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Cambodia has more than 17.82 million internet subscribers as of October this year, slightly down from 17.87 million users at the end of last year, according to a report from the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia. The internet subscription has already surpassed the total population of 16 million in the country. Cambodia Digital Tech Association president Chhin Ken said: “The high number of internet users showed how fast the Cambodian people were embracing technology, as the trend of using smartphones for studies, shopping, and social networks is increasing.” Almost all Cambodian people have smartphones, which led to a rise in the use of the internet, and it is mostly used for surfing social networks, Ken said. “The high demand for the internet is a new opportunity for businessmen and the high competition can bring down the cost of the internet,” he told Khmer Times. Chea Vandet, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, said that the increase in internet users reflected the development of e-commerce activities in Cambodia. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501197606/internet-users-at-17-82-million-in-october/

The prime minister’s son Hun Manith has been given an additional rank equivalent to minister, adding to his existing duties as the head of military intelligence. Manith was given the rank of a minister by a royal decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni on Tuesday, along with four other government officials. Manith is also a deputy chief for the prime minister’s cabinet and retains his old positions, according to the official document. The four others given the rank are: Pankhem Bunthorn, a deputy chief of Hun Sen’s cabinet; Chhiv Yiseang, who heads the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Foreign Ministry; and Slat Sopheap and Hak Sokhay, who could not be identified. Royal Cambodian Armed Forces spokesperson Thong Solimo declined to comment on Manith’s promotion and Defense Ministry spokesperson Chhum Socheat could not be reached Tuesday evening. Manith’s older brother, Hun Manet, is the commander of the army and has been voted by the Cambodian People’s Party to succeed his father. Hun Sen has yet to lay out a timeline for when he will step aside and let his son take over as prime minister. read more https://vodenglish.news/hun-sens-son-promoted-to-rank-of-minister/

A gambling den – frequented by foreigners – was raided yesterday in Phnom Penh The forces of Po Sen Chey District Unity Command raided the Chinese gambling den at Jing Siek Lay brand shop Prey Tea 1 Village, Sangkat Choam Chao III, Khan Por Sen Chey at 4 pm on December 6, 2022 Authorities said that with confidential reports from citizens, the venue was rented out by Chinese nationals for a variety of casinos, with the same Chinese guests visiting every day. On the day of the inspection, the commanding force agreed to inspect and found that the location was hosting illegal gambling. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501198189/foreign-casino-busted-in-phnom-penh/

Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn, as the Special Envoy on Myanmar, will not make a planned third official visit to Myanmar, with time running out when Cambodia’s term as ASEAN Chair expires at the end of the month, and he is scheduled to attend a key summit in Brussels. However, analysts have speculated that the trip will not be made because Myanmar’s ruling State Administration Council (SAC) has not shown progress in implementing ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and recently sentenced seven university students, detained during a crackdown on dissent, to death. Luy David, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday that Sokhonn is due to attend the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in Brussels from December 14. “We cannot visit Myanmar for the third time because the time is too short and we will leave this opportunity for Indonesia as ASEAN’s chair next year to continue this work. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501196851/its-a-no-go-asean-special-envoy-sokhonn-cant-make-third-visit-to-myanmar/

The bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand increased significantly to $8,589 million in the ten-month period of 2022, up 29 percent compared to the same period last year. From January to October, Cambodia exported $959 million worth of goods to its neighbouring nation, a 28 percent increase year-on-year, according to an official report from Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce. The Kingdom imported $7,630 million worth of products from Thailand, up 29 percent, the report said. Cambodia’s main exports to Thailand include textiles, agricultural products, gems, raw materials and semi-finished products. Imports from Thailand include fish, meat, vegetables, automobiles, organic fertilisers, foodstuffs, and construction materials. President of Thai Business Council in Cambodia Jiranan Wongmongkul said that more Thai investors and businessmen are exploring investment opportunities, and some others are planning to expand their existing businesses in Cambodia. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501196940/cambodia-thailand-trade-surges-29/

