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☆ Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha sentenced to 27 years of house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Prak Chan Thul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Cindy LiuPHNOM PENH, March 3 (Reuters) - Prominent Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha was sentenced on Friday to 27 years of house arrest after being found guilty of treason, in a case condemned by the United States as politically motivated. Judge Koy Sao also told the court in the capital, Phnom Penh, that Kem Sokha would be barred from running for political office or voting in elections. Kem Sokha, who headed the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), had denied the charges and Washington dismissed the allegations as "fabricated conspiracy theories". Many media outlets critical of Hun Sen have also been shuttered and civil dissent crushed in recent years. Human Rights Watch said the case against Kem Sokha was a "politically motivated ploy" by Hun Sen to sideline the opposition and stamp out democracy.

☆ Viruses in Cambodian bird flu cases identified as endemic clade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - The viruses that infected two people in Cambodia with H5N1 avian influenza have been identified as an endemic clade of bird flu circulating in the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The cases reported last week had raised concerns they were caused by a new strain of H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b, which emerged in 2020 and has caused record numbers of deaths among wild birds and domestic poultry in recent months. An investigation into the source and to detect any additional cases is ongoing, the CDC said, adding that so far there had been no indication of person-to-person spread. The World Health Organization said it is working with Cambodian authorities following the cases, describing the situation as worrying due to the recent rise in cases in birds and mammals. Reporting by Juby Babu in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Voice of Democracy, one of Cambodia’s last independent media outlets, has been shut down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —One of Cambodia’s last remaining independent media outlets has been shut down by Prime Minister Hun Sen ahead of national elections in July, in a move condemned by rights groups as a blow to press freedom. Based in the capital Phnom Penh, Voice of Democracy (VOD), a local outlet run by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, published radio and online reports about labor and rights issues, environmental crime and political corruption. Media mainstayHun Sen has served as the country’s prime minister since 1985, making him one of the world’s longest serving leaders. Suy Se/AFP/Getty Images“The Prime Minister should immediately withdraw this heavy handed and disproportionate order,” it said. “The freedom of press in Cambodia has lost one of its last remaining independent media outlets.”

☆ Cambodia's Hun Sen orders shutdown of independent local news outlet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHNOM PENH, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organizations in the country on Sunday night, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country. "Commentators tried to attack me and my son Hun Manet," Hun Sen wrote. The story quoted government spokesperson Phay Siphan saying the prime minister's son and presumed successor Hun Manet had signed the aid agreement. Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving dictators, on whose watch political rivals have been jailed and exiled, critical media outlets shuttered and civil dissent crushed, demanded a public apology. Hun Sen said the response was unacceptable.

Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November with that goal in mind and both leaders pledged more frequent communications. He has also sidelined some of his "wolf warrior" diplomats whose strident rhetoric alienated many of China's trade partners. Despite such pragmatic rhetoric, China's actions - especially its military activity around Taiwan and in the South China Sea - have not moderated, analysts said. Washington hopes for incremental progress on more specific but vital matters such as securing China's cooperation on fentanyl, global health, climate change and the cases of U.S. citizens detained there. That ... is more than deeply frustrating," said another source familiar with the administration's thinking, adding that China has rebuffed Washington's "very specific" proposals.

Sand is the most exploited natural resource on Earth, after water. The Cambodian government is using sand dredged from the Mekong to fill in lakes around Phnom Penh. One community is fighting to save their homes on the city's largest natural lake. In Cambodia, the government is using sand to fill in lakes around its capital, Phnom Penh, to create prime real estate for villas and shopping malls. Now, one community is fighting to save their homes on the city's largest natural lake.

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ Ukrainians trying to clear land mines turn to Cambodia for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Fifteen Ukrainian deminers are being trained by experts in Cambodia who are among the world’s best because of experience from clearing the leftovers of nearly three decades of war. The Ukrainian deminers are being hosted by the Cambodian Mine Action Center, a government agency that oversees the clearing of land mines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. Cambodia was littered with land mines and other unexploded ordnance after almost three decades of war ending in the late 1990s. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November to send Cambodian demining experts to help train their Ukrainian counterparts. Several other countries, including the United States and Germany, have already provided Ukraine with demining assistance.

☆ With few entry tests, Southeast Asia may gain most from China's travel revival
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Xinghui Kok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Except for airplane wastewater testing by Malaysia and Thailand for the virus, the region's 11 nations will treat Chinese travellers like any others. As many as 76% of Chinese travel agencies ranked Southeast Asia as the top destination when outbound travel resumed, according to a survey released in December by trade show ITB China. Thailand already expects to welcome 5 million Chinese travellers this year, or about half of the 10.99 million of 2019. Neighbouring Malaysia projects 1.5 million to 2 million Chinese tourists this year versus 3 million before the pandemic. "But for Cambodia, it’s an invitation to Chinese people: Chinese tourists, come to Cambodia."

