R 3447 E MB U N SSUE I FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020 Intelligent . In-depth . Independent www.phnompenhpost.com 4000 RIEL Cambodia braces for worst Don’t miss our Special Report as travel restrictions ease Inside page 8-9 Rainsy charged with defamation Khorn Savi tional Police chief and a son of Lundy. received from lawyers in France, Rainsy covered what was mentioned Hun Sen and Vichea brought the Rainsy, the self-proclaimed “act- an investigating judge of the Paris in Hun Sen’s complaint dated Au- two separate legal cases against FRENCH court has charged ing president” of the Supreme criminal court decided on June 8 to gust 20 last year. The letter further Rainsy with the French courts after former opposition leader Court-dissolved Cambodia National charge Rainsy with defamation. stated the prosecution of Rainsy in he wrote online that the prime min- Sam Rainsy with defama- Rescue Party (CNRP), lives in exile “Our Cambodian government law- Paris is inevitable. ister killed Lundy by ordering the tion for claiming that Prime in France to avoid a slew of charges yers received this news according to “A French investigating judge explosion of a helicopter that Lundy MinisterA Hun Sen ordered the killing against him in the Kingdom on top a clearly stamped letter in French found that there is sufficient evi- boarded from Phnom Penh to Svay of former National Police chief Hok of the defamation case in France. about the charge against Sam Rain- dence that Sam Rainsy committed Rieng in 2008. Lundy. Ky Tech, a lawyer representing sy, and this is true,” he said. the crime as accused. Rainsy didn’t Rainsy also alleged that Lundy’s Two separate complaints were filed by the government, told The Post on The one-page letter translated oppose the charge, according to the Hun Sen and Dy Vichea, the deputy Na- Thursday that according to a letter from French said the charge against letter,” Tech said. CONTINUED – page 2 Cambodian from Malaysia gets Covid-19 Khorn Savi While no deaths from Covid-19 has been reported ONE OF the 204 Cambodian domestically, a Cambodian passengers who returned UN peacekeeper in Mali lost from Malaysia on Tuesday his life to the disease. tested positive for Covid-19, The Ministry of National the Ministry of Health said. Defence said 10 Cambodian The 21-year-old from peacekeepers in Mali and six Koh Kong province is being military trainees in Russia treated at the Khmer-Soviet have also contracted the virus, Friendship Hospital. all of whom have recovered. Ministry of Health spokes- The government has tried to person Or Vandine said the stop person-to-person trans- other 203 passengers who test- missions in the country with a ed negative are being quaran- focus on tightening measures tined at Hun Sen Champuvorn against passengers arriving High School in Phnom Penh from abroad, the ministry said. and at quarantine centres in All passengers are re- their respective home prov- quired to be sent to waiting inces. They are not allowed to facilities upon their arrival. Proud moment self-quarantine at home. They must have their sam- Deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Hun Manet presides over the handover of 290 mili- tary trucks bought from China to RCAF units and the National Police at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. HEAN RANGSEY STORY > 4 “We are sending them to ples taken for testing before their respective quarantine self-quarantine at home or centres according to their at quarantine centres man- addresses,” she said. aged by the ministry. The Cambodian embassy Cambodia has cancelled the in Malaysia confirmed that requirements that Cambodian ‘Unsafe’ US food stalls trade talks 115 of the 204 passengers citizens who hold foreign pass- on board the flight had been ports and Visa K have $50,000 US TRADE talks with the EU told lawmakers on Capitol Hill. very difficult issues with the UK. With Britain, however, “we stranded there since April 7. in health insurance and pay and Britain have stalled in part “There is a sense in Europe, Also, I’m hopeful that we’ll work will have agricultural problems” The latest case brings the a $3,000 deposit for testing, due to suspicions of poor which I think is shared – hope- our way through them”. in negotiations, he warned. national total of confirmed treatment and quarantine. American food standards, fully not as deeply with [Brit- He said agriculture had been Lighthizer vowed that there Covid-19 cases to 129, most But they need to have certifi- Washington’s chief negotiator ain] as it is with Europe – that at the centre of all recent trade would be no compromise of which are imported. The cates confirming they are free said on Wednesday. American food is unsafe.” negotiations and was “a huge, regarding US agricultural health ministry said of the 129 of Covid-19 dated no later than “I think there’s a desire to make He dismissed the worries huge winner” for Americans in exports. patients, 126 had recovered. 