September edition
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‘We kept waiting for our child’: Kidnapping reports rise in Rohingya refugee camps
Militant groups claiming to defend Rohingya rights are increasingly accused of kidnapping for ransom schemes. One family spoke of their 5-year-old disappearing in June. They collected hundreds of thousands of taka to pay as much of the ransom as they could. His body was found days later.
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Vietnam’s Gen Z protests mark the emergence of its new left
For the first time since the Internet opened civilians to new ideas outside the government’s scope, a new independent leftist movement is taking root among Vietnamese youth.
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Despite obstacles, Facebook is one of the only choices for Vietnamese people to pursue justice
Facebook remains the main way for Vietnamese victims of injustices and activists at home or in exile to air their grievances and fight for justice, despite increasing risks from government censorship and Meta’s failure to protect its users.
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Workers left listless after constant crackdowns slow Sihanoukville businesses
Cambodian workers in Sihanoukville say that the current crackdown has repercussions stretching far beyond the previous waves of the scam industry.
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Rise and fall: Cambodia scam hotspots through 2026
Cambodia’s criminal scam industry saw upheaval in 2026 as major compounds emptied out in a public crackdown. This page collects Mekong Independent’s ongoing reports from these scam hotspots — how they rose, what has happened to them, and the accounts of violence and corruption that continue to emerge.
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Anxieties remain despite Cambodia land scam verdict
A Phnom Penh court has ordered land fraud Piphup Deimeas to repay $33.5 million to 1,115 families. But three years on from the owner’s initial arrest, the indebted families remain wary as their struggles deepen.
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Satellite captures pockets of ongoing destruction in carbon-credit zones
An analysis of six REDD+ projects found continued tree-cover loss in several conservation areas, with critics questioning how carbon savings are measured — especially as the state approves infrastructure projects inside protected forests.
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On 9th anniversary, Rohingya genocide survivors remember those who didn’t make it
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered across Cox’s Bazar to mark the day Myanmar’s military launched a brutal crackdown against them. Nine years later, survivors carry the memories of those who never reached Bangladesh.
September updates
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Scam briefs: Online gambling banned again, bribery detailed
Cambodia said it would suspend online gambling next month, seven years after a ban. Digital wallet CoolCash lost its licence, while officials noted ongoing raids and corruption cases.
