Khmer Times

Construction of a much-awaited seaport in the coastal province of Kampot began yesterday, with insiders saying the upcoming harbour will boost maritime transportation with Vietnam and Thailand and bolster the local tourism industry and the national economy. ...

There were more than 300 fires in the first half of this year, an increase from the number of cases recorded during the same period last year, the Interior Ministry said yesterday. ...

In a move to bring technology to the rural areas and boost the development of the local agricultural sector, India will set up a digital village in Cambodia, the Indian Ambassador to Cambodia announced this week. ...

The Ministry of Environment yesterday praised local supermarkets and shopping centres for reducing plastic bag usage following legislation passed last year that requires them to charge customers for plastic bags. ...

More than 3,000 hectares of paddy fields have been destroyed and 20,000 damaged by recent floods in the provinces of Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham, and Tbong Khmom, according to a preliminary report from the Ministry of Agriculture. ...

With the aim of boosting the local sericulture sector, the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) and the South China Agricultural University (SCAU) will soon begin a collaboration to conduct research in the industry and train farmers. ...

The United Kingdom will provide aid until 2020 for demining operations to clear unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. Senior Minister Ly Thuch, who is also the first vice chairman of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victims Assistance Authority, met with Elizabeth McGarva, senior policy adviser with ...

The number of weather related deaths across the country rose to eight as provincial authorities scrambled to evacuate residents and prevent crops from being destroyed by floods and droughts this week. ...

The Stung Treng Provincial Forestry Administration yesterday said it confiscated 52 pieces of illegal wood in Stung Treng city on Monday after getting a tip that the cargo was being loaded onto a boat on the Sekong river. ...

The general director of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority yesterday said that the capital is facing a shortage of water as facilities across the city struggle to produce enough to meet rising demands. ...

Military police in Banteay Meanchey province’s Preah Neth Preah district on Sunday confiscated endangered animals from two men suspected of poaching wildlife in Thailand. District military police Commander Sin Rasy said yesterday that authorities managed to stop an SUV transporting endangered wildlife. ...

The Cambodian Mine Action Center has begun searching for and removing unexploded ordnances left behind from a dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over the Preah Vihear Temple complex in 2008. ...

Cambodia’s global logistics performance ranking dropped 25 spots to 98th this year after achieving a commendable 73rd in 2016, the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) said, but local experts questioned the lack of clarity on the ranking slip. ...

The European Union (EU) should not falter in its support of the government’s target to transform the country into a higher middle-income nation by 2030, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) last week. ...

Despite the failure to export to China and South Korea local planters can expect a boost in the exportation of fresh mangoes to the European Union (EU) provided they have quality products, said an exporter yesterday. ...

The Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak urged a Hunan-based company to take advantage of the vast, untapped potential in the agricultural sector and to invest in an export processing plant in Battambang. ...

Families in Preah Sihanouk province’s Muoy commune are withdrawing their request for the Land Management Ministry to intervene in a land dispute with Sihanoukville Autonomous Port official Chan Kang as the matter has been resolved. ...

Junior Chamber International Cambodia, in collaboration with WCS Cambodia, will hold a two-day tree planting event in Mondulkiri province starting on August 17 as part of a campaign to grow about 50,000 trees from this year to 2020. ...

In a statement yesterday the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology said that Mekong river water levels in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces have increased, while water levels in Kampong Cham have begun to recede after authorities deployed water pumps. ...

The SAC, an investment initiative by the Japanese government, enables farmers in the province to enhance the quality of their yield and sell their crops to high-end buyers, including casinos and upscale restaurants in Bavet city and Phnom Penh.​ ...

Following two unexploded ordnance cases this week, a Cambodian Mine Action Centre official yesterday reminded the public to steer clear of any explosives found and immediately contact authorities for extraction. CMAC director-general Heng Ratana said that people who come across unexploded ordnances should immediately report ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday extended the fare-free period for the capital’s water taxi system until the end of the year as a way of expressing his gratitude for the results of Sunday’s election. ...

The process of obtaining geographical indication (GI) status for Kampong Speu palm sugar in the European Union suffered a setback this week after a company asked for revisions to the wording of the product’s guidebook, according to a producers association. ...

Exports of garment and footwear products achieved solid growth during the first half of the year, expanding by 9.3 percent. According to the Ministry of Commerce, exports from the country’s garment industry were valued at $3.7 billion during the first six months of the year. ...