FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent Issue Number 3728 / 4000 RIEL MENA market peppered with potential: CPSF Thou Vireak percorn, according to the minutes of that sell Cambodian agricultural cultivars of Cambodian peppercorn export market, as the Ministry of the CPSF’s second quarterly meeting. products” into the platform, he said. that do not have geographical indica- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries THE Cambodian Pepper and Spices CPSF president Mak Ny told The “In addition to peppercorn, our tion (GI) status, and is looking for new logs a prodigious 558.19 per cent Federation (CPSF) has been connect- Post on August 12 that an export plat- exports focus on organic and natural markets in less-treaded regions. year-on-year leap in shipments of the ing with 25 local exporters to explore form maintained by the federation is produce” such as “safe fruits and veg- These are primary objectives in the commodity abroad over the January- and foster new avenues to delve into online, offering products to – among etables”, or those with reduced federation’s mission to transform the July period to 22,580.68 tonnes, which the Middle Eastern and North African other destinations – MENA countries, dependence on chemicals that are Kingdom into a thriving global pro- includes GI-branded Kampot pepper (MENA) markets, a whole world of which he said “support the soon-to- free of microbiological hazards. ducer of peppercorn, he noted. and all other varieties. diverse cuisines that are rich in spices be-approved Harvest II project”. He said the CPSF is pushing for And brighter prospects are antici- and rely heavily on Piper nigrum pep- “We will integrate 25 companies broader international recognition of pated for the domestic peppercorn CONTINUED – pagE 6 Taliban seize Ghazni, move toward Kabul THE Taliban seized the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on August 12, just 150km from Kabul, their most important gain in a lightning offensive that has seen them overrun 10 provincial capitals in a week. The interior ministry confirmed the fall of the city, which lies along the major Kabul-Kandahar highway and serves as a gateway between the capital and militant strongholds in the south. “The enemy took control,” spokes- man Mirwais Stanikzai said in a mes- sage to media, adding later that the city’s governor had been arrested by Afghan security forces. Pro-Taliban Twitter feeds showed video of him being escorted out of Ghazni by Taliban fighters and sent on his way in a convoy, prompting spec- ulation in the capital that the govern- ment was angered with how the pro- vincial administration capitulated. As security forces retreated across the country, Kabul handed a proposal to Taliban negotiators in Qatar offer- ing a power-sharing deal in return for an end to fighting, according to a member of the government’s team in Doha who asked not to be named. A second negotiator, Ghulam Farooq Unforgettable love Majroh, said the Taliban had been given Kaavan, the Asian elephant rescued from Pakistan and brought to Cambodia last month has expressed a keen interest to interact with one of the three an offer about a “government of peace” females at his new home in a wildlife sanctuary. The Ministry of Environment urges an end to the decimation of elephant populations as it marks World STORY > 2 Elephant Day on Thursday. HEAN RANGSEY without providing more specifics. Authorities in Kabul have now effectively lost most of northern and western Afghanistan and are left holding a scattered archipelago of contested cities also dangerously at risk of falling to the Taliban. The conflict has escalated dramat- 3M Covid vaccines land in ically since May, when US-led forces began the final stage of a troop with- drawal due to end later this month following a 20-year occupation. The loss of Ghazni will likely pile Cambodia, more to follow more pressure on the country’s already overstretched airforce, needed to bol- Voun Dara The government is also in the proc- government still has another two per cent of the 12-17 age group of ster Afghanistan’s dispersed security ess of organising the purchase of million doses that will arrive in a nearly two million by August 11 – or forces who have increasingly been cut HREE million doses of the booster shots from other countries. week or two, bringing the total to 53.25 per cent of the Kingdom’s total off from reinforcements by road. Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine Ministry of Health Secretary of 16.5 million,” she said. population of 16 million. Pro-Taliban social media accounts that Cambodia purchased State York Sambath said during the According to Sambath, Cambodia Cambodia has been lauded by the also boasted of the vast spoils of war from the Chinese pharma- handover ceremony at Phnom Penh already has more than 24 million World Health Organisation (WHO) for their fighters had recovered in recent Tceuticals company arrived in Phnom International Airport that the gov- vaccines, including the three million its inclusive vaccination programme. days, posting photos of armoured vehi- Penh on August 12, while another ernment has been successful in pur- that arrived on August 12. Prime Minister Hun Sen said on cles, heavy weapons, and even a drone two million shots are expected to chasing vaccines for citizens. Cambodia will have vaccinated August 1 that all Cambodians would seized by the insurgents at abandoned arrive next week or in the last week “Three million doses of the Sino- 81.11 per cent of the targeted adult Afghan military bases. AFP of August. vac vaccine arrived today, and the population of 10 million and 20.52 CONTINUED – pagE 2 Don’t miss our Economic measures mount for Special Report Covid recovery, private funding Inside page 8-9 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST auGUST 13, 2021 WWW.phnompenhpost.COM National Gov’t readies booster shots, Delta variant forcing move Continued from page 1 be administered a booster shot, while those who had received Sinovac and Sinopharm shots would get the Astra- Zeneca jabs and vice versa. The booster shot is currently being given to frontline workers in prov- inces bordering neighbouring coun- tries, especially Thailand. Sambath said the national Covid-19 vaccination committee has held two meetings on the issue and is in the process of organising purchases for more vaccines for a third dose. “We are working with our embas- sies in Japan, India and South Korea and also with the UK to procure more vaccine supplies,” she said. “We are working on this but we don’t know whether we can get con- firmation this week or next week. Our embassy will inform us,” she said. Cambodian ambassador to South Korea Long Dimanche said on August 12 that purchasing vaccines from South Korea could be difficult as the vaccina- tion drive there has faced delays. South Korea has only reached 40 per cent of the population for the first dose and 14 per cent for the second. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health on August 12 issued a directive to pro- Sausage fest vincial governors concerning quaran- A woman sells sausage at Orussey market in Phnom Penh on June 29. HENG CHIVOAN tining migrant workers, especially individuals suspected of having the coronavirus Delta variant. The four-page directive signed by minister Mam Bun Heng said those who have had direct contact with Delta patients at the border have to World Elephant Day celebrated undergo a 21-day quarantine at a centre along the border. Ry Sochan fragmented Asian elephants and weighing more than five tonnes have phant survey. The team collected a Those who have had indirect contact negatively impacted the long-term been confiscated by Cambodian au- total of 85 fresh dung samples of the with Delta patients would be trans- N THE occasion of World stability of this important spe- thorities and stored in safe places. mammal for further genetic analy- ferred to a quarantine facility in their Elephant Day on August cies. Asian elephants live in herds Pheaktra told The Post on August sis at a lab of the Royal University hometown. Alternatively, they can take 12, a senior Ministry of in Cambodia’s protected areas and 12 that his ministry will continue of Phnom Penh, with the hope for a 14-day quarantine at a centre along Environment official ap- have many offspring. to educate citizens to avoid dis- results in the next six months. the border then a further seven days at Opealed for an end to the decimation The presence of small elephant turbing elephants. “The effort will provide the re- the centre in their hometown. of elephant populations as they are calves in large herds is the hope of “We are working with local au- search team with evidence that “Set up more quarantine centres a critically endangered species. conservationists and environmen- thorities to drive the elephants back will help understand the move- even at the commune level for those In a message marking the event, talists, Pheaktra added. into the wild. In the past, like in Ra- ments of Asian elephants within who have had contact with Delta ministry secretary of state Neth Pheak- “Illegal encroachment on state tanakkiri and Mondulkiri, elephants and between protected areas in patients. The centres need to have tra said Asian elephants are critically forest land has affected elephants’ always return to their previous habi- Cambodia’s eastern plains and clean water, electricity, rest rooms, and endangered due to poaching, conflict habitats, foraging areas and water tats, because elephants are a rolling neighbouring countries,” it said. better waste management. between humans encroaching on el- sources,” he said.