Cambodia in brief: November 3, 2016

Dredging for answers
An official at the Ministry of Mines and Energy yesterday acknowledged that smuggling and illegal mining, as well as corruption or tax fraud, may have contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of discrepancies in data on sand exports to Singapore.

French responsible for Viet migration, says Hun Sen
Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday he was not responsible for the presence of Vietnamese people in Cambodia, explaining that many immigrants put down roots here after the French colonial authorities brought them in to work on their rubber plantations.

Defence video a no-show for Lany
The trial of opposition Senator Thak Lany concluded yesterday with her defence failing to produce a video it had said would disprove allegations she publicly accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of involvement in the murder of political analyst Kem Ley.

Sovann's body in capital
The body of former prime minister Pen Sovann arrived at Phnom Penh's Wat Than pagoda yesterday, with opposition officials and representatives of his family set for a meeting at City Hall today to push the case to cremate him at Wat Botum park.

Bancassurance has room to grow
The bancassurance model, while still relatively undeveloped in Cambodia, has huge potential to drive the growth of the insurance sector, financial industry specialists said during a conference in Phnom Penh yesterday.

CNRP again points to National Assembly return
After months of boycotting the National Assembly, the Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmakers will join an Assembly plenary session on November 20, opposition chief whip Son Chhay said yesterday.

Spectrum licences up for grabs
The government announced yesterday that it will hold its first public auction for 4G spectrum frequencies, with two licences up for bid on frequencies reassigned after their original licence-holders failed to utilise them.

Sovannara suit in US has no authority over gov't: lawyer
Cambodia's government has chosen to ignore a lawsuit lodged against it in the United States by the California-based family of imprisoned opposition figure and dual US-Cambodian citizen Meach Sovannara, a lawyer in the case said yesterday.

Answers sought for gov't use of force
Families of protesters shot dead by security forces on Veng Sreng Boulevard in 2014 yesterday joined with other alleged victims of government violence in calling for justice in their cases.

Police accused of dispersing locals
Locals yesterday accused commune police of breaking up a gathering of 12 villagers at Memot pagoda in Tbong Khmum's Memot commune on Tuesday, though authorities maintained they had merely questioned the group to "maintain security and stability".

Suspicious smokes seized in Kampot
Authorities yesterday seized over a hundred cartons of 555 brand cigarettes carrying neither warning labels nor import seals from two shops in Kampot town.

Knowledge of Sao Phim coup denied
Prosecutors at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday questioned a former Khmer Rouge medic and relative of former East Zone secretary Sao Phim in an effort to debunk the defence's argument that the secretary plotted against Pol Pot.

Gov't body eyes clash of rights, development
The National Council for Sustainable Development is creating a policy to prevent human rights violations and to reduce the environmental impact of development projects, deputy general director Ken Sereyrotha announced yesterday at a workshop on human rights and agribusiness hosted by NGO Forum.

Mines staffer called in for questioning
The Anti-Corruption Unit yesterday confirmed that it was questioning a mines and energy official from Preah Vihear province in a case relating to corruption.

Worker transport crashes
More than 70 garment workers were injured yesterday in Svay Rieng province's Bavet town when the open truck in which they were travelling crashed into a container truck.

Study queries effects of Kingdom on expat kids
Aid and development professionals moving their families to Cambodia may hope that the experience will foster a sense of open-mindedness and societal responsibility in their children, but a new study suggests otherwise.

'Spirit' initially blamed for shoe factory fainting
The Ministry of Labour's National Social Security Fund (NSSF) yesterday took to Facebook to cite a "spirit" as the cause of a mass fainting at a Kampong Speu shoe factory, before later revising the cause to "poor health and imagination".

T-Shop eyeing growth with plan for IPO
T-shop Cambodia, a Phnom-Penh based electronics distributor, is planning an aggressive push into the provinces through company-owned and franchise outlets, and will look to raise capital for expansion by offering shares on the local stock exchange, the company's CEO said yesterday.

Emerald hopes to draw first gold by end of 2018
Australian mining firm Emerald Resources expects to complete a definitive feasibility study for its Okvau gold project in Mondulkiri province by early next year, with gold production to commence by the end of 2018, according to an investor presentation released yesterday.

CRF hails fee reduction on rice container scans
Reduced government fees on mandatory scanning of rice container shipments, which went into effect this week, will shave a few dollars off each shipment, helping rice producers lower costs in a highly competitive international market.

Tobacco turns over a new leaf
Agriculture officials and struggling smallholder tobacco farmers are cautiously hopeful that tariff exemptions granted under a new trade agreement with Vietnam will lift sagging demand for their crops.