Government

Civil servants, police officers and retired officials with disabilities will receive a Khmer New Year’s bonus of 50,000 riel (about $12.50) next month, a fraction of the $37.50 request that was made by a union last week. ...

The Commerce Ministry has received more than 5,000 applications from companies to register their trademark in the first three months of this year – the same as for all of last year – a senior ministry official said yesterday. ...

Pan India Paryatan Pvt Ltd (PIPPL), the owner of Mumbai-based EsselWorld, one of India’s largest amusement parks, has shown interest in developing a theme park in Cambodia after a meeting with the minister of tourism late last week. ...

Four French Companies have received the first 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) awards in areas of economic governance, environment and social impact. ...

Deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha on Saturday brushed off protests from a group of students demanding he respond to claims that he had a series of extramarital affairs, telling CNRP faithful to prepare for next year’s commune elections.   ...

As the Kingdom grapples with water shortages, the Ministry of Rural Development and NGO Plan International have set a goal to bring clean water sources to 60 per cent of Cambodia’s 12 million rural residents by 2018.    ...

The Ministry of Health has advised the Kingdom’s citizen’s to be wary of food and alcohol poisoning during the Khmer New Year celebrations, according to a joint press release between the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) issued last week. ...

A Defense Ministry spokesman yesterday denied Thai media reports that Cambodian Minister of Defence Tea Banh had discussed the potential reopening of access to Preah Vihear temple from the Thai side of the border during recent talks. ...

The Environment and Education Ministries will expand their eco-school program to all primary and secondary schools across the country over the course of 2017, provided they have the necessary human and financial resources to do so. ...

The Ministry of Environment is encouraging people living in or around protected areas to start feeding and domesticating wild animals, and to abstain from eating them, with similar strategies in animal conservation being attempted in communities in Preah Vihear province. ...

The government may reopen the border gate in front of Preah Vihear temple in a bid to strengthen ties with Thailand as diplomatic relations improve, but local tourism operators are concerned the move would hurt their business. ...

On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a new phase of the Public Financial Management Reform Program, a donor-assisted initiative established in 2004 to bolster the country’s ability to soundly manage its budget. In a speech at the launch event, he touted the government’s progress ...

Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana met on Friday with the National Assembly’s opposition-led human rights commission to discuss issues related to judicial independence and court procedure, including government interference in the court system and abuse of the pretrial detention system.   ...

Cambodia launched an economic cooperation forum here on Thursday, aimed to further promote bilateral trade, investment and tourism relations with China, officials said. ...

A high school director in Prey Veng province accused of embezzling thousands of dollars was transferred to a new position with the provincial government on Wednesday following a protest by students and teachers. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked China to import more agricultural products from Cambodia to boost bilateral trade and strengthen the relationship between the two countries. The prime minister wants to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2017. ...

The government was unaware of about half of the residential child care centers operating in four provinces and Phnom Penh prior to a study conducted last year, according to a report released on Thursday. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen will attempt to renegotiate the $1.5 billion of Soviet-era debt Cambodia accrued during the 1980s when he visits Russia in May, according to a post on the premier’s Facebook page.   ...

The business community in Cambodia has welcomed the recent Cabinet reshuffle, which many say will improve the way the government works and will also improve the economy. ...

The government’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) on Thursday announced it was launching an official investigation into allegations that deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha made unlawful land and apartment purchases for a mistress. ...

Judge and prosecutors were called to a two-day workshop to address the sector’s pervasive ethics challenges, but legal experts said change could not occur until there were concrete rules, instead of vague moral guidelines. ...

A new survey released by Cambodia’s Social Affairs Ministry on Thursday showed that the number of residential care institutions in the country’s five key provinces increased to 267 last year, up 92 percent from only 139 in the year before. ...

Cambodia is considering allowing visitors from Thailand directly access Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said on Thursday. ...

Claims that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recent spike in Facebook popularity is the result of purchasing “likes” from abroad are “completely twisted,” the government’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee concluded in a five-page report released on Wednesday. ...