The Ministry of Interior has officially registered a newly created “Kem Ley Foundation association” after months of processing the application. Chhim Kan, director of the Interior Ministry’s Department of associations and Political Parties, yesterday confirmed the association’s registration had been successful. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kem-ley-foundation-registered/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A pArtnership between CAmbodiA MicrofinAnce AssociAtion (CMA) And WAter.org Aims to increAse Access to sAfe wAter And sAnitAtion nAtionwide by offering incentives to finAnce the sector. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/microfinAnce-to-tAp-into-wAsh-sector/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Audits of the voter list which clAimed thAt up to 1 million people could lose their right to vote in the July 28 nAtionAl election were Attributed to An “unAvoidAble mArgin of error” due to mAny citizens not hAving nAtionAl identity cArds or A permAnent <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/eu-drAft-memo-defended-voter-list-mArgin-of-error/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Labor Ministry on Tuesday warned unions that if they failed to reach a consensus on a new minimum wage for the garment sector ahead of Friday’s Labor advisory Committee meeting on the issue, the committee would not consider any proposal from the unions at <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/govt-tells-unions-to-pick-a-minimum-wage-or-lose-their-say/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The National Election Committee (NEC) was hailed by the government on Tuesday for saying that there would be 45,000 observers for the July 29 national elections. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that the large number of registered election observers would dispel criticism and <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/government-lauds-nec-efforts-dismisses-concerns-about-lack-of-eu-participation/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia’s upcoming general election on 29 July looks set to be its most controversial since its first national election in 1993. In late 2017, the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was dissolved and 118 of its senior members were banned from <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/what-lies-ahead-for-cambodia-after-its-next-election/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections, was selected Tuesday as the “neutral” candidate for the National Election Committee (NEC) following Licadho president Pung Chhiv Kek’s announcement that she would not accept her nomination. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ngo-director-appointed-new-neutral-nec-member/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The campaign period for next month’s general election will last 21 days, from July 1-21, said Prach Chan, head of the National Election Committee (NEC), who also called for calm in the run-up to the election. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/three-week-campaign-period-announced-for-forthcoming-national-election-season/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Garment Manufacturers association in Cambodia (GMaC) claims falling productivity levels and rising infrastructure costs in the Kingdom’s garment sector could put the country at a disadvantage with its neighbouring competitors.   <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/garment-factory-owners-warn-of-falling-productivity/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The government reforested 80,693 hectares of land between 2008 and 2012 as part of its efforts to combat deforestation, a recent agriculture ministry report says, but these seemingly impressive statistics were reached by counting rubber trees and other agricultural crops as adequate replacements for forests. The <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/reforestry-claim-a-stretch/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Agriculture Ministry renewed the license for timber extrAction on A lAnd concession in A protected AreA in September, despite previously concluding thAt the lAnd within the concession hAd been completely cleAred, According to A conservAtion group And documents obtAined by reporters this month. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/no-wood-but-permit-in-protected-AreA-extended/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation registered more than a thousand small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the January-November period of last year, bringing the total registered SMEs to around 44,000. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/over-1000-new-smes-registered-in-jan-nov/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Thai government proposals to pay above market prices to rice farmers could complicate Cambodia’s goal of becoming a major milled rice exporter, according to industry insiders. Pheu Thai party leader Yingluck Shinawatra has announced plans to buy rough rice for a guaranteed price of 15,000 <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/more-competition-from-thai-millers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Employing some 700,000 Cambodians, the garment sector is the country’s largest private employer. But move above the factory floor and you will find mostly foreigners, from countries such as China, Singapore, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/garment-sector-training-institute-breaks-ground/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

AseAn member countries were cAlled on yesterdAy to work towArd A “100 percent smoke-free” region, And CAmbodiA’s most fAmous smoker, Prime Minister Hun Sen, is behind the initiAtive, A government spokesmAn sAid. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/smoke-free-AseAn-region-will-get-hun-sens-support/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Cambodian handicrafts and home decor products could take off with South Korean buyers if certain obstacles &ndash; conceptual design, development techniques, and slow delivery services &ndash; are overcome, business owners and merchants said yesterday. Speaking at a seminar on Korean Market access for Cambodia’s textiles at <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kingdoms-crafts-can-be-hit-in-korea/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Garment factories run the risk of having their cargo confiscated by U.S. customs authorities if they continue using pirated computer software in their administrative operations, and may be prosecuted under a law that requires all manufacturers to use licensed digital software, according to a local <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/pirated-software-may-threaten-garment-firms/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Garment Manufacturers association in Cambodia says at least 15 factories have suspended workers, due to a lack of job orders, even as union leaders say they will demand a higher minimum wage. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/manufacturers-say-a-high-number-of-factories-suspending-workers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers association (CITa), said Friday that he feels the teachers’ movement is under threat after he received a notice from the Ministry of Interior, summoning him to explain his work on Monday. The letter, dated Thursday and signed by <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ministry-to-question-rong-chhun-over-teachers-association/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The government has designated eight provinces to start boosting vegetable production from this year in a move to curb the capital flow of an estimated $200 million per year on imports from neighboring countries, mainly Vietnam.Vongsey Vissoth, secretary of state for the Ministry of Economy <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/200-mil-a-year-veggie-imports-to-be-slashed/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>