News

A recent report by the World Economic Forum underscored the Kingdom’s poor performance in educating and training its citizens in order to develop a competitive workforce and put their skills to productive use, ranking it for the first time in its annual review as the ...

The United States yesterday banned business and tourist visas for Cambodian Foreign Ministry officials and their families in response to the Kingdom’s refusal to accept “inhumane” deportations of Cambodian citizens convicted of felonies in the US. ...

Cambodian politics reached a new boiling point with the arrest of the opposition leader last week. Kem Sokha was handcuffed in the middle of the night in his house and accused of “treason” by the government. ...

CNRP chief whip Son Chhay sought to lay down a unified party line yesterday, saying the opposition would push through the current political upheaval and contest next year’s critical national election, setting straight conflicting statements coming from various party officials. ...

Former opposition leader Sam Rainsy announced yesterday that he plans to create a France-based NGO called the Association for Democracy in Cambodia, though he declined to give a detailed account of the structure and goals of the organisation. ...

Two large cement plants are expected to begin operations by the end of the year, according to a state official, who said the Kingdom has reached its limit for domestic cement production and the government will stop issuing new licences in order to protect dwindling ...

United States Ambassador William Heidt yesterday said allegations of US interference in Cambodia’s internal affairs were “absurd” and made without a “shred of serious or credible evidence”, but stopped short of speculating on any potential repercussions from the superpower. ...

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), together with the Ministry of Commerce and the Agriculture Ministry’s fisheries administration, yesterday launched a booklet titled “Fostering Fisheries Value Chain Growth and Competitiveness”. ...

The Ministry of Commerce has committed to joining up with the Thai Embassy in Cambodia to build a favourable business and investment climate between the Asean neighbours. ...

The Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC) will spend $35 million to build a concrete bridge across the Tonle Sap River from the Sokimex  gasoline station in Russey Keo district to the Prek Tasek commune in Chroy Changvar district. ...

Cambodia intends to submit a petition to the United States government to extend the duty-free privileges of its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) scheme to include footwear, giving local manufacturers a competitive advantage in the world’s biggest consumer market. But hopes are dimming as the ...

More than $30 million in Cambodian sand exports registered by Taiwan appear to be missing from Cambodia’s customs records, according to data from both governments, marking yet another large-scale discrepancy in the Kingdom’s figures on the trade. ...

University researcher Sok Touch yesterday took the government’s oft-used “colour revolution” narrative one step further by characterising practically every major political development since the 2013 post-election protests as part of one concerted attempt to foment insurrection in the Kingdom. ...

Four endangered hog deer, once thought to be extinct in Cambodia, were caught on camera in Kratie province for the first time in a decade, according to the World Wildlife Fund. ...

Four endangered hog deer have been recorded using camera traps for the first time in a decade in Kratie province, offering hope that the population of the species may be on the rise. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen took the US Embassy to task yesterday for posting an image of a red herring on its Facebook page while it pointed to American contributions to saving temples and protecting forests. ...

Geographical indication status is being sought for Siem Reap prahok fish paste after the Industry Ministry granted approval for a national standard. Siem Reap prahok fish paste, made from fermented fish, is among many products in Cambodia that the government is working to get GI status. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture has alerted cassava farmers, traders, and importers about a new virus attacking cassava, instructing local authorities to work together with the industry to stem its spread. ...

Nearly 60,000 people have registered to vote in next year’s national election during the first week of registration. Hang Puthea, spokesman for the National Election Committee, said yesterday that 59,185 people across the country went to register from September 1 to September 10. Voter registration runs ...

More than 96 percent of tariffs in Asean have been eliminated, but certain parts of the 10-nation economic bloc including Cambodia lag behind others in full implementation of the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga), the Ministry of Commerce said in a Facebook post yesterday. ...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday urged the Cambodian government to guarantee all political and civil rights ahead of next year’s election, while the government’s Human Rights Committee dismissed allegations of wrongdoing. ...

Material apparently aimed at incriminating jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha continued to flow in over the weekend, with pro-government leaker “Seiha” releasing another video of Sokha expressing his gratitude to the US government for its assistance in building democracy in Cambodia. ...

Cambodia Youth Party leader Pich Sros filed a lawsuit on Friday against activist monk But Buntenh and Pa Nguon Teang, founder of the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, accusing the pair of embezzling money from the late Kem Ley’s funeral fund. ...

Private investigators have long operated in Phnom Penh’s seamy shadows, hired to follow and document the liaisons of philandering tycoons, help foreign authorities locate fugitives or track down missing persons. ...