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Cambodia won the World’s Best Rice 2022 Award in World Rice Conference (WRC) yesterday after it was commissioned to participate in the world-class rice competition in Phuket province of Thailand, according to the agriculture minister. Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), told Khmer Times yesterday that Cambodian premium fragrant rice won the award for the fifth — 2022 after 2018, 2014, 2013 and 2012 — of its rice industry history since this year since participating in the annual contest, which is a very big honour and proud of Cambodia and Cambodians, especially on the quality of Cambodia’s rice. “The world would recognise more about our country through the award as the producer of the best quality of rice in the world. Cambodian rice is very delicious with great smell for both supplying domestic market and exporting to other markets in the rest of the world,” Tina said, adding the award is expected to promote the quality of Cambodia’s rice. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501187052/cambodia-wins-worlds-best-rice-award-2022/

Phnom Penh, home to over 2.3 million people and growing fast, is in an excellent position to progress as one of Asean’s future smart cities, said experts during a discussion forum recently. The forum, organised at Raintree Cambodia in Phnom Penh in connection with the release of the latest Digital Insights publication by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and EuroCham titled ‘Future of Cities,’ discussed the implications of digitalisation and challenges such as waste management and transportation – some of the key factors defining city planning. The 30-city Digital Cities Index (DCI) released recently by the Economist Impact was used as a model to study the strengths and weaknesses of Phnom Penh in its quest to become a smart city. The analysis of the factors and initiatives of the five top digital cities in the index – Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London and Seoul – found that Phnom Penh has a high score of 56.8 out of 100 when it comes to connectivity. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501187000/phnom-penh-in-excellent-position-to-become-a-smart-city-say-experts/

An Agriculture Ministry official was arrested in New York — and the Forestry Administration’s director is also wanted — for a U.S. felony indictment over smuggling long-tailed macaques. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida issued a statement overnight saying Masphal Kry, the Forestry Administration’s deputy director of wildlife and biodiversity, was arrested on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, leading to the unsealing of an indictment against an alleged wild monkey smuggling ring. The indictment charges two officials of the Forestry Administration as well as six members of a “major primate supply organization,” including its owner and general manager. Forestry Administration director Keo Omaliss is the second of the two Agriculture Ministry officials charged. If convicted, each defendant faces up to five years in prison on the charge of conspiracy, and up to 20 years on seven smuggling charges, the statement said. read more https://vodenglish.news/cambodian-official-arrested-in-us-over-alleged-monkey-smuggling-ring/

As the rotating Chair of Asean, Cambodia is committed to moving forward with the peace initiative on Myanmar with the ASEAN Chair Special Envoy planning a third official trip to the crisis-hit nation before the end of his term. In another development, Malaysia has become the first Asean member to oppose the Myanmar junta government’s planned national election next year. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Chum Sounry told Khmer Times yesterday that Minister of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN Chair Special Envoy Prak Sokhonn will travel to the country to seek the resolution. “As the ASEAN Chair 2022, Cambodia remains committed to moving forward the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, and therefore, the ASEAN Chair Special Envoy stands ready to pay his third visit to Myanmar anytime by the end of 2022 when we see the possibility for progress in this purpose,” he said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501186158/sokhonn-to-make-third-trip-to-myanmar-in-peace-bid/

