Social development
Human rights
Hun Sen Asks UN Envoy to Help End Cambodia’s Political Crisis
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on a U.N. special envoy to press the country’s opposition to rejoin parliament and negotiate an end to the country’s political stalemate since disputed July elections, an official said Wednesday. Hun Sen met with U.N. special envoy for human ...
Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/intervention-01152014162154.html
Subedi Calls for Accountability in Meeting With Hun Sen
In a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen and 10 of the government’s highest-ranking officials in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, U.N. human rights envoy Surya Subedi called for the perpetrators of recent state-sanctioned killings to be held accountable for their actions. Mr. Subedi spent three-and-a-half hours ...
Lauren Crothers and Khy Sovuthy
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/subedi-calls-for-accountability-in-meeting-with-hun-sen-50675/
US Support to Cambodian Military Under Scrutiny
As military police began a 10-day training program with the U.S. military in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, questions are being raised again over Washington’s ongoing support to Cambodian security forces involved in serious human rights abuses. On January 3, military police officers opened fire with AK-47 ...
Matt Blomberg
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-support-to-cambodian-military-under-scrutiny-50670/
Sonando Fans to Stage Protest for TV License
Mam Sonando, owner of the popular Beehive Radio station, and his supporters will defy a government ban on public gatherings and start daily protests against the Ministry of Information’s rejection of Mr. Sonando’s request for a relay station and a TV station, Mr. Sonando’s assistant ...
Kuch Naren and Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/sonando-fans-to-stage-protest-for-tv-license-50686/
Despite illness, no bail for labour activist
Labour activist Vorn Pov, who is facing serious health issues while being held in pre-trial detention in Kampong Cham’s Correctional Centre 3 prison, has been denied bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. His NGO-provided lawyer, San Sokunthear, immediately filed an appeal against the bail denial ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/despite-illness-no-bail-labour-activist
Government Denies Beehive Radio Bid for Expansion
The Ministry of Information has rejected an application by independently run Beehive Radio to expand its operations nationwide. Beehive, which carries Voice of America and other international programming, currently serves Phnom Penh through an FM frequency. It had applied to expand radio relay stations throughout the ...
Sok Khemara
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/government-denies-beehive-radio-bid-for-expansion/1829952.html
UN Envoy Continues Meetings With CNRP, NGOs
U.N. human rights envoy Surya Subedi, who is on his 10th fact-finding mission to Cambodia, met with opposition CNRP leader Sam Rainsy on Tuesday ahead of a planned meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior government officials Wednesday. Reached by telephone after the meeting ...
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-envoy-continues-meetings-with-cnrp-ngos-50589/
Cambodia opposition leaders questioned in court
Cambodia’s opposition leaders were questioned in court Tuesday in connection with recent protests against strongman premier Hun Sen — a case they denounced as politically motivated. Prosecutors at Phnom Penh Municipal Court spent several hours grilling Sam Rainsy and his deputy Kem Sokha about unrest that ...
Channel News Asia Staff
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/cambodia-opposition/954294.html
Free Trade Union Reports Overall Jump in Labor Strikes in 2013
The Free Trade Union (FTU) on Monday reported an overall increase in industrial action by its local branches last year with 136 total strikes in the first 11 months of 2013, up 35 percent from all of 2012, when there were 101 strikes by its ...
Group Defies Government Ban to Demand Detainees’ Release
Defying a new ban on public gatherings, more than 50 activists and monks gathered outside the local U.N. human rights office Monday morning to demand the immediate release of 23 men who were arrested earlier this month during violent clashes between police and garment workers. The ...
Mech Dara and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/group-defies-government-ban-to-demand-detainees-release-50483/
UN Envoy Urged to Probe Arrest of Monks
The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia, Surya Subedi, who began his 10th fact-finding mission to Cambodia on Sunday, has been asked to investigate issues faced by ethnic Khmer Krom people after five monks were arrested for participating in garment worker protests earlier this month. In ...
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-envoy-urged-to-probe-arrest-of-monks-50489/
Ministry of Defense Backs Accused RCAF Officials
The Ministry of Defense on Monday said that a complaint filed against a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) commander in Banteay Meanchey province for alleged corruption and other crimes had already been resolved in 2011. On Friday, provincial RCAF soldiers informed local rights group Adhoc of ...
Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ministry-of-defense-backs-accused-rcaf%E2%80%88officials-50496/
Opposition CNRP Leaders to Face Court Today
Opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha are due to appear before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court as scheduled this morning after retaining the services of a new lawyer, a CNRP spokesman said Monday. Mr. Rainsy and Mr. Sokha, as well as union leaders Rong Chhun ...
Eang Mengleng and Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/opposition-cnrp-leaders-to-face-court-today-50487/
NGOs push for more international pressure
Civil society groups yesterday urged the international community to put more pressure on the government to ensure the safety of prisoners arrested in recent crackdowns and to prevent further police and military violence against civilians. At a press conference yesterday morning, images of soldiers beating and ...
Sean Teehan and May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ngos-push-more-international-pressure
Government Urged to Ease Pressure on Unions
Visiting representatives from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on Monday urged the Labor Ministry to withdraw its threat to revoke the licenses of six unions behind recent strikes, and to drop legal proceedings against union leader Rong Chhun. His visit follows garment worker protests ...
Mech Dara and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/government-urged-to-ease-pressure-on-unions-50492/
CAMBODIA UN Envoy Meets Activists Calling For Release of Detained Cambodians
The U.N. special envoy for human rights in Cambodia on Monday met with about 100 activists in the capital Phnom Penh who sought his help to gain the release of nearly two dozen people arrested during recent violent government crackdowns on striking factory workers. Envoy Surya ...
Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/envoy-01132014175223.html
Relatives Call On Government To Release 23 Detainees
Relatives and human rights activists on Sunday called on the government to release 23 men beaten and arrested during clashes between police and garment workers just more than a week ago, and said they would defy a ban on public gatherings if they were not. The ...
Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/relatives-call-on-government-to-release-23-detainees-50449/
Rights groups critical of gov’t investigations
The government announced on Friday it would set up two commissions headed by Interior Minister Sar Kheng to investigate clashes between police and protesters early this month that left at least four dead, more than 20 injured and 23 arrested, a move criticised by rights ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rights-groups-critical-gov%E2%80%99t-investigations
UN envoy expected to arrive in Cambodia for human rights assessment
United Nations envoy is expected to arrived in Cambodia today, a week after the deadly crackdown by government forces against protesting workers on Veng Sreng street, which left five people dead. This is the first visit of Surya P. Subedi, UN Special Rapporteur on human ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=11&token=ZGYzMjE1Y2E4NWI
Groups Demand Mandatory Minimum Wage, Threaten Protest
About 100 people, including 20 monks, held a ceremony in Phnom Penh on Friday in memory of the five people killed a week beforehand when military police opened fire on protesting garment workers, and demanded that the government introduce a mandatory, sector-wide standard minimum wage. In ...
Khy Sovuthy and Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/groups-demand-a-mandatory-minimum-wage-threaten-to-protest-50428/
Committees to ‘Research’ Minimum Wages, ‘Study’ Killings
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday assigned former Finance Minister Keat Chhon as the head of a newly formed committee tasked with researching the government’s capacity to introduce wage increases for civil servants and factory workers. The statement said that Mr. Hun Sen also spoke ...
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/committees-to-research-minimum-wages-study-killings-50431/
Despite bail, 15-year-old still in jail
A juvenile accused of destroying a police car during a violent strike by SL Garment factory workers in November remained in Prey Sar prison yesterday, despite the Court of Appeal having granted him bail. Sary Bothchakrya, a lawyer from the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) representing ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/despite-bail-15-year-old-still-jail
Freedom Park tune cut short
In keeping with authorities’ indefinite ban on assembly, security forces yesterday morning dispersed a small gathering of nine youth activists who had planned to call for new elections and justice on behalf of recently slain protesters while singing songs about nonviolence in Freedom Park. Hoping to ...
Meas Sokchea
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/freedom-park-tune-cut-short
Lawyers Prevented From Seeing Protest Detainees at CC3
Lawyers and human rights workers were prevented from entering Kompong Cham province’s Correctional Center 3 (CC3) prison on Thursday when they attempted to meet with some of the 23 protesters, union leaders and garment workers detained last week after protests were lethally suppressed by government ...
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/lawyers-prevented-from-seeing-protest-detainees-at-cc3-50395/