Covid-19 at ‘Alarming Rate’, Health Ministry Says

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Covid-19 at ‘Alarming Rate’, Health Ministry Says R 3409 E MB U N SSUE I TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent www.phnompenhpost.com 4000 RIEL NZ volcano victims to sue cruise ship firm SURVIVORS of last year’s New Zea- based Stacks Goudkamp, said the firm Yousef said there was “no indica- when there was such high risk? Why “watching loved ones suffering in land volcano eruption are planning was preparing to launch legal action tion at all that Royal Caribbean was were they not cancelled?” she asked. excruciating pain, and having to to sue cruise ship company Royal against Royal Caribbean on behalf of paying attention to” the increased New Zealand has a “no-fault” pub- come to terms with – if they survive Caribbean Cruises Ltd for failing to survivors and families of the victims, risk of the volcano erupting before a lic indemnity scheme that compen- – what kind of quality of life they will warn of the risks involved in touring many of whom were passengers on group of passengers joined a day- sates both its citizens and tourists have, will they ever be able to get back the area, lawyers said Monday. the cruise liner Ovation of the Seas. tour of the island. involved in accidents. any sort of normality”. There were 47 people, mainly Aus- Yousef said at least one Australian The cruise company had billed the However, Yousef said the Australians Yousef said it was hoped the legal tralian tourists, on White Island when family and an unconfirmed number trip to White Island as “an unforget- caught up in the disaster had ongoing action would also hold Royal Caribbean it erupted on December 9 last year, of others will sue for alleged negli- table guided tour of New Zealand’s costs and losses that would likely far to account for its alleged failings. killing 21 people. gence, breach of contract and viola- most active volcano”. exceed those payments. New Zealand’s government has Many were carried off with horrific tions of Australian consumer law. “At the very least they should’ve “We’ve got people who are having to launched an investigation into wheth- injuries, including extensive external New Zealand authorities on informed their tour participants of the deal with absolutely profound and er anyone was at fault in the tragedy and internal burns from the explosion November 18 raised the Volcanic risk and let them decide if they want- unimaginable disability, the kinds of but the probe is not expected to con- that sent steam, ash and gases hur- Alert Level for White Island from ed to take the risk. burns that a lot of medical professionals clude before the end of this year. tling from the caldera. Level 1 to Level 2 – the highest level “We can go one step further and ask have never seen in their lives,” she said. Royal Caribbean did not respond to Lawyer Rita Yousef, from Sydney- before an explosion. why were they even running these tours Relatives have been grappling with a request for comment. AFP Covid-19 at ‘alarming rate’, health ministry says Joshua Purushotman and say that the situation in Cambodia Sangeetha Amarthalingam is still at an alarming stage which means we have to be vigilant and HE Covid-19 risk level for very careful because the risk for individual transmission is individual [transmission] is not at an “alarming rate” in the low,” Vandine said. Kingdom and its probabil- The low number of cases in Cam- ityT is “not low”, warned Health Min- bodia has been somewhat baffling istry spokesperson Or Vandine. when figures in neighbouring states Leave now “Cambodia’s coronavirus scenar- have comparatively increased Kandal provincial authorities on Sunday ordered Vietnamese soldiers to remove nine camps situated in a ‘white zone’ close to the Vietnamese border in Koh Thom district’s Sampov Poun commune. POLICE STORY > 3 io is classified as being at an early many-folds over the months. stage of the pandemic because of Since the initial spike of cases in ongoing transmissions worldwide. early March involving participants of A second wave can occur at any a large Muslim gathering in Malaysia, instance,” she said when respond- holidaymakers on the Viking river ing to The Post. cruise boat, and French travellers in ‘Jealous’ major held for killing wife Vandine said her assessment was Sihanoukville, new cases slowed before due to the people becoming more stopping completely on April 12. Kim Sarom “I don’t know when he will be sent Before the incident, he said the cou- relaxed because, as of Monday, there However, Cambodia has allegedly to court. Wait until the [investigation] ple was driving to a restaurant in have been no new cases reported for exported several cases based on A MILITARY officer was sent to the work is done,” he said, declining to Chak Angre Krom commune and 15 days in a row. And out of 122 cas- statements by China’s health depart- Phnom Penh municipal Military provide further details. had a heated argument in