CCHR no longer assisting detainee

PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said, it has decided not to send its defense lawyer to seek bail for the teenage girl who is currently detained for reporting false information to ABC radio station. In the statement Friday, CCHR said they haven't sent their lawyers to coordinate with Sihanoukville Provincial Court to seek bail for Em Sreyvorn because her case was not related to an abuse of human rights.

Officially Approved for Election, Opposition Focuses on Campaign

PHNOM PENH - Following official approval by the National Election Committee on Thursday, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party will now take “big steps” toward contesting elections in July, a party spokesman said Friday. That includes a large role for Sam Rainsy, the president of the party, who remains in exile and ineligible to run for office, but who will continue to contribute to the campaign, the spokesman, Yim Sovann, told VOA Khmer.

‘Lucky’ Survivors Describe Harrowing Factory Collapse

PHNOM PENH - Nine survivors of a shoe factory collapse in Kampong Speu province remained hospitalized Friday. In interviews with VOA Khmer, several of them recounted the event, when a storage mezzanine loaded with manufacturing equipment fell.

Military Exercises Begin Between US, Cambodian Forces

PHNOM PENH - Joint military exercises between Cambodian and US forces began Thursday morning, the first of four days at training center outside Phnom Penh. The Angkor Sentinel exercises, held at the National Training Center for Multinational Peacekeeping Forces in Kampong Speu province, is the fourth to be held since 2010.

Youth Still Lack Political Engagement, Advocate Says

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian youth need to be politically active and engaged if they want to see their standards of living improved in the new mandate of government, a youth advocate says. It is especially important that youth get more engaged in the political process as the country heads toward national elections in July, Cheang Sokha, executive director of the Youth Resource Development Program, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.

Cambodia, Thailand Discuss Border Issue

Combating illegal cross-border logging and strengthening border patrols are two of the issue on the agenda of the 9th Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee meeting, which began in Bangkok yesterday and ends today.

After Factory Collapse, Questions Mount Over ILO Monitoring

Labor rights activists and a government official accused the International Labor Organization’s Better Factories Cambodia program of ineffectiveness in its monitoring of factory conditions following a deadly ceiling collapse yesterday at a shoe factory in Kompong Speu province.

American, godson arrested for child abuse

SIHANOUKVILLE (The Cambodia Herald) – Police from Anti-Human Trafficking and Minor Protection Bureau have arrested an American man and his Cambodian godson Friday on the charges of child abuse. Charles W. Maning, 67, and his Cambodian godson San Veasna, 24, were arrested after they had masturbated the 16 year-old boy, who rented a house near them in the number three commune of Sihanoukville. The two suspects confessed to the crime after being arrested.

Workers protest over factory bankruptcy rumors

KAMPOT (The Cambodia Herald) -- Around a hundred workers gathered and paraded to Kampot Provincial Police station early Friday morning demanding the release of their representatives. The march was made after seven of their union representatives were arrested and questioned regarding a protest at the Australian-owned Ming Da Footwear Industrial Co.

2 Malaysians Get 24 Years for Cambodian Maid Death

A court has sentenced a Malaysian couple to 24 years in prison for fatally starving their Cambodian housemaid. Police found the body of Mey Sichan at the couple's home in Malaysia's northern Penang state in April last year. Medical reports said she weighed only 26 kilograms (57 pounds).

Appeal Hearing Set for Activist Yorm Bopha

The Court of Appeal has set a hearing date for Boeng Kak anti-eviction activist Yorm Bopha, a court official said yesterday. Ms. Bopha was evicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in December on a charged of intentional violence and sentenced to three years in prison, thought her supporter say the real reason for her arrest was her anti-eviction work.

Two Killed , Nine Injured in Shoe Factory Collapse

Kong Pisei district, Kompong Speu province-Two people were killed and nine hospitalized yesterday when a section of a Taiwanese-owned shoe factory employing some 7,000 workers collapsed.

Shoe Factory Collapse Kills Two

KAMPONG SPEU - At least two workers died and 11 others were injured Thursday morning when a section of a shoe factory collapsed where they were working in Kampong Speu province, authorities said. Officials have so far blamed the collapse on shoddy construction of a storage mezzanine at the Wing Star Shoes factory, 50 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.

CCHR to seek bail for girl detained for on air disinformation

SIHANOUKVILLE (The Cambodia Herald) – The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) will send a defense lawyer to Sihanoukville to seek bail for the teenage girl detained for reporting false information to ABC radio on the air, Chhim Savuth, CCHR’s project coordinator, said Friday.

Tribunal Prosecutors Push for Torture Center’s Inclusion in Trial

PHNOM PENH - Prosecutors at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal have asked the Supreme Court chamber to decide on whether the torture center of Tuol Sleng should be included in current proceedings against two jailed regime leaders.

Vietnam’s ‘Rubber Baron’ Rejects Global Witness Report

After a step fall in its share price, Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) rubber company has denies allegations made by environmental watching Global Witness that it was engaged in deforestation and land grabbing in Cambodia.

Opposition Party Completes Corrections for Registration Documents

PHNOM PENH - The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has brought corrected documentation on candidate registration to the National Election Committee. The NEC said it is examining the documents to determine whether it will accept the party’s registration for the July 28 elections.

Hun Sen Hopes for Increased Rubber Export

Malaysian couple jailed for starving Cambodian maid to death

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- A Malaysian court on Thursday sentenced a couple to 24 years in jail for starving their Cambodian maid to death, one of many such abuse cases straining ties between the country and its neighbours. Hardware store owners Soh Chew Tong, 44, and his wife Chin Chui Ling, 42, were found guilty of culpable homicide at a high court in the northern state of Penang, said prosecutor Tan Guat Cheng.

Subedi to Address Free And Fair Elections

U.N. Human Rights Envoy Surya Surbedi will use his upcoming ninth mission to Cambodia to meet with government officials in the hope that the country will conduct a free and faire election on July 28, which he “believe to be an importance land mark in the country’s journey toward democratization.”