Radio Free Asia
No breakthrough in new talks for Cambodian minimum wage increase
Cambodian authorities have held two rounds of talks with garment factory owners and unions under a new mechanism to help break a deadlock over increasing the workers’ monthly minimum wage but to no avail. But Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng said that he expected the Garment ...
Roseanne Gerin
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/working-group-10162014181856.html
Cambodian parties expect draft election law by month’s end
Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties expect to finalize a draft of the nation’s new election law by the end of the month as the centerpiece of key reforms promised in a July agreement that ended a nearly one-year political crisis, an official said Monday. “The two ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/draft-09082014171348.html
Rights group urges Cambodia to drop case against six unionists
A human rights group on Thursday urged authorities in Cambodia to end the prosecution of six trade unionists accused of stoking violent clashes between protesting workers and security forces, calling the case against them “politically motivated.” New York-based Human Rights Watch said prominent activists Pav Sina, ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/unionists-09042014181530.html
Cambodia’s Ruling Party Reject Opposition Pair to Sit on Parliament Panels
Candidates to lead key parliamentary commissions in an indication that voting in the legislature may not be tied to a deal to end a year-long political deadlock. Wednesday’s session of the National Assembly, or parliament, saw 31 lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) ...
Radio Free Asia News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/rejection-08272014153441.html
More Than 1,000 Faintings Reported in Cambodian Factories This Year
The faintings between January and August were much higher than the 802 reported in the whole of last year, while only one factory worker died in the workplace in 2013, the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) said in a ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/faintings-08212014140815.html
Cambodia Orders Halt to Anti-Vietnamese Protests After Flag Burning Incident
suspend protests against Vietnam over a territorial dispute as Phnom Penh expressed “regret” to Hanoi over the burning of a Vietnamese flag during the demonstrations last week. Horn Nam Hong met at his office with the head of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation, Thach Setha, who agreed ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/protests-08192014163708.html
Cambodia’s Opposition MPs Take Parliamentary Oath
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni swore in opposition leader Sam Rainsy and 54 others from his party as lawmakers Tuesday, bringing to an end their 10-month boycott of parliament following disputed national elections. The ceremony at the Royal Palace in the capital Phnom Penh came two weeks ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/oath-08052014172933.html
Rights group slams Cambodian government over land dispute death
Try Chamroeun, a 19-year-old student, was planting soybeans on Sunday along with fellow villagers on a two-hectare (half-acre) plot in Preah Vihear province, when soldier Poeun Tash demanded that he stop, claiming the land belonged to his military boss, according to London-based environmental advocacy group ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/death-07312014185132.html
Cambodian parties pick rights activist as key NEC member
Member of a national election body in a significant move following an agreement on electoral reforms that broke a one-year political deadlock, officials said. Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed to a proposal by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) that prominent rights group Licadho chief ...
Parameswaran Ponnudurai
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/activist-07282014195111.html
Sam Rainsy defends opposition deal with Cambodia’s ruling party
With Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), saying it was in the interest of implementing key electoral reform and bringing greater freedom to the country. Speaking in a video posted to his Facebook account, the president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/deal-07232014180806.html
Cambodian authorities take two more opposition MPs into custody
Thursday while a court summoned its deputy chief for questioning following violent clashes when party supporters tried to force the reopening of Freedom Park in the capital. Elected members of parliament Nut Rumduol and Long Ry were taken into custody by policemen in plain clothes from ...
Parameswaran Ponnudurai
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/violence-07172014203608.html
Strong winds may have downed Cambodia chopper: Defense Minister
Generals and two other air force officers, according to the country’s defense minister, who said strong winds may have led to the tragedy. Minister of Defense Tea Banh said that the cause of the crash into a pond about six miles (10 kilometers) south of Phnom ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/helicopter-07142014174542.html
Cambodian Court Orders New Probe Into Dissident’s Call to Shoot ‘Dictator’
A Phnom Penh court on Thursday agreed to a prosecution request to consider filing more serious charges against a U.S.-based Cambodia dissident Sourn Serey Ratha accused of instigating an armed revolt against Prime Minister Hun Sen. Sourn Serey Ratha, who leads the Khmer People Power Movement ...
