A parliamentary committee will look into allegations of illegal logging and timber exports, where big money and deep corruption have led to conflict, deforestation and tax fraud. Opposition lawmaker Ho Vann, who leads the National Assembly committee, told VOA Khmer he is looking into evidence and href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/parliamentary-committee-to-investigate-illegal-logging/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) and the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) yesterday discussed means of safely stocking industrial chemicals, with the hope of reducing environmental pollution in the region. At a conference on sustainable manufacturing practices, Sok Narin, the head of UNIDO href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ministry-pushes-for-safer-use-of-industrial-chemicals/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Battery-powered scooters are capturing an increasing share of the Asia Pacific’s two-wheeled transport market, according to a recent study, but scooter retailers in Phnom Penh yesterday said Cambodians still opt for the petrol-burning version. By 2018, about 65.5 million electric scooters worth some US$382 million will href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/little-spark-for-electric-motos/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

In a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation yesterday, the Japanese government officially granted aid of 974 million yen (about US$12.2 million) to the Cambodian government. The Honorable Masafumi Kuroki, Japanese ambassador to Cambodia, said his country had made the donation to href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/japanese-aid-tabbed-for-health-roadwork-9/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The United Nations‘ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) predicts the paddy output in Cambodia this year will decline, according to its Rice Market Monitor (RMM) issued on Monday. Paddy output in Asia is forecast at 661 million tonnes, or 441 million tonnes on a milled basis, href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodias-rice-output-tipped-to-fall-fao/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Both the government and the Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies yesterday denied media reports that Cambodia and Vietnam will provide domestic workers to Saudi Arabia. Citing Saudi Arabian newspapers, the news website Emirates 24/7 reported yesterday that Cambodia and Vietnam had agreed to send maids to href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/maids-to-saudi-arabia-denied/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

– Economic Land Concessions –  ‘ELCs’ – ( Government Data Partial 3 items, and 1 cancelled concession) Click here to download – Mining ( Secondary source data: 79 items ) Click here to download If you have map data to share or compare, please get in touch! info@opendevcam.net href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/september-2012-maps/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, a son of late King Norodom Sihanouk, said Monday that his return to be the president of the royalist Funcinpec Party is to reunite the royalists and Sihanoukists. The prince also said that the party will work closely with Prime Minister Hun href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/return-to-old-party-is-to-reunite-royalists-sihanoukists-cambodian-prince-ranariddh/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Thailand may not export certain varieties of Cambodian-grown, but Thai-milled, rice internationally due to fears of intellectual property violations. Cambodian Malis rice is very similar to jasmine rice, and Thailand has expressed concerns that it may infringe on the Thai-owned jasmine rice variety. The Ministry of Agriculture has been href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodian-rice-to-be-dna-tested/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Despite renewed criticism from civil society and a call for its drafting to be postponed, finalisation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) was well under way, officials said yesterday at the beginning of a week of ASEAN meetings. Speaking to reporters after a meeting between href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ngos-feel-ignored-by-asean-rights-council/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

While many have characterized the rubber industry as changing hands but not methods, one new firm is showing a level of increased accountability that may help to set a new standard for the sector. Romdoul Rubber in Ratanakiri has While many have characterized href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/rubber-industry-growth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia’s garment exports exceeded US$1 billion during the first quarter of 2012, yet many factories are failing to pay workers proper maternity leave benefits or address issues of fainting, a labour report says. The International Labour Or­ganization-Better Factories Cam­bodia’s Twenty Eighth Syn­­­thesis Report on Working Conditions href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/factories-still-skimping-ilo/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

In a rare admission, the Asian Development Bank has surprisingly acknowledged its own shortcomings following a controversial railway rehabilitation project in Cambodia that sparked complaints from thousands of displaced local residents affected by forced resettlements, insufficient compensations and neglect of their human rights. The concerns were confirmed by the Compliance href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/adb-admits-mistakes-over-controversial-railway-project-in-cambodia/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The International Labor Organization says a new National Employment Policy will improve the country’s economy for the young generation.The policy, drafted with the help of Sweden, aims to increase “decent and productive” employment opportunities, enhance skills and human resources development, and strengthen labor market governance, href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-initiates-first-ever-employment-policy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The Export-Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) planned to invest US$235 million in two Cambodian mega projects, one of which was the modernisation of a TV station that one analyst said might not be necessary given the country’s level of development. During a meeting with Prime Minister href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/china-exim-bank-to-put-235m-in-steel-media/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The vast majority of Cambodians – 81 per cent – believe the Kingdom is headed in the right direction, according to an International Republican Institute survey on democratic governance released yesterday. Key reasons respondents gave for their upbeat assessment included the building of more roads, bridges, health clinics href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/iri-survey-finds-cambodian-majority-optimistic-over-future/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Chinese President Hu Jintao asked close economically Cambodia on Saturday not to push talks on the vexed issue of the South China Sea “too fast” as he pledged to double bilateral trade to $5 billion and announced fresh aid to the impoverished country. Cambodia holds the href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/hu-wants-cambodia-help-on-china-sea-dispute-pledges-aid/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Cambodia’s tourism sector has emerged from a “mystery disease” scare unscathed, industry insiders said yesterday, although some regional health authorities noted what the World Health Organisation called an outbreak of Enterovirus-71 (EV-71), which has killed at least 52 children in the Kingdom. “The disease has only href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/tourism-not-hurt-by-outbreak/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

Families forced to move by the rehabilitation of the Phnom Penh stretch of the national railway petitioned the Asian Development Bank yesterday for help with their livelihoods. About 50 people gathered outside the ADB’s office to submit a petition representing more than 160 families relocated to href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/railway-evictees-seek-adb-aid/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...

The government has granted private companies the right to develop about 65,000 hectares of land in wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and on public reserves since January 1, data from a human rights group reveals. Ouch Leng, land reform project coordinator for the Cambodian Center for Human href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/new-year-ringing-in-myriad-concessions/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...