Authorities are searching for the driver of a black Lexus that burst into flames after crashing into the metal dividers that separate traffic on Phnom Penh’s Russian Boulevard late on Saturday night, causing thousands of dollars in damages.

The incident occurred at 11:10pm on Saturday near the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the capital’s Por Sen Chey district.

“He [the driver] drove very fast … [and] after the car was on fire, he escaped,” said Chan Thorn head of the Phnom Penh police’s accident investigation unit. According to Thorn, the car destroyed 12 barricade segments, dragging debris for some 200 metres.

“The car owner has to pay for the damage to the state; one barricade costs about $200,” he said.

Long Dimanche, Municipal Hall spokesman, said yesterday that in addition to being held responsible for Traffic Law violations such as speeding, the driver will be fined double for the damage to public property.

“The double fine meaning that … he has to pay $400 [per unit],” he said.

According to traffic police officials the charred remains of the car have been impounded at the Phnom Penh municipal traffic police station, and an investigation to identify the owner will begin today.

Officials also stated that since the beginning of 2015, there have been 70 crashes involving vehicles colliding with road barriers in Phnom Penh.

Local authorities say they are struggling to protect the Mondulkiri Protected Forest and the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary from being logged by villagers in the province’s Koh Nhek and Pech Chreada districts, while villagers accuse authorities of colluding with certain logging groups.

Lung Bung, Mondulkiri Protected Forest director, said yesterday that throughout December, his men seized 23 cubic metres of illegally logged timber, 17 chainsaws and five vehicles. On Sunday, he added, authorities seized some 220 pepper-growing posts cut down in the forest and a vehicle in Koh Nhek district.

Bung maintained that “there are many perpetrators”.

“We lack the forces and means for patrols,” he said, adding that he had only 10 people with which to patrol 300,000 hectares of forest.

According to Bung, forestry crimes in the districts spike dramatically in the early dry season, which he says is the same time a local company buys pepper posts – allegedly illegally logged by villagers – for its plantation.

However, some villagers claimed authorities colluded with certain loggers while targeting others.

“I saw some villagers went into the forest with chainsaws, tractors, huge vehicles, and those vehicles were loaded with timber without any intervention,” said Romas Kil, a Pech Chreada district resident, adding that “if there is no collusion with the authorities, it would be impossible”.

Facebook users who insult Prime Minister Hun Sen or criticise government policy on sensitive issues could be traced in a matter of hours, the premier said yesterday.

“My opponents should not make insults, because we can identify you,” Hun Sen said during a speech at a Phnom Penh graduation ceremony.

“I’m not exactly sure how the technology works . . . But we can find those people; it’s not very difficult.

“We arrested the colour revolutionaries immediately,” he added, in an apparent reference to a first-year university student arrested in August after advocating nonviolent regime change on Facebook.

On December 22, Hun Sen took a softer approach, saying that officials in his office would take a note of all insulting comments posted to his Facebook page, but only so that they could comment in response, rather than blocking users or taking legal action.

But in yesterday’s speech, he went on to warn social media users that they would not be able to hide their identities from the authorities.

“If I want to get you, I need less than seven hours,” he said. “I won’t need to send forces from Phnom Penh; I can also order local forces. You should not use bad words to insult me, because I can get you if I want to.”

“I want you to know that . . . I see what you write and just want to educate you.”

Chak Sopheap, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, urged politicians to “teach the people how to use social networks correctly”.

“If [users] are worried about incorrectly sharing information, insulting, being arrested or sharing false information, political parties should teach them how to use [social media] responsibly and safely.”

As the ASEAN Economic Community agreement nears its implementation on December 31, a network of trade unions has warned that the regional labour market’s liberalisation could spark a “race to the bottom” and harm poor Cambodian workers due to rampant cost-cutting.

“Most of the jobs being generated under a liberalized market are poor quality and cannot sustain a decent standard of living,” read a statement from yesterday released by ASETUC, a Malaysia-based network of ASEAN trade unions.

“[Workers] have witnessed a lot of businesses restructuring their operations to compete and jobs increasingly becoming precarious, irregular, unprotected and unstable.”

In the release, ASETUC urged ASEAN members like Cambodia to ratify a draft agreement ensuring the rights of workers in the region.

Cambodian ASETUB member Sok Kin said the agreement would “help our migrant workers abroad while helping Cambodia and ASEAN join together as one community”.

