Drug arrests spike 70%

The number of drug arrests across Cambodia since last November rose nearly 70 percent compared to the same period a year ago, yielding some 111 kilos of confiscated drugs, according to a preliminary report by the National Authority for Combating Drugs.

The report, which was obtained yesterday and still needs to be finalised, compiled data on drug cases in the Kingdom from November 2015 through September 2016. That period saw the number of arrests sharply increase to more than 8,000, with only about 4,800 people arrested in the same period last year. No comparison was offered for the amount of drugs confiscated.

The number of drug cases sent to court also rose to 3,406, compared with 2,190 the previous year during the same time, representing a 55 percent increase, the report shows.

Khieu Saman, director of the anti-drug department at the Ministry of Interior, said that a better understanding of investigation procedures among officers had contributed to the increase of arrests. This year alone, 2,600 police officers have been trained across all provinces.

“In the past, there were also many drug crimes, but we did not understand the procedure,” he said yesterday.

However, experts in the past have expressed concerns over the number of arrests in comparison to the amount of drugs, and have suggested the ratio pointed to police only catching “smaller fish”, as opposed to large-scale drug dealers.

Tun Nay Soe, with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, declined to comment on the specifics of the report, but did say that Cambodia is a transit route for drugs, which is not a good sign.

Shipment of live civets seized en route to Vietnam

Thirty-five live common palm civets were seized in a crackdown in Kandal province’s Koh Thom district yesterday and have been handed over to the NGO Wildlife Alliance.

Moung Dara, chief of customs at the Chrey Thom border crossing in Koh Thom, said that the civets, which weighed a total of about 100 kilogrammes, were seized en route to Vietnam yesterday morning.

Dara said that the small cat-like carnivores were “being kept in cartage [ready] for crossing to Vietnam, and the person [carrying them] escaped”.

Wildlife Alliance is now expected to release the animals back into the wild. A letter from Wildlife Alliance CEO Suwanna Guantlett acknowledged the seizure and thanked Dara for handing over the wildlife.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List lists the common palm civet as being of “least concern”, noting that it has a wide population distribution, despite downward population trends and a “continuing decline of mature individuals”.

Civets are commonly hunted for their meat, but are also held in captivity in Vietnam to produce ca phe chon – or coffee that is passed through the civet’s digestive tract before being brewed.

According to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, in the first nine months of the year, there were 1,166 recorded cases of wildlife crime, 873 of which were sent to court, and 293 of which resulted in fines.

ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលរស់នៅត្រង់ចំណុច ផ្លូវ២១៧ ភូមិព្រែកជ្រៃ ឃុំស្ពានថ្ម ខណ្ឌដង្កោ

កសិផលនាំមកពីប្រទេសវៀតណាម និង ថៃ

កសិផលនាំមកពីប្រទេសវៀតណាម និង ថៃ

កសិផលនាំមកពីប្រទេសវៀតណាម និង ថៃ យកមកលក់ក្នុងទីផ្សារនៃប្រទេសកាណាដា គឺមានតម្លៃខ្ពស់ ស្របពេលដែលកសិផលរបស់ប្រជារាស្រ្តខ្មែរ ខ្វះទីផ្សារ លក់មិនចេញ។

១-អង្កគុណភាពមធ្យម មួយបាវ ទម្ងន់ ២០ គីឡូ តម្លៃ ៣៧.៩៩ ដុល្លារកាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ១១៧២៧២ រៀល

២-ត្រយូងចេកទឹក ១ តម្លៃ ២.៨៧ ដុល្លារ កាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ៨៨៦៣ រៀល

៣-សណ្តែកគួរ កន្លះគីឡូ តម្លៃ ២.៦១ ដុល្លារកាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ៨០៥៨ រៀល

៤-ត្រប់ស្រួយ កន្លះគីឡូ តម្លៃ ៤.២៣ ដុល្លារកាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ១៣០៥៣ រៀល

៥-ត្រប់ ២ ផ្លែ តម្លៃ ២.៦៥ ស្មើនឹង ៨១៨២ រៀល

៦-គល់ស្លឹកគ្រៃ ១ ដុំ មាន ៣ គល់ តម្លៃ ១ ដុល្លារ កាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ៣០៨២ រៀល

៧-ម្ទេសប្លោក ៣ ផ្លែ តម្លៃ ២.៧៧ ដុល្លារកាណាដា ស្មើនឹង ៨៥៥៥ រៀល ។

ការ​បណ្តេញ​​ពី​ដី ​ធ្វើឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​លើក​ឡើង​ជា​សំណួរ

ការ​បណ្តេញ​​ពី​ដី ​ធ្វើឲ្យ​មាន​ការ​លើក​ឡើង​ជា​សំណួរ

ភ្នំពេញៈ អនុក្រឹត្យ​​មួយ​ដែល​​ចុះហត្ថលេខា​កាលពី​ខែ​កក្កដា​កន្លង​ទៅ​មាន​ការ​ផ្សព្វផ្សាយ​​តិចតួច​ដែល​ភ្នំពេញ​ប៉ុស្តិ៍​បាន​រកឃើញ​នៅ​ក្នុង​​ទិន្នន័យ​របស់​អង្គការ​ក្រៅ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​មួយ​ដែល​វា​បាន​លើក​ឡើង​ជា​សំណួរ​ថា​តើ​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​គ្រួសារ​ជនជាតិ​ភាគតិច​គួយ​ចំនួន ៦ ​គ្រួសារ​កាលពី​ថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍​នៅក្នុង​ខេត្ត​ព្រះវិហារ​គឺជា​ការ​បំពាន​លើ​​បញ្ជា​របស់​លោក​នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី ហ៊ុន សែន ​ឬ​យ៉ាង​ណា។

