geovalin

Theary Seng is serving a 6-year sentence for treason. Cambodian authorities have transferred an outspoken Cambodian-American lawyer and human rights defender from a remote jail to the country’s largest prison on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh, a Prison Department official said Friday. Theary Seng, a 52-year-old American citizen, has been serving a six-year sentence in Preah Vihear Prison, in the north, since June 2022, when she was convicted treason, stemming from her failed efforts in 2019 to bring about the return to Cambodia of political opposition leader Sam Rainsy. The Ministry of Interior transferred her to Prey Sar II Prison, which houses detained women, in the capital on Sept. 23, said Prison Department spokesman Nuth Savna. “There is no reason for the transfer,” he told Radio Free Asia. “It was the decision of the ministry’s leadership.” Theary Seng’s lawyer and supporting NGOs requested her transfer because her appeal case is being tried in the capital. Sam Chamroeun, her attorney, said the transfer will enable Theary Seng to work with her defense team and to meet with her family in Phnom Penh. Theary Seng was one of many casualties of former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government ahead of a July 23 general election that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party won in a landslide. But Western governments and opposition activists deemed it a sham because officials prevented the main opposition Candlelight Party from participating on a technicality. In the months leading up to the election, Hun Sen used a combination of legal action, threats, harassment and arrests to target the political opposition, activists, independent media and civil society groups. People wait at an entrance to Prey Sar Prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in an undated file photo. Credit: RFA/Uon Chhin Though Sam Chamroeun filed an appeal against the guilty verdict handed down by a court in the Phnom Penh verdict, the Appeals Court has not yet scheduled a hearing. He said that he will meet his client soon to discuss further steps. “I received two statements from the Prison Department to meet with Theary Seng, so there will be no obstacle for a meeting between client and lawyer because she is nearby,” he said. Hunger strike After her arrest, authorities sent the activist from Phnom Penh Prison to Preah Vihear on June 15 to ensure public security and order, according to the Prison Department. While in Preah Vihear Prison, Theary Seng went on a 10-day hunger strike five days after the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a judgment calling her detention “arbitrary, politically motivated, and in violation of international law.” Jared Genser, Theary Seng’s pro bono international human rights lawyer, told RFA on Wednesday that he will use the working group’s report to build momentum for her case. He will also push for the United States to designate her case as “wrongfully detained” under the Levinson Act, a 2020 law that would allow sanctions to be imposed on individuals responsible for holding U.S. nationals hostage. Humanitarian groups said that the transfer was meant to politically persecute her since her case is being handled by the Phnom Penh court. Soeung Sengkaruna, a spokesman for the rights group Adhoc, urged Cambodia’s judiciary to speed up Theary Seng’s appeal process so she can receive justice because she did not commit a crime. “We haven’t seen the new government improve freedom spaces yet,” he said, referring to the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet, Hun Sen’s son who came to power following the July election, won by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party in a landslide. “We will continue to monitor the situation and hope that Theary Seng’s case is a start for resuming freedom and political space,” Soeung Sengkaruna said, referring to the government’s illiberal rule and rights violations. Translated by Yun Samean for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/theary-seng-09292023161027.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Responding to questions about the living conditions of the people, Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that through the 39-month programme to support poor and vulnerable families, the Royal Government had spent a total of 4,805,801,699,000 riels (or $1,172,146,756; that is, nearly $1.200 billion). According to the statement on the official Facebook page of Prime Minister Hun Manet on September 29, “Some people have questioned how the Royal Government of Cambodia has taken into account the lives of people who have a difficult life.” In response to this question, the premier presented as an example the daily report that the Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation sent to him for September 28, 2023. According to the study, the government has released monetary data to assist poor and vulnerable people, pregnant women and children under the age of two, and vulnerable families in dealing with inflationary pressures through three cash subsidies: 1. Supporting Poor and Vulnerable Families during COVID-19, the programme started on June 24, 2020, and has been running for 39 months. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501368830/royal-government-released-more-than-1200-billion-to-help-the-poor-and-vulnerable-in-39-months/

The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Dr. Hun Manet, received Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin who is on an official visit to Cambodia. Thavisin arrived in Cambodia this morning, September 28, 2023, for a full-day official visit. The visit is at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. A statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during his visit to Cambodia, the Prime Minister of Thailand will lay a wreath at the Independence Monument and pay tribute to His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk, the former King of the Kingdom of Cambodia, at the Royal Palace. The two Prime Ministers will hold bilateral meetings aimed at deepening the direction of action to further deepen and expand cooperation in all areas of mutual benefit within the bilateral and multilateral frameworks. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest and concern. In addition, the two leaders will hand over the “Centre for Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation for Victims of Trafficking in Persons and Other Vulnerable Groups” located in Poipet, an initiative of bilateral cooperation. Srettha Thavisin will pay a courtesy call on Say Chhum, Acting Head of State and President of the Senate; Hun Sen, Chairman of the King’s Personal Advisory Council; and Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s first official visit to Cambodia will further strengthen the traditional ties and promote multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the spirit of “Strengthening Partnership for Peace and Prosperity”, which provides mutual benefits for the people of the two countries and contributes to the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in ASEAN and the international community. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501368176/pm-hun-manet-receives-thai-pm-during-his-official-visit-to-cambodia/

