Factory walkout prompted by pay row

Factory walkout prompted by pay row

Four hundred workers staged a walkout yesterday at the Soo Apparel Cambodia factory in Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey district after being denied a 5 percent bonus promised in their contracts.

The workers, who have not received the bonus since August, left the factory floor an hour into their shift yesterday and began to protest outside. Workers on three-month work contracts had been promised a 5 percent bonus payout at the conclusion of the three months, to be paid before renewal of the contract.

“Some workers finished their contracts in August, and for the past three months, they have not received it,” said Thong Soeun, a unionist with the Khmer Union Federation of Workers Spirit.

He said the amount of work had also reduced in the past three months, leading to concerns among the workers that the factory would be shuttered.

Factory worker Dy Na said the management had consistently paid the bonus over the last year, but only stopped doing so in August. “We all agreed to come out and protest because we have no hope the factory will pay us if we keep silent,” she said, adding that if the matter wasn’t resolved they would continue to protest.

Border Land to be Exchanged

Cambodia and Vietnam have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange parcels of land in provinces along the border in both countries after Joint Border Committee meetings in Ho Chi Minh City in July and last Thursday.


The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry released information on its website last Thursday, initially in Vietnamese only, detailing the agreements ironed out in the meetings, focusing specifically on the exchange of land between both countries.


Both Le Hoai Trung, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs for Vietnam, and Va Kim Hong, chairman of the border committee for Cambodia, signed off on the agreement along with various ministers from both countries.


Cambodian border committee officials attempted to downplay the news, saying the two sides had yet to actually discuss which plots of land would be transferred to Vietnamese control and vice versa. They only decided to allow a “group of experts” to study the situation and follow up with them.



Mr. Kim Hong did not respond to requests for comment yesterday, but told local media outlets that Cambodia and Vietnam have yet to transfer any land between each other.


“We have nothing to exchange. We just talked about the exchange in principle, because we have had this principle for a long time since the MoU in 2011, which Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the National Assembly,” he said.


“So nothing is new, it’s just a problem that we need to fix by exchanging some land in the provinces that we’ve seen, but we have not exchanged it because we have not agreed with each other yet.”


He said an exchange of land along the border would only be possible if the Vietnamese government “complied” with the terms and conditions of the agreement and held a neutral study first.


This is far from the first time Cambodia and Vietnam have either exchanged land or discussed the topic. In 2012, Cambodia negotiated with Vietnam to keep Thlok Trach village and Anlong Chrey village, the hometown of ruling party stalwart Heng Samrin, in exchange for two unnamed villages that are now Vietnamese.


The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) pounced on the issue and harshly criticized the government for using Cambodia’s territorial integrity as a trading chip.

Yet in June last year, Mr. Hun Sen said the Kingdom may have to change some of its borders in some areas to accommodate Cambodian farmers who have lived and worked on land for decades which may not technically be inside the country’s borders.


CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann declined to comment, telling reporters to ask the opposition member from Kampong Cham province, Mao Monyvan. But Mr. Monyvan could not be reached for comment.

Independent analyst Meas Ny said the entire border situation was too murky and the government was not being transparent enough with how it is handling the border demarcation process.


They take action against any protesters, activists or politicians who raise the issue of the border, yet are duplicitous and mysterious when asked of their own plans for the border with Vietnam, he said.


“The current exchange can become another issue that will receive criticism from people if the government is not more transparent, and there may be even more losses,” he said. “As citizens stated, be careful about exchanging Khmer villages and Khmer land.


“It is not an exchange of Khmer villages for Vietnamese land, but an exchange of Khmer land for Khmer land that will allow us to claim that we are beneficial.”


He added that the situation around Mr. Samrin’s home village was emblematic of the issue many have with the border demarcation process and any potential village trades.


“We have had it for a long time and they didn’t accuse it of being a Vietnamese village in the past. So why does it happen now?” he asked.

“We look at the border between Cambodia and Vietnam and it was made when Vietnam had influence over Cambodia. Cambodia at that time was prepared by the Vietnamese, so it cannot be 100 percent accurate.”


Many have been critical of the government’s handling of the border with Vietnam, particularly of their inability to stop Vietnam from constructing buildings on Cambodian land without their consent.  


Despite Cambodia denying Vietnam permission to build in Rattanakiri province and sending 24 diplomatic letters to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry asking for construction to be stopped, soldiers from across the border have continued to dig ponds and build structures in the area.


The land, near the border post in Pok Nhai commune across from Vietnam’s Gia Lai province, was designated as no-man’s land in a January 17, 1995, agreement between the two countries until defined borders were created.


But for more than a year now, residents, police and provincial government officials have reported non-stop construction by Vietnamese soldiers. Last April at least eight ponds, approximately four by eight meters wide and three to four meters deep, were dug by Vietnamese soldiers in the O’Koma area near a border protection office in Pok Nhai commune.


