By BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Every month at least 20 tons of compost and fertilizer are produced at Stung Meanchey dump site by the Cambodian Education and Waste Management Organization (COMPED), a local non-governmental organization established in 2000. The composting of biodegradable waste makes ideal fertilizer for sale to farmers across the country, according to COMPED officers.
Sam Phalla, manager of COMPED’s composting project, said that since the establishment of the composting project at Stung Meanchey Dump Site in 2000, about 2,000 tons of compost and fertilizer had been produced by COMPED from the wastes. According to Phalla, the market for this material is nationwide.
Phalla said the main purpose of COMPEDs Composting Project was to demonstrate the importance of the process of separation and the cycles that turn rubbish is turned into a saleable commodity. He underlined the benefits created in terms of reducing the volume of material thrown into landfill sites.
Furthermore, he said another objective of the project was to promote and encourage Cambodian farmers to use composted fertilizers in preference to chemical fertilizers for growing all kinds of plants. The use of natural fertilizers helps the soil retain its richness and helps prevent fertilizer run off and the resulting nitrate imbalance in the nation’s rivers and streams. All these considerations are vital if the nation is to retain her natural beauty and biodiversity.
He added that currently, COMPED is running in a 2,000 square meter composting plant at Stung Meanchey dump site, supported by Germany, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Protection and Environment of the Free State of Thuringia, as well as related Phnom Penh Authorities.
He said, “Now, I can say that due to our small composting project, we can convert only one percent of the daily volume of rubbish thrown into the dump. I think that if we can manage the wastes from all the markets, as well as the stuff thrown into this site, it can help the Cambodian government reduce the import of chemical fertilizers and prevent environmental degradation in Cambodia.”
The Manager told the Cambodia Weekly that according to his estimates, every day about 65 tons of biodegradable waste are thrown into Stung Meanchey dump site.
Regarding COMPED’s production capacity, Phalla said that currently, his organization has produces from 6 to 12 tones of the material per day, far from sufficient to cater to the demands of the nation’s farmers. He said those farmers who bought compost at COMPED’s office at Stung Meanchey dump site came from the provinces throughout Cambodia including Kampong Speu, Kandal, Takeo, Svay Rieng, Kampong Chhnang, Koh Kong and Battambang. According to Sam Phalla, one kilogram of compost fetches 300 riel.
Var Sarom, 53, a farmer from Takeo province, said that every rainy season, he often came to Phnom Penh to buy compost at COMPED’s office. He said it was a vital component for his rice plantation.
Sarom said, “I usually buy about 200 kg of compost from the organization every year, during the rainy season. I decided to use the compost rather than chemical fertilizers because it's much more reasonably priced and is kinder to the soil. This is an important consideration if my operations are to be sustained.”
Sao Da, 55, another farmer from Svay Rieng province, said that he also buys COMPED’s products to make his seedlings grow and to improve the quality of his Svey Rieng earth.
Da said that he bought at least 300 kg of fertilizer from COMPED to grow vegetables and plants during the rainy season.
He said, “I buy these products from COMPED because they are cheap, which suits me and my family just fine.”
He said that since 1999, he bought chemical fertilizers. However, he added that he became converted to the biodegradable solution after several years of using chemical fertilizers. He noted that the soil quality had been affected, becoming as solid and conducive to horticulture as concrete. With natural fertilizers, the soil returned to its natural state, providing a soft, crumbly seedbed for shoots to thrive in.
Mann Chhoeun, deputy governor of the Phnom Penh Municipality, said that COMPED’s composting project helped the Phnom Penh Authorities promote health care management services, made the task of waste management easier and prevented environmental degradation.
The Deputy Governor said that according to reports, there are more than 1,000 tons of un-sifted trash collected and thrown into Stung Meanchey dump site per day. He said that the site was rapidly reaching capacity and that the Phnom Penh Municipality planned to move the dump site from Stung Meanchey, relocating it on 30-hectares of land in Khan Dangkor, in Phnom Penh. The move is expected to occur early 2009.
He also said that according to new policies, Phnom Penh’s Municipality will reserve over one hectare of the composting project.
Chau Kimheng, director of COMPED, said that Stung Meanchey dump site’s Composting Project will be closed when the move to the new location takes place next year. However, Kimheng said that his organization would continue its project on the new site which has a larger composting plant.
The Director said, “We are ready to cooperate with Phnom Penh Authorities to continue the composting project at the new dumping site in Khan Dangkor. We hope that with its new and larger composting facilities, we will be able to produce more fertilizer for our nation’s farmers.”
