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As Cambodia marches relentlessly towards ‘COVID Zero’, no new cases were recorded for the 7th day running. Today’s official daily new COVID case total (diagnosed by PCR test) was 0 – all the Omicron variant – bringing the COVID case total to 136,262 cases. Cambodia also announced 0 new deaths, bringing the total to 3,056 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia. The Kingdom recorded 0 new community and 0 new imported cases of the new variant. Cambodia has now recorded 15,821 cases of Omicron – 1362 imported and 14420 community cases. There are now 7 active COVID cases (diagnosed by PCR test) in The Kingdom. COVID – and Omicron – figures appear to be stabilising in Cambodia. This unprecedented run of 7 zero cases days – the first no case days since the start of the ‘February 20th incident’ in 2021 – means that Cambodia is now inching closer to a state of ‘COVID Zero’, placing the country in the top ranks of countries that have recovered from the pandemic. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501075446/7th-day-of-no-new-cases-for-cambodia-and-only-7-active-cases-left/

Cambodia is now fully open to foreign travelers even thoughtheystill need to quarantine if they are not fully vaccinated. Cambodia is among other ASEAN countries that have reopened their borders to international travelers. Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia have relaxed border restrictions in some way or the other. For example, Vietnam and Malaysia now permitsentry of foreign travelers irrespective of their vaccination status. Indonesia and Singapore are mainlyallowing only fully vaccinated travelers. Unvaccinated travelers can enter provided they have a medical reason and will need to go through quarantine. The border relaxation is expected to lift Cambodia’s tourism sector, which plays an important role in the country’s economic progress, contributing around 12 percent of GDP yearly. During the start of the pandemic, international traveler numbers droppedaround 80 percent from 6.6 million visitors to 1.3 million in 2020. read more https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/cambodia-is-now-fully-open-to-foreign-travelers/

