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Microsoft's Skype Meetings is a free collaboration tool for small businesses
Microsoft has introduced Skype Meetings, a new online service designed to provide small businesses with a place to hold videoconferences and allow for effective collaboration, all for free.
Setting up a meeting with colleagues using the system is easy, with the organiser simply sending out a link to all participants which they click to join.
You get HD video, instant messaging, and screen sharing capabilities, so if you want to show other folks a presentation from your PC, for example, that's perfectly possible. There are also tools such as a virtual 'laser pointer' for highlighting things in presentations, and the meeting organiser has access to functions such as muting all other participants so they can be heard above the noise if necessary.
The best free VPN services 2016
The best free VPN tools
With the eyes of ISPs growing ever more suspicious and government monitoring fast becoming something tangible and terrifying, the 'private' part of Virtual Private Network has never been more important. But hiding your internet traffic inside an encrypted tunnel isn't the only reason you might want to run a VPN on your machine.Perhaps you want your network traffic to appear to emanate from elsewhere in the world in order to use region-locked services (presuming, of course, you can do so legally). Maybe you're looking to seamlessly access your home network while on the road, or don't trust the security of public Wi-Fi access points. The VPN tag covers a lot of potential uses.
Bear in mind that using a VPN does come with certain disadvantages, primarily that you'll experience slower internet speed as your traffic is encrypted and routed through the servers of your chosen provider. Free options usually end up throttled compared to their paid-for siblings and might also serve up ads or, in some cases, track your browsing habits to sell on to third parties.
1. CyberGhost 5
The best VPN tool to keep your browsing activity privateCyberGhost is a VPN that truly has its users' ideals in mind: the company proudly declares that it doesn't track your activity, and publishes a transparency report to back up its claims.
You
can even use its interface to restrict the amount of information you're
passing on to the sites you visit, shutting down tracking cookies,
malicious websites, and more. If you want your traffic private and
protected, this is our number one choice.It's also supremely easy to use, with a simple interface which allows you to select the location of your new IP address, and good visual indication of what's going on. That said, CyberGhost does run a reasonably limited number of servers, with selections mainly focused in Europe – at the time of writing, the free version offers no location option for Canada or any servers located in Asia.
You're
also restricted to three hours per session, with a moderate delay and a
few ads before you're able to connect – a small price to pay for
privacy.
2. Tunnelbear
Tunneling made simple - but watch out for the data limitTunnelbear is, as its dev crows, 'really really simple' to use. It's probably the most friendly VPN you'll find, with straightforward apps available for for Windows, MacOS and mobile devices. It's also one of the most well-travelled, with a truly worldwide network of tunnels to connect to, routing your data everywhere from Hong Kong to Norway – only its Australia and India nodes are restricted in the free edition.
Much like CyberGhost, Tunnelbear promises high-end encryption and a complete absence of traffic logging. There's a pretty big kicker: the free version only offers 500MB of data transfer per month, so it's going to be reasonably useless if you're using it as a location-spoofing tool to watch geo-restricted video.
For those moments when you're doing light browsing in a coffee shop, though, Tunnelbear's
simplicity – and mobile compatibility – may come in very handy as long
as you can cope with its slightly twee collection of bear puns.
3. VPNBook
VNPBook is a simple, convenient way to protect your privacyIf you're a confident computer user or want to protect more than just a Windows device, VPNBook is a great option. It doesn't even require any specific software – you just plug the appropriate info into your machine's system settings and you're connected.
It uses your choice of point-to-point-tunneling (PPTP) or OpenVPN to encrypt your traffic and fire it out of one of six servers, three in Europe and three in North America.
Being rough-and-ready, though, VPNBook does have its issues. We can't vouch for the specific encryption used, for a start, and its open nature (and potential for abuse) means it uses a password which changes frequently.
If your ISP blocks PPTP connections, you'll need to use OpenVPN's client software – which pretty much nullifies the benefit of its compatibility with phones and games consoles. But for an ad-free, no-nonsense VPN connection it's a great choice.
4. OpenVPN Server
Setting up your own VPN server is an enterprise-level optionWhile the OpenVPN team produces a more user-friendly VPN option in the form of PrivateTunnel – which offers only limited data transfer in its free form – and many of the other options here use OpenVPN tech to get the job done, it's worth putting in the (considerable) effort to install an OpenVPN server on a home machine. You'll need to stump up some cash if you want to make use of more than the two client connections included with the server installation, but this is a proper VPN.
Set up its server properly, connect to it with the OpenVPN client software, and you'll not only encrypt your network traffic but gain access to your home network as if you were connected locally -- all your shares, files and machines at your fingertips.
Make no mistake, though: building your own OpenVPN server is enterprise-level stuff, certainly not for the faint-hearted given the amount of configuration required, and its absolute overkill for most purposes. But if you're in this for the 'network' side of VPN, look no further.
5. Hotspot Shield Free
A promising VPN tool, but the ads and toolbars are overbearingIt's been around for a while and has something of a mixed reputation: Hotspot Shield is a cracking VPN, but suffers some pretty heavy drawbacks that are required to contribute to its upkeep.
However, Hotspot Shield dev Anchorfree has recently made steps to improve its service to free users. While you'll have to put up with a decent number of ads and frequent pleading to upgrade to its Elite version, some of the more insidious aspects – browser toolbars, page-injected advertising – are on the outs.
While it's quick, easy to install and available in a neat Chrome extension version, we still struggle to recommend Hotspot Shield Free
fully. There's a 750MB data cap per day, a single USA output locale,
and access to many video streaming sites is hidden behind the paid Elite
subscription.Cambodia’s tennis squad head to Tehran for Davis Cup
Cambodia’s Davis Cup squad heads to the Iranian capital Tehran today for the 2016 Asia Oceania-Group III campaign.
Introducing the squad, Tep Rithivit, who accompanies the team as non-playing captain for the fifth season, also acknowledged the return to the team of the country’s first tennis medallist at the SEA Games Tan Nysan after a gap of four years.
The Cambodian squad consists of players Nysan, Bun Kenny, Phalkun Mam, his younger brother Vetu Mam and Long Samneang. Panamanian former Davis Cupper Braen Aneiros, with the National team since 2009, is head coach, with Chea Pov as his assistant.
One of Kampot’s leading pepper producers, Lwa Plantation, has stepped in as co-sponsors of Cambodia’s Davis Cup squad. Entertainment and gaming sector giants NagaWorld continue to be a staunch supporter, having partnered Tennis Cambodia since the Kingdom’s historic Davis Cup debut in Doha four years ago.
“We are extremely happy to get La Plantation and its tennis-loving, philanthropist owner Guy Porre on board for this very important mission along-side our steady backers NagaWorld,” secretary-general of Tennis Cambodia Tep Rithivit told a news conference at the federation’s offices yesterday.
“There is a common thread running between our federation and Plantation in that both believe in creating a platform for making life better for communities,” Rithvit said.
“Our bond grew with the introduction last November of the grassroots program in the school run by Plantation for the children of its employees,” he added.
Kingdom’s U21s tackle Myanmar in friendly match
 |
| Cambodian U16 coach Inoue Kazunori (left) and Myanmar coach Nyi Nyi Latt at a press conference yesterday |
Lively anticipation surrounds the start of the 11th AFF U16
Youth Football Championship on Sunday as Cambodia hosts the annual
regional event for the second year in a row, hoping to perform better
than its six previous group stage exits.
All 12 member associations of the ASEAN Football Federation were set to take part in the tournament featuring three groups of four teams.
But that configuration changed to two groups of six and five teams following Indonesia’s non-participation, though the ban imposed last year for political interference on the national team by FIFA was lifted on May 13.
Cambodia have been drawn in the five-team Group B, in the company of Thailand, Laos, Timor Leste and Brunei. The much stronger Group A consists of Myanmar, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines.
