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Soung Dorn, 47, was suffocated by a military policeman on Aug. 7, villagers and his daughter say. The family of a 47-year-old Cambodian man is seeking justice after he ducked into a café to avoid a rainstorm, got caught in a police raid on on-line cockfight gambling, and suffocated during a rough interrogation, his daughter said Tuesday. Soung Dorn, who was deputy chief of Rong village in the central province of Kampong Thom, died Sunday evening at the hands of a military policeman who pressed his arm over his windpipe until he stopped breathing, Nearadey Din told RFA after reporting the death in an appeal for justice on Facebook. “As he came from a meeting, it was raining and he took shelter in a coffee shop. Then a military police officer grabbed my father and pressed his neck until he could not breathe, and he died,” she wrote on Facebook. I’m still so sad and shocked, I feel like fainting,” she told RFA Khmer. “This should not have happened to my father. They can make an arrest, but why make people die?” Nearadey appealed on Facebook to Prime Minister Hun Sen and the chair of the Cambodian Human Rights Commission “to seek justice for our father, who has suffered atrocities and such inhumanity.” In response to the incident, the commander of the National Gendarmerie, Sao Sokha, told local media that he had ordered the suspension of officials involved in the arrest on Sunday and set up a commission to investigate the case immediately. But Nearadey told RFA on August 9 that her family and villagers reject the police forensic results that said Soung Dorn died of a heart attack. She said that her father was healthy and never had heart disease or any other disease. People shouted that he did not look good and suggested taking him to the hospital first, and arrest of him later, but they refused to do so,” said Nearadey, referring to military police. Nearadey also rejected claims by National Gendarmerie spokesman Eng Hy, who wrote on his Facebook page that officers had tried resuscitate her father with CPR. She said the military police left her father to die and then took him to a district hospital. read more https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/choking-death-08092022181015.html

Kampong Speu governor Vei Samnang promised to demarcate the boundaries of Metta forest in Trapeang Cho commune, even though teams of workers have completely deforested the area, save for trees around a pagoda. Workers, working under direction from soldiers, have completely stripped the forestland of any trees earlier this year, stopping short of a pagoda on the southwest corner of the forest. Soldiers from the unit have been seen in the area, coordinating the clearings and threatening village residents opposing the deforestation. Samnang, accompanied by around 20 officials, met with 30 residents on Tuesday and promised to define the boundaries for the remaining forest, once asking the villagers to ask NGOs for help and then later saying he was looking for funds from the Environment Ministry to demarcate the land. On Wednesday, Samnang was confident of resolving the issue. read more https://vodenglish.news/kampong-speu-governor-promises-demarcation-of-destroyed-metta-forest/

Cambodia has recorded an increase of 500% in air passengers in the first seven months of 2022, according to Sin Chanserivutha, Undersecretary of State and Spokesman for Civil Aviation. Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia has recorded an increase of 500% in air passengers in the first seven months of 2022, according to Sin Chanserivutha, Undersecretary of State and Spokesman for Civil Aviation. He said Cambodia welcomed 908,059 air passengers in the seven-month period. This number, however, was down 74% compared to the same period in 2019. The increase came after Cambodia removed all measures and barriers to facilitate air travel in the ‘new normal’, the official explained, adding the increase in flight frequency shows that Cambodia is returning to the pre-pandemic growth level. Between January and July, there were 12,550 flights launched from/to Cambodia, a rise of more than 110% year-on-year, but still down 70% over the corresponding time in 2019. He forecast that the domestic aviation sector will reach the pre-pandemic level at the end of 2023 or early 2024. read more https://en.vietnamplus.vn/cambodias-air-passengers-increase-by-nearly-500/235265.vnp

The rare decision follows repeated appeals by environmental groups and the public. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a rare order over the weekend putting an end to the clearance of forest adjacent to the country’s largest zoo, following multiple appeals by environmental groups and members of the public. The Phnom Tamao forest, located roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Phnom Penh, is home to many rare and endangered species, and is the only forested eco-destination anywhere near the capital. The forest encompasses an area of more than 6,000 acres (2,450 hectares) and is home to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, established in 1995. In April, media reported that the government had agreed to sell more than 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of the protected forest to real estate company Leng Navatra and two other companies said to be close to Hun Sen’s family. Later reports suggested the entire area had been earmarked by the government for development, excluding the 1,000 acres (400 hectares) that contain the wildlife center. Despite widespread protests by environmental groups and members of the indigenous communities that rely on Phnom Tamao forest products, Leng Navatra on Aug. 1 commenced clearance of the area and, within a week, had torn up nearly 400 hectares of trees. On Sunday, Hun Sen posted a message to Facebook announcing that he had decided to end destruction of the forest in response to the “many requests to the government.” “As I am the highest responsible person of the Royal Government, I ordered the forest to be preserved near Phnom Tamao Zoo, an end to the clearing of forest land, and for the forest to be replanted where it was cleared,” he wrote. “Thank you, compatriots, for your participation in giving constructive advice.“ Hun Sen’s announcement drew applause from Phuong Sothy, a resident of nearby Kandeung commune, who said people in the area had been caring for the forest “for more than 20 years, when it was only knee-high.” “It took the company just one week to clear hundreds of hectares of forest,” she told RFA Khmer. Despite the damage to the forest, Phuong Sothy said she was happy that the government had put an end to the development and plans to replant the trees. “I’m so happy that I cried when I heard the news,” she said. An Aug. 6, 2022 photo showing forest that has been cleared in recent days at Phnom Tamao. Credit: Chhoeun Daravy NGOs welcome announcement On Sunday, prior to Hun Sen’s order, NGOs held protests calling for an end to the clearance of Phnom Tamao forest, sources told RFA. Nine members of the Khmer Thavorak Youth Group knelt in front of excavators at the site, unsuccessfully pleading with operators to stop their work, while 10 members of the Mother Nature environmentalist group rode cyclos from Phnom Penh to the forest, carrying signs calling for a halt to development. Both groups halted their activities after learning of Hun Sen’s declaration. Khmer Thavorak Youth Group’s Chhoeun Daravy told RFA that the success of the campaign to end deforestation at Phnom Tamao was a result of public participation, and she urged Cambodians to continue to express their opinions to address other problems in society. “I’m so excited – everybody was jumping with joy when we learned of the decision,” she said, adding that she and her fellow activists “have hope again.” Hun Sen’s announcement was also welcomed by Nick Marx, the manager of Wildlife Alliance, a New York-based environmental group that seeks to offset climate change through forest preservation. Marx, who has been working with Phnom Tamao forest and its wildlife center for 20 years, said his organization is prepared to discuss replanting the cleared area with Leng Navatra and has offered the company its assistance. Prior to the clearance of Phnom Tamao, Marx issued a statement urging the government to refrain from turning the forest “into yet another satellite city near Phnom Penh,” arguing that doing so would “unnecessarily waste a most valuable natural resource.” Instead, he called on authorities to develop Phnom Tamao “in an eco-friendly fashion,” with lodges, lakes, bird watching shelters, game drives, and a team of trained park rangers and guides. “This would be a valuable eco-destination for visiting tourists and Cambodian citizens and would also be a legacy for the current Prime Minister and the government, declaring its interest and desire to conserve Cambodia’s natural resources,” he said at the time. Civil society organizations regularly criticize Cambodia’s government for failing to carry out proper impact assessments before granting land concessions to developers, which they say result in projects that destroy the environment and the livelihoods of area communities. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/halt-08082022153110.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A speeding car driven by three kidnappers who were firing their guns at pursuing police slammed into a concrete pole early morning Tuesday, killing all three suspects, police said. The police chase and shootout came after the three suspects stabbed and shot to death one of two kidnapping victims, according to provincial police. Preah Sihanouk police chief Chuon Narin said the incident began just after midnight Tuesday in front of Hotel 520 in Sihanoukville’s Buon commune. Three Chinese armed “criminal kidnappers” seized one Chinese victim, but the victim tried to fight back and was stabbed and shot, Narin said. The suspects grabbed the second victim and drove off toward National Road 4 as police approached the scene, Narin said. The police chase continued into Prey Nob district, with the suspects firing back at pursuing police. “Our force on patrol heard the gunshot and arrived at the location to find the dead [body],” Narin said. “We chased them into Prey Nob. The suspects didn’t stop and were firing back at the police, and at that time we used the right to defend ourselves” and shot the suspects. “The suspects were injured and were driving very fast and hit a big electric concrete pole very hard. read more https://vodenglish.news/four-dead-after-sihanoukville-kidnapping-police-chase-shootout/

Midway through its position as the Rotating Chair of ASEAN, Cambodia has been praised for its role and contributions as Chair of ASEAN and for successfully hosting the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last week. ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, a research institution formerly known as the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies until its name change in 2015 in honour of Singapore’s First President Yusof Ishak, in its analysis published on its online political platform Fulcrum Commentary complimented Cambodia for its ability in handling the current tensions as the Chair of Asean based on the results of the 55th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting held in Phnom Penh last week. “As Chair of the meetings, Cambodia handled both the substance and the dynamics ably, redeeming it from its decade-old failure to issue a joint communique for the first time in Asean’s history in 2012,” the report said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501129071/research-institutes-publication-and-eu-representative-give-cambodia-good-ratings-as-asean-chair/

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will pronounce an appeal judgment in Case 002 concerning former Pol Pot genocidal regime leading official Khieu Samphan on the morning of September 22. The ECCC Trial Chamber first announced its verdict against the figure on November 16, 2018, sentencing him to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The sentences were combined in Case 002/01. He has since appealed to the Supreme Court Chamber. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501129530/appeal-verdict-for-living-genocidal-regime-leading-official-scheduled-for-september/

NEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The United States will return to Cambodia 30 looted antiquities, including bronze and stone statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities carved more than 1,000 years ago, U.S. officials said on Monday. The Southeast Asian country's archaeological sites -including Koh Ker, a capital of the ancient Khmer empire - suffered widespread looting in civil conflicts between the 1960s and 1990s. Cambodia's government has since sought to repatriate stolen antiquities sold on the international market. Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said the items being returned were sold to Western buyers by Douglas Latchford, a Bangkok dealer who created fake documents to conceal that the items had been looted and smuggled. Williams said the antiquities, including a 10th century sandstone statue depicting the Hindu god of war Skanda riding on a peacock, were voluntarily relinquished by U.S. museums and private collectors after his office filed civil forfeiture claims. "These statues and artifacts ... are of extraordinary cultural value to the Cambodian people," Williams said at a ceremony in Manhattan announcing the return of the antiquities. U.S. prosecutors in 2019 charged Latchford, a dual citizen of Thailand and the United States, with wire fraud and smuggling over the alleged looting. He died in Thailand in 2020. read more https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/united-states-returns-cambodia-30-antiquities-looted-historic-sites-2022-08-08/

Workers, led by a team of 15 archaeologists and conservationists from the Sambo Prei Kuk National Authority have completed excavations of the first demarcated cluster at the Khnach Tol temple complex of the ancient city of Isanborak that is located in Kampong Thom province. The dig has unearthed a group of ruined temples buried in the ground of the archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, “the temple in the richness of the forest” in the Khmer language. The excavations began in March and were completed late last month. The archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk comprises more than a hundred temples and was inscribed on the World Heritage List on July 8, 2017. The director general of the Sambo Prei Kuk National Authority, Phan Nady, said yesterday that the temple unearthed in the first cluster dig was completely buried in the ground and covered with forest. “The excavations found two towers buried in the ground, one a square shape and the other octagonal shape. The octagonal temple is a feature that did not exist in Southeast Asia in the 7th century.” “The archaeologists also found some diamond pillars and sandstone remnants in the ground, which may be evidence of the temple structure. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501128235/first-temple-of-khnach-tol-unearthed/

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Thousands of Taiwanese lured to Cambodia by the promise of high-paying jobs may be stuck there as victims of human trafficking, according to an estimate by the National Police Agency (NPA). The NPA has found based on a check of flight records that around 1,000 Taiwanese have traveled to Cambodia per month in recent months but only about 100 per month have returned, leaving large numbers of Taiwanese accounted for. The NPA estimated that about 2,000 Taiwanese human trafficking victims are still in Cambodia against their will based on travel records but said there could be as many as 5,000 because of blind spots in the data. It said organized crime gangs often transport victims through third countries or over land borders into Cambodia, which would not show up in travel statistics. Officially, police records only show 141 cases of human trafficking, with 17 consisting of people who were convinced by warnings in airports in Taiwan not to go to their allegedly high-paying jobs overseas. read more https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202208080026

In 2021, 253 inmates died in Cambodian prisons, a huge increase when compared to 2017 when only 100 prisoners died, and has steadily increased since then, or a massive increase in the number of deaths by 232% over five years. The large increase in deaths has been put down to the type of inmate, specifically drug offenders. According to the summary report on the main achievements of the government in 2020-2021, the total number of detainees in 2021 was 37,612, compared to 28,414 in 2017. In a five-year period, there was an increase in inmate numbers of 71.04%, while in 2021, a total of 16,781 prisoners were released. A spokesman for the General Department of Prisons Lieutenant General Nuth Savna said yesterday that the increase in the number of detainees nationwide was due to the legal system processing criminals more effectively and the prevention of drug crimes across the community, especially the implementation of court orders to detain the accused. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501128232/prisoners-dying-while-incarcerated-has-increased-dramatically-and-authorities-put-the-deaths-down-to-the-type-of-inmate/

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Lee Satterfield will travel to New York, New York on Monday, August 8, where she will join the Keo Chhea, the Ambassador of Cambodia, and representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (USASD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for a repatriation ceremony of 30 pieces of cultural property, including a 10th Century sculpture ‘Skanda on a Peacock,’ which has cultural and religious significance to the people of Cambodia. The Assistant Secretary’s visit will follow Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s travel to Cambodia this week and underscores the United States’ commitment to preserving cultural heritage and property in Cambodia and around the world, as well as the bilateral and people-to-people relationships between the United States and Cambodia. Assistant Secretary Satterfield will also highlight Cambodia’s regional leadership as a partner in cultural heritage protection through the U.S.-Cambodia cultural property agreement, the only such agreement between the United States and an ASEAN member.   read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501127959/assistant-secretary-lee-satterfield-travels-to-new-york-city-for-repatriation-of-cultural-property-to-cambodia/

2 Chinese men and a woman – all ex-employees of the casino – were arrested yesterday, accused of the brutal double murder of 2 men in a Sihanoukville casino last month. The 2 men were shot dead on on the night of July 30, 2022, at the Tongfang Palirin Casino in Sangkat 2, Sihanoukville. Police have named the suspects as: Ding PingPing, alias Ding QiQi, female, 35 years old, Chinese, previously the manager of Tong Fang Palirin Casino, living in Village 2, Sangkat 2, Sihanoukville Province. Xu WeiWei, Male, 35 years old, Chinese, previously a security camera manager at Tongfang Palirin Casino, living in Village 2, Sangkat 2, Sihanoukville Province. Du Jian Bo, Male, 42 years old, Chinese, previously Security Manager at Tongfang Palirin Casino, living in Village 2, Sangkat 2, Sihanoukville Province. Police also seized firearms and vehicles. Currently, the three suspects, together with the exhibits, have been sent to the Sihanoukville Provincial Court read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501126899/3-foreigners-arrested-for-sihanoukville-casino-double-murder/

Following a week of controversy over plans to develop land around the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, PM Hun Sen has just announced that he is cancelling the development to preserve the wild state of the land. In an announcement issued at around 10am on the 7th of August, the PM states: “Dear compatriots! In recent days, there have been many requests to the Royal Government to preserve the forest near Phnom Tamao Zoo, although the Ministry of Agriculture has explained that Phnom Tamao Zoo is not affected. As the highest responsible person of the Royal Government, I would like to issue an order: 1: Cancel all permissions for exchange and development. 2. Save the land and forest around Phnom Tamao Zoo as land to be protected and conserved by the Ministry of Agriculture. 3. The company that cleared must stop its activities and replant trees on the cleared land.’ read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501127460/pm-cancels-permit-to-develop-phnom-tamao-to-preserve-forest-around-phnom-tamao-wildlife-rescue-centre-as-protected-land/

The recently-confirmed 10-year visas for Thailand and Cambodia have sparked considerable debate about the similarities, real or imagined. The Cambodian My Second Home (CM2H) program was formally launched publicly at Phnom Penh’s five-star Sofitel hotel on July 22 and was attended by senior government figures including the director general of immigration. This incidentally demolishes the idea, favoured on some Cambodian social media sites, that the whole thing is a scam. We now know for sure that the scheme is organized by the private sector but supported by state agencies. The authorities in both Thailand and Cambodia are keen to attract rich executives, experts, entrepreneurs, the idle-rich and even retirees provided they are willing to invest mega cash on an ongoing basis. The Thai rules for a Long Term Visa (LTR) vary somewhat according to category, but anyone with less than one million US dollars, or equivalent, to spare is unlikely to survive the qualifying rules. The scheme is fronted by Thailand’s business-orientated Board of Investment. CM2H specifically mentions a cash investment of $100,000 although it appears that registration charges of several kinds might almost double that figure. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501127275/the-cambodian-and-thai-golden-expat-visas-are-very-different/

For the 'Khmer riche' a European travel document is a prized accessory, but at least one power couple was rebuffed. However much Prime Minister Hun Sen might rail against Cambodian politicians holding dual nationality, a second passport is fast emerging as the must-have status symbol among even his closest allies. Most popular has been sunny Cyprus, an island nation and European Union member state located in the Mediterranean Sea. Previous reports have found that Hun Sen’s niece, chief of police, finance minister, two personal advisors and a senator from his Cambodian People’s Party were all granted Cypriot passports in early 2017. But not all Phnom Penh’s power players have been so successful at diversifying their passport portfolio. Former CPP lawmaker and Transport Ministry secretary of state Ing Bun Hoaw also sought a European passport in 2017. Unlike his former colleagues, though, Ing was hoping to become a citizen of Malta, another EU member state whose border is lapped on all sides by the waves of the Mediterranean. Unlike his former colleagues, his bid was unsuccessful. The passport brokers Assets tied to senior Cambodian political figures totalling more than $230 million have been uncovered by RFA as part of a wide-ranging and ongoing investigation into the CPP elite’s ties to Singapore, a financial hub two hours flight from Phnom Penh. Among those assets were more than $30 million linked to Ing’s wife Heng Sokha. It was in the prosperous city state that Heng launched her family’s quest for a second passport – demonstrating how Singapore functions not just as a piggy bank to Cambodia’s rich and powerful, but also as a gateway to the jetset world of second passports and offshore banking. In early 2017, Heng contacted the Singapore office of Henley & Partners, a Swiss consultancy that prides itself on being “the global leader in residence and citizenship by investment.” Heng has substantial business interests in Singapore, and the consultancy acts as a broker between countries looking to sell citizenship and wealthy individuals seeking to buy it. Later that year, Henley & Partners suffered a leak of some 617,000 internal files. Those files were made available to journalists and researchers through the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s Aleph Database in June of this year. Amid those hundreds of thousands of files are 32 that document Heng and her family’s interactions with Henley & Partners up until the leak. A review of those files by RFA forms the basis for this story. A man prays on a rock at Fort Tigne in front of Valleta, in Sliema, the northeast coast of Malta, June 18, 2022. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce) Heng was interested in getting Maltese passports for herself, her husband and their five children under the island’s Individual Investor Programme, which offered a path to citizenship in exchange for a 650,000-euro (roughly $650,000 at present exchange rates) contribution to the country’s “National Development and Social Fund.” Additional contributions of between 25,000 and 50,000 euros were also required for each dependent included on the application. A quote prepared for Heng by Henley & Partners on March 2, 2017, estimated the total cost to the family at just over 1 million euros. But it did not take long for Henley & Partners to notice there was something interesting about their application. “Our DD [due diligence] found that her spouse is/was a Secretary of State,” an associate at the firm’s Singapore office wrote to her colleagues in Malta in an email dated March 10, 2017. “Please update me on your findings.” Four days later a senior compliance official at the firm responded. They had conducted their own checks and “identified Mr. Ing as a PEP.” An excerpt from the “background verification report” on Heng Sokha and Ing Bunhoaw prepared by Control Risk at the request of Henley & Partners. The three-letter acronym stands for “politically exposed person” and refers to anyone who through their holding of high office – or their proximity to those who do – is at greater risk of being involved in bribery or corruption. Businesses such as banks and law firms that process large transactions on behalf of clients use the term to flag customers for enhanced scrutiny. At a cost of 5,000 euros to Heng, the company ordered a “background verification report” on the couple from Risk Advisory, a due diligence consultancy. The 12-page report came back in July 2017 giving the couple the all-clear. That clean bill of health was clearly important to Ing and Heng. Internal Henley & Partners emails show that the couple’s representatives pushed the immigration brokers to write a letter attesting to their having survived scrutiny. The company, seemingly confused at first by the request, eventually relented. “To whom it may concern,” they wrote. “Henley & Partners is pleased to confirm that Mr. Ing and Mrs. Heng have been through the Enhanced Due Diligence process by way of a Background Verification Report with a positive result.” “In view of the above, we therefore recommend that Mr. ING and Mrs. Heng are fine to proceed onto the next step in applying for the Malta Individual Investor Programme.” Heng Sokha and Ing Bun Hoaw’s representatives pushed Henley & Partners to provide this letter affirming that they cleared the firm’s enhanced due diligence. However, the Maltese government reached a different conclusion, and rejected the couple’s citizenship application. Such a letter can be very useful for someone wanting to avoid scrutiny while moving large amounts of money, according to money laundering and financial crime researcher Richard Smith. “Perhaps to open a bank account. Or just as a thing to be able to wave at an estate agent or anywhere you wanted to transact some money, it wouldn’t do any harm to have that in your back pocket,” Smith told RFA. But in at least one endeavor it was useless. While Henley & Partners and Risk Advisory both gave the family a green light to proceed with the citizenship-by-investment process, the Maltese government disagreed. “The application was refused by the Maltese government minister responsible for citizenship,” Sarah Nicklin, Henley & Partners’ head of PR, told RFA by email. Nathalie Attard, a civil servant with Malta’s Home Affairs Ministry, told RFA by email that the ministry would neither confirm or deny that Heng and Ing ever submitted a citizenship application. She added that, in accordance with the Maltese Citizenship Act, “the Minister does not assign any reason for the grant or refusal of an application for Maltese citizenship.” Nicklin stressed that responsibility for due diligence “lies with the relevant sovereign state” and any checks carried out by the company were “only preliminary ahead of processing by government.” Nonetheless, she said Henley & Partners had invested “significant time and capital in creating a corporate structure that is wedded to best practice governance and the highest levels of due diligence, even before passing a client over to the consideration of a sovereign state.” The Maltese government’s own checks employ such an “exceptionally high level of scrutiny” that its citizenship-by-investment program had a 25-50 percent rejection rate, according to Nicklin. “It would thus be wrong to insinuate or infer that there is weak due diligence in the programmes run in Malta or elsewhere, or that it is an easy way for wealthy criminals to subvert the law,” she added. “The contrary is the case.” Neither Ing nor Heng responded to phone calls, text messages or emails seeking comment for this story. Going global But while the couple’s dreams of Maltese citizenship were dashed upon the government’s rigorous scrutiny, the rejection was a brief hiccup in the internationalization of the family’s footprint. Heng in particular has embraced the jetset lifestyle. Her Instagram profile is awash with images of her on private jets. In several photos she is pictured carrying a Hermès Birkin bag that sells for $95,000. The couple's children have also been educated at British private schools and universities in England and Belgium. A selection of photos from Heng Sokha's Instagram feed dated July 1, 2021, where she's sporting a luxury Hermès Birkin bag. The September after she was rejected by Malta, Heng incorporated Daun Penh Pte Ltd in Singapore. The company does not publish annual accounts, but publicly available information suggests it controls investments greater than its $31 million of paid-up share capital, an RFA analysis found earlier this year. In 2020, she acquired Connectum Ltd, a British payments services provider that acts as a middleman between retail businesses, their customers and credit card companies. Her acquisition of the company was first reported by RFA in May 2021, when it was revealed the company’s former owners had ties to fraud and financial institutions implicated in large-scale money laundering. Seven months later, RFA published details of police and banking records, as well as correspondence by Connectum’s management, suggesting the company had allowed millions of dollars in criminal funds to pass through its accounts. Whatever it was about Heng that made the Maltese government squeamish, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority does not seem to share their concerns. All changes of ownership at British financial services firms must be approved by the FCA. According to Connectum’s most recently published accounts, Heng’s takeover received that approval. A spokesperson for the FCA declined to comment, saying the agency is “unable to comment on individual firms.” Connectum did not respond to a request for comment on the Maltese government’s rejection of their owner’s citizenship application. Dual nationality, a useful scapegoat Hun Sen’s dislike of dual nationality among politicians is nothing new, even if its animus has evolved through the years. He railed against the practice during a May 1996 press conference. "When one wife is angry with him, he runs to the embrace of the other wife. He steals things from one place and keeps them in the other place,” he said. “Politicians should have only one nationality in order to be fully responsible to the nation and to maintain equity between two nationalities." In this April 19, 1997 file photo, then Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen smokes a cigarette during a news conference held in his compound at Takhamao, south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) At the time he was the junior partner in a fractious coalition with the royalist FUNCINPEC party, many of whose leading lights had not long before returned from decades overseas. The CPP was attempting to force through a clause in the Nationality Law that would exclude dual citizens from political leadership. The party talked up national security concerns over divided loyalties and a sense that the recent returnees had lived the good life as refugees and not shared in ordinary Cambodians’ suffering during the Khmer Rouge and subsequent Vietnamese occupation. But it was clear that whatever ideological motivations the CPP might have espoused, the push had more calculated aims. Cambodia was two years away from its second national election in decades. The CPP had lost the popular vote at the first in 1993 and was only now in government having blackmailed FUNCINPEC with the threat of civil war. Had the clause gone through, it would have forced some of Hun Sen’s most popular opponents to choose between their second passport and political office. A quarter of a century later, there is no meaningful parliamentary opposition to the CPP. Today, Hun Sen perceives the greatest threat to his rule as coming from within the upper reaches of his own party. In October of last year, he forced through a constitutional amendment restricting some of the highest offices in the kingdom to individuals holding only Cambodian citizenship. From then on, the dual nationals that make up so much of Cambodia’s ruling class would be prohibited from becoming prime minister, president of the National Assembly, the Senate, or the Constitutional Council. Whether the law will stem the flow of senior party officials seeking to convert the riches they’ve amassed at home into second passports for themselves and their children overseas remains to be seen. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-heng-sokha-passport-08052022154224.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Cambodia will deport the recovered monkeypox patient, Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, to his birth country Nigeria and ban him from re-entering the kingdom for three years, an immigration department official said on Sunday. The 27-year-old Nigerian man, who previously fled from neighboring Thailand despite a positive test result for monkeypox, was arrested by Cambodian authorities in the capital Phnom Penh on July 23 and sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital for treatment. The man recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Saturday. "The General Department of Immigration has decided to deport the Nigerian man and prohibit him from re-entering Cambodia for three years," General Department of Immigration's deputy director-general and spokesman Keo Vanthan told Xinhua. The Nigerian man is the first and only imported monkeypox case in the Southeast Asian country. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on July 23 the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak outside of the traditional endemic areas in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20220807/5db9dc42ddb14a51b85ca9a7532fca39/c.html

GENEVA — Journalists in Cambodia are facing increasing threats and being prevented from doing their jobs amid growing restrictions on press freedom and civic and political rights, the U.N human rights office there said this week. The U.N. agency's report, issued August 3, describes press freedom in Cambodia from January 2017 until local elections held this June. The findings reveal a steady deterioration of democratic rights in the country. The report's authors say the country's media is in a perilous state as Cambodia prepares for elections again this year and in 2023. They say journalists working in the country face harassment and pressure, mainly through the criminal justice system. Sixty-five journalists were interviewed and surveyed as part of the report. Human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence told VOA that 80% of those surveyed said they had experienced surveillance and interference during their work. "For years now, the authorities in Cambodia have actively adopted legislation restricting civic space generally in Cambodia and press freedoms in particular," Laurence said. "Laws and other instruments have been adopted which are empowering the authorities to censor and place journalists and others under surveillance and extend the government's ability to target media workers and freedom of expression through the courts themselves." Laurence said the U.N. rights office in Cambodia has documented the cases of 23 journalists since January 2017 who have faced criminal charges for disinformation, defamation, or incitement because of their work. "The wide range in powers to block information and punish unspecific crimes, they should be scrapped," Laurence said. "What I am referring to specifically are the laws — the law that was introduced around COVID-19 and the decree that was introduced earlier this year on the establishment of their internet gateway." The law on COVID-19 measures enables the government to impose restrictions to curb the spread of infectious diseases. It contains large fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years. Journalists who oppose the measure and report on it can be, and have been, fined and punished. The internet gateway decree, if implemented, would manage all internet traffic into and out of Cambodia. Human rights officials warn the decree gives the government wide-ranging powers to block information and punish unspecified crimes. The U.N. human rights office submitted the draft report to the Cambodian government for factual comments June 20. It says the government's response, which was received July 6, has been incorporated throughout the report. The authors of the report have not specified the changes requested by Cambodian authorities. read more https://www.voanews.com/a/un-agency-warns-of-cambodian-threats-to-journalists-/6689847.html

Phnom Penh, Cambodia — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday urged the Cambodian government to open the naval base it is modernizing with Chinese funds, saying use of the site would pose a threat to Southeast Asia if used for China’s defense. Blinken, in Phnom Penh to participate in the ASEAN regional meeting, hosted this year by Cambodia, called for calm in the face of China’s live-fire response in the waters surrounding Taiwan in reaction to this week’s visit to the self-governing island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Blinken also said ASEAN member nations should counter the military junta that grabbed power in Myanmar in February 2021 by seeking “ways to put more pressure on the regime — economic pressure, political pressure. They should engage with all of the representatives of the people of Myanmar, including the National Unity Government.” He added, “We have to press the regime to allow humanitarian assistance to reach [the] people in Myanmar. And we should look at ways to make sure that weapons don't get to the regime.” While in Phnom Penh, Blinken held wide-ranging talks with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s leader since 1985, that included discussions of how to help get the nation’s cashew and mango crops into the world market, and the return of its far-flung looted artifacts, “something I feel very strongly about, protecting culture,” he told VOA Khmer. read more https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-urges-transparency-from-cambodia-on-china-funded-naval-base-/6689109.html

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday told Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that Washington wanted a "strong, positive relationship" between their two countries. The United States and Cambodia have had a frosty relationship in recent years, with Washington fiercely critical of Hun Sen's ongoing crackdown on his political opposition and increasingly wary of his increasing engagement with China's military. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to be fully transparent about Chinese military activities at its Ream naval base, a State Department spokesperson said. Blinken said that "an exclusive presence would risk damaging Cambodia’s sovereignty, regional security, and ASEAN unity," spokesperson Ned Price said. Blinken also pressed Hun Sen to free all activists held on politically motivated charges and create more democratic space ahead of next year's national elections, Price said.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed his country's efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries at a meeting Thursday with their foreign ministers, which came as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the region. Wang's talks with top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were held amid high tensions in the region, following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which has infuriated Beijing. The group issued a strong statement earlier in the day, urging both the U.S. and China to show “maximum restraint” in the wake of the visit and “refrain from provocative action.” China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its territory and opposes any engagement by Taiwanese officials with foreign governments. In his opening remarks, Wang did not mention the situation but instead stressed how China and ASEAN countries have strengthened cooperation in recent years. “We have safeguarded the oasis of peace in the face of the turbulence in the international security situation,” he said. ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.. China has become one of the biggest lenders to developing countries through its Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade by building ports, railways and other infrastructure across Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Europe. read more https://www.wftv.com/news/world/china-stresses-ties/MAWDFQFKXYZLLEGWFPISELWXCA/

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains a key issue at the Asean meeting in Cambodia, with many states calling for it to end. The 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (55th AMM) and Related Meetings under the theme “ASEAN ACT: Addressing Challenges Together” will continue today in the capital. The meeting will conclude on Saturday. ASEAN Chair Cambodia yesterday presided over 12 important meetings with its dialogue partners, 11 meetings were between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and each of their dialogue partners and the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. According to Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson of the 55th AMM, those meetings included the ASEAN-China, ASEAN-ROK (South Korea), ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-UK, ASEAN-India, ASEAN-Canada, ASEAN-Australia, ASEAN-New Zealand, ASEAN-EU, ASEAN-US, ASEAN-Russia Ministerial Meetings, and the 23rd ASEAN-Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ meeting, consist of China, Japan and South Korea. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501125804/asean-wants-end-to-ukraine-war/

India is intending to strengthen and expand the cooperation with Cambodia in road connectivity from India to Cambodia by crossing Myanmar and Thailand. The plan was revealed by visiting Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India when he paid a courtesy visit to Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh this evening, Eang Sophalleth, Assistant to the Cambodian Premier told reporters. India also wanted to boost the cooperation with Cambodia in the ASEAN and Mekong-Ganga frameworks on the areas of economic, tourism, national defence, mine clearance, investment, community development and temple restoration. In reply, Mr Hun Sen thanked Subrahmanyam Jaishankar for conveying greetings from the Indian Premier to him and welcomed all India’s intentions to foster the cooperation between both countries. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501126259/india-plans-to-build-road-connectivity-to-cambodia/

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has some 17.8 million internet subscribers, exceeding the country's total population of 16 million because many people have subscribed to more than one internet service, Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth said on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference here, the minister said about 17.48 million have subscribed to the mobile internet service and 312,233 to the fixed internet service. "The high number of internet users has importantly contributed to the development of e-commerce in Cambodia," he said. Vandeth said e-commerce has seen rapid development in recent years and that the market value of e-commerce in Cambodia was 970 million U.S. dollars in 2021 and is projected to rise to 1.1 billion dollars in 2022. "E-commerce market value is predicted to reach 1.78 billion U.S. dollars in 2025," he said. The Southeast Asian country currently has five mobile phone operators and 38 internet service providers, the minister said, adding that some 13.2 million people in the kingdom use Facebook and 2 million use Instagram. read more https://english.news.cn/20220804/9203171040e54b24a0c67957ce3b28ca/c.html

Kao Kim Hourn, currently Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, has been appointed the next ASEAN Secretary General, starting from 2023. The appointment was agreed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in their Retreat Session held in Phnom Penh this afternoon, HE Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Spokesperson of the 55th ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, told reporters at a daily press briefing this evening. Kim Hourn will be the first Cambodian citizen to hold this position, since Cambodia joined the ASEAN family on April 30, 1999. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501125446/a-cambodian-senior-official-appointed-asean-secretary-general-from-2023/