Social development
Civil society
Rady Mom not allowed to visit detained activists at Prey Sar
Rady Mom, Cambodian-American state representative in Massachusetts, U.S.A, was not allowed yesterday to meet with 17 activists who are currently being detained at Prey Sar prison. Rady Mom and his colleagues as well as Members of Parliament and Senators of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party went ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/rady-mom-not-allowed-to-visit-detained-activists-at-prey-sar-7713
Cambodian PM defends Australia refugee deal
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is trying to ease concerns over the social and economic costs of the country’s plan with Australia to receive refugees. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has called for the deal to be halted until Cambodia improves its refugee support system. Hun Sen ...
Ron Corben
http://www.voanews.com/content/cambodian-pm-defends-australia-refugee-deal/2531839.html
Calls to end impunity aimed at court system
Hundreds of people gathered in Phnom Penh yesterday to mark the International Day to End Impunity, calling on the government to tackle the issue by reforming its court system. Speaking at the event at the capital’s Cambodiana Hotel, Preap Kol, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, ...
Pech Sotheary
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/calls-end-impunity-aimed-court-system
Civil society groups condemn recent arrest of two in a land dispute, call for their release
A group of civil society organization has condemned recent arrest of two citizens who were involved in a land dispute with the Khun Sear Import Export company, and called on the government to release them and ensure the safety of their family. In a joint statement ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/civil-society-groups-condemn-recent-arrest-of-two-in-a-land-dispute-call-for-their-release-7699
Foreign Ministry strikes back at Subedi remarks
Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong yesterday defended the independence of Cambodia’s judiciary following concerns raised by a UN official about the whirlwind imprisonment of 11 activists arrested for protesting last week. Kuong accused Surya Subedi, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights, of making a habit ...
Taing Vida
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/foreign-ministry-strikes-back-subedi-remarks
Cambodia ranks 14th in prevalence of ‘slavery': index
More than 155,000 people in Cambodia are living as modern “slaves”, according to a global index released this week. The Global Slavery Index 2014, released on Monday by Australia-based NGO Walk Free Foundation (WFF), ranks Cambodia 14th out of 167 countries for the prevalence of slavery, ...
Alice Cuddy
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodia-ranks-14th-prevalence-%E2%80%98slavery-index
Protest held at Prey Sar in support of detainees
Hundreds of people gathered yesterday morning in front of Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison to demand the release of 17 incarcerated activists, monks and opposition members. The detainees include 10 land activists, three monks and four members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. Fifteen of ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/protest-held-prey-sar-support-detainees
In condom market, a growing private sector
When Phnom Penh was flooded with free condoms during the Water Festival last week—a public health push to ensure revelers who came for days of debauchery did so safely—the city’s condom vendors weren’t happy about it. The global health organization Population Services International (PSI), whose ...
George Styllis and Kang Sothear
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/in-condom-market-a-growing-private-sector-72352/
30 NGOs condemn arrest, detention of Boeung Kok land activists
Civil society groups have condemned the arrest, detention and conviction of seven Boeung Kok land activists, following their protests earlier this week outside Phnom Penh City Hall. Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday charged them with the violation of traffic law by blocking a public ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/30-ngos-condemn-arrest-detention-of-boeung-kok-land-activists-7647
Business bribery is rife: report
Cambodia has again ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world with the release of global anti-bribery association TRACE’s bribery risk index. According to the index, titled the TRACE Matrix and released on November 11, Cambodia is the fifth most at risk country ...
Eddie Morton
http://phnompenhpost.com/business/business-bribery-rife-report
Mitr Phol disputants to testify
Representatives of Oddar Meanchey villagers who allegedly lost their homes in a 2008 land grab by Thai-owned sugar giant Mitr Phol are hopeful a settlement may soon be reached after they testify before Thai human rights officials today. Witnesses representing more than 400 families are slated ...
Sean Teehan
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/mitr-phol-disputants-testify
Cambodians urge Australia to not resettle refugees there
A campaign organised by Cambodians has led the country’s first vice-president of the National Assembly to urge Australia to back down from its bid to resettle refugees there. Kem Sokha said in a letter to the Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, Alison Burrows, that the deal to ...
