The long-running Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) monitoring programme is in urgent need of reform, according to a new report, which suggests the country’s reputation as a standard-bearer for apparel workers’ rights is “wearing thin”. The report, “Monitoring in the Dark – an evaluation of the International Labour ...

A local police official in Ratanakkiri province has been suspended for demanding money from villagers before adding their names to a list of people eligible for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s new land-titling program, police and villagers said yesterday. A total of 1,100 student volunteers are being ...

A new banking settlements system called CHANCES, dealing exclusively in the Chinese currency renminbi (RMB), aims to make trade between China and the ASEAN countries easier and less expensive. Owned and operated by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the CHANCES system stands for ...

Though the mood was congratulatory yesterday at the inauguration of ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat’s sugar company – a gleaming, new facility nestled in between two hills in Kampong Speu province’s Omlaing commune – the mood just a few kilometres away bordered on desperation. Sitting ...

Acleda Bank has raised its bank capital—the amount of money it has available for expenditure—by 28 percent to $113.16 million, the bank announced in a statement on Friday. In Channy, CEO of Acleda, said yesterday the extra capital would be used to increase its loan portfolio ...

Vespa, the iconic Italian scooter, is now officially available for purchase in Cambodia-again. Italy-based automobile company Piaggio, in cooperation with the local Narita Group, opened the doors yesterday to the country’s first licensed Vespa dealership. The new Vespas range in price from $2,950 for the ...

Markets like Olympic and O’Russey in Phnom Penh and the traditional fresh food markets in cities and towns across Cambodia are where the overwhelming majority of Cambodians get not only the food they eat, but also the basic household products they use. The shopping behavior data, provided by ...

A new made-service company that claims to be the only one of its kind in Cambodia is offering an alternative employment option for the country’s many domestic workers who face insecure, and often abusive, workplace conditions overseas. Ming Hour Home Service, which opened in July, employs ...

E-commerce in the Kingdom would boom during the coming years as a result of technological developments and young Cambodians being eager to gain skills in new technology, a gathering of business people heard during “E-biz Tuesday”, a monthly meeting for discussion on Cambodia’s e-commerce industry. According ...

Sar Botra has always liked gardening. The front yard of his house, an explosion of flowers and plants, makes it clear that he’s got a very green thumb. He used to spend a lot of time with his plants after work or on the weekends, ...

Until the arrival of large-scale development around her home in the northeastern province of Ratanakkiri, Sav Samourn, a member of the ethnic Jarai minority, was frightened of wild animals and ghosts. But as trees disappeared and industrial machinery razed the forestland, the old fears fell away. ...

Cambodian garment exports are expected to grow in 2013 with the increasing foreign investments along with focus on new market including Japan and China, according to the Garment Manufactures Association of Cambodia (GMAC). In 2012, apparel exports of Cambodia grew nine percent to US$ 4.61 ...

Malaysia-based Harta Packaging Industries Sdn Bhd opened a new Cambodian factory to meet the demands of a growing exports sector and benefit from Sihanoukville port’s ambitious expansion plans, officials said. Harta Packaging, a wholly owned subsidiary of HPI Resources Berhad and part of the Oji Paper ...

Cambodia is making plans to open passport offices along its border with Thailand in a bid to cut down on illegal migration, Interior Minister Sar Kheng announced yesterday. Speaking at the close of a migration workshop, Kheng said that officials are already preparing to open a ...

The Kingdom’s tax revenues increased by more than 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period last year. Officials said the rise reflects an influx of new buinesses and investments. Opposition lawmakers, however, claim that the numbers are still far ...

Hyatt Hotels Corp has announced the opening of the first Park Hyatt in Southeast Asia in Siem Reap. The announcement Wednesday said the reopening of the former Hotel De La Paix in downtown Siem Reap followed a 14-month renovation by award-winning interior designer Bill Bensley. “We are ...

Myanmar’s president Thein Sein congratulated Hun Sen over his reappointment for a new five-year term as the Prime Minister of Cambodia for the fifth legislature. “I strongly believe that under the wise leadership of Sam Dech, the relation and cooperation between our two countries will ...

Opposition leaders have given the ruling party an ultimatum: Agree to our demands by the end of the year or the talks are over. Kem Sokha, Cambodia National Rescue Party deputy president, said yesterday that after discussing the matter with party president Sam Rainsy, they had ...

Diamond Island may see another new concrete bridge, this time in the form of a butterfly. The proposed 100-metre long bridge from Phnom Penh to Diamond Island would be similar in height to the current Rainbow Bridge, Touch Samnang, a project manager of developer OCIC, said. No ...

Road-safety advocates will likely continue banging their heads against the walls as police in Cambodia wait until early next year to enforce a new traffic law relating to helmets. fines under a yet-to-be passed law will charge drivers and passengers $3.75, about five times the previous ...