Nem Nim didn't know what the crosswalk on Norodom Boulevard meant, and he was stopped for his lack of knowledge last week after blithely sailing through the painted lines.

"What is (a crosswalk) used for? " he asked a traffic monitor." It is for pedestrians to get across to the other side of the road," the monitor admonished him. " Here is where you stop. That is the line for people walking ." Nem Nim was not the only one to be scolded last week.

During peak lunchtime hours, 30 people were posted at the intersection of Norodom and Street 154 to enforce traffic laws. That included stopping at the  painted crosswalks, an idea that struck some drivers as completely novel.

Others admitted they knew what the lines meant, and usually stop, but they just happened to get caught this one time.

"I do know [the law] and I respect it, but at this moment I stopped over the line accidentally," said  Chou Peng, 34, a moto-taxi driver.

The attempt to restore order to what has increasingly become traffic chaos in Phnom Penh. It is part of an ambitious$25,000 effort, paid for by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and carried out by schoolchildren, teachers, police and the city's Public Works Department. 

One recent study revealed the number of vehicles in Asian cities has increased 600 percent the past 20 years, and will double again by 2030. The beeping mixture of vehicles on many Cambodian roads, from overloaded trucks and cars to monitor-cycles, bicycles, ox carts and the occasional elephant, creates dangerous conditions, especially when drivers are impatient.

Traffic experts want Cambodians to change such freewheeling habits as driving against traffic, refusing to  stop for pedestrian or traffic signals, ignoring road markings and driving drunk or without a license. To that end, they designed a five-day campaign including posters and stickers; ads in newspapers, on radio and TV; banners and slogan-bearing hats for children to wear.

All last week, the Norodom intersection  was staffed every midday by eight traffic police officers, 12 schoolchildren, four teachers, two supervisors and consultants.

Across town at Shihanouk Boulevard and Street 163 near Olympic Stadium, traffic police stopped offenders and issued warnings. Some reports were encouraging. Nabeshima Yasuo, traffic plan manager for JICA, was watching the Shihanouk Boulevard intersection, normally a challenge for even the most athletic pedestrian." You can see, at this moment, this corner looks like it is not in Cambodia, "he said last week. "It does not take too long to change bad behavior, "he said.

Leav Srei Minh, 11, was certainly getting the message. The Norodom Primary School student, was a volunteer traffic monitor on hopes her efforts will reduce the number of accidents in the city.

"When I grow up, I will respect the traffic laws every time I drive," she said solemnly.

Khem Sam Ath, chief of intervention for the traffic police, compared  regulating Phnom Penh traffic to  pulling fast-growing plants from a clogged waterway.

"While we are here, they are driving smoothly, butt after we [leave] they abuse the law again," he said.

Cambodia Daily Feb 5, 2001

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A 9 percent bonus quota in garment exports given by the US does not reward Cambodia enough for its efforts to improve labor conditions, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said sunday.

He insisted Cambodia deserved the full 14 percent bonus quota, instead of the 9 percent awarded for 2001, which is the same quota that was eventually given for 2000.

'The [labor] situation has dramatically improved, but the US government didn't make a proper decision accordingly' said Cham prasidh, head of garment quota negotiations with the US.

Cham prasidh also said the independent national Labor monitoring committee, supervised by the International Labor Organization, should be the group that evaluates Cambodia's working conditions, instead of a US team.

Unfortunately, he said, by the time the committee was formed, the US had already sent its own evaluation mission to factories.

"Just because the [monitorin] mechanism has hot been in place, the US took advantage of it, Cham Prasidh said.

The garment quota referes to the amount of merchandise foreign contractors can sell in the US market each year. The bonus quota system was established as  an incentive for improving working conditions in exchange for an increase in the US market share.

The base amount is set by contract, and US labor officials can increase that amount by adding bonus percentages, based on their assessment of labor conditions. According to the three-year garment export agreement with Cambodia, the US may grant up to a 14 percent bonus quota per year, in addition to the 6 percent  automatic increase in quotas if labor conditions are satisfactory. 

Manufacturers bid on Friday for a share of both the 6 percent automatic increase and the 9 percent bonus quota, which raised $5.7 million for national coffers, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Van Sou leng, president of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said the 9 percent bonus quota shows the world that Cambodia is maintaining reputable labor conditions.

"It's not free of charge...It's a result of good behavior by factory management that spent lots of energy and effort to comply with the labor law and maintain good labor conditions,"he said.

The garment industry is the single-largest industry in the country, generating $300 million increase from the previous year. About three-quarters  of garment exports shipped to the US.

Van Sou Ieng said the bonus quota would enable garment manufacturers to provide another 15,000 to 20,000 job in Cambodia.

Chea Vichea, president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the country's labor conditions have not improved notably, citing dozens of strikes late last year and early this year.

Chuon Mum Thai, president of the Cambodia Union Federation, said the bonus shows an accurate evaluation of Cambodia's labor conditions are not that bad and have improvedignificantly,"he said.

A Ministry of Commerce report on a plan to research strategic marketing of agricultural  products was presented to the Council of Ministers Friday .

Council spokesman pen Thol said the research, aimed at improving  rice quality, technical training and market efficiency,will be conducted in Kandal, Takeo, Siem Reap, Pray Veng, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Svay Rieng and Battambang provinces. Penn Thol said Prime Minister Hun Sen also suggested that farmers on the border be allowed to sell their products directly  to foreign customers.(Pin Sisovann)

City Hall wants all the land on the western bank of the Bassac from Monivong Bridge to Hun Sen Park to be made into a promenade as part of its beautification programme.

But a meeting of owners called last week to discuss a deal turned out to be a no-event.

Mayor Chea Sophara said those who turned up at the meeting were representatives with no authority to decide on behalf of owners.

