VOA Khmer

Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries are preparing for a major regional meeting, which will be held in Burma Aug. 10. Analysts say Cambodia should raise ongoing security issues that threaten regional economic integration at the Asean Regional Forum. The South China Sea issue continues to ...

A senior member of the ruling party says it needs the opposition in the National Assembly and in the election process in order for Cambodia to develop democratically. “The Cambodian People’s Party needs a partner,” Chheang Von, a guest on “Hello VOA,” said last week. “Democracy ...

Mu Sochua, the outspoken lawmaker of the opposition who just spent a week in jail, says she is going to continue pushing for democratic reforms in Cambodia. “I’m not intimidated by arrest,” she told “Hello VOA” on Wednesday. “Instead, my will to defend the people and ...

Cambodia’s cybercrime law was leaked earlier this year. Cambodian officials have denied the existence of such a draft law, but local and international rights group have criticized the secret draft process, as well as some stipulations that might affect freedom of speech online. VOA Khmer ...

International legal experts are expressing deep concern over proposed changes to Cambodia’s legal system that critics say hand over too much power to the executive.  At a meeting in Phnom Penh Tuesday, a group recommended the three judicial reform laws should be returned to parliament ...

Cambodian farmers are looking toward a new organization to help them get the best prices for their rice, but many are skeptical disparities between farmers and traders can be overcome. The Cambodian Rice Federation was started in May, bringing together disparate companies, associations and farmers in ...

A Cambodian advocacy group says the Mekong Delta of Vietnam should be returned to the Khmer people who have lived there for generations. The region is still referred to as Kampuchea Krom, or Lower Cambodia, by many Cambodians, despite its partitioning to Vietnam by the French ...

Cambodia’s Constitutional Council has approved three controversial draft laws on judicial reform, despite heavy opposition from rights groups and international observers who say they will not restore the public’s faith in the courts. Critics say the laws—passed without opposition members in the National Assembly—put too much ...

More than one year after its fish products were banned from Europe, the industry and government has done little to ensure it will be lifted. The ban, instituted in early 2013, has hurt potential fish exports to a potentially lucrative trade partner. But EU officials say Cambodia ...

Opposition officials say they want to return to the negotiating table with the ruling party to continue talks on election reform. Both sides are at odds over how the National Election Committee, a critical government body that oversees elections, would be selected and approved in parliament. ...

Mondolkiri provincial villagers on Tuesday accused authorities there of colluding with a development company involved in serious deforestation. The Phnong minority villagers say the wife of the deputy provincial governor owns the company, Villas Development, which is allegedly involved in illegal logging. The activists spoke Tuesday ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said his party will stand firm on its position that a simple majority vote in parliament be used to select members of the National Election Committee. His Cambodian People’s Party is in negotiations for electoral reform with the opposition, which ...

Despite a number of agencies dispatched to solve land dispute, rights workers say people continue to face forced evictions and rights abuses by land developments. These problems are not being handled at the local level, fueling mistrust in local government, rights workers say. Rights workers from myriad ...

Representatives of fishing communities say illegal operations are critically threatening the nation’s fisheries. Corruption and collusion between authorities and illegal fishermen are at the root of the problem, they say. More than 100 representatives from these communities met in Phnom Penh Friday, in an effort to find ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday called on Thailand’s ruling junta to ensure the safety of Cambodian migrant workers and to treat well those that are being deported. Up to 250,000 Cambodians have fled Thailand or been deported since the junta took control in a May ...

Cambodia’s human rights groups are continuing to seek ways to prevent three draft judicial reform bills from becoming law. The drafts have already passed the National Assembly, but they have not been signed by the king. ...

Cambodian Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol concluded a trade mission in the United States this week, emphasizing his government’s willingness to make “deep” reforms to improve its investment climate. Cambodia meanwhile needs more foreign investment to create jobs for the 300,000 young Cambodians who enter the ...

In many restaurants in Phnom Penh, wild meat is readily available. Walk into one of these, and you’ll be able to order deer, wild pig or even monitor lizards. Some places sell even rarer meat, from endangered animals like the pangolin. Wildlife conservation officials say the ...

With regional and international competition increasing, Cambodia’s workers could be falling behind. A new World Bank report says Cambodia’s labor force lacks the skills to advance the country’s economy, even as an increasing number of young people enter the labor market. Kem Lay, a sociology researcher, ...

Thai officials said Tuesday they will take back Cambodian workers who re-enter the country legally. The statement follows a mass exodus in recent weeks of tens of thousands of Cambodians amid rumors of a crackdown on undocumented workers. Koy Kuong, a spokesman for Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry, told ...

Two years ago, a ceremony was held in Rovieng district, a remote area in the northern province of Banteay Meanchey, to herald the construction of a major steel plant here. The much-touted plant would make use of iron ore found here. It was to be a ...

Human rights workers say the US and other countries should censure Thailand over fisheries practices that mean near-slavery for many Cambodians and others. An investigative report by the UK-based Guardian newspaper exposed serious abuses in the Thai fishing trade, where workers are cheated of pay, kept ...

A US diplomat says military aid to Cambodia is necessary to improve the professionalism of the country’s security forces. The US has been criticized for its military aid to Cambodia, following violent crackdowns on demonstrations this year. ...

Cambodian authorities say they are investigating whether a Thai “Red Shirt” movement is indeed seeking to form a government in exile within its borders, following a military coup in Thailand last month. The coup ousted Yingluck Shinawatra as prime minister, and supporters of her and her ...