Festival To Celebrate Local Cambodian Artists, Culture

This Sunday, an arts and crafts festival will feature demonstrations of traditional Cambodian techniques,

by Ryan ZumMallen Long Beach News



This Sunday, the Cambodian population of Long Beach will be on full display as an arts and crafts festival will feature dancers, local artists, traditional cooking demonstrations and much more in a celebration of this ancient culture.

The event will run from 10:00am-2:00pm this Sunday in the parking lot of the Mark Twain Library on 1325 E. Anaheim Street.

Long Beach is home to the largest concentration of Cambodian people in the country – some estimates are that Cambodians make up between 8-9% of the city’s population – and the stretch of Anaheim Street from Atlantic Avenue to Junipero Avenue is famously known as Cambodia Town.

An organization that represents that community called Cambodia Town, Inc. will host the event along with the office of Councilmember Dee Andrews, whose 6th District encompasses Cambodia Town. Andrews has been active in the community and assisted two local entrepreneurs in opening a shopping center in Cambodia Town this past July.

Contact Susan Needham (sneedham@csudh.com) or visit CambodiaTown.org for more information about this weekend’s festival.

ASIA Singaporean students serve less well-off in Cambodia

KOMPONG CHAM, Cambodia (UCAN) -- An exchange program which saw Singaporeans teaching English to Cambodian youths and feeding poor children at dumpsites was an eye-opener for all, say organizers and participants.

Sixteen students from Hwa Chong Institution, an independent school in Singapore, were in Kompong Cham Nov. 19-29 for a program organized by the institution, the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of Singapore and the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Cambodia.

The boys and girls, aged 16-19, stayed at a Church-run students' center. During the program, they played games with the 18 resident boys at the center, taught English to them and children in a government primary school, and fed children living at dumpsites.

They also decorated the classrooms and library of the government school, and painted pictures on the walls of a child-care center run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Only a few of the visitors were Christian.

Father Gerald Vogin, vicar general of Kompong Cham apostolic prefecture, said the visitors "showed us how they can help other people with their own hands and with their own money."

The Paris Foreign Missions priest also said it was a good opportunity for a cultural exchange -- it was a chance to motivate young Cambodians to learn foreign languages, and for the young Singaporeans to see how the lifestyle in Cambodia contrasts with that of their developed island-nation.

Sok Heang, 20, a resident at the students' center, said he was very happy to meet the Singaporeans, practice his English, and exchange ideas and experiences. He said he now feels more motivated to learn foreign languages so that he can communicate with people around the world.

The students' center provides accommodation to boys aged 15-22 years who study in public high schools.

Seventeen-year-old Singaporean Ning Yu said his team's visit to Cambodia was an eye-opening experience for all. He added that they resolved to continue doing social work back home by caring for elderly people and assisting the less fortunate.

The trip helped the students "to be thankful that their parents provide well for them," said Teo Ming Ern, one of three teachers who accompanied the Singaporean youngsters. "Here, they can see many children who don't have an education and live in poor conditions."

He expressed hope that his students will now think twice about what they spend money on, as well as learn to relate with people of different cultures and backgrounds.

This is the fourth year that Hwa Chong Institution has organized such a program for its students. This year, besides Kompong Cham, another group of Hwa Chong students went to Siem Reap on a similar program.

Royal Group of Cambodia Hires Two Banks for $421 Million Loan

By Katrina Nicholas and Shelley Smith


The Royal Group is the premier investment and development company in Cambodia. The company is focused on bringing quality investment to the country and providing investors with the platform to run successful and profitable operations.

Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Group of Cambodia Ltd., owner of the country’s biggest mobile-phone company, hired Standard Bank Group Ltd. and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. to arrange a $421 million loan.

The 18-month bridging loan will help Phnom Penh-based Royal Group acquire the Cambodian wireless network operations of its partner, Millicom International Cellular SA, for $346 million. It will also be used to refinance debt of about $100 million, Royal Group Chief Financial Officer Mark Hanna said.

“For a local company to raise this much in this climate is quite incredible,” Hanna said in a phone interview from Phnom Penh. “There have only been three or four syndicated loans done in Cambodia and nothing of this magnitude.”

Royal Group, whose aim according to its Web site is to promote the country’s economic development, owns a television network and has telecommunications, media and hotel investments in Cambodia. It owns a casino close to the border with Vietnam, as well as a joint venture to open the country’s first six-star resort in Siem Reap. Luxembourg-based Millicom has been selling its telecommunications assets in Asia, including its Sri Lanka unit for about $155 million in October.

