Authorities respond to a high school student who fainted in Pursat's Veal Veng district in early February. (Supplied by Veal Veng District Police)

Week of Faintings at Pursat School Prompts Spiritual Interventions

More than 70 students at a Pursat high school have fainted over the last week, with some officials attributing the incidents to unhappy spirits at the school, whereas health officials said they believed the students were likely caused by minor health issues.

Cars drive past a mall facing the Two Lions Roundabout in Sihanoukville on May 30, 2022. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Two Killed in Sihanoukville Club Fire

Two people have died and three were injured after Sihanoukville’s Julie & Anna Entertainment Club caught fire on Monday night in Sihanoukville’s Bei commune.

Rong Chhun announces he will join the Candlelight Party at the Cambodia Independent Teachers' Association office in Phnom Penh on January 31, 2023. (Hean Rangsey/VOD)

Union Leader Rong Chhun Joins Candlelight 

Prominent unionist Rong Chhun joined the Candlelight Party on Tuesday, months shy of the national election and he expected a “big achievement” for the party in July.

Officers walk outside the burnt down Grand Diamond Casino in Poipet city on December 31, 2022. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Compensation Plans Unclear for Casino Fire Victims

Officials are studying the “legal aspects” of compensation with a Poipet casino after a fire killed at least 26 people while those trapped inside reported a lack of alarms, sprinklers and safety measures.

A huge fire engulfs the Grand Diamond City Casino in Poipet city on December 29, 2022. (Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police Facebook page)

19 Confirmed Dead So Far After Huge Poipet Casino Fire

At least 19 bodies have been pulled from a Poipet city casino, including Cambodian, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese workers — and the death toll could double, provincial authorities said Thursday afternoon.

A colorful tented resort along a newly-plowed road seen from the edge of Mondulkiri's Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary on February 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Four Land Disputants Arrested in Mondulkiri

Mondulkiri prosecutors are questioning four people arrested after a confrontation between authorities and residents over an alleged land grab in Keo Seima district. 

Agriculture Minister Dith Tina takes a selfie during a meeting with former GDP officials Yang Saing Koma and Loek Sothea and Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a photo posted to the premier's Facebook page on November 28, 2022.

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.

Banteay Meanchey civil servant Oeun Thy (center) signs a paper after his detention for criticizing rice prices, in a photo posted by the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police on November 18, 2022.

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.

A casino in Poipet in 2012 (Wikimedia Commons)

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.

A screenshot from a Youtube video promoting the website OL669, posted on September 29, 2022.

Warning Issued Over Football-Themed Investment Scam

The anti-cybercrime police said it was investigating complaints of fraud against a football-themed investment that allegedly lured people to send money before cutting off their withdrawals, and urged caution around online investments.

Prime Minister Hun Sen walks down the stairs of the presidential plane on his arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on November 14, 2022. (G20 Media Center/Reuters)

Hun Sen Tests Positive for Covid-19, to Miss APEC

Prime Minister Hun Sen is returning home from Indonesia after testing positive for Covid-19, he said this morning, noting he has no symptoms but will miss meetings with Chinese and French leaders.

Kham Salong sits at her and Chhorn Phalla's home in Ratanakiri province on July 17, 2022. (Meng Kroypunlok/VOD)

Jailed Forest Activist’s Wife Says He Is Sick in Prison

Jailed forest activist Chorn Phalla’s wife said Phalla was getting sick in prison and asked for his release, though a prison official disputed the account saying there were doctors inside and the activist was fine.

Khmer Thavrak members dressed in orange prison-style jumpsuits march near Freedom Park during their hunger strike during the Asean Summit on November 9, 2022. (Kay Nara/VOD)

Protest Groups Undeterred by Asean Summit Ban

Land protesters have begun camping out at a controversial lake, activists are undertaking a hunger strike, and unionists will continue their casino protests despite threats of legal action for gathering during the Asean Summit.

A woman protesting the road expansion in Phnom Penh's Russei Keo district holds an address marker while speaking to a reporter on November 1, 2022. (Hean Rangsy/VOD)

Land Disputes: Protests in Angkor, Petitions in Phnom Penh

Hundreds of residents in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh protested this week over displacement due to an Angkor resettlement plan, the sand-filling of Boeng Tamok lake, and a road expansion project in the capital’s Russei Keo.

A camera on a tripod. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Filmmaking Students Allege Sexual Harassment by Bophana Center Trainers

Female filmmaking trainees are speaking out about alleged sexual harassment at a Bophana Center training program — including inappropriate conversations on field trips and touching they felt uncomfortable with — saying they don’t want it to keep happening to other women.

The "Welcome to Batam" sign on a hillside in Batam city, Indonesia on July 16, 2022. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Learning to Scam Under the Threat of Tasers

Indonesian nationals rescued from a Phnom Penh scam compound say they were targeting Facebook users every day to cheat them out of thousands of dollars. Most are relieved to have gotten away from the criminal work and threat of violence that hovered over them.

House and shop demolitions in Angkor Archaeological Park in September 2022. (Supplied)

Angkor Wat Vendors Petition PM to Remain in Temple Park

Officials have ordered the owners of about 57 souvenir and restaurant stalls near Angkor Wat to take down their stands and leave the complex by Friday, but vendors petitioned for relocation inside the park.

A screenshot from a TikTok video showing a man preparing to jump from a building in Bavet city.

Bavet Escape Attempt Leads to Falling Death

A Vietnamese man jumped from the second story of a Bavet city building and died trying to escape a compound on Tuesday, but it was not “detention,” police said.

Thirteen defendants in the CNRM trial are taken back to prison after they and eight others were convicted on Thursday. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

13 CNRM Mass Trial Defendants Appeal Convictions

At least 13 former CNRP activists who were convicted in March for their involvement in the formation of the overseas CNRM opposition movement and for comments about the Covid-19 response appealed their sentences at the Appeal Court on Tuesday. 

Kampong Thom provincial military police chief Hang Thol in August 2021, in a photo from the Kampong Thom provincial military police Facebook page.

Deputy Village Chief Killed in Online Gambling Sting

Eleven Kampong Thom military police officers have been detained for an investigation into the death of a deputy village chief that occurred during a crackdown at an alleged online lottery cafe, said the provincial military police commander. 

Two men lean on parked luxury cars near the Two Lions Roundabout in the center of Sihanoukville on May 31, 2022. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Two Shootings in One Night in Sihanoukville

Four Vietnamese nationals have been arrested for shooting and injuring a police officer in Sihanoukville last night, while the city saw a second roadside shooting around 1 a.m., according to police.

The groundbreaking ceremony for a new ship maintenance facility at Ream Naval Base, posted to Defense Minister Tea Banh's Facebook page on June 8, 2022.

Cambodia Breaks Ground on Ream Shipyard Amid Grumblings

Amid U.S. reports alleging Cambodia is giving space to the Chinese military at the Ream Naval Base, Defense Minister Tea Banh on Wednesday inaugurated construction on a major ship-maintenance facility there.

District guards shove NagaWorld workers onto a bus, in a screenshot of a video on May 25, 2022. (Supplied)

NagaWorld Protesters Change Up Tactics

Ongoing casino workers’ protests diverged slightly from its usual routine on Wednesday as the demonstrators were able to rally outside Phnom Penh’s NagaWorld casino for around 20 minutes before being forced on buses and taken away.

A voter in 2017. (Photo: Heng Vichet)

Gov’t-Linked Groups Dominate Election Observer Registrations

The top NGOs registered to observe next month’s commune election have evident links to state officials — one headed by a prime minister’s son, another by a deputy prime minister, and a third by a ministry’s secretary of state.

CPP supporters in Phnom Penh on May 21, 2022. (Hean Rangsey/VOD)

CPP Letters on Polling Station Staff Training Raise Red Flags

Two ambiguously worded letters from CPP Phnom Penh members calling for polling station staffers to attend training have sparked concern from opposition parties saying the letters appeared to be inviting NEC officials to receive ruling party guidance.

Cambodia Reform Party founder Ou Chanrath.

Ou Chanrath Interview: ‘I Don’t Want to See Cambodia Become a Second China’

If the Cambodia Reform Party were to win commune positions, it would work to empower the grassroots and ensure there is no corruption in the delivery of public services, said party founder Ou Chanrath. He had to contest this election because an uncontested ballot risked turning Cambodia into a “second China,” he said.

Bunong villager Pon Peul herds her buffaloes back as the dusk sets in, in March 2022. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

‘Everything Changed’: Cambodia’s Gold Rush Weighs on Indigenous Livelihoods

Labeled a “great achievement” for Cambodia’s post-pandemic recovery, the country’s biggest goldmine also exemplifies some of the challenges facing indigenous communities seeking to protect traditions. “It’s something very dangerous to lose culture, lifestyle and traditional practices,” one Bunong lawyer said.

A screenshot from a video of a shoe being thrown toward Prime Minister Hun Sen as he meets a crowd in the U.S. on May 11, 2022.

Hun Sen Vexed About US Shoe Throwing

Prime Minister Hun Sen asked supporters to tolerate a shoe thrown at him in Washington, but pondered why U.S. officials didn’t respond to a violent action.

The publisher, T. Mohan

Sexual Harassment Trial Held Against Khmer Times Publisher

A sexual harassment trial against the publisher of the Khmer Times newspaper was held in absentia at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday morning after neither defendant T. Mohan nor a defense lawyer appeared for the hearing.

Touch Rachhan wears his gold medal for kickboxing in a photo with the Cambodian delegation for the Southeast Asia Games in Vietnam on May 15, 2022. (Supplied)

Cambodian Kickboxers Switched Codes Ahead of Gold Medal

The ongoing Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam were only the second time Cambodian athletes competed at the games in kickboxing, and the fighters had to learn to avoid using their elbows and knees — as they were trained in another sport, local martial art kun khmer.

A group photo of people in tax department uniforms, which the General Department of Taxation shared warning these people are impersonating officials, in a photo posted on the department's Facebook page on May 12, 2022.

Tax Department Warns of Online Imposters

A group of people have taken to social media wearing tax department uniforms and are suspected of attempting fraud, the department said on Thursday.

Bank and microfinance institution offices in Phnom Penh (Matt Surrusco)

World Bank-Linked Watchdog Accepts Complaint on ‘Reckless’ Microloans

The watchdog group within World Bank sister organization International Finance Corporation (IFC) will assess a wide swath of the Cambodian microfinance sector after accepting a complaint alleging these lenders’ practices have caused social harms, civil society groups announced today.

Chan Sarath (left) and U Roem exit the Supreme Court after their hearing on April 20, 2022. (Supplied)

Bomb-Plot Prison Sentences Appealed

A group of convicted plotters appealed their sentences on Wednesday, arguing that an electronic device portrayed during their trial as a bomb detonator was insufficient evidence that they had violent plans.

Crocodiles sunbathe and sit in a pond at a private farm in Pursat's Krakor district on April 9, 2022. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Brief: Siem Reap Official Dies After Crocodile Bite

A police official in Siem Reap province who is believed to have slipped into a crocodile pool when he got up in the middle of the night died from his injuries Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

Oddar Meanchey police walk through a street market during Khmer New Year festivities in Samraong city in a photo posted to Facebook on April 15, 2022. (Oddar Meanchey Provincial Police)

Three Youths Arrested for New Year Rape and Murder

Anger erupted in an Oddar Meanchey village as three youths aged 15 to 18 were arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a 17-year-old girl during the night after a New Year village dance party, police said.

A man drives a motorbike into the gate of Canteran Factory in Phnom Penh's Pur Senchey district after a protest disbanded on the morning of April 19, 2022. (Roun Ry/VOD)

Hundreds of Factory Workers Protest on Veng Sreng Blvd

About 200 factory workers protested on Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Blvd. for about an hour Tuesday morning after they learned that their struggling factory had removed valuable equipment from its premises.

Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh on March 10, 2020, in this photograph posted to Hun Sen's Facebook page.

Kampot Governor Orders Hun Sen’s Photo in Every Classroom

Kampot education must build a “culture of gratitude” with a photo of Prime Minister Hun Sen in every classroom and a daily routine of bowing to it and giving thanks for the roofs under which students learn, the provincial governor has said.

The National Election Committee holds a meeting in a photo posted April 4, 2022. (National Election Committee's Facebook page)

Candidate Rejections Are Done: Elections Spokesperson

The opposition Candlelight Party has been entirely stripped of candidates in 11 communes, but the national elections body is now done removing nominees for the June election, a spokesperson said on Monday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen views an infrastructure project poster in Siem Reap province during a speech on April 4, 2022. (Hun Sen's Facebook page)

Hun Sen Suggests End to Mask Mandate

Cambodian provinces could begin easing requirements to wear Covid-19 face masks, Prime Minister Hun Sen suggested in a speech on Monday, citing costs for people and the reality that many gatherings are already taking place without masks.

NagaWorld protesters are again forced onto buses on March 22, 2022. (Ros Lyheng)

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. 

The Venerable Prom Thomacheat carrying food for a resident gibbon in the Metta Forest around his pagoda in Trapeang Chour commune. The monk lives a hermit-like existence near the Oral Wildlife Sanctuary in Kampong Speu. (Andrew Haffner/VOD)

In Tranquil Forest, Nature-Loving Monk Faces a Military Threat

In Kampong Speu, a forest-dwelling monk hoots to mimic animals’ cries and talks of living in harmony with nature. But the community forest where he lives has been handed to the military, and nearby residents are camping among the trees to protect the land.

A satellite map of Sihanoukville's four communes. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Crimes in Shadows: Sihanoukville’s Grisly Reports, Pressure on Journalists

Murders, kidnappings, corpses on the beach — news reports out of Sihanoukville paint a picture of violent and serious crime in the coastal city. But authorities are increasingly shutting down information about police work and pressuring journalists over negative stories, crime reporters say.

Screenshots from security footage posted by Duong Chhay’s ex-wife Deth Malina on her Facebook page.

Opinion: Harnessing Popular Pressure in the Name of Gender Equity

Public and official attention on gender issues in Cambodia has followed a boom and bust cycle: Viral cases of abuse lead to temporary political goodwill, with little sustained progress. But citizens’ voices can move powerful people, writes researcher Theang Soriya.

Sre Ken village in Kampong Speu in January 2022. (Andrew Haffner/VOD)

Malady and Magic: The Murders of Cambodia’s ‘Black Magic’ Practitioners

In Kampong Speu’s Sre Ken village, an 18-year-old’s alleged murder of his stepfather was met with sympathy. “Nobody disliked him,” a resident said of the 18-year-old. “But mostly we wished [the stepfather] would die.” The older man had been suspected of using black magic.

Flowers on sale on Valentine's day in Phnom Penh. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Updated: Caution Spreads as Covid-19 Tops 500 Daily Cases

Daily Covid-19 cases hit 500 on Monday as Phnom Penh officials set off to remind restaurants to keep up health precautions on Valentine’s Day evening. No significant changes in health measures have been announced so far.

Men Ratha, treasurer of the union inside Hi-Tech Apparel within the Poipet O'Neang SEZ, waters her plants at home on November 26, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Unions Looking for Place Within SEZ Boundaries

Cambodia has opened its arms to foreign businesses through special economic zones, which offer investors space, tax incentives and relatively cheap labor. As such zones expand, unions are trying to access the factories behind SEZ gates, as labor compliance sometimes falls by the wayside.

NagaWorld protesters ask to be allowed to go home on February 4, 2022. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Updated: Authorities Raise Pressure on NagaWorld Protesters, Citing Covid-19

Police blocked NagaWorld strikers from leaving their daily rally late Friday afternoon, saying they needed to be tested for Covid-19. An earlier positive test for a woman — who said she has not attended the protests since January 15 after finding out she was pregnant — led to a strong health response on Friday.

An online cosmetics seller’s page on Facebook. (VOD)

Warnings Multiply Alongside Burgeoning Online Cosmetics Trade

The sale of cosmetics is booming online. But the Health Ministry is routinely alerting the public of the risks of unregistered products that have not been tested for their toxicity, while medical professionals warn of long-term risks.

Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurates a sky bridge on National Road 5 on 31 January, 2022. (Hun Sen's Facebook page)

Hun Sen Clarifies: ‘Peace’ Means No War

In a monologue debating against unnamed analysts, Prime Minister Hun Sen dismissed criticisms that Cambodia was not fully at peace due to ongoing social injustices.

Land Activists Arrested in Kampong Chhnang

Three community representatives involved in a long-running dispute with the energy minister’s wife were taken into police custody over the weekend in relation to a separate dispute, residents said.

Farms on flooded forest areas in Kampong Chhnang province in January 2022. (Kuoy Langdy/VOD)

How Cambodia’s Protected ‘Flooded Forests’ All but Disappeared

On paper, the protected biosphere reserve around Tonle Sap lake is a flooded forest. But across vast tracts in Kampong Chhnang, there are only rice fields or uncultivated wetlands, bare of any substantial trees. Decades of encroachment have only accelerated in recent years.

A police van drives out of the Supreme Court gates on January 12, 2022. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Confused Farmers Roam Supreme Court Over Conviction

Five Banteay Meanchey farmers appealed their five-year prison sentences over encroachment of nearly 2,000 hectares at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, though major elements of the case remained unclear even during the appeal.

Kem Sokha leaves the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 30, 2020. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Return or Limbo: Possible Paths as Kem Sokha Hints at Deal

Speculation has been rife about whether the resumption of Sokha’s trial — nearly two years after it was stopped due to Covid-19 — signaled an imminent political deal that could see the former CNRP president return to politics.

NagaWorld workers speak to journalists outside the Labor Ministry in Phnom Penh on January 10, 2022. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Seven International Labor Groups Back NagaWorld Strikers

International labor groups criticized NagaWorld’s “long-standing failure” to respect workers’ rights and authorities’ “undue interference” of a legitimate strike, as one representative said the groups would bring the dispute before the ILO and Asean, and affiliated workers overseas would also look to exert pressure.

Sorm Sopha, who worked at NagaWorld for 26 years, holds an umbrella and a photo of imprisoned union leader Chhim Sithar during a labor rally on January 14, 2022. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Dismissed After a 26-Year Stint at NagaWorld: ‘My Heart Dropped’

Som Sophea witnessed NagaWorld grow from a cruise ship to a sprawling casino complex. The company recognized her for two decades of service, but fired her during year 26. One month into a labor strike, Sophea says she wants respect for longtime employees.

US Ambassador Patrick Murphy and CNRP president Kem Sokha outside Sokha’s Phnom Penh home on November 11, 2019. (Sanh Bun Hoeun/VOD)

Kem Sokha Trial: The Case So Far

After almost two years of break, VOD looks back at coverage of former opposition leader Kem Sokha’s trial for alleged attempts to topple the government with foreign assistance.

The Don Sahong dam, with the Sadam channel visible behind it, on August 14, 2020. (Enric Català/VOD)

Mekong Drought, Tonle Sap Fish Shortage Tied to Low Rainfall, Hydropower: MRC

The Mekong river endured three years of drought and its lowest-ever water levels due to minimal rainfall as well as the actions of upstream hydropower dams, which had spillover effects for the Tonle Sap lake and Cambodia’s fishing industry that relies on it, according to a new report.

A NagaWorld workers’ rally on January 13, 2022. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Workers Get ‘Last Call’ From NagaWorld to Quit Strike

Active employees of NagaWorld on strike are getting phone calls from the casino asking them to return to work. Audio recordings of the calls heard by VOD reporters have casino management calling it the “last call.”

Kamsort, 23, stands in front of a signboard for an event in Phnom Penh from the organization Rainbow Community Kampuchea, where he said he found acceptance in the LGBTQ+ community. (Provided)

A Young Man on Questions That Alienate and Why Gay Marriage Should Be Law

His brother and mother were understanding when he came out, but some friends told him to change. For Kamsort, 23, the teasing questions have become tiresome. He says a gay marriage law will help change mindsets, as Rainbow Community Kampuchea embarks on a campaign for change.

Phnom Penh Appeal Court in 2019. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Chinese Businessman in Jail for 15 Years Over Surrogate Child

A Chinese businessman wanted a child in 2017 and paid a Chinese company to find him a surrogate. The surrogate, who was in Cambodia, gave birth to the child. But after the businessman arrived here to receive the baby, he was arrested for trafficking and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A man checks the news on his smartphone. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

One-Year Imprisonment Upheld for Vaccine-Critical Facebook Posts

The Appeal Court on Tuesday upheld one-year jail sentences against two former opposition activists for incitement and insult after they criticized the distribution of Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines in Cambodia before they were approved by the WHO.

A photo taken in Takhmao on the second week of January, 1979, by the Vietnamese military press. (Documentation Center of Cambodia)

No Hun Sen, No Commemorations as Muted Jan 7 Evokes Shift in Tone

The CPP has long heralded “Victory Over Genocide Day” as the second birthday of the country after the dark rule of the Khmer Rouge. But the lack of a public event on a day also branded as pro-Vietnamese hints at changing politics in addition to Covid-19 precautions.

The General Strike Coordination Body, an anti-junta group in Myanmar, has posted pictures online in protest of Hun Sen’s visit.

Hun Sen Sets Off for Myanmar Despite Strong Pushback

Hun Sen is set to meet with Myanmar’s military junta leadership on Friday even as pressure mounts on the Cambodian prime minister to refrain from taking unilateral actions as the chair of Asean.

LRSU president Chhim Sithar stands in front of a garden she planted outside her home in Phnom Penh on May 26, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

‘A Thousand Sithars’: NagaWorld Unionist Was Prepared for Arrest

NagaWorld union leader Chhim Sithar spent the days before her arrest getting the people around her ready. “The most concerning is my mom’s feelings. She might get sick, but sorry, mom, that will not stop me,” she said of not backing down. “They worry but they know what I’m doing is the right thing to do.”

A fisherman with his family in Phnom Penh. (Phorn Bopha/VOD)

Data Show Turbulence, Decline in Mekong River Ecosystems

Fishers say their daily catch has plunged again. According to researchers, disturbances to Mekong water flows due to hydropower dams and climate change have disrupted fish habitats, breeding grounds, abundance and diversity.

The ruling CPP’s congress on December 24, 2021, with Hun Manet second from right. (Sar Kheng’s Facebook page)

Updated: CPP Congress Picks Hun Manet as Next ‘Unity’ PM Candidate

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son and deputy military commander will be the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s next prime ministerial candidate when his father decides to relinquish power, the party decided on Friday, according to the Information Ministry.

A photo of LRSU's Chhim Sithar from August 2019 was posted by an anonymous Facebook account alleging foreign involvement in the NagaWorld strike that started on Saturday. (Chhim Sithar's Facebook)

Color Revolution, Foreign Influence Accusations Cloud NagaWorld Strike

Accusations of foreign influence made against a local casino workers’ union mirror rhetoric deployed by government officials over the last few years to justify charges of treason, foreign interference and of a purported color revolution against the political opposition, activists and civil society groups.

Casino workers photographed during the third day of their strike against NagaWorld in Phnom Penh on December 20, 2021. (Ananth Baliga)

NagaWorld Workers Resume Day 3 of Strike

Around 200 workers have resumed their strike against alleged labor rights violations and mass terminations at NagaWorld casinos in Phnom Penh.

Former Cambodia Daily reporters Zsombor Peter and Aun Pheap. (Ben Woods)

Cambodia Daily Journalists’ Case Heard in Appeal Court

A lawyer representing two former Cambodia Daily reporters was hopeful the Tbong Khmum Appeal Court would uphold a lower court decision to drop incitement charges against them after a prosecutor said there was no new evidence to reinstate the charges.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court in December 2021. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Questioning About Overseas Trainings Continues in CNRP Mass Trial

Just one of 13 summoned defendants was present at the fifth hearing in a trial involving more than 40 former opposition members charged with plotting and incitement, as questioning again fell into a familiar pattern about links to the CNRP and overseas trainings.

