Documenting the forest in addition to the trees

Photo by: Photo Supplied
Logging on: Vandy Rattana hones his focus.

WHERE?
"WALKING THROUGH"
an exhibition of photography by Vandy Rattana can be seen through September at Baitong Cafe and SaSa Gallery, 7 St 360
(between Street 51 and Norodom Boulevard)
http://www.baitongcambodia.org/

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Lim Seng Haeng

Local fine-arts photographer Vandy Rattana hopes to harness a collective of local Khmer artists who are willing to work toward international standards.

VANDY Rattana, 29, is a successful photographer and one of the six founders of Stev Selapak, a Cambodian photographers' group created in early 2008. The group aims to promote world-class Cambodian photographers to an international audience.

(Disclosure: Vandy Rattana is a former Post staff photographer.)
Vandy Rattana has already represented Cambodian artists overseas, joining a contemporary art collective in Beijing called "The Long March", which recently invited contributors from each country on the historical Ho Chi Minh Trail for a collaborative creativity session.

Vandy Rattana says his love of photography could well be genetic because his father dedicated his whole life to art. Vandy Rattana realised his love for art at the age of six and has also been able to draw very well since childhood.

During this time, he also developed an appreciation for film, absorbing movies from Russia, Vietnam, India, China, America and Japan - but he preferred India's because of the artful compositions and framing. Indian movies also often portrayed pertinent family and social issues.

Since early 2005, Vandy Rattana has devoted his life and career to photography. His first photo exhibition, a treatise on interior spaces for a local art collective called Visual Arts Open (VAO), was titled "Looking In", which made him well-known locally.

At the end of the year, he will leave Cambodia to advance his studies in France. But before he leaves he will present his latest exhibition, "Walking Through", documenting the rubber plantations of Kompong Cham province in 2008 and 2009.

What inspired you to create this group?
I have seen that, in France or other Western countries, they create diverse groups or unions. And they really work well, so I think this group will contribute a lot to Cambodian photography.

If we have a group, our voices will be heard more widely, and we will have solidarity. We can help each other by giving advice or innovative ideas.
Logically, we can share knowledge among each other. We will screen our photos locally and, one day, when we are stronger, we can compete internationally. Khmers can be the best if they are willing.

What are the criteria to become a member?
Now we have six founding members - though more people will join soon.
We don't require much for membership, although you should be under 35 years of age, have a strong commitment and be ready to learn. You will not earn any money, but you will learn a lot about photography.

Do photographers need a lot of knowledge?
A good photographer needs to have a great deal of understanding, which requires a lot of reading and listening. Anyone can be my teacher; I listen to everyone, so I can learn from them.

Cambodians are not really socialised, and if they so socialise, they usually just meet to drink together. I mean socialising in terms of meeting someone to whom you can talk, share and learn from. You can learn from scholars - even celebrities, common folk or dumb people. Knowledge is borderless. You know this; others know that - so you have to keep learning, creating and sharpening your knowledge every day.

Recently I've started to love Japanese movies because they require a lot of critical thinking, and the endings are often unexpected. They work your brain better than simple, easily predictable movies.

So what are the main problems currently facing Cambodian photographers?
Cambodian photographers' lack of assignments - and they are not willing to work independently on their own. Some have worked for media agencies, and they can survive, for sure, but they do not gravitate towards creative work.

To be a photographer in Cambodia you have to be self-inspired and self-motivated or you will get lost because Cambodian people do not really welcome innovative ideas.

People call us crazy because we create new phenomena, regardless of whether it is art. So being a photographer is not really a ... nice profession. You need to try it first to be able to capture great things in life.

How can we improve?
We need more high-quality photography. There are still insufficient documentary photos showing the changes in our society and the culture.

Like I have done for each of my exhibitions, I need to spend a lot more time doing research and thinking topics though.

Recently, I have just photographed rubber trees, which could be my last exhibition in Cambodia. I spent an entire month observing and photographing the rubber trees in many places in Kampong Cham Province.