Now, he had given owners two weeks to reach him to discuss what they want for giving-up the land.

After the deadline, the land will become state property.

The land, he said, was not expensive right now because of the underdeveloped state.

Meanwhile, City Hall is pushing ahead with its plan to replace modern lamp-posts in public parks with those featuring Khmer designs.

Two designs featuring from Angkor and Banteay Srei temples have been chosen with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

One design is to ornate gardens close to the palace, while the other is for the rest of the public parks.

The design for the posts near the palace feature bars to hang buntings.

The posts, including installation, cost between US$70 and US$100 each and are supplied by three local contractors.

The project initially ran into trouble as the cement fixtures cracked due to faulty fabrication and had to be reinforced causing a delay in installation in some of the areas.

City Hall plans to replace 626 lights in time for the Khmer New Year, with 427 already having been installed.

In addition, 94 similar lamp- posts will be installed on the river bank from Chroy Changwa to the city centre.

For the record, there are 1,939 street lights in Phnom Penh.

The Business News Jan 29_Feb 4, 2001

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Achain of 17 islands off Koh Kong are slated to be developed into an eco-tourism region under a plan when realised would create the kingdom's first marine-based visit destination.

The project rival south Thailand's world famous island-chain around Koh Samui,

from which Cambodian planners can learn much on development and environmental protection.

Koh Samui, now served with 40 daily flights or more than handled by any Cambodian airport, developed as a back-packer destination in late seventies.

Visitors previous to the start of the air services in 1989 made the trip by boat from Surat Thani to Koh Samui, the over crowded express versions taking up to four hours and the normal ones taking eight hours.

The island provided very basic facilities thatched huts, inexpensive bars and 
restaurants, rural roads and some of the finest beaches in Thailand.

But the popularity began to attract better-class tourists and the concern of the authorities on the effect of pollution, especially human waste into the pristine waters.

One of Thailand's best known  entrepreneurs, Prasert, Prassrttong-Osoth Chairman of   Bangkok Airways, decided to build an airport to support development of hotels and other facilities.

Koh Samui thus became the first to have a private airport in Thailand, the first of the chain started by Prasert.

The government enforced laws to protect the environment, which also contributed to keeping Koh Samui from degradation.

Industry insiders say that wealthy tourists are mentally not ready to come in droves to Cambodia, because of its safety image, making any ambitious plan for Koh Sdech out of financial reality, at least for now.

They say that it should be developed initially as a backpacker destination.

With the experience from Koh Samui, environmental protection measures could be built-in ahead of opening the area to visitors.

The Koh Kong provincial authorities could also help local communities to prepare to receive visitors and cater for their needs, thus providing them with incomes apart from their traditional livelihood.

Some in the industry, feel that either the Department of Tourism or the provincial authorities should meet up with their counterparts from, Koh Samui to pick tips on how to successfully develop Koh Sdech.

BANGKOK: The Mekong basin states want to lessen dependence on western expertise in science and technology.

The group, representing 240 million inhabitants in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, has formed a commission to develop its own capacity.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Academic and Research Network was launched over the weekend at the Asian Institute of Technology where it will be based.

Eight academic institutions from the region have signed up to the network, including the Institute of Technology of Cambodia and Kunming University of Science and Technology.

The network will generate, develop and share knowledge within the region, and build the capacity of its academic and research institutions.

"The aim is to establish what the needs of the region really are," said AIT chairman Jean-Louis Armand.

"This is for the countries of the Mekong basin to decide, he said.

One problem the network aims to overcome is the disparity in standards between the new educational institutions in member nations.

Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are some of the poorest countries in the world, struggling to recreate education systems after decades of turmoil.

"The AIT is focussing its energies on countries who are the most disadvantaged, " Armand said.

The Cardamom mountains, marked by conservationists as one of the most important environmental sites to preserve in Cambodia, has been officially designated a protected area, but only temporarily. 

Conservation groups working to preserve the area applauded the move, but expressed concerns about the temporary status, which offers no guarantees the Cardamom range will be permanently protected. 

A directive signed Jan 22 by acting Agriculture Minister Chan Tong Yves sets aside 330,000 hectares in the central Cardamoms as protected forest under a provisional 

status, according to Forestry Director Ty Sokhun. 

All commercial activity, including logging, will be banned in the area until further studies are completed, probably by the end of the year.  Five companies now have logging concessions there.

Conservationists have said logging companies that operate in the area are violating existing forestry management plans and dispute the idea that the concession can be managed in a sustainable way.

Job Buckrell of Global Witness, the government's independent forestry monitor, said the government directive could herald "a new way of thinking about forests, not simply as a resource for exploitation."

A progress report by the donor working group on natural resource management, presented at Monday's donor meeting, said protection of the central Cardamoms is not yet assured."

The report says the Forestry Department is awaiting the filing of "sustainable forest management plans," which will be submitted by logging companies in the area and must be in place by November, before making a final decision on the status of the Cardamoms.

Conservation International has been negotiating with the government for months to protect the central Cardamoms.  The group has agreed to put up $1.5 million for a three-year program to develop up infrastructure in the area and to help train rangers if the government decides to give the area permanent protected status.

"This is a government program," said David Mead, country representative for Conservation International. "CI will come out strong, long and hard once the area is protected."

Isolated by years of war and civil unrest, the former Khmer Rouge zone in south-western Cambodia comprises nearly 1 million hectares in Koh Kong, Pursat and Kompong Speu provinces and includes, the protected Mount Samkos and Mount Aural wildlife sanctuaries.

Recent surveys of the area have found evidence of several rare species, including tigers, elephants and the nearly extinct Siamese crocodile.

In recent years logging companies, wildlife poachers and settlers have encroached upon the land.

Wildlife habitats across the country have teed the same problems in recent years, the donor working group report noted. 

