Social development

The World Health Organization has declared Cambodia measles-free, having not registered a confirmed case in over three years, marking a success in combating what was once the country’s most deadly communicable disease. ...

The husband of a woman attacked with acid at a market in Takeo province in November plans to file complaints Monday with the Supreme Council of the Magistracy and the Anti-Corruption Unit, claiming local court officials are to blame for a lack of action in ...

As anticipated, the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday approved U.K. professor Rhona Smith as the new special rapporteur to Cambodia on human rights, replacing Surya Subedi, whose six-year term ends this month. ...

Approximately 570 Cambodian people, mostly children, in northwestern Cambodia’s Siem Reap province got sick after eating bread filled with meat and vegetables on Saturday afternoon, a provincial health chief confirmed. ...

A Turkish man was sentenced to nine years in jail Friday for purchasing the virginity of two 14-year-old girls in Phnom Penh last year. ...

The U.N. was due to appoint its new human rights envoy to Cambodia on Friday night at the 28th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, with British academic Rhona Smith expected to be selected from a three-person shortlist. ...

Commerce Minister Sun Chan­thol evoked the late U.S. President John Kennedy on Friday at a seminar about “rebranding” Cambodia that quickly turned into a promotional event for Coca-Cola. ...

The trial of 11 opposition figures accused of leading or participating in an insurrection began at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday, with the prosecutor questioning just two of the suspects. ...

In the wake of a nightclub fire in Bavet City that killed five people on Monday, the Tourism Ministry has decided to begin more aggressively enforcing a 2014 sub-decree that requires all bars, nightclubs and karaoke parlors to have multiple exits, fire extinguishers and soundproofing, ...

Anti-human trafficking police arrested a woman Wednesday after they discovered she was running an unlicensed training center in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district that promised to send students to work in Japan or South Korea after paying for courses, an official said Thursday. ...

Despite Cambodia’s indigenous peoples being legally recognised and protected under the country’s Forestry and Land Laws, limited implementation combined with a lack of coordination have resulted in many indigenous communities being denied their land and legal rights, according to a report released this month by ...

Cambodian teacher Neang Phalla stood no chance of winning the Global Teacher Prize when she flew to Dubai earlier this month, Prime Minister Hun Sen reasoned yesterday, as the fact former US President Bill Clinton attended the ceremony signalled the award was going to an ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday questioned three defrocked monks over charges of “joining a criminal association,” an NGO worker said. ...

Over 40 per cent of Cambodian children under 5 years old suffer from stunted development due to poor nutrition, a rate that has not changed since 2010, according to data revealed yesterday by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). While Cambodia has put substantial work ...

The trial of 11 opposition officials and activists, who face up to 30 years in prison on charges related to a July protest that turned violent, is finally due to get under way today, amid widespread censure from human rights groups and campaigners. In a strongly ...

Poor governance and uneven distribution of wealth to rural communities are both behind Cambodia’s poor record of girls’ education, an expert says. Despite the country’s high economic growth rate in recent years, few opportunities are available in rural areas, which leads to girls dropping out of ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen took aim at Michelle Obama yesterday, accusing the US first lady of making false promises, while suggesting her visit last weekend was more about hopeful rhetoric rather than implementing concrete improvements in the country’s education sector. ...

The only police officer recognized by a trucker who was allegedly beaten by police and military police along with his assistant last week in Prey Veng province denied Wednesday he was involved in the attack. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen took aim at Michelle Obama yesterday, accusing the US first lady of making false promises, while suggesting her visit last weekend was more about hopeful rhetoric rather than implementing concrete improvements in the country’s education sector. ...

Cambodia presented its human rights report before the United Nations Office in Geneva amid growing allegations that abuses are being systematically committed by state forces. The UN committee acknowledged that Cambodia has introduced some reforms in recent years, in particular land reform and registration of ...

Impoverished girls in Siem Reap say they hope for a better education, in the wake of First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit. Girls in Siem Reap province say they are aware of the importance of education, especially higher education, to escape poverty. ...

Following the fanfare surrounding the visit of First Lady Michelle Obama over the weekend, life in Siem Reap returned to normal this week. Many here say they were not aware of the first lady’s visit, and some said even though they were, they aren’t sure ...

A Cambodian-American man was convicted by a U.S. federal jury in Alaska on Monday of attempting to travel to Cambodia to have sex with underage girls, U.S. media reported. ...

A Ukrainian lawmaker accused of raping a minor in Phnom Penh in 2011 had escaped the country before the courts could catch up with him, the head of the Interior Ministry’s anti-human trafficking department said Tuesday. ...