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Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sunday led the country to pay tribute to the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk on the 11th anniversary of his passing. Members of the government, institutions, and people all around Cambodia paid respect to the late King Father in various ways. Last October, the government had designated October 15 as the annual commemoration date of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, the father of Cambodia’s independence. Then-Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the people to mark October 15 to honour King Father Sihanouk and his lifelong devotion to the Kingdom and the people. On Sunday morning, high-ranking delegations of the Senate, National Assembly and government, as well as ministries and institutions, took turns laying wreaths at the late King Father’s Memorial Statue in the public park east of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. Mr Hun Manet was fulfilling the task for the first time as the head of the government. Mr Hun Sen, who is now President of the Supreme Privy Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, expressed his heartfelt thanks for the sacrifices of the late King Father in a statement posted on his social media networks and prayed for his his soul to rest in peace. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501376890/heartfelt-tributes-cambodia-honours-late-king-father-on-11th-anniversary-of-his-passing/

Prime Minister Hun Manet has ordered the setting up of an emergency shelter, for the 452 Cambodian students in Israel, about 300 km away from the Gaza Strip, where a war between Hamas and Israel rages on for the 11th consecutive day. Government spokesman Pen Bona said yesterday, “As the evolving situation in the Gaza Strip remains unclear, Prime Minister Hun Manet has tasked his officials to set up an emergency shelter in coordination with the Israeli officials for the stranded Cambodian students to prepare for any eventuality that might come up in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.” “The temporary shelter is located in the southern part of Israel, bordering Egypt and Jordan, and about 300 km from the Gaza Strip. The government will also provide transportation, accommodation and food for all the students when they shift to the new area,” Bona said. He added, “As of yesterday, all the students have registered online to communicate with each other and also to help the authorities to keep tabs on them. They are in different areas and locations now, but all are safe and have resumed their work and study.” read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501376880/pm-orders-emergency-shelter-for-cambodian-students-in-israel/

The airport in Siem Reap province was constructed by Chinese companies as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Cambodian officials on Monday unveiled a US$1.1 billion airport near the famed Angkor temples – built by Chinese state-owned companies as part of the Belt and Road Initiative –even as tourist numbers continue to drop. The first commercial flight into the new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport landed from Thailand as Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Visoth praised China at a ceremony Monday. This is “an historical achievement which shows the fruitful will in ironclad cooperation between China and Cambodia,” he said. The airport is designed to be a cargo hub and transportation hub, with direct international flights, and a potential capacity of 7 million passengers a year, the Khmer Times reported. It’s located 55 km (34 miles) southeast of Siem Reap town and the nearby Angkor temple complex, whereas the previous, much smaller airport was only about 8 km (5 miles) outside Siem Reap’s center. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is located 55 km (34 miles) from Siem Reap town and the nearby Angkor temple complex. Credit: Screenshot from video/Facebook/Hun Manet Tourism has been a main pillar of the Cambodian economy, but the number of visitors to the 12th century temples has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently between 1,000 to 1,500 visitors per day, Ministry of Tourism spokesman Top Sopheak told Radio Free Asia. Before the pandemic, there were between 8,000 to 9,000 visitors each day, he said. The new airport could help revive those numbers, he said. “The Ministry of Tourism has not been silent; it has made great efforts,” Top Sopheak said. Tourism bookings remain low But there continues to be evidence of a general decline in the economy in the province’s rural areas and in Siem Reap town, which is home to numerous luxury hotels and smaller guesthouses, all catering to tourists. Some supermarkets and hotels have closed down since 2020, putting thousands of people out of work, according to tourism operator Ang Charles. And almost every street in Siem Reap town has “for sale” signs affixed to homes, cars or plots of land, he said. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport was built by three Chinese state-owned companies as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Credit: Screenshot from video/Facebook/Hun Manet During the recent Pchum Ben festival, there was a noticeable lack of spending, and bookings for other upcoming holidays are way down, he said. “There are not many people on the streets,” he told RFA. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hun Manet flew from Phnom Penh to Beijing on Monday to attend The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which will include world leaders and representatives from 90 countries. The conference will discuss the initiative, which began a decade ago as a way for Beijing to boost trade ties, secure energy supplies and invest in global infrastructure around the world. But China has also been accused of “debt diplomacy” – trapping nations with financial liabilities for major infrastructure projects they can ill-afford. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is designed to be a cargo and transportation hub with direct international flights, the Khmer Times reports. Credit: Screenshot from video/Facebook/Hun Manet In Siem Reap, the Chinese state-owned Yunnan Investment Group has been given the rights to the new airport for 55 years and is also spending $95 million on a 24 km (15 miles) expressway project that will connect the airport to the rest of the country. A larger surrounding area has been set aside as a special economic zone, Cambodian officials said. Other BRI projects in Cambodia include the Lower Sesan 2 Dam in Stung Treng province, the construction of the new Phnom Penh International Airport in Kandal province, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway and the Moradok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh. An official inauguration ceremony for the new Siem Reap airport is planned for next month, with Hun Manet in attendance. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/new-angkor-airport-10162023170450.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

