Law and judiciary

The atmosphere in Phnom Penh 20 years ago today was one of jubilation and optimism as then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk signed Cambodia’s new Consti­tution into law and reclaimed the throne as King. The promulgation of the Constitution—which marked the end of the U.N. Transitional Authority in Cambodia’s ...

King Norodom Sihamoni presided over a nearly half-empty opening session of the National Assembly on Monday as all 55 elected lawmakers of the opposition CNRP followed through with their threat to boycott parliament to protest disputed results of July’s national election. Analysts and election monitors ...

The Court of Appeal has reduced to six months the original three-and-a-half-year prison term handed to the son of a wealthy businessman for pistol-whipping a man and damaging restaurant property. Duong Udomchorvin, 24, was sentenced in May, along with his 17-year-old brother, Duong Kimlong, who was ...

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Monday appointed incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen as the prime minister for the new five-year-term government after his ruling party won the July 28 election, according to a royal decree. “The Prime Minister of Cambodia has duties to prepare the members ...

There should be stronger legislative co-operation between Vietnam and Cambodia, agreed Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly Tong Thi Phong and the second Vice President of the Senate of Cambodia Tep Ngorn. During a meeting on Saturday during the 34th General Assembly of the ASEAN ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng has chastised the opposition CNRP for holding its demonstration in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park last week for longer than authorized, and blamed the party for the deadly violence that took place near Monivong Bridge. A 29-year-old construction worker was shot dead while ...

A week after one man was shot dead and several others injured during a standoff between the armed forces and protesters, an investigation into who was responsible is no closer to conclusion, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Sunday. Security experts last week said the armed ...

The government yesterday warned citizens to respect King Norodom Sihamoni in social media commentary. The warning then backpedals, acknowledging the government recognises the rights of expression and freedom of the press outlined in the constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ...

U.S. Ambassador William Todd on Thursday said that despite his efforts to promote Cambodia as an attractive destination for business, major American companies are reluctant to invest here as they still perceive the country as indelibly corrupt. “I believe now is the time for big U.S. ...

Norwegian energy firm Eltek on Thursday demanded $5 million it is owed from bankrupt telecommunications company Mfone by the end of October and blamed the court and the government for stalling payment. During a meeting at Mfone’s headquarters in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Keng Kang III commune, ...

The case of a Battambang provincial government official ac­cused of embezzling some $200,000 in state funds has been referred to the Anti-Corruption Unit in Phnom Penh, provincial officials said Thursday. Battambang Provincial Court deputy prosecutor Long Hokmeng said a two-week investigation into the case brought against ...

A Kampong Speu judge released the vice-president and a member of the Free Trade Union on bail yesterday after the court questioned the two about their alleged roles in a violent demonstration at Sabrina Garment factory. ...

The Siem Reap Provincial Court charged three men Wednesday with illegally logging luxury rosewood inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, a Unesco world heritage site, officials said. Provincial prosecutor Heng Pheng said the suspects had been identified as Sun Phearak, 20, Phay Sophea, 18, and Phin Ron, ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has offered to pay back the lost salaries of opposition lawmakers who were stripped of their parliamentary posts in June by the then CPP-led National Assembly, a CNRP official said. The offer to back-pay the 27 lawmakers from the Sam Rainsy Party ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday charged six men with assault and destruction of property for their role in clashes Sunday night between security forces, protesters and angry commuters, which resulted in a 29-year-old construction worker being shot dead. Sanh Samoeun, 28; Nguyen Thi Dek, ...

Cambodia and the U.S. have signed an extension to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that imposes strict import restrictions on artifacts dating from the Bronze Age to the end of the Angkor Empire. Hab Touch, director-general for tangible heritage at the Ministry of Culture and ...

Anonymous Cambodia, a group of local computer hackers, has claimed responsibility for disrupting at least three government websites since Saturday and vowed additional hacking attacks to protest against July’s “unfair” election, according to the group’s Facebook page and Twitter account. Since Saturday, the hackers have attacked ...

Civil society groups yesterday hit back at the government after a Ministry of Interior statement released on Wednesday warned NGOs that they would be breaking ministry protocols on political neutrality by “directly or indirectly” supporting an unnamed political party or its protests. The Cambodia National Rescue ...

More than 50 supporters of jailed anti-eviction activist Yorm Bopha marched through central Phnom Penh on Tuesday to demand her speedy retrial, acquittal and release, visiting the Supreme Court, the Royal Palace and the European Union and World Bank offices. Ms. Bopha has consistently professed ...

A group of 12 ethnic minority villagers in Ratanakkiri province have filed a complaint with the provincial court over what they claim is collusion between other villagers and local authorities to illegally log luxury timber from 193 hectares of land inside a community forest. The Prov ...

The National Election Committee (NEC) on Monday said that a host of senior ruling party officials had resigned from their elected posts in Parliament in order to allow lawmakers lower down the party’s rostrum of candidates to be given a seat in the National Assembly. “The ...

An official from Battambang province’s department of agriculture who was charged last Monday with embezzling $200,000 from the illegal sale of fertilizer donated to the poor by Japan has implicated four other officials in the case, including the son of senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap, ...

Alleged ringleaders of an overseas employment scam the Ministry of Labour says bilked thousands of clients out of money were charged with fraud in Phnom Penh on Friday. Oun Sarath, 30, and Kim Sophat, 29, the director and marketing manager, respectively, of recruiting firm You Can ...

Despite being one of the earliest proponents of the U.N.-sponsored Convention on Cluster Munitions, Cambodia was still not ready to sign on, an official said on the eve of the fourth annual meeting of state parties to the treaty in Zambia. Heng Ratana, director-general of the ...