Khieu Samphan , former leader of Khmer Rouge (Source: france24.com) Phnom Penh (VNA) - The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will pronounce an appeal judgment in Case 002 concerning former Pol Pot genocidal regime leading official Khieu Samphan on the morning of September 22. The ECCC Trial Chamber first announced its verdict against the figure on November 16, 2018, sentencing him to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The sentences were combined in Case 002/01. He has since appealed to the Supreme Court Chamber. ECCC, the UN-backed tribunal, was set up in 2006 to seek justice for victims of the Pol Pot genocidal regime in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979./. VNA … [Read more...] about Cambodia: Appeal verdict for living genocidal regime leading official scheduled for September
Khmer rouge
Chol Chnam Thmay – biggest festival of Khmer people
Photo: Monks and Khmer people in Phum Soc villages in Soc Trang province decorate the temple grounds to welcome the new year. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Chol Chnam Thmay New Year is the biggest festival on the Khmer calendar, which takes place around mid-April of the solar calendar every year. The festival expresses the wish for a new year of favourable rain and wind, and bountiful crops. These days, coming to temples of the Khmer ethnic group in the south, visitors will be immersed in the bustling atmosphere to welcome the Chol Chnam Thmay traditional New Year. According to locals, this is the time between rainy and dry seasons with lush vegetation, considered as the beginning of a favourable year. Chol Chnam Thmay Festival usually takes place around mid-April every year. If the Thanh Minh (grave-visiting) is an occasion for Vietnamese and Chinese people to look to the past to remember their ancestors and deceased relatives, take care of and repair graves, the Khmer … [Read more...] about Chol Chnam Thmay – biggest festival of Khmer people
Party commission delegation visit Khmer-Vietnam Association in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (VNA) – A delegation from the Party Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission led by its Deputy Chairman Pham Tat Thang visited the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and presented gifts to Vietnamese-origin Cambodian community in the country. President of the Khmer-Vietnam Association Sim Chy briefed the delegation on the operations of the association recently, and underlined that the majority of Cambodian people of Vietnamese origin are facing difficulties in getting legal documents and settling down, especially those living on Tonle Sap and along the Mekong River. He suggested that the commission and relevant agencies of Vietnam continue to work with Cambodian authorities to help ensure the legitimate rights and interest of the community. For his part, Thang hailed the role of the Khmer-Vietnam Association in connecting the Vietnamese community in the country and their fellows at home, and reinforcing the Vietnam-Cambodia relations . … [Read more...] about Party commission delegation visit Khmer-Vietnam Association in Phnom Penh
☀️ Morning digest August 3
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency . - President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on August 2 urged the southern province of Dong Nai to create changes in both mindset and action, and help to spur development in adjacent localities. At a working session with provincial leaders, the President stressed the important role of Dong Nai and some localities in the southern key economic region in national industrialisation and modernisation. Read full story – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on August 2 for British Ambassador Gareth Ward, who came to say goodbye at the end of his tenure in Vietnam. PM Pham Minh Chinh (right) receives British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward (Photo: VNA) The PM commended the ambassador’s active contributions to promoting the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership in all fields, diplomatic channels and people-to-people exchange. Read full story – Prime Minister Pham … [Read more...] about ☀️ Morning digest August 3
Foreign language classes opened for border troops
The class consists of 95 border officers and soldiers as well as staffers of the Nam Can international border gate Customs Sub-Department under the Nghe An provincial Customs Department. During the four-month long course, the trainees will be instructed by troops of the Border Post of Nam Can International Border Gate. The course aims to improve proficiency, ability to use and communicate in the Lao language among troops stationed in the areas, contributing to safeguarding the national sovereignty and border security, building a strong whole people’s border guard posture, and promoting solidarity and friendship between the people on both sides of the shared borderline. Earlier, on July 26, Lai Hoa Border Post under the Soc Trang provincial Border Guard Command, in coordination with Prey Chop Pagoda, opened a Khmer language course for border troops and students in Lai Hoa commune, Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province. The course is attended by 32 students in the area, and 20 … [Read more...] about Foreign language classes opened for border troops
US returns to Cambodia 30 antiquities looted from historic sites