On the morning of September 23, 2023, President Xi Jinping met at the West Lake State Guesthouse in Hangzhou with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni who is in China to attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games. Noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia and the Year of China-Cambodia Friendship, Xi Jinping recalled his two meetings with King Norodom Sihamoni, which demonstrates the deep bond of friendship between China and Cambodia as one family. He also noted that not long ago, he met in Beijing with Prime Minister Hun Manet and reached important common understandings on carrying forward the long-standing friendship and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperation. He said that China cherishes the special friendship with the Cambodian royal family, attaches great importance to the development of China-Cambodia relations, and stands ready to work with Cambodia to deepen and substantiate the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future. read more http://in.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zgxw/202310/t20231016_11161466.htm

Mother Nature is a wonderful architect, providing incredible spectacles to witness, from the natural mangrove bridge to the rocky bridge. With development, man has also developed some of the architectural wonders over the years, which are connecting cities over the sea, ocean, and huge rivers. But this incredible 3,000-foot bamboo bridge in Cambodia, the world’s longest, is taken down and rebuilt annually. The crossing has 50,000 sticks of bamboo and is built during the dry season to link Cambodia’s sixth-largest town Kampong Cham, with 1,000 families on Koh Paen island across the Mekong River. The bridge is built in the dry or summer season as the waters of the Mekong River recede and become too shallow for the ferry to move. When the rainy season is supposed to begin, before the waters of the Mekong River start to widen, the bridge is dismantled by hand, and the bamboo is stored away or reused for other constructions. This is done because, during the monsoon season, the river currents are too strong for the bridge to survive. At that time, people in the cities travelled by boat or ferry. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501376176/cambodia-reconstructs-its-longest-bamboo-bridge-each-year/

On the occasion of Pchum Ben, Cambodian workers working in Thailand were seen visiting their hometowns at various border checkpoints, and immigration police officers stationed at each checkpoint facilitated the entry and exit of the workers well and quickly. In fact, on October 12, 2023, at 8:15 at the Dong International Gate in Battambang province, many Cambodian workers came to Cambodia to reunite with their families on the occasion of Pchum Ben. At the same time, Brigadier General Phat Virak, Chief of Dong International Border Police Station, also divided the forces according to the target to receive and facilitate the procedure for the workers quickly and in a timely manner. The Chief of Dong International Border Police Station also handed out 500 Cambodian scarves to Cambodian workers returning to their hometowns on the occasion of the traditional Khmer Pchum Ben festival and to Cambodian workers working in Thailand as a memento. Fresh news https://www.khmertimeskh.com/1375528/cambodian-workers-in-thailand-rush-to-visit-their-hometowns-on-the-occasion-of-pchum-ben-at-the-international-border/

Hidden deep within the heart of Cambodia lies an architectural masterpiece that should be on every traveler’s bucket list: Koh Ker Temple. This ancient temple complex is a hub of history, culture, and breathtaking architecture, offering an unforgettable journey through time. Koh Ker Temple is not merely a tourist destination; it’s a journey through time, a serene escape, and a cultural adventure. It’s a place where the past and present converge, offering an enriching experience for travelers seeking to connect with history, architecture, and the beauty of Cambodia’s natural surroundings. As you explore the hidden gem of Koh Ker, you’ll create lasting memories and gain a deeper appreciation for the wonders of our world. A Step Back in Time in Cambodia Koh Ker Temple holds immense historical significance in Cambodia. Koh Ker Temple transports you to the 10th century when it served as the capital of the mighty Khmer Empire. The intricate architecture and sculptures serve as a window to the past, allowing history enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a bygone era. It’s like walking through a living history book. read more https://travelnoire.com/cambodia-koh-ker-temple

