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President Joe Biden will meet with Southeast Asian leaders in Washington for a special U.S.-ASEAN summit next month, the White House announced Saturday. The meeting in mid-May will take place amid tensions in the South China Sea, divisions among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over its response to the crisis in post-coup Myanmar, and the lack of a collective condemnation by the bloc of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – a stark contrast to the West’s condemnation of it. “President Biden will host the Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington, DC on May 12 and 13 for a U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. Cambodia, the 2022 holder of the ASEAN chairmanship, confirmed the new dates for the summit. “During this historic meeting, the Leaders of ASEAN and the United States will chart the future direction of ASEAN-U.S. relations and seek to further enhance strategic partnership for the mutual benefits of the peoples of ASEAN and the United States,” Phnom Penh said in a statement issued Sunday. The U.S.-ASEAN summit was originally scheduled for the end of March but was postponed because scheduling for the meeting ran into trouble when the facilitating country, Indonesia, could not get all ASEAN members to agree on a date. Next month’s meeting will be the second special summit between Washington and the Southeast Asian bloc since 2016 and the first in-person one since 2017, Cambodia said. “The Special Summit will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to ASEAN, recognizing its central role in delivering sustainable solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges, and commemorate 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations,” Psaki said. The summit is also set to happen a few days after a general election in the Philippines to determine who will succeed Rodrigo Duterte as president of the longtime U.S. defense ally at the frontline of territorial disputes with Beijing over the South China Sea. During his nearly six years in office, however, Duterte has fostered closer relations with China despite diplomatic protests lodged by Manila over intrusions by Chinese coast guard ships and other vessels in waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Balancing power The U.S. sees Southeast Asia as crucial to its efforts to push back against China’s rising power in the South China Sea and across the Indo-Pacific region. “It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner in Southeast Asia. Our shared aspirations for the region will continue to underpin our common commitment to advance an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, secure, connected, and resilient,” Psaki said. The Biden administration announced the new dates for the summit more than two weeks after the American president met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House, where they discussed the South China Sea, among other issues. “From our point of view, freedom of navigation is important, international law is important, the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS] is also important, and peaceful resolution of disputes so you avoid some accidental conflicts,” Lee said during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on March 30, a day after his meeting with Biden. Myanmar crisis ASEAN, meanwhile, has been grappling with a 14-month-old crisis in bloc member Myanmar, where the Burmese junta’s forces have bombed and burned swathes of the country to quell resistance to the military’s overthrow of an elected government in February 2021. In late March, the junta blocked ASEAN envoy Prak Sokhonn from meeting with deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his three-day visit to Myanmar, despite its pledge to grant him access to all political stakeholders, Prak, the Cambodian foreign minister, told reporters upon returning to Phnom Penh. At the end of an emergency meeting of ASEAN leaders in April last year, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the junta chief who led the coup, agreed to allow an envoy from the Southeast Asian bloc access to all stakeholders in Myanmar as part of a Five-Point Consensus to end the political crisis in his country. Apart from the Myanmar crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has tested ASEAN unity. In early March, the bloc as a whole issued a statement calling for a ceasefire but without naming Russia or using the word “invasion.” Meanwhile on March 2, most ASEAN member-states – except for Vietnam and Laos, which abstained – supported a much tougher U.N. General Assembly resolution against Moscow. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/summit-04172022083947.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The rising trend of telecom fraud in recent years has been effectively curbed, but an intensified crackdown will remain along with comprehensive governance and prevention, authorities said. “There are still a large number of criminal gangs in Cambodia, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, northern Myanmar and other countries and regions, committing fraud targeting Chinese citizens,” Liu said. Last year, the ministry sent multiple working groups to Cambodia, the UAE, northern Myanmar and other key countries and regions, to carry out international law enforcement cooperation. More than 610 suspects have been repatriated to China from abroad, Liu said. Am investigative team from the Ministry of Public Security, China, was also based at the Cambodian Ministry of Interior to investigate and collaborate with their Cambodian crackdown on the online scams and online gambling syndicates. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058875/china-sent-working-groups-to-cambodia-to-tackle-telecom-scams/

