Ministries and other national bodies

Cambodia passed a key Millennium Development Goal milestone last year with half of rural areas now having access to clean drinking water, according to a Ministry of Rural Development annual report released yesterday. ...

Reported rape cases increased by 12 percent last year compared to 2014, despite an overall drop in crime in 2015, according to an Interior Ministry report released on Tuesday. ...

Kasikornbank, Thailand’s fourth-largest lender by assets, plans to open its first branch in Phnom Penh by August, according to a report from Nikkei Asian Review. ...

The Interior Ministry has struck a deal with China to buy 200 fire­trucks this year, nearly doubling Cam­bodia’s current fleet in a bid to bet­ter serve the country’s rural reach­es, officials said on Monday. ...

Indonesian firm Sri Rejeki signed a $50 million deal with the Min­istry of Interior last week to sup­ply Cambodia’s police and armed forces with new uniforms, ac­cording to the Indonesian Em­bassy and media reports. ...

The Ministry of Labour is eyeing the creation of a draft law that would codify the sometimes-nebulous process that determines the garment industry’s minimum wage, attendees at the ministry’s annual meeting were told last week. ...

Cambodia and Thailand are set to have a new international border crossing on National Road 5, linking Banteay Meanchey province and Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province. ...

Mobile SIM card sales slowed to a crawl in 2015 while the number of new subscribers using mobile internet services leaped by 30 per cent, according to a Ministry of Telecommunications factsheet. ...

The number of fires in Cambodia increased by 14.7 per cent in 2015 compared to the previous year, killing 35 people and consuming almost 600 homes. ...

The Cambodian Embassy in Kuwait successfully rescued a Cambodian woman working as a maid in Saudi Arabia who complained of abusive working conditions, lack of food and of having pay withheld. Him Srey, a Cham Muslim from Kampong Cham province who went to Saudi Arabia ...

The Ministry of Economy and Finance has raised concerns about the rapid growth of credit and real estate sectors, which it says could pose risks to Cambodia’s economic growth, while emphasising that policy measures were being taken to mitigate these risks. ...

Government officials are encouraging Japanese investors to channel more funding into the country’s booming construction and property development market, with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction rolling out the red carpet for them. ...

As Latin American countries reel from a spike in the number of microcephaly cases, believed to be linked to the mosquito-borne virus Zika, the Cambodian Ministry of Health has urged citizens to take precautions against the spread of the disease here. ...

Telecom operator Smart Axiata Co. Ltd. and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding that will see Smart donate more than $320,000 to build a facility for students at the National Institute of Post, Telecom & ICT (NIPTICT). ...

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander-in-chief Pol Saroeun yesterday told hundreds of the Kingdom’s top military brass to be more like Prime Minister Hun Sen and join the information age via smartphones and social media. ...

Authorities say they are cracking down on illegal “press” license plates, threatening imprisonment for the offense. ...

The Ministry of Information says it is working with LGBT rights groups to create a regular radio program that discusses LGBT issues, with the aim of making society more welcoming. ...

Three Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships dropped anchor in Cambodian waters yesterday, mooring at a Sihanoukville provincial port for a three-day visit meant to strengthen the relationship and boost bilateral ties between Cambodia and Japan, according to General Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the National Defense ...

Cambodia’s acting Prime Minister while Mr. Hun Sen is out of the country for the US-ASEAN summit, Interior Minister Sar Kheng, acknowledged that there are “gaps” in the implementation of democracy in Cambodia during a speech to the National Police Academy on Tuesday, but warned ...

This week, 25 years after a Frenchmen created the first of five specialized schools for blind and deaf students, it is handing over the schools—plus the tools and expertise its staff developed over decades—to the Cambodian government. ...

Cambodia has performed poorly in the 2016 edition of a recent environmental report, ranking a dismal 146 out of 180 countries.The Kingdom returned one of the lowest Environmental Performance Index (EPI) scores in the region, narrowly edging ahead of Myanmar and Laos. ...

A prosecutor at the Kompong Speu Provincial Court said on Wednesday that charges would stand against five union officials who were released on bail last month af­ter they were arrested during a brawl with a rival association, de­spite calls by a prominent labor leader to ...

The government is reviewing a mammoth $1-billion proposal by the Thai Boon Roong Group to build twin commercial skyscrapers in Phnom Penh which, if constructed, would be among the world’s tallest buildings. ...

The Ministry of Interior has removed four Oddar Meanchey provincial officials from office, including former deputy governor of Anlong Veng district Nhem En, for failing to show up for work, according to a ministry letter received by Khmer Times yesterday. ...