THE KING FATHER IS DEAD

BATTAMBANG PEOPLE REMEMBER THEIR ANCESTORS

Pchum Ben or Ancestors’ Day that takes places during the lunar month of Pot-bot, is a Cambodian Buddhist and Brahmanism festival where people pay respect to the spirits of their ancestors and deceased relatives.

It is probably the most important festival in Cambodia and anyone who can, returns to their place of birth to be with family. As a result, schools, government offices and many business closed for several days.

Even though it is called Ancestors’ Day, it runs for three days and there is a lead up of fifteen days where people follow the custom of feeding the ancestors. It is believed that the dead wander the world during this period and the offering of food is meant to make their passage more comfortable.

On the main day Monks chant the Mantras in Pali  language throughout the night as prelude to the gates of hell opening, an event that is presumed to occur once a year, and is linked to the cosmology of King Yama originating in the Pali Canon. During the period of the gates of hell being opened, ghosts of the dead are presumed to be especially active, and thus food-offerings are made to benefit them, some of these ghosts have the opportunity to end their period of purgation, whereas others are imagined to leave hell temporarily, to then return to endure more suffering Relatives who are not in hell (who are in heaven or otherwise reincarnated) are also believed to benefit from the ceremonies.

In temples adhering to canonical protocol, the offering of food itself is made from the laypeople to the (living) Buddhist monks, thus generating "merit" that indirectly benefits the dead; however, in many temples, this is either accompanied by or followed by food offerings that are believed to directly transfer from the living to the dead, such as rice-balls thrown through the air, or rice thrown into an empty field. Anthropologist Satoru Kobayashi observed that these two models of merit-offering to the dead are in competition in rural Cambodia, with some temples preferring the greater canonicity of the former model, and others embracing the popular (if unorthodox) assumption that mortals can "feed" ghosts with physical food.

Pchum Ben is considered unique to Cambodia although similar festivals are found in Sri Lanka.

Interesting fact: All Souls Day is a Christian festival that is universally celebrated on November 2, but in Cambodia, Catholic communities celebrate it is during the traditional Pchum Ben.

BATTAMBANG HAS TALENT - ARTS HUB & CIRCUS SCHOOL WINS EUROPEAN GRANT

Young clowns pictured during one of their show at PPS’s circus in Battambang. Photograph: Rolf Braendels/Phnom Penh Post

“Art is integral for human development, for freedom of expression, for dreaming … but perhaps it’s even more important for young people in a country like Cambodia,” Suon Bun Rith muses.

As director of Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), an arts hub, school and orphanage for disadvantaged children in the outskirts of Battambang, Rith and his team assist almost 80 children bearing emotional and physical scars – victims of trafficking, domestic violence and extreme poverty. They provide medical support, meals, education and a unique arts and performance program.

The NGO’s raison d’etre, however, was always to reinvigorate the arts in Cambodia among the country’s young through a unique arts and performance program, and it now houses three artistic schools in Battambang. Free of charge,  they are open to all and now teach 450 children painting, cartooning, acting, circus acrobatics, music and theatre.

Last month, the organisation was hailed as one of 11 recipients of an annual, worldwide award from Dutch body the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development (PCFCD).

Awarded a €25,000 prize, the award was a “complete, but very pleasant surprise” for Rith and his team, who had been nominated by a mystery advocate.

“I think this is a great opportunity and honours our work and our belief in the arts, I believe we may be the first Cambodian group to win this award.

“We are empowering the youth by using culture as a medium for young people, it’s a very specific award,” he says

The award couldn’t have come at a better time for PPS, Rith says, as wild weather in July had ripped the roof off one of the schools.

“We didn’t have the money to fix it and even though we are not a cultural heritage site, PCFCD also gave us a grant of €1,000 to fix it.”

The award money will be used to upgrade facilities and hygiene systems in surrounding villages and boost staff and resources at the centre.

BATTAMBANG SHOOT OUT!

