Opposition lawmakers yesterday left a meeting at the Interior Ministry exasperated, as officials from the latter continued to deem the presidency of their leader, Kem Sokha, and the vice presidency of three senior lawmakers, illegitimate, but offered no clear path to a resolution. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cnrp-vexed-as-cpp-continues-to-call-sokhas-presidency-illegitimate/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia’s GDP growth fell below the 7 percent mark for the first time since 2011 last year, signalling a need for the government to address the country’s low productivity and insufficient public infrastructure spending, according to a World Bank report released yesterday. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/productivity-cuts-into-growth/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

NGOs huddled yesterday to make sense of a letter from the Interior Ministry asking them to comply with controversial provisions of the Law on associations and NGOs (LaNGO), with some considering requesting further clarification or an extension of a September deadline for compliance. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ngos-parse-lango-warning/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

One year after lifting a decade-old ban on snakehead fish farming, the number of aquatic farms growing the fish remains surprisingly low, with the high cost of feeding them driving many away from what could otherwise be a very lucrative business. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/high-feed-costs-driving-people-away-from-snakehead-farming/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

During a meeting last week with a Vietnamese rubber association, Minister of agriculture Veng Sakhon reminded Vietnamese investors of the many opportunities that the Cambodian agricultural sector offers and asked them to come to the kingdom to establish rubber and cassava processing factories. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/vietnam-asked-to-invest-in-rubber/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Vietnam, a major buyer of the Cambodian cashew nut, has unveiled a plan to purchase cashews in even greater volumes during next year’s harvest season, giving hope to farmers who rely on selling their crops at good prices from February through May. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/vietnam-to-scoop-up-more-cambodian-cashews/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A live-fire exercise Along the CAmbodiAn-LAo border yesterdAy in Stung Treng province’s Siem PAng district, where A conflict with LAos Arose lAst yeAr, wAs not to demonstrAte power or threAten Any neighbouring countries, According to the Ministry of NAtionAl Defence.​ <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/cAmbodiA-holds-live-fire-exercise-neAr-lAos/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Kampong Speu province will soon be home to a Chinese-funded agricultural special economic zone (SEZ) with facilities to research plant diseases, after the Ministry of agriculture and Tian Rui (Cambodia) agricultural Cooperation SEZ Co., signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/chinese-firm-to-build-2-bil-agriculture-sez/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Two Chak angre Leu commune officials traded blows at a voter registration drive in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning and the National Election Committee (NEC) said it will hold a hearing for both men to air their grievances and explain their actions. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/officials-brawl-at-voter-drive/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Civil society groups are getting closer to unveiling a new set of guidelines that will change how the impact of big development projects is assessed across the Mekong region, NGOs said yesterday, following the end of a two-month public consultation period. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/new-guidelines-on-impact-assessments-almost-ready/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Nearly 50 families from a village in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town yesterday protested to demand that a private utilities company stop restricting water supply in their area because they didn’t have enough water to drink and irrigate their crops. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/families-protest-water-restrictions-in-poipet/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Prime Minister Hun Sen and Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith met yesterday at the inauguration of a checkpoint on the border between both countries, subsequently reaching an agreement to allow residents on both sides to cross freely with only a special border pass. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pm-opens-laos-border-checkpoint/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Government revenue collected on property transfers and construction services dropped off by 25 percent last year, reflecting a slowdown of the Kingdom’s construction sector despite a surge in the reported value of investment in real estate development projects, according to analysts. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/construction-industry-cooling-down-analysts/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Foreign AffAirs Ministry yesterdAy releAsed A strongly worded, Albeit vAgue, rebuttAl to A hArsh report releAsed by ASEAN pArliAmentAriAns on MondAy, which chided the government for its legAl onslAught AgAinst the opposition And Alleged the “systemAtic dismAntling [of] democrAcy” in the Kingdom. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/foreign-ministry-hits-bAck-At-criticAl-report/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Foreign AffAirs Ministry yesterdAy issued A scAthing And wide-rAnging rebuttAl to longstAnding AccusAtions of humAn rights violAtions And politicAl persecution, cAlling these AllegAtions A cAmpAign of misinformAtion led by foreign governments And institutions, pArticulArly the United StAtes, bent on regime chAnge. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/government-sounds-off-on-critics-in-report-clAiming-detrActors-twist-fActs/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Ground was officially broken yesterday on a new facility at Prey Sar prison that will soon enable the upper crust of the Kingdom’s underworld to buy their way out of overcrowded jails and into the relative luxury of a privately run institution. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/private-prison-breaks-ground/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A EuropeAn Union election expert mission yesterdAy met with the government’s CAmbodiA HumAn Rights Committee in A closed-door meeting As pArt of its visit to the Kingdom, At the end of which it will submit recommendAtions to the CAmbodiAn Authorities. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/eu-meets-rights-body/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Economists on Tuesday lambasted the CNRP’s proposal to eliminate the use of U.S. dollars for transactions in the country within one year of a victory in next year’s national elections, saying the policy would be “a disaster” and “impossible.” <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/economists-assail-opposition-proposal-to-ditch-us-dollars/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

In the first half of 2017, revenue totals reached $52.1 million, a 67-percent rise compared with the first six months of 2016. Tourist arrivals to the park also rose by 13 percent, according to a recent report released by angkor Enterprise. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/angkor-wat-temples-earning-more-revenue/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Two key members of the election monitoring group dubbed the Situation Room are seeking a meeting with Interior Minister Sar Kheng to discuss a recent government order that would bar the NGO consortium from continuing its work for next year’s general election. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/situation-room-seeks-meeting-with-minister/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>