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The Poipet city police arrested a Thai couple and seized from them almost two kilogrammes of methamphetamine drugs at the Cambodian-Thai border. Provincial Anti-Drug police chief Colonel Sin Thindeth identified the suspects as Chaiyaporn Porntum, 41, and his wife as Suwannarat Sumlle, 32 who worked at a Thai-owned casino at the border in Poipet city. He said the suspects were arrested yesterday after the police raided their rental house in Poipet city’s Poipet commune. He added the raiding party seized 103 packages of ice and 2,920 pills, all weighing nearly 2 kilogrammes, a weighing scale, two mobile phones as well as other related materials from the premises. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501032010/police-arrest-thai-couple-and-seize-almost-two-kilogrammes-of-methamphetamine/

Cambodia’s strongman failed as a peacemaker there HUN SEN likes doing things his own way. Cambodia’s prime minister has ruled the country for 37 years and counting. Satisfied with his own performance, he banned the main opposition party in 2017. In January he flew to Myanmar, deciding that he was the man to bring peace to that country, racked by war since the army seized power last year. This did not go down well in the region. ASEAN, the club of South-East Asian countries to which Cambodia belongs, has a hallowed tradition of consensus, and last year decided to shun Myanmar’s junta. In 2022 Cambodia holds the bloc’s chair, which rotates annually. So the timing of Mr Hun Sen’s visit was unfortunate. read more https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/02/26/will-humiliation-in-myanmar-help-cambodia-distance-itself-from-china

The National Election Committee (NEC) said yesterday it is “impossible” to allow migrant workers in neighbouring Thailand to vote for upcoming elections, citing the lack of a legal framework. The reaction was made after some political parties members and civil society organisations requested the NEC to facilitate Cambodian migrant workers abroad to have the right to participate in the upcoming commune and national elections in accordance with the Constitution. Moeun Tola, executive director of the Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (Central) said yesterday that migrant workers have the right to elect their leaders, citing Article 34 of the Constitution which states all Cambodian shall enjoy the right to vote and to stand as candidates for the elections. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501031419/no-provision-for-cambodians-to-vote-from-abroad-says-nec/

The groups issued the call in response to recent round-ups of striking NagaWorld casino workers. Cambodian civil society groups, community organizations, and trade unions on Thursday accused governmental officials of sexually harassing female strikers and applying COVID prevention rules arbitrarily as part of an effort to break up recent labor demonstrations. A joint statement signed by 51 groups specifically points to how authorities have handled members of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, most of whom are women. Since striking from the hotel and casino in December 2021, the workers have been subjected to violence, imprisonment and the arbitrary application of COVID-19 measures, the letter from the groups states. “Women strikers have been repeatedly and disproportionately targeted by government efforts to disperse the peaceful strike,” the groups said. Authorities have denied the women access to bathrooms near the strike site, prevented them from returning home until after dark, and followed them once they were allowed to leave. On Tuesday, a male officer grabbed and squeezed the breast of one woman while she was being forced onto a bus, the groups said. Similarly, on Dec. 29, state authorities used vulgar sexual language with a striker and threatened to sexually assault her. Among the groups that signed the joint statement were the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, and the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia. Their statement says that in February, the strikers repeatedly complied with governmental orders to undertake multiple COVID-19 virus tests and fulfilled quarantine orders. Despite meeting the terms, 64 workers were forcibly taken to a quarantine facility on Monday as they tried to resume their strike. They were allowed to return home later that evening after complying with further COVID-19 testing, the groups said. But on Tuesday, authorities took 39 strikers to the same quarantine center that lacks beds and water for drinking and bathing. On the following day, authorities escorted 51 additional strikers to the facility. Each of the workers has been fined up to 2 million riels (U.S. $470) for allegedly violating COVID-19 measures as they tried to resume their strike, the groups said. Thousands of employees from the Hong Kong-owned NagaWorld Casino in Cambodia’s capital walked off the job in mid-December, demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of eight jailed union leaders and nearly 370 others they said were unjustly fired from the casino. Eleven members of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, including seven women, have been arrested since December 2021, and are being held in pre-trial detention, the groups said in their statement. The women have been charged with incitement to commit a felony and face up to two years in prisons if convicted. Phnom Penh City Hall security personnel rounded up another 27 strikers on Thursday and took them to a quarantine facility on the outskirts of town where about 90 other workers picked up during other strikes are being also held. Authorities released 35 workers from the larger group, without providing them with transportation home, and sent four workers who tested positive for COVID-19 for treatment, according to one of the workers. Authorities wanted to release more employees, but the workers refused to leave until everyone in the group was let go, said the woman, who declined to give her name. Phnom Penh City Hall issued a statement on Thursday denying that security personnel sexually harassed the striking casino workers and accused the NGOs of issuing false information about COVID-19 prevention measures. Authorities found that several strikers they had rounded over the past few days to be COVID-19 positive, the statement said. “It is outrageous to have statements accusing the authorities of using violence, including sexual harassment, against the women workers,” the statement said. The statement said that strikers with evidence of harassment file legal complaints. Authorities also said journalists had issued statements “contrary to the fact.” But they prevented local and foreign reporters from covering the round-up of workers on Thursday, spraying hand sanitizer on the journalists’ equipment in some cases. They also prohibited human rights monitors from recording incidents of harassment. RFA could not reach City Hall officials or Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan for additional comment. Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/female-strikers-02242022173331.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