"While the Cardamoms represent an important opportunity for conservation," the report states, "they need to be seen in the context of overall Cambodian national planning for protection of valuable biodiversity."

By Yuko Maeda and Thet Sambah

Cambodia Daily - Jan 30, 2001

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International donors told the government Monday it is making progress in promised reforms, but urged Cambodian officials to speed up their efforts.

Donors said the government should work harder to curb corruption, quicken it administration reform and strengthen budgetary reform and natural resource management.

Urooj Malik, country representative of the Asian Development Bank, which coordinated the biannual donor meeting, said those efforts will improve Cambodian's lives.

"Good governance is central to eliminating poverty as it impacts directly on the lives of the poor," Malik said.  "Because the poor are less able to avoid the adverse consequences of bad governance, and bear a disproportionate share of its ill effects."

He noted that corruption keeps much needed foreign investment out of Cambodia.  He also said there is still too much spending in non-productive sectors, such as defense and security, which hampers socio-economic development.

The meeting was the first since aid agencies met with the government in May 2000 in Paris, where donors pledged $548 million in aid for one year in exchange for further government reforms.

Prime Minister Hun Sen told donors his government has made tremendous progress in reforms and has a strong commitment to push further.  He said the economy has performed well and budgetary reform has been successful, despite last year's severe flooding.

Finance Minister Keat Chhon told donors that 2000 was not as positive as expected because of the widespread flooding, with GDP growth recorded at 4.5 percent instead of the expected 5.5 percent.  But he noted that the nation has still come a long way since 1998, witch marked the end of the Khmer Rouge.

Hun Sen said the government is cracking down on illegal logging and improve forest management.  He also touted the recently completed civil servants census and a new computerized central payroll.

The working group on land reform said the government has not vigorously addressed the issue of land rights, even though more farmer have become landless in recent years and land grabbing has been increasing.

Donor also urged the government to hold consultative meetings with NGOs and donors on a draft forestry law, adopt a new forest management plan and make new contracts with logging concessionaires to crack down on illegal logging activities.

In rum, Hun Sen appealed to donors to speed up disbursement of funds for the demobilization of soldiers and other security forces.

The next Consultative Group meeting is scheduled for June in Tokyo, where Keat Chhon said he will ask for more than $500 million in aid for the coming year.

The government has formed a new policy group to develop strategies for land reform, a topic that is expected to be the focus of today's donor-government follow-up meeting. 

The Land Policy Council, an inter-ministerial group headed by Land Management Minister lm Chhun Lim, met for the first time on Thursday. 

'We have to manage our land in the whole country, even if we need to borrow money from the international community," said lm Chhun Lim. 

"It's a very important issue.  We cannot develop our country without any proper land management in place," he said. 

For example, the lack of proper boundaries marking state and private property has caused several private investment projects to fail, said Soun Soth, secretary-general, for the Council for Development of Cambodia's private investment board. 

Tram Iv Tek secretary of state for the Public Works Ministry, said state property such as ports, roads and rivers also must be properly marked.

National road projects are often delayed, he said, because squatters claiming land along the road have to be relocates.

'We had to spend $1 million for families living along National Route 5,"Tram Iv Tek said. 

He suggested that the country develop compensation standards for relocation and establish a list of land values. 

Land reform has been an ongoing focus of donors and NG0s. The government recently has begun paying more attention to the issue and at the Consultative Group donor meeting last May, officials appealed to donors to support a comprehensive land management and administration project. 

The topic is expected to receive special attention at today's donor follow-up meeting, where Im Chhun Lim will report on recent progress in land reform.

The government has drafted a new land law that is awaiting debate in the National Assembly.  But critics have said more needs to be done on issues such as property registration, zoning, taxation and demarcation of forest land in order to solve the 
growing number of land disputes and increasing landlessness among the poor. 

The Land Policy Council is expected to be a driving force behind a 10-year, $100 million land management project. The government wants every piece of land to be mapped and registered under a national land title registry. Japan has committed $600,000 to help design the project, while the World Bank will coordinate the donors. 

"We applaud the government effort," said a spokesman of the NGO Land Study Group. 

He said land reform is complicated because it is related to all aspects of the country's development including demobilization, decentralization, judicial reform and poverty reduction. 

'It's such a complex issues that so many things need to be done," the spokesman said.

After years of watching tourists go next door to Thailand to tour islands and scuba dive, Koh Kong officials say it's time they started utilizing their pristine beaches, azure waters and picturesque islands.

With the help of a Singapore-based nonprofit group, Provincial want to create a marine park to promote ecotourism.

Koh Kong's coast is carpeted with thick forests and mangroves, and its corral reefs are vibrant and healthy.

In short, it is everything an eco-tourist would want, said Touch Seang Tana, a fisheries specialist for the Ministry of Agriculture.

Seeing the potential for greater tourism revenues, Provincial officials met with the Singapore International Foundation recently to discuss a pilot project to study the reefs, groves and forests, and to train tour guides, Touch Seang Tana said.

The proposed area encompass about 17 islands spread across more than 20 square km, he said.

The marine areas in Koh Kong province have a potential for ecotourism because of its coral, evergreen forests, beaches and waterfalls."

Scuba diving and island tours would be the top attractions, he said.

Such a park would be the first of its kind.

"There is no precedent for a marine park in the country at this time," said Jack Hurd, of the World Wide Fund for Nature.  Some park systems, like Riem National Park south of Koh Kong, have islands included on some maps, he said.

Koh Kong's third deputy governor, Pich Han, said that so far the province has gotten its feet wet by building two tour boats capable of carrying 40 tourists to sight-see among the small islands, mangroves and reef areas, where they can take pictures and scuba dive.  Pich Han said the marine areas would quickly attract more tourists.

After making a plan for the park authorities will submit it for approval to the Interior Ministry, Touch Seang Tana said.

