Legal framework

Municipal officials said yesterday that they would take steps to combat what they said was the unlawful occupation of portions of Boeung Trabek lake, which the city hopes to clear out to restore its ability to hold rainwater and reduce flooding. ...

Following a troubled rollout of the January 1 Traffic Law, the government announced yesterday in a press conference that an inter-ministerial team has been established to determine what amendments will be made in reaction to widespread criticism from the public and civil society. ...

A 28-year-old man was arrested and brought in for questioning at Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday for allegedly insulting and threatening to kill Prime Minister Hun Sen in a social media post, while a soldier was also questioned this week after a Facebook account linked ...

Five Cambodian Muslims were killed outright and nine others injured in a collision between an oil tanker and a minibus on Friday morning in western Cambodia’s Pursat province, a local police chief said. ...

The number of drug cases and people arrested for drug crimes in Cambodia in 2015 more than doubled year-on-year, while the volume of drugs seized shot up 18- fold, local media reported on Friday. ...

Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Bun Serey yesterday told the city’s district governors to find all rice wine producers and sellers in their jurisdictions in anticipation of planned mass inspections. ...

The number of drug cases and people arrested for drug crimes in 2015 more than doubled year-on-year, while the volume of drugs seized shot up 18-fold, according to police. ...

Cambodian authorities have signalled their intent to prioritise cross-border trafficking, amid a planned boost in funding from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. ...

A group of villagers in Mondolkiri province filed a lawsuit this week against three local border police officers and a forestry official accusing them of allowing Vietnamese loggers to sneak across the nearby border and illegally log the forests they depend on for a living. ...

Despite starting with a bang just a week ago, the Land Traffic Law has already been subject to two amendments from Prime Minister Hun Sen in direct response to a public outcry on Facebook, a stark contrast to the premier’s usual attitude toward online criticism. ...

National Police and National Military Police have been ordered by the Health Ministry to inspect the licenses of all private ambulances, which are often seen fighting for business at the scene of traffic accidents before charging exorbitant prices for their services. ...

Police in Kampong Cham province arrested a bus driver and his assistant shortly after their bus struck a tractor, injuring three people early on Monday morning. ...

Some 1,500 hectares in social land concessions granted to families in Stung Treng province are being illegally cleared and sold by the community’s land broker, according to locals and rights group Adhoc. ...

Cambodia’s first juvenile justice law, in the works for nearly a decade, will be passed by the end of this year, according to the Ministry of Social of Affairs. ...

Another arrest warrant has been issued for opposition leader Sam Rainsy—who is living in France to avoid two years in jail for a defamation conviction—after he failed to turn up for questioning about a separate forgery and incitement case last month. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen hit back at critics of the new traffic law on Tuesday, singling out his own sister for what he said were unnecessarily negative Facebook posts.  ...

Vendors ousted from the grounds of Hun Sen Borey 100 Knorng Secondary School in Phnom Penh have accused the acting principal of corruption, including selling almost $2,000 worth of state property and forcing students to pay up to $100 to transfer to the institution. ...

In a rare move, the National Police on Monday leveled accusations of illegal logging against a number of government-granted economic land concessions (ELCs) in the eastern province of Mondolkiri, singling out a Chinese-owned rubber plantation and wealthy businessman Soeng Sam Ol. ...

The introduction of the new traffic law has hit a few potholes, with some citizens complaining that it is too tough on poor families, while analysts say people in rural areas have been left in the dark about the new law’s requirements.  ...

A joint commission of 10 lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties yesterday met for the first time to review the draft law on trade unions, and two of 21 articles that were flagged as controversial by unions have changed slightly. ...

The Siem Reap Provincial Court last week questioned a CPP village chief concurrently with a Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) commune chief after they signed documents allowing villagers to mortgage land claimed by the Apsara Authority, officials said on Monday, but charged and jailed only the ...

Factory owners and four jailed garment workers will be summoned today to appear at the Svay Rieng Provincial Court in the coming days to provide “clarification” over a series of walkouts and riots that struck two special economic zones (SEZs) in Bavet City last month, ...

Phnom Penh Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong yesterday lashed out at civil society groups he blamed for instigating protests aimed at destabilising the government. ...

Stricter controls on guns – including those carried by police – will be put in place following a spate of violent crimes involving firearms in recent weeks. ...