He also said that in order to promote the product, his organization conducts training workshops on composting and environmental awareness to an audience of interested local farmers, government’s authorities, NGO’s staff and other stakeholders in targeted provinces throughout Cambodia.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Number of Students Applying to Study Lakhaon and Pleng Boran Decreases: Officials
By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
Senior Officials at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) have announced recently that no new students have applied to study Traditional Music and Theatre subjects since RUFA’s change of location to the Boeung Tayab area in Khan Roussey Keo, west of the Capital.
The officials reported that the number of new students who applied for study at RUFA decreased because the school’s location was inconvenient for travel and the roads in the area required repair. Furthermore, student feedback indicated that these skills do not meet the demands of the current job market in Cambodia.
Proeung Chhieng, professor and vice-dean of the Royal University of Fine Arts, said that the number of new students applying for courses of study in Traditional Music and Theatre Subjects at RUFA had decreased every year. He said, “I believe the main reason for the decline in the number of students is the new school’s situation, being far removed from the city center.”
“Apart from this, the road links to the University are very bad, being no better than muddy tracks after a light sprinkling of rain,” he said.
“In addition, the subjects we have to offer at RUFA are seen as irrelevant, given the current nature of the Cambodian job market.”
Speaking by telephone, the Professor told the Cambodia Weekly on September 1 that according to a university report, RUFA was pleased to accept at least 300 applications from high school graduates every year, when it was situated near the old Olympic stadium in Phnom Penh.
However, he said that since the move to the new location in Boeng Tayab in early 2005, there had been a drastic reduction of interest, with enrollment running at around only 30 to 40 students per year. Of these new enrollments, only a small minority of candidates applied to study performance art subjects like Lakhaon Boran (traditional theatre) with its sub genres of Lakhaon Basac, Shadow puppetry, Circus and Yike, let alone the classical music subjects.
Yun Khean, professor of Traditional Music and vice-dean of Khmer Traditional Music studies at RUFA, said that yearly enrollment now seldom rose above four students. The richness of musical tradition, captured by familiar names such as Pleng Arak and Pleng Mahory; the sound of Khmer music sung by instruments such as drums, oboes, Chapei Dorng Veng, Kse Diev (guitars), Tro Khmer, Bror Bos and Chhing was in danger of being silenced.
Khean recognized that students do apply to study other subjects as they thought that these skills would lack relevance in the employment market of a rapidly developing economy.
Khean went on to paint an alarming picture. “If there is no immediate action from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts or the Royal Government as a whole, the future of traditional music, dance and theatre looks bleak. For this art form to thrive in the future we need new blood in the form of young and enthusiastic students who can foresee a workable career for themselves on the stage.”
Por Teung, director of the Fine Arts High School which shares a compound with RUFA, said of academic year 2008-2009 that his school planned to prepare up to 300 new students to study these traditional performing arts.
However, Teung said that these efforts would be hampered by physical conditions and held out little hope of being able to encourage students to support the intentions.
He has appealed to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MoCFA) and the Royal Government of Cambodia to buy more school mini-buses and to renovate the RUFA campus accommodation facilities for the benefit of students and teachers who come from provinces.
Khim Sarith, secretary of state at MoCFA, said that with the full support of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, the ministry has bought three mini-buses for RUFA students to date.
Sarith told the Cambodia Weekly by telephone on September 2, 2008 that so far, the ministry has no plans to buy more mini-buses, nor plans for campus improvements.
He said, “The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is aware of the strains experienced by RUFA but there simply is not the budget to meet these requests.”
“However, the ministry will work hard and formulate alternative solutions to the problems and thus ensure a healthy population of fresh and inspired students for RUFA,” he continued. “As a leader for MoCFA, I can assure everyone concerned that the ministry will not rest while these conditions remain and we have no intention of allowing our cultural heritage to disappear in the future.”
//
Senior Officials at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) have announced recently that no new students have applied to study Traditional Music and Theatre subjects since RUFA’s change of location to the Boeung Tayab area in Khan Roussey Keo, west of the Capital.
The officials reported that the number of new students who applied for study at RUFA decreased because the school’s location was inconvenient for travel and the roads in the area required repair. Furthermore, student feedback indicated that these skills do not meet the demands of the current job market in Cambodia.
