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Phnom Penh Capital Administration has announced the timetable of the free bus services to transport people to the provinces for Khmer New Year The Phnom Penh Capital Administration stated that the transportation of people to these provinces will take place for 5 days from 13 to 17 April 2023. Phnom Penh Capital Administration added that there are 345 vehicles for transporting people to Kandal, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kep, Kampot, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Tbong Khmum, Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501267133/phnom-penh-capital-administration-announces-timetable-for-free-khmer-new-year-buses/

New Zealand police in cooperation with the Australian Federal Police have informed the Cambodian authorities that five members of the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club, who are involved in a number of drug and criminal cases, are residing in Cambodia. This is according to information received from the Australian police, notifying Lieutenant General Dy Vichea, Deputy National Police Chief and Chairman of the Task Force tracing down a wanted motorcycle gang in the Kingdom. Lt Gen Vichea disseminated the information to all police chiefs across the country to report if they see a motorcycle gang in their province. The following members of the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club who are involved in various drug crimes are: Elias Richard Robert Gaital, Tau Te Daly, Zion Sylvester Leota, Gordon Taiyeng Huavaa and Keleml Ses Palli Niue Siatiu, all are New Zealand nationals. National Police spokesman Lieutenant General Chhay Kim Khoeun said: “We are following the procedure as notified and have alerted the provincial police forces to follow up on.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501267280/kiwi-criminal-bike-gang-on-the-loose-in-cambodia/

Phnom Penh — A top Cambodian opposition leader on Thursday appealed against his treason conviction for trying to topple long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, his lawyer said, criticising the verdict as "unjust". A court this month found Kem Sokha, a co-founder of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), guilty of conspiring with foreign entities to overthrow Hun Sen's government. Sokha was sentenced to 27 years in prison and immediately placed under house arrest. He was also stripped of his political rights and banned from meeting with foreigners or anyone who is not a family member without permission from the court. "He appealed against the verdict because it is unjust," Meng Sopheary, one of Sokha's lawyers, told AFP. Sokha, 69, has repeatedly denied the charges against him since his arrest in 2017. Another lawyer Ang Udom said Sokha "refused to accept the unjust verdict that made him lose a lot of rights". Rights groups say the charges against Sokha were designed to bar him from politics ahead of July's elections. The United States characterised Sokha's sentence as a "miscarriage of justice" based on a "fabricated conspiracy". Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 38 years, has wound back democratic freedoms and used the courts to stifle political opponents, according to rights groups. Hun Sen boasted on Thursday that he was the world's longest-serving prime minister. "First, I broke the record as the world's youngest prime minister 38 years ago. Now, I have broken another record as the longest-serving prime minister in the world," Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony. Two months after Kem Sokha's arrest in 2017, Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP, once considered the sole viable opponent to the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). That paved the way for the CPP to win all 125 parliamentary seats in 2018, turning the country into a de facto one-party state. Scores of opposition figures were convicted of treason last year and Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the country's few remaining local independent media outlets last month. https://www.voacambodia.com/a/cambodian-opposition-leader-appeals-against-treason-conviction/7033752.html

An 11th Century Khmer lintel recovered from a private collection in Manhattan, US, last October, is all set to arrive in Cambodia. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of the sandstone relief, that was looted from Cambodia during the 1990s, at a repatriation ceremony held in New York and attended by Chhea Keo, Cambodian Ambassador to US, and Thomas Acocella, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge at Homeland Security Investigations, New York, on Friday. A lintel is a rectangular piece of stone supported by columns and placed above the doorway of a temple in Cambodia. Minister of Culture Phoeurng Sackona said yesterday that the Khmer lintel has yet to arrive in Cambodia though it was received by the Cambodian ambassador in New York city. “We are planning to send it with another antique item so that we can save the transportation charges. We will definitely announce the date of arrival for both.” “The retrieved Khmer lintel is a beautiful piece that has been hidden from the public view by selfish looters. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501266627/us-hands-over-yet-another-khmer-national-heritage/

General Hun manet has been nominated by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) to be a candidate in the general election in July, a statement said Saturday. In a decision letter, Hun Manet is the first of 12 candidates on the party’s\list for the July 23 election for the National Assembly. Prime Minister Hun Sen who has hinted at stepping down has said repeatedly that he will stand again as the only candidate for Prime Minister in the July election. Some government sources said that Mr Hun Sen, who turns 71 in August, might consider transferring power to general Manet, most likely after the Senate Election in 2024. Hun Manet holds several positions in the armed forces, including the Commander of the Army and the head of Cambodia’s anti-terrorism forces. According to the constitution, a prime minister has to be a member of the National Assembly unlike in Thailand where some aspiring Prime Ministers have opted not to be on party lists. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501266354/general-hun-manet-ranked-first-of-12-candidates-set-to-stand-in-july-general-election-in-cambodia/

