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Phnom Penh, Cambodia — A cascade of former Cambodian opposition politicians and activists have defected to the ruling Cambodian People's Party ahead of the July 23 election amid alleged government threats and frustration with Cambodia's political situation, putting pressure on the country's remaining opposition leaders. In May, the government disqualified its main opposition Candlelight Party from participating in the election, hastening the departure of members. Even before that, though, defections had accelerated as Prime Minister Hun Sen cracked down on dissent with lawsuits, arrests and alleged beatings in recent months. Candlelight spokesman Kimsour Phirith estimated that 10% to 15% of the embattled party’s central leadership has defected. Cambodian People’s Party spokesman Sok Eysan claimed “hundreds, thousands” of opposition supporters and officials had joined the party in the last year but did not provide evidence. “This is the strategy of the rival party in order to make our party become weak … to show the image that we are breaking,” Phirith told VOA. Among the defectors is Yim Sinorn, who spent a decade organizing Cambodian migrant workers in South Korea and worked closely with Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Kem Sokha, who was recently sentenced to 27 years of house arrest. In March, Sinorn was arrested for posts on Facebook allegedly insulting King Norodom Sihamoni. While on bail, he posted a public apology on his wife’s Facebook page and announced his allegiance to the ruling party, quickly receiving a high-level appointment at the Ministry of Labor. Sinorn claimed his decision stemmed not from pressure related to his arrest but years of frustration with the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party and its successor, Candlelight. “I’ve seen the weakness of leadership of the former opposition party that made me realize I can’t continue the journey,” Sinorn told VOA. “I decided that I have to choose a new place to participate in serving the nation.” “Everything I have done comes from my own will,” he added. “I think [my former work] was serving the benefit of society. It’s not that everything I did with the opposition group was a useless thing.” Candlelight Party leaders preside over the party's congress in Siem Reap province, Feb. 11, 2023. read more https://www.voanews.com/a/many-opposition-members-defect-to-cambodian-ruling-party-ahead-of-election/7163691.html

A political fiasco has unfolded for Facebook after Prime Minister Hun Sen was accused of inciting violence on the platform. Would Cambodia’s strongman ruler Hun Sen follow through on a threat to block access to Facebook for his country’s millions of users? That was the question many asked in the nation of 17 million people on Friday when the prime minister began his day threatening to ban the social media platform, but then walked back his warning in a late-night statement. “I only decided to close down my own Facebook,” Hun Sen said in a voice message on the Telegram messaging app on Friday night. “I have no intention to shut down Facebook in Cambodia,” he said, closing out a day in which many Cambodians discovered that their ruler of almost 40 years had been accused by a Facebook oversight board of inciting violence against political opponents on his profile page. What has become a political fiasco for Facebook in Cambodia began on Thursday when a board of experts adjudicating content for Meta Platforms Inc, which owns Facebook, called for a six-month suspension of Hun Sen’s Facebook and Instagram accounts over a livestreamed speech in which he allegedly threatened violence against political opponents. read more https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/1/cambodia-pm-backtracks-on-threat-to-ban-facebook-amid-content-row

PHNOM PENH, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian authorities had arrested 9,034 drug-related suspects, including 167 foreigners, in 3,764 cases during the first half of 2023, said an Anti-Drug Police Department's (ADP) report on Sunday. Some 52 percent of the suspects were drug traffickers, manufacturers, possessors and transporters, while 48 percent were drug users, the report said. "A total of 993 kg of illicit drugs, 9 kg of dry marijuana, and 17,950 marijuana plants were seized from those suspects from January to June 2023," the report said, adding that some 326 kg of chemical substances used for drug manufacturing were also confiscated. The authorities have also impounded 12 homemade rifles, 26 pistols, 99 cars, 1,025 motorbikes, 3,195 telephones and 229 scales, as well as some cash, it said. The seized drugs included heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills, cathinone and ketamine, among others. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said earlier this week that illicit drugs have continued to pose a threat to security, public order and development in the Southeast Asian country. He said that despite great strides already made, criminals still continued to actively smuggle drugs across borders by land, sea, post and air, and some had manufactured illegal drugs for circulating within the kingdom and trafficking to other countries. Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be jailed for life. read more https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20230702/b77f964b32ca46c9887e28cb7d9cfaac/c.html