If the Ministry of Interior agrees with the plan, provincial officials will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore International Foundation, and a study of the parks resources would begin. The signing is expected "soon," Touch Seang Tana said.

The Singapore International Foundation sent a team to the western province two months ago.  They studied the coast, islands and reefs, sizing up the potential for ecotourism, Touch SeangTana said.

They liked what they saw, Touch Seang Tana said.  He said they would even like to produce an underwater documentary on the reefs, to be shown as a promotional video to prospective eco-tourists.

No scientific studies have been conducted on the reefs or sea bottom in Koh Kong, Pich Han said, but in March scientists from the foundation will come to study them.

In June, staff from the foundation will come to Koh Kong to train tourism officers, Pich Han said.

The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a draft law on social security and benefits for workers in the private sector, a move government and union official say could improve the economy by boosting worker confidence.

The law will be important to safeguard the living conditions of workers when they are old or "sick or injured at work," said council spokesman Penn Thol.

He said the law would likely prompt more civil servants to seek jobs with higher-paying private businesses, reducing the government's bloated payrolls.

The government already has a pension plan for civil servants that pays benefits up to 70 percent of their average salary after 20 years of employment.

But private sector workers have no such assurances.  Benefits, severance packages and sick leave are all dependent on union pressure or independent management policies.

While the six-chapter, 41-article draft law does not yet include specific details of the benefits program, it was enough to bring praise from government and labor officials.

Phoung Montry, chief of information and membership of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, called the passage of the draft law "the best news."

The law is important to safeguard the poor," he said.  'Workers' wages are just enough to live hand to mouth so when they get older, fired or sick...they have no money."

Pheng Heng, deputy chief of cabinet for Phnom Penh's social af  fairs department, said the law will "strengthen the [overall] state of law." 

He also said the new law will lure people to the private sector with assurances of a secure future. Now people "cling to government posts, even with a very small salary, because the government assures their posts and defends their rights," he said.

Garment workers, on the other hand, have had to stage "many demonstrations for the loss of their jobs and their rights," he said

The Free Trade Union has been lobbying for such a law since 1998, said Chea Vichea, the union's president.  The law will allow the private sector to expand, he said.

But there are some obstacles to progress, he said.  Chief among them is a still-unskilled labor force, unfit for Privatized competition.

"Government employees are old people from the communist regime, which had poor human resources that cannot work for the private sector," he said.

Eventually, Chea Vichea said, he would like to see the government establish a social security system similar to developed countries, where retirement money from all citizens-whether civil servants or private employees-- is handled by the government. He said that would be amore  secure, method.

The number of tourists visiting Cambodia jumped 34 percent in 2000 to an all time high, due largely to improved political stability, and increased security and safety, a report said Thursday. 

A total of 351,660 visitors flew into Phnom Penh and Siern Reap in 2000, compared with 262,907 in 1999, according to a report by Reuters. 

A new "open sides" policy allowing direct flights to Siem Reap, home of the legendary Angkor temples, helped boost the number of tourists as well, Thong Khon, secretary of state for tourism, told Reuters. 

Tourists spent approximately $156 million in Cambodia during 2000, compared with an estimated $126 million in 1999, Thong Khon said.  US visitors topped the list of visitors in 2000, with China second and France third. 

Political tension and the regional economic crisis caused tourism to flounder during the 1990s, but the industry has grown in recent years.  Arrivals are expected to grow another 25 percent in 2001.`

Businessmen and government officials have begun forming working to groups to improve dialogue between the public and private, in hopes of building a better climate for private investors. 

The working groups will be able to have their say at a roundtable discussion during an upcoming Private Sector Forum hosted by Prime Minister Hun Sen early next month. 

"Different businesses in different sectors [will] discuss common issues, and communicate with the government counterparts to develop a better investment climate," said Don Boring, program officer for the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private-sector financing arm, which has pushed Cambodia to create the groups since late 1999.  Hun Sen also urged local and foreign businesses to form working groups at the second government private meeting in July. 

A dozen coordinators have been setting up seven groups in tourism, agriculture and food processing, manufacturing, legal and governance, finance and banking, energy and infrastructure, and export processing, according to the Phnom Penh Chamber of Commerce.  Each group would consist of representatives from foreign investors, local businesses and government institutions. 

"The idea behind this is to bring them all in one, linking together to improve the country's economy," said Thieng Kith, vice chairman of the local conglomerate Royal Group. 

During the government private sector forum on Feb 2, the coordinators are expected to give a report on the formation of the groups, coordinators said.

Investors say the working groups would identify issues facing investors and work with the government to solve problems. The groups would work closely with international donor, which have urged Cambodia to mobilize the private sector to develop country's flag& economy.

"If one of three parties would not participate, the whole process would fail" said Senaka Fernando, president o Business Club, consisting of 33 multinational corporations.

The order To remove the roof is part of a massive city beautification project to tear down illegal construction, remove signs and repaint buildings and homes starting with major thoroughfares such as Monivong, Mao Tse-tung and Sihanouk boulevards.

Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara said the government is considering whether to ban outdoor seating and sidewalk vendors along the riverfront.

'We want to keep the city beautiful and welcome the Khmer New Year...and to attract tourists," Chea Sophara said.

He said the first part of the project will be to remove illegal construction main streets, because "It's not so nice, and some people have construction in front of their houses and people cannot walk.

He noted many building have not been painted in more them 30 years.  The government wants people to repaint their business or home every five year.

He said this is a request by the government and not a law, and people won't be fined if they decide not to paint their homes and businesses.  Mann Chhoeun, the municipality's chief of cabinet, said all houses are to be painted a light ivory color,  while government buildings will be painted dark ivory.  

