geovalin

A plan to ban vehicles with right-hand side steering wheels quickly faltered after truck drivers protested in the days following the implementation date. Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday morning that the ban — which would have required vehicles to be modified — was now being scrapped. The ban, initially announced in December, came into force on July 1 but was quickly opposed on Tuesday by hundreds of truck drivers who blocked a road in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district in protest. Truck driver Long Sombo, who joined Tuesday’s protest, said it would have cost anywhere from $300 to $7,000 to move a steering wheel to the left side of a vehicle. He said he was already more than $3,000 in debt to pay customs tax on his truck. He did not believe right-hand-drive vehicles were a major safety risk on the roads. “I think it isn’t appropriate, and the important thing is that it depends on the driver and those traveling along the road and their carelessness,” Sombo said. Hun Sen said in his speech that the change was a response to the people’s demand and to reduce their hardships, but reminded them they would still have to pay all required taxes. read more https://vodenglish.news/hun-sen-backtracks-on-banning-right-hand-drive-vehicles-after-protest/

According to the World Health Organization eating contaminated, spoiled, or toxic food can be a root cause of about 200 diseases and because “the majority of street foods are extremely unhealthy” are causes for the government’s relentless effort to ensure cleanliness in street food services nationwide. The government aims to remove the blight of food poisoning from street food by 2030. The recent enactment of the Kingdom’s Food Safety Law is seen as a much-needed measure in the right direction, but knowing that relying on the law alone will not stamp out unhygienic street food, the government is now stepping up awareness among food vendors on the need to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health. Sok Silo, Secretary-General of Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, said enforcement will also be taken to compel vendors to clean up their act. “The majority of street food is extremely unhealthy and dangerously impair people’s health. Food poisoning can lead to hundreds of diseases, which is why authorities are most concerned about unsafe food.” “The World Health Organization has found that food poisoning can lead to about 200 diseases. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501107130/govt-to-clean-up-street-food/

Six Taiwanese men were detained and charged yesterday by Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court for allegedly possessing and trafficking more 141,000 kilogrammes of drugs and drug manufacturing material. Provincial Anti-Drug Office Deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Vong Sokchea said that the suspects were identified as Zen Ming Jian, 44; Ling Yan Hong, 40; Chai Yu Zhong, 35; Chen Wei Yao, 38; Chen De Yan, 42; and Li Chong Hui, 51. All are Taiwanese tourists living in Preah Sihanouk province. Lt Col Sokchea said they were all charged with “drug possession, producing, transporting and trafficking” under Articles 38 and 40 of the Cambodian Law on Drug Control. If convicted, they face life in prison. He noted that they were arrested on June 29 after police raided their rental house in Sihanoukville’s Bei commune. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501107271/six-men-arrested-over-14-tonnes-of-drugs/

2 men are today in hospital after they were attacked in a frenzied attack by a wild bear. This incident happened at Chhay Bei Choan, Stung Ta Chan Annex, in Chhay Lok village, O’Som commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province, at 12:40 on Monday. The 2 vbictims have been named as Ngoy Ngoeun, a 33-year-old male village guard, and Phi Pheakdey, a 29-year-old male, who was seriously injured. Chhay Lok village, O’Som commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province. Colonel Theang Leng, Inspector of Veal Veng District Police Inspectorate, said that the 2 men were fishing when they encountered the animal, which caused serious injuries by biting and tearing their flesh. It is not known whether the attacking animal was an Asian Black Bear or a Sun Bear – the 2 types of bear that live in Cambodia. Both victims are currently being treated and treated at a private hospital in O’Som commune. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501106964/2-seriously-injured-in-bear-attack/

