The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 631
“Uncertain management rules of the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Mr. So Khun, for mobile phone companies motivated a Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian to ask for explanations, a move which later on was also supported by the president of the National Assembly, Mr. Heng Samrin. Requested from the minister is only an explanation in writing, but not a direct verbal clarification at the National Assembly.
“A Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian from Phnom Penh, Mr. Son Chhay, wrote on 14 September 2009 to request the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Mr. So Khun, to clarify some conflicts in the telecommunications sector. Mr. Heng Samrin agreed to Mr. Son Chhay’s request on 23 September 2009, as two mobile phone companies are having a dispute with each other, while they now seek for a solution through the courts. Mr. Son Chhay’s request was made in accordance with Article 96 of the Constitutions [see The Mirror of yesterday], and also to take care of some difficulties that the people who are mobile phone users encounter.
“Mr. Son Chhay wrote, ‘Seeing severe confusion in telecommunications, while it is the obligation of the government to improve telecommunications, so that operations function with good and cheap services to earn much resources for the state – which is not implemented now, and in contrast, the accessibility of mobile phone systems in Cambodia became worse, when making a call to another system, communication is much more expensive than in neighboring countries, and the state cannot control the income from this sector.’
“Mr. Son Chhay added in his letter, ‘To provide more time for Your Excellency to present your clarifications to the National Assembly at a later time, I would like now to ask for a written clarification of the following questions:’
“’1. So far, how many companies has the Ministry licensed to invest in the mobile phone sector? How much has to be paid for each license? And how many companies are actually operating after having received a license?
“’2. How many VoIP [voice over Internet protocol] licenses has the Ministry provided or sold to individuals or to private companies? How much income can a license earn for the state? Does the ministry take any action against those who have received licenses, but do not operate the related services, and keep the licenses to sell them for gain?
“’3. Does the Ministry have the tools to properly manage the income earned from the telecommunications sector, while the Ministry does not have the technical possibility to clearly monitor the volume of service activities in this sector, because the Ministry has always to wait until the companies come with their own information about how much they have to pay to the state? This procedure is leading to a great loss of national income.’
“At the end of the letter, Mr. Son Chhay asked the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Mr. So Khun, to respond to all the above questions, as well as to provide other relevant documents to the National Assembly soon, according to Article 96 of the Constitution.
“Mr. Son Chhay’s letter was written while the Mobitel company of Oknha Kit Meng is having a sharp dispute with the Beeline company, which provides the services to its clients cheaply. The Mobitel company of Oknha Kit Meng, that has served its clients for many years, wants the Beeline company to charge – from its clients – its services also more expensively.
“The dispute leads to calls for intervention by Mr. So Khun, but some observers have the impression that Mr. So Khun has the intention to protect the benefits of the Mobitel company, which charges high fees for its services from its clients. It is the biggest mobile phone service provider, but it is also the company with the reputation to provide poorer inter-systems calls, compared to other mobile phone companies in Cambodia.
“However, it is not expected that Mr. So Khun will really explain some of the claimed irregularities, which Mr. Son Chhay called ‘anarchic.’
“It should be remembered that, at present, there are many mobile phone companies in Cambodia, including Mobitel, also known as ‘the 012 company,’ which has the most clients in the country, as it was the first company to operate mobile phones in Cambodia. It is reported that Mobitel provides services for some government officials without charging them.
“Analysts said that because this company allows some Khmer senior officials to call free of charge, Mobitel tries to earn income from many clients by charging them high fees, in order to continue the free use by high ranking officials.” Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #494-495, 24-25.9.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 25 September 2009
Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #293-294, 24-25.9.2009
- Minister of Defense [Tea Banh]: Robert Gates Came to Greet Me at the Stairs, Much Different from 1995 (24.9.2009)
- Siamese [Thai] Court Sentenced Seven Khmer People to Serve Six to Nine Years in Prison [for cutting and stealing trees and for entering Thai territory illegally – Cambodia continues to appeal] (24.9.2009)
- An Anti-Corruption Law Will Be Adopted during the First Six Months of 2010 at the Latest [according a parliamentarian from the Cambodian People’s Party] (25.9.2009)
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2054-2055, 24-25.9.2009
- Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Visits the United States of America and Achieves Bright Success [Cambodia plans to place a defense attaché to its embassy in Washington] (24.9.2009)
- The Number of People Confirmed with A/H1N1 Flu Rose to 87 [three cases were newly confirmed in Battambang] (25.9.2009)
Khmer Amatak, Vol.10, #652, 25.9.2009
- An Oknha [name not given] Drove a Car and Hit a Woman to Death, and Paid US$4,000 Compensation so that He Is Free [Siem Reap]
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #494-495, 24-25.9.2009
- Heng Samrin Agrees with Son Chhay to Ask So Khun to Explain Telecommunications Conflict
- [The Minister of Interior] Sar Kheng Explained to [Prime Minister] Hun Sen that the Ministry of Interior Will Not Interfere with the Courts’ Affairs [he explained so after there had been criticism from legal experts over the creation of a working group to review court actions] (24.9.2009)
Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6762, 25.9.2009
- Nearly US$40,000 of a Private Bank [the Cambodia Asia Bank] at the Phnom Penh International Airport Was Robbed; the Robber Is a Car Driver Employed by the Bank
- Cases Relating to the Deaths Caused by Drivers: The Municipal Court Decided to Impose Imprisonment Sentences, Suspended Penalties, and Ordered Fines for 24 Cases, and 16 Other Cases Have Not Yet Been Solved [Phnom Penh]
- [About 100] Medical Students Continued to Demonstrate to Protest to the Ministry of Health [because the content of their tests considered “failed” have not been made public – but they were blocked by police – Phnom Penh]
Phnom Penh Post, Vol.1, #12, 25.9.2009
- Opposition Sam Rainsy Party President Dismissed Statement of the Council of Ministers that He Accused Mr. Hun Sen to be a Khmer Rouge [Mr. Sam Rainsy said during a press conference that some government officials, who were former Khmer Rouge leaders, still use their previous mindset]
- The Authorities Delay Evicting Citizens [from 26 families] from the Railway B Community [Phnom Penh]
- Cambodia Will Stop the Domestic Flights [in Cambodia] of the Thai Bangkok Airways [when their present contract ends on 25 October 2009, to promote Cambodia Angkor Air]
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #5003-5004, 24-25.9.2009
- A Thai Deputy Prime Minister [Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban] Warned Thai Extremists Not to Inflame the Preah Vihear Border Dispute to Develop into War (24.9.2009)
- The National Assembly of Vietnam Will Develop Human Resources in Information Technology among Cambodian Officials (24.9.2009)
- The Former Minister of Foreign Affairs [? – present Ambassador to France] of Bulgaria [Ms. Irina Bokova] Becomes Director-General of UNESCO (24.9.2009)
- Vaccines to Reduce AIDS Infections Were Applied for the First Time [to more than 16,000 people in Thailand, and it reduced infections by 1/3] (25.9.2009)
- Two Sisters Riding on a Motorbike to Work Were Killed in an Accident [they were hit by a mini-truck – Phnom Penh] (24.9.2009)
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