Proeung Chhieng, professor and vice-dean of the Royal University of Fine Arts, said that the number of new students applying for courses of study in Traditional Music and Theatre Subjects at RUFA had decreased every year. He said, “I believe the main reason for the decline in the number of students is the new school’s situation, being far removed from the city center.”
“Apart from this, the road links to the University are very bad, being no better than muddy tracks after a light sprinkling of rain,” he said.
“In addition, the subjects we have to offer at RUFA are seen as irrelevant, given the current nature of the Cambodian job market.”
Speaking by telephone, the Professor told the Cambodia Weekly on September 1 that according to a university report, RUFA was pleased to accept at least 300 applications from high school graduates every year, when it was situated near the old Olympic stadium in Phnom Penh.
However, he said that since the move to the new location in Boeng Tayab in early 2005, there had been a drastic reduction of interest, with enrollment running at around only 30 to 40 students per year. Of these new enrollments, only a small minority of candidates applied to study performance art subjects like Lakhaon Boran (traditional theatre) with its sub genres of Lakhaon Basac, Shadow puppetry, Circus and Yike, let alone the classical music subjects.
Yun Khean, professor of Traditional Music and vice-dean of Khmer Traditional Music studies at RUFA, said that yearly enrollment now seldom rose above four students. The richness of musical tradition, captured by familiar names such as Pleng Arak and Pleng Mahory; the sound of Khmer music sung by instruments such as drums, oboes, Chapei Dorng Veng, Kse Diev (guitars), Tro Khmer, Bror Bos and Chhing was in danger of being silenced.
Khean recognized that students do apply to study other subjects as they thought that these skills would lack relevance in the employment market of a rapidly developing economy.
Khean went on to paint an alarming picture. “If there is no immediate action from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts or the Royal Government as a whole, the future of traditional music, dance and theatre looks bleak. For this art form to thrive in the future we need new blood in the form of young and enthusiastic students who can foresee a workable career for themselves on the stage.”
Por Teung, director of the Fine Arts High School which shares a compound with RUFA, said of academic year 2008-2009 that his school planned to prepare up to 300 new students to study these traditional performing arts.
However, Teung said that these efforts would be hampered by physical conditions and held out little hope of being able to encourage students to support the intentions.
He has appealed to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MoCFA) and the Royal Government of Cambodia to buy more school mini-buses and to renovate the RUFA campus accommodation facilities for the benefit of students and teachers who come from provinces.
Khim Sarith, secretary of state at MoCFA, said that with the full support of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, the ministry has bought three mini-buses for RUFA students to date.
Sarith told the Cambodia Weekly by telephone on September 2, 2008 that so far, the ministry has no plans to buy more mini-buses, nor plans for campus improvements.
He said, “The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is aware of the strains experienced by RUFA but there simply is not the budget to meet these requests.”
“However, the ministry will work hard and formulate alternative solutions to the problems and thus ensure a healthy population of fresh and inspired students for RUFA,” he continued. “As a leader for MoCFA, I can assure everyone concerned that the ministry will not rest while these conditions remain and we have no intention of allowing our cultural heritage to disappear in the future.”
//
PIO Provides Basic Education, Training to Children at Stung Meanchey Dump Site
By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
To date, hundreds of children living surrounding Stung Meanchey dump site in Phnom Penh have attended classes in basic literacy and math, as well as non-formal life skills training. These classes have been organized by the People’s Improvement Organization (PIO), a local Non Governmental Organization. However, not only does this organization provide food for the developing mind, it also feeds the young scholar’s body.
Noun Hengleap, vice-director of PIO, said that the children who attended basic training are generally trash pickers themselves, or the children of parents who work as trash pickers at Stung Meanchey dump site. It is the work of the PIO to provide them with literacy and math skills.
She told the Cambodia Weekly that according to a PIO report, a total of 242 children included 149 boys and 93 girls attend classes at the Stung Meanchey Center.
She said that the training, which conforms to the national curriculum of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), was introduced by PIO in 2004, and the main purpose of training is to provide free training to the poor and vulnerable children so that they can, if desired, continue their studies at secondary schools.
Hengleap said that initially at least, to encourage young and unformed intellects to attend the school, teachers had to entice the children with full and bounteous hands.
“For the last three years, we have been bribing the kids with food to get them to attend the training. When the fun is over, that is when our work begins. Through our programs we provide some of the most vulnerable women and children in Cambodia with hope for the future. Through education it is our belief that we can improve the lives of the Cambodian people. They will be able to take greater control of their lives and create their own trajectories out of poverty,” she added.