The Candlelight Party will discuss a possible alliance with four smaller opposition parties next month. Cambodia’s opposition Candlelight Party is once again urging government officials to stop harassing its members after a provincial governor from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party compared Candlelight members recently elected to local offices to a “social plague,” sources in the country told RFA. The complaint comes as members of Candlelight prepare to meet with other minority parties to consider forming an alliance and to make recommendations to improve Cambodia’s elections process. The Candlelight Party won roughly 19 percent of the country’s 11,622 open commune council seats in the June 5 election, establishing itself as the main opposition to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which took more than 80 percent of the vote. Prior to the election, the Candlelight Party candidates reported harassment and intimidation by members of the CPP and its supporters, including government officials. Unless the government acts, the discrimination against Candlelight and other opposition party members will grow, Candlelight officials fear. At a post-election ceremony in the western province of Pailin, provincial Gov. Ban Sreymom threatened the newly elected councilors affiliated with the Candlelight Party, saying they were a “plague we need to get rid of.” “We don’t teach people to be rude and provoke a social toxin or plague. We don’t let them stay. They are a plague, they will be removed or be sprayed with insecticide to kill it,” she said during the ceremony. The comment will make it harder for the commune councils with representatives from both political parties to operate, the Candlelight Party’s chief for the province, Khem Monykosal, told RFA’s Khmer Service. “We haven’t even started our jobs, but there has been a threat already. This comment shouldn’t be used and they should respect the people’s votes. The comment is a major offense to our councilors,” he said. RFA was unable to reach the governor for comment Tuesday. Interior Minister Khieu Sopheak was also not available. Bun Sreymom’s comments were not discriminatory, asserted the CPP spokesperson Sok Ey San. “We empower the provincial governors to advise commune councilors, so I don’t believe they use the events to attack [the Candlelight Party],” he said. Government officials should not use their offices to discriminate against their political rivals, Kang Savang, a monitor with the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia NGO, told RFA. He urged the Ministry of Interior to investigate the case and to punish officials if they are in breach of the law. “Senior government officials should not use terms like that in public because it is against their duties as authorities,” he said. Candlelight Party Vice President Thach Setha said the Ministry of Interior must issue strict measures to prevent such comments in the future. He hopes that the party’s newly elected commune councilors will be able to serve their constituents unhindered so that they can develop their communities. “We want the Ministry of Interior to take tough measures and punish [CPP councilors] who don’t share responsibilities with [opposition party] councilors,” he said. Opposition alliance Five political parties including the Candlelight Party will meet Wednesday to discuss a possible alliance. The four smaller parties — the Grassroots Democratic Party, the Cambodian Reform Party, the Khmer Will Party and the Kampucheanimym Party — will along with Candlelight also make recommendations to Cambodia’s government on improving the election process. “We are advocating progress on improvement to elections to the NEC [National Election Commission], and we all have plenty of work to do on the same path,” Yang Saing Koma, founder of the Grassroots Democratic Party, told RFA. The ruling party is not concerned about the alliance, CPP spokesperson Sok Ey San told RFA. “They all split from the big party,” he said, referring to the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was dissolved in 2017 by Cambodia’s Supreme Court, paving the way for Hun Sen’s CPP to win all of the seats in the National Assembly in general elections the following year. Many of the former CNRP members who were barred from engaging in political activities as members of that party are now members of Candlelight. “Now they want to reunite, but the party lost election to the CPP already,” Sok Ey San said, referring to the CPP’s dominance in this year’s commune elections. Exiled political analyst Kim Sok said the parties should merge in order to compete with the CPP by creating a new political force. “We can’t say we are united and still support different parties,” he said. “If we don’t merge there is no significant benefit.” Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/candlelight-07052022160636.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A security officer guarding the villa of ING Holdings’ oknha Lim Bun Sour was shot dead after lunch on Phnom Penh’s Street 322. At the scene around 2 p.m., the 37-year-old wife of the bodyguard spoke about her late husband through tears. “My child is 5 years old. Speaking frankly, I have nothing. He was a quiet person. People called me and told me my husband had died,” said the woman, giving her name only as Heang. “I was working at the factory when I learned that he was dead.” Heang added that her husband, Kong Soth, 44, came home to Takeo only once a month, though he often called her. Phnom Penh police spokesman San Sokseyha said the shooter was on the run. Police believed there could have been a verbal altercation before the guard was shot, he said. “Now we’re investigating the case,” Sokseyha said. “We cannot make any conclusion yet. … The suspect fired many times.” Phnom Penh police chief Sar Thet added that the bodyguard worked for oknha Bun Sour. read more https://vodenglish.news/oknhas-bodyguard-shot-dead-in-boeng-keng-kang-i/

