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King Norodom Sihamoni has awarded 141 artistes with the Royal Order for their contribution to the promotion of Cambodian culture through the arts. The award was given to the artists in response to a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen. Among them were several artistes who practice Chapei Dang Veng, a musical tradition closely associated with the life, customs and beliefs of the Cambodian people. It features the two-stringed, long-necked guitar that is usually plucked and accompanied by singing. Pich Sarath, director of the community living Chapei, said: “My family was very surprised when we heard that King Norodom Sihamoni had awarded 141 artistes the Royal Order, especially when I learned that I am one of the awardees.” There are also some famous Chapei Dang Veng elder artistes such as Master Kong Nay and Prum Phalla, who are considered outstanding at chapei, among the awardees. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501331747/141-artistes-receive-royal-order-award-from-king/

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen won a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, said the National Election Committee (NEC)’s preliminary results released on Wednesday. A total of 18 political parties contested the election, which was held once every five years to elect the members of parliament for the 125-seat National Assembly. The results indicated that the CPP received almost 6.4 million votes, or 82.3 percent of the total valid votes of 7.77 million, and the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Chakravuth gained 716,443 votes, or 9.22 percent of the total valid votes. CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said according to the CPP’s calculation based on the NEC’s preliminary results, the CPP won 120 seats, and the Funcinpec Party gained the remaining five seats. “This is another great success for the CPP, and it truly reflected people’s confidence in the party’s leadership,” he told Xinhua. “We will do our best to continue to serve the people.” In a special voice message on Wednesday, the prime minister said his eldest son Hun Manet has “the highest possibility” of becoming the new prime minister, replacing him in the new-term government. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501332138/cambodias-election-body-says-pms-party-wins-82-3-percent-of-the-popular-votes-in-election/

Hardline Cambodian PM Hun Sen to Step Down After Four Decades PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-serving leaders, said Wednesday he will resign in three weeks and hand power to his eldest son after almost four decades of hardline rule. The former Khmer Rouge cadre has run the kingdom since 1985, eliminating all opposition to his power, with opposition parties banned, challengers forced to flee, and freedom of expression stifled. His Cambodian People's Party (CPP) won a landslide victory in an election Sunday with no meaningful opposition, taking 82% of the vote, paving the way for a dynastic succession to his eldest son that some critics have compared to North Korea. "I would like to ask for understanding from the people as I announce that I will not continue as prime minister," the 70-year-old said in a special broadcast on state television. Election authorities disqualified the only serious challenger, the Candlelight Party, on a technicality in advance of the election, and the CPP is expected to win all but five lower house seats. The government hailed the 84.6% turnout as evidence of the country's "democratic maturity" but Western powers including the United States and European Union condemned the poll as neither free nor fair. Chinese influence Hun Sen has trailed the handover to his son for a year and a half, and the 45-year-old played a leading role in campaigning for Sunday's vote. But the outgoing leader has made it clear that he still intends to wield influence, even after he steps down, scotching the notion the country could change direction. Under Hun Sen, Cambodia has tacked close to Beijing, benefiting from huge Chinese investment and infrastructure projects, including the redevelopment of a naval base that has alarmed Washington. China welcomed Sunday's election, with President Xi Jinping sending Hun Sen a personal message of congratulation. But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by trafficked workers in appalling conditions. Critics say his rule has also been marked by environmental destruction and entrenched graft. Cambodia ranks 150th out of 180 in Transparency International's corruption perception index. In Asia, only Myanmar and North Korea rank lower. Rights groups accuse Hun Sen of using the legal system to crush any opposition to his rule — including activists and troublesome union leaders as well as politicians. Scores of opposition politicians have been convicted and jailed during his time in power and the law was changed ahead of Sunday's election to make it illegal to call for voters to spoil ballots. Five days before polling day, authorities banned exiled opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy from running for office for 25 years for urging people to void their ballot papers. Opposition leader Kem Sokha was in March convicted of treason and sentenced to 27 years in prison over an alleged plot to topple Hun Sen's government. He is currently serving his sentence under house arrest. https://www.voanews.com/a/hardline-cambodian-pm-hun-sen-to-step-down-after-four-decades-/7198415.html

Cambodia’s Hun Sen says he’ll hand power to eldest son in August The longtime prime minister will step down once Sunday’s one-sided election is certified. By RFA Khmer 2023.07.26 This combination photo shows Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet during election campaign rallies in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 1, 2023 and July 21, 2023 respectively. UPDATED AT 4:39 PM EST ON 7-26-2023 For years, people have talked about Prime Minister Hun Sen’s desire to eventually hand over power to his eldest son, the foreign-educated military general, Hun Manet. Until recently, the 70-year-old Hun Sen said he would continue as prime minister until after the next parliamentary election in 2028. But in the weeks leading up to last Sunday’s election, speculation grew that the change would happen much sooner. On Wednesday, Hun Sen called a news conference to say he would step down as prime minister, a position he’s held since 1985. In a special broadcast on state television, he said a new Hun Manet-led government would be formed on Aug. 22, after the National Election Committee officially reports the results from Sunday’s election. “I would like to ask for understanding from the people as I announce that I will not continue as prime minister,” he said. Preliminary results show Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning 120 of 125 seats in the National Assembly in the July 23 vote, which included Hun Manet as a first-time candidate for parliament from Phnom Penh. The only viable opposition, the Candlelight Party, was disqualified in May on a technicality. Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy told Radio Free Asia that announcing the handover before the NEC had even certified the election results was “indecent.” The Cambodian people “object to nepotism,” as well as the prospect of living “under the grip of the Hun family forever,” he said. ‘Gripping power’ As recently as March, Hun Sen vowed to rule Cambodia until his death. “Some people said Hun Sen is gripping power. I am accepting that,” he said at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh. “I am only defending the power that I am having – there is nothing wrong with that.” But last week, he drastically moved up that timetable when he told China’s Phoenix TV that he could hand power over to the 45-year-old Hun Manet “within three or four weeks” of Sunday’s elections. That followed various promotions and appointments to government ministries in March and April that seemed to indicate that the sons and daughters of longtime officials would be assuming new leadership roles after the election. Last week, CPP spokesman Sok Ey San confirmed to Radio Free Asia that a post-election government cabinet would be “90 percent new blood,” with only a few ministers staying on. Hun Sen’s youngest son, Hun Many, thanked his father for his years of service in a message posted on Facebook. “The Kingdom of Cambodia will move forward with optimism, enthusiasm, confidence, agility and high commitment to the national cause and people,” he said. “Brother Net! We put our trust in you!” New adviser positions for the old guard Hun Sen confirmed on Wednesday that he would remain as head of the CPP – a post he previously said he would keep to remain politically involved. He also said he would serve as president of the Senate and as a member of the Supreme Council of the King, a nine-member body that selects Cambodia’s monarch. It last acted in 2004 when it selected the current king, 70-year-old Norodom Sihamoni. Changes to the Constitution last year did away with a requirement that the Assembly vote to approve a newly designated prime minister, a move believed aimed at easing the transition to Hun Manet. Hun Sen added on Wednesday that other aging top officials will be expected to step down from their ministry positions soon. They could possibly serve as high-level advisers or as senators, he said. He said this transition would include Interior Minister Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An and Defense Minister Tea Banh – all of whom were recently promoted to vice president positions of the CPP. They will also serve as members of the Supreme Council of the King, he said. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Mike Firn and Matt Reed. This story has been updated with background information and quotes from Sam Rainsy and Hun Many. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun-sen-steps-down-07262023040944.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