U.S. President Joe Biden aired a litany of concerns during his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday. Washington — According to a readout of their meeting from the White House, Biden raised his concerns about Chinese construction at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, called for Cambodia to free jailed activists including Cambodian-American human rights lawyer Theary Seng, and urged Phnom Penh to open political space ahead of national elections next year. Biden called for “full transparency” at the naval base on Cambodia’s southern coast, where he U.S. believes China’s military is constructing a base for its exclusive use, a claim that Phnom Penh denies. “President Biden also urged Prime Minister Hun Sen to reopen civic and political space ahead of the 2023 elections. He also called for the release of activists detained on politically motivated charges, including U.S.-Cambodian dual citizen Seng Theary,” the readout said. “President Biden reiterated the United States’ commitment to the Cambodian people and their aspirations for a more prosperous, democratic, and independent country.” Theary Seng was jailed in July after being found guilty of incitement for her Facebook posts supporting opposition leader Sam Rainsy. She began a weeklong hunger strike on Monday in advance of Biden’s arrival in the country. Human rights groups say she is among at least 50 political prisoners in the country. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declined on Sunday to say how Hun Sen responded to Biden’s requests. “But I would say the conversation was direct and candid and constructive. It was not acrimonious or harsh,” Sullivan told reporters in a press gaggle. Hun Sen declined to comment on Biden’s concerns at a press conference on Sunday closing the summit. “You can go to ask the US. I won’t answer. I don’t know what the US says since Joe Biden didn’t talk much with me,” he said. “Joe Biden came not to discuss Cambodia’s internal affairs. He came to talk about global issues.” FILE - Cambodian-US human rights advocate Theary Seng, dressed as Lady Liberty, is arrested by police after being found guilty of treason in her trial in front of the Phnom Penh municipal court on June 14, 2022. (Photo by Samuel / AFP) Biden is now in Bali, Indonesia, where leaders of the world’s largest economies gather amid heightened tension over Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s territorial ambitions toward Taiwan. During his stop in Phnom Penh, Biden joined the US-ASEAN Summit, where regional leaders signed the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which the White House touted as proof of increasing multilateral cooperation. Biden and Hun Sen also discussed efforts to restore democracy and stability in Myanmar after the military coup last year, and Biden thanked Hun Sen for Cambodia’s support of United Nations resolutions supporting Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. “President Biden expressed appreciation for Cambodia’s leadership of ASEAN during a challenging year,” per the readout. The last time Hun Sen and Biden met was in Washington DC in May, when Southeast Asian leaders gathered for the US-ASEAN special summit. Hun Sen noted in a social media post that Biden during that trip expressed his condolences over the recent death of the prime minister’s brother. “He is a person of sentiment and was very respectful, as he has also lost close family members – he understood my sorrow and shared his own grief with me,” Hun Sen wrote of Biden. However, Hun Sen’s trip wasn’t entirely smooth. Cambodia-American Ouk Touch threw a show at Hun Sen during his visit, in what he said was an attempt to humiliate him. Hun Sen expressed his frustration over the lack of legal action in the U.S. in a speech a few days later. “If the U.S. considers shoe-throwing as freedom of expression, it is encouraging [the practice] in other countries,” he said “Now I am concerned for the safety of the opposition party leaders…We can also throw shoes at opposition party leaders’ heads in Cambodia.” However, Biden has been on a sustained charm offensive toward Southeast Asia in his attempt to counter China’s rising influence in the region. He said the U.S.-ASEAN pact signed over the weekend would help address some of the “biggest issues of our time.” "Together we will tackle the biggest issues of our time, from climate, to health security, to defend against the significant threat to the rule-based order," he said, opening the U.S.-ASEAN Summit. "We will build an Indo-Pacific that's free and open, stable and prosperous, and resilient and secure.” Cambodia is seen as one of Beijing’s closest allies in the bloc, though analysts say Phnom Penh’s co-sponsorship of recent UN resolutions backing Ukraine show it is also seeking to warm relations with the west. However, next year’s elections are likely to test Cambodia’s relations with its democratic donors. FILE - Cambodia's Candlelight Party supporters celebrate their dancing before marching during an election campaign for the June 5 communal elections in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, May 21, 2022. Most of the country’s most prominent opposition figures face arrest if they return to Cambodia, while Kem Sokha, the acting opposition leader, is still banned from politics, despite regularly meeting with foreign diplomats at his Phnom Penh villa. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party currently holds every seat in parliament, and although it allowed the opposition Candlelight Party to run in local elections, many of its leaders have quickly found themselves slapped with lawsuits or renewed legal charges. And Hun Sen seemed to warn last month the party could be banned like the Cambodia National Rescue Party, due to its symbolic affiliation with longtime opposition leader Sam Rainsy. Sam Rainsy, who lives in France, penned an opinion article for The Diplomat ahead of Biden’s visit calling for the U.S. president to “take concrete measures to hold Prime Minister Hun Sen accountable for his theft of democracy.” “His administration must also ramp up its use of sanctions against the Hun Sen regime, using the same vigor and techniques it has used to target Vladimir Putin’s allies over their war in Ukraine,” Rainsy wrote. The U.S. Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations advanced a bill in July that would sanction Cambodian leaders involved in corruption and human rights abuses. A spokesperson for Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) told VOA Khmer they expected the bill, a version of which was passed in the House, to reach Biden’s desk by the end of the year. "This legislation makes clear that the United States will not stand by as Hun Sen and his cronies corrupt Cambodian democracy, persecute and jail opposition and political activists, target free speech and independent media, and enrich themselves through rampant corruption," Markey said in a statement introducing the bill. Additional reporting in Phnom Penh, Sun Narin https://www.voacambodia.com/a/biden-pushes-hun-sen-on-naval-base-jailed-activists-political-repression/6835039.html