A Thai man accused of dealing drugs in partnership with his Cambodian wife was wounded in a shootout with police and military police officers in Battambang town yesterday.

Heng Send Hong, director of the Battambang provincial military police anti-drug office, said an operation had led forces to surround a rented house in Svay Por commune, where they believed the suspects were holed up.

When police swooped on the property in an attempt to arrest the suspected dealers, the man opened fire, Hong said.

Police fired back, hitting him in the lower back, then arrested him and his wife.

“We have not yet finished investigating, and are searching for anyone in their wider network,” Hong said, adding that police had discovered an undisclosed amount of methamphetamines and a gun.

Hong said he could not reveal the identities of the suspects or the quantity of drugs seized as authorities wanted to make more arrests in connection with the alleged drug activities.

Cheth Vanny, deputy police commissioner in Battambang, said the arrests were the result of co-operation between the two police forces.

BATTAMBANG JOB OPPORTUNITY-IDEAL FOR UNDERGRADUATE

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BATTAMBANG ELECTIONS-PART TWO+YOUNG VERSUS OLD

The Citizens of Battambang and indeed, the whole Country, vote today for candidates for Local Government election.

Part Two of the Story is based on an article in the Phnom Penh Post about a young woman from Battambang.

Sam Rainsy Party candidate Sin Chan Pov Rozeth, 25, campaigns for commune chief in O’Char commune in Battambang town. At 25, she is the youngest candidate running in the elections. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Postaption

 Sin Chan Pov Rozeth is 25 years old and the youngest candidate running for commune chief in the current election. She  faces a ruling party opponent more than half a century her senior.
T
he young Sam Rainsy Party hopeful is pitted against the Cambodian People’s Party Kem Chhorng, 78, who has been the chief of O’Char commune in Battambang town since just after the Khmer Rouge were overthrown in 1979.

Sin Chan Pov Rozeth’s former job was selling quails here, where she grew up with only her mother, who sells vegetables for a living and lives in the SRP headquarters.

Last week, she has been aggressively selling something more abstract: a campaign message to end alleged corruption in the commune, build a healthcare centre and construct a sewer system to stop continual flooding.

“Even though my competitor is old and has experience, I still hope that I will beat him, because in the 20 years that he has been a commune chief, he has not served people well but thinks about money; there has been no development for people,” she said.

The first-time candidate, who has actively supported the SRP since she was 11 years old, said it was the will to develop, not experience and gender, that is important.

“In Thailand, they voted for a woman to lead the country. Why in our O’Char commune can people not vote for a woman to lead?” she said.

Kem Chhorng says her promises are full of hot air and wants to know where the money is going to come from to build the pledged projects when the national budget offers the commune scant funding.

“What she says is just to attract, for her pride. She looks pretty but she is young, she does not have experience and she cannot do. She has never been a commune chief,” he said.

“Since 1979, I have never lost any time an election for commune chief so far. If I threaten people for money, they would not vote for me,” he said, adding that in that time he had built four schools in four separate villages.

He added that he was old and would agree to leave politics if he lost, but said he was 100 per cent confident he would win the seat, and that the CPP would gain two more councillors in O’Char commune.

Currently, they have seven councillors in O’Char compared to the SRP’s four.

Out on the campaign trail, Sin Chan Pov Rozeth is winning supporters, at least at face value, including 90-year-old Om Heb, who assures her he will be voting SRP on June 3.

“Women work well. I would try with her once. The men are [too] busy looking at the road,” he said, after hearing her confident campaign pitch, which sometimes includes a portable, stand-mounted flat-screen TV blaring out SRP campaign videos.

The CPP are taking a less personalised approach to campaigning in Battambang, driving through town in huge convoys of hundreds of flag-waving supporters on motorbikes and dozens of cars blurting out their campaign slogans from loudspeakers.

Sin Chan Pov Rozeth faces an uphill battle against this show of force, and once again this campaign, there have been widespread allegations of political intimidation.

