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In the first five months of this year, Cambodia detected more than 1,100 cases of dengue fever, an increase of over 600 cases compared to the same period last year, including two deaths. Dr Leang Rithea, Director of the National Dengue Fever Programme of the Ministry of Health, said yesterday that from January to May, there were 1,125 reported cases of dengue fever, including two fatalities. This is an increase of 625 cases compared to the same period in 2021. Last year there were 500 cases, but no deaths. These figures show that dengue outbreaks can occur at any time, which requires people to be vigilant and work together to clean their local environment, especially around homes, and remove any receptacles that can store water and may be contaminated with mosquito eggs, he said. Objects, such as cans, coconut shells, and car tyres, which can store water need to be removed and destroyed as water in the objects are used by mosquitoes to lay eggs that develop into adult mosquitoes, which can carry the disease. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501089983/dengue-fever-cases-surge-in-2022/

A chorus of political parties are decrying the conduct of the June 5 commune election, with the Candlelight Party calling for reforms to the NEC to ensure a smoother process. The Sunday election saw the ruling CPP sweep all but four commune chief positions across the country, according to preliminary results from the election body. Expectations were high that the Candlelight Party would challenge the CPP’s hold on local-level positions but that has so far failed to materialize. Small parties have come out over the last two days and called out the intimidation of candidates, alleged election day irregularities and the NEC’s unwillingness to take their complaints seriously. The Grassroots Democratic Party and Candlelight held separate press conferences on Tuesday and Monday, respectively. Yang Saing Koma, vice president of the GDP, said the election was the “worst” in recent times, pointing to intimidation of their candidates and the presence of local authorities at polling centers and lack of access to the 1102 forms that registers the tallies for each station. The party, which was formed in 2015, was collating all these alleged irregularities and wanted other parties to join together to push the NEC to address the election violations, he said. read more https://vodenglish.news/opposition-parties-unite-over-calls-for-election-investigations-electoral-reforms/