News of the proposal comes as top wildlife officials are accused of being part of a monkey smuggling ring. Hunting in Cambodia’s protected areas and forests would be legal in some cases under a proposal from the country’s Ministry of Environment that conservation groups fear could lead to abuses that threaten wildlife populations, according to drafts of rule changes seen by RFA. The ministry is currently floating amended versions of the Law on Forestry and the Law on Protected Areas, which govern the Kingdom’s forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, respectively. Proposed updates to the Law on Forestry would allow “game hunting on forest reservations owned by the State and other areas with appropriate permission,” the draft proposal states. The amendments stipulate that any hunting “must not greatly affect wildlife populations” and would only be allowed with letters of permission issued by the Ministry of Agriculture specifying quotas for how many of each species can be hunted, when and where. If amended, the Law on Protected Areas would also allow game hunting as part of “projects that manage conservation and natural resources in protected areas,” provided it was conducted with Environment Ministry approval and in consultation with “all key relevant stakeholders.” Potential for abuse The existing legislation allows for some seasonal hunting within the country’s forests but prohibits all killing of animals within protected areas. Amos Courage, director of overseas projects at British conservation charity the Aspinall Foundation, said the proposed changes are unwarranted. “The whole point of a national park is that it excludes that sort of activity,” Courage told RFA. “I can’t think of any species in Cambodia that you would have a valid reason for hunting. The only reason that might be given would be revenue generation. “It never ends up with the right people, every time there’s monetization of wildlife the possibilities for corruption are so large,” Courage added. The Environment Ministry’s proposals have surfaced at an awkward moment. Just weeks ago, the head of Cambodia’s Forestry Administration and one of his deputies were charged by U.S. prosecutors with facilitating the smuggling of endangered long-tailed macaques. The agency would be responsible for policing licensed hunters under the proposed amendments to Cambodia’s Forestry Law. Path to approval The proposed changes would have to get approval from both the country’s Council of Ministers and its National Assembly, which is controlled by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party, to become law. Nick Marx, a conservationist who has worked in Cambodia for 20 years, said he does not support licensing hunters, for the time being at least. “It seems unwise from a conservation perspective for the Cambodian government to implement a law legalizing hunting,” Marx said. “All of the large charismatic megafauna are either extinct in Cambodia or IUCN-listed as endangered or vulnerable,” Marx added, referring to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “With this in mind it would seem more sensible over the short to medium term to prohibit hunting and conserve our remaining wildlife.” Endangered species Tigers were declared extinct in Cambodia in 2016. Cambodia’s national animal, the kouprey, a species of wild cattle, is widely believed to be extinct. Most of the country’s endangered species, which include elephants, Indochinese leopards, wild water buffalo and Eld’s deers, have been hunted to the point of extinction. Environment Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra told RFA that he could not comment on the proposed amendments until they were adopted. He said that he could not give a timeframe for when or if that adoption might take place. For Carl Traeholt, Southeast Asia program director for Copenhagen Zoo, the situation is not black and white. “In many countries where you have local communities that are frontliners in their own environment, they have been hunting for survival for generations,” Traeholt said. “I don’t think it’s my right to tell them they can’t do that, so long as it doesn’t undermine the survival of that particular species.” Hunting happens Subsistence hunting is already taking place within Cambodia’s protected areas. A 2020 study of Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia’s east found that, regardless of licensing, hunting is already taking place in Cambodia’s protected areas. Researchers carried out interviews with 705 families living within Keo Seima and found that while only 9% admitted to hunting, 85% reported consuming wild-caught meat and 70% said they preferred it. The study’s authors noted that more than half of the respondents were unaware that hunting was illegal. Cambodia’s wealthy and powerful have been known to stalk the country’s wildlife for sport. In 2017, photos emerged online of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son-in-law Sok Puthyvuth posing with an assault rifle and an assortment of animal carcasses. Strict quotas There is potential for licensing and regulation of hunting to play a role in conservation in Cambodia, Traeholt told RFA, but several criteria would have to be in place in order to do so. “When it comes to hunting in Cambodia, I don’t blame them for putting it on the list of things that could be allowed as a tool in the box, it’s another thing to do it,” he said. “I think they need to do a lot more homework.” According to Craeholt, before regulated hunting could be beneficial, Cambodian authorities would have to enforce strict quotas and monitor wildlife populations and they should direct most of the fees and meat from the hunting to local communities. “My main concern is I don’t really know what kind of species they can hunt without having population issues. Everything is almost hunted out as it is in Cambodia, so it’s not the first thing I’d think of for conservation,” Traeholt said. “Many of us are a little bit skeptical about the motives behind this kind of thing. Knowing Cambodia, you always get a little bit suspicious about the motives behind it,” he said. “Unfortunately Cambodia is not a place where the governance is of the right quality.” read more https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/conservation-12052022130416.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

