Civil society

Amnesty International today accused the ruling CPP of using its grip on the judiciary to systematically harass and intimidate civil society and urged the government to drop cases against opposition activists and human rights defenders. ...

Police in Svay Rieng province on Saturday shut down a training session for 16 observers registered to monitor this Sunday’s commune elections, saying it had not been sanctioned by authorities, according to an organizer. ...

The National Election Committee has so far approved more than 30,000 observers from NGOs for the June 4 commune elections and confirmed that more than 100,000 observers affiliated with political parties will also monitor voting. ...

About $170,000 remains to be found for a coalition of watchdogs and civil society observers known as the “situation room” to successfully monitor all of Cambodia’s 2017 commune elections for irregularities. ...

Thirty-eight civil society groups have formed a situation room to monitor the upcoming commune elections in a bid to ensure a free and fair electoral process. During a press conference in Phnom Penh yesterday, members of the situation room explained that despite having insufficient observers ...

Civil society groups in Cambodia have expressed concerns over increasing restrictions placed on them since the passage of laws governing NGOs and unions. ...

Cambodia’s improvements on human development are the biggest in the region, but standards of living still lag behind neighboring nations, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) figures have shown.   ...

Leading mobile phone operator Smart Axiata has formed a partnership with The Asia Foundation, an international development NGO, to foster innovation and creativity among Cambodian tech startups.   ...

Communities affected by land disputes have used the occasion of International Women’s Day today to urge the government to free activist Tep Vanny. They also called for the release of civil society organization officials and an NEC official who are being held in prison. ...

The Global Corruption Barometer, which was compiled from interviews with more than 1,000 Cambodians, showed overall decreases in the direct experiences of corruption in the judiciary since 2011, down from 72 percent to 59 percent in 2016. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a strong warning yesterday to NGO officials who analyze politics, while also repeating that there will be no amnesty for former opposition president Sam Rainsy. ...

Nearly 80 international and Cambodian civil society groups have signed a joint statement urging the government to halt its crackdown on activists and release five current and former senior officials of rights group Adhoc who have been awaiting trial since May. ...

The opposition CNRP decided to amend its internal regulations yesterday, paving the way for the political party to have three deputy presidents who will be announced and voted on at today’s party congress. ...

Founded in 1995 by a French couple, Christian and Marie-France des Pallieres, PSE is a well-recognized charity, home to nearly 7,000 students who are educated, fed, provided with healthcare and vocational training skills. ...

Transparency International (TI) released their Global Corruption Barometer yesterday, revealing that in recent years, Cambodian citizens’ personal experience with corruption has gone down, while their perception of its prevalence has gone up. ...

As commune elections approach, civil society groups and Cambodian NGOs have announced plans for a situation room and more than 20,000 observers at polling stations across the country. ...

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. ...

Fifteen national and international organizations representing 38 civil society groups met with the National Assembly’s first commission yesterday to discuss eight major land dispute cases in an effort to find a solution for those affected.   ...

The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Frederica Mogherini, yesterday released a letter outlining Europe’s continued concern with what it perceives as a deteriorating political situation in Cambodia. ...

Members of Mekong River Commission and civil society groups will be heading to Luang Prabang in Laos to attend the regional stakeholder meeting on Wednesday to discuss Laos’ proposal to build a third dam on the Mekong mainstream, the Pak Beng. ...

Cambodian environmental groups on Friday asked the government to reject Laos’ 912-megawatt Pak Beng hydropower project, alarmed by the potential impacts on fisheries and sediment flow in the Mekong. ...

National Assembly effectiveness declined last year with prosecutions of opposition lawmakers, partisan passing of laws and many assembly members visiting constituents only to shore up their vote, an election watchdog claimed yesterday. ...

A group of non-profits have banded together to push for the recruitment of thousands more election observers they say are necessary for the June 4 commune elections. ...

Environmental organizations and civil society groups have expressed concern at plans to build another dam along the Mekong River in Laos and asked the Lao government to suspend the project due to the effects it will have on communities, water flow and fishery resources in ...