Youth Can Mobilize for Change, Democracy Advocate Says

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

14 June 2013

Hoeun Sopheak, an advocate for the US-based International Republican Institute. Courtesy of Hoeun Sopheak.

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia’s young generation is now a majority of the population, giving them political clout, if only they use it, a youth advocate says. The next generation can push their government to make changes that young people want to see, Hoeun Sopheak, an advocate for the US-based International Republican Institute, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.

Multiple Skills Needed To Compete in a Future Asean, Economist Says

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 16 February 2013

The officers of U.N.-backed genocide tribunal meet high school students at Ek Phnom district in Battambang province, as they distribute recent verdict books of Khmer Rouge leader Kaing Guek Eav, northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 5, 2011.

PHNOM PENH — Young Cambodians must develop diverse workplace skills if they are to compete in an integrated Asean, a leading economist and adviser to the government says. “We have to make sure we are able to do multiple things if others are able to do just one,” the adviser, Sok Siphana, told “Hello VOA” Monday. “If they know only one language, we need to know two.”

Youth Activist Says Social Media Has ‘Power’ in Cambodia

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Thursday, 17 January 2013

Cambodian men are using internet at a coffee shop in Phnom Penh, file photo.

PHNOM PENH - Social media has the power to help Cambodia correct some of its social ills, including corruption and the abuse of power, a youth activist says. Tim Malay, head of the Cambodian Youth Network, told “Hello VOA” on Monday that YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, growing rapidly in popularity, help people share information on politics, economics, government and other important realms of daily life.

Youth Leader Wants Premier To Face Lawsuit ‘as a Normal Citizen’

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
13 December 2012

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany cry during a memorial service near a bridge where festival goers were killed Monday in a stampede in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

PHNOM PENH - The leader of the youth wing for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party says he doubts he will get a fair hearing in his lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen and other top officials, whom he says are culpable in the deadly bridge stampede of 2010. “The court can't provide justice because it is afraid of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s power,” Soung Sophorn told “Hello VOA” Monday.

US Ambassador’s Council Faces Disengaged Youth

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Friday, 31 August 2012

About 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is below the age of 30, making them a powerful constituency.

Cambodia students hold the Cambodian national flags as they attend the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in the capital Phnom Penh.

PHNOM PENH - The new US ambassador to Cambodia, William Todd, has initiated an Ambassador’s Youth Council, aimed at engaging young people in issues of national importance. But the new initiative faces a number of challenges, including the attitudes of youths themselves.