Despite the poor academic performance of students, the Ministry of Education’s budget for this year has been cut instead of getting additional funds to improve students’ achievement and prevent dropouts. According to the Budget Working Group which comprises 20 international and national NGOs, the Education Ministry was budgeted for $797 million for 2022, while in 2021, it received $810 million, a reduction of 1.6%. Data provided to the Khmer Times by the Ministry of Finance attested to this. Covid-19 has not only proven to be a public health crisis but also a disaster for education in Cambodia as the Education Ministry’s most recent study discovered that Cambodian students experienced “learning loss” in the two pandemic years. With most of these children likely to be from marginalised social groups, government support is crucial in the recovery of their school education and to prevent drop-outs. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501106398/education-ministry-gets-budget-cut-despite-learning-loss/

The National Dengue Control Programme (NDCP) under the Ministry of Health reported 2,423 cases of dengue fever nationwide, including five deaths, in the first six months of the year, compared to 757 cases and one death during the same period last year. Leang Rithea, director of NDCP, said yesterday that it seems to be the nation is on the verge of a dengue outbreak as there was an almost four-fold rise this year compared to the previous year. Rithea added that delay in bringing the affected to hospital claimed two lives in Kampong Speu and Tboung Khmum provinces, and another in Preah Sihanouk province. He said that Tboung Khmum, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk, Kandal, Siem Reap, Kampong Chhnang and Banteay Meanchey are the worst hit provinces. “NDCP have already started fumigation process to destroy mosquito breeding places,” Rithea said, adding that a collective effort by both the public and authorities was essential in stopping the spread of the disease which is caused by an Aedes mosquito bite. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501106465/dengue-outbreak-feared-with-5-deaths-2400-cases-in-6-months/

A Chinese man was killed on Saturday over a $3,000 debt at Bavet city’s Moc Bai casino, commune police said. Chhin Cheang, acting Bavet commune police chief, said construction materials supplier Zhu Jun Sheng, 32, had killed casino resident Gong Jiangyong, 38, over a $3,000 debt. Provincial and city police had investigated and found the debt was unpaid, Cheang said. “Five of our officers went down there, but only two could get inside the compound,” the police chief added. Provincial police chief Koeng Khorn and deputy Kuy Sopheap declined to comment. Provincial court spokesman Tep Phalla said the case was in the hands of prosecutors. City police chief Em Sovannarith, however, denied there had been such a case. The casino has five directors all originally from Myanmar. They have all been granted Cambodian citizenship, two in 2003 and the other three in 2019, according to government records. The company’s listed contact email and phone number matches a Facebook account, Wei Maly, which has also posted various photos with senior military general Kun Kim, as well as with military police commander Sao Sokha and the prime minister’s nephew Hun To. read more https://vodenglish.news/murder-at-bavet-moc-bai-casino-commune-police/