The facility would give China its first naval staging area in Southeast Asia after it opens this week. China is not secretly building a military facility for its exclusive use inside a naval base in Cambodia, a government spokesman said, dismissing a new report that detailed how both countries have been concealing a project that first gained U.S. attention in 2019. The Washington Post reported on Monday that China is building a new facility­–its second overseas military installation after a base in Djibouti–on the northern part of Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, where Cambodia will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. The newspaper quoted a Chinese official in Beijing as saying that “a portion of the base” will be used by “the Chinese military.” The official denied it was for “exclusive” military use, telling the Post that scientists would also use the facility. Cambodian government spokesperson Phay Siphan echoed the Beijing official’s denial that it would be for exclusive Chinese military use. “There is no agreement or law saying that the construction is reserved for Chinese benefit exclusively,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service. He said the base remains open for visits from other countries, including the United States, but the Post report said Cambodian and Chinese authorities have worked hard to hide the Chinese presence in Ream, keeping the Chinese areas off limits to third-country visitors and altering their dress to avoid scrutiny. Ream base became the center of controversy in July 2019 after The Wall Street Journal cited U.S. and allied officials as confirming a secret deal to allow the Chinese to use part of the base for 30 years—with automatic renewals every 10 years after that—and to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships. The reported deal, which would provide China with its first naval staging facility in Southeast Asia and allow it to significantly expand patrols on the South China Sea, was vehemently denied by Hun Sen, who said permitting foreign use of a military base in the country would “be in full contradiction to Cambodia’s constitution.” Last year, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman voiced concern about the Chinese military presence at Ream Naval Base during a visit to the country, citing Cambodia’s razing of two U.S.-constructed buildings on the base in 2020. After meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen, she arranged for the U.S. Embassy to send its defense attaché for regular visits. Ten days later, the attaché arrived at the base, but he cut the tour short when he was not allowed full access, including to the sites of the two buildings. The U.S. had offered to renovate one of them, and the choice to destroy it suggested that Cambodia had accepted Chinese assistance to develop the base, a Pentagon report released last year said. A Cambodian official told RFA at that time that Cambodia never agreed to give the attaché a full tour, and that the U.S. had committed a breach of trust for asking more than what was agreed upon. Exiled political analyst Kim Sok told RFA that Cambodia and China are hiding the truth with their denials. “If any suspicions about the Chinese naval base are not resolved, Cambodia could face serious consequences—not only a diplomatic crisis in the form of pressure from the U.S.—but also it will lead to a security crisis. This will affect regional issues if there is no solution,” Kim Sok said. The base will bring more Chinese into Cambodia for purposes other than tourism or business, Cambodian-American rights activist and legal expert Theary Seng told RFA. “The Cambodian political situation is fragile, especially in terms of building good communication with the free world, because the ruling party dissolved its competitors to bolster the dictatorial regime. This has enabled China to [pounce on] the opportunity to increase its influence [in the region],” she said. Australia-based political scientist Carl Thayer said the semantics don’t change the situation. “Ream Naval Base is a Cambodian base on its own territory. Are they allocating a section that China can use? And if so, can Cambodians gain access to it without seeking prior permission?” he asked. “So Hun Sen says it's not a base, it is a facility, and it's still a base. Or [as] Shakespeare [said], ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,’” added Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “A Chinese navy base in Cambodia, if it's called a facility, it's still a Chinese navy base,” he said. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/base-06072022155613.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Phnom Penn/Battambang — Early projections show the ruling Cambodian People’s Party is headed for a landslide victory in the local elections held Sunday, according to early results broadcast by pro-government officials and the nation’s election body. According to the National Election Committee, voter turnout stood at 80.19% by 11 a.m. local time and at 77.91% when the polls closed at 3 p.m. Some 9.2 million Cambodians are registered and eligible to vote. An official tally is expected to be released June 26. Led by longtime autocrat Prime Minister Hun Sen, the CPP won more than 9,000 of the 11,622 council seats being contested in 1,652 commune offices nationwide, preliminary results broadcast Monday by state media showed. Of the 1,652 commune chief positions, CPP won 1,648. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), casts his vote at a polling station in Takhmua in Kandal province, southeast of Phnom Penh, June 5, 2022. The opposition Candlelight Party is projected to win at least four commune chief positions, collecting some 2,176 commune council seats nationwide, according to the party’s officials Monday. In each Cambodian commune – administrative territory equivalent to a sub-district or a sub-county – a commune council is formed to govern by the proportionate party-list elections. A councilor from the majority party will lead the council as commune chief. ‘Unfair’ elections On Sunday, the opposition and the local rights group LICADHO reported irregularities with the ballot-counting process when the polls closed at 3 p.m. local time. It alleged a number of polling stations restricted access to onlookers, closing the doors and windows of stations from scrutiny. It also alleged intimidation tactics against opposition party representatives. The Candlelight Party (CLP) decried the electoral process as “rigged” and the “worst in history,” citing systematic “bias” to the ruling party by the “weak” electoral authorities. On Monday, the party’s leadership held a news conference to condemn the conduct but added that it would accept the seats won with dissatisfaction. “These elections are worse than the previous ones in terms of transparency and honesty. The public is not being allowed to witness the vote counting, as required by the National Election Committee (NEC),” CLP founder and ex-leader Sam Rainsy tweeted late Sunday. “Today, thanks to the courage and intelligence of Cambodian democrats who refuse to give up their struggle, the monopoly of power exercised by Hun Sen has been broken at the local level, despite the manipulated and unjust character of these communal elections.” However, NEC chairman Prach Chan, a former CPP central committee member, called the voting process a success. He also said election day was smooth and peaceful. Asked by reporters at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Chan defended the practice of closing the doors and windows of polling stations during the counting process as well as of local authorities writing down names of those who do or don’t vote. Last week, the U.N. Human Rights Office said, “We are disturbed by the pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates ahead of communal elections in Cambodia on 5 June.” Last elections The last commune elections in 2017 saw a razor-thin margin between CPP and the Cambodia National Rescue Party, with the latter claiming nearly half of either popular votes or commune council seats. CPP claimed 6,503 seats, while CNRP received 5,007 council seats. CNRP was controversially dissolved in a CPP-controlled court system, and its top 118 party members were hit with five-year bans from political activities. In 2012, the Candlelight Party merged with the Human Rights Party to form the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which led to the historically strongest electoral performance by the opposition in the 2013 general elections and 2017 local elections. In 2021, after the CNRP was dissolved, the CLP was reactivated and managed to field candidates nationwide, fielding a group second in size only to the ruling CPP. However, the reborn CLP was strongly contested by embattled opposition leader Kem Sokha’s HRP faction, leaving the opposition in a fractured state. Sokha's aide, Muth Chantha, told VOA Khmer on Sunday that Sokha would not vote because there was no good option “for him to choose.” The commune elections, held a year before general elections, are traditionally seen as a test of the ruling party’s strength. People look for their names in the voters' list at a polling station during local commune elections in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 5, 2022. The Sunday poll was held after CPP led a seemingly successful campaign to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinating more than 93% of the 16 million population against the virus. It was also the first election since Hun Sen named his eldest son, Hun Manet, a three-star general and the nation’s army chief, as his designated successor. Hun Sen has been in office as premier since 1985 while the CPP has been in power since 1979. The established ruling party entered the race in a position of strength against the 16 other opposition parties with firm controls on state’s institutions, resources, armed forces, grassroots networks, and a well-oiled propaganda machine. In the northwestern city of Battambang, opposition supporters expressed mixed feelings about the early results. “Despite losing, we will never back down,” said Soeun Ratha, who volunteered for CLP to observe polling stations in the city’s O’Char commune, “Winning or losing is normal because we may lose today and win back in the future.” Voters speak up In Phnom Penh, where all 105 commune-chief positions may go to the CPP, voters interviewed by VOA Khmer called for better public services and integrity in the local administration offices. Many said they preferred to consider individual candidates over party in this ‘party-list voting system’ — which as the name implies, party names and not candidates’ names are on the ballots. “They [the commune councilors] will be tasked to be our guardians in which we can rely on because I will not look at which party they come from but at the candidates on whether they are capable of developing our community,” Da Ny, a 34-year-old housewife, told VOA Khmer after voting at Phnom Penh’s High School for Fine Arts Sunday morning. People line up before voting at a polling station in Takhmua, in Kandal province, southeast of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 5, 2022. Choeurn Sakhon, who voted at a polling station in Phnom Penh’s Indradevi High School, said local elected leaders should be down-to-earth and take care of those in need. “They hold a noble role of serving the Khmer people,” Sakhon, 87, said in referring to Cambodia’s hegemonic ethnic group. “We must elect into power those who serve the people – regardless of which party. As long as the individual candidates can fulfill that role, it does not matter which party they come from, I’ll vote for them.” Keo Chy, a Battambang resident, told VOA Khmer that he wanted newly elected local leaders to strengthen the quality of local services. “The commune leader elected to receive people’s mandate shall be empowered to provide better administrative services, organize more townhall meetings to listen more to the people and let people participate more with the authorities in the villages and the communes,” Chy, 34, said. Some other voters, when reached by VOA, declined interviews, citing fears of reprisal. VOA Cambodian journalists, Aun Chhengpor, Thida Win, Sokummono Khan, Kann Vicheika, Sun Narin, Hul Reaksmey, Lors Liblib, Pin Sisovann and Nem Sopheakpanha contributed to this report. https://www.voanews.com/a/hun-sen-s-party-wins-cambodia-s-local-polls-by-landslides-early-results-show/6605172.html