There are more than 3,000 endangered Germain’s langur (Trachypithecus germaini) in Cambodia’s protected areas, due to favourable factors, much to the excitement of conservationists. Neth Pheaktra, Secretary of State and spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, made the statement yesterday night. According to the study, there are currently more than 3,000 Germain’s langur living in , while the number of the primates around the world is declining by about 50 percent. This species is found in dense forests, semi-dense forests and coastal mangroves, as well as flooded forests and can be identified by their dark grey fur. Most of the population are centred in the eastern regions of Cambodia, such as the Keo Seima, Lumphat and Sre Pok wildlife sanctuaries. They normally settle down near rivers and streams, such as the Sekong River and Sre Pok. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501196704/cambodias-protected-areas-home-to-more-than-3000-endangered-germains-langur/

223 foreigners were detained during a raid on a company in Sihanoukville, after complaints were received of torture From November 30 to December 2, 2022, the Provincial Administrative Unity Command led by Mr. Mang Sineth, Deputy Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, under the coordination of Mr. Penh Piseth, Deputy Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office. The Provincial Court operated and searched a company building located in Group 9, Village 1, Sangkat 3, Sihanoukville, after a complaint to the hotline of the National Police on November 29, 2022. After conducting a search and inspection of the building, the company found the five Chinese complainants in Case 627 in Room 316 on the third floor. As for the examination of the situation of the five Chinese nationals in Room 316, authorities found there was no torture and no evidence related to criminal offenses. After inspecting and searching the above location, 223 foreigners were found, including 35 women, as well as some exhibits. more and picture here https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501195972/in-pictures-over-200-foreigners-detained-in-sihanoukville-raid/

The Supreme Court on Friday heard the appeal of an American man jailed for raping an underage boy in Siem Reap two years ago. The Appeal Court had upheld his conviction of seven years in prison on charges of sexual harassment of a teenager in Siem Reap in 2019. Supreme Court Presiding Judge Nil Nonn identified the convict as Robinson Shaun Earl, 41. Judge Nonn said that Earl was found guilty by the Siem Reap Provincial Court on March 18, 2020, and was imprisoned for seven years. He was also ordered to pay the victim a compensation of nearly $5,000. The 14-year-old victim and the plaintiff in the case was present during the hearing. The perpetrator used to persuade young boys to take showers with him after buying them food and showed them pornographic material before seducing them, Judge Nonn said. Earl was charged with child sex abuse and producing pornographic images and materials to children, under Articles 23 and 34 of the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501196315/supreme-court-hears-appeal-of-us-national-convicted-over-child-rape/

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh/Asia News Network): Siem Reap province has seen an impressive increase in the number of tourists arriving. Up to 16 inbound flights arrive per day, bringing up to 1,400 passengers, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Tourism. The ministry said that in the January-October period, Siem Reap received a total of 1,792,549 visitors, more than eight times as many as the same period last year. 169,349 of the guests were international visitors, an increase of over twenty times. Cambodia, like most nations, applied strict measures against Covid-19, with strict border control and lockdowns in certain areas in the country during the peak of the pandemic. The government reopened the Kingdom in November last year. read more https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/12/04/siem-reap-sees-significant-growth-in-arrivals