She pointed out that PIO opened its first schoolrooms at Stung Meanchey dump site in August 2004, running classes around the kids work schedules at the dump so they could still earn a living. “As the school is located right in the center of the community and is free, more and more parents are allowing their kids to attend.”
Neou Virak, PIO Administrator and Teacher, estimated that there are about 10,000 people living around the dump site.
Virak said that the workers at the dump site were mostly children, barefoot and shirtless, some as young as four years old, who work to earn less than a dollar per day. Many of them started work as early as 3am, with a 7pm finish.
He stated that all children who attended PIO classes also received lunch every day, with a monthly allowance of five kilograms of rice per month. Class attendance also entitles the student to health care and a range of other benefits provided by the organization. For the homeless or orphaned student, there are also dormitories at the Stung Meanchey Center.
According to Virak, PIO serves 600 children a day through a variety of programs that include non-formal education and vocational training. This training is provided by centers located in Stung Meanchey, Borei Keila, and Borei Santepheap II which is situated in Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh.
Vice-director Noun Hengleap said PIO has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MoEYS and follows the national curriculum for grades 1 to 9.
According to this MoU, it allows PIO to provide education to Cambodia’s most vulnerable sectors of society, and its efforts are recognized by MoEYS, Hengleap said. She added a child that graduates from PIO will be able to continue at any government school at the appropriate level.
“Our work is focused primarily in our Outreach centers. We work directly with the people in the community and provide the children and their families with education and rice,” Hengleap said. “For the older students, we offer a vocational training program that teaches girls beauty salon skills. Learning a skill provides the opportunity for the girls to earn an independent income.”
Kep Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh Municipality, said the City appreciates the work of the PIO in helping the weaker members of society help themselves through education.
The Governor told the Cambodia Weekly by telephone on August 21, 2008 that, “I think that the organization’s activities are great help to the children in Stung Meanchey dump site.”
He said that according to the latest estimates, there are about 20,000 families and 1,000 children who benefit from the work of PIO and other organizations operating at the Stung Meanchey dump site.
17-year-old Sok Sambo, a grade 4 student at the PIO School, said that he was so happy that he could go to study with the PIO. He is the son of dump site workers and he can count four brothers and six sisters in his family. Currently, five of these enquiring minds, apart from Sambo, are attending PIO classes.
Sambo said, “I think that if there is no support from PIO, my younger brothers, sisters and I probably may not be able to go to school because of financial constraints.”
Thon Phally, 15, is a grade 2 student of the PIO’s School, with self improvement very much in mind.
She said, “I used to study at a state primary school in 2005 but I was forced to stop because my family was unable to pay and I was to look after my younger brothers and sisters.”
“Now, I am happy that I am able to study with PIO. I know I must study hard and make the most of this opportunity to complete secondary school. Once this training is complete, then the future looks bright,” she added.
//
To date, hundreds of children living surrounding Stung Meanchey dump site in Phnom Penh have attended classes in basic literacy and math, as well as non-formal life skills training. These classes have been organized by the People’s Improvement Organization (PIO), a local Non Governmental Organization. However, not only does this organization provide food for the developing mind, it also feeds the young scholar’s body.
Noun Hengleap, vice-director of PIO, said that the children who attended basic training are generally trash pickers themselves, or the children of parents who work as trash pickers at Stung Meanchey dump site. It is the work of the PIO to provide them with literacy and math skills.
She told the Cambodia Weekly that according to a PIO report, a total of 242 children included 149 boys and 93 girls attend classes at the Stung Meanchey Center.
She said that the training, which conforms to the national curriculum of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), was introduced by PIO in 2004, and the main purpose of training is to provide free training to the poor and vulnerable children so that they can, if desired, continue their studies at secondary schools.
Hengleap said that initially at least, to encourage young and unformed intellects to attend the school, teachers had to entice the children with full and bounteous hands.
“For the last three years, we have been bribing the kids with food to get them to attend the training. When the fun is over, that is when our work begins. Through our programs we provide some of the most vulnerable women and children in Cambodia with hope for the future. Through education it is our belief that we can improve the lives of the Cambodian people. They will be able to take greater control of their lives and create their own trajectories out of poverty,” she added.
She pointed out that PIO opened its first schoolrooms at Stung Meanchey dump site in August 2004, running classes around the kids work schedules at the dump so they could still earn a living. “As the school is located right in the center of the community and is free, more and more parents are allowing their kids to attend.”