The loan may pay interest of between 10 percent and 14 percent and will be put out for general syndication either later this month or early next year, one person familiar with the transaction said.

Passports with Purpose - Help build a school in Cambodia and win great prizes

Here is your chance to win some great travel prizes and contribute to building a school in Cambodia - through the Passports with Purpose contest

Travel Writer Beth Whitman, author of the Wanderlust and Lipstick series of guidebooks, has put together this terrific initiative that raises money for a different nonprofit cause each year. Together with a group of great travel bloggers who have donated some awesome prizes to the contest, Passports with Purpose aims to raise $13,000 to build a school in Cambodia through American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia.

Travelbloggers everywhere are hosting giveaways in support of this fundraising effort. See the full list of prizes and get more details directly from the participating bloggers here. Help support this great cause - and good luck in winning some of the awesome prizes

Rural School Project

Overview

In rural Cambodia, hundreds of villages still lack a functional primary and secondary school. AAfC’s Rural Schools Project, founded in 1999, has led the effort to construct over 300 primary and lower secondary schools – with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank – to help promote education in rural Cambodia. After construction, each school is sponsored by a donor to provide value-add improvements to further strengthen student education, such as English/computer teachers, Internet, and access to clean water.

How You Can Build a School (and crack the digital divide)

The construction cost of a rural school is $13,000. For each donation, $10,000 is used directly towards the construction of the school (matched by the Asian Development Bank for a total cost of $30,000 or above). The other $3,000 is used by AAfC for a general school account that funds performance monitoring, maintenance, the school opening ceremony and overhead. Each school will be named after the donor (or a name he/she selects) and listed on our Rural Schools Project map. The school is 3-6 classrooms, includes desks, chairs, and a well, and is built on land donated by the village or is added to an existing school site. Once a school is completed, it is given to the village. All AAfC schools are recognized by the Cambodian government as state schools, and are staffed by official state teachers who follow the Ministry of Education curriculum.

Education, Internet and Health
Donors are encouraged to add school features in three areas: Education, Internet and Health. Donors may also contribute just $13,000 to build a school with no further involvement or obligation.

Education: Our project seeks to supplement government curriculum by providing students with additional resources and learning opportunities. All new donors are strongly recommended to add the Education improvements to their school.

School improvements:
• Full-time AAfC trained English/computer teacher: $2,160/year
• Hub master: $3000/year
• Bookcase of books: $150 one-time cost
• 3 solar panels to power a donated computer: $1,850 one-time cost
• Total: $6,000 funds two years, $400-2,000 each additional year

Internet: Our project seeks to leapfrog rural Cambodian students by giving them access to computers and the Internet. We have also adopted a package of software to allow students to access the Internet in the Khmer language, using a Khmer keyboard, word-processing, and web-browsing. Students use these resources to learn typing, Internet search, email, and more.

School improvements: A school can gain access to the Internet through two methods: a satellite or motoman [link to motoman article, NY Times by Jim Breake from IHT]. A satellite dish provides high-speed 24-hour Internet connection. In our unique motoman system, a motorcycle connected to wifi provides a school with once daily Internet access to email, newspapers, and web search. Satellite dishes are subject to limited availability and fluctuating prices. The motoman system is only available for schools within close vicinity to a satellite dish.

• Satellite and generator: $18,000 funds two years, $3,000 each additional year
or
• Motoman connection: $5,500 funds two years, $1,500 each additional year

Health: Many students in rural villages suffer from a lack of health care, unsafe drinking water and lack of nutritious food. Donors may add two water filters to the school to allow access to clean water at the school. A “Victory” vegetable garden in which students receive one free, nutritious meal each day, includes building materials, seeds, one gardener, one cook, and a garden well when needed. Finally, a school nurse recruited from a local clinic promotes health education and gives students regular health check-ups. These features combine reduce student malnutrition, increase attentiveness, and raise attendance.

School improvements:

• Hagar water filter: $300 one-time cost
• 1 “Victory” vegetable garden,: $7,500 funds first two years, $2,000 each additional year
• School nurse: $5400/year

More info go to http://www.cambodiaschools.com/

Collections of HDR Artie | Photograophy's

This is the only 2nd shot which i've processed from my Angkor Wat trip. Yesterday, I showed u a small exterior section of this majestic temple. Tonight, do allow me to bring u a fraction back into the interior of this amazing place. This is just one of many exits in this fortress & honestly it takes quite a bit of effort to walk around, up & down, in & out of the place. Maybe this temple shines forever! :))

