Cambodia in brief: November 8, 2016

Senator Sok Hour given seven years for forgery and incitement
After a detention and trial period of 450 days, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour to seven years in prison for displaying a “fake” border treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam on Facebook.

Voter registration drive falls behind schedule
Voter registration has fallen far behind schedule over the past two weeks, with enrolment dropping to just 30,000 a day from a target of 100,000, according to official figures, leaving more than 2 million Cambodians at risk of not registering to vote in time.

Praise of Donald Trump not an endorsement, says PM
In a clarification unlikely to affect today’s United States presidential election, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday said his recent praise for Republican candidate Donald Trump was not an endorsement.

A tighter race to deliver money
When Srey Ka enlisted as a Wing agent in 2013, business was brisk, with several hundred customers visiting her small stall near Kabko Market each day to transfer money to their relatives in the provinces. Back then, Wing was the only game in town. But in the last two years, at least five rival agent-based money transfer networks have entered the arena, some offering lower fees than Wing, and all competing for the same customers.

UN backs local OHCHR office in dispute
The United Nations is standing behind Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country representative Wan-Hea Lee after a letter signed by Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon accused her of failing to respect Cambodia’s sovereignty.

Questions raised over Apsara Authority's decision to fell tree
A 100-year-old rosewood tree felled by the Apsara Authority after it was found partially cut was impounded by the Forestry Administration in Siem Reap on Sunday, with a forestry official and an activist questioning the necessity of the move.

Industrial park aims for SME segment
WorldBridge International Group will sink $25 million into developing an industrial park for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kandal province after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts on Friday, the company’s chairman said yesterday.

Elderly man charged for alleged child sex crimes
The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court yesterday charged a 72-year-old man for allegedly sexually abusing two girls, aged 9 and 11, in Poipet town, and offering them money for sex.

Ethnic minority representatives call for Mondulkiri official’s ouster
Thirty-five ethnic minority representatives yesterday delivered a petition bearing 555 thumbprints to the Mondulkiri provincial governor, asking him to replace the director of the rural development department because he wasn’t serving the best interests of ethnic minorities.

Funding a priority at COP22 climate conference
A Cambodian delegation arrived in Morocco yesterday for the start of the COP22 international climate change conference armed with reasons why the country should receive international funding to fight global warming.

Garment workers urged to boost sector’s productivity
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday urged garment workers to improve their productivity in order to prevent factories from closing shop and moving to such countries as Laos, Bangladesh and Myanmar, all of which have lower minimum wages.

Disabled call for city bus accessibility
Participants at a discussion on people with disabilities’ access to infrastructure and transportation yesterday called for accessibility measures to be put into place for the capital’s public bus system.

Teams challenge each other’s key documents at KRT
Parties at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday sparred over documentary evidence regarding Democratic Kampuchea’s conflict with Vietnam, with both sides attempting to contextualise or discredit documents presented by the opposition.

Drone sent up in search for suspects in capital killing
Police yesterday deployed a camera-equipped drone to inspect a forest where two suspected thieves fled after allegedly killing a military police officer in Por Sen Chey district on Sunday, but were unable to find the suspects.

Timber transporter killed in accident
A 37-year-old timber smuggler died early on Sunday in Mondulkiri province’s Keo Seima district after an accident caused the contraband wood he was hauling home on his motorbike to crush his neck.

Cleaver-wielding monk defrocked, imprisoned
An 18-year-old novice monk was yesterday charged with intentional violence and sent to Kampong Thom Provincial Prison after attacking a fellow novice with a cleaver on Sunday.

New JICA-funded traffic lights going up around city
Phnom Penh’s traffic lights will by mid-2017 no longer feature the presently ubiquitous countdown timer, with the replacement of the city’s 69 fixed signals with 100 new models controlled by officials in a central command centre now underway, an official said yesterday.

High schools to develop ASEAN tourism skills
The ministries of tourism and education have agreed to set up a joint committee to work on the development of materials for vocational training of “ASEAN Tourism Professionals” to be integrated into the high-school curriculum, a government official said yesterday.

Local MFI relaunched after South Korean buyout
Cambodia's booming microfinance sector continues to attract international investors, with a South Korean financial institution the latest to buy out one of the Kingdom’s myriad microlenders.