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Beer Promoters 'banished' for striking
Angkor Beer promoters involved in last August’s strike over unpaid overtime have been banished to less popular restaurants and beer gardens in the past year, a report on the profession says. According to Promoting Decency? Report on the Situation of Beer Promotion Workers in Cambodia, released this ...
IP rights discussed for Angkor
The ancient works of Cambodia’s King Suryavarman II could become a protected intellectual trademark if the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) finalizes a treaty recognizing cultural heritage, the organisation’s head said yesterday. Angkor Wat, a 12th century temple complex and the Kingdom’s No 1 tourist destination, became an area of contention ...
Garment Demonstrators Request to Hold Protest
Workers from the Ocean Garment factory, who have been protesting outside the plant in Pur Senchey district for weeks, will file a request with Phnom Penh City Hall today to allow them to continue their demonstrations in front of the Ministry of Social Affairs and ...
Xayaburi dam project proceeds as protest grows
In Laos, the construction of controversial hydroelectric dam in Xayaburi province is under way, despite disagreement from its neighbors, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Xayaburi dam project started when the Laotian government and Thailand’s giant construction company, Ch Karnchang Pcl, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in ...
Union Leader Called to Court for Inciting Garment Workers
The Kandal Provincial Court has summoned outspoken labor activist Rong Chhun to be questioned over accusations that he incited garment workers to strike illegally, a court official said yesterday. Deputy provincial prosecutor Tep Monin said that he called Mr. Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of ...
Time to Get Tough on Casinos, Officials Warn
Interior security officials yesterday called on the casino operators to improve their security following a spate of casino-related crimes and said they would be creating tougher legislation for those who flouted the country’s gambling laws. More than 60 casino owners gathered at the National Police headquarters ...
Cambodia seeing a solar surge as prices drop
Cambodia is lighting up with solar power as international politics gluts the world market with inexpensive equipment options, according to industry insiders. The lowering or complete end of subsidies for US, European and Australian firms, along with China’s backing of the renewable energy sector, has seen ...
Future Telecommunications Regulator Will Face Challenges
A lack of proper regulations, unrealistic market data and a constant stream of disputes between Cambodia’s mobile operators will likely hinder the country’s future telecommunications regulator from effectively governing the sector, according to a leading research firm. Without the enactment of telecommunications law, which is currently ...
Sex claims a conspiracy: boss
The Ocean Garment manager facing a slew of sexual harassment charges has lashed out at the union representing the 2,500 workers on strike over the past two weeks, claiming its delegates provoked the strike after management cracked down on absent workers and overtime requests. In a ...
Late Monsoon Rain Causes Damages to Cambodia's Rice Crop
Cambodia continues to suffer from drought with tens of thousands of hecters of rice seedlings in the cities and provinces affected. A report from the National Committee for Disaster Management said on Wednesdasy as of August 21st drought has damaged 11,350 hectacres of rice seedlings ...
Provincial Governor Seeks Hun Sen's Forgiveness
Kampong Thom’s provincial governor wrote to Prime Minister Hun Sen last month to apologize and explain why district and fisheries officials were involved in clearing an area of protected flooded forest, according to a copy of his letter obtained yesterday. In the July 9 letter, written ...
Pailin land dispute brought to capital
About 100 villagers from Pailin province travelled to Phnom Penh yesterday to ask Prime Minister Hun Sen to intervene in their 70-hectare land dispute with the provincial governor, a village representative said. Dem Deam, 40, a resident of Pailin’s Stung Trang commune in Sala Krao district, ...
B Kak women hit streets again
Two months after their release from Prey Sar prison, members of the so-called Boeung Kak 13 were yesterday at the forefront of more calls for authorities to mark out land promised to their community. About 50 Boeung Kak women and children gathered outside to urge authorities to ...
Construction of Dams Would Strain Land, Water
Cambodia would significantly strain its land and water resources if a projected series of large-scale hydro-power dams are built along the Mekong, according to projections released this week. Fish remains the primary source of protein and researchers [from the Australia National University in Canberra and World Wildlife Fund] ...
Land Rights Worry UN
A mission to examine political rights in Cambodia has been increasingly overshadowed by the Kingdom’s dire land rights situation, the 2012 report from Cambodia’s UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights, published yesterday, shows. Cambodia’s rapporteur, Surya Subedi, conducted two fact-finding missions to Cambodia ...
Tougher disclosure rules for resources giants
US-listed corporations in Cambodia, including Chevron, Total, CNOOC and ConocoPhillips, that are engaged in extractive industries are now required to comply with additional transparency rules. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) implemented new regulations last week, two years after the legislation was initially passed by Congress. Cambodian monitors ...
PTT offers $960 mln to buy out Sakari to increase coal assets
Thailand’s top energy company, has offered to buy out Singapore-listed Sakari Resources Ltd for $960 million as the oil and gas firm expands into coal to meet rising regional demand for the fuel On Aug. 13, Sakari announced a joint venture with the Royal Group of ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/27/sakari-ptt-idUSL3E8JR02420120827
Mekong dams put millions at risk of hunger
The economic, social and environmental consequences of the construction of dams on the Mekong River could be devastating.. ANU research suggests that millions of people are in danger of going hungry if the dams proceed. Replacing fish as a protein source with alternative food would use ...
http://theconversation.edu.au/mekong-dams-put-millions-at-risk-of-hunger-9087
Millions of lobsters released into Cambodian waters
In an attempt to replenish the nation’s shellfish stocks, the Fisheries Administration has released seven million young lobsters into Cambodian rivers and the Tonle Sap Lake this year, officials said. Cambodia harvests about 100 tons of wild lobsters annually, although the market demand is for about ...
PM gives pro-dolphin decree
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday approved a new sub-decree geared toward increased protection of the endangered Mekong river dolphin through a series of fishing and motorised transport restrictions in the Mekong river in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. The Council of Minister’s sub-decree, obtained on ...
Villagers Dig for Treasure as Gold Fever Hits Takeo Province
a gold rush came to Angkor Borei district over the weekend, with dozens of villagers trying their hand at treasure hunting after word got out that there was gold to be found in the soil of a newly dug road in Prek Phtorl commune. The area ...
Energy mix
At the turnoff of Sihanoukville outside Phnom Penhmetal shop owner Kuch Sareun watches the sparks fly as his emplyees join pieces of steel. This year, he installed a diesel-run generator at his business since the frequent electricity outages were hurting his bottom line. Electricity is ...
Carlsberg promises support
Danish brewer Carlsberg has vowed to improve the working conditions of Angkor and Carlsberg beer promoters in Cambodia as it tries to stamp out coerced workplace drinking. The company announced late last week it had joined forces with the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) to ...
Date Set for Mam Sonando's Court Hearing
A hearing date has been scheduled next month at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for Beehive Radio owner Mam Sonando, who has been detained on charges related to insurrection, his lawyer said yesterday. The trial is set for Sept. 11, Mr. Sonando’s lawyer, Sok Sam Oeun, said ...