The number of companies registering to become members of the Garment Manufacturing association in Cambodia (GMaC) doubled last year, with more investment in value-added products. GMaC said the number of new members reached 120 last year, compared with 60 newcomers in 2011. “Labour-intensive industries in China <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/gmac-members-double/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour has scheduled a meeting on February 26 with representatives of various unions to discuss the new minimum wage for garment workers in the country. However, the Ministry expects the various workers’ unions to agree on what the new wage should <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/minimum-wage-may-rise-for-cambodian-garment-workers/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Friday put the blame for last week’s failure among asean countries to release a joint communiqu&eacute; on territorial disputes in the South China Sea firmly back on Vietnam and the Philippines. More than a week since discussions related to the territorial dispute between asean’s members <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/hor-namhong-rejects-blame-for-failed-talks/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ratanakkiri Provincial Court will appoint a new judge to process complaints filed by ethnic Jarai minority villagers against a firm owned by Keat Kolney, the sister of Finance Minister Keat Chhon, regarding a land dispute that has now dragged on for more than five <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/new-judge-appointed-to-keat-kolney-land-disputer-case/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A new book by A CAmbodiAn-born Author, due to be published this month, is set to bring the debAte over CAmbodiA’s dependence on foreign Aid into the spotlight. Since 1992, CAmbodiA hAs received more AssistAnce for its development thAn Almost Any other country on the plAnet. <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/km/news/upcoming-book-Assesses-benefits-And-limitAtions-of-foreign-Aid/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

The job couldn’t have been more different from the kind that drew Tim Page to Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1960s. The mud, wet boots and sleepless nights described in several of his books were cast aside for an air-conditioned SUV, a laptop and a phone. <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/photographer-tim-page-swaps-war-for-land-in-new-project/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Vatha, a 42-year-old construction worker, has been toiling for four years at numerous building sites across Phnom Penh. He knocks down dilapidated dwellings and in their place builds houses and apartments that are bigger, better &ndash; and increasingly higher &ndash; as demand for residential property, especially <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/as-phnom-penhs-buildings-rise-safety-scales-back/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Thirty-four garment factory workers fainted yesterday morning in Kompong Chhnang province, making it the third time in a year that a mass fainting has occurred at the factory, workers said yesterday. M&amp;V International Manufacturing LTD. factory, which is a supplier to Swedish clothing brand H&amp;M, experienced two incidents <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/garment-workers-faint-at-hm-clothing-plant/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ratanakkiri Provincial Court yesterday questioned one of three human rights workers charged-alongside a journalist-with inciting ethnic minority villagers to protest violently against a powerful agro-industry firm during a 2009 land dispute. a representative of the villagers said yesterday that about 500 of them are planning to gather <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/first-rights-worker-questioned-in-land-dispute-incitement-case/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Education garment workers and their bosses on how to avoiding fainting is the latest strategy the Ministry of Labor is using to address a problem that has plagued the industry in the past two years, a ministry official said yesterday. Labor Ministry Secretary of State Oum Mean said he <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/workers-given-lesson-in-how-not-to-faint/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Some 200 garment factory workers protested at the Ministry of Social affairs on Friday, a day after they held a demonstration in front of the Swedish Embassy in Phnom Penh and urged diplomats to intervene in a labour dispute involving unpaid wages from a factory <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/unpaid-garment-workers-continue-protests/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The Ministry of Tourism and the French TV channel TF1 have signed a deal on a “2013 action plan” that will promote Cambodia’s beach tourism. The agreement was inked yesterday by Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Franck Firmin Guion, the president of adventure Line Product-ions (aLP). The plan <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/beaches-to-drive-tourism/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Cambodia and Colombia on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of a political consultation mechanism in order to strengthen the bilateral relations and cooperation. The deal was inked between Ouch Borith, Secretary of State of Cambodian Ministry of Foreign affairs, and Patti Londono, <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/cambodia-colombia-ink-deal-for-political-consultation-mechanism/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

The World Bank upgraded Monday its GDP growth forecast for Cambodia to 7.0 percent for this year, up 0.3 of a percentage point from its last projection in December. “In Cambodia, a likely stabilization in high-income country conditions should support further improvements in garment production and <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/world-bank-upgrades-cambodias-growth-forecast-for-this-year/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

More than 40 hectares of protected forest in Rattanakiri’s O’Yadav district was razed by a Vietnamese company over the course of six days before they were stopped yesterday by villagers and investigators from rights group adhoc, a local official said. Sav Hlin, a village chief in <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/40-hectares-razed-in-rkiri/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy on Wednesday asked the Constitutional Council of Cambodia (CCC) to re­instate him as a voter and candidate for Sunday’s election, privileges he lost due to criminal convictions that King Norodom Sihamoni recently pardoned. “I would like the Constitutional Council of Cambodia to <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/rainsy-asks-constitutional-council-to-clear-election-candidacy/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

A delegAtion of 15 IndiAn firms is in CAmbodiA this week looking to increAse the country’s involvement in CAmbodiA’s economy, pArticulArly in the Agriculture And mining sectors. At present, CAmbodiA does modest trAde with IndiA, the second lArgest country in the world by populAtion. But the <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/km/news/indiAn-firms-look-to-cAmbodiA-industries/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>

In a release, Oxley Holdings Limited announced that the Group’s 49%-owned associated company, Oxley-Worldbridge (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., had entered into an amendment agreement dated 1 July 2013 in respect of a share sale and purchase agreement dated 22 May 2013 to acquire all the shares <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/oxley-to-acquire-cambodian-asset-for-us11-2m/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

With the potential for vast state revenues from oil extraction and mining in coming years, Cambodia is currently failing to manage its nascent extractive industries according to a think tank. New York-based Revenue Watch Institute yesterday launched its 2013 Resource Governance Index, which included Cambodia for <a href='https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/km/news/think-tank-says-cambodia-isnt-managing-its-resources/ ' class='cambodia-color'>...a>

About 1,000 gArment workers on WednesdAy demonstrAted outside Kompong Speu ProvinciAl Court cAlling for the releAse of eight people Arrested during A protest this week over wAges At A fActory supplying U.S. brAnd Nike, A union officiAl sAid. Fighting between the workers on MondAy displAyed <A href='https://opendevelopmentcAmbodiA.net/km/news/fActory-workers-demAnd-releAse-of-eight-After-protest/ ' clAss='cAmbodiA-color'>...A>