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has issued a statement regarding the construction of a temple in Thailand – that social media commentators have blasted as an ‘Angkor copy’ The temple is located in Borei Rom Province, Thailand and have recently inspired a resurgence in critical comments from Cambodian social media denizens – including a comment from Tycoon Chea Tong Hour, who stated “???? Does the ministry know how to be brainwashed? People criticize all over the country and why are they silent ??? His Excellency, Excellency, Businessmen, famous stars, journalists and lotions sellers, why are you all silent? Why don’t you get hurt, don’t you protest or be strong, but you can only separate about useless things. What is the meaning of having money and wealth for being abused on our head as Khmer forever like this? Angkor Wat temple of Khmer was stolen and placed on Thailand under the word “Builder” !!! If the Ministry of Culture works as hard as the Ministry of Taxation, how good it is. In our country, the tourism sector is declining. Suddenly, foreigners steal the temple of the Khmer flag and take no action. I’m very disappointed as a Khmer citizen, who live with cowards, fearful, who dare not to face protest on the matter, only to protect their national interests in the case of the construction of a temple at Wat Phu Man Fa in Borei Rom Province, Thailand.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501367338/ministry-of-culture-confirms-action-on-angkor-replica-temple-construction-in-thailand/

Phnom Penh — One of Cambodia’s last independent media outlets, which was shuttered earlier this year, is set to reopen in Tacoma, Washington, in the Pacific United States. Cambodian authorities revoked the license for Voice of Democracy in February in a move that shocked press freedom advocates and the media outlet’s journalists. But a statement on the news outlet’s Facebook page this month said it will relaunch with half-hour broadcasts aired on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok beginning October 2. Voice of Democracy will operate under Pa Nguon Teang, founder and former executive director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, which managed the outlet before it was closed. He left Cambodia more than five years ago and resigned from the center in August. He told VOA Khmer he decided to resume Voice of Democracy because he saw a need for Cambodians to access accurate information and independent journalism. The relaunch will also help promote press freedom and free expression, he said. The approach of the media outlet will be the same, but Pa Nguon Teang said the journalists reporting for him will not be in Cambodia. Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance, or CamboJA, said that broadcasting from overseas presents challenges. “Although we now have advances in technology, social media, online communication, we cannot guarantee that local people can communicate or use all of them,” he said. Still, Nop Vy said, the relaunch of Voice of Democracy has been applauded by many and is seen as an opportunity for audiences to access information. Founded in 2003, the organization had been a trusted source of information until the Ministry of Information revoked its license on the orders of then-Prime Minister Hun Sen. FILE - Supporters of online media outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD) hold placards in front of VOD office in Phnom Penh, Feb. 13, 2023. read more https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodian-media-outlet-to-relaunch-from-the-us/7284282.html

11 people in southern Dong Nai Province were sentenced to jail on Monday for trafficking hundreds of people to Cambodia. Vuong Van Thanh, 36, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for human trafficking by Dong Nai People’s Court. Ten other people were sentenced from three and half years to up to eight years in jail as Thanh’s accomplices or for organizing illegal emigration. From February to June 2022, Thanh and three accomplices used online accounts to recruit workers, promising them high incomes, in order to lure them to Cambodia for work. For each person sent to Cambodia, Thanh would get $600 as payment. The group then sent the workers to several companies based in Cambodia and managed by Chinese people so they could be exploited. The workers had to work overtime, make scam calls and persuade others to gamble, among other tasks, under close supervision. If a worker wanted to come back to Vietnam, their family would have to pay a ransom to the group in Cambodia, which ranged from VND61-130 million ($2,500-5,300) per person. The human trafficking ring was busted thanks to a call for help by a victim in July last year. At the trial, members of the group admitted to their crimes. Vietnam, with its long border and high number of gates and paths, makes human trafficking prevention complex, involving the cooperation of forces inside and outside the country, according to the authorities. Over the past four years, authorities have rescued over 350 victims of human trafficking and received 545 victims who managed to return, according to the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly. VN Express https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501367210/11-people-jailed-for-trafficking-hundreds-of-jobseekers-to-cambodia/

WASHINGTON — Cambodia’s government congratulated tech giant Meta on its decision late last month to reject a recommendation from the company’s own Oversight Board to suspend former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Facebook account. That feeling wasn’t shared by other groups closely following the case, which centered on a video of Hun Sen making explicit threats of physical violence toward his political opponents. Meta’s Oversight Board — along with human rights groups and digital security experts — skewered the decision in interviews and email exchanges with VOA Khmer this month. “It is hard to imagine a clearer case of a political leader using social media to amplify threats and intimidation,” Oversight Board co-shair Michael McConnell said in an emailed statement. He noted the video was part of a “concerning pattern of behavior from the Cambodian government” using social media as a tool of political suppression, in what Freedom House described as “digital authoritarianism.” “Our decision sets out clear guidance to Meta to deter public figures who would exploit its platforms to incite violence. Meta’s inaction is a failure to ensure its platforms do not contribute to these harms,” added McConnell, a Stanford law school professor. On June 29, Meta’s Oversight Board — a group of prominent global experts that makes mostly non-binding recommendations on some of the company’s thorniest policy questions — released a report recommending the suspension of Hun Sen’s Facebook account and a series of additional policy changes. The response from Hun Sen’s government was swift. Oversight Board members were promptly banned from the country, while the prime minister proactively shut down his own account and suggested he might block the platform entirely in Cambodia. FILE - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen holds a mobile device during the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the ruling Cambodian People 's Party in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. read more https://www.voacambodia.com/a/meta-s-decision-on-hun-sen-skewered-as-failure-to-deter-violence/7283297.html

