The Phnom Penh Post
Tea Banh shrugs off threat of international sanctions
Defence Minister Tea Banh expressed indifference to the threat of international sanctions being levied on government officials and the Cambodian economy on Saturday, while ordering his military to be ready to destroy any attempts at an alleged “colour revolution” or popular demonstration over the arrest ...
Mech Dara and Leonie Kijewski
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/tea-banh-shrugs-threat-international-sanctions
Government proposes $6B budget for 2018
The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a national budget for next year that calls for more than $6 billion in spending, the largest increase ever proposed for the Kingdom, with big boosts for education, defence and the arts. ...
Ben Sokhean
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/government-proposes-6b-budget-2018
CDC to post project decisions on Facebook
The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), the government body in charge of approving large-scale investments, has taken to Facebook to officially announce its decisions on investment projects, a move that a government official claimed yesterday will provide more transparent access for investors and ...
Hor Kimsay and Kali Kotoski
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cdc-post-project-decisions-facebook
Forest clearing ‘rampant’ in Prey Lang
Illegal logging within the Prey Lang protected forest decreased significantly year-on-year over a six-month period ending in February, collected data show, though forest-clearing in the area remains rampant. ...
Phak Seangly and Leonie Kijewski
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/forest-clearing-rampant-prey-lang
Nest plan must expand to protect rare river bird, say environmental groups
A river bird that was once a common sight along the Mekong River is now down to a population of just 50 to 60 individuals due to human interference and dam construction, conservationists and Environment Ministry officials said yesterday. ...
Soth Koemsoeun
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/nest-plan-must-expand-protect-rare-river-bird-say-environmental-groups
Preah Vihear sets up timber trafficking probe panel
A task force made up of Preah Vihear provincial and district officials is set to begin a five-day investigation today into a slew of sawmills thought to be illegally milling and transporting timber from the protected Preah Roka forest after villagers and NGOs accused local ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/preah-vihear-sets-timber-trafficking-probe-panel
UN extolls power of tech in goals to development
Private-sector investment into technology can help developing countries meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), representatives said yesterday at a conference, sparking debate on how Cambodian entrepreneurs can incorporate humanitarian goals into core business operations. ...
Robin Spiess
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/un-extolls-power-tech-goals-development
Former SRP senator Sok Hour receives pardon after serving more than two years in jail
After serving more than 800 days of a seven-year prison sentence on charges of “incitement” and “forgery”, former opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour was released last night, following an unexpected royal pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni. ...
Kong Meta, Andrew Nachemson and Soth Koemsoeun
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/former-srp-senator-sok-hour-receives-pardon-after-serving-more-two-years-jail
PM calls CNRP a ‘terrorist network’
Prime Minister Hun Sen branded the opposition party a “terrorist network” yesterday, while vowing to “cut the arms and legs” of the alleged operation and its purported attempt at “colour revolution” after the disputed 2013 national election. ...
Ben Sokhean and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/pm-calls-cnrp-terrorist-network
ADB urges implementation of cross-border transport pact
As growing trade and investment linkages in Asia and the Pacific have helped to improve the region’s overall resilience to global economic and trade policy uncertainties, countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) need to make swifter progress in streamlining trade through multilateral agreements that ...
Post Staff
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/adb-urges-implementation-cross-border-transport-pact
Cambodia Daily brings out online-only platform
The shuttered Cambodia Daily announced late on Tuesday night that it has “relaunched” as a noncommercial publication. On its Facebook page, the Daily announced the re-opening as “a digital only, non-commercial publication based off shore”. Several items – including an aggregated news round-up and a “Timeline ...
Leonie Kijewski and Kong Meta
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodia-daily-brings-out-online-only-platform
King signs off on amended election laws allowing CNRP seat redistribution
King Norodom Sihamoni signed off on four sets of controversial amendments to Cambodia’s electoral laws yesterday, officially approving provisions that will allow the opposition CNRP’s seats to be redistributed in the event of its dissolution. ...