Government officials said they would handle the issue diplomatically, but many nearby residents say the Vietnamese soldiers continue to dig deeper into the ponds.


Mr. Kim Hong in August confirmed that the Vietnamese had in fact violated the agreement between the two countries, yet there has been no change in the relationship between both nations militarily, financially or diplomatically.


Chhay Thy, the Adhoc provincial coordinator in Rattanakiri province, said it has been a year since people reported seeing Vietnamese soldiers digging ponds and yet they have repeatedly ignored directives from the government to stop.


The actions, he said, show that Vietnam is not simply confused about the borderline, but willfully ignoring Cambodia’s sovereignty.


“We have forbidden them from doing it for a month. But now they [the Vietnamese soldiers] have finished the foundations and are working on the shape,” he said.


In a closed-door meeting at the Council of Ministers in August, Mr. Kim Hong and Mr. Hoai Trung met and discussed a number of contentious issues related to the Cambodia-Vietnam border, including mapping assistance from France.


The two sides discussed the technical assistance needed from France in mapping the border, hoping to use their “Bonne” maps of the region and their high-tech mapping instruments to settle a number of disputed areas.


But even the message they plan to send to France is causing friction between the two sides, as Cambodia believes that only two of the seven disputed areas along the border require France to step in, while Vietnam thinks France should arbitrate decisions for all seven of the areas being debated.


Last year, much was made over attempts to demarcate the border with Vietnam. The opposition claimed the government had openly ceded land to Vietnam by using unverified border maps and in June last year, politicians and supporters went to the Vietnamese border in Svay Rieng province.


That trip led to a scuffle between local Vietnamese residents and Cambodians, resulting in multiple injuries on both sides.


The land border between Cambodia and Vietnam is 1,270 kilometers long. In March, National Police officials claimed that 89 percent of the demarcation was completed after they planted 282 border posts from a total of 314 along the border.

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Gov’t eyes million-tonne rice quota deal with Indonesia

Cambodia is close to signing an ambitious agreement with the Indonesian government that would pave the way for the Kingdom’s rice producers to export 1 million tonnes of rice under a new quota scheme, a state official said yesterday.

Soeng Sophary, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Cambodia and Indonesia has already been finalised and is ready for ink.

“Everything is agreed upon between the two governments already,” she said. “We are just waiting for the right time to sign the MoU and then the private sector will be engaged in the process.”

She added that the new quota scheme presented a valuable opportunity for Cambodia’s rice sector.

“This would bring a new market for the country’s rice producers and would provide the private sector with fair market value,” she said, adding that the quota scheme was in line with the government’s elusive target of exporting 1 million tonnes of rice a year by 2015, which it fell well short of achieving.

According to Ministry of Commerce estimates, Cambodia has a current rice production capacity of 3 million tonnes providing the grain is properly harvested and stored.

Sophary added that local media had erroneously reported last week that the ministry was negotiating a deal to export 1 million tonnes of rice to Malaysia. She said that the only major rice deal on the table was with the Indonesian government.

Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, said that even if an MoU were signed, it would not guarantee the sale of rice to Indonesia as Cambodia must still compete on price and quality with rival suppliers, such as Thailand and Vietnam.

“The intention to export 1 million tonnes of rice has always been part of the government’s strategy, but whether it is a reality or not depends on if we can compete in the market,” he said.

Cambodia only managed to export around 500,000 tonnes last year.

According to Vanhan, the main obstacles that have prevented the Kingdom from achieving its 1 million tonne export target were millers’ capital shortages, inefficient logistical capacity, insufficient storage capacity, and the high cost of electricity.

He added, however, that capacity for exports was not an issue.Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), said that the Commerce Ministry’s plan was overly ambitious and the Kingdom was years away from being able to export 1 million tonnes annually.

“The industry is not yet ready for a 1 million tonne agreement, and we would need at least two to three years before it would be possible to reach that level of export,” he said. “Rice millers still do not have enough capital to buy paddy rice, pay for storage and transportation.”

Cambodia signed an MoU with the Indonesian government back in 2012 which outlined a more modest goal of exporting 100,000 tonnes of rice a year. Sophary could not comment on whether the target of the agreement was ever achieved.

Farmers have date with destiny

A Thai agricultural company will work with a local firm to introduce commercial date palm cultivation to the Kingdom, which it claims can generate more profits for farmers than pepper and other cash crops, and for which it has already lined up buyers.

Chiang Mai-based Daily Green Co Ltd inked a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia’s Kheng Lay Co Ltd yesterday that outlines a partnership plan to educate Cambodian farmers on the commercial benefits of date palm cultivation, and supply seeds, saplings and technical support to farmers who choose to grow the cash crop.

