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The Ministry of Culture will send a team to Thailand to check on an Angkor Wat-like temple being built in Buriram province. This comes after Cambodia requested Thailand to provide blueprints and information related to the construction of the temple. The ministry’s Culture Technique Departmen director Hab Touch told Khmer Times yesterday that representatives from each country have spoken to each other to ensure that the second Angkor Wat is not an exact copy. He said: “The Ministry will send archaeologists and temple architects to look over the construction.” “We are unsure of when we can go because of the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine situations, which make things difficult,” Touch said. Because of the construction in Thailand looking similar to the world famous Angkor Wat, it has become a hot topic for social media users, with some claiming that the Ministry of Culture is not doing enough. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50922507/moc-to-investigate-second-angkor-wat-in-thailand/

Several people have reached out to Khmer Times after the release of four Filipino “victims” who say they were held captive at a complex in Preah Sihanouk province. They claim that dozens and possibly hundreds remain held against their will by an internationally organised crime syndicate. The names, age and nationalities of former employees have been withheld for their protection. Upon their release, many were allegedly told that their safety would be in danger if they spoke out publicly. It is not clear what the complex was designed for but employees said they received training as “con artists” and sources suggest it was also an illegal gambling operation paying $600 to $700 per month with illegal drugs as perks. Allegedly, the compound also houses sex workers. All newcomers had their passports taken away. They said they want to share their story to get people currently working there out of the situation and prevent others falling for similar “scams”. No one from the complex was available for comment. News of the complex first reached public knowledge when Filipino victims were released from the 10-building complex in Otres Beach, Sihanoukvile and managed to get in touch with their partners. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50922253/dark-allegations-sinister-claims-made-about-the-china-project-in-sihanoukville/

The Trade Unions have proposed that the minimum wage for workers be raised to $200 per month, starting next year which is a turn from their initial demand of $250 last year. The unions, which have been studying the market and garment industry’s performance in the first few months of this year despite the Covid-19 situation, decided that their demand of $200 was fair and reasonable. However, the Garment Association of Cambodia asked the unions to reconsider their minimum wage demand before entering into a tripartite discussion in September. Cambodian Labor Confederation president Ath Thorn told Khmer Times yesterday that the unions have yet to complete their factory surveys to ascertain the actual living needs of workers but have quoted a reasonable $200 minimum wage for workers a month. He said the $200 is a reasonable wage demand for workers, looking into the current Covid-19 situation and the cost of living. Ministry of Labour spokesman Heng Sour said with almost all countries around the world facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy, the government also looks into its implication on the private sector. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50921500/unions-ask-for-200-minimum-wage-for-2022/

As provinces – especially embattled Banteay Meanchey – record high daily COVID figures, the official national daily case total remains consistently low – as it has done since the reopening of the border with Thailand on August 13th. Cambodia today announced an official daily new cases total of 410, bringing the COVID case total to 89,231 cases. This total is the lowest daily case total since May 19th. The total number of Community Cases is now 75,340 with 14,301 cases being imported. 132 imported cases were announced today as imported case numbers continue to be higher as a consequence of the Thai border reopening last week. Provincial cases continue to rise – despite low official national figures – and the provinces – and especially the 8 provinces bordering Thailand – are at the vanguard of Cambodia’s fight against COVID. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50921277/lowest-daily-national-case-total-since-may-19th-yet-provincial-totals-remain-high/

Wildlife researchers from the Mondulkiri provincial Department of Environment and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Cambodia) have recently completed collecting 85 Asian elephant dung samples for analysis to identify population size and migratory patterns. It is estimated that about 300 elephants live in the protected areas of the province. Provincial environment department director Keo Sopheak told The Post on August 23 that four years ago researchers had collected data on elephants in the province. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/mondulkiri-population-asian-elephants-now-estimated-300-strong

Sihanoukville is going to host an international sailing competition later this year. The event will be jointly organised by the Cambodia Sailing Federation (CSF) and Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF), according to the Cambodian SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC). This will be the first international sailing event ever hosted by Cambodia. Tourism Minister Thong Khon, who is also vice president of CAMSOC, said the CSF and their Singaporean counterparts came up with the idea after learning that the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam will not include sailing. The plan, according to the Minister, is to hold it in December 2021. “Sailors from both countries need to train and compete at a high level. This event will be a good opportunity for them to prepare for the 2023 SEA Games,” he pointed out. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50919780/cambodias-first-intl-sailing-tournament-coming-up/

