Japan hopes to continue “friendly” visits to Ream naval base, a spokesperson said; a mass trial of at least 40 defendants associated with the CNRP resumed Monday.
Currently, five Cambodian ambassadors are women. Those like Pech Puthisathbopeaneaky, who is general consul in Hong Kong, are at the frontiers of equitable foreign policy, changing perceptions of diplomacy as a man’s job, writes Marie Kepler.
As Prime Minister Hun Sen mounts bilateral talks with the Myanmar junta, analysts are skeptical a so-called “win-win” approach will find any traction amid Myanmar’s post-coup turmoil.
Over the past week, increasing pressure on Cambodia coincided with the suddenly approved release of at least a dozen political prisoners.
Representatives of the U.S., E.U., U.K. and Australia this week raised concerns over the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentencing nine CNRP opposition leaders to 20 to 25 years in prison for a planned “attack” on the state.
Ruling party and civil society leaders on Friday expressed regret over the announced closure of the Swedish Embassy next year, with concerns raised over diplomatic relations and funding for human rights work.
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.
A full day of Covid-19 testing is being carried out on Monday for government officials from 13 different ministries and institutions after having varying contact with a visiting Hungarian foreign minister who later tested positive for the disease.
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.
Cambodia and the U.S. have been through “ups and downs” together, but their bonds of friendship can still be renewed, Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote in a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump.
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