One forestry activist was beaten and another died after he was injured in a motorbike crash while both had been investigating illegal timber transportation in two separate incidents in which the activists had attempted to confront those they accused of forestry crimes.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has touted Cambodia’s “strong” agricultural sector as a solution to economic pressures during the global pandemic, though some observers doubt agriculture could make up for garment sector losses due to Covid-19 and the pending withdrawal of some E.U. trade perks.
The family of a jailed woman who died while in state custody in Ratanakiri is seeking answers about her cause of death and alleging foul play, while officials say she fell in a prison bathroom and died of a stroke or heart attack.
Justice Minister Keut Rith on Monday said anti-corruption measures were a key part of a plan to reduce the criminal case backlog at the courts, but also said corruption was not the cause of the current case pileup.
The E.U. has listed Cambodia as one of 12 “high-risk” countries with deficient anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts, but the government on Friday said officials were working hard to get the nation off international watch lists.
New, higher fines for traffic violations and stricter enforcement by authorities will place undue strain on motorists who are already losing income due to the pandemic-related economic downturn, civil society members and other observers said this week.
A sweeping state of emergency bill, which critics say would hand the government excessive powers during an ill-defined national crisis, was signed into law on Wednesday, an official said.
After the National Bank suggested lenders cut struggling borrowers a break, some financial institutions say they are relieving customers affected by Covid-19 disruptions on a case-by-case basis. But civil society groups say the measures won’t offer debt relief quickly enough.
The National Assembly on Friday passed a sweeping state of emergency draft law, which rights advocates say is ripe for abuse, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country has slowly, but steadily risen since last month.
Workers at a Kampong Speu shoe factory protested on Thursday, accusing the owner of suspending them from work without agreeing to pay partial salaries as companies would be required to according to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The Prey Veng Provincial Court is investigating a case of alleged police brutality after two men filed a complaint of physical violence and extortion against an anti-drug officer last month, a court official said on Wednesday.
UN Asked Government for Answers Over ‘Intimidation’… Jul 28, 7:06 pm 
‘They Want to Silence Us’: Government Critics Jailed… Jul 24, 12:30 pm 
At Least Four Dead in Phnom Penh Gas Explosion, Officers Say Jul 18, 8:17 pm 
Activist Dead, Another Beaten While Raising Alarm… Jul 17, 7:16 pm 
Phnom Penh Lakes, Livelihoods Threatened by Urban… Jul 27, 9:32 am 
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