Most of the forests surrounding the Tonle Sap lake are dry in December, although a few are still flooded, as seen on December 17, 2019 in Siem Reap province's Treay village. (Roun Ry)

After Two Weeks, 20,000 Ha of Flooded Forests Recovered

Following Prime Minister Hun Sen’s command two weeks ago to stop the Tonle Sap’s destruction, provincial governors say they have retaken thousands of hectares of protected flooded forests but are still working on investigating perpetrators.

Illicit drugs confiscated by authorities (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Highly Connected Mango Firm Denies Link to Major Drug Raid, Shootout

Eighty tons of ketamine precursors have been found following a fatal shootout and seizure of 1.4 tons of the drug that led authorities to a Kampong Speu lab, where a prominent agroindustrial company said it was merely leasing facilities within the same compound.

Australian Ambassador Pablo Kang poses with Covid-19 donations for Brigade 70 during a handover ceremony on December 11, 2021. (Facebook)

Rights Group Slams Australian Meeting with ‘Notorious’ RCAF Unit

An international rights group has criticized the local Australian Embassy for participating in an event involving the military’s Brigade 70, which has been accused of being part of a grenade attack in 1997 against Sam Rainsy, among other alleged rights violations. 

Hun Manith, the premier's second son and leader of RCAF's intelligence unit, wearing a uniform and mask in a photo posted May 21, 2021. (Facebook)

US Announces Arms Embargo, Hun Manith’s Unit Singled Out

The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cambodia for alleged rights violations and increasing Chinese military influence in the country, specifically targeting a military intelligence unit run by the prime minister’s son. 

Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng at a podium during a meeting, in a photo posted to his Facebook page on August 9, 2021.

Sar Kheng Is Lone Manet Holdout Among Deputy Prime Ministers

Sar Kheng has not endorsed Hun Manet as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s likely successor, making him the lone holdout among the 10 deputy prime ministers. His nine peers have all signed onto public statements of support for Hun Sen’s eldest son.

Supporters of the banned opposition CNRP sit across the street from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 14, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

CNRP Mass Trials Set to Resume This Week

Two CNRP mass trials involving dozens of defendants are set to be heard at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court this week after being delayed by the “February 20” Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year.

Hun Manet on a visit to China in February 2020. (Hun Manet’s Facebook page)

Hun Sen Endorses Son as Next PM, Dismisses Sar Kheng’s Chances

In his most clear comments about succession, Prime Minister Hun Sen said his oldest son and army commander Hun Manet would take over from him, while shooting down any chances of rumored prime ministerial hopeful and Interior Minister Sar Kheng’s ascension.

CNRP co-founder Kem Sokha, center, and GDP co-founder Yang Saing Koma, right, during a visit to a farm in Pursat province in November 2020, in this photograph posted to Saing Koma's Twitter page.

CNRP Rift Points Toward Sokha’s Return to Politics: Analysts

Kem Sokha’s comments stirred a flurry of speculation and commentary online, with armchair political analysts in and outside the country trying to make sense of what this meant for the CNRP — once the most credible political threat to the CPP’s stranglehold on power.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng inspects a new medical facility in Tbong Khmum province on November 23. (Ministry of Health)

Omicron Spreads, Impact Unclear as WHO Advises Caution in Cambodia

Omicron, which was first detected in southern Africa earlier this month, has shown signs of quickly spreading through populations. The WHO was notified of the variant on Wednesday based on a sample collected in South Africa on November 9.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh. (Funcinpec’s Facebook page)

Former Prime Minister and Royalist Leader Prince Ranariddh Dies

Funcinpec leader and former prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh died Sunday morning, according to the Funcinpec Party, capping off a turbulent political career that coincided with the country’s emergence as a fledgling democracy in the early 1990s.

Barbed wire has been wrapped around a gate closing off trains tracks crossing Poipet’s international border with Thailand. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Thai Nationals Rescued, Repatriated from Pursat SEZ

Military police spokesperson Eng Hy said Cambodian and Thai authorities had rescued 103 Thai nationals from a Pursat province special economic zone on Tuesday morning and brought the individuals across the border on Wednesday morning. 

Hun Sen attacks CNRP

‘Hun Sen Does Not Bow to Any Pressure’: Hun Sen

Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday he would deal with “extremists” – a thinly-veiled reference to the CNRP – before considering handing over power to the “younger generation.”

Tycoon Try Pheap in a photo posted on February 17, 2021 (Facebook: Try Pheap Group)

Police Rescue Cambodian Woman From Try Pheap SEZ, Deny She Was Sold

Police rescued a woman from a quarantine center for Try Pheap’s Special Economic Zone in Pursat on Wednesday night. But she had merely wanted to leave “because it was too quiet,” an official said, without answering why police intervention was needed.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith

Information Minister Rebuffs Governor: Arresting Journalists Is Wrong

In a rejection of a provincial leader’s push for hardline monitoring of journalists, the head of the Ministry of Information this week denounced the arbitrary detention of two reporters and urged authorities to more closely cooperate with media workers.

The former headquarters of dissolved opposition CNRP in Phnom Penh's Meanchey district on November 15, 2021. (Mech Dara/VOD)

Updated: Court to Put CNRP Headquarters on Sale

UPDATED: Citing around $2 million in unpaid penalties, the courts announced that the outlawed CNRP’s former headquarters would be placed on sale. “The CNRP HQ is the symbol of democracy for the majority of the people of Cambodia,” Mu Sochua responded.

Kampot Residents, Journalists Released

Two journalists arrested for covering a Kampot land protest were released on Thursday after being detained earlier this week, while three others who were part of the land dispute were released from detention.

Voeun Veasna, an activist with the court-dissolved CNRP opposition, pictured on a street in Thailand. (Photo from the activist's Facebook page)

Two Opposition Activists Extradited From Thailand

Opposition CNRP activists Voeung Samnang and Voeun Veasna were arrested by Thai authorities in Bangkok this week and handed over to Phnom Penh authorities, confirmed a government official on Thursday.

Navy commander Tea Vinh (Tea Vinh’s Facebook page)

US Ratchets Up Sanctions Pressure on Cambodia

Overnight, the U.S. sanctioned two more Cambodian military figures, announced a review of Cambodia’s trade benefits, and warned U.S. businesses of exposure to rights-abusing, criminal and corrupt Cambodian entities, as the country had made “no meaningful changes” to repeatedly raised concerns.

Island of the Rich: As Sand Dune Rises, Old Neighborhood Upturned

As mega-developer OCIC completes the filling-in of Phnom Penh’s new island, Koh Norea, nearby Chbar Ampov residents are staring at a mound of sand anxiously unsure if they will be evicted by the development or driven out by real estate speculation.

Barren patches of land pepper O'Reang district's landscape as a result of deforestation. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

Cambodia Cops Out of COP26 Forest Protection Pledge

Cambodia was among a minority of countries who did not sign a pledge to conserve and expand its forested ecosystems at COP26 last week despite forest loss being the country’s highest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Opposition Activist’s Teenage Son Released From Prison

The boy, released to a throng of journalists and supporters outside Correctional Center 2 on Wednesday morning, knelt down in front of his mother to pay respects before hugging each other and receiving a bouquet of flowers.

The Cambodian Embassy in Beijing in 2008. (Wikimedia Commons)

Bride Rescues From China Number More Than One a Day

More than 300 trafficked Cambodian women were returned from China in the first nine months of the year, mostly after being scammed into marriages, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Two police officers detained eight Cambodian migrant workers in the back of a police pickup truck after workers held a petition at the Thai Labor Ministry on October 29, 2021. (Labor Network for People's Rights)

Migrant Workers’ Arrest Calls Attention to Thailand Legal Negligence

Chhay Loeum, a Cambodian migrant, was rounded up by police from Thailand’s Labor Ministry along with seven other workers making an appeal over unpaid wages. Rights advocates say the incident illustrates the Thai government’s broken promises and indifference to one of the most vulnerable groups in Thai society.

New Round of Airport Compensation Meets Resistance

Sixty-six houses are marked for measurement to make way for the airport construction, according to a letter issued by the Kandal Stung district governor. The survey would collect data on affected families in preparation for compensation.

Sovann Rithy, editor of the TVFB news site, holds up a smartphone at the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Headquarters following his arrest on April 7, 2020. (Phnom Penh Municipal Police)

Stalking the Messenger: Ending Impunity for Illegal Surveillance

Increasingly used as a laser-focused tactic, a weapon to intimidate, instil fear, and paralyse the work of journalists, illegal surveillance puts sources at risk and impedes journalists from providing us with information to expose crime and corruption, and to speak the truth about power.

Kem Sokha speaks to reporters at his house in Phnom Penh on the morning of January 22, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Kem Sokha Puts Phnom Penh Villa on Sale for $2.4M

Kem Sokha, Cambodia’s ex-opposition leader still awaiting the resumption of his treason trial, has put his six-bedroom Toul Kork district home on the market for $2.4 million.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a photo posted to his Facebook page on November 1, 2021.

Hun Sen Announces ‘Full Reopening,’ Home Quarantine for Some

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the reopening of the country at a vaccination event on Monday, and did not detail if there would be further relaxing of existing quarantine measures but said he was considering lifting restrictions on “high-risk” businesses.

Chim Phan and a prosthetic leg he uses for athletics. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Stalwart Para-Athletes Look Forward to Hanging Up Their Boots

Chim Phan is one of few Cambodian athletes with a disability who have represented, and continue to represent, the country at international para-athletic events. The athlete has had a long career and hopes to retire soon. He is 52 years old.

Residents Say Homes Demolished for Expressway Without Warning

More than 200 officers demolished dozens of Phnom Penh houses to make way for the $2-billion Sihanoukville expressway, part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, as residents rejected what they said was inadequate compensation.

Cambodia Pledges Forest Protection, Coal Reduction at Open of COP26

The conference generally pitches wealthy, high-emitting and highly-industrialized nations against low-emitting and less-industrial countries, especially those in the Pacific Islands that first feel the strain of rising water levels and temperatures. 

The Covid-19 checkpoint and entrance hall at Naga 2 on October 28, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

NagaWorld Built Empire With Offshore Companies, Loans From CEO

NagaWorld built its business — which earned more than $1.7 billion in yearly revenue before the pandemic — in part through the CEO’s use of his offshore companies and a series of loans that lifted the casino company’s value, according to documents and emails released in a major leak of offshore enterprise documents.

Files

Cambodia-Based Businesspeople, Both Prominent and Obscure, Show Up in Pandora Papers

VOD identified nine offshore companies connected to Cambodian nationals or Cambodia-based business owners in the sweeping leak of offshore company files known as the Pandora Papers. A deeper look at the business history hints at further connections to powerful individuals for some of the companies included, while others are little-known.

(ICIJ)

Pandora Papers: An Offshore Data Tsunami

The investigation is based on a leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers that give professional services to wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to incorporate shell companies, trusts, foundations and other entities in low- or no-tax jurisdictions. The entities enable owners to conceal their identities from the public and sometimes from regulators. Often, the providers help them open bank accounts in countries with light financial regulation.

Illicit drugs confiscated by authorities (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Man Pleads Innocence at Supreme Court in Drug Production Case

A Cambodian man says he was not involved in drug production — a charge for which he was convicted in 2017 — and wants the Supreme Court to overturn his conviction based on testimony from a co-accused who said he was not part of the operations. 

Po Rorn, 54, a representative of a community in dispute with developer Borey Peng Huoth over 58 hectares in Phnom Penh's Chbar Ampov district. (Provided)

Representative Arrested in Land Dispute With Borey Peng Huoth

A representative of 241 families involved in a land dispute with a prominent developer in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district was arrested and sent to Prey Sar Prison on charges of trespassing and illegally destroying property.

VOD Weekly Update

VOD Weekly UpdateOctober 20-27 Features Kuy Villagers Reclaim Preah Vihear Sugar Plantation Residents were in dispute with Rui Feng since 2012, when communal lands were

Prime Minister Hun Sen walks with four bodyguards Nam Phiron, Long Da, Khut Sokhon and Orn Sothyrath. (Fresh News)

PM Bodyguards Promoted to Be Official Assistants

Prime Minister Hun Sen has promoted 25 people to be his official assistants, including a bodyguard who has received land on Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake and another who was nearly scammed online by a 14-year-old.

A student enters the campus of Phnom Penh’s Preah Sisowath High School on September 15, 2021. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

After Stress of a Long Absence, a Fragile Transition Back to School

In Cambodia, mental health workers say they’ve seen a spike in adolescents seeking help. Surveys have shown bouts of anxiety and depression among young people. The recent reopening of schools could be a relief, but it might not be an easy transition.

Surrogacy ‘Mastermind’ Appeals Sentence

A Chinese national serving a seven-year sentence for organizing illegal surrogacy argued on Monday that he was just staying at a friend’s house and didn’t know why there were dozens of pregnant women there.

The Cambodia Daily’s weekend edition from October 23, 2011.

30 Years of Press Coverage: Peace-Deal Commemorations’ Rising Heat

Anniversaries of the Paris Peace Agreements were not always prominent affairs. Largely overlooked by local newspapers until the landmark 20th anniversary, the day rose in visibility and contentiousness alongside the emergence of the popular opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, a look through newspaper archives shows.

Richie Fernando at Angkor archeological park in Siem Reap (Courtesy of Totet Banaynal)

Among Cambodia’s War-Wounded, a Brother Found His Vocation

Twenty-five years after Brother Richie Fernando’s death, the floor tiles in Kandal marked by the grenade blast that killed him have been relocated. But the Filipino missionary, who has been touted for sainthood, is still remembered for his acts of kindness.

Mixed bamboo and semi-evergreen forest in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in November 2018 (Wikimedia Commons)

Opinion: Visit Cambodia 2.0 — a Chance for Reinvention

Cambodia’s head start in vaccinations has the potential to give its embattled tourism sector a leg up amid the imminent reopening of travel. This is an opportunity to diversify the country’s offerings, writes La Trobe University research fellow Markus Bell.

Sok Kimly walks through alcohol spray as she arrives to the Supreme Court on October 12, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Grenade-Attack Girlfriend Gets One Case Dropped, Another Reconsidered

Sok Kimly, 45, was previously found guilty of two attempts on her boyfriend’s life in 2015 and 2016. But on Tuesday, the Supreme Court overturned her conviction in the first failed assassination, involving a gun, and sent her second case — a grenade attack in central Phnom Penh — for retrial at the Appeal Court.

A room at an abandoned school building on Phnom Penh’s Street 144, on October 15, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Residents, Hun Sen Press Case for Phnom Penh’s Historical Architecture

Amid a call to save heritage buildings, a survey of Phnom Penh sites found volleyball courts in a French colonial police station, smartphone billboards wrapped around historical architecture, and a family of teachers keeping watch over a former U.S. Embassy building.

A map showing proposed zones within Union Development Group's 36,000-hectare concession, including entertainment, residential and business/industrial areas, in Koh Kong province. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

More Than 800 Families in Line for Land Lottery in UDG Settlements

UDG, a massive Chinese-owned, U.S.-sanctioned development in the coastal province, has been embroiled in disputes with residents for years, with more than 1,000 families forced off about 10,000 hectares, and 1,500 houses dismantled and cleared, according to past research reports.

Sok Kimly walks through alcohol spray as she arrives to the Supreme Court on October 12, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Jealousy-Tinged Grenade Attack Case Reaches High Court

A woman convicted of masterminding a 2016 grenade attack in central Phnom Penh targeting her cheating boyfriend made an appeal at the Supreme Court that she had only sought for him to be threatened.

Aerial view of Cambodia's Prey Lang forest (Winrock International)

Prey Lang Activist Handed Two-Year Suspended Sentence

An anti-logging activist was on Tuesday convicted of assault against an alleged timber trader, as rights groups linked the verdict to ongoing harassment and intimidation against environmentalists in the country.

Phnom Penh's Water Festival in 2014 (Flickr/PhotAsia)

Water Festival Called Off as Phnom Penh Rolls Out Third Doses

Long boats will not race down the Tonle Sap in front of the Royal Palace this year after the government decided to again cancel the annual Water Festival. The announcement coincides with the start of a third-dose vaccine campaign in 11 capital districts.

A cave at Kampong Trach in Kampot province on August 27, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Praying for Land Sales at Holy Kampot Caves

“People like to come to wish for good luck,” Sok Chea says. “If they want to sell their property, like land, they will come to wish to make a deal happen sooner and to get a good price for their land.”

Motorists drive past a KTV.

Women at Karaoke Parlors Pressured Into Abortions to Keep Their Jobs

Six entertainment workers told VOD of forced pregnancy tests, pressure to terminate and the experience of self-induced abortions while trying to hold onto jobs. As the women experience potential trauma, the motivation among employers often comes down to superstition: Pregnant women are “four-eyed girls” bringing bad business.

African Sex Workers Face Digital Abuse as Pandemic Pushes Them Online

“I feel ashamed and anxious all the time. My partner left me and even my family won’t talk to me. I thought it was a safe and private way to make money, but virtual sex ruined my life,” said Otieno, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

Koh Kong Official, Defense Minister Move to Arrest Journalist

An audio recording, shared with VOD, appears to show Defense Minister Tea Banh instructing Koh Kong officials to take action against journalist Youn Chhiv. Several government-aligned media outlets have reported on Banh’s instructions, including some that quoted from the recording.

Covid-19 precautions outside Phnom Penh’s Build Bright University on April 2, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Universities to Reopen With Smaller Classes, Covid-19 Tests

Higher education institutions will be allowed to reopen after 18 months of disrupted learning, with the Education Ministry setting out guidelines such as mandatory vaccinations, Covid-19 testing and smaller classes to ensure social distancing.

Garment-Sector Minimum Wage Gets $2 Increase

The new wage was voted on after four rounds of weekly negotiations between unions, which initially suggested a $22 raise; employers, which wanted to see the minimum wage cut by $4; and the Labor Ministry.

Landfilling is underway at several areas of Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake, on October 20, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

More Boeng Tamok Plots Go to Interior Ministry, Military Official’s Wife

A big piece of a so far untouched area in the middle of Boeng Tamok lake has been granted to the Interior Ministry, while businesswoman Say Sorphea — understood to be the wife of a high-ranking Brigade 70 military official — has received a further two plots on the lake.

Environmental activist Chhorn Phalla speaks at a press conference in 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Ratanakiri Police Arrest Land Activist

Environmentalist Chhorn Phalla has been arrested by Ratanakiri police after they called him in to update the address on his identification card, his lawyer said.

Chhorn Chanvireak, who goes by Kru Athan, in a photo posted to his Facebook page.

Ancient Martial Art Sprouts Green Shoots Among New and Old

A l’bokator master’s wife is compiling her late husband’s writings into a book; pagodas are opening their gates to Cambodia’s ancient, spirituality-infused martial art; and officials are looking for world-heritage status and pushing a modernized version as an Olympic sport.

Hun Sen Warns Analysts Who Criticize the Government

Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned two political analysts over criticizing the government’s foreign policy, one by name and the other by saying there was already a warrant out for his arrest.

Sandfilling and sandbars overlook the Gulf of Thailand at the IGB (Cambodia) sandfilling site in Kampot's Toek Chhou district on August 26, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Kampot, Kep Coasts Cluttered With Sandfilling Plans, Developments

Between official documents, residents’ accounts and visible evidence of filling, reporters have found five seafilling projects on the Kampot coast — some of them spanning hundreds of hectares. Affected fishers have been told there could be twice as many in all.

Residents, some wearing masks, stand with protest signs in a Svay Rieng rice field, in a photo posted to Yous Sophorn's Facebook page on August 4, 2021.

Land Activists Get Out of Jail After Accepting 900 Riel Per Square Meter

En Soth and Yous Sophorn were jailed last month under Covid-19 charges of obstructing the enforcement of health measures and face up to three years in jail. They were both previously fined around $1,000 each under Covid-19 regulations for organizing a protest against the proposed compensation.

Long-Time Land Activists Questioned for Attempted Murder

Four land activists in a long-running dispute with the Energy Minister’s wife say they were questioned by prosecutors at the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court for attempted murder after trying to prevent illegal fishing in the area.

People stand in front of the Gold FX office in Toul Kork district urging the company to return investments that the business claims were stolen. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Hun Sen Chimes in on CPP Family-Linked GoldFX Controversy

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday waded into the ongoing dispute between investors and investment firm GoldFX — which is linked to senior CPP officials’ family members — asking investors to continue their negotiations or file a lawsuit. 

Seven NagaWorld union representatives hold posters in front of the Labor Ministry gate after submitting a petition contesting the company's mass layoffs on June 8, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Arbitration Council Avoids Ruling on NagaWorld Mass Layoffs

A NagaWorld union representative said the Arbitration Council refused to adjudicate on the validity of the mega casino’s decision to layoff more than 1,300 workers, with a labor advocate saying the council wants a labor inspection procedure to decide the matter.

Police Officer Sent to Court After Striking Escaping Motorist on Head

Ngorn Srey Nich was struck in the head by police officer Mat Pisey on Wednesday night while riding a motorbike with her brother without wearing helmets. Phnom Penh Municipal Police said Pisey was arrested and sent to court, but Srey Nich demanded more justice.

Students at Phnom Penh’s Chea Sim Boeng Keng Kang High School on November 9, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Phnom Penh to Reopen Secondary Schools on September 15

Phnom Penh City Hall announced Thursday it will allow public and private secondary schools to reopen starting Wednesday, September 15, potentially ending nearly 18 months of on-and-off schooling for the capital’s students.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on August 18, 2021 (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Seven CNRP Members Convicted for Covid-19 Posts From March 2020

A Phnom Penh court has convicted and sentenced seven former opposition activists in absentia for Facebook posts accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen of hiding Covid-19 deaths in 2020 and other posts about his time as a former Khmer Rouge district commander.

Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Oum Reatrey gives blood at the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Hospital, in a photo posted to his Facebook page.

Inquiry After Governor Slams Hospital Demanding Money Before Surgery

The Banteay Meanchey provincial health department is investigating the conduct of a public district hospital for allegedly extorting patients after the provincial governor railed against the hospital for asking money before the surgery of a prime ministerial bodyguard.

Bundles of longan in a market (Wikimedia Commons)

Jailed Longan Farmer’s Mother Says His Critiques Were True

The mother of a longan farmer who was imprisoned for criticizing the government’s procurement procedures said her son should not have been arrested or charged with incitement because his comments were a true reflection of the situation.

Rapper Kea Sokun, 22, takes part in a cleansing ceremony outside his house in Siem Reap following his release from prison on September 3, 2021. (Jack Brook/VOD)

Rapper Kea Sokun Released From Jail, No Regrets

After a year in prison on an incitement conviction for his music, 22-year-old rapper Kea Sokun was released from a Siem Reap prison on Friday and returned home with no regrets about his songs or his refusal to apologize for the lyrics in court.

Prime Minister Hun Sen points on a map to Cambodia's Block A offshore oil concession, where KrisEnergy has extracted the nation's first drops of oil, in a photo posted to his Facebook page on December 29, 2020.

Stolen Oil Tanker Saga ‘Neither Political nor Commercial,’ Gov’t Says

A tanker company says it is concerned over its arrested crew’s human rights as Cambodia pursues the return of some 300,000 barrels of allegedly stolen crude oil, but the government said the matters will simply “take their legal course” and are “neither political nor commercial.”

Three dump trucks and three excavators dig out the future reservoir in Boeng Tompun I commune on July 21, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Boeng Tompun Residents Rebuild Demolished Homes

Boeng Tompun residents whose homes were demolished by Phnom Penh authorities last month to make way for a reservoir said they are rebuilding sections of their homes because they have no other alternative.

A fisherman paddles his boat on Tompun Lake to collect fish on June 26, 2020. (Seav Meng/VOD)

Satellite City Request for State Lake Rebuffed

As satellite city developments spring up on water bodies all across the country, the government last week rebuffed one such request on 1,000 hectares of a Kandal province lake, a cabinet document shows.