I slept with the local community in the rubber plantation and faced many obstacles just to get good and meaningful photographs.

You need to make an effort and to be positive about what you are doing.

NBC to spend $6m to maintain value of riel

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Nguon Sovan and Nathan Green

THE National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has announced it will dip into its foreign reserves and buy US$6 million worth of Cambodian riels this week to hold up the value of the local currency, but an economist has warned that downward pressure will persist at least through the end of 2010.

In an announcement Friday, the central bank said it would take bids today, Wednesday and Friday at its Norodom Boulevard headquarters, putting up $2 million in US dollar holdings on each of the three days to buy riels.

Permitted bidders include commercial banks, licensed money changers and listed businesses.

NBC Director General Tal Nay Im said that because Cambodia was between harvests there was low demand for riels to buy agricultural produce, putting downward pressure on the value of the riel.

That pressure has been strong since the global financial crisis kicked in last year, she added, with plummeting business activity reducing demand for riels to pay workers.

The central bank intervenes regularly in the foreign exchange market to prop up the value of the riel. In early August it bought $2 million worth of riels daily for five days after the local currency hit a low of 4,191 against the greenback during the first week of the month.

The intervention had the desired effect, with a sharp appreciation to 4,116 on August 12 before the value edged back down to 4,136 to the dollar. It was at a similar rate last week.

"Given the small market for the riel, this sharp rebound clearly reflects the NBC's intervention," the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Cambodia economist Danny Richards told the Post earlier this month.

However, he also warned that downward pressure on the riel would continue and questioned how long the central bank could continue dipping into foreign reserves to prop up the local currency.

"The NBC will continue to intervene in foreign-exchange markets to prevent the riel from depreciating too quickly against the US dollar," he said by email. "However, its international reserves position will remain precarious. The US dollar is strengthening against major trading currencies, and given that there is still a lack of confidence in the riel, the dollar will remain the currency of choice in Cambodia for trade and investment."

In the EIU's August country outlook, Richards predicted that the riel would fall to 4,304 to the dollar by the end of 2010 as falling merchandise exports widened the current-account deficit from 9.6 percent of GDP in 2008 to 10.2 percent in 2009, putting downward pressure on the currency.

In a recent country risk service, the EIU also noted that Cambodia's real trade-weighted exchange rate had appreciated 20.3 percent over the past 48 months, "suggesting that the currency remains overvalued and thus vulnerable to a correction".

Tal Nay Im said that official exchange rates were determined by the NBC as an average of exchange rates at "five large markets in Phnom Penh".

The official exchange rate was always within 1 percent of market exchange rates, she added.

Canadia Bank Executive Vice President Dieter Billmeier said he expected the value of the riel to pick up against the US dollar and currencies in neighbouring countries between November and February because of the harvest season.

NBC would widen bank use

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Nguon Sovan

ASENIOR central banking official said she hoped a government directive requiring civil servants to receive their salaries through a bank account will help efforts to boost the number of people in the country with deposits at commercial banks.

Despite rapid growth in deposits over the past few years, just 820,284 people, or 6 percent of the population, have deposit accounts at commercial banks, said National Bank of Cambodia Director General Tal Nay Im.

She said she was optimistic the number would increase as people became more aware of the advantages of holding money at banks.

"Now, thanks to wider expansion of bank branches throughout Cambodia, people prefer to transfer money through bank accounts rather than carry cash with them because cash transfers via bank accounts are fast and safe," she said.

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People prefer to transfer money through bank accounts.
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Central bank figures released earlier this month show deposit growth slowed considerably last year after rapid growth this decade saw deposits climb from just 14.2 percent of GDP in 2000 to 28.6 percent by the end of 2008.

Deposits grew just 3.67 percent to US$2.52 billion by the end of 2008 after growing 71.4 percent in 2007 from $1.4 billion to $2 billion.

However, the number of depositors reached almost 700,000 by the end of last year, up 53.4 percent from a year earlier.

