Social development

More than 1 million hectares of forest terrain and land leased by private companies has been put under government control since Prime Minister Hun Sen initiated a moratorium on new economic land concessions (ELCs) in May 2012, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and ...

Cambodian migrant worker hopefuls have heard murmurs about the poor work conditions in South Korea. However, they remain unfazed – even the recent reports of long hours and abusive employers are doing little to deter their quest to secure better wages abroad. ...

Abuse of women and children should be considered a public health concern, National Assembly Legislation and Justice Commission chairman Pen Pannha said Sunday. “Discrimination is a serious violation of human rights since it affects the welfare of women, hindering their full participation in social activities. ...

Six inmates busted out of Ratanakkiri Provincial Prison in the wee hours of yesterday morning, police said, adding another incident to a string of embarrassing escapes at the facility over the past two years. According to a post on the National Police’s website, authorities in Ratanakkiri’s ...

The Cambodian government on Wednesday released the findings of a survey [text] showing the magnitude of violence against children throughout the country. According to its findings, over half of Cambodian children have been victim to at least one form of violence before age 18 and ...

The third day of negotiations between members of a working group trying to reach a consensus on the minimum monthly garment wage remained stagnant yesterday, as manufacturers refused to budge from their $110 offer. ...

At least 50 opposition party youth members and supporters are asking for permission to join the US-led fight against Islamic State militants, a leading activist said yesterday. In return, they hope the US will help them fight Vietnamese encroachment in Cambodia and take back the island ...

Six environmental organisations opposing Laos’ controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam yesterday took their complaints to a new level: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia. In a 23-page letter, the organisations from Cambodia, Thailand and the US collectively requested an investigation into the trans-boundary impacts of the ...

The fourth edition of Cambodian career fair kicked off here on Tuesday, drawing attention from thousands of university students and graduates on the first day. Carmela Torres, senior specialist on skills and employability at the International Labour Organization, said the event is very important for ...

Rights workers fear for the safety of Cambodia’s vulnerable children once Asean joins in an economic community next year. Children could also face more risk from economic pulls, experts warn. That includes families sending their children to work in other countries, where they will be ...

Attendees at a conference of a new political reform association called “Khmer for Khmer,” which met for the first time Sunday, hit back Monday at claims made by a CNRP public affairs officer that the group plans to form a new party to divide the ...

Long considered the friendlier and less exploitative option for overseas Cambodian migrants, South Korea is now being slammed by Amnesty International for a number of abuses afflicting its migrant-dominated agriculture sector. The 20,000 foreign workers fuelling South Korea’s farming industry regularly encounter intimidation, violence, excessive working ...

Military police arrested 20 people at a guesthouse in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district late Sunday night for allegedly using and dealing crystal methamphetamine, officials said Monday. ...

A coalition of NGOs are to submit to the National Assembly today a list of recommended additions to the amended traffic law, a draft of which was approved by the Council of Ministers in August. Road safety advocates hope the amended law, which creates higher fines ...

While the smoke has long cleared on January’s violent garment strikes, for many of the 23 workers and unionists arrested and tried on charges widely considered to be baseless, the ordeal is far from over. Nine months after security forces used deadly violence to end strikes ...

Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has denounced the killing of journalist Taing Try in Cambodia on Oct. 12 and urged the authorities to ensure that those responsible are punished for their crime. Taing Try, 49, a freelance journalist for several local newspapers and a member ...

None of the more than 5,000 independent observers recruited for this year’s national exams had background checks or their identity verified before they were allowed into testing centres, an official said yesterday. During this year’s newly reformed and cleaned-up grade 12 exam, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) ...

Four Vietnamese women claiming to be working for a Vietnamese company attempted to obtain residency papers reserved for Cambodian citizens by bribing authorities in Ratanakkiri’s Sre Angkrang commune last week, police and an NGO said yesterday. The news comes as the government continues a “foreigner census” ...

Months after announcing the resignation of its founder and promising to start afresh to continue its “vital work” protecting vulnerable girls in Cambodia, the U.S.-based Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF) announced Saturday that it has ceased operations, telling supporters to turn to other organizations to help ...

A Ministry of Commerce official said in a speech last week that the controversial draft cybercrime law was almost ready to appear before the National Assembly, though another government official dismissed this yesterday. At a conference on cybersecurity attended by representatives of the public and private ...

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through central Phnom Penh yesterday morning calling for a controversial refugee resettlement deal between Australia and Cambodia to be scrapped. While the protesters echoed human rights concerns that have been repeatedly made about the scheme, an undercurrent of xenophobia was also present. After ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday concluded the trial of six Vietnamese nationals accused of selling 20 girls and women for sex out of two establishments in the city center. ...

Siem Reap’s Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital, which has provided free medical treatment since 1998, has been transferred to the Ministry of Health, the Post has learned. ...

As world leaders vowed to dramatically step up the global response to the Ebola virus this week, the Cambodian government sought to reassure investors that they are making adequate preparations to contain an outbreak in the Kingdom. Speaking at an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday, ...