
Police Say Major Ketamine, Drug Haul Was Headed for Export
Police announced the seizure of some 700 kg of ketamine and other drugs, as an anti-drug official said most recent hauls were believed to be headed abroad to Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and other countries.

Slow Progress at Mass Trial as Judges Review Evidence Again
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court reviewed evidence presented during a mass trial involving around 60 CNRP leaders, members and supporters who planned to support the return of former party president Sam Rainsy in 2019.

Forest-Patrol Monks Warn of Increased Wildlife Poaching This Year
Patrollers in an Oddar Meanchey community forest say they’re witnessing an increased rate of wild cattle and deer deaths in the first months of this year, compared to last year, with one patroller attributing the rise in poaching to out-of-work people and poor law enforcement.

Kong Monika Interview: ‘The Division of Democrats Will Make Us Lose All Together’
VOD sat down with Kong Monika, the president of the Khmer Will Party, to talk about the party’s prospects and the policies it will pitch to the electorate. Monika admitted that the party was still small and lacking in resources but was focused on making commune administrations nonpartisan and reducing corruption and abuse of power by commune chiefs.

Opinion: Cooperation, Commitment Needed as Mekong Delta Sinks
The Mekong Delta is sinking: sea levels are rising while land is subsiding, the resulting sea level rise far outpacing the effects of climate change alone, writes Stanford University research engineer Rafael Schmitt.

Land Protests Continue in Conflicts Across the Country
This week marked another week of villager protests across the country asserting rights in land disputes that follow similar patterns of smallholders facing off with larger business interests.

Ex-Police Officer Files Corruption Complaint Against Force, Gets Arrested
A former Banteay Meanchey provincial police officer has been arrested and sent to court after filing a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Unit accusing the provincial police chief of corruption and threatening behavior.

Election Body Removes Dozens of Candlelight Party Candidates
The National Election Committee took the unusual step this week of removing all Candlelight Party candidates from three communes in Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh for alleged registration irregularities.

Hun Sen Chastises Tonle Sap Governors for Failing to Act
Authorities responsible for the Tonle Sap lake again held an “emergency meeting” then fanned out across the country’s largest lake after Prime Minister Hun Sen said they had failed to curb illegal fishing.

Soldiers Beat Farmer, Destroy Family’s House in Land Dispute
A Siem Reap man was severely beaten and hospitalized after 100 soldiers came to destroy his family’s newly built home this week amid a long-running land dispute near a military base, his family and a local official said.

Briefs: Baby-Biting Cop Arrested, Adhoc 5 Appeal Delayed
A Siem Reap Police officer has been sent to pretrial detention for biting his girlfriend’s baby last week. An appeal hearing from the “Adhoc 5” case was delayed due to a possible Covid-19 exposure.

Fraudsters Stole Money Using Fake Bank Website, Court Told
A team of five foreigners allegedly used the fake website “canadiabank.com” to defraud a victim of tens of thousands of dollars at a time.

Raids Hit Two Phone Scam Rings in Sihanoukville, Say Thai Police
Both alleged scammers and apparent human-trafficking victims were among dozens of Thai and two Taiwanese nationals taken in by police.

NagaWorld Protesters’ Behavior ‘Not Suitable as Khmer Women,’ City Hall Says
Phnom Penh City Hall issued a statement insisting that images and videos shared on social media depicting authorities using violence on protesting NagaWorld unionists are “fake news.”

Political Parties Interview: An ‘Appeal to People to Participate’
The Kampucheaniyum Party is the latest entrant in a growing group of political parties born out of the defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party. Party president Yem Ponhearith has been a longtime ally of CNRP president Kem Sokha and a senior member of the Human Rights Party.
This video is the first in a series of interviews with senior members of small parties about their policies and aspirations for the upcoming commune election.

Asean Envoy Prak Sokhonn Says No Easy Solution to Myanmar Conflict
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Wednesday there was no easy solution to the civil strife in Myanmar and that the military junta and groups opposed to the February 2021 coup wanted nothing short of victory over the other.

Majority of Workers Vote Against NagaWorld Negotiations: Union
Four of five union negotiators returned to a meeting with NagaCorp and the Labor Ministry on Wednesday afternoon — all but union leader Chhim Sithar.

Kem Sokha Asks to Travel Overseas for Summit Amid Treason Trial
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected CNRP president Kem Sokha’s request to travel to Germany for a summit, with the prosecution saying there was no surety the politician would return to Cambodia.

Another Trash-Clogged Canal in Phnom Penh Begins Cleanup
Workers waded through Russei Keo’s trash-clogged Bak Touk Keo canal Wednesday morning as the district began a cleanup. It’s the third district seen to be cleaning up sewage systems since environmentalists petitioned officials earlier this month over trash pollution in the city.

Hun Sen: ‘We Do Not Support Any Invasion From One Country to Another Country’
Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterated that Cambodia was voting internationally to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine even as Cambodia had been lobbied to abstain.

Journalist Taken to Court Over Report on Illegal Timber Factory
A video report alleging a Battambang timber factory was illegally processing luxury wood has landed a local journalist in court.

Water Shortage Worsens in Gated-Housing Development: Residents
Taps have been completely dry for a month for some residents at Phnom Penh’s Borey Piphup Thmey as water shortages from earlier in the year have worsened.

Cop to Be Investigated for Allegedly Biting Girlfriend’s Baby
The mother of a 13-month-old girl has complained that a Siem Reap police officer bit and abused her child, according to provincial police.

NagaWorld Union to Boycott Next Negotiation Meeting
NagaWorld union representatives said they will not attend the third negotiation meeting to resolve their dispute on Wednesday because the casino corporation refuses to discuss reinstatement of workers.

NagaWorld Union Says No Progress in Negotiations as Casino Sidesteps Reinstatement Demand
NagaWorld union leaders said the casino company was reluctant to discuss their demand for reinstatement of around 200 laid-off workers on Monday, as protestors continued to get detained over the weekend.

Briefs: Japanese Ships to Continue Ream Visits, CNRP Mass Trial Resumes
Japan hopes to continue “friendly” visits to Ream naval base, a spokesperson said; a mass trial of at least 40 defendants associated with the CNRP resumed Monday.

Hun Sen Wants Officials to Promote Legal Organ Transplantation
Prime Minister Hun Sen called for Cambodia to promote legal organ transplants in the country, after learning the country does have a law regulating the risky surgeries.

Election Body Disqualifies 11 Small Party Candidates
The National Election Committee has delisted 11 candidates for the June local election from two opposition parties, allegedly because they were illiterate.

District Officials Start Clean Up of Clogged Canals, Sewage Systems
Meanchey and Chamkarmon districts have started cleaning sewage systems last week, days after environmental activists identified seven locations in three districts where trash had clogged these canals.

Opinion: Mekong Faces Existential Water Security Issues
Urbanization and degrading infrastructure is threatening to unravel the ecological and financial promise of the Mekong — including its supply of clean water.