News
CPP, Opposition lodge Commune Elections day complaints
The ruling CPP and opposition CNRP have filed a combined 39 official complaints over the running of Sunday’s commune elections while independent observers continue to criticize pre-election conditions that they say likely compromised the poll.Hang Puthea, spokesman for the National Election Committee (NEC), said the ...
Ben Sokhean
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cpp-opposition-lodge-commune-elections-day-complaints-131071/
How Cambodia’s record deforestation is driving crippling drought
Massive deforestation is playing a crucial role in the droughts that have devastated Cambodia. But despite an official ban on timber exports, forests continue to be cut down at a record rate.The Cambodian government awarded between 30 and 40 logging concessions to private companies during ...
Euan Black
http://sea-globe.com/deforestation-drought-cambodia/
Bank services VAT seen as ‘inefficient’
Banking sector leaders have expressed concern over a new government decree that places additional fees on financial services, warning that the costs of what some have described as an “impractical and inefficient” tax would likely be passed along to consumers. ...
Kali Kotoski and Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/bank-services-vat-seen-inefficient
Rice storage offers price security
The silo is expected to be finished by the end of the year and the warehouse will be fully operational for the 2018 harvest season, according to the CEO of the Cambodia Rice Bank. ...
Sok Chan
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39097/rice-storage-offers-price-security/
Slow election count raises eyebrows
The National Election Committee (NEC) continued on Tuesday to say slow internet and blurry photographs were to blame for delays in publishing election results for 344 remaining communes, with its spokesman offering no timeline for when the public could expect complete results. Some parties and ...
Van Roeun and Ben Paviour
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/slow-election-count-raises-eyebrows-131066/
Opposition's strong showing in Cambodia vote may signal change in election landscape
Although the official results will not be released until June 25, the closely watched vote for Cambodia’s commune council elections showed the opposition’s growing strength and suggest that the national elections in 2018 will be a race between two parties. ...
Patience a virtue for coconuts
Khdib Sreymich, general manager of Coco Khmer, a Cambodia-based coconut cosmetics manufacturer, said her company is forced to import coconuts from Vietnamese suppliers to meet consumer demand for the company’s products. She explained that the farmers preferred to sell the coconuts when they were young, ...
Cheng Sokhorng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/patience-virtue-coconuts
Government approves agencies to send workers abroad
The Labour Ministry has announced the names of 77 private recruitment agencies approved to select, train and send Cambodian workers to Thailand, Malaysia and Japan. ...
Mom Kunthear
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39112/government-approves-agencies-to-send-workers-abroad/
CNRP’s chiefs will keep campaign promises or quit, says Sovann
Opposition spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday that if any of the CNRP’s more than 400 new commune chiefs who won office on Sunday cannot follow through on the party’s campaign pledges, they will “give up” their positions.Sovann said the Cambodia National Rescue Party had made ...
Meas Sokchea
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cnrps-chiefs-will-keep-campaign-promises-or-quit-says-sovann
Central bank to carry out on-site MFI audits
Cambodia’s central bank is to conduct on-site audits of microfinance institutions to check if they are complying with the interest rate cap that came into force more than two months ago, industry insiders have said. ...
May Kunmakara
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39098/central-bank-to-carry-out-on-site-mfi-audits/
As count ticks upward, parties spin competing narratives
With official tallies from Sunday’s commune elections slowed by internet hiccups, both major political parties provided similar results but different stories on Monday on which had won a vote that drew a record 7 million Cambodians to the polls—300,000 more than had been previously reported ...
Ben Paviour and Kuch Naren
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/as-count-ticks-upward-parties-spin-competing-narratives-130998/
Cashew growers brace for fall in prices
Cashew nut prices seem to have fallen slightly at the end of harvest season compared to March this year, according to the cashew nut association in Kampong Thom province. Association president Oum Uon said prices for raw cashew nuts dropped from 7,000 riel ($1.75) per kilo ...