Financial woes are keeping many Cambodians from visiting pagodas. A celebration marking the end of Buddhist Lent won’t be very cheerful for some Cambodian monks who say they have received few food offerings amid a sluggish economy. Traditionally, people prepare food for the monks and offer them alms, believing that their kind deeds are a way of paying their respects to their deceased ancestors. But this year, the monks in Kampong Tralach district in central Kampong Chhnang province say they have not received any offerings from residents during the 15-day Pchum Ben festival marking the end of Vassa, Buddhist Lent. Apparently, ordinary people are struggling economically, and some have left the area for better-paying jobs in neighboring Thailand. “We are facing difficulties in supporting the monks. We have 13 monks, but we don't have money to support them,” said Neang Eth, abbot of Samrong Raingsy. Many villages stand nearly empty. Two pagodas in particular — Wat Samrong Raingsy, or Wat Chas, in Ta Ches commune, Kampong Talach district and Wat Sovannkiri Potikaram or Phnom Teap, in Cheung Kreav commune, Rolea Bier district – are unusually quiet. Earlier this week, the pagoda’s 13 monks held a ceremony, but only 10 local residents attended it. The pagoda is not holding any events between Oct. 12 and 14, so the monks won’t have any food or money. Neang Eth said he fears that people will lose their enthusiasm for the traditional religious festival because of their economic woes. The five monks who inhabit the Sovannkiri Potikaram Pagoda are also feeling the pain. Only a few locals have come to the pagoda, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the nearest village, for this year’s event, said Abbot Moul Sai. Monks at the pagoda have not received enough food since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Cambodia in 2020. They have enough on most days only to eat lunch, but there are other times when they go without meals for days, he said. “We asked for food from houses, but the villagers said they could not schedule times to come to the pagoda,” Moul Sai said. Sar Leang, provincial department head for Cambodia's Ministry of Cult and Religious Affairs, said his office has no solution to solve food shortages in the pagodas but will visit the monks to study the situation. Koet Saray, president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association and a former Buddhist monk, said food shortages for monks are occurring everywhere in the country because not many people are visiting them during the religious festival. “Monks are relying on people to offer food and clothes, so when people don’t even have the money to spend in their daily lives, how can they give food to the monks?” he asked. Meanwhile, monks in Kampong Chhnang province have urged officials to support the villagers and reduce poverty so they will have the budget to participate in traditional religious ceremonies. Translated by Yun Samean for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/buddhist-monks-10132023154223.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

A brothel, which masqueraded as a massage parlour to provide sex with underage girls, has been raided and shut down. Seven people were arrested – but one escaped – when the “Ponley Chok Chet” establishment in Kbal Damrey II village, Sangkat Kakap II, Khan Por Sen Chey Phnom Penh was raided by the Department of Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection at 9:30 pm on October 9, 2023 The Department of Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection said that the above location was reported to the force by concerned citizens who stated that some girls under the age of 17 have come to work there. The police force of the Department of Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection cooperated with the police force, including the police force of Po Sen Chey district and the district authority to suppress the brothel immediately. Authorities confirmed that when police arrived at the scene, a male boss fled the scene. The police force detained the 7 women found there After the incident, the police force of the Department of Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection sent the seven women to the specialized unit for further legal procedures. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501374720/underage-brothel-busted-in-phnom-penh/

The new ties with officially registered parties could help it place candidates on the ballot in upcoming elections. Cambodia’s opposition Candlelight Party announced it will join with three smaller parties in a political alliance that will aim to field candidates in the 2027 local commune elections and the 2028 general election. The “Alliance Toward the Future,” which includes the Khmer Will Party, the Grassroots Democratic Party and the Cambodia Reform Party, will be announced at a public event on Wednesday, Candlelight Party spokesman Kim Sour Phirith told Radio Free Asia. The Candlelight Party is the only party that could have mounted a serious challenge to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, or CPP, in July’s general elections. But in May, the National Election Committee disqualified the party because it did not have the original registration form issued by the Ministry of Interior. With no real opposition, the CPP swept the parliamentary vote. This week’s announcement comes after Candlelight officials had exhausted efforts to ask the ministry to reissue its original party’s registration. Last month, ministry officials again denied the party’s request to reissue a registration letter so that it could participate in future elections. Candlelight Party Vice President Rong Chhun delivers a speech to party supporters in September 2023. Credit: Candlelight Party. That document was lost in 2017 when the offices of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, were raided by government agents. Without the document, the Candlelight Party cannot compete in elections, leaving the country without a viable opposition party. “Political pressures have increased compared to previous years so we need national unification from democrats to be firm,” Kim Sour Phirith said. “This is a vital step to restore democracy and human rights.” Recognized registration status But CPP spokesman Sok Ey San predicted that the four parties won’t pose a threat. “The new alliance is from the losing parties,” he said. “Losers working together will just make it worse.” The Grassroots Democratic Party appeared on the July ballot but didn’t win any seats in the National Assembly. While the Khmer Will Party and the Cambodia Reform Party did not appear on the ballot, their recognized registration status makes them an attractive partner for the Candlelight Party and could increase its future bargaining power with the CPP, independent political commentator Em Sovannara said. “If all of these parties merge into one party, it will have the ability to challenge the ruling party,” he said. Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy told RFA that he wasn’t involved in the alliance’s formation. Sam Rainsy remains the acting president of the CNRP, which formed in 2013 as an umbrella party for several opposition parties. That party was banned by Cambodia’s Supreme Court just ahead of the 2018 general elections. In recent years, many CNRP activists and supporters have joined the Candlelight Party. “Hun Sen shouldn’t try to destroy former Sam Rainsy followers,” he told RFA, referring to the longtime prime minister who stepped down in August and retains political influence behind the scenes. “They are growing and mature and they know what to do,” he said. “They know to step forward and pave over obstacles.” https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/candlelight-alliance-10102023164548.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.