Just yesterday, the SRP announced they would file a criminal complaint over an alleged assault on their Battambang district councillor, Khy Meng Lynh, by a CPP member – an attack they say resulted in a dislocated collarbone.

Another problem, said political observer Son Soubert, was the division between the SRP and smaller opposition parties such as the Human Rights Party and the Norodom Ranariddh Party, which yesterday announced plans to merge with Funcinpec.

“Well, I just wish that they get better, but I doubt it, because when the opposition is not united, the people will be divided, and some will go to the Sam Rainsy and some to the HRP."

In the battle for the O’Char seat, the SRP is also contesting the soon-to-be-merged NRP and Funcinpec.

More important than the influence of an emerging, politically aware younger generation, is the reaction to the continuing escalation of land disputes at the ballot box, Son Soubert said.

And there is another factor that might work against Sin Chan Pov Rozeth’s campaign – the mass migration of young people in the area seeking jobs in Thailand, which has escalated amidst the Thai government’s pledge to raise the minimum daily wage to 300 baht (US$9.50).
 
Most people in Battambang town are understandably reluctant to say who they will support in the election, but they unanimously agree there has been at least one positive democratic sign – far more vigorous campaigning from all parties.

BATTAMBANG ELECTIONS-PART ONE-A MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY THE KING

The Citizens of Battambang and indeed, the whole Country, vote today for candidates for Local Government election.

Here is a message from His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni:

“I publicly appeal for compatriots, brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren not to be scared of oppression, intimidation or threats by any individual or political party,” 

JUNGLE FEVER HITS BATTAMBANG

BATTAMBANG EXPERIENCES ANOTHER BUS CRASH

Twenty-five people, including nationals from France, Thailand and Vietnam, were injured in two separate bus accidents in Battambang and Kampong Cham provinces over the weekend, police said yesterday.

Kith Heang, Mong Russey district police chief, said 13 passengers, including three Thais and a Frenchman, sustained slight injuries when a mini-tractor collided with a Capitol bus on Friday night in Battambang, along national road 5.

“The mini-tractor had a flat tyre and it crashed into the bus, making it fall into a small ditch near the road,” he said, adding that the mini-tractor driver had fled the scene.

The injured had been sent to the district hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, Cheung Prey district police chief Heng Vuthy said a Hyundai truck had crashed into a bus on Saturday evening in Kampong Cham’s Kouk Rovieng commune, injuring 12 people, seven seriously.

According to Heng Vuthy, the accident was caused by the truck driver’s speeding.


A series of fatal bus accidents earlier this year had spurred the Ministry of Interior to call for the installation of “black boxes” for companies to monitor driving behaviour and a warning that bus companies found to have caused accidents would be penalised.

At the time, Him Yan, director of the department of public order at the Ministry of Interior, told the Post there had been 41 traffic accidents involving buses in 2011, in which 25 people had died and more than 100 were injured.

BATTAMBANG BIRTHDAYS- HIS MAJESTY KING SIHAMONI

His Majesty the King with his Mother and Father

From 13th to 15th May, Cambodians celebrate the birthday of King Sihamoni.

 He was born in 1953 to King Sihanouk and Queen Monieath. 

His Majesty was educated in Europe, mostly Prague, until 1975. 

After the Khmer Rouge coup in 1970, the then Prince Sihamoni was put under house arrest for nine years. 

Released in 1981, he returned to Europe to teach ballet. On October 14, 2004.

 He was elected king by the nine member throne council after his father suddenly abdicated.

  it is an honour and a privilege to congratulate His Majesty on his official Birthday and 8th anniversary of his coronation of the King.

Au Cabaret Vert to screen French Presidential Election this Saturday Night

 
Dimanche 6 mai, qui de François Hollande ou de nicolas sarkozy les Français auront-ils choisi ? Vivez la soirée électorale dès 22h jusque tard dans la nuit avec les résultats en direct, les commentaires des meilleurs spécialistes de Battambang (la communauté française....!!!) et passez un bon moment avant les résultats ! Après, on verra....