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday (Jul 1) commenced his ruling party's campaign for an election later this month – a poll that has been criticised as a sham after the main opposition party was prevented from running. The 70-year-old strongman, who has ruled the nation of 16 million for four decades, spoke before a crowd in the capital of Phnom Penh. He stood beside his son Hun Manet, who is also a candidate in the polls and widely tipped as his successor. Hun Sen said his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has ensured peace, socio-economic development and the strengthening of democracy, adding that rights and freedoms were being respected. But he also warned that any attempts to incite "social disorder" or rebellion would be put down. Other than the CPP, only small parties with little funding or popularity will be standing in the Jul 23 election. The main opposition party was dissolved in 2017 over an alleged coup attempt, with scores of its members imprisoned. A party formed from its remnants was barred in May over a paperwork discrepancy. read more https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/cambodia-hun-sen-kicks-campaign-virtually-unopposed-election-3599736

Authorities have given more details on yesterday’s devastating nightclub fire in Phnom Penh and have upped the death total from 6 to 8 people – with the majority being foreigners Police say that the fire started at around 5pm on the 5th floor of the ‘6969’ nightclub in Sangkat Phsar Depot 1, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh. Authorities say that 8 people died in the blaze – six were Chinese (five males, one female) and two Vietnamese and one Cambodian Colonel Prohm Yorn, director of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Office, stated that, although firefighters quickly arrived at the scene, they were unable to rescue the 8 as they were trapped in a high part of the building. He added that toxic smoke from the fire added to the difficulty. The Colonel stated that the fire had begun due to an electrical fault. Police say they are still searching the building. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501317587/7-foreigners-1-cambodian-die-in-phnom-penh-nightclub-inferno/

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a devoted and very active user of Facebook — on which he has posted everything from photos of his grandchildren to threats against his political enemies — said Wednesday that he will no longer upload to the platform and will instead depend on the Telegram app to get his message across. Telegram is a popular messaging app that also has a blogging tool called “channels.” In Russia and some of the neighboring countries, it is actively used both by government officials and opposition activists for communicating with mass audiences. Telegram played an important role in coordinating unprecedented anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and currently serves as a major source of news about Russia’s war in Ukraine. The 70-year-old year Hun Sen, who has led Cambodia for 38 years, is listed as having 14 million Facebook followers, though critics have suggested a large number are merely “ghost” accounts purchased in bulk from so-called “click farms,” an assertion the long-serving prime minister has repeatedly denied. read more https://news.yahoo.com/cambodian-leader-hun-sen-huge-163904665.html

A man and a woman have been arrested after a mother was raped and then killed along with her 2 year old son at the weekend. Police in Svay Antor district, Prey Veng province arrested the two perpetrators after they murdered the victims and then attempted to hide the evidence by burning the house down. Prey Veng Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Chhoeun Bunchorn stated that the suspects are Nuon Touch, a 49-year-old female worker and Mom Nheb (male, age not given). The victims have been named as Poy Yim (aka Mey Achan alias Khlot), 35 years old, a farmer living in Prey Lveay village, Teuk Thla commune, Svay Antor district, Prey Veng province, and her son Moy Chan, 2 years old. According to the confession of the perpetrator, Nuon Touch, she had began to become jealous of the victim after she felt that her husband, Poy Yim, spent too much time with her. On June 24, 2023, at around 05:30 pm, the suspect and her husband argued over the matter. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501315888/shocking-beyond-words-man-and-woman-arrested-for-brutal-slaying-of-mother-and-son/

The Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum in Siem Reap province will hold a one-year exhibition of ceramics and various artefacts donated by residents of the Angkor site. The exhibition will kick off on July 03, 2023 and last until June 31, 2024, said the APSARA National Authority in a news release this afternoon. Khoy Savoeut, Acting Director of the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum, said the upcoming exhibition will display 16 pieces of ceramics. They are hard brown and green pottery with smooth layers, which were baked in a kiln between 1,000 and 1,200 degrees Celsius. The 16 pieces of ceramics originated from eight villages in Siem Reap province, he pointed out, adding that they are the types of art objects that have different ages and origins. Therefore, he continued, the public, students, teachers, and researchers can come to learn more about the history of these works of art, with professional officials presenting the latest information related to research, religious practice, business, and people’s contribution to the preservation of antiquities and sustainable national heritage. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501316291/preah-norodom-sihanouk-angkor-museum-to-hold-an-exhibition-of-ceramics-and-various-artefacts/

He also offers a US$20,000 reward for shooting down drones allegedly coming from Vietnam. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday said he won’t pardon two of his most prominent opponents – opposition party leader Kem Sokha and Cambodian-American lawyer Theary Seng – who were imprisoned over the last year, saying the decision was necessary in light of recent foreign intervention in Cambodia. “You are shaking hands while you are stepping on my feet,” Hun Sen said during a public appearance in Phnom Penh, using “you” to refer to foreign powers. “I don’t pardon them because I don’t trust you,” he said. “You intend to destroy me.” Hun Sen in recent months has frequently invoked the specter of national security threats at public appearances ahead of July 23 elections, which he has framed as a referendum on who can best maintain Cambodia’s sovereignty. “From now on, those who seek foreign intervention will stay in prison,” he said. “We don’t release you. Don’t include them in prisoners who will be pardoned or have a reduced prison term. We are stopping foreign intervention in Cambodia.” In May, Hun Sen said that Western diplomats have insulted him in the past by visiting with Kem Sokha while he was under house arrest. He said he doesn’t “trust foreigners who insult me, insult my sovereignty, insult myself when they worked with me and at the same time worked with others.” Theary Seng walks to court to face treason trial in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2020. Theary Seng was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2022 on treason charges, prompting condemnation from rights groups and the U.S. government. Credit: Heng Mengheang/Reuters ‘Let her die. So be it.’ Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 on treason charges and was finally sentenced in March to 27 years in prison. Before his sentencing, ambassadors from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States often met with him at his Phnom Penh home. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman went to see him during a June 2021 trip that also included a meeting with Hun Sen. An angry prime minister later said that she secretly went to Kem Sokha’s home without informing the foreign minister. Over the last year, several top U.S. officials have also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Theary Seng, who was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2022 on treason charges. The sentence prompted condemnation from rights groups and the U.S. government. During a visit to Phnom Penh last August, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Hun Sen to free her and other activists held on politically motivated charges. The treason charges against Theary Seng and 50 other activists stemmed from abortive efforts in 2019 to bring about the return to Cambodia of opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who has been in exile in France since 2015. Theary Seng often used costumes to make a political statement. During one court session, she dressed as “Lady Justice,” complete with blindfold, scale and sword. Before her trial, she underscored her readiness to go to jail by cutting her hair during a video interview with Radio Free Asia. After her sentencing, she was transferred to Preah Vihear Prison in the country’s far north. Hun Sen on Wednesday said that even though she has dual citizenship, her case applies only to Cambodia law. “The bald Apsara is being jailed in Preah Vihear,” he said, referring to a female celestial being often depicted in Cambodian culture. “She wants to hold a hunger strike? Let her die. So be it.” Kem Sokha speaks as U.S Ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy watches in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2019. Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 on treason charges and sentenced in March to 27 years in prison in a verdict widely condemned as politically motivated. Credit: Samrang Pring/Reuters ‘If we don’t shoot, they will look down on us’ Hun Sen also spoke again about drones that allegedly have been flying across the border from Vietnam in the country’s northeast. Earlier this week, the prime minister ordered 500 troops and 200 anti-aircraft weapons systems to four provinces to hunt down the drones. He said the aircraft are believed to be operated by “ethnic insurgents” in Vietnam, but Vietnamese authorities have denied that the drones were theirs. On Wednesday, Hun Sen offered a US$20,000 reward to each military unit that shoots one down. “Starting this evening, we need to shoot it,” he said. “We can afford to shoot between two million to four million bullets. We haven’t shot it for a while, this is a chance to test it. We won’t be poor by shooting it. If we don’t shoot they will look down on us.” He added that at least five drones crossed into Cambodia illegally on Tuesday night. ADHOC spokesperson Soeung Senkarona told RFA that staff members for the rights group stationed in the four provinces haven’t been able to find any information about the alleged drone presence. “There is no irregularity reported,” he told RFA. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/amnesty-foreign-meddling-06282023170314.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday called on people not to stigmatise or discriminate against the people living with HIV, instead provide them with employment opportunities the same as other citizens. The Premier also called on owners of factories, entrepreneurs, private companies or state institutions to offer employment to people living with HIV, so that they can generate income to support themselves and their families. “I would like to announce that HIV/AIDS still exists in Cambodia. In 2022, HIV infection increased to 300 cases,” Mr Hun Sen said yesterday during a meeting with 20,000 garment workers in Kampong Speu province’s Chbar Mon city. “I would like to appeal to the people not to stigmatise or discriminate against people living with HIV. If they have HIV and are employed, please allow them to continue to work,” he said. “And if they are applying for a job, please employ them and do not discriminate against them,” he said. “For those who have same-sex partners, they must take measures to protect themselves from contracting HIV. In case they suspect they might be infected, they must go immediately to hospital for treatment,” he added. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501315410/pm-says-dont-discriminate-against-hiv-aids-victims-employ-them/

