Government

The coastal city of Sihanoukville is undergoing a massive transformation. Once perceived as a seedy haunt for lethargic backpackers and expats, a flood of Chinese tourists and investors has begun to alter the landscape by setting up everything from gaudy casinos to towering luxury resorts ...

The Apsara Authority announced yesterday that it will begin sharing preservation knowledge and collaborating in restorations with the city officials behind Beijing’s ancient Imperial City. Officials from Cambodia’s heritage preservation authority met with Du Jingxin, an official from Beijing’s Xicheng district, to discuss ways the ...

A memorandum of understanding meant to beef up protections for Cambodian maids in Malaysia is still on hold after Malaysia’s human resources minister said he was not aware of the agreement, according to Malaysian media. ...

Environmental NGOs expressed concerns this week about a requirement from the Ministry of Environment to get advanced permission to patrol the Prey Lang protected forest, saying doing so could lead to illegal loggers getting tipped off, given the history of collusion with officials in the ...

A lawyer for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces filed a complaint accusing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy of “incitement” yesterday, despite Prime Minister Hun Sen vowing on Wednesday to sue his long-time political opponent for “treason”. ...

Among the 50 prisoners who were pardoned or received sentence reductions for the Water Festival this year, several were convicted of serious crimes, such as rape, murder and human trafficking, according to a review of the roster included in the most recent Royal Book. ...

The government will not consider further reductions of import quotas for live pigs, nor will it ban imports of the livestock, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently said, adding that companies in the meat industry should rethink their ...

The Cambodia Import-Export Inspection and Fraud Repression Directorate General (Camcontrol) opened a new laboratory in Preah Sihanouk province on Wednesday to monitor food and ensure its safety. ...

A total of 17 Cambodia-Vietnam friendship monuments across Cambodia will be renovated by March next year with nearly $8 million provided by Vietnam’s Defence Ministry. ...

Nuth Sokhom, former Funcinpec lawmaker; Hel Sarat, formerly of the Cambodian Nationality Party; and Dim Sovannarom, former deputy director of the government’s human rights body, were all confirmed to the NEC, replacing three CNRP-nominated members who resigned in protest of the party’s dissolution in November. ...

The Minister of Labour yesterday warned factory owners around the country that they would face legal action if large groups of workers faint during working hours within their enterprises. ...

The US State Department will issue visa restrictions on individuals “involved in undermining democracy in Cambodia”, the Trump administration announced overnight yesterday, following the dissolution of the main opposition party last month and the arrest in September of former opposition leader Kem Sokha. ...

Representatives of 175 families in Koh Kong province gathered once again in front of the Ministry of Land Management yesterday to ask for a quicker resolution to a decade-long land dispute. ...

The National Assembly approved the replacement of three members of the National Election Committee yesterday. It also recognized 16 new members of parliament from the ruling CPP. ...

In a bid to decentralise the certificates of origin (COs) process to help promote international exports and ease cross-border trade, the Ministry of Commerce launched a pilot project yesterday that allows officials in the provinces of Battambang and Pailin to directly issue certification. ...

Amid accusations of bias in favour of the ruling party – and following the removal of the main opposition party from the electoral field – the National Election Committee has announced the creation of a new press reaction team to “attack back at negative points”. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen and members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces yesterday announced their intention to formally accuse former opposition leader Sam Rainsy of treason, after Rainsy urged soldiers and policemen not to shoot protesters. ...

More than 100 workers at the JD Toyoma garment factory in Takeo province’s Bati district fainted yesterday morning while working. Police suspected the cause of the fainting was chemical fumes in the factory, but the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia said the fumes did not ...

The process of revoking documents from ethnic Vietnamese people, many of whom have been living in Cambodia for generations, is halfway complete in Kampong Chhnang province, according to the provincial director of immigration. ...

Japan has provided more than $300,000 to aid the government in its construction of a road and three hospitals in four provinces. The $329,736 grant was signed at the Japanese embassy yesterday by the Japanese ambassador, the director of the Preah Vihear provincial department of public ...

With Cambodia’s former opposition leader Kem Sokha languishing in a remote jail for more than three months now, international organisations and parliamentarians have renewed their calls for his immediate release and for the reversal of the controversial dissolution of his Cambodia National Rescue Party. ...

Cambodian pig farmers are facing a mounting crisis as the price of pigs has continued to plummet, with many blaming local officials for allowing Vietnam to illegally import pigs across the border, representatives from a farmers association said at a press conference yesterday. ...

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday appealed to the Cambodian government to “support” her country in handling the refugee crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Rohingya pour over its border fleeing violence and persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. ...

More than 200 workers at the Nantai garment factory agreed to bring an end to their protest after the Labour Ministry, local authorities and company promised to solve their dispute on Wednesday. ...