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Friday, may 29, 2020 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent www.phnompenhpost.com 4000 RIEL China and Central bank to shun India closer to ‘biggest’ NGo calls for small US banknotes showdown action against May Kunmakara ers welcomed the move as an June 1 until August 31 to take about not accepting the effort to enhance monetary all those notes to the NBC smaller US banknotes. INDIAN and Chinese troops tobacco adverts HE National Bank of policy by promoting local for transport abroad with- “The NBC will continue to remained engaged in an eye- Cambodia (NBC) is currency, the NBC stressed out a service fee. Financial discuss the issue with banks ball-to-eyeball situation in sev- aimed at youth considering not that the measure is not aimed institutions will be charged and financial institutions as a eral disputed areas along the national – page 3 accepting smaller at stopping the banknotes’ if they take the notes to the step to set a suitable timeframe Line of Actual Control (LAC) in denominatedT US dollar ban- circulation in the market. NBC after the deadline,” it for completely not accepting Eastern Ladakh on Thursday, knotes – $1, $2 and $5 – from “The NBC is flooded with said in a statement. these banknotes,” it said. signalling that the confronta- banks and microfinance insti- US banknotes of $1, $2 and The central bank made PPCBank president Shin tion could become the biggest tutions (MFIs) which it said are $5, which means there is the announcement during Chang-moo told The Post on military face-off after the Dok- flooding its stockpile as the little demand. a meeting with banks and Thursday that the move will lam episode in 2017. demand for those notes is low. “We will give banks [and MFIs on Thursday to study Ladakh is a union territory, While some banking insid- MFIs] three months starting the issue and collect input Continued – page 7 administered by the Indian government. Top military sources said India has further increased its strength in Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley – the two con- tentious areas where sources local Telecom say the Chinese army has deployed around 2,000 to 2,500 firms told to troops and gradually enhanced temporary infrastructure. improve mobile, “The strength of the Indian Army in the area is much bet- internet service ter than our adversary,” said a business – page 6 top military official on the condition of anonymity. The biggest concern for Indi- an military has been the pres- ence of Chinese troops around several key points, including Indian Post KM120 along the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley. “It is serious. It is not a nor- mal kind of transgression,” former Northern Army Com- mander Lieutenant Geneneral (Retired) DS Hooda told Press Vietnam mulls Trust of India. He particularly emphasised even Tougher that Chinese transgression into areas like Galwan is worrying sentences for as there is no dispute between the two sides in the area. child abusers Strategic Affairs expert and WORLD – Page 12 former Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K Kantha too Rampage agreed with Hooda. “There Swarms of locusts are seen atop a building in Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Authorities are combating desert locusts have been multiple incursions that are rampaging across parts of western and central India in the nation’s worst pest infestation in nearly three decades. AFP sTORY > 11 [by Chinese troops]. This is something which causes con- cern. It is not a routine stand- off. This is a disturbing situa- tion,” said Kantha. PM lauded in Covid-19 fight Sources said diplomatic efforts must be ramped up to resolve the escalating tension Khorn Savi In his letter made public by recently launched Covid-19 Tedros also expressed his between the two armies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Global Strategic Prepared- support for the political lead- that both sides are eyeball-to- Fashionistas WORLD Health Organisation and International Cooperation ness and Response Plan. ership and personal engage- eyeball in several areas includ- (WHO) director-general on Thursday, Tedros thanked “I seize this opportunity to ment and role of Hun Sen, ing Pangong Tso, Demchok rebel against Tedros Adhanom Ghebreye- Hun Sen for his commitment commend the efforts of your saying that WHO at the glo- and Daulat Beg Oldie. sus sent a letter to Prime to global efforts in mitigating government to contain the bal, regional and country On Wednesday, US President ‘wasteful’ and Minister Hun Sen thanking the Covid-19 impact. pandemic. A special appre- levels stood ready to contin- Donald Trump tweeted: “We him for following the WHO’s “I have the honour to ciation also goes to the pub- ue to work with Cambodia, have informed both India and busy calendar guidance and commending thank the government of lic health workers on the and partners at large in the China that the US is ready, Cambodia’s efforts in the Cambodia for taking acute frontlines of this fight lifestyle – page 14 fight against Covid-19. action to operationalise the against Covid-19,” he said. Continued – page 2 Continued – page 11

one month’s free VIP subscription Aviation industry Don’t miss our hovers, airlines Special Report Inside page 8-9 For the first 1,000 Phnom Penh Post recoil with Covid readers who register! 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com National ‘Be vigilant to PM marks Int’l Children Day with prevent virus call for improvements in welfare second wave’

Niem Chheng Continued from page 1

RIME Minister Hun Sen has fight against the common threat issued a six-point message posed by Covid-19. on the occasion of the 71st The highly contagious disease has anniversary of International spread to 217 countries across the world, Children’sP Day on June 1, Cambo- infecting more than 5.7 million people dian Children’s Day, also on June and claiming over 356,000 lives. 1 and the 19th anniversary of the Cambodia first detected the disease World Day Against Child Labour on in February and has so far reported June 12. 124 cases. Among them, 122 have In a letter dated May 26, he said been discharged from hospital. The while the country usually celebrates Kingdom has not recorded a single these days, the outbreak of Covid-19 death. The Ministry of Health said will prevent any celebrations this most of the cases were imported. year, although the days will still be The latest cases were found last week recognised. in a 26-year-old Cambodian man, who In his message, Hun Sen said travelled from the Philippines, and a Covid-19 has claimed lives, includ- 39-year-old Cambodian woman who ing those of women and children, tested positive after a trip to New York but Cambodia has yet to see any City, one of the US’ Covid-19 hotspots. deaths from the disease. Both returned to the Kingdom Covid-19 has particularly affected through connecting flights in South children, especially those in poverty Korea. because access to education and Through his official Facebook page friendships has dwindled. on Thursday, Hun Sen repeated his call To contribute to the anniversary for the public to remain vigilant against of the three most important days for a second wave of infections. He said children, he called on the relevant Cambodia has not been complacent ministries to implement measures despite the relatively low number of to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to infections and zero death. children everywhere. He urged people to maintain good The prime minister said the rel- hygiene practices, social distancing evant ministries should make ev- and follow other WHO and health ery effort to ensure that all children ministry guidelines. have equal access to education, “Until now, we do not have a Covid- sanitation and clean water during 19 vaccine. So [people] must wear the Covid-19 pandemic. facemasks and wash hands regularly “All measures put forward by min- with alcohol or gel to kill the virus. istries and relevant institutions to “Cover your mouths with scarves or prevent the Covid-19 pandemic facemasks and use your elbow when must take into account the interests coughing or sneezing, especially in of children, especially those in al- In his message, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged relevant institutions to make every effort to ensure that all children have equal ac- crowded places such as markets, res- ternative care and children living in cess to education, sanitation and clean water during the Covid-19 pandemic. afp taurants and workplaces,” he said. detention facilities. To prevent a second wave of infec- “We must pay more attention to encourage them to report abuse to lic and private television stations, sexual abuse of children remains tions, the government has ordered all the mental and physical health of adults and the authorities. radio stations and social media an issue,” Sam Ath said. passengers arriving from abroad to children directly or indirectly affect- He urged the relevant institutions outlets to promote the protection He called on relevant ministries be taken to waiting centres upon ed by Covid-19 and we must allow to implement the core measures of of children from violence and child to prevent child abuse, child labour departing an aircraft. them to participate in decisions that international organisations on the labour, and have programmes for and physical and mental abuse of They will also have their samples tak- affect their lives,” Hun Sen said. elimination of child labour, and children to prevent and stop them children. en for testing and wait for results from The Prime Minister also urged raise awareness and train and dis- becoming victims. Sam Ath said in the context of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge. the authorities to participate in vil- seminate information about it. The deputy director of monitor- Covid-19, the government should If a passenger tests positive, fellow lage safety policies, take measures Also, he said the authorities must ing at Licadho Am Sam Ath said ensure that children receive the passengers will be kept in quarantine to protect them from all forms of strengthen child labour inspection Cambodia has done a lot to pro- same education, especially those in at government-mandated locations. violence, educate children against measures and mobilise resources mote child rights and child protec- rural areas who have difficulty ac- Passengers who are not found to have sexual abuse and harassment, teach and public support for children. tion. However, he said problems cessing online and distance learn- been infected with the disease are them to stay away from drugs and Hun Sen further called on all pub- persist. “Physical violence and ing programmes. allowed to self-quarantine at home. Migrant workers stranded in Malaysia plead to return Niem Chheng port in April to head home. Some were migrant workers that it had not stranded but received help from the helped them. SOME Cambodian migrant workers embassy, while those who were from The embassy said it sent a diplo- stuck in Malaysia after flights were can- nearby states returned to look for jobs matic note to Malaysian Airlines to celled in April said they received some and wait for information from it. organise a flight to Cambodia and support from the Cambodian embassy, Toulors Mansort, also a native of requested that the Malaysian Minis- but they are looking forward to return- Kampong Cham, said he had been in try of Foreign Affairs allow special ing home because work is scarce. Malaysia for three years. After working flights during the restriction period. Ham Saly from Kampong Cham in construction for some time, he decid- But the embassy had not received told The Post on Thursday that he ed to stop and chose to sell drinking a response from the airline. So, the spent more than MYR 1,000 ($230) in water at construction sites. But he has date of a flight depends on the airline, April to buy a ticket home but his been jobless for four months now. the embassy said. flight was cancelled. He said on Wednesday, he received The embassy said it had given He then returned to Kelantan state about 10kg of rice, noodles and canned assistance to more than 1,600 people with five fellow Cambodians. He said fish from the embassy, which he could across Malaysia. he lost his job as a construction work- eat for a week. On Wednesday, Cambodia eased its er and now does whatever job pos- He said he was looking forward to entry restriction for its nationals. Prime sible just to survive. information from the embassy about Minister Hun Sen said Cambodians “I want to return to Cambodia, but when he could return to Cambodia. abroad could return to the Kingdom now I am not allowed. I don’t know “Until now, I don’t hear anything, but I without a health certificate specifying what to do now besides looking for any really want to go back home because stay- that they were Covid-19 free. small job I can find. When I am allowed ing here I have to spend a lot, such as for The measure was revised days after to go back, I will just go,” he said. electricity and water. Now, I am jobless the Ministry of Health said all Cam- He said he was given financial sup- since all jobs are closed,” he said. bodians and foreigners entering Cam- port of about $90 by the Cambodian The Cambodian embassy in Malay- bodia must have a health certificate. embassy in Malaysia. Some other sia could not be reached for com- But Hun Sen said returning Cambo- Cambodians also gave him some ment on Thursday on how many dians must have their health checked, money to survive. nationals were stranded. tested for Covid-19 and be quaran- He said a lot of people had flocked to On Monday it issued a press state- tined for 14 days before being allowed Some Cambodian migrant workers are stuck in Malaysia after their flights were the Kuala Lumpur International Air- ment denying accusations from some to reunite with their families. cancelled and finding work to survive has proven difficult. Cambodian embassy in malaysia THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 3 National Call for end to tobacco Drivers told to renew licence adverts aimed at youth Voun Dara Soth Koemsoeun bacco and nicotine and mar- INISTER of Public Works kets tobacco indirectly via films, and Transport Sun Chan- THE NGO Cambodia Movement TV programmes and live pro- thol called on citizens for Health (CMH) on Thursday grammes on the internet,” the operating vehicles with urged the government to take press release said. Mexpired driving licenses and vehicle stricter measures to implement CMH executive director Mom inspection certificates to renew them the Law on Tobacco Control, Kong said on Thursday that be- or they would be fined. claiming that some tobacco com- sides the WHO explanation about Chanthol said some driver’s licenses panies continue to flout the law by trafficking cigarettes, he read a have expired for eight years. targeting underage consumers. study on the implementation of He also said drivers without proper CMH said in a Wednesday the Law on Tobacco Control by inspection certificates could be in- press release that cigarette sell- the Royal University of Phnom volved in accidents because their ve- ers use tricks like flavoured to- Penh last year. hicles could be faulty. bacco to attract youth. It said the The study suggested that 30 Chanthol made the remarks as he led government should take stricter per cent of cigarettes that were officials to inspect the National Road 5 measures and impose fines on put up for sale in the market did construction site on Wednesday. those who commit wrongdoing. not carry a health warning label “Now, 46 per cent of licences have There is also a major increase in Khmer or pictures. Also, 58 expired. Out of a total of more than in counterfeit cigarettes that do per cent of cigarettes put up for 700,000 vehicles, more than 300,000 not carry warnings or tax stamps, sale did not carry a tax stamp. have not yet been inspected,” he said. CMH said. “I urge the government and Chanthol said the ministry had set up In a press release, it said for relevant officials to implement a notification system for citizens. One “World No Tobacco Day”, which the law on cigarette sellers and month before the expiration of a driv- falls on Saturday, the World advertisements in public plac- ing licence, the system will send a mes- Health Organisation (WHO) has es,” Kong said. sage reminding the citizen to renew. He released a report titled: Protect- The Ministry of Health has said more than 9,000 messages have ing youth from industry ma- quoted the results of research been sent to expired licence holders. Minister Sun Chanthol said 46 per cent of driving licences have expired, while more than nipulation and preventing them studies from tobacco inspections “I would like to call on all national road 300,000 out of a total of over 700,000 vehicles have not been inspected. HENG CHIVOAN from tobacco and nicotine use. in Cambodia last year by the UN users to take care of our national assets WHO explained the industry Development Programme, WHO as Prime Minister Hun Sen tries to raise state and private property annually. tracking vehicle speeds. manipulates customers in several and the Secretariat of the Con- funds to build Cambodia’s infrastructure. “If you ride a motorcycle, wear a hel- If an offender is found, the ministry ways. One is using flavours to at- vention on the Control of Tobac- “We must take care not to surpass met. If you drive a car, please put on your will be able to send a bill directly to the tract youth by advertising that it is co Products as saying that tobac- the weight limit imposed by law, seat belt. Don’t talk on the phone while wrongdoer’s home. a product that minimises dangers co use results in 15,000 deaths in which can cause damage to our na- driving, it’s illegal. Do not drive under Asia Injury Prevention Foundation or is more hygienic than common Cambodia annually. tional roads,” he said. the influence of alcohol or drugs. director Kim Panha said getting cars in- cigarettes without proven science. People in the lowest income He also called on drivers to obey “Do not drive recklessly and do not spected is important because they re- The industry also sponsors brackets accounted for 33 per traffic laws to reduce accidents. exceed the speed limit. It is very impor- quire regular technical checks in addition movies stars and other celebri- cent of those deaths. Tobacco Chanthol said on average, five road tant to obey the traffic laws,” he said. to daily checks to avoid traffic accidents. ties and produces contest pro- use is also estimated to account fatalities and 15 injuries occur in Chanthol said the ministry is col- “Getting regular technical checks grammes that advertise tobacco for a loss of $649 million to the Cambodia each day. He said besides laborating with the Japan Interna- and having a driving licence indicates and nicotine products. economy, equivalent to three the loss of lives, the accidents ac- tional Cooperation Agency to install that a driver’s vehicle is safe and the “The Industry tries to make per cent of the gross domestic count for $350 million in damage to cameras on national roads capable of driver is competent,” he said. it easier for students to buy to- product of Cambodia. Wing teams up with the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank to assist Smes, agri-businesses

