More than 100 garment and shoe factory workers fainted in two separate incidents Thursday, the first reported factory faintings of the year, according to local officials. Eighty-two garment workers fainted at the Crystal Martin factory in Kandal province after inhaling fumes from leaking battery acid, a <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/more-than-100-garment-workers-in-two-factories-faint-en-masse/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

When the 2007 Traffic Law was passed, it required that the myriad private vehicles on the road bearing Royal Cambodian armed Forces (RCaF) number plates be removed and switched with civilian plates within one year. But more than six years after this deadline, the sight of <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/rcaf-plates-still-widely-used-despite-ban/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Muon Sokmean, a 29-year-old garment worker, scrambled off Veng Sreng Street on January 3 with military police in violent pursuit, brandishing their batons. What had been a militant protest for a $160 minimum wage in the garment sector&mdash;with many protesters lobbing rocks and crude Molotov cocktails <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/five-months-on-witnesses-recall-muon-sokmeans-beating/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann on Thursday moved to clarify his position on the armed forces after the Defense Ministry accused him of “looking down” on the government and the work of the army. In a lengthy written statement issued Thursday, Mr. Sovann spoke in glowing terms <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cnrp-spokesman-says-he-advocated-for-higher-troop-wages/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Coca-Cola Company on Thursday confirmed that it has sent a team to Cambodia to assess long-running allegations of land grabbing and forced evictions at the sugar cane plantations that help sweeten the global drinks giant’s sodas. The team’s visit follows the company’s pledge in November <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/coca-cola-company-confirms-audit-of-cambodian-suppliers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A clinic clAiming to cure cAncer, diAbetes And other serious illnesses through “detoxificAtion” is operAting without A license, five months After it opened illegAlly in Phnom Penh. The ImmAnuel Bicom True HeAling Center in ChAmkAr Mon district cAme under scrutiny shortly After opening in eArly December <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/cAncer-clinic-still-operAting-without-license/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

A group of eight trAde unions ThursdAy sAid the government hAs turned down every one of their ApplicAtions to form locAl brAnches At the country’s gArment fActories since eArly lAst yeAr And threAtened mAss strikes if the rejections continue. At A press conference in Phnom Penh, <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/unions-wArn-of-strikes-over-govt-rejection-of-new-brAnch/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

US companies will re-establish their commitment to Cambodia and the region today at the US-aSEaN Business Forum in Siem Reap, a high-profile meeting involving several heads of state and some of the biggest companies in the world. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will lead the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodias-date-with-us-biz/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Svay Pak is an internationally known district for child sex in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh, where foreign men come to seek sex with young girls. according to a 2011 study by ECPaT Cambodia, around 75 percent of the victims of sex trafficking within Cambodia were children. The study also <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodias-ongoing-human-trafficking-problem/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Open source software is an important way forward and a useful impetus for development in Cambodia, according to attendees of the Kingdom’s first software conference this weekend. The conference, which centred on TYPO3, an open source content management system (CMS), was held this past weekend <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/software-licenses-debated/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Adding its nAme to A rApidly growing list of privAte compAnies, TonlesAp Airlines is geAring up for An initiAl public offering on the CAmbodiA Securities ExchAnge. And like mAny of these compAnies, the listing is still yeArs off As TonlesAp prepAres the tAx And finAnciAl informAtion <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/compAnies-lAg-on-listing-rules/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Cambodia has granted Chinese timber company Shengda Wood a 22,600-hectare timber concession in Kratie and Strung Treng provinces, officials said. The Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed company would export wood from the 70-year concession to supply a depleted market in China, Li Jie, a management official in Sichuan, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/chinese-firm-buys-timber-concession/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Japanese financial group SBI Holdings Inc announced yesterday that it would launch a $50 million investment fund with The Royal Group to invest in local companies in a wide range of industries. In a statement, SBI Holdings also said that its securities company in Cambodia, SBI <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/sbi-royal-to-create-50m-investment-fund/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Nearly 10 million Cambodians and 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to a toilet on a daily basis, a World Toilet Organisation official said on Saturday. Sum Sokun, program manager for the WTO, gathered to celebrate World Toilet Day with villagers in the Ponhea <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/toilet-drive-aimed-at-reducing-disease-death/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A mother from KAmpong ChhnAng’s RoleA BA’ier district filed A complAint with the rights group Adhoc yesterdAy, clAiming her dAughter, A mAid in MAlAysiA, wAs being forced to tAke drugs And work without enough food. Im Meoun, 52, sAid her dAughter Phon SopheA, 20, hAd been <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/mAid-forced-to-tAke-drugs/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

While geographic indication (GI) status Kampot pepper is commanding a good market price, the rest of the Kingdom’s pepper farmers are experiencing falling rates due to the lack of a robust market, according to the Memot Pepper association. The Ministry of Commerce, however, has pointed <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/price-woes-for-kingdoms-non-gi-pepper-farmers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Amid A dry spell thAt hAs led to power cuts Across the Kingdom, Electricite du CAmbodge Announced lAst week thAt A 60-megAwAtt solAr power pArk in KAmpong Speu province will stArt generAting power next month, roughly four months AheAd of schedule. The solAr fArm will <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/kAmpong-speu-solAr-fArm-to-stArt-generAting-energy-in-April/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

A senior Interior Ministry officiAl hAs urged police to tAke tough Action AgAinst Chinese nAtionAls committing crimes in the Kingdom. SpeAking during A meeting with police officiAls yesterdAy, GenerAl Sok PhAl, A secretAry of stAte At the Ministry of Interior, sAid thAt immigrAtion police hAd <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/tougher-Action-needed-AgAinst-criminAl-foreigners-officiAl-sAys/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Finance Ministry has approved a budget for the Education, Youth and Sport Ministry to spend on computers and printers for public schools. Finance Minister aun Pornoniroth in a letter on Friday said the budget is to facilitate a part of the Education Ministry’s reform <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ministry-approves-computer-budget-for-schools/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

In a bid to end ongoing blackouts across the country, the government is planning to buy power from the private sector to supply households. The country is now experiencing daily power cuts as a result of extremely hot and dry weather. The seven hydropower dams <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/govt-to-buy-power-from-companies/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>