Since he began making the perilous journey to Thailand to log rosewood 10 years ago, Sao Sophon* has had plenty of time to calculate the cost of dying. “When we cross the border to Thailand, our lives are equal to $80 or $90, because that is <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cross-at-your-own-risk/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Just before the sun sets over the enchanting angkor temples in northern Cambodia, a group of children gets ready for their big show. Every day, according to fliers at restaurants and hotels around town, the children perform an hour-long “charity show” for tourists visiting the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/in-cambodia-fake-orphanages-soak-up-donations-by-duping-tourists/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Japanese embassy is reporting a $280 million drop in Japanese investment last year, but officials were quick to say that the numbers don’t necessarily reflect slumping investor confidence in Cambodia. Japanese investment in the Kingdom reached about $47.5 million in 2013, compared to $328 million <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/slow-year-for-japanese-investment/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Mobile internet speeds in Cambodia are ratcheting up a notch. Smart Mobile, the country’s second largest operator by subscribers, is making 4G LTE internet available to customers this week, the company announced yesterday during the launch of the service at NagaWorld Casino. Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/smart-rolls-out-4g-network/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia’s opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, is currently in Geneva, where the UN Human Rights Committee is reviewing the country’s rights record. Cambodian government officials are defending their rights record for the second time in four years at the Universal Periodic Review. Sam Rainsy, who heads the Cambodia <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-at-un-to-defend-rights-record/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Following last week’s street sweep, children as young as 7 years old were kept in Phnom Penh’s notorious Prey Speu social affairs centre, eyewitnesses, staff and those targeted by the initiative have told the Post, directly contradicting government denials offered earlier this week. Standing at the centre’s <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/prey-speu-tales-conflict/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

We, the undersigned civil society groups, condemn the actions of the Oddar Meanchey authorities who have, since September 2014, been engaged in the obstruction, harassment, intimidation, and assault of rights workers (see annex 1: Timeline of Events). Most recently, a four-person team from Equitable Cambodia (“EC”) was in <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/announcements/joint-statement-regarding-the-oddar-meanchey-authorities-continued-illegal-conduct-towards-equitable-cambodias-staff/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The European Union’s delegation to Cambodia will almost triple its funding to the Kingdom over the next five years because the bloc’s aid policy has shifted its focus to least developed countries. Jean-François Cautain, ambassador for the European Union’s delegation to Cambodia, announced the EU would <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/eu-funding-to-the-kingdom-rises-threefold/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

On 22 December 2019, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) alongside CamboJa and 35 other organizations has released a joint statement to urge the Royal Government of Cambodia to take concrete action to ensure that the right to freedom of expression is respected and <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/announcements/joint-statement-civil-society-organizations-call-for-all-baseless-charges-against-journalists-to-be-dropped/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

US AmbAssAdor PAtrick Murphy on MondAy held A meeting with LAnd MAnAgement Minister CheA SophArA to discuss the need for trAnspArency in development projects to AttrAct more AmericAn investments. Mr Murphy tweeted After the meeting the United StAtes wAnts to see thAt All development projects in <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/trAnspArency-key-to-AttrAct-us-investments-AmbAssAdor/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The concession has been subjected to additional reductions in size and has not been cancelled previously. Publicly available information on land area cut from ELCS does not include maps or spatial data of excisions. Thus, ODC cannot present land area cut in shapes. as a <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/layers/downsized/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Mekong River Commission on Tuesday reported dam equipment tests in China will affect water levels in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos in the middle of this month. In a press release obtained yesterday, the MRC said the tests are being conducted in China’s Jinghong hydropower station <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/mekong-levels-to-drop-as-china-conducts-equipment-tests/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

More than 700 people affected by land disputes gathered in Phnom Penh on Monday to protest in front of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction. The protesters who came from Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces demanded a <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/protesters-demand-speedy-land-dispute-resolution-at-ministry/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Specialists from Battambang province’s Forestry administration, along with Samlot district authorities, are conducting a joint search for arsonists responsible for the recent forest fire in the Dos Kramom mountain area located in Ta Sanh commune. The suspects are presumed to have secretly burned the forest to <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/local-authorities-searching-for-forest-arsonists-in-battambang/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Korean investors are looking forward to investing in the local stock market as it prepares to welcome acleda Bank Plc into its main board. With acleda Bank, one of the largest banks in the Kingdom, scheduled to go public in upcoming weeks, hundreds of Korean businesspeople <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/koreans-eyeing-bank-ipo/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Ten investment projects worth $83.7 million were approved by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) this week, it said in a press release said on Tuesday. The projects are anticipated to create some 4,744 jobs. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cdc-okays-investments-worth-over-83-million/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A Children’s Fund (Unicef) report on the use of sociAl mediA by children And Adolescents in EAst AsiA sAys thAt Although Access to such sites provides children with big opportunities, it Also exposes them to the growing risks thAt AccompAny the plAtforms. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/children-gAin-opportunities-but-fAce-risks-in-Age-of-sociAl-mediA/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Japan on Thursday provided a $1.43 million grant to three organisations working to clear cluster bombs, improve food security and promote sustainable agricultural conditions for poverty reduction in Cambodia. The grant was signed by Japanese ambassador to Cambodia Masahiro Mikami and representatives of the three recipients <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/japan-govt-grants-1-43-million-in-aid-for-social-projects/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The government expects to sign an agreement with French-owned Blue Circle to develop a wind farm project within the first half of the year, the director-general of the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s General Department of Energy Victor Jona said on Monday. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/wind-power-project-deal-expected-this-year/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Thailand closes all road travels with Cambodia and tightens conditions for air travel as the measures to prevent the widespread of Covid-19. Thai authorities have begun to carry out the notification of a temporary travel suspension of all border entrances, with some of the ports <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/thailand-proposes-to-close-all-borders-with-cambodia-to-prevent-the-widespread-of-covid-19-except-freight/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>