Rice fields and irrigation canals outside Siem Reap city on October 31, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Rice Exports Drop 23 Percent Amid Pandemic

In the first eight months of the year, Cambodian rice exports are tracking 23 percent below the same period last year, though non-rice exports have more than doubled in that time.

Students at Phnom Penh’s Chea Sim Boeng Keng Kang High School on November 9, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Schools Quickly Reopening After Hun Sen Advisory

Most schools in Tbong Khmum and Prey Veng are preparing to reopen on Monday, while Stung Treng has already begun in-person classes in select districts, provincial officials said on Thursday.

Hundreds of workers crowd outside Phnom Penh’s NagaWorld casino waiting to give samples for Covid-19 testing on March 12, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

NagaCorp Records $77.2M in Losses Amid Closure, Layoff Dispute

NagaCorp, the Hong Kong-listed parent company of Phnom Penh’s exclusive-operating casino NagaWorld, reported losses for the first time since the company was publicly listed, amid the pandemic and an ongoing labor dispute with more than 300 laid-off employees.

A worker throws a bag of medical waste into an incinerator in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on May 24, 2021. (Gerald Flynn/VOD)

Covid-19 Waste Climbs to 100 Tons a Day Nationwide

The country is seeing 100 tons of solid waste produced daily from Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centers, with 50 incinerators in 21 provincial towns specially disposing of the trash, while a Phnom Penh medical waste manager said the capital was struggling to dispose of biohazardous trash.

Authorities vaccinate cows for lumpy skin disease in Kampong Chhnang province's Svay Rompear commune, in a photo posted to the Agriculture Ministry's Facebook page on August 26, 2021.

Vaccination Campaign Launched for Cows

The Agriculture Ministry has launched a lumpy skin disease vaccination campaign for cattle starting with priority provinces after more than 30,000 animals have contracted the disease, an official said.

Residents, some wearing masks, stand with protest signs in a Svay Rieng rice field, in a photo posted to Yous Sophorn's Facebook page on August 4, 2021.

Svay Rieng Land Disputants Arrested Under Covid-19 Law

Two Svay Rieng land dispute representatives have been charged again for violating Covid-19 law; separately, Mondulkiri province indigenous families file a land clearance complaint against a Takhmao city resident.

A meeting with government officials and representatives of rights groups Licadho and Sahmakum Teang Tnaut on September 4, 2019 at the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh (Khun Vanda/VOD)

NGOs Refuse to Talk Creating Human Rights Body Amid Human Rights Abuses

Civil society groups are refusing consultations with the government and U.N. on establishing an independent national human rights body, saying they should not be talking about a new committee without showing genuine interest in promoting and protecting human rights.

Authorities intervene in a conflict between residents and San Heang company representatives over land in Oddar Meanchey's Samraong city in early May. (Supplied)

11 Oddar Meanchey Land Disputants Summoned to Court

A group of residents in Oddar Meanchey’s Samraong city say they fear arrest and losing their land after the provincial court summoned 11 of them for questioning early next month over a land dispute.

Meah Ream, 58, second from left, stands with four members of her family on the platform left of their house after Union Development Group guards allegedly destroyed it in late June, in Koh Kong's Kiri Sakor district on June 28, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

On Huge Resort’s Land, Villagers Live Under Threat of Demolition

Families who built their stilted homes on Kiri Sakor district’s estuaries decades ago say their lives revolve around the antics of the Union Development Group, locked in a stalemate as they repeatedly rebuild the structures that the company’s guards dismantle.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on August 18, 2021 (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

10-Year Study Reveals Aftermath, Exploitation of Sex Trafficking Survivors

A first-of-its-kind, 10-year study tracking the lives of 128 Cambodian sex trafficking survivors reveals frequent shock and re-exploitation as they try to reintegrate into the community, and fears and intimidation while navigating the justice system, according to a series of research reports published this week.

Migrant workers wait at a border checkpoint while military trucks pass in a photo posted to the Banteay Meanchey provincial administration's Facebook page on August 13, 2021.

Markets, Villages Locked Down as Thai Influx Continues, Delta Spreads

Thousands of Cambodians have continued to return to the country in the past three days from Thailand’s major Covid-19 Delta-variant outbreak, as provincial authorities along the border have increasingly locked down markets and villages due to the spread of the new viral strain.

Srey Sokha, a resident and Dob Buon village community leader, gestures along the newly carved path where residents used to have gardens, in Phnom Penh's Boeng Kak I commune on August 19, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Residents Wary as Three-Day Deadline Passes for Boeng Kak I House Demolitions

A three-day teardown deadline handed to 69 families living along a canal in Boeng Kak I commune passed without a clash on Thursday, but after authorities previously allegedly ripped out their gardens and descended on their homes with axes, residents say they don’t believe an official’s offer that they will be allowed to resettle there if they temporarily move out.

A forestry official holds up confiscated dead geckos from containers that were confiscated in Siem Reap province, in a photo posted to Khieu Khanarith's Facebook page on August 17, 2021.

66 Kg of Trafficked Geckos Seized From Vehicle in Siem Reap

Nine-hundred-eighty-four geckos being shipped out of Preah Vihear province were rescued from a vehicle in Siem Reap, according to officials, who said they had cracked down on gecko trafficking before but didn’t know its purpose.

A masked protestor holds up a protest sign depicting Prime Minister Hun Sen and wife Bun Rany during a protest for compensation from the GoldFX scam at the premier's house, in a photo provided by an investor on August 16, 2021.

GoldFX Protesters File Petition Seeking PM’s Help at His Takhmao House

Investors in GoldFX, a financial firm run by ruling party scions that says it was cheated out of $20 million by ex-board members, have sought the intervention of Prime Minister Hun Sen, saying they cannot accept the company’s offer of 30 percent compensation for their lost investments.

Provincial officials and frontline workers wait in a tent for 3rd vaccine doses ahead of the border reopening, in a photo posted to the Banteay Meanchey Administration's Facebook page on August 9, 2021.

Thousands Pour Back Through Reopened Thai Border

Cambodian returnees from Thailand have surged since the reopening of borders on Friday, local officials said, with migrants trucked in from checkpoints to expanded quarantine centers.

Three dump trucks and three excavators dig out the future reservoir in Boeng Tompun I commune on July 21, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Boeng Tompun Houses Demolished, Reporters Obstructed

District authorities deleted photos on reporters’ cameras and made them leave a public area as authorities demolished residents’ homes, allegedly without compensation, near the Boeng Tompun lake development.

Former French Ambassador Eva Nguyen Binh examines pages printed from a Braille printer at the Institute for Special Education for Deaf and Blind Children in Phnom Penh, in a photo posted to NGO Krousar Thmey's Facebook page on July 28, 2017.

Blind Students Face Additional Difficulties Studying Online

For Cambodia’s blind students, school closures and the pandemic have added new difficulties to their studies. Video chats have left them with only portions of lessons, Khmer-language screen reading technology has been lacking, and one of the country’s only braille publishing houses has been temporarily shut due to Covid-19.

Migrant workers wait at a border checkpoint while military trucks pass in a photo posted to the Banteay Meanchey provincial administration's Facebook page on August 13, 2021.

Hundreds of Migrants Return as Thai Border Reopens

Hundreds of migrant workers poured back into the country on Friday as its borders to Covid-19-hit Thailand reopened, and the flow is expected to continue in the coming days as many Cambodians face difficulties in the neighboring country.

Authorities blocked sidewalk in front of Poipet's Diamond City Casino after it closed due to Covid-19 in a photo posted to the Banteay Meanchey provincial police Facebook page on April 27, 2021.

Poipet’s Border Casino Workers Are Out of Work, Out of Options

Poipet city’s casino industry has been shuttered since late April as they became Covid-19 hotspots, and it’s been more than three months of scraping by for many of the thousands of casino workers who found themselves out of work.

Workers leave a garment factory at the end of their shift in Cambodia in 2016. (Marcel Crozet/ILO/Creative Commons)

As Cambodia Sheds Factory Jobs, Family Farms Lose a Lifeline

Hammered by years of debt, drought and desperation, Cambodia’s smallholder farmers have long supported themselves by sending family to work in Phnom Penh factories. But the pandemic has upended the arrangement, forcing unemployed workers back to failing farms.

A boy in the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Thom province in May 2017. (VOD)

Pursat Students Dropping Out Amid Low Incomes, Poor Connectivity

Saing Beth, 17, says he’s already abandoned his dream of becoming a police officer. Driving a taxi, as he’s doing now, is not as rewarding, but his family need the money. “Where could they get the money for me to finish school, since they have no income?”

Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng, center, speaks to officers while monitoring Covid-19 curfews on July 31, 2021, in a photo posted to the Phnom Penh City Hall Facebook page.

Border Province Restrictions, Phnom Penh Curfew Extended

Restrictions in border provinces and elsewhere will remain in place for at least another week to try to curb the spread of Covid-19’s Delta variant, while Phnom Penh restrictions including its curfew have also been extended.

Workers mostly stay in their rented rooms during a self-isolation period, coming out occasionally to buy food, at a block of dorms where garment workers live in Phnom Penh’s Choam Chao commune on April 22, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Unions Urge Brands to Intervene on Suspension Pay Law Dispute

Garment and footwear unions asked brands to make their Cambodian suppliers pay workers that they say were short-changed during lockdowns, suspensions and permanent closures, in effect asking brands to intervene on the way the Labor Ministry and factories interpret the law.

Nhung, 61, born in Cambodia, escaped targeted killings against ethnic Vietnamese residents during the Khmer Rouge era. She speaks to reporters after being evicted from her home on the river by Phnom Penh authorities. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen)

Stateless Fishers Cast Out by Cambodia, Shut Out by Vietnam

Both Nhung, 61, and Sok, 46, have lived their whole lives in Cambodia except to escape Khmer Rouge purges against ethnic Vietnamese. Now, alongside hundreds, they have been evicted from floating homes here, some told to cross a border blockaded by Vietnamese ships.

Srey Bandaul, co-founder of Phare Ponleu Selpak, stands among sculptures and paintings in a gallery, in a photo provided by Phare.

Artist, Phare School Founder Dies From Covid-19 at Age 49

Srey Bandaul, 49, one of the founders of world-renowned art school Phare Ponleu Selpak, died from Covid-19 on Wednesday evening. “He passionately believed in arts as a tool to heal. Arts healed him and made him a more peaceful person. He truly embodied the arts,” the school’s director said.

Hong Sok, 48, a farmer in dispute with Heng Huy Agriculture Group over his family's farmland, stands in front of an area that he says was cleared, in Koh Kong province's Sre Ambel district on June 29, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Weary From Sugar Conflicts, Koh Kong Residents Brace for More Clearing

Sre Ambel residents have long dealt with land issues related to infamous sugarcane plantations nearby. Activity on those plantations appears to be waning, but they are now bracing for more problems as an opaque state program privatizes swaths of protected areas across the province.

Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks for more than four hours during the launch of children's vaccination campaign, in a photo posted to the premier's Facebook page on August 1, 2021.

Hun Sen Launches Youth Vaccinations With Political Speech

With just over a year left on a political ban for opposition officials, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would hand out “rehabilitation” pardons only if it “makes me pleased,” while saying he would stay in power until he “no longer wants to do it anymore.”

Cambodian migrant worker Sa Phay’s rented room in Rangsit, Thailand, on November 11, 2019 (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

As Border Shuts, Cambodians in Thailand Face Bleak Outlook

Heng Sreynop says she lives in a red zone in Thailand, and fears Covid-19. She says she understands why the borders need to be closed, but it adds to the pressure. “If we wanted to escape, we couldn’t escape. We don’t know where to escape.”

Authorities at the O'Smach International Border Checkpoint check temperatures of Cambodian workers returning from Thailand, in a photograph posted to the Immigration Department's Facebook page on March 23, 2020.

Hundreds Rush Home From Thailand Before Border Closure

More than 300 Cambodians came through the O’Smach checkpoint in Oddar Meanchey — almost as many as had returned this whole month — ahead of the closing of borders with Thailand, while other border provinces prepared curfews and lockdown restrictions.

Authorities guard a roadblock at Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey II commune on April 10, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

In Phnom Penh, Tightened Restrictions Reflect Vigilance Against Delta

Commune authorities said on Thursday they would ban dining in at restaurants but allow alcohol sales for drinking at home, as a Phnom Penh councilor explained the need for heightened vigilance against the looming Covid-19 Delta variant despite a lull in local infections.

Curfew, Ban on Gatherings With Alcohol Ordered Nationwide Amid Delta Fears

Phnom Penh is banning gatherings with alcohol or with more than 10 people, as well as going out after 9 p.m., following a nationwide order for municipal and provincial authorities to implement the measures to stop the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19, while eight border provinces will also enter three-tiered lockdown tonight for two weeks.

Protester Prum Chantha is surrounded by people taking photos and uniformed authorities near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 4, 2021. (Va Sopheanut/VOD)

CNRP Activist Handed 18-Month Sentence for Nationalist Comments at Rally

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced a former opposition party activist to a year and half in prison for comments posted in a video clip calling the government soft against the country’s Vietnamese minority, which were made during a rally for jailed unionist Rong Chhun.

Authorities at the O'Smach International Border Checkpoint check temperatures of Cambodian workers returning from Thailand, in a photograph posted to the Immigration Department's Facebook page on March 23, 2020.

Up to Quarter of Returnees From Thailand Testing Positive for Covid-19

As much as 25 percent of migrant workers coming back from Covid-stricken Thailand are testing positive, according to provincial authorities, as some returnees said they believe they are contracting the disease in crowded quarantine centers along the border.

Activists protest in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2020, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association.

On Trial Again After Covid Delay, Activists Say They Have No Regrets

Youth activists who were charged with incitement over their participation in protests for the release of jailed unionist Rong Chhun defended their innocence in their second trial hearing on Tuesday, saying their actions amounted to freedom of expression.

A dump truck travels across a construction site in Koh Kong province's Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary on June 27, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Koh Kong’s Mass Land Privatization Elicits Doubt, Laughter From Villagers

As part of a massive government campaign to privatize land, ostensibly for poor families, Cambodia has cut off nearly 127,000 hectares from Koh Kong’s protected parks. In part one of reports from the province, Tuol Koki commune residents laugh off the prospects of benefiting from the campaign.

A man checks the news on his smartphone. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

After Gov’t Warning, Smart Says Number Transfer Was a One-Off Incident

Malaysia-based Telecom provider Smart Axiata admitted Friday there was one case where a customer’s existing number had been transferred to a new subscriber, after the Telecommunications Ministry warned of punitive action against the service provider for transferring active numbers.

An excavator sits on a dirt road in the middle of the swampy land, which former residents and farmers say used to fill with sewage, in Boeng Tompun I commune on July 21, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Boeng Tompun Residents’ Land Dug Up for City Reservoir

Excavators have started digging a waste-water treatment reservoir off a wastewater canal in Boeng Tompun I commune, with Phnom Penh authorities telling the land’s claimants they had no claim to the land.

A cement truck leaves the Naga 3 construction site in Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac commune on July 10, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Only 377 NagaWorld Workers Still Holding Out Against Layoffs: Union

In a move a labor group said was unprecedented, NagaWorld is calling on governmental labor inspectors to authorize the dismissal of a group of union leaders as part of the casino’s mass layoffs, overriding the legal protections unionists enjoy unless they have committed serious offenses, a workers’ representative said.

Mother Nature activist Sun Ratha stands in front of a pile of trash on the beach in Sihanoukville in a screenshot from a video posted to Facebook on January 24, 2020.

Jailed Environmentalists Further Charged With Plotting, Insulting King

Three Mother Nature environmentalists arrested last year and already serving jail terms for incitement have been handed two further charges, insulting the king and plotting, which carry maximum jail sentences of five and 10 years respectively, their lawyer said.

Workers protest at the Hui W Travel Agent construction site in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district on July 20, 2021. (Supplied)

Phnom Penh Construction Workers Protest Over Late Payments

Around 30 construction workers protested at the Hui W Travel Agent construction site — a firm connected to Chinese payment service Huione — after they were not paid salaries, with a resolution reached hours later.

Lay priest Tith Ros, 79, performs a blessing ritual for pagoda visitors at Wat Nirouth on September 3, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Monks Hunker Down in Pagodas Amid Covid-19 Fears

As tens of thousands of Covid-19 cases mount across the country, lives inside Cambodia’s pagodas have become marked by caution and practical concerns — more cooking and fewer ceremonies — while creating a void of Buddhist teachings for the nation, monks said.

Families in Dark as Covid-19 Spreads in Siem Reap Prison

Twenty-six female inmates at the Siem Reap Provincial Prison have further tested positive for Covid-19, as family members of jailed rapper Kea Sokun as well as opposition activist Mao Sarin said they hadn’t seen their jailed relatives in months and were concerned for their health.

Choung Choungy outside the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh on November 11, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

CNRP Lawyer’s Amnesty Request Delayed by Legal Complaint

Former CNRP lawyer and board member Choung Choungy has applied for political rehabilitation — after being banned by the Supreme Court in 2017 — but an Interior Ministry spokesperson said his reentry into politics could be hampered by an unresolved court case.

Logs of an ‘endangered species’ seized in Hong Kong after arriving in containers from Cambodia. (Hong Kong Customs)

Forestry Crimes Up 15 Percent, Official Insists Large-Scale Logging Eliminated

Authorities have been claiming victory over illegal logging for years, including in 2016 following the establishment of a national anti-logging task force. Taskforce spokesman Eng Hy told the Cambodia Daily at the time that “illegal logging has been completely stopped,” despite the seizure of 5,431 cubic meters of luxury wood in one haul in Kratie province.

Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine (Flickr/CC)

Covid-19 Vaccine Dose Interval Increased to Be Closer to Recommended Span

In an announcement this week, the Health Ministry said the change to a 21-day interval was made based on a report from a Covid-19 commission and approval from Hun Sen. Vaccinations have already been underway for five months, and more than 5 million people have received doses.

Sambath Sotherith takes a masked selfie with patients in a Covid-19 treatment center in Kampong Cham province in the background during his admission in June. (Supplied)

In Crowded Treatment Centers, Patients Describe Stress of Covid-19 Diagnosis

The Covid-19 patients who find themselves in provincial and Phnom Penh quarantine centers say they have struggled with the stress, boredom and lack of information and doctor attention during their stay, but several people said dance breaks and meditation helped them power through the confusion and anxiety.

Residents set up tents to block bulldozers from clearing rice fields within the new Phnom Penh airport project in Kandal province's Kandal Stung district on May 17, 2021. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Journalist Reporting on New Airport’s Land Dispute Faces Pressure

News publisher Los Seng, of Los Seng News, says he is under pressure over covering land disputes related to Phnom Penh’s new international airport in Kandal province, warned to stop his reporting and told that a case against him was headed to court.

Bou Rachana drives away in a car carrying her murdered husband’s body in Phnom Penh on July 10, 2016. (VOD)

Interview: Kem Ley’s Wife Says Jailed Killer Is ‘Fake’

Though a killer was tried and sentenced to life in prison in 2017, Bou Rachana, wife of slain political analyst Kem Ley, says she is still in pain, raising their children alone in Australia, and has no faith in receiving true justice.

A plot of land sold by Wat Sovann Sakor in Kandal province, on July 12, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Pagoda’s Sale of Land in Akrei Khsat Could Be Illegal

A pagoda’s sale of unused marshland in Kandal’s Akrei Khsat commune for $400,000 will be investigated as a potentially illegal sale of state land, the provincial governor and Religion Ministry said.

Illicit drugs confiscated by authorities (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

More Than 7,000 Arrested for Drug Crimes in Six Months: Police

Police confiscated 759 kg of drugs and arrested 7,246 people in drug cases in the first six months of the year, according to National Police anti-drugs chief Mok Chito, who said traffickers were trying to take advantage of Covid-19 disruptions.

The gates of Prey Sar prison's Correctional Center 1 in Phnom Penh. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Covid-19 Infections Spread to Siem Reap Prison

Cases have now been announced in at least nine of the country’s 28 overcrowded prisons, as the Justice Ministry discusses measures to reduce inmate numbers by releasing those close to the end of their sentences. Ministry spokesperson Kim Santepheap said on Monday that Justice Minister Keut Rith was considering the decision.

People queue for vaccines on the street in front of Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey primary school on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Phnom Penh Claims 99.2 Percent Vaccinations as Campaign Closes

Health Ministry spokesperson Or Vandine posted a speech on Thursday saying that 2.13 million people had been vaccinated with at least their first doses in Phnom Penh — or 99.2 percent of the city’s population. She also raised the possibility of securing third doses for people in the future.

Laid-off Cintri workers at the company’s Dangkao district garage on July 6, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Fired Phnom Penh Garbage Workers Rail Against Broken Promises

Following years of complaints about poor service, Cintri was put under state management in 2019, and as of July its work split up among three companies. Promises to keep all employees on the payroll were broken when 1,176 workers were terminated as of July 1.

Dozens of villagers involved in a land dispute with Chinese company Union Development Group protest outside the Koh Kong provincial hall on February 3, 2020. (Adhoc)

Long-Absent Human Rights NGO Director Resigns

The director of human rights group Adhoc has resigned after five years living abroad following the arrests of his staff members, a decision seen as both an “opportunity” for new leadership in civil society and a new chapter for the NGO.

Protesters outside Phnom Penh Municipal Court on July 2, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Accused Tell Court That Protest Was Exercise of Freedom of Expression

A second trial hearing was held on Thursday into protesters charged with incitement after a rally outside the Chinese Embassy last October on the anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. They were submitting petitions to embassies around the capital about upholding the accord’s goal of bringing multiparty democracy to the country.

Mondulkiri mountain land that indigenous Bunong families allege has been sold off. (Supplied)

Phnom Penh Police Chief Named in Complaint Over Sale of Mountain Land

Indigenous Bunong protesters have filed a complaint to the Interior Ministry saying local officials and traders sold off nearly 20 hectares of state mountain land to Phnom Penh police chief Sar Thet and former Ratanakiri military police commander Kim Reaksmey.

Controversial Land Distribution Project to Enter Third Phase

The Land Management Ministry has announced it will aim to distribute 30,000 hectares to the country’s poor in the third phase of a World Bank-funded project, which previously came amid controversy over the bank suspending loans to Cambodia over forced evictions.

A Mother Nature Cambodia activist in disguise while filming a video released in November 2020 (Mother Nature Cambodia)

Interior Ministry Defends Arrests of Mother Nature Activists

Mother Nature activists were “gathering strength for an uprising” as evidenced by a Zoom conference where they insulted government leaders and the king, while three arrested activists acknowledged they wanted people to rise up, the Interior Ministry said.

Protesters from Kandal and Takeo provinces sit at a barricade constructed in Kandal Stung district's Boeng Khyang commune, taking shifts to protest, on June 22, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Residents in Dispute With New Airport Curse Developers in Ceremony

They feel intimidated by authorities, and a village official was detained and questioned over the weekend for standing up for the community, but residents protesting the new airport have built a small barricade of branches and cursed the developers in a ceremony.

Mother Nature activist Sun Ratha stands in front of a pile of trash on the beach in Sihanoukville in a screenshot from a video posted to Facebook on January 24, 2020.

Mother Nature Arrests Criticized, Gov’t-Linked Media Posts ‘Evidence’

International rights groups and embassies raised concerns over the recent arrests of Mother Nature environmentalists, as a government-aligned media outlet posted alleged evidence of a Zoom meeting where the activists appear to discuss a cartoon sketch of Prime Minister Hun Sen wearing a crown.

Sun Ratha, left, and Yim Leanghy sit inside a car in a photo posted to Mother Nature Cambodia's Facebook page on June 20, 2021.

Mother Nature Activists Charged for Alleged Plotting, Insulting King

Three Mother Nature environmentalists were charged on Monday and placed in pretrial detention at Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison, as the mother of one of the activists said she was in shock but buoyed by support on social media, including from celebrities.