Several shop owners along  Sihanouk Boulevard say police arrived last Tuesday and demanded that awnings, roofs and walls above 180 cm be tom back to the  previous building structures. Police spray painted their orders on buildings when the residents were not home, witnesses said.

Residents of properties target  ed for improvement received a letter, dated Dec 26 and signed by Chea Sophara, which reads  "Phnom Penh is a precious stone   in Asia and in order to welcome the upcoming Khmer New Year,   Phnom Penh Hall would like to inform homeowners and budding   managers to please paint the front of their houses and gates with hope to show that Cambodia is a prosperous nation."

One shop owner said police told her to tear down an overhanging roof and repaint her business.  They said if she didn't, official would do it for her and then fine her, the shop owner said.

"The sidewalk is higher than the businesses in many places, so during the rainy season water floods the building. That's why people built these roots in the first place," she said. He said police have been clearing the sidewalks for weeks, pushing outdoor seating back, confiscating plants and even seizing a sidewalk vendor's cart.

In a meeting at city hall, two officials representing the Prampi Makara and Chamkarmon districts said people there are too poor to pay for removal of additional building structures. "Some families do not have enough money to paint their house," said Pheng Heng, deputy director of the municipal cabinet. But they will do their best for the beauty of themselves and the nation." 

Rony Yakov smiled as he recalled early discussions with Hollywood  executives about filming a movie in Cambodia. "They said, What? Why are you going to Cambodia? They have nothing to offer, "said Yakov, a line produce for "Beneath the Banyan Trees, "the  upcoming movie written and directed by actor Matt Dillon. Yakov admits he was also skeptical about Cambodia.

"I had nightmares, "Yakov said. Even seemingly small details, like having a bathroom and kitchen for a crew of 130 people, can represent an enormous obstacle, Yakov said.

"Where are they going to go to the toilet? In the [US], it's easy. Here, you have to make it happen, "Yakov said. Despite his concerns, the production has been smooth-sailing right down to the toilets, Yakov said. Filming for the movie began last week.

"I'm building my own deluxe versions, "Yakov said of the toilets. "I'm pleased to tell you that things are 10 times better than  I expected. I like the challenge of the place and the  challenge of the people. It's just like a puzzle." The film stars Dillon, British actress Natascha McElhone, James Caan, who was nominated for an Academy Award  for his role in "The Godfather, "and French film megastar Gerard Depardieu, who starred in the "Man in the Iron Mask" with Leonardo DiCaprio in 1998.

" Beneath the Banyan Trees '' marks Dillon's directorial debut, after a three-decade career from child star to heralded thespian, starring in such film as  "Drugstore Cowboy, " "To Die For," "Rumblefish," and "There's Something About Mary."

The goal of "Beneath the Banyan Trees, "which is  on a $10 million budget, is to "leave some infrastructure behind " to make filming in Cambodia easier in the future, Yakov said.

He added that they are still casting Cambodians for featured roles and training a crew of about 30 technicians to stay behind. "Beneath the Banyan Trees" is the second major Hollywood production to be filmed here in recent months. "Tomb Raider, "starring Angelina Jolie as video-game archaeologist Lara Croft, was shott in late November in Siem Reap province. Though shootout scenes in " Tomb Raider" were kept out of the Siem Reap temples, the filming of the movie based on a violent video game angered officials at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Members of Dillon's crew have said they are taking care to obey every regulation so they don't incur the criticisms that "Tomb Raider" and "Beneath the Banyan Trees "represent the first Hollywood productions to be filmed here since "lord Jim," Which was shot in 1964. The principal set for Dillon's movie is in Phnom Penh, near the main post office, but the crew will be  shooting in other location, including Kampot province and Bokor mountain, where the crew will have to take a helicopter every day for filming.

The script, which Dillon worked on for six years, tells the story of Jimmy (Dillon) a New York lowlife who flees to Cambodia with the Russian mob on his tail. In Cambodia he hooks up  with Marvin (Caan), a mentor/father figure who may actually be Jimmy's father. He also meets Sophie (McElhone), an archeologist with whom he falls in love. 

After  undergoing  personal redemption, Jimmy decides  to stay in Cambodia, with the woman he loves, Yakov said.

The production will film in Cambodia until March 30, then head to Bangkok for three days before wrapping in New York with a two-day shoot, Yakov said. Distributed by United Artists/MGM, the film is scheduled for release toward the end of this year. 

The experience has been well worth the worry, Yakov said. And he has found and answer to those terrified movie executives in  Hollywood:

"[Cambodia has] something to offer: Locations that have never been seen before, " Yakov said. "And this city looks beautiful on film."

Cambodia Daily Feb 5, 2001

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Nem Nim didn't know what the crosswalk on Norodom Boulevard meant, and he was stopped for his lack of knowledge last week after blithely sailing through the painted lines.

"What is (a crosswalk) used for? " he asked a traffic monitor." It is for pedestrians to get across to the other side of the road," the monitor admonished him. " Here is where you stop. That is the line for people walking ."

Nem Nim was not the only one to be scolded last week.

During peak lunchtime hours, 30 people were posted at the intersection of Norodom and Street 154 to enforce traffic laws. That included stopping at the  painted crosswalks, an idea that struck some drivers as completely novel.

Others admitted they knew what the lines meant, and usually stop, but they just happened to get caught this one time.

"I do know [the law] and I respect it, but at this moment I stopped over the line accidentally," said  Chou Peng, 34, a moto-taxi driver.

The attempt to restore order to what has increasingly become traffic chaos in Phnom Penh. It is part of an ambitious$25,000 effort, paid for by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and carried out by schoolchildren, teachers, police and the city's Public Works Department.

One recent study revealed the number of vehicles in Asian cities has increased 600 percent the past 20 years, and will double again by 2030. The beeping mixture of vehicles on many Cambodian roads, from overloaded trucks and cars to monitor-cycles, bicycles, ox carts and the occasional elephant, creates dangerous conditions, especially when drivers are impatient.

