Cambodian pig farmers are facing a mounting crisis as the price of pigs has continued to plummet, with many blaming local officials for allowing Vietnam to illegally import pigs across the border, representatives from a farmers association said at a press conference yesterday. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/illegal-imports-hogging-local-market-for-pigs-say-farmers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Tens of thousands of workers protested in front of the Ministry of Labor on Monday, after negotiations between labor leaders and the government failed to find a resolution to demands of higher wages in the face of a rising cost of living. Labor Minister Ith <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/negotiations-fail-as-worker-opposition-protests-continue/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday that further integration in the association of Southeast asian Nations (aSEaN) will result in the emergence of a new economic power in the region. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/asean-will-emerge-as-new-economic-power-malaysian-pm/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) on July 8 advised owners of local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to understand and follow the legal procedures for export to streamline the process and reduce compliance issues. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/ccc-workshop-tackles-export-issues-for-domestic-smes/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Minister of Foreign AffAirs And InternAtionAl CooperAtion PrAk Sokhonn stressed the importAnce of the SoutheAst AsiA NucleAr WeApon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) stAtus And expressed his concern on the geopoliticAl tension And mAjor power rivAlry in the region. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/cAmbodiA-urges-upholding-nuke-Free-stAtus-for-se-AsiA/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

Savings levels at Cambodia’s microfinance institutions (MFIs) have recovered well since the widespread withdrawal that followed last July’s disputed national election, with more than $90 million deposited in the first quarter of this year. The amount of deposits in MFI accounts fell from $378 million in <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/deposits-rally-after-election-outflows/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Hundreds of leading Chinese companies will come together with hundreds more local companies today at the first Cambodia-China Business Forum and Financial Development Forum in Phnom Penh, aimed at expanding trade and investment between the two countries. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/trade-with-china-to-grow/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Garment Manufacturers association in Cambodia welcomed the approval of the amendment of article 89 of the Labour Law on worker protection and severance pay by the government on Friday, but the organisation’s head said the move could financially burden employers. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/labour-law-revision-could-hurt-employers-gmac/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Financial literacy among Cambodia’s youth is slated to receive a boost after an agreement was signed between SOSORO Museum and the association of Banks in Cambodia (aBC) to enhance youth’s educational awareness about their money affairs. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/mou-aims-to-elevate-youth-financial-literacy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Factories in Cambodia’s garment industry say they need more productivity out of workers if they are to survive a new wage hike.Earlier this month, the government agreed to raise minimum wage to $140 per month, a figure managers said would damage the industry. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/employers-want-more-productivity-following-wage-hike/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Garment industry, Cambodia’s largest income maker, reported a 24 percent rise in exports in the first ten months of 2013, according to figures of the country’s Ministry of Commerce Thursday. The figures showed that the country exported garment products in equivalent to 4.76 billion U.S. dollars <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodias-garment-export-surges-24-pct-in-first-10-months/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Plans are in place for a new $10 million international airport on Koh Rong island, but questions remain as to when construction would commence and when funding would be available. Designs for the roughly 7,200-square-metre airport terminal, which will consist of Khmer- and resort-style architecture, were <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/koh-rong-airport-plans-foggy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A group of CAmbodiAns in ThAilAnd hAve formed An AssociAtion to provide legAl Aid to the country’s CAmbodiAn fActory workers, sAying the workers risk Abuse due to their lAck of proper documentAtion And knowledge of lAbour lAws. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/new-group-formed-to-help-migrAnt-workers/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

AsiA And the PAcific continued As A hot spot for internAtionAl tourism in 2012, AttrActing whAt is expected to be in excess of 350 million internAtionAl visitor ArrivAls, expAnding its collective inbound count by more thAn 5% And generAting more thAn 18 million AdditionAl foreign visits, yeAr-on-yeAr. Within this <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/news/growing-tourism-A-positive-sign-AsiA-And-pAcific-continue-As-trAvel-hot-spots/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The government yesterday announced its intention to pitch a new project to China that would consist of a road along the border with Thailand connecting the provinces of Pailin and Koh Kong. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/prime-minister-unveils-plan-for-new-road-along-thai-border/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The industry body representing the Kingdom’s myriad microfinance institutions (MFIs) threw down the gauntlet yesterday, announcing that its members had categorically rejected a government directive that orders them to charge a value-added tax (VaT) on financial services fees and would not apply it. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/microlenders-refuse-to-apply-prescribed-vat/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, through the Korea International Trade association (KITa), have been committed to further boost their cooperation in the digital sector, trade exchange, and investment. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-korea-to-continue-boosting-digital-and-investment-cooperation/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Garment Manufacturers association in Cambodia (GMaC) is looking for a renewed focus on productivity following the conclusion of this month’s minimum wage negotiations, while supporting calls for clothing buyers to implement more sustainable purchasing practices. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/announcements/with-wage-talks-over-gmac-calls-for-focus-on-productivity/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Garment factory owners in Cambodia asked the government on Thursday to help stop a strike by workers for higher wages, saying the labor action is damaging the investment climate for the industry, the country’s main source of exports. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/cambodia-garment-factory-owners-ask-government-to-help-quash-strike-by-workers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Prominent businessman Kith Meng was re-elected yesterday as the president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce with the support of 15 presidents of chambers in Phnom Penh and provinces. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/kith-meng-re-elected-as-ccc-president/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>