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has produced more than 8.28 tonnes of dore bars with 90 percent pure gold solution since commercial mining started in June 2021, a senior official said on Monday. Ung Dipola, director general of the General Department of Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said that currently, the country has six gold mining companies. "As of Sept. 22, 2023, the six companies had produced 919 gold bars, totally weighing 8,288 kilograms," he said in a news release, adding that the government earned more than 13 million U.S. dollars in royalties from those mining firms. The Southeast Asian country commenced extracting gold at a gold mining site in Keo Seima district in Mondulkiri province in June 2021. https://english.news.cn/20230925/4470bc219b214bacbb39ade1e4f38b2c/c.html

Apsara Authority has denied rumours of blanket ban on photography inside the Angkor Wat area, but it said prior permission is needed for filming of the UNESCO heritage site for business purposes. The confirmation comes after renewed allegations of photography restrictions at the Angkor Archeological park area. Long Kosal, Spokesman for the Apsara Authority, told the local media: “There aren’t any restriction for the visitors to take photos with their family and friends and to post them on social media which talks about the culture, traditions, the greatness on the works of art, its engineering and the construction skills of our Khmer ancestors.” However, he added that YouTube filmmakers and advertisers have to obtain permission well in advance from the authority to use images of Angkor Wat or any part of the Angkor archeological park area. The authorities can stop them from filming if they fail to do so. Giving the reason for the ban, he said that YouTubers and advertisers trade the images to make money which sometimes affect the historical content. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501366202/no-blanket-ban-on-photography-inside-angkor-wat/

To boost bilateral trade and communications between Thailand and Cambodia, Sa Kaeo authorities have asked for the opening of a permanent checkpoint, linking Sa Kaeo province with Banteay Meanchey of Cambodia. The request was made during a visit by Deputy Prime Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara who is also foreign minister to Sa Kaeo on Monday. Parnpree went to observe the progress of the building of the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge, linking Ban Nong Ian in Aranyaprathet district with Cambodia’s Ban Stung Bot in Oddar Meanchey district. A checkpoint building is also under construction and is expected to be completed this November. Parnpree was asked whether, when the checkpoint opens, it can become a permanent one, to facilitate the travel and trade. The authorities would also like the Foreign Ministry to open temporary passport office in Aranyaprathet district and a Thai consular office in Cambodia. Mutual border trade in Sa Kaeo province, between October 2022 and August 2023, was Bt103.6 million, Bt79.6 million of which were Thai exports. Sa Kew governor Parinya Phothisat accompanied Parnpree during the visit. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/permanent-border-thai-cambodian-checkpoint-mooted-for-sa-kaeo/

A brand new study published by the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), with a focus on Oddar Meanchey’s Anlong Veng district, explores the crucial roles of Cambodian women in the revolution and rebuilding of society, but also reveals the impact on those women in the post-genocidal era. Located in Oddar Meanchey province’s Dangrek Mountains area, Anlong Veng was known as the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge to come under government control in 1998 and the final resting place of Saloth Sar, aka Pol Pot, the former prime minister and Brother Number One in the genocidal Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979). It has been estimated that over 35% of the population in the district, both male and female, were former Khmer Rouge soldiers. Recently published by DC-Cam, the report entitled Women in Anlong Veng studies the daily life and work assignments taken up by women in Anlong Veng in the course of Khmer Rouge’s guerrilla warfare between 1979 and 1998. The study is conducted based on interviews with numerous Khmer Rouge survivors. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501366323/dc-cam-anlong-veng-womens-roles-in-kr-and-peace-building/

