ព័ត៌មាន
Digging of deep quarry halted after protesters block road
Authorities in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district have ordered a land excavation company to stop digging an enormous quarry in Prek Kampoes commune that villagers claim has damaged surrounding rice paddies. Last Wednesday, about 100 villagers blocked National Road 2, burning car tires in protest against the ...
Hun Sen overturns recent large-scale fish export ban
Less than two weeks after the Tonle Sap Authority reportedly installed a ban on large-scale fish exports, Prime Minister Hun Sen declined to endorse the order and re-opened exports, officials said yesterday. Chan Youttha, secretary-general of the Tonle Sap Authority, said it had prepared a report ...
MFI survey claims debtor success
A survey by Cambodian microfinancers showed debtors were better off in several respects than those who didn’t borrow from the institutions, MFI officials claimed. Responding to recent concerns over the role of microfinance institutions in creating poverty and loss of property in the Kingdom, the Cambodia ...
Minister directs mock trading; launch unclear
Finance Minister Keat Chhon joined officials of the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) yesterday to conduct another day of mock trading of stocks ahead of the still-unknown launch of actual operations at the bourse, which opened in July but has yet to see a single stock ...
Measures outlined to save the endangered Mekong dolphin
Officials and environmentalists yesterday agreed to draw up new measures to save the endangered Mekong dolphin and find more information on why the species is disappearing. At the end of a three-day workshop in Kratie province, officials and representatives from the World Wildlife Fund signed a ...
As chair of Asean, Cambodia promotes Korean peace talks
In its capacity as Asean chair, Cambodia has said it wants to help lessen tensions on the Korean peninsula by trying to revive the six-party talks on North Korean denuclearization and by inviting North Korea to join the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh in ...
Law drafted to enforce environmental reports
The Ministry of Environment has drafted a law that will hand out fines and prison terms for companies that fail to complete and submit Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) on the development projects they undertake. According to a copy of the EIA draft law, fines of 100 ...
No sign World Bank will renew funds
Just over a year since the World Bank froze its funds to the government, the bank yesterday reiterated that a decision on whether or not it would start providing loans again remains nowhere in sight. In August, the World Bank announced that it would not provide ...
Amnesty calls for release of detained protesters
Amnesty International yesterday called on authorities to immediately release the 30 women and children from the Borei Keila community being detained against their will at Phnom Penh’s Prey Speu Social Affairs Center. “Those people never should have been arrested in the first place,” said Amnesty’s Deputy ...
Tax revenues from casinos climb 25 per cent in 2011
The Kingdom’s 27 casinos are set to generate about US$20 million in tax revenue for the government in 2011, a 25 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. At least one government official, however, said the lack of a regulatory regime ...
Croc skins new focus for farmers
Crocodile farmers in Siem Reap are turning away from the export of hatchlings to Vietnam, choosing instead sell the reptiles for their skins. Luon Nam, president of the province’s Crocodile Feeding Association, said yesterday the reliance on Vietnam was an unsustainable strategy for the industry. Any change ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011122853645/Business/croc-skins-new-focus-for-farmers.html
Kingdom takes steps to attract milled-rice buyers
A nationwide survey was under way by the Ministry of Commerce’s Rice Exporter Union to measure Cambodia’s milled-rice industry in order to give international buyers an accurate picture of the Kingdom’s current capacity, insiders said yesterday. Although data for the survey was still being collected, those ...
Eviction clock ticks for families in Preah Vihear
More than 130 families in Preah Vihear province who continue to defy eviction orders will not receive any compensation if they do not leave their homes by Friday, the Choam Ksan district governor has warned. Choam Ksan district governor Sok Hai yesterday said police and military ...
Demand for office space making a comeback
After a slow year in 2010, demand for office space in Phnom Penh is beginning to rebound as occupancy levels in new and existing units increase, real estate experts said yesterday. However, it is still unclear whether or not there is enough demand to fill ...
Gov't group issues rare statement on illegal logging
Spurred on by a rash of recent news about illegal logging activities around the country, and concerns about its public image, a government-led group on forestry issued a rare public statement yesterday urging its partners to help crack down on the illicit trade. In a statement ...
Sok An, Thai minister to discuss disputed waters
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An will meet Thai Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan on Thursday to discuss the possibility of extracting oil from disputed maritime areas in the Gulf of Thailand, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said yesterday. Mr Siphan said that Mr Sok An, who ...
Gov't, NGOs, firms finalize migrant contract
After a year of mounting concern over the treatment of migrant workers both within and outside Cambodia, the Ministry of Labor, NGOs and recruitment agencies yesterday reached an agreement on standardized contracts aimed at minimizing the possibility for exploitation. The groups agreed on a contract between ...
Abby Seiff and Cheng Sokhorng, p.25
Tourism turmoil continues
Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president Ang Kim Eang yesterday released a statement denying all allegations of wrongdoing against him by some members of the association’s board who have called for his resignation. Last Wednesday, 11 of CATA’s 15 board members signed and thumb-printed a petition ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011122753627/Business/tourism-turmoil-continues.html
Sand dredging deja-vu
They thought the days of scenic sunsets ruined by the noise and pollution of dredgers on the Tatai River were over, but villagers and business owners in the popular tourism destination now say they were duped in a promise from ruling party Senator Ly Yong ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011122753640/National-news/sand-dredging-deja-vu.html
Investment needed to hit rice target
Cambodia needs at least another $120 million of investment in rice mills if it is to meet the government’s 2015 target of exporting 1 million tons of rice, Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said yesterday. While rice exports from Cambodia this year have seen a significant increase ...
After record high, garment exports slow
As predicted by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank earlier this year, growth in Cambodia’s garment sector has started to slow due to weakening demand from markets in the US and Europe. According to the latest figures released by the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia ...
Hun Sen calls off deals on protected land
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday ordered an end to all private land deals inside the country’s protected areas and warned local businessmen and officials against making such illegal deals. “All official paperwork in connection with natural protected areas is invalid,” he said while speaking at the ...
Probe under way on military logging case
The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has launched an investigation into an October 2010 incident in which three RCAF soldiers allegedly opened fire on Forestry Administration officials who had just confiscated a haul of illegal wood, one of the officials involved said yesterday. An RCAF official, meanwhile, said ...
Maid's cause of death sparks investigation
Government authorities are investigating the death of a migrant domestic worker in Malaysia after her family and rights groups raised questions about the stated cause of death from a lung infection, a relative of the deceased woman said yesterday. Na Rith, 42, said his cousin Ouk ...