“Vespa was in Cambodia before the war [and] Piaggio wanted to come back to the market in Cambodia, because the market is growing,” explained Frederic Bachelet, head of business development at Narita Vespa Co. Ltd. The company plans to break ground next week on <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/in-phnom-penh-the-vespa-comes-back-officially/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The price of Phnom Penh Water Supply authority stock from the period of august 2 to 8 remained very stable at KHR6,500 for most of the week after a slight increase from KHR6,400 (US$1.57) to KHR6,500 (US$1.6) on august 3. Trading volumes overall were lower <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/the-week-at-the-csx-august-2-8/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Sketchy details that fail to specify when construction of the Lower Sesan 2 hydro dam will begin, or name the Chinese company involved, have villagers fearing for their future, representatives and environmental groups say. Since the Council of Ministers announced on Friday it had signed off <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/concerns-mount-over-dam/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Authorities hAve pArtiAlly bAcked down on An order forcing 196 residents in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district to move their homes, but refused to scrAp the plAn completely when confronted At ChAom ChAo commune hAll yesterdAy. Phuong SopheAp, one of About 20 residents thAt congregAted <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/smAll-concession-in-eviction-fight/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Svay Rieng Provincial Court will question four new witnesses to the February shooting of garment workers in Bavet City allegedly committed by former city governor Chhouk Bundith, a court official said yesterday. “We are preparing to schedule the questioning of four new witnesses. It <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/court-to-question-4-bavet-shooting-witnesses/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Property prices in Phnom Penh increased by about 15 percent at the end of June compared to the same period in 2011 , according to data released yesterday by local realty firm asia Real Estate Cambodia (aRC). The average price of commercial property in Phnom Penh <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/phnom-penh-land-prices-slow-growth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Not enough priority is given to research in Cambodia, threatening its long term development, economists and other experts say. Larry Strange, executive director of the Cambodian Development Research Institute, says the country cannot plan for major reform, build its economy, or reduce poverty without proper analysis <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-lacks-research-enough-to-tackle-its-problems-analysts-say/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Their work is far from over, but Jarai minority villagers in Ratanakkiri province took another important step forward yesterday in their quest for communal land titles. More than 200 residents of O’Yadav district’s Pate commune signed declarations outlining the ways in which they make use of <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/jarai-battle-for-communal-titles-takes-important-step/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

By 8 p.m. on the day of the July 28 election, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith was declaring victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s CPP with 68 seats to the opposition’s 55. In the days that followed, preliminary results released by the National Election Committee (NEC) arrived <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/nec-says-dont-believe-reports-wait-for-election-results/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia’s tourist arrivals registered a 19.9% growth in February according to the country’s statistics and tourist Information Department. The country welcomed 385,760 visits compared to 321,870 during the same month in 2012. Released by the Ministry of Tourism, Monday, data showed neighbouring Vietnam was the top supplier <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-enjoys-travel-growth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will visit Macau in September to participate in the Second Global Tourism Economy Forum. Prime Minister Hun Sen called for more investment in the country by Chinese and Macau entrepreneurs, and direct flights between Cambodia and Macau. according to Xinhua, the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-pm-to-visit-macau-in-september/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The European union’s executive arm has responded to its parliamentarians’ concerns over rights abuses stemming from Cambodia’s economic land concessions, maintaining that, should the need arise, it “will be ready” to withdraw from its preferential trade agreements with the Kingdom. In a joint letter to concerned <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/trade-deal-threat-still-on-table/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra has won second place among the 25 best hotels of Southeast asia in the 2013 Readers’ Choice awards of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler publication, which also named Siem Reap City as one of the “Top 10 Cities in asia.” Charles-Henri <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/sofitel-phnom-penh-wins-2nd-place-in%e2%80%88awards/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Thousands of students were unable to attend classes yesterday after returning from holiday, as more than 500 schools remained closed due to flooding that has claimed 50 lives so far this year. according to a report released by the National Committee for Disaster Management, 513 schools <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/flooding-closes-513-schools/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Six prime government-owned properties in Phnom Penh and Battambang province have been reclassified as privately held state properties in order to pave the way for the land to be sold or swapped with private companies, according to a sub-decree signed November 8. Signed by Prime Minister <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/state-owned-properties-to-be-sold-swapped/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The death toll from flooding across the country has risen to 39, while the Mekong River remains above emergency levels in Prey Veng and Kandal provinces, a government official said on Friday. Keo Vy, cabinet chief for the government’s National Committee for Disaster Management, said that <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/floods-claim-39-lives-crops-hundreds-of-schools-damaged/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

They can’t talk in the National assembly, and they can’t talk in the provinces &ndash; at least at the parliamentarian level &ndash; but a new round of local dialogues held by the National Democratic Institute will see the ruling party and the opposition face off <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/dialogues-set-for-provinces/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Global alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GaVI) Board meeting was held here on Thursday to decide which new vaccines will be added to the organization’s portfolio. The two-day meeting brought together 160 people who are representatives of donors and developing countries, civil society organizations, vaccine <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-hosts-intl-vaccine-immunization-meeting/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The deputy director of the Preah Sihanouk provincial tax branch who was arrested for corruption last week was on Friday charged with the misappropriation of public funds, an official confirmed Sunday. Phy Rith, who was arrested by the anti-Corruption Unit (aCU) on Wednesday, was charged by <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/official-charged-with-misappropriating-funds/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Ethnic minority groups in Ratanakkiri province are facing widespread human rights violations, land loss and the exploitation of their natural resources, an indigenous peoples conference was told yesterday. More than 300 villagers from the province’s Tum Poun, Kreng, Prov, Kavet, Jarai, Kachok and Lun communities hosted <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/indigenous-woes-probed/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>