AROUND CAMBODIA THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVEL BLOGGERS

Thinking of places to visit in 2017? Here’s a list of 10 blogs about traveling in Cambodia. With this list, you’ll get to know 10 travel bloggers who share their journeys and experiences. They go to places (some you may have never been to) and write about their travel experience, tips, and advices. These 10 travel blogs will be your good read and inspiration.

Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace – photo: Tharum Bun

1.

Ayana Journeys – A blog by a responsible travel company
Last year I met Ayana Journeys team when they took a group of university students from Japan to visit and learn about technology and innovation in Phnom Penh. One of the latest posts on Ayana Journeys’s blog I like is this one: Transformative travel, which Amy McLoughlin described that “Travellers feel that their life has been improved by this experience; lasting memories have been created, and travellers feel more connected to and empathetic towards a global community.”

2.

When In Phnom Penh – Do as Cambodians do!
When you’re in Phnom Penh, you always want to get the most of out of your time to experience and explore some of the most interesting things and places like the locals. With a network of Cambodian bloggers and contributors, When In Phnom Penh blog provides local insights into the trend of cafes, restaurants, and places.

3.

Mad Monkey South East Asia Travel Blog
This blog is not about hostels. While you can find some practical guide for backpackers in Battambang, the blog also covers other cities and best spots in Southeast Asia.

4.

Rusty Compass – Blog Tales from the road
Rusty Compass covers Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. I’ve never been to Sapa in Vietnam. But this blog post, Village walks around Sapa, Vietnam (with video), is just amazing.

5.

Blue Lady Blog – A lifestyle blog by a Cambodian blogger Kounila Keo
A blogger friend of mine started her popular since 2007. She’s been invited to stay at luxury hotels and dine at restaurants. In addtion to this, she’s also a jetsetter, hopping from one flight to another to visit places and share those travel notes with the world.

6.

Hands on Journeys – Share our journey through stories and travel tips
This travel agency’s blog offers some interesting stories and travel tips. This blog post argues “Why we shouldn’t give up on supporting Orphanages.”

7.

Hanuman Travel blog – Travel with a personal touch
I learned about this Huanuman Blog since it was launched in 2009. This blog reviews accommodations and discusses local travel news:Cambodia’s Sam Veasna Center a finalist for 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards.

8.

Travel Chameleon – A Travel Lifestyle that suits anyone
The blogger describes herself as a Malaysian working in Cambodia. She also has “a big heart on traveling.” She has been to 26 countries and counting. In August, she also wrote a nice review about BookMeBus.

9.

Move to Cambodia
Almost any travelers who set their foot on Cambodian soil, they may have visited Move to Cambodia. The blog/book author is Lina Goldberg, a freelance writer who travels extensively around every corner of Cambodia. So there isn’t much to describe her blog here. But it’s worth to mention BookMeBus is fortunate to have Move to Cambodia as one of the affiliates. So if you’ve got a travel blog, you can also join our affiliate program here.

10.

Cambodia Explorer Blog
This blog is quite new and rare. The blog author is Sanya, who described himself as 100% Khmer, who’s born and raised in Cambodia. If you’re looking for perfect places to eat, I’d suggest you visit Sanya’s blog!

DECEMBER 5, 2016 BYTHARUM FROM BOOKMEBUS BLOG

The ICC-OTP’s November 2016 Report on Preliminary Examination Activities: Part II – Situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine

In this post I will focus on the situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine. I will explore the pros and cons of investigations against non-signatory states that are also permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council (P5 member states) and are unlikely to allow their nationals to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

 Situation in Afghanistan

The situation in Afghanistan examines the alleged crimes committed during the armed conflict between the Afghan Government supported by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF – first established by the UN Security Council, and later under NATO command) and the United States (US) forces on one side, and anti-Government forces (particularly the Taliban, and other groups) on the other side.1 The conflict broke out in late 2001, triggered by the attacks of 9/11 (September 11, 2001). A US-led coalition launched air strikes and military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. After Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011, NATO gradually withdrew its forces. By 2014, the international forces supporting the Afghan Government ended their combat missions, but some forces remain for training, advisory, and assistance purposes.2

Cambodia, China to hold exercises

Chinese-donated trucks arrive in Cambodia ahead of a joint military exercise in Kampong Speu tomorrow. Photo supplied

A major eight-day military exercise between Cambodian and Chinese troops will commence today at the Thlok Tasek Military Institute in Kampong Speu’s Phnom Sruoch district.

