July edition
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Yet another fatal traffic accident leaves workers wondering what’s next
Thousands of garment workers are injured every year traveling to and from work, and some dozens, sometimes hundreds, die on the roads. On May 23, Cambodia was shocked by two fatal garment truck crashes on the same morning.
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Rohingya learning centers struggle amid aid cuts, no recognition in Bangladesh
Schoolchildren without textbooks, teachers without markers, and high schoolers graduating without a diploma. Stateless in Bangladesh camps, a generation of young Rohingya refugees are struggling to see a way forward.
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Social acceptance outpaces legal rights for Laos queer community
Laos’s capital is quite open when it comes to gender fluidity and diversity. While not technically codified in law, you won’t see many people blink twice at gay or lesbian couples out on the streets, and many more people are accepted to express themselves in public spaces.
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Tracing a $61,000 crypto scam from Sweden to Cambodia’s Huione network
A Swedish hospital worker lost $61,817 to a crypto investment scam. Blockchain forensics traced the flow of funds into the ecosystem of an alleged Cambodia-based money-laundering empire.
Scam-site profiles
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My Casino, Kampot: Tycoon, 50 officers in jail over scams at rural casino
Only one Cambodian tycoon is in jail after months of the country’s scam crackdown. But 50 police and military police officers have also been arrested in Li Kuong’s case — for allegedly stealing from his rural Kampot compound.
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Kep: Authorities are hunting for the suspects behind Chinese man’s murder
Kep, the country’s smallest province, a largely tourism- and fishing-oriented coastal area, was not part of the scam boom. But as scam operations scattered amid raids elsewhere, some began to arrive.
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In northwest Cambodia’s Battambang, the rare limestone mountains of Phnom Romsay Sok have become a symbol of recovery, where bats that once disappeared are now returning through community efforts. But conservationists say there’s more to do across the country. Read as text
June updates
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Africans detained, sleeping on streets after months stranded in Cambodia
Escaped scam workers have been detained while seeking shelter, and people waiting to return home say they’re sleeping on the streets at great personal risk. Advocates worry how reported trafficking victims can safely flee Cambodia.
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Scam briefs: Mondulkiri governor, police chiefs replaced
While the ruling-party president claimed ‘disastrous’ officials involved in scams should face court and have assets frozen, removed Mondulkiri officials have quickly secured high-ranking state jobs in Phnom Penh.
Police chief Lor Sokha and military police commander Hem Bonarel were removed by prime ministerial decree, while governor Thong Savon was removed the day after.
Two of the three officials received new positions within a week of their removal from office, according to public announcements.
Around the region
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Defamation lawsuit against Isaan Record editor dismissed
The Chonburi Provincial Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against journalist Kowit Photisan, editor of The Isaan Record, by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin for sharing a Facebook post.
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In Cambodia, loving an environmental activist carries its own toll
Five Mother Nature activists are serving sentences up to eight years in Cambodia’s prisons. For the five families left behind, the state needed no formal charge – the punishment was already under way.
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Fishers live in fear as looming El Niño and fuel crisis pile on pressure
From the Philippines to Peru a vital industry already reeling from multiple problems faces devastation from skyrocketing fuel prices and super-charged Pacific warming.
May-June
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Thai island community rallies to protect beloved dugongs, revive declining seagrass
A seagrass shortage has devastated Koh Libong’s once famed dugong population.