Bot Kosal, a member of the Cambodian Independent Civil Servants Association, agreed, saying workers badly needed a regional standard.

A gene resistant to antibiotics of last resort is believed to be circulating in Cambodia, according to researchers in the Netherlands who have documented a troubling spread of the gene across three continents.

The MCR-1 gene, known to be common among farm animals in China, gives bacteria that carry it resistance to particular antibiotics, including Colistin, which is used to cure highly resistant infections.

Findings published this month by a team from the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, suggest that the MCR-1 gene is also present in gut bacteria in the Kingdom, creating a greater risk of drug resistance among the population.

“When you have a lot of people carrying this bacteria, at a population level it may be increasingly difficult to treat specific infections,” says Constance Schultsz, who conducted the study of E coli bacteria from Dutch travellers who had visited Southeast Asia.

“What is worrisome is that it was found in perfectly healthy people, so it is remarkable how easily it can be acquired,” she said, adding that the notable resistance of bacteria found in Cambodia may be linked to the country’s high rates of antibiotic usage.

Colistin, which can be used to treat anything from urinary tract infections to septicaemia, was considered outmoded for decades, but has regained currency as newer antibiotics have been made redundant by resistance. In 2012, it was declared critically important for human medicine by the WHO, despite being rarely used.

“It is difficult to prescribe and hard to find here,” explained Eng Lengsea, head of the microbiology laboratory at Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital, who has been monitoring antibiotic resistance for more than five years.

“And this is a good thing, because if it is more available on the market, people will become more resistant.”

The WHO was not available for comment yesterday, but has previously acknowledged antibiotic resistance as a major public health concern in Cambodia.

New reports of border officials at Poipet International Checkpoint demanding extra from travellers crossing the border between Cambodia and Thailand have again thrown the spotlight on the oft-maligned western gateway to the Kingdom, with an opposition lawmaker pledging action to stop the “anarchy”.

From fees for a “VIP” service, to demands for money for cash-strapped guards to pay for utilities, paper and ink, the most recent complaints were “typical” of a years-long culture of irregular payments being exacted at the Banteay Meanchey province crossing, said Sum Chankea, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc.

According to a 34-year-old Cambodian, who recently travelled to Thailand with his wife, border officials proffered two explanations as to why they needed an extra $5, despite there being no fee for Cambodians to exit their homeland.

“At the departure office, [the official] saw that my wife had a new passport and said we needed to pay 10,000 riel to have it stamped,” the man, who declined to be named, said.

“In another case, they asked for 10,000 riel to help pay their water and electricity bills. We gave them the money or else they would have used this or that excuse, and it would have added hours to our trip.”

He continued: “How are they not able to pay their water and electricity bills? Those officials had an iPhone 6 and an iPhone 6 Plus, and they wear rings and they are fat.”

However, the checkpoint’s immigration police chief, Colonel Sim Sam Arth, yesterday denied the accusations, saying heavy monitoring and booths designed to only allow passports to change hands, prevented such payments.

He instead suggested other people milling around the border, such as tour guides or brokers who help people complete their application forms, were responsible.

“We cannot demand money from people; if [officials] demand money, they will be spotted, as there hundreds of people and the place is fitted with cameras,” Sam Arth said. “This demand for 10,000 riel does not exist.”

Unconvinced things are running correctly, opposition lawmaker Son Chhay, who crossed the checkpoint on Saturday, pledged to write a letter to the Ministry of Interior to “stop the anarchy”.

Chhay said he saw officials offering a fast-track service to those waiting to get their exit stamp as queues ballooned amid a long delay blamed on a computer virus.

“They act like that to force the people to pay informally to the immigration officials with 20 baht or 10,000 riel per person via a broker if they want to depart quickly and not spend hours waiting,” Chhay said.

The owner of a tour agency, who requested anonymity, said though he was unaware of immigration police demanding bribes, at crowded times, the VIP queue costs about $2.50.

The Ministry of Labour has announced new regulations for hiring workers between the ages of 15 and 18, toughening identification requirements in a sector plagued by the use of fraudulent documents.

The prakas, active since November 20, requires young workers to show at least three different kinds of identification documents to employers.

Meanwhile, employers are tasked with sending the papers of workers they suspect are underage directly to the ministry’s child labour and occupational health departments, along with keeping lists of all young workers they employ.

