Skyrocketing Shipping Costs Threaten Exports
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent Issue Number 3602 / 4000 RIEL PM: Ignore critics, focus on progress Niem Chheng questions by journalists during a press saying the country’s population of 16 in prisons or running away from their conference at Phnom Penh Interna- million need him to maintain peace homeland. Those who suffer are trou- PRIME Minister Hun Sen on February 7 tional Airport, where he was on-hand and political stability because social de- blemakers, so let them suffer,” he said. said he regards his critics – especially to receive the first 600,000 doses of the velopment through economic growth The prime minister also urged his those sceptical of his acceptance of Chi- Sinopharm vaccine donated by China. and poverty alleviation must continue. followers not to mention those crit- na-donated vaccines – as vicious dogs. The prime minister also instructed “A small number of people are not ics’ names on TV or social media and Without naming names, Hun Sen his officials to refrain from respond- happy. Let [them] be unhappy because instead speak about his efforts in PRIME MINISTER: said he would therefore refrain from ing to the critics. He stressed that the in this world there are happy and un- containing Covid-19, preventing road responding to them and from speak- instructions mean that the door to happy people. The important question accidents, reviving the economy, al- JOURNALISTS A ing with any foreign embassies who negotiations is now closed. to ask is, are there more happy people leviating poverty, carrying out state sought to mediate. Hun Sen pointed out that what wor- than unhappy ones, or vice versa? PRIORITY GROUP The remarks came in response to ries him most is the public’s happiness, “Cambodia has very few people locked CONTINUED – page 3 FOR COVID JABS NATIONAL – page 3 Floods kill 18 in India as glacier breaks up EIGHTEEN people were confirmed dead and at least 200 others were miss- MAJOR SURVEY ing after a devastating flash flood in India thought to OF CAMBODIAN have been caused by a chunk of glacier breaking AGRICULTURE off on February 8. The resulting wall of water SECTOR ISSUED and debris barrelled down BUSINESS – page 6 a tight valley in India’s Hi- malayan north on Sunday morning, destroying bridg- es, roads and hitting two hy- droelectric power plants. “There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earth- quake,” local inhabitant Om Agarwal told Indian TV. The Uttarakhand state government said that 18 bodies have been recov- ered, and chief minister RUSSIA REJECTS Trivendra Singh Rawat said Justice is pink at least 200 people were CONSTRUCTIVE still unaccounted for. A protester dressed as Lady Justice chants slogans before a pink Israeli flag as she takes part in a demonstration outside the Jerusalem district court while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a hearing in his corruption trial on Monday. AFP Most of those missing DIALOGUE WITH were working at the two power plants. Some were EU, BORRELL SAYS trapped in two tunnels cut WORLD – PAGE 10 off by the floods and by mud and rocks. “If this incident hap- pened in the evening, after Skyrocketing shipping work hours, the situation wouldn’t have been this bad as labourers and workers in and around the work sites would have been at home,” costs threaten exports Rawat told reporters. Twelve people were res- Hin Pisei transporting goods to interna- containers in all countries are According to Sokheang, the cued from one of the tun- tional markets has risen steadi- in short supply and high in average cost of chartering a nels on Sunday but 25-35 HE Kingdom’s exporters ly since the Covid-19 outbreak, price,” Sokheang said, adding 20-foot container from the more were still trapped in WOMEN DRAGON have expressed deep- it has gained significant mo- that Thailand and Vietnam Kingdom to Europe rocketed the second one, state disas- ening concerns about mentum since November. are also feeling the pinch, but from $1,250 in November to ter relief official Piyoosh Ra- DANCERS SCALE spiralling shipping He said shipping lines blame seemingly to a lesser extent. nearly $3,000 now. utela said. Tcosts, which could diminish this the price hike on Chinese firms “The cost of shipping goods He said the surge in inter- With the main road UP AMBITIONS year’s trade figures if prolonged. stockpiling containers for ex- from Cambodian ports to national shipping costs had washed away, paramilitary Cambodia Rice Federation port to major destinations – es- those in other countries has become a major hurdle cir- rescuers had to scale down IN VN’s CAN THO (CRF) vice-president Chan pecially the US – leaving a glob- increased two- or three-fold cumscribing the prospects of a hillside on ropes to reach Sokheang told The Post on Feb- al shortage of the