Cambodia's economy is forecast to be the fastest-growing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the latest outlook by the International Monetary Fund backed by analysts. In the World Economic Outlook published on Tuesday, the IMF projected that Cambodia's real GDP will grow 5.6 percent this year and 6.1 percent next year, up from the 5.2 percent growth recorded last year. This means the kingdom is likely to become the fastest-growing economy in the 10-nation bloc for two consecutive years. Cambodia's growth was closely followed by the Philippines, whose economy is expected to grow 5.3 percent this year and 5.9 percent next year. Indonesia's economy is estimated to grow 5 percent in both 2023 and 2024, while the Lao economy is projected at 4 percent for both years. Growth in Myanmar is expected to be stable for 2023 and 2024 at 2.6 percent. Vietnam is expected to grow by 4.7 percent this year and 5.8 percent next year, while the predicted growth for Malaysia is 4 and 4.3 percent, respectively. Thailand's economy is expected to grow 2.7 percent this year and 3.2 percent next year. Singapore's economic growth will slow to 1 percent this year, down from 3.6 percent last year, but will rebound slightly to 2.1 percent next year. read more https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202310/12/WS6527252da31090682a5e7fcf.html

MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has deployed a team to Cambodia to assist in the repatriation of 27 Filipinos who were victimized by illegal recruiters. “The Filipino victims entered Cambodia as tourists as early as January this year. They were informed that they would be working as tech support representatives but were forced to work in an online scamming facility in the O’Smach District located near the Thai border,” DMW officer in charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a news release on Wednesday. The DMW team, led by Assistant Secretary Francis Ron de Guzman, which left for Cambodia on Monday, would provide legal and financial assistance, as well as psychological first aid to the rescued Filipinos. Cacdac said the victims were rescued on Sept. 26, with the help of the Cambodian National Police (CNP). https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1211574

In a remarkable operation, the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organization (MHO) provided crucial intelligence to the Cambodian police, successfully rescuing a stranded Malaysian victim trapped in a job scam. Simultaneously, they dismantled a notorious scam syndicate compound at Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Furthermore, local law enforcement authorities managed to apprehend three Chinese nationals, including the ringleader and liberated more than 200 individuals subjected to forced labor within the scam company. In the early morning of October 7, Azirul Syafiq, the MHO representative, accompanied a Malaysian victim on their journey back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s second terminal. This marked the end of a two-month ordeal that had unfolded in the depths of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. During a press conference held at the airport, Syafiq unveiled the intricate details of how MHO had clandestinely established contact with the Malaysian victim, gathering invaluable information about the illicit operations of the scam company. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501373993/humanitarian-organization-rescues-ensnared-malaysian-in-cambodian-scam-bust/

Cambodian students in Israel are pleading for Prime Minister Hun Manet to evacuate them from the country as fighting between the forces of the Jewish state and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, rages on. They say they fear for their lives and that they have no water, not enough food and no electricity. Hong Sodanet, an intern in Israel with the Royal University of Agriculture, said in an interview via Telegram yesterday that she was staying in a room on the fourth floor of an apartment in Sderot Brit Arim, with eight female students from the same university. “At about 11 am on October 7, I heard gunshots and bombings in my area. Our electricity has been cut off and back on intermittently. We do not have enough food, little electricity, little water and Internet access is off and on,” she said. Getting access to authorities or requesting for assistance is also difficult, she said. “We, girls, are not brave. There are eight of us, and we could die or be taken hostage. Please save us,” she said. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501373958/please-save-us-cambodian-students-fearing-for-their-lives-plead-to-be-evacuated-as-fighting-between-israel-and-hamas-rages-on/

A UN independent human rights expert on Monday called for urgent structural reforms in Cambodia following the “restricted” general elections earlier this year. Vitit Muntarbhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, also said that the hereditary succession to power raised serious concerns with respect to human rights, democratic principles and the international rule of law. Mr. Muntarbhorn and other rights experts had previously described the lead-up to and the outcome of the July polls as “extremely disconcerting”, amid restrictions and harassment targeting political opponents and the media. In August, Hun Manet became the country’s new Prime Minister, taking over from his father, Hun Sen, who led the country for more than three decades. Human rights benchmarks The call by Mr. Muntarbhorn coincided with the presentation of his report to the UN Human Rights Council, in which he assessed progress towards 20 key human rights benchmarks. “A key challenge for implementing human rights benchmarks lies in the intergenerational power shift in the country, which is intertwined with the political and electoral processes and coupled with the restricted civic-political space,” he said. read more https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142087