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that he has instructed ‘authorities at all levels not to apply the law related to the law governing COVID-19 and other infectious diseases…during the New Year, unless there is a serious infectious situation’ He said that he had made the decision after seeing that in the past two days of the Khmer New Year celebrations, people did not properly implement health rules. Speaking in Preah Sihanouk Province this morning, the PM instructed the authorities and all competent officials not to apply health rules for recreation during the New Year. He said, “I do not intend to impose any ban on the entertainment of the people during the New Year, and also ask the authorities at all levels not to apply the law related to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases are not applicable during the New Year, unless there is a serious infectious situation, [then[ we will announce to our people to suspend or their fun activities.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058786/pm-instructs-authorities-at-all-levels-not-to-apply-the-law-related-to-covid-19-during-khmer-new-year/

Cambodia’s ‘Virgin Islands’ have today been highlighted as as a potential growth area for Cambodia – especially in the field of ecotourism. The Koh Prohm Chary ecotourism community is located in Chroy Banteay commune, Prek Prosop district, Kratie province, which is only about 17 kilometers from Kratie provincial town. Mr. Un Chantou, President of the Virgin Islands Ecotourism Community, said that in the Virgin Islands, there is a lot of tourism potential. He highlighted the beautiful landscapes, rich biodiversity, dolphin watching, culture, traditions and customs of the people in In the community. In addition, tourists can take a boat-boat tour along the river to see the dolphins and visit the virgin island, fish, enjoy picnics on the islands and many other tourist activities. He added that the island has beautiful white sand and are habitats for many fish and birds read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058641/cambodias-beautiful-virgin-islands-have-huge-tourism-potential/

Traffic police taking money from motorists detained and threatened a citizen journalist, ordering him to delete his photos and videos of the bribery, the journalist alleged. Suon Vutha said he was on his way from Kampot to Phnom Penh on Sunday when he reached a checkpoint in Kandal’s Loeuk Dek district. He saw taxi vans overflowing with passengers, but traffic police were taking money to look the other way, Vutha said. “Some of them were overcrowded, so they just gave 20,000-30,000 riel [$5-$7.5] to the traffic police. They let them go without any direct law enforcement,” he said. Vutha pulled out his phone to take videos, and he was taken in for questioning for more than an hour. Officers demanded to see his “mission letter” as well as ID, and ordered him to delete his videos and sign an agreement to stop. “It’s a threat to the people,” he said. “I filmed this in public. I did nothing wrong. And he threatened to send me to the district authorities to build a case to take to court.” “He said I was wrong to film authorities while they operated.” Vutha said he eventually signed the agreement and deleted his images so he could get away. read more https://vodenglish.news/journalist-alleges-threats-after-filming-traffic-police-taking-money/

“Preah Thong Neang Neak” statue, which symbolises the birth of Khmer land, culture, traditions and civilisation, was officially inaugurated this morning. The inauguration ceremony was held under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen and his spouse Bun Rany Hun Sen. “Preah Thong Neang Neak” statue of 21 metres tall on a pedestal 6.34 metres high is the largest copper statue in Cambodia. Located at the Preah Thong Neang Neak roundabout in Koki Village, Bit Trang Commune, Prey Nup District, Preah Sihanouk, the giant statue weighs in total 60 tonnes and faces Ream Beach. “Preah Thong Neang Neak” statue is among the four icons of Preah Sihanouk provinces. The other three are Golden Lions at the city centre, Preah Uma-Mahesor statue at the Preah Uma-Mahesor roundabout in Thmar Thom village, Ream commune, Prey Nup district; and three-faced Siha Reach statue in Sihanoukville’s commune 1. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058587/cambodias-largest-copper-statue-preah-thong-neang-neak-inaugurated/

