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Sihanoukville Local Newspaper

Casper — Sat, 09 May 2009 07:37:32 +0000

It really is very surprising that a popular town like Sihanoukville doesn’t have its own Newspaper, instead it has to rely on whatever is posted in the Phnom Penh publications such as the Phnom Penh Post where very little local news is ever deemed ‘worthy’ enough to be included.

Some magazines, such as the Bayon Pearnik, regularly include a ‘bits from the beach’ section of between half a page and a page, but really, in many peoples opinions, Sihanoukville is deserving of more.

With this in mind a number of us are working on a Sihanoukville based publication that will see the light of day very early June. Initial interest and comments have been very inspiring, with support coming from many directions.

It’s also sparked off a lot of talk regarding the forming of Small Business Associations, Hobby Groups, even a Rugby Club!

Great stuff!

Watch this space for more information and we’ll have the ‘online edition’ available for download here.

Sihanoukville News and Gossip

Casper — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:16:24 +0000

Quite a bit going on in town, despite the slow down due to the Rainy Season.

Couple of good parties last week, both giving away Free Beer! Firstly, I thought i’d call down and see my mate Elvin from Pacino’s Bar, turns out it was his birthday (61 years young). Turns out he forget to tell me about it, so much for our friendship! Then again, it was my birthday two days before and I didn’t tell him I guess.

Anyway, stayed there for a few hours and had a great time, always a fun guy to be around. Does throw a great party too, free draught beer, inexpensive spirits, good selection of finger food, party hats, great music and a friendly crowd. I may have my next birthday party there!

Turns out there was actually two parties on the same night though, and a few of us made the semi-reluctant move over to Angelo’s Restaurant a short walk away. André has decided to close Angelo’s to concentrate his efforts in other areas. A sad shame, as Angelo’s was a popular eatery offering an excellent Mixed Grill and amazing Cocacola Ribs.

Free Beer and Spirits was the order here, basically everything had to go and the staff made a concerted effort to force as much drink into everyone as they could. In the end it was the ‘mixers’ that went first ….. anyone for Jack Daniel’s ‘red’ with Tonic? eventually moving to Gin and Sprite.

No Free Food, or if there was, we arrived too late. Though André was seen Steve from Star Design with peanuts, from a range of about 20ft!

Ann’s Bar (sorry Ann’s Pub and Restaurant) has closed down, sadly it seems the Thai staff have decided to return to Thailand. Shame as it appeared that the place was starting to ‘take off’.

Jack’s Shack down on Ochheuteal Beach was taken over by the team from Chivas Shack as far as evening business went. The locaton of Chivas Shack being right down at the southern most point of Ochheuteal Beach meant business had dropped off and being right next door to the Dolphin Shack was thought a much better location.

It seemed to work, as I’d never seen the place so busy, they certainly took a lot of trade from the Dolphin. Sadly it wasn’t to last and after a few weeks they’ve handed Jack’s Shack back to the owner Jack. Have to say that i’m secretly pleased as the music wasn’t really my scene. As much as I hate to admit, the music at the Dolphin is a much better mix.

Jack’s Shack itself though attracts a good regular crowd of expats and long term visitors, it’s also a good, inexpensive, eating place for travelers.

The Ocean’s Hotel was raided by the Police where they found illegal drugs in the room of the owner Ronald (Ron) Haswell, as well as at least one of the guests. Strong words were exchanged and within the hour Ron was on his way to Thailand. The other guest, I’ve heard, slipped off to Vietnam.

The Oceans Hotel and the sickeningly named ‘Daddys Bar’ have now reverted back to the Khmer landlord but nobody, as yet, knows what his plans are.

Another ‘landmark’ business has closed, The Pocoloco Nightclub down near the Golden Lions. It really is a great shame that this bar never reached its full potential, and it genuinely wasn’t down to lack of effort on behalf of the owners.

On a positive side, a few new hotels have opened in recent months. The New World Hotel, Czech owned, on Ekareach Street, Aahaa! Guesthouse on the same road as the Golden Lion Plaza and Hooha House in between the two.

Its rumoured that this road is going to be the link to the Airport (when it opens) so if this is the case, it’s a very good move.

