News

Cambodian indigenous communities win back their sacred land from Vietnamese rubber developer

Twelve indigenous communities in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Ratanakiri scored a major victory today when the government announced it was returning to them 20 spirit mountains and dozens of other spiritually significant areas that had been grabbed by the Vietnamese agribusiness giant Hoang Anh Gia ...

Vietnam and the Mekong’s Synthetic Drug Epidemic

Although Vietnam has some of the world’s most stringent drug laws — those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face death – the country has also been facing the existence of a key smuggling ...

Hai Thanh Luong

Ministry approves protected area status for Yeak Laom Lake in Ratanakkiri

The Ministry of Environment on Friday approved the registration of the Yeak Laom Lake community natural protected area in Ratanakkiri province to support the preservation of natural resources, culture and eco-tourism. The indigenous community hailed the decision, but said it had come too late to save ...

Voun Dara

Endangered River Dolphin Species' Numbers on the Rise

It’s 5:30 p.m., and several tourist boats linger in the middle of the Mekong River. A blood-orange sun casts a warm glow across the milky brown water, making it the ideal time to photograph the rare Irrawaddy river dolphins that congregate in deep, swirling pools. ...

Stefan Lovgren

Cambodia gets serious about its illegal ivory trade

The director-general of the Cambodian Department of Customs and Excise, Kun Nhim directed all branch directors to intensify their efforts and crack down on ivory smuggling. In a letter, Mr Nhim reminded branch chiefs: “Importing, exporting and transporting elephant and rhino ivory and furniture made from them ...

Vietnamese land grabbers linked to Cambodian firm

A senior Virak Chey National Park official on Monday said the 12 Vietnamese nationals being held in pre-trial detention for allegedly crossing the border illegally into Ratanakkiri province and clearing land are suspected of having links to a Cambodian company. Sou Khon, Virak Chey National Park ...

Road to a better Cambodia: Increase local government funding

Despite decades of political stability and economic growth, the post-conflict Cambodia is still struggling to address extreme poverty, poor governance and the improvement of public services as the result of weak institutions and a bureaucracy in which state functions and resources are centralised and patronaged. Indeed, ...

Cambodia, China need to rely on 3 key pillars of cooperation to achieve "community of shared future" goal: diplomat

Cambodia and China need to depend on three key pillars of cooperation to achieve the goal of building a community of shared future with strategic significance, a Cambodian diplomat has said. In a recently written interview with Chinese media, Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s Under-Secretary of State Sok ...

Mao Pengfei, Nguon Sovan

What Will It Take for Cambodia to Actually Strike Oil and Gas?

The government is once again heralding oil and gas prospects offshore and on, but it’s done so twice before. A new set of international companies are optimistic about Cambodia’s nascent oil and gas industry, but they are investing in an extractive business that has proven costly ...

Danielle Keeton-Olsen

Villagers In Pursat Risk Losing Everything to Dam Development

The Cambodian government last week announced an 80-megawatt hydropower dam on the Anlong Krouch river, which flows to the town of Pursat. ANLONG KROUCH VILLAGE, PURSAT PROVINCE — For Khieu Him and Bun Kim Eng, orange trees provide hope. The ethnic Chorng and Por indigenous minority villagers ...

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