As part of its preparations ahead of the opening fixture against Laos on July 11 at the Olympic Stadium, the Cambodian team will take to the same venue today for a friendly against Myanmar, which will kick off at 7pm.
At a joint media conference at the Football Federation of Cambodia, officials from both Cambodia and Myanmar regarded the warm-up game as an ideal build-up for their campaigns.
Cambodian football has enjoyed enormous public support ever since the international team made it to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers last year, through to its elevation to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifying cycle last month.
In previous AFF U16 Championship appearances, Cambodia have never got further than the group stage. Yet the team’s management is confident that with the positivity surrounding Cambodian football after the successes of the senior side, players at other levels of the game will be spurred on to also reach previously unseen heights.
The Championship will be played from July 10-23 at the Olympic and Old stadiums. The top two teams from each group will make it to knockout semifinals on July 21, with the title match and the third place playoff marked for July 23.
If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, no extra time will be played. Instead, the winner will be decided via a penalty shootout.
All 12 member associations of the ASEAN Football Federation were set to take part in the tournament featuring three groups of four teams.
But that configuration changed to two groups of six and five teams following Indonesia’s non-participation, though the ban imposed last year for political interference on the national team by FIFA was lifted on May 13.
Cambodia have been drawn in the five-team Group B, in the company of Thailand, Laos, Timor Leste and Brunei. The much stronger Group A consists of Myanmar, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines.
As part of its preparations ahead of the opening fixture against Laos on July 11 at the Olympic Stadium, the Cambodian team will take to the same venue today for a friendly against Myanmar, which will kick off at 7pm.
At a joint media conference at the Football Federation of Cambodia, officials from both Cambodia and Myanmar regarded the warm-up game as an ideal build-up for their campaigns.
Cambodian football has enjoyed enormous public support ever since the international team made it to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers last year, through to its elevation to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifying cycle last month.
In previous AFF U16 Championship appearances, Cambodia have never got further than the group stage. Yet the team’s management is confident that with the positivity surrounding Cambodian football after the successes of the senior side, players at other levels of the game will be spurred on to also reach previously unseen heights.
The Championship will be played from July 10-23 at the Olympic and Old stadiums. The top two teams from each group will make it to knockout semifinals on July 21, with the title match and the third place playoff marked for July 23.
If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, no extra time will be played. Instead, the winner will be decided via a penalty shootout.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Water supplier blames losses on forex rates
Listed utility Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) said
in a filing to the Cambodian Securities Exchange (CSX) yesterday that a
sharp decline in net profit during the first three months of the year
was the result of exchange rate fluctuations.
Total revenue during the first three months of 2016 was more than $12.9 million, a decrease by $3.4 million, or 20.9 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
Net profit declined to about $1.8 million during the first quarter, down more than $3.4 million, or 65 per cent, compared to the same period in 2015.
The firm attributed the sharp drop to the “loss of exchange rate on loans in foreign currency.”
Total revenue during the first three months of 2016 was more than $12.9 million, a decrease by $3.4 million, or 20.9 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
Net profit declined to about $1.8 million during the first quarter, down more than $3.4 million, or 65 per cent, compared to the same period in 2015.
The firm attributed the sharp drop to the “loss of exchange rate on loans in foreign currency.”
Korean language skills in demand
The demand for Korean language skills continues to grow as an
increasing number of South Korean employers look for Cambodian youth to
join their workforce, offering higher wages for low-skilled labour than
employers in most other Asian countries.
Cambodia is a top country of recruitment for South Korean companies, according to Tae-hoon Park, director-general of the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS) Centre in Cambodia.
“Small-sized Korean company owners in particular like Cambodian workers because they are very diligent and work very hard,” he said yesterday.
He added that South Korean people like the character of Cambodians, and many appreciate the fact that most Cambodian workers are Buddhist, the predominant religion in their country.
However, the demand is not one sided, with almost 55,000 Cambodians taking the Korean EPS Topik test this year, according to Park. Foreigners must pass the government-issued language-skills exam with basic proficiency in order to be granted a permit to work in South Korea.
Competition is fierce, as the South Korean government says it will only take 10,000 Cambodian workers this year.
Park said that many Cambodians are eager to work in South Korea because they can earn higher salaries as well as employee benefits that are not available at Cambodian companies. The majority of jobs are for unskilled workers in the construction, agriculture and fisheries sectors.
“The minimum wage is much higher in Korea, about $1,000 per month, though usually they can make $1,500 per month if they work on Saturdays, so I think that this is the main reason that Cambodians [emigrate],” he said.
“Also, in Korea, the employer can provide meals and a house for employees.”
Seng Pich Sreypov, who studies the Korean language in addition to fashion design at the Phnom Penh International Institute of the Arts, plans to finish the final two years of her four-year degree program at a university in South Korea.
“I want to work in Korea after I graduate,” she said.
“Korea is very developed and after I work there I want to come back to Cambodia to share what I’ve learned.”
Lekh Kagnchanarysa, who left Cambodia four years ago to earn a bachelor’s degree in maritime transportation in South Korea, said that the language skills she gained there expanded her job opportunities in both the South Korean and Cambodian market.
“When we speak Korean language, we will have good opportunities from Korean companies [in Cambodia],” she said. “We are valued by our Korean boss and receive starting salaries that are between $600 and $700.”
She said that jobs that require English or Chinese as a foreign language are much more competitive because almost everyone studies those languages in Cambodia.
However, Korean is a much rarer but highly sought after language skill, so there are better job opportunities for Cambodian Korean speakers.
Cambodia is a top country of recruitment for South Korean companies, according to Tae-hoon Park, director-general of the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS) Centre in Cambodia.
“Small-sized Korean company owners in particular like Cambodian workers because they are very diligent and work very hard,” he said yesterday.
He added that South Korean people like the character of Cambodians, and many appreciate the fact that most Cambodian workers are Buddhist, the predominant religion in their country.
However, the demand is not one sided, with almost 55,000 Cambodians taking the Korean EPS Topik test this year, according to Park. Foreigners must pass the government-issued language-skills exam with basic proficiency in order to be granted a permit to work in South Korea.
Competition is fierce, as the South Korean government says it will only take 10,000 Cambodian workers this year.
Park said that many Cambodians are eager to work in South Korea because they can earn higher salaries as well as employee benefits that are not available at Cambodian companies. The majority of jobs are for unskilled workers in the construction, agriculture and fisheries sectors.
“The minimum wage is much higher in Korea, about $1,000 per month, though usually they can make $1,500 per month if they work on Saturdays, so I think that this is the main reason that Cambodians [emigrate],” he said.
“Also, in Korea, the employer can provide meals and a house for employees.”
Seng Pich Sreypov, who studies the Korean language in addition to fashion design at the Phnom Penh International Institute of the Arts, plans to finish the final two years of her four-year degree program at a university in South Korea.
“I want to work in Korea after I graduate,” she said.
“Korea is very developed and after I work there I want to come back to Cambodia to share what I’ve learned.”
Lekh Kagnchanarysa, who left Cambodia four years ago to earn a bachelor’s degree in maritime transportation in South Korea, said that the language skills she gained there expanded her job opportunities in both the South Korean and Cambodian market.
“When we speak Korean language, we will have good opportunities from Korean companies [in Cambodia],” she said. “We are valued by our Korean boss and receive starting salaries that are between $600 and $700.”
She said that jobs that require English or Chinese as a foreign language are much more competitive because almost everyone studies those languages in Cambodia.
However, Korean is a much rarer but highly sought after language skill, so there are better job opportunities for Cambodian Korean speakers.
Rice industry body president gets wary vote of confidence
Cambodia's apex rice industry body held its annual general
meeting on Saturday, with its members unanimously re-electing its
well-connected incumbent president, Sok Puthyvuth, for a second term in
what some are calling a dress rehearsal for his political ascendancy.
Puthyvuth, the son of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and son-in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen, was re-elected as head of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) after receiving 113 out of a total 215 votes.
