News
Hundreds of workers faint in Kandal SEZ
Hundreds of people working at six different factories in Kandal province’s 7NG Special Economic Zone fainted on 20 November, with most blaming a pesticide that was believed to have caused a separate mass-fainting incident in the area a day earlier. Un Yong, Khsach Kandal district’s deputy ...
Rare giant catfish signals hope for species
A group of Cambodian fishermen caught quite a surprise earlier this month: a massive Mekong giant catfish, the first one seen in the country in a year. Caught near Phnom Penh, the fish was nearly seven feet long and weighed an estimated 200 to 250 pounds ...
More than 100 faint at Kandal toy factory
Nearly 120 workers at a Kandal province toy factory fainted on 19 November morning, with officials citing a nearby farmer spraying his fields with pesticide as the cause. “The farmer of the rice field outside the factory area sprayed the liquid pesticide onto his rice, and then ...
Cambodian groups urge 'free and fair' election pledge
A coalition of election monitoring NGOs on 19 November urged the government to endorse an international commitment to free and fair elections, and to evaluate the Kingdom’s elections according to its standards. Koul Panha, executive director of election watchdog Comfrel – part of the umbrella group Electoral ...
Construction feud embroils local government in Ratanakkiri
The governor of Ratanakkiri’s Banlung town was sued on 18 November by a local resident and army veteran for allegedly seizing construction materials and violating private property rights without a court warrant. Kory Prel, 46, who served in the army and provincial police for more than 30 ...
Smartphone ownership in Cambodia exploded since ’13: study
The number of Cambodians who own at least one smartphone has almost doubled since 2013, helping put Cambodia on track to having more than half of its population accessing the web in about a year, according to a new study. Almost 95 per cent of Cambodians ...
Dozens of Phnom Penh's homeless sent to Prey Speu
Just weeks after reports emerged of more fatalities from Phnom Penh’s Prey Speu social affairs centre and ensuing promises of reform, authorities yesterday rounded up dozens more homeless people and detained them at the notorious facility. Kim Vutha, Daun Penh district’s chief of security, said 61 ...
'Room for improvement' in Cambodia's land dispute resolution process
Cambodia continues to lack an effective way to resolve land disputes, which remain a major destroyer of livelihoods for many families, according to a study released by the NGO Forum on 18 November. The study examines 26 sample villages in Battambang, Kampong Speu, Pursat and Kampong ...
Cambodian CSO coalition letter ready for climate talks
A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has produced a document laying out in detail the projected dire effects of climate change on Cambodia, in the hopes it will help their voice be heard among the 25,000 delegates attending the upcoming Paris Climate Talks in ...
Lower Sesan 2 dam putting livelihoods and environment at risk
The giant Lower Sesan 2 dam is one of the most controversial construction projects in Cambodia. The electricity-generation potential of the Lower Sesan 2 is massive but, for the Mekong River’s aquatic life and nearby villagers, the price of such progress could be colossal. The mighty Mekong River ...