A traffic police officer in Phnom Penh on September 15, 2020. (VOD)

Investigation Refutes Police Explanations of Alleged Torture Death

An Interior Ministry investigation refuted a string of Battambang police explanations of an alleged torture death — first that the detainee was beaten by villagers, then that he had a traffic accident, and third that he died from a drug overdose.

Authorities at the O'Smach International Border Checkpoint check temperatures of Cambodian workers returning from Thailand, in a photograph posted to the Immigration Department's Facebook page on March 23, 2020.

Cambodian Workers Caught Up in Thai Covid-19 Surge

Some Cambodian workers are caught in a wave of Covid-19 at their workplaces in Thailand and under pressure to maintain their livelihoods, while many others have fled back to Cambodia to escape the disease and the risk of difficulties in getting treatment or poor deals from employers.

Former Sar Kheng Aide Set to Head National Election Committee

Prach Chan, a ruling party lawmaker, former governor of Battambang and Tbong Khmum, and an ex-Interior Ministry official noted as a close aide to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, is set to become head of the National Election Committee.

Kandal province’s Koh Meas island, on the Mekong river, on June 16, 2021. (Andy Ball/VOD)

Khun Sea, Canopy Sands, Others Gain in Gov’t Land and Water Grants

Cambodia has in recent months privatized more than 120,000 hectares of land, lake and sea, according to a review of decrees published this year. In Kandal, developer Khun Sea has received a Mekong island, where some inhabitants are previous evictees of Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island.

Yim Leanghy and Ly Chandaravuth, in photos supplied by CYN.

Authorities Mum on Report of Environmental Activists’ Arrests

An NGO officer said three young environmental activists were taken into custody in Phnom Penh and a fourth detained in Kandal province on Wednesday, but authorities have not confirmed the reported arrests, with National Police referring reporters to a Covid-19 committee.

Two women fill out Covid-19 vaccine forms at the entrance to the vaccine station at Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey primary school on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

First Doses Hit 3M as Provinces Next in Line Gear Up for Vaccinations

Phnom Penh’s vaccination campaign has reached the city’s last three districts, while provinces are gearing up to be next in line for jabs as the Health Ministry announced it had hit the 3 million mark for first doses out of a target of 10 million people vaccinated nationwide.

A fence with the Khmer word for "disputed" written in red, in Preah Sihanouk province's Prey Nob district on December 1, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Land Dispute Representative Arrested a Year After Court Verdict

A community representative in a Preah Sihanouk land dispute was arrested in a case in which three Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community members were also sentenced to jail last year, and which has previously been reported as involving Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Ly.

A shopper selects vegetables at a street market stall near Phnom Penh's Olympic Market ahead of the two-week citywide market shutdown on April 24, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Phnom Penh Public Markets Allowed to Reopen All Stalls

Public markets have been allowed to reopen all stalls — not only essential items — in a late-night announcement by Phnom Penh City Hall, as shoppers on Tuesday welcomed a return to relatively normal routines.

The gates of Prey Sar prison’s Correctional Center 1 in Phnom Penh. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

10 to 20 Percent of Inmates Got Covid-19 at Infected Prisons

Ten to 20 percent of inmates at infected prisons — likely thousands of prisoners — were found with Covid-19, as a prison official said that weeks of concealing the extent of the outbreak was about preventing riots and protecting prison guards.

A man buys scrap metal from floating house residents who were told to dismantle their houses in Phnom Penh's Prek Pnov district on June 12, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Floating Fish Farms Drift Upstream as Eviction Deadline Hits

Floating fish farms floated 5 km north temporarily, those without fish worked to dismantle their homes, and some moved onto a wooden platform on shore, as the deadline for Phnom Penh floating communities’ evictions passed this weekend.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman meet at Phnom Penh’s Peace Palace on June 1, 2021, in a photo posted to Hun Sen’s Facebook page.

US Official Doesn’t Get Full Access to Ream Base, Calls Off Visit

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh said a defense attaché was not granted “full access” to Ream Naval Base during a much-hyped visit on Friday, after a senior U.S. State Department official questioned the alleged presence of Chinese military personnel at the base.

Residents watch as authorities clear land in Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changva district, near an OCIC satellite city development. (Keat Soriththeavy/VOD)

Chroy Changva Authorities Clear Resident’s Land Near OCIC Satellite City

Local authorities, accompanied by security forces, started clearing land in Chroy Changva district’s Prek Leap commune without any notice on Thursday, affecting one resident’s fencing and fish pond, near a satellite city being developed by the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation.

Srey Seath, wife of jailed CNRP activist Su Yean, speaks about her husband’s arrest, in Tbong Khmum province’s Memot district on May 20, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Fourteen Tbong Khmum Activists Due to Face Trial in a Week

A repeatedly delayed incitement trial for 14 activists in Tbong Khmum province has been scheduled again for next week, with families pleading for movement in the case — but a court spokesman said further potential delays would be up to the discretion of the judge.

Illicit drugs confiscated by authorities (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Cambodia ‘Increasingly Targeted’ for Drug Production by Organized Crime

Organized crime groups — with individuals commonly from China and Taiwan — are “increasingly targeting” Cambodia for the production of meth and ecstasy and the trafficking of ketamine, with international syndicates’ signature tea bags used for smuggling found in the country, a new report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says.

A protester holds up the bloodied shirt of Mom Chantha, who was shot by soldiers amid a land dispute, in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district on June 3, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Man Shot by Soldiers in Kandal Is Recovering, Calls for Justice

A man who was shot and injured in a clash between soldiers and residents in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district says he has now left Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital but wants compensation for medical expenses and settlements for villagers involved in the dispute.

National Election 2018

Trial Elections Scheduled in Two Weeks With New Technology

Mock elections across all provinces will be held on June 20 to trial a new vote-tallying system involving technology funded by Japan, the E.U. and China, ahead of upcoming 2022 commune elections that are scheduled for next June.

Authorities at the O'Smach International Border Checkpoint check temperatures of Cambodian workers returning from Thailand, in a photograph posted to the Immigration Department's Facebook page on March 23, 2020.

Thai Border on Alert as Imported Covid-19 Cases Rise

Health authorities have announced a rise in imported Covid-19 cases as Cambodian police say they are increasingly concerned about illegal crossings to and from Thailand amid pressures on people’s livelihoods.

Representatives from the NGO World Vision donate Mee Chiet instant noodles and other food to the Pur Senchey district office for distribution in a photo posted to the district's Facebook page on May 14, 2021.

Noodle and Water Tycoon Attains Higher Oknha Rank

Choeung Sokuntheavy, the tycoon overseeing Vital water and Mee Chiet noodles, gained the title of “neak oknha” earlier this year, a step up from the unembellished “oknha” title that has attracted controversy this year.

Vehicles to transport defendants from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to prison on February 4, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Two More Prisons Found With Covid-19, No Update on Numbers

New inmates arriving to Banteay Meanchey and Svay Rieng provincial prisons tested positive for Covid-19 — in the latter case, after being in contact with nearly 50 people — with the disease now having spread to at least seven prisons.

Political Petitioners Say Authorities Shoved Them Outside UN Office

Seven women handing a petition to the U.N. human rights office for the release of their jailed activist family members say they were surrounded by 30 to 40 officers, shoved into a flower bed, and told their small gathering required prior permission.

Protesters block a road in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district on June 3, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Soldiers Who Shot Farmer Were From Training School: RCAF

An armed forces spokesperson said on Friday that the group of soldiers that fired when confronted by farmers in Kandal province, hitting and wounding one, were from a Defense Ministry technical school, though he did not clarify whether they were trainees.

illustration of people holding Wanchalearm masks over their faces

What Happened to Wanchalearm?

A year after Wanchalearm Satsaksit vanished, authorities say there is no proof he was abducted in Phnom Penh. A joint investigation reveals details of the Thai dissident’s escape from Thailand, life in exile in Cambodia and the last days before he disappeared.

NagaWorld employees gather at the Labor Ministry in Phnom Penh, calling for financial support during work suspensions on June 16, 2020. (Khan Leakhena/VOD)

1,500 Thumbprints Collected to Challenge NagaWorld Dismissals

Casino workers from NagaWorld are collecting thumbprints to file a complaint with the Labor Ministry after the gambling behemoth began the process of laying off more than 1,000 workers last week, allegedly targeting union leaders and members.

Authorities guard a roadblock at Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey II commune on April 10, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

11 Jailed, 390 Fined, 1,478 Quarantined for Covid Violations in Capital

Eleven people in the capital were jailed for allegedly violating harsh Covid-19 measures put in place since April, a police spokesperson said, and hundreds of others had been fined or sent to quarantine, but eventually released, for not following the city’s lockdown rules.

People queue for vaccines on the street in front of Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey primary school on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Phnom Penh Vaccinations to Be Finished This Month: Health Ministry

Phnom Penh’s vaccination campaign will be finished this month as progress has been faster than planned, the Health Ministry said, with districts reporting vaccination rates that project to more than half of their populations having received first doses on average.

Drug Production, Distribution Network Raided in Kandal, Phnom Penh

Six men have been arrested and 100 kilograms of drugs seized in a crackdown on a network of eight drug production and distribution sites across Phnom Penh and Kandal province amid an ongoing rise in drug trafficking in the country, authorities said.

Kampot Imposes Curfew in Fear of Covid-19 Spread From Casino

Kampot has imposed a province-wide curfew and ban on alcohol sales after more than 200 Covid-19 cases were found at a casino along the Vietnamese border, with an official saying there were fears that visitors who were in potential contact had spread across the province.

Rice for sale in Phnom Penh's Boeng Keng Kang market on March 8, 2020 (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

Three People Detained for Donating Rice to Residents of Disputed Land

Banteay Meanchey environmental authorities arrested three people as they tried to distribute food donations to families embroiled in a land dispute in a protected area, where a local official referred questions about the dispute to the prime minister’s cabinet.

Residents set up tents to block bulldozers from clearing rice fields within the new Phnom Penh airport project in Kandal province's Kandal Stung district on May 17, 2021. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Residents Affected by Airport Development Project Protest Again

A standoff between residents on land earmarked for Phnom Penh’s new international airport against developers and authorities continues, as the gulf between the land’s rising value and authorities’ insistence on paying only pre-development prices as compensation widens.

A fence with the Khmer word for "disputed" written in red, in Preah Sihanouk province's Prey Nob district on December 1, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Hun Sen’s Nephew Caught Up in Preah Sihanouk Land Dispute

Some 100 Preah Sihanouk villagers protested in support of six families whose land is being claimed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s nephew, as the nephew said he had a legal title to the land while the local commune chief said he didn’t know how Hun Chea had obtained it.

Chhim Sithar, a union leader at NagaWorld, speaks to the casino’s employees in 2019. (Chhim Sithar’s Facebook page)

NagaWorld’s Top Union Leaders Receive Dismissal Notices

Senior NagaWorld union leaders all received dismissal notices amid the casino’s plan to lay off more than 1,000 employees, a union official said, in what some labor and civil society observers labeled an attempt to eliminate the active union from the workplace.

Protesters outside the US Embassy on May 28, 2021 call for the release of political prisoners amid a Covid-19 outbreak in the country’s prisons, in a screenshot from a video supplied by protesters’ families.

No ‘Specific Information’ on Prisons’ Covid-19 Outbreaks, UN Says

Through prison guards and unnamed NGOs, the wives and brother of three jailed dissidents have been told their imprisoned relatives have Covid-19, amid outbreaks in at least four of the nation’s prisons, the extent of which has not been revealed by the government.

Logs of an ‘endangered species’ seized in Hong Kong after arriving in containers from Cambodia. (Hong Kong Customs)

Activists Urge Investigation Into Rare Wood Seized in Hong Kong

Activists and civil society organizations called for an investigation into more than 200 tons of endangered wood seized in Hong Kong about a month ago, as the agriculture minister said he had yet to receive the exporter’s details from Hong Kong authorities.

A barrier blocking a street into the Toul Svay Prey I "orange zone" in Phnom Penh on May 1, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Phnom Penh Down to Two Orange Zones Where Covid-19 Has Surged

Phnom Penh City Hall has designated parts of two villages in Pur Senchey and Russei Keo districts as “orange zones,” shutting down travel and businesses in a return to restrictions for a factory area and a dense urban neighborhood.

Kampong Thom provincial police chief Ouk Kosal speaks at a National Police ceremony on July 29, 2020, in this photograph posted to the Facebook page of the Kampong Thom Provincial Police.

Interior Ministry Defends Closing Police Chief’s Sexual Assault Case

An Interior Ministry official said it closed a sexual abuse investigation against a Kampong Thom police chief after the accusers did not go to court, defending the ministry for failing to respond to three high-profile sexual assault and harassment cases in the past year.

A customer at Boeng Keng Kang market scans the Stop Covid-19 QR code before entering during a limited reopening on May 24, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Markets Reopen Slowly as Covid-19 Fears Persist

Some vendors spent Monday cleaning their stalls in anticipation of opening for sales on Tuesday, but amid persistent Covid-19 fears as well as precautions — which restrict reopenings to only sellers of essential foodstuffs — the return of market activity was a trickle rather than a rush.

Business owners start taking down beer signs, in photos posted to the Facebook page of Kampong Speu province’s Chbar Mon city administration.

Rural Beer Billboards Come Down in Kampong Speu

Kampong Speu business owners have about a week to pull down the beer billboards commonly found outside restaurants all over the country, as the province hopes the move will beautify its roads and sidewalks.

Srey Seath, wife of jailed CNRP activist Su Yean, speaks about her husband’s arrest, in Tbong Khmum province’s Memot district on May 20, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Opposition Spirit Down, but Not Out, in Tbong Khmum

Tbong Khmum, the nation’s youngest province, has faced a sharp crackdown against opposition supporters in the last several months, with at least nine activists in jail. But family members of imprisoned CNRP supporters say they will not be silenced.

Mother with child (Pixabay)

Opinion: We Celebrate Mother’s Day, but Do Little to Empower Them

Through my grandmother who raised me, I learned about the challenges of unpaid household work, stigma against women, poor social services and the absence of government support — you name it. Thirty years later, I still see women, particularly working moms, struggling to fight for equal treatment, writes Sopharith Sin.

Police raid a condominium in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Keng Kang II commune for drugs on May 18, 2021. (National Police)

Police Detain 45 for Drugs in Phnom Penh Condo Raid

After a police raid this week netted about 300 grams of illicit drugs and other chemicals at a Phnom Penh condo, 45 suspects were being held by authorities and tested for drugs on Thursday, a police official said.

People walk near Independence Monument in Phnom Penh on March 26, 2020. (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

Red Zones Lifted as Capital’s Covid-19 Cases Dip

Phnom Penh’s “red zones,” the areas of the capital with the most restrictive Covid-19 lockdown measures, were removed effective Thursday, leaving most of the city in yellow-designated areas with about a dozen “orange” pockets remaining.

Si Fah and her son sit on their boat and home docked at Phnom Penh's Chroy Changva commune on May 18, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Phnom Penh Fishers’ Boats, Incomes Plummet in Stronger Storms

Storm surges this month have ripped through a fishing community on the riverbanks of Phnom Penh, sinking boats, belongings and stores of food. Amid warnings of intensifying storms amid climate change, the families, who live on boats along the shore, speak of their anxieties about the future, and say they can only endure.

A bulldozer pushing sand and dirt into the wetlands, next to community farms in 2020 near Boeng Choeng Ek (STT)

Resort Encroaches on Community Wetlands, 11 Workers Arrested

An under-construction resort in Banteay Meanchey province allegedly began clearing an adjacent protected wetland and its flooded forests — designated as shelter for breeding fish — leading to the arrests of 11 workers, local police said.

Road maintenance workers carry out repairs on National Road 4 in Preah Sihanouk province’s Kampong Seila district in October 2016, in this photo posted to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s Facebook page.

Widening of National Road 4 to Preah Sihanouk Set to Start Next Year

One of the country’s key trucking routes linking the capital to Sihanoukville’s coastal port is set for widening in a $100-million, World Bank-financed project starting next year, as a parallel expressway under construction is also now about 50 percent complete, the Transport Ministry said.

Former CNRP vice president Pol Ham gives a speech in Kandal province in 2016 in a photo posted to Kem Sokha's Facebook page.

Former Opposition Deputy Applies for ‘Political Rehabilitation’

A former vice president of the outlawed opposition CNRP has broken with the strident wing of the party in asking the government to be reinstated to politics this week, a course of action that a party co-founder has previously criticized as effective betrayal.

People queue for vaccines on the street in front of Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey primary school on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

WHO, Gov’t Stress Continued Vigilance as Covid-19 Numbers Ease

Cambodia’s Covid-19 numbers appear to be on the decline, but authorities stressed the need for continued vigilance as outbreaks have emerged across the region, and say they are keeping particularly close watch on factories and dense urban areas.

pxhere.com/Public Domain

Opinion: Yubi — Yes, This Is the Way It Has Been

“Is this how things are supposed to happen in Cambodia?” Mean Pich Rita, who has accused an oknha of attempted rape, asks her mother in a widely circulated video. It is painful and frustrating to have to give a simple but true answer to this question: Yes, this is the way it has been, writes Future Forum researcher Theang Soriya.

Mean Pich Rita is comforted by her mother in a video posted to social media.

Tycoon’s Daughter, Son-in-Law Arrested in Student Attempted-Rape Case

The daughter and son-in-law of tycoon Heng Sier — who is accused of attempted rape by a university student — were arrested after recruiting lookalikes to make a video reenactment of the businessman’s encounter with her, and also shared pornographic images allegedly of the student.

People who have recovered from Covid-19 in Preah Sihanouk province wait to return home after being discharged from quarantine, in a photo posted to the provincial administration's Facebook page on May 13, 2021.

Covid-19 Cases Decline in Former Epicenters, Provincial Disclosures Uneven

Just over a week after Phnom Penh began a widespread easing of Covid-19 restrictions, Preah Sihanouk province has lifted red zones, Prey Veng is publishing photos of people who tested positive with Covid-19, and some provinces appear not to be releasing new infection numbers at all.

A vegetable vendor stops her bike in front of a Covid-19 restricted zone gate along Phnom Penh's Veng Sreng Blvd on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Government Reinstates Promise of Red-Zone Cash for Neediest

The government has renewed its promise to give cash aid to low-income people living in the capital’s most restrictive “red zone” lockdown areas, of about $39 to $78 for families and $40 to garment workers, following a string of protests over livelihoods.

Mean Pich Rita is comforted by her mother in a video posted to social media.

Student TV Presenter Accuses Oknha of Attempted Rape

A student and television presenter who was detained after a tycoon accused her of theft has filed a complaint against the tycoon alleging he tried to rape her, leading to calls for justice for the woman across social media.

Prek Tnoat fishing community in Kampot province’s Toek Chhou district in 2020.

Senator’s Death Clouds Future of $1.5B Kampot Beach Development

A Kampot province port and seaside sand-filling project has gone quiet after the senator leading the project died amid disputes with two marine fishing communities, though the late politician’s assistant says the development has not been abandoned.

Logs of an ‘endangered species’ seized in Hong Kong after arriving in containers from Cambodia. (Hong Kong Customs)

Hong Kong Seizes Containers With 211 Tons of Endangered Wood From Cambodia

Hong Kong Customs reported it had seized seven containers containing HK$1.1 million (US$140,000) worth of wood that arrived from Cambodia between April 29 and May 5, saying it was the largest cache of protected wood the department had caught in the last five years.

A Phnom Penh mosque is closed for Covid-19 precautions as Ramadan draws to an end, on the evening of May 11, 2021. (Samoeun Nicseybon/VOD)

As Ramadan Nears End, Muslim Community Anticipates Subdued Festivities

After a month of fasting, Phnom Penh’s Muslim community would normally gather at mosques for meals and prayers through the night. But as Ramadan this year nears its end, mosques remain shuttered as a public health measure, and members of the community say they will celebrate alone.

Protesters block National Road 5 near the border of Pursat and Kampong Chhnang provinces in a second protest on May 11, 2021. (Khut Sokun/VOD)

Land Protesters Block Road as Reporter’s Equipment Confiscated

Hundreds of Kampong Chhnang residents blocked a national road in Pursat province on Tuesday so they could resume farming on land they say they have tended for decades, as authorities confiscated a recorder and deleted photos belonging to a VOD reporter covering the protest.

Ex-Opposition Officials, Family Fear Future Attacks, Want Investigations

Former CNRP officials and their families say they are worried that assaults against them will continue, “again and again,” and remain unsolved by police, following last month’s attack against a 15-year-old — whose mother says she was “neglectful” for not making him wear a helmet outside.

A woman walks by the Health Ministry in Phnom Penh on January 29, 2020 (Panha Chorpoan/VOD)

Covid-19 Case Details Withheld, Market Closures Extended a Week

The Health Ministry is withholding Covid-19 case details under leaders’ instructions, as they are kept at the provincial level, preparing them nationally could take too long, neighboring countries also give only broad totals, and officials want to do more analysis, a spokesperson said.

A gold bar (Bullion Vault/Flickr)

Cambodia’s Gold Exports Balloon to $3 Billion

Gold exports through “private transactions” jumped some 676 percent, from $388 million to $3 billion last year, with some attributing the surge to investors selling their holdings due to a price rise, and others suggesting a potential link to gold smuggling to Vietnam.

Phuon Keoreaksmey outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on May 5, 2021. (Sok Chantravuth/VOD)

Embassies, Rights Advocates Decry Mother Nature Verdict

Foreign embassies and rights advocates have decried the sentencing of three members of an environmentalist group to more than a year in prison over their activism, with some, including the group’s founder, saying they should be released and their calls for environmental protection supported rather than criminalized.

Guards at the gate of the Y&W Garment factory in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on March 3, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Garment Factories Brace for Opening, or More Delays, After Lockdown Losses

Garment factories outside the strictest lockdown zones are looking to reopen with half their workforce and Covid-19 preventions as Phnom Penh eases lockdowns, but the restrictions have still had an impact on cash flow and production for several garment industry players as well as workers.

Thun Ratha and Phuon Keoreaksmey outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on May 5, 2021. (Sok Chantravuth/VOD)

Mother Nature Environmentalists Found Guilty of Incitement

UPDATED 12:26 p.m. — Three Mother Nature environmentalists were sentenced to jail for 18 to 20 months for incitement over their activism, while two others, including the group’s founder, were also found guilty in absentia.

A barrier blocking a street into the Toul Svay Prey I "orange zone" in Phnom Penh on May 1, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Warning of Legal Action for Broadcasts From Red Zones, Following Ambulances

Journalists broadcasting from red zones, following ambulances or making misleading conclusions “without clear background” will face legal action, the Information Ministry said on Tuesday, as a spokesperson explained that the measures were needed as some had made reports without first verifying with relevant parties.

Authorities stop drivers at a barricade in front of the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Bridge into the Chroy Changvar commune "orange zone" on May 1, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Hun Sen Suggests Move Toward Targeted, not Citywide, Lockdowns

Prime Minister Hun Sen has suggested the country will move toward targeted lockdowns in small areas rather than citywide or provincial-level restrictions, as Phnom Penh’s lockdown nears the end of its third week, according to a government spokesperson.

Traffic builds up at a roadblock outside Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey II commune on April 10, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

8,000 Active Cases, a Record Daily Increase: Another Tough Week

Phnom Penh continues to see the bulk of new cases: 2,934 were announced in the past week. And Pur Senchey and Meanchey districts remain the worst-hit areas in the capital, recording 852 and 656 new cases for the week, according to City Hall data compiled by VOD.

Market-Stall Rents Vex Vendors, Governor Advises They Defer Paying

The question of reducing rents for spaces at closed-down markets is stalled amid an ongoing surge of Covid-19 cases, with the Phnom Penh governor telling vendors to hold off on paying until the outbreak is stopped and authorities can negotiate with owners.

