Largesse and threats ahead of election
Prime Minister Hun Sen warned thousands of villagers yesterday that his most popular initiatives, including his far-reaching land-titling scheme, will simply disappear if he is not re-elected in July’s national election – amid suggestions his campaigning has unofficially begun. In a marked shift from his apparent ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013032664688/National/largesse-and-threats-ahead-of-election.html
Election officers defend training
When ballot boxes from Battambang are opened today as part of an ongoing Constitutional Council investigation, any unsealed documents will likely be attributed to insufficient training. That is the excuse National Election Committee secretary-general, Tep Nytha, gave on Sunday amid concerns over the documents’ integrity. But ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/election-officers-defend-training
South Korean Embassy Denies Role in Strike Suppression
The South Korean Embassy on Wednesday denied a news report that it had lobbied Cambodian military authorities to “crack down on protesters” in a bid to shield Korean investments in the garment industry, prior to Friday’s killing of five protesters and the wounding of more ...
Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/south-korean-embassy-denies-role-in-strike-suppression-50364/
Major Brands Concerned About Cambodia Violence
Major labels that have clothing manufactured in Cambodian factories have written an open letter expressing concern for the recent shootings of workers demonstrating for higher wages. Adidas, Gap, H&M, Levi’s and Puma were among those that signed the January 7 letter to the Phnom Penh government, ...
VOA News Staff
http://www.voanews.com/content/major-brands-express-concern-for-violence-against-striking-cambodians/1826132.html
Facebook safe: government
Although some of its users have made a habit of posting content critical of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, Facebook will be not be banned or restricted in any way, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said on Saturday. Just days after Metfone customers were not able ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/facebook-safe-government
Increased residential, office and retail demand fueling rise in construction imports
Cambodia spent more than $414 million on imported construction materials to meet increasing demand in the local construction and property sectors last year – a rise of 7 per cent compared to 2012. According to officials and industry insiders, the increased value of imports reflected steady ...
Hun Sen unveils new roadmap for foreign trade policy
Prime Minister Hun Sen presided over a ceremony at his Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Tuesday to unveil a new report that assesses the government’s foreign trade policies over the past seven years and lays out a policy roadmap for the next five. The report, ...
Khy Sovuthy and Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hun-sen-unveils-new-roadmap-for-foreign-trade-policy-52600/
ADB says aid plan for railway evictees still under negotiation
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday insisted that the Cambodian government has not turned down any of its recommendations for helping thousands of families hurt by a bank-funded project, claiming that talks over how to compensate and support the families were still underway. Last week, ...
Zsombor Peter and Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/adb-says-aid-plan-for-railway-evictees-still-under-negotiation-57859/
Forest watchdog warned against satellite imagery
Ministry of Environment officials have warned it will take legal action against Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) and several other organisations if they continue to collect deforestation data in the area. The ministry’s warning comes after PLCN suggested a new programme that would use satellite imagery ...
Khorn Savi
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/forest-watchdog-warned-against-satellite-imagery
Fears grow as draft laws leave out ‘indigenous,’ allow hunting
Changes to forestry and protected area laws are proceeding without enough public input, communities say, as drafts introduce hunting licenses and remove wording about ethnic minorities. The country’s Protected Areas Law and Forestry Law are being amended by the environment and agriculture ministries, respectively, sparking growing ...
Keat Soriththeavy
https://vodenglish.news/fears-grow-as-draft-laws-leave-out-indigenous-allow-hunting/
Lifting maid ban proving a challenge
A lack of legal protections, insufficient commitment from the Malaysian government and an overworked, understaffed embassy are among the major obstacles to lifting the maid ban, according to an internal government report obtained yesterday. Penned by the Ministry of Interior, the 12-page brief details a ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013010960701/National/lifting-maid-ban-proving-a-challenge.html
Gov’t Unveils Legal Plan to Break Garment Industry Strike
As mass demonstrations by garment factory workers continued Monday, the government laid out plans to bring an end to the labor unrest within the next three days, including suing union leaders in the courts and mobilizing security forces to take unspecified action. Signed by Council ...
Aun Pheap and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/govt-unveils-legal-plan-to-break-garment-industry-strike-49763/
Cambodian labor minister holds urgent talk with pro-opposition trade unions over strikes
Cambodian Minister of Labor Ith Samheng on Friday afternoon held an urgent talk with the representatives of six pro-opposition trade unions after they have led tens of thousands of workers off work in protest against low wage increase for 2014. As the meeting was going on, ...
Xinhuanet News Staff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/27/c_133002053.htm
Greens will try to force Senate vote on plans to settle refugees in Cambodia
The Greens will attempt to force a vote in the Senate on plans to resettle in Cambodia refugees whose claims for protection are recognised on Nauru and is challenging Labor to block any deal. The party’s immigration spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, is confident any deal with the ...
Sanctuary from the storm
Hidden at the end of a pathway that breaks off from Mao Tse Tung Boulevard in Phnom Penh is a temple of a different kind, where seances are sacrosant and French writer Victor Hugo – author of Les Miserables – is considered a saint. Worshippers there practise Caodaism, ...
Amelia Woodside and Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sanctuary-storm
Free Trade Union Reports Overall Jump in Labor Strikes in 2013
The Free Trade Union (FTU) on Monday reported an overall increase in industrial action by its local branches last year with 136 total strikes in the first 11 months of 2013, up 35 percent from all of 2012, when there were 101 strikes by its ...
Students may monitor textbook delivery
Transparency International (T.I.) Cambodia and education NGOs on Friday held a conference titled “Promoting Integrity to Strengthen the Quality of Education in Cambodia,” where ideas were put forward on stamping out corruption in schools. “We need to mobilize the students themselves in tracking the delivery ...
Matt Blomberg and Sek Odom
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/students-may-monitor-textbook-delivery-52968/
CNRP again campaigns on secret CPP defections
Opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha again divided campaigning responsibilities for the May 18 council elections Monday, with Mr. Rainsy touring parts of Kratie province in the morning and Mr. Sokha leading supporters in a march through Phnom Penh in the evening. In a meeting ...
Mech Dara
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cnrp-again-campaigns-on-secret-cpp-defections-58125/
Demand for cheap rentals outnumbers supply
The boom in high-rise buildings in Phnom Penh indicates the robust economic growth of the Kingdom, but this trend does not include the lower-end accommodation where most economic migrants to Phnom Penh rent.“Cheap rental accommodation plays a crucial role in providing appropriate settlements to those ...
Sam Sopanharith
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/real-estate/demand-cheap-rentals-outnumbers-supply
Cambodian textile workers who supply UK clothing stores ‘starving’ and suffering 'mass faintings'
By the time London Fashion Week comes to a close, 58 high-end designers will have shown their collections. Rail-thin models will have walked the runways. Debate will have raged over size zero. In Cambodia, meanwhile, garment workers stitching clothes that supply the UK high street are ...