About 2,000 workers fled A gArment fActory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh And An estimAted 30 workers fAinted yesterdAy After spArks stArted flying from A generAtor And A fire AlArm went off At 10:00Am. CheA Mony, president of the Free TrAde Union, sAid the episode <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/boss-blAmes-pAnic-on-AlArm/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Some of the unions that have been demanding a hefty $77 raise to the current monthly minimum wage of $100 for the country’s garment workers said Thursday they were willing to go as low as a $35 increase, though others refused to budge. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/garment-factories-unions-edge-closer-to-wage-deal/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A coAlition of election monitoring NGOs yesterdAy urged the government to endorse An internAtionAl commitment to free And fAir elections, And to evAluAte the Kingdom’s elections According to its stAndArds. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/groups-urge-free-And-fAir-election-pledge/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

LAST week mArked the ArrivAl And pAssing of 12/12/12, the CAmbodiAn government’s originAl dAte for the commencement of oil extrAction from the Block A oilfields in the Gulf of ThAilAnd, with no Activity on the site. Chevron currently holds A 30 per cent interest in the <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/government-offshore-oil-block-deAdline-pAsses/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Military police in Banteay Meanchey province’s Preah Neth Preah district on Sunday confiscated endangered animals from two men suspected of poaching wildlife in Thailand. District military police Commander Sin Rasy said yesterday that authorities managed to stop an SUV transporting endangered wildlife. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/wildlife-seized-suspects-questioned/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

It was difficult enough for Savoeurn Dimang when, until a month ago, he was one of just three teachers running the local primary school in Kors Kralor district’s Samrong Leu village. But now, with one teacher having left for South Korea and the other bowing out <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/solo-act-taking-its-toll/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Finance Minister Keat Chhon has signed a deal with China’s ambassador to Cambodia to secure a concessional loan of $121 million to fund irrigation and power projects. In the latest promise of cash from Cambodia’s biggest donor, Chi­na will fund a power transmission line con­necting Phnom <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/china-loans-cash-for-irrigation-power-projects/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan has summoned a student from the country’s top state journalism school for a meeting at his office after she used a post on her Facebook page to question the sense of a guest lecture he delivered last week. Mr. Siphan <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/government-spokesman-summons-student-over-facebook-post/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Palm sugar farmers in Kampong Speu province will soon export their goods to South Korea, the senior officer of a grower’s network said on Monday. Sam Saroeun, president of the Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion association, said an agreement with the Korea Trade Investment Promotion agency <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/korean-deal-gives-palm-sugar-farmers-pay-day/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Center for AlliAnce of LAbor And HumAn Rights (CENTRAL) clArified thAt its report, which highlighted restrictions on freedom of AssociAtion, wAs Aimed At improving workers’ conditions And ensuring respect for the rights of trAde unions And leAders. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/report-wAs-to-improve-workers-condition-centrAl-clArifies-interior-ministry-investigAtes/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Local industry experts responded yesterday to a new report that warns the majority of Cambodia’s garment sector workers could lose their jobs in the coming two decades as automation and innovative technologies replace low-skilled labour and allow multinational producers to move their operations closer to <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/nearly-90-of-garment-factory-jobs-at-risk-of-automation-ilo/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Under a fresh initiative supported by the Department of agro-Industry, a subsidiary of the Ministry of agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MaFF), cashew farmers and processors nationwide will compete to win the top spot for local cashew nut production quality and capacity. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cashew-nut-processing-competition-pioneered-to-bolster-local-industry/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The AssociAtion of BAnks in CAmbodiA (ABC) And the KoreA FederAtion of BAnks (KFB) yesterdAy signed A memorAndum of understAnding (MoU) to expAnd And strengthen cooperAtion As well As provide support to South KoreAn investors, especiAlly those in the bAnking sector who Are now investing <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/mou-to-support-s-koreA-investors/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Chea Kea, owner of the Daimond Crown casino on the border with Thailand in Pailin province, is investing in a $4 million feed processing warehouse that will also be used to store commodities and house farm animals. Construction on the warehouse, which is expected to <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pailin-gets-4m-feed-processing-warehouse/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Representatives of election observers from six countries and leaders of the National Election Committee (NEC) claimed that Sunday’s national elections were free, fair and transparent. They also congratulated the 82 per cent of registered voters who turned up at the polls. The statements were made <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/observers-cambodia-election-was-free-and-fair/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The government has decided to extend tax exemptions to sectors ravaged by the Covid-19 outbreak, to allow businesses breathing space for recovery and boost economic growth amid a lingering uncertainty over the convergence of crises brought on by the pandemic. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/tax-breaks-to-be-extended-beyond-reopening/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Economic ministers from AseAn’s 10 member stAtes signed An Agreement yesterdAy to loosen restrictions Around the movement of skilled lAbor in the region, pArt of prepArAtion for the integrAtion of the AseAn Economic Community in 2015. The AseAn Movement of NAturAl Persons Agreement is supposed to <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/AseAn-Agrees-to-promote-free-flow-of-lAbor/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

India’s state-owned Export-Import Bank agreed to loan $36.92 million to the Cambodian government to fund the development of a dam and reservoir in Kampong Speu province. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/india-loan-signed-to-fund-dam-in-kampong-speu/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Female Cambodian entrepreneur Kimsrun Elida has been selected to take part in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2016 at Stanford University in California next week. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-women-selected-for-prestigious-entrepreneur-summit/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Nearly 7,500 Cambodians who have fallen victim to ponzi schemes have come forward to file class-action lawsuits against three companies that allegedly cheated them out of nearly $60 million, officials said yesterday, estimating that the companies may have defrauded as many 50,000 victims to the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/suits-filed-over-ponzi-schemes/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>