The central bank said the value of deposits increased in the first half of 2008 but declined again once the global financial crisis kicked in as investors from elsewhere in the region remitted their US dollar deposits to their home countries to take advantage of exchange rate benefits as the value of their currencies fell against the dollar.

Tal Nay Im said deposits had begun growing again this year, with $2.9 billion currently deposited in 820,284 accounts at the country's 28 commercial banks, up from 24 at the end of 2008.

Just five banks accounted for 72.6 percent of deposits at the end of 2008: ACLEDA Bank with 18.2 percent, Canadia Bank 17.2 percent, Cambodian Public Bank 15.1 percent, ANZ Royal Bank 13.9 percent and Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia 8.2 percent.

ACLEDA Bank's CEO In Channy said it currently had too much money, having tightened lending, and so had reduced interest rates on one-year fixed deposits from 7 percent late last year to 6.5 percent.

"However, we still encourage customers to deposit at our bank, but now it is not through increasing deposit rates but through fast and safe services for our customers," he said.

Lakhaon Festival to put 1,000 years on stage

Photo by: Bennett Murray
Kor Borin, Alain Arnaudet and Sophiline Shapiro.

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Bennett Murray

From September 4 to 11, the exhibition of Khmer theatre and drama will bring to light ancient dynasties and postwar poverty.

THE French Cultural Center (CCF) is treating Cambodia to a week of both old and new Khmer theatre. From September 4 to 11, the CCF will host their third annual Lakhaon Festival at Chenla Theatre, where Khmer and French artists aim to revive traditional Khmer theatre while promoting new forms of Khmer drama.

"The Cambodia of today is full of special people," said CCF director Alain Arnaudet. "It is a good thing for this country to be conjured in our imaginations."

This year's event will add six new "creations" to the Lakhoan Festival, featuring traditional stories, such as the Ynav Bosba, performed by the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, and contemporary plays, such as Daytime's Darkness, performed by The Khmer Action Arts Company.

The Ynav Bosba is the classic Khmer version of the Rayamana. In this legendary Hindu epic, a princess is kidnapped from her wedding alter by an evil prince. The story progresses as her fiancé travels from afar to rescue her. Fast-forward 1000 years, and Daytime's Darkness brings the audience to the uglier side of post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. In this modern spoken-word drama, an ultra-impoverished family works in the hellish Stung Meanchey garbage dump collecting reusable rubbish to sell for a few hundred riels. Although it is a dramatised portrayal, Daytime's Darkness is based on the experiences of the actors and their families.

A more unusual performance will arrive with the Pamas Company's rendition of The Girl Without Hands. A German classic, French and Khmer artists have collaborated on this Brothers Grimm fairy tale to bring about a Khmer adaptation of the play in what the CCF says is a "privileged moment of mutual enrichment" for both countries.

The story, which is about a girl who is unwittingly sold to the Devil by her father, is unfortunately all too relevant to contemporary Southeast Asia.

To make the plays as accessible as possible, all of the shows will be subtitled in both French and English. The plays are free for all to attend.

Royals open up a two-game lead in series

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Dan Riley

Royals overwhelm a tired-looking Braves outfit 15-3 Friday to improve their record to 6-4 in their 30-game national series.

FRIDAY saw the two Cambodian National Baseball teams lock horns in Game 10 of their 30-game series. In the match, the Royals overwhelmed the Braves 15-3 to take a 6-4 lead.

The Royals started their pregame warmup at 8am Friday, with Mich Phea returning to the lineup for the first time since August 8, having left the national team to help his family on their farm. He was picked up by the Royals, who signed him to a contract worth US$92 per month, making him the highest-paid baseball player in the country.

The 24-year-old right-handed batter has the best statistics of anyone in the league. "If you're talking abut stats, Phea's got it all," said Cambodian Baseball Federation President Joe Cook by email. "He's way beyond comparison."

