Phnom Penh

A woman seen washing pots and pans

Despite lack of govt loans for college in Cambodia, these students are making it work

The price of higher ed

Most Cambodians live in rural areas, with many struggling to make a living on small farms. Even with low public school tuition fees, sending a child to college is nearly impossible. Those who want a higher education must be resourceful.

cambodia street scene before elections

‘Death of democracy’ in Cambodia after elections

Global Politics
A blue sign showing two politicians stands next to an intersection in a city, where a woman is waiting to cross the street. The signs are written in Cambodian.

As election nears, Cambodia opposition says it’s been silenced

These are the Oscar contenders for Best Foreign Language Film

Arts, Culture & Media
Director Rithy Panh uses clay figurines to represent Cambodians in his Oscar-nominated film memoir "The Missing Picture". It's about his boyhood memories of living under the Khmer Rouge from 1974 to 1978. Panh lost almost every member of his immediate and

‘The Missing Picture’ is the first Cambodian film to make it to Oscar night

Arts, Culture & Media
Garment workers holding Molotov cocktails after clashes broke out during a protest in Phnom Penh on January 3, 2014.

Cambodian police shoot and kill protesters during national strike by garment workers

Conflict & Justice

Cambodian police have killed at least three people during protests by garment workers in the nation’s capital, Phnom Penh. Garment workers have launched a national strike to demand higher wages. Kate O’Keeffe of the Wall Street Journal says there is a political dimension to what’s going on as well.

Are volunteer programs empowering — or exploitative?

Development & Education

If you serve as a volunteer, you know that it can feel good to devote your time to assisting others in need. But do you ever feel that you’re performing a job that deserves a paycheck? Volunteers around the world weigh in.

A musician strums the pin, the Cambodian harp, during a rehearsal in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia works to revive an ancient harp, plucked from a temple wall

Arts, Culture & Media

How do you make an instrument relevant that hasn’t been heard for hundreds of years? A French ethnomusicologist is recreating Cambodian instruments that vanished centuries ago.

Study finds alarming number of men in 6 Asian countries don’t think rape is rape

Health & Medicine

A new study from the United Nations out last month revealed startling attitudes toward sex and sexual violence in six countries across the Asia Pacific region. In one example, the study revealed that 25 percent of the men studied in Cambodia admitted to having committed rape.

Cambodia promotes brown rice to fight diabetes

Health & Medicine

Diabetes is very much a disease of poor countries — where healthcare is ill-prepared to deal with it. So in places like Cambodia, where diabetes is common, but undiagnosed, prevention is the name of the game. Surprisingly, that means a focus on getting people to eat brown rice.