His lone competitor, Te Taing Por, president of the Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC), received 79 votes. Twelve board council members were also chosen.
The CRF was founded in May 2014 with 213 members representing rice-farming communities, millers and exporters, with Puthyvuth elected as its first president for a two-year term. The founding members and 30 additional companies were eligible to vote in Saturday’s elections, which gave the incumbent another two-year mandate.
Puthyvuth, 36, who is also CEO of the conglomerate Soma Group, said his re-election would serve to unify the industry body, which has been rocked by internal dissent in recent months.
“I vow to strengthen the sector’s standards and production efficiency in order to compete with the international market,” he told reporters, adding that in the short run the CRF would focus on stopping illegal rice imports and providing loan packages to struggling millers.
In the longer term, the focus would shift toward building warehouses to stockpile paddy rice, expanding the market and lowering production costs to make Cambodia’s most important agricultural crop more internationally competitive, he said.
Puthyvuth had come under fire during recent months for what his critics said was ineffectual leadership as the rice sector stood on the brink of collapse.
One critic, Kann Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Co Ltd (BRICo), said CRF members wanted a new president, but were stuck with just two undesirable candidates.
Taing Por’s inexperience in the rice industry thwarted his election bid, leaving members to re-elect Puthyvuth despite what many thought was a poor performance during his first mandate.
Kunthy said Puthyvuth was looking to redeem himself in a second mandate, possibly to build up his leadership credibility in the public’s eye for a future foray into politics.
“Because he faced a lot of criticism of his leadership of the rice sector during his first mandate, Sok Puthyvuth wanted to continue his duties so he could build up his credibility,” he said.
“If he does a good job in the rice sector, you can expect he will use the experience to join politics in the future.”Puthyvuth insisted yesterday his election bid was strictly about improving the rice sector, but that he might one day consider taking public office.
“Right now I have no ideas about politics as I must focus on how to save the rice industry,” he said. “But later if I have the capacity to join politics then I will try.”
However, some analysts said Puthyvuth’s election trail bore all the hallmarks of a political contest, with lofty campaign promises and pre-election sweeteners to endear his constituents.
His victory comes just a week after the CRF secured an agreement with the government to distribute up to $30 million in emergency loans to struggling rice millers and exporters.
Tang Chhong Ngy, marketing manager of LBN Angkor (Kampuchea), suggested the timing of the industry aid package – just days before elections – was not a coincidence.
However, he said CRF members were more likely swayed by the belief that Puthyvuth’s name carried influence, and while some were critical of his performance during his first mandate, the recognition that about 80 per cent of the sector’s strategy had already been set up and a second mandate would give him a chance to implement the reforms.
According to Ngy, CRF members re-elected Puthyvuth mainly because “he can play an effective role in negotiating with the government as he is the son of the deputy prime minister, which makes it easier for him to raise issues to the ministries concerned”.
“However, now the pressure is on and the re-elected CRF president has to follow through on all the promises he made,” he added.
Puthyvuth, the son of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and son-in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen, was re-elected as head of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) after receiving 113 out of a total 215 votes.
His lone competitor, Te Taing Por, president of the Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC), received 79 votes. Twelve board council members were also chosen.
The CRF was founded in May 2014 with 213 members representing rice-farming communities, millers and exporters, with Puthyvuth elected as its first president for a two-year term. The founding members and 30 additional companies were eligible to vote in Saturday’s elections, which gave the incumbent another two-year mandate.
Puthyvuth, 36, who is also CEO of the conglomerate Soma Group, said his re-election would serve to unify the industry body, which has been rocked by internal dissent in recent months.
“I vow to strengthen the sector’s standards and production efficiency in order to compete with the international market,” he told reporters, adding that in the short run the CRF would focus on stopping illegal rice imports and providing loan packages to struggling millers.
In the longer term, the focus would shift toward building warehouses to stockpile paddy rice, expanding the market and lowering production costs to make Cambodia’s most important agricultural crop more internationally competitive, he said.
Puthyvuth had come under fire during recent months for what his critics said was ineffectual leadership as the rice sector stood on the brink of collapse.
One critic, Kann Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Co Ltd (BRICo), said CRF members wanted a new president, but were stuck with just two undesirable candidates.
Taing Por’s inexperience in the rice industry thwarted his election bid, leaving members to re-elect Puthyvuth despite what many thought was a poor performance during his first mandate.
Kunthy said Puthyvuth was looking to redeem himself in a second mandate, possibly to build up his leadership credibility in the public’s eye for a future foray into politics.
“Because he faced a lot of criticism of his leadership of the rice sector during his first mandate, Sok Puthyvuth wanted to continue his duties so he could build up his credibility,” he said.
“If he does a good job in the rice sector, you can expect he will use the experience to join politics in the future.”Puthyvuth insisted yesterday his election bid was strictly about improving the rice sector, but that he might one day consider taking public office.
“Right now I have no ideas about politics as I must focus on how to save the rice industry,” he said. “But later if I have the capacity to join politics then I will try.”
However, some analysts said Puthyvuth’s election trail bore all the hallmarks of a political contest, with lofty campaign promises and pre-election sweeteners to endear his constituents.
His victory comes just a week after the CRF secured an agreement with the government to distribute up to $30 million in emergency loans to struggling rice millers and exporters.
Tang Chhong Ngy, marketing manager of LBN Angkor (Kampuchea), suggested the timing of the industry aid package – just days before elections – was not a coincidence.
However, he said CRF members were more likely swayed by the belief that Puthyvuth’s name carried influence, and while some were critical of his performance during his first mandate, the recognition that about 80 per cent of the sector’s strategy had already been set up and a second mandate would give him a chance to implement the reforms.
According to Ngy, CRF members re-elected Puthyvuth mainly because “he can play an effective role in negotiating with the government as he is the son of the deputy prime minister, which makes it easier for him to raise issues to the ministries concerned”.
“However, now the pressure is on and the re-elected CRF president has to follow through on all the promises he made,” he added.
SE Asian startups poised for growth
Golden Gate Ventures recently closed a new $60 million fund
for Southeast Asia’s rapidly-growing startup ecosystem. The
Singapore-based venture capital (VC) firm sees opportunities in the
region, which has already attracted more than $1.7 billion in investment
capital this year, and is projected to draw $40 billion over the next
10 years. The Post’s Cam McGrath spoke to Justin Hall,
principal at Golden Gate Ventures, about the firm’s fund-raising efforts
and take on the region’s investment climate.
You just closed your second fund. How difficult has it been to raise venture capital funds in Southeast Asia?
All fundraising is difficult, but I’m relieved to say that Southeast Asia is becoming a more attractive market for limited partners. However, they were Asia-focused to begin with, and saw Southeast Asia more as a new opportunity within the broader Asia economic narrative than an entirely different market.
How healthy is Southeast Asia’s startup scene, and is there indication it is following the same trajectory as China or India?
We feel that Southeast Asia has passed an inflection point in terms of venture capital and startup formation, in the sense that both are relatively self-sustaining industries now.
We do believe that Southeast Asia will follow the same path as China and India before it.
Is the growth as impressive when you take Singapore out of the mix?
Absolutely. Indonesia is driving a tremendous amount of investment and startup formation in the region. Indeed, many of the fastest growing startups from Southeast Asia hail from there: Traveloka, Go-Jek and Tokopedia, to name a few. The reasons behind that growth are too numerous to count, but chief among them would be the growing middle class of consumers, meteoric growth in mobile phone and internet penetration, and overall economic growth across the region.
Can we expect to see bigger transactions, and does this mean there will be less capital for smaller startups?
Yes, we can and should expect to see larger fund raises. However, that does not mean there is less capital for small startups. If anything, fund formation or allocations for early stage startups is increasing.
As a VC fund, what ‘patterns’ are you looking for in potential investments, and how fierce is the competition from other funds?
It essentially comes down to market, team, value and traction. In terms of competition, Southeast Asia is not so mature, nor so saturated with funds, that it’s difficult to work with one another or share deals.