Neou Virak, PIO Administrator and Teacher, estimated that there are about 10,000 people living around the dump site.
Virak said that the workers at the dump site were mostly children, barefoot and shirtless, some as young as four years old, who work to earn less than a dollar per day. Many of them started work as early as 3am, with a 7pm finish.
He stated that all children who attended PIO classes also received lunch every day, with a monthly allowance of five kilograms of rice per month. Class attendance also entitles the student to health care and a range of other benefits provided by the organization. For the homeless or orphaned student, there are also dormitories at the Stung Meanchey Center.
According to Virak, PIO serves 600 children a day through a variety of programs that include non-formal education and vocational training. This training is provided by centers located in Stung Meanchey, Borei Keila, and Borei Santepheap II which is situated in Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh.
Vice-director Noun Hengleap said PIO has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MoEYS and follows the national curriculum for grades 1 to 9.
According to this MoU, it allows PIO to provide education to Cambodia’s most vulnerable sectors of society, and its efforts are recognized by MoEYS, Hengleap said. She added a child that graduates from PIO will be able to continue at any government school at the appropriate level.
“Our work is focused primarily in our Outreach centers. We work directly with the people in the community and provide the children and their families with education and rice,” Hengleap said. “For the older students, we offer a vocational training program that teaches girls beauty salon skills. Learning a skill provides the opportunity for the girls to earn an independent income.”
Kep Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh Municipality, said the City appreciates the work of the PIO in helping the weaker members of society help themselves through education.
The Governor told the Cambodia Weekly by telephone on August 21, 2008 that, “I think that the organization’s activities are great help to the children in Stung Meanchey dump site.”
He said that according to the latest estimates, there are about 20,000 families and 1,000 children who benefit from the work of PIO and other organizations operating at the Stung Meanchey dump site.
17-year-old Sok Sambo, a grade 4 student at the PIO School, said that he was so happy that he could go to study with the PIO. He is the son of dump site workers and he can count four brothers and six sisters in his family. Currently, five of these enquiring minds, apart from Sambo, are attending PIO classes.
Sambo said, “I think that if there is no support from PIO, my younger brothers, sisters and I probably may not be able to go to school because of financial constraints.”
Thon Phally, 15, is a grade 2 student of the PIO’s School, with self improvement very much in mind.
She said, “I used to study at a state primary school in 2005 but I was forced to stop because my family was unable to pay and I was to look after my younger brothers and sisters.”
“Now, I am happy that I am able to study with PIO. I know I must study hard and make the most of this opportunity to complete secondary school. Once this training is complete, then the future looks bright,” she added.
//
Youth Welcome Joint-Venture Motor Companies Established in Cambodia
By BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Cambodian motor enthusiasts with an interest in performance super bikes and luxury cruisers are happy to hear news of the array a local companies that have signed deals with some of the world’s most famous car and motorbike makers. The list includes start-ups like Yamaha Motors Cambodia Co., Ltd. an organization formed by a partnership between Toyota Tsusho Company and Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Motorists expect that the price of a set of domestically produced wheels – either two or four – will decrease compared to the price of imported vehicles. They are also looking forward to an expanded range to choose from.
Last week, Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Kong Nuon Import & Export signed an agreement to establish the new company, called “Yamaha Motors Cambodia”. The aim is to introduce motor production to the nation’s manufacturing sector.
According to Michifumi Mataba, managing director of Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, the new company will begin operations on 1st October 2008 with start-up capital of US $11.5 million—70 percent provided by Yamaha Motors, 20 percent from Toyota Tsusho and 10 percent from Cambodia's Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Mataba said that the company will begin operations by taking over operations at the Asia Motors factory as well as the Asia Motors sales network. A 94,890 square meter plot of land will be acquired in Phnom Penh’s Special Economic Zone and a new factory built.
He said that the initial target for the new company is to expand motorcycle sales to 30,000 units, valued at JPY 4.2 billion by 2010, after the start of production at the new factory.
According to his estimates, Cambodia will need about 250, 000 motorbikes by 2010 and 500,000 motorbikes by 2015, Mataba added.
Bun Kim, 21, a student at Bak Touk High School, in Phnom Penh, said that he was happy to hear of the establishment of motor companies in Cambodia.
Kim said, “I am happy to hear that luxury, high performance motorbikes will be produced in Cambodia in the future. It’s a great development and I’m proud that Cambodia has the ability to do this for Herself. I’m looking forward to taking a look at the new range as my old 2008 Honda machine is now hopelessly out-of-date.”