Swedish clothing retail company Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) will soon open a store in AEON Mall 1, the first H&M store in the country. This is according to a press release from the retail giant. The store will be launched on March 18. The opening of the store was also announced on the official website of AEON Mall Cambodia. The store will have an area of 1,798 square metres and the store will be offering an extensive range of clothes and accessories, for men, women and children. “H&M is pleased to open our first store in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and to encourage our customers who love our fashion…to create their own style and in line with the promises of H&M customers, fashion and quality at the best sustainable price,” stated CEO and Country Manager of H&M Cambodia and Thailand Philippe Lassaux. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501031171/hm-to-open-first-store-in-cambodia/

PHNOM PENH, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Cambodia started vaccinating children as young as three against COVID-19 on Wednesday, becoming one of the first countries to cover the age group of those below five. The Southeast Asian nation has vaccinated more than 90% of its population of 16 million, for one of the highest rates in the region, official data show. In January, it started rolling out a fourth dose for high-risk groups. The inoculation drive for toddlers began in the capital of Phnom Penh, with hundreds of people queueing outside clinics where medical staff in personal protection gear gave doses to teary-eyed or wailing children. "I brought my kid with hope of stopping the spread of COVID-19, and I hope all parents would do so too," said Heng Davy, a 28-year-old mother, as she shuffled along in a fast-moving queue with her son in her arms. Most countries have yet to start vaccinations for children under the age of five. This month, the United States postponed by at least two months consideration of COVID-19 vaccines for children under five. China launched a nationwide campaign targeting those aged three to 11 late last year, as did Bahrain, and Cuba has covered those as young as two. "I would like to thank the government for providing the vaccine for three- to five-year-old kids," said Hour Nary, a father accompanying his daughter while she received the shot. Cambodia's tally of pandemic infections stands at more than 127,000, with 3,024 deaths. Reporting by Chantha Lach; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

The Health Ministry said yesterday that Cambodia had not recorded any death cause by malaria since 2018. Huy Rekol, the ministry’s director of National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control said this was largely due to more people following health measures to avoid getting bitten by the anopheles mosquito. “There were 4,279 case of malaria last year which decreased 54% compared to 2020. And there was no fatality since 2018 which was three years before the zero-death target of 2020,” he said. He was speaking at the ministry’s annual meeting, held in Siem Reap province, to review its work done last year. He said the ministry works closely to educate people, especially those who venture into forests to earn livelihoods, on ways to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitos. Rekol said that as a result, 95% of those who go into the forests now sleeping under mosquito nets to protect themselves from getting bitten. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501030555/no-malaria-deaths-recorded-in-the-kingdom-since-2018/

Prime Minister Hun Sen railed against his agriculture minister on Wednesday, lambasting him for raising pork prices and for not attending a meeting with the Commerce Ministry. The prime minister was speaking at the annual meeting of the Interior Ministry, where he used expressive body language to question Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon in person on the stage. Hun Sen’s main criticism was with Sakhon’s alleged mismanagement of pork prices and for creating a supply-side issue. He said Sakhon was “pleasing” a few local pig farmers, which was causing rising prices, and said the issue could be resolved with meat imports. “I would like to point out that among the ministers, the minister who doesn’t cooperate with others is the agriculture minister,” he said, pointing repeatedly at Sakhon who was sitting on the dais behind Hun Sen. read more https://vodenglish.news/hun-sen-lays-into-agriculture-minister-for-riding-a-horse-to-see-flowers/

