According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 56-On Wednesday 3, 2009.
Over 40,000 garment workers have lost their jobs, and 58 factories have been closed in the garment sector since last August, Chhoun Momthol, president of the Cambodian Union Federation said Tuesday. Referring to figures published in a report released last week by the CUF, Mr Momthol said that 41,117 garment workers had lost their jobs in the past 9 months. The report also declared that an additional 25,403 workers within the sector have been suspended from their posts until the industry makes a recovery.
"The garment sector is still in a bad way. Just last week we saw another factory shut down with a loss of over 1,000 jobs," said Mr Momthol, whose CUF claims 78,000 members. The number stated in the CUF report are slightly more modest compared to the 51,000 job that the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia recently announced had been lost in the sector between September 2008 and March 2009.
Additionally, GMAC chairman Van Sou Ieng last week announced that between 20,000 to 40,000 more workers had either completely lost their jobs or had been suspended in the past 10 weeks. The CUF factories have closed since August and 33 more have suspended their activities. The UN Development Program, however, said last week that 70 factories have been shut down over the same time period.
Mr Momthol added that since the report had come out a number of factories had been closed down adding more jobs to the total list of casualties declared within the report. "The figures were complied by the union leaders and only represent an approximate picture of the CUF report. "Things are changing so quickly." Roger Tan, secretary -general at GMAC, said that in any report on the numbers of job losses there could be a margin of error of between 10 to 30 percent due to the rapid turnover within the sector's work force.
Despite the dark clouds gathering over Cambodia's textile industry, Mr Momthol said he expected orders from the US and Europe to make a comeback in either July or Agust of this year. Mr Tan also said the garment industry will start to see some modest gains in the coming months. "However it will not be that fantastic," he said. "Because buyers have also have to close stores, sales will back but with less growth." Unlike the days of double-digit growth back in early 2008, Mr Tan said, a 5 percent rebound is likely for the remainder of 2009.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
National Briefs: Landmine, UXO Casualties Decline 30% in April
According to The Cambodia Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 55-On Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
Reported casualties from landmines and UXO, or an unexploded ordnance, dropped about 30 percent to 17 in April from 24 the same month last year, according to a monthly report from the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System, which is supported by the Cambodian Red Cross. Casualties have followed a pattern of overall decline in recent years. Yearly casualty totals dropped from 450 in 2006, to 352 in 2007, to 269 in 2008, although so far this year the total is close to last year's, with 117 casualties for the first four months of this year compared to 113 last year. Officials have attributed the overall decline to demining and safety education efforts. Casualties are concentrated in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, along the northwest border with Thailand. Mine or UXO accidents cause death in only 17 percent of incidents, while amputation follows in 21 percent of cases, and injury results in the other cases, according to an analysis of data from 2008 through April of this year.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Reported casualties from landmines and UXO, or an unexploded ordnance, dropped about 30 percent to 17 in April from 24 the same month last year, according to a monthly report from the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System, which is supported by the Cambodian Red Cross. Casualties have followed a pattern of overall decline in recent years. Yearly casualty totals dropped from 450 in 2006, to 352 in 2007, to 269 in 2008, although so far this year the total is close to last year's, with 117 casualties for the first four months of this year compared to 113 last year. Officials have attributed the overall decline to demining and safety education efforts. Casualties are concentrated in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, along the northwest border with Thailand. Mine or UXO accidents cause death in only 17 percent of incidents, while amputation follows in 21 percent of cases, and injury results in the other cases, according to an analysis of data from 2008 through April of this year.
Republished by CI, Cambodia.
Bar Association Delays Questioning of Mu Sochua's Lawyer
According to The Cambodian Daily Newspaper, Volume 42, Issue 55-On Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
The Cambodian Bar Association on Monday again delayed a disciplinary board's questioning of Kong Sam Onn, the attorney of SRP lawyer pointed out that one of the five people chosen to investigate him worked for the man who had accused him of unethical conduct. Mr Sam Onn is representing Ms Sochua in her defamation suit filed last month against Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The inspectors were set to question Mr Sam Onn on May 25, but that hearing was delayed after two inspectors failed to show up. On Monday, a second attempt was made to question Mr Sam Onn, but it was again delayed after the lawyer complained that one of the inspectors, Hem Voun, works at Mr Ky Tech's Cambodia Law Firm.
Attorney Puth Theavy, who is one of the five bar-assigned inspectors, confirmed that the questioning session has been delayed until Mr Songhak deals with the apparent conflict of interest. "We dicided to delay the questioning because Mr Sam Onn has objected to Hem Voun," Mr Theavy said. Mr Voun said Monday evening that he doesn't intend to step down from the inspection panel unless told to do so by the bar's president.
Mr Songhak declined to comment on the conflict of interest when reached by telephone.
Breif & Republished by CI, Cambodia.
The Cambodian Bar Association on Monday again delayed a disciplinary board's questioning of Kong Sam Onn, the attorney of SRP lawyer pointed out that one of the five people chosen to investigate him worked for the man who had accused him of unethical conduct. Mr Sam Onn is representing Ms Sochua in her defamation suit filed last month against Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The inspectors were set to question Mr Sam Onn on May 25, but that hearing was delayed after two inspectors failed to show up. On Monday, a second attempt was made to question Mr Sam Onn, but it was again delayed after the lawyer complained that one of the inspectors, Hem Voun, works at Mr Ky Tech's Cambodia Law Firm.
Attorney Puth Theavy, who is one of the five bar-assigned inspectors, confirmed that the questioning session has been delayed until Mr Songhak deals with the apparent conflict of interest. "We dicided to delay the questioning because Mr Sam Onn has objected to Hem Voun," Mr Theavy said. Mr Voun said Monday evening that he doesn't intend to step down from the inspection panel unless told to do so by the bar's president.
Mr Songhak declined to comment on the conflict of interest when reached by telephone.
Breif & Republished by CI, Cambodia.
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