Large images of Hun Manet loomed over the New York landmark as he spoke at the United Nations. Images of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet lit up a large digital billboard display in New York’s Times Square over the weekend as the newly appointed leader spoke at the U.N. General Assembly. “Congratulations!” said the flashing billboard ad at the busy, iconic intersection in the center of Manhattan. Also included in the ad was an image showing Hun Manet in a business suit, with his hands folded together in the traditional Khmer sampeah greeting. Another image showed him in uniform from his days as a cadet at West Point, the U.S. Military Academy. The ad was paid for by a Cambodian-American businessman named David Soth, Hun Manet said on his Telegram channel. Other billboards with similar images and messages were also displayed around New York over the weekend, he said. “Thanks to little brother David Soth for coordinating with the advertising company to post welcome pictures of me on a billboard in some of New York City’s major areas, especially in Time Square for free and without asking anyone,” Hun Manet wrote. “This is your kind heart for me, as well as the Royal Government of Cambodia.” It was unclear where Soth resided in the United States. The billboard included the text: “CPP Chapter of San Francisco, CA.” CPP stands for the Cambodian People’s Party – the political party that has ruled the country since the 1980s when Hun Manet’s father, Hun Sen, first became prime minister. Hun Sen handed power to his son last month after the ruling party claimed victory in an election that did not include the main opposition Candlelight Party. The CPP won 120 of the 125 available seats in the July 23 parliamentary election. Speech at the United Nations Hun Manet spoke to the U.N. General Assembly in English on Friday as Cambodian-Americans and former opposition party leaders protested his appearance from outside the U.N. building. The prime minister’s office issued a statement on Monday confirming that the billboards weren’t paid out of the national budget. Um Sam An, a senior official from the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, said he believes that money spent placing the ads promoting Hun Manet will eventually come at the expense of “the blood and sweat of the people.” “Why is a Cambodian leader so special that a company would do this for free?” he asked Radio Free Asia. “It’s never like that. The money could come from an individual, or from the government budget.” RFA could not immediately reach government spokesman Pen Bona for comment on Monday. But Jean-Francois Tan, a delegate minister to the prime minister, told reporters after arriving in Cambodia from the United States that the billboards were not intended to gain recognition from any world leader. “If the accusation intends to say that Cambodia needs to use this image to convince the international community or other foreign delegations present at the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Samdech Hun Manet, it is not true,” he said, using an honorific. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun-manet-times-square-09252023163404.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The highway runs through the forest like a black ribbon, down to the sea and to what must be one of the world's largest tourism projects. Fifteen years after it began, there is still not much to see of the Dara Sakor Seashore Resort in southern Cambodia. It is a grandiose scheme by a Chinese company to build a self-contained tourist city. A Chinese colony, some have called it a venue for "feasting and revelry", according to the company, complete with international airport, deep-sea port, power stations, hospitals, casinos and luxury villas. The airport is still unfinished. A single casino, with an attached five-star hotel and apartments, sits alone near the sea, fronted by an unmade road, and surrounded by a construction site. As a tourist business it has barely got started. But it has already had a damaging impact on one of Asia's richest natural environments, and on the thousands of people who live there. China's economic footprint in Cambodia now dwarfs that of any other country. It provides half of all direct investment and most of its foreign aid. read more https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66851049

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday confirmed its first case of the Zika virus since 2016, the country's Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a press statement. The patient, a seven-year-old girl from central Kampong Thom province, was admitted to Baray Santuk Referral Hospital on Monday suspected of having dengue fever. The test result confirmed on Thursday that she was positive for Zika virus, the statement said. Zika is a flavivirus that is transmitted predominantly by the Aedes species of mosquito, but also through sexual contact, blood transfusions, and congenitally from mother to child, the statement said. Symptoms of Zika include fever, headache, rash, red eyes, and joint pain, it said, adding that most of the patients recover within two to seven days, as the "fatal rate is very low." "However, if the virus is transmitted to pregnant women, it can lead to the death of babies in the wombs," it said. The MoH called on the people, particularly pregnant women, to be vigilant and prevent themselves from being bitten by Aedes mosquitoes and to see doctors when they have symptoms of the infection. https://english.news.cn/20230924/2291e34ff89b43a0b0b6b89983dfef27/c.html

The United States has reversed its decision to suspend $18 million in assistance to Cambodia through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) following this year’s National Election when Washington had considered the election unfair and lacked transparency. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation released a statement on Saturday that “The United States had decided to resume the $18 million in assistance extended to Cambodia through USAID that was stopped following this year’s General Election.” The announcement was made during Prime Minister Hun Manet’s meeting with Victoria Nuland, United States Acting Deputy Secretary of State, on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on Friday. Nuland warmly welcomed Mr Hun Manet to the United Nations (UN) in New York and congratulated him on his nomination as Prime Minister for the seventh mandate of the National Assembly. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501365606/us-reverses-decision-on-suspension-of-18mil-aid-money/

China attaches great importance to its special friendship with the Cambodian royal family, highly values the development of China-Cambodia relations and is willing to work with the Cambodian side to push forward the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future to a deeper and more practical extent, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni on Saturday morning. The king is in China to attend the opening ceremony of the 19 Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province. The frequent high-level exchanges between China and Cambodia, marked by the recent China visits by the King of Cambodia himself and the newly elected Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, embody the ironclad friendship between the two neighboring countries, Chinese analysts hailed on Saturday. read more https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202309/1298750.shtml

A woman, who was arrested this week for the brutal murder of a fortune-teller in Phnom Penh, has hung herself in a police detention centre. Nuon Kheng, a 51-year-old female resident of Chrey Tnaot village, commune. Nheng Nheng, Tram Kak district, Takeo province was arrested in accordance with an arrest warrant issued by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on September 15, 2023 in Peal Nhek 2 Village, Sangkat Phteah Prey, Pursat City, Pursat Province. She was detained in connection with the death of a fortune teller on July 22, 2023 in a room at a Guesthouse, located on Street 84 Corner of Preah Monivong Street in Srah Chak Sangkat, Daun Penh District, Phnom Penh. The woman allegedly killed the fortune teller by suffocating her with a pillow and then stole jewellery, before fleeing. The woman then hung herself in a cell at the Daun Penh District Inspectorate in Phnom Penh. After the authorities checked, they found out that the woman had actually committed suicide. After the inspection, the authorities also handed over the body to the family to take to the traditional ceremony. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501364941/witch-killer-hangs-herself-in-jail/

