ក្នុង​សេចក្ដីប្រកាសរបស់ក្រសួងសុខាភិបាល ចេញ​ថ្ងៃទី​១៤ ខែកក្កដា បុរសជនជាតិខ្មែរចំនួន ៩នាក់​បន្ថែមទៀតត្រូវបានរកឃើញថាមានវីរុសកូវីដ១៩ បន្ទាប់ពីបានរកឃើញ១៥នាក់ដំបូង កាល​ពីថ្ងៃទី១២ ខែកក្កដា ដែលជាអ្នកដំណើរមកពីប្រទេសអារ៉ាប់ប៊ីសាអូឌីត ក្នុង​ចំណោម​អ្នក​ធ្វើដំណើរ​ចំនួន​៩៤​នាក់។ 

អ្នកដំណើរចំនួន​៧០នាក់ទៀត ដែលបានធ្វើតេស្តរកឃើញលទ្ធផលអវិជ្ជមាន ត្រូវ​បាន​ដាក់ឲ្យ​ធ្វើចត្តាឡីស័ក [ដាក់ឲ្យនៅដាច់ដោយឡែក] ចំនួន​១៤ថ្ងៃ នៅមណ្ឌលចត្តាឡីស័កជម្ពូវ័ន រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ។ នេះ​​បើតាម​​សេចក្តី​​ប្រកាស​​ព័ត៌មា​ន​របស់​ក្រសួង​សុខាភិបាល។​

សូមបញ្ជាក់ដែរ អ្នកដំណើរទាំង៩៤នាក់នោះបានធ្វើដំណើរមកដល់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជានៅថ្ងៃទី ១០ ខែកក្កដា វេលាម៉ោង ១៧:២៥នាទីល្ងាច ដោយ​ចេញ​ដំណើរ​មក​ពី​ប្រទេស​អារ៉ាប់​ប៊ីសា​អូឌីត និង​បន្ត​ជើង​ហោះហើរ​ពី​ប្រទេស​ម៉ាឡេស៊ី មក​កាន់​កម្ពុជា។

អ្នកស្រី ឱ វណ្ណឌីន អ្នកនាំពាក្យ និងជារដ្ឋលេខាធិការក្រសួងសុខាភិបាល ប្រាប់​ Newsroom Cambodia នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​អង្គារ​​ថា ក្រុមការងារ​​​បច្ចេកទេស​ក្រសួង​សុខាភិបាល​ មានគោលការណ៍​អភិវឌ្ឍន៍​សម្រាប់​ចត្តាឡីស័ក ​[ការដាក់ឲ្យនៅដាច់ដោយឡែក] សម្រាប់​អ្នក​ទាំង​នោះ​។

«​អ្នក​ដែល​ស្នាក់​នៅ​នឹង គេ​នឹង​បន្ត​ក្នុង​ការតាមដាន​សុខភាព​របស់​ពួកគាត់ ហើយ​និង​ការធ្វើ​តេស្ត​នឹង​មាន​ធ្វើ​ជា​បន្តបន្ទាប់​ទៀត»។

អ្នកស្រី ឱ វណ្ណឌីន បន្ថែម​​ថា អ្នក​ទាំង​៧០នាក់​ដែល​កំពុង​បន្ត​ធ្វើ​ចត្តា​ឡីស័ក​សុទ្ធ​តែ​ជាជន​ជាតិ​ខ្មែរ។

គិត​ត្រឹមថ្ងៃទី១៤ ខែកក្កដា​នេះ​ ចំនួន​អ្នក​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​រក​ឃើញថា​មាន​វីរុស​កូវីដ​១៩ នៅ​ទូទាំង​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា​ សរុប​មាន​​១៦៥​នាក់។ ក្នុងនោះ​មាន​១៣៣នាក់​បាន​ជា​សះស្បើយ និង​៣២​នាក់​ទៀត​កំពុង​សម្រាក​ព្យាបាល​នៅ​មន្ទីរពេទ្យ​រដ្ឋ៕​ 

Reduced funds and volunteers losing jobs have hindered the activities of advocacy groups, while the need to stay home and the fact that many LGBT people are in informal work have meant they have been disproportionately affected, they said.

Kuy Thida, co-founder of Loveisdiversity, a Cambodian LGBTIQ activist group, said many LGBT community members had been facing an especially difficult time since the outbreak of coronavirus earlier this year.

“When the coronavirus came in, we were all partially affected. While at home, we found that they had more pressure than before from their families and their financial issues,” Thida said. “Most LGBT people haven’t been accepted by their family. They have to confront their family with unacceptance everyday.”

