Economy and commerce
Investment
Cambodia PM says garment firms may quit over wage rows
Cambodia’s strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday warned garment workers that protests demanding higher wages could push manufacturers to quit the country. His appeal came after unions last week said hundreds of workers had been fired from a factory making sportswear for US giant Nike ...
Discount shops attracting crowds
Two thousand five hundred – for Mom Dalin, this is more than just a random number or the price of a coffee, it is her way of making a living. The 55-year-old sits at a small desk in her son’s shop on Sihanouk Boulevard, within sight ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013062066378/Business/discount-shops-attracting-crowds.html
Business chambers merge with Eurocham
The French and German chambers of commerce have both merged into the larger European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia in order to gain combined strength and be more effective as an interface between European business and the Cambodian government. The agreement is set to be formalised ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013062066376/Business/business-chambers-merge-with-eurocham.html
Skyscraper’s woes continue
The saga of the stalled $240 million Gold Tower 42 was revived last week when it emerged that a supplier for the project had accused the owner and builder of failing to pay out nearly $500,000 in fees, according to an injunction request obtained by ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061866319/Business/skyscraper-s-woes-continue.html
Japanese Mizuho Bank to Open Representative Office
One of Japan’s largest banks will open a representative office in July due to burgeoning interest in Cambodia most likely by Japanese investors, a bank official said yesterday. Mizuho Financial Group will open a small office in Phnom Penh Tower on Monivong Boulevard on July 8, ...
Cambodia, China's Guangxi pledge to broaden cooperation
Cambodia and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday vowed to further enhance cooperation in trade, investment, and tourism for mutual benefits. The commitment was made during a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Peng Qinghua, secretary of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s CPC Committee, ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/13/c_132453081.htm
Bank to join growing group from Taiwan
Taiwan-based Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank Ltd plans to open a representative office in Cambodia, joining an increasing number of Taiwanese banks and garment industry investors in the Kingdom. Shanghai Commercial & Savings would enter a crowded sector, behind other Taiwanese-based financial intuitions [sic]. Hua ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061366235/Business/bank-to-join-growing-group-from-taiwan.html
SEZ adds to tycoon’s growing portfolio
Okhna Try Pheap’s ballooning empire of exclusive natural resource licences and concessions has been expanded even further with the granting of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Ratanakkiri province. The May 27 issue of the Royal Gazette reveals Pheap was granted a 136-hectare SEZ in O’Yadav ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061266216/National/sez-adds-to-tycoon-s-growing-portfolio.html
Moving towards e-commerce
Motorbikes, vegetables, iPhones, artwork, or even land on which to build a house – a quick browse through website 7Makara.com gives the impression of a Cambodian eBay or Amazon. The difference, however, is that you can’t complete the transaction from the convenience of your bedroom. In ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061266208/Business/moving-towards-e-commerce.html
Hor Namhong Asks for More Cash for Rail Project
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong made another appeal to Australia for additional funds to complete a behind-schedule project to rehabilitate the country’s railway network, this time to newly appointed Australian Ambassador Alison Burrows, according to a ministry spokesman. While work on the Southern Line of the ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/hor-namhong-asks-for-more-cash-for-rail-project-30272/
British Minister kicks off SE Asia tour in Cambodia
Britain’s Minister of Trade and Investment Lord Green is starting his two week visit to Southeast Asia, to promote opportunities for British businesses, in Cambodia Monday, June 10, 2013. The promotion of British businesses is part of a larger effort to enhance the support available to ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=11&token=NjM3MDY2YzIyODJ
Porsche seeks niche among Cambodia’s newly-rich
The wizened cyclo driver, cigarette in mouth, muscles taut from pedalling up and down French-style boulevards, is one of Indochina’s enduring romantic images. But cyclos on the streets of Phnom Penh are now outnumbered by another means of transport: the luxury car. But with the urban ...
Robust Recovery Continues
Cambodia’s economy is on track to maintain its robust recovery thanks to a cocktail of private sector and government efforts. In 2012, the Asian Development Bank estimated that gross domestic product grew at a rate of 7.2 per cent, an increase from a 2011 International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061066160/Business/robust-recovery-continues.html
Gem event promises to sparkle
Officials are predicting an increase in visitors and a glitzy showcase when the 5th Cambodia Gems and Jewelry Fair opens this Thursday in Phnom Penh. Set in the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre, the four-day event is drawing buyers and traders to Phnom Penh amid ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061066161/Business/gem-event-promises-to-sparkle.html
Juneyao Airlines tries flights from Shanghai
Private Chinese carrier Juneyao Airlines is planning to launch direct flights from Shanghai to Cambodia as soon as this month. The move – which has been labelled unrealistic – would also see the airline potentially break into the monopolised route from the Chinese city. The Shanghai-based ...
Mass Ford recall makes local dent
Some 24 Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles in Cambodia are being recalled to fix a potential fuel leak that could cause a fire, company representatives said. The move comes amid a much larger recall of 465,000 units manufactured by the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker, raising doubts over ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060666096/Business/mass-ford-recall-makes-local-dent.html
Satellite cities a solution for overcrowded Phnom Penh
The coming sprawls of Phnom Penh’s new satellite cities will bring about not only opportunities but also challenges for the population. “Any urban area has to sprawl outside the main city areas so that it can keep up with the increasing demand of commercial land,” said ...
Cambodia feels drop in Asian rubber prices
The end of export restrictions in Thailand and a lowering of economic growth forecasts out of top rubber importers China, the United States and Germany have caused natural rubber prices around Asia − and in Cambodia’s local industry − to fall from a two-month high. Future ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060666093/Business/cambodia-feels-drop-in-asian-rubber-prices.html
British trade minister to visit Cambodia next week
British minister for trade and investment Lord Green would visit Cambodia next Monday in order to boost bilateral trade and investment ties, according to a media statement from the British Embassy to Cambodia on Wednesday. Mark Gooding, British Ambassador to Cambodia, said trade between UK ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-06/05/c_132433361.htm
Dam firm violated law
The parent company behind a firm constructing the Lower Sesan 2 dam in Stung Treng has repeatedly violated Chinese law by building “massive” power projects without prior approval, China’s national auditor has found. State-owned China Huaneng Group, of which Lower Sesan 2 partner Hydrolancang International Energy ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060566083/National/dam-firm-violated-law.html
Garment IPO May Arrive in Time for Polls
After the listing of Taiwanese-owned garment company Grand Twins International (Cambodia) Plc on the Kingdom’s stock exchange was delayed indefinitely, its underwriter said yesterday that the firm hopes to list before the national elections in late July. According to the underwriter, Phnom Penh Securities (PPS) Plc, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060566066/Business/garment-ipo-may-arrive-in-time-for-polls.html
Authorities Deny Abuses at Thai Plantation Tied To CPP Senator
Oddar Meanchey province deputy governor Lon An yesterday confirmed CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat’s involvement in a trio of sugar cane plantations that rights groups took to the National Human rights Commission of Thailand last week, but denied their allegations of rights abuses. The deputy ...
Micro-life insurance on rise
When 46-year-old Than Thol got a $900 loan from Samic Microfinance last year, he took advantage of a little-known and lengthily worded insurance program called Measure for Economic and Accelerated Development for All, or MEADA. MEADA provides coverage for families of mostly lower-income borrowers in the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466033/Business/micro-life-insurance-on-rise.html
MUJI Plans Green Dye Factory for Cambodia
Japanese retail company MUJI announced the development of an eco-friendly natural dyeing plant in Cambodia, a press release on Sunday said. The plan is part of the Business Call to Action, a global initiative supported by several international organisations and hosted by the UN Development Programme ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466031/Business/muji-plans-green-dye-factory-for-cambodia.html