Witness in Bundith Case Retracts Threat Claim

A police officer who said on Friday that he had been threatened by his boss after implicating former Bavet City governor Chhouk Bundith in the shooting of three garment factory workers retracted the claim yesterday.

Thailand, Vietnam Seek Controls on Rosewood Trade

Thailand and Vietnam have called for strict control to be place on the international trde of rosewood in an attempt to prevent the luxury wood species from bring logged to extinction. Cambodia currently exports thousands of cubic meter of the wood to China each year, and high demand for the lucrative timber has sent dozens of Cambodians on deadly searches into Thai territory in recent years.

Woman Gang-Rape by Five Men in Russei Keo

A 20-year-old woman was gang raped by five men in Phnom Penh’s Russei Keo district on Saturday night, according to police, who say they are still searching for her assailants.

Cambodian Ex-Governor’s Shooting Charges Reinstated

Cambodia’s Appeals Court on Monday overturned a previous judgment and reinstated charges against a former city governor accused of shooting factory workers at a protest, but victims said he should face stiffer charges. The court ruled that Bavet city ex-governor Chhouk Bandit should be charged with unintentionally injuring three factory workers in the shooting in February last year, sending the case back to the Svay Rieng provincial court for a fresh trial. The Svay Rieng Court had dropped the charges in December in a decision that activists and rights groups said exemplified Cambodia’s culture of impunity for the political elite. The workers who were wounded by the gunshots at the protests welcomed the appeals court’s decision to put Chhouk Bandit back on trial, but said they thought the charges of causing “unintentional injury” fell short of what he deserved.

Businesswoman Summoned in Maid Abuse Case

Anti-trafficking police have summoned local businesswoman Ly Pov after two domestic workers escaped from her villa in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kok district almost two weeks ago and fled to Battambang where they filed a complaint against her.

សាលាឧទ្ធរណ៍​ចោទ​លោក ឈូក បណ្ឌិត ​ពី​បទ​បង្ក​របួស​ស្នាម​ដោយ​អចេតនា

German Ambassador Responds to RSP’s Complaint

The German Ambassador to Cambodia has promised to investigate a letter of complaint from the opposition stating that three men wearing CPP T-shirts were seen in Presy Veng province on Tuesday in a car bearing a German government sticker.

Police Searching for Woman Accused of Torturing Maids

Phnom Penh anti- human trafficking police yesterday searched the Toul Kok district home of a businesswoman who allegedly tortured and detained her two teenagers domestic workers for almost 10 years.

Beong Kak Evictees Ask City Hall for Better Compensation

About 100 women forcibly evicted from Phnom Penh’s Beong Kak neighborhood protested out City Hall yesterday asking for upgrades to the compensation they accepted under duress to give up their homes.

CNRP Proposes Minimum Wage Law for Garment, State Workers

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has submitted a new law to the National Assembly for consideration that would institute a minimum monthly wage of $150 for garment workers and $250 for civil servants, the newly formed opposition party announced at the press conference yesterday.

Villagers Pray for Spirit to Delay Dam contraction

More than 500 villagers from Stung Treng and Ratanakiri provinces held a traditional sacrificial ceremony yesterday, calling on a local spirit to help in postponing the construction of a 400-megawath hydropower dam in Stung Treng’s Sesan district.

Judge at Odds Over Future of War Crimes Investigation

The office of Co-Investigating Judge at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday issued a joint statement about the future of the Case 003, which, in just three pages, underscored the breadth of difference between Cambodian Judge You Bunleng and his international counterpart, Judge Mark Harmon.

ចាងហ្វាង​កាសែត​ពន្លឺ​សាមគ្គី និង​គូកន​ជាប់គុក​ម្នាក់ៗ​៣​ឆ្នាំ​ ​

Cambodia: Escalating Violence, Misuse of Courts

(London) – Cambodia’s human rights situation deteriorated in 2012 with increased violence and scripted trials against political and civil society activists, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013. The government failed to act against favored members of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) implicated in serious abuses. In its 665-page report, Human Rights Watch assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including an analysis of the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

Cambodia: UN official welcomes genocide court’s decision to prosecute rape

1 March 2013 – A senior United Nations official today welcomed the recent decision by Cambodia’s genocide tribunal to annul a previous ruling that would have prevented it from trying crimes of sexual violence committed during the Khmer Rouge regime. “This ruling provides an opportunity to send a clear message that conflict-related sexual violence is a crime against humanity and that no matter how long it takes perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura.

Garment Workers Go on Hunger Strike

About 90 garmet workers began a hunger strike yesterday in front of the shuttered Kingsland Garment Cambodia Co. LtD. Factory in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, following weeks of protests demanding unpaid wages and severance pay.

Mob Beats to Death Man Accused of Sorcery

A mob of more than 40 people brutally beat to death a man accused of practicing sorcery in Kompong Speu province’s Kong Pisei district on Wednesday night, police said yesterday.

Witnesses Say Former Governor Was ‘At Home’ During Shooting

PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian Court of Appeals on Thursday wrapped up two days of hearings in a case against a former city governor of Svay Rieng province accused of firing a weapon into a crowd of demonstrators last year, injuring three. A verdict is expected March 4, following the closed-door hearing Thursday.

Bundith Shot At Protester, Police Officer Tells Court

The Appeal Court questioned more than 20 witnesses yesterday in the case of former Bavet City governor Chhouk Bundith and his alleged role in a triple shooting, with one witness claiming that be he had seen. Mr. Bundith shoots his gun into a crowd of protesting factory workers.

Verdict of former Bavet governor due next Monday

PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- The Court of Appeal said it would announce next Monday the verdict in the case of former Bavet governor Chhouk Bandith, accused of shooting three protesting workers last year. In hearings attended by many human rights activists on Wednesday and Thursday, the court questioned the former governor as well as the three victims and 20 witnesses.