Chheang Srey Oun was left in critical condition following an operation by an untrained midwife. A man in Cambodia has filed a criminal complaint against a private hospital in Kampong Speu province after a midwife removed part of his wife’s intestines while performing a procedure to remove her dead fetus, prompting a wider probe into illegal abortions in the country. On Nov. 2, Chheang Srey Oun, a 22-year-old factory worker, underwent an operation at the Doeum Angkorng Maternity Clinic to remove a five-month-old fetus that had died in her womb, leaving her lower intestine severely damaged. A preliminary investigation found that she had been operated on by a licensed midwife named Ung Thearin, who had never been trained to perform an abortion. Chheang Srey Oun is now being monitored at Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh, where she remains in critical condition. Cambodia’s Ministry of Health has temporarily closed the Doeum Angkorng Maternity Clinic pending further investigation. News of the case has received national attention after the woman used Facebook to appeal for help, saying she is in need of urgent treatment. Speaking to RFA Khmer from Calmette Hospital on Thursday, Chheang Srey Oun's husband Pheng Voeun confirmed that a criminal complaint had been filed in his wife’s case. He called on the courts and relevant institutions to help bring justice to his wife. He said he has been receiving assistance from the Red Cross to pay for his wife’s treatment. In a statement on Thursday, Health Minister Mam Bun Heng said that the Doeum Angkorng Maternity Clinic had acted recklessly for allowing an untrained midwife to perform an abortion on Chheang Srey Oun. The clinic must “face the consequences” of its actions according to the law, he said, adding that Ung Thearin’s license had been suspended for two years. The midwife has so far failed to cooperate with the investigation and is currently on the run from authorities. He also ordered a probe of all private clinics and other facilities, adding that those found to perform abortions illegally will be punished accordingly. The President of the Cambodian Trade Union Confederation, Rong Chhun, told RFA that the Ministry of Health needs to present a clear explanation for what happened to Chheang Srey Oun because it affects the lives of all Cambodians. "The midwife must be held responsible for the cost [of her treatment], according to the law,” he said. According to the latest figures from the World Bank, Cambodia’s maternal mortality rate was 160 for every 100,000 live births in 2017, a 4.76% decline from 2016. The mortality rate had declined for three consecutive years from 189 in 2014. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua LIpes. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/complaint-12022022173819.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Authorities are investigating how a British man came to die, after he was found dead with his head encased in a trash bag in Battambang. Lim Puthyla, the deputy provincial commissioner, said that the dead foreigner – named as JONATHAN STOCK, a 34-year-old British man, was living with his Cambodian wife, Van Kanhna, 39, and children in Chrap Veal village, Anlong Vil commune, Sangke district. Mr Stock was found dead by his wife at home on November 30, 2022. Authorities are said to be closely looking at the case, due to the unusual mode of Mr Stock’s suicide – following widespread speculation about the death. Mr Stock, who came from Newcastle upon Tyne, had resided in Cambodia since 2011 read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501195431/mystery-of-british-mans-trash-bag-suicide/

Journalists, activists criticize unequal application of the law Journalists and environmental activists in Cambodia are criticizing authorities’ filing of charges against three reporters accused of taking bribes to cover up illegal logging in a northern province, saying the loggers themselves should also be charged. Mom Vibal, 44, Tin Try, 29, and Tin Sitha, 27 — reporters for online and television news outlets in Preah Vihear province — were taken into custody on Nov. 23 and charged with extortion following a lawsuit filed by Vietnamese logging company PNT. The three are accused of demanding that U.S.$4,000 be paid to a group of four, including the three now under arrest, in exchange for blocking information on illegal purchases of timber by PNT, according to local media accounts. Company representatives then offered the group U.S.$2,000 and invited the journalists to a meeting where they were taken into custody by provincial police, media reports said. The name of the fourth person suspected of involvement in the extortion attempt was not reported. Speaking to RFA, Tin Chamroeun — a brother-in-law of Tin Try and Tin Sitha — said that they had not committed the alleged crimes, and that they had never received the money offered to them in bribes. “The illegal trader was freed, but the journalists were put in jail,” he said. “I want to see equal justice granted by the court.” Attempt to deter reporting? Local journalists called the group’s arrest an attempt to deter other journalists from looking into the illegal logging trade. “Some journalists are afraid of being arrested if they report on illegal logging,” said Try Sophal, a reporter for Preah Vihear’s Hang Meas TV. The fact that the reporters were taken into custody while the timber traders escaped charges shows that Cambodia’s laws are unequally applied, he added. An illegally felled old-growth tree in Prey Lang forest, April 22, 2020. Credit: Lovers of the Environment Srey Thai, a member of Preah Vihear’s Prey Lang Forest protection network, said that provincial authorities have consistently failed to take action against forest crimes committed in Prey Lang, an officially protected area, by PNT and other companies. “The reporters were definitely in the wrong if they accepted bribes, but the loggers also broke the law, so both sides should be held equally accountable,” he said. Nop Vy, executive director for the Coalition of Cambodian Journalists, or CCJ, called on provincial and court authorities to carefully investigate the case. “The crimes that reporters have revealed have never been investigated, which has only encouraged further illegal logging,” he said. A CCJ report for 2021 says that nearly 100 journalists faced harassment during the year, including 49 cases of physical assault, threats of violence, arrests and torture. Others were hit with lawsuits, and 37 journalists were jailed on charges of “incitement,” “extortion” and other crimes. Attempts to reach Preah Vihear Provincial Prosecutor Ty Sovinthal and Sat Nak, a representative of the Vietnamese company PNT, were unsuccessful Thursday. ‘Traditions destroyed’ Illegal deforestation and government restrictions on forest access are undermining the spiritual practices, land rights, and livelihoods of one of Cambodia’s largest indigenous groups, according to a report by Amnesty International issued in early January. The report, “’Our Traditions Are Being Destroyed’: Illegal Logging, Repression, and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Violations in Cambodia’s Protected Forests,” says illegal logging has been particularly damaging to the Kuy people in the Prey Lang and Prey Preah Roka rainforests, which contain protected wildlife sanctuaries. The Prey Lang Forest runs through Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Kratie and Stung Treng provinces in northern Cambodia, while Prey Preah Roka is in Preah Vihear province. Cambodia’s rate of deforestation is among the world’s fastest, and a survey published in 2020 by U.S. and EU monitors showed that Prey Lang lost more than one football pitch, or 1.76 acres, of woodlands to illegal logging every hour of 2019. Translated by Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Written in English by Richard Finney. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-logging-12012022172651.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036

In founding the first all-male, gay classical dance company in Cambodia, U.S.-born artist Prumsodun Ok simultaneously preserves traditions and empowers diversity. Merging two cultural streams — the progressive and the conservative — that many see as mutually exclusive, Ok presents a new outlook on Khmer culture. “In the Khmer tradition, there is space for people who don’t fit into male or female. For example, in one of our most sacred classical dances, a Brahman who comes to act as a messenger between heaven and earth is depicted. And this Brahman is half male, half female. So in our culture we already have what people in the world today call ‘queer.’” Born to Cambodian refugees in the U.S., Ok has pursued a career in Khmer classical dance, experimental filmmaking and photography. Moving back to Cambodia in 2015, he founded Cambodia’s first Khmer-classical gay dance company Natyarasa, which now consists of 10 professional dancers. What seems contradictory at first is actually well-connected, says Ok: “In Khmer, when we use the word ‘perform,’ we say ‘samdeng.’ read more https://vodenglish.news/classical-dance-pushes-the-bounds-of-traditional-gender-identities/

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has produced 4.82 tons of dore bars with 90 percent pure gold solution since commercial mining started in June last year, Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem said on Wednesday. During a meeting, Sem said the country currently has four gold mining companies, namely Renaissance Minerals, Delcom Kampuchea, Xinshan Industrial (Cambodia), and Xing Yuan Kanng Yeak. According to Sem, Renaissance Minerals has so far refined 4,598 kg of dore bars, the Delcom Kampuchea 160 kg, the Xinshan Industrial Cambodia 45 kg, and the Xing Yuan Kanng Yeak 22 kg. The Southeast Asian nation commenced extracting gold for the first time at a gold mining site in Keo Seima district in northeastern Mondulkiri province in June 2021. Renaissance Minerals, a subsidiary of Australia-listed Emerald Resources NL, is the developer of the mining site. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that the government is expected to make about 40 million U.S. dollars in taxes and royalties per year from those mining projects. https://english.news.cn/20221201/ea1deb1265574fb5af75b61c5132e758/c.html

In a tragic incident, four children, two girls and two boys, drowned in a five-metre deep open pit in Ta Nget area of Prey Samraong village in Kandal province, while they were collecting clams and snails. While rescuers found the bodies of twin girls aged 13 – Ny Sreynak and Ny Nyna – on Tuesday, bodies of siblings 11-year-old Than Kim Yang and 9-year-old Than Thanok, were found yesterday. Damnak Ampil commune police said that the four children went together to collect clams from the open pit in Prey Samraong village, Damnak Ampil commune, Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, on Tuesday evening and went missing. After receiving information about child drowning, a rescue team was sent to the area and the search continued throughout Tuesday night. The bodies of the girls were found the next day at about 4:30am. Authorities handed over the bodies of the children to their respective families and expressed their condolences. Phach Phalla, deputy Ang Snuol district police chief, said that children in the area like to play around and go for swimming in the open pits in search of clams. However, the depth of the open pits varies, and in some locations the pits are up to five to six metres deep. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501194180/four-children-drown-in-open-pit-while-collecting-clams/