Happy Hour election de 22h à minuit !


Toutes les nationalités sont les bienvenues, n'en déplaise à Madame Le Pen,

Sunday, May 6, that of Francois Hollande or nicolas sarkozy will they, will us choose?

Live election night from 10pm until late at night with live results, comments from leading specialists in Battambang (the French community ....!!!) in Cabaret Vert and have a good time before the results! After, we'll see ....

Happy Hour election from 10pm to 12pm!

 

TONIGHT IS MOVIE NIGHT IN BATTAMBANG

MOVIE NIGHT! 

WHERE: Make Maek, Rue 2 1/2 Battambang

WHEN? Tonight Starting at 7:30pm. 

Come enjoy some natural juices, soda, tea, or yogurt with fruit, while taking in a moving film about losing a loved one and having to learn to move on.

BATTAMBANG PARENTS SHOULD READ THIS STORY

Cambodian children who have some form of pre-school education, regardless of the type, perform better than those with none, a study published yesterday states.

“Children who attended any form of pre-school made more gains on the Cambodian Developmental Assessment Test than others,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Nirmala Rao of the University of Hong Kong, adding the test assessed aspects like general knowledge, motor skills, memory and life skills.

The UNICEF-funded longitudinal study, published in the journal Child Development, was conducted over 2006 to 2007 in six provinces selected for their poverty, including Kampong Speu, Oddar Meanchey and Stung Treng.

More than 1,000 5-year-olds were tested before and after attending a year of school.

Three models of pre-schools were covered in the study – state pre-schools, community pre-schools and home-based programmes.

The last model is conducted by mothers’ groups formed in villages, facilitated by a “core” mother who has undergone a two-day training course.

The study notes that children from state pre-schools performed the best.

“State pre-schools have a learning environment containing qualified teachers, learning materials and structure, like paper, pens, toilets, running water, electricity and a roof,” said Rao.

“Hence, the study suggests that having pre-schools with qualified teachers and adequate resources will improve the quality of pre-schools.”

The research is one of the first to compare types of pre-schools in a low-income Asian country, the study notes.

UNICEF communication officer Angelique Reid said the findings informed its current 2011-2015 country programme.

The three models of preschool education had since been scaled up by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with the support of UNICEF and Global Partnership for Education, and new models had been developed, including inclusive pre-schools for childrens with disabilities, she said.

Last year, 275,844 children aged 6 and below in Cambodia received pre-school education, she said.

Battambang Market Owner Wins Supreme Court Appeal

The Supreme Court yesterday overturned a controversial Court of Appeal ruling in the case of a Battambang market owner and his market stall tenants whose livelihoods were lost when the market burned down in 2009.

Presiding judge Dith Munty ruled So Phy, the owner of the market and the former chief of Sampov Loun district police, was not liable for the damage caused in the blaze, in Sampov Loun district.

One hundred market stall vendors sued So Phy for compensation for goods and property destroyed in the fire.

The provincial court decided at the time that So Phy was accountable for the losses and ordered the businessman to pay damages of 150 million riel (about US$40,000).

A year later, So Phy’s Court of Appeal application against the provincial court’s decision was denied.

In 2011, he took his case to the Supreme Court.

“Based on the examination of evidence and documents, as well as the statements of the two parties, the Supreme Court has understood that the fire was caused by an accidental electrical explosion, which was not the responsibility of the accused,” Dith Munty said yesterday.

It was also revealed in court that the tenancy agreements had specifically absolved So Phy of liability for the safety and security of the merchandise of the stalls.

Speaking to the Post outside the courtroom, So Phy applauded the judgment.

“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has found justice for me,” he said.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

BATTAMBANG TRAVELER WISHES ALL READERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD A HAPPY KHMER NEW YEAR!!!

