Map Ta Phut progress

Temporary screening body to start soon

The government offered assurances yesterday that the suspended industrial projects at Map Ta Phut would be able to proceed by October.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also expressed confidence that a temporary independent organisation to screen the projects would be ready to start work this month.

Section 67 of the 2007 Constitution requires an independent to screen new industrial projects classified as potentially harmful to the environment and public health. Projects on the so-called harmful list must conduct environmental impact and heath impact assessments (EIA and HIA) and hold public hearings.

The premier made remark after the Stop Global Warming Association petitioned the Administrative Court to block the establishment of the temporary screening body, saying it was unconstitutional.

The non-governmental organisation said the temporary committee did not comply with Section 67 (2) because it would be established by using the authority of the Office of the Prime Minister. However, the court dismissed the petition.

The group was among those that successfully petitioned the Administrative Court to suspend 76 industrial ventures last September.

Mr Abhisit yesterday discussed progress on the Map Ta Phut legal impasse with officials of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, and the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB).

"Over the past months, the government has put the highest efforts into solving the problems and so far we are trying to tackle the key point, the independent body, because if we cannot establish it we cannot get investment to proceed," said Korbsak Sabhavasu, the secretary-general to the prime minister.

The temporary organisation would operate for two years or until a permanent independent organisation is set up.

Mr Korbsak said the list of harmful industries that will require EIA and HIA reports was also likely to be finalised next month. Industrialists have complained that some of those listed should be removed because they do not harm the environment of public health.

The Administrative Court last year ordered the suspension of 76 industrial projects, many belonging to large industrial companies such as the PTT Group and Siam Cement Group, because of the failure of state agencies to comply with Section 67.

Subsequent court appeals by the owners of some of the project owners have brought the number of suspended projects down to 46, including some projects that have been halted voluntarily by the decision of the companies.

Nine out of 46 projects have received court approval to complete construction. However, they would need to petition again for approval to begin operations after the construction complete.

Another 11 projects are seen as not being subject to the court orders as their EIAs were approved before the 2007 Constitution took effect. Therefore, the government and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand allowed them to go ahead without seeking court permission.

The remaining 26 projects are still seeking ways to present evidence to support their petitions to continue.

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Environmentalist Warns Against Mekong Dams

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington
02 April 2010

With the Mekong River experiencing its lowest water levels in decades, a Cambodian environmentalist says the country should not jump into constructing hydroelectric dams but should instead consider alternative energy.

The construction of Mekong dams in countries above Cambodia has already had an impact on Cambodians who rely on the river, Tep Bunnarith, executive director of the Cultural and Environmental Preservation Association, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.

“People are facing a lot of difficulties due to the development of the Mekong basin, mainly related to hydropower construction and diversion of water for irrigation,” he said.

Southern China is undergoing a prolonged drought that has dried up rice fields and left tens of thousands of people short of water. Meanwhile, farmers and fishermen in other Mekong countries have lashed out at China for its construction of four hydro-dams on the river.

Leaders from the Mekong basin are due to meet in Thailand the weekend to discuss the drought and other issues.

“Climate change and the construction of these dams are the main factors causing the low water levels,” Tep Bunnarith said.

A senior government official told “Hello VOA” the levels of the Mekong were part of a cycle, one that played out in 1992 and 1998, when water was at similar levels—with no dams constructed.

But the official, Sin Niny, vice chairman of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, did say that reservoirs in Laos and China had insufficient water under the drought.

“That’s why they have to use water reserved during the rainy season for hydropower generation,” Sin Niny said. “This is the reason why water flowing to the lower Mekong has decreased.”

Tep Bunnarith said that if the trend continues, it will hurt this year’s fish catch, a main source of protein for many Cambodians, especially the rural poor.

Instead, the government should consider renewable energy like solar, wind and bio-fuels to help power the many areas still off the national power grid, he said.

“We have to think: if the need for energy consumption in a local area is so big that we have to build a big dam across the river, this will affect people’s livelihood,” he said.

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Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Man Without Borders

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
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300,000 H1N1 Vaccinations Underway

By Win Thida, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
02 April 2010

Health officials are wrapping up an initial round of vaccinations against the H1N1 virus, administering hundreds of thousands of shots in Phnom Penh and three provinces since March 24.

Officials said they expect to give out 300,000 shots in the capital and the provinces of Kandal, Kampong Cham and Kampng Chhnang.

H1N1, sometimes called swine flu, has killed six Cambodians since its onset.

The vaccinations, which began March 24, are the first portion of an estimated 1.5 million doses, provided by the French government and aimed mainly at children and pregnant women.

“The vaccinations will begin again from May to July to vaccinate people in 20 [remaining] provinces,” Sun Chan Soeun, director of the national vaccination program, said.

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Please crash my wedding day, Cambodians say

A Cambodian couple poses for their wedding day photo. Huge marriage celebrations with hundreds of people are normal here, and even newly arrived foreigners can find themselves attending numerous weddings. (Photo: Julie Masis)

In Cambodia, strict social norms about marriage and a high percentage of youths adds up to a lot of wedding day celebrations. They're often seen as a way to raise cash, so everyone is invited.

April 2, 2010
By Julie Masis, Correspondent
The Christian Science Monitor
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Westerners who move to Cambodia are likely to find themselves invited to more weddings than they would be back home. While traveling by motorcycle on a rural road for a half-hour on a recent Saturday afternoon, I passed at least five wedding tents. They are easy to spot – decorated with pink curtains, ribbons tied around chairs, and the names of the bride and groom engraved above the gate.