Code named “Golden Dragon”, the manoeuvres will see soldiers from the two countries participating in myriad exercises including emergency road repairs and construction, landmine detection and destruction, natural disaster medical treatment, dam building and flood relief.

“The Chinese side will send 97 personnel, mainly from the army troops of the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command . . . the Cambodian side will send 280 personnel,” Yang Yujin, spokesman for China’s Defence Ministry, said earlier this month.

“The joint exercise is aimed at strengthening bilateral coordination and cooperation in joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations,” Yang added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Cambodian senior military official said the exercise “will not use any real bullets”. Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat could not be reached yesterday.

Thu, 15 December 2016

Joey Chua Xue Ting and Vong Sokheng l the Phnom Penh Post

Expert denies possibility of extra remains at grave

Voeun Vuthy testifies in front of the ECCC yesterday. ECCC

A conspiracy theory that Vietnamese communist soldiers could have planted additional skulls and bones at the Choeung Ek killing field was floated at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday, only to be quickly derided by both the prosecution and an expert witness.

In a hypothetical quickly denounced as “absurd” by the prosecution, Nuon Chea’s defence lawyer Victor Koppe put a question to expert Voeun Vuthy, who conducted a forensic study on skulls at the site.

Could Vuthy’s stu-dy, Koppe asked, rule out the possibility that Vietnamese troops – who had killed and buried Lon Nol soldiers prior to 1975 and were later involved in excavating mass graves of Khmer Rouge victims in the 1980s – have added the Lon Nol human remains to those found at Choeung Ek.

Surrogacy law meeting set for early ’17 – ‘maybe’

A surrogate in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district earlier this year. Eli Lillis

After more than three months of controversy and the arrest of three surrogacy agents last month, an inter-ministerial committee to draft legislation on commercial surrogacy still has yet to be formed and will not meet until 2017, a Ministry of Women’s Affairs official confirmed yesterday.

“We just sent a letter to each ministry asking them to send a representative to develop the law,” ministry spokesman Phon Puthborey said. “After we get the people, we’ll hold a meeting, maybe at the beginning of 2017.”

Puthborey said his ministry would not single-handedly draft the new law, which the government says will ban surrogacy outright. Instead, it will coordinate with the ministries of justice, health, social affairs, interior and foreign affairs.

“Every ministry has its own responsibility and a mandate according to its portfolio,” he explained. “We can also recruit other agencies and experts according to our needs. ”Puthborey said his ministry will focus specifically on protecting the women and children embroiled in the industry.

On Tuesday, the National Committee for Counter Trafficking’s Chou Bun Eng, who has called on intended parents and surrogates to make themselves known, reiterated that surrogate mothers will not face punitive measures.

Nevertheless, at least one pregnant surrogate confirmed she does not plan to come forward. “As long as I get my stipend, I don’t want to present myself to the authorities.”

Thu, 15 December 2016

Cristina Maza and Kong Meta l the Phnom Penh Post

Tourism officials lay out plans for schools

Thu, 15 December 2016

Cheng Sokhorng l the Phnom Penh Post

Tourism Ministry officials outlined plans yesterday for two new vocational training facilities for the country’s growing tourism sector. Try Chhiv, deputy director general of the Ministry of Tourism, said the government will build the first school in Phnom Penh with a capacity of 1,000 students, while the second will be built in Sihanoukville for 300 students.

He added that the project was made possible thanks to an $11.7 million dollar loan from the French government. “We are now preparing construction plans and we expect the schools to be finished by the end of 2018 and for the training of students to start at the beginning of 2019,” he said, adding that a contractor for the project had not yet been selected.

The schools will focus on three areas of vocational training, preparing students to work as travel agency employees, tour guides and hotel services specialists, Chhiv said. He said the aim was to raise the skills standard of Cambodia’s tourism sector to match the requirements of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), allowing Cambodians to work throughout the region.

“We need to build up our skills to match those of the AEC so that our tourism workers can satisfy the work requirements of other countries in ASEAN,” he said. On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said during a speech announcing the Sea Festival later this month that improving Cambodia’s tourism sector was one of the main priorities of the government, saying tourism industry was like “green gold” for the Kingdom.