Former CNRP Official’s 16-Year-Old Son Attacked With Brick

The 15-year-old son of a former opposition official was struck in the head with a brick by unidentified attackers this week while picking up his mother, a “Friday Women of Cambodia” protester, from buying food, she said.

A courtroom equipped with transparent screen as Covid-19 precautions, in a photo posted to Justice Ministry official Kim Santepheap’s Facebook page on April 16, 2021.

Over 100 People Facing Court Cases for Covid-19 Violations

Following hundreds of arrests, at least 102 people are facing court charges for Covid-19 violations, including more than a dozen put on trial without a lawyer after the accused chose to represent themselves in their misdemeanor cases, according to court officials.

Traffic builds up at a roadblock at Phnom Penh’s Stung Meanchey II commune on April 10, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

‘February 20’ Cluster in Numbers: 7,600 and Climbing

Phnom Penh has been at the center of the recent Covid-19 outbreak, reporting more than 2,000 cases in the past week, according to Phnom Penh City Hall data. The outbreak has spread rapidly through the city’s markets and factories — leading to the country’s first lockdown and the creation of “red zones.”

Lettuce Rots as Markets Shut Down, Farmers Say

Some vegetable growers in Kandal province say their produce is rotting in their fields as Phnom Penh markets are shut down for the Covid-19 lockdown and traders face a crackdown by continuing to sell in violation of public health measures.

Deum Ampil market in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Keng Kang district on April 19, 2021, in a photo posted to Facebook by the Health Ministry.

Vegetable Sales Shift, Go Underground as Over a Dozen Markets Shut Down

Vegetable sales in Stung Meanchey, now declared a “red zone,” was happening secretly in houses, sellers said, while a commune chief said he was cracking down on the 60 Meter wholesale trade, confiscating carts and taking “serious action” to prevent public disorder.

A courtroom equipped with transparent screen as Covid-19 precautions, in a photo posted to Justice Ministry official Kim Santepheap’s Facebook page on April 16, 2021.

Covid-19 Arrests: Parties, Not Wearing Masks, Smuggling on Ambulances

Five people have been sentenced to one year in prison in Kampong Cham and Takeo provinces for violating the Covid-19 Law after drinking in groups against public health protocols, amid a slew of arrests across the country for parties, illegal travel, not wearing masks and breaking curfew.

A road closure during the Covid-19 lockdown near Phnom Penh's Olympic Market on April 15, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Commune Authorities Look to Enforce Tightening Lockdown Requirements

Local-level authorities are navigating the enforcement of Phnom Penh and Takhmao city’s tightening lockdown rules amid an ongoing Covid-19 surge, saying commuters need permits but delivery drivers do not, and limited outdoor exercise is being allowed while preserving safety.

(ADB/Creative Commons)

Longer Delay Recommended Between Covid-19 Vaccine Doses

Recent research and manufacturer guidelines say some of the Covid-19 vaccines available in Cambodia are likely more effective when individuals wait longer for their second shots, as vaccines have been distributed in some cases at an interval as short as two weeks.

Toul Tom Poung market around 6:30 p.m. on April 14, 2021. (Huy Ousa/VOD)

Updated: Hun Sen Officially Declares Lockdown of Phnom Penh

UPDATED 8:56 a.m. — Phnom Penh residents are restricted from leaving their homes except to buy food three times a week or for work and emergencies, and business activities must be curtailed except for those that provide for “daily needs” or are conducted online, Prime Minister Hun Sen declared just before midnight.

Fishing in Siem Reap province on January 10, 2021. (Mech Choulay/VOD)

A Floating Village’s Fishers Drift to New Work as Fish Disappear

“I love this fishing boat so much. Every time I sleep on it I feel like I have [another] house,” says Suong Rang in Kampong Phluk. But the fisherman has recently turned to making flower pots instead amid declining water levels and fish stocks.

Hundreds of Travel Violations Lead to One $250 Fine

Hundreds of people have been caught violating the countrywide inter-provincial travel ban, landing them in quarantine, including one man fined $250 after fleeing quarantine in Kandal and traveling to Pursat.

Photographic portraits of prisoners at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. (Christian Haugen/Creative Commons)

Man Who Edited S-21 Photos Slammed: ‘Why Change the History?’

Cambodia’s Culture Ministry called out Vice News and a photo editing company after the media outlet featured photos of S-21 prisoners edited to have smiling faces, which Khmer Rouge survivors and family members called traumatizing.

WHO's Cambodia representative Li Ailan in 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Cambodia ‘on the Brink of a National Tragedy’: WHO

Covid-19 has been spreading through Phnom Penh restaurants, markets, small businesses, private gatherings and parties, and Cambodia stands “on the brink of a national tragedy” unless the outbreak is stopped, the World Health Organization said in a statement issued Saturday.

Health Ministry spokesperson Or Vandine points at a coronavirus image at a press conference at the ministry on February 23, 2021. (VOD)

Updated: More Than 500 New Covid-19 Cases, Alerts at Markets, Factory

UPDATED at 6:32 p.m. — The Health Ministry on Friday afternoon reported 576 new cases of Covid-19, a new record by far, with most of the cases in Phnom Penh. The ministry urged people who had visited four markets in the capital as well as family members of workers at a Meanchey district factory to self-isolate or come forward for testing.

Fishers cast nets in Kandal province, on January 17, 2019 (Fisheries Administration)

Fish Catch, Exports See Significant Drop in First Quarter

Fish catch and exports dropped during the first quarter of the year, according to an Agriculture Ministry report, with fisherfolk attributing the drop to changing weather patterns, low water levels and illegal fishing practices.

Guards spray alcohol sanitizer near motorbike parking at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, which was a temporary Covid-19 testing center on December 8, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

‘There Will Be More of These Surges,’ WHO Warns Region

Increasing travel by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the emergence of new Covid-19 variants, and a global vaccine shortage are among factors that are prolonging the pandemic and will lead to further coronavirus outbreaks in the region, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

A roadblock on National Road 6 between Phnom Penh and Kandal province on the morning of April 10, 2020 (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Travel Ban for Two Weeks Announced

UPDATED 10 p.m. — Travel between provinces has been banned for two weeks from Wednesday through April 20, spanning the Khmer New Year holidays amid the country’s worst Covid-19 outbreak to date, the government announced in a statement late Tuesday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen points on a map to Cambodia's Block A offshore oil concession, where KrisEnergy has extracted the nation's first drops of oil, in a photo posted to his Facebook page on December 29, 2020.

Indebted Oil Company Reports Lower-Than-Expected Oil at Cambodian Block

KrisEnergy has warned that its current production rate at Cambodia’s Apsara offshore oil block has yielded only around half the company’s projected peak rate, and it has extended debt repayment deadlines and brought in an engineering firm to assess the situation amid “material uncertainty … to continue as a going concern.”

Officers outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Three Men Arrested for Party Allegedly Violating Covid-19 Measures

Three men drinking and singing through loudspeakers in a rented room in Phnom Penh late Sunday afternoon have been arrested for allegedly violating the city’s Covid-19 measures, which include a requirement for social distancing in all public and private areas except for people who live together and certain other exemptions.

A crowd at the Angkor Sangkran event in Siem Reap during Khmer New Year in 2019, in this photograph posted to the Siem Reap Provincial Government’s Facebook page.

Gather Only With Family, No Water Play During Khmer New Year: City Hall

Sangkran events are canceled across the city and residents should gather only within households and avoid splashing water or lighting firecrackers as part of celebrations, Phnom Penh City Hall said on Monday, further tightening Khmer New Year public health measures.

Lay priest Tith Ros, 79, performs a blessing ritual for pagoda visitors at Wat Nirouth on September 3, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Pagoda Visits OK, Should ‘Reduce’ Singing, Dancing for Khmer New Year

The Health Ministry is discouraging people from traveling to high-risk Covid-19 areas during the Khmer New Year and suggests reducing gatherings, drinking, dancing and singing, stopping short of banning festivities amid the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak to date.

Covid-19 precautions outside Phnom Penh’s Build Bright University on April 2, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

As Pandemic Keeps Campuses Shut, University Students Learn to Adapt

With schools shut nationwide for the third time since the start of the pandemic, and university enrollment down slightly last year, students say they have struggled with finances and months of online learning, with some deferring their studies or calling for tuition reductions.

Supporters of the outlawed opposition CNRP hold up Cambodian flags near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Sam Rainsy’s Facebook Newsreader Returns From Exile, Joins CPP

Three former opposition CNRP youth members have defected to the ruling party, including a woman who previously presented the nightly news on party co-founder Sam Rainsy’s Facebook page and, according to Rainsy, had received refugee status after fleeing to Thailand to escape incitement and plotting charges.

Environmental activist Thun Ratha, while filming a Mother Nature video in January 2017. (Mother Nature Cambodia)

Activism Is Not ‘Incitement,’ Mother Nature Environmentalists Tell Court

Three Mother Nature environmentalists — arrested while preparing a video campaign against the infilling of Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake — disputed the alleged criminality of their actions while on trial on Wednesday, arguing that raising concerns is not “incitement” as charged, their lawyer said.

Authorities close down bars on Street 308 in Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac district on March 17, 2020, following government orders to shut a number of venues in an effort to limit the spread of the Covid-19 respiratory disease (Christopher Rompre)

8 PM to 5 AM Curfew in Effect in Phnom Penh for Two Weeks

Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng has announced an 8 p.m. curfew in the capital from Thursday through April 14 amid the country’s worst Covid-19 outbreak to date, ordering a halt to gatherings and road traffic at night.

A health worker sprays alcohol sanitizer on a colleague at the Covid-19 testing center at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on December 8, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Covid-19 Testing Labs at Nearly Double ‘Sustainable’ Capacity: WHO Rep

The World Health Organization’s representative to Cambodia said Tuesday that the country’s six laboratories processing Covid-19 tests were working at about 175 percent of their “sustainable testing capacity” of 4,000 tests per day amid the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak to date.

A portrait of Suy Sophan at her funeral, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of Bun Rany, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s wife.

Borei Keila Developer Suy Sophan Dies at Age 62

Phanimex director Suy Sophan, known for her close links to some of the country’s most powerful women and for controversies surrounding violent evictions at her company’s inner-city Borei Keila development, died aged 62 on Monday morning, the Cambodian Red Cross said.

A building leftover from the flooded Kbal Romeas commune in Stung Treng province on September 22, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Pandemic ‘Exposed Cambodia’s Structural Weaknesses’: World Bank

The World Bank projected 4 percent GDP growth for Cambodia this year as the region starts to recover from the global pandemic-induced economic downturn, but noted continuing issues with the country’s tourism- and garment-driven economy as well as a high risk of lasting income inequality.

(Licadho)

Prisons Turn to Soap, Alcohol Sprays as Social Distancing Not Feasible

A prisons official acknowledged that social distancing was impossible in the country’s overcrowded cells, but said officers were maintaining hygiene, checking prisoners for fevers and quarantining new arrivals for two weeks as Covid-19 prevention measures.

A row of tuk tuks park in front of building frames in Sihanoukville on December 2, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Government Requests Leniency for Borey Buyers Struggling to Pay

The government is asking property developers to show leniency toward people struggling to pay installments on their gated homes and condominiums, even as a spokesman said a separate youth-led campaign calling for suspending microfinance repayments was illegal.

Angkor Wat complex in Siem Reap on June 6, 2020 (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

‘Angkor Lake of Wonder’ Not Suitable Next to Temples, Ministry Says

The Culture Ministry has announced that NagaCorp’s proposed $350-million theme park and resort near Siem Reap’s Angkor temples cannot be built as proposed, with an official adding that the “huge scale” development would disturb religious activity.

A crowd at the Angkor Sangkran event in Siem Reap during Khmer New Year in 2019, in this photograph posted to the Siem Reap Provincial Government’s Facebook page.

Khmer New Year to Be Optional, With Travel, Ceremonies Restricted

The government stopped short of postponing the Khmer New Year holidays amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, announcing that businesses can choose to delay the three-day Khmer New Year holidays until Pchum Ben or another time later in the year but government offices would be closed April 14-16.

Hundreds of workers crowd outside Phnom Penh’s NagaWorld casino waiting to give samples for Covid-19 testing on March 12, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

NagaWorld Workers Campaign Against Suspended Salaries

More than 1,000 NagaWorld workers have joined an online campaign against suspended salaries after the casino closed due to Covid-19 infections among employees, workers and a union representative said.

The Prince Central Plaza condominium complex in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district on March 22, 2021. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Prince Central Plaza Locked Down Again Two Days After Reopening

UPDATED — The Prince Central Plaza condominium complex in Phnom Penh was ordered locked down again late Sunday, and a second tenant was announced as having tested positive, just two days after it was reopened for all but one floor after a nearly monthlong Covid-19 quarantine. The building was again reopened Monday evening.

Residents of Phnom Penh’s Prince Central Plaza condominium complex provide their samples for Covid-19 testing on the evening of February 23, 2021. (Supplied)

‘One Confirmed Case’: Inside a Monthlong Covid-19 Building Lockdown

Tenants of a Phnom Penh condominium complex spoke of daily life and frustrations during a monthlong Covid-19 lockdown, just as restrictions were lifted late Friday for most of the 800 people stuck inside. One floor remains locked down following a positive test two weeks ago.

A student from Bamboo International School in Phnom Penh heads home after his first day at school since Covid-19 closures in March, on October 1, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Schools Shut Nationwide as Active Covid-19 Cases Reach Record 725

UPDATED — All schools, technical training institutes and cinemas have been ordered closed nationwide by government institutions as health authorities announced 102 new Covid-19 cases this weekend, raising the number of active cases higher than they’ve ever been.

Delivery drivers park in front of DI Riviera condo on Phnom Penh's Koh Pich island after it was locked down for Covid-19 on February 25, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

‘The Situation Is Alarming’: Health Ministry, WHO Issue Covid-19 Warning

UPDATED — In a joint statement, the Health Ministry and World Health Organization on Friday called on the country’s residents to take Covid-19 health precautions seriously, warning of potential lockdowns and overwhelmed health facilities if the current outbreak is not stopped, resulting in large-scale transmission.

Soldiers gathered for a presentation in Kampong Chhnang province on March 10, 2021. (Hun Manet Facebook Page)

Ministry Explains Vaccine Efficacy as Immunized Soldiers Get Covid-19

The Health Ministry reiterated Thursday that social distancing, masks, washing hands and avoiding large gatherings are still necessary despite vaccinations to stem the spread of Covid-19, after three soldiers tested positive despite receiving inoculations.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

All Sequenced ‘February 20’ Cases Are ‘UK’ Covid-19 Variant: US CDC

All Covid-19 cases genetically sequenced in the ongoing “February 20” outbreak in Cambodia — which has seen more than 1,000 patients total — have been the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, believed to be the only variant currently circulating in Cambodia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Phnom Penh said Thursday.

Phnom Penh’s Riverside area in 2019. (tjabeljan/Creative Commons)

Opinion: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports Case for Decriminalizing Sex Work

Imagine trying to trace a cluster of Covid-19 cases centered around sex workers and expecting them to report themselves to authorities for testing. Under current policies, there is zero incentive for sex workers to comply. This is why decriminalization is the answer.

An official sprays disinfectant in the Takeo market in Daun Keo City in Takeo province in late March 2020 (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Businesses Closed in Three Kandal Villages Amid Covid-19 Outbreak

Some residents of locked-down Kandal province villages say they must stay home and are being checked by police and health officers daily after more than 80 Covid-19 cases were found in two days and the district ordered all businesses to close.

Anachak Khmer news publisher Pran Sean was injured in an attack while he was sleeping outside a temple in Siem Reap province's Svay Loeu district, in a photo posted to Anachak Khmer's Facebook page on March 14, 2021.

Journalist Beaten as He Slept Outside Temple

A Siem Reap-based journalist says he fears he is being targeted by illegal loggers after being beaten at night as he slept in a hammock outside Beng Mealea temple.

(ADB/Creative Commons)

Sinopharm Vaccinations Halted to Save Doses for Second Shots

As crowds have packed some hospitals in hopes of getting Covid-19 shots, the Health Ministry suspended vaccinations for people aged 59 and under, saying remaining Sinopharm shots would be used as second doses for people who have already received one jab.

The National Assembly during a morning session on November 4, 2019, in a photo posted to the assembly’s Facebook page.

CPP Shouldn’t Be Considered Legitimate Ruler: European Parliament

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for “overdue” sanctions against Cambodian leaders responsible for rights violations, and for E.U. nations to suspend bilateral aid to Cambodia, adding that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling CPP “should not be considered the legitimate ruling party.”

Two youths with authorities outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on March 10, 2021, after they were arrested for allegedly slapping a man on the back of the head. (Phnom Penh Municipal Police Facebook page)

Police Send Slap-Happy Youth to Court After Drive-By TikTok Smack

Two youths who were filmed smacking an unidentified foreign cyclist on the back of the head while they drove a motorbike past him were sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday to set an example for other wayward youth, a police official said.

Soldiers gathered for a presentation in Kampong Chhnang province on March 10, 2021. (Hun Manet Facebook Page)

Military Doctors Mobilized to Treat Covid-19 Cases

Prime Minister Hun Sen said about 300 military doctors would be mobilized and two more hotels turned into hospitals as the country deals with its worst Covid-19 outbreak to date, including the first official death recorded on Thursday.

People walk in and out of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh on March 19, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Updated: Cambodia Reports First Covid-19 Death

Cambodia has confirmed its first death from Covid-19, a Health Ministry statement said on Thursday, with a spokesperson saying the man had been put on a ventilator for two days.

Kandal provincial authorities at a quarantine site in Takhmao City on March 10, 2021. (Kandal provincial police Facebook page)

Kandal Village Locked Down, 6,000 in the Province Quarantined

The “February 20” Covid-19 outbreak is fanning out in the provinces, with a village of 300 households in Kandal province locked down, schools closed in parts of Siem Reap and Prey Veng, and parties, weddings and other gatherings suspended in Kampong Speu.

A Covid-19 treatment room at the Great Duke hotel, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of Hun Manet.

64 Covid-19 Cases Announced, 30 in Kandal, 8 Unplaced in Hospitals

Fifteen Covid-19 cases in Phnom Penh’s Olympic commune, 30 in Kandal province, and eight in the capital’s Sen Sok district who have yet to be placed at a treatment center were among 64 new cases announced by the Health Ministry on Wednesday.

Quarantine tents set up near the Thai border in Battambang province, in a photo supplied by the provincial administration.

New Arrivals’ Quarantine to Be Moved to Home Provinces

Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered border authorities to send new arrivals coming in through land borders straight to their home provinces to quarantine if they aren’t showing symptoms, as one border province said it was struggling to feed the thousands of people in quarantine while returnees increased.

A sign requiring Aeon Mall 1 customers to wear a mask and take a temperature check, placed at the entrance of the building in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district on December 4, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

49 More Covid-19 Cases, Reduce Crowded Workplaces, Hun Sen Says

Prime Minister Hun Sen said in an audio message late Monday that the country had found 49 more Covid-19 cases, and called for state institutions to work largely from home and private businesses to reduce staff numbers in their workplaces.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Opinion: For Gender Equality, Engage and Help Men to Embrace Change

It’s a blind spot that you probably aren’t expecting to hear about on International Women’s Day: Not enough attention is being paid to the roles that men could play, or are playing, either in pushing the gender equality movement forward, or holding it back.

A worker disinfects Phnom Penh’s Great Duke hotel ahead of a planned transfer of Covid-19 patients, in a photo posted to Hun Manet’s Facebook page.

Updated: Total Covid-19 Cases Top 1,000 as Hun Sen Orders Quarantine Transfer

Updated 3:51 p.m. — The country recorded 24 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, putting the total found since the start of the pandemic at 1,011, as Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered that patients be transferred out of the Phnom Penh Quarantine Center where a man died on Thursday and some patients spoke of poor care.

Cambodian journalists cover in an event in Phnom Penh. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Opinion: Women’s Challenges in Newsrooms Are Going Unreported

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we gathered our own experiences, and the perspectives of several other women and men in newsrooms, to open a discussion about equity in journalism — whether the issues are about newsroom culture or punishable by law.

A Covid-19 patient in the Phnom Penh Quarantine Center holds a bag of three medications in early March 2021. (Supplied)

Dismissed Drug, Poor Care? Concerns Raised After Covid-19 Center Death

Covid-19 patients in Cambodia have been treated with hydroxychloroquine, a health official said, even though medical researchers last year dismissed the drug as a treatment for Covid-19, and the WHO this week said it should not be used to prevent or treat coronavirus.

National Assembly President Heng Samrin, center, raises his hand at the National Assembly on March 5, 2021, in this photograph posted to his Facebook page.

Hotel Guards Out of Quarantine as ‘Draconian’ Covid-19 Law Advances

A Covid-19 law with penalties up to 20 years in jail for intentionally spreading the disease was passed by the National Assembly on Friday and heads to the Senate, as two hotel security guards accused of allowing people to leave quarantine finished their own two-week isolation and were detained by National Police.

Environment Ministry spokesperson Neth Pheaktra shows confiscated chainsaws at the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary during a government-organized trip, on February 14, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Report Connects Prey Lang Deforestation to Community Patrol Crackdown

A new report from the Prey Lang Community Network links increasing deforestation in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary to a yearlong ban on independent patrols, as forest activists were this year again stopped from activities in the forest and conducting their annual tree-blessing ceremony.

Authorities stand at attention outside a Phnom Penh quarantine center in February 2021. (Phnom Penh Police Facebook)

Covid-19 Positive Patient’s Death in Quarantine ‘Due to Drug Overdose’

A Chinese man with Covid-19 died in quarantine in Phnom Penh on Thursday, the Health Ministry said, but ruled his death “due to drug overdose” after an autopsy. In a Facebook post, the ministry further clarified that “there was no drug use” and the death was caused by serious withdrawal symptoms and not Covid-19.

Near empty streets in Sihanoukville on March 4, 2021 as the Preah Sihanouk provincial administration announced a ban on travel in and out of the province following a rise in Covid-19 cases. (Preah Sihanouk provincial administration’s Facebook page)

Travel Banned, Masks Mandatory in Preah Sihanouk Amid Outbreak

Preah Sihanouk suspended transport in and out of the province, while authorities on Thursday extended school closures, and Prime Minister Hun Sen said the “February 20” Covid-19 outbreak could last past Khmer New Year next month.

(ADB/Creative Commons)

Infographic: Cambodia’s Covid-19 Vaccines

Cambodia has rolled out two Covid-19 vaccines, each requiring two doses, with an about 80 percent efficacy rate in trials. From WHO approval to age eligibility and efficacy against new variants, here’s how the Sinopharm and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines compare.

Prime Minister Hun Sen receives a first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital on March 4, 2021. (AKP)

Hun Sen Vaccinated, Travel Ban Floated for Preah Sihanouk

Prime Minister Hun Sen received the country’s first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, the morning after calling for either a travel ban or widespread vaccinations in Preah Sihanouk province amid a rise in Covid-19 cases there.

Authorities guard a villa in Borey Angkor Phnom Penh where an alleged kidnapping attempt and fatal shootout occurred, in a photo posted to the Phnom Penh Military Police Facebook page on March 1, 2021.

Military Police Gun Down Four Men Saying They Were Would-Be Kidnappers

Attention has turned to a young man who posted dozens of photos of himself in soldier’s uniform as the “mastermind” behind a planned kidnapping after military police shot dead four alleged would-be kidnappers in a shootout at a Phnom Penh gated housing complex on Monday.

The park in front of Phnom Penh's NagaWorld hotel and casino complex, decorated for Chinese New Year, on March 1, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

NagaWorld to ‘Volunteer’ to Close, Days After Covid-19 Cases

After NagaWorld workers began a work boycott over the weekend about employees being kept in the dark about Covid-19 cases at the casino, its owner NagaCorp announced it would act “responsibly and swiftly to volunteer to temporarily suspend its business.”