President Joe Biden on Monday invoked the Defense Production Act to spur U.S. solar panel manufacturing and exempted tariffs on solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations for two years as part of his push for clean energy, the White House said. The tariff waiver applies to panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam and will serve as a “bridge” while U.S. manufacturing ramps up, it said in a statement. The U.S. Commerce Department launched a months-long investigation into whether imports of solar panels from these countries are circumventing tariffs on goods made in China. The investigation essentially halted the flow of solar panels that make up more than half of U.S. supplies and 80 percent of imports. U.S. state governors, lawmakers, industry officials and environmentalists have expressed concern over the investigation, which could have led to retroactive tariffs of up to 250 percent. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501089478/biden-waives-solar-panel-tariffs-on-cambodia-and-three-other-southeast-asian-nations/

Authorities in Banteay Meanchey province have blamed the poor voter turnout in the Commune Election on the absence of migrant workers who are abroad in Thailand or elsewhere. Spokesman and director of the provincial information department Sek Sokhom told Khmer Times yesterday that the reason for the poor turnout was there were too few days off to make it worthwhile for the migrant workers, who come from poor families to spend money to return home. He noted that with borders reopening after the Covid-19 pandemic recently, many people from poor families rushed to find work in neighbouring Thailand and most could not find time or money to come back home just to vote. “We see that so many people who are working in Thailand did not come to vote the election, because they lacked money to spend for travelling to and from Thailand,” Sokhom said. He added that in Spean Sen commune, Phnom Srok district alone there were 2,300 registered voters but only about 1,400 voters cast their ballots. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501089102/absence-of-migrant-workers-blamed-for-low-voter-turnout-in-commune-election/

The water level of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong has continued to rise with the country experiencing the normal wet season heavy rainfalls and storms. The Tonle Sap has risen 1.77 metres above its normal level by June 6, while the Mekong has also risen more significantly with the hydrological station in Chaktomuk measuring an increase of 3.87 metres on the same day. Mao Hak, Deputy Chief of Tonle Sap Authority, told local news on June 6 that the Mekong River poured in water to the Tonle Sap causing the 1.77 metre increase. The water level of the Tonle Sap is currently higher that the average water level, with the water level of Cambodia’s largest freshwater lake rising daily. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501089581/tonle-sap-mekong-water-levels-on-the-rise-again-as-rainy-season-continues/

Sovann Komar, a local orphanage and school for abandoned children, has called on authorities to expedite the arrest of Sothea Arun, its former executive director, who is accused of allegedly being a “child rapist”, and who has been on the run for nearly a year despite two warrants for his arrest. Founder and executive director of Sovann Komar Arun Sothea was sacked from the NGO in August 2019, along with Nou Savath, its former head of security, and about a dozen other staffers. “They accused me of making mistakes, being corrupt and embezzling the organisation’s money,” Arun told Khmer Times at that time. “So, I think it’s strange that they’ve made such accusations because I was one of the organisation’s founders.” Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued two arrest warrants for Arun, first on July 29, 2021, and the second on October 11, 2021, for “fraud and raping children”. The arrest warrants were issued after an investigating judge found evidence of torture, child sexual abuse, fraud and embezzlement at Sovann Komar, which Arun had managed for more than 15 years. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501088464/child-ngo-wants-former-director-accused-of-child-sex-abuse-found/

The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Cambodia held celebrations for the 96th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Himawiri Hotel in Phnom Penh on Friday, while at the same time marking the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee or 70 years on the throne. About 300 distinguished guests attended the event with Phare Ponleu Selpak acrobats on show to dazzle guests when they entered the hotel. United Kingdom Ambassador to Cambodia Tina Redshaw thanked the guests, and sponsors for attending the special event to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday and jubilee with the Embassy in Phnom Penh. “This celebration embodies the spirit of the strong UK- Cambodia relationship. We continue our commitment to mine clearance and our support with other activities,” she said. First vice-president of Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority Ly Thuch said it is remarkable that Queen Elizabeth has ruled for longer than any other monarch in British history, becoming a highly respected and much-loved figure across the globe. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501088546/uk-embassy-celebrates-queens-96th-birthday-platinum-jubilee/

More than 160,000 migrant workers, including 52,428 from Cambodia, will be brought into Thailand without requiring quarantine courtesy of a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a bid to stem illegal border crossers searching for employment, according to the Labour Ministry. As of Wednesday, quarantine has been waived for migrant workers coming into the country via the MoU signed with Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, provided they have been double-dosed with vaccines and test negative for Covid-19. In total, employers have applied to import 236,012 migrant workers from the three neighbouring countries. Of them, 165,376 are from Myanmar, 52,428 from Cambodia and 18,208 from Laos. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said the coronavirus quarantine waiver for fully vaccinated migrant job seekers proceeded in tandem with the border reopening ordered by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501088072/labour-pact-allows-more-than-52000-cambodian-migrant-workers-into-thailand-without-quarantine/