Indeed, on the early stage side, funds work with one another more often than not. They have specialties and preferences that do not necessarily overlap at this juncture, so it’s been more cooperative than anything.
In other markets, VC funds look to exit their tech startups via an IPO. But in Asia, most exits are via acquisitions. Why, and is there any indication this trend will change?
This is generally the case because the local and regional exchanges historically have not had the kind of liquidity to make going public attractive. Often times, strategic acquisitions or M&As are where investors and successful entrepreneurs make a majority, if not all, of their returns. This is especially true of technology companies, which require a critical mass of technology-savvy buyers to make it worthwhile for them to list. However, with the renewed focus on tech in both Australia and Singapore (indeed, of the regional tech companies that did go public, the vast majority of them did so in Australia), this may be changing, slowly but surely. Even Thailand and Indonesia are starting to speak publicly about their own initiatives.
Have protectionist measures in Southeast Asia encouraged more M&As by making it harder for Western companies to establish a foothold?
No, I wouldn’t say that. If anything, I think it’s the sheer complexity and heterogeneity of Southeast Asia that puts off Western companies looking to establish a foothold. If a company sees a fundamental, strategic value in a particular country or market, they will make it work, period.
Have you looked specifically at any startups in Cambodia? How are the valuations and growth potential compared to more developed markets?
We have not looked specifically at any startups in Cambodia, but we would certainly be open to investing. Compared to more developed markets in Southeast Asia, the startup ecosystem in Cambodia – along with Laos and Myanmar – is perhaps the most immature.
What would attract venture capital firms to invest in Cambodian companies?
VCs would need to see one of two things: companies that specifically target Cambodian consumers and are touching on a large enough market to make it worthwhile to investors, or companies that are providing such a unique value, technology or advantage that are expanding across Southeast Asia.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
You just closed your second fund. How difficult has it been to raise venture capital funds in Southeast Asia?
All fundraising is difficult, but I’m relieved to say that Southeast Asia is becoming a more attractive market for limited partners. However, they were Asia-focused to begin with, and saw Southeast Asia more as a new opportunity within the broader Asia economic narrative than an entirely different market.
How healthy is Southeast Asia’s startup scene, and is there indication it is following the same trajectory as China or India?
We feel that Southeast Asia has passed an inflection point in terms of venture capital and startup formation, in the sense that both are relatively self-sustaining industries now.
We do believe that Southeast Asia will follow the same path as China and India before it.
Is the growth as impressive when you take Singapore out of the mix?
Absolutely. Indonesia is driving a tremendous amount of investment and startup formation in the region. Indeed, many of the fastest growing startups from Southeast Asia hail from there: Traveloka, Go-Jek and Tokopedia, to name a few. The reasons behind that growth are too numerous to count, but chief among them would be the growing middle class of consumers, meteoric growth in mobile phone and internet penetration, and overall economic growth across the region.
Can we expect to see bigger transactions, and does this mean there will be less capital for smaller startups?
Yes, we can and should expect to see larger fund raises. However, that does not mean there is less capital for small startups. If anything, fund formation or allocations for early stage startups is increasing.
As a VC fund, what ‘patterns’ are you looking for in potential investments, and how fierce is the competition from other funds?
It essentially comes down to market, team, value and traction. In terms of competition, Southeast Asia is not so mature, nor so saturated with funds, that it’s difficult to work with one another or share deals.
Indeed, on the early stage side, funds work with one another more often than not. They have specialties and preferences that do not necessarily overlap at this juncture, so it’s been more cooperative than anything.
In other markets, VC funds look to exit their tech startups via an IPO. But in Asia, most exits are via acquisitions. Why, and is there any indication this trend will change?
This is generally the case because the local and regional exchanges historically have not had the kind of liquidity to make going public attractive. Often times, strategic acquisitions or M&As are where investors and successful entrepreneurs make a majority, if not all, of their returns. This is especially true of technology companies, which require a critical mass of technology-savvy buyers to make it worthwhile for them to list. However, with the renewed focus on tech in both Australia and Singapore (indeed, of the regional tech companies that did go public, the vast majority of them did so in Australia), this may be changing, slowly but surely. Even Thailand and Indonesia are starting to speak publicly about their own initiatives.
Have protectionist measures in Southeast Asia encouraged more M&As by making it harder for Western companies to establish a foothold?
No, I wouldn’t say that. If anything, I think it’s the sheer complexity and heterogeneity of Southeast Asia that puts off Western companies looking to establish a foothold. If a company sees a fundamental, strategic value in a particular country or market, they will make it work, period.
Have you looked specifically at any startups in Cambodia? How are the valuations and growth potential compared to more developed markets?
We have not looked specifically at any startups in Cambodia, but we would certainly be open to investing. Compared to more developed markets in Southeast Asia, the startup ecosystem in Cambodia – along with Laos and Myanmar – is perhaps the most immature.
What would attract venture capital firms to invest in Cambodian companies?
VCs would need to see one of two things: companies that specifically target Cambodian consumers and are touching on a large enough market to make it worthwhile to investors, or companies that are providing such a unique value, technology or advantage that are expanding across Southeast Asia.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Another setback for online company registration goal
The Ministry of Commerce has extended the deadline for
companies to register online after yet another poor response to its
automated online business-registration system, a ministry official said
yesterday.
Om Dararith, director of the ministry’s commercial registration department, said only 10,248 companies – or about 20 per cent of the total due – had fulfilled their obligation to register online by the end of June. He said the ministry would grant the remaining companies another three months to complete the registration procedure, warning of penalties to those that fail to comply.
He suggested the poor response to the automated registration system, which was first launched last December with high expectations, could simply be a consequence of companies being genuinely unaware of their obligations. New companies must register using the ministry’s online portal, while some 42,000 companies already on record at the ministry are required to re-register online.
In a sign the message might finally be getting through, Dararith noted that the volume of online registrations spiked just days before the June 30 deadline, with more than 200 companies per day using the automated system, compared with about 60 companies per day before.
He said the ministry would redouble its efforts to inform businesses of their registration obligations, and this time around it would take a tougher stance on those that ignore its directive. “After this extension, if [companies] still fail to fulfil their obligations they will be punished,” he said.
Companies that fail to register online by September 30 would have their names forwarded to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the tax department, for further action, he warned.
The new online business-registry platform was intended to reduce the graft and red tape that investors often complained of when registering in person at the Ministry of Commerce. It also aimed to help improve Cambodia’s consistently poor international ranking for the ease of starting a business.
In 2016, the Kingdom ranked 180 out of 189 countries in the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report.
Various reasons have been given for the private sector’s slow adoption of the new online business registration system, including its deceptive complexity and slow responses. Some businesses have also cited the lack of online payment options, as fees can only be paid by account holders at Acleda Bank, Canadia Bank or the Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia.
Nguon Meng Tech, director-general of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, said the ministry should prolong the window for re-registration until the end of the year as the automated system was not that simple for small businesses, especially those that had not yet computerised their operations.
“The ministry should create a group of technical facilitators to help explain the whole process [to businesses,] from the first step through the last,” he suggested.
Hang Sovanna, assistant to director of FASMEC Microfinance, said that while the new paperless business registration system is easier than the manual system it replaces, some challenges remain. One issue he discovered was that the feedback period from the ministry was longer than the two days promised.
“My application was incorrect on two points and I got a feedback e-mail to correct them,” he said. “I sent the corrected application back to the ministry. That was about four days ago, and I still have not received any reply from the ministry.”
Om Dararith, director of the ministry’s commercial registration department, said only 10,248 companies – or about 20 per cent of the total due – had fulfilled their obligation to register online by the end of June. He said the ministry would grant the remaining companies another three months to complete the registration procedure, warning of penalties to those that fail to comply.
