Ministries and other national bodies

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia yesterday asked the Interior Minister to justify the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. Rhona Smith is on a 10-day mission to the Kingdom and yesterday held a closed-door meeting with Interior Minister Sar ...

The Institute of Standards of Cambodia developed 63 new standards last year, bringing the total number of certifications available from the government to 868, though one industry representative said the system still needed improvement in order to facilitate exports. ...

The labour minister said on Monday that Cambodia’s garment sector grew by 4 percent last year to reach $7.6 billion, which would mark a slowdown in the growth rate compared to previous years. ...

Some 300 villagers representing over 6,800 families delivered a slew of petitions to the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Land Management on Monday demanding resolution to longstanding land disputes affecting about 19,000 hectares over four provinces. ...

Strikes in Cambodia plummeted by more than half last year, according to the Ministry of Labour’s annual report – a statistic lauded by the government as evidence that worker conditions had improved but rejected by labour advocates as a sign that dissent was being suppressed. ...

The Ministry of Health’s communicable disease control department has produced a short video in advance of next month’s Khmer New Year warning revellers of the dangers of consuming rice wine, which has been linked to multiple deaths. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced his support of a planned waterway taxi service and encouraged those in charge of the project to ensure its launch before the Khmer New Year. Speaking at a river festival in Kandal province’s Takhmao city on Saturday, Mr Hun Sen ...

A new cement factory in Battambang province will come online on Friday with an annual production capacity of 1.7 million tonnes of cement, according to Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem. “We will have finished four cement factories that can produce nearly 7 million tones ...

The Ministry of Education has included a business training programme at 25 high schools across the country to give students the soft skills necessary to create their own jobs or find suitable jobs upon graduation. ...

The Ministry of Environment will soon collaborate with some NGOs to host a Bird Photos Fair for the first time at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district in order to increase public awareness and understanding of Cambodian bird species. ...

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday warned civilians and aircraft to avoid a section of Kampong Speu province from March 15 to March 30 while Cambodia participates in its Golden Dragon military training exercises with China. ...

In celebration of International Women’s Rights Day, Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged to nominate more female secretaries and undersecretaries of state if he were given another mandate while chiding his ministers for not having hired more women officials. ...

New resorts, restaurants and casinos could be coming to Bokor National Park after environment officials endorsed an “improved” plan for the mountain along with oknha Sok Kong’s hotel company, according to the government’s news agency. ...

The Interior Ministry said it will investigate documents and a video from 2013 that resurfaced yesterday showing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy committing to upholding the rights of ethnic minorities in four northeastern Cambodian provinces, with a Justice Ministry spokesman saying it qualified as “treason”. ...

The Education Ministry plans to cooperate with the Ministry of Education of South Korea to help train teachers in Cambodia, specifically in new teaching techniques and on the subjects of science and mathematics. ...

About 100 residents from Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel and Botum Sakor districts gathered to protest and block the road of Koh Kong Sugar Industry to demand the company, local authorities and relevant ministries expedite a resolution to end their land dispute. ...

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces chief of joint staff Hun Manet has said he disagrees that Preah Sihanouk province, where Chinese investment in hotels and casinos has skyrocketed, will become a second Macau. Lieutenant General Manet made the comment on Monday during a ground-breaking ceremony for the ...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the extractive industry, including some projects expected to be approved before the end of the year, now equals $1.3 billion, making it one of the most valuable economic sectors in the kingdom, according to data from the Ministry of Mines ...

UN special Rapporteur Rhona Smith officially commenced her latest visit to the Kingdom yesterday, meeting with the Ministry of Justice to raise concerns over a slew of legislative and constitutional amendments undertaken as part of the government’s recent crackdown on political dissent. ...

After leading the legal team that won the widely condemned dissolution of the CNRP at the Supreme Court in November, Ky Tech, lawyer for the Council of Ministers and Prime Minister Hun Sen, has been given a rank equivalent to minister just weeks after he ...

The Commerce Ministry announced a standardised certification process for halal food in Cambodia yesterday, a move that was praised by Muslim religious leaders and food producers. ...

Grown in floods and thriving without pesticides, floating rice offers Cambodia a sustainable alternative for its eco-friendly food production amid threats from climate change. ...

Yet again, the Kingdom this year burns brighter than its neighbours, with fires in Cambodia being detected from space at a much higher rate than any other country in the region, according to a NASA report published last week. It’s likely a product of both ...

Cambodian women make up less than 3 percent of the military’s upper echelons, the ministries of defence and women’s affairs confirmed yesterday. Just 88 women hold ranks of one-star general and above, with one solitary woman ranked a four-star general and a deputy commander-in-chief of ...