Labour Ministry spokesman Heng Sour said the announcement would ensure proper working conditions for Cambodia’s young workers.

“In the past, we have stipulated that children could not be employed, but in the prakas, as in the International Labour Organization, there are rules about using the labour of a person between 15 and 18 years old,” he said.

According to the prakas, employers must ensure their young workers do not work in dangerous conditions – a stipulation already in the existing Labour Law – and do not work overtime on Sundays and between 10pm and 5am on regular workdays.

Sour said workers in the agricultural sector, rather than factories, were most prone to such violations.

But Moeun Tola, head of the labour program at the Community Legal Education Center, said that the prakas was a clear acknowledgement that numerous underage workers faked their records to work in factories.

“The long-term effects of this are lost nutrition for [physical] development and loss in education and vocational training,” he said.

The prakas leaves it largely up to employers to report workers they suspect of being underage.

Tola said employers who knowingly employ underage workers should be punished with criminal charges to truly end the practice, although this rarely, if ever, happened.

However, Ken Loo, spokesman for the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said factories are already encouraged to check across multiple identification documents, while factories gained nothing from knowingly hiring children who would be remunerated as adults.

“In cases [of child labour] we have identified in the past, it is from workers faking identifications,” he said.

Still, not all cases of fraud come from those below the legal working age of 15.

Mao May, a garment factory worker in Prey Veng, said in an interview yesterday that he began working at 15, but that his employer told him to pretend to be 18 so he could work the same overtime as an adult.

“For the recruitment, my father used another person’s name,” he said, declining to provide the factory’s name.

Garment workers in the Svay Rieng border town of Bavet went to their factories in droves for the first day of the workweek yesterday, on the heels of unrest that has rocked the town for almost two weeks.

“There were no protests, everything was quiet,” said Rex Lee, manager of the Manhattan Special Economic Zone, one of the two SEZs, along with the smaller Tai Seng SEZ, affected by the unrest. “All of the factories are operating.”

Workers striking over what they considered an insufficient increase to the minimum wage have repeatedly clashed with police since mass strikes began on December 16, with injuries alleged on both sides.

A total of 11 workers have been arrested in connection with the violence.

Last Tuesday, provincial officials pledged to release four workers arrested on December 18 on bail in a bid to smooth tensions. However, the four remain detained.

Lee, the Manhattan manager, said workers have remained quiet due to the arrests and fears that further strikes would cut into salaries, adding that about 600 police were still patrolling the area.

“[Protesters] said they would avenge [the arrested workers], but nothing happened.”

Ros Tharith, provincial administration director, said the additional police would remain in Bavet until the situation was fully stabilised.

He added that there were no updates on the promised release of the four workers.

Two Chinese human trafficking suspects were arrested in Tbong Khmum province’s Kroch Chhmar district on Sunday for allegedly attempting to recruit a 17-year-old girl to enter into an arranged marriage in China.

Major Thai Vantha, chief of the provincial anti-human trafficking police, yesterday identified the Chinese nationals as Xu Jiang, 24 – the man seeking a bride – and his mother, Ye Guaxin, 46.

The pair were arrested based on a complaint from the alleged victim’s family.

“They were human traffickers. They came directly to Tbong Khmum . . . in order to seek and choose a young Khmer bride for marriage and bring her to marry in China,” Vantha explained.

The two are expected to be sent to the provincial court for questioning today, he added.

Captain Var Sambath, deputy chief of Kroch Chhmar district police, said the two suspects were brought to Kroch Chhmar by another Khmer woman, who had herself entered into an arranged marriage in China.

According to Sambath, Ye had promised the alleged victim’s family $4,500 if she would move to China with her son. Xu, meanwhile, had courted the girl, but allegedly, after having sex with her, declared their birthdates astrologically incompatible, prompting the complaint.

Vantha said the engagement was broken off after the Khmer contact had found Xu a more a suitable bride.

The Khmer Rouge tribunal has set a new date for the resumption of appeal hearings in Case 002/01 following a contentious walkout by defence lawyers for appellant Nuon Chea on November 17.

According to a court document released last week, the Supreme Court Chamber has set February 16 for the resumption of the appeals of Chea and his co-defendant, Khieu Samphan, both of whom were convicted of crimes against humanity in August of 2014.

