News

For generations, the indigenous Bunong were famous as the great elephant keepers and masters of the forests in eastern Cambodia. They called the fertile, rolling hills of their ancestral homeland “meh ne,” or mother – a source of food, livelihoods and self-identity. ...

The U.S.’s Denver Art Museum on Monday officially returned a 10th century sandstone sculpture taken from a Cambodian temple during civil-war era to Cambodia. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son, Hun Manet, announced on Sunday that he would not be attending a Khmer New Year parade he was invited to in Long Beach, California, in the face of vocal opposition from some of the community’s Cambodian-Americans. ...

A Cambodian man was deported from Thailand through the Choam Sangam border checkpoint on Saturday after allegedly attempting to enter Thai territory, according to a Banteay Meanchey provincial immigration police officer. ...

Civil servants, police officers and retired officials with disabilities will receive a Khmer New Year’s bonus of 50,000 riel (about $12.50) next month, a fraction of the $37.50 request that was made by a union last week. ...

The Commerce Ministry has received more than 5,000 applications from companies to register their trademark in the first three months of this year – the same as for all of last year – a senior ministry official said yesterday. ...

Pan India Paryatan Pvt Ltd (PIPPL), the owner of Mumbai-based EsselWorld, one of India’s largest amusement parks, has shown interest in developing a theme park in Cambodia after a meeting with the minister of tourism late last week. ...

Representatives of 526 Koh Kong families hopped on their motos on Friday morning to deliver petitions to their district town halls calling for the return of land taken from them by a 2006 economic land concession (ELC), as well as compensation for lost crops.   ...

Four French Companies have received the first 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) awards in areas of economic governance, environment and social impact. ...

The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia on Sunday promised villagers in Stung Treng province who are set to be displaced by the construction of the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam that she would raise their plight with the government, a village representative said.    ...

Deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha on Saturday brushed off protests from a group of students demanding he respond to claims that he had a series of extramarital affairs, telling CNRP faithful to prepare for next year’s commune elections.   ...

As the Kingdom grapples with water shortages, the Ministry of Rural Development and NGO Plan International have set a goal to bring clean water sources to 60 per cent of Cambodia’s 12 million rural residents by 2018.    ...

Two homes were completely destroyed, while 35 others and four schools were damaged, by heavy rain and strong winds in the western province of Pailin on Friday.The schools remained open despite the damage, said Seng Vanntha, deputy chief of Pailin district. ...

The Ministry of Health has advised the Kingdom’s citizen’s to be wary of food and alcohol poisoning during the Khmer New Year celebrations, according to a joint press release between the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) issued last week. ...

A Defense Ministry spokesman yesterday denied Thai media reports that Cambodian Minister of Defence Tea Banh had discussed the potential reopening of access to Preah Vihear temple from the Thai side of the border during recent talks. ...

The Environment and Education Ministries will expand their eco-school program to all primary and secondary schools across the country over the course of 2017, provided they have the necessary human and financial resources to do so. ...

The Ministry of Environment is encouraging people living in or around protected areas to start feeding and domesticating wild animals, and to abstain from eating them, with similar strategies in animal conservation being attempted in communities in Preah Vihear province. ...

The government may reopen the border gate in front of Preah Vihear temple in a bid to strengthen ties with Thailand as diplomatic relations improve, but local tourism operators are concerned the move would hurt their business. ...

Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group has acquired the remaining shareholding of One TV from Russian-owned General Satellite Group in a move to boost the distribution of Cambodia’s niche pay for digital terrestrial television (DTT) market. ...

Malaysia-based company SV International was granted permission by the Council of Ministers earlier this month to begin the initial stage of grand plans to turn part of Sihanoukville into a “casino city,” an official confirmed.   ...

The Phnom Penh Special Ec­o­nomic Zone (PPSEZ) was given clearance on Wednesday to begin final preparations for listing on the country’s stock exchange, according to a statement released by the Securities and Exchange Com­­mission of Cambodia (SECC).    ...

On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a new phase of the Public Financial Management Reform Program, a donor-assisted initiative established in 2004 to bolster the country’s ability to soundly manage its budget. In a speech at the launch event, he touted the government’s progress ...

Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana met on Friday with the National Assembly’s opposition-led human rights commission to discuss issues related to judicial independence and court procedure, including government interference in the court system and abuse of the pretrial detention system.   ...

Phnom Penh’s hell-raising street racers will enjoy a structured outlet for their love of motorbikes at a new amateur racing cup on Koh Pich island this weekend, a competition also meant to promote compliance with the new traffic law. ...