Rights group Amnesty International on Friday urged Cambodia to immediately stop the ongoing "mass forced evictions" of 10,000 families from the Angkor Wat temple complex. The Cambodian government late last year ramped up the relocation of families living within the sprawling UNESCO world heritage site to a new community being built on former rice paddies 25 kilometres (15 miles) away. Authorities say they are acting to protect the ruins by moving squatters whose informal settlements are damaging the local environment by producing rubbish and overusing water resources. The government says people are moving voluntarily but Amnesty said its research found that villagers faced "implicit threats if they did not move". It said those affected were not properly consulted or given enough notice. "These are forced evictions in disguise and on a mass scale. People were pressured to volunteer and made to feel fearful of reprisals if they refused to leave or challenged the evictions," Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty's deputy regional director for campaigns, said in a statement. read more https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230331-cambodia-should-halt-forced-evictions-at-angkor-wat-amnesty

As threats and arrests continue, the EU says ‘inclusive, transparent’ conditions are not in place for vote. The United States, European Union, France and Japan say they have no plans to send electoral observers or to provide assistance to Cambodia’s election committee for July‘s general election. The parliamentary election has been marred by threats and recent arrests of activists as the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and Prime Minister Hun Sen work to silence and intimidate opposition figures. “France does not intend to send national observers to monitor the July elections,” the French Embassy in Cambodia said on Twitter on Wednesday. “We keep encouraging the establishment of a climate allowing the opposition, the media & civil society to function without hindrance, which is essential for fair & free elections.” The United States isn’t providing assistance to the National Election Committee, but encourages a process “that is inclusive of all political stakeholders and in which all Cambodians can freely enjoy their political rights,” Embassy spokeswoman Stephanie Arzate said in response to a Radio Free Asia inquiry. “We urge authorities to strengthen multiparty democracy in Cambodia by allowing opposing political views, fostering competition through inclusive free and fair elections, and promoting the free and open exchange of ideas,” she said. Conditions in Cambodia for “holding inclusive, transparent and credible elections” are not in place, Barbara Plinkert, the EU’s Head of Division for Southeast Asia, told an EU subcommittee on March 21. That’s why the EU will not be sending observers, she said. “We would need to send one already; we’d start preparation already six months before an election,” she told the EU Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights. “This has not happened and … the conditions need to be right in order to be able to meaningfully send an election observation mission.” Looking back at 2018 Japan was the largest funder of Cambodia’s last general election, despite the fact that the country’s main opposition party – the Cambodia National Rescue Party – had been banned by the Supreme Court on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the 2017 commune elections. Both the United States and EU withdrew donor support for the 2018 general elections, citing government actions seen as limiting democracy. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told the Phnom Penh Post in 2018 that the lack of EU or U.S. observers was unimportant, noting that in the 2013 general elections “they caused a lot of trouble.” But Cambodia did welcome election observers from Myanmar, Singapore and China in 2018. National Election Committee spokesman Hang Puthea said at the time that it wasn’t going to “differentiate between democratic or non-democratic countries” in considering international observers. RFA couldn’t reach Hang Puthea for comment on Thursday. The committee is responsible for supervising elections in an impartial manner, but activists have claimed it often works on behalf of the CPP’s interests. The NEC released a statement on Monday after a meeting between Japanese Ambassador Ueno Atsushi and NEC President Prach Chan that said the ambassador “was considering help” by sending observers to the election in July. But a spokesperson for Japan’s Embassy in Phnom Penh told news website Cambodianess that it has no plans to send official observers, although no final decision has been made and Japan may informally send people to several polling stations in July as ‘special guests.’” Thach Setha, vice president of Cambodia’s Candlelight Party, gestures while being transported to prison. Credit: Citizen journalist Thach Setha’s bail request denied Interior Minister Sar Kheng recently called publicly for a smooth and peaceful election. But activists from the Candlelight Party – now the main challenger to the ruling CPP – said in mid-March that police have been monitoring their meetings and local authorities have been defacing and stealing party signs and billboards. Candlelight Party activists in almost all provinces have reported cases of intimidation and harassment, and some people are now afraid to participate in non-ruling party activities, party spokesman Kim Sour Phirith said. On Thursday, an appeals court denied the bail request of Candlelight Party Vice President Thach Setha, who was arrested in January on charges of writing false checks – charges that opposition activists say are politically motivated. The denial of the bail request is yet another indicator that Cambodia will not hold a legitimate election this year, said Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, or Licadho. Not having any international election observers in July would be “sad,” said the executive director of Cambodia’s top election watchdog, the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia. “It’s up to each country’s evaluation,” Sam Kuntheamy told RFA on Thursday. “But they might not have confidence that the election will be free and fair.” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed publicly to rule the country until his death. Credit: AFP file photo Hun Sen’s power grip Meanwhile, Hun Sen vowed publicly to rule the country until his death. “Some people said Hun Sen is gripping power. I am accepting that,” he said at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh on Thursday. “What about you? You said you want to compete for power – what does that mean?” Hun Sen said, apparently referring to opposition party leaders. “I am only defending the power that I am having – there is nothing wrong with that. Why do you want to be the prime minister? You want to fight for prime minister and I am defending it.” Hun Sen has said he will run for re-election this year and will hand power to his son, Hun Manet, after the 2028 election, at which point he will have served as prime minister for 43 years. He has also said that he would continue in his role as CPP president after 2028, and would return to the prime minister post if his son doesn’t perform well. Political analyst Kim Sok said Hun Sen is only able to stay in power because of his use of force, intimidation and other non-electoral means. “If there is a free and fair election, he can’t cling to his power,” he said. “People won’t vote for him.” Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/election-international-observers-03312023140751.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Every week, Thoeun Chantha, a goldsmith from Cambodia, crafts jewelry from approximately five kilograms of brass casings that once contained bullets from AK-47 and M-16 rifles. For more than two decades, the 42-year-old, whose father was killed during Cambodia’s years of war, has run a workshop to turn symbols of violence into what he calls wearable pieces of art. “I’m a victim of the war as a Cambodian who lost family members in it and now the world is at war too. I make this to show that the world doesn’t want war … we all want peace,” he added. The bullets are collected from shooting ranges and military training grounds around the capital, Phnom Penh. Those deemed safe are melted and poured into a cylindrical mould before being cooled in a bucket of water. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501265370/cambodian-goldsmith-turns-bullets-into-art-to-promote-peace/