The Southeast Asian country's archaeological sites -including Koh Ker, a capital of the ancient Khmer empire - suffered widespread looting in civil conflicts between the 1960s and 1990s. Cambodia's government has since sought to repatriate stolen antiquities sold on the international market. Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said the items being returned were sold to Western buyers by Douglas Latchford, a Bangkok dealer who created fake documents to conceal that the items had been looted and smuggled. Williams said the antiquities, including a 10th century sandstone statue depicting the Hindu god of war Skanda riding on a peacock, were voluntarily relinquished by U.S. museums and private collectors after his office filed civil forfeiture claims. "These statues and artifacts ... are of extraordinary cultural value to the Cambodian people," Williams said at a ceremony in Manhattan announcing the return of the antiquities. U.S. prosecutors in 2019 charged … [Read more...] about US returns to Cambodia 30 antiquities looted from historic sites
Cambodia’s air passengers increase by nearly 500%
Illustrative image (Source: Khmer Times) Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia has recorded an increase of 500% in air passengers in the first seven months of 2022, according to Sin Chanserivutha , Undersecretary of State and Spokesman for Civil Aviation . He said Cambodia welcomed 908,059 air passengers in the seven-month period. This number, however, was down 74% compared to the same period in 2019. The increase came after Cambodia removed all measures and barriers to facilitate air travel in the ‘new normal’, the official explained, adding the increase in flight frequency shows that Cambodia is returning to the pre-pandemic growth level . Between January and July, there were 12,550 flights launched from/to Cambodia, a rise of more than 110% year-on-year, but still down 70% over the corresponding time in 2019. He forecast that the domestic aviation sector will reach the pre-pandemic level at the end of 2023 or early 2024. According to the Ministry of Tourism, a … [Read more...] about Cambodia’s air passengers increase by nearly 500%
Soc Trang invests efforts in poverty reduction among ethnic minority groups
An event held in Soc Trang province on July 13 to implement the programme helping the poor build houses. (Photo: VNA) Soc Trang (VNA) – Soc Trang province, home to the largest population of ethnic minority people in the Mekong Delta, has been working hard over the past years to reduce poverty in the communities. The local household poverty rate, measured by using multidimensional criteria, has been brought down to 6.64% from 36.7% in 1992, when Soc Trang was re-established. The rate in ethnic minority communities stands at 2.85% at present, down 3 - 4% annually. All the communes with many ethnic minorities have secondary schools, healthcare stations, and concrete roads reaching their centres. Besides, 100% of communes, wards, and towns in the province have gained access to the national power grid and met the national healthcare criteria. Up to 99.6% of rural residents are now using hygienic water. Lam Van Man, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said building on … [Read more...] about Soc Trang invests efforts in poverty reduction among ethnic minority groups
Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – August 11
Check out the news you should not miss today: COVID-19 Updates -- Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reported 2,010 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the national tally to 11,353,573, with 9,997,136 recoveries and 43,095 deaths. Society -- Police in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam said on Wednesday that they had arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a 40-year-old woman for stabbing her husband to death over a nuptial conflict last month. -- A blaze broke out at an electronic repair store on Wednesday in Hanoi, burning down much of the store and its assets but not causing any casualties. -- Police in Cambodia arrested four Vietnamese nationals for illegal possession of narcotics on Tuesday, according to Cambodia newspaper Khmer Times . They seized one kilogram of drugs. -- Two sisters from the southern province of Dong Nai drowned while playing near a local river on Wednesday. Lifestyle -- South Korean singer Joseph Kwon on Wednesday … [Read more...] about Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – August 11
4 Vietnamese arrested in Cambodia for drug-related crime
Police in Cambodia arrested four Vietnamese nationals for the illegal possession of narcotics last week, Cambodia's newspaper Khmer Times reported on Tuesday. The anti-drug police of Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia captured four Vietnamese for drug trafficking during a raid on August 5, including one woman and three men. All four were brought to the provincial court on Tuesday following an interrogation and investigation into the case by the provincial police force. Evidence against the Vietnamese defendants in Cambodia, August 5, 2022. Photo: Supplied The operation was conducted by the Anti-Drug Planning Special Forces of Svay Rieng, which was headed by Keo Sotha, deputy commissioner for Anti-Drug Planning. Identities of the individuals have yet been revealed by relevant forces. Police also confiscated several types of drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy, weighing more than one kilogram, as well as 12 mobile phones, one laptop, US$922, … [Read more...] about 4 Vietnamese arrested in Cambodia for drug-related crime