Economy and commerce
Investment
Robust Recovery Continues
Cambodia’s economy is on track to maintain its robust recovery thanks to a cocktail of private sector and government efforts. In 2012, the Asian Development Bank estimated that gross domestic product grew at a rate of 7.2 per cent, an increase from a 2011 International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061066160/Business/robust-recovery-continues.html
Gem event promises to sparkle
Officials are predicting an increase in visitors and a glitzy showcase when the 5th Cambodia Gems and Jewelry Fair opens this Thursday in Phnom Penh. Set in the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre, the four-day event is drawing buyers and traders to Phnom Penh amid ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013061066161/Business/gem-event-promises-to-sparkle.html
Juneyao Airlines tries flights from Shanghai
Private Chinese carrier Juneyao Airlines is planning to launch direct flights from Shanghai to Cambodia as soon as this month. The move – which has been labelled unrealistic – would also see the airline potentially break into the monopolised route from the Chinese city. The Shanghai-based ...
Mass Ford recall makes local dent
Some 24 Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles in Cambodia are being recalled to fix a potential fuel leak that could cause a fire, company representatives said. The move comes amid a much larger recall of 465,000 units manufactured by the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker, raising doubts over ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060666096/Business/mass-ford-recall-makes-local-dent.html
Satellite cities a solution for overcrowded Phnom Penh
The coming sprawls of Phnom Penh’s new satellite cities will bring about not only opportunities but also challenges for the population. “Any urban area has to sprawl outside the main city areas so that it can keep up with the increasing demand of commercial land,” said ...
Cambodia feels drop in Asian rubber prices
The end of export restrictions in Thailand and a lowering of economic growth forecasts out of top rubber importers China, the United States and Germany have caused natural rubber prices around Asia − and in Cambodia’s local industry − to fall from a two-month high. Future ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060666093/Business/cambodia-feels-drop-in-asian-rubber-prices.html
British trade minister to visit Cambodia next week
British minister for trade and investment Lord Green would visit Cambodia next Monday in order to boost bilateral trade and investment ties, according to a media statement from the British Embassy to Cambodia on Wednesday. Mark Gooding, British Ambassador to Cambodia, said trade between UK ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-06/05/c_132433361.htm
Dam firm violated law
The parent company behind a firm constructing the Lower Sesan 2 dam in Stung Treng has repeatedly violated Chinese law by building “massive” power projects without prior approval, China’s national auditor has found. State-owned China Huaneng Group, of which Lower Sesan 2 partner Hydrolancang International Energy ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060566083/National/dam-firm-violated-law.html
Garment IPO May Arrive in Time for Polls
After the listing of Taiwanese-owned garment company Grand Twins International (Cambodia) Plc on the Kingdom’s stock exchange was delayed indefinitely, its underwriter said yesterday that the firm hopes to list before the national elections in late July. According to the underwriter, Phnom Penh Securities (PPS) Plc, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060566066/Business/garment-ipo-may-arrive-in-time-for-polls.html
Authorities Deny Abuses at Thai Plantation Tied To CPP Senator
Oddar Meanchey province deputy governor Lon An yesterday confirmed CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat’s involvement in a trio of sugar cane plantations that rights groups took to the National Human rights Commission of Thailand last week, but denied their allegations of rights abuses. The deputy ...
