The Phnom Penh Post

Mondulkiri’s provincial police chief has been removed from his post less than two weeks after he spearheaded an investigation into military and police officials accused of involvement in illegal timber smuggling to Vietnam. ...

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) organised a consultation workshop yesterday to gather information and comments from agriculture sector stakeholders to assist in the preparation of a 2018 national budget that would better support to the sector. ...

A private sector task force set up by Cambodia’s pig farmers to monitor live swine imports and investigate reports of illicit smuggling has been disbanded after receiving a cold reception from government officials, the initiative’s leader said yesterday. ...

The Ministry of Interior has issued a warning to election watchdogs Comfrel and Nicfec, ordering them to halt their activities that allegedly violate their NGO obligation of neutrality. ...

For the first time in five years, a nest with seven eggs of the endangered white-winged duck was discovered in the Northern Plains of Cambodia, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced yesterday. ...

Two Ministry of Mines officials were convicted on corruption charges yesterday in a Phnom Penh court after confessing to selling state land, but nonetheless walked free after a judge reduced their sentences. ...

A fisherman and his brother were struck by lightning on Sunday – one of them fatally – while six others were injured in storms, local police said yesterday. ...

The defence team for Meas Muth has said terminating the proceedings against the alleged Khmer Rouge naval commander is the “only legitimate and lawful option” if funds cannot be found to ensure a fair trial. ...

Cambodia will this year experience heavier rainfall than in previous years during an extended rainy season that is expected to last well into December in the coastal and central lowland areas, according to an announcement made by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology last ...

A Chinese firm that plans to invest $2 billion into developing the Kingdom’s first special economic zone (SEZ) dedicated solely to agricultural processing and storage has signed on a new partner to help jumpstart the stalled project, a top agriculture official said yesterday. ...

The Cambodian government closed all unofficial border checkpoints in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang in an apparent response to Thailand’s laws imposing stricter punishments on migrant workers. ...

Two village officials from Oddar Meanchey province filed complaints on Friday against one-star General Duong Sina, accusing him of using violence against them and two other villagers, though Military Police yesterday said the general appeared to have fled. ...

More than 430 of the 493 families who formerly resided in Phnom Penh’s White Building have vacated the premises, but around 15 families have yet to accept compensation packages for their apartments, according to a Land Management Ministry official. ...

Angkor Wat ticket sales revenue surged during the first half of 2017 on the back of a sharp increase in tourist entry fees, with no indication that the steeper admission prices had discouraged visits to the Kingdom’s top tourist draw, government officials said yesterday. ...

Hundreds of people could have their homes demolished by security forces in order to preserve Angkorian heritage following a meeting between the Apsara Authority and the Siem Reap provincial government on Friday. ...

A proposal for a massive warehouse and silo that has attracted two Chinese investors aims to fill the Kingdom’s conspicuous gap in paddy rice storage capacity, which still falls 60 percent short of the level needed for the country to achieve its goal of 1 ...

An activist and villagers yesterday said that sand dredging boats had been spotted off the coast of Koh Kong, prompting fears that they were set to begin operations, despite a standing ban on sand exports from companies operating in coastal areas. ...

Three men were sent to court yesterday for allegedly hauling more than 18 tonnes of illegally logged first-grade timber in Kampong Thom province. ...

Fifteen people from Siem Reap yesterday delivered a petition to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet claiming they were left out of a recent land-titling drive in their village, though local authorities said the group had only settled in the area once the titling began. ...

The number of traffic accidents and fatalities increased marginally during the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year, though the number of injuries dropped. ...

Facing a backlash from employers and observers alike, Thailand has backtracked on a new, heavily criticised law that imposes stricter punishments on irregular workers and their employers, though thousands of Cambodians are still being deported. ...

UAE-based Emirates Airlines inaugurated a daily passenger flight on Saturday connecting Phnom Penh to Dubai, with a stopover in Yangon, Myanmar. ...

Malindo Air, a Malaysian low-cost carrier, will launch daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh beginning on August 1, the airline announced on its website yesterday. ...

Cambodia’s telecom regulator has urged mobile phone network operators to be more transparent on the fees they charge subscribers on opt-in services and to ensure that users are not charged for services they have not requested. ...