Economics and hotspots Myanmar and Ukraine on agenda of US-ASEAN Summit final day. U.S. President Joe Biden declared to Southeast Asian leaders on Friday that "our relationship with you is the future," as he wound up a summit with the ASEAN bloc of nations aimed at shoring up trans-Pacific ties and countering China's heavy influence in the region. Biden's remarks to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations followed statements from Vice President Kamala Harris offering ASEAN countries maritime security assistance to address “threats to international rules and norms” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken holding talks with regional heavyweight Indonesia and budding partner Vietnam. "A great deal of history of our world over the next 50 years is going to be written in the ASEAN countries and our relationship with you is the future in the coming years and decades," Biden said on the final day of the two-day U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit. "ASEAN centrality is the very heart of my administration’s strategy in pursuing the future we all want to see. The Indo-Pacific is an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, stable, and prosperous, and resilient and secure. It’s what we’re all seeking," the U.S. president said. Experts describe "ASEAN centrality" as the concept that the 10-nation bloc serves as the driver and architect of institution-building and of relations with and among outside actors in the Asia-Pacific region. "We’re committed to a future where the rules and norms that have made possible so much growth and prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific are upheld and strengthened, including respect for the rule of law and for human rights," Biden added. In a gesture seen as significant in a region that often feels neglected by Washington even as governments seek a counterbalance to China's extensive presence, he nominated a close advisor, Yohannes Abraham, as U.S. ambassador to ASEAN, filling a post in Indonesia that has gone without a confirmed envoy for more than five years. "He’ll be a trusted representative to continue deepening this critical partnership among all of us," Biden said of Abraham, who serves as chief of staff and executive secretary at the National Security Council and was a senior aide in the Barack Obama administration. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The region has a population of over 662 million people and a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion. President Joe Biden participates in the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit to commemorate 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations at the State Department in Washington, May 13, 2022. Credit: AP Earlier Friday, hosting the ASEAN leaders for a working lunch, Harris stressed the security concerns many of the countries share over aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea, where several of the 10 ASEAN states have territorial disputes with Beijing. “Our administration recognizes the vital strategic importance of your region, a role that will only grow with time. And we recognize ASEAN’s centrality in the region’s architecture,” she told the gathering at the State Department in Washington. “As an Indo-Pacific nation, the United States will be present and continue to be engaged in Southeast Asia for generations to come,” Harris said, adding that with a shared vision for the region, “together we will guard against threats to international rules and norms.” “We stand with our allies and partners in defending the maritime rules-based order which includes freedom of navigation and international law,” she said, without mentioning China. To underscore U.S. commitment, Harris said the U.S. will provide $60 million in new regional maritime security assistance led by the U.S. Coast Guard, and will deploy a cutter as a training platform and will send technical experts to help build capacity in the region. That offer followed Biden's commitment at the summit’s opening dinner Thursday to spend U.S. $150 million on COVID-19 prevention, security, and infrastructure in Southeast Asia as part of a package his administration hopes will offset China’s much larger involvement in the region along its southern border. A U.S. Coast Guard ship will also be deployed to the region to patrol waters ASEAN nations say are illegally fished by Chinese vessels, Biden said. Not all ASEAN countries are comfortable taking on China, the mostly unnamed subject of U.S. comments this week on rule of law and regional stability. Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told the Thai diaspora on Thursday his government would not side with any superpower in the volatile atmosphere. “As I am coming here to the special ASEAN-U.S. Summit, many keep an eye on me, which side the prime minister would choose and how. We have to do our best to keep our country intact and people have resources to survive. Our principle is that we don’t make conflict with anyone,” he said in live remarks on his government's Facebook page. In bilateral meetings Friday with Indonesia and Vietnam, two of ASEAN’s three most populous nations, Blinken stressed deepening partnership in security and stronger economic ties. The second U.S.-ASEAN summit to be held in the United States, following an inaugural gathering in California in 2016, “puts an emphasis on the great importance that we attach, the United States attaches to ASEAN, our relationship, ASEAN centrality,” Blinken told Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. “We are working together across the board to advance a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. We’re working to strengthen economic ties among countries in the region,” he said at the State Department. U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) arrive for a group photo on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, May 12, 2022. Credit: AFP. 'Dreadful humanitarian crisis' in Ukraine Retno welcomed “intensified communication and cooperation between our two countries,” and said “we should use this strategic partnership also to contribute to the peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.” Departing with a general reticence about discussing the war in Ukraine among of ASEAN states–which include Russia-friendly Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam–the Indonesia minister said: “Our hope is to see the war in Ukraine stop as soon as possible.” Retno’s remarks echoed those made to U.S. lawmakers Thursday by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, who noted the Ukraine war’s impact on the global economy, including food and energy price surges. “The Ukrainian war has led to a dreadful humanitarian crisis that affects the global economy,” he said, according to remarks released by his cabinet. Blinken told Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that Washington and Hanoi are “now the strongest of partners, with a shared vision for security in the region we share and for the strongest possible economic ties.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken(r) meets with Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn at the State Department in Washington D.C..May May 13, 2022. Sokhonn is also ASEAN's special envoy for Myanmar. The crisis following the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, which was a top focus of Thursday’s meetings on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, was at the fore of Blinken’s meeting with Cambodia Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who also serves as ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar. “We’re working very closely together as partners to try to advance a shared vision for the region, including regional security,” said Blinken. Cambodia is this year's rotating ASEAN chair. “And of course, we welcome the leadership role that you’re playing at ASEAN on a number of issues, including hopefully working to restore the democratic path of Myanmar,” Blinken added. Absent but high on the agenda Myanmar was one of only two ASEAN countries whose rulers were not at the summit. The Philippines is being represented by its foreign minister as it wraps up a presidential election this week, while Myanmar’s junta chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, was barred from the summit amid a brutal crackdown on opponents of his military regime that rights groups say has claimed the lives of at least 1,835 civilians. While absent in Washington, the country the U.S. still officially calls Burma was much on the agenda of its fellow ASEAN members Thursday. Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah called out junta officials in a series of tweets for failing to honor their commitment to end violence in the country, while U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held a meeting with Zin Mar Aung, the foreign minister of the shadow National Unity Government in Myanmar. “The deputy secretary highlighted that the United States would continue to work closely with ASEAN and other partners in pressing for a just and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Burma,” according to a statement by State Department spokesperson Ned Price. “They also condemned the escalating regime violence that has led to a humanitarian crisis and called for unhindered humanitarian access to assist all those in need in Burma.” In Naypyidaw, RFA’s Myanmar Service asked military junta spokesman Maj Gen Zaw Min Tun for comments but he did not respond. But the head of a think tank made up of former military officers who often reflects the regime’s hardline views called the U.S. meeting with the parallel administration "unethical.” “To put it bluntly, it’s an unethical act by a superpower showing disrespect to another country,” said Thein Tun Oo, executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies. The State Administrative Council, as the junta formally calls itself, “is currently holding the three branches of power in Myanmar,” he said. "As it will move on to deliver its promises in time, no matter what the West may say or push or do, it will follow its own road map,” said Thein Tun Oo. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/usa-asean-05132022162426.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The 69th birthday ceremony of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, will be held today. Generally, during the ceremony, His Majesty the King goes to province where Buddhist monks chant the religious scriptures and praise for the good health of him. In return, the monarch presents offerings including some amount of money as donation for the development of the pagoda. After the ceremony, King Norodom Sihamoni provides donation including rice, mosquito nets, blankets, scarves, T-shirts, sarongs, pants and some money to needy villagers. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501075314/cambodia-to-mark-69th-birthday-ceremony-of-his-majesty-norodom-sihamoni-today/