According to Ministry of Tourism Minister Thong Khon, the first day of the Khmer New Year on April 14 saw a total of 862,897 tourists across the country, of which 854,654 were nationals and 8,243 were foreigners. Major tourist destinations saw 160,740 people in Kampong Chhnang; 107,254 people in Battambang; Siem Reap, 107,014; Pursat, 83,896;Kampong Cham, 57,430; Prey Veng, 56,002; Kampong Speu, 49,288; Phnom Penh 38,972; and Banteay Meanchey 37,316 people. “The number of visitors on the first day of Khmer New Year was much higher than when there was no outbreak of Covid-19 in 2019. In fact, there was an increase of 5.68% compared to the first day of the New Year in 2019 with 816,469 people,” he said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058346/first-day-of-kny-sees-more-than-860000-tourists-nationwide/

World Health Organization representative Dr Li Ailan recently said that although having achieved impressive results in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB), Cambodia still remained on the global TB watch list, and the Covid-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress in the country’s fight to end TB. “Cambodia has made remarkable progress in reducing the incidence rate [of TB] by 22% between 2015 and 2019 and transitioned out of the list of 30 high TB burdened countries in the middle of last year. However, we remain on the global TB watch list, which means we need to monitor and prioritise TB services,” she said. “The incidence rate was reduced by 53% from 579 cases per 100,000 of the population in 2000 to 274 per 100,000 in 2020. About 500,000 TB patients have been cured and 400,000 deaths prevented since 2000. “In mid-2021, Cambodia transitioned out of the list of 30 countries with high incidence of TB and was recognised for its success in reducing the disease. Between 2015 and 2019, the incidence rate fell by 22%,” she added. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501058328/despite-progress-cambodia-remains-on-global-tb-watch-list/

Environmentalists are calling for more action to protect the Cardamom Mountains National Parks and Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary, which they say are suffering illegal logging on a daily basis. Chea Hean, the head of ACNCIPO — an abbreviation for watchdog group Anti-Corruption, Natural Resource Protection and Civil Rights Protection — said his group had submitted a letter to Environment Minister Say Sam Al in early March about illegal logging in the protected areas in Koh Kong, Pursat and Kampong Speu provinces. The group had followed up residents’ reports and found a large amount of timber being trafficked out of specific routes in the parks, Hean said. Hean said he had submitted the letter because he believed local officials would only take sustained action if given orders from above. However, a recent visit again to the areas had found the transport of wood continuing unabated, he said last Friday, alleging corruption and complicity among local officials. read more https://vodenglish.news/environmentalists-warn-of-continuing-deforestation-in-koh-kong-pursat/

After the rise of Omicron in Cambodia, case numbers appear to now be dropping to lower levels. However, fears are growing of an expected rise in numbers due to migrant workers returning from Thailand for Khmer New Year. Today’s official daily new COVID case total (diagnosed by PCR test) was 18 – all the Omicron variant – bringing the COVID case total to 135,998 cases. Cambodia also announced 0 new deaths, bringing the total to 3,055 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia. The Kingdom recorded 18 new community and 0 new imported cases of the new variant. Cambodia has now recorded 15,557 cases of Omicron – 1353 imported and 14204 community cases. There are now 247 active COVID cases (diagnosed by PCR test) in The Kingdom. COVID – and Omicron – figures appear to be stabilising in Cambodia. In response, PM Hun Sen on Sunday night – in a move which appears to signal the hastening of a move towards a post COVID normalcy – decided to lift mandatory mask wearing for 4 provinces. The move is a bold one by the PM, especially considering that Khmer New Year – and the mass movement of Cambodians that accompanies the festival – starts on Thursday the 14th of April. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057640/only-a-handful-of-cases-recorded-as-cambodia-moves-closer-to-zero-covid/

