The Phnom Penh Post
Big brands talk labour rights
The biggest names in the apparel industry, including Nike, Puma and Gap, would meet today with officials from the Ministry of Labour to discuss issues plaguing the Cambodian garment manufacturing industry, such as mass fainting and contractual disputes, labour activists said yesterday. Dave Welsh, country ...
Rail project in ADB sights
The Asian Development Bank said yesterday problems with a railway rehabilitation project – funded by the bank and AusAID – identified by a local NGO that was suspended by the government last month “may require further investigation or analysis”. In July, STT released a report ...
Vietnam top destination for Cambodians
Cambodian outbound tourist departures rose 29 per cent year-on-year through July, with the bulk of the travellers going to Vietnam and Thailand, according to Ministry of Tourism statistics. Nearly 358,000 Cambodian tourists left the Kingdom in the first seven months of 2011, up from about ...
US firms eye new markets in the Kingdom
VISA, Mastercard, Dell and Cisco Systems have been added to a growing list of US companies looking to enter the Cambodian market, according to Frances Zwenig, counsellor of the US-ASEAN Business Council. The financial services and information technology companies joined GE, Chevron, Johnson & Johnson ...
Land disputes in Siem Reap
More than 1,000 families from four districts in Siem Reap province involved in ongoing land disputes released a joint statement on Friday asking for intervention from government officials. Villagers involved in six separate land disputes with various private companies in four districts claim a total ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090551447/National-news/land-disputes-in-siem-reap.html
Digging deep outside the law
Weak enforcement of mining laws excludes local communities from the decision-making process and smudges the revenue transparency, said George Boden, a campaigner at watchdog group Global Witness. Weak enforcement of mining laws excludes local communities from the decision-making process and smudges the revenue transparency, said ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090251412/Business/digging-deep-outside-the-law.html
Exports to be unaffected by debt crisis
As Cambodian exports continue to grow, commerce officials predict sovereign debt crises in the United States and Europe will not threaten the sector. Total exports surged by more than 46 per cent to US$2.677 billion in the first seven months of the year, compared to ...
Fainting link to Canadian cold
Women who had fainted in a poorly ventilated garment factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning were making winter coats to be sold at Walmart stores in Canada, it was revealed yesterday. Executives with Taiwanese-owned Heart Enterprise (Cambodia) Ltd also confirmed reports ...
Major bank downgrade
Moody’s Investors Service announced yesterday it had downgraded the credit rating of ACLEDA Bank, citing the departure of two of the bank’s major investors in as many years. The loss of a second big sharehol-der in the first half of this year had led to ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090251414/Business/major-bank-downgrade.html
Hands-on contest a hit in Cambodia
Long a popular fixture of US TV and radio competitions, “Hands on a Hardbody,” a marathon endurance contest where participants vie to hold their palms against a car the longest in order to win it, has expanded to Cambodia. More than 80 participants took part ...
Capital’s growth pushes housing demand
Phnom Penh’s growing population is driving demand for residential property, with approvals soaring in the first seven months of this year, according to Lao Tip Seiha, director of the construction department at the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. A total of 227 ...
Tourism stronger than predicted
The Kingdom’s tourism industry this year will perform much better than the government expects thanks in part to Cambodia’s growing popularity as a vacation destination, investment firm Cambodia Capital has said. Total tourist arrivals to Cambodia for 2011 will reach 2.85 million, while total revenues ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090151407/Business/tourism-stronger-than-predicted.html
Exchange officials explain IT system
Stock exchange officials were conducting a five-day workshop on the IT system that will allow trading, Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia director-general Ming Bankosal said yesterday. The workshop, held in conjunction with the Cambodia Securities Exchange, would also seek feedback on the system’s functionality ...
Fainting factory told to act
Another garment factory within the International Labour Organisation’s Better Factories program was hit by a mass fainting incident yesterday. More than 50 employees of Heart Enterprise (Cambodia) Co Ltd began collapsing soon after starting their shift at the facility, in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district. An ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090151398/National-news/fainting-factory-told-to-act.html
Tensions cause drop in ASEAN imports
Tensions with Thailand led to a 10-percent decline in imports from ASEAN members during the first six months of 2011, though Cambodia’s exports to the bloc nearly doubled, according to officials. Cambodia imported US$810.9 million during the six-month period compared to $904.9 million during the period ...
Sihanoukville flight claims
Two airlines plan to begin regular flights between the tourist towns of Siem Reap and Sihanoukville this year, officials said yesterday. Cambodia Angkor Air aims to begin its regular flights by December, though may delay into 2012 if necessary, said Office of the Council of ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011083151357/Business/sihanoukville-flight-claims.html
Minister seeks funds for climate change
Finance minister Keat Chhon yesterday identified reforming the management of natural resources as a priority in the government’s efforts to reduce poverty. Keat Chhon also called on wealthier nations to help fund climate change-related projects in developing nations like Cambodia. Minister of Environment Mok Mareth said ...
Homes torched in wildlife sanctuary
Government officials and armed police burnt down 25 homes in Oddar Meanchey province’s Anlong Veng district yesterday claiming they were in the protected Kulen Prumtep Wildlife Sanctuary, villagers and a rights group investigator said yesterday. The houses, which are part of larger community of about ...
Huge swaths of flooded forest protected by decree
Almost 650,000 hectares of ecologically-rich flooded forest surrounding the Tonle Sap lake has been protected by a sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday. The 647,406 hectare area spans sections of Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap and Kampong Thom provinces. ...
Oil dispute flares up
Secret meetings between high-ranking Thai and Cambodian officials to solve the demarcation of disputed offshore petroleum resources took place during the administration of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority revealed yesterday. In a statement some commentators described as “coordinated attack” by ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011083151353/Business/oil-dispute-flares-up.html
Tourism numbers rise by 14 per cent
The number of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia through July climbed 14 per cent year-on-year, with the most arrivals coming from Vietnam, South Korea and China, according to the latest Ministry of Tourism figures. Improved transportation, greater promotion of the Kingdom to world markets and widely ...
Two more banks setting up shop
The National Bank of Cambodia has issued a commercial banking licence to a Taiwanese bank, while another banking licence is pending approval for a Chinese-Cambodian joint venture, central bank Director General and Spokeswoman Ngoun Sokha said yesterday. The central bank had licensed Taiwan’s Mega International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011083051333/Business/two-more-banks-setting-up-shop.html
Malaysian firm eyes Kampong Thom land
Malaysain firm Lion Forest Industries Berhad plans to acquire 58,000 hectares of land in Kampong Thom province for US$26.1 million, the company announced yesterday. The company has also announced its intention to purchase 9,995 hectares of land in Preah Vihear province for $3.9 million, according ...
Cambrew to pay overtime to beer girls on Monday
Cambrew yesterday paid the beer promoters who went on strike in late July to demand that the company abide by an Arbitration Council ruling earlier that month that said it owed the women three years of overtime for working on Sundays. The company, which is ...