International relations

Prime Minister Hun Sen hit back yesterday in response to United States visa sanctions by saying Cambodia would no longer assist in finding and repatriating the remains of American soldiers who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen returned from a three-day trip to China yesterday, all but confirming in a statement what observers have long theorised: that Cambodia now sees China’s backing as a bulwark against Western criticisms over its rights record. ...

The United States yesterday banned business and tourist visas for Cambodian Foreign Ministry officials and their families in response to the Kingdom’s refusal to accept “inhumane” deportations of Cambodian citizens convicted of felonies in the US. ...

United States Ambassador William Heidt yesterday said allegations of US interference in Cambodia’s internal affairs were “absurd” and made without a “shred of serious or credible evidence”, but stopped short of speculating on any potential repercussions from the superpower. ...

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. ...

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

Cambodia’s foreign affairs minister and his Laotian counterpart will hold a two-day meeting in Phnom Penh this week to draft a letter to France requesting detailed maps to resolve a border dispute that flared up last month. ...

The US Embassy yesterday hit back at unsubstantiated claims of a United States-backed conspiracy to topple the government disseminated by pro-government media outlet Fresh News, even as local news reported that the Interior Ministry would investigate the purported plot.​   ...

The Permanent Mission of Cambodia to the United Nations in Geneva shot back at the UN human rights office (OHCHR) yesterday for criticising what it characterised as the Kingdom’s deteriorating political climate, claiming the criticism was “unverified” and “politically motivated”. // //   ...

The Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has suggested that Russia set up the Russia-Cambodia Investor Council to pave the way for the private sector in both countries to be engaged with each other. ...

Government officials reacted strongly yesterday after the US Embassy questioned Cambodia’s commitment to democracy. ...

The Trump administration will impose visa sanctions on four countries that refuse to take back foreign nationals deemed to be in the US illegally, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Dave Lapan said Wednesday. The four countries — Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to ...

Kampot pepper, which received geographical indication (GI) certification from the European Union last year, expects 80 tonnes to go on the export market this year, thanks to demand and increased production. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday visited troops in Stung Treng province along the border with Laos, where he announced the creation of a new brigade following tensions between the countries. ...

Two weeks after Bangladesh and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Phnom Penh to purchase rice from Cambodia, on Monday of this week Bangladesh signed a deal to buy 250,000 tonnes of milled rice from Cambodia. ...

Cambodia’s relevant officials of the Ministry of Environment have been working closely with their Chinese counterparts for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on nuclear power cooperation. ...

A senior Vietnamese leader has met with Cambodia’s National Assembly to request the continued acknowledgement of Cambodian-born Vietnamese, Vietnamese investors and to request that young Vietnamese born in the country be allowed to study in Cambodian public schools. ...

Trade between Cambodia and Thailand increased by about 10 percent in the first half of the year to $2.9 billion, up from $2.6 billion in the same period last year, according to figures released by the Thai embassy yesterday. ...

Lao troops occupying territory south of the Sekong River withdrew on Saturday after Prime Minister Hun Sen gave them a six-day deadline to leave and dispatched two military brigades and members of his personal Bodyguard Unit to the border. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday said troops from neighboring Laos that entered the country in April near a patch of border area must retreat by Wednesday. ...

The Kingdom’s apex rice industry body has been meeting this week to discuss ways of nailing down a potentially massive deal with Bangladesh, which earlier this month inked a memorandum of understanding to purchase 1 million tonnes of Cambodian rice over the next five years. ...

H.E. Ok Boung, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, held a discussion with H.E. Ms. Pottie Donica, Canadian Ambassador to Cambodia, on bilateral trade relations, mainly in garment sector, at the ministry office on Monday afternoon, said the ministry’s news release. ...

During Asean’s 50-year anniversary, the Cambodian government encouraged members of the regional bloc to exercise patience in drafting statements against North Korean missile use in order to minimize regional tensions, Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn said at a briefing following his return from Manila. ...

New Zealand is to provide $5 million to support  the sustainable development of horticulture over a five-year period in Cambodia, New Zealand’s foreign minister Gerry Brownlee announced on Monday. ...