Kheng Chantha, owner of Kheng Lay, said he has successfully grown date palms on a 10-hectare experimental farm in Kandal province, and the fruit-bearing variety of palm grows well in Cambodia and could provide a supplementary source of income for rural families.

He said the partnership agreement will see Daily Green responsible for supplying seeds and saplings to Kheng Lay, which will distribute them to local farmers and support their date production with technical advice and help in securing supplier contracts. The two companies will look to enlist local farmers to grow date palms on 50,000 hectares in the coming five years.

“We are investigating how many farmers in Cambodia want to be involved with us and grow date palms on their land,” said Chantha. “Date palms can be more competitive and provide more benefits to farmers than growing other crops, such as pepper.”

Date palms begin to bear fruit about three years after planting and can live for decades, he said. The nutritious, sweet fruit can be eaten fresh or dried, or processed into many food or beverage products, such as ice cream.

Pornpattarawadee Wongpantanan, president of Daily Green, said her company has more than 10 years’ experience in the commercial cultivation and production of date palms, and processes dates into more than 20 kinds of products.

She said farmers can grow about 200 date palms on a hectare of land, with an upfront investment cost of between $1,700 and $2,500 per hectare. Mature trees yield about 50 tonnes per hectare, with the current wholesale price of dates hovering around $8,500 per tonne.

While the numbers should convince farmers of the potential profit in date palm farming, Pornpattarawadee said the company is looking to educate Cambodians on dates, which are little known in the local market, in an effort to boost demand.

“For now, let’s start growing date palms here, and we will export them to the Thai market,” she said. “And when we have educated people about eating dates, the market here will grow more and more.”

Agricultural expert Yang Saing Koma welcomed the initiative to introduce commercial date palm farming to Cambodia, which he said would help diversify the Kingdom’s agricultural sector. However, he said that the upfront capital costs on seeds and saplings could prove an issue for small-scale farmers.

“In general, small-scale farmers might not dare to take the risk of growing the plant because the price of seeds is high,” he said. “But it might appeal to large-scale farmers who have big land.”

He added that the price of the saplings – $13 each according to Chantha – was substantial and the government should ensure that farmers who invest in palm date cultivation do not get burned.

Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon told reporters yesterday that his ministry would monitor contracts between Kheng Lay and farmers to ensure that farmers benefit from the deal.

“The Ministry of Agriculture will follow up on the agreement to ensure that there is a market for farmers who grow the plant,” he said.

CNRP Claims Voter Fraud

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) will file a complaint with the National Election Committee (NEC) this week, alleging that more than 2,000 Vietnamese migrants have illegally registered to vote.

According to party spokesperson Yim Sovann, the alleged registrations took place across southern Cambodia.

“We found that some of them lack many documents, they can’t speak Khmer or don’t speak it clearly,” he said. “It’s okay if they don’t speak it clearly, but if they can’t speak Khmer and then claim they are Cambodian, it’s illegal.

“Normally, to be a citizen there must be a decree signed by the king to decide for citizenship or naturalization.”

Meng Sopheary, the CNRP’s head of election monitoring, said the cases in question happened in Phnom Penh and in Svay Rieng, Tbong Khmum, Kandal and Kampot provinces.

“We will file a complaint with the NEC to delete those names if they are illegal immigrants and have not yet become Cambodian citizens through the appropriate procedures,” she said.

“We will complain to get access to lists at voter registration offices and we will evaluate about some people to make further complaints to the court,” she said.

Ms. Sopheary noted that such complaints and applications have been made by the party in previous registration drives.

NEC spokesperson Hang Puthea said the NEC welcomed any complaint relating to irregularities during voter registration as they want to ensure that election results are accepted by everyone.

“When we receive the complaint the NEC will cooperate with related institutions, including the Interior Ministry, which issues national identification cards in order to solve any problems.”

Mr. Puthea added that since the new voter registration process started last month, the NEC had already received a complaint from the CNRP, accusing 600 immigrants of lacking sufficient official documents to show they are Cambodinan citizens.

Koul Panha, president of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel), said he had received many reports of people holding national ID cards, but not citizenship, who have attempted to register to vote, but said it is difficult to check as there is little transparancy in the identification system.

“We cannot know the size of the problem that may affect the electoral process, but we know that there is a problem. We don’t have the ability to control or check clearly because in order to review those who are not Cambodian citizens and have national identity, we need to cooperate with the authorities, but the authorities are not willing to cooperate with us to check on the problem.”

Mr. Panha warned that failure to address complaints of voter fraud would likely lead to conflict between political parties if the upcoming election results are disputed.

The voter registration drive started on September 1 and is due to finish on November 29. More than 1,600 registration offices have been set up in communes across the country.

As of yesterday, more than 6.3 million people have registered to vote from more than 9.6 million eligible voters.