Social development

The interim representative of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia met yesterday with the head of the Cambodian government’s rights body, voicing concerns about the threatened closure of a prominent outspoken local NGO. ...

Behind the traffic police station in Kampong Chhnang town, set against the picturesque backdrop of the Tonle Sap, immigration officials gathered thousands of ethnic Vietnamese to begin a nationwide process of revoking “improperly” issued documents this week. The plan to review birth certificates, identity cards, passports ...

In a speech to workers yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen pinned the blame for any damage inflicted on Cambodia’s garment industry by potential economic sanctions squarely on the opposition party. “You must remember clearly that if the purchase orders are reduced, it is all the ...

The Ministry of Interior yesterday confirmed that certain civil society organisations and their members are being “monitored” following accusations, levelled during the Supreme Court hearing on the dissolution of the opposition party on Thursday, that they participated in a purported “revolution”. ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs plans to create an elderly care centre, which would be the first centre in Cambodia focused on receiving and taking care of the elderly. Officials said it might be created next year. ...

A group of local journalists have written an open letter calling for the release of former Radio Free Asia journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, who were arrested earlier this month. ...

More than a month after the announcement of its ostensibly 30-day suspension, land rights organisation Equitable Cambodia remains stuck in limbo, with the Ministry of Interior saying the NGO must wait for the ministry’s approval to reopen. ...

Twenty-two NGOs released a joint statement yesterday demanding the release of two activists detained by Koh Kong Provincial Court after recording a video of sand dredging. ...

A Ministry of Health official yesterday said the ministry has banned the buying and selling of antibiotics without a prescription in an effort to curb the overuse that has led to an alarming level of antibiotic resistance in the Kingdom. ...

Families living in a commune flooded by the Lower Sesan II dam have set up a new village on their community forest without the permission of local authorities. Residents of Sre Ko commune were offered new homes in a different area and compensation to leave ...

The Ministry of Interior has said it will not allow any demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court during a hearing on Thursday to decide if the opposition CNRP will be dissolved, while the Koh Kong provincial governor’s office warned it will prevent residents from ...

The government is urging parents to use technology, such as e-learning apps for smartphones and tablets, to improve the reading skills of children.​   ...

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom for Human Rights and Development Association has announced plans to hold a rally in Siem Reap province to celebrate Human Rights Day next month. ...

The last families refusing to relocate from their homes near the Lower Sesan II dam have accused local authorities of being unwilling to settle their case. ...

Kantha Bopha hospitals have treated almost 17 million children and pregnant women at a cost of $632 million, the organisation said, as it celebrated its 25th anniversary last week. ...

The government has unveiled four strategies to eliminate malnutrition in the country, especially among children. Prime Minister Hun Sen is enlisting state institutes, partners and NGOs to join the fight to eliminate malnutrition as the country holds national nutrition day today. ...

Thousands of organisations have failed to meet the deadline for filing their financial reports under the controversial Law on Associations and NGOs (Lango), according to a ministry official. ...

A European delegation on a two-day visit to the Kingdom yesterday expressed concerns about recent political developments in Cambodia, saying that the deteriorating political and human rights situation could have consequences for development assistance and trade. ...

A student group was suspended by the Ministry of Interior yesterday for a series of violations of the Law on Associations and Non-governmental Organisations (Lango), including the highly controversial Article 24, which requires organisations to remain “politically neutral”. ...

Researchers have found that a little-studied variety of threadworm – strongyloides stercoralis – previously thought to be relatively benign is associated with “significant morbidity” in rural Cambodia. Peter Odermatt, a professor at Basel University in Switzerland who headed the team, said the researchers had been ...

A group of anonymous civil society organisations, people living with HIV and others has raised “grave” concerns regarding funding from the Global Fund, the largest donor to the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in the Kingdom – as well as Cambodia’s allocation process to ...

Defence Minister Tea Banh expressed indifference to the threat of international sanctions being levied on government officials and the Cambodian economy on Saturday, while ordering his military to be ready to destroy any attempts at an alleged “colour revolution” or popular demonstration over the arrest ...

The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a national budget for next year that calls for more than $6 billion in spending, the largest increase ever proposed for the Kingdom, with big boosts for education, defence and the arts. ...

Employers – public and private – which do not meet their obligations to take on disabled people are to face cash penalties, the Social Affairs Ministry says. Ministry secretary of state Sem Sokha said yesterday that for the first time the government had prepared guidance on ...