United Kingdom official shave been urged by Cambodia to investigate British institutions for possibly harbouring stolen artifacts obtained by Douglas Latchford, the late British dealer who has been accused of looting Khmer artifacts. Cambodia sent the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, both in London, a list of objects that Latchford may have looted, according to a report by the BBC. Cambodia said it believes that the British Museum owns 100 objects from the country that passed through Latchford’s hands and that the V&A owns 50. Representatives for the institutions both told the BBC that they were researching the artifacts. The British Museum spokesperson said that it looks for any “possible ethical or legal issues” when acquiring works. Up until recently, most of the focus on Latchford has been his connections to U.S. museums, some of which hold artifacts believed to have passed through his hands. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501075256/u-k-museums-urged-to-return-objects-allegedly-looted-from-cambodia-by-disgraced-dealer-douglas-latchford/

In 2020, an NGO received a new case of a Cambodian woman being trafficked to China for marriage every three days. Since then, the NGO has “seen more children being trafficked to China for forced marriage.” Bride trafficking from Cambodia — a long-standing scourge — is an “escalating phenomenon,” said a report by international NGO Global Initiative released this week. In December 2020, VOD reported a 17-year-old Cambodian girl posted a call for help online from China. “They’ve forced me to take husbands here. They said if I don’t take them as husbands, they would sell me to a brothel,” the 17-year-old wrote at the time. “No phone calls. Can’t talk. Only writing is possible. I want freedom, and to meet my family again.” In January 2021, a 14-year-old girl sent a voice message that she was pregnant after four months of abuse by her Chinese “husband,” and was now stuck at a Chinese police station for three weeks hoping Cambodian authorities would bring her home. read more https://vodenglish.news/cambodian-bride-trafficking-to-china-is-rising-report/