View LARGE On Black to feel the sacredness

This is a "MUST take" photo for anyone who have been to this place. This temple is totally invaded by the roots of giant banyan trees and ficus religiosa. The construction of this temple is pretty complex however super awesome... truly tomb raider liked (where's angelina jolie i wonder?!?)! The monument & foundation are actually in quite a bad state. Every time i roamed into a room, my heart skipped a bit.. wondering will i get a big stone dropping right on top of my head! Nonetheless, highly recommended place to go! ;) i give it 4 out of 5 stars.. blame the heat & humidity for the loss of the other star :D

View LARGE On Black to get rooted

I promised colours last night in my next post so i guess i've stuck to my words as what a real man should always do LOL! I have posted one angkor sunrise shot before. This is the same morning but a slightly different standing spot to where i was before...free from the hundreds of tourists at the other end & of coz let's not forget to mention again.. having to squeeze in between someone's armpit LOL! Man no wonder this shot smells fresher (at least to me :P) Hope you enjoy the colours & enjoy a smashing weekend ahead! I will smash myself crazy this week for sure ;) ciao!

View LARGE On Black to enjoy the colours!

Its been a while since i popped into flickr. Trust everyone is doing great so far unlike me who is suffering from flu, sore throat & bad nasty cough for the past weeks. Despite that, i know its no excuse but i really have not visited anyone at all. duh! :S Therefore thank u heaps for your nice comments u've given for those past few posts. I will definitely put in more effort soon for sure.

Abt this shot, i considered myself lucky to be able to get a night shot of Angkor Wat as it normally closes at 6pm & everyone has to leave the place. However that evening was the celebration of the Cambodian New Year which i didn't even realise. It was packed with hundreds & hundreds of ppl as you can see from the ghosting of everyone walking past me. This shot could be much worse with just legs, shoes & back of ppl but i think the long exposure does save the pic a fair bit.

View LARGE On Black to join in the celebration


Another one from my Cambodia trip. This place simply fascinates me esp this huge structure which reminds me so much of the famous Mayan ruins in Mexico. It was in a fairly run down condition as you can see the fallen parts from the ruins all over the ground. There is a danger sign at the entrance & no one is allowed to climb up.

View LARGE On Black to see how small the tourists are

Hope this morning shine makes up for those big ugly glarey street lights in my yesterday's post ;) This shot was taken about an hour after a spectacular sunrise at the entrance of Angkor Wat. To get to this part of the temple, I rem having to walk through a valley of monkeys... big & small! man they look too smart for me! I bet if they steal my cam, they might be able to take 3 exposure shots & do some hdr too lol! sorry too corny!

View LARGE On Black to be refreshed

Link to Artie Photography's

Science Film Festival lights up the night

Offerings enrich student’s appreciation and understanding of biology, space travel and biofuels

by Sarah Outhwaite
Phnom Penh Post


The Khmer Science Film Festival included feature films on topics such as climate change and global warming, endangered species, natural disasters, pollution and environmental destruction.Photo by: Sarah Outhwaite

Amid the crowds at Wat Botum Park last weekend, attendees of the Science Film Festival struggled to make their roars of approval heard. Engulfed on three sides by aerobic armies and deafening sound systems, the festival cranked up its own volume to attract the Cambodian public.

Since November 17, the Goethe Institute-organised Festival has been reaching out to Cambodia’s youth using film to provide science education. Videos were screened at five universities and five high schools. Three days of viewings at Wat Botum Park marked the festival’s culmination and a chance for any passerby to watch its documentaries.

The Science Film Festival’s outdoor screenings were made possible by the Khmer Youth and Social Development organisation, underpinning the festival themes of science education advancement and student involvement in the sciences. Under the direction of KYSD Programme Coordinator Chhean Chan Heang, young volunteers met in Wat Botum Park to pass out festival posters and produce the event.

KYSD volunteers began rigging their outdoor cinema at sundown last Friday. Postponed for an hour due to technical difficulties, the first screening began at 7pm. The brightly animated French short quickly caught the eye of nearby children, and a crowd of curious onlookers developed.

“Darwin on the Evolution Trail” lasted 10 minutes and led viewers from Darwin’s work in the Galapagos to the eventual discovery of DNA. It was followed by full-length documentary “I Have Seen the Earth Change”, which explores evidence of global warming through the experience of Japanese rice farmers. All films shown at the festival were dubbed in Khmer.

Outdoor screenings lasted long past sundown on all three days. Saturday repeated the child-friendly Darwin short and also offered “Cuttlefish – the Brainy Bunch” – a film of sheer fascination covering the sea creature’s peculiarities.