ing (Cambodia) Limited Special- ised Bank and the Agricultural and RuralW Development Bank of Cambodia (ARDB) on Wednes- day partnered to provide all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture busi- nesses in the Kingdom with easy financial access. With this partnership, ARDB customers will be able to make loan repayments through the comprehensive network of more than 7,500 Wing Cash Xpress agents across Cambodia. They can also use their mobile phones at any time to instantly transfer money in their Wing accounts by using the Wing Mobile App Wing management team at the event. Wing CEO Manu Rajan (left) and ARDB CEO Kao Thach exchange documents. or the USSD Code *989#. “This partnership proves our National Bank of Cambodia. safely and securely serve the di- of SMEs and agri-businesses in able them to put greater focus improving the quality of life for commitment to supporting SMEs “We believe that this part- verse money transfer and loan Cambodia,” said Manu Rajan, on expanding their business many Cambodians. and agri-businesses in Cam- nership will let us conveniently, repayment needs of hundreds the CEO of Wing. “This will en- operations and contributing Wing has built its reputa- bodia by providing convenient to the economic growth of tion as a convenient, secure and financial access,” said Kao Cambodia.” instant money transfer service Thach, the CEO of ARDB. “Now Cambodia is home to through its top-notch Wing even people in rural provinces more than 500,000 SMEs, Money App and its national can have access to the support which contribute to economic network of professional Wing provided by the Wing financial growth through the creation Cash Xpress agents. system.” of jobs and by generating ARDB is recognised for its ARDB was established in earnings for the low income, commitment to poverty 1998 to meet a shortage of as well as by fostering social alleviation and to raising the financial services in rural areas stability and contributing to living standards of people in and to assist in reducing poverty the growth of the dynamic rural areas by providing among Cambodians. It operates private sector. financial support to businesses, under the technical and finan- Both Wing and ARDB share SMEs and farming organisa- cial guardianship of the Ministry the vision of providing com- tions so they can contribute to of Economy and Finance, and munities with convenient access the economic growth of the is under the supervision of the Participants pose for a group photo after the signing ceremony. to financial services – thereby Kingdom. ADVERTORIAL 4 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com National Japanese to donate Vietnamese tents medical baffle border guards Soth Koemsoeun namese side, An Giang au- equipment thorities said that they agreed HE Japanese government KANDAL and Takeo provincial to remove the tents, but re- will provide $18 million authorities bordering Vietnam quested that the season of Tworth of medical equip- have expressed concern after Covid-19 finish first. ment and supplies to the Ministry witnessing irregularities by “We continue to monitor of Health to help the Kingdom the Vietnamese authorities, the activities of Vietnamese fight Covid-19. including the deployment of soldiers who are erecting the It will also offer nearly $23 soldiers to erect 114 camps tents along this border. million in financial grants to just 30m from the border. “We cannot ignore the case support education and health Takeo provincial governor because our provincial level in Cambodia, according to an Ouch Phea told The Post on reported it already to the Min- announcement from the Ministry Thursday that Vietnamese istry of Foreign Affairs and In- of Economy and Finance. soldiers had erected 83 camps ternational Cooperation, the Japanese Ambassador to Cam- along the provincial borderline Ministry of Interior and the bodia Masahiro Mikami confirmed on the Vietnam side, some 30m Border Affairs Committee. We the donation of equipment during The two women were forcing six children to beg in Phnom Penh. anti human trafficking from border markers, citing will work with Vietnam to re- a working meeting with Deputy the need to tighten crossings to solve the matter.” Prime Minister and Minister of stop the spread of Covid-19. Sophorn said the Kandal Economy and Finance Aun Porn- “Our border authorities have provincial authorities told the moniroth on Wednesday. been monitoring the situation Vietnamese to remove the “The supplies and medical Women detained for to make sure the Vietnamese tents immediately because equipment will soon be coming do not move any tents on to Vietnam should not have to Cambodia,” Mikami said. Cambodian land,” he said. erected the tents in the area. He said that the contributions In a separate case, Kandal pro- Royal Academy of Cambo- were in line with the spirit of the forcing kids to beg vincial governor Kong Sophorn dia president Sok Touch said ASEAN Plus Three Summit on Co- said at a press conference at the on Thursday that Cambodian vid-19 which was held on April 14. Kim Sarom Nuon Toch, 28, for some time detained, they confessed to Council of Ministers on Thurs- citizens had not crossed the The Japanese government and after cooperating with lo- the crime and said that they day that Vietnamese soldiers border into Vietnam. will continue to provide technical WO women were cal authorities, detained the used to call tuk-tuks to deliver had erected 31 camps along the But the Vietnamese had assistance and financial grants, sent to Phnom Penh pair on Wednesday. the kids to Chhouk Meas mar- border. But they removed nine crossed the border into Cam- including concessional loans. Municipal Court on “I have already sent the case ket every morning, where they of the camps after a request bodian land. He said he is “In the near future, Japan Thursday for forc- of these two women to the would beg until 5pm or 6pm. from Cambodian police. concerned that the Vietnam- plans to provide financial grants ingT six children to beg for court for further legal action,” Each child was capable of col- He said Vietnamese sol- ese soldiers themselves had for another two projects total- money for several months at he said. lecting between 20,000 ($4.86) diers had put up tents along crossed the border. ling $22.73 million to support the Chhouk Meas market in Three boys and three girls and 30,000 riel per day, which with wooden pillars or bam- He told The Post that the Cambodia’s education and health Krang Thnong commune in were forced into begging and they would all share together. boo and placed a bed in the Cambodia-Vietnam border in sectors,” Mikami said. the capital’s Sen Sok district. two of them were under five At night, the kids would sleep at middle of each 3-4sqm tent Kandal province was 29km. Pornmoniroth expressed his Phnom Penh Department of years old. Chhouk Va pagoda. for two or three soldiers to And it is 7km from Kaam gratitude to the government Anti-human Trafficking and One of the children is Thoe- Authorities have sent the sit or sleep. The camps were Samnor in Leuk Daek district and people of Japan for always Juvenile Protection director un’s grandchild while another children to the Department built from the Kaam Samnor to Chrey Thom in Koh Thom supporting Cambodia’s efforts. Keo Thea said his department is Toch’s child. The others of Social Affairs, Veterans and border checkpoint to Takeo district. These areas had many Khouth Sophak Chakrya had been investigating the were distant relatives. Youth Rehabilitation in Phnom totalling 31 locations. border markers since the suspects, Che Thoeun, 58, and After the two suspects were Penh, Thea said. Sophorn said: “On the Viet- French colonial era. Workers return, hope for salaries