☆ Eight bodies found in ruins of Cambodia casino fire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kwang Jiraporn Kuhakan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view of the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino where a fire broke out, in Poipet near Thailand border, Cambodia, December 30, 2022. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaPOIPET, Cambodia, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Cambodian rescue teams recovered eight bodies on Friday from the charred rooms of a casino-hotel where a fire killed at least 27 people a day earlier, with more than 20 people still missing. Safety standards in Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia can be well below international standards and poorly enforced. Rescue teams said they had to move slowly through the smouldering remains of the building in case it collapsed. Those in Poipet are hugely popular with short-term Thai visitors as gambling is illegal across the border and unlicensed casinos operate underground there.

☆ Fire at Cambodian hotel casino kills at least 10
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A fire burning through a Cambodian hotel casino has killed at least 10 people and injured 30 others, police said Thursday, and neighboring Thailand sent firetrucks to help fight the blaze in a bustling border region. Videos posted on social media showed people apparently jumping from windows after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City Casino and Hotel in the border town of Poipet. Rescue workers lower people to the ground as a fire rages at the Grand Diamond City Casino and Hotel in Poipet. Thai PBS reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, were trapped inside the casino complex. It reported that Cambodian authorities requested help to deal with the fire from Thailand, which sent five firetrucks and 10 rescue vans.

☆ Casino blaze at Cambodia-Thailand border kills 7, dozens hospitalised
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - An overnight fire at a casino complex in a Cambodian border town has killed at least seven people, and left 53 injured and eight missing, authorities in neighbouring Thailand said on Thursday. The fire broke out at about midnight on Wednesday at Grand Diamond City, a casino and hotel in the town of Poipet, according to Cambodian police. Poipet's casinos are hugely popular with short-term visitors from Thailand, where gambling is illegal and unlicensed casinos operate underground. At least 32 people were being treated in hospitals in Sa Kaeo province across the border, Thailand's health ministry said. Cambodia has casino complexes in Phnom Penh and along its borders with Vietnam and Thailand.

☆ Hit by climate change, farmers in Cambodia are risking everything on microfinance loans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The loans are also seeing farmers put assets including their land up as collateral, even when the loans are high-interest and have short repayment windows. Taylor Weidman | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesNGOs estimate around 167,000 Cambodians have sold their land to pay microfinance loans over the last five years. A 2016 book published by the World Bank argued microfinance loans had reduced poverty and increased incomes in Bangladesh, and banking giant HSBC still promotes its funding of microfinance in the country. But the World Bank, an early and longstanding advocate of microfinance, has also been warning for years of risks including overindebtedness and the growing commercialization of the industry. In the capital Phnom Penh, she added, she commonly meets people working seven days a week to pay off spiraling MFI loans.

☆ Thailand hosts Myanmar junta figures in talks, key ASEAN nations skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign ministers of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister joined the talks hosted by Thailand's foreign minister, according to Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. "The consultation was a non-ASEAN meeting but intended to complement ASEAN’s ongoing collective efforts to find a peaceful political resolution," Kanchana said in a statement. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin attended along with Kan Zaw, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, and Ko Ko Hlaing, minister for international cooperation, Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Philippines said its foreign minister would also not join, without elaborating. "Any meeting convened under ASEAN, formal or informal, should not divert from this decision," it said, according to the source.

☆ US calls for the release of Cambodian labor activist Chhim Sithar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The United States on Tuesday said it was deeply concerned by Cambodia’s arrest of union leader Chhim Sithar and called for her release and that of other detained trade unionists. The State Department said Sithar, whose union has been in a year-long dispute with the NagaWorld casino, was arrested after returning to Cambodia from a labor conference in Australia. It said Cambodian authorities had previously interfered with workers’ rights by detaining union leaders and workers protesting the termination of NagaWorld employees. “We urge Cambodian authorities to release Chhim Sithar and all detained trade unionists exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, drop charges against them, and move to constructively resolve their disputes,” the department said in a statement. The State Department also reiterated a call for the release of US citizen Theary Seng and said the Cambodian government should uphold labor rights obligations and mediate a resolution between NagaWorld and the union.