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden opened a gathering of Southeast Asian leaders with a promise to spend $150 million on their infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness and other efforts aimed at countering the influence of rival China. On Thursday, Biden started a two-day summit with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington with a dinner for the leaders at the White House ahead of talks at the State Department on Friday. Biden smiled broadly as he took a group photo on the South Lawn of the White House before the dinner with representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. While Russia's invasion of Ukraine is on the agenda, Biden's administration hopes the efforts will show the countries that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific and the long-term challenge of China, which it views at the country's main competitor. In November alone, China pledged $1.5 billion in development assistance to ASEAN countries over three years to fight COVID and fuel economic recovery. "We need to step up our game in Southeast Asia," a senior U.S. administration official told reporters. "We are not asking countries to make a choice between the United States and China. We want to make clear, though, that the United States seeks stronger relationships." The new financial commitment includes a $40 million investment in infrastructure intended to help decarbonize the region's power supply and $60 million in maritime security, as well as some $15 million in health funding to aid in early detection of COVID-19 and other respiratory pandemics, an official said. Additional funding will help the countries develop digital economy and artificial intelligence laws. The U.S. Coast Guard will also deploy a ship to the region to help local fleets counter what Washington and countries in the region have described as China's illegal fishing. Still, the commitments pale in comparison to China's deep ties and influence. Biden is working on more initiatives, including "Build Back Better World" infrastructure investment and an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). But neither are finalized. The summit marks the first time that ASEAN's leaders gather as a group at the White House and their first meeting hosted by a U.S. president since 2016. Eight ASEAN leaders are expected to take part in the talks. Myanmar's leader was excluded over a coup last year and the Philippines is in transition after an election, though Biden spoke to the country's president-elect, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on Wednesday. The country was represented by its foreign affairs secretary at the White House. ASEAN leaders also visited Capitol Hill on Thursday for a lunch with congressional leaders. CONCERN OVER CHINA The countries share many of Washington's concerns about China. China's assertion of sovereignty over vast swathes of the South China Sea has set it against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei and Malaysia also lay claim to parts. Yet countries in the region have also been frustrated by a U.S. delay in detailing plans for economic engagement since former President Donald Trump quit a regional trade pact in 2017. "The U.S. should adopt a more active trade and investment agenda with ASEAN, which will benefit the U.S. economically and strategically," said Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Thursday. The IPEF is set to be launched on Biden's trip to Japan and South Korea next week. But it does not currently offer the expanded market access Asian countries crave, given Biden's concern for American jobs. Analysts say that even though ASEAN countries share U.S. concerns about China, they remain cautious about siding more firmly with Washington, given their predominant economic ties with Beijing and limited U.S. economic incentives. Kao Kim Hourn, an adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, told Reuters that the country would not "choose sides" between Washington and Beijing although U.S. investment in his country is growing. On Wednesday, Hun Sen was the target of a shoe-throwing protester prior to his first visit to the White House over a tenure that began in 1985. The Cambodian leader has faced criticism from activists for suppressing dissent. https://www.voacambodia.com/a/with-china-in-focus-biden-makes-150-million-commitment-to-asean-leaders/6569666.html

Speaking at times behind a lectern adorned with familiar yellow flowers and at one point taking up a bullhorn outside a hotel, Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a string of speeches during his tour of Washington for the U.S.-Asean Summit. At one stop at a conference hall on Wednesday, Hun Sen joked about the complications the U.S. had faced due to postal voting in its 2020 election — when supporters of then-sitting president Donald Trump made widespread, largely unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. Amid laughter from attendees, Hun Sen ordered that the Cambodian Embassy issue Cambodian IDs for its citizens living in the U.S., and encouraged those expatriates to come back to their home country, especially to vote. “You can have the right to vote. But please come to vote in the country. This is Cambodia’s election law, which doesn’t allow you to vote via post — and don’t be deceived by the U.S.’s example,” Hun Sen said. https://vodenglish.news/hun-sen-rules-out-postal-voting-for-cambodia-during-his-us-tour/

The Ministry of the Environment has issued a strong warning after images emerged on social media of thrill seekers picking the rare Nepenthes Holdanii plant In the message, the Ministry states ‘What they are doing is wrong and please don’t do it again in the future! Thank you for loving natural resources, but don’t harvest so it goes to waste!’ The Ministry also noted that the plants are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which are not allowed to be traded. It is believed that the suggestive images were taken on Bokor Mountain near Kampot – but an exact location has not yet been established. Nepenthes holdenii is a tropical pitcher plant from western Cambodia, where it grows at elevations of 600–800 m above sea level. The plant uses a ‘passive trap’ to capture and devour insects. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501074409/ministry-of-environment-dont-pick-carnivorous-nepenthes-holdanii-plants/

As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for 2022, Cambodia announced on April 18 that ASEAN and the United States will hold a special summit in Washington on May 12-13 to commemorate 45 years of ASEAN-US relations. The second special summit since 2016 will be the first in-person meeting of ASEAN leaders since 2017. In fact, the United States had unilaterally announced in February that it plans to host the summit on March 28-29, but the summit was deferred due to an apparent scheduling rift between the two sides. At one point, ASEAN leaders were exasperated because of the several changes in schedule. According to the statements issued by Cambodia and the US, ASEAN leaders and US President Joe Biden will meet to discuss ways and means to deepen cooperation in areas such as COVID-19 response and global health security, climate change, sustainable development, maritime cooperation, human capital development, education and people-to-people exchanges, as well as connectivity and economic engagement. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501074842/us-cant-force-asean-to-help-contain-china/