To slow down the spread of coronavirus, many governments, including in Cambodia, have shut down schools and other institutions, while many businesses have also had to close down or have mandated that their employees work from home.

Thida said LGBT people worked in a variety of industries, but many worked as freelancers, in garment factories, and as sex workers. These sectors have been among the hardest hit by the economic disruptions caused by coronavirus.

“Due to the closing of the border and the lockdown, some private companies have had to lay off some staff,” Thida added.

Thida noted that LGBT advocacy had also been pushed aside because of focus being drawn to other social issues.

“During this coronavirus situation, LGBT people seem not to be seen, not to be taken into account, not to be mentioned and discussed in the citizen support policy,” he said. “More importantly, during this situation, the government is more focused on the economy. Of course it’s the first priority, but LGBT people seem not to be mentioned [at all].”

Ryan Silverio, regional coordinator for ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a regional advocacy group, said they had received some reports about harassment against LGBTIQ people at checkpoints.

Borders and businesses have instituted basic health checks for people passing through them out of caution for spreading the virus.

The group has referred some cases to human rights commissions around the region, Silverio said.

They agreed that financial difficulties were among the main challenges facing the community.

“There is economic impact because LGBTIQ organizations have reduced funds, their volunteers lost jobs,” Silverio said in an email. Many LGBTIQ people working in the informal economy as freelancers, sex workers and owners of small enterprises were hit hard by lockdowns, they added.

Last week, the UN’s independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), Victor Madrigal-Borloz, launched guidelines for a Covid-19 response free from violence and discrimination based on SOGI.

According to the guideline’s overview, the guidelines are a set of recommendations based on six fundamental actions, including “acknowledg[ing] that LGBT and gender diverse persons are everywhere (and that they are hard-hit by the pandemic)” and “protect[ing] LGBT persons from violence and discrimination in the pandemic context (and prosecute perpetrators).”

At Phnom Penh’s five Natural Agri-Product stores, sales had now increased to about 3 tons a month at each branch, said Sok Ra, the store manager in Toul Kork district’s Boeung Kak commune.

This was an increase from about 1 ton a month at each shop five years ago, Ra said.

The organic products at the stores were grown locally, which he said was one of the major benefits for customers.

“Cambodians should focus on, support and use our own country’s products that are made by our own hands, that will never harm our health and that will decrease the import of overseas products. Moreover, we also can help improve the lives of Khmer people,” Ra said.

The stores — operated in partnership with NGO the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (Cedac) — sourced their vegetables mostly from the provinces of Takeo, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu and Kampot, he said.

Horm Kroesna,​ manager of Green O Farm in Chamkar Mon district’s Boeng Keng Kang I commune, said the shop had been operating for 10 years and had been expanding the number of its suppliers from whom it bought organic produce.

“Every day we can sell between 500 to 700kg of different types of vegetables and produce,” he said. “We’ve been cooperating with other farming associations, and have farmers from around 100 families supplying us.”

Five years ago, the shop only had about 30 to 40 families supplying it, Kroesna said. Most of the suppliers were from the provinces of Kandal and Kampong Speu, he added.

A researcher of organic agriculture at Mondulkiri province’s SMR Organic Farm, Chea Thakhi Hiro, said the recognition and understanding of safe and non-toxic vegetables had grown significantly in the past five years. More companies were exporting organic produce, especially rice — though organic vegetables were relatively less available, he said.

However, Thakhi Hiro said farmers and consumers still needed to better understand the differences between farming methods, which varied from conventional farming using chemicals to organic farming and hydroponic techniques. Chemicals can range from hormone-based drugs, which have a worse impact on health and soil quality, to what he called “medicinal planting.”

Many of the vegetables that farmers and consumers perceive as being “natural” are not in fact organic, he said.

Organic farming should use no chemicals, whether for fertilizers or pesticides. It is more difficult and time-consuming compared to other farming systems, but safer for both growers and consumers, Thakhi Hiro said.

In April, the Agriculture Ministry announced a law on organic agriculture to uphold standards and promote the confidence of producers and consumers, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

The law aims to increase the adoption of organic practices among farmers and boost exports, according to the ministry.

Customers buying organic vegetables in Phnom Penh said they mostly bought the higher-priced produce out of concern for their health.

Mok Chheng, shopping in Russei Keo district, said she prefers organic vegetables and fruits over produce grown with chemicals that could affect her health. But the selling price was a bit expensive and organic produce was difficult to find in markets, she said.

Neang Sok Kheang, in Sen Sok district, said that even though the prices were higher than other vegetables, she still buys organic because her personal and family health are important to her.

“We should take good care of [our health],” Sok Kheang said. Buying organic was also a way to support farmers who had turned to organic farming methods, she said.