Law and judiciary

Cambodians at home and abroad yesterday mourned the passing of peacekeeper Im Sam, who was shot to death during a guerrilla ambush in Central African Republic. He was the Kingdom’s first peacekeeper to ever be killed in combat, officials said. ...

About 300 victims of an alleged Ponzi scheme filed complaints with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the Justice Ministry and the National Assembly on Monday asking for the government’s help in recouping their losses. ...

Economic crime police last year helped arrest nearly 70 people in more than 300 cases, mostly involving intellectual property violations, counterfeiting and chemical production. ...

Phnom Penh Municipal Police have denied failing to distribute uniforms to thousands of staff, threatening legal action against officers who leaked “fake news” of the claims to the media. ...

More than 50 people died and 200 were injured in 121 traffic accidents during the five days of Khmer New Year. According to an Interior Ministry report, 55 people were killed and 226 were injured, 126 of which were seriously hurt.   ...

The Preah Sihanouk province land management committee is in the process of issuing land titles for 82 families in a recently converted forest area, as well as from an economic land concession (ELC) belonging to the Mong Reththy Group. ...

Cambodia will host the 20th Asean-China meeting aimed at boosting further discussions on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) which could lead to finalizing the framework of the Code of Conduct (COC).   ...

The chief of the Banteay Meanchey provincial prison has denied allegations of inmate torture, amid calls from a local rights official for an investigation. Prison director Oung Siphan, through a clarification letter issued on Monday, challenged a foreign radio broadcast that alleged provincial prison officials tortured ...

The Ministry of Tourism on Thursday issued a prakas or order to curb price rises during big festivities in a bid to promote local tourism. The prakas, signed by Tourism Minister Thong Khon and released on Thursday said the ministry has told tourism operators to manage ...

Cambodia and the United Nations have vowed to find more funds to support the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, according to the Council of Ministers.   ...

Kampong Thom’s provincial police chief has been stripped of his rank and moved after officers under his command accused him of demanding money for promotions. ...

The Council of Ministers on Friday adopted a draft law on trade remedies to protect local producers, businesses, enterprises and foreign businesses operating in Cambodia from imported products being sold below their cost base. ...

A former soldier was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for gunning down Kem Ley as the government critic was sitting down for his morning newspapers at his favorite convenience store cafe in July. ...

Four senior officials for rights group Adhoc will remain behind bars after the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Court of Appeal’s ruling that they should be held in detention while awaiting trial, but gave no reason for the decision. ...

Civil servants and factory workers will be required to wear helmets when riding their motorbikes to work under a government plan to stem traffic fatalities. ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s decision to keep four officials from rights group Adhoc imprisoned while the court investigates their case was right “according to the law,” a Supreme Court official said on Monday during an appeal hearing. ...

The Mondulkiri Provincial Court is preparing to investigate accusations that Cambodian border officials last month knowingly allowed seven Vietnamese loggers to illegally fell trees in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, a court official said yesterday. ...

With King Norodom Sihamoni out of the country, Senate President and CPP stalwart Say Chhum is set to sign off on controversial new changes to the Law on Political Parties, the last step in what some are calling the final, fatal blow to Cambodia’s democracy. ...

Eurth Ang stood in court yesterday and calmly described how he shot Kem Ley, insisting that it was over an unpaid debt. “I regret and apologize to the victims’ family, but he cheated me which made me angry,” Mr. Ang said. ...

The Supreme Council of the Magistracy decided yesterday to appoint or transfer 82 court officials. According to a statement released by the council and signed by its secretary-general Sam Prachea Manith, the judicial body held a vote yesterday during its 28th session while also discussing 11 ...

Inmates at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh will no longer be able to listen to the radio, according to a social media post by a jailed opposition member, which is an apparent violation of the law. ...

At least three women – one pregnant – and a man were hurt in a clash with security forces at Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday after land rights activist Tep Vanny was jailed for two and a half years over a 2013 protest. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday launched a not-so-thinly-veiled attack on the US over its recent public airing of concerns over the newly amended Law on Political Parties, arguing that its past bombing of Cambodia left it no moral high ground from which to criticise the ...

Cambodia’s already swollen prison population leapt by more than 20 percent last year, according to the Ministry of Interior’s annual report, which acknowledged the influx has caused “serious challenges” with overcrowding, and revealed one-third of inmates are in pre-trial detention. ...