Longer Rainy Season, Low Rice Prices Hit Farmers
Farmers are struggling to harvest their rice crops thanks to late rains this year, as they already face low sales prices. Rainy season is expected to finish in early December as opposed to the end of October.
Village Demands Return of Chief Who Joined Angkor Protest
Siem Reap residents are collecting hundreds of thumbprints for the reinstatement of a village chief who was fired for joining a protest against the resettlement of Angkor evictees.
Kampot Port Receives More Sea, Tonle Sap Transfer Proceeds
Around 10,000 hectares around the Tonle Sap lake have had protections relaxed, purportedly to legitimize families already using the land, while a port project linked to tycoon Try Pheap received 150 hectares off the coast of Kampot.
Sochua Mass Trial Moves to Closing Arguments
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court is trying 38 defendants — one of whom is on bail — linked to the disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party for supporting the unsuccessful attempt by Mu Sochua to return to the country to face trial in 2021.
Cleared Phnom Tamao Forest Sculpted Into Park
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit has left the cleared area of Phnom Tamao forest after occupying it for about a month starting in August, seeming to transform a piece of the protected forest into an apparent park after a land giveaway controversy embroiled the area just three months ago.
Unionists Fired After Forming Union at Kampong Speu Factory
Three fired union workers at a Kampong Speu factory are asking the Labor Ministry to intervene in their dismissals, characterizing the terminations as a union-busting attempt.
Battambang to Discipline Official Who Alleged Appointment Irregularities
A district administration chief in Battambang has resigned in protest over alleged irregularities in appointments of official positions, prompting the province to vow action against him for “his undisciplined views.”
Local Reporter Files Complaint Against Bavet City Police Chief
A journalist in Svay Rieng province has filed a complaint against the Bavet City police chief, saying the officer ordered journalists to delete a live video about a traffic accident before threatening to handcuff them and then deleting the video himself.
Briefs: Monkey Farm Denies Wrongdoing, Check-Bouncing Businesswoman Charged
Monkey exporter Vanny Bio-Research said it would “stand firm by its business model” and denied a U.S. court indictment that it was shipping thousands of endangered wild macaques overseas.
Kandal Airport Protesters Acquitted of Violence, Incitement
A Kandal court acquitted nine airport protesters who were charged with multiple felonies for alleged violence during protests, more than a year after they were arrested and bailed.
Sar Kheng Attacks Police Excuses in Scam Trafficking
The dusty road outside tycoon Try Pheap’s Thmor Da SEZ in Pursat is empty. But behind locked metal gates, its shabby buildings appear full of inhabitants. Interior Minister Sar Kheng this week called out police excuses in their crackdown on scam compounds, urging vigilance.
Government Official Chastised for Rice-Price Critique
The Banteay Meanchey police detained and demanded an apology from a civil servant who criticized the government for weak rice prices in the country’s northwestern provinces, days after the Agriculture Ministry warned against any critical social media posts about rice prices.
Briefs: New Cases Against Government Critics, Heart Party Trial Delayed
A Phnom Penh court has announced three trials involving a political commentator and online critics of the government. A trial for the founder of the Cambodia National Heart Party was delayed on Tuesday because the defense lawyer was overseas.
Chinese Corpse Found in Banteay Meanchey Stream
The body of a Chinese man was found in a local stream after the man’s girlfriend posted online that he went missing from Poipet city, offering a $100,000 reward to find him.
‘I Pity Them’: Unease Inside the Monkey-Export Business
Workers at the Vanny Bio Research farm speak of X-rays to check newly arriving monkeys for airgun pellets and packing animals into crates for flights. It’s grueling work for under $200 a month to supply overseas laboratories with animals, they say.
Monkey Hunting an Open Secret Among Pursat Residents
Residents near the hills of Pursat’s Veal Veng district acknowledge there’s plenty of wild monkey hunting in the area, but the animals are getting harder to find. Prices have shot up in recent years, especially for monkeys caught while they are small, they say.
Businesswoman With Bouncing Checks Connected to Real Estate Giants
A flamboyant real estate entrepreneur with connections to larger property firms has been arrested for a second time for writing checks without sufficient funds.
Briefs: Hun Sen Recovers, Khmer Will Party Formalizes Candlelight Coalition
The Khmer Will Party held a party congress on Sunday to appoint new leaders after the previous leadership, including party president Kong Monika, resigned to contest the 2023 election under the banner of the Candlelight Party.
Military Police Question Unionists Over Sexual Harassment Training
Footwear unionists in Takeo were summoned and questioned by military police after attending a Women’s Crisis Center training in Phnom Penh, saying officers asked who was behind them and warned them of illegal protests.
Opposition Parties Say They Had Too Little Time to Review Election Procedures
Opposition parties say they received too little time to review a 337-page National Election Committee draft of procedures for the upcoming national election after the committee asked for feedback within two and a half weeks.
Hundreds From Three Provinces Urge Government to Speed Up Land Dispute Resolutions
About 300 people from three provinces are urging three ministries and the Prime Minister’s cabinet to speed up solutions for their land disputes that have dragged out for more than a decade.
Briefs: Supreme Court Denies ‘Adhoc 5’ Appeal, Brings High-Profile Case to an End
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld convictions against four human rights officials and an election body staffer — who previously worked at the same rights group — in a case related to a love scandal involving opposition leader Kem Sokha.
Agriculture Ministry Defends Indicted Officials Caught in Monkey-Smuggling Ring
The Agriculture Ministry backed two of its employees who have been charged with smuggling long-tailed macaques — and one of whom was arrested in the U.S. on Wednesday — and said it would make the “utmost efforts” to absolve them.
Prek Tnaut Pollution Hits a New Low as Water Declared ‘Hazardous’
Residents living along Prek Tnaut river that snakes from Kampong Speu to Kandal say they have mostly stayed away from using the polluted river, but are now seeing it turn an oily black color and smell noxious.
Village Chief Fired After Participating in Angkor Relocation Site Protest
Penh Pren, a village chief in Balaing commune in Prasat Bakorng district, told VOD Thursday that he was removed from his position after attempting to protest overnight at Run Ta Ek relocation site earlier this week.
Agriculture Ministry Warns Farmers to Stop Online Critiques
The Ministry of Agriculture has asked farmers in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey to refrain from criticizing the ministry for low crop prices on the grounds that it has already sent officials to resolve the issue.
Battambang Candlelight Activist Convicted for Filming Alleged Election Irregularity
Ley Sokhon, a party activist, was arrested in June after actively searching for fraud during the June commune election in Battambang province and posting a video of a confrontation with CPP officials.
Mass Trial Defendant Denies He Is Subject of Phone Taps
A Phnom Penh court judge presiding over a mass trial said she had matched a defendant’s voice to a phone tap just by listening to their testimony in court, a claim challenged by the former CNRP official.
US Indictment Details Cambodian Officials’ Alleged Acts in Monkey-Smuggling
Emails and bank transfer details collected by U.S. investigators allege the Forestry Administration director used ministry staff to capture thousands of wild monkeys for illegal export — and that they waited until after the 2018 election to avoid scrutiny — while also requesting a large donation to the ruling CPP.
Cambodian Official Arrested in US Over Alleged Monkey-Smuggling Ring
An Agriculture Ministry official was arrested in New York — and the Forestry Administration’s director is also wanted — for a U.S. felony indictment over smuggling long-tailed macaques.