In a special message to the nation, Prime Minister Hun Sen has just announced that he is stepping down from the role of Prime Minister. The PM announced the move via a live broadcast on national TV at around 2.10pm on the 26th of July. The Prime Minister stated that the King will order the appointment of a new Prime Minister – the PM’s son, Hun Manet – in around 3 weeks. The PM added that he will not interfere in the work of Hun Manet as Prime Minister. The PM stated that the his resignation is a prelude to long-term stability, which is the foundation for development. The PM added that that the inauguration of Hun Manet as Prime Minister did not skip the procedures. The PM stated that the resignation of the Prime Minister is a great sacrifice to ensure the peace of the nation and added that his resignation was in line with the royal example of King Norodom Sihanouk in the transfer of the throne. The PM also stated that after he resigns from the Royal Government, he will be appointed by the King to be the President of the Supreme Council of the King. The PM will also be the President of the Senate to replace Samdech Say Chhum after the Senate election on February 25, 2024. Hun Sen has served Cambodia as Prime Minister for a record-breaking 38 years and his stepping down comes after a landslide win for his ruling Cambodian People’s Party in National elections on 23rd July 2023 – with the CPP securing 120 of the 125 available seats https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501331629/prime-minister-hun-sen-announces-resignation/

China has visibly made great progress in completing a naval base in Cambodia and is close to finishing off a pier that may be able to berth an aircraft carrier, per satellite imagery. Images captured by BlackSky, a US-based commercial imagery firm that has been closely tracking the construction at the Ream Naval Base, share an almost complete pier that is quite surprisingly similar in both design and size to a pier that China’s military uses at its overseas base located in Djibouti. The Pentagon firmly believes that China is building its facility in Cambodia to enhance its ability to project the country’s naval power. Cambodia and China have denied that the People’s Liberation Army will have access to the base. China is expected to get a strategic edge from the Cambodian naval base constructed near the Gulf of Thailand. A former US intelligence officer mentioned an ongoing debate in the US government regarding whether China will do the right thing for such a naval base. https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/chinas-large-naval-base-in-cambodia-nears-completion-in-challenge-to-us-naval-power/

A 5-year-old girl died of seizures shortly after a local doctor administered two injections because she had a mild cough and fever. The victim, 5-year-old Kim Chantey, lives in Teuk Phos district, Kampong Chhnang province. She died after her parents took her to a private doctor’s house in Banteay Preal commune, Rolea Bier district. Yim Sophal, Deputy Inspector of Criminal Planning of Rolea Bier District Police Inspectorate, told local news on the afternoon of July 24 that this case had occurred since the evening of July 22, but he just received the information this morning because the victim’s parents just reported to the administrative post. He added that in connection with the case, according to the information he received, the girl’s parents initially took the girl to the home of a private doctor named Ho Thong, a 45-year-old female. After the doctor injected two needles into both of the girl’s thighs, the victim suddenly had anaemia. When she saw that, the doctor gave her a serum and asked her parents to take her to the Provincial Referral Hospital for emergency treatment. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501330083/doctor-flees-after-5-year-old-girl-dies-from-injections/

Some residents and tour guides have expressed dissatisfaction with the new tours set up for Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei temples with a time limit set for tourists. The Apsara National Authority (ANA) issued a statement last week that said ANA will launch a visiting circuit for Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei temples with a time limit for tourists. ANA said that this is to increase the quality of visits and increase the value of the temple, as well as provide a good experience for tourists. According to ANA, the new pilot project for Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei will officially start on August 1. ANA has confirmed that the necessary infrastructure and facilities such as stairs, railings, bars, signs, directions and bulletin boards on the walls of the galleries have been redesigned for the pilot tour.The authority has also confirmed that the new tour offers three options for tourists visiting Angkor Wat. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501330118/new-tours-set-up-for-angkor-wat-and-banteay-srei/

However, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman offered ‘warm congratulations’ for Sunday’s vote. France, the United Kingdom and Australia on Monday criticized Cambodia’s one-sided parliamentary election, while China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman congratulated Cambodia for the “smoothly held” vote. Preliminary results from Sunday’s election show the Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning 120 of 125 seats in the National Assembly. But the election has been criticized as neither free nor fair because of the exclusion of the main opposition Candlelight Party, as well as for efforts to neutralize the political opposition through threats, arrests and other means. The estimated 84 percent turnout was “a clear demonstration of the vibrancy of the Kingdom’s democracy” and “a rejection of the calls for electoral boycotts and smear campaigns orchestrated by extremist opposition factions,” Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The voting process was witnessed by 422 international observers, representing 65 nationalities from 61 institutions, according to the ministry’s statement, which did not specify the institutions. Russian election observers stand at a polling station in Takhmau in Kandal province, Cambodia, on July 23, 2023. Credit: Heng Sinith/AP The United States, the European Union, France and Japan said in March that they had no plans to send electoral observers or to provide assistance to Cambodia’s election committee, citing arrests of opposition activists and other actions intended to silence and intimidate opposition figures. A statement from the Australian Embassy on Monday condemned the pressure brought to bear on media outlets and civil society groups in recent months, as well as the National Election Committee’s decision in May to disqualify the Candlelight Party. “Australia has been a partner for decades supporting Cambodia’s aspiration for peace, development, democracy and human rights,” the embassy statement said. “We express our concerns as a longstanding friend and renew our desire to work with Cambodia towards these aspirations.” France’s statement cited the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, which ended decades of war in Cambodia and set the stage for UN-sponsored elections in 1993 and the writing of a new Constitution. “We call for the release of the detained opposition members, and urge the Cambodian authorities to respect the fundamental rights necessary for the restoration of democracy,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said. Locals line up to vote at a polling station in Krang Thnong village outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 23, 2023. Credit: Heng Sinith/AP Additionally, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights called on the international community to not recognize or legitimize Sunday’s “farcical elections.” Canada and the European Union also released statements on Monday that were critical of the election. Official election results are expected to be announced between Aug. 9 and Sept. 4. ‘Strong momentum’ with China At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular news conference on Monday, spokeswoman Mao Ning wished Hun Sen and the CPP success in forming a new government. “In recent years, under the strategic guidance of Chinese and Cambodian leaders, China-Cambodia relations have enjoyed strong momentum,” she said. “Our two countries contribute to regional cooperation and international equity and justice.” Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985, told a Chinese television station last week that his eldest son, Hun Manet, could succeed him as prime minister within weeks. Hun Manet was listed as the CPP’s top candidate from Phnom Penh. In February, he traveled with his father to Beijing to attend meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Hun Manet, eldest son of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, shows his inked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station in Phnom Penh, on July 23, 2023. Credit: AFP U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on Monday on the possibility of Hun Manet taking control of the government soon. On Sunday, he said in a statement that the United States was troubled that the elections were “neither free nor fair.” The statement also said that the United States would pause some foreign assistance programs and has taken steps “to impose visa restrictions on individuals who undermined democracy” in Cambodia ahead of the elections. “We do not make those designations public,” Miller said at the State Department’s regular briefing on Monday. “We make public that we have designated officials, but we do not make the names public as a matter of policy.” He added that $18 million in foreign aid programs will be put on hold this year, and restrictions will extend into future fiscal years. He did not detail the specific programs that were no longer being funded. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Matt Reed. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/embassies-election-07242023155206.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