the car. es, 119 persons have recovered with ments, and airlines in Cambodia that Police for questioning on Monday Citing the suspect’s accounts, a During the altercation, the gen- three still hospitalised. shuttled three to five cases weekly to after “accidentally” shooting his wife Military Police officer who asked to eral accidentally discharged his K59 She warned that Cambodians China since the beginning of April. to death in Meanchey district’s Chak remain anonymous said the gen- handgun. Sareab died instantly were now throwing caution to the According to news reports quot- Angre Krom commune and fleeing to eral took his wife’s body to Sa’ang from wounds to her jaw. wind and moving freely, going to the ing the Guangdong Province Health neighbouring Kandal province. district’s Prek Koy commune after Kandal deputy Military Police markets, malls and restaurants with Commission, a 37-year-old Chinese National Military Police spokesper- the killing. He then reported the commander Touch Inan said the little social distancing. She urged national showed symptoms of Cov- son Eng Hy told The Post that the man incident to commune police, who case is now in the hands of the the people to continue with good id-19 after arriving in China from turned himself in hours after taking referred the case to the Phnom Penh municipal Military Police. hygiene practises and said this Cambodia on April 10. her body to Kandal the previous day Military Police as it was outside its “We’ve already sent the body and “should become the new normal”. On April 22, another Chinese for unspecified reasons. Hy identified jurisdiction. the car to the Phnom Penh Military “I don’t want to label the Covid-19 the officer as a 58-year-old major at He said the major confessed to Police. I don’t have any further risk as high or medium, but I can CONTINUED – page 4 the Ministry of National Defence. killing Som Sareab out of jealousy. details yet,” he said. THE PHNOM PENH POST Cambodia welcomes Business News sisal into crop portfolio Inside page 7 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST APRIL 28, 2020 WWW.phnompenhpost.COM THE PHNOM PENH POST APRIL 28, 2020 WWW.phnompenhpost.COM 3 National Recent recruitment of 135 civil Vietnamese soldiers at border ordered to move servants set to be re-examined camps from ‘white zone’ Voun Dara Soth Koemsoeun two station posts to maintain security and to prevent of- COMMISSION set up KANDAL provincial police chief fences along the borderline. by newly-appointed Chhoeun Sochet on Sunday After the inspection, Sochet Minister of Civil Ser- ordered Vietnamese soldiers encouraged Sreang to patrol vice Prum Sokha is to remove nine camps situ- the area regularly. re-examiningA the recruitment ated close to the Vietnamese Sochet could not be reached of 135 civil servants announced border in Koh Thom district’s for comment on Monday. by the ministry on February Sampov Poun commune. Koh Thom district police 18, said ministry spokesman The disputed area is a chief Sim Kheang said on Chhoeun Bunnarath. “white zone” which has yet to Monday that he had accom- The ministry issued a prakas receive official boundaries or panied Sochet and over 20 dated April 16 which will re- border markers. specialists to inspect the area peal Prakas No 769 dated Feb- A report from the National along the borderline. ruary 18 and Prakas No 1398 Police confirmed that Sochet “The police chief ordered the dated March 27. The recently led the commander of Border Vietnamese soldiers to remove repealed prakas dealt with re- Unit 605 Kim Sreang, a pro- nine camps,” he confirmed. cruitment and recognition of vincial deputy police chief, An official of the Vietnam- civil servants of the ministry. the district police chief and ese Embassy in Phnom Penh The new prakas is in accor- Dambok Chev checkpoint did not respond to The Post’s dance with Prime Minister forces to inspect the Dam- requests for comment on Hun Sen’s annotation dated bok Chev borderline, which Monday. March 31 and the Ministry of stretches for 4,700m from the Sreang could not be reached Economy and Finance’s Let- Bak Day border gate to the for comment. ter No 2219 dated March 26. A commission is set to re-examine the recruitment of 135 civil servants into the Ministry of Civil Service. Chamkar Chek area. But in a nearly 10-minute vid- On April 23, the Ministry of MINISTRY OF JUSTICE The inspection was meant eo posted on his Facebook page Civil Service held a meeting to during 2020 in response to “I would like to inform His which allows the number of to ensure the “white zone” on Monday, Sreang said he had review the new prakas, which the Covid-19 issue.” Excellency Prum Sokha that in active civil servants to exceed was not being violated by protested Vietnamese soldiers would cancel the recruitment Bunnarath told The Post on accordance with the annota- the number of retired civil Vietnamese planting crops on several occasions and re- of the 135 civil servants.
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