Cambodian Property Update

Casper — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:06:54 +0000

Foreigners may be able to purchase property in Cambodia for the first time following the proposal of new legislation by the country’s Government – but they will still be limited to apartments, houses and condominiums above the second floor…

Currently, international investors are not allowed to own land or homes in Cambodia – a limitation that is seen by some locals as a good thing, preventing speculation and price volatility.

Back in 2005, the Government amended an investment law to allow foreign ownership of buildings, but Cambodia’s property market was then experiencing one of the biggest booms in Asia and, as a result, the law was never put into practice.

Between 2005 and 2007, the property markets in major hubs such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, skyrocketed, with prices rising by as much as 40 per cent.

But now, with the economy and property market suffering in the downturn, the foreign investment law has reared its head again.

If passed, it could pave the way for foreign ownership of houses, apartments and condominiums from the second floor up for resale. Foreigners would also be able to inherit property.

The Minister of land management, urban planning and construction Im Chhun Lim said, “We want this law to be passed as quickly as possible, but we need input from the private sector, so we have passed it on for feedback

“The discussion with the private sector will focus on how many units and how much of the building can be bought, as well as which floors they can purchase,” he added.

The Cambodian Government is keen to pass the new law as they hope it will revitalize the country’s housing market and economy and prevent the market from sliding further.

It is also hoped that the laws will enhance foreign consumer confidence in the undeveloped property market.

As there is some local opposition to the ownership of land by foreigners, the Government is planning to specify a zone near international borders in which foreigners would not be able to buy property, which would prevent foreign ownership of property in disputed areas.

Picture by Magalie L’Abbe

First published on http://www.themovechannel.com

Sihanoukville Online No.1 Site for Traffic

Casper — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:30:33 +0000

Firstly, we must apologise if you were trying to access the Sihanoukville Online website or forum over the past 24 hours. Incredibly, the site had exceeded it's maximum bandwidth of nearly 8 Gb!!

I'd obviously noticed that the site was getting an increasing number of visitors some time ago, so set what I believed to be an 'over generous' limit, this morning I was shocked and yet delighted to see that it had been beaten.

Anyway, i've doubled the limits now and i'll remember to pay a very close eye on things to ensure this doesn't happen again!

This site is designed to work well with the Major Search Engines, it's pages are updated daily in the various databases, in fact Google visits the site to check for the latest updates a number of times each day. This goes to show that 'value' that is associated with Sihanoukville Online.

With an average of nearly 400 people each day visiting the site and well over 4000 pages viewed daily, we are easily the most popular website for Sihanoukville and one of the busiest websites in Cambodia.

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The chart above shows a comparison between Sihanoukville Online and two other sites offering information on Sihanoukville.

If you operate a business in Sihanoukville there really is nowhere better to advertise your company that on Sihanoukville Online. You're Company Name will feature on the first page on Google within a few days.

Here's a few examples of companies that have worked with us.

Angkor Brewery - Google Position = 2

Pocoloco Sihanoukville - Google Position = 3 & 4

Beach Club Resort - Google Position = 5 & 6

SailCambodia - Google Position = 3 & 4

Jack's Shack - Google Position = 1 & 2

Pacino's Bar - Google Position = 1 & 2

Railway upgrade links Sihanoukville

Casper — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:49:58 +0000

source: Phnom Penh Post Australia’s Toll Holdings finalising rail agreement to refurbish lines as part of regional network, says broker

Photo by Tracy Shelton

The agreement with Toll Holdings would see Cambodia’s rail network upgraded. THE Cambodian government and Toll Holdings of Australia are close to signing an agreement on outsourcing the management of the state railway, said an official close to the negotiations on Wednesday. "By the end of the [Khmer] New Year, we should have an agreement," said Paul Power, team leader at the Railway Restructuring Project for Canarail, who is brokering the deal. Under the US$73 million proposal, 594 kilometres of Cambodia's neglected rail system would be repaired and refurbished with new sleepers and railcars and 48 kilometres of destroyed track would be replaced. The project is seen as a major step in upgrading the country's ailing freight and logistics system. Toll Holdings would be given the concession to manage the system and collect revenues for 30 years, with payments to the government commencing in the sixth year of operation. The Cambodian government would retain ownership of the tracks after the upgrade. Sources close to the discussions say the parties are still finalising details of risk and cost sharing. "This deal is extremely important to this country because, until now, there has been only one mode of land transport and that's road. I think everyone appreciates the problems with congestion on Cambodia's roads," said Power.