Agreement to increase cross-border vehicle limit

Thu, 15 December 2016

Hor Kimsay l the Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia and Thailand will sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to increase the quota of buses and trucks permitted to cross the border between the two countries, a transport official said yesterday.

Nou Vatanak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the new agreement will increase the quota on cross-border traffic of trucks and tourist buses fourfold, up from the current 40 vehicles a day.

“More vehicle traffic will enlarge the business potential of both countries,” he said. “The flow in and out of goods such as agricultural products, manufacturing products and the number of tourists will increase, which will benefit people of both countries.”

Vatanak could not disclose the exact number of vehicles included under the new quota. However, the Bangkok Post reported on Tuesday that the Thai cabinet approved a plan to increase the quota of cross-border permits to 150, with Thailand expected to focus on cargo trucks while Cambodia was looking to send more tourist buses.

The revised quotas come as part of the Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA), which aims to liberalise cross-border transport among the six member states of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and southern China.

Cambodia in brief: December 15, 2016

A budding friendship
A more than hour-long meeting between Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, making his first-ever visit to Cambodia, and Prime Minister Hun Sen ended yesterday afternoon with an aide to the premier offering reporters the typical avowals of “cooperation”.

Drug use up by third since ’15, report says
Almost 10,000 people have been arrested in drug-related cases this year and more than 150 kilograms of narcotics confiscated, while the number of addicts in the country increased by about a third compared to 2015, a document obtained yesterday says.

Use vote ‘correctly’, military police told
Three days after Cambodia’s military police distributed images of its forces pointing AK-47s at mock protesters, it said yesterday that its commander, Sao Sokha, told officers he hopes people use their right to vote “correctly” to select the right leaders.

Direct flights to Manila stuck on a layover
Efforts to have the Philippine flag carrier serve Cambodian airports have stalled on Vietnam’s refusal to permit passenger pickups on layovers, a local aviation official said yesterday.

After almost four years, Fryett trial comes to end
The long-running and at times contentious trial of alleged British fraudster Gregg Fryett came to an end yesterday, with the defendant repeating claims that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court is corrupt and vowing to appeal the verdict if convicted on December 28.

Chakrya defamation verdict, sentence stick
Former Adhoc staffer and election official Ny Chakrya’s defamation conviction and six-month jail sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal yesterday, in a short hearing that offered no legal reasoning for the verdict.

Leopard Capital nixes plan for second investment fund
Private equity firm Leopard Capital will not be looking to raise a second round of funding after its initial $34 million Cambodia-focused fund expired in April, its chief executive said yesterday. Douglas Clayton, whose private equity firm was the first to enter Cambodia’s frontier market in 2008, said that the current investment climate was not conducive to establishing a new investment fund.

Cambodia, China to hold exercises
A major eight-day military exercise between Cambodian and Chinese troops will commence today at the Thlok Tasek Military Institute in Kampong Speu’s Phnom Sruoch district.

Expert denies possibility of extra remains at grave
A conspiracy theory that Vietnamese communist soldiers could have planted additional skulls and bones at the Choeung Ek killing field was floated at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday, only to be quickly derided by both the prosecution and an expert witness.

Return of disliked monk prompts pagoda protest
More than 200 Buddhists protested in front of Ou Saray pagoda in Kampong Thom’s Stoung district yesterday to oppose the reappointment of a chief monk who was fired five years ago amid complaints of scandalous behaviour.

Surrogacy law meeting set for early ’17 – ‘maybe’
After more than three months of controversy and the arrest of three surrogacy agents last month, an inter-ministerial committee to draft legislation on commercial surrogacy still has yet to be formed and will not meet until 2017, a Ministry of Women’s Affairs official confirmed yesterday.

NGO calls out rangers
The director of an anti-logging NGO has called on the Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate seven government rangers for alleged involvement in forestry crimes in the Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary from February to August this year.

Four drown in cases in two provinces Tuesday
Four children drowned on Tuesday in two separate incidents in Oddar Meanchey and Pursat provinces, local officials said yesterday. According to Vong San, commune police chief in Oddar Meanchey’s Anlong Veng district, three boys – brothers Ke Sokleak, 9, and Ke Sokla, 6, and their cousin, Neng Danet, 4 – all drowned in a pond located about 50 metres behind their house.