A Cambodian-American retiree flung a shoe at the strongman as he greeted a crowd mustered to welcome him. Speaking at times behind a lectern adorned with familiar yellow flowers and at one point taking up a bullhorn outside a hotel, Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a string of speeches during his tour of Washington for the U.S.-Asean Summit. At one stop at a conference hall on Wednesday, Hun Sen joked about the complications the U.S. had faced due to postal voting in its 2020 election — when supporters of then-sitting president Donald Trump made widespread, largely unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. Amid laughter from attendees, Hun Sen ordered that the Cambodian Embassy issue Cambodian IDs for its citizens living in the U.S., and encouraged those expatriates to come back to their home country, especially to vote. “You can have the right to vote. But please come to vote in the country. This is Cambodia’s election law, which doesn’t allow you to vote via post — and don’t be deceived by the U.S.’s example,” Hun Sen said. He ruled out the introduction of measures to allow Cambodian citizens living abroad to vote from outside the country. Prime Minister Hun Sen interacts with members of the Cambodian diaspora in Washington D.C. on May 11, 2022. (Hun Sen’s Facebook page) Such measures have been demanded in the past, including the then-leading opposition party, the CNRP, proposing amendments to the national election law in 2017. At the time, the party estimated there were around 1.8 million Cambodians living overseas, largely in Thailand. Sizable diasporas of Cambodian workers also live in South Korea, Japan and other countries. Criticism of the ruling party has been common from Cambodians living overseas. Suos Bunthol, 36, a migrant worker in Thailand, said he had never missed voting in an election when he was in Cambodia. But it would be too expensive to travel back this time, Bunthol said. “I want to go vote. And I want the government to offer an arrangement for migrant workers to be able to go,” he said. He migrated in 2019, and works as a plantation worker in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province, on the border with Battambang, he said. Many Cambodians had recently arrived for the harvest season, he added. “If it were possible without going back to Cambodia, there would be a lot of migrant workers who would vote.” Previous suggestions have included polling places set up on the Thai-Cambodia border. Leong Sophen, a project officer in Thailand for labor rights group Central, said most migrant worker groups he was in contact with were passionate about wanting to vote, but were hindered by the necessary travel and the need to get leave from their workplaces, which were often factories. “The workers encourage the government to arrange voting at the embassy [in Bangkok],” Sophen said. Civil society election observers have previously said that overseas Cambodians should be better enfranchised by creating mechanisms to allow them to participate in elections. Opposition politicians have suggested that the ruling party was dragging its feet because those voters would likely vote against the CPP. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/hunsen-usa-05122022185655.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036

PHNOM PENH, May 12 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday that opposition party leader Kem Sokha, who is on trial accused of treason, should be permitted to travel overseas for medical treatment, in a rare conciliatory move. Hun Sen said though it was ultimately up to the court to decide, Kem Sokha, whose Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was banned ahead of a 2018 election, should be given special dispensation to leave. Such overtures to rivals are rare for the self-styled strongman, who has ruled Cambodia for 37 years and has gained notoriety for his harsh treatment of his opponents, most of which are now in exile. "Going abroad to seek a medical checkup and visit children, there should be no obstacle," Hun Sen told supporters on the sidelines of a summit in the United States. "The decision whether to allow him to go or not is the complete power of the court. I don't interfere but if I am the court, a judge, I would allow if requested." Presiding judge Koy Sao could not be reached for comment on Thursday. The CNRP's dissolution effectively turned Cambodia into a one-party state, allowing Hun Sen's party to win every seat in parliament and influence independent bodies. Kem Sokha was freed from house arrest in 2019 but his trial is ongoing. He is banned from political activities. His treason charges stem from accusations he had conspired with the United States to overthrow Hun Sen. Kem Sokha and Washington have refuted that. Scores of members of the disbanded CNRP are also trial in what the United Nations and human rights groups say is a sham. Many CNRP members fled overseas, including most of its leadership, leaving behind a country with no functioning opposition. Pheng Heng, a lawyer for Kem Sokha, said he was not aware of any plan to go abroad, but his client would go if permission was granted. He urged the government to go a step further. "If they really have a willingness to compromise, they should ask a prosecutor to withdraw the charges," Pheng Heng told Reuters. read more https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cambodia-pm-says-rival-indicted-treason-should-be-allowed-medical-care-abroad-2022-05-12/