King Norodom Sihamoni on Monday visited people in Kratie province and provided aid to underprivileged families. The royal visit to Treab and Sanday villages in Kratie province’s Chetr Borei district reflects the close attention the King pays to Cambodians, no matter how remote the place in which they are living. The event was organised by the Ministry of Royal Palace as well as the Kratie Provincial Administration and involved close supervision of the site by Provincial Governor Var Thorn, one day prior to the King’s arrival. During his visit, the King also brought along financial support and food for 410 impoverished families, including those from the local ethnic minority community such as the Kuoy and Bunong people. At the event, the King spoke about Cambodia’s current peace and prosperity and asked them to support the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He also thanked local authorities for their effort in serving the people and maintaining peace and stability in Kratie province. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501315213/the-king-visits-people-in-kratie/

The Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities are cooperating with Thai officials to crack down on illegal border crossing and illegally working in Sihanoukville. According to Preah Sihanouk provincial authority’s report for 2021 last year, officials deported 157 Thai nationals through the General Department of Immigration of Cambodia. Preah Sihanouk provincial deputy governor, Long Dimanche, said yesterday that the provincial authority has held discussions with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently and both countries have set up methods to prevent illegal border crossings. Both sides have implemented measures, such as boosting cooperation in investigations, providing the right information to each other and resolving cases of Thai people who are crossing the border illegally and working illegally in the province, Dimanche added. “Previously, there were Thai nationals illegally crossing the border to work in the province. Some of them came freely, while others had been scammed,” said Dimanche, read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501314491/thai-cambodian-officials-cooperate-to-stamp-out-illegal-border-crossings/

