The Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday released a strongly worded, albeit vague, rebuttal to a harsh report released by ASEAN parliamentarians on Monday, which chided the government for its legal onslaught against the opposition and alleged the “systematic dismantling [of] democracy” in the Kingdom. ...

Malaysian-owned energy firm Cambodian Energy II Co Ltd (CEL2) will invest a total of $600 million into building its 150-megawatt coal-fired power plant near Sihanoukville, which is set to become the Kingdom’s third coal-fired power station. ...

A little-known Vietnamese investment firm plans to build a massive $200 million mixed-use development that includes a hotel, casino and water park in the dusty Cambodian border town of Bavet through its fully-owned Malaysian subsidiary, a government official confirmed yesterday. ...

Acleda Bank spent about $1 million to produce 800,000 new ATM cards with EMV chips to enable them to be used globally and also to mitigate the risk of fraud, said the bank’s president and group managing director on Friday. ...

Two key members of the election monitoring group dubbed the Situation Room are seeking a meeting with Interior Minister Sar Kheng to discuss a recent government order that would bar the NGO consortium from continuing its work for next year’s general election. ...

Cambodia National Rescue Party leaders yesterday summoned members from across the Kingdom instructing them how to comply with impending new laws that will see former party President Sam Rainsy scrubbed clean from their prolific billboards – but not without a hint of defiance. ...

The Senate amended its internal rules yesterday to punish senators who miss sessions by docking their salaries, while also voting down a measure to appoint the wife of Hong Sok Hour to fill his former seat on the body’s anti-corruption committee. ...

Next year’s national election is unlikely to slow the rapid pace of bank lending growth but could put a temporary crimp in deposits, though the sector is expected to have sufficient liquidity to absorb the impact, according to a report released yesterday. ...

Over 800 villagers were evacuated yesterday in preparation for the removal of two tear gas barrel bombs in Svay Rieng province, while a provincial committee is attempting to “reduce the fear” surrounding the bombs – fear seemingly stoked by erroneous statements from government officials. ...

Some 30 families from Poipet city’s Phsar Kandal commune yesterday protested in front of the Poipet Town Hall to demand intervention from authorities to resolve a land dispute with a man who claims to be an “adviser” to Prime Minister Hun Sen. ...

Taking place on the 21 and 22 on this month, the JTC meeting will focus on bilateral trade promotion. On the sidelines of the meeting, investors from both countries will participate in business matching events to enhance trade ties between the two countries.​ ...

Research has shown some staff in the garment sector can now earn up to $480 each month as unions and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia congratulated workers for taking home the new minimum monthly wage of $170 for the first time. ...

In the past two decades, the government has transferred about $2 billion to lower level administrations in an effort to decentralize.The figure was revealed yesterday during the first day of a two-day conference on decentralization on Koh Pich. ...

A group representing some of the largest apparel brands in the US and Europe – including Gap, H&M and ASOS – expressed “growing concern” on Tuesday over several controversial labour laws and ongoing court cases against unionists described as restrictive and unjust. ...

The National Defense Ministry’s annual draft report showed that Cambodia’s borders are still at risk of abuse from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, despite the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) cracking down on nearly 6,000 border crimes over the past year. ...

After a two-hour meeting, Cambodian and Lao provincial military and border officials yesterday reached an agreement to draw back forces from two undemarcated zones where the building of outposts had recently sparked military stand-offs, according to a general in the area. ...

While financial inclusion is a top priority for emerging economies, new research suggests more stringent enforcement of anti-money regulations in recent years has resulted in major Western banks disconnecting from these regions, leaving local businesses without access to the international financial system. ...

A feasibility study on producing safe drinking water from the Chinese-built Kamchay hydropower dam in Kampot province has been completed, according to the Ministry of Industry, raising hopes that the current water shortage in the province and neighbouring Kep could be alleviated. ...

Material apparently aimed at incriminating jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha continued to flow in over the weekend, with pro-government leaker “Seiha” releasing another video of Sokha expressing his gratitude to the US government for its assistance in building democracy in Cambodia. ...

The Embassy of Denmark in Cambodia has encouraged more Danish companies and investors to explore investment opportunities in the kingdom, arguing that in an increasingly competitive global market, it is crucial that national governments and individual businesses cooperate to increase business activity. ...