But half their number are kept out by convictions. In 2017, Cambodia’s Supreme Court disbanded the main opposition party at the behest of Prime Minister Hun Sen and imposed a five-year ban on 118 of its members from entering politics, effectively squelching any political opposition to the strongman who has ruled the country for 37 years. On Wednesday, that ban expired, allowing the former members of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, or CNRP, to re-enter politics ahead of general elections scheduled for July. While nearly half of the CNRP politicians have been convicted of crimes such as incitement and conspiracy to overthrow the government, about 50-60 have not been charged with any offenses and are eligible to become involved in politics again, said CNRP Vice President Eng Chhai Eang, who is among those convicted, and who now lives in the United States. “I am doing politics from abroad where I have full freedom to advocate against dictators who are taking Cambodia for their personal benefits,” Eng Chhai Eang said. “For the five past years, people haven’t remained still. Hun Sen can’t sleep peacefully.” The main reason Hun Sen dissolved the CNRP was because he realized that the opposition party could be the backbone of the power struggle and possibly derail his plan to transfer power to his son, Hun Manet, said Um Sam An, a senior CNRP official who fled to the U.S. on account of political persecution. During the past five years, Hun Sen’s government has become increasingly authoritarian, cracking down on fundamental freedoms, violating human rights, and arresting and imprisoning political and social activists. Hun Sen is still afraid of losing power because he lacks self-confidence and because Cambodians continue to advocate for freedom, despite government repression, Um Sam An said. “After the dissolution of the CNRP, Hun Sen wanted to rule like in North Korea,” he said. “He is holding fake elections without the participation of the opposition party.” New opposition: Candlelight Party The ruling Cambodian People’s Party claimed a sweeping victory in nationwide elections for local councils held in June, though the current opposition party, the Candlelight Party, said were marred by widespread fraud. Founded by Sam Rainsy, co-founder and acting president of the CNRP, the Candlelight Party resumed political activity in October 2021 after being inactive since 2012. Sam Rainsy, who fled to France in 2015 to avoid arrest for various charges his supporters say were politically motivated, said the CNRP is still going strong despite the government ban. “Five years ago, the CNRP was only dissolved on paper,” he said. “Only Hun Sen’s regime thought that the CNRP was dissolved.” Democratic countries still recognize the CNRP and San Rainsy as its acting president, he added. “They recognize and value me as a person who is the representative of half the voters in the country. Nothing has changed me,” Sam Rainsy said. Sok Ey San, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said Cambodia is a democracy that is not experiencing a political crisis that would require the government to negotiate with the opposition and resolve the issue. “The Supreme Court’s verdict dissolved the CNRP so there is no hope that the CNRP will be revived regardless of how many years it will take,” he said. But Kien Ponlok, secretary general of the Federation of Cambodian Intellectual Students, said democracy in Cambodia is on the decline because of the arrest and imprisonment of political and social activists. He urged the government to restore democracy ahead of the 2023 national elections at the request of the U.S., which would enable Cambodia to avoid sanctions imposed by the international community. “While political activists are still being held in custody, democratic space in Cambodia is still not moving forward,” Kien Ponlok said. “Cambodia might become a dictatorial regime.” Translated by Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Edited by Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cnrp-politicians-11162022151739.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Around 100 children abandoned by their parents at the farmstead of League for Democratic party (LDP) leader Khem Veasna are subjected to child labour, a top police official has said. The organisers of the doomsday cult are depriving children of their basic right to education and forcing them to do other household chores and farm work. “Children residing in the farmstead are victims of child labour since they spend most of their time on farm chores rather than studying,” according to Banteay Srei police chief Colonel Long Samnang. Col Samnang said that the children are required every day to wash dozens of dishes, give a helping hand in the kitchen, do laundry, sweep the farm yard, herd the cattle, plough, among others, in order to discipline themselves. He added that the children focus on farm chores and spend less time on studying that is usually taught by the LDP members. “We are watching them closely to find whether the doomsday organisers are forcing the children with punishments to do farm chores,” he noted. He said that the children had already lost a lot of months in study as they are living in the farmstead. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501185401/doomsday-farm-kids-subjected-to-child-labour-say-police/

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court yesterday upheld a 15-year jail term given to 57-year-old woman who sold three minor Cambodian girls to Chinese human trafficking group in 2018. Presiding Judge Sin Visal rejected the appeal plea of convict Chim Chantha, a farmer living in Pong Toek village, Roka Pram commune, Tboung Khmum province’s Tboung Khmum district. During yesterday’s appeal hearing, Chantha admitted committing the offence, and said that she filed the appeal to seek a reduced jail term as she was old and living with many diseases in the prison. Judge Visal said that she was sentenced on May 15 this year by the Kratie Provincial Court to 15 years in prison on charges of ‘Unlawful Removal for Cross-Border Transfer’ under Article 11 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. According to Ratanakiri Provincial Police’s report, Chantha who had been recruiting girls from poor families in the pretext of helping them get married to Chinese men, persuaded three underage girls living in Kratie province’s Snuol district for marriage with Chinese men in 2018. Chantha paid $3,000 each to the victims’ parents for marriage expenses. When the victims arrived in China, their passports were seized by the Chinese ringleaders of human trafficking group. Later they were sold to work as masseuses at a Chinese Karaoke Club there for more than a year and the owner forced them to be prostitute without pay. The girls managed to flee in a cab to the Cambodian Embassy, and were repatriated later to Cambodia in June 2019. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/1185407/no-mercy-for-woman-who-sold-minor-girls-to-chinese-gang/

Media advocacy organizations decried officials’ unexplained decision to ban reporters from news outlets VOD and VOA from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s press conference following the Asean Summit on Sunday. After four days of diplomatic meetings during the Asean Summit at Sokha Hotel — with media access limited or thwarted by technical errors — Hun Sen invited foreign and local reporters to the Peace Palace for a two-hour press conference to ask questions about the summit and Cambodia’s Asean chairmanship. Reporters from Phnom Penh-based news outlets VOD and VOA registered with Information Ministry officials for passes to attend on Sunday. Two hours before the speech’s scheduled start, they were told that a “supervisor” would not allow access to reporters from the two outlets, according to a statement from three media advocacy organizations, including VOD’s parent organization, the Cambodian Center for Independent Media. read more https://vodenglish.news/vod-voa-reporters-banned-from-pms-post-asean-speech/

Myanmar still mired in conflict, and Russian and Ukraine forgo offer to hold talks at ASEAN summit. Cambodia’s longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen may be a shrewd and ruthless politician but his chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year has not enhanced his reputation as a negotiator. Even before the ASEAN summit that opens on Friday, marking the closure of Cambodia’s tenure as the annual chair of the 10-nation bloc, Hun Sen is staring at another setback in his efforts to mediate in an international conflict. First it was over the civil conflict in Myanmar, and now Cambodia’s offer to broker a meeting between Russia and Ukraine on the sidelines of the summit in Phnom Penh appears to have drawn a blank, with neither leader from the warring countries set to attend, according to media reports. In January, Hun Sen, who has been prime minister since 1985 and become increasingly intolerant of political dissent in Cambodia, drew criticism from human rights groups for making a personal visit to Myanmar, where he met with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing who seized power in a February 2021 coup. He then sent Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon to Myanmar twice as ASEAN’s special envoy – failing both times to make Myanmar’s military commit to honoring a five-point consensus on the future of the country that it agreed to at an ASEAN leaders meeting in Jakarta in April 2021. Instead, there has been an escalation rather than an end to violence in Myanmar. The junta has not held talks with the country’s former civilian leaders and ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 26 years in prison on what most independent observers say are politically motivated charges. Humanitarian groups complain that they have been unable to get aid to the more than 1 million displaced people that the UN says have been forced from their homes by junta attacks and the burning of their villages. “Cambodia’s critics assert that Hun Sen gave legitimacy to the military junta by visiting that country,” said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He added that Hun Sen also overreached by sending Prak Sokhon twice “with nothing to show for his diplomatic intervention.” “Finally, critics rounded on Hun Sen for issuing a statement on recent mass killings in Myanmar without naming the guilty party,” he said referring to the junta’s bombing of a concert in Kachin State, killing more than 60 people. “Critics argue now is the time to make contact with the National Unity Government, the main opposition group to the military,” Thayer said. Hun Sen will not get the opportunity to push the junta leader in person since Min Aung Hlaing was not invited to the summit and requests by ASEAN for a non-military representative to come in his place were ignored. Sarah Cliffe, executive director of the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, said the final leaders’ communique at the ASEAN summit may echo the comments of ASEAN foreign ministers who in October expressed impatience with the lack of progress on the five-point consensus. “ASEAN has an opportunity to lead on Myanmar – with the kind of regional leadership it took in persuading the then military junta to grant humanitarian access after Cyclone Narghis in 2008 – but the time is running short to show that the ‘ASEAN way’ can deliver results," she said. Cambodia will pass the baton of the ASEAN chairmanship to Indonesia, amid speculation that Jakarta may take a tougher line with the junta, by setting a timetable for achieving the five-point consensus and pushing for direct talks with the shadow National Unity Government, Nikkei Asia has reported. Meanwhile, Hun Sen has turned Cambodia’s diplomatic focus as summit host to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said the prime minister was willing to broker talks between the warring parties. But Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to attend the ASEAN summit and some leaders objected to plans for a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was cancelled this week, according to Cambodia's Khmer Times. Putin is being represented in Phnom Penh by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukraine by his counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. While there appeared little prospect of diplomatic progress between Russia and Ukraine, as ASEAN foreign ministers met ahead of the summit on Thursday, Ukraine was accepted as a signatory to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation – a peace treaty established in 1976 that covers principles such as mutual respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national identity of signatories. That might be viewed as a diplomatic consolation of sorts for Ukraine as it resists the Russian invasion. The conflicts in Myanmar and Ukraine are still likely to be among the main talking points in the ASEAN leaders' summit that takes place on Friday – ahead of additional summit meetings with leaders from the United States, China and other regional powers such as Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. Officials and analysts say other items on the agenda will be post-COVID economic recovery in the face of soaring inflation and supply chain disruptions; inter-ASEAN, regional and global trade; climate change; and regional security and territorial disputes, including in the South China Sea. The series of meetings wraps up on Sunday with the official handover of the ASEAN chair from Cambodia to Indonesia, followed by a closing news conference from the Cambodian leader. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hun-sen-peace-11092022203548.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he had tested positive for Covid-19, after hosting more than a dozen world leaders including US President Joe Biden at a summit in Phnom Penh. Asia’s longest-ruling leader said in a Facebook post that he got the positive result on arrival in Indonesia for a G20 summit, but was not experiencing any symptoms. Hun Sen had mask-less encounters with leaders from eight Southeast Asian countries as well as the United States, China, Japan, Australia and Canada at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, which wrapped up Sunday. “Beloved compatriots! Now I have tested positive for Covid-19,” he wrote on Facebook, saying he had been tested every day including before flying to the G20 in Bali, and all the results had been negative. “I am not sure when this virus came to me, but when I arrived, the Indonesians took a sample from me in the evening, and in the morning it confirmed Covid-19 positive.” He said it was “lucky” that he arrived in Bali late and missed a dinner with other leaders. read more https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cambodian-pm-hun-sen-says-positive-for-covid-after-hosting-asean-summit/

The 40 and 41st ASEAN Summit and related summits Phnom Penh, chaired by Cambodia, came to a close on Sunday after months of preparations, however, the media at the some of the meetings ran into few problems. Ministry of Information spokesman Phos Sovann said yesterday that on the first day of the meeting, there was a shortage of food for journalists with more than a dozen national and international journalists registered to cover the event which had about 1,790 people in attendance. Sovann said the issue was resolved the next day. He added that another problem was that some international journalists behaved unprofessionally, as they violated the privacy of the leaders of certain countries, especially by taking pictures in prohibited areas. This case was also mediated and resolved by the Ministry. However, he said that on the last day of the ASEAN Summit journalists from the Voice of America (VOA) and the Voice of Democracy (VOD) were barred from covering the event. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501184704/a-snag-or-two-at-asean-summit/

Ta Prohm temple’s Hall of Dancers in the Angkor Archaeological Park has been restored and an inauguration ceremony was held to open the area for the public to visit. The ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon in the presence of Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice-President of India, and Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts. Chan Lay, manager of the Ta Prohm temple restoration programme, said that the dance hall was restored by a team of experts from India in cooperation with the Apsara National Authority (ANA) and was repaired in two stages. The first stage began in 2010 with excavation of the site then repairs commencing in 2012, while stage two began in 2017. Lay added that the first stage of restoration work began with repairing the foundation in the north corner of the hall which continued with repairs to the roof in that section of the temple and was completed in 2014. The second stage continued with repairs to the roof connecting it with the central roof. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/1184814/ta-prohm-temple-restored-and-reopens/

Meant to show Cambodia’s technological progress, the 25 watches together cost about half a million dollars. Prime Minister Hun Sen justified spending about U.S.$500,000 of the national budget on domestically produced luxury watches as gifts for visiting ASEAN dignitaries, arguing they showcased Cambodia’s “scientific and technical progress.” Critics countered that the money would have been better spent on helping Cambodia’s people. Hun Sen commissioned a total of 25 tourbillon watches from Prince Group, Cambodia’s fastest growing conglomerate, as gifts to VIP attendees of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, Summit in Phnom Penh last weekend. Each cost about $20,000, he said during a press conference at the conclusion of the summits on Sunday. The timepieces were meant to show the world what “Khmers can do,” he said. “We want to show Cambodia’s ability to produce watches,” Hun Sen said, while raising one for the media to get a good look. Luxury watches under the ASEAN brand were presented to world leaders attending last week’s summit. Credit: Facebook: Hun Sen Luxury watch collection A luxury watch aficionado himself, the Cambodian leader owns a collection of watches worth at least $13 million, an apparent discrepancy with his $2,500-a-month salary, according to his detractors. He vowed to wear the commemorative watch to future ASEAN summit meetings and noted that some of the other ASEAN leaders were already wearing theirs. “I’m sure my grandkids will demand this watch from me. But I will not give it to them because it is a souvenir of my 3rd ASEAN Chairmanship,” he said. Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia since 1985 and Cambodia has chaired the Southeast Asian bloc twice before, in 2002 and 2012. The 70-year-old leader said he would likely not chair for a fourth time because of his advanced age. Pricey swag The government should have given gifts that reflect Cambodia’s national identity, rather than wasting money on lavish trinkets, Ly Chandaravuth of the Mother Nature Cambodia environmentalist group told RFA’s Khmer Service. “Many Cambodians are living under the poverty line,” he said. “So I think by showing off wealth and pride by giving these watches as souvenirs is not something that I should be proud of if I were the leader.” “The real pride should be when our people are able to live in happiness with genuine peace—free from fear or from any social insecurity,” he said. Cambodia’s minimum monthly wage is the equivalent of about $200 per month. The expensive gifts were not necessary, especially when the government is underfunded, said Yong Kim Eng, president of the local People’s Center for Development and Peace NGO. “Some of our local authorities always complain about lacking budget … to provide necessary services to their citizens,” said Yong Kim Eng. “At the same time, some people living in rural areas flock to neighboring countries to become migrant workers due to their difficulties and suffering,” he said. “They become over indebted just to make ends meet.” RFA was not able to contact government spokesperson Phay Siphan for comment as of Monday. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Eugene Whong. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/watches-11142022155954.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

US president Joe Biden urged Cambodia to free Theary Seng, an outspoken American-Cambodian activist given six-years of jail term for treason earlier in June this year. She was one of 60 defendants charged in connection with a failed attempt by an opposition leader to return from exile in 2019. Mr Biden took up her case with Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen, while meeting him on the sidelines of Asean summit. The president “called for the release of activists detained on politically motivated charges, including US-Cambodian dual citizen Seng Theary”, said the White House in a statement following the talks. Meanwhile, the 51-year-old human rights activist began a hunger strike on Monday as her advocates called for her to be transferred from the prison in Preah Vihear province to Phnom Penh. According to her lawyers, she has been prevented from attending church services and making regular phone calls, reported Voice of America. read more https://sg.news.yahoo.com/biden-urges-cambodia-free-outspoken-112129988.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMgJqKvwOo6vDGFBbRY1AblLrNKg-s1Jko36Ow8XYHjCwy4vm-wFNQ9TnXvJOfHsT7eNdVruQW_75MaUZCU4qq77fE-tIP4zAurrYhaeDkQEZICulqq78g3DlpjFWtD4Cr45ZRAQUR9o-hpfnKRq6xNUOx8zfByGokzyK7RvpYLr

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that he will not be the Chair of ASEAN for the fourth time. “I will not hold the ASEAN chairmanship for the fourth time. Three times as rotating Chair of ASEAN are enough,” he underlined at a press conference here at the Peace Palace this afternoon. Hun Sen continued that by the time Cambodia assumes the ASEAN chairmanship for the fourth time, he will be around 80 years old. Being the ASEAN Chair is not easy, without the wise and flexible Foreign Minister and assistants, he underlined. At the same time, Hun Sen praised and thanked all Cambodian relevant officials for their hard work and the people in Phnom Penh for their understanding and their cooperation on security and public order enforcement, contributing to the success of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501184367/pm-hun-sen-not-to-chair-asean-for-fourth-time/

The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict became the “hottest stone” at the Asean Summit and Related Summits, with ASEAN Chair Cambodia regretting that the two nations’ foreign ministers missed the opportunity to hold talks in Phnom Penh despite the Kingdom having offered to facilitate negotiations. The East Asia Summit (EAS) yesterday also failed to adopt a joint statement while Russia and the US have failed to agree on language for a joint statement following the18 nations’ heated discussions over the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The EAS was attended by the leaders of nine Asean member states, Asean Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi; US President Joe Biden; Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Chinese Premier Li Keqiang; Indian Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar; Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern; South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol; and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501183934/missed-chance-cambodia-regrets-russian-and-ukrainian-fms-did-not-meet-in-phnom-penh/

A boat carrying nine students in Prey Veng’s Por Rieng district sank on Saturday, killing three of the young passengers. According to witnesses, students, aged between 15 and 16, were having a fun ride in a wooden boat on Ta Ey Lake after a football match. The boat sank in the middle of the lake and six were rescued in time. Mao Kimlong, Por Rieng district council chairman said yesterday that he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the three students’ deaths in the boat tragedy. “They were students of the Por Rieng Junior High School. We took action immediately after being informed of it, but we are very sorry we were not able to save them in time,” he said. The three victims Neth David, 15, Po Run, 15 and 16-year-old San Ly Meng. They lived in Kampong Russey commune, Por Rieng district, Prey Veng province. The Por Rieng District Police issued a statement telling students not to play in the water during their free time to avoid accidents. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501183937/three-students-drown-in-prey-vengs-boat-accident/

