VOA Khmer

Phnom Penh Municipal Court has issued a summons for opposition leader Sam Rainsy to appear in January, to answer court questions in a new defamation case. The court actions against Sam Rainsy come despite widespread condemnation by the international community and fears that Cambodia’s upcoming ...

In July, an estimated 2.9 million Cambodians were on Facebook, up from 1.7 million a year earlier.The social networking website Facebook has grown increasingly popular with government officials, who use it to communicate with their constituents and to push their political positions to a younger ...

As the National Assembly prepares to debate a contentious draft law to regulate unions, labor leaders say they want to meet with lawmakers and express their concerns. ...

A controversial draft law to regulate unions is set for debate at the National Assembly, despite protests by union leaders, who say the new law will make it even harder for workers to bargain for rights, fair wages and proper working conditions. More than 3,000 ...

Experts warn that Cambodia still faces the prospect of violence and atrocities, as human rights abuse and other social injustices persist.But Cambodia’s leaders still have the “responsibility to protect” the country’s citizens, according to standards issued by the UN. ...

Cambodia is ranked one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Many of its people rely on agriculture, and the changes to the country’s climate, whether more droughts or more floods, makes them particularly vulnerable. ...

Global Witness says Cambodia’s ongoing land crisis is part of a larger global trend, one driven by economics and resource shortages. ...

An Australian senator wants to see a resolution censuring Cambodia for recent political attacks on the opposition. Ludlum told Australian lawmakers they should pass a resolution recognizing the current acts representing an “extremely bad sign for democracy in Cambodia.” ...

As Cambodia and Russia prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is visiting Cambodia. Despite close ties in the past, prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has not been deeply involved in Cambodian affairs. ...

Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sunday signed a declaration establishing a formal economic, political, security and socio-cultural community. The AEC is set to become fully functional December 31. ...

Cambodian sex workers are often thought of as victims of trafficking. And that may be true for some. For others, however, work in the country’s entertainment sectors offers financial security, and sex work becomes a choice. ...

The International Criminal Court in the Hague has issued a statement acknowledging the work of civil society organizations in helping maintain international standards of justice. In 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, some 60,000 people were affected by land grabs, according to a report ...

Cambodia’s foreign minister defended the country’s judiciary before a group of diplomats Thursday, addressing an arrest warrant issued last week for opposition leader Sam Rainsy. ...

Chea Chamroeun, who became a member of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party in 1993, submitted a resignation this week, claiming who would rather focus on communities than remain in a climate of political conflict. ...

Cambodia needs more land mapping if it is to start to resolve many disputes that have become a major issue and potential source of instability, a development group says. ...

Cambodia’s Ministry of Health is warning the public to beware many skin whitening creams, which have been found to have high levels of mercury in them. Whitening is a common practice in Cambodia, for both men and women, in a culture where lighter skin is ...

Conservation experts and residents in Kratie province say they are concerned for the wellbeing of the Mekong River dolphin, especially if a major hydropower project is built upstream. Only about 80 Mekong dolphins are estimated to now live in Cambodia, down from 200 in 1997. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen will lead a high-level ministerial delegation to Malaysia over the weekend, to attend a number of Asean and Asian regional summits. ...

Benny Widyono, a former UN official in Cambodia during its transition period in the 1990s, says the country’s mass killings were in part a result of the Cold War. ...

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy was stripped of his lawmaker status and parliamentary immunity Monday, paving the way for his arrest in connection with a defamation case that the opposition says is politically motivated. The prospect of Rainsy’s arrest has sparked fears of unrest in ...

Phnom Penh continues to flood during heavy rains, despite efforts by the city to renovate the sewage system.Cambodia remains increasingly vulnerable to rains that could grow heavier in a changing climate. ...

The Council of Ministers on Friday green-lighted a contentious law that labor leaders say will make it hard to form unions and collectively bargain.The draft law will now be debated in the National Assembly, where the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has a majority and will ...

A Cambodian election observer in Myanmar says the country’s process holds lessons for Cambodia. Yet the NLD and the ruling junta have tried to resolve their differences, leading up to the opposition’s election victory, said Koul Panha, who has been in Myanmar since Nov. 3, ...

Cambodia may not be an industrialized nation, and therefore not putting as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as other countries, but it nevertheless is contributing to climate change through deforestation, experts say. ...