The relations between Cambodia and the US have reached the highest level ever during the past 72 years, noted Prime Minister Hun Sen while receiving former US Senator Donald M. Benton in Washington DC in the morning of May 11 (Washington DC time), on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Special Summit. Thanks to this good tie, the volume of bilateral trade and investment is on a remarkable rise, stressed the Premier quoted by Kao Kim Hourn, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister. Cambodia really wants to befriend with all countries, including the US, reaffirmed Hun Sen, adding that the Kingdom cannot choose between the US and China as the country adopts a neutral policy as stated in its constitution. Regarding the ASEAN-US Special Summit, Hun Sen said it is a rare opportunity for both sides to further strengthen and upgrade their relations from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, as this year marks the 45th anniversary of their dialogue relations. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501073940/cambodia-us-relationship-reaches-highest-level-ever-in-past-72-years/

The École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO) yesterday handed over 146 archaeological pieces, including 11 wooden pillars and one inscription stone to the Apsara National Authority. The French School of Asian Studies or EFEO made the handover through Angkor International Centre for Research and Documentation to be stored at the Apsara Authority’s headquarter. These archaeological pieces were unearthed during excavations from 2012 to 2017 and during the restoration of the West Mebon temple, according to the statement. Tin Tina, Deputy Director of the Angkor International Centre for Research and Documentation, said that the EFEO and other institutions usually hand over the artefacts found in the West Mebon temple after their studies. “If the international institution that handed over the artefacts to us intends to study more of the artefacts, we will always allow it upon request,” he said, noting that the archeological pieces handed over by the EFEO are primarily fragments of ceramics, soil for analysis, sandstone fragments, and metal fragments (iron, copper, brass). read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501073639/efeo-hands-over-146-artefacts-to-apsara-authority/

Casino business operators at Cambodia’s borders face difficulties in reopening even though there have been zero new Covid-19 cases for three consecutive days in the Kingdom. Ros Phearun, deputy director-general at the Finance Ministry’s Financial Industry Department, told Khmer Times yesterday that casino operations have not been resumed as of yesterday, the third day of zero new Covid-19 cases, because of the condition of buildings. The casinos, which need to renovate the buildings due to the lack of maintenance, also face a labour shortage. “I have noticed that some owners wish to resume their business operations, but it is still impossible because [their] facilities were closed down for a long time. They also need to hire people for work,” Phearun said. Phearun also noted that operators of casinos in border areas, including Poipet and Bavet towns, have not applied to renew their licenses. However, some casinos in other regions have resumed their operations due to an uptick in tourism activities. Prime Minister Hun Sen, before his departure to the US for the US-Asean Summit in the US as the Asean Chair 2022, on May 12 and 13, said, “Today is the third day that Cambodia has no new cases of Covid-19 across the country.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501073806/despite-zero-covid-19-cases-casinos-at-borders-struggle-to-reopen/

Monks and villagers say that a group of people purportedly hired by the military to cut down Kampong Speu’s Metta forest are continuing to destroy a densely forested area full of wildlife, and are now only about 200 meters from a pagoda inhabited by a nature-protecting monk. The area west of the pagoda had gibbons, small monkeys and peacocks, and its deforestation had left the animals homeless, lacking food and crying every day, the monk claimed on Wednesday. Prom Thomacheat, who lives in the forest pagoda, alleged that people hired by Brigade 70 were cutting down trees and taking control there, reaching about 200 meters west of the pagoda. He said the loggers were cutting down trees near a hut being built for Vipassana meditation. The clearing activity was protected by armed guards, he added. “No one dares to go there anymore because it is already occupied,” he said. Thomacheat expressed concern for wild animals that he claimed had no place to hide and cried day and night. Due to the lack of shelter, wild animals came to live in the pagoda because they had nothing to eat, he said, adding that he wondered why people wanted to destroy nature. read more https://vodenglish.news/soldiers-forest-clearing-approaches-nature-loving-monks-pagoda/