Hart Feuer, a researcher who has lived in the country for a year, says he has attended at least 15 weddings – including some with more than 1,000 guests and meals served in shifts.

Why so many weddings? It might have something to do with the fact that 64 percent of Cambodians are under the age of 30. And it is culturally unacceptable for Cambodian men and women to live together before marriage, says Rabbi Bentche Butman, who runs the Jewish Center of Cambodia. Another reason is financial. When attending a wedding, it is customary to give money – approximately $20. Because of that, hosts invite many people, and sometimes even people whom they have never met.

Un Chanta, a cook, recently invited all of the employees at her company to her daughter’s wedding – including some foreigners who had arrived in Cambodia just days before.

“It’s prestigious to have a Westerner at your wedding,” says Naomi Robinson, the managing editor of Cambodia-based magazine AsiaLIFE Guide. “And also you’re expected to give money – and if you’re a Westerner, you’re expected to give more.”

Whatever the reason, the enormous number of weddings can be a financial burden.

Phnom Penh college student Dorn Phok, whose monthly salary is $100, was invited to five weddings in February, of which he attended three, but sent money to all.

“When I get married," he says, "I want to make a big wedding to follow Khmer traditions and because everyone owes me money."

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Meeting on Mekong water resources kicks off in Thailand amid tight security

HUA HIN, Thailand, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River Commission (MRC) International Conference started here on Friday under the theme of "Transboundary Water Resources Management in a Changing World."

The first Mekong River Commission Summit opens in Hua Hin, Thailand, April 2, 2010, featuring "Transboundary Water Resources Management in a Changing World". (Xinhua/Shi Xianzhen)

The conference, attended by senior officials from member countries in the Lower Mekong basin, will discuss water resources development and management on the Mekong River.

Solutions from the meeting will be forwarded to leaders of the member countries including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in the MRC Summit, the Thai News Agency reported.

The meetings have been hosted in Thailand's central resort town of Cha Am and Hua Hin amid tight security as Major General Dithaporn Sasasamit, the spokesman of Thailand's Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) said earlier that some 8,660 security men would be deployed to ensure security.

The security operations have been managed under the enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA), which is enforced in four sub- districts of Hua Hin district in Prachuab Khiri Khan province and two other sub-districts of Cha Am district in Petchburi province.

Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon is scheduled to arrive at the meetings' venue on Friday afternoon to inspect and supervise security operations.

The MRC international conference will be held till Saturday, and after that the first MRC summit will kick off on April 4, lasting two days.

The summit is going to discuss a wide range of challenges facing the Mekong basin, including the long-term climate change.

The meetings are held as the water level in the Mekong River has recently dropped dramatically, the worst in 50 years, affecting local people.

The MRC Summit will be attended by leaders from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, including an representative from China as observer.

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Cambodia debates foreign property ownership

April 2 2010
By Elaine Moore in Phnom Penh
Financial Times

Cambodia is hoping to court international investment by relaxing laws on property ownership by foreigners in a bid to counter property prices that have fallen as much as 40 per cent in the wake of the global recession.

Cambodia’s draft law – which echoes an Indonesian move this week to review foreign ownership rules to draw investors to its property market – is currently under discussion at the National Assembly and would allow non-nationals to fully own residential apartments on the first floor and above for the first time.

The first-floor rule, which is also likely to be part of the Indonesian review, skirts sensitive political and legal issues.

The topic of land and property ownership is particularly sensitive in Cambodia where all land deeds were destroyed by the communist Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Proprietary disputes are frequent as a result.

While resorts such as Phuket and Bali remain the most popular destinations for foreigners looking to purchase a holiday home in south-east Asia, Cambodia’s lawmakers hope that deregulation will lead to increased foreign investment in the country and help to pick the Cambodian property market out of the doldrums.

Unrestricted ownership of property by foreigners is uncommon in south-east Asia. In Thailand foreigners are permitted to own a condominium as long as the total foreign ownership of the building does not exceed 49 per cent.

However, investors interested in property in countries such as Laos and Vietnam can only purchase leases. In Cambodia, foreigners can either lease property or they can choose to set up a purchasing landholding company with a national citizen in which they have a minority shareholding.

But with property prices under pressure across Asia, a number of countries have begun to consider liberalising property laws to encourage greater overseas interest.

In November 2009, Vietnam clarified its foreign investment laws, which allow non-residents to lease apartments for up to 50 years.

Edwin Vanderbruggen, director of tax advisory group DFDL Mekong, said the changes to Cambodia’s property law would make it an attractive prospect in the region.

Daniel Parkes, Cambodian manager of property advisors CB Richard Ellis, which recently opened its first Cambodian office, said that new developments along the pristine beaches of Cambodia’s so-called Indochina Riviera, including islands such as Koh Rong, could be among the beneficiaries of the law change.

The country experienced a real estate boom between 2006 and 2008, when prices in some areas of the capital city, Phnom Penh, rose tenfold. The subsequent recession pushed prices down by up to 40 per cent and the situation has now stabilised, according to Mr Sung Bonna, chief executive of Bonna Realty Group, the largest estate agent in Cambodia.

Residential property in Phnom Penh’s French colonial centre costs on average $1,600 per square metre, while prime locations fetch around $2,700 per square metre.

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