Grandfather arrested in girl’s rape
A 71-year-old man from Battambang’s Banan district was sent to provincial court yesterday following his arrest the previous day for allegedly raping his 7-year-old step-granddaughter, according to police.

Methanol rates high in deadly rice wine
A ministry of Health press conference yesterday revealed that methanol levels in the rice wine that recently claimed the lives of 15 people and left 78 others hospitalised in Kampong Chhnang were significantly higher than the normal rate of 0.15 percent, with laboratory samples containing 0.2 percent to 1.47 percent of the toxic substance.

CNRP leaders abroad for US, Thailand trips
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy arrived in the US yesterday and will begin meeting with Cambodian communities there from Saturday, a party spokesman said, with deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha also having departed for Bangkok for medical visits.

Projects being ‘built on lies’
Ny Sophannak, a 42-year-old mother of three, lives in a small house on a tiny alley behind Wat Thann just off Sothearos Boulevard. Ten years ago, she was among 800 families violently evicted from the nearby Dey Krahorm community on what she says were false pretenses.

Agreement to increase cross-border vehicle limit
Cambodia and Thailand will sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to increase the quota of buses and trucks permitted to cross the border between the two countries, a transport official said yesterday.

Tourism officials lay out plans for schools
Tourism Ministry officials outlined plans yesterday for two new vocational training facilities for the country’s growing tourism sector. Try Chhiv, deputy director general of the Ministry of Tourism, said the government will build the first school in Phnom Penh with a capacity of 1,000 students, while the second will be built in Sihanoukville for 300 students.

Chinese firm snaps up $49.2M in local assets
Shanghai-listed Guangzhou Yuetai Group will purchase $49.2 million in assets in Cambodia by buying a 45 percent stake in a local property development firm and a 19 percent stake in a Cambodian import-export company, the company said in a filing yesterday.

Four-day product fair to open in capital today
The Ministry of Commerce will launch the 11th annual Cambodia Import-Export & One Province One Product (OPOP) Exhibition today.

Plan for Jurassic park is hatched
A Malaysian investment firm and its Cambodian-registered partner are looking to build a “Jurassic Theme Park” as part of a proposed $51 million entertainment complex that would include a casino, hotel and 500 serviced apartments set to rise in Prey Veng province near the Vietnamese border, according to a filing on the Malaysian stock exchange yesterday.

Cambodia in brief: December 13, 2016

Ghosts in the machine
Private firms say costs, delays and bureaucratic red tape have increased since an obscure private company took over the government’s work-permit application and issuance system in September.

Training photos raising eyebrows
Military police armed with AK-47s, batons and shields and backed by a fire engine with a water cannon come across a ragtag group of civilians huddled together and holding up banners. They point the rifles, fire the water cannon, and disperse the minor threat with almost no effort.

Witness blames Pol Pot for internal KR purges
As the Khmer Rouge tribunal continues to hear evidence on internal killings and alleged rebellions, witness Norng Nim yesterday testified that it was Brother Number One Pol Pot who launched a “coup d’état” against his own soldiers in a series of brutal purges.

Conflicting accounts in death of ‘smuggler’
Conflicting accounts emerged yesterday over the death on Sunday of a 24-year-old alleged timber smuggler in Kratie’s Snuol district. Chout Kroth died of head injuries after falling from his motorbike outside the base of the army’s Unit 619, according to a report signed by the unit’s commander, Suos Chamroeun.

Dumping in river continues
Nearly a month after the Ministry of Environment asked Phnom Penh City Hall to stop villagers in Chbar Ampov district from disposing their trash in the Tonle Sap river, residents yesterday said no one had yet come to clean the area or end the practice.

Kem Ley-affiliated youth group donates to Kantha Bopha, Ley’s family
NEARLY 13,000 copies of two books compiling the works of slain political analyst Kem Ley have been published and sold by the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), generating about $30,000 in profit, the youth group said yesterday.

Tapping into lending growth
For years, the Malaysian-based CIMB Group has been tapping into high-growth markets in ASEAN with a strategy of full regional expansion. The Post’s Kali Kotoski spoke with Bun Yin, CEO of CIMB Bank Plc in Cambodia, about the bank’s operations and the Kingdom’s potential.

