Khmer Times

The Constitutional Council of Cambodia is expected to review the “State of Emergency” draft law soon after it was unanimously adopted by legislative bodies, passing it to the final phase of becoming legislation. ...

The Environment Ministry has registered more than 50,000 hectares of protected area of the Peam Krasop and Phnom Prich wildlife sanctuaries as state land in a bid to eliminate land disputes in conservation areas. ...

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has announced that the re-opening of schools has been postponed until further notice as preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to a directive issued yesterday evening. ...

Cambodia and East Timor have moved closer to sealing a rice-export deal following a meeting between officials. ...

Cambodia’s rubber export has increased 10 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, but the price of the commodity showed a slight decrease, according to a report from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. ...

Property watchers have long noticed that weekends, at this time of the year, are a prime times for people seeking to buy or rent homes, but this year it’s different. ...

Cambodia’s ranking in the Index of Economic Freedom dropped by eight places from last year, a negative sign for a country seeking to expand its economy and become a major player in Southeast Asia. ...

A 60-megawatt solar station, supported by a $7.64 million loan from Asia Development Bank (ADB) is scheduled to be built later this year in Kampong Chhnang province, north of Phnom Penh. ...

According to a data graphic from the Ministry of Commerce released on Thursday, regular petrol went from 3,550 riel ($0.88) to 2,250 riel ($0.56) per litre, representing a 36.6 percent decrease.​ ...

The Cambodian government is close to signing a deal with the local subsidiary of French-owned, Singapore-based renewable power producer The Blue Circle to construct the energy-lacking country’s first wind power farm in Kampot. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday lifted an inter-provincial travel ban across the Kingdom to ease traffic jams after the Khmer New Year holidays came to an end. ...

PHNOM Penh City Hall is ready to quarantine more than 15,000 garment workers who are returning to the capital from their home provinces after Khmer New Year in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus. ...

An inter-ministerial statement was issued last week highlighting the achievements and further initiatives of the government’s cash subsidy programme for pregnant women, which seeks to promote maternal and child welfare and improve the wellbeing of children from impoverished families. ...

Cambodia’s Aviation sector is almost completely decimated due to extreme COVID-19 travel restrictions, with air passenger numbers dropping more than 90 percent as of April this year. ...

In a single deliberate poisoning event, three Giant Ibis, equivalent to 1-2 percent of the global population, have been killed – part of a disturbing global trend where conservationists are noticing increases in hunting of protected species since the spread of coronavirus began to disrupt ...

A grim report on the world economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday caused oil prices to continue to slide, with international prices hitting the lowest level since 2002 as planned output cuts were deemed insufficient to offset a COVID-19-fuelled slump in demand. ...

Cambodia’s exports through three Special Economic Zones in Svay Rieng province, which shares a border with Vietnam, have recorded a $237 million rise in the first quarter of 2020. ...

Cambodia’s Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon has told local media that his ministry plans to purchase $3.5 million’s worth of potato seeds, in a project partnering with South Korea to produce potatoes in the Mondulkiri province. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving the airlines, hospitality, restaurants and related support industries to the brink. ...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted Cambodia’s 2020 Gross Domestic Product will contract by -1.7 percent this year in line with a global contraction of -3.0 percent. The reduction in GDP represents an economic downturn the world has not seen since the Great Depression, ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed for the continued efforts to eliminate malaria in the Kingdom despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The call was made in a statement issued yesterday ahead of the World Malaria Day on April 25. ...

Posts and Telecommunication Minister Chea Vandeth on Monday held a meeting to review research findings for two mobile applications and a ventilator, which could be used in the Kingdom’s response to the coronavirus. ...

Visa Inc. is one of several international digital payment firms who have said they are committed to supporting the government and the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) in their de-dollarisation mission. ...

Nine business associations in the STAR (Sustainable Textile of Asian Region) Network are calling on buyers to honour their contracts with their suppliers. ...