Civil society

A prominent human rights advocate says Cambodia continues to operate in a repressive environment, with a government that fails to respect local and international standards and laws. ...

ROSEBUD audiologist Fallon Arnold is about to head off on a two-week volunteer placement for All Ears Cambodia, based in the capital, Phnom Penh.The organisation offers a range of hearing health services to those afflicted with hearing loss or ear-health problems, such as infections. ...

Human rights activist Ny Chakrya has received a subpoena to give evidence at Phnom Penh Municipal Court in the latest development in a defamation case against him that has been heavily criticised by international observers. ...

Civil society organizations yesterday expressed concern about the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations last month, which they said would be hard to achieve under the new Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO).   ​ ...

The child sex abuse trial of orphanage director and former head of child protection NGO APLE, Hang Vibol, began at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday, with the defendant reportedly testifying that the accusations against him were an attempt at revenge by aggrieved former colleagues. ...

The Interior Ministry has reiterated its claims that a new law requiring NGOs and associations to register with the government does not apply to small community-based groups, despite recent efforts by police to apply the legislation to a group of families in Kratie province. ...

Ms. Kem Sopheak, 32, is a mother, community leader and Grade 1 teacher at Roveang primary school in Kampong Cham province. ...

An NGO worker was detained on Friday after participating in a roadblock by Koh Kong province’s Poy Chorpun community to protest the activities of the Chinese firm Union Development Group (UDG). ...

More than 30 non-government groups have recently applied to register with the state or asked for changes to their current registration records, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry that hailed the requests as broad endorsement of Cambodia’s highly controversial new NGO law. ...

As Rhona Smith, the U.N.’s new special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, began her first official visit to the country Wednesday, leading human rights activists were at odds over how much her position could influence the situation on the ground. ...

The U.N.’s new special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith will make her first official visit eight-day in Cambodia. ...

Human rights groups say the Foreign Affairs Minister was wrong to demand the incoming representative of Unicef not comment on controversial legislation to govern NGOs. In a statement Tuesday, the civil society groups said Minister Hor Namhong’s demands constitute a narrowing of democratic ideals. ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong on Monday told Unicef’s new country representative to focus on helping street children and refrain from criticizing a controversial new law regulating the country’s NGOs and associations, an official said Monday. ...

Reading has always been a popular hobby for Cambodian children, but NGOs are now saying it is difficult for children in remote areas to access books and magazines. ...

Noun Phymean is an executive director at the People Improvement Organization (PIO). Born in Kampong Cham province, she spent over 12 years with the United Nations and other international organizations. Now, the hardworking humanitarian is focusing on helping some of the country’s most impoverished children. ...

Police in Koh Kong province on Wednesday late evening set free 17 people, including for local rights workers who were arrested over a protest in the province. ...

Police in Koh Kong province on Wednesday arrested 17 people—including four rights workers—near the provincial courthouse as protesters continued to call for the release of three jailed environmental activists, according to officials. The group was released shortly after 6 p.m. ...

Seventeen members of a Cambodian rights group and environmental NGO were briefly detained by authorities in Cambodia’s southeastern Koh Kong province Wednesday as they observed protests calling for the release of three activists held for interfering with sand-dredging operations, sources said. ...

Khemara Phoumint City deputy governor Pen Bunchhouy on Tuesday issued a letter to a group of protesters demanding that they vacate the area in front of the Koh Kong Provincial Court by Wednesday, threatening “action” if they refused. ...

In a bid to raise more money from within the country, civil society organizations are planning to launch a platform in November that will use crowdfunding via mobile phone credit to fund projects ranging from IT development to the arts. ...

The Koh Kong Provincial Court on Monday denied bail to three jailed activists from environmental NGO Mother Nature who were charged last mo nth with threatening to destroy barges operated by a sand dredging company, their lawyer said. ...

Military police attempted to arrest a group of protesters as they marched through Koh Kong province’s Khemara Phoumint City Thursday to demand the release of three jailed activists from environmental NGO Mother Nature, a rights worker and an official said. ...

Drug abuse is a widespread issue with few universal solutions. But one NGO’s methods of dealing with the problem are putting it at odds with the local community. ...

Environment and agriculture ministry officials Wednesday warned the authors of a new report accusing the government of colluding with timber magnate Try Pheap to illegally log the protected forests of northeastern Cambodia that they could be sued unless they made changes to the text. ...