PM Hun Sen has said that he may order the destruction of around 5,000 duty-free vehicles that have refused to pay taxes ordered by the Royal Government. The PM made his statement whilst presiding over the closing ceremony of the 2021 work review meeting and the 2022 work direction of the Ministry of Interior on February 23, 2022 at the Sokha Hotel, Phnom Penh. The PM stated that the Ministry of Economy and Finance estimates that are still more than 5,000 duty-free vehicles that have not been taxed. The PM warned, ‘Those who have not yet paid the tax, about 5,000 more cars, please come out to pay the tax, be careful, [because] one day I [might] order to burn the car, not too difficult. I call on those who have not yet paid their taxes to come out and pay their taxes.’ The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia started to collect tax on duty-free vehicles from September 9, 2021, providing a 10% tax discount for vehicle owners who came to pay tax by the deadline of December 31. 2021. As the deadline has passed, car owners can still come to pay the tax, but they must pay 100%. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501031011/pm-duty-free-cars-that-do-not-pay-tax-may-be-burned/

On Tuesday, members of the elite Brigade 70 military unit fired warning shots and physically assaulted villagers as the soldiers attempted to clear a section of disputed forest in the Aoral district of Kampong Speu, according to local witnesses and a rights organization. Phon Thoch, 60, was among a group of locals who gathered on Tuesday to confront the soldiers outside the rural Po Meas village. Thoch estimated that 20 villagers had approached the troops, who came as part of a mixed group with environmental officials and a crew of four hired workers. The workers were using chainsaws to cut and clear trees under the soldiers’ protection, she said. “We tried to stop them from cutting down trees,” Thoch recounted, describing the verbal altercation that followed. “They did not listen to us and said the forest belongs to them, [and asked] why we came to cause trouble.” From there, Thoch said the conflict escalated to the point where soldiers assaulted three of the villagers including herself and two men. read more https://vodenglish.news/soldiers-assault-villagers-in-disputed-kampong-speu-forest-says-rights-group/

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who is well known to Cambodians, has returned to the Kingdom for the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. In the past, the American film star directed the film First They Killed My Father here after starring in Tomb Raider, released in 2001, which is considered the first international movie in modern times to introduce the wonder of Angkor Wat to a wider, western audience. This time, the famous filmmaker and star Jolie has been spotted in front of the Angkor Wat temple, surprising many tuk-tuk drivers and taxi drivers after they saw her walking to see the sunrise early in the morning around 7am on Monday. Hanging out in front of Angkor Wat, tuk-tuk driver Sen Soeu said yesterday: “I was very surprised to see the American movie star by coincidence on Monday when she walked out from Angkor Wat. I ran up to her and asked to take a photo with her and she took one with me.” He added that he couldn’t ask her any more questions because he saw two or three people walking with her. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029996/angelina-jolie-surprises-fans-by-turning-up-at-angkor-wat/

The government yesterday came down strongly on analysts’ groundless reports claiming deep port development in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk is a debt trap to China. Prime Minister Hun Sen made this remark while presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony of the Japan-funded $20 million sewage treatment plant located south of Phnom Penh. The remark was made in response to criticisms over the government getting a concessional loan from China likened to the case of cash-strapped Sri Lanka to China. The country’s solo deep seaport development has received assistance and concessional loans from the Japanese government, Mr Hun Sen said, dismissing baseless extremist analysts for claiming that this is related to China’s debt trap. The deep port has received assistance from the government and China’s debt trap like the case in Sri Lanka is not true, he added. Acknowledging Japanese assistance and loans to the port development, Mr Hun Sen said in a questioning tone: “They make analysis that the port could be in a debt trap to China. Japan builds and Japan helps. How could it be China’s debt trap?” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029907/pm-denies-preah-sihanouk-project-is-debt-trap-port-development-to-china/

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said Tuesday that there will be no lockdown in capital Phnom Penh or other locations again despite a daily surge in new COVID-19 cases. The kingdom logged 598 new cases on Tuesday, all confirmed to be the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and two new deaths, the health ministry said The country has recorded 127,575 COVID-19 cases, with 121,125 recoveries and 3,022 deaths, it added. "As the prime minister who has full authority to order the closure or opening, I will not implement any lockdown measures. Please make sure there is no chaos or panic buying at shops," he said in a speech during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant on the southwestern outskirts of Phnom Penh. "We have no need to lock down the city or any locations because our people have been fully vaccinated, so infections do not lead to disease severity," he said. The prime minister said he decided to impose a lockdown in Phnom Penh and its adjacent Ta Khmau city in April 2021 because, at that time, most of the population had not been vaccinated. But now, the southeast Asian nation has achieved high vaccination rates and strong COVID-19 herd immunity, he said, adding that the kingdom has fully reopened since mid-November last year. Cambodia has administered two required doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 13.8 million people, or 86.3 percent of its 16 million population, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Most of the vaccines used in the country's inoculation drive are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm. ■ http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/asiapacific/20220222/4cbf6f72769643fbbe73bdb8de5d51a5/c.html

