Sopheap Chak is the Program Director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and is one of Cambodia’s leading human rights bloggers. She mobilizes young activists around the country in civic engagement through the Cambodian Youth Network for Change.
Latest posts by Sopheap Chak
The Troubling Rise of Internet-Related Arrests in Cambodia
"They do plainly illustrate a deeply troubling trend, whereby those who criticize the political elite are routinely being arrested for expressing their views on social media."
Women Candidates in Cambodian Election
Mapping tool confirms that women candidates are still the second choice of Cambodia’s major political parties
‘Gender-Based Violence’ Mapping in Cambodia
The Open Institute NGO has launched a crowdsourced gender-based violence mapping tool in Cambodia to promote and protect women rights. The project echoes the need for public awareness about the issue of violence against women and how new technologies and the Internet can be tapped to address the problem.
Cambodia Elections: The Facebook Vote
Cambodian netizens are actively using Facebook to discuss, debate, and share updates about the July 28 National Assembly elections. Meanwhile, political parties are also maximizing the popular social networking site to reach out to younger voters.
Breaking All-Male, Offline Trend, Cambodia's First Female Lawmaker Blogs
Meet Mu Sochua, the first woman ever to be elected in Cambodia's Parliament and one of the very few politicians in Cambodia who actively use social media.
Blaming Rape Victims in Cambodia
In Cambodia, rape cases are given low profile despite the report of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association which documented 467 rape cases in 2011 and 320 in 2012. These figures could be higher since rape is under reported in the country.
BlogFest Asia 2012 Opens in Cambodia
Cambodia is hosting BlogFest Asia 2012 which is expected to gather around 200 individuals from several Asian countries. The event on November 1-5, 2012 will take place in the historic town of Siem Reap. This is the third BlogFest which was earlier held in Hong Kong in 2009 and then in Penang, Malaysia in 2010.
Cambodia Mourns the Death of King Father Norodom Sihanouk
Cambodia is mourning the death of King Father Norodom Sihanouk who died last October 15, 2012. Millions of people waited in line along the way from the international airport to the Royal Palace to pay respect to the King
Cambodia: No Surprise During Commune Elections
Cambodia's commune elections turned out to be peaceful and only few irregularities were reported. Online tools were used for the first time to spread information about the voting system. Netizens observed that the ruling party was able to maximize state resources to gain advantage in the campaign
Cambodia: The First BarCamp Angkor
Since 2008, BarCamps in Cambodia have been organized in Phnom Penh. But this year's BarCamp will take place in the provincial town of Siem Reap, the gateway to the world-famous Angkor temple complex.
Cambodia: Demolition of Houses in Borei Keila
Forced evictions and land grabbing are getting worse in Cambodia. But the case which grabbed global attention involves the violent demolition of an urban poor community in Borei Keila located in central Phnom Penh. This is the story of the residents' struggle for their land and housing rights.
Cambodia: Worst Flooding in a Decade
Cambodia is experiencing the worst flooding in a decade. The government reports that almost a half a million hectares of rice paddies were destroyed by the floods, which could affect food security in the region. Here are more reports about the disaster.
Cambodia: ‘Avatar’ Rally to Protect Country’s Forest
Prey Lang, the largest lowland forest in Cambodia and home of more than 200,000 indigenous peoples, is threatened by the plan of the government to transform the area into plantations and mining sites. In protest, villagers dressed up like the Na'vi tribe from the film Avatar to express their sentiments
Cambodia: Blog Article Leads to Murder Investigation
Cambodian opposition politicians and embassy officials are now investigating the death of a young domestic helper in Malaysia after a news blog reported that the maid was a victim of physical abuse.
Cambodia: Women Entrepreneurs and Social Media
Women entrepreneurs in Cambodia gathered last week to discuss the role of social media, particularly Facebook, in expanding their businesses. Sopheap Chak highlights the important points raised during the meeting
Cambodia: Songs About Facebook
In Cambodia, Facebook is not yet considered a threat by the government. Politicians led by Prime Minister Hun Sen (who has been in power since 1985) have created their own Facebook pages where they interact with Cambodian citizens and netizens. There is however, a newer interesting Facebook trend in the country: Cambodians are creating songs about Facebook.
Gathering to Celebrate Internet Access in Cambodia
A White Out Day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is organized to celebrate internet access in Cambodia. Even if it is a non-political event, netizens are monitoring the reaction of the government which has been suspicious of activities organized through social networks.
Blogspot sites blocked in Cambodia
Blogspot sites were blocked in Cambodia after the government ordered several ISPs to shut down the popular anti-government blog KI Media. The websites have since then been "unblocked" but netizens are worried about this unprecedented online censorship in the country
Cambodia: Prince Ranariddh returns to politics
Retiring from politics in 2008, Prince Norodom Ranariddh surprised everybody in Cambodia when he recently announced that he will return to politics in order to strengthen the royalist movement. What will be its impact on Cambodian politics?
Cambodia: Lessons from the Water Festival stampede
Cambodians are still mourning the death of 347 people in the stampede tragedy which happened last week at Koh Pich Bridge in Phnom Penh. Cambodian netizens share their reactions and recommendations on how to improve disaster management in the country
Cambodia: Controversial mobile phone ad
An advertisement of a major Cambodian mobile phone service provider is being criticized by many netizens for promoting bad internet behavior among the youth. Bloggers are pushing for the removal of the ad.
