In a bizarre twist at the Appeal Court hearing of radio station owner Man Sonando, the prosecution yesterday asked that judges drop the charge against Mr. Sonando of inciting antigovernment violence, but then asked the court to uphold another charge leading to an insurrection. Mr. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/prosecutor-wants-change-to-sonando-charges/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Phnom Penh, a city once fabled for its stately colonial buildings and boulevards, and its serene riverside setting, is becoming a city of glaring contrasts. An economy left in ruins by the years of war and violent revolution in the 1970s and 80s grew at a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/the-price-of-land-development-in-cambodia/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Dozens of business owners occupying more than 8,000 square meters of prime real estate behind Phnom Penh’s Wat Ounalom have been ordered to vacate their premises by the local conglomerate Sokimex Group, an official from the firm said Wednesday. Though the firm declined to say what href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/sokimex-orders-businesses-off-prime-real-estate/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

A month after a company owned by tycoon Kith Meng was ordered to suspend logging the reservoir area of the controversial Lower Sesan II dam, the government yesterday threatened legal action against it if its orders aren’t followed. In a letter obtained by the Post yesterday, the Council href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/answers-demanded-on-dam-site/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has charged the Cambodian chairman of a local conglomerate and a Chinese business associate with fraud and using forged public documents, officials said Wednesday. Al Romny, 41, and Chinese national Chin Mongxin, 45, were arrested Saturday after an un­known complainant said href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/businessmen-charged-over-mining-deal-fraud/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Construction on Phnom Penh’s CamKo City project will resume after a year’s suspension following a fraud scandal that left its original financial backer bankrupt, an official at the Ministry of Land Management said Wednesday. CamKo City, located in Phnom Penh’s Russei Keo district, was halted href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/construction-set-to-resume-at-camko-city/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The Abbott government wants to send some asylum seekers to Cambodia, at a time when the country’s strongman prime minister, Hun Sen, is overseeing a brutal crackdown on dissent in one of south-east Asia’s poorest nations. Facing growing opposition after decades of authoritarian rule, Hun Sen href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/australia-asks-cambodia-to-take-asylum-seekers-amid-violent-crackdown/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Khan Thea, a subsistence fisherman who lives and works along this sprawling, 7,000-hectare lake fed by the Mekong River, was not having a good day on the water. Struggling to net even a single fish, he finally resorted to a dangerous—and illegal—technique: fishing with electric current. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/as-fish-stocks%e2%80%88vanish-locals-flout-law-to-survive/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

About 140 villagers in Koh Kong province set up a roadblock for the second consecutive day Thursday, demanding compensation from a Chinese company they say burned down their homes to make way for part of a multibillion-dollar tourist resort, according to a rights worker and href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/villagers-block-road-demand-compensation/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Beehive radio station director and accused “secessionist” Mam Sonando was sent to Prey Sar prison yesterday, where he will be detained until his trial on formal criminal charges including insurrection, a conviction that alone could result in up to 15 years behind bars. After two and href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/alleged-secessionist-faces-15-years/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

 The CCFTA, signed in October 2020 and effective since January 2022, was initiated by Cambodian officials with the aim of broadening its trade relations and export markets in China in response to the economic fallout caused by the pandemic, local flooding, and economic pressures and href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/china-remains-the-largest-export-market-for-cambodia/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Developing economies in Asia and the Pacific this year are projected to see better performances than in 2022 as the continued easing of pandemic restrictions boosts consumption, tourism and investment, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said, highlighting “China’s reopening is the main factor brightening href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/asia-pacific-growth-poised-to-quicken-with-chinese-economy-at-faster-pace/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

A group of five unions plans to send a petition to the Ministry of Labor on Friday requesting a number of changes in the controversial draft union law. Speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh yesterday, Cambodian Confederation of Unions President Rong Chhun detailed the requests href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/unions-to-request-litany-of-changes-to-draft-law/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Money laundering and drug-related crimes continue to be a major challenge in Cambodia due to a lack of enforceable legislation, endemic corruption and limited resources, according a new report by the US State Department. According to the 2012 International Narcotics Strategy Report, Cambodia continues to be href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/us-says-money-laundering-drugs-still-major-challenges/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The first round of a tripartite meeting to negotiate a new minimum wage for garment and footwear workers ended in a deadlock on Monday. Trade unions, employers, and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training officials tried to hammer out a new wage scheme for href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/deadlock-over-wage-talks/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Hun Manith, the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, has been “promoted” as a board member and adviser of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) – a position equal to a cabinet minister. A royal decree, signed by the King on November 2 and obtained href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/son-of-pm-appointed-as-cmacs-board-member/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Eleven people at the centre of a case involving seven indigenous Bunong villages in Mondulkiri province pursuing legal action in France have expressed disappointment after the French embassy in Phnom Penh denied their visa applications to attend court. A press release said the 11 included href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ethnic-group-disappointed-to-be-denied-french-visas-to-attend-court/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

With domesticated elephants in Cambodia decreasing drastically, a domesticated elephant protection group in Siem Reap province will set up a breeding centre to restore their numbers. Oan Kiry of The Angkor Elephant Group Committee in Siem Reap city said his group had found a location href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/breeding-centre-for-domestic-elephants-to-be-established/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia will embark on developing a billion-dollar eco-tourism park on a 114-hectare land in Preah Vihear. It will use Japanese technology. The Royal Academy Cambodia (RAC) inked a deal with Japanese company BM Nature Safari Co Ltd on Saturday to develop the RAC Techo Sen href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/deal-inked-for-safari-park/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Ecosystems play an important role in sustaining not only plants and animals, but also humans. But as demands for development continue, a balance between investments and sustainability remains elusive in Ream National Park. A forest ranger is geared with a bag behind his back and a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/development-challenges-in-ream-national-park/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...