 Cambodian New Year (Khmer: បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី) or Chaul Chnam Thmey in the Khmer language, literally "Enter Year New", is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrates the New Year. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's day, which usually falls on April 13 or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins. Khmers living abroad may choose to celebrate during a weekend rather than just specifically April 13 through 15th. The Khmer New Year coincides with the traditional solar new year in several parts of India, Myanmar and Thailand.
Cambodians also use Buddhist Era to count the year based on the Buddhist calendar. For 2012, it is 2556 BE (Buddhist Era).

The three days of the new year

Elders cleanse statues of the Buddha with perfumed water.

Maha Songkran (មហាសង្រ្កាន្ត)

Maha Songkran, derived from Sanskrit Maha Sankranti, is the name of the first day of the new year celebration. It is the ending of the year and the beginning of a new one. People dress up and light candles and burn incense sticks at shrines, where the members of each family pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha's teachings by bowing, kneeling and prostrating themselves three times before his image. For good luck people wash their face with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed.

Virak Wanabat (វិរ​​:វ័នបត)

Virak Wanabat is the name of the second day of the new year celebration. People contribute charity to the less fortunate by helping the poor, servants, homeless, and low-income families. Families attend a dedication ceremony to their ancestors at the monastery.

Tngay Leang Saka (ថ្ងៃឡើងស័ក)

Tngay Leang Saka is the name of the third day of the new year celebration. Buddhists cleanse the Buddha statues and their elders with perfumed water. Bathing the Buddha images is the symbol that water will be needed for all kinds of plants and lives. It is also thought to be a kind deed that will bring longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life. By bathing their grandparents and parents, children can obtain from them best wishes and good advice for the future.

New Year's customs

In temples, people erect a sand hillock on temple grounds. They mound up a big pointed hill of sand or dome in the center which represents sakyamuni satya, the stupa at Tavatimsa, where the Buddha's hair and diadem are buried. The big stupa is surrounded by four small ones, which represent the stupas of the Buddha's favorite disciples: Sariputta, Moggallana, Ananda, and Maha Kassapa. There is another tradition called Sraung Preah (ស្រង់ព្រះ) : pouring water or liquid plaster (a mixture of water with some chalk powder) on elder relative, or people (mostly the younger generation is responsible for pouring the water).
The Khmer New Year is also a time to prepare special dishes. One of these is a "kralan": a cake made from steamed rice mixed with beans or peas, grated coconut and coconut milk. The mixture is stuffed inside a bamboo stick and slowly roasted.

Khmer games (ល្បែង⁣ប្រជាប្រិយ⁣)

Cambodia is home to a variety of games played to transform the dull days into memorable occasions. These games are similar to those played at Manipur, a north-eastern state in India.^[3] Throughout the Khmer New Year, street corners often are crowded with friends and families enjoying a break from routine, filling their free time with dancing and games. Typically, Khmer games help maintain one's mental and physical dexterity. The body's blood pressure, muscle system an

• "Chol Chhoung (ចោល⁣ឈូង⁣) "

A game played especially on the first nightfall of the Khmer New Year by two groups of boys and girls. Ten or 20 people comprise each group, standing in two rows opposite each other. One group throws the "chhoung" to the other group. When it is caught, it will be rapidly thrown back to the first group. If someone is hit by the "chhoung," the whole group must dance to get the "chhoung" back while the other group sings.

• "Chab Kon Kleng (ចាប់⁣កូនខ្លែង)⁣ "

A game played by imitating a hen as she protects her chicks from a crow. Adults typically play this game on the night of the first New Year's Day. Participants usually appoint a strong player to play the hen who protects "her" chicks, while another person is picked to be the "crow". While both sides sing a song of bargaining, the crow tries to catch as many chicks as possible as they hide behind the hen.

• "Bos Angkunh (បោះអង្គុញ⁣)"

A game played by two groups of boys and girls. They put the hand in the hole.

