Ministries and other national bodies

With 10 days remaining until a government-imposed deadline for the U.N.’s human rights office to either sign a new agreement to operate in the country or close down, there is no sign that the two sides have come any closer to reaching a deal. ...

The government yesterday assured those in the garment industry that the Trade Union Law, which came into effect in May, is not meant to put pressure on any particular group, but rather to help employers and employees work together in harmony. Labor Ministry secretary of state ...

The chairman of the National Assembly’s corruption commission says a technical explanation from the Mines and Energy Minister over alleged irregularities in sand exported to Singapore is not clear enough. The controversy over the sand exports emerged after about 50 NGOs asked the Ministry of Mines ...

Cambodia should have its own satellite to make high-speed broadband available to all, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday. The prime minister also proposed that the Royal Group, a local conglomerate, partner with other  companies to make the Kingdom’s satellite dream a reality. Addressing about 600 ...

Cambodia and Thailand will sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to increase the quota of buses and trucks permitted to cross the border between the two countries, a transport official said yesterday. ...

Tourism Ministry officials outlined plans yesterday for two new vocational training facilities for the country’s growing tourism sector. Try Chhiv, deputy director general of the Ministry of Tourism, said the government will build the first school in Phnom Penh with a capacity of 1,000 students, ...

Minister for Mines and Energy Suy Sem will appear at the National Assembly on Thursday to answer questions about a more than $700 million discrepancy in data on sand exports to Singapore, according to a letter signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen. ...

The government has appointed the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to draft a law to crack down on illegal activity surrounding the recently banned commercial surrogacy industry in Cambodia. Ministry spokeswoman Kheng Sam Vada confirmed the news, which was originally announced by government spokesperson and Minister of ...

Buyers of motorcycles under 125cc will have to watch a 10-minute video on drunk driving and road safety from next year. The move is an attempt to cut traffic deaths, particularly among young people. Nearly half of road deaths involve people aged 15 to 30. Agreement on ...

Private firms say costs, delays and bureaucratic red tape have increased since an obscure private company took over the government’s work-permit application and issuance system in September. The Ministry of Labour announced in August that it had outsourced work permit application processing to E-Solutions (Cambodia) Co ...

Education Ministry officials said yesterday that there will be greater participation by disabled children in schools, announcing a plan that would allow disabled youngsters to attend schools with the rest of the country’s children by early next year. Im Koch, a secretary of state for the ...

Construction will start next month on a project to build affordable public housing for the lower middle class, low-income earners and state workers. Urban Planning and Land Management Minister Chea Sophara said the price of a home in the project would be between $20,000 and $25,000. ...

The government created a national commission last week to prevent and crack down on crimes involving natural resources. National Military Police Commander Sao Sokha will head the commission and Hou Sakun, the deputy commissioner general of the National Police, will be second in command. Environment Ministry and ...

The National Assembly’s anti-corruption commission has asked Suy Sem, the minister of mines and energy, to appear for questioning on December 15, as villagers in Koh Kong province cast doubt on government claims that it had temporarily banned sand mining there. Mr. Sem will answer questions ...

A leading Chinese manufacturer of power transmission and distribution equipment recently visited Cambodia to explore opportunities in the Kingdom’s rapidly growing energy sector, including a proposal for a factory to produce equipment for the electricity sector. ...

Cambodia and Thailand will be linked by a railway by the end of 2016 as planned, according to senior official, but some sections of track from Phnom Penh to Banteay Meanchey province remain unrestored. Minister of Public Works and Transportation Sun Chanthol said this week that ...

The Environment Ministry has started it’s process of recruiting 300 new forest rangers to work in select provinces next year in a bid to fill staff shortages and reduce deforestation.​ Ministry spokesperson Sao Sopheap said yesterday that the existing 960-strong ranger workforce was insufficient to guard ...

Local garment sector stakeholders failed to find common ground at a meeting on supply chain safety protocols, with the government and employers expressing reluctance to take on an additional level of responsibility. ...

Opposition lawmakers have requested Health Minister Mam Bunheng appear at the National Assembly to answer questions over graft, irregularities and poor services within his portfolio, including claims that officials from the National Malaria Centre misappropriated cash from the Global Fund. ...

A railway linking Phnom Penh to its international airport is being planned, with passengers getting the chance to check in baggage and get boarding passes before they get on the train. The line would join the Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk track which runs past the ...

Customs authorities should work quickly to adopt an envisioned online registration system for cross-border cargo shipments that would expedite delivery and cut out pesky middlemen who tack on unofficial fees, Transport Minister Sun Chanthol said yesterday. ...

Land Management Minister Chea Sophara led a veritable battalion of ministry officials in a survey of Phnom Penh’s iconic White Building on Saturday morning in preparation for a proposed development project on the site. ...

The Labor Ministry says that it is investigating fresh allegations of widespread child labor at the country’s brick-making factories, but claims to have found no evidence as of yet. The ministry made the announcement on Friday, hours after the release of a new report by local ...

The National Assembly’s anti-corruption commission will summon Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem to answer questions about an apparent $700 million discrepancy in sand exports to Singapore. ...