Government

University researcher Sok Touch yesterday took the government’s oft-used “colour revolution” narrative one step further by characterising practically every major political development since the 2013 post-election protests as part of one concerted attempt to foment insurrection in the Kingdom. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen took the US Embassy to task yesterday for posting an image of a red herring on its Facebook page while it pointed to American contributions to saving temples and protecting forests. ...

Geographical indication status is being sought for Siem Reap prahok fish paste after the Industry Ministry granted approval for a national standard. Siem Reap prahok fish paste, made from fermented fish, is among many products in Cambodia that the government is working to get GI status. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture has alerted cassava farmers, traders, and importers about a new virus attacking cassava, instructing local authorities to work together with the industry to stem its spread. ...

Nearly 60,000 people have registered to vote in next year’s national election during the first week of registration. Hang Puthea, spokesman for the National Election Committee, said yesterday that 59,185 people across the country went to register from September 1 to September 10. Voter registration runs ...

More than 96 percent of tariffs in Asean have been eliminated, but certain parts of the 10-nation economic bloc including Cambodia lag behind others in full implementation of the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga), the Ministry of Commerce said in a Facebook post yesterday. ...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday urged the Cambodian government to guarantee all political and civil rights ahead of next year’s election, while the government’s Human Rights Committee dismissed allegations of wrongdoing. ...

After months of investigation, anti-drug officials with the Ministry of Interior cooperated with police forces in three Phnom Penh districts to arrest four suspected drug traffickers, seizing 8 kilograms of drugs on Saturday, according to the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD). ...

The number of students who passed Cambodia’s high-stakes grade-12 exam saw only a slight increase this year, signalling that scores may be plateauing after an overhaul to weed out rampant cheating in 2014. ...

Agriculture ministers in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on Friday endorsed a five-year strategy and action plan to build a region-wide food safety system. ...

The founder of the now-shuttered Cambodia Daily, Bernard Krisher, has told Prime Minister Hun Sen in a letter that he will travel to the Kingdom to take on any tax liabilities of his daughter, Deputy Publisher Deborah Krisher-Steele, stemming from the paper’s dispute with the ...

Global Purify Power (GPP), a joint venture behind $400 million worth of solar powered projects, started groundbreaking work on Friday with more than $10 million worth of investment in Kampong Speu province. ...

Opposition members in Kampong Chhnang say they have been banned from meeting since the arrest of CNRP leader Kem Sokha on Sunday, with the provincial police chief yesterday saying he would “not allow” the party to “discuss politics”. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday pledged to remain in power 10 more years to “maintain stability” in Cambodia, going on to blame the fatal crackdown on wage protests in 2014 on a “conspiracy” orchestrated by the beleaguered opposition. ...

The Tax Department yesterday escalated its attack on the Cambodia Daily by filing a legal complaint accusing its founder and two directors of obstructing the tax process and tax evasion, which could see them face up to six years in prison. ...

The government has denied the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the agricultural sector amid persistent reports that some local farmers may already be cultivating genetically engineered “hybrid” seeds, warning that countries could restrict or ban the import of Cambodian agricultural products if use ...

International condemnation of the government’s aggressive pursuit of a tax dispute with the Cambodia Daily continued to pour in yesterday, with the US Embassy in Phnom Penh calling the closure of the hard-hitting newspaper a “sad day for the press and for Cambodia”. ...

Following protests against land rights NGO Equitable Cambodia (EC) on Friday, several villagers in affected communities in Kampong Speu’s Oral district voiced concern yesterday that the protests might have been staged by the company that the communities stand in conflict with. ...

Jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha was officially charged with treason yesterday, about 36 hours after he was arrested at his Phnom Penh residence and sent to a Tbong Khmum prison. If Sokha is found guilty, his party could be dissolved based on new legislation that prevents ...

Cambodia and Laos have agreed to create a joint committee to solve a long-running border dispute between the two countries, officials announced yesterday. ...

Sihanoukville officials are scrambling to figure out how they will collect rubbish throughout the city – one of the top tourism destinations in the country – if waste management firm Cintri makes good on a recent threat to halt services on September 14, raising concerns ...

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a bail application for Poipet Commune Chief Chao Veasna, who has been in pretrial detention since February for his alleged role in a protest that turned violent outside the border town’s customs office in 2015. ...

Jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha was officially charged with treason this morning, about 36 hours after he was arrested from his Phnom Penh residence in a midnight raid by more than 100 police and sent to a Tbong Khmum prison. ...

The National Election Committee (NEC) yesterday said the recent political developments involving the detention of Cambodia’s opposition leader would not affect its efforts to register eligible voters ahead of next year’s national elections, though an observer said the arrest put the legitimacy of the electoral ...