National government

Cambodia on Wednesday raised the controversial monthly minimum wage for garment workers by 28 percent, a decision likely to infuriate unions seeking a higher increase and revive calls for strike action. Sixteen members of the Labour Ministry’s Labour Advisory Committee voted for the government-proposed minimum ...

Independent labour unions will take part in the Ministry of Labour’s Labour Advisory Committee (LAC) meeting today, possibly making their decision on next year’s minimum wage in Cambodia’s garment sector. NIFTUC and the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) considered boycotting the LAC ...

Cambodia’s international donors met Tuesday to decide whether they will comply with the government’s recent move to increase the per diem that civil servants receive for attending work-related, out-of-office events. In July, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed off on a sub-decree raising the Daily Subsistence Allowance ...

The National Assembly’s banking and finance commission met Monday to discuss the proposed $3.8-billion budget for 2015, with lawmakers from both parliamentary parties agreeing that more specific details are needed before they can evaluate the plan, according to the commission’s deputy chairman, Son Chhay. Mr. Chhay, ...

Opposition CNRP lawmaker Pol Ham on Monday said he will visit the site of a proposed hydropower dam in Koh Kong province on Monday with colleagues from his parliamentary commission before they quiz government officials about the controversial project later this month. If built, the 108-megawatt ...

The proposed 2015 education budget is inching upwards from last year’s funding, however it still falls short of internationally recommended minimums. Education is slated to take up a $396 million chunk of the $3.75 billion draft budget, which has yet to be approved by the National ...

Cambodia is quickly becoming a hub for Japanese exports, according to the latest figures from the Japan External Trade Agency, JETRO. The state-run agency’s latest trade figures show Cambodia exported more than $584 million worth of locally made products to Japan over the first nine months ...

The National Assembly’s mixed-party commission on finance will meet Monday to begin discussing the 2015 draft budget, its deputy chairman said Sunday. CNRP chief whip Son Chhay said the CPP-chaired committee would meet this morning to discuss the $3.8 billion budget and plan a meeting with ...

The Ministry of Information yesterday announced a three-year public consultation period on a new access to information draft law that has been in the works since 2007. But freedom of information advocates greeted the news with scepticism, citing a lack of representation from civil society on ...

Around 3.2 million foreign tourists visited Cambodia in the first nine months of the year, a five percent rise from 3.05 million over the same period last year. The majority of tourists came from Vietnam, China, South Korea, Laos and Thailand, Xinhua news agency reported. ...

A new wetland protected area may be implemented in Battambang province following talks between scientists, Asian governments and conservation groups held in Siem Reap this week. The message seems to have been heard, at least by the Ministry of Environment, which yesterday said it would ...

Cambodia plans to open bids for concessions on 19 onshore oil and gas exploration blocks to promote investment in the sector, a senior official at the country’s Ministry of Mines and Energy said on Wednesday. The Southeast Asian country is also keen to talk with international ...

Since a nationwide census of foreigners began in August, fines totalling nearly $200,000 have been paid into government coffers, an immigration official told the Post yesterday. “According to the law, the immigration police can fine them 200,000 riel [about $49] to 500,000 riel and this ...

Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy checked on a quarry in Kampot province for the second time yesterday amid allegations it is operating illegally thanks to local corruption. The quarry, which is owned by husband and wife Hok Chhenda and Tep Sokha, was ...

As about 60 percent of the tens of thousands of students who took the national high school exam—some twice—this year cope with failure, Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said this week the dismal grades would only have a “minor impact” on university admissions and jobseekers. ...

Villagers in Banteay Meanchey province’s Malai district have complained that a politically connected firm owned by one of the country’s most influential businessmen has flooded their homes. ...

The former governor of Pailin province, Y Chhien, has been removed from his positions as provincial council president and president of the Pailin chapter of the Cambodian People’s Party following allegations he was involved in embezzling $400,000 in expenses. ...

Less flooding and illegal fishing activities have dampened estimates for the country’s upcoming fishing harvest, officials and industry representatives say. Due to less flooding, this year’s total catch is expected to equal or even fall short of last year’s total of 700,000 tonnes, Nao Thuok, director ...

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made a minor misstep in the minefield of Thai-Cambodian relations on the eve of his official visit to our neighbour last week. Prior to his departure for Phnom Penh, Prayut proposed an idea for joint development of Preah Vihear, the ancient temple ...

Mirach Energy Ltd. announced Monday that its associate company, CPHL (Cambodia) Company Limited (the Company), has received the approval from the Ministry of Environment in Cambodia for the Initial Environmental Social Impact Assessment Report (IESIA) report for drilling in offshore Cambodia (Block D). ...

Cambodia’s agriculture sector is set to receive a funding boost, according to the government’s 2015 draft budget statements, but the anticipated increase has not impressed industry experts. The draft budget documents show the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will receive $126 million for 2015, ...

As the new public school year gets under way this week, grade 12 students reeling from en masse failure at the national exam have a choice to make: repeat their grade or forfeit their diploma. In total, just 33,997 test-sitters, or 40.6 per cent of ...

Cambodia and Morocco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a political consultation mechanism in order to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation, officials said. ...

Cambodia has issued operating licenses to 3,025 new companies in the first nine months of 2014, up 36 percent over the same period last year, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. Foreign companies were 1,335, an increase of 20 percent, as local registrations saw a ...