International relations

Less than two weeks after a major rights group lambasted the US’s training of Cambodia’s “abusive armed forces”, allegedly incriminating photographs have been removed from the official Facebook page of the joint training exercise. On May 20, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement hitting out ...

Hidden at the end of a pathway that breaks off from Mao Tse Tung Boulevard in Phnom Penh is a temple of a different kind, where seances are sacrosant and French writer Victor Hugo – author of Les Miserables – is considered a saint. Worshippers there practise Caodaism, ...

Nine of the group of 23 workers and labour activists who were released from custody and given suspended sentences on Friday over January’s garment employee protests will receive medical care in Thailand, rights group Licadho said yesterday. A number of the men were beaten by security ...

Cambodia has accused the Thai troops of erecting a new barbed wire fence on land in front of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple and has asked Thai side to remove it, Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Monday. “Our military ...

South Korea on Monday signed up to provide a grant aid of 21 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia to support four projects for rural development, waterway improvement, health and the stock market. Speaking after the signing ceremony, Hor Namhong said 8 million U.S. dollars of ...

Cambodia and Iran are looking for possibilities to strengthen and expand bilateral ties and cooperation for the mutual benefits of the two countries and peoples. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong held a talk on Monday with the Hanoi-based Iranian Ambassador to Cambodia ...

The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a new five-year National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) – the guiding policy document used by the government – requiring an estimated $26.58 billion in spending and investment, or more than $5.3 billion a year, until 2018. The plan ...

Marubeni Corp. said Monday that it would acquire a 20 percent stake in a Cambodia-based electricity generation and transmission business owned and operated by Malaysia’s Leader Group, marking Japan’s first foray into Cambodia’s power market. Leader Infrastructure Ltd. operates two 50 megawatt coal-fired power stations in ...

In the wake of last month’s Thai military coup, an uneasy quiet has fallen over official checkpoints in Oddar Meanchey province, leading many on this side of the border to fear for their livelihoods. Sitting on a motorbike in the queue for O’Smach international border checkpoint ...

The Cambodian Council of Ministers on Friday approved a five-year development strategic plan (2014-2018), which needs financial resources of 26.5 billion U.S. dollars to achieve the target, according to a news statement released after a weekly cabinet meeting. The plan is designed to develop infrastructure, ...

Since he began making the perilous journey to Thailand to log rosewood 10 years ago, Sao Sophon* has had plenty of time to calculate the cost of dying. “When we cross the border to Thailand, our lives are equal to $80 or $90, because that is ...

The price of durian from Thailand has risen sharply this year, leading to shrinking profits for fruit vendors in Phnom Penh as demand from China for the spiky, pungent fruit grows more robust. On Sihanouk Boulevard, fruit vendor Heng Sovanna said that since March, the price ...

The Japanese and South Korean governments yesterday announced millions of dollars in aid to Cambodia for a scholarship program and a number of rural development projects. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong and Japanese Ambassador Kumamaru Yuji signed for a $2.85 million grant yesterday to fund ...

Grand Twins International (Cambodia) Co. Ltd., a Phnom Penh-based manufacturer of clothes for U.S. athletic brands, has again delayed its listing on the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX), officials said Wednesday. The company was expected to list Thursday, but technical problems prevented it from doing so, according ...

Cambodia will take in only voluntary refugees from Australia, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Wednesday. “We will only receive refugees, who voluntarily agree to come to Cambodia, not by force,” he said in a response to questions raised by journalists. “This is ...

A meeting last week between China’s president, Xi Jinping, and the prime minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, will see the Southeast Asian country maintain a neutral stance regarding the territorial dispute between China and Vietnam over the Paracel islands in the South China Sea, Hong ...

Cambodian officials say they have not yet confirmed whether they will accept a request from Australia to receive rejected immigrants. But they do say the request is moving forward. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding over the transfer of immigrants in April, but a ...

Cambodia needs $9 billion to be invested into 850 kilometres of roadways by 2020, according to a study by Henan Provincial Communications Planning Survey and Design Institute. From the Chinese province of Henan, officials from the state-owned engineering institute went to great lengths yesterday to explain ...

Foreign currency deposits grew briskly during the first four months of the year, a sign that public confidence in Cambodia’s financial institutions is high despite the uncertainty after last year’s disputed national election, bankers said this week. Cheam Teang, executive vice president of Acleda Bank Plc., ...

A group of 15 local and international rights groups Tuesday sent a slew of letters to the Chinese government and companies involved in the Lower Sesan II hydropower dam in Stung Treng province seeking a halt to dam construction due to serious environmental and social ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that his government will work with the Thai junta that came to power in a coup last week, and quashed speculation that the ousted Shinawatra clan may be allowed to set up a government in exile in Cambodia. In a ...

Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy yesterday called on residents in the northeast provinces to defend their land lest the area be turned into a Vietnamese “colony”. Rainsy’s comments were quickly condemned by both the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments. Speaking to hundreds of people in Mondulkiri ...

Cambodia saw the military coup in Thailand last week as Thai internal affairs and the country would not meddle in Thai affairs, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday. The prime minister said Cambodia shares border with Thailand, so it is vital to continue maintaining relations ...

In less than two months, smokers indulging in Cambodia’s inexpensive cigarettes will have to reach a little deeper into their wallets. Starting in July, the tax on cigarettes will jump from 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the retail price, with a tax base ...