Economy
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.

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.

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.