One man was killed after being struck in the head by a blow from behind, his wife said. Cambodian authorities moved this month to block members of political opposition groups from challenging the country’s ruling party in local elections set for June, arresting some on contested charges and disqualifying others from running, Cambodian sources say. Barred now from participating in the vote are more than 100 candidates from the Candlelight Party, formerly called the Sam Rainsy Party, which merged with other groups in 2012 to form the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Cambodia’s Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in November 2017, allowing the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) led by long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen to win all 125 seats in Parliament in a July 2018 election. Other opposition activists have meanwhile been arrested, denied release from jail in time to contest the polls, or injured or killed in apparently targeted physical attacks, sources said. One Candlelight Party activist and his son were arrested in western Cambodia’s Pursat province on Thursday and sent to prison to await trial on charges of illegal fishing, with other party members calling the charges a ploy to restrict their political activities. Hem Chhil, 35, a commune council candidate for the Kandieng district’s Syva commune, and Pim Dara, 15, were arrested while pumping water from a pond behind their house and catching fish to cook for a holiday celebration, provincial party leader Phan Bunsoth told RFA on Thursday. “Around five local village guards and police officers arrested them after saying they had used electricity to stun the fish in order to catch them,” Phan Bunsoth said. A tool used for that purpose had been found around 100 meters from the house, he added. Hem Chhil had earlier been warned by authorities not to set up a party sign outside his home, said Candlelight Party Vice President Thach Setha. “It is as if they arrested him to keep him from installing a party sign for others to see. And then they also arrested a 15-year-old minor. This is such an extreme act for the authorities to take,” he said. “The authorities are doing everything they can in order to win,” agreed Sam Chankear, provincial coordinator the Cambodian rights group ADHOC. “But this will affect the image of the government and the ruling party as a whole,” he added. Requests for comment from Pursat provincial prosecution office spokesperson Long Cheap, provincial court spokesperson Heng Donin, and provincial Police Commissioner Sarun Chanthy were unanswered on Thursday. Physical attacks On Monday, another Candlelight Party activist — Khorn Tun, a commune candidate in Tabaung Khmom province’s Ponhea Krek district — was attacked by unidentified men who threw rocks at her home, while on April 9, Prak Seyha — a party youth leader for Phnom Penh’s Kambol district — was attacked and beaten by a mob. Also on April 9, a party candidate for Phnom Penh’s Chhbar Ampov district, Choeun Sarim, was killed in traffic while traveling by motorbike from southern Cambodia’s Takeo province to the capital, Phnom Penh. Speaking to RFA, Choeun Sarim’s wife Satik Srey Touch said her husband’s skull had been crushed by a blow from behind. He had also been threatened and assaulted in the past, she said. Meanwhile, a Phnom Penh court on Tuesday denied bail to ailing 63-year-old Yok Neang who is on trial for “conspiracy” in connection with a plan to bring Sam Rainsy, acting chief of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party, back to Cambodia to challenge CPP rule. Speaking to RFA, Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian rights group Licadho said that Cambodian courts have no grounds to prosecute Yok Neang and other opposition activists, calling the legal moves against them politically motivated. “The domestic and international community have seen that these cases are motivated more by politics than by concern for upholding Cambodian law,” he said. Cambodia is set to hold its fifth commune council election on June 5, with 17 parties competing for a total of 11,622 seats in communes nationwide. Over 9.2 million Cambodians are registered to vote, according to the country’s National Election Committee. Translated by Samean Yun, Sok Ry Sum, and Sovannarith Keo for RFA’s Khmer Service. Written in English by Richard Finney, Joshua Lipes, and Nawar Nemeh. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/activists-04142022160859.html

Cambodians celebrate Khmer New Year this Thursday after the country canceled the holidays for two consecutive years. During the three-day festivities, people travel to their homes in provinces, offer food to monks at Buddhist temples, visit popular tourist sites, and enjoy other entertainment activities. Despite the country has managed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with more than 14 million people fully vaccinated, local public health officials remind people to remain vigilant and follow public health recommendations for preventative measures. more pictures here https://www.voacambodia.com/a/cambodians-welcome-khmer-new-year-2022/6529608.html

