Social development
Human rights
Govt to encourage wider use of contraception
In a bid to lower maternal and child morbidity and mortality, Laos will aim to reduce the unmet need for contraception to 13 percent and increase the contraceptive prevalence rate using at least one method from 42 to 65 percent by 2020. The nation’s unmet ...
Myanmar press freedom ranking jumps
Myanmar press freedom has hit an all time high, ranking No. 3 in ASEAN just behind Indonesia and the Philippines, according to the latest survey by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres. But some veteran journalists also warned that Myanmar media freedom still has a long way ...
Court seeks arrest of RFA reporter
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on May 2 stepped up its pressure on Radio Free Asia reporter Chun Chanboth by issuing an arrest warrant for him, hours after his lawyer submitted a written statement admitting Chanboth had joined an opposition delegation visiting Prey Sar prison, but ...
Action to be taken against fake news reports
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has announced on April 30 that it is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action after ‘fake news’ that Arabic schools in Thaketa township in Yangon Region were closed went viral on social media networks. It said ...
Boeung Kak lake dispute ‘closed’
Phnom Penh City Hall on April 27 washed its hands of the decade long contentious Boeung Kak lake issue, saying it was closing its conflict resolution process, leaving seven families who had refused to accept the government’s offers in the lurch. Following the signing of a ...
PM calls on US to revise law
Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 27 defended himself from critics who claim the massive flow of workers leaving the country is indicative of a lack of development at home, and sought to clarify any misunderstanding on Cambodia’s recent request to amend a repatriation agreement with ...
Press freedom declines: RSF report
Cambodia’s press freedom ranking has fallen four spots compared to last year, to 132 out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index. The 2017 index, published on April 26, cited the high-profile killing of political commentator Kem Ley as ...
No immediate plan to change returnee policy
Despite the Foreign Ministry reiterating its request to suspend and renegotiate its repatriation agreement with the US – which allows for the deportation of Cambodians with criminal convictions living in the States back to the Kingdom – the timetable for such a plan remains uncertain. ...
Squatters in Sittwe township relocated to new homes
Illegal residents in Set Yone Su ward, Sittwe township, Rakhine State have been resettled to Min Gan ward following arrangements by the regional government, said Set Yone Su ward administrator U Nyunt Win.“The squatters were previously living in the old cemetery. Now, the government has ...
Activist seeking plaque probe held by military
The prime minister and many senior government officials said the disappearance of a historic plaque was no big deal – yet well-known lawyer and activist Srisuwan Janya was arrested on April 18 as he urged the PM to conduct an investigation into the matter. “This issue ...