Cambodia has performed better than last year in its effort to fight corruption, but it is still slow, an international anti-corruption watchdog said Wednesday.   The index ranks Cambodia 156 out of 175 countries this year, up from a 160 ranking last year. ...

About 100 villagers prevented a company from clearing part of its land concession in Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat district on Saturday in the latest confrontation in a long-running dispute in the Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary, according to a villager and a local official. ...

Hundreds of Vietnamese gamblers trying to get to casinos in Cambodia are testing tightened security at two border gates in Long An Province, and a crackdown at Binh Hiep Border Gate has opened a market for gangs facilitating illegal crossings or bribing guards. ...

Thailand’s army has asked Cambodia “not to jump [to] the conclusion” that its soldiers were to blame for the deaths of three Cambodian loggers who were shot dead earlier this month while searching for rosewood across the border, according to Thai media. ...

Three female garment workers who were shot by former Bavet town governor Chhouk Bandith during a February 2012 factory demonstration called on the government yesterday to imprison the former politician, who has been on the run for three years as of today. ...

Stung Treng provincial military police and at least four Laotian drug smugglers exchanged gunfire along the Lao border Tuesday after a man was arrested for attempting to sell more than 1.5 kg of crystal methamphetamine to undercover officers, an official said Wednesday. ...

A group of Siem Reap provincial CNRP officials plan to protest outside the opposition party’s headquarters in Phnom Penh this morning to request that provincial party chief Ke Sovannaroth be ousted due to alleged “irregular spending,” an official said on Sunday. ...

A group of activists staged a flash mob in Phnom Penh’s Wat Botom park Thursday evening, performing the Madison and the cha-cha-cha to bring attention to women’s rights in the lead-up to International Women’s Day on Sunday. ...

Representatives of more than 60 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and an electoral reform group on Monday boycotted a national workshop held Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties on the electoral reform draft law, saying they did not have enough time to review the documents. ...

A military general charged in connection with a high-profile corruption scandal at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, which led to the removal of its top judge last month, on Tuesday denied the allegations against him after being questioned at the court. ...

Rampant land grabs, economic land concessions and a disastrous land-titling program have fostered an environment of insecurity for Cambodia’s most marginalised citizens, according to a new report, which argues that the Kingdom needs to rethink its current business-centric development model. ...

The ruling CPP and opposition CNRP made a rare show of fraternity Wednesday morning in unanimously passing the country’s first tobacco control law—which bans sales to minors, smoking in public and most advertising—in a bid to combat related illnesses. ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court today is scheduled to hear the trial of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party activist Meach Sovannara, who was charged with leading a violent “insurrection” after an opposition demonstration turned violent last July. ...

Cambodia’s first opposition-aligned television station will begin broadcasting around the country by the year’s end, with a group of investors close to the CNRP now raising the $3 million needed to launch operations, opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Sunday. ...

Thirty-seven people died in 112 road accidents during last week’s Khmer New Year holiday, typically the busiest time of year on the country’s roads as people make their way to and from their home provinces to be with family. ...

An 89-year-old woman who was among the more than 240 villagers to test positive for HIV in Battambang province’s Roka commune died Monday, bringing the total number of deaths since the outbreak was first detected in December to eight. ...

Less than 10 months after the $200-million Aeon Mall opened its doors to Phnom Penh’s consumers, at least seven tenants at Cambodia’s largest shopping center have shuttered their businesses, complaining of disappointing foot traffic, construction disturbances and overly thrifty patrons. ...

ASEAN and the European Union (EU) are set to explore the possible resumption of talks on a free-trade agreement (FTA) after the ASEAN Economic Community comes into effect this year, Malaysia’s Bernama news agency reported Sunday. ...

In a recent letter to its overseas party branches, the ruling CPP lays out a plan to counter the bad press it gets abroad and beef up its support among the Cambodian diaspora, currently a key source of funds for the opposition. ...

The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea has sparked international alarm, and about 25,000 people have cancelled trips to the country between June 5 and 7, the Korean Tourism Organisation said.  ...