Delivery drivers park in front of DI Riviera condo on Phnom Penh's Koh Pich island after it was locked down for Covid-19 on February 25, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Over 10,000 Phnom Penh Residents in Covid-19 Lockdown: Governor

More than 10,000 Phnom Penh residents are in Covid-19 quarantine, with 74 buildings locked down, following widespread contract tracing and testing into the “February 20” cluster, Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng said on Tuesday.

CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Ho Vann (third and second from the right) raise nine fingers along with other CNRP supporters in the U.S. on September 23, 2019 (CNRP activist’s Facebook page)

Updated: CNRP Leaders Lose Right to Stand for Office, Get 20-25 Year Sentences

Updated at 4:42 p.m. — The Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced opposition leaders living abroad to 20 to 25 years in prison and stripped them of their right to stand in elections with only a Bar Association-assigned lawyer’s secretary present for the defense, according to a lawyer and court spokesperson.

Masked guards stand at the front of Naga 2 in Phnom Penh on March 1, 2021, amid a boycott by thousands of staff after some said they tested positive for Covid-19. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Naga Workers Boycott Amid ‘Irregular’ Covid-19 Response, Worker Infections

Thousands of NagaWorld union and nonunion workers stayed home from work at Phnom Penh’s sole casino and hotel complex over the weekend and on Monday as some workers said they had tested positive for Covid-19, but little information was made available by the company, workers said.

Tuk-tuks parked outside Phnom Penh’s Boeng Keng Kang market on February 26, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Tuk-Tuk Rides Nearly Halve as Capital Residents Restrict Outings

PassApp says tuk-tuk rides on the company’s app were down 40-45 percent at the end of last week amid the latest Covid-19 outbreak, as Phnom Penh residents spoke of restricting outings to avoid unnecessary contact and using their own transport.

Authorities on duty at Phnom Penh’s Chak Angre Health Center, where Covid-19 patients are treated, pose for a photo in February 2021 while receiving handheld metal detectors and electric-stun batons. (Phnom Penh Police Facebook)

Electric-Stun Batons Distributed to Police at Quarantine Centers

Police manning Covid-19 quarantine centers have been equipped with face masks, metal detectors and electric-stun batons, while security along the country’s borders has also been tightened to prevent illegal entries that circumvent quarantine, officials said.

A woman wearing a mask near the Phnom Penh riverside, with the Sokha Hotel, now a Covid-19 quarantine site, seen across the river, on February 23, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

With 44 More Covid-19 Cases, More Than 250 Recorded in a Week

The Health Ministry announced 44 more Covid-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total to more than 250 in a week, while authorities suspended all organized sports and gatherings for exercise and Taiwan put Cambodia on its “medium-risk” list, slightly raising travel restrictions.

Development on the Boeng Tompun wetlands, in a E.U. Sentinel satellite photo from February 19, 2021.

UN Raises ‘Serious Concerns’ Over Lake Project, Gov’t Offers Response

A major Phnom Penh lake development involving several oknha and senators threatens livelihoods and wetlands, as well as rivers with sewage contamination, and puts 1 million people at risk of flooding, the U.N. said in a letter to the Cambodian government — which in turn responded with seven pages summarizing assessments of the development.

People wait in line for Covid-19 testing after a new cluster emerged at Phnom Penh's Chak Angre Health Center on February 22, 2021. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

65 New Covid-19 Cases Announced Amid Cluster’s Spread

Sixty-five more cases of Covid-19 were announced Thursday morning, including 58 directly linked to the “community spread” of the February 20 cluster, and six other Chinese nationals who tested positive in Sihanoukville while looking to travel home.

woman counting riel (Aaron Gilson/Creative Commons)

Village Chief Removed for Taking Disabled Woman’s IDPoor Cash

A Kampong Thom province village chief has been removed after allegedly taking a woman’s IDPoor payments over several months, one of more than 14,000 irregularities authorities have found since June in the country’s anti-poverty program that was expanded amid the global pandemic.

A cashew farmer in Kampong Thom province (Hun Dimo/VOD)

Land Loss, Debt Rise Recorded in Latest Socio-Economic Survey

A national government survey of 10,000 households, released on Tuesday, shows increased debt burdens as well as fewer households owning land, more cultivation of fruits and nuts, and the disappearance of video tape recorders and radios.

Health Ministry spokesperson Or Vandine points at a coronavirus image at a press conference at the ministry on February 23, 2021. (VOD)

Buildings Locked Down as ‘February 20’ Cluster Expands

More than 20 further locations have been announced as linked to the new Covid-19 outbreak in the capital, with guards and management locking down buildings across Phnom Penh as the number of active coronavirus cases climbed to 118 as of Tuesday morning.

The road is barricaded in front of the Bridge high-rise building in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmorn district after a cluster of Covid-19 cases was announced on February 20, 2021. (Pete Ford)

Updated: One Covid-19 Patient at Large, Another Refused Hospitalization

Updated 10:15 a.m. — Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered all schools in Phnom Penh and Kandal province to close down for at least two weeks as the Health Ministry announced 25 more Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, including two who are not in hospital because they either could not be found or refused treatment, and three carrying the more contagious U.K. variant.

Authorities block off Phnom Penh's Koh Pich island after a cluster of new Covid-19 cases were announced on February 20, 2021. (Pete Ford)

Updated: 32 New Covid-19 Cases Linked to 4 Who Left Quarantine

UPDATED 7:35 p.m. — Cambodia reported 32 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday morning, part of a new community cluster linked to a Phnom Penh nightclub and four women, two of whom were found to be positive, and who were allowed by hotel security to leave quarantine.

Goods trucks pass a quarantine center to cross the Thai border into Cambodia at Poipet. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Fines for Escaping Covid-19 Quarantine Raised From $250 to $1,250

The government raised fines for people escaping quarantine from 1 million to 5 million riel, and for private health facilities failing to notify authorities about evaders from 10 million to 50 million riel, or about $250 to $1,250 and $2,500 to $12,500, respectively.

Union leader Rong Chhun speaks to reporters in front of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 16, 2019. (Saut Sok Prathna/VOD)

Police Witness Talks of Extracting Phone Evidence in Rong Chhun Trial

An expert police witness was questioned at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday about extracting contacts’ numbers, photos, social media account details, voice messages and more from the phones of defendants in an incitement trial against unionist Rong Chhun and two supporters.

Buildings in Phnom Penh, on February 17, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Real Estate Firm Warns of Market Risks From Pandemic, Oversupply

Though the country has so far weathered the pandemic without massive viral outbreaks, the risks are piling up on Cambodia’s real estate market after years of rapid growth and high profit, according to an international property research and sales firm.

Cambodian soldiers celebrate the 65th anniversary of the nation's independence on November 9, 2018. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Soldier Dies by Suicide After Car, Bought With Debt, Confiscated

The finance and defense ministries are looking into the case of a Banteay Meanchey province soldier who died by suicide after his car, which he used for work, and which put him thousands of dollars in debt, was confiscated by the customs and excise department.

A handful of protesters gather at a land dispute site in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district on January 25, 2021. (Mech Dara/VOD)

Villagers Press Authorities Over Land Bordering Police Chief, Senator

Villagers occupying state land on a Mekong river island in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district are refusing to back down amid confrontations and negotiations with authorities, pointing to nearby mansions and land claimed by a senator and police chief who aren’t getting similarly harassed.

The Sihanoukville port in 2014. (kinnla/Flickr)

Four Sihanoukville SEZ Firms Linked to Transshipment in 2020

Four factories in the Sihanoukville SEZ were last year put under investigation for or found to be falsely shipping Chinese plywood, cabinets and pipe fittings to the U.S. as if they were Cambodian-made, according to U.S. Customs documents.

Jailed activist Chhoeun Daravy raises her handcuffed hands from a prison van after a trial hearing at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 16, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Activists Grilled in Court Over Support for Rong Chhun, CNRP Links

Amid denials of links to various politicians and opposition figures, one activist on trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday for incitement spoke of receiving a $1,000 donation for office rent from a Cambodian-Australian MP who is also a defendant in the case.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Health Ministry Warns of Covid-19 Variant’s Arrival

The government for the first time reported cases of a more virulent coronavirus variant, as Prime Minister Hun Sen suggested increased fines for eluding quarantine, and a man returning to the country through an illegal border crossing was seriously injured by a landmine.

Officers outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

General, Defense Official Clash in Court Over Land Sale to Lawmaker

An under-investigation military general and a Defense Ministry official are battling in court over a plot of land in Phnom Penh that the official allegedly acquired through a proxy to sell to a ruling party lawmaker despite it already belonging to the general.

Sihanoukville port. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

US Customs Says Svay Rieng Factory Transshipped Chinese Pipes

A factory in an industrial park in Svay Rieng province shipped China-made pipes to the U.S. as Cambodia-made to evade duties, U.S. Customs said this week, with investigators finding production machinery “unused, dry, and covered in spider webs.”

Ex-CNRP Commune Chief Summoned to Incitement Trial in Kandal

Another ex-CNRP official, this time from Kandal province, was summoned to an incitement trial this week at the provincial court, but the hearing was delayed as his lawyer was tied up with the ongoing mass trials in Phnom Penh.

Hun Many, one of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s sons, receives a medical checkup at Calmette Hospital on February 10, 2021, in this photo posted to his Facebook page. Many did not receive the Covid-19 vaccine due to a cold.

Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Gets Going at a Mild Pace

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son Hun Many and son-in-law Dy Vichea missed out on their Covid-19 jabs due to health issues as four participating hospitals in the country’s vaccination rollout gave out 339 shots on the first day — toward an ultimate target of 10 million people vaccinated.

Khmer Win Party president Soung Sophorn speaks to reporters at a rally in support of unionist Rong Chhun outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on August 13, 2020. (Khan Leakhena/VOD)

20 Months Jail, $500,000 in Damages for Politician in Rong Chhun Case

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday sentenced the leader of the minor Khmer Win Party to 20 months in prison for incitement after he protested last year in support of jailed unionist Rong Chhun and visited the Vietnam border area that Chhun claimed was under threat.

Environmentalist Ouch Leng at the Kratie provincial environment department on February 6, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

After Release, Ouch Leng Alleges He Saw Convoys Taking Prey Lang Wood

An award-winning environmentalist detained over the weekend said upon his release that he had seen about 100 tractors carting wood away from the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary — a claim rejected by local environment authorities and a nearby reforestation project as lacking in evidence.

Several senior CNRP leaders including Sam Rainsy, center-left, and Mu Sochua, center-right, in an undated photo posted to Rainsy’s Facebook page in early 2019.

At Closing of CNRP Leaders’ Trial, Defense Lawyers at Odds

Defense lawyers for nine senior opposition leaders gave conflicting closing statements on Tuesday, with a Bar Association-appointed lawyer requesting a minimum sentence — due to defendants’ age and inability to carry out their plans — as if they had pleaded guilty.

Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai pro-democracy activist, in a screenshot from a video posted to his Facebook page on June 3, 2020, the day before he was abducted in Phnom Penh.

Missing Thai Activists Point to ‘Pattern of Disappearances’: UN Experts

The abduction of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit by “four unidentified armed persons” in Phnom Penh in June, and five other cases of Thai opposition activists disappearing since 2016, “point to a pattern of disappearances,” U.N. experts said in a letter released on Tuesday.

Community fishery patrollers drive back to Kampong Kbeung village in a modified boat confiscated from illegal fishers that is now used by the patrol team. An increasing number of illegal fishers are modifying the hulls of their boats so that they can outpace the community patrol boats. (Andy Ball)

On Patrol, a Mekong Village Tackles Electric Fishing Scourge

Volunteer community patrollers along the Mekong aim to stop a rise in illegal electric fishing, which harms river ecosystems and livelihoods that rely on protected fisheries. But the sale of outlawed gear allows the dangerous practice to continue.

Environmentalist Ouch Leng at the Kratie provincial environment department on February 6, 2021. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Ouch Leng Released as Villager Tells of Putting Banners in Forest

Five detained forestry activists, including Goldman Prize-winning Ouch Leng, were released on Monday morning after days of questioning. A local villager told of entering the Prey Lang sanctuary with the group on Friday to put up banners saying “Please preserve our forests.”

woman counting riel (Aaron Gilson/Creative Commons)

Man Murdered Wife Over Mounting Microfinance Debt, Officials Say

A 70-year-old man in Kampong Speu province confessed to stabbing his second wife to death because she had fallen deeply in debt, borrowing from private lenders to pay microfinance institutions and vice versa, local police and a commune chief said.

Protester Prum Chantha is surrounded by people taking photos and uniformed authorities near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on February 4, 2021. (Va Sopheanut/VOD)

Court Protesters Complain That Security Guards Denied Them Breakfast

Security guards blocked some protesters outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court from buying breakfast, and told a street vendor of noodles, meatball soup, pork and rice to not sell to them, the protesters alleged on Thursday while rallying on an empty stomach.

A guard sleeps in a hammock in front of fenced-off land in Prey Nob district's Bit Traing commune in Preah Sihanouk province on December 1, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Ex-Bodyguard Unit Deputy Arrested After Clash Over Land

Military police arrested a former general in the prime minister’s bodyguard unit and nine others who clashed with an investment company over land in a dispute-ridden area of Preah Sihanouk province, local officials said.

Vehicles to transport defendants from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to prison on February 4, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Phone Taps Against Teachers Debated in CNRP Trial

Tapped private phone conversations were debated in court on Thursday as evidence of former opposition party members organizing a plan to topple the government, in the latest hearing in a series of ongoing trials against the outlawed CNRP.

The Civil Service Ministry in Phnom Penh on February 3, 2021 (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Civil Service Ministry Getting Bigger, Eyes Boeng Tamok Lake Plot

The ministry overseeing salaries and promotions for the country’s more than 200,000 public servants is growing and needs more space, its spokesperson said, as the government granted 40,000 square meters of Boeng Tamok lake to build a new headquarters.

A district worker gathers trash in lieu of striking trash collectors, in Daun Penh district’s Wat Phnom commune in Phnom Penh on October 5, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Phnom Penh Trash Collection Split in Three With Singapore, China Firms

Singaporean and Chinese companies will handle two of three trash collection zones in Phnom Penh under the city’s long-awaited restructuring of waste management, while Cintri will continue to service central and southern city areas, company representatives said.

An illustration of industrial waste, posted to the Facebook page of the Preah Sihanouk provincial administration.

Authorities Close Coal Ash Plant That Coated Community in Dust

Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities ordered a coal ash plant in Stung Hav district to close in two weeks after nearby residents frequently complained of struggling to breathe amid the potentially poisonous dust, officials said.

A sex trafficking victim in China uploaded a photo of the house she was forced to live in, in a Facebook post on November 28, 2020.

10 Sex Trafficking Victims Repatriated From China

A 21-year-old woman says she feels like a “newborn” after arriving home to Phnom Penh last week, rescued from China alongside nine other sex-trafficking victims. The woman was 17 when she left Cambodia hoping for a good job, but became entrapped in years of abuse.

The NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

‘An Oknha’s Stomach Can Eat Up Lakes, Mountains and Forests’

The country’s top academic, tired of illegal logging in his institute’s sanctuary, railed against the excess of tycoons: “An oknha’s stomach can eat up lakes, mountains and forests.” The honorific of “oknha,” amid persistent scandals, has acquired a tarnished reputation.

General Hing Bun Hieng, in a photograph posted to the ruling CPP’s website.

PM Bodyguard Chief Denies Grabbing Orphanage Land

General Hing Bun Hieng, the head of the Prime Minister Bodyguard Unit sanctioned by the U.S. for alleged human rights abuses, has been accused by a Johnson & Johnson-linked orphanage of attempting to take over its prime waterfront land.

Sim Vuthy (front left), deputy director of the Interior Ministry’s anti-terrorism department, and other officials leave the Phnom Penh Muncipal Court on January 29, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

CNRP Speeches, Online Posts Shown as Evidence of Coup

Prosecutors on Friday showed statements, recorded speeches and social media posts from senior opposition leaders — including comments made during a meeting in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2019 — as evidence that nine defendants charged with attacking the government had planned a coup.

Chea Yamorn (left) and Prum Rath, defendants in a mass trial against 60 CNRP politicians and supporters, speak with reporters outside the Phnom Penh Muncipal Court after a hearing on January 28, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

CNRP Mass Trial Defendant Asked: ‘Who Is the Dictator?’

Phnom Penh Municipal Court judges on Thursday grilled opposition defendants in ongoing mass trials over the meaning of their social media posts, including how they defined the words “liberate,” “dictator,” “struggle” and “democracy.”

A guard sleeps in a hammock in front of fenced-off land in Prey Nob district's Bit Traing commune in Preah Sihanouk province on December 1, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Some 90 Hectares of State Land in Preah Sihanouk Commune Privatized

Nearly 90 hectares of forested state land in Preah Sihanouk’s Bit Traing commune was privatized late last year and conceded to two private firms, including a company led by a businesswoman who was caught building illegal houses on Koh Kong’s Koh Sdach island.

Seng Chanthorn, (second from right), holds a photo of her jailed husband, Sun Thun, while protesting with other women in front of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on September 25, 2020. They are calling for the release from prison of their spouses, all former CNRP officials. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

CNRP Mass Trials: The Cases and the Controversy

Six case files against 153 CNRP defendants, split into four trials, make up a web of ongoing prosecutions against the outlawed opposition’s senior leaders and grassroots supporters.

Supporters of jailed CNRP activists protest outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on October 9, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Tbong Khmum CNRP Protester Arrested in Phnom Penh

A CNRP activist was arrested in Phnom Penh on Tuesday after being seen participating in small ongoing protests against the jailings of opposition supporters, with a rights group saying nearly 70 political and environmental activists have been imprisoned since the start of last year.

Orm Nhhorm and Chhun Sothea rally at Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake for land titles, on January 24, 2021. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Boeng Tamok Residents Appeal to Hun Sen for Land Titles

About 40 Boeng Tamok residents on Sunday staged an appeal to be granted land titles for their houses on the edge of the Phnom Penh lake, saying they are nervous following evictions nearby and are only asking for 5 hectares for 300 families.

Sok Polyma protests outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in support of her husband, Khim Pheana, on October 9, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

CNRP Accused Complain Over Threat to Confess, Private Call as Evidence

Opposition members on trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday complained of being arrested at gunpoint without explanation; a private call and messages used as evidence for inciting social insecurity; being threatened to attest to their testimony; and their supposed testimony containing words they did not say.

A man rows a boat on January 15, 2021 near the area where fisherman Toem Vi was allegedly beaten by fisheries officers in Takeo province’s Angkor Borey district. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

Fisherman Dies Following Alleged Beating by Fisheries Officers

A Takeo fisherman who suffered severe head injuries after allegedly being beaten by fisheries officers died at his family home on Thursday, after almost two weeks lying on a wooden bed unable to speak and his family unable to afford treatment.

Victims of an alleged Korean-language school and labor recruitment scam stand outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a hearing on January 21, 2021. (Ouch Sony/VOD)

Accused Training Center Head Denies Fraud, Offers to Return Money

The director of a closed Korean-language training center denied the fraud and trafficking charges against him in court on Thursday, saying his school only taught dozens of workers who paid him $80,000 in total, and he had not acted as a migrant labor recruiter — but he was willing to return their money.

The Ministry of Justice sign in Phnom Penh (VOD)

Two Senior Officials Accused of Defrauding Former Deputy Governor

A former Pailin deputy provincial governor says two under-secretaries of state at the Justice Ministry and Council of Ministers defrauded him of $100,000 over a Phnom Penh land deal as the two men were handed preliminary charges and summoned to court.

Goods trucks pass a quarantine center to cross the Thai border into Cambodia at Poipet. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Second Head Trauma-Related Covid-19 Quarantine Death Announced

A man returning from Thailand and about to be taken into Covid-19 quarantine slipped and hit his head while peeing, had two beers, then died in hospital on Monday, the second quarantine- and head trauma-related death announced by authorities over the past year.

Toem Vi is surrounded by family members outside his house in Takeo province’s Angkor Borey district on January 15, 2021. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

Fisherman Beaten Almost to Death by Fisheries Officers, Witnesses Say

“The engine died. There were three of us on the boat, including Toem Vi, but they didn’t ask questions. They just started swinging sticks,” recounted Saroeun. Vi lay on a bamboo platform set outside his home, blood congealed around an open head wound.

The NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

NagaCorp CEO Gains Cambodian Citizenship

The Malaysian billionaire owner of the NagaWorld casinos received Cambodian citizenship in October, according to official documents, opening an opportunity for the tycoon to become a sole owner of land in the country.

Unionist Rong Chhun, wearing sunglasses, gestures in Tbong Khmum province’s Trapaing Phlong commune, in a photograph posted to his Facebook page on July 21, 2020.

Yuon, Unverified Claims, Prejudgement Under Fire at Rong Chhun Trial

Defense and government lawyers, and even the judge, exchanged fiery accusations over alleged prejudgement, criminal intentions, lack of evidence and use of a controversial ethnic slur in a tense first trial hearing against labor leader Rong Chhun on Friday.

CNRP president Kem Sokha at his home in Phnom Penh on November 11, 2019. (Panha Chhorpoan/VOD)

In Kem Sokha’s Old Stronghold, Political Silence Prevails

In a former political bastion of Kem Sokha, president of the outlawed opposition CNRP, silence prevails over political discussions — though some ex-supporters quietly betray continuing hope for the opposition’s promise of change.

Victims of an alleged Korean language school scam and family members stand outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a hearing on January 12, 2021. (Va Sopheanut/VOD)

Training Center Directors on Trial After Falsely Promising Jobs in Korea

Two Korean language training school directors stood trial on Tuesday over charges of fraud — involving dozens of workers who each lost thousands of dollars — by falsely promising to send them to work in South Korea. Some were never sent, while others were sent to Dubai instead, the court heard.

A fence being built near plots granted to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s daughters Hun Mana and Hun Maly across the hilly terrain of Prey Nob district's Ream commune in Preah Sihanouk province, on December 1, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Villages Emptied Amid an Extensive Web of Elites’ Landholdings

In the past several months, some of the most powerful people in Cambodia have been granted Preah Sihanouk land that boasts stunning ocean views and proximity to key tourist developments. Much of the area sits empty, and interviews with hired guards and local officials suggest there is a web of elite landholdings as many hold onto the plots while their value steadily climbs.

L’bokator master Ke Som On, 80, at his house in Kampong Chhnang province’s Rolea Ba’ier district. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

An Ancient Martial Art, Transformed by Time, War, Seeks Return to Prominence

A small number of remaining old masters are fighting to preserve Cambodian martial arts l’bokator after surviving the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Through their passion, the martial art is slowly regaining its popularity — with some of its ritualistic and violent traditions transformed as they are passed onto younger generations.

A lbokator trainee, in Kampong Chhnang province’s Rolea Ba’ier district. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Video: L’Bokator Seeks a Return to Prominence

A small number of remaining old masters are fighting to preserve Cambodian martial arts l’bokator after surviving the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Through their passion, the martial art is slowly regaining its popularity — with some of its ritualistic and violent traditions transformed as they are passed onto younger generations.

Illicit drugs confiscated by authorities (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Drug Arrests, Seizures Up Amid Regional Rise in Illicit Drug Trade

Cambodian anti-drug police made more than 21,000 arrests and seized 3 tons of drugs, almost 3,000 motorbikes, 26 assault weapons, five residential properties and a warehouse, pointing to domestic production as well as a continued rise in trafficking across Southeast Asia.

Protesting Foodpanda drivers line up near the company’s Phnom Penh offices on January 4, 2020. (Mech Dara/VOD)

Delivery Drivers Protest, Saying Fees Have Dropped Without Notice

Nearly 300 Foodpanda drivers protested in front of the company’s offices on Monday, saying their delivery fees had dropped without notice, while the company blamed a “technical issue” and “recent revision” to their rider payment scheme for the dispute.