☆ U.S., China defence ministers meet for second time this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In June, a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said. Tuesday's meeting of the defence ministers took place on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia. read moreAfter Pelosi's visit, China announced it was halting dialogue with the United States in a number of areas, including between theater-level military commanders. Pelosi's Taiwan trip infuriated China, which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

☆ Pentagon chief raises concern about Beijing's 'dangerous' behavior with Chinese counterpart
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/PoolPHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday emphasized the need to improve crisis communications during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart while raising concern about "increasingly dangerous" behavior by Chinese military aircraft. In June, a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said. Tuesday's meeting of the defence ministers took place on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia. read moreAfter Pelosi's visit, China announced it was halting dialogue with the United States in a number of areas, including between theater-level military commanders. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

☆ U.S., China defence chiefs discussed need for improving crisis communication -Pentagon spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint news conference with Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (not pictured), following their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/PoolPHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday discussed with his Chinese counterpart the need to improve crisis communication between the two major powers, a Pentagon spokesperson said. Austin, in his second meeting this year with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, also raised concerns about increasingly dangerous behaviour by Chinese aircraft that "increases risk of an accident", said Brigadier General Pat Ryder. The two met on the sidelines of a gathering of their Southeast Asian counterparts in Cambodia. Reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh and Idrees Ali; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: What is APEC and which leaders are attending Bangkok summit?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A general view outside of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center venue during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, at Asoke Junction, in Bangkok, Thailand November 17, 2022. The United States will be the APEC host in 2023. CHINA PRESIDENT XI JINPINGXi met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Bangkok on Thursday for talks. RUSSIA FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ANDREI BELOUSOVBelousov will represent President Valadmir Putin at APEC. PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRIME MINISTER JAMES MARAPEMarape will hold meetings with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.

☆ After ASEAN and G-20, diplomats make last push on Ukraine crisis at APEC
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sri Jegarajah | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into Europe's eastern flank, which risks sparking a new phase of the conflict, will overshadow the agenda at this week's APEC Summit in Bangkok. Nurphoto | Getty ImagesBANGKOK — A possible spillover of the war in Ukraine into Europe's eastern flank, which risks sparking a new phase of the conflict, will overshadow the agenda at this week's APEC Summit in Bangkok. The latest developments in Europe are likely to eclipse the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum as business leaders, heads of state and diplomats try to find a way out of the conflict in Ukraine. The war has led to a stubbornly high global inflation that's challenged policymakers and caused a crippling cost of living crisis. Thailand has shown exceptional leadership in steering APEC through a challenging time," he said.

☆ Fact Check-World leaders wear traditional Cambodian clothing for 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users are sharing images of world leaders wearing traditional Cambodian clothing for a Nov. 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner. What other gathering of world leaders has had weird uniforms for them all to wear? False claims that Biden was wearing "Mao clothing" have been addressed by the Associated Press (here). World leaders were not wearing similar shirts to the 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner as part of a new uniform, nor to imitate former Chinese leader Mao. They were dressed in traditional clothing of the host nation, Cambodia, as often happens at international gatherings.

☆ Cambodian Prime Minister Tests Positive for Covid-19 After Meeting World Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NUSA DUA, Indonesia—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen tested positive for Covid-19 after meeting with world leaders, including President Biden, at a summit of Southeast Asian nations last week. Mr. Hun Sen held one-on-one talks with President Biden on Saturday on the sidelines of the regional discussions in Phnom Penh. Mr. Biden—who is on a five-day trip to Asia to attend a series of summits—then traveled to Bali, Indonesia, where he sat down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a face-to-face meeting Monday that stretched over three hours.

☆ Cambodia PM leaves G20 after positive COVID test, worried about other leaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHNOM PENH, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday expressed concern for the health of other world leaders after a positive COVID-19 test forced him to cancel meetings at the G20 Summit in Indonesia and return home early. It was not immediately clear if any of the leaders at the G20 meeting have tested positive for COVID-19. U.S. President Joe Biden, who is tested regularly for COVID-19, had a negative test on Tuesday morning, according to the White House. Biden and Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended several meetings on Tuesday, among other leaders who were also in Cambodia. Hun Sen had been scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, among others.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress aim to pass bills protecting same-sex marriage, clarifying lawmakers' role in certifying presidential elections and raising the nation's debt ceiling when they return from the campaign trail on Monday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen both signaled that addressing the nations' looming debt ceiling would be a priority during the session. Some Republicans have threatened to use the next hike in the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, expected in the first quarter of 2023, as leverage to force concessions from Biden. Pelosi, who would lose her position as speaker if Republicans win a majority in the House, told ABC News on Sunday that the best way to address the debt ceiling was "to do it now." "We'll have to, again, lift the debt ceiling so that the full faith and credit of the United States is respected."

☆ U.S., Japan and South Korea vow unified response to North Korean threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Sunday vowed a unified, coordinated response to North Korea’s threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programs, with Biden declaring that the three-way partnership is “even more important than it’s ever been” when North Korea is stepping up its provocations. Biden met separately with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol before all three sat down together on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. The U.S. president began by offering condolences for a crowd surge during Halloween festivities in Seoul that killed more than 150 people, saying the U.S. had grieved with South Korea. Earlier this month, the South Korean military said two B-1B bombers trained with four U.S. F-16 fighter jets and four South Korean F-35 jets during the last day of “Vigilant Storm” joint air force drills. North Korea responded with its own display of force, flying large numbers of warplanes inside its territory.

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