Traffic experts want Cambodians to change such freewheeling habits as driving against traffic, refusing to  stop for pedestrian or traffic signals, ignoring road markings and driving drunk or without a license. To that end, they designed a five-day campaign including posters and stickers; ads in newspapers, on radio and TV; banners and slogan-bearing hats for children to wear.

All last week, the Norodom intersection  was staffed every midday by eight traffic police officers, 12 schoolchildren, four teachers, two supervisors and consultants.

Across town at Shihanouk Boulevard and Street 163 near Olympic Stadium, traffic police stopped offenders and issued warnings. Some reports were encouraging. Nabeshima Yasuo, traffic plan manager for JICA, was watching the Shihanouk Boulevard intersection, normally a challenge for even the most athletic pedestrian." You can see, at this moment, this corner looks like it is not in Cambodia, "he said last week. "It does not take too long to change bad behavior, "he said.

Leav Srei Minh, 11, was certainly getting the message. The Norodom Primary School student, was a volunteer traffic monitor on hopes her efforts will reduce the number of accidents in the city.

"When I grow up, I will respect the traffic laws every time I drive," she said solemnly.

Khem Sam Ath, chief of intervention for the traffic police, compared  regulating Phnom Penh traffic to  pulling fast-growing plants from a clogged waterway.

"While we are here, they are driving smoothly, butt after we [leave] they abuse the law again," he said.

Cambodia Daily Feb 5, 2001

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A 9 percent bonus quota in garment exports given by the US does not reward Cambodia enough for its efforts to improve labor conditions, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said sunday.

He insisted Cambodia deserved the full 14 percent bonus quota, instead of the 9 percent awarded for 2001, which is the same quota that was eventually given for 2000.

'The [labor] situation has dramatically improved, but the US government didn't make a proper decision accordingly' said Cham prasidh, head of garment quota negotiations with the US.

Cham prasidh also said the independent national Labor monitoring committee, supervised by the International Labor Organization, should be the group that evaluates Cambodia's working conditions, instead of a US team.

Unfortunately, he said, by the time the committee was formed, the US had already sent its own evaluation mission to factories.

"Just because the [monitorin] mechanism has hot been in place, the US took advantage of it, Cham Prasidh said.

The garment quota referes to the amount of merchandise foreign contractors can sell in the US market each year. The bonus quota system was established as  an incentive for improving working conditions in exchange for an increase in the US market share.

The base amount is set by contract, and US labor officials can increase that amount by adding bonus percentages, based on their assessment of labor conditions. 

According to the three-year garment export agreement with Cambodia, the US may grant up to a 14 percent bonus quota per year, in addition to the 6 percent  automatic increase in quotas if labor conditions are satisfactory.

Manufacturers bid on Friday for a share of both the 6 percent automatic increase and the 9 percent bonus quota, which raised $5.7 million for national coffers, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Van Sou leng, president of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said the 9 percent bonus quota shows the world that Cambodia is maintaining reputable labor conditions. "It's not free of charge...It's a result of good behavior by factory management that spent lots of energy and effort to comply with the labor law and maintain good labor conditions,"he said.

The garment industry is the single-largest industry in the country, generating $300 million increase from the previous year. About three-quarters  of garment exports shipped to the US. Van Sou Ieng said the bonus quota would enable garment manufacturers to provide another 15,000 to 20,000 job in Cambodia.

Chea Vichea, president of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the country's labor conditions have not improved notably, citing dozens of strikes late last year and early this year.

Chuon Mum Thai, president of the Cambodia Union Federation, said the bonus shows an accurate evaluation of Cambodia's labor conditions are not that bad and have improvedignificantly,"he said.

A Ministry of Commerce report on a plan to research strategic marketing of agricultural  products was presented to the Council of Ministers Friday .

Council spokesman pen Thol said the research, aimed at improving  rice quality, 
technical training and market efficiency,will be conducted in Kandal, Takeo, Siem Reap, Pray Veng, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Svay Rieng and Battambang provinces. Penn Thol said Prime Minister Hun Sen also suggested that farmers on the border be allowed to sell their products directly  to foreign customers.(Pin Sisovann)

Owners of property on the Bassac River front have two weeks to donate their land for construction of a new riverside promenade or face having the land confiscated, Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara said. 

The threat of confiscation was issued after a dismal turnout by a group of land owners invited to a municipal meeting Monday to discuss the proposed riverfront development, which stretches from Hun Sen Park to Monivong Bridge in south Phnom Penh. 

While some of the 24 land owners sent representatives, others may not have received their invitations, Chea Sophara said.  Individual meetings will be called over the next two weeks, he said. 

'We want to discuss this issue the with the owners, but I am sure they will cooperate," Chea Sophara said Tuesday.

The governor envisions the 24 hectares transformed into a riverside, path and public gardens.

The municipality is asking that the land be donated.  But Chea Sophara said the government can confiscate what it needs because owners do not have proper land titles issued by the municipality.

Nhem Saran, director of the municipality's public works department said the $6 million construction project would require each landowner to forfeit 50 meters of land stretching inland from the riverbank.  

At least six landowners are well-known Cambodian businessmen, Nhem Saran said.

CO-Minister of Defense Tea Banh said Tuesday the ministry owns more than 10 hectares of the land stretching form behind the Russian Embassy on Sothearos Boulevard to the site of the new Thai Embassy on Norodom Boulevard.

Although an RCAF radio communications battalion was situated on the land during most 
of the land has been home to hundreds of squatter families since the early 1990s.

"I have no hope that the Ministry of Defense can take the land back from the people," Tea Banh said, adding the municipality is welcome to develop the land.