Independent, pro-government unions debate wage law
Trade unionists met yesterday to discuss the draft universal minimum wage law, with representatives saying they would ask the Labour Ministry later this week to change articles that would restrict criticism of the wage determination process and allow for the prospect of regional wages.

Black Monday rolls on as Adhoc eyes release
Land activists from five communities continued their “Black Monday” protests yesterday, as opposition leader Kem Sokha paid a visit to the jailed rights activists whose release they are seeking.

Official accused in hit-and-run
A commune police chief from Kampong Thom province’s Chra Neang commune is on the run after allegedly killing two and severely injuring one in a road accident in Kampong Cham’s Sdoeung Chey commune on Saturday.

Homes along Bassac in precarious position
About 30 houses in Kandal province’s Sa’ang district are at risk of collapsing due to landslides on the Bassac River, an official said yesterday.

Out of jail, and out of a job
Opposition commune chief Seang Chet, recently freed from prison, looks set to lose his position next year as he was unable to register as a voter while behind bars and therefore cannot stand as a candidate in local elections.

Kheng, Sokha to talk prisoners: CNRP pol
Interior Minister Sar Kheng and deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha will meet next week in their capacities as “majority” and “minority” leaders, an official said yesterday, with the opposition saying the topic would be the release of jailed rights activists.

Phallaboth still guilty after retrial
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday came to the same conclusion it had some nine months earlier, that fugitive business tycoon Khaou Phallaboth is guilty of plotting to rape and murder the wife and daughter of Transport Minister Sun Chanthol.

Presidential protest
On the eve of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s maiden visit to Cambodia, five Filipino nationals yesterday conducted a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it protest against the head of state’s lethal crackdown on the country’s longstanding drug problem. Duterte is scheduled to land in Phnom Penh this evening and will have an audience with King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday afternoon, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Hun at the Peace Palace before ending the visit with a state banquet.

Tainted wine case sent to prosecutor
A man suspected of manufacturing tainted rice wine that has claimed the lives of 15 people in Kampong Chhnang told police he made the brew stronger due to customer demands and was unaware it could have a lethal affect, police said yesterday.

Phnom Penh government unveils new wing at controversial rehab centre
Speaking at the inauguration of a new wing at the controversial Orkas Knhom – or “My Chance” – drug rehabilitation centre, Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong maintained there was a need to factor in human rights concerns when tackling drug issues.

Overseas commerce chambers proposed
The government has submitted a new draft sub-decree to Prime Minister Hun Sen that would amend the mandate of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, allowing the business association to establish representative offices abroad to promote trade and investment, an official said yesterday. 

The Way This Story Ends

Golden light spills across the shoreline as I emerge from the jungle path. I dip into a tide pool and float while the pelicans catch their dinner. Tiny zebra fish nibble at my toes making me gasp then giggle. With one big breath I dunk my head under the turquoise water to blow them bubbles.

The sun disappears behind the forest covered mountains and the sky becomes a lavender haze. I roll out of the ocean and absentmindedly walk the path home that my feet know so well. A luminescent yellow moon appears against the purple sky and the descending sun lights the clouds brilliantly pink. My heart aches each time my heel kisses the shore like reluctantly leaving an unrequited lover, but I keep walking.

Boom built on ‘slavery’

Kong Sophat (right) works in a kiln in a Kandal province brick factory last month. Sophat lost his arm in a workplace accident a few years ago. Pha Lina

The use of debt bondage to trap workers in “modern day slavery” is widespread in many of Cambodia’s brick-making factories, indicates research by rights group Licadho, whose findings suggest the Kingdom’s recent building boom is built on the illegal practice.

In a report released today titled Built on Slavery: Debt Bondage and Child Labour in Cambodia’s Brick Factories, the organisation documents the exploitation of both adults and children at factories in Tbong Khmum, Kandal and Phnom Penh, which every day funnel tens of thousands of bricks to construction sites around the capital.

Industrial rail project gathers steam with government push

A worker approaches a freight train as it prepares for departure from a railway station in Phnom Penh in April. Cambodia’s transport minister has announced plans to extend the domestic rail network into the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone. Hong Menea

Transport Minister Sun Chanthol has vowed to reinvigorate a long-dormant project to connect the Kingdom’s sole operating railway line to the capital’s biggest industrial park – a move that would boost rail traffic ahead of the completion of a rail link to northwestern Cambodia and Thailand.

