Canadia Bank agrees to manage pensions

THE National Social Security Fund for Civil Servants agreed yesterday to cooperate with Canadia Bank in offering a pension and social security fund to civil servants.

The agreement was signed in Phnom Penh.

The new NSSFCS fund aims to manage and insure a social security fund for when a civil servant retires or becomes handicapped, pregnant, or is involved in an accident at work resulting in disability or death, according to Chou Ratanak, the director for the Fund, speaking at Canadia Tower.

“We will be offering the social security fund to them in order to reduce their difficulties while living with certain conditions,” he said.

The fund is to be tested initially in Phnom Penh, and will be available through the bank as a standalone bank account with its own ATM card, he said, and added that having the account accessible through the bank would allow the correct funds to get to the end-user in a timely manner.

“Moreover, they can save their money through the fund, which will also have an interest rate with Canadia Bank,” Chou Ratanak said.

The NSSFCS is also looking for a way to make it easier to provide health insurance, possibly in conjunction with a bank, in a partnership similar to the agreement signed with Canadia.

“NSSFCS is looking at issuing a sub-decree on health insurance social security for civil servants,” he said.

(source from phnompenh post news,Friday, 09 July 2010 15:01 Soeun Say)

Govt warns UN rights head over criticisms

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the head of the United Nation’s human rights office of exceeding his mandate by criticising Monday’s deportation of two Thai Red Shirt activists, warning that further comments could prompt the government to reassess his presence in the country.

On Wednesday, Christophe Peschoux, the country representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the deportation was a “political decision” that lacked proper procedure.

In a letter dated yesterday, the ministry warned Peschoux that he had no right to criticise the move, which it described as the “monopoly right” of the government.

The letter added that “any such activities in the future will lead the Royal Government of Cambodia to make a decision on your presence in Cambodia”.

The letter follows a similar warning sent to UN Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick in March, threatening to expel him from the country for criticising the passage of the Anticorruption Law.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday that the letter was sent to Peschoux to remind him to adhere to a January 2010 MoU signed with the Cambodian government.

“This does not mean [we] want to expel him. We just want to remind him,” he said.

Peschoux could not be reached yesterday, but Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said such threats had been issued in the past to keep UN officials from becoming too vocal in their criticisms.

“Any false move and the government will pounce,” he said.
(source from phnompenh post newspaper: Friday, 09 July 2010 15:03 Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio)

The sand trade with Singapore

Photo by: Sebastian Strangio

Sand is stored at a depot in Koh Kong town in February 2009.

SINGAPORE should address the negative environmental impacts of its sand trade with Cambodia as it prepares to host an international summit on sustainable urban development, global corruption watchdog Global Witness said.

Starting Tuesday, Singapore will host the World Cities Summit, a four-day urban development conference that will focus on “building liveable and sustainable communities”.

In a statement to be issued today, the London-based advocacy group said continued inaction with regard to its sand imports from Cambodia could undermine its credibility as host of the summit.

“Singapore is in danger of appearing hypocritical as it promotes its commitment to sustainability while simultaneously driving demand in an industry that is wreaking havoc on Cambodia’s coastal ecosystems,” Global Witness campaigner George Boden said in the statement.

Last month, Global Witness issued a report that said sand imports from Cambodia to Singapore had spiked despite a ban announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen in May last year.

The report estimated that as much as 796,000 tonnes of sand was being removed each month from Koh Kong province, the epicentre of a sand trade worth an estimated US$248 million annually in Singapore.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said Sunday that he regretted Global Witness’s attacks on the government, repeating government claims that the group’s criticism is “baseless”.

“As Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered, any sand-dredging company that operates and causes environmental damage to the ocean will not be allowed and will be completely banned from exporting,” he said.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development (MND) did not respond to queries as of press time. But on May 11 the MND issued a statement that the city-state “does not condone the illegal export or smuggling of sand, or any extraction of sand that is in breach of the source countries’ laws”.

(source from Phnompenh post, Monday, 28 June 2010 15:03 Vong Sokheng)