WASHINGTON — The United States said it was pausing some foreign assistance programs in Cambodia and imposing visa bans on individuals it says undermined democracy after the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) declared a landslide victory in elections on Sunday. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Washington was "troubled" that the elections, in which Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP faced no viable opponent were "neither free nor fair." "Ahead of the elections, Cambodian authorities engaged in a pattern of threats and harassment against the political opposition, media, and civil society that undermined the spirit of the country’s constitution and Cambodia’s international obligations," Miller said. "In response, the United States has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on individuals who undermined democracy and implemented a pause of certain foreign assistance programs," he added. Miller called on Cambodian authorities to restore genuine multi-party democracy, end politically motivated trials and reverse convictions of government critics and allow independent media to operate without interference in order to "improve the country’s international standing." Self-styled strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years, had brushed off Western concern about the election's credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to his anointed successor and eldest son, Hun Manet. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-pauses-some-aid-imposes-visa-bans-after-neither-free-nor-fair-cambodia-election-/7193333.html

Among the Cambodian people who participated in the 7th National Assembly election on July 23, 2023, there were also three Cambodians of Australian descent who came to participate in the National Assembly election to fulfill their duties as Cambodian citizens. The three Cambodian-Australian citizens are: Mr. Mark Klin Lok Klin Sathathakas voted at office 1449, Tuol Kork Primary School Mr. Mark Klin, Derrick Rithy Rainsy voted at office 1449, Tuol Kork Primary School Mr. Mc Klin Fit, Allen Chakrey voted at office 1449 All three of them participated in the election with their mother, Ok Puthy, who voted at the same 1449 polling station at Tuol Kork Primary School. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501329145/cambodian-australians-cast-votes-in-national-election/

Adolescent pregnancy remains a pressing concern for girls in the Southeast Asia region, hampering their ability to pursue their dreams and aspirations. It is a profound violation of their human rights and imposes significant barriers to their personal, educational, social and economic development. The consequences of early pregnancies are vast, perpetuating cycles of inequality and impeding progress towards gender equality. Globally, during the last decade there has been a steady decline in child marriage. In several countries in Southeast Asia, there has been either stagnation or an increase in adolescent pregnancy, often triggering child marriage or early union. In Cambodia, most adolescent pregnancies occur in the context of union (marriage or cohabitation), but about one in ten women who conceived before age 18 did so outside of union. There is limited research on adolescent girls’ pathways to adolescent pregnancy, especially when it occurs outside of union. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501328956/adolescent-pregnancy-remains-a-pressing-concern-for-girls-in-cambodia/

The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has declared a landslide victory in a one-sided election, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world's longest-serving leaders. Key points: Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has brushed off Western concern about the election's credibility Hun Manet has given no clues about his vision for Cambodia The election committee banned various opposition figures from the vote The contest was effectively a one-horse race, with Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP, a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown that has seen hundreds of its rivals flee into exile. The CPP was leading in ballot counting late on Sunday, with a turnout of 84 per cent, according to the election committee, with 8.1 million people voting in a lopsided contest between the CPP and 17 mostly obscure parties. "We've won in a landslide … but we can't calculate the number of seats yet," CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan said. Mr Eysan said he believed his party captured 78–80 per cent of the total turnout. Self-styled strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 38 years, had brushed off Western concern about the election's credibility, determined to prevent any obstacle in his carefully calibrated transition to his anointed successor and eldest son, Hun Manet. read more https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-24/cambodia-pm-party-claims-landslide-election-win/102637802

The adult children of Cambodia’s aging ruling elite are preparing to take over the government. Prime Minister Hun Sen had been grooming him for years. And in December 2021, he finally declared that his eldest son – the foreign-educated military general, Hun Manet – would one day succeed him as Cambodia’s next prime minister. “Who would dare to oppose this? Hun Sen will die someday, so why not let his son take over?” he asked at a public event in Sihanoukville. This week, the prime minister said the transfer of power could become a reality as soon as next month. But the prime minister’s son isn’t the only heir poised to take on power from an aging generation of political elites. They appear ready to hand over the government to a new generation, many of whom are literally their sons and daughters. In April, the prime minister sent a dozen senior government ministry appointments to King Norodom Sihamoni for his approval. Every candidate was related to a top military, government or CPP official. The last parliamentary election in 2018 was widely condemned as neither free nor fair after the Supreme Court ordered that the main opposition party at the time, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, be disbanded. Duong Chantra, a senior CNRP official who now lives in Thailand, said the CPP’s nepotistic practices aren’t fair to ambitious and capable young Cambodians who don’t have powerful relatives. “We don’t want to see them practice such dynastic power transfer,” he said. “It creates disappointment and hopelessness for the younger generations who are not from that kind of lineage.” The CPP is preparing to welcome members of the new generation into the prime minister’s cabinet after the election, CPP spokesman Sok Ey San told Radio Free Asia this week. In an earlier interview, he told RFA that the party that wins elections has the right to appoint who they want. “Are there any countries in the world that employ the children of opposition party officials?” he asked. “For our ruling party, we appoint and promote people from our own party.” https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/election-nepotism-07202023165821.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