One of Cambodia’s most prominent young artists, VannDa builds on the astronomical success of his statement-making single ‘Time To Rise’ with a project that he calls a “mental health university” As is customary for a music superstar to do in 2022, VannDa wiped his Instagram page clean when it came time to drum up anticipation for his new album ‘Skull 2 (Season 1)’. The 25-year-old rapper erased (or archived) all the content that had been pored over by his 572,000 adoring followers, but then proceeded to make one single post on his feed: a candid collection of photos and video of himself taking deep, well-deserved naps. After all, it’s hard work being the pride and joy of Cambodian popular music. “There’s definitely pressure and I’ve been working harder. This is the biggest project that I’ve ever done before,” VannDa later tells NME. “It’s my first time operating at this level… I’m excited even though there’s pressure, and I’m excited to show the fans what’s up.” Last Friday, he did just that with ‘Skull 2 (Season 1)’, the first half of the sequel to his 2020 debut ‘$kull the Album’. If life is a movie, as the saying goes, VannDa’s current imperial phase is more like a TV show, and this project its first batch of 15 episodes. And in characteristic ‘second album’ fashion, these productions are polished yet unpredictable, these songs riveting – and sometimes heart-rending – in their honesty. read more https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/music-features/vannda-cambodia-album-skull-2-season-1-interview-time-to-rise-3260998

Cambodia is known for its natural resources and rich biodiversity and in recent years the conservation work has seen increasing populations of endangered animals. Researchers reported that the Mekong giant salmon carp, which has not been seen in the Mekong for two decades, has returned to the waters. Dr Heng Kong, Director of the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, and Thach Panara, Director of the Laboratory of the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute of the Fisheries Administration said, “In Cambodia, we have more than 500 species of freshwater [fish], including 58 species protected by law (29 species of freshwater and 29 species of saltwater), and more than 100 rare fish species.” The Mekong giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus) was sighted in the Mekong for the first time in two decades. The fish was seen in Stung Treng, the same province where Boremy – a giant freshwater stingray – was caught and crowned the largest freshwater fish ever caught. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501106181/mekong-giant-salmon-carp-seen-once-again-in-cambodian-waters-after-two-decade-long-disappearance/

The second visit by the Asean Special Envoy to war-torn Myanmar has proved to be relatively successful, with his focus on bringing humanitarian aid to the suffering people and meeting with some groups involved in the conflict. However, once again he failed to gain access to meet jailed former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi whose government was ousted in a military coup. The five-day visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn, in his capacity as the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair, was wrapped up on Saturday during which he met representatives of seven ethnic armed groups in Myanmar in a bid to resolve the crisis in the country controlled by the junta’s State Administrative Council (SAC). Several key issues, including the developments in the political and humanitarian situations on the ground and in each state and region where the groups are active, were extensively discussed by all sides, a Foreign Ministry’s statement on Saturday said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105749/better-progress-sokhonns-second-visit-to-myanmar-yields-more-results/

With an average annual growth rate of 7.7 per cent for the economy between 1998 and 2019, Cambodia is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world and easily the new ‘Asian Tiger of the 21st Century,’ said Anthony Galliano, President of the American Chamber of Commerce and Group CEO of Cambodian Investment Management Holdings, yesterday. Making a presentation on ‘An Overview of Cambodian Market: What Drives the Economy and What Opportunities Are Rhere for Local, Multinational Companies and Individual Investors,” at the real estate property show at Premier Centre, Sen Sok yesterday, Anthony said Cambodia is now on the same growth trajectory as that of Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea that were billed as Asian Tigers due to their rapid industrialization and over seven per cent growth between the 1960s and 1990s. He said there is a misguided perception in the world of Cambodia as a poor, underdeveloped country recovering from war and genocide. “But this is far behind Cambodia and almost 50 years ago. Now it is a lower-middle-income country and expected to attain upper-middle-income status by 2030, or even earlier by 2028,” Anthony said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105942/cambodia-is-asian-tiger-of-the-21st-century/

