Cambodia’s Schools Reopened, but Rural Students Stay at Work
Poor students were forced to find work to help their families through the pandemic. Now that schools have reopened, some may never step into a classroom again.
Poor students were forced to find work to help their families through the pandemic. Now that schools have reopened, some may never step into a classroom again.
A remote, city-like compound owned by U.S.-blacklisted tycoon Try Pheap is housing online scam operations of thousands of workers rife with forced labor, detention and unexplained deaths, trafficking victims and rescuers allege.
Alongside piles of wood are huge bales of multicolored fabric scraps. A long chimney shoots out from the roof of a Kandal brick kiln, and has elicited the ire of some villagers who say it releases noxious smoke.
Prime Minister Hun Sen dropped quarantine requirements and overnight PCR tests upon arrival for all vaccinated travelers from Monday, going beyond Thailand’s reopening to dozens of countries early this month.
Chinese nationals, as young as 15 years old, are being trafficked and forced to work in online gambling and scam companies in Sihanoukville, according to pleas for help sent to a group of Chinese volunteers that rescues victims of human trafficking in Cambodia.
Cambodia aspires to reduce 42 percent of its expected 2030 emissions not through stopping coal-powered energy but with trees. More specifically, the country will offset a majority of the total emissions it releases through Redd+.
Friday afternoon saw the release of prominent unionist Rong Chhun, Khmer Thavrak’s Chhoeun Daravy and a reduction in sentences for six other activists, who will be released soon.
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.
Across Cambodia, energy drink marketing is inescapable. The sugar-packed drinks, linked to stress, aggression and poor health, are advertised for their health benefits. This is misleading and threatens health, writes Future Forum research fellow Sorn Sovannara.
Cambodia’s Energy Minister declared last week that Cambodia would not build any new coal-fired power plants, but the announcement appears to have little or no impact so far on Cambodia’s current plans for developing coal-fired power plants through 2030.
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