កាលពី​​ថ្ងៃ​សៅរ៍​ប៉ូលិស​ខេត្ត និង​ក្រុម​មន្ត្រី​រដ្ឋបាល​ព្រៃឈើ​បាន​អនុវត្ត​នូវ​អ្វី​ដែល​​សាក្សី​បាន​រៀបរាប់​ថា​ជា​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​ដោយ​ហិង្សា​ទៅ​លើ​​​ជនជាតិ​ភាគតិច​គួយ​ចំនួន​ប្រាំ​មួយ​គ្រួសារ​នៅ​​ភូមិ​បុសធំ ឃុំ​ប្រមេរ​ ស្រុក​ត្បែងមានជ័យ។

ភូមិ​នេះ​ស្ថិត​នៅ​កណ្តាល​ដី​សម្បទាន​សេដ្ឋកិច្ច​ទាំង​ប្រាំ​ដែល​គ្រប់គ្រង​​ដោយ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​ផលិត​ស្ករស​របស់​ចិន​គឺ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន Rui Feng។

ទោះ​ជា​យ៉ាង​ណា ​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​នេះ​ទំនង​ជា​ការ​បំពាន​លើ​អនុក្រឹត្យ​លេខ ១៥៤ ដែល​បាន​ចុះហត្ថលេខា​ដោយ​លោក​ ហ៊ុន សែន​ នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ១៨ ខែ​កក្កដា​ដែល​​​បញ្ជាក់​​ថា​ក្រុមហ៊ុន Rui Feng ​ត្រូវ​ប្រគល់​ដី​ច្រើន​រយ​ហិកតា​ទៅ​ឲ្យ​រដ្ឋ​វិញ​ជា​ដី​ដែល​បាន​បម្រុង​ទុក​សម្រាប់​គ្រួសារ​ជនជាតិ​ភាគតិច​គួយ​ដែល​រស់នៅ​ក្នុង​ភូមិ​​បុស​ធំ និង​ភូមិ​ស្រែប៉េង​។

Suu Kyi says Myanmar struggling to establish democracy

Myanmar is struggling to establish full democracy after 50 years of military rule, de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday following a deadly military lockdown in restive Rakhine state.

State media say security forces have killed at least 29 people in a military crackdown after raids on guard posts along the Bangladesh border which the government blamed on Islamist insurgents.

The area is home to many Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country.

"We as a nation are struggling to make the democratic culture take root," Suu Kyi told reporters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her first official visit to New Delhi.
"We too have many challenges to face, but we are confident that these challenges can be overcome because our people are determined to overcome them."

Suu Kyi won a historic election victory last year and her administration is managing a difficult transition from a military-run pariah nation to full-fledged democracy.

After spending much of the last few decades under arrest, she is now officially foreign minister and self-appointed state counsellor -- a role akin to prime minister.

But her country remains riven with ethnic and religious violence and she has disappointed some of her supporters by refusing publicly to recognise the Rohingya as legal citizens.

Tens of thousands of stateless Rohingya have spent the past four years trapped in bleak displacement camps with limited access to health care and other basic services.

Suu Kyi said her country had suffered from a lack of peace and stability for many decades and looked to neighbouring India for help in developing as a democracy.

Modi said India, which strongly supported Suu Kyi during her time in opposition, stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Myanmar.

Workers hurt, killed in crashes

At least 20 garment workers were injured yesterday in Takeo province’s Tram Kak district, a day after an agricultural worker was killed in a similar road accident.

The Takeo incident occurred yesterday morning as workers were being driven to their factories. Police reports said the truck was hit by a concrete mixer, during a failed attempt to overtake a car, throwing several of the workers from the vehicle.

Deputy district police chief Cheal Phat said the driver, Hem Vuthy, had been briefly detained but was let go after agreeing to pay the victims 2 million riel, about $500, in compensation. “The concrete truck driver was at fault. Both sides agreed to the compensation and then the garment workers were taken for medical treatment,” Phat said.
The National Social Security Fund reported that they would cover the medical costs of the workers, who were being treated at a local clinic and the provincial hospital.

Injured worker Chhem Pov said that despite hearing of multiple truck accidents, she had no option but to use such transportation as she lived far from her workplace. “I am slightly injured, but luckily no one died,” she said.

In a separate incident, a truck laden with cassava and 19 agricultural workers overturned on Tuesday afternoon as it tried to avoid a pothole while passing through Romeas Hek district’s Koki commune.

Deputy traffic police chief So Sophal said 48-year old Dol Sophal died after landing in a ditch filled with water and was trapped under cassava, causing her to drown.

“Other workers jumped out of the truck, therefore they did not get injured,” Sophal said. “They found her body under the water, buried by that cassava.”

He added that the driver had fled and that the case was being sent to the provincial court.