Pancham Dham Trust, witnessed a large contingent, more than 100 people from India traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia to celebrate the 5th Pancham Dham Yatra. The 5-day long journey began on May 31, 2022, and will commence on June 4, 2022. Earlier the Holy Yatra was flagged of by MoS, MEA, and the Culture Minister. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs also cheered for the prestigious Yatra. Pancham Dham Trust, the flagbearer for the historic event in Cambodia, has been at the forefront of various cultural activities and has been instrumental in trying to unite the East Asian nations through the Fifth Dham initiative and help fostering the thought process viz. Sanatana dharma. “One has to follow the ‘dharma’ prescribed for him and it is hazardous to tread on what is ordained for another is stressed in the Gita in two places.” Earlier, the event witnessed the Bhoomi Poojan of Dhyan Kendra at Siem Reap, Cambodia for the construction of the meditation center on 5 acres of land. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501088098/more-than-100-people-from-india-travels-to-siem-reap-to-celebrate-the-5th-pancham-dham-yatra/

PM Hun Sen’s party controls the election committee and improperly sent members to watch polls, opponents say. Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party claimed a sweeping victory in nationwide elections for local councils on Sunday, a contest that rights watchdogs said was heavily slanted toward the ruling party and marred by intimidation and obstruction of the opposition. The voting for local councils in rural and urban precincts was seen as a test of support for opponents of the CPP five years after Hun Sen had the largest opposition party banned after a strong showing in the previous election. The National Election Committee has yet to release preliminary results, but said the ruling CPP was leading an election in which 77.91 percent, or about 7.1 million of 9.2 million registered voters turned out to elect 11,622 commune council members. “It’s been a successful electoral process with a calm environment, security, public order, no violence and no intimidation,” NEC President Prach Chan told a news conference after the polling stations closed Sunday afternoon. “The voters voted overwhelmingly -- 77 percent voted. The preliminary results are showing the CPP is the leading in all provinces and municipalities,” said CCP spokesman Sok Ey San. “This is a big success for the CPP,” he said. People look for their names in the voters' list at a polling station during local commune elections in Phnom Penh, June 5, 2022. Credit: AFP RFA has not independently confirmed the turnout and preliminary results. The official election results will be announced on June 26. “It was not a free and fair and just election,” said Thach Setha, vice-president of the Candlelight Party, the most prominent of 16 non-CPP parties competing. “There was pressure and intimidation,” he said, noting that the NEC was dominated by the ruling party, when the law stipulates a neutral body. Thach Setha said his party will file complaints with the NEC over the alleged election irregularities, including CPP village chiefs who violated the election law by sitting at the polling stations. He said authorities arrested two of his election observers, releasing one later. Voters did not turn out in as great a number as in 2017 and many polling stations were quiet, said Soeung Sengkaruna, a spokesman for the rights group Adhoc. “Fewer people went to polling station to find their names. And to the ballot counting stations, I didn’t see many people monitoring the process,” he said. “This shows that people didn’t actively participate in the process like the previous commune election,” added Soeung Sengkaruna. Kem Sokha, the former leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) who was arrested months before the party was banned in 2017, declined to vote on Sunday and was joined by many of his followers. “We didn’t vote because if we have voted it would been seen like we supported the CNRP’s dissolution,” said close Kem Sokha ally Khou Haingmeang. The former CNRP representative from Siem Reap said Kem Sokha, who is embroiled in a slow-moving treason trial on charges from 2017, also feared that getting involved Sunday could violate court orders banning political activities. On the last day of two weeks of campaigning Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Office criticized what it called "the pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates." “Candidates have faced numerous restrictions and reprisals that have hindered their activities, with imprisonment of a number of candidates that appears designed to curb political campaigning,” office spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement. France-based opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who founded the Candlelight Party in 2005 before joining forces with the CNRP, said that while "these elections are worse than the previous ones in terms of transparency and honesty," the party did well in the face of obstacles thrown up by the government. “Despite the continuous atmosphere of fear and intimidation in Cambodia, hope for democratic change at the ballot box has been revived by the Candlelight Party,” he said a statement. “Every seat won is a seat less for the autocratic regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for 37 years," said Rainsy, who has lived in exile in France since 2015 under threat of arrest on a raft of charges he and his supporters say are aimed at keeping him out of politics. Translated by Samean Yun. Written by Paul Eckert. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/council-elections-06052022140352.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

After almost three years, one of the most iconic heritage properties in Southeast Asia has reopened its doors to guests in Cambodia on Wednesday. Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Cambodia reopened with a refreshed new look offering a mix of culture, heritage, and charming hospitality. The meticulous transformation started in 2019 with facelifts to its rooms and suites before the world shut down to travel. The famous façade and exterior now shine with a bright white, rather than the cream-beige hue which is the colour of French colonial architecture across Indochina. The rooms have lighter and brighter interiors with Segafredo coffee machines, USB charging stations, and Simmons pillow-top mattresses. The French windows have been upgraded, and each room has a writing desk and vintage rotary telephone. More space was added by removing cabinets and replacing them with built-in wardrobes. All bathrooms have been upgraded with Italian tiling and rain showers. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501087178/iconic-raffles-grand-hotel-dangkor-reopens/

The growing transport and logistics in Kingdom demand efficient transportation and are well connected to transport goods to ports and borders to neighbouring countries, says Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodian Logistics Association The United States is keen to explore investment opportunities in transport infrastructure in Cambodia, contributing to enhancing the transportation and logistics sectors as the government welcomes all foreign investors who wish to invest in the transport infrastructure in Cambodia. The US has shown interest during a meeting between Koy Sodany, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and a delegation of the US Embassy to Cambodia led by Economic and Commercial Officer Moses An. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501086958/us-seeks-to-step-into-cambodias-transport-infrastructure/

Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), the operator of Thailand Elite Card, is targeting investors from CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam), particularly Chinese businessmen who have been naturalised, to invest more in real estate. Due to rigid travel restrictions in the mainland, many Chinese investors opted for naturalisation in Cambodia and Myanmar where they have businesses, to continue business trips without obstacles, said Ratchadawan Loetsilathong, vice-president of administrative and corporate affairs and acting president of TPC. Those investors are the target of the 500,000-baht Elite Flexible One requiring applicants to purchase real estate worth 10 million baht at a minimum with proof of ownership. At present, 28 property developers are participating and 85 property projects are available in the scheme, which will run until the end of this year. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501087783/thailand-privilege-card-co-targets-naturalized-chinese-businessmen-in-cambodia-to-boost-real-estate-market/

Political bullying before and during the campaign period has cast a shadow over the elections, observers said. Cambodians will go to the polls Sunday to elect local commune councils in what observers believe will be a test case of support for a rising opposition party after five years of a coordinated campaign by Prime Minister Hun Sen and his supporters to squash dissent. Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades. His Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is expected to win in a landslide, as it is the only political party large enough to field candidates nationwide. Heading into Sunday’s vote, the United Nations Human Rights Office criticized what it called a “systemic shrinking” of political space in the country, leaving room only for the CPP. “We are disturbed by the pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates ahead of communal elections in Cambodia on 5 June,” office spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement. “Candidates have faced numerous restrictions and reprisals that have hindered their activities, with imprisonment of a number of candidates that appears designed to curb political campaigning. Four days before the election, at least six opposition candidates and activists are in detention awaiting trial while others summonsed on politically motivated charges have gone into hiding.” Throssell noted the government’s response to the last commune elections, five years ago. The Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) after it performed well in the local races in 2017, a decision that paved the way for the CPP to take all 125 seats in the National Assembly in the 2018 general election. Though the country is essentially now a one-party state, a new opposition party, the Candlelight Party, has entered the fray and will face its first major test on Sunday. The Future Forum, an independent think tank based in Phnom Penh, called the election a “litmus test” for the country. “The outstanding and primary concern of any election cycle set today is the absence of a viable political opposition,” it said in a report. “This in itself renders the anticipated outcome of such processes reasonably predictable. It is however crucial to note that, versus the 2018 cycle, there are a larger number of electoral observers, and the presence of an alternative vote for nearly all communes in the kingdom.” The elections will not have much effect on the balance of national power, as commune councils are concerned mostly with local matters. But councilors elected Sunday will vote on behalf of their constituents in 2024 elections for the Cambodian Senate. Election watchers are looking at the contest between the CPP and 16 other parties for 11,622 seats in 1,652 rural and urban precincts to find out how much support the opposition Candlelight Party can win in the atmosphere and after months of harassment from the ruling party. Members of parliaments in other Southeast Asian countries condemned “harassment and intimidation” suffered by the opposition during the campaign. In a statement released Friday, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) took issue with incidents of political bullying by local officials. “It is impossible to hold free and fair elections in an ongoing climate of persecution against the opposition … these polls cannot be regarded as an exercise in pluralism and democracy when the CPP led by Prime Minister Hun Sen is not allowing anyone who can challenge their power to campaign freely and safely,” said Maria Chin Abdullah, a member of the Malaysian Parliament and an APHR member. “The intimidation of the opposition we are witnessing now is nothing new. It is part of a long pattern in which Hun Sen and his party have maintained and increased their control over Cambodia, closing the space for opposition and rights defenders to dissent without fear of reprisal. This does not bode well for the future of democracy in Cambodia. The outcome of this local election will pave the way for next year’s national elections and will determine who will control the country’s overall political power,” Abdullah said. She urged neighboring countries to “maintain a critical eye” on Cambodia and not accept that Sunday’s elections would be a true democratic exercise, criticizing the elections as “another attempt by the CPP to legitimize its increasingly dictatorial rule.” Campaign draws to a close On the last day of the official two-week campaign Friday, the CPP and Candlelight Party held political rallies all over the country, with thousands in the capital Phnom Penh attending the rallies for both sides. Hun Sen’s son Hun Many attended campaign events in the capital, as CPP supporters including famous celebrities drove luxury cars in a convoy, hoping to sway voters with star appeal. Candlelight supporters drove their own convoy through the city, using megaphones to remind people to vote. Both sides reflected on the campaign period optimistically. “For the past 14 days, we have showed that we are better and more firmly situated than other parties,” Sar Kheng, who is the CPP’s vice president and the country’s minister of interior, said to supporters while leading campaign activities in the southern province of Prey Veng. “We have shown that the CPP is the only party can guarantee peace and read development,” he said. Candlelight’s vice president, Thach Setha, who led campaign activities in Phnom Penh Friday, told RFA’s Khmer Service that his party has received overwhelming support because the voters recognize their true need for democracy. He acknowledged that the campaign is supported mainly by donations from supporters. During Friday’s convoy, people cheering the party on provided campaigners with water from the roadsides, he said. “[The people] want change, and they want to tell the CPP that they want change, they don’t want to keep doing the same thing,” Thach Setha said. The campaign period was mostly peaceful, Hang Puthea, spokesperson for the country’s National Election Commission (NEC), told RFA. “Over the past 14 days, there was no violence or threats,” he said. The NEC received only 52 complaints during the campaign period. “The campaigns were helped with good security and order,” he said. But Kang Savang, a coordinator at the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel), noted that the property of opposing political parties have been destroyed and civil servants have abused their positions by using government resources for campaign activities. Comfrel is urging the government to review the status of civil servants, members of the military and court officials, who participated in campaign activities, he told RFA, because these people cannot serve the public while out campaigning. “We’re giving these recommendations so the law can be strengthened by using this years’ experience to improve the situation ahead of the 2023 general election,” he said. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/elections-06032022183851.html Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