In addition, the court appointed Phat Pouv Seang as national standby counsel for Chea on December 16 for a term of three months. Seang’s role, according to the document, is to provide legal counsel if Chea’s lawyers are once again absent from the courtroom.

However, the filing goes on to make it explicit that Seang “shall not consult with, or take direction from, Nuon Chea, unless so ordered by this Chamber”.

Meanwhile, in a redacted document dated December 23, the court’s pretrial chamber dismissed a request by defenders Ang Udom and Michael Karnavas – who represent Case 003 suspect Meas Muth – to annul investigative actions taken by former investigating judge Mark Harmon.

To pass, the request required four votes in favour. However, in spite of the three national judges voting in favour of annulling the findings of the investigation, the two international judges found the investigation admissible.

The tribunal’s national side has routinely resisted pursuing the cases against Muth and the other suspects in Cases 003 and 004, which have been vocally opposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Phnom Penh Tollway Co Ltd’s short-lived administration of Veng Sreng Boulevard has come to an end.

City Hall yesterday scrapped all toll fees on the thoroughfare following a unilateral decision by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was acting on a slew of complaints on social media over high costs incurred by drivers using the road.

Hun Sen wrote in Facebook posts late on Sunday night that he had decided to order an immediate halt to all toll collections on Veng Sreng.

“Shortly after 12 midnight, I decided to take back Veng Sreng after being given the good idea from our people via my Facebook,” he wrote.

“I would like to clarify that there will be no payments for travelling on Veng Sreng Boulevard anymore. I only ask all our brothers and sisters respect the Traffic Law and avoid traffic accidents on Veng Sreng,” he added.

“I offer Veng Sreng Boulevard as a gift to the people to use free of charge.”

But the gift comes at a cost for one local contractor.

The $10.5 million contract to widen and renovate Veng Sreng was acquired by Phnom Penh Tollway in 2013.

The company is chaired by Choeung Thean Seng, a relative of Cambodian People’s Party Senator Lao Meng Khin.

Attempts to reach the firm were unsuccessful yesterday.

Municipal spokesman Long Dimanche said that the city would now form a committee to determine how to pay Phnom Penh Tollway for the work done so far.

“We need to create a committee consisting of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, City Hall and other relevant institutions and the company to check the contract and to evaluate how the government will pay out the contract,” he said.

“The company has spent more than $10 million for the construction to widen the road and install a sewage system, street lights and other things.”

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In a statement yesterday, City Hall confirmed that it would pay back local residents who had purchased cards to allow them to use the road without charge.

Toll collectors on Veng Sreng yesterday were seen packing away computer equipment as motorists drove by surprised at not being stopped and charged for using the road.

Phoung Sarath, 55, a truck driver who uses the road daily for his business, said he was happy to learn that the fee system had been abandoned.

“We were so happy when we learned that the company was stopped from taking money from our transports, because we used to spend a lot of money on this every day,” he said, adding that it was not unusual for him to spend more than 17,000 riel ($4.20) per day.

“It will reduce poverty for poorer people, because we do not earn a lot from transportation . . . We had to spend a lot of money before.”

Sarath said Phnom Penh Tollway began collecting fees in December, after City Hall instructed the company to double the rates.

“When they increased the price, we had to start taking other routes to avoid paying them,” he added.

While many shared Sarath’s opinion, one employee who was busy removing his belongings from a toll booth yesterday said that he was worried for the future.

“We are concerned about finding a job, because now we are unemployed, so we would ask the government to help us find a new job,” the worker said.

Phou Reth, a driver who ferries garment workers to the factories that line Veng Sreng, said the decision had “made all the drivers and workers happy”, but added that “the government did this because they want to get our votes and support”.

Hun Sen also announced yesterday during a speech to graduating students in Phnom Penh that he would consider changing the rules for toll collections on National Road 4 that runs between the capital and the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has vowed to create a new law barring political party leaders from holding dual nationalities, an apparent move to further incapacitate beleaguered CNRP president Sam Rainsy.

In his latest tirade against his long-time political rival, the premier also vowed to never again request a royal pardon for Rainsy, who in November entered his third stint of self-imposed exile to avoid prison on charges widely perceived as politically motivated.

Addressing more than 3,000 graduating students at the Koh Pich Center in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen yesterday called for two amendments to the Law on Political Parties, both appearing to be personally aimed at Rainsy, who also holds French citizenship.

