Angkor333 car made by Cambodia
Mr. Nheam Phaloek who is Cambodian mechanic designed a home-made Angkor 333 car at his house in Phnom Penh.
First time, I saw this car driving in Phnom Penh and I never thought that this car was made by Cambodian. It is proud when our Cambodian has initiative to produce the brand of this car. (photo from AFP)
First draft acid law completed
In order to put serious punishment for acid attacker and strictly regulate acid distributor, the government committee, which consists of 11 member ministry of interior task force, completed the first new draft acid law.
The draft legislation also calls for strict controls over all aspects of importing, transporting, production, buying and selling acid. In addition, all businesses that deal with acid would be required to be licensed by the ministry of industry with those that flout the rules vulnerable to unspecified fines or prison terms.
“It is an absolutely new law that has been specially designed for the serious prosecution of perpetrators as well as more strict measures on the distribution of acid,” Ouk Kimlek, undersecretary of state at the ministry and the committee’s deputy director was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying.
Ouk Kimlek, who wrote the 20-point draft law, said he believes people convicted in severe cases should face life in prison, though the exact punishments have yet to be determined, reported the Phnom Penh Post.
The proposed law will be approved by the Minister of Interior Sar Kheng and be sent to the Council of Ministers for debates before being sent to National Assembly.
Using PayPal unavailable in Cambodia
I always received comments and emails from blog readers and friends who asked me about the process of using Paypal in Cambodia. Why did they ask me? Because they find that I am using Paypay to get paid from advertisers. In fact that I use my sister’s Paypal account in USA because she can withdraw money from Paypal.
Can we create Paypal account? It is true that we can create our own Paypal account. As you know, Paypal is the safer, easier way to pay and get paid online. By the way, the service allows anyone to pay in any way they prefer through credit cards, bank accounts, buyer credit or account balances, without sharing financial information.
After creating Paypal account whether we can withdraw money from it or not in Cambodia, as I know, the system of transferring money between Paypal company and private banks in Cambodia is not available. When you signed up Paypal account, you can get paid from other senders and advertisers and you can use your money in Paypal to buy products and to pay something online. In order to use your money to buy something online, you are required to get verified with the Paypal Plus Credit Card. If not verify, you will not be able to use your money.
That is the experience of friend of mine who created Paypal account to get paid from advertiser on his blog. In order to use money in his account, firstly he verified his visa card created in Cambodia. And then he can use his money to pay his domain names accepted by Godady. And I asked him whether there are other ways to withdraw money in Cambodia, he said that no way to withdraw it in Cambodia’s banks.
That is the information that I know about the usage of Paypal in Cambodia. It is because I cannot withdraw money with Banks in Cambodia, I use my sister’s Papal in USA. In case, someone has experiences in using Paypal in Cambodia, please sharing this with all of us in Cambodia.
Need life safety or justice?
Last month, I wrote blog post that traffic police fined me and friend of mine while we drove car without wearing belt at midnight. At that time, we gave 10,000 riel to them when they asked us for pure water. And I got comment from Jeffrey Serey Hola from USA, sharing his experience as saying that:
Hello, I was stopped by a group of City Polices a MP outskirt of Phnom Penh 4am in the morning. One MP told us to pull over and pointed to Cheark. He said it expired 2 years ago. Of course coming from United State I did not understand what cheark is and realized that it’s the first time I was kind of scare too but I composed myself very well. I then proceed to call my brother of mine who own the car. He started to laugh and said he totally forgot to pay because the car has been parked for long while. He told me to pay and ask them for receipt and he said if they cannot produce any receipt that’s mean they’re illegal.
Anyway to make it short I did pay 2,5000.00 ($5.00) reil and got receipt for 2009 Cheark. They told if there any stopped just show them the receipt. Along the way there are a few illegal check point I assumed because they did not stop me. Nowadays those illegal pulling for money is very rare to a citizen because they are very selective for Taxies or wrong move.
For your situation it might not be illegal and of course you should have ask for receipt but if they cannot produce one then hand the money to them anyway for your safety. But if I were you I would have offer the water first and then ask for receipt politely. Humanitarian aid to such is not bad and help make other side at ease, also. I has been in Cambodia many times and had travel with my wife and had out food, money, and medicine to places that people in Phnom Penh advised me not to go alone.
He also commented that I should give pure water to them and then asked them to issue receipt. If it was in the day time, I would ask them how many faults I made and then I would pay them the number of my faults, but not gave them water. It was their excuse, in fact they wanted to ask for money but they did not ask like this directly.
I did not want to confront with police at night like that because I needed my own life safety first, not need find justice and fairness. It is hard to believe them at night. How do you think? if you met the situation like me, do you really ask them to issue receipt?
My parent’s life as farmer
Black pepper planted in Memot district
When we say about the black pepper, we will think over Kampot pepper but never say about the pepper planted in Kampong Cham province, especially in Memot district. In the fact that, I was born from farmer family, my parents farmed since they returned from the Pol Pot regime until now. My parents always have grown cash-crops in order to meet the market from coffee, cashew and pepper.
They cut down all coffee trees in the last nearly 10 years because its price was so cheap. Presently, he planted pepper and cashew instead. I now just would like to let you know that most of people in Memot district like to grow agro-agriculture.
My parents’ life as farmer is so hard because they almost have enough time to rest. They need to go to farm almost every day. Most of people who planted vine pepper have not experience. What they did is to get lesson learnt from each other.
My parents have planted pepper more than five years. In order to yield products, they need to hire workers to guard farm, spend on pesticide, gasoline, not including their own labor. And in the harvest season, they need to hire local residents to pick its pepper. And all fresh peppers are needed to dry.
Border police takes money from cassava vendors
While the prime minister ordered to clean up all illegal checkpoints set up along the national roads in order to take money from Cambodian farmers who transport their vegetable and products to the market. By the way, the premier also ordered all border policemen to stop taking money from people who export their agricultural products crossing border to Vietnam. Farmers were also pleased with his order but it has happened again and again.
During three-day Chinese New Year, I visited my parents in Memot district in Kampong Cham province. And then I heard my relatives to tell me that now they have to pay to border police at least 90,000 riel ($22) per time when they transport dry cassavas crossing Cambodian-Vietnam border in Memot district.
My cousin told me that he was so pleased by what the premier ordered all police not to take money from cassava vendors transporting to Vietnam market. At the time, he added that border police dared not take any money, even a package of cigarette. But now everything happens like before.
In addition, my cousin said that when he transported dry cassava crossing border in Snoul distircit in Kratie province, he just pays 10,000 riel ($2.5) to border police per transport. And then he doubts why paying to border police is different and then he added that it is because the Kampong Cham’s governor is the premier’s brother, so he does not care of what the premier ordered.
It is noticed that when the premier ordered to destroy all illegal checkpoints and not to take money from farmers, all local authorities followed his order but when the prime minister stopped shouting out, they restart to take money from farmers as what they did before. How to crack down on corrupt border police?