After alarm was raised in Cambodia with the announcement of six suspected Monkeypox cases in Cambodia, lab tests have revealed that the six individuals are not infected by Monkeypox.Dr Ly Sovann, Director of the Department Communicable Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, confirmed that the cases were negative on the morning of June 2 in a social media post. “We found six suspected cases, not confirmed to be Monkeypox,” said Dr Sovann. “Five of them are adults and one is a child, but the results of the laboratory tests are negative.” He added that the suspected cases were not imported, but Cambodians in the country who do not have a history of traveling abroad. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501086846/in-the-clear-suspected-cambodia-cases-not-monkeypox/

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced two Chinese men to 25 years in prison over drug trafficking and attempted murder in the capital last year. The court also jailed another accused Chinese man for two years and fined him about $500. Presiding Judge Yi Sokvuoch identified the first two accused as Hu Xing, 38; and Li Shi Yuan, 37, who were also fined $20,000 each, and the third as Mao Shi Yuan, 35. She said that they were charged with “drug possession, transport and trafficking” under Article 40 of Cambodia’s Law on Drug Control and with “unauthorised holding of a weapon and attempted murder” under Articles 490, 27, and 199 of the Criminal Code. Judge Sokvuoch said they were arrested by anti-drug police in the Ministry of Interior at about 9.30 pm on June 9, 2021, during a raid on their rented condominium in Chroy Changvar district’s Chroy Changvar commune. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501087084/trio-jailed-over-drugs-shooting-police/

Protections on thousands of hectares of Tonle Sap lake’s biosphere reserve are being relaxed to allow farming, in the wake of a crackdown on illegal land use that retook vast tracts as state property. The crackdown, sparked in November by Prime Minister Hun Sen responding to reports of widespread encroachment, implicated some provincial and police officials in alleged land grabs and led to stricter prohibitions against farmers and residents. Satellite imagery has shown major tree loss in the flooded forests beginning around 2019, but deforestation has been ongoing for years, leaving little substantial tree coverage in many areas. Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said people who had been living and farming protected areas around the Tonle Sap for more than a decade should have the prohibitions against them relaxed. The crackdown should target people newly encroaching the area, not long-time residents, he said. The biosphere reserve is classified into three zones: Zone 1 allows people to live with land certificates, Zone 2 allows cultivation, and Zone 3 must be protected, according to the Information Ministry. A government sub-decree issued Tuesday said more than 6,000 hectares in Kampong Thom and Banteay Meanchey provinces would be reclassified from Zone 3 to Zone 2. read more https://vodenglish.news/6000-hectares-of-tonle-sap-conservation-land-opened-up-for-farming/

Police violence during the NagaWorld Casino labor dispute is a violation of human rights, NGO says. A Cambodian woman said a physical assault she suffered at the hands of police officers during a labor protest outside the NagaWorld Casino may have led to the death of her unborn child. Sok Ratana told RFA’s Khmer Service that she had been pregnant when she joined the ongoing strike outside the casino’s offices on May 11. The police pushed and shoved her during the protest, she said. Fearing they may have hurt her baby in utero, she went to her doctor, who told her that the baby only had a 50% chance to live. Sok Ratana said that she miscarried on May 28. The doctor told her that the baby had likely died two days before he removed it from her womb, she said. “Losing my beloved baby has caused me an unbelievable pain that I will feel the rest of my life,” said Sok Ratana. “This experience has shown me the brutality of the authorities and it has deeply hurt my family.” Sok Ratana is one of thousands of NagaWorld workers who walked off their jobs in mid-December, demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of eight jailed union leaders, three other jailed workers and 365 others they say were unjustly fired from the hotel and casino. The business is owned by a Hong Kong-based company believed to have connections to family members of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The strikers began holding regular protest rallies in front of the casino. Cambodian authorities have said their gatherings were “illegal” and alleged that they are part of a plot to topple the government, backed by foreign donors. Authorities began mass detentions of the protesters, claiming that they were violating coronavirus restrictions. They often resorted to violence to force hundreds of workers onto buses. “The labor dispute has turned to a dispute with authorities because they constantly crack down on us without any clemency,” Sok Ratana said. “I never thought that Cambodia has a law saying that when workers demand rights … authorities can crack down on us.” She said that authorities worked with the company to pressure workers to stop the strike. She urged the government to better train its security forces to not become violent. Kata Orn, spokesperson of the government-aligned Cambodia Human Rights Committee, expressed sympathy with Sok Ratana’s circumstance but said that it was too early to say whether the authorities were at fault. He urged Sok Ratana to file a complaint with the court. “We can’t prejudge the loss due to the authorities. Only medical experts can tell,” he said. “We can [only] implement the law. It is applied equally to the workers and the authorities.” Sok Ratana said she is working on collecting evidence to file a complaint, but she wasn’t confident a court will adjudicate the case fairly. “I don’t have much hope because my union leader was jailed unjustly for nine weeks. Her changes have not been dropped yet,” she said. “To me, I don’t hope to get justice. From who? I want to ask, who can give me justice?” Police violence is a serious human rights violation, Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights told RFA. He urged relevant institutions to investigate the miscarriage and bring those responsible to justice. “Labor disputes can’t be settled by violence and crackdowns. This will lead to even more disputes and the workers and authorities will try to get revenge,” he said. The Labor Ministry has attempted to mediate the dispute between the casino and the union leaders, who have been released on bail, but no progress has been made after more than 10 meetings. Am Sam Ath said the difficulty in resolving the labor dispute might push the government to crack down harder on the holdouts and make more arrests. RFA attempted to contact Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesman San Sok Seiha and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs spokeswoman Man Chenda, but neither were available for comment. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/miscarriage-06022022180343.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Kampong Speu provincial police are searching for villagers who were part of a mob that beat up a drug addict who was accused of murdering a 68-year-old woman on May 31 in Ek Kapheap village of Kong Pesei district’s Prey Vihear commune. The mob who beat the man seriously injured him and he died as a result of those injuries one day later. Commune police chief Kith Vey said on June 1 that the mob beating stemmed from an earlier incident on May 31. The murder victim, Ros Samay, was taking care of her two-year-old grandson while the mother was working at a factory job, when the suspect Soeurn Sort, 25, allegedly hacked her to death with a cleaver at around 1pm that day. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/murderer-beaten-death-mob