The strikers will have to pay big fines or remain in detention. Authorities in Cambodia arrested more than 100 striking workers from the NagaWorld Casino Monday and Tuesday for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols. Thousands of workers walked off their jobs in mid-December, demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of eight jailed union leaders and 365 workers they say were unjustly fired from the hotel and casino. Cambodian authorities have said the strike is “illegal” and allege that it is supported by foreign donors as a plot to topple the government. Earlier this month, officials in Phnom Penh’s City Hall directed the striking workers to stop their protest out of concern they would spread the coronavirus. Activists dismiss the claim as an excuse to end the peaceful protest. Authorities rounded up 64 of the striking workers on Monday and 39 on Tuesday. Two workers in the group of 64 tested positive for COVID-19, while the other 62 were released. The group of 39 workers, meanwhile, had not been released as of Tuesday evening. After their arrests, the workers were taken to the premises of an NGO called the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development in Phnom Penh’s Prek Phnov district. The facility appeared to have been long abandoned and did not have running water, Meach Srey Oun, one of the 39 workers, told RFA’s Khmer Service Tuesday. “They put us in a remote building that’s really dirty and refused to let us leave. Our families are worried,” she said. She said that at least two of the workers were injured when they were arrested Tuesday morning and that security guards sexually abused the workers by touching their breasts. They were forced to fill out forms with their names, phone numbers and addresses before they were allowed to eat dinner. “We don’t know the reason behind our detention. We have received no information about our arrests,” Meach Srey Oun said. She said the workers are continuing to strike because there are 11 union members, including leaders, who remain in detention. “We will continue to demand justice and until justice is prevailed, we will continue the demand,” Meach Srey Oun said. Authorities should never have become involved in the dispute between NagaWorld Casino and its workers, Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho) told RFA. He dismissed concerns about the propagation of COVID-19, noting that the workers had recently finished quarantine procedures. “If authorities continue their actions, there will be more criticism,” he said. “We want to see the dispute be resolved peacefully to prevent this dispute from getting bigger.” Licadho and other civil service organizations issued an open letter to authorities calling for the release of all detained union members. “The charge of incitement to commit a felony levied against the union leaders and activists sends the message to NagaWorld strikers that their labor rights can be flouted with impunity while they will face legal action merely for calling out their company’s labor violations and seeking redress,” the letter said. “This could set a dangerous precedent, emboldening employers to ignore inconvenient labor standards, and potentially leading to a roll-back of hard-earned labor rights in Cambodia,” it said. RFA could not reach Phnom Penh City Hall spokesperson Met Measpheakdey for comment Tuesday. The city government issued a statement late on Tuesday saying the 39 workers are being tested for COVID-19. It said the detained workers must pay fines of between 1 million to 5 million riel ($245-1,230) or remain in detention. “City Hall urges all NagaWorld workers to stop gathering in violation of health measures and cooperate with authorities to ensure public health and order,” the statement said. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/nagaworld-02222022165541.html Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The European Union Delegation to Cambodia (EU), along with UNICEF, Oxfam and ILO, is working to support the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia in the strengthening of its social protection system. The EU Support to Social Protection Reforms programme aims to simultaneously contribute to Cambodia’s COVID-19 response and support the implementation of Cambodia’s National Social Protection Policy Framework. The National Social Protection Council of Cambodia plays a key role in the programme, alongside stakeholders at national and sub-national levels including the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, the National Social Security Fund, civil society, and the private sector. “The EU has joined hands with the ILO, UNICEF and Oxfam, to support Cambodia in its long term objectives of broadening the inclusivity of its social protection system, including to workers who are not yet protected. Going forward, the EU will be supporting the bridging between social protection, decent jobs and sustainable green growth,” said Bryan Fornari, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Cambodia. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029468/eu-partners-with-oxfam-ilo-and-unicef-to-support-cambodias-social-protection-system/

