Khmer translated by ODC

Sathapana Microfinance Plc, one of the largest in Cambodia, will officially transform itself into a commercial bank late next month, a move in line with Japanese-owned Maruhan Bank acquiring a 95.1 percent stake in 2012. ...

Drought in Southeast Asia is raising concerns in the Cambodian and Vietnamese countryside where salinity levels are rising in the Mekong River and people are skeptical about fresh promises from Laos that it will respect the rights of downstream countries in dam construction. ...

The ‘entertainment resort’ that Hong Kong-listed casino junket investor Jimei International Entertainment Group Ltd wants to develop in Cambodia is likely to be located in the coastal resort town of Sihanoukville (pictured), on the Gulf of Thailand, says Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd. ...

Cambodian Foreign Minister, Hor Namhong, and visiting Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Masakazu Hamachi, on Monday in Phnon Penh exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. កម្ពុជា, ជប៉ុនផ្លាស់ប្តូរទស្សនៈគ្នាលើបញ្ហានៅឧបទ្វីបកូរ៉េ  ...

The National Assembly issued a statement on Monday calling on deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha to respond to a complaint filed by a group of students last week over audio recordings leaked online that purport to be Mr. Sokha flirting with a mistress.   ...

Work started yesterday on Cambodia’s largest and most modern cement plant, which will be built in Kampot province with an investment of $262 million by Chip Mong Insee Cement. ...

Japan agreed to provide Cambodia with a $181 million loan yesterday to help the renovation of National Road 5 linking Phnom Penh to Poipet, to help expand the Japanese Bridge and to assist in demining operations throughout the Kingdom. ...

Though praised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China’s release of Mekong River water from the Jinghong dam on March 15 is unlikely to bring much relief to downstream countries like Cambodia, water experts said yesterday.   ...

After getting the rights to develop Koh Rong island in 2008, the Royal Group started clearing land last year in preparation for the construction of its luxury Royal Sands resort. ...

The chief executive of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) resigned his post on Monday in the wake of an investigation into a possible $200,000 bribe paid by a gaming firm he previously headed to a consultancy with connections to a sister of Prime Minister Hun ...

A forest fire near the Preah Vihear temple complex caused decades-old landmines and other unexploded ordnance to explode on Sunday, according to regional military commander Duong Sam Neang.   ...

Thirteen provinces across the country have finished harvesting their dry season rice and yields have increased on last year’s crop, but local millers and exporters are concerned about the bulk of the crop making its way to a neighboring country.   ...

A transparency advocate yesterday cautiously greeted a plan for consultation between judges, prosecutors and Justice Ministry officials handling land dispute and other controversial cases, though an international lawyer said it could compromise judicial independence.   ...

The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia met with local rights advocates on Monday as she began her second fact-finding mission to the country, one of the meeting’s attendees said.   ...

In a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, government ministers have recommended a Chinese-owned company take the reins of the multi-million dollar Phnom Penh airport expressway, amid ongoing frustrations from residents who may be impacted by the development.   ...

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) marked the 36th anniversary of its reintroduction of the national currency on Sunday, using the event to continue its calls to boost use of the riel in a highly dollarized economy. ...

The U.S. Army is looking to store a mobile emergency field hospital in Cambodia to be used in the case of a regional disaster, a defense industry news website reported last week.   ...

The Ministry of Justice on Friday announced two key changes to court policy related to land dispute cases as part of the government’s broader efforts to improve its handling of such disputes in the lead-up to the 2018 national election.   ...

The Ministry of Labour is bringing back a beauty pageant for garment workers, which unions and commentators have deemed a “regressive” distraction from deep-seeded inequalities in the sector. ...

Local rights group Adhoc has cried foul after roughly 1,200 square metres on 2 hectares of land that used to be home to an airport in Preah Vihear province have been granted to a local official to build a house. ...

A new government sub-decree addressing the regulation of working hours and attendance for civil servants and government contract employees was submitted to the Council of Ministers on Friday in an effort to increase productivity, but is still short on oversight and accountability, one observer said ...

The U.N.’s human rights envoy to Cambodia will arrive for her second fact-finding mission today, following the U.N.’s censure of the government over the widely-criticized conviction of a political science student for calling for a “color revolution” on Facebook. ...

The Ministry of Labour has urged the garment industry to take adequate health and safety measures to compensate for what they say is already an unusually hot dry season. ...

A former Capitol Bus Company employee was charged with defamation on Saturday after he was arrested in Battambang for handing out leaflets asking people to boycott the company. ...