Special economic zones (SEZs), billed as a one-stop shop for potential investors, have had a slow start in the Kingdom &ndash; only 13 out of 30 registered zones are operational &ndash; with many failing to get off the ground given the difficulty in providing the <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/despite-a-slow-start-sez-profits-booming/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) earned $1.9 billion in revenue last year from the tourism sector, and could increase this amount further by reducing imports, an industry spokesman said yesterday.   <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/tourism-a-key-revenue-generator-for-smes/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

With rain finally starting to fall across the country, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday declared an end to the relief campaign he launched last month to counter the worst drought in decades, calling the devastating dry spell an opportunity for “lessons” in governance. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pm-deems-drought-relief-efforts-a-success/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A new study hAs found thAt there is A “substAntiAl burden” of pediAtric typhoid fever in rurAl communes in CAmbodiA. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/typhoid-A-burden-neAr-tonle-sAp-study/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

As A wAy to possibly boost funding for environmentAl protection in the Kingdom, Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterdAy floAted the ideA of An extrA tAx on cigArettes And Alcohol. SpeAking At A forum on the protection And conservAtion of nAturAl resources in Phnom Penh, the prime <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/drink-A-beer-to-sAve-the-plAnet/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Experts are warning that the Lower Mekong Basin may soon face depleting fish stocks, further erosion of the coastline and rising salinity that will make rice fields uncultivable. an extensive, government- funded study by the Vietnam National Mekong Committee estimates the value of fish from <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/mekong-dams-a-grave-threat-to-river/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Food and beverage company Park Caf&eacute; has sold a 30 percent stake in its company to Cambodia-Laos Development Fund (CLDF) for $3 million, and the investment will be used to expand its operations in the capital and the provinces, a senior executive of the company <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/park-cafe-adds-a-partner-for-growth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The business community in Cambodia has welcomed the recent Cabinet reshuffle, which many say will improve the way the government works and will also improve the economy. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/reshuffle-a-positive-move-says-business-community/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Demand for Kampong Speu palm sugar has surged, with orders already up 70 per cent this year, as appetite for the premium organic sugar product grows, boosting its price. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/palm-sugar-finds-a-sweet-market-niche/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

In its first two months of regular operation Cambodia’s first civil aviation training centre has provided certificates to dozens of aviation officials and airport staff, helping to raise the skill level of personnel in the Kingdom’s fast-expanding aviation sector. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/higher-skills-for-a-busy-aviation-sector/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked Defense Minister General Tea Banh to study whether Phnom Penh’s biggest boulevard could be used for emergency plane landings.   <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pm-new-road-could-be-a-runway/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

As An Agreement on rAilwAy trAnsportAtion mAteriAlises, CAmbodiA And ThAilAnd Are set to hold A ceremony eArly next yeAr to celebrAte the officiAl opening of the line thAt will connect Phnom Penh And BAngkok, A representAtive of the Ministry of Public Works And TrAnsportAtion (MPWT) <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/rAil-link-to-thAilAnd-A-step-closer/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Ministry of Labor said yesterday that it was working with experts and International Labor Organization (ILO) officials to create a draft law laying out the monthly minimum wage for workers in a variety of fields outside the garment and textile industry, which late last <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/minimum-wage-for-all-a-step-closer/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia is considering adopting an aviation tax for flights leaving the Kingdom, local media reported yesterday. The announcement came as Environment Minister Say Samal delivered remarks at the COP22 UN Climate Conference in Morocco. The conference comes one year after the historic signing of the Paris <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/government-considers-a-tax-on-carbon-aviation/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

It’s a mistake to consider Cambodia a nation under authoritarian rule by a single party; it comes down to a single man &ndash; Prime Minister Hun Sen, a new paper argues. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kingdom-a-one-man-show-report-asserts/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia is committed to join hands with other asean member states to make the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) a success after the cancellation of the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/make-rcep-a-success-says-hun-sen/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ly Yong Phat (LYP) Group announced it will invest millions of dollars to develop The Premier Land project to meet the demand for shophouses, thanks to the potential the location has for the development. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/new-shophouse-project-in-a-good-location/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The killing of three conservationists patrolling Cambodia’s biggest carbon credit project exposes the nearly insurmountable conflicts of interest plaguing schemes in which huge corporations such as Disney and Virgin atlantic have invested millions of dollars, observers say. Military Police Officer Sek Wathana, Environment Ministry Ranger Teurn <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/are-disneys-cambodian-carbon-credits-a-fantasy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Despite the widely condemned pre-election dissolution of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, the country’s only major opposition party, by the Supreme Court earlier this month, the heightened risk of political instability is expected to have limited short-term economic spill-over effects, according to an assessment from <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/economy-wont-be-a-casualty-analysts/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The annual Khmer Cakes and Desserts Exhibition was launched yesterday with a ceremony on Phnom Penh’s riverfront near Wat Ounalom attended by officials from the municipality and Ministry of Culture. Noting that it was the second year the event had been held, Phnom Penh Governor Kep <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/khmer-cakes-desserts-make-a-sweet-display/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>