Tears, Laughter as High School Exam Results Posted
More than a quarter of high school seniors failed their final examinations in results posted across Phnom Penh and Kandal campuses on Thursday.
Security Visits to Protesters’ Families ‘Not a Threat’: Hun Sen
State security officers took photos of overseas protesters to find their families in Cambodia and question them — “and this is not a threat,” Prime Minister Hun Sen explained in a speech inaugurating a new road in Preah Sihanouk province.
36 Opposition Members Convicted in Mass Trial Verdict
UPDATED — Former Cambodia National Rescue Party vice president Mu Sochua and 35 others were convicted by a Phnom Penh court this morning for plotting in a case linked to the exiled opposition leader’s attempted return to the country in 2021.
Kem Sokha Treason Trial: Verdict Set for March 3
After three years of trial hearings — and five years since Kem Sokha was arrested — closing arguments in the opposition leader’s protracted treason trial were squeezed into one day of hearings.
Scam Rescue Leader to Be Released Soon After Appeal Court Reprieve
A Chinese man who was jailed while leading efforts to rescue hundreds of forced scam laborers is expected to be released from Preah Sihanouk prison soon after his sentence in the “blood slave” case was reduced.
Singer-Turned-Online Seller Arrested Over ‘Tong Tin’ Fraud
A former singer at Phnom Penh’s infamous Rock Entertainment nightclub has been charged with financial crimes and could face years in jail over a tong tin savings scheme she claims went awry.
Gold Surge Reflects Stricter Border Control, Speculative Investments: Asean Research
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office said Wednesday that Cambodia’s wild swings in gold imports and exports over the past three years could be linked to speculative investments and stricter border controls capturing more accurate data.
Mekong River Body Raises ‘Alarm’ Over River Plastics
Mekong countries are producing 8 million tons of plastic waste a year — three-quarters of which is littered or inadequately disposed of — polluting rivers and endangering environmental and human health, the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission said.
In Closing Arguments, Gov’t Says It Will Sue Kem Sokha
Closing arguments commenced in the Kem Sokha treason trial on Wednesday, with government lawyers indicating that they will file a civil suit for damages against the opposition leader at the end of the criminal case.
Anti-Drug Officer Arrested for Defrauding Villagers in Loan Scheme, Tong Tin
The Kandal Provincial Court charged a drug police officer with allegedly defrauding at least 18 families out of almost $200,000 in a loan scheme.
Another Dead Mekong Dolphin Puts Pressure on Population
An Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead in Mekong river this weekend, according to a conservation group, marking a worrying rise in deaths of the critically endangered species.
Briefs: Ex-Opposition Agronomist Gets Third Gov’t Role, Reshuffle in Siem Reap
New Agriculture Ministry official Yang Saing Koma gets a new position. Siem Reap district governors were shuffled around earlier this month.
Labor Disputes Drag on at Phnom Penh, Kampong Speu Factories
Unionists from four factories say the Labor Ministry has been unable to solve disputes with their employers that have stretched on for months.
Malaysian Group Lauds Hun Sen’s Achievements With Award
The prime minister received a lifetime achievement award from a Malaysia-based think tank, using the occasion to reiterate China’s contribution to economic development in Cambodia and Asean.
Prey Lang Community Patrollers Report Fresh Signs of Monkey Hunting
The Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary’s community patrollers in Stung Treng province say they found signs indicating continued monkey-hunting during a trip into the protected forest last week.
Briefs: Indonesians Rescued From Poipet, Cross-Border Data Cables Found
Thirty-four Indonesian nationals were rescued from Poipet after being trafficked to the country. Also, Thai police found data cables stretching across the border with Cambodia and used by scam operations in Poipet
Phnom Penh Factory Delays Closure After Protests
Around 200 workers from the Hand Seven Apparel in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district say the factory was shutting down to move to a new location while forcing workers to resign from their positions so it can sidestep compensation requirements.
Court Changes Probation Measures for Jailed Teenage Son of CNRP Official
The Appeal Court in Phnom Penh changed probation measures against the teenage son of a jailed former opposition official on Friday in a closed-door trial.
Five Suspects Arrested Over NagaWorld Cake-Grenade
Authorities have arrested five suspects in relation to a grenade that detonated outside NagaWorld after being found inside a cake by a street cleaner, but would not share more details about the case.
Beyond Beautification: Riverside Must Adapt to Climate’s Heat
In order to make the riverside comfortable at all hours of the day, the bottom line is that the area needs more trees in the long-term, and awnings, umbrellas and canopies to protect from the sun, writes Future Forum’s Prak Norak in part four of a campaign to pedestrianize Sisowath Quay.
Thousands of Workers Swept Up in a Year of Union Busting
The NagaWorld workers’ strike began on Saturday, December 18, 2021, over alleged union-busting at the well-connected casino. The year since has seen the trampling of labor movements there and elsewhere in Cambodia with violence, obstruction and imprisonment.
After Union Dissolution, Phnom Penh Garbage Workers Toil in ‘Panic’
Sanitation workers say they never got the employment and benefits promised to them when they went on strike in 2020. Their union has since been crushed, with at least one trash companies admitting it will not hire unionists.
Tourism Workers See Parallels Between NagaWorld, Their Own Disputes
Even as tourism to Cambodia recovers, unionists in the sector who were suspended during Covid-19 say they are kept out of the workforce, drawing parallels to the NagaWorld strife.
Union Registration Process Rife With Obstacles
In the past 14 months, at least seven factory-level unions have reported obstacles in registering new unions under law.
Heritage Buildings at Wat Ounalom Demolished for Chief Monk’s Mausoleum
The demolition of three living quarters for monks at Phnom Penh’s Wat Ounalom — to build a mausoleum for the country’s chief monk — continued this week even after the Culture Ministry said they were national heritage sites.
Grenade Found in Cake Outside NagaWorld, Explodes
A grenade was wired to a detonator, hidden in a cake and placed on the roadside this morning outside NagaWorld casino — then picked up by a street cleaner who moved it onto a grassy road median, where it exploded two hours later.
Protesters in Brussels Demand Human Rights as Hun Sen Pushes Free Trade
Prime Minister Hun Sen said politics and human rights should not get in the way of an Asean-E.U. free trade deal as at least 100 Cambodian protesters demonstrated in Brussels upon his visit and demanded the release of political prisoners and the protection of human rights.
Seven Chinese Nationals Arrested in Sihanoukville Kidnapping Case
Police said they have arrested seven Chinese nationals in Sihanoukville after receiving a complaint from a family whose relative was kidnapped from Phnom Penh.
Opinion: Placemaking Possibilities Are Endless if Riverside Is Transformed
Phnom Penh’s riverside is already rich in community and history. Pedestrianizing it would open up new possibilities for people-led “placemaking,” perhaps with a garden, viewpoints or room for temporary art spaces, writes Future Forum’s Keth Piseth in part three of a campaign for a car-free Sisowath Quay.
‘Further and Further Away’: Film on Bunong Evictions Wins International Acclaim
A fictional short film on the eviction of a Bunong village — based on the true story of a Stung Treng hydropower dam project — has collected several international accolades this year. It screens in Cambodia for the first time on Friday.