By Jonathan Head, Lulu Luo & Frances Mao BBC News in Phnom Penh and Singapore Voting is underway in Cambodia, where the country's long-term leader is virtually certain to extend his party's rule in an election where there are no serious challengers. People turning up to the polls in Phnom Penh told the BBC they expected the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to sweep all 125 seats in parliament again. Hun Sen, who has been in power for 38 years, faces no real challenge after the only credible opposition party was disqualified in May. Critics have called the vote a sham. "The election this year is not free nor fair, because the choice of two million people was taken away," one voter in Phnom Penh told the BBC. Western nations, including the US, have also expressed concerns about the integrity of the vote. To ensure the highest possible turnout when people are being offered no real choice, the government has criminalised any attempt to boycott the election or spoil the ballot papers. Opposition lawmakers this year have reported violent attacks, with Human Rights Watch reporting the government stepped up intimidation and arbitrary arrests of political opposition in the run-up to the poll. In May, the government barred the country's main opposition party, the Candlelight Party, on a technicality. The National Election Commission said the party was missing paperwork, which it had not needed for the local elections last year. read more https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66264726

A look at the political parties listed on the July 23 ballot. Eighteen political parties will compete in Cambodia’s parliamentary election on July 23 – the country’s seventh national vote since the United Nations organized and ran the 1993 election two years after the Paris Peace Agreements. The National Election Committee in May ruled that two parties – the main opposition Candlelight Party and the Khmer United Great Nation Party – could not appear on the ballot, citing inadequate paperwork. The Candlelight Party is widely believed to be the only party that could have mounted a serious challenge to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party, but its exclusion means the ruling CPP is expected to win the large majority – and possibly all – of the National Assembly’s 125 seats. Even if it doesn’t, most of the other parties are deferential to the CPP and Hun Sen. Many officials from the smaller parties have been appointed to the Supreme Consultative Council, an advisory body created by Hun Sen following the 2018 election to bolster his power with the appearance of multi-party support. Here’s a look at every party on the ballot. _ Beehive Social Democratic Party: Radio station owner Mam Sonando founded the party in 2016. He had been a vocal critic of Hun Sen’s government, and his independent Beehive Radio station was once described by Human Rights Watch as “a key platform for promotion of human rights and democracy.” But after the 2018 election, the prime minister appointed Mam Sonando to the Supreme Consultative Council. Since then, the Beehive Party has repeatedly come out in support of the government. _ Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Democracy Party: The party was formed in early 2017 and is headquartered in Mondulkiri province. The president is Blang Sin, an ethnic Pnong who has participated in the Supreme Consultative Council. The party has not had an active campaign presence. _ Cambodian Nationality Party: Chaired by Seng Sokheng and first registered as a party with the Ministry of Interior in 2011, the party supports Hun Sen’s leadership and attacks opposition activists. It also participates in the Supreme Consultative Council, a body Hun Sen created. _ Cambodian People’s Party: Originally known as the Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Party, it was formed in 1951 as part of Ho Chi Minh’s Indochina Communist Party. Hun Sen is its president and has been in power in government since 1985. The party has listed his eldest son, Hun Manet, as a National Assembly candidate in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen has said that he wants Hun Manet to eventually succeed him as prime minister – a transition that could happen soon after the election. _ Cambodian Youth Party: The party was founded in 2015 by Pich Sros, a former garment worker. Along with Funcinpec, it filed a complaint in 2017 against the Cambodia National Rescue Party – then the country’s main opposition party – that led to that party’s dissolution. After the 2018 general election, Pich Sros was promoted to the rank of senior minister when he agreed to participate in the Supreme Consultative Council. He has been active in criticizing the opposition. _ Democracy Power Party: Formed in 2020 by Un Visethkun, the former vice president of the Cambodian Youth Party. The party praised and supported Hun Sen’s policies. In February, the party issued a statement supporting the government’s decision to revoke the license of independent media outlet Voice of Democracy. _ Dharmacracy Party: Formed in 1998, party officials did not take any action until 2017. After the CNRP was dissolved, the party participated in the 2018 general election. Its president, Por Tey Savathy, and her husband, vice president Tan Chanphal, have been appointed to the Supreme Consultative Council. The party follows Hun Sen’s political line. _ Ekpheap Cheat Khmer Party: The party announced in 2022 that it had expelled its vice president, Un Chim – a former Buddhist monk from California – following accusations that he faked a voice message from Hun Sen. The acting president of the party at the time, Lak Sopheap, told reporters in January 2022 that the fake message was sent to party members in Cambodia and the U.S. as a way of attacking her and other party leaders. The contents of the message have not been revealed to reporters. The Ministry of Interior later recognized Un Chim as the party’s new president. In February 2022, Un Chim expelled Lak Sopheap and another top official. _ Farmer’s Party: Established in 1988. The president is Meas Bo Pov, a former CPP member who has been connected to a number of public land disputes. The party follows Hun Sen’s political line. In May, it published a statement supporting the NEC’s decision to disallow the Candlelight Party from the election. _ Funcinpec: Formed in March 1981 as a resistance movement to the Vietnam-backed regime of the 1980s. It signed the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements and formed a coalition government with the CPP after the 1993 election. Internal conflicts and Hun Sen’s separatist strategy have weakened the party over the years. Nhek Bun Chhay of the Khmer National United Party was the party’s secretary-general from 2006-2015. The current president is Prince Norodom Chakravuth, the grandson of the late King Norodom Sihanouk and the eldest son of the late Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who served as co-prime minister from 1993-1997. Most voters no longer associate Funcinpec with the country’s royalist past, especially after Ranariddh’s decisions at various times over the years to align with the CPP. _ Grassroots Democratic Party: Formed in 2015 by a group of senior intellectuals, leaders and members of civil society. It’s led by Yeng Virak, former president of the Community Legal Education Center, a Phnom Penh NGO that works on land issues. While some senior party officials have recently left to join the government, the party continues to criticize alleged violations of law and human rights committed by Hun Sen’s government, including the recent passage of an election law amendment that prohibits those who don’t vote in this month’s elections from running for office in the future. _ Khmer Anti-Poverty Party: Led by Kravanh Daron, a Cambodian-American who worked as a social worker in the United States for 25 years. The party was registered by the Ministry of Interior in 2007. It declared non-recognition of the 2018 election results, citing the Supreme Court’s ban on the main opposition party at the time, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Khmer Anti-Poverty Party officials have not participated in the Supreme Consultative Council. But last year, the Khmer Overseas Facebook page leaked several photos of Kravanh Daron posing with Hun Sen and Hun Manet. It’s unclear how close Kravanh Daron is with the prime minister and his son. _ Khmer Conservative Party: The party was registered with the Ministry of Interior in 2019. It is led by former CNRP lawmaker Riel Khemrin. _ Khmer Economic Development Party: Headed by Huon Chanthon. Party officials have joined the Supreme Consultative Council and have issued a series of statements in support of Hun Sen’s policies. Last month, the party released a congratulatory letter to the CPP on the anniversary of its founding. _ Khmer National United Party: Formed in 2016, its president is Nhek Bun Chhay, a prominent Cambodian political figure and a former senior Funcinpec official. The party did not win a seat in the 2018 election, but Nhek Bun Chhay was given the same rank as a senior minister by participating on the Supreme Consultative Council. At the end of 2022, the Kampuchea Niyum Party, run by former CNRP lawmaker Yem Ponharith, announced its intention to join the Khmer United National Party for the 2023 election. _ Khmer United Party: Established in 2018 by Kem Rithisit, the younger brother of Kem Ley, a political commentator and social activist who was gunned down in Phnom Penh in 2016. Kem Rithisit joined the Supreme Consultative Council after the 2018 election. He resigned as party president at the end of 2020 but remains with the party as an honorary president. The Khmer United Party follows Hun Sen’s political line. _ People Purpose Party: Led by Ith Sarm, a former vice president of the League for Democracy Party (LDP), which won a few seats in the 2012 commune election and also participated in the 2013 general election but is not participating in this election. The LDP didn’t contest the 2022 commune elections, citing threats against its members and a disagreement with the NEC over how votes are validated at polling stations. The party has not explained why it’s not contesting this year’s election. Ith Sarm is active on Facebook, where he discusses social and political issues as well as broadcast news programs. But since its inception in 2019, the People Purpose Party has done little to no work at building a grassroots presence. _ Women for Women Party: Established in 2019. The party’s president is Soeung Sothy, a businesswoman in the tourism industry. It has only until recently become politically active. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/election-parties-07212023125117.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

