Economy and commerce
Agreement to boost construction sector
An agreement was signed between Cambodia’s Constructors Association (CCA) and the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction two days ago, to tighten enforcement on construction companies here in making them meet industry standards. The ministry’s head, Im Chhun Lim, said that Cambodia’s construction and ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366007/Business/agreement-to-boost-construction-sector.html
Sugar firm under fire
Asia’s largest sugar company has been accused of torching hundreds of homes, orchestrating the imprisonment of a pregnant activist and using security forces to beat villagers – among a raft of other grave human rights abuses – by communities in Oddar Meanchey province. The allegations levelled ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366024/National/sugar-firm-under-fire.html
National silk board planned
A national silk board (NSB) under the Ministry of Commerce is being planned to weave tighter regulations into the Kingdom’s silk industry, the lack of which has deterred investors and hurt its export potential, according to industry representatives. Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said last week ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366008/Business/national-silk-board-planned.html
Pirated Software May Threaten Garment Firms
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 ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/pirated-software-may-threaten-garment-firms-28459/
$1.3m SEZ Japanese Restaurant Opens Doors
In a $1.3 million investment, a new Japanese restaurant opened in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) last week amid the large presence of Japanese companies in the area. The 1,000-square-metre Tokyo Restaurant looks to “help to [showcase] the culture of Japanese food, and provide ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366009/Business/1-3m-sez-japanese-restaurant-opens-doors.html
Wing Star Widow in Limbo
Government officials have suggested the widow of the man crushed to death last month at the Wing Star Shoes factory, a supplier to Asics, will still be denied compensation from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), a labour rights worker said yesterday. American Center for International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366021/National/wing-star-widow-in-limbo.html
Cambodian maids to earn at least RM1,020 a month
Salaries which start at S$420 (RM1,020.76), and no placement fees from employers. These proposals were part of a document the Cambodian government sent to selected maid agents, as Singapore moves ahead with a pilot scheme to see how well Cambodian maids adapt to life here. The ...
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/5/31/asia/13179787&sec=asia
Angkor finds visible gold in Ratanakkiri
Canadian miner Angkor Gold has found “visible gold in the soil samples” in the Otray prospect in Ratanakkiri province, which hints at possibly larger reserves, said CEO and chairman Mike Weeks in a press release published on Wednesday. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165964/Business/angkor-finds-visible-gold-in-ratanakkiri.html
Rice exports to Thailand rise
Exports of Cambodian unpolished rice to Thailand are increasing, and the trend is promising if the Thai government continues its intervention policy to guarantee the minimum paddy price for their farmers, industry insiders said. Government figures show that in the first four months of this ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165969/Business/rice-exports-to-thailand-rise.html
ADB advises region to combine grids
Cambodia is expected to be able to produce about half the energy it needs by 2035, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), but the Kingdom – along with its neighbours – should also consider integrating their energy grids, which would bring about more competitive ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165966/Business/adb-advises-region-to-combine-grids.html
Airports operator looks to expand
While Cambodia Airports, of which France-based Vinci Group is major stakeholder, sees tourist numbers taking off, eviction issues are gnawing at the company’s image. Emmanuel Menanteau, chief executive of Cambodia Airports, talked to the Post’s Sarah Thust about the expansion plans. How many tourist arrivals do ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165965/CEO-Talk/airports-operator-looks-to-expand.html
Cambodia's trade with foreign countries up 25 pct in four months
Cambodia’s trade volume with foreign countries had reached 5.12 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months of this year, a 25 percent rise compared with 4.1 billion U.S. dollars over the same period last year, according to a report from the Ministry of Commerce’s ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-05/30/c_132419210.htm
Against the Grain
On the palm-studded plains of Cambodia, rice farmers’ eyes light up with the prospect of sending their crop northward to China. The poor Southeast Asian nation had been trying for several years to export rice to the mainland but only last year did it gain ...
http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/china-rice-demand-market-import
CEDAC Introduces Guidlines
The Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) yesterday introduced techniques to prepare a good rice harvest for farmers ahead of the rainy season, CEDAC announced. Yang Saing Koma, president of CEDAC, said farmers could improve their harvests if they follow the seven steps. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053065930/Business/cedac-introduces-guidlines.html
NagaCorp rolls dice on $15 million VIP terminal
A private VIP terminal costing $15 million is being planned at Phnom Penh International Airport by NagaCorp, which hopes that once it is ready – likely by early next year – high-rollers would flock to its casino and double their spending to $8 billion. NagaWorld, the ...
Loans and deposits up 30%
Outstanding loans and deposits made at Cambodian banks grew by 32 per cent and 28 per cent respectively at the end of March this year from a year earlier, according to data from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC). The data from the NBC that the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053065929/Business/loans-and-deposits-up-30.html
Workers not underage, factory says
A Ying Dong Shoes representative yesterday denied claims his factory employs workers as young as 13 and shares an owner with Wing Star Shoes, where two died in a ceiling collapse on May 16. Chan Kosal, a representative of Ying Dong, a supplier to Asics, said ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053065943/National/workers-not-underage-factory-says.html
Mfone Parent Firm to Consider Workers Demands
The company behind the defunct mobile operator Mfone has told its former employees that it will consider covering millions of dollars allegedly owned to them in severance pay. The former employees have vowed to keep protesting until they are paid the $44.44 million to which ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/mfone-parent-firm-to-consider-workers-demands-27821/
Water Cannon Crackdown on Cambodian Land Activists
Cambodian police used water cannons Wednesday to disperse around 200 women demanding a quick resolution to long-running land disputes, knocking at least three of the protesters, including a 72-year-old, unconscious. The move came two days after authorities used stun batons to disperse a protest over wages ...
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/land-05292013164116.html
Sea tourism along coast needs infrastructure, investors
Plans to create a tourist circuit encompassing coastal areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand could be delayed as infrastructure is not yet in place and authorities cannot find investors. The sea route from the Mekong River Delta province of Kien Giang to Sihanoukville in Cambodia and ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=OTEzNTNmYzMyZDI
Kingdom lacks engineers: minister
Because Cambodia’s youth has not focused enough on studying technical or engineering subjects, the Kingdom now faces a lack of human resources and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports plans to reform the country’s education system, according to the minister in charge. Minister Im Sethy ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965901/Business/kingdom-lacks-engineers-minister.html
Gym membership gets a lift
Two or three times per week Hong Chandara finds the time to unwind from work, family and social responsibilities by exercising at his gym. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs see potential in the fitness service sector, as gyms gain popularity in Cambodia. Meas Sok Dany, owner of the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965900/Business/gym-membership-gets-a-lift.html
Villagers Petition Against Crematorium’s Removal
More than 1,000 villagers in Phnom Penh’s Russei Keo district have signed a petition protesting the removal of a crematorium that is currently on land slated for a large development project. According to a letter from the Council of Ministers addressed to the Ministry of Cults ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/villagers-petition-against-crematoriums-removal-27487/
Underage, Overworked
Child labour is being used at a footwear factory owned by the same Taiwan-based company as Wing Star Shoes – where two workers were killed in a ceiling collapse this month – numerous employees have told the Post. A former Ying Dong employee said the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965915/National/underage-overworked.html