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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Figures produced by the Cambodian tourist authority reveal that Thais remain the biggest tourist market in the Khmer kingdom. In the first quarter, 570,000 Thais were stamped in by land and air, 285,000 Vietnamese and then 184,000 Chinese nationals. The total admitted from all countries to Cambodia was 1.72 million, a 600 percent improvement on the same period in 2022. Although there are regular flights from China, the huge Chinese market of the pre-covid era has yet to flower. Cambodian tourist minister Thong Khon said that more flights from China were expected and that his aim was to see at least 4 million global arrivals in the whole of 2023. Observers say that there are several reasons for the slowness of the Chinese revival including a downtown in the Chinese economy, a rise in the prices of inclusive foreign holidays, particularly airfares, and delays in the issuing of new five-year passports many of which expired during the covid era. read more https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/thais-are-the-largest-group-of-tourists-entering-cambodia-right-now-433922

KAMPONG CHAM, Cambodia, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday ordered authorities to beef up border security after recent fatal shootings in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Speaking during a get-together with some 18,000 factory workers here, Hun Sen said an armed gang simultaneously attacked two commune headquarters in Cu Kuin district of Vietnam's Dak Lak province on June 11, leaving several commune officials and police dead. "Now, this armed gang's members are on the run, and I'm concerned that they will possibly flee to Cambodia," he said. He ordered the Cambodian armed forces in Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Kratie provinces to increase cooperation with the Vietnamese side to prevent the fugitives from crossing the border illegally. Branding the armed gang members as terrorists, the prime minister added that the fugitives who fled to Cambodia would be arrested and sent back to Vietnam if discovered. He also warned to shut down any international organizations in Cambodia if they granted refuge to those fugitives. read more https://english.news.cn/20230616/56f34eb153c54667a60c1c90c33b425c/c.html

Indonesia proposal for first-ever bloc exercises in South China Sea meets vocal resistance from China’s top regional ally Cambodia Rising Sino-American rivalry and fears of an accidental superpower clash are forcing states to step up their diplomatic games. That’s particularly true for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is now scrambling to forge greater internal unity and nudge the US and China toward greater dialogue to avoid a conflict in its neighborhood. Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, announced this month that it will soon host the first-ever naval drills among member states in order to reinforce “ASEAN centrality” amid the “high risk of disaster in Asia, especially Southeast Asia.” Just days after, however, Cambodia, largely seen as Beijing’s leading regional partner, torpedoed Indonesia’s plan by expressing reservations about joining the joint drills. In a statement, General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, said that his country has yet to agree to the drills. read more https://asiatimes.com/2023/06/cambodia-seeks-to-sink-joint-asean-naval-drills/

