In Charm Offensive, Hun Sen Promises Workers Raises, Pension

In a move likely to play well with a large swath of voters ahead of next year’s national election, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday announced a raft of new benefits for garment workers including a big bump to their monthly minimum wage—from $153 to “at least” $168.

Waving Worthless Approval Papers, Angkor Villagers Lose Homes

nokor thom commune, Siem Reap province - Thoeun Chantrea’s cries of anguish pierced the calm forests of Angkor Archaeological Park on Thursday morning as authorities began to tear down a house she had begun building two months ago.

After Incredible Finds, Angkor Archaeologists Wrap Up Dig

After 13 days of excavation that yielded artifacts beyond their dreams, archaeologists and researchers wrapped up work in Angkor Archaeological Park this week. After the excitement of their finds—which included a 1.9-meter statue of a guard and part of a Medicine Buddha—the team now have to get on with the job of assessing what they’ve found.

Hun Sen’s Violent Rhetoric: Will Words Become Deeds in 2018?

Threats to “eliminate” hundreds in order to maintain stability, warnings to former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to “prepare your coffin,” and vows to bury the corpses of those who seek his demise—Prime Minister Hun Sen’s rhetoric this year has been increasingly violent.

Commerce Ministry Inks Rice Export Deal With Bangladesh

In a major deal that could boost Cambodia’s total rice exports by nearly 50 percent this year, local and Bangladeshi officials signed a deal aiming to move 1 million tons of rice over five years, the countries’ representatives announced on Wednesday.

CPP’s Election Strategy: Cash, Power, Beatings, Minister Says

The CPP will win the next election using money and muscle and will beat and lock up its foes, Social Affairs Minister Vong Sauth said in a strikingly candid speech on Monday, citing instructions given by Prime Minister Hun Sen to senior party officials.

For Archaeologists, a Dream Find at Angkor Park

Archaeologists are typically happy to find pottery shards when they excavate a site in Angkor Archaeological Park as too many centuries have passed and too many cities have risen and collapsed for them to expect to find major objects in the ground.

What’s in a Name? SRP Faces Rebranding

Controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties have steamrolled through the legislative process and are likely to be signed into law this week, kicking up a chorus of concerns from the opposition, civil society and international rights groups.

Tensions Rise During Tep Vanny Appeal Court Hearing

Prominent land activist Tep Vanny remained defiant on Thursday during an Appeal Court hearing to dispute her more than two-year prison sentence over charges related to a 2013 demonstration in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s mansion.

Political Pundit Kim Sok Defiant Through Trial

Political commentator Kim Sok sat through his trial on defamation and incitement charges at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday with paper stuck in his ears, in protest over a case he dismissed as a political farce from the start.

For Migrants, Pull of Higher Wages Still Strong

In a shop in Thailand’s southeastern Chanthaburi province, 23-year-old Cambodian worker Chheng Chhor Laihieng said he had good reason to seek employment outside his home country.

Party Law Sails Through; SRP Mulls Name Change

The Constitutional Council surprised almost no one on Tuesday when it deemed a string of controversial amendments to the Law on Political Parties to be constitutional, setting the stage for the law’s signature within the week.

Project Aims to Send Children in Orphanages Home

BATTAMBANG CITY - Though they live in orphanages, an estimated 13,000 children in facilities across Cambodia have at least one living parent. As part of a sea change in government policy in a country with a checkered history with orphanages, officials in Battambang province on Tuesday kicked off a pilot program that aims to return children to their families.

CNRP to Ask King to Snub New Party Law Changes

The CNRP is expected today to urge King Norodom Sihamoni to withhold his signature from a set of changes to the Law on Political Parties designed to sideline opposition figure Sam Rainsy.

Moody’s: CPP Focus on Power Threatens Economic Gains

New amendments to the Law on Political Parties are “a setback to efforts to strengthen governance,” bringing the possibility of political instability that could imperil Cambodia’s economy, U.S. ratings agency Moody’s said in an unusually critical report.

No Criminal Charges Filed in Six-Month Fishing Crackdown

A six-month crackdown on illegal fishing in the Tonle Sap lake region netted hundreds of thousands of meters of illegal gill nets and scores of batteries used in electrocution fishing, but not a single criminal charge in more than 1,500 cases, the government reported on Tuesday.

Waiting for the Flood

On the north bank of the Srepok River, trash fires make ashes of what the families have left behind. They had fled before the rising waters promised by the Lower Sesan II dam, which closed its first floodgate for testing on Saturday morning after three contentious years of construction. Plumes of thick white smoke drift through the trees into an overcast sky.

CNRP Officials Fly to Visit Rainsy as Party Turns Five

Senior members of the CNRP traveled to Hong Kong over the weekend to meet with exiled opposition figure Sam Rainsy ahead of the promulgation of a law designed to sever Mr. Rainsy’s ties to his former party on the eve of its fifth anniversary.

Hun Sen Hits Back at Rumors of Illness With Selfies, City Drives

Prime Minister Hun Sen continued to fight off Facebook rumors that he was unwell and seeking treatment abroad over the weekend, making his case using video selfies and photographs of a casual Sunday drive.

Parliament Boycotts Bear Little Fruit for Opposition

While highly contentious new rules were being passed in the National Assembly on Monday banning the CNRP from collaborating with its former leader Sam Rainsy, photographs were posted to Facebook of senior opposition lawmakers dining at a riverside hotel in Kampot province.

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