Preah Vihear National Authority has discovered ancient Khmer script on the south door of the central tower of Ta Men temple. The discovery of the old writing has attracted the attention of experts who visited the site on Saturday to research and document the find. Kong Puthikar, Director General of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said yesterday that the script was found when technicians were clearing vegetation from the doorway. He said Ta Men temple is in the Koh Ker resort area located in Kulen district, Sroyong commune and covers the villages of Romchek, Koh Ker and Sroyong Choeung in Preah Vihear province. Ta Men temple is next to an ancient road that connects Angkor Wat to Wat Phu, which is now located in Laos. He added: “Ta Men temple was not previously in the Koh Ker resort area, but when we prepared the documents to be included in the World Heritage List, international experts suggested that we expand the conservation area of the Koh Ker temple resort. This expansion covers the temple of Ta Men, which is next to an ancient road.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105892/ancient-script-discovered-at-ta-men-temple/

A French female teacher passed away from chronic illness in Mondulkiri. The incident was reported on the evening of July 1 in Putang Village, Romnea Commune, Sen Monorom City, Mondulkiri. According to the police, the French national was named Iris Alianche, 46 years old. She was an online teacher with passport number 20ED17815. According to the police, after receiving the information about this case, the specialized force of the Technical and Scientific Office in cooperation with the Sen Monorom City Police Inspectorate and the medical team of Sen Monorom Referral Hospital, inspected the scene of the body. The authorities said that she passed away due to asthma. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105418/french-national-passes-away-in-mondulkiri/

2 cruel brothers – who were on a mission to kill dogs to sell for meat – were arrested this morning. The 2 siblings were arrested by the police of Kampong Chhnang City at 3:30 AM on July 2, 2022 in Kvit village, Pong Ror commune, Rolea Bier district, Kampong Chhnang province. They were part of a gang who drove on motos to kill defenceless dogs to sell them as part of the dog meat trade.The 2 men have been named as Khy Sokchea, male, 32 years old, and Khy Sopheas, male, 20 years old, both living in Trapeang On Village, Chrey Bak Commune, Rolea Bier District, Kampong Chhnang Province. Police say that Khi Sopheas hit the dog on the head with a hammer until it died. When the two suspects arrived at Phsar Thmei in Village 7, Sangkat Khsam, Kampong Chhnang City, Kampong Chhnang Province, they met with the Kampong Chhnang City Police Inspectorate, which was patrolling to provide security for the villagers. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105417/dog-meat-killers-arrested/

Cambodia’s famed Angkor Archeological Park received 59,983 foreign tourists in the first half of 2022, up 10 times compared with the same period last year, said a press statement on Friday. The ancient park earned $2.42 million in revenue from ticket sales during the January-June period this year, also up 10 folds from last year, said the state owned Angkor Enterprise’s statement. In this June alone, the park welcomed 14,204 foreigners, up 24 times compared to the same month last year, it said. Located in northwest Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country. Long Kosal, deputy director-general of the Apsara National Authority, said the Angkor is predicted to attract more tourists in coming months and years as the COVID-19 pandemic has waned. “As our country has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers without quarantine, I believe that more international tourists will spend their holidays at the Angkor in the near future,” he told Xinhua. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501105234/international-tourists-to-cambodias-famed-angkor-up-10-folds-in-h1-of-2022/

The Chinese Embassy this week warned its nationals of violent incidents and recruitment traps by scam operations in Cambodia, and asked that citizens report and testify against fraud, kidnapping and illegal detention. In a statement posted online Wednesday in Chinese, the embassy said there had recently been an unusual string of incidents resulting in injuries for Chinese nationals in Cambodia. Without detailing the incidents further, the statement warned against “recruitment traps,” in which scam operations entice Chinese citizens to be smuggled into Cambodia with false advertisements of high-paying jobs in human resources, sales or customer service. “Citizens must not believe in false advertisements of high-paying jobs. If citizens encounter fraud, kidnapping, illegal detention and such, please report to the police and the embassy immediately,” it said. The statement stressed that scam operations and online gambling were illegal, and said “offenders will be punished.” Chinese law enforcement agencies would work with Cambodian authorities to “step up” against scam operations led by Chinese nationals, it said, offering leniency under the law for anyone willing to come forward with information. read more https://vodenglish.news/china-issues-warning-of-cambodia-scams-detention-as-blood-slave-deported/

