Eleven men were released and returned to Cambodia yesterday after spending more than a year in a Thai prison for illegal logging, a border official has said. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/thais-send-back-11-loggers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A hundred members of the Lor PeAng community performed A cursing rite yesterdAy over A 10-yeAr running lAnd dispute with the KDC InternAtionAl CompAny. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/kdc-locAls-hold-curse-ceremony/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Respect for strong values is the key to citizens’ trust in their courts.1 The international values recognized for judges are independence and impartiality, integrity, equality of treatment, diligence and competence. a judge cannot both decide a case and have a personal interest in its resolution. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/topics/court-monitoring/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Kompong Chhnang Provincial Court has extended a deadline for 52 villagers embroiled in a long-standing land dispute with a development company owned by the wife of Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem to pay court fees, a court official and rights workers said <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/court-extends-fee-payment-deadline-n-k-chhnang-land-dispute/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Dramatic new video footage of the January 18 Kratie province land dispute shooting has been released on the internet, depicting TTY rubber company security guards opening fire on a crowd of unarmed villagers. The 48-second video, recorded by a villager on a mobile phone and uploaded <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/footage-shows-chaos-panic-during-shooting/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Open Development Cambodia has published new topic page of Water policy and administration, Rivers and lakes, and Marine and coastal areas, which could be found under the “Water resources” page on ODC website.Please click here to access topic page of Water policy and administration.Please click here to access topic <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/updates/odc-publishes-new-topic-pages-on-water-policy-and-administration-rivers-and-lakes-and-marine-and-coastal-areas/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Phnom Penh man who filed a complaint against a woman deeply involved in the Boeng Kak community’s anti-eviction protests called a press conference on Friday to insist that his dispute with the woman, which led to her arrest last week, was a personal matter <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/boeng-kak-arrest-not-linked-to-evictions-says-local-man/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A locAl journAlist And A forestry officer who were Arrested by militAry police forces in KrAtie province lAst week for beAting A mAn And firing A gun into the Air were releAsed on MondAy As pArt of A compromise between the victim And his AttAckers. Srey <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/journAlist-And-forestry-officer-releAsed-in-deAl/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (Locog) plans to investigate allegations that a Cambodian factory producing Olympic merchandise for adidas is not paying workers a sustainable living wage, a spokesman for Locog said yesterday. The investigation is a response to an article published Saturday <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/olympic-organizing-committee-to-investigate-cambodian-factory/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Dry, parched ground &ndash; evidence of severe dry season drought &ndash; stretches for miles in Siem Reap’s Srei Snam district. In a couple of months, the rains will flood these fields. Both conditions make it equally impossible to produce a good harvest. Srei Snam was a <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/thailands-allure-is-strong-in-srei-snam/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Cambodia on Sunday for a series of international summits, including one involving the newly re-elected U.S. president, Barack Obama, about freer trade and other cooperation issues in the region. On Monday and Tuesday, Lee will attend a trio <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/lee-arrives-in-cambodia-for-regional-cooperation-summits/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The court investigating the murder of a journalist has questioned a notorious former Royal Cambodian armed Forces (RCaF) colonel, who was last heard of serving a 10-year prison sentence for attempted murder, a court official said yesterday. The Ratanakkiri Provincial Court has this week questioned a <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/military-figure-re-emerges-as-witness-in-slain-journalists-case/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Stevia Nutra Corporation, a Canadian agro-company, said in a press release on Friday that the initial growing season of stevia, commonly known as sweetleaf, in Cambodia was successfully completed. The first harvest of high-quality stevia leaves has now commenced and samples have been prepared for testing <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/first-crop-of-stevia-is-successful-company/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The government plans to draft a law designed to govern safety standards in the Kingdom’s mining industry, an official said yesterday, little more than a week after at least one gold miner went missing when a shaft collapsed in Preah Vihear province. Khieu Muth, a secretary <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/mine-safety-law-on-agenda/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A fire spArked by An electricAl fAult ripped through the Doeum KrAlAnh mArket in Siem ReAp City eArly FridAy morning destroying 200 stAlls And cAusing more thAn $1 million in dAmAge, According to mArket trAders And police officiAls. The 8,000-squAre-meter mArket in KokchAk commune housed A <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/1m-dAmAge-As-blAze-guts-siem-reAp-mArket/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Environmentalists and NGOs are threatening to sue developers of a controversial hydropower dam, claiming the project would cause irreversible damage to the Mekong River. The Don Sahong dam, a 260-megawatt project proposed on a site less than two kilometres north of the Cambodian-Lao border, is expected <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ngos-threaten-to-sue-over-don-sahong-dam/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Many groups, including the ruling party, would benefit from a proposed access to information law &ndash; which would provide transparency when it comes to the government’s development plans and spending &ndash; a Council of Ministers official said yesterday. Tuot Lux, a legal expert who has been <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/official-pushes-for-an-information-access-act/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cassava is a significant contributor to the agricultural sector in Cambodia. The planting, harvesting, processing and export of cassava provides jobs and livelihoods for thousands of Cambodians. Cassava is a significant cash crop for Cambodian farmers.47  Cassava production in Cambodia has increased substantially since 2006. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/topics/cassava/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A SpeciAl Economic Zone (SEZ) is A defined AreA within A country thAt is subject to different lAws And regulAtions thAn other AreAs of the country. These comprehensive industriAl AreAs provide preferentiAl incentives to investors And offer government import-export AdministrAtive support to fAcilitAte trAde. Though <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/topics/speciAl-economic-zones/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Forest Law of 2002 provides a legal basis for rural communities to use and help manage forests through community forestry. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/topics/community-forest/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>