Hun Sen’s dynastic succession plan is being expedited with his eldest son now widely expected to become premier after next July’s polls PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen could step down in the middle of next year as succession plans to hand power to his eldest son are seemingly on a new fast track. After eliminating any meaningful political opposition and thus assured victory at next July’s general election, Hun Sen now plans to step down as prime minister and assume a more overarching role, making way for Hun Manet, 44, the de facto military chief, to replace him as premier, authoritative sources told Asia Times. The long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has already confirmed Manet as the prime minister-in-waiting and his younger acolytes are quickly rising through the ranks. Hun Sen probably likely reckons there are now few succession risks while the 70-year-old is increasingly conscious about his own health, analysts say. read more https://asiatimes.com/2022/11/hun-manet-to-rule-cambodia-way-ahead-of-schedule/

Conservation efforts for the Kingdom’s wild elephants continues and experts have recorded between 400 to 600 wild elephants and 70 domestic elephants. The Ministry of Environment has actively supported the district elephant conservation project and has collaborated with partners to develop a long-term strategic plan for wild elephant conservation. The Elephant Valley Project is an ecotourism project of the Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (E.L.I.E.) that aims to improve the health and well-being of domesticated elephants, conserve wildlife sanctuaries and support local communities working closely with them. The project in Mondulkiri has a veterinary team looking after the health of Asian elephants living in their 1,500 hectares-habitat, including forests, rivers and grasslands. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501194133/between-400-and-600-wild-elephants-recorded-in-cambodia/

In the 10 months of 2022, Cambodia received more than 1.57 million international tourists, an increase of nearly 1,000 percent, compared to the same period last year. This is according to the report of the Ministry of Tourism, which was released today. According to the report: “International tourists who visited Cambodia in the 10 months from January to October 2022 totalled 1,575,954, an increase of 991.1 percent compared to the same period last year.” “In the first 10 months, 559,918 international tourists came by air; an increase of 706.6 percent, 1,005,549 by land, an increase of 1240.4 percent and 10,487 by waterways,” it continued. The highest number of tourists are from the following countries: 590,984 from Thailand; 341,953 from Vietnam; 75,915 from China; 60,903 from the United States; 59,368 from Laos; 59,122 from Indonesia; 43,178 from South Korea; 40,184 from Malaysia; 37,153 from France and 28,505 from the United Kingdom. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501194121/more-than-1-57-million-international-tourists-recorded-in-cambodia-over-last-10-months/

A senior health official has confirmed that Cambodia is currently among the seven countries in the world that have effectively reduced the prevalence rate of HIV / AIDS. According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Cambodia which was one among the seven countries with the highest HIV prevalence rate in Asia in 2003 – has managed to bring down its rate from 11% to 6% in 2021. Sea Huong, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health, said that the health ministry has launched a series of strategies to improve the quality of life, and reduce mortality rate of people living with HIV and people who are at risk of HIV infection in the Kingdom. “The next three-year budget plan under the Global Fund to invest in HIV/AIDS in the health sector focuses on prevention of HIV cases, mother-to-child transmission, and mental health services for people living with HIV/AIDs,” he added. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501193650/cambodia-among-top-nations-which-effectively-cut-hiv-aids-rate/

Unesco has put Cambodia’s Lbokator martial art on its cultural world heritage list, as elated local officials and practitioners say they hope it will spur efforts to preserve the tradition. Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, told VOD on Wednesday that Unesco had inscribed the ancient martial art of Kun Lbokator on its list of intangible cultural heritage following a presentation by the Cambodian culture minister at a meeting in Morocco. A Unesco announcement shows that the listing came alongside traditional Chinese tea techniques, bear festivities in the Pyrenees, Ukrainian borscht and other traditions from around the world. Unesco notes that Lbokator includes elements of dance, music, traditional medicine, amulets, tattoos and weapons. read more https://vodenglish.news/pride-as-lbokator-martial-art-recognized-by-unesco/

