Lower Sesan 2 Dam Would be 'Catastrophic'
Hydropower dams planned for the tributaries of the Mekong River, particularly the Lower Sesan 2, will have a “catastrophic” impact on fish stocks throughout the country, according to new research that calls for several planned dams to be reconsidered. Authored by an international group of ...
Agreement to protect maids needs strengthening, Gov't says
A draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) drawn up by Malaysia to regulate maids working in the country does not sufficiently protect their rights and needs improvements, an official at the Labor Ministry said on Thursday. Malaysian officials drew up the MoU between the two governments following ...
Wage talk goes no where
Union leaders asked garment workers to go on strike and demand the $100/month wage because the factory owners were not budging from their $75 stance. Rong Chhun, President of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, said “This was the last meeting and we couldn’t ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=ZWQzNDYwNTM4YmY
After Arrests, NGOs Continue Petitioning to ‘Free the 23′
Following the arrest of 11 activists on Tuesday as they attempted to deliver a petition to the U.S. and French embassies seeking the release of 23 jailed protesters, NGO representatives quietly delivered similar petitions to the Japanese Embassy and European Union headquarters Wednesday. The petitioners, representing ...
Aun Pheap and Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/after-arrests-ngos-continue-petitioning-to-free-the-23-50966/
Judges required to explain reasons behind pre-trial detention
Judges are now required to write a reasoned explanation when placing citizens in pre-trial detention, instead of simply checking a box as was previously practiced, Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana said Tuesday. But the Ministry of Justice is also considering amending the criminal procedure code to ...
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/judges-required-to-explain-reasons-behind-pre-trial-detention-54913/
Minister to address beatings
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith has pledged to meet with Daun Penh District Governor Sok Sambath to discuss the targeting of journalists by hired district security guards, said UNESCO country representative Anne Lemaistre, who met with the minister on Friday. The minister is also keen on ...
Kevin Ponniah and Mom Kunthear
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/minister-address-beatings
Cambodia sees rise of Asean tourists in Q1
Cambodia received 424,300 visitors from Asean countries in the first quarter of the year, up 4 per cent year-on-year. Data from the Tourism Ministry showed tourist arrivals from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) accounted for 33 per cent of 1.27 million overseas arrivals from January ...
Bernama News Staff
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=1039613
Online registration option to be rolled out to SMEs
The Ministry of Industry and Handicraft will introduce an online registration platform for Cambodia’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) this year, a ministry official confirmed yesterday. Heng Sok Kong, secretary of state at the ministry, said the new software for web registration was built in partnership ...
Annie Lee
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/online-registration-option-be-rolled-out-smes
Unions threaten nationwide strike if 21 prisoners not released
Sixteen unions threatened Monday to organize a nationwide strike if the 21 activists and protesters jailed following garment industry protests on January 2 and 3 are not released on bail Tuesday. The unions also called for charges against the 21 prisoners, 16 of whom began a ...
Mech Dara and Alice Cuddy
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/unions-threaten-nationwide-strike-if-21-prisoners-not-released-51864/
Cambodia Urges China Visa Restrictions
Cambodia says it has asked China to restrict the number of visas it issues to single Cambodian women, to prevent the brokering of marriages to Chinese men. The appeal comes as an increasing number of Cambodian women are finding their way into Chinese marriages and becoming ...
Thida Win
http://www.voanews.com/content/cambodia-urges-china-visa-restrictions/1971535.html
Labour’s 10 per cent rule
The Ministry of Labour has issued a prakas urging employers to follow existing regulations in the Labour Law that limit foreign workers to 10 per cent of the total workforce at any one company. It has warned that failure to stay within this limit – or ...
Sen David and Kevin Ponniah
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/labour%E2%80%99s-10-cent-rule
Poor Education Could Cripple Business Growth
Low-quality education is jeopardizing business growth in Cambodia, and local graduates will not be employable in skilled jobs if the government does not quickly implement educational reforms, business executives warned Thursday at the Cambodian Market Intel 2013 seminar in Phnom Penh. During an hourlong panel discussion ...
Joshua Wilwohl
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/phnom-penh-listed-as-nsa-collection-point-48188/
Shooting suspect a governor no more
Triple-shooting suspect Chhouk Bandith has been sacked as Bavet town governor to prevent him from interfering in court proceedings, the Svay Rieng deputy provincial governor said yesterday. The high-profile suspect is accused of shooting three garment factory workers at a protest outside the Kaoway Sports Ltd ...
Two more banks setting up shop
The National Bank of Cambodia has issued a commercial banking licence to a Taiwanese bank, while another banking licence is pending approval for a Chinese-Cambodian joint venture, central bank Director General and Spokeswoman Ngoun Sokha said yesterday. The central bank had licensed Taiwan’s Mega International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011083051333/Business/two-more-banks-setting-up-shop.html
India pledges $50,000 to ECCC
The government of India announced yesterday that it will give $50,000 to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC), the tribunal tasked with the prosecution of the country’s former Khmer Rouge commanders. “On behalf of the ECCC we would like to express our gratitude ...
Safiya Charles
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/29660/india-pledges--50-000-to-eccc/
Garment union demands go unanswered
Despite repeated threats of strikes, a coalition of garment sector unions is still waiting on a response from the Ministry of Labour for the wide-ranging reforms it called for last month, with plans to seek help from overseas. ...
Charles Rollet
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/garment-union-demands-go-unanswered
Direct Jakarta flights mooted
Direct flights between Phnom Penh and Indonesia’s capital Jakarta may soon be a reality, if a current feasibility study by the country’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia, suggests it is viable. While a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries concerning direct flights has already been ...
May Kunmakara
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/28843/direct-jakarta-flights-mooted/
Stock market to boost SMEs
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) may soon be listed on the Cambodian stock exchange, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises (FASMEC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) on Thursday. ...
Sok Chan
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30295/stock-market-to-boost-smes/
Energy forum promotes renewables through regulation
A team of energy regulators from the four Lower Mekong countries and the United States began a three-day forum yesterday in the capital to try to coordinate a clean energy strategy for the region. ...
James Reddick
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/17448/energy-forum-promotes-renewables-through-regulation/
Government denies rumours of national cryptocurrency
Government officials today shot down rumours that Cambodia would be issuing its own national cryptocurrency, despite international media coverage and a high-profile government official’s plan to attend an event organized by the company responsible for the claims. ...
Hor Kimsay and Robin Spiess
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/government-denies-rumours-national-cryptocurrency