Parameswaran Ponnudurai
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/court-07102014203809.html
Khmer Krom monks clash with Cambodian police over Hanoi statement
More than a hundred monks and students from Vietnam’s Khmer Krom ethnic minority living in Cambodia clashed Tuesday with riot police and security guards in front of the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh as they marched to demand an apology for statements by ...
Richard Finney
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/clash-07082014164311.html
Cambodia’s Defense of Rights Record at UN Review Slammed
Foreign donors should push Cambodia’s government to end its human rights abuses as part of its bid to maintain political control of the nation, a rights group said Wednesday, after Phnom Penh allegedly snubbed recommendations by foreign governments to improve the country’s rights record. Representatives of ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/review-07022014161641.html
Thai court agrees to hear lawsuit over controversial Xayaburi dam in Laos
A top court in Thailand agreed on Tuesday to hear a lawsuit brought by villagers against the country’s decision to purchase power from the planned Xayaburi mega dam in neighboring Laos, which green groups say could threaten the region’s environment and food security. Overruling a lower ...
Parameswaran Ponnudurai
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/lawsuit-06242014170128.html
Defendants not informed of rights in cambodian appeal court cases: study
Judges in Cambodia’s Court of Appeal fail to inform defendants of their rights and a high number of hearings do not even have the defendants or their lawyers present, according to a study by a local rights group. In addition, the quality of evidence presented at ...
Richard Finney
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/rights-06232014173104.html
Cambodia’s parliament OKs dam compensation plan
Cambodia’s energy minister allayed concerns in parliament over inadequate compensation offered to villagers who face relocation for a proposed China-backed dam on a Mekong River tributary, saying the government has allocated to villagers more than four times the area taken over for the project. Minister of ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dam-06192014195419.html
In Restarted Talks, Cambodia Parties Fail to Agree on NEC Membership
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the main opposition party resumed negotiations on Thursday to break their 10-month stalemate but failed to reach an agreement on how to reform the country’s election body, party officials said. The CPP agreed to a proposal by ...
Rachel Vandenbrink
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/talks-06122014172356.html
Cambodian opposition slammed over charges of loss of territory to Vietnam
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s administration on Friday hit out at opposition leaders for accusing the government of ceding territory to Vietnam at a ceremony this week commemorating the 65th anniversary of loss of land belonging to the Khmer Krom ethnic minority to Hanoi. Government spokesman ...
Kong Sothanarith
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/freedom-park-remains-closed-to-public/1931123.html
Cambodia opposition doubts ruling party commitment to ending impasse
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on Wednesday questioned the sincerity of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party in efforts to resolve a 10-month political standoff amid an impasse in negotiations to reform the country’s electoral body following disputed polls. The CNRP’s Deputy President Kem Sokha ...
RFA News Staff
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/impasse-05282014180338.html
Cambodia’s ruling, opposition parties resume talks to end standoff
Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties resumed talks Thursday in a bid to end a nearly 10-month political standoff, with the two sides still remaining far apart on how to reform the electoral body which oversees the ballot. Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker Kuy Bunroeun, ...
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/talks-05222014142726.html
Cambodia opposition, ruling party to resume talks
Cambodia’s ruling and opposition parties are preparing to resume negotiations aimed at ending the country’s political crisis following a hiatus for local council elections, party officials said Tuesday. Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy said he had contacted Interior Minister Sar Kheng, the top negotiator for Prime ...
Rachel Vandenbrink
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/talks-05202014170548.html
Cambodia’s opposition gains ground in council elections
The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) gained ground against Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party in local elections over the weekend, initial tallies indicated Monday, in a boost the opposition party’s leader Sam Rainsy said would help strengthen democracy at the grassroots level. The ruling Cambodian People’s ...
RFA’s Khmer Service
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/elections-05192014185200.html