The increasing purchasing power of Cambodians is prompting foreign department stores, including Thailand’s Siam Makro Plc, to open more shopping malls in the country, the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh reported. The foreign trade promotion office at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh reported that Siam Makro would open two more Makro shopping malls in Cambodia, adding to the two Makro stores already in operation. Currently, Siam Makro owns one shopping mall in Phnom Penh and another in Krong Siem Reap, the trade office added. The office said Cambodia’s economy is expanding fast, as a result the lifestyle of Cambodians is undergoing a rapid change due to higher purchasing power. The office said as part of the changing lifestyle, more Cambodians were shopping in hypermarkets and modern shopping malls. Currently, there are several foreign-owned shopping malls in Phnom Penh, including Aeon Mall 1, Aeon Mall 2, Exchange Square, TK Avenue, Global House and SCG Home Village, the trade office said. The office said there are also several foreign-owned shopping malls in Sihanoukville, including Prince Mall, Furi Time Square, and Aeon Mall 3. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057801/siam-makro-to-expand-stores-in-cambodia-to-four-to-meet-rising-demand/

As of April 11, hotels and guesthouses reopened to welcome national and international tourists for the upcoming Khmer New Year have been fully booked. The update was shared by Ngov Sengkat, Director of Siem Reap Provincial Department of Tourism, adding that the number of local and foreign visitors in the province began to increase remarkably on Monday. The remarkable tourist in-flow was driven by the in-coming Khmer Traditional New Year, and Siem Reap province has scheduled to organise Sankranta Siem Reap event at Siem Reap City and Chao Say Tevda Temple to attract more national and international to the historical province, Sengkat continued.Siem Reap’s newly constructed 38 roads and other tourism infrastructure also contribute to attracting visitors, he said. According to Philip Kao, President of Siem Reap Tourism Club Association, fully booked hotels and guesthouses in Siem Reap is a positive sign for the province’s economy. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057681/upcoming-khmer-new-year-hotels-and-guesthouses-in-siem-reap-fully-booked/

A highway project linking the capital of Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri province, the eastern part of the country, is planned to facilitate the travel of tourists and goods transport as the government sets the Mondulkiri province as the hub of the country’s fourth economic pole. The Phnom Penh-Mondulkiri highway construction was mentioned in the master plan of tourism development in Mondulkiri province for 2022-2035, which was launched on April 12. The plan promotes the study and development of the highway connecting Phnom Penh to Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri Province, which is set in the vision to 2035. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057651/phnom-penh-mondulkiri-highway-construction-planned/

A Preah Vihear journalist says he is facing arrest after filming a bulldozer clearing state land, though the court says the warrant was issued after the man failed to appear for questioning four times. Try Sophal, a journalist for online news outlet “Everyday,” said on Monday that the case dated back to late last year, when he reported on a bulldozer clearing state land in Kulen district’s Srayong commune. He and other journalists then received complaints of stealing and threatening, he said. “I was accused that I stole, I robbed. That would mean that at that time I went to remove the key or confiscate something from the perpetrator that accused me. But I [only] saw the crime and I filmed and reported. Why did they accuse me of that?” Sophal said. Sophal said he was also beaten at the time but the provincial court had released the assailants. He complained to the Anti-Corruption Unit about the court, and believed the current arrest warrant could have come about because the court was angry with him. Sophal’s lawyer Morn Keo Sivin said his client was merely reporting the news, and he would submit a letter to the Justice Ministry to intervene in the case. read more https://vodenglish.news/journalist-faces-arrest-warrant-after-filming-land-clearing/

