Ministries and other national bodies

Prime Minister Hun Sen told a summit on micro-finance development yesterday that stricter rules needed to be applied to organizations and institutions lending money as many people were being cheated, embezzled and losing their collateral to unscrupulous lenders. ...

The Ministry of Interior on Friday threatened legal action against lawbreaking auto shops that work without a licence or illegally assemble vehicles from scrap parts. ...

A campaign will be launched country-wide to educate the public about how to properly use financial services, a forum on microfinance in Phnom Penh was told yesterday. ...

Cambodia’s health regulation system is in need of deep reform, not just minor adjustments, as it is failing to meet its national needs and ASEAN obligations, according to a new report. ...

Cambodian and Australian officials on Sunday denied claims made by a Rohingya refugee from Burma over the weekend that he was being poorly treated in Phnom Penh, with the Interior Ministry’s refugee director calling the man “a liar.” ...

Local rights groups have raised major concerns about Cambodia’s sweeping new Telecommunications Law, which gives the government virtually unchecked spying powers and criminalizes any electronic communication deemed to cause “national insecurity.” ...

More than 250 Preah Vihear families who have been living under the threat of eviction since 2010 are to be allowed to keep their homes, according to a letter from the Interior Ministry obtained yesterday. ...

Cambodia’s embassy in Thailand has denied allegations that officials from the embassy were extorting Cambodian employers and migrant workers in Thailand by demanding bribes for fake passports and pushing along applications to legalize a person’s working status. ...

Cambodia is set to host a seminar by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in May to encourage other countries to sign a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs and brief military officials on international conventions and laws. ...

Officials from 14 governments gathered in Siem Reap on Wednesday to discuss sustainable development of extractive industries in the regions, urging Cambodia to take stock of its oil, gas and mineral reserves and device mechanism to develop these resources sustainably. ...

As a result of the meeting with the specialist commissions, Minister of Labor Ith Samheng said that nearly 50 percent of the comments given by union leaders, business owners, development partners and the government were used to make changes in the draft union law yesterday. ...

Illegal strikes, the minimum wage and high electricity costs were the subjects discussed during the 13th annual meeting between Cambodia and Japan last week, according to the Council for Development of Cambodia (CDC). ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen wants more specialized doctors to work for the government in public medical facilities and become public servants, according to a speech given by the premier to close yesterday’s annual conference held by the Ministry of Health. ...

Gas stations around the country will be required to sell their products at a standardized price and any that overcharge will be fined, the government said yesterday. ...

The Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement on Tuesday clarifying the policies that will be used to collect service passports from public servants after they have returned from their missions abroad and are no longer authorized to use them. ...

The government is preparing for the retirement of eight provincial governors, Interior Minister Sar Kheng announced at an event to commemorate International Women’s Day on Tuesday. ...

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said Wednesday that he was unconcerned by a letter sent to him by the head of the National Assembly’s health commission last month concerning a spate of recently discovered HIV cases in Kandal province.   ...

With the costs of health care on the rise, Health Minister Mam Bun Heng yesterday revealed plans to increase public health funding in order to provide greater medical coverage for those unable to afford it. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday said the government is now paying almost all civil servants’ salaries and collecting taxes using technology, rather than relying on officials to handle cash, which reduces corruption. ...

Government officials who travel overseas for work will have to turn over their service passports when they return to Cambodia starting this month due to misuse of the documents to overstay official trips and partake in unrelated work, according to a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement. ...

The minister of health on Monday warned doctors to abide by ethical standards and maintain proper medical records, saying that the ministry will take legal action against those that don’t, without explaining the consequences in detail. ...

Tourism officials in Cambodia and Thailand are accelerating efforts to link the two countries to create the most attractive single destination in the region, according to the Ministry of Tourism. ...

In response to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s critiques on healthcare in Cambodia during a speech evaluating government effectiveness last month, Health Minister Dr. Mam Bunheng sent a reminder to health officials throughout the country to deliver high quality healthcare and to strengthen the quality of ...

The government has reached an agreement with two foreign oil companies operating in Cambodia on a proposed fuel-price mechanism, ending a two-month deadlock that has prevented it from implementing a price ceiling on gasoline sold at petrol stations across the Kingdom. ...