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced this evening that he has scrapped ticket sales for SEA Game 2023, thus making the entrance free for all Cambodians. The Premier made this remark in a voice message to the public after the announcement of the sale of the tickets for the opening and closing of the SEA Games event has drawn the ire from a number of netizens. According to the advertisement, the price of the ticket ranges from $25 to $50. Many described the prices as too high while most of them said they will not buy them. “We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars, including grants from our Chinese friend, and many years to organise this event, therefore I will definitely not allow any ticket sales for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as during the competitions,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said in his message. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501265230/prime-minister-hun-sen-scraps-ticket-sales-for-sea-game/

Malaysia-born Michelle Yeoh became the first person of south-east Asian descent to win a best actress Oscar for her part in the surreal action comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh stunned audiences, but few people are aware of the Cambodian connection that played a part in her win. The spectacular martial arts skills she displayed in the film were here own, but behind the scenes was a Khmer choreographer, who helped her perfect every move. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/refugee-camp-hollywood-glitz-khmer-martial-artist

Authorities have warned citizens to exercise care after a man was crushed to death by a billboard, uprooted by strong winds in Siem Reap yesterday evening The incident took place at 17:30 on March 29, 2023, in Siem Reap city at the Smile Ling traffic light, Chong Kaosou village, Slor Kram commune, Siem Reap. Pheng Chanthou, male, 44 years old, was instantly killed when the billboard fell on him Chea Narath, male, 33 years old, was injured in the incident and is currently being treated at Bangkek Provincial Hospital. High winds and rain also caused a steel decoration at Mondul 1 village, Svay Dangkum commune, Siem Reap city to collapse The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology on March 28 yesterday issued a notification on the weather conditions from March 29 to April 4, 2023. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501265058/weather-warning-after-man-dies-after-billboard-uprooted-by-strong-winds/

At least 202 inmates died whilst in prison last year, according to the Interior Ministry’s 2022 annual report. Lieutenant General Nuth Savna, a spokesman for the General Department of Prisons, said yesterday that the inmates died due to chronic illnesses or addiction to drugs. “Most were young inmates and they were already addicted to drugs prior to their imprisonment, which caused a serious impact to their health,” he said. The prisons have medical teams on site who can treat the inmates, but those who become seriously ill are transferred to hospitals, he added. “However, we have to ask permission from the prosecutor before sending them to hospitals and we have provided treatment for several inmates without any discrimination,” he said. The government’s policy is to care for inmates whilst in prison and to provide them with vocational skills and education, so they are better prepared for when they leave the prisons, he added. Ministry of Interior spokesman, General Khieu Sopheak said that the ministry has been working effortlessly to keep prisons hygienic, healthy and conducive for inmates’ mental health. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501264023/over-200-prisoners-died-due-to-chronic-illnesses-last-year/

