Government

With social media increasingly becoming the focal point of political discourse in the country, and the prime minister threatening to take legal action against those who insult him online, the opposition CNRP has issued an appeal to its supporters urging them not to publicly insult ...

Importers can expect a substantial increase in the “specific tax” component of certain products, especially automobiles and auto spare parts, according to a sub-decree by the Customs and Excise Department released yesterday. ...

Almost a year after the creation of the new National Election Committee (NEC), its nine members will meet on Friday to select a new secretary-general, the person who will implement its reform agenda ahead of elections in 2017 and 2018. . ...

The draft law to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank passed the National Assembly yesterday with lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition party supporting it, saying it will  open the door to a new source of funding for the development of the Kingdom’s ...

Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts expressed grave concerns yesterday over damage caused to remote heritage and conservation sites at their annual review meeting in Phnom Penh. ...

Due to the lack of qualified personnel to evaluate new patents and enforce the existing law, the Industry Ministry is cooperating with the European Patent Office to enhance their capacity so that Cambodia can better ensure protection of patents to draw more investment, Industry Minister ...

The government collected about $1.3 billion in tax revenue in 2015, a 21.67 percent increase over the previous year, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s general department of taxation on Monday. ...

Government ministries were yesterday urged to continue their efforts in shifting responsibilities towards local authorities at an annual meeting to discuss ongoing decentralisation reforms, reforms one top official called key to the ruling party’s upcoming election hopes. ...

In its own decentralisation efforts, the Ministry of Education has delegated authority over the issuing of licences to pre-schools to provincial- and city-level education departments, Minister of Education Hang Chuon Naron said yesterday. ...

Cambodians passing on their property to relatives will no longer have to pay the requisite registration tax, the government announced on Sunday during the ruling CPP’s annual party congress.The directive, signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, was posted to both the the premier’s personal Facebook ...

The watchdog coalition Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) yesterday voiced concern after the National Election Committee short-listed its incumbent secretary-general Tep Nytha as a candidate to hold the position, accusing the nine-member body of lacking transparency in its selection process. ...

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) is requiring financial institutions to gradually phase in a higher liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) to ensure sustainable growth in the industry and avoid crises.  ...

In the aftermath of the 2013 election, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered his colleagues in the ruling CPP to stand before a mirror and cleanse themselves of the sins that had almost allowed a united opposition led by Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha to sweep ...

Thanks to improved collection efforts, a total of $34.7 million in taxes was taken in from Cambodia’s casinos in 2015, a 33 percent increase on the previous year, the Finance Ministry said on Monday. Ros Phearun, deputy director-general of the ministry’s finance industry department, said ...

The draft Coastal Master Plan is likely to get approval from the Ministry of Tourism and other ministries in the middle of this year, while Otres Beach has been selected by the ministry as the template ensuring bays and beaches are environmentally friendly in order ...

As senior members of the ruling CPP gathered in Phnom Penh this weekend for their annual congress, the party gave itself a glowing performance review and noted almost no areas for improvement, according to a 49-page report distributed to delegates at the two-day event. ...

Following a troubled rollout of the January 1 Traffic Law, the government announced yesterday in a press conference that an inter-ministerial team has been established to determine what amendments will be made in reaction to widespread criticism from the public and civil society. ...

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s decision-making central committee will hold its annual congress this weekend on Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich. ...

In his latest abrupt policy backtracking, Prime Minister Hun Sen used a speech on Thursday to rescind a recently announced plan to ban dual nationals from leading political parties—an effort that had ostensibly been aimed at the self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy. ...

The number of drug cases and people arrested for drug crimes in 2015 more than doubled year-on-year, while the volume of drugs seized shot up 18-fold, according to police. ...

A Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker is calling on young Cham party activists to rally support for the opposition party, expressing a desire to see a politician from the Muslim minority join the National Assembly. ...

The government is planning to gradually reduce tariffs on most goods imported from other ASEAN member states to zero, putting Cambodia ahead of what is required of it under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), officials said.   ...

Three applicants have been shortlisted for the top spot on the reformed National Election Committee, with a final decision to be made on January 15. ...

Russian authorities have temporarily detained a cargo ship flying the Cambodian flag near Crimea in the Black Sea on January 3, a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said yesterday. ...