Cambodian fishermen caught in the Mekong River a giant stingray measuring four meters long and weighing 180 kilograms, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The freshwater stingray, threatened by overfishing, pollution and the loss of its habitat, is a protected species and was returned to the water after being measured and weighed by scientists from the “Wonders of the Mekong” project. , present on site. The stingray was accidentally caught last week in the province of Stung Treng (north), after having swallowed a smaller fish caught by the fishermen’s hook. The Mekong, one of the longest rivers in Asia (4,350 kilometers long), is home to the most important aquatic biodiversity after the Amazon, with over 1,000 species of fish. It’s full of “hidden and invisible ecosystems,” says Zeb Hogan, an American biologist at the University of Nevada and director of the US-funded “Wonders of Mekong” project. Vital to the survival of millions of people in Southeast Asia, the Mekong and its wildlife are threatened by dozens of dams built by Beijing in China, Laos and Cambodia on the river and its tributaries. https://playcrazygame.com/2022/05/12/4-meter-long-180-kilogram-stingray-caught-in-cambodia/

The United States should not use its special summit with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create a rift and instability in the region, Cambodian scholars said here on Tuesday. US President Joe Biden is due to meet with Asean leaders, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is the Asean chair for 2022, in Washington D.C. later this week. Asean groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Biden should use the meeting to express support for Asean’s post-Covid-19 socioeconomic recovery, rather than to press the bloc to follow its scenarios or agendas against other countries. “What the US should do is encouraging Asean to adhere to its principle of centrality, solidarity and unity,” he told Xinhua. Phea said the US should respect Asean’s rights in making decisions and should not use economic, political or security pressure to bargain with Asean or to force Asean to make decisions in its favor. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501073239/cambodia-urges-u-s-not-to-use-summit-with-asean-to-create-rift-and-instability-in-region/

The Angkor Botanic Garden in Siem Reap city will be open to public this month. Meanwhile, the garden is slated to be officially inaugurated on May 19. Admission will be free of charge for a month. The garden located along Sihanouk boulevard towards Angkor Wat is decorated with more than 500 species of plants and flowers and tens of thousands of trees, according to Apsara National Authority. Yit Chandaroat, Deputy Director-General of Apsara National Authority, said on Tuesday that the Angkor Botanical Garden, originally named the Angkor Spice Garden, and started building on about 2 hectares of land in 2005 has now been expanded to more than 15 hectares of land. He said that initiative was made by Land Management Minister Chea Sophara to make the Garden more attractive and be greater potential for tourism. Chandaroat said the Garden comprises five different large gardens, including a spice garden and herb garden with a variety of medicinal plants that are used in treatment of various diseases, and plants that are used as spices for cooking. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501072920/angkor-botanical-garden-in-siem-reap-city-all-set-to-receive-visitors-this-month/

Rithy Samnang, a businessman known as president of football club Phnom Penh Crown and for links to Sihanoukville properties associated with online scams, died Wednesday morning from illness, according to a statement from his club. The statement said Samnang was virtuous and contemplative, and left behind achievements in football, education and charity, adding that he was born in 1981, without including an exact age. Under Samnang’s more than 10 years of leadership, Phnom Penh Crown became a part of his family, and the oknha always gave good advice and showed them good ways to all, it said. “In this spirit, we are all committed to carrying on his point of view and continuing his heroism,” the statement said. “He spent his will and physical energy, and many resources, to build up football and especially for his beloved supporters of Phnom Penh Crown.” Keo Sareth, secretary-general of the Football Federation of Cambodia, confirmed Samnang’s death, saying he had been informed by federation president Sao Sokha, who also heads the military police. Samang died in Singapore from chronic illness, Sareth said. In addition to his stewardship of Phnom Penh Crown, Samnang also sat on the executive committee of the Football Federation, and played an important role in the sport’s development, he said. read more https://vodenglish.news/businessman-rithy-samnang-dies/