The final evening of the festival presented films that had a personal theme and that struck close to home. “Children of the Flood” chronicled the global phenomenon of dramatically increased flooding. “Nourished by the Same River” – the only documentary with a Cambodian producer – presented the cultural scope and natural intensity of the Lancang-Mekong river.

Over the course of the festival, in schools as well as outdoors, KYSD volunteer Sum Kalyan noticed that students were most captivated by the amusing German short “Biogas”. It detailed the energy-producing capabilities of pig flatulence. Yet not everything ended in giggles. Students also loved the scientific comparisons of “Dog or Cat, who is smarter?” and seemed mesmerised by the 1961 space voyage of “Ham Astrochimp”.

“The children want to know about space,” Kalyan said, “because before they have only seen still pictures, never films.” Although they were taught scientific theory, many Cambodian students graduate high school without having performed scientific experiments.

Programme Coordinator Chan Heang led scientific quizzes on the screening stage between films.

Chan Heang said he was “not studying, but interested” in science. He quoted how important an awareness of scientific principles was for Cambodian citizens.

“We are a developing country; therefore, we have to be aware of science to improve Cambodia,” he said.

Aids killed their parents but these sisters in Cambodia fight on

On World Aids Day, Chief Reporter Aidan Radnedge speaks to four young sisters in Cambodia about their brave struggle to recover from double tragedy.

Keeping it together: (l-r) Chan Sok-Chea, Chan Sreyleak, Chan Sopheap and Chan LeaKana

Sisters are doing it for themselves – in defiance of double tragedy, neighbours’ sneers and the burden of having to grow up far too quickly.

These four girls – the youngest 14, the eldest 20, although still child-like – have endured almost a decade without their parents.

Both mother and father died after being infected with HIV, leaving behind yet another family in Cam-bodia orphaned by Aids.

Some 15million people across the world have lost at least one parent to the disease and UNAIDS, the joint UN programme on HIV/Aids, has warned that number could rise to 25million in the next few years.

But you may not imagine the struggles and anxieties of the Chan sisters just from watching as they giggle or conspiratorially whisper together.

Their sparse, concrete single room in the Phnom Penh village of Doeumchan is kept as house-proud as the few possessions allow – a rusting kettle, a hardboard bed, a few tea towels and carrier bags.

They have had to fend for themselves since 2001, when father Mai Saisayana died – two years after his wife, Rea Sothy. But they all have ambitions beyond just getting by.

Eldest girl Leakana is studying accountancy while working for a charity, where she has been joined by 17-year-old Sopheap. Sokchea, 18, is about to sit her final school exams. Sreyleak, 14, is being funded through school by an aid agency called Halo, which is backed by Tearfund.

But their parents’ deaths overshadowed their childhoods and forced them to become self-sufficient wage-earners earlier than imagined.

‘We’ve been very lonely, as well as it being difficult for us to make a living and finance our studies,’ Leakana admitted.


Poverty: Doeumchan village, where the sisters live

Adding insult to injury, neighbours are unsympathetic and abusive. Prejudice seems to thrive against families afflicted and affected by Aids.

‘When friends do come over, and there are guys in the group, our neighbours misjudge what’s going on and throw more accusations against us,’ Leakana said.

Sokchea said: ‘There are others who just deliberately ignore us but give us horrible and suspicious looks.’ Cambodia has up to 84,000 people thought to be living with HIV and an infection rate of 0.9 per cent – down from 130,000 and 1.2 per cent respectively six years ago.

Yet the number of HIV sufferers under 15 is rising, going from 4,600 to 5,000 over the same period.

Leakana imagines completing her accountancy exams and getting a good job to support a marriage and children of her own.

But she noted: ‘Of course I feel very alone at the moment – especially when I look at other families where healthy parents are taking care of their kids.

‘We’ve all just grown, hoping to strengthen each and everyone of us who survive.’

* For more information about Tearfund’s work in Cambodia, or to donate, call 0845 355 8355 or go to www.tearfund.org/metro

Motorcycle sales gain traction in Cambodia after slow year

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Motorcycle dealers in the capital Phnom Penh say sales have finally started to pick up following this year's downturn prompted by the global economic crisis, as buyers spend money generated in the provinces on upgrading to new models that have recently entered the market for 2010, local media reported on Monday.

Kim Chhay, one of the many dealers who operate on Phnom Penh's Sihanouk Boulevard, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying that sales had risen between 10 and 20 percent since October "due to demand for new models" of brands including Honda, which he said had recently launched its 2010 range.

