Government

Hundreds of villagers from various provinces have occupied an economic land concession in Kampot province’s Chhuk district. The land was granted to Chan Sothea, vice president of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, and her company First Bio-Tech Agriculture by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ...

The government announced yesterday that it would “intervene” to support the price that farmers receive for their paddy rice, though without instituting a price floor or direct subsidies that would jeopardise a free market. ...

Lao troops occupying territory south of the Sekong River withdrew on Saturday after Prime Minister Hun Sen gave them a six-day deadline to leave and dispatched two military brigades and members of his personal Bodyguard Unit to the border. ...

Popular media outlets Radio Free Asia and Voice of America have become the latest to draw the attention of the government for allegedly not paying taxes, one week after a letter to the Cambodia Daily demanding more than $6 million in back taxes was leaked. ...

A local television presenter is facing heavy criticism for an inflammatory on-air suggestion that rape victims should not resist their attackers, and should instead accept sexual assault to avoid being killed – a reference to a brutal rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman in ...

Opposition CNRP lawmakers have suggested amendments to a law which would let Cambodian migrant workers register and vote abroad. The amendments were sent to National Assembly President Heng Samrin on Friday. ...

Following multiple protests by local villagers, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has announced a halt to a railway project meant to lead to Phnom Penh International Airport.   ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday said troops from neighboring Laos that entered the country in April near a patch of border area must retreat by Wednesday. ...

Spokesmen for the Cambodian and Hong Kong governments are urging agencies not to charge excessive fees to Cambodian domestic helpers wanting to work in Hong Kong and offered reassurance that their rights would be protected. ...

The government and KrisEnergy, a Singapore-listed oil and gas firm, are set to sign a petroleum agreement this month to pave the way for the company to start the groundwork for the extraction of oil from Bloc A, which is expected to start in 2019, ...

The second Greater Mekong Subregion Agriculture Ministers Meeting will be held in Siem Reap province early next month, with agro-food products, exploring new markets for agricultural products and solving issues in the sector expected to be high on the agenda. ...

The government has granted a private company an export licence to transport $15 million worth of illegal timber bought at an auction last year to Vietnam, documents show. ...

The Ministry of Interior has issued new regulations to stamp out corruption at one-window services across the country, where residents go to have public documents certified. The order was signed on Tuesday by Interior Minister Sar Kheng, and is aimed at  ensuring quality, transparency and accountability ...

The Kingdom’s apex rice industry body has been meeting this week to discuss ways of nailing down a potentially massive deal with Bangladesh, which earlier this month inked a memorandum of understanding to purchase 1 million tonnes of Cambodian rice over the next five years. ...

H.E. Ok Boung, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, held a discussion with H.E. Ms. Pottie Donica, Canadian Ambassador to Cambodia, on bilateral trade relations, mainly in garment sector, at the ministry office on Monday afternoon, said the ministry’s news release. ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng said on Wednesday that 100 to 200 Cambodians illegally cross the border with Thailand every day, well under an estimate from a U.N. agency that puts the figure at 3,000 to 4,000. ...

During Asean’s 50-year anniversary, the Cambodian government encouraged members of the regional bloc to exercise patience in drafting statements against North Korean missile use in order to minimize regional tensions, Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn said at a briefing following his return from Manila. ...

A ground-breaking ceremony will be held today to mark the start of construction of a $6 million treatment centre for drug addicts in Sihanoukville. ...

Nine photographs of rare Cambodian animals are being displayed at the Ministry of Environment, urging the public to participate in preserving critically endangered species. ...

Kampong Cham provincial authorities have ordered a newly-elected commune chief to repair a road he had begun excavating to irrigate water away from villagers’ rice fields in Cheung Prey commune. ...

The Cambodian government has selected six agencies to facilitate sending domestic workers to Hong Kong – with one saying they will begin sending maids by the end of the year – though rights groups yesterday warned of potential exploitation and abuses. ...

Taking stock of his party’s June commune elections losses, CNRP president Kem Sokha has embarked on a countrywide tour to gather feedback and intelligence the party can use to steer its national election campaign, party officials said on Tuesday. ...

Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities have ordered all tourist boat operators ferrying passengers to islands to add an additional $2 to each ticket for state coffers to help develop the coastlands and protect the environment. ...

New Zealand is to provide $5 million to support  the sustainable development of horticulture over a five-year period in Cambodia, New Zealand’s foreign minister Gerry Brownlee announced on Monday. ...