Cambodia’s economic growth remained strong last year though the Kingdom must now address major systemic challenges to build on its ascension into lower-middle income status in order to maintain healthy levels of development, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its annual report yesterday. ...

Two men were provisionally charged on Sunday with trafficking and storing drugs after they were arrested last week during drug raids in Phnom Penh and Ratanakkiri province in which more than 60 kg of packaged heroin and crystal methamphetamine were confiscated by police, officials said.​ ...

The ministry yesterday used National Dengue Campaign Day to announce that there were 1,133 reported dengue cases in the first 24 weeks of this year and just one fatality, compared with 2,447 dengue cases and five deaths in the same period last year. ...

The Mondolkiri Provincial Court this morning sentenced Dutch man Stefan Struik, 53, to two years in prison for helping his Vietnamese boyfriend, Nguyen Thanh Dung, 34, flee the country after videos of Mr. Nguyen torturing a 2-year-old Cambodian boy were posted on Facebook. ...

Former opposition leader Sam Rainsy met with government officials in Australia and New Zealand this week, requesting that the two nations issue visa bans against Cambodian People’s Party officials and their families in response to the arrest of opposition head Kem Sokha for treason. ...

The UN’s special rapporteur on Cambodia yesterday slammed the Kingdom’s government at the 36th session of the UN Human Rights Council, going so far as to express doubt as to whether next year’s crucial elections will be free and fair. ...

The industry body representing Cambodia’s garment sector issued a statement yesterday urging the government to help manufacturers reduce the cost of doing business in order to offset a higher minimum wage and workers benefit package due to come into effect on January 1. ...

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng held a meeting with other top ministry officials yesterday to discuss introducing a legal amendment banning insults to the King, similar to so-called “lèse-majesté” laws in Thailand, which critics have characterised as a cudgel to suppress dissent. ...

The government has delayed plans to renovate the Chroy Changvar Bridge, which was slated to undergo changes and improvements this month, after it was revealed that 21 families will have their homes demolished near the eastern end of the bridge to facilitate the construction. ...

The opposition CNRP said on Tuesday it was preparing to submit complaints to the National Election Committee (NEC) about almost 5,000 Vietnamese voters it says were registered to vote without citizenship, a move criticized as continuing the party’s tradition of populist Vietnam-bashing. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday ordered the Interior Ministry to place women as deputy governors in 25 cities and provinces as well as to increase the role of women in the army, military police and National Police in an effort to promote gender equality. ...

Executives at Singapore-listed energy firm KrisEnergy Ltd say they have settled terms with the Cambodian government and are ready to sign a long-awaited production-sharing agreement that would pave the way for the first-ever extraction of petroleum from Cambodian territorial waters. ...

The National Election Committee plans to hold a two-day meeting in Preah Sihanouk province to review the June 4 commune elections, with members of the election monitoring coalition the “Situation Room” saying yesterday they plan to table recommendations to improve certain electoral procedures. ...

The Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture (Cedac), an organisation that supports local farming families and agricultural development projects, has seen strong interest in organic farming and expects to double the number of certified organic farmers and area under cultivation within a year. ...

The Ministry of Defence will today hold an emergency meeting on what to do with two tear gas barrel bombs found in Svay Rieng province.​ The bombs are believed to have been dropped by the United States during the Vietnam War. ...

The United States announced on Friday it was ending funding for the election, and promised more “concrete steps”, after the Supreme Court dissolved the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) at the request of the government, on the grounds it was plotting to seize power. ...

Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities yesterday began issuing a new border pass for residents who wish to cross into Thailand for business. The statement said the new border pass will cost $5 and be valid for two years for multiple entries in and out of Thailand.  ...

During his state visit to India, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged companies from the subcontinent to consider Cambodia as their next investment destination. Both governments have recently stressed the need to enhance air connectivity between both nations to boost the movement of tourists and businesspeople.​ ...

Anti-human trafficking police are seeking the arrest of prominent Cham Muslim community leader and former Social Affairs Ministry official Ahmad Yahya for sending roughly 20 women to Saudi Arabia to work as maids more than a decade ago, after arresting his nephew last week. ...

Two Mother Nature activists, who were released from prison yesterday, said they had been “robbed” of their freedom for the past five months after being arrested for documenting suspected illegal sand-bearing vessels in Koh Kong without evidence that they had committed a crime.​ ...