Aim is for 40% of cars and urban buses, 70% of motorbikes to be electric by 2050 PHNOM PENH -- At a recently opened Caltex gas station on the dusty fringes of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, a gleaming white-and-red electric vehicle charger sits idle. About a fortnight ago, a crowd looked on as the solitary ribbon-draped charger was declared open by the minister for transportation and the U.S. ambassador. Now, as rusty old trucks rumbled over potholes nearby, pump attendant Panha paused as he pondered how many people had charged their EVs in the days since the ceremony. "Maybe five," he said, agreeing with the suggestion that, perhaps one day, the numbers will increase. "Yes, in the future maybe there will be more." Cambodia is in the early stages of efforts to encourage electric vehicle adoption, rolling out a handful of charging stations across the country as part of its push to meet emission reduction targets. read more https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Cambodia-builds-up-EV-infrastructure-to-speed-electric-ambitions

The Ministry of Environment has issued a press release on the official launch of the “Guide to Spices in Cambodia”. This is according to the letter from the Ministry of Environment, which was received by local news on the afternoon of May 10. The Ministry of Environment is honoured to inform the public, the media, NGOs, students and all stakeholders that the Ministry of Environment has initiated and prepared the first “Guide to Spices in Cambodia”. The guide will be officially launched at the 2nd National Kesol Forum on May 11, under the chairmanship of Minister Ministry of Environment and Chairman of the National Council for Sustainable Development, Say Sam Al. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501072786/ministry-of-environment-launches-guide-to-spices-in-cambodia/

A Siem Reap man is in custody after a horrifying act where a 13 year old girl was knocked unconscious, raped and then killed. According to police, the victim had gone to search for frogs in a field near Rovieng village, Sranal commune, Kralanh district, Siem Reap province, on May 8, 2022, at around 9:00 PM Her grandparents became concerned after 30 minutes that the girl had not returned and repeatedly searched for her over the night – enlisting other villagers in the frantic search. Tragically, the body of the victim was found at 5am, lying dead in a water-field. After an autopsy showed that the victim had not died naturally, police then launched an intensive manhunt for the killer and arrested a man at 15:30 on May 9, 2022 in Rovieng village, Sranal commune, Kralanh district, Siem Reap province. The arrested man has been named as Ok Voeur, 31 years old of Vieng village, Sranal commune, Kralanh district, Siem Reap province, read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501072561/face-of-a-killer-man-arrested-for-brutal-murder-rape/

Cambodia will soon be stepping into the beginning of the rainy season with light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and strong winds to be experienced in the country. The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) released its weather forecast on May 10 on the weather situation in Cambodia from May 11 to May 17. During the coming week, Cambodia will be affected by the southwest monsoon, the ministry said. The nationwide rainy season for 2022 will begin on May 15. The weather situation in the country will be as follows: The Central Lowlands will experience temperatures from a low of 24℃-26℃ to a high of 34℃-36℃. Light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are to be expected. Some places may experience heavy rainfall. Provinces along the highlands will experience temperatures from a low of 23℃-25℃ to a high of 33℃-35℃. There may be light to moderate rainfall, as well as thunderstorms. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501072560/rainy-season-in-cambodia-to-commence/

After Thailand’s government allowed the re-opening of the border with Cambodia from May 1, a number of associations and private companies in the tourism sector in Cambodia, Thailand as well as Vietnam have cooperated to plan to boost the flow of tourists again. In early May, the Asia-Pacific Tourism Association (PATA) led by Thuon Sinan, President of the Association, travelled through the Cham Yeam International Border Crossing in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province to Thailand’s Trat province and to Bangkok to attend the Tourism and Trade Exchange Meeting between Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam from May 5-6, while a delegation of companies in Cambodia also travelled by air from Phnom Penh to Bangkok. The purpose of this road trip is to study and understand the journey as well as to complete the paperwork at the border checkpoints on both the Cambodian and Thai sides. Thuon Sinan said that the opening of the border between Cambodia and Thailand is very good for tourism, transport, trade, as well as other areas that are essential for the continuation of economic development between the two countries. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501072171/border-opening-boost-tourism-among-cambodia-thailand-vietnam/