Journalist, Mentor, Teacher, Dies at 47

Pich Samnang and Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 14 May  2011

Reach Sambath, a seasoned reporter, revered journalism mentor and an important public liaison for the Khmer Rouge tribunal to the public, died on Wednesday from an apparent stroke. Reach Sambath started his career as a reporter for the Agence France-Presse, where he earned the respect of his fellow journalists and sources alike. He studied under a prestigious scholarship at Columbia University in New York before becoming a journalism instructor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Schools Not Making Entrepreneurs: Business Leader

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 13 May 2011

Sila Chy Thmor , national president for the 2011 of Junior Chamber International Cambodia.

A young business leader says Cambodian universities must do better to develop young entrepreneurs, rather than teaching students to become good employees. “In schools, they teach young people how to find jobs, but why don't they teach them how to run their own businesses?” said Chy Sila, president of the Junior Chamber International Cambodia, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Monday.

Few Equate Climate Change With Its Causes: Study

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 13 May 2011

FILE - In this July 19, 2007 file photo, an iceberg is seen melting off the coast of Ammasalik, Greenland. A new assessment of climate change in the Arctic shows the ice in the region is melting faster than previously thought and sharply raises projectio

The majority of Cambodians have little understanding of the causes of climate change, due to a lack of information, a new poll has found. In a survey by the BBC World Service Trust of 2,401 Cambodians from all walks of life, about 85 percent said they had heard of climate change, although they associated it with disease, farming troubles and drought.

Mekong Dam Hurts Villagers Along The River

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Thursday, 05 May 2011

Lao villagers living along the Mekong river say their livelihood would be harmed by the proposed Xayaburi dam in their country if it is built as planned. Villagars voiced their concerns after the meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) failed to decide if the dam project should go ahead. VOA Khmer's Pich Samnang reports from Vientiane, Laos.

Film Highlights Potential Harm of Mekong Dams

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 29 April 2011

An extraction from the documentary "Where Have All the Fish Gone? Killing the Mekong Dam by Dam" shows a massive dam under construction on a stretch of the Mekong river in China.

A documentary showing the possible impacts of hydropower dams on the Mekong was screened in Phnom Penh Tuesday night, a week after Mekong countries failed to decide on a dam proposed in Laos. About 200 people, most of them students, watched the film, “Where Have All the Fish Gone?: Killing the Mekong Dam by Dam,” which was directed by journalist Tom Fawtrop and screened at Pannasastra University in the capital.

Opportunity, Possibility for Young Leaders Limited in Cambodia: Youth Leader

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Hou Sidany, acting coordinator of Youth Council of Cambodia, left, Chhem Pe, middle, a 2009 champion of Youth Leadership Challenge, a local reality TV show. “

It is not the case that young people in Cambodia do not want to participate in social activities, but the problem is that the possibility and opportunity for their participation is still not widespread, according to a young leadership champion. “Youth's access to information seems limited,” said Chhem Pe, a 2009 champion of Youth Leadership Challenge, a local reality TV show.

Evicted People in Sihanouk Province Continue to Live Desperately

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 09 April 2011

Evicted people in Spean Chhes, Sihanouk province continue to live desperately in squatters near the land they were evicted two years ago in the beach city. VOA Khmer's Pich Samnang reports from Sihanouk province.

Risks, Rewards as Economic Corridor Develops

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Wednesday, 30 March 2011 

A system of strip dams cuts into grasslands next to paddy fields in Kampong Thom province.

Cambodia is building up its rural infrastructure in an effort to link itself to its neighbors, under an “economic corridor” project aided by the Asian Development Bank. Proponents of the southern economic corridor, part of the Greater Mekong Subregion project, say it will bring benefits to villagers like those in Kampong Thom district’s Sambo Prey Kuk temple, in Prasat Sambo district.

Economic Corridor Spells Benefits, and Pitfalls

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 19 March 2011

Cambodia has joined with regional governments to develop an "economic corridor" that the Asian Development Banks says will hasten economic growth. In Kampong Thom province, better roads and infrastructure could mean more tourists to little known temples and other sites. But it can also mean a hastening of land strife, as the government grants an increasing number of land concessions to outside companies. VOA Khmer's Pich Samnang reports from Kompong Thom province.

As Rape Cases Rise, Officials Searching for Causes

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 18 March 2011

Lim Mony, deputy head of the women’s section for the rights group Adhoc, and Hor Malin, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, on "Hello VOA" Monday.

Cambodia’s rising number of rape cases is fueled by impunity and poverty, among other factors, a rights activist said Monday. “There has been injustice as the impunity for some offenders still exists,” Lim Mony, deputy head of the women’s section for the rights group Adhoc, told “Hello VOA” Monday. “Another factor is poverty within families, where victims are sent away from home to work or to herd cattle in the fields.”