This year's Cambodian New Year rings in the Year of the Pig, and it's a time for great joy, laughter, prayer and gratitude. Smiling faces and happy people everywhere should, by all rights, come as a puzzling surprise to anyone recalling this same occasion just 32 years ago. April 17, 1997. The first day of the Cambodian New Year three-day festival that year. Ask any Cambodian over... more

Some may have noticed I've been writing about Cambodia more than usual lately. Most of the time, I limit coverage of my children's country of birth to Friday updates of news, but this is April. What does April have that other months don't? Quite a few things, actually: Easter, Cj's birthday, ... more

If someone asked my response to an allegation that could be made by some people in the world that the 254 adoptions of Cambodian kids in 2006 are the reason there are babies in Cambodian orphanages, it would go something like:

"Hold the phone!"

(Okay, that's the polite version.)

"A total of 254 Cambodian children were adopted worldwide last year, compared to 129 in 2005, despite efforts by... more

Gay arrived home today after a couple of weeks away, most of it spent in Cambodia. The point of the trip was her second house building adventure with Tabitha USA, and was again successful with her group completing seventeen houses in two villages... more

After a brief foray into UN-inspired governing techniques, paraphrasing the old Westerns I now say, "meanwhile, back at the oil ..."

A bunch of international companies ... Chevron, the Japanese firm Mitsui and South Korea's LG ... are coming together for a feasibility study on the building of a pipeline from Cambodia's offshore sites to Sihanoukville.

At... more

With so much happening in Cambodia this week, the wrap of the week’s news is sloshing over from Friday right into Saturday.

We have looked at a trafficking task force and some issues with the courts, but will start today on a brighter note. Things are improving in Cambodia, and some are predicting it will be the next "Asian economic tiger".

A... more

With this being the end of the week, it's time to wrap up the news coming out of Cambodia in the last seven days. Starting with a BBC report about a trafficking crackdown ... the Cambodian government has launched the country's first anti-trafficking task force that is designed to take ministries, law enforcement and international agencies and tie them together in hopes of creating a clear picture of what's really happening.

With somewhere around 200... more

Sour Sdey Chhan Thmey !!! (That's Happy New Year in Khmer, the language of Cambodia.) Normally, I post Cambodian-related items on Friday, but with many communities in the US preparing Cambodian New Year (Chaul Chnam Thmey) festivities beginning on Saturday, I thought I'd get the information out early... more

Continued from here ... While we're talking on things of a helpful nature with political connections, the Australian government is giving $12 million to Cambodia for landmine clearing.

There are around SIX MILLION landmines still scattered around Cambodia, and they kill and maim on a daily basis. Putting them in was a fairly... more

It's Friday, so time to wrap up the week's news from Cambodia for those of you who've come to count on me doing so.

I'll start out by mentioning that my dear friend Gay has arrived safely in Phnom Penh and will be heading out to the provinces soon to build houses with a Tabitha USA group like she did last year.

If you'd like to hear more about her 2006 trip, you can find posts here, and here, where she talks about her visit to the orphanage... more