The Asean Summit in Phnom Penh ended Sunday after 16 summits, 70 new declarations, one presidential gaffe and at least four clogged toilets, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in hotel fees and catering. Ukraine’s foreign minister took the signing of a partnership with Asean, after years of planning, as a show of support for his nation under siege. Timor-Leste was brought into the bloc in spirit but must wait to add its voice to political discussions. Prime Minister Hun Sen received pledges for more than $50 million in aid packages from Japan and more flights to the Philippines. Apsara dancers performed. Tom yum and laab were served on silver trays. Condensation from air conditioners dripped from the ceiling. Watching from outside the Sokha Hotel, activists and human rights defenders in Cambodia and Myanmar shrugged: As usual, they said, it was doubtful the yearly summit would lead to any material change for their situations. read more https://vodenglish.news/i-am-not-holding-my-breath-after-asean-summit-human-rights-defenders-say/

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern landed at Phnom Penh International Airport this afternoon of November 12, 2022 to attend the 17th East Asia Summit and related summits in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen Chair of the ASEAN 2022 and Australian Prime Minister H.E. Anthony Albanese poses for a group photo with other ASEAN Heads of State, Government, prior to the 2nd ASEAN-Australia Summit at Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel this morning. Heads of State Government from ASEAN Member States and their Japanese counterpart hold the 25th ASEAN-Japan Summit at Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel this afternoon under the co-chairmanship of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen Chair of the ASEAN 2022 and Japanese Prime Minister H.E. Fumio Kishida.

At a leadership summit in Cambodia, US president offers a rare kind word for Hun Sen. U.S. President Joe Biden offered rare praise for Cambodia’s authoritarian premier as he encouraged diplomatic support for ending the war in Ukraine and bringing peace to Myanmar at a summit with Southeast Asian leaders on Saturday. Although the control of U.S. Congress lies in the balance back in Washington, Biden signaled commitment to the region by attending an annual gathering of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. His appearance in Phnom Penh, a day after attending a climate change conference in Egypt, serves as a prelude to the first face-to-face meeting of his presidency with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which will take place in Bali, Indonesia, on Monday. The U.S. and China vie for influence in Southeast Asia. Although Cambodia has faced some stiff criticism from the U.S. over its suppression of democracy, Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomed the president saying the meeting showed the Biden administration’s commitment to “ASEAN centrality and a rule-based regional architecture to maintain peace and stability in the region.” “We support the engagement of the U.S in our ASEAN community building process as truly important, especially in the context of bolstering ASEAN’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, promoting regional resilience as well as addressing many pressing issues such as climate change, food and energy security,” he said, adding that ASEAN planned to extend relations with the U.S. to a comprehensive strategic partnership. That will put the U.S. on level-pegging with China, which already has that status. Cambodia is hosting the summit as it holds the rotating chairmanship of the 10-nation ASEAN bloc. Indonesia takes the chair after this week’s summits. Biden stressed the importance of the partnership, saying the U.S administration would build on the past year’s U.S. $250 million in new initiatives with ASEAN by requesting a further $850 million for the next 12 months. He said it would pay for more Southeast Asian projects such as an integrated electric vehicle ecosystem and clean energy infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions. “Together we will tackle the biggest issues of our time from climate to health security, defend against significant threats to rule-based order, and to threats to the rule of law, and to build an Indo-Pacific that’s free and open, stable and prosperous, resilient and secure,” Biden said. The linchpin of the U.S. push in Southeast Asia is the Indo-Pacific Economic Partnership (IPEF) that is intended to intensify America’s economic engagement in the region. ASEAN is America’s fourth-largest trading partner. Whether the members of ASEAN will be impressed by what the U.S. has to offer is another matter. "I don’t think ASEAN states are much sold on IPEF. It contains parts that are anathema to them and yet isn't really a trade deal, and does little to actually further regional economic integration. It's a fairly weak package overall," said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. "China is already by far the region's dominant economy and trade partner and the U.S. isn't going to materially change that. Southeast Asian states are stuck with China as their dominant economic partner. “For some Southeast Asian states [there is] a desire to build closer strategic ties with the U.S, but the U.S. is not going to now replace China as the region's dominant trade partner." CAPTION: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with 2022 ASEAN Chair and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 12, 2022. CREDIT: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque In a comment that would have raised some eyebrows among critics of the Cambodian government’s human rights record, Biden on Saturday thanked Hun Sen – for critical remarks about the war in Ukraine and for co-sponsoring U.N resolutions. Earlier this week, Hun Sen met with the Ukrainian foreign minister. He’s also expressed concern about recent attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian casualties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has skipped the ASEAN summit and sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place. However, Biden did call for transparency over Chinese military activities at Ream Naval base on Cambodia’s southern coast, and urged Hun Sen “to reopen civic and political space ahead of 2023 elections,” and release Theary Seng, an imprisoned U.S.-Cambodian lawyer and activist. The other conflict that Biden mentioned in his public comments to ASEAN leaders was Myanmar, whose military leader was not invited to the summit. Biden said he looked forward to the return of democracy there. Human rights groups have assailed the Southeast Asian bloc for its failure to put more pressure on Myanmar to end the civil war that followed a February 2021 military coup against an elected government. On Friday, ASEAN leaders took a marginally tougher stand, calling for measurable progress toward the goals of its Five Point Consensus that include restoring democracy and delivering humanitarian aid. On Saturday Antonio Guterres voiced his support for the plan, saying “the systematic violation of human rights are absolutely unacceptable and causing enormous suffering to the Myanmarese people.” Cambodia, which has jailed opposition politicians and environmentalists, was not spared criticism by the U.N. secretary general. “My appeal in a country like Cambodia is for the public space to be open and for human rights defenders and climate activists to be protected,” he said. Biden attends the East Asia Summit on Sunday, also hosted by Cambodia, where he plans once again to discuss ways to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine and limit the global impact of the war in terms of fuel and grain shortages that are fueling global inflation. The U.S. president is also holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol expected to focus on North Korea’s recent barrage of missiles fired into the seas off the Korean peninsula -- including one that passed over Japan. North Korea is also reported to be planning a nuclear test. Biden then heads to the Indonesian island of Bali to attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit. Ahead of the G20, on Monday Biden will meet with China’s leader Xi. It will be their first face-to-face talks since Biden took office nearly two years ago. Biden will tell Xi that if North Korea continues on its current path, it will lead to an enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on their way to Cambodia. The meeting between the two leaders comes as Xi begins a third term in office after consolidating his domination of the ruling Chinese Communist Party at a National Congress despite mounting domestic problems inside China. For his part, Biden is entering this Asian summit season after his Democrat party’s slim grip on the U.S. Congress slipped after midterm elections. Analysts say the meeting with Xi is likely to focus on keeping open lines of communication and finding areas to cooperate, as well addressing contentious issues such as both countries’ war games in the region, Taiwan and North Korea. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/biden-asean-11112022233810.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A string of high-level meetings has continued back-to-back in Phnom Penh this weekend, with Asean stating it could reconsider Myanmar’s participation in future talks and the U.N. chief calling for human rights defenders and climate activists in Cambodia to be protected. The Asean Summit, ongoing at Sokha Hotel through Sunday, has seen the arrivals of leaders from the regional bloc’s 10 member countries and other key states, including U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday morning. Since its start earlier this week, Asean officials have issued a statement saying they may reconsider Myanmar’s inclusion in the bloc’s decision-making body amid ongoing violence, while Ukraine’s foreign minister took the signing of a partnership with Asean as a show of support for his nation under siege. read more https://vodenglish.news/asean-suggests-myanmar-could-be-barred-from-future-meetings/