Once the municipality obtains the land, it would begin a massive operation to excavate land from small islands in the confluence of the Bassac, Sap and Mekong rivers, Nhem Saran said.

The excavated earth would be used to reinforce the Bassae river bank to allow construction of the promenade and park

Lawmakers from more than 25 Asian nations gathered Monday at Phnom Penh's newly renovated Chaktomuk Theater for the opening of a five day conference of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace.

Apsara Dancing by Princess Rottana Devi, daughter of National Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh, and a Key-note speech by King Norodom Sihanouk marked the opening of the conference Monday afternoon.

"Certain places in the Asia Pacific region still confront poverty, natural disasters, wars, despair and suffering," King Sihanouk said.  "These make your work for Peace, development and cooperation even more Important and I earnestly hope that your proceed hw in our capital will be crowned by success."

The conference, which runs through Friday, will include panel discussions on the role of women and children in promoting peace, development, good governance and strengthening human rights.

Prince Ranariddh, who had served as the association's vice president since it last met in dhaka, Banglades, in September 1999 was named president of the organization on Monday.

He replaced Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived Sunday in Phnom Penh. During talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Hasina asked him to lobby for Bangladesh's acceptance as a dialogue partner of Asean.  Hun Sen told her he would raise the issue with other Asean members, Cambodian government spokesman Penn 'Thol said.

"The people of Cambodia have suffered and made great sacrifices in their quest for peace," Hasina said during a speech Monday.  "So have the people of Bangladesh and the peoples of so many other Asian nations."

Before the conference, Prince Ranariddh said he was interested in creating an Asian Charter of Human Rights. He was appointed chief of the committee that will form a draft charter by the end of the week.

CPP National Assembly member Som Chen and Funcinpec Senator Kem Sokha both noted the event is a historic one for newly peaceful Cambodia.

"This is a good sign that shows our leaders about the never-ending effort for peace and democracy, " said Kem Sokha.  "Peace should walk in the same step as democracy. "The conference, scheduled for last November but delayed because of flooding, is the first 9A meeting to be held in the refurbished theatre.

"Now that a new president has assumed office, the mantle of immunity has been removed from former president Estrada," said Philippine Ombudsman Aniano Desierto.

No order was immediately issued barring Estrada from leaving the country, but his name was put on a "watch" list at the country's airports that would require authorities be notified if Estrada leaves.

At Volunteers against Crime and Corruption, a citizens group involved in the case, representative Eduardo de Guzman said important principles were at stake.

"We must not allow Estrada to escape," de Guzman said.  "The people are clamoring for justice.  We have a responsibility to see justice done and ensure duct anyone who considers committing the same crime knows this."

The scandal broke in October when a drinking buddy of the president, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis Singson, Said Estrada, who never had been linked to major corruption, pocketed millions of dollars in illegal gambling payoffs and tobacco tax kickbacks.

City Hall wants all the land on the western bank of the Bassac from Monivong Bridge to Hun Sen Park to be made into a promenade as part of its beautification programme.

But a meeting of owners called last week to discuss a deal turned out to be a no-event.

Mayor Chea Sophara said those who turned up at the meeting were representatives with no authority to decide on behalf of owners.

Now, he had given owners two weeks to reach him to discuss what they want for giving-up the land.

After the deadline, the land will become state property.

The land, he said, was not expensive right now because of the underdeveloped state.

Meanwhile, City Hall is pushing ahead with its plan to replace modern lamp-posts in public parks with those featuring Khmer designs.

Two designs featuring from Angkor and Banteay Srei temples have been chosen with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

One design is to ornate gardens close to the palace, while the other is for the rest of the public parks.

The design for the posts near the palace feature bars to hang buntings.

The posts, including installation, cost between US$70 and US$100 each and are supplied by three local contractors.

The project initially ran into trouble as the cement fixtures cracked due to faulty fabrication and had to be reinforced causing a delay in installation in some of the areas.

City Hall plans to replace 626 lights in time for the Khmer New Year, with 427 already having been installed.

In addition, 94 similar lamp- posts will be installed on the river bank from Chroy Changwa to the city centre.

For the record, there are 1,939 street lights in Phnom Penh.

The Business News 29-Jan_4-Feb-2001

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Achain of 17 islands off Koh Kong are slated to be developed into an eco-tourism region under a plan when realised would create the kingdom's first marine-based visit destination.

The project rival south Thailand's world famous island-chain around Koh Samui,

from which Cambodian planners can learn much on development and environmental protection.

Koh Samui, now served with 40 daily flights or more than handled by any Cambodian airport, developed as a back-packer destination in late seventies.

Visitors previous to the start of the air services in 1989 made the trip by boat from Surat Thani to Koh Samui, the over crowded express versions taking up to four hours and the normal ones taking eight hours.

The island provided very basic facilities thatched huts, inexpensive bars and restaurants, rural roads and some of the finest beaches in Thailand.

But the popularity began to attract better-class tourists and the concern of the authorities on the effect of pollution, especially human waste into the pristine waters.

One of Thailand's best known  entrepreneurs, Prasert, Prassrttong-Osoth Chairman of   Bangkok Airways, decided to build an airport to support development of hotels and other facilities.

Koh Samui thus became the first to have a private airport in Thailand, the first of the chain started by Prasert.

The government enforced laws to protect the environment, which also contributed to keeping Koh Samui from degradation.

Industry insiders say that wealthy tourists are mentally not ready to come in droves to Cambodia, because of its safety image, making any ambitious plan for Koh Sdech out of financial reality, at least for now.

They say that it should be developed initially as a backpacker destination.

With the experience from Koh Samui, environmental protection measures could be built-in ahead of opening the area to visitors.

The Koh Kong provincial authorities could also help local communities to prepare to receive visitors and cater for their needs, thus providing them with incomes apart from their traditional livelihood.