He suggested the poor response to the automated registration system, which was first launched last December with high expectations, could simply be a consequence of companies being genuinely unaware of their obligations. New companies must register using the ministry’s online portal, while some 42,000 companies already on record at the ministry are required to re-register online.
In a sign the message might finally be getting through, Dararith noted that the volume of online registrations spiked just days before the June 30 deadline, with more than 200 companies per day using the automated system, compared with about 60 companies per day before.
He said the ministry would redouble its efforts to inform businesses of their registration obligations, and this time around it would take a tougher stance on those that ignore its directive. “After this extension, if [companies] still fail to fulfil their obligations they will be punished,” he said.
Companies that fail to register online by September 30 would have their names forwarded to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the tax department, for further action, he warned.
The new online business-registry platform was intended to reduce the graft and red tape that investors often complained of when registering in person at the Ministry of Commerce. It also aimed to help improve Cambodia’s consistently poor international ranking for the ease of starting a business.
In 2016, the Kingdom ranked 180 out of 189 countries in the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report.
Various reasons have been given for the private sector’s slow adoption of the new online business registration system, including its deceptive complexity and slow responses. Some businesses have also cited the lack of online payment options, as fees can only be paid by account holders at Acleda Bank, Canadia Bank or the Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia.
Nguon Meng Tech, director-general of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, said the ministry should prolong the window for re-registration until the end of the year as the automated system was not that simple for small businesses, especially those that had not yet computerised their operations.
“The ministry should create a group of technical facilitators to help explain the whole process [to businesses,] from the first step through the last,” he suggested.
Hang Sovanna, assistant to director of FASMEC Microfinance, said that while the new paperless business registration system is easier than the manual system it replaces, some challenges remain. One issue he discovered was that the feedback period from the ministry was longer than the two days promised.
“My application was incorrect on two points and I got a feedback e-mail to correct them,” he said. “I sent the corrected application back to the ministry. That was about four days ago, and I still have not received any reply from the ministry.”
Wing to process business registry fees
The Ministry of Commerce has tapped Wing (Cambodia) Ltd
Specialised Bank to be the fourth financial institution designated to
handle payments for companies incorporated using the ministry’s online registration system.
Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak signed a nondisclosure agreement yesterday with Kith Meng, Wing’s president and board director, to facilitate information exchange for the new partnership. The two parties intend to work together to connect their IT systems.
Wing follows three other banks – Acleda Bank, Canadia Bank and Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) – appointed by the ministry to handle payment processing for the online business registry platform launched last December.
Over 10,000 companies have incorporated or re-registered their businesses using the automated service.“We are providing more options for businesses to fulfil their obligation [to register online],” Sorasak said.
“Earlier, we partnered with major banks and we think our [automated registry service] can serve a large number of businesses already. But we are partnering with more banks because we want to provide even more options.”
Chhun Vattanak Phakdey, Wing’s enterprise business director, said his team was working actively on the project and that businesses would be able to make payments using Wing’s network of 4,000 agents nationwide before the end of the year.
“Our agents work seven days a week so this is very helpful for businesses,” he said. “They can manage their time and make payments whenever it is convenient.”
Keo Mom, president of Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA), said the addition of more third-party payment providers would encourage small businesses to register online.
“When more choices are offered, it encourages us to complete our duty without complications,” she said.
Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak signed a nondisclosure agreement yesterday with Kith Meng, Wing’s president and board director, to facilitate information exchange for the new partnership. The two parties intend to work together to connect their IT systems.
Wing follows three other banks – Acleda Bank, Canadia Bank and Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) – appointed by the ministry to handle payment processing for the online business registry platform launched last December.
Over 10,000 companies have incorporated or re-registered their businesses using the automated service.“We are providing more options for businesses to fulfil their obligation [to register online],” Sorasak said.
“Earlier, we partnered with major banks and we think our [automated registry service] can serve a large number of businesses already. But we are partnering with more banks because we want to provide even more options.”
Chhun Vattanak Phakdey, Wing’s enterprise business director, said his team was working actively on the project and that businesses would be able to make payments using Wing’s network of 4,000 agents nationwide before the end of the year.
“Our agents work seven days a week so this is very helpful for businesses,” he said. “They can manage their time and make payments whenever it is convenient.”
Keo Mom, president of Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA), said the addition of more third-party payment providers would encourage small businesses to register online.
“When more choices are offered, it encourages us to complete our duty without complications,” she said.
Cambodia's economic status raised to lower-middle income
The World Bank has officially revised the status of Cambodia’s
economy, moving it up a rung from the low-income bracket into
lower-middle income territory – a reclassification that economists
expect will lead to a scale-back of foreign aid and preferential trade
access over the coming years.
The transition became official on July 1 following the World Bank’s annual status revision of world economies, which is based on their estimated gross national income (GNI) per capita for the previous calendar year.
As per the World Bank’s criteria, low-income economies are defined as those with a GNI per capita of less than $1,025 in 2016, lower-middle-income countries are those between $1,026 and $4,035, and upper-middle-income economies are in the range of $4,037 to $12,745. High-income countries are defined as those with a GNI per capita above that level.
Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status came after its GNI per capita reached $1,020 in 2014 and was projected to surpass the lower-middle income bracket’s threshold in early 2015. The Kingdom was one of 10 countries reclassified by the World Bank this year, and one of only three – along with Georgia and Guyana – to move up the status ladder.
Cambodia shares its new status with 51 other economies, including India, Vietnam and the Philippines.
While the status upgrade is a point of pride for policymakers, indicating success in poverty alleviation programs and efforts to improve income levels, it is also a cause for consternation.
Cambodia’s low-income status made the country eligible for a bouquet of soft loans, grants and development packages, as well as highly favourable trade privileges. The revised income status is expected to result in a scaling back of these benefits, putting more impetus on the country to support its own development through trade and investment.
Curtis Chin, former US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and an inaugural Asia Fellow at the Milken Institute, said while Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status should be viewed positively as a sign of progress, it comes with its own set of challenges.
“Generally, Cambodia may expect to see a shift in the sort and amount of assistance it might receive from development agencies,” he noted.
For instance, the World Bank uses a country’s income bracket to determine its lending eligibility, including funding by the International Development Association (IDA), the bank’s fund for the poorest developing nations.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Kingdom’s biggest multilateral development partner, incorporates a similar GNI-based classification into its lending criteria. Last year, the Manila-based lender approved projects totalling $223.1 million, with 29 ongoing loans and 11 grants.
Neither the World Bank nor ADB were available for comment yesterday on how Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status would impact future funding. However, according to Chin, the reduction in donor assistance will be a gradual one and should be welcomed, not feared.
“The success of the Cambodian economy will be driven by the nation’s entrepreneurs and private sector, not by more [international donor] assistance,” he said. “Reliance on aid agencies is neither sustainable nor a good thing.”
The shift will coincide with a gradual loss of trade privileges. Among these are inclusion in the European Union’s Everything But Arms (EBA) policy, which grants least-developed countries (LDCs) duty-free and quota-free trade access to the world’s largest trading bloc.
Similarly, the broader Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) allows many Cambodian products to enter the US market duty-free and quota-free.
The trade privileges have allowed Cambodia’s key industries – agriculture and garments – to flourish.
Hiroshi Suzuki, chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said much of this duty-free access will dry up once Cambodia loses its designation as an LDC. However, the classification as an LDC is defined by the United Nations, not the World Bank.
According to Suzuki, the UN reviews Cambodia’s LDC designation every three years based on GNI per capita and two additional criteria that assess the country’s human assets and economic vulnerability. The earliest possible transition would be in 2018.
“There would be no chance for Cambodia to [lose its LDC status] in 2018, because it would not satisfy all three criteria,” he said. “It would be a challenge by 2021, but maybe by 2024 the UN would revise [its designation].”
George Edgar, ambassador of the European Union to Cambodia, said even when the Kingdom’s LDC status expires some years down the road the country will have a transitional period to adjust.
“Once a country is confirmed by the UN to have been removed from the LDC list, the country continues to enjoy EU’s EBA preferences for an additional three years, before it is upgraded to the standard GSP regime,” he said. “This allows a smooth progression to help mitigate possible trade flow shocks.”
Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak played down the impact of the World Bank’s revised designation of Cambodia’s economy, but said the Kingdom should use the ensuing years to prepare for the eventuality of losing its LDC status. He said Cambodia should maximise its utilisation of existing duty-free and quota-free trade agreements, while pushing to negotiate preferential trade agreements in other markets.
“The benefit of free trade is still available for us, but we should still try to negotiate with other trade partners such as Ukraine, Belarus and other Asian countries in order to find new markets for our industries.”
“There is still time for us to prepare, and I think that when we will graduate from LDC status in the future, we will be strong enough to stand by ourselves,” he said.
The transition became official on July 1 following the World Bank’s annual status revision of world economies, which is based on their estimated gross national income (GNI) per capita for the previous calendar year.
As per the World Bank’s criteria, low-income economies are defined as those with a GNI per capita of less than $1,025 in 2016, lower-middle-income countries are those between $1,026 and $4,035, and upper-middle-income economies are in the range of $4,037 to $12,745. High-income countries are defined as those with a GNI per capita above that level.
Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status came after its GNI per capita reached $1,020 in 2014 and was projected to surpass the lower-middle income bracket’s threshold in early 2015. The Kingdom was one of 10 countries reclassified by the World Bank this year, and one of only three – along with Georgia and Guyana – to move up the status ladder.
Cambodia shares its new status with 51 other economies, including India, Vietnam and the Philippines.
While the status upgrade is a point of pride for policymakers, indicating success in poverty alleviation programs and efforts to improve income levels, it is also a cause for consternation.
Cambodia’s low-income status made the country eligible for a bouquet of soft loans, grants and development packages, as well as highly favourable trade privileges. The revised income status is expected to result in a scaling back of these benefits, putting more impetus on the country to support its own development through trade and investment.
Curtis Chin, former US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and an inaugural Asia Fellow at the Milken Institute, said while Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status should be viewed positively as a sign of progress, it comes with its own set of challenges.
“Generally, Cambodia may expect to see a shift in the sort and amount of assistance it might receive from development agencies,” he noted.
For instance, the World Bank uses a country’s income bracket to determine its lending eligibility, including funding by the International Development Association (IDA), the bank’s fund for the poorest developing nations.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Kingdom’s biggest multilateral development partner, incorporates a similar GNI-based classification into its lending criteria. Last year, the Manila-based lender approved projects totalling $223.1 million, with 29 ongoing loans and 11 grants.
Neither the World Bank nor ADB were available for comment yesterday on how Cambodia’s graduation to lower-middle-income status would impact future funding. However, according to Chin, the reduction in donor assistance will be a gradual one and should be welcomed, not feared.
“The success of the Cambodian economy will be driven by the nation’s entrepreneurs and private sector, not by more [international donor] assistance,” he said. “Reliance on aid agencies is neither sustainable nor a good thing.”
The shift will coincide with a gradual loss of trade privileges. Among these are inclusion in the European Union’s Everything But Arms (EBA) policy, which grants least-developed countries (LDCs) duty-free and quota-free trade access to the world’s largest trading bloc.
Similarly, the broader Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) allows many Cambodian products to enter the US market duty-free and quota-free.
The trade privileges have allowed Cambodia’s key industries – agriculture and garments – to flourish.
Hiroshi Suzuki, chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said much of this duty-free access will dry up once Cambodia loses its designation as an LDC. However, the classification as an LDC is defined by the United Nations, not the World Bank.
According to Suzuki, the UN reviews Cambodia’s LDC designation every three years based on GNI per capita and two additional criteria that assess the country’s human assets and economic vulnerability. The earliest possible transition would be in 2018.
“There would be no chance for Cambodia to [lose its LDC status] in 2018, because it would not satisfy all three criteria,” he said. “It would be a challenge by 2021, but maybe by 2024 the UN would revise [its designation].”
George Edgar, ambassador of the European Union to Cambodia, said even when the Kingdom’s LDC status expires some years down the road the country will have a transitional period to adjust.
“Once a country is confirmed by the UN to have been removed from the LDC list, the country continues to enjoy EU’s EBA preferences for an additional three years, before it is upgraded to the standard GSP regime,” he said. “This allows a smooth progression to help mitigate possible trade flow shocks.”
Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak played down the impact of the World Bank’s revised designation of Cambodia’s economy, but said the Kingdom should use the ensuing years to prepare for the eventuality of losing its LDC status. He said Cambodia should maximise its utilisation of existing duty-free and quota-free trade agreements, while pushing to negotiate preferential trade agreements in other markets.
“The benefit of free trade is still available for us, but we should still try to negotiate with other trade partners such as Ukraine, Belarus and other Asian countries in order to find new markets for our industries.”
“There is still time for us to prepare, and I think that when we will graduate from LDC status in the future, we will be strong enough to stand by ourselves,” he said.
RCAF officials told to protect the gov’t
Security officials were again exhorted yesterday to protect the
“legitimate government” and block any “colour revolution” that
threatens it in a meeting of senior Royal Cambodian Armed Forces staff
to discuss work conducted over the first six months of the year.
According to a copy of Defence Minister Tea Banh’s speech, members of RCAF were admonished to fight against the destruction of natural resources including illegal logging and mining – and also to stymie attempts to topple the government, rhetoric that has become increasingly common as controversy has grown surrounding legal cases against opposition leaders, rights workers and others.
Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat said the closed-door meeting of about 100 senior RCAF officials was merely a routine gathering.
“It was just an overall reviewing of defence affairs in the first six months [of the year],” Socheat said. “The minister also called for the participants to be alert about a colour revolution, and to protect the legitimate government, the constitution and the King.”
The government has recently likened the ongoing “Black Monday” demonstrations – in which participants wear black to “mourn” the death of human rights and call for rights workers’ release – to a colour revolution, a term for largely nonviolent popular movements that have unseated autocratic governments.
According to a copy of Defence Minister Tea Banh’s speech, members of RCAF were admonished to fight against the destruction of natural resources including illegal logging and mining – and also to stymie attempts to topple the government, rhetoric that has become increasingly common as controversy has grown surrounding legal cases against opposition leaders, rights workers and others.
Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat said the closed-door meeting of about 100 senior RCAF officials was merely a routine gathering.
“It was just an overall reviewing of defence affairs in the first six months [of the year],” Socheat said. “The minister also called for the participants to be alert about a colour revolution, and to protect the legitimate government, the constitution and the King.”
The government has recently likened the ongoing “Black Monday” demonstrations – in which participants wear black to “mourn” the death of human rights and call for rights workers’ release – to a colour revolution, a term for largely nonviolent popular movements that have unseated autocratic governments.
Bribe to cut red tape lands Foreign Ministry official in court
A former Ministry of Foreign Affairs official appeared at the
Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday charged with misappropriation of
public funds.
The accused, Ear Sae, 42, was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Unit on March 31 for allegedly taking $1,000 to expediate paperwork for a Cambodian woman who represents a company that exports sports clothes to Brazil.
In order to protect her identity, the ACU did not release the name of the company and refered to her as “Sreyleak”, which is not her real name.
According to documents read in court, Sae agreed in January to speed up the process of processing Sreyleak’s export paperwork in exchange for $400.
However, his superior, Sok Khoeun, refused to give them the rubber stamp because they were not in order. This happened again in February, when the price allegedly rose to $700. However, no money had changed hands at that point.
On March 31, Sreyleak returned, this time with $1,000. Khoeun, who was not aware of the money, testified in court yesterday that he again declined approval. Sae said he did not demand the $1,000.
“[Sreyleak] begged me to help process the documents and put the money in a folder. I gave the documents and the money back, but she just left. Then the ACU arrested me,” he said.
