Law and judiciary
Crime and law enforcement
Community sues border police over loggers
A group of villagers in Mondolkiri province filed a lawsuit this week against three local border police officers and a forestry official accusing them of allowing Vietnamese loggers to sneak across the nearby border and illegally log the forests they depend on for a living. Khut ...
Consulting Facebook, PM changes traffic law
Despite starting with a bang just a week ago, the Land Traffic Law has already been subject to two amendments from Prime Minister Hun Sen in direct response to a public outcry on Facebook, a stark contrast to the premier’s usual attitude toward online criticism. In ...
Border guards told not to turn blind eye
Cambodia’s top immigration official has warned against corrupt border police allowing foreigners to cross into Cambodia illegally. According to the National Police website, Sok Phal, director of the general department of immigration, warned on 5 January that such practices would be punished without exception. Keep reading ...
Riots keep Thai embassy in Yangon closed
The Thai embassy in Yangon has extended its closure over security concerns for its staff and Thai nationals after protests which started late last month against the Koh Tao verdict. Keep reading ...
Masked man at Koh Tao rally demands meet with Interpol
A masked vigilante on 5 January stood up in a swell of protesters and said he has evidence that can prove the innocence of two Myanmar men sentenced to death in Thailand. Ko Zaw Lin and Ko Wai Phyo were handed guilty verdicts on 24 December for ...
Putting the brakes on tests
As of 6 January, possessing a licence to drive a motorbike on Cambodia’s roads no longer requires a driving test. Prime Minister Hun Sen on 5 January announced the elimination of the test along with a decision to more than halve the cost of a licence in ...
Lao Government officials review drug issues
The Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision is attempting to address drug problems nationwide by working in cooperation with neighbouring countries. The annual meeting of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision (LCDC) began on 5 January, to summarise the commision’s work ...
Thai police websites hacked
Hacktivists took over four police websites, including the metropolitan police, on 4 January night, with messages demanding justice. Keep reading ...
Five foreign members of drug ring arrested on Vietnam-Laos border
Vietnamese border guards have worked with Lao police to swoop on a major transnational drug ring, capturing five foreigners in the border area between the two nations. Ha Tinh border guards, in coordination with Lao police officers, have arrested five members of the drug ring, who ...
Thousands stopped on roads
Cambodian authorities have wasted no time in making sure drivers obey the new Traffic Law that came into force on New Year’s Day, fining or “educating” over 24,000 road users in the first three days, part of a nationwide effort to encourage motorcyclists and others ...