The Cambodia Daily

Council of Ministers Adviser Given Sok An’s Parliamentary Seat

Chea Vandeth, the founder of a major private university and adviser to the Council of Ministers, will take former Deputy Prime Minister Sok An’s parliamentary seat representing Takeo province, officials said on Sunday.

The appointment of Mr. Vandeth, who has also served as president of the company in charge of the Choeung Ek genocide memorial site, to replace Sok An, who passed away earlier this month, has been approved by the National Election Committee (NEC), according to CPP spokesman Sok Eysan.

Government Threatens Land Rights Protesters With Legal Action

The Commerce Ministry has threatened to take unspecified legal “measures” against anyone joining a protest against a sugarcane plantation who does not have a personal claim in the dispute.

The ministry issued the warning on Thursday, two days after villagers from Oddar Meanchey province held a press conference in Phnom Penh to urge the government to let them resettle on the land they were evicted from several years ago to make way for a trio of Thai-owned sugarcane plantations.

Sok An’s Fiefdom to Be Split Up, Hun Sen Says

Reversing the course of “continuity” laid out by a government spokesman this week, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday declared that the sprawling portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An would be spread among ministries.

Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin, who like Sok An has long been one of Mr. Hun Sen’s most trusted technocrats and negotiators, was appointed to replace Sok An as head of the Council of Ministers on March 16, the day after his predecessor died in China.

Sub-Decree Relaxes Penalties Under Traffic Law

Motorists caught driving drunk will only be sent to court if they repeat their offense within a six-month period, according to a new sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday.

Penalties for driving without a license or without a number plate were also reduced to just a fine, removing the possibility for one- to six-month prison terms.

PM Praises Trump’s TPP Withdrawal, Slams Protectionism

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but said the president’s protectionist policies were doomed to fail.

“I can honestly say that I want the TPP to die,” Mr. Hun Sen said on Monday during the opening ceremony of the World Trade Organization’s Fifth Day China Round Table in Siem Reap City.

Leaked Sok An Insults by Opposition Party Officials Spark Apology

Two CNRP officials apologized to the family of former Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on Saturday after calling the recently deceased ruling party leader a “master of cockfighting” in a leaked telephone conversation, while a government spokesman said he planned to sue a CNRP supporter for telling Sok An to “Rest in Hell.”

In a conversation on Thursday, opposition lawmaker Lim Kim Ya called his friend Hing Yoeun, deputy secretary-general of the Senate, to tell him that the “master of cockfighting” Sok An had died the evening before.

Fears Hover Over Plan to Collect Data on All Cambodians

Every Cambodian will be assigned a 10-digit identification number under which information from various government departments, as well as the private sector, will be collected in a central database, Interior Minister Sar Kheng announced on Thursday.

The new system—set to be rolled out in 2019—would help people set up bank accounts, prove their identity and aid authorities in maintaining public order, according to the ministry. The initiative is expected to cost at least $40 million.

Vietnam Promises to Back Off Border Areas

In contrast to their last meeting over the border, when Cambodia and Vietnam didn’t manage to release a joint statement, Cambodian officials said on Wednesday that during discussions Vietnam had again agreed not to build or farm in areas that are still in dispute.

Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Binh Minh on Wednesday met with his Cambodian counterpart, Prak Sokhonn, and separately with Interior Minister Sar Kheng.

Police Raid Kem Ley Film Screening; Students Held

A 30-minute documentary about the murder of political analyst Kem Ley, which was released online months ago, has become the latest work about a slain critic added to the government’s list of restricted films.

Four members of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), an organization of young political analysts and activists, planned a small screening of the film with Khmer subtitles at their office in Russei Keo district on Sunday afternoon, but were detained after about 40 police and military police officers interrupted the event.

Top Judges Retain Roles Despite Being Over Retirement Age

Five Supreme Court judges over the official retirement age of 65 will be allowed to continue working after the Supreme Council of Magistracy agreed to continue their employment at its 28th annual meeting on Monday.

Sam Pracheameanith, the council’s secretary-general, said the Law on the Statute of Judges and Prosecutors grants the council permission to re-employ judges and prosecutors at the Supreme Court who are over the age of 65—five years older than the mandatory retirement age for all other judges—based on individual assessments.

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