Cambodia Daily calls government action ‘assault’ on the press
The Cambodia Daily yesterday said it was under “siege” and continued to call the government’s targeting of the newspaper an attack on press freedom, as five radio station owners that had been ordered to shut stop attempted to resume their services. // // ...
Ananth Baliga and Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodia-daily-calls-government-action-assault-press
Kem Sokha banner row rolls on, with some removed
Just two days after they first went up, some of the Cambodia National Rescue Party banners demanding the release of jailed party leader Kem Sokha are already coming down amid government objections. ...
Leonie Kijewski
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/kem-sokha-banner-row-rolls-some-removed
PM calls on US to take its bombs back
The Prime Minister yesterday urged the US to assist Cambodia in removing unexploded bombs that its forces dropped on the country during the Vietnam War, rather than focusing on finding the remains of missing American soldiers. ...
Ros Chanveasna
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5083770/pm-calls-us-take-bombs-back/
Crackdown on logging has been a ‘success’: Bin Chhin
Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin oversaw a meeting on illegal logging in the northeast region of Cambodia, reportedly branding the Kingdom’s anti-logging crackdown a “success” despite evidence to the contrary. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/crackdown-logging-has-been-success-bin-chhin
Phnom Penh airport train to start on April 10
The new rail line between Phnom Penh International Airport and the railway station on Monivong Boulevard is scheduled to open on April 10, according to government and Royal Railways officials. Hoeurn Somnieng, deputy director of the cabinet at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said ...
Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/phnom-penh-airport-train-start-april-10
Window closes for deal on mine project in Kratie
A deadline for an earn-in agreement involving Australian-listed Medusa Mining and Sea Resources to explore the Prek Kampi region of Kratie province passed on Thursday with no deal being reached, according to a UK-based news website. ...
Post Staff
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/window-closes-deal-mine-project-kratie
Rat meat on the menu at the Vietnamese border
Eating rat is a common phenomenon over the border in Vietnam, but increasing numbers of Cambodians in nearby villages are adopting rodent cuisine with relish. As many as three tonnes of rats are caught every day in Cambodia and exported to Vietnam to feed a ...
Focus on 'Secession' Trial Shifts Back to Mam Sonando
Independent radio station owner Mam Sonando mounted a spirited defense during the third and last day of testimony at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday in his trial for allegedly leading a secessionist group. At time raising his voice, waving his arms and grabbing his head ...
Cambodian government considers raising duty tax on local cigarettes
A packet of local Cambodian ARA cigarettes costs 1400Riel, around £0.22. Government tobacco tax on local products is currently 10%. Smoking and drinking is endemic in the poor youth of Cambodia and tax hike is proposed to cut the addiction. Ayda Yurekli, an academic from the ...
NGOs Ask Asean for More Say on Human Rights
Less than a month before Asean heads of state are expected to approve the first-ever human rights declaration for the regional group, Cambodian and Indonesian NGOs yesterday urged member states to give their organizations a larger role in the process. In the works for more than ...
Thai, Cambodian FMs meet in Bangkok on economic cooperation
Thailand and Cambodia will step up road construction, and open more checkpoints along their common borders, Thai News Agency reported on Wednesday. The resolution was made during the 8th Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission, held in Bangkok on Tuesday and Wednesday. ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-12/26/c_132064949.htm
Dam in Northeast Built on Earthquake Site, Study Finds
Experts are recommending that a proposed dam on the Sesan River in northeast Cambodia be equipped with earthquake protection measures, after discovering a quake occurred in the area some 30 years ago. The proposed Lower Sesan II dam would be situated on a site in Stung ...
Rights Group Denounces Gag Order on Lawyers Before Election
New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Cambodian Bar Association of trying to silence potential government critics ahead of July’s national elections by imposing restrictions on lawyers making public statements. The Bar Association and the Information Ministry have both issued edicts that ...
ILO Respond to Scathing Stanford Report on Factory Monitoring
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Better Factories Program (BFC) has responded to a scathing report released last week by Stanford University, which said the ILO program was ineffectual as it had not helped secure Cambodian workers a significant wage increase since the program started over ...
Unions to Form Committee to Focus on Minimum Wage
The leaders of seven major unions and labor confederations announced yesterday in a joint statement that they will form an inter-union committee to rally the government on raising the country’s minimum wage of $61, with the unions believe is too low. ...
Thai Rights Commission to Publish Report on Sugar Plantations
A final report from Thailand’s human rights commission on the alleged rights violations of a Thai company involved in two Cambodian sugar plantations is expected by late January, a member of the commission said. In July, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand said its investigation ...
With Election on the Horizon, Politicians Defend Land Policies
Cambodian politicians have begun a public campaign to defend their records on land policies, as they prepare for the run-up to July elections. Politicians from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, as well as the opposition Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties, have said they will give ...
A Year on, No Sign of Donor Forum Meeting
Exactly one year after the Finance Ministry indefinitely postponed its last top-level meeting with the international aid donors, there is still no sign that the government is ready to set a new date to engage face-to-face with the country’s development partners. The forum is held once ...
Reporting on Sonando Case Shows Differences in Local Media
The 20-year jail sentence for independent radio station owner Mam Sonando made headlines around the world yesterday, but coverage of Mr. Sonando’s case was markedly different in local Khmer-language media yesterday, particularly national TV where not a mention was made. While the three major Khmer-language newspapers- ...
Riot Police Stop March on Last Day of Summits
A group of roughly 100 anti-eviction protestors were blocked by riot police yesterday from marching to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Peace Palace to appeal to U.S. President Barack Obama for help in reforming Cambodia’s land rights policy. The protest, which took place at the Boeng Kak ...