Apsara Authority is operating three new visiting circuits in Angkor Archaeology Park to attract more tourism and more choice for the visitors. They are at Neak Poan, Chau Say Tevota, and Thommanon and a three-day seminar, which ended yesterday, was held to prepare participants to organise tours at the circuits, Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said. He said temple tour guides should participate in promoting the new circuits. “They should implement safe tours and be well-versed about the temples and their values in order to provide information to the visitors,” he said, noting that this was one of the purposes for holding the seminar. Neak Poan is an artificial island in Jayatakat Baray, which was associated with Preah Khan temple, built during the reign of King JayavarmanVII. It was originally designed for medical purposes. It was believed to be one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501086331/three-new-circuits-at-angkor-archaeology-park/

PHNOM PENH, June 1 (Reuters) - Speaking from the back of a pickup truck decked out with campaign posters and loudspeakers, veteran politician Son Chhay is determined to convince voters that democracy in Cambodia is not dead. With the newly created Candlelight Party, he and other activists are contesting upcoming local elections, hoping to resurrect political opposition to what has become a one-party state under Prime Minister Hun Sen. The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has in recent years moved to crush all dissent by jailing more than 100 opposition members for treason, prompting international criticism of Hun Sen, who has ruled for 37 years. "A victory for the Candlelight Party is a victory for all Cambodians," Son Chhay, the party's vice president, told cheering crowds gathered recently on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh, as campaigning got under way for the nationwide commune elections on June 5. But the CPP, which controls the vast majority of 1,652 communes, maintains a vice-like grip on the political landscape that analysts say the fledgling opposition party is unlikely to loosen given the intimidation and legal and bureaucratic battles it faces. Sok Eysan, a spokesperson for the ruling CPP, dismissed as insubstantial any contest posed by the sole opposition camp, dismissing it as a "piece of broken glass". REBRANDED The Candlelight Party, though only six months old, is not exactly new. Its leadership is populated with former members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), an opposition party that the Supreme Court disbanded in 2017 as part of a wider crackdown on Hun Sen's critics. The ban came just after the CNRP had won 40% of communes in the last local elections, and all of its areas were handed over to the ruling CPP, giving it near total control. CNRP co-founder, Sam Rainsy, a former finance minister in exile in France, helped rebrand the opposition as the Candlelight Party with Son Chhay, who serves as its vice president. The party has attracted young and low-income voters by promising universal healthcare, equal access to education and a crackdown on drugs and crime. "The Candlelight Party won't allow any development that causes people's tears. We won't allow anyone to rob people of their land," Son Chhay told supporters at the rally outside Phnom Penh, speaking to a concern many Cambodians share about forced evictions at the hands of real estate, mining or agricultural corporations. The party's total membership is not clear but it is fielding candidates in 90% of the 1,652 communes and "hoping to win many", said secretary general Lee Sothearayuth. Inheriting the old party infrastructure and supporters makes it the only opposition party that poses a realistic threat to the CPP, said Sebastian Strangio, journalist and author of the book "Hun Sen's Cambodia". "Whether it will succeed in doing so this year, however, is unlikely. For the CPP, political survival comes first, and the moment that the Candlelight Party poses a serious threat to Hun Sen's camp will be the moment that this party, too, finds itself banned or pressured into submission," he said. 'INTIMIDATION' Already the Candlelight Party has felt the heat. The Ministry of Interior has said Son Chhay's appointment as a party deputy is illegal and at least 24 complaints have been filed accusing the party of faking candidates' documents. Son Chhay says the accusations are politically motivated and that in fact, Candlelight candidates have faced bureaucratic hurdles in even registering for the election. "We see this as intimidation, they like to use the courts to intimidate us," he said. The CPP called that complaint "baseless" and defended its practice of handing out cash and gifts to voters ahead of elections. "If they are true, competing political parties can file complaints to the National Election Commission. However, there have been no complaints," said CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan. Further undercutting Candlelight's efforts is disagreement within the opposition over tactics. Once-friendly politicians like the influential former CNRP chief, Kem Sokha, say the new party should not be participating in what some consider a compromised election. "The Candlelight Party plays right into Hun Sen's hands," said Kem Sokha's daughter, Kem Monovithya. Many see the commune elections as a bellwether for a general election next year and the ruling party is expected to win most communes next week. Despite the obstacles, the Candlelight Party is aiming at the very least to get opposition candidates back into the public eye, hoping that any support now can translate to national-level success next year. "Because people have lost their representation for nearly five years, they have difficulties, they have been suffering. So this is the chance they have to come out and find their representatives." https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cambodian-opposition-rises-ashes-ahead-local-elections-2022-06-01/