A Catholic parish in the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh has completed the construction of the new Church of Saint Joseph. Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, at the head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, inaugurated the new church in the parish of Pourti Ban on Sunday, February 20th. The municipality is located in Koh Thom district of Kandal province, 60 km south of Phnom Penh. Most of the parishioners are Cambodians who fled to Vietnam during the 1970 war and returned home over the next 20 years. The faithful started the fundraiser to build the new chapel during the pandemic. According to Dev Tieng, a parish council member, the project was approved in July 2020 and in less than two years, a total of $50,000 has been raised thanks to the financial support of local Catholics, friends and benefactors around the world, which reached the $50,000 needed to complete the building. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029449/a-new-church-in-phnom-penh-the-result-of-the-commitment-of-the-faithful/

The Kingdom has started experiencing cold weather and it will go on through Saturday with mountainous and lowland areas dipping as low as 16˚C while the highlands and central lowlands will chill at 18˚C to 19˚C. Water Resources Ministry spokesman Chan Yuttha said the cold weather is back starting from last night through Saturday, but it will not be as cold as in December and it is only at night and in the morning. He added that the minimum temperature could drop to 16°C in central lowlands and 18˚C to 19°C in the central lowlands and highlands which can affect old people and they should prepare themselves with warm clothes this week. “With the return of the cold weather, the abnormal rainfall will also decrease from today. But light rainfall will be seen in the northwestern lowland from (yesterday) and southeastern lowlands will also experience the same weather condition. Then, there will be more rain in early March,” Yuttha said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029183/people-told-to-wear-warm-clothing-for-cold-weather/

Former opposition leader Kem Sokha has fired an apparent barb at his ex-colleagues in the court-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), including former president Sam Rainsy, who are living abroad. In a Facebook post, Sokha said these politicians should be back in Cambodia to share the joys and sorrows of the people instead of spouting inciting rethoric which harms them. On Sunday, Kem Sokha, former president of the opposition party CNRP, wrote on his Facebook page: “With my spirit of loving the country and its people, my intention is to make them live in peace and prosperity. As a leader, although my possibility and freedom are still limited, I still think that staying in the motherland and being with the people without running away from them and leaving them in a mess is the best choice.” He is free on bail, with court set restrictions, as his trial for treason continues at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Sokha also said that he understands that several Cambodians are still supporting his political stance and some countries respect him as a politician. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501029190/sokha-mocks-ex-colleagues-who-spout-rhetoric-from-abroad/

According to Prime Minister Hun Sen, the jealousy of women can cause traffic accidents. In a speech in Kratie on Wednesday, Hun Sen said his officials’ wives should not give him a hard time for their husbands being like “birds out of their cages” when they go on a “mission” outside their homes. “If the wives cannot control their husbands, how can the prime minister control them? This is the reality,” he said. “Now it’s very common that they call it a ‘mission,’ and I know it too: ‘mission.’ … This story resonates with everyone both on the platform and down off of the platform.” Out of jealousy, women force their husbands to pick up the phone when they are late to get home even if they are driving, and this could kill them, he said. “Women who have husbands, please reduce the jealousy,” he said to laughter and applause from the officials around him. “If they can reduce it, I congratulate that and praise our women who have broad minds.” Hun Sen called out Kratie governor Va Thorn by name, asking him how many KTVs were in the province and whether they were full of customers. read more https://vodenglish.news/hun-sen-jokes-on-stage-about-officials-taste-for-ktvs/

February 20 is turning out to be an ominous day for Cambodia with the first two cases of deaths from Omicron reported yesterday, exactly a year after the start of the devastating Community Event. In a statement yesterday the Ministry of Health confirmed that two patients died from Omicron because no other Covid-19 variant had been detected in the Kingdom since January. It did not reveal details of the two victims but said both had been fully vaccinated with two doses. This tragic day also saw another unwanted record being broken with Cambodia reporting the highest ever Omicron daily total of 736 infections of which 730 are community cases and six are imported. Within a very short span since November, Cambodia has recorded 6,048 cases of Omicron – 715 imported and 5,333 community ones. There are now 3,003 active Covid-19 cases (diagnosed by PCR test) in the Kingdom – and the number of active cases is rapidly growing. February 20 last year marked the beginning of the massive spread of coronavirus in the country. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501028446/omnious-day-cambodia-sees-first-omicron-deaths-on-anniversary-of-feb-20-event/

