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Pedestrians beware: the removal of tables and plants from the pavement has cleared the way for cars and motos
BRIEFS
Luxury travel picks: Cambodia in top ten
caused traffic congestion. Five months later, though, business owners, residents and pedestrians are still waiting to reap the benefits of the ban. Cafe proprietors have complained that the ordinance has lost them customers and residents have said the ban is ineffective because cars, tuktuks and motos park on the recently cleared pavements.
Consequently, they find their way blocked. Those who tire of negotiating the makeshift obstacle course are forced to walk on the road which, as city hall rightly said, is a safety hazard and causes traffic congestion. Tourists are starting to complain that Sisowath Quay has become more not less pedestrian unfriendly.
wo hotels in Cambodia have been included in Asias top 10 luxury hotels, as chosen by Kipling and Clark (K&C), a US-based luxury travel firm. Raffles Grand Hotel DAngkor and Amansara, both in Siem Reap, were included in K&Cs first annual 2009 Top 10 Favourite Asia Hotels, compiled by the firms founder Randy Lynch. Increased interest in luxury travel in the region inspired K&C to produce the annual index. The quality of service at the Grand Hotel DAngkor made it a K&C top pick. The Amansara was described by the company as better suited to couples and highprofile travellers needing privacy. The Grand Hotels personality suites and Amansaras pool-suite rooms were highly recommended.
nother telecom operator has edged its way into the Cambodian market. In May Vimpel-Communications (VimpelCom), the leading provider of telecom services in Russia, launched mobile services under its Beeline brand via its subsidiary Sotelco Ltd. During its first stage Beeline services will be available in the 11 largest provinces of Cambodia, accessing 37% of the p o p - ulation. By the end
of 2009, the company plans to provide coverage to more than two-thirds of the population. The operator expects to invest $200m over the next three years. Tariff plan Boom charges five cents per minute for online and offline services, a flat rate tariff unique in the Cambodian market.
ightning strikes have killed about 50 Cambodians in the first four months of 2009, according to a report from the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management. The majority of the victims have been provincial farmers. The number of deaths by lightning strike is predicted to be higher this year and climate change is being cited as a factor in the rise. The Cambodian rainy season has also arrived several weeks early.
16 SE GLOBE
Photos: Annie T (2), Ryan Plummer (2)/both for SE GLOBE; Creative Collection ritt
In the bank: donors pledged $4m during celebrations for the146th anniversary of the Red Cross
by flooding, drought, human trafficking and the spread of disease. The CRC provides development assistance to reduce their susceptibility to risk. Natural disasters have created a huge impact on peoples daily lives, which in turn become a heavy burden on the government, said Hun Sen, Cambodian president, at the anniversary event. At the same time, leaders of the government and myself always pay great attention to the misery of our people.