He noted that some young Cambodians change their motorbikes on a regular basis. Since 2004, he has owned six motorbikes himself and spent many thousands more on making the thing look smart and trendy. Each time he feels like a new set of wheels, it costs him at least US $800.
Heng Bunleang, 24, a former student of Preah Yukunthor High School, who has just passed his exams, said that he was enthusiastic about the planed production of motorbikes in Cambodia. He said he will buy a new motorbike just as long as it is made in Cambodia. He also said each year so far he has spent up to US $2,000 on updating motorbikes that have been imported by private companies. He looks forward to enjoying some significant reductions in this sum, once domestically produced machines start to be produced.
Sok Liza, 19, another student of Preah Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh, also replaces her motorbike every year at a cost of over US $1,000. Doubtless, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha are very pleased to hear this, as pleased perhaps as Liza will be with the savings she makes buying the same products, only manufactured here.
“Now I don’t know what motorbike I will buy in 2009 to replace my present hack. However, I think that I will be trying to buy a Yamaha produced by a Cambodian company in future.”
Meng Hour, general manager of a private company importing luxury motorcycles from Japan said that his company has imported about 8,000 new Honda and Yahama Motorbikes from Japan for sale in Cambodia since 1999. However, he said that he would be reducing this figure now that Cambodia has her own motorbike company.
//
Cambodian motor enthusiasts with an interest in performance super bikes and luxury cruisers are happy to hear news of the array a local companies that have signed deals with some of the world’s most famous car and motorbike makers. The list includes start-ups like Yamaha Motors Cambodia Co., Ltd. an organization formed by a partnership between Toyota Tsusho Company and Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Motorists expect that the price of a set of domestically produced wheels – either two or four – will decrease compared to the price of imported vehicles. They are also looking forward to an expanded range to choose from.
Last week, Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Kong Nuon Import & Export signed an agreement to establish the new company, called “Yamaha Motors Cambodia”. The aim is to introduce motor production to the nation’s manufacturing sector.
According to Michifumi Mataba, managing director of Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, the new company will begin operations on 1st October 2008 with start-up capital of US $11.5 million—70 percent provided by Yamaha Motors, 20 percent from Toyota Tsusho and 10 percent from Cambodia's Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Mataba said that the company will begin operations by taking over operations at the Asia Motors factory as well as the Asia Motors sales network. A 94,890 square meter plot of land will be acquired in Phnom Penh’s Special Economic Zone and a new factory built.
He said that the initial target for the new company is to expand motorcycle sales to 30,000 units, valued at JPY 4.2 billion by 2010, after the start of production at the new factory.
According to his estimates, Cambodia will need about 250, 000 motorbikes by 2010 and 500,000 motorbikes by 2015, Mataba added.
Bun Kim, 21, a student at Bak Touk High School, in Phnom Penh, said that he was happy to hear of the establishment of motor companies in Cambodia.
Kim said, “I am happy to hear that luxury, high performance motorbikes will be produced in Cambodia in the future. It’s a great development and I’m proud that Cambodia has the ability to do this for Herself. I’m looking forward to taking a look at the new range as my old 2008 Honda machine is now hopelessly out-of-date.”
He noted that some young Cambodians change their motorbikes on a regular basis. Since 2004, he has owned six motorbikes himself and spent many thousands more on making the thing look smart and trendy. Each time he feels like a new set of wheels, it costs him at least US $800.
Heng Bunleang, 24, a former student of Preah Yukunthor High School, who has just passed his exams, said that he was enthusiastic about the planed production of motorbikes in Cambodia. He said he will buy a new motorbike just as long as it is made in Cambodia. He also said each year so far he has spent up to US $2,000 on updating motorbikes that have been imported by private companies. He looks forward to enjoying some significant reductions in this sum, once domestically produced machines start to be produced.
Sok Liza, 19, another student of Preah Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh, also replaces her motorbike every year at a cost of over US $1,000. Doubtless, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha are very pleased to hear this, as pleased perhaps as Liza will be with the savings she makes buying the same products, only manufactured here.
“Now I don’t know what motorbike I will buy in 2009 to replace my present hack. However, I think that I will be trying to buy a Yamaha produced by a Cambodian company in future.”
Meng Hour, general manager of a private company importing luxury motorcycles from Japan said that his company has imported about 8,000 new Honda and Yahama Motorbikes from Japan for sale in Cambodia since 1999. However, he said that he would be reducing this figure now that Cambodia has her own motorbike company.
//
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