‘I don’t believe there is anything in the Cambodian water that is hostile to democracy.’ Radio Free Asia spoke with former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans on Wednesday, ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election in Cambodia. Evans is the architect of the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, which ended war in Cambodia and promised democratic freedoms and human rights. It led to the 1993 U.N.-sponsored election that was contested by multiple political parties. Thirty years later, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s relentless campaign to co-opt dissenting voices and effectively ban the main opposition Candlelight Party from participating in this year’s vote has been a “shameless, disgraceful, indefensible” development, Evans said. The response from the international community should lie in applying serious, systematic targeted sanctions against current Cambodian leaders and ruling elites, he said. As for opposition activists, Evans suggests to “keep the flame alive and wait for the times and circumstances to change.” Members of the Constitutional Council of Cambodia announce the disqualification of the Candlelight Party from the upcoming election in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 25, 2023. Credit: Cindy Liu/Reuters RFA: Cambodia will have an election next Sunday. And as you know, just a few weeks before the election, Hun Sen amended the election law banning those who fail to cast their ballot from running for office in the future. We want to hear your view on that. Gareth Evans: Well, obviously, the recent electoral law changes are shameless, disgraceful, indefensible. It’s obviously designed to avoid any opportunity for a boycott. Not that boycotts have been very successful in the past, but it’s entirely consistent with the increasingly autocratic character of the Hun Sen regime. We’ve seen this. We’ve seen this play out so many times before in so many different ways. This is just the latest version of it, a complete crackdown on anything resembling decency, anything resembling decent democracy. It’s a very, very unhappy development, but something that I’m afraid we’ve become used to. RFA: Even though there are 18 political parties contesting the election, the main, credible opposition party, the Candlelight Party, has been banned by the National Election Committee, saying that it had failed to provide an original registration document. But as you know, this is an attempt from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party, the CPP, to eliminate any possible opposition party in the election. Gareth Evans: Yes, we’ve seen this play before with the banning of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (in 2017). We’ve seen it with the criminal proceedings against Sam Rainsy. We’ve seen it with the criminal proceedings against Kem Sokha, and we’ve seen it now, of course, with the banning of the Candlelight Party. So, although notionally we have, as you say, a lot of small parties still contesting the election, the reality is that the only serious opposition to the CPP was the major parties of the major players, the major spokesmen, and they have been completely suppressed now by these measures. Again, I say with the rest of the world, this is shameless. This is disgraceful. This is indefensible. And it’s just a fundamental assault on democracy. And I can’t understand anyone who cannot be very, very unhappy about that, particularly given the whole history of Cambodia and the efforts that we went to at the time of the peace settlement, the Paris Peace Accords, to entrench democracy and human rights in the Cambodian constitution and the Cambodian system. So it’s unfortunately been a very unhappy story ever since. Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans signs the 1991 Paris Peace Accord that ended the war in Cambodia. Credit: Eric Feferberg/AFP RFA: Even though this is an unhappy story, Hun Sen survives all the time. He lost the 1993 election. He managed to hold onto power as the second prime minister, and then he conducted a coup (in 1997) and chased out the first prime minister. As you know, five years ago he banned the CNRP from contesting the election. He won that election. The whole world refused to accept the election result as soon as the result was announced. But then the world has to work with him. Is it enough for the international community just to not accept the result of this sham election? Gareth Evans: No. I think the international community has to do more. In fact, when I think back on it, I mean, the real trouble started back in 1993 with that first election result, which was a demonstration of how much the Cambodian people really wanted democracy, really wanted to have a say in how they governed. But of course, Hun Sen refused to accept the election result then. We went along with his objections and allowed him to become the second prime minister. And the rest is history. So we’ve performed very badly as an international community all these years. And I think the solution is not in the multilateral organizations. I mean, people talk about reconvening the Paris International Conference and somehow, you know, getting the terms of the agreement re-enforced. But the most that could happen if that were to take place, would be simply to refer the issue back to the competent UN organs, back to the Human Rights Council. So we would just go around and around in circles, as you say, making occasional statements, occasional resolutions of international bodies, but nothing really happening. So, I think the solution lies essentially with individual countries, not so much the multilateral intergovernmental organizations, not the UN itself, not the Human Rights Council. I think it depends on individual countries applying quite serious sanctions. A member of Cambodia’s Grassroots Democratic Party distributes political campaign leaflets in Phnom Penh, July 4, 2023. Credit: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP RFA: What would be your advice to opposition leaders and to the Cambodian people in general? How much longer can they continue to fight? And what would be your advice so that the effort can be sustainable? Gareth Evans: Well, of course, that’s the situation at the moment. It’s very bleak, It’s very desolate and it’s very dangerous for opponents of the regime internally. And it’s difficult for me sitting comfortably in Australia to be telling, you know, people who are unhappy with the situation in Cambodia what to do. But all I can say is you just have to keep that flame alive. You have to keep that flame burning and wait for the times and circumstances to change. I don’t believe there is anything in the Cambodian water that is hostile to democracy, that’s in favor of authoritarianism, that’s in favor of paternalism. I saw for myself in 1993 how badly how badly the people of Cambodia wanted a say in their own government, wanted a return to normality and decency. That spirit is there, and it just has to be quietly nurtured, supported by overseas countries like Australia and the United States, helping at the margins. Optimism is self-reinforcing. Pessimism is very self-defeating. And unless you believe the change can happen and will happen over time, then the change is never going to happen. You just have to go on believing in it and staying committed. And I know there are a great many decent Cambodians doing just that at the moment, and I wish them every possible success. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/gareth-evans-interview-07222023121238.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

