A company with ties to one of China’s top state-owned firms will look to push Toll Royal Railways and its local partner Royal Group of Companies out of a 30-year railroad concession with pledge to invest nearly US$850 million to revamp existing lines and build an additional href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/toll-may-lose-rail-rights/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

More than 100 Free Trade Union of Cambodia supporters gathered in front of the union’s office to express their discontent with a deal struck between the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union and their employer, Puma supplier Thai Pore Garment Manufacturing, FTU officials said href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/rival-unions-workers-displeased-with-pact/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia’s first association for expanding business opportunities and financing for women was launched on Saturday. The Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association would seek to enhance the competitiveness of businesswomen in the growing ASEAN market, which was set to integrate by 2015, Seng Takakneary, president of the new href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/business-group-to-support-women/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Wednesday underscored the major opportunities and challenges of the ASEAN Community, which will be realized by the end of this year. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-highlights-opportunities-challenges-of-upcoming-asean-community/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) will begin promoting the Institute of Standards of Cambodia (ISC) certifications by the end of 2012 in an effort to educate people about certified goods, according to ministry officials. The program is in order to boost consumer confidence href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-goods-to-be-certified/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Laos has postponed construction of the controversial Xayaburi dam project on the Lower Mekong River, a spokesman for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted saying on Wednesday. “No construction is going on. It’s discontinued, postponed,” Sithong Chitgnothin told Radio Free Asia in Laos. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/laos-postpones-construction-on-xayaburi-dam/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Bonna Realty Group will prepare to list on the Cambodia Securities Exchange, the company’s president said this week. The real estate firm joins a small but growing group of private companies that say they are gearing up for initial public offerings on the new exchange. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/real-estate-firm-ready-for-csx-listing/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released the latest data from its EU-funded project Monitoring and Assessing Progress of Decent Work this week, showing that despite an improving environment, including low rates of official unemployment , 75 per cent of workers are in vulnerable jobs. This includes the self-employed or ‘own href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/job-security-low-as-unemployment-drops/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

While it is true that Cambodia has some women in politics and positions of leadership, a new report says they often lack true power. According to the study, issued by USAID in December, women’s positions in leadership are more symbolic than substantive, and their political influence href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/women-political-roles-more-symbolic-than-substantive-report-says/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Oil production in Cambodia may not begin until 2016, or at least three years after the originally appointed date, Chevron officials reportedly said at a Ministry of Environment meeting on Friday. Government officials yesterday confirmed the feasibility of the time frame. If Chevron Overseas Petroleum Cambodia gained href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/chevron-aims-for-2016/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The controversial Xayaburi hydro-electric dam project in northern Laos may have already begun, despite countries, including Cambodia, requesting further studies to assess possible negative effects on Lower Mekong communities.Thai development firm Ch.Karnchang said it was due to begin building the dam on March 15 after finalising a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/thai-firm-says-xayaburi-project-has-begun/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia’s garment factories face a shortage of workers, because of migration, more job opportunities in different sectors and poor labour conditions, industry experts said. According to Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturer’s Association in Cambodia, there is a definite shortage of labour in Phnom href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/labour-shortage-in-cambodias-garment-industry/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Siv Mao, 25, just had a caesarian operation. She feels some discomfort but is smiling. Her newborn baby is sleeping fitfully beside her and she says: “They saved our lives and I’m happy.” Ms. Mao encountered complications in her pregnancy and doctors knew she could not href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-the-rural-poor-are-receiving-free-heath-care-in-preah-vihear/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Real wages for Cambodia’s semi-skilled construction workers fell during the past five years, according to a recent report from market research firm BDLINK Cambodia. A 36 per cent increase in the Kingdom’s consumer price index during the period put semi-skilled workers’ real wages last year href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/semi-skilled-builders-see-wages-drop-report-says/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni arrived in Phnom Penh, capital city of Cambodia, on Monday morning after the tour to France for two weeks to strengthen and expand bilateral ties and cooperation. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-king-returns-from-visit-to-france/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia remains on a watch list at the US State Department, for failing to do enough to combat human trafficking. In its annual Trafficking in Persons report, the State Department kept Cambodia a “tier 2” country. href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-remains-on-us-watch-list-for-trafficking/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

A new lottery company, Naga Lottery owned by the same company that operates Phnom Penh’s NagaWorld, will launch its first product on June 8, an official press release said yesterday. The company was licensed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in October last year said executive director href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/naga-lottery-to-launch/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The year 2012 has seen a number of changes of personnel within different companies in Cambodia, particularly in the telecommunications sector, but also in the insurance and banking industry. According to In Channy, ACLEDA Bank’s CEO and vice chairman of the International Business Chamber Cambodia, the href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/tough-times-for-telecom-bosses-in-2012/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The government will drop subsidies for high electricity use, after the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) reported losses of US$3 million between January and May this year. Households consuming more than 200 KW/h per month will no longer receive a 100 to 200 riel per KW/h href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/government-to-cut-power-subsidies/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Businesses with supply chains and operations in Burma, Bangladesh and Cambodia are benefiting from the world’s lowest labour costs, according to a new global ranking. Risk analytics company Verisk Maplecroft’s Labour Costs Index measures a combination of wages, employment regulations, social security contributions and labor productivity href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/burma-bangladesh-and-cambodia-have-worlds-lowest-labour-costs/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...