The new premier declined to mention the banning of the opposition and his father’s threats of imprisonment. A month after he succeeded his father as Cambodia’s prime minister in the wake of the country’s latest election without an opposition, Hun Manet falsely told the U.N. General Assembly on Friday that the July 23 ballot was “free and fair” and “credible and just.” Hun Sen handed power to his son after claiming victory in an election in which he banned the last remaining opposition party, the Candlelight Party, and threatened prison time and disenfranchisement for any Cambodians who joined the party’s efforts to boycott the vote. His ruling Cambodian People’s Party, which has been in power since 1979, won 120 of the 125 available seats – a five-seat drop from 2018, with those seats going to its longtime coalition partner Funcinpec. Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly in English, Hun Manet said it was his “great pleasure” to address the chamber “as the new prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” and lauded the election. “Over 8.2 million people cast their ballots, a turnout rate of 84.59%,” he said, pointing to the participation of 18 minor parties as evidence of fairness. “This is the highest turnout since the U.N.-supervised election in 1993, and a clear indication of our people's greater political maturity and enthusiasm in exercising their democratic rights.” “The election has been widely assessed as free and fair, credible and just, by thousands of observers,” he said. The United States and European Union declined to send observers due to concerns about the election’s integrity. Hun Manet also appeared to address U.S. claims and satellite imagery that appears to show China building a military base in the port city of Sihanoukville, which his father has also repeatedly denied. The new premier declined to mention the banning of the opposition and his father’s threats of imprisonment. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) “Cambodia shall not authorize any foreign military base on this territory, as clearly stated in its constitution,” he said. “Cambodia will continue on its present path of independence and a neutral foreign policy.” Hun Manet became Cambodia’s new premier on Aug. 22, after 38 years of rule by his father, who rose to power in 1985 under the communist regime installed by Vietnam after its ouster of Pol Pot. Hun Sen long ruled with an iron fist, banning the resurgent Cambodia National Rescue Party shortly before the 2018 election and jailing its leader after the party threatened to win even a flawed election. Some members of the CNRP then reassembled into the Candlelight Party to contest this year’s election, before that party, too, was banned. Hun Manet’s government has appeared no more eager for friendly competition, and has refused to give the party official registration documents it would need to contest in any future elections. Change, or no change? Outside the U.N. building on Friday, Cambodian-Americans and former opposition party leaders protested Hun Manet’s appearance, calling for his government to be stripped of Cambodia’s U.N. seat. Former CNRP lawmakers including Ho Vann, Kong Saphea, Eng Chhay Eang and Mu Sochua – all of whom face lengthy prison sentences if they return to Cambodia – were in attendance, and the protesters reprised popular chants from the party’s post-2013 election mass protests, including the rhetorical “Change, or no change?” Sochua, who also served as Cambodia’s minister for women’s affairs from 1998 to 2004, told Radio Free Asia she thought Hun Manet would not be able to completely quieten the sense of shame about how he took power, unable to campaign, on his own, in a free election. “I don’t think that he sits in that seat comfortably,” Mu Sochua said of Cambodia’s U.N. seat. “Hun Manet is not a free man.” Former CNRP lawmaker Mu Sochua [right], who faces a lengthy prison sentence if she returns to Cambodia, says she believes Hun Manet would not be able to completely quieten the sense of shame about how he took power. She protested Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet’s appearance at the United Nations in New York City, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (Alex Willemyns/RFA) It was clear, she said, that Hun Sen hoped to give his regime – known for arresting opposition leaders, banning rival parties and violently attacking critics – a new coat of sheen using Hun Manet’s face. But Mu Sochua said the world should not buy what Phnom Penh was selling, and pointed to the decision to deny the opposition Candlelight Party its registration papers and the vicious beating of Ny Nak as evidence that the new prime minister was more of the same. “If he wanted to be legitimized, if he wanted to be a new generation of Cambodian leader, we would have to start with free and fair elections,” she said. “You cannot fake legitimacy. How can he show a new face for Cambodia when he is under the control of his father?” No change Others said they had traveled to New York to make sure the world knew Cambodians wanted the chance to freely choose their leaders. “I came here because Cambodia is going on the wrong path for democracy,” said Thy Doak, 63, who traveled from Boston. “This dictator passed his power to Hun Manet which goes against the Paris Agreements that [say] we should have free and fair elections.” Doak said he arrived in Cambodia as a refugee in 1984 and wanted his compatriots back home to enjoy the same freedoms he did now in the United States. He said he had no hope Hun Manet would deliver that. “He’s no different from his father. There’s no change,” he said. “I don’t want Hun Manet to be a part of this thing. Cambodia does not deserve it. We’re supposed to be a democracy, but we have a dictatorship.” Cambodian-Americans and former opposition party leaders protest Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet’s appearance at the United Nations in New York City, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (Alex Willemyns/RFA) Susie Chhoun, 45, who was born in the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp along the Cambodian-Thailand before her parents were given asylum in the United States in the 1980s, said she, too, held out little hope Hun Manet would usher in a period of change for her birth country. “He already proved it. He wasn’t elected; power was basically handed to him in the regime,” Chhoun said, noting the irony of the situation. “He got his education here in America, so you would assume he would have a different perspective and reform Cambodia to be more civilized. But it’s not the case,” she said. “He’s arresting people the same way, and this is when he’s new in power. Imagine after several decades.” https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun-manet-un-09222023150854.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The River Ocean Cleanup (ROC) reported that the organisation collected about 800 tonnes of garbage from the Tonle Sap, Tonle Bassac and Mekong rivers in the last two years. ROC executive director Nou Sovann said ROC started its mission on June 2022 and has since then collected between 700 and 800 tonnes from the rivers. Sovann said that the goal of the ROC was to remove all of the rubbish from the rivers in Phnom Penh by the year 2028, which would require collecting about 5,000 tonnes of trash. “We are faced with many challenges but we will expand our actions to clean up the rubbish from rivers to meet our 2028 objective,” he said during yesterday’s cleanup mission. He said that ROC will receive another boat including some equipment to collect garbage from the river next month. “Although we have two boats for collecting garbage from the rivers we are still lacking in equipment. I appeal to the private sector to help us keep our rivers clean by providing funds for equipment,” he said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501363161/roc-determined-to-clean-up-phnom-penh-rivers/