Sok Chan
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39073/cashew-growers-brace-for-fall-in-prices/
Courts review starts
The Justice Ministry has launched a 100-day campaign to improve the court system. Ministry spokesman Chin Malin said while the system was widely regarded by outsiders as fair and without corruption, it was now time for a self-assessment to confirm its effectiveness. ...
Sen David
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39064/courts-review-starts/
CPP lead in popular vote slim, say NGOs
Preliminary returns from Sunday’s commune elections appear to show a tighter popular vote than the breakdown of communes won would seem to suggest, with the CNRP raking in an estimated 45 percent of votes to the CPP’s 48 percent, according to a coalition of NGOs. ...
Andrew Nachemson, Soth Koemsoeun and Niem Chheng
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cpp-lead-popular-vote-slim-say-ngos
Ex-Adhoc staffer, now CPP Commune Chief-elect, pledges to address logging
Apparent CPP Commune Chief-elect Chhay Thy yesterday pledged to tackle ongoing forestry crimes in Ratanakkiri’s Pate commune – a cause he strongly advocated for during his tenure as a human rights staffer at Adhoc. ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ex-adhoc-staffer-now-cpp-commune-chief-elect-pledges-address-logging
Acleda Bank reports $28M net profit in Q1
Aceleda Bank, Cambodia’s largest bank by assets, reported a net profit of $28.39 million in first quarter this year, down slightly from $30.19 million in the same period in 2016, according to the bank’s latest financial report. ...
The Phnom Penh Post Staff
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/acleda-bank-reports-28m-net-profit-q1
Western policies may slow growth
Long-term growth prospects for developing economies, including Cambodia, will continue to be undermined by a lack of investment as well as the risk of increased protectionist policies by the United States, which could hamper the growth of commodity-driven economies, according to a new report released ...
Kali Kotoski
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/western-policies-may-slow-growth
Independent observers complain about pre-vote conditions
A day removed from Sunday’s commune elections, independent observers remained mostly positive about polling day but, troubled more by the conditions leading up to the day itself, refrained from declaring the elections free and fair. ...
Ben Sokhean and Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/independent-observers-complain-about-pre-vote-conditions-130997/
Victories were few for small parties
As commune election results continued to trickle in yesterday, it was abundantly clear that Cambodia’s political landscape is now dominated by just two main competitors. However, the Kingdom’s smaller parties, some with lofty ambitions, came away with a few successes. ...
Niem Chheng and Ananth Baliga
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/victories-were-few-small-parties
Making films about trafficking
Cambodian youngsters are being invited to take part in a video contest on the theme “Asean Against Trafficking – Humans Are Not For Sale”. The Cambodia Human Rights Committee (CHRC) has announced its support for the Asean Youth Video Competition, which aims to raise public awareness ...
Sen David
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39067/making-films-about-trafficking/
Garment industry exports up, jobs down
Exports grew at a solid pace in 2016, rising by 7.2 percent to $7.3 billion, but the number of registered exporting factories fell by 10.4 per cent, while the number of workers declined by 2.9 per cent, compared to 2015. ...
Sum Manet
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/39024/garment-industry-exports-up--jobs-down/
Commune elections 2017: CPP wins 70%
The Cambodian People’s Party won 70 percent of the country’s 1,646 commune councils at yesterday’s elections, according to unofficial results published by a government-aligned media outlet – a marked drop from the 97 percent it won in 2012 but one far smaller than the opposition ...
Post Staff
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cpp-wins-70-communes-0
‘Law needed’ on campaign spending
The amount of money political parties spent on the campaign trail ahead of yesterday’s nationwide commune elections varied wildly, with observers and party members yesterday blaming the lack of a campaign finance law in Cambodia for what they characterised as the uneven playing field among ...
Yesenia Amaro
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/law-needed-campaign-spending
Ruling party, opposition both claim commune election win
A lack of official results did not stop both major political parties from claiming victory in Cambodia’s highest-stakes and highest-turnout local elections to date on Sunday, with the CPP citing its dominance in winning commune chief seats and the CNRP boasting of huge opposition gains ...
Ben Paviour, Van Roeun and Brendan O’byrne
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ruling-party-opposition-both-claim-commune-election-win-130972/