Falling Back Into Poverty Meant Sharing One Egg Among Family of Four
In a report this week, the World Bank said some 460,000 Cambodians had fallen back into poverty due to Covid-19. For a Phnom Penh family of four, that meant spending as little as $1.25 total on food per day.
Son Chhay’s Houses Seized Over Defamation Compensation
A Phnom Penh court has ordered the temporary seizure of two properties belonging to opposition leader Son Chhay in relation to $750,000 in damages he is expected to pay to the ruling party for a defamation conviction.
GDP Leader Meets Hun Sen, Likely to Move to Agriculture Ministry
Opposition party leader and agriculture expert Yang Saing Koma and a colleague met with Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss plans to recover the agriculture sector, with a ministry official saying he will be offered a secretary of state position in the government.
NagaWorld Union Leader’s Arrest Came After Third Trip Abroad
Before NagaWorld union president Chhim Sithar was arrested for violating bail conditions by traveling abroad, she had already been on two overseas trips, with her lawyer unaware of the restriction.
Construction Crews in ‘Nonstop’ Patchwork Repairs of National Road 3
Government construction teams are constantly having to repair sections of National Road 3 — which was extensively damaged earlier this year — as the “nonstop” makeshift restorations are not lasting long.
Briefs: Hold Social Media Companies to Account for Online Violence, UN Says
New reports detail online violence, particularly targeting female journalists, globally, as well as increasing poverty in Cambodia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic slowdown.
Updated: NagaWorld Union Leader Detained at Phnom Penh Airport, Sent to Prison
NagaWorld union leader Chhim Sithar was questioned at the Phnom Penh International Airport today and has been sent to prison, with a police official saying she violated her bail conditions.
Prek Tnaut Families Face Eviction for River ‘Restoration’ Linked to Elite Company
Nearly 100 families living near Takhmao city are facing eviction as authorities pledge to restore the heavily-polluted river running next to their homes in a project linked to a real estate company with connections to the prime minister’s family.
Poipet Labor Group Says Officials Won’t Let Them Put Up Office Sign
An association that informs tuk-tuk drivers of labor rights says local officials won’t allow it to put up its logo outside a Poipet branch office.
Artist Draws on Drastic Urban Changes in Phnom Penh and Periphery
With an exhibit blending satellite imagery, photography and quotes on urban transformations, environmental artist and educator Zen Teh seeks to raise awareness about urbanization and its consequences for people.
Forest Patrollers Recount Monkey Poaching in Prey Lang
A forest defender group in Prey Lang forest say they have documented unchecked monkey poaching in the fast-disappearing forest, adding that live primates can sell for up to $250 a head.
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.