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday thanked Cambodia's prime minister and chair of the ASEAN regional bloc for his critical remarks about the war in Ukraine, and said he was looking forward to democracy returning to army-ruled Myanmar. Biden made the remarks ahead of a meeting with Hun Sen, Cambodia's long-serving leader and this year's head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, which has been leading efforts to start a peace process in Myanmar. https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-thanks-cambodia-pm-stance-russia-war-2022-11-12/

Cambodia has issued a strongly worded rebuttal to those who make allegations that there are Chinese troops in Cambodia. Speaking at the post-ASEAN Press Conference on the evening of November 12, 2022, Dr. Kong Phok, Official Spokesperson of the ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings 2022, received questions from the media regarding the statement of the US White House, which raised concerns about the presence of Chinese troops at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville on the occasion of a bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Hun Sen. Mr. Kong Phok explained that Cambodia has already provided many answers to the allegations and doubts surrounding this issue. He added that Cambodia did not hide the Chinese army at the Ream naval base and that Cambodia has even allowed the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and representatives of the Australian Embassy to visit the site. He stressed that these are expressions of honesty and transparency to foreign friends as well as international partners to clear any doubts. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501183694/cambodia-demands-justice-and-truth-from-from-those-who-allege-chinese-troops-are-at-ream-naval-base/

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday referred to Cambodia, which is hosting an international summit led by Southeast Asian leaders, as Colombia. "Now that we're back together here in Cambodia, I look forward to building even stronger progress than we've already made, and I want to thank the Prime Minister of Colombia for his leadership as ASEAN chair and for hosting all of us," Biden said while meeting his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh. He was referring to Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, who is currently chairing the 10-member regional bloc. The president, who is on a whirlwind trip with stops at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, ASEAN in Phnom Penh and the G20 summit in Indonesia, made a similar slip-up while speaking to reporters at the White House recently. read more https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-president-biden-slips-up-name-asean-summit-host-cambodia-2022-11-12/