Micro-life insurance on rise
When 46-year-old Than Thol got a $900 loan from Samic Microfinance last year, he took advantage of a little-known and lengthily worded insurance program called Measure for Economic and Accelerated Development for All, or MEADA. MEADA provides coverage for families of mostly lower-income borrowers in the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466033/Business/micro-life-insurance-on-rise.html
MUJI Plans Green Dye Factory for Cambodia
Japanese retail company MUJI announced the development of an eco-friendly natural dyeing plant in Cambodia, a press release on Sunday said. The plan is part of the Business Call to Action, a global initiative supported by several international organisations and hosted by the UN Development Programme ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466031/Business/muji-plans-green-dye-factory-for-cambodia.html
Try Pheap given OK to harvest yellow vine
Logging baron Try Pheap’s MDS Import Export Co, Ltd has been granted a licence to collect and process the controversial plant known as yellow vine around the Stung Atay hydropower dam in the Cardamom Mountains, according to documents received by the Post yesterday. The vine has ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466045/National/try-pheap-given-ok-to-harvest-yellow-vine.html
Duty-Free Agreements Worry Minister
Duty-free agreements between regional competitors and foreign importers would put the Cambodian garment industry at risk, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said last week. Speaking to reporters after a meeting, Prasidh warned that the Kingdom’s garment sector would not be able to maintain its competitive edge over ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366010/Business/duty-free-agreements-worry-minister.html
Agreement to boost construction sector
An agreement was signed between Cambodia’s Constructors Association (CCA) and the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction two days ago, to tighten enforcement on construction companies here in making them meet industry standards. The ministry’s head, Im Chhun Lim, said that Cambodia’s construction and ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366007/Business/agreement-to-boost-construction-sector.html
Sugar firm under fire
Asia’s largest sugar company has been accused of torching hundreds of homes, orchestrating the imprisonment of a pregnant activist and using security forces to beat villagers – among a raft of other grave human rights abuses – by communities in Oddar Meanchey province. The allegations levelled ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366024/National/sugar-firm-under-fire.html
National silk board planned
A national silk board (NSB) under the Ministry of Commerce is being planned to weave tighter regulations into the Kingdom’s silk industry, the lack of which has deterred investors and hurt its export potential, according to industry representatives. Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said last week ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366008/Business/national-silk-board-planned.html
$1.3m SEZ Japanese Restaurant Opens Doors
In a $1.3 million investment, a new Japanese restaurant opened in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) last week amid the large presence of Japanese companies in the area. The 1,000-square-metre Tokyo Restaurant looks to “help to [showcase] the culture of Japanese food, and provide ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366009/Business/1-3m-sez-japanese-restaurant-opens-doors.html
Wing Star Widow in Limbo
Government officials have suggested the widow of the man crushed to death last month at the Wing Star Shoes factory, a supplier to Asics, will still be denied compensation from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), a labour rights worker said yesterday. American Center for International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366021/National/wing-star-widow-in-limbo.html
Angkor finds visible gold in Ratanakkiri
Canadian miner Angkor Gold has found “visible gold in the soil samples” in the Otray prospect in Ratanakkiri province, which hints at possibly larger reserves, said CEO and chairman Mike Weeks in a press release published on Wednesday. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165964/Business/angkor-finds-visible-gold-in-ratanakkiri.html
Airports operator looks to expand
While Cambodia Airports, of which France-based Vinci Group is major stakeholder, sees tourist numbers taking off, eviction issues are gnawing at the company’s image. Emmanuel Menanteau, chief executive of Cambodia Airports, talked to the Post’s Sarah Thust about the expansion plans. How many tourist arrivals do ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165965/CEO-Talk/airports-operator-looks-to-expand.html
Sea tourism along coast needs infrastructure, investors
Plans to create a tourist circuit encompassing coastal areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand could be delayed as infrastructure is not yet in place and authorities cannot find investors. The sea route from the Mekong River Delta province of Kien Giang to Sihanoukville in Cambodia and ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=OTEzNTNmYzMyZDI
Gym membership gets a lift
Two or three times per week Hong Chandara finds the time to unwind from work, family and social responsibilities by exercising at his gym. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs see potential in the fitness service sector, as gyms gain popularity in Cambodia. Meas Sok Dany, owner of the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965900/Business/gym-membership-gets-a-lift.html
Underage, Overworked
Child labour is being used at a footwear factory owned by the same Taiwan-based company as Wing Star Shoes – where two workers were killed in a ceiling collapse this month – numerous employees have told the Post. A former Ying Dong employee said the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965915/National/underage-overworked.html