The U.S. government has expressed "deep concern" over the recent arrest of Chhim Sithar, the union president of Cambodia's NagaWorld Casino company, after she returned to Cambodia from attending a labor conference in Australia. As reported by the U.S. State Department, Cambodian authorities have previously interfered with the exercise of workers' rights by arresting union leaders and workers protesting the "wrongful dismissal" of NagaWorld employees. "We urge Cambodian authorities to release Chhim Sithar and all detained trade unionists exercising their right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, to drop the charges against them, and to work to constructively resolve their disputes," the Biden Administration has asserted, reiterating its call on Cambodia to release U.S. citizen Theary Seng. read more https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/united-states-expresses-concern-following-arrest-of-trade-union-leader-in-cambodia/ar-AA14ICPJ

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a draft budget of 9.64 billion U.S. dollars for the government spending in 2023, up 13 percent from about 8.5 billion dollars in 2022. Eighty-nine lawmakers present at the parliamentary session unanimously passed the draft bill. Speaking during the assembly session, Cambodia's economy and finance minister Aun Pornmoniroth said the budget is equal to 29.87 percent of the Southeast Asian nation's gross domestic product (GDP). He said that the proposed budget is to ensure the success of general elections and the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2023 when Cambodia will be the host. Pornmoniroth, who is also a deputy prime minister, said the kingdom's economy is predicted to grow by 6.6 percent in 2023 from 5.4 percent in 2022. To meet the expenditure, the government is expected to make a total revenue of 7.21 billion U.S. dollars next year, up 14.5 percent from this year, according to the draft budget law. It added that the government has also planned to borrow another 1.7 billion SDR (Special Drawing Rights), nearly 2.2 billion dollars, from friendly countries and development partners as well as to raise more funds from sovereign bond issuance. Chheang Vun, chairman of the parliament's committee on economy, finance, banking and audit, said the budget next year would be focused on general administration, public health, education, economy-driven sector, social sector, national defense, security and public order among others. The draft bill will need to be finally reviewed by the country's senate before being submitted to the king for endorsement. ■ https://english.news.cn/20221129/494b107953ac4689bb6c6e83a1e61d97/c.html

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Some 460,000 people in Cambodia have fallen below poverty income thresholds since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, said a World Bank report released on Monday. Titled Poverty Assessment Report for Cambodia, Toward a More Inclusive and Resilient Cambodia, the report said Cambodia's poverty rate dropped from 33.8 percent to 17.8 percent over the 10-year period between 2009 and 2019, with almost 2 million Cambodians escaping poverty. "Since 2020, the rate has increased by 2.8 percentage points, indicating that around 460,000 people have fallen below poverty income thresholds," the report said. Maryam Salim, World Bank country manager for Cambodia, said despite the impressive success in poverty reduction from 2009 to 2019, many households remained vulnerable, with few savings or safety nets. "This meant COVID-19 dealt a setback to the country's progress in combating poverty as employment and wages diminished," she said in a news release while launching the report. To support a more inclusive and resilient recovery from the pandemic and the economic shocks that came with it, Cambodia could consider a range of policy actions, the report said, adding that these included targeted cash transfers, steps to strengthening social protection and investments in health and education. The Southeast Asian nation has a population of 16 million people. The World Bank said the national poverty line in the kingdom is 10,951 riel or 2.7 U.S. dollars per person a day. https://english.news.cn/20221128/8a1970670f654e5c99b9bcb1c2022c8c/c.html

NagaWorld union leader Chhim Sithar was questioned at the Phnom Penh International Airport today and has been sent to prison, with a police official saying she violated her bail conditions. Phnom Penh Police spokesperson San Sokseyha said the immigration police had arrested Sithar at the airport because the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued an arrest warrant for the union leader. He said this was because she had traveled overseas, which was against her bail conditions. He added that she had been taken to court. “This morning the Phnom Penh police cooperated with [immigration at] the airport because of an arrest warrant of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for failure to comply with the court decision on March 14, 2022,” he said, referring to the day Sithar was released on bail. “Sithar doesn’t have a right to leave Cambodia unless the court decides for her.” Sithar and 10 others are on bail, but it was unclear whether they were prevented from traveling overseas, and whether there were restrictions on reasons she could leave the country. Licadho, which represents some of the charged NagaWorld workers, said Sithar had been moved to Prey Sar prison this afternoon. read more https://vodenglish.news/nagaworld-union-leader-detained-at-phnom-penh-airport/