Mech Dara and Andrew Nachemson
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/king-signs-amended-election-laws-allowing-cnrp-seat-redistribution
Garment exports to slow
Cambodia’s garment and footwear exports will likely see a slower percentage of growth this year at around 5 percent, compared with 7 percent in 2016, a trend that industry insiders dismissed as not being indicative of an overall decline or linked to the current political ...
Hor Kimsay and Robin Spiess
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/garment-exports-slow
PM sues Lay Sreng for ‘defamation’ over phone call comments
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s lawyer yesterday filed a lawsuit against former Deputy Prime Minister Lu Lay Sreng for defamation over comments made during a private phone conversation leaked to social media. ...
Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/pm-sues-lay-sreng-defamation-over-phone-call-comments
US Senator Ted Cruz warns Hun Sen of bans over Sokha arrest
United States Senator Ted Cruz issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday, pledging to work to ban top officials from travelling to the US unless jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha is released. ...
Daphne Chen
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/us-senator-ted-cruz-warns-hun-sen-bans-over-sokha-arrest
Loaded with lizards
Military Police officials apprehended two suspects in Takeo province’s Angkor Borei district on Monday for attempting to transport around 1 tonne of wildlife, including turtles, birds and rare snakes, to Vietnam. ...
Soth Koemsoeun
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/loaded-lizards
Yuan use gains traction as trade link with China grows
With trade and investment between Cambodia and China steadily increasing, Chinese currency-backed settlements for cross-border commerce have sharply taken off as the Kingdom continues to deepen its economic dependency on the northern giant, a central bank official said yesterday. ...
Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/yuan-use-gains-traction-trade-link-china-grows
Government ups plot accusations with new video linking CNRP and US groups to ‘colour revolutions’
In the latest attempt to push its narrative of an impending “colour revolution”, the Press and Quick Reaction Unit released a sweeping, nearly hourlong video, broadcast on multiple television stations on Monday night, attempting to link the opposition’s activities to protest movements in the Middle ...
Mech Dara and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/government-ups-plot-accusations-new-video-linking-cnrp-and-us-groups-colour-revolutions
Millers start to make use of $50M emergency rice fund
The government has already provided $9 million from its emergency rice loan fund to the Kingdom’s rice millers since the harvest season began in September, nearly triple the amount it provided when it first launched the initiative last year when millers showed little appetite for ...
Cheng Sokhorng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/millers-start-make-use-50m-emergency-rice-fund
Council greenlights controversial election laws changes
The Constitutional Council yesterday approved four sets of controversial amendments to Cambodia’s election laws, greenlighting changes that will pave the way for the main opposition party’s parliamentary seats to be redistributed in the event of its dissolution. ...
Mech Dara and Andrew Nachemson
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/council-greenlights-controversial-election-laws-changes
NBC tests mechanism to link Kingdom’s major banks
The central bank officially held a soft launch last Friday for its central shared switch mechanism, which connects account records of three of the Kingdom’s leading financial institutions, allowing them to operate ATM and point-of-sale (POS) terminals in tandem. ...
Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/nbc-tests-mechanism-link-kingdoms-major-banks
Copper found at Angkor Gold mining site in Ratanakkiri
Canadian mining firm Angkor Gold Corp has discovered a new copper system during exploratory drilling of its Oyadao South licence in Ratanakkiri province, the company said in a press release. ...
Post Staff
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/copper-found-angkor-gold-mining-site-ratanakkiri
CMAC clears 30 pieces of ordnance
Thirty pieces of unexploded ordnance were found and collected by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre yesterday in Pursat province after they were discovered by a villager at a construction site. ...
Kim Sarom
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cmac-clears-30-pieces-ordnance
Ex-deputy PM flees after threat
Former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Funcinpec official Lu Lay Sreng left the country for Thailand yesterday morning, the day after the royalist party and Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to file lawsuits against him for disparaging the King and accusing the government of bribing Funcinpec. ...
Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ex-deputy-pm-flees-after-threat