• "Leak Kanseng (លាក់⁣កន្សែង)⁣ "

A game played by a group of children sitting in a circle. Someone holding a "kanseng" (Cambodian towel) that is twisted into a round shape walks around the circle while singing a song. The person walking secretly tries to place the "kanseng" behind one of the children. If that chosen child realizes what is happening, he or she must pick up the "kanseng" and beat the person sitting next to him or her.

• "Bay Khom(បាយខុម)"

A game played by two children in rural or urban areas during their leisure time. Ten holes are dug in the shape of an oval into a board in the ground. The game is played with 42 small beads, stones or fruit seeds. Before starting the game, five beads are put into each of the two holes located at the tip of the board. Four beads are placed in each of the remaining eight holes. The first player takes all the beads from any hole and drops them one by one in the other holes. He or she must repeat this process until they have dropped the last bead into a hole that lies besides any empty one. Then they must take all the beads in the hole that follows the empty one. At this point, the second player may have his turn. The game ends when all the holes are empty. The player with the greatest number of beads wins the game. It is possibly similar to congkak.

• "Klah Klok (ខ្លា ឃ្លោក) "

A game played by Cambodians of all ages. It is a gambling game that is fun for all ages involving a mat and some dice. You put money on the object that you believe the person rolling the dice (which is usually shaken in a type of bowl) and you wait. If the objects face up on the dice are the same as the objects you put money on, you double it. If there are two of yours, you triple, and so on.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

Curtain comes down on Battambang Film Night

After a highly successful run, the weekly film screening at Battambang Train Restaurant  has come to end.

The organizers are currently looking for another venue.

BATTAMBANG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS MEAN BUSINESS

Three weeks ago, the University of Battambang launched yet another student operated, business enterprise.

A warm Khmer welcome awaits you at HUBB Downtown

HUBB Downtown is  unique in Battambang in that university students gain valuable practical experience in hospitality and tourism by working as a team:

• serving, and cooking for guests in the restaurant.
• selling locally made arts and crafts as well as organic meats, fruits and vegetables
• performing traditional songs and dances to tourists.

A relaxed and friendly atmosphere to meet your friends

Key Features:

• Khmer and Western food priced from $1 to $6.
• Mundolkiri Coffee.
• Fresh Juices and Fruit Shakes.
• Extensive wine list.
• Hi-fi
• Smoke free environment.
• Students and performers are paid.

 Located in the Stung Sanke Hotel opposite Monivong High School on National Road 5.

Open from 0630 to 2200 

The view form outside at night

Very tasty Steak and Chips only $2

Quality wines from around the World

A Family friendly environment

Local arts, crafts and mementos for sale

Great Mundolkiri coffee!!!!!

P Lease come along and support this student run initiative.

BATTAMBANG UNIVERSITY TO HOST U.S EMBASSY SCHOLARSHIP SEMINAR

BATTAMBANG IS GETTING MORE BEAUTIFUL! AMAZING NEW RIVERSIDE RESTAURANT

FREE DRINKS IN BATTAMBANG

Free drinks in Battambang! Does this sound to good to be true? Well, it is partly true but you have to exert  some effort to get them.

Fresh Coconut Water. Fresh, nutricious, healthy nad refreshing (IMAGE: Cambodian Herald)

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts. In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during their nuclear phase of development. As growth continues, the endosperm mature into their cellular phase and deposit into the rind of the coconut meat.^[1] A very young coconut has very little meat, and the meat that it has is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned, or bottled.
Coconuts for drinking are carefully packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Asian coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. Throughout the tropics they can be found sold by street vendors, often cut in front of customers to ensure the coconut water's freshness. Coconut water can also be found in ordinary cans, tetra paks, or plastic bottles (sometimes with coconut pulp or coconut jelly included). Bottled coconut water has a shelf life of 24 months.
In recent years, coconut water has been marketed as a natural energy or sports drink due to its high potassium and mineral content. Marketers have also promoted coconut water for having no fat and very low amounts of carbohydrates, calories, and sodium. However, marketing claims attributing tremendous health benefits to coconut water are largely unfounded.
Unless the coconut has been damaged, it is likely sterile. There have been cases where coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid in some developing countries where medical saline was unavailable. 
 <sup>SOURCE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_water 