Vietnam denies it sent drones and critics see move as attempt to rally voters ahead of July 23 election. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday ordered 500 troops and 200 anti-aircraft weapons systems to four northeastern provinces to hunt down drones that allegedly violated the country’s airspace. He said aircraft are believed to be operated by “ethnic insurgents” in Vietnam, but Vietnamese authorities have denied that the drones were theirs. “We urge those countries that allow drones to use their countries to violate Cambodia to immediately halt their actions,” he said. “It is an act of terrorism against Cambodia.” Hun Sen urged calm in a pre-recorded address released via ruling Cambodian People’s Party, or CPP, mouthpiece FreshNews. The residents of Kratie, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Tboung Khmum provinces have no reason to fear an impending conflict, he said. “Don't worry about war in Cambodia – our troops … are intervention troops to help local authorities due to repeated violations by drones we don't know the source of yet,” he said. The prime minister said that the military assets being sent to the four provinces will be there “not only to destroy drones, but also to search for those who fled from Vietnam to hide in Cambodia,” without providing further details. On June 11, attacks on two commune offices in central Vietnam’s Dak Lak province – across the border from eastern Cambodia – left nine people dead. Last week, Vietnamese authorities said they will prosecute 84 people accused of being involved in the attacks. No one has claimed responsibility for them, and the motivation remains unclear. Rallying voters Members of Cambodia’s opposition said they believe Hun Sen – who has been in power since 1985 – is using the development to scare voters into throwing their support behind the ruling CPP ahead of a general election on July 23. He has used similar tactics in the past. "Before the 2011 elections, there were skirmishes between Cambodia and Thailand, and in 2016 there was a border dispute with Laos, and [the government] deployed troops as the elections approached," said Morn Phally, an activist with the Cambodia National Rescue Party living in exile in Malaysia. Hun Sen's elite troops prepare to deploy in provinces near Vietnam following Hun Sen’s claims that drones from Vietnam violated Cambodian airspace. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday assured residents of four provinces that their security is not at risk after ordering 500 troops stationed there to hunt down drones that allegedly violated the country’s airspace. Credit: Facebook/@HunManyCambodia Hun Sen has frequently invoked the specter of threats to national security during speeches in the lead up to ballots, and framed the vote as a referendum on which party can best maintain Cambodia’s sovereignty. Speaking to RFA on Tuesday, Finland-based political analyst Kim Sok questioned why Hun Sen was deploying troops to the border when Vietnam has denied involvement in the drone incursions. “Hun Sen is using this strategy to intimidate people and control power,” he said. Tuesday’s troop deployment follows the unanimous approval by Cambodia’s National Assembly of an amendment to the election law that prohibits those who don’t vote in next month’s elections from running for office in future elections. Analysts say the change appears to be aimed at preventing a large-scale boycott of the July 23 vote by supporters of the main opposition Candlelight Party. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/drones-06272023172835.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The critically endangered Indochinese leopard is now functionally extinct in Cambodia, according to a study conducted by Panthera, a global organisation dedicated to wild cat conservation, in partnership with WildCRU at Oxford University. This is shocking and devastating news for the leopard. The study’s findings, which were published by Biological Conservation, also point to the subspecies’ extinction from all of eastern Indochina (including Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). The leopard was last seen in Vietnam in the early 2000s and in Laos in 2004. According to a press release, scientists are now issuing a grave warning of the Indochinese leopard’s impending extinction from the planet without immediate conservation funding and action in its remaining two strongholds in peninsular Malaysia and the Northern Tenasserim Forest Complex on the Thailand-Myanmar border. A lack of funding and competing species conservation priorities have largely prevented the implementation of initiatives specifically targeting the recovery and growth of the last Indochinese leopards read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501313250/critically-endangered-indochinese-leopard-now-functionally-extinct-in-cambodia/

Joining nations around the world, Cambodia marked the 9th International Yoga Day at Angkor Thom temple, Siem Reap province on Wednesday. The International Day of Yoga falls on June 21 annually, after the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014. The APSARA National Authority organised this year’s official International Yoga Day celebrations in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Embassy of India to contribute to the promotion of yoga for world peace and unity. Hundreds of people, including high-profile officials like Siem Reap Provincial Deputy Governor Pin Prakad, Kuch Panhasa, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism, and Ambassador of India to Cambodia Dr Devyani Khobragade participated in the official anniversary celebrations held at Angkor Thom temple on Yoga Day. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501312836/9th-intl-yoga-day-sees-huge-participation-in-siem-reap/

More than 3,000 Catholics including bishops, priests, and laypeople in Cambodia participated in a Mass to commemorate clergy, religious, and laypeople who were martyred by the Pol Pot regime in the seventies. The event was held in Tang Kork District, Kampong Thom Province, about 100 kilometers from the capital Phnom Penh on June 17, Catholic Cambodia reported. During the program, church officials called the martyrs the “fathers” of today’s Catholic community in Cambodia. “The testimony of the martyrs guides us along the way” Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh and an MEP missionary, said during the program. Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, the apostolic prefect of Battambang, Pierre Suon Hangly the apostolic prefect of Kompong-Cham, priests, nuns, and laity attended the Mass in remembrance of the “Cambodian Martyrs.” In 2015, the Cambodian Church opened the diocesan phase of the beatification process for Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 34 other martyrs who were killed during the Khmer Rouge, Catholic Cambodia reported. read more https://www.ucanews.com/news/cambodian-catholics-honor-martyrs-killed-by-khmer-rouge/101758

