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Cambodia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cambodia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Phnom Penh

Head of State

King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hun Manet

Thailand

Thailand’s deepening labour shortage roils harvest as unpicked fruits rot

‘We have to choose which fruit to harvest and leave the lower-priced fruit to rot on the trees,’ a farmer says.

13 Oct 2026 - 9:36AMvideocam

China’s air force

Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air facility in Laos?

10 Oct 2026 - 10:00PM

Hong Kong society

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: scientist pushes agricultural frontier

9 Oct 2026 - 2:15PM

Mental health

Letters | Hong Kong should invest in natural infrastructure to harvest hope

Readers discuss hope as a social resource worth investing in, and international action against cross-border scams.

9 Oct 2026 - 11:30AM

Swimmers participate in the Tolo Harbour Cross Harbour Open Race at Plover Cove on September 27. Hong Kong is surrounded by the sea and blessed with reservoirs, rivers and wetlands. Encounters with water and nature can shape mental health. Photo: Kit Lai

US-China relations

Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report

US cites declining prosecutions and failure to identify victims exploited in Hong Kong; city rejects downgrade as ‘entirely unfounded’.

9 Oct 2026 - 6:18AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China, Africa boost law enforcement ties in crackdown on cross-border cybercrime

Police cooperation allows Beijing to expand its security role without formal alliances or a large military footprint, observers say.

4 Oct 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Scams and swindles

Letters | Phnom Penh Declaration on online scams short on details

Readers discuss Cambodia’s efforts to combat scams, the booking system for football matches at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park, and Trump’s tariff approach.

3 Oct 2026 - 11:30AM

A police officer stands guards near seized equipment confiscated from online scam operation centres at the Commissariat of Phnom Penh Municipal Police in Phnom Penh on September 22. Photo: AFP

China’s military

China takes strategic military step overseas with new Laos air force centre

Beijing says jointly operated facilities at Ban Keun Airport will support pilot training and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.

30 Sep 2026 - 3:37PM

Vietnam

Vietnam charges 3 men with terrorism as abduction claim emerges

Viet Tan says the pair, who hold Norwegian and Australian citizenship, entered Cambodia legally and planned to leave four days later.

29 Sep 2026 - 8:37PM

Thailand

Cambodia hosts anti-scam summit as scepticism lingers

Phnom Penh is gathering global law enforcement to showcase compound closures, but critics point to the missing billions and elite ties.

23 Sep 2026 - 12:22PMvideocam

Cambodian police officers stand guard outside a closed complex in Kandal province on Tuesday, following a raid to dismantle suspected scam and cyber-fraud operations. Photo: EPA

Thailand

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

A rarely invoked UN legal process is trying to untangle the two countries’ row over 27,000 sq km of oil- and gas-rich waters.

15 Sep 2026 - 3:56PM

Wellhead platforms, used for the offshore extraction of oil and gas, undergo refurbishment at a port in Chonburi province, Thailand, last week. Photo: Reuters

War and conflict

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

13 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Science

US-China decoupling could benefit other countries, Chinese study finds

The study suggests a complete severing of trade ties would hurt both superpowers while bringing temporary gains elsewhere.

12 Sep 2026 - 8:00PM

Singapore

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

11 Sep 2026 - 9:53PM

People walk along the promenade next to Marina Bay in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

11 Sep 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

US sanctions Chinese-language Xinbi Guarantee marketplace over cyber scams

Washington also seizes Telegram channels and US$52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the platform’s alleged illicit operations.

10 Sep 2026 - 10:30AMvideocam

Thailand

12 South Koreans arrested in Thailand scam centre crackdown

Police say the alleged scammers entered Thailand from a neighbouring country and rented a luxury house south of Bangkok.

8 Sep 2026 - 8:46PMvideocam

Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer computer training to more children in Cambodia

Club’s charities trust signs MOU with Cambodian authorities to expand computational training programme to cover early childhood learning.

8 Sep 2026 - 9:19PM

Cambodian students use a computer room at a school in 2018. The latest MOU builds on an agreement signed last year to roll out the CoolThink@JC programme in the country’s primary schools. Photo: AFP

SCMP Highlights

Cambodia scam gangs; viral Jennie clip tests South Korea law: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan warships attracting US interest to viral clip of Blackpink’s Jennie, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

8 Sep 2026 - 4:59PM

Asia travel

A run through history in Cambodia’s Angkor Empire Marathon

This year’s Angkor Empire Marathon saw participants race through misty forests and villages, and past ancient temples and rice fields, as dawn broke over Cambodia’s spectacular Angkor Archaeological Park.

