Social development

The Phnom Penh health department has announced an investigation into the death of a newborn who allegedly choked while being fed by staff at the privately owned VIP Sorphea Maternity Hospital.   ...

An opposition official in Kampot was arrested yesterday evening over his involvement in collecting thumbprints for a Royal petition calling for the release of detained human rights officials and politicians in the Kingdom. ...

Police who shut down a gathering of 30 people in a private home in Prey Veng province yesterday justified the action by saying the organisers had failed to notify the district governor in writing beforehand. ...

Teachers at Toul Mead Primary School in Siem Reap province tell students to bring drinking water from home to keep them hydrated in the scorching heat. But water is increasingly hard to come by as the worst drought in decades drags on.   ...

Malnutrition costs the Cambodian economy an estimated $266 million each year, according to a new report, which urged the government to invest more in tackling the problem.   ...

Gay and transgender people yesterday called on the government to legalise same-sex marriage and change identity cards to reflect a person’s true gender during an event to mark International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. ...

The Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) donated $1 million to the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals on Monday.   ...

Officials from provinces across the country gathered in Banteay Meanchey yesterday and the day before to learn about alternative community-based drug rehabilitation services and vocational training, anti-drug officials said.   ...

A quicker diagnosis and a shorter and cheaper course of treatment for multidrug-resistant TB patients in Cambodia could soon be on the horizon.   ...

The first outbreak of H5N1 this year was confirmed in Kampot province on May 10, health officials said yesterday. ...

In the lead-up to the upcoming elections, three provinces have been selected to participate in a three-year project designed to encourage women, first-time voters and the youth to actively participate in politics. ...

A UN spokesperson has rejected a government reading of a UN convention used to justify banning people with disabilities from performing in the streets. ...

Security forces including riot police were deployed to Phnom Penh’s Borei Keila neighborhood on Tuesday to keep a watchful eye over activists in the area, as rights groups, undeterred by arrests of eight protesters on “Black Monday,” began planning next week’s demonstration.   ...

Eight human rights officers and activists clad in black were arrested on Monday during “Black Monday” protests in Phnom Penh, the first in a campaign to free four fellow rights workers and an election official who were jailed late last month on charges widely believed ...

Cambodia is among 10 countries that achieved accelerated progress in maternal and child health – ahead of comparable countries – by meeting goals to reduce mortality among those population groups, according to a recent cross-country analysis by the WHO.   ...

As protesters were being arrested during peaceful demonstrations in Phnom Penh on Monday morning, the new chairman of the government’s human rights committee held a press conference to reassure the public that the country’s human rights situation was stable.   ...

More than 4,000 people in Cambodia cycled here on Saturday to celebrate Europe Day and to increase environmental awareness. The event was organized by the European Union (EU) in Cambodia in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the Phnom Penh Municipality. ...

Two farmers were arrested and charged yesterday after police found more than 100 liters of safrole oil in their Sala Kumrou village residence in Pursat City’s Phteash Prey commune, according to police chief Lieutenant Colonel Chhorn Rith. ...

The government on Sunday warned of a crackdown on activists and advocacy groups set to protest today against the recent arrests of four rights workers and an election official, calling the planned demonstration an act of “urban rebellion.” ...

Water contaminated by pesticides has been blamed for poisoning 31 people in Battambang’s Samlot district.   ...

Two Ratanakkiri Referral Hospital officials have been ousted from their posts following an audit that found that more than $13,000 from the hospital’s travel allowance account was mismanaged, causing the hospital to run out of money to pay staff. ...

As the temperature in Phnom Penh crested 39 degrees celcius on Tuesday, a young British couple stepped into the air-conditioned embrace of Burger King.   ...

Cambodian’s prison libraries are set to receive an extra $600,000 in funding from the French Agency for Development and literacy NGO Sipar, according to a statement released yesterday. ...

Activists organizing a protest march to the Phnom Penh headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) say they will continue with their plans despite City Hall’s decision on Thursday to reject their request.   ...