Cambodia has reported two fatal infections linked to H5N1 avian influenza, though it’s not yet known whether the virus belongs to the 2.3.2.1c clade known to circulate in the country’s poultry or if the deaths involve the 2.3.4.4b clade circulating more globally. Two cases from neighboring provinces The health ministry posted a notice yesterday about the first patient, a 50-year-old man from Svay Rieng province, on its Facebook page. The notice was picked up by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board, then translated and posted by FluTrackers and Avian Flu Diary (AFD), an infectious disease news blog. The ministry report said more than 50 chickens had died at the man’s house and his neighbor’s house and that the birds were distributed for eating. Health officials are tracking down contacts and issuing public health warnings in the affected area. Today, the ministry posted a notice about a second H5N1 case, which involves a 2-year-old girl from neighboring Prey Veng province who died from her infection, according to a translation posted by AFD. The report said investigators found dead chickens in the girl’s house. read more https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/cambodia-reports-two-h5n1-avian-flu-cases-one-fatal

Cambodia this morning celebrated the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution (Sept. 24, 1993 – Sept. 24, 2023) under the royal presidency of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia. Leaders of the executive, legislative and judicial bodies, as well as Im Chhun Lim, President of the Constitutional Council, accompanied His Majesty the King at the celebration held at Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh. Addressing the function, His Majesty the King expressed his appreciation for the progress of Cambodia and thanked the Constitutional Council for their efforts in fulfilling their duties. “I always observe that the Constitutional Council is a constitutional court which has played the best and most accurate role as an arbitrator between the nation’s top institutions, especially between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary,” he said. The monarch added that from time to time, the Constitution Council runs smoothly under the guidance of the rule of law and firmly maintains a strong unity, close cooperation, honesty, mutual trust, harmony in the development of the nation. At the same time, His Majesty the King firmly believed that under the umbrella of the Constitution, all national institutions will continue to fulfil their duties with high responsibility to achieve the 2030 and 2050 National Development Goals of becoming a strong and prosperous nation. Im Chhun Lim read a report about the constitutional achievements in the past 30 years, stressing that the Constitution of Cambodia is a historical achievement approved by the Constitutional Assembly on Sept. 21, 1993 and promulgated by Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk (Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh) on Sept. 24, 1993. The 16-chapter Constitution of Cambodia was amended 10 times in 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2022. AKP https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501372561/cambodia-marks-30th-anniversary-of-national-constitution/

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted fixed-asset investment of 3.76 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months of 2023, up 8.6 percent from 3.46 billion dollars over the same period last year, a Council for the Development of Cambodia's report showed on Saturday. The Southeast Asian nation approved 191 investment projects during the January-September period this year, up 27 percent from 150 projects over the same period last year, the report said. Five top foreign investors to Cambodia were from China, Malaysia, British Virgin Islands, Singapore and Vietnam. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501372822/cambodia-attracts-3-76-billion-investment-in-the-first-9-months-an-increase-of-8-6-percent/

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the Bank of Thailand (BoT) are developing a new money transfer system for Cambodians working in Thailand to remit their cash safely, rapidly and cost-efficiently to Cambodia. This will be in addition to existing cross-border payment and transfer systems, said NBC Governor Chea Serey. The new cross-border banking technology development plan was revealed on Wednesday at a meeting between NBC Governor Chea Serey and Cherdkiat Atthakor, Ambassador of Thailand to Cambodia, at the NBC headquarters in Phnom Penh, which was also attended by other central banking officials and Thai diplomatic officials. “The two central banks have been developing a money transfer system for Cambodian people who are working in Thailand to remit money to their families in Cambodia safely, rapidly and cost-efficiently,” said Serey, adding that the two countries also plan to expand collaboration with each other in sharing credit information of their respective banking service consumers. read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501372065/cambodia-thailand-developing-new-money-transfer-system/

Billboard owners deny ever hosting messages heralding Hun Manet as prime minister. The billboards are striking. In videos shot in the heart of New York’s Times Square, one of the most iconic tourist destinations in the world, three massive digital billboards fill with blue, the color of the Cambodian People’s Party, and a message of congratulations to the newly elected Prime Minister Hun Manet. The only problem? They’re fake. Last month, images and videos of the billboards went viral on Facebook, with Hun Manet thanking a supporter for purchasing ad space on two prominent digital billboards at 1530 Broadway. His father, former Prime Minister Hun Sen, posted a video showing a third billboard, a sprawling video screen the length of a city block. "This billboard at the center of New York City in Times Square welcomes the presence of Samdech Thipadey Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia in the land of the United States of America,” Hun Sen wrote. Government friendly media and even Radio Free Asia reported on the billboards, noting that they had run to coincide with Hun Manet’s visit to New York during the U.N. General Assembly. His visit to the annual gathering of world leaders marked his first since he took over the premiership from his father in August. The three billboards are owned by three different advertising companies, all of which told RFA that the videos never ran on their boards. “This did not run on the large billboard at 1530,” said Douglas Cordova, vice president for Times Square at Outfront Media, which owns the top billboard at 1530 Broadway. The bottom billboard at 1530 Broadway is owned by Heritage Outdoor Media. Co-founder Terry Carmody said the congratulatory ad featuring Hun Manet never ran on his company’s billboard either. “It definitely seems to be a mock up that was posted on Facebook,” he wrote in an email. The third and largest billboard sits in front of the New York Marriott Marquis, a four-star hotel located just down the street from 1530 Broadway. A video of the enormous billboard posted by Hun Sen to his Facebook page has garnered 30,000 views. That billboard is owned by Silvercast Media. In an email, a company representative said the video “is a fake rendering.” Uncovering a fake: In the image at left of a faked billboard, white scaffolding can be seen beneath the video screen. At right, an image from a YouTube video of the billboard shot the same day the purported tribute ran, shows no scaffolding. Credit: Facebook/Hun Sen [left]; YouTube@ActionKid Save for the advertising content, the video is identical to that of a Zimbabwean musician who found himself in hot water last month for photoshopping himself onto the same billboard. In both the Hun Manet video and the Baba Harare video, identical cars, bicycles and foot traffic can be seen passing by. The real film was evidently shot on an earlier date, as scaffolding sits below the billboard, but a tourist video filmed the same day as the Hun Manet ad was purportedly shot shows none. A cursory search of the freelance marketplace Fiverr shows scores of visual effects artists offering to render logos and ads onto videos of Times Square billboards for as low as $10. It is unclear where the videos originated, but at least one Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) supporter posted video of the billboards on Facebook before they were shared by the premier and his father. In his post, Hun Manet thanked a man named David Soth for the ads. Soth was later quoted by government-friendly news site FreshNews as having “lobbied his boss to feature premier Hun Manet for free of charge.” The ads all carry a credit line of “CPP Chapter of San Francisco, CA,” though the group appears to have no internet presence. One video that never went viral is a Facebook livestream showing a fourth billboard, located at the corner of 40th Street and 11th Avenue, a desolate stretch of parking lots and construction sites far from the bustle of Times Square. In the video, Hun Manet appears on the screen for about 10 seconds. “Last night, we put it up there and we were so busy therefore, we were unable to [film] it live at Times Square,” the streamer explains in a Facebook live shot on Sept. 23. “So, [we come] here to show that we are not doing photoshop or faking the photos. We are not faking the photos. We love Samdech. We are waiting for the photos of Samdech to pop up again then we will shoot it again.” Anthony Fontanello, programmatic channel development director at Outfront Media, which owns the billboard, said the ad ran on Sept. 22 and 23. It was purchased by a company called Blip for just over $500 on behalf of the CPP Chapter of San Francisco, according to data seen by RFA. Through Blip, anyone can purchase short ads on the billboard, which can be rented for as little as a few dollars, depending on the time of day. The cost to rent a billboard in Times Square is considerably higher but not necessarily prohibitive. Carmody of Heritage Outdoor Media estimated that it might cost around $1,200 for a series of 15-second ads to run on the lower 1530 billboard hourly for a single day. But supporters may well have run into approval issues. Asked whether it was possible the billboard could have been subcontracted out without his company’s knowledge, Cordova, from Outfront said, “It is not possible as the landlord would have to approve that, and they never would.” “It’s political content and that is against the landlord’s rules for the billboard,” he said. Additional reporting by Asia Fact Check Lab. Edited by Jim Snyder. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/fake-times-square-billboards-10052023160156.html Copyright © 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036.

The Phnom Penh Capital Hall have prepared a total of 455 buses to provide free transport service for people for five days, from Oct. 12 to 16, during the upcoming Pchum Ben Festival. Of the figure, 60 will be used in the capital while the rest, 395, will transport people back and forth from Phnom Penh to their home provinces, said an announcement of the Phnom Penh Capital Hall AKP received this afternoon. The announcement also gave details on the times and locations to get on the bus from Phnom Penh to provinces and vice-versa. The Phnom Penh Capital Hall took the opportunity to call on all taxi service providers not to increase the transport fees during the Pchum Ben Festival in order to contribute with the Royal Government and the Capital Hall in easing the people’s living standard. This year, the Pchum Ben Festival, or the Festival for Dead, will fall on Oct. 13 to 15. Generally, during the three-day holiday, people return to their homeland, go to pagoda, travel to different tourism destinations, and join various entertainment activities. The Royal Government annually provides the free bus service to help reduce people’s travel cost during the Pchum Ben Festival and Khmer Traditional New Year.AKP-C.Nika https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501372359/some-455-buses-ready-for-free-transport-service-during-pchum-ben-holiday/

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had recorded 21,568 dengue fever cases in the first nine months of 2023, a significant rise of 184 percent from 7,597 cases over the same period last year, a health official said on Thursday. "The disease killed 38 people during the January-September period this year, up from 14 deaths over the same period last year," Leang Rithea, National Dengue Program manager and deputy director of the National Center for Parasitology and Malaria Control, told Xinhua. With the instruction from Health Minister Chheang Ra, the provincial health departments across the country have provided Abate, a chemical substance used to put in water pots to kill larvae, to households and sprayed insecticide to kill mosquitoes since August, he said. "We have been working actively with development partners and organizations to curb an outbreak of dengue fever in the country," he added. Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito, which is a day-biting mosquito. The disease causes an acute illness that usually follows symptoms such as headache, high fever of up to 40 degrees Celsius, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rash. Rithea urged parents to take their sick children to health centers or state hospitals within 48 hours if they suspected their kids were infected with a dengue virus. Also, he appealed to households to fill in puddles around their houses, saying that they are sources of mosquitoes. In the Southeast Asian country, the peak of the dengue epidemic period is in the rainy season from May to October. https://english.news.cn/20231005/2c4e264dc6194cabbebde1bd215b5a37/c.html

Chasing Deforestation is a series that explores the world’s most threatened forests through satellite data and reporters on the ground. Cambodia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, and the situation in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary which spans four provinces is emblematic of the problem. Preliminary satellite data from Global Forest Watch indicate that deforestation in Prey Lang in 2023 is set to surpass both 2022 and 2021, with the latter year marking the highest recorded forest loss since the start of the century. In the latest episode of Chasing Deforestation, host Romi Castagnino sent Mongabay reporter Gerry Flynn on a mission to find out what’s happening inside the supposedly protected area. PREY LANG, Cambodia — Cambodia has among the worst rates of forest loss of any nation, and Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary is a quintessential case. The protected area has long faced relentless devastation in near-total obscurity, with many observers saying that Prey Lang’s status as a sanctuary exists only on paper. In this episode of Chasing Deforestation, host Romi Castagnino delves into the heart of the matter, uncovering the dire situation in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. Officially spanning 431,683 hectares (1.07 million acres) across four provinces in Cambodia, Prey Lang is not only a refuge for threatened species like the Asian elephant and the Malayan sun bear, but is also home to 80% of the country’s threatened native tree species. Despite its ecological significance, widespread deforestation continues unabated. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/the-truth-about-cambodias-prey-lang-sanctuary-chasing-deforestation/

Washington — The United Nations has cast a harsh spotlight on the cyber trafficking industry that has blossomed in Southeast Asia in recent years, estimating that the trade has ensnared some 100,000 victims in Cambodia alone. In a sweeping new report on online scam operations in the region, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights seeks to frame the online trafficking networks as an urgent international human rights threat that demands the attention of both national governments and global advocacy groups. It argues that because persons trafficked into the operations effectively carry out the crimes — using the internet and social media as tools to help orchestrate various scams to take money from unwitting victims in other countries — they are often treated as complicit in their new and home countries. Yet the report urges officials to treat them as victims too. “People who have been trafficked into online forced criminality face threats to their right to life, liberty and security of the person,” the U.N. report says. “They are subject to torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, forced labour and other forms of labour exploitation as well as a range of other human rights violations and abuses.” Prime Minister Hun Manet's government has quickly gone on the defensive against the report, playing down the scale of the problem. Both the report and experts on the issue say Cambodia has yet to show the necessary resolve to root out and shut down the trafficking networks. A group of Chinese nationals were arrested during a police raid on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, at a building of the Kara Industrial Park in Batam, in Indonesia's Riau Islands province. One reason for that, according to the report, is that officials and other powerbrokers in Cambodia may be sharing in the significant profits. It estimates that scam centers operating in Southeast Asia generate billions of US dollars in revenue. “Corruption undermines accountability and threatens the rule of law; it often precedes the human rights violation, exacerbates its effects, and is a barrier to access to justice and remedy,” says the report, which also focused on trafficking in Myanmar and Laos and functioning scam centers in those countries. “Reports indicate that there has been a lack of investigation into claims of collusion between the criminal actors behind these scam operations and senior government officials, politicians, local law enforcement and influential businesspersons.” Al Jazeera, which conducted a groundbreaking investigation on Cambodia’s “cyber slaves'' in 2022, found that some of the wealthy businessmen who own the compounds where scam rings operate had close relationships with former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who handed power to his son after July’s election. The report describes how the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the growth of the industry in Southeast Asia. Many young professionals across the region were desperate for work — becoming prime targets for online recruiters promising fake jobs — while people across the world were bored and spending hours connected to the internet on their phones, computers or other devices. The pandemic also forced casinos across Asia to close, sending Chinese investors looking for new, and often illicit, business opportunities online and in places with limited regulation and legal risk, like Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, the report explains. “Faced with new operational realities, criminal gangs increasingly targeted migrant workers, who were stranded in these countries and were out of work due to border and business closures, to work in the scam centers,” it says. Cambodia’s Interior Ministry announced an aggressive campaign to confront the cyber scams in August 2022. FILE - Barbed wire fences are seen outside a Great Wall Park compound where Cambodian authorities said they had recovered evidence of human trafficking, kidnapping and torture during raids on suspected cybercrime compounds in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, September 21, 2022. Chou Bun Eng, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior and vice chair of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, told VOA Khmer in September that authorities had since responded to more than a thousand requests for intervention and rescued more than 1,500 people. She dismissed the report’s claim that “credible estimates” have “indicated at least 100,000 people forcibly involved in online scams” in Cambodia. “We already know that Cambodia is not big, and for businesses and locations in the provinces, there are not many,” she said in an interview. “We ask, where are those people?” Chou Bun Eng added that the government was convening experts to come up with a more accurate estimate and would send a report back to the United Nations. The issue of cyber trafficking was raised during a meeting between new Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Hun Manet in Phnom Penh last week. A social media post from Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the leaders discussed a range of security issues, including joint efforts to “crack down online scams.” Jason Tower, the Burma country director for the United States Institute of Peace, which monitors cyber trafficking across the region, said he was somewhat skeptical that 100,000 people had been trafficked into forced labor in Cambodia’s scam networks. But he said that figure may capture the total number of people involved in the industry in some capacity over a period of years. Still, he said the Cambodian government’s “pretty strong pushback” to the report was “unfortunate,” both for advocates and for other countries in Asia who want greater protections for their citizens in Cambodia, and more commitment to freeing those trapped by traffickers. “My understanding is there's still a lot of victims and that law enforcement in neighboring countries is still putting pressure on the Cambodian authorities about very specific victims that they're trying to recover and that there's a lot of foot dragging and that things just are not happening anywhere near quickly enough,” Tower told VOA Khmer. “So you know, the problems certainly have not gone away, and I think that a lot more could be done to send out a very strong message that simply there's no tolerance for this in the country, and I don't think we're anywhere near there yet.” The U.N. report says that as of July 2023, online scam centers were reportedly operating in at least eight Cambodian provinces: Phnom Penh, Kandal, Pursat, Koh Kong, Bavet, Preah Sihanouk, Oddar Meanchey and Svay Rieng. It also specifically named two special economic zones believed to be hosting cyber scam facilities, the Dara Sakor SEZ and Henge Thmorda SEZ. Dara Sakor’s primary developer is the Chinese-owned Union Development Group. Henge Thmorda appears to refer to the MDS Thmor Da SEZ, which has previously been linked to human trafficking and is owned by Cambodian tycoon Try Pheap. Jacob Sims, the regional director for the International Justice Mission in the Asia Pacific, said the organization has seen “commendable” improvements from the Cambodian government in its response to cyber trafficking. Among the signs of progress is opening a hotline to help victims seek help, and making greater efforts to identify victims, he said. And large cyber slavery compounds in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh have been shut down, to some extent. “However, there is also significant evidence that many of these compounds simply relocated to new areas within Cambodia,” Jacob Sims said. “At a high level, accountability for compound owners and crime bosses is key. One compound may close, but another will likely open in its place as long as the risk to operating and facilitating this criminal industry remains low.” Sims said he thought the 100,000 figure “seems imminently plausible,” given public reports, witness testimonies, the size of the broader online gambling industry. FILE - Police officers from the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau search the bodies of two suspect who were deported from Bangkok and believed to be involved in scam cases in Cambodia as they arrive back at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan, Aug. 18, 2022. Tower noted there’s also a growing financial pressure on Cambodia to address the problem. China has ramped up its efforts to warn citizens about the risks of being trafficking in Southeast Asia, leading to travel advisories and even a blockbuster movie about Chinese nationals lured into a scam compound through the promise of high-paying jobs. “So part of the strategy is to just terrify Chinese people, you know, such that nobody wants to go to Southeast Asia,” Sims said. This has posed a significant threat to Cambodia’s tourism industry, which is focused largely on Chinese visitors and has yet to fully recover from the global pandemic. Western countries are also paying more attention to the problem, with countries like the U.S. losing billions annually to online scams — as well as having nationals recruited into the cybercrime syndicates, said Tower. Both Sims and Tower were hopeful that the U.N. report would bring greater attention and resources to combating the trafficking rings. “I think that adding the human rights lens will probably get a lot more Western actors to look at these issues,” Tower said. “And it will add, I think, another layer to the response.” Sim Chansamnang in Phnom Penh contributed reporting https://www.voacambodia.com/a/un-spotlights-scale-of-cambodia-s-cyber-trafficking-industry/7297951.html