Having seen sales plummet from around 100 units a month to between 30 to 40 during the first 10 months of 2009, he said sales have climbed. "Now we're selling around 60 motorbikes per month."
A reduction in retail prices had also spurred demand, he said. Last year's Honda Dreams sold for 1,700 U.S. dollars to 1,800 U.S. dollars per unit, compared with about 1,500 U.S. dollars for the new series.

Taing Ang, another dealer in the capital, said that people from the provinces who had completed land transactions were propping up demand, adding that Honda in particular had seen an upswing in sales.

"The Suzuki series hasn't seen an improvement yet," he said.

Vouch Lay, who deals Suzukis, said she had not seen sales pick up, blaming the rising demand for Honda's newly released models. "I don't see any recovery yet," she said.

She added that Suzuki was due to begin a new promotion shortly, which she hoped would "spur the number of sales to improve on the current situation".

Demand for motorcycles in Cambodia was expected to fall to 100,000 units this year from the previous 140,000 units, according to Matoba Micifumi, managing director of Yamaha Motors Cambodia Co, who previously said Yamaha motorcycle sales had dropped 25 percent in the first quarter.

Cambodian kids painting with hope

BY ILIANA STILLITANO
Fairfax Media

Reaching out: Debbie Tuckey and civic centre co-ordinator Ashley Hoffman with some of the paintings to be exhibited. Picture: Elliott Housego MOST POPULAR1. Cambodian kids painting with hope2. Concerns sex shops `could pop up ...3. Week left to enter Christmas lights contest4. Camden's Alex Biffin wins Manhunt ...5. Teen triumphs over tragedy6. Rudd ministers go hush hush on vital city ...7. Roger Rogerson reveals his Dark side

CAMDEN Civic Centre will be filled with the colours of hope next week as the artwork of Cambodia's poorest children goes on sale.

The artwork, painted by underprivileged street children, will be sold to raise money for the Cambodian Children's Painting Project, which helps the poorest children in the village of Sihanoukville.

Project director Felix Brooks-Church said residents of the coastal village lacked regular access to food, clean drinking water and medical care.

``We are trying to change that by providing a supportive and safe place to come and play and express themselves in a positive way. And it's art that is our major focus,'' he said.

Mr Brooks-Church has been travelling around Australia since August holding fund-raising art exhibitions.

Camden Council's Family Day Care coordinator Debbie Tuckey is custodian of the unsold paintings, which will be exhibited at Camden Civic Centre.

They will be available for purchase for one week only from Saturday at 1pm.

'Telepathic' car symbolises Cambodian car industry hopes

by Chan Sovannara

Cambodian mechanic Nhean Phaloek sits in his self-designed home-made Angkor 333-2010 car at his house in Phnom Penh. The gold-coloured convertible turns heads on impoverished Cambodia's roads -- not least because of creator Nhean Phaloek's outlandish claim that it can be operated telepathically.
(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – The gold-coloured convertible turns heads on impoverished Cambodia's roads -- not least because of creator Nhean Phaloek's outlandish claim that it can be operated telepathically.

"I just snap my fingers and the car's door will open. Or I just think of opening the car's door, and the door opens immediately," says the 51-year-old as he proudly shows off the homemade car, named the Angkor 333-2010.

Onlookers gasp as he demonstrates the trick, and with the fibre-glass vehicle having cost him 5,000 dollars and 19 months of labour he is in no mood to reveal the remote control system behind it.

But as with a handful of other Cambodians who make their own curious cars, he dreams the two-seater will help foster an automobile industry in the country, still poor after decades of conflict.

"I am very excited and proud of this car because many people admire me and keep asking me about how I can make it," he says, adding that it reaches speeds of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour.

Kong Pharith, a 48-year-old former maths and physics teacher who has also produced his own car, says an auto industry is about to blossom in Cambodia.

"Our works will be part of a motivating force for the next generation to access new inventions and show the world that Cambodia has an ability to do what you think we cannot," he says.

The inventor, who first came to national attention in 2005 for building a solar-powered bicycle, thinks he has now hit on a truly unique product with his orange, jeep-like vehicle with solar panels on its roof.

Kong Pharith says it took him four months to design and put the final polish on his "tribrid" car which operates on solar energy, electricity and gasoline, hitting speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour with its 2,000 watt motor.

"I'm really happy about my achievement but not very satisfied with it yet," he says, adding that Cambodia's lack of modern technology and materials are a minor obstacle to efficient manufacturing.

The dream of building cars in Cambodia may not be far-fetched. Officials have announced plans for South Korean automaker Hyundai to open a plant in southwestern Cambodia, assembling some 3,000 vehicles per year.