Long Kimmarita

MORE than 600 factory work- ers in the capital’s Chaom Chao commune in Por Sen Chey district returned to work after the factory’s owner prom- ised to pay their salaries in instalments until the middle of next month. On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 600 workers gath- ered in front of the factory to protest after they failed to receive their salary for the past two months. Instead, they received a $30 payment. One worker, who gave her name as Srey Da, told The Post on Thursday that following a series of protests, Ministry of Labour officials intervened, resulting in the company agree- ing to pay the salaries owed. Workers employed by the factory for nearly 10 years said it promised to make an initial payment of $25 to all workers. The remainder of their April More than 600 factory workers returned to work after the owners agreed to pay their salaries. central salaries would be paid in early June and their May salary in Sina said the factory has lose confidence in the authori- acknowledged difficulties in mid-June said the workers. repeatedly gone against its ties’ remedies,” he said. the private sector. Da said: “We’ve only been promises to pay workers. Sina is also concerned about It had tried to compromise paid $100 to $200 per person He said the government recent incidents caused by the with the factory and would con- depending on our salary and would monitor the case to pre- outbreak of Covid-19. He said tinue to monitor the situation. actual work. vent the factory from continu- several factories have Sour said: “We also request “During this time, there has ing to cheat workers, but he employed various methods of the understanding of the work- been no overtime because wasn’t convinced that alone terminating workers, includ- ers on this. But the ministry there is nothing to do. The fac- would force the company to ing cancelling short and long- will continue to urge employ- tory previously had more cooperate. term employment contracts, ers to keep to their promises. workers, but 60 per cent of “The company has been dis- and contracts with pregnant “Our workers have a hard them were suspended, and the honest and set a very bad workers. time because they need mon- protesters represent the example. The workers need to Ministry of Labour and Voca- ey to support themselves. We remaining 40 per cent.” be paid for their livelihood with tional Training spokesman are not giving up on them and Collective Union of Move- regular salaries. If these prom- Heng Sour told The Post on will continue to monitor this ment of Workers president Pav ises aren’t fulfilled, people will Thursday that the ministry case.” THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 5 National New Kep provincial NA defends Parliament reps governor named Ry Sochan Long Kimmarita mandate ends, a new provin- NATIONAL Assembly cial governor takes our place,” (NA) spokesman as- MINISTER of Interior Sar he said. serted on Thursday Kheng will preside over an in- Satha said he was satisfied that representatives duction ceremony on Friday with his accomplishments, ofA parliament during the 6th promoting former Kep pro- as he oversaw growth in the mandate have orchestrated vincial deputy governor Som province in almost all sectors. many missions to serve peo- Piseth to provincial governor. He said he was not disap- ple in all sectors, especially Piseth will replace Ken pointed in the termination health and social affairs sec- Satha, who is set to be ap- because the transfer of the tors, despite claims from pointed as a secretary of state role was made in line with Cambodian Electoral Watch, at the Council of Ministers by the law. He expects the new which has accused the parlia- King Norodom Sihamoni. provincial governor to im- ment of inactivity. Kep Provincial Hall head of prove on the foundation he NA general secretary and administration Oeung Vuthy built while in office. spokesman Leng Penglong told The Post on Thursday Satha said infrastructure im- told The Post on Thursday that that Satha was removed from proved under his leadership, the representatives of parlia- his post according to a letter with more than 76 per cent of ment have indeed undertaken dated on May 27 from the In- residents having access to elec- public service missions. terior Ministry’s General De- tricity, and freshwater available He said when people suffer partment of Administration. in almost all districts. catastrophes, such as build- He said the ceremony will be “Kep province has seen ing collapses, storms and attended by the provincial lead- changes and growth. It can be other accidents, representa- ers of the departments and units said that security [and] public tives of parliament always Cambodian Electoral Watch and Comfrel have accused parliamentary representatives of inactivty. hong menea as well as the armed forces. order sectors have improved visited the victims to solve Satha told The Post on Thurs- for national and international their problems. year of the 6th mandate has mentary sessions, but not one The survey and advocacy day that the transfer of roles guests. Our citizens enjoy He said: “If we compare it decreased compared to previ- representative has criticised coordinator of Comfrel Korn was made because his mandate much peace. They live their to the period when we had ous parliaments composed of the process or asked any hard Savang told The Post on ended as stipulated in the Law lives without fear,” he said. an opposition party [the multiple political parties. questions. In contrast, there Thursday that the parliamen- on Administrative Manage- King Norodom Sihamoni 5th mandate], our activities A Comfrel press release is only appreciation and sup- tary representatives in the first ment of the Capital, Provinces. on Wednesday issued a royal have not decreased. During published on Wednesday said port for the leadership of the year of the 6th mandate have The law requires the pro- decree ordering the appoint- that period, opposition party while representatives are ac- Royal Government.” complete control of executive vincial governor to hold office ment of Satha as a secretary members only visited their tive in political discussions, According to the press re- and legislative powers, which for only two terms, with one of state at the Council of Min- supporters. Currently, the they have paid less attention lease, among the 125 rep- could be detrimental. term lasting four years. isters. The appointment was representatives of parliament to the peoples’ problems. resentatives of Parliament, Savang said when there “The law stipulates that the made at the request of Prime perform their missions for It said: “Especially with land only 55 representatives were are multiple political parties provincial governor can serve Minister Hun Sen. the people regardless of their conflicts between people, there responsible for its 1,041 mis- represented in parliament, it [the people] within his juris- Sar Kheng also signed a let- political preferences.” has been no intervention by any sions. This, the release said, allows for debate, discussion diction for a maximum of two ter dated May 25 promoting The Committee for Free representatives of Parliament to is a decrease from the num- and criticism. The implemen- terms. My mandate ended and former Kampot deputy pro- and Fair Elections in Cam- assist or find a solution. ber of missions performed tation and drafting of laws I held the office according to the vincial police chief Sambath bodia (Comfrel) said parlia- “Law implementation has by parliamentary representa- can be edited and changed as royal decree since August 2012. Sothearoth to Kep provincial mentary efficiency in the first been talked about in parlia- tives during the 5th mandate. a result of these debates. “It is nothing new. Once our police chief. Private school parents petition for lower fees Khouth Sophak Chakrya petition next week for inter- vention from Prime Minister PARENTS and guardians of stu- Hun Sen,” she added. dents at the private CIA FIRST School director Andre Struve, International School plan to said in an email on Thursday submit a petition asking Prime that CIA FIRST has in place a Minister Hun Sen to intervene in very rigorous and robust Data- their ongoing tuition dispute. Driven Improvement Planning The parents, who have been (DDIP) process where several protesting school costs for data points are collected to weeks, now want the price of make planning and instruc- online classes to be lowered by tional changes to optimise 35 per cent. student achievement. The petition was crafted after He said the data points a second meeting with school include feedback from teachers representatives on Thursday and analysis of student achieve- failed to reach an agreement. ment data to ascertain how the The school still holds its posi- Parents and guardians of students unit of study can be improved. tion to lower the tuition fees by at CIA FIRST International School “Of course there are nuances 25 per cent for kindergarten and are asking for a 35 per cent drop related to online learning, and in fees. hean rangsey 20 per cent for those in grades 1 these will be picked up by the to 12. Parents have lowered their he said his family and many DDIP process,” he said. demand from a 50 per cent dis- others in Cambodia have lost Struve said the school has count to 35 per cent. jobs and incomes, he said. undertaken a detailed analysis One parent, Im Phalla, said “Learning online requires a of student achievement data, he has two children studying computer connected to the comparing onsite to online at the school but the Thursday internet. We cannot afford to learning. He claimed that no meeting failed to reach a buy those tools for our chil- statistically significant chang- desired a result. dren’s education because a es were found. “Even if we try to raise our laptop costs more than $300 In many cases, he claimed reasons related to our prob- and tuition for each child is that online student achieve- lems and lower our tuition fee from $400 to 450$ per month. ment outperformed onsite demands, the school repre- “I have observed that online achievement. sentative still doesn’t want to learning is not really effective Furthermore, Struve said, for budge,” Phalla said. and it even causes some nega- many years, the school has had Phalla raised the concern tive effects to children,” he a social promotion versus aca- that he could not afford to buy stressed. demic retention policy in line study materials for his kids Cheang Sokuntheavy, a with ACS WASC Guidelines. who study online. Before Cov- mother of three students at the Letter grades, credits and id-19, he and his wife tried to school, said because of similar grade-point averages are of work extra hours, be frugal reasons, parents want tuition high importance at high school with spending on food and fees lowered until further and there is a credit recovery saved money to invest in their notice from the Ministry of programme in place to give the children, he said. Education, Youth and Sport. students the highest chance of But since Covid-19 arrived “We all agree to present a graduating from grade 12. 6 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Business

USD / KHR USD / CAD USD / CNY USD / JPY USD / MYR USD / SGD USD / THB AUD / USD EUR / USD GBP / USD 4,116 1.3781 7.1581 107.84 4.3590 1.4200 31.86 0.6600 1.0997 1.2252 Invest more in infrastructure, gov’t Meat supply reaches 82% tells telecommunications operators of domestic Thou Vireak requirement HE Ministry of Posts and Tel- ecommunications is urging Thou Vireak local telecom operators to inject funding for infrastruc- THE Cambodian meat industry has tureT and improve the quality of supplied more than 43 million live- mobile and internet services, which stock, or 245,653 tonnes of meat to are in sharp demand. the domestic market as of May, said The ministry assigned the Tele- Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and communications Regulator of Cam- Fisheries Veng Sakhon. bodia (TRC) to review the quality of Of the amount, beef accounted for service in some areas after reports of 90,716 tonnes, equal to 824,688 head disruptions earlier this week. of cattle, he said. It said in a statement: “All mo- Pork accounted for 105,870 tonnes, bile telecommunications operators equivalent to 2,117,000 domestic pigs need to improve the quality of their raised on 530 commercial farms and telecommunications services every- 1,030,494 family-raised pigs, while where, especially in urban areas and poultry accounted for 49,067 tonnes, in new development areas. equivalent to 40,889,000 head raised “The ministry makes it clear that on 824 commerical farms and telecommunications operators must 27,763,479 head raised by small fam- guarantee the quality of mobile ser- ily-run businesses. vices to consumers in accordance Cambodia Livestock Raisers Asso- with the terms of their licence. ciation director Srun Poav said with “Any provision of poor quality the additional momentum in the mobile service is a dishonest act as industry seen this year, the Kingdom stated in the Consumer Protection will be able to supply 2.3 million live Act,” it said. pigs domestically, accounting for 82 TRC spokesman Im Vutha told The per cent of local necessity. Post on Thursday that to respond to Cambodia needs between 100,000 the growing use of mobile phone and 150,000 chickens per day and and internet services, all operators between 7,000 and 8,000 pigs per day, have to invest more quickly in tele- he said. communications infrastructure. Internet data download traffic expanded 104 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, while “The demand for locally sourced upload traffic increased more than 92 per cent during the period.HONG MENEA He said internet data download meat has declined due to a lack of traffic expanded 104 per cent in the operating expenditure had been “We also continue advocating covers 53 per cent of its more than celebrations, including weddings first quarter of this year compared invested by Smart to strengthen together with the industry for the 15 million internet users. and major festivals. to the same period last year, while mobile data leadership in the government to recognise telecom- State-owned Telecom Cambodia “Demand has slowed down, but we upload traffic increased more than Kingdom and to expand its 4.5G munications infrastructure as a (TC), Cambodia Fibre Optic Com- still have a shortage of pork and we 92 per cent during the period. network to ensure that millions of ‘critical public infrastructure’ to munication Network Co Ltd (CFO- need to import hundreds of pigs a “The Covid-19 problem has led Cambodians are connected in the elevate the status of telecommu- CN) and Viettel (Cambodia) Pte Ltd day. We are encouraging the local a lot of people to work online, and best possible way. nications providers to an ‘essential have invested in the instalment of farmers to produce enough to meet students to study online, as more “We also commit two per cent of service’ in the country, leading to more than 44,251km of fibre optic the market needs,” said Poav. people take their businesses to the our annual service revenue for ser- faster site rollout, easier right-of- cable in the Kingdom. He said live pigs currently cost web, leading to a massive increase vice expansions to remote areas of way access at buildings as well as Viettel Cambodia is a subsidiary of between 11,000 and 12,000 riel in internet usage,” he said. Cambodia through the Universal new gated communities and spe- Viettel Group, the Vietnamese mili- ($2.68 and $2.92) per kg, up from Leading mobile operator Smart Service Obligation Fund. cial categorisation when the King- tary-owned operator of Cambodian around 8,000 riel during the same Axiata Co Ltd consistently invests “Our investment commitment re- dom faces crises. mobile operator Metfone. period last year, while live chickens $70 to $80 million in capital expendi- mains the same for 2020 as we look “This, among other measures, will Vutha said: “Most of the coverage range between 5,500 and 7,500 riel ture (capex) every year primarily for forward to introducing 5G in Cambo- certainly help the industry provide a services, telecommunications opera- per kg. network expansions and enabling dia. Even further, we have increased better quality of services and reduce tors invest in large commercial areas Ministry data shows that annual advanced mobile technologies, CEO our capex investments recently to network congestion at dense usage only, which means a lack of mobile meat demand is 290,000 tonnes, of Thomas Hundt told The Post. support the high usage trends and areas,” he said. phone service in rural areas and devel- which 82,000 tonnes is beef, 153,000 As of the end of last year, he said, customer expectations during this Vutha said the Kingdom’s 4G mo- oping areas. We need to invest more in tonnes is pork, 54,000 tonnes is poul- a total of $1.66 billion in capital and unprecedented Covid-19 situation. bile internet coverage currently the construction of towers.” try and 165 tonnes is other meat. CSX index up 7.25 per cent, $1.25 million in shares traded