Some in the industry, feel that either the Department of Tourism or the provincial authorities should meet up with their counterparts from, Koh Samui to pick tips on how to successfully develop Koh Sdech.

BANGKOK: The Mekong basin states want to lessen dependence on western expertise in science and technology.

The group, representing 240 million inhabitants in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, has formed a commission to develop its own capacity.

The Greater Mekong Subregion Academic and Research Network was launched over the weekend at the Asian Institute of Technology where it will be based.

Eight academic institutions from the region have signed up to the network, including the Institute of Technology of Cambodia and Kunming University of Science and Technology.

The network will generate, develop and share knowledge within the region, and build the capacity of its academic and research institutions.

"The aim is to establish what the needs of the region really are," said AIT chairman Jean-Louis Armand.

"This is for the countries of the Mekong basin to decide, he said.

One problem the network aims to overcome is the disparity in standards between the new educational institutions in member nations.

Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are some of the poorest countries in the world, struggling to recreate education systems after decades of turmoil.

"The AIT is focussing its energies on countries who are the most disadvantaged, " Armand said.

"Samart Corp will have the option of extending the deal for a second 15-year tem," he said. The Nation said the Thai communications firm had agreed to purchase air traffic control equipment from French company Thompson on behalf of the Cambodian government.  The Samart executive said the firm expected to reap annual profits of $6 million from the deal, thanks partly to an expected 20 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting Cambodia this year.

The Cardamom mountains, marked by conservationists as one of the most important environmental sites to preserve in Cambodia, has been officially designated a protected area, but only temporarily. 

Conservation groups working to preserve the area applauded the move, but expressed concerns about the temporary status, which offers no guarantees the Cardamom range will be permanently protected. 

A directive signed Jan 22 by acting Agriculture Minister Chan Tong Yves sets aside 330,000 hectares in the central Cardamoms as protected forest under a provisional status, according to Forestry Director Ty Sokhun. 

All commercial activity, including logging, will be banned in the area until further studies are completed, probably by the end of the year.  Five companies now have logging concessions there.

Conservationists have said logging companies that operate in the area are violating existing forestry management plans and dispute the idea that the concession can be managed in a sustainable way.

Job Buckrell of Global Witness, the government's independent forestry monitor, said the government directive could herald "a new way of thinking about forests, not simply as a resource for exploitation."

A progress report by the donor working group on natural resource management, presented at Monday's donor meeting, said protection of the central Cardamoms is not yet assured."

The report says the Forestry Department is awaiting the filing of "sustainable forest management plans," which will be submitted by logging companies in the area and must be in place by November, before making a final decision on the status of the Cardamoms.

Conservation International has been negotiating with the government for months to protect the central Cardamoms.  The group has agreed to put up $1.5 million for a three-year program to develop up infrastructure in the area and to help train rangers if the government decides to give the area permanent protected status.

"This is a government program," said David Mead, country representative for Conservation International. "CI will come out strong, long and hard once the area is protected."

Isolated by years of war and civil unrest, the former Khmer Rouge zone in south-western Cambodia comprises nearly 1 million hectares in Koh Kong, Pursat and Kompong Speu provinces and includes, the protected Mount Samkos and Mount Aural wildlife sanctuaries.

Recent surveys of the area have found evidence of several rare species, including tigers, elephants and the nearly extinct Siamese crocodile.

In recent years logging companies, wildlife poachers and settlers have encroached upon the land.

Wildlife habitats across the country have teed the same problems in recent years, the donor working group report noted. 

"While the Cardamoms represent an important opportunity for conservation," the report states, "they need to be seen in the context of overall Cambodian national planning for protection of valuable biodiversity."

By Yuko Maeda and Thet Sambah, Cambodia Daily 30-Jan-2001

Cambodia Daily - Jan 30, 2001

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International donors told the government Monday it is making progress in promised reforms, but urged Cambodian officials to speed up their efforts.

Donors said the government should work harder to curb corruption, quicken it administration reform and strengthen budgetary reform and natural resource management.

Urooj Malik, country representative of the Asian Development Bank, which coordinated the biannual donor meeting, said those efforts will improve Cambodian's lives.

"Good governance is central to eliminating poverty as it impacts directly on the lives of the poor," Malik said.  "Because the poor are less able to avoid the adverse consequences of bad governance, and bear a disproportionate share of its ill effects."

He noted that corruption keeps much needed foreign investment out of Cambodia.  He also said there is still too much spending in non-productive sectors, such as defense and security, which hampers socio-economic development.

The meeting was the first since aid agencies met with the government in May 2000 in Paris, where donors pledged $548 million in aid for one year in exchange for further government reforms.

Prime Minister Hun Sen told donors his government has made tremendous progress in reforms and has a strong commitment to push further.  He said the economy has performed well and budgetary reform has been successful, despite last year's severe flooding.

Finance Minister Keat Chhon told donors that 2000 was not as positive as expected because of the widespread flooding, with GDP growth recorded at 4.5 percent instead of the expected 5.5 percent.  But he noted that the nation has still come a long way since 1998, witch marked the end of the Khmer Rouge.

Hun Sen said the government is cracking down on illegal logging and improve forest management.  He also touted the recently completed civil servants census and a new computerized central payroll.

The working group on land reform said the government has not vigorously addressed the issue of land rights, even though more farmer have become landless in recent years and land grabbing has been increasing.

Donor also urged the government to hold consultative meetings with NGOs and donors on a draft forestry law, adopt a new forest management plan and make new contracts with logging concessionaires to crack down on illegal logging activities.

In rum, Hun Sen appealed to donors to speed up disbursement of funds for the demobilization of soldiers and other security forces.

The next Consultative Group meeting is scheduled for June in Tokyo, where Keat Chhon said he will ask for more than $500 million in aid for the coming year.