Chanthol said during the opening of a workshop for the National Logistics Council on Monday that his ministry was pushing Royal Railway, which owns a 30-year concession to operate the Kingdom’s railway network, to build a spur into the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (Phnom Penh SEZ).

“There are a lot of factories there and workers that need to travel to the zone,” he said.

“This will benefit the railway and help the zone get goods to and from factories.”

Dam’s impacts being felt

Villagers impacted by Stung Treng’s Don Sahong dam fear lodging complaints about its construction. Photo supplied.

Residents of Stung Treng province’s Preah Romkil commune are reluctant to express their concerns over Laos’s Don Sahong hydropower dam since it was endorsed last month by Prime Minister Hun Sen, despite the impacts of the dam already being keenly felt, activists and researchers said yesterday.

Hun Sen last month announced his support of the controversial project, expressing hope that Lao would sell electricity to Cambodia at a low price, but activist Chum Hout said yesterday that since the endorsement, community members are fearful of lodging complaints. “We appeal to Samdech [Hun Sen] to stop supporting this project . . . Fishing has seriously fallen,” Hout said.

A group of environmentalists believe that the construction, just 1 kilometre away from the commune, is affecting water quality in the area, and damaging the fishing and tourism industries.

Activist Chhum Kanika, 23, inspected the dam on Tuesday and maintained that stone blasting has hurt the fishing industry and encouraged Irrawaddy dolphins to migrate elsewhere. “Before, there were about seven dolphins . . . and right now we do not see any at all,” Kanika said. “Tourists come to see the Irrawaddy dolphins. If there are no dolphins, there will be no tourists.”

Hem Odom, a Cambodian independent researcher and hydro dam consultant, agreed that construction had impacted the dolphins, saying it interfered with their echolocation.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the activists should appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the dam is not in Cambodia.

Thu, 8 December 2016

Phak Seangly l the Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia in brief: December 8, 2016

A ‘resolution’ to release
The commune chief imprisoned six months ago in connection with deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha’s alleged “prostitution” case was pardoned of his crime yesterday, with Interior Minister Sar Kheng saying the five others in jail over the case will be freed this month.

Offshore holding linked to minister
Just months after Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana publicly denied having any offshore investments, the Post has obtained documentary evidence from the Singapore business registry to the contrary.

Man killed after truck slams into checkpoint
The driver of a truck carrying 25 tonnes of cassava across the Vietnamese border fled the scene late on Tuesday night after his brakes failed, causing the vehicle to slam into a border checkpoint post in Tbong Khmum province’s Dar commune, instantly killing one man and injuring five others.

Chinese firm mulls energy sector prospects
A leading Chinese manufacturer of power transmission and distribution equipment recently visited Cambodia to explore opportunities in the Kingdom’s rapidly growing energy sector, including a proposal for a factory to produce equipment for the electricity sector.

KNLF ‘plotters’ sentenced
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced Sam Serey, the Denmark-based leader of the anti-government Khmer National Liberation Front, and 10 other accused members of his group to between five and nine years in jail for “plotting” to commit an attack.

Industrial rail project gathers steam with government push
Transport Minister Sun Chanthol has vowed to reinvigorate a long-dormant project to connect the Kingdom’s sole operating railway line to the capital’s biggest industrial park – a move that would boost rail traffic ahead of the completion of a rail link to northwestern Cambodia and Thailand.

Rent control antennae up
Three pro-government unions yesterday endorsed Prime Minister Hun Sen’s warning to landlords earlier this week, telling them to refrain from increasing rents for garment workers, though an expert questioned the effectiveness of such directives.

CPP congress to map out election plan
Officials from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party will convene a 1,000-strong congress on December 17 and 18 to hammer out a strategy for upcoming elections, according to a party announcement.

Dam’s impacts being felt
Residents of Stung Treng province’s Preah Romkil commune are reluctant to express their concerns over Laos’s Don Sahong hydropower dam since it was endorsed last month by Prime Minister Hun Sen, despite the impacts of the dam already being keenly felt, activists and researchers said yesterday.

