More Trafficking ‘Hotline’ Rescues, More Denial About Detention
Authorities rescued two more individuals from a Sihanoukville compound, police said, without giving the exact location and denying it was detention as they only “wanted to quit” and return home.
Midnight Deadline for Devotees to Leave From End of the World
Thousands of worshippers of politician Khem Veasna who are gathered at his farmstead for a prophesied apocalypse have until midnight to disperse, authorities said, but the political party argued it had asked for permission to continue for a month.
Nationalists Petition Against Vietnamese Language Department
A small group of youth activists submitted a petition to the Education Ministry asking it to cancel the formation of a Vietnamese language department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Institute of Foreign Languages.
Wife Says Trafficking Rescuer Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
Chen Baorong, a Chinese man arrested while trying to rescue detained workers from Cambodian scam compounds, was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday
Thousands of Khem Veasna Devotees to Head Home Unless World Ends
Thousands of people are estimated to have gathered at a politician’s farm in Siem Reap to avoid world disaster — but are expected to be sent home tomorrow unless flooding swallows Earth.
Drunk Monk Swerves Off Middle Path, Crashes Into Car
A chief monk at Banteay Meanchey pagoda was defrocked for drunken driving after he crashed into an oncoming car.
Authorities Deny Detention, Torture After Launching Trafficking Raids
Authorities released details of several crackdowns on forced labor and human trafficking of foreigners that were reported to the Interior Ministry’s hotline, but a ministry spokesperson again denied foul play or forced labor at almost all raided compounds.
Crime Briefs: Casino Mob Beating, BKK 1 Murder-Suicide
Svay Rieng police are investigating the alleged killing of a 34-year-old Vietnamese casino worker by a group of four to five people. Three Chinese nationals were found dead in a BKK I condominium.
Interior Minister Expresses Regret About Year of Human Trafficking
After months of authorities’ denials, Interior Minister Sar Kheng acknowledged foreign nationals had been trafficked into Cambodia and faced violent treatment.
Military Police Official to Be Investigated for Illegal Logging
The national military police are investigating a deputy bureau chief for alleged involvement in illegal timber trafficking.
Filipinos Who Sought Rescue in Koh Kong Not There When Police Arrived
Police say they didn’t find the four, whose rescues were requested by their embassy this month, in Koh Kong’s Union Development Group site.
Sar Kheng Warns Police Instructor to Return Land to Training School
Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Tuesday warned a high-ranking instructor of the Police Academy of Cambodia that he’d strip his rank if the instructor did not return a piece of land to a police training school he’d formerly led.
Women’s Affairs Ministry Flags ‘Inappropriate’ Media Coverage of Gendered Violence
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs is urging publications to report more professionally on violence against women after a media review found patterns of coverage that made light of the subject.
Ratanakiri Land Dispute Escalates Amid Indigenous Frustration
Nine villagers in Ratanakiri await a court verdict for allegedly stealing wood from a Chinese concessionaire amidst an ongoing land dispute.
Behind a Slave Rescue From a Cambodian Scam Operation
A Vietnamese family took out loans against their family home to help their son escape enslavement in Cambodia. They scrambled to organize a cross-border rescue from a scam syndicate accused of torture and trafficking, asking VOD for assistance.
Negotiations Underway Following Demolition Order for Angkor Area Houses, Shops
Authorities say hundreds of families have volunteered to relocate from the Angkor Archaeological Park area following a warning to demolish houses and shops, though others say they are still in the midst of negotiations and are reluctant to leave.
Timber Tycoon, Once Target of Crackdown, Made Hun Sen Adviser
Lim Bunna, a controversial okhna who was once called out by the prime minister for smuggling wood to Vietnam, has been made an adviser to Hun Sen.
Khmer Thavrak Activists Dismayed With Women’s Affairs Ministry
The activisits were trying to follow up on an April petition about state violence against NagaWorld’s striking workers.
Trio Rescued in Sihanoukville Now in Phnom Penh for Further Inquiries
Police are questioning two U.S. men and one Indonesian woman who last week said they had been detained at an online business.
Briefs: Deputy Governors Appointed, SEZ Encroachers Charged
The government has appointed a slew of deputy provincial governors across the country. A Preah Sihanouk court charged four people for allegedly encroaching on private land.
Villagers Hire Excavator to Demolish Neighbor’s Extension in Road Dispute
A group of 39 families in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao on Sunday hired an excavator to destroy part of their neighbor’s house in an ongoing dispute over a new road.
Garment Factory Workers Protest Dismissals
Hundreds of workers at a Phnom Penh factory protested on Wednesday after five of their colleagues from the quality control department were fired, though they were reinstated after negotiations.
Association Disputes ‘Crime Haven’ Tag as Trafficking Reports Mount
The Federation of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia on Wednesday pushed back on recent media reports of rampant human trafficking linked to scams.
Boeng Tamok’s Development Outweighs Preservation of Lake, Says Land Official
A Land Ministry official said development of Boeng Tamok in northern Phnom Penh was a higher priority than the water body’s preservation, adding that only a lake like the Tonle Sap was worth preserving.
Thai, Malaysian Baby Powders Banned After Asbestos Detected
The consumer protection office flagged 12 different baby powder products, all imported from Thailand and Malaysia, for containing asbestos, suspending them from sale on Cambodian shelves as of Tuesday.
New Evidence Admitted as Judge Says Sokha Trial Near End
Judges in the Kem Sokha trial admitted a new piece of evidence presented by the prosecution last week and again said that the trial was nearing its end.
Ratanakiri Court Drops Charges Against Four Forestry Activists
The Ratanakiri Provincial Court has dropped forest-clearing charges against four indigenous forestry activists after a crime was not found, according to a rights group supporting the activists.
Rescue Reveals Scam Compound at Koh Kong’s UDG
A Taiwanese man came to Cambodia to try to get his stepson out of forced labor in Koh Kong’s Union Development Group concession, but complications arose after the father reported the case to local authorities.
Hun Sen Says CPP Won’t Lose Power Even If He Dies
Prime Minister Hun Sen argued with unnamed critics during a university graduation speech on Tuesday about the transfer of power to his son and the creation of a Vietnamese language department at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
NagaWorld Workers Worried Police Aggression Will Resume After UN Official Leaves
NagaWorld workers protested outside both casino complexes in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, with one worker saying the free passage they had been given in the past week could end when a visiting U.N. official departs Cambodia.
