VOA Khmer

Laos will begin its chairmanship of Asean in January, the year when economic integration across the region begins.Officials say the land-locked country can serve as a model for connectivity, helping the region focus on the development gap between the rich and poor countries of Asean. ...

In the Kampong Phluk fishing village on the Tonle Sap lake, home to thousands of families in Siem Reap province, fishermen say their catch this year has been too poor to live on. Ning Ny, chief of Kampong Phluk commune, in Siem Reap, said almost ...

The U.N. refugee agency warns the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes is likely to exceed 60 million in 2015.The UNHCR has released its Mid-Year Trends 2015 report covering global forced displacement during the first six months of this year. ...

Cambodia is unlikely to be able to produce offshore oil until prices rise, analysts say. Meng Saktheara, a spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said he agreed with that analysis. Negotiations over production are not finalized with KrisEnergy, which must also finish its ...

The author Ly Sambo survived the Khmer Rouge and eventually made her way to America as a refugee. Her story is not uncommon from that of other survivors of Cambodia’s atrocities and wars. But she says she helped herself reconcile with the brutal past by ...

With the return of the Cambodia National Rescue Party to the National Assembly this week, following a boycott that began in November, analysts say there is a chance some of the party’s activists could be released from jail. ...

In recent years, Cambodia has seen a surging number of small and medium-sized businesses, driven by young entrepreneurs. As of 2011, there are estimated 530,000 SMEs in Cambodia, but many lack access to capital to build strong and innovative businesses.​ ...

Empathy and forgiveness should be at the heart of efforts to heal the wounds of Cambodia’s tragic history, according to academics attending a recent symposium. Kosal of Brooklyn College added that the tribunal might not be an effective mechanism to achieve reconciliation and healing for ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday called on Asean member states to work together on cross-border rescues of citizens in the wake of natural or man-made disasters. ...

Lawmakers for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) attended a plenary session at the National Assembly Wednesday, ending a parliamentary boycott that has lasted for weeks. ...

A small group of human rights advocates and other Cambodian-Americans met recently in Virginia to discuss Cambodia’s ongoing problems with human rights abuse.Participants discussed the difficulty in promoting human rights and democracy in Cambodia, where political pressure and powerful individuals often intervene. ...

Cambodian health officials have been sent to a northeastern district where 10 people died and more than 100 were sickened in two separate incidents linked to the consumption of dog meat and rice wine, a medical officer said Friday. ...

In the remote province of Ratanakiri, in northeastern Cambodia, deforestation and climate change are taking a heavy toll on communities.Drought has damaged crops, from rice to sesame, cashews, beans and potatoes, making it hard for farmers here to earn a living. And deforestation has greatly ...

With Asean integration fast approaching, analysts say Cambodia has more to do to strengthen its human resources and be competitive in the region’s open markets. ...

Art can represent a nation’s identity, and younger generations have a responsibility to conserve it. But that means education, to help youth appreciate art and culture, says Donna Strahan, head of conservation and research at the Freer-Sackler Gallery. ...

An official at the Ministry of Justice says he hopes a new law on information access will help improve the country’s attitude toward its judiciary, which is widely seen as politically biased and corrupt. ...

Economists say Cambodia is not facing the risk of an aging population, as is happening in richer countries around the region, but it must still plan for a future when its younger generations grow old. ...

In the wake of attacks in Paris and San Bernadino, California, young Cambodians say they are concerned their country is not prepared for similar attacks. Cambodian officials say the government is ready to respond to attacks, though, as the recent mob beatings of two opposition ...

With at least four Cambodians killed in recent years trying to uncover environmental crimes, the country ranks as the “deadliest” place in the world to conduct such reporting, according to a new report.  ...

For many Cambodian victims of sexual assault, justice can be hard to find. Not only can it be difficult culturally to report rape and other crimes, but police and the courts are not necessarily well trained to deal with sensitive crimes. Add to that judicial ...

Rights and development groups say a draft law on access to information will be more useful to the public if it has input from outside the government.A number of civil society organizations met in Phnom Penh this week to discuss the law, in hopes of ...

Following the 25-year sentence for an unlicensed doctor who caused an outbreak of HIV, rights, development and legal experts consider whether justice was served.The questions revolve around how many years imprisonment should be meted out by the court in a case that may have been ...

Dozens of protesters in rural Cambodia broke through a gate and tried to push their way into a provincial court, which had detained three villagers in a land dispute in the northeastern part of the country. More than 170,000 families across the country were adversely ...

Cambodian women face many obstacles to success in education, including domestic violence and sexual violence, but an increasing number of them are seeking higher education and more work skills.More than 50 percent of Cambodia’s population is female, and many see the new generation as a ...