A fisherman casts his net on Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok, on October 28, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Government Allocates Another 22 Hectares of Tamok Lake

The government is siphoning another 22 hectares of reclaimed land from Boeng Tamok lake, this time for military police families and a new branch of a public hospital, raising the known total area allocated from the natural lake to over 900 hectares.

Tractors are used for pumping water from a drying reservoir in Kampong Cham province’s Batheay district on December 29, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Signs of Drought Arrive Months Early in a Kampong Cham Commune

For farmers in the area, there’s little hope for this year’s dry-season rice harvest. They irrigate in desperation, but they can already see there won’t be enough water. They are bracing to write off their crops, fall deeper into debt, and maybe lose their land, several said this week.

Authorities and protesters gathered near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on December 21, 2020. (Va Sopheanut/VOD)

Sam Rainsy, Dissidents Convicted in Ongoing Phnom Penh Trials

Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy received another two convictions and a combined prison term of four years on Wednesday alongside other dissidents sentenced in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s ongoing series of incitement trials against CNRP members and outspoken individuals.

Family members of sentenced ex-CNRP members, Eab Sour, 65, (left) and Kong Mouyly, 31, outside the Tbong Khmum Provincial Court in Suong City on September 22, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Twelve Protesters, CNRP Supporters Arrested This Week: Police

At least 12 activists and CNRP supporters have been arrested this week, according to National Police, in at least one case for incitement for “supporting the betrayal” of the outlawed opposition party’s continued activities.

A scuffle over a land dispute breaks out in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nob district on December 20, 2020, in photos posted to the district police Facebook page.

Brigade 70 Official Listed as Oknha Investigated in Prey Nob Dispute

After a Preah Sihanouk province land conflict took a violent turn and resulted in eight arrests last week, a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces spokesperson said officials would investigate a high-ranking military official claiming the land in Prey Nob district.

People in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province line up to get tested for Covid-19 on December 20, 2020. (Labor Protection Network Foundation)

Cambodians Near Thai Covid-19 Cluster Getting Tested, Face Lockdowns

Amid a cluster of Covid-19 cases originating at a seafood market, Cambodian workers in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province say they are getting tested or being asked to not leave from their workplaces and dormitories to avoid the spread of the disease.

People gather on the shore of the Tonle Sap river in Kandal province’s Ponhea Leu district for prahok season on December 23, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Bustling, Ephemeral Prahok Economies Sprout on Banks of Tonle Sap

For less than two weeks, hundreds of people will cram into markets now sprouting on the banks of the Tonle Sap, chopping and raking fish heads, heaving and weighing large baskets of small fish, and haggling over prices every step of the way.

The Laos-Cambodia transmission line’s planned path through the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. Orange dots mark deforestation in 2019 and 2020 detected by the University of Maryland's Global Land Analysis and Discovery. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Power Line to Cut Through Prey Lang, Troubling Conservation Partners

Cambodia’s state electricity provider is pushing ahead with the construction of a transmission line through the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, a plan that has caused concerns for representatives of three multimillion-dollar conservation projects as well as officials in the environment and forestry ministries.

Rapper Kea Sokun. (Sokun Club)

Young Rapper Found Guilty of Incitement, Jailed for 12 Months

A 22-year-old musician who rapped nationalist lyrics about “the bravery to stand up” has been found guilty of incitement and jailed for 12 months, while an underage collaborator who apologized in court was handed a suspended sentence and freed.

Sand-dredging machinery on the Tonle Bassac river in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on December 18, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

New Sand Dredging Begins Along Tonle Bassac River in Phnom Penh

A new sand dredging operation has commenced on the Tonle Bassac river in Phnom Penh within the past month, a local official said, with more than 90 companies now dredging rivers and streams in the country, according to the Mines and Energy Ministry.

A 16-year-old Cambodian girl shows her injuries following alleged abuse in Malaysia, in a screenshot of a video posted to Facebook.

16-Year-Old Cambodian Girl Hospitalized in Malaysia After Abuse

A 16-year-old Cambodian girl from Mondulkiri province has been hospitalized in Malaysia with a nearly severed ear after allegedly being beaten and threatened by a woman who employed her as a maid, Cambodian officials said on Thursday.

Ream National Park (Wikimedia Commons)

Tracts of National Park, Disputed Area Privatized in Preah Sihanouk

The government has granted nearly 200 hectares of Ream National Park and flooded forest land that a local official said was disputed in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nob district to companies and private individuals, to the surprise of two commune officials.

A pipe used to transport dredged sand near the Bassac river and Chak Angre Krom pagoda on December 16, 2020. (Tran Technseng/VOD)

Dredged Sand Floods Pagoda Dining Hall After Pipe ‘Explodes’

A pipe installed under a Phnom Penh pagoda burst on Tuesday while moving dredged sand from barges on the Tonle Bassac river to landfill on Choeng Ek lake, with a pagoda representative saying City Hall had pushed for the pipe to pass through their grounds despite their reluctance.

Kandal province residents in quarantine at Takhmao city’s Prek Tapov Primary School during a visit by provincial governor Kong Sophorn, in a photo posted to the governor’s Facebook page on December 8, 2020.

Wave of Covid-19 Fear, Recriminations Passes Through Kandal Town

A Covid-19 patient says she could never have imagined that a visit to a Phnom Penh clothing store would result in dozens of people being driven by authorities for testing and quarantine, and her face being plastered over national news.

Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers a speech from his home in Kandal province on December 15, 2020, in this photograph posted to his Facebook page.

Hun Sen Cancels Exams for Graduating High Schoolers

All grade 12 students will pass without taking their year-end exams due to disruptions from Covid-19, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a surprise announcement on Tuesday that had the Education Ministry and others in the sector unable to immediately answer questions about university admissions and scholarships.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng speaks in Prey Veng province on July 13, 2019, in a photo posted to Kheng’s Facebook page.

Removed Hun Sen Bodyguard Receives Interior Ministry Promotion

A soldier who was removed from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit over his involvement in a land dispute has this month been made an adviser to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, according to government letters and court documents.

Former Macau crime boss Wan Kuok Koi, also known as “Broken Tooth,” (center) at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in July 2018 marking the establishment of the World Hongmen History and Culture Association headquarters, in a screenshot from a promotional video.

US Sanctions Ex-Macau Triad Boss With Business in Cambodia

The U.S. has announced sanctions against a former Macau crime boss who two years ago launched an association headquarters in Cambodia linked to a cryptocurrency and Belt and Road Initiative-related security business at a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An and military police chief Sao Sokha.

A line of people waiting at the Covid-19 testing center at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on December 8, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Crowds Pack Covid-19 Testing Centers in Phnom Penh

Since last week, 34 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in a local cluster tied to the country’s prisons director. Health authorities called on people to return for their second tests on Monday and Tuesday, but crowded testing centers had some worrying about the risk of contagion.

A sex trafficking victim in China uploaded a photo of the house she was forced to live in, in a Facebook post on November 28, 2020.

Trafficking of Women Up Amid Covid-19 Despite Closed Borders: Official

Authorities in Vietnam have reported more trafficking victims crossing from Cambodia, the Interior Ministry’s counter-trafficking chief said, as the global economic slowdown creates a desperation for jobs while closed borders due to Covid-19 elevate the dangers of migration.

Sitanan Satsaksit gives interviews to the press after a questioning over the disappearance of her brother, Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on December 8, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Thai Activist’s Sister Encouraged by Judge’s Questioning on Abduction

More than six months after Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit disappeared from outside his Phnom Penh apartment, his sister Sitanan testified before the Phnom Penh court on Tuesday in an effort to prevent her brother’s alleged abduction from turning into a cold case.

Workers repair part of a sidewalk in central Sihanoukville on December 2, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Gov’t Promotes Land-for-Infrastructure Deals Amid Shrinking Budget

A policy of “using palm leaves to package palm sugar” will help the government save costs amid a decline in revenues due to Covid-19 — or, in other words, using available resources like swapping state land with investors to support needs like road-building, an official said.

A Bank of China branch located in Canadia Tower is closed on December 3, 2020 due to a Covid-19 scare. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Family, Fashion Store Worker Test Positive for Covid-19

Four new Covid-19 cases in the local “November 28” cluster were announced Friday, with the Health Ministry saying that according to its analysis the cluster is unrelated to the visit of Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto last month.

A sex trafficking victim in China uploaded a photo of the house she was forced to live in, in a Facebook post on November 28, 2020.

Sex Trafficking Victim Posts a Call for Help From China

She was 17 when she left her hometown in Kratie for a “good job” in China. Two and a half years later, on Saturday, she was able to post a message online. “They’ve forced me to take husbands here. They said if I don’t take them as husbands, they would sell me to a brothel.”

A patient screening point in the front of Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, where patients are tested for Covid-19, on July 28, 2020 (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

Provinces Cast Wide Net for Covid-19 Contact Tracing

Hundreds of people are being tested and quarantined in provinces across the country even for having had indirect contact with the country’s prisons director more than two weeks before he tested positive for Covid-19.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Pooling of Samples, ‘Heroic Effort’ Allow for Up to 3,360 Daily Tests

UPDATED 6:50 p.m. — Pasteur Institute is running nearly 2,500 tests a day — “close to their limit” — while tests for airplane passengers have moved to the National Institute of Public Health. Pasteur is pooling samples, among other strategies, to accelerate testing volumes, the U.S. CDC says.

Supporters of the outlawed opposition CNRP hold up Cambodian flags near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Trials Postponed for Defendants in Phnom Penh Prisons

A rights monitor questioned the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s decision to last week hold a mass trial of opposition supporters as the court announced that trials for defendants in the capital’s prisons will be postponed through at least December 14 amid Covid-19 fears.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Local Covid-19 Cluster Up to 14 With Eight New Cases Found

UPDATED 11:30 a.m. — The total number of Covid-19 cases in the cluster around prisons chief Chhem Savuth has reached 14 due to local transmission, following more than 3,000 samples taken across the country, authorities said.

Aeon Mall I in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district in 2015 (Wikimedia Commons)

Prisons Head, 5 Relatives Test Positive for Covid-19, Aeon Mall Closed

UPDATED 5:45 p.m. — The country’s prisons director, his wife and four of their family members have tested positive for Covid-19 with the source of their infection unknown, and Phnom Penh’s Aeon Mall I has been temporarily closed following a visit by the director’s wife, the Health Ministry said Sunday morning.

Sran Lanj, who became the leader of the Old Kbal Romeas community after the community was flooded and split, in her kitchen in Stung Treng province on September 22, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Indigenous Residents at Sesan Dam Prepare for New Fight

Bunong villagers flushed out by Sesan dam floodwaters have been taking boats to visit ancestral grounds, wading through clusters of dying trees that were not adapted to survive permanent floods. They are now bracing for a new fight as a rubber company eyes their refuge on higher ground.

Land-filling at Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake in Prek Pnov district on November 24, 2020 (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Questions Raised Over Boeng Tamok Plot Handed to ‘Families’

Twenty-three families have ostensibly received a vacant plot on the edge of Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tamok lake — but some locals, including the village chief, suggest people have been paid to thumb-print applications to obtain lake land for unknown outsiders.

Supporters of the outlawed opposition CNRP hold up Cambodian flags near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Unwieldy Mass CNRP Trial Packs Phnom Penh Court

The Phnom Penh court on Thursday sought ways to streamline the mass trial of more than 130 opposition supporters in the face of missed names, crammed-in defendants and complaints that the accused had no information about what they were accused of.

Sin Chanpeou Rozeth, a former CNRP commune chief in Battambang province, holds up a small Cambodian flag outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on November 26, 2020.

Defendant Arriving for Mass CNRP Hearings Says ‘I’m Not Scared’

Hearings are underway at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for more than 100 supporters of the dissolved CNRP who were charged with incitement and plotting. Arriving defendants and their colleagues say the occasion is a chance for the persecuted opposition to show solidarity.

Aun Pheap, a former Cambodia Daily reporter, at his desk in the newsroom in Phnom Penh on September 3, 2017, when staff produced the final issue of the newspaper (Ben Woods)

Court Drops Case Against Former Cambodia Daily Reporters

The Ratanakiri Provincial Court on Tuesday dropped the incitement charges leveled against two former reporters for the Cambodia Daily as the plaintiff in the case withdrew his complaint three years after bringing them to the court.

Zsombor Peter, a former Cambodia Daily associate editor, works at his computer in the newsroom in Phnom Penh on September 3, 2017, when staff produced the final issue of the newspaper. (Ben Woods)

Cambodia Daily Reporters’ Trial Set for Tuesday

The trial of former Cambodia Daily journalists Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, charged three years ago as the newspaper shut down amid a government crackdown, has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the Ratanakiri Provincial Court.

The victim’s mother, Sos Mas, 67, and cousin Ya Smathel, 34, in Setbo commune, in Kandal province’s Takhmao city, on November 20, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Court Sees Mob Killing of Cham Banana Thief as Self-Defense

A Cham fisherman was killed on Wednesday after being caught stealing in Kandal province, but many details are unclear. While the Cham fishing community calls for justice, the court is examining the killing as a case of self-defense.

Demonstrators, including activist Sath Pha (front center), rally outside the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh on October 23, 2020 (Mech Dara/VOD)

US Lawmakers Call for More Sanctions Against Cambodia

Citing an “alarming deterioration” in Cambodia’s democratic rule, a group of U.S. politicians appealed to their government to ramp up sanctions against Phnom Penh, as analysts said pressure from the U.S. was likely to rise with the coming change in administration.

Workers gather outside the GFN chicken factory in Thailand’s Chon Buri province on November 11, 2020, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of labor rights group Central.

Thai Factory Agrees to Demands After Cambodian Workers’ Protest

A Thai chicken factory has agreed to demands related to overtime and allowing migrant workers to leave its compound to buy food following last week’s protest by hundreds of Cambodian laborers, the factory’s management and a labor group said.

CNRP co-founder Kem Sokha, center, and GDP co-founder Yang Saing Koma, right, during a visit to a farm in Pursat province in November 2020, in this photograph posted to Saing Koma's Twitter page.

Time to Find New Way Forward in Politics, Defectors, Minor Parties Say

After three years without a viable political opposition, politicians who stand apart or have broken from the outlawed main opposition party say the old vehicle of the CNRP should be left aside to give people with grievances a chance to participate in politics again.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

No New Positive Covid-19 Cases After Third Tests of Diplomat Cluster

The Health Ministry announced Monday morning that no new positive Covid-19 cases were found from 1,352 tests over the weekend of a cluster of suspected contacts of Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who visited the country nearly two weeks ago.

A defrocked monk (seated, center) accused of the rape of 12 boys, in an undated photograph with authorities posted to the Facebook page of the Child Protection Unit on November 10, 2020.

Ex-Monk Arrested 6 Years After Allegations of Raping 12 Novices

A defrocked monk accused of the rape of 12 boys, and who has been on the run from police for six years, was arrested in June at a pagoda in Ratanakiri province where he was living as a monk, the head of a child protection police unit said on Friday.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto shakes hands with Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon at a signing ceremony in Phnom Penh on November 3, 2020, as Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn look on, in this photograph posted to Hun Sen's Facebook page.

Opinion: After Szijjarto, What’s Next for Cambodia’s Covid-19 Response?

After a visit by Hungary’s foreign minister, his shirking of health protocols and subsequent renewed Covid-19 closures and quarantines, the initial public fury has had time to settle. Now, we need to focus on testing, transparency and taking precautions seriously, writes Matt Surrusco.

A T-shirt worn by five people arrested in Tbong Khmum province on October 3, 2020, which reads, "Thank you for peace, but respect Article 2 of the Constitution."

CNRP T-Shirt Distributor Questioned in Tbong Khmum Court

A CNRP activist who distributed T-shirts saying “Thank you for peace, but respect Article 2 of the Constitution” was questioned in court on Thursday as his brother railed that authorities “keep hunting down and persecuting people and do not allow them to live peacefully.”

Doung Dara, an assistant to Prime Minister Hun Sen, (seated, in white shirt) meets with people in Kampot province on November 6, 2020, in this photograph posted to his Facebook page.

PM’s Assistant Asks ‘What Did I Do Wrong?’ After Dozens Quarantined

An assistant to Prime Minister Hun Sen told a local media outlet that he didn’t know he was supposed to be in quarantine as he visited coastal areas — causing dozens to go into quarantine — despite being an indirect contact to a visiting diplomat who tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving the country.

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn greets his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, in front of several camera operators during Szijjarto's visit in Phnom Penh on November 3, 2020.

Foreign Minister Defends Szijjarto, Citing Hungary’s Support on EBA

Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn on Thursday defended his Hungarian counterpart — noting Hungary’s past political support — amid an online backlash against the foreign diplomat after his visit to Cambodia last week spurred renewed Covid-19 closures and some 1,700 people being tested and quarantined.

Labor Ministry officials wait at a quarantine site at Phnom Penh’s Chumpouvoan High School on April 20, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

No More Quarantine-at-Home Option for ‘General’ Arrivals

Foreign arrivals from select countries and who are sponsored by a local company director or other official have had Covid-19 quarantine requirements relaxed, but “general” foreign and Cambodian arrivals no longer have the option to self-isolate at home for two weeks, according to the Health Ministry’s latest guidelines.

Unionist Rong Chhun leaves the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh after attending an appeal hearing on November 11, 2020, in this photograph posted to Chhun’s Facebook page.

During Bail Appeal, Unionist Rong Chhun Shut Down for Raising Politics

Prominent unionist Rong Chhun, whose July arrest over comments he made about the Vietnam border sparked a series of protests, on Wednesday appealed for bail in the Supreme Court, but was shut down by judges for asking the court to “not be politically influenced.”

A patient screening point in the front of Royal Phnom Penh Hospital on July 28, 2020 (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

Two Schools Close in Wake of PM Assistant’s Preah Sihanouk Visit

Two schools have been closed in Preah Sihanouk province due to Covid-19 precautions after a prime ministerial assistant visited three coastal provinces over the weekend despite being a suspected contact of a visiting Hungarian foreign minister who tested positive after leaving the country last week.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and European counterparts during a video conference call posted to his Facebook page on November 6, 2020.

Hungarian Minister Shares Laughs About Cambodia Trip From Quarantine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto shared some laughs with his counterparts in Austria and Slovenia last week about his recent visit to Cambodia, which has triggered renewed Covid-19 closures in the country, and the quarantine and testing of more than 1,000 people, including Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (left) meets with Chea Serey, the National Bank’s director-general of central banking, at Phnom Penh’s Cambodia Museum of Money and Economy on November 3, 2020, in this photograph posted to her Facebook page.

Health Ministry Won’t Say How Many Came In for Second Covid-19 Tests

More than 1,100 people have now been tested for suspected direct or indirect contact with a visiting Hungarian foreign minister, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, but it remained unclear how many received second tests on Monday as urged by the Health Ministry.

A statue of late King Norodom Sihanouk in Phnom Penh, in 2019. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Nation Is Already United Without the Opposition, Ruling Party Says

In celebrating the 67th anniversary of Cambodia’s independence from France on Monday, civil society, analysts and government officials reflected on “national unity” — though their views were sharply divided on whether the CNRP should be included in such unity.

Health officials disinfect playground equipment at the Canadian International School in Phnom Penh on March 14, 2020, in this photograph posted to the Education Ministry's Facebook page.

Schools, Movie Theaters to Be Temporarily Closed as Covid-19 Precaution

All schools in Phnom Penh and towns in Kandal province are being closed for two weeks, while KTVs, movie theaters and museums will be shuttered across the country till further notice, after a Cambodian man who worked directly with a visiting Hungarian foreign minister was found positive for Covid-19 on his second test on Saturday.

Mam Vibol in hospital on November 2, 2020, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of Kampot Provincial Police.

Kampot Police Sent to Court for Firing at Ground and Killing a Man

Three Kampot police officers were arrested and sent to court Thursday afternoon for killing a man because of a “coincidence” — they fired a gun at the ground while responding to a scuffle and the bullet hit the man, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.

The visiting Hungarian delegation meets with Cambodian Foreign Affairs officials with some attendees wearing masks in a photo posted to Cambodian minister Prak Sokhonn's Facebook page on November 3, 2020.

As Covid-19 Protocols Breached, Concerns Over Lack of Transparency

UPDATED 2 p.m. — Caution and skepticism persist despite health authorities reporting success in keeping Covid-19 numbers down, as government officials have ignored safety precautions, a foreign delegation was allowed to skip quarantine, and the country’s testing regime remains opaque.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto shakes hands with Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon at a signing ceremony in Phnom Penh on November 3, 2020, as Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn look on, in this photograph posted to Hun Sen's Facebook page.

Official Says Hungarian Delegation, Foreign Ministry Asked for No Masks

A government minister said on Thursday that the Hungarian delegation that visited this week — and from which a member later tested positive for Covid-19 — along with the Foreign Affairs Ministry had asked for no mandatory masks, alcohol spraying or temperature checks during a signing ceremony.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Prime Minister Hun Sen pose for a photo during Szijjarto’s official visit to Phnom Penh on November 3, 2020, in a photo posted to Hun Sen’s Facebook page.

Hun Sen Says He’s Negative for Covid, Will Quarantine for 14 Days

Prime Minister Hun Sen, his wife and more than a dozen members of his staff tested negative for Covid-19, and he will quarantine at home for 14 days as a precaution, the premier said late Wednesday, after he met a Hungarian official a day prior who later tested positive for the virus in Thailand.

Unionist Rong Chhun, wearing sunglasses, gestures in Tbong Khmum province’s Trapaing Phlong commune, in a photograph posted to his Facebook page on July 21, 2020.

Government to UN: Rong Chhun Had ‘Intent to Incite Social Disorder’

Jailed unionist Rong Chhunn had “intent to incite social disorder” by releasing statements containing fabrications about the Cambodia-Vietnam border demarcation, the government told the U.N.’s human rights office in response to questions about his arrest.

Workers keep watch over the Dignity Knitter factory in Kandal province on October 27, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Garment Workers Still Camping Outside Factory 6 Months After Closure

Veteran garment workers have kept up a 24/7 rotating vigil outside the Dignity Knitter and Eco Base factories since before they shut in April. This week, ex-employees said they were still hoping for a payout, but until a court decision they were stuck with nowhere to go.

Northern red muntjac, seen in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in 2020. (Toeu Bann/Wildlife Conservation Society)

Four Large Mammals at Risk of Disappearing Within Years: Wildlife Report

A conservation organization recorded sharp declines in banteng, gaur and other species of land-dwelling hooved mammals in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary over a 10-year biodiversity study, suggesting four animals are at risk of disappearing from the protected area within a few years — like tigers and wild water buffalo before them.

CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Ho Vann (third and second from the right) raise nine fingers along with other CNRP supporters in the U.S. on September 23, 2019 (CNRP activist’s Facebook page)

Hun Sen Threatens Local Family of CNRP Official Living Overseas

Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the construction of a new bridge from the capital’s Koh Pich island to the under-construction Koh Norea satellite city by seemingly threatening the local family of former CNRP lawmaker Ho Vann, living in exile overseas.

Authorities grab a camera during a small protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on October 23, 2020. (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

Rights Monitors, Journalists Threatened Over Taking Photos at Rally

A Phnom Penh deputy governor was among authorities who harassed rights monitors and journalists, threatening to confiscate their cameras and phones, at a small opposition rally outside the Chinese Embassy on Friday, with a media advocate calling the authorities’ actions “unacceptable intimidation.”

Demonstrator Hong An rallies outside the French Embassy in Phnom Penh on October 23, 2020 (Mech Dara/VOD)

CNRP Protesters Note Contrast in Police Tactics at China, US Embassies

After authorities on Friday forcibly moved about a dozen people protesting across the street from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, and arrested three, demonstrators highlighted how police tactics used during a later rally at the U.S. Embassy were as different as “the sky and earth.”