A wildlife tracking project has proved that a number of rare wild animals still exist in the Kingdom’s Cardamom Mountains, described by an activist as the outcome of the decline in poaching. According to a statement issued by the Environment Ministry on Friday, these species include Asian elephants, wild gaur, sambar deer, mountain goats, red muntjacs, boars, clouded leopards, bears, peccaries, pangolin, wild dogs and so on. Their existence has been confirmed by photos taken from February 10 to February 17 by over 50 camera traps installed in various parts in the protected areas of Kong Kong, Kampong Speu and Pursat provinces as well as the findings of their feces and footprints in the forest. The ministry added that tracking was supported by the “Sustainable Landscape and Sustainable Tourism Project” in collaboration with Department of Conservation of the south Tonle Sap Conservation Area for the purpose of increase collection of biodiversity data through camera trapping. It added that the 53 cameras traps deployed in 52 provincial locations included 20 in Pursat, 23 in Koh Kong, and 10 in Kampong Speu. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501028568/cameras-capture-nine-rare-wild-animals-in-cardamom-mountains/

Prime Minister Hun Sen on February 18 sent a condolence letter to Michiko Kanzaki for the loss of her husband Koji Kanzaki, a prominent Japanese philanthropist living in Cambodia, who greatly contributed to the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and Cambodia. “My wife and I are very saddened and shocked to learn of the loss of your beloved husband, Mr Koji Kanzaki. We would like to express our deepest condolences to you and your family for this immense loss. May his soul rest in peace.” Hun Sen said in his letter. “Koji Kanzaki had been a true friend of Cambodia. He dedicated 38 years of his life to promote ties between Japan and Cambodia and to the construction of schools, hospitals, and physical infrastructures in Cambodia. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/pm-kanzakis-passing-sad-loss

BEIJING, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Chinese online classifieds platform 58.com has come under heavy criticism in China after a Chinese national said he was tricked by one of its job advertisements to become the victim of a human trafficking ring in Cambodia. The company, China's equivalent of Craigslist, told state media on Thursday it would cooperate with a police investigation in Cambodia although it had "not yet established" whether the fraudulent job advert had been on its platform. On Wednesday, the Beijing Youth Daily published an interview with the man who said he had been trafficked last June after going to the southwestern region of Guangxi in response to a job advert on 58.com for work as a nightclub bouncer. He said he was smuggled to the Cambodian coastal city of Sihanoukville by a criminal gang and later forced to work for various telemarketing fraud schemes. In September, his captors began carrying out repeated extractions of blood from him after he refused to work, which put his life in danger. The Chinese embassy in Cambodia on Thursday in a statement gave his surname as Li and confirmed parts of his story, but did not mention 58.com. "The Chinese embassy in Cambodia once again reminds Chinese citizens who want to work in Cambodia to follow formal channels and not to believe in false adverts for high-paying jobs," the statement said. Sihanoukville has in recent years seen a surge of Chinese investment and immigration, mainly in the casino business, which is banned in mainland China. Illegal online gambling operations targeting the mainland market are often run in overseas territories like Cambodia or the Philippines, where enforcement is less strict. 58.com's response to state media went viral on Friday, drawing over 200 million views on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where users accused 58.com of a wide range of unethical practices, from the high number of scams on the platform to the indiscriminate purchase and selling of user data. 58.com could not be immediately reached for comment. The company in 2020 was taken private by a consortium of investors who were backed by private equity firms Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic. Reporting by Eduardo Baptista and Brenda Goh

With infections of the coronavirus Omicron variant on the rise, the government on February 17 issued a new circular instructing all relevant ministries and institutions as well as municipal and provincial governors to ramp up enforcement of health safety measures, and convince and remind the public to observe “Living with Covid” guidelines at all times. New daily Covid-19 cases have seen a marked jump since February 9, propelled by Omicron, which Prime Minister Hun Sen has cautioned is more transmissible and spreads faster than the Delta strain. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/stick-living-covid-pm-says-omicron-rages

The national Covid-19 vaccination committee has announced that medically eligible children aged 3-4 can receive a primary two-dose coronavirus vaccine series starting on February 23 – exclusively with the inactivated virus jabs developed by Chinese firms Sinovac and Sinopharm. The decision comes at the recommendation of Prime Minister Hun Sen in an audio address to the nation on February 17, committee head Or Vandine said in a notice later that day. The recommended inter-dose interval will be 28 days, she said, adding that valid forms of ID will need to be presented for children to get the jab, such as birth certificates, passports, and family and residence books. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/jab-drive-kids-aged-3-4-starts-feb-23-national-committee