BANGKOK, Thailand — A cross-border police operation this week rescued 66 Thai nationals from captivity in Cambodia where they were forced or tricked into working as scam callers, authorities said on Tuesday. Thai and Cambodian police uncovered and broke up what they said was part of a wider Chinese-run transnational crime racket that has ensnared thousands of people from around Asia in recent years. The full scale of the racket remains unclear. Since last October, more than 800 Thai men and women, including 300 who were considered victims of human trafficking, have been rescued from working at scam call centers, the Thai police said in a statement. The workers are lured to Cambodia through social media advertisements promising high-paying jobs but then forced by racketeers to make scam calls in their own languages. “Those who refuse get assaulted, some get whipped, others get electrocuted...Some get beaten up and others get locked in dark rooms and are not given food,” Thai assistant national police commissioner Surachate Hakparn told Reuters. He added more than 1,000 Thais are still working in scam call centers in cities like Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Poipet. Cambodian NGOs said in March that scam call centers are like “slave compounds” where thousands of foreign nationals remain trapped. Meanwhile, foreign embassies including those of China, Pakistan, Vietnam and Indonesia have issued warnings against answering suspicious job ads. Last week Malaysian police said 16 of its nationals were rescued by Cambodian authorities from similar scam call centers. Chhay Kim Khoeun, Cambodia's deputy national police chief, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, saying the police operation is still going on. Jeremy Douglas, regional representative of the United Nations narcotics and crime agency, said the bust was a “major wake-up call for the region.” “The location and the crime are not a surprise as we've seen several cases in Cambodia, but to run an operation with a thousand plus working phones takes sophistication, requires investment and would be hard to hide,” he said. https://www.voacambodia.com/a/police-crackdown-on-cambodian-scam-call-centers-frees-66-/6527686.html

The Quad countries (Japan-Australia-India-U.S.), based on the needs of the Cambodian government, jointly donated COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in India to Cambodia as an initiative of the Quad Vaccine Partnership. On April 12, with attendance of Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen, the handover ceremony was held by the Quad representatives in Cambodia, including Mr. KARIMATA Atsushi, Minister of Embassy of Japan in Cambodia. Dr. Devyani Uttam Khobragade, the Indian Ambassador to Cambodia made a speech on behalf of the Quad representatives and highlighted Quad's contributions to COVID-19 response in the Indo-Pacific region, including ensuring equitable access to vaccines. In response, Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his gratitude for the Quad Vaccine Partnership. In addition to vaccines manufactured in India, the Indian Ambassador highlighted approximately 4.65 million doses of vaccine donation from Japan, the U.S. and Australia, which includes about 1.3 million doses from Japan. The Ambassador also mentioned Quad countries’ other related supports to Cambodia, which includes Japan's "Last One Mile Support”. read more https://reliefweb.int/report/cambodia/vaccine-donation-cambodia-japan-australia-india-us-quad

The Royal Railway reopened passenger service on Tuesday between Phnom Penh and six provinces – Takeo, Pursat, Battambang, Kampot, Kep, Preah and Sihanouk. Sak Vanny, manager of Royal Train Square, said that the reopening of rail services is to meet the travel needs of the people as the nation celebrates Khmer New Year. She said resumption of services was announced on social media and there is good response from travellers. Vanny said trains will depart at 6.40 am from Phnom Penh to Takeo, Pursat and Battambang and at 7 am to Kampot, Kep and Sihanoukville. She added rail services will be increased after studying the demand for seats. The Royal Railway said these are test runs and currently open for passengers only and cargo such as cars and motorcycles are not allowed. Rail operations in the country were suspended after the Covid-19 outbreak. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057396/royal-railway-resumes-passenger-services/

As Cambodians celebrate New Year, traders – especially those selling religious articles say the mood is upbeat and they are hoping to do brisk business this year. Cambodia suspended normal celebrations in 2020 and 2021 to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. A drop in tourist numbers had also hit businesses across the country. Srey Touch, a business owner at Kratie province, said business was now picking up as people have started holding religious rituals and ceremonies. “In the past year, there were few customers due to Covid- 19 and some religious ceremonies were banned in pagodas and other places,” she said. She also said at present she was hoping to sell products worth between $30 to $40 per day. Another trader, Vanna, said resumption of religious ceremonies across the country has revived the sale of religious articles. “My shop is right next to a pagoda, so when people visit the pagoda, they buy articles from my shop,” she said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057354/traders-upbeat-as-khmer-new-year-celebrations-begin/

