The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 666
“Disagreement emerged regarding places operating Internet games in Cambodia after there had been a report that the Minister of Information, Mr. Khieu Kanharith, stated that those places are not related to money betting, and they should not have been closed.
“According to the deputy director of the VTC Online Internet game company, Mr. Ha Manh Hung, about 300 such places were closed this year after Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered to crack down on gambling.
“Earlier this month, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Khieu Sopheak, said that the authorities considered Internet games to be a type of betting, and therefore they are illegal in Cambodia.
“But according to a report on the Internet site of Deum Ampil, Mr. Khieu Kanharith said, ‘The Prime Minister did not give a wrong order, but the implementation goes beyond the order in some areas.’
“Mr. Khieu Kanharith said that the closure of such operations does not correspond to the recommendation of Samdech Hun Sen, because video games are not related to betting, but they have a role to develop modern technical skills for the youth, the next generation.
“But the Minister added that game shops operating near schools should be closed. He went on to say, ‘Game operators should have strategies and policies to prevent students from forgetting their studies, for example, by allowing them to play not more than three hours per day.’
“When the Phnom Penh Post contacted him by telephone on Monday, he said he could not comment on it, because he is in China.
“Some officials of the Ministry of Information also refused to comment, saying that they do not know about it.
“There is still a lack of clarity about the fate of Internet games in general.
“A police official of the Tuol Svay Prey I police post in Phnom Penh, Mr. Chin Sitha, said, ‘We continue to take action against coffee shops and Internet shops that operate computer games until we receive different orders from the head of the district police.’
“The Phnom Penh police chief, Mr. Touch Naroth, refused on Monday evening to give comments on this case.
“Information technology companies are also careful until they know the situation clearly.
“Mr. Ha Manh Hung from VTC Online Internet game company said on Monday, ‘We want to know the position of the government.’
“This Vietnam-based company had announced earlier this month that the company has delayed releasing Internet games in Cambodia, after some places operating Internet games had been intercepted, adding that the company had already spent US$80,000 on advertisement.
“Mr. Ha Manh Hung said, ‘If the situation becomes clear, we will start releasing games. But if the situation remains the same, we will not waste our money again.’
“He continued to say that before, the company had cooperated with Vietnamese authorities to implement some measures to control game players by encouraging to limit their playing time, for example by reducing their score points if somebody plays for three consecutive hours, or after 9:00 p.m.
“He suggested that a forum or a meeting with government officials would help to address this disagreement.” Phnom Penh Post [Khmer Edition], Vol.1, #178, 25.5.2010
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Deum Ampil, Vol.4, #486, 25.5.2010
- The Phnom Penh Municipality Will Open Four Roads from the Boeng Kak Area to Connect to the South [in order to reduce traffic congestion]
- A Car Fatally Struck a Person and Moved On, Hitting Four Other Cars [the car driver is held by police – Phnom Penh]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.9, #2257, 25.5.2010
- In 2009, the Bilateral Trade between Cambodia and Thailand Dropped by About 22% [the trade amounted to US$1,658 million]
- Those Having Diarrhea Accused the Kratie Health Department of Not Caring to Save Them [so far, five people have died in the hospital. – Today, Dr. Beat Richner announced in a full page ad in The Cambodia Daily that the hospitals to which he relates have diagnosed 290 cases with the germ “Vibrio cholerae” – Cholera – among 1300 patients treated, and informed the Cambodian authorities since several months, but the Cambodian authorities continue to deny that it is Cholera and wrongly claim that the treatment for Cholera and for diarrhea is the same]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.43, #6964, 25.5.2010
- The Khmer Rouge Tribunal Will Announce the Verdict on Former Tuol Sleng Prison Chief ‘Duch’ on 26 July 2010
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.17, #3888, 25.5.2010b>
- Cambodia Sees 30% Tax on Income from the Exploitation of Minerals Countrywide [the 30% shall bring income from mineral exploration into the state budget of Cambodia in order to avoid its loss into corruption]
Phnom Penh Post [Khmer Edition], Vol.1, #178, 25.5.2010
- Khmer Embassy Officials Visited a Khmer Worker Arrested in Thailand [accused of having joined to burn down a bank in Bangkok]
- [200] Romeas Haek District Residents Protested in Front of the Municipality [to demand the release of a man and the lifting of the accusations against fifteen others over a land dispute – Svay Rieng]
- The Minister of Information Claims that Internet Games Are Not Illegal
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.18, #5206, 25.5.2010
- Australian Minerals Company Finds 8.1 Tonnes of Gold
- Chamkar Mon Police Arrested Seven Drug Smugglers and Users, Seizing 103 Small Packages of Ice Drugs [Phnom Penh]
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