Cambodia did actually assemble cars in a factory during the 1960s, before the country was caught in the maelstrom of the Vietnam War.

During the brief manufacturing run, the car known as the "Angkor" was made from imported parts and domestically-made tyres.

Very basic Cambodian-assembled vehicles also still regularly rumble around the countryside, where approximately 80 percent of the country's 14 million people live.

Farmers often depend on "robot cows", large shop-made open-bed trucks with Chinese or Vietnamese engines, which are used to transport people and rice.

The machines, which generally cost a couple of thousand dollars, also serve as generators or water pumps when they are not heaving along pot-holed rural roads.

But in the capital Phnom Penh, elites and the nascent middle class can often be seen driving expensive imports, which are considered a symbol of status and achievement.

"(Cambodians) put more attention into their cars than the clothes they buy," says Jean Boris Roux, who imports Ford vehicles to Cambodia as the country manager for RM Asia.

"I think it's very important for Cambodians to show the success in their professional life through the vehicles they drive," he adds.

Despite the Cambodian love for cars, Roux and several other analysts say its doubtful proper domestic manufacturing will emerge here soon -- especially since neighbouring Thailand remains Asia's auto assembly giant.

"It's not just about having four walls (for a factory). You need hundreds of companies supplying seats, steering wheels, hoods... This is not going to happen in Cambodia for a number of years," Roux says.

Until then, Nhean Phaloek says he will keep making cars at home.

The Angkor 333-2010 is the third he has built, and his first to talk. When he slams the door a voice out of the dashboard moans: "Why do you close me too strongly?"

"Dozens of local and foreign guests have come and seen my car," Nhean Phaloek says with a smile. "One British man told me that it is the Cambodian James Bond car."

SNC-Lavalin to build energy management system for Cambodia

Montreal-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. said Tuesday it will design and build a $5 million energy management system for Cambodia's National Control Centre.

The high-tech system will manage all of Cambodia's electric transmission network and help to provide power to much of the country's rural population. It will come on stream in mid-2011.

The project will have strong local input, said SNC-Lavalin.

The Montreal Gazette

Cambodia Warming to Idea of Foreign Ownership

By SIMON MARKS
The New York Times

Just three decades after the downfall of the Khmer Rouge, a deadly regime that left behind little notion of private property, a law that would allow foreigners to buy some kinds of real estate here appears to be nearing approval.

And while the proposed law is focused on the property market, experts agree it also would be a general boost for the country, which has been struggling through its own version of the global economic downturn.

“The law, in essence, will not help the whole economy recover. But it’s part of a wider picture,” said Daniel Parkes, country manager for the CB Richard Ellis real estate company. “What it is doing is making investment in Cambodia more transparent and easier.”

The law, which is expected to go to the National Assembly for a vote in the coming months, would allow foreigners to own apartments and condominiums on buildings’ upper floors. Now they are limited to 99-year leaseholds on any property.

Ground-level residences, which include ownership of the land that the units stand on, would continue to be reserved for Cambodians.

There are some controversial details in the draft. But over all, Mr. Parkes said, the proposed law would improve confidence in the market — especially in comparison with neighboring countries like Thailand, where foreigners are limited to 30-year leases on homes or land, and Singapore, where they are barred from owning property below the sixth floor.

Mr. Parkes’s own presence in Cambodia is due to great expectations for its real estate sector. The 27-year-old arrived here four months ago from Britain; his assignment was to open the first office of CB Richard Ellis in the capital to meet a growing demand for professional real estate services.

“Working in the U.K., it has become obvious over the last two years or so that it is a mature market,” Mr. Parkes said. “Where the future is, is in Asia.”

He says he considers the assignment to be a long-term one, and he spends weekends riding around the city on his 1967 Vespa, keeping his eyes peeled for a property that he might like to buy himself.

Over all, the country’s financial forecasts and Phnom Penh’s growth seem to support his optimism.

Economists here generally agree that Cambodia will emerge from its year-long recession in 2010. And the International Monetary Fund said in September that, while the country’s G.D.P. would contract 2.75 percent this year, it would climb about 4 percent in 2010.

The capital’s 1.3 million inhabitants mostly live in low-grade concrete apartment blocks that form the city’s low skyline. But Cambodia’s tallest building, the 30-story Canadia Tower, opened Nov. 5. And the structure, which includes apartments for some Canadia Bank employees, is the first of several such projects planned for the city center.

Like many housing markets across the world, speculative buying and inflated land values produced a lot of phantom growth in Cambodia in recent years.

From 2005 to mid-2008, prices for some houses in Phnom Penh rose tenfold. Increasing foreign investment and large-scale residential projects like Gold Tower 42, a South Korean-funded 42-story skyscraper that is still being built, were just some of the factors that led industry observers to have faith in the country’s market.

But as the effects of the global economic crisis spilled over into Cambodia in late 2008, demand dried up, and housing prices tumbled dramatically — 40 percent compared with the same period last year, according to real estate agents.

“Before there was so much investment from developers in China and South Korea,” said Soush Saroeun, executive director of Asia Real Property, a Cambodian real estate agency. He said prices in Phnom Penh’s most affluent neighborhoods had fallen to about $3,000 per square meter, or $280 a square foot, from around $4,500 per square meter in July 2008. (High-end real estate in Cambodia is generally valued in U.S. dollars.)

Some observers here say that confidence in the market actually was boosted when the long-awaited proposal to allow foreign ownership was introduced by the Ministry of Land Management in April.
Some investors and analysts say, however, that the draft contains stipulations that would cause unnecessary complications, like the rule that no more than 49 percent of a condominium building’s units may be owned by foreigners.

The rule would cause “big problems for developers in the region in their initial business plans,” forcing them to sell to two distinct markets, said Matthew Rendall, a managing partner with the legal consultancy Sciaroni & Associates, based in Phnom Penh.

Sek Sitha, an under secretary of state for the land management ministry, said the restriction was included because the government wants “Cambodians to have priority over foreigners.” But he said the Council of Ministers, which is now reviewing the draft law, and the assembly would consider the concerns.

In Channy, chief executive of Acleda Bank, one of the country’s largest banks, said that expecting Cambodians to buy 51 percent of the units in a building created to appeal to foreigners was unlikely because few would be interested in such a costly investment. “Demand is very low,” he said. “Most of our loans go to local Cambodians, but it depends on the cash flow of the individual borrower.”

The proposal also says foreigners cannot be co-owners in land purchases, nor can they buy any properties within 30 kilometers, or 18.5 miles, of the borders, except in special economic zones.

Rory Hunter, chief executive of the local property developer Brocon Group, said developers could bypass the proportional ownership issue by offering long-term leases, rather than sales, on the balance of the units in a building meant for the foreign market.

And while the current 99-year lease is not, practically, very different from an outright purchase, “psychologically, people want to own freehold, not leasehold,” Mr. Hunter said. “It will give foreign investors more confidence regarding the security of their investment.”

Trip update from World Vision's "Spirit of Christmas" tour team

By World Vision staff

We've just arrived in Cambodia, and I thought I'd take a minute to take stock of where we've been and what we've seen.

New York was a reminder that poverty and desperation exist right in our own backyard. Ines and her family are just some of the 15 people who share a one-bedroom apartment. They have little income and struggle just to provide the basics, and Christmas is looming right around the corner.

Through donations to World Vision's Gift Catalog, we were able to provide backpacks and school supplies for the children there, as well as assure Ines that Christmas presents would follow. In New York, we also saw how hope was kept alive for many by people like Jewel Jones.

Jewel had a couple of Top Ten R & B hits back in the '50s with a group called The El Dorados. After a career change or two, he ended up at The Love Kitchen where he and his wife feed hundreds of New York's poor and homeless every day. At 72, Jewel is in his twenty-first year of demonstrating the true spirit of Christmas all year long.

We left New York for Ecuador where we met some beautiful people high up in the Andes. Jose leads a community who raise alpacas, an animal similar to a llama, whose wool makes soft, warm clothing. Just what's needed at 11,000 feet. Alpacas with their soft, pillow-like feet, are also easy on the environment because they don't erode the grassland and allow the water table to stay high. World Vision's Gift Catalog has helped the people in this mountain community by providing animals that make their life better while also helping to protect the natural surroundings that they love so well.

Also in those beautiful mountains we met Rosa. This pretty 12-year old treks miles everyday over rugged terrain to attend school. Thanks to World Vision's Gift Catalog, Rosa has money for school fees and supplies. She dreams of being a teacher someday and helping others.

We spent a non-traditional Thanksgiving in Ecuador before leaving for Cambodia. Guinea pig is a dish Ecuadorians sometimes eat on special occasions. This was one of them.

From Tim in New York to Pato and Cristina in Ecuador, our hosts around the world so far have been gracious and helpful and we offer them a special thanks. I hope you'll keep following us as we continue to bring you inspirational stories from some of the many exotic and far-flung places World Vision works. Thanks for your support, and may God bless you.