“I would like to stress that the culture of dialogue will be included into the law on political parties, and you [Rainsy] will be punished if you continue insulting … not only during the political campaign; the law must be respected by all,” Hun Sen said.

He also said political party leaders, and certain heads of institutions, would have to renounce dual citizenship under the amendment.

“This is to avoid people who face trouble [in the country] and hold a foreign passport from easily running out of the country and calling for foreigners to intervene,” Hun Sen said.

“CPP has enough forces [lawmakers] to vote for [an amendment] to the law on political parties and will start to work [on it] next year.”

As for institutional heads to be restricted to Cambodian citizenship, he singled out the presidents of the Constitutional Council, National Assembly, the Senate, the Anti-Corruption Council, the National Audit Authority and the Supreme Court, as well its prosecutor secretary-general.

Rainsy on trial: view an interactive timeline of the opposition leader's ongoing legal battles

Yesterday, political analyst Ou Virak said the move appeared to be yet another attempt to drive a wedge in the CNRP and get followers to abandon Rainsy for his deputy, Kem Sokha.

However, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said the proposal wasn’t a political ploy but a way to “strengthen state laws”, adding that any amendments would first be discussed with the CNRP.

“The CPP has no strategy or culture to split the opposition party, and we welcome any president newly elected by law,” said Eysan.

Several members of the CNRP, as well as the heads of smaller parties such as Mam Sonando of the Beehive Democratic Society Party, and Sourn Serey Ratha, head of the Khmer Power Party, hold citizenship in other countries.

Responding yesterday, CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said not only was Hun Sen’s proposal a clear effort to sideline his “greatest competitor”, but would also discourage skilled Cambodians from abroad from engaging in the Kingdom’s politics.

“Dual citizenship is not the problem. The problem in Cambodia right now is corruption. The problem in Cambodia now is rule of law. The problem in Cambodia now is human rights violations. It’s not dual citizenship.”

He also denied the CNRP would abandon Rainsy for acting president Sokha.

“That’s impossible,” he said.

Stripped of his status as a lawmaker, Rainsy fled to Europe in November after the surprise resurrection of a 2011 two-year prison sentence in a public incitement and defamation case brought by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

He now faces two other lawsuits. The events are reminiscent of 2005 and 2009, when Rainsy fled abroad to avoid other charges seen as politically motivated.

Recalling how those events were used by the CNRP to garner popular support, Hun Sen said he would not oblige the CNRP president with another free pass.

“Now don’t be expectant; this time it is over for you. I declare that if I sign to request a pardon for [Sam Rainsy] for a third time, and this is my political message for the international new year, I will cut off my hand and throw it away,” Hun Sen said.

He also goaded Rainsy to return, telling him “don’t be afraid as Prey Sar prison opens its door”.

Nhay Chamroeun, one of the two Cambodian National Rescue Party lawmakers savagely beaten in front of the National Assembly in late October, may be seeking legal recourse through the US justice system.

In an interview with Radio Free Asia aired yesterday, Chamroeun, a dual Cambodian-US citizen, said he will be meeting with a lawyer with the intention of filing a lawsuit in a US court.

“The Khmer community in the US has already prepared a lawyer. So I will meet with the lawyer to seek the possibility to urge this suit,” he said.

In the same broadcast, Chamroeun reiterated the claim that the attacks were orchestrated.

“I suspected that the one . . . behind [the attack] is a powerful man,” he said, adding that “simple people” are not capable of such violence.

However, neither Chamroeun nor Kong Saphea – the other victim of the beating – went so far as to name any individuals who may have orchestrated the attack.

So far, three suspects currently held in Prey Sar prison have confessed to the beating, after Prime Minister Hun Sen called upon attackers to surrender.

A rights group claimed yesterday that four additional people have been arrested over recent violent garment worker protests in the Svay Rieng province town of Bavet, although police officials vigorously denied the claim.

Provincial Licadho coordinator Nouth Bopinnaroath said three people, including one woman, were arrested on Monday and a fourth person, a driver, was arrested yesterday.

“No charges have been filed against any of them,” he said, citing a woman who heard the news from her village chief.

The arrests would bring up the tally of arrested workers to 15, up from the 11 currently known to be in detention.

But provincial penal police chief Koy Sopheap denied the report. “There were no such arrests . . . Nouth Bopinnaroath disseminated incorrect information; where did he get this information that police arrested four more workers?”