The Royals worked out early to ensure their team was well prepared, with Phea playing third base, and hitting fourth as the cleanup man.

The Braves also took all day working on and off the field, but looked tired, and none of their players seemed to be in good condition.

Braves hurler Chea Theara got into trouble from his very first pitch, and by the fourth inning he had given up eight runs and eight hits for his worst game so far.

"I had a bad day, I wasn't focus,"said Theara. "I got so tired today, been trained so much. I couldn't relax."

"I gave my personal best, but they got a good team, and our offense was flattened," he added.

Braves new signing Nget Vanna said of the Royals: "They've got a serious team. They knew what they were doing better than we did. Our players went silly and careless during the game time: One mistake to the next. The errors killed us throughout the game. They played hard ball, and hit very hard at us."

Joe Cook opined that the Braves has many rookies in their lineup, and that although they were very tired, they also didn't use much thinking.

"Overtraining will lead to exhaustion and losing [games]," said the CBAF President. "The Braves need to stay focused, and not worrying about the Royals' superstars, Mich Phea or Moun Chanton. [They need to] get their head in the game and be smart, not overloaded.

"If [they play] this kind of game, they can't beat Malaysia or Vietnam."

A trade was made between the national teams over the weekend that saw the Royals' Choey Sovann swap places with the Braves' Lim Sophal.

Sovann, who played in the Asian Cup earlier in the year, signed to the Braves on a $47-per-month contract, while Sophal signed to the Royals for $32 per month, to become the best-paid rookie in the league.

Currently, 32 players remain playing with no contract or salary out of a total of 68 players on the national team, with the CBAF still desperate to attract more sponsorship and donations to pay for the running costs.

CBAF overheads run to around US$1,300 per month, and the national team demands a monthly input of $3,200, to pay for food, shelter, transport, and salaries for the players.

CBAF pays for coaches, scorekeepers, umpires, managements, and field crews.

'Mission accomplished' for Ek Chamroeun at 2009 Open

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Men’s singles tennis players take the podium after Sunday’s finals. Vietnamese player Traing Ngoc Tri won the final, beating Cambodia’s Ek Chamroeun, while last year’s champion Sok Sambath took third. TFC president Chan Prasidh (second left) presided over the event, organised by the federation, including General Secretary Tep Rithivit (right).

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Dan Riley

Ek Chamroeun, just 14, becomes the pride of the Cambodian Tennis Federation after making the men's singles finals, only losing to a Vietnamese 25-year-old.

THE 2009 Cambodian Open Tennis Tournament concluded Sunday in the glorious sunshine at Phnom Penh's Cambodian Country Club (CCC), with top Vietnamese players taking the spoils over their Cambodian counterparts. More than 150 avid spectators, dignitaries and journalists surrounded the main court to watch the men's finals play out in the morning before being entertained by Apsara dancers and viewing a prize-giving ceremony presided over by Tennis Federation of Cambodia (TFC) President Chan Prasidh.

In Sunday morning's final, 14-year-old Cambodian tennis sensation Ek Chamroeun finally succumbed to nerves as he was comprehensively beaten 6-0, 6-2 by Vietnamese semiprofessional Traing Ngoc Tri. The star youngster seemed to crumble under pressure, with the nation's media, including many local TV companies, with the 25-year-old Vietnamese talent storming to victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

"I was rather nervous at first to play in front of such a big crowd," said Chamroeun after the game.

"I was also nervous to play the No 5 Vietnamese player, who is 11 years older than me."

The teenage talent who won the U18 tournament with consummate ease earlier in the week, noted that he thought he had played well, despite the nerves, but respected that his opponent also played well.

"I am not disappointed with the result because I have beaten all the top Cambodian players [during the tournament]," he asserted. "I want to be the Cambodian champion for as long as possible. When people speak about the No 1 Cambodian, I want them to use my name."

Chamroeun stated that Sunday's defeat was a good lesson for him to train harder, and gave him confidence for the future. "I think when I meet him [Traing Ngoc Tri] again, I will beat him," he declared.

