Economy and commerce
Investment
Extraction ahead of schedule
Mesco Gold has established drilling and exploration resources at the Phum Syrang prospect in Ratanakkiri province, targeting extraction by late 2014, three to six months ahead of schedule, according to a statement released by Angkor Gold, which holds the land concession. The statement said Mesco had ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030861824/Business/extraction-ahead-of-schedule.html
Mobile Operator Beeline Reports Large Drop in Subscribers
The number of subscribers to the mobile operator Beeline plummeted by more than 400,000 in the fourth quarter of last year—the single-largest drop for the carrier since it entered the Cambodian market in mid-2009—while the average revenue per user (ARPU) increased slightly, the company’s quarterly ...
Cambodian, Chinese entrepreneurs meet to seek business chances
The 2013 China’s Zhejiang and Cambodia matchmaking symposium was held here on Tuesday to seek opportunities to expand business ties between China and Cambodia. Gong Zheng said the Chinese firms are doing businesses in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure development, construction and real estate, mineral ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/05/c_132210667.htm
Going black before going green
HIDDEN in the labyrinth of Stung Meanchey province’s factories, the Sustainable Green Fuel Enterprise (SGFE) found a cleaner way to produce charcoal: from coconut shells and industry leftovers. It is still one of the principal sources of energy for cooking in urban areas. Chief Executive Carlo ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030661774/Business/going-black-before-going-green.html
Report shows lack of information on Chinese-Funded Railway
With locals demanding dialogue with the Chinese firms behind a proposed multibillion dollar rail line to Preah Vihear province, an NGO report released yesterday highlights the dearth of information that has been made available on the project. Chinese company Cambodia Iron Steel Mining Industry Group (CISMIG) ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/report-shows-lack-of-information-on-chinese-funded-railway-12723/
NagaCorp To Build Underground Retail Center In Phnom Penh
Nagacorp will build an underground road and retail space linking its casino complex in Phnom Penh to nearby Koh Pich, according to the announcement released by City Hall yesterday. The underground road, which will be 23 meters wide and 447 meters long, will connect to National ...
Room for compromise in wage debate: official
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia and unions both need to compromise further to secure a “proper wage” for garment workers whose lives are hampered by their current $61 minimum wage, a Ministry of Social Affairs official overseeing wage negotiations said yesterday. “The government needs the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030661779/National/room-for-compromise-in-wage-debate-official.html
Cambodia launches arbitration body to deal with commercial disputes
Cambodia officially launched the long-awaited National Arbitration Center (NAC) on Monday, aiming at enhancing business environment and attracting more local and foreign investors. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said the government is committed to improving and enhancing Cambodia’s business environment and ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2013-03/04/c_132207640.htm
Cambodia building 248-km national road with Chinese aid
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday broke ground for the construction and enlargement of a 248-kilometer stretch of national road No. 6A, saying that the road is vital for the development of the economy and tourism. The road will be widened from the current 7 ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/05/c_132209913.htm
Mfone Employees Demand Unpaid Salaries
More than 100 former employees of the bankrupt mobile telephone company Mfone protested outside the firm’s shuttered offices in Phnom Penh yesterday, demanding that they receive salaries for working the month of February despite the company having already gone out of business. Mar Samoeun, 64, ...
Japanese to bolster SEZ development
A GROUP of Japanese businessmen yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Sonatra Group chairman Sorn Sokna to develop a special economic zone along the Mekong River at the site of the Prey Veng ferry terminals. The ferry service is expected to become redundant when the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030561750/Business/japanese-to-bolster-sez-development.html
Thais to set up maize plant
THAI agribusiness giant Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods is setting up a new silo and drying plant for maize in Pailin province. The exact investment cost is not known. According to a newspaper report in The Nation, the plant, together with a planned feed-meal plant in Laos, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030561742/Business/thais-to-set-up-maize-plant.html
Japan to strengthen local SME’s capacities
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced yesterday that it will provide technical support for Cambodian small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), strengthening their capacities through the establishment of a national policy, officials said. Meng Saktheara, director-general of the General Department of Industry at the Ministry of ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030561745/Business/japan-to-strengthen-local-sme-s-capacities.html
The Snap Look at Software Business
IT businesspeople see the potential demand in business software. Ms. Sok Channda, CEO and President of ANANA Group, tells Business Circle Magazine that because most businesses need to be controlled and managed systematically, demand for software development is experiencing an upward trend, including Point of Sale (POS) systems, inventory management systems, and software ...
http://www.bcmagz.com/the-snap-look-at-software-business.html
CPF subsidiaries investing Bt250m in Laos, Cambodia
CP Laos and CP Cambodia are investing a combined Bt250 million to set up a new silo for maize in Cambodia and a new feed-meal plant in Laos to strengthen CPF’s integrated agricultural-industrial business as the Asean Economic Community (AEC) approaches. Most recently, the company ...
Cambodia's Public Debt
According to the [inter]national Monetary Fund (IMF), at the end of 2011, the stock of Cambodia’s external public debt, including arrears, stood at around US 3.8 billion or 30 percent of GDP (24 percent in NPV terms). China remains the largest bilateral creditor, contributing to ...
Recent Development and Economic Outlook
The UN’s assessment suggests that Cambodia is one of the top five countries that have made significant progress toward meeting its MDGs by 2015. The poverty rate has dropped dramatically from 47.50 percent in 1993 to 34.70 percent in 2004 and 23 percent in 2011, ...
Naga World Boss Acquires Billionaire Status
The Malaysian founder of Phnom Penh’s only licensed casino, Chen Lip Keong, is now a billionaire after seeing his fortune multiply in size in recent years, according to Forbes magazine. The magazine, which calculates the wealth of individuals using company data, published a list of the ...
Walmart and H&M Suppliers Pay Workers at Closed Cambodia Plant
Suppliers to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) agreed yesterday to pay about $145,000 in back wages and severance to about 160 workers at a Cambodian factory that closed in November, a labor activist involved in the deal said. The agreement, which ...
Cambodia, UK trade volume reaches $750 million in 2012
The United Kingdom embassy in Phnom Penh said today that bilateral trade volume between the two kingdom had reached to $750 million, an increase of 27 per cent if compared to 2011. British Ambassador Mark Gooding welcomed the increasing trade between the UK and Cambodia. “bilateral ...
Brit brands target local market
MORE UK-based brands were looking to set up shop in Cambodia, Britain’s ambassador to Cambodia, Mark Gooding, said yesterday. Gooding said at Costa Coffee’s official opening in Phnom Penh he was pleased by the arrival of the international chain, the largest coffee brand in the UK, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030161680/Business/brit-brands-target-local-market.html
Cambodia's garment workers confront multinationals
Since mid-January a group of illegally laid off Cambodian garment workers – mostly women – have been picketing the factory they worked in. Their objective was to stop the company, which closed down, owing the workers, collectively, about US$200,000 of unpaid wages, from removing the ...
Cambodian PM greets large group of Chinese businesspeople
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday met with a large group of Chinese business executives visiting Cambodia to explore investment opportunities. To date, he said, the Sino-Cambodian relationship has reached the level of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation. The premier said China has helped ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-02/28/c_132199209.htm
Finance Minister Lauds Boeng Kak's Tax Bill
The Finance Ministry has sent a letter to well-known businesswoman Choeung Sopheap thanking her for paying her taxes on the highly controversial filling in of Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak lake, and holding her firm up as an example of corporate professionalism. Though Shukaku Inc., which is ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/finance-minister-lauds-boeng-kaks-tax-bill-11863/