Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Pich Piseth Summoned by Department of Anti-Technology Crime | Future of USAID Uncertain as Trump Administration Considers Merging Agency with State Department | National Road 5 Final Section (Serei Sophon-Poipet) Achieves 29% Progress | Prime Minister Hun Manet: “No Plans to Change Ministers” Amidst Rumors | PM Hun Manet Charts Cambodia’s Digital Future, Calls for Stronger Innovation and Governance | Cambodia's Future Leaders Celebrated as Prime Minister Hun Manet Speaks at Asia-Europe University Graduation | Prime Minister Hun Sen awards diplomas to 2,551 Asia-Europe University graduates, including 1,169 women. The ceremony includes degrees in associate, bachelor, master, doctorate, and honorary doctorate levels. A total of 69 scholarship recipients from Samdech Techo and Samdech Kittipritbandit among the graduates. Asia-Europe University has contributed to national development by training skilled human resources for many years. Oknha Ly Khunthai highlights the university's growth since its recognition in 2002 and its establishment in 2005. As of December 2024, the university employed 485 staff and enrolled 8,881 students in various programs. Asia-Europe University offers diverse faculties and numerous degree programs, enhancing educational opportunities. The institution is committed to digital innovation and modern educational practices, including AI and cloud computing. Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasizes skill development, announcing over $20 million for modern medical equipment.Prime Minister Hun Manet urges the Ministry of Labor to support skilled workers in obtaining bachelor's degrees and enhancing youth skills. Prime Minister Hun Manet directs Ministry of Labor to expand job opportunities for professionals in Cambodia. The Prime Minister emphasizes the role of teachers as leaders and ethical guides for students. Amid discussions about septic tank installation, the Prime Minister instructs authorities to prioritize citizen requests. Hun Manet mandates road construction companies to install septic tanks upon completion of projects. The Prime Minister addresses criticism of the textbook “Khmer and the Journey to Prosperity,” defending its educational value. Hun Manet clarifies that the supplementary textbook presents factual historical content from Cambodia’s socialist era to the present. The Prime Minister emphasizes that the book aims to preserve Cambodia’s history for future generations. Hun Manet calls on citizens and students to research carefully before sharing information on social media. The Prime Minister warns against spreading false information that can harm society. |
Deadly Collision Claims 67 Lives in U.S. Air Disaster | At Least 30 Dead and Many Injured in Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India | Pich Piseth Summoned by Department of Anti-Technology Crime | Future of USAID Uncertain as Trump Administration Considers Merging Agency with State Department | National Road 5 Final Section (Serei Sophon-Poipet) Achieves 29% Progress | Prime Minister Hun Manet: “No Plans to Change Ministers” Amidst Rumors | PM Hun Manet Charts Cambodia’s Digital Future, Calls for Stronger Innovation and Governance | Cambodia's Future Leaders Celebrated as Prime Minister Hun Manet Speaks at Asia-Europe University Graduation | Prime Minister Hun Sen awards diplomas to 2,551 Asia-Europe University graduates, including 1,169 women. The ceremony includes degrees in associate, bachelor, master, doctorate, and honorary doctorate levels. A total of 69 scholarship recipients from Samdech Techo and Samdech Kittipritbandit among the graduates. Asia-Europe University has contributed to national development by training skilled human resources for many years. Oknha Ly Khunthai highlights the university's growth since its recognition in 2002 and its establishment in 2005. As of December 2024, the university employed 485 staff and enrolled 8,881 students in various programs. Asia-Europe University offers diverse faculties and numerous degree programs, enhancing educational opportunities. The institution is committed to digital innovation and modern educational practices, including AI and cloud computing. Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasizes skill development, announcing over $20 million for modern medical equipment.Prime Minister Hun Manet urges the Ministry of Labor to support skilled workers in obtaining bachelor's degrees and enhancing youth skills. Prime Minister Hun Manet directs Ministry of Labor to expand job opportunities for professionals in Cambodia. The Prime Minister emphasizes the role of teachers as leaders and ethical guides for students. Amid discussions about septic tank installation, the Prime Minister instructs authorities to prioritize citizen requests. Hun Manet mandates road construction companies to install septic tanks upon completion of projects. The Prime Minister addresses criticism of the textbook “Khmer and the Journey to Prosperity,” defending its educational value. Hun Manet clarifies that the supplementary textbook presents factual historical content from Cambodia’s socialist era to the present. The Prime Minister emphasizes that the book aims to preserve Cambodia’s history for future generations. Hun Manet calls on citizens and students to research carefully before sharing information on social media. The Prime Minister warns against spreading false information that can harm society. |

A Cambodian Wildlife Official is Arrested in the US for Monkey Smuggling

MIAMI: Federal prosecutors have charged eight people with smuggling endangered monkeys, including a Cambodian wildlife official who was arrested in the US while traveling to a conference on protecting endangered species.

The official plus a colleague in that country’s wildlife agency and six people connected to a Hong Kong-based company were involved with breeding long-tailed macaques for scientific and academic research, supplying them to labs in Florida and Texas. But the group is accused of illegally purchasing wild macaques for the business when they lacked supply from their breeding operations.

Long-tailed macaques, sometimes known as crab-eating macaques, are protected under international trade law and special permits are required to import the animals into the US.

The Deputy Director of Wildlife and Biodiversity in Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Masphal Kry, was arrested on Wednesday, 16 November, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Kry, 46, was traveling to Panama to attend an international meeting on regulating trade in endangered species, said a US official on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The Director General of the Cambodian Forestry Administration, 58-year-old Omaliss Keo, is also charged in the eight-count indictment, along with the six Vanny employees. Officials did not say whether anyone besides Kry had been taken into custody. They each face up to 145 years in prison.

“The macaque is already recognized as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez said in a statement. “The practice of illegally taking them from their habitat to end up in a lab is something we need to stop. Greed should never come before responsible conservation.”

According to the indictment, Vanny Resources Holdings founder and owner James Man Sang Lau, 64, and Vanny Resources Holdings general manager Dickson Lau, 29, operating from Hong Kong, owned and managed several corporations that allegedly conspired with black market collectors and officials in Cambodia to acquire wild macaques and export them to the US, falsely labelled as captive bred.

The macaques were taken from national parks and other protected areas in Cambodia to breeding facilities where they were provided false export permits, officials said. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries officials allegedly received cash payments of US $220 each in exchange for a collection quota of 3,000 “unofficial” monkeys.

“Wild populations of long-tailed macaques, as well as the health and well-being of the American public, are put at risk when these animals are removed from their natural habitat and illegally sold in the United States and elsewhere,” said US Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Assistant Director, Edward Grace.

The conference in Panama, bringing together delegates from 184 parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, includes a 23 November event on threats to the very species the Cambodian officials have been accused of trafficking.

The Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Im Rachana, has told EAC News that the Ministry is gathering information while this case is under investigation. No further details will be released until then. Both the US and Cambodia have not yet convicted these eight individuals. The Spokesperson added that the Ministry will soon make a statement about this case.

The long-tailed macaque is the most heavily traded primate on the CITES database, almost exclusively for laboratory research. According to the CITES Trade Database, more than 600,000 were exported and declared born or bred in captivity from 2011 to 2020. Almost 165,000 live specimens were exported in 2020 alone.

(SOURCE: AP)


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