Aid and development

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) revealed its plans Monday for a Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City expressway that will halve travel time between the two cities. At an estimated cost of $2.2 billion, the initial target date for completion of the expressway is ...

The U.N.’s deputy high commissioner for human rights, Flavia Pansieri—who is on a week­long mission in Cambodia —has been asked to address an arbitrarily enforced ban on public assemblies, which has been in place since January. In a letter dated Monday, Muth Chantha, secretary-general of the ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia was eager to have Japanese investors to build factories and produce goods for exports to the world market. The premier made comments during his meeting on Sunday with Tishimitsu Gotegi, Minister of Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Industry of ...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday forecast Cambodia’s economy will grow by 7.2 per cent this year, 0.2 percentage point higher than last year. ...

As much as $320 million is being lost annually as a result of Cambodia’s reliance on the US dollar, while a longstanding mistrust in the riel means there is less of the local currency in circulation, restricting the national bank’s ability to respond in times ...

Residents of property development site, Boeung Kok, on Thursday gathered in front of an office of World Bank in Phnom Penh in order to present petition to the World Bank. They were seeking intervention from the World Bank to help solve years-long land dispute in their ...

Cambodia’s tax department is under-resourced and understaffed, thereby hindering its ability to generate revenue, according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) analysis released earlier this month. The analysis, which took into account survey results from 22 tax revenue bodies across Asia between 2012 and 2013, paints ...

The Asian Development Bank announced Wednesday that it will provide $81.7 million, including a $6.7 million grant from Australia, in additional financing to help Cambodia recover from catastrophic floods in late 2013. The flooding affected 1.7 million people and caused an estimated $356 million in damage. ...

Nearly 500 women were tested this month in a screening drive at Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital for human papillomavirus (HPV), two strains of which are known to cause cervical cancer, but the free Pap smear was advertised as being available only to married women. Hav Monirath, ...

In an effort to bolster China’s cultural influence and expand bilateral ties, the Chinese government last week donated $203,000 to support the Kingdom’s increasingly popular Chinese-language classes. The funding was transferred last Thursday to the Chinese Association in Cambodia, which said it plans to expand class ...

Cambodia is encouraging green industry development in order to minimize impact on environment and reduce emission of greenhouse gas, Minister of Industry and Handicraft Cham Prasidh said Monday. Speaking at the Green Industry Seminar, Prasidh said currently industry has seen rapid growth but contributed to increasing ...

The U.N.’s human rights office in Cambodia expressed concern Monday that 22 detained protesters may not be allowed to attend their trials on Friday, while the government insisted that the prisoners will be transported to the court. Two minors were arrested for intentional violence for their ...

The world’s wealthiest person, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, made a brief appearance in the border town of Pailin on Saturday, where their foundation funds projects to combat drug-resistant malaria. According to staff at the Memoria Palace & Resort, the philanthropists met with health ministry ...

The Council of Ministers of Cambodia on Friday passed three draft laws, designed to strengthen the country’s longtime-criticized judicial system, according to a government media statement. The green light was given during a weekly cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen. ...

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF) will scrap customs fees for rice exporters from May 1 in an effort to reduce production costs and boost Cambodia’s competitiveness in the sector, according to a letter obtained by the Post. “[The ministry] has agreed to eliminate charges ...

The Sichuan-Cambodia Business Matching Session 2014 was held here Thursday with an aim to further promote economic and trade relations between Cambodia and China. The half-day forum brought together business executives from 51 enterprises in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and some 120 Cambodian business people. ...

Casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnance have remarkably increased in the first two months of this year, a report of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority showed Tuesday. The country reported 40 casualties, 6 people died and 34 injured, during the January-February period this ...

More than two dozen NGOs have written to the head of the Asian Development Bank demanding the immediate release of a draft plan the ADB has drawn up to help Cambodian families evicted to make way for a bank-funded railway rehabilitation project. They also want ...

Phnom Penh City Hall decides to run public buses by itself after Chinese-owned Global withdrew​ itself due to internal issues. Long Dimanche, spokesman for the City Hall, said that the Global withdrew itslef from the public bus service project after two-month trial from February 5th to ...

Families evicted for a rail project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) threatened to demonstrate if the bank does not show them its plan to improve their living conditions within one week. About 1,000 families who built homes over the country’s long-neglected train tracks were ...

Anil Wadhwa, India’s deputy foreign minister, met with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Wednesday and promised to honor his request for millions of dollars in loans, a spokesman said. He [Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong] said that Mr. Namhong then requested money to complete ...

The two sides of the Second Chroy Changva Bridge were connected Wednesday in a ceremony presided over by Transport Minister Tram Iv Tek. He said the Chinese-funded bridge would be completed by September. “The bridge was projected to cost $27.5 million to be spent on construction ...

Cambodian and Indian senior diplomats on Wednesday discussed ways to strengthen and expand bilateral relations and cooperation for mutual benefits of the two countries and peoples. The talk was made between Cambodian deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Indian Ministry of External Affairs ...

Without more efforts to punish traffic violators, the government is all but certain to miss its 2020 goal of cutting traffic deaths by 20 percent and drunk driving deaths by 50 percent, road safety experts said at a forum Tuesday. There were 1,910 deaths due to ...