May Kunmakara were executed nearly every minute. billion to CSX market capitalisation, “For the first few days after the ABC making it the largest listed company FOLLOWING a bruising first quarter, listing, there was a huge shift in our by market cap. We expect to see more the Cambodia Securities Exchange market. We have seen an increasing and more trades enter the market. (CSX) index has picked up over the number of orders enter the market, “As I have always mentioned, finan- last few days after Acleda Bank Plc’s especially for ABC stock. cial institutions are considered the (ABC’s) initial public offering (IPO). “The price of ABC has surged dra- most suitable candidates to go public At Thursday’s close, the index ended matically since the first trading day. It and gain the benefits from securities 7.25 per cent higher at 793.59 points. went up 33 per cent compared to the market. With this new momentum, we Trading volume reached 280,791 shares IPO price. The demand for ABC remains strongly believe that it will attract more worth 5,161,361,850 riel ($1.25 million). high, with the buy quantities far exceed- potential companies to consider listing CSX vice-chairman Ha Jong-weon ing sell quantities,” said Ha. on our exchange,” said Ha. noted that the figure was one of the Public engagement in the stock The Securities and Exchange Com- stock market’s highest. ABC account- market via social media interaction mission of Cambodia’s (SECC) latest ed for 95.6 per cent of shares traded and general inquiries have been on Securities Trading Statistical Bulletin on Thursday, worth a whopping the rise, he said. ABC has been the noted that the CSX index sank 22.5 4,936,668,200 riel. leading contributor to market capi- per cent in the first quarter of this He said ABC attracted so much talisation over the last few days. year to 590.63 points from 761.73 public attention that transactions “ABC has contributed nearly $1.8 points at the end of last year. ABC has contributed nearly $1.8 billion to CSX market capitalisation. ABC THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 7 Business San Miguel loses 20% profits NBC dollar plan will promote usage of riel HILIPPINE consumer giant San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc Continued from page 1 entirely within its right to do (SMFB) saw a 20 per cent year- this,” Higgins said. on-year drop in first quarter contribute to the promotion The Centre for Policy Stud- consolidatedP net income to 5.8 billion of local currency. ies (CPS) director Chan Sophal pesos ($114 million). “I expect, in the longer term, said the NBC’s move is part of This comes as the enhanced commu- the use of KHR [Khmer riel] the de-dollarisation goal. nity quarantine (ECQ) and liquor bans will increase to a great ex- “There is basically no sense in key cities gnawed on its beer and hard tent. We are already observing in keeping lots of dollar notes liquor businesses alongside the increase equivalent KHR notes quickly at the expense of monetary in excise taxes. replacing the $1 and $5 notes, policy which can be used at a SMFB president and CEO Ramon S which are usually old and in a time of crisis like now. Ang on Thursday said: “The road to re- worn condition, often creating “As the Cambodian economy covery may be long. However, over the disputes about acceptance. gets bigger, the loss of mon- last 130 years, we successfully overcame “I believe that NBC’s new etary instruments to effect the many challenges. guideline will accelerate the economy becomes quite costly. “We remain confident that with our process,” he said. “De-dollarisation should strong fundamentals and ability to deliver Stephen Higgins, a manag- not be done overnight as an good and affordable products to our con- ing partner at Mekong Strate- autonomous monetary pol- sumers, we will overcome this once again.” gic Partners, agreed. He said icy has to match the central The Philippines food and beverage giant was waylaid in Q1 by quarantines and alcohol bans. afp Consolidated revenues declined by nine the NBC’s goal is to promote bank’s competency. But it has per cent year-on-year to 69 billion pesos, food segment expanded by 16 per cent, “solid financial foundation to weather the local currency and it is a to start with some practical while consolidated operating income de- with strong demand in the processed the current situation, including a strong significant step to encourag- steps,” he said. clined by 20 per cent to 8.6 billion pesos. meats, dairy, spreads, biscuits and cof- balance sheet, relatively light debt ser- ing people to use it. According to NBC’s 2019 While its beer and spirits divisions started fee segments. vice obligations, and ample liquidity”. “This is a sensible move by annual report, the share the year with good momentum, the decla- Recovering from the widespread glut SMFB is likewise taking appropriate the NBC to support its goal of of riel in circulation in the ration of the ECQ, together with the imposi- last year, the protein and animal nutri- steps to manage its expenses and capital promoting the riel. It will es- Kingdom grew by about 33 tion of liquor bans across key cities, dragged tion segment registered a positive oper- expenditures moving forward while sup- sentially result in a smaller per cent year-on-year by last down sales of its alcoholic beverages. ating income of 1.2 billion pesos during porting communities across the Philip- influx of quality USD notes year’s end as deposits in riel However, this was partially offset by the first quarter, a turnaround from loss- pines with local relief efforts. coming into the country so the increased by 37 per cent. higher sales from the food division, which es of 577 million pesos last year. Through the San Miguel Foundation, notes you see circulating will The report noted a steady rise grew its consolidated revenues by two per The beer division posted consolidated SMFB has donated canned goods, poul- be older and eventually rare. in demand for the local curren- cent year-on-year to 33.2 billion pesos. revenues of 28.4 billion pesos, 18 per try, flour, Nutribuns, biscuits, and coffee, “People will start to prefer a cy, with the dollar deposit ratio While the protein and animal nutrition cent lower year-on-year. among others, to over 1.6 million fami- nice crisp KHR20,000 note over dropping to 82.9 per cent last business posted a three per cent decline Volumes for San Miguel Brewery were up lies. It also converted its liquor distill- an old $5 note. It doesn’t legally year from 2018’s 84.8 per cent. in revenues, the company reported a by single digits in the first two months of eries to produce over 1.2 million litres of stop banks and businesses Last year, the exchange rate significant spike in sales of some food the year but volume in March dropped due alcohol that were distributed to close to from accepting those notes and was relatively stable, with categories as consumers stocked up on to the ECQ and the resulting liquor bans. 4,000 hospitals nationwide. giving them back to customers, an average of 4,065 riel per essential supplies leading up to and dur- Similarly, the spirits division grew sales “During these difficult times, we re- but it will push them towards greenback compared to 4,051 ing the ECQ period. volumes by 15 per cent year-on-year in main steadfast in our commitment to preferring cleaner KHR notes. riel in 2018. The context of the The food division managed to keep all the first two months, but ended the quar- ensure that there is enough food for every “The US dollar is legal ten- value of the riel has always the plants running and maintained the ter 14 per cent less year-on-year. First Filipino. It is our goal to provide nourish- der in the US. There is abso- been subject to slight fluctua- “highest levels of safety and hygiene in quarter revenues amounted to 7.5 billion ment and safety especially to the most lutely no legal requirement tions, especially the increase all its premises”, the company reported. pesos, 10 per cent lower than last year. vulnerable communities,” said Ang. PHIL- for Cambodia to treat it as in the demand for taxes paid As a result, revenues of the processed Nonetheless, SMFB said it had the IPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK legal tender, so the NBC is in riel, NBC said. 8 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com S pecial​​ ReportReport Aviation industry hovers, global airlines recoil with Covid-19 With the pandemic taking airlines as victims before the first half of the year, theK ingdom’s airlines hold sway as several factors play to its advantage for now

Sangeetha Amarthalingam

IKE the dull throb of a twin otter engine in midflight, the feeling of anxiety per- meates the aviation sector thatL recently claimed its first “vic- tims” over ballooning losses – a re- sult of Covid-19’s protracted global travel restrictions. To date, six airlines have filed for bankruptcy, according to an article in the Forbes Middle East which points to a mixture of full service and budget airline entities. Most of the affected are estab- lished flag carriers in their own right such as Thai Airways and Air Mauritius, Virgin Australia, and century-old Avianca Airlines. At press time, efforts were being made to “rescue” some of these airlines from flying into the sunset via cash injections resulting from a merger, stake sale, or takeovers. However, many others teeter on uncertainty as full year passenger demand is likely to fall 48 per cent year-on-year in 2020, data by Inter- national Air Transport Association (IATA) in April showed. This could lead to a 55 per cent plummet to $314 billion in airline revenue by the end of 2020, IATA projected on the back of austere Covid-19 measures implemented by governments to reduce the im- port of coronavirus infections. In a March 20 report, Moody’s Investor Services Inc projected ca- pacity to fall by 40 per cent to 60 per cent or more for the second quar- ter of 2020, and in some instances, more than 75 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2019. On a full-year basis, Moody’s ex- pects global industry capacity to drop up to 35 per cent, assuming crafts remain grounded, said Sinn This, despite the savings from handling dipped eight per cent tax reduction on revenue and a the spread of the virus slows by the Chanserey Vutha, senior deputy di- fuel cost which invariably makes from January 1 to April 15. In that postponement of passenger levy end of June and passenger demand rector-general of State Secretariat of up the largest non-fixed cost com- period, flight movements declined payments, said an airline operator returns subsequently. Civil Avia- tion. ponent in airline operation. 35 per cent. who declined to be named. While all this happens in the Presently, some 25 aircrafts be- A small bailout in the form of tax The airlines have taken a 95 per world, Cambodia’s fairly young longing to six locally-registered airline sector revels in a sweet spot airlines – Cambodia Angkor Air, despite rising operating costs con- Lanmei Airlines, Sky Angkor Air, sisting of dry lease, JC International Airways, Cambo- aircraft mainte- dia Airways and Bassaka Air – are We estimate flight crew to be about nance and air- parked at the Phnom Penh Interna- port fees, as tional Airport and Siem Reap Inter- ‘50 people. If we include airline staff, well as staff national Airport. salaries. A few of these airlines are oper- So far, the lo- ating one overseas route weekly to it comes up to 1,000 and together cal airline sector Guangzhou, China, to transport pas- has chalked sengers and cargo, whereas Bassaka up losses of Air Ltd which handles charter flights with suspended airport workers in around 60 has been flying empty at times to per cent maintain its licence. three airports, we have over 2,000 ok cebo for every Also, flag carrier Cambo- Lanmei airlines via fa hour the dia Angkor Air, which air- is 51 per cent-owned people with no salary by the govern- ment, plies inbound routes as part of its ’ national obliga- waivers was implemented by the cent hit on revenue and there is no tion although pas- government within its Covid-19 profit per se, as the entities have yet senger travel has fiscal stimulus measures at the end to breakeven, having only been in dropped drasti- of March. operation for less than 10 years. cally. This involved a three-month “[In the meantime] we still have Passen- exemption till May, 2020, on the to pay value-added tax, fuel tax, ger figures minimum tax obligation and pre- airport tax and air navigation fees,” slipped 49 payment of tax on income. the operator said. per cent But the savings did not amount Yet, these airlines continue to photo hong menea while cargo to much as it only meant a slight linger. ECORCOPAwT

THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 9 Special​​ Report

What sets them apart? Seeing that these airlines are small in size with $50 million to Stronger Airline Sector Median Weaker Airline $200 million in initial capital in- vestments, structure and scalabil- ity likely play to their advantage with regards to sustainability over the current economic turmoil. “That is partly correct [but] it is also helpful that some of these air- lines are financially backed by Chi- nese enterprises,” said Shukor Yusof, head of aviation at Endau Analytics. In the past decade, Cambodia has unwittingly drawn Chinese inves- tors to indulge in the country’s open economy and to feast on the tour- Liquidityshortfall Positive liquidity ism market that was fed by Chinese tourists, who made up nearly 30 per Liquidity Refunds Compensation Other working Cash burn during Cash preservation Staff costs cuts / Access to capital Hedging costs Government cent of foreign visitors in 2019. capital grounding layoffs intervention Cursory aviation regulations and the government’s somewhat friendly business terms whetted the appetite of cash-rich investors from China. They were mainly those who made their wealth in the real estate This implies a halving of global *RPKs in 2020 sector such as Prince Internation- al Group and Yunnan Jingcheng With lower yields that means a $314 billion or 55% fall in passenger Group Co Ltd. Requirements such as displaying a revenues five-year financial model and proof of secure investment to avoid flight RPKs risk were some basic conditions that Passenger revenue investors have to meet before they Region of airline registration 2020 (vs 2019 year- are allowed to apply for the air op- $ billion 2020 vs. 2019 levels erator’s certificate from the SSCA. on-year change) About five years ago, nearly 20 airlines were operating or vying Asia -Paci c -50% -113 for AOCs in Cambodia. Today, the number has whittled down to six, North America -36% -64 after its contemporaries quit at dif- ferent stages of application or op- eration due to burgeoning costs. Europe -55% -89 Still, those which persisted may have done so because they have a lower debt Middle East -51% -24 legacy, seeing that they are young. Attempts to contact the airlines Africa -51% -6 were futile. Some experience in the field could Latin America -49% -18 be another factor. For instance, prop- erty developer Yunnan Jingcheng Industry -48% -314 which owns JC International Airlines Co Ltd also operates Kunming-based *Revenue passenger-kilometre Ruili Airlines in China. Interestingly, Note: This assumes, as in the previous impact assessment, that the domestic lockdown lasts 3 months, until the end of the second quarter. both airlines started in 2014. But international travel restrictions are assumed in this assessment to be reduced more slowly, with only 50% of pent-up Similarly, Lanmei Airlines Co Ltd international RPKs recovered by the fourth quarter (after reduction due to recession impact). chief operating officer Captain Dar- Source: IATA Economics ren Chan said its investors, includ- ing its chairman and chief executive officer Li Kun, have been in the air- have rallied over the weeks to settle “We estimate flight crew known if they would benefit from those from the US, France, Germa- line business for four decades. 5 in the range of $35 to $38 per barrel to be about 50 people. If w e the “Cash for Work” social assis- ny, Italy, Spain and Iran has been “Airline [operation] is our core on the back of supply cuts and the include airline staff, i t tance programme under the Covid- lifted, although travellers must business ... our bread and butter. slight easing of lockdowns. comes up to 1,000 19 fiscal stimulus package. possess health insurance coverage We sold [our stake in another air- During good times, airline in- and together with sus- of at least $50,000 and a health cer- line] two years ago to focus on ex- dustry earnings would have soared pended airport What lies ahead? tificate upon arrival. panding within Southeast Asia,” with fuel prices at this level, as air workers in three air- To date, none of the six airlines The requirements continue to Chan told The Post. travels take flight on competitive ports, we have o v e r have filed for bankruptcy yet, pose some difficulty for travellers, Could this explain why compara- ticket fares but with many borders 2,000 people with no Chanserey Vutha confirmed. but this has not deterred some lo- tively small players keep operating still closed, planes have nowhere salary,” he said. “Why do you think other airlines cal airlines which have ramped up costs low while biding the time for to fly, inadvertently saving cost be- The rest who re- in the world have filed for bankrupt- cargo flights since March despite growth? Shukor was sceptical. cause of low demand for fuel. main em- ployed are cy? It is because of the scale of the stiff competition. “Smaller airlines have lower op- Unfortunately, industry workers essential personnel airline, the impact of Covid-19 and “Cargo is the most effective way erating costs but airlines are by suffer the consequences, owing to w h o the airline’s affordability,” he said. to eke out some revenue given that def- inition capital intensive, business decisions to manage cash h a v e He said in the US, Eu- tourism [a staple for Cambodia] has and there are fixed costs flow. rope and Latin been decimated all over the world typi- cally denominated Some 2,000 workers com- America, op- due to Covid-19,” Shukor said. in US dollars which prising of in-flight and eration This is exemplified by Prince’s Cam- may be disadvanta- airline staff on s c a l e bodia Airways Co Ltd and Lanmei geous for Cambo- t he is evi- which have been transporting cargo dian compa- nies denced made up mostly of medical equip- now,” he said. by a big ment from China. work- “It is a temporary measure to wait Cost savings on force, fleet for passenger travel to return,” said fuel, labour and routes, which Chan, adding that the airline is also ok cebo For airlines, Lanmei airlines via fa makes for a deeper im- involved in adhoc repatriation to labour and pact during a crisis. Manila, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. fuel agreed to “[Closer to home] for example, Going forward, the path remains prices are big half month wages, said an Thai Airways has more than 10,000 turbulent, particularly if the pan- ticket expenses, repre- airline executive, stressing that it staff, over 200 aircrafts, and its cost demic prolongs. More airlines will senting slightly more than a ground, and is the norm in the aviation sector is high because it is not a long haul likely fold due to piling debts. third of operating costs. But airport for the management to downsize carrier. It is a legacy airline, so the On the flipside, this will push the this outgoing cash flow employ- when times are bad. impact is very huge. market to consolidate. has been reduced ees have “Many airline employees are on no “Therefore, they have no choice “That is certainly a possibility with Covid- b e e n pay leave [now] while some are being but to file for bankruptcy,” he said. unless their owners can keep the 19. f o r c e d partly subsidised by governments for For now, Chanserey Vutha noted airlines afloat by injecting funds W h i l e t o take no a limited period, such as Singapore, that airlines are on standby for a when planes are grounded and West Texas In- p a y leave for UK and the US,” Shukor said. slight recovery in the second half passenger traffic is very low. A cor- termediate (WTI) fu- two to three months, said Ron Ra- So far, the affected workers have of the year as governments relax rection in global airline markets is tures tanked last month, oil van, president of Cambodia Trans- not received any form of alloca- travel measures globally. anticipated, in any case,” Shukor prices for both Brent crude and WTI port Workers Federation. tion from the government. It is not In Cambodia, the travel ban on reiterated. 10 THE PHNOM PENH POST May 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com