This is part of a wider project to link Cambodia to the region.

Cambodia's rail network was built in 1929 and saw its last upgrade in the 1960s. Protracted war and conflict destroyed or damaged parts of the system from the 1970s until the 1990s. Of the $73 million budget, $12 million would come from a 32-year Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan at 1 percent interest for the first eight years and 1.5 percent for the remainder. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) would provide $13 million, and the Malaysian government would supply $2.8 million in used rails. The Cambodian government would pitch in $15.2 million, according to the ADB. Renovations are planned for the Sihanoukville-Phnom Penh stretch, which would be capable of carrying 20 tonnes of freight at a top speed of 40-50 kph, up from 15 tonnes currently. The Phnom Penh-Battambang line would also be refurbished and would carry 15 tonnes, followed by the Sisophan-Poipet stretch, which needs to be completely rebuilt. A line would also run to the Sihanoukville Port, which businesses said would reduce cargo transport costs. Crews started replacing the sleepers in March 2008, and the system upgrade is set to be completed in early 2011. The ADB's external relations coordinator Chantha Kim said the railway upgrade will benefit Cambodia's rural economy and link the country to a regional rail network. "It will allow better transport and allow products to be transported from rural areas to the cities at a much cheaper price," he said. "This is part of a wider project to link Cambodia to the region through the Singapore to Kunming rail project," he said. The Singapore-Kunming network will link up Asia's railways in a system stretching from Singapore to southern China, the ADB said.

Electricity Supply Improvements in Sihanoukville by 2011

Casper — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:32:54 +0000

Written by Nathan Green (Phnom Penh Post) Monday, 16 March 2009 State requests private investment for development of national grid as plans continue for increased electricity network coverage outside capital. THE government is courting private investors for its proposed national electricity grid and is hoping to have the main backbone of the system in place by 2015, an official said last week. Ty Norin, chairman of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia, told the 2009 Cambodia Outlook Conference in Phnom Penh on Thursday that private sector investment was needed to top-up donor and government funds already earmarked for the project to ensure maximum coverage. He did not name possible backers. Under the government's 2013-18 Cambodia Power Development System plan, the proposed national grid will be controlled by the state-run Electricite du Cambodge, but Special Purpose Transmission Licences will be available to private companies to operate sections of the grid, he said. It is expected that these will mostly be used to supply large individual consumers as well as rural areas off the main grid.

This is probably the biggest constraint that we hear about.

Stephen Higgins, CEO of ANZ Royal Bank, told the conference that affordable electricity prices and reliable access were critical for the future of the country's manufacturing sector. "This is probably the biggest constraint that we hear about but one that will be fixed in the next year or two," he said. Higgins noted that electricity cost from 18 US cents per kilowatt-hour in Cambodia compared to around 5.4 cents per kilowatt in Vietnam. Ty Norin said the high cost of electricity was due to the country's almost total reliance on fuel imports due to an absence of indigenous resources. The government also hoped to firm up fuel supply agreements with key trading partners to enhance energy security and would build a coal-run power plant near Sihanoukville port to feed into the grid. "We are very confident in the near future our power supply will not be entirely dependent on foreign fuel," he said. Ty Norin ruled out government subsidies or price controls to keep energy prices low, saying the national budget could not support subsidies and that price controls would make the market unattractive. "We cannot force the tariff down by setting it lower because if the tariff is lower than the cost we will create an issue with sustainability of supply," he said. "The market will die." However, major industries and Special Economic Zones within 10 kilometres of substations will be able to source electricity on a direct feed, which would give them a comparatively lower grid tariff by exempting them from network transmission charges. However, rural areas would likely face greater costs due to higher charges, said Ty Norin. Phnom Penh, which accounts for 85 percent of Cambodia's electricity consumption, will be the central point of the proposed grid. Substations will be built in the capital, Kampong Speu, Takeo, Kampot and Sihanoukville by 2011, he added. The grid will be connected to western Cambodia by 2012 to supply electricity to Siem Reap, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey.