| PHNOM PENH - It has been one year since the residents of the impoverished Phnom Penh neighborhood of Borei Keila were forcibly evicted and relocated to desolate camps outside the capital. Evictees marked the day Thursday with blessings from Buddhist monks and hopes they would be compensated by the development company, Phanimex. |
| The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday sentenced two housing activists to three years in prison each on charges related to incitement in demonstrations. Supporters of Yorm Bopha and her husband, Lours Sakhorn, say they are being punished by the courts for exercising their right to assembly. Demonstrators gathered outside the court as the hearing was conducted Thursday. |
| A US-funded cultural preservation project among Cambodia's Cham Muslims has helped students learn to read and write in their traditional language and script. Some Cham are increasingly looking toward Arabic countries and organizations for support. And while this has caused some worry that the culture and some of its half a million people could fall under the influence of extremist groups, US Embassy officials say the project is not directly a counter-terrorism effort. |
Chan Soveth, a prominent rights investigator, appeared before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Monday, but he was not detained. Chan Soveth has been charged with abetting the escape of several suspects in a security crackdown in Kratie province earlier this year. Police say he helped several men escape who were wanted in connection with an alleged secessionist plot that has already landed a prominent radio station owner, Mam Sonando, in jail. |
| 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. |
| In a brief meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday, US President Barack Obama focused many of his words on human rights in general. But he also named Mam Sonando, the imprisoned owner of Beehive Radio, as a particular concern. Mam Sonando is serving a 20-year prison sentence on charges he helped foment a secessionist movement in Kratie province. His supporters say he has been jailed because he is a vocal critic of the government. |
Residents who face eviction from their homes display signs with pictures of U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as they ask for help in protecting their rights during a protest ahead of their visit in Phnom Penh November 18
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PHNOM PENH - Before US President Barack Obama met with Prime Minister
Hun Sen, in what has been described as a “tense” meeting on Monday
night, demonstrators were blocked on the streets of Phnom Penh, where
they had attempted to reach the Peace Palace government building where
the meeting would be held.
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| President Obama arrived in Cambodia late on Monday for the annual ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asia Nations] and East Asia meetings. He met with Cambodian Premier Hun Sen and held what was described as a 'tense' discussion about human rights.
While the government said Cambodia was being 'framed' by such exaggerated concerns, police forces kept demonstrators far from the scene. Say Mony reports from Phnom Penh. |
People display portraits of U.S. President Barack Obama on the roof of their houses
near Phnom Penh Airport November 14, 2012. Around 182 families living around the
airport have been served with eviction notices ahead of Obama's historic visit to the country.
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Khmer PHNOM PENH - Eight residents of Phnom Penh were briefly detained through
Thursday evening, for painting the words “SOS” on the corrugated roofs
of their homes, next to pictures of US President Barack Obama. Their homes are adjacent to Phnom Penh International Airport, and the detainees, who were later released, said they had hoped Obama would see their signs from his plane when he arrives for a series of summits and meetings next week, and help them in a local dispute with authorities over their land. |
Cambodian Buddhist monks chant, offering prayers in front of the Royal Palace for
the late King Norodom Sihanouk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Oct. 19, 2012.
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PHNOM PENH - Mourners of former king Norodom Sihanouk say they want to see the resumption of the late king’s once popular National Congress, a public forum where people could voice their grievances and raise problems for the state authority to solve.
While the body of the former kings lies in state inside the Royal Palace following his death earlier this month, many of his subjects still remember the congress, one of him best-known legacies. |
