International relations

Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Thursday ordered authorities to investigate a potential connection between a recent gun-smuggling case in Thailand and a similar case last year, seemingly contradicting the Defence Ministry’s earlier claim that the weapons didn’t stem from Cambodia. ...

Political fugitive Sam Serey, long wanted by the Cambodian government for allegedly operating a “terrorist” group, was arrested in Bangkok on Wednesday for an immigration violation, with the Cambodian government submitting a formal request for his extradition on Thursday. Serey, founder of the dissident group ...

This week, more indications surfaced that Cambodia and Thailand were moving towards opening a new international border checkpoint. Though the development was largely overlooked, it bears watching within the broader context of a longstanding effort by both sides to jointly manage their shared border despite ...

The US is deporting 51 Cambodians who are expected to arrive in the country on Thursday, the single largest group of deportees in the history of the contentious 15-year repatriation program. The group is expected to include deportees with chronic mental and physical health conditions, ...

China’s ever increasing influence over the Mekong River Basin was apparent on the first day of a Mekong River Commission (MRC) summit on Monday, where cooperation between the MRC and the Chinese-backed Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism was floated. ...

In late January last year, China donated 100 tanks to Cambodia. And the militaries of the two countries just celebrated their 60th anniversary of Sino-Cambodia diplomatic relations by concluding their joint annual Golden Dragon military exercises on Thursday. ...

Cambodia and Thailand plan to officially open a new international border checkpoint in mid-May, an official confirmed on Sunday. ...

Six countries pledged to enact $66 billion worth of projects over the next five years at the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Hanoi on Saturday, with Cambodia-specific projects scheduled to receive the least amount of funding of any participant. ...

Amid a hail of 20,000 bullets, the thud of eight helicopters, a hostage rescue demonstration and choreographed martial arts performances, the joint Chinese-Cambodian Golden Dragon military exercises concluded yesterday as officials from both sides praised the expanding relationship between the two countries. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday announced that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will visit Cambodia soon to sign an aid agreement, dismissing reports that the Japanese would pressure him to negotiate with former CNRP officials. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday that a meeting with Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Taro Kono next week would not include discussions of the dissolved CNRP, affirming his commitment to holding this year’s elections while rejecting the possibility of negotiations or pardons for the ...

Following a meeting in which a Japanese emissary urged the government to open negotiations with the now-dissolved opposition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested Japan’s concerns were based on a “misunderstanding” and said Cambodia is too small to fight against an alleged “strong propaganda machine”. ...

Days after Cambodian and Thai officials reportedly agreed on closer coordination over “foreign fugitives”, opposition party members who have fled the country for Thailand have provided evidence of Cambodian military vehicles stationed near their homes in Bangkok, increasing fear among asylum seekers that they could ...

Cambodia traded shots with the international community in a heated exchange at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday evening, with states condemning the Kingdom’s ongoing crackdown on the political opposition and civil society, and an increasingly agitated Cambodia accusing member states of ...

Cambodia and Thailand are due to open an international checkpoint bordering Battambang province and Sa Kaeo province to facilitate the flow of goods across the border at the end of this month. Nguon Ratanak, Battambang provincial governor, and Porn Poth Penpas, Sa Kaeo provincial governor, held ...

An Asean special summit with Australia wrapped up on Sunday, with regional leaders declaring a “new era” of increasingly close relations, following two days of protests in Sydney against the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen. An estimated 300 protesters gathered on Friday, the majority ...

On Saturday morning, hundreds of Cambodian and Chinese soldiers in full combat gear stood in formation in front of a backdrop of tanks, armoured trucks, machine gun-mounted helicopters, and artillery weapons. Generals from both sides spoke warmly of the deepening relationship between the two countries, ...

Three helicopters, eight armoured personnel carriers and other military materials from China arrived in Cambodia yesterday a few days ahead of a military exercise between the Cambodian and Chinese militaries in Kampong Speu province. ...

UN Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith raised the forced dissolution of the CNRP and the redistribution of its legislative seats, as well as the government’s frequent legal action against sitting parliamentarians, during her visit on Tuesday with National Assembly President Heng Samrin. ...

The Chinese government is picking up the majority of the tab for the joint military exercise between China and Cambodia from March 17 to 30 in Kampong Speu province’s Samroang Tong district. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the Asean-Australia Special Summit this week in the face of planned protests against his attendance, including by the wife of slain political analyst Kem Ley who was recently granted refugee status. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement ...

The government of South Korea will help to build a Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River in the future, according to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday. The announcement came after a meeting on Friday between Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and newly-appointed ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen applauded the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, offering his congratulations to the odd couple at the fourth annual River Festival in Kandal province.​ ...

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday warned civilians and aircraft to avoid a section of Kampong Speu province from March 15 to March 30 while Cambodia participates in its Golden Dragon military training exercises with China. ...