A Phnom Penh ‘massage shop’ was busted last night after authorities received reports that it was offering sexual services from an underaged girl. The Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department of the National Police launched an operation at around 9:30 pm on June 29, 2022, to crack down on sex workers at the “666” massage shop at 07A National Road No. 5 in Group 3, Lor Kambor Village, Sangkat Svay Pak, Khan Russey Keo, Phnom Penh, 3 masseuses – one of them underage – and the 2 bosses of the operation – named as husband and wife Choch Choeun, 29 years old and Horn Sopheany 41 years old – were taken into custody. The operation was led by Major General Sambo Manarith, Deputy Director of the Anti-Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department of the National Police and Coordinated by Mr. MOT Dara, Deputy Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and with the cooperation of the Office Anti-trafficking and protection of minors of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police and local police. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501104347/phnom-penh-massage-shop-busted-for-offering-sex-services-from-underaged-girl/

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sent two Taiwanese drug kingpins to 27 years in jail each over drug abuse, trafficking and possession of weapons while their five accomplices, including a Vietnamese woman, got lesser jail terms. Presiding Judge Theam Chan Piseth said that the seven Taiwanese accused were identified as the Lin Po-I, 33, and Chuang Hung Tai,36, the masterminds; and Wu Ching Yuan, 33, Chao Wen Chung, 33, Li Rui Teng, 33, Zhang Bo Han, 43, and Chin Khan Hao, 30, the accomplices. The Vietnamese woman was identified as Truong Quynh, 28, the girlfriend of Hao. The drug kingpins Li Po-I and Chuang Hung Tai got 27 years in jail and a fine of $10,000 each while accomplices Chao Wen Chung, Li Rui Teng, Zhang Bo Han, and Chin Khan Hao and Truong Quynh got two years and six months in prison and a fine $2,500. Meanwhile, Wu Ching Yuan was sentenced to three years in jail and a fine of about $ 2,500. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501104681/27-years-in-jail-10k-fine-each-for-two-taiwanese-drug-kingpins/

From June 23 to 25, the Anti-Drug Department and the Phnom Penh police raided 15 locations in the capital and arrested 31 people for selling and using e-cigarette products, but police can only educate offenders and make them sign a contract not to use or sell the products as there is no law to punish e-cigarette users. In the raids, National Police seized 3,409 vape e-cigarettes, three shisha and e-cigarette mouthpieces, 2,785 vape bottles, 922 boxed kits of vape e-cigarettes, and six boxes containing a total of 1,266 sets of e-cigarette chargers. Police in other provinces also started tightening the ban on the use and sale of e-cigarette products. Deputy Director of the Anti-Drug Department of the National Police Lieutenant General In Sung said yesterday that business owners and consumers who ignored the recent instructions from the National Police about using and selling e-cigarette products would be educated and made to sign a contract to stop their activities. Lt Gen Sung also said that after the contract was signed, business owners and consumers are allowed to return home. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501104632/police-raid-15-e-cigarette-outlets-arrest-31-users/