Jay Fletcher
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/57736
Cambodian monk and dissident ordered to court on incitement charges
Two outspoken critics of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen are to be dragged to court this month on vague charges of “incitement to commit a crime,” but the defendants say they have done nothing illegal. Prominent activist monk Luon Sovath received a summons dated Oct. 22 ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/charges-11042014165237.html
French agency to offer loans for solar panels
The French Development Agency (AFD) confirmed Wednesday that it will sign $6 million worth of loan agreements with three microfinance institutions (MFIs) to help rural households purchase solar panels and electricity. ...
Kang Sothear
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/french-agency-to-offer-loans-for-solar-panels-71345/
Factory’s workers ordered back
Thousands of employees at Grand Twins International, Cambodia’s only publicly listed garment factory, will be back at the assembly line today after nearly two weeks on strike, accepting a court order to return to work. Workers will follow the order the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued ...
Sean Teehan and Mom Kunthear
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/factory%E2%80%99s-workers-ordered-back
Journo killings condemned
A report from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has decried the killing of journalists with no consequences, listing Cambodia as one of several countries where members of the press have been killed since 2004 “with complete impunity”. From 2004 to 2013, 370 journalists ...
Charles Rollet and Chhay Channyda
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/journo-killings-condemned
Meeting suggests dam project moving ahead
Despite reports that Prime Minister Hun Sen recently offered assurances that construction of the controversial Stung Cheay Areng hydropower dam would not be allowed to begin in the near future, local officials are allegedly pushing forward with plans to relocate villagers. Multiple provincial, district and village ...
Alice Cuddy and May Titthara
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/meeting-suggests-dam-project-moving-ahead
Ministry facing teacher shortage
Less than a week away from the start of the new school year, the government is short on teachers. Every year, the government struggles to recruit enough instructors to keep pace with enrollment rates and replace those who have retired, left teaching or passed away. The ...
Laignee Barron and Pech Sotheary
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/ministry-facing-teacher-shortage
Strikers to be held in prison
The Kampong Cham Provincial Court yesterday ordered that five workers who were arrested during a violent protest at Juhui Footwear on Saturday be held in prison while charges against them are investigated. Two of them, Khun Sokhom and Mon Sarem, officials from the Coalition of Cambodian ...
Mom Kunthear and Sean Teehan
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/strikers-be-held-prison
A tragic cycle of abuse
Social worker Nong Socheat is well-acquainted with the ugly scope of child abuse. As a counsellor for First Step Cambodia (FSC), a local NGO that focuses on supporting male survivors of sexual assault, she regularly provides support for boys dealing with the aftermath of molestation. ...
Bennett Murray and Taing Vida
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/tragic-cycle-abuse
Malaysia workers organise
Dissatisfied by wages at home, thousands of Cambodians have been lured to Malaysia by the promise of bigger pay cheques, but while many have found themselves subjected to long hours, unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions and even physical abuse, they have – until now – ...
Alice Cuddy and Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/malaysia-workers-organise
One million hectares reclassified, gov’t says
More than 1 million hectares of forest terrain and land leased by private companies has been put under government control since Prime Minister Hun Sen initiated a moratorium on new economic land concessions (ELCs) in May 2012, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and ...
May Titthara
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/one-million-hectares-reclassified-gov%E2%80%99t-says
Lure of South Korea is strong
Cambodian migrant worker hopefuls have heard murmurs about the poor work conditions in South Korea. However, they remain unfazed – even the recent reports of long hours and abusive employers are doing little to deter their quest to secure better wages abroad. ...
Laignee Barron and Pech Sotheary
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/lure-south-korea-strong
6 break out of Ratanakkiri prison
Six inmates busted out of Ratanakkiri Provincial Prison in the wee hours of yesterday morning, police said, adding another incident to a string of embarrassing escapes at the facility over the past two years. According to a post on the National Police’s website, authorities in Ratanakkiri’s ...
Chhay Channyda
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/6-break-out-ratanakkiri-prison