Human rights

Minister of Women’s Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi’s admission last week that she was unable to name a Cambodian woman journalist sparked a minor controversy on social media, with current and former journalists taking to social media to criticise her remarks. ...

As the world celebrated Press Freedom Day on Thursday, the mood among Cambodian journalists was subdued following a months-long crackdown on dissent in the media. The theme of this year’s event was “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law”, and special attention ...

King Norodom Sihamoni, in an opening speech on Monday to Cambodia’s newly minted Senate, urged the legislative body to uphold human rights and justice. King Sihamoni warmly congratulated the 62-member Senate on its new mandate following almost a year of what observers have described as ...

Twenty years ago, on April 15, 1998, Pol Pot, the leader of Cambodia’s genocidal government during the late 1970s, died in his sleep at the age of 73. Born Saloth Sar, Pol Pot was never held accountable for the crimes committed during the three years, eight ...

The Appeal Court has rejected a plea from two Boeung Kak activists to restart an investigation into a nighttime attack on lake residents, journalists and others in 2013 at Phnom Penh’s Wat Phnom by thugs and plainclothes police officials. ...

Six ethnic Kuoy villagers, citing fear of arrest, refused to appear for questioning in Preah Vihear on Wednesday over the confiscation of four pieces of equipment being used to clear community land by a subsidiary of the Chinese sugar company Rui Feng. ...

A group of Thai and International NGOs said yesterday that they supported Cambodian communities filing a lawsuit against sugar giant Mitr Phol seeking compensation and remedies over alleged human rights violations. ...

Around 20 people representing 250 villagers from Preah Vihear’s Choam Ksan district petitioned Prime Minister Hun Sen for a solution to the razing of their village in 2012, which was done under instructions from current provincial CPP lawmaker Suos Yara and local officials. ...

A 20-year-old land dispute in Kandal province between residents of Por Miev village and the Phan Imex construction company hit a new snag on Wednesday when villagers discovered that workers had brought excavation equipment to a parcel of land that borders communal property at the ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn met with newly appointed United Nations Development Programme representative Pauline Tamesis yesterday. After the meeting, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry said Ms Tamesis confirmed UNDP’s commitment to continue cooperating with Cambodia and supporting policies of the government. ...

Cambodia has become more autocratic and its government’s claim of stable economic development rests on uncertain basis, according to a comprehensive new report. The Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI), published on Thursday, claims that the quality of Cambodia’s democracy, market economy and governance performance has ...

The Ministry of Land Management on Thursday morning said it has resolved two long-running land disputes between communities in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel and Botum Sakor districts and two sugar companies owned by tycoon and ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat involving more than 800 ...

The protesters represent a community of over 1,000 families living along a railway in the capital’s Russey Keo district. Plans to replace the track with a new, broader road will displace people in three communes. The new road and accompanying sidewalks would be 60 metres ...

Authorities questioned a Borei Keila resident on Tuesday for her role in a protest outside the home of developer Suy Sophan, who filed a complaint against her earlier in March. Borei Keila resident Phork Sophin said that she may be charged with defamation and the ...

The Interior Ministry has concluded an investigation into the violent clash between villagers and authorities earlier this month, reaffirming that no one was killed in the confrontation that sparked when officials began dismantling huts built on Memot Rubber Plantation Company land in Kratie province’s Snuol ...

While calls from all corners have demanded Australia take Cambodia to task – not only for its political crackdown but also for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s threats to beat up protesters on Australian soil – observers say any such confrontation is unlikely to materialise during ...

A gathering in Svay Rieng province of some 40 villagers led by a farmers’ organisation was shut down by local police on Thursday because the group allegedly had not requested permission, though provincial authorities had been notified the week before. ...

Boeung Kak activists and family members of jailed protest leader Tep Vanny submitted a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet on Tuesday asking for her release or a reduction in her sentence. ...

The International Federation for Human Rights has urged the European Union to pressure the Cambodian government to cease its crackdown on civil society and the political opposition. ...

Telecommunications officials have raised the possibility that a series of hacks against government officials and ministries could have been so-called SS7 attacks, a recently discovered hacking method that involves taking over a person’s cellphone number. At a meeting with local cell companies on Tuesday, officials ...

They represented 6,822 families on a total area of more than 19,145 hectares of land in Tbong Khmum, Svay Rieng, Kandal and Preah Sihanouk provinces. They submitted petitions to the National Assembly, Council of Ministers and Ministry of Land Management. ...

UN special Rapporteur Rhona Smith’s request to meet with jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha in a Tbong Khmum prison was rejected by an investigating judge who cited “important tasks” that needed to be completed before outsiders were allowed such access. ...

Clashes between villagers protesting a land dispute and security officers erupted in gunfire yesterday in Kratie province, with a rights official initially reporting six killed, and villagers at the scene confirming at least two dead – while authorities provided a starkly different account, saying that ...

About 100 residents from Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel and Botum Sakor districts gathered to protest and block the road of Koh Kong Sugar Industry to demand the company, local authorities and relevant ministries expedite a resolution to end their land dispute. ...