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Experts are raising concerns that a recent Cambodian government order allocating around $1 million to a local company for a facial recognition technology project could pave the way for the technology to be used against citizens and human rights defenders. The order, signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and released in March in a recent tranche of government documents, would award the funds to HSC Co. Ltd., a Cambodian company led by tycoon Sok Hong that has previously printed Cambodian passports and installed CCTV cameras in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. The Oct. 17 order appears to be the first direct indication of Cambodia’s interest in pursuing facial recognition, alarming experts who say such initiatives could eventually be used to target dissenters and build a stronger surveillance state similar to China’s. In recent months, the government has blocked the country’s main opposition party from participating in the July national elections, shut down independent media and jailed critics such as labor organizers and opposition politicians. Neither the Interior Ministry nor the company would answer questions about what the project entails. “This is national security and not everyone knows about how it works,” Khieu Sopheak, secretary of state and spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, told VOA by phone. "Even in the U.S., if you ask about the air defense system, they will tell you the same. This is the national security system, which we can’t tell everyone [about]." The order names HSC, a company Sok Hong founded in 2007, as the funds’ recipient. HSC’s businesses span food and beverage, dredging and retail. HSC also has close ties to the government: in addition to printing passports and providing CCTV cameras in Phnom Penh, it runs the system for national ID cards and has provided border checkpoint technology. Malaysian and Cambodian media identify Sok Hong as the son of Sok Kong, another tycoon who founded the conglomerate Sokimex Investment Group. Both father and son are oknhas or "lords," a Cambodian honorific given to those who have donated more than $500,000 to the government. Cambodia When reached by phone, Sok Hong told VOA, "I think it shouldn’t be reported since it is related to national security." Cambodia’s history of repression, including monitoring dissidents in person and online, has raised suspicions that it could deploy such technology to target activists. Last year, labor leaders reported they were recorded via drones during protests. "Authorities can use facial recognition technology to identify, track individuals and gather vast amounts of personal data without their consent, which could eventually lead to massive surveillance," said Chak Sopheap, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. "For instance, when a government uses facial recognition to monitor attendance at peaceful gatherings, these actions raise severe concerns about the safety of those citizens." In addition, giving control of facial recognition technology to a politically connected firm, and one that already has access to a trove of identity-related information, could centralize citizens’ data in a one-stop shop. That could make it easier to fine-tune algorithms quickly and later develop more facial recognition tools to be shared with the government in a mutually beneficial relationship, Joshua Kurlantzick, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for Southeast Asia, told VOA. China — one of Cambodia’s oldest and closest allies — has pioneered collecting vast amounts of data to monitor citizens. In Xinjiang, home to about 12 million Uyghurs, Chinese authorities combine people’s biometric data and digital activities to create a detailed portrait of their lives. In recent years, China has sought to influence Southeast Asia, "providing an explicit model for surveillance and a model for a closed and walled-garden internet," Kurlantzick said, referring to methods of blocking or managing users’ access to certain content. Some efforts have been formalized under the Digital Silk Road, China’s technology-focused subset of the Belt and Road initiative that provides support, infrastructure and subsidized products to recipient countries. China’s investment in Cambodian monitoring systems dates back to the early days of the Digital Silk Road. In 2015, it installed an estimated $3 million worth of CCTV cameras in Phnom Penh and later promised more cameras to "allow a database to accumulate for the investigation of criminal cases," according to reports at the time. There is no indication China is involved in the HSC project, however. While dozens of countries use facial recognition technology for legitimate public safety uses, such investments must be accompanied by strict data protection laws and enforcement, said Gatra Priyandita, a cyber politics analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Cambodia does not have comprehensive data privacy regulations. The prime minister himself has monitored Zoom calls hosted by political foes, posting on Facebook that "Hun Sen’s people are everywhere." Given the country’s approach to digital privacy, housing facial recognition within a government-tied conglomerate is "concerning" but not surprising, Priyandita said. "The long-term goal of these kinds of arrangements is the reinforcement of regime security, of course, particularly the protection of Cambodia's main political and business families," Priyandita said. In the immediate future, Cambodia’s capacity to carry out mass surveillance is uncertain. The National Internet Gateway — a system for routing traffic through government servers which critics compared to China’s "Great Firewall" — was delayed in early 2022. Shortly before the scheduled rollout, the government advertised more than 100 positions related to data centers and artificial intelligence, sowing doubts about the technical knowledge behind the project. Still, the government is pushing to strengthen its digital capabilities, fast-tracking controversial laws around cybercrime and cybersecurity and pursuing a 15-year plan to develop the digital economy, including a skilled technical workforce. Sun Narin of VOA’s Khmer Service contributed to this report. https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodian-facial-recognition-effort-raises-fears-of-misuse-/7138262.html

A man went missing after rescuing his child from drowning at O’chheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, on Sunday. The body of the father was found yesterday by rescuers after a 20-hour search operation at sea. The man was named Heng Piseth, aged 40. He and his family had travelled to holiday at Sihanoukville and O’chheuteal Beach. The deceased man’s 10-year-old son said that he and his father went swimming together. Suddenly, he was dragged down by a wave and at the time, his dad immediately jumped into the water to help him, pushing him back out of the water. But after rescuing him, unfortunately the boy’s father was dragged down by a strong wave from the sea. He disappeared and drowned on Monday. Sihanoukville police extended the search for the man, and at 9.00am yesterday the search team found the body. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501306804/hero-dad-lost-his-life-saving-son-from-the-sea/