Thousands of garment workers across two special economic zones in Bavet began striking on December 16 over the minimum wage, with police and protesters clashing repeatedly. Both sides alleged violence.

Workers returned to work peacefully this week, overseen by a heavy police presence.

One female garment factory worker died and at least seven others were injured when two trucks crashed yesterday in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district.

According to Trapaing Krasaing commune deputy traffic police chief Sim Prim, a truck loaded with ice struck the back of a truck transporting workers as it tried to overtake it on the right-hand side.

“Seven to eight people were injured as the trucks collided,” Prim said.

“The collision shook the workers, and one of them spilled off the truck and then the ice truck ran them over.”

Prim said that the victim was Hem Phalla, 23, a garment worker at the Berry Factory, whose body has been sent to her family.

She and the other workers on the truck hailed from Mkak commune, in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district.

The driver of the ice truck, a Hyundai, fled after the crash, Prim said.

Long the source of concern for labour rights groups, poor travel conditions for garment workers, who are often packed en masse into trucks and minivans, was thrust into the spotlight in May when a horrific crash in Svay Rieng killed 19 people.

The director of the labour program at the Community Legal Education Center, Moeun Tola, urged companies to arrange safe transportation for their workers, saying low salaries meant many sought cheap, and often dangerous, options instead.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng presided yesterday over the transfer ceremony of outgoing Stung Treng provincial governor Kol Sam Ol, who is being transferred to a job within the Ministry of Interior in Phnom Penh.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Kheng reportedly called on provincial authorities to work harder, particularly in shutting down drug-trafficking corridors across the shared border with Laos, one area in which a local observer said the former governor had performed poorly.

Hou Sam Ol, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, allowed that the outgoing governor had “positive points” in developing the province’s infrastructure, but noted a less successful record elsewhere.

“He allowed the Try Pheap company to transport wood,” he said, referring to the logging magnate he accused of contributing to deforestation in the province.

“There was a lot of trafficking of drugs and illegal logging and some gangsters; he [Kol Sam Ol] bore this blame because he was incapable . . . His crackdown was limited,” Hou Sam Sol said.

Indeed, several recent large drug busts were linked to cross-border trafficking through Stung Treng, most notably a nearly 55 kilogram methamphetamine and heroin drug haul in the capital believed to have been brought through the province.

When reached by phone yesterday, however, former governor Kol Sam Ol defended his record, saying he had worked hard and “improved infrastructure in cities such as streets, roads and bridges . . . We have made a lot of changes.”

The former governor went on to shift blame for logging and drug trafficking to national authorities.

“For the forest, it was not the provincial authorities’ responsibility, but it was the Ministry of Agriculture and the Forestry Administration who are in charge . . . And for the drugs, it was the same thing – military police and police [are responsible],” he said.

However, Eang Sophallet, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, held that provincial governors do have the ability – via authority conferred by government sub-decree 156 – to order ministry officials to crack down on illegal activities.

“If he is saying that it is the responsibility of the Forestry Administration, then he must have forgotten what the prime minister said earlier this year . . . that the governor must be responsible in accordance with sub-decree 156,” he said. “If you are a government official, you cannot compromise with illegal activities”.

National military police spokesman Eng Hy declined to comment, saying the former governor was entitled to his opinions.

The outgoing governor also noted the sub-decree, saying that in spite of his best efforts, officials of various ministries did not always follow orders, and there was little he could do besides “leading compromise”.

“If they [ministry officials] listen, they would take [orders]; if they do not listen, they would not take it – we cannot do anything with them,” he said, adding that he welcomed the opportunity to hand the reins to his successor.

The new governor, Mom Saroeun, declined comment, citing a busy schedule.

Kol Sam Ol said he did not know what his new position at the Interior Ministry would be, and a ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Seven members of a Sihanoukville family – including five children – were brutally assaulted as they slept early yesterday morning by an unknown assailant wielding an axe, police have said.

Three of the victims, a 1-year-old child, the children’s 65-year-old grandmother and their 32-year-old mother, Um Phanna, were whisked to hospital in Phnom Penh in critical condition.

The other four children remain in Chamkachek Hospital in Sihanoukville and are said to be stable.

Shocking images taken by police of the crime scene and published in local media show the children sprawled across their shared bed spattered with blood.

The children’s father was on a fishing trip and re-turned home yesterday afternoon to the traumatic news his entire family had been hospitalised.