Yeang Sothearin has been ‘under investigation’ since his arrest in 2017. An appellate court in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh upheld a lower court’s decision not to return the passport of Yeang Sothearin, citing an ongoing investigation into the former RFA editor and reporter, he told RFA. Yeang Sothearin, who also worked as a news anchor for RFA’s Khmer Service, was taken into custody in November 2017 along with Uon Chhin, who was an RFA photographer and videographer. They were charged with “illegally collecting information for a foreign source” after RFA closed its bureau in the capital in September that year amid a government crackdown on independent media. They have since been charged with additional crimes. If convicted of the first charge, they could face a jail term of between seven and 15 years. They remain out on bail but in legal limbo after a series of appeals have been rejected by courts. Yeang Sothearin said the court’s decision would prevent him from visiting his ailing father, an ethnic Cambodian living in southern Vietnam, or participating in NGO activities outside of Cambodia. “I told the court that it has been five years, it is a long time and I don’t know when it will end,” Yeang Sothearin told RFA’s Khmer Service. “There is no indication from the judge of when the investigation will end and they won’t tell me when my passport will be returned, so how can I live? I will use my rights to demand [my passport],” he said. He said that he will appeal again by taking the case to Cambodia’s Supreme Court. The decision not to return the passport violates Yeang Sothearin’s rights because the case has been delayed for many years and has not yet reached conclusion, Ny Sokha, president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (Adhoc) told RFA. He said the delay affects both Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin. “We don’t see any indication that they want to avoid the court or flee overseas. They have houses here and they want the freedom to travel to make a living. I don’t see any reason to restrict their freedom,” he said. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/appeal-06302022173624.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Only 1 in 10 commune chiefs elected across the country last month are women, as a ruling party spokesman said what mattered was effective gender-promoting policies and not the gender of candidates. Some 173 women were elected as chiefs of 1,652 communes in Cambodia, an NGO-led press conference on Thursday heard — an increase of 32 women, or two percentage points from 8% to 10%, from the previous 2017 commune election. Overall, 2,562 of 11,622 elected councilors, or 22%, are women. CPP spokesman Chhim Phal Virun said the party considered gender issues to be important, and it knew how to manage the situation without civil society commentary. “For me, the NGOs say the same thing like a broken record. The registration of women or men as candidates, or the number of women — it is the party’s internal affairs,” Phal Virun said. “It is not about the number of women candidates. The important thing is that whether [or not] those standing are men or women, how effective the policies for women and gender promotion are. This is an important thing.” read more https://vodenglish.news/10-of-new-commune-chiefs-are-women/

Three Thai workers being transported from Kandal to Preah Sihanouk stole the car as their driver was outside urinating and tried to drive home to Thailand in order to escape from casino work where they were allegedly detained and unpaid, police said. “According to their confession, they had no salary, and we don’t know whether they lied to us or not,” said Takeo province’s Tram Kak district police deputy Sok Sochea. “Their casino boss wanted to send them back to Sihanouk, and they said they did not intend to steal the car to sell, but they wanted to escape from working in the casino because they didn’t have freedom and [the casino] detained them without providing their salary.” Sochea added that the three Thai nationals were arrested penniless. “They didn’t have a single cent and they had only plastic bags of clothes,” he said. “They don’t have passports. They could have been cheated, and, simply, I think they have been sold. We had to buy them food since they didn’t have money with them.” “I’m not sure about the procedure and I made a report for stealing a car.” read more https://vodenglish.news/three-thais-escaping-forced-labor-arrested-for-stealing-car-police/

Cambodia has condemned move to restrict Suu Kyi to solitary confinement and has urged the authorities to send her back to house arrest. In a recent diplomatic developments between Cambodia and Myanmar, the issue of the recent confinement of Aung San Suu Kyi has come to the fore. The Foreign Minister of Cambodia, Prak Sokhonn, has urged Myanmar’s ruling State Administration Council (SAC) to release Suu Kyi. Sokhonn is not only the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation but also serves as ASEAN’s chair as special envoy to Myanmar. It is to be noted here that Suu Kyi was transferred from house arrest in Naypyidaw to a much harder confinement facility last week. The solitary confinement facility is located in a wing of the capital’s prison, which is known for its strict and rigid protocols. The Foreign Ministry of Cambodia issued an official statement, in which Sokhonn stated, “I have no doubt that the same concern resonates beyond ASEAN, considering that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is regarded internationally and by many in Myanmar as having a critical role in your country’s return to normalcy and national reconciliation through a peaceful political solution.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501104111/cambodia-condemns-suu-kyis-solitary-confinement/