The director of the Preah Vihear Provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts Neou Chankong confirmed yesterday that a villager had found a unique ancient royal sword, known as Preah Khan in Khmer, on the Phnom Tbeng Mountain in Preah Vihear province. The Preah Khan sword has been handed over to the Department of Culture and Fine Arts of Preah Vihear province for temporary storage. He said that he did not know yet whether it is a real ancient sword or a newly-created one. “We are waiting for experts from the National Museum of Phnom Penh to evaluate the sword on Monday to determine whether it is a genuine ancient sword and from which era,” he said. According to the Preah Vihear Provincial Police Chief, a Facebook account called “Ne Preah Vihear” posted a short video about the discovery of the sword by Heng Phin, a 42-year-old farmer living in Rovieng district, Preah Vihear province, last week on Friday. “He handed the sword over to the authorities to be temporarily stored at the Preah Vihear department of culture and fine arts,” the police chief added. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/1306108/unique-ancient-sword-found-in-preah-vihear/

TAKEO, Cambodia, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said here Sunday that the country's economy is expected to achieve a 5.6 percent growth rate in 2023, up from 5.2 percent in 2022. Peace, together with the successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic, has laid a strong foundation for the Southeast Asian country to recover its economy from the pandemic, he said. "It's essential for all of us to protect the peace, which is the most important prerequisite for national development." Hun Sen said in a speech during a get-together with nearly 20,000 garment factory workers. The World Bank said in its May economic update that Cambodia's economy remained robust, driven by pent-up consumer demand, agriculture, and the return of foreign tourists after China's reopening earlier this year. The lender said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement and the Cambodia-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement have also given a boost to the growth. The country's economy mainly relies on garment export, tourism, agriculture and real estate and construction. The International Monetary Fund said in its recent World Economic Outlook that Cambodia is among the three most robust RCEP economies in 2023 alongside the Philippines and Vietnam. https://english.news.cn/20230611/afd1a184e80849fb84836a548332cfaa/c.html

A Chinese couple has been arrested by the Cambodian police on suspicion of murder after the body of a female live streamer of Korean nationality was found near Phnom Penh, officials and reports said Sunday. The woman in her 30s was found dead on June 6, wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a pond, according to Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea Daily. Local villagers discovered her body and alerted the police. The Cambodian police soon identified the victim as a Korean woman with over 250,000 followers on social media. She had announced her retirement from her live streaming career last year. The Cambodian authorities arrested the Chinese couple in their 30s who own a hospital as the suspects in her murder. The couple reportedly told the police that the victim died after receiving treatment at the hospital on June 4. The police suspect the couple to have disposed of the victim's body to avoid punishment. The cause of her death remained undetermined as of Sunday noon. The Cambodian police are still waiting for the autopsy report. The Korean police said they have requested that the Cambodian police do a thorough investigation of the case. read more http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230611000107

Complaints are pouring in against Tycoon Nuon Ak who allegedly swindled over $1.25 million from 96 people in a fake land deal in Kampot province’s Toek Chhou district. Im Chansothon, Toek Chhou district governor, said yesterday that 18 people have registered complaints against Nuon Ak so far and the authorities summoned him for a face-to-face discussion with the complainants four times, but in vain. He added: “A variety of complaints such as violation of contract, failure to allot land, no promised project development, non-issuance of land certificates have been registered against him.” “People just want their money back, while some of them want Nuon Ak to fulfill the contract. They are also requesting the authorities to initiate talks so that both parties can arrive at a solution,” Chansothon said. Tycoon Nuon Ak who allegedly swindled over $1.25 million from nearly 100 people in Kampot province. Fresh News Ea Sokhen, Chit Chenda and Chea Dara, representatives of the complainants, said that their clients entered into a contract with Nuon Ak for the Kampot Paradise project in Ang village, Trapaing Pring commune, Teuk Chhou district. Sokhen said that people trusted the Nuon Ak Company and invested in plots of land. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501305134/tycoon-allegedly-swindled-over-1-mil-from-96-people/