Sometimes when Cambodians are unable to express themselves, they might say they are dam-douem-kor (planting a kapok tree); if they are depressed, they will often use the phrase thelea-tdeuk-ceut (the water in my heart has fallen); and if they are feeling anxious, they may describe it as khyal goeu (wind overload, to explain their shortness of breath).

Unofficial translation! Official German version follows. Press release 25th June 2015 With regard to the draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO), Mr. Uwe Kekeritz, Member of the German Parliament and Spokesperson for Development Cooperation expressed his concerns as follows: The draft LANGO presented by the government fails to meet the minimum international human rights standards. According to the content of the draft, the government aims to silence local and international civil society organizations that have been actively supporting Cambodian people in their struggle against land grabbing and human rights violations.

We, the undersigned international NGOs and membership organizations, call on the National Assembly of Cambodia to immediately withdraw the draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO).

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The professional NGO world is unable to reverse the major global trends. It can, however, prevent projects and policies by forging powerful alliances - and build alternatives.

Phnom Penh, 29 April, 2015The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), Youth for Peace (YFP), KDEI KARUNA (KdK), Transcultural Psychological Organization (TPO) and Asian International Justice Initiative (AIJI) call on the Cambodian TV and radio stations as well as local newspapers to increase their coverage of the on-going trials and current events at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).   

Healthy soils are crucial to human nutrition and the fight against hunger. But worldwide 24 billion tons of fertile soil is lost annually. Barbara Unmüßig calls attention to the growing threat to one of Earth’s most important resources.

Beijing plus 20 – Voices from Cambodia (Ung Yok Khoan) - Heinrich Böll Stiftung Cambodia Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Ung Yok Khoan – Director of Amara Ms. Ung Yok Khoan is founder and director of Amara, Cambodian Women's Network for Development, which was originally thought as a women’s network to prepare a report for the Fourth World Conference on Women presented by the UN in Beijing, September 1995. 

Beijing plus 20 – Voices from Cambodia (Hoy Sochivanny) - Heinrich Böll Stiftung Cambodia Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Hoy Sochivanny – President of Positive Change for Cambodia (PCC) Ms. Hoy Sochivanny, president of Positive Change for Cambodia, participated in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995 together with 85 other Cambodian women from civil society and 35 members of the Cambodian government.

Beijing plus 20 – Voices from Cambodia (Chak Sopheap) - Heinrich Böll Stiftung Cambodia Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Chak Sopheap – Executive Director of CCHR Chak Sopheap is the executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), one of the leading human rights organizations working for the promotion and protection of political and civil rights.