72 hours before departure. things work through, but for however as “thinly veiled pro- the new US-Mexico-Canada “We either have fair access Two of the three who remain Foreigners, Vandine said, whatever reason, we haven’t tectionism”. free trade agreement (USMCA), for agriculture or won’t have to hospitalised recently had re- are required to pay other fees made much headway,” US Trade These are “very difficult issues and also in agreements reached deal with either one of them,” turned from Indonesia. for virus-related services. Representative Robert Lighthizer with Europe and they will be with China and Japan. he said. AFP MONEY don’T MISS OUR SPECIAL MATTERS SUPPLEMENT TODAY 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST JUNE 19, 2020 WWW.phnompenhpost.COM National New working group created to revamp immigration law Voun Dara INISTER of Interi- or Sar Kheng has requested former justice minister MAng Vong Vathana to lead the interior ministry’s working group in drafting a bill to re- place the existing immigration Officials inspect an illegal ​​​mine operation in Kratie province. THE law, which he said is outdated CAMBODIA TIME given technology advance- ments in the digital era. Sar Kheng made the re- National commitee quest at the 18th meeting of the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic probes gold mining Development (NCDD) at the ministry on Wednesday. “Almost everything needs to operations in Kratie change. If we want to amend all of that, then I think we should Khouth Sophak Chakrya tures from the gold. make a new law,” he said. “It is still illegal because To make a new law, he said, THE National Committee for those pits are owned by the a request must be sent to Hun Prevention and Crackdown Xing Yuan Kanng Yeak Co Sen. “I would like to inform The minister says the existing law is outdated given technology advancements in the digital era. INTERIOR MINISTRY on Natural Resource Crimes Ltd, which received a licence you in advance that I have re- targeted an illegal gold mining from the government to mine quested that Ang Vong Vatha- aimed at ensuring the man- before the law came into on immigration, chaired by operation in Kratie, marking gold,” said Chamnan. na, chairman of the committee agement of all foreigners in force, it applies to all foreign- secretary of state Sok Phal. the fourth such investigation Roth Sola, the Kratie pro- on Immigration Law, revise it. Cambodia, and to determine ers entering, passing through Phal said the meeting was in the area within a week. vincial deputy director for the Sar Kheng said the immigra- the rules and conditions that and staying in Cambodia. held to exchange ideas to pre- Kratie deputy district gover- department of mines and en- tion law was written in 1994 apply to foreigners entering, “The immigration work has pare draft amendments to the nor Khan Chamnan, who also ergy, told The Post that he has and many changes have been passing through and staying been very successful, such as Law on Immigration, which heads the committee, told already sent the complaint made to it over the years, and in the Kingdom. noting foreigner statistics. We the working group passed on The Post on Thursday that in file to the Kratie provincial Cambodia just revised the law The law applies to all for- have done it well. There are to Sar Kheng. early rainy season gold min- prosecutor. on nationality. “The law on im- eigners, except in the case of perhaps more than 80,000 The group asked for more ing offences increase. The court charged the three migration has been changed a the application of the rules foreigners only in the coun- guidance at the Tuesday “On Thursday last week, I men involved in the O’ Salong lot, so we must form a commit- of international law to which try,” Sar Kheng said. meeting. That is when Sar led joint forces to investigate case on Tuesday for operating tee to prepare a proposal to re- Cambodia is a signatory. On May 8, the ministry held Kheng advised the group to four gold mining businesses a mining business without arrange the law,” he said. Even if the person has en- a working group meeting to submit a report to overhaul in O’ Rolong area at Svay permission from the authori- The ministry said the law is tered to live in the Kingdom draft an amendment to the law the law from scratch. Chreah commune, in Snuol ties. They are being held in district. We detained three pre-trial detention, Sola said.