The family members, who are from Village 1 in Sihanoukville’s Commune 1, were sharing a bed when the attacker entered their house and began hacking at the family.

“They are all now staying at Chamkachek Hospital and the seriously injured victims were sent to Phnom Penh. Another two of the children have swelling around their heads,” said Phan Narith, Sihanoukville deputy police chief.

He added that the as-yet-unidentified attacker fled the scene after the assault some time between 12am and 1am yesterday morning.

Police have yet to definitively determine a motive for the attack, but Narith yesterday suggested it was likely caused by an outstanding grievance.

“The family just recently settled in the area . . . We suspect this case was a premeditated act, but we cannot discuss the details yet,” he added. “Our authorities are actively and attentively working on this case to bring the suspect to justice.”

James McCabe, operations manager with the Child Protection Unit, which is helping coordinate the investigation, said a joint task force had been established to “investigate the home invasion and attempted murder of five children, their mother and grandmother”.

“At this stage, we’re still looking for a motive,” he said. “The investigation is ongoing and all available resources are being mobilised.”

Preah Sihanouk provincial police chief Chuon Narin said the authorities were continuing to search for the suspect or suspects yesterday evening.

“We cannot reveal the authorities’ methods of investigation in this case; we will explain at a later stage. For now, we are gathering information,” he said.

Three alleged fake artefact traders were arrested yesterday in Kampong Thom accused of trying to sell faux ancient statues to undercover police.

Ith Sothea, the provincial prosecutor, sent the undercover police to meet the traders – identified as Hieth, 46, Nhien Nhil, 47, and Narith, 31 – after receiving a tip-off about their activities.

Rom Sovichea, chief of the provincial heritage protection office, said the men had attempted to sell seven statues to the officers for $10,000.

“They made an appointment to meet and they were arrested by the officers, led by the prosecutor,” he said.

Two of the traders were from Kampong Thom’s Sandan district, while Narith was from Kampong Speu, he added.

After inspection by experts from the Ministry of Fine Arts, the statues were determined to be forgeries.

“They were not ancient statues; it was a fraud. The suspects confessed to buying them in Preah Vihear. We’re not sure if they knew they were fake or not,” Sovichea said.

Narith was a known artefact trader, he added, and the sting operation had created several new leads which police are pursuing.

Say Nora, the deputy provincial prosecutor, said the suspects will be put into the custody of the Kampong Thom court system until a date for a court hearing is set.

Trade unions yesterday concluded meetings with Cambodia’s two main political parties about the draft trade union law as the parties tentatively gear up to hash out the controversial legislation this week.

A working group was announced earlier this month composed of five members of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and another five from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to address criticisms from unions that the law, which has yet to pass parliament, would dramatically reduce their freedom to organise.

Pen Panha, head of the CPP’s wing of the group, told reporters the CPP had met yesterday with some 33 trade unions at the National Assembly.

“We may set December 31 as the date for the meeting between the special working groups from the CPP and CNRP to discuss the issues raised by the trade unions,” he said.

“We collected their ideas to discuss them later.”

Trade unions also held a similar meeting in parliament on Monday with the CNRP.

Son Chhay, head of the CNRP’s wing of the working group, confirmed the meet, throwing his weight behind the unions’ criticisms of the law.

“The ideas of the trade unions are grounded in law and we collected and supported them,” he said.

Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, said that the law remained riddled with clauses that would reduce unions’ freedom of assembly.

He specifically cited requirements for trade unions to report their finances to the government, minimum requirements for the number of people to create a union, and a minimum quorum of 50 per cent plus one member for a union to decide to go on strike.

“We hope that the CPP and CNRP will remove some articles of the draft law that we are concerned about,” said Thorn.

“We requested 12 points.”

While the CNRP has already shown signs it backs the unions’ criticisms, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan told reporters the CPP had made no such decision yet, although he defended the financial reporting requirements.

“The government’s restrictions are there because we want to make sure there is no money from terrorists or money laundering flowing due to weaknesses,” he said.

“We made the law in order to strengthen rule of law, democracy, and ensure political stability and public order – it is not aimed at restrictions.”

The annual address of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and his news conferences have traditionally captured the attention of a broad audience in Russia and abroad.

This is not just because of the characteristically candid nature of the Russian leader’s presentations, but also because of his frank in-depth look into the pressing issues of the national political, economic and social development, as well as the international situation.

