The Phnom Penh Post

Sonatra Carling, the Japanese-Cambodian joint venture behind Phnom Penh’s first automated toll-parking system, sustained losses during its first year of operation, but remains committed to the project and is looking to expand the model to other areas of the capital, a company executive said yesterday. ...

Cambodia has the highest rate of untreated cleft lip and palate in infants, out of more than 100 low- and middle-income countries, a new global study has found.   ...

World Wildlife Fund for Cambodia and the Ministry of Environment launched a glossy, 76-page picture booklet about the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province yesterday, with the goal of educating the public about the benefits of protecting wildlife and countering poaching.   ...

Recently appointed Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon held a first-ever meeting with economic land concession (ELC) grantees yesterday and was promptly met with a barrage of complaints.   ...

The tobacco industry has urged the government to crack down on cigarette smuggling ahead of new laws mandating graphic health warnings, saying failure to do so gave smuggled products a competitive edge. ...

Phnom Penh Municipality has reached a deal with PPDEC, a previously little known company, to privatise the capital’s public lighting system, a city official said yesterday. ...

The private sector’s campaign to develop a single recognisable umbrella brand for Cambodia’s premium varieties of fragrant rice looks increasingly tenuous after a government body voiced objections to the name selected, and argued instead that the country should market each variety of rice under its ...

With voter registration due to start in six weeks, independent election monitoring organisations said yesterday that the current political climate and recently enacted legislation has them fearing for the safety of their observers.   ...

In a statement last week, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature identified ongoing fires in flooded forests as a major threat to the Tonle Sap lake. ...

Four members of a forest patrol were ambushed in Preah Vihear’s Cheam Pen community forest on Tuesday afternoon, according to deputy forest chief Ros Lim. ...

Environmental DNA collection could be a “silver bullet” for tracking and protecting critically endangered fish in the Mekong, according to a new report.   ...

Cambodia and five other countries that share the Mekong River have agreed to open their borders to more commercial truck and tourist bus traffic as part of a transnational agreement aimed at promoting regional logistics and tourism, a senior transport official said yesterday.   ...

With less than two months before voter registration is due to start for the upcoming commune elections, the delivery of vital computer equipment has reportedly been delayed by two weeks due to an import duty bungle, while only a fraction of the required workers have ...

NGO Forum director Tek Vannara yesterday called on the Ministry of Land Management to speed up collective land titling for indigenous communities. ...

Authorised dealerships of new cars and trucks have said a recent increase in the specific tax on vehicle imports has put a dent in profits, with some dealers claiming sales have slowed since the tax hike went into effect in April. ...

Australian mining firms Emerald Resources and Renaissance Minerals have agreed to merge in an all-stock deal that aims at creating synergies to develop gold projects in northeastern Cambodia, the companies said in a joint announcement yesterday. ...

Two measles cases investigated by the government in recent weeks have been confirmed positive, bringing the total number to five this year and causing concern among health officials about a possible outbreak after the World Health Organization declared the country measles-free just last year.   ...

After years of public complaints and government threats to cancel its contract, Phnom Penh’s sole garbage collector appears to be cleaning up its act.   ...

Passengers traffic at Cambodia’s three international airports increased by 5 per cent during the first half of the year, compared to the same period a year earlier, the Kingdom’s airport operator said yesterday. ...

Cambodia’s economy continues to perform strongly, but rapid credit growth must be contained to reduce the risk of economic and financial instability, and to ensure a “soft landing” of the credit cycle, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement issued yesterday at the ...

Cambodia’s fixed-line internet services market continues to attract new players despite limited infrastructure and a crowded playing field, new data show. ...

More Cambodians than ever are turning to microfinance for money to cover their small business endeavours or pay expenses, and, increasingly, they are looking to protect their families from the burden of these debts in the event of death or disability. ...

The government plans to request another extension of a deadline – originally set for 2009 and already extended to 2019 – to meet obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty, an official said yesterday.   ...

Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin sang the praises of UN Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith on Saturday, following a report in the Post on Friday that she had lost the confidence of many in the human rights community.   ...