Pro-government FreshNews report is the latest case of apparent phone tapping of top opposition figures. A Cambodian pro-government news site published details from a telephone conversation between a top opposition party official and his alleged mistress, prompting one political observer to urge authorities to investigate the apparent telephone tapping. FreshNews cited a Facebook page called “khmer leak” in its report about several phone calls between Candlelight Party Secretary General Lee Sothearayuth and his alleged mistress. Publishing a private telephone conversation without consent in an attempt to destroy an opponent’s reputation and dignity is a breach of privacy, political commentator Seng Sary said. If the release of private telephone conversation was politically motivated, the people who ordered the release are conducting dirty politics, he said. “This is unethical and shouldn’t happen in a civilized society,” he said. FreshNews also published a telephone conversation between opposition leader Kem Sokha and his alleged mistress in 2016. The outlet previously released a telephone conversation between Ho Vann, a senior official in the now-banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, and his alleged mistress as well. More arrests of opposition activists The report comes as the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and Prime Minister Hun Sen have been working to silence and intimidate opposition figures ahead of the July general elections. Earlier this month, Kem Sokha was sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason. And earlier this week, two opposition activists were arrested in Phnom Penh after they posted comments on Facebook that seemed to compare Hun Sen with King Norodom Sihamoni. Activists from the Candlelight Party — now the main challenger to the ruling party — recently said that police have been monitoring their meetings and local authorities have been defacing and stealing party signs and billboards. Candlelight Party activists in almost all provinces have reported cases of intimidation and harassment, party spokesman Kim Sour Phirith said in early March. On Friday, three Candlelight Party activists were arrested and charged with falsifying documents. The arrests were made four hours before the conviction of 13 people in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on similar charges from last year related to the formation of the National Heart Party. The Ministry of Interior said last year that the small political party collected several hundred forged thumbprints on documents it filed when it registered ahead of the 2022 commune elections. Seam Pluk, president of the National Heart Party, was convicted on Friday and sentenced to two years and six months in prison. The other 12 defendants were given two-year sentences, but they remain at-large. The three Candlelight Party activists who were arrested Friday were also charged in the National Heart Party case. The three defendants only recently joined the Candlelight Party. The wife of one of Friday’s arrestees said her husband – Touch Teng, Candlelight Party’s committee chairman for Kampong Cham province – wasn’t involved with the collection of signatures and thumbprints when he worked for the National Heart Party. “This is a politically motivated arrest because my husband is one of the party’s leaders,” the wife said. The National Heart Party’s case is an old one that has only been revived now that the election is drawing near and the Candlelight Party has been gathering supporters, Kim Sour Phirith said. Cambodia’s law on phone tapping Radio Free Asia couldn’t reach National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun about Friday’s arrests or about FreshNews’ report on Lee Sothearayuth’s phone calls. Re-broadcasting a private conversation is a crime, Khmer Student Intelligent League Association President Koeu Saray said, pointing to Article 368 of Cambodia’s penal code, which states that anyone convicted of tapping a phone conversation without consent can be imprisoned from two months to one year. “It was embarrassing for FreshNews to post it,” Koeu Saray said. “It is a concern. Cambodia has a law but it is not being enforced.” The leaked telephone conversation has nothing to do with the CPP, party spokesman Sok Ey San said. Media outlets have the legal right to air such content, and individuals who are affected can request a correction, he added. RFA was unable to reach Lee Sothearayuth for comment. Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/phone-calls-mistress-03242023161704.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A Thai national has been arrested for the knife murder of a compatriot in Sihanoukville yesterday On March 26, 2023, at 11:36 AM, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Police received information that a murder had occurred at Room 10, 3rd floor of Lan Kui Fang Company Building. Located in Village 6, Sangkat 4, Preah Sihanouk Province. Immediately after receiving the information, the specialized force of the criminal police work plan, in cooperation with the force of the Municipal Police Inspectorate and the specialized force of the Technical and Scientific Police Office, went to the scene to inspect and conduct research. The victim was named as TONSRI SAKNARONG, male, Thai nationality, born on 24-12-1983, holding passport number ADO 541328, an employee living in Room 10, 3rd floor of Lan Kui Fang Company. As a result, the police brought a suspect to the Sihanoukville Provincial Police for questioning. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501262950/foreigner-murders-compatriot-in-sihanoukville/

