Reporters followed the case of a 22-year-old from his call for help — in which he alleged he was trapped and electrocuted at a Kampot scam compound — to the efforts of a friend of his to get him out.
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.
Pate commune chief Chhay Thy is proud of the two roads he built over the past five years. The former rights worker turned ruling party politician said he was confident of ongoing support from residents, but some said they wanted a Jarai leader, not a Khmer outsider.
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.
Sor Sarath is the only woman commune-chief candidate for the Grassroots Democratic Party. Sarath, a 38-year-old tailor, says she is committed to pushing for women’s rights and participation in social activities in Kampong Chhnang’s Kampong Tralach commune. The task is not a simple one but would be a lot easier if men got out of the way, she says.
The party won just over 1,000 votes in Mondulkiri in 2017, and many local residents don’t even know its name — only its elephant logo. But amid rampant land loss — burial grounds seemingly targeted by brokers — the Indigenous People’s Party wants to push back.
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.
Phnom Penh’s streets are among the city’s few fully public spaces, and are key to a more vibrant and livable city. Future Forum fellow Ses Aronsakda floats an idea for turning St. 184 into a people-friendly “shared street” from riverside to Monivong Blvd.
Reporters out on the Bassac river in a hired fishing boat counted 43 barges in total at various stages of the sand dredging process in two hours in one afternoon last week.
Kung Raiya has gone to jail for seeking a “color revolution” and later for selling Kem Ley commemorative T-shirts. The prison stints initially deterred him from being politically active, but with three weeks to go for the June election he is running for commune chief in Kampong Cham.
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