 If you wand to try Coconut Water for free then follw these tips from Rith and his Friends.
STEP 1: Climb a Coconut Palm</sup> 

^{STEP 2:  Dislodge some Coconuts.}

^{Step 3:  Climb down the tree.}

^{Step 4: Cut the top off the Coconut.}

 ^{Step 5: Enjoy a thirst quenching drink for FREE!!!}

 ^{SPecial thanks to Rith, Sokha & Ny Dine for the practical demonstration}

BATTAMBANG PLACES - SKY NIGHT CLUB

Image by: Nara Vireak

BATTAMBANG JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

The River is a new western pub street with a Pilipino music band situated along the Sangke river bank between the old bridge and Samdech Hun Sen Bridge . This project is developed to contribute to the tourism development plan of Battambang city to promote and response to tourism growth in Battambang City.

 

We are urgently looking for the following staff:

1-      Customer Service Supervisor

2-      Cashiers

3-      Cook Assistants ( Western and Asian foods)  

4-      Cocktail Staff  

5-      Waiters

6-      Waitresses    

 

All position is able to speak English or another language is a plus.

We offer the attractive compensation depend on working time and working experience but each staff need to work at least 7 hours per day.

If anyone can refer or interest in the position , please contact or send resume to : peter.nmony@gmail.com or 012 955447.

The deadline for this position 25^th of March 2012.

 

Peter

Head of Operations/Business Development

Heng Tola Group Co.,Ltd

 

Deadly bus trip to Battambang

Last Friday, a bus left Phnom Penh bound for Poipet via Battambang. About two hundred kilometres into its journey it reached Pursat, a provincial capital on National Road 5 and around one hundred kilometres from Battambang.

The wrecked bus sits beside the road in Pursat

It was dark and the coach was apparently traveling at full speed when it pulled out to overtake a parked truck and collided head on with a cement truck traveling in the opposite direction.

The driver of the bus was killed and several people were seriously injured. So far this year, four people have died in passenger bus crashes, and 50 have been injured

 In 2011, 25 people were killed in passenger bus crashes and more than 100 were injured.

Earlier this week the Ministry of Interior called for all bus companies in Cambodia to install “black boxes” in their buses to monitor the “careless” driving it says has resulted in three fatal crashes on the Kingdom’s roads in the past week.

Him Yan, director of the Ministry of Interior’s department of public order, said yesterday the recent spate of high-casualty bus crashes had been caused not by faulty buses but by negligent bus drivers.

“The bus companies always co-operate well with the ministry to check their buses are in good order, but the drivers are so careless,” Him Yan said.

“So we want the companies to put  black boxes in the buses to follow the drivers and know how they are driving, and to check the speed they are driving at as well,” he said.

Him Yan said the ministry planned to crack down on reckless driving and suspend, or shut down, bus companies that were found to have caused traffic accidents.

Representatives from Virak Buntham Express Travel, the operators of the bus that crashed in Pursat, declined to comment. However, Mekong Express bus company administrative manager Sin Sisaket applauded the government’s call for all of the Kingdom’s passenger buses to install a “black box”.

Sin Sisaket said all of the Mekong Express buses had already installed a similar machine of their own initiative to record the speed of the bus and counter bus drivers who “try to tell us a lie, because we can see what is happening during their driving.”

The devices also limit the speed at which the buses can travel.

“We put it with the wheel, so the drivers cannot drive faster than the company-imposed speed limit,” he said.

“We allow them to drive up to 70 or 80 kilometres per hour when they are transporting passengers and that is different from the speed limit from the law traffic, which allows 90 kilometres per hour.”