PHNOM PENH, cambodia — As Hun Manet, eldest son of longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen, wrapped up the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s (CPP) campaign on Friday, his father hinted that his son, a West Point graduate, could become the prime minister just after Sunday’s unopposed election. In a video interview with China’s Phoenix TV, which was released Thursday, the prime minister said there were two leading candidates for the ruling party — himself and Hun Manet. “It is also possible that in just three or four weeks, Hun Manet can become the prime minister. Let’s see what other people say,” said Hun Sen, who has been in power for 38 years and turns 71 next month. “I believe that Manet is more competent than me,” he told Phoenix TV. “He will serve the people better than me. “I am the one who makes the biggest sacrifice. Right now, I have an absolute power, but in about a month, I won't have the power to sign any bills the same way as I do today,” said Hun Sen, who is drawing closer to China. He added that the changeover was under consideration “not for my son” but because his family needs to continue to maintain peace in the Southeast Asian country. Hun Manet has long been seen as his father’s successor, but Hun Sen’s comments to Phoenix TV marked the first time a timeline had been attached to the transfer of power. In 2021, Hun Sen had said, “I am still standing, so what’s the point of my son being the prime minister? … His possible [premiership] is not before 2028. It is more likely to take place between 2028 and even 2030. He must wait.” Hun Manet is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also completed graduate work in economics, earning a master's degree from New York University in 2002 and a doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2008. In Sunday’s election, Hun Manet is standing as the lawmaker candidate on the top list of seats for Phnom Penh. To become a premier, the candidate has to be an elected lawmaker among the total of 125. Ruling CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan said Hun Manet’s prospects for the top office were good. "The percentage of the possibility [that Hun Manet will become PM] is high,” he said. Accusations against Hun Sen In June, Hun Sen said the government would be formed on August 31, just weeks after the election. Human rights groups have dismissed the election as a sham and accuse Hun Sen of controlling the media, threatening critics and systematically dismantling his opposition using trumped-up criminal charges. Hun Manet now serves as a commander in chief of the Royal Cambodian Army. The four-star general is also the deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Hun Sen had long positioned his eldest son to be his successor, but political analysts and observers have only been able to speculate about when and how he would hand over power — and if indeed it would be handed to Hun Manet. “This is the closest we’ve had yet to a definitive public confirmation about the timing of the handover of power,” journalist Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia, posted on Twitter on Friday. Cambodia’s National Election Committee (NEC) disqualified the main opposition Candlelight Party from competing in the July national election, citing lack of paperwork. The decision has been criticized by international communities, and the appeal to the NEC failed in May. FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen salutes, along with his son, Lt. Gen. Hun Manet, during an inspection of troops at a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 24, 2019. Ou Virak, president of Future Forum, a think tank in Cambodia, said Hun Sen’s announcement was not a surprise. “If Hun Manet becomes a premier after the upcoming election, Cambodia will change politicians from the old generation to the new generation,” he told VOA Khmer. On Friday, the final day of campaigning, Hun Manet, 45, said his party would win by a landslide as he spoke of how the CPP had maintained peace and stability after decades of war. 'He has the wisdom' Ruling party supporter Chin Sophan, 46, told VOA Khmer she believed the CPP would win. She wants Hun Manet to be the leader because she was pleased with his father’s rule. "So, I am very satisfied because he has the wisdom to rule our country well," she said, adding “it’s the time that there is no war and no opposition.” Phoeun Mealeadey, 19, a college freshman majoring in banking, said she thought Hun Manet would be a capable prime minister "because he has knowledge, he has highest education.” Hun Manet recently told hundreds of supporters: "Democratic elections are based on the law. Whatever the CPP does, [it] is doing [it] legally. This is fair and just competition and transparency, which is based on the law. Effective democracy is based on the rule of law. This is what the CPP will try to win.” https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodia-s-longtime-ruler-hun-sen-says-son-can-become-pm-in-3-4-weeks/7190511.html

Cambodian leader Hun Sen’s eldest son and chosen successor hailed “victory day” in a final rambunctious rally Friday, ahead of one-sided elections that his father’s ruling party is guaranteed to win. One of the world’s longest-serving rulers, Hun Sen has played off tensions between the United States and China to buttress his grip on power, although critics say that more than 30 years after UN-brokered peace accords ended decades of bloody conflict, Cambodian democracy is in a sorry state. A crowd of tens of thousands of supporters on motorbikes, dressed in bright blue, gathered under grey skies in the early morning to hear Hun Manet’s speech before he roared off in a huge celebratory motorcade parade around the capital Phnom Penh. It was the final rally before Sunday’s election, which has seen all meaningful opposition either disqualified or exiled, leaving voters no choice but to hand Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) a majority in the 125-member parliament. “Today is a victory day for us,” Hun Manet said under a giant poster of his father, urging supporters to vote for the ruling party. “Only the CPP has the ability to lead Cambodia.” read more https://www.thaipbsworld.com/victory-day-cambodia-heir-leads-final-rally-ahead-of-one-sided-election/

The French School of Asian Studies or The École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), in partnership with the APSARA National Authority for conservation and research work at the Angkor site, on July 20, handed over 31 boxes of artefact fragments including one Buddha statue, and one Bai Sema to the APSARA National Authority for preservation, research, and inventory. Tin Tina, Deputy Director of the Department of Research, Training, and Communication, said that all the artefacts donated by the EFEO to the APSARA National Authority were found by excavation at some research sites in Angkor, such as Kouk Ta Siem, Boeung Don Pa, Ung Mong, Baphuon and Prey Moni. He added that these items include, firstly, 27 boxes of ceramics from the Baphuon temple, including hard pottery, fragile pottery belonging to Khmer as well as Chinese, Siamese, and Vietnamese ceramics. Second, two boxes of sandstone pieces from Kok Ta Siam. Third, there are two boxes of sandstone pieces from Boeung Don Pa, Kork Ta Siam, and the Ung Mong temple. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501327654/french-school-of-asian-studies-donates-artefacts-to-apsara-national-authority/

