28 Raccoonlike carnivore 3 Japanese port city 45 Spewed forth couples have been dashed. wearing “love” headbands. ities banning bars and alcohol 31 Native village in South Africa 4 Breakfast choice 46 Skeleton parts “Bangkok’s 50 district offic- Little fanfare has been made sales in restaurants. AFP 33 Proposition response, often 5 Borscht veggie 47 Suave and polished 34 Symbols, as of esteem 6 U.S. rail 49 Hustles 36 Sock hop song 7 Luau lunch 52 Dadaist painter Max ____ 38 Tabloid’s interest 8 Samurai’s home 54 Not rent 42 Holy Arks’ homes 9 Minor job for a body shop 57 Do some bargain-hunting 43 Begin to blush 10 Near 59 Heaven forbid that 45 Chinese menu word 11 “Brave New World” author 60 Son of Isaac Coffee replaces sand in 48 Olympians’ blades 12 Nervous feeling 62 “What Kind of Fool ___?” 50 Hindu dignitary 13 Parts of many quartets 63 Container for some breath mints 51 Closer to full strength 18 Conciliatory bribe 64 “Despite that ...” 53 Sunoco rival 19 Certain German 65 ___ Lanka snow-covered Krakow 22 Mo. of falling leaves The city of Krakow in south- Thursday’s solution ern Poland has woken up and smelled the coffee – on the paths winding through its pic- turesque snow-covered parks. The city is sprinkling coffee grounds from local cafes instead of sand or salt in green areas. Krakow’s parks department said that using coffee was an “environmentally friendly and cheaper” alternative and the idea had “aroused great enthusiasm among residents and numerous cafes”. The department said on its Thursday’s solution website that using coffee on the ground was also more “dog-friendly”. A man walks a dog on a path sprinkled with coffee grounds in a park More than 50 cafes are al- in Krakow on Wednesday. The southern Polish city is sprinkling coffee grounds from local cafes instead of sand or salt in green areas. AFP ready contributing their cof- fee waste and the city said it dinavian cities for coming near the city’s famed Old Town. hoped it would encourage up with the idea. “It’s a nice idea. My dog’s more local residents to buy Parks officials said they happy,” said Bartek, who was coffee to go and help cafes “in currently use about 75 to 80 walking his Australian Shep- this difficult time”. tonnes of sand per week dur- herd, Furia. Cafes and restaurants in Po- ing snowy periods. Another passerby said it was land are currently only allowed The idea appeared popular good not to use “harmful salt” to operate a takeaway service. with residents as park keepers and a third said it “could en- Krakow credited the city sprinkled coffee grounds from courage more people to drink of Lviv in Ukraine and Scan- large buckets on February 10 coffee during lockdown”. AFP 16 THE PHNOM PENH POST february 12, 2021 www.phnompenhpost.com Sport Everton beat Tottenham, reach FA Cup quarters

verton upped the who also face Everton in the pressure on Jose Premier League on February Mourinho with a thrill- 7, after they broke the English ing 5-4 victory over football record for consecu- TEottenham after extra-time to tive wins by a top-flight club. reach the FA Cup quarter-fi- Kyle Walker, Raheem Ster- nals, as Manchester City eased ling and Gabriel Jesus were on into the last eight by beating target for City, who extended Swansea on February 10. their winning run in all com- Tottenham face a daunting petitions to 15 games with a trip to City in the Premier League 3-1 success over Swansea. on February 13 and defeat after Victory was also Pep Guar- a draining 120 minutes was the diola’s 200th in 268 games as last thing Mourinho wanted. City boss, with his side still Spurs have lost four of their on course for a historic qua- last five games and one of three druple of trophies. chances to end the club’s 13- Guardiola’s men hold a five- year wait to win a trophy in cup point lead with a game in hand competitions is now gone. at the top of the Premier League, “Attacking football only wins face Tottenham in the League matches when you don’t make Cup final in April and resume more defensive mistakes than their challenge to win a first you create,” said Mourinho, Champions League in the last 16 who once described a 5-4 re- against Borussia Monchenglad- sult as a “hockey score”. bach later this month. “It was the mouse and the “It is amazing for ourselves, cat. The mouse was our defen- we cannot deny how pleased sive mistakes and the cat was and proud we are to break this us playing very well, scoring record,” said Guardiola. “Re- goals, but it wasn’t enough.” cords are there to be broken, but Mourinho’s men made a bright they have to do well [to beat it]. start at Goodison Park as Davin- “It is not easy in the modern son Sanchez headed them into era to make 15 wins in a row.” the lead after just three minutes. Leicester were made to wait However, the defensive errors until the 94th minute to book that have cost Tottenham dear their place in the last eight in recent months were in evi- with a 1-0 win over Brighton dence as Everton struck three Everton’s French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure (centre) heads the ball during the English FA Cup fifth round football match between Everton thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England, on Wednesday. POOL/AFP times in seven minutes just be- header. fore half-time through Dominic Richarlison then smashed land captain ended up playing from Sigurdsson’s scooped was a long night for every- Sheffield United also just Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and home from a narrow angle to for over an hour and met Son pass proved a fitting winner body, but we came out on top needed a solitary goal to see Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty. restore Everton’s lead. Heung-min’s cross at the back to a pulsating tie to keep alive which is the main thing.” off Bristol City 1-0 thanks Erik Lamela reduced Spurs’ Mourinho had left Harry post with bullet header seven the Toffees’ chances of a first to Billy Sharp’s penalty after deficit in first-half stoppage Kane on the bench from the minutes from time to send the trophy since 1995. City’s record-breaking run Alfie Mawson was sent off for time before another rare goal start to ease his return from game into extra-time. Everton assistant manager The defending from both handling David McGoldrick’s for Sanchez made it 3-3. an ankle injury. But the Eng- Bernard’s brilliant finish Duncan Ferguson said: “It sides will encourage City, goalbound shot. AFP Djokovic defeats Tiafoe, Serena shines at Australian Open

Eight-time champion Novak charge. Williams, 39, continued her quest Williams’ elder sister Venus, 40, bourne runner-up in 2019, commit- Djokovic was made to sweat at the The Serb is targeting a record- to equal Margaret Court’s all-time was among the casualties on day ted 44 unforced errors in her 6-4, Australian Open on February 10 as extending ninth title and his 18th mark of 24 Grand Slams with a 6-3, three when she painfully rolled her 1-6, 6-1 defeat to Romania’s Sorana Serena Williams made serene prog- Grand Slam trophy overall as he 6-0 romp past 99th-ranked Serbian ankle in the first set against Sara Er- Cirstea. ress in her bid for a record-equalling snaps at the heels of Rafael Nadal Nina Stojanovic. rani before hobbling through a 6-1, However Thiem, runner-up to 24th Grand Slam title. and Roger Federer, who top the all- Williams hit 27 winners in her 6-0 defeat. Djokovic last year, was all smiles as Women’s favourite Naomi Osaka time list with 20 each. 101st Australian Open match while And Andreescu, the 2019 US Open he beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer also charged through but fellow ma- again sporting her unique, one- champion who missed the entire 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. jor winners Stan Wawrinka, Bianca Dream result legged catsuit inspired by track leg- 2020 season with a knee injury, saw Eighth seed Diego Schwartzmann Andreescu and Petra Kvitova were Djokovic avoided the fate of 2014 end Florence ‘Flo-Jo’ Griffith Joyner. her comeback come to an abrupt of Argentina beat France’s Alexandre all second-round casualties. winner Wawrinka, who blew three “I’m here to have fun and it’s great end 6-3, 6-2 against Taiwan’s Hsieh Muller 6-2, 6-0, 6-3, while Canada’s Among the late matches, Aussie match points in the fifth-set tie- to be playing in front of a crowd,” Su-wei. Milos Raonic won 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-1, crowd-pleaser Nick Kyrgios served breaker of his four-hour epic with said Williams. Elsewhere Kvitova, the former 6-4 against another Frenchman, underarm, smashed a racquet and Marton Fucsovics, who won 7-5, With Australia virtually virus-free, Wimbledon champion and Mel- Corentin Moutet. AFP rowed with the chair umpire before 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (11/9). the tournament is welcoming the coming from behind to beat France’s “I hesitated a little bit when I had biggest Grand Slam crowds since Ugo Humbert in five gripping sets. the match point and I lost it,” said the pandemic, although attendanc- Earlier, Djokovic was given a stern the 35-year-old Swiss, a three-time es are well down on previous years. examination by the US’ Frances Tia- Grand Slam winner. foe and dropped his first set of the Osaka, whose three Grand Slam ‘Lost for words’ tournament before recovering to titles include the 2019 Australian A socially distanced John Cain win 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. crown, had no such trouble in her Arena was rocking for the Kyrgios “I was fortunate to get through evening match against France’s Car- match, where the unseeded home the third set today, it was anybody’s oline Garcia – despite fearing defeat favourite denied Humbert what game,” said the defending champi- after a bad dream. seemed like a certain win to set up on, after his win in hot conditions in “Last night I had a dream that I a clash with US Open champion Rod Laver Arena. lost this match, and I really didn’t Dominic Thiem. The top seed looked in control feel good about it,” she said after the “Honestly, I don’t know how I did after taking the first set, but light- 6-2, 6-3 win. that,” said Kyrgios after the unlikely ning-quick Tiafoe, who reached the Second seed Simona Halep sur- 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory. quarter-finals two years ago, refused vived a scare when she reeled off five “I don’t even know what to say, I’m to go away. third-set games in a row to avoid de- lost for words. That is one of the cra- The American bounced back to feat by Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. ziest matches I’ve ever played.” take a close second set but implod- “I fought till the end. I never gave German sixth seed Alexander ed as tensions rose in the fourth, up during the match, and that’s why Zverev went through in less compel- Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return against Frances Tiafoe of the US during their men’s receiving a code violation for an maybe I could win in the end,” said ling fashion, grinding past the US’ singles match on Day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on audible obscenity as Djokovic took the two-time Grand Slam winner. Maxime Cressy 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. Wednesday. AFP