The EU has threatened to raise tariffs if Cambodia doesn’t release Kem Sokha, improve rights record. Prime Minister Hun Sen declared that Cambodia does not need foreign aid or preferential trade agreements because its economy is strong enough to survive on its own. The remarks, which came at a ceremony Monday to launch the country’s fourth phase of its financial management reform program, which will last from 2023 to 2027, were in response to a European Union resolution. It called on Cambodia to release jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha, improve its human rights situation and hold free and fair elections this year – or risk further suspension of its participation in the regional bloc’s “Everything But Arms” scheme, or EBA, which allows Phnom Penh access to the European market without tariffs. The EU already withdrew about 20 percent of the EBA scheme in 2020, equivalent to about $1.1 billion of the country’s Europe-bound exports. In this Dec. 12, 2019 photo, garment factory workers walk after leaving work in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP) Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985, repeatedly said that Cambodia can still survive without EBA status, but critics told RFA’s Khmer Service that it is an indication that he does not care about Cambodian workers and their rights. “When Mr. Hun Sen says he does not need EBA status, that means he does not need to respect human rights or women’s rights,” said Mu Sochua, the vice president of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, which was the country’s main opposition party prior to its dissolution by the Supreme Court on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in 2017. Mu Sochua said that losing EBA status completely would result in catastrophically high unemployment in Cambodia and would disproportionately affect women, who make up the majority of factory employees. “Not only would factory workers lose their jobs, but also farmers and their families, small food vendors, and grocery stores around the factories, they would all lose their businesses too,” she said, adding that the female workers would then have to look for jobs in the entertainment sector or risk their lives looking for jobs abroad. Reforms sparked survival At Monday’s reform launch, Hun Sen also said that after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, Cambodia carried out major political and economic reforms under his leadership to restore the country without waiting for any assistance from abroad, and that is the reason it has survived until now. “In my life, I have encountered countless risks all the time,” he said. “Not only when I risked my neck for the survival of the people by leaving the Khmer Rouge regime, and not only when I risked my neck for peace that UNTAC was not able to attain, but I also risked my neck for reforms when I acquired formal post as the prime minister.” Following the 1970 coup d'etat that installed Prime Minister Lon Nol as Cambodia’s head of state, Hun Sen joined the Khmer Rouge and fought what he considered to be foreign interference for the next five years. When internal purges in the Khmer Rouge regime started in 1977, Hun Sen fled with many of the soldiers under his command to Vietnam, returning with the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia that defeated the Khmer Rouge. He was installed as deputy prime minister of the Vietnamese backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea in 1979, then in 1985, the national assembly elected him as prime minister. With the Khmer Rouge still in control of parts of the country, Hun Sen was instrumental in the 1991 Paris Peace Talks that would broker a ceasefire and an end to the Cambodian-Vietnamese War and and brought in the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, or UNTAC, to keep the peace as the country held elections in 1993. When the elections favored another party over his Cambodian People’s Party, Hun Sen threatened to secede with seven provinces. It was then that UNTAC and the other party agreed to allow him to serve as second prime minister until 1997, when he led a coup that installed an interim first prime minister until elections the following year where his party was successful enough that it was able to elect him as the country’s lone prime minister, the office he holds today. Praise and criticism Hun Sen on Monday also accused the United States of supporting the 1970 coup and supporting the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot. He also took the opportunity to praise Vietnam, saying that the presence of Vietnamese troops in Cambodia during the earlier years of his reign not only helped to overthrow and prevent the return of the Khmer Rouge, it also helped Cambodia advance in its political, economic and social relations. Social development researcher Meas Ny told RFA that Hun Sen's remarks reflect the reality of post-war political turmoil in Cambodia. However, he said that the current sanctions on Cambodia are a result of Phnom Penh’s lack of respect for human rights and unwillingness to follow the path of democracy in accordance with the principles of international law. Meas Ny said that although Cambodia claims to be able to survive without foreign aid, its development and economy may be sluggish compared to other countries in the region. “At the present, every country needs commercial and economic relations with other countries,” said Meas Ny. “If we lose part of a relationship, it could lead us to an abnormal economic situation and we will be unable to catch up with other countries.” In this June 27, 2018 photo, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen poses for pictures with garment factory workers during an event in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP) Former CNRP lawmaker Oum Sam An dismissed Hun Sen's claims as overly political fabrications of facts intended to draw votes in this year’s elections, scheduled for July. He said reforms invoked by the People’s Republic of Kampuchea between 1978 and 1992 focused only on strengthening party power, and because of its adherence to the Marxist-Leninist ideology, it made the country’s economy reliant on the aid of communist allies like Vietnam and the Soviet Union. This made Cambodians suffer from hunger and hardship. “If the international community left Cambodia alone and let Cambodians depend on the economic reforms of Hun Sen, our Khmer people would still be living in misery and Cambodia would not have a bustling garment factory industry like today,” said Oum Sam An. “The livelihood of Cambodian people would have been the same as it was back in the 1980s.” Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun_sen-03212023163907.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A 10 year old boy has died and a woman is seriously injured after a crazed man opened fire on his ex-wife’s family yesterday The fatal shooting took place at around 8:45 pm on March 27, 2023 in an unnamed location in Kampong Thom province. According to the victim’s uncle, the assailant, who was his nephew-in-law, fired a shotgun at his niece, who was the wife of the assailant. He killed his 10-year-old nephew and seriously injured his wife while the victim’s wife was seriously injured. The victim’s uncle said that he did not know why the perpetrator was so angry The victim’s uncle added that his niece and the perpetrator are currently divorced, but not yet separated. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501264023/over-200-prisoners-died-due-to-chronic-illnesses-last-year/

