Khmer Mekong & M. Ravi Law

03/07/2024

It was great to meet our ESG Thai colleague, lawyer Bhatarapong over lunch to catch up and discuss our ESG projects which M. Ravi Law ( Thailand ) has been recently instructed . Bhatarapong just returned from Berlin where he is doing a research paper on the European Directives on supply chains. ESG is a highly dynamic field where one has to be on top of the latest trends and evolving legal landscape to render effective representation to our clients. Often we are confronted with the challenges to harmonise the ESG related laws and policies in various countries in Asia and Africa with those from Europe and US. Harmonise meaning -no greenwashing and no cutting corners .

25/01/2024

Let's talk about due diligence.

When you go to a restaurant for the first time, check the washroom. If they can't be bothered cleaning the toilet, they probably won't keep the kitchen clean either.

Likewise, when a company doesn't do HRDD (human rights due diligence), it may mean that they're not only unconcerned with human rights but also not thorough about due diligence at all. As jurisdictions across the world pass laws like the Modern Slavery Act, a legal and compliance department that's not committed to HRDD may indicate due diligence processes that aren't up to date with global trends. Furthermore, poor HRDD disclosures signal to investors that a company's directors aren't invested in environmental, social, and governance investing.

In 2023, Reuters discovered that a project backed by government agency Sport Singapore was diverting shoes, meant to be recycled, to flea markets in Indonesia. The same year, the government-backed Temasek Holdings invested in Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX, which was engaged in widespread fraud. This year, the Singtel-backed Vizzio admitted that its CEO had forged a document stating that he had a PhD from Cambridge University.

What do these three investors have in common? They're all weak in their HRDD disclosures.

A comprehensive due-diligence check should go way beyond a verification of credentials. It should account for the sources of a company's labour, the nature of its supply chains, and the potential risks that a transaction may entail. Doing HRDD well means covering all the bases when it comes to doing due diligence, and it means going beyond to manage investment risk.

If you're an investor worried about a company's risk, HRDD can be a tell-tale sign of careful compliance. And if you're a company that wants to tell its shareholders that you're committed to both risk management and human rights, it's time to commit to HRDD.

(Comment)
For public companies and large private companies, I happen to consult on HRDD. Check out my profile for my seminal human rights work in Asia.

01/01/2024

In a celebratory gathering, MASA Steak and Hamburg honored human rights lawyer M Ravi with a special cuvée by Champagne Konrat, recognizing his esteemed 2023 IBA Human Rights Award and impactful legal advocacy.

27/09/2021

សូមសហភាតាមេត្តាផ្តល់ទំនុកចិត្ត និងការគាំទ្រដល់លោកមេធាវី #មឿន_សុវណ្ណ បេក្ខជនឈរឈ្មោះក្រុមប្រឹក្សាគណ:មេធាវីអាណត្តិទី ១០ លេខរៀងទី ៩៥ ៕🥰

17/06/2021

Mr M. Ravi Press Conference at Malaysia High Court Part 1

Here is the Press Conference (PC) held yesterday at the Malaysian High Court In Kuala Lumpur on the campaign and Judicial Review Application to halt the immi...

08/06/2021

On May 21, 2021, Khmer Mekong Law Group received a group of students from Build Bright University, Siem Reap Province to conduct research on the topic of criminal responsibility to meet the conditions for writing a bachelor's dissertation.

We joint this Law Group to create Khmer Mekong & M. Ravi Law which is based in Phnom Penh.

24/05/2021

Cambodia has arrested 13 people in southern Kandal province’s Lvea Em district for allegedly producing and selling methanol-laced rice wine that had killed at least 12 people, a local police chief said on Friday.

Cambodia has arrested 13 people in southern Kandal province's Lvea Em district for allegedly producing and selling methanol-laced rice wine that had killed at least 12 people, a local police chief said on Friday.

19/05/2021

The Cambodian Young Entrepreneurs Association, Siem Reap Branch, would like to congratulate Mr. Moeun Sovann on the occasion of being elected as the Co-Chair of the Policy Committee for Supporting the Environment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for the 2021-2023 term.

សមាគមសហគ្រិនវ័យក្មេងកម្ពុជា សាខាខេត្តសៀមរាប សូមអបអសាទរជូនចំពោះ លោក មឿន សុវណ្ណ ក្នុងឱកាសដែលត្រូវបាន ក្រុមប្រឹក្សាភិបាល បោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសជា សហប្រធានគណៈកម្មការគោលនយោបាយគាំទ្រ បរិយាប័ន្នកម្មសហគ្រាស ខ្នាតមីក្រូ តូច និងមធ្យម អាណត្តិ ២០២១-២០២៣។

09/04/2021

A positive development for the media industry in Cambodia. has pledged around $2.5 million to which will aim to foster a safe, free, pluralistic and independent media environment conducive to greater freedom of expression and access to information in Cambodia

The Swedish government and UNESCO yesterday signed an agreement on “Strengthening Media Development and Freedom of Expression” in Cambodia, with Sweden contributing around $2.5 million to UNESCO for the project.

09/04/2021

The government’s Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) yesterday rebuked US-based Amnesty International (AI) over its annual human rights report which alleged restriction of freedom of expression, association and women’s rights in the Kingdom.

CHRC said AI’s human rights report on Cambodia which was released on Wednesday is an “old story” and “exaggerated” the real situation in Cambodia.

08/04/2021

" is currently the third-largest trade partner and the fifth-largest investor in . Bilateral trade reached the historic high benchmark of $5.2 billion in 2019, one year earlier than the target set by the two countries’ leaders."

On April 5, Vietnam’s legislature voted to endorse Pham Minh Chinh as the country’s next prime minister. And just minutes after Chinh was officially sworn in, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent him a warm and cordial congratulation letter.