For Cambodians who escaped the Khmer Rouge and Afghans who fled the Taliban, leaving home is just the beginning. Putsata Reang is a journalist and author of “Ma and Me,” a memoir forthcoming from Farrar, Straus and Giroux in Spring 2022 that explores the experience of being children of refugees. My mother called on Monday to ask if I was watching the news. “It’s so scary,” she said, her voice specked with sadness. “All the Afghan people fleeing, running this way and that way. Everyone so desperate to escape. That was us.” Kabul had fallen and the images that vibrated from my mother’s television screen thrust her backwards into the past. Even though it hurt to watch, she couldn’t look away: scenes of Afghans so desperate to escape the certain brutality of reinvigorated Taliban rulers that they clung to the landing gear of an American military plane, as hundreds of others raced down the runway, shalwar kameezes flapping in the draft as the plane took off, canting skyward away from war and the ruins of another bungled American nation-building project. As we watch the tragedy of Afghanistan continue to unfold, thousands of Cambodian refugees in America and across the globe are freshly triggered by scenes of Taliban fighters toting AK-47s in truck beds, victorious smiles etched on their faces, and of over 800 terrified Afghans crouching elbow-to-elbow in an American C-17 meant to transport less than a quarter of that number. read more https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/22/cambodia-refugee-afghanistan-khmer-rouge-taliban-506480

A first-of-its-kind, 10-year study tracking the lives of 128 Cambodian sex trafficking survivors reveals frequent shock and re-exploitation as they try to reintegrate into the community, and fears and intimidation while navigating the justice system, according to a series of research reports published this week. Chantrea, a survivor, was aged 15 when she was recruited by a labor broker to migrate to Malaysia, says one of the eight academic articles published in the journal Dignity. The recruitment agency confiscated her passport, and she only managed to escape after two years by spending all her earnings to be re-smuggled into Cambodia. The job was supposed to help her family pay off microfinance debt incurred for construction on their house, and even after her return the pressure to work continued. read more https://vodenglish.news/10-year-study-reveals-aftermath-exploitation-of-sex-trafficking-survivors/

Young people living in Cambodia are among those most at risk of the impacts of climate change, threatening their health, education, and protection, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Cambodia said in a press statement on Sunday. Citing the first UNICEF global report on “The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index”, the statement said Cambodian children ranked the world’s 46th most vulnerable among 163 countries and regions. The report found Cambodian children are highly exposed to water scarcity, riverine flooding and vector-borne disease, but investments in social services, particularly access to water, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, education and social protection services, can make a significant difference to safeguard their futures from the impacts of climate change. “The climate crisis is a child’s rights crisis because it threatens all aspects of children’s health and wellbeing, on a scale humanity has never experienced before,” said Foroogh Foyouzat, UNICEF representative in Cambodia. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50921062/unicef-says-cambodian-children-at-very-high-risk-of-climate-change-impacts/

Police bust gambling operation, nab over 100 Phnom Penh municipal Military Police are questioning more than 100 suspects involved in a covert online gambling operation in violation of the government’s ban on gatherings and gambling regulations. Their arrests followed a raid on a condominium building on street 508 in Chamkarmon district’s Phsar Doeum Thkov commune. National Military police spokesman Eng Hy told The Post that the suspects gathered for online gambling. He said those found to be involved in the operation would be referred to court on gambling charges. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/police-bust-gambling-operation-nab-over-100

News reports indicate that more than 100 Chinese nationals have been arrested for suspected drug trafficking in a massive raid in Phnom Penh A video, obtained by the PNN News Agency, shows massed police on outside a condo on Street 508 in Phsar Daeum Thkav area of Chamkar Mon District. A number of larges buses are shown in the video, which are reportedly being used for transporting suspects. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50920448/video-over-100-chinese-nationals-reported-to-have-been-arrested-in-phnom-penh-drug-raid/

More than 600 people at the drug rehabilitation and treatment centre in Banteay Meanchey province have tested positive for Covid-19, including at least 20 cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Banteay Meanchey provincial information department director Sek Sokhom told The Post on August 19 that 601 people out of 660 had tested positive for Covid-19 at Phnom Bak New Life rehabilitation centre located in Sisophon town. According to Sokhom, more than 20 of them were positive for the Delta variant and were moved to a separate hospital for treatment on August 18. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/least-600-people-drug-rehab-centre-covid-positive

The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from April 1975 to December 1978, when the most brutal genocide of the Cambodian population took place under its leadership. Earlier this week, on 16 August 2021, the final hearing in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal began, which is the appeals case of Khieu Samphan. This appeal is critical as it will be one of the final hearings in the Supreme Court of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. After nearly a period of 15 years, the second significant case in the trials is moving towards a more substantive end, even though it may not really ensure closure for the victims of the Khmer Rouge atrocities that affected a whole generation of Cambodians born prior to 1978. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50920241/closing-cambodias-killing-fields-without-closure/

A big Asiatic softshell turtle weighing nearly 34kg was found by villagers in Sambour Meas commune's Ta Neng village of Kampong Cham province and town on August 19, according to the provincial Department of Information. Known by its scientific name Amyda Cartilaginea and also referred to as black-rayed turtle, it is a species of softshell turtle in the Trionychidae family. Uk Narin, head of the Fisheries Administration cantonment, said the freshwater turtle native to Southeast Asia is a highly endangered species. read more https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/endangered-asiatic-softshell-turtle-found-kampong-cham