receptacles. when compared to before LIFESTYLE – page 13 ruary 8 that while the cost of “This is the main reason why November 2020,” he said. CONTINUED – page 6 CONTINUED – page 10 THE PHNOM PENH POST Roundtable considers US National chief Biden’s foreign policy Inside page 3 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST FEBRUARY 9, 2021 WWW.phnompenhpost.COM National No charges against five forest activists nabbed in Prey Lang Voun Dara ministry, they cannot do any further activities as an organi- THE Kratie Provincial Court sation,” Sokunthea said. on February 8 released five All five agreed to these con- detained forest activists who ditions, which secured their had been arrested on Febru- release without the court filing ary 5 for illegally trespassing in any criminal charges, he said. a protected area, according to Soeung Sen Karuna, the deputy prosecutor Sor Vuthy. senior investigator for local The five forest activists are rights group Adhoc, said the Ouch Leng, Heng Sros, Man Mat, provincial court finished their Heng Ron and Tang Cheang. interrogation and released Leng was the winner of the the five activists at around 2016 Goldman Prize for the 9:45am on February 8. Environment and he is the “According to my inquiries, director of the Cambodian the five forest activists were Human Rights Task Force – a given a contract by the court group that officials claimed to ban them from further for- was not properly registered est protection activities and with the Ministry of Interior. to register their organisation Overloaded trucks being inspected by authorities in Kampong Cham province in November last year. PUBLIC WORKS MINISTRY “The court has released the with the interior ministry. five forest activists without “But what the five have charges,” Vuthy said. been working on is protecting Sam Sokunthea, the Li- forest in the name of activists Ministry inspections reveal cadho lawyer representing and citizens only,” he said. the forest activists, said the Provincial environment five were released after the department officers arrested provincial court and environ- the activists after they and quarter of lorries overloaded ment department made them about five other community sign two letters promising not members had campaigned to Lay Samean is a regular person or a pow- roadways to ensure that they the results as positive, though to repeat their action. protect the forest by planting erful individual. Those who remain in good condition. progress remains to be made. “My clients were asked by the trees and hanging signs on VER the course of we catch, we fine and possi- Road safety expert Kong Ra- He added that the ministry environment department to trees to discourage logging in last year, the Ministry bly impound their vehicle. tanak agreed that the drop in did not encourage the over- sign a letter agreeing not to en- Prey Lang in Sambor district’ of Public Works and “We advise drivers that the the ratio of overloaded lorries loading of vehicles, but some ter the prohibited area of Prey Kampong Cham commune. Transport inspected law dictates fines for loads indicated officials’ efforts to opportunistic traders paid Lang without permission. The Provincial environment Oover two million vehicles, citing less than five tonnes over the better enforce the law. bribes to officials to let their prosecutor also asked them to department director Duong over 580,000 for being over- limit and impound for ve- “It shows that the ministry is overloaded vehicles bypass sign a letter saying that if they Chhay Savuth declined to loaded and impounding 17. hicles more than five tonnes not silent – it is actively work- legal restrictions. don’t register with the interior comment. A total of 2,109,330 vehicles overloaded. As a result, driv- ing on the issue. This report The ministry’s report noted were inspected last year, of ers are afraid to overload their cannot be our only measure- that vehicles overloaded by which 586,103 were overload- vehicles and reduce their ment, however. The number less than five per cent amount- ed, amounting to 27.79 per loads,” Chandara said. of vehicles increases every ed to 582,814, and vehicles cent, a slight decrease of 0.97 “Whether it’s transporting year. Overloading is some- overloaded between five and per cent from 2019’s 28.76 per goods or sand, people seem thing we should prevent to 10 per cent totalled 79; 2,166 cent, according to a report inclined to overload lorries if avoid damaging roads which vehicles were between 10 and from the ministry’s Perma- they think they can get away can also help prevent traffic 20 per cent over capacity while nent Axle Overload Control with it. Our roads are built accidents,” he said. another 1,044 were more than Committee (PAOCC) released to standards – for example, a He also urged authorities to 20 per cents overloaded.