Judge Heng Houth is expected to announce the verdict on July 27.
The accused, Ear Sae, 42, was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Unit on March 31 for allegedly taking $1,000 to expediate paperwork for a Cambodian woman who represents a company that exports sports clothes to Brazil.
In order to protect her identity, the ACU did not release the name of the company and refered to her as “Sreyleak”, which is not her real name.
According to documents read in court, Sae agreed in January to speed up the process of processing Sreyleak’s export paperwork in exchange for $400.
However, his superior, Sok Khoeun, refused to give them the rubber stamp because they were not in order. This happened again in February, when the price allegedly rose to $700. However, no money had changed hands at that point.
On March 31, Sreyleak returned, this time with $1,000. Khoeun, who was not aware of the money, testified in court yesterday that he again declined approval. Sae said he did not demand the $1,000.
“[Sreyleak] begged me to help process the documents and put the money in a folder. I gave the documents and the money back, but she just left. Then the ACU arrested me,” he said.
Judge Heng Houth is expected to announce the verdict on July 27.
Scuffles in latest round of ‘Black Monday’ protests
Nine weeks into the civil society-backed “Black Monday”
demonstrations, four participants from the Boeung Kak community received
minor injuries yesterday as they scuffled with Daun Penh district
security guards who were preventing them from protesting the arrest of current and former human rights activists.
A group of 50 Boeung Kak activists had gathered in their community at 9am to display banners and a black bamboo cage containing a person dressed in white – a symbolic stand-in for the jailed foursome – but was prevented from continuing the protest by about 20 security guards.
As the guards attempted to take away the posters and cage, a brawl ensued in which Bov Sorphea, Song Sreyleap, Bo Chorvy, and Kong Chantha sustained minor injuries.
“What we want is peace and social justice, so why are they [security forces] trying to do this to us? What they did was intentionally violent, so we cannot accept that,” said Bov Sorphea, who said she had a broken finger and a bruise under her right eye.
Kem Vutha, director of Daun Penh district’s security force, declined to comment on the incident, and City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada and Phnom Penh deputy governor Khuong Sreng could not be reached.
At about the same time as the Daun Penh protest, another group of some 20 former Boeung Kak land activists, wearing white attire, attempted to submit a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen seeking his intervention in the controversial cases, but were stopped by Por Sen Chey district authorities.
“We changed to white shirts to show Samdech [Hun Sen] that our intention is not for a colour revolution, but that we ask for the release of the human rights and NEC officials,” said activist Im Sreytouch.
A group of 50 Boeung Kak activists had gathered in their community at 9am to display banners and a black bamboo cage containing a person dressed in white – a symbolic stand-in for the jailed foursome – but was prevented from continuing the protest by about 20 security guards.
As the guards attempted to take away the posters and cage, a brawl ensued in which Bov Sorphea, Song Sreyleap, Bo Chorvy, and Kong Chantha sustained minor injuries.
“What we want is peace and social justice, so why are they [security forces] trying to do this to us? What they did was intentionally violent, so we cannot accept that,” said Bov Sorphea, who said she had a broken finger and a bruise under her right eye.
Kem Vutha, director of Daun Penh district’s security force, declined to comment on the incident, and City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada and Phnom Penh deputy governor Khuong Sreng could not be reached.
At about the same time as the Daun Penh protest, another group of some 20 former Boeung Kak land activists, wearing white attire, attempted to submit a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen seeking his intervention in the controversial cases, but were stopped by Por Sen Chey district authorities.
“We changed to white shirts to show Samdech [Hun Sen] that our intention is not for a colour revolution, but that we ask for the release of the human rights and NEC officials,” said activist Im Sreytouch.
Sokha’s appeal motion shot down by court
Sokha, who again chose not to appear before the court, was represented by five attorneys who put forth his case that the summonses Sokha received for ignoring other summonses relating to his alleged sex scandal were illegal.
However, following a three-hour session, the court denied the request and allowed the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to continue with its investigation into the case.
“The investigating judges considered [the case] and realised that the procedural process of the prosecutor and the investigating judge [in the lower court] is legally correct,” said judge Phu Povsun.
Sokha has ignored summonses relating to a $300,000 suit filed by his alleged mistress, Khom Chandaraty, and to allegations of “procurement of prostitution”. Though Sokha holds parliamentary immunity, the National Assembly considered the allegations “red-handed” crimes, allowing the lower court to proceed with criminal proceedings under a constitutional loophole.
Hem Socheat, one of Sokha’s attorneys, said that given the political nature of the case, he wasn’t surprised by the outcome, but said they would nonetheless appeal the decision. “The attorneys will consider filing a complaint to the Supreme Court for cancellation of these summonses,” he said.
“I observe that the court is not brave enough to make the [right] decision.”
Following a party permanent committee meeting yesterday, CNRP chief whip Son Chhay said the opposition had decided to send letters to the National Assembly and National Election Committee (NEC) asking for clarification on self-exiled party leader Sam Rainsy’s removal from parliament last November.
Chhay said the NEC needed to clarify why Rainsy was stripped of his lawmaker status following an arrest warrant over a long-dormant 2010 defamation conviction filed by ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong when he had been allowed to stand as a lawmaker in 2013. “If we base it on the [previous 2013] decision of the NEC, it means that His Excellency Sam Rainsy did not commit any crime in the past. We just want confirmation from them,” he said.
Koul Panha, head of election monitor Comfrel, said the NEC had made the determination as to whether Rainsy had a clean criminal record, and that if a conviction was pending against him, he shouldn’t have been allowed to contest.
“With the old NEC, they should not have allowed him to contest, but it was influenced by political parties,” he said, referring to the previous iteration of the election body, which was widely seen as a tool of ruling party before it was overhauled as a concession to the opposition after the 2013 elections. “When there was a political solution, they let him contest.”
The CNRP also resolved to push ahead for negotiations with the ruling CPP, a sentiment echoed by Sokha on Facebook. “We have already contacted the leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party, but we have not yet received a positive response,” he wrote.
In response, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said even if a formal request was made by the opposition, negotiations could not be held if they would influence court proceedings against CNRP and civil society members.
Married couple admit murdering wife’s lover
A husband and wife from Kandal’s Sa’ang district were charged
with murder yesterday after they allegedly killed the woman’s lover.
Sa’ang district police chief Seng Socheat said the suspects Khem Kheng, 29, and Chab Sokchoeun, 26, had a child together.
Socheat said that the pair confessed to killing the victim, Lai Lin, 27, because Kheng became jealous when Lin and Kheng’s wife began an affair last month and slept together twice. Kheng confessed that after witnessing Lin embracing and kissing Sokchoeun, he began to plot his rival’s death.
On June 23, Kheng allegedly instructed his wife to call the victim to their house and lay on the bed, waiting for him. When Lin arrived, Kheng allegedly attacked him with a hoe until he fell unconscious. He then grabbed a plastic tarpaulin, tightened it around the victim’s throat and strangled him to death.
The pair then allegedly dumped Lin’s body in a pond just 200 metres from their home. The floating body was discovered by a cattle herder nine days later, on July 2. Experts determined Lin had suffered strangulation, as well as cuts to the left ear, waist and head.
Kandal Provincial Court prosecutor Lem Sokunthea said the couple is now behind bars on charges of premeditated murder under Article 200 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment.
Sa’ang district police chief Seng Socheat said the suspects Khem Kheng, 29, and Chab Sokchoeun, 26, had a child together.
Socheat said that the pair confessed to killing the victim, Lai Lin, 27, because Kheng became jealous when Lin and Kheng’s wife began an affair last month and slept together twice. Kheng confessed that after witnessing Lin embracing and kissing Sokchoeun, he began to plot his rival’s death.
On June 23, Kheng allegedly instructed his wife to call the victim to their house and lay on the bed, waiting for him. When Lin arrived, Kheng allegedly attacked him with a hoe until he fell unconscious. He then grabbed a plastic tarpaulin, tightened it around the victim’s throat and strangled him to death.
