Residents on Koh Romduol found the remains while planting banana trees near an old cemetery. Authorities expect to unearth more bones buried in surrounding farms. The remains will be preserved as historical evidence until they are moved to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Keeping a nationalist election promise made during the campaign, Anutin’s government has scrapped the 2001 agreement (which never got off the ground) for the joint exploitation of energy reserves in disputed maritime areas. This signals how tensions remain high despite the ceasefire in place since December. Cambodia is concerned about the intensification of Thai naval patrols.
Despite a government crackdown, new licences have been issued in recent months to casinos with clear ties to online scam centres. Amnesty International reported an "industrialized" form of abuse within gambling establishments, where criminal groups engage in violence, forced labour, and human trafficking.
The return of more than 900,000 migrants has caused the flow of money from abroad to drop by more than 20 per cent, according to a report from the Cambodian central bank. This situation is squeezing households' financial means and creating new pressures on the domestic labour market. Meanwhile criticism of the government and tensions with Thailand along the border continue.
The monastery, re-established in 2004 by Korean nuns on the ashes of the previous contemplative community wiped out by Pol Pot's persecution, has closed. The decision is due to a lack of new vocations. Bishop Schmitthaeusler expressed his gratitude: "The fruits of your presence will continue in our community.”
The Cambodian part of the process for the beatification of Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 11 other victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide ended today. Since 2015, dozens of testimonies have been collected from people who witnessed their faithfulness to the Gospel during a time of horror. Among the candidates are two nuns and four lay people. If recognised by the Vatican, they will be the first blessed of this small Church reborn in the 1990s.