Lucy Liu film highlights child trafficking

By SARAH EL DEEB (AP)

American actress Lucy Liu speaks at a press conference to promote the film "Red Light" which she co-produced and narrated and which concerns children abused in the sex trade in Cambodia, at a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Lucy Liu is in Cairo for the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival, and visited UNICEF-funded anti-human trafficking programs specifically dealing with women and children. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

CAIRO — Actress Lucy Liu, who has produced a film about children sold into the sex trade in Cambodia, says the fight against human trafficking will be long.

Liu praised several projects funded by the U.N. children's agency in Egypt, where she was promoting the film "Red Light" at the Cairo International Film Festival.

The actress co-produced and narrated the movie, which follows the stories of a number of girls over the course of four years as they are kidnapped and sold to brothels in Cambodia.

Liu said Wednesday it "is really going to take a really long time" to fight human trafficking, labeled the third most profitable business in the world after weapons and drugs trading.

That assessment rings true in the Middle East, where stigma in conservative societies and a lack of data have frustrated activists' efforts. Highlighting those challenges, organizers of several UNICEF-funded programs Liu visited in Egypt did not even want to make details of their efforts public out of fear doing so would stir up controversy and pressure from conservatives.

"The first step is there are a couple of projects that exist and that is something wonderful," Liu said.

In Egypt, the sex trade is often hidden under the guise of temporary marriages sanctioned by some religious figures and local authorities. Under these marriages, hundreds of underage girls in rural Egypt are essentially sold by their families for large sums to wealthy visitors from Gulf nations.

Egypt recently passed its first child protection law, which criminalized trafficking and raised the age of marriage to 18.

The country's first Lady, Suzanne Mubarak, launched a global initiative to fight human trafficking in 2006, signaling that there is a political will to confront an issue affecting nearly 2.4 million people around the world, according to 2007 figures from the U.N. International Labor Organization.

The Associated Press

Assumption students to visit 'their' school in Cambodia

By Martha Elson • melson@courier-journal.com


Assumption High students Marie Clements, left, and Ariel Gariepy discuss their plans to visit Cambodia. (By Martha Elson, The Courier-Journal)

The Global Issues Club at Assumption High School does a lot more than take an interest in world affairs from afar.

Over the past three years, the members confronted a problem in Cambodia — girls their age more than 8,000 miles away being forced into prostitution — and raised more than $20,000 to build a school there.

Now, 10 senior members of the club are raising more money to go to Cambodia during Assumption Mission Week Feb. 6-15 to visit their school, which opened in January in Kampong Cham province northeast of the capital of Phnom Penh.

“We worked on it for three years, and we just wanted to actually go over and meet the children and see Cambodia,” said Marie Clements, a club leader. “Freshman year, it just seemed like such a difficult goal.”

Details are still being worked out. “We do know that when we go, we're going to have an opening ceremony, even though it's been open,” said Ariel Gariepy, another club leader. They'll stay in hotels and visit other sites, too, including a museum about 1970s genocide in the country.

The trip will cost about $3,000 each — including $1,400 for air fare. Marie and Ariel are earning money working as lifeguards at Lakeside Swim Club and say they've given up other interests, such as drama and sports, to concentrate on the Cambodia project.

“It's worth it,” Marie said.

They also hope to take school supplies and newly released translations of the second Harry Potter book.

They will hold a yard sale Saturday in the parking lot at the school and are sending letters to businesses and others soliciting help. They also held bake sale and pie-in-the-face fundraisers at school. Last year, they held a Coins for Cambodia 5K Walk through Seneca Park that raised about $8,000 for the school.

The club undertook the project through an organization called American Assistance for Cambodia, based in Tokyo, with a fundraising address in Forest Hills, N.Y. The organization started a rural school building project in 1999 and says hundreds of villages in the country still lack a functional primary and secondary school.

The Assumption club members hope that better education will create more life options and a better future for girls in Cambodia.

The club is led by geography teacher Matthew Cope, who said the club members had “always kicked around the idea of going to Cambodia” before deciding this school year to pursue it.

Another teacher, Becca Joaquin, also will go, along with the Rev. John Burke, the priest at Good Shepherd Catholic parish in Portland, who holds Mass at Assumption and is in touch with a priest in Cambodia who's helping with arrangements.

The club plans to continue contributing about $6,000 a year to keep the school operating.

The trip will “will personalize” the project, said club member Megan Foley. “It puts a face to all the work we've been doing.”

Reporter Martha Elson can be reached at (502) 582-7061.