Suspect in child torture case caught in Vietnam
The prime suspect in a disturbing child abuse case in Mondulkiri was apprehended by Vietnamese police in Saigon yesterday evening, according to James McCabe, director of the NGO Child Protection Unit (CPU).

Company owners, employees arrested over huge timber raid
The owners of Hong Sopheap Development Company in Preah Vihear have been arrested days after military police carried out a massive raid on a 4,000 hectare social land concession (SLC) that the company holds a licence to log.

Parties mull what to do with partial testimony
A victim of Pol Pot’s regime, who first began testifying three years ago but refused to continue in fear for his life, is unlikely to return to be cross-examined on fresh testimony he began to offer last month, the Khmer Rouge tribunal heard yesterday.

Faked Manet ties see man jailed for fraud
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday charged a soldier with fraud for allegedly attempting to pass himself off as a general close to Lieutenant General Hun Manet, eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, and accepting money from others seeking to join Manet’s unit.

Duterte to visit Kingdom next week
The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, will embark on a short visit to Cambodia next week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed yesterday.

Wild boar gores K Kong pineapple farmer in legs
A pineapple farmer is licking his wounds after coming off worse in a tussle with a wild boar in Koh Kong in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Prime Minister sends park packing
Freedom Park, the 1-hectare public square in the centre of Phnom Penh that the government in November 2010 designated as the city’s sole authorised zone for protests, is set to be moved next to a petrol warehouse along National Road 5, officials said yesterday.

PPAP vows to pay 5% dividend yield on profits
Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP), the capital’s listed river port operator, will be able to make its guaranteed minimum payment of 5 percent dividend yield based on estimated profits for this year, it announced yesterday in a filing to the Cambodian Securities Exchange (CSX). The total dividend payout will amount to approximately 1 billion riel ($264,200) and will be released to shareholders during the first quarter of next year. PPAP raised $5.2 million in an initial public offering in December 2015, and has promised its private shareholders a 5 percent dividend yield on the initial share price of 5,120 riel ($1.26) annually for five years. The distribution will include a one-tenth cash dividend carried over from 2015.

Singsong unveils Kratie cassava processing plan
South Korean-owned Singsong Industrial (Cambodia) Co Ltd has unveiled plans to build a cassava processing facility in Kratie province, state news agency AKP said yesterday. The factory would be built on 23 hectares in the northeastern province to produce cassava starch.

What The Oldest People In The World Eat And Drink Every Day

For Bon Appetit, by Alex Beggs.

DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NY DAILY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES

When we’re stuck on a rickety elevator, or on a plane landing in turbulence, or in a taxi driven by an Nascar reject, we never think to ourselves—well, if this is it, I’m so glad I ate all those salads. Because at some point in the scheme of things, a life well-lived is measured by the things that made us happy. Is this terrible medical advice if taken literally? Definitely!

But in that spirit, let’s look to the world’s oldest people, who when interviewed, always have pretty particular, and surprising, eating and drinking habits. Take this asinspiration:

OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Emma Morano, 116, in Verbania, North Italy, 2016.

How To Break A Bad Habit — For Good

Have you ever tried to break a bad habit, only to give up in frustration? The problem isn’t that you’re weak or that the bad habit is too ingrained; in all likelihood, you just gave up too soon.

Researchers at University College, London, found that it takes 66 days for a new habit to form. Likewise, as long as there is no physical addiction involved, it takes 66 days for you to shake a bad habit. But before you can develop the motivation to stick it out for that long, you need to understand how bad habits form in the first place.

Bad habits are formed and reinforced via the habit loop. First, something triggers you to initiate an undesired behavior. Maybe you’re feeling stressed, so you decide to numb out on Facebook for an hour or eat a whole bag of Flamin’ Cheetos. The trigger event is whatever puts this idea in your head. The second step is the behavior itself. Your brain says, “Sure, you deserve some Flamin’ Cheetos,” so you dig in.

The third step — and this part is crucial — is the reward. The behavior has to reward you in some way. That doesn’t mean it’s good for you or that it’s smart, just that it does something that your brain likes. Numbing out on Facebook might help you forget your problems for a while or to put off something that you don’t want to do, and we all know, all too well, the reward that comes from eating a bag of junk food. For better or worse, these rewards increase the likelihood that you’ll repeat the behavior.