Hun Sen’s economic achievements are unraveling and everyone’s getting hit. It called itself “a nightclub that takes the Phnom Penh nightlife scene to the next level.” It was part-owned by the nephew of a well-connected tycoon, and according to its website, was only for “the most refined clubbers, A-list celebs, and social jet-setters.” A plate of french fries cost US$6. But in early July, Epic quietly shut down – a sign of the times for Cambodia’s financially strained upper crust. Patrons looking to cut costs switched from bottle service to beer, according to a Cambodian businessperson with knowledge of the situation. The eight-year-old hotspot in the heart of Phnom Penh had little choice but to close its doors. “Don’t believe what you see, the luxury cars, mansions, and guards. They’re full of loans,” the businessperson, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, told RFA. The wealthy are now finding themselves having to “urgently sell their property at half market price or lower,” the person added. It’s not just the wealthy feeling the strain. As Cambodians head to the polls on July 23, a cloud hangs over the nation’s usually robust economy. Tourism, which in 2017 was estimated to represent a third of Cambodia’s GDP, was down 33% the first quarter of the year against the same period in 2019. The garment sector, which last year employed 750,000 people but accounted for another third of Cambodia’s GDP, is equally struggling, with 50,000 garment workers unemployed as of March this year. But it’s in real estate and construction, a bellwether of prosperity in this rapidly developing nation, where the full measure of economic problems can be seen. These problems touch every sector of society from the richest down to the poorest and are leaving banks holding a worrying amount of outstanding loans – a possible precursor to financial crisis, according to the World Bank. Nonperforming loans are on the rise, suburban residents are being evicted for missed mortgage payments, and construction has plateaued to such an extent that even what experts have called “enslaved” workers are being laid off. Having outlawed the only viable opposition party, the premier and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party are guaranteed an electoral sweep come Sunday. But with an economic malaise settling over the country, a government that long defended its legitimacy by pointing to rapid GDP growth likely has a rocky road ahead. People buy street food at a tourist site at the Oudong mountain in Kandal province, Cambodia, March 26, 2023. Tourism in Cambodia was down 33% in the first quarter of the year compared to the first quarter of 2019. Credit: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Foreclosures mounting Weeks before Epic shut down, with the election looming, Hun Sen set out to ensure middle class homeowners could keep a roof over their heads. In early June, the prime minister ordered developers of semi-gated communities known as boreys to stop evicting homeowners amid a wave of nonpayments. For Cambodians like Pot Srey Pov, a vendor who recently lost her home in Phnom Penh’s Borey Thmey, her US$1000 a month mortgage was too much to bear. After paying nearly half of her mortgage off over the course of three years, she was denied a refinancing that would have helped her keep her home. “Since I bought the house, I never took holidays or took the kids out," she said. The evictions are a sign of the mass problem of household debt that has gripped every level of Cambodian society. The average ratio of household debt to household expenditure in Cambodia stood at 65% in 2019 – “exceptionally high” for a country at Cambodia’s stage of development, according to a recent World Bank report. The report cautioned that the debt is not being productively used; that is, it is not generating income that could be used to repay it. This is “raising concern that excessive borrowing can force households to fall into a vicious debt trap.” Outstanding loans, meanwhile, have ballooned from just 9.6% of GDP in 2009 to 180% in January 2023. The report noted that a large body of research “views rapid credit expansion as a prelude to financial crises.” The government asked developers to allow loan refinancing, and so should take strict measures against companies that continue to confiscate homes, said Yong Kim Eng, president of rights NGO PDP-Center. But it would likely have to give some incentives to the companies, which are also struggling financially. “Some companies are losing money as well, they might face bankruptcy,” he said. Motorists ride past a building under construction in Phnom Penh, June 5, 2023. Some developers who loaded up on loans to build low-grade condos have been forced to stop work. Credit: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Developers struggling Shielding borey residents from eviction not only curries favor with CPP rank and file, it cannily outsources the financial burden of addressing a symptom of the unfolding economic crisis onto property developers. Whether developers can shoulder the burden remains to be seen. Real estate and construction sectors accounted for some 15% of the Cambodian economy as of January 2023. But a rapid cooling of a market has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – and may never recover to its previous highs. “The market pre-Covid was super-hot, it was like a gold rush. It didn’t really matter what people built, they seemed to be able to sell it,” Tom O’Sullivan, who runs a Cambodian real estate listing website, told RFA. For years before the pandemic, the market had been propped up by Chinese buyers seeking a safe haven for their money. In 2016, the Chinese yuan plummeted 7% against the dollar. In response, Cambodian property developers rapidly built towers full of condos that Chinese investors, seeking to escape the volatility of the yuan currency fluctuation, eagerly snapped up. Often, they paid cash for properties they had never set foot in. Two events in rapid succession pricked Cambodia’s real estate bubble. In August 2019, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a ban on online casinos. China-facing gaming websites operating primarily out of Cambodia’s largest port city, Sihanoukville, had been the driving force for US$5.8 billion of approved construction projects in 2019-2020, according to the World Bank. Overnight, the industry underpinning the city’s economy disappeared. Then came Covid. Beijing’s response to the pandemic in 2020 – driving up exports and drastically reducing international travel – curbed investors’ desire and ability to offshore their money. The result has been dire for Cambodian real estate. Approvals for construction by the Ministry of Land Management in 2022 were down by nearly half compared to the previous year, from US$5.3 billion to US$2.97 billion. Even when travel restrictions were removed, China’s struggling economy appears to have cut into the purchasing power of would-be investors. “There’s been a decrease in demand,” O’Sullivan said. “Chinese buyers haven’t rebounded like everyone thought they would.” New buildings stand at a construction site in Chinatown in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Feb. 27, 2020. Before COVID-19, gaming websites operating primarily out of Sihanoukville, had been the driving force for Cambodia’s construction projects in 2019-2020. Credit: Jorge Silva/Reuters Ripple effects Greeted by a dearth of buyers, developers who had loaded up on loans to build low-grade condos have been forced to stop work, often mid-construction, and will almost certainly default on their debts. Further down the food chain, construction workers, who are largely informally employed migrant workers from the countryside, will be finding themselves out of work in increasingly large numbers. That, in turn, will lead to more non-repayment problems, spreading beyond cities. Some 2.1 million Cambodians have an outstanding debt with a microfinance institution, with an average remaining balance to pay of US$4,476. With many rural families relying on relatives working in the cities to repay their loans, the slowdown in the construction sector will send shockwaves deep into Cambodia’s provinces. The situation is so stark that even brick kiln workers – who are among the poorest of the poor and are typically held in bonded labor – are finding themselves out of a job. With so little construction happening, those making the raw materials have either been temporarily released until the kiln resumes work or permanently released from their contract and the kiln shut down, according to Laurie Parsons, a lecturer at London’s Royal Holloway University who studies enslaved laborers. Those laborers who have been retained in their bonds, forced to undertake the dangerous, back-breaking work until their debts are paid off, are now given work only sporadically, placing them in an even more precarious situation. Traffic moves through downtown Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 3, 2023. Some 2.1 million Cambodians are in debt to a microfinance institution. Credit: Heng Sinith/AP Lenders wary For banks, the shifting economic headwinds have led to a slowdown in lending. In January and February, lending by Cambodian banks shrunk, according to National Bank of Cambodia data. That has never happened for two consecutive months at any point in the last decade. CPP spokesperson Sok Ey San insisted that the dip in lending suggests financial improvement. “People don’t need cash because they are getting better financially, so they don’t need bank loans or microfinance loans,” he told RFA. But analysts and business insiders say the slowdown suggests banks are wary of lending amid economic uncertainty and rising levels of non-performing loans, those on which the debtors have failed to make repayments for 90 days or more. National Bank of Cambodia data show non-performing loans, which includes everything from business loans to mortgages, credit cards and overdrafts, almost doubled from US$700 million in 2021 to US$1.3 billion by the end of 2022, accounting for 3% of all credit extended by banks. “The banks stopped loaning money, it’s on a real decline now,” the Cambodian businessperson told RFA. No easy out While many Cambodians have long struggled to get by, those in the middle and upper classes have traditionally been shielded from precarity. Cambodia has also avoided the pandemic-related inflation that has imperiled neighboring Laos. But with the wealthy, developers and homeowners all struggling amid debt, with banks holding more nonperforming loans than ever, the government faces a challenge going forward. Not least with regard to the 37% of the population estimated by the United Nations to be either suffering from or at risk of what it terms “multidimensional poverty.” For more than three decades the CPP has sold itself to voters, its neighbors and the international community as the guarantor of both political and economic stability in Cambodia. Political continuity looks assured through the planned transfer of power from Prime Minister Hun Sen to his son Hun Manet, who happens to hold a PhD in economics. He will have to navigate a set of economic challenges unlike any his father ever dealt with. Additional reporting by RFA Khmer. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-economy-election-07202023095432.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

