Government

Russia will send observers to the Kingdom for the upcoming national elections and has pledged to sit down to discuss Cambodia’s outstanding debt, a move that analysts yesterday saw as a sign of solidarity between two governments increasingly out of favour with the West. ...

Cambodia and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday to support the development of the Kingdom’s e-commerce business operations. ...

The waters of the Koh Rong Archipelago may yet receive an additional layer of administrative protection, the Ministry of Environment announced last week, although how the proposed “marine park” will function remains to be seen, stakeholders said yesterday. ...

Authorities in Kandal province arrested 19 people in a timber raid at a Metfone shop, but released 15 after questioning, including the branch’s director. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday said he didn’t care whether the international community endorsed next year’s elections – the legitimacy of which critics have questioned amidst a crackdown on the opposition – raising concerns the Kingdom could find itself isolated if world powers decline ...

Cambodia has sent officials to interview refugees in the United States who are subject to deportation orders. Interior Ministry spokesman General Khieu Sopheak said about 50 refugees had been interviewed but no decision had been made on their repatriation. ...

The Apsara Authority has signed a deal with South Korea to restore and conserve the Elephant Terrace in Siem Reap’s Angkor Archaeological Park. ...

The leaders of Cambodia and Vietnam on Saturday pledged to complete border demarcation between the countries before the end of next year. ...

The Ministry of Interior has said it will not allow any demonstrations in front of the Supreme Court during a hearing on Thursday to decide if the opposition CNRP will be dissolved, while the Koh Kong provincial governor’s office warned it will prevent residents from ...

Irregularities have been found in the Mondulkiri provincial administration over clearing state land to make way for timber smuggling to Vietnam. An investigation has been launched to find the officers responsible. ...

The Interior Ministry’s general department of identification has urged two million people with incorrect civil records to amend their personal information with officials. ...

The National Election Committee yesterday closed the voter registration list at 5.30 pm, with more than 32 percent of an estimated 1.6 million newly eligible voters having signed up successfully. NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said final registration figures will be released today. ...

Registration for next year’s national elections closed yesterday with a rush of last-minute sign-ups, though two of every three remaining eligible voters still remain unregistered in an atmosphere that observers say raises questions about the legitimacy of next year’s planned national election. ...

Police in Kratie province were caught on video letting potentially illegal timber transporters pass through their checkpoints on Monday night, with provincial police yesterday suggesting they were powerless to crack down on such shipments as many transporters possessed axes and machetes and were addicted to ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen approved the establishment of a new interministerial task force yesterday that will work to develop and manage community-based ecotourism locations in a bid to find sustainable ways to draw tourists to destinations across the Kingdom. ...

Foreign tourist arrivals to the Kingdom have gone up during the first nine months of this year, reaching roughly 3.9 million to represent a year-on-year increase of 11.5 percent, according to data released by the Ministry of Tourism yesterday. ...

Kry Lay lined up in early June to vote for the party he wanted to run Kampong Cham province’s Srak commune in the eastern part of the country. A former Sam Rainsy Party commune, the locale’s electorate delivered what Lay, a local farmer, wanted – ...

The US multinational Walmart has said it will buy more garment, footwear and luggage products from Cambodia next year due to increased capacity from suppliers and improved labour conditions in the country. ...

Farmers and agricultural NGOs slammed the seventh and final draft of a controversial agricultural law at a workshop in Phnom Penh yesterday, claiming that the law would benefit large corporations at the expense of small farmers if passed. ...

The Minister of Planning yesterday announced the third national census set for next year will be delayed until 2019 because the government must focus on the July general election. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently released a handbook on contract farming to promote agricultural leasing arrangements among farmers and buyers in the hope it will aid sustainable development of the sector. ...

Government officials yesterday called for more private investment in cassava production, arguing it will help boost and diversify Cambodian exports. ...

Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak has announced that the government will be spearheading a new National Cassava Policy which aims to address challenges in the industry and work towards ensuring a sustainable and resilient crop, strong value chains and greater regional market presence. ...

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) will open a museum on finance and monetary matters in January 2018, a representative of the central bank has announced. ...