A T-shirt worn by five people arrested in Tbong Khmum province on October 3, 2020, which reads, "Thank you for peace, but respect Article 2 of the Constitution."

Tbong Khmum CNRP Activist Charged After Organizing to Join Rally

An activist for the banned CNRP has been charged with incitement and will be jailed, a police spokesperson said on Friday, after he spoke to others in Tbong Khmum province about joining the party’s Paris Peace Agreements protest in Phnom Penh, according to fellow opposition supporters.

Authorities grab a camera during a small protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on October 23, 2020. (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

UPDATED: Authorities Break Up Small CNRP Protest Outside Chinese Embassy

UPDATED 10:45 a.m. — About 50 uniformed and plainclothes authorities on Friday forcibly stopped about a dozen people protesting across the street from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, with one woman being carried away down Mao Tse Tung Blvd. by authorities and three other demonstrators pulled into the back of a police truck and driven away.

Justice Minister Keut Rith at the National Assembly on April 10, 2020, in this photograph posted to National Assembly President Heng Samrin's Facebook page.

CNRP Lobbies Western Nations for ‘Further Sanctions’ Against PM Allies

As CNRP supporters prepare to hold anti-China protests in 20 cities around the world on Friday, the outlawed opposition says it’s also waging a campaign calling on more Western governments to sanction Cambodian officials — including the justice minister — over alleged human rights violations or corruption.

Workers roll a garment factory’s carts through floodwaters in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on October 22, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Financial Woes Mount on Flooded Factory Workers, Dangkao Community

Residents in Phnom Penh’s flooded Dangkao district say they are running out of options as food prices rise and bills arrive, but the incomes of thousands in the community have been disrupted after floodwaters halted production at the neighborhood’s main employer.

Residents are rescued from floodwaters in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on October 17, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Floodwaters Disrupt Production at Factories, Affecting 16,000 Workers

About 16,000 factory workers are currently unable to go to work due to flooding in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal and Takeo, the Labor Ministry said on Wednesday, with an economist warning of a hit to the economy and rising prices due to the recent extreme weather.

Activists protest in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2020, in a photo posted to the Facebook page of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association.

Mother Nature, Khmer Thavrak Activists Appear in Court to Appeal Cases

A jailed Mother Nature environmentalist and Khmer Thavrak activist appeared at the Appeal Court on Tuesday, where a judge denied requests to drop their cases or grant bail, while three female activists from the groups were unable to attend due to flooding in their prison.

Community rangers dispose of a poisoned giant ibis in Chheb Wildlife Sanctuary, Preah Vihear province on April 14, 2020. (Wildlife Conservation Society)

Can Domestic Tourism Save Local Economies and Forests?

The rise of domestic tourism offers a glimmer of hope for rural families struggling under the weight of the pandemic and economic crisis, but more work is needed before visits to Cambodia’s ecotourism areas can offer something special for local visitors, observers say.

Bar Association president Ly Chantola gives a speech upon his election to the post on October 16, 2020, in this screenshot of a video posted to the association’s Facebook page.

Lawyer for Hun Many, Thy Sovantha Elected Bar Association President

The Bar Association has elected as its new president a government lawyer who is working the treason case against opposition leader Kem Sokha, advises the cabinet, and has represented the prime minister’s son Hun Many as well as political activist Thy Sovantha.

People are evacuated by boat due to flooding in Kampong Speu province's Chbar Mon City on October 14, 2020, in this photo supplied by Kampong Speu governor Vei Samnang.

Rising Rivers Flood Schools, Prisons, Over 180,000 Hectares of Farms

Naval officers were deployed Wednesday afternoon for evacuations in Kampong Speu province amid ongoing nationwide flooding that has hit more than 60,000 houses in just three of the affected provinces, and inundated at least 180,000 hectares of farmland since last week.

A new electricity substation on the grounds of the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, in October 2020. (Mech Dara/VOD)

Olympic Stadium Grounds Further Built Up With New Constructions

Another new building is rising on Olympic Stadium grounds with the government handing over a corner to the country’s electricity supplier — and joggers and others who use the public space say the historic grounds are becoming hemmed in with new constructions and increasingly unpleasant for exercise.

Farmers in Kandal province’s Koh Thom district harvest rice in February 2019. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

China Deal Seen as Potential Boost for Investment, Political Standing

Cambodia and China on Monday signed a long-awaited free trade deal, as industry observers said it could be a boon for agricultural investment and seen as a major policy achievement, while others spoke of the need for wider reforms to make Cambodian exports competitive.

Lu Veasna, 32, carries his child through floodwaters in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district on October 12, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

10 Dead, 25,000 Houses Damaged in Floods; Storm Warnings Continue

Ten people, including three children, have died in floods that have damaged almost 25,000 houses and 84,000 hectares of rice and other crops, according to disaster management authorities, as 1,000 emergency personnel prepare rescue boats and other supplies in anticipation of further storms this week.

Land disputant Phorn Sokhum speaks to a reporter near Prime Minister Hun Sen’s residence in Phnom Penh on October 8, 2020. (Mech Dara/VOD)

As Boeng Tamok Is Carved Up, Lake Residents Ask for Land Titles

About 30 people gathered in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Phnom Penh residence on Thursday seeking his help to secure titles for land on Boeng Tamok, one of Phnom Penh’s “last lakes,” which in recent years has been divvied up for development on reclaimed land.

Preh Phnheas resident Chorb Kun looks at her IDPoor and loan documents in August 2020 in Battambang province. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Some 1.3M in Cambodia May Fall Back Into Poverty, UNDP Estimates

The number of Cambodians experiencing poverty this year could nearly double to 17.6 percent of the population — sending some 1.3 million people back into poverty — with the unemployment rate increasing almost seven-fold, a new U.N. report says.

Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng holds up City Hall’s offer to guarantee striking garbage collectors’ benefits will not be lost amid restructuring, at Cintri’s truck garage in Daun Penh district on October 7, 2020. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

Capital Governor Offers Rice to End Garbage Strike, Workers Decline

Confusion reigned after the latest round of negotiations over a garbage collectors’ strike, with workers applauding a speech by Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng before later realizing, according to a unionist, that “none of their demands were accepted.”

Illegal deforestation near Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri province in January 2014 (Christian Pirkl/Wikimedia Commons)

Senator Apologizes Over Land Grab, Still Protected by Immunity

A senator accused of land grabbing in Mondulkiri province has written an apology to Prime Minister Hun Sen about his “mistakes in the past,” promising to “learn and practice following Samdech’s wisdom for the rest of my life.”

Kem Sokha leaves the Phnom Penh Muncipal Court in a vehicle on January 15, 2020 (Panha Chorpoan/VOD)

Kem Sokha Lawyers Ask for Trial to Resume

Lawyers for former CNRP president Kem Sokha have applied to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to resume his trial, more than six months after it was suspended out of concerns for Covid-19.

People visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province. (VOD)

Siem Reap Road Expansions Slice Up Businesses, Homes, Livelihoods

Hundreds of people are dismantling terraces, awnings and other structures in downtown Siem Reap to make way for road expansions — which for some will mean tearing down large chunks of their homes and businesses they say they have rights and titles to and on which they depend.

Traffic congestion in Phnom Penh on September 15, 2020. (VOD)

Road Accidents Decline Amid Less Traffic, Stricter Penalties

The number of traffic accidents dropped 23 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to government figures, with an expert suggesting that there had been fewer cars on the road and that stricter penalties were working as a deterrent.

Kampong Chhnang provincial military police investigate Akchalnak Trop LOD after four leasing company officers attempted to repossess a motorbike, in a photo posted to the provincial military police Facebook page on September 30, 2020.

Men Arrested for Repossession Attempt Without Court Approval

Kampong Chhnang province’s military police commander said companies must first go through the courts before confiscating any debtors’ possessions, after authorities arrested four leasing company officers for breaking a lock as they tried to take away a motorbike with overdue payments.

Coronavirus (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Woman Confirmed With Covid-19 Two Weeks After Arriving From US

A 33-year-old Cambodian woman was confirmed to have Covid-19 while in self-quarantine in Battambang two weeks after arriving from the U.S., and was in contact with at least seven people before testing positive, the Health Ministry announced Friday morning.

Lake-filling activity seen across the water at Tamok Lake on June 26, 2020. (Seav Meng/VOD)

More of Boeng Tamok to Be Filled In for Justice Ministry Storeroom

Justice Ministry officials need more room, so “empty public land” will be used to store court documents by filling in another part of Boeng Tamok, one of Phnom Penh’s “last lakes” that feeds hundreds of families and protects the capital from flooding.

A cut tree and crane used to clear trees in a state forest in Mondulkiri province’s O’Raing district in 2020 (Supplied)

Mondulkiri District Governor Transferred Over Illegal Land Grabbing

The first of 10 Mondulkiri public officials implicated in illegal land grabbing in the province has been transferred from his position — a warning to others, according to a government spokesperson, but for local rights monitors a sign of continuing impunity over imprisonable crimes.

The pond and golf course at the Chip Mong Group-owned development, Grand Phnom Penh, in a screenshot taken from the company website.

Chip Mong Says Raid on Luxury Housing Protest Was ‘Security’ not Threat

A Chip Mong company representative said there was no threat made against protesters in its luxury Phnom Penh gated community after the residents, who opposed the filling in of a pond near the compound’s golf course, accused it of sending armed guards to remove protest banners from the gates of their mansions.

Police stand in front of a house in the Grand Phnom Penh development (left) and a sign in front of a house (right). (Provided)

Armed Guards Descend on Protesters From Luxury Gated Community

About 30 armed guards descended on a leafy Chip Mong-owned gated complex on Monday evening after residents — including Acleda Bank CEO In Channy — protested a plan to fill in a water feature, with some homeowners hanging protest banners on their mansions.

Chikungunya mosquito (CDC Global)

Chikungunya Spreads to 21 Provinces, Almost 6,000 Suspected Infected

Five tons of larvicide has been shipped to one province alone as authorities battle the spread of the chikungunya virus, a rapidly spreading, mosquito-borne disease that is suspected to have infected almost 6,000 people across 21 provinces in three months .

Street vendors’ carts in front of a factory in Phnom Penh. (Hun Sirivadh/VOD)

Garments Slump Spills Over to Surrounding Businesses, Residents

Street vendors of all stripes around Phnom Penh manufacturing districts say their small businesses are becoming nearly impossible to sustain, one of the many knock-on effects of a decline in the country’s garment industry amid the global pandemic.

People wearing face masks walk through the gate at the Siem Reap Provincial Hospital on March 26, 2020. (Panha Chorpoan/VOD)

Update: Hungarian Man Confirmed Positive for Covid-19 in Siem Reap

A Hungarian man has been confirmed positive for Covid-19 and was located by authorities at his Siem Reap City villa after officials said earlier that he had gone missing and was suspected to have contracted the virus, the Health Ministry said on Saturday afternoon.

Thlang Phinra, the Interior Ministry’s anti-terrorism bureau chief, seen brandishing a handgun at Phnom Penh’s Angkor Chum noodle restaurant on September 20, 2020, in a screenshot of surveillance camera footage published by Fresh News.

Anti-Terror Officer Sued for Wielding Gun at Pchum Ben Duck Soup Party

UPDATED Sept. 25 — An anti-terrorism officer arrived uninvited to a noodle restaurant’s Pchum Ben duck soup party, got drunk, pulled out his gun, and threatened to kill the restaurateur and his wife, alleges a complaint lodged against him at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Authorities interrogate Srun Srorn (right) during a Facebook live broadcast about the Paris Peace Agreements in Takeo province’s Bati district on September 23, 2020, in this screenshot from the video posted to the Paris Peace Treaty Facebook page.

Police Interrogate Facebook Users After Xenophobic Live Broadcast

A group of Facebook users were questioned by police on Wednesday after streaming live from a pagoda in Takeo province, and preparing to distribute copies of the Paris Peace Agreements while urging viewers to think about which foreigners stood behind various officials.

Family members of sentenced ex-CNRP members, Eab Sour, 65, (left) and Kong Mouyly, 31, outside the Tbong Khmum Provincial Court in Suong City on September 22, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Left Alone in Courtroom, Wife, Daughters Rattled by CNRP Sentencing

Human rights groups on Wednesday criticized the Tbong Khmum court’s decision to bar rights monitors, reporters and even some family members from the sentencing of seven ex-CNRP officials the day before, while a defense lawyer did not attend the hearing.

Family members of sentenced ex-CNRP members, Eab Sour, 65, (left) and Kong Mouyly, 31, outside the Tbong Khmum Provincial Court in Suong City on September 22, 2020. (Michael Dickison/VOD)

Tbong Khmum Opposition Supporters Turn Up for CNRP Sentencing

Four defendants were in hiding while dozens of local CNRP supporters gathered for what they said was the first time since the party’s dissolution as the Tbong Khmum Provincial Court on Tuesday sentenced five ex-opposition officials to jail for plotting.

The former CNRP headquarters in Phnom Penh before the opposition party was dissolved in November 2017.

Court Bails Ex-CNRP Officer Accused of ‘Plotting’

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has released on bail a former CNRP public affairs officer accused of “plotting” after an investigating judge placed him under court supervision, a court spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Students are divided into different English classes according to their level at the Village Library in Roha village. (Cindy Liu)

Photo Essay: While School’s Out, Youth Teach Each Other

Due to Covid-19 concerns, most schools in Cambodia were closed in March, risking long-term setbacks to students’ education. But some entrepreneurial youth took action by organizing informal classes and community libraries.

Preh Phnheas resident Chorb Kun looks at her IDPoor and loan documents in August 2020 in Battambang province. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Facing Hunger, Battambang Villagers Use Gov’t Handouts to Repay Loans

PREY PHNHEAS, Battambang — Prey Phnheas village is a 60-minute drive south of Battambang’s provincial capital. Road 151, which leads to the village, is lined with rice fields getting their first taste of the monsoons in mid-August. But the closer you get to Prey Phnheas, the rice shoots are not as green.

A garment factory worker in Cambodia (ILO)

Unions to Boycott Labor Law Meeting Over Night-Shift Pay

Six unions announced they would boycott Tuesday’s meeting with the Labor Ministry where they were to discuss amendments to the Labor Law, a move that a ministry spokesperson said misunderstood economics and would have no impact.

Activist Chhoeun Daravy is surrounded by authorities during a protest outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court near City Mall on the morning of August 13, 2020 (Licadho)

Another Activist Arrested as UN, Rights Groups Condemn Crackdown

Another activist was arrested in Phnom Penh on Thursday as the U.N., international rights groups and dozens of local civil society organizations condemned the government’s “campaign of fear and repression” against human rights defenders.

Workers protest in front of the E.U. office in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Labor Protests Draw Thousands of Workers, Warning Issued to Unionist

Thousands of workers took to the streets in multiple protests this week over unpaid wages from suspended factories as well as grievances related to benefits, as the Labor Ministry issued a warning against one unionist alleging an illegal strike and a man was detained while photographing a rally.

Hun Manet speaks at the 11th anniversary of the establishment of the Prime Minister’s Bodyguard Unit, in Phnom Penh on September 9, 2020, in a photo posted to Manet’s Facebook page.

‘Bamboo Shoot’ Hun Manet Stands In for Father at Military Ceremony

Hun Manet presided over a military ceremony in lieu of Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday, making a speech in front of government ministers and high-ranking officials in what one analyst said was a display of his intention to eventually succeed his father.

CNRP leaders Sam Rainsy and Ho Vann (third and second from the right) raise nine fingers along with other CNRP supporters in the U.S. on September 23, 2019 (CNRP activist’s Facebook page)

Ex-CNRP Jailed for 5 Years for Plotting; Six Others Summoned to Trial

Ex-CNRP members in two provinces were jailed or summoned to trial over old charges of incitement and plotting, with authorities relitigating cases related to party founder Sam Rainsy’s failed promise to return to the country last year and other campaigns promoted by party leaders living in exile abroad.

Employee Touy Sreyrei washes clothes at New Life Laundry Shop in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Tompun commune on May 23, 2020. (Hun Sirivadh/VOD)

Wages Fall Hard for Workers with Low Income, Education

Wage cuts hit workers with lower education, and those in the provinces, in the first four months of the year, according to a new survey, with a labor advocate predicting salary reductions to continue for the foreseeable future.

Authorities surround protesters in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

In Activists’ Arrests, Some See Scared Gov’t, CPP Says It Has No Fear

A recent wave of arrests of youth activists show the government’s fear of outspoken dissidents, and the potential for small demonstrations to become large-scale protests, political activists and analysts say, while a ruling party official denied any such fear yet suggested that the CPP intended to put out a “fire” before it spread.

Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai pro-democracy activist, in a screenshot from a video posted to his Facebook page on June 3, 2020, the day before he was abducted in Phnom Penh.

Imprint of Abducted Thai Activist Begins to Fade From Neighborhood

Three months after a Thai activist was allegedly abducted from outside a Chroy Changvar district apartment, neighbors say other Thai regulars who used to be seen in the area are no longer around, while apartment management denies the man had even lived there.

Neang Makara is treated at the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital on August 27, 2020. (Adhoc)

Man Accuses Police Officer of Shooting Him in the Back

A victim of an alleged police shooting filed a court complaint on Monday against a police official in Banteay Meanchey province for attempted manslaughter and illegal use of a weapon — an incident national police brushed off as being only a “warning shot.”

Pen Chansangkream, a former CNRP district councilor in Phnom Penh, speaks at a protest on August 13, 2020, in a video provided by the CNRP.

28 Opposition Officials Summoned for Incitement in Kampong Cham: CNRP

Nearly 30 former opposition party members from Kampong Cham have been summoned to appear in the provincial court over accusations of incitement, while a former CNRP district councilor for Phnom Penh also faces questioning for alleged incitement to cause serious chaos to social security in the capital.

Khmer Thavrak activist Hun Vannak clashes with Prampi Makara district authorities during a rally in front of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on August 13, 2020. (Khan Leakhena/VOD)

Youth Activist Group Plans 8-Day Protest After Two Members Jailed

The youth activist group that has been largely driving this month’s protests in support of unionist Rong Chhun will again attempt to hold a demonstration against the arrests of government critics — including two of its members now in jail — early next month.

A man rides a motorbike in front of Buthong Tes Anlong Primary School in Ratanakiri province on September 20, 2019. (Heng Vichet/VOD)

Select Public Schools to Reopen After Six-Month Covid-19 Closure

The Education Ministry will allow grade 9 and 12 students from one public high school in Phnom Penh, and students across four provinces deemed “low-risk” for Covid-19 transmission, to head back to classrooms in just over a week, following six months of shuttered schools.

Authorities prevent protesters from marching to the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh to submit a petition calling for the release of jailed unionist Rong Chhun on August 24, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Appeal Court Rejects Rong Chhun’s Bail Request

The Appeal Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court decision to arrest and jail unionist Rong Chhun over his claims that Cambodia had ceded land to Vietnam, denying him release on bail as his supporters continued to rally outside the court.

Villagers from Kandal and Takeo provinces gathered on August 25, 2020, to submit a petition at Prime Minister Hun Sen’s residence in Takhmao City. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

Farmers Displaced by Planned Phnom Penh Airport Seek Better Deal

About 50 villagers who say their farmland falls within the planned site of the new Phnom Penh International Airport submitted a petition at Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Takhmao City residence on Tuesday to ask for a bigger payout from the airport’s developer.

Former Dignity Knitter workers rest under a tent in front of the closed garment factory in Takhmao City on May 1, 2020. (Hun Sirivadh/VOD)

Awaiting Payouts, Fired Garment Workers Keep Watch Outside Factory

About 100 fired garment workers have been guarding their closed factory in shifts since mid-January. They aim to ensure the owner does not sell equipment left inside and disappear with the money before paying workers what they are owed by the end of May.

Activist Kung Raiya upon his release on bail from Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh on November 29, 2019, with his wife holding their daughter (Supplied)

Justice Unlikely in Kem Ley T-Shirt Trial, Activist Kung Raiya Says

Dissident Kung Raiya, who faces up to four years in prison on charges related to his printing of T-shirts with murdered political analyst Kem Ley’s image and words, said he does not expect justice when the court’s verdict is announced next month.

Garment workers in a factory in Cambodia on December 9, 2014 (ILO)

Garment Workers Cornered by Job Loss, Virus Fears and Looming Debt

For indebted garment workers who have been suspended from work due to coronavirus disruptions, money owed to microfinance institutions is a more immediate threat than Covid-19, leading some to consider selling assets before they’re repossessed.

Sovann Rithy, editor of the TVFB news site, outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on April 8, 2020. (VOD)

News Site Blocked, Journalist Jailed After Quoting Hun Sen

The editor-in-chief of popular online news outlet TVFB was jailed on Thursday on incitement charges in relation to a Facebook post in which he shared remarks made by Prime Minister Hun Sen this week about struggling informal workers.

Prime Minister Hun Sen discusses the nation’s response to Covid-19 at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, in a photograph posted to his Facebook page on April 7, 2020.

Promised Pay for Suspended Garment Workers Reduced, New Year Postponed

Prime Minister Hun Sen said garment workers who are suspended due to Covid-19 disruptions would receive an even smaller partial salary than he originally announced, while also postponing the Khmer New Year holiday and claiming that the “safest place” amid the pandemic was at work.

Workers at a shoe factory in Kampong Speu’s Samraong Tong district protest over their suspension without compensation on March 26, 2020. (Supplied)

Factories Can’t Afford to Pay Suspended Workers 40 Percent: GMAC

Cambodia’s garment industry group said this week that factory owners would not be able to pay 40 percent of suspended workers’ wages as recommended by the government, as they cut back work for tens of thousands of employees in the sector.

Kith Theang, the owner of Rock nightclub and other businesses, in a photo from Facebook.

After Kith Theang Arrest, Sar Kheng Urges More Drug Crackdowns

A day after police arrested the owner of the Rock Entertainment Center, Kith Theang, over a recent 50 kilogram drug bust, Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Monday ordered the nation’s police forces to improve their efficiency in stamping out the trade and use of drugs.

GBC Ceasefire Negotiation

GBC Ceasefire Negotiation or Pressure Politics?

From 24-27 December 2025, Cambodia and Thailand are again meeting under the General Border Committee (GBC) framework to discuss a ceasefire. The talks could lead to a defence ministers meeting on 27 December, even as fighting continues and both sides accuse each other of violations.

Mr. Sam Rainsy (left), Mr. Kem Sokha (middle), and Mr. Hun Sen (right)

National Unity in This Difficult Time Must Begin with the Ruling Party’s Leadership

National unity is not a slogan. It is a strategic asset. In a moment of crisis with Thailand, Cambodia’s strongest non-military advantage is legitimacy, meaning how credible Cambodia appears to its own citizens and to the outside world. Unity among Cambodian political forces will not immediately stop Thai military pressure, but it can strengthen Cambodia’s position in regional and international diplomacy, narrow the space for hostile pretexts, and expand support for lawful and peaceful solutions.

Mr. Kem Sokha

Kem Sokha’s Endless Trial Is About Power, Not Unity

The Phnom Penh court decision to delay Kem Sokha’s case in mid December 2025 is being described by some officials and supporters of the ruling party as a step to protect national interest and unity. Many Cambodians do not see it that way. To them, it looks like the state is keeping a major political case in permanent limbo because the ruling elite is afraid of what could happen if real political competition returns.

Thaksin and Hun Sen Family

Analysis: From Brotherhood to Border Fire: The Bangchak Affair and the Hun Sen-Thaksin Fallout

In Southeast Asia’s latest border crisis, artillery fire and landmines dominate the headlines. But behind the barbed wire sits a quieter struggle over money and power. At the centre is Bangchak Energy, one of Thailand’s most important energy firms, and a fight over who really controls a large block of its shares. That contest now reaches into the inner circle of Cambodia’s ruling family and the once-close relationship between Hun Sen and the Shinawatra clan.

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