RFA reported this week that Wang Yaohui has an undeclared interest in Birmingham City Football Club The English Football League says that it will be making enquiries with Birmingham City Football Club following the revelation by RFA earlier this week that Cambodian diplomat Wang Yaohui secretly controls an eighth of the club’s shares. Under English Football League regulations, Birmingham City is obliged to disclose both to the league and publicly the identity of any person who directly or indirectly holds “any Significant Interest in the club.” Birmingham’s ownership disclosure does not name Wang, something that could cause problems for the club. Contacted on Tuesday, the English Football League’s communications manager Billy Nickson indicated in an email that the league was looking into the issues raised in RFA’s report. “All Clubs are aware of their obligations in respect of providing the appropriate and necessary disclosures in accordance with EFL Regulations,” Nickson wrote. “The EFL will take the matter up with the Club.” The EFL Championship is English soccer’s second highest division. Born in China in 1966, Wang Yaohui is a naturalized Cambodian citizen and minister counselor at Cambodia’s embassy in Singapore. He has extensive business ties to one of Cambodia’s most powerful families, headed by ruling party Sen. Lau Ming Kan and his wife Choeung Sopheap. The couple are allies of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Wang’s stake in the soccer club is held through a company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange called Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited, which owns 75 percent of the club. In December 2017, Wang acquired 8.52 percent of Birmingham Sports Holdings through a British Virgin Islands company called Dragon Villa Ltd. In the years since, filings with the Hong Kong stock exchange show he increased his stake to 17.08 percent, giving him a 12.8 percent interest in the club itself. In its own disclosure statement, Birmingham City identifies Dragon Villa as being owned by a Chinese citizen named Lei Sutong. However, documents seen by RFA suggest that he is owner in name only. Corporate secrecy laws in the British Virgin Islands make it virtually impossible for members of the public to ascertain who the true owner of Dragon Villa is. However, filings lodged with the Singapore High Court reveal that it is in fact Wang. Gold Star Aviation Pte Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dragon Villa involved in the owning and operation of private jets. It is currently the defendant in a civil action in Singapore. Among its co-defendants is a Taiwanese-American named Jenny Shao, who Wang has granted power-of-attorney over his affairs since at least 2009. In a sworn affidavit submitted by Shao’s lawyers on her behalf and dated October 2020, she describes herself as Dragon Villa’s “authorized signatory.” She adds that Dragon Villa “is beneficially owned by Mr. Wang.” A beneficial owner is a person who enjoys the benefits of owning a company, even if it is held in someone else’s name. Former associates of Wang, who asked not to be identified citing security concerns, confirmed to RFA that Wang was Dragon Villa's beneficial owner. The statement is also echoed in other affidavits lodged as part of the Singapore court case. Records also show that Dragon Villa has been involved in the ownership networks of several other Wang-linked enterprises. Should the EFL find the club violated regulations by failing to disclose Wang’s control of Dragon Villa – and therefore 12.8 percent of the club – then Birmingham City could face sanctions from the league. Wang Yaohui’s first Cambodian diplomatic passport bearing his Khmer name Wan Sokha. The passport was granted to him in 2015 in recognition of his role as an advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Absentee owners Birmingham City fan Daniel Ivery has been raising concerns over Wang’s possible association with the club for years. He wrote on his blog Almajir on Tuesday that he had, “repeatedly attempted to raise this issue of Wang Yaohui with the EFL since December 2017.” Each time he raised the issue, he writes, the league refused “to even acknowledge that there may be an issue.” While it seems the league is now taking notice, it remains to be seen what, if anything, they will do about it. Ivery is not the only one who has been sounding the alarm over Birmingham City’s ownership. Local member of parliament Shabana Mahmood wrote to the UK Minister of Sport in January decrying “financial and professional mismanagement of absentee owners” at the club. For its part, Birmingham City has so far remained silent. The club acknowledged RFA’s enquiries for the first time on Wednesday when media manager Dale Moon promised to raise the issue with the club’s board and senior management – although he did not expect a statement to be forthcoming. “In all honesty,” Moon wrote, “given their historical stance on ownership, I don’t expect they will want to make any comment.” As of publication, no statement had been issued by the club. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/wang-yaohui-stake-birmingham-city-soccer-club-06012022173022.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

PHNOM PENH, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Tobacco related illnesses kill more than 15,000 people annually in Cambodia, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Cambodia Li Ailan said on Wednesday. "The harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment is vast and growing, adding unnecessary pressure to our planet's already scarce resources and fragile ecosystems," she said. "Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year worldwide and over 15,000 people annually here in Cambodia," Li wrote on social media. In a news release to mark the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the WHO said smoke free environments enhance tourism experiences in Cambodia and that promoting smoke-free tourism helps protect hospitality workers, visitors, and the local environment from dangerous second-hand smoke and poisonous tobacco product waste. "Promoting smoke-free environments is a small but important step to recognizing and then curtailing the harmful effects of tobacco production and use, not only on our health, but also on the health of our planet," the news release said. Tobacco smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, of which several are known to cause cancer, as well as three kinds of greenhouse gases, namely carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides, it said. According to the Ministry of Health, there are approximately 1.68 million tobacco users in the Southeast Asian nation. ■ https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20220601/91350bbd9e9a49b183e41adf8a1e2dce/c.html