International relations

An adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker said Saturday that a four-strong team of Cambodian lawmakers is planned to pay an official visit to Iran tomorrow. The delegation will be led by Cambodian Parliament Vice-Speaker Negonen Nehel, Sheikholeslam added. ...

Ouch Borith, Secretary of State of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, and Ugo Astuto, director of South and Southeast Asia of the European Union, will co-chair the 8th meeting of Cambodia-EU Joint Committee to strengthen relations and cooperation between Cambodia and ...

The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) says it has prepared a “briefing paper” ahead of a European Union meeting with Cambodia in Brussels next week. In a statement late Thursday, the Paris-based group said the paper “documents the deteriorating situation in Cambodia and make(s) recommendations ...

Every morning, right about 8am, Vuthy* starts to feel out of sorts. On the way from his home in Meanchey district to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, where he receives treatment, he breaks into a sweat. Vuthy is one of about 140 former heroin addicts who ...

Thmey Thmey online news and Women’s Radio FM 102 on Thursday announced a partnership that will see journalists from both outlets join forces to create evening news bulletins to be broadcast daily starting Saturday. “Our concept is independent Cambodian news, by Cambodians, for Cambodians, and 102 ...

Representatives of some of the 3,000 families evicted from Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak neighborhood in recent years said Thursday that municipal government officials, who were ultimately responsible for the mass evictions, told them they would be inviting the World Bank and NGOs to help compensate ...

Promising to dramatically open up the region’s airways, the planned Asean Single Aviation Market (ASAM) will bring with it fierce competition and price wars, experts said yesterday during a seminar on the subject at the Phnom Penh Hotel. The seminar brought representatives from the majority of ...

A spirited debate on human rights in Cambodia was heard in the Australian parliament this week after an opposition Labor Party MP introduced a motion calling on the government to condemn state violence against striking garment workers and ask authorities to release detained protesters. Clare O’Neil, ...

British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy David Puttnam said Thursday that the country looked to boost bilateral trade volume with Cambodia to $5 billion by 2020. “The bilateral trade between the UK and Cambodia reached $1 billion last year and we expect the trade volume will hit ...

The quality of education is still a big concern for Cambodia and the country needs to set a more effective strategy to enhance teaching conditions and quality of education for all learners, Anne Lemaistre, UNESCO representative in Cambodia, said Thursday. “I would like to commend ...

An increasing number of NGOs in Cambodia are facing the prospect of budget cuts, with money from foreign donors decreasing as a political deadlock continues. Cambodia’s robust civil society relies on donor countries, but some have postponed funding while the country’s two rival political parties remain ...

Cambodia could lose its competitive advantage in bicycle manufacturing and assembly, an industry source says. In a report from the Taipei Cycle Show late Wednesday, the US-based Bicycle Retailer and Industry News said Cambodia had used low wages and zero tariffs in the European Union to ...

Cambodia’s trade volume with Asean member states reached US$4.16 billion last year, up 12 percent from US$3.71 billion in 2012, Xinhua news agency reported. In the Commerce Ministry’s report released Wednesday, Cambodia exported products equivalent to US$482 million to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ...

NGOs working in democracy, human rights and transparency all say they face a lack of cooperation from Cambodian authorities, especially in the provinces, a new report finds. The Cooperation Committee for Cambodia conducted research on Cambodia’s overall climate for civil society organizations, finding that those dealing ...

The Ministry of Labor said Wednesday that the government has agreed on a final draft of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysia regarding sending Cambodian maids to work there, but that no timeframe for the signing of the agreement has been set. Following reports of ...

Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leader Sam Rainsy met today with a Thai delegation at the CNRP headquarters. ...

A U.N. rights envoy to Cambodia on Wednesday expressed “cautious optimism” that the parties of Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Sam Rainsy would move toward ending their seven-month political deadlock following an agreement achieved this week between the two sides on a set ...

Ohio University is poised to hold its sixth annual Khmer Studies Forum, beginning later this month. Topics for discussion at the three-day conference include Cambodia’s current political climate, the Khmer Rouge tribunal, and the country’s art, media and culture.​ The forum will be held at the ...

Moody’s Investors Service affirmed Wednesday Cambodia’s government issuer rating at B2 with a stable outlook, stating that recent labour unrest could result in only slightly slower economic growth this year. “Cambodia’s underlying credit strengths are expected to withstand the impact of recent political tensions and labor ...

Six border checkpoints in Banteay Meanchey province were on Saturday closed unilaterally and without warning by Thailand, local officials and border police said. Lieutenant Colonel So Channry, chief of the 911 border battalion in O’Chrov district, said that Thai authorities had closed the checkpoints, one of ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen told business leaders and government officials Tuesday that he will not tolerate “illegal” labor strikes that harm investment, but avoided judgment on a request to withdraw ratification of a U.N. convention protecting workers’ rights to unionize. Speaking at the 17th Government-Private Sector ...

Cambodia needs to build qualified and competent human capital to prepare for competition when the ASEAN Economic Community becomes a reality at the end of 2015, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday. “The Cambodian government will focus its attention on strengthening education quality and technical vocational ...

Many small and medium companies of Japan are showing their interest in doing business in Cambodia, according to an assistant of Prime Minister Hun Sen. 99 percent of Japanese small and medium companies are interested in investing in Asia, especially in Cambodia, which is located ...

“From my view, I don’t want to have it, but it is development, we can’t stop them,” says Srekor’s village chief, Leang Saroeurn. Cambodia’s impressive yearly GDP growth rates of 7 percent for the last decade have come, in part, through a ravenous consumption of the countries ...