www.phnompenhpost.com/post-focus banking Maybank Cambodia eyes bigger slice of premier banking segment

aybank (Cambo- dia) Plc is ramping up its premier banking services byM opening its third Premier Wealth lounge as the segment registered a strong growth last year. The Malaysia-based bank last Monday opened its latest Pre- mier Wealth lounge – which is aimed at promoting its innova- tive products and services, while better serving new customers – at its Tuol Kork branch in the capital. “Premier banking is a key business portfolio for the bank as we have seen the segment growing exponentially. It reg- istered healthy growth in assets under management [AUM], con- tributing 41 per cent of the total bank AUM on the back of a 16 per cent growth in the customer base last year. Maybank is also aiming to double that growth this year,” Maybank Cambodia CEO Mohd Hanif Saudi said in a press statement issued on Monday. The other two Maybank Premier Wealth lounges are ” PHOTOs su pp lied PHOTOs Premier banking Maybank’s third Premier Wealth lounge was launched on Monday at its Tuol Kork branch. is a key business located in the bank’s head- home to nearly 40 commercial number of wealthy clients. sound business continuity plan our customers to avail of our portfolio for the bank quarters on the capital’s banks. “While the world is operat- to ensure the smooth function- various online banking facilities as we have seen the Norodom Boulevard and its Its banking services cater ing in an environment chal- ing of its operations in the event in light of the current situation, Boeung Keng Kang branch. for the mass market, local lenged by the Covid-19 pan- of such incidents, while various with an increased emphasis segment growing Maybank Premier Wealth is small and medium-sized enter- demic, we remain committed precautionary measures will be on keeping yourself and your exponentially, a personalised service offering prises, and the commercial and to continuously playing a role in place at the new Tuol Kork community safe by avoiding a suite of enhanced financial corporate sectors. in contributing to Cambodia’s branch, said the statement. crowded places and keeping to registering healthy facilities for highly valued The lender’s recent move economy,” said Mohd Hanif. “Since the outbreak of social distancing,” Mohd Hanif growth in assets customers. is testament to the bank’s The relocation and expansion Covid-19, the bank has taken said. Established in 1993 and confidence in the Kingdom’s of the Tuol Kork branch affirms the prescribed precautionary Maybank currently offers the under management now with 21 branches, May- financial sector – despite the Maybank’s assurances of there and hygiene measures across its Maybank2u online banking and bank Cambodia offers a wide Covid-19 outbreak that has being no disruption to any of operations to mitigate any health mobile app as well as the Mohd Hanif Saudi / range of financial products slowed business activities – its services due to the Covid-19 risks arising from the spread of Maybank2e cash management Maybank Cambodia CEO and services in a competitive and its long-term vision to outbreak. the virus. solution to facilitate various domestic banking sector that is capture a slice of the growing The bank has put in place a “We are also strongly urging banking transactions.

Maybank Cambodia boasts 21 branches in the Kingdom. The lender’s move is testament to the bank’s confidence in the financial sector. The Premier Wealth lounge will promote innovative products and services. THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 11 World Trump declares war on social China, India say strive to ensure peace and media after tweets were tagged stability on the border S PRESIDENT Continued from page 1 guages of China West Normal Donald Trump on University, said: “There is no Wednesday threat- willing and able to mediate or line of actual control along the ened to shutter arbitrate their now raging bor- China-India border that both socialU media platforms af- der dispute. Thank you!” sides recognise. ter Twitter for the first time There was no immediate “Due to the improvement of acted against his false tweets, response from officials from infrastructure at the border prompting the enraged Re- either side, and it could not be area, the two countries have publican to double down on independently verified wheth- ramped up patrols, which have unsubstantiated claims and er Trump had formally con- led to more frequent standoffs conspiracy theories. veyed the offer. as a result. Trump will sign an executive Earlier that day, Chinese “Yet most of them were order “pertaining to social me- Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly and properly eased dia” on Thursday, aides to the spokesman Zhao Lijian told a through communication president said, without offering media briefing that “the situa- among frontline officers. Only more detail about its contents. tion along the border between a few incidents have been Twitter tagged two of his China and India is generally exposed by media outlets. But tweets in which he claimed stable and controllable”, and they aroused public attention. that more mail-in voting would that both countries are able to “Unlike previous standoffs, lead to what he called a “Rigged resolve the issue through the latest border friction was Election” this November. negotiations and dialogue. not caused by accident, but There is no evidence that Zhao highlighted that China’s was a planned move of New attempts are being made to stance on the border issue has Delhi. India has been clearly rig the election, and under been consistent and clear. It and definitely aware that the the tweets Twitter posted a Under two tweets by the president, Twitter posted a link reading ‘Get the facts about mail-in ballots’. AFP has strived to implement the Galwan Valley region is Chi- link which read: “Get the facts crucial consensus reached by nese territory,” he said. about mail-in ballots.” hashtag: #TrumpMeltdown. employees out of this. We’ll hashtag – #ObamaGate – that both countries’ leaders, strictly The India-China border dis- For years, Twitter has been Facebook chief Mark Zuck- continue to point out incor- the president uses regularly. adhering to relevant agree- pute covers the 3,488km long accused of ignoring the presi- erberg also waded in to the rect or disputed information The claim that Twitter is ments, and “is committed to LAC. China claims Arunachal dent’s violation of platform row, telling Fox News that his about elections globally. And biased against conservatives safeguarding the security of its Pradesh as part of southern rules with his daily, often social network – still the big- we will admit to and own any fits the White House narrative national territorial sovereignty, Tibet while India contests it. hourly barrages of personal gest in the world – has a dif- mistakes we make.” that the billionaire president as well as peace and stability in Both sides have been asserting insults and inaccurate infor- ferent policy. Kate Ruane, at the Ameri- is still an outsider politician the China-India border areas”. that pending the final resolution mation sent to more than 80 “I just believe strongly that can Civil Liberties Union, running against the elite. The situation in Eastern Lada- of the boundary issue, it is nec- million followers. Facebook should not be the said that Trump has no power The row is a useful smoke- kh deteriorated after around 250 essary to maintain peace and But Twitter’s slap on the arbiter of truth of everything to regulate Twitter. screen when Biden is homing Chinese and Indian soldiers were tranquillity in the border areas. wrist was enough to drive that people say online,” Zuck- The US constitution “clearly in on widespread dissatisfac- engaged in a violent face-off on China has been critical of Trump into a tirade – on Twit- erberg said in a snippet of prohibits the president from tion with Trump’s handling of the evening of May 5, which India’s reorganisation of Jam- ter – in which he claimed that the interview posted online taking any action to stop the pandemic, which has left spilled over to the next day before mu and Kashmir, and has par- the political right in the US is Wednesday by Fox. Twitter from pointing out his more than 100,000 US citi- the two sides agreed to “disen- ticularly criticised New Delhi being censored. “I think, in general, pri- blatant lies about voting by zens dead. gage” following a meeting at the for making Ladakh a union “Republicans feel that So- vate companies, especially mail”, she said. Polls consistently show Biden level of local commanders. Over territory. China lays claim over cial Media Platforms silence these platform companies, For all his protests, Trump is a in a strong position, despite 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers several parts of Ladakh. conservatives voices. We will shouldn’t be in the position of political giant on social media. barely having left his home dur- were injured in the violence. Prime Minister Narendra strongly regulate, or close them doing that.” By contrast, his Democratic ing weeks of social distancing The incident in Pangong Tso Modi and Chinese President Xi down, before we can ever allow Twitter founder and CEO Jack election opponent, Joe Biden, measures – and his relatively was followed by a similar inci- Jinping held their first informal this to happen,” he said. Dorsey fired back on his plat- has only 5.5 million Twitter meagre social media presence. dent in North Sikkim on May 9. summit in April 2018 in the He plunged right back into form Wednesday night, saying followers. An unrepentant Trump also India last week said the Chi- Chinese city of Wuhan, months his narrative that an increase that the website’s effort to point Social media suits Trump’s resumed spreading a con- nese military is hindering normal after the Doklam standoff. in mail-in ballots – seen in out misinformation did not unorthodox communications spiracy theory on Wednesday patrolling by its troops and At the summit, the two lead- some states as vital for allow- make it an “arbiter of truth”. style and his penchant for about a prominent televi- asserted that India has always ers decided to issue “strategic ing people to avoid crowds “We intend to connect the conspiracy theories, rumours sion critic, Joe Scarborough, taken a very responsible approach guidance” to their militaries to during the Covid-19 pandemic dots of conflicting statements and playground-style insults. whom the president is troll- towards border management. strengthen communications – will undermine the election. and show the information in Now that he faces Biden, for- ing with accusations that he At a media briefing, Ministry so that they can build trust and “It would be a free for all dispute so people can judge mer President Barack Obama’s murdered a woman in 2001. of External Affairs spokesperson understanding. on cheating, forgery and the for themselves,” he tweeted. vice-president, Trump is again There has never been any Anurag Srivastava also strongly Modi and Xi held their second theft of Ballots,” wrote Trump, He doubled down on the using Twitter to attack his evidence that Scarborough, a refuted China’s contention that informal summit in Mamal- whose re-election campaign new policy, writing: “Fact popular predecessor. host on MSNBC, had anything the tension was triggered due to lapuram near Chennai in Tamil has been knocked off track by check: there is someone ul- His murky claim that the to do with the death of Lori trespassing by Indian forces on Nadu in October last year with a the coronavirus crisis. timately accountable for our Democrat was part of a “coup” Klausutis, who was a staffer in the Chinese side. focus on further broadening His torrent of angry tweets actions as a company, and attempt during the early days of his office when he was aRe- Long Xingchun, a professor bilateral ties. THE ISLAND (SRI LANKA)/ earned a top-10 trending that’s me. Please leave our his administration has a Twitter publican congressman. AFP at the School of Foreign Lan- ASIA NEWS NETWORK Locust swarms ravage crops in India HUGE swarms of desert government’s Locust Warning can eat as much food as 35,000 locust populations on the Ara- locusts are destroying crops Organisation’s deputy director people – or six elephants – said bian peninsula early last year, across western and central KL Gurjar told AFP. UN Food and Agriculture said the UN. India, prompting authorities The insects caused massive Organisation. India has not seen locust to step up their response to the damage to seasonal crops in Residential areas in the state swarms on this scale since country’s worst plague in both states, devastating many capital Jaipur were overwhelmed 1993 when it experienced a nearly three decades. farmers already struggling by the insects as bewildered widespread plague, the warn- Drones, tractors and cars with the impact of a strict locals banged on pots and pans ing centre said. have been sent out to track the coronavirus lockdown. to try and ward off the insects. Locusts destroy crops in some voracious pests and spray them They destroyed harvests in the Experts warn the situation parts of Rajasthan close to the with pesticides. The locusts agricultural heartlands of neigh- could worsen with more border with Pakistan most have already destroyed more bouring Pakistan last month, expected to reach India via years, but it is rare for the insects than 50,000ha of cropland. before entering Rajasthan. Pakistan from the Horn of to move further into the state. “Eight to 10 swarms, each Smaller swarms are also Africa next month. Wind patterns have been measuring around a square kilo- active in a handful of states Heavy rains and cyclones pushing the swarms south- Residential areas in the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur were overwhelmed metre are active in parts of Rajas- across India, said Gurjar. enabled unprecedented breed- west, the locust warning cen- by the insects. XINHUA NEWS AGENCY than and Madhya Pradesh,” the A swarm of 40 million locusts ing and the rapid growth of tre said. AFP 12 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com ASEAN Vietnam: Tougher sentences for child abusers

