Continued from here.

In an interesting attempt to maintain cultural stability and prevent "insecurities in society", the Cambodian government has banned Christian proselytizers from knocking on peoples' doors.

Distribution of religious literature will be confined to churches, and no new churches are to be built without government approval.

While the ruling applies to all non-Buddhist groups, it is aimed at curbing Christian evangelical influence in largely Buddhist Cambodia amid reports of children being tricked into converting, officials said.

Christian missionaries are reportedly offering cakes and other sweets to children in exchange for abandoning Buddhism, local media said.

Food, clothing and free English lessons are also offered by many church groups, which then introduce religion into their activities.

"It is prohibited to use money, materials and other means in order to convince followers of a religion to convert to another one," the ministry directive said.

Here's another story on the topic ... this one quoting the Ministry of Cults and Religions.

The Australian government has welcomed the news that Cambodia has passed anti-terrorism laws, saying, "The law will provide a comprehensive legislative basis for counter-terrorism efforts in Cambodia."

Another account of life for children in the Steung Meanchey garbage dump in Phnom Penh again illustrates the horrors some kids face daily in their struggle to survive. The photos are heartbreaking, but revealing.

And this, A Tale of Three Tribes" is a fascinating look into the lives of some of the ethnic minorities in Cambodia, and the land grab that will see the last of them.

In Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province, Chinese and Khmer businessmen get a village headman drunk enough and happy enough to sign a document allowing them to buy the land of a Tampuan family. Strictly speaking, the transaction is illegal, but with the signature of the village headman, no questions will be asked. With the money they get from the land sale, the Tampuan family will buy a used motorcycle, and then starve.

“The Chinese chase the Khmer. The Khmer chase the tribal people. The tribal people chase the spirits. And the spirits live in the mountains.” -- Old Cambodian Tampuan saying.

For a view of how Cambodia looks on the ethnic Chinese in the country, this is at least the official version.

On the business front, growth rates of garment exports has slowed down, and expectations are that this will continue.

With Vietnam now also exporting to the USA, competition has increased, which is not good news for the 337,000 workers in the industry in Cambodia.

Russia and Cambodia have "... agreed to conclude an agreement saying the RF can join the World Trade Organization." I'm assuming Cambodia will be getting something out of this deal.

Saudi Prince Alwleed bin Talal's Kingdom Hotel Investments has bought both the Raffles Hotel Le Royale in Phnom Penh and the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor in Siem Reap.

I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that the government is reporting that there have been no cases of Dengue Fever among tourist at the Angkor complex, then.

A long article on the fate of Phnom Penh's Bassac Theatre, soon to be razed to make way for a conference center, shows how drastically things are changing in the country, and how quick many are to jettison fantastic structures.

Constructed in 1966, the 1,200-seat Bassac was designed by Vann Molyvann, Cambodia's most famous modern architect, as a monument to Cambodia's thriving performing arts scene. It is not hard to imagine the capital's elite, dressed in elegant evening wear, gliding through the Bassac's imposing triangular foyer and up the cantilevered staircases suspended over shallow pools of water, about to view a performance of the Royal Ballet.

The deal with the developer, Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng, originally demanded the Bassac be renovated, but that's gone by the wayside.

At least there is a push, which the US is backing, to get Pheah Vihear Temple designated a world heritage site. The 11th century temple was at the middle of an arm wrestling match between Cambodian and Thailand for years ... it sits very near the border ... so maybe that's added to its perceived value.

And finally, Cambodia is set to host the disabled volleyball World Cup in late November.

Cambodia's team ranks number 1 in Asia and number 4 in the world ... one advantage of having a country littered with land mines. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will send teams, with twelve countries represented in all.