News
HRW slams NGO Law, court cases in report
In what has become a yearly tradition, Human Rights Watch levelled a broadside of criticisms at the Cambodian government on 27 January, accusing it in its annual report of enacting “draconian” legislation and granting itself broad “arbitrary powers” to suppress dissent. The global report’s Cambodia section ...
Students debate forest protection measures
A group of university students in Phnom Penh on 31 January organised a debate on how to protect Prey Lang, with the winners standing to receive a trip to the critical forest preserve. The “Prey Lang Forum”, held at Zaman University in Phnom Penh, sought to raise ...
Sok Bun strikes a bargain with ‘Ms Sasa'
The trial of real estate tycoon Sok Bun opened with a bombshell on 26 January as it was revealed that former TV presenter Ek Socheata had dropped her complaint against the man who was seen viciously beating her on security camera footage that went viral in ...
Japan plans water infrastructure projects
Japan is planning to help Cambodia design, build and operate water infrastructure projects in 10 of its largest cities, a delegation from the city of Kitakyushu said on 26 January. The projects will “most likely” include tap water systems and wastewater treatment plants. The funding, with ...
New body to address Sesan dam concerns
Cambodia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has created a committee to resolve compensation and resettlement issues for 1,000 families displaced by the controversial Lower Sesan II hydropower dam in Stung Treng province. Keep reading ...
John Kerry touches down in Cambodia
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned opposition leaders they will face ruling party rallies at home if he is met with anti-government demonstrations during his high-profile trip to the US next month, a threat that raised the spectre of pro-government protests in October that ...
WWF mapping project shows Mondulkiri forest in danger
A sophisticated new environmental analysis software package has painted a grim picture of Mondulkiri province’s future environmental health. Presented and debated in Phnom Penh on 25 January, the WWF-led project, dubbed InVEST, short for Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs, predicts that by 2030, Mondulkiri, ...
Activists claim arrests by Lao authorities at dam site
Two Cambodian activists say they were briefly detained by authorities in Laos on 24 January after sneaking across the border to take photographs of the planned site of the Don Sahong hydropower dam, which regional governments and environmentalists fear could cut into critical fish stocks downstream. Chum ...
Cambodia's national rice industry assembles to crown the top grains
A farmer from Battambang province took this year’s honor of growing the country’s top rice paddy on 24 January as industry heavyweights gathered in Phnom Penh for the first of the three-day Cambodia Rice Forum. “It is unbelievable,” said Hul Khlim, president of Sangha Phal Agriculture Community, ...
Vietnam congress ‘not likely to affect Cambodia ties’
As Vietnam’s Communist Party continues its weeklong congress to choose its general secretary, experts and analysts said the outcome would likely do little to change the historically close relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam’s ruling parties. Early media reports indicate that Nguyen Phu Trong will run for ...