CAMBODIA. Lagardère Travel Retail has extended its franchising agreement with Monument Books to introduce the ‘Discover’ gifts and souvenirs brand across its travel retail stores in Cambodia. The partnership comes to life with the opening of the first ‘Discover Siem Reap’ store in the Angkor Wildlife & Aquarium in Siem Reap. Lagardère Travel Retail started its franchise partnership with Monument Books in 2017. Today, Monument Books manages three Relay stores under a franchise model in Phnom Penh & Siem Reap International Airports. Discover is a vibrant souvenir store concept with a flexible design that can be adapted to various regional environments, reflecting the local culture of each location. The concept is an experiential playground for travellers, with strong Sense of Place offering authentic, local, high-quality and affordable gifts and souvenirs. The Discover brand is present in 15 countries, including four via franchises, with over 50 stores. Discover Siem Reap offers a range of Khmer craft gifts and souvenirs that are made in Cambodia. These include Krama scarves, stone carvings, ceramics and seasonal dried fruit among others. Standout products include the famous Kampot-terroir peppers, Cambodian cashew nut cookies, natural essential oils and herbal cosmetics. read more https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/lagardere-travel-retail-and-monument-books-open-discover-siem-reap-store-in-cambodia/

CamboJA’s article said the assault of an agricultural expert followed online criticism of the Agriculture Minister. Independent online news outlet CamboJA removed the name of a government minister from an article about a public beating of a government critic after the Ministry of Agriculture threatened it with legal action, the outlet’s executive director told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. CamboJA – short for Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association – reported on Thursday that agricultural expert Ny Nak criticized Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina on Facebook over the minister’s handling of a report on rice prices. The Facebook post doesn’t mention the minister’s name. It went live the day before the Sept. 12 assault, which left Ny Nak initially unconscious and bleeding from the head after several unidentified men beat him with metal batons. The ministry responded to the article in a letter to CamboJA on Friday that said their reporting “speculates that the attack on Ny Nak was politically motivated based on his recent baseless posts criticizing government officials and institutions.” The article also includes the minister’s name “even though the minister has never been mentioned by name in any of Ny Nak’s recent Facebook posts,” the letter said. The ministry urged CamboJA “to rectify these serious breaches of journalistic ethics by removing unsubstantiated claims and speculations” that hurt the reputations of ministry officials. It also demanded that the publication remove the minister’s name from the article and that it “ensure that such malicious intentions and defamatory speculations do not recur in the future which would result in legal actions that could lead to the same outcome” of Voice of Democracy, an independent media outlet that was closed by the government in February. Agricultural expert Ny Nak recovering in Phnom Penh in undated photo. Ny Nak was the latest victim of attacks on government critics that have gone unpunished. Credit: Facebook/lifeandinvironment Posting under a pseudonym CamboJA, a network formed by former reporters of The Cambodia Daily and Phnom Penh Post, deleted the minister’s name from the article and added an editor’s note on Monday. It also added the name of Associate Editor Jack Brook as a contributor to the article and corrected the spelling of the name of an investigator for human rights group Adhoc who was quoted in the article. “We think the Ministry of Agriculture’s request is acceptable and we’ve removed [ the minister’s] name because Ny Nak's Facebook posting didn’t mention the minister by name, only his picture,” CamboJA Executive Director Nop Vy told RFA. Ny Nak was recently released from an 18-month jail term for criticizing Cambodia’s COVID-19 restrictions. Since his release, he has posted comments critical of the government on Facebook under the pseudonym IMAN-KH. His post last week about the minister came a day after he said he was approached by two members of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party asking him to join the party. He said he had refused the invitation, saying he is “neither a member of the ruling party or the opposition.” He was traveling with his wife Sok Sinet in Phnom Penh on Sept. 12 when a motorbike crashed into them and unidentified men began beating them. Ny Nak was taken to a local hospital and pledged on Friday to join the CPP – but only if Prime Minister Hun Manet can arrest his attackers. On Monday, Minister of Interior Touch Sokhak told Voice of America that the suspects were probably using the accident as a pretext to rob Ny Nak and his wife. “Until we arrest them we will see what they will answer about their intentions. We will know what this case is all about,” he told VOA. “But for the preliminary [assessment] this is a violent action and intended to rob the victim’s motorbike. ‘Ny Nak won’t run away’ Sok Sinet denied that her husband’s attack was a robbery. “To me, I observed their actions. They intended to kill my husband,” she said. “It was an assassination attempt. I didn’t lose any handbag, money, phones or a motorbike.” RFA was unable to reach Touch Sokhak for comment on Tuesday. Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Tuesday that the attack “shares similarities with assaults reported earlier in 2023 against members of the opposition Candlelight Party, which were never seriously investigated.” Ny Nak said on Facebook on Monday that he will be released from the hospital soon, and he promised not to run away from Cambodia. “This is my part as a Cambodian. I will continue to help the country until I die,” he wrote. “Ny Nak won’t run away, doesn’t hide, sell out or seek asylum in a third country but will continue to stay with Cambodian farmers forever.” Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/news-outlet-legal-threat-09192023164628.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Cambodia is looking forward to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s visit to Phnom Penh later this month, aimed at further boosting ties between the two countries, according to Cambodia’s government spokesman. “We are neighbours and we both have new prime ministers, so it is good to meet each other to continue cooperation and boost ties further,” spokesman Pen Bona was quoted by the Khmer Times as saying. He said, however, that there is no set agenda yet or indication of agreements that will be signed during Srettha’s visit to Phnom Penh. Srettha will meet Prime Minister Hun Manet, who was appointed to Cambodia’s top executive post on the same day as the Thai leader last month. The visit of Srettha was discussed during a recent meeting between Sarun Charoensuwan, the Thai permanent secretary for foreign affairs, and Soeung Rathchavy, Cambodia’s secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Bangkok. READ MORE https://www.thaipbsworld.com/pm-srettha-to-visit-cambodia-this-month/