EVERAL National As- networks. One third of chil- ing child care and protection sembly (NA) deputies in dren said they were victims of are simply not strict enough. Vietnam are calling for cyberbullying with girls being Meanwhile, campaigns to tougher penalties to be three times more likely to be raise public awareness about handedS down to child abusers. abused online. child abuse prevention re- They hope stricter punish- Thuy suggested the Ministry main limited. ments will act as a strong de- of Education and Training to Many localities are yet to terrent to prevent offenders include cybersecurity in the provide full and accurate fig- committing further offences curriculum and the Ministry ures on the number of chil- in the future. of Public Security to inform dren living in an especially Extreme measures such the methods and tricks com- disadvantaged situation. as chemical castration were monly used by perpetrators Inspection work has not discussed during the session to enhance prevention and been conducted regularly or over the implementation combating cybercrimes. effectively, and child abuse of policies and law on child Presenting a report on the remains a complicated social abuse prevention and control enforcement of child abuse issue, she said. on Wednesday. prevention and control from “In the first six months of Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, a January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019, the number of abused deputy from Quang Binh 2019, NA Committee of Judi- children increased sharply with province, said such a form of cial Affairs chairwoman Le Thi 1,400 children, or seven victims punishment would be war- Nga said despite their efforts, are abused per day,” Nga said. ranted on serious offenders. nearly 8,500 cases with 8,700 To enhance the effectiveness He also said their identities victims were recorded in the of the work, the NA’s super- should be made public and the past four years. Of these, about vision delegation proposed crimes noted on their records 6,500 were sexual abuse cases. the government to issue sev- to prevent further offending. Nga said the actual figure eral programmes including Chemical castration was Nearly 8,500 cases with 8,700 victims were recorded between January 1, 2015 to June 30, last year. Of these, might be higher because a ten-year National Action about 6,500 were sexual abuse cases. DANTRI.COM.VN/VIET NAM NEWS being used on sex offenders many cases remained unre- Programme for children and a in some countries, he be- ing children were the coun- from Tra Vinh province, called of caring for children. ported by victims’ families. programme on reducing child lieved, and helps contribute try’s future and they needed for increasing collaboration “Currently, divorce is be- She blamed lack of atten- labour over the next five years. to reduce the number of child protection. between families and schools coming a ‘trend’ even though tion from some local authori- Criteria for statistics on ad- sexual abuse cases. The deputy also proposed in preventing child abuse. it damages the children, put- ties and loose coordination ministrative fines regarding Repeated cases of child abuse, ministries and agencies study Specifically, children need ting them in ‘unsafe groups’,” between schools, families child abuse and plans to pre- especially sexual abuse were the coordination between tak- close supervision from their Mai said. and local administrations. vent and respond to child abuse triggering public concerns. ing testimonies of the abused grandparents and relatives. At Deputy Nguyen Thi Thuy Adverse impacts of the inter- in families, schools and cyber- “Most of abusers are per- children within the presence the same time, they should be from Bac Kan said while the net and social media were also space should also be set forth. petrated by a family mem- of a psychiatrist and guardian equipped with necessary skills internet and social networks issues that led to the possibility The delegation also suggested ber, even the child’s father or as well as video recording evi- to prevent abuse, she said. brought about more knowl- of child abuse in cyberspace. that 90 per cent of child abuse mother who take advantage dence before the trial. Mai suggested the Law on edge for children, especially There remained shortcom- cases must be solved and all of the child to commit the It was necessary to set up Marriage and Family should those in remote areas, it also ings which should be solved, violators strictly dealt with. crime,” he said. child friendly courtrooms to be amended, saying it was posed a risk. said Nga. Local authorities must fully He stressed the importance help not only make the victim necessary to stipulate pre- She cited the fact that one Several regulations in the comply with the Law on Chil- of the implementation of pol- feel comfortable, but also en- marital education for couples of four children who were Law on Children and related dren as well as enhance in- icies and laws on child abuse sure their identity is protected. before marriage so that they surveyed shared a painful ex- laws lacked guidelines, while spection activities in the field. prevention and control, say- Tang Thi Ngoc Mai, a deputy understand the responsibility perience while using social administrative fines regard- VIET NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Philippines: Improvement in virus case doubling time THE doubling time of coro- said, we cannot be compla- line workers to 204 hospitals navirus cases in the Philip- cent. We still need to be vigi- and quarantines across the pines has slowed to six days, lant. We still need to observe country. the Department of Health [public health] measures so Vergeire said the DoH (DoH) said on Wednesday, we would not have a sudden was also looking for around four days before quarantine surge of cases,” she said. 95,000 contact tracers to meet restrictions in Metro Manila Based on the DoH’s frame- the standard of one contact were expected to be eased. work though, a locality can be tracer for every 800 suspected Health Undersecretary Maria considered to be at moderate virus carriers. Rosario S Vergeire said the case risk for coronavirus infection So far, there are only some doubling time in Metro Manila and allowed to shift to a lower 38,000 contact tracers around was 6.06 days, an improvement level of quarantine only if its the country. from the 4.6 days recorded at case doubling time is between Vergeire also clarified that the start of this year. Before the seven and 30 days or it does the DoH would continue us- imposition of a strict lockdown not meet the outbreak thresh- ing hydroxychloroquine in on Luzon in mid-March, the old. Its critical care utilisation treating Covid-19 patients, case doubling time in Metro rate should be between 30 but only for those already tak- Manila was 2.5 days. percent and 70 percent. ing the malaria drug. The increase in the number On Wednesday, the DoH re- She said patients enrolled of deaths also slowed down as ported 380 new cases, push- in the “Solidarity” trial of pos- the mortality doubling time ing the national tally to 15,049. sible treatments for Covid-19 is now 6.3 days, said Vergeire. Metro Manila still accounted initiated by the World Health Early this month, the mortal- for the majority of the new Organisation (WHO) would ity doubling time was 5.6 days cases, 254. Testing done on finish their doses under doc- and in March, four days. thousands of migrant workers tor supervision. A longer doubling time gives yielded 34 positive results. Patients who have yet to be authorities time to capacitate The number of recovered given hydroxychloroquine the health system to ensure it patients climbed to 3,506 with will no longer be given the would not be overburdened, al- the recovery of 94 more pa- drug, she said. lowing for better management tients. The death toll, however, Vergeire said the decision of cases. Still, the current num- increased to 904 as 18 patients was based on the recommen- ber is far from the DoH’s goal of succumbed to Covid-19, the se- dation of the WHO expert doubling time of 30 days. vere respiratory disease caused group overseeing the drug Despite the improvement by the new coronavirus. trial in the country. in these metrics, which are There are now 2,437 health- On Monday, the WHO said among the factors considered care workers who have con- it would temporarily halt the in easing quarantine measures, tracted the virus. Of these, use of hydroxychloroquine in Vergeire warned the public 1,193 have recovered while 31 the trial after a new study pub- against complacency, especial- have died. lished in the British medical ly as Metro Manila is expected To augment the health-care journal The Lancet claimed to shift to general community workforce, the DoH launched the drug posed a greater risk quarantine next week. an emergency hiring pro- of death for Covid-19 pa- “We are seeing good indica- gramme, which to date has tients. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ tions. But as we have always already deployed 2,730 front- ASIA NEWS NETWORK THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 13 Opinion

