banteay meanchey
Da Chhean, KNUP’s commune chief in Banteay Meanchey’s Thmar Pouk, who is now helping his brother in the CPP, in May 2022. (Ananth Baliga/VOD)

Da for Defection: Sole Non-CPP Chief Joins the CPP

Ahead of the June 5 vote, the country currently has only one commune chief who is not from the ruling CPP: the KNUP’s Da Chhean in Banteay Meanchey. Chhean is now working with the CPP.

Chao Ratanak, Candlelight Party’s commune chief candidate in Poipet commune, outside her house on May 14, 2022. (Matt Surrusco/VOD)

A Daughter Steps Up in Poipet

Chao Ratanak, Candlelight’s top candidate in Poipet commune, where her father once served as an opposition councilor, had no political experience until recently. If elected, she says she’ll draw on lessons from her father and her family’s migrant worker experience.

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.