• Cambodia Land Activists Return From European Lobbying

    • Release Date: 01-Oct-2012

    Two land rights activists have returned from Europe, where they asked for the EU Trade Commission's help in solving Cambodia's ongoing land disputes. Eang Vuthy, of Equitable Cambodia, and Heng Mom, an evictee of the Boeung Kak development site, traveled to Berlin and Brussels, where they outlined the problems that economic developments have brought to everyday Cambodians. Germany is a major donor to Cambodia, Eang Vuthy said. "And donors must work with the Cambodian government to prevent land-grab issues." Heng Mom said she delivered a message to the EU and the government of Germany, describing rights violations, forced evictions and the arrests of prominent housing activists.

    View on YouTube

  • Beehive Radio Owner Sentenced to 20 Years for Alleged Secessionist Plot

    • Release Date: 01-Oct-2012

    Cambodian authorities sentenced Beehive Radio owner Mam Sonando to 20 years in jail, on charges related to an alleged secessionist plot. Rights advocates say there was little evidence in the case, which also saw jail sentences for 13 other people by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. All of them are accused of a conspiracy to establish a separatist zone in Kratie province.

    View on YouTube

  • BKL and BRKL urge donors countries to push RGC to solve their land dispute

    • Release Date: 26-Sep-2012

    BKL and BRKL urge donors countries to push RGC to solve their land dispute

    View on YouTube

  • Desperate Demonstrators Curse the Court, Pray for Release of Activists

    • Release Date: 25-Sep-2012

    Angry protesters gathered before Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday to demand the release of two jailed housing rights activists, performing spiritual rituals to curse court officials in a sign of their growing desperation. Some protesters threw salt and chilies at the court building, calling on Buddha to help victims of land grabs and praying that court officials be "demolished." VOA Khmer Khmer's Heng Reaksmey and Say Mony report from Phnom Penh.

    View on YouTube

  • Boengkak and Boreykeila Resident curese corrupt officials

    • Release Date: 25-Sep-2012

    Boengkak and Boreykeila Resident curese corrupt officials

    View on YouTube

  • Acid Attacks Continue in Cambodia Despite Hardsher Punishments

    • Release Date: 24-Sep-2012

    In Cambodia, the use of corrosive acid as a weapon to attack and maim is a major problem. The government passed tough new laws targeting acid violence last year but many survivors are still waiting for justice. Irwin Loy reports for VOA Khmer from Phnom Penh.

    View on YouTube

  • Cambodian Monk Nominated for Martin Ennals Awards

    • Release Date: 24-Sep-2012

    Venerable Loun Sovath, a multi-media Buddhist monk from Siem Reap, has been using videos, poems and songs to defend poor people who face forced eviction in urban Phnom Penh and rural areas. Sovath's advocacy touches powerful economic interests and he is under constant threats of being defrocked and prosecution. VOA Khmer Khmer's Mem Kinseng in Washington skypes with Venerable Luon Savath in Geneva, Switzerland.

    View on YouTube

  • As Tensions Grow, Residents Pitted Against Authorities, "Not Companies"

    • Release Date: 21-Sep-2012

    Boeung Kak and Borei Keila villagers embroiled in longstanding land disputes with two private companies in Phnom Penh say the authorities are protecting business interests over the public, as thousands of families lose their homes under forced evictions. This has turned the protesters and government officials into adversaries, leading to increased tensions, the residents say. Tep Vanny, a representative of Boeung Kak residents, many of whom were ousted by a massive commercial and residential development project, said villagers are becoming desperate and have "turned to disputes with the authorities, not the companies."

    View on YouTube

  • International Peace Day in Cambodia

    • Release Date: 21-Sep-2012

    International Peace Day in Cambodia on 21 September 2012.

    View on YouTube

  • Phnom Penh Court finishes hearing Mam Sonando case

    • Release Date: 14-Sep-2012

    Phnom Penh Court finishes hearing Mam Sonando case after three days a half.

    View on YouTube

  • Court Wraps Up Hearing in Case Against Beehive Radio Owner

    • Release Date: 14-Sep-2012

    Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday finished a week of hearings in the secessionist trial of Beehive Radio operator Mam Sonando and is expected to issue a verdict Oct. 1. Nine others were put on trial alongside Mam Sonando this week, with another four tried in absentia, for allegedly leading a secessionist plot against the government. The court says that plot led to a violent clash between villagers and security forces in Kratie province in May. VOA Khmer Khmer's Heng Reaksmey has more.

    View on YouTube

  • Tribunal Rules Ieng Thirith Unfit for Trial

    • Release Date: 13-Sep-2012

    Ieng Thirith, the former social affairs minister for the Khmer Rouge who has been jailed since 2007, has been found unfit to stand trial at the UN-backed tribunal and is scheduled to be released Friday morning. Tribunal prosecutors have until tomorrow to appeal Thursday's decision by the Trial Chamber of the court, which found that Ieng Thirith, who is 80, is unable to stand trial due to mental degradation, likely due to Alzheimer's disease. The Trial Chamber ruled she was not likely to be fit for trial in the foreseeable future, but it did not drop charges of atrocity crimes against her. She will not be allowed to leave the country and must not interfere with the work of the court. She must not contact witnesses or others involved in her case or the case of her husband, former foreign minister Ieng Sary. Ieng Thirith was arrested and charged alongside Ieng Sary in November 2007. Ieng Sarry is currently on trial alongside two other regime leaders—Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan—for crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge under their leadership. International prosecutor Andrew Cayley said late Thursday he was considering whether to appeal the decision to release Ieng Thirith. Stephen Rapp, the US ambassador at large for war crimes, who is on a short visit to Cambodia, told reporters Thursday the decision of the court showed a "fundamental principle" of legal systems."Obviously it's important for a person to be tried that they be competent and able to assist in their defense," he said. Clair Duffy, a court monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, said the decision was a positive step for the court. "Because it sends a message in Cambodia that if you are mentally not capable of maintaining a fair defense that you cannot be tried, because that's entirely unfair," she said. But at least some disappointed survivors of the Khmer Rouge said they thought she had fooled the court. "She pretended," said Chum Mey, one of only a handful of people to survive imprisonment at the Khmer Rouge's Tuol Sleng torture center. He called the court's decision "unreasonable and unfair." "Others will request the same release," he said. VOA Khmer Khmer's Kong Sothanarith reports from Phnom Penh.

    View on YouTube