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Cambodian star youngster Ek Chamroeun hits a return during the men's singles final Sunday at the CCC.

Though unsure where his trainer would be sending him next, the 14-year-old expressed his desire to do well in the forthcoming Tep Khunnah Memorial Cup in November and the SEA Games in Laos in December. For his successes in the Cambodian Open, Chamroeun collected US$300 to go with his first-and second-place trophies from the U18 and men's categories.

"What a story!" expressed a breathless TFC General Secretary Tep Rithivit after Sunday's events. "[Chamroeun] behaved himself so well throughout the whole week. He freaked out a little bit in the final, but said to him "Mission Accomplished" for winning the semifinals [Saturday]."

The TFC executive also revealed the extent of problems caused by the weather during the nine-day competition. "We had to battle with thunderstorms ripping through our covers, forcing us to work through the night to have the courts ready for the next day," he said.

Ek Chamroeun had booked his place in the final by means of a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sok Sambath Saturday, whereas opponent Traing had made his way past Chhit Davin Thursday in a 6-1, 7-5 match.

Saturday evening saw the finals of the men's doubles play out, with Vietnamese pair Huyin JP and Traing Ngoc Tri smashing Cambodian duo Chhit Davin and Thun Tola 6-0, 6-1.

In the women's event, 24-year-old Vietnamese No 2 Noelle Hyunh Mai Hyunh made quick work of her competitors, and went on to breeze through Thursday's final against Cambodian Chheng Srey Pich. Sixteen-year-old Chheng Srey Pich had beaten Cambodian No 1 and younger sister Chheng Chorney, 15, to make the final, but the star Vietnamese player proved simply too much, winning 6-0, 6-0.

To round the day off, TFC President Chan Prasidh announced that plans for construction of three tennis courts on land granted to the federation by the CCC was in motion, with the hope of completion in time for the Tep Khunnah Cup.

CPL Football: Referees play a tough game in CPL

Photo by: Nick Sells (www.nicksellsphotography.com)
Referee Toy Vicheka was praised and condemned for his decisions in Saturday’s match between Khemara and Naga. NICK SELLS

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 31 August 2009
Ken Gadaffi

CPL Football

The Asian Football Confederation named 2009 as Asian Referees' Year, but the designation has carried little weight this season in the Cambodian Premier League (CPL), with many clubs reacting with venom to a number of decisions. Indeed, in the aftermath of a June 3 match between Phnom Penh Crown and Khemara Keila, assistant referee Yem Manoura was suspended for an error of judgement in disallowing a last-minute goal by Crown. On Saturday, Naga manager Lam Thiny was infuriated by match referee Toy Vicheka, as his team went down 2-1 to Khemara Keila. Toy seemed too liberal with his cards, critics said. Lam Thiny lambasted the sending off of his midfielder Friday Nwakuna with a straight red. "It should be a yellow card at worst, not a red card" Lam remarked. "You can see from the stands clearly that the Khemara manager was scolding the referee for sending off their player [Joel Omoraka earlier]. He put pressure on the referee, that's why he sent my player off, to balance the game up." Khemara manager Salang Kang saw things differently, applauding the official. "For me no problem," said Salang, protesting his innocence of intimidation tactics. "The referee did well, and we deserved to win."

Cambodian referee instructor Tetsu Karakida of Japan absolved Toy Vicheka, suggesting that clubs and players should share the blame. "A referee is in a no-win situation," Tetsu said. "He is abused by players, spectators, everybody." The referees' chief said that part of the problem lies in the way the rules are interpreted, but clarified that systems and programmes are in place to help referees improve. Those include monthly sessions for CPL referees, in which games are analyzed. "I didn't see the second red card clearly," admitted Tetsu. "But the first was the correct decision. The referee [Toy Vicheka] maintained good positioning in the match, so I think he was in the right position to make the decision. "Both set of players were hot. They were quite temperamental, so the referee had to calm things down using his cards."