The rise of digital taxeswww.phnompenhpost.com www.phnompenhpost.com

EDITORIAL PERSONNEL EDITORIAL PERSONNEL Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Ly Tayseng during a pandemicLy Tayseng Executive Editor-in-Chief Executive Editor-in-Chief Joshua purushotman Opinion Joshua purushotman Managing Editor Post Khmer Yanuar Wahyu Widianto Managing Editor Post Khmer Sam Rith Sam Rith Deputy Chief of Staff Deputy Chief of Staff phak Seangly ATEST DataReportal reports Business Editor phak Seangly show that as of January, inter- May Kunmakara Business Editor net penetration in Indonesia Deputy Business Editor May Kunmakara stood at 64 per cent of the pop- Sangeetha amarthalingam Lulation or 175.4 million users, up 17 per Deputy Business Editor Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk Sorn Sarath cent or 25 million people from last year. pan Simala Social media penetration was at 59 Deputy Head of Lifestyle Desk Senior Reporters per cent or totalling 160 million pan Simala Meas Sokchea, Niem Chheng users, representing an increase of Senior Reporters Reporters eight per cent or 12 million people Meas Sokchea, Niem Chheng Khouth Sophak Chakrya, Kim Sarom, Long from April last year. These data shows Reporters Kimmarita, Khorn Savi, Hin pisei, Soth good prospects for the digital econo- Khouth Sophak Chakrya, Kim Sarom, Long Koemsoeun, Voun Dara, Sous Yamy,Soung my and digital taxes. Kimmarita, Khorn Savi, Hin pisei, Soth Sovanny, Thou Vireak, Ry Sochan However, the Organisation for Eco- Koemsoeun, Voun Dara, Sous Yamy,Soung Photographers nomic Cooperation and Develop- Sovanny, Heng Chivoan, Hong Menea ment (OECD) Inclusive Framework, Web Editor Ry Sochan which consists of 129 countries, has Leang phannara Photographers yet to conclude an international Webmasters agreement on digital taxation. Devel- Heng Chivoan, Hong Menea Sous Chanthy, pang Vichea oping countries need to maintain Web Editor SIEM REAP BUREAU pressure on the inclusive framework Leang phannara Offi ce Manager committee so that their interests can Webmasters Sophearith Blondeel be accommodated in future digital Sous Chanthy, pang Vichea PRODUCTION & PRINTING taxation practices. As there has yet to be a standard or international consensus on digital economy taxation, SIEM REAP Indonesia BUREAU needs to keep good consultations and Head of Desktop Publishing cooperation with the companies that provide e-commerce platforms such as Google, YouTube, Facebook and Amazon. afp But even before an international Offi ce Manager Nhim Sokphyrak consensus is achieved, countries may Sophearith Blondeel Desktop Publishing have to resort to unilateral measures to fication of SEP is based on several cri- Indonesia through electronic trading to ard or international consensus on Suon Savatdy, Chum Sokunthy, Danh Borath PRODUCTION & PRINTING deal with digital taxation. They need to teria, such as the gross circulation of buyers or users in Indonesia conducted digital economy taxation, Indonesia Tep Thoeun Thyda, Tim Borith, Than Veasna Head of Desktop Publishing improve their tax administration and consolidated business groups in Indo- by foreign tax subjects, both directly needs to keep good consultations Nhim Sokphyrak tax policy, especially regarding busi- nesia, sales in Indonesia and active and through the organisers of foreign and cooperation with the companies HEAD OFFICE ness models and value created. users of digital media in Indonesia. trade through electronic systems.Desktop Publishingthat provide e-commerce platforms Prevailing international taxation This also complements the same pro- However, the electronic tax rateSuon Savatdy, suchChum Sokunthy, as Google, Danh Borath YouTube, Facebook, rules that were designed in the 20th visions in Government Regulation No has yet to be determined by theTep Thoeun Thyda,Amazon, Tim Borith, ThanNetflix Veasna and Zoom. Indone- century for brick and mortar busi- 80/2019, which states that the imposi- Finance Ministry. This step is con- sia also needs to coordinate with oth- Post Media Co, Ltd. nesses cannot apply to the new busi- tion of a significant presence is real- sidered appropriate because in HEAD the OFFICEer countries, both in the region and The Elements Condominium Level 7, ness models of the digital economy. ised by criteria such as the number of middle of this pandemic, foreign around the world. Hun Sen Boulevard, Phum Prek Talong, But it is urgent for countries to regu- transactions, transaction value, companies are also making signifi- Second, Indonesia needs to devel- Sangkat Chak Angre Krom,12353, Phnom late digital taxes to protect both reve- number of package shipments and/or cant profit as the use of their servic- op its domestic tax policy according Penh, Cambodia nues and the domestic industry. the amount of traffic or access. es/products increases. Post Media Co,to Ltd. international standards and best Tel: 023 888 161, 023 888 162 Cellcard: 078 555 166, 078 555 133 The Indonesian government, for The Elementspractices. Condominium Multidimensional Level 7, business Smart: 086 822 999, 086 277 999 example, has stipulated rules and Hun Sen Boulevardmodels, Phum involving Prek Talong, users pose several SIEM REAP directives on the taxation of digital It is urgent for countries to Sangkat Chakchallenges. Angre Krom, Phnom Penh, No 629, Street 6 Dangkum Commune transactions in Regulation in Lieu of Cambodia Third, the designing of a tax policy Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 Law (Perppu) No 1/2020 on state regulate digital taxes to protect SIEM REAP on the digital economy should be finances and financial system stabili- COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT No 629, Streetbased 6 Dangkum on neutrality,Commune efficiency, cer- ty, which was recently enacted into both revenues and the tainty and simplicity. Taxation should Chief Operating Offi cer Tel: 063 966 290, Fax: 063 966 590 law by the House of Representatives. seek to be neutral and avoid double James Ong Soon Teck COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT Provisions in the new law have domestic industry taxation or unintentional non-taxa- Advertising Department Chap Narith, 017 996 241 become a legal umbrella for govern- Chief Operatingtion. Offi cerThe cost of compliance for both Hun Channet, 017 578 768 ing taxation matters related to cross- The SEP approach has been applied In Indonesia, the most visited webJames- Ong Soonbusinesses Teck and tax administration prach Monnyreak, 012 123 7777 border digital economic activities. in several countries and regions, sites by average monthly traffic accordAdvertising- Departmentshould be minimised and efficient. Keo puthy, 012 966 605 This is in line with the earlier Govern- including Turkey (2016), the Slovak ing to SimilarWeb are Google, YouTubeChap Narith, And017 996 also, 241 tax rules should be clear phon Sok Chea, 012 717 404 ment Regulation No 80/2019 on trade Republic (2017) India (2018) and the and Facebook. Meanwhile, the mostHun Channet, and 017 578 simple 768 to understand. Jessa piastro, 092 445 983 through electronic systems, which EU (2018). The SEP approach adopted common types of activities are theprach vid Monnyreak,- It is012 undeniable 123 7777 – the digital econo- CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION also stipulates digital taxation CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION by Indonesia will conflict with the pro- eo-streaming, watching vlogs, music- my is a popular issue among coun- Acting Distribution Manager Acting Distribution Manager arrangements. visions of Indonesia’s tax treaties with streaming, listening to online radio sta- tries during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thenh Rithy, 087 888 854 Thenh Rithy The approach chosen by the govern- partner countries. The contravention tions and listening to podcasts. Taxing the digital economy is not an Circulation Supervisor ment is based on the significant eco- tax treaty only regulates the physical This measure could also become ADMINISTRATION a easy matter. How the tax is calculated Nou Chanthy, 096 999 2828 nomic presence (SEP) of the subject. presence requirements, not the signifi- new source of state revenue duringAdmin & HR Managerand withheld and many other techni- Yim Veasna, 015 814 499 Income tax is imposed on electronic cance of economic presence. the enormous tax relaxation givenpich bySocheat cal issues are still big questions to all ADMINISTRATION commercial transactions carried out by To overcome this, Indonesia intro- the government to business sectorsAssistants to ofAdmin us. & THE HR JAKARTAManager POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Admin & HR Manager foreign tax subjects who meet the clas- duced the electronic transaction tax affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.Nhel Soaphea pich Socheat sification or provisions for SEP. provision in Perppu No 1/2020. Elec- But this measure will be more effec- The writer is an analyst at Indonesia’s Center Financial Directorfor Government Revenue Policy, Fiscal Policy Assistants to Admin & HR Manager Perppu No 1/2020, which has now tronic transaction tax is levied on sales tive if it is supported by other steps. Heang TangmengAgency, Ministry of Finance. The views ex- Nhel Soaphea become law, stipulates that the classi- of goods and/or services from outside First, as there has yet to be a stand- pressed are his own. Financial Director Chief Accountant Heang Tangmeng Sren Vicheka Chief Accountant Treasurers Sren Vicheka Sok Sophorn, Yon Sovannara, Treasurers Cheam Sopheak Sok Sophorn, Yon Sovannara, IT Manager Cheam Sopheak, Huy Hamsovannary Seng Nak, Vong Oun IT Manager Seng Nak, Vong Oun TO CONTACT US [email protected] TO CONTACT US [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.phnompenhpost.com www.phnompenhpost.com © Post Media Co, Ltd © Post Media Co, Ltd The Phnom Penh Post is wholly owned The Phnom Penh Post is wholly owned and printed by Post Media Co Ltd. The and printed by Post Media Co Ltd. The title The Phnom Penh Post in either title The Phnom Penh Post in either English or Khmer languages, its associ- English or Khmer languages, its associ- ated logos or devices and the contents of ated logos or devices and the contents of this publication may not be reproduced this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written in whole or in part without the written consent of Post Media Co Ltd. consent of Post Media Co Ltd. www.phnompenhpost.com www.phnompenhpost.com 14 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Lifestyle Fashionistas rebel against ‘wasteful’ and busy calendar othing will tions would be “seasonless”. ever be the same Michele is no pouting again” has been rebel, but fashion’s commer- the constant re- cially savvy darling who has ‘Nfrain of the coronavirus era. turned Gucci into a cash cow But for the fashion world for the French luxury con- that may well be true. glomerate Kering with his Tectonic plates have been ironic kitschy style that has shifting inside the industry echoes of Wes Anderson and during the lockdown, with a John Waters films. wave of designers standing up And it is not the just the young to say that the mad whirr of guns who have had enough. the fashion circus has to slow. The doyen of designers, While many have ques- Giorgio Armani – still work- tioned its frenetic rhythm ing at age 85 – said it was time and wasteful over-production to “cut out the superfluous” for years, few big-name insid- and rein in fashion’s gruelling Belgian master designer Dries Van Noten has called for an end to the frenzy of discounting and Black Friday-type sales. AFP ers dared openly to question schedule. the hamster wheel of spring/ “The times that we are liv- Van Noten has also called of a wave of restaurants with summer, autumn/winter, ing in are turbulent, but they for an end to the frenzy of dis- shorter, seasonal menus that cruise and pre-fall shows, as give us a unique chance to see counting and Black Friday- were less ostentatious,” said well as the now mandatory what is not working . . . to find type sales and pleaded for Van Noten. capsule collections. a more human dimension to clothes to stay longer in the Serre – who has made a The first cracks in the facade it,” he said. shops. name for herself for up- began to appear last month, More significant still has He wants winter clothes to cycling and reusing mate- when Saint Laurent designer been an open letter initiated hit the shops in winter and rial – said fashion should see Anthony Vaccarello said he by the Belgian master Dries summer ones in summer, the coronavirus crisis “as a was pulling out of Paris fash- Van Noten and rising French rather than months before as chance take responsibility” ion week this year. designer Marine Serre calling they do now. environmentally. Henceforth “the brand will for a rethinking of how luxury “It’s not normal to buy win- “The advantage of being in- lead its own rhythm . . . and fashion works. ter clothes in May,” said Van dependent is that you are not take control of its pace and Several hundred industry Noten. Nor was it normal for motivated by money. What reshape its schedule,” he de- players have since signed it a collection to be “discounted matters is the quality of our clared. including brands, creators at 50 per cent a month after it work,” she said. “That makes and department stores like hits the floor”. change possible.” ‘Clothes need longer life’ Chloe, Thom Browne, Y/Proj- He said current retail culture Gucci and Saint Laurent This week Gucci’s Ales- ect, Lemaire, Alexandre Mat- was creating a “vicious circle” are part of Kering, one of two sandro Michele joined the re- tiussi, Nordstrom, Bergdorf of waste and over-production. French giants that dominate volt by saying he was slashing Goodman, Selfridges and “After the sales, shops need luxury fashion. But contacted his shows from five to two a Harvey Nichols. something new and we are by AFP, it declined to com- year, and questioning the very They call for “fundamental pushed to make more and ment on whether it supported idea of seasonal collections change that will simplify busi- more collections,” he told the the overhaul of the calendar which have underpinned nesses, making them more French daily Le Monde. its creators are championing. fashion since World War II. environmentally and socially “I may be naive, but I think LVMH, the world’s biggest “Clothes should have a lon- sustainable” and are now in that maybe what happened luxury goods group, which ger life,” he said in a virtual talks with the organisers of the with gastronomy a few years owns Louis Vuitton, Dior and press conference from Milan, four big fashion weeks in Paris, ago could happen in fash- a plethora of other labels, has Giorgio Armani – still working at age 85 – says it is time to ‘cut out the insisting that his future collec- Milan, New York and London. ion. We saw the emergence also remained silent. AFP superfluous’ and rein in fashion’s gruelling schedule. AFP Pope Francis begs in Milan street, his cassock in tatters ON a street in Milan, the capi- of a sharp rise in poverty in a statement. tal of Italy’s Lombardy region, caused by the coronavirus “Each one of us can make a which has been hit particularly lockdown and a pandemic difference by helping the most hard by the coronavirus pan- that has officially killed some fragile families, and all those demic, Pope Francis begs for 32,000 people. who have now fallen into pov- alms, his cassock in tatters. Last month, the Organisa- erty. This is the time to under- In another, the Argentine tion for Economic Coopera- stand that the future is about pontiff lies on a cardboard tion and Development (OECD) generosity and solidarity.” mattress, his famous black forecast that 27 per cent of Ital- Palombo, 46, who has lived briefcase under his head as a ians could fall into poverty in Milan for 30 years, is pillow. Next to him someone were they to forego three renowned for colourful, reflec- has stuffed banknotes into a months of income, in a report tive and irreverent works and red cup reading “charity”. based on 2018 data. uses satirical art to raise aware- Another of Italian activist “Today, more than ever, we ness of social and cultural AleXsandro Palombo’s new need to be aware of the needs issues. works shows the Madonna of others, of those who are Among his most important and Child begging. going through or are about to works are Disabled Disney Pope Francis Clochard, an art piece by Italian pop artist and activist AleXsandro Palombo is displayed on a Palombo said his works were go through a moment of Princesses and The Simpsons Milan street. His new series Caritas comments on new poverty and solidarity amid the coronavirus crisis. AFP a call for solidarity in the face extreme need,” Palombo said Go To Auschwitz. AFP THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com 15 Lifestyle Bob and Doug: Best Thinking caps friends in outer space

Nasa astronauts Robert Behnken (left) and Douglas Hurley speak are both former military pilots, both recruited by Nasa in 2000, and both married to fellow astronauts. nasa/afp

