Shootings follow apology

Less than a week after Thailand’s defence minister expressed remorse over cross-border shootings at the hands of his country’s military, two Cambodian soldiers were shot while allegedly logging across the border from Battambang’s Samlot district on Sunday, an official and the relatives of one of the victims said. Both men survived, though one was seriously injured, according to Ek Huy, chief of police for Ta Tork commune in Samlot.

Will 2015 be a year of change for Cambodia’s land rights crisis?

Earlier this month, in Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, I sat and talked with Tep Vanny, Song Srey Leap, Kong Chantha and Nget Khun, four inspirational activists from the city’s Boeung Kak lake community. They were jailed in early November after protesting against the now infamous 2007 real estate deal which saw the lake filled with sand and thousands of people forcibly evicted.

In Banteay Meanchey, villagers may see titles

Land titles may be issued to 107 families in Banteay Meanchey province’s Kampong Svay commune if the authorities decide they have not farmed illegally on land owned by CYL Investment, according to an official.

Ratanakkiri villagers protest land clearing

Dozens of ethnic minority Tompuon villagers protested yesterday against the destruction of an area in Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary that is used as a community forest. Community representative Tuy Nheb, one of more than 30 villagers demonstrating outside of Seda commune hall on behalf of 215 affected families, said that a company owned by Okhna Roth Sakhorn has been clearing hundreds of hectares of vital community forestland since August.

Garment Workers Protest at South Korean Embassy

About 600 employees of a South Korean-owned garment factory rallied in front of the country’s Phnom Penh embassy on Monday calling on Seoul to intervene in their dispute with factory management.

Thai PM vows industry cleanup

Thailand's General Prayuth Chan-ocha has appointed himself head of a last-ditch effort to reverse the nation’s record on abusing migrant workers before annual international trafficking rankings are compiled.

Assistant to Leader of CNRP to Face Party’s Disciplinary Board

The opposition CNRP will on Tuesday decide whether to punish an assistant to deputy party leader Kem Sokha who on Saturday accused party president Sam Rainsy of massive corruption, the chairman of the CNRP’s disciplinary committee said Monday.

Governor Offers Help to Farmers in Land Dispute With Kith Meng

About 100 villagers gathered outside the Banteay Meanchey provincial governor’s office Monday in protest against a mining company reportedly owned by tycoon Kith Meng that they accuse of encroaching on their farmland.

Illegal Logger Shot, Injured by Thai Border Soldier

A Cambodian man was shot and injured in Thailand on Sunday while logging illegally across the border from Battambang province, according to a local official, only days after Thailand’s defense minister said his country did not shoot Cambodians intentionally.

Cambo Kotop brings strike to Assembly

Hundreds of workers from the Cambo Kotop garment factory in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district yesterday demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Labour and National Assembly. The employees – who walked off the job two weeks ago demanding that the South Korean-owned factory reinstates five unionists – also demonstrated in front of the South Korean Embassy yesterday, said Collective Union of Movement of Workers (CUMW) president Pav Sina.

More Than 200 Infected in HIV Outbreak

More than 200 people have now tested positive for HIV in a mysterious outbreak of the virus in Battambang province’s Roka commune, a local official said Sunday.

National Assembly to summon health minister

The National Assembly commission responsible for health will summon Health Minister Mam Bunheng for questioning over the HIV outbreak in Battambang’s Sangke district, the commission’s head, Ke Sovannaroth, said yesterday. “Because it is such a serious issue – three to four members of the small families are testing positive – the National Assembly must invite the minister to speak about the investigation and how we can solve this problem,” said Sovannaroth, an opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker.

US Court Accuses Missionary of Child Sex Abuse in Cambodia

An American missionary who was deported from Cambodia last week after spending a year in prison for sexually abusing five boys in Phnom Penh now faces 30 years in a U.S. prison on separate charges of molesting a Cambodian minor in 2005, U.S. media reported on Saturday.

Local maid NGO tallies abuse stats

The Cambodia Housemaid Network, a local NGO, has recorded 50 cases of abuse against domestic workers this year, the network said at its second congress yesterday. And in most cases, the victims are usually between 14 and 16 years old. The organisation’s deputy chief, Yem Sothy, said maids were often treated like prisoners and forced to work.

Sexual assault: Footballer charged in alleged rape

A Nigerian national was charged with the alleged rape of a New Zealand woman by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. Ugochukwu Udoka, a 26-year-old football player, is accused of luring the victim to his rental house in Dangkor district at about 8pm on Friday, said Lot Khim of the Dangkor District Police Department.

Miners colluding with Kratie authorities: NGO

Local NGO the Natural Resources and Wildlife Preservation Organisation has sent a letter to the Ministry of Mines and Energy accusing the military and local authorities of colluding with a Chinese company to illegally mine for gold in eight illegal mines in Kratie’s Sambor district.

Government axes some 58,000 hectares in ELCs

The government has cancelled five economic land concessions totalling nearly 58,000 hectares, saying the concessionaires failed to live up to the terms of their concessions, according to documents obtained yesterday.

Minority Families Continue to Protest Local Rubber Plantation

A group of angry ethnic Bunong families faced off against armed police in Mondolkiri province on Sunday morning over hundreds of hectares of farmland the minority villagers accuse a local rubber plantation of stealing.

‘Mastermind’ of Sun Sotha affair arrested

The alleged mastermind behind a plot to rape and murder the wife of a prominent Cambodian official was arrested by Thai Interpol authorities on Monday. Lay Huong, the 49-year-old ex-wife of Khaou Phallaboth, eldest son of businessman Khaou Chuly, has not yet been sent back to Cambodia, according to Chhay Bunna, chief of the Poipet International Checkpoint at the Cambodian-Thai border.

Gov’t waffles on asylum duties