The pair then allegedly dumped Lin’s body in a pond just 200 metres from their home. The floating body was discovered by a cattle herder nine days later, on July 2. Experts determined Lin had suffered strangulation, as well as cuts to the left ear, waist and head.
Kandal Provincial Court prosecutor Lem Sokunthea said the couple is now behind bars on charges of premeditated murder under Article 200 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment.
Man ‘accidentally’ kills wife while cleaning gun
A man was arrested on Sunday in Kampong Thom province’s Prasat
Balang district after allegedly accidentally shooting his wife to death
while cleaning a homemade air rifle before going hunting, police said
yesterday.
District police chief of staff Nuon Kumnit yesterday identified the man as 21-year-old farmer Toeun Rom, and the victim as 20-year-old Yong Toeu. Kumnit said Rom told police he had been cleaning the air gun when the gun accidentally discharged, firing a projectile into Toeu’s throat as she slept in a nearby hammock.
Toeu died immediately. “At the moment, the suspect has been [preliminarily] charged with unintentional murder, and the evidence was impounded,” she added. “The suspect was sent to the Kampong Thom Provincial Court for further procedures.”
District police chief of staff Nuon Kumnit yesterday identified the man as 21-year-old farmer Toeun Rom, and the victim as 20-year-old Yong Toeu. Kumnit said Rom told police he had been cleaning the air gun when the gun accidentally discharged, firing a projectile into Toeu’s throat as she slept in a nearby hammock.
Toeu died immediately. “At the moment, the suspect has been [preliminarily] charged with unintentional murder, and the evidence was impounded,” she added. “The suspect was sent to the Kampong Thom Provincial Court for further procedures.”
Nigerian arrested with meth gets eight years
A Nigerian who described himself as a footballer was yesterday
sentenced in Phnom Penh Municipal Court to eight years’ jail and fined
40 million riel (about $10,000) for drug trafficking. Francis Ihenwe
Oderah, 30, had 100 grams of meth in his possession when he was arrested
in Phnom Penh’s Choam Chao commune in January.
During his hearing on June 7, the accused admitted having acted as a delivery man, but said he was not a dealer. It also was revealed that the meth he was carrying had a purity of about 72 per cent.
Oderah will carry out his sentence in Prey Sar prison, where he has been detained since his arrest in January.
Judge Svay Tonh also ruled that three phones and a passport taken from the defendant upon his arrest would be returned. Oderah refused to comment when asked about the verdict on his way out of court.
During his hearing on June 7, the accused admitted having acted as a delivery man, but said he was not a dealer. It also was revealed that the meth he was carrying had a purity of about 72 per cent.
Oderah will carry out his sentence in Prey Sar prison, where he has been detained since his arrest in January.
Judge Svay Tonh also ruled that three phones and a passport taken from the defendant upon his arrest would be returned. Oderah refused to comment when asked about the verdict on his way out of court.
Bus, van crashes highlight road safety concerns
Two major road accidents involving more than 50 passengers resulted in serious injuries to three in Phnom Penh and Svay Rieng province yesterday.
Thirty-seven passengers, including a number of foreign tourists, sustained minor injuries when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and flipped onto its side near Svay Rieng’s Svay Chrum market.
The Mekong Express bus was shuttling passengers from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City.
“After inspecting the site, the bus was severely damaged, but the passengers had only minor injuries,” said Ouch Saron, the province’s police chief.
He said the bus driver fled the scene after the accident, a typical occurrence in these situations, and that the police had yet to determine the cause of the crash.
“We could not find the driver for interrogation to assess the reason behind this accident, but according to the driver’s assistant, the driver was sleepy,” he added.
However, Taing Tha Hapisey, personal assistant to Mekong Express’s director, said she did not believe the driver had fallen asleep, given that he was a good driver and had a clean track record over his 15 years of service. “We can know the truth only after checking the monitoring devices equipped on our vehicles,” she said, referring to GPS trackers and security cameras on their vehicles.
Once the company was informed that the passengers weren’t seriously injured, they sent another vehicle to pick them up and continue them on their journey.
“The company is sorry and asks for understanding from all the passengers who are affected by this accident,” she added.
In a separate accident, a minivan carrying 15 passengers to Kampot province was hit in a head-on collision by a truck carrying sand, seriously injuring three, including the van’s driver.
Choem Sitha, Dangkor district police chief, said the accident occurred on National Road 3 in the province’s Pong Toek commune. He said it seemed like the truck was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it hit the oncoming van.
“The traffic accident was caused by the driver of the sand truck, because he overtook [a vehicle] carelessly and veered into the lane of vehicle [minivan],” Sitha said, adding that the truck driver was, like his counterpart in Svay Rieng, at large.
Of the 16 passengers in the van, eight, including three who sustained serious head and leg injuries, were taken to the Preah Kusamak Hospital, while the remaining seven, including five children, were taken to National Pediatric Hospital, he said. One passenger who wasn’t injured left the scene of the crash on a moto taxi.
Khem Korn, 44, who was taking his wife back to Kampot after receiving treatment in Phnom Penh for a broken leg, said he had broken his left leg and his wife, one of the seriously injured trio, had suffered injuries to her head and legs.
“I passed out when the crash happened. I was seated behind the car driver,” he said. “I woke up to find that my leg was broken, and then someone pulled me out.”
Kampot resident Hout Vun, who received only minor injuries to his leg, said the van was travelling on the right side of the road when the truck attempted to overtake another vehicle.
“I saw it lose control, and then the crash happened,” he added.
Ear Chariya, director of the Institute for Road Safety, said there were few regulations for transportation companies, but that implementation was far from satisfactory.
He said the government needed to take steps to curb traffic accidents, one of the leading causes of deaths in Cambodia, by checking driver licences, conducting spot checks for vehicle safety and enforcing a crackdown on speeding.
“The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation used to conduct fleet training for transport companies, but conducted it three times in 2012 and not after that,” he added, adding that such efforts need to be sustained.
Those inspections came in the wake of a spate of well-publicised crashes that year.
UNESCO push will clear villagers off of Kulen Mountain
Hundreds of villagers living on Siem Reap’s historic Phnom Kulen are reeling after the government announced they would be relocated as part of a scheme to secure a UNESCO World Heritage Listing for the site.
Poung Lyna, the head of the Siem Reap environment department, yesterday confirmed the news villagers received over the weekend. “About 300 families, most of which are army and newcomers’ families who live near the Preah Ang Thom area on Kulen Mountain, will be relocated to a new place soon as their presence is affecting the environment of the national park,” Lyna said.
However, he added that those who had “lived there a long time” – upwards of 20 years – would not be moved. But uncertainty shrouds the ministry’s plans, with Lyna admitting he did not know when the villagers would be moved, or to where. However, he claimed it would be near their former homes.
“They will maybe be moved to the foot of the mountain, and we might give them a piece of land larger than what they currently have,” he said, making no mention of monetary compensation. “We will move their houses, but we will keep their businesses on the mountain untouched.”
Lyna added that tourism amenities such as food stalls on the mountain would also be upgraded as part of the plan.
The impetus for the plan was a recent request, made by the Environment Ministry to the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), to develop a master plan for the management of the national park site in a bid to put it on the World Heritage List – a task that would require limiting the number of villagers, Lyna said.
Resident Chhin Vanny, 43, who has lived at the site since 2000, said the distance from his current home to the foot of the mountain was about 20 kilometres. “I will not go anywhere. I just want to live here,” Vanny said.
“We are very upset as we did not cut down the trees, we did not make any problems for the park; we just lived there with nature to sell some souvenirs to tourists.”
But one resident, 53-year-old Khev Kheng, who has lived there for a decade, said he would reluctantly relocate if it would benefit the park.
“I have lived here a long time already, so I do not want to leave. But if they really need me to move, I hope the new location will not make it difficult to live,” he said.
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