OBERT Behnken than 25 different aircraft, aged 10. and Douglas Hurley, including the F-22 fighter. The bond of friendship that the astronauts set to Hurley was also a colonel unites the two men is an obvi- launch into orbit on and before joining Nasa was a ous asset for such a risky mis- aR SpaceX rocket on Wednes- fighter pilot and test pilot in sion, where they each might day, are both former military the Marine Corps, a specialist have to take control of the pilots, both recruited by Nasa for the F/A-18. spacecraft that is set to auto in 2000, and both married to Between 2008 and 2011, they pilot by default. fellow astronauts. both flew two missions, sepa- Hurley is the more meticu- With their crew cuts, cool rately, on the Space Shuttle. lous, even obsessive, of the demeanour, short and precise In 2015, Nasa assigned them two, said Behnken. sentences, they have all the their next mission – the first “If we have to get useless infor- traditional hallmarks of the crewed flight of the Crew Drag- mation, Doug is always the men of Nasa. on, built by SpaceX and ini- repository for that,” joked Behnk- Smiling, reasonable, compe- tially planned for 2017. en in a video released by Nasa. “STAY ON IT” tent, reliable – in other words Hurley himself admitted to Dream mission The Right Stuff of the early era being an expert in “obscure ACROSS 42 “The ___” (Diana Ross film) 17 Dilly-___ (waste time) of spaceflight. “If you gave us one thing that procedures”. 1 Bird enclosure 43 Designs pressed into silks, e.g. 21 Willis of Hollywood They met in 2000 when they we could have put on our list of As for Behnken, Hurley said 5 Became a donor 44 Passover bread (var.) 23 Endure began their training at the dream jobs that we would have his friend thinks of everything 9 Paradigm of happiness 47 Mate and buena 24 Item on a Monopoly bill space agency, and have been gotten to have some day, it ahead of time. “He’s already 13 Hand cream ingredient 48 Folk or fairy follower 26 Bean Town skater best friends ever since, said would have been to be aboard got it all figured out.” 14 Prophetic sign 49 Gaggle formation 27 “Hey, ___!” (“Hey, fella!”) Hurley, 53. a new spacecraft and conduct But he’s no good at bluffing 15 “Don’t be a hog!” 51 Sum kind of snake? 28 Single Both of them attended military a test mission,” Behnken told and “doesn’t have a good poker 16 Brief broadcast remark 52 Many lead to yards 29 Entree addendum 54 Brandish 30 Weighty books test pilot school, a well worn reporters when he arrived at face”, added Hurley. 18 Muslim maid of paradise 55 Neutral stocking color 32 Stray from the straight and path to the astronaut corps. the Kennedy Space Center from On Monday, the head of 19 It often comes between partners 20 Like some saxes 56 Hardly a hit narrow Behnken, 49, holds a doctor- Houston last week. Nasa texted the pair to ask one 21 Ankle-high work shoe 57 Metallica drummer Ulrich 33 Pie-mode link ate in mechanical engineering It was through the astronaut last time – are you sure you 22 Ship’s kitchen 58 Gloppy stuff 35 Bathes from the California Institute of corps that each of them met want to go ahead? 24 Like some tabloids 59 Skateboarder Hawk 36 Cops, in the ’60s Technology. their wives, who have also “They both came back and 25 Bottom-row key DOWN 38 Gil who played Buck Rogers He signed up for the military space missions to their credit. they said, ‘we’re go for launch’,” 26 Sultanate known as “the Abode of 1 Havana house 39 Decided on a location during his studies and attend- Behnken married Megan said Jim Bridenstine. “So Peace” 2 Word with “move” or “string” 41 Puts down in writing? ed the elite Air Force Test Pilot McArthur, and they have a six- they’re ready to go.” 27 Domineering 3 Dutch cheese 42 Type of apartment School at Edwards Air Force year-old boy, Theodore. It’s a moment they’ve been 30 Word that follows the first word 4 Nighttime, poetically 43 Image-maker’s tool 5 Bowl-shaped drinking vessel 44 PC shortcut Base in California. Doug married Karen Nyberg, training for the past five years. of the theme entries 31 Alternative to coffee 6 Town terrorized in “Jaws” 45 Architectural ellipse A colonel, he’s flown more and they too have a son, Jack, AFP 34 Condo section 7 White House no 46 Crane kin 35 Jazz great Armstrong 8 Missouri-to-Maine dir. 47 Dixie sailboat? 36 Secure Old Glory 9 Get off the fence? 48 Crunchy munchie 37 Kids, it’s not a trampoline 10 Show one’s amusement 50 Cable TV sports award 38 Guttersnipe 11 Dress in finery 52 Hold out one’s paw? 39 Old Toyota 12 Chow ___ 53 Many a time Italians celebrate lockdown’s 40 Oceanic number? 15 Became smaller end with tonnes of ice cream Thursday’s solution STRAWBERRY and chocolate or fig and hazelnut? Italians have been celebrating the end of the coronavirus lockdown with one of their favourite treats – artisanal gelatos. “After a long period spent at home, many have chosen to cool down with an ice cream even during the week, at lunchtime,” agriculture group Coldiretti said in a statement. The country’s 39,000 gelato Thursday’s solution shops, which employ 150,000 people and post annual sales of €2.8 billion ($3.1 billion), were being “saved” by people’s Nearly 240 tonnes of ice cream were consumed last weekend in Rome desperation to spend time and along the Lazio coastline alone. afp outdoors after almost three the Lazio coastline alone, but hottest since records began in months inside. cones were being licked up and 1880, said Coldiretti. The sector had “decidedly down the country in cities and A whopping 94 per cent of picked up again” following the seaside resorts alike, it said. Italians regularly eat ice cream, economically-crippling nation- They were helping fight not it said, with seven in 10 prefer- wide shutdown, it said. only lockdown fever but also ring it piled on a cone rather Nearly 240 tonnes of ice stickier than average tem- than scooped into a little tub. cream were consumed last peratures, with this year Many like it with freshly- weekend in Rome and along being classified so far as the whipped cream on top. AFP 16 THE PHNOM PENH POST may 29, 2020 www.phnompenhpost.com Sport Roland Garros plans for fans, not empty seats

OLAND Garros chiefs the tournament slips back into insisted on Wednes- its usual May-June home. day the French Open, The risk of rain is greater in delayed until Septem- the autumn in Paris. berR due to the coronavirus pan- However, the Philippe Cha- demic, will have fans attending trier court at Roland Garros even if they still have to abide now has a roof, bringing the by social distancing rules. tournament into line with the The claycourt Grand Slam, other three majors. which should now have been “From the start, the objec- into its first week under its tive was to respect the out- traditional schedule, was door nature of the tourna- pushed back by four months ment,” said Vilotte. because of the outbreak. “Inot a closed court, contrary However, tickets bought for to what exists at Wimbledon, at the event in its May-June slot the Australian Open and even were reimbursed rather than at the US Open where the roofs transferred, prompting fears hermetically seal the stadiums the tournament, now due to to air condition them.” start on September 20, would The new roof on Chatrier has be played behind closed doors. 11 metal and canvas sections, French Tennis Federation weighing 350 tonnes each for director-general Jean-Francois a total area of 10,000sqm. Vilotte said: “In the autumn, It can cover the sport’s most we will play Roland Garros famous clay court in 15 min- with an optimum spectator utes, while allowing air to capacity which allows fans to pass through the sides. respect social distancing.” The efficiency of the roof, A working group has already The retractable roof is now in place in Paris in the event of September rain storms. AFP which cost €55 million ($61 been created consisting of the million), was tested during ministries of sports and foreign France for which Roland Gar- adding the organisation was since mid-March while Wim- They point to Roland Garros torrential rains that lashed affairs as well as Roland Garros ros accounts for 80 per cent of working on holding a “post- bledon was cancelled for the having eight floodlit courts, Paris a few weeks ago. officials and health bodies. revenue. poned tournament” and not first time since World War II. including all three showpiece “It was baptised,” said “The aim is that there will If fans are to be welcome at a “downgraded” version. The US Open in New York, arenas – Philippe Chatrier, Vilotte. “The roof was abso- be spectators but we will the rescheduled tournament, due to start on August 24, is Suzanne Lenglen and Simo- lutely not affected by these have the capacity to organise then tickets would have to go ‘Roof baptised’ still under a cloud with or- nne Mathieu. rains and the water drainage Roland Garros whatever the on resale. In other words, juniors, ganisers due to decide its fate “The point is not to sched- channels worked without any option decided, including be- “We have set ourselves a singles, doubles and wheel- in mid-June. ule matches late at night but of them overflowing.” hind closed doors.” deadline [for resale] . . . but you chair tennis events will still Officials in Paris have to finish the matches started,” The Suzanne Lenglen court For the players, “the prize will not know it,” added Vilotte. be staged. played down hosting a Grand said Vilotte, pointing out that will also have a roof installed money is very important” as “It will be an exceptional International tennis has Slam outdoors in a European night sessions will not start in time for the 2024 Olympic is the eco-system of tennis in tournament anyway,” he said, been suspended globally autumn. until the 2021 edition when Games. AFP Aussie Jack Miller is set to join Ducati racing in 2021 AUSTRALIAN Jack Miller will riders in the championship. extend his contract into the ride for Ducati next year, the “We are convinced that Jack 2022 season. Italian MotoGP manufacturer has all the right skills to fight He will replace either Andrea announced on Wednesday. continuously for the positions Dovizioso or Danilo Petrucci. The 25-year-old has been that matter, in every race.” The first 11 rounds of this rewarded for his performances Miller made his MotoGP debut year’s championship due to in Ducati’s satellite outfit aged 20 in 2015, joining Ducati’s have got under way in Qatar on Pramac Racing, finishing feeder team Pramac in 2018. March 15 have been either can- eighth last season with five He thanked Ducati for the celled or postponed as a result podiums. confidence they had shown in of the coronavirus pandemic. He is the third Aussie to ride him, adding: “It is an honour MotoGP promoters Dorna for Ducati after Troy Bayliss and for me to be able to continue have made a proposal to the Casey Stoner, who won the my MotoGP career with the Spanish government to stage world title for them in 2007. Borgo Panigale manufacturer. back-to-back races at Jerez in In an official statement, Duca- “I look forward to starting Spain in July. Featherweight southpaw Shakur Stevenson will face Puerto Rico’s Felix Carabello on June 9. getty images/aFP ti CEO Claudio Domenicali said: riding again this year, and I am The first, on July 19, would “Since he arrived in the Pramac ready to fully commit to the be the new season-opener for Racing Team, Jack has grown responsibility of being an offi- MotoGP. Nevada greenlights first fights steadily, proving himself one of cial Ducati rider in 2021.” Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpe- the fastest and most talented Miller has the option to leta this month indicated that BOXING is set to return to the US Arum will offer fights on June 9 boxing main event. the opening legs of the cham- city of Las Vegas next month after 9 and 11 at the MGM Grand, UFC staged three events ear- pionship would most likely be the Nevada State Athletic Com- both without spectators. lier this month in Florida using held without spectators. mission gave the green light to The commission decision, testing and Covid-19 safety pro- KTM were the first team to the resumption of combat sports made on a conference call, tocols and have worked with the begin testing ahead of an in the state on Wednesday. comes a day after Nevada gov- commission to establish an eventual resumption of the Nevada chiefs approved two ernor Steve Sisolak moved the operations plan for Nevada season with the first of two June boxing cards which will be state into the second phase of events, while details of Top days at Austria’s Red Bull Ring put on by promoter Top Rank as a reopening plan that includes Rank’s plan are being finalised. circuit on Wednesday. well as two Ultimate Fighting sports events without audi- UFC fighters would be tested KTM rider Pol Espargaro and Championship (UFC) events. ences after more than two upon arrival in Las Vegas and test rider Dani Petrosa were on The cards are the first com- months being shut down since again after weighing in on the board for the private session. bat sports events to be staged the deadly virus outbreak. eve of the event. In contrast to the powerful fac- in Nevada since the coronavi- Unbeaten US southpaw feath- Event personnel will be tory teams like Ducati, Honda, rus pandemic erupted. erweight Shakur Stevenson, 13-0 required to quarantine after Suzuki and Yamaha, the KTM UFC’s mixed martial arts with seven knockouts, is expect- their arrival tests under Nevada’s team and Aprilia have the right events will be staged at its ed to face Puerto Rico’s Felix protocols until the conclusion to some days of private testing facility on Saturday and June 6 Caraballo, 13-1 with two drawn of the event, with facemasks Miller, 25, will become the third Aussie to ride for the Italians. AFP during the season. AFP while Top Rank chief Bob and nine knockouts, in the June required, reported ESPN. AFP