Yim Sinorn’s Facebook comments last week had resulted in an incitement charge. An opposition activist who was jailed after posting comments on Facebook about the government and Cambodia’s constitutional monarch was released on Tuesday after he apologized to Prime Minister Hun Sen and King Norodom Sihamoni. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court released Yim Sinorn after he posted a video and a statement from prison apologizing for last week’s messages about the king. The messages drew a lot of attention from online commentators, which prompted the court to charge Yim Sinorn with incitement and with insulting the king. He posted a comment on Facebook on Tuesday that he didn’t intend to insult the king. “I take this occasion to ask for forgiveness from the king and apologize to Samdech Hun Sen publicly with honesty,” Yim Sinorn said. In his message last week that led to his address, Yim Sinorm wrote: “According to the people at the coffee shop, today we clearly know who is truly the king.” Yim Sinorm seemed to be highlighting Sihamoni’s political powerlessness, which is mandated by a requirement in Cambodia’s 1993 Constitution that he reign as a national figurehead while leaving governing to the National Assembly and the prime minister’s Council of Ministers. A second activist, Hun Kosal, is still being held by authorities. Hun Kosal later wrote that it has been sad “to see they have hurt the king’s heart and degraded the king’s power in all aspects,” a reference to how Hun Sen’s government has interacted with Sihamoni, who took the throne in 2004. Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni [left] talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen during the country’s 68th Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh on Nov. 9, 2021. Credit: Associated Press Appeals to the king Sihamoni, a European-educated former dance instructor, has preferred to remain in the shadows as king. But some in the opposition have called on him over the years to challenge Hun Sen’s repression of their ranks. Recently, Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party have been working to silence and intimidate opposition figures ahead of the July general elections. “As a politician of the new generation, I am determined to use all my ability to join forces with Kem Sokha to protect the power and the throne of the king,” Hun Kosal wrote in another one of his messages last week. Earlier this month, opposition leader Kem Sokha was sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason. He continues to deny the charges that led to his arrest in 2017, which was made several months after the Cambodia National Rescue Party – which he led – had made large gains in local commune elections. Yim Sinorn has previously worked as an activist for the now-banned CNRP. Last week, the prime minister exchanged comments with his own supporters on Yim Sinorn’s Facebook page, suggesting that Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal were already guilty. “It would be weird if they are not guilty because [what they said] is not an expression of opinion, but it is a distortion of the truth with an intent,” he wrote. “Whatever it is, leave it for the court to decide.” After Yim Sinorn released his apology statement on Tuesday, Judge Yi Sok Vouch issued an order to the Prey Sar Prison Department to release him on bail. The order did not give an explanation behind the release. Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/activist-released-03282023130507.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Cambodia Airways has launched its first direct flight between Phnom Penh and Beijing, aiming to meet rising travel demand between the two destinations, the airline operator said in a press release on Tuesday. An inaugural flight KR991 landed at Beijing Daxing International Airport on Monday, the press release said, adding that the first flight KR991, operated by an Airbus-A320 aircraft, departed from Phnom Penh International Airport in the morning and landed at Beijing Daxing International Airport in the afternoon. On the same day, the return flight KR992 departed from Beijing in the afternoon and arrived in Phnom Penh in the evening, it added. “Prior to the departure, Cambodia Airways was determined to make the trip memorable for our passengers by preparing some special souvenirs to be distributed at the boarding gate,” the press release said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501264238/cambodia-airways-launches-phnom-penh-beijing-direct-flight/

PHNOM PENH/SIEM REAP — Everywhere you look in Cambodia’s capital are signs of the top two leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) with the slogan “Thank You, Peace.” The same signs show up on highways and street corners across the country. It’s a message that floods the Facebook page of Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the longest-ruling leaders in the world. “Peace provides opportunity for people to live in a prosperous society. When there is peace, there is everything – all lives flourish, politically, economically, socially, and culturally, with peace,” said Sok Eysan, a ruling party senator and spokesman. Yet this prosperity and opportunity is not accessible to many in Cambodia, and this year’s election — despite the kneecapping of Hun Sen’s opposition — will offer some insight into how thankful Cambodian voters are for the ruling party’s version of “peace.” Hun Sen boasts of ending war and bringing economic stability to the country, but his government also has a well-recorded track record of violating human rights, silencing dissent and shuttering independent media. A Cambodian People's Party's sign displays an image of the top two leaders, Heng Samrin (left) and prime minister Hun Sen (right), at the party's headquarter in Phnom Penh, on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Ten Soksreinith/VOA Khmer) “We want a livable wage, as citizens of this country that is so proud of peace!” said Nam Sivonn, a former employee of the NagaWorld casino and resort in Phnom Penh, where unions accuse officials of complicity in union busting and cracking down on peaceful protests. “So then allow your workers to have peace and provide them with a livable income.” Nam Sivonn was among the 1,329 employees who were laid off in April 2021, a move the company argued was due to a loss of profit during the pandemic, while the workers called it brazen retaliation against demands for better benefits from the union led by Chhim Sithor, who remains jailed and awaiting trial on criminal charges. Chan Sreyrath, who has also joined the NagaWorld protests that began in December 2021, asked why the prime minister — often referred to by his honorific “Samdech” — had not demanded peace for workers at the casino not far from his Phnom Penh residence. “Every issue circulating on social media, Samdech knows and gets involved. Why doesn’t Samdech take any actions when it comes to our problem? Don’t you really know? Or you just pretend you don’t know?” she asked. Come July, Nam Sivonn and more than 9 million eligible voters in Cambodia will have their opportunity to convey their dismay or approval when the country holds its seventh national election, on July 23, 2023 — 30 years since the first post-war election in 1993. “We are all going to vote. We are not afraid to choose anyone who has the willingness to find a solution to our problem. We’ll vote for you, regardless of our political tendency,” said Nam Sivonn. Unionized workers — particularly in Cambodia’s garment sector — were a key voting block to the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party’s (CNRP) success in 2013, when it narrowly lost to the ruling CPP. The ruling party has aggressively pursued a two-pronged strategy in the decade since — closing down the space for opposition and dissent, while increasing engagement with young Cambodians who make up an ever-growing share of the electorate. The CNRP has been banned, and in its place are a handful of small opposition parties with familiar faces, but without their leaders, Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha, who are in exile and under house arrest, respectively. In June last year, after five years of absolute control at the commune level, prime minister Hun Sen’s CPP was challenged by the Candlelight Party, an offshoot of the CNRP, which won about 22% of the popular votes and 2,176 commune council seats after campaigning on issues of social injustice, corruption, and abuse of power. While the Candlelight Party is not expected to pose a serious challenge to the CPP this year — if it’s allowed to compete at all — its vote share could offer an indication of whether it is gaining traction or losing momentum. And a few seats in the National Assembly could provide a national platform the opposition currently lacks. Ou Virak, found of the Future Forum think tank, said he sees the Candlelight Party as a “temporary vehicle” for the opposition that’s likely to disappoint its supporters in the upcoming election. “They can’t pull it off. Then they’re going to lose momentum,” he said. However, he also said that the ruling party’s formula for “peace” at all costs created its own complications. “The question is actually when you are trying to force peace at all costs, even without justice, even facing injustice that people must accept it — I think it is going to be problematic,” he said. read more (very long article) https://www.voacambodia.com/a/peace-is-on-cambodia-s-ballot-however-voters-define-it/7012963.html

Cambodia became Asia’s most dollarised economy, while dollarisation in neighbouring Lao P.D.R., Mongolia and Vietnam was either declining or broadly stable, a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said a decade ago. Ten years later the grim reading remained unchanged compared to other economies in the region. Since Cambodia’s economy has been substantially dollarised, there are a large amount of foreign currency deposits in the banking system, which is reflected in the ratio of foreign currency deposits to total deposits in all currencies or the ratio of foreign currency deposits to broad money — total money in circulation in the economy. According to the Annual Report of NBC for 2022, the ratio of foreign currency deposits to broad money stood at 84.1 percent last year, which increased 1.1 percent compared to 83 percent in 2021, while Riel in circulation stayed at 7.7 percent compared to broad money, deposits and loans in Riel was 8.9 percent of total deposits and 11.2 percent of the total loan portfolio in Cambodia. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501258350/cambodias-dollarisation-peaks-among-neighbouring-countries/