Jacob Sims spoke out about kingdom's booming slave-based scam industry PHNOM PENH -- The director of a major anti-human trafficking campaign group in Cambodia has been prevented from returning to the country by his organization after he publicly spoke out against the kingdom's booming online fraud industry based on slave labour. The U.S.-based International Justice Mission directed its then-country director Jacob Sims not to return to the South-East Asian nation since last July because of "credible warnings about various potential threats," the non-governmental organization told Nikkei Asia. The alleged threats emerged shortly after Sims appeared in an explosive Al-Jazeera documentary "Forced to Scam: Cambodia's Cyber Slaves." The program highlighted the scale of an industry that the international police organization Interpol warned this month has spread from Cambodia to become "a global human trafficking crisis." read more https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Threats-force-anti-trafficking-NGO-director-out-of-Cambodia

AirAsia Cambodia (Phnom Penh) remains on track to start flying in the fourth quarter of 2023 and is spurring majority shareholder, Capital A, to look towards other new markets in Southeast Asia "that deserve an airline," according to Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes. Speaking in Sepang, Malaysia, on June 15, as Capital A held its annual general meeting, Fernades said, "we are expanding across ASEAN based on a wide network and a strong brand, with the launch of AirAsia Cambodia expected to start operating in 4Q, we are looking for opportunities in the remaining ASEAN countries that deserve an airline." Capital A owns a 51% stake in AirAsia Cambodia, with hospitality group Sivilai Asia taking the remaining share. The low-cost carrier plans to launch with two A321-200Ns, later expanding to as many as 15. It plans on flying routes within a four-hour radius of the country and will focus on flying to existing AirAsia Group hubs from Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Phnom Penh. read more https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/128796-airasia-cambodia-sticks-to-4q23-launch-plan

But critics see it as a waste of money and suspect he will use the project to pump up image ahead of July vote. Prime Minister Hun Sen said he will establish a park in every province to honor a policy that he says brought the remaining Khmer Rouge holdouts under government control in the 1990s, ending Cambodia’s decades-long civil war. Dressed in military uniform, with five stars on his shoulder, Hun Sen told those gathered at the Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday that he was pleased with Defense Minister Tea Banh’s idea to build Techo Peace Parks in each of the country’s 24 provinces. “Techo,” which means powerful or strong, and references an ancient Khmer warrior, is one of Hun Sen’s leadership honorifics. “Each province should build it because it is a place of recreation for the people and it is not too expensive,” he said. But critics said his idea is a waste of national money. The parks would be used for Hun Sen’s personal political gain just before the national election on July 23, said Chea You Horn, the president of the Khmer Association of Victoria in Australia. “Now Hun Sen uses the word peace to arrest and put people in prison,” he said. Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Banh sits during the ASEAN Japan Defense Ministers Informal Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on June 22, 2022. Credit: Heng Sinith/Associated Press Bloody history Hun Sen said he first introduced the “win-win” policy to co-opt the Khmer Rouge in 1987. The initiative allowed defecting Khmer Rouge cadres to keep their land and to join the government’s armed forces in return. Other factors contributed to the end of Khmer Rouge, including the 1991 Paris Peace Accord which led to the 1993 U.N.-sponsored election. The ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, killing some 1.7 million Cambodians through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. They were finally removed from power by Vietnam, which invaded Cambodia in 1979. Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge fighter who fled to Vietnam in 1977, took part in the invasion and first took office as prime minister in 1985. The Khmer Rouge continued fighting from camps along the Thai border during the 1980s. They again took up arms in 1992, the year after the peace accord was signed. But by 1999, all members and leaders had surrendered or been captured. The national budget Tea Banh, the defense minister, said the parks will help Cambodian people remember and appreciate Hun Sen’s work to end the fighting. Chea You Horn noted, however, that many other political parties participated in the 1993 elections and also helped bring peace to the country. If the government wants to use the national budget to build such a large project, it should be widely debated in the National Assembly, Candlelight Party Vice President Rong Chhun said. Recent large government spending plans haven’t gone through debate because the Assembly is controlled by one-party, he said. “If we look at the law, we have to go through a debate to find a consensus,” he said. He added the country already has an Independence Monument in Phnom Penh – built in 1958 to commemorate independence from the French – and doesn’t need another monument. The Victory Monument, built in 2018 to mark the end of the civil war, cost $12 million on an 8-hectare site in Chroy Changvar district near Phnom Penh. Hun Sen’s government has also built monuments in the provinces to commemorate the Vietnamese soldiers who helped defeat the Khmer Rouge. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun-sen-peace-parks-06212023104135.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Cambodia's prime minister has sought to revise a voting law ahead of next month's general election, a move apparently aimed at quelling boycotts as the ruling party's opponents are all locked out from running. The bill bars anyone who fails to cast ballots from running in future elections, and imposes fines on people who prevent eligible citizens from voting. The bill's backers claim that it is aimed at ensuring elections can be conducted without any disruptions. But the bill comes after the main opposition Candlelight Party was excluded from the upcoming election. The National Election Committee disqualified the party last month, claiming that it failed to submit the necessary documents. Some opposition supporters have been calling for a boycott of next month's vote. Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that the country's lower house would deliberate and pass the bill by the end of this week. In the previous election in 2018, his ruling People's Party claimed all 125 seats in the assembly, while the largest opposition party was forced to disband. The United Nations human rights office expressed concern about the bill. read more https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230621_38/

PHNOM PENH, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of international tourists to Cambodia is predicted to surpass the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level in 2025, the country's Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Wednesday. Speaking at a bi-annual conference of the Ministry of Tourism in Phnom Penh, Khon said the kingdom received some 2.16 million foreign visitors during the first five months of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 530 percent. "Based on this figure, we hope to receive up to 4.6 million international tourists in 2023 and 7 million in 2025 or 2026," he said. In the pre-pandemic era, the Southeast Asian country recorded 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, generating 4.92 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. "The recovery of the tourism sector has importantly contributed to our country's post-pandemic economic growth, which is forecast at 5.6 percent this year," he added. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Khon said China's reopening earlier this year has injected fresh impetus into Cambodia's tourism growth. "This year, we hope to attract between 800,000 and 1 million Chinese tourists," he said. Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the return of Chinese tourists has pinned high hopes for the kingdom's tourism and economic growth in the post-pandemic era. "China is the most important outbound tourism market for the world, including Cambodia," she told Xinhua. "I believe that our Angkor Archaeological Park and coastal areas will remain the most attractive destinations for Chinese holidaymakers." Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment export, agriculture and construction, as well as real estate. https://english.news.cn/20230621/1734917bff344f55aeee32bebaa85869/c.html

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has confirmed that as of the first quarter of 2023, nearly 700 workers across Cambodia were seriously injured and 17 workers died during the commute to and from work. Heng Sophannarith, NSSF Deputy Director-General and Chairman of the Road Safety Working Group for Workers, said last week that road accidents occur every day, which concerns the government, especially traffic accidents involving workers who travel by truck and other transportation to and from work. He added that according to a report by the Road Safety Working Group for Workers, in the first quarter of 2023, there were 636 road traffic accidents involving 696 workers with 17 workers killed and 200 seriously injured and 479 slightly injured. He said that traffic accidents are hidden killers that not only cause deaths, injuries and disabilities but also create a tragedy that affects the family’s economy and national economy. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501310885/17-workers-die-over-600-hurt-in-q1-road-crashes/

The Kingdom yesterday celebrated the 87th birthday of Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk. On the occasion, Prime Minister Hun Sen and several government officials sent their greetings to her. Chhin Ketna, secretary-general of the National Committee for Organising National and International Festivals (NCONIF), said yesterday that the committee has instructed national institutions to join in the celebration of the ceremony, partucularly to enjoy the fireworks display in front of the Royal Palace. Keut Chhe, deputy Phnom Penh Governor, said the Phnom Penh Administration had asked residents to put up national and religious flags to decorate offices and homes to mark the Queen Mother’s birthday. He said that the fireworks display was arranged by the National Committee for Organising National and International Festivals. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501310027/cambodia-celebrates-87th-birthday-of-queen-mother/

Mech Dara receives award from US Secretary of State for human trafficking coverage. Cambodian journalist Mech Dara was presented with an award by the U.S. State Department on Thursday for his reporting about the prevalence of cyber-scam slavery compounds in his country. Dara was one of eight journalists, activists and community leaders presented with a Hero Award by Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a morning ceremony at the State Department in Washington to mark the release of the 2023 U.S. Trafficking in Persons report. A former reporter with The Cambodia Daily, Phnom Penh Post and Voice of Democracy, Dara led coverage of Cambodia’s scam-compound problem, with locals and foreigners alike being forced to work – under threat of violence – as the perpetrators of online scams targeting people across the world. Dara’s reporting on compounds in Phnom Penh and the coastal casino town of Sihanoukville led Cambodian authorities, who initially denied the existence of the compounds, to acknowledge the problem and launch periodic raids on buildings housing the operations. The compounds are typically run by Chinese crime syndicates with alleged ties to local Cambodian authorities, but one report by Al Jazeera even linked government senator Kok An and Hun To, the nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, to some of the operations. Cambodia’s cyber-scam slavery problem has since been covered by news outlets around the world, including Al Jazeera’s 101 East, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, BBC, ABC Australia and Vice. Cindy Dyer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for the office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons, praised Dara’s extensive reporting for uncovering the issue and bringing it to international attention. The award, she said, recognized “his courageous reporting on human trafficking for the purpose of forced criminality in Cambodia, which led to greater public awareness of, and improvement within, the Cambodian government’s anti-trafficking response.” Trafficking in persons The 2023 U.S. Trafficking in Persons report says “forced criminality in cyber scam operations” has become a multi-billion industry since the pandemic, as weak economies and travel restrictions have made vulnerable people more susceptible to being tricked into slavery. “Rather than fulfilling their advertised employment promises, many of these companies began forcing the recruits to run internet scams directed at international targets and subjecting them to a wide range of abuses and violations,” the report says, noting it is becoming a global problem, particularly in remote areas and border towns. Among other methods, it says, compound owners enslave their victims through “withheld travel and identity documentation, imposition of arbitrary debt; restricted access to food, water, medicine, communication, and movement; and threats, beatings, and electric shocks,” and force them to carry out the scams. Each year the report also places countries around the world into one of three tiers measuring their government’s efforts to combat human trafficking. Cambodia this year once again placed in the lowest tier, alongside China, Myanmar, Russia and North Korea, among others. In Southeast Asia, the only better performer this year was Vietnam, which was upgraded from Tier 3 to the “Tier 2 watchlist,” alongside countries like Brunei, Malaysia, El Salvador, and South Africa. Among the 30 Tier 1 countries – which the report notes “does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem” but rather “that a government has made efforts to address the problem” – are France, the United States, Seychelles, Colombia and Cyprus. The only Asian designees in the top tier are Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines. South Korea, Laos and Hong Kong fall in Tier 2. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/mech-dara-award-06152023143100.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

THE National Election Committee (NEC) on Wednesday urged Cambodian embassies around the world to join in efforts to encourage citizens living abroad to exercise their right to vote in the July 23 national election. “We call on all Cambodians to come and exercise their right to vote. We also request the cooperation of our embassies to help spread the word (about National Election) to Cambodians who are living or working abroad,” NEC said in a statement. The national election will be held on Sunday, July 23, from 7am to 3pm. Citizens with a valid Cambodian identity card and having their names on the voter list can vote in the National Election. The NEC added that if their name is not on the voter list or they do not have a Cambodian identity card – expired or missing or damaged – the citizen can vote using the election identification document. The election identification document will be issued for 30 days from June 22 to July 21 at the Commune Election Committee and it must be validated by the commune / district authorities in order to vote. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501308889/cambodians-overseas-urged-to-come-and-vote-in-july-polls/