Cambodia

In the first half of 2026, international arrivals fell by 48 per cent. There were 1.75 million visitors, compared with 3.36 million in 2025. There is growing focus on Muslim-majority countries. Global Muslim Travel Index: in 2025, around 196 million Muslims travelled abroad.

Satellite images by LICADHO show the destruction of hundreds of homes in three villages held by the Thai army. More than 20,000 displaced people are languishing in refugee camps. Phnom Penh is intensifying its diplomatic efforts with Bangkok, calling for the Joint Border Commission to resume inspections.

The city council’s decision comes after a social media storm over the publication of price lists for cremations at Buddhist temples, with fees that were unaffordable for the less well-off. An initiative to ensure dignity for all.

Twelve months after the start of hostilities with Thailand, 20,000 Cambodians are still unable to return home in the border areas, many of them children. The NGO Phare Ponleu Selpak is working to offer a glimmer of hope through art.

Cambodia reported 25,000 infections a year in 1995; today, it is a leader in containing them and providing antiretroviral drugs to the sick, thanks to awareness-raising efforts by village leaders and communities to eliminate the social stigma attached to the disease. The country’s small Catholic Church is also playing a key role in these efforts.

Unencumbered by the legacy technology of fossil fuel markets such as the US and Europe and startled by the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Asia is using an aggressive mix of incentives and penalties to win the race to EV dominance. For an Ember Energy expert, “EVs can help improve resilience against global oil market volatility and geopolitical disruptions”.

Even though the legal age of marriage is 18, cultural traditions and poverty continue to encourage early marriages. In tribal areas it is one in two, with brides as young as 13. The war with Thailand has exacerbated the practice, but some government pilot projects and the experience of the Christian NGO Chab Dai show that education can change things.

The Supreme Court suspended the sentence of the Cambodian dissident and opposition leader and reduced it from four to three years; it also barred him from running for and holding office. Rong slammed the authorities for trying to exclude him from local elections in 2027 and the general election in 2028.

A forum bringing together over a hundred civil society organisations has urged the government to impose stricter rules for assessing the environmental and social impact of Beijing’s investments in Cambodia. For the NGOs, the issues concern hydroelectric dams and the controversial Funan Techo canal, whilst Phnom Penh defends the projects as essential for growth.

Andrew “Cosi” Costello, a popular Australian radio and television presenter, founded “Cows for Cambodia”, a project that lends pregnant cows to the most vulnerable rural families. The initiative, launched following a trip to a country still marked by poverty and the legacy of the Khmer Rouge, aims to foster economic independence.

After more than eight years in prison and house arrest, one of the main opponents of the Cambodian government has received a royal pardon signed by former Prime Minister Hun Sen. Still, Sokha is still banned from political activity while the crackdown on dissidents, independent media, and the opposition continues. Analysts believe the government is trying primarily to improve its international image.

Cambodia rejects Thailand's unilateral decision to register border sites as national heritage. Over the years, the area has been the scene of armed clashes, the latest a few months ago, when a temple suffered damages. Phnom Penh slams Bangkok’s action as a violation of its territorial integrity without any validity under international law.