5 Sep 2026 - 4:36PM

Myanmar

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

2 Sep 2026 - 2:19PMvideocam

Thai soldiers inspect a workstation at a suspected scam compound near the Chong Chom-O’Smach border crossing with Cambodia in December. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

US Congress seeks to identify foreign countries behind scam calls

Inquiry comes as US government reports tying much of the financial damage from scams to Chinese criminal networks based in Southeast Asia.

2 Sep 2026 - 6:35AMvideocam

US government reports have connected much of the financial damage from scam calls to Chinese criminal networks based in Southeast Asia. Photo: Shutterstock

Singapore

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

31 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: legacies from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond

How legacies are built, from HKSTP’s tech innovation to culinary fusions and Nancy Kwan’s Hollywood impact.

30 Aug 2026 - 6:00AM

Japan

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

28 Aug 2026 - 3:07PM

Japanese coast guard members in the waters off southern Japan in November 2023. Japan has primarily supplied non-lethal equipment, including patrol boats and radar systems, under its OSA framework. Photo: Kyodo News/AP

Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

28 Aug 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

What China can do to secure trade routes in its coming high-seas struggle with US

Di Dongsheng argues it could take three decades for China to dominate access to ports, straits, canals and shipping lanes around the world.

27 Aug 2026 - 3:58PMvideocam

United States

Why Cambodia is reviving US military drills despite close China ties

Restarting Angkor Sentinel drills lets Phnom Penh signal strategic autonomy without abandoning Beijing, analysts say.

23 Aug 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

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Cambodia

Thailand’s deepening labour shortage roils harvest as unpicked fruits rot

‘We have to choose which fruit to harvest and leave the lower-priced fruit to rot on the trees,’ a farmer says.

Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air facility in Laos?

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: scientist pushes agricultural frontier

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Letters | Hong Kong should invest in natural infrastructure to harvest hope

Readers discuss hope as a social resource worth investing in, and international action against cross-border scams.

Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report

US cites declining prosecutions and failure to identify victims exploited in Hong Kong; city rejects downgrade as ‘entirely unfounded’.

China, Africa boost law enforcement ties in crackdown on cross-border cybercrime

Police cooperation allows Beijing to expand its security role without formal alliances or a large military footprint, observers say.

Letters | Phnom Penh Declaration on online scams short on details

Readers discuss Cambodia’s efforts to combat scams, the booking system for football matches at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park, and Trump’s tariff approach.

China takes strategic military step overseas with new Laos air force centre

Beijing says jointly operated facilities at Ban Keun Airport will support pilot training and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.

Vietnam charges 3 men with terrorism as abduction claim emerges

Viet Tan says the pair, who hold Norwegian and Australian citizenship, entered Cambodia legally and planned to leave four days later.

Cambodia hosts anti-scam summit as scepticism lingers

Phnom Penh is gathering global law enforcement to showcase compound closures, but critics point to the missing billions and elite ties.

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

A rarely invoked UN legal process is trying to untangle the two countries’ row over 27,000 sq km of oil- and gas-rich waters.

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

From Nazi Germany to Vietnam, history is rich with examples of countries that simply refuse to surrender to bombing.

US-China decoupling could benefit other countries, Chinese study finds

The study suggests a complete severing of trade ties would hurt both superpowers while bringing temporary gains elsewhere.

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

US sanctions Chinese-language Xinbi Guarantee marketplace over cyber scams

Washington also seizes Telegram channels and US$52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the platform’s alleged illicit operations.

12 South Koreans arrested in Thailand scam centre crackdown

Police say the alleged scammers entered Thailand from a neighbouring country and rented a luxury house south of Bangkok.

Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer computer training to more children in Cambodia

Club’s charities trust signs MOU with Cambodian authorities to expand computational training programme to cover early childhood learning.

Cambodia scam gangs; viral Jennie clip tests South Korea law: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan warships attracting US interest to viral clip of Blackpink’s Jennie, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

A run through history in Cambodia’s Angkor Empire Marathon

This year’s Angkor Empire Marathon saw participants race through misty forests and villages, and past ancient temples and rice fields, as dawn broke over Cambodia’s spectacular Angkor Archaeological Park.

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

US Congress seeks to identify foreign countries behind scam calls

Inquiry comes as US government reports tying much of the financial damage from scams to Chinese criminal networks based in Southeast Asia.

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

This week in PostMag: legacies from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond

How legacies are built, from HKSTP’s tech innovation to culinary fusions and Nancy Kwan’s Hollywood impact.

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

What China can do to secure trade routes in its coming high-seas struggle with US

Di Dongsheng argues it could take three decades for China to dominate access to ports, straits, canals and shipping lanes around the world.

Why Cambodia is reviving US military drills despite close China ties

Restarting Angkor Sentinel drills lets Phnom Penh signal strategic autonomy without abandoning Beijing, analysts say.

Letters | Hong Kong should invest in natural infrastructure to harvest hope