The Khmer New Year continues to fuel an influx of tourists throughout the country, with numbers of tourists climbing up to nearly 400,000, last weekend. On April 9 to April 10, the flow of tourists increased significantly compared to the previous week by more than 74 percent. This is according to the Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon. After the announcement of the lifting of mask mandates in four provinces, the number of tourists travelling to Stung Treng, Preah Vihear, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri are expected to increase significantly during the Khmer New Year. The Minister stated that from the weekend until the present continues to rise and confirmed that the total number of tourists last weekend was 370,758, of which 356,540 were nationals and 14,218 were foreigners. Major tourist destinations include: Phnom Penh with 109,837 people. Siem Reap with 43,887 people. Preah Sihanouk with 35,836 people. Kampot with 33,567 people. Pursat with 32,907 people. Battambang with 26,829 people. Kep with 24,190 people. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501056815/tourism-makes-a-comeback-number-of-tourists-spike-by-more-than-74-percent/

Technical officials from the Apsara National Authority’ (ANA) Angkor Ceramics Museum have begun work on repairing six prehistoric ceramic pots recently donated by a resident of Puok commune in Siem Reap province. The ANA, a body tasked with managing the Angkor Archaeological Park, said on April 11 that Phoeun Phavi, a resident of the commune’s Kork Thmey village, volunteered to hand over six prehistoric ceramic pots for cleaning, repair and maintenance according to archaeological techniques. These six ceramic pots are in fragile situation, noted Vong Savuthy, technical officer of Angkor Ceramics Museum under the ANA’s Department of Cultural Development and Heritage Norms. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/savvy-citizen-spots-pots-prehistoric-times-gives-ana

Cambodia has started to restore the east gate of Ta Prohm temple in the famed Angkor Archaeological Park in northwestern Siem Reap province, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Monday. The ANA is the government agency responsible for managing, safeguarding and preserving the park. The restoration work of the east gate of Ta Prohm temple has been undertaken by ANA’s experts in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India, the news release said, adding that the gate, built during the late 12th century, has been severely damaged by age and natural factors. Net Simon, an archaeologist in charge of the east gate restoration site, said the project began in early 2022 and that the restoration work was struggling due to the complex construction structure and stones being decayed and lost. “The east gate has been damaged the worst among the four gates of Ta Prohm temple, with the upper part completely collapsed,” she said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057008/cambodia-begins-to-restore-east-gate-of-tourist-attraction-ta-prohm-temple/

Hundreds of people working in Phnom Penh are rushing to their hometowns in the provinces to join friends and family to celebrate Khmer New Year – one of Cambodia’s biggest events. The Cambodian government announced normal celebrations this year after restrictions were in place for two years to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Rath, a cab driver said, this year is different as celebrations are taking place after a long gap and taxi services to the provinces are busy. People are also travelling by their own vehicles, he said. “I am driving from Chroy Changva Bridge to Battambang province and most of the traffic is on National Road 5 to locations such as Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang,” he said. In the past two years very few people used the taxis due to cancellation of New Year events, he said. Another taxi driver, Chamroeun, said he is also busy ferrying people to their hometowns. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501057210/cambodians-rush-to-hometowns-to-celebrate-khmer-new-year/

As vaccines continue to roll out in the country, more and more people are volunteering to get their vaccine jabs to protect themselves from Covid-19 and one of them is a 118-year-old woman. The medical team from Mondulkiri vaccinated her on April 10. After receiving news that the centenarian wanted to be vaccinated from national media, Secretary of State Dr Or Vandine organized a searched to look for her to administer the vaccine for her. The team went to Oddar Meanchey to look for her but could not find her. Then a search for her was executed in Kratie. After the team received news that she was not there, the team found her in Mondulkiri. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501056627/vaccinated-centenarian-118-year-old-woman-volunteers-to-get-covid-19-jab/