This year, President Putin met with parliamentarians on December 3 and Russian and foreign media on December 17. The focus of these meetings was mainly on global affairs and especially on terrorism, which is literally pushing the world into a nightmare scenario.

The seriousness of this issue is reflected in the growing concern that our way of life is going from bad to worse and the flood of terrorists and extremists, if not stemmed, could bring about a disaster of a much larger scale than we have now.

Who could have imagined that many countries in North Africa and the Middle East, which only a short time ago enjoyed stability and steady economic development, and were bustling with tourists and receiving foreign business delegations, could now be plunged into chaos and anarchy that threatens all of humanity? This phenomenon, as it was suggested at the Asian Parliamentary Assembly on December 9 in Phnom Penh, requires comprehensive study.

Russia has actively been fighting terrorism over many years. However, the spreading terrorist contamination that is gaining proportions to the extent that it is threatening other regions of the world prompted Russia to enter the battle against ISIS in Syria.

It was done with the consent and request of the legitimate government of Syria and in accordance with the Russian national legislation, United Nations Charter and basic principles of international law. We are confident that the war on terrorism should be based only on universal legal instruments with the key role of the UN Security Council.

During the high-level meetings at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, many countries, confronted with the prospect of destruction of the regional security architecture and creation of unpredictable extremist state not recognizing international law, state boundaries and contemporary civilization values, displayed their solidarity with Russia.

One of the important goals in this fight is preventing further expansion of the man-hating ideology and practice of extremism that is rapidly acquiring trans-border character primarily by recruiting and indoctrinating fighters from all over the world.

The side effects of the aggressive march forward of terrorists in the Middle East have been developing from a headache of the region to a chronic disease – increasing xenophobia, anti-Islamic sentiment, building of civilised barriers, displacement of Christians, cultivation of discord between Shiites and Sunnis and an unprecedented movement of an overwhelming number of refugees streaming into Europe.

Some voices still argue that the best way to stop terrorism in Syria is to get rid of Bashar Al-Assad. However, should we continue this self-delusion game? Will his resignation decrease the appetite for power of terrorist groups?

And, finally, as President Putin put it, “we will never agree with the idea of a third party, whoever it is, imposing its opinion about who governs who. This is beyond any common sense and international law.

We believe that only Syrians can choose their leaders, establish their government standards and rules”.

Besides, it is a fait accompli that the Syrian army remains the only battle-hardened force that can oppose terrorism on the land and the efficiency of its actions against terroristic threats depends on the preservation of the governmental institutions in that country.

As to a final and long-term settlement of the Syrian crisis, it can be achieved only by eradicating terrorism in Syria that would create all the necessary conditions for stopping the bloody conflict of many years. This is a process that will require compromises on either side.

The Russian representatives are actively engaged in the work of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). In our view, it is an optimal and highly promising institution and its decisions must be implemented.

The most important thing, at this stage, is the preparation of a list of terrorist groups operating in Syria with Jordan’s leading role and assistance to the efforts by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and other parties to ensure a wide spectrum of the Syrian opposition develop a negotiating platform and form a representative delegation for talks with the Syrian Government as required by the Geneva Communique of June 30, 2012.

In this context, Russia believes that terrorists of all kinds should be excluded from the political process, which must involve the representatives of the patriotic Syrian opposition that displayed a willingness to resolve political issues constructively at the meetings earlier held in Moscow, Cairo, Astana, Al-Hasakan and Damascus.

The recent efforts of Riyadh to facilitate a meeting of the Syrian opposition also contributed to this process.

Russia has repeatedly stated that using double standards in fighting against terrorism is dangerous and every civilized country must contribute to this battle, reaffirming its solidarity, not in word but in deed, which means that the terrorists must not be given refuge anywhere and prosper from the sale of oil they steal in Syria.

With all this in mind, Russia is pushing forward the start of the political settlement in Syria in line with the Geneva Communique of June 30, 2012. This, in the words of the Russian President, “will have to be done in any case sooner or later, and better sooner than later because there will be fewer casualties and losses, and there will be fewer threats” to other regions.

To this end, we are looking forward to concrete and practical input towards forming a broad anti-terrorist coalition under the auspices of the United Nations. There is a hope that this time this call will be heard.

Karina Orus-ool,
Press secretary of the Embassy of Russia