More than a thousand Cambodian workers have spent the last three years trying to get their full severance pay after their apparel factory closed. Nike, the global sports giant whose goods were being produced, says the factory was an unauthorized supplier. Today, over 50 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have petitioned Nike to resolve the prolonged struggle of 1,280 workers from Cambodia’s Violet Apparel factory, operated by the Ramatex Group. A new report by the Worker Rights Consortium estimates that Ramatex – which closed the factory in June 2020 – owes these workers about US$1.4 million in total. The Worker Rights Consortium also found that the Ramatex Group, a conglomerate with numerous factories in Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia, continues to produce for Nike, one of its main business partners. The Ramatex Group dismissed the workers’ claims, citing a letter from Cambodia’s labor ministry. The labor ministry’s letter said that those parts of the labor law that require employers to pay “compensation in lieu of prior notice” would not have to be implemented. This argument is not only legally flawed, but if it became the norm in Cambodia, would allow foreign and domestic corporations and government ministries to pick and choose which legal provisions to abide by. Cambodia’s Arbitration Council, the country’s labor dispute resolution body, refused to rule on the workers’ claims, saying the council lacked jurisdiction. This ruling was unsurprising. Industry associations and companies doing business in Cambodia, including Nike, have long expressed concerns about the council’s independence. Increasingly, the council appears beholden to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party. The Ramatex Group did not respond to Human Rights Watch’s requests for comment about the workers’ plight. Nike told us that Ramatex’s Violet Apparel factory was not authorized to produce their branded goods. Unauthorized subcontracting is a major human rights risk in the global supply chains of global companies. Dealing with the messy problems isn’t easy. But companies should support workers affected by unauthorized subcontracting and factory closures when they produce their goods. Nike should make sure that Ramatex Group’s Violet Apparel factory workers who made their products get paid what they are owed. Companies should not expect workers of unauthorized suppliers to shoulder the burden of their risks. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/20/nike-should-help-cambodian-workers-hurt-factory-closure

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook account has been reactivated, three weeks after he announced he was forsaking the social media giant in favor of posting on the Telegram messaging app PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook account was reactivated Thursday, three weeks after he announced he was forsaking the social media giant in favor of posting on Telegram, a popular messaging app that also serves as a blogging tool. Hun Sen’s return to the Facebook fold came three days before a general election in which his ruling Cambodian People’s Party is virtually guaranteed a landslide victory. Hun Sen said at the end of June that he would stop posting new material on his Facebook page but leave the account online. He said he was switching to Telegram because he believed the app provided a more effective way to communicate. But when a Facebook watchdog criticized the language in one of his videos and recommended suspending the prime minister's account for six months, Hun Sen took down the page. Duong Dara, who manages the 70-year-old leader's social media accounts, posted a message Thursday saying he had asked Hun Sen to be allowed to reactivate his Facebook page in the national interest. He said he, and not the prime minister, would be uploading content. read more https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/cambodias-leader-returns-facebook-weeks-after-acrimonious-breakup-101519256

The director of the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Tourism, Un Po Soeun, led his subordinates to continue to disseminate the circular to the people and owners of karaoke restaurants and entertainment clubs to suspend the sale of alcohol one day before election day and on election day. Po Soeun said that in accordance with the directive from the Ministry of Tourism, he assigned Vorn Tum to lead the officers to carry out the ban on the sale of alcohol everywhere in Stung Treng, especially in karaoke restaurants, entertainment clubs and so on. The director of the department said that the ban one day before and on the day of the election is aimed at requiring employees in each place to take time off work to go to the polls. During the visit, the owners of all liquor stores in Stung Treng Province promised and implemented the circular of the Ministry of Tourism, as well as direct instructions from the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Tourism. The 7th National Assembly Election 2023 will be held on July 23, 2023. According to the circular of the Ministry of Tourism, the sale and consumption of alcohol must be suspended one day before the election day and the other day on the election day. Kampuchea Thmey read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501326118/authorities-instruct-restaurant-and-entertainment-owners-to-suspend-beer-sales-during-elections/

The Preah Sihanouk provincial authority transported 708 domestic and international tourists from the islands due to forecasted adverse weather conditions yesterday. Kuoch Chamroeun, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Governor, yesterday ordered Major General Chuon Narin, the Provincial Police Chief and the relevant authorities to send five large ships to transport tourists from the islands. Although the sea conditions are currently calm, the authorities want to prevent any possible risk to tourists, as weather conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days and they want to get all the tourists back to the mainland. Due to heavy rain, strong winds and high waves forecasted, the authorities have decided to temporarily suspend tourism on the islands until the situation improves. Long Dimanche, Preah Sihanouk deputy governor, said that the authorities sent five ships to transport tourists back from Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands. Some tourists did not want to leave, but the authorities informed them that the weather conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days and it was for their safety. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501325560/over-700-tourists-transported-to-mainland-as-weather-worsens/