Beaten by thugs, Ny Nak is the latest victim of attacks on government critics that have gone unpunished. A critic of Cambodia’s government who was hospitalized in critical condition this week after being beaten by thugs has pledged to join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party – provided Prime Minister Hun Manet can arrest his attackers. The attack on agricultural expert Ny Nak was the latest of dozens by helmet-wearing, baton-wielding motorbike drivers on outspoken activists in Cambodia. Most of the incidents have targeted members of the opposition, who say they are politically motivated, and none of the attackers have been brought to justice. On Friday, Ny Nak posted an undated photo to his Facebook account of him with then-General Hun Manet at the home of the former Prime Minister Hun Sen – Hun Manet’s father – and offered his expertise to the government, if it is willing to pursue his case. “My only hope for Ny Nak is justice for the violence,” the activist said, speaking in the third person. “Samdech Hun Manet can help speed up authorities' investigation to apprehend the suspects involved with the assault and bring them to justice,” he said, using an honorific for the prime minister. “If Samdech helps, I will defect and serve the government after justice is served." Ny Nak, who was recently released from an 18-month jail term for criticizing Cambodia’s COVID-19 restrictions, was traveling with his wife Sok Sinet in the capital Phnom Penh on Tuesday when a motorbike crashed into them and its occupants began beating him with metal batons, she told RFA Khmer. Sok Sinet said she was also beaten. The unidentified men beat Ny Nak unconscious and he was taken for treatment to a local clinic. He was initially in critical condition, but Wednesday was downgraded to stable condition, his wife said. A scan shows that his skull is not fractured but he can't eat and is in pain, Sok Sinet said. Photos obtained by RFA showed the activist in bed with gauze wrapped around his head and balled up inside his ears, his hands bandaged, and his lips severely swollen. Outspoken government critic Since his release from prison earlier this year, Ny Nak had been posting comments critical of the government on Facebook under the pseudonym IMAN-KH. Hours before being attacked, Ny Nak had taken to the social media platform to slam Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina over his handling of a report on rice prices. Undated photo of Ny Nak with then-General Hun Manet at the home of the former Prime Minister Hun Sen. Ny Nak, a critic of Cambodia’s government was hospitalized in critical condition this week after being beaten by unidentified assailants has pledged to join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, provided Prime Minister Hun Manet can arrest his attackers. Facebook/lifeandinvironment His post came a day after Ny Nak said he had been approached by two members of the CPP who asked him to join the party. He said he had refused the invitation, saying he is “neither a member of the ruling party or the opposition.” In late 2019, the agricultural expert was convicted to 18 months in prison and fined 2 million riels (US$485) after he criticized Cambodia’s COVID-19 policy as being too restrictive. He later apologized to Hun Sen and later posted photos of himself with the head of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, or CPP. Health improving Before posting his offer to join the CPP to Facebook on Friday, Ny Nak provided updates on his health and vowed to “sacrifice my blood for the sake of the country.” Photos he posted of his current condition appear to show that he has improved, although his face remains swollen and he still has several stitches in his forehead. RFA was unable to reach Ny Nak or Sok Sinet for comment on Friday, but the latter posted a video to her Facebook account showing that Ny Nak was now able to and saying that he had regained some of his strength and can meditate. “I want to thank all the people who love my husband and gave him money and courage for his treatment after his assault by unknown suspects," she wrote. Attempts by RFA to reach the Phnom Penh police for comment on the status of its investigation went unanswered. At least 50 political and social activists have been victimized in similar attacks in Cambodia in recent years. Last month, two opposition party activists who sought political asylum in Thailand were also attacked. Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/pledge-09152023144025.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A man, who set up a large marijuana plantation in Mondulkiri, has been arrested Mondulkiri Provincial Police stated that they arrested a Vietnamese suspect on September 14, 2023, They named the man as 28-year-old Jing Hang An, a Vietnamese national, who was arrested under arrest warrant No. 53, dated June 29, 2023, issued by Mr. Chan Daravong, Investigating Judge of Mondulkiri Provincial Court. The man is accused of “Illegal Growing of Drugs” on a rented plantation owned by HE Mao Thun Reak in Mepai Village, Pou Chrey Commune, Pichreada District, Mondulkiri Province In this case, the suspects and exhibits are being processed by the Anti-Drug Bureau and sent to court for legal proceedings. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501361577/foreigner-arrested-for-illegal-marijuana-plantation/