Long-tailed macaques at risk of being killed, or laundered or re-trafficked if returned to Cambodia, animal welfare groups say More than a thousand Cambodian monkeys at the center of a US government investigation into wildlife trafficking are at risk of being killed or returned to their country of origin, laundered and re-trafficked, animal welfare groups say. The monkeys’ plight first came to light last year when the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) asked the animal rights organization Peta about finding a sanctuary for 360 monkeys. Born Free USA, and the US Department of Justice (DoJ) later joined the discussions and the number of monkeys increased to over 1,000 as talks progressed. Last week, however, discussions stalled when Peta learned on 13 March that the monkeys would instead be flown out of the US. Under US law the monkeys can only return to their country of origin, Cambodia, said Dr Lisa Jones-Engel of Peta, but neither the DoJ nor the FWS has confirmed this. The 1,000 or so juvenile long-tailed macaques are understood to be at a primate center in Houston, Texas, owned by Charles River Laboratories, a US company that buys, sells and tests on animals. read more https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/20/trafficked-lab-monkeys-cambodia-us-investigation

Pointing to the murky waters of the Tonle Sap, Si Vorn fights back tears as she recalls her four-year-old daughter dying from diarrhoea after playing in the polluted lake. Her family of 12 is among 100,000 people living in floating houses on Cambodia's vast inland waterway, and while their village has 70 houses and a primary school, it has no sanitation system. Now a local social enterprise, Wetlands Work (WW), is trying to tackle the problem by rolling out "floating toilets" to filter waste, but the high cost of installation means for now they are available to only a lucky few. For generations, villagers whose livelihood depends on fishing have defecated directly into the water that they use for cooking, washing and bathing -- risking diarrhoea and even more severe water-borne diseases such as cholera. "We use this water, we drink this water, and we defecate into this water. Everything!" Si Vorn, 52, told AFP, saying her family fell ill all the time. "Every day, I worry about my health. Look at the water, there is no sanitation. I'm so worried but I don't know what to do." read more https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230320-floating-toilets-help-cambodia-s-lake-dwelling-poor

Exercises underline deepening relationship between Phnom Penh and Beijing, which has expansive claims in the South China Sea. China and Cambodia have begun their first-ever naval drills in Cambodian waters. The Chinese Ministry of National Defence said the drills — dubbed China-Cambodia Golden Dragon 2023 — involving personnel from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Military Command began on Sunday. The Chinese navy ship Jinggangshan, which brought the troops to Cambodia, carried out an exercise with two patrol boats of the Royal Cambodian Navy and established communications before practising coordinated navigation in different formations, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported on Monday, citing the PLA command. The Jinggangshan is a Type 071 landing ship that travelled to Cambodia from Zhanjiang in southern China. “In the two-hour navigation and communication exercise with the Cambodian navy, our organisation and command were precise, coordination was close, and communications were smooth,” Captain Xu Jinfeng, the commanding officer of the Jinggangshan, said in a report by state-run China Central Television (CCTV). read more https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/20/china-and-cambodia-hold-first-naval-drills-in-cambodian-waters

General Hun Manet, who is serving as the Commander of the Cambodian Army and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, has been promoted to full General by the King, This is according to a Royal Decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni and obtained by Khmer Times today. “Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, is responsible for the execution of the this Royal Decree from the day it was signed onward,” the King wrote. General Manet, 45, has been endorsed by Prime Minister Hun Sen as the next prime minister candidate, which means he will have to resign from his military position when it is time for him to become the party candidate, according to the Constitution. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501257230/hun-manet-promoted-to-general-2/

4 Thai men have been arrested on charges of raping a 17 year old Thai girl in Poipet Authorities said that at 13:39 on March 15, 2023, the Poipet City Gendarmerie Base Force led by Brigadier General Nuon Ninaro, Poipet City Gendarmerie Base Commander detained the 4 Thai suspects for an aggravated rape, committed at 1:00 AM on March 10, 2023 in Samaki Meanchey Village, Sangkat O’Chrov, Poipet City. After being arrested and interrogated, the four suspects replied that they had indeed raped the victim. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501256973/4-foreigners-arrested-for-rape-of-compatriot/