National government

The apex body for the nation’s microfinance industry announced yesterday that the central bank had tentatively agreed to a number of measures it had requested to ease the burden on microfinance lenders following last week’s unilateral decision to cap annual interest rates at 18 percent ...

The Tourism Minister has called on riverside communities in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces to avoid fishing in areas where dolphins live to attract visitors who want to see the rare creatures. ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation will start dispensing pensions for former civil servants and veterans at select ATMs starting in April. Minister Vong Soth issued a notice yesterday stating that pensioners will be able to withdraw their monthly allocations from Canadia Bank ...

A senior government official has urged the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to help children – both those who have never attended school as well as dropouts – get an education or receive training to improve their job prospects and income. ...

In an effort to boost the use of the riel, private companies have called on the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) to ensure that all goods worth less than $100 are priced in riel. ...

The Foreign Affairs Ministry expects to complete construction on its first training institute for local diplomats in the next 18 months, officials said Monday. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokes-man Chum Sounry said work on the National Institute for Diplomatic and Relations of International Study began in December. ...

A new deadline has been set for mobile operators Cellcard, Smart and Metfone to stop their promotional money exchange program by March 30, according to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication. ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng has warned the number of drug users in the country has reached 20,000, as he urged authorities to do more to tackle the problem.   ...

Thai officials will next month waive fees at border gates to allow workers from Cambodia to return home for the New Year. The Cambodian embassy in Thailand yesterday confirmed the move to Khmer Times and said the free pass will apply to all Cambodian workers and ...

Every Cambodian will be assigned a 10-digit identification number under which information from various government departments, as well as the private sector, will be collected in a central database, Interior Minister Sar Kheng announced on Thursday.   ...

The Ministry of Health acknowledged yesterday in its annual report that the quality of health care services in the Kingdom remains poor, with experts concluding that the slow improvement is due to a lack of government commitment.   ...

The Cambodian, Laos, and Vietnam parliaments have shared a stage to discuss their expenditure experiences and improve transparency and auditing of public investment in areas such as infrastructure. ...

Over the last few years the Director of the Statistics Department at the National Bank of Cambodia began observing an unanticipated development while conducting field observation studies of trade at border crossings – the riel is being accepted for purchases in neighbouring counties. ...

A government minister has sounded the death knell for Tonle Sap picturesque floating villages after outlining a long-term plan to rehome all those living on the lake. Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon yesterday told Khmer Times he wants to relocate thousands of families living on the lake ...

Transportation Ministry inspection stations last month seized 242 overloaded trucks, nearly 100 more than the month prior, and more than doubled the fines dished out to offending vehicle owners, according to a ministry report released on Tuesday. ...

The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has warned of impending unseasonal rain from this week until early next week, especially in lowland areas.    ...

In his office at the National Bank of Cambodia, Mr. Heng Bomakara recalls the early stages of the nation’s currency with fondness. He still remembers a time when coins were commonplace. First minted in aluminum and then later in steel, these coins are now a ...

The “Buy Khmer Products” campaign continues this year, in a bid to promote local products among Cambodian people.​Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, said last Friday that the campaign is “a momentum to inspire and awaken Cambodian citizens to acknowledge the value of local products.” ...

The Labor Minister yesterday lauded the government’s crackdown of a garment worker protest back in late 2013 and early 2014, which he claimed was necessary to avoid a war. ...

Japan has signed a three-year deal to help train government officials on attracting environmentally friendly investment. The Environment Ministry and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday signed the agreement to educate officials about how to use environmental impact assessments and enforce pollution controls. ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn said yesterday that the Cambodian embassies and consulates abroad lack sufficient financial resources, with Prime Minister Hun Sen immediately promising $2 million for the ministry to upgrade embassies’ motor pools – albeit within reason, he cautioned. ...

Thousands of students across the country are scanning identification cards and their thumbprints at school as part of a pilot program aimed at encouraging attendance. ...

Health officials have urged people to take care when buying food beyond its use-by date or suspected to be chemically contaminated after more than 60 students in Takeo province became ill from eating noodles. ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy collected $20.3 million in non-tax revenue last year, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, it said yesterday. ...