10 members and prospective 11th, Timor Leste, will conduct non-combat exercises around Indonesia’s Batam. All 10 ASEAN states will begin a joint military exercise Tuesday in Indonesia, the first time such an event will involve only the bloc’s members even as Beijing asserts its sweeping claims in the disputed South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has held joint drills with other countries, including the United States and China, but this ASEAN-only exercise is a sign of growing cooperation and unity on maritime security, analysts told BenarNews, an online news agency affiliated with Radio Free Asia. The 10 ASEAN members will be joined by prospective 11th member, Timor Leste, during the five-day non-combat exercise. Officially called ASEAN Solidarity Exercise, it will take place around Batam and Natuna Islands near the South China Sea, Lt. Col. Abidin Tobba, media coordinator for the event, told BenarNews on Monday. “Eleven countries and hundreds of personnel will take part in the exercise,” including Myanmar, Abidin said without specifying why it was participating. Myanmar’s military junta has been persona non grata at ASEAN meetings because of its failure to implement a regional peace plan agreed two months after the army seized power from an elected government in February 2021. The drills will include joint maritime patrols, medical evacuation, search and rescue and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in simulated affected areas, the Indonesian military said. Enhancing regional stability They are expected to enhance regional stability and “boost our countries’ economy,” according to Indonesia’s military commander, Adm. Yudo Margono, who proposed the ASEAN exercise during a meeting of the bloc’s defense forces chiefs in Bali in June. Indonesia is this year’s holder of the rotating ASEAN chairmanship. The exercise comes three weeks after Beijing released a new map including Taiwan and practically the entire South China Sea. But Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan rejected the map. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, which are ASEAN members, and Taiwan. Indonesia is not a claimant in the dispute, but has repeatedly protested against Chinese fishing boats and coast guard vessels entering its waters near the Natuna Islands. A U.N. arbitration court in 2016 ruled that China’s nine-dash line, a boundary used by Beijing on Chinese maps to illustrate its claim, was invalid. But Beijing has rejected the ruling and insisted it has jurisdiction over all areas within the dashed line. In the latest incident, Chinese ships sailed uncomfortably close to and hemmed in a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it escorted civilian supply boats Manila’s military outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. A BenarNews correspondent and other reporters, who were given special permission to travel aboard two Philippine Coast guard Ships for a resupply mission, witnessed the tense moments at sea. An Indonesian naval cadet uses binoculars as he monitors the signal from the KRI Diponegoro-365 during a joint exercise on guarding Indonesia’s borders in the North Natuna Sea, Oct. 1, 2021. [Muhammad Adimaja/Antara Foto/via Reuters] ASEAN members Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore have no connection to the dispute but are participating in the exercise because it is valuable and sends a message to the superpowers, said Vinsensio Dugis, head of the ASEAN Studies Center at Airlangga University in Surabaya. “Not all are involved in the South China Sea dispute, but this [exercise] shows that even those who do not have direct claims are also concerned about this issue,” he told BenarNews. He said the exercise also signals that ASEAN does not want to be seen as siding with either China or the United States, which have been engaged in a strategic rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region. Internal conflict However, the South China Sea issue has caused conflict within ASEAN before, including, media reports said, on the location of the joint exercise. Cambodia and Myanmar, which have strong ties to China, had initially not confirmed participation in the exercise when it was announced in June. Some media reports said Cambodia had opposed the earlier planned location in the North Natuna Sea, which lies within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but parts of which China claims. Later in June, Indonesia changed the ASEAN exercise location to Batam near Singapore and the waters of South Natuna, citing their suitability for non-combat drills such as joint maritime patrols, medical evacuation and disaster relief. Indonesia renamed the southern reaches of the South China Sea the North Natuna Sea in 2017 to emphasize its sovereignty over those waters, which encompass natural gas fields. Indonesia, as well as Malaysia and Vietnam have accused China of disrupting their oil and gas exploration activities with frequent incursions by China Coast Guard and maritime militia ships. The U.S., which is not a South China Sea claimant but is in a defense treaty with ASEAN member Philippines, has challenged China’s claims by conducting “freedom of navigation” operations in the waterway. And with Beijing renewing its warning about invading U.S. ally Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, the strife between the two superpowers has made Southeast Asia a geopolitical tinderbox, analysts have said. ASEAN’s decision to hold this members-only exercise is an effort to maintain regional stability amid this superpower rivalry, analysts said. The intention of the exercise is to “show joint agency, regardless of the contention and rivalry between great powers,” Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, told BenarNews. “It still has high value because it practically addresses actual needs such as disaster response, search and rescue, etc. that have been overshadowed by the U.S.-China relations and high politics issues,” he said. BenarNews is an online news outlet affiliated with Radio Free Asia. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/southchinasea/asean-military-exercises-09182023173736.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.