Ministries and other national bodies

Both unionists and private sector representatives are unhappy with draft amendments to Cambodia’s Labour Law, which would overhaul the regulations surrounding worker contracts and guaranteed employee protections. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday expressed support for the waterway transport system from Prek Phnov to Phnom Penh and to Takhmao city, which will be launched before Khmer New Year. ...

The government has created a new interministerial committee to manage the activities of international NGOs, with an Interior Ministry official yesterday saying the body was intended to monitor organisations’ compliance with the controversial NGO Law. ...

The Cambodian government has approved plans to build one of the world’s largest airports in Kandal province, though key actors have yet to work out the details and one economist noted yesterday that the current proposal may be short-sighted. ...

Nearly 300 chickens and ducks were culled after a new case of H5N1, or bird flu, was found in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district last week, officials said. Seang Borin, director of the municipal agriculture department, said yesterday that 292 chickens and ducks were killed in ...

During a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen asked China to increase imports of Cambodian sugarcane. The officials met in Phnom Penh’s Peace Palace yesterday. ...

The Interior Ministry yesterday created a working group to review possible loopholes in a royal decree establishing a social security healthcare fund for public officials, civil servants and veterans. ...

The Education Ministry has produced a short video and posted it to its YouTube channel to help teachers educate students in grades one to three. The video, which runs less than 20 minutes, shows methods of teaching Khmer literature, mathematics and other subjects. ...

Two people were killed and one injured in three separate lightning strikes in Pursat and Prey Veng provinces on Monday, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management. ...

The Japanese government on Tuesday pledged to donate two patrol boats to the General Department of Customs and Excise. The announcement was made in a meeting between Economy Minister Aun Ponmonirath and Iizuka Atsushi, director-general of Japan’s Customs Bureau. ...

Wah Sun Handbags International Holding unveiled plans yesterday to expand its Cambodia operations, citing the country’s low labour costs as the primary reason for the move. In a filing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the handbag manufacturer announced plans to raise up to $18 ...

The economy will grow by 6.9 percent this year, according to projections from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), spurred by the robust performance of the tourism, construction and garment sectors. ...

Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon met on Monday with visiting US professors W. Ronnie Coffman and Max J. Pfeffer from Cornell University to discuss cooperation in a new project whose purpose is to yield disease-resilient, high yielding cassava. ...

More than 500 workers from the Benoh Apparel factory in Meanchey district’s Stung Meanchey commune yesterday agreed to sell the remaining machines in the factory to cover their lost pay after the owner went bankrupt and fled the country. ...

More than a dozen Chinese companies inked deals to purchase about $526 million worth of agricultural products from Cambodian firms on Monday. The 34 agreements between 14 Chinese firms and 18 Cambodian firms were announced by the two country’s commerce ministries at a press conference ...

Inflation in Cambodia last year reached 2.9 percent due to a moderate increase in the price of key commodities, particularly petroleum and agricultural goods, with the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) saying the low inflation rate was a product of sound macroeconomic management. ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a $180 million package of loans and grants to Cambodia that are meant to improve the country’s roads, water supply and small-scale farms. One $70 million loan will go towards improving 147-kilometres’ worth of flood-prone stretches of National Road ...

The interior and labour ministries have launched three new offices to speed up the process of providing passports and labourer cards to migrants hoping to work abroad. ...

The Information Ministry will use a new form of media pass for journalists working in Cambodia by the end of January in order to easily manage and collect data from journalists. ...

The Chinese government has pledged to assist the Environment Ministry with improving water quality control, providing equipment and about $1 million in funding. The announcement came at a meeting yesterday between undersecretary of state Eang Sophalleth and Wang Dongsheng, the vice president of the Chinese Academy ...

Officials holding the position of secretary of state will no longer be members of the Cabinet after July’s general election, it was announced yesterday.Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the government will soon amend the law to allow for a reduction in the number ...

The Ministry of Education plans to incorporate an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 community-based kindergartens – currently run by commune councils with support from NGOs – into the state public school system to ensure their sustainability, according to a new sub-decree. ...

Repairs on an ancient sandstone statue discovered in Siem Reap province in July are 50 percent complete, according to a report. The Angkor-era statue was found at the Tonle Sgnout temple by a group of Apsara Authority archaeologists working with colleagues from